#Macro-Life Elite

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Socialism has many forms The first hallmark of any experience is 'alienation', a term borrowed from the humanist Marxist tradition, where workers feel 'alienated' from their work due to an exploitative relationship with the capitalist. In the current context, alienation extends to cover alienation from one's country, work, family and sometimes friends. The modern serf suffers from contradictions of self-loathing combined with a deeply rooted sense of superiority. In other words, one feels a sense of contempt for one's fellow serfs combined with a sense of admiration for one’s own position among the serfs.

So I told myself, “I am better than them”, it is “their fault”, and that somehow my disposition is more “western”, “liberal” or “secular”. This complex manifested itself in a conversation I had with friends who were justifying European right wing racism as the direct product of Arab immigrants’ behaviour, rather than a complicated historical dynamic of colonialism, neo-colonialism, as well as European policies of segregation. In the end Franz Fanon’s dictum: “the oppressed believe the worst about themselves” has proven to be undeniably and painfully true.

This is also fed by autocratic elites, who mix a rhetoric of ultra-nationalism combined with self-contempt. This contempt, however, is primarily reserved for the lower classes, especially those who reside in rural areas i.e. the majority of the people. This rhetoric helps to build up a general anti-democratic sentiment, reminiscent of the struggle for universal suffrage in Europe, where the upper classes feared that the lower classes would overthrow the current order through the ballot box. It places the elites alongside the urban middle class in the role of guardians of the nation, who will guide the “lost children” to the correct path. Apparently, the old colonial elites left deputies behind to continue their work. Thus, the nation becomes divided between those who identify themselves with the western world and those who are left behind. 

The sense of ultra-nationalism manifests itself in the imaginary achievement of the elites, especially on the international scene. The idea that the nation is somehow better than other nations is engraved in the minds of the urban middle class and propagated to the lower classes. The comparison, however, is usually restricted on a regional level. A clear example of this is the sense of superiority that many Egyptians feel in relation to Gulf States, even though Egypt has become ever more dependent on them for aid and financial support. Thus, the average Arab suffers from a multilayered experience of oppression, one that relates to direct government oppression, in the traditional sense; another that relates to the oppression of the urban middle class regarding the lower classes, and finally the oppression the serf applies to himself by believing in his own inferiority.

The second hallmark, is a traditional hallmark of serfdom, which relates to being tied to the land. Unlike in Europe or the western world, freedom of movement in the Arab World is severely limited for most countries. This limitation means that the ability of surplus labour to find appropriate employment is almost non-existent, lowering their ability to bargain for better wages or conditions. In other words, the mass of the people are overworked and underpaid, with little hope or prospect of escape. The most that one can hope for is an escape to the capital, which might provide better opportunities, but chances of ending up in large slums and working informally are more than likely. 

How does this translate into daily life terms? This means that the oppression of the elites seeps through to the work place, and the employer, who usually belongs to the elites, has a share in the powers of the country’s autocrats. In other words, oppression is not limited to the macro level, it is rather a holistic social condition that encompasses the entire existence of the oppressed. Organs of civil society, for example, defined in the broader sense of the word, are part of the machinery of oppression.

This oppression needs an ideological backbone, and this is built by immersing the oppressed in 'neo-colonial' rhetoric, and a particular version of history that favours the elites. This is done through film and educational institutions, where history is re-written to create heroes and villains, omitting others from its pages. This method involves the creation of a mind-set of obedience and absolute truth. So the serfs oppress one another if one tries to question the 'official' version of history: since this makes life even less bearable, the oppressed tend to prefer to have a 'false consciousness'. 

Here, Plato’s allegory of the cave comes to mind, where one of the prisoners leaves the cave in which he was imprisoned, only to be heavily critiqued by the other prisoners upon his return for speaking about the outside world . 

The third hallmark is the dispersal of oppression into all levels of life. The workplace, school and even the home. There is only one absolute truth, and its owner is the benevolent father figure.

The fourth hallmark, is the arbitrary nature of this oppression. In the Arab World, societal power is concentrated in the hands of a small elite; there is no legal protection for the average citizen as laws are tailored for the protection of these elites. Under these conditions, one need only inadvertently get entangled in a conflict with one of the elites to face a rather grim fate. Even a personal conflict can escalate into a rather grim affair, where the serf would be oppressed by the official organs of the state with no legal recourse. In other words, the elites are immune, while others suffer from severe oppression over non-political issues. Oppression is ever present.

The final attribute is the global nature of this condition. Even if one of the serfs escapes fiefdom to the west, he faces a new type of oppression. Usually arriving and hoping to join a more humane and tolerant society, she or he harbours dreams of 'belonging' and of becoming European, in every sense of the word. However, he/she faces a new kind of oppression, one that treats their existence in Europe as a mistake that needs to be corrected. The newcomer faces the trauma of rejection by a society that they thought they belonged to.

This trauma causes a break with their old identity as 'superior' to the other serfs. They realize that in the eyes of the west they are nothing but serfs, no better than their compatriots, and they come to realize, as I did, that there is no escape from Mubarak or, now, El-Sisi. My oppressors know no bounds, and my fate is tied to theirs. This, of course is limited to the urban middle classes that have the financial resources to escape to the west. However, the masses of serfs are either unable to escape, due to their societal and financial standing, or make their way through illegal immigration on hazardous journeys, where death by drowning seems more plausible than safe arrival. If they survive the trip, they face another array of oppressive tactics that include physical oppression.

This almost complete system of oppression can only be broken on an international scale. The struggle is against a global, rather than domestic system of oppression. It is important to understand that the struggle of Egyptians, Syrians, Iranians…etc is in essence a struggle against a social condition, what I call “modern serfdom”, which has its roots in international, as well as, domestic social orders. 11/23/2024 10:08:32 AM Jacksonville, Florida USA From: Steven P. Miller, @ParkermillerQ,   gatekeeperwatchman.org  TM ‎Founder and Administrator of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups. #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Sparkermiller www.facebook.com/gatekeeperwatchnan www.facebook.com/ Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956

[allycat75]

Decide what to be and go be it, Boston Dumb Fuck!

(Still feel I am screaming into a void but feel I need to get this out)

We get it, you're "Mercurial". How fucking charming! Well, maybe what you were was lacking in character and moral fortitude that allowed you to go from feminist woke male to slutty fuckboi without blinking an eye. And look where that has gotten you- "married" to an arrogant, selfish, insecure, fatshaming, racist, antisemite Lolita who you don't even want to touch and makes you look like a sickly, creepy uncle. Well done!

We all recognize there is a big, bad wolf lurking in the shadows, pulling the strings of this nightmare puppet show and is threatening to blow your house down. But guess what? It is already gone. No one wants to hire you for any acting work- there are cheaper, younger, better looking, and probably more talented "Chris Evans" types avaliable. Tying yourself to the wifey and her basket of deplorables doesn't ingratiate you to the elite anymore. Your friends are tired of being cast in this net of lies. Your clout chasers are going to abandon you once they realize your name doesn't have the same cache it used to. Jinx may not want to have a lying, Nazi-lover as their spokesperson (even if he is paying their bills). Most of your true fans have bled out; you know, the dick-pic protection squad kind of fans. And that Empress Unicorn the tarot readers all saw for you. She may still be there, but you, good sir, have so much growing up to do, she probably won't be there by the time you get back to being a halfway decent person, that is if you aren't coward enough to even start the journey in the first place.

You could blame so many things for this failure of integrity, but mostly I blame that asinine idea of shushing every thought in your head. I know at least one of those voices was screaming at you not to get into this mess, but because you are a child of privlege you have not known real consequences, so why listen now. I hope this is part of your growing up, you man-child. There are scary things that do happen and our job as rational adults is to learn how to adjudicate the nonsense so we can listen to what our body and the universe is telling us- the micro and the macro. Balance and harmony isn't just about dealing with the stuff we want to. You belong to a larger ecosystem and you can't take yourself out of the equation.

So I have to ask- was it all worth it, since it all burned to the ground anyway? Can you now muster up that character and moral fortitude, not for some external reward, but so you can look at yourself in the mirror and not be disgusted by what you see? Or are you going to continue down the soulless path, believing the lies you are telling to live to rest of your life in a fortress of gold painted dirt?

[pynkhues]

Re: the Roy kids and colleges - I think Logan would obviously want Kendall, Roman, and Shiv to attend elite universities to demonstrate their "seriousness", but we also know he has a complicated relationship with that particular strain of American culture, so I think there'd also be a lot of comments around the dinner table about "pointy-headed Harvard f*cks" or whatever when Kendall comes home wanting to show off what he's learned in his macro-economics class. In other words, the kids' relationship to a college degree/experience and the status it brings would range from "i need to do this because I'm going to take over the empire one day" (Kendall) to totally dismissive (Roman). Another thought is that none of them have any real interest in developing social lives or making real connections beyond the incredibly narrow social circles of the 1%, which would definitely affect their choice of school. ie - my headcanon is that Roman either follows Kendall to Harvard for his undergraduate studies or else attends NYU or Columbia, both elite schools that would allow him to maintain a totally separate social life from his "normo" classmates while still showing up to class very occasionally, something that's harder to do at Dartmouth (in the middle of nowhere New Hampshire where it's snowing six months out of the year) or another bucolic elite liberal arts college.

As for Shiv, I could see her choosing the West Coast as a way of putting some space between her and her brothers--Stanford, or USC for their communications school. She wouldn't need a graduate degree for a career as a political strategist, especially not if she majored in political science or communications (I feel like Logan made a call to hook her up at a PR or communications firm for her first "job", which is how she made the jump to the liberal political world).

I totally agree Connor dropped out of whatever university he started attending, and Logan probably didn't notice or care.

(x)

Oh, I loooove your point about Logan's complicated relationship with that part of American culture and how that likely trickled down to his attitude with the kids. I think you're spot on, particularly in terms of his own degree of education. I hadn't really given all that much thought to whether or not Logan himself was college educated, but I'm inclined to think he's not (I imagine he was working for Noah at the print shop from the time he was pretty young), which is an interesting beat in furthering that divide of Logan having been raised working class vs himself raising upper class children.

It makes me think about Logan's fixation on Roman not knowing the price of milk, and how much the internal company management training meant to him. There's a degree of control in that, of course, but it's an interesting shift when you consider Kendall's canonically pretty educated (likely the most educated of the siblings at least), and that narrative choice timing with Roman's ascension in Logan's eyes and the focus on Roman having something akin to Logan's gut instinct - a sort of masculinised trait - while Kendall's losing rank and temporarily(?) locked into an emasculated / feminised role as Logan's handmaid / nurse / sacrificial lamb.

I like your point about their social circles too, and how that impacted the way they engaged with college. I was least sure about Roman, and I think your theory makes a lot of sense, especially with the way he tends to dismiss things out of what I tend to interpret as a fear of rejection. He can't fail if he never tries, y'know? And I can see Roman doubling down on just passing and not bothering deeper engagement if Logan himself is dismissive or snide of college achievements or even the college environment broadly.

Your Shiv point is definitely making me rethink her path too, because while I do think she's competitive enough with Kendall and (despite herself) enjoys a fishbowl enough to do postgrad too, I think you're right that she might want both distance and to get out there faster. I think I've talked about it before, but I'm a little obsessed with Shiv's impatience, haha. I think it's a really realistic character beat for her to constantly be feeling like she has to catch-up and overtake her brothers, both as the youngest and the only girl, and I can see that making her wanting to power through college and get out into the workforce faster. Depending on what you think the age gap is between her and Kendall too (I think I tend to think it's less than most people? I do think the golden trio are supposed to be relatively close in age), she could be gunning to be out in the workforce at the same time as him to give herself and their father the illusion of them kicking off the same starting line for once.

It's such an interesting period to think about!

[anmolsmsblog]

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[craftholsters]

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[lesser-mook]

Evolution is just change, change is just part of the design. They're not separate. (The Folly of Accidental Design)

Thats the riddle humans need to figure out and stop trying to make the two separate because tribalism is one helluva drug that man can't seem to quit.

If spontaneous combustion of all that is- is accidental, how does Evolution happen accidentally without design to aplly specific function when according to these same people, all of it is meaningless anyway BECAUSE its an accident.

So if its an accident, why is there specific functions applied to micro-animals we cant even see?? Why do microorganisms serve a purpose, why does anything serve a function if its all an accident anyway?

The lie itself isn't even sustainable. Red flag.

One of the biggest lies is religion using the truth as a weapon and the scientist enclave convincing people that universal specification and design from the solar system operating like an atom, to us designing computers, tv & smart phones like mini-universes in our hands just like God or Quantum Intelligence designed this simulation we live in.

Hell we modeled an actual game after our own simulation (The Sims) where we are god watching our creation.

The Earth being specified for our every need from herbs, spices, livestock, natural painkillers, water. Etc. Even using our corpses as fertilizer.

Some parasites are harmful to humans but help the ecosystem which includes humans.

From a microorganism animal living on your skin, the bacteria in your mouth. To a Seed with glider wings. To a SuperNova. Or Eclipse.

All of that parallel, ALL of that specific function is an accident, all a coincidence. 😂Bold faced lie told by smart people.

And the elites pushing that crap, so many more smart people writing all those folly books & narratives trying to convince you a macrocosm of articulate CONSISTENT effects & functionality NO DIFFERENT from a computer (a creation of man which is not an accident) is somehow a meaningless accident anyway on a macro-cosmic scale.

This isn't even about God, think of it as what it is a Transdimensional "Quantum Intelligence". Really think about how specific everything is from a blade of grass to our own white blood cells.

Think about how eerie it is that most of what we do & create emulates the universe.

Just as the orbiting motion of the solar system emulates the atom, a lot people overlook that.

Evolution Scientists/Theorists (Keyword:THEORY) explaining how things work aren't wrong. The folly is not their findings on how organisms develop the issue is some do not credit it to any design, when by design its too consistent and articulate to be an accident, its not wishful thinking, it's simple logic.

Cause and Effect. You dont get a chemical reaction without a catalyst, it just doesnt happen. Anything less is magic or a very elaborate cope to dance around the fact that some people refuse to admit that something primed this dimension that we perceive to be: Life

So at that point it boils down to hubris, ego. I have zero problem considering that this is all a very very epic nigh impossible happenstance-- I'm not above the possibility that it is an accident. That all of this is a result of matter, particles and gas compiling and colliding into cosmic crescendo.

I can consider that it is exactly that. Thats intellectual honesty.

But what most ppl need to consider is can you get out of your own way and see what is as it is, regardless if the realization intimidates your existential confidence in what you WANT to be true because what most of us want is a sense of control than the truth.

Anything less is Blue Pill baby. Blue pill.

Two lies of the same rusty coin. Misuse the truth or deny it.

One as a means of control.

The other is a desperate attempt to maintain an illusion of control.

Otherwise, a seed with wings, incredible. That's one spectacularly specified/ modified accident.

The code of the universe is what drives function: DNA

If there is functionality thus function was installed, if it's installed, that implies design. Design is not random.

Do what I did: merely consider it.

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Gilded Wolves. By Roshani Chokshi. Wednesday Books, 2018.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Genre: fantasy

Series: Gilded Wolves Trilogy #1

Summary: It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.

Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history--but only if they can stay alive.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: blood, antisemitism, imperialism, suicide, violence, animal cruelty

OVERVIEW: This book has been on my TBR pile for a while, so I decided to clear out my backlog and pick it up. The premise was intriguing, and I tend to like fantastical stories set in the past. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. While the world was vibrant and interesting, the writing and plot progression left a lot to be desired, so this work only gets 2.5 stars from me.

WRITING: Chokshi's prose is fine at a sentence level. It's not hard to read and contains some fairly lush descriptions, especially of Forged ("magical") objects. I genuinely enjoyed some of the settings and the objects were creative and enchanting.

The main problems I had were more macro-level. For one, Chokshi tends to overwhelm the reader with worldbuilding details, making her world so complex (and sometimes convoluted) that it's difficult to get a handle on all that's happening and how things relate to one another.

For two, there are a lot of moments when telling takes precedence over showing. Not only are a lot of character dynamics established in the past and off-page (thus requiring the author to tell us that Séverin and Tristan are like brothers, for example, before we are given any flashbacks), but when big emotional things happened, Chokshi would frequently have to pause and give the reader context info for why the thing was important.

For three, a lot of the humor fell flat for me and made the characters read quite young. Maybe they are young - it's hard to tell. One character is definitely 16, another is not yet 19, but it's hard to tell for the rest, especially since they do "adult" things like own hotels and headline a cabaret.

PLOT: The plot of this book follows a group of 5 misfits as they work together to pull of a heist in an alternate-history, fantastical 1889 Paris. Séverin - a prominent hotelier and heir to the extinct House Vanth - leads a group of extraordinary individuals to recover a treasure that will not only set them up for life, but will restore him to his rightful place as House patriarch.

While I like a good magical heist, I often felt like I was being pulled in too many directions with this plot. Not only was I supposed to immerse myself in the magic and history of the world, but each character had their own motivations which required additional worldbuilding that existed on the periphery of the story. I also wasn't quite sure how all the plots of the plan were fitting together with the lore of the world, and part of that may be my own confusion but part might also be all the complexity and details of the worldbuilding. There were multiple moments when the worldbuilding seemed to be inserted so that certain details conveniently explained certain things (for example, people don't make noise going down the laundry chute because they have special bells made by Zofia). There also seemed to be very few real limits on Forging, so it was hard to build suspense when literally anything could happen.

Also, I felt like this book was trying to say something about colonialism with several of its plot points, it ultimately, the book as a whole didn't end with a strong message. At times, I felt like it made some good points - portraying Europe as plundering all the magical knowledge from the rest of the world, for example, was reflective of the wealth extraction that happened primarily during the 18-19th centuries. The book also acknowledges some difficulties about being mixed race and navigating structural racism. But mostly, it seemed like the heist had nothing to do (thematically) with anything like fighting colonialism or giving power to marginalized people. I'm just not convinced that this book wanted to engage with the topic of colonialism as deeply as I would have liked, even though colonialism was very clearly built into the world.

CHARACTERS: This book has 6 prominent characters: the 5 misfits and their ally, Hypnosis.

Séverin is the heir to the fallen House Vanth and acts as the strategist in the group. He makes plans, leads everyone on "aquisitions," and employs them at his hotel. While I could understand Séverin's motivations, he was also hard to connect with because I felt like I was told more about him than I was shown. He felt more like an archetype than a person, which is a shame because his background could have made for some interesting critiques regarding who has access to power amongst the French elite. I also think his clove-chewing habit got repetitive and his relationships with people mostly developed off-page.

Laila is a baker/dancer who can "read" the history of an object by touching it. She is also looking for something (I won't spoil it) that will potentially take her away from the group, but for the time being, she's devoted to helping them. While Laila was sweet and fun, her backstory didn't seem to drive her to do much like ally herself with more connected people or drive more conversation/thought on what it meant to be someone like her. Her relationship with Séverin also didn't so much develop as it did remain awkward, and I wish more was done to show the two growing closer emotionally.

Enrique is a historian who wants to join a community of intellectuals who reject him because of his mixed parentage. He's also bisexual and has some romantic tension with multiple characters, but I wouldn't go in expecting a prominent queer romance (mostly because the romance is barely present). I liked his brilliance and his awareness of race, but he also could have developed more to make his arc more interesting.

Zofia is an autistic Jewish-Polish woman who was kicked out of school after an arson incident. She's a brilliant engineer with Forging affinity, and she designs a lot of the group's gadgets. I probably liked her the best; her perspective was charming and she had real challenges to overcome on-page, like being able to navigate social situations and feel like a valued member of the team. Whether or not she is good representation is up for debate; I don't think she's offensive, but she's also perhaps not quite as nuanced as some would like.

Tristan is a botanist with Forging affinity and is perhaps the most under-utilized character. Of the 5 members of the crew, he is the only one who doesn't get POV chapters, and his main functions seem to be 1.) Being protected by Séverin, and 2.) Getting hurt. Tristan has supposedly been with Séverin for years and the two are like brothers, but we don't really feel that emotional intimacy so much as we're told about it. His inventions are sometimes useful, but most credit goes to Zofia; I wish he had gotten to use his abilities more on-page and in a way that truly helped with the heist.

Hypnos is the patriarch of House Nyx and originally forces Séverin to help him locate an artifact, but he quickly becomes something akin to an ally or member of the group. He mainly uses his power and influence to get the team the resources they need, and he's very flirty and charismatic. He's generally fine; since he's not a main character, I wasn't as bothered by his lack of depth. He had enough.

TL;DR: The Gilded Wolves is notable mostly for its imaginative world and likeable character archetypes; however, the plot and lore is rather convoluted and clashes with the heist-style narrative, and a lot of key character relationships are developed off-page.

[skills-course]

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[science-rpg]

How do subsections of zoology work? Are they elite classes obtainable only by someone with zoology levels? Subcalsses? If so how do you handle further specialization, like an entomologist who specializes in ants?

My gosh so sorry being so late with the reply!

 Like the fool that I am I picked up more projects after making this one and I forgot about this and got lost.

So before I get into zoology, I'm going to try to explain my half baked game mechanics of how skills and classes work. My apologies also if I switch back and forth between terminology, such as Class = Science = Field of study or Discipline = Skills or Skill specialization.

 I also just noticed I put Zoology as a required field for summoning the Salmon Shark, which I don't think really works anymore, I'd rather just use Biology at the moment.

Class Mechanics

What determines classes is mostly skill ratios that effect certain move proficiencies and allow one to change from one class to another.

Units below a certain threshold at the start of the game (say, below lv 10) are classified as students.

 After overcoming a certain threshold (for now say max skill level) for a skill, that skill get added to their skill ratio pool. So for a unit to become a Marine Biologist, you need to reach your max level in Biology & Hydrology.

By maxing out that unit's Hydrology, you become a hydrologist. Following that, maxing out the Biology skill level the unit will get the option to add Biology to their skill ratio and become a Marine Biologist. The cost of which is halving their proficiency in hydrology. 50% Hydrology , 50% Biology. Each specialization equals 100%, as the scientist can only hold onto so much info at a time.

How skill ratios change and how units change class are currently undetermined, but at the moment

 I'd like them to involve battling (debating?) alongside allies and defeating certain enemies like EV's in Pokémon (my main exposure to RPG's are Pokémon, Fire Emblem and Baldur's' Gate so I'm aware how these mechanics are laid out might be scuffed from the norm).

Now onto Zoology and other Biology classes.

The specializations of Zoology are all treated as a equal subsections of Biology (including Zoology itself).

Biologist that study extant, land based macro-organisms don't need specific specializations mostly because creating classes, moves and abilities for a myriad of specific clades don't seem feasible in a video game setting about various kinds of science, although for a Tumblr setting (I might make exceptions here and there because I'm somewhat making this up as I go and forget stuff sometimes.)

So you've got the three "default" biologist that broadly study extant, land based Eukaryotic Phyla.

    Zoologist, Botanist, Mycologist

(I don't really know atm what would determine someone becoming a Zoologist vs Mycologist as they would probably have the same skill ratios as each other).

Power wise they'd ideally be on-par with the more specialised classes, and be more desirable in certain circumstances. The biologist that are more specialized are so because they require more discipline in other fields to study their subjects.

  So to study Marine Biology, you're going to require hydrology since the most of the biology in which that scientist studies is evolved for life engulfed in ocean water.

A Palaeontologist is going to need Geology because they need to know about taphonomy and similar geologic forces.

A microbiologist is going to require more chemistry since the lifeforms they're studying directly interact with molecular forces more often and use similar equipment as chemist.

Theses scientist classes are usually summoners that let said organisms attack or defend or support for their team. (Marine/Paleo/Zoologist = Attack orientated with varying stat spread trends, Botanist = Wall/Defenders, Micro/Mycologist = Passive ongoing support).  These aren't strict rules but are more the general trends for each kind of summon.

And that's about all I got so far. Sorry if this answer is disappointing or confusing.

 Like I've said, things aren't really set in stone and this is just a little side project for fun.  I haven't forgotten about this, I'm just distracted and lazy depressed at the moment and am putting my energy into other things. I'll still be making post on here in the future!

  That being said if you or anyone has got better ideas, want to make your own rules or just go on with your own take on the science rpg idea, that's totally fine with me! I just wanted be a bit creative and get people invested in science in a fun, gamey way!

[arisingonmorningsinnocent]

"[Britney] Spears’s Instagram has always been a place where fans go for clues about how she’s actually doing. Between viral Facebook-core image macros about positivity and self-love and cute photos of flowers or the phases of the moon, Spears dances, twirls, and shows off her bikinis and bralettes in dizzily edited videos and heavily filtered photos taken at unusual angles. Hers is the opposite of a typical celebrity social-media account: It’s chaotic in a fun way and in a way that can arouse concern, all of which is deeply confusing for fans who are used to seeing their starlets post careful, publicist-approved content. Over the course of the conservatorship, Free Britney activists developed detailed theories about messages Spears was sending via her Instagram posts.

[...]

Since this past December, Spears has only rarely left her Instagram comments open. She turned them off after posting a series of nude photos and pictures of herself in her great-great-grandmother’s veil; on one post, a top comment was a theory that Spears was being locked in her house and that all of her videos were being secretly recorded from behind a mirror. Even fellow celebrities had theories — after Spears posted a photo of her sister, Jamie Lynn, former Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe wrote, “Ok well now we know who’s running her account. Cough Jamie cough.” On December 21, when actress Alyssa Milano tweeted, “Someone please go check on Britney Spears,” Spears reposted the plea on her Instagram Stories and wrote, “It saddens me to see things about me from people who don’t know me!!!” A month later, after briefly deleting her Instagram, she explained on Twitter that she’d shut down her account “because there were too many people saying I looked like an idiot dancing and that I looked crazy. Honestly, I was doing my best, but it disturbed me to see people freely talk about it on TV … yep, it hurt my feelings.”

[...]

Lipscomb and others say that most of the inconsistencies Free Britney 2.0 points to can be explained by other means; he suspects much of the fan theorizing comes from the public’s ignorance of the peculiarities of L.A. celebrity culture — there was a rumor, for instance, that Spears was being sex-trafficked because she would only dine in hotels; Lipscomb notes that hotels are often the most discreet places for celebrities to eat because many have private entrances. Other theories, he says, reveal ignorance of Spears the person. “I’ve talked to so many people who’ve worked with Britney and I’ve talked to people who’ve dated her,” he says. “People question, ‘Why doesn’t she have her hair done?’ I knew her hairstylist — she hates having her hair done. They’re still analyzing every movement and trying to zoom in to see if that’s a bruise on her ankle. It’s just like, ‘Oh my God, you guys, at some point you do have to get a life.’”

The original Free Britney movement may have been proved right, but it has always attracted extremist thinkers. Even QAnon believers used Spears’s case to exploit their own aims, seeing a beautiful woman controlled and abused by “Hollywood elites” as evidence that she is a victim of a larger cabal of Satanic cultists. Jasmin Vargas, a Free Britney supporter since 2016, has written about how conspiracy theories derailed the movement, which was largely made up of fans trying to do the work of journalists — a necessary tactic when journalists wouldn’t take them seriously, she writes. But that still didn’t make them journalists.

Vargas cites a 2019 episode of Britney’s Gram — the podcast run by Tess Barker and Barbara Gray that was crucial to eventually revealing the truth of the conservatorship — that discusses one of Spears’s Instagram captions, in which she celebrated losing five pounds. “If you know Britney at all, if you’re a fan even casually, you’d know that she would never write that,” Tess says. “No. Never,” Babs responds. They later backtracked their comments when Spears continued to discuss her weight in future posts. Perhaps Spears would talk about her weight now? The fandom’s fixation on knowing the “real” Britney is rooted in an idea of who she used to be, and to accept who she is now would mean giving that up.

“Her whole career, there was an image of her that was created, and if she didn’t comply with it, there were consequences,” says Miller. “Now that she’s finally allowed to have control over how she’s portrayed, that makes people uncomfortable. And that’s good. It should be a little uncomfortable, because what happened is not right.”

--"Where Is Britney Spears?"

[healingwgabs]

"hot take": im a cluster b abolitionist, these are mainly the reasons why (a rant/vent)

Whatever elite niche group of doctors who grouped the most sensitive people on the planet (ppl w BPD) in creating the DSM 5 from the DSM 4 and placed them in the same community as those with anti-social personality disorder (psychopaths, sociopaths), narcissists, and histrionics (the creation of "cluster b")... ppl who, for the most part, are clinically incapable of genuinely caring if they live or die or protect them, exp consequences... This was not done with the safety and welfare of those with BPD in mind, who suffer more (as part of the nature of their etiology)

These are groups of ppl who are frequently trauma bonded and when paired, create some of the most toxic, dangerous, life-threatening and abusive rs dynamics (mainly for those w BPD and for children if they are involved). Seeking and wanting community is very much part of human nature and id argue a basic human need, the creation of "cluster b" is dangerous!!!!

Let alone BPD is the mental illness/personality disorder with the highest rate of trauma/abuse compared to any other mental disorder, most likely at the hands of the other disorders that they are placed in the SAME COMMUNITY AS! Trauma-induced BPD is the most common form of BPD, and many of those with BPD suffered parental (narcissistic, psychopathic abuse in their upbringing), which led to them having it in the first place. Also, many later end up in rs's with narcissists or with those with ASPD and suffer abuse in those rs's. ITS SO WRONG!!!!

As someone with empathy, I feel the level of subjective distress, impairment, dysfunction, and danger to self that BPD causes to those suffering from it (once activated). It is characterized as one of the most painful illnesses to have. NPD, ASPD, and HPD are not disorders that carry much subjective distress, impairment, or dysfunction (they thrive in our society!! and are likely responsible for destroying it and for the harm that occurs in it). These are the disorders that cause more distress to the ppl around them (macro: in gov, business, it will kill us, and in the interpersonal rs's).

I 100% feel for the trauma that led to the creation of NPD, ASPD, and HPD and I feel they deserve trauma-informed care/therapy for the things that led to the etiology. Still, I don't feel for the presentation of these disorders (not a lot of subjective distress, but mainly for those who interact with them). NPD and ASPD are not shown to have good treatment outcomes (Aspd being shown to be treatment resistant). Stigma is another reason. Those with ASPD and NPD SHOULD be approached with a level of caution.... placing those with BPD in the same category as those with NPD, ASPD is LITERALLY SO WRONG. One of the criteria for ASPD (part of the etiology) is (deceiving ppl) and part of the criteria for NPD (exploiting others for personal gain). These are symptom criteria that are, in their nature, harmful to others!!!! There are also no shared symptoms, this is wrong, and unjust imo and something I hope changes in the next version of the DSM, this would feel like justice for the BPD community. Love bombing differs from the "intense rs that alternate from idealization and devaluation" symptom found in BPD. One is grounded in manipulation and control, whereas the bpd symptom isn't. as someone who suffered from schizophrenic/psychotic traits and also bpd stress-related paranoia in the mix of it all, I could argue BPD is like schizophrenia or any other disorder that exp psychotic symptoms (from the stress-related paranoia symptom alone), it has a lot in common with mood disorders than other personality disorders ie. depression (chronic feelings of emptiness, suicidal ideation, threats, gestures, self-harm, anger, irritability-hate to talk about in this way), anxiety disorders (intense episodic dysphoria symptom, which includes anxiety), it does not make logical sense to me but it is also WRONG (UNETHICAL, HARMFUL, STIGMATIZING) UGHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!! 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡

[nextstorestore514]

The Ultimate Guide to the Best Gaming Keyboard and Mouse: Unleash Your Gaming Potential

Gaming enthusiasts in Kuwait know that the right gaming keyboard and mouse can make all the difference in their gaming experience. Whether you're a casual gamer or a professional eSports player, having the right tools is essential for maximizing your gaming potential. In this blog post, we will explore the best gaming keyboard and mouse options available in the market, catering to the gaming audience in Kuwait. We will also answer some frequently asked questions to help you make an informed decision.

I. Top Gaming Keyboard Choices for Kuwaiti Gamers

Mechanical Keyboards: Mechanical keyboards offer tactile feedback and superior responsiveness, perfect for gaming. Popular options include the Corsair K95 RGB Platinum, Logitech G915, and Razer BlackWidow Elite.

RGB Backlit Keyboards: These keyboards not only enhance the gaming ambiance but also provide customizable lighting options. Recommended choices include the HyperX Alloy Elite RGB, SteelSeries Apex Pro, and ASUS ROG Strix Scope RX.

Wireless Keyboards: For those who prefer a clutter-free setup, wireless keyboards are a great choice. Noteworthy options include the Logitech G613, Corsair K63 Wireless, and Razer Turret.

II. Best Gaming Mouse Options for Optimal Performance

Wired Gaming Mice: Wired mice offer minimal latency and precise tracking, making them popular among professional gamers. The top picks in this category are the Logitech G Pro Wireless, Razer DeathAdder V2, and SteelSeries Rival 600.

Wireless Gaming Mice: Enjoy freedom of movement with wireless gaming mice. These options prioritize lag-free connectivity and long battery life. The Logitech G502 Lightspeed, Razer Basilisk Ultimate, and Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro SE are highly recommended.

MMO/MOBA Gaming Mice: MMO and MOBA players require additional programmable buttons for complex commands. Some excellent choices for this category include the Razer Naga Trinity, Logitech G600, and Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB.

III. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Your Gaming Queries Answered

Q1. Are mechanical keyboards necessary for gaming?

A1. Mechanical keyboards are not a necessity, but they provide superior tactile feedback and responsiveness, which can enhance your gaming experience.

Q2. Do wireless gaming mice have noticeable latency?

A2. Modern wireless gaming mice are designed to have minimal latency, ensuring a seamless gaming experience.

Q3. How important is RGB lighting in gaming peripherals?

A3. RGB lighting is primarily for aesthetic purposes, creating an immersive gaming environment. It does not significantly affect performance but can enhance the overall experience.

Q4. What are the advantages of programmable buttons on gaming mice?

A4. Programmable buttons on gaming mice allow you to assign custom commands and macros, making complex actions easier and faster during gameplay.

Conclusion:

Investing in the best gaming keyboard and mouse for your gaming setup is crucial for achieving peak performance and enjoying an immersive gaming experience. Whether you opt for mechanical keyboards, RGB backlit options, wireless mice, or specialized MMO/MOBA peripherals, the choices available in Kuwait cater to every gamer's preferences. Remember to consider factors such as comfort, responsiveness, and additional features when selecting the perfect gaming keyboard and mouse. Now, armed with this knowledge and insight, you can take your gaming prowess to new heights!

[eternal-gromnommer]

@a-tale-of-legends

Ok, so as far as I remember:

Team Rocket is based on the mafia, along with their leader Giovanni who is clearly an Italian-sounding mob boss. Though given the origins in Japan they may also have some slight influence from the Yakuza.

Team Aqua are definitely pirates along with some eco-terrorism aspects along with them along the lines of a more violent and unhinged Greenpeace.

Team Magma I remember reading somewhere was based off the German epic of Faust, who made a deal with the devil (probably hence the red horned hoods the Magma grunts wear) and the epic does end with Faust reclaiming the land from the sea and pushing it back to claim more land for himself, which is basically Team Magma's goals.

Team Galactic are likely aesthetically inspired off of futuristic atompunk, a genre of sci-fi popular in the 40s to 60s that had visions of the future all about fancy-looking space suits and space travel and interplanetary settlement, though their goal of recreating the universe in their image may also have some hints of alchemy to it.

Team Plasma does seem to have some chess influences (they are introduced in the same generation as Pawniard and Bisharp, the chess-themed Pokemon) though obviously their primary inspiration is eco-fascism trying to paint "humanity as a plague" and are shown trying to sway people by influence and convincing rather than by force. Their outfits in B2W2 have some slight influence from a mix between the Green Berets and ninjas (yeah).

Team Flare is based of the oppressive wealthy elite who flaunt their power, status and wealth. Mostly a corrupt corporate entity but with some aspects of socialite culture as well where they demand large sums from new recruits and prioritize beauty and value over everything else.

Team Skull are clearly based on the hip-hop culture and its association with rebeliousness, juvenile delinquency and the punk movement. Basically poor street gangs who turned to a life of crime and are noticeably less organized and funded than previous villain teams.

The Aether Foundation has some themes of a mix between religious heaven and technological utopia, but also subverts heavenly utopia with a darker subtext of people "playing God" with Lusamine's goals and with stronger basis on alchemy as well, moreso than Team Galactic, with the creation of Type: Null and their attempt to make it in Arceus's image, akin to alchemy's goals to grant man the power of the divine.

Team Yell are basically astroturfers: a small but vocal minority of supporters to a cause trying to make a big deal of what they're promoting to make it look bigger and more mainstream than it really is, basically deceptive advertising. Also a little bit of "stan culture" given their obsessive and aggressive support toward Marnie and Piers, basically a toxic fandom.

Macro Cosmos is a monopolized mega-corporation and business conglomerate run by the government that has subsidized basically every other basic need that the citizens of the nation require and thus grow large and powerful as they profit off basically every purchase in every field of merchandise, be it energy, employment, media, entertainment, banks, construction or air travel.

Team Star are probably loosely based off school fraternities, though it would really be a stretch to call them villains by any means. The squad bosses each have their own theme as opposed to the team as a whole having a theme, with Giacomo as a DJ, Mela being a punk rebel, Ortega being a fairytale prince, Atticus being a ninja and Eri being a pro wrestler.

what are the themes of the various villain teams? team rocket is obviously the mafia, and team aqua are clearly based on pirates, but i have no clue what the rest of the teams are supposed to be

....WELL!

I'm not as good as this as some others are but.

Team Magma- No clue actually. It's clear their scientists though, but so was Team Aqua.

Team Galactic - Astronauts I'm gonna assume.

Team Plasma- The only one that I know. Knights. Look at the plasma grunts in BW. Maybe even chess boards, given how Ghetsis was pretty much playing chess with those around him to secure the king. Though that's just hc. B2w2 mostly throws this out the window. No more fancy facades, they're just terrorists now.

Team Flare - They look like a bunch of business men and women. Men in black but in red.

Team Skull - ....I mean. They're a gang. Bunch of outcast that come together as a family.

Aether foundation - literally a pokemon restoration company. I hope I'm correct on that, but yeah.

Marcos Cosmos - you know when there's a company that owns multiple other companies? That. Also the point is that they're just people working for Rose.

Team Star - bullied kids who find each other. Also like. Stars.

I don't know if this was the answer you hoped for anon, and sorry if it wasn't. If anyone has a better idea for this, please add! Anyway, thanks for the ask!

[kremro]

Leaf mimicking katydid Threat display dorsal (Pterochroza ocellata) by Paul Via Flickr: Thanks artour_a for the ID. This pseudophyllinae has a trick up its skirt. When startled or threatened it will open its wings to reveal bright, vibrant colours which indicate aposematism or potential toxicity to would be predators. Furthermore, large eyespots on either wing mimic avian eyes which would give most predators pause. Finally, the wings stay open long enough for the perceived threat to accustom itself, at which point the katydid will promptly close its wings, returning to full camouflage mode, leaving the predator still searching for the bright colours which are now folded out of view. Found during a day hike at the Kurupukari crossing, Guyana. Yesterday the tire flew off my minibus, I cut the head off a pit viper and I was banned from a commercial flight by associating with a narco-trafficker. Today I am bushwhacking through the jungle in the remote trail-less backwaters of Guyana, waist deep in water and praying to make it through the rest of the day alive. What will tomorrow bring? God only knows. The adventure starts here- pbertner.wordpress.com/.