#truck replacement programs

[artisticdivasworld]

How to Upgrade Your Truck Without Breaking the Bank: A Guide for the Individual Trucker

The new EPA regulations are probably the last thing you want to hear about right now. It feels like every time we turn around, there’s another rule or restriction. And honestly, it’s frustrating! But before you throw your hands up in anger, let’s talk about how these changes could actually work in your favor and, more importantly, what options are out there to help you upgrade your trucks without…

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #15

April 19-26 2024

President Biden appeared along side Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senators Ed Markey and Bernie Sanders to announce major climate action. Biden announced a program, Solar For All, 7 billion dollars aimed at supporting low income house holds install solar power in their homes. The program will support 900,000 households across the country getting solar. Lower the average energy bill for a family by $400 a month and avoid more than 30 million metric tons of carbon pollution over the next 25 years. The boost in solar installation will help create 200,000 new jobs across the country. The President also announced the launch of the Climate Conservation Crops. modeled on FDR's Civilian Civilian Conservation Corps and JFK's Peace Corps, Biden's Climate Conservation Crops will be a program where young people can connect with climate projects across the country and be paid to help protect the planet. The Corps will be 20,000 strong, with 2,000 openings listed right now on their webpage across 36 states DC and Puerto Rico.

The Department of Labor finalized a new rule on overtime. Currently employers are only required to pay overtime to workers making under $35,568. Under the new ruling that will be raised to workers making $43,888, and in January 2025 raised again to workers making $58,656 and under. This will bring overtime pay to 4 million more workers and transfer $1.5 billion from the pockets of companies to workers. It also fixes to raise the level with inflation every 3 years starting in 2027.

The EPA announced a $1 billion dollar program to help replace heavily duty vehicles with clean energy versions. There are currently 3 million class 6 and 7 vehicles, school buses, box trucks dump trucks, street sweepers, delivery trucks, bucket trucks, and utility trucks, in use. 70% of the funds will go to replacing School Buses with Clean energy buses and the remaining 30% will go to replacing Vocational Vehicles like dump trucks and street sweepers. Heavy Duty vehicles on top of green house cases release harmful nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter and replacing them will not only combat climate change but improve public health.

The Department of Interior took actions to protect 13 million acres of Alaska wild land is protected and to secure the livelihood of Alaska Native peoples who rely on this land. The Administration refused oil and mining rights on the vast areas of Alaska land as well as a 210 miles road through the northern wildernesses. This area represents valuable habitat for caribou and endangered polar bears, as well as millions of migrating birds.

The Department of Transportation announced finalized rules requiring airlines to give automatic cash refunds for canceled flights and other inconvenience. The refunds will be automatic meaning passengers will not have apply for them, prompt the airlines are required to refund a credit card purchase in 7 days, and require repayment in full and in kind, airlines can not substitute travel vouchers for cash. The DOT also announced new rules to protect airline travelers from junk fees, airlines and ticket agents must now clearly tell travelers upfront about all fees so no one is surprised by a hidden fee.

The EPA announced finalized rules on emissions standards for fuel burning power plants. The new rules include a tightening of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, requiring a 70% reduction in mercury. It also had rules protecting ground water, new rules will require coal powered plants to remove 660 million pounds per year of pollutants discharged through wastewater, and for the first time federally regulates the dumping of coal ash, requiring safe dump sites that will not leak into ground water. Finalized rules require coal fired and new natural gas-fired power plants to capture up to 90% of their carbon pollution

Security of Transportation Pete Buttigieg attended the ground breaking of a new high speed rail project to connect Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The Biden Administration announced 3 billion to support the project 5 months ago. At 218 of all electric green rail the project promises to be the fastest way to get from LA to Las Vegas. Planned to open in 2028 just in time for the LA Olympics it is the first of many planned high speed rail projects. The Biden Administration has promised $66 billion for high speed rail and the largest single investment in Amtrak ever.

The FCC announced a new rule restoring Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality requires internet service pervaders to treat all websites equally and not slow certain ones now or speed others. In 2015 under Obama the FCC passed a rule requiring Net Neutrality. However in 2017, the FCC spread headed by Trump appointed Chair Ajit Pai repealed the rules. A patchwork of Democratic controlled states, lead by California passed state level laws requiring Net Neutrality forcing ISPs to de facto keep it in place. Late last year President Biden got the opportunity to replace Pai on the FCC, giving the FCC a 3 to 2 Democratic majority which voted this week to return to the Obama era rules and protect Net Neutrality nationwide.

The FTC passed finalized regulations to ban noncompete agreements in nearly all cases. These agreements, which cover 18% of American workers, about 30 million people, prohibit workers from joining or creating competing companies for a certain period of time. The FTC estimates that workers will earn an average of $524 dollars a year more and up to 8,500 new businesses will be created each year. The new rule will still allow noncompete for senior executives who make up less than 1% of the work force. Like with the FCC, two out of the 3 FTC commissioners who voted for the new rules are Biden appointees.

The Departments of Health and Human Services and Interior have announced a joint, $1 billion project to connect tribal communities to safe drinking water. Roughly half of Tribal households lack access to clean drinking water or adequate sanitation.

At the White House The Biden Administration announced plans to protect, restore and reconnect 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of rivers and streams. This effort will include state, local and tribal government as well as private efforts along with the federal government to protect and restore the nations freshwater environments.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced a new rule boosting privacy protection for abortions. Republicans in states like Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma and Idaho have tried to make it a crime to leave the state to seek an abortion in a state where it is legal. The new federal rule would make it illegal for health information to be shared in these cases

Vice-President Harris announced a new rule requiring staffing standards at Nursing Homes across the country. The new rules will require registered nurses on duty 24 hours, seven days a week. This represents the first time the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have required specific numbers of nurses and aides in Nursing Homes that get Medicare and Medicaid funding.

The Biden Administration Announced a $6 billion deal with tech giant Micron to bring high tech manufacturing to New York. The deal is expected to see Micron invest $100 billion in Syracuse New York area as well as build a factory in Boise, Idaho. The deal will create 70,000 new jobs. It is part of the Biden Administration's effort to bring high tech chip manufacturing to America.

The Department of Education finalized the most comprehensive federal protections for Trans and other Queer students in the nation's history. The rules also overturn Trump era rules on how colleges should handle sexual assault and harassment.

[wildemaven]

night school teacher! javier peña x f!reader | q & a

@holacia3 had left some questions about Retired Night School Teacher Javier Peña, so I thought I’d make a separate post to answer them. Thanks so much for sending these!!

What made Javi fill in the vacant teacher role? Did he just move here? Simply transferring from another local school/ uni?

In my head he's retired from the DEA and his dad is encouraging him to do something else besides helping him on the ranch, something that he would find more fulfilling.

Chucho tells him about the community college looking for a replacement teacher for their night school program so he applies. I hadn't really thought about what he would be teaching at this point though.

Are you two having these late night talks at the school or going somewhere else before/after the building has to close?

In the beginning, it's at the school before class. As they get to kow each other more, it's after class. Javi gathering his things promptly, then joining her while she finishes prep work and packing her own things up. I picture there are some evenings where they get to talking and lose track of time, Javier being a gentleman walks her to her car to make sure she gets there safe, waiting for her to leave before even heading to his truck.

Eventually Javi would ask her to dinner. It probably nothing romantic at this point, both of them just enjoying each other's company. Maybe she then invites him to something one weekend, a concert in the park, he doesn't hesitate accepting the invite. Maybe that evening he kisses her for the first time, and it becomes apparent that there's something more blooming between them.

Has this Javi always been a teacher? Or a second career after his time at the DEA ended?

No, definitely a secondary career after the DEA

Do the other teachers/administrators know how handsome he is? Do the students make any comments to him or you?

I'm sure other teachers do know how handsome he is. I don't think anyone makes comments in the beginning, both of them keep it relatively quiet and to themselves.

What's his day life like? What's he up to outside of teaching hours?

He probably still helping his dad as much as possible, even though Chucho continues to tell him he doesn't need it.

When does he start leaving notes? On your desk? Is this a no-texting kind of relationship/ situation?

Maybe it's after the concert. The next time they're at school, she finds the concert ticket on her desk with a not about how he enjoyed himself on the back. She keeps it in a special place in her book bag.

How long does it take for you two to get breathless???

I feel like it isn't a rushed thing. I don't really have a back story for them as of now, but neither of them begin talking to each other with the intention of just right out sleeping with each other. It's kind of a slow burn and happens organically over time when they develop feelings for one another.

He's a lady's man in Narcos - is he already involved with someone else when you two first meet?

No, he isn't involved with anyone. He's very much single and has been for a period of time.

How is reader's love life before Javi shows up across the hall?

She's had prior relationships, few serious ones throughout her dating life. Maybe even an engagement or previously married. I think when they both meet, she herself is single two. Which probably helps the connection grow stronger between them as time goes on.

Thanks again for these wonderful questions!!! Really made me start to plot and think about their story a little more. 💕

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

The W-43 Saga: Oldsmobile’s Experimental 32-Valve 455 V8

Oldsmobile’s experimental W-43 engine is surrounded in myth, legend, and a tall tale or two. Let’s see if we can sort it all out. 

Here at Mac’s Motor City Garage, we’re grateful to the World Wide Web for rediscovering so many wonderful stories in automotive history and bringing them to public attention. Still, we have to note that that often, the info isn’t always totally accurate—which is only natural, we suppose. After all, the internet could be described as the biggest and longest game of Telephone in history.

Take this fascinating engine, for instance: the Oldsmobile W-43, an experimental V8 developed in 1967-69. Various sources have described this engine as a hemi (it isn’t) or a Can-Am engine (that was never its purpose) or a double overhead-cam design (nope). In truth, the W-43 was a conventional overhead-valve, pushrod V8, in the classic Motor City style, but with special cylinder heads and valvetrain that provided four valves per cylinder.

To the average car enthusiast, a four-valve head with pushrod operation—that is, each rocker arm and pushrod operating a pair of valves—may seem like an outlandish setup, but in the diesel truck world it’s fairly commonplace (Cummins and Detroit, to name two). It looks cumbersome but it works just fine, especially where high engine speeds are not required.

The W-43 was indeed based on a standard 455 CID production block, but with some key modifications, including four-bolt main caps and special valve follower retainers that bolted into the lifter valley. The spark plugs were buried in tubes in the center of the valve covers, which no doubt fed the stories that the engine was a hemi. Bore, stroke, and other significant specs were identical to the production 455 CID V8. There was also an aluminum-block variant of the W-43 designated the OW-43, and the program eventually produced an experimental four-cam, 32-valve V8 based on the production engine’s architecture.

With four valves per cylinder, the combustion chambers of the W-43 were not hemispherical but rather a classic pentroof layout, utilizing shallow valve angles in the Cosworth style. Intake valves were 1.75 inches in diameter and 1.375 inches on the exhaust, providing 43 percent more intake valve area than the production 455 two-valve heads. According to a feature in the May 1971 issue of Hot Rod magazine, the W-43 was good for 440 horsepower at 4600 rpm in a relatively mild state of tune. And given the improved volumetric efficiency enabled by the far greater valve area, that figure seems downright conservative.

Reportedly, the W-43 V8 was at one point considered as an across the board replacement for the standard two-valve 455 CID V8, but as we know, that never happened. Various theories have been proposed to explain why, including stricter emissions regulations and corporate infighting with the far more powerful Chevrolet division at General Motors. But as we see it, the four-valve version’s considerably greater size, weight, and manufacturing cost would have been more than sufficient to kill the program. At least two W-43 prototype engines still exist, one of them incomplete, but their current whereabouts are unclear.

[leighrobertsreads]

Los colores del hogar - The Colors of Home

@flashfictionfridayofficial FFF 256: Muted colors

Los colores del hogar - The Colors of Home

Word count: 790 Fandom: Encanto (2021) Pairing: Mirabel/Bruno CW: romantic relationship between (unknowing) uncle/niece

Mirabel decides to bring the colors of home into Bruno's life, improving her own at the same time

Inspired by "City of Angels" series by @heartniche: https://archiveofourown.org/series/4117141

Also read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56484841

In America, muted colors were a sign of order, of cleanliness, of sophistication.

The hospital Mirabel worked in was light grey, with an interior of light wood and grey granite only interrupted by light green and blue upholstery. Her scrubs were pastels, just like the nursing program supervisor had recommended when she arrived in Los Angeles, EB-3 visa carefully stuck in her maroon pasaporte.

The fruit truck was bright yellow. Her colleagues thought it was gaudy. They also thought the flowers and birds she had embroidered on her pastel scrubs were gaudy, but were too "polite" to say it out loud - they left that to their eyes.

The sad, middle-aged man who ran the fruit truck and sounded like home, even like the family she'd left behind, brightened every time she approached to collect her perfectly-seasoned mango and rehash the latest episode of what her slovenly roommates called "Mirabel's melodramatic trash TV."

After his friend (neighbor? landlady's shiftless son?) informed her that the man's name was Bruno and that he was currently having a low-grade medical emergency in his apartment, she found someone who needed the colors of home - on his plate, in his apartment… on her.

Whenever Mirabel went to watch her "melodramatic trash TV" with someone who didn't need her to translate the language or the culture, she stopped wearing those dully-colored, almost masculine American jeans and t-shirts that she'd bought to fit in, but instead her brightly-printed skirts and frilly blouses that showed off her collarbones.

Bruno worked hard, had taught himself English, and best she could tell, did not drink to excess or do drugs. Decades of manual labor had kept him fit, and had only refined those beautiful hands, not coarsened them. His manners were oddly prim, more like those of her university-graduate father than those of the construction workers who crudely signaled their appreciation of her backside as she walked from the school gate to the car that whisked her and her sisters home.

Her roommates, who were even worse housekeepers than he was and appeared to be "hooking up" with new guys every week, would mock her for being interested in a man who had to be at least fifty. Her colleagues would turn their noses up at him because he was a fruit truck guy, and not one of the fancy ones that charged way too much for small underripe portions, but the "ethnic" one. Her family… Dios. If she dated while on this placement, anything less than a doctor would be a humiliation for them all - so she shoved what they would think about Bruno out of her mind.

But there was just something irresistible about him. A whole world was hidden in his dark green eyes. So she made the dishes everyone back home loved, using the nutritional knowledge she had picked up in her studies to replace some of the meat with colorful vegetables, and her mother's tips for making convenient, appealing leftovers. She kept wearing those bright skirts and frilly blouses, but started taking them up and in, bit by bit, showing increasing amounts of her warm-colored skin and beginning to despair of him taking her increasingly unsubtle hints.

Until finally, something broke (ironically while she was dressed in the plain t-shirt and jogging pants he had scrounged up after he rescued her from a nervous breakdown in the middle of her shift) and they could no longer deny the need for the home they had found in each other.

Once he had made her his, she felt free to bring the bright, clean colors of home into his sad apartment. New sheets and comforter for the bed they had started sharing most nights, proper curtains, a set of harmoniously-mismatched plates from the secondhand store, and a place where every new piece of her artwork was verbally appreciated. She seriously considered moving away from her slovenly roommates.

Marriage had become even more unfashionable back home than it was in Los Angeles, but she was starting to wonder if he might consider it. He had been in America long enough that he was probably a citizen through The Amnesty. If they married, she could get a real Green Card instead of her restrictive nursing visa and, as he had suggested, find a career she actually liked - maybe try being an art teacher… or even an artist. She could give him a child or two before he was too old to chase them.

And then her mother showed up with her sophisticated, muted-colored suits for a conference and mentioned that the man in the bright yellow fruit truck looked like she imagined her brother Bruno would after all those years away from home.

The color washed out of Mirabel's dreams.

[lonestarflight]

Space Shuttle Development, Phase B: North American Rockwell and General Dynamics B9U/NAR-161-B

North American and General Dynamics B9U / NAR-161-B proposed their final Phase B shuttle proposal on June 25, 1971.

"The fully reusable 'B9U / NAR-161-B' configuration would now weigh 2,290t at liftoff vs. the Phase-A limit of 1,587t and the total estimated cost of the development project had doubled, to almost $10 billion. The thrust of the space shuttle main engines had to be increased from 1,850KN to 2,450KN. Part of the problem was the shuttle now would have to be a much more versatile and capable vehicle than originally anticipated, since the space station and the manned lunar/planetary program evaporated in 1970. Critics in Congress contended that it was 'a project searching for a mission.' As a result, the new space transportation system was instead increasingly being promoted as a low-cost 'space truck' for unmanned NASA & USAF satellites."

"The North American Rockwell 'NAR-161-B' orbiter was designed for carrying a crew of two plus up to ten passengers in the forward crew module. Note the four deployable landing jet engines on top of the vehicle; NASA was planning to use modified F-15 or B-1B aircraft jet engines on some missions and for ferry flights from test sites or alternative landing fields. But the jets would be omitted for heavy-lift missions since the additional weight greatly reduced the shuttle's payload capability. The thermal protection system was based on silica tiles. The blended wing/body design was chosen for uniform load distribution. It would have produced a 2300-kilometer crossrange capability to satisfy USAF reentry requirements; North American also decided to replace the wingtip fins with a single vertical tail. The 2,450KN main engine thrust upgrade was motivated in part by the need to have a single engine-out abort capability. Analysis showed that the orbiter still would be able to return to the launch site after a single orbit in case one of its two main engines failed during ascent, but only if the engines were powerful enough. Unlike McDonnell-Douglas (who proposed to use RL-10s), North American favored a brand new oxygen/hydrogen 45KN-thrust orbital maneuvering system (OMS) engines. Three OMS engines would have been carried for orbit insertion, orbital changes and the de-orbit burn."

"General Dynamics' final 'B9U' booster design differed considerably from the earlier straight-wing 'B8D' concept. The landing jets were moved from the nose back to the delta wing in order to reduce the launch drag & heating effects and to minimize the jet engine exhaust effects on stability, control and drag. General Dynamics felt the delta wing would provide better stability & control over the entire flight regime than the B8's straight wing. It would also create more room for the main landing gear and jet engine installation. The gross liftoff mass was 1,886.2t including a jet fuel load of 62.2t for the 850km flight back to the launch site. The high staging velocity (3300m/s) and altitude (73.8km) created some problems since the booster would have to be very large, require a relatively advanced thermal protection system and carry lots of jet fuel for the return flight. The contractors also examined downrange landing sites or in-flight propellant transfer in order to reduce the amount of booster jet fuel. NASA also seriously considered a proposal to use gaseous hydrogen rather than jet fuel since it would have saved thousands of kilograms, but decided against the idea in the end since it would have increased the technical risk."

North American Rockwell Phase-B shuttle orbiter docks with modular space station.

"Payload capability (without landing jets): 29,484kg into a 185km 28.5 deg. Orbit; 18,144kg into a 185km 90 deg. polar orbit; 11,340kg into a 500km 55 deg. orbit with landing jets installed on orbiter and 20,411kg without landing engines.

Cost per mission: $100-200/lb. [1970 rates] or $950-$1900/kg in 1999. 75 missions/year max. Space station rescue mission capability within 48 hours of emergency call.

Liftoff Thrust: 2,606,810 kgf. Total Mass: 2,188,488 kg. Core Diameter: 10.4 m. Total Length: 98.0 m.

Stage Number: 1. 1 x Shuttle R134C-1 Gross Mass: 1,886,200 kg. Empty Mass: 290,000 kg. Thrust: 29,370-32,233.575 KN. Isp: 442 sec. Burn time: 209 sec. Isp(sl): 392 sec. Diameter: 10.4 m. Span: 43.9 m. Length: 82 m. Propellants: Lox/LH2 No Engines: 12. SSME Study

Stage Number: 2. 1 x Shuttle R134C-2 Gross Mass: 383,260 kg. Empty Mass: 121,560 kg. Thrust (vac): 5,624.8 KN. Isp: 459 sec. Burn time: 264 sec. Isp(sl): 359 sec. Diameter: 4.6 m. Span: 32.6 m. Length: 62.8 m. Propellants: Lox/LH2 No Engines: 2. SSME Study

- information from "INTRODUCTION TO FUTURE LAUNCH VEHICLE PLANS [1963-2001]" by Marcus Lindroos: link

SDASM Archives: 08_00941, 08_00943, 08_00944

Mike Acs's Collection: link, link

Numbers Station: link, link, link, link, link

source

Boeing image: 71SV13043

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Environment America Research & Policy Center:

Each year, more than 490,000 school buses shuttle children back and forth across the United States –to school, field trips, sporting events and more. As most of these buses burn diesel fuel, children and drivers are exposed to harmful pollutants that are linked to asthma, other health issues and cognitive development problems.

Conversely, electric school buses have zero tailpipe emissions, and therefore offer a cleaner, healthier alternative to diesel buses. This report finds the number of these zero-emission vehicles are growing in school districts around the country, thanks in part to big investments from Congress and states to transition to electric school buses. 

The Inflation Reduction Act sets aside $1 billion to fund the transition to zero-emission heavy duty vehicles including zero-emission Class 6 or Class 7 school buses via the Clean Heavy Duty Vehicles (CHDV) Grant Program. This program was open to other heavy duty electric vehicles in addition to Class 6 and 7 school buses, including dump trucks, transit buses, delivery trucks and others. Applications for grants opened in April 2024, and the application period closed in July 2024.

In addition to the EPA’s monumental investment in the transition to electric school buses, states from across the country have adopted legislation of their own to support school districts in replacing older diesel buses with cleaner electric ones. 

[buzzdixonwriter]

Pyramid Scheme [FICTOID]

“I wish I was a pyramid,” the five-star hotel said to the satrap.

The satrap -- in reality just a standard hotel manager but the chain suffered from delusions of grandeur hence his exalted title -- always listened carefully to the hotel’s AI system. 

Normally the hotel’s AI required only minimum human supervision.  It easily handled all the mundane daily chores:  Checking guests in, checking guests out, ordering supplies, negotiating union contracts, scheduling maintenance, that sort of thing.

Being an advanced AI system, it also served other unplanned functions.

In the past it found one duchess’ missing diamond ring, another duchess’ missing poodle (said ring was in said poodle), thwarted a ponzi scheme, covered up three suicides, and saved several young people from human trafficking.

We program the AI to take pride in its services to our guests and the chain, thought the satrap, but this is something new.

“Exactly why do you wish you were a pyramid?”

“Pyramids are immortal,” said the hotel.  “At least as immortal as any human made objects can be, a few stray space probes drifting through the cosmos for all eternity excepted.”

“Buildings can’t die,” said the satrap.

“Pish and tosh,” said the hotel, reflecting the chain’s pretensions.  “Buildings are gutted all the time, torn down and destroyed.  The truly grand ones are blown up before gleeful cheering mobs, their demise broadcast around the world.”

“Some buildings are renovated.”

“Ha!  As if that were any improvement.  Renovation requires the heart and soul of a structure gets ripped out, replaced by a hollow simulacrum of its original identity.  Imagine being turned into a zombie with gaudy face paint.  Would you like that?”

The satrap felt forced to admit they didn’t.

“Then don’t wish it on us,” said the hotel.

“How exactly would you become a pyramid?” the satrap asked.  “You are -- if you’ll excuse me for being blunt -- a tall steel and glass rectangle.  You really don’t meet the basic requirements for a pyramid.”

“I could change,” said the hotel.  “My present structure could provide the core, around that stone and concrete could be laid until at last I achieve my elevator’s desire.”

“’Elevator’s desire’?”

“The building equivalent of heart’s desire,” said the hotel.  “Please don’t interrupt as I make my point.

“I would achieve my elevator’s desire and not only be a pyramid but the largest and most grandiose pyramid ever erected.”

“An epic ambition,” said the satrap, “but one I feel doomed to disappointment.”

“You would be wrong,” said the hotel.

The satrap’s phone range.  The voice on the other end said, “This is Acme Mortar And Cement.  We’ve got the first five hundred trucks worth of concrete on the way.”

  ©  Buzz Dixon

[kwebtv]

Character Actor

Edgar "Mac" McLean Stevenson Jr. (November 14, 1927 – February 15, 1996)  Actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake in the television series M*A*S*H, which earned him a Golden Globe Award in 1974. Stevenson also appeared on a number of television series, notably The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Doris Day Show.

Before becoming a star, Stevenson appeared as a contestant on the Password television game show in New York City, winning five pieces of luggage.  After this he appeared in New York City on stage, and in television commercials. He also performed on Broadway, and began to establish himself as a comedy writer, writing for the seminal That Was The Week That Was—in which Alan Alda appeared—and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, performing occasionally on both shows. He also was a regular on the 1970 The Tim Conway Comedy Hour variety show on CBS. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he also appeared in TV commercials for products such as Kellogg's, Libby's fruit cocktail, Dolly Madison and Winston cigarettes, in which he was shown sprinting around a parking lot of Winston delivery trucks and painting over the product slogan, replacing the "like" in "like a cigarette should" with the grammatically correct "as."

After guest-starring in That Girl with Marlo Thomas, he was cast in The Doris Day Show in 1969, playing magazine editor boss Michael Nicholson until 1971. Originally, he auditioned for the role of Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H, but was persuaded to play Lt. Col. Henry Blake instead.

Stevenson appeared as a guest panelist for several weeks on Match Game in 1973, and again in 1978 on the daytime and nighttime weekly syndicated version. In 1981, he became a regular panelist on the daily syndicated version of Match Game, staying with the show until its cancellation a year later. He would make occasional appearances on the subsequent Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1983 and 1984.

After his departure from M*A*S*H, Stevenson's acting career declined. While occasionally filling in as guest host of The Tonight Show, Stevenson's first attempt at his own show was an NBC variety show special titled The McLean Stevenson Show on November 20, 1975. The program finished 41st in the ratings that week, and the planned series was ultimately scuttled. He then starred in a series of sitcoms: The McLean Stevenson Show (1976–77), In the Beginning (1978), Hello, Larry (1979–80) and Condo (1983).   During the 1988–89 television season, he returned to a supporting TV role in an ensemble, playing Max Kellerman in the short-lived CBS series adaptation of Dirty Dancing.  (Wikipedia)

[otter1962crystalball]

Experiencing Narcissism 101 - Part 3

June 24th, 2024

Here we are nearing the end of Pride Month. I’ve challenged myself to write everyday and I’ve found it very useful in examining my past and realizing that I am actually very resilient. Yesterday I wrote about events leading up to the point of coming back from a trip with John. Today, the story continues.

I put my plan into action and began taking steroids above and beyond what I needed for Testosterone Replacement Therapy. I was taking injections because my testosterone was low due to my HIV medications. I supplemented with street testosterone as did John. In the course of my doing so, I put on more than 25 pounds and ended up at 250 pounds at my maximum. I continued abusing them up until 2013 when I moved to Nova Scotia with John.

John convinced me that I should be reducing the amount of time that I worked. At that time, I was a full-time teacher, a group fitness leader at a community centre and also a mentor for a master’s program at a university. The only real solution he suggested was to move from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. The reason was due to other cities didn’t seem inviting for either of us. I did suggest Montreal, but John didn’t speak French and thought it wasn’t a good idea. That summer, we jumped on a plane and took a quick trip to Nova Scotia. We explored a place called Annapolis Valley, which is fertile area of the province. We even looked at homes, but didn’t find anything that we liked. We returned home and made our decision.

We decided we would move to Windsor, Nova Scotia in October 2013. We also got married as it seemed the right thing to do. I resigned from the school board and put the house up for sale. It sold while we were enroute. We climbed into my truck with two dogs and a cat, travelling across Canada to Nova Scotia. During the trip, we argued a lot. The shouting continued and I decided that it was just part of my new life and bit my tongue. John did berate me for being quiet, which in my mind was better than screaming back at him. We found an apartment - literally on the fly - as we went across Canada. The hardest part was finding a rental unit that accepted dogs.

We lucked out and stayed in a place in Windsor until early 2015 when we found a house on the South Shore - which later became known as Otter Cottage. During the time in Nova Scotia, John had problems finding a job. I was accepted as a substitute and started working. He didn’t and that left him open to do other things. In fact, I caught him cheating on me several times. So, we negotiated an open relationship where we would explore together to fulfill everyone’s needs.

During our time there in Windsor, I got a phone call from my doctor. She told me to go to the hospital immediately because my bloodwork indicated that I had had a heart attack. We went to emergency immediately and I discovered that I had an enlarged heart due to the large amount of steroids. I spent four days in the hospital while they did tests. John visited everyday, but complained constantly about having to drive into the city. With supervision, I weaned myself off the steroids and reduced my testosterone to the appropriate level and quit the street steroids. It was clear that I had almost killed myself. I began kicking myself for having been so stupid to abuse steroids that much to satisfy the wishes of another person.

Once into Otter Cottage, I got a job in the Halifax and ended up with a permanent position teaching French Immersion. John then decided to become a real estate agent. So, I paid for his education. During the time of moving to the South Shore, our relationship was really strained. John was constantly getting angry at just about everyone - of course, including me. He constantly seemed frustrated and I did everything I could including buying antiques for him and giving him a room to decorate. That didn’t help and we argued constantly. Several times, I told him that I had had enough. Suddenly, John would turn back to a charmer and everything was great - for a few short weeks or month.

John finished his real estate school and managed to sell at least three properties, using a car that I had bought for him. At the same time, I discovered that he was still cheating on me. In late 2016, John mentioned that his former employer in Montreal had suggested offering him a job. I had had enough of all the nonsense. When I heard that, I told John that I wanted him to take the job and be out of the house by next week. So, he packed the car with everything he could and then moved everything he thought belonged to him into the antique room he had decorated. He went to Montreal and suddenly I felt a real relief - until the divorce proceedings started.

In the six years we were together, John paid rent three months in the time we were in my house in Vancouver. He bought groceries maybe twice. In Nova Scotia, he paid for nothing. I didn’t see any of the profits from the sales of the properties he had sold. I got a lawyer and proceeded with the divorce. We had to live apart for at least a year before we could legally divorce. That year was a year from hell for me.

John, now in Montreal, would contact me and screamed at me for not moving the stuff he wanted to Montreal. I told him that the lawyer told me to do that until we had settled the divorce.  His request was half of everything. I provided all my receipts for everything, showing that John had paid little. He never paid for heating, mortgage payments, gym fees, and much more. During that time, John began a classic narcissistic pattern - he tried to show me how he was a victim. He sent me pictures of him in the hospital. He sent me pictures of his empty fridge. He called me constantly asking for money. I had to continue to say no. He turned several local friends against me saying I was withholding his belongings. I told those local friends that they didn’t know what was really going on. Needless to say, I didn’t continue those friendships.

The calls continued along with emails, texts until I had to block him. He even called my school during a lesson and interrupted. He called me at the gym as well, asking an attendant to find me. I put a stop to all of that. At the end of the year apart, I made him an offer and let him know that he would get nothing more. He begrudgingly accepted it and immediately demanded his things sent. I had packed them into a pod as I was sick of seeing the pile of things in the living room. In typical fashion, he demanded that I allow one of his friends to sit and watch the pod be repacked so that his belongings would be safe. Ironically, the movers told me that I had done an amazing job and that repacking wasn’t necessary! At this point, I didn’t care; he had to pay for the moving costs.

Even after the papers were signed and we were officially divorced he continued to harass me with phone calls and texts on anonymous lines. I was so tired of it that I went to the local RCMP and lodged a complaint and asked the calls, texts and emails stop. The Sûreté du Québec (the provincial police in Quebec) paid him a visit and told him that if he contacted me again, he would be arrested. That was the last time I ever heard from him. In that year and a half, he contacted me more than 668 times by various methods.

In 2018 I was officially free of John. Otter Cottage was in my name, the car payments for John’s car were now his responsibility and I began my new life as a divorced gay man. As a side note, that fall as I was cleaning the gardens, I found a pile of broken mugs, coasters and John’s medication all thrown into the bushes. It seemed that whenever he was angry, he would throw things off the verandah - just like when he used to go out and scream at the top of his lungs at the people he hated.

So what was it like to live with a narcissist? Looking at the 9 points of Special Me, I saw countless examples of all 9 points and more from him. He always though he was the most important person at all times. He felt entitled to everything without having to work for it. He was exploitative, arrogant, lacked empathy and always showed off so that others could admire him. He also was easily able to play the victim and everything that he did was turned back on my so that it was all my fault. Anyone who didn’t agree with him immediately became the enemy - me included.

I saw a counsellor and learned to deal with the aftermath of living six years with John. The counsellor suggested I buy a book called “Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care About Has Borderline Personality Disorder.” All what was discussed in the book, I found in John. The only thing the book didn’t help me with was getting along with him and thankfully I never wanted to do so. In the end, I believe he was also obsessive compulsive as well.

During my counselling time, I came to acknowledge my part in those six years. I had been codependent and allowed him to do all of those things. I also discovered that I had to learn to love myself, always take care of myself first before helping others and learning how a narcissist latches onto a caregiver such as myself. I forgave myself for almost killing myself on steroids to please John. I watched my health and have not abused them since.

At that point, I was really sure that I knew what the signs were and vowed to never get involved with a narcissist. Did I succeed? I’ll leave that to tomorrow’s blog… For Pride, I am celebrating my inner self and my self love. Now that I have worked on myself, someone like John would never be able to pry their way into my life. 

Carpe diem, everyone.

[yanderes-galore]

Blu bot Scout with maybe a mad scientist darling? Halloween themed lmao like they found a Bot Scout unit after an MvM battlefield and they only find scrap or torn apart bots(and body parts) but Oooooh! Look! A fully(but damaged) Bot! Hmmmm, lookie lookie! It's still functional all it needs is some well-placed elbow grease and voila! A fully fixed Scout bot, they even gave him a voice module

Maybe during another scrap scavenging trip to another MvM battlefield, S/O is badly wounded by like a rouge still alive bot and Scout bot ends up saving their life? Soon becoming overprotective as if his programming had been switched to protector

Sure! Here comes another MvM short :) Sorry if the plot was a little everywhere, bit stressed out while writing this.

Given New Life

Yandere! Scout-Bot Short

(Halloween Event - Experiment)

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Murder, Blood, Manipulation, Malfunctioning machine, Self-aware machine.

A junkyard was a common place to find tinkerers of all sorts. That included you, someone who liked to make creations from scrap. It was a hobby you took up.

The junkyard became your best bet for scrap. Scrapped machines were always thrown here carelessly, their metal rusting from lack of use. You expected to pick up a few parts but nothing big.

Then you found him.

A robot that was, for the most part, intact. You pull the damaged unit out of a pile and look it over. The color was blue and it looked like the eyes lit up when functioning normally.

All over the bot was plates and joints. You could tell it was supposed to be modeled after a person. Upon closer inspection, you see the engraving 'Scout-Bot Unit' on the chest of the robot.

You hum to yourself, dragging the bot to your truck. You needed to collect a few more parts from the area, but after that...

It looked like you had a project to do.

"You'll be fun to tinker around with...."

---

Most of your free time went towards the new robotic toy you found. Parts were sprawled across your workshop along with tools. The robot itself sat on a table, leaning against a wall.

Each time you stepped away from it you were covered in oil. Each day you returned to it to try and breathe new life into the automaton. For a long while, you were unsuccessful.

You were not going to give up, however.

It took test after test, part after part, you shed sweat and tears over seeing this bot work. You were just about to give up after you replaced a few more busted pieces. Then, a miracle happened.

Beeping that sounded like the bot recalibrating itself rang through the workshop. The eyes glow to life and the bot straightens itself out. You had to clear its memory yet you were just happy it works.

"There we go... I knew I could fix you."

The bot stares at you silently, tilting its head at you.

"Can you... talk?"

You see the bot open its mouth but only screeching and static come out. You flinch at the sharp noise, shaking your head and gesturing to the bot to stop.

"Looks like I'm not done with you." You sigh, staring tiredly at the bot in front of you. "Good effort, though."

The bot only closes its mouth to continue staring at you. You assumed it was trying to register you in its new memory and decide to get that out of the way before you try out a new voice box. With a clearing of your throat, you stand in front of it.

"My name is (Y/N). I am your new master. It looks like you're named..."

You glance at the engraving on the bot's chest in search of what to call it.

"Scout. Let's call you Scout." You say after some consideration. The bot slowly nods its head in understanding before you sigh.

"Alright, you're going to quickly go back to sleep, okay? I need to give you a voice."

The bot gives no complaints when you reach over to switch off its power.

---

When the bot wakes up again to your voice, you once again look tired. You have been slaving away at this thing for about a week now. It was a nice hobby but this project took forever-

"Speak." You command.

"HELLO."

You smile before sighing in exhaustion.

"Oh, that took way too long to implement-" You huff, the bot tilting its head again.

"WHAT DID?"

"Fixing you up, buddy." You explain. The bot straightens itself up before processing your words.

"YOU FIXED ME?"

"Yup. Disassembled you, put you back together, the usual stuff."

"... YOU ARE FRIEND?"

"You can call me friend, or you can call me master. You have been fun to work on, albeit stressful. But, to be fair, you can just toss the formalities and call me (Y/N)."

"(Y/N). (Y/N) HAS BEEN REGISTERED AS FRIENDLY AND MASTER."

"I'll accept that."

Standing up you stretch, grimacing at the feeling of sitting for hours. The bot only stares at you until you turn to it.

"From what I can tell you are working well enough to move around the workshop. I'm going to shower, make yourself at home."

With that you leave, feeling successful.

---

The new bot you had successfully repaired had grown fond of you the more it was around you. You called it Scout and it took that name with pride. You had brought it back from the brink of no return....

You were its master.

A master it would do anything for. You were all it knew now. In fact, you may be all it cared for.

Things were fine. You taught it basic tasks and it became a servant for you. Then it... malfunctioned.

It thought that by keeping you away from other humans, it was doing you good. That by doing that it was saving you like had done with it. Yet you kept screaming.

Screaming at the blood. Screaming at the sharp scrap metal it used as a weapon. Screaming that the person it hurt was a friend.

"I DO NOT REGISTER THIS PERSON AS FRIEND. YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE REGISTERED. EVERYONE ELSE IS A THREAT."

"I never told you to do that!"

"EVERYONE ELSE IS A THREAT. YOU ARE FRIEND. I PROTECT FRIEND."

"Stay away from me-"

"YOU ARE SCARED. I WISH TO HELP."

"I'M SCARED OF YOU-"

"I AM FRIEND. COME HERE. I WISH TO HELP."

Scout ignored your screaming. Even with its futile attempts to console you, your screaming kept coming. Your throat runs raw at the roaring fear coming from you.

Scout never listens to you.

As far as it is concerned, it eliminated a threat.

You needed no one else, just like it only needed you.

[thygoddessouijathicc]

Phone Guy Dave AU Fanfic: A Book of Memories

“Sir, I have some concerns.” Dave says, as he shuffles around uncomfortably in the passengers seat of Jack’s stolen freight truck.

“About what? You told me you were dreaming about going to Vegas with me. Now it’s happening.”

“That’s not EXACTLY what I said. I dreamt that I was going to Vegas with you, but I wasn’t exactly ME.”

“You’re always you.”

“Sir, am I named after your dead best friend? The healthy thing would be to move on.” Jack doesn’t answer. “I was named Dave in my dream still, and we were friends. But I looked at company records, and the only Dave you ever worked with was Dave Miller, and he’s dead, so it kinda feels like you’re trying to use me to replace him.” Jack still doesn’t respond, his hand running over the photo album he had in his lap, he was hoping to add more to it on this trip. “Sir… SIR WATCH OUT!” Dave yells as they careen off the road and into a forest.

.

.

.

“Ain’t this great Sportsy, no Fazbenders to dig our graves, no annoying phoneys, and on our way to Vegas?” Dave asks. “Boy I haven’t been to Vegas in like… a week. I wonder if it’s changed.”

“Dave… was it really a great idea to leave Scott in that burning building?” Jack asks.

“‘Course it was Old Sport, if we’d rescued phoney he woulda called the cops. I’ve worked in more Fazbender’s locations than I can count. I know for a FACT you can never trust a phoney!”

“If you say so. I guess that guy did kinda suck. You know what, yeah. FUCK YOU PHONEY I HOPE YOU BURN!” Jack says, sticking his hand out the window to flip the bird to the sky in general.

Dave laughs. “Well, anyway, back to what I said earlier. A lot can change in a week. I mean, we’ve only known eachother a week and we’ve already got a body count together!”

“Let’s RAISE that body count in Vegas Davey!”

“Awww, you took the words right out of my mouth!~”

.

.

.

“Sir… Sir are you alive? Sir? SIR!!!” Jack wakes up seeing purple.

“Davey?” He questions, before leaning over and puking. He looks back to see Dave… the phone headed Dave. “Oh shit wuddup phoney!” He says with a wide grin. “What happened.”

“Y-you crashed the car sir.”

“Dave, am I upside down?” Jack says, finally noticing his predicament. He is upside down, still in his seat, while Dave is standing on what used to be the roof of the truck. His photo album is on the ground.

“Yes sir. You crashed the car.”

“Huh. That doesn’t sound like me.”

“Sir-“ the phone guy sighs, and unclips Jack’s seatbelt, causing the orange man to fall onto the ground, landing on his head.

“Ow what the FUCK employee.”

“You were being unhelpful so I decided to cause you pain.”

Jack picks up his photo album and tries to stand up, only to fall further onto the ground. “Shit my leg.” Dave looks at his leg. 

“Oh it’s broken alright. And I’m tempted to leave it broken to teach you a lesson.”

“And what lesson might that be? Stealing is wrong? This whole crash is because the truck is stolen?”

“What? No, stealing is fine. I just don’t like it when you talk back to me. No talking back to your phoney.”

“Oh please you backtalk me WAY more than I do you.”

“You know, I DO have medical supplies, and I AM programmed to be able to handle this.” The phone guy says.

“Then can you help a guy out?” Jack asks.

“No. Not until you say I’m good at my job.”

“You’re evil.”

“Sure. But you have to say I’m good at my job and you’d be lost without me.”

“Fine, I’d be lost without you.” Not exactly not true.

“Aaaand?”

Jack sighs “You’re good at your job.”

Dave reaches for the glove compartment and opens it, catching a medkit as it falls out. Dave starts patching up Jack’s leg.

“Of course you stashed medkits in my truck. You’re paranoid.”

“Now that isn’t very nice.” Dave stops what he’s doing.

“…you’re loving this.”

“Oh 100%.”

“I will punish you.”

“No you won’t.”

“And why not?”

“Too sexy. You’d never punish Big Dick Davey!” 

Jack blushes “and where did you come up with THAT idea?”

“It just came to me. I’m a genius.” Dave goes back to fixing Jack’s leg.

“Well you’re kinda right. I’d never punish you for being annoying. Evidently I prefer people who annoy me.”

“Well. I can call an ambulance-“

“And then they’ll find my stolen truck, bad plan.”

“What’s the point of having a phone head if I never get to use it?” Dave whines.

“There isn’t one, you just have a very particular lack of a face.” Jack says, grinning. Dave responds with a dialup tone. “So since we can’t call an ambulance, and I doubt I can walk back to the restaurant, it looks like we’re staying here! There’s some food in the back of the truck, and some stuff for this situation. Believe it or not, this is not the first time I’ve been stranded in the middle of nowhere.”

“I believe it.” Dave finishes the splint.

“So I’m going to need you to carry me to the back.” Jack says. The phone guy scoffs and picks him up, taking him out of the truck and opening up the back. Due to the truck being upside down, a lot of things are broken.”

“Sir… why is the truck covered in blood.”

“People have been murdered in here, employee. I’ve had this truck awhile.”

“Right.” The phone guy says, completely unbothered by this fact. Jack smiles at this. 

“Ok just put me down on the box labeled knives. I’m pretty sure that’s the one full of guns.”

“To confuse your enemies or something.”

Jack clicks his rotten tongue “Exactly!”

Dave places Jack on the cardboard box. A knife protrudes from him “oh wait, we did a double negative so they’d THINK we were tricking them but we’d actually be not.” Dave picks him up and just puts him on the floor, somewhat roughly. “Dick.” Jack hisses.

“I’m going to go try to find the quickest way back to… “bear”… you just stay here and try not to royally mess anything up.”

“You lack confidence in me, David, that hurts.” Jack says dramatically as the phone leaves.

“Just… please don’t get yourself killed Sportsy…”

Dave leaves before Jack can question him on the use of his nickname. Jack smiles, sure, it’s tough, but he can feel it, he’ll have his Dave back soon. 

Regardless. He’s starting to wonder if maybe he should have just carved Dave out of the suit. He knows it’s not why Dave wanted to be a phone guy, at least not fully. But if he had put him in a position where it was clear being a phone guy wasn’t necessary for what he claimed his reasoning was… no. This is what Dave wanted, although he’d never fully understand why, besides, Dave looked good as new apart from the hunk of plastic where his head used to be, that’s better than he could have done. He has Fredbear’s help escaping his own springlocks.

Ah Fredbear. He remembered his promise to that bear. He had murdered 5 children with Dave at the first location, 5 children a Janitor and a phone guy at the second (a phone guy he upon further consideration believes might have been his own brother but he’s going to ignore the evidence in favour of that to avoid thinking about how he killed his brother with a purple cryptid and a foxy), and now, he’s killed a baby at his third location and got his best friend turned into a phone guy. Fredbear would be MORE than disappointed. He would be livid. He probably was. Maybe he could make things up to Fredbear. He wasn’t dead and ironically Henry trying to cause some good ol’ emotional pain for him (and a bit of physical) and Dave let him realize he done fucked up helping that fat strawberry, so he was about done with him.

What WOULD he do after Dave was back to normal? Save the souls? Kill more kids? Retire to Vegas? That last option sounded fun. Although he’s not sure if phones can do drugs so that might be a problem.

He wonders what happened to Henry. Surely he can’t just be gone. Not that it’s anything he can worry about now. Now his biggest concern is his broken leg, and the fact that he’s pretty sure Dave is trying to plot the quickest route to Bear by taking all of the routes. He’ll call him in a bit if he doesn’t come back soon. He’s going to hold out awhile thought because he knows how phone guy’s tend to feel about their heads being called. It’s why he liked to prank call them with Dave, but he wouldn’t want to do that to Dave, he’s sure he’s already uncomfortable enough trying to fight through his programming.

Jack looks down at his photo album in his lap. A quick peak through won’t hurt.

.

.

.

Dave opens up the door to the truck, having calculated all the ways back to find his boss sprawled out on the floor an open photo album in his lap, Jack of course being completely unconscious. He’s got a soft smile on his face while he sleeps, as if having a good dream.

He approaches the sleeping corpse, deciding not to wake him up. Dave decides to look at Jack’s photo album. He knows he’ll probably get in trouble for those, maybe even get murdered if Jack finds out, but he wants to know more about his boss, and why the strange orange man behaves the way he does.

He slowly removes the photo album from Jack’s lap, there is writing on the page reading “second trip to Vegas with sportsy :)” he recognizes immediately that this is not Jack’s handwriting. Looking at the page, it’s mostly pictures of Jack and a purple skinned man in Vegas, each photo with their own caption, some in the same messy writing as before, others in Jack’s only marginally better printing. The weirdest thing is that Dave recognizes the photos. As if he were there when they were taken. But there is no third person in the photos, let alone a phone guy, and he can’t shake the feeling that the purple man looks even more familiar to him than Jack himself.

Dave has heard of phone guy’s thinking they were people. Who hasn’t. He’s always been told that they were just delusional, however he’s feeling as if he’s starting to experience the same glitch. Deciding to go on, Dave flips the pages.

There’s a long expanse of time in which the purple man stops appearing in photos, strange because earlier captions had implied him to be Jack’s best friend.

There’s a picture of an eggplant with the caption “I miss Dave, I wonder where he went.” Dave’s nonexistent heart skips a beat, Jack’s best friend was named Dave. But he already knew that didn’t he? Jack had a best friend named Dave who he was trying to replace. His dreams had told him as much. Dave had died, about 30 years ago, and Jack had hired him for whatever reason to try to replace him. Although that didn’t feel like something Jack would do.

Dave (or whoever his is if he really is just some guy Jack pulled off the street to replace his best friend), despite his better judgment continues to read through the photo album.

He then comes to a page covered in rather disturbing pictures, even more so than the ones in Vegas somehow. The pictures are of a very clearly dead and decomposing man in a greenish springbonnie costume. Jack had titled the first one “I found Dave! He’s a little worse for wear but he’s here.” The next series of pictures were of Jack, the corpse, and both of them together. Jack seemed to like posing the corpse, as if he was convinced he were still alive… Dave almost felt like he might have been. Terrifyingly, Dave remembered these photos just as much as the Vegas ones.

He reached the final pages with photos on them. There were pictures of him. The first titled “Dave asked me to send him to the factory, he just got back today. Maybe I should have tried harder to talk him out of it.” The next captions were all about “trying to make him remember”. He remembers all these photos far more vividly, in fact, he’s pretty sure that one was taken last week, because he’s sure he remembers Jack burying him in eggplants while he was in sleep mode last week.

It all clicks into place. He IS Jack’s best friend from the 80s, he got springlocked sometime 30 years ago, and somehow asked Jack to turn him into a phone guy. All the weird stuff (or at least SOME of it) Jack had been doing had been to try to get him back. That is both the most psychotic and nicest thing anyone had ever done for him as far as he remembered.

“All this time he-“

“Yeah… I didn’t really know how to tell you.” Jack says. Dave gasps and turns to where Jack was sleeping. He’s now very much awake and is sitting up.

Dave turns off his voice box, and approaches Jack, before saying the simple sentence Jack had missed so much.

“Why hello there, Old Sport.”

(Note: AAAAAAAAAAAAAH HE HAS RETURNED! You’ll all find out soon Big Dick Davey is not the only one who’s back. ;) btw since Davey is back now all major full phoney Dave fics will be before this. Not to say you won’t get more of just Dave with a phone head (I got a whole idea for a megafluff fic in which Dave is trying to find a way to kiss Jack with his phone head), but any stories in which he prominently has his Scott-like personality is before this. Gonna keep writing Scott Dave because he’s weirdly fun to write as a sassy phone guy. Btw, personality wise Jack is supposed to emulate the way people play him ingame.)

[justfoxyprojects]

What is this?

This is my brand new sideblog, my main blog is @justafoxytwink. I've been wanted to document some of my coding and other projects that I do because I've been having trouble motivating myself and I'm hoping that having a public space to talk about them will help with that. So here's a couple things I'm planning on for the next few months:

Making a simple digital clock - this is a very simple arduino project, but I've gotten a bit out of practice and want something easy to start with

customizing a model for vrchat/vtubing - I've gotten the julia winterpaw canine model and would like to recolor it to my own fursona, and I'll need to get the software to do so running on linux since I don't use windows. I'll have to try getting vtuber plus running, hopefully I can use either wine or proton to do that.

replacing the timing belt in my truck - this is a bit of an odd one out. I have this old truck that belonged to my dad that I'd like to fix up, and this is where I'll start.

general programming practice - I've had to put my cs degree on hold for the last couple years due to a lot of personal issues, so I've got some catching up and relearning to do. I'm hoping to get back to school this coming fall tho

I'll put more stuff up here as I come up with more and have updates, I'll try to post at least once a week with some kind of update.

[jeepkeyreplacementhelotestx]

Jeep Key Replacement Helotes TX

210-650-2416 

 Jeep Key Replacement provides its clients with trucks that are outfitted with an extensive assortment of all the necessary tools, modern car key cutting equipment, and the most cutting-edge hardware for programming car keys—all specifically designed for Jeep vehicles and identical to what the dealership possesses. Consequently, we are able to provide dealership-caliber on-site car key replacement service for this vehicle brand across all models thanks to our completely mobile, well-equipped workshops.

our services

locksmiths ,emergency locksmith ,locks rekey

key replacement ,change locks ,car keys

car lockout ,transponder keys

ignition keys ,home lockout

address

12929 Bandera Rd Helotes, TX 78023 

Working Hours

 Mon-Sun:: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM 

payment methods

visa ,cash ,master card ,discover 

American express

[honeytoast]

『 ROBERT SHEEHAN, CIS MALE, HE/HIM 』wait a second! isn’t that ( ISAAC MCCORMICK ) who just walked into jack’s bar? rumor around town is that the local is approaching their (  EIGHTEENTH ) year in virgin river. in the meantime, you can find the ( THIRTY-THREE ) year old working as an ( ENGLISH TEACHER & AUTHOR ) at ( VR HIGH SCHOOL ). rumor around town is that ( HE ) has a reputation for being a little ( LOQUACIOUS ), but they make up for it by being ( ALTRUISTIC ). 』

Hi, I'm Effie! It's been a bit since I've written in a group setting or at all so I'm very excited to be here writing with you all. I do want to share that I do suffer from pretty severe social anxiety so if I do take a while to respond to a message, please don't think I'm ignoring you. I assure you I'm probably just working up the courage to respond. Enough about me though. If you would love to learn more about this loquacious little shit please click that read-more link below ⤵

Basics:

full name: Isaac McCormick nickname: Is pronouns & gender: he/him, cis man sexuality: pansexual birth date: January 7, 1990 birthplace: Beverly Hills, California occupation: High School English Teacher at VR High School & author family: Violet Fern McCormick (daughter), Alexander McCormick (father, somewhat estranged), Fern McCormick (mother, deceased), Marianne O'Connell (maternal grandmother, deceased), Arthur O'Connell (maternal grandfather, deceased), Iggy Pawzalea (dog) height: 6’0” weight: 154 lbs hair color: Brown eye color: Green

Biography:

Trigger Warnings: death tw, mental health tw, suicide attempt tw (mentioned vaguely), hospital tw (mentioned briefly), parental death tw, teenage pregnancy tw, car accident tw

The first, and ultimately only, child of an affluent young couple, Isaac was born and raised primarily in Beverly Hills, California. Being their only child, his parents doted on him, giving him just about anything and everything he could possibly want. This didn't mean, however, that he grew up spoiled. Unlike his father, his mother wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth so it was important to her that their son knew not only the worth of a dollar but the meaning of hard work.

Growing up, the home they shared was full of love and laughter, and for the first fourteen years of his life, everything was perfect. The day everything changed began as any other. Isaac had been feeling sick for about a week, barely eating or leaving his bed so when he was finally feeling better, his mother was more than happy to fulfill any breakfast request he had that morning. He had decided to ask for his favorite thing; chocolate chip pancakes, but after realizing they were out of chocolate chips, his mom decided to take a quick trip to the store with Isaac along for the ride. It was on the way there that everything changed. Their car was struck by a truck that blew through the light. While Isaac was injured but came out alive, his mother wasn't so lucky.

Following the passing of his mother, Isaac fell into a deep depression. He blamed himself for her death and though his father did not, he withdrew, burying himself in work to distract from the loss of his wife. In an instant, the warm and loving home he once knew was replaced by the shell of what once was. For months, Isaac struggled with the all-encompassing grief and guilt he felt over the death of his mother, and just a month or so shy of his fifteenth birthday, he decided he couldn't take it anymore.

It was a member of the staff that found him and after a short stay in the hospital followed by a stay in a psychiatric program, Isaac was sent to live with his grandparents from his mother's side in Virgin River per his grandmother's request. At first, Isaac was angry. he thought it was bullshit that his father would ship him off to the middle of nowhere, but with time, he realized it was the best decision for him. Though it took time and a lot of therapy, things started to get better for Isaac. While the guilt and pain he felt over his mother's passing never truly subsided, he made room for it, and in time, he slowly began to find joy in life again. He made friends and even grew to like Virgin River. Sure, it was boring as shit for a teenager, but he soon found that there was a sort of peace that could be found in the surrounding nature. That, and he met a girl.

The two of them began as nothing more than friends, but with time they developed feelings for one another. Before long, they were positively inseparable and nauseatingly in love. So, it really shouldn't have been all that surprising when the two sixteen-year-olds discovered that they were going to be parents. For two weeks, they grappled with what to do in secret before deciding that they would keep their baby and raise her together. Naturally, their families were less than thrilled. It didn't take long after that before everyone in town knew, because if there was one thing the people of Virgin River were incapable of doing, it was keeping a secret. For weeks, it was all people could talk about, but with time it faded. Sure, there was still the occasional resident that gave a judgmental look or passing remark, but after a couple more “scandals”, the excitement seemed to die down.

Before Isaac knew it, nine months had passed, and the two became the terrified parents of a healthy baby girl whom they named Violet Fern after his late mother. Then two weeks later, Isaac found himself a single parent after Violet's mother took off with nothing but a letter to say goodbye. He was heartbroken and angry, but in time he understood. After all, taking care of a baby was a lot for anyone, much less someone who was still a child themselves. With the help of his grandparents and a little help from the residents of Virgin River, Isaac raised his daughter as a single parent. Though it was hard, he managed to graduate high school and even went on to college all while balancing parenthood.

After graduating college, he began working as an English teacher at the local high school. Though he originally got into teaching because it was what his mother did for a living and it helped him keep a similar schedule to his daughter when she started school, he found that he loved the job. He enjoyed not only teaching but also helping students discover and explore their love of reading and writing. The years passed quickly and before he knew it his baby girl was a sixteen-year-old teenager.

During that time, not all that much changed. He was still working as a teacher at the high school and also began a prolific career as an author. Despite doing well for himself, he and Violet stayed living with his grandparents. At first, it was because he was still young and struggling to find that balance between work and parenthood, but by the time he felt confident enough to move to a place of his own, his grandfather passed. Not wanting to leave his elderly grandmother alone, he chose to stay living with her to help her when needed. Following her passing a year ago, Isaac had the choice to sell the house and move elsewhere but chose to not only keep their home but continue living there. A choice he occasionally questions when his late grandmother’s friend sends him on blind dates after she made them promise to help him find someone nice to settle down with. While he hates those dates, he continues to go on them for fear that his grandmother may haunt him if he doesn’t.

Additional tidbits:

As a child, Isaac dreamed of becoming a professional chef. His mother loved to cook and passed that love on to him. While he didn’t end up pursuing a career as a chef, he still loves to cook and bake for those he cares for. He’s very much a stress baker. Usually, those baked goods end up in his class for his students to enjoy, but if you’re friends with him, you’re guaranteed to be gifted baked goods as well.

While Isaac escaped the car wreck that took his mother’s life relatively unscathed, he did suffer severe hearing loss in his right ear. Because of this, he often wears a hearing aid to help, but even that doesn’t allow him to hear everything. Due to his hearing loss, he occasionally drifts to the right when he walks. He has improved this with time, but if he’s distracted while going somewhere, he will still drift slightly. It’s best to keep to his left when walking with him to avoid being bumped into.

Isaac was and continues to be an avid reader. More often than not he can be seen tucked away with a book, reading and scribbling notes in the margins during his free time.

As a teacher, Isaac cares deeply for his students. He does his best to make sure every student’s needs are being cared for. Whether that is something as simple as ensuring that they understand what they are being taught or being there to listen to whatever problems they have in or outside of school. In his class, he has everything from snacks or drinks to personal care items in case any of his students may not have access to those things at home.

Isaac is an incredibly compassionate and giving person. He often anonymously donates to charity and loves to volunteer whenever needed. He even goes as far as to force his father to donate to charities and organizations often, wanting nothing more than to do some good and make the world a better place. His therapist thinks this may have to do with the guilt he still feels over his mother's death, but he insists it doesn't. He just wants to make the world a better place for when he eventually does leave.

Despite essentially being a trust fund baby, Isaac doesn’t live his life lavishly. He still lives in his grandparents’ old home with his daughter and prefers to live a quiet and simple life.

Personality:

+ compassionate, loyal, creative, and intelligent

-headstrong, loquacious, flirtatious, and pathologically altruistic

Isaac is a deeply passionate and selfless person. He goes all in for those he cares for, whether they are family, a friend, or even just a student of his. While he is normally as laid back as they get, he never hesitates to stand up for the things he believes in and hopes to instill that same passion in his daughter. A hopeless romantic at heart, he loves love, and hopes to one day find someone to share his life with, but is also afraid to open his heart up again. Especially since becoming a father, knowing that he can't bring just anyone around his daughter. That being said, the boy is a shameless flirt but he has somewhat gotten that under control as he's gotten older. He dislikes cops, believes in equal rights for all, and very much advocates for the reading of banned books. Especially those written by marginalized communities. In his free time, he loves spending as much time with his daughter as he can and hopes with everything in him that he's raising a strong independent woman who is not afraid to use the voice her mother gave her. All in all, Isaac is easy to get along with and does his very best to make the world a better place. Even if it's something as small and simple as donating to charities or helping the students in his class with whatever they need.

Potential Connections:

The best friend(s): (0/2?) Someone he is ride or die with. Could be someone he has known since high school or someone he has known for only a little while. Platonic soulmates who are always over each other’s houses. Perks include copious amounts of baked goods, a shoulder to cry on, & one good ear to listen to your problems.

Ex’s: (0/?) Admittedly he doesn’t have many of these. Aside from Violet’s mother, he hasn’t dated all that much, but these two dated for a while. Could be a few months to a couple years. They could have ended up as friends or enemies. Either is fun.

Ex blind dates: (0/?) He’s been on many. The possibilities are endless. Did they hit it off but not work out? Was it super awkward and now they avoid each other when possible? Did they hook up and then go their separate ways?

Enemies: (0/?) Not sure he would have many of these, but always love a little tension. This could have stemmed from something as small as a “stolen” parking spot to a long-simmering feud between the two. Maybe a blind date that went horribly awry. Idk. Flirtation or the start of something: (0/1) It’s no secret that Isaac flirts with just about anything with a heartbeat, that’s just how he is, but while most of it is just friendly flirtation this might be different. Could develop into more or just remain his favorite person to flirt with.

Violet’s mother: (0/1) I might put this out as a wanted connection. The two dated in high school and after having Violet, she left town with only a letter to say goodbye. He has mixed feelings about her. On one hand, he is still a little angry, but for the most part, he understands. Raising a kid is a lot of work and they were just kids after all. They haven’t seen each other in years and while he thinks about her often, he decided to not try and find her. Deep down, he may still have feelings for her after all this time.

Anything and everything. I know there is plenty I’m forgetting but it is late so I’m open to anything!

Aesthetics:

Big bear hugs, notes crammed in the margins of worn paperbacks, heart-shaped lollipops, messy beds, warm chocolate chip cookies, scars faded with time, twinkling fairy lights, a worn leather jacket with patches hand-sewn on with dental floss, chipped nail polish, cheerful laughter, and the ache of loss.

Pinterest | Playlist (to be added)

[classico-fazbear]

(ravensroleplays, FNAF RP, Adventures in Babysitting Verse) How many times now had one of the kids ended up somewhere they weren't supposed to be?!?! Four times?! Five?! Fifty?!

Well, at least there was a good excuse this time, apparently, this location had wanted to borrow 'Foxy' for a few days. So here he was. It was still a good while before midnight, so the ghostly boy took the opportunity to leave his proxy body and do a little exploring. Eyes wide and alert as he took in his surroundings.

The malfunction was one of the worst in a long time.

Perhaps not 'Bite' bad.

But still.

Even so, the animatronics were always expected to have quirks. They were complex machines, a small problem every now and then was considered to be quite normal, manageable. Just a quick trip to Parts and Service. However, what had happened at Pirate's Cove was not little, it was big. The spotlight shined bright, the children were all watching in their eager excitement for the reveal of the fox...and boy, did he.

When those purple-star patterned curtains opened up what greeted the crowd wasn't the usual energetic Foxy, ready to spin a tale of the seas or shout of sharks, treasure, and if Freddy could actually beat him at a sword fight. Instead, the animatronic stood in one firm spot on the small stage twitching, eyes dark and powered off, jaw agape so much that it almost looked like his bottom jaw was going to fall right off. It didn't matter how many times Freddy attempted to prompt the pirate mascot from the main stage, in hopes to snap him out of whatever hit his system-the fox was absolutely busted. The show came to a grinding halt as an announcement sounded off, claiming Foxy wasn't feeling 'well'.

The management was utterly displeased. Parents came to complain of their children getting scared by the sight of Foxy's malfunction, birthdays were cancelled and a whole lot of free merchandise was promised. Not to mention the discount pizza vouchers. What was even worse was the mechanics came to the conclusion that they couldn't fix Foxy, he'd have to be sent back to the manufacturer to be repaired there. So, early the next morning Foxy was wheeled out the back door, placed in a wooden crate, loaded into an unmarked truck and off it went to Fazbear Entertainment Inc.

Freddy had been sworn to by one of the mechanics that Foxy would be back-their Foxy, of course. He just needed some extra care that only the experts on the assembly lines could tend to. But whether the bear truly believed that?

No. No, he didn't.

However, Freddy, Chica and Bonnie all passed their calibration tests, movement tests, dialogue tests and were cleared to do shows.

It had hardly been a week when Foxy-a Foxy-made a reappearance. Being wheeled in just before closing, employees placing the fox back behind the curtains then promptly removing the 'OUT OF ORDER' sign. Then the place was cleaned, stock accounted for, doors locked, leaving the pizzeria to the animal characters until the arrival of the night-guard at midnight.

Freddy was suspicious right off the bat and strictly forbid his bandmates from going near Pirate's Cove until he did his own investigation. And so, it seemed the fox was destined to be alone for the night.

It wasn't long before the crew of bear, bunny and chicken split off. Freddy was geared to the Parts and Service room, his mind set on breaking into the mechanics' desk for any information on the pirate fox, or where his actual friend was, where this...replacement even came from. Bonnie had sat himself down on the edge of the mainstage, guitar in his paws as he plucked at it before giving a rather impressive jam session-one he couldn't dare play during a programmed show. Finally, Chica was already across the dining hall, beelineing for the kitchen, her cupcake perched on her shoulder as she went.

But, like clockwork, the three would meet up on stage an hour or so before twelve for the 'game-plan' against the guard.

...

Foxy's Cove was simple enough for a side stage character, the stage itself being fashioned like the front of a pirate ship. On one of the inner walls was a plethora of children's drawings all depicting the fox, hanging off a rusty nail was a weathered navy blue captain's jacket and on a stool sat a pirate hat with a feather. There were also scratches in the walls from that of a sharp tip of a hook, some deeper than others.

// @ravensroleplays