#tanker bug

[cosmoglass]

The giant bug in Starship Troopers gives me Basaran vibes and Rico's fight with it makes me think of Wander on the back of Celosia.

[robug-lyon]

Very large bug who might also be a fire hazard

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

Yosemite Sam says, "Back off! We ain't hauling' milk!"

[gummy-axolotl]

My favorite lines from TADC episode 2

bubble you can't say that…

so our entire existence here is just… larping?

nah, thanks, I'm tryna quit

they've even got little candy bugs here. It's so beautiful

I'm not a child you don't have to hype me up

…I feel like that violates some kind of convention…

could you repeat the question? I couldn't hear you over the knives.

do it, or I'll tell ragatha about the figurine thing.

Hey kinger, is that rope attatched to anything? I.. I don't know, let me check.

We're one tanker away from being Agustus Gloop'ed!

Pomni always seems to miss the big gloopy monsters.

Oh… God… that just sounds like murder.

Is it really murder if it's delicious?

If you knew what I did in my free time you'd be sickened!

Shut up, licorice hair.

I saw the reaper wink at me

This one's full of syrup too!

Maybe there will be blood, death, and violence in the next adventure! HA-HA-HA how wholesome.

Farewell brave knights! Have fun executing that bandit fella.

Welp! I'm gonna go drink water! It's been a while since I've done that.

[myveryownfanfiction]

18+ MINORS AND THOSE WITHOUT AGE IN BIO DNI

tags: @illiana-mystery

warnings: swearing, smut, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it kids)

AN: Sweet sweet revenge. I did flesh out the scene a bit more since we don't get to see much interaction between the two. But I mean Elwood did shoot his shot. Hope u enjoy!

Pulling into the station, I looked up at the man walking out of the hut. He was carrying something out to the other car at the station and tried to wave him down.

“excuse me sir?” I called. The man turned towards me and pointed at himself. “Yes. You.” I laughed. The man looked at me behind his shades and shrugged. “Could you fill her up with premium please and check under the hood?” The man nodded and tossed whatever he was carrying into the car he was standing next to.

“Sure.” He started to walk over and pointed at my windshield. “You uh want I should wash the dead bugs off the windshield while I’m at it?” I looked out the window and shrugged.

“if it isn’t too much trouble.” I said. The man nodded.

“I only asked since they’re out of gas at the moment. The tanker hasn’t come up yet.” The man said. I looked over at his car and the other man sitting on the trunk. He waved and went back to playing with his cigarette lighter.

"Oh." I frowned. "I guess we'll be here a while then." The man nodded. I watched him clean my windshield, trying not to focus on the way his hands moved. He tinkered around my engine for a bit before shutting the hood. "I'm (Y/N)." I said when he knelt down next to my car.

"Elwood." He said, offering me his hand. I shook it and the other man leaned back on the trunk, making the metal creak. "That's my brother Jake." I nodded and turned back to Elwood. “So uh if you’re not doing anything later, Jake and I have a band. We’re on our way to a gig. At the palace hotel ballroom.”

“Oh you’re musicians?” I said. Elwood nodded. “I thought maybe I don’t know…mechanics in suits. Yeah I don’t know what I was thinking.” I laughed. Elwood smiled at me.

“so uh maybe you’d like to come by and see the show.” He offered. I bit my lip and looked at him apologetically.

“oh Elwood. I’m sorry. I can’t make the show.” I said. I put my hand on his and squeezed. “I’m meeting some family for dinner. And they’re not the kind you stand up.” Elwood went to say something but turned his head as the tanker pulled up.

“oh.” We both breathed out. Elwood stood up and walked over to his car. He shoved Jake before going to get the nozzle for my car. When the tank topped off, I sighed before digging through my wallet.

“Okay. You’re all set.” Elwood said as he knelt down by my car again. “That’ll be uh ninety four dollars.” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“really?” I asked. He gulped and shrugged, lifting his hand.

“can’t blame me for trying.” He laughed.

“alright thirty for the gas.” Elwood raised an eyebrow at me. “I know how much gas my car takes thank you very much.” Elwood held up his hands and I saw him roll his eyes as his glasses slipped down his nose. “And twenty for you. For all the work you did. Thank you.” I handed him the money and he pocketed it.

“thanks.” He said softly. He looked over at Jake before leaning closer. “Uh so look uh if your meeting don’t work out tonight for any reason uh there’s a motel up on the interstate. Uh maybe we could say uh meet.” Elwood looked over at me, blinking nervously behind his glasses. “Around uh midnight?” I smiled at him and got a smile back.

“I’ll think about it Elwood.” I said as I started my car. Elwood took a step back and nodded. “But if I do go, you damn well better be there.” Elwood nodded.

“yeah. Promise.” He said, eyes shining. “Bye.” I waved at him as I pulled away. I caught his tiny wave in my rearview mirror. Throughout the dinner, I kept thinking of Elwood. I sighed as the talk turned to politics.

“we boring you?” My aunt asked. I shook my head.

“no. Just hear this a lot at work.” I lied. “Kind of getting bored with it.” My aunt nodded sympathetically.

“why don’t you head out?” My grandmother said. “It’s gonna go on for a while. You them. Men.” I laughed and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

“thanks grandma.” I said. “Give everyone my regards.” I headed out, checking my watch as I went. I still had time to make it if I wanted to meet Elwood. Getting in my car, I hurried down the interstate. “Which one? Which one? Fuck!” I muttered as I saw three motels in a row. They all shared a parking lot so I pulled in and sat in my car. I checked my watch again and tapped my steering wheel to a random beat in my head. Getting antsy, I got out of my car and leaned against it. I checked my watch again when I saw a police car speed into the parking lot. Smiling to myself, I started walking over to the car with the smudged mount prospect logo on it. “Hi. You want I should wash the bugs off your windshield?” I asked, bending over to look in the open window. Elwood smiled when he saw me.

“if its not too much trouble.” Elwood said. I smiled and stepped back as he opened the door. Getting out, Elwood held his arms out asking for a hug. I walked over and wrapped my arms around him. “You don’t know how fucking happy I am to see you.” He hugged me tightly, burying his face in my neck.

“what? Why?” I asked, pulling back and tugging his hat back down. Elwood looked down sheepishly.

“I didn’t know if I would get out of there.” Elwood said, looking back at me. “I’ve got a few…” he bobbed his head. “A lot of moving violations and tickets. Jake skipped parole.” I blinked at him. “There were a lot of cops at the ballroom. A lot.” I cupped his cheeks.

“they arrested Jake.” I said. Elwood nodded. “But you’re violations…”

“we split the door money. Part went to the orphanage Jake and I grew up in. To save it. The rest went to pay off my tickets. And the rest was split with the band.” Elwood shrugged. “I had to get to you.” He smiled softly at me.

“Elwood…” I breathed out, rubbing my thumbs over his cheeks. “God you’re so sweet…” I pulled him in for a kiss. His fingers twitched at my side before he returned the kiss. “Come on…” I pulled away and took his hand, gently leading him towards the front desk. Elwood got us checked in and smiled at me as he led me to the room.

“I swear this is probably the most impulsive thing I’ve ever done.” Elwood whispered as he unlocked the door. I laughed and squeezed his arm.

“Elwood, I saw you shoplift windshield wipers.” I teased. He blushed and looked down. “Oh. You didn’t know I saw that.” I laughed. Elwood shook his head before closing and locking the door. I pulled him to me, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him deeply.

“that wasn’t impulse.” Elwood whispered. “That was keeping my car running. Can’t afford everything.” I hummed as I leaned into kiss his neck. Elwood moaned, head falling back and hat falling off. Elwood’s hand shot out and grabbed it, tossing it on the desk. I nipped along his jaw, sucking on the skin under his ear. Elwood’s hands slid under my shirt, pushing it up as he palmed at my sides.

“sure Elwood.” I breathed out before licking the hickey i had left behind. Elwood shivered and pulled me against him as he backed towards the bed. I kissed him again, running my fingers through his hair. He fell back when his knees hit the edge and pulled me with him. He let out a puff of air as my weight settled on him.

“believe me or not, it still got me here.” He breathed out, dipping his head to kiss my ear. He nibbled on my ear lobe, making me moan. He flipped us over and ground against me.

“Elwood.” I whimpered. “Please.” He chuckled and kissed me deeply, tongue slipping into my mouth. My hands fell to his chest, gripping the fabric of his dress shirt tightly. Elwood’s hands left me and pulled his tie off. It coiled next to my head and Elwood took my hands, guiding them to the buttons on his shirt. It took a second to realize what Elwood wanted me to do. I started unbuttoning the shirt, pushing it off with his jacket. I sucked on Elwood’s tongue as my hands made contact with his bare chest. I moaned as my fingers curled in his chest hair. Elwood hummed as he pulled away long enough to pull off my shirt, reconnecting our lips the second the fabric cleared my head.

“perfect.” He breathed out, hands exploring my chest before cupping my cheeks. “Absolutely perfect.” I pulled on his chest hair as he bit my bottom lip.

“Elwood.” I whimpered. “Elwood. I need you.” He pressed his face against my neck and nipped along the surface.

“mmm. Need you too.” He breathed out. “Do you trust me?” Elwood pulled back, sunglasses almost slipping off his nose. Blinking at him, I watched as he reached up and pulled them off. “(Y/N), do you trust me?” He stared at me with mismatched eyes. They softened as he reached I was reaching up to cup his cheek. I rubbed my thumb over his cheekbone as he smiled at me.

“Gorgeous.” I whispered, leaning up to kiss him. “Why do you hide them?” Elwood blushed and turned into my hand.

“Other people don’t see them the way you do.” He said, kissing my palm. “Now answer my question. Do you trust me?”

“yes Elwood.” I said, letting him pull my hand back down to his chest. “I trust you.” Elwood smiled and gathered both my wrists in one hand. Grabbing his tie, he drew my hands up to the headboard. Elwood leaned up to start wrapping the tie around my wrists, intertwining the tie with the headboard. Elwood kissed my wrists as I kissed his chest. Elwood looked down at me with an amused smile on his face. I nuzzled into him as he paused his work to watch me.

“having fun?” He asked as I trailed kisses as far as I could reach, running my nose over the slope of his pecs. His eyes fluttered as I pressed a kiss over his heart. I hummed as he moved so we were eye level, a small pout on my face. “Hmmm.” He mused before shaking his head. “Another time.” Elwood kissed me again as his hands went to work getting his belt off. I heard the buckle hit the floor as he dropped it off the side of the bed and whimpered. Elwood chuckled against my lips as his fingers worked on mine. It joined his on the floor, followed quickly by my pants. Elwood pulled back and watched me with a smirk. I watched his fingers pop the button on his dress pants and pull the zipper down. I bit my lip as he shifted his hips so I could see his bulge through the pants.

“Elwood. Stop teasing. Please.” I whined. Elwood chuckled again as he knelt on the bed. He pulled the pants down and shifted until the was able to toss the pants over the side with a smirk. “Elwood!” I laughed as he crawled up my body again. He pressed kissed up my stomach and chest before kissing along my throat. Elwood sucked a hickey just under my jaw before moving up to under my ear.

“there’s something about the idea of matching hickies.” He whispered before adding another hickey to my growing collection. I moaned and canted my hips up to try to meet Elwood’s. “Ah ah ah.” He teased, licking over the hickey. “Patience is a virtue.”

“one I’ve been told I don’t have.” I shot back, arms straining against the tie holding me to the headboard. “Please Elwood. Please.” Elwood chuckled before pulling back. He hooked his fingers in the waistband of my underwear. Catching my eye, he waited until I nodded. Elwood slowly pulled down my underwear, tossing it over his shoulder with a devilish smile. I watched as he slowly did the same to his own underwear before settling over me again. He kissed me softly before nuzzling his nose against my cheek.

“since you begged so nicely.” He whispered, pressing open mouthed kisses along my throat. “Ready darling?” I nodded, wrapping my legs around his waist and whimpering at the feeling of his head at my entrance.

“ready.” I breathed out, gasping when Elwood snapped his hips forward and entered me. “I’m not going to last long.” I whimpered as I dug my heels into his back. Elwood nodded, burying his face in my neck.

“I’m not going to either.” He panted, hot breath fanning over my collarbone. The sound of skin against skin and panting filled the room, Elwood moving to kiss me. One hand came up to cup my cheek while the other lifted my hips off the bed so he could thrust deeper into me. I moaned against his lips, gripping the tie holding me to the headboard. Elwood slipped his tongue into my mouth and started to sloppily make out with me. He slid his arms under my body and held me close, every noise he made vibrating against me. As his thrusts grew sloppy, he moaned into my mouth. “(Y/N).” His breathy groan triggered my orgasm.

“Elwood. Oh Elwood.” My head fell back as I moaned. Elwood smirked against my skin and followed me over the edge, chanting my name as he fell. It took a few minutes for us to come down, sweaty foreheads pressed together and chaste kisses exchanged in the afterglow. Elwood reached up and undid the tie holding my hands up. As soon as the fabric gave, my arms were wrapped around him.

“you alright?” Elwood asked. I nodded.

“yeah.” I breathed out, accepting another kiss. “Never better.” Elwood smiled at me and hummed happily as I ran my fingers through his sweat soaked hair. “You alright?” I asked. Elwood nodded.

“yeah.” Rolling off me, Elwood pulled me to his chest before moving to pull the blankets over us. “I’ll go bail out Jake tomorrow. But for tonight…” I giggled as he kissed my head.

“yeah.” I agreed. Elwood tucked me under his chin and I fell asleep to the sound of his heart.

[cheapsweets]

The nocuous Shonweak

My response to this week’s BestiaryPosting challenge from @maniculum

Jinhao shark fountain pen with fine, hooded nib, with Monteverde Raven Noir ink, over initial pencil sketch. I'd considered adding some colour, but didn't have time this week; imagine it's got telltale orange/yellow and black warning colouration :)

It's been interesting trying to relearn pen shading techniques from scientific illustration again (as ever, suspect going a bit bigger would make this easier, I'm also going to have another rummage through my pens to see if I can find an even finer nib, since the one's I've been using don't come close to using a dip pen).

Reasoning under the cut;

The Shonweak is so called because it is proof against fire.

Okay, first things first, we get no indication about what type of creature this is. My default assumption when the bestiary authors don't give us any more detail is that is must be a Beast, but I've been wanting to mix it up a bit. But what to go for...?

Of all poisonous creatures, it has the strongest poison. Other poisonous creatures kill one at a time; it can kill several things at the same time. For if it has crawled into a tree, it poisons all the apples and kills those who eat them. In addition, if it falls into a well, the strength of its poison kills those who drink the water.

Okay, a poisonous critter, and not just poisonous, the most poisonous...! Okay, this narrows it down a bit. We get some creatures that are occasionally poisonous due to their diet (including certain birds, and snakes!), but mostly we're looking at amphibians, insects, echinoderms, fish, flatworms, and some others too.

This also made me think about the line between poisonous and venomous. We've all been on tumblr a while, so we've probably seen the memes, but technically the main difference is that poisonous animals deliver their toxin passively (in this context, being eaten is passive...)

We also know that this thing can crawl into a tree, so must be able to climb (that eliminates most fish, for starters).

I've gone for a beetle, since drawing an arthropod is pretty different from anything I've done thus far. Main influences are;

The diabolical ironclad beetle, a tiny awesome critter that is nigh on indestructable. It has a flattened body, fused elytra, and a cool, knobbly surface to its armour; I gave the elytra a bit of an overlap, so it could consider clamping its body down if it gets into a sticky situation (like a fire).

Bombadier beetles; in case you're not aware of them, their defence mechanism is spraying near-boiling noxious chemicals at attackers (you'll also be familiar with them if you've ever read the Spider World books by Colin Wilson!). The most famous ones are yellow and black, and you can see the nozzle on the end of its abdomen.

While the bombadier beetle does actively spray toxins, keeping them in its body also makes it poisonous - best of both worlds!

Also can't deny the influence of the blue death feigning beetle, a very aestheic insect indeed, and if I'm honest, the tanker bug from Starship Troopers...!

I did look at large beetles like the goliath beetle for some inspiration, especially around the legs (I imagine the Shonweak to be pretty big as beetles go), but decided against it since they're a lot fancier, and I figured a tough, fire-braving critter like this to be a little plainer and unadorned.

It resists fire and alone among creatures can put fires out. For it can exist in the midst of flames without pain and without being consumed by them, not only because it does not burn but because it puts the fire out.

Okay, if this is the creature I strongly suspect it is, this is an interesting wrinkle to the mythology around it; it's proof against fire because it puts the fire out (not something I've heard before). I'll have more to say if it does turn out to be what I suspect...

Okay, hear me out... The bombadier beetle combines exothermic chemicals in its body to produce its boiling, caustic spray... What if a creature could do something similar for a seriously endothermic reaction; it would be almost like a tiny, living fire extinguisher... I imagine the Shonweak as a bomadier beetle relative, spraying freezing toxins at enemies (or just generally if stuck in a fire, or if it falls down a well, or if those apples are looking particularly hostile...)

[usafphantom2]

Not only JP-7: the SR-71 could use JP-4 and JP-5 as emergency fuels but they both limited the Blackbird top speed to Mach 1.5

JP-7, the fuel that powered the SR-71 Blackbird caused a nationwide shortage of bug spray. Here’s why.

The SR-71 Blackbird was the first aircraft to use its own fuel for hydraulic fluid. It was called the fuel hydraulic system.

The legendary SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3+ spy plane was powered by two 34,000 lbf (151,240 N) thrust-class J58 afterburning turbojet engines. Each engine contained a nine-stage compressor driven by a two-stage turbine. The main burner used an eight-can combustor and the afterburner is fully modulating. The primary nozzle area was variable. Above Mach 2.2, some of the airflow was bled from the fourth stage of the compressor and dumped into the augmentor inlet through six bleed-bypass tubes, circumventing the core of the engine and transitioning the propulsive cycle from a pure turbojet to a turbo-ramjet.

The SR-71 was the first aircraft to use its own fuel for hydraulic fluid. It was called the fuel hydraulic system.

An engine-driven pump provided 1800 psi of recirculating fuel to accurate various engine components and then returned it back to the aircraft fuel system to be burned. Fuel was used in the actuators to control the afterburner nozzles, which maintain the proper exhaust gas temperature and control the thrust output. The fuel was also used in the engine actuators to shift the two-position inlet guide veins from their axial position to the cambered position and back again. This was just another of the many first-ever inventions of the-SR-71.

The J58 engine was hydromechanically controlled and burned a special low volatility jet fuel mixture known as JP-7.

SR-71 print

This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. SR-71A Blackbird 61-7972 “Skunkworks”

Emergency fuels could be used in the SR-71 if the crew was low on fuel and had to use ANY tanker (as already explained the Blackbird relied on KC-135Q tankers [that could simultaneously carry a maximum of 74,490lb of JP-7 and 110,000lb of JP-4 for their own engines] but the SR-71 could also be refueled by standard Stratotankers in the event KC-135Qs were not available or if the Blackbird crew had to deal with an emergency situation) they could find to avoid the loss of the aircraft. The emergency fuels were JP-4 or JP-5 but they limited the Blackbird top speed to Mach 1.5. There were six main fuselage tanks. All 80,285 pounds of JP-7 fuel were carried in six main fuselage tanks. The tanks numbered one through six moved forward to aft (back) tank 6B It could hold 7,020 pounds of gravity-fed fuel and two tanks sumps. This was also called the “doghouse” and was located in the extreme back portion of the fuselage.

These are just a few interesting facts that I found by reading Rich Graham’s “SR 71 Revealed the inside story.” This book was published in 1996 before some of the facts about the SR-71 became unclassified. Last year when I was visiting SR-71 #972 one of my Grandson’s friends asked me “Why is this airplane so big? My immediate answer was… they needed the room to hold as much fuel as possible.

Fuel was the lifeblood of this fastest-manned airplane in the world.

Be sure to check out Linda Sheffield Miller (Col Richard (Butch) Sheffield’s daughter, Col. Sheffield was an SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer) Facebook Pages Habubrats SR-71 and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder for awesome Blackbird’s photos and stories.

[sanvirtheobserver]

Taking Flight, Chapter 27: Family Matters

The morning sun glows pink over the rocky roads. Over at the Crew's base camp, Luigi and Pomni are tending to the rig while Meggy and Uzi guard the Gator Brothers. Ragatha and Saturday arrive on the scene and begin their interrogation.

Ragatha: Alright Mister Gummigoo, let's start from the beginning. What brought you into the Outlaw Business?

Gummigoo: It's just a matter of circumstance. Times tend to get tough when you live so far from the capital, especially in the dry season.

Ragatha: And that's why you've become friends with Chewmaw?

Gummigoo is silent for a moment as he shoots a scathing glare at Ragatha.

Gummigoo: We're NOT friends. If I could I'd have nothing to do with the bastard.

Saturday: Then why help him? You may be a ruffian, but you always do it your way.

Gummigoo: I did....... until our town's stores got snagged by some Honeypotters.

Chad: Mum tried to help bug em off and got her leg gnarled. Others got it worse.

Max: Yeah. We started Syrup Running for Chewmaw so we could take a little extra for her and the town.

Gummigoo: It's also to keep Chewmaw from targeting the town. With the state it's in, a small band would be more than enough to wipe it off the map. Bandits are less likely to attack a town they think is already under their control.

Ragatha begins to show a little pity, but Saturday is a bit cautious. She's seen first hand how effective he is at crafting a good story to help get his way, true or otherwise.

Saturday: Where is this hometown of yours?

Max: Just north of here. Straight shot.

Chad: We can get there by noon with your rig.

Saturday: Alright........ here's what we're gonna do. We'll escort you and the tanker to this town of yours and see if your claims are true.

Gummigoo: Fine by me. Keep in mind that Chewmaw likely knows you're back by now, and he'll have his men on the lookout for your rig. Best you take the tanker when you head into town.

Saturday: Hm............

Crocodile: Croc's honor, I am telling you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

A tense silence hangs in the air as the two stare each other down.

Saturday: ..........Fine. We'll escort you in the tanker.

Tari had just exited the trailer as Saturday points to her.

Saturday: Tari, you'll drive the tanker into town. Spletzer and Emo Girl will be your lookout.

Uzi: I have a name, you know.

Saturday: Ragatha, you stay with the others and keep the rig out of sight, but make sure you're still close by in case you're needed.

Ragatha: Yes Ma'am.

Saturday: Germaine.......

Gummigoo looks up with a smirk. He didn't expect her to use his first name like that.

Saturday: Don't do anything stupid.

Gummigoo: Heh......... will do, Loo.

A few hours later and the high noon sun hangs above a local shanty town. The tanker enters through the front gates and Tari maneuvers the tanker between the buildings as the group gets a good look at the place........ which has clearly seen better days. Many of the buildings are riddled with scratch and claw marks, and the local woodwork shop is still busy making caskets. Every now and then you can see an insectoid husk with a fractured opalescent abdomen. It looks like Gummigoo's story rang true.

Gummigoo: Park the tanker outside the hospital.

The tanker pulls in front of a weathered hospital building. Through the front doors comes an Orange-Blue octopus with a doctor's stethoscope and a pair of glasses. Loolilalu steps down from the tanker, along with Gummigoo who still has his hands tied.

Gummigoo: Good afternoon, Otto.

Otto: Mr. Gummigoo, fancy seeing you with.........Lady Bonbon! I was not aware of your return to the Sweetlands. Welcome to Saint Marzipan!

He scuttles over to the two and wipes some sweat from his scalp.

Otto: Excuse me, where are my manners? I am Dr. Octavius McBrickles. The folks here usually call me Otto. Though, may I ask why you have Mr. Gummigoo all tied up?

Saturday: Oh, I caught him and his brothers commandeering a tanker with illegal modifications. Then he told me about the incident in this town and I wished to verify this claim.

Otto: Oh dear. Lady Bonbon, I am TERRIBLY sorry about this. Please understand that Mr. Gummigoo was only trying to help after the Honeypotter attacks. Our syrup supplies have been spread thin and-

Saturday: At ease, doctor. I will not report this to the authorities. This did technically occur beyond our jurisdiction, after all.

Gummigoo and Otto were both shocked at Saturday's sudden act of charity. It looks like she realized that Gummigoo was telling the truth. She unties him and Otto calls for some nurses to help empty the tanker.

Otto: You are too kind, M'lady. And your timing is impeccable. I don't think we would've lasted the rest of the week otherwise.

Saturday: Oh, don't thank me. Thank the bloke who managed to snag it.

Gummigoo: D'aw, now you're just trying to butter me up.

Some time later, we arrive at Gummigoo's homestead. Saturday, Meggy, Uzi, Max, and Chad are all chilling in the living room as a big, gruff, Green and Purple Gator wearing some overalls comes in with a pot of tea. His name is Gerald.

Gerald: I'm sorry ya'll got caught up in my son's hairbrained schemes. I warned him about the kind of trouble it would cause.

Meggy: No worries. We deal with stuff like this all the time.

Uzi is quiet as she holds her mug of tea. It's been a while since anyone has treated her with such hospitality. Gerald takes a seat and lets out an exhausted sigh.

Gerald: Miss Bonbon, I know my son isn't exactly a stickler for the rules.

Saturday: I believe that's quite the understatement.

Gerald: I warned him about associating himself with bandits and the kind of troubles it would cause, even if he's doing it to help us. Unfortunately, he's got his Pop's stubbornness along with his Mum's moxxie.

Saturday: Well, your son's "hairbrained schemes" may have given us a lead on how we can take on Chewmaw.

Gerald: Yeah. I heard he's got something big planned. Something that can only lead to disaster.

We see Gummigoo and Tari enter the parents room. In the bed lies a plump Yellow and Red Gator with a bonnet and a pair of reading glasses. This is Maple, and she's more than happy to see her little troublemaker again.

Maple: Germaine! How's my little lad on the lamb doin'?

Gummigoo: Great as gravy, mum.

She gently holds Tari's metal arm.

Maple: And you must be one of his new friends. It's a pleasure to meet you, luv.

Tari: It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mrs. Gummigoo.

Maple: Oh please, call me Maple. A friend of my son is a friend of mine.

Gummigoo: How's the leg coming along? Otto told me he just started your treatment.

Maple: It's feeling much better now, Germaine. That syrup you brought back is working WONDERS. Otto says I'll be right as rain before Harvest Season. Good thing too, because me and Gerald still have a winning streak to keep up!

She gestures to a series of trophies on the top shelf. Each one is engraved with the date of previous "Harvest Festival Dance-off" events.

Tari: Wow, you really like your dancing, don't you.

Maple: Ever since me and Gerald first met on the dance floor. Why do you think my boy was able to dance with the princess?

Saturday: *ahem*

Speaking of which, we see Saturday standing in the doorway starring daggers at Gummigoo.

Gummigoo: Anyways, um........ we should get going. Gotta go topple ourselves a Warlord and all that.

He quickly makes his leave, ushering Tari and Saturday out of the room.

Maple: You kids have fun!

He quickly closes the door behind him. He sees a bemused smirk.

Tari: So........... you two danced?

Gummigoo chuckles nervously at the recollection of that event.

Gummigoo: It was just a one time thing.

Saturday: He and his brothers snuck into a family paryt uninvited. I'm pretty sure he tried to take my crown.

Gummigoo: I mean, I gave it back, didn't I?

Saturday: Was that before or after you crashed your wagon into the bakery?

Tari leaves the two to their little chat. Seeing Gummigoo, or Germaine rather, meeting up with his mum made her feel all cozy inside......... but also kinda sad. Like something's missing.

Clench: You good?

Tari: Yeah....... just thinking, is all.

[lovethisbug]

Christen me, Father Bug, name my unworthy vessel.

Grub Tanker

[ya-girl-static]

My She-Ra naval aviation AU, Hornet Ball, is now far enough along for me to post Chapter 1, Tumbleweed.

I made this tumblr for the explicit purpose of nerding out and elaborating on things I think are cool or could use a little more info on but that didn't really fit into the chapter itself, so... without further ado, me being an airplane nerd about Chapter 1.

The chapter header image is actually a (somewhat edited) screenshot from a flight sim I play way too much, DCS. I do custom skins for the planes in that game and because I have too much free time made each squadron on the carrier.

I'm spelling things phonetically for this fic when applicable. 2-3 is said "two three," but with the hyphen there I didn't feel a need to specify that. However, for things like runways, standard notation is something like "14L", but you say "one four left" instead of "fourteen left", so I wanted to get that across. Basically, in this fic, if somebody is saying a number, they'll either be saying it like a normal person, or it'll be spelled out.

There's actually no carrier in Chapter 1, but they do mention the angled deck: In the 50s-60s, carriers started being made with the landing area slanting off to one side (it's the thing that looks vaguely like a road in that image just above). This has a couple benefits. Not only does it free up space on the carrier deck, it also means an airplane can miss the landing and just go around and try again. Before the angled deck, they had nets before parked planes at the end of the deck so pilots wouldn't run into them, and it was a huge hassle to take care of that when somebody missed the wires (and one other system, but that's not really important so I'm not getting into all that stuff unless somebody asks). It also allows the carrier to do takeoffs and landings around the same time during things like sea trials for new aircraft, or carrier qualifications.

Navy squadron designations start with a letter indicating what type of aircraft they are: "V" for fixed wing, "Z" for lighter than air (like zeppelins. haven't been any of those in like a hundred years), and "H" for helicopter. After that comes the role: For now, Horde is a fighter squadron (F), whereas Alliance is both a fighter and an attack squadron (so FA). You may also see electronic attack (AQ) or anti-submarine (S), although the fixed wing anti-submarine squadrons at the time were also responsible for providing tanker aircraft for air-to-air refueling, and the helicopter ones did search and rescue. After that just comes a number to distinguish it from all the others.

The Edge 540 I’m describing is specifically Melissa Pemberton’s Edge 540. Did she have her pilot’s license in the 90s? No. Do I care? Also no, it’s my 90s Earth/Modern Etheria mashup, I do what I want.

Tomcat crews, having a superiority complex the size of Texas, often referred to the Hornet as the more diminutive "Bug."

That's all I've got for this chapter (unless there are questions). It's kind of a prologue; Chapter 2 is going to be a time skip to near the beginning of the next cruise/deployment. That's already written, but I'm trying to keep at least one chapter ahead of where I'm at at all times, so not sure when it'll be out. Hopefully by the end of next month!

[worthplaying]

'Starship Troopers: Extermination' Shows Off Single-Player, Tanker Bug, Icy Planet Boreas And More - Screens & Trailer

http://dlvr.it/TCFpdq

[game-develop]

Assignment 3 Iteration and Changes

Since the release of the last test version, I have made numerous improvements based on player feedback, and I'm excited to announce that TurboThrills 1.0 is now officially released! Initially, we was informed that the final submission could not be iterated, but the latest update yesterday indicated that iterations were allowed. Therefore, I implemented the following optimizations.

Interface Improvements

Players pointed out that the game lacked necessary guidance, so I created a start screen to display the game instructions. Almost every game has a start screen, so we should have one too, enhancing the completeness of the game.

Iteration Showcase and Improvements

In the updated game showcase, I replaced all game assets based on the original One Page design concept. If you click the volume play button on the video, you can hear the new background music and various sound effects. These improvements are all based on player feedback. Here are the specific improvements:

Collision Detection: Fixed the issue where continuous collisions did not correctly deduct life points.

Life Points Display: The original status bar couldn't be resized, so I chose a new status bar for displaying life points. The new status bar is larger and more noticeable.

Timer Calculation: Fixed the issue where the timer paused incorrectly when players dodged traffic.

Oil Slick Texture: Replaced the oil slick texture; it's no longer an abrupt image.

Map Boundary Issues: Fixed the bug where vehicles could drive out of the map boundaries.

NPC Vehicle Spawning: Redesigned the logic for NPC vehicle spawning to resolve the issue of vehicles only spawning in certain lanes.

Balance Adjustments: Adjusted the vehicle's movement and turning speeds after testing. Now, players can move and turn faster to dodge traffic!

New Vehicle Added: Introduced a tanker truck. Colliding with it now costs twice as many life points compared to regular vehicles, adding more challenge.

Scaling Adjustments: Players previously reported that the spawned medical items were too small. We've now adjusted the scaling factor, making medical items easier to see and pick up (coins have been similarly adjusted).

Sound effects added

Challenges During Iteration

During development, we conducted only a small number of tests, resulting in a large number of event settings by the time the game was completed. Every time we attempted to modify certain functions, it caused a chain reaction. Specifically, when fixing the vehicle spawning issue, I discovered it was caused by an underlying logic problem from the early development stages. At that time, we simply set up left and right lanes and allowed two cars to spawn in one of the lanes. This meant that cars spawning in the left lane would never spawn in the right lane. To solve this problem, I redesigned the underlying logic for vehicle spawning, which took a lot of time and effort. I regret not following Fullerton's advice to conduct extensive testing early and often, rather than relying solely on internal testing (pages 279-280).

End Screen Optimization

To ensure consistency with the game's overall art style, I redesigned the end screen. The new end screen is not only more aesthetically pleasing but also better showcases the player's achievements and post-game information.

[foone]

Yeah. Small animals are still around, although they seem to be in smaller numbers, like many of the bugs and insects and other animals died out at the same time.

What the ash is made of is one of the explicitly unexplained elements in the setting, that's for individual authors to answer (though I have some theories, of course).

Microbial life was unaffected, much like the plants. There's still plenty of deadly disease samples in labs if you want to go risk your life there, yes.

The water is fine other than the ash, they're still flowing. The dam thing is electronic/mechanical, the Colorado River is still flowing, there's still tides and waves.

But I don't think Nestlé could make much use of it. I've not specified exactly how you get into The Empty World, but you can't take/bring more than you can carry among your group. So you could get 20 strong guys with big plastic drums, but that's still only a few hundred gallons a trip. You can't really bring a tanker in The Empty World.

Existing solar panels in The Empty World are not functioning, more so than the ash clouded sky would imply. You could definitely bring some functioning ones into The Empty World, but they wouldn't work very well, simply due to the limited amount of sunlight. You'd have electricity for longer if you lugged a generator and a bunch of fuel in.

And there are of course stories about people getting lost and finding a way out. There's stories about all kinds of things. People finding survivors or monsters in there, groups coming back after being lost for months, people finding places where the electricity inexplicably works, people bringing back things that shouldn't be there: alien artifacts or mystic objects of power.

They're probably just stories. No one has brought back proof of any of this... But that doesn't mean they're not true. They might be.

As far as what's known to be true (or at least widely believed and not disproven): it seems when you enter The Empty World, you have a ticket to get back. You can return to our world by doing something similar to how you got to The Empty World (but you'll arrive at your new location: you don't get transported back to where you entered). But you only get one ticket.

If two people enter, they can come back as a group without issue. But if they get separated and one of them isn't there when the other returns, they are stuck. Forever.

That's the general belief anyway. It's equally possible that the instant one person leaves, the whole world blows up and the others die immediately. Or maybe space vampires eat them, who can say? We have no way to talk to anyone left behind, so we can't find out from them what happened. You can't leave a camera or sensor behind either... Well, you can, but you'll never be able to get the data from it.

BTW, one thing about the ash: there's not enough of it piling up. If the world has been dead for weeks, you'd expect there to be weeks worth of ash piling up in the streets. Nope. It's only as much as would seem to have fallen in a few hours. Like the world died a few weeks back but the ash only started falling this morning. Odd, isn't it?

There exist another dimension called The Empty World. It's very much like ours, in fact it seems to have been identical up until a few weeks ago, but it always seems that way. If you go there today, it was identical in late february, and if you go there this october, it'll have been identical until september.

It's empty, as you might guess. There's no humans, and no animals bigger than a cockroach. The sky is grey, and it slowly rains ash. It's colder than our world by a bit, enough to require a jacket even in summer. The streets are empty, the cars parked neatly in their garages or in lots, but they're all empty and abandoned, their doors locked like they expect their owners to return any minute now.

The newspapers left on stands don't mention any oncoming disaster. We have no idea what the TV or internet would have said: the power is out. The power is very, very out. Not just the grid, but batteries are drained. The cars won't start, the emergency lights are out, and anything with solar panels seems to be getting less energy than you'd expect, even with the perpetually overcast sky.

It's a very silent world, like the calm after a snowstorm. Sounds don't seem to echo as much as they should, nor does sound seem to travel as far. The radio spectrum is empty except for static, there's no one transmitting on any frequency.

There's fewer fires than you'd expect. Even places you'd expect to soon catch fire without human intervention are still standing, undamaged. Campfires can be lit but with difficulty: something is keeping them from burning as they should. Even if you pour kerosene on a campfire it'll barely grow, it's like something sucked the energy out of everything.

All the locked buildings are still locked. Alarms don't sound if you break in (understandable, given the power situation), and of course no one comes to investigate. So The Empty World is your oyster: you can break in wherever you want (provided you can physically do it: some doors are pretty hard to pry open even with tools), take whatever you want, and bring it back here.

Everything resets when you leave. You always enter The Empty World like it's your first time there, like this just happened and you're late to the party... but the party keeps getting rescheduled. You can even take something multiple times if you want.

When you enter The Empty World you get there at the same relative position as you are on this world. If you're in New York, you show up in the empty New York. If you're in Topeka, you show up in empty Topeka. So you have to travel around this world to get to where you want, and you can't just appear in the middle of a bank vault... unless you break into the vault from this world. (So it's great if you work at a bank and want to steal from your employer without repercussions, but not so useful otherwise).

You don't just have to take things, you know. You can take computers and files and books and diaries. You will have to deal with recharging laptops and breaking through any security when you get back, but it's doable.

So, imagine you've just gotten access to The Empty World. What are you going to do with it? What will you take, and where will you go?

[the-firebird69]

Steve Winwood - Can't Find My Way Home (Live Performance 2020)

He's right I got him the key and someone said it to me today you got the key about this you got to tell people and here's what the key is. It's going on up there in New England and Northern New England there's blood everywhere from both sides and it drives the bugs it's happened already into the max it makes it look like they're not guilty but they are and they sacrificed another part of clones and really the clones of theirs are mad they have a problem now and on the battlefield in Florida it's supposed to draw them out and their bodies are removed by the pseudo empire because they know about it and if they didn't know about it and they got informed recently only a few years ago this place would be hell and everybody would be gone and he would be captured by the max that's what it's all about and that's what it's for and they're still trying to use it on you here so watch out because they might bring tankers down and they might do all sorts of things in the in the water itself

The rock

I kind of figured it out in conversation with him and he already knew and I already knew but the proof is that it's here and all over the place and the max are starting things like this and were and are and are up in Maine in order to hit you more lock and they're the ones with the knowledge and that's the max

Zues Hera

Olympus

[halynews]

[ad_1] NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Move over, Maverick. AI software can land a plane on a carrier deck better than you.  Over 5,000 men and women crew each of America’s 11 aircraft carriers, but the U.S. Navy’s counting on AI to help them fight China. AI will bring carrier planes in for landings, fly unmanned tankers with fuel for combat planes, and even analyze the bug juice in the chow line.  Night carrier landings are dangerous feats of combat aviation. Americans think of the "Top Gun" movies starring Tom Cruise as Maverick, an intrepid Navy pilot who can land a 32,000-lb. F/A-18EF Superhornet on a 90,000-ton aircraft carrier in night, rain, wind and pitching seas.  NSA ANNOUNCES NEW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SECURITY CENTER: 'DESPERATELY NEEDED'Now the Navy has found out AI is a big, big help in bringing aircraft aboard. In real life, a form of AI called Precision Landing Mode has changed the art of carrier landings into science.   The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is on station near Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. FILE: The Ford passes on its way to the Oslo Fjord, at Drobak, Norway, on May 24, 2023. (Terje Pedersen/NTB Scanpix via AP)As you know, CVN-78, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is in the eastern Mediterranean deterring Iran (and others) during Israel’s security crisis over Gaza. Previously, the Ford was the first aircraft carrier to try out AI for Precision Landing Mode on the newest, young Navy pilots.  Although the new pilots were fully trained, the final step of completing several landings on the aircraft carrier is exceptionally difficult. "You’ll see the white knuckles, the shaky knees, and you can see the expression on the face of somebody who’s just landed on an aircraft carrier at night for the first time," said Capt. Dan Catlin, the commanding officer of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106, told U.S. Naval Institute News during the 2021 test.  According to Catlin, the final seconds of a carrier landing required pilots to make about 300 separate adjustments to the plane’s flight path. Engine power, angle of attack, position to centerline, you name it.  With the AI in the Precision Landing Mode, it was all different. The number of adjustments made by pilots dropped to single digits. The pilots were much more confident and the AI they used was "really making something that was supposed to be incredibly hard, actually a little bit of fun," Catlin concluded.  Of course, the Navy’s been investing in AI and automated parts of its landing systems long ago. You can’t risk a $100 million fighter plane and pilot without confidence and a lot of testing. However, the exciting breakthrough is processing speed and algorithms to build the large data models so AI can cope with cross winds, pitching decks and minute engine power settings during carrier landings.  Going forward, the Navy is embracing AI as a shipmate throughout the fleet. "If we have trust in autonomy, we can then make the move to truly artificial intelligence and in the future of the air wing," says Rear Admiral Steven Tedford, who runs unmanned programs and systems development for the Navy at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland.  Already the Navy’s big MQ-25 Stingray drone has proven it can refuel other carrier aircraft and enhance satellite communications and reconnaissance for the aircraft carrier strike group. After 2026, all air wings will fly the Stingray drones. That’s a lot of AI.  Other systems like the Navy’s stealth F-35 fighters are bringing even more AI. The key is "using the equipment we have today but digitally advantaging it way more," explained Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet at the Hudson Institute on Oct. 4.  A carrier group packs a powerful punch. Here, an F/A-18 Hornet lands on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in 2013. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Charles D. Gaddis IV)Teaming AI with human crews and commanders is still the preferred mode for military operations. But there’s no question that senior officers may come to rely on AI in the heat of battle, too. Generative AI could soon help commanders anticipate everything from enemy missile shot trajectories to weapons effects of air strikes.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONImagine an AI tool that can model the football team’s potential defensive plays before the quarterback throws. With AI, the Navy can stay one step ahead of enemy behavior in a major air and sea confrontation.  That’s you, China. The Pentagon said Oct. 17 that Chinese aircraft are aggressively intercepting American military planes all over the Pacific. Looks like the debut of AI in tactical management of combat air patrols and daily operations can’t come soon enough.  With the AI in the Precision Landing Mode, it was all different. The number of adjustments made by pilots dropped to single digits. The pilots were much more confident and the AI they used was "really making something that was supposed to be incredibly hard, actually a little bit of fun," Catlin concluded.   Don’t forget sailors on the chow line and in the wardrooms. Back in April, the Navy partnered with IBM to apply artificial intelligence to the food supply chain. IBM says organizations often use less than 10% of their supply chain data.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPAI will help the Navy supply corps manage the flow of food from ice cream to the famous "bug juice," a fruit-flavored alternative to coffee and water often served aboard the carriers. (Lemon lime when I tasted it aboard USS Nimitz in San Diego years ago.)  Yes, the U.S. Navy will need every advantage to face down China in the Pacific. If it takes AI to flow the bug juice, get fuel to strike aircraft and bring the aircrews back aboard the carrier safely, I say full steam ahead.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE REBECCA GRANT Rebecca Grant is President of IRIS Independent Research and a Visiting Fellow of the Lexington Institute.

[psychictimemachinejellyfish]

Little Boxes.

When people hear about trigger events, nobody ever really grasps just how utterly god awful they truly are. Even other parahumans don’t really understand, most of them will always think of theirs as somehow the worst, as if its some kind of competition to see who lasted the longest before breaking.

Taylor didn’t know if she was just as oblivious as other parahumans, but she hoped that she wasn’t. She wanted to believe that she would never push someone into triggering on purpose in some demented parahuman supremacist bullshit. The worst part was the fact that even after the worst day of her fucking life, even after being driven from her home at gunpoint, even after being shot in the god damn leg, she could not bring herself to hate Emma. Despite knowing that she should hate her, knowing that this feeling of familial affection was fake as earth alaph monster movies, she couldn’t stop herself from missing her former best friend.

It was only after someone wolf whistled at her from a passing car that Taylor realized she had stopped running at some point, lost in thoughts of days long past. Shaking the memories of better times from her eyes, Taylor...

No. 

She wasn’t Taylor anymore. Taylor Hebert was dead, murdered by her sister in that horrid tanker. Taylor didn’t exist anymore. Whoever she was now, whatever she was, she wasn’t that helpless girl in a box anymore. The girl who pushed against the uncaring steel was dead and gone.

Eyeing the opening to the nearby alleyway, top covered by a tarp held down with various detritus, the girl made her choice. Stepping through the closest thing the makeshift shelter had to a door, she activated her power. Her foot never landed on the alleyway floor though, instead meeting the soft sand of Her Place. 

Some liked to call parahuman powers a twisted consolation prize for surviving the worst day of your life. The girl who had been Taylor wasn’t sure if she agreed with that statement, but Her Place was certainly fit to be some sort of prize.

A picturesque tropical paradise, all sunshine and soft beaches without any of the harsh realities of similar locations in the real world. No bugs or dangerous creatures to ruin the idyllic beach or the peaceful forest deeper inland. Despite there being wildlife, birds and wild dogs for a start, there would never be any droppings in her path.  For a moment the girl who had been Taylor pondered if Her Place was even real, or if she might just be bleeding out on her kitchen floor and imagining such a place, but she quickly dismissed such pointless thoughts and resumed her march to her goal. The cottage was just as oddly perfect as everything else in Her Place. Though the girl who had been taylor did not take the time to appreciate that, instead striding through before coming face to face with a single, golden compass. However its needle did not point north, instead pointing directly at the girl’s face. 

Once the girl might have hesitated, worried over what would come from her choice, but with everything lost to her there was no further reason to delay the inevitable. Her hand closed around the golden compass and Taylor Hebert truly died.

Three weeks later, Taylor Hebert lived again. ________________________________________________________________ Alt power, Alt trigger Taylor: This version of our favorite queen of escalation triggered in a VERY different manor to canon, which I hope was properly hinted at in this snip. As for what her exact power actually is, well thats a bit complicated.

At first its a relatively simple power, taylor created “holes” in reality that teleported whatever entered them to random worlds in the multiverse. But unfortunately(or fortunately depending on who you ask) taylor got unlucky and rolled a particular dimension that didn’t take kindly of the intrusion. As a result the dimension latched onto QA, changing taylors power into creating portals to the dimension in any doorway or doorway like place she walks through.

An event at her house leads to her running away, finally entering the place the dimension had been trying to force her towards for nearly a year. As for the compass, well thats an original relic that has some... side effects on taylors power.

Things have changed, and things will continue to change. But the needle will always point at Taylor. till next time.