Question, do trained neck muscles protect you from getting chocked?
for those of you who were around for the "bigger neck = better blowjobs?" conversation that @ocean-prose and I had many moons ago here, you know what you're about to get into.
same disclaimer here as before– I'm a bones person and not a muscles person. ocean, feel free to hop in here and help out :)
so the question here: does having a bigger neck (I'm choosing to interpret "trained" as being "bigger" because they're a package deal) protect you from getting choked?
answer: EHHHHHH.
first, I want to make two distinctions on the action that I'm referring to here, which is going to be "choking" vs "strangulation". choking is the act of having an airway obstruction (like food going down the wrong "pipe") and is used when there's an internal obstruction, while strangulation is the act of veins and arteries within the neck being compressed and cutting off blood flow, used when there's an external obstruction.
drinking water too fast and gagging: choking
hands wrapped around your neck: strangulation
(when people say they're into being choked, they mean strangulation. usually.)
both of these actions lead to asphyxiation (lack of oxygen in the body) through different routes. when we bounce back to the blowjobs conversation, I'll reuse my handy little lines here, with purple representing the internal structures of the throat, and blue representing the outer skin margins.
the typical neck is going to look like this:
| | | |
a drivers neck is going to look like this:
| | | |
so you've not increased or decreased the internal structures at all, you've just added muscle mass around the outer margins.
"but sunny, that means it's harder to cut off blood flow–" let me stop you right there!! please sit down and attend a quick lesson on the neck. below is a AP diagram and an axial slice of the neck, for nerds.
since ocean did all the hard work on the last post, I'm just going to quote them here real quick:
"when braking, the posterior muscles (through the back of the neck) would engage to stabilize the neck and prevent the driver's head from being forced forward and down. these muscles mainly include the trapezius, erector spinae, multifidi, and what I'll call the capitis group (because there's a bunch of them).
with cornering, the sides of the neck with be engaged to keep the driver's head from being forced away from the direction of the turn and allow them to keep their eyes on their reference points. these would be sternocleidomastoid, scalenes, the trapezius again, and many more small stabilizers.
when accelerating, normally the anterior muscles (those in the front of the neck) would be engaged to keep the head from being pushed back. however, since they have headrests, this isn't much of an issue."
thank you ocean! if you want to play "spot the muscle", here's another diagram:
the most important thing to pull from all of that is that sternocleidomastoid muscle is a major component of protecting the arteries and veins in the neck. you'll spot that muscle in ocean's middle paragraph about muscles that are engaged when the drivers are cornering. so it's an important muscle, one of the main muscles that the drivers focus on. (I would love if someone would ask them something like "if you could only train one neck muscle, which would it be?" and see what they say)
by training the sternocleidomastoid, you're definitely beefing up the protection you're getting from the front. however, strangulation technique (the kinky kind) relies on applying pressure from the sides. you'll notice in those pictures that there isn't really a convenient muscle to protect you there.
so, how does this wrap back around to your question, anon? I feel like the answer is a bit layered, but I'll put it into some clear points.
by increasing the width of their neck, a driver has given themselves protection from people with little hands trying to strangle them.
by beefing up the sternocleidomastoid, a driver has given themselves protection from people trying to strangle them with improper technique.
a driver is not protected from someone with big hands and ambition.
a driver is not protected from someone with proper technique.
at the end of all this though, the answer is sort of the same as the last post– you're going to have a really hard time getting a driver to move their head in a way that they don't want.
So there's a new app coming out... I don't know why but I'm worried that they may have access to killing off a love interest soon, it's a collab with two other companies. After I played a few darker otomes I haven't been the same since💀 so I'm asking, will they butcher our main cast? I know it's a dumb question but I can't stop thinking about it, lmao
Obey Me: New App?
Yeah.... oof. I mean, I think it's fair to say that as a game, OM is already dead. It's been dead. Nightbringer certainly ran at a loss, the user base was decimated, and the 3d ~content was extremely cringe.
When you compare it with the likes of Love and Deepspace, well. There's just no comparison!
However, if you compare the original Obey Me with other games that have stuck with the Live2D look (eg Twisted Wonderland), it still stands up pretty well in the first two seasons in terms of story, content, and accessibility.
It still can't compare with games that haven't died, for many reasons that boil down to the game stagnating from its origins - a decrease in art quality, a massive decrease in writing quality, an increase in greed over f2p allowances, lack of communication to players etc.
But still, the core of OM is ripe for development with great characters, a great premise, and a fanbase that could be re-engaged and grown.
The sticking point is, as it always has been, Solmare NTT. A company renowned for killing games. Hell, they've killed OM twice already.
The companies they are stating they've worked with on this new app are a large outsourcing and marketing broker, and a small company that has worked on animation and sound for a few games - the one game still in service is Strawberry Prince With, and you can see some images from that on the site.
I do think it is possible for OM to return to its roots, and double down on the Live2D approach in a modern way but a) it would require art of exceptional quality (see Twst), and b) not piling on the micro transactions.
Unfortunately, both companies are heavily pro micro transactions - the above game for example has items of up to $80 in cost. Nightbringer was incredibly greedy, demanding large sums for little reward, compared to the original game where many considered it no problem to pay for VIP based on how generous the game was to both f2p and p2p players.
And NB also showed that Solmare are not on the ball when it comes to choosing mechanics and tech. Switching the entire base game from battle to rhythm lost a huge chunk of the fanbase. Investing in subpar 3D animation was a huge misstep. And both came at the additional expense of removing romance.
I don't play LaDS, but that game has shown just how big a potential market there is for otome games that are engaging, have consistent and good imagery, and that have ROMANCE.
Tears of Themis has also bounced back hugely, thanks to great art and consistent writing, showing that a game doesn't need to employ the tech of LaDS to be a more modest success.
And Twst, while not an otome, shows that battle based gacha games can thrive when the writing is well done, and the art engaging.
The rising success of smaller 18+ romance games, along with the overwhelming juggernaut that is LaDS, also shows the benefit in not just including romance, but going for full spice.
The Obey Me lads are primarily demons after all. Huge potential...
~
This announcement has me sceptical purely because it is Solmare NTT and their track record is known.
However, the crowdfunding angle has me particularly sus, especially with the ambiguous wording. A crowdfunder to "celebrate the launch" of the app implies an app already created. But goals in the crowdfunder will apparently impact game features...
If the player base is being asked to fund the game, then it having micro transactions is unacceptable. If the player base is being asked to fund promotion, arguably the same is true.
But either way, people need to remember that Solmare NTT is not simply a small development company. It's in their name - NTT is the third largest company in Japan and the fourth largest telecom company in the world based on revenue.
There is no indication that OM is no longer owned by them. Their parent company has the means to make a LaDS like game a thousand times over.
If nothing else, the crowdfunder will simply allow Solmare to see if the whales are still in the ocean, and how much they're willing to be milked for.
~
I'd love to be more hopeful but at this point, I think we all know better. Make no mistake, I would LOVE to have a great game with these characters once more, I miss my Mammon.
But I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointed once again.
Disclaimer: i do not think “performance” “potential” etc. are good ways to think of ones art, but plenty artists do think that way, and most of us have to work at not getting too caught up with the numbers.
Long post ahead whoops, im a rambler what can u say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
tl;dr please dont fixate on how much people engage with your art, and if you do, try to remember that there are so many factors involved. You can just play the game if you really want to, but its not very fun imo, best to find a balance that works for you.
How an artwork “performs” when posted depends on a lot of different factors, and different people will value different things! Certain factors will also increase or decrease the “potential audience” of a piece, sometimes drastically.
Different social media sites will likely weigh factors differently, as will your current following.
For example, tumblr heavily favours fandom related works over original content, and my own following (majority of which followed me because i drew things they were already interested in) even more so. This means that when i post art that is not fandom related or is from a fandom i have not posted about before, it gets less engagement than my usual posts. This does not mean the art is worse! (It could be, but it probably isnt)
Fandom size and trends have a huge impact as well, my first wintersentry art was posted very close to when Thunderbolts* came out, and it has thousands more notes then my other marvel art. Its a sketch, wasnt very high effort, and i personally do not think it’s any better than my other art, it just happened to be posted at the right time and place.
Another huge factor is how digestible a work is. Is the piece AT ALL mature? Does it include sensitive or “problematic” material? Any kinks, especially niche ones? This one is interesting because it shrinks the pool twice. Not only does the user interacting have to not be put off by it, they also have to not be worried about what their own followers would think if they saw them like or reblog it…
And much as we like to pretend it isnt a thing… technical ability and style do matter. We all have to start somewhere, i don’t think I will ever feel like ive mastered art, and i have no problem with that, learning is part of the process and that process starts with you being “bad” at it. How “good” your art looks and how eye catching it is will affect the numbers, such is life! Your own perception is not to be trusted! You just gotta jump in and accept that some people are not going to like your art, its fine and it will always be true, even if you become the best there ever was. And sometimes focusing on improving your skills is a better use of your time than creating a really high effort piece at your current skill level.
Depth also can matter, to me a well written comic can be less visually pleasing, and art that i find visually stunning can be of something ive never heard of in my life and it will still grab my attention.
You can play the game, post only the most popular ships/characters right as a fandom booms, participate in all the trends, avoid anything challenging to viewers, use all the tags and pick the most optimal times to post… you’ll get more attention that way, if thats your goal.
I think for most artists its best to find a balance, i tend to riff off of other people to get inspiration, so i end up wanting to draw more for the ships and fandoms im interested in that have some fanart and fics for me to get inspired and also a community that appreciates getting more art and that i can bounce ideas around and chat with (clint server this is why yall get so much winterhawk art💜 ily guys)
Quantity vs quality is a real thing! If you have a niche, do not feel like you need to abandon it for glory. Fans of your niche thing will be 100 times more loyal to you and your art than fans of the currently trending media.
Its like the cake thing, “hell yeah more cake” yes, but the person who almost never gets cake (rarepair lover for example) will in fact be more appreciative and excited about getting cake then the person who regularly gets cakes of all flavours (most popular ship from mainstream media lover for example)
Point is, draw what you want to draw, popular or niche, and try not to focus just on chasing the dopamine of big numbers (its not a sustainable or enjoyable way to be), and accept that your art is not and will not be perfect, and thats fine.
If youre anything like me, finding communities to participate in (sharing my art, and also looking at and interacting with their art/writing, talking to each other about ideas, etc. being apart of a community isnt just dropping your art in and leaving) is a great source of some good quality dopamine and motivation!
Art is tough, it requires a high tolerance to frustration, and sometimes reaps little to no rewards, but its so worth it imo. Sometimes you just gotta sit down and scribble on some scrap paper, literally scribble, not cute doodles, scribbles. And sometimes you need to step back and take a break.
Okay, rant over! Artists! You got this! Dont give up!
LEARNER'S FILE #101301 : TOBIN HALE is registered as a THIRD YEAR student, age TWENTY4 YEARS OLD, training and refining their power(s) of GRAVIKINESIS under the institute's programs. evaluations describe them as INTUITIVE, SARDONIC, and IMPULSIVE, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. academic records indicate both potential and dedication, and their performance continues to be monitored to ensure compliance with institutional standards and preparedness for real - world application of their abilities. PINTEREST.
trigger warnings : death, death of parents, crushing, institutions, implied involvement in the criminal justice system, gore, blood.
ability application : by manipulating his own gravitational field, he can decrease the pull of gravity on himself to achieve the appearance of enhanced strength, speed, agility/mobility, leap and gyrokinetic flight. one instance of crushing by increasing the gravity of a vehicle.
ability description : the complete control over and manipulation of gravity, a natural phenomenon in which all things with mass or energy attract one another. it would allow one to increase or decrease gravity, be it the environment's gravity or individual objects.
ability origin : born with it.
control level : moderate, intentionally holds back.
limitations : tobin has limited and controlled his ability to only his personal gravitational field, and rarely will use it beyond himself, aside from small to medium sized objects ( ie. rocks ). after each use, he bleeds from his ears and either vomits or passes out from the rapid changes in his own gravity. he can also experience a loss of coordination, and extreme back and abdominal pain, depending on the usage of his power.
PERSONALITY
zodiac sign : libra.
moral alignment : chaotic good.
quirks and habits : nail biting, chews his lip, ring twirling.
ailments : anxiety, insomnia
BACKSTORY
tobin hale was born the youngest child in a middle - class family, originating from the gloomy washington state. toby was a little league champion, top of his class, and could light up any room he walked into ; always at the ready with his quick wit. as he aged and he grew more into his skin, he grew impulsive and hot - headed, and often fought with his parents — challenging them on the smallest of things, naturally as any pre - teen would.
one particular cold morning, at the young age of thirteen, the three hale's engaged in a louder - than - usual argument ; his mother yelled something about a voicemail from the school and his dad gritted his teeth over another day he'd be late for work as a result of their son's tardiness. toby was angry when they shouted at him to hurry — they should have woke him up earlier if they wanted him in the car earlier, that's how he saw it then anyway. he flinched as the front door slammed and the silence heavily surrounded him, their volatile echoes still bouncing between the walls of their bungalow home. with fists clenched and anger shaking his small frame, he stormed out the door. a glare to his mother and one to his father as he passed by the front of the car, on route to his usual seat in the back. just as his hand tightly gripped the handle and began to yank the door open, something inside of him snapped.
the car groaned when the metal warped like it was made of clay, gravity folded inward, dragging steel and exploding glass, crushing both of his parents inside before his very eyes ; their blood splattered his pale face and golden locks. tobin hadn't even realized it was him that was responsible, not at first ... not until later when they tried to pry his hand from the wreckage and he soared ten feet off the ground, weightless and sobbing.
after that, tobin disappeared from the world in all the ways that mattered. he bounced around group homes and switched schools like outfits, every new start was a failed experiment. he was watched closely, involved with the law early on because of the events at his family home, kept under control by conditions and supervisions out of fear by the government — the public. tobin became a problem kid : too sharp, too quiet, and too sarcastic for his own good. yet, underneath the cynicism and biting humor, was a survivor dragging a galaxy's worth of guilt behind him. somehow, he never exploded again — not like that, anyway. his power was honed inwardly, allowing him to manipulate his own gravitational field because the fear never left from applying it beyond. it manifested every once in a while though, connected to the changes in his mood : a subtle pull when he was anxious, a flicker in the floorboards when he was afraid — he kept it all bottled up and buried it deep beneath jokes, fake bravado, and a habit of running away before anyone got too close.
tobin's got the brains of a strategist and the soul of a kid who's seen too much too young. he pretends he doesn't care — but he does, deeply. he would risk everything for the few people he lets in, he just doesn't believe he deserves to be saved in return. by the age of eighteen, vanguardia had their hands on him, shipping him off to london to attend the school built just for people like him. at first he resisted it, believed he'd be sent away just like every other place before. however, the days turned into weeks, and the weeks to months, and soon enough he'd been apart of their institution for years. over time, he began to trust himself and practice his abilities, but still kept it to small to mid sized objects — only extending it to people in extreme cases.
WANTED CONNECTIONS
best friend : his first and closest friend since arriving at vanguardia. dumb & dumber.
close friends : the found family vibes.
mentor : an adult at the facility that knows about toby's past and has taken him under their wing. helps him hone his ability when they can, but are mostly a parental figure.
field partner : the person he works best with when in the field, whether or not they get along on a personal level. they trust each other.
exes : naturally, toby has some trust issues so he has a few of these. he ends relationships when they get too serious.
the one he's soft on : there's one person he would literally die for because they're extra special to him, but he can't quite figure out why. maybe it's mutual but toby is too afraid to advance that relationship. he slips up a lot though he's weak like that.
the professor he challenges a lot, enemies to friends, friends to enemies, academic rivals, confidante, a childhood friend from his past, others that were involved in the system he grew up in, etc.
The Role of SEO in Digital Marketing: Why It Matters More Than Ever
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SEO is the process of optimizing your website to improve its visibility on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. It involves various strategies, both technical and creative, aimed at improving rankings, driving traffic, and increasing awareness in search engines.
When done right, SEO helps your site appear at the top of search results when people search for terms related to your business. And since 75% of users never scroll past the first page of results, getting your SEO right can significantly impact your digital success.
Why Is SEO Crucial in Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is all about connecting with your audience in the right place, at the right time — and search engines are often the starting point of that journey. Here's how SEO supports and enhances digital marketing efforts:
1. Increases Organic Traffic
SEO is often the largest source of website traffic. Unlike paid ads, which stop generating leads when the campaign ends, SEO delivers long-term, sustainable traffic. A well-optimized website can attract visitors for months or even years without additional ad spend.
2. Builds Credibility and Trust
Good SEO includes optimizing content for relevance and authority, earning backlinks, and providing a good user experience. Together, these factors improve both your search rankings and your reputation.
3. Enhances User Experience (UX)
Modern SEO isn’t just about keywords — it’s also about usability. Google’s algorithm favors websites that are easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and quick to load. These are all elements that contribute to a positive user experience, which also reduces bounce rates and increases engagement.
4. Supports Content Marketing
SEO and content go hand in hand. High-quality, keyword-optimized content drives both search rankings and engagement. Blogging, video marketing, infographics, and other content strategies are most effective when they’re backed by SEO insights and data.
5. Improves ROI Compared to Paid Ads
While PPC (pay-per-click) advertising offers instant visibility, it can be expensive and short-lived. Once your site gains authority and climbs the rankings, the cost per lead or sale decreases significantly.
6. Helps You Understand Customer Behavior
SEO tools and analytics platforms offer valuable insights into user behavior — from the keywords they use to how long they stay on a page. This data can inform other areas of your marketing strategy, from product development to email marketing.
How SEO Fits Into a Broader Digital Strategy
SEO doesn’t work in isolation. It complements and enhances other digital marketing channels such as:
Social Media Marketing: SEO helps amplify content created for social channels by making it discoverable on search engines.
PPC Campaigns: Insights from SEO can improve the performance of paid search ads.
Email Marketing: SEO data can guide the topics and language used in campaigns for better engagement.
When integrated into your overall digital marketing plan, SEO can serve as a foundation that boosts the performance of every other channel.
Final Thoughts
In the competitive world of digital marketing, SEO is not just a technical necessity — it’s a strategic asset. It drives visibility, builds trust, and provides valuable insights that guide broader marketing decisions. Whether you're a startup or an established brand, investing in SEO is no longer optional. It’s a critical component of digital growth and long-term success.
Being Ladybug comes with the perk of good luck very often. Ladybug saw Robin in the reflection of an upcoming building. At least she thought she did. As quickly as she saw him he was gone.
“Sorry for the delay Tikki. Gotta lose a tail.” Ladybug said aloud. She launched herself in the air and landed on a nearby building. Marinette reached into the pocket dimension and pulled out the two miraculouses she was looking for and a cookie. She quickly looked into the glass of the building in front of her and saw Robin’s reflection once again. She faced the ground, completely sure her face would not be seen from any direction, and detransformed. She then transformed with Mullo. Now that her identity was protected by magic once again she carefully gave while transformed with Mullo her form had changed much like her Ladybug. She now had a hood coming out of her spandex like suit that was grey with the edge being pink. Multimouse separated into two versions of herself. One held the Ladybug Miraculous while the other held the Black Cat which brought Plagg out of his case. As soon as he saw Tikki they flew to each other and hugged.
“We need your help Plagg. We can catch up back at the manor.” Tikki went back to her designated Multimouse and Plagg went to his. Lady mouse and Multi Cat emerged from their transformations.
“Lets do this.” The two high fived. “Hey Robin!” Lady mouse shouted.
“Catch us if you can birdy!” Multi Cat yelled to Robin.
…
Robin saw Ladybug stop on a building up ahead and lowered her head.
“Batman, she stopped on the west end of 321 Tomland road.” Robin said.
“On the way.” Nightwing replied through the comms.
Robin relayed what was happening as it happened.
“Hey Robin!” One shouted at him. “Catch us if you can birdy!” Yelled the other.
“Shit I’ve been made. I think they are about to run.” Robin said as he prepared to chase once.
“I’ll go after the cat.” Nightwing said . He chased Multi Cat while Robin chased after Lady Mouse. The two separated and led the two vigilantes in opposite directions.
… WITH NIGHTWING…
Multi Cat’s suit kept the solid grey portions of Multimouse’s but the pink exchanged with Lady Noir’s Black. Her hair became a single long braid going down her back and the jump rope that had once been her tail hung at her side. Her staff sat at the base of her back and a small bell sat under her chin. Multi Cat grabbed the jump rope and began to jump… fast. The rope’s speed increased but her jumps and her arms did not. The jump rope was no longer visible and Multi Cat jumped a very powerful jump and was floating in the air. The handles stayed in place as she turned in place and waved at Nightwing behind her.
“Batman you will not believe what I just watched her do.” Nightwing said as he followed after the Miraculous wielder. The distance between the two was slowly becoming greater as she bounced from rooftop to rooftop. The jump rope formed a hamster ball like bubble around her that loosens gravity's hold on her and decreases the friction between her and her surroundings. She had already taken him 3 miles and Nightwing was getting tired of playing chase. “That’s it.” He says as he pulls out one of his nets guns.
“Nightwing, what are you planning?” Batman asked through the communication pieces in all of their suits. The net shot out as he pressed the trigger. The net wrapped around Multi Cat and she crashed back onto the building 10 feet below her. She tried to catch herself but her ankle rolled under her weight. She fought with the net and wasn’t able to find the exit. Nightwing was standing right before her.
“I’ll have her in a moment Batman. We will get some answers.” Nightwing replied. He was about to knock her out when she grabbed onto the next with her left hand and her baton with her right.
“Cataclysm!” The black magic formed around her fist and left behind only the dust of the net. She pointed her baton at Nightwing and crouched. “I don’t want to hurt you. Just let me go and I will overlook this.” She snatched up the jump rope with her free hand and shoved it into the belt of her outfit. She kept her weight off her injured ankle and was prepared to run.
“Nightwing! Do not engage. Fall back.” Batman ordered. The confidence in the girl’s voice didn’t necessarily scare him or illicit fear in any way but he heard the hint of lethality in her voice. Nightwing paid his order no mind. He launched forward to disarm her. Multi Cat extended her baton to three-quarters her height and channeled a portion of the black cat’s ability into the baton.
“Cataclysm!” She swung the baton towards him. Nightwing dodged the attack and threw a red batarang at the woman. The weapon would have embedded itself half in her shoulder but the magic of the suit pushed it up so it only grazed her shoulder. She winced but fought through the pain by swinging the still charged baton at his hip where it connected. As she matured the full abilities of the Miraculouses became available to her including being able to control what was destroyed and to the extent. In this case, she used the baton to channel the cataclysm to fracture his hip. To be exact just at the outer tip of his femur. He went down and she was gone.
… With Robin…
“Nightwing! Do not engage. Fall back.” Robin heard Batman order Nightwing followed by the female channeling another attack, he assumed, followed by a threat, and then Nightwing cried out. Robin clicked his tongue.
“Enough!” Robin yelled and pulled out a Bolla and threw it towards the girl who was running ahead of him along the top of an apartment complex. Either it was in his rush or due to her having the powers of Lady Luck Robin had fallen as LadyMouse hit the ground. adyMouse had rolled so she hadn’t crushed her arms with the weight of her body. Robin had landed above her. A smell similar to rain with a hint of sugar met his nose. He knew the smell that was similar to rain because it's the same smell as the shampoo Kori uses. Only 3 stores in Gotham sell it. “I’m not trying to hurt you. I just want to be sure you’re not a threat.” Robin added. He had her pinned to the rooftop. Her legs were bound so she was unable to escape.
“I already told Batman and the others I am not a threat. What more do you guys want?!” She shouted. “What, do you want to know my identity too?” She scoffed. The look on his masked face said it all. That’s exactly what he wanted. She brought both her legs up and hit him between the legs and when he fell on her she shoved him off. She quickly untangled the Bolla from her legs and was about to leave when she heard his pained voice.
“W...what are you? What d...did you do to N...Nightwing?” He asked. He was hunched over in pain.
“I’m just a girl who wishes to help. Nightwing will be fine. It’s a small fracture to his femur he gave me no choice.” She limped closer to the edge and turned back to Robin. “I’m sorry. I may have used alil too much force. I hope you’ll forgive me.” LadyMouse was gone. She left Robin on the roof where Red Robin found him sitting where she left him. He had watched where she went and saw the flashes of light when she detransformed and transformed again. With the help of the horse miraculous she got back to the room she was staying in at the Wayne manor.
“Thank you everyone for your help. I’m sorry.” Marinette threw herself on the bed and winced in pain. Marinette gave each kwami something to replenish their energy. Her ankle was sprained. It was obvious. It was swollen and already bruising. To ensure not being figured out she would have to stage an incident so that the wound would be accounted for.
“Kid you don’t need to apologize. You are doing the best you can.” Plagg said as he chowed down on a piece of cheese.
“You keep us all in rotation so we aren’t trapped in the box all the time.” Mullo said as she munched on a slice of french bread.
“Marinette, there’s no need to apologize.” Tikki said as she comforted Marinette.
“I’m sorry guys.” Marinette relaxed into Tikki’s hold. Tikki sat on Marinette’s shoulder and hugged Marinette’s cheek. “ I just wish I-”
KNOCK. KNOCK.
Marinette’s eyes grew wide and she motioned for all the Kwami’s to hide. They hid in a drawer and Marinette walked carefully to the door. She cracked it open and saw Damian standing there with a pile of blankets in his hands.
“Hey, Damian is it?” Marinette asked. She was fairly certain that was his name but she hadn’t actually been introduced to him.
“Yes Miss Dupain- Cheng.” Damian said. “Kori told me to bring you some blankets because this end of the house tends to get cold at night.” Damian looked down one end of the hall and then the other. The look of discomfort on his face was obvious despite how hard he tried to hide it. Marinette was getting pissed off to say the least.
“Please just Marinette. Here let me get those.” Marinette reached out and grabbed the blankets.
“Alright. Have a nice evening.” Damian said. He quickly walked off and Marinette’s anger was rolling off her. She took a deep breath .
“I need to go to sleep. Who wants to sleep here and who wants to sleep in their boxes?” Marinette asked. At the end of the night Plagg and Tikki stayed with marinette and she curled around them protectively.
Morning came and Plagg went back to his box and Marinette got dressed in her clothes from the previous day. It was sunrise when Marinette started her daily routine. She needed to relax anyway. It was a mix between gymnastics and yoga. Immediately after her stretches she found herself doing a handstand. She had her legs straight and slowly eased them into a split.
“Marinette! Good morning!” Kori exclaimed as she ran over to Marinette.
“Good Morning Kori. How did you sle-” Marinette truly forgot about her ankle with Kori’s arrival so when she eased her foot to the ground from the spit she fell with a hiss. “Fudgin-” Marinette caught herself from cussing.
“Oh my are you okay?” Kori shouted and rushed down the steps.
“What’s wrong Kori?” The two women heard Dick from inside.
“Marinette hurt herself!” Kori shouted back. Dick rushed out followed by Damian and soon everyone but the children were out in the back around Marinette.
“I’m fine really. It’s just twisted.” Marinette said.
“I insist you go to a medical professional Miss Dupain-Cheng.” Alfred said.
“I’m fine really.” Marinette responded. She soon realized no one would leave it at just that.
“That sounds like a solid idea Alfred lets call someone.” Dick said.
“No need Pull my car around, I will take her.” Bruce said and everyone dispersed. Except for Kori and Bruce.
“Don’t worry Marinette. Me and Alfred will watch Emma.” Kori smiled.
I rolled on the throttle. I rocked backward. The rear shock compressed. And the front wheel lifted off the tarmac.
I’m a minimalist. I own seven pairs of underwear. I own 3 pairs of shoes - black boots, brown boots, and running shoes. I own one motorcycle. And most importantly, I don’t own a car.
In my quest to downsize my possessions, I asked myself:
Do I really need a shelf full of books? Not when I can borrow them from the library.
Do I really have to collect vinyls? Not when I can Spotify the record.
Do I really need a second motorcycle? Maybe we should talk about this one...
When you undertake this lifestyle, you realize that simplicity doesn’t always lend itself to functionality. You learn that you better do laundry every week or you’re going commando on Monday. You learn to dress up your boots for the work week and dress them down for weekend hikes. And you learn that you’re shit out of luck when your motorcycle gets a flat.
If that last example seems oddly specific, that’s because I recently picked up a nail in my rear tire and had to take a sick day. I rely on one vehicle to get me to and from work, so I don’t have a plan B if anything goes wrong. They say the best ability is availability and I can’t expect the Harley to be 100% one-hundred percent of the time. So maybe a second motorcycle wouldn’t be such a bad idea, right?
I know what you’re saying, “why not just buy a car?” But I’m sorry faithful reader, that sounds far too practical and honestly isn’t an option for me. I enjoy not owning a car and I will do my best to keep it that way.
With that established, I should note that I want my second motorcycle to be off-road capable? I want to take on challenging, new terrain. I want to slide the back wheel out. I want to hit the whoops. I want to ride where I won’t get obliterated by a 2-ton cage on four wheels.
With that in mind, my search invariably led me to dual sports. Though I’d prefer a dedicated dirt bike, I’d also prefer to NOT own a pickup truck. How else would I get to the trails if I didn’t own an expensive toy (in the form of a truck) to cart my other expensive toy (in the form of a dirt bike) there? How could I keep my possessions to a minimum while justifying the purchase as a “necessary, and specialized” tool (wink, wink)?
Cue Zero’s light, dual sport, electric motorcycle, the FX.
At 289 lbs, the FX touts an astounding 46 horsepower and 78 ft-lb of torque! Versus Honda and Husqvarna’s 450cc dual sports, that’s a powerful package that was just begging to be ridden. So when I swung a leg over the FX, it’s safe to say that I was giddy as an alcoholic at an open bar.
At just under 35″, the Zero’s seat height isn’t for the vertically challenged. With 8.6″ of travel up front and 8.9″ in the rear, I had to use all of my 5′10″ frame to fit the bike. While stationary, I stabilized the bike on the tips of my toes, but anyone sub-5′8″ would probably need to favor one foot at stop lights, using their leg as a human kickstand of sorts. Compared to the low slung seat of my Harley and the intermediate height of the Naked bikes I’ve ridden recently, the FX felt like straddling a donkey without stirrups.
With my toes brushing the concrete, I couldn’t help but bounce on the rear suspension. Surprisingly, the monoshock compressed quite easily, filling me with hope for undulating terrain, yet filling me with dread for twisting roads. It’s safe to say that my past experience with Yamaha’s FZ-07 left me with a residual distrust of mushy springs.
Once the rest of the group mounted up, we set out for the Hollywood Hills. Zipping along Fairfax Ave, our e-motors buzzed like a pack of RC cars, the audible whir increasing along with our speed. If there’s anything consistent across the Zero models that I’ve tested (FX & SR/F), it’s the sophistication of the throttle mapping. Without the modulation of a clutch, you would assume that the power would engage the back wheel instantaneously, but the gradual roll on aids the most ham-fisted riders and ramps up with exponential velocity as you twist your wrist.
While the FX gains speed without effort, it also holds low speeds with nuance and finesse. Squeaking past Hollywood traffic isn’t an easy feat for many a bike, but Zero’s dual sport pulls it off with a controlled low-speed mapping and steering.
The narrow frame squeezes through the smallest of spaces and its height allows the handlebars to easily float over side view mirrors. With a combination of weasel-like maneuverability and a range of 91 miles per charge, the FX challenges all other commuter candidates in the field.
As my group turned off Hollywood, leaving the urban landscape behind, I was pleased to see an empty street winding up a steep hill. That’s when the pace quickened. That’s when motor really stretched its legs. That’s when I could test out that suspect suspension.
We accelerated up the increasing incline, each rider inclined to increase the space between them and those following. We banked right. We banked left. And to my surprise, the “mushy” monoshock retained its rigidity in the corners, responding to my every input.
On my Harley, I depend on the weight of the bike to slow down my approach into an uphill corner, but on this featherweight, you barely lose any velocity. Despite my approaching speed, the bike easily negotiated each turn, relying on the combination of snappy handling and ride height/lean angle.
Though blasting through the corners is fun, speed is nothing without brakes, and the FX delivers in that department. Once we slowed to a stop, I peered down at the front rotor, floored by the fact that it only housed a single 240 mm rotor and a 4-piston caliper. The stiff, even braking left me perplexed. How could such a minimal package provide maximum performance?
I could chalk it up to the light weight of the FX, but that would be an oversimplification because the J-Juan calipers that come equipped on all Zeros have only outperformed my expectations on the bikes I’ve tested.
Once the pack regrouped at a stop sign, we turned down a side street.
I rolled on the throttle. I rocked backward. The rear shock compressed. And the front wheel lifted off the tarmac.
Now, I can’t lie, I wanted to see if I could wheelie the FX. Lacking a clutch, Zero’s dual sport has to rely on horsepower alone to get that front wheel up, and I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t curious if it could do it. But once I achieved my goal, I came to my senses and kept my lead wrist in check.
We soon descended the domestic labyrinth, bending the fleet of Zeros through the gentle curves of the Hollywood Hills neighborhood. Little did I know, a stop sign was waiting for me at the bottom of the hill.
I stabbed the front brake. I slammed on the rear pedal. I braced for the endo. I waited for the rear to break loose. But instead, the bike eased to a steady stop, the calipers progressively clamping down on the frisbee-sized rotors.
After that close call, I diagnosed the only shortfall with the FX, and it wasn’t the brakes, it wasn’t the handling, and it damn sure wasn’t the power. The sole complaint I had for the FX was the ergonomics.
While the bars are wide, while the riding posture is upright, the height of the footpegs leave your lower quarters cramped. At a level angle, the pegs force your feet into an acute angle with your shins. Having my knees bunched up, I found myself frequently dangling my right foot where it naturally wanted to rest, under the brake pedal. Not the safest of positions when you need to brake in an emergency.
But aside from the performance of the bike, you also have to take pragmatism into account. The biggest barriers for the FX - and most electric motorcycles - are price and range. With an MSRP over $10K, I’m not sure if I could justify purchasing a bike that only nets an hour and a half of ride time. I wouldn’t be able to undertake a long trip on the FX. I would be limited to a 45-mile riding radius or risk the possibility of not making it back home. Living in the city, I’m not sure if I could even make it to the dirt with that capacity (or lack thereof).
In order to get the most out of the FX, I would need to transport it to the nearest trail, and it doesn’t make much sense to pay for a $10K bike that would need a $20K truck for me to properly enjoy it. At a scant 91 miles per 9.7-hour charge, I realized that the best ability truly is availability. And I’ll take a Harley that’s 100% ninety percent of the time versus a Zero that is only 100% fifty percent of the time.
In time, the range of e-bikes will increase and the price will decrease, but for now, I’ll rely on my good ole Low Rider...and maybe take a few more sick days.
It’s time again for a data cronch, or at least one that can compare the first two weeks of the final season to all the previous seasons. Before I get into S8, there’s one image from S7 that should give a stark sense of how S7 did.
(If you’re confused about some of the terms --- the tail, the lull, the hype threshold, etc --- see this post for a complete explanation.)
This particular chart compares the length of time between seasons to the length of time a season was in the tail, meaning above a set viewership threshold.
[whoops did my math wrong, will fix in the followup]
And then there’s this, from Tim Hedrick:
Let’s just say it’s not necessarily as good a thing as you think it is, Tim.
I’ll explain what I mean along with viewership and engagement stats for S8, behind the cut. Spoiler: it’s a lot of whimper and not much bang.
viewership stats comparison
Here’s the first two weeks of all eight seasons. S8 is the dashed line.
It started even with S7, and dropped quickly to run above S4 and S5... and by the second week, it’d dropped to run at the bottom rung with those two seasons. It took a hard hit on the holiday (much harder than the previous two years), then bounced up again above the tail threshold.
Here’s the same numbers, but adjusted to put each season’s peak together. This gives a better sense of the season’s tail, compared to the rest.
It’s cutting across the seasons. It’s not as severe as S1/S2 (which began at tremendous heights and thus had farther to fall), but it’s not as flat as S6 or S7. It seems to be falling in line with S4 and S5, for the most part. In case you’re unaware, those are not good seasons to duplicate, numbers-wise.
A third way to compare the tails is to look at their heights and their lengths. For this one, I adjust to line up the ends of each season’s tail (that is, when its viewership stats drop below the 3K threshold for more than two days running). Right now I’ve got S8 a little out in front of S4 and S5, duration-wise, but unless some bombshell drops in the next few days, I expect the tail to be done by the end of this week, perhaps as early as Wednesday.
Since the above charts go day-by-day, it makes it a little hard to get a sense of just how each week stacks up, comparatively. Here’s a chart that gives you that, comparing each week across all the seasons.
(Note: we’re only one day into week 3, so S8′s value is artificially low, there.)
In the first week, it’s not too bad. S8 is lower than S7, showing some damage from the lack of hype, but overall it’s middle-of-the-pack, being 5th highest viewership for its first week. (Seriously, you can see the impact when DW’s marketing puts the hype machine in high gear, and this isn’t it.)
The second week is where the bottom drops out, and it falls to only a few thousand above S4 and S5. The real sign will be if it drops below both of those in the 3rd week; that’s when we could safely say S8 really is the worst season.
Now I’m going to flip the script and look at the rate of change between the weeks. It’s a bit premature for this since we need to be into the fourth week to really have enough data for rate of change, but what the hell. Why not.
In a rate-of-change graph, a positive number (bar going upwards) means an increase, and a negative number (which all of these are) indicates a decrease. The longer the bar, the bigger the rate of change.
I’ll use S1 as the example in plain english. These values are from day-of-release to the following thursday (one week of broadcast). Think of it as: if 100 people watched in the first week, 60 watched the 2nd week. That’s a -40% difference. There was a further drop moving into the 3rd, of 30%. Again with our simpler numbers: if 60 people watched the 2nd week, 40 watched in the 3rd week.
The 3rd-to-4th week is the smallest by far, and it’s a sign something must’ve happened. Marketing launched a post-release campaign, or there was a con that got people excited. Whatever it was (idk, ask @ptw30, who tracks these things), it halted the drop-off, keeping the loss down to 11%.
Now you can see why this chart shows the real meaning behind the one above: of all the seasons, only S3 had a bigger drop between its 1st and 2nd weeks. S8′s rate of change is -64%. That’s pretty bad for what should be the final season. Buzz should continue a little longer, as viewers process where and how the story concluded.
(The second bar looks horrendous for S8, because it’s comparing the full 2nd week to only one day’s value for the 3rd week, so ignore that for now.)
engagement stats comparison
I’m going to hop over to look at how much people are talking about VLD. I track searches on three terms -- “Voltron Legendary Defender” (series title), “voltron” (term), and “Voltron” (series title). I average the values, chart ‘em, and we get this lovely picture, with the release week marked in the season’s color.
There’s one oddity I don’t think I’ve pointed out before: the level of engagement dropped slightly, between two weeks before S7 and the week of S7′s release. That’s... not how these things are supposed to work.
There’s a particular detail I look at in this chart, and that’s the drop-off. Here’s a closeup of S3 through S8. The blocks in lighter green indicate where the 3rd week level of engagement remained above the week of release. The blocks in red indicate a drop in engagement.
Every season has some chatter in its release week, followed by a jump in the second week. In S3, S5, and S6, the chatter remained above the release week level. In S4, S7, and S8, chatter drops off precipitously.
In other words, inside of two weeks, the engagement levels have dropped to below that of the week of release. You could characterize this as the audience taking a week to react... and then dropping the topic. Something in S3 and S5 had audiences lingering a bit more. S6 is the ideal -- it didn’t just get people engaged, it kept them engaged, staying above the release-week levels all the way up to SDCC.
demand analysis comparisons
Now let’s take a quick look at Parrot’s “demand analysis,” which is not actually viewership statistics. It’s how much people are talking, overall, on a variety of platforms. While Parrot isn’t about to release its algorithms, reading between the lines tells me it’s taking traffic on twitter, facebook, instagram, news sites, forums like reddit, and other platforms, to arrive at a single value. It does this for however many series, and then ranks the results.
Here’s the historical track of VLD, with S8′s values added.
Note: white circles are placeholders, because I couldn’t find data for every single week. Given the way demand cycles tend to work, it’s likely that VLD stayed on the chart in the gaps, so I put in placeholders for those weeks.
Yes, Tim, VLD has leapt up to sit at #7, but it debuted at #9, which it hasn’t done since S3. (S4 never charted at all.) Worse, S8′s second week -- and judging from previous behavior, its highest peak -- only just brought it up to the level of the opening weeks for S5, S6, and S7.
What makes the demand analysis somewhat questionable as a point of pride is that this doesn’t track viewership but chatter. When you consider S7′s 2nd week was marred by significant controversy, and S8 prompted a rash of the same (if at a lower volume), I really can’t say that #7 ranking is necessarily a sign everyone is cuing up the show on Netflix.
It just means there’s a lot of talk. It doesn’t necessarily qualify this talk as good.
What drives home the dubiousness of this value (in terms of judging demand analysis as some sign of popularity) is the Business Insider article Tim linked to, which has this line:
Which I guess is somewhat more diplomatic than showing this:
That brings me to audience reactions, which are a fascinating (if you like trainwrecks) view of what people really thought. I’ll get into that in the next part.
