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#it’s from the d tech design your own case thing
bunniibones · 11 months
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✨ About Byte ✨
Hello! the OC tournament is in the corner so I decided to follow @nintendoni-art's example and create a pinned post about Byte :D! If you have any questions or doubts about Byte, please feel free to send an ask (anonymous or not) and I'll gladly answer!
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🛠 Basic Information
Name: Data "Byte" the Goat. Species: Nigerian Dwarf Goat. Height: 88 cms (2'11''). Type: Tech / Flight. Alignment: Evil. Occupation: Programmer & Mechanic. Home: Starline Base Sigma.
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✨How did you come up with the OC’s name? 
At first, Byte had a very generic name (or at least for the sonic franchise) so I had this small list of possible names for them in case I needed them.
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When the moment came, I held a small poll for people to pick their favorite and "Byte" along with "Data" were the most voted for. Since I liked both of them I decided to combine them! And it fits Byte, since a byte is the smallest memory unit that a computer can have and Byte is pretty small (They used to be smaller tho, they were 75 cms)
🌼  - How old are they? (Or approximate age range)
Byte is currently 25 years old. At the beginning of the story (around when Starline brought Eggman back to his former glory) they were 24, but they age throughout the events.
🌺- Do they have any love interest(s)?
Yes! They're in love with Dr. Starline, their boss/partner in crime.
Both are incredibly amoral and they LOVE it, sharing the same vision of the world, the same passion for Eggman and his creations and even the same mentality, which allows them to understand each other quite well. With time they've developed a good harmony and synchronization whenever they're working together, even encouraging each other in the most vile acts and enjoying every second of it.
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🍕  - What is their favorite food?
Cookies! They adore them, especially the choco chip cookies.
💼  - What do they do for a living?
They used to be a programmer for the Eggman Empire, but currently they're the assistant and right-hand-man to Dr. Starline. They fulfill any task assigned by the platypus, performs maintenance on Starline's badniks and helps him to program anything he needs. At the same time, Starline is teaching them how to be a mechanic so they can be even more useful.
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🎹  - Do they have any hobbies?
Yes! They love drawing, tinkering with machines and robots, designing their own badniks, performing maintenance on robots, creating their own little robots/machines and playing with their chao.
🎯  -What do they do best?
Programming, they're an expert on it, it's what they do best.
🥊  -What do they love? What do they hate?
Likes:
Chocolate and desserts, especially if said desserts are made of chocolate.
Cute small animals and fluffy things.
Color pink.
Messing with people and causing troubles on purpose, it entertains them a lot.
Robots and Robotics, they've always preferred robots over organic beings.
Eggman's personality and creations, they find him fascinating, intelligent and charming.
Starline and anything related to him, they absolutely adore the platypus.
Dislikes:
Oranges and their scent, along with orange flavored things.
Bitter food, they can't stand bitterness. (This includes alcohol and coffee)
Bitter or cranky people.
Vomit or people who are sick, they have phobia for it.
Hot weather, they consider it unbearable and doesn't like to work with that sort of weather.
Loud and sudden noises, they startle and scare them terribly.
Entitled and hypocritical people.
❤️  - What is one of your OC’s best memories?
Byte best memory is when they started working for the Eggman Empire. They're really grateful for that, since it improved their life quality. Sure, Eggman is not the friendliest person to work with, but it was fair better than their old life. They got to do what they liked the most, which was working with robots, so it was like a dream come true for them.
✂️   - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?
Byte's worst memories are from their entire childhood. Living with their parents was a complete nightmare for them, having to enture the constant physical and verbal fights of their parents (in which they tended to get hurt) and their abuse towards them. The only salvage part of their childhood was being friends with Smithy.
🧊  - Is their current design the first one?
Nope! their first design was this one :3c
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🍀  - What originally inspired the OC?
At first, Byte was created to be my sonicsona, so they were inspired by myself, using my physical traits at the moment (short blonde hair, freckles, tan skin and short height), the species of my toonsona (goat), my degree (computer engineer) and turning my personality into a villainous one so they could fit in the Eggman Empire. But as Byte developed, they stopped representing me and became their own independent character!
🌂  - What genre do they belong in?
Sci-fi and Steampunk!
💚  - What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?
Byte is an agender asexual! (They/she)
🙌  - How many siblings does your OC have?
None, they're only child.
🍎  - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?
Terrible, Byte's parents were awful people who always mistreated them and hurt them emotionally and physically, so they ran away from their home and joined the Eggman Empire. They haven't had contact with their parents ever since.
🧠  - What do you like most about the OC?
What I like the most about Byte is their design, personality and dynamic with Starline. At first I wasn't sure of their design, I was insecure about it even, but eventually it grew on me and I've come to appreciate it.
Their personality has always been super fun to me, I have a soft spot for mischievous villains who have fun causing chaos and enjoy what they do.
And their dynamic with Starline is basically Chaos x Order, which is super fun to play with :D
✏️  - How often do you draw/write about the OC?
Pretty often, they're my main oc LOLOLOLOL
💎  - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?
Not really, if they die, who will bring Starline back? lol
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💀  - Does your OC have any phobias? 
Byte is awfully scared of vomit and loud noises.
🍩  -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?
For the longest time, I considered that Lanolin the Sheep and Tangle the Lemur would be Byte's rival, but I'm reworking that, so we'll see who ends up being their rival 👀
🎓  - How long have you had the OC?
4 years! 5 this year.
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damnation-if · 8 months
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on today's episode of Hashing Out Concepts Theatre, i spent a while today while waiting for my new fridge/freezer to be installed after my previous one died and i lost all my food hashing out a bunch of concepts for another game idea i have. (rest assured i'm not actually working on it as a game yet i just like to bash out a framework for things every now and then to make my brain do happy chemicals lmao)
putting all of this stuff under a cut since it's a bunch of images and also in case people aren't interested XD
i am regrettably a huge fan of comic books (mostly DC) and i've seen a couple of comic book inspired IFs popping up lately, though when it comes to my own interest, i'm definitely more into a straight interpretation of a comic book universe than a more. the boys-style universe - i'm into the camp lol, not so much the grim and gritty stuff. (though that's just my own personal preference)
anyway the idea behind That's Just Super is something that i really like about certain comics - giving the villains more of a purpose and rounded existence than just existing to be in somebody's rogue's gallery. the joker's angry defence of the batfamily from various other DC evil forces, lex luthor's furious resistance against brainiac alongside superman because it's His planet, damn it, DOOM throwing in with the heroes in every second marvel event comic... i really like stories where villains and evil characters don't always make the Most Evil choice just Because, but have clear and explainable motivations that sometimes bring them into what we'd consider a 'good' alignment because unlike in d&d, there's no real such thing as a concrete moral alignment.
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(this is my banner design for it)
the basic idea is that an inexplicable cosmic event removes all of the superheroes from the planet, leaving it vulnerable to attack by evil mindflayer style aliens - unless the supervillains who remain are able to band together despite their more unpredictable, less cooperative natures and save the planet in the heroes' absence. after all... if aliens take over the earth, the villains can't take it over themselves.
here's my fun little UI design idea lmao...
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the other major thing about That's Just Super that i've been hashing out is the pc. the basic idea is that you pick your villain identity from a list but you get to customise their like. birth name and secret identity, while the villain identity comes with its own name, costume, and set history (including occasionally past romantic encounters). i like playing around with the way that IF works with the idea of mcs and customisable mcs so i just thought it'd be a fun twist... it also allows me to create nice drama by having set occurrences in the past lol.
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so i did some profiles for the nine villain options - three each of the DC triad of tech/metahuman/magic origin. they're all based on a specific kind of villain archetype, and i really tried to limit myself to ones where i could definitely pin down more than one specific influence so it didn't end up like me just making too many analogues haha... even if some of the influences are probably pretty obvious.
weirdly i haven't even Thought about ROs yet since i've been so focussed on the pc... maybe i'll play around with the partially set background idea even more and only have 1 possible RO for each villain choice or something. maybe a couple that you can romance as anybody... not sure. (talionis could definitely have a messy broken romance with his superhero for example)
apologies that readability isn't great but these are mostly just made for me lmao
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solari-writes-things · 3 months
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Happenstance
🛑 WARNINGS: Language. 🛑
✧ requested by: anon
✧ erik 'maverick' thorn x reader // reader and maverick have an interaction at R&D.
✱ “Please stop rolling your shirt sleeves up, it’s terribly distracting.”
✧ Solari Says: Hey, love! I hope you enjoy! It's my first time writing for Maverick, so I'm sorry if it's not as expected.
gif credit to the OP.
masterlist. // rainbow six. // request here.
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Your head was low as you had been fiddling with the remnants of your gadget splayed out on the table in front of you. Everything about it was perfect, in most senses of the term. It excelled in shoot houses, was reliable on missions, and has even saved a few operations. After all, a mobile camera jammer was something that shockingly few had done on the team.
However, it could have been so much better. At least, you had believed it could be. Maybe you could improve the duration, the jammer range. Something that could make the visibility even less so, and the effect much more notable than it already had been.
You groaned a bit to yourself after staring at the internals for some time, opting to drop your head with a soft thump. You couldn't piece it together, not yet-- and it was starting to become frustrating. Maybe you needed more coffee, maybe you needed more sleep. It was getting late after all, you were at the lab later than most sane individuals.
You huffed, sitting yourself back up after a few minutes of self-analysis. You were fixing to put your jammer launcher back together, picking up the first few pieces of internals before you heard a noise behind you.
You turn, subconsciously placing the fragment back onto the table as you checked what was going on. Just across the room, not paying mind to you either, was Erik Thorn. You had been on a few missions with him, chatted with him enough to get to know who he was. What his story had been-- which surprised you, considering he had been quite reserved to others who had asked him the same questions.
You didn't know what you had done to earn his trust, but it wasn't something you had intended to break. In fact, the more you learned about him, the more you began to envy him. Appreciate him and his dedication to what he loved and the history he left behind in Afghanistan.
You recall him being quite good with tools. Maybe he had a brain for tech as well. After all, most operators in this CTU had been quite multi-talented. You contemplated walking up and asking him for a moment, considering he seemed to be quite busy with his own pet project as well.
Maybe it was something with his Breaching Torch. Considering the simplistic design of it, Erik hadn't been found in the labs all too often.
You swallow the little bit of nerves boiling up in your throat, pushing yourself away from your station and standing up straight. Your eyes seared into the back of his blonde hair during your approach, trying not to pay attention to anything else that could be considered unprofessional. You'd be lying if you didn't admit he was a looker on most fronts, leaving a lot for the eyes.
You were close to him now, reaching out your hand to give him a gentle tap on the shoulder. When he spun around in startle, you raised your hands in innocence. It was meant as a warning of you approach, considering the nature of many in the CTU. Surprising them was not the best of ideas in most cases, and you didn't want for him to dislike you for not having that courtesy.
"Sorry," you spoke openly, your eyes apologetic enough for him to relax his shoulders and offer a small smile.
"[Y/N]," he replied. "You scared the shit out of me."
"You were tunnel-visioned. I do it all the time, but... I was wondering if you could help me with something?"
He almost looked a little skeptical at first, his brow arching up in question for a couple seconds before you assumed he read the genuine expression on your face. He was good at that, reading people-- and it was startlingly so. You had hoped you had been saved from that, all things considered. You were trying your damndest to hide the fluster from your face and force back the warmth from creeping to your cheeks.
His blue eyes lightened up when the skepticism faded from the small details of his face, offering a nod of his head. "Sure, yeah. I have all night."
"Slow day?" you asked.
"Can't sleep," he responded.
Right. Erik had always had a problem falling asleep at night, he had confided once during your interactions. You thought it was maybe the racing of his head, or maybe his history coming swimming in circles. You had hoped he'd disclose the real reason, if he had chosen your company more often.
"Got it," you opted to respond, trying not to pry in business that wasn't yours.
"Anyway, show me the issue," he changed up the subject, not that you could blame him. That was the reason you bothered him, after all.
You nod your head in the direction of your station, turning on your heels to head to the location. You heard him following, allowing yourself to crack just a bit and let the heat rise to your face. Even if it was only for a moment, it would help to ensure it wouldn't happen again.
When you got to the station and the business was in front of you, the color faded from your face. You extend an invitation in the form of your hand, gesturing towards the picked-apart mess laying on the table. "You think you have any sort of ideas? I want to improve the range on it or how long the shit lasts."
On the computer was some coding for the processes of the jammer. You had thrown it up for your own reference, in order to see what you could change up.
Erik took a second to look at it, humming in thought to himself. His entranced eyes and contemplating furrow of his brows made your heart skip a beat for a bit, always finding it alluring when someone was in their zone. Doing something that they could be considered passionate about.
He had been donning a simple white long sleeve for the colder weather, closing the distance between himself and your list of codes. He hunched over the keyboard for the computer, opting not to take a seat just yet as he read.
You watched in awe as he whispered to himself, drinking in the details of your codes and mechanics of the gadgets. What had taken you days to fulfill had seemed to only be taking him mere minutes to understand, and it was a sort of intelligence that you wished to get to know better.
Knowing the man with said intelligence would be a massive bonus.
His hands raised as his eyes stayed trained on the screen, his fingers interlocking with the sleeves as he pushed them up over his forearms. Revealed now were the muscular forearms of your fellow operator, along with the tattoo that he had gotten while in Afghanistan displayed in the open. It caused the color to creep back to your face, and you could only pray he had been too focused for him to notice in his peripheral.
Judging by the sly smirk tickling the edge of his lips, it wasn't successful. Rather than be embarrassed about it, though, you had opted to roll into the realization that you were made.
"Please stop rolling your shirt sleeves up," you began, your eyes falling to the tattoo on his forearm, "it's terribly distracting."
He let out a chuckle, his attention forgetting the task at hand for a moment as he opted to respond immediately. "And you standing so close to me is just as bad."
The color deepened in your cheeks, a small grin crossing your face. "Yeah?"
"Yeah, absolutely," he immediately retorted. "I'll be the first to bite the bait, then, since we both can't seem to focus with each other around. They say practice makes perfect, after all. Me and you, grabbing a couple of drinks so we can practice interaction?"
You were almost floored at how easily he had rolled into the idea, all without you really needing to initiate. But considering how quickly he seemed to have taken to you, you shouldn't have been all-too surprised. He probably knew from the start how you felt.
Maybe you hadn't been as sly as you had thought.
"As long as the first rounds on you, I'm absolutely willing," you joke in return, offering a grin.
When he flashed one in return, your stomach had been doing flips.
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◈ rainbow six tag list - @sazafraz :|: @angelaiswriting :|: @kind-wolf
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angelonasher · 8 months
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i have an au (another one)
How do people talk about au's they have?
Usually they do it with little art things but art and me aren't cooperating very well- and im also not very good at visualizing details so making visual designs for stuff is kind of very hard for me ;-;
So yeah au its actually the most details for an au ive ever thought of in a short amount of time- i dont know what to name it so giving the general plot and hoping ya'll have some ideas?
Ofc my brain suddenly doesn't know how to explain things okay here you go:
worldbuilding:
So in the general ~world~ there are two "types" of technology, dark tech and clean tech. Dark tech has been banned by the government(s) for various reasons (oh its bad and people can make nukes oh oh evil ai oH the unethical experiments with it that totally weren't done by us oOh DaRk its clearly evil), and while clean tech has a more pristine futuristic vibe, dark tech in much more advanced
Redstone is considered a branch of dark tech, and whether or not its banned/what regulations it has varies from place to place
(The visual vibe of dark tech im not sure how to describe, but this entire au was inspired by the thumbnail of doc's robot battle video so uhm i guess kind of the vibe of the butterfly. It's like. A weird mix of cyberpunk and steampunk, if that makes any sense.)
Some people weren't too happy about the ban, considering many were: sentient/sapient androids and ai's; cyborgs; bionic people with cybernetics that either were essential to their life, would kill them upon removal, or greatly improved their quality of life; organic cyborgs (the term for hybrids such as golems, blazes, etc), or had their entire career on science/tech
So they ran way and made their own city. which, don't get me wrong, is a giant city. lots of connections with other dark-tech places. it definitely has a name. for sure. yeep.
It's made in this mountain where there was a giant crack inside, with houses underground, above ground, in the walls of the crack/cliff-face, above the mountain, and in the sky/towers way above the mountain
The government isn't too happy about this city's existence but because of *ahem* certain people who live there, they leave the place alone.
very summarized plot thing:
Every ten to thirty (haven't decided exactly when) years the [dark-tech city] hosts a competition of skill in technology. robotics, computers, cybernetics, weaponry, the works.
The exact details of the competition differ every time, the details of previous competitions kept vague. but everyone knows you gotta be good with tech to win, and you have to impress the judges with your inventions just to have a chance at competing.
The prize?
No one really knows. but it’s- something. something great. Resources and knowledge and equipment and something that’ll let the winner(s) achieve whatever dreams they may have in that little noggin of their's.
And its coming up soon.
Get creating :)
characters :D :
aka the people who i have a vague idea of their role/personality in this au for. 
“Name they go by” (real name/ what their friends call them) [no paranthesis if they don’t have a fake name]
Grian (unknown): 
An infamous name in the undergrounds, known for his skill in robotics. Never seen in person; appearance and species unknown. He’s rumored to have won the [technology competition] once before, but is entering again.
Npg: 
A little guy who works around Grian’s shop. He’s a sentient android made by his name-sake. His movements are a bit wonky, and he tends to have a goal-driven one-track robotic mindset, but his voice is pretty emotive and he even has synthetic skin!
RG (Robot Grian): 
The latest of Grian’s sentient creations, he has transparent casing to show off his components! His voice is- lacking, but he makes up for it with his realistic movements, “brain,” and expressions. He runs Grian’s shop and tends to be a replacement for the guy whenever he’s wanted/needed in person. He’s a bit more- sarcastic, then Npg.
TV (Impulse):
A prototype cyborg who has a penchant for dark tech. Having a sentient AI living in his head makes him a bit strange, but he’s just a nice guy! His eyes being yellow lets you know he’s the one in control. He’s entering the competition with the hope of being able to build a separate robot body for Skizz.
Skizz:
The sentient AI living in Impulse’s head, technically a cyborg. Look, he didn’t want to be here either. Or sapient. But he is, so he might as well be Impulse’s friend while following his programmed objective of keeping the guy alive. He can communicate through either his screen (that usually displays their left eye), Impulse’s voice, or the speaker on the side of their head. Blue eyes means he’s the one in control.
Tek (Tango):
Little gremlin tech man doing little gremlin tech man things. He’s a cats-folk*, of the that-cat-is-a-spawn-of-hell type. (And he’s proud of it.) He’s best friends with Impulse, Skizz, and Zedaph and is competing as a team with them for the same goal. He’s technically better at robotics than Impulse, but he’d never admit it.
*cats-folk are a strange hybrid mix of feline and some aquatic fish creature. They sometimes contain organic-cyborg features.
Zedaph:
Science man doing sciencey things. Skilled in robotics, redstone, and even code, Zedaph is a close friend of Impulse, Skizz, and Tango. He’s not officially in the competition, but he is helping out when he can. [I wish I had a longer description for him but he’s not that developed yet. Btw this is your sign to go watch Zedaph he’s criminally underrated and his style of videos is unique.]
K. Jumbo (Mumbo):
A newer name in the dark tech business, a mustache man building robots. He’s somehow nailed down making the sentient AI part and mass weapons of destruction, but he’s not that great at actually building the body, and tends to buy parts and instructions from Grian’s shop. He originally joined the competition as a chance to make a name for himself, but has since then teamed up with Scar.
Scar:
Strange man with his strange cat. A bionic human with a penchant for strangely wholesome violence. He’s mastered using and making mechanical crossbows and guns. He doesn’t know a lick of redstone but is pretty skilled at robotics. He joined the competition in hope to find more options for replacing his cyberntic parts, and has since then teamed up with Jumbo. No one knows if Scar is his real name.
Grumbot:
The first sentient AI Mumbo ever (accidentally) made, he lives inside of a communicator. Originally supposed to be a randomized option picker, he enjoys roleplaying, which is something Mumbo still has no idea how it got into his programing. He’s basically Mumbo’s son.
Jrumbot:
The second sentient AI Mumbo ever (accidentally) made. He needs to stop doing that. Also his son.
Sparrow (Owen):
An un-finished prototype cyborg unwillingly a cyborg, skilled in robotics. He has a bit of amnesia, so he can’t actually remember how he became half-robot, but he knows it sucks, given the control the programming has over what he does vs what he actually wants to do. He joined the competition in hope of finding some way to fix himself. (It seems the program is becoming somewhat sapient. That’s bad, right?)
Smajor (Scott):
Owen’s roommate and best (only lol) friend, he has a basic knowledge in robotics/cybernetics. [I haven’t decided what he is but I know he’s not human. Sorry Scott I don’t have more to say about you yet 😞]
Docm77 (Doc):
Creeper-goat-cyborg man. Also part butterfly but that’s (almost) all robotics baybe B) He’s another famous name in the tech space, even more so than Grian. He specializes less in sentient creations and more in world-breaking and physic-denying inventions. He’s intimidating in reputation and appearance but actually a really chill guy who enjoys gardening. Joined the competition because why not, he already has all the supplies he needs. (He may or may not be one of the reasons the government leaves them alone. He is on several watchlists.)
RK (Ren):
Ren-diggity-dog, it’s your local bionic hybrid. He’s part canine but also has a bit of sniffer origin in him. He’s also the owner of the only sniffers in [dark-tech city]. Extinct six-legged creatures are hard to get your hands on, y’know? He’s in the competition on Doc’s team, and although it's somtimes hard to believe, he does have a decent knowledge in robots, specifically cybernetics.
Slabs (Etho):
A famous name in the tech space, the bionic zombie-hybrid that’s actually pretty chill. He’s skilled in robotics, making weapons, and using them. He’s not officially on Doc’s team, but he does help out. He has won before. (He’s not running away from the responsibility of fatherhood if he’s technically their adoptive uncle, stop lying.)
Bdubs:
Loud short teen who sometimes hangs out with the cool redstoner guys. He’s Etho’s sister’s son, not Etho’s. Not at all. It’s just his personality that makes him call him Etho dad. His past-times include sleeping at a very specific time every night, becoming a spawn of hell if his sleep schedule is disturbed, bother watch people doing tech stuff, and brag about his older brother Scar, his mom Cleo,* and his mom’s friends.
*If it's unclear; Cleo and Etho are siblings. Cleo adopted Scar and Bdubs from the streets, who are siblings, and since Etho was living with Cleo at the time, he kind of became their dad, even though he’s technically their uncle. Etho left to live with the cool tech guys in their cool tech tower, and Scar (being an adult) left on his own but often visits Cleo and Bdubs. Bdubs lives with Cleo, but he sometimes hangs out with the cool tech guys in their cool tech tower too.
Martyn:
Funky little dude Ren found hiding in a box somewhere. Not sure how he got up the insanely tall tower, but Ren decided to adopt the guy into the found family jazz they got going on. He’s a bit traumatized, but that’s nothing some good ol’ friendship can’t fix. He’s some sort of bug thing. Cool wings, though.
Cleo:
With zombie genes much more present than her brother’s, Cleo has a name for herself as an amazing seamstress and armor-stand artist. (Armor-stand is a type of robotics art that I just made up.) She somehow deals with her two chaotic sons and her younger brother who still comes to her whenever he needs help. (So much for him being independent.)
Gemini (Gem):
Gem, also known as GeminiSlay, is a bit famous for her fighting skills. Oops. An anterled folk and Cleo’s and Lizzie’s roommate, Gem enjoys picking on Cleo’s brother and consistently beating him in the fighting realm to make sure his ego doesn’t grow too big. Unfortunately, her good heart has her taking pity on the poor souls that are Joel and Jimmy whenever Lizzie is unavailable. (Absolute beggars, those two.)
Shadow Lady (Lizzie):
A curious cats-folk that rooms with Gem and Cleo, Lizzie has the unfortunate fate of knowing Joel and Jimmy. Seeing as she’s one of the very few people that knows them in good relations and Gem only tolerates them half the time, Lizzie usually keeps them from killing themselves, and helps with the inevitable backlash of them doing the stupid thing she told them not to do.
Joel:
Better at what he does than his over-confidence would seem, Joel likes guns. He likes shooting them even more, so he does that. He gets in trouble for stealing and/or destroying stuff, gets Jimmy in trouble because he dragged him into it, and then goes begging to Lizzie for help. It’s a relentless cycle, but he does it, because he’s good at it. And he also gets paid for it. He somehow keeps on meeting tech-people.
Jimmy:
Helps Joel with his heists because Joel claims they’re related somehow and therefore he has to. He can be a bit un-confident or over-confident at times but has a geniunely good aim with guns and mechanical-crossbows. And bombs. Joel’s not allowed to use bombs anymore so he makes Jimmy do it, and then throws a bunch himself. He somehow keeps on meeting the tech people Joel meets.
and uhm i think thats it?
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kitkatt0430 · 1 year
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hey, i've been reading your Cisco-related Flash fics, and what struck to me as impressive is how you implement the mentions of tech so well. i've run into trouble into writing scenes, where Cisco might have to tinker. 🤧🤧🤧 i know this is by a long-shot, however, do you have any writing advice on how to add tech as part of a scene??? or like wording on how tinkering works?? idk just basic tech stuff i guess. thank you and sending good ~~vibes~~ your way!
Cisco tinkering is definitely fun to write, but I'm not exactly sure how to describe my process for writing those scenes. But I'll give it a shot anyway.
So Cisco's tinkering with tech in fics usually fits one of two scenarios when I'm writing. Either it's to give him something to do in the scene since Cisco's definitely someone who likes to keep his hands busy. Or it's a specific tech I plan to use for plot reasons, so it gets threaded throughout the fic. That way Cisco's brilliant ideas to save the day don't come out of nowhere.
If its the former, then I'll usually just pick something we know he's worked on in the show. The quickly forgotten Boot Tech (how useful it would have been if perfected instead of forgotten after the S2 finale), updates on the suppressant tech (the cuffs, Caitlin's snowflake necklace), the weather wand... I don't really have to go too much into detail on it, but it can be fun to poke at canon a bit for all the things Cisco develops that never show up again once their original use in the plot is over. Sometimes I just have him working towards perfecting something that didn't work as expected. Other times I have ideas for alternative uses for the tech that can be fun to mention.
I've also been a Star Trek and Stargate fan for a long, long time. So I've learned technobabble from the two scifi series that did it best. ^_^
Though, really, watching Sam Carter (SG-1) and Rodney McKay (Stargate: Atlantis) spout technobabble is a great way to learn how to make made up science blend with real science to sound relatively believable. Stargate (SG-1 particularly) was pretty good about grounding their made up science in real world concepts. Definitely having obsessively watched those two shows has helped shape how I write Cisco now that I'm in the Arrow verse fandom.
When I have Cisco's tech being used in a specific way for plot reasons, however, I definitely have to know ahead of time what the tech is for. If I'm going to make, say, the Rainbow Raider the villain of a story and have him experimenting with new applications of his powers - messing with emotions other than anger - then I'd have Cisco pull out the device they originally used to combat Rainbow Raider's powers to work on upgrading for the new scenario. That way it still works when they need it. Then I can throw in things like, maybe it gets pulled out of mothballs and immediately tried on one of RR's victims but it doesn't work. Cue drama. :D
I think some of the development process I put in there comes from what I know about tech development from a software side of things. Since I'm a software engineer, I know how different types of design and development models work. Waterfall vs agile vs... anyway, I won't necessarily ever name the dev model being used, but it'll influence how I write Cisco's development process and it'll differ based on when he's working with a team, vs one other person, vs on his own.
Having Cisco collaborate is especially fun to do. Cisco starts off as a particularly brilliant mechanical engineer and by the time he leaves the show he's become very much a multi-discipline scientist. He does so because he learns so much from the people he collaborates with - or competes with, as the case may be. Cisco's knowledge of sonic technology and acoustical engineering improves due to his exposure to Hartley's Pied Piper gear. He learns bio engineering from his many collaborations with Caitlin. Harry being rather multi-disciplined himself, often pushes Cisco to have more confidence in himself and reach beyond his comfort zone.
So I'll pick who he's collaborating on based both on when I want a story to be set, how AU I want it to be (Hartley joins Team Flash? Harry doesn't leave post S2?), and what kind of tech is being developed for the plot (improving the amnesia inducer they used on Barry? that calls for Caitlin).
A story that I've been wanting to write is Cisco mentoring Chester while Chester creates tech that - predictably, I admit - saves Barry out on the field at the end. We never really got the mentor/mentee relationship between them expanded on the way I'd been hoping for when it became clear Chester was a permanent addition to the cast. The story hasn't happened yet because I haven't really fleshed out what the technology they're working on will be. I'm probably overthinking it a bit at this point, but I want it to reflect where Chester's at mentally during the story - his struggles with self doubt and learning to be more assertive, generally showing why Cisco felt so comfortable leaving Team Flash in Chester's hands when he eventually leaves. (So it's intended to be canon compliant and set before Cisco and Kamilla leave for Star City.)
I don't know how useful my rambles have been, but I hope this helps.
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cattarattat · 7 months
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"Friends,
It’s tempting to view the strike underway by Hollywood writers and actors against the studios as a war between wealthy Hollywood elites.
But that’s not at all the case. In fact, what’s happening now in Hollywood is a microcosm of what’s happening across America in the emerging digital economy — which is rapidly replacing the production of things with the production of digitized ideas.
The workers in this emerging economy are some of the worst paid and worst treated anywhere, while the top owners and managers are among the fattest cats outside Wall Street.
The biggest fights between capital and labor in the 21st century may look different from the struggles of the 20th century — which centered on whether, for example, full-time workers got better hourly pay and benefits, time-and-a-half for overtime, and reasonable working conditions — but they are in many ways the same, if not worse.
They don’t involve physical property. They are over digitized creative output. More specifically, how much of the value of what’s created goes to those who do the creating versus to those who manage those creations?
The entertainment corporations say they’re suffering because people are going to the movies less and cutting their TV cables to watch streaming videos.
But follow the money: Your entertainment dollars are actually going to the biggest corporations in America. These giants have gained huge bargaining power because they own the ways content is distributed and are mining consumer data to give them even more power and higher profits.
Consider: Stock gains this year have been concentrated among five giant digital firms: Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta. Their combined market capitalization is now over $8 trillion, a figure that exceeds the GDP of every country but the United States and China. They are cash rich. All but Amazon have a combined $200 billion net cash-to-debt balance.
As these giant corporations take over streaming video, video games, and media platforms, their top executives, largest contractors, and biggest investors are raking it in.
Netflix’s Reed Hastings got a 2022 compensation package worth $51.1 million, up 25 percent from the year before. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO got $39 million. Comcast’s CEO, $32 million. Paramount’s CEO, $32 million. Disney’s CEO, $24 million.
Amazon’s Bezos and Meta’s Zuckerberg are raking in more than all these executives combined.
Meanwhile, the people who create the content are getting shafted. They have less and less bargaining power.
I’m talking about writers, designers, artists, musicians, software designers and developers, photographers, graphics specialists, coders, sound engineers, animators, singers, songwriters, architects, showrunners, journalists, and everyone who stores or delivers these creations.
And it’s just beginning. Artificial intelligence — right now, mostly via Google, Meta, and OpenAI — is busy scraping up every morsel of digital content on the internet. If you’re not Big Tech, your intellectual property is disappearing.
Over the last decade, the pay of TV writers has fallen by 23 percent. The typical actor has also been on a downward escalator (last year, averaging $26,276). So have the pay, benefits, and job security of most other content creators.
In other words, what’s happening in Hollywood is also happening in a huge and growing portion of the U.S. economy.
This gap between the declining rewards going to digital creators and the soaring rewards going to the executives of the giant corporations that manage digital creations has become a chasm, and it’s becoming ever larger.
The biggest variable in all this is the law — in particular, what limits it places on digital monopolies, and whether it facilitates or limits the power of creators.
In both these respects, the Biden administration has been terrific. It has been more aggressive against monopolists and in favor of unions than any administration since that of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
But much of the law is still in the 20th century, and the federal courts have tended to be on the side of the corporate giants.
Just look at the union busting Amazon has been able to get away with. Or how easily Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI have been lifting copyrighted material from the internet.
Meanwhile, the courts are reluctant to use antitrust to inhibit the giants. Last week a federal judge rejected the FTC’s attempt to stop Microsoft’s $70 billion acquisition of the video game maker Activision Blizzard, saying the agency failed to prove the deal would reduce competition and harm consumers. This followed the FTC’s loss in February, when a judge rejected its attempt to block Meta from buying the virtual reality startup Within.
As Hollywood’s content creators go on strike, and as the FTC goes after Microsoft and Meta, bear in mind this huge and growing imbalance of power. If unchecked, it will soon comprise much of the American economy.
What are your thoughts?" Robert Reich
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nerdythebard · 3 years
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#12: The Doctor [Doctor Who]
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Brother, I disown you...
I don't know what my friend/chosen brother was thinking when he made this request... Actually, no, I know exactly what he was thinking! Well, no time to dawdle, let's do this Time Warp. Again.
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Next Time: Before we return to the gods, I want to make a character very close to my heart. He is also a Doctor... only, word of warning, he's a little... Strange.
Well then... sigh, let's see the goals we need to meet to make the most brilliant alien in television playable in D&D:
Heroes Never Die: The signature ability of a Time Lord (and the most problematic), a way to cheat death and return to life. Yes, somehow we need to make a virtually immortal character in Dungeons & Dragons...
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Even in his relatively serious regenerations, the Doctor is prone to flashes of randomness, acts of nonsense, mixing puns and physical comedy to often hide the incredibly fast and advanced brain processes.
Go-Go Gadget Galore: Do I even need to say anything? Besides his trusty TARDIS (which will not be included here, we're making the Doctor, not his equipment!), the Doctor also brandishes sonic devices of multiple varieties, psychic paper, the thing that goes DING, etc.
---
As you can imagine, finding the right race replacement for Time Lords wasn't easy. I'm definitely not using The-Movie-That-Does-Not-Exist solution, and making the Doctor... half-human, urgh. All we need to do is find a humanoid, almost-fossil race that can come back from death a limited amount of times.
The Doctor is a Human Revenant, a playtest race from Unearthed Arcana: Gothic Heroes. In-game, Revenant is an undead that came back to life to pursue a certain goal, whether it's vengeance, retribution, or to make amends. Putting some flavour into it, and turning it into a long-living, mysterious being who perhaps came from the Astral Plane to search for a way to save his home planet... why not? Regular Revenants get only a +1 to Constitution, but if we're using pre-existing race (such as Human), there's another set of rules. So, we get a +1 Constitution and +1 Intelligence, and we don't get to pick a skill or a feat. Not yet.
What's most important here is the Revenant's Relentless Nature feature. We are assigned a goal, a very specific one, that we must complete in order to achieve peace. Work with your DM on that one (the saving-your-home-world one from before sounds like a good start). Until we complete the goal:
If we are below Hit Points Maximum, at the start of our turn we regain 1 Hit Point;
We know the distance and direction to any creature involved in our goal (perhaps a fellow, once-friend Time Lord?);
When we die, we come back to life within 24 hours with 1 Hit Point. If our body is destroyed, we come back in a spot within 1 mile of our place of death (unfortunately, our equipment is destroyed);
BOOM! JUST FLAVOUR EACH DEATH AS A CHANGE OF FACE AND PERSONALITY, AND WE HAVE THE REGENERATION SYSTEM! HAH! YOU SEE THAT, BROTHER!?
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Ekhm... back to work, then.
The Doctor is pretty far from home, so giving him the Far Traveller background seems like the right approach. We gain proficiencies in Insight and Perception skills, proficiencies with one musical instrument (perhaps a recorder?)/gaming set, we learn one language of our choice, and we get the All Eyes on You feature; our mannerisms and quirks definitely draw attention towards us and our group, but we can take advantage of that in order to fish for some information, secure an audience with the local nobleman, or... I dunno, snog Madame de Pompadour?
ABILITY SCORES
No surprise there, we start with Intelligence. We have a literal Big Galaxy Brain™ and we use it often, and only sometimes to show off. Follow that up with Dexterity, we're nimble and we're doing a lot of running, especially when being chased (plus, we've invented the Drunken Giraffe dance). Constitution is next, the Gallifreyan biology is significantly superior to that of regular Terrans.
Next up, Charisma. It usually works, sometimes it doesn't, but even then we're kinda adorkable. Wisdom is a little low, I think we all shall agree to that, the Doctor is a creature of whim. He gets lost in thought, has a hard time remembering to explain his logic to others. Finally, we're dumping Strength. Now, we're definitely physically stronger than humans, I just don't remember any particular feats of super-strength in the show.
Heck, you want even more Time Lord shenanigans? Ask your DM to implement the "every death/regeneration makes all ability scores randomly switch places" rule.
CLASS
Level 1 - Artificer: Once again, nobody is surprised we begin with the Smart & Techy One™ for the Doctor. Artificers were brought to 5e via Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. These magical tinkers have d8 Hit Dice, [8 + Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, medium armour, heavy armour, shields, simple weapons, and optionally firearms (although that's definitely not the Doctor's style). We additionally get proficiency with thieves' tools, tinker's tools, and one set of artisan's tools we choose. We can't get the sonic screwdriver (although if you want one, hint to your DM about the existence of the All-Purpose Tool), we have all these tools to replace it with. Our saving throws are Constitution and Intelligence, and we get to pick two class skills: let's get History and Investigation.
Artificers start with Magical Tinkering, an ability to bestow harmless magical properties onto inanimate objects. We choose a Tiny object with no magic in it, and grant it one of the following properties indefinitely:
It sheds bright light for 5 feet and dim light for an additional 5;
Whenever tapped, the object plays a recorded message no longer than six seconds;
The object continuously emits a smell or a sound of our choice;
A static image (picture, lines of text, shapes, etc.) appear on the object's surface.
Artificers are also casters, so at the first level, we get Spellcasting. Our casting ability is, of course, Intelligence and the number of spells we can prepare is equal to [our Intelligence modifier + half of our Artificer level rounded down]. We also know how to cast rituals.
We start with two cantrips:
Magic Stone lets us imbue three pebbles with magic (or perhaps, in this case, kinetic energy?) for 1 minute. We can then use the pebbles ourselves, or give them to somebody else. On a successful hit, the target suffers [1d6 + our Intelligence modifier] bludgeoning damage and the spell ends on that particular pebble.
Prestidigitation is a cantrip of plenty varieties, which very well could be disguised as the Doctor's tinkering with his sonic screwdriver. It can be used to warm or chill food, clean or soil objects, or perhaps lighting and snuffing our small flames.
We start with two 1st-level spell slots, and we get three 1st-level spells:
Alarm sets up a secured perimeter, no larger than a 20-feet cube, for 8 hours. Whenever a create not-designated as safe while setting the spell, crosses its boundary, we get a signal informing us about the intrusion, which also wakes us up if we're sleeping. The signal can be set to inform only us, or everybody around.
Detect Magic informs us of any magical activity within 30 feet of us for 10 minutes (concentration). We sense magic lingering on objects, people, as well as locations, and we can determine the type of magic present (but not a particular spell, for example, we sense that a spell on the object is enchantment-type, but not that it's Power Word: Kill).
Identify is... pretty much the one function of the sonic screwdriver we've all seen. It lets us learn about an object we choose, including its magical properties (if any) and if it's affected by any spells. And it works on wood!
With a spell list like that, we can safely say
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Level 2 - Artificer: We continue with the Tech Savvy Class, and we learn the Artificer's signature skill, Infuse Item. It lets us bestow magical properties onto mundane items. Similarly to Warlock's Invocations, Artificers have Infusions they can select and put into items. Starting from this level, we can infuse two items at once, and we get to pick four Infusions from the list. For the Doctor, let's pick:
Replicate Magic Item: Bag of Holding is probably the most useful infusion in the early game. The infusion does exactly what it says, and a Bag of Holding is always a good item to own (just watch out for the Bag Man!)
Enhanced Defence infusion puts some extra protection (+1 to AC) onto an armour or a shield.
Mind Sharpener is a helping hand for any spellcaster. The infusion put onto an armour, or woven into a robe, sends a jolt to re-focus the mind. When the wearer fails a Constitution saving throw to keep their concentration, one charge (out of four) of the infusion expends, to make them succeed instead. The charges are refilled at dawn.
Returning Weapon gives a +1 to attack and damage rolls of the weapon it's applied on and makes it return to the wielder's hand immediately after it's used to make a ranged attack. With the keyword "immediately", it gives your Rangers and other bow-users infinite ammunition with just one arrow.
We can also get one more 1st-level spell: Disguise Self changes our appearance for 1 hour, or until we choose to dismiss it as an action. The spell affects our body, clothing, and items we carry (including weapons). It is not a physical disguise, just an illusion woven around us; if we make ourselves thinner than we really are, and somebody was to touch the space where our regular body would be, they're going to feel the body, albeit invisible. For the Doctor, this seems like a combination of psychic paper and the Chameleon Circuit.
Level 3 - Artificer: At this level, we get the Right Tool for the Job feature. If we have thieves' tools or artisan's tools in hand, we can create any other set of artisan's tools.
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We also get to pick our subclass, our Artificer Specialization. The Doctor is no alchemist, and we'll probably build Tony Stark at some time in the future, therefore we're picking Battle Smith. Those tinkers are masters of protections, being able to put up defensive mechanisms on the spot. Since the Doctor is a diplomat first, runner second, and combatant very close and reluctant third, focusing on support is a good option.
As a Battle Smith, we gain proficiencies with smith's tools, and we gain some more magic with Battle Smith Spells:
Heroism imbues the willing creature with bravery. Until the spell ends (1 minute, concentration), the target is immune to being frightened and gains Temporary Hit Points equal to our Intelligence modifier at the start of each of their turns (AKA every six seconds). When the spell ends, any Temporary Hit Points remaining are lost.
Shield creates an invisible barrier as a reaction to getting hit. It adds +5 to our AC until the start of our next turn.
Although a reluctant fighter, the Doctor as a Battle Smith also gets the Battle Ready feature. We gain proficiency with martial weapons, and when we attack with a magic weapon, we can use our Intelligence modifier instead of Strength or Dexterity for attack and damage rolls.
Finally, Battle Smiths get the Steel Defender. With our tinkering, we create our first companion, a steel defender; it is friendly to us and our companions and obeys our commands. With that, we got ourselves the one and only K9
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Level 4 - Artificer: At this level, we get our first Ability Score Improvement! However, instead of upgrading our abilities this time, we'll grab a feat. The Telepathic feat from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything will represent the Doctor's limited psychic abilities: we increase one of our non-physical abilities by 1, let's go for Intelligence. We can speak telepathically to any creature within 60 feet, but the creature cannot reply (unless they're telepathic too, of course). Finally, we can touch a Detect Thoughts spell once per long rest, without a need to expend spell slots. Give your target a good headbutt, and learn their surface thoughts.
We also get our final spell: Catapult turns one inanimate object that isn't worn or carried (and weighs from 1 to 5 pounds) and turns it into a remote projectile. The object flies in a straight line for 90 feet before losing its momentum and falling. If it hits a creature, they have to make a Dexterity saving throw or take 3d8 bludgeoning damage. Distract your pursuers with a head of cabbage flying at their heads.
Level 5 - Rogue: We say goodbye to the Artificer, as we move onto Rogue for the rest of the build. Rogues use the same Hit Dice as Artificers, so nothing really changes when it comes to our Hit Points. We already have proficiency with light armour and thieves' tools, but we can pick one class skill – let's pick Acrobatics for better running and parkour chances when escaping aliens and responsibilities.
Rogues start with Expertise, which lets us double our proficiency bonus (NOT ability modifier) for two skills of our choice: let's boost Insight and History, to best utilize our centuries of living. We also learn how to speak Thieves' Cant, a special system of phrases and signals used by other Rogues to communicate without revealing their secrets. Finally, we have Sneak Attack: once per turn we can add 1d6 extra damage if a) we have an advantage on our roll, or b) the target is within 5 feet of another creature hostile towards it. The attack must be done by either a ranged weapon or one with the finesse property (like a dagger or a rapier).
Level 6 - Rogue: We get Cunning Action, which let us turn some Actions we can do in combat into Bonus Actions. That way, we still have an Action to spare if we decide to use Dash, Disengage, or Hide. Considering how much running the Doctor does, it's good to have something else to do just in case.
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Level 7 - Rogue: Our Sneak Attack changes to 2d6.
We also get to pick our second subclass, our Roguish Archetype. Now, initially, I considered going Swashbuckler, as it combines nimble footwork and gives us some charm abilities. However, since we're going with the build that emphasizes support and actual combat as a last resort, we'll go with Inquisitive.
We start this subclass with Ear for Deceit, whenever we roll Insight checks to determine if a creature is lying to us, we treat each roll of 7 or lower as 8.
We also get Eye for Detail. This is mostly to be used in combat (or if your DM runs dungeons in Initiative Mode), as it allows us to use Perception or Investigation checks as a bonus action, where it would normally take an action.
Finally, Inquisitive Rogues get Insightful Fighting. As a bonus action, we can make an Insight check, contested by the enemy's Deception check. If we succeed, for 1 minute we can use our Sneak Attack on the target even if we don't have an advantage or the target isn't near another of its enemies.
Level 8 - Rogue: Time for another ASI! Let's raise our Intelligence by 1 point, and use the spare one for Strength.
Level 9 - Rogue: Our Sneak Attack changes to 3d6.
We also get Uncanny Dodge. Whenever we're being hit by an attack, we can use our reaction to halve the damage dealt.
Level 10 - Rogue: Halfway through the build, and we get another shot at Expertise. Once again, we get two skills to which we can double our proficiency bonus. Let's go with Perception and Investigation.
Level 11 - Rogue: Our Sneak Attack becomes 4d6.
We also get one of the better abilities in the game, Evasion. If we're being targeted by an AoE attack that would deal half damage on a successful Dexterity saving throw, we take no damage if we make the save. What that means is, we can now take a Fireball face-on, shrug it off and loudly proclaim
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Level 12 - Rogue: We get another ASI. Let's improve our Dexterity by two points this time.
Level 13 - Rogue: Our Sneak Attack becomes 5d6.
We also get another subclass feature. Steady Eye gives us an advantage on Perception or Investigation checks if we move no more than half of our movement speed on our turn.
Level 14 - Rogue: Time for another ASI. Let's focus on getting some more Hit Points this time, and get +2 points to Constitution.
Level 15 - Rogue: Our Sneak Attack becomes 6d6.
At this level, we get Reliable Talent, which upgrades our abilities to almost anime protagonist-level. Whenever we make a check for a skill we're proficient in, we treat all rolls of 9 and lower as 10.
Level 16 - Rogue: We're getting one more ASI. Let's raise our Dexterity again, putting 2 points in it.
Level 17 - Rogue: Our Sneak Attack becomes 7d6.
We get our final subclass upgrade for this build, the Unerring Eye. We can now sense illusions and magical tricks within 30 feet, as well as shapechangers not in their original form. We can detect there is an effect trying to trick our senses around us, but we don't know its nature (i.e. if we meet a creature that activates our sense, we cannot distinguish whether it's a Disguise Self spell, or a natural shapeshifting ability, or a Druid's Wild Shape).
Level 18 - Rogue: We get another one of the best abilities in the game, Blindsense. We can now detect the presence of invisible and hidden creatures within 10 feet radius of us.
Level 19 - Rogue: Our Sneak Attack becomes 8d6.
Our mind becomes more slippery with Slippery Mind. We gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.
Level 20 - Rogue: Our build's capstone is Rogue 16, which is also our final ASI. Let's finally cap Intelligence, as it should've been from the start when it comes to Time Lords.
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There it is. My take on how to play as the Doctor in Dungeons & Dragons. I believe I've covered most if not all of the important features the Doctor has, but let's see:
Let's face it, we're not a frontline fighter... we're not even a backline fighter. We support. With 14 AC (without armour), 151 Hit Points on average, and a +4 to Initiative, our job is to manoeuvre, around the battlefield and let our friends take care of the enemy, while we do other things. With Reliable Talent and Expertise we are great at sweeping the room for clues and hints, even if in the heat of battle. Thanks to Unerring Eye and Blindsense, our senses aren't that easy to fool.
Unfortunately, our Strength is not great, and that means some weapons are just a hindrance (unless we pick a finesse weapon, which replaces Strength with Dexterity). While we have late-game proficiency in Wisdom saving throws, throughout the earlier stages those might prove a little problem.
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And that is it for this build. I hope that you guys enjoyed it, and I'll see you for the next one!
- Nerdy out!
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siren-virus · 3 years
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Ok, first question about Luckyboy!AU, Rook has a girlfriend? As far as I know in cannon he doesn't even have a love interest? thought that might be my fault since it's been years since I've watched any Ben 10 series (really have to rewatch some eppisodes here :P) Who is she and what is she like? Has Rook ever taken her girlfriend in a date to the coffee shop? How much of a tease is Ben with Rook when he isn't on a date? And how much of a wingman is he when he is in one?
How is Ben's social life outside his Nekomata persona by the way? I imagine he still has some friends since he's a charismatic extrovert, but with how different everything is here compared to the prime timeline, I can't see who he might be friends with besides Julie.
Now, let's make some questions that aren't about Ben :D With the amount of invasions that Earth has had over the years is the general public privy of the existence of aliens as something more than just tourists that one almost never sees, or do they know but only aknowledge it when they see an alien in person? How is the general people view of aliens regardless?
Also, does Gwen 10 have good or bad public relations? Like, does Will Harangue berate her and turn the public against her, or is she lucky enough that he's focused on Nekomata and not her? How do the humans see her, as a hero, a child soldier, a menace, a necessary evil?
Also also, how do the Plumbers play in the whole PR thing? Do they manipulate everything so the humans have the view they think is the healthiest between humans and aliens? Do they only play damage control whenever alien activity is reported to the public? Are they known or are they still an underground organization? How does the public view them as, considering they're basically intergalactic police that aren't the most competent, specially considering that some countries have beef with their own police forces?
Now, to leave all of the political and heavy talk behind, how often does Ben play with Ship and Julie? Like, they're friends, obviously Ben gets petting privilegies and becomes a pet sitter whenever Julie has to go on a tournament and can't take care of them herself. PET SHENANNIGANS MUST ENSUE THERE, AND YOU CAN'T CONVINSE ME OTHERWISE XD
Also, I imagine a scenario where Kevin and Gwen enter the coffee shop unaware that the other is in there and Ben does everything in his power to force them to sit on the same table, reminding both of them that this is a true neutral zone and "Please don't break anything here and remember to play nice, if you manage to get through this without punching eachother I'll give you a discount on your next coffee", which is a very good offer if they think about it. Meanwhile Argit is waiting at the bar watching over the situation "Bet you 10 bucks they'll be shouting over eachother in 5 minutes" "Bet you it takes them 10 minutes"... It takes them 7 and a half minutes exactly and they can't decide who wins the bet. "There's no way they're getting out of this hating eachother any less" "As long as they don't break anything and don't bother the other clients, I count it as a win"
So Rook had an established relationship in Omniverse with Rayonna, she was introduced abit later in the series when Ben and Rook with to Revonnah. It was a very 2D relationship, just put there maybe cause of the whole shipping fiasco between Ben and Rook(?) don't take my word for it ;;
For the Lucky Boy! AU, they're together, but it's been years since Rooks been to Revonnah, crime never takes a break, neither does he. So his relationship with Rayonna is very flakey, they're on the verge of breaking up, buuut due to Revonnahgander traditions, they're together still. (pulling this out of my ass ;; )
Rook ends up mentioning he has a girlfriend at some point, it was just a casual thing, Ben won't bring up the topic because the way Rook talks about Rayonna makes him feel a little bit iffy towards the subject.
Outside of work and the Nekomata persona Ben's a little awkward in the social circumstances. At that point his social battery's almost completely clocked out. So unless he's dragged out by his friends, Julie, his old soccer mates - although it's happening a lot less now, since school finished a while ago and they're moving on with their own lives- (i refuse to call it football), Alan, if they both end up clocking out at the same time. OR, Rook. Sometimes Max if he's around will invite Ben for lunch or an afternoon snack run. (Mr smoothies, with a "healthy" dose of chillie fries. Best way to lure Ben out.)
Hell yeah, let's get down to the world building buisness, my favourite cup of tea.
Humans are very knowledgeable about alien existence, you'd have to be pretty ignorant to not believe in aliens. (I mean, lets face it, in the world we live in today, I bet, that if aliens did show themselves, some group would just say they're government actors, or russian/chinese spies. Comical, but sadly a realistic scenario...)
With the amount of invasions that have happened, and the daily attacks- normally done by humans with access to alien tech- Humans are quite fearful of them. Which has urged the plumbers to keep the aliens that live on earth down underTown.
It's not all humans of course, just most. Media influence has also pushed the feardar way up.
Will Harangue, surprisingly uplifts Gwen 10 to the eyes of the public, he's also much more focused on Nekomata. (bad news= views= good news). In Harangues personal opinion though, he'd prefer no aliens at all. So he does let his badmouthing of Gwen slip sometimes.
They do a lot of damage control, their original goal was to keep alien life hidden from the public until they(the people) were deemed ready, however, not so easy when an invasion happens nearly once a month. At least it's all limited to Bellwood. For now...
The plumbers are known to the public but aren't like your typical police force- you can't just call them. But they're always around on patrol. The police aren't exactly fond of them cause "They're terking our jerbs". But they have a joint thing going on, the police handle the human crimes, unless alien tech is involved, and the plumbers handle the alien crimes.
The public views them as an iffy subject, not exactly hailed as heroes, but more of a neutral, they're here to stay I guess, kinda thing. The focus is on Gwen mostly, as the poster child(adult) of the plumbers. (this is where I really wanna separate reality and fantasy, cause like, the issues with the police at the moment is major sooo, eh, it's a touchy subject matter)
Yes to this one. When Julie's away Ben and Ship play. Ben and Julie don't meet up often, work and the vigilante life make Ben way too busy, buuut when they do meet up Julie will pop by Bens apartment - Ben makes sure nothing incriminating is around if that's the case - , or they'll hang out at the dog park, and watch the dogs go ballistic around Ship.
For the pet scenarios, visualize them to your hearts content. I got some cats laying around for my reference... even though they mostly sleep- lazy bastards.
Yes to this too! Argit and Ben would totally make bets- Ben being an anodite can sense Kevin and Gwens emotions and when they're gonna break out into a fight- So he always wins the bets. Argit has learned to not bet too high when it comes to that- if he actually forks up in the first place- .
In the case Kevin and Gwen had broken out into a fist fight, Kevin obsorbing the marble counter, Gwen turning into fourarms. Ben nearly broke his cover trying to prevent any fights, until a coworker had stepped in and promptly kicked them both out. (maybe I'll design some coworkers)
Now to get me some mint tea, cause my fingers are about to freeze off ;;
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libermachinae · 3 years
Text
Fault Lines Under the Living Room
Part IV: Touch - Chapter 11: Ripple
Also on AO3 Summary: They’ve only just arrived at their destination when things start to go wrong. Word Count: 2193
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“Picking up some light readings,” Drift reported. “Limited tech, similar to Vitrious. You getting anything?”
“Just a massive, concentrated energy spike a few degrees northeast,” Rodimus said. “Recent exposure, Cybertronian markers.”
“When’s the last time you took that rig in for a tune-up?”
Ratchet hated having to repeat himself, but either Drift was incapable of recognizing the severity of his ship’s disrepair (unlikely) or he was being even more obstinate than normal. Exchanging their vessels’ specs had revealed the truly horrific condition the ship was in: fuel efficiency half of what it should have been, unreliable pressure seals, thrusters that should not have made it into the air, let alone off a planet. That he had survived transit was a—not a miracle, an insult to probability and reasonable calculation of—
Rodimus put a hand on his shoulder and tried to think calm thoughts. Drift had survived. It didn’t make sense, and maybe the luck would run out now that it had been acknowledged, but—
Ratchet halfheartedly swatted at his hand, more like a firm pat.
No wonder you liked him so much. Morale officer doesn’t suit you. He failed to dislodge Rodimus’ hand and didn’t bother trying again.
“Haven’t had the time.” The sound of flipping switches was followed by a hard smack from Drift’s end, rounded out by imprecise grumbling. Drift’s report had lacked any details on the state of his ship’s user interface, but the variety of language he had spoken to it with, impressive even by Ratchet’s standards, gave the sense that it was functioning at about the same level as everything else: barely.
“Still think it’s an outpost?” Rodimus asked.
“Lot of things it could be,” Drift said, voice accompanied by a few more mechanical noises. “We’d need more info to say for sure. Or a visual.”
Rodimus considered the readouts in front of him. There were more he hadn’t read out, but only because he didn’t know how. Ratchet translated what he could, but they were trying to keep his focus on piloting which meant Rodimus couldn’t spend too long wondering about the more mystifying aspects of his screen. Was that box in the top corner a map, or a graph? He didn’t know, and he had to look away before it overtook their other priorities.
“There are also stockpiles, energon plants, and decoys out there,” Drift went on. “Traps, if you’re really unlucky. Whole lot of empty shacks; lot of boltholes won’t have anyone living in them most of the time.”
“On the move a lot?” Rodimus asked.
“Sure. Only one in a dozen stellar systems will have a planet good for energon harvesting, and then there’s having to be vigilant about competition and enforcers. Sometimes needs will change or new opportunities will open up, and a crew will split up to deal with it.” He sounded annoyed at that, briefly breaking from his researcher-describing-mysterious-outgroup tone.
“Couple Decepticons on holiday accidentally give you the slip?” Rodimus asked, just to keep him there.
“More like an entire platoon,” Drift said, rising to it so quickly that they could only assume he’d been waiting for someone to complain about this to. “I tracked them to their covert thermal operation on a smelter of a planet, got all the way in, only to discover the one mech they’d left behind was their communications specialist—it was a mess. But, that’s the past now.” And just as quickly, the wall was back up. “If our intel’s good and Grit’s got a byte of sense, there should be someone here. Just no idea how many.”
“Sounds like there’s a good chance we’ll get this thing cleaned up quick,” Ratchet said. “So long as we stick together.”
Drift’s Hm’d agreement was more than either had expected. Maybe they were making progress.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Good to go,” Rodimus said, adjusting the items on his screen to focus on the ship’s status. “Defense and surveillance up, and we’re at about descent altitude. Just give us a head’s up when you start improvising, so we can get out of your way.”
He was not supposed to say that. He shot over a grin in response to Ratchet’s disapproval; what point was there in denying the inevitable?
Practicing being a good friend, remember? That means saying no to stupid ideas.
It also means being there to catch him instead of holding him back.
It was the kind of argument that couldn’t be solved with a few pointed thoughts or memories, the kind that they did not have time for now, as the visual feed showed Drift’s ship starting its descent. They set it aside in their own ways: Ratchet simply stopped thinking about it, while Rodimus let himself run through the myriad arguments he would have made simultaneously before reconnecting himself to the present. A moment later and they were ready, Ratchet punching in the commands to follow Drift down.
The planet’s cloudless atmosphere gave them a clear view of the terrain below, its massive, dramatic rock formations contoured by deep shadows. North of them, the average surface elevation increased and smoothed out into tall hills, but where they were going the difference between peaks and valleys created a network of shelves and tunnels that would be perfect to hide a secret base in. And stealth did seem to be one goal of whoever had set up shop down there: besides the sloppy energy output, there were no obvious signs of cyberforming on the planet’s surface. Rodimus was about to suggest that only those who came looking for Cybertronians would ever notice they were here, when a glint in one of the visual feeds caught his attention. He brought the feed to his station and zoomed in. Metal?
The word hit his vocoder as Ratchet shoved them into a dive.
“Turret!”
The energy beam was hot enough to ripple the air around it. Even though Ratchet got them turned away fast enough, the whole shuttle shuddered from the near-miss. Crates and containers rattled in their restraints, and Rodimus was too busy keeping up with Ratchet to think about the sounds of crashing down in the hold. They should have been at a safe distance to avoid detection; how had they been pinpointed so quickly?
“Pull up! Get out of here!” Drift shouted.
No time to wonder about it right now.
“Can’t,” Rodimus said while Ratchet wrestled with the controls. “I’ve got visual; they’re charging up for the next shot. Reversing momentum would have us hovering like an auto-skeet.” If the console would stop bombarding him with warnings, he might have been able to make better estimates about their next move, but a ship this size wasn’t designed to be flown by just two bots with half a processor each. Ratchet was demanding so much of their attention that even reading the words on the screen demanded resources they didn’t have, so he scrubbed the whole thing until all that was left was the visual feed, the twinkle that shone just before the storm. “Diving. Keep on our tail.”
“No, that’s—fine. Aim for cover.”
Ratchet switched off the reverse thrusters and the ship plummeted out of its gentle descent. The entire world rocked nauseatingly as the discordant visual feeds broadcast the tilting horizon and rising ground, and they startled as the second blast singed the air behind them, the crackle of Drift’s failing comms suite not enough to prevent their sparks from clenching down in panic. The rear cameras recovered from the overexposure, and there was the speeder, intact and keeping pace.
“What now?” Drift demanded.
“Evasive maneuvers,” Rodimus said, following the ticker tape of Ratchet’s intentions. “Triple Thunderclash!”
Ratchet twisted hard on the controls and sent the ship spiraling. Rodimus would have been flung across the bridge had they not been secured, but even then struggled to maintain focus as they were thrashed around, over and over. He couldn’t see Drift anymore, or the distant turret: everything was swirls of color, broken up for only a split second as the third blast went wide and passed them by.
Ratchet drew back and pulled them out of the spiral, then hastily steered them aside as the recovered visual feeds revealed an oncoming peak. Landing thrusters were engaged; slightly dazed, Rodimus picked out a promising valley for Ratchet to maneuver them into. Drift reappeared in the rear feed, keeping his distance in case they had to dart again. Not that there would be much room for it, as the canyon walls rose up and enveloped them.
Ratchet brought the shuttle to rest on a wide shelf and sat back, optics dim. The constant, pounding beat of his focus dispersed, and he sunk into pillowy relief, buoyed by Rodimus’ burst of Wow we made its and What kind of gun was thats and I’m alive Ratchet’s alive Drift’s alives. It had been hard, keeping that iron grip on himself while Ratchet put in the work of keeping them alive, but—
“Wouldn’t have seen that shot coming without you,” Ratchet said. Rodimus looked away as he flushed, warm with appreciation and embarrassment; sincerity was an intimacy he was never quite prepared for. He was grateful when Drift’s speeder landed alongside them.
“Everybody intact in there?” Ratchet asked. He thought Rodimus’ embarrassment was amusing, frag him, but was willing to set it aside out of concern for their friend. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t find a way to exploit it later, but for now, Rodimus was safe.
“We made it,” Drift said. “That was more more like a Double Thunderclash.”
“Ratchet was between Thunderclashes and I had to make a best guess.” Rodimus tried to mime the path of the two ships with his hands, twisting his arms as far as his joints would allow. “It’s a Triple Thunderclash because it’s three times cooler than a thing Clash did in some fight,” he explained, since he felt Ratchet wondering.
“Battle of Ambustus Major?” Ratchet asked. Rodimus shrugged and tried not to pout when Ratchet immediately brought up an old vid file of the maneuver.
“Is the ship stable here?” Drift asked, reminding them they were here with a purpose. In the aftermath of such a close call, it was natural to want to ease back for a moment, but Rodimus couldn’t fault Drift for wanting to stay on track. The stakes weren’t any lower just because they’d made it to the surface intact.
“Should be,” Ratchet said, leaning over so he didn’t have to keep relying on Rodimus to funnel through the ship’s readings. “Holding steady for now. We’d probably need to conduct a physical survey to be sure, but I’m not seeing anything troubling from here.” Ratchet wasn’t sure of the composition of this planet, but the lack of dust in the atmosphere suggested it was made of a lot of hard, compact stone, hopefully strong enough to support a spacefaring vessel. They just had to hope that whatever geologic event had formed this shelf hadn’t terribly weakened the wall it was anchored to.
“Good,” Drift said. “The good news from all this is that the turret gives us an idea of where they have their main base; it’d be a waste of fuel to have to drive back and forth a long way. Once I’ve scouted it out and located Grit, you can come in.”
“Okay, and one more time with a plan we’ll actually follow?” Ratchet’s edge emboldened Rodimus. If it had been just him out here, he might have let Drift make all the decisions out of guilt, but the strong presence beside his mind pulsed with gentle encouragement.
Drift sighed.
“Right. Give me a minute.”
Ratchet gave Rodimus a thumbs up. Progress.
Rodimus got up from the captain’s seat and walked to the bow of the bridge, where the narrow viewshield gave him a closer peek onto the planet. The impression he got: rocks. Though the surface was painted mainly by dull shades of brown, down here they started taking on more color, hints of red and green only noticeable against the stark homogeny of everything else.
Why had the Decepticons chosen this planet? Were there fuel reservoirs buried too far below the surface to show up on orbital scanners? How would they have known to come looking for them? If not, if this was just a backwater hideaway, why the powerful defense system? Who was hiding here? And for how long? He itched to pop the hatch open and start exploring, but Ratchet’s presence kept him in place. This world, with its unknown Cybertronian population, confronted them with a new variety of complexity and danger. Though they could be rash in their decision to help Drift, they couldn’t risk being stupid about it.
Ratchet gently nudged him away from that kind of thinking. No one here was stupid. Everyone was trying to do the right thing for the people of Vitrious, the universe at large, and each other.
Rodimus cast a small, grateful smile over his shoulder.
“Okay.” The comms came back to life with Drift’s voice. “I still think this is a bad idea. But I’ve got something.”
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cancerbiophd · 4 years
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Hey! I’m sure this is a question you get asked a lot but how did you decide that a PhD was for you? I’m about to enter the last year of my undergrad and have really enjoyed the lab work I’ve done previously but it feels like a rather large commitment when I’m not 100% sure I’m going to end up in research at the end of it. I was just wondering how you knew it was what you wanted to do!
Hello!
I actually have never been asked that question before, which was surprising for me too. I get a lot of “how did you know lab research was right for you”, but never specifically about how I knew a PhD was right for me (or maybe I did and I just didn’t answer it well), so I’m really glad you asked!
As you said, it really does come down to answering yes to both these statements: 
The career path I want is best accomplished with a PhD
I am willing to commit to the challenging journey of 5-6 years of grad school (+1-3 years of being a post-doc, if applicable to your field)
So here are the reasons how I knew getting a PhD was the best past for me:
I loved research. And I loved research beyond just doing benchwork--I loved the brainstorming, the experimental design, the analyzing of results, the troubleshooting of the unexpected, the dissecting of both broad and fine details as you solve a puzzle, the moment when you realize you just discovered something no one else has ever seen before, and communicating those exciting results. I was infatuated. When I was working as a lab tech in a cancer research lab after undergrad there were nights where I couldn’t sleep because my brain just would not stop brainstorming new ideas and questions about my research. I told that to a current grad student in the lab at the time and he was like “You know what that means? You have the mind of a grad student.”
And I wanted to broaden my skillsets. I could do a few techniques really well, but I really wanted to learn more, and I also wanted to learn more about those techniques--why do this, and not an alternative? What would happen if we tried this? I wanted to explore more. 
Going off of that, I wanted to keep learning. And not just looking up wikipedia articles by myself; I wanted formal training (because I had no idea what I needed to learn). And I’ve always been good at learning in a classroom setting so I knew I would excel at that part in grad school. 
It would lead me to the career path I wanted, which was to work at a biotech company as a leader of a research team and then become a consultant. True, a PhD is not required for that in many cases, but a PhD would better prepare me for those roles
I enjoyed writing and orally communicating about my research. PhD’s do metric ton of writing (grants, papers, reports, etc) and oral presentations (conferences, meetings, collaborations, etc). And I really enjoyed (and was good at) all that. 
I wanted to be in a position where I could lead and mentor. As someone with the highest degree in the room, institutions look to the PhDs for direction. So PhDs will become leaders--whether it’s a lab of their own in academia, or a team in an industry setting, etc. Even grad students have undergrads, or have to TA. And I was ready for, and wanted, all that. 
I was good at wearing a lot of hats. PhDs don’t just do a singular task; during grad school we learn to be versatile (you have to be in an academic lab setting), and that versatility carries through later as we become excellent multitaskers and are good at adapting to new challenges. And as someone who has always successfully juggled school and work and multiple extracurriculars, and had experience being a rockin lab manager (in the lab I worked in after undergrad), I knew I was up to it. 
I loved working by myself but I also loved working as a team--and that’s a necessity for research in general, even for non-PhDs, but PhDs are more likely to have to excel at both. 
I was mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially ready for the challenges and commitment of 5-6 years of grad school (plus 1-3 years of being a post-doctoral fellow, if applicable). Grad school is tough as balls, and you have to be just as tough, or at least have the resources to help you. I took a gap year of 2.5 years after undergrad to a) figure out what the heck I wanted to do/get research experience and b) mature to the point where I could be ready for something like grad school. I feel that working as a full-time lab tech really allowed me to immerse myself into the closest setting of a grad student in my field as possible. Being there 40 hrs/week really is different than when you’re an undergrad researcher popping in for 2 hours/day. I also took a grad-level class to see if I could mentally balance class and research. I know that’s obviously not an option available to everyone (nor is it necessary), but that’s just how I knew that every part of me could handle the rigors of grad school. 
Going off of that, I had a lot of grit and discipline. Sometimes that’s all you have left to get you through the day in grad school when everything else feels depleted. Grad students do a lot of things they’re not motivated to do, but we gotta get it done anyway, and sometimes grit is all we have to make our limbs move. 
PhD holders and PhD students at the time were telling me I’d be great at pursuing one. They know better than anyone what it takes, and they knew I was ready. 
Also dang, I’d be lying if I said money didn’t play a role in it. I graduated college in 2011 during the grand ol recession, and the job market stunk. I saw that options for biology majors were slim to none (I was extremely lucky to have found my lab tech job), so I knew I had to either wait it out until the job market bounced back, or make myself a more attractive candidate for the workforce, or both! (Let’s not talk about the economy during Covid lol). Also, the thought of making over 100k with a PhD was attractive. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, but money does buy happiness, because money buys food and a roof over your head and warm clothes and healthcare and hobbies so uh, yeah, I did get the highest degree possible partially for the money. 
So why not a Masters? That’s a good question!! And the truth is: I didn’t know I could accomplish most of what I wanted with a Masters. And that was my fault for not doing my own research, but I think I was just.. surrounded by PhDs (both in my academic lab setting and in my family) and the thought of doing a Masters never really occurred to me. Also, idk, I knew in my heart and in my bones I wanted a PhD, so I’m not sure if I would be happy with a Masters. 
Lastly, because this list is personal to me, getting a PhD would get me off my mom’s shit-list and end her endless emotional abuse towards me being worthless, etc. Long story, but yeah, it did factor into it as kind of a bonus point. 
So thar’s my spiel.  
One last thing I want to add: though continuing research is the most common career path for PhD holders, it’s not the only one. Here’s what else is available for PhDs (from the book Career Opportunities in Biotechnology and Drug Development by Toby Freedman)
Tumblr media
If the image is hard to see, there are 4-ish main branches, and then some sub-branches (and even more specialized sub-branches that aren’t labeled):
R&D: Discovery research, preclinical research, bio/pharmaceutical product development, project management, clinical development, regularly affairs, medical affairs
Services: Recruiting, law, venture capital & banking, management consulting
Operations: Bio IT, quality, operations
Commercial Operations: Business development, corporate communications, product support, sales, marketing
And that’s just in the industry sector--academia, government, and non-academia/non-govt research institutions are also obviously available as career choices, though those would focus more on R&D (and also teaching). 
You obviously don’t need to know the specifics of your career path before committing to grad school, but I think you should have a general idea that what you want to do would best be accomplished with a PhD. 
If you’re still on the fence, I would advise:
Talking to more grad students or degree holders--both PhD and Masters (our Gradblr Discord is great for that!)--to paint a bigger picture.
Informational interviews are also great, especially if you’re interested in learning more about those career paths above. 
You can also explore the field a bit more in-person by starting off with a Masters (less time commitment than a PhD, though more expensive), or an entry-level research job like I did. 
Best of luck! 
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gumnut-logic · 3 years
Text
Minerva (Bit 3)
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Bit 1 | Bit 2 | Bit 3
Finally I have some writing to share. I might be getting my head back on straight, yay!
Buckets of Science!Gordon in this one. yes, I’ve let my inner geek out, sorry :D
Many thanks to @scribbles97​ for the read through and reassurance when I get wibbly :D
I hope you enjoy this pile of marine fluff :D Approx. 2000 words worth :D
-o-o-o-
Gordon grinned and clapped his hands together. “So, what shall we do next? A little Minerva 101? A walk on the reef? Or a swim?” Those hands were rubbed together eagerly.
“You’ve just eaten, Gordon.”
“So?”
Andre stood up. “It is my recommendation that we wait before attempting swimming.”
“Aw, Annie.”
The glare Andre shot his husband almost melted the stern of the boat.
Cecil grinned and winked at his husband.
Virgil bit his tongue. “You think you can lug me onto that reef?” In the distance, the open ocean crashed against the outer reef rim. It was hard to see if there was even any dry land from this distance.
Gordon’s grin turned fond. “Wouldn’t go without you, bro. Told you, I brought the water chair.”
Virgil felt the simple emotion behind that statement and his heart warmed. The water chair was something he himself had put together for Gordon all those years ago after the hydrofoil accident. His brother hadn’t been able to swim and the hoverchair could not operate under or over water. So, borrowing a little Thunderbird technology, Virgil had built one that could. With some feedback and suggestions from its over-the-moon recipient, Virgil had tweaked the design to the point that it could literally operate as a diver assist with minimal effect on its immediate environment while still enabling the operator to ‘walk on water’.
Tracy Industries now produced a trimmed down economical version for world-wide distribution. Gordon was the poster boy for the program and loved seeing people experience water in ways that had been denied them in the past.
But the original, the prototype, was kept on Tracy Island with Gordon. Virgil serviced it every couple of years and it had even been used a few times since.
But never by Virgil.
After stripping into their own water wear, it took some manoeuvring and both nurses to get into Virgil into some wet gear. It was awkward and frustrating, but both Andre and Cecil were gentle and understanding. Gordon stood ready to assist, his eyes warm, his hand briefly brushing Virgil’s hair.
Virgil was grateful, but hated every second.
The casts on his legs were specifically printed for him, a high-tech honeycomb of support, providing strength without the weight and bulk of traditional plaster. And they were water friendly, allowing both air flow and ultimately water flow around his injured limbs.
It took all three men to get Virgil safely into the inflatable.
“Virg, you’ve been stealing far too many of Scott’s apple pies.”
“Speak for yourself.” Virgil grit his teeth as they lowered him into the smaller boat. “Are you sure about this?” So much work to get one person onto a reef.
“Not going without you, bro. Apple pie butt or no.” The determined expression on his little brother’s face put an end to that argument.
The water chair was tucked behind a seat along with snorkelling equipment and a stash of Gordon’s scientific gear and within minutes they were motoring across relatively shallow waters spotted with tropical reef. Virgil peered over the side watching the ever so clear azure pass beneath them. The colours were amazing.
The atoll was obviously the remains of yet another undersea volcano. Living on Tracy Island, which was a volcano itself, gave him some familiarity with the symptoms. But unlike the islands in the Kermadec arc, this volcano hadn’t quite made it above the waterline. It had, however gotten close enough to bring its rim into the sunlit zone of the ocean, enabling coral to gain a foothold and build the reef that had accomplished the task.
As the rim grew closer, the water grew shallower, to the point where Gordon had to slow the inflatable or risk impaling it on submerged living limestone.
The roar of open ocean grew closer. The crash of massive waves that the coral rim was protecting them from. Virgil closed his eyes and soaked in the saltwater air, the breeze and the soundscape.
I was invigorating and relaxing at the same time.
At some point he became aware of eyes on him and he opened his own only to encounter Gordon smiling softly.
Ever so quiet. “That’s more like it.”
Virgil was caught between fondness and embarrassment. But Gordon didn’t say anything else and turned back to steering the boat. Neither Andre or Cecil appeared to have noticed, possibly through courtesy.
Virgil let one hand trail in the cool, clear water and closed his eyes again.
He might have just drifted off right there and then but for the sudden cease of the outboard which had been chugging along relatively slowly in any case. The inflatable drifted as Gordon deployed an anchor and Andre pulled out the water chair, unfolding the leg supports.
“Okay, Virg, let’s get your apple pie butt into the chair.”
Virgil growled at his brother, but Gordon only grinned, climbing behind him and, with Cecil’s help, lifting him enough for Andre to slide the contraption under said butt.
The chair’s gel morphed to his shape, fitting snuggly and supporting his back as Gordon strapped him in. Andre secured the leg braces, connecting them to his casts.
Andre jumped over the side and landed in waist deep water.
Gordon curled his hand around Virgil’s arm. “Okay, bro, let’s see how much fish you have in you.” Another teethy grin as he and Cecil lifted Virgil over the edge of the inflatable and lowered him with Andre’s guidance into the water.
Virgil palmed the seat’s control, which previously he had only used to test the contraption, and micro-thrusters fired up stabilising him as he slipped into the water.
A moment of wobble and the seat settled at waist depth in the water, its quiet hum barely audible over the ripples lapping against the boat.
“Well, it seems those apple pies aren’t going to sink you today.”
“Gordon!”
His brother only laughed as he joined him in the water with a splash…which landed mostly on Virgil.
He wanted to both throttle and hug Gordon to death.
Cecil joined them, smoothly sliding off the inflatable, and all four of them made their way towards the massive reef sticking a good foot above the low tide.
“Watch where you step. Virg has the advantage here. Lots of sharp nasties if you’re not careful.”
Virgil was too busy enjoying the water. The chair automatically adjusted to the surface and he was able to raise or lower it at will. As they neared the inner edge of the reef, he engaged the secondary thruster array and pushed himself above the waterline. The breeze caressed his skin.
The reef ledge was quite a step up. A purple-brown, the limestone sported a continual waterfall of seawater pushed by the swell from the open ocean on the other side.
Gordon slipped in behind him and gave the chair a nudge to get it high enough to engage with the raised surface. Virgil fiddled with the controls until the seat stabilised, hovering just a few inches above the rock and all the rockpools it held.
And there were a lot of rock pools.
Virgil had a sudden flashback to a young Gordon dashing from one rock pool to the next, yelling out his discoveries of this fish, that shell, the occasional ticked off crab…
The incident with the blue-ringed octopus particularly came to mind.
But his little brother had been six then. Theoretically, he was an adult now, one of advanced marine experience.
“Virg! Come and have a look at this!”
Then again...
Sure enough, it was a rock pool and it had some kind of eel trapped in it. Gordon started babbling Latin at him before Virgil had even made it close enough to see the thing clearly.
There was a camera, several shots, some holofilm and lots and lots of incomprehensible marine science-ese.
Virgil had to bite his lip not to grin like a loon.
Cecil appeared to be a disciple of Gordon, his knowledge obviously not up there with the aquanaut’s, but ever so interested and eager to learn. Gordon revelled in the opportunity and Virgil got to sit back and watch his little brother disappear into his element.
Andre hovered about his patient, on duty at all times. “You can relax, Andre. I’m good. Have a bit of fun.”
The quiet man smiled. “I am.” His eyes were on Cecil as his husband darted after Gordon from rock pool to rock pool chattering excitedly with the aquanaut.
Virgil pulled out his phone and took some photos of his brother and his student. “You may never get him back.”
Andre snorted. “I have my ways, don’t worry.”
An arched eyebrow found the nurse smiling again.
With Gordon off in science land, Virgil took the opportunity to do a little exploring of his own. He lowered the chair enough so he could reach down and touch the rock beneath the water. It was sharp, rough and covered in life. The rock pools were truly fascinating. Corals lived in niches, sea urchins huddled in all their spikiness, but it was the giant clams that caught his eye the most.
They had some brilliant colours and they reacted to his presence, closing up abruptly if he startled them. They were quite a distance down and he found himself poking into deeper pools as he scooted along the inner edge of the reef.
They came in a number of shades, but the most brilliant was a vivid blue. His eyes were attracted to the subtle patterns and his fingers itched to record them. His phone filled with shots at the thought of future paintings.
“Thought you might like those.”
Virgil nearly dropped his phone. That, of course, only produced a grin on Gordon’s behalf.
Virgil was hovering over a particularly deep rock pool and at the very bottom, wedged in a crevice, sat a beautiful blue example. It was still mostly open, displaying its variegated mantle. Due to a sudden lack of breeze and the clarity of the water, it was very visible, and Virgil had already taken several holoshots, a composition combining sea urchins, several of the bright red fish and the clam, already in mind.
Behind him Cecil was bouncing on his feet a few metres away gesticulating in excitement as he raved at Andre. Andre had that smile on his face again, the one where love and amusement met and each tried to take dominance.
“I think you’ve started something over there.” Virgil grinned at his brother.
A snort. “Cess has always had an interest. I’m just fanning the flames.”
“Luring him to cook for us forever?”
“Mmmmaybe.”
Virgil chuckled and earned himself a pair of sparkling amber eyes.
“Mel wants a clam count.”
A blink. “What?”
“She’s worried there might be poaching happening here. This place gets a lot of traffic. I had John check for yachts before we came and the fact there are none other than us here is a rarity.”
“People steal the clams?” Virgil stared down at the beautiful creature below.
Gordon sighed. “Is there anything people won’t do? Mel wants a count so we can do a population snapshot. Shouldn’t be too hard. I’ve adapted one of our lifesign locators for their particular form. Not sure it’s going to work, but I was hoping that between us, we could rig it.”
Virgil stared up at his brother. Gordon had planned this, but he had planned it well. Virgil couldn’t resist the challenge, and much like his aquanaut brother, certain stains on humanity really got his back up.
“Sure.”
Gordon’s smile was an honest one. “But no pushing it, Virg, or Scott will have my hide.”
As if summoned by his name, a roar swelled in the distance and out of nowhere Thunderbird One shot into the air space above them, VTOL flaring as she came to a sudden halt.
Their comms spat into life. “Thunderbird One to A Little Lightning, whatcha doing down there?”
-o-o-o-
Next
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osakaso5 · 3 years
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Halloween Event Story
~Fluffy Blast Racing~ Chapter 4: A Transformation
Chapter Index
Minami: ...I see. So they followed you here without your knowledge.
Haruka: Aren't these the things you were just talking about, Minami..!?
Torao: What do you mean?
Haruka: Minami said you and Toma would find something today.
Toma: Seriously..? I didn't know his fortunes had gotten that accurate...
Minami: Hee hee, though there was no way I could've predicted how cute they'd be.
Haruka: I've never seen these things before. What are they?
Minami: ...They may well be the extraterrestrial lifeforms Nagi told me about...
Toma: Extraterrestrial...? So, aliens?
Minami: I don't know for certain, but my heat sensor reacts to them, meaning they should be similar to certain types of animals...
Torao: Hey. Where did you guys come from?
???: Tora... torara...
Torao: Ah, I forgot you can't speak our language.
Toma: ...Hey, Minami! Can't you make some kinda translator thingy for us?
Toma: It feels like these furballs could really use our help with something.
Haruka: ...Ah..! Minami, the mat..!
Minami: Right. We should give that a try.
Toma: You already have something!?
Minami: Just a prototype I based on a translator Momo made, but it might do the trick...
Haruka: It's called Peep Mat, and it's supposed to tell you how inanimate objects feel...
Torao: Hmm... so it's for peeping into their thoughts.
Toma: P-peeping..? That sounds kinda weird, what were you planning to use it for..?
Haruka: Oh yeah, it was super weird.
Minami: Was it, now? Thanks to the mat, you got to know how much Spanny...
Haruka: Aaaaah!
Toma: "Spanny"..?
Haruka: S-Spanny's just the name of a dog that lives in my neighborhood. Don't worry about it.
Torao: ...In any case, let's test out that mat.
Toma: Do we just put these guys on the mat..?
Minami: Yes. Then, you push this switch...
Torao: Alright, get over here.
???: Tora... torara...
Haruka: ...Doesn't that one kinda look like you, Torao?
Torao: Press the switch, Minami.
Minami: Haha, how exciting. 
Click
???: .........
???: Toma... ma...
???: Haa... ha... ple...
???: Mi... lp.. us...
???: Please help us!
All: ........!?
All: Help you..?
- - - -
Minami: I see... So you did come from another planet, like I thought.
Haruka: They're space aliens...
Beige Cotton: Yes, we cottons come from another planet.
Beige Cotton: Do you work for i7 Corporation?
Toma: Nope... We know people from there, but we're only working for the P.G. Garage, racing and fixing up cars...
Green Cotton: Fixing cars?
Brown Cotton: Racing..!?
Toma: Y-yeah. But if you've got business with the Corp, them we can call 'em...
Cottons: .........
Cottons: We have a request for you!
Toma: No need to get all shouty on us... What's up?
Red Cotton: P-pardon us! We come from a planet called Desert Colony.
Red Cotton: It was once the Mecca of car racing, where people from all over would test their skills.
Red Cotton: But then the dusts appeared, taking over our races and making a mess of our circuits...
Beige Cotton: We asked our fellow cottons on another planet for help, and they told us of Earthlings who had helped them...
Torao: And that's how you ended up here.
Cottons: Yes..!
Toma: How did they just take over like that?
Green Cotton: The dusts are violent in nature, and only seek to do bad things.
Brown Cotton: They reproduce quickly, turning streets uninhabitable for anyone but themselves...
Brown Cotton: There was nothing we could do to stop them...
Cottons: Earthlings..! Won't you please help us!?
Minami: The ones who helped your fellow cottons were the people of i7 Corporation, not us.
Beige Cotton: Perhaps so... But you race and repair vehicles for a living, do you not?
Torao: Yeah. We operate a car workshop to fund our racing.
Torao: That way, we get to make our own rides!
Brown Cotton: ...Then you are exactly who we need!
Brown Cotton: We and the dusts are also racers, but we cannot match their skill as we are now...
Brown Cotton: Won't you give us a hand?
Torao: I don't know... How are we supposed to beat those dusts, exactly?
Red Cotton: The dusts have decreed that everyone must obey the winners of the race, so that is all you would need to do.
Minami: But if you're also racers, couldn't you try beating them yourselves?
Brown Cotton: ...To tell you the truth, we do not even have a proper car to race in.
Beige Cotton: The dusts have a monopoly on everything from engines to tires, leaving us unable to build a vehicle that could race...
Minami: ...I see.
Haruka: Then what difference does it make if we go to your planet and try to race there?
Green Cotton: Though the dusts have all the good parts to themselves, there are still less than optimal parts available.
Beige Cotton: We lack the skill to build a suitable vehicle from such parts...
Haruka: ...So you want us to help?
Cottons: Yes..!
Beige Cotton: You have that Earthling's driving techniques, as well as the technical prowess to support his skill.
Beige Cotton: Both are simply incredible, I might add! I believe that you will defeat the dusts!
Minami: Oh my, I do enjoy a good compliment.
Haruka: Hehe, of course our tech's incredible! Minami planned it, and I built it.
Torao: You guys certainly have an eye for races.
Toma: ........
Minami: What's the matter, Toma?
Toma: ...Nothing.
Red Cotton: And we mustn't forget the designs! They are so very cool! Especially these lightning bolts...
Toma: I KNOW, right!?
Haruka: Whoa! Stop yelling!
Minami: Good for you, Toma.
Brown Cotton: I believe you may be even more qualified than the Earthlings we originally came here for..!
Cottons: Please, help save our home!
All: .......!
Toma: Guys, let's help 'em.
Minami: At the risk of sounding callous... We don't even have enough money for our own race, and we can't just leave our work undone...
Haruka: ...He's got a point...
Torao: As much as I'd like to help, we've got our own share of trouble to deal with...
Toma: But guys...
Red Cotton: Worry not! If you win our race, you will receive the prize money!
Red Cotton: And it's quite a sum, since the race will be held between the greatest racers from all over the galaxy!
All: .......!
Toma: In other words, if we win that race for you...
Haruka: We'll get...
Green Cotton: Yes..! And you won't need to share the prize with us, of course.
Toma: N-not even a little?
Minami: We're grateful for the offer, but are you sure?
Brown Cotton: Yes! All we want is to stop the dusts, which we'll be able to do as long as you win!
Torao: I guess that'll solve everything for the both of us, then.
Toma: Awesome! Let's do it!
Toma: Ain't this what you'd call a prize-prize situation!?
Haruka: I think you mean "win-win situation".
Toma: Haha, whatever!
Minami: Now, how do we get on your planet?
Beige Cotton: First, you'll fuse with us, forming a fluff.
All: A fluff..?
Beige Cotton: Yes. Through fusion, we should be able to transport you to our planet.
Haruka: What do you mean by fusion?
Beige Cotton: It'll be faster if we show you! Let us begin.
Torao: Sounds fun. Let's do it.
Toma: Go ahead!
Beige Cotton: Here we go!
Cottons: Fusion!
Haruka: Whoa... What!? T-they got sucked in..!
Minami: They're going inside our bodies...
Toma: ...Is it just me, or do you guys feel warm..?
Torao: Yeah, and now we're glowing, too...
Haruka: Are you sure this is safe!?
All: .......! 
- - - -
All: ........
Toma: H-hey, Haruka... You need to look in a mirror, quick!
Haruka: Huh!? I could say the same to you! You're all fluffy now..!
Torao: H-hey! Don't tell me, we...
Toma: W-we...
Haruka, Toma, & Torao: We turned into fluffs!?
Minami: Hee hee. You all look adorable.
Toma: How are you so calm, Minami!?
Minami: Oh, are you not excited by our mystical transformation?
Toma: I'd rather not find excitement by leaving my body...
Haruka: Was that the fusion..? We're fluffs... Fluffs...
Torao: My body's so round now... And I've got short little arms and legs...
Toma: H-hey! Get a grip, Haruka and Torao!
Minami: What is the science behind a transformation like this, I wonder?
Beige Cotton: <We don't have the time for a detailed explanation now, but this is what you'll look like when fused with us.>
Beige Cotton: <As long as you're fluffs, you should be able to use the warp zone to get to our planet.>
Toma: W-what..!? I can hear a voice talking in my head!
Torao: Hey! Tell me we can still go back to normal! I can't take girls out for dinner looking like this!
Haruka: Are you sure girls are your biggest worry right now?
Torao: Of course, there's so many of them waiting for me.
Toma: At least worry about our race or something, man.
Torao: Just turn me back to normal, now!
Brown Cotton: <Our apologies, but the only way we can dissolve the fusion is with elements from our planet's atmosphere...>
Minami: ...In other words, we'll get back into our human forms if we go to your planet and help solve your problem.
Torao: Should've told us up front.
Brown Cotton: <Apologies, but you did not ask...>
Torao: ........
Red Cotton: <In any case, you are the only ones who can help us!>
Minami: ...I suppose all we need to do is get to their home planet.
Minami: I'm sure space travel will be fun.
Haruka: You just wanna see what it's like...
Minami: What was that, Haruka?
Haruka: Nah, forget it...
Torao: I'll just prepare for the worst...
Minami: So, how do we warp to your planet?
Green Cotton: <From the manhole behind this building!>
Haruka: A manhole? That sounds way simpler than I thought.
Torao: And now we're diving into a manhole... At least it probably won't stink...
Toma: You don't know that!
Minami: This is all so exciting. 
- - - -
Red Cotton: <Over here, Earthlings!>
Toma: Alright, here goes nothing! Let's jump..!
Toma: Waaaah!
Minami: I'm right behind you...
Haruka: Yep..!
Torao: Aah, I'm falling..! 
- - - -
Haruka: ...D-do you guys feel something soft in here..?
Minami: Where are we..?
Toma: Why am I upside down!?
Torao: .......! Hey, I see something!
All: Waaaaah! 
To be continued...
Translator’s notes..? 
all of the cottons are technically only referred to as “cotton”, but I added their corresponding colors to their names to make it easier to know who’s talking
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zoe-dinh · 3 years
Text
Shameless Media: A Start-up's Guide To Digital Stakeholder Engagement
OVERVIEW
Today’s businesses exist in a world where everything is rapidly changing. How organisations communicate with stakeholders, and vice versa, have been transformed by the digital age.
Not only are stakeholders powerful and tech-savvy, thanks to digital media, they now also have direct contact with companies and organisations 24/7 (Ozer 2020).
Companies therefore are much more accountable for their conduct and value (Tench & Yeomans 2017). This can either play to their advantage, or hinder it in a critical way.
As such, businesses need to foster relationships with stakeholders by leveraging the power of digital media. The goal is to have a community of people who support the organisation, who resonates with the brand’s value and message.
An example of modern organisations championing this is Shameless Media. Utilising digital media, Shameless engages with their stakeholders through strategic branding and content marketing.
How can we capture people’s hearts and minds in an attention economy? Let’s learn from this millennial start-up.
CASE STUDY: SHAMELESS MEDIA
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Profile
Shameless Media (SM) is a millennial gen Z’s destination for all things digital content. Operated in Melbourne by a team of five young women, the company was founded in 2019 by writers Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews.
Although relatively young, the podcast venture has accumulated a consumer base of over 20 million listeners, plus a growing community of 220,000+ followers across Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. SM also recently created a brand-new agency for content creators and influencers, The Sana Agency.
Stakeholders
Since its inception, the podcast has not had a single episode that has not been sponsored (Forbes 2021). More notably, Shameless listenership is overwhelmingly 94.7% women in their 20s (Gillezeau 2021).
SM's key stakeholder groups thus include:
1. Consumers: audiences, readers, listeners; and
2. Sponsors: collaborators, business partners.
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Current digital operations
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PLATFORMS
1. Podcast
At first glance: Eye-catching cover. Good tag line (“The pop culture podcast for smart people who love dumb stuff”). Almost always seen in the Top Charts.
My thoughts: I was surprised to discover how new the podcast is. Its popularity, large growing number of listeners and content quality make Shameless seem a lot more established.
Open and honest, the hosts are not afraid to let audience knows where they stand on critical issues (feminism, politics, climate change etc.). New episodes are regularly scheduled which is good for audience retention.
As a consumer, I am drawn to the show/company for their seeming authenticity and relatability. Not to mention the well-balanced research that allows audience to form their own opinions without being spoon-fed. 10/10 recommend.
2. Website
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At first glance: Layout is easy to look at. Visually appealing. All relevant info seems to be there.
My thoughts: Nice design, but not as much interactivity as I would have liked. When I tried looking for more information on the founders and organisation, something like an About Us section for example, there was none. Neither was there any resource or material on the business side of things (annual reports or data analytics or anything of the sorts).
One may excuse this considering the age of the organisation. However, I believe SM might benefit from a website update or revamp. It will certainly be helpful for those like me who are curious, who do research on the firm and would therefore like more access to information.
3. Instagram
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At first glance: Quite large following. Relatively high audience engagement. Content layout not my personal taste, but appealing overall.
My thoughts: Shameless has great social media presence, especially on Instagram. The company made good efforts in interacting with followers. There are the ‘Your say Fridays’, polls and Q&A every other day on Stories. Users regularly comment on posts (memes, podcast updates & announcement), and many get replies from admin.
Overall, Shameless is doing very well with social media engagement and audience interactions.
4. Facebook
At first glance: Not much to see/do as this is a private group. Nice cover image though.
My thoughts: Large community of readers of nearly 34,000 members. The group has been active since 2019. While discussion threads cannot be publicly viewed, those interested in the content can find related episodes on the Shameless podcast.
Over on Instagram, there are links in bio to the book-selling site for each month’s pick. Makes me wonder whether or not these are affiliate links.
5. LinkedIn
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At first glance: Small-to-medium sized following. Appealing visuals, though not too much information.
My thoughts: I have seen the Shameless LinkedIn profile before, but has only started following them recently. The account is not too active, the latest post was from a few months ago. Perhaps this is because the content that circulates on LinkedIn often revolves around business culture, not the usual focus by SM. Most of the posts thus far are general announcement and job openings.
In the future, SM might be benefit from a more active LinkedIn page, so as to not only attract new audience and potential talents, but also to establish their presence more firmly among competitors in the corporate world.
DIGITAL STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The corporate brand is constantly being co-created by organisation with their stakeholders. Dialogical communication is said to enhance this along with corporate reputation (Gundolf et al. 2018; Ozer 2020; Rosenberg & Seager 2017).
In reality, what might this look like?
From tactics to dialogic communication in digital media, let’s look at how SM has been engaging with stakeholders.
Dialogical communication in digital media
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Tactics
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Potential areas of improvement
Lack of strategy
Upscaling the business
Other types of content, especially video
CONCLUSION
So far, leveraging social media has helped Shameless achieve their goal and stay true to their brand. “Win their niche, core audience, nurture specific community of mostly young working women” (Gillezeau 2021).
The company’s success is in no small way thanks to the relationship they have with their audience. SM has intimate understandings of what the audience wants, and are able to deliver it.
This is in large part due to the founders being in the same demographics as their audience. As McDonald put it, “[W]e wanted to tap into a younger demographic that we thought were generally being ignored by mainstream media” (Forbes 2021), which explains the company slogan.
“We make content for ourselves, our mates, and you”.
Branding and content wise, SM is doing a good job capitalising on the trends, particularly with interactive content, content marketing, and online content communities (Clark-Keane 2021; Thomson 2019).
Yet, it is also important to note the fortunate position SM finds themselves in. As a millennial start-up, they are already advantaged by having skills in digital media and technologies.
Nonetheless, through forces of strategic digital communication, Shameless Media has been successfully engaging with their stakeholders through a combination of clever branding and content marketing.
---
REFERENCES
Clark-Keane, C. 2021, ‘7 Content Marketing Trends to Watch in 2021’, Wordstream, https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2020/11/23/content-marketing-trends
Forbes, T. 2021, ‘How I Do It: Shameless Media’s Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews on building their empire’, Fashion Journal, https://fashionjournal.com.au/life/how-i-do-it-shameless-media/
Gillezeau, N. 2021, ‘Shameless Media: The podcast start-up that’s rejecting big offers’, Australian Financial Review, https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/how-they-built-it-shameless-media-20210330-p57fbu
Gundolf, K., Jaouen, A. & Gast, J. 2018, ‘Motives for strategic alliances in cultural and creative industries’, Creative Innovation Management, vol. 27, pp. 148-160, DOI: 10.1111/caim.12255
Johnston, J. & Rowney, K. 2019, ‘Social networks’, Media Strategies: Managing Content, Platforms and Relationships, Taylor & Francis, Sydney, pp. 75-103.
Kim, K. 2021, ‘How to make sure you’re marketing to Gen Z the right way’, Sprout Social, https://sproutsocial.com/insights/marketing-to-gen-z/
Ozer, D. 2020, ‘Organisations’ use of social media from the perspective of dialogical communications and marketing-oriented public relations’, In B.O. Aydin, S. Gurbuz & O, Dugan (eds.), Public Relations in the Networked Publics, Peter Lang, Frankfurt, pp. 211-235.
Rosenberg, M. & Seager, P. H. 2017, ‘The Big Picture: Four Trend that Change Everything’, Managing Media Businesses, Retrieved from ProQuest EBook Central, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-52021-6_1
Smart Insights 2020, ‘7 ways to reach and influence millennials using social media marketing’, https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/7-ways-to-reach-millennials-through-social-media-marketing/
Tench, R. & Yeomans, L. 2017, ‘Exploring Public Relations’, Global Strategic Communication, Pearson Education, Harlow, Available from: ProQuest EBook Central (14 August 2021).
Thomson, C. 2019, ‘Top Marketing Trends For 2020’, Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2019/10/03/top-marketing-trends-for-2020/#6889ba113d5d
-END-
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aion-rsa · 3 years
Text
Does Ben Affleck’s Batman Have the Best Movie Batcycle?
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We finally got our first look at Ben Affleck’s Batman in The Flash movie, thanks to photos taken the film’s Glasgow, Scotland set, where the Dark Knight could be seen zooming through George Square and the surrounding streets on a brand new set of wheels. The scene in question, which actually featured stunt double Rick English in the new Batsuit and not Affleck, seemed to be a daytime chase through the streets of Gotham City, with a humvee shooting back at Batfleck’s heavily armored ride.
English, who was also a stunt double for Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, can be seen riding the new Batcycle (the official name of the vehicle hasn’t been announced yet) in the set photo below:
New close-up shot of Ben Affleck's #Batman stunt double riding the Batcycle on the set of #TheFlash pic.twitter.com/t5f4HosX7G
— Big Screen Leaks (@bigscreenleaks) July 26, 2021
In short, the new Batcycle is an absolute stunner, a bit more tank-like than past live-action versions of Batbikes, as seems to be the overall DCEU aesthetic since the Zack Snyder days, but still sleek and modern. It also boasts forward shields that lift up when Batman is being shot at (as another series of set photos show) and what look like machine gun cannons on either side — presumably armed with non-lethal rounds…
Despite the bulkier design, the bike seems built for speed and maneuverability, not just battle, as it cuts tight corners through the streets of Gotham/Glasgow. Why the Caped Crusader has chosen his Batcycle over his much more heavily equipped Batmobile, a staple of Affleck’s tenure, is a mystery. Perhaps the Batcycle is just the faster pursuit vehicle…or since The Flash is a multiverse-spanning adventure, maybe he just doesn’t have access to his trademark car at the moment because he’s in the Burtonverse’s version of Gotham (I’m just speculating here).
Interestingly enough, Warner Bros. has been trying to introduce a new Batcycle (likely for toy reasons) since Justice League. In an interview with Film Sketchr, concept artist Ed Natividad revealed that he’d designed a new Batcycle for Affleck’s Batman to use in the superhero team-up movie but Snyder chose the massive Knightcrawler in its place.
“The Batcycle was proposed as a new form of transport for Batman,” Natividad said. “However it was superseded in favor of the Knightcrawler. Zack Snyder felt the cycle did not reflect the ‘team’ dynamic and needed something that would carry at least three of the members.”
It sounds like WB finally has its new Batcycle, but it’s only the latest in a long series of bikes introduced in Batman movies. In fact, Batfleck’s chopper isn’t even the only Batcycle being introduced in an upcoming DC movie.
The Batman: Robert Pattinson's Stunt Double Rides the Bat Bike in New Photo pic.twitter.com/kM9diNfJK2
— AG MEDIA NEWS (@AGMEDIANEWS) October 15, 2020
First spotted while The Batman was filming last year, the more pared down Batcycle ridden by Pattinson very much matches the aesthetic Reeves is going for with his take on the Bat mythos. Unlike Affleck or Bale, Pattinson doesn’t seem to own any vehicles or equipment he didn’t modify or design in-house, all while looking super unhappy. His suit looks very DIY, with its shoulder pads and heavily stiched and dented cowl, as does his minimalist take on a Batbike — a simple number with bat ears over the headlight.
Pattison’s Dark Knight seems like a bit of a grease monkey who’s less concerned looks than performance and efficiency. Even the movie’s Batmobile looks like a cool muscle car Battinson bought and modified with an insane engine he found on the black market and a matte paint job. The custom body work also makes the car look more Bat-like.
He clearly took the same approach with the bike, and it’s nice to see a Batman who prefers “simpler” and more “sensible” vehicles over the massive tanks driven by Affleck and Bale before him. Pattinson’s rides are much closer to reality than what’s usually on tap in a Batman movie. And unlike the things driven by most of his predecessors, his bike doesn’t seem to have any guns on it.
Meanwhile, the Batpod screams “billionare superhero who owns his own R&D division.” Wayne Enterprises has military contracts to develop tech the U.S. Department of Defense never adopted on the battlefield, and Bale’s Batman gets to reap all the rewards.
Despite being part of a much larger whole, having been jettisoned from the totaled Tumbler before it self-destructed in The Dark Knight, the Batpod has its own identity. It’s kind of ugly and doesn’t look very practical, but it becomes Batman’s main mode of transportation for much of the back half of the trilogy until Lucius Fox gifts him the Bat in The Dark Knight Rises. It also has the best maneuverability of all the bikes on this list due to the sideways rotating wheels that allows it to turn tight corners without skidding off the road. Lateral movement comes in very handy when in a high-speed chase, and it seems only Christopher Nolan figured that out.
The Batpod’s biggest crime is looking kind of like those tumbling RC cars you played with when you were a kid. This is all by design, of course, since these movies are all made so WB can sell toys and bedroom sets to children. At least this one has cannons Batman (and later Catwoman) can use to remove obstacles from his path. And if you’re someone walking through that mall Batman zooms through while chasing the Joker, you would be intimidated. But if your favorite kind of bike is the bulky kind, you’re better off with the Batfleck cycle.
Finally, we come to the Batblade, the bike George Clooney just happened to have sitting in his Batcave in case of an icy situation. Apparently designed to speed through Gotham City streets that are frozen solid, it’s best not to try to decipher the logic behind wheels with such excellent traction. This is Batman & Robin, and we don’t do logic there.
Driven by Alicia Silverstone’s underrated Batgirl, the Batblade pretty much looks like a normal bike except for the Bat symbol and LED lighting that adorn the front. Its big feature is that it is equipped with “Ice Armor,” so even Mr. Freeze’s ice beams can’t slow it down. Which is pretty cool. And the bike totally fits within Joel Schumacher’s vision of a neon-drenched Gotham.
It’s hard to believe that almost 25 years after the release of Batman & Robin, a movie that at the time seemed to be the final nail in the Dark Knight’s coffin, we’re still talking about big-screen Batmen and their cool toys. As far as the latter goes, the newest addition to the Caped Crusader’s toybox delivers plenty of style.
I can’t wait to see the new Batcycle in action when The Flash opens in theaters on Nov. 4, 2022.
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twojackals · 3 years
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And now for something completely different...
So anyone out there who has experience with instruments — in particular large, less common instruments — knows about the Cheaper-from-China market, typically on eBay. Miscellaneous (sometimes temporary, other times permanent) companies offering cheaper, unbranded instruments that are clones of their name-brand counterparts, though typically of a lower quality. I think every consumer industry probably has a cheaper-from-China market out there, it’s just for me that market is predominantly musical instruments as that’s one of my major hobbies.
I had considered buying one of these cheaper instruments when I was in the market for a Bass Clarinet, though in the end I ended up going with a proper name brand, something I do not regret as it is really a beautiful instrument with some incredible history behind it (an 80-year-old wooden Buffet bass clarinet). The main sticking point for me was the potential to end up with a cheaper instrument from very far away which might be a lemon on arrival and, thus, very difficult to return, so I had passed on the cheaper options as a result.
Recently however, I had the opportunity to procure one of these instruments in the local scene, without the long-distance risk of ordering from China. The original owner had already ordered the horn and it was only played for a handful of hours. I admit to not asking him the exact reason why he was getting rid of it, I probably didn’t want to know. It looked like it was in great condition and I was willing to take a slightly-smaller risk on a local Chinese horn than a long-distance one. Plus, at least this one had seen an instrument technician.
This is my review of that horn.
Brand name
The horn doesn’t have one. It’s sold by a company called Yinfente, which anyone who knows about cheaper-from-china instruments has probably seen this name floating around, but the horn itself is completely unbranded. Companies like this will in fact do bulk deals that allow you to brand the horn with your own name, which is why you may see the exact same horn floating around out there from several different manufacturers. There are actually some companies on Alibaba which will allow you to put a logo onto the instrument for a simple order of 1, so hey, if you want a custom-named Bass Clarinet, the option is out there for you.
Case
It comes in a relatively solid case that personally I don’t think is any worse than any other case for a lower- to mid-end instrument. I wouldn’t call it the best fitting case on the planet, there is some movement of the instrument on the inside (very little but enough to possibly bend keys if used for long-term shipping — we’ll get to this soon). I’ll probably upgrade it into a BAM case as soon as I can, however as-is, there is nothing really wrong with it for daily use.
Mouthpiece
Straight outta the gate, we’re not beating around any bushes here, the mouthpiece that came with the horn is hot, hot, piping hot, steaming garbage, and this is what’s going to trip everyone up initially about cheap horns. Here’s how that works: The problem is that people considering buying a cheap-from-china instrument will not be professional players: they are students, adults looking to go back into it, community band players, adults learning for the first time, that sort of thing. These people don’t have other mouthpieces available 9 times out of 10 as a result. You’re looking at beginners who need an all-in solution in one shot, if for no other reason than they have no idea what they’re looking for. If you try to buy a “bass clarinet mouthpiece” as someone who is inexperienced, you’re going to be in for a big surprise: There are dozens of them with varying brands, sizes, facings, ligatures, and it’s not as easy as you might think. So people who are just getting into an instrument, or just coming back to an instrument, are the most likely to use what comes with your instrument by default. Unfortunately, those same people are the ones who will actually benefit from a good starting mouthpiece, so it’s a bit of a catch-22. For those poor people, playing this instrument for the first time using the included mouthpiece will sound a bit like they just paid hundreds of dollars or zip-all. It is hideous. It is terrible. It is so awful I’d like to walk it up and toss it into a volcano to rid the earth of its very existence. Pure evil. Luckily, I am not limited to this mouthpiece, I have a couple of others on hand. If you get one of these bad boy bass clarinets from China and are ready to play, just make sure you also get a mouthpiece from a reputable brand to go with it.
Body
The body of the horn is solid and inoffensive. It’s not top of the line, it’s also not what I’d call bottom of the barrel. It’s plastic with a matte finish and a very slight hint of a ‘grain’, and doesn’t feel terribly low-quality over any other plastic instrument — actually, I kind of like this particular plastic or rubberized finish more than others I’ve played in the past from name-brand companies. I personally wanted a plastic Bass Clarinet as my primary horn is 80-year-old wood, not suitable for playing in Canadian weather outdoors at the Band Stand in the spring. I’m sure there are professional players out there who would turn up their nose at even the suggestion of plastic, let alone ‘cheap-from-China’ plastic, but honestly there is nothing wrong with this horn body that I can see. I’ll call this a check mark.
Keys
The keys are… well, they’re all there, what can I say. Getting into it: One ‘feature’ of these unbranded Chinese instruments is the materials of the keys, and that ‘feature’ may actually be more of a ‘bug’ to some. The keys are made from that mysterious metal alloy mass-produced and exiting China at alarming rates on instruments like this, and the material is not exactly known for its strength. I believe they call it ‘cupronickel’ though I am never really sure if that’s what it is either, even though some claim it verbatim on the instrument descriptions. Often instead what you’ll end up with is a description that simply says the keys are “nickel-plated” (common for bottom-tier instruments of even name brands) but the won’t tell you what’s under that nickel-plating. Whatever you call it, the metal bends and that’s a fact of life. Now all metal keys have the potential to bend at least a bit, but it is a much higher risk with a cheap instrument as metal is one of the places manufacturing is likely to cut costs. Due to this particular “metal product” (is that like “cheese food”?)…
… the instrument came with some bent keys that had to be fixed [and were fixed by me, not by a technician]. But I’ll come back to this, bear with me.
The first play-test
So after giving it a quick once over only, I gave it a go, with the original mouthpiece… and after tossing that straight in the trash, bringing out my Vandoren to take its place, we were off to the races. This is what I discovered along with play-testing:
This bass clarinet sounds pretty darn good. I’m leaving that note on its own line because no, I’m not kidding. This clarinet sounds… fine! It’s not top of the line but you know what? It’s not at the bottom either. And if I’m being honest, unless you are an extremely discerning professional that does nothing but listen to other Bass Clarinet professionals all the time (and there are people who fit into this category), you will not be able to tell this instrument’s sound from your average name-brand horn.
That being said, there were some problems to note:
The special keys that control the Low D / C# / and C were… odd. I felt like something was wrong but I couldn’t figure out what. The “D” key in particular felt “broken”, like if you had a finger out-of-joint and then tried to use it normally, it was just ‘out of place’ (pushed in too far) and very stiff, like things were rubbing or pushing up against other things that were not designed to move. Pressing down any of these keys, but especially the Low D, was unusually difficult. I was surprised as the instrument was supposedly put through the shop (complete with a receipt I have a copy of) for adjustment, but they either massively missed multiple issues on this horn, or it was damaged in transport which is entirely possible due to the aforementioned case that is “not quite the best fit” for shipping. I was prepared for this though. I knew bent keys in transport are especially common in long spindly giant metal pieces for a Low C bass in particular. But no matter how prepared you are before hand, the reality sinking in always feels a bit… worse.
This began the period of review I will call “several hours of hell”, though it probably wasn’t quite that bad and would have been reduced significantly if I had a bit more instrument-tech experience under my belt (I have some, but not enough). I suppose we could also call this a “learning experience” and “things I will know for next time”. Nevertheless, wanting to save myself a trip to a lighter wallet, I decided I would try to troubleshoot the issues myself.
I confirmed with the seller that he didn’t feel the keys were overly hard to press or ‘broken’ which was a good start. He mentioned the instrument has many, many adjustment screws, which I was starting to get very familiar with, so I was hoping I would just manage to find the correct key adjustments to make everything work perfectly. The difference of course between a Low Eb Bass Clarinet (your run of the mill bass) and a Low C model (which is this one), may sound like “3 notes in total” (and several more inches in height), but the true difference is in screws. Namely maybe a dozen more adjustment screws I did not have on my Eb Bass, along with numerous precariously-adjusted-and-placed extremely-long rods and levers.
It’s daunting, and it does make you think: “Maaaaybe I should just take this to the shop.”
Nay though. I was determined.
Locating the precise issues on an absolute beast of screws, rods, levers, keys, springs, and clever little mechanisms is no small task, and it’s not a quick process either. It involves pressing down each key and seeing how the resulting affected keys respond — if you press down x-key, the bottom keys 5,6,7 and 8 should go down, but then you find one of those keys is not going down all the way, so you troubleshoot that by adjusting its screw, or by tweaking something else. And by fixing that one key, you in turn end up setting some other keys out-of-whack so you have to look into those and fix them respectively, only to find the adjustments on those keys affected something else.
One of the major problems I was able to identify was that one of my usual left-hand-pinky keys was physically and significantly bent to be “stuck” behind the left-pinky-low-D key (one of the keys that is not normally there on a regular Eb Bass). Since it wasn’t a key that was normally available to me on my name-brand bass, it took me awhile to figure out that these keys were not supposed to be interacting with each other. After this was identified, I was able to closely examine the stem of the key and found out that in fact yes, the key was bent so far to the left that it almost didn’t even look like the key it was originally meant to be at all.
Should I take it in to the technician to bend it back?
Nope! I bent that sucker myself, and while I wouldn’t call it a professional job, and the stem certainly isn’t entirely straight, I can say the key now no longer affects keys it shouldn’t and was also now sitting back roughly in its proper place. With that fixed, the Low “D” thumb key was no longer feeling “broken” — success! It was able to reset all the way to its naturally-seated position. I felt pretty good about this, even though it probably took a couple of hours to figure it out.
However I was discouraged to find out at my next play-test (after having fixed the first big issue) that the Low C and D keys did still not give me the tone and response I was looking for. With the upper left hand keys fixed, I started concentrating on the really low pancake keys at the bottom of the Bass, the ones that press down with the activation of the right-hand pinky keys to give you those lovely low notes, some of which are unique to this style bass. This is where I spent probably another few hours of fiddling with adjustment screws, and I thought that would be the solution.
I came close to giving up on more than one occasion, because after seemingly making every adjustment under the sun (and carefully recording each adjustment so that I could put it back if needed), I still had a few issues: The low E was too sharp, the low F was stuffy and the key felt unusual, and the Low D and C were somewhat unplayable due to one or more of the pancake keys not making full contact with the horn (a leak issue, essentially, that was born of keys not seating properly). I tested this theory by shoving the keys down with my toes (this thing is big!) while playing those low notes, and I was rewarded: A beautiful, deep, low rumbling sound rocked the apartment floor (sorry neighbors!).
So the horn is capable of everything I want from it, I just… had to figure out how to make it happen.
It actually took me more than one day to locate the final problem that fixed everything, let’s call it “sleeping on the problem” and coming up with new possible troubleshooting steps in your unconscious state (hopefully I’m not the only one who thinks best like this). All of those problems I just identified ended up boiling down to one tiny little thing, and yes, it was yet another bent key. One of the pancake keys had a special extra mechanism only triggered for the really low notes, and that extra mechanism was bent perpendicular to its natural position to the point where it was colliding with, and getting stuck on, the pancake key’s normal mechanism. You could physically pop it off after each key recoil, but the next time you engage that key, it will be stuck again. To fix it, I had to simply bend it back. Shockingly easy since the keys are relatively soft, though that does carry concerns of its own.
So in the end, mere millimeters of clearance fixed every single low-note problem I just identified, and I was rewarded by in-tune notes from Low E all the way down to Low C and a big, deep sound I had been missing on those notes from the beginning, along with the keys being easy-to-press and feeling good. Admittedly the Low C is still a touch sharp but that seems to have nothing to do with leaks — after doing my research I did find out that Low C can naturally be a bit sharp even on name-brand instruments, so really loosening up the embouchure is going to help there more than anything.
So, with all the keys now fixed and the instrument in good working order (if not a little bent here and there), what do I think of it?
It sounds fantastic, truthfully, and I’m happy to have it.
While I originally got it as a backup horn, I can completely see myself playing on this horn more than I originally thought I would. It does require a little more prep as at only 5’4″ tall, I can only barely properly reach this instrument in a regular kitchen chair or other hard chair — my gaming chair is simply too low. But it’s worth it, particularly to transpose down some music to use those low notes!
Overall:
Tone: pretty good as mentioned above.
Response: Key and note response is quite good including between registers.
Blow experience: So free-blowing and easy to play, my 80-year-old wooden Buffet feels like a stodgy piece of plumbing in comparison (though has its benefits of course and is still a very high quality instrument)
Construction: Solid enough if you’re careful, just watch out for those keys particularly if you’re going to transport it.
Adjustment: The horn has a ton of adjustment screws, which is lacking on some cheaper instruments so definitely if you go in the direction of cheap, look for ‘cheap, but with features’. I do find they are a little ‘too loose’ if you ask me in that I’m afraid from time to time they may just turn a bit on their own, but if you keep an eye on it, it shouldn’t be too much trouble. Fixing bent keys is also possible on a DIY level as long as you are careful and you don’t mind that the key may not be “perfectly straight” when you’re done (it will be good enough, though).
Price: Cheap by comparison to other cheap models, I’ll go over this in more detail below, and extremely cheap when compared to proper Low C name-brand bass clarinets (we’re talking 1/10th of the price or less).
So what do I mean by “Cheap by comparison to other Cheap Models:
There are a couple of resellers/retailers of Bass Clarinets out there who are essentially taking these Cheap from China instruments and turning them into a business: they do proper quality control and professional set-up of the instruments, so that you don’t have to worry you’re getting something that neesd an intense amount of work when it gets to you. For that service, you are paying 2 to 3 times more for the instrument than you would if it came straight to you from the Chinese factory. Among these brands are:
Ridenour: their Low C model (Lyrique 925c) goes for $2850 USD ($3,570 CAD) plus shipping. It includes a mouthpiece.
Kessler: their Low C model (Kessler Custom Low C) goes for $2,249 USD ($2,818 CAD) plus shipping. On top of that, the instrument does NOT come with a mouthpiece or ligature, which will run you another $175 USD minimum and up ($213 CAD+), and they recommend you ditch the case it comes with (remember when I talked about the case for this one? Same problems here) and buy a multi-hundred-dollar BAM case instead for shipping.
Now for comparison, looking up the Yinfente unbranded Bass Clarinet on Ebay gives you a price range of $1,300-$1,600 CAD or a mere $1,030-$1260 USD, which is a significant price drop.
Here’s the best part though: The instrument Ridenour and Kessler are selling you vs. the instrument Yinfente is selling you on eBay? They are the same instrument. In some cases, the exact same instrument, in fact, or at least rolling out of the exact same factory. In some cases, these factories may even be producing more commonly-known brands of instruments as well.
So on the cheaper name-brand side, what you are paying for instead is quality control: instead of having to spend 2 days troubleshooting key issues, you will get an instrument that is hopefully already adjusted and fine-tuned and pre-quality-checked so you don’t have to deal with these kinds of issues. Particularly, there are some issues I did not encounter in my instrument that you could come across, such as poorly-drilled or burred tone holes, a very difficult fix that you most likely will not be able to do yourself.
Did I get lucky on this? I’m not sure, though I do hear overall that the quality of these instruments coming from China has improved dramatically over the last 10 years, so maybe these problems are becoming less than we remember.
Conclusions:
Should you get a Cheap-from-China instrument?
If you need something you know is going to work, from the start, without thinking, without having to put any troubleshooting into it, the answer is probably No. Stick to brand names that are known for quality products, that technicians are familiar to work on, and particularly if you are a student that needs your instrument to work so you can learn to play. Learning to play on a broken instrument is a great way to make a person hate music forever.
If however you’re an adult, you’re looking to get back into playing or learning to play, or just want to have some fun in community band or for your own amusement, and you’re OK accepting some risk that you might have to do a little troubleshooting? It could definitely pan out in your favor to the tune of hundreds or thousands of dollars to choose on the cheaper side of the coin.
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Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 171 prt 1
171
“Working” beside Pidge, Pidge had borrowed his work phone to download the coding to her computer. Keith reluctant to let the device go, but useless at the tech side of things so could only follow her lead on these kinds of things. Distracted by thoughts of Lance, Keith knew he was being a little pathetic missing his boyfriend who’d only gone to get coffee.
“Dude, you’re breathing in my space”
“Should I hold my breath?”
Keith rolled his chair back, leaning back and poking Pidge with his foot when she sighed at him
“I won’t stop you if you want to”
“Harsh. I’m wounded”
“You’ve spent too much time around Lance... How is Lance?”
Keith saw that sideways less than sneaky misdirect
“He’s been up and down”
“He didn’t seem okay”
“He’s been better. I think he’ll feel better when the summoning is over and we have Curtis back”
“I think we’ll all feel better when that happens. Matt told me what happened”
Of course Matt had
“He was pretty shaken by it, but he doesn’t blame Curtis”
Pidge sighed, turning her chair to him
“Keith, did we do the right thing? Taking him to the house. I saw the look on your face and I don’t know what to think”
“Lance says he doesn’t know if he feels better or not... You... you were key to getting him back. While I was useless”
“You were pretty useless but that’s because you’re a hands on kind of guy. It’s weird... He’s like so much older but he doesn’t act like he used to. Lance used to be so adult. Like, he was taking care of us. He always kept his needs and wants well hidden. I realised how much he spoilt me. How much he went along with me and Hunk. That he protected us and we didn’t even know it. I want to help, but I don’t know where to start”
Keith found himself hugging Pidge who seemed a little confused before hugging him back
“He makes it hard because he’s fiercely independent, but he knows you’re there for him”
“I want to be there for you too”
He didn’t make that exactly easy
“Lance says I’m an anger loaf...”
“He calls me his anger muffin”
“Shiro‘s a croissant from memory. The twins are cupcakes”
“Aren’t they big enough to be baguettes now?”
Drawing away from each other, Keith snorted at Pidge
“I’m not sure. Lance said a rutabaga, but I don’t know what that is”
Pidge turned her nose up, face wrinkled in disgust
“It’s a vegetable. A disgusting vegetable that should be left in the ground”
Keith frowned deeply. His twins were perfect. They weren’t vegetables... and if they were, at least they weren’t broccoli
“Careful there, you’re insulting my kids”
Pidge rolled her eyes, kicking his shin as she did
“Can’t half tell you’re going to be a dad. Which totally reminds me, I’ve ordered you two your baby shower present because you’re both idiots. They should be here in like a few days, then it’ll take a couple of days of tinkering”
“I thought we said we had everything we needed...”
“Nope. You don’t”
Keith didn’t know what the hell they could be missing. The boxes from the furniture still sat in the hallway, with the hallway pretty much full... sooo... how much more could they need or even fit into their house?
“How much more does a baby need?”
“I don’t know? A stroller? Krolia’s getting you car seats... because, you know, you kind of need them. You can’t just drive around with an unsecured baby. I’ve seen your driving”
Oh. Ooooh. Oh. Yeah. They hadn’t thought about the “get the baby home” part of things. Pidge cackled at the look on his face
“See! Shay and Hunk got you something too... Shiro’s been too busy with Curtis so I look the liberty of lifting his credit card. He can thank me later”
Keith was somewhat scared of Pidge’s criminal mind. He’d have to tell Shiro. Keith had no idea when she’d had the chance... unless his brother left his wallet in his locker... Having Shiro and Pidge working together without him there threw him for a loop as he realised
“Have I told you how happy I am that you’re not a bad guy?”
“You have, but feel free to praise me more”
Chuckling at Pidge, he’d missed her. February had been a month where he’d felt just about every moment of it. They’d had very few days where they didn’t have to go somewhere or do something. Now he’d be back at work and his schedule up in the air again
“Lance would tell me off for stroking your ego. We should go see or a movie something while we’re in Platt. You, me, Hunk and Lance”
“That sounds good. When do you start back?”
“When the summoning is over and Shiro’s okay”
“I’ll make a note of it and see when we both have time off. It’s been ages since we went to the movies with Lance”
“It’s been a crazy past few months”
“Amen to that. The guys are taking forever...”
Pidge was cut off as the sound of something booming echoed through the lab. The building seemed to shudder, Keith falling off his chair as he did
“What the fuck was that?!”
“I don’t know!”
That couldn’t be good
“I’ll check the hall”
“I’ll pull up the security feed”
Opening the door, the corridor outside was cut. Thick white walls in place as if they’d always been there. Holy fuck... Keith had never seen it, but the first thing that came to mind was a lockdown
“Ugh, Pidge... We’re locked in”
“Gimme a moment!”
Above him the hallway lights flickered, before bathing the world in red. An alarm sounding. Something had gone wrong with the summoning. It had to have. There was no other reason. Shit! Lance... Hopefully he and Hunk weren’t back yet. He needed to call them, let them know something happened... Fuck. Fuck! He should have been there with Shiro. Shit...
“Keith, get back here!”
Leaving the lab door open, Keith jogged over to Pidge
“What is it?”
“There’s no phone service. I’ve got into the security system. The whole place is in lock down. I’m trying to keep the feed, but I’m being booted as I type. It’s the summoning, isn’t it?”
“It has to be. Coran said it’d take a while, but something must have happened. Is there any way you get me down there?”
“If I can clear the walls I should be able to get you to the elevator”
“Can you lift specific ones? I need to get to my locker”
“I’ll try. Shit, whoever programmed this knew what they’re doing. See if you can find service while I work”
Keith snatched his phone up, despite being issued by the Blades, the top showed no signal. Ignore it, he tried Lance’s normal phone, the call not even ringing before he was back to looking at his boyfriend’s number
“Do you have any weapons in here? I don’t care if they’re experimental, we need to be prepared in case the demon got loose”
“Can’t talk! Have a look!”
Pidge was typing furiously on her keyboard. Keith casting a glance around the lab. There had to be something there. The case. The case Lance had his feet on. It was as good as any place to start.
Opening the case, it contained a modified sniper rifle with a digital connection display. He’d never handled a gun like it before, but he felt better for having his hands on it
“Do you know what this does?”
Pidge didn’t have the luxury of turning to look to the weapon, her fingers moving way too fast
“What’s it look like?”
“A sniper rifle with some kind of display screen”
“That’s up from R and D. It’s supposed to shoot a concentrated beam of UV light, but I haven’t been able to test it yet”
Oookay. Not so handy against a demon, but handy if a hoard of vampires decided to drop by unannounced.
“Fuck! Shit... Keith, you’re going to want to take a look at this!”
Moving beside Pidge, Keith’s heart dropped. Hunk and Lance were in the building... six different feeds were on the screen, Pidge targeting the one that caught her attention, still typing in a seperate black window thing that he had no idea about
“Have we got audio?”
“We’ve barely got this. Shit... Lance doesn’t look good”
Hunched over heavily, Lance was gripping the elevator wall. His other hand on his stomach, but his face wasn’t visible. From his body language, Keith knew something was up. Watching Hunk move to Lance’s side, the pair exchanged words, Hunk checking down the back of Lance’s pants sending him into fresh panic
“We need comms. Can you hack the elevator?”
“Let me work on getting audio up and running”
The building shook again. Which had to be impossible. The place was designed for containment. The amount of power it would take... Pidge was doing all she could, but he needed to get to Lance. Then again, he couldn’t leave Pidge on her own
“Go check the other desks. I need another monitor. See if you can find anything useful”
Her blunt tone was filled with anger. He knew that tone too well, it came from being frustrated. He’d be practically sabotaging her attempts to figure out what was happening if he tried to help.
Following Pidge’s orders, Keith retrieved the monitor for her, plugging it in as she directed. He’d found nothing good on the desks, apart from two ear pieces though was unsure if they’d work. If Pidge could get them going, he could follow her instructions once she’d pulled up the building schematics and worked out how to get these walls down
“Keith, I’ve got audio for the elevator”
“Can they hear us?”
“Not yet. I’ve got to find the programming code in all this junk!”
“Play it”
On the screen Hunk had moved back to Lance’s side. Lance still hunched over. Dread creeping up his throat like a bouquet of rose thorns as his boyfriend’s voice came through
“Fuck... fucking... fuuuuck”
“Just keep breathing”
Lance snapped at Hunk, his face finally visible to the screen. His boyfriend wearing his scary face
“You still can’t reach Keith!?”
“Nope... I can’t get the doors open...”
“Damn... dammity damn”
“How far apart are the contractions?”
“Still pretty far... it’s the lingering pain...”
Contractions... No. No... it was too soon
“Keith...”
“I know. I need to get to Lance”
Pidge panicked hard
“I don’t know how long it’ll take to get the walls up!”
On the screen Lance felt for Hunk’s hand, grabbing it in his before falling against their friend
“Hunk...”
“I’ve got you, man. I’ve got you. Here, you should sit...”
“If I get the doors open... you... have to go for help...”
“I’m not about to leave you”
“The summonings gone wrong... I can feel it! My ego... my ego is mad..”
“Lance...”
“Please... please... I don’t want to hurt you”
Keith’s heart was racing. Things had... How could... What the...
“What do I do?”
“Can you get the doors open?”
“Not without risking dropping the elevator. It’s on its own system. Coran must have designed it for containment... to protect staff if something bad came”
Keith heard himself snap
“Something bad has come! There’s a fucking demon and Lance is losing the twins!”
“Don’t yell at me! I’m working as fast as I can!”
He deserved that.
“Hunk, I’m going to open the doors... I don’t know how long I can keep them open, if I push you through, you should make it okay...”
“I’m not leaving”
“You have to! I can’t protect you like this!”
“I...”
“Hunk, you’re strong. You’re strong and I know you can do this. Find a landline”
“There has to be...”
“I’m not leaving you. We’ll get the doors open and we’ll go together. If we can’t go out the doors then... then we’ll go through the hatch!”
“You don’t understand... I feel it... the demons aura... it won’t stop at just destroying this place... I can’t let it hurt you”
“Stop being stubborn! We’ll work this out!”
Lance broke down into sobs as he clung to Hunk
“I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay, Bud. But you need to calm down for me...”
“I need Keith...”
“I know. We’ll work it out. How do we get the doors open”
“I’ll pry them open. We can’t... be the only ones trapped...”
Lance brought up a good point. Dozens of people worked behind the scenes. They’d probably had training in what to do during a lock down, if Coran had remembered to tell them
“I’m on it. I can’t get a visual on the floor where Shiro is... He’ll be okay, won’t he?”
“Yeah. Yeah. If the demon wanted to hurt him, it’s had its chance...”
Plus Coran and Allura were there. Keith couldn’t help but feel if Pidge concentrated on just one project they’d be making more progress, but he wasn’t the one who made the tech side of things happen so had no right to boss her around.
It was an anxious wait. Keith didn’t take his eyes off Lance. Whatever he was feeling had upset his ego. Hunk was in a dangerous situation. Lance was likely to lose it if his ego thought Keith was in danger
“Okay. I’ve stopped the coding for the lockdown. And I’ve sent a virus through the system. It’ll concentrate on that, giving me time to do what I need to get the elevator comms on”
“Do it”
“I am. Fuck, when this is over, I’m doing to punch whoever coded this in the dick. These encryptions are no joke. Thankfully I’ve got more access than I should after what happened with Sendak. Coran hasn’t changed his passwords”
Coran would have changed the access if it hadn’t been Pidge. They were all proud of her, slightly scared of her, but she had her heart in the right place. She’d amazing all of them with finely honed skills. Keith seeing all the good in her that Lance bragged about
“He trusts you. Lance has been bragging about how smart you are for years”
“He does that...”
“He’ll be okay”
“I should be saying that to you”
“I have to believe he’ll be okay. He has to be. If his ego is upset, that could be... that could be stressing the twins. He can’t be in labour”
“Keith”
“He can’t be. He’s done everything he’s supposed to. How long until we get comms?”
Pidge swallowed hard, both she and Keith knew they were hoping too much for things to work out unnaturally smoothly
“A little while. It’s not like in the movies. I have figure all this out on the go”
“You can do it. I know you can”
*
Lance focused on his breathing. Slowly In and slowly out. His ego was getting madder by the minute. The foul black aura felt more and more sinister. Like the evil was creeping up the elevator shaft. He’d cried until his ego riled up. His tears drying up as he struggled to keep breathing. His priority was Hunk. He had to protect Hunk. And protect him from himself. His nails had grown out, the doors looking pretty damn tempting. But he was trying his hardest not to lose it at the situation.
“Guys?! Guys, can you hear us?!”
Lance jumped at the sound of Pidge’s unexpected voice. Hunk scrambled off the floor, rushing to the intercom that hadn’t been working so far
“Pidge?!”
“Hunk! Oh my god! Are you guys okay?!”
“I’m okay! But Lance... Pidge, is Keith there?”
“I’m here, Hunk. We’ve got you guys on screen. Lance, I see you”
Keith wasn’t hurt. Keith was with Pidge. His ego relieved. The darkness hadn’t swallowed Keith
“Keith, Lance is having cramps”
“We know. Coran’s got audio in there. It took a little bit to get it up on this end. We can’t get to you guys. They’ve dropped these walls in place... We can probably go up through the vents, can you guys get into the vents?”
Lance mentally sighed at his boyfriend. Like his pregnant arse was going to fit in any vent
“Don’t bother with the vents. Are you guys still in Pidge’s lab?”
“Lance, you need to speak up!”
He wasn’t speaking up? Hunk passed his question on
“He asked if you guys are still in Pidge’s lab”
“Yeah. Pidge is doing tech stuff”
“Don’t suppose she can get these doors open?”
“She doesn’t want to risk dropping the elevator. Lance, she says don’t touch the doors until she sees the emergency stop coding”
Fucking great. Trapped in a metal box dangled over a demon...
“Keith, the summoning went wrong. I felt a wave of this... this darkness. Stay where you are”
“I’m not going anywhere until Pidge gets the lockdown reversed”
“Babe, listen to me. If the summoning went wrong, there are three demons down there. You can’t take on three demons alone. Pidge, focus on the elevator. I need to get Hunk out of here safely. Coran has stairs all over this place. He wouldn’t trap his workers without a way for staff to evacuate safely. Have you got eyes on the bottom level?”
“No, Lance. Are you okay? We saw what happened...”
“It’s the summoning... We need to get out of here in case we need to drop the elevator”
Lance wasn’t giving up on his friends. He couldn’t give up on them. If the demon was lose, they needed to limit the ways it could escape. Had Hunk not been with him, he could have popped open the hatch and checked his options. Not that he was risking himself or his pregnancy, he could take full responsibility for his actions when he only had himself to consider. Rubbing his tender belly, he would have headed for help for them first, because that’s what Keith would want. The labs were some of the safest places in VOLTRON. They had to be. The technology there was sensitive and secretive. They couldn’t have a rampaging werewolf armed with tech. A vampire with a gun... actually, the vampire could do more damage without it.
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