#concrete trough

[turrondeluxe]

I feel like the buried secrets episode about Mikey was one of the biggest missed angst potential.

OH DEFINITELY

also just a missed opportunity on mikey's character as well tbh

the fact that mikey's intuition is so STRONG and literally always right in the show but his brothers never believe him will always be a thing that makes me so mad and sad :(

[bluastro-yellow]

Harry and Kim are like Annette and Plaisance, like Cuno and Cunoesse, like René/Gaston and Gaston/René, like Steban and Ulixes, like Fuck the World and Pissf%%t, like-

[lenbryant]

LONG POST: L.A. River. We hate this concrete trough until it saves us from catastrophic flooding.

(LATimes) The unloved L.A. River just prevented a flood disaster. Can more of its water be saved?

By Hayley SmithStaff Writer 

As intense atmospheric rivers become more common in a warming world, so too do questions about stormwater capture in Los Angeles. Each year, when rain pours down and the L.A. River roars back to life, Angelenos want to know how much of that water is being captured and stored — and how much is washing out to sea.

The  monster storm that hammered Southern California this week dropped billions of gallons of rain, but as much as 80% of that water was whisked into the Pacific Ocean, experts say. 

For residents who only recently were asked to conserve unprecedented amounts of water, such a loss can be confounding. But capturing rainfall is only one part of the L.A. River’s job. It is also a flood control channel that is critical to protecting lives and properties when stormwaters surge. 

“It’s a delicate balance between capturing that water for beneficial use later on and keeping the public safe — making sure that people can get to work and that children can get to school,” said Kerjon Lee, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. 

Indeed, without the Los Angeles River and other local channels such as Ballona Creek, more of that stormwater would have ended up in streets and neighborhoods. The waterways were channelized nearly a hundred years ago in response to devastating regional flooding.

March 2, 1938: Remnants of a destroyed Southern Pacific Railroad bridge are submerged in the roiling waters of the Los Angeles River, in a photo taken from North Figueroa Street.

(Los Angeles Times)

Once a free-flowing waterway, the L.A. River flooded repeatedly as the city was developed. A 1914 flood caused an estimated $10 million worth of damage; the L.A. Times reported that the city was “in the grasp of swirling water.”

On New Year’s Day in 1934, a storm once again unleashed torrents from the San Gabriel Mountains. The river and its tributaries swelled, inundating communities around La Crescenta and claiming dozens of lives and houses.

And in 1938, a great deluge changed the city and its river forever. Engorged by two back-to-back storms, the waterway roared as flows reached the remarkable rate of 99,000 cubic feet per second. Water soon poured into low-lying areas from downtown to Long Beach, sweeping away more than 5,600 structures and killing more than 110 people.

In response to the $78-million catastrophe, the people of Los Angeles called for greater flood control measures, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began encasing the channel in concrete. Experts credited the work with preventing floods in 1969 and 1980, when the river saw even higher flows than it had in 1938.

In that regard, Reznik said, the system “is working as intended.”

March 2, 1938: Drains could not keep up with rain filling streets in downtown Los Angeles. 

(Los Angeles Times)

Most of that comes through groundwater recharge, or opportunities for water to spread and seep into aquifers. Public Works also maintains 14 major dams in the mountains above L.A., as well as five others operated in conjunction with the Army Corps. During the summer, water is released from those dams into spreading grounds for percolation.

Subscriber Exclusive Alert

If you're an L.A. Times subscriber, you can sign up to get alerts about early or entirely exclusive content.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

The maneuvers are a dance “between flood protection and stormwater capture,” according to Lee. “We want as much capacity as possible in those dams to capture the water and try to hold it up there in the dams for as long as we can, without threatening lives and property downstream.” 

The Los Angeles River near downtown.

(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

In 2018, voters approved Measure W, a tax aimed at capturing and cleaning more stormwater before it reaches the ocean. That initiative, later dubbed the Safe Clean Water Program, allocates $280 million annually to stormwater projects, including those geared toward reducing asphalt and hardscaping that prevent water from seeping into the earth.

A report on the program last year found that its progress has been slow, with about 30 acres of green space added across the 3-million-acre county in the first three years. 

“Having 90% of runoff heading down the L.A. River isn’t good from a water supply — isn’t good from a pollution, isn’t good from a public safety — standpoint,” Reznik said. “And so I think that’s where we’re going to really have to ask some hard questions about how we can do a better job.”

Los Angeles imports the vast majority of its water from other places, including Northern California, the Owens Valley and the Colorado River. But as drought and warming make those resources less reliable, the need for local supplies has never been more critical, Reznik said. 

Stormwater surges from an outfall pipe into the Los Angeles River in Long Beach. 

(Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

That’s a problem, because most of California’s water systems were built for “hundred-year” storms, or rain events with a 1% likelihood of occurring, said Anne Lynch, a civil engineer and water management expert with GHD, a consulting firm.

“We’re living off of our grandparents’ investments in our water infrastructure,” she said. “It’s time for us now. We’re all going to have to pay for the future, to address climate change and the degradation of our existing systems as they reach the end of their useful life.” 

The good news is that L.A. has the funds to make good investments in stormwater capture, she said.

Measure W includes a variety of efforts to “find ways to incentivize people to put permeable pavers in their driveways and just do different projects all over the L.A. Basin,” Lynch said. “We’re kind of taking it in small snippets, but all of that manages to capture flow, recharge it to the groundwater and also helps with seawater intrusion and a whole host of other things.”

Measure W has seen some success, such as the East Los Angeles Sustainable Median Stormwater Capture Project, which is helping to infiltrate approximately 7.1 million gallons of runoff in the Rio Hondo watershed near Montebello. The project also provides above-ground improvements, such as jogging paths, trees and drought-tolerant landscaping. 

County officials said it could take three to five decades for Measure W to reach its goal of capturing 300,000 acre-feet, about 98 billion gallons, of water annually. But during last year’s remarkably wet winter, the county exceeded expectations and captured 628,508 acre-feet, according to Public Works. 

The Los Angeles River flows fast and muddy in February 2023. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

There are other regional projects underway, including new spreading ground facilities from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, “which will all be contributing to the groundwater locally and future drinking-water supply in Los Angeles,” Martin Adams, the general manager, said during a news conference this week.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a massive regional wholesaler, has also been monitoring flows from the storm, according to spokeswoman Rebecca Kimitch. Although the MWD does not directly manage or store local runoff, its 26 member agencies typically capture about 1.1 million acre-feet of stormwater each year, she said. About 500,000 acre-feet are sent to the ocean. 

“On average, about half of that flow to the ocean happens over three days of the year, during large storm events like this,” Kimitch said. “During such storms, the flows are so fast, it can be difficult to capture, and the priority is flood control.” 

The latest atmospheric river parked itself over Southern California on Sunday and delivered 60% of L.A.’s average seasonal rainfall in just three days, according to the National Weather Service. Downtown L.A. received a total of 8.51 inches Sunday, Monday and Tuesday — its second-wettest three-day run since official records began in 1877. The highest three-day total was 9.21 inches, during the 1938 flood. 

This week’s storm left a trail of chaos, including freeway closures, submerged vehicles, landslides and evacuations. The L.A. River raged; videos show swirling brown water roaring through the channel. On Monday afternoon, the Los Angeles Fire Department rescued a person who was swept away in the river’s rapid waters. 

“The banks of the river are not — and I repeat — are not the place to be during the storm,” Chief Kristin Crowley said during a news conference Tuesday. “The L.A. River is full and will continue to flow with high intensity today.”

Yet the river has largely held —  absorbing the near-record precipitation from the storm, thanks to extensive preparations, drain clearing and dredging of debris, officials said. Still, some expressed concern that it can be pushed only so far.

“The system can handle multiple atmospheric rivers, as long as they have some spacing between them,” Dena O’Dell, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, told The Times. “When they are back-to-back without a break, the system could be tested.”

While the county is investing in stormwater capture, such investments are in a race against upstream development that is creating more impermeable areas and increasing flows — not unlike the conditions that led to the floods in the last century.

The Los Angeles River, near Atwater Village, on Monday. 

(Ringo Chiu / For The Times)

“It’s a really good sign that we’re not doing things just for one benefit anymore,” she said.

For now, however, there are billions — if not tens of billions — of gallons of runoff that are not recharging aquifers and are continuing to pollute waterways and pose health and safety threats, Reznik said. 

If L.A. can continue to reduce storm flows by creating more green space, “it sort of becomes a win for everybody,” he said.

In other words, capturing more stormwater from the L.A. River would have the dual benefit of keeping more people safe and saving them more water.

[goldrogerstits]

GIRL IM ABOUT TO ATTACK SOMEONE AT THE PARTY I WENT TO DECIDED TO FUCKING SNORT SOME SHIT AT THE DINNER TABLE AND NOW EVERYONE WHO WENT HAS TO DO A DRUG TEST I DONT HAVE TIME FOR THIS

[shiningstages]

Getting White Day Tsukasa first try, and seeing the newer cards on JP, really makes me wanna write fanfic again..........

[gleekschoiceawards]

Asian Bathroom Mid-sized master porcelain tile, gray floor, double-sink and wallpaper bathroom photo with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, an integrated sink, concrete countertops and a built-in vanity

[mappingbarcelonapublicart]

Minneapolis Sauna Large minimalist ceramic tile sauna photo with open cabinets, an integrated sink and concrete countertops

[spencerscookies]

Bathroom - Modern Bathroom Mid-sized minimalist bathroom photo with an integrated sink, concrete countertops and white walls

[celasuffit]

New York Bathroom Master Bath Inspiration for a large contemporary master multicolored tile and matchstick tile porcelain tile and gray floor bathroom remodel with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, gray walls, an integrated sink, concrete countertops and a hinged shower door

[millepics]

Modern Bathroom - Kids Bathroom - large modern kids' dark wood floor bathroom idea with an integrated sink, open cabinets and concrete countertops

[warriorocteivia]

Bathroom Kids (Denver)

[le-temps-plus-que-parfait]

Bathroom Powder Room

[mezzoalex]

Kids Bathroom in Atlanta

[triciarkg]

Patio - Concrete Pavers

[heyitswil]

Traditional Bathroom

[hawtlineblingz]

My Thoughts on Zayne's Hidden Motive Discourse

pic : chibiayato (x)

Disclaimer : this post is made as a response and purely written by my understanding and opinion on recent discourse that happened on tiktok regarding the hate and mischaracterization on Zayne. This post isn't proof read and English is not my first spoken language so i appologize for bad grammar / spelling mistakes and i hope my points and arguments can came trough correcty.

! DO NOT REPOST TO OTHER PLATFORM (link shares are okay) !

Context :

I'd like to put out my arguments, as proof that i highly do not support the narration, the hate train from TikTok community has on zayne saying "they made him a pushover wattpad boy on this card" and said this card is Zayne being very OOC.

Before putting out my thoughts. I want to point out that i wrote this based on the game's JP Dub because i understood Japanese better and i just want to say that there are alot of contexts and implied language that unfortunatelly got lost on the EN translations.

[Proof media shown below]

Quick summary of the card and proofs :

At the beginning of this memory MC got injured on a mission and zayne suddenly was positioned as the helping medical staff for the area that MC we're working on though he lied about his reasoning during this moment.

Their interaction is highly implied that zayne communicates with her as Zayne the Doctor and Zayne as MC's romantic partner.

Its clear that zayne uses different words when talking with her as a Doctor and as a non platonic partner and so is his tone when speaking.

Proof 1 :

After treating her wound as a doctor, he put MC hair behind her ears and, told her that he's going back to work.

(Vid down below)

If u watch the JP dub u can clearly tell this is him playing 2 different figures at the same time.

Proof 2 :

When MC we're talking to the kid that she saved, Alfred, he told her that she was very strong, and she asked if he wants to see her solid abs. But then Zayne came in, while coughing, and said

Though on the JP dub he says "That's useless, a kid shouldn't be seeing that". In a teasing way, though his tone is very stoic and he said it with a poker face.

And after that he spoke to her switching being a doctor and a partner again, when he told her to wait in the treating room 5. He does this for litterally the whole menoria, but i think 2 examples are enough as a proof.

Proof 3 :

The mention of "fortune telling". A reference to Zayne's MYTH 2. It's not really important but i just wanna point this one out to argue that during this conversation Zayne n MC clearly have a healthy realtionship he mentions alot about her wellbeing as a very important part of his stress management, seeing her well and able to banter with him put his mind at ease, knowing MC's nature to be a little bit reckless and clumsy.

Proof 4 :

When Alfred told MC and Zayne that they we're invited to the farewell ceremony, and asked them if they could attend, she bargained Zayne for his time to appreciate the people on the area, calling him "医者のおじさん" or Uncle Doctor. And Zayne referes to himself as both Uncle Doctor and Brother Doctor or "医者のお兄さん" now this is very important. Because this shows a concrete proof that Zayne has been playing 2 person figures during his time at the local's hospital. As Dr. Zayne and 'just' Zayne.

On the JP dub he said "Uncle Doctor might be busy, but Brother Doctor might have some time to spare". This important context is basically not translated well on the EN dub. And he is not acting OOC.

Proof 5 :

At the farewell ceremony, MC and Zayne talked about life and death meaning and value, as a hunter and a doctor. On this part u can clearly hear Zayne is a little bit upset on how reckless MC is as if she doesn't value her life enough to help people. She told him about already having her last wishes but she stopped herself because he interupted her, Zayne is upset, again, u can hear him clearly not happy at the way she positioned herself and her life against danger and death.

He made his boundaried clear especially having to positioned himself as a cardiac surgeon on how it's hard when he had touched someone's naked beating heart on his own palm, doing an OC-CPR. Trying to save that person.

During this time MC fell silent as she think about everything and rechoose her words, reminding herself how difficult it is to prevent and save someone from death.

Proof 6 :

When the lanterns being released to the sky MC said that the lights is beautiful, he nods at her saying "yes, its beautiful" but he didn't even turn around to look at the lantern, his eyes are glued to her posing for the picture. A VERY IMPORTANT POINT, he admited that he IS talking about her, not the lantern. You can tell on how his yearning for her is growing here, It's not everyday Zayne can be this transparent with his intentions especially when being asked.

Proof 7 :

As MC fell asleep on his car after the flight he asked if she wants him to drop him off at her place, but then he asked again, gently, if she wants to just stay at his place. Again, hints for his yearning on his voice.

NOW. This one has been a point of hate on Zayne because on the EN translation he said this :

While on JP he said "if u can't answer it now, i'm assuming it's a okay". Now this sentence implying a hint of worryness on how tired and sleepy she was.

The people on tiktok pointed out that Zayne did not care about her consent while on the card, is clearly said that MC did KNEW and RECALL she went straight to Zayne's house. The situation isn't like as if Zayne took her somewhere shady without her consent. And he treated her with so much care by cooking her breakfast.

Proof 8 :

Now here Greyson exposes Zayne to MC that he insisted that he wanted to took the medical mission on a high risk quaranteened area, even though he was positioned on a less dangerous area beforehand. He even said Zayne acts like he doesn't care much trough his words but Zayne is actually CARES and WORRIES about her alot.

We can see trough out his latest cards, every emotions are drawn on his voice and body language.

Proof 9 :

During this part it stated that Zayne did gave MC permission to overstep his boundaries by pursing his lips, giving permission MC to touch his skin.

- every convo during this part is Zayne  flirting with MC and the boombayah happened and they took a nice nap-

Proof 10 :

Post sex nap convo between Zayne n MC shows how Zayne has changed as a person, his tone is very gentle and witty, clearly he's comfortable with her, and another clear sign of a healthy relationship. On this moment, Zayne starts up a topic about being open, and straightforward is very important to him, but MC revoked Zayne by saying he also isn't being transparent with her, Zayne kisses her forehead and said that he hates hearing things about her wellbeing from other people, it made him feel like an outsider. And the rest of the conversations is MC and Zayne giving each other reassurance regarding keeping each other safe and sound.

Now i'd like to mention a few things from Zayne's previous card, Snowy Serenity, and a few things from Zayne's Find Tobias' (Abyssal Chaos) coversations with MC.

That the main 2 problems within Zayne and MC's relationship are :

1. Zayne is really bad at letting people hear what they wanted to hear even if it's to give the other person a sense of security, he sometimes a bit too blunt and too honest, but he's willing to work it out. This was also briefly mentioned on the Heartwork Routine Event.

2. Zayne and MC is struggling to be alot more open with each other because they don't want to worry their partner.

On Abyssal Chaos MC said that Zayne has changed by being more bold and flexible with her. Shown how much he's being alot more confident in engaging PDA.

The pattern with them is they both need something impactful and intimate to be able to open up. On Snowy Serenity Zayne was missing. And on Hidden Motive MC was injured. But after that theres an improvement between their relationship as the intimacy gave them a safe space to be open to one and another.

The Zayne hate on TikTok mainly focuses on how they said Zayne is turning into another wattpad boy and everything is OOC, but from the proofs i have stated above clearly i dont agree with that because i see it as Zayne and MC are both working out their relationship, and Zayne is constantly working himself up to be a better person who is willing to communicate.

The crowd on TikTok are blaming Infold and Sylus for "dragging" Zayne into another Wattpad based character while, again, I think Zayne character development is very well written, i don't feel like this card is fanservice-y, even though this whole game is a fanservice, i get it, it's one of the selling point of an otome game.

The thing with Zayne being bolder when it comes to intimacy shows on how much MC already trusts him, and how he has become very comfortable with her, Zayne is the type of person who has a habit of bottling his emotions, even though he got praised by almost everyone for his incredible self control. But Zayne on this timeline is a normal human being with physical - spiritual needs and emotions, not a demigod, not a mythical creature. Zayne himself has a breaking point considering how much restraint, yearning, has been closed of from affections he already been trough growing up. AND him letting loose his self control and lowering his guard down is not an incredibly OOC act, in fact most of the time initiated the intimate acts as shown on his previous cards, once MC flags up her green flag he took the lead.

Plus, this is a relationship is between two consenting adults. Everyone can tell this isn't the first time they engage in intimate / sexual activity.

As time goes by and the story progresses obviously we're going to see changes, and process within the characters. Zayne is not a block of wood and he is not an exception. Blaming Sylus and Infold writter for this is also not a solution, even Sylus himself is not a typical wattpad / booktok CEO. Though, again in otome games it's very common to have tropes between the love interest and the protagonist. I just hope the hate on Zayne stops, because i honestly enjoys his character writing. Same with the TikTok community hate on Xavier saying he gr00med MC, and saying Caleb is into inc3st relationship, i don't even understood how the mischaracterization on the boys are so severe on TikTok it's kind of sad.

Infold writers incorporates so many linguistics and cultural reference that's also a shame it's not translated well enough to the EN sub and dub so often times people missed their opportunity to understand why the card title is "Hidden Motive".

Ending statement from me is that i wish many players would do their own indepth reading and understanding before making a misleading scene on social media, this is why sometimes a certain fandom / community can't have nice things because of their own fandom and actions can lead to a train of hate and misconceptions regarding the game and our boys.

Proofs exhibit below

I highly suggest to watch the whole card on EN dub and other language dub (on this case its JP dub) as a comparison because the underlying contexts on some of the sentences are different.