#mechanics of love 1955

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

Love is a many splendored thing

It's the April rose that only grows in the early Spring

Love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living

The golden crown that makes a man a king

Once on a high and windy hill, In the morning mist

Two lovers kissed and the world stood still

Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing

Yes, true love's a many splendored thing

Love is a many splendored thing

It's the April rose that only grows in the early Spring

Love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living

The golden crown that makes a man a king

Once on a high and windy hill, In the morning mist

Two lovers kissed and the world stood still

Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing

Yes, true love's a many splendored thing

Mechanics of Love (1955), dir. Willard Maas & Ben Moore

[vincekris]

Willard Maas - The Mechanics of Love 1955

[knickynoo]

Back to the Future Part II, The Novel by Craig Shaw Gardner: Thoughts, commentary, and general ramblings

Part 2: Marty McGamblerPants

Previous posts here

• As Marty ventures into the Café 80s, a lot of what unfolds is pretty close to the movie, so not much to say there. There is an interesting line as Griff and Biff exit the café, though, where Biff says, “Listen, Griff, don’t you go loanin’ that McFly kid any money—even though he probably needs it, him and his old man both.”

I wonder: is he saying that just because he wants to take a dig at the state of the McFly family’s finances or because Griff has loaned money to Junior before? If he has, that’s quite the interesting thing to ponder considering I don’t see Griff as being the type to do much of anything out of the kindness of his heart, but I absolutely do see him loaning money to Junior just to be able to use it against him and force him into doing things.

• If I’m remembering correctly, Junior doesn’t actually say no to Griff in the café. He mentions it being dangerous, says he should discuss it with his father, and then eventually says okay once he’s thrown over the counter. Book Junior does say no, though, and he says it like this:

You know that’s Marty’s boy; he’s got nice manners just like his dad. I love Junior so much.

• When Marty gets approached in 2015 about saving the clock tower, the book notes that the guy asking for the donation is Terry. When Marty won’t donate the hundred dollars, Terry goes on to talk about how, back when the clock was struck by lightning, “—a hundred bucks was worth something.” He then points to Biff (who is across the street) and starts to talk about how Biff, “—tried to shaft me out of three-hundred bucks for fixing his car.”

I kind of wish they had included this context in the movie because it was only a handful of years ago that I realized the guy asking for the donation is Terry the mechanic from 1955. And while that information isn’t important, it would have saved me a good deal of confusion in those hundred or so watches growing up when I had no clue who he was. And the thing is, I could see the obvious old-age makeup, so I knew he was supposed to be someone, but I didn’t know who until I read it online after starting this blog. Before that, I was always like, “Why did they go through the trouble of badly doing old age makeup on this random guy for this one scene? Why didn’t they just hire an old man?”

• The discussion about the Cubs between Marty and Terry just reminded me of the unnecessarily long Dudes Talking Sports conversation between Marty and Doc in the novel for the first movie.

•The book makes it very clear that Marty’s motivation for buying the sports almanac is due to his anxiety over finding out his future self is a “loser.” Like…there is no other reasoning—not even the general lure of wealth—noticeably at play here. Marty just desperately wants to avoid being described as someone who “flushed his life down the toilet” and he sees the almanac as his guaranteed way to prevent that fate.

Why wasn’t this included in the movie?? All my times watching it, and I’ve NEVER gotten the sense that buying the almanac is the result of Marty being afraid of what he learned in the café. It always just seemed like Marty was simply being impulsive, irresponsible, and greedy. And frankly, it also has always struck me as a little out of character for him. He’s impulsive, yes, but good-hearted, honest, Marty McFly wanting to cheat at gambling for fun? Never seemed quite in line with who he is.

The way the book frames it changes it so much though! It’s so much easier to be sympathetic toward Marty buying the almanac with the context that he’s doing it to save himself and his family. Kind of flabbergasted, honestly. This would have been a great detail to have in the movie. Imagine seeing the excited grin and the “I can’t lose!” and him telling Doc with a mischievous grin, “Maybe we can place a couple bets?” replaced by a Marty who’s conflicted about his decision but desperate not to become someone everyone around him is ashamed of. Because there is no sense of that in Movie Marty. He just sees the almanac and does this

Now I’m wondering: is there anyone who watched the movie and DID conclude that Marty bought the almanac specifically to avoid being a loser? Is it only me who thought he was just chasing easy fame and fortune for funsies??

[toiich]

The Mechanics of Love (1955), dir. Willard Maas

[compneuropapers]

Interesting Papers for Week 22, 2024

The influence of natural image statistics on upright orientation judgements. A-Izzeddin, E. J., Mattingley, J. B., & Harrison, W. J. (2024). Cognition, 242, 105631.

Noradrenaline tracks emotional modulation of attention in human amygdala. Bang, D., Luo, Y., Barbosa, L. S., Batten, S. R., Hadj-Amar, B., Twomey, T., … Montague, P. R. (2023). Current Biology, 33(22), 5003-5010.e6.

Diverse mechanisms of taste coding in Drosophila. Dweck, H. K. M., & Carlson, J. R. (2023). Science Advances, 9(46).

Goal-Dependent Hippocampal Representations Facilitate Self-Control. Edelson, M. G., & Hare, T. A. (2023). Journal of Neuroscience, 43(46), 7822–7830.

Reliable population code for subjective economic value from heterogeneous neuronal signals in primate orbitofrontal cortex. Ferrari-Toniolo, S., & Schultz, W. (2023). Neuron, 111(22), 3683-3696.e7.

Need for cognition moderates the relief of avoiding cognitive effort. Gheza, D., Kool, W., & Pourtois, G. (2023). PLOS ONE, 18(11), e0287954.

Developmental changes in exploration resemble stochastic optimization. Giron, A. P., Ciranka, S., Schulz, E., van den Bos, W., Ruggeri, A., Meder, B., & Wu, C. M. (2023). Nature Human Behaviour, 7(11), 1955–1967.

Early visual experience refines the retinotopic organization within and across visual cortical regions. Heitmann, C., Zhan, M., Linke, M., Hölig, C., Kekunnaya, R., van Hoof, R., … Röder, B. (2023). Current Biology, 33(22), 4950-4959.e4.

Hippocampal neurons code individual episodic memories in humans. Kolibius, L. D., Roux, F., Parish, G., Ter Wal, M., Van Der Plas, M., Chelvarajah, R., … Hanslmayr, S. (2023). Nature Human Behaviour, 7(11), 1968–1979.

Judging the difficulty of perceptual decisions. Löffler, A., Zylberberg, A., Shadlen, M. N., & Wolpert, D. M. (2023). eLife, 12, e86892.3.

Against cortical reorganisation. Makin, T. R., & Krakauer, J. W. (2023). eLife, 12, e84716.

Complex spikes perturb movements and reveal the sensorimotor map of Purkinje cells. Muller, S. Z., Pi, J. S., Hage, P., Fakharian, M. A., Sedaghat-Nejad, E., & Shadmehr, R. (2023). Current Biology, 33(22), 4869-4879.e3.

Periodic attention deficits after frontoparietal lesions provide causal evidence for rhythmic attentional sampling. Raposo, I., Szczepanski, S. M., Haaland, K., Endestad, T., Solbakk, A.-K., Knight, R. T., & Helfrich, R. F. (2023). Current Biology, 33(22), 4893-4904.e3.

Neural landscape diffusion resolves conflicts between needs across time. Richman, E. B., Ticea, N., Allen, W. E., Deisseroth, K., & Luo, L. (2023). Nature, 623(7987), 571–579.

Variational log‐ Gaussian point‐process methods for grid cells. Rule, M. E., Chaudhuri‐Vayalambrone, P., Krstulovic, M., Bauza, M., Krupic, J., & O’Leary, T. (2023). Hippocampus, 33(12), 1235–1251.

Preserved neural dynamics across animals performing similar behaviour. Safaie, M., Chang, J. C., Park, J., Miller, L. E., Dudman, J. T., Perich, M. G., & Gallego, J. A. (2023). Nature, 623(7988), 765–771.

A thalamo‐parietal cortex circuit is critical for place‐action coordination. Simmons, C. M., Moseley, S. C., Ogg, J. D., Zhou, X., Johnson, M., Wu, W., … Wilber, A. A. (2023). Hippocampus, 33(12), 1252–1266.

Neural mechanisms to incorporate visual counterevidence in self-movement estimation. Tanaka, R., Zhou, B., Agrochao, M., Badwan, B. A., Au, B., Matos, N. C. B., & Clark, D. A. (2023). Current Biology, 33(22), 4960-4979.e7.

The shared and unique neural correlates of personal semantic, general semantic, and episodic memory. Tanguay, A. F., Palombo, D. J., Love, B., Glikstein, R., Davidson, P. S., & Renoult, L. (2023). eLife, 12, e83645.

Temporally specific patterns of neural activity in interconnected corticolimbic structures during reward anticipation. Young, M. E., Spencer-Salmon, C., Mosher, C., Tamang, S., Rajan, K., & Rudebeck, P. H. (2023). Neuron, 111(22), 3668-3682.e5.

[ifjgh]

Second, is everyone's favorite Japanese Jock, Manzo Tsuyoshi.

Here's some basic info! <3

Goes By: Manzo Nicknames: Monzo, The Ox DOB: Oct. 21st, 1955 Age: 22 (until his B-Day) Gender: Male, but isn't too picky on his pronouns (He/Him/They/Them) Sexuality: Bi/Pan Ethnicity: Japanese Occupation: Student (Health and Medicine Major), Two Possible side-jobs, Leading Quarterback for the Football/Soccer Team Socioeconomic Status: Lower-Class, got in collage due to a sports scholarship Place of Birth: Kyoto, Japan Family: Younger sister, Loving Mother and Father who try their best for their son like working extra jobs to pay for the things he and his sister needs Height: 6'8” Weight: 240 lbs. Disabilities: None (?) Possibly being a bit too big for things. Fashion Style: Jock Up Top, Biker Down Below, Colorful Coordination (or lack thereof): Out on the field in a game, extremely coordinated and in his element, off the field, bull in a China shop and not really spatially aware Personality Type/Trait: Campainer - Enthusiastic, Creative, Free Spirited, Can always find a reason to Smile, Energetic, Aggressive, Self-Assured Introvert/Extrovert: Major Extrovert, total Party Bro, will go to anything he's invited to and anything he's not Intelligence: Below Average, if it's not a subject related to sports, he'll know next to nothing about it and he'll probably never will, usually get's help from Attilio's tutoring, but even then he still gets barely passable grades, very air-headed Self-Esteem: At a good place, he loves being the big guy on campus, but he's usually not a braggart about that, but he might brag a little bit about being the best on the Football/Soccer Team though, which is more then earned Hobbies: Sports (watching, playing, talking about, whatever), Making friends, riding and taking care of his motorcycle (she's named Mayumi, btw), supporting and helping others Skills/Talents: Strongest of the Main 8, Courageous and will never back down from a bet, can get any vehicle working to it's best potential (aka excellent mechanic), is a great cook (learned from parents so he could cook for his sister while they worked) Loves: Mayumi, Football/Soccer, Car Magazines, Pranks Morals/Virtues: Courageous, Fairness, Respect, Humility, Loyalty, Generous, Family Phobias/Fears: Being seen as weak, nerd, or a “chicken”, flunking out of collage, crashing Mayumi, Bugs Angered By: Genuinely Mean People, Others being taken advantage of, people touching Mayumi Pet Peeves: Being told what to do more then once, bland food Obsessed With: Mayumi, Sports, Cars Bad habits: Not listening when he needs to, Zoning out in general, Being a bit too pushy Desires: To prove how strong he is and help as many people as he can Flaws: Always looking for his next “battle” to win, kinda dumb Secrets: He's constantly worried about his family back home, and works extra hard at his jobs to so he can send a little bit of money back home each month. He'll never let his worry show, no one is allowed to worry about him either, but he knows he can't hide it forever. Doesn't have a legal license to drive Mayumi (He's got a legal license back home in Japan, but not here in the States) and he probably never will. Regrets: Not being able to support his family as much as he “feels” he should. He wishes he wasn't so dumb and could pay attention in class more. Accomplishments: Star quarter Back for the Football/Soccer Team, has won a few Strong-Man competitions here and there Languages Known: Fluent in Japanese and has decent English, and has picked up on some Italian (From being Attilio's roommate, it's mostly swear words) and a little bit of Gaelic (From hanging out with Patty)

(Things are subject to change the more I get things fine tuned, I've also kept some things secret for the time being. - Crow <3)

Bonus! Basic Profile Sheet, for funsies! X

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

Top 10 Innovative Cars

The cars of today owe a lot to the vehicles that came before them. Car design has always been about innovation and breaking new ground, but it's rare to find an automobile that can genuinely be said to have changed everything that came afterwards. The cars in this list were not your average motors - each and every one of them had an influence that reached far beyond their original conception. Here are the unique stories of ten of the most innovative and influential cars ever produced.

Ford Model T (1908)

The first massed produced automobile.

The Model T - colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie - is generally regarded as the first affordable car in the world, and the vehicle that opened up a world of automobile travel to the middle classes. Ford's assembly line production made it all possible, setting a standard of manufacturing that influenced almost every industry in the world. Produced between 1908 and 1927, more than 15 million Tin Lizzies were sold, and the car gave mobility to the masses. For that reason, it is often considered to be one of the most influential developments in the history of design and production.

Rolls Royce Silver Ghost (1908)

The first military car.

At the time of its development, the beautiful Rolls Royce Silver Ghost was considered to be at the forefront of luxury car design. However, it was to become something much more important than a toy for the rich. In 1914, all Silver Ghost chassis were re-purposed to form the basis for a brand new armored car, and the vehicles ended up playing a significant part in World War I, the Irish Civil War, the Turkish Wars and even World War II. In doing so, the Silver Ghost gave birth to the modern concept of mechanized military conflicts and ended the days of the horse cavalry.

Austin Seven (1922)

The first 'people's car'.

The Austin 7 is a legendary British car that was hugely successful both in its home country and abroad. It is often seen as the forerunner to the modern automobile as we know it, and made a huge impact on the economy car market that was comparable to the innovative inroads made by the Ford Model T fifteen years before. It is seen as the first 'people's car' that further popularized motoring, and it was re-bodied to form the basis for the first cars produced by BMW, Nissan, Lotus, Jaguar and the Australian firm Holden.

Volkswagen Beetle (1938)

The mechanical innovator that became a cultural icon.

It's hard to find another automobile with the rich history of the Volkswagen Beetle. The brainchild of Ferdinand Porsche, it was one of the first rear-engine automobiles and was specifically designed to travel at 100kph on Germany's autobahn highway system. It also featured one of the world's first air-cooled engine designs, but its impact went way beyond its mechanical innovations. Its production lasted for 65 years between 1938 and 2006 - the longest ever run for a single design concept - and it was the first car to truly become a cultural icon (helped by the 'Herbie' films of course), showing that motor cars had a place in wider entertainment.

BMC Mini (1959)

The early 'hot hatchback'.

Another car that gained an influence outside of the motoring world is the much loved BMC mini. It was conceptualized as a car for everyone and went on to be produced in over 100 variants in countries all over the globe. It was also one of the first modern front wheel drive cars, and made the idea of the small 'hot hatchback' cool. This simple, little car which came to symbolize the 'swinging' 60s, was one of the first efficient 'city' cars and became a rally car, racing legend and movie icon in pictures like The Italian Job.

Citroen DS (1955)

The groundbreaking car that influenced car design for years.

The Citroën DS always occupies high places when experts are looking to crown the best car of all time, and with good reason. This executive car was years ahead of its time and it's widely accepted that every modern car model can in some way trace its design back to the DS. It was the first mass production car to include disc brakes, featured an aerodynamic body design considered futuristic at the time but standard today, it had hydraulic suspensions and revolving headlights, and sold a then-record 12,000 units on its first day of release. It remains one of the most influential automobile designs ever produced.

Jaguar E-Type (1961)

The luxury icon of the 1960s.

The Jaguar E-Type is one of the most beautiful sports cars ever to grace the road, and a legend of 1960s design. At a time when most cars were more about practicality than style and performance, the E-Type boasted top of speeds in excess of 150mph and could travel 0-60mph in under 7 seconds. It was the first production vehicle that didn't feature a body fixed to a separate chassis, instead, it employed a 'racing design' where the body was attached to a tubular framework. It will always be associated with high performance and sleek sophistication, and it influenced sports car designed long after it left the production line.

Lamborghini Miura (1966)

The world's first super car.

The Lamborghini Miura was the world's first super car, and pushed the boundaries of what people thought was possible in automobile design. It ushered in the era of the high-performance, two-seater sports car and was lightning quick - comfortably the fastest road car in production when it was first released. The design shared much more in common with the race cars of the day, rather than the sleek touring car designs that had previously been favored by car firm bosses, including Ferruccio Lamborghini himself, who objected the original concept for the Miura, forcing the company's engineers to design it in their spare time.

Chrysler Minivan (1983)

The first ever multi-passenger mini-van.

In 1983, Chrysler effectively invented the Minivan and changed the way cars were conceptualized for good. The Minivan's design grew from the need for a vehicle suitable for larger families, which still retained the driveability of a normal car. It looked boxy, but had a sliding side door that made loading the kids in the car easy, yet it was small enough to fit in a standard parking spot. Owning one came to symbolise both financial, adult success and, paradoxically, 'lost youth' in 1980s America. The car changed the landscape of automobile design forever. 

Toyota Prius (1997)

The world's first mass-produced electric hybrid vehicle.

The Toyota Prius was the first mass-produced hybrid, electric vehicle in the world, and its influence is probably yet to be fully realized. Just as the Model T and Austin 7 brought automobiles to the masses, the Prius broke new ground in the important quest for an electric powered alternative to modern gas guzzlers and remains one of the most environmentally friendly cars sold to date (now in its fourth generation, it remains in production). For all these reasons, the Prius deserves its place on this list of the most innovative car designs of all time.

[doctorbrown]

What are your headcanons of Doc when he's in 1885 before Marty's here ? ^^

OOOH BEFORE MARTY'S ARRIVAL?

This is such fun territory because Doc doesn't yet know what's in-store for him and he's absolutely certain this is where he'll be living out the rest of his years and I don't usually get the chance to talk about it.

So here are a couple headcanons I have for 1885 pre-Marty's intervention:

First and foremost, I think those first couple months Doc spent in 1885 were fairly rough and Doc didn't fully get the chance to enjoy living in his favourite (overly boyishly romanticised) time period. Getting himself set up somewhere was important, of course, but everything it could have been was initially soured by the circumstances and the understanding/guilt that surrounded his arrival in the Nineteenth Century.

Marty and the Time Vehicle were always at the forefront of his mind. Doc often thought about Marty (and about Einie, his other dear friend who is not unaffected by this whole situation, though he was at least safely home in his own time), sometimes falling prey to despair and grief over what happened—Marty likely thinks him dead or worse and, on top of that, Doc feels like he failed to look after him. Marty's stranded in 1955 with his younger counterpart, without a time machine, without his family, without hope, and all of that rests constantly on his shoulders—and, after finding himself snared by these unproductive feelings, he'd use that to reinvigorate himself and continue puzzling out solutions to this temporal conundrum he'd been faced with.

Doc is also faced with a lot of personal/moral dilemmas. He'd been driving the point home across the two films so far that the past cannot and should not be altered/tampered with and even the smallest changes could have potentially disastrous effects on the future. With things as messed up as they already are, Doc had to weigh his options when it came to figuring out how to proceed: hide and try and leave no mark or risk potential contamination/alteration of the timestream, however small, all for Marty's sake. The answer was obvious, of course, and he didn't let his own personal reservations hold him back for too long doing what he needed to do. It's for Marty, after all, and he would bend time and space for the safety of his best friend.

The rescue Marty plan goes through several iterations and failed attempts before Doc settles on the one that we see play out in the third film.

Doc quickly figures out that the people of Nineteenth Century Hill Valley aren't too terribly different from Twentieth Century Hill Valley citizens. There aren't tabloid papers and other such media in which scurrilous gossip, scandal, and other low-quality forms of 'entertainment' run rampant, however people then and people now certainly love whispering in each others' ears and sticking their nose in the business of their neighbours underneath a hundred and one false pretenses. Doc was neither a stranger nor an exception to that. Though the rumours and talk about him were hardly as cruel and malicious as they were in his own time, he was still, at times, the odd man out.

Despite that, however, he was generally still widely-accepted amongst the people and well-known for reasons that didn't have to do with his less-than-stellar reputation.

A couple of people had seen the quality of life improvements Doc had made to the stable and while some of them marvelled at such contraptions, others gave him funny looks and the occasional side-eye, unsure what to make of them and him.

A few people even saw the DeLorean in various stages of its repair when they dropped by unannounced and after the first time, Doc came up with a convincing cover story to explain its existence. People didn't often question it too much after that.

Doc did not have a lot of prior experience as a proper blacksmith before taking up the position. He was a self-taught engineer and mechanic, skills that were necessary for him to learn to further his work on the Time Machine, but he'd never worked with a forge proper before and there was a steep initial learning curve. Still, Doc found that he greatly enjoyed the work as it was physical, challenging at some times, and not so different from inventing, albeit the purpose and end result was different.

Archimedes was the first horse Doc acquired, followed by Galileo and Newton in that order. Archimedes quickly became Doc's favourite horse, though Doc loved them all, and he had the biggest personality out of the three, occasionally as stubborn and eccentric as his master. Newton was easily bribed by treats, apples being his favourite, and Galileo was prone to stealing whatever was in reach and not tied down. Doc's hats, whatever was in his hand he wasn't holding on to tight enough, knocking things off the wall, you name it.

Doc had accidentally slipped up a couple times when talking to others about the future, but he was typically pretty careful with his words. Luckily, they either didn't catch on or didn't take what he said too seriously.

He did not miss the light pollution of the Twentieth Century. Doc spent a lot of time looking at the stars at night, especially when he was stuck on one of his projects or at a loss for how to proceed with the DeLorean.

Most of the personal effects in Doc's barn were bought during his various trips to San Francisco for parts and other necessities unavailable in the still-developing Hill Valley. Whenever he'd return after a couple days away, he'd typically come back to a mountain of jobs waiting for him, from shoeing requests to wagon repairs and so on.

The barn was more than enough for him to live comfortably in, as he could find comfort and luxury damn near anywhere. Doc didn't need a cushy home or anything beyond the basic amenities for himself to be content. Moving away and finding a new place to live never crossed his mind.

During Doc's first test of the refrigeration unit, there'd been a lot of 'unnatural' sounds coming from the barn, so much so that the sheriff had been called to check on things.

One of the older women in town, a lady only seven years Doc's junior, had taken a particular interest in meddling in his life. This included enquiring about his past, his plans for the future, why he'd not yet married, if he had kids, and occasionally trying to play matchmaker. She liked Doc for what it was worth (not in the romantic sense) but Doc assumed she simply couldn't help herself.

Though he'd grown accustomed to technology and all its conveniences, he found he didn't miss all of it the way he thought he would have. The biggest thing he missed was modern medicine and vaccines; he lamented the poor state of medicine back in the day. Especially after his bout with scarlet fever. Never had he been so miserable.

Doc first met Seamus McFly when he'd dropped by the barn needing his wagon repaired. Doc didn't mean to end up becoming fast friends with the man, but he saw very much of Marty in him and the two hit it off fairly quickly. Maggie had initially thought him strange, sensing something off about him that never quite went away the longer she got to know him, but she cared about Doc as well.

Seamus always could sense there was much more to Doc than met the eye, even if he had no idea just what that something could possibly be.

He almost took in a dog he found wandering around town square, even caught the animal, until he found out that the dog actually belonged to somebody.

Doc couldn't help himself from making the trip out to Peabody's Farm to see that piece of history for himself.

Like in the version of events where Marty does show up to save Doc from Fate, Doc and Clara fall for each other at first sight.

Even after he'd completed the DeLorean repairs as much as he could, devised his ingenious plan to get Marty back to 1985, and set everything into motion, Doc couldn't help but think about Marty. He was certain his younger temporal counterpart would succeed in making the necessary repairs and ultimately he did feel bad that once Marty returned home, they would never meet again, but if that was the last thing Doc would be able to do for him, at least he could do that. There were always some regrets that he wouldn't be able to see the rest of his best friend's life unfold and be a part of it, but he had unwavering faith in Marty that, after all this, things would turn out alright.

[certainwoman]

Mechanics of Love (1955), dir. Willard Maas

[trainalt22]

1955-1956

In 1955, the traffic to the NWR showed no signs of stopping. The express went from 6 coaches to 8, and Gordon enjoyed the new challenge. However, with Thomas on his branch line and Edward overseeing the Suddrey branch line, Tidmouth was left without a pilot. This meant that the big engines had to marshal their trains, much to their detriment. In February of 1955, the three big engines went on strike.

The new Fat Controller was furious that he could have gone six months without an incident. He went to Tidmouth to investigate. When he arrived, he was frustrated that his engines would strike over something as petty as this. But he soon reached a compromise with the engines. They would go back to work immediately, and as they did, he would look for a pilot. They reached an understanding and soon left for their trains.

Sir Topham came across an offer for a small saddle tank. From the looks of it, they were a kitbash of some kind from an independent workshop, a rarity in the time of British Rail. The engine, Percy, was cheap, and he needed a quick fix to the issue at Tidmouth. Percy was elated to have been bought. He saw more use in the industrial sector than on a railway. His kit-bashed nature made Topham wary of purchasing him, but after ample testing, Percy was in full mechanical order and ready for work.

Thomas's schedule was shifted so that he could have more time between trains to help Percy learn how to marshal trains. The two got on immediately. Percy found his gruff, sarcastic nature reminiscent of his old manager at the steelworks where he was built. Percy was a quick learner. He had experience shunting, but his size made it far easier for him to slip into tight sidings. He soon zipped around the yard. Of course, Thomas said he could do it better, but he was proud of how far Percy had come in such little time. By April, Thomas's schedule had gone back to normal, and Percy was adapting to his new job running the yard and bringing smaller trains from the yard to the docks.

The Tidmouth Harbour saw an increase in traffic as well, and Percy was soon overwhelmed. So Sir Topham approached the Tidmough Harbor board to buy a new locomotive. The board couldn't find an engine quick enough, and by spring, the port was soon overwhelmed. The Fat Controller, annoyed with the bottleneck of traffic, loaned an engine from British Rail. As Sodor had limited infrastructure for the newer "revolutionary" diesel locomotives, BR begrudgingly sent a steam engine. Montague was his name, but he preferred Duck, a nickname he picked up in his days as the pilot for Paddington Station.

The port was soon sorted, and the Fat Controller saw it fit to take a holiday to East Anglia. While there, he discovered a disused tram line, and against his wife's wishes, went snooping around. He found a small engine shed showing signs of overgrowth. Inside was a slumbering tram engine, a C53 from the looks of it. They were in pristine condition. They soon awoke, startled by the man who they believed to be a vandal. But after introductions were exchanged, the tram engine, or Toby as he liked to be called, was curious about the holidaying railway controller. He listened to his tales of the North Western from when he was a boy. Toby asked the controller rather bluntly if he had room for him as retired life wasn't what it was cracked up to be. The controller promised that if he needed a tram, he would come to Toby post haste. This pleased the tram, and they soon said their farewells.

Meanwhile, back on Sodor, Percy was getting bored of his station pilot duties. And while Duck was a lovely engine, he was trying at times. He would always go on and on about the great Western way, which Percy found to be too strict and disciplined for his industrial laid-back attitude. Thomas, on the other hand, was well-acclimated to his branch line. He would take passengers to Tidmouth and trucks to the harbor. But it was getting a bit much for the tank engine, although Thomas didn't mind the hard work.

It wasn't until the Fat Controller got back from his vacation that Thomas ran into an issue. The old constable that was in charge of Ffarquar retired, and a new, younger officer was hired. The first time he saw Thomas, he flagged him because Thomas didn't have any wheel coverings. It was illegal for him to run on the tracks from the quarry to Ffarquar station as they passed through the town on the roads. As such, Thomas was forbidden from running up to the quarry unless he had proper wheel coverings.

Sir Topham Hatt soon arrived to find Thomas and the officer in a full-fledged argument, shouting back and forth. After he was able to defuse the situation, he was told that if he couldn't find an engine to the requirements, then he was forbidden from going any further up the line than the officer's post. And if any of his engines were caught going through Ffarquar without the proper modifications, then he would be fined. He thought back to Toby and quickly went home to write to his controller.

By 1956 Toby was on Sudrian soil and being repaired to full working order and started to work up in the quarry his schedule was earlier than Thomas's but for good reason, he would take the first shift of workmen up to the quarry and bring the stone back to Farquhar

This soon turned into an issue however Toby had a significantly shorter trip than Thomas so stone trucks were just piling up in Farquhar and Thomas couldn't pull all of them down to the Harbor

With an overflow of trucks at Ffarquhar

It became apparent that another engine was going to be needed on Thomas's branchline however after Toby's purchase the board of directors voted against buying another engine

Thopam soon found a solution and went to Tidmouth Harbor to find Percy

When asked if he would like to work on a branchline instead of being a station pilot Percy immediately agreed luckily the harbor board found an engine to purchase they were a class 08 diesel fresh out of the works they didn't have a name just a number D3102

They arrived in Sodor later that year and soon proved how revolutionary diesels were he could be ready to go at the twist of a key and usually was the first out of the shed shunting the early morning trains like the flying kipper or overnight goods

Duck however was fed up with the new diesel as he was extremely prejudiced against steam engines saying how they all had outlived their usefulness and were heading for the torch

Duck scoffed at this but deep down he was concerned he was only on loan from BR if he went back he could be cut up

This drove Duck to be better than D3102 or diesel as he was the only one of his type on Sodor it made for an easy nickname

Duck strove for greatness he kept up with diesel at every turn sparking a heated rivalry between the two

Duck had managed to convince a line of trucks to hold back if Diesel tried moving them to which they gleefully agreed with the trucks ready duck feigned illness to get Diesel to move them and when he tried they wouldn't move an inch diesels wheels slipped on the wet harbor tracks as he pulled harder and harder until the coupling snapped launching diesel into the buffers at the end of the key

Diesel hung precariously over the edge of the key below him was the sea and a swift demise he screamed for help and Duck rushed to his aid with the two attached ducks gave a swift heave but Diesel was heavier than he expected ducks wheels began to slip and diesel swayed his middle wheel was close to sliding off the pier when a barge slid under him but he didn't have time to question it as the coupling gave and he fell onto the barge slightly damaging his front end

Duck and the barge captain were praised for their quick thinking while Diesel was certain that Duck planned the accident but without proof, he couldn't go to the fat controller

Later that night Henry was set to take a goods train when he arrived in Tidmouth the trucks in the sidings all called him square wheels and a useless engine

Who was undeserving of their rebuild Henry was appalled angrily bumping the trucks when questioned they said Duck told them about his rebuild

Later that week James passed Duck pulling a goods train to Ellsworth and the trucks began saying that James's red paint made him look like rusty scrap iron duck didn't hear so he just smiled at James when he overtook him

Gordon who was napping at Tidmouth station was awoken by some truck singing

"Old number four that gallant galloping sausage always pulls the express what a bore to rush from place to place as that big blue disgrace" they giggled loudly as Gordon stormed off in a huff

The three big engines summoned the fat controller to Tidmouth sheds that night they made their complaints known rather bluntly calling for Duck to be sent away in disgrace sir topham however summoned Duck to Tidmouth so he could defend himself

The big engines welcomed Duck harshly calling him a liar and a manipulator diesel who was in the yard approached the scene cautiously he interjected that he speculated Duck caused his accident because of how quickly Duck came to his aid after saying he was ill

This and the insults that the others had received forced Sir Topham who believed that Duck hadn't spread the rumors to send the poor pannier away for the time being he sent him to work with Edward at Welsworth

[phantomladyoverparis]

Mechanics of Love (1955), dir. Willard Maas & Ben Moore

[daryfromthefuture]

“Safety” for Mixed Bag One-Word Prompts!

thank you for the request! as per your wish, i shall do doc (and some marty) for this one :)

"Another day, another downpour." Emmett commented as he adjusted his goggles and took another look at the repair instructions his older self had left him in the mine. The schematics appeared more complicated on the paper than they actually were. Or maybe he simply perceived it that way - those drawings did come from himself, after all.

Marty, who was sitting on the workbench, sighed as he watched the raindrops race each other down the little window. "Yeah. It's getting boring, watching the gray sky every day."

Doc lay aside his screwdriver and wiped some sweat and dirt from his brow. All this mechanical work, though easy, still was a bit of a challenge - Emmett was more of a theoretical guy; he loved to think about science and sketch plans and schemes. God knows how many unused blueprints he had piling up in his drawers.

Well, he'd have to construct the DeLorean in the next 30 years anyway. Might as well prepare himself.

"At least the work isn't all too difficult," Doc said with a smile, taking a proper look at Marty now that he could afford to take a break from building the contraption that was meant to replace the fried time circuits.

Marty just gave him a thumbs-up. "You're the doc, Doc."

The scientist had to laugh. "I guess I am, huh?"

He cleaned his oily hands with his lab coat and sat down next to the boy. The duo stared into the distance for a moment, the roar of the thunder outiside well audible due to the brief silence.

"Are you hungry? I apologize, I got so caught up in fixing the car that I forgot about lunch," Doc asked, beraking the quietness.

But Marty shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about it. I'm not hungry. Can't say that about Copernicus, though." A small grin appeared on Marty's face as the mention of Copernicus' name caused the dog to whine from the other end of the room.

"Oh, thank you for reminding me." Doc got up and went to a shelf where he stored some dog food - in case he didn't have the time to go up to the house and feed his pet during his work. He opened a can and poured it into the small dog bowl right beneath the shelf. Copernicus wasted no second in throwing himself at the food.

Emmett smiled. "For such a small dog, you sure are hungry." He pat his dog on the back before making his way to Marty, who was now once again staring outside, his head in his hands.

"You had quite a bit going on lately, haven't you?", Emmett asked with sympathy in his voice. He had have no idea that he had the ability to be this gentle with someone, let alone a frightened child.

He had always seen himself as rather unable to comfort others.

But with Marty, it seemed to work just fine.

"Yeah, it's- I won't get into the details, but some shit happened and- well, you're stuck in 1885 now - as you know," Marty said, his voice shaking ever so slightly.

Doc hesitantly raised a hand to place on Marty's shoulder. He gave it a friendly squeeze. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll get this sorted out. We'll get this sorted out."

Marty chuckled. "I don't have any doubt about that. I trust you."

A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, and a wind howled through a tilted window in the back of the lab.

"Whoop! I didn't know that was open!" The inventor hurried across the room and quickly shut the window.

Marty followed Doc with his eyes and relaxed a little. This all seemed very familiar to him. Sometimes, these moments even made him forget that he was in 1955. Doc was Doc, and this was Doc's lab - a place he knew was one where he'd never be harmed - in whatever decade.

Not even a minute later, Emmett was back at the teenager's side. His hand moved back to sit on Marty's shoulder, well aware that Marty appreciated the gesture.

"Alright, how about I make us some nice, warm tea, and then we can resume our work after we've taken a short break?", Doc suggested.

Marty took in the atmosphere. The cold November storm outside, from which the lab shielded him. Doc, always the guiding presence, caring about him even though he'd only known him for a week. Copernicus curled up on the floor, making a happy expression in his sleep.

In a way, this was home.

Marty looked up at Doc. "You know what? I'd like that."

[swissmissficrecs]

Hey there, do u know any good Johnlock fics where john and sherlock are both women??? Thank you

Reply: This isn't my usual wheelhouse, so I don't have much.

I think this is the only fic I have on my lists:

How the mouth changes its shape by breathedout (132K, E, fem!Johnlock) Summary: 1955. Under the placid veneer of suburban playparks and middle-class conformity churns a hidden London: femmes and butches dancing close in basement bars; clandestine love between women. To Sherlock Holmes, struggling private detective and mistress of disguise, it’s a realm she renounced years before. To Johnnie Watson, daredevil ambulance driver turned auto mechanic, it’s become a little too familiar. But when someone is murdered in the washroom of the city’s most notorious lesbian club, the investigation will lead both women to reconsider their assumptions about themselves, each other, and the world in which they live.

I know okapi has written a few. You'll have to look through their catalog yourself, but here's one to get you started:

The Cup 'verse by okapi (51K, E, fem!Johnlock) A gender/cisswapped AU with Sherlock as a vampire that prefers menstrual blood and John as a human.

I can also offer these fanvids:

Title: fem!Sherlock Vidder: junbeyourself Summary: Lara Pulver as fem!Sherlock Amanda Abbington as fem!John

Title: sherlock holmes & joan watson [femlock] Vidder: zakupan Summary: Sherlock Holmes - Eva Green Joan Watson - Carey Mulligan

[rhetoricandlogic]

Gary K. Wolfe Reviews When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

May 19, 2022 Gary K. Wolfe

I suppose there are plenty of human-dragon metamorphoses in fantasy novels, but they aren’t what immediately came to mind when reading Kelly Barnhill’s first adult novel When Women Were Dragons – in which 642,987 American women suddenly transform into dragons on a single day in 1955. Instead, I was reminded of Ionesco’s 1959 play Rhinoceros, in which the residents of a small town all gradually turn into rhinoceroses. In Ionesco, though, the transformation was largely about conformity, whereas in Barnhill’s novel it’s very much about agency, about the relentless pressure of society to keep women and women’s lives ‘‘small,’’ as some of the dragon women put it. This may be one reason Barnhill chose to set her tale in the 1950s and early 1960s, a period in which the pressure cookers of feminism and civil rights were notably building up steam in the United States. Conformity does become another important theme for Barnhill, not so much in terms of the ‘‘dragoning’’ itself, as in the response to it from government, schools, and other institutions. The House Un-American Activities Committee retains its power well into the 1960s, all mention of the dragoning is expunged from schools and text­books, and even scientists who attempt to study the dragons quickly find themselves blacklisted. In fact, with all the efforts to censor or suppress science, to ignore an obvious reality, to stigma­tize a new population, and to simply pretend that change isn’t happening, it sounds more than a bit like our own era.

Barnhill is not particularly interested in the sort of formula standoff her main conceit might sug­gest; this isn’t Planet of the Dragons. Instead, the novel unfolds, rather surprisingly and wonder­fully, as an almost Dickensian personal history; the subtitle of the first-person narrative-within-the-novel is ‘‘Being the Truthful Accounting of the Life of Alex Green – Physicist, Professor, Activist. Still Human. A memoir, of sorts.’’ Alex – her first small rebellion is calling herself that in defiance of her family’s insistence on Alexandra – is the daughter of a chilly, remote father (who turns out to be the real monster in the book) and a gifted mathematician mother, so beaten down that her talent only shows up in her skill with complex knots. The most rewarding part of Alex’s child­hood is her colorful Aunt Marla, a former pilot and skilled auto mechanic whose life as a gay woman in the 1950s has its own challenges, and Marla’s baby daughter Beatrice, who becomes Alex’s beloved ward. After Marla transforms into a dragon and Alex’s mother succumbs to cancer, Alex finds herself not only Beatrice’s surrogate mom, but is also at the mercy of a disinterested father whose behavior is increasingly appalling and an educational system designed to oppress women. Only a sympathetic librarian and the love of her new girlfriend Sonja serve to mitigate Alex’s at times almost melodramatic miseries.

While Alex’s tale is the novel’s anchor, Barnhill also offers interspersed chapters which range from historical case histories of dragoning to tran­scripts of HUAC testimony. The case histories, ranging from classical antiquity to recent labor confrontations, are drawn mostly from docu­ments written by one of those scientists whose research has forced him underground, Professor H.N. Gantz, who later becomes an important figure in Alex’s life. They not only provide a broad social and historical context for Alex’s story, but help prepare us for the latter parts of the novel, when the dragons themselves come to play an increasingly important, and increasingly controversial, role in society. It’s possible that some younger readers, viewing the 1950s and early 1960s as a period of bland conformity and sitcom fantasies, will be shocked at the implicit psychological violence directed again Alex as a budding mathematician and scientist – such as being called into the principal’s office in eighth grade because of consistently getting the top exam scores in math. ‘‘The boys see her loafing in class,’’ the principal, tells her mother, ‘‘and yet still claiming that top score, with no thought at all to their feelings. I ask you, what does one do with a girl with so little regard for others?’’ It’s the sort of scene calculated to trigger your own sense of rage, and Barnhill is consistently bril­liant at making such scenes work, whether the instigator is a school administrator, Alex’s awful father, or a clueless politician in a Congressional hearing. While When Women Were Dragons is at center the frankly heroic story of Alex fiercely holding on to her educational dreams despite the monolithic forces aligned against her, it’s also a compelling fantasy that resists easy allegorization. At its best and most furious, it makes you want to breathe fire.

[ifjgh]

Next up! It's everyone's least favorite Bully Brit, Sydney Foster.

Here's some basic info! <3

Goes By: Syd Nicknames: Syd DOB: Dec. 25th, 1955 Age: 22 (Until his B-Day) Gender: Male, but could care less what you call him. (any pronouns) Sexuality: Bi/Pan Ethnicity: British Occupation: Student (Environmental Science Major), Two Possible side-jobs, Drummer for His and Lucya's Band (Name TBA) Socioeconomic Status: Poor, but not for lack of working hard. Got dealt a bad hand. Place of Birth: Manchester, England Family: Father is deceased, and Mother is ill. Had an older sister, but she's deceased as well. Height: 5'7” Weight: 115 lbs. Disabilities: Missing his left Arm (Due to an infection he got as a kid), can't afford a decent prosthetic Fashion Style: Military/Punk/Rocker Coordination (or lack thereof): Despite missing an arm, he's fairly well coordinated, and can play the drums just as well as anyone, if not better. Fairly observant too. Personality Type/Trait: Architect - Imaginative and Strategic, Always has an escape plan Introvert/Extrovert: Comes off as an Extrovert, but that's like a defense mechanism, he's a major Introvert. If it wasn't for Luyca's band, he'd probably wouldn't get out as much. Doesn't really trust people. Intelligence: Way smarter then he lets on. Clever and witty, and to everyone's surprise is passing his classes with flying colors…or he would if he ever showed up Self-Esteem: Thinks he's the shit, and has a bit of a cold shoulder to anyone who comes from money. Wouldn't shit on anyone in a similar or close to similar situation as him though Hobbies: Drumming, Pranks, Thinking up new and creative excuses to skip classes, Smoking (A habit he picked up from Luyca, he's trying to stop), reading up on War History (and just history in general) Skills/Talents: Good at standing out and making a statement, Radical Freedom, Great Drummer, History buff, Quick with a comeback to almost anything you throw at him Loves: Messing (bullying) with (rich) people, Having a decent place to sleep, History, Trying to figure people out, Hanging out with like-minded people, Revolution and Protests Phobias/Fears: Being powerless in any situation, doesn't want to look like a fool, having his efforts be for naught, Failing those who rely on him Angered By: The rich, and really anyone who's “better” than him, The System, War, Those who blindly follow orders, Ableist Pet Peeves: People who don't learn from their mistakes, making minor mistakes himself (he's fairly hard on himself), “Spicy” food Obsessed With: Making Attilio's life Hell…maybe that's more of a hobby, Standing up for those he feels has been wronged by the system, getting better at what he does, figuring out what makes the MC “tick” Bad habits: Smoking (seriously, he's trying to quit), Being to defensive at times, bullying and not realizing he's going too far, swears like a sailor, Perfectionist Desires: Revolution, with a side of Revenge (on the upper class), finally getting to point where he doesn't have to worry about money Flaws: Extremely Abrasive, Over Defensive of Himself, Can't tell when he Crosses a Line and thinks everyone is too sensitive Secrets: Carries a lot of guilt about his family. {REDACTED} He doesn't talk about it though, ever. Or about the fact that the infection that took his arm almost took his life, but those are his burdens to bare. Regrets: Being born, {REDACTED}. Leaving his Mother for collage, even though she insisted he go. Not opening up to people, even the ones he trusts, he just can't do it. Accomplishments: Getting into Luyca's band, getting into collage Languages Known: Fluent in English, has picked up on some 'Ōlelo Hawai'i and Vietnamese (from Keo as his Roommate) and Italian Swears (Attilio can't stand him, fr, fr)

(Things are subject to change the more I get things fine tuned, I've also kept some things secret for the time being. - Crow <3)

Bonus! Basic Profile Sheet, for funsies! X

[hbhughes]

Norman R. Salus, Sr.

On Sunday, November 17, Norman R. Salus, Sr. (87) was chosen by God to join him in heaven. He passed away at home surrounded by his loving family.

After graduating from Exeter High School in 1955, Norm joined the US Air Force where he proudly served for four years, followed by four years in the Reserves. He retired from Owens-Illinois/Techneglas after working 35 years as a mechanic.

Norm had a warm smile, friendly demeanor and a caring heart. He never met a stranger and had the gift of gab, leading to many lasting friendships and new acquaintances. He loved animals of all kinds, including his pets and grandpets.

Norm loved to play and watch sports and passed that passion on to his kids and grandkids. He enjoyed outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, picking mushrooms, prospecting, and gardening. He loved traveling, playing cards, tinkering in the garage, listening to polkas, and taking lots of pictures. He could often be found under the grapevine visiting with family, friends, and neighbors. His texts were notoriously emoji-laden.

Norm was preceded in death by his parents Ben and Jennie Salus Tressa, brother Albin (Sandy), sister Barbara and grandson Sean Corcoran. He is survived by his wife of sixty years Nancy Snyder Salus; children Norman Jr, Randy Sr (Lynn), David (Christina),  Stephen, and Stephanie (Ron Campbell); grandchildren Randy Jr (Christy), Scott, Jessica, Sarah, Nathan, and Zachary; sisters Connie Donorra, Janine Ruane (Ned), and Rozanne Foersch; great grandchildren, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

A special thank you to Hospice of the Sacred Heart for their caring, friendly, and compassionate staff.

Services will be held Thursday from 5-7pm at Hugh B Hughes Funeral Home on Wyoming Avenue in Forty Fort. The funeral will be at 9:30am on Friday, with mass at Holy Family Church at 10am, followed by interment with military honors at Mount Olivet cemetery.

Remembrance in Norm’s honor can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) PO Box 758516 Topeka, KS 66675-8516.