#but i'm not an expert so i mean it more like question wise

[shoechoe]

i don't really understand it when people say they have like 5 hyperfixations at the same time. how is that possible

same for when people say something is a "mild hyperfixation" i feel like if it's "mild" it's not a hyperfixation it's just like, an interest of yours

[phantomrose96]

The conversation around AI is going to get away from us quickly because people lack the language to distinguish types of AI--and it's not their fault. Companies love to slap "AI" on anything they believe can pass for something "intelligent" a computer program is doing. And this muddies the waters when people want to talk about AI when the exact same word covers a wide umbrella and they themselves don't know how to qualify the distinctions within.

I'm a software engineer and not a data scientist, so I'm not exactly at the level of domain expert. But I work with data scientists, and I have at least rudimentary college-level knowledge of machine learning and linear algebra from my CS degree. So I want to give some quick guidance.

What is AI? And what is not AI?

So what's the difference between just a computer program, and an "AI" program? Computers can do a lot of smart things, and companies love the idea of calling anything that seems smart enough "AI", but industry-wise the question of "how smart" a program is has nothing to do with whether it is AI.

A regular, non-AI computer program is procedural, and rigidly defined. I could "program" traffic light behavior that essentially goes { if(light === green) { go(); } else { stop();} }. I've told it in simple and rigid terms what condition to check, and how to behave based on that check. (A better program would have a lot more to check for, like signs and road conditions and pedestrians in the street, and those things will still need to be spelled out.)

An AI traffic light behavior is generated by machine-learning, which simplistically is a huge cranking machine of linear algebra which you feed training data into and it "learns" from. By "learning" I mean it's developing a complex and opaque model of parameters to fit the training data (but not over-fit). In this case the training data probably includes thousands of videos of car behavior at traffic intersections. Through parameter tweaking and model adjustment, data scientists will turn this crank over and over adjusting it to create something which, in very opaque terms, has developed a model that will guess the right behavioral output for any future scenario.

A well-trained model would be fed a green light and know to go, and a red light and know to stop, and 'green but there's a kid in the road' and know to stop. A very very well-trained model can probably do this better than my program above, because it has the capacity to be more adaptive than my rigidly-defined thing if the rigidly-defined program is missing some considerations. But if the AI model makes a wrong choice, it is significantly harder to trace down why exactly it did that.

Because again, the reason it's making this decision may be very opaque. It's like engineering a very specific plinko machine which gets tweaked to be very good at taking a road input and giving the right output. But like if that plinko machine contained millions of pegs and none of them necessarily correlated to anything to do with the road. There's possibly no "if green, go, else stop" to look for. (Maybe there is, for traffic light specifically as that is intentionally very simplistic. But a model trained to recognize written numbers for example likely contains no parameters at all that you could map to ideas a human has like "look for a rigid line in the number". The parameters may be all, to humans, meaningless.)

So, that's basics. Here are some categories of things which get called AI:

"AI" which is just genuinely not AI

There's plenty of software that follows a normal, procedural program defined rigidly, with no linear algebra model training, that companies would love to brand as "AI" because it sounds cool.

Something like motion detection/tracking might be sold as artificially intelligent. But under the covers that can be done as simply as "if some range of pixels changes color by a certain amount, flag as motion"

2. AI which IS genuinely AI, but is not the kind of AI everyone is talking about right now

"AI", by which I mean machine learning using linear algebra, is very good at being fed a lot of training data, and then coming up with an ability to go and categorize real information.

The AI technology that looks at cells and determines whether they're cancer or not, that is using this technology. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is the technology that can take an image of hand-written text and transcribe it. Again, it's using linear algebra, so yes it's AI.

Many other such examples exist, and have been around for quite a good number of years. They share the genre of technology, which is machine learning models, but these are not the Large Language Model Generative AI that is all over the media. Criticizing these would be like criticizing airplanes when you're actually mad at military drones. It's the same "makes fly in the air" technology but their impact is very different.

3. The AI we ARE talking about. "Chat-gpt" type of Generative AI which uses LLMs ("Large Language Models")

If there was one word I wish people would know in all this, it's LLM (Large Language Model). This describes the KIND of machine learning model that Chat-GPT/midjourney/stablediffusion are fueled by. They're so extremely powerfully trained on human language that they can take an input of conversational language and create a predictive output that is human coherent. (I am less certain what additional technology fuels art-creation, specifically, but considering the AI art generation has risen hand-in-hand with the advent of powerful LLM, I'm at least confident in saying it is still corely LLM).

This technology isn't exactly brand new (predictive text has been using it, but more like the mostly innocent and much less successful older sibling of some celebrity, who no one really thinks about.) But the scale and power of LLM-based AI technology is what is new with Chat-GPT.

This is the generative AI, and even better, the large language model generative AI.

(Data scientists, feel free to add on or correct anything.)

[akanemnon]

HAAAAAAAY AKANE :3

How are you?? (Gosh, more ppl should ask you that, you're a human afterall)

On the 1st is my bday :3

BUT

I got a silly gift for you :3

You're even invited to my bday

You'll get a piece of (digital TwT) cake :3

And a special message.

I don't care if you won't see that post.

I just want you to know :3

PLUS GENUINE ASK (actually asking smt this time ha)

Would you rather:

Have no more chocolate for the rest of your life.

Or

Spoil the entirety of Twin Runes/ The Other Script.

Chose wisely.

Okay and another question bcz you're good at writing (I guess, I mean you make some VERY GOOD comics)

How do you think I should traumatize someone that got possessed by someone that wants to kill her friends and bf? (I need a bit of ideas and I'm in need of an expert in writing)

Sorry, I can't be serious for five seconds.

In my defense your honor, I'm a silly goose. 🪿

Btw what's your opinion on Murder Drones?

I saw it two weeks ago and it got me hooked.

If you didn't watch it, I'm recommending it!!! :3

Sorry for the long ask.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

As for your question(s) 1) I'm actually not the biggest fan of chocolate (I prefer savory over sweet flavors). I still like it, but I'm not crazy about it. So I gottta go with no chocolate for the rest of my life. Sorry for everyone who wanted to be spoiled lol.

2) When it comes to writing drama and trauma, it's always a save bet to go for something that is a character's sore spot. Something that is already a part of the character itself. People always say I'm traumatizing these characters, though what I use for the story are plot and character details that were already established in some way in the games theselves (or through some other means). I'm not conjuring anything up out of thin air. As an example:

For Frisk I used their past attempted No Mercy Run (which is something you just can do in the game)

For Ralsei I used his fear of the Roaring and his need of the Player (as seen at the end of Chapter 2 and how he tries to guide the Player through Kris)

For Susie I used her past bullying antics against Kris (as seen in Noelle's blog post)

And well Chara... Chara is kind of self-explainatory at this point.

Kris' sore spot(s) are tackled ALL throughout the comic itself (the fear of being replaced, the fear of inadequacy, the fear of losing control...) It all ties into their relationship with the Player that you can already gather from the two Chapters we have.

3) I have not watched Murder Drones. Never really had the time for it.

[aspoonofsugar]

Ruby and the Splendor Solis

Here comes a quick alchemy meta! Alchemy is an ancient practice, whose goal is to create the philosopher stone. This stone gives immortality, transmutes lead into gold and creates new life (homunculus). From a philosophical point of view, alchemy's aim is to nurture the spirit and to make it perfect.

As @hamliet has explained in several metas, RWBY is an alchemical story, which metaphorically illustrates the procedure to create the stone (RWBY/Ruby).

Today's post will explore Ruby and Maria's interaction in volume 6 episode 8 (Dead End):

As a matter of fact the scene references the 6th plate of the Splendor Solis.

WHAT IS THE SPLENDOR SOLIS?

The Splendor Solis is an alchemical text, which describes how to make the philosophical stone through 22 illustrated plates:

4 introductory plates present the protagonists of the alchemical journey

7 parables illustrate the alchemical death and rebirth

7 flask plates explore the alchemical process from a practical point of view

4 final plates describe the alchemical process from a spiritual point of view

How does Ruby and Maria's scene reference plate 6?

PLATE 6 AND VOLUME 6

Let's begin with describing what plate 6 is like:

This plate has three philosophers under a tree with golden fruits. The tree is a metaphor for the alchemical process as whole. It is the philosophical tree and if you climb it you reach the golden fruit (perfection/the philosopher stone).

The three people embody the phases of alchemy:

The young man climbing the ladder is nigredo (black)

The man who wears white outside and red inside is albedo (white)

The man who wears red outside and white inside is rubedo (red)

Citrinitas (the yellow stage) is instead symbolized by the yellow flowers and by the golden bough the men are pursuing. The scene as a whole represents a transformation, which is why the birds that fly in the sky have some green shades. Green is, thus, the color of transformation.

How does all of this rely to Ruby and Maria?

First of all, the two silver eyed warriors speak under a tree:

With golden fruits:

Secondly, this scene frames Maria as the teacher and Ruby as the student. Maria is initiating Ruby to very important knowledge, so that our young alchemist can continue her journey.

Ruby: I don't know… I don't know anything… What do I tell Jaune and his team when we don't even have a plan? Qrow's out drinking, Ozpin hasn't come back and even if he did, I don't know if I could trust him. And there's always Jinn, but… we only have one more question we can ask her. I feel like I'm letting everyone down… Maria: If you're tired of not knowing anything, how about we discuss those eyes of yours?

MARIA, THE TEACHER

Maria embodies the archetype of the old wise woman. She is a mature version of Ruby (an older silver-eyed warrior), who comes in our protagonist's life to offer guidance. She is the more expert alchemist:

Maria grabs the golden fruit. Symbolically, this shows that she is far ahead of Ruby in the alchemical quest.

This is made clear by her:

semblance

weapon

Preflexes lets Maria sense everything better than others. Metaphorically, it means she has a better understanding of reality than others. This ties with her having wisdom.

Life and Death is made by two kamas that can be combined in a staff:

They can be separated (solvet) and united (coagula). Solvet and coagula is the mantra of alchemy, as this process aims to create the philosophical stone by separating and uniting the elements. Over and over. Until perfection is obtained. Metaphorically, it means a soul is refined through creation and destruction. Life and Death.

RUBY, THE STUDENT

Ruby is young and ignorant. She doesn't know what to do and she doesn't know about her eyes. She is the alchemist apprentice, who is going through a transformation:

Differently from the Splendor Solis plate, there are no birds in the scene. However, the scenery is full of butterflies, which are another symbol of change. Of death and rebirth:

As far as the nature of Ruby's transformation is concerned, the setting gives us some hints, as Maria and Ruby are speaking in a garden full of white snow. That is because RWBY is approaching albedo (the white phase). In particular, volume 6 climax marks Ruby's passage from nigredo to albedo. This process if metaphorically foreshadowed in Ruby and Maria's conversation thanks to a specific visual cue:

Let's look at Maria's plate:

The grapes are purple/black = nigredo, the black phase

The plate is white = albedo, the white phase

The lemons/oranges are yellow = citrinitas, the yellow phase

The strawberries are red = rubedo, the red phase

The kiwis are green = transformation (plus prima materia, aka the beginning)

In short, the plate and fruits are a metaphor for the alchemical process as a whole. What's interesting is that a little butterfly flies on them:

It pauses for a little while on top of the grapes (nigredo) until Maria gently takes it and has it fly forward (towards albedo). The meaning is clear. Maria acts a mentor, who helps Ruby leave the black phase and enter the white one. She gives Ruby the knowledge she needs to face her "trial of fire":

Maria: The light will only work in the presence of Grimm. Meaning the only practice you'll get will be a trial by fire.

TRIALS BY FIRE

Ruby faces her trial by fire in the climax of volume 6, as she fights the Leviathan:

There she uses Maria's teaching and the relic of Knowledge to defeat her foe through her internal light. This moment is when Ruby and the group leave Mistral and the Black Phase once and for all. They are ready to face Atlas and the White Phase.

Still, this isn't the only trial by fire our Little Red Riding Hood has to go through. She struggles through a second one in volume 9, as she and the group leave the White Stage (Atlas) through the Yellow Stage (the Ever After), so that they can enter the Red Phase (Vacuo). Once again this passage is shown through the Splendor Solis.

There is a giant tree:

A wise woman:

Butterflies:

Once again, Ruby is given guided by an older and wiser woman under a tree. This time she has to make a choice to go through a transformation. A process of death and rebirth:

In volume 6 Ruby learns about her internal light, whereas in volume 9 she discovers her inner shadows. In volume 6 she is given knowledge, while in volume 9 she is offered a choice. At the same time, in volume 6 the Splendor Solis reference is focused on a single meaningful scene, while in volume 9 it is more pervasive and present throughout the entirety of the season. In volume 6 the Splendor Solis comments Ruby's journey (the microchosm). In volume 9 this alchemical texts conveys RWBY's adventure (the macrochosm).

However, this isn't the only difference between the two transformative trials.

IDEAL AND REAL

Volume 6 has Ruby become an ideal:

Volume 9 has Ruby grow into herself:

Similarly, in volume 6 she latches on an idealistic idea of Summer (the Huntress), whereas in volume 9 she accepts Summer as a person (the Mother):

This passage from ideal to real isn't something unique to our heroine's arc, but it ties to everyone's story. Here come two examples.

Jaune's arc

In volume 6 Jaune is inspired by Pyrhha to push forward no matter what:

He wants to become more like Pyrrha, his ideal self.

In volume 9 Jaune is taught by Weiss to stop and accept a loss:

He realizes he is good as he is, despite his flaws.

Chemical weddings

In volume 6, Bumbleby goes through their second chemical wedding, where they kill Adam. The focus of Yang and Blake's relationship is that both girls have to become "worthy" of the other:

And now I know I'm worthy of you (Oh can't you see, you could be with me) With every smile you told me, "I love you" (I am your dream, I love you)

They push each other to grow and to become their ideal selves. Yang has to overcome her anger and abandonement issues to stay with Blake. Blake has to stop running away to be by Yang's side. Their fight with Adam tests their progress on their respective flaws.

In volume 9, White Knight has their second chemical wedding, where Jaune dies and is reborn thanks to Weiss. Their bond is about letting go of childish fantasies (the charming prince and the beautiful princess) and to accept the other for who they are:

Weiss: I think you’re asking too much of yourself. We’ve been telling ourselves that failing means we’re no good. But I can guarantee even the best Huntsmen in history… they’ve all lost. But they were still incredibly brave… and good.

They let go of paragons and come to love their real selves with both strengths and flaws. Their conversation in front of the Genial Gems conveys exactly this.

Interestingly, Bumbleby and White Knight foil each other in another way, when it comes to alchemical symbolism.

Bumbleby focuses on death and separation. They represent the "solvet" part of the process.

White Knight is linked to rebirth and union. They explore the "coagula" part of the process.

To be clear, the solvet and coagula parts are present in both relationships. Yang and Blake go through destruction to come back stronger and more beautiful than ever. Similarly, Weiss and Jaune have to face death, so they can be reborn.

Still, the focus of BB's weddings is on death/destruction:

Adam cuts Yang's arm and impales Blake

Adam dies

Whereas WK's weddings climax in resurrection/creation:

Weiss is reborn

Jaune and Ruby are reborn

This is because the two relationships are complementary and illustrate different sides of the alchemical process. However, there is a third ship meant to embody both parts.

RUBY AND OSCAR = SOLVET AND COAGULA

Ruby and Oscar's wedding is kicked off by their first meeting, when Qrow (a bird) brings Oscar to Ruby and unites the Solar King and the Lunar Queen:

Ruby and Oscar's wedding references the imagery above.

It is a union of opposites. The scenery of their first scene together has Ruby marked as fire and air, whereas Oscar is associated with earth and water. Moreover, both the moon and sun are present.

In general, Ruby is moon, silver, red and air, while Oscar is sun, gold, green and earth. They complement each other and are perfectly balanced. So, they don't need a specific focus on neither death nor rebirth because theis arcs are gonna explore both the solvet and the coagula. They are the whole.

This complementarity shows also in Oscar paralleling Ruby during the trials of fire.

While Ruby is talking with Maria and going through an internal transformation, Oscar goes through an external transformation (he changes clothes). Ruby connects with Summer (coagula), while Oscar is free from Ozpin (solvet). Both their transformations are tested in volume 6 climax, where Ruby grows into a leader (macrochosm), whereas Oscar grows into himself (microchosm).

While Ruby struggles with herself in the Ever After, Oscar struggles with Ozpin in Vacuo. Ruby separates her perception of the self from Summer (solvet), whereas Oscar is merging with Ozpin (coagula). Ruby is in a fantastical world symbolic of the inside (microchosm). Oscar is in the real world, which is going through big changes (macrochosm).

Right now, Ruby and Oscar are bound to meet again through Raven (another bird), which might kick off their second alchemical wedding. Not only that, but Raven herself might play the part of the Nevermore, as she wears a Nevermore mask and her name alludes to The Raven, Poe's famous poem and the inspiration for the Nevermore Grimm. If so, this meeting might be Rosegarden nevermore wedding, which for RWBY ships is about overcoming grief and death through love. Another declination of solvet and coagula.

[uboat53]

Here we go, in no particular order, here are some of my thoughts on what we'll see in the next year or two based on the election results:

THE ECONOMY

Unless something pretty serious happens, it's very likely that Trump will make good on his promise of massive tariffs on all American imports. Given that we import a lot of stuff from the rest of the world (check any manufactured item in your house, I'll bet it doesn't say "made in America"), that means prices will likely increase substantially. The predictable result of that is probably a pullback of consumer spending and a recession. If we're really unlucky, we'll have inflation and a recession at the same time, the dreaded "stagflation".

More broadly, it's likely that the only thing Republicans will do economically in terms of legislation is pass a massive, deficit financed tax cut for the rich. Again. Honestly, this is an easy one to guess because it's what they do every time they have power. It's direct effect will probably be minimal (though any effect is likely to be inflationary) although it remains an open question how long the US can run up the credit card without any major economic consequences.

We're also likely to see a wave of deregulation. Expect the new administration to try to roll back all of the consumer protections that Biden has put in place, end the lawsuits against big corporations that are exploiting their market power, and generally tilt the playing field back in favor of big corporations and wealthy people.

Oh yes, and let's talk about the immigration thing here. Trump is promising to deport millions of illegal immigrants (by current estimates there are about 11 million of them). And, look, I'm not a professional economist, but I think it's reasonably easy to guess what happens when you remove millions of people of working age from the labor pool. Again, this is likely to be inflationary (less workers available, so pay and, thus, costs, go up) and recessionary (fewer consumers buying things) at the same time.

PUBLIC HEALTH

With a knowledgeable public health expert like RFK Jr. leading the government's public health efforts, what could possibly go wr… sorry, couldn't finish that with a straight face. Yeah, Trump's gone off the deep end public health-wise ever since the public health people kept pointing out how badly he was screwing up his last major public health emergency, so now he's only listening to quacks and nut jobs.

The odds are pretty good that vaccines are on the target list and the administration will reduce or eliminate programs that encourage them. It's a good bet that, in the next decade or so, we'll see a resurgence of diseases like measles and polio that we thought we'd eradicated. Of course, if we get another pandemic like Covid, I'd bet on a high body count and massive economic impact as well.

We're also likely to see more and more women dying due to pregnancy-related complications. Biden was pushing hard to enforce a federal law that requires hospitals to save women's lives, but it's doubtful that Trump will keep doing that. He'll also likely not enforce any other protections and allow even stronger crackdowns on abortion in states that are eager to do so.

MINORITIES

If you're not a straight, white, cisgender, Christian man, things are likely to get a lot worse for you over the next four years. Look for the administration to take every opportunity to attack gay and trans people and to promote Christianity over other beliefs. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice is also likely to be neutered, as it has been under every Republican administration since at least Reagan, so many states will happily violate the rights of racial minorities without any federal pushback. The same is true of laws and regulations that protect women.

Beyond the official, though, we also have to face the societal effects of another Trump Presidency. Despite the loud protestations of his supporters, Trump is beloved among the racist far-right, and for good reason. His administration borrowed heavily from their ideas and their language and even used their personnel and there's no reason to expect a second term to be any different. There is a reason that right-wing terror surged in our country in Trump's first term and it'll probably do the same now.

Expect more shootings of black and brown people and more attacks on Jews and Jewish places of worship. The racists believe the President is on their side and he's given them no reason to think otherwise.

THE NEXT ELECTION

All right, I'm going out on a limb here and this is my longest range projection, but it's a fairly reasonable bet that Democrats will take/retake the House of Representatives in 2026. I can confidently predict this because the party that controls the presidency has lost House seats in nearly every election since the Great Depression. Based on current results (which may change as western states count more votes), the Republicans will have a 4 vote margin in the House and the average midterm loss is 27 seats. Heck, they lost 47 seats in 2018 the last time Trump was in office. Even the Democrats who had a good year in 2022 still lost 10 seats. Seems like a pretty good bet.

As for the Senate, that's a bit harder to predict. At the moment, Republicans will have anywhere from 52 to 54 seats when all the votes are counted from this election. Based on the 2020 Senate elections map (that's the class of Senators that will be up for re-election in 2026), I'd count anywhere from 2-4 seats that the Democrats might be able to flip, the rest are probably safe. So is it possible that Democrats could retake the Senate in '26? Absolutely. Is it likely? Good question. Ask me in a year or so.

CONCLUSION

It's likely that life in America is going to get worse over the next year or two, how much worse depends a lot on how we react. At best, we'll likely face further inflation (every economic policy Trump has voiced support for is inflationary), increased sickness and disease, and increased attacks on the lives and well-beings of anyone who isn't a straight, white, cisgender, Christian man. At worst, well, all of those things but much more intense.

If we're fortunate, Democrats will take the House and serve as a much-needed check on the worst impulses of President-elect Trump. If not, at least the next election will likely do it, though a good deal of damage will be done between now and then.

[whateversawesome]

Spy x family chapter 81 (Crazy) Theories!

First, let's get something out of the way... Twilight looks HOT in this chapter 🔥 Roger that, Mr. Spy 😏!

Now, back to the theories: I told you so. Westalis probably has some moles inside the SSS. You know who I think it is *coughs* (Twilight's dad/Yuri's Captain!)

But what's interesting to me is that Norman says GUYS (plural). Meaning there's more than one Westalis mole.

Small theory about Westalis moles: We'll find out who they are, they all have different destinies. One will be a double agent (come on, this is a spy story!!) and one of them will be...

Yup, this guy. And you all know l suspect this Captain is Twilight's dad. Come on!! Look me in the eye and tell me you don't see the resemblance. It's him!

This makes me wonder how and why was [Redacted] recruited by WISE. Don't you find it odd they just appeared out of nowhere to offer him a job? And no, I'm not suggesting his dad wanted his son to be a spy...quite the opposite: WISE took [Redacted] under their wing as 'insurance', prevent his dad from betraying them.

Food for thought 🤔

Moving on...

Look at this fun interaction between two agents 😏

Nightfall: It's too dangerous, Twilight. Let's run away together 😍!

Twilight: There's no fucking way I'm leaving my family. I'm in love with my wife (Yooooooooor 😍😍😍!!)

Nice try, Nightfall. But Mr. Spy promised his wife he would never make her suffer like this anymore and has to go back home and make her happy 🥰

The following is VERY important: Seems like the current government wants peace with Westalis AND some higher ups of the SSS are acting against this. Who is behind this? Desmond? There's a reason why WISE is after him.

Crazy theory time (again): Let's play a little. What if instead of a mole, Twilight's dad was a double agent (traitor)? Could it be that WISE purposely trained Twilight to be the best spy knowing one day he could encounter his dad so his dad would be unable to hurt him? It's a bit far fetched, but it's fun to guess.

This panel tells us what Twilight needs to do: Distract/Stall the SSS.

Which makes me think: This is Twilight wearing a disguise. Evidence: His orders. Plus, WISE knows how Wheeler looks like and Twilight has worked with him, so he knows his mannerisms. He can fool the SSS. Plus, the fact that he approached Yuri, who Twilight knows is part of the SSS and his brother in law 😏

My guess is that this is Twilight, but the question is: where's the real Wheeler?

A final word about Wheeler: Now more than ever I believe he'll be Twilight's foil. He looks like a badass, but I doubt he'll be a villain. Endo is an expert in bringing morally gray characters.

If anything, l think he'll be a strange mirror for Twilight. He even kinda looks like him.

They said he was in deep cover and lived in Westalis which means he probably needed people to strengthen that cover. Maybe a family? Maybe... a wife? Since this arc started with certain little adorable wife, maybe Wheeler will make Twilight think about his marriage.

Any thoughts on that? Let me know!

[rainy-astrology]

BTS RM Birth Chart Analysis

Based on my opinion and observations. Not an expert. May change later.

September 12th, 1994

Seoul, South Korea

Unknown time

☀️♍️🌙♐️

Virgo suns are meticulous, analytical, and logical, which RM is. He's very intelligent and is especially articulate with his words. With a Mercury in Libra, he knows how to phrase his words in order to appeal to others.

Sagittarius moon is open minded and curious, it explains RM's philisophical side. He's obviously a deep thinker who puts a lot of meaning into his works.

He most likely has a Sun square Moon, which can indicate possible issues of inner conflict about his identity. Wants to follow his mind, while also wanting to follow his heart. May feel like he needs to prove himself to others.

Mars in Cancer is in fall. Mars in Cancer can be repressive and unsure how to properly express intense emotion.

Venus in Scorpio is in detriment - Venus is generally soft and calm, while Scorpio is intense and passionate. There can be issues of obsessiveness and possession. However, whatever these natives want, they will pursue it and not give up easily.

Possible rising: Virgo. He's just so Virgo lol. He's tall (I've noticed a lot of Virgo rising men are quite tall) calm, studious, and rational. Also a mixture of clean and messy. I do recall Joon saying he showers a lot (sometimes more than twice a day I think? He does work out and dislikes the sweat) and I also recall Suga talking about how messy Joon was when they still lived together and his disappointment in seeing how clean Joon's apartment was lol...I also have a good feeling that his Pluto is in 3rd house (3rd house placements in general tbh Mercury should be very influential in his chart) Pluto in 3rd is a deep thinker and highly analytical placement. He puts a lot of thought and meanings into his lyrics, always making sure to check they're apropriate first too. Pluto in 3rd can also get their words misunderstood, which seems to happen to RM often - people overanalyze and misunderstand what he says and does and try to paint him in a bad light. He has a lot of power in his words and way of thinking though, he's truly wise and influential. With Pluto being transformation as well, Namjoon has learned and expanded his mind immensely throughout his life...from having questionable beliefs and lyrics to a much more considerate and careful, wiser character is one hell of a growth process.

It would also give Chiron in 1st (if virgo asc is in 1st/2nd decan), which I think makes sense for RM...This placement deals with issues of self esteem, feeling misunderstood, and many matters concerning one's character. Namjoon has been pretty open about his own struggles of depression and going to therapy (not sure if he's still depressed and/or going but I do recall him mentioning both before). A lot of people did insult his looks in the beginning of BTS' careers and overall just disliked him, so I'm sure that took a huge toll on his confidence. Having to carry the responsibilities and burdens of a leader + having constant hate thrown his way for little things and some genuine small mistakes - it's not very surprising he was at his lowest years ago. Chiron in 1st also indicates having a lot of stressful experiences at a young age and he did have to face all this at 19 (still very young imo). I think these heavy feelings can be seen very well in a lot of his solo songs and lyrics. Questioning himself, his character, the feelings of depression and self hatred, etc are expressed clearly in his writing. Chiron in 1st pushes the native to learn confidence and build self-esteem as adults, which RM seems to have improved a lot in. E.g being direct about not apologizing for other's misunderstandings over a simple Instagram story he posted, especially when he had no ill intentions at all.

Sun would also be in the 1st house, which could explain his persistent and strong character. Sun in 1st is usually a confident and/or ambitious placement. The latter definitely applies to Joon - he pursued his dreams despite the huge risk of failing and all the hate that he received. What he chose to do was considered unconventional and was disliked for it. Still he was very determined to succeed and to make a new way, make better contributions to art (due to possible uranus and neptune in 5th; uranus in 5th is esp very noncomformist). This placement is also good for leadership and Joon is definitely a natural leader.

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Other analysis:

MBTI | Enneagram

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Kpop astrology list

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Other blogs:

Main: Kpop typology (MBTI + enneagram) @rainymbti

Side: Kpop fanarts @rainy-artworks

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

The Touring Data account on Twitter has posted updated numbers for Louis’ shows in Latin America, and it has caused a bit of fandom drama because the attendance was lower than expected. Some fans claim that the figures for the Mexico City show are wrong and the concert was attended by 67,000 people and that this has been confirmed by Louis’ team. I’m pretty sceptical about this claim because I haven’t seen any evidence of this apart from a few newspaper articles, and they seem to have relied on info from Louis fan update accounts. The Touring Data account itself also tends to be reliable because it just reports numbers from Pollstar.

Do you have any thoughts on this or about the figures in general? I’m no expert on touring but it seems to me like Louis’ team might have overestimated the size of the venues needed for some of the shows. But maybe it just makes more sense economically to play one show in a big venue rather than two shows in a smaller venue?

https://x.com/touringdata/status/1831090091294617979

I'm very glad that this sort of fandom drama only gets to me through anons. I really appreciate that you've explained so fully what's going on and linked to sources, because otherwise I'd be super lost.

My main thought is that current fandom treats worrying about this sort of thing as standard fandom practice. And it's not, or it doesn't have to be. I think its main function is to make fandom a more anxious experience - and I would strongly advocate for people turning their fandom towards the bits that bring them joy.

What that means is not talking about the data directly, but instead talking about the meta question of the meaning people are giving to the data. (If I was going to talk about the data directly it would be giving it meaning by comparing to what we knew about ticket sales at his last Latin American tour, but I don't care enough to try and do that).

I can come up with two explanations for why fans might give the questions of how many tickets are sold at a local venue so much weight - one is basically economics and the other is very fucked up ideas about validity.

There are two reason that you might be concerned about economics - one is concern for the artist (which I think it's good practice to try and not being too concerned about artist's financial position. They're wealthy and they're making money off other people's labour. If you want to be concerned about the finances of anyone involved, be concerned about the finances of people who make merch), and other is concern for whether or not they'll come back.

The problem is that fandom discussion is based on a complete lack of curiosity (that crosses over into willful ignorance) about how touring works. From the way fandom talked about it, you'd think an artist and their team selected and booked the venues in each case - took on all of the risk and got all of the reward. But that's only true of independent tours and most tours aren't independent. Promoters often offer a guarantee (that's the minimum an artist is paid) and a bonus for a sell-out - and what happens to the amounts in between is up for negotiation. The artist meets all of their touring expenses out of their cut (so that's transport and people and equipment that travels). So the economics of a tour can really vary. Some tours are budgeted around selling-out - others aren't. What will make a tour work for both an artist and a promoter is mostly completely opaque to the public.

It's possible that the promoter pitched larger venues than was wise - there have been indications that that's been happening since the first wave of post-pandemic concert enthusiasm. But it's just as possible that the promoter owned these venues and it was better to have an act in them than not. We certainly don't know from these figures that Louis' tour underperformed expectations, or who is carrying the cost of it is unknown.

According to that data, Louis sold around 130,000 tickets in South America (back of the envelope adding to the near 1000 - may be a bit off). If he'd sold double that it would have made him more likely to come back, or play more venues. But I don't think there's any reason to panic. Lots of artists come to New Zealand, don't sell out their venue and come back. And currency strength has a lot to do with who does and doesn't come here.

There could be a lot of good conversation on the levels venues sell at where fans talked about their own experiences. Not just the question of will they come to me (although that's very pertinent to me). But what sort of venues would you like to see an artist in? Might ticket prices go down? But that's never the tone of the conversation.

Instead an assumption in all this is that validity is scarce and measurable. I think it's really important to say that this is not true. It matters to some business people whether an artist sold 60,000 tickets or 30,000. But it doesn't really matter to anyone else.

And buying into a worldview that it does matter, will only harm fans mental health.

[mythserene]

AUDIO: The impact of Tune In on some of the most awesome Beatles podcasters in existence: the peeps from Screw It, We're Just Gonna Talk About the Beatles (followed by two happier—and opposite ones—based on watching "Get Back")

Okay, I'm going to do this. Sloppily. But if anyone is mean to these guys in any way I am going to hunt you down, because they are awesome. Absolutely wonderful. But I remembered listening to this episode where they talked about Tune In back when I was sort of obsessed with the story of the early Beatles and loved/hated Lewisohn's book, and so I went back to see if the effect of Tune In on opinions of Paul McCartney were as marked as I remembered, and yeah. Even more. I could not clip anywhere near all of them, but I took a few.

You really should listen to this podcast in general. It's joyful and lovely. And do not blame them for the impact of the book. But that is the point. People who love The Beatles are completely charmed with Tune In, and because the book is so detailed and well-written, prose-wise, and Lewisohn is so revered, no one thinks to question the slant.

three clips from their Tune In episode:

*with creator Will Hines and panelists Katie Plattner and Jennifer Wang

It's important to note that this episode aired in August of 2018—before "Get Back"—so for the hell of it, I'm going to add a clip or two of their Get Back episode after these just for the contrast. To see the difference in reading "the expert" who got his expertise from working for Paul and who Paul fired and doesn't seem to like much any more, and actually watching these people in real life. (Or as close as we're going to get.)

Clip: Paul was cold and alienating but "John felt warm and friendly” and "he was the leader."

Clip: Paul was such an "asshole" to Brian Epstein. He was "so petty." "I have so much affection for Paul, but reading this there was a bunch of times where I was like, 'What the fuck are you doing, Paul? Like, quit being such a jerk.'" You get a sense of Paul's "iciness." Paul's reaction to him mom dying compared to John's.

Clip: Paul wanted Stu out because he wanted John, possibly unconsciously

Now, from their Get Back episode. (An absolute joy, btw.)

Clip: Paul was "the leader," Paul was "the engine." The way John and Paul locked eyes.

Clip: Conflict resolution, Paul "being humble about a lot of stuff" "in a surprising way," how compatible John and Paul were, "so much more compatible than it's made out to be," they all "had a lot of sympathy for each other," more John and Paul locking eyes

Fwiw, a reminder that Mark Lewisohn said he saw nothing new in "Get Back" and most definitely did not see anything like what he was seeing all over the internet that everyone else saw. (And he seemed very annoyed about all us hicks seeing what wasn't there.) But for these fans with a podcast, it basically flipped their impressions of the band formed from Tune In a full one-hundred eighty degrees.

----

I am so done for today. ✌🏻💜

[lixenn]

Not on the list of specific questions I think, but do Dan and Dave have any specific fabrics they like to wear? Like velvet, silk, leather, cotton.

If so, why? Is it for ease, comfort, the fabric’s just right sensory wise, or anything like that?

AHHhhhhh I keep forgetting there's stuff in my inbox, I'm super sorry >.<

Anyways I have some time now, so let's see if we can get you some answers!

Now, I'm not super familiar with the properties of fabric so I hope I don't mess up with my research😅

---

Chief

Now, Dan runs cold which means he likes being boundled up. He layers like it's an olympic sport in winter lol. So he prefers fabrics that keep him warm and are insulating. I also have the feeling he's a bit spoiled clothing wise (his family has lots of money because the Superbi value competent staff), so I imagine he prefers silk for his dress shirts and bedsheets. But his hoodies and pants are made out of cotton, because it's more practical. Since Dan's likes gardening and being outside his personal clothes easily get dirty and he has enough common sense not to replant his flowers in silk, that would be silly.

Dave

As for my Davy-boy... Hmmmmm, he likes leather for asthetics (see his punk deliquent clothing style), but generally he's not super picky about fabrics, as long as it matches with the rest of his outfit. He has a weakness for soft, fuzzy blankets though.

---

I hope this makes sense (really not a fashion/clothing expert). Thank you very much for the ask!!! 💕✨

[enjolraspermettendo]

Hey I was wondering, as a fellow fan of Les Mis and a big admirer of your blog, what is your favorite adaptation of les mis and why? (whether it be a theatrical production or something else). And by chance would there be any way for me to watch it on any streaming platform or YouTube or something? I suddenly have the desire to get reinvested in the story again lol

Omg Hi!!!!!!!! Thank you so much, I am so glad you enjoy my blog (I'm so sorry I've been kind of inactive lately) ❤️

To be honest I haven't watched that many adaptations and personally think that each one has its own pros and cons.

The 2012 movie was my first ever Les Mis adaptation so I have a soft spot for it but I understand why maybe some more knowledgeable fans may not enjoy it as much. I particularly liked the 10th anniversary Concert (YouTube Link), it has so much emotion, but being a concert it lacks some acting and some people might find that a bit boring. I've also seen the 1999 movie with Liam Neeson and It was... Interesting. I liked many brick accurate details but some creative choices were questionable at best (last time I watched it it was on Prime Video but I think you need to purchase it now). Movie wise I've stumbled on some scenes here on Tumblr from the 1982 movie (YouTube link) and I've been meaning to watch it sooner than later, it looks very promising.

I haven't seen a show live yet, but I'll see the world tour in Milan in November!!!!! I can't wait :)

At the end of the day (ha get it) I guess my favourite is still the novel :)

If my answer didn't satisfy you the expert on this is @pilferingapples as always, that blog is like the sacred text for this fandom

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

after i was diagnosed with diverticulitis i slowly started to change my diet. now, eating primarily whole foods isn’t always exciting but boy do you feel the difference and i lost 20 pounds in two months 🤦🏻‍♀️

Holy moly admin, I’m sorry 😥 I had to read up on that, it sounds painful. I’m glad you were able to turn your diet around and found a way to stick to it, getting older and the harsh effects that come with it is no joke. The way my metabolism changed between my 20s and 30s is such a kick in my ass. If I don’t do something active every day and even think about a chocolate shake or chicken strips and fries my ass automatically jiggles for like 2 weeks 😭

What are some main staples in your whole food diet? Like do you avoid carbs altogether or just certain ones at certain times? I find that if I don’t eat carbs (flour products, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and corn), added sugars, processed food, dairy, grains, legumes, alcohol or oils (cooking and all fat oils and butter) 3 consecutive days each week, my cravings for the bad stuff becomes less, my inflammation goes away and I can drop at least 2 pounds a week and that’s without any working out, plus I quit caffeine period. *I’m not a nutritionist or diet expert* It is easy to maintain and each week gets easier if you stick to it, but obviously I’m human so this is not something I do all the time for weeks at a time. I’m a foodie at heart and if I want loaded nachos with a steak and bang bang shrimp on the side, I’m a do it 🤣 especially around that time of the month….but that’s when I’ll up the weight and reps in my workouts too.

you're right, i swear i turned 25 and all of a sudden shit got real 😂 i know exactly what you mean though.. nowadays i have been trying to do at least 10k steps every day (walking or jogging) and weight lift 3/week. 2022-2023 was challenging health wise for a variety of reasons and i felt like a big change was needed. ended up having surgery for my endometriosis/an ovarian mass and promptly put on a medication that basically was like a taste of menopause.. hot flashes, joint pain, insomnia, nauseous all the time.. i'm just now coming off of it and i tell you that shit made it so hard to lose weight lmao i'm hoping things will be stable off of it.

everything you said makes perfect sense to me! the longer i go without eating ultra-processed/hyperpalatable foods in general, the easier it gets and the less i crave them. this year i actually ended up buying and participating in a medical weight loss plan because i NEEDED for someone to.. basically just tell me what to eat. i wasn't technically overweight - i know how to eat low calorie and i know how to lose weight if i need to, but not in a healthy way at all. that really was what changed for me, taking their little nutritional class and receiving a meal plan with tons of details about the different groups and how much to eat each day. i realized i was eating so much MORE food - my meal plan was more than i could even manage most days, and yet i lost weight, like now i look like a different person.. it's crazy. i realize i'm sensitive to sodium and i was really inflamed, even in my face, looking back it was so pronounced. on my meal plan, i couldn't add any salt to my food, only salt free seasonings. so that was a big thing lol to answer your question about staples, it's a little tricky.. i haven't banned carbs at all, but i have reduced them a bit. for instance, i'll still have rice, but i will do 1/4 of a cup or 1/2 cup and load up on veggies. nowadays i just eat the live carb smart bread and buns. potatoes are my FAVORITE, so i just try and eat a bit less of them, corn as well. the tricky part about trying to eat as many whole food meals as possible, is that i don't want to cook a meal every single night. i'm big on meal prepping, but i don't really like to eat microwaved food. i feel like it makes food taste weird, ESPECIALLY chicken, which happens to be my general protein of choice. so i've been eating a lot of beef, eggs and cottage cheese for protein. i love vegetables so there's countless options to add in my rotation. i'm very much still learning what works for me, and like you, i'm a foodie who loves to eat. i'm never going to be someone made miserable trying to stick to a very strict diet. i want to enjoy those delicious nachos every once in a while too LMFAO

[talkingpointsusa]

Charlie Kirk warns against trusting in experts - instead urges his audience to put their faith into random accounts on Twitter

In our last post, we discussed how Charlie Kirk used his coverage of the Columbia University encampment to spin baseless conspiracy theories about how the campus protests are being funded by George Soros because he noticed that the tents that the protestors were using looked kind of similar. Well, I thought that would be the end of Charlie Kirk's brilliant coverage but boy was I wrong. Charlie's May 6th episode was just pure uncut stupidity. Lets get into it.

Charlie starts by laying out the theme of this episode, no it's not who's funding the campus protestors like the episodes title promises. It's "I don't like smart people and why don't colleges just teach people what I think they should be taught".

15:30, Charlie Kirk: "The more college educated you are, the more likely you are to support Joe Biden. The more degrees you have, the more support you are (sic) of what Joe Biden is doing to this country. The more time you have spent on a university campus, the more you think Joe Biden is crushing it."

I said this in the last post but I'll say it again, colleges aren't teaching some net doctrine to students, they're teaching students what they're paying to be taught. Engineering students aren't doing dissertations on leftist political theory.

Charlie elaborates on this a bit more after the radio break.

22:51, Charlie Kirk: "Ok everyone, welcome back. So, the more time you spend on a college campus, the more degrees you have, the more trusting you are of flashy titles. When you hear a title you say 'Oooh, he must be very smart. He must know what he's talking about.' You see, this is what Plato talked about as the philosopher kings."

That's not what a philosopher king is. The term philosopher king refers to a ruler who governs utilizing both philosophy and political knowledge. Plato was actually quite for this as he believed that an ideal state could only be brought into being by a ruler who possessed philosophical knowledge so Charlie pretending that Plato viewed philosopher kings as a bad thing is kind of funny if you have even a directional idea of what that term means.

This isn't even the first time that Charlie has misused this term on this blog. The meaning that Charlie ascribes to it shifts around constantly and I'm 100% convinced that he just views it as "scary phrase that makes me sound smart".

24:13, Charlie Kirk: "Experts say, experts say, experts say. Experts have done more damage to this country than the working class ever could imagine."

This is kind of Charlie's show in a nutshell. "Yeah, don't trust the experts. Look, I used the term philosopher king incorrectly so I know what I'm talking about. Now buy my crap."

24:24, Charlie Kirk: "Doctor Fauci should be in Gitmo for what he did. The experts shut down our schools, the experts masked our kids, the experts had lunatics driving alone in their cars masked and afraid that the radio was going to emit COVID."

Still being pissed about wearing a mask in 2024 is a bold move. It's an absolutely whiny and stupid one but a bold one. I have no idea what he's talking about with the radio emitting COVID but he has zero right to talk about crazy scientific beliefs. Charlie Kirk thinks that birth control makes people Democrats and that the height of your apartment building determines your political orientation.

24:43, Charlie Kirk: "We have become so trusting of experts and thanks to social media and thanks to Elon Musk opening up X so that we can see who they really are we realize that the people who are in charge of our society, that have been given all of this power, who were never been elected, they've never run for office, they never had to answer tough questions. Not only are they morons, they're not wise, but they're incredibly confident."

Yeah, so Charlie's whole point in this segment is that you shouldn't trust the people who have merely dedicated their lives to studying certain subjects and have extremely broad knowledge of what they're talking about....no, you should trust random people on Twitter. Really, what Charlie is doing here is supporting his grift. As long as people aren't accessing actual information from experts who know what they're talking about and staying in their right-wing media bubble, Charlie Kirk makes money.

Charlie's whole definition of an expert is so vague by the way. I guess they're some sort of academic ruling class that Charlie is speculating runs the nation. But I can't really take Charlie's hatred of the "experts" all that seriously when he's also posting videos with titles like this:

"And he knows what he's talking about because he's an exper-oh-oops"

25:12, Charlie Kirk: "I get asked all the time, I say 'Charlie, why do you go to college campuses and talk to these kids?' Outside of the obvious answer that-"

Is that obvious answer that a lot of people subscribe to your YouTube channel when you post clickbaity debates with people who don't have actual interview and debate training while also selectively cutting out the ones that make you look like a complete idiot?

25:19, Charlie Kirk: "That they're the future of the country and they're voters."

Oh, how silly of me.

Charlie does an ad break for the radio, does an ad for gold, and then launches back to his extremely stupid tirade against "experts".

36:50, Charlie Kirk: "The yielding to the experts is the deterioration of the sovereign citizen, you're no longer thinking for yourself. Being a sovereign citizen means I might buy silver and gold, I might not take the shot, I'm not going to just feed my kid high fructose corn syrup, I'm not going to listen to the government when it says that the people who give birth aren't women but birthing people."

It's so telling that the first thing a sovereign citizen does on the Charlie Kirk Show is buy into the gold scam he's been plugging. The birthing people thing is stupid too. There are plenty of trans males who still have the biological capacity to give birth. It just boils down yet again to the rights lack of knowledge over the difference between sex and gender.

Charlie Kirk rants about Jared Bernstein making a gaffe for a bit and then complains that people are going to protest his event in Seattle.

40:52, Charlie Kirk: "Meanwhile you got these protestors with a bunch of -- you got tent city, the ugliest laziest people that society has to offer."

Nothing screams lazy quite like....protesting? I don't even know what he's talking about anymore.

41:01, Charlie Kirk: "I don't mean ugly even from an aesthetic standpoint, I want to be very clear. I mean, you can't control your looks and you should never make fun of how somebody looks. I mean ugly from how they present themselves to society, I mean the choices of how they dress. I think that's very important."

"Yeah, I don't mean ugly from an aesthetic standpoint. I mean ugly from an AESTHETIC standpoint, get it right guys."

41:23, Charlie Kirk: "I'm talking about when you double nose pierce your nose -- pierce your nose. You've got tattoos all over the place, you haven't showered in three weeks, and you've got purple hair. You're ugly."

Some hard hitting criticism that sounds like it came from your 76 year old uncle complaining about how kids these days get all these tattoos and dye their hair and back in my day that satanic claptrap was never tolerated.

Now it's time for Charlie Kirk's analysis about the election. He somehow manages to make himself sound stupider as he goes along.

42:01, Charlie Kirk: "And it really is going to be, as Andrew put in the previous episode with Josh Hammer, the country class versus the ruling class."

I really am baffled by the cognitive dissonance required to believe that the "ruling class" aren't on the right. Charlie was literally just praising Elon Musk, a guy worth $196.9 billion dollars, for "opening up" Twitter (read: allowing the Nazi stuff that Charlie likes back on). Charlie himself lives in a $4.75 million dollar house in a gated community that charges nearly half a million dollars for a country club membership. Charlie Kirk, the people who pay him, and the people who he supports are the elites that Charlie fearmongers about so much.

42:23, Charlie Kirk: "Who is actually supporting the Democrat coalition? They have more support than ever from college educated women, college educated women have an attachment to the Democrat Party like Catholics have to the eucharist. College educated women are one of the most difficult demographics for Republicans to break. They consume NPR, New York Times, many of them think it's great that their kids are getting transed. The downfall of Colorado can be best described as the college educated female demographic so we're gonna have to navigate that."

Golly, I wonder why women are for the Democrats. Could it have something to do with the fact that the Republicans are working overtime to strip their rights and bodily autonomy away? There's just no self awareness here. Of course the Republicans are going to alienate groups that they take rights away from, it only makes sense.

Charlie doesn't seem to understand how the grotesque actions of his party have led to this consequence and instead seems to have came to the conclusion that "Oh, these women are just college educated. Yeah, that's the problem. These women really are the downfall of America. They gotta just start pumping out babies".

The next hour is Charlie interviewing Glenn Greenwald, Michael Knowles would be stunned at how leftist Glenn is here. I'm not going over any of it.

Conclusion:

Well, this episode was kind of anticlimactic. I was excited to hear Charlie's bombshell evidence about how the campus protests are secretly funded by the left and instead I got him going on misogynistic rants and complaining about "experts and the elite". Maybe he got into it in the interviews but I guess this is what I'd do too if my evidence was "Hey, look at those tents".

Original Video:

“Who Backs Campus Rioters? + Speech in Peril + Faith against the Darkness | LIVE 5.6.24.” Rumble.com, 6 May 2024.

Sources:

Study.com, 2023, study.com/academy/lesson/philosopher-king-history-examples.html.

“How Trump’s MAGA Movement Helped a 29-Year-Old Activist Become a Millionaire.” AP News, 10 Oct. 2023.

[kokiafans]

Website update

An update regarding the KOKIAfans blog: I have updated the discography page after KOKIA's announcement of digital releases for vol. 3 and 4 of her animal CDs. The physical releases are now sorted under the 'Special releases' category, as I had done with the first two volumes. The digital releases are listed as albums, with the original release date mentioned.

KOKIA previously announced the animal CDs would likely not return as physical releases after running out of stock, but they did return at least for the moment, so I'm not sure what her current stance is. That was the reason for my earlier decision to move them to the special releases category. If anyone has different ideas on how to handle this, feel free to let me know!

I have also updated the title translations, as it turns out the full track titles of volume 3 were slightly different in some cases than initially listed. There were no full track titles for volume 4 online at all, so I only had the animal names for those. However, I now have the physical releases myself after purchasing both albums via her official webshop, making use of the service Worldshopping (banner automatically added for international visitors). My review of the service is under the read more link (overall positive).

I hope this means I can start translating some new songs in the not so distant future, but unfortunately, I still cannot make any promises.

My experience after two orders is that the Worldshopping service is fast and the packaging is well done. The animal CDs are not in plastic cases, but rather cardboard, but no harm came to them in shipping, and the box was clearly marked as having fragile content.

Worldshopping does ask for a fee to place the order for you, and the additional international shipping from Japan can get rather expensive. Service wise it gets my recommendation, but I would still like to warn you for those additional costs. I've seen negative reviews based solely on those costs, as people were unaware they'd have to pay for shipping twice (domestic and international). Worldshopping does tell you this, but apparently it's not always clear to everyone.

The process went as follows, with the timeline of my latest order between parentheses:

I place my order via the 'Add to cart' banner under each product. I pay Worldshopping a combined fee for the products, domestic shipping and service fee upon checkout;

Worldshopping then places the order on the webshop and sends me a confirmation of having done so (almost immediate, same day). Without an account, you receive a link by mail to a page from which you can keep track of your order;

Worldshopping receives the order and prepares it for overseas shipping (3 business days for the order to arrive at their warehouse);

Worldshopping sends a bill for overseas shipping, giving me a storage deadline of one full business week;

I pay Worldshopping for overseas shipping and Worldshopping sends the package to my address (I paid after business hours in Japan, my order was shipped the following business day);

Worldshopping ships the package overseas (arrival at customs in the Netherlands after 3 business days);

I have to pay customs to get the packaging shipped to my address, although that is no longer within Worldshopping's domain. It is still an additional cost to be aware of.

And there you have it! I'm by no means an expert, but if you have any questions about the service not answered above, I might be able to help you now.

[anangelcalledinquisitor]

Hello! Your super secret santa here! Was looking through some of your tags to decide what to draw for you and wanted to ask some questions if that's okay ❤️

1.) For galaxies, do you have a ref of their full bodies and what the base might look like for Y/N? And perhaps what Y/N in the story might look like? I'm very interested in it as a subnautica fan myself haha!

2.) For eventide, are there any particular outfits you have for them that you prefer them in? And what kind of jobs they might handle? I don't know much about them but I would love to hear what info you do have to offer!

(Gosh I really hope this goes through as anon)

These are excellent questions! (I'm practically BUZZING with excitement already, omg)

Galaxies: Okay, so I do have a full-body one for Sun, and I'm going to post it here because at this point I don't know when the coloring book is getting released to everyone? Or if it already did? Anyway, so here's that, I've been a bit of a mess since May so I haven't even gotten around to finishing coloring this piece (it's my own coloring page, I recognize the irony). So, Fish-Sun in flats (with Sea Monkey babies):

(I absolutely love Subnautica and Below Zero!!!!)

Now, Moon didn't get finished because a lot of really awful things happened all at once at the end of May and beginning of June, I got repeatedly sick, and so I didn't get around to finishing Moon's coloring page yet. It'll be done eventually, but for now, I'll show you what I did do.

(it actually breaks my heart a little, because I had so many plans for this one, aaaahhhhhhh) So Moon's form in general is pretty similar to Sun's design (long, almost eel-like). He was supposed to have more spines that you can kinda see in the original sketch of Moon in the ref pic, and his design was going to be very inspired by a lionfish, spines down the back and at the "hips".

The end of his tail was actually inspired by an axolotl, I just really liked drawing the little fin on my original sketch (which is long gone) and was like "Yeah, don't care that it looks odd, he's an alien". I do have plans to add more sub-sections of the story later (piratespiratespiratespirates) and I'll probably have to design baby Sun and Moon eventually, but I imagine both will be similar to axolotls, since they're supposed to be related species.

Eventide: Actually yes, I did draw up a buncha outfits! I couldn't tell what was too many refs and what would be wanted, so I cut a bunch of doodles of Eventide that I've got.

So, Eventide is a child unit built by my YN with Sun and Moon's help. She starts as a small child (5-6 years old) and "grows up" (through physical upgrades and hardware updates as her AI learns and grows) with her mum, two dads, and two human sisters. Story-wise, I have the plot for her to get up to about 15-16 (not because she dies, just because I haven't planned beyond that), and she wants to do all sorts of things. Legally, she is the property of YN and not Fazzbear Entertainment, and I'm not sure how to address the whole "can she legally have a job?" thing because I also don't know how to address the whole "Robots are people too, but how do I give them rights", so mostly it's the typical teenage/child level of "I want to be a ballerina and a doctor and a scientist and also I want to do what Mom does (officially, a handler for Sun and Moon and considered an expert in certain kinds of AI and human interactions that go into having a complicated family situation (two robot partners, two human children, one robot child)) and also she wants to do what Sun and Moon do (they will eventually be "retired", this is an agreement YN has with Fazzbear after a disastrous situation at another location, and they will be released permanently into YN's care at that point, but again, that's further down the line). At this time, her "job", as YN states (eventually, when I get there in the story), is to "be a kid and find out what all that means". (As for what she will probably do, I'm leaning towards a baker/barista, a marine biologist, or an artist of some sort.)

[greensaplinggrace]

Hey! I am the anon who ask for an alternative for "grisha", and, as someone who don't know Russian culture or language, I want to ask your opinion on what I thought.

What do you think of "bditel'nyy" (which should mean awake, vigilant, according to an English-Russian dictionary I found online, but this could be wrong) as a substitute, at least as a formal title, for "grisha"? I was inspired by the "egregore", especially Frater Tenebris' definition: "[…] an occult term for an independently functioning spiritual entity created by one or more magick practitioners. Many egregores begin as thought-forms but then become capable of operating independently of the practitioners", with "thought-form" being "an esoteric entity created by magick […] or from worship and prayer by generations of believers". The definitions of Gaetan Delaforge and René Guénon respectively also seem interesting in this sense: "egregore" is "a kind of group mind which is created when people consciously come together for a common purpose", "possessing a subtle force made up in a way of the contributions of all its members past and present, and which is consequently all the more considerable and able to produce greater effects as the collectivity is older and is composed of a greater number of members".

In other words, it would be related to: 1) an elite spiritual group, who maintain traditions and are vigilant; 2) a group mind; and 3) an independent magical being arising from the collective mind.

PS.: Thank you for answering my first question! And, by any chance, do you think it's offensive to take a Western concept for a group that is part of a country inspired by Russia?

ah my apologies! I took your previous ask to mean a canonical replacement for grisha instead of a fictional exercise in creativity.

if you're searching for answers about russian culture and language, I'd recommend asking the slavic members of this community, of which there are actually many. I believe @stromuprisahat could help you out, if not with your question then just to recc others with more knowledge on the subject.

bditel'nyy is actually fun! and I'm sure there are many russian words or phrases you could use in your writing to replace the word grisha, especially if you came up with the lore for why the phrase exists and where it does and how it's dispersed throughout the world/who uses it/how it affects grisha culture and all of that other worldbuilding stuff which is incredibly fun. so I say go for ideas like that! it's cool and interesting.

I'm going to give a bit of a neutral reaction to frater tenebris and the term egregore in general, however. again, I'm by no means an expert on the subject, but I think you should be wary of how you incorporate what seems to be american centric paganism into a tsarist russia built on what appears to be a mixture of slavic paganism and the russian orthodoxy. while I think the meaning of the term itself could be fun to play around with, I'd give it some thought and maybe ask around more. I'm also not partial to the "elite spiritual group mind" aspect of it, personally, but a name doesn't have to be logical or strictly defining of its members, so that's really one of my own hang ups lol. you could have real fun creatively with that if you used it right.

I love this creative peek into sab lore too! it's neat to explore rewriting it, considering the canonical lore is so lacking, and even sankt grigori is a shallow excuse for worldbuilding when it comes to the true naming of a whole people, imo. there are so many aspects of the grishaverse that could be built on lore wise in much more rich and complex ways.

and you're welcome! I'm glad I got to answer your first question, even if I maybe didn't get your point 😭

last note: I do think it's probably not a great idea to use a western concept for a group of people within a country inspired by russia. but at the same time, the grisha themselves take heavy inspiration from western jewish persecution and ghettoization. so in general, I'd be careful of both russian culture and your interpretations of the grisha and how they're named/treated in your world.

anyways, good luck on whatever you're working on! let me know if you have any more questions!