#but i think he would go for some sort of aerospace engineering obviously.

[ominousvibez]

i know a lot of people tend to define dani/ellie's "obsession" as the ocean to go with danny's space obsession but tbh i feel like as dani gets older she's going to do a lot to separate herself from her identity as danny's "clone" and become her own person

like, that's why i love that the fandom has adopted the "ellie" nickname so much for her. i so wish the show went on for longer with more competent writers or the comic could expand on this maybe but i think finding her own identity and voice would be such a powerful narrative. you're made for one thing but you don't wanna do that, so now what do you do?

(tbh that kind of identity exploration is probably too anit-christian for b*tch h*rtman so i'm glad he didn't get to touch it)

it's canon that dani goes off and travels the world, so why not have her obsession be traveling? she's got a huge case of wanderlust. she likes the outdoors, she likes hiking and camping and is a huge granola girl. like, i think that kinda just fits her a bit more, in my opinion. traveling/exploration.

[55ludovicoplace]

Sorry to still be yammering on about the pulped billionaires but I'm disasters guy and safety is a thing I think about a lot and also the way people talk about this really gets me??

A bunch of people are being like oh this? This happened because he was WOKE, actually. Because he said that he didn't want to hire 50 year old white guys in one interview video which then proceeded to show a bunch of white guys in their 20s-30s (and one white woman who they zoomed in on). The issue he had was 100% with the "50 year old" part - recent graduates can get paid barely anything, after all. And regardless of who he hired it is utterly deranged to think the primary driver of this incident was anyone other than this particular 61 year old white man.

The excuse he gave was that he wants to """inspire younger generations""" which, well, he has accomplished the opposite of. I think very obviously. What he has done is taken a handful of recent graduates, probably paid them way under industry standard, traumatized them by having them be involved with The Great Billionaire Pulping Incident, and probably tanked their careers forever because now they have that giant blotch on their resumés. Nice job.

Another one of his stated goals was making underwater tourism more freely accessible and popular and, well, he certainly probably killed that. I imagine anything as simple as a shallow dive to see some cool marine life will now have a massive stigma attached to it. Can't stop winning.

I struggle somewhat to tell how much of what he was doing he understood. I can't get over the website saying that safety standards aren't that important because most accidents are caused by operator error. I mean, fair, why do you think that is? It's because catastrophic mechanical failure is almost unheard of, and what the statistics about operator error don't mention is a lot of the time it's a mishandling of something, like a non-catastrophic mechanical failure, other than some idiot crashing the plane for no reason. Like did he understand that at all or did he think a submersible was a magic machine that takes you wherever you want? I lean towards the latter but he absolutely knew this because he had a degree in aerospace engineering! Truly terminal raised-wealthy brain where you just don't understand that anything bad can ever happen as a result of your insanely reckless short-sighted actions.

I do ultimately think I wish Stockton Rush survived and had to see what he had done and got sued for everything he owned and died sad and lonely and penniless and boring. I think he would have much preferred a death at sea, where the implosion was so instantaneous he wouldn't have known it was happening, to having to live with the consequences of his actions undeniably spread out in front of him. The result of him jawing on about safety regulations getting in the way of progress would be him having to see regulations written in the blood of the people he doomed. I think it would've imploded his brain.

(Can I just sort of point out how stupid the 'advanced warning system' was? King, an implosion takes five milliseconds, that's not going to do anything. Why do you want to save weight on a submersible. Do you understand that carbon fiber is very strong against inside pressure, the exact opposite of what you want in a submersible, and that's the reason it's used for pressure hulls in aircraft? Why would you ever combine titanium and carbon fiber? You literal idiot?)

[antiplanets]

LORE / HEADCANON DUMP

*this is all pretty canon compliant + taken from all of his different sources but mostly focused on the platinum gameverse.

PERSONAL cw : referenced child neglect

— ✦ cyrus akagi is legally considered dead. he disappeared for several years with no word to anyone after the events at mt. coronet, thus it was assumed he died in the distortion world. obviously, some people knew where he was but he didn't come back so it was a missing persons case that's time expired. his assets were distributed among his commanders.

— ✦ it's essentially canon but he suffered from very bad parental neglect, to put it gently. he was a very smart child, but very, very isolated. he was very lonely &&. found it hard to connect with other people his age. this is directly correlated with his warped worldview (that emotions are the root of evil, and it would be best if we simply don't have them) as he was taught showing emotions would only lead to abandonment &&. being ignored through the actions of his parents. he developed the I Have To Remake The World To Save Everyone From Themselves part of the thought process later when he learned more on sinnoh creationism.

— ✦ cyrus cut ties with his parents && left sunyshore as soon as he possibly could. he has had no contact with his family since.

— ✦ his first pokémon was sneasel. she is one of the only pokémon cyrus has that isn't caught in a master ball; he didn't have the technology available at the time.

— ✦ post-distortion world he now has a rotom and a cleffa (i am likely going to talk about his pokémon &&. rotom another time, this is already a long ass post).

— ✦ i write cyrus as a trans man because i'm trans &&. i project /lh this doesn't really have much to do with his characterization, but i do enjoy the idea of him becoming fixated on space at a young age &&. purposefully naming himself after the sun.

— ✦ he has (ALMOST, i genuinely think all of the galactic commanders are college drop outs) finished degrees in both engineering &&. astrophysics. his original goal was to become an aerospace engineer, but he became hyperfixated on sinnoh creation mythology &&. in turn, the physical, literal remaking of the world rather than just space exploration as a means to his ends sometime along the way.

— ✦ he maintains a connection with giratina, though it's not a relationship he has any control or say in. i think it took some kind of a liking to him — it definitely could have just killed him at spear pillar instead of taking him to the distortion world to hang out — and sees him as just a silly little guy instead of someone on the verge of ending the world. i like to think it jumpscares him in reflective surfaces on occasion.

TEAM GALACTIC cw : cults, doomsday references

— ✦ team galactic was an energy company, originally, founded by cyrus at age 22. their main goal was making advancements in energy tech, specifically in regards to aerospace.* the original name of the company was galactic energy technologies (in his research on creation myths, i'm sure he stumbled across mentions of a certain galaxy expedition team and their interactions with dialga and palkia. i think he took the name from them and just tweaked it a bit). the business was obviously successful, enough to have multiple buildings &&. research facilities across the region. *as an aside, i'm not a tech or science guy, really, so if i sound stupid talking about stuff in that realm it's because i Am stupid about it.

— ✦ this was sort of the reason they were able to be pretty out in the open with their plans, even with their Overt crimes. being able to transport live bombs was easily disguised as transporting harmless tech like they'd been doing for years; most people didn't think twice about the galactic hq in eterna city because to them it was just the people they paid their electric bill to, not some weird doomsday cult.

— ✦ team galactic in the state cyrus left it before he disappeared was Very cult-y. there's the overtly religious overtones of cyrus' plans — remake the world with the current gods that exist to become god in the next. but it's also the only way he could have gotten people to follow him. he isn't charismatic in personal relationships / friendships but he is appealing as a leader / authority figure. it also let him be vague enough in his plans that people would still follow him and he wouldn't have to really tell anyone what the fuck was going on.

— ✦ his current plans are mostly obscure. the end goal is still the same, but for the short term he's trying to get acclimated to the real world &&. real people again.

tl;dr he's an (ex-?)cult leader everyone thought died but is like sort of okay now. yippee

[davyjoneslockr]

okay i need to know. what would your take on modern au/high school fugio be. OBVIOUSLY naramis too

Yes yes okay so. If you don’t mind me derailing this slightly, I do have a modern college AU that’s been living in my brain for years but I haven’t written anything for. I have little storylines for like all the JJBA characters but obviously Fugio and Naramis are there.

So all the Joestars are like. Extended family. Cousins mostly and some of them are siblings. They’re also distantly related to Giorno, and nobody knows how, but Jolyne and Josuke think he’s cool so they figure he must be alright, even if he’s also a Brando somehow. The Joestar and Brando family trees are very complicated.

Giorno goes to college to study like. Biology. Probably with minors in entomology and zoology. And besides his distant relatives (who he’s not that close to yet), he doesn’t know anyone because he doesn’t exactly have any friends. Then, at orientation, he meets Bucciarati, who’s his RA. He says he knows Giorno’s roommate, Mista, an upperclassman he was randomly placed with, and once the school year starts, he meets him and the rest of the World’s Worst Friend Group.

Fugo is a sophomore who skipped a grade back in K-12 and went to college a year early, so he’s in the same year as Narancia and Mista. He’s also an honors student, pre-law, math minor, and absolutely at his fucking limit. He was originally going to go to this super prestigious university, but when he was there for orientation/some research he’d already started, backstory stuff happens. Only difference is that his grandma is still alive, and she takes him in after his family disowns him. His admission is rescinded from that school, so he goes to The School All The Main Characters Are At instead. Narancia’s his roommate and is pulling the Best Strat Ever by majoring in aerodynamics/aerospace engineering while being dogshit at math (but not really – he’s actually quite good at it, but finds traditional teaching methods/curriculum hard to follow, so Fugo has to help translate certain things into Narancia Language). I haven’t really decided on Mista’s major lol, but he and Giorno quickly become besties and get along well as roommates – except for the fact that like. There’s an almost definite line between Giorno’s side of the room, which is pristine and orderly, and Mista’s, which is a disaster and could definitely use some air freshener.

Naramis Fugio timeline is like: Torture Trio’s freshman year, before Giorno (and Trish) join the group, Fugonara happens. They break up and quickly learn why people say not to date your roommate. Drama ensues. Mista’s sort of stuck in between it. Being vague bc I might write a fic about this someday. They reconcile eventually and all is well.

Mista and Narancia have always been close, but towards the end of freshman year and into that summer, they start getting really close. Like, having a whole encyclopedia of inside jokes and cuddling during movie nights close. But they’re not dating, and they’re very insistent about the “no homo” thing. This is a charade. They have massive crushes on each other.

Giorno develops a crush on Fugo pretty quickly. Only Mista knows about it. He thinks it’s hilarious. The gang goes out to parties a lot, so I’m thinking of some Man in the Mirror fight parallel that’s like. Stereotypical Rowdy College Party Gets Broken Up By The Cops thing, and Giorno and Fugo get into some wacky hijinks to escape without getting caught, and once they’re safe and the adrenaline dies down and they’re just laughing over how ridiculous it was, Fugo has a moment where he’s like. Holy shit. He’s cool. Oh shit I think I like him.

Naramis gets together partway through first semester. Nobody is surprised. Fugo keeps getting kicked out of his room so Narancia and Mista can make out and/or watch Sharkboy and Lavagirl for the 100th time without listening to him complain. He always ends up hanging out with Giorno, whether that’s in the library, the local coffee shop, the campus flower gardens, or his room. Silly dramatic slowburn romance ensues. Stupid college shenanigans with the gang also ensue. Really this AU is just a set of scenes in my head that are all just dumb hijinks and stuff. Maybe when I’m done with the Mista fic, I’ll put it on my to-do list and write a oneshot or two.

[lightningx]

yall i have so many wandavision theories so here we go

☆ obviously we know each episode changes the time period in history. the first one was the 50s, the second the 60s, the third the 70s, the next the 80s, and so on. this is just so interesting.

☆ the endgame trailer was all black and white except for red. wandavision was also all black and white except for some red things until it was in color. perhaps something to do with the reality stone?

☆ when monica rambeau says “i know an aerospace engineer who’d be up for this challenge”, is she talking about reed richards? hank mccoy? adam brashear? victor von doom?

☆ in gotg vol 2, we see that the group is using an interplanetary portal in the shape of a hexagon. wanda’s reality is also in the shape of a hexagon. does a hexagon signify a portal connecting a different universe? the multiverse perhaps?

☆ darcy lewis says that wanda recast pietro. this implies that the people in the mcu are unaware of the pietro in the x men universe, played by evan peters rather than aaron taylor johnson. this means that the mcu has officially opened up the multiverse and the possibility of mutants in the mcu omg~

☆ as the title implies, it is “dr strange in the multiverse of madness”, featuring tobey maguire and andrew garfield, two of the past spidermans. tom hiddleston as loki and elizabeth olsen as wanda will also be in it. elizabeth olsen says that there will be a cameo in wandavision equivalent to luke skywalker in the mandalorian. could this be dr strange? magneto?

☆ wandavision takes place around the same time as spiderman: far from home. when peter mentions strange, maria hill says that he is unavailable. could this be because stephen was busy cleaning up the messes wanda and loki have made?

☆ i also just want to point out that many of the scenes in wandavision exactly resemble those of the comics and i think that is so cool.

☆ if yall remember in dark phoenix, there is a scene where magneto turns guns away from him with a sort of flicking motion. wanda replicates the exact same motion when turning the guns away from her when she steps outside the barrier. though the show explicitly states that wanda’s parents are irina and oleg maximoff, this is a direct parallel to magneto.

☆ in aou vision says, “maybe i am a monster”, a direct reference to frankenstein. in wandavision’s 5th episode, he appears in one scene wearing a binky in each ear, resembling the look of frankenstein.

☆ agnes always seems to be wearing a necklace or some sort of pin. the figure on the pendant resembles agatha harkness, wanda’s mentor in the comics. agnes and agatha sound like very similar names to me wouldnt yall agree~

☆ when wanda expels monica from westview, she quite literally pushes her through four physical walls. this would mean wanda literally tossed monica through the sitcom’s fourth wall. sidenote: this is something deapool is famous for.

☆ the opening scenes of captain marvel and wandavision episode 4 are eerily similar. this is very interesting.

☆ in the cartoon-ish intro of wandavision episode 2, we briefly see the helmet of the grim reaper (eric williams) on a shelf. the grim reaper in the comics is vision’s nemesis.

☆ i believe that mephisto is actually the one behind all of this. he could be acting as pietro, as we briefly see a red hand in the mirror (although, this could be vision; it is unclear). he could also be acting through dottie (who jimmy woo was unable to identify), “the key to everything in this town”. or, he could be acting through hayward (who gives me very much alexander pierce vibes), the acting director of sword. in hayward’s office, we see the photos framed on the wall in a hexagonal shape. in the comics, the twins were created from shards of mephisto’s soul, and the devil eventually came to collect them. we also notice that the shape of wanda’s reality is a hexagon. this could be a stretch, but could it resemble 666, as in 6 sides, as in the devil’s number?

☆ the commercials in wandavision are also very interesting as they hint to wanda’s subconscious feelings and a correlation to hydra:

the first commercial is about the toastmate 2000 (a toaster), which beeps eerily similarly to a bomb. we know that wanda and pietro were just 10 when they lost their parents in a bombing, while staring at a nearby unexploded shell that said “stark” on it. the toaster is also made by stark industries and the slogan is “forget the past, this is your future”. the toaster also has a subtle 666 inscribed on it. another reference to mephisto?

the second commercial is the strucker watch. baron strucker was one of the leaders of hydra and was the one who experimented on the maximoff twins. the watch also has the hydra symbol on it and flat out has the word “hydra” written on it. the slogan for this commercial is, “strucker: he’ll make time for you”.

the third commercial is the hydra soak luxury bath soap. this soap is briefly mentioned in marvel’s agents of shield, where coulson mentions that the soap can be used to alter the user’s memories. the commercial also encourages the bubble-bath woman to “escape to a world all your own”. could this be referencing the world wanda has created here and the struggles of trying to deal with two newborn boys?

the fourth commercial is about lagos paper towels. this is referencing the incident that occurred in lagos, nigeria, in the opening scene of captain america: civil war. there, wanda accidentally kills a bunch of wakandan humanitarian workers. the paper towels are shown cleaning up a red liquid, possibly symbolizing blood. the slogan for this commercial is, “for when you make a mess you didn’t mean to”, a clear indication that wanda still feels extreme guilt for what happened in lagos.

[ambitionsource]

S2 Rewatch - Maggie’s Take [ 207 ]

oh honey we’ve got a big storm coming...

Favorite scene

We’re getting to the point now in the season where all these questions become a million times harder to answer. All the scenes have an oomph to them. All the characters are at their richest. All the performances go off. So forgive me for cheating and giving multiple answers from here on out most likely. So in 207, three answers jump to mind. 1) The sequence where Farkle is having his true meltdown, before “Santa Fe.” From a writing standpoint, I remember I was really proud with how that scene turned out. It was a fun challenge, trying to capture that anxiety and panic and loss of reality. A fun fact that you may or may not know is that nearly all of the lines of dialogue said by the hallucinated characters are repetitions or variations on dialogue that has actually already been said in the show, meant to highlight how Farkle’s brain has taken these (usually offhand) comments and held onto them obsessively and in some cases even warped them into something more antagonistic than they were. Then there was the pattern of tying the sentiments together into one overarching monologue of sorts, repeating that thematic word over and over, “enough.” It was just so fun to write, and I’m really happy with how it came together. 2) The Dylan, Lucas, and Asher argument in the booth. Ooh, buddy. This was a true turning point, both for the narrative and for Asher and Dylan as characters. To me, that is the scene where they rise from supporting characters to mains, and in some ways it’s a long time coming. I love how it highlights the imperfections at play between that trio, and the way that Lucas and Asher know exactly how to get at one another, but nothing gets me more than Dylan’s “HEY” and stepping in between them. How Dylan snapping seems to be what pulls Lucas out of his anger, and how Dylan’s anger only lasts seconds before it shifts into like shock / concern... ugh I love him. I love them! Definitely a standout scene, even back when I first wrote it, but even more so now that Dylan and Asher have such larger roles in the third season. 3) The unintentional coming out scene between Riley and Charlie. The whole thing is just rich with tension, like I love the moment where Charlie is like you can’t tell anyone you can’t -- and she just interrupts him and it goes dead silent until she’s emphatically like I would never tell anyone... like chills, bro. Chills. And the relief that comes from Riley finally understanding why he’s been acting the way he has... so good. The follow up to this choice is the Zay and Charlie scene at the end where the freedom of someone knowing seems to allow him the strength to kiss Zay in their studio... I love them. I love it all. Whew. 

Favorite performance

It’s getting hard... it’s getting tough to choose... like “Santa Fe” is up there because of the raw emotion of it and what it represents for Farkle and his arc. “Loser” is great too, mainly in concept, as we have Dasher acting as Lucas’s subconscious mind essentially and all of the cool choices in the production of the number. But I think I will have to go with “Waving Through A Window,” as that is such a standout performance in my opinion. It delivers emotionally, it has a cool flow and concept, there’s snow... whenever it comes on AMBITION shuffle I’m like oh yeah. Now we’re talking. And I love the visual of Isadora being stuck on the acting block / courtyard table, always inches from falling off the ledge but managing to avoid disaster. It’s just a really cool visual in my head. So that’s the top for me I think.

Favorite character (within context of the episode)

I literally can’t choose. I don’t know what to say. I think I’ll say maybe Charlie and Zay? Both in their storyline together as well as individuals. They’ve both got great solos (“Consideration” and “Exhale”), Charlie has his devolution emotionally and Zay finally (righteously) snaps at Angela. They find refuge, in Riley and Harper and of course each other. There are standout moments throughout the episode for their relationship -- holding hands at the top in the studio, Charlie hugging Zay in the hallway to comfort him and telling him it’s okay, the fraught moment of Charlie snapping at Zay about being at his locker which feels like a tiny unintentional step back, Charlie’s frazzled kiss on the cheek in public, the ending scene with another handhold and the softest kiss... ugh I love them. They were at a peak this episode, which makes sense considering what’s about to come...

Favorite line(s)

“You know what, you’ve got a lot to think about. Let me just get out of your hair. Best of luck with this next phase in your life, sir. Save a little social security for the rest of us provided climate change doesn’t kill us first!” --Lucas James Friar, to Eric

“I mean, but what am I going to do instead? Follow in the footsteps of my mom? I won’t survive veterinary school, Mister E. And you can only cure lung cancer once!” --Darby Winters

“Might be nice to help combat the impending danger of climate change and issues with renewable resources by studying environmental sciences or maybe aeronautical space engineering in pursuit of space materials that could be used as new energy sources. Ooh, or a rodeo clown!” --Dave Williams

“Actually, I’m near-sighted. But I wear contacts.” --Dylan Orlando, in response to Eric asking if his future plan is “short-sighted”

“I looked into “space cowboy,” but as it turns out you need a degree in aerospace engineering as well as a license to boy cows, and that seems like a lot of work. So then I thought, well, if I don’t have the capacity to work, what else is there in this capitalistic hell we call society? Sure, I could probably enter myself in human cage fights and scrap to death for spare change, but I think that would hurt after a while and to be honest, I think I’d feel a bit like a piece of meat if I took up that mantle. Who would I be fighting to impress? The bourgeoisie? Hard pass. But after some deep, probing soul-searching, I finally hit the one. Trophy husband. Now, I know what you’re thinking. To accomplish such a grand ambition, I’d have to get someone to like me. And that’s a pretty hefty task, believe me I know, but I’ve devised a work around. This is, as Dave would say, galaxy-brained thinking, Mister E. I’m going to put an ad on Craigslist.” --Lucas James Friar

“It’s easy to say you believe in someone. Showing up for them is a different story.” --Zay Babineaux

“We’re friends, Lucas. We care about you. Asher wasn’t lying about that. And when you decide you want to do something about this, we’ll be there. When you need us... we’re going to be there for you. No matter what.” --Dylan Orlando

“I don’t know if this will make you feel better or worse, but the truth is it all comes down to endurance. How long you can take it, how long you can stick it out until it ends up being your shot. The true test of who lives the dream is who hangs on… and who gives up.” --Harper Burgess

An underrated moment

There are so many it would be so hard for me to pick one if I thought about it too hard, so I’m gonna go with my gut. My favorite mini moment in the episode is during the end montage, when Dylan climbs in the window to comfort Asher. There’s a lot of small details I like about it that occur just within like 30 seconds -- Asher’s routine with crushing up his anxieties (a thing elaborated on in Cruel Summer), how commonplace it is for Dylan to climb in the window, and how he jumps into comfort mode and they both fall into that without any words at all. I just love it. And I can picture the way Dylan kisses his cheek and then his shoulder and then rests his head against him so perfectly... I adore them. They are angels.

First impression vs your reread impression

Obviously, even when I wrote this last year it felt major. Because it is. This is the turning point episode, literally and narratively. It’s smack in the middle, and from here I knew everything was going to be bigger and more, especially since we pulled the (metaphorical) trigger with Farkle. We knew that was a narrative risk, but we felt strongly about it, and we took every method we thought possible to set it up well, be cautious about it to y’all (with trigger warnings and hotlines, etc.), and then follow through on it in a way that balanced realism with care and attention. I think we managed to pull it off, but it was a great relief that you all reacted so well to it (in terms of the narrative, not like joyously LMAO) and trusted us to carry it forward. That kind of trust in a writer means a lot, and that’s what I’ll always remember when I think about this episode. Thankfully, we all survived it, and now here we are on the cusp of S3. Insane. And now onto 208... the storm is here...

[cyanisbirdmom666]

Dark Skies - Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

Summary: Space seems fun at first, right? Well it is... until people on your spaceship start getting murdered by monsters.

Notes: Just another Among Us chapter.

Word Count: 2.2k

Trigger Warnings: none :)

“OK EVERYONE, are you guys ready?” Daisy asked as everyone sat down. The cafeteria tables were quite large, so the 12 of them all fit on one table. Rusty came out of the kitchen with all the seafood. Salmon chowder, baked cod, potato-brussel sprout hash, seared scallops, popcorn shrimp, hot crab dip, and an avocado and fennel salad. “I really hope you guys aren’t allergic to seafood.” he joked. They all laughed and dug in. The food was delicious.

After about 10 minutes of silent eating, Daisy stood up cleared her throat, “Ok guys, to start off I’m going to first ask for your ages. We all look pretty young, so no need to be embarrassed. I’ll start, and we’ll go clockwise from there. I’m 21 years old.”

“I’m 27.” said Rusty.

“I’m 25.” said Rosa.

“I’m 23.” said Violet.

“21.” said Azul.

“I’m 20.” said Sky.

“I’m 21.” said Chartreuse.

“31.” said Scarlet.

“I’m 24.” said Viridian.

“I am 21.” said Coal.

“I’m 25.” said Bronze.

“26.” said Ivory.

“Ok great! Let’s do an easy question first: why are you guys in space? I’m sure this will bring up some interesting stories... I’ll start, again. I like rocks. I’m a geologist and going to space to actually touch and handle space dust has always been a dream of mine, ever since I was a little girl that played with sand. That may sound weird to you guys, but, like, studying the moons, the dirt, and the lava in Polus was SUCH a wonderful experience!! 10 outta 10, I would definitely do this again. MiraSpace noticed my experience in the field, and offered me this trip. All I needed to do in return was conduct some research on the lava in Polus. I enjoyed every minute of it! Now Rusty, it’s your turn.

“MiraSpace needed a chef for this group. You only live once, so I took the opportunity to go to space. I don’t regret it. Space is pretty cool.”

Rosa stopped eating and cleared her throat, “Well, I’m an astronomer, so getting to study the stars and celestial objects up close was an opportunity I could not refuse. MiraSpace needed the research and I had already been working with MiraSpace for years, so I know I can trust this organization to send me into space. It’s been very pleasant so far.” Rosa finished talking and continued to eat.

“Well, I also had been working in MiraSpace before taking this trip. They wanted me to be the electrical and software engineer of the ship, and I of course accepted, even though the chances of this ship breaking down is really small.” Violet said, very confidently.

“I’ve never worked for MiraSpace, and the only thing I know about the organization was from what I heard on the news. Scandals, new programs they’re launching and stuff. BUT they did offer me a lot of bucks for researching weather in space, so I gave them a chance. So here I am, the ship’s space meteorologist.” Azul droned, obviously bored. He was staring at the ceiling.

“I’m a surgeon and MiraSpace contacted me, saying that they needed a medic for the ship. I at first declined, because I love Earth and flying gives me anxiety. Besides I didn’t really need the money, and space was never an interest of mine.They even offered to give me an assistant! BUT, then MiraSpace told me that if I was able to find an alien bird in Polus, I would be able to keep it. All I needed to do was get samples and data from Polus and be the ship’s doctor. I don’t know how MiraSpace found out I love birds, but they did and now they had me hooked. I accepted, so now I have two alien bird eggs on my helmet, and a bunch of data and research to sort out. I still don’t know who was assigned to be my assistant, or if I even have an assistant. But other than that it’s been pretty fun.”

Azul looked at Sky a bit confused, “Aren’t you a bit young to be a surgeon? You said you were 20? Aren’t surgeons like, really old? You’re not even at legal drinking age!” Sky shrugged, “I suppose I just skipped a few grades.” Azul gazed at Sky for another moment before returning to staring at the ceiling.

Chartreuse started, “MiraSpace wanted me to document everything we- well everything you guys do, and I accepted the position. The Skeld is my set and you guys are the actors. I’m just the movie director letting the drama unfold.”

Daisy giggled nervously, “But there is no drama here, silly! We all get along great!”

Chartreuse smirked, “There will be hon, there’s always will be drama wherever you go. I’m just patiently waiting. I know where to sniff out the dirt, darling.”

Daisy forced a smile, “You’re a funny one Chartreuse... but erm, I don’t really see your equipment? You’re not doing a very good job so far if you want to sniff out the dir-”

“Look up sugarcakes. I have cameras everywhere to record the latest news among the crewmates. And to make sure I’m documenting everything you’re doing of course. MiraSpace doesn’t want any funny business going on on their ships.” Chartreuse disclosed.

Everyone went from happy to very uncomfortable. They all (reluctantly) looked up and sure enough, there was a camera taped to the ceiling. How did it get there? They didn’t know, since Chartreuse was short. Coal immediately tensed thinking, is it possible that he put a camera in Electrical? Did he record the whole conversation??

“So Chartreuse, what are ya planning on doing with the footage eh? You wanna make a movie out of us or something? Or are you just going to turn in all the footage to MiraSpace?” Scarlet asked, a bit irritated. She did not want to be recorded.

“I have to give all the footage to MiraSpace but... MiraSpace didn’t stop me from bringing my own equipment so... perhaps I will make a movie out of this. It all depends on how good my footage is and how much footage MiraSpace takes. Enough about me though, we should probably keep playing our bonding game, yes?” Chartreuse said, still smirking.

Scarlet wanted to slap his stupid little smirk off his face, but she restrained herself. “I work in MiraSpace. I handle Comms. I will be spending most of my time in Comms. So, don’t bother me.” Or record me.

“I’m a psychologist and MiraSpace wanted me to study you guys’ behavior throughout the day.”

“Great! So not only are we starring actors in Chartreuse's space movie, but we’re also lab rats.” Scarlet said, exasperated.

“heh... I’m also supposed to study the crewmate’s health too... I guess Viridian and I are supposed to work together to monitor your overall health.” Sky mumbled timidly. She didn’t want to make Scarlet angrier, and she definitely didn’t want Scarlet to hate her.

“This must be a joke. MiraSpace NEVER told me any of this. They just said that the only thing I would be doing, was communicating back and forth with MiraSpace headquarters. They never said anything about being monitored.” Scarlet exclaimed.

Daisy laughed nervously, “How about we just continue the bonding? Coal I think you’re next?”

“MiraSpace wanted me to study plants in Polus.” Coal grumbled.

“Oh. Ok. Well, what about you, Bronze?”

“I’m just a physicist. MiraSpace hired me to study astrophysics and quantum mechanics out here.” Bronze sighed.

“I’m an aerospace and mechanical engineer. I’m supposed to work with Violet.” Ivory stated plainly.

Daisy nodded, “OK great! I guess we should stop the questions since everyone seems a bit tense... I have an idea! Why don’t we all group up and-”

“Why don’t we all just go to bed? It’s 11pm eastern time right now on Earth, and some of us seem a little cranky.” Ivory interrupted.

The crewmates looked back and forth between Daisy and Ivory until Sky blurted out, “Seems like a good idea, I’m pretty tired.” Sky stood up and started to walk to her room. The others nodded and muttered words in agreement. Only Chartreuse, Ivory, Rosa, Rusty, and Azul remained at the table.

“Aren’t you guys going to leave?” Ivory questioned. “Well I need to wash dishes and stuff...” Rusty muttered as he quickly grabbed a few plates and headed to the kitchen. Rosa looked around, “I was going to help him wash the dishes... there’s a lot and... and four hands are better than two!” Rosa hastily grabbed the remaining plates and rushed off towards the kitchen to help Rusty.

Ivory glared at Azul and Chartreuse, “And you two?”

“Oh nothing... he just happens to be taller than me and is helping me grab that camera.” Chartreuse said, pointing at the camera still taped to the ceiling, “I got some very good footage that I’d love to review. You can leave darling, nothing suspicious is going on here.”

There is definitely something suspicious about you two, Ivory thought as she headed towards the sleeping pods.

Azul Aegan

Now, why would I help this short little man retrieve his camera? Usually, I would walk away and let the person fend for themselves if they need help. But he’s different. This time it’s different. We both want something, and I know we can help each other get what we want. Hopefully Mr. Chartreuse is as smart as he seems. Just gotta wait for that annoying Ivory girl to walk away.

Once Ivory was away from sight, Chartreuse immediately asked, “What do you want?”

I should play dumb at first, just to see what I’m dealing with here, “What do you mean? I’m just being a nice guy by helping you with your equipment!” I said that in the fakest way possible. Whoopsies!

Chartreuse snickered, “Why would you be helping a guy like me? The guy who wants to sniff out you guys’ dirtiest little secrets? The guy who wants to record all the drama and your most private moments? Hmm?”

He knows. I sighed and said, “We both know that I want something, yes?”

He scoffed, “Yeah I can tell. But I’m afraid I can’t help ya with whatever you want. Or need. I work alone.”

“I think I can help you... create... drama.”

“Drama happens on its own darling. I don’t need help ‘creating’ drama. I’ve been doing this sort of thing for years hon.”

“Oh really? How come I’ve never seen a Chartreuse movie on the big screen, hmm? Please, don’t be so close-minded,” I demurred, “Think of it this way. I’ll be your starring actor. I mean honestly, if I- I mean we, don’t create drama, your movie is just going to be about a bunch of astronauts in colored suits doing space tasks!”

“Editing changes things.” Chartreuse said stubbornly.

“Your ‘movie’ will be more like a children’s film! But if you want that, that’s fine with me. I guess I’ll just go to bed instead.” I gave him the camera and started to walk away, a bit disappointed to be honest. I honestly thought he was smarter than this.

“Wait...” Chartreuse hesitated before saying, “What can you help me with.”

I turned around and sneered, “What are your thoughts on romance? I think that will definitely make your little project more interesting... I could even sprinkle in some extra drama for you...”

Chartreuse smiled, clearly on board with the start of my idea. Chartreuse leaned forward, “What sort of romance?”

Sky Aguamarina

Today was an eventful day. I was really enjoying the bonding until Chartreuse told us about his documenting plans. That sorta ruined the mood. But I do gotta say that Scarlet was overreacting a bit. I mean yeah, it’s weird to think that a camera will be following me on the way back home but it probably won’t even be that bad! I don’t think anyone has any big secrets that affect everyone on the ship, right? The only footage Chartreuse will get, is us just doing our tasks! Hmm... well since I got nothing else to do, I’m gonna write my opinions on everyone else in here.

Daisy Flaxer seems like a nice and fun person. I’m glad she’s in our group.

I feel like Viridian and I will get along really well! I can’t wait to work with him tomorrow.

Azul seems to only be here for money. No judgement, but I honestly don’t think he has any interest in space. Which is unfair to those who do want to go to space, but didn’t get to because of limited space. But hey, maybe this journey back home will interest him in space?

Scarlet Laulanga seems to be very moody. I’m kinda scared of her.

Ivory scares me. She’s very intimidating. But she seems cool. And really smart.

Coal scares me. He seems anti-social.

Bronze seems like a pleasant person to be around.

Rosa, Rusty, and Violet seem like really nice people. Rusty’s a really good cook.

Chartreuse was probably a snitch during his elementary school years.

I suppose I’ll add more once I get to know them better! I guess I should go to sleep now though. According to Scarlet, we’re supposed to get our tasks tomorrow (very exciting).

[whipplefilter]

#AskCal

I was playing more NASCAR-catchup on the bus today, and was listening to a segment with Kyle Larson where the hosts were taking questions from Twitter using the hashtag #AskLarson. 

They explained that they had to use #AskLarson instead of#AskKyle, because if they used #AskKyle, Kyle Petty would just start answering the questions.

Kyle Petty was one of the hosts, so obviously he’d be doing it just to mess with everyone. But then I was thinking like... 

What if Cal did a radio appearance where he was supposed to answer questions that were submitted to the hashtag #AskCal? But like, some other completely unrelated Cal was also taking questions at the same time? 

Maybe it’s not another Cal, but CAL. California Aeronautic Laboratories.

So Cal’s on air, and he keeps looking at the questions flashing up on his screen, and they’re like, all extremely technical questions about jet propulsion and rockets, or policy questions about the country’s space program and the federal budget and it’s Cal’s first time on the air and like, for all he knows radio show questions are just LIKE that, sort of like Miss America questions.

Cal’s still not really sure what’s going on, so he just starts answering the first questions that pop up on the feed, giving his honest best to questions that make him go like o______________o;; Meanwhile everyone listening is like who a a a a this guy--!!

And finally a question pops up that’s actually for #AskCal, not #AskCAL, and it’s like “What’s your favorite food?”

But by this time Cal’s sort of on a roll making up his own version of aerospace engineering on the fly and he’s just like “MY FAVORITE FOOD IS SATELLITES.”

[hypnoticcastiel]

VALERIAN: skyjet conceptart & interview with Ben Mauro.

Hi Ben. Tell us a little about your background in design – was film always the field you wanted to get into, or did you start in another discipline? I got my training in industrial design and entertainment design from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA where I got a good set of skills to begin my career as a concept designer many years ago. I think initially I really just wanted to work in videogames, I was a huge fan of games like Halo growing up so I thought it would be fun to design levels and architecture for worlds and experiences like that. This led me to Seattle initially to explore that path out of high school, but in the middle of it I found I was more interested in the design side of things and ultimately shifted my education from more of a 3D direction into more of a design focused one down at Art Center, where it was a pretty easy transition to working in games and films afterwards with the skills I learned there.

As you began designing for films, which artists and illustrators have provided the most inspiration to your personal style? I don’t look at much art anymore while I design, but starting out I definitely tried to learn and study everything in school, I wanted to know what had come before to get a holistic understanding of all film/automotive/product/aerospace/architecture/nature and any other form of design throughout history. Through that study, the more entertainment based artwork that resonated most to me was mainly a combination of French and Japanese artists such as Katsuhiro Otomo, Shirow Masamune, Katsuya Terada, Kow Yokoyama, Yasushi Nirasawa, Yoji Shinkawa and Makoto Kobayashi on the Japanese side of things and artists like Moebius, Meziere, Sylvain Despretz (who I was lucky enough to get to work with on Valerian!) and Juan Gimenez on the French/European side of things. These two main groups of artists were sort of a melting pot of influences for me starting out, and of course American artists like Syd Mead, Doug Chiang, Ian Mccaig and Ralph McQuarrie are hard to not be influenced by growing up here.

When I started working professionally I sort of turned off a lot of my personal preferences for the sake of learning new skills, the first 7-8 years I just wanted to learn as many different things from everyone I was working with to grow as much as possible. On the one hand this approach was good to create a very diverse range of skills to offer clients/projects, but it also means a lot of your individuality gets lost quite a bit. Luckily the projects with Luc tend to overlap with a lot of my early influences that I enjoy the most, so Valerian came at a very good moment, I was able to sort of go back in time to all the work I loved at the beginning of my career but armed with a lot of new skills to help build this universe in much more detail than I could have when I was younger. In a way, Valerian sort of felt like the project I had been training most of my career for, which was a really cool thing to be a part of.

As a 21st century artist, what type of design do you feel is more challenging: Something that evokes the past through fantasy, like The Hobbit, or something that projects futuristic realism like Elysium? I definitely think sci-fi work is more challenging than fantasy as far as being a designer on the project, with (live action) fantasy design it usually means taking real world elements and slightly tweaking/exaggerating them to be more fantastic or mixing ancient designs cleverly with natural or geometric forms and patterns. Something like Elysium which is a more realistic near future design direction, I guess kind of falls into a similar logic as a lot of the design was referencing real world technologies to make everything more believable while obviously exaggerating/tweaking it to create something new. I think even under those circumstances the world/scenarios created in a sci-fi setting like that are more new/interesting (to me at least) than what can be found in fantasy based projects. The most challenging projects (to me) would be sci-fi universes like what we created for Valerian, where it’s not necessarily always based on anything found on earth/reality so we are going pretty far into uncharted territory creating something new/original, those types of projects definitely push you to your limits as a designer.

Valerian is your second project with Luc Besson (Lucy was the first); how did you come to work with him and what about his world-building do you find most creative? I actually worked on an early version of Valerian before Lucy around 7 or so years ago now. Luc found some of my early work created when I was still a student and got in touch with me, I had just started working on film/videogame projects at the time and helped him out on an earlier version of the film for a few months before things went on hold for a couple years. At the time I remember being a little sad that things went on hold for so long, but in hindsight I’m kind of glad as I feel like I needed those extra years in-between to get better and be ready artistically to do the job I ended up doing on the final film.

After the success of Lucy, Valerian came back and we began on that project full-time for the last few years. I think the thing I enjoyed the most working with Luc on a world building creative level was how much he wanted to see something that was cool/original above all else, style over reality. Most of the other projects I worked on in my career followed a pretty strict ‘reality’ based logic, it’s almost more of an engineer like approach to design where everything has to be ‘grounded’, you need to be able to find something in real life and extrapolate functionality/form language from it to create something that would/could possibly exist. This logic works fine for many projects and is easy to grasp as a designer, but I find it can be restrictive creatively and sometimes hard to break out of if you go too far down that line of thinking. I remember early on for Valerian having to break out of this mindset and sort of ‘unlearn’ a lot of things I had experienced over the last few years because it was getting in the way of me solving problems successfully for Luc. That moment came when I was designing this big spaceship that splits into 1000 smaller ships, I was trying to design something that could logically fold up and connect together in a way that allowed all the pilots to get into each of the individual smaller ships and I remember struggling with this assignment for a little bit until Luc said something along the lines of “Ben, this is a movie, not real life! Don’t worry too much about that, this is what I want the ships to look like and here’s what I want to happen in the sequence, it will be a cool moment”. After that I learned to start turning off the more ‘reality’ based logic and just having fun with the designs on the film, coming up with the funkiest/coolest things I could imagine.

You’ve spoken before about the iterative process of concept art for film, and how complex that can be. How close would you say the designs for Valerian ended up on-screen versus the initial concepts? On Valerian I felt like Luc was very good about making sure the approved design he likes ends up pretty much identical in the final film which has been amazing to see! It’s a very rare occurrence to work with someone that knows what they want on such a massive project and able to make decisions years in advance and stick to them. Because of this he has also been the most efficient director I have ever worked with, it was really inspiring to see and made for a very pleasant working experience all the years I was on the film. After working on other projects where we are sometimes asked to do 500+ designs/revisions on small insignificant objects in a movie, I kind of didn’t believe it when Luc approved the first design I did for one of the big creatures we see early on in the film, the Megaptor. I remember really liking the design after creating it and thinking “Well, at least this first idea is cool, it will probably change 100 times”, but he ended up liking it as much as I did and approved it! Even after that I still kind of didn’t believe it until I saw it running around in the trailers 2 years later, ha!

What was Luc’s vision for the SKYJET originally? Luc was after something simple and iconic, something the audience would be able to easily understand and remember long after they left the theater.

What is the main inspiration for the design of the ship? The exterior design inspiration mainly came from nature, looking at things like dolphins, orca and sharks to create a very fast and aerodynamic looking design. I also looked at more man made objects such as fighter jets, luxury single seater submersibles and other aquatic/flying vehicles to make sure the scale and level of detail was suitable for the SKYJET in the world we were trying to create in the film.

What is the primary function of the SKYJET? Is it a personal commuting vehicle for future motorists or is it a more specialized mode of transportation? The way I understood it was that the SKYJET was more of a specialized military type vehicle built specifically for Valerian and Laureline (or whichever agency they work for) to be used by highly trained agents on their missions and adventures all over the galaxy.

Do you design a vehicle like this thinking of material components? For example, is the outer shell composed of something like carbon-fiber or a completely new material from the future? I imagined it would be some sort of advanced future military grade metal material capable of withstanding any blasts and attacks from various alien technologies/weapons they might encounter on their missions.

How fast does the SKYJET travel? Can you give us details on its proposed performance? Does it have an altitude limit, or can it fly in outer space? I imagined the top speed and altitude limit to be comparable or exceed modern day fighter jets (An F-22 Raptors top speed is 2,410 km/h) while flying on planets with atmosphere. While flying in space I imagine it would go faster without any atmosphere/friction to slow it down.

What role do you think AI might play in cars of the future? I think AI and autonomous driving will become a big part of cars in the near future, especially in larger city based locations congested with traffic. Those technologies will definitely help streamline commutes and keep things moving more smoothly while cutting down on accidents. A car will most likely start to become more of a moving extension of a person’s office or leisure/entertainment space with all control given up to AI. That being said, I hope manually driven car technology will still exist in some form so that cars can be used for fun.

Lastly, for our fans and followers who might want to get into concept design for films one day, what advice would you offer them that you feel is invaluable? If you really want to do this job for a living then go for it! When I was starting out a lot of this information was really hard to find and isolated to a few schools in California which not everyone could afford, but I feel like now all information needed to be a competent designer/illustrator in games and films is easily available/affordable in books and the dozens of online schools or artists Gumroads/Patreons offering very high level training for not a lot of money. It’s almost the opposite of what I experienced starting out, the difficulty now is from there being too much information available to you which I think is a good problem to have. So if you know what you want to learn and are self motivated enough to put in the time to learn it, the sky’s the limit.

[Nicole Campos,lootcrate]

[artzypaw]

Romen Noodles

Relationship- Klance (Keith + Lance)

Fandom- Voltron: Legendary Defenders of the Universe

Word Count: 2091

Summary: A College AU to where everything seems to be in just the right place, and then Lance notices Keith. Or, more like, less of him.

Ao3

College for Lance has been amazing. For the most part anyway. Not only was his high school best friend attending his university, but their dorms were just across the each other. It was disappointing at first when Lance heard Hunk and Pidge shared a room, but that didn’t stop him from practically living there anyway. Every Friday Lance would go over to Hunk’s place to eat his food and watch tv with Pidge and him until dawn. It was tradition.

Lance did have a roommate, although they never talked much. What he had  known in the beginning was that the guy was working a masters in aerospace engineering. So he was pretty fucking cool to Lance the first couple of months. He got it was a hard course, so Lance tried to help as much as he could; sometimes leaving takeout in the fridge for him to eat, or a small note left on his bedroom door with a pun. While Lance enjoyed his time with Pidge and Hunk and a few peers from some of his classes, he wanted to get to know his roommate better.

And that’s what he’d done.

It was subtle, Lance not wanting to come off too strong. Bit by bit, the mysteries of his dorm buddy were revealed. He’d learned his name was Keith, and that Keith was pretty exhausted all the damn time. The poor boy lived off of espressos and three hours of sleep every night. Don’t get Lance wrong, he understood the struggle of a masters, himself wanting to become a Biomechanic, but he couldn’t help but feel amused.

Days of talking turned into weeks, and soon enough Keith was invited to their annual Friday night-lounge-nights. Keith was greeted warmly. Hunk suffocating Keith in one of his classic bear hugs and Pidge lighting up when she heard he was into conspiracy theories, too. Every Friday Keith was fed as much food as possible, Hunk insisting he was too skinny for his age.

He was proud. Lance was proud of himself for gaining a new friend and solving the mystery of his roommate. But eventually, without realizing, Lance was finding himself quite the bi curious one; thoughts he never would’ve imagined popping into his head at the most random moments. It sucked.

Lance’s initial plan was to befriend Keith, not crush on him. Whether or not his feelings were inevitable was past him, but Lance couldn’t help the surprise that overtook him that one day Keith came into their dorm, hair tucked into a sloppy bun with overwhelming piles of paper in his hands, face flushed in his frenzy as he scurried to put everything into his room, and Lance found himself flushed as well with the silent thought of he’s really pretty.

Weeks had turned into months, and Lance never got past the feeling in his gut every time Keith said hi to him, or the airy chuckles he made when Lance told a really corny joke. Hunk found out about his crush eventually, and at first Lance denied he had the slightest of feelings for Keith, but Hunk knew better. Pidge obviously was in on his feelings as well; her signature smirk appearing once the news was out.

Things were pretty normal after that. They still went to their classes during the week, still all came together on Fridays (sometimes Hunk and Pidge would stay over at Lance’s because their dorm was crammed with tech-junk), and Keith and his friendship was still as vital.

Except Lance had noticed something was off with the dark-haired boy one month; Keith was declining offers to hang out and wasn’t seen as often. Maybe something came up and he was busy? Lance kept thinking of reasons to why Keith was all of a sudden occupied.

Now, Lance was walking home from his last class of the day. It was dark outside, air brisk and the only light emitted in his streets were from the lampposts. Keith wasn’t around as much, and it upset Lance. He missed the guy. When he did pass by the guy during the day, he was quiet and made obvious attempts to avoid him; or anything. Keith was a mess the last time Lance saw him, which wasn’t too long ago considering it was Friday. If Keith was home, he was still going to ask if he wanted to come over to Hunk’s. If Keith wasn’t home, he’d try and call him. Even if he never answered them anymore.

Something was wrong and it pained Lance not knowing how to fix it. On the weekends, Keith was either out or locked in his room. Lance would make lunch for them, mostly romen boxes, but Keith never complained, and when he’d slowly crack Keith’s door in order to offer the soup he declined; head buried in his books.

It’s been weeks of this sort of behavior, and Lance now finds himself more worried than ever. He just knew something was wrong. He had a sense for these kind of things. That’s what happens when you grow up with five siblings.

He continues to walk down the street, bookbag loosely hung behind him and his hands dug into his pockets. It wasn’t even six and it was dark out. Winter was the worst.

Looking up, Lance sees a figure down the street from him, their strides slow and misguided. He knew exactly who it was and wasted no time catching up to them. Lance walks near Keith, “Hey.” He says, cautiously approaching the boy. The last thing Lance wanted was for Keith to run away. He needed to figure out what was wrong with him.

Keith does nothing, just continues to walk and Lance takes that as a sign to keep talking.

“What’s up? Uh- We haven’t seen you around lately.” He hears Keith breathe out a soft huff.  The air wasn’t as cold as it was before, Keith beside him radiating like a human furnace. Lance really missed him. Looking down at Keith, Lance notices his eyes hanging low staring aimlessly at the concrete path. Something knots inside him. He doesn’t press immediately, simply walking with the boy under each street light. Three posts pass, then four, and Lance asks again.

“Keith?” Lance’s brows crease in concern. He steps in front of Keith and he stops compliantly. What was up with him? Peering down, his eyes are glossy, face pale and Keith was an overall mess. Just like before. Why did he look so bad? Was he sick? Why isn’t Keith getting help. Hesitant, Lance rests his hands gently on Keith’s shoulders; he leans into the grip.

“Are you ok?” Voice barely audible, Lance finds himself closer to Keith than probably comfortable, but he wasn’t told otherwise. They had stopped walking a while ago, both standing underneath a light. Shadows hang low on both their faces, but Keith’s seemed more prominent, more worn. His eyes held heavy bags, and his stare was distant as if in constant thought. A soft breath is heard. His grip on Keith’s shoulders feel heavier and Lance jumps when he sees his eyes are swelling with wet tears.

“O-Oh my god, Keith, are you okay?” He raises a hand to Keith’s cheek, chastely rubbing away any tears. “You have to tell me what’s wrong. You’re freaking me out.”

Keith stammers with his words as he tries to answer, but the words are caught in his throat and a sobbed croak comes out. Keith’s face contorts, eyes bulging and his lips are in a thin line; he was fighting his emotions. Looking up, Keith bites his lip and falls into Lance’s chest in defeat; body shaking violently from his cries. The sudden outburst has Lance engulfing Keith into a full hug. His hands tightening around the boy’s frame.

What the hell has happened to him? Lance is holding Keith impossibly tight, trying to find a way to comfort the shaking body beneath his arms.

Keith takes a step forward and clutches his shirt in his fists, sucking in a ragged breath.

Lance swallows, wanting to say something but not wanting to startle Keith. He rubs circles along Keith’s back with his thumbs; any small gesture that can help calm him down was worth a try.

“Keith?” His voice is so soft he almost couldn’t hear himself speak. Keiths’ sobs last minutes, are lasting so long Lance’s legs are starting to ache from standing. Keith releases his grip from Lances shirt to rub his puffy eyes. The sight  tore Lance up inside. They stand in silence, Keith continuously avoiding eye contact. His shoulders drop.

“I'm sorry.” Keith says, his voice hoarse. Lance watches the boy’s face change emotions from teary eyes, to frowning, until he looks up right at him; eyes locked. Taking a deep breath, Keith hesitantly intertwines their fingers. Lance waits for him to speak; ignoring the slight flutter in his chest.

“It’s just-” he squeezes their palms together, “School has been so damn stressful. I was doing fine in the beginning of the year, getting my papers done considering how busy i was, but then second semester came around and I just started to fuck up? I was doing all the necessary work, i was learning the best i could but whatever i did my grades just kept dropping and nothing was working. They dropped, and didn’t budge.

“I tried talking to my professors, but they made it worse some how. They became disorganized and that put me in their shoes? I lost it. My family- my brother worked so hard for me to be in this university and i’m letting him down because i can’t seem to get my shit together. He paid for my tuition and i’m just wasting his money now.”

Something in Keith broke and everything he’s held back for so long was spilling out. Lance listens intently, eyes never leaving Keith’s as he watches the boy speak words so painful it’s as if they’ve plagued him. This is what’s been plaguing Keith all year, and Lance couldn’t do a damn thing to save him. His chest tightens with an unknown emotion. He could fix this.

“It was a small problem at first, and I didn’t want to ditch any of you guys, but I had to start skipping our weekly m-meetups in order to do extra work or to catch up. They never helped, the extra hours of endless work never solved anything. Something isn’t right Lance. Something’s wrong and I need help. I can't-” He chokes, “I’m trapped.”

Lance pulls away from their contact to cup Keith’s face; his brows creased in concern. “No, you’re not trapped. At least not anymore, because we’re all here for you.” Lance smiles weakly.

“The year is almost over.” Keith says and turns to look away, but Lance keeps their eyes on his.

“Last minute A’s. Trust me, I’m an expert at that- just ask Hunk about my late night procrastinations.” Keith gives an airy chuckle that only makes Lance’s smile grow. He was glad that a little piece of Keith was ok. He was looking up at him, tears gone and only a small faint of blush across his nose and cheeks from crying. Just then, Lance let their proximity register when he catches himself counting every fleck of purple in Keith’s eyes, or how the lamppost light seems to compliment his features. When did they get so close?

Lance swallows, his grip on Keith’s face never faltering and he dips down. He has half a mind to ask himself what he’s doing, but the other half is still desperate to help Keith. He pauses, the tips of their lips brush and he contemplates if this was a good idea after all. His question is answered when Keith gingerly closes the distance between them.

The kiss is so soft Lance hardly feels it, but the warmth emanating off of Keith is unmistakable and he presses closer. Keith rests his hands on his chest firmly, small puffs of air released in between their delicate kisses.

Lance moves his lips from his mouth to his nose, then to the skin of his brow, until Lance is eventually peppering Keith’s face in kisses.

He laughs, smiling as Lance continues to comfort him. Anything to get the memory of the Keith he witnessed before out of his mind. Just then, Lance makes a silent promise to himself, one he’s sure he’ll keep; never let Keith go.

Pulling away, Lance smiles sheepishly and Keith returns the smile, “Thank you, Lance.”

[thunderbirdcarebear]

The Measure of a Man

So I recently had some weird ideas, they’ve probably been done somewhere along the line, I dunno, but this is my take on it. Do they all really need those extra personal gadgets or are they just for show? I’m hoping to add to this, but for now this is a scene setter as it were.

The measure of a man is what he does with power

     - Plato

Jeff Tracy was proud of his children. He was their father, of course he was. But when he’d told them of his ambition to create a rescue organisation, he had worried that they wouldn’t want to join him. They had their own lives after all. When each of them had independently agreed to take part, he couldn’t help but be relieved. Not only because it meant the plans could go ahead exactly as he’d hoped, but because it also meant that their unique abilities could be put to good use without them being put at risk.

 From a young age, with each of them save for Alan, it was clear that there was something special about his boys. At first it was small things. Scott could jump much higher than the other children of his age. John was able to figure out anything technological he was put in front of. Virgil would have his brothers on his shoulders while they played, even his bigger brothers. Gordon didn’t really need any swimming lessons as, from the first time he’d ever entered a pool, he was able to swim unaided and confidently.

As they grew, though, Jeff became aware that it was something more.

When Scott reached fifteen, he realised it was more than just an ability to jump when he returned home from work to find his eldest on the roof of their farm house.

“Uh, Scott?” Jeff said, approaching and looking up at him, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun. “What are you doing up there? Did… did you jump?”

Scott was sat by the chimney stack, his face a little pale but he was smiling. “Hey, Dad,” he said, standing up.

“Scott, please be careful!” Jeff called out.

“Relax, Dad,” Scott reassured him, then stepped off the roof.

“Scott!” Jeff yelled out, terrified, and ran forward, not knowing what he could do to help but was going to try anyway. Until he realised that his son hadn’t landed. He looked around, unable to see him anywhere.

“Up here, Dad,” Scott said.

Jeff tilted his head back, looking in the direction he’d heard the voice coming from. “Scott?” His eyes widened when he realised his son was floating in front of him as though he was lying on his front watching TV, his ankles crossed behind him and his arms folded under his chin. The biggest difference, obviously, was that he was hovering at Jeff’s eye height.

Scott was grinning at him as he unfolded his arms and twisted in the air to look as though he was sat cross legged, and waved a hand.

“Are you alright?”

Scott nodded, lowering his feet to the ground and standing in front of him. “Yeah. I dunno what happened. I just, well, kinda ended up sat on the roof. I was a bit freaked out at first until I realised I could control it.” He grinned again, letting his feet rise off the floor.

Jeff put his hand on his shoulder. “Just… Scott, you’re my son and I’ll always be proud of you, just be careful, alright?”

Scott raised an eyebrow. “Dad, I’ve seen way too many movies where bad stuff happens to the character who’s different or has powers or whatever. I know to be careful. I’m not gonna go flying to school.”

John had always had a knack for working out his electronic toys. Anything he was given he could work out how to use it. And not in the experimental way other children did. He seemed to just know.

One day when he was three years old, Jeff left his tablet computer on the coffee table when he went to answer the door. When he returned, he found his son playing a game. Which was unusual, not because of the game, but because he’d left the device locked and needing a fingerprint to unlock. Although, that game hadn’t been on the device to start with.

It was again in his mid-teen years that Jeff fully realised the extent of John’s abilities when he was trying to work on a report in his office and the screen kept flicking to a search engine to look for astronomical sites. He wasn’t working on anything for NASA at the time, he’d been writing a report on aerospace for his company. He knew, however, that John had shown an interest in the stars so went to find him.

“Something wrong, Dad?” John asked, looking up at him. He had books in front of him. Astronomy books.

“You doing research, Son?” Jeff asked, leaning against the doorframe.

He nodded. “Yeah, I was at the observatory the other day. I was looking up in the old books Grandpa gave us.”

“Were you, uh, searching the internet as well?” he asked, trying to sound casual as he walked into the room.

John froze. “Um, no, I wasn’t. Scott’s using the homework computer.”

Jeff sat down on the bed next to him, smiling softly. “It’s alright, John. Were you researching?”

“How did you know?” John asked quietly.

“Because you interrupted my work.”

“Oh boy, Dad, I’m sorry!”

Jeff shook his head. “It’s alright. Come with me.”

John stood and nervously followed his father to his office.

“Relax, John, you’re not in trouble. I just want to try something.”

John went into the room, stepping aside as Jeff shut the door. “Alright, John. I think we both know you have a gift of sorts when it comes to computers. Just as Scott does with his, uh, jumping.”

John smiled shyly, knowing exactly what he was referring to. “I can tell you that your computer seriously needs defragging at the very least but also a massive upgrade.”

“And how do you know that? Have you been on my computer?”

“No, Sir,” John said, shaking his head. He went over and put his hand on the computer. Instantly the display flickered as he closed his eyes. A moment or so later, he opened them again. “Defragged, your files have been cleaned and I optimised it all. You might want to consider changing your password as well. Mom’s birthdate is a bit obvious.”

Jeff had thought with Virgil he was fully prepared for whatever he could do. He’d resigned himself to the fact that, for whatever reason, his sons seemed to all have these unusual abilities. Virgil had been demonstrating from very early on that, despite his smaller stature, he was very strong.

He’d never really appreciated just how strong his son was. He’d seen him with Scott on his shoulders while he carried Gordon around bridal-style which made both of the transportees laugh. He’d seen him lift his bed to retrieve a toy that had slipped behind it. And Jeff had even reached the point where he stopped trying to open jars now, instead handing them straight to Virgil.

But it was the day Virgil came home from school and went out to the garage that had Jeff perplexed. They’d been working on a project out there for Virgil’s mechanics class. The teen had already learned how to strip the engine in the family car and put it back together – in better working order, if Jeff was completely honest – and now he was looking for a bigger challenge. Living on Tracy Farm had presented them with the opportunity and so together they were trying to restore the rusty old tractor that had sat neglected on the land since before Jeff was born. Advancements in machinery had rendered it obsolete but the two of them had enjoyed working on it together.

Jeff went out to the garage to call Virgil inside for dinner but couldn’t see him anywhere. “Virgil?” he called out.

“One sec,” came the reply.

Jeff’s eyes widened as he realised that the tractor was tilted up on one side. He stepped back as it came back to rest on its wheels properly and Virgil approached, wiping his hands on a rag. “Sorry, I wanted to check something out underneath.”

Jeff blinked. “Virgil… that tractors weighs at least a couple of tons.”

Virgil looked at it then back at his father. “It does?”

Jeff nodded. “I thought I’d be prepared with you. Your brother’s abilities were a little less defined when they were younger, but you’ve been strong almost from the start. But… Wow, Virgil, I guess I didn’t anticipate just how strong you are.”

Virgil bit his lip, dropping the rag he’d held.

Jeff retrieved it for him and handed it back. “It’s alright, Virgil. Know that I’ll always support you. Just… perhaps don’t come out here and lift the tractor if no one else knows you’re out here.”

A smile spread across the teen’s face. “Deal.”

Gordon was younger than the others when Jeff realised it wasn’t just a natural swimming ability his son had. One day, the summer after Gordon’s twelfth birthday, Scott had come running back to the farmhouse (though Jeff suspected he may have flown to save time) in a panic, soaking wet and yelling something about Gordon and the lake.

“Scott, slow down,” Jeff said, trying to get his eldest to calm so he could understand what he was saying.

“I’m sorry, Dad, I tried to tell him not to, I said we’re not allowed near the pond, but you know what Gordon’s like with water and I couldn’t stop him. He jumped in to go swimming and he hasn’t resurfaced and I tried to get him out but the lake is too deep and I couldn’t find him.”

Jeff was on his feet even as Scott spoke, heading for the door with his son following him, still trying to explain.

“It’ll be alright, Scott,” Jeff said, worriedly. The lake wasn’t far away so Jeff started to run towards it while Scott jumped back into the air, speeding off in the lead.

Virgil was pacing along the shore when they arrived there, tears in his eyes. His clothes were also wet which suggested he’d attempted to retrieve him too.

“Scott, look after Virgil. Both of you sit down,” Jeff instructed, removing his tie and shoes and wading into the water.

Suddenly bubbles in front of him preceded Gordon’s head breaking the surface, the young boy grinning madly.

Jeff gasped in shock, almost inhaling a mouthful of water as he’d been about to submerge. “Gordon!”

Gordon looked around, taking in Jeff’s surprised and worried face and his brothers’ fearful ones. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“A very good question,” Jeff asked, taking hold of him carefully and guiding him out of the water. “What were you doing?”

Gordon faltered under his father’s gaze. “I… I just wanted to go for a swim, it’s so hot out here!”

Jeff sighed. “Gordon, you know you’re not allowed to play near the lake.”

“But, Dad, I wasn’t in any danger,” he said, trying to reason.

“We thought you’d drowned,” Virgil said quietly. “You were under there for ages.”

Gordon looked over at him and found he was unable to meet his eyes, so lowered his head. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“How do you know you wouldn’t be in any danger?” Jeff asked, trying to remain calm. He wasn’t angry at Gordon, but he had been frightened.

“Because, well, I knew,” he murmured, shuffling his feet slightly then muttered something under his breath.

“What was that, Gordon?” Jeff asked.

“You won’t believe me,” he replied.

Jeff raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. Scott can fly, John can access my computer from the other side of the field without an interface and Virgil can lift the tractor. Try me.”

Gordon looked back up at him. “I can breathe underwater,” he said. “I’ve known for ages. I kinda found out by accident when I was in the bath and was going under the water to wash my face and sneezed as I did. Instead of getting a lungful of water, I just, well, sneezed. But under the surface. I was a bit freaked out at first until I tried again but with, you know, just breathing.”

Scott had his arm round Virgil and was trying to get him to calm down, but on hearing this he looked over at him. “You actually deliberately tried to breathe under water?”

“Scott, you jumped off the roof,” Jeff reminded him.

“Point taken,” Scott said quietly, looking back over at Gordon.

“Am I grounded?” Gordon asked sullenly.

Jeff shook his head. “No, but I think we should all go back now. We all need to dry off and I think I need to get us all something sugary to drink, you know, just in case.”

“In case of what?” Gordon queried.

“It’s part of the treatment of shock,” Virgil muttered. “For the same reason he told us to sit down.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

Jeff took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “Come on, let’s go back inside. We don’t want John and Alan to worry as well.”

Jeff had kept a careful eye on Alan, wondering if his youngest son would ever develop any unique abilities like his older brothers had, but nothing seemed to be emerging in him, except perhaps that the dusty farmland never seemed to affect him. He was happy and playful and, for the most part, not bothered by his apparent lack of gifts.

Naturally, there were days when Alan got angry or upset and lashed out at his brothers, jealous of them. But once he’d calmed again and they’d settled their differences, he was quite happy to sit on Scott’s shoulders and fly around the farm, for John to install new games on their computer while he sat in the kitchen, for Virgil to roll the heavy hay bales into a big fort for them to play in.

Gordon wasn’t really able to do a lot with his abilities that Alan could benefit from in any way but this didn’t bother either of them much. Alan liked to throw things into the lake for Gordon to retrieve on the days when their father took them down to the shore for picnics.

When the time came for Jeff to start setting up International Rescue, he knew he’d need to think about security and so turned to his a trusted friend of his, Kyrano, inviting the man to the farm to discuss his plans as he knew the meeting would remain private.

He’d asked Scott to join them as, being the eldest, he was already aware of the plans that were being put into motion. John was occupying the others, mostly by channel surfing without a remote, which they found amusing.

While Jeff and Kyrano discussed their plans, Scott was in the kitchen making them all drinks, including hot chocolate for his brothers. Putting them all on a tray, he carried them into the den where they were messing around.

“Virgil, put the furniture down,” Scott said, barely batting an eyelid at the fact that Alan and Gordon were laughing while Virgil lifted them on the sofa. “And John, would you just decide on a channel, already?”

John blinked at him a few times, the station changing with each movement before it finally settled on an old Star Wars movie.

“Oh hey, look Gordo, Star Wars!” Alan said excitedly, fidgeting.

Virgil frowned at him as he lowered the sofa back down. “Al, sit still! I almost dropped you guys!”

“Yeah, right, you barely lost your balance,” Gordon replied.

“Whatever, guys, just pack it in,” Scott said, putting the tray down on the table. “Dad’s got a visitor here. You know the rules.”

“Oh, sorry, Scott, I didn’t realise he’d arrived already,” Virgil said.

“That’s because you were too busy bench pressing the sofa,” Scott replied. “The car is outside. Now behave. I need to go see Dad.”

“Alright, Scott,” Virgil said, moving round the sofa to sit on it.

Scott smiled as he left them and headed through to the kitchen. He picked up the coffees he’d made for his father and Kyrano then made his way to the office.

He knocked on the door before he went in, smiling at the two men. “I have your coffees here,” he said, taking them over.

“Ah, Scott, perfect timing,” Jeff said. “Kyrano, this is Scott, my eldest. Scott, this is Kyrano. He’s agreed to help me with security for the project.”

Scott took the offered hand, shaking it. “Nice to meet you, sir,” he said to him.

Kyrano bowed his head slightly and released Scott’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Mr Scott.”

Jeff chuckled. “Take a seat, Scott, we were just about to talk about the arrangements.”

Scott moved to sit in the unoccupied chair but stopped when he felt something brush against his arm. He frowned, looking around.

“Scott? Are you alright?” Jeff asked.

“Yeah,” he said, sitting down. “Sorry, I thought I felt something.”

Jeff looked at him. “You sure?”

Scott nodded, picking up his mug and taking a sip. He was about to put it down when he felt a tap on his shoulder. The sensation was so sudden it made him jump and he hovered a few inches off his chair as he tried not to drop his mug.

“Scott!” Jeff said, his tone not cross, but concerned.

He glanced around, seeming to realise something was amiss by his father’s expression then became aware of the fact that he wasn’t actually sat on his chair. Redness flooded his cheeks as he carefully lowered himself back down. “I’m sorry,” he muttered to his father, getting up to leave the room, but he found he couldn’t open the door.

Kyrano sighed. “Tanusha, that’s quite enough,” he said.

“Tanusha?” Jeff asked.

“My daughter,” Kyrano responded. “Come on, leave Mr Scott alone.”

“Sorry, Father,” a young female voice said.

Jeff and Scott both looked around, confused.

“I couldn’t help myself. Father, they’re like me!” Scott stared as the air rippled and a slight-figured girl appeared stood next to Kyrano. Her long, dark hair framed her small face and reached down past her shoulders.

Jeff stood, exchanging a glance with Scott who walked back over hesitantly. “What do you mean, ‘they’re’ like you?” Scott asked.

“Well, you were hovering above your chair just now, that’s not exactly something everyone can do. Nor is lifting a sofa with two other people sat on it, or changing the channel on the television without touching the remote.”

Scott stared at her. “How…?”

“Well, I think you may have noticed I can become invisible, but I can also walk through walls,” Tanusha said.

“Tanusha,” Kyrano said, a little warning tone in his voice. “I asked you to wait in the car.”

“I know, but I could see them through the window and I wanted to see.”

Kyrano sighed slightly then looked over at Jeff. “Please forgive me, Mr Tracy. I believe if we are to work together, we should not have secrets from one another.”

Slowly, a smile formed on Jeff’s face. “I’ve always trusted you, Kyrano,” he said earnestly. “And you’re right. And apparently you understand more than I realised.”

Kyrano nodded. “Indeed. Tanusha was born with the ability to move without making a sound but as she grew, she has also developed the ability to become invisible and to walk through walls. I’ve had such difficulty trying to get her to keep her room tidy.”

Tanusha grinned mischievously. “What can you guys do then?”

Jeff glanced at Scott. “Would you like to demonstrate, Son?”

Scott looked over at him, still feeling uneasy, but if his father trusted these people, then so would he. He turned his gaze back to the young girl and smiled. “I can fly,” he said gently, raising himself off the floor.

Tanusha’s eyes widened, her expression excited. “That’s so cool!” She looked round at the other adults. “What about the others?”

“All in good time, Tanusha,” Jeff replied kindly. “If they’re happy to show you, we’ll let them, but only if they want to.” He looked over at Kyrano. “Four of my boys have these, uh, abilities.”

“Not all five? How unusual.”

“You know why they’re like this?”

Kyrano shook his head. “I don’t know why, no. There are stories of old amongst my people of children born with talents and usually if a family has a gifted child, all their children have gifts. But these are stories, passed down the generations. Naturally I believe some of it, because I have proof in my daughter, but as for why?” He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Jeff nodded. “Seeing as all four of the older boys have gifts, I was surprised that Alan doesn’t. I mean, it doesn’t bother me. He’s my son and I love him no matter what, but, yeah. I was surprised. Although, I guess it’s not really a gift as such but he’s never affected by a dust storm.”

Kyrano rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Perhaps it will develop. How does this manifest?”

“Well, he was out playing when the wind suddenly picked up once after a long dry spell. The dust was whipped up so quickly he didn’t really have time to get inside, but he wasn’t even coughing.”

“Interesting,” Kyrano said. “Well, who knows? Perhaps his talent hasn’t been able to fully develop yet. Everything needs the right circumstances.”

Jeff chuckled. “Uh huh,” he said, thinking of the others.

“Anyway, we digress. Please, if you’re willing, I should like to hear more of your idea. We have much to discuss.”

“Ugh, boring,” Tanusha said.

“How about I take you to meet my brothers properly?” Scott suggested, glancing at the adults for approval.

“A good idea if you’re willing,” Kyrano agreed, while Jeff smiled, nodding at him.

Scott held out his hand to her and she took it, following him out.

 Tanusha looked around as she let Scott guide her back to the den. The farmhouse was so different to her own home. It was cluttered and disorganised but not untidy. There were things on every counter top, mostly toys and text books, and shoes lined one wall near the stairs.

Scott looked down at her. “Okay, so I guess you’ve already seen them, I assume I don’t need to warn you they might be a bit loud?”

She shrugged. “I had noticed,” she said. “Your brothers are pretty cool. I don’t have any brothers or sisters.”

Scott smiled. “Must be peaceful at your house.”

“More like quiet,” she said. “I think it’d be nice to have people to talk to.”

“It can be,” Scott replied. “But at the same time, it’s also nice to have time to myself.”

Tanusha smiled. “I guess.”

Scott stopped outside the door to the den. “Okay, here we go.” He pushed open the door and led her in.

Inside, John had given up trying to occupy them and was now reading one of his astronomy books, Gordon and Alan were both jumping on the sofa, re-enacting the lightsabre battles while Virgil had retreated to the table in the corner to do some sketching.

Scott sighed, shaking his head. “And, this, in a nutshell, is my family, Tanusha,” he said.

I’m gonna tag a few people here because they’ve seen this already and I’ve been bouncing ideas around with their help, especially the title. So thank you to @writerdarkflamespyre @meme12345bunny @lenle-g @nibenhu-pokemon-master and @greentigergirl

[theconservativebrief]

When President Donald Trump explained over the past two weeks why he was reluctant to damage the relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia over the the disappearance and murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, he kept coming back to one reason: jobs.

“I don’t want to hurt jobs,” Trump said in an interview with 60 Minutes aired last weekend, explaining that there are “other ways of punishing.”

“Who are we hurting? It’s 500,000 jobs,” he told Fox Business on Wednesday.

“I’d rather keep the million jobs, and I’d find another solution,” he said at a defense roundtable in Arizona on Friday.

But while there are a multitude of reasons Trump might be hesitant to condemn the Saudi Arabian government, tens or hundreds of thousands of jobs from an arms deal with the Saudi government isn’t one of them — at least a legitimate one.

The White House has been conspicuously cautious in its reaction to Khashoggi’s disappearance, even after on Friday the government admitted he was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month. Part of Trump’s explanation — beyond that it’s unfair to consider Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “guilty before proven innocent” — is that a $110 billion arms deal would be at risk. Trump claims that arms deal will lead to thousands of jobs, and it’s a risk that he’s not willing to take.

But as with so many of Trump’s claims, the situation is not what it seems. Much of that $110 billion deal, which Trump and Saudis announced in May 2017, was negotiated under the Obama administration, and much of what was put forth at the time were letters of intent and interest, but not contracts. Thus far, Saudi Arabia has only gone through with letters of offer and acceptance for $14.5 billion in purchases, according to CNN.

While Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and other defense companies would certainly like to make and keep deals with the Saudis, they’re not the end-all, be-all for them, financially. The much more important client and jobs supporter: the United States government.

“There’s been an over-selling of where things stand today,” Derek Chollet, executive vice president at think tank the German Marshall Fund and who held foreign policy positions under the Obama and Clinton administrations, told me. “The Saudis are a big customer, but I don’t see this as significant leverage against the United States.”

There could also be other economic reasons leading Trump to avoid destabilizing the relationship — including Saudi influence over the world’s supply of oil, which would be particularly crucial if the US imposes sanctions on Iran.

President Trump has a penchant for exaggeration, including when it comes to this Saudi arms deal.

When MBS visited Trump at the White House earlier this year, Trump held up a map indicating that pending arms deals would lead to 40,000 US jobs (there was no source for that estimate). But since then, Trump’s upped his claims by more than tenfold, saying that he doesn’t want to cancel the deal in light of Khashoggi’s murder because it would lead to 500,000, 600,000 jobs, or even one million jobs.

Vox’s Alexia Fernández Campbell recently dove in on Trump’s jobs claims to try to figure out what’s actually going on. Her findings:

Overall, the private US defense industry does directly employ a lot of US workers — about 355,500 in 2016, according to the most the recent estimates from the Aerospace Industries Association. But private-sector defense workers make up less than 0.5 percent of the total US labor force, and that includes every person whose job depends directly on the sale or production of airplanes, tanks, bombs, and services for the entire US military. It’s unlikely that many of them, if any, depend directly on weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, and its also unlikely that those jobs would vanish if Saudi money disappeared.

“It’s not going to create or take away a single job I don’t think,” Jim Corridore, directors of industrials research at research and investment firm CFRA Research, told me. “There are other homes for these products should these deals fall through.”

Companies have been distancing themselves from Saudi Arabia in the wake of Khashoggi’s disappearance, but as the New York Times notes, plenty of money is still flowing.

Corridore said even if the US or defense companies slow down contract agreements for a bit, it will likely only be until the dust settles around the current controversy. “The most likely scenario is a short-term delay in these deals where we say we’re not going to do them, time goes by, reforms are made, and the deals are made,” he said.

The Saudis could potentially go to Russia and China to try to make other weapons deals, and that could potentially be problematic later down the line for future sales, because equipment from those countries can’t communicate with equipment made by companies in the US — sort of how Macs and PCs used to work. But the experts I spoke with said that risk is limited and still not much leverage for the Saudis.

Even so, again, the jobs estimates Trump is putting out are “tremendously overblown,” said Andrew Miller, deputy director for policy at the Project on Middle East Democracy who served on the National Security Council under Obama. And it’s not just Trump who is likely overstating the importance of the deals to jobs — it’s likely the companies, too.

“It’s clear that [defense companies] exaggerate the number of jobs any weapons sale is going to generate,” Miller said. “In many instances, the number of jobs is only a quarter to a third of what they’ve pledged at the outset.”

For example, the British government in 2005 estimated the sale of Typhoon aircraft to Saudi Arabia would create 10,000 to 15,000 jobs in the UK. It wound up creating about 5,000.

Even if the jobs claims are overblown, though, there are other economic factors that could make Trump leery of endangering the US-Saudi relationship, including oil prices.

But, like the jobs claims, fears about Saudi Arabia’s influence on the price of oil might be inflated. The answer could be, in part, oil, but it’s complicated.

Saudi Arabia is a founding member of OPEC and has, historically, been able to exert a lot of control over oil markets and prices worldwide. They can push oil prices higher and lower by changing outputs or, sometimes, even just considering it.

“What’s at stake is global oil price stability,” Ashley Peterson, a senior oil market analyst at energy advisory firm Stratas Advisers, told me. “Saudi Arabia excels at talking up and talking down the oil market. They could theoretically cause enough trouble just by hypothetically running scenarios out loud versus physically changing their flows.”

Saudi Arabia could potentially ramp up production to push prices down or cut production to push them up.

Peterson told me that the US gets about 10 to 11 percent of crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia, and most of that goes to a refinery that Saudi Arabia owns. It couldn’t engineer a repeat of the 1970s oil embargo that caused global calamity. And, in fact, it could wind up hurting itself more than anyone.

If the Saudis were to cut production, the US now has the ability to ramp up its production, and it would actually become more economically viable for US producers, including frackers, to do so as oil prices go up. If they were to flood the market, American producers are better able to handle low oil prices than the Saudis.

“They have the oil card and the arms sales card, neither of which, to me, is particularly compelling in these circumstances,” Chollet, from the German Marshall Fund, said.

Trump, who has spent much of his presidency boasting about the strength of the economy, obviously would rather not see oil prices going up in the US, especially ahead of the midterms. But in the long run, the US would be able to react, and he shouldn’t need to worry.

Beyond the economic factors in play here, there are also geopolitical considerations — it also goes into the broader context of the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the Iran deal.

As the New York Times’ David Sanger pointed out, Saudi Arabia is an important player in the United States’ plan to go after Iran. The White House is hoping the Saudis will help it keep oil pries from spiking when it reimposes sanctions on Iran, including cutting off Iranian oil exports. Per Sanger:

If that carefully coordinated plan moves forward, the Saudis would likely see a significant increase in oil revenue at exactly the moment Congress is talking about penalizing the kingdom over the Khashoggi case. It is one reason that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was sent, with a few hours’ notice, to see King Salman of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday.

“There’s a concern that cutting off Iranian oil will be disastrous for European economies,” Miller said. “The Trump administration had asked [the Saudis] to increase production to compensate for Iranian oil. It’s clear that that’s another one of the factors they’re considering in their response to Khashoggi’s murder.”

To be sure, this is a situation where the Trump administration is the creator of its problem: it did not have to drop out of the Iran deal in the first place.

“If they hadn’t done that, then there would be no concern about losing Iranian oil production internationally,” Miller said. “In seeking to indulge the preferences and the policy interests of US regional allies, that has actually reduced our room for flexibility rather than building our influence over those actors.”

There’s no way to know exactly why Trump appears so hesitant to act aggressively on Saudi Arabia and MBS, and there are a number of potential factors in play. Trump has some financial and business ties to Saudi Arabia. He’s touted his relationship with them and the arms deal. His son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, has reportedly told Trump to back MBS and has a close relationship with the crown prince.

What’s more, Trump seems to like dealing with the Saudi government, and there’s an affinity between the two sides. “In many ways, the House of Trump is very familiar to the House of Saud and vice versa,” Chollet said, referring to Saudi Arabia’s ruling royal family.

Acknowledging MBS isn’t the best ally could also be, for Trump, admitting he was wrong. And apologies aren’t something the president is a fan of. But if he lets Saudi Arabia off the hook, he’s only opening the door for further problems later down the line. “How much of the indulgence of him give him a sense that he could get away with something like this?” Chollet asked.

Original Source -> “It’s not going to create or take away a single job”: Why Trump’s excuse on the Saudis doesn’t hold up

via The Conservative Brief

[rollinbrigittenv8]

Supersonic or Even Hypersonic Flights Could Be Aviation’s Next Frontier

Hypersonic might not be viable soon, but Boom, a new company, hopes to have a supersonic jet flying by the next decade. Boom Technology

Skift Take: It's fun to think about what the future might look like. And we could some day fly hypersonic. But just remember: There's been little innovation in the airline industry since the 1960s. Things move slowly in the commericial aviation world.

— Brian Sumers

For years, Elon Musk has used the analogy of destroying a commercial jet after just one flight to explain his view that rockets must be reusable if humans are ever to afford space exploration.

Now, the founder of SpaceX has discovered a way he might profit off that dream. He’s forming an airline of sorts, one that pledges to transport people anywhere on Earth in minutes by launching them on a rocket at speeds up to 17,000 mph. This audacious, hypersonic goal currently lies somewhere between science fiction and sound physics, although nothing in SpaceX’s rudimentary plans appears to be technically impossible.

Long before Wall Street bigwigs get vaulted from New York to Asia in less than an hour, however, the significantly slower supersonic jet travel first popularized by the Concorde may return, sharply reducing flying times on many routes popular with business travelers. Several companies are working to develop new supersonic aircraft technologies, as is NASA. But it will still take you a few hours to get to New York from Paris.

The bigger hurdle for both hypersonic and supersonic may well be the financial underpinnings of these ventures—determining how to make the technology profitable and not just the tiniest of niche transport options for the 1 percent, according to several experts in the aerospace industry.

The challenges “won’t be around whether it’s technologically feasible, it will be around what the economics will need to be to make it a reasonable endeavor,” said Luigi Peluso, a managing director in the aerospace, defense, and airlines practice at consulting firm AlixPartners LLP.

Hypersonic speed would obviously revolutionize long-haul air travel, but could anyone but billionaires afford to fly above the atmosphere, zipping anywhere on the planet like an intercontinental ballistic missile with free peanuts? Musk says yes—for about the price of a full-fare economy ticket today. That’s certainly aspirational, said Peluso, and only possible after the technology is mature. SpaceX declined to comment beyond Elon Musk’s announcement of his plans last week.

“Hypersonic is going to be pretty incredible and I think that’s something that everybody is working for,” said Vik Kachoria, chief executive of Spike Aerospace Inc., a Boston startup that’s developing a supersonic business jet. Spike plans to fly its first SX-1.2 demonstrator aircraft this week, albeit at subsonic speeds. Supersonic test flights are set for 2019, with customer deliveries in 2023.

“A pretty major difference between supersonic flight and suborbital transportation is that the former can be done without major engineering leaps”

With currently available data, it’s impossible to draw conclusions about operating costs or ticket prices for hypersonic flight. And with the arrival of supersonic options, Musk’s bright, affordable skies may be more crowded and competitive.

One way an airline can set prices is to collect all of its costs to fly a route—expenses such as jet fuel, employee compensation, landing fees, airport charges and sometimes aircraft maintenance and depreciation—and then add the profit margin it wants. That’s the approach of many ultra low-cost carriers like Spirit Airlines Inc. Another is to use what Peluso called “a value-based model” of what the market would bear for a particular service. In the case of a supersonic London-New York flight—a route with plenty of price-insensitive corporate demand—the market is likely to bear quite a bit.

For example, an airline could decide that a 50 percent margin is appropriate for a three-hour supersonic trip, given that it cuts the flight time by more than half. Colorado-based Boom Supersonic, which says it has almost 80 orders from airlines for its 55-seat jet, has projected a one-way fare from New York to London of $2,500. That includes “healthy profitability for the operator” of the 3 hour, 15-minute flight, Boom spokesman Eli Dourado wrote in an email, declining to offer more specific cost details.

“A pretty major difference between supersonic flight and suborbital transportation is that the former can be done without major engineering leaps,” he said.

In the case of SpaceX, the company’s planned “BFR” rocket would be fully reusable. That would help cut launch costs. The question is how much can they fall? SpaceX has a list price of $90 million for launches with Falcon Heavy, its largest rocket, which is expected to fly for the first time by year’s end. Currently, SpaceX charges $62 million to launch Falcon 9, its workhorse rocket.

“If that cost continues to come down as they scale, can they get it to $30 million to launch?” Peluso asked. Flying humans, however, adds extra cost in terms of safety equipment, redundancies, regulatory oversight, and other protocols. All of those factors will add to the math problem.

This is where one of the unknowns that Musk and others are racing to test comes into play: How cheaply can you launch a large rocket? Reusability is essential and SpaceX has made leaps in terms of landing the first stage of its Falcon vehicle 16 times, most of them on a drone barge floating at sea. “Seven years ago it was still considered technically impossible to recover a first stage rocket,” Peluso said.

Lower a launch cost to $5 million, fly 50 people, sell the flight at cost and suddenly you have a fare that could be around $100,000. But that scenario involves relying heavily on numerous optimistic assumptions around cost savings, and a willingness to break even on the flights as a way to promote a nascent industry. “Never say never, but that’s a heavy lift,” Peluso said of the financial path toward affordable hypersonic fares.

Hypersonic will face other questions, too. Can a rocket work like an airplane? And can passengers handle it? Flying in a commercial aircraft is nothing like the physical forces a rocket’s acceleration exerts on the human body. Notes Peluso: “That is much more complicated than launching a satellite into orbit.”

In the case of supersonic flight, airlines will need to grapple with the issue of how to integrate a premium product into their existing, slow-poke fleets. A smaller supersonic aircraft probably can’t replace the premium cabins on long-haul jets because economy fares won’t cover costs, said Kachoria of Spike Aerospace.

Spike expects that its costs will be higher than a comparably sized business jet such as the Gulfstream G650, owing to greater engine maintenance, but not considerably higher, he said. Because of its speed, “you get to fly the aircraft twice as often as the Gulfstream” and reduce crew costs, Kachoria said.

Spike’s sales pitches have gotten “a very, very positive response” from airlines, although none has yet ordered the $100 million aircraft, Kachoria said. “The airlines know this is the future, they know there’s a demand from a certain segment of the population,” he said. “Now the question is how large is that market?”

©2017 Bloomberg L.P.

This article was written by Justin Bachman from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

[touristguidebuzz]

Supersonic or Even Hypersonic Flights Could Be Aviation’s Next Frontier

Hypersonic might not be viable soon, but Boom, a new company, hopes to have a supersonic jet flying by the next decade. Boom Technology

Skift Take: It's fun to think about what the future might look like. And we could some day fly hypersonic. But just remember: There's been little innovation in the airline industry since the 1960s. Things move slowly in the commericial aviation world.

— Brian Sumers

For years, Elon Musk has used the analogy of destroying a commercial jet after just one flight to explain his view that rockets must be reusable if humans are ever to afford space exploration.

Now, the founder of SpaceX has discovered a way he might profit off that dream. He’s forming an airline of sorts, one that pledges to transport people anywhere on Earth in minutes by launching them on a rocket at speeds up to 17,000 mph. This audacious, hypersonic goal currently lies somewhere between science fiction and sound physics, although nothing in SpaceX’s rudimentary plans appears to be technically impossible.

Long before Wall Street bigwigs get vaulted from New York to Asia in less than an hour, however, the significantly slower supersonic jet travel first popularized by the Concorde may return, sharply reducing flying times on many routes popular with business travelers. Several companies are working to develop new supersonic aircraft technologies, as is NASA. But it will still take you a few hours to get to New York from Paris.

The bigger hurdle for both hypersonic and supersonic may well be the financial underpinnings of these ventures—determining how to make the technology profitable and not just the tiniest of niche transport options for the 1 percent, according to several experts in the aerospace industry.

The challenges “won’t be around whether it’s technologically feasible, it will be around what the economics will need to be to make it a reasonable endeavor,” said Luigi Peluso, a managing director in the aerospace, defense, and airlines practice at consulting firm AlixPartners LLP.

Hypersonic speed would obviously revolutionize long-haul air travel, but could anyone but billionaires afford to fly above the atmosphere, zipping anywhere on the planet like an intercontinental ballistic missile with free peanuts? Musk says yes—for about the price of a full-fare economy ticket today. That’s certainly aspirational, said Peluso, and only possible after the technology is mature. SpaceX declined to comment beyond Elon Musk’s announcement of his plans last week.

“Hypersonic is going to be pretty incredible and I think that’s something that everybody is working for,” said Vik Kachoria, chief executive of Spike Aerospace Inc., a Boston startup that’s developing a supersonic business jet. Spike plans to fly its first SX-1.2 demonstrator aircraft this week, albeit at subsonic speeds. Supersonic test flights are set for 2019, with customer deliveries in 2023.

“A pretty major difference between supersonic flight and suborbital transportation is that the former can be done without major engineering leaps”

With currently available data, it’s impossible to draw conclusions about operating costs or ticket prices for hypersonic flight. And with the arrival of supersonic options, Musk’s bright, affordable skies may be more crowded and competitive.

One way an airline can set prices is to collect all of its costs to fly a route—expenses such as jet fuel, employee compensation, landing fees, airport charges and sometimes aircraft maintenance and depreciation—and then add the profit margin it wants. That’s the approach of many ultra low-cost carriers like Spirit Airlines Inc. Another is to use what Peluso called “a value-based model” of what the market would bear for a particular service. In the case of a supersonic London-New York flight—a route with plenty of price-insensitive corporate demand—the market is likely to bear quite a bit.

For example, an airline could decide that a 50 percent margin is appropriate for a three-hour supersonic trip, given that it cuts the flight time by more than half. Colorado-based Boom Supersonic, which says it has almost 80 orders from airlines for its 55-seat jet, has projected a one-way fare from New York to London of $2,500. That includes “healthy profitability for the operator” of the 3 hour, 15-minute flight, Boom spokesman Eli Dourado wrote in an email, declining to offer more specific cost details.

“A pretty major difference between supersonic flight and suborbital transportation is that the former can be done without major engineering leaps,” he said.

In the case of SpaceX, the company’s planned “BFR” rocket would be fully reusable. That would help cut launch costs. The question is how much can they fall? SpaceX has a list price of $90 million for launches with Falcon Heavy, its largest rocket, which is expected to fly for the first time by year’s end. Currently, SpaceX charges $62 million to launch Falcon 9, its workhorse rocket.

“If that cost continues to come down as they scale, can they get it to $30 million to launch?” Peluso asked. Flying humans, however, adds extra cost in terms of safety equipment, redundancies, regulatory oversight, and other protocols. All of those factors will add to the math problem.

This is where one of the unknowns that Musk and others are racing to test comes into play: How cheaply can you launch a large rocket? Reusability is essential and SpaceX has made leaps in terms of landing the first stage of its Falcon vehicle 16 times, most of them on a drone barge floating at sea. “Seven years ago it was still considered technically impossible to recover a first stage rocket,” Peluso said.

Lower a launch cost to $5 million, fly 50 people, sell the flight at cost and suddenly you have a fare that could be around $100,000. But that scenario involves relying heavily on numerous optimistic assumptions around cost savings, and a willingness to break even on the flights as a way to promote a nascent industry. “Never say never, but that’s a heavy lift,” Peluso said of the financial path toward affordable hypersonic fares.

Hypersonic will face other questions, too. Can a rocket work like an airplane? And can passengers handle it? Flying in a commercial aircraft is nothing like the physical forces a rocket’s acceleration exerts on the human body. Notes Peluso: “That is much more complicated than launching a satellite into orbit.”

In the case of supersonic flight, airlines will need to grapple with the issue of how to integrate a premium product into their existing, slow-poke fleets. A smaller supersonic aircraft probably can’t replace the premium cabins on long-haul jets because economy fares won’t cover costs, said Kachoria of Spike Aerospace.

Spike expects that its costs will be higher than a comparably sized business jet such as the Gulfstream G650, owing to greater engine maintenance, but not considerably higher, he said. Because of its speed, “you get to fly the aircraft twice as often as the Gulfstream” and reduce crew costs, Kachoria said.

Spike’s sales pitches have gotten “a very, very positive response” from airlines, although none has yet ordered the $100 million aircraft, Kachoria said. “The airlines know this is the future, they know there’s a demand from a certain segment of the population,” he said. “Now the question is how large is that market?”

©2017 Bloomberg L.P.

This article was written by Justin Bachman from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

[bestnewsmag-blog]

New Post has been published on Bestnewsmag

New Post has been published on https://bestnewsmag.com/how-public-participation-saved-canadas-internet-or-what-happens-when-decision-makers-actually-listen/

How Public Participation Saved Canada's Internet (Or: What Happens When Decision-Makers Actually Listen)

Mississauga City in Canada

  Economic system: Among fortune 500 groups over 60 of the businesses have their International or Head offices located in Mississauga. Industries consist of pharmaceutical, banking and finance, electronics and computers, aerospace, transportation and gadget industries. Few honorable mentions are Citi Financial institution Canada, Royal Financial institution of Canada, Microsoft Canada, Laura Secord Sweets, Hewlett Packard, Air Georgian, Air Canada Jazz, Magellan Aerospace, Honeywell Aerospace, Wal-Mart Canada and Kellogg’s Canada.

Sights: Civic square in Mississauga is used for summertime festivities. Mississauga organized over 60 loose occasions to attract visitors to a town square. Maximum of those occasions encompass Senior’s day, Family day, Vintage Automobile and main activities like Canada Day Birthday celebration, Rotary Rib fest, Tree Lighting fixtures ceremony and Seashore fest. In October 2012, the numbers of visitors attracted have been one million.

The Artwork Gallery of Mississauga is a public gallery and a now not-for-income Artwork gallery. It offers unfastened access and is open seven days every week. The Artwork Gallery is currently running on creating a virtual gallery.

square One Shopping Center, the biggest Buying Middle in Canada is also situated in Mississauga. It has 350 stores and attracts 24 million visitors each yr.

Actual Property: Because of overwhelming traveler Attractions and booming Economic system, a town has a big demand in Real Property. Mississauga has attracted a variety of foreign interest in its Actual Property market. In Mississauga throughout 2015, the average sale price for a house of every type was 546,000 Canadian dollar.

 The average price for a detached domestic turned into recorded at 868,000 Canadian dollars whereas in Toronto it’s well over one million. Public Participation Saved Canada’s Internet

The distinction in pricing among Toronto and Mississauga has a tendency to get buyers from Toronto stepping into Mississauga. This reflects the Real Property ability of Mississauga from the funding point of view in addition to for the settlers.

In 2015 charges have been accelerated over 7.9% and common sale quantity becomes up 4% yr over yr. The common days on market turned into 22 days and the common list to sell charge ratio was 99% averaged over the 12 months. This indicates if the residence is to be had to be bought within the market it will sell ninety-nine% of asking on a mean of twenty-two days.

By searching at above stats it could be pretty plenty said that it’s miles a seller’s market and consumers have a tendency to be in a couple of gives in looking for their desired residence. it’s far predicted that in 2016 the charges will see a drop Due to higher charges recorded ultimate 12 months and strict lending rules introduced By means of the Bank of Canada on insured mortgages and decreased down payment for large mortgages.

In Mississauga, higher exports to US and Eu have created manufacturing jobs. And Because of the growth jobs, there can be more demand for the Real Estate in Mississauga.

Mississauga Actual Property sale in June was valued at $864 million. Which is large upward thrust By means of 19.nine% examine to 2015? This was the very best quantity of file.

Real Estate Lawyers in Mississauga: Transactions in Actual Property are not as easy as they appear. It requires documentation and binding of contracts among parties. Many people are ignorant of the complexity of criminal work involve in it. With a view to achieving peace of mind and protection, an Actual Property Lawyer in Mississauga has the capacity to deliver to its customers with complete pleasure.

Real Property Lawyers in Mississauga have a community of Legal professionals all through Greater Toronto Area (GTA) serving customers at diverse locations. With no hidden prices the Attorney’s rate is mentioned on the internet site which reflects the credibility of Real Property Legal professionals in Mississauga.

Dating While Saved: A Christian Woman’s Guide

  Many ladies need to recognize, “what is suitable courting conduct for a Christian female? Are there real do’s and don’ts for dating whilst stored?” If you’re even considering this, I would like to individually come up with a high-5 and a hug just for asking this question! Your interest surrounding this trouble truly way, you care approximately things: Your relationship with God and you’re courting together with your male buddy.

Unluckily, not sufficient girls are thinking that manner. Many believe that being a Christian would not necessarily mean you ought to have requirements that vary from the sector on the subject of the relationship. “Why cannot I simply exit and have amusing?” they say. even as there’s not anything wrong with having a great time, I surely and wholeheartedly believe that firm requirements on your dating relationship are a need to. Why? Because, as God-fearing women, everything we do should uphold a godly trendy. We must usually keep in mind wherein we move, what we do, what we watch, and who we intermingle with.

As an example: Being inside the wrong atmosphere with a man can effortlessly flip things inside the incorrect path. If he’s inviting you over to look a film that you know is full of irrelevant scenes and at 10 PM, your purple flag ought to at once pop up. For plenty ladies, this actual scenario has led to a teary-eyed ride home and a prayer that starts with, “Lord, what have I done?” I’m sharing with you nowadays how you could keep away from such pitfalls by means of spotting what is and is not suitable.

Even If you experience healthy movies with that special a person, perhaps you would possibly need to look at them throughout the daytime, and in the precise placing- not by myself. Be honest with yourself. If on the day you’re scheduled to look at a film you’re feeling surely drawn to him, don’t do it. You don’t need to set yourself up for failure. Bear in mind the scripture James four:7, which says “Publish yourselves to God. Face up to the devil and he will flee from you.”

What about romance?

Romance seems to be the larger query in terms of courting. Are we able to have romance? ought to we choice romantic treatment from men while we are single? Nicely, here’s the scoop, women.

If you’re the relationship a guy who’s naturally romantic; who continuously does the sweetest matters to win your affection, ensure his intentions are natural. Granted, a few men are obviously romantic. You know, the men who recognize the way to dine their ladies with fancy items, dozens of roses, chocolates, bears, rings- I simply, the works. And that’s candy. However again, ensure his intentions aren’t to swindle you into irrelevant situations. Maximum guys are smarter than we provide them credit for!

And, In case you’re in a second of vulnerability and he’s showering you with these lovely tokens of affection and affection, you could without difficulty get stuck up in that and feel like you owe him something. I beg you to no longer experience that way. Rather, inform him thanks. Be the company with a general of purity for your courting with him, and ensure he is aware of he can give you presents all he likes, However you won’t bend to any irrelevant thank you’s.

The Green Zone:

I love to name the Inexperienced Quarter a laugh and safe locations you must keep in mind for first rate healthy entertainment. You do not have to go to church each Friday night time with your huge other. There are many places suitable for Christian courting.

recall a leisurely stroll through the park. That is the sort setting that makes verbal exchange easy. No surround sound interruptions. No chatter among strangers inside the history. just the two of you with the opportunity to get to understand each other higher. And you do realize how we ladies love to talk!

And In case you’re simply not the outdoorsy kind, keep in mind an indoor hobby like indoor golf. experience a nice cup of coffee or pastry at a coffee keep. Stroll through the mall If you revel in buying- that way you can give him some “guidelines or pointers,” as I love to name them.

there’s such a lot of different locations that don’t contain ingesting or hanging out at clubs or casinos. just Because you’re grown, it would not automatically make the whole lot k or appropriate for Christian relationship.

5 Internet Marketing Tactics That Will Boost Your Brand Online

  Net advertising and marketing is the system of promoting your commercial enterprise on the world huge internet. It is not unusual for brand spanking new online entrepreneurs to grow to be overwhelmed seeking to recognize such things as Search engine optimization, content advertising, Cost-consistent with the click on, Pay-consistent with the click on, keyword phrases and plenty of greater.

To help get you began in case you’re new to the web enterprise international, or even in case you’re a pro seasoned, right here are five Internet advertising procedures which are proven to boost your emblem on-line.

1. E-mail advertising and marketing

Analyzing emails is the primary activity online (ninety-four% of humans on-line ship or acquire emails, while eighty-three% use a search engine and sixty-one% use social media). In international research conducted with advertising specialists, they said that Electronic mail marketing turned into the most powerful on-line advertising method. You may use emails to connect to your target market and construct your logo the use of reductions, data on income and by using imparting treasured and beneficial statistics in your target market.

2. Social Media

Social media is any other powerful Internet advertising and marketing tool. But don’t waste your time striving to be on each single platform. It’s better to do your research and pinpoint which of them will be maximum influential to your online enterprise. It’s better to have one, in reality, accurate social media site in preference to numerous poorly controlled websites.

three. Running a blog

Blogging is a powerful manner to boost your commercial enterprise, capture the eye of ability customers and maintain relationships together with your present day customers. Sparkling and frequently updated content engages your target audience and additionally enables your internet site ratings in the search engines like google.

four. Seo

Search engine optimization is the method of organizing your internet site in order that the search engines will list it in their seek page search consequences. This natural, or unpaid visitors, consists of the way you insert phrases and terms (known as your keywords) on in your web pages. Those keywords are what your target audience will type right into a seek engine while they may be searching out the products and offerings that you promote on-line.

5. content material marketing

In case your website does not have desirable, treasured content material that is useful for your target audience then your on-line enterprise has no price on your target audience. content may be examined, watched, listened to and shared. Continuously supply, on a regular foundation, the excellent exceptional content You may. Create it for a human target market to read, watch or concentrate to, in preference to for a search engine robot to select up keywords. You can not just stuff keywords into web pages, blogs, articles and so on.