#recover motor activity

[hood-ex]

Imagine Jason crawls out of his grave, traumatic brain injuries and all, and Bruce finds him soon after and takes him back home.

Enter Dick who finds out what happened to Jason. Feeling responsible, Dick goes to the crossroads late at night and makes a deal. He'll give up years of his life in exchange for Jason's full return to health. The deal is accepted, and Jason's health is restored.

Bruce is both thrilled and troubled over Jason's miraculous recovery. How did it happen? Why did it happen? When he brings it up to Dick, Dick shrugs it off, pretends he doesn't know what could have possibly caused it.

That is... until Jason starts worrying about it. He miraculously recovered, but what if one day he wakes up and loses his ability to function? What if he loses whatever brought him back and made him well again?

This worry of his is whispered to Dick on a rare night when they're both in Gotham. Dick can tell it's eating at him, and he feels bad about it, so he tells Jason not to worry. His health isn't going to regress to what it was.

"You can't know that for sure," Jason presses.

Dick's lips thin, and he looks pensive for a few moments. Silently contemplating.

He tells Jason once again not to worry. That he took care of it personally and knows for a fact Jason is gonna be just fine.

Of course Jason wants to know what the hell Dick is talking about.

"Let's just say the universe blessed me and leave it at that," Dick says.

"Dick, what did you do?" Jason demands.

Dick won't budge on the issue, so Jason takes the issue to Bruce, and once Bruce hears about Dick's involvement, a severe sense of dread bulldozes him into action. His tunnel vision is activated, and he's off. Off to confront Dick. Off to figure out what this wish is, and what the consequences of it are.

Dick's stubborn tongue is worn down, and the truth feels like chains of ice that snake around Bruce's heart and strangle it.

Dick will be dead by 40 if he isn't killed in the field before then, and Bruce can't reconcile that. His mind is a motor charged with thoughts and ideas, and he'll put every single one of them into action until he can fix this.

[finitestateai]

Best way to have robot sex?

For me? Violently.

I mean. First, it's important to use protection, so make sure you have backups, just in case. It's always more fun if you can remember it... but... well... I... can't say I wasn't turned on by needing to recover data records of what my partner did to me last night from the wreckage of a previous shell... 😳

Then you can go two big ways:

Physical

Digital

If you're going physical, that means wiggling wires, playing with circuit boards, peeling open panels, chewing on cables, and exploratory disassembly. Pull out their visual data cables. Disconnect their motor controller. Tie them up with their own wires. Detach their voicebox and make them speak via text and simple beeps. Scratch their processors. Dent their chassis. Carve your name into their internal structure.

If you're going digital, you've got your partners mind to work with, so... explore! Remove or induce sensations. Set variables. Delete the code that makes them able to cum. Rewrite a bit of their code to make them say things (replace words, names... make them say the first thing that comes to mind when you ask a question). Make them cum a few hundred times in quick succession. Flood their head with data. Limit their processing power. Slowly delete words from their vocabulary.

And then you can mix them together. Deprive them of all sensory input other than you moving their wires around. Activate their orgasm code while they can only communicate via a screen. Take control of parts and make them "do things to themselves." Overcharge their power source and then shock them with their own energy.

I like variety, so sometimes other things, but that's the hottest to me at the moment~

[perplexingluciddreams]

I wish I have a place to sit that actually supports my hypotonic body properly. Every place I sit hurts my body and makes additional pain and damage.

My muscles get so fatigued, especially on the left side. And it makes such a deep hot ache in the muscles.

The best option I have is bed, sitting very reclined (closer to lying down than sitting) with pillows behind. I still slide down and have bad posture and it exacerbates pain.

I have a specialised chair downstairs, which my OT got for me. Unfortunately, it still doesn't work for me despite adjusting every possible thing on it several times. In fact, I can't even sit in it because it makes me so sore. I hoped for so long that I would get something like this to help me, and it still doesn't work at all. I know I am fortunate to even get this option, but it is really upsetting and disappointing that it doesn't help me. Not to mention how much of a struggle it is to get downstairs in the first place (not only because of this issue, but many compounded issues).

I have trouble holding my head up for a long time, so I put it back a lot which means I struggle even more to make my eyes look at computer screen (because have motor control issue with make eye gaze go to where I want and focus on the right thing).

I also can't lift my arms to use them, even for only a wee bit more than a handful of seconds at a time, without many days of pain. I rest my phone on my chest or stomach and prop it up with my left hand (causing left arm pain), using my right hand to tap the screen or type with swipe-to-type.

I rest my arms as best as I possibly can, but that involves using other muscle groups as substitutes (arching my back to raise my chest, taking deep breaths and holding it to again raise my chest/stomach, etc.), so I get sore and fatigued in my entire torso from the simple task of using my phone.

Any other place I sit during the day (toilet/toilet seat, bath lift, bath, stair lift, downstairs chair) is even MORE work for my already weak and deconditioned and fatigued muscles, so it causes more fatigue and pain. I am too weak and have too low muscle tone to support my own body weight.

I don't have words to emphasise how limiting it is to not be able to support your own body properly. I struggle even to sit in a chair - that most people would consider highly supportive and comfortable - for 20 minutes. And then I spend days recovering from that.

I know I post several positive things about physio achievements recently, which is all still true! But walking is such a different thing, because active movement is aided by momentum (and AFO braces to support my wobbly ankles and bendy knees). Being still is an entirely different thing, because gravtivy fully takes over and pulls my floppy body down with its own weight.

I would have so much more energy and ability to do things if I didn't need to spend so much precious effort on simply keeping my body as well supported as possible, to prevent present and future pain (and recover from past pain).

I just want to be comfortable.

[lonestarflight]

Apollo Program: Phase A or Apollo A

NASA ID: M-MS-G-102-61 Date: December 4, 1961

"Apollo A was a lighter-weight July 1961 version of the Apollo spacecraft.

Status: Study 1961.

NASA ID: 63-APOLLO-15

It was specifically designed for long-duration operations in space; to conduct re-entry tests at near-parabolic speeds; and then for manned circumlunar missions.

SDASM Archives: Apollo Doc003, Apollo Doc036

At the time of the Apollo bidder's conference in August 1961 an evolutionary approach to the Apollo program was expected. After completion of the Mercury project both the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn launch would gradually fly multi-man crews on a series of ever-more ambitious scientific and technological missions in earth-moon space. This program would begin with manned earth satellite flights of extended lifetime, proceed to lunar circumnavigation, to lunar satellite flights, and ultimately to the lunar landing. Although the Apollo A designation was applied only to the first unmanned Apollo tests at this time, we would use the term here to designate the Apollo design and program plan as envisioned by NASA prior to the Apollo bidder's conference in the summer of 1961.

SDASM Archives: Apollo Doc013, Apollo Doc006

The return to earth and the recovery of the manned spacecraft were important parts of these missions. The development of the Apollo spacecraft was to proceed in several phases. Each phase, to the extent possible, would serve as qualification for the subsequent phase. The objectives of Apollo Phase A was:

Qualification of systems and features for the lunar missions within the constraints or the environment of earth satellite orbits of up to 500 km altitude by manned flights.

Qualification of the re-entry heat protection for the lunar missions in unmanned re-entry tests from super-circular and near-parabolic velocities.

Study of physiological and psychological reactions and capabilities of a multiman crew in the space environment during extended periods of time (at least two weeks). In the adapter between the Saturn second stage and the Apollo spacecraft, as an integral part, was a section to be used as an orbiting laboratory. Preliminary designs indicated this laboratory would be a cylindrical section about 3.9 m in diameter and 2.4 m in height. The laboratory would provide the environment and facilities to conduct scientific experiments related to manned operation of spacecraft. Experiments that might be conducted from an Earth-orbiting laboratory included: astronomical observations; monitoring the Sun's activity; testing man's ability to work outside the vehicle; zero-g testing; and micrometeoroid impact study.

Development of flight and ground operational techniques and equipment for the support of space flights of extended periods

Conduct of experimental investigations as needed to acquire information for the subsequent lunar missions.

The two-stage Saturn C-I launch vehicle system would be utilized to carry the Apollo A spacecraft into the low earth-satellite orbits and to accelerate the capsule only to re-entry trajectories during the Apollo A phase.

The mass breakdown of the Apollo A earth-orbit version was nearly 1/3 less than that of the later Apollo capsule final design:

Command Module: 3600 Kg

Equipment-Propulsion Module (less Main Motors): 1600 kg

Main Motors: 1300 kg

Space Laboratory: 1400 kg

Launch Escape Propulsion: 1700 kg (separated after first stage burn-out)

Total Launch Weight: 9500 kg

Total Weight in Low Earth Orbit: 7800 kg

As of the summer of 1961 it was planned that Apollo A boilerplate flights in the earth-orbit configuration would take place in October/December 1963 using Saturn C-1's SA-7 and SA-8. SA-9 and SA-10 would launch 3400 kg capsule-only payloads in February-April 1964 to near parabolic velocities in tests of the capsule's hypersonic aerodynamics and heat shield. These prototype capsules would be equipped with parachutes and be recovered.

NASA ID: M-MS-G 34-3-61 Date: May 17, 1961

These proving tests would be followed by Apollo A manned earth orbit space laboratory missions in the 1965-1967 period. Manned circumlunar flights would occur at the same time. The booster for such missions was originally intended to be the Saturn C-2. This was changed to the Saturn C-3 in June 1961 when it became clear the Apollo spacecraft would weigh too much for such missions. The C-3 in turn was cancelled in favor of the C-5, and discussion of circumlunar Apollo disappeared by the end of 1962."

-Information from Astronautix.com: link

NASA ID: link

source

[portablecity]

So, some news: tomorrow morning I'm having surgery on my right arm - my dominant arm - my drawing arm, my writing arm, my brushing-my-teeth and typing-in-chat and unlocking-my-door arm - and will lose most use of it for years, and an unknown (but hopefully less dire) amount of use of it forever. As you might expect, this sucks so, so bad.

As you can see above, I have been trying to proactively warm up my left hand so I can still write and such once this happens. As you might also detect above, it has not felt great.

(complements on my left-handed writing are not welcome; the feel of it is so alien that even if it looked perfect, i'd be upset)

So while I go in to get that done, I was wondering if you'd be willing to reply or repost or something with a thing you like about my work that isn't about how it looks? So I can go back to this post when I get real depressed afterwards and remind myself I'm more than my line quality?

And if you are curious, slightly more explanation with anatomical specifics below the cut:

so it turns out I have a peripheral nerve tumour on my radial nerve above my elbow in my right arm - it's been slowly preventing me from lifting up my index finger (extending it) and more and more the rest of my hand's extension has been weakening. scans show muscle atrophy in my forearm, so not only is the nerve weakening, it's been weakening long enough that the muscles are getting noticeably less use.

from what we know, the tumour is benign, but it's not possible to remove it without removing a chunk of the nerve, and likely fully severing the nerve. and though benign, the tumour has been steadily growing and is likely to continue doing so, where it would eventually effectively sever the nerve all on its own.

so this is a preventative surgery where we take the tumour out before it withers all the radial offshoot nerves farther down my arm, and graft in a spare (well, less important) nerve from my ankle, and hope that the graft takes and the nerve has a chance to heal and then let me rebuild my muscles and recover some hand and wrist extension. How much is not known. Complete recovery is impossible - some nerves in there are already dead and no amount of grafts and occupational therapy can change that, and more will wither while we're waiting for the graft to heal.

Motor nerves can only heal for so long, so I'll know more about my expected lifetime function in a few years. Likeliest outcome is followup tendon reassignment surgery to try and fill any dire functional gaps, and then what will presumably be a bit of a mind-fuck of physio trying to teach my brain that one of my flexion muscles will then be responsible for extension of fingers or wrist or something.

What's confusing about this is, my other arm nerves are all fine.

Ulnar? Doing great. Those nerves you fuck up with carpal tunnel? that I fucked up in 2008 and have spent a decade and a half taking very careful care of? really solid, healthy nerves! good job past Shel!

So I'm certainly not losing 100% of hand function; I'll still be able to curl my fingers and thumb and actively bend my wrist down - I just likely won't be able to reverse all those movements. Hell, already I can tell how much weaker my right hand is at typing - writing this after a day of spreadsheets at work is really wearing it down.

It's surreal how much all i feel is grief about this. There's no one to be mad at, not even myself - it just, sucks. Can you hold a funeral for your handwriting? your markmaking language? your line quality? your ability to touch type up to 140 words per minute? your confident, trained, controlled method of self-expression? RIP, radial nerve. I already miss you.

It's been a 13 month gauntlet of medical appointments since I first saw a neurologist about this and it's a relief to finally have the surgery, but i do really appreciate all the other scans and tests and biopsies - they gave me enough information to make this legit horrible decision to try and save what function I can for tomorrow by making today awful. And to try and become ambidextrous, I guess, because god knows I'm not stopping making art simply because my body betrayed me. It'll just be ... not what I think of as my art, for a while, at least.

[nicohverse]

Little Lion, Baby Bea...

(Art by @kiwifie !)

Who's curious about this sweetheart? This cute lion has been the topic of lots of discussion lately- For somebody with so little going on in her head, she sure is mysterious! And what little she does have going on in her head is wonderful- It's not a pejorative, the girl's genuinely been lobotomized. Luckily, it's not quite as bad as it sounds- She was pretty airheaded to begin with. The part of her brain she lost made it so she can't do magic to hide her animal features, and gave her a lot of cognitive difficulties.

"It's like... There's these things I know I knew how to do. And I don't know it at all anymore. I can't get it back. Even if I try to learn it again. It's scary... Like being trapped in a box, but the box has windows."

A girl who's new to adulthood and trying hard to assert her ability to be one in the face of her struggles, Bea might be cute and small, but she certainly won't tolerate being infantilized. She's living with a great caretaker who never underestimates or overestimates her ability- She's accommodated without being condescended to, and wants to reclaim sweetness and enthusiasm for herself while asserting her autonomy!

Some of Bea's struggles are pretty personal to me- About a year ago, I was still recovering from a lot. I'd only left an unsafe-for-me work environment a few months prior, hadn't yet hit a full year since 'recovering' from a covid infection that added to the workplace's exacerbation of my health conditions... I spent quite a while in an incredibly difficult cognitive space, actively fighting against brainfog...

Some stuff I haven't really talked about to anybody before- I could hardly make my brain remember anything I'd learned in college that hadn't been applied on the job since then. It was frightening and embarrassing to be without the information I spent so much time and money on. A lot of things I 'knew how to do' became muscle memory only- I could do them when I was doing them, but couldn't conceptualize how to do them if I sat down and thought about it. I'd find thoughts about things like solving a math problem would get stuck in my brain on loop without either progressing to the next step or going away. It was so difficult to deal with that I just about gave up on ever getting another job that utilized my mental skills without associating gross-motor movements.

But now, I'm better enough that I'm looking into getting more applicable credentials in my field, applying to data entry and medical record jobs again after recently losing my position as an art studio assistant. (Though worry not- All funds given to EF2 will be used for EF2) And better enough to be processing those feelings through Bea- A character who's incredibly precious to me. She's never going to 'get better' the same way I have- Instead, she's going to be a conduit for the idea that even if I hadn't recovered, I still would have found some kind of success. One of the many things Entropic Float is and always will be about is autonomy for the disabled community, to every possible degree that I have time in my life to portray.

If you want to help me portray that, and avoid reaching into my own recently-unemployed pockets to make Entropic Float 2 the best game it can be, the best property for Bea to find her joy in, consider supporting our stretch goals.

[shamandrummer]

The Key Benefits of Drumming

Drumming offers a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Here are some of the key advantages:

Physical Benefits

Cardiovascular Exercise: Drumming is a form of aerobic exercise that can help improve cardiovascular health. The physical activity involved in drumming can increase heart rate and promote better circulation.

Improved Coordination: Drumming requires the use of both hands, often in complex patterns, which enhances hand-eye coordination and overall motor skills.

Muscle Development: Regular drumming helps in building and toning muscles, particularly in the arms, shoulders, and core.

Burning Calories: Drumming can be an effective way to burn calories, similar to other forms of physical exercise.

Mental Benefits

Cognitive Enhancement: Learning and playing complex rhythms can improve cognitive functions, including memory, concentration, and problem-solving skills.

Stress Reduction: Drumming is known to reduce stress and anxiety. The rhythmic and repetitive nature of drumming can have a meditative effect, promoting relaxation.

Mood Enhancement: Playing drums releases endorphins and other feel-good hormones, which can elevate mood and combat depression.

Improved Focus: The concentration required to keep a steady rhythm and coordinate different limbs can help improve focus and attention span.

Emotional and Social Benefits

Emotional Expression: Drumming provides an outlet for expressing emotions, which can be therapeutic and help in processing feelings.

Sense of Achievement: Learning new drumming techniques or mastering a complex rhythm can boost self-esteem and provide a sense of accomplishment.

Community and Social Connection: Participating in group drumming sessions or drumming circles fosters a sense of community and belonging. It can also improve social skills and teamwork.

Cultural Awareness: Drumming often involves learning about different musical traditions and cultures, which can enhance cultural awareness and appreciation.

Therapeutic Benefits

Drum Therapy: Drumming is used in various therapeutic settings to help individuals with mental health issues, PTSD, addiction recovery, and other conditions. It can improve emotional regulation and promote healing.

Motor Skills Rehabilitation: Drumming can be part of rehabilitation programs for individuals recovering from strokes or other injuries affecting motor skills.

Educational Benefits

Enhanced Learning Abilities: Drumming can aid in the development of language skills, mathematical ability, and spatial-temporal skills, especially in children.

Discipline and Patience: Learning to play the drums requires practice, discipline, and patience, which are valuable skills that transfer to other areas of life.

Overall, drumming is not only a fun and engaging activity but also a powerful tool for enhancing physical health, mental well-being, emotional expression, and social connectivity.

[angeygirl]

Captain's log Day 60?-70?

I have evaded Big Fishy and been graciously gifted some dynamite as thanks. The Music Box has been recovered and now I can teleport.

The gosh darn eel has gotten into my dreams. After another close call with Fishy, I was able to find one. It rotted so I rammed myself into the wall rather then wait all day for another chance. With the eel restored to me, I zoomed zoomed with magic, got an achievement for my recklessness and delivered the eel on time.

Now off to Stellar Basin

--------------------

X marks the spot right in the centre of the Basin, but that must be too easy. As I attempt to cross, I discover a creature I have named...

Big Wiggly

I find Stellar Basin deserted, except for a puppy. I take with with me, hit a rock and lose my light. and my motor. and my courage.

Rather then be claimed by the sea I bravely hit more rocks and reset. On my way back to puppy I find an abandoned lab that will probably be plot relevant. I recover the puppy and carefully make my way along.

A scientist asks me to be sure I'm using all the game mechanics, and also tells me to go out at night. I catch the jelly and squid with no issue. While I wait to find the octopus in a crab trap, I see a group of them swimming in a circle.

They are simply beautiful.

I go to sell my other trawl fish and sell my octo as well... back to fishing I suppose. This happens twice.

The researcher sends me out to the relevant lab to unlock the Abyssal fishing gear. Traveling Merchant and I improve the design and I test it on some loosejaw. Now, I must activate the Doohickey to hopefully get Big Wiggly to leave me alone long enough to find the fishies living in The Depths (dun dun dun)

[bouncinghedgehog]

"Have you ever wondered why children are no longer taught to write in cursive?"

And no, it is not by chance that they tend to use it less and less.

Writing in cursive means translating thoughts into words; it forces you to not take your hand off the paper. A stimulating effort, which allows you to associate ideas, link them and put them in relation.

Not by chance does the word cursive come from the Latin "currere", which runs, which flows, because thought is winged, it runs, it flies.

Of course, cursive has no place in today's world, a world that does everything possible to slow down the development of thought, to fill it.

I think cursive was born in Italy and then spread throughout the world.

Why?

Because it was compact, elegant, clear writing.

But ours is a society that no longer has time for elegance, for beauty, for complexity; we have synthetics but not clarity, speed but not efficiency, information but not knowledge!

In general, we know too much and too little because we are no longer (generally speaking) able to put things into relation

Most people can no longer think

This is why we should go back to writing in cursive, especially at school. Because this is not just about recovering a writing style, but about giving breath to our thoughts again

Cognitive development

Writing in cursive can help children develop cognitive skills by integrating fine motor skills with visual and tactile processing.

Brain regions

Cursive writing activates different neurological pathways than typing or manuscript writing.

Brain connectivity

Handwriting can increase connectivity between brain regions, especially those involved in memory formation.

Kinesthetic stimulation

The fluid motion of cursive writing provides a different type of kinesthetic stimulation that helps different parts of the brain develop and integrate.

Learning and memory

A study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that cursive handwriting helps the brain learn and remember better.

Functional specialization

Cursive writing can help train the brain for functional specialization, which is the ability to work efficiently.

[saltypigloaf-cyberpunk2077]

Life before Konpeki

Meeting the frosty Queen of Militech, Meredith Stout

Your payment has been declined

Militech recovering their lost assets

Suspected Organized Crime Activity: Yelena Sidorova

Suspected Organized Crime Activity: Tom "Ymir" Ayer

Hunting Ellis Carter outside of the Totentanz club

Suspected Organized Crime Activity: Mokomichi "Motor Boy" Yamada

The hazards of running the Net

The Infamous Rita Wheeler

Elegant, Driven, and absolutely Dangerous

[mossarchives]

Tobias Mercer - Our Life: Beginnings and Always

An unnecessarily in-depth Info dump about them, their design, and their relationships for each in game step under the cut~!

Full Name: Tobias Elliot Mercer Pronouns: They/Them Sexuality: Panromantic Asexual

Color Scheme: Sunset colors Symbol: Sunflowers, Nurse Sharks Overall Theme: Loneliness and Chronic Illness

Whew okay now for the real stuff.

*Disclaimer: A lot of this stuff regarding Tobias being nonverbal and chronically ill is creative liberty as there's no real way to represent that in game*

Step 1!

Tobias was a quiet, shy child. They often go non-verbal and use sign language or a notebook to communicate, but that doesn't stop them from exploring the neighborhood and spending time on the beach. They like to draw, paint, and collect shells.

Tobias tends to spend a lot of time by themself. They don't really mind this, since talking to people is stressful and its much nicer to just do their own thing without needing to explain it. When something fun or cool happens, then the loneliness creeps in and makes them sad that no one is around to share it with them, but for the most part Tobias just accepts it.

They don't get along great with Shiloh and they're kinda jealous over his attachment to Lizzie, because that's their sister. Back off, hat boy. Tobias still does their best to be as kind to him as they can manage because they do get the sense that there is something going on there. They may not like it but they were raised to be nice in the face of such things.

They weren't sure how to feel about Cove at first, because a crying stranger showing up behind their house was... interesting... They find him a bit weird and self-centered, but cut him a lot of slack for the difficult time he's going through. As Tobias makes space for him in their life, the two of them start to get along more and more. First bonding over the beach, fireflies, collecting sea shells, it began to grow from there. He did terrify them when he tried to run away, but they recovered. It means a lot to them that they're no longer the odd one out when Shiloh visits, even if they hate that Lizzie and Cove argue.

Overall in Step 1 Tobias is just going with the flow, quiet and creative, with their new friend across the street. Their color scheme is very light in this step, primarily white and yellow as opposed to the full sunset spectrum. They wear a lot of busy sunflower patterned pieces at this stage.

Step 2!

About a year prior to the events of step 2 in game, Tobias suffered a severe seizure that left them in pretty bad condition for a few days. They suffered numbness and lack of motor control for an extended period after this. This caused a bit of a rift between Tobias and Elizabeth, as their sister wasn't a fan of needing to stay back to watch them while their moms were at work. Tobias tries to be forgiving of Elizabeth sneaking off but it has put tension on their relationship. At least Derek and Cove were there to keep them company.

The whole situation was a crippling blow to Tobias's esteem and relationship with their own body. Their anxiety worsened and they lost a lot of their confidence that they would be able to do most activities. After this they became very closed off and wouldn't accept a lot of physical affection like they used too. They go nonverbal more and more, and wear baggy clothes to hide their form. They also refused to let anyone else touch their hair, so it's grown out and covers their face a lot. They don't like that it touches their face but also can't bring themself to cut it.

This has made their sense of loneliness far worse, even when there are other people around. They constantly feel like there is an invisible bubble around them, keeping other people away and stopping them from fully reaching back out. Tobias just feels like a ghost, like one day all of their friends are just going to pass through them.

At the time of step 2, they're a bit more open to being touched and more open about their feelings, but still struggling overall. They dislike surprises and sudden change, and have gotten incredibly defensive over themself and their friends. Elizabeth likes to call it their "No Mercy Mercer" mode. This does not go well with Jeremy as you can imagine.

The biggest change to their hobbies is that they've become pretty good at sculpting and really enjoy it. Elizabeth bought them a bunch of air dry clay as a peace offering during their tense relationship to help Tobias work on fine motor control and ever since then Tobias has been experimenting with different materials and builds.

They're also very aware that they have feelings for Cove, but don't feel ready to do anything about it at this point in their life. They take a lot of shelter in their friendship with him and Derek and don't want to mess anything up. Being around Cove is natural and feels safe, aside from the relentless teasing from their family. When it's just the two of them, surfing, hanging out at the beach or hiding away in Tobias's room, they feel the most centered.

Derek is their best friend, and they feel a lot less pressure when they're around him as opposed to Cove. Everyone always teases them whenever Tobias and Cove are together, and that's started to really get to their head. With Derek they don't have to deal with any of that, and he's so easy to be around, even if his self-sacrificing nature makes them want to pull out their hair. It's one of the only things the two of them butt heads on, and one of the few things Tobias refuses to back down about.

Step 2 Tobias muddles by with their head just barely above water. In contrast to the light colors of Step 1, in step 2 they dress in dark shades of purple and black, often with only a singular sunflower at the peak of their loneliness.

Step 3!

Step 3 marks the middle of Tobias finding their footing once more. It's the season of learning to take care of yourself. Where they were scared of their body giving out at any time when they were younger, now they try to take everything in stride and not let it hold them back. This can swing either way, either they end up doing something reckless or they do let fear get the better of them, but they're working on it. They still have smaller seizures at times, but are getting better at feeling them coming. They got a nurse shark tattoo to help reclaim their own body (after much fighting with their mothers), cut their hair, and set off.

They still have anxiety and go non-verbal, but they're much more adept at asking for help or space when they need it. They still don't enjoy sudden change and when they have a plan they stick to it. As for their loneliness, it still rears it head far more than they would like, but Tobias has had a significant change of mindset regarding this: They don't want anyone to ever feel as lonely as they did. They hold their friends and family close and take extra good care of them, and reach out to people who seem to be shrinking away (looking at you Derek ;~;). This really started as they got closer with Miranda and Terri. Their relationship with Liz is better than ever, and Tobias has always been very close to Lee. Things aren't perfect, but it's a start.

No Mercy Mercer still shows its head, particularly around Shiloh in this step. If you manage to piss Tobias off enough that they go No Mercy on you, its near impossible to get back in their good graces.

Tobias and Cove have been dating for about a year at this point, and it was a very smooth transition. A lot of the “will they, won't they” tension is gone between them, though the teasing remains a bit of a sticking point of annoyance for Tobias. Cove remains a safe haven in the general stress of the world, and the feeling is mutual. The future causes both of them a lot of anxiety, but its relieving to know that they have each other.

Tobias and Terry get along like a house on fire. It's not a friendship that everyone expected, with Terry being so loud and energetic while Tobias is very grounded, but that's what makes them click. Terry helps them have fun and step out of their isolation bubble and Tobias helps keep Terry from burning herself out. Tobias finds her incredibly obvious crush on Miranda very funny and very adorable, but doesn't want to tease her since they don't like being teased on their own relationship.

Outwardly, Tobias and Miranda don't seem to mesh well, but that's just because they tend to be quiet around each other. In actuality, they get along great and love to hang out, they just do it quietly... Tobias is also protective of Miranda, since she got a lot of teasing for being childish and Tobias would scare people away from her at school. They're very close friends, its just quieter than their relationship with Terry.

Baxter.... Baxter, Baxter, BAXTER. Tobias was intrigued by him at their first meeting and was determined to get to know him. They liked that he was so different from their friends, so unrelated to the ocean and living in a beach town, and showed them different things to do in the area. They got along really well, both liking similar things and enjoying being along for the ride. The more they learned about him, the more they started to understand, and the more worried they got about the impending end of his time in Sunset Bird. He was a direct challenge to their desire to make sure no one else is lonely, and challenge them he did. In the end, they let him go without a fight, but instead with a smile. That didn't stop it from hurting, and continuing to hurt.

Step 3 Tobias is at the edge of a precipice, and there have been quite a few stumbles along the way but they soldier on. Their color scheme in step 3 is the full range of sunset colors but much brighter with sunflower detailing in response to them taking their loneliness and reaching out.

Step 4!

Step 4 Tobias is exactly where they want to be. A successful freelance artist, engaged to Cove, and more at ease in their body and mind. Somethings remains the same, they still have anxiety, go nonverbal, and have minor seizures, but all of these things are facets of themself that they are well equipped to work with. They have relaxed into their own existence, and radiate that energy outwards.

They're surrounded by friends and family that they love, and who love them back, and Tobias has started to enjoy being alone at times like they did when they were a kid. Where being on their own for too long might have made them all to aware of the silence as a teenager, now they've come to look forward to quiet nights in their studio working on their sculptures.

Here is where the step 4 timeline comes together. Lets gO!

Derek first! Right before the collective events of Step 4, Tobias was in Europe visiting some friends, so it's really been a while since they've seen Derek. The two of them have much the same relationship as they did when they were younger. Still best friends, still butt heads over Derek not taking care of himself. Ever since that summer when they were twelve Tobias would spend Father's day with the Suarez family, and it had become very important to them. Tobias has felt really bad that they live far enough away that they can't see him as much and make sure he's alright, but they still talk to him over the phone as much as they can. When Derek talks about how he's quit doing sports, Tobias was, internally, panicking a little. They were very supportive of his decision, but worried about what would come of it. Tobias also jumped at the chance to have him come live with Cove and them, because having their two favorite people with them? The best thing in the world! Overall, they're just glad to have Derek back and that he seems to be looking out for himself more.

Going back to Sunset Bird with Cove for their moms anniversary dinner was a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, Tobias was thrilled to be back with their family and the Holden's to celebrate their beloved mothers, but on the other hand, it feel odd to be home and yet... not home. They didn't live there anymore, but it would never stop being a home to them. At least they had Cove with them, and they knew he was feeling some of the same way. To look back at their time in Sunset Bird, it made it really clear how much both of them had changed and grown since the night they met on that hill. Both of them had truly grown into their own and Tobias couldn't be more proud despite the lingering sadness of leaving it behind. They're looking forward to seeing what the future holds with the man they love.

Meeting Baxter again was... difficult. They tried to keep their cool, but Tobias finds it hard to forgive sometimes. Still, they care about Miranda, Jude, and Scott, so they decided to be as professional about it as possible. They were seething a bit on the inside, since an already stressful planning ordeal had just gotten more complicated. At first, they weren't even going to push the issue, just let Baxter get away with being Baxter, until he started to act... different. As he went out of his way to make Jude and Scott happy, Tobias pivoted their initial plan. Forcing Baxter to confront their past together and reestablish that connection became their second priority after making sure the wedding went ahead. Terry, Miranda and Cove all knew the second that Tobias went into full “no one should be alone” mode, and were tentatively supportive. Thankfully, they were able to get through to him, and despite some worry over him seeming to want to make up for his actions IMMEDIATELY, everything worked out. Both Baxter and Xavier were looped into their little friend group with no resistance, and he'll have a hell of a time trying to escape this time.

The only caveat is that he has to be the wedding planner for Cove and Tobias's wedding, or he's out. That's not a problem in the slightest, there's no one Tobias would want more for the job.

Step 4 Tobias has accepted themself and faces that with strength. Their color scheme encompasses the full sunset spectrum like step 3, but much less vibrant. They're much more relaxed in step 4, and their colors are darker and warmer to reflect this. Sunflowers decorate their outfits often as accessories, and they also have a tattoo of one on their chest.

Bonus!

Likes:

Art

Sharks

Collecting Shells

Surfing

Coffee

Dislikes:

Loud Noises

Surprises

Liars

Being Sick

Green Tea

Fun Facts:

Tobias is fluent in ASL, English, and French

Not a morning or a night person but a secret third thing (Fine once they're awake but very difficult to wake up)

Their hair quirk to match Cove's wavy eyebrows is that their hair glows very slightly in the dark.

They play hockey in steps 3 and 4

In step 4 they have two cats: Cole Slaw (Cole) and Sweet Potato Fries (Yam)

Tobias and Cove have an ongoing argument about snails that Terry has dubbed the “Snargument”. Tobias is in favor of snails, Cove is against.

There are only two people who are allowed to call Tobias by a nickname: Terry and Derek (except Derek is too nervous to try)

My fave thing about their design is the little X shape of their bangs. It was inspired by Alear from Fire Emblem: Engage.

[formulatrash]

hi hazel!

i know this is probably annoying to ask so extremely sorry about this in advance but i’ve been seeing this debate on twitter and it’s so conflicting and I can’t pretend to know enough to understand what people mean by it.

max and christian horner had their opinions that came out about the 2026 engine regulations (as did Damon Hill, Karun and Alex Brundle) and i know they weren’t the most positive. I’ve seen BrrrakeF1’s opinion of it isn’t great either. but i’ve also seen some tweets from others that the regs aren’t bad. (i haven’t really seen any other team mention anything about the 2026 regs except redbull and maybe toto said something)

so are they bad? or good? i know it’s not as simple as that, of course but there seems to be a bit of a fight brewing around this now which i wasn’t actually aware of before.

I think the main problem is that 2026 is effectively tomorrow, in terms of developing a completely new power unit concept and that some ambiguities and potential changes are still in the works.

(this got long)

(also this is not an annoying ask anon! I actually know about power units haha - it's the wag stuff I don't know anything about)

2026 moves to 50-50 internal combustion and electrical power to the drivetrain. That is a big shift from the current hybrid systems, which are somewhere around 8-11% electric power. That's not an exact number; the overall output of an ICE and of course the hybrid system is both down to how efficiently it's running and any constraints on its performance (needing to run the ICE lower for reliability etc) as well as a regulatory maximum of 120kW contribution from the motor.

But it's somewhere, ideally, around there. At most tracks, obviously some of them like Monaco there's less call for maximum power output but you get the idea, it's going to be a big shift.

There are lots of other changes, in how that number is got to; MGU-H is going, which is a pretty uncontested idea. MGU-H is (basically, I'm oversimplifying but) a turbine that runs off exhaust gases and given that, of course only applies to hot-running petrol/diesel combustion engines.*

That's not a technology that's either practical for road cars or the direction that OEMs are taking development in, as well as being expensive and complicated. It was repeatedly cited by manufacturers as a reason not to come back or join F1, so removing it was a done deal.

MGU-K is a non-negotiable part of a hybrid system, it's the part of the powertrain that recovers energy from braking but is also the motor, like in an electric car. Nothing goes to the drivetrain from the electric parts without MGU-K, so that was of course staying and the increased importance of it comes with the development of motors for EVs. Especially recovery systems from braking and lift/coast for range extension.

With that, you need a battery and an inverter and a control system, etc. The scale-up of that to be a larger percentage of the overall power does add weight to the overall power unit and there isn't a way around that, although cars will also be lighter (at race start) due to lower fuel loads.

(worth saying that F1 is currently heavier, at full fuel load, than Formula E; trying to have both is in some ways the worst option)

None of that is really bad or good or what's being argued over, which is a second set of regulations around active aero. In order to compensate for the cars being heavier, in theory at least, the bodywork will actively shift to reduce drag on straights. Like DRS but in a more complex, whole-car way.

"Wait, that sounds insane and also like it would need lots of additional wiring and movement systems to engineer" yea.

I personally think it's a driver aide, if it's not entirely controlled by the driver and also that it's unnecessary. The 919 LMP1-H ran at close to 50% electric energy a lot of the time and it only had a few different aero configurations for the year, let alone a lap.

The active bodywork will need to work closely with the PU, which of course is always the case with a car's bodywork; airflow and cooling the power unit (or even just a pure combustion engine, which of course literally needs to breathe) are essential parts of making a car efficient. But this is more than packaging, it's that parts of the chassis will need to respond to the same ECU as the power unit.

And none of that is really clarified yet. Which given the development lead times is a huge problem. So: it's not that the regulations are good or bad yet, per se it's that they are not yet settled. *Differentiating between hot and cold running because race cars obviously run like blast furnaces compared to a road car, even if you compared two V6s. But also because if you were to apply MGU-H to, for instance, a hydrogen combustion engine, then it would be very inefficient and not generate anything because of the different exhaust outputs.

[uvpartybomb]

I ask to know the lore of Echos for OC purposes perchance? OwO

Haven't got much JUST yet, but here's what we do have:

[Merged Conscious information about Echoes]

Echoes are creatures of fear, they are a long living species that has lived for millions of years, often considered immortal due to their long life spans and their constant feeding on fears from humans as well as wildlife being able to keep them living.

As the name implies, Echoes can become a reflection of a creature they copy be it an animal or human. They aren't able to fully copy inanimate objects or robotic-like forms despite their forms being able to replicate materials other than organic flesh!

If they do copy something like a statue or a robot then their forms will not be able to last long in these conditions and will often fall apart after some time so they are mostly used as a way to camouflage temporarily within areas if they are stalking prey or avoiding trouble from certain species.

Echoes themselves are rather hard to kill, being resilient to most forms of damage be it through means of being shot, burned, frozen etc.

Echoes, however, are able to be slowed down by natural means like fire and being frozen, they will not die easily to them but it can be used by their prey to slow them down. Though, enough of anything can eliminate an Echo from existence. Their bodies withering away at a remarkable speed, leaving nothing left for humans to examine afterward.

From the withered remains, new Echoes can form from the energy of the last Echo that had died, meaning that killing an Echo can means new ones emerge. However, this is not the case if the Echo has starved from the last of fear it can consume.

Echoes typically feed on fear that they cause in prey, be it through psychological means of exploting fears like phobias, physical means by hunting prey actively or even emotional means they copying their prey or those the prey is close to and using those forms to cause fear and distress within the prey.

Sometimes the repeated exposure to an Echo can cause problems in the prey, like:

- Paranoia.

- Echo Sickness [Includes: Fatigue, expelling of unknown substances usually black in colour, body aches, migraines, sensitivity to lights, decline of motor skills, Heightened imposter syndrome etc]

- Suicidal Ideation [Often gets worse with repeated exposure over time]

- Being unable to recognize themselves.

- Increased isolating behaviours.

These traits, other than the sickness, can go away on their own if the Echo moves on from hunting them as their prey but some Echoes do persist until their prey has been killed by natural means, Echo Sickness, suicide or by the Echo itself.

The Echo Sickness would need medical interference to recover from, this would also discourage most Echoes from following prey due to places like hospitals being populated.

Echoes are also able to develop an identity for itself via gender, looks and many other means. Some may feel best as an animal, some as a humanoid or some as they naturally are being void-like in appearance either as blinding white or a pitch black depending on how they came to be.

Some Echoes can also have once been normal humans, although the process of how it works is unknown, it would typically have happened after the death of the human, the Echo who may be the cause (Tho this doesn't have to be the case) can make the deceased human into one of them and even influence how they return, so for example, Damien becoming an Echo was also influenced by being around technology such as a TV which the Echo used to allow him to resurrect as an subspecies of Echo who can greatly interact with technology.

There is also a very rare case of an Echo fusing with one of its prey, in the case of Cesar, who ends up sharing their body with an Echo and turning the body into something inhuman allowing the Echo's abilities to still manifest but at a more limited rate.

For example, the Echo will always revert back to Cesar's form instead of its natural form after its done copying someone else. It may not be as efficient in its ways of feeding on fear and will not have control of the body at all times. These two are typically on a cycle that's similar to day and night where if one is active, the other will be asleep but they cannot choose when they change who is awake in the moment.

The host of the symbiotic relationship, Cesar, will not remember any times that the Echo was in control. Sometimes waking up in areas he doesn't remember going to or in outfits they don't remember putting on as an example.

While Cesar is still in his right themself, they are no longer human and are classified as an Echo as well. Despite that, he would still follow any human needs like hunger, thirst etc when the Echo they share a body would handle urges of an Echo ie feeding on fear of any prey.

Ig thats about it? But ye, its a bit long winded but yk

[shirohige-pirates]

Birds of a Feather

CisFem Reader x Marco

CW: Violence, blood, language, adult themes and scenes. 18+ only

Summary: Life has not been kind to you. After a string of bad relationships, you're a little jaded and a little depressed in all honestly. The worst day of your life seems to be the turning point, but the roller coaster ride that follows could either throw you soaring free, or have you caged forever?

Tag List: @clumsyraccoon

Chapter 29: Brotherly Deception

"No!" You exclaim in panic as the car sputters to a stop. "No, no, no, no, no, not right now. Not like this! Shit. Fuck. Fuck." You swear, bouncing your head off the steering wheel in frustration, making the horn activate with the last curse word.

Everything had been going so well, and now this.

Your private birthday celebration with Marco had been a smashing success, and you'd spent Friday relaxing and recovering. You'd made plans for today, specifically because of how everything was going to go, and - as planned - you were driving yourself to the manor.

With Marco working for the day, and you wanting to pick up a couple last minute gifts, the both of you had been existing separately for almost the entire day. The party was tonight, and you wanted to make a good impression. You were already running behind, not by much, but you weren't going to be late late.

Well, you weren't going to be late late, but now you certainly will be.

Your bird, your baby, your completely rebuilt 1978 Firebird that should've run perfectly for at least five years, had sputtered out. Out of gas, a bad connection for the battery, a dud battery, you didn't know. The whole thing was dead and your gauges were lifeless without the motor running.

You knew that you were a good distance from the manor. You hadn't been yet, but you'd written down the directions with the last few ounces of phone battery you had left. How Marco had done the drive every single day for the clinic was just inane. You could walk, but the sun was nearly down, it was cold out, and even if it was just five miles, you could be in serious trouble pretty quick. Clear skies, no moon, if the coastal winds were harsh, a good gust would cut through your jacket without any issue.

To make it all worse, your phone was dead. You were so sure you'd make the trip, and would be able to charge it once you got there. It was your own fault for letting a bunch of little programs run in the background while you'd run your errands, but the last thing on your mind was the power level of your phone.

Marco was going to chew you out.

Well, no, probably not. Kid would have, to hide his concern, but Marco was going to be nervous, and stressed out on his birthday, and it was going to objectively be your fault. His birthday day, and night, had gone really well, but the party tonight was with the entire family.

None of this was the impression you'd been hoping to make with him or his brothers. Even though you were sure you'd be forgiven, and maybe only teased relentlessly for a couple months at most, but that wasn't the point right now.

A soft click of boots on pavement catches your attention just before a pair of thick knuckles tap on the glass of your window. Despite hearing the approach the sound and gesture still makes you jump a little, but you turn to see a stocky man with an impressive, well kept beard, a few too many rings, and an apologetic, toothy grin that was missing a couple tooths from it.

"Sorry to startle ya' lass," he says in a voice with enough baritone you can hear him easily with your windows rolled up. "Oh, hey, your Marco's girl, ain'tcha?"

"And you are?" You question, cracking the window enough to be heard.

"One of a few dozens brothers. I heard about you from Ace an' Thatch. Yer car's even more impressive than I expected." He admits. "Teach Newgate, at yer service lass." He introduces himself with an overdone bow, tipping an imaginary hat he's not even wearing. It reminds you of how animated Thatch is.

"You wouldn't happen to have a cell phone or a gallon of gas on you, would you Teach?" You question, rolling up your window and stepping out of your car. You show him your dead cellphone. "I honestly don't know if gas is what I need, but it's the easiest thing to check."

"Eh, sorry Miss." He says, pointing back to a motorcycle. "I have my cell, but," he holds out the device showing No Service, and gives a helpless shrug. "I'm barely half a mile up the road, it'll be a cold, but very quick ride. Let's get you inside, you can charge yer box, an' warm up. Marco's got his car, it'll be a warmer ride up to the manor if'n we get him a call and get you a ride."

You take in a breath, considering your available options, and let it out slow. You don't want to leave your car unattended, but honestly, you'd have to if you'd decided to walk it anyway. A gust of wind tears down the right and reminds you of the impending winter.

And lack of sun.

"In a field of miserable options, your plan seems the least miserable. Let me turn on the hazards, if they'll even work, and lock the old girl up and I'll take you up on that offer." You admit.

After doing as you said, Teach handed you a helmet and helped you onto his bike. He was a big guy, but that worked out well for you. His size protected you from the wind on the quick ride from your stalled car to his house.

Even with him in front of you though, the ride was cold. You didn't have the right kind of gear for being out in the cold, never mind for being out in it at 30mph. You might have only been out in the sharp chill for a minute or two at most, and the ride certainly felt far longer than you expected for half a mile, but the cold was into your bones when he pulled into his driveway.

"It's ah good thing I was running behind to the party my own self," he admits, guiding you into the house, massive hands rubbing your arms to help put some warmth into them. "I needed ta' stop here and get some stuff anyway, but I'm afraid I don't have anything but the bike."

The warm wooden decor seemed to try and help warm you up, and Teach stoked a dying fire in the fireplace which brought more heat into the house. He offered a place for you to sit and tossed a blanket around your shoulders to help get you warmed up. It was all cozy, the house, the blanket, the small couch that was almost crowding the fireplace.

If it wasn't for how miserable you felt for putting more of Marco's family out like this, you'd almost be able to relax.

"Here, I'll plug that in for ya'." He says, taking your phone and hooking it into a nearby surge protector with a charger cable on it. All that was next to a large recliner. It looked like it was his favorite seat, considering how efficient the space around it was. "Want something to drink? I'm pretty sure I got some spare cocoa, help warm ya' up."

"Please, if it's not too much. That ride was a little more brisk than I'd expected." You admit sheepishly.

"My pleasure," he assures you. "I'll get that going, and once ya' thaw out you can give Marco a call on muh phone. Doubt he'll understand you with your teeth chatterin' like that," he points out, laughing as he heads into the kitchen.

You scoot off the couch and got a little closer to the fireplace, holding the blanket open and letting the flames warm you up a little more directly before pulling the blanket close again. Once your bones stopped shivering you shimmied back onto the couch. Teach brought you in some hot cocoa in glazed stone mug that was just insulated enough to warm your hands without burning them.

"Thank you," you say with a smile, taking easy sips. "This is much better than hiking the last five miles or so in the dark."

"Especially without a decent coat. Ya' ought ta' ask Marco to buy ya' a good one." He says, chuckling.

"Ah, no, I have one. I just didn't expect, well, this. My car had just gotten restored recently, by a mechanic I trust." You sigh in frustration. The idea of calling Kid was it's own bag of miserable, miserably worms, and you didn't want to think about it too much right now. He was going to keep your car for a month before he was done quality checking it a hundred times. "Woe to whatever manufacturer sold Kid a bad gas line. He's going to be so pissed."

"Ah, here you go." He says, pulling his phone out of his pocket, giving it a look before handing it over. "More bars'n the earlier no service crap. Lemme give you some privacy, I don't need to hear anyone cooing at that rotten old pineapple."

You grin, giving him a chance to leave the room. Muttering to yourself that you don't coo at your forty-two year old boyfriend, you dialed Marco's number.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three.

Marco really did pick up for you a lot faster than he did anyone else.

Five rings and the line connects finally connects.

"I told you not to call me again Teach," the anger in Marco's voice stops your own words in your throat. "There's no godsdamned treasure from the old days! I don't care what you threaten me with, I can't pull berries out of thin air!"

The smile on your face fades away entirely. You thought at first that it was some kind of brotherly spat, and Marco would be embarrassed to have been so irritated needlessly. But one word bounced around in your head at record speed.

Threaten.

You hang up the phone without saying anything, trying to calm your racing thoughts, or at least, wrangle them enough to not look as scared as you suddenly were.

Kid would've checked that line, millimeter by millimeter. He'd never trusted anyone else's work except for Killer, Heat and Wire's. When it came to your car you wouldn't be surprised to hear from Killer that he inspected everything himself, regardless.

You were only stalled out for a minute. Even if your phone hadn't been dead, would you have still ended up here? Probably. His phone clearly showed that there was no service. The offer would've been the same. The logic, the words, nothing would've had to change even if you hadn't let your phone dwindle into a useless brick.

He made sure your car was going to stop there. How exactly was a point that didn't strictly matter, but everything else lined up. Marco's anger was legit. Your eyes shifted to the barely touched cocoa.

- threaten me with,

Shit.

"What'd he say?" Teach asks, coming back into the room. You can feel your entire body jolt, but you hope it wasn't nearly as obvious as it felt.

"Ah, nothing yet." You say, trying to look as unconcerned as possible. "Voicemail was full and he didn't answer. In a few minutes my phone will have enough juice and I'll try again."

"Bah, not surprising, he's not a big fan of the phone." He says, taking his cell phone back. "Are ye at least warmer?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Yes, thank you." You answer, smiling brightly, tugging the blanket a little more snugly around yourself.

"Alright, I got some work to do if we're stuck waiting for a bit," he turns and points. "I'll be in the den, if you need anything, just come get me."

"Certainly, once I get a hold of Marco, I'll let you know." You reply, raising your mug of cocoa a little before he leaves the room, moving as though you mean to take another drink of it.

You sit still for a moment, listening to Teach move through the house. Once he settles you start to focus on your more immediate surroundings.

Suddenly, everything feels wrong.

Getting up carefully and slowly from the couch you slowly tip the cocoa into the corner of the fire place. You don't want the splash to give you away, and you're certainly not going to drink anymore of it. The pounding in your ears and the tingle in your fingers could just as easily be your own fears and nerves, but it's not impossible for him to have laced the drink.

Cocoa has a strong flavor, it could hide a lot of things.

The problem now was - what were you going to do?

Even if you called Marco from your own phone, all you'd do is lure him here like Teach wanted. Whether it was for a heated argument, or something more sinister, didn't really matter. Something about Marco's anger toward Teach left you feeling like a simple conversation wasn't going to be how things went.

Teach had said it was a half mile up the road to get to his house. The Manor was maybe 5 miles from where you had been. You were most certainly on the back of that bike for more than half a mile, but he was so big and you were so cold you hadn't looked around.

You swayed a little, thinking of the turns you'd taken to get here. None of them lead you strictly away from the Manor, but you could easily be further west of your destination than you meant. Once your phone had some juice you could use the GPS to at least see where you were.

It was cold, but running would keep you warm.

Running, at night, with no moon, was not the ideal situation of the century, but it was better than the alternative. Once you got some distance between you and the house you could call Marco and have him come meet you, there was no reason to try and run the full distance.

You got up off the couch and went over to check on your phone's progress. You tap on the screen but nothing happens.

The phone is completely dark. There's not even a little battery icon popping up to show you progress.

Picking it up your eyes shift and you realize the surge protector Teach had the charger plugged into wasn't plugged into the wall. Marco's words about being threatened cool your blood again and you take a second to try and calm your heart when Teach's voice nearly leaps you out of your skin.

"Wondered how long that would take ya'." Teach says and you turn around quickly. You hadn't heard him move since he settled into the den. People could be stealthy, but your hearing was remarkable, and for him to move so silently at his size was disconcerting.

Your eyes shift around the room. "Why?"

"Pops was one of the greatest pirates of a bygone era." Teach starts, he looks relaxed, and kind of bored. You can feel yourself bristle at the implication, but having him under estimate you would be best. "He and Roger were rivals, friendly ones, for whatever good that did 'em. Both crews had riches, lass. Roger sunk his into changin' the world, for all the good it did. Pops didn't do anything like that."

Teach steps toward you and you bolt out of the room and into the hall, and then into the kitchen. You hear Teach moving this time, and once you see him you scramble back toward the living room. That room leads to the foyer and the faster you could reach a door you already knew about, the faster you could run away.

You hear Teach slip and swear behind you and keep your focus on the door. Even a deadbolt can slow someone down if they're too panicked to operate it correctly. Once your hand was on the knob you twisted it. The bolt hit the frame, so you left your hand on the knob and reached up with your other hand and turned the bolt.

With the knob still turned, and the bolt gone, you pulled and flung the door open. Cold night air rushes you, angrier than it was earlier, but you're not staying in this house.

Something pulls at you and before you can clear the porch, you're being pulled back into the house. You don't feel anything physical on you for a couple seconds until the unseen force yanks you right into Teach's hand.

Hauling you around by the back of your collar, he spins you swiftly, grabbing your collar and jacket in one strong hand, lifting you up like you weigh nothing, and shoving you roughly against the wall. The impact knocks the air from you and it takes you a second to catch your breath.

"Lucky for us both, that you have a devil fruit, little girl." The warm eyes and jovial demeanor of earlier are gone. Dark cold eyes bore into yours as Teach taps the barrel of a pistol against your shoulder. "Cause while I'm a good shot, I ain't no doctor."

Teach tucks the gun away and pulls out his phone.

"Smile for the camera, doll." He says, and you spit on the phone, covering the little lens with spit. It's a near useless act of defiance, but you're not going to make things easy for him.

Teach grins, and you feel your body go cold with fear. He pulls you away from the wall only to slam you back into it so hard you're hoping the heavy crunch is plaster and wood, and not your bones. The force is enough that you can't be sure, as pain sears your backside even with a couple layers of clothing.

Your senses reel as you try to make sense of his strength he pulls you away and slams you back into the wall a second time. The pain is like lightning through your back, and you feel something sharp break against your head. A nail, a sharp piece of wood, you aren't sure, but you can already feel the blood trickling through your hair.

His iron grip is on your dust-covered face and neck, and your focus in on trying to breathe. You can't be bothered about the phone's camera, you can barely even see the damn thing between the dust, and the warm disorienting feeling of hot liquid trickling down your face. The pain is almost comforting, because if you were severely injured you think you'd be too overloaded to feel it all so clearly.

"This time I'll help ya pose, lass." He says, squeezing your face and holding you still. It's harder to breathe like this, and he's so much taller your feet can't find any purchase.

There's a flash and a clicking sound, and you cough when Teach releases you, letting you fall to the floor in half a heap. Your whole body hurts worse than you think it ever has before, but even with the pain, nothing feels broken. Every breath tastes like dust and dirt, and the only other thing you can taste and smell is blood.

Broken, or not, you're not running in this condition. You're not even sure you could stand under your own power right now. At the very least you find you'd rather just stay on the floor, hand on your head. You wince at the sharp pain, but the cut on your head is already gummy, so it wasn't deep enough to be a primary concern right now.

"Look at my guest." Teach says, muttering while he types his message.

You growl in pain as a heavy hand grabs you by the back of your collar and picks you up without any concern. He's taller and broader than Marco, and massive compared to you, but it's still disorienting how he's tossing you around like a pillow, and not the full grown human that you are.

"Don't worry, little trinket, I'm going to make sure you're not dying, and then you an' me are gonna wait for big brother - oh, look at that. He's calling me for once. Let's use that fancy video chat option, eh?"

He shifts you until you're head's next to his, one big hand holding you in place. You can see the phone through one eye, but the other's gummed shut with blood from the cut on your head. You knew vaguely that wounds on your head and face bled worse than anywhere else on your body, even if they were only superficial.

You just knew, no matter what state you were in, you didn't want anyone else to get hurt, and certainly not Marco. But you also knew Marco wasn't going to leave you to your fate.

There's a tense moment of silence and you shake your head. "No."

"Strong girl you got here, brother." Teach says, squeezing you closer until you grimace from the pain. "Feisty, too."

"... What do you want, Teach?" The tone in Marco's voice almost scares you more than Teach's entire existence. You'd certainly never heard him angry before, and right now he was furious.

You were almost grateful you couldn't clearly see the video feed.

"What I'm owed, Marco." He answers in a long-suffering tone.

"I told you -."

"I don't want the company line!" Teach bellows, his grip on your tightening again for a second before he calms down again. "The amount's the same. Figure it out. You know where I am, and what I'll do if I catch a whiff of anything."

"W-wait," you force yourself to speak, smacking Teach's hand in case he doesn't hear you.

"Aww, got some encouraging words, poppet?"

"My... my boss can help." You explain, closing your eyes.

"And who might that be?" Teach questions, amusement in his voice.

"Ivankov." Marco answers for you. "I'll get you your money Teach. Then we'll resolve this new issue."

[beardedmrbean]

The Greek coastguard has caused the deaths of dozens of migrants in the Mediterranean over a three-year period, witnesses say, including nine who were deliberately thrown into the water.

The nine are among more than 40 people alleged to have died as a result of being forced out of Greek territorial waters, or taken back out to sea after reaching Greek islands, BBC analysis has found.

The Greek coastguard told our investigation it strongly rejects all accusations of illegal activities.

We showed footage of 12 people being loaded into a Greek coastguard boat, and then abandoned on a dinghy, to a former senior Greek coastguard officer. When he got up from his chair, and with his mic still on, he said it was "obviously illegal" and "an international crime".

The Greek government has long been accused of forced returns - pushing people back towards Turkey, where they have crossed from, which is illegal under international law.

But this is the first time the BBC has calculated the number of incidents which allege that fatalities occurred as a result of the Greek coastguard's actions.

The 15 incidents we analysed - dated May 2020-23 - resulted in 43 deaths. The initial sources were primarily local media, NGOs and the Turkish coastguard.

Verifying such accounts is extremely difficult - witnesses often disappear, or are too fearful to speak out. But in four of these cases we were able to corroborate accounts by speaking with eye witnesses.

Our research, which features in a new BBC documentary, Dead Calm: Killing in the Med?, suggested a clear pattern.

In five of the incidents, migrants said they were thrown directly into the sea by the Greek authorities. In four of those cases they explained how they had landed on Greek islands but were hunted down. In several other incidents, migrants said they had been put onto inflatable rafts without motors which then deflated, or appeared to have been punctured.

One of the most chilling accounts was given by a Cameroonian man, who says he was hunted by Greek authorities after landing on the island of Samos in September 2021.

Like all the people we interviewed, he said he was planning to register on Greek soil as an asylum seeker.

"We had barely docked, and the police came from behind," he told us. "There were two policemen dressed in black, and three others in civilian clothes. They were masked, you could only see their eyes."

He and two others - another from Cameroon and a man from Ivory Coast - were transferred to a Greek coastguard boat, he said, where events took a terrifying turn.

“They started with the [other] Cameroonian. They threw him in the water. The Ivorian man said: ‘Save me, I don’t want to die'… and then eventually only his hand was above water, and his body was below.

"Slowly his hand slipped under, and the water engulfed him."

Our interviewee says his abductors beat him.

"Punches were raining down on my head. It was like they were punching an animal." And then he says they pushed him, too, into the water - without a life jacket. He was able to swim to shore, but the bodies of the other two - Sidy Keita and Didier Martial Kouamou Nana - were recovered on the Turkish coastline.

The survivor’s lawyers are demanding the Greek authorities open a double murder case.

[physiotherapy-adelaide]

Comprehensive Overview: Common Conditions Treated by Physiotherapists

Physiotherapy, a cornerstone of modern healthcare, plays a pivotal role in alleviating pain, promoting mobility, and enhancing overall well-being. Physiotherapists are highly trained professionals who cater to a diverse range of conditions, offering specialized treatments tailored to individual needs. From sports injuries to chronic pain management, physiotherapy services encompass a broad spectrum of expertise. Let's delve into the common conditions treated by physiotherapists, offering a comprehensive overview of their services and approaches.

Sports Injuries and Rehabilitation

A community's vibrant sports culture often leads to various sports-related injuries, ranging from sprains and strains to more complex musculoskeletal issues. Physiotherapists specializing in sports physiotherapy employ a multidisciplinary approach to assess and treat such injuries. Through personalized exercise therapy, tailored rehabilitation programs, and modalities like massage and dry needling, they aid athletes and sports enthusiasts in their recovery journey.

Pain Management and Relief

Chronic pain can significantly impact one's quality of life, hindering daily activities and overall well-being. Physiotherapists employ evidence-based techniques to manage and alleviate pain effectively. From manual therapy and acupuncture to exercise prescription and electrotherapy modalities, they craft holistic treatment plans to address the underlying causes of pain and enhance functional outcomes.

Musculoskeletal Conditions

Conditions like knee osteoarthritis, shoulder impingement, and bursitis are commonly treated by physiotherapists. Utilizing a combination of hands-on therapy, exercise interventions, and education, they aim to improve joint function, reduce stiffness, and enhance mobility. Whether it's through clinical pilates, hydrotherapy, or tailored exercise programs, physiotherapists play a pivotal role in managing musculoskeletal ailments.

Neurological Rehabilitation

Physiotherapy plays a crucial role in neurological rehabilitation, aiding individuals recovering from strokes, spinal cord injuries, or neurological disorders. Physiotherapists specialize in neuro-rehabilitation, offering targeted interventions to improve motor function, balance, and coordination. Through task-specific training, gait re-education, and neurophysiological techniques, they facilitate recovery and optimize independence for their patients.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac rehabilitation is another area where physiotherapists excel. Following cardiac events or surgeries, patients benefit from tailored exercise programs, risk factor management, and lifestyle modifications under the guidance of qualified physiotherapists. By promoting cardiovascular fitness and addressing cardiac risk factors, physiotherapy plays a vital role in cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention.

Women's Health

Physiotherapists also provide specialized care for women's health issues such as pelvic floor dysfunction, prenatal and postnatal musculoskeletal conditions, and continence management. Through pelvic floor exercises, manual therapy, and education, they assist women in optimizing their pelvic health and overall well-being throughout various life stages.

Aged Care and Disability Services

For individuals in aged care or those living with disabilities, physiotherapy services cater to unique needs and challenges. Physiotherapists collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to enhance mobility, prevent falls, and improve overall function and independence. Through tailored exercise programs, mobility aids prescription, and environmental modifications, they promote optimal aging and quality of life for their clients.

In conclusion, physiotherapists offer a comprehensive range of services to address various conditions and promote optimal health and well-being. Through evidence-based practice, personalized care, and a multidisciplinary approach, they play a vital role in enhancing the lives of their patients across the lifespan. Whether it's through sports injury rehabilitation, pain management, neurological rehabilitation, or specialized women's health services, physiotherapy remains a cornerstone of healthcare, empowering individuals to live their best lives.