DarkOwl57
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Posts posted by DarkOwl57
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Today during physics:
Spoiler- Realized I had a thing to do
- Did thing
- Announcement came over speakers to keep kids in class
- Coach wouldn't let anyone go to the bathroom until the drug dog came
- People started asking stupid questions
- Talking about the AAF and the upcoming basketball game
- Kids get more desperate to go to the bathroom
- All of a sudden the two guys in front of me start trying to figure out the life story of Coach by doing what I believe to be a background search
- Half the class still begging to go to the restroom
- Drug dog comes
- We're forced outside
- All of a sudden people start cracking fat jokes at one of our linemen (who takes it really hilariously might I add)
- Finally done
- Kids ask assistant principal if we can go
- Principal says yes
- Coach hears no
- Kids get more desperate
- Outright begging at this point
- Kids now forced to play "The Game," where they must: Guess a number from 1-1000, must be within 20. Coach types it in on a calculator beforehand.
- Some girl actually gets it right as one kid complains about something like either a UTI or a stretched bladder
- The game goes on
- I come up with an idea
- Use the school email to send out the following hostage message to the entire school: "This is from the students in Coach [Teacher]'s Classroom. He is holding us from going to the bathroom without playing a sadistic game. Please alert the authorities that these conditions of forced group punishment and lack of human rights are against the laws of the Geneva Convention drafted in 1949 in Geneva, Switzerland. Please send help."
- I suggest idea
- It's ignored
- Laugh internally as the kids get more and more desperate and I don't need to use the restroom
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16 hours ago, Triop said:
[Snip]
I'm not even epileptic and I almost had a seizure, geez
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Only highlight of the Super Bowl
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5 minutes ago, TheSaint said:
Gee, I'm so sorry I missed it.
We just went on You Tube and watched the commercial highlights after we got home from church last night. (Jeep won for the feels. But "Advertising Ruins Everything" was the funniest. 
)
1There's no way! NFL100 was by far the best. Seeing Tom Brady handing Baker his rings and watching Odell... Odell, it was amazing! Maybe that's just the football in me though. Amazon Alexa was pretty good though
8 minutes ago, RealKerbal3x said:Yep, I'm European. And thank you for the explanation
No problem, I play a lot of FIFA and that was the biggest stretch I could make lol
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When the highlight of the game is Johnny Hekker nailing a punt and breaking a Super Bowl record for longest punt (65 yards), you know that there's a serious problem with the game. Also, whenever you search "Super Bowl 53" and the news comes up with results like these great gems:
"The Patriots win vs. the Rams was the least watched Super Bowl in 10 years" (SB Nation)
"Well, That Sucked" (Deadspin)
Also, there were 0 points scored in the first quarter.
(Depressing) Records broken (According to everyone's favorite unreliable information source, Wikipedia)
Most Super Bowl appearances, as team 11 New England Patriots Fewest points scored, winning team 13 Most consecutive drives ending with a punt 8 Los Angeles Rams Fewest touchdowns, first 3 quarters (both teams) 0 Super Bowl LIII Fewest touchdowns (both teams, game) 1 Fewest PATs (both teams, game) 1 Fewest kickoff returns (both teams, game) 2 Fewest points, first 3 quarters (both teams) 6 Fewest points (both teams, game) 16 Longest punt 65 yards Johnny Hekker (Los Angeles Rams) And (Depressing) records tied:
Fewest points, first half 0 Los Angeles Rams Fewest points scored, team 3 Fewest touchdowns scored, team 0 Fewest points, first quarter (both teams) 0 Super Bowl LIII Fewest passing touchdowns (both teams) 0 Fewest fumbles lost (both teams) 0 Like for gosh sakes, this is THE SUPER BOWL! On top of the whole New Orleans boycott, this is not the way the NFL wanted to close out the season. Honestly a massive disgrace in my eyes...
At least the NFL100 ad was funny
3 minutes ago, RealKerbal3x said:Forgive me for my ignorance, I'm not based in the land of the free.
What is Superbowl? An enormous cereal bowl or something?
I'm going to assume you're from Europe, so I'll use soccer. Basically the FA Cup of the NFL. The two best teams in the sport play each other, with the winner being crowned champion.
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"Amazing Super Bowl"
"56-point spread"
"Going to be a scoring-fest""Goff's going to take the torch from Brady"
"Greatest Show on Turf"
"Gurley"
"Donald"
"Suh"
"Woods""Anderson"
"Brady"
"Edelman""Michel"
"Gronkowski"
"Hightower""Gilmore"
"Fowler"
...
...
How do these big names on the biggest stage manage to get a combined 16 points?!
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Ah who what where
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*Weather Chat Megathread is reeing so hard right now*
https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/144035-weather-chat-megathread/
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1 hour ago, eddiew said:
Just dropping a thought off; is it possible to have increment/decrement gear as an action button?
With 8 wheels on my current rover, it would have been lovely to have a shift-up and shift-down button for all of them at once x)
3 minutes ago, Shadowmage said:As in, adjusting the ride-height / spring values for multiple wheels at the same time?
For most wheel functions, if you set each part the same 'Wheel Group', any actions triggered on one wheel in the group will propagate to the rest of the group; adjust spring on -one- wheel, and it gets set for all of them.
(might not be exactly what you are looking for; if not, let me know with perhaps a bit more detail, and I'll see what I can put together)
What I think he meant is something like a gearshift in a car. Hit [button], and the gears shift up. Hit [other button] and the gears shift down. Could be my imagination/wishful thinking though, who knows
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On 1/3/2019 at 12:44 PM, CatastrophicFailure said:
Some of the crap I remember writing in high school..... [shudders]. But that’s just the learning process, and it’s surprising just how often one can, in fact, polish a literary turd.
NOT to be confused with a literal turd.
1On 1/3/2019 at 1:42 PM, Just Jim said:I've thought that about a couple of my earliest Emiko chapters... lol....
I get that feeling just from reading chapters from earlier this year! It's amazing what some time and practice will do for you
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I don't know if we've ever met on the forums before, but you've made this place such a fantastic place to be a part of. Thank you for everything. Godspeed.
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Okay, I messed up. I said that Chapter 33 would come out on Friday... I failed. Accept this late gift as payment for my crimes.
Chapter 33: The Comeback
6:00pm, 3 weeks later. Round 8 of 10: The Halcan Grand Prix. Halco Grand Prix Circuit, McKerley, Halco.
“As the saying goes, ‘When the sun goes down, the stars come out to play.’ Tonight, 22 of K1’s finest and fastest are prepared to go at it in the heart of Halco. After dominating the Temple, OTech star Jebediah Kerman is coming ever closer to clinching the title tonight. Meanwhile, on the other side of the garage, teammate Max is prepared to come in and spoil the show- possibly reclaiming the lead in the championship. Now, with a 15 point gap in the standings and all to play for, the circuit of Halco is ready to host what will undoubtedly be an incredible race. And now, it’s time for the 2037 Halcan Grand Prix.
…
The last remnants of the sun shone down on the picture-perfect circuit as I looked down the front straight and up the massive hill to Turn 1. The sunset race was (apparently) one of the best races to take part in, and I was ready to finally get at it after sitting out last year. The crowd knew that now there was a ginormous 15 point gap for Max to make up in the standings, but there was a good chance that would all come down to the final race at the KSC. However, if I won this race tonight (or beat Max by 5 or more points), and finished at least second in the final two races, I’d guarantee myself the title. So many unknown variables, but with the dominance of the car this year, I had no doubt we’d finish the season locking out the top two. I was expecting Max to be desperate during the race, but I had to be tough.
In between the Temple and the Halco event, K1 made an announcement that turned a lot of heads. Since the start of the modern era in K1 (2000 to now), the season calendar had 10 races. But, from 2038 onwards, there would be 11 races in a season. This meant that next year, Basil was back on the schedule- news that made Max insanely happy. Also, Andy was still shut up in his office designing the 2038 car down to the very last nut and bolt.
Our car for this race was the same as we used in Owlia, with the single T-wing on the top of the Shark Fin. We had locked out the front row by only a couple tenths as Monster was throwing everything at the final couple of races. Simply scoring one point would lock out the constructor's championship, which pretty much everyone knew we were going to win with ease. The car had a beautiful livery on with the sharp and sleek number scheme, just like Aquaria and the Temple.
I watched a single fighter jet blast overhead with smoke trailing off the edges as the crowd cheered with a massive roar. The team was busy making last-second checks to the car and I stepped in- cameras clicking and rustling as reporters took pictures pre-race. Max was lined up on Pole position, but I had the all-important inside line down into Turn 1.
I put my helmet on and the noise seemed to stop. I exhaled, and felt the engine roar to life. I blipped the throttle as the car was let down, and I felt the car shake a bit as the team got everything unplugged and set up for the formation lap. Everything on the car felt perfect as I waited for the light to go out.
The light finally went out and I practiced the launch out of the grid slot- getting a little bit of wheelspin before the car got it back with ease. The suspension flexed as we ran up the hill to Turn 1, which was an uphill hairpin that was so much fun to drive. The field started weaving like a snake as we went through the high speed esses of Turns 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The crowd cheered and whistled at our passing cars, and I lowered the black tinted visor a bit up the Turn 7 hill. The Halco track, though slightly old (Created in 2022), was incredible fun to drive with sweeping corners, flowing hills, and a massive back straight that allowed for speeds nearing 200 miles per hour.
“Everything’s looking good from here,” Andy said as I went through the newly renovated kink before the hairpin. The new renovation had us skipping out the old Turn 8, 9, 10, and 11 section- instead making it a straight line run from Turn 7 to the back straight hairpin. This would drop lap times by around 10 seconds, not including the 2037 car updates. We’d already seen improvements in Practice, and I was ready to get this race started.
“I’m glad we’ve got the visor all set,” I said as I pulled out of the Turn 8 hairpin. “Sunset is really bright without it.” We had a couple extra tear-offs on the helmet this race- a couple layers of heavy tint and a few with anti-spotlight tinting. I weaved down the back straight and tried to get some heat into the tires as the sky turned a beautiful shade of orange that made the sky look like it was on fire. The car brushed along the ground and threw up a cloud of glowing sparks in my trail. I broke in for Turn 9 and the car felt like it was starting to come alive as I brushed the inside curbing and just missed a bollard on the inside.
The rest of the field snaked through the corners of 10, 11, 12, 13, and the massive loop of 14. I felt the G-forces strain on my neck even at the low speed- even with the relatively low speeds of the formation lap. I went through 15 and the looked to the right at the stands before braking for Turn 16. The stands were packed and the crowd cheered and clapped as I rolled up to my grid slot behind Max. The rest of the field pulled up to their spots, and we were ready for the start. A green flag waved in my mirror at the back of the grid and I sighed.
One bright red light came on above us. I turned the engine up to rich as it idled on the grid.
Two lights came on. I pushed in the clutch.
Three lights came on and I watched the lights.
Four. I pushed the gas in and the engine started rising in revs little by little.
Five. My heart raced as I looked up and focused on the lights. The engines yelled on the grid and echoed off the buildings.
Finally, the lights went out and I released the clutch. I timed it perfect and the car launched out of the slot about a tenth of a second before Max. I didn’t get any wheelspin and blasted away. I got right alongside Max and we started up the hill. I managed to fly up Max’s inside down the straight, and shifted up through the gears. We flew up the crest to Turn 1 and I had the advantage as we dared each other entering the turn. I finally broke first- watching as Max tried to get past around the outside. However, the apex was going for me, and I flew past up the inside. I heard a squeal behind as someone locked up, but I didn’t look as Max slotted in behind me on corner exit.
We went down the dip through Turn 2 and sparks popped into the air as the cars bottomed out. The field went single-file into the esses and I felt the G-forces flinging me against my seat as I flew into the corners. I had one goal this race; finish ahead of Max. I flew over the curbs in 3, 4, and 5 before rolling through the sweeping Turn 6. I bounced up the hill and the car shifted its weight around- rolling through the turn before Turn 7. Max had lost ground from the aerodynamic shift (“Dirty Air”), and I didn’t have any competition down into Turn 8. I clipped the apex and ran up onto the exit curb- rumbling over the strip and managing some wheelspin as the rears tried to step out.
Max hung in my slipstream down the straight as the car sparked against the ground. He started closing in but ran out of track as we hit the braking zone for Turn 9. We stayed single-file and the crowd roared as we passed in Turn 10 and 11. The track widened out in Turn 12 and 13 but Max didn’t try anything through the technical section of hairpins. I got a good run out of 13 and kept him behind in the Turn 14 loop. I had to strain to keep my head upright as we raced through the turn, and I flew out of the exit. The sun shone in my eyes on corner exit but I could still see the track- hitting the apex on point for Turn 15. Max had gotten onto my tail down in the technical section of the track, but I was still holding onto the position as we rolled through Turn 16. I got a good run out of the turn but Max seemed to get a better one. He started closing in on me little by little and I decided to go defensive- darting down to the inside to block off the inside line.
Sparks flew off the under tray of the car as I went up the hill, and the bright lights were thrown into Max’s visor as we went up for the Turn 1 braking zone. Max didn’t waver and lunged down my inside as we broke for the corner. I got the cut-back and managed to get back on his left, but I was on the outside for Turn 2 as the track tightened up. I followed Max’s car through the winding esses- 3, 4, 5, and 6. I had to fight the wheel in the corner and I could tell the effects of the dirty air. The 2038 aero updates couldn’t come soon enough. I looked up the inside through Turn 7 but Max cut me off- just barely missing my front wing as I lost the rears over the crest of the hill.
“That was close,” I said simply down the straight. “I almost hit Max up in 7- He’s lucky I backed out of it in time.” I got the car back and looked down the inside into the Turn 8 hairpin, but there was no room to try an overtake. I managed to gain some time on corner exit, and tried to get some slipstream down the massive straight. Sparks flew up into the air as the sunset started to come to an end, and glowed brightly against the dark sky. I closed in down the straight as the speed climbed, before finally darting out of the slipstream at the last possible second. I got my front wheel alongside into the braking zone, and was clear as Max broke first.
We went single-file in through the hairpins, and Max again lost some ground. I went down into Standard Revs in the long Turn 14, and the suspension flexed through the long, sweeping turn. Max stayed in my tracks through Turn 15, but didn’t try a look into Turn 16. We went on to start Lap 3 and the crowd roared as we passed. I immediately dove down to guard the inside entering Turn 1, and Max followed me down to try and grab a little bit of slipstream off my car. I hit the brakes first for the corner and Max tried to sweep past around my outside. The hairpin was tight enough that I managed to stay ahead- clearing him by the apex despite Max’s strong run on the entrance.
I formed a tiny gap through the esses, but Max got a stellar run out of Turn 7. I cut down to defend as he drew alongside me- utilizing the momentum from corner exit. I managed to keep him on my outside through Turn 8, and got clear. This, however, was a mistake. Max now had the slipstream and DRS down the longest straight on the track, and I knew I was about to pay for keeping him back. He had a little bit of ground to make up thanks to the corner, but made it all up incredibly quick as we raced down the straight. I went left and Max followed- trying to nose his way inside. Finally, he had enough and looked right about mid-way down the straight. The violent turn and lack of rear downforce made him lose the back end, and I saw him fish-tail in my mirrors as he tried to get the car back under control.
Max tried a move around the outside in Turn 9, but I again locked him out as I held my line on the tight corner. Max was trying everything to get past me, but I wasn’t letting him have anything as we raced through the technical section of hairpins. The crowd roared as Max looked up the inside, but I managed to stop an attack into Turn 13. The car flexed as I flew through Turn 14- the lateral G-forces forcing the car to list as I turned through the corner.
We flew out of the turn and went down into Turn 15 as the sunset had pretty much ended. The spotlights gleamed bright on the track, and I tore off the last dark film- now switching to the yellow spotlight-blocker. Max tried a look up the inside but the corner wasn’t wide enough for both of us to get through. We went through the turn and Max couldn’t get past on corner exit. He opened up the DRS and tried to pass me down the straight. I defended the inside heading into the braking zone, and the move helped me hold onto the position.
Max stayed behind me through the next laps- until on Lap 14 when Max started getting ready to overtake. The tires were starting get worn and I was really suffering on the lack of speed. I flew through Turn 6 and Max continued to close in. He was right on my gearbox as I went down the hill out of Turn 7, and dove up the inside into the braking zone to Turn 8. Max had locked up and we both ran wide- slipping up the track in an attempt to avoid contact. I put the power down out of the corner and started gaining on Max. I got DRS out of the corner and flew around the inside through the slight bend in the track. I got clear on the left and moved right to cut off a lunge around the outside, which worked.
I dove into the pits on Lap 17- one lap after Max. I hit the limiter right on the dot and started down the pit lane. I pulled in and stopped perfectly in the box as the team lifted up the car. Four tires on, four off. I waited for the fuel to get in, and for the timer to run down. Finally, the team dropped the car and I peeled out of the box. I got out of the pit lane and stormed out of the exit line- watching as Max gained. I was on the far inside for Turn 1, which wouldn’t give me a good run but would keep him behind. I managed to keep Max on my outside, even though his left front wheel was pretty much past my right front. Max was on the inside for Turn 2 but I managed to keep ahead- flinging the car around the outside through the corner and hanging with Max before I got the inside run for Turn 3. Sparks flew off the under tray as the car bumped along the track in the middle of the corner, and Max let me to before Turn 4. I threw the car into the corners- flinging off the curbs with ease as Max tried to hang on.
I could feel the fresh tires going to work, but I misjudged the run through Turn 6. The rear stepped out and I had to fight the car up the track- leaving a hole up the inside of the corner that Max took. He nosed up the inside through 6 but I had an inside run through Turn 7. I tried to hold on but Max got the run and drove past. I dove up the inside for Turn 8 and just barely got by around the left. The car got a massive run out of the turn and I started to pull away, before Max got the DRS. I lost the ground and then some down the massive straight as Max tried a lunge up my inside into Turn 9. I managed to keep him behind me, but I could tell Max was looking to make the overtake.
He lunged into Turn 13 and I had to leave him space before the apex of the corner. The crowd roared as Max got along my inside, and I had to fight hard to defend around the outside of the hairpin. I got a better launch out of the corner and had the inside through the sweeping Turn 14. Max fought hard on my left side and the aero effects took the downforce off my car. I lost some grip and Max pulled ahead just a little bit, but on the corner exit he had me beat. I had to recover the car and Max flew clean around my outside to the excitement of the crowd. I tried to fight back into Turn 15 but he covered off the inside as I had to brake hard to avoid him. I lost some front-end grip from the aero on exit and had to recover- losing some time and space to Max. I looked inside but Max cut me off as I had to go up the track to avoid hitting him.
“Max is blocking me,” I said down the straight. I opened up the DRS and went to Max’s inside. “I almost hit him twice in those last two corners. Please please please tell him to calm down; I don’t want to ram both of us out of the race.” I got past up the inside and pulled up out of the turn. I managed to slide past and get in front of him- cutting him off down into Turn 2. Max’s car sparked off the ground and I flew through the turn at full throttle as the spotlights flashed off our cars. Max was still right on top of me in the esses and I had to fight hard to hold the speed. Max was clearly fighting hard with the car and I managed to get out a tiny gap down the straight out of Turn 7. We flew down the hill and I went hard into the hairpin braking zone.
I hit the brakes and the car lost grip as the left-front locked up without any warning. White smoke flew into the air and covered the apex. A loud squeal sounded through my helmet and I let off the brakes a little bit to reset. Max got his nose up my inside and I had to leave the space as he started to get a good run down the straight. This time, however, I had the DRS. I flew past around the outside of Max down the straight while the engine howled and the speed climbed. 180. 190. 200. I slammed on the brakes at 203 and the car started slowing with a massive bite. I hit the curb with Max hot on my tail, and I fought hard down the run to Turn 10. I forced Max to go the hard way around Turn 10, and that gave me a tiny bit of breathing room.
Max hung behind me hot on my heels as the laps ticked down. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. On Lap 28 with just 5 laps to go, he lunged up the inside down into Turn 8. I wasn’t expecting it and out of instinct gave him room. Max took the gap and flew past my inside as I cursed myself on corner exit. I tried to get by down the straight but Max cut off any attacking move with relative ease. I attempted to get him back on the inside of Turn 9, but I was too far back to mount a serious challenge. Max suddenly began to pull away. 4. 3. 2. 1.
As the final lap began, I saw Max was too far away. I was fighting super hard, but I couldn’t make up the time. Down the back straight, Andy told me to bring the engine down. Sadly, I agreed- moving the mix down to Lean to preserve it for the next race. I rolled through the final corners at a reduced pace as Max continued on. I pulled out of Turn 16 as Max crossed the line to cheers from the crowd. Fireworks blasted into the air and Max weaved down to the wall before turning back up the track- one hand up in the air. I crossed the line and coasted as the engine started reviving down. I shook my head and waved to the crowd. It’s okay, I thought to myself as I broke for Turn 1. It’s just another race.
“Congratulations, Jeb- that’s the Constructors! Seven in a row, buddy; top drive. Absolutely amazing- you’ve earned it.” I keyed the radio as Max and I formed up two-wide through the Esses.
“Thanks to everyone out at the team, y’all have done amazing this year. Congrats to everyone at the factory, we couldn’t have done it without you.” The crowd enjoyed our formation driving, and I couldn’t help but smile despite the loss.
The team was already around the stopping point in the paddock and I stepped out of the car to cheers and claps. I gave Andy a high-five before walking out to the cool down room with my helmet and gear. Max was grinning as I sat down on the couch and tossed me a water.
“Almost hit you about 3 times,” I sighed before taking a sip of water.
“Where?” Suddenly, there was movement out of the corner of my eye as a LakeFront driver- Marty- came up to the cool down room.
“‘Ello,” he sighed with a grin on his face as he sat down on a chair.
“Turn 15 and 16,” I replied. “You got past there and brake-checked me.” He shook his head but didn’t say anything as I turned to Marty. “How was your race?” Marty grinned.
“Crazy,” He replied with a thick accent and a ginormous smile. “Micheal and I fought like crazy in the final couple laps, but it was just amazing fun.” There was a TV screen showing the highlights of the race and I stood up. It showed Max cutting down on me and I pointed.
“See? Right there- you just flew down on me.” Max pursed his lips and shook his head.
“Sorry there, man. Just had to keep ahead of you to win, and I was in desperation mode. I’ll try not to do that again.” I nodded.
“It’s fine, just didn’t want to hit you and give you a puncture.” We kept watching and I saw Marty’s wild overtake around the outside of the esses with sparks flying into the sky. “Holy cow that was close,” I sighed as Marty watched on. “That was all in the last lap?” He nodded. “Geez.” The two cars flew down the straight with Micheal looking up the inside as Marty cut him off. Micheal looked outside but lost the rears- fishtailing just like Max did before the braking zone. He somehow made it stick, though, and tried to get past around the outside of the hairpin. He almost made it work, but he cut down on Marty too early and the two made contact. Micheal’s car bounced up into the air with sparks before crashing back to the ground. There was still a fight though, as Micheal was up the inside of Marty in Turn 10.
“Holy cow,” Max muttered as Marty grinned. Marty held it around the outside of Turn 14- pulling off the same move that Max did to me. He got it past into Turn 15 and never looked back as Micheal tried into Turn 16. After a lot of waiting, we got out to the podium.
The crowd roared as Max lifted up the trophy and air horns went off. Blue colored smoke covered the crowd below as fans celebrated, and despite the loss I couldn’t help but smile. The podium interviewer came up, and I took my microphone.
“Max, first off, congrats on the win! How’d it feel to go out there and race toe-to-toe with your teammate there in the final few laps?”
“Aww, it was just amazing. The team had the car set up perfect, and it was just amazing to go out there and race. We had some really close calls there with Jeb from what I saw on the TV, but it was just so much fun to get out there and go racing.”
“And Jeb, comments on that fight for the lead?”
“Pretty much the same thing,” I replied- nodding and adjusting my hat. “Max and I had some good fights out there on the track, but in the end, he was just faster. I guess now it’s onto Basil.”
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It's been a while, eh? Well, no need to fear- I am not dead. School just got busy, and I had some trouble getting everything situated. That and also I was running low on inspiration. But that is behind us now, and we can get to more important things... Like Chapter 32. And 33- Wait I forgot to upload 32. Yeah, that explains some things... 32 will come out now, 33 later today. I think. That's my plan- for now, it's time for Life At The Top. Enjoy!
Chapter 32: Redemption
2:30pm, 6 Days later. Practice 3 for Round 7 of 10: The Temple. United International Raceway
The engine screamed as I flew into Turns 13 and 14 at max speed- taking the turn as hard as I could thanks to the new repave (and restructuring) of the corner. The sparse crowd watched as I passed and pushed the car to its absolute limit.
“Car feels really good in the high-speed corners,” I radioed in to Andy before braking for the chicane that mimicked Aquaria’s Turn 6-7-8 complex. “I’m taking Kerenna.” Andy didn’t protest despite him practically banning me from taking the corner in the last two practice sessions. I flew out of Turn 19 and went down the straight as the crowd cheered me on. The team hadn’t wanted me to risk a crash before the race even started, but now was the time.
I opened up DRS and flew into the turn at 200 miles per hour. I turned in and the car maintained the grip as I gently held the wheel. I kept the rear collected before moving up the track to the outside curbing. The left side tires flew over the rumble strips and I felt the buzzing reverberate through the car. The bare shark fin shook around from the forces and I shot back down the track onto the racing line before slamming the brakes for Turn 1. The sudden deceleration threw me forward in the belts, but I managed to fly into the turn at max speed and hit the apex before weaving through the tight Turn 2 and flying out to get down the straight. The crowd roared their approval while a passed, and I started slowing down for a cool down lap. I sighed breath my helmet and watched my mirror as Max went through the corner as fast as he could. The crowd through the Esses clapped and whistled as I pulled off the circuit and went down the escape road to avoid blocking everyone else. I was ready.
6:38pm. Qualifying 3 for Round 7 of 10: The Temple. United International Raceway
“And with just two minutes left in qualifying, it’s looking more and more like Max Kerman will take pole position in what is a crucial championship fight. But we’ll see here- where will Jebediah end up as he comes out of Turn 10 and down the back straight?” The sunset glared off my tinted visor as I turned through the freshly-banked Turn 10 and flew up the track- right on the edge of grip as I flew onto the outer limit of the track. I opened up DRS and flew down the straight- the engine tone rising louder and louder as I sped up. The car started sparking over the track, and I could see the tiny flashes of light fly up into the air from my mirror behind. The engine speed rose. 160. 170. 180. 190. 200. 210. I broke 220 before slamming the brakes and flying into Turn 11 and 12. The car flowed through the apex and I slingshotted out of the Turn 12 hairpin and right down to the Runway Straight.
A couple of lights had come on around the track as the sky got darker above us, and I saw the shadows repeating over themselves as I blasted down the long straight. The tires were perfectly heated as I stormed into the Turn 13 hairpin- just a slight hint of grip loss from the front tires before I swung through the apex. I repeated the process through the next few corners- fast in, faster out.
“And now out of the final chicane; where will he be? He’s about 3 tenths up on his previous best lap, which should put him up near the top…” I pushed the car as hard as I could as I went down the straight. “And it’s…” My breath sped up as I neared the start/finish line. I blasted across, and the crowd roared as I started slowing.
“Where am I?” There was silence as the team waited. Then, the radio crackled.
“P1! One-thousandth of a second! Max is in the garage- there’s no time for another run. Pole position!”
“And that’s pole! Jebediah Kerman takes the provisional pole with just one minute left! Incredible final lap by Jeb as he storms past Max in the closing seconds of qualifying!” I pumped my fist and coasted through the kink as the seconds counted down. Through the Esses, the timer was nearing its end. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.
“Yes, guys, yes! P1! I almost lost it in 6, but we somehow held together. Y’all gave me one heck of a car though. We’ve got some work ahead of us before tomorrow, that’s for sure. Honestly though, thank you all for the amazing car, and thank you fans for the support. On to tomorrow I guess.”
11:00am, The next Day. Round 7 of 10: The Temple. United International Raceway (The Desert Temple)
“The Temple. From unknown origins, this site has been host to the pilgrimage of millions over its time. But today, the Temple is home to a different kind of pilgrimage; the K1 2037 Temple Grand Prix. Host to the 1980 season finale, the circuit has long been home to the highest speeds on the calendar. And despite all this time, this still hasn’t changed. Home to legendary corners- Kerenna, the Esses- and straights like the Runway, the track has long-been a stunning jewel on the K1 crown. However, danger lurks around every corner. Last year, a massive high-speed crash sidelined both Max and Jebediah- while the latter was left fighting for his life.
“Today, the dynamic duo of Max and Jebediah Kerman look to battle it out as they duel for the top spot. And after an incredible battle last race in Aquaria, the two are perfectly set up for an incredible showdown here today.
“With only 10 points separating the top two and three races left, the pressure has never been higher in this thrilling championship. Will the teams find a way to stay cool? Or will the heat be the downfall of a dream? It’s time for the always-thrilling Temple Grand Prix.”
…
The sun blazed down on the grid as I sat in the car with an umbrella over me. The crowd was a sea of sound- murmuring and sometimes cheering as we waited for the start of the race. Finally, after a long wait, only one red light was on- signaling 15 seconds before the start of the formation lap. The team pulled off the tire blankets (Which really served no purpose as the track temperatures were insanely high), and set the car down as the cooling ducts were pulled away. The engine rumbled and growled behind me, and I watched in my mirror as everyone else behind was pulling away from their own cars- ready for the start of the race. Finally, the light went out and we got underway on the lap.
“Car’s got a really good launch,” I radioed in as I shot forward off the grid. I started weaving to get some temps up, and tried to get the car ready for the start. This week, the car’s shark fin was 100% bare- trying to get the car as slippery as possible. We’d gotten in the “Speed” engine, which had a much higher top speed. We’d already used it in Solaria and Owlia, but this was the last race it was going to be used at.
The 2038 rules and regulations had been decided, with not much changing from concepts last race. The Shark Fin design was going to be opened up, while the engine and aerodynamics were the main changes on the season. The cars would get a re-branded and re-designed V4-E2S engine, which meant that the main engine would have a lot more power with slightly less electrics affecting the process. The turbo was upgraded to be more effective- reducing lag and increasing performance. Rules-wise, driver-to-driver comms were now outlawed, but they weren’t used for much more than post-race chatter anyways. Overall, 2038 was going to have more basic aero designs, while being faster, more challenging (Read: fun) to drive, and exciting. I couldn’t wait for the season.
I rolled over the tiny curbing strip in the kink, and tried to block out the nerves. It’s just another race. Just. Another. Race. I turned into the first corner and the crowd cheered as I passed them in the most technical (And, coincidentally, oldest) corners on the track. The car got in its rhythm as I weaved through the corners. The Esses, the Old Loop of Turn 8, and the new section of Turns 9 and 10. As I pulled out of the banked Turn 10, heat waves shimmered off the track and formed a pretty mirage down Forza- the longest straight on the track and in K1. I hit a switch on the wheel and some cool air came in to my feet through the nose- lowering the temps on my already burning legs.
“What’s the air temp out here? Feels like I’m melting already.” Some sweat rolled down my neck and I opened the visor’s air slot.
“Air temp is 105, track is at around 130. 10% humidity, and a slight wind coming out of the East. Tires are probably going to be really sliding around for the first few laps- be careful out there.” I tried to pull my foot off the pedal about halfway down the straight, but my foot was caught. I chuckled.
“Slight problem up here guys, I think my boot’s stuck on the gas pedal.” I tugged down the straight and the boot popped loose- bumping up against the puffy foam cushion as the car started slowing down. “Never mind. Really hot up in here though.” I got a drink and rolled into Turns 11 and 12 before pulling out of the corner. “What’s the strategy looking like?”
“One stop, same as normal. Pit in on Lap 14, run it to the end.” The car went down Runway and plowed through a tiny wisp of sand as it blew across the track. The circuit had gotten a repave over the offseason, and the track had gotten a bit cleaner. There was some kind of sticky surface on the runoff areas that trapped sand, and instead of natural grass (that regularly died in the heat and was a pain to maintain), turf was put in where the old grass was. Overall, the entire track looked a lot better. Still didn’t keep the desert from being… you know… a desert.
I flew through Turns 15 and 16 before weaving down the straight. About a quarter of the way to the next corner, I slowed down to an almost crawl to bunch up the field. We passed by the World Circuit (A tiny oval-like track) and the track was looking like a conga line of cars. The car rumbled over the chicane curbing, and I was rocked in my seat. I jammed the gas and fishtailed on the front straight before heading down to my grid slot. The rest of the cars quickly got onto the grid as the heat shimmered across the track. Finally, after I got a second drink of water, I watched the green flag wave in the back.
One light came on. I shut the visor and felt the smothering hot air in the visor.
Two lights. I pushed in the clutch and waited.
Three. I went into Rich and started revving up the engine.
Four. The engine rose as my heart started to beat faster.
Five. The grid was a cloud of noise, and I waited.
The lights went out and I got away with a tiny amount of wheelspin before launching out of the slot. I started shifting up the gears and looked in my mirror. The grid about 6 rows back near the rear was covered in a cloud of dust as our cars picked up the sand from the track's surface. Max didn’t get a good run compared to me, and I managed to get clear before Kerenna. I cut down entering the high-speed turn and the rest of the grid followed through. There was a roar from the crowd and I checked my mirrors to see a stark white TT Motorsports car sliding off the track on its top. Sparks flew from the engine mount as it ground along the tarmac- chucking up dust before it caught and flipped itself back over. I dove into Turn 1 but Max out broke himself and almost ran into my gearbox. I rolled into Turn 2 and got a great run out of the exit, but the wheel turned yellow as we got out of the corner.
“Safety Car, Safety Car,” Andy said over the radio as we rolled around. I sighed and went on the Super-Lean mix, which had really bad power but didn’t use hardly any fuel.
“For that? He was off the racing line and way deep in the runoff- I don’t see why we should have a Safety Car. Just stupid.” I groaned and went into Turn 6 with the field dancing behind me in a weaving conga line. “What even happened?”
“Looks like the TT dove down and tried to make a hole where there wasn’t one, and clipped a LakeFront. Everyone’s looking okay though.” It killed me to just stroll along the track, and I couldn’t help but blip the gas down Forza and let it go. Safety Cars on a long track like this were impossibly boring, and I don’t want to put y’all through that. The Safety Car pulled off the track on Lap 3, and I peeled away out of the chicane- gapping Max down the straight. I blasted down the straight to complete the lap, and watched the speed climb. 170. 180. 190. 200. Max tried to get back up to me, but we flew into Kerenna and I kept the position. The car slowed perfectly for Turn 1 and I went over the curbing on the apex. The rest of the field went through in a multicolored line of cars, which disappeared as I flung the car into Turn 3 and the Esses. The car held the grip as I felt myself get thrown against the cockpit’s side. Max gained in Turns 5 and 6- getting right on top of me out of the corner. I defended on the exit of the turn, and he tried a run around the outside. He got a wheel past, but I was holding my line through the corner. I got my rear past him in Turn 7, and managed to slip by in Turn 8 up the inside.
The crowd roared while we dueled down the 8-9 straight, but I got a big run through Turn 9 that kept an attack behind. We flew into the banked Turn 10 and I used the speed to rocket out onto the straight. The speed climbed. 140. 50. 60. 70. 80. 90. 200. 210. I hit 213 down the straight before braking for Turns 11 and 12. The car felt skittish as it lost a lot of the aero grip on braking, and I had to wheel the car through the hairpin. I missed the apex by a mile and Max took advantage- getting a nose up the inside. I forced a tiny hole on the very outer edge of the track, and dust flew up into the air as I tried to make the move stick. I used a tiny amount of slipstream from the sidepod to allow me to get alongside and eventually past in the Turn 13 braking zone. Max out broke himself and I was able to coast up the inside of the corner- sweeping by up the inside. I turned the engine down to Standard mode, while Max had to work on getting back the ground he had lost. Micheal was hovering a little bit behind us, and looked like he was just waiting to see if we messed up.
Max slipped up in the double apex of Turns 15 and 16, which gave me the chance to get out a slight gap. The car felt perfect through the next laps- flying away from Max as Micheal fell back. I blasted over the curbs and hit every apex perfectly on every lap. The car felt more like a bullet train on rails- never wavering as I flew into the corners. As I started Lap 14, the rears slipped in Kerenna- giving me a massive scare as I went wide over the rumble strip to collect a spin. I slammed the brakes and went into Turn 1 with a really compromised line that made me slip up the track.
“Boxing now,” I said to Andy as I got out of Turn 2 with my heart racing. Max was trying to reel me in, but he wasn’t close enough as I dove into the pit lane. The car went from angry howl to a kind of docile hum when I hit the pit limiter. The team was ready as I got towards the stall, and I watched as they went to work. I opened up the visor as they gave me a water bottle, and I poured it on my face for some attempt at cooling. The water trickled down my face and down my front before the jack dropped and I pulled out of the spot with a squeal of the tires and a small trail of smoke. I shook my head and closed the visor before heading down the pit lane- turning in the kink before blazing out down the 2-3 straight.
I could feel the grip in the car as I let it loose, and I started blasting through the corners. The heat was messing with the car’s grip, but I couldn’t feel it as I weaved through the Esses. Now you might be asking: Why does heat mess with aero? Well, downforce pushes the car down. That relies on air. However, whenever the air is hot, it’s less dense. This less-dense air means that the wing isn’t as effective- less air to use means less air to push the car down into the ground. That’s why some airports cancel flights due to extreme heat (Because remember- our cars are essentially upside-down aircraft wings). That’s also why cold races (Like Tekkia or the far north races like Halco and Eradica) are typically faster and grippier. And that’s your science update for today.
I flew into Turn 7 and looked up the inside of Micheal, who hadn’t pitted yet. He cut me off in Turn 8 and I was forced to look at his rear wing on the apex. I cut down to make a pass but he cut down with me and forced me to brake. I went around the outside and popped up into Rich mix- sweeping around his right side on the apex. I was well clear into Turn 10 and the crowd roared their approval as the right sides kissed the concrete runoff and tossed up a tiny puff of dust.
“Micheal’s got to get out of the way,” I protested to Andy as I went down Forza. “I know he thinks he’s fast, but he’s really not. Just getting in the way. I lost about a second or two in that corner- he’s got to know that we’re not racing him.” I looked in my mirror and watched as Micheal swept past me up the inside. I knew he was going way too fast into Turn 11, and I tried to get out his way. However, Micheal went way wide and I couldn’t get through as we both missed the apex by a couple of feet. I turned in and he went straight-on into me, and as he ran over my right front Micheal speared off left before I carried on.
“For God sake,” I sighed as I went down the Runway straight. “That’s what he gets. Not wanting to sound like a jerk but he shouldn’t have tried that move. Micheal just killed our run- if we lose time to Max I’m gonna be mad.” The car hadn’t taken any damage (somehow), and I pushed through the lap to get back the lost time. The fresh tires made such a massive difference in the lap, and I could make up the time on Max quickly. I flew through Turn 19 and did my best to start catching up- getting a perfect run out of the corner and blasting down the straight.
Max had just gotten out the pit box, and I flew past with ease and got by. I swung into the Kerenna Kink and broke for Turn 1- just getting the car under control before getting into the turn. Max was just behind me as I pulled out of Turn 2, and I had to bear down and break away. I knew I had about half a lap while Max got to speed with the “cold” tires, so I tried to pull away in the fast corners. The car flew through 3 and 4, and I rolled over the curbing in 5. Max lost some time and I took advantage- pulling out a tiny gap through Turn 6. Max was running hard down the straight, and swept around the outside into 7 as the Rich revs went to work. I defended up the inside and the crowd roared.
I got past his left side out of Turn 7 and managed to get clear out of Turn 8. I swept up and cut off his run down the straight, but he tried to slipstream me. I darted down and tried to stop the slipstream, but he followed me down. I went back up to get a run for Turn 9 but he stayed down to look up the inside. I had to leave some room and we went side by side with each other down into Turn 10 out of the fast 9. I couldn’t get a run out of 10 and we were still right next to each other down the long straight. Max had the DRS and started getting past, but I popped into the slipstream to get a tiny bit of time back. The engine yelled as it climbed up in speed, and we both dove into Turn 11 on the brakes. There wasn’t any DRS down the Runway Straight and I managed to get in the slipstream- swinging by around the right side well before Turn 13.
“Nice pass there, Jeb,” Andy said as I pulled away from the corner. “12 to go now. Push on- we can get this.” I blasted out of Turn 14 at full speed and collected the rear on a tiny little power slide after running a bit wide over the rumble strip on the outside. Max lost a ton of ground and didn’t contest down the Inner Straight- the oldest and longest straight-line section on the track. I extended the gap in the double apex of 15-16, and flung myself down the track. Max lost a lot of time out of the corners (Probably due to the dirty air), and I blasted through the Chicane. Suddenly, my dash lights went yellow.
“Safety Car, Safety Car,” Andy exclaimed. I groaned. Before I could even ask what happened, Andy was on the ball. “A LakeFront blew up down the 8-9 straight and couldn’t get to a runoff in time. Go ahead and be ready for Max to try a comeback on the restart.” I shook my head and went down to the Ultra-Lean mix. We caught up with the Safety Car and I started weaving behind as the rest of the field caught up.
Finally, on Lap 20, we were released. I got a massive launch out of 19 and used my momentum to grow a lead out to Max and Louie in P3. The Monster actually passed Max before Kerenna, but Max easily got by well before Turn 1. I had already grown a gap through 6, and Max tried to close in on the two-second lead. I felt the car roll through the turns so easily, and I knew it was my job to hold the gap. Max couldn’t close in that well- despite a minor mistake out of Turn 12 that cost me a ton of time down the straight. I hit the gas too early and the wheels spun- making me fishtail a bit and laying down two black lines on the tarmac. Finally, it was time for the last lap.
I flew into Kerenna at max speed- rolling up on the curb on corner exit. The rumble strip rattled the car as I cut back down, and I broke in for Turn 1. The crowd whistled and cheered at me as I passed them, and I weaved into Turns 1 and 2. Max was too far back to mount a challenge, and I went a little bit easy. I flung the car into Turn 3 and flew through the Esses. The car drove magnificently, and I pulled out of the slightly banked Turn 6 with as much speed as I could. I flew down into 7 and 8- two corners that were tight left-handed hairpins that were part of the old circuit. I didn’t pay much attention to the massive grandstand that went around Turn 10, and focused on running down Forza. The speed climbed- 180, 190, 200, 210. I hit the brakes at 217, and the car flew hard in Turn 11. I went over the Turn 12 apex and went down the Runway with ease as Max came out of the corner about 5 seconds behind me. The crowd cheered as I flew out of Turn 14, and I felt my heart rate rise. My head started playing flashbacks to the crash.
“Big crash…”
“Will he race again?”
“Almost died..”
“Strong enough?”
“Scared?”
“What’s going to happen?”
“Kerenna. What now? Race Championship Temple Step away Retire Stop Too dangerous Death Largest crash in K1 history.”
The noise in my head stopped as I stormed out of Turn 16. Then, I saw a reporter during an interview that I had watched before the season started.
“Can he do it?” There was silence as I hit the brakes for the chicane. I hit curb and flew into the corner. Then, I heard a sigh as time slowed down. “Really?”
“It’s going to be really hard for him to come back from this kind of situation.”
“So you’re saying no?”
“I’m not saying that.” I hit the Turn 18 and 19 curbs right on cue. “But here’s the question. Will Jebediah find the strength to face his demons at the Temple? Will he ever win again?” I exhaled and saw the start/finish line getting bigger and bigger as I rolled down the straight. Everything went silent, and a voice in my head said one thing. Yes.
100 meters to the victory. The crowd was cheering and clapping as air horns went off in the stands.
75. The team was up on the wall- beaming smiles and pumping their fists as I got closer. I felt emotion start to clump up in my throat.
50. I started weaving. This is it.
25. I stuck my fist up in the air and felt the wind grab it- trying to pull it back. The checkered flag started dropping.
0. The crowd roared and I pumped my fist as I crossed the line. I rolled down the straight and saw Max cross the line- waving to the crowd and celebrating a P2 finish. I keyed the radio- emotion almost choking me out as I yelled.
“YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!! YES GUYS! Thank y’all so much for the weekend- that’s just amazing.” Some tears leaked out and I sniffed as I went down the straight. “I can’t believe I just did that. This is so cool, holy cow.”
“Congratulations, Jeb, that’s P1! Amazing drive in the race- awesome work. We know how much this one meant to you. Everyone was hoping you would get that win.” I went to the outside of Kerenna, and parked the car well off the track.
“Can I burn it down?” There was some silence before Andy responded. In that silence, I could hear the crowd cheering off to the side- celebrating the victory in the stands behind the wall. Finally, I got an answer.
“Go for it.”
I jammed the gas and the tires spun- turning the rear of the car into a cloud of smoke. I shot forward and drove along for a little bit in a ginormous wheelspin before pushing the wheel right and looping around. I was covered in a cloud of white tire smoke as the engine screamed- drowning out the sound of the crowd. The rest of the grid went past and I saw Max stopped behind me before I spun around again. I stuck my fist up in the air and spun for a little bit more before finally coming to a halt. The crowd cheered and whistled, and I waited for a gap in the cars before going on. I waved to the crowd as I rolled along the track- trying to clear my eyes. Suddenly, the radio crackled and I heard a familiar voice over my ear plugs.
“Is that my big bro out there?” I smiled and pulled through Turn 3- rolling over the curbing and weaving through the Esses.
“How’d you get all the way out here,” I asked- gunning the gas and blasting through the corners. I passed a RedWing around the outside of Turn 6 before slowing down and waving to the next patch of fans.
“Summer break! Plus, it’s not every day I get to see a race like that.” I shook my head and laughed as I pulled through Turn 7.
“It feels good to be back at the top,” I admitted with a sigh. “Really good.”
I leaped out of the car in the paddock and the team cheered as I ran over to them. The crowd cheered and clapped, and I could practically feel the energy pulsing off everyone at the podium area. Or maybe it was the 106º heat. Louis, Max, and I all went up the steps to the podium lounge, where I immediately grabbed a bottle of water and poured it down my back and on my face. The freezing water sent shivers and I did a weird jerky dance before stepping away. All three of us were covered in sweat and I could tell Max was really tired as he laid down across the entire couch- a cold towel on his face.
“Good race,” I said, patting his foot as I sat down on the armrest. Max made a kind of tired groan and flapped his hand in my direction like a wounded bird. The race took everything out of all of us. But I had done it. Finally.
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No-one mentioning BDA? Sheesh
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Well what do you know, this place is still alive... I think.
16 (-) Let's go
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Can't decide what to build next in my KSP war save. I'm thinking either A) A Panavia Tornado, B) A SEPECAT Jaguar, or C) Upgrade my current fleet of aircraft. Knowing me I'll probably do C, but who knows
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Cowboys won, so that was awesome
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13 minutes ago, CatastrophicFailure said:
It’s a worthy thing to be concerned over, sleep deprivation has a way of eating away at you over time until one day you (pardon the phrase) wake up with a bonafide sleep disorder. And if you think there’s even the slightest chance of an underlying mental factor, it would be wise to see a doctor about it. There’s no need in this modern world to just “suffer through it.”
I know that it's a problem, (And this is gonna sound really stupid) but I don't know where I can fit in any doctors visits. My school does its best to punish you for missing school days thanks to our college-like block schedule, where missing just one day is the equivalent of missing two or more. Even if it was just for a class period or two, missing time for something like a mental problem is typically frowned upon. It's a stupid situation that's making a scary situation scarier.
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15 minutes ago, CatastrophicFailure said:
This seems likely if you were sufficiently zombiefied... but seriously, bruh, you Ok? I’m not one to put much stock in interwebz health screens, but insomnia gets real serious real fast.
1I should be okay- I've done a lot more work on a lot less sleep (I once had to go to school at 6:00 and I only got to sleep at like 3:45), but it's still concerning. I've got workouts today so hopefully I'll be tired out enough to actually go to sleep tonight.
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44 minutes ago, Geonovast said:
...how did you plan to heat the car up if it wasn't running?
I turned on the heater. I thought the engine was on all the way, but I guess I didn't quite get there.
36 minutes ago, TheSaint said:Dead/dying alternator? Ten minutes should have been more than enough to recharge the battery after one start, even in the cold.
I don't think that I got the key all the way forward to actually fire the ignition. I only got enough to where the battery was getting spent. A rookie mistake on my end, and one that I (Hopefully) won't repeat in the near future.
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Literally the exact opposite of "Funny" but definitely interesting. Here's a timeline of November 26th.
12 am: Can't sleep. Hop downstairs to do some computer stuff for a while. Decide to take some mental health screens. It turns out I'm "Severely Depressed," at serious risk of self-harm, have severe anxiety, am Bipolar positive, and at risk for something called psychosis. All fun things.
1 am: Still can't sleep. Have resorted to going for the "Tire self out on Youtube" method
2 am: Still can't sleep.
2:30: Okay now I can sleep
6:20 am: Alarm goes off. Turn into a generic zombie and try to wake up via groans.
7:15 am: Trudge downstairs and eat some breakfast
7:20 am: Turn car on to heat it up
7:30 am: After checking my snapchat, I head out to put my stuff in my car. Remove keys to lock house door, walk out to the car, put keys in the ignition, turn, and..... nothin. Try again. Nothing. Try a third time and the car makes this weird buzzing noise as all the lights on the dash weakly flicker before sputtering to its demise. I dun killed the battery.
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The Raptor I (Also known as the loving name "The Silver Bullet" due to its metallic paint scheme) didn't work as well as it could. The rocket itself ended up launching perfectly.... followed by it spinning unconrollably. It impacted the ground before the parachute even deployed. The innards (Parachute, parachute chord, etc.) are mildly singed, but overall not a total loss. The engine itself is toast- black, sulfer-smelling toast. We lost Fin 1 due to carelessness (Some bystanding student decided to toss the rocket to one of my group members), while Fin 2 is hanging on by a thread from ground impact caused by a poor COM balance. Overall, our problem came from 2 things.
1) The rocket's engine is tilted a bit.
2) The rocket had a small COM issue where the launch lug was heavier than the fins, which dragged down the sides. However, I think that the experience of actually building the thing is more important than the results. Pictures (And video) to come later. -
2 hours ago, cubinator said:
OpenRocket, by any chance?
And what class is your motor?
Ding Ding Ding!!!
The Estes D12 Rocket motor with a 5-second ejection charge (Estes D12-5)
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So today, we're starting rockets in physics. Easy. Freaking. Peasy. I go onto the design program we're using, make a basic PVC body, cardboard fins, and 3D printed nosecone with the provided engine, and go crazy. After tweaking, I managed to create a monster.
835m Apogee
177m/s max velocity
But then, I ran into a problem. The motor we're using has a set charge time. We can't change parachute launch stats. *sigh*
New stats:
644m Apogee
171m/s max velocity
Errors: Chute is deploying at 47.8m/s.
The apogee on the Raptor I is a stunning 2,112.9 feet. I think we might have to call the FAA. And get more durable chutes.
We just went on You Tube and watched the commercial highlights after we got home from church last night. (Jeep won for the feels. But "Advertising Ruins Everything" was the funniest. 
)
Make a wish... and have it horribly corrupted!
in Forum Games!
Posted
Granted. There's now two of you and both are used for research on human cloning.
I wish that it was track season already.