#Just thinking of how it probably fries the electronics of whatever it goes into

[driftingballoons]

Bad and naughty electric ghosts don’t get to use the mower

#Rotom #snivy #pokemon doodles #original art #rotom is great #I love them #but can imagine it could be a particularly difficult pokemon to have #And possibly quite expensive #Just thinking of how it probably fries the electronics of whatever it goes into #Ough

[cloveroctobers]

HARRY ZHONG (MITCHELL-WHITE)

IG info/bio: @/heedful.harry | 15.6k followers| hi, I’m Harry and I’m a business major. No, You don’t have to hold your applause 🧐

21 years old

From York, England

Cancer sun + ARIES MOON energy

He and his younger brother, Archie were foster children in the Mitchell-white household

which consisted: Harrison Mitchell and his daughter from a previous marriage, Briony, Piers White and together they had a surrogate carry their child, which gave them their second daughter, Pippa

Later they came to the decision to adopt Harry and Archie Zhong, if only that’s what they wanted too

It took longer for Harry to warm up to the family since he was still waiting and wishing for his mom to come back for them

He was diagnosed with IED around 15 years old

Goes to therapy for it and meetings with others with similar issues...he dreads the meetings since it makes him feel like he has a problem or something, which HE DOES but it makes him feel like a...but he knows that’s a ignorant way to think

He’s currently a business major and loves telling people about it *yawn* (don’t drag me lmao)

He’s thinking he’ll be a Financial analyst or a Marketing manager

The type of person who’s done a lot in his short life that it’s often unbelievable ex.) telling the villa he’s driven one of the cars that was used in the fast and furious franchise & getting pissed when bill and everyone else didn’t believe him

Harrison is a train driver and is normally bubbly + wears bright preppy clothes

He also loves Broadway, much to Harry’s annoyance...if he hears one more Hamilton song he’s gonna slam his head thru a wall stg

Piers is a music producer and is more reserved or “stand-off-ish” until he gets warmed up to you + his aesthetic is a rocker, yeah he’s got the whole tattoos and boots thing going for him, after all he was in a rock band

Piers makes the most $ and is of high status, which brought him and his family perks but is not a snob about it...it’s whatever ya know?

Harry’s closer to piers, feels he understands him more & can be kinda rude to Harrison when he’s in one of his moods but tries to be better at responding to him since he made him cry once years ago — yes he felt like complete shit afterwards

Harry is anemic so he always finds himself cold, experiencing fatigue, irregular heartbeat, and if he gets up too fast or moves too fast? Let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the—FLOOO000R! (I’m making this joke as a person with anemia)

Likes cold weather since everyone else can feel what he feels on the daily

Plus he loves dressing for winter season, trench coats, wool coats, turtle necks, thermal t-shirts, fleece pants, rolled up beanies that keeps his ears covered and his hair glued to his forehead...you name it!

On the regular? He’s a khaki’s kinda guy, dress shirts, and loves wearing suit and ties...he’s not the biggest fan of jeans. He loves dressing fancy unless the measurements are bloody awful

I’m going by the alternative design for Harry and...whew! Then he’s 6’1 if we’re talking about the one they gave us then we all know he has a baby face, so I’d say he’s about 5’8

He’s got long legs + arms and hates how majority of his pants barely fit around his ankles

has dry scalp too

I feel like he’s pretty intelligent and sometimes it can come off as a know it all, yet, he’s always down to help people & isn’t condescending while doing so

He knows how to make soaps and would sell them on his etsy account in highschool where plenty shat on him for it so for awhile he stopped the hobby until Harrison encouraged him to keep at this if it was what makes him happy

Harrison is the type of parent you go to for comfort and hugs even if it might feel like he’s smothering you

Piers is the one who lets you come to him when you’re ready to talk about it, no pressure

Harry went to a high school that focused on technology so he’s all into the latest gadgets

This is a secret but he only got a apple watch to feel like a true spy

His intelligence got him somewhere with a few ladies ;)

He’s a certified freak, 7 days a week and had a handful of hookups and about 4 gfs in his life so far

He’s kinky!!!

& has a f**t fetish

His past relationships were not long relationships, which sucked but Harry felt like...this might sound arrogant, but it’s either their lost — although there was never any bad blood with his breakups! or his person was still out there somewhere...

I haven’t fully played his route (AJ stole my ass since I couldn’t romance seb or Nicky sorry) but I’ve seen screen caps and he’s a total sweetie if he’s really committed to you, you might be his “true love”

He’s nervous opposed to his usual confidence when he’s chatting to other ladies with ease, with you it’s different, it’s magnetic, nerve-wrecking, butterflies, electric, and exciting all wrapped in one

I feel like he shows his love language with quality time but also enjoys physical touch from his partner

Picky eater

But he was worst as a child! Barely ate anything which led to him being lanky or it’s in his genes but mostly he wouldn’t eat a damn thing

These are a few of his favorite things: figs, green tea, and almond milk

makes the best spring rolls with the rice paper, those are superior than fried! “Fried food will kill u u know!” “Okay bill.” “Iona, don’t know if u had too much to drink but, erm I’m Harry.” “R/WHOOOOssssh! And you’re s’pposed to be the smart one, yeah right.”

outside of the villa he found himself continuing his friendship with bill—even tho he pisses him off sometimes since he’s always got some shit to say but they’re probably the closest, Iona she’s always honest and is always a good time to be around when they hang out, Then there’s Camilo and Miki that he hangs out with too

Is the first one sharing about his day in the group chat with all of the villa, he can feel half of them rolling their eyes at him since many feel he tends to exaggerate

if he’s not endgame with mc...he kinda feels a way that Genevieve found her happiness in seb instead of him, it’s not that he’s bitter—he genuinely liked her and felt like maybe they didn’t try hard enough but deep down knows relationships can’t be forced. It’s just his ego trying to control things that’s all! plus he was comfortable with vieve even if it felt more on a platonic side...oh well

once slid into jen from s1’s dms one dark stormy drunk night & admitted on live that erikah kinda gave him some tips before going on the show... & that he thought one of the new girls that entered the villa was a better fit than one of the originals from s2 which caused him to get blocked by said original OOP

Has a circle of close friends outside of the villa, they’re all brainiacs and have something going for themselves

Enjoys action films and biographical drama films like: James Bond, John Wick, and the social network

Isn’t ashamed to admit that he loves using sheet face masks but isn’t the greatest at following a consistent skincare routine

Has his own back massager that he spent a lot of $ on since it wouldn’t go on sale and then a week later...it went on sale

sends a lot of “🙃🙂” texts when you piss him off

probably worked at GameStop, the apple store, Godiva, and currently works at a electronic repair shop for a side of cash but is looking for a internship since he’ll be graduating next year

Always Keeps cough drops on him? 

is a huge cuddler & falls asleep easily

His brain is always active, experiences REM sleep often

fav video games are tekken & hitman

owns a drone now 😏

also loves strategic board games & riddles

Took quarantine life seriously, did his research before it completely broke globally and started buying shit excessively in person and online that he sent most to his family before the campus shut down

Is the friend that will check on his friends :)

Keeps his dorm and his room back home CLEAN af, is OCD about everything being in order/organized. Will know if you touched his shit, Archie felt his wrath many times before

Has a life goal board in his closet, & plans to be fully established by 25. More power to ya Harry!

Celeb crushes: Victoria justice, Jesy Nelson, Deepika Padukone, Brec Bassinger, jasmine tookes, and princess Mae

Who does he listen to? oceanfromtheblue, Galimatias, Ta-Ku, Aries, Tyler, the creator, rich Brian, NIKI, viji, & AJR

Anthem = DPR IAN, “So beautiful”

#litg #litg3 #litg s3 #litg harry #litg genevieve #litg bill #litg seb #litg mc #litg oc #litg moodboard #litg headcanon #litg headcanons #yes I’m still doing these and it’s kinda challenging but at the same time not?

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

"should i ask for song requests?" MA'AM- anyways Show Me Love by Mali Hood with Cal pls

LMAO, look, it’s just a thought. Also I love Mali, but Robin S’s version--a BOP. So I’m going to base it off that version. 

It’s long, whoops. 

CW: Mentions of gaining weight. So if you’re sensitive, feel free to skip this! 

___________

It wasn’t in Calum’s plan to be out this late. He had planned to finish up the first season of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix. He had planned to order himself a pizza, extra large so that he could have a few slices for lunch tomorrow too and possibly a White Claw, or two, or more. Who knows? He surely wasn’t going to count those calories. 

However, when Calum and Ashton found themselves deep into the evening running over lyrics along with some other friends and somebody mentioning hitting up a bar nearby to get some food, Calum figured he could tag along. He’d avoid drinking until he got home but greasy bar food could be an easy substitute for pizza. 

It’s as Calum dips the end of fries into the ranch given on the side a tap sounds of the speakers, cutting through the music that’s been playing in the background. “Hope everyone’s doing great tonight,” a voice states. 

Calum looks over his shoulder to see a man up on a stage. “Karaoke’s opening up in fifteen minutes. Find me at the bar to sign up or feel free just to jump in.”

“Oh, we gotta stay for this,” Ashton laughs. The rest of the group readily agrees and Calum shrugs, polishing off the last half the fries before going in for another bite of his sandwich. 

It’s not until the music cuts out again that Calum realizes the fifteen minutes as flown by. The first two people are a little wobbly, and giggling into the mic as they sing their choice in song. One goes for Journey which gets most of the room to sing along too. It hits a lull after about the fourth person. The DJ calls for people who didn’t sign up to just jump in. 

There’s a thick silence and across the room, Calum catches a shriek. “We have one!”

He turns to the shrill and sees a pocket of girls at a booth. Three of them are tugging at a fourth that remains seated, shaking her head. However, her unwillingness is no match to her friends and they end up dragging her to the stage. Calum watches as she speaks for a moment to the DJ. 

Her friends cheer front and center. Their claps somehow echo throughout the entire building. Under the light, Calum can see more of her features, high cheekbones, brown skin dazzling and peaking out from the fishnets covering her long legs. She chuckles nervously into the mic just as the music cuts in. The low sound, the husky voice makes Calum gasps. 

He hadn’t seen her ages since they ended their fling. And she looked different--her cheeks were fuller. The weight gain made her look healthier than ever. She looked fucking good in the green plaid mini shirt and white high neck sleeves top. Her thighs shake just a little as she taps the beat out with her heel and soon, she belts out the opening note to Show Me Love vocalizing before the lyrics are pushed out from her chest. 

What hadn’t changed as how at ease she seemed to be on the stage. Though she always protested it. The second someone put a mic in her hand and a spotlight on her, she turned into a whole new person. “I really need a lover, a lover that wants to be there,” she belts out and smiles before stepping down the stairs. 

Through the crowd, she dances, singing along to the electronic beat holding steady. “You got to show me love,” her voice dips to match the note change and she points out to someone in the crowd, singing to them for a moment before twirling her way down the room. The crowd eats up, cheering along as she sings and taking moments to dance along with her. 

“Words are so easy to say a lie, you got to show me love. I’m tired of getting caught up in the one night affairs,” she sings and gaze lands on Calum. Her eyes go wide. They hadn’t really run in the same circles for a while after Calum ended things. 

And admittedly, he ended them for legitimate reasons. She was leaving for school abroad and said they could try to just be friends. But that wasn’t something he was looking for and rather than string her along knowing he’d ultimately be breaking her heart, he was honest. And she understood that. She thanked him for it. 

It was harder than he thought it would be--watching her leave. He wanted to text her, reach out and see how things were going, if she had settled in nicely. And the urges lasted longer than Calum had never admitted to anyone, but they did eventually dissipate; it took him unfollowing her social media. 

And come to think of it, he still noticed when she liked something of his--as few and far between as his postings were and he wasn’t even that active on his private account but whenever he was, she always wound up liking it. Every notification made his heart flutter just a little. 

She moves on, still not missing a beat to the song, though she does brush a hand over Calum’s shoulder as she passes, sending a wink his way before she carries herself to the bar. Her heeled boots wind up clicking up and down the length of the bar counter. She dances with a few more people, women and men, smiling as she twirls about. 

Returning back to the stage, the last note falling off from the speaker, she thanks the crowd and DJ and quickly steps back down the steps. The crowd gives her a standing ovation and she waves before returning back to her booth. Calum’s thankful he’s on the end and excuses himself for a second. No one seems bothered by his exit--Ashton’s the only one that could possibly recognize her and it’s not shock he doesn’t.

Calum walks over to the table and even though she’s smushed into the corner, on the side of the group, he knows he can’t leave this bar tonight with talking to her. He smiles as he approaches the table. “Evening, ladies.” Everyone is at lost for words but at least smile and nod at his approach. “I-I just wanted to say that that was a great performance. You’re extremely talented.”

“Thanks,” she returns, leaning out. “Would you believe it if I said I don’t do that sort of thing often.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” he laughs softy. He goes to ask her to talk, or if she needs a refill but the air’s tense, a little awkward. “But honestly, you were amazing.” He nods again at her and throws up a quick wave before continuing on like he’s headed to the bathrooms. That is not how he wanted that to go. But how does he act like the last they haven’t lost contact for nearly four years. Calum splashes some water onto his face, staring up into the mirror. 

She remembered him, clearly. Maybe it was that defense mechanism, the part of him that was trying to tell him that it was too much time passed. She possibly had moved on from all of that. Yeah, she probably had moved on, Calum thinks to himself. If she had, there would be no use in trying to make a move, he’d get rejected anyway. 

He grabs some paper towel and dries his face and hands before pushing open the door to the bathroom. He doesn’t get more than a four steps from the door before a voice calls out his name, “Calum. Hey, wait.” A hand grabs to his elbow. 

He spins to find her, smiling a bit lopsided and lips still glossy as they always were all those years ago, with also a bit of a darker lip liner around the edges. “Sorry,” she rushes out, dropping her hand from his elbow. “I just-I just wanted to say thanks. For the compliment. And, uh, if you weren’t busy, if you wanted to catch up sometime. Over a drink, coffee, lunch, whatever.”

“I would love that,” he exhales in a rush. 

“Cool. Here’s my number--I had to change it become of my ex, but that’s not what I want to focus on.” She hands out a napkin with numbers scribbled onto it. “Just text me and we can arrange a date and time.”

Calum takes it with a nod, reaching for his phone from inside his pants pocket. “I’ll text you so you have my number too.” He taps her number in before typing a quick message and pressing send. 

“To be honest, I didn’t think you’d recognize me or like want to talk or anything.”

“What-what do you mean by that?”

“I mean, there might just be a pound or two more on me than the last time you saw me. And when I left, we kind of just ended things and I-I don’t know. We hadn’t spoken in a while. I just moved back into town about six months ago. Seeing you just made me feel like I did when I was 19.”

Calum can’t lie and say he never suspected that she had feelings for him. At that time, he wasn’t looking for anything. “Well, first, you still look fucking gorgeous so I wouldn’t worry at all about that. Things are different now. I’m looking for different things now.” She nods, casting a look to the floor. “It’s like the song said,” Calum continues, “I’m tired of giving my love and getting no where.”

“You probably think I’m crazy or something, all these years. But there’s always been something about you, Calum. Something I couldn’t shake.”

“Nah, it can’t be me. Do you know how many times when you first left I almost messaged you? And I know I kinda put a cork in things then. But if you think there’s something about me, allow me to introduce you to yourself.”

She laughs, playfully slapping at his bicep. “Oh god. Quit while you’re behind.”

Calum laughs in return, watching the way she shakes her head. “What are you doing tomorrow, around 1?”

“Um, nothing. Tomorrow’s my day off. Why?”

“Let’s get lunch. Anywhere you want to go.”

“There’s a new sushi place. Just up the block from here.” She rattles off the name and Calum nods. He went there last week to try it out. “There if you’re okay with it?”

“More than okay,” Calum agrees. “But uh, I don’t want to take you away from your friends too long. So I’ll see you there tomorrow, at 1.”

“Okay, yeah, yeah. Tomorrow at one.” She steps into him, almost as she’s going to bypass him but stops just before doing so fully. Her hand comes up to his cheek and she presses a kiss before finally stepping away. Calum exhales, lungs nearly collapsing in his chest. He forgot that about her--how she was open and actionable, always willing to make the first step even if blew up in her face. 

He watches her, finally composed enough to turn around as she slips back into the booth with her friends. He hears her laughter above the sounds of Led Zeppelin, another person singing for the crowd. 

#calum hood #calum hood blurb #calum hood imaigne #calum hood fluff #calum hood angst #calum hood x oc #calum hood 5sos #calum 5sos #5sos #5 seconds of summer #calum hood fanfic #5sos imagine #5sos blurb #h writes

[robotslenderman]

Kicking around the idea that Sullivan tried to go back to his family after his Embrace and wound up violating the Masquerade.

When Sullivan's twins were six months old, his wife disappeared, and Sullivan ended up a single parent. His in-laws really stepped up to support him. They'd been iffy about their daughter getting together with another apparent woman, even more uncomfortable when the "woman" in question turned out to be trans... but when Sullivan's transition progressed enough it just clicked in their head that queer and trans people were just normal fucking people. They ended up being their biggest sources of support when Sullivan detransitioned enough to have the twins. Sullivan was glad to have had them, but was so relieved to get back on his medication and was like "I am NEVER doing that again."

So when his wife disappeared when the babies were six months old he was pretty close with his in-laws and they really supported him through it. Helped him raise the babies.

Then Millicent happened.

The twins were two years old.

Sullivan was in shock for nights. out of all my OCs, he was stuck in denial and dissociation for the longest. He'd gone from a normal fucking life to suddenly turning into a goddamn vampire, and one who'd been given a new name at that. He barely said a word to Millicent the first few nights except to bleat that he needed to get home to his daughters, and otherwise followed her around like a lost sheep. It didn't really sink in each time Millicent told him that there was no going back.

He thought that he was stuck in a dream.

But eventually it sank in that he wasn't waking up. And since it was important in this dream to get back to his children - well, he'd go back to his children.

So he did.

He turned up in the middle of the night after being missing for almost a week, barely coherent. He stared into space a lot and was incredibly confused. he didn't even know how to say what the hell had happened. At first his in-laws thought he'd had some kind of psychotic break, but he kept muttering something about a woman hitting him over the head with a shovel and dragging him all over the city. They still didn't know WTF was going on, but they figured he'd had some kind of assault - that he'd been targeted because he was trans and sustained a brain injury. They promised to take him to the doctor in the morning, since he refused to go to the ER just then and whatever happened had happened long enough ago that waiting til morning probably wouldn't do any damage.

Next morning he locked himself in one of the bathrooms and refused to come out, saying that the sun hurt his eyes. They tried to talk him into coming out but he wouldn't.

They managed to get him to come out that night and took him to the ER. The staff tried to do brain scans but he fried every machine that tried. Finally the staff gave up and just examined his scalp - no sign of trauma, no old bruises, no fractures. Since he wasn't a threat to anyone they wouldn't section him, so they wrote him a referral to a psychiatrist and let him go before sunrise.

His in-laws were... pretty freaking worried. Sullivan had never shown any signs of psychosis or mental illness up to that point. Now he was incredibly protective and doting on his children - more than usual - and kept making them promise not to let any old ladies near the twins, all in between moments of apparent delirium and fear.

Meanwhile Millicent figured out pretty quickly where he'd gone and was like "ah, fuck". She didn't even have his name, let alone his legal one - she'd been the one to name him Sullivan Blackmoore. But she had contacts, so she started looking for missing person reports that had recently been resolved. After a few false starts, she finally got a hit and was able to get a hold of his address.

By that point, local hunters had figured out that there was a Lasombra nearby - Sullivan's weird disappearance and reappearance had triggered a check, and him frying electronics and refusing to go out during the day, and not eating, confirmed it. They decided to go for him during the night because of the mortals he was living with - sneak in, stake him, drag him out and destroy him elsewhere. Much harder to do in daylight when there's civilians around. Problem was he'd be awake, but as a newborn fledgling he shouldn't be too much difficulty to take out.

Millicent showed up to the house the same night the hunters did. Almost the same time, even.

And she hesitated. He was just a shovelhead, why go to the trouble of putting her own neck at risk for him? He'd survived his initiation - if he was truly strong, if he was worthy of survival, he'd survive this too.

besides, there were hunters here.

it was a problem that was about to take care of itself.

She didn't think this through.

Because there was a reason Sullivan survived his first night when his brothers and sisters didn't - he knew how to fight. He knew how to scrap, and he knew self defence.

Oh, and did I mention his children were in the house? He went all papa wolf on those hunters. there were complete strangers, violent strangers, and as soon as they realised there were children in the house they moved to protect them - which sent Sullivan right over the edge. he stopped pulling his punches once he realised that they were going for the children.

So he frenzied. killed the hunters. didn't come out of it until his poor in-laws were like WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED

The bit Millicent did not foresee? Yeah, cops got called. And Millicent was like oh crap, well, this is going to be one hell of a mess now that more humans are getting involved. uuugghhh I suppose I'd better step in before the cops get here.

anyway her turning up in the bloodspattered lounge room almost made Sullivan frenzy again until Millicent told one of the in-laws to go to the children. Sullivan was standing over a few corpses. there's blood everywhere. he's covered in it. the in-laws are white. completely white.

she asked Sullivan how much he told them. Sullivan told her the truth - that he'd gotten hurt, that she'd done it, and he couldn't stand daylight now. that he thought he'd had some kind of head injury after she hit him with the shovel. made him hallucinate weird shit. made him think he was a fucking vampire.

and this was when his reality was finally beginning to sink in. and he was like... I thought I'd wake up by now. but I haven't woken up. what am I? why aren't I a person any more? what am I? what's happening to me?

and Millicent - totally expecting that she's going to have to commit a complete massacre here and put down her childe - just tells him, you know you can't stay here.

and Sullivan tells her, I just... I just want the babies to be okay. they've already lost their mother. I can't leave them. I can't.

Millicent just. looks at him.

she doesn't have to say anything and they both know it. they both know what'll happen if he refuses to leave the children.

Sullivan says, promise you won't let any harm come to the children? please?

and Millicent is beginning with think that maybe they can come out of this without any (more) bloodshed. she's not looking forward to putting Sullivan down - he might be newborn but he'd make her work for it. she's still got her shovel at the ready though. still waiting to have to put him down - and the witnesses. but she promises him no harm will come to the children. they're too young to remember this, anyway. she can't make any promises about the in-laws though - the Camarilla have contacts in the cops too, they'll investigate this. they'll notice the dead hunters. they'll trace it here easily.

and Sullivan just says. okay. then turns and just casually Dominates the remaining in-law, like he'd seen Millicent do. Makes him forget, tells him to tell his MIL that... that Sullivan got scared and ran. To forget that Millicent was here. that Sullivan was mentally ill, went apeshit on the intruders and ran in a delirium.

the FIL goes into the baby's room. Sullivan's newborn, that complicated Dominate won't work completely at his level of inexperience.

but Millicent supposes it's enough until the Camarilla step in.

Millicent's like... well... no point putting down a childe that's strong enough to survive hunters and smart enough to do basic damage control and learn from your mistakes. she's not Stalin, she's not going to purge a childe who learns from his mistakes. may as well keep you on if you're convinced you'll behave, but if this happens again I'll let the Camarilla take care of you this time.

Sullivan doesn't say anything.

Millicent says, we'd better go before they and the cops get here.

so they go.

And this time, Sullivan doesn't go back.

#transphobia mentions cw #Sullivan Blackmoore #Millicent Rue #VTM #VTMNR #homophobia mention cw #my OCs

[shinglescat]

Alright, so, ram modules that are about 3600Mhz is just enough, esp for 5xxx Ryzens. Then the more ram sticks you have, the better the performance thanks to the channels. God, my head is boiling from all this computer information.

Then Ryzen has something called Infinity Fabric, and it matters the most when it comes to AMD’s CPUs and memory; timings matter too, but seems like IF matters more. Still don’t exactly understand it, but it’ll be something to think about once I actually have the new pc.

Rant goes below.

Then there are PSUs. Man, I wanted a Fractal Design build like a dumbass I am, but... their PSUs are not so good when it comes to oscillations, and that’s a big thing apparently for stability. Looked at all the reviews about ion gold, decided to switch back to the Cougar PSU I bought last year, and then decided to switch to a be quiet! PSU because of the CPU I chose... but something tells me I may actually revert back to my Cougar and buy the second one. AAAAAAA

Then there’s mobo. The first one I picked was ASUS ROG STRIX B550-A, because good VRMs and heatsinks on them. And watercooling compatibility. Then it’s 4 gen PCI-E, but whatever, ‘cause I picked gen 3 SSD, and the video cards don’t utilize gen 4 in full. Also its heatsinks are whitish. And I’m a girl. And I want pretty things. Like an idiot, I chose the mobo based on looks, what a retard, but I can’t make myself get me one of those ugly shroud-less mobos, I’ve had enough with my current one, SO UGLY. Luckily, the mobo doesn’t seem to be faulty. Then I heard people recommend MSI B550A PRO for 5xxx CPUs. Picked one, granted it also costs 7k lower than the strix. And everything would be okay, but turns out this mobo has a lot of failures. So I went back to strix. Also, initially, a year ago or so I wanted an MSI board, something-something ace meg whatever with SLI compatibility. But they’re gone, and SLI’s dead, and games don’t really support SLI anyways. So lucky me here, otherwise I’d spend more on the mobo like an idiot I am.

Anyways. Since my mobo is white, I changed my FD case to white, lmao, it’s also couple rubles cheaper than the black one. Also note - I hate RGB stuff, and there’s not glass panel in the case I picked, it’s just solid block of metal... So why the idiot me needs a pretty motherboard? Logic, but I can’t fight it, I want me a pretty thing.

And I changed my AIO, which is FD Celsius S36 to Noctua NH-15D. Had a fight here with myself, ‘cause the AIO looks nice, and the NH-15D looks ass ugly in Noctua’s brand colors; Celsius performs slightly better than the NH-15D, and... THREE FANS. Wanted to place it in front of the case, but then... evaporation is a thing. Fuck it, went with the Noctua, esp since I found it in stock in black, yay. Then again, watercooling is good for short bursts of temperature spikes, then it equalizes and performs maybe worse than an air cooler. So Noctua it is.

Then come SSDs. Fuck me. That’s just hard to pick, there are so many drives. Initially I planned on a 512 GB Samsung 970 PRO because it’s probably last of the MLC guys when everyone went for TLC and QLC. But it’s pricey as fuck. Reliable, but pricey. With great tears I swapped it to an Aorus SSD. Same capacity, but TLC, similar speeds, similar write span, only almost 4k cheaper. But it’s new, no reviews whatsoever, kinda sus. So I just sat and thought about this all and went for a 512 GB NVMe WD Blue, ‘cause I don’t really need it besides having the OS installed on it and all that. And it’s cheaper. And I’m not going to be writing anything on it myself, it’s all for Windows.

Ha, also found some cheap memory sticks at a retail electronics store, 64 GBs of ram would cost me around 20k. 3000Mhz, low timings, could forgive it having rgb lighting. Next day I open their internet store and... there goes my el-cheapo HyperX. Send everything to hell and opted for four sticks of G.Skill RIPJAWS V 3600Mhz CL18. Gonna be fun making it marry the air cooler.

Damn, HDDs got pricey, thanks to the chia mining. Wanted a WD Gold, had it bookmarked, it was around 12 to 14 grand before, and now it’s just unobtanium with its price. Fuck it. And el-cheapo ones, a-la barracudas and blues got more expensive. But I need me some storage, for went for a 2TB WD Blue anyways... and for a Seagate SkyHawk, 1TB.  

Man, I wish someone else would pick me parts and build the thing, but last time my father bought one (not for me ofc, I’m the devil child, even tho I eventually took over it), it almost fried my new shiny 2080 thanks to a cheapfuck of a PSU.

Do not ever cheap out on PSUs, ever.

Also got me a single high static pressure Noctua fan (but it’s black, ugh, and the case fans are white) for the video card cooling. Dunno if it’s going to fit in between the PSU and HDD cage in the end, but if not - it’ll have to do on the front panel in the middle of two white fans pushing air to the 2080. At least the case doesn’t have a glass panel. And finally no fans with light, I swear I hate my shitty Thermaltake fan with passion - it shines blue through the small window on the side panel of the case like a beacon it is, no way to turn it off (except for smashing it, but I ain’t no barbarian).

Low key regretting I went for the bachelor in civil and industrial engineering instead of electric stuff, would’ve been so much easier for me now, lmao.

Hoping I won’t change my mind yet again about the parts, tho honestly I really want to wait till the DDR5 hits the market, and AMD releases their DDR5 compatible CPUs, but I don’t want to wait a year, and then DDR5 will be a lot more expensive than DDR4... and I just can’t wait, I need me more power and less bottlenecks.

UWU

Fuck I’m excited for it. Also dreading it, never dealt with PGA CPUs, wonder how fragile the pins are.

Also, I’m finally excited for a game, ready to shit-piss my pants. Stalker 2 is coming next year, baby! Gotta get me that retail version of the game to put it in my Stalker collection... 

#annie does rant

[angstyryguy]

A Digital Fever

no pairings

no spoilers for anything in the series, it’s just somewhere during season 1

themes: whump, sickfic

words: 3668

Summary:

Ryan is a Walker and Walkers do not get sick. So when Ryan goes to school with a high fever and his powers in turmoil, what else can happen than something bad?

******

A common cold was not something the Ryan Walker could have. He didn’t get sick. That was his whole thing.

...Apart from the whole “controlling technology with his mind" of course. That was still an important thing.

Oh, and the fact that he was one of the pilots of Mech X4…

Yeah, he actually had a couple of things, but that was beside the point. The point was, he didn’t get sick, so now that his nose was a little runny and his brain was a little slow as he woke up from the infuriatingly loud blaring of his alarm clock, he was fine. It didn’t matter that he swayed a bit as he stood from his bed, or that he didn’t feel like eating his mom’s newest experimental breakfast food. Everything was totally– 

“Hey, you okay Ry-guy?”

“Fine.”

Ryan and Mark were seated at the kitchen table as their mom was preparing the batter for her food truck's famous pancakes. She eyed Ryan with her scanning motherly eyes as her spatula was frozen mid-spin in the bowl. She didn’t look convinced in the slightest.

Ryan quickly grabbed his fork to stuff his mouth with eggs. He looked her in the eyes as he chewed. See? he tried to show his mom, I’m totally fine. 

She sighed and set about mixing her batter again, seemingly content enough that he was at least eating now. He was glad her motherly instincts didn’t mean she could actually read minds. He really didn't want her to know just how hard it was to swallow even the smallest bite. His stomach turned even as he thought about it.

He shuffled his food around on his plate with his fork for a bit, making it seem as if he had touched more of it than just that one bite, and then quickly left the kitchen table. He grabbed his bag just as Mark scraped his plate clean. Show off. 

“Come on, we’re going to be late,” Ryan said, already heading out of the door. He couldn’t actually go to school without Mark, since he was his ride, but acting like he was leaving without him helped with the pressure to get Mark to follow. He wanted this day to be over as quickly as possible. Mark gave a quick goodbye smile to mom and dashed off after Ryan, his own bag sloppily thrown over one shoulder.

“Hey wait up!”

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

School was dreaded for a reason, but when you were definitely not sick, it was even worse. The first half of the day went by slow, like really slow, but manageable. Lessons were boring, teachers were not too terrible and the low buzz of the school board, the computers, smartphones and lamps were not too distracting. 

No, if only lessons had been his school day, he would have survived it.

But he hadn’t thought about lunch time. The canteen was filled with chaos and noise. His mind felt like it was being crushed little by little with every yell and every time someone laughed. All the phones of all the students were buzzing and ringing and going off at the same time, or at least it felt like it. Nails tapped on screens and batteries hummed in disharmony. The constant noises pained his ear drums and filled his head with a hundred stabbing needles.

He was so overwhelmed from the sound, he couldn’t help but flinch a little when suddenly a hand patted him on his shoulder.

Spyder appeared before him. “Are you gonna stand in the doorway the whole time?" A mischievous grin spread on his face. "Because I will gladly take your sandwiches if you aren’t up for it you know? Maybe then I can finally build a tower of cheese. Man, I have always wanted to do that.”

Harris punched Spyder in his side. “No one’s taking Ryan’s sandwiches, dude. Now, are we gonna go to our table or what? I want to finish up on my project before the next term starts.”

Ryan softly shook his head to get rid of the slowly creeping nausea and to try and shake away all the sounds, but he wasn’t successful at all. No matter, he could hold on until he could be home and safely in his bed again. Just half a day left.

“Yeah, yeah let’s go, I’m starving.”

The trio sat at their usual table and as always, Spyder and Harris lost themselves in a debate over something incredibly stupid. This time it was about the best kind of sandwich to ever exist. Spyder insisted that his abomination of a sandwich, with salmon, cheese, peanut butter and chocolate spread, topped off with a little bit of mashed potatoes, was the most delicious thing in the world. Meanwhile Harris was sure that combination of flavors shouldn't even be legal.

Ryan sighed as he tuned out the voices of his friends and instead took out his phone. Maybe some dumb video's would help him ignore his throbbing headache for a while. He clicked on one of Cassie's reports on the school's kickbox team. Of course, his brother was the big star of the video, and normally he didn't like watching Mark get so much praise, but he couldn't care less right now. He just had to watch something. Anything to distract himself.

Just as Cassie went over the most recent victory of the team, a loud voice broke through it.

"Hi sweetie, how's your first day?" The voice was loud, but Ryan was sure it came from the other side of the canteen, where a freshman was calling with his mom. Why would he set the call on speaker?

Ryan turned back and ignored it, but soon another sound interrupted his video. The annoying 8-bit soundtrack of a mobile game echoed through his mind, the sound of clashing swords and yelling characters making it even more annoying. What stupid kid let his sound on extra loud when he was gaming during school break? A drop of sweat slid down his temple. Cheering rang in his ears as the kid cleared his level and it hurt. It was loud and awful and his head was swimming and throbbing and pulsing with every beat. 

Ryan shivered in his thick hoodie.

"No dad, you don't have to pick me up," another student said as he was calling from a few tables away.

Ryan huffed and kept staring at his phone, even though the he didn't register anything Cassis said in her video. He still kept trying.

Tap, tap, tap. In the row for the food, someone was texting their friends, every tap with their thumb banging against his skull.

Ryan looked to his left. A teacher was checking his news feed, sirens wailing,  people screaming, shouting - some video about the most recent monster attack. To his right, a girl was filming a video with her friends, laughing, playing music, typing a caption and then laughing again. They were so loud.

More videos, more games, more typing, more voices. Every second it got louder, every second it seemed to penetrate further and further into his mind.

Tap Tap Tap. 

Screaming.

Laughing.

Sirens.

Cheering.

Tap Tap Tap. 

Ryan clutched his phone tighter and shut his eyes, willing for the ever growing buzzing of the lamps and phones and laptops and screens to stop.

It all had to stoppleasestopit'stoomuchtooloudMAKEITSTOP-

The sizzling of something burning made his mind snap out of it. Ryan quickly looked down where his phone lay in his hands, broken and blackened, a small trail of smoke coming from it.

Oops. 

His eyes darted up to look if anyone had seen that - and to his relief no one did - so he quickly hid his phone under the table and let it slide into his bag. He would deal with that later.

Since he had no way of distracting himself anymore, and the sounds around him were now even making his vision grow wobbly as they pounded against his brain, Ryan knew he had to make a run for it. It was not like he had actually wanted to eat school food anyway, so no loss there.

"Hey guys?" He said, his left arm smoothly disappearing under the table. "I think I left my mech-link in the classroom. I'll go get it. See you later okay?"

Before the other two could answer, Ryan stood up and turned around, tucking his left arm in the pocket of his hoodie so they couldn't see his mech-link still nicely around his wrist. Briskly, he walked away, ignoring how his eyes couldn't focus or how he could throw up any second. He was fine.

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

Okay, maybe, just maybe, Ryan was not fine. After the small incident with his phone, he had accidentally also fried the teacher's smartwatch during PE when the teacher had blown his whistle right next to Ryan's ear out of nowhere. On top of that, he had also derailed someone's electronic car when he had been waiting on Mark outside of the school and the speakers had blasted the ringing bell right above his head. So you could say he was a little bit jumpy and a lot bit nauseous, and maybe not totally fine, but he would manage. He was Ryan Walker and Walkers didn't get sick.

Whatever. It didn’t matter if he finally admitted to himself that something was wrong, because as soon as school was out, he and Mark had headed straight to Mech X4 when they had gotten a monster alert.

Sick or not, Ryan was the only one who could stop it, so he had to power through. He could do this. Probably. Maybe.

As the gang made their way out of the awful elevator and to their stations, Ryan had to physically swallow down the urge to puke. That elevator hadn't helped in the slightest.

Ryan clicked the belt around his middle and the robot rose from its hiding spot. A rough cough came from him as he tried to move the robot into kneeling position, but he played it off as an awkward cough instead of the start of bile rising in his throat. He had to concentrate or otherwise he'd short-circuit the robot.

However, the miserable attempt didn't go unnoticed. 

"Hey man, you okay?" Spyder asked from behind him.

Ryan nodded, but regretted immediately as his head spun with the sudden motion.

"Yeah, of course, I'm fine," he said and readied his feet to jump. Spyder seemed to want to ask something else, but Ryan cut him off. 

"Mech, Execute!" he yelled and jumped away. Now was not the time to worry about himself. They had people to save.

"The monster just popped up next to the river at the other side of the city, what would it want there?" Harris asked out loud. He was furiously typing and checking the screens as he followed the beast's movements on his maps. "Wait, where is it – oh. Oh no."

Mark bent over the rails to look at the screens. "What? What is it dingus?" 

"The monster! It's heading straight for us! How is it so fast?!"

Ryan's head shot up when he noticed the beast flying straight at them at a rapid speed. "Guys, it's here!"

He barely had enough time to raise his arms in front of his head before the monster crashed right into them, hitting Mech X4 with such devastating force that Ryan was shot into the air, a couple of cables exploding behind him from the rough impact.

"Ryan are you okay?!" Mark yelled.

Ryan swallowed and lifted his head from the cold floor. "Yeah I'm good," he said as he carefully stood up again. The giant monster in front of them was already readying itself for the next attack.

Ryan rolled his shoulders and raised his fists in fighting position. He ignored the cold sweat building on his forehead. "Let's finish this quick. Spyder?"

"One plasma punch coming right up." Spyder slid his chair back from the desk and grabbed a hold of his weapon arm.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

Ryan and Spyder simultaneously drew back their arms and swung them back as Mech X4 did the same with his glowing fist. The monster had been distracted, working up the power to hit again, but was instead swept off his feet when the fist hit full force. It fell to the ground with a large growl, but was still moving.

"Again!" Ryan yelled, already jumping up again to do it.

"Wait dude, it needs to recharge first, we need to buy some time!" Spyder frantically punched his buttons as he read from the screen. "If we do it now, it will be like a grandma punch!" He stopped mid-punching his buttons as he thought about something. "Wait. Nevermind, my grandma would punch this dude into tomorrow. Okay what about, if we used it right now it would be like if Harris punched it!"

Harris spun in his chair with a "not cool, son," before he got back to his scanning and getting up the shields. Mark and Ryan silently grinned. It was an accurate comparison.

"Okay, Harris, how are we with the shields?"

"Almost done and… now they're up!"

And just in time too, because as soon as Ryan turned back to the large window, he saw the monster getting back to his feet again. It let out a low growl as its wings spread out in warning.

"Get ready, he's coming back!"

The robot stepped back as Ryan raised his fists and braced for the next attack. The monster darted forward, its claws barely missing the chest of the robot as Ryan ducked out of the way. Then, it lifted itself on his back legs and rose into the sky, its wings harshly pushing away the wind. As the gang was too distracted by the strong winds that almost pushed the robot off his feet, they didn't see the tip of the monster's tail, heading straight for the head. It clashed against the shield and bounced back, while in the process it successfully pushed Ryan and the robot out of balance, both failing to the ground with a thud.

Ryan grunted his way through the pain as he got back up. They were almost done with this and then he could hide himself in his blankets for the rest of the day. Almost there, almost done.

The beast lashed out again as it clawed against the shield. It seemed to try to rip it open.

"The shields won't hold this for long! Spyder is the plasma punch ready?"

"Almost…" Spyder tapped impatiently against his desk, his eyes glued to his screen.

"Ryan watch out!" Mark yelled. Ryan lifted his arms in front of his head just as the monster ripped away the shield, the pixels giving way as the energy ran out. The monster flew forward and extended its claws as it headed for the head. Without the shields, all Ryan could do was hold his ground and cover himself, not even finding an opening to strike back.

"Spyder?!"

"Almost…"

The beast struck out with a right hook and got around Ryan's defenses, punching the robot hard against his head. Ryan whipped back from the impact and clutched his jaw. That hurt. His eyes watered and refused to focus anymore. A shiver ran down his spine, even if he himself felt like he was burning from the inside.

"Spyder?!"

"I'll say when it's ready!"

The monster hit again and again, sparks flying around the control center as Ryan bounced around in his harness. He was literally being beaten to a pulp and all his strength failed him. He was too weak. 

He was… not fine at all.

Mark was pacing across the deck, checking his screens and performing quick damage control. "Spyder, we can't take much more!"

Spyder spun in his chair and pulled back his attack handle. "It's ready!"

Immediately, Ryan stumbled to his feet and raised his fists. Please let this be the final attack, he wished desperately. His mind screamed at him to never move again and just give up, but he just had to do one more thing. Just this one thing. He could survive that. Ryan jumped into the air and brought his fist down with so much force that his knuckles burned. The hit landed, the robot's fist piercing straight through the monster's chest as it de-transformed into ooze and splashed to the ground. 

For a moment it was quiet, and then the team of Mech X4 burst out in cheers. They had finished it! Ryan smiled weakly as he sighed. His muscles burned, his vision swum, but they had done it. Finally. He wiped his sweat of his brow and roughly dropped to the floor, his legs giving out from under him. Now on his knees, he unbuckled his belt and let the harness fly up into its storage. When his hand returned from the motion however, something caught his eye. There was red on his hand. His eyes widened. There was blood on his hand. he was bleeding. That monster must have done more damage than he thought.

“Hey guys…” he said, his voice weak and barely audible. No one heard as the rest of the team congratulated each other with their victory. Ryan shivered.

“Guys…” was the final thing he said before he crashed down onto the floor, his vision and mind going blank as he did not even notice how all the lights and screens in the robot flickered and died out with him.

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

“...Ryan.”

“Ryan!”

“RYAN!”

Ryan jolted awake and immediately regretted it as he bend over and lost his diner from the day before. Someone patted him on the back as he retched, but his eyes were too blurry with tears to see who it was. Lights flickered around them.

The same hands placed him back down on the bed when he was done, wiping his forehead with a cold towel. Ryan sighed and closed his eyes again, already worn out from keeping his head upright.

“Get well soon…” Someone said and then he fell asleep once more.

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

The next time he woke, he didn’t get the urge to puke as soon as he opened his eyes. That was good news at least. A little dazed, he looked around the room. The Medbay. Of course.

“Guys! Guys, he’s awake!” Spyder’s voice yelled from too close next to him. In reflex, Ryan shut his eyes tight and groaned, his head not happy with the loud noise.

Two sets of footsteps entered the Medbay as the door slid open.

“Bro, are you okay?!” Ryan opened his eyes and saw Mark rushing towards him, sitting down next to the bed and placing a warm hand on his shoulder. On the older shoulder came Harris’ hand as his best friend shot a worried look at him.

“You scared us buddy,” he said and slightly squeezed his shoulder.

Ryan smiled weakly as he closed his eyes and sighed. “Sorry about that…”

“Do you wanna tell us what happened?” Harris said, his attention already going to the screens next to the bed to check on Ryan’s vitals.

Ryan slowly opened his eyes. “Guess that monster was stronger than I thought.”

“Nah man, that was like a level 5 monster. It wasn’t even made of the red ooze, just the orange,” Spyder said with a shrug, “You normally beat down level 10 monsters with ease.”

“Where did you come up with this rating system?” Harris asked confused.

“It’s just what the collector’s cards say, I didn’t make it.”

“We have collector's cards?” Mark asked eagerly.

Harris shot them both an incredulous look before he turned his attention back to Ryan with an eye roll. 

“The scanners are picking up a high temperature, on top of signs of dehydration and not enough nutritions to give your body the energy to heal as fast. Ryan, did you eat at all yesterday?”

Ryan averted his eyes to stare at the scanner beside him. “I didn’t.”

Mark furrowed his eyebrows. “Dude, why wouldn’t you eat anything and still go to fight? Are you stupid? You could have die–”

Ryan flinched as Harris stopped Mark with a gesture of his hand. He shook his head at the older one of the Walker brothers.

“Ryan,” he said, his tone far more calm than Mark’s, “why didn’t you just say you were sick? We could’ve found another way to defeat the monster.”

“No we wouldn’t!” Ryan snapped, his eyes widening as soon as the words left his mouth. he hadn't meant to say it in that tone. He sighed. “Look, just, we all know that we need the robot to defeat the monsters and that we can do nothing with the robot without my powers. I had to fight. It was the only option. And honestly?” Ryan slowly pushed himself in sitting position with his arms. “I was fine doing it. Just got a nasty wound, that’s all.”

Harris shook his head. “This wasn’t just a nasty wound Ryan. On top of your fever, you have several bruised ribs and a large wound to your head. You’re lucky it was mostly superficial or it could have done serious damage to your brain.”

Mark nodded and patted Ryan’s head while Ryan weakly tried to push him off. “You hear that Dingus? No more fighting when you have a fever alright?”

Ryan successfully swatted away Mark’s hand. “Yeah, yeah.”

“You have to promise.”

“I promise Mark, I promise.” Ryan smiled softly and looked at his team. “Thank you though.”

“For what?” Spyder asked.

“For caring about me like this,” Ryan said and lay back down. He was tired. “I really don’t know what I could’ve done without any of you guys…” His voice got quieter as his eyelids closed, but before he fell asleep he still heard the “awww’s” around him. Yeah, he would definitely get teased about this later. 

For now though, he meant it. 

He loved his team.

#mech x4 #ryan walker #mark walker #harris harris jr #spyder #whump #fan fiction #sick fic #happy ending #angst #fluff #best friends #season 1 #a digital fever

[pi-cat000]

MSA: Take Two (part 10)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9

Part 11: here 

.

Apparently, Vivi needs time to process the fact that her Arthur is not in any danger because she stands in quiet contemplation for several long seconds. Her face scrunches, brows creasing, and she massages her chin thoughtfully. Most likely, she is revising whatever theories she’d concocted since their last encounter. Arthur uses the brief reprieve to float over to Vivi’s desk and right the lamp he’d accidentally knocked over. However, when he reaches to touch it, the bulb flickers on, startling him. He hastily jerks his hand back. The lamp goes dark. Arthur hesitates, but nothing explodes, so he hovers his hand near the lamp, watching the light spark. A quick check under the table confirms that it is not plugged in. Perplexed, he switches sides, but his metallic arm elicits the same response. Weird, but also fascinating. Arthur must be producing some form of charge, creating an electric field. It can’t be the static because, now he is relaxed, the sparks - which are usually jumping every which way - have quietened, becoming almost non-existent.

“I think it’s pretty cool.” Vivi, having finished her reflection, steps beside him and gives her lamp an excited grin, like it’s not just a faulty bit of electronics.

“Uh.” Arthur is not sure if ‘cool’ is the right word. He pulls back. The lamp flickers off.

“Your anchor does that too,” Vivi continues, pointing at his heart. Impulsively, Arthur coves it, drawing back and angling away.  

Vivi freezes and quickly flushes with embarrassment, stepping back, “Sorry. Was that rude? It felt rude.”

Arthur jumps to reassure her, “No…I mean…Don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”

She doesn’t buy it. “If it’s rude, you should let me know. None of this ‘I’m fine' when you’re obviously not, nonsense,” Vivi orders, actually rolling her eyes to show exasperation. She’s got the determined air about her that he has come to associate with a lecture on honestly and sharing one’s feelings.

Deliberately, Arthur moves his hand back to his side, motioning awkwardly, “It was the pointing that made me uneasy. I don’t think I like other people being near it.” He then quickly makes to continue their conversation, “What were you saying about this thing producing an electric field?”

Vivi falters, “Oh…” seemly thrown, like she’s not used people being immediately honest with her.  She recovers quickly, “Okay. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve been carrying you in my purse. Mystery said we shouldn’t leave you lying around, and it felt wrong to stash you someplace random. I totally fried my phone and laptop.”

Vivi’s been carrying around his heart thingamajig in her purse? Arthur is surprisingly okay with this setup.

“I don’t mind. I think I would rather you carry me around than be left alone somewhere…” If he had a mouth, he would probably be grimacing, “What do mean by ‘fried your phone’?”

“You kind of short out nearby electronics. My whole bag caught fire,” Vivi elaborates, sounding way too enthused about the subject. “It was my fault really, I should have known that keeping you and my phone in the same spot wasn’t the best idea. The laptop thing was definitely my bad. Of course, if Mystery had just told me about the plasma stuff straight away, I might have cottoned on sooner.” She delivers the last sentence with an irritated frown.

“It...I mean 'I' must produce some type of charged electric or magnetic field,” He reasons, briefly glancing down at the heart, “I can probably fix your phone…Once I figure out how to control it." He tries to sound as apologetic as possible, hoping to compensate for his lack of facial features. His fingers let out several sparks.

“Oh! Hold on,” Vivi pipes, spinning to hurry and inspect a specific pile of books, “I have something for you.” She yanks out a thicker notebook form near the top then pulls free three additional tombs, all very old going off their many scuff marks. “I’ve been writing down everything I learn. You should read it. Maybe you’ll get some ideas.”

The pile wobbles dangerously before tipping over to scatter more paper across the floor. Vivi pays it not mind. Instead, she settles down at the centre of her blue, tasselled carpet, flipping open the notepad. Arthur floats closer, curious. She pats the floor next to her, beckoning him to sit, continuing to comment, “Also, Mystery says these books aren’t ‘entirely useless’ which is pretty much a glowing recommendation coming from him. I annotated the margins when I noticed a crossover in the information.”

Cautiously, Arthur drifts down into a cross-legged position, peering at the notepad. Not wanting to touch the paper, he simply examines the first page. It is covered in Vivi’s squiggly handwriting, with sticky-notes protruding at odd angles on all sides. Arthur recognises a few diagrams, describing a magnetic field, and some other info on lightning. Vivi flips the book around, so he is not trying to read upside-down.

“How long did this take you?” He wonders out loud, “How long have I been out?”

“About a week,” Vivi turns the page for him, “There’s a whole lot of stuff about elemental affinities further in. Did you know people have auras that naturally resonate with an element? Therefore, if a ghost is strong enough, it will automatically mimic its elemental affinity.”

Arthur nods vaguely. His own Vivi, the future Vivi, had come up with a similar theory after they’d run into one too many elemental themed ghosts. It’s nice to have confirmation. It’s also nice that Vivi can learn about this stuff without putting herself in danger.

“Anyway. Since you’re only mimicking lightning, this electricity or lightning will only act per your understanding of electricity or lightning. Of course, it’s also influenced by your emotions and mental state, which is kind of tricky to control, but it’s a start.”

“That…makes a bit of sense.”

He’s not sure how this information will help him manage the lightning because one doesn’t just stop understanding scientific facts, and figuring out his emotions sounds just as impossible. However, Arthur finds the act of simply knowing is already making him feel a load better. Sure, being dead was terrible, but he hadn’t realised how badly the lack of control and understanding was affecting him until it wasn’t.

He glances up to Vivi, “Thank you…for doing this.”

“Heh, it was nothing. Besides, Lewis was the one to make the connection between your mental state and your level of control, that you wouldn’t hurt us. Also, you, the other you, explained all the technical sciency things. So, I didn’t do much, aside from accidentally fry my laptop.”

“It means a lot.” He reiterates firmly. In his timeline, Vivi had harboured a lot of guilt after the incident, which had manifested in a refusal to accept credit for her work. It had taken him an embarrassingly long time to notice. Good to know he could skip that drama this time around. Finally, he’ll be able to repay her for everything.

With new determination, Arthur reaches out to carefully turn the next page without help. Vivi stares openly then glances down. Her next smile is soft and more private. A smile for herself.  The amusement trickles back, warming his core. This time, instead of fading immediately into that void of numbness, it hangs over him like a cozy blanket.

Arthur still needs to figure out a way to exist in the same space as Lewis long enough to explain himself properly, but, in this moment, he is just going to enjoy the warmth.

.

NOTE: So Lewis was supposed to be in this part, but this conversation took more words then I planned. He’ll be in the next part though. 

Part 11: here

#MSA #mystery skulls animated #fanfiction #fanfic #arthur kingsmen #Vivi Yukino #ghost arthur #supportive vivi #a boat load of ghost headcannons #Headcanon #so nice when the angst transitions into fluff

[emospritelet]

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9][Part 10] [Part 11] [Part 12] [Part 13] [Part 14] [Part 15] [Part 16]

[AO3]

Last time, Lacey told Weaver she was going to Vegas for a funeral. Weaver realised she was lying through her teeth, found out her true destination, and decided to follow her. Mulan and Merida tag along for the ride.

x

Detectives Weaver and Fa, and Officer Dunbroch, took the first flight out that they could get, snatching what sleep they could during the trip. They landed on Friday morning, collecting the hire car that Weaver had booked and then grabbing a quick bite to eat while they planned their next move in solving the mystery that was Lacey.

“Her plane lands just after three,” said Fa, stirring her coffee. “If she’s meeting someone, we should check out the arrivals. We’ll need to be ready to follow them.”

“Any idea what she’s here for?” asked Merida, and Weaver shook his head, dipping a few fries into his ketchup.

“The only lead I have is that she has a tiny key that she stole from me, and a code,” he said. “No idea what the code is for, but the key means she needs a safe deposit box. Which means a bank.”

He shoved the fries in his mouth, chewing.

“Doesn’t exactly narrow it down,” said Merida. “Probably means we’ll be in the centre of the city, though.”

“Don’t suppose she has any sort of tracker on her phone?” asked Fa, and Weaver shook his head again.

“We should split up in case we lose her,” said Fa, putting a hand on Merida’s knee. “And don’t take this the wrong way, babe, but you kind of stand out.”

Merida shook her red curls, pulling a face.

“I can be inconspicuous when I want to!”

“You can’t even spell inconspicuous,” said Weaver bluntly. “You can wait in the hire car. Fa and I will scope out the airport.”

“Oh, and you think your wife will just breeze on past you without noticing?” demanded Merida. “Don’t be fucking stupid!”

“Both of you can hang back and keep your damn faces hidden as much as you can,” said Fa, in a tone that meant she had made up her mind. “I’ll follow Lacey. If I can get close enough, I’ll try to plant a tracker on her.”

“Don’t risk blowing the whole thing,” warned Weaver.

“Come on, I’m not a rookie,” she said, giving him a flat look. “If I can’t do it without her getting suspicious, then I won’t bother.”

“There won’t be much of a window in which to reach her,” said Merida. “What’s the plan if you can’t place the tracker?”

“If someone’s meeting her, they’ll need transport, which either means a cab or a car,” said Fa. “If we split ourselves between the hire car and the cabs we should be okay. Weaver can take the hire car, we’ll follow her in a cab. We’ll stay in touch, meet up wherever she goes.”

“Sounds good,” said Weaver. “I asked her to call me when her plane landed. We’ll see what she has to say for herself then.”

“You think she’ll call?” asked Merida, stealing some of his fries.

“Oh yes,” he said dryly. “She’ll want to keep up the subterfuge as long as possible, believe me. I’m gonna let her think she’s got me fooled.”

x

Lacey had slept poorly, worried about what lay ahead, and missing both Weaver and Tilly. She was thankful that she had caught the earliest flight possible, as it meant she could stop staring at the ceiling and at least keep busy with getting to the airport and boarding the plane. She managed to snooze a little on the flight over, but felt her heart sink as it came in to land. Whatever secrets Fiona wanted her to retrieve, they would be found in Boston.

She looked through her bag, finding her tickets, a passport and driving licence in the name of Isabelle French, and the deposit box key she had taken from Weaver. She was still unsure on the pass code she had taken pictures of. Neither Fiona nor Azurine had mentioned the code, and so she hadn’t either, holding onto a faint hope that there was still a piece of this puzzle they weren’t aware of.

As she hit the arrivals lounge, she pulled out her phone, wondering if she would catch Weaver. He answered on the third ring, his tone light.

“Hey,” he said. “How’s Vegas?”

“Just as dusty and overrun with gamblers as I remember,” she said, wincing as she lied to him yet again. “How’s Tilly?”

“Yeah, she’s fine,” he said. “Nolan suggested that we take a trip down the coast this weekend.”

“Oh.” She chewed her lip. “Oh. Well, good. You guys have fun.”

“She can tell you all about it when you get back,” he added. “Any idea when that’ll be? If you send me your flight number I can pick you up.”

“Uh - yeah, sure.” Guilt ran spectral fingers over her skin and twisted in her hair. “I’ll - I’ll call you.”

“Okay.”

A pause, in which she heard what sounded like a sigh. When he spoke again, his voice was more gentle. More desperate.

“Take care, Lacey,” he said. “We both love you, never forget that. Take care, and come home.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, swallowing past the lump in her throat.

“Bye,” she whispered, and hung up.

She slipped the phone into her bag and ran her hands over her face, breathing hard to calm herself. At least they were safe. They were together, and they were safe. That was all that mattered. She dropped her hands, blinking rapidly to clear her eyes of the tears that still threatened to fall, and raised her chin. Time to move.

The arrivals lounge was busy, but she had only brought a small carry-on case on wheels, and so she was able to get through it quickly. She had been told to watch out for someone waiting for her, and sure enough, in amongst the cab drivers holding up signs with names scrawled on, was a tall young man with blonde hair and a secretive smile, a sign in his hands reading Schwartz. Lacey took a breath, stomping over to him.

“Guess you’re my ride, huh?” she said. “Where are we headed?”

“Longbourn Chartered Bank,” he said, in a lazy drawl. “Pleased to meet you, Ms Schwartz. I’m Felix, your chauffeur.”

“Let’s just get this over with,” she snapped. “I’m not looking for a guided tour of the damn city!”

He smirked and turned away, heading off towards the car park. Lacey followed, dragging her little case, and a short young woman with a heavy coat and a cap pulled down over her eyes barged into her, almost sending her flying.

“Sorry,” she muttered, not looking back, and Lacey glared after her, watching her dark ponytail swinging as she headed for the cafeteria.

“We’re on a schedule here, ma’am,” said Felix, and Lacey scowled at him.

“Yeah, okay, I’m coming! That bitch almost ran me down!”

She picked up the pace, and he led her swiftly from the terminal and into the car park. A sleek Mercedes waited, shining black panels edged with chrome, and Lacey put her case in the trunk and got into the rear seat, tossing her bag aside and putting on her belt. The sooner this was over the better.

It didn’t take long to get to the bank, and Felix pulled up outside, opening the door to let her out.

“I guess I’ll meet you back here,” she said, but he shook his head.

“I’m coming in with you,” he said.

“I’m not about to make a run for it, am I?” she snapped.

“Orders are orders, Ms Schwartz.”

Lacey rolled her eyes.

“Fine,” she sighed. “Just stay out of the way. I’m not in the mood for this crap.”

She breezed past him, trotting up the steps of the bank and into the main lobby. It was pleasantly warm after the biting wind outside, despite the high ceiling. The floor was tiled in polished cream and black, and her heels rang on the tiles as she approached one of the gleaming wooden desks. A pretty young woman in a crisp dark blue suit greeted her with a smile.

“I have a deposit box here,” said Lacey, hoping it was true. “I need to access it.”

“Of course,” chirped the woman. “We’ll need your I.D. Do you have your key?”

“Yeah.”

Lacey dug in her bag for the padded envelope she had containing the key and her identification. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see Felix hovering a pace or two back. The bank clerk was tapping away at her computer, and she looked up with a smile.

“That’s fine, Ms Schwartz,” she said. “If you’d like to follow me?”

She led Lacey to a door secured by an electronic keypad, and tapped in a code with flickering fingers. Felix had joined them, and the clerk glanced at him as she turned the handle.

“I’m afraid it’s key holders only past this point, sir,” she said.

Lacey felt like sticking her tongue out at him, but kept her face impassive, and he muttered that he would wait for her to come back out. She followed the clerk along a narrow corridor with thick carpet that softened their footsteps. Another door, another code, and she was let into a room with a single table and chair, and rows of small numbered boxes stacked two metres high. The clerk ran her eyes around the room, then walked swiftly to a box numbered 219 and put her key into one of the two locks there, turning it with a click. Drawing the box out of its slot, she placed it on the table in front of Lacey.

“It’s ready for you to use your own key,” she said. “Just knock on the door when you want me to let you out.”

She left, closing and locking the door behind her, and Lacey eyed the deposit box nervously. Staring at it wouldn’t help her get out of the situation she was in, and so she inserted her own key, turning it in the lock and hearing a click. She opened up the lid, pursing her lips at the contents. There was a portable hard drive, one of the old ones from years ago that would fit on a tiny flash drive these days. She lifted it out and set it aside. That was what Fiona had asked her to get. Underneath it was a letter, a thick cream envelope with her old name written on the front. Isabelle.

Licking her lips, she picked up the letter, slitting it open with a thumbnail and pulling out a sheet of paper that had been carefully folded into thirds. She opened it up, eyes scanning the page.

‘My dear Isabelle’, it said. ‘I’m writing this to you now in the hope that you will find it before any of the others. I know what’s happening to me. I know what the future holds on that front, and so I wanted to reach out while I still can. I have asked Mr Heller to track you down, and if you are reading this, he must have done so. He is a good man at heart, seeking to carry on the work of his late wife, and as soon as he finds you, I will be sending him the means to help you, and thereby help him to protect her legacy.

Perhaps my dearest wish will come true, and Mr Heller will bring you to me while I can still move and think and speak. Or perhaps this is all in vain, who can say? All I know is that I have to try to make it right. I’m sorry for the family your mother was born into, the family that I was a part of. I’m sorry about the man she married, the man your grandfather treated as his own son, as his heir to this great fortune built on misery and suffering. I’m sorry for everything you had to witness, for everything that happened to you. I’m sorry that I was too weak to stop it.

I’m more happy than you know that you were able to get away from that life, and I hope you can go on to find your own path and put this terrible past behind you. Your stepmother smiles and speaks of you fondly, as though she misses you, but I know you were fooled by her no more than I was. She will want what I have left for you in this box. I leave the decision on what to do with the contents to you.

The true prize is in my private safe, in the library at home. Look in the alcove behind the statue you always liked. You’ll find the safe there. Inside is all the evidence that your mother collected over the years when she was a doting wife, but could not find the strength to use. Evidence against your father and his businesses. Evidence against your stepmother. Perhaps it will be enough to let you be free of them. There must still be some good people left in the world, some officials yet to be corrupted by greed and self-interest. Alas, I never met one.

I offer you this evidence, dear Isabelle, in the hope that it will never be needed. In the hope that you will live your life happily without them ever finding you. If they do, though, perhaps this will give you something to use against them. I realise that I am trying to ease my own conscience as much as help you, but we must all find our courage where we can. God knows I have little enough of that.

Take care, dearest girl, and be assured that I wish you every happiness. Your loving Grandma.’

Lacey lowered the letter, chewing her lip as she blinked away a tear or two. Her grandmother had been the one person who had been a comforting presence, but she had not realised until that moment how trapped and helpless she had felt.

“Find your courage where you can,” she said quietly. “Guess I’ll have to try, huh? Do the brave thing?”

She dropped the letter back into the box, not wanting to take it with her when Felix was waiting outside. Slipping the hard drive into her bag, she locked up the box and left it on the table, rapping on the door for the bank clerk to let her out.

As she had suspected, Felix demanded that she hand over her bag as soon as they were outside. A cab had pulled into the space in front of them, two women on the back seat leaning in to hold one another. One of the women had very red hair, pulled into a tight bun that was coming loose, her face hidden as they hugged fiercely. Lacey waited with a bored expression on her face as Felix searched through the bag, pulling out the hard drive and opening every pocket.

“Is that it?” he asked.

“That’s it,” she confirmed.

“Okay,” he said. “Then I guess we head to Vegas.”

“I’m going to Storybrooke,” she said firmly, and he frowned.

“My orders are—”

“I don’t give a flying fuck about your orders!” snapped Lacey. “My grandmother is dying, okay? I’m going to see her, and I don’t care what you say about it. You can hold onto what I took from her deposit box - hell, you can take it to Vegas yourself, if you like. But I’m going to Storybrooke, got it? If you won’t take me, I’ll get on a damn bus!”

She stomped around to the trunk of the car to retrieve her case, and he growled something under his breath.

“Fine, get in,” he sighed. “I guess a day or so wouldn’t hurt.”

She sniffed, snatched her bag from him, and got into the back of the Mercedes again. The cab ahead was still parked up. Clearly the two women were taking their time saying goodbye. Good for them. Felix pulled away, heading north, and Lacey shrugged out of her coat and settled back on the seat with a sigh. Around four hours to get to Storybrooke. Perhaps she could even get some sleep.

x

Some way behind her, Weaver was following in the hire car. He nodded grimly as the Mercedes followed the signs to I-95, and glanced at his phone seated in its cradle on the dashboard. A few flicks of his fingers called Merida.

“Looks like we’re heading north,” he said. “Where are you?”

“We’re about four cars back from you,” she said. “Stay out of sight.”

“Understood.” He frowned, keeping an eye on the traffic in front of him. “I think I know where they’re going. The cab fare is gonna be a fucking fortune.”

“Then you’d better be prepared to get your wallet out, hadn’t you?” she said. “First time for everything.”

“Bloody cheek!” he said, as she chortled. “Did Fa manage to put the tracker on her?”

“Coat pocket,” said Merida. “She still has it. Why don’t you pull over and we’ll get in your car? Not like you don’t know where she’s going, right?”

“Alright. Next place I can stop.”

He rang off, glancing in his mirror before pulling over. The cab pulled in behind him, and he waited impatiently, fingers tapping on the wheel as Fa paid the driver and she and Merida hurried to his car. They piled into the back seat, a little breathless.

“Where are we going?” asked Merida, as he pulled away again.

“Maine,” he said. "Should take us four hours or so. Look for Storybrooke on your phone, let me know where we're heading when we get a little nearer."

“No problem.”

Weaver increased his speed, overtaking the vehicle in front as he tried to catch Lacey, no easy feat in the heavy traffic. The Mercedes was easy to spot, but he kept half a dozen cars in between them and shifted in his seat, getting ready for a long drive. It seemed that Lacey was going home.

x

It was after nine in the evening when they reached Storybrooke, a small town nestled on the coast of Maine. Weaver’s eyes were grainy from lack of sleep and intense concentration, and he followed the Mercedes through the town, keeping well back. It turned off up a quiet road lined with trees, and he slowed his pace as Fa and Merida studied the map on Fa's phone.

“Pull over,” said Fa. “That road’s a dead end. There’s only one place they could be going, and it’s gonna be pretty obvious if you follow.”

“What’s at the end of the road?” he asked.

“Avonlea Manor,” she said. “Kill the lights. We’ll wait here, see if they come back out.”

“The tracker?”

“Still ahead of us.”

He turned off the lights, rubbing tired eyes and sighing.

“There was an inn back in the town,” said Merida. “We could get a room for the night. Maybe some food. Definitely a drink or three.”

“Just as soon as we know what the hell’s going on, yes.” He peered through his fingers at the road ahead. “Fuck it, I’m going up there.”

“You are not,” said Fa immediately. “Just wait. I didn't come all this way to haul your impulsive ass out of whatever fire you want to jump into.”

He growled under his breath, but nodded. Time seemed to crawl. The night was black as pitch around them, and he tapped on the steering wheel, itching to drive to wherever Lacey was and kill whoever threatened her.

“Stay where you are,” said Fa, seeming to read his mind, and he rolled his eyes.

“For all I know she’s buggered off somewhere else!” he snapped.

“No, she’s still there,” she said. “She’s - wait, she’s coming this way. Get down!”

Headlights appeared around a bend in the road, and Weaver ducked his head. He heard a car pass, and looked up again, red tail lights visible in the rear view mirror.

“Only one person in the car, but the tracker was in there,” said Fa. “Perhaps she left her coat on the back seat.”

“Perhaps she was in the trunk,” said Merida ominously, making Weaver swallow hard.

“Right, I’m going up to that manor house to take a look around,” he said, starting the engine. “You two follow that car once I’m gone, got it?”

They argued, as he had known they would, but eventually agreed. Weaver followed the road around a sweeping bend, the woods opening out to reveal a large, sprawling mansion of red brick, large gardens beyond spreading out towards thick woods. The house was oddly dark and silent, lights on in only a few rooms, and Weaver stopped the car, getting out and checking his weapons. Fa took his place in the driver’s seat.

“Call us,” she said bluntly. “When we’re done tracking that car, we'll be at that inn we passed. If you need help, just fucking call, okay? And don’t get your ass shot.”

“Yeah, you too.”

They drove off, and Weaver followed the road around to the rear of the house, moving quietly and hugging the red brick wall. There seemed to be no security to speak of, and he wondered at this large house in the middle of nowhere, and the secrets it might contain. Was Lacey inside?

He reached a door, and opened it quietly, slipping inside and closing it behind him. Warmth flooded over him, and he glanced around, taking in the empty room with its heavy range and gleaming steel pans. He appeared to have found the kitchens. A teapot sat on a heavy pine table, white glazed pottery with a chip in the rim of the lid. The teapot was steaming, a cup and saucer next to it, and Weaver figured that whoever the tea was for had to be around somewhere. He slipped across the room, heading for the door that led into the main house. A dark corridor opened up before him, a set of stairs at the end, and he flexed his fingers, focusing his energy on the door at the top. Perhaps Lacey was beyond. Perhaps he would finally get some answers.

“Hands in the air!” A stern voice made him freeze. “Hands in the air or I’ll shoot!”

#fic: things left unsaid #woven lace fic #woven lace #rumbelle fic #my fic

[knife-dad]

Rules: Answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions.

I was tagged by @elven-flower <3

Coke or Pepsi: Mexican Coke. Give me that real sugar  Disney or Dreamworks: Disney mostly, but i really like the How To Train Your Dragon movies too Coffee or Tea: I’m more of a tea person, coffee only makes me jittery  Books or Movies: both. Give me every story telling format known to mankind Windows or Mac: windows?? I’ve never even used a mac DC or Marvel: DC tv shows, Marvel movies. Cartoons from both. XBOX or Playstation: XBox mostly, but also Nintendo a lil bit. The GameCube was our first real console and I will never forget playing this dumb Shrek 2 game with my siblings and fricking losing it when we beat the final boss for the first time. So fun Dragon Age or Mass Effect: I feel like I’d be more of a Mass Effect fan, but I love both Sci-Fi and Fantasy, so I could probably get into Dragon Age too Night Owl or Early Riser: night owl for sure Cards or Chess: cards Chocolate or Vanilla: CHOCOLATE Vans or Converse: Converse. So uncomfortable and yet so aesthetic Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash or Adaar: hmmm. I don’t know who these people are but based on their names I assume they must be fantasy characters, which means I would probably love all of them, especially if they are some sort of friend group/team. Fluff or Angst: depends on my mood actually- I don’t read that much fanfic in general though Beach or Forests: forest, mountain, desert, literally anything but beach Dogs or Cats: DOGS Clear skies or Rain: clear skies are better for my mood but i love a good rainy day  Cooking or Eating out: eating out but only occasionally as a treat  Spicy food or Mild food: I love spicy food, but in moderation. Too much spice cancels out all other flavors, which is not fun Halloween/Samhain or Solstice/Yule/Christmas: Thanksgiving. Would you rather be a little too cold or a little too hot?: a little too cold. I can get a blanket and be just fine... there’s not much you can do with heat, especially not on a budget If you could have a superpower, what would it be: I wanna be rich like Batman. Animation or Live action: right now i tend to favor cartoons and anime, but I like both actually Paragon or Renegade: what is this? the names sound fun Baths or Showers: showers, i’m too poor for a bathtub  Team Cap or Team Iron Man: Team Let’s Stop Fighting And Be Friends Fantasy or Sci-Fi: YES TO ALL. I love stories in all forms regardless of genre. Do you have 3 or 4 favourite quotes: not really? idk.  YouTube or Netflix: both Harry Potter or Percy Jackson: I have nothing against Harry Potter but Rick Riordan is a better writer than Rowling. Fight me. When do you feel accomplished: when I think about how I’m only 22 and I’ve written three books Star Wars or Star Trek: Both please. Paperback books or Hardback books: all books in ever form including electronic Handwriting or Type: hand writing is pretty but type writing is easier. Velvet or Satin: velvet. I love the whole velvet trend :) Video games or Movies: Video games as movies. I don’t mean movies based on video games I mean machinima like Red v. Blue or whatever Car Boys is. (it’s not exactly machinima but it’s somewhere in that category right? idk) games are a really cool way to tell stories and I want more of this in my life Would you rather be the dragon or own the dragon: i wanna be friends with the dragon HTTYD style. I like being human but I don’t want a dragon pet just a chill dragon friend who is his own person and does his own thing with/without me Learning Chinese or Learning Spanish: I already know spanish so chinese I guess? i think my brain might be a little too old for that :/ Would you rather be able to speak every language or be able to speak to animals: speak every language. I’mma watch anime without subtitles! Be front row for your favourite artists and not meet them, or meet them but have lawn seats : I’m not even sure I could handle being front row... I mean... you know that one episode of Community where Troy loses it bc of Levar Burton? that’s me. City or Countryside: City by day, country by night. I want to be able to see the stars but also still hang out at the mall every once in a while. Would you rather be a mutant, jedi or wizard: wizard? The Jedi are real sticks-in-the-mud and there’s too much stigma against mutants in the X-Men universe. I just wanna have a little fun, maybe dispel flying monsters with beams of magical light. That sort of thing. Fried pickles or Mozzarella Sticks: mozzarella sticks! who even eats fried pickles? *shudders* Vampires or Werewolves: Monster hunter. Or maybe X-Files type paranormal investigator? I’m Team Human is what I’m saying Pizza or Pasta: Pizza! Pasta! Both! Watching a movie at a cinema with the excitement of its night premiere or wait a few days and watch it later more relaxed: a few days later, because I like relaxing with friends and not being stressed about ticket availability What is your favourite band or singer?: NEEDTOBREATHE, Owl City, Relient K, Twenty One Pilots, Imagine Dragons. What is your favorite fruit?: Pineapple. Fuzzy socks or slippers?: fuzzy socks with slippers. Dusk or Dawn?: Dusk. If I’m up at dawn I’m just an angry ball of tiredness and frustration Would you rather Travel Through Time or Travel Through Alternate Universes?: I’d really rather just respect the laws of physics and stay home. What’s the first book you remember reading? Oh The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. I was probably like 4? I started reading young. Deep space, or deep sea? *chants* DEEP SPACE DEEP SPACE DEEP SPACE What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? some people have said I’m a good listener, which like, how. Have you even met me? I have the attention span of a squirrel Would you rather play a physical sport or a sports video game? physical sport for sure. I know it might be hard to believe but I was actually a pretty sporty kid back in the day... * goes to lean on fence, trips, laughs nervously*

anyway I’m not tagging anyone in particular, unless one of you wants to do this tag, in which case go for it! *double thumbs up*

#text posts to the void

[themousai]

Q+A: Once Foretold

Where did the name ‘Once Foretold’ come from? Robin and Nathan were always complete nerds growing up, and after like 2 weeks of really stupid names in the group chat Nathan found a Magic the Gathering card called “As Foretold” and one of us (can't remember who) decided to change the “As” to “Once” and that was that really. We were seriously pushed for time since we had our debut show not far after that and the band name was kind of the last thing on our minds at that point.

Where did you guys all meet? Nathan and Robin - We mostly met each other through school, Nathan (being a good friend to robin at the time, and just starting to learn how to scream) came along to a practice for Robin's old band called "Our Last Days" and we ended up making a band called "A Reflection of Yesterday" where we became mates with Lily through SFRQ and playing local shows (rip kings arms...). Nathan also used to play in a band called "Overseer" and that's where he met Max. We met shay after our first drummer Ross left us, he had just finished playing with Fire For Glory and I was at his last show with them where the frontman josh said that if anyone wanted him for a band they should snatch him up quickly because of how good he was. A little while later we put out a post on facebook looking for a drummer and he hit us up.  Lily - I used to play in a post-hardcore band in high school called “Hello Headache” and when we did Smokefree Rockquest Nathan and Robin’s band “A Reflection of Yesterday” was at my local heats. They fucking killed it and I was their biggest fan haha. We actually ended up becoming really good friends over time. I asked Max to join the band when I happened to stumble across a guitar demo he posted to Soundcloud and asked if he was interested in joining the band. I met Shay at an EP release show I was playing with my other band REI back in 2017 at the UFO and I totally didn’t know how amazing of a drummer he was until I got him to audition. Will be sad to see him go after these last shows we have booked.

Where do you guys draw inspiration for your music? Robin - Periphery, Architects, Dali Thundering Concept Lily - Maximum the Hormone Max - Thornhill, Silent Planet, Erra Nathan - I draw inspiration from whatever the other guys listen to. Also Parkway Drive, and Killswitch Engage.

Do you find that the creation process of your music is equally collaborative? Or do certain members take on certain elements? Robin and Max - We make a basic layout and present it to the band where they'll tweak it from there during the learning process, we tend to give Nathan creative freedom vocally which tends to yield the best results as it's something most of us are not exactly familiar with doing.

You guys just completed a little run of North Island shows - if you could put together a full NZ tour featuring any other two NZ bands - who would they be? Robin - Seas of Conflict, Pale Flag Max - Pale Flag, Seas of Conflict Lily - Banks Arcade, Lookin Up Nathan - Cripple Mr. Onion, Liit

Do you have any fun stories to share from your tour? Robin and Lily - it was a reaaaallly cold windy day (like 4ºC) when we got wellington, but Max decided he wanted to jump into the harbour from the jumping platform they have in front of Te Papa, he called Lily who was at our accommodation with the guys from REI and made him meet us there with Max's towel. After Max jumped in and came back up we noticed a bunch of signs warning people not to jump in as the water was polluted quite badly. after this for the rest of the night max was freaking out thinking he was going to get sick and googling all the different illnesses he could get from it. We just kind of kept adding fuel to the fire by telling him he was screwed and was going to start growing extra limbs and stuff haha. Max - Getting a speeding ticket for going 87 in an 80km zone. Nathan - Playing out of Auckland.

What can we expect from you guys in the near future? Unfortunately Shay will be leaving us soon, which is a huge bummer for all of us but we are extremely grateful for all he has done with us, so we will be on the hunt for a new drummer soon. We just finished pre production for the EP we have been working on and will start tracking the songs very soon, Shay will be recording the drums with us before he leaves which is awesome as he really contributed to the material we have made and it wouldn't really feel right for us to not capture that.

Lastly - convince our readers to come catch you at ‘Auckland Will Be Laid To Waste’ in 3 words Robin - Break downs, spin kicks, best friends. Nathan - Free eternal erections. Lily - Crash Team Racing Max - Defend Pop Punk

Quick Fire

The one song I wish I wrote is... Robin - Garden of Sankhara by Monuments. That band really meant a lot for me when I was learning songwriting and this song really showed me that even if you are a crazy technical band, less is more sometimes. Nathan - The Final Episode - Asking Alexandria Max - Indonesia - August Burns Red Lily - Z Densetsu: Owarinaki Kakumei - Momoiro Clover Z

Three things I can’t live without are... Nathan - Coke, Oxygen, skin Max - Bikes, Defending Pop Punk, open notes Lily - Fried chicken, pho, Tekken

If I could only play music in one genre for the rest of my life it would be... Max - Probably metalcore/progressive metal because I find it most fun to play on guitar but. Pop punk is up there though although if I was just playing guitar in the genre I wouldn't want to do it forever. Robin - Progressive metal, the nature of it is to experiment and try new stuff, so it would keep me happy. Lily - Post-hardcore. I am das uber emo mans.

Three adjectives that describe my life are… Robin - Impulsive, chill, creative Max - active, nerdy, fun Lily - Dance, Gavin, Dance

If I held a world record it would be for…Robin - Losing a phone the most times in one party. Max - Having the most hobbies. Lily - The most powerful roundhouse kick in terms of weight to power ratio.

My first memory of loving music is… Robin - My sister used to show me a bunch of music and I owe a lot to that, but I remember hearing Metallicas “wherever I may roam” for the first time and being like “duuuuuuude”. the ambient intro into that chunky ass riff immediately got me hooked and I wouldn't stop listening to it. Max - Buying my first CD which was Linkin Park’s Meteora. Lily - Being introduced to Linkin Park by my older brother. I literally only listened to LP up until year 9.

The song of mine that I am the most proud of is… Robin - one you guys haven't heard yet! Max - Parallax Lily - Sovereign. It’s a song I wrote but tbh I’m mainly proud of it because the working title for the song was “Anus of God”.

My favourite venue I've ever played is… Robin - Kings arms, 100%. so many crazy bands have played there and I genuinely feel honoured to have been a part of it's story. Max - Kings Arms Lily - I’ve never played the Kings Arms but I wish I did. As a consolation, I’d say Valhalla in Wellington because WELLINGTON IS AN AWESOME CITY TO PLAY IN.

The ideal environment for me to create music in is… Robin - I used to say in my home recording set up, but now days as i'm getting into electronic production a lot more I sometimes really enjoy having a space with no distractions away from home, uni is great for that I find. Max - I’m just the classic bedroom soundcloud djent guitarist who just needs some monitors, an interface and a DAW with some decent plugins haha Lily - Alone in a room with a laptop that has Guitar Pro on it.

If I could have any two bands open for me they would be… Robin - Metallica and Slipknot... just to flex. Max - I feel awkward picking any bands to open for me because all the bands I think of are either equally as good or better Lily - The Jackson 5, and Momoiro Clover Z (But only with the OG line-up, they’re really not the same without Momoka)

(disclaimer: This interview was sent prior to Auckland Goes To Waste, and so the last question in the interview is now invalid. However I would like to testify that Crash Team Racing was very present, and I won 100% of the games that I played. If you didn’t make it along - you can read about it here)

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Interview + Photo by Mandie Hailwood

[fapangel]

So then, I was thinking. I know you are skeptical of the Norks being able to aim their nuked armed missiles at us. But what if their goal isn't to just Nuke a major city or two, but pop a couple of EMP bursts across the majority of the U.S. and wreck our power grid? It would take months, if not years to restore the power, and the computers systems that would be fried would take years more to replace. That alone would result in FAR more dead and chaos than just wiping a city or two away.

“OH TEH NOEZ EEE EM PEE” is one of those intricately complex issues of national infrastructure, nuclear/electromagnetic physics, weapon design and international game theory that requires a real thorough, in-depth approach by people who know what the hell they’re talking about to untangle. Naturally this means there’s infinite space for the fear-mongering media and moronic reporters racing a deadline to pick and choose their narrative. The people downplaying the hype (the Daily Mail and Popular Mechanics, if you can believe it,) and the ones pushing the panic are only telling parts of the truth, so sadly you’re stuck with me to explain what the hell’s going on. 

There’s Two Kinds of EMP

EMP produced by a nuclear blast takes two very different forms, with each one wreaking a very different kind of havoc. To understand them we need to understand how a nuclear bomb produces an EMP. 

When a nuke goes off, it generates a ton of gamma rays. When these hit the atmosphere, they strip electrons from atoms in air molecules (the “Compton Effect”) which generates the electro-magnetic pulse. The initial gamma-ray burst from a nuclear weapon happens fast - one microsecond, or so - which means that the resulting EMP pulse also happens fast - and it is very energetic. This powerful and brief magnetic field induces current in conductors as it propagates outward, introducing power surges in electronics far faster than most circuitry’s clamping or surge protection devices can respond. Worse, it induces the current directly in the conductors (wires) rather than entering through a single point, like an incoming power line (which is where most surge protection is focused, for obvious reasons.) This is the EMP we usually think about - the “zap, you’re fried” kind.

But this isn’t the end of the pulse - not by a long shot: 

EMP pulses are divided into three discrete phases by the scientific literature - E1, E2, and E3. Note the exponents on the “Time” axis - the initial gamma-ray pumped EMP burst takes a microsecond or so, but the E3 phase can last hundreds of seconds - possibly as long as five minutes. This is because it’s an entirely different beast.

Unlike the “E1″ EM pulse, which is triggered by the gamma rays released by the bomb, it’s the actual blast/fireball effects of the bomb going off that cause the second, much longer effects. The detonation of the bomb displaces a huge chunk of the Earth’s (now-ionized) atmosphere. When that air comes crashing back in, it creates a magetohydrodynamic effect. Magneto-hydrodynamics are infamously complex shit, but it boils down to the movement and interaction of fluid mediums having electromagnetic effects. In this case, the atmosphere is the fluid. The exact mechanisms of the effects are pretty gnarly (here’s the paper if you want to read it yourself) but the upshot is, an exo-atmospheric (high-altitude) nuclear bomb blast produces effects quite like when a Coronal Mass Ejection sends a big gob of the Sun’s atmosphere crashing into the Earth’s atmosphere - in other words, a “geomagnetic storm.” This creates an electromagnetic field of its own, but unlike the fast, violently powerful pulse of the E1, it generates radiation of much longer wavelengths, which induce current in much longer conductors - i.e. power lines. We were hit with a really powerful geomagnetic storm in 1859, which induced so much current in telegraph lines that operators unhooked their batteries to lower the current to acceptable levels. 

These effects matter because they propagate quite differently, and because different bombs produce these effects in wildly different quantities. The E1 effects, the nigh-instant “pulse,” is deflected sideways when it hits the Earth’s own magnetic field - causing it to spread laterally across the Earth’s surface, and covering a lot more area than it would if it just expanded outwards as a sphere from the bomb’s detonation point. Worse, the EMP effect is generated mostly by the gamma ray output of a bomb - but most of the blast effects of a bomb come from the x-rays (which are readily absorbed by the atmosphere and produce the heat-blast shockwave that does all the damage,) so bombs are typically optimized to produce lots of x-rays. In other words, the kiloton yield of a bomb has little to do with the possible EMP effect it can have, and even a small bomb, like the 10-20 kiloton boosted fission devices the North Koreans are presumed to have, can produce a sizable EMP effect. So with just a small-yield device, the North Koreans can indeed hit a sizable part of the Continental United States (CONUS) with an E1 EMP effect caused by a high-altitude burst. 

The E3 “geomagnetic storm” works - and propagates - much differently. Since it’s caused by the stirring about of the Earth’s atmosphere by a blast, the yield of a bomb is directly proportional to the strength of the E3 EMP effects. The bigger the fireball, the bigger the effect - and moreover, the lower the altitude, the bigger the effect, as it’s displacing more air... or something like that. 

The consequences here are that the North Koreans cannot induce a very strong E3 effect across the entire country, as their bombs are far too low-yield to do so. 

Now I’d prefer to get more in-depth and explore which kind of attack produces higher destructive field energies given a set input (i.e. a probable 20kt yield boosted fission device of the type the North Koreans likely have,) and out to what ranges, given a low-altitude versus high-altitude burst, but I don’t understand the science at play here nearly well enough to make calls on that. Furthermore, the energy threshold that determines “destructive” varies widely depending on whatever device is being affected, so making comparisons in that fashion is challenging to begin with.

The best approach, then, is to analyze what kind of damage the E1-optimized attack the North Koreans can pull off will do, as opposed to the E3-optimized attack that they cannot. 

So what do they do? 

Simply put, the E1 phase of an EMP tends to blow out computers and microelectronic, while the E3 phase tends to destroy the national power grid. The latter is far, far worse.  

For the actual effects I’ll be relying on my two primary sources for this post; two excellent studies commissioned by the government from the clever lads at Oak Ridge Laboratories. This one concerns the E1 effects, and this one concerns the E3 effects. They used the results of actual EMP and/or power surge tests on various hardware and electronics, so we’ve some actual empirical data to work with, too. 

The E1 pulse is high-powered and high-frequency, which means it affects small devices the most - the small wavelength means it can induce current effectively in relatively short conductors. The antenna in your cell phone is more than long enough, for instance. Worse, long cables (like Ethernet lines) also make these devices vulnerable, because while the high-frequency burst won’t induce current as effectively in longer conductors, the pulse is generating tens of thousands of volts - and it’s hitting computer circuits designed for a few volts. Thus Ethernet lines et al can expose any given computer to a lot more induced current than it might’ve picked up from its own internal conductors; it increases the “attack surface,” so to speak. This applies in a wider sense - small devices like wristwatches are unlikely to be affected at all, whereas a big office building’s entire computer network is likely in deep shit. As the report notes, it’s nigh impossible to model how any one electronic device - an IC, a smartphone, whatever - will fail, because they’re such complex pieces of engineering with so many tiny sub-component chips and connections in them. Empirical testing is mandatory to get even a crude idea of the vulnerability, but that requires actually generating an EMP field to try frying things with - meaning there’s no good way to actually test big devices, much less entire building-sized computer networks! This naturally makes estimating the damage from any one EMP almost impossible - and this is before we consider the possible consequences of system upsets, i.e. a temporary error introduced by scrambled 1s and 0s induced by a power surge that doesn’t actually do damage. Corrupted data on tape drives, a system that hiccups for a moment, etc. In some industrial equipment such a bug could cause actual physical damage, and in other places you might just have to reboot your computer and go on your merry way. 

I’ll go off on my own, then, and point out that while all the above looks pretty grim for your average smartphone or desktop PC, that’s far from a universal truth. The E1 EMP would have to propagate just like any other field, which means the location - and even the orientation relative to the blast’s source - of the EMP would drastically effect how hard any given system or network is hit. Your average wage-slave workstation will fare poorly, but my gaming rig - built into a hulking metal Cooler Master case with enough fans that it can damn near hover - might fare better. Unless said workstation is inside a massive skyscraper office building, with tons of structural steel, piping, and power cabling helping to form a faraday cage around the entire interior space, as well as high-quality, fast-acting anti-surge protection in the basement. In fact, the city that building is in can affect the currents generated as well, either diminishing or intensifying them. 

What won’t be badly affected by the E1 pulse is the nation’s electrical grid - or the nation’s cars. Cars are basically rolling faraday cages, and there’s been actual empirical testing of relatively modern cars with high reliance on internal computer micro-controllers (in 2008) that showed most of them weathered high-power EMP fairly well. There are real risks to the computer controls of our power grid, and the study is up-front about them - but the important thing is that the actual heavy-duty switching equipment tends to be far more robust, and despite ongoing modernization, a lot of it’s still very rugged electro-mechanical “dumb” systems. An E1 pulse could definitely cause serious blackouts, with results much like what we saw during the great East Coast Blackout - rioting, looting, etc. - but a concerted effort could have the damage being repaired, and power flowing again, relatively quickly. 

Lots of computers will fry, but the power grid will survive, and so will our cars. The data and productivity loss (from non-operable gas stations, etc.,) will hit our economy hard, but the crucial point is that the damage to our crucial infrastructure will be limited to the most delicate parts of the control systems - in other words, highly centralized. This will make it much, much easier to repair. The potential data loss will probably be more devastating to the national economy with its impact on business, because that’s more irreparable and more permanent, depending on the scale and strength of the attack. However, some companies will come through much better than others (GO TO THE NUCLEAR CLOUD LOL TAPE BACKUPS IN THE BASEMENT 4 EVAH), the economy would rebalance and in the end, it’d be something we could weather and recover from. And remember, this is the worst-case scenario, and even the experts have spoken to how impossible it is to really quantify the potential damage from this kind of EMP. The essential point is our cars would keep rolling, our power would stay on, and the essential backbone of our civilization’s infrastructure would stay intact. No doom, no gloom, no “90% of the country dying of famine and disease,” no leather-and-metal clad post-apocalyptic biker gangs. 

The E3 effects are much, much worse, however, because the lower-frequency EM radiation is much harder to shield against, and induces current quite well in our national web of high-tension power lines. Worse, it induces Direct Current, in a system that’s designed for Alternating Current. Since our national power grid is a much more limited and quantifiable system than “every computer thing in the US,” the Oak Ridge Lab was able to do a rather more comprehensive analysis of the potential damage. The long and short of it is, the induced DC currents in the power lines don’t damage control systems - they damage the transformers and switching equipment, the heavy, expensive, elaborate guts of the power network itself. As the study says, this damage could take YEARS to repair. If an attack utilizing multiple higher-yield bombs - targeted to detonate over the most crucial parts of the US power network - were to be made, it could stand a very good chance of plunging the United States into a literal and figurative dark age. Then you can talk about societal collapse and Mad Max scenarios. 

In Conclusion 

It’s very, very hard to impossible to properly quantify the effects of EMP bursts - even moreso because a great deal of the related research is extremely highly classified and locked away in government archives for obvious reasons. But what we can infer pretty directly is that the truly devastating kind of EMP is the E3 effects that require fairly large-yield bombs to induce to any great degree, exactly the kind of bombs the North Koreans do not have. There’s been some baseless bullshitting about the North Koreans getting their hands on “super-EMP” bomb designs, but even if they somehow got their hands on some of the Soviet Union’s most closely-kept theoretical weapons research, you have to crawl before you can run - and they’re currently laboring on perfecting simple boosted-fission devices. 

However, as people have been saying for years now, all of this is only a matter of time. The North Koreans are rumored to already be working in hydrogen bombs - and those would give them the high-yield weapons needed for the truly devastating kind of EMP attack detailed above. 

Currently, the only defense the CONUS has is the Ground-Based Interceptors, previously known as Ground-Based Midcourse Intercept - an ABM program funded and championed by Bush, and later cut down and hamstrung by Obama. It’s because of Bush’s foresight years ago that we have even that scant defense. We are out of time - we need to decide, now, if we’re going to invest untold billions into an expanded missile defense system that might be enough to hold off North Korea’s future attack capabilities, EMPs included - or if we need to take our last chance to end these crazy bastards now, before they end us. 

[cynthiajayusa]

Stop Doing These 19 Things on an Airplane

Human beings do disgusting, dirt-nasty things while traveling in an airplane. DO NOT BE THESE SLOBS. Here are 19 in-flight no-nos to remember the next time you’re flying the friendly skies.

Removing footwear

This is your captain speaking: The first person to take their stank shoes or socks off on this plane will be ejected at 35,000 feet. Even if you think your feet don’t “stink,” somebody else probably will. But besides that, what kind of adult person thinks it’s appropriate to kick their footwear off in tight quarters among strangers? Somebody didn’t raise you right, number one, and number two, if your feet hurt or your shoes are too restricting, buy more comfortable shoes. Please don’t act a fool at everyone else’s expense.

Using electronic devices without headphones

Here is the total number of scenarios where it’s appropriate to use your electronic devices on a plane without headphones: ZERO. In zero scenarios is this appropriate.

Whether you’re watching a movie, browsing cooking demonstrations, letting your children play games, listening to music, or engaging in the other hundreds of things you do that go beep, boop and screech, please do it with headphones on. If you forgot them, ask your flight attendants for a pair; they have them and they’re generally free.

Watching adult movies

Watching p*rn that other passengers can view is probably illegal. In fact, I’d even suggest that you steer clear of R-rated films – even those with the most innocent nudity – while traveling on a plane. It sounds prudish, yes, but you never know how someone else is going to react to seeing those images these days, and you don’t want to get caught up in a #MeToo moment because a bare ass flashed across your screen for a split second.

Putting your feet between seats

Where do your feet belong on a plane? Repeat after me: On. The. Floor. (with your shoes ON.)

Letting your kids run amok

Fair warning to all you moms and dads out there: If you’re letting your out-of-control kids run screaming up and down the aisles of the plane, there’s a good chance they could get drop-kicked. By accident, of course. My general life rule about children is that if the parents don’t discipline them, I should be able to take a stab at it. Literally. It takes a village, right?

Blowing your germs all over the place

Sneeze and cough into the bend of your elbow. Use tissues and discard them properly. You know, like somebody with common sense.

Constant rustling

When you board the plane and find your seat, this is the time to start getting comfy. Get out everything you’ll want for the flight – magazines, devices, snacks, medications (whatever you need to be happy for the next few hours) – and sit your ass down, buckle up and relax. Once you’re in the air, avoid the temptation to move around. Chill, wait for your free soda, choose the movie you want to watch, and stay in your space.

Taking a window seat if you like to get up a lot

If you like to move around or have to use the bathroom frequently, don’t opt for a window seat. You belong in an aisle seat, and that’s the seat you should choose. If you have the window seat by circumstance, do the passengers in your row a solid and let them know that you will need to get up frequently. If they choose to stay put, it’s not your problem anymore.

9.  Reclining the seat

You’re not getting that much of a recline – about 5 degrees in economy – so why not do the courteous thing and stay upright? It’s really not fair to the person behind you who can barely move when you recline, especially considering that there’s only about 30 inches of pitch between seats to begin with. Lean against the window or your tray table for a nap, or buy a neck pillow so you can sleep upright more comfortably.

Excessive flatulence

 I get it – sometimes a little toot-toot sneaks out. But if you’re excessively gassy, go to the bathroom and do some business to help alleviate the issue. Or just hold it in until you explode. That’s better than toxifying the recycled air for hours on end.

Carrying on loud conversations

If I can hear you more than three rows in front of me, you’re being too loud. The person to whom you’re speaking is literally right next to you. Library voices, please.

Using your phone during takeoff

I was once on a flight with a guy who gave the person on the other end of his call a play-by-play of takeoff until we were too high in the air for the signal to continue. Frankly, I was surprised at how long he was able to keep talking. It was pretty annoying, but it also was a source of anxiety – I’m a nervous flyer – because the airlines have convinced me that if a cell phone is on during takeoff or landing, it probably means certain death. I survived, but he was still a D-bag.

Wearing powerful scents

Given that everyone on a plane sits extremely close to one another and the air is recycled on airplanes, please save your pungent colognes and perfumes for alone time with the one person who thinks you smell amazing dipped in flowery toilet water.

Trying to board strange “support animals”

Don’t hold up the flight for hundreds of other people because you’re trying to pass a two-headed dragon off as a support animal because you don’t want to pay the fee for it to travel separately. Dogs and cats are support animals. Ligers, peacocks, alligators and whatever else you’re dragging through the airport on a leash are not.

Arguing

Save your lovers’ quarrel for where it belongs – your honeymoon. Don’t engage in an altercation with other passengers, either. If you’re squabbling about something on an airplane, you shouldn’t be on it.

Bringing odorous food on board

Cold turkey sandwich, sure. Freshly prepared salmon, no! Honestly, even more innocuous foods like pizza and fried chicken can be offensive to others. Eat your meal before you board and then snack on the plane if you need to.

Standing up to deplane as soon as the seatbelt light goes off

WHERE ARE YOU GOOOOING?! There’s no reason to jump out of your seat and start removing bags from overhead storage as soon as the pilot parks the plane. You don’t need to push and elbow other passengers, either. Just sit calmly until it’s your turn, get up, grab your belongings and exit. Manners 101, folks.

Taking up overhead bin space for things that can fit under your seat

Don’t take up space in the overhead bins with backpacks and shopping bags if those items can fit under your seat.

Making a mess in the bathroom

A hundred and 50 people have to use that tiny space. Keep your bodily functions in the toilet and paper towels in the trash. If you’ve made a mess in the bathroom doing you-know-what, try to clean it yourself, otherwise alert a flight attendant discreetly.

source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/03/14/stop-doing-these-19-things-on-an-airplane/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2019/03/stop-doing-these-19-things-on-airplane.html

[demitgibbs]

Stop Doing These 19 Things on an Airplane

Human beings do disgusting, dirt-nasty things while traveling in an airplane. DO NOT BE THESE SLOBS. Here are 19 in-flight no-nos to remember the next time you’re flying the friendly skies.

Removing footwear

This is your captain speaking: The first person to take their stank shoes or socks off on this plane will be ejected at 35,000 feet. Even if you think your feet don’t “stink,” somebody else probably will. But besides that, what kind of adult person thinks it’s appropriate to kick their footwear off in tight quarters among strangers? Somebody didn’t raise you right, number one, and number two, if your feet hurt or your shoes are too restricting, buy more comfortable shoes. Please don’t act a fool at everyone else’s expense.

Using electronic devices without headphones

Here is the total number of scenarios where it’s appropriate to use your electronic devices on a plane without headphones: ZERO. In zero scenarios is this appropriate.

Whether you’re watching a movie, browsing cooking demonstrations, letting your children play games, listening to music, or engaging in the other hundreds of things you do that go beep, boop and screech, please do it with headphones on. If you forgot them, ask your flight attendants for a pair; they have them and they’re generally free.

Watching adult movies

Watching p*rn that other passengers can view is probably illegal. In fact, I’d even suggest that you steer clear of R-rated films – even those with the most innocent nudity – while traveling on a plane. It sounds prudish, yes, but you never know how someone else is going to react to seeing those images these days, and you don’t want to get caught up in a #MeToo moment because a bare ass flashed across your screen for a split second.

Putting your feet between seats

Where do your feet belong on a plane? Repeat after me: On. The. Floor. (with your shoes ON.)

Letting your kids run amok

Fair warning to all you moms and dads out there: If you’re letting your out-of-control kids run screaming up and down the aisles of the plane, there’s a good chance they could get drop-kicked. By accident, of course. My general life rule about children is that if the parents don’t discipline them, I should be able to take a stab at it. Literally. It takes a village, right?

Blowing your germs all over the place

Sneeze and cough into the bend of your elbow. Use tissues and discard them properly. You know, like somebody with common sense.

Constant rustling

When you board the plane and find your seat, this is the time to start getting comfy. Get out everything you’ll want for the flight – magazines, devices, snacks, medications (whatever you need to be happy for the next few hours) – and sit your ass down, buckle up and relax. Once you’re in the air, avoid the temptation to move around. Chill, wait for your free soda, choose the movie you want to watch, and stay in your space.

Taking a window seat if you like to get up a lot

If you like to move around or have to use the bathroom frequently, don’t opt for a window seat. You belong in an aisle seat, and that’s the seat you should choose. If you have the window seat by circumstance, do the passengers in your row a solid and let them know that you will need to get up frequently. If they choose to stay put, it’s not your problem anymore.

9.  Reclining the seat

You’re not getting that much of a recline – about 5 degrees in economy – so why not do the courteous thing and stay upright? It’s really not fair to the person behind you who can barely move when you recline, especially considering that there’s only about 30 inches of pitch between seats to begin with. Lean against the window or your tray table for a nap, or buy a neck pillow so you can sleep upright more comfortably.

Excessive flatulence

I get it – sometimes a little toot-toot sneaks out. But if you’re excessively gassy, go to the bathroom and do some business to help alleviate the issue. Or just hold it in until you explode. That’s better than toxifying the recycled air for hours on end.

Carrying on loud conversations

If I can hear you more than three rows in front of me, you’re being too loud. The person to whom you’re speaking is literally right next to you. Library voices, please.

Using your phone during takeoff

I was once on a flight with a guy who gave the person on the other end of his call a play-by-play of takeoff until we were too high in the air for the signal to continue. Frankly, I was surprised at how long he was able to keep talking. It was pretty annoying, but it also was a source of anxiety – I’m a nervous flyer – because the airlines have convinced me that if a cell phone is on during takeoff or landing, it probably means certain death. I survived, but he was still a D-bag.

Wearing powerful scents

Given that everyone on a plane sits extremely close to one another and the air is recycled on airplanes, please save your pungent colognes and perfumes for alone time with the one person who thinks you smell amazing dipped in flowery toilet water.

Trying to board strange “support animals”

Don’t hold up the flight for hundreds of other people because you’re trying to pass a two-headed dragon off as a support animal because you don’t want to pay the fee for it to travel separately. Dogs and cats are support animals. Ligers, peacocks, alligators and whatever else you’re dragging through the airport on a leash are not.

Arguing

Save your lovers’ quarrel for where it belongs – your honeymoon. Don’t engage in an altercation with other passengers, either. If you’re squabbling about something on an airplane, you shouldn’t be on it.

Bringing odorous food on board

Cold turkey sandwich, sure. Freshly prepared salmon, no! Honestly, even more innocuous foods like pizza and fried chicken can be offensive to others. Eat your meal before you board and then snack on the plane if you need to.

Standing up to deplane as soon as the seatbelt light goes off

WHERE ARE YOU GOOOOING?! There’s no reason to jump out of your seat and start removing bags from overhead storage as soon as the pilot parks the plane. You don’t need to push and elbow other passengers, either. Just sit calmly until it’s your turn, get up, grab your belongings and exit. Manners 101, folks.

Taking up overhead bin space for things that can fit under your seat

Don’t take up space in the overhead bins with backpacks and shopping bags if those items can fit under your seat.

Making a mess in the bathroom

A hundred and 50 people have to use that tiny space. Keep your bodily functions in the toilet and paper towels in the trash. If you’ve made a mess in the bathroom doing you-know-what, try to clean it yourself, otherwise alert a flight attendant discreetly.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/03/14/stop-doing-these-19-things-on-an-airplane/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/183450059430

[hotspotsmagazine]

Stop Doing These 19 Things on an Airplane

Human beings do disgusting, dirt-nasty things while traveling in an airplane. DO NOT BE THESE SLOBS. Here are 19 in-flight no-nos to remember the next time you’re flying the friendly skies.

Removing footwear

This is your captain speaking: The first person to take their stank shoes or socks off on this plane will be ejected at 35,000 feet. Even if you think your feet don’t “stink,” somebody else probably will. But besides that, what kind of adult person thinks it’s appropriate to kick their footwear off in tight quarters among strangers? Somebody didn’t raise you right, number one, and number two, if your feet hurt or your shoes are too restricting, buy more comfortable shoes. Please don’t act a fool at everyone else’s expense.

Using electronic devices without headphones

Here is the total number of scenarios where it’s appropriate to use your electronic devices on a plane without headphones: ZERO. In zero scenarios is this appropriate.

Whether you’re watching a movie, browsing cooking demonstrations, letting your children play games, listening to music, or engaging in the other hundreds of things you do that go beep, boop and screech, please do it with headphones on. If you forgot them, ask your flight attendants for a pair; they have them and they’re generally free.

Watching adult movies

Watching p*rn that other passengers can view is probably illegal. In fact, I’d even suggest that you steer clear of R-rated films – even those with the most innocent nudity – while traveling on a plane. It sounds prudish, yes, but you never know how someone else is going to react to seeing those images these days, and you don’t want to get caught up in a #MeToo moment because a bare ass flashed across your screen for a split second.

Putting your feet between seats

Where do your feet belong on a plane? Repeat after me: On. The. Floor. (with your shoes ON.)

Letting your kids run amok

Fair warning to all you moms and dads out there: If you’re letting your out-of-control kids run screaming up and down the aisles of the plane, there’s a good chance they could get drop-kicked. By accident, of course. My general life rule about children is that if the parents don’t discipline them, I should be able to take a stab at it. Literally. It takes a village, right?

Blowing your germs all over the place

Sneeze and cough into the bend of your elbow. Use tissues and discard them properly. You know, like somebody with common sense.

Constant rustling

When you board the plane and find your seat, this is the time to start getting comfy. Get out everything you’ll want for the flight – magazines, devices, snacks, medications (whatever you need to be happy for the next few hours) – and sit your ass down, buckle up and relax. Once you’re in the air, avoid the temptation to move around. Chill, wait for your free soda, choose the movie you want to watch, and stay in your space.

Taking a window seat if you like to get up a lot

If you like to move around or have to use the bathroom frequently, don’t opt for a window seat. You belong in an aisle seat, and that’s the seat you should choose. If you have the window seat by circumstance, do the passengers in your row a solid and let them know that you will need to get up frequently. If they choose to stay put, it’s not your problem anymore.

9.  Reclining the seat

You’re not getting that much of a recline – about 5 degrees in economy – so why not do the courteous thing and stay upright? It’s really not fair to the person behind you who can barely move when you recline, especially considering that there’s only about 30 inches of pitch between seats to begin with. Lean against the window or your tray table for a nap, or buy a neck pillow so you can sleep upright more comfortably.

Excessive flatulence

  I get it – sometimes a little toot-toot sneaks out. But if you’re excessively gassy, go to the bathroom and do some business to help alleviate the issue. Or just hold it in until you explode. That’s better than toxifying the recycled air for hours on end.

Carrying on loud conversations

If I can hear you more than three rows in front of me, you’re being too loud. The person to whom you’re speaking is literally right next to you. Library voices, please.

Using your phone during takeoff

I was once on a flight with a guy who gave the person on the other end of his call a play-by-play of takeoff until we were too high in the air for the signal to continue. Frankly, I was surprised at how long he was able to keep talking. It was pretty annoying, but it also was a source of anxiety – I’m a nervous flyer – because the airlines have convinced me that if a cell phone is on during takeoff or landing, it probably means certain death. I survived, but he was still a D-bag.

Wearing powerful scents

Given that everyone on a plane sits extremely close to one another and the air is recycled on airplanes, please save your pungent colognes and perfumes for alone time with the one person who thinks you smell amazing dipped in flowery toilet water.

Trying to board strange “support animals”

Don’t hold up the flight for hundreds of other people because you’re trying to pass a two-headed dragon off as a support animal because you don’t want to pay the fee for it to travel separately. Dogs and cats are support animals. Ligers, peacocks, alligators and whatever else you’re dragging through the airport on a leash are not.

Arguing

Save your lovers’ quarrel for where it belongs – your honeymoon. Don’t engage in an altercation with other passengers, either. If you’re squabbling about something on an airplane, you shouldn’t be on it.

Bringing odorous food on board

Cold turkey sandwich, sure. Freshly prepared salmon, no! Honestly, even more innocuous foods like pizza and fried chicken can be offensive to others. Eat your meal before you board and then snack on the plane if you need to.

Standing up to deplane as soon as the seatbelt light goes off

WHERE ARE YOU GOOOOING?! There’s no reason to jump out of your seat and start removing bags from overhead storage as soon as the pilot parks the plane. You don’t need to push and elbow other passengers, either. Just sit calmly until it’s your turn, get up, grab your belongings and exit. Manners 101, folks.

Taking up overhead bin space for things that can fit under your seat

Don’t take up space in the overhead bins with backpacks and shopping bags if those items can fit under your seat.

Making a mess in the bathroom

A hundred and 50 people have to use that tiny space. Keep your bodily functions in the toilet and paper towels in the trash. If you’ve made a mess in the bathroom doing you-know-what, try to clean it yourself, otherwise alert a flight attendant discreetly.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/03/14/stop-doing-these-19-things-on-an-airplane/

[eldritchsurveys]

123.

Have you ever seen the last person you kissed cry? >> Yeah, I have.

Would you rather work at a gas station or be a maid? >> I’d rather work at a gas station.

Do horror movies scare you more when they’re ‘based on a true story’? >> No, but I can absolutely see why they would.

Do you still talk to the last person who hurt you (emotionally)? >> No, that ship needs to sail. I’m sorry he... doesn’t seem to understand why, or whatever (???? how), but it really does for now.

Is there an outdoor movie theatre where you live? >> I think there’s one in Wayland.

Have you ever seen your mom or dad drunk? >> Nope.

How expensive is too expensive for a pair of jeans? >> I mean, for my budget, almost every price is too much for me. I usually buy jeans from thrift shops for that reason.

After seeing a movie, do you go to a site to enter a review about it? >> No. I rate it on Letterboxd, but that’s just for my own recordkeeping.

Would you consider McDonald’s a restaurant? >> Yeah, it’s a fast-food restaurant. That’s... what it is.

Do your parents vote? >> I don’t know. At least one does, probably.

Are there any creepy pictures up on the walls of your house? >> No. I mean, maybe my Wovenhand poster is creepy. Or my Cradle of Filth one. lmao.

Do you ever hit electronics if they don’t work? >> Nah. I might tap it a little, like “hey, what’s going on” but not hit it.

Who’s the most romantic person you ever went out with? >> Hmm.

Have you ever seen the last person you hugged dressed up fancy? >> Yes. He does it for me sometimes.

What restaurant has the best fries? >> I love Wendy’s fries. Also ngl, I laughed when I saw that the person who took this before me answered “no” to the “Is McD’s a restaurant” question, but then went on to name McD’s as an answer to this question. xD No shade or nothin, it doesn’t matter, it’s just funny.

Have you ever gotten something stuck on the roof? >> Not to my recollection.

Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? >> No.

Is the room you’re in organized? >> Not particularly, but it could be a lot worse.

Do your aunts and uncles have kids? >> Yeah, and grandkids and great-grandkids.

Do you see movies at home or in the theatre more? >> I see movies at home more just because theater viewing costs money.

Are you tired? Are you taking this survey because you can’t sleep? >> No, I’m not tired.

Do you have something important to do? >> Right now, no.

Do you like Jalapeno Cheetos? >> I’ve never even seen them. But I don’t like Cheetos, so.

Do you wish you had a new phone? >> No, my phone is actually only a month old.

Name one thing you ate today? >> Veggie burger.

Do you like 80’s music? 60’s music? 90’s music? >> I like all of it.

Do you find rap music annoying? >> No.

What song is stuck in your head? >> None, partly because I’m listening to music now. That Common Tongue song by Hozier (it’s actually called something else, Common Tongue is the subtitle, but I can never remember the actual title) was stuck in my head earlier and I place the blame squarely on Sparrow telling me I should play Hozier for King Crimson.

Have you ever been to Germany? >> No.

Do you drink coffee in the mornings? >> No.

Do you become a fan of lots of things on Facebook? >> No.

What time do you go to bed on school/work nights? >> I go to bed at around 10p or 11p every night.

Have you ever seen a therapist? >> Yes.

Do you get in trouble at school often? >> ---

Do you watch videos on YouTube? >> Sometimes.

Name a song that makes you happy. >> There She Goes, My Beautiful World by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Name a song that makes you want to dance. >> Wilson (Expensive Mistakes) by Fall Out Boy.

Name a song that reminds you of someone you love. >> May It Be by Enya, lol.

Name a song that brings back memories. >> Death of Seasons by AFI.

Does the song above bring back good or bad memories? >> Just various memories. I listened to AFI a lot during a certain period, so it just depends. Often I think about seeing AFI live during that secret show, because I have a very striking image burned into my memory of Davey silhouetted against the backdrop with stage snow falling around him while that song was playing.

What decade do you think is the best musically? >> *shrug* Bruh, I don’t care.

Do you take a long time to get ready in the mornings? >> No.

Do you wear a lot of makeup? >> No.

Have you ever written poetry or fiction? >> Yes.

Do you know how to read music? >> No. I tried but it doesn’t stick.

Do you regularly use a blow dryer? >> I never use one.

When was the last time you went to church? >> Easter.

Would you date someone who was a different religion than you? >> I usually end up dating nonreligious people, it seems. Which is fine as long as they aren’t disrespectful of my... whatever-this-is.

What is your best subject in school? >> ---

Name something you do nearly everyday. >> Uh... tumblr?

Do you take surveys a lot? >> Not as much as I used to, but fairly often.

Have you ever had sushi? >> Yeah.

#surveys #survey #random survey

[caffeinesblood]

Run after the info, Not the IT

Information Technology-'IT'-is expensive. Just about every CEO, CFO, COO-virtually every supervisor at each level of every provider around the world sees that irrefutable truth. It's typically a main series item in most provider budget.

To the IT department, handling the business practical ability suggests to begin with obtaining a product that fulfills whatever require enterprise has developed (and sometimes the occasional whim of your sole manager), next the obtain, installment, education, and repair of the components, computer software, communities, and databases which are combined with resource. Then you can concern yourself with interfaces involving the equipment, evaluations, safety and security (both equally internal and external), and also the fantastic, irrepressible, eccentric, and frequently destruction patterns in the customers after you've presented finish conclude-to-ending teaching within the new product.

Then someone changes their intellect and you can do it all over again.

Personally, i are convinced any metro region ought to have a private asylum as it supervisors. This capability will need to come including locations for your in the short term insane to execute particular and aggressive destruction of computer hardware, give them a setup of punching sacks meant to appear as if ignorant (not mindless, just impractical) business officials, plus an even more stomping floor filled with dummies intended to resemble many different knuckle-going users. And a unique host to heck for online hackers...

This type of capability will be filled up to capability regularly.

The madness doesn't prevent with the IT team. For other organization leaders, IT changes usually means hrs or days of training, down time and reduction in work productivity that accompany IT troubles, problems, or technique upgrades.

For sales people, an IT glitch often means dropped prospect, decrease of income, in addition to a a lot less than stellar picture of the business which will be in a customer's mind for ages. Salesmen could by no means overcome a negative customer adventure gained by was unsuccessful IT. The term "the pc will probably be your pal" is just not extensively talked amongst sales representatives.

However it is an essential evil, isn't it? What corporation could work without them?

Well, it happens to be important. Even an enterprising young woman or man stepping into the workforce the first time mowing gardens could use a technique for people to get to him/her, ways to manage a daily schedule, possibly even an effective way to path having paid their payment.

But does IT have to be evil?

What if the bad-ness is offered because we're attempting to solve an incorrect issue with the IT? We're trying to strength a spherical peg straight into a sq hole, thinking about It could possibly clear up our issue with no basically pinpointing what the catch is? We purchase computer systems, communities, telecommunications, and many types of activities to do a very important factor-catch and handle data. A straightforward undeniable fact that we fundamentally are all aware but gloss around-it isn't the IT that's vital, it's what's traversing which it.

It's concerning the facts. Individuals minimal parts and bytes that comprise personalities that define records features that coalesce into details that provides us expertise that more transforms into learning ability that you can use and acted with.

It's relating to the details. Still we chase the various tools driving the details.

But put it off (you say)! Now we have our databases. That's part of the IT. That's in which our details are stored. We need the IT to get at our info. It's OUR facts.

Nicely, indeed... form of.

Though not genuinely. Your corporation does store facts in to the databases in connection with your enterprise, ordinarily in the amazing databases which is portion and package to your software programs you've ordered. Most-or at least a whole lot-of these info is repeated in other methods, some internal on your company, most absolutely in a number of other outside program. And setting up a databases is challenging job, what with obtaining pieces determined, parsed, migrated into the proper industries, affirmed, etc. It does take serious amounts of manpower which results in dollars expended.

And the way straightforward is it to obtain it backside outside of that databases after you've wanted to start working on the second awesome IT product or service? Exactly how many IT executives operate an get out of method concurrently they're establishing their acquisition strategy? If you buy a exclusive merchandise, do you know what details liberties you might have and just how you'll get free from that product whenever the time is available? As it will. (By the way, your answer should be commonly 'no'-it's hard enough to achieve the item operational though revealing to your provider and firm control that you're previously preparing (and shelling out finances on) its demise.)

Okay, so who may have the information (exactly where is your data bank actually placed and who deals with it? That has access? Who possesses it (don't make an assumption here))? How could it be provided back again so that you can shift it to the competitor's platform? Do you want to buy a amazing (this means, expensive) system to remove the details? Who takes care of problems? Who preserves the proof in recent times so that you in fact really know what that database seems like and precisely what each one element usually means (for the reason that that changes way too)? This borders about the geeky but X might not exactly often and for a long time indicate X, or perhaps now its X 2. Perhaps X currently is alpha-numeric however it began as numeric only. This info is utterly important-what improved and when? With no that records, you have not a chance of understanding in the event your information and facts are finish, whether its really perfect or if its been damaged.

Appreciate your collection administrators.

So, back to who essentially possesses the data. Regardless of whether your imminently smart IT supervisor offers the bases protected when it comes to data bank possession and all, should you essentially possess the information components?

No. You own the intellect which comes while using the information, and then any future hard drive and access of that knowledge, but you don't actually be able to figure out the data aspects that encompass that learning ability.

As an illustration, the US Societal Safety amount. The US Govt manages it-its construction and rules, along with the information assigned every individual. Your small business has no say on the subject. It might, having said that, be used in a number of techniques. Some IT solutions utilize all nine characters-with or without the dashes-although some only retain the very last some, half a dozen, or six. Other nations have individual detection figures that seem to be almost nothing just like the US Social security number. So what now?

The time is actually a 'name' and who grows to decide just what looks like (no method I'm familiar with could shoot the icon Prince put to use for a few years)? For how long can a reputation be? What specific heroes are granted? What number of leaders can one individual have (initially/very last/midst or 6-7 nicknames, Aliases, Earlier Called)?

In just regions, most will repeat the united states government owns the majority of other really recognizable details (frequently abbreviated to "PII") to the area (most likely the US one of them). There might also be some international consortium that think they 'own' info regarding their niche of experience (although i guarantee there's other consortium that may disagree using that spot).

We could continue on. The point is that no individual 'owns' a records element, at least absolutely nothing that's agreed upon throughout the world, and that's an issue.

Why?

Because we are world-wide critters dwelling as people in a global natural environment. No man (or country) is definitely an isle. Data moves around the world for the pace of believed by means of social media and connected systems. It's perpetual-when a 'thought' has gone out there, it's available for good due to the fact a place it's been captured by an IT 'system'.

Information is accessible from virtually anywhere and we can study something about a single thing with just a few major strokes (however we now have no chance of knowing the veracity of what we find).

So, items is out there in various forms, a number of it happens to be correct, some of it isn't, so you need to have special resources to obtain much of it.

How do we understand what we should know? Personally, I do believe this period of time could eventually be known as Following Dim Gets older due to the fact we don't determine what we know and get not a chance to shoot (into perpetuity) our knowledge. Or perhaps the trail of electronic mails, notes, memos, and many more that instructs the way we got to that information, why we made that selection, why that specific pathway was preferred, and many more.

PCs, laptop computers, smart phones comprise a great deal of information that is part of a person or normally, a business or corporation. When that unit goes toward the truly great Recycling Container with the Heavens, ordinarily through a fried harddrive that makes the information it includes hard to get at, that info is dropped. Reduce to african american.

I gone to a lecture the moment having said that in 1900 human being expertise was increasing each and every 50 a long time. In 1950 it was each and every 25 yrs, in 1998 (as i heard this) it had been every 10 decades, as well as 2020 it becomes almost every 72 nights. Say what? Just how can we take that? How must we recognize everything we know when it's all taken in disparate directories, disparate gadgets, in various styles?

How on the planet should we control everything facts/data/expertise/learning ability?

We need enable. We must have the pcs to support us. Like, Man-made Knowledge (AI). AI may help us understand of all of it, except for the 'all of it' is scattered and parsed throughout the world without any traditional develop or company framework.

So-what happens if we discontinued driving a vehicle the IT and instead drove your data (and that is whatever we want in any case)? Just suppose we bought management of our details, controlled it, and standard it across the world?

Just imagine it-information element X appears to be this, indicates this, is utilized through this nomenclature, possessed (regulated) by this corporation and (probably) even kept up to date by doing this. It could actually do regardless of what it sought by it provided that it didn't replace the construction of the element!

It wouldn't issue just what tool we utilised-no matter what appropriate our requirements and budget-for the reason that our details was endure-all alone and operated including the Borg-collective. IT can not modify the structure or meaning of your data. Level of resistance is ineffective. Firms wouldn't need to spend huge amounts of money defining and recording their data bank because it would be standardized. They might need only to establish the information components they're enthusiastic about. A dealer building a new IT tool wouldn't have to modify their resource for every user-the data regimens can be conventional (feel Products and services Oriented Construction on steroids).

Wow! So how? How could be attempt sealing downward facts?

It is going to get a international undertaking, most likely a thing below the U . N ..

Assume there were a group that required good care of everything related to Personally Identifiable Data, a different for education and learning, one more for wellness, some other for bookkeeping, and many others and so on and so on...

It's thoughts-boggling. There'd must a group merely to pick which organization a sheet of information must be delivered to for control (is 'checking account' part of banking, bookkeeping, unique, or small business material?)

There will be fights.

It's been experimented with before not surprisingly, on much smaller scales by small agencies. Not any happen to be thriving mainly for the reason that party didn't actually unique the info. You can't manage everything you don't individual.

I argue below, on the other hand, that it must be not a question of preference. Whenever we are to steer clear of becoming that Secondary Dark Age ranges, we must try to get management of our files and it must be a wide-spread endeavor.

Start small, think major, relocate fast...

Why not get started with a group focused upon particular properties? Clearly define individuals guidelines. Identify the details system. Outline the knowhow to arrive at, upgrade, and terminate that data. Then step out from there.

Visualize a planet exactly where businesses or consumers can acquire any IT solution out of the box-without worrying about present bureaucracy related to serious buys-each time they want, with any bells and whistles they desire, because the facts it makes use of is universally structured. It may well spend less huge amounts of cash (right after the Wonderful Data Shape on the Skies was create anyways).

Consider a environment where by information and facts are separate from the IT operating it. You may have a databases nevertheless you can't alter the shape or meaning. Some things may very well be un-updateable with the exception of by an authorized party (e.g., source information like date of birth) and a get good at variant caught at whichever level considered suitable-might be countrywide then synchronized with a planet-broad repository. You possibly can coalesce the information into data and intelligence that (may) turn into yet another bit of data and recorded it its own suitable but you do NOT enhance the 'truth' details element.

Without a doubt, I recognize-have two aspirin and feel it by means of... it will harmed the grey subject. It's better to chase the IT than have a take on in the facts, which explains why we go that route. But we need to begin.

Article Origin: http://EzineArticles.com/9766302

#pc #driver