cass

assigned catgirl at birth

white, early twenties, disabled, lesbian, plural. a cat that just so happens to be a person. sister of @yrgirlkv. makes things, sometimes.


last.fm (cassandra-rose)
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MayaGay
@MayaGay
YOU – Wow, I never went on a date with anybody famous before...

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOGTch. If you knew who I am, who I really am, you wouldn’t want to be in that chair across from me.

YOU – Well that’s why I asked you here, to learn more about you. Do you have any hobbies?

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Hobbies are for those who live a life not marked for death. That is not me. I am always working towards my mission, and that mission is the Chaos Emeralds.

YOU - Oh, so you like jewelry?

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Heh, I am not some damn teenager obsessed with trinkets.

YOU – But you just said you like emeralds.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOGThe Chaos Emeralds.

YOU – Yeah, are those like for earrings or something?

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG You don’t know what the Chaos Emeralds are?

YOU – No, not really.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Seriously? How is that even possible? The Chaos Emeralds are the most powerful objects in the known universe. With their power I can achieve Chaos Control.

YOU – Oh okay.

WAITER – Would you like anything to drink?

YOU – I’ll have a sparkling water.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG My thirst can only be quenched by revenge. But I will have a Mountain Dew Code Red.

WAITER – Very good sir.

YOU – So, you seem to be really into chaos then.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG It is my destiny.

YOU – I don’t know if I really believe in destiny. I think we are put on this Earth for reasons beyond our understanding, and then it’s our job to just muddy through and make meaning of it.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Tch, this is why I don’t do things like this. I was LITERALLY created to be the ultimate life form. Before I even set foot on this planet my destiny was carved into stone.

YOU – You’re not from Earth?

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG No, I was born in space. I came to Earth after you humans forced me here, after the death of Professor Robotnik, and Maria...

YOU – Oh god, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to get so heavy so quickly.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG I did not expect you to understand.

WAITER – Here is your water, and your Code Red. What will we be having for our main course?

YOU – Ooh, the pappardelle looks fantastic! But I’ve heard the ossobuco is to die for here. What do you think?

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG I am fine with the Mountain Dew.

YOU – You’re not going to eat anything?

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG I agreed to this silly ritual, but I do not see the need to prolong it.

YOU – Fine. Well I will have the ossobuco then. And please bring two sets of silverware.

WAITER – Of course.

YOU – I get the feeling you’re not in relationships very often.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Those connections only hold me back.

YOU – It seems like you’re trying to protect yourself.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Heh, I do not need protection.

YOU – But look at how worried you are about opening up even a little to me. I’m trying to understand you more and you’re actively sabotaging that with your attitude.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Fool. It is you that I am protecting. I may seem to you like some of the other creatures you see here, but I am not. I am the ultimate lifeform. And that comes with risks to anybody who is close to me.

YOU – You said you had people close to you pass.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG I don’t want to talk about it.

YOU – We already are.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG And what good is that doing, mulling over it, huh? I cannot bring them back with words, I can only honor them through my actions.

YOU – It was the same for me when my grandparents passed. At first I hated talking about them cause it did nothing but fill me with so much sorrow, and nothing came from it but more pain. But the more that I did I found myself actually becoming closer to them, because then they seemed to be involved in my life and decisions again.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG I am sorry for your loss.

YOU – I am for yours too. How is the Mountain Dew?

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG It is a damn good vintage.

WAITER – And here is your food. Watch the plate, it is hot to the touch.

YOU – Mmm! Oh my god, Shadow, you have got to try this.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Well, I guess a little couldn’t hurt…RRRRGH!!! This can’t be!

YOU – Careful! Your hand’s on the plate!

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG I guess I'm not at full power here.

YOU – So? What do you think?

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Hmph. Perfect.

YOU – I’m glad. Please, take as much as you want. It’s for the both of us.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG I thank you for your kindness. I am not used to such a show of generosity.

YOU – I get the feeling you have been hurt by others.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Yes, sometimes. But often I am the one who is doing the hurting. For years it was a show of pride, proof not only of the abilities I have but also allowing me to take back what was taken from me by force here. I almost destroyed the world you know.

YOU – You mean you came here from space to blow up the Earth?

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Well I thought that’s what they wanted from me, once. But I made a promise to Maria, a promise to protect this planet.

YOU – So you were LITERALLY put on this Earth, for a reason that you did not understand, then spent time figuring it out and eventually made meaning of your life here?

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG ...

YOU – Seems like I understood that after all.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Perhaps you are a worthy adversary.

WAITER – The check. Thank you for dining with us this evening.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG I got it.

YOU – No, please. I ordered more than you, you didn’t even get a dinner.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG The ossobuco was for two, no? You know, I had a really nice time.

YOU – Me too. Would you like see each other again?

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG Sorry, I kinda got this thing with a big titty bat lady and I don’t want to mess that up.



(a note, before we begin: there is definitely a connected theme between my upcoming subway sunday essays, and they serve to make a single, semi-cohesive argument about the state of rail in the new york city area. this post is not part of that, hence the title "aside." i don't currently have any plans for any more of these, but it's entirely possible more ideas will pop up, so here's a... side issue? for the subway sunday saga? anyway. enjoy.)

there are a lot of transit terms that get thrown around these days. "light rail," "heavy rail," "commuter rail," "rapid transit," "metro system"--there are just tons of them, and their definitions all tend to overlap. so here's a glossary/slight ramble (read: eleven hundred words to define five terms) on what all of these commonly used terms mean... or don't mean, or sometimes mean. sigh. let's just get into it.

LIGHT vs. HEAVY RAIL

let's start with light rail, as it's the most unambiguous. wikipedia describes light rail as such:

Light rail transit (LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit characterized by a combination of tram and rapid transit features. While its rolling stock is more similar to a traditional tram, it operates at a higher capacity and speed, and often on an exclusive right-of-way. In many cities, light rail transit systems more closely resemble, and are therefore indistinguishable from, traditional underground or at-grade subways and heavy-rail metros.

ok! great! wikipedia is already telling us that light rail is indistinguishable from heavy rail in certain cases. while this is techincally true, we can look to the definition of heavy rail to illustrate a consistent difference. the American Public Transportation Association defines heavy rail as "an electric railway with the capacity to handle a heavy volume of traffic." (emphasis mine.) the volume of traffic is key: light rail systems usually have lower capacities than full-scale heavy rail transit networks.

of course, what defines a "heavy volume" of traffic varies from city to city. in the united states, at the very least, a few additional criteria might be present to help distinguish light rail from heavy rail.

  • light rail often has a much lower maximum speed than heavy rail.
  • light rail typically has smaller rolling stock (trains) than heavy rail.
  • light rail often operates at street level, often next to standard road traffic without any sort of dividing barrier. while these are not guaranteed to be the case with light rail, they serve to further differentiate the category from heavy rail, which defines more robust single-city transit systems, such as the NYC subway or the chicago El.

RAPID TRANSIT, COMMUTER, OR INTER-CITY?

again, let's start with the easiest to define terms first. inter-city rail specifically refers to passenger rail that travels between distinct metropolitan areas. in the united states, this more or less exclusively means amtrak; in other countries, it usually refers to any national or international transit network that exists in that country. where the ambiguity begins, however, is with commuter rail and rapid transit.

let's use wikipedia's definitions again, just so we have a jumping off point:

Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be called a subway, tube, or underground. Unlike buses or trams, rapid transit systems are railways (usually electric) that operate on an exclusive right-of-way, which cannot be accessed by pedestrians or other vehicles, and which is often grade-separated in tunnels or on elevated railways.

okay, well, shit, there's a word we've already defined. let's look at commuter rail, maybe that'll make things easier:

Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are considered heavy rail, using electrified or diesel trains. Distance charges or zone pricing may be used.

Generally commuter rail systems are considered heavy rail,

Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro,

:|

alright, so here's the deal. "heavy rail" can mean a lot of things. in the context of metropolitan transit systems, it usually refers to both the size of the operation and the actual size of the train, and so is used pseudo-synechdochally to refer to a rapid transit network as a whole. however, since commuter rail systems also use larger rolling stock and serve greater amounts of people, they count as heavy rail, which makes it very confusing to call rapid transit "heavy rail."

so what've we learned so far? don't use "rapid transit" and "heavy rail" interchangeably. it's confusing.

...anyway. onto the difference between Rapid Transit and Commuter Rail, for real this time.

there are a lot of differences that're usually present: rapid transit systems typically have flat fares while commuter rail has zones, rapid transit typically runs far more frequently than commuter rail, commuter rail almost always operates under the spoke-and hub system1, etc.

however, none of those are actually consistent. each one i mentioned has significant exceptions to the rule across the board: so a different metric is necessary: scale. commuter rail is, generally speaking, intended to serve a whole metropolitan area: the NYC metro as opposed to just the city proper, chicagoland as opposed to just chicago, the bay area as opposed to san francisco--

hey wait a minute.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves 50 stations along six routes on 131 miles (211 kilometers) of rapid transit lines,

a screencap of the wikipedia page quoted above. the text visible reads 'Locale: San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties)' a screencap of the wikipedia page for the bay area. the text reads 'Nine-county area: 6,966 sq mi'

Bay Area RAPID TRANSIT

come the fuck OOOON.

sigh.

ultimately, what is or isn't a rapid transit system is kind of arbitrary. there's definitely a rough vibe and purpose that's mostly distinct from commuter rail, but ultimately it's a spectrum, and any attempt to draw a strict dividing line will result in catastrophe. it's like the gender of trains, i guess.

see you next time for a proper subway sunday post!


1 the model of transit in which various less common destinations are all linked to a central major destination, as opposed to being linked to each other. the T in boston and the El in chicago are run this way... and those are both rapid transit systems. like i say a paragraph later: these are not consistent points with which you can determine which kind of system is which.