#but the amounts and combinations vary incredibly wildly

[viric-dreams]

Right, yes, the morality post. For brevity's sake, I'm going to leave this for the more developed characters here, but with the exception of Graham, nobody should be easily answerable in a binary "yes/no" poll whether or not they're a good person.

Ockham is not particularly kind. Heshethey does not go out of hishertheir way to be cruel to anyone without direct provocation (petty is still on the table, mind you), but Ockham is primarily concerned with Ockham. Ockham is relatively steadfast with people heshethey favours, but at the end of the day, the selfish option will always win out. Ockham has low emotional empathy and tends to feel a degree of distance from others (a mixture of the surface sailor living a relatively unattached life and the parabolan elements comprehending existence on an entirely different plane of reality). Heshethey doesn't actively get involved in any broader causes or try to influence things on the macro scale for better or for worse, unless it somehow directly affects himherthem. Ockham has a relatively good degree of self-awareness about it: Ockham's not trying to be a good person or a bad one, heshethey're just trying to be.

Roberts initially started out willing to step on whomever he needed to (himself included) in order to secure comfort for himself. But despite that, if it won't impact him negatively, his instinct is still to be kind (how he's received is a different story). These are traits that carry over to Nite. Being dawnpilled, however, seemed to have turned his priorities onto a grander scale. It's no longer primarily about him, but about the New Sequence and their goals. He's working towards a greater good here, but is also more likely to do smaller acts of individual kindness, unrelated to the grand scale of things. On the other hand, he has absolutely committed several atrocities in the name of that greater good. He does recognise them for what they are and holds negative feelings over them, but is still able to write it off as something that had to be done for the net benefit. This is also a mindset that carries over to Nite, who believes that the steep cost of the LoN is a necessary one for the overall greater good. Both of them want to be a good person, and think they're doing it as best they can. Roberts does acknowledge that he's made many unpopular decisions, and is also at peace with playing the villain if that's what it takes to achieve the overall good. Let his subordinates hate him. Let him dirty his hands so that the Commodore doesn't have to. It's all worth it in the end.

Jones wants to believe that he's a good person. He thinks that he used to be, back when he could actually stand for something he believed in. Nowadays, he feels more like a husk. He's done awful things for the Great Game, and would do them again. But for as many things he's done that have caused harm, there are things he hasn't done, paralysis and indecision, also causing harm. Those are the ones that weigh on his conscience--when his fear, his inaction, have negative consequences. Maybe if it were for something that he actually believed in, it would be easier. But there's nothing left in him to keep that flame alive, were it ever rekindled. His favourite part of the job is administering the Rites of St Joshua. At least he can feel like he's done some good, unburdening someone of their troubles or secrets. He wants to be a good person. He hopes that he is.

[musical-chick-13]

Hey, I saw your post about female characters being ignored and not cared about, one thing I know and tha I've seen is that; even if the female characters and side characters were all female—they would still genderbend them, or latch onto two male characters who have done no shit and give them better characterisation, the fandom will also flatten, cut out, and remove important characteristics of the important female characters, while giving important hc canons and what not to the two male characters.

It is plain old fandom misogy and has always been there from the beginning.

"Even when women and girls are at the forefront of the story, men will always be seeked out in whatever ways possible, and centralised—female characters on the other hand, will always be judged or ignored; people do not want to admit it, but they still have internalised misogyny to worked on, 'fandom is not activism' gives them an excuse and cover to not examine, women's stories or inner lives don't and have never mattered to a lot of people in varying degrees."

Overall, I just resonate with your frustrations and thought I was the only one . . .

Oh, you have come to the RIGHT place, my friend, I rant about this every other day at minimum.

FEMALE CHARACTERS!! WILL ALWAYS!!!! BE JUDGED OR IGNORED!!!!!!!!! Like. Chainsaw Man and Game of Thrones/ASoIaF have been praised significantly for letting all of the women in them be extremely flawed and complicated in differing and interesting ways, and I STILL see people not engaging with them and/or reducing most of them to one (1) characteristic. (Cersei is a "crazy bitch," Sansa is "stupid" (??), Catelyn is a terrible mom, Melisandre is...there; Kobeni is obnoxious, Makima is hot, Himeno is the Worst™, etc. etc.) And there should be an overwhelming abundance of increasingly implausible f/f ship content, right? (There isn't.)

(And ohhhhh, people want to erase the importance of women to the overall narrative and its themes (and their canonical importance to other-usually male-characters) so bad, see: Cersei, Himeno, Irene Adler, Mary Morstan, MCU Natasha, Camille O'Connell, Bonnie Bennett, Lizzie Saltzman, Mai from AtLA, Martha Jones, tbh even River gets a fair amount of this. And then some of this is obviously combined with racism when the character is a WOC.)

And I don't have a problem with genderbending characters-gender is complicated, and exploring different facets of how a character might interact with the world if their gender identity changed is incredibly interesting!! But it's...very telling that, historically, I have seen this happen a lopsided amount in one direction, where the female characters are reimagined as men and not vice versa. (Remember when a not-insignificant number of people could only stomach BBC Sherlock/Irene if they reimagined Irene as a man? And then got mad at Elementary for CANONICALLY reinterpreting Watson as a woman? Good times. 🙄)

Just...so many of these wildly-hated or ignored women are...not any less complex than a lot of fictional men who get popular. (I'm sorry, you want to tell me that Misa is not at LEAST as interesting and worthy of sympathy as K*lo fucking Ren? When she has the backstory she does and presents an engaging dichotomy of "bubbly/silly yet murderous" and deconstructs the idea of extreme single-minded devotion NO I'M NOT MAD ABOUT THIS WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT)

And the idea of "fandom is not activism" is supposed to be used in the sense of "Liking a pRoBLeMaTiC dynamic/character in a story doesn't mean you think that behavior is okay in real life" (finding a fictional war criminal interesting doesn't equate to supporting genocide, exploring a toxic dynamic in fic doesn't inherently mean you hate victims, etc.), and "Paying lip service to marginalized/mistreated fictional characters is not the same as helping and supporting actual marginalized/mistreated people in real life." It doesn't mean, "We ignore obvious examples of misogyny and racism and ableism and transphobia and all other prejudices just because this is supposed to be fun." Biases are systemically ingrained, and any given person will bring those biases into all facets of their life; that doesn't just magically stop happening because one of those life facets happens to be a hobby or form of entertainment. Breaking down and dismantling prejudice has to happen on every level, including the """small""" ones.

The only time I have ever seen people engage with multiple female characters on a regular basis while admitting to their importance and narrative complexity and actually creating fanworks about them is Noir (2001). And that's because there are a whole 10 people in this fandom and the show has no men. (Okay, not literally, but you know what I mean.) And it's just so incredibly frustrating that that's the point we have to get to just for it to be possible for people to bother with a work's female characters on an enthusiastic, regular basis. (Because, as you said-that doesn't always happen even when those conditions are met.)

ANYWAY, I'm so sorry for making this response so lengthy, but genuinely I have been holding this in for a long time. TLDR, you're right and you should say it. You definitely aren't the only one, and I'm so, so glad that somebody Gets It.

[rpgse7enx5]

Endless runners, video game research and how gameplay loops influence their designs; an explanation - By RPG.

1 - Temple Run 2

Temple Run 2 is an endless-runner video game developed and published by husband-and-wife team Imangi Studios in 2013.

Players are expected to overcome a variety of different sections and hinderances whilst being chased by a single giant monkey called Shushank (unlike the original Temple Run, where you are instead chased by a group of 3 monkeys).

The core gameplay loops, and what dictates as the main objective, is that the style of level practically stays the same; with the player having to collect a score that is based solely upon both the distance and amount of coins you have collated. Additionally, this could also be down to the fact that you will encounter the same or similar obstacles in each level; with the positioning of them changing.

Its USP (Unique Selling Point) could be the fact that it is the advancement to the already wildly popular first rendition in the Temple Run series; as was mentioned by the developers and critics of the game, and the fact that said critics noted that it featured everything that was "missing" from the original game.

2 - Robot Unicorn Attack

Robot Unicorn Attack is a 2010 endless-runner video game developed by Spiritonin Games and published by Adult Swim Games.

In the game, the player is expected to collide into crystal stars by dashing into them and to not fall off the edge or crash into the edges of platforms. As the player advances into the level, the speed of which the unicorn moves increases.

The main core gameplay loop is that the level stays the exact same in principle, and the movement doesn't change in any way. Points are collected by the player by collecting pixies, and by running into crystal stars without dashing into them.

Its USP (Unique Selling Point) could be that its stylisation, and its quirky nature, appeals to a certain type of audience; bringing a unique approach into a genre that is otherwise completely dominated by the same generic style of endless runner.

3 - Flappy Bird

Flappy Bird is a 2013 casual endless runner created by solo indie Vietnamese developer Dong Nguyen and published by .Gears, his studio.

In the game, the player is expected to dodge long green poles by going in between them; these green poles can vary in height and the singular level can get more difficult when the bird you control becomes quicker.

The main gameplay loop is that there is only one singular level, and the navigation around that singular level; the player having to dodge the exact same obstacle, just in different heights and distances whilst also balancing in the speed of which the level is progressing at.

Its USP (Unique Selling Point) could be that the game was supposed to be marketed as "everything pure, everything extremely hard and incredibly fun to play" as quoted by his studio. Its critics mentioned its addictive nature, and Nguyen was quite to follow up on this by removal of the game on all devices citing that he felt guilty about the game's addictive nature.

4 - Punch Quest

Punch Quest is a 2012 (iOS)/2013 (Android) endless runner/beat-em-up developed by Madgarden published by both RocketCat Games and Noodlecake Studios for both iOS and Android respectively.

In the game, the player is expected to punch through as many monsters as possible whilst collecting score points (called punchos).

The main gameplay loop is that there is one objective, and that is to beat up as many monsters as possible in order to achieve a high score; along with the collecting of punchos along the way.

Its USP (Unique Selling Point) could be that the game features a unique take on the endless runner genre; combining both beat-em-up style combat games with endless runners, creating some sort of workable hybrid variety. Additionally, the game also features a unique variation from all of the other styles of endless runner; incorporating 2D pixel art into its design.

5 - Google's Dinosaur Game

The Dinosaur Game, otherwise known colloquially as Chrome Dino or Google's Dinosaur Game, is a browser game/endless runner/side-scroller that was created by Google that is built into the Chrome browser in 2014.

In the game, the player is expected to dodge obstacles (like cacti, clouds and flying birds) whilst also covering distance to score points.

The main gameplay loop is that there is one objective, and that is to dodge obstacles whilst ducking and jumping; and as you progress, balancing out correct movement with the speed of which the t. rex is going at.

Its USP (Unique Selling Point) could be the that the game was initially designed as something you could play whilst your computer/browser wasn't connected to the internet when trying to browse, but later transformed into something that became an instant hit because of its simple yet impactful nature. Its unique hybridisation, between three genres crossed together, makes this game a very unique piece in the endless-runner puzzle.

RPG-7

[howtofightwrite]

Equipping and Using Armor

How long should armour/costumes take to put on? Also it seems from films, there are so many complaints about such being ill-fit, and taking a long time to wear, movement restricting, too heavy. I get it’s filming but we’re expecting the characters are able to freely fight in them and get in and out at ease. In other words, what we see is too impractical and unrealistic in reality. So what is actually realistic and something you could really see working?

So, there’s a huge difference between armor and costumes. There’s also a wild difference in the amount of time (for either) based on what you’re talking about.

Something like a gambeson or breastplate could be put on fairly quickly. Somewhat similar to putting on any other article of clothing (though, admittedly, the breastplate may be a poor example here depending on the design.)

On the other end of the spectrum, something like full plate would require a second person to strap the wearer in, though I’m not sure on exactly how much time it would take. A modern reenactor can get into plate in ~10 minutes, though that number will vary based on the armor in use, and it’s likely that a professional combatant in the era could have easily shaved a few minutes off that time. So, it’s not an incredibly drawn out process, but it is still something you’d need to do before combat began.

As he demonstrates, getting out of your armor is considerably easier than getting into it, but there are still going to be buckles in hard to reach places that will require assistance. His estimate of it taking about a third as long to get out, is probably a pretty sound guess.

Too heavy is a very subjective criticism; it is entirely dependent on the wearer’s conditioning. Historical armor weights vary wildly depending on the style, and material. The video example above weighs just under 60lbs, which is slightly lighter surviving historical examples from the 14th century.

Ironically, soldiers today tend to have heavier carry loads than someone armored in full plate with their kit.

The reality was that fully articulated armor offered the wearer a lot of mobility, and combined that with protection. While it is, “heavy armor,” that is weight that a professional combatant could condition themselves to, and wouldn’t really interfere with their ability to move and fight. If you have armor that seriously impairs your ability to move, that’s just going to get you killed.

Ironically, the bigger issue wasn’t the weight of the armor, it was the way the armor could trap heat, and exhaust a combatant who didn’t have the conditioning for it.

This is where you’ll get into a specific problem that’s basically impossible to lock down because it’s going to depend on the individual. If you’re putting actors in period appropriate reproduction armor, they might find that very uncomfortable, and may not have the condition (or the desire to build up the conditioning) to be effective in it. They’re not going to need to actually fight in the armor. Additionally, it’s entirely possible that the costume designers created armor that isn’t really functional. This is a weird edge case, because at that point you do have a costume, not armor, and it doesn’t matter if it would be impossible to actually fight in armor designed to those specifications, because the actors are going to do what the script tells them to.

There’s actually a lot of examples of downright terrible armor designs in films, that would be more dangerous to the wearer. Any armor with, “boob plate,” come to mind off hand, but that’s an entirely different topic.

Now, having just dunked on that, there are a lot of films, and TV where the production team takes the time to make functional armor designs, or use historically accurate(-ish) reproductions. (Sometimes you’ll see some anachronisms. Post-gunpowder armor designs in a pre-gunpowder setting is a very common example.) The considerations of filming work better if your actors can move and interact with their environment. If they’re comfortable and mobile, then that’s not problem for the production.

One of the biggest examples of armor that simply doesn’t work which you’ll see frequently in pop culture, isn’t heavy at all, it’s leather. While leather was used as a component of armor (such as the straps in the example above), nobody was making armor out of leather. The image of a stealthy knife fighter in bondage gear has the same historical authenticity as Leonidas’s leather speedo crew. Which is to say: None.

Leather was used in clothing (just like it is today), and if you’re looking at a character like Aragorn (and, I mean, specifically Aragorn, as in the creepy murder hobo wandering around in the forest), then leather clothing makes a lot of sense. But that’s not armor.

When it comes to armor weight, most of it is going to come from the chain. Chainmail is excellent protection. It has its weaknesses, but it’s a very solid starting point. Padded armor gets a bad reputation in modern pop culture, but was also shockingly effective. It’s easy to forget, but that was armor, and it did work. Plate was an effective outer shell, protecting your chain from the worst of the abuse you’d take.

So, in asking, “what works?” Historical armor worked. It worked very well. Even things like full plate (when they’re based on historical examples) were things you could actually move and fight in. Now, you needed training, you needed the conditioning to effectively function in that armor, but real people did that.

-Starke

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Equipping and Using Armor was originally published on How to Fight Write.

[ipatrichor]

c!wilbur? for teh ask game. if he's already been done than c!tubbo?

c!wilbur it is ^^

favorite thing about them

the mental illness /j no but actually my favorite thing is how much he cares. like... he has this incredibly warped perception of himself, but he cares soso much about everyone else that he tears himself apart for them and convinces himself it’s what they want/what he deserves :’ he’s given up everything for his friends time and again, and even when he self-destructed a large part of it was because he thought it was what was best for them i’m going to scream

least favorite thing about them

ok this is gonna sound weird but i don’t have very many disliked things abt him so,, i guess the nsfw jokes? idk, i’m ace and closer to sex-repulsed on the spectrum so rlly it’s just a personal thing that makes me a little uncomfortable sometimes jkgbfh :’ like just saying ‘kinky’ or w/e i literally don’t care abt, i’ve made those jokes, but when it gets to like borderline roleplaying something sexual i get uncomfortable :’’

favorite line

i’m not gonna be able to explain this one very well but the one that hasn’t left my head is something along the lines of “i know what i’m like. that’s the problem” because. fuck, dude. yeah. if i said i don’t feel that on a personal level, i’d be a fuckin liar :’’

brOTP

crimeboys. there are a lot of duos w wilbur i greatly enjoy (tubbo, niki, techno, fundy, phil, etc), but nothing will ever hold a candle in my heart to crimeboys

OTP

none really. idk why, like if it’s because of how much i relate to/project on him or something, but i just don’t see him in a romantic relationship :’ like i’ll write him post-sally, sure, but not really in a relationship

nOTP

any of the minors, full stop. i’ve Seen Things when i don’t filter ao3 tags carefully enough, and i hope to never see anything of the sort again. other than the obvious, i guess... any? like sally is canon and i don’t rlly mind that bc it’s a past relationship, but again i don’t really like shipping c!wilbur and idk why :’ it’s just not my thing lmao

random headcanon

i think he stims a lot. like, he probably masked a fair amount the first time he was alive, but even so he never really sat Still until sometime during potopia. he’d always be like. flicking his wrists, or holding his arms a certain way, or messing with his hair. during pogtopia i think it was a combination of masking bc he was desperate to be ‘taken seriously’ and him not having the energy to stim very much anymore (it’s canon he didn’t eat much and malnutrition is a bitch). so, i think it varied wildly between bursts of stimming and complete stillness, much like his mental state varied between high and low energy. and then after revival, i think he stops caring about masking so much and just goes fuckin wild (as he should)

unpopular opinion

idk how unpopular it is,, but i really hate the zombie wilbur stuff people have been doing since his revival. like, it rarely comes with a body horror tag, and even on stuff done by sympathizers there are still these massive stitches and patches of rotting flesh and it’s just so uncomfortable both to look at and because it’s only ever wilbur. like, tommy was revived too, but people don’t draw him as a Stinky Gross Rotting Zombie Man- no, it’s just wilbur. like, the implications are just. not good once you actually think about them, and it seems to have become part of the most popular/widely accepted fanon design which means i can’t avoid it bc people don’t even tag it or anything. idk it just feels like yet another unintentional dig at mental illness, and i’m just genuinely so tired

song i associate with them

there are. so many. i’m just gonna go thru my c!wilbur playlist and pull out a couple that rlly resonate ok :’’ a terrible ride from lizard boy, villains pt 1 by emma blackery, the village by wrabel, dancing after death by matt maeson, it’s called: freefall by rainbow kitten surprise, burned out by dodie, and liar by the arcadian wild ^^

favorite picture of them

i was abt to say i don’t have one but ykw i actually do- it’s this art piece my friend wil @gremling4mer drew for a fanfic i wrote. i still have it as my lockscreen, and the sheer cozy vibes + it being a gift from a friend have it ranked firmly as my favorite picture of c!wilbur ever :}

[pumpkinpaix]

HI! I'm new to the MDZS fandom and I fell in love with Suibian, but you don't see it that much. I seen somewhere that it would burn out a weaker core and I cried cause I wanted to see that, and as far as I know it doesn't happen anywhere. I'm wondering if you could tell me anything and everything you know about Suibian. I'm starving for anything about it

hi anon! ahahah, it’s always a dangerous thing to ask me about “anything and everything” on a topic because I usually have too many thoughts, most of which are unorganized. but! if you’re interested in that, then here we go!

First, re: your comment about Suibian burning out a weaker core: I am not aware of this theory (or is it something from an interview?? if someone knows, please say so!), but if it brings you joy, then it’s certainly an interesting one to consider! Unfortunately, I don’t have much more to say on it because I’m unfamiliar with it, but I do have quite a lot to say on some other Suibian concepts!

ask and ye shall receive (a very jumbled heap of thoughts as i spiral further and further out of control):

[all rough translations are mine, and thus all mistakes are mine. I am using the version of the novel that is available on luoxia because I can’t be bothered to go flipping through my print edition ahaha.]

the questions about Suibian that interest me the most are why it sealed, when it sealed, when Wei Wuxian began to wield it again, and what that might all mean. I’m going to be talking about novel, CQL, and audio drama canon all together, because I think looking at each canon alone and in combination can raise a lot of very different points!! (I have not watched the donghua or read the manhua yet, so forgive me, I have nothing to say about them. /o\)

So! the one piece of information that we’re given consistently throughout all three of the canons is that Suibian was sealed after Wei Wuxian’s death and that no one but Wei Wuxian himself (and Jiang Cheng, by proxy) could draw it from its sheathe. Thus, Wei Wuxian’s identity is revealed and the golden core swap comes to light. Wei Wuxian is surprised by this, and asks Lan Wangji, “Did it really seal itself?” (novel, chapter 63; CQL, ep 42; audio drama, S2E15).

The novel and audio drama both include a line from Wei Wuxian that emphasizes Wei Wuxian’s surprise, implying that sword-sealing is very uncommon:

万中无一的大好事竟然让我给撞上了

Something incredible that happens less than once per ten thousand times, and I actually encountered it.

the irony, of course, is that this incredible thing is what ended up blowing his cover. rip Wei Wuxian.

but what I think gets really interesting is comparing different points at which Suibian sealed itself and what that might imply in conjunction with other information. Jin Guangyao says “shortly after” his death, but CQL includes a scene in episode 19 that implies that Suibian actually sealed itself much earlier.

[ID: Gif from episode 19 of the untamed drama. Lan Wangji attempts to draw Suibian after he and Jiang Cheng storm the Nightless City and retrieve their swords. He cannot pull it from the sheathe. /end ID]

(in case anyone is curious, it’s about 30 minutes in. I spent the effort to make the gif, so I might as well give you the timestamp lol)

this scene takes place during the period of time when Wei Wuxian is in the Mass Graves (aka the Burial Mounds) after Wen Chao cast him down and left him for dead, right near the beginning of Sunshot. I’m fairly certain it’s not mentioned in either the novel or the audio drama, so this is a CQL-only detail. (please correct me if I’m wrong; I get my canons muddled all the time //hides face)

CQL basically does nothing narratively with this scene other than giving us some sad shots of Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng (honestly, valid ;A;) but!! if we decide to accept this scene as our jumping off point, we can get to some interpretations about Wei Wuxian using information from the other canons!

take this exchange from chapter 57 of the novel (immediately prior to the massacre at lotus cove):

江澄道：“还不是又为咱们的剑的事去温家了。一想到我的三毒现在说不定被哪只温狗握在手里，真是……”

他面露嫌恶之色，魏无羡道：“可惜咱们的剑还不够灵，要是能自动封剑，那就谁也别想用了。”

江澄道：“你再修炼个八十年，说不定可以。”

Jiang Cheng said, “He’s gone to the Wen sect regarding our swords again, hasn’t he. Whenever I think that my Sandu might even now be in some Wen-dog’s hands, ugh…”

His face filled with loathing, Wei Wuxian said, “What a pity our swords don’t have enough spirit. If they could seal themselves, then no one could even think about using them.”

Jiang Cheng said, “If you kept cultivating for another eighty years, maybe.”

from the novel, it seems clear that sword-sealing is something that only happens when a person’s cultivation level is exceptionally high. if this is true, and we go with the CQL timeline of Suibian sealing itself long before Wei Wuxian’s death, it means that Wei Wuxian’s cultivation level wasn’t just high, it was leagues above pretty much anyone else when he was still a teenager. (In fact, Suibian had most likely already sealed by the time this conversation takes place.)

If we don’t go with CQL’s timeline, however, I think we could make a very different argument. It’s a bit of a reach, but I think it’s a lot of fun, if you’re willing to come with me on this journey!

Jin Guangyao says Suibian sealed itself “shortly after” Wei Wuxian’s death, but we don’t really have external confirmation of that. For all we know, someone only bothered to test it sometime after his death, and Suibian had been sealed for some indefinite amount of time. All we can say for sure is that by some point shortly after Wei Wuxian’s death, Suibian was already sealed and resisted being drawn by anyone who tried it.

We’re told over and over that one can only wield a spiritual sword effectively if you have a golden core/the spiritual energy to match it. Wei Wuxian stops carrying/using Suibian because he knows that in his hands, it will act as nothing more than an ordinary sword. His method of cultivation is no longer suitable for the sword. Suibian is tied to both Wei Wuxian’s soul and his golden core.

If sword-sealing only happens when the cultivator’s level is unbelievably high, then I think we can make the argument here that by the time of his death, Wei Wuxian’s core was likewise unbelievably strong – but Wei Wuxian is no longer the one developing his core. Jiang Cheng is.

I know it’s a ridiculous reach. To be clear, I don’t think the text actually intends this or supports this in any meaningful way, but I do think that it gives us some very tasty potential!! If Suibian sealed itself sometime after the core transfer (which, honestly, we wouldn’t know – after all, who’s been trying to draw Wei Wuxian’s sword?), but just if, I think we can plausibly make the argument that Jiang Cheng’s cultivation is truly extraordinary.

:DDDDDDDD

It’s fun right?? It’s a fun concept!!! Even if it’s nonsense, even if it’s not that deep, even if this was an unintentional coincidence, I think it would be interesting to look at this as being some kind of measure of Jiang Cheng’s accomplishments. On the flip side, I also think it’s very important thematically that Jiang Cheng’s value as a person has nothing to do with his cultivation, that he is, in fact, always second-best, but that doesn’t make him any less worthwhile or deserving of love. Maybe I’m just projecting lmao. Of course, being extraordinary doesn’t preclude him from still lagging behind Wei Wuxian–Wei Wuxian might have just been more extraordinary ahahah. We can have both!!

Now for a totally different thing! Interestingly, this conversation about cultivation levels and sword-sealing (the one with Jiang Cheng) also happens in the audio drama, S2E12 (about 15 minutes in, since I just checked), but Wei Wuxian adds an additional comment:

(don’t have the transcription of the original chinese, I’m just going to translate it as I hear it)

“But maybe you don’t need to cultivate to a certain level to have your sword seal itself. What if there were some other way?”

these two versions of the conversation actually imply pretty different things, I think! this addition opens the possibility to the audience that sword-sealing is possible even without an extraordinary level of cultivation, and I think lends credence to the idea that Suibian is just an unusually loyal sword, regardless of Wei Wuxian’s cultivation level. Whether that’s something inherent to Suibian’s “personality”, or whether this says something about how Wei Wuxian inspires loyalty wherever he goes, or whether it just speaks to the strength of their bond remains to be seen.

(obviously, this could imply any number of other things as well, but I find this to be the interpretation that makes me happiest.)

If we go with “Suibian seals itself after Wei Wuxian’s death” in this canon, I think this emphasizes the loyalty aspect with a touch of grief.

If we combine this with CQL and have “Suibian has been loyal since he was a teenager”, that also emphasizes the loyalty aspect – just in a different way.

Of course, doing meta combining unique details from different canons is largely pointless in terms of crafting any real “analysis”, so I’m mostly saying all of this because I enjoy the process of building the supercanon in my head that brings me the most joy! To summarize the varied interpretations I’ve brought up in this post:

CQL-only: Suibian sealed itself when Wei Wuxian was a teenager, at latest, by the time he was thrown into the Mass Graves.

Novel-only: Sword-sealing is very rare and achievable only through extraordinarily high cultivation. Shortly after Wei Wuxian’s death, Suibian is discovered to have sealed itself, so Wei Wuxian’s core, by the time of his death, was extraordinarily powerful.

Audio drama-only: Sword-sealing is considered very rare and achievable only through extraordinarily high cultivation, but might also be accomplished by other methods. Shortly after Wei Wuxian’s death, Suibian is discovered to have sealed itself. If Wei Wuxian’s core is not wildly and improbably powerful, this implies that Suibian has become an exceptionally loyal sword by the time of his death.

CQL/novel: Wei Wuxian was already incredibly powerful by the time he was a teenager.

CQL/audio drama: Suibian has been exceptionally loyal to Wei Wuxian since at least his teenage years.

Novel and audio drama-only have a much wider range of when Suibian could have sealed itself, as mentioned, so there are further variances within those interpretations.

there’s a lot of potential here!! with my personal feelings regarding the story, I like novel-only with Suibian sealing post-core transfer, audio drama-only with Suibian sealing post-Wei Wuxian’s death, or CQL/audio drama with Suibian sealing as a teenager pretty much all equally. I think the CQL/novel interpretation gets too close to casting Wei Wuxian as a hyper-special and innately noble individual in a way that undercuts the strength of his character arc, but that’s my opinion. (As an aside, this is actually one of my major complaints about CQL in general, independent from what I’m talking about here. But that is a topic for another day ahahaha. To be clear, I still love CQL very much, despite my many frustrations!)

As for what I think is the most “likely” to be the “right” interpretation (whatever that’s worth), I would probably say the one that emphasizes Suibian’s loyalty with Suibian sealing post-death, because I think it’s the most thematically cohesive and has the textual support to back it. (I think it’s a valid interpretation even using novel-only text; it’s just slightly less explicit without the additional comment from Wei Wuxian.)

A final detail:

We don’t get anything from either CQL or the novel that explicitly addresses when/if Wei Wuxian is able to wield Suibian again, but the audio drama’s rendition of the “Yunmeng” extra very subtly indicates that by the time that extra takes place, Wei Wuxian has cultivated a golden core and is carrying his sword once more. You only get it at a couple of moments, but Suibian sometimes clinks when Wei Wuxian moves or when he bumps into something. The two instances I can remember specifically are when Lan Wangji tosses the ring onto him (the ring hits Suibian), and when he’s rowing the little boat onto the lotus pond and the motion makes a sound. It’s!!! Extremely good!!! It makes my heart very full!!!!!

ANYWAYS, if all of my scattered rambling didn’t fill the Suibian-shaped hole in your heart, I would also like to recommend @zeldacw‘s wonderful WangQingSuiChen series of comics, featuring anthropomorphized versions of Wangji guqin, Chenqing, Suibian, and Bichen. I believe the most recent comic is here, and there are links to the rest of the comics in the post. If you just want her general tag for the AU (which is more than just the comics), it’s here!

If you have interest in listening to the audio drama yourself, you can purchase it through the MissEvan app (Mao’er FM). There are buying instructions linked in this post! If you need English subtitles, @suibiansubs is the group that does them. :)

I really can’t recommend the audio drama enough, tbh, it’s really really dear to my heart, and the team clearly worked so hard and cared so deeply for the story they were trying to tell. Consider this my regularly scheduled plug for the audio drama ahaha.

As always, my meta is my meta and if you don’t vibe with it, that’s chill! I change my opinions constantly (I think I changed them like three times in the course of writing this ahahaha), and I know some of my older meta has been making the rounds and every time I see it I think about all the ways my views have shifted since I wrote it rip. For this post moreso than usual, I want to emphasize that pretty much all of the meta included in this is meant to explore intriguing what-if possibilities, not for serious literary analysis purposes. I am aware that a lot of this is reaching/overinterpreting into implications that probably aren’t there. I just think they’re fun to consider!

so this was a mess, but I hope you or someone out there enjoyed it anon!!

(ko-fi, if you’re so moved)

[emsartwork]

Do you care to do wizard uniforms/outfits and the power scales for those?

Yep! So the Masculine Magic styles aren’t exactly comparable to the feminine styles/transformations. They’re closer to the witch practices than fairy but Masc magics depend primarily on how they channel magic rather than what they specialize in but there are some commonalities. They can also mix and match styles as they need (also i didn’t want to draw a whole new figure so i just genderswapped my winxsona lmao)

So much like fairies and witches the first three stages of a masc magic user are basic building blocks, slowly increasing the mage’s power. Masculine magic styles are very loose with the “uniform” aspect, most of them just wear whatever they want, but one of the common aspects is a sash. first three stages are white, gray, and black sashes, and once the mage chooses their specialty or just gains a little more confidence they usually have a sash that matches their core color. It’s also common for masc magic users to dress a little more traditionally(according to whatever their culture is) once they reach the black sash stage but it’s not necessary. (my winxsona is from Koyu so traditional koyu clothing will be featured here)

Wizards are characterized by absorbing magic from where-ever, and storing it/channeling it through a signature item (examples: wizards of the black circle, tritanus originally, Acheron partially) often their attack magic isn’t as strong because they often have a weapon for their signature item and rely on that to deal damage. they are also known to have a decent grasp of elemental magic as they deal a lot with physical substances. One of the most common styles.

Sorcerers are characetrized by absorbing magical energy from where-ever and storing it within their own body. which this gives them certain advantages, like always having their magic supply within reach and being able to pour magic out in incredibly powerful and direct bursts, it can sometimes overload the magic user and leave them drained. Sorcerers often deal a fair amount with consciousness, in themselves and others, as their magic is grounded in their own body. One of the most common styles.

Alchemists are a very rare style to pursue, they absorbs their magic from potential energy in minerals/chemicals, and from the magic expelled from chemical reactions. they are expert potion makers and can pursue healing, building, destructive, or research careers. due to the unstable nature of some of their elements, the danger is relatively high, though your mostly at risk if you don’t take proper precautions. they usually wear thick clothing and gloves/boots, and when seriously working with have a physical mask but if working in the moment will generate a mask with magic. they also carry a kit personalized to their element preferences with them. 

Shamans are weird. They absorb their magical energy from their surroundings, and then channel it back through their environment (think earth or plant bending by those swamp ppl from that one episode). This route is primarily pursued by hermit types who live on their own in one specific place, but can also be used in semi developed villages as well. They have a decent grasp on the elements and natural/wild magic, but because of their intense connection to their environment they can run into problems. If a shaman is confronted on their own turf, they can seem to double their core magic output, and gain additional attack and defense capabilities (that magic bar should also be a little higher sry) but if away from their territory, they loose half their core for a while and loose some attack and defense. because of these limitations, and because of the inherit danger that comes with living in the wilderness the danger is a little high. Shamans usually dress to blend into their environment. They’re fairy rare.

Necromancer are also weird. Necromancers absorb their magic from death/decay and store it in their tattoos.(example: my nex get oc Aidan) Basically what happens is they take the potential magical energy from a thing before or as its being released, either causing it to die/decay or benefiting from it. Fungi are popular among Necromancers as they are a living embodiment of decay. Necromancers often lean towards Unconscious and time related magics but its not always the case. The tattoos also function as “dead material” being scar tissue and magically conductive ink. Some tattoos are specific runes that activate at a trigger word or action to do specific things (like a protection spell that is activated by physical force) but most are just personal symbols/imagery relating to the individual or their culture. Necromancers can go down a dark route pretty easily and using magic related to death often has side effects which is why the danger is fairly high. Though it’s not technically necessary, its traditional that Necromancers don’t wear sleeves, some prefer to go entirely shirtless but vests are also common.

Magicians are popular with the younger generation who tend to combine sorcery, wizardry, and necromancy as they like(example: Nabu). Their stats can vary wildly, and they often counteract the weakness of the other styles by mixing in the strengths of others. This requires a fairly flexible working style, as practitioners need to switch from absorbing into their body/tattoos to channeling out of their body/tattoo/signature item as the situation evolves. Magicians can tire out easy if they don’t keep up constant practice and meditation.  

[fabercastellcn]

What Determines the Price and Quality of Colored Pencils?

Colored pencils have become wildly popular in recent years. Artists have rediscovered their creative potential with better quality, more permanence, and more variety available. Many non-artists have discovered the benefits and joy of coloring books for adults leading to the rising sales of colored pencils.

But what determines the quality and price difference in colored pencils? It is not the range of colors in packs of 12, 24, 36, or more pencils. It is the amount of pigment used in the mixture that ultimately becomes the “lead” in the pencil. This is known as “pigment load”. This term is used in all paints as well as colored pencils and is the factor that drives cost more than any other.

Another big factor is the lightfastness of the color, or permanence of the color. It took many years of testing, but in the late 1970s, lightfastness standards were written for oils, acrylics, alkyds, and watercolors. The organization responsible for this testing is the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). These standards led to ratings of I and II (today there are V) with I being the colors not likely to fade over time. This gives artists the option of selecting materials that have gone through rigorous testing for lightfastness. In the 1990s, this same testing began for colored pencils and by 2003, ASTM D6901 has created — — the standards for lightfastness for colored pencils. Also marked I and II are those pencils made in compliance with the highest standards of ASTM D6901. In fact, one brand is the Caran D’Ache Luminance 6901.

So, the cost is driven by pigment load, quality and type of binder (the stuff that holds the pigment together inside the casing), and the casing itself. Better quality pencils have cedar wood casings and professional pencils like the Luminance 6901 have somewhat heftier casings, thicker and more substantial, and some artists believe a nicer feel when grasped. Cheaper pencils use molded wood fiber and sometimes mysterious materials which do not sharpen well.

For the most part, binders are secret formulas that companies protect, especially in professional-grade pencils. Binders not only hold the pigment together but play a big role in how the pigment goes down on the surface and how well colors layer and blend. The combinations of wax, resin, oils, and/or gums vary, and watercolor pencils, for example, contain gum arabic as a binder because it’s water-soluble.

Colored pencils with a primarily wax binder can be very soft and care must be taken when laying down the color in order to avoid a burnished surface. Also, some wax pencils leave a wax “bloom” where white specks of paper show through the color. Resin binders are more common in less expensive or student-grade pencils making them harder. Combined with less pigment, very inexpensive pencils can be frustrating to use breaking easily and not putting down the lower pigment levels very well.

There is actually a good variety of colored pencils at your local, independent art supply store. Some dealers will even let you try before you buy. I would recommend trying before you buy if at all possible so you can see the difference in the performance of the different pencils.

Good quality paper, covered in another of my articles, also plays a role in how well the colors apply, layer, and blend.

One final note. There is an organization called the Colored Pencil Society of America. It’s a great website to learn more about colored pencils, compete in their shows, and see some incredible colored pencil art.

While you’re surfing, find more information on art supplies at https://fabercastell.net

[thelonecoyote]

At the Mountains of Madness

By H. P. Lovecraft

I am forced into speech because men of science have refused to follow my advice without knowing why. It is altogether against my will that I tell my reasons for opposing this contemplated invasion of the antarctic—with its vast fossil-hunt and its wholesale boring and melting of the ancient ice-cap—and I am the more reluctant because my warning may be in vain. Doubt of the real facts, as I must reveal them, is inevitable; yet if I suppressed what will seem extravagant and incredible there would be nothing left. The hitherto withheld photographs, both ordinary and aërial, will count in my favour; for they are damnably vivid and graphic. Still, they will be doubted because of the great lengths to which clever fakery can be carried. The ink drawings, of course, will be jeered at as obvious impostures; notwithstanding a strangeness of technique which art experts ought to remark and puzzle over.

In the end I must rely on the judgment and standing of the few scientific leaders who have, on the one hand, sufficient independence of thought to weigh my data on its own hideously convincing merits or in the light of certain primordial and highly baffling myth-cycles; and on the other hand, sufficient influence to deter the exploring world in general from any rash and overambitious programme in the region of those mountains of madness. It is an unfortunate fact that relatively obscure men like myself and my associates, connected only with a small university, have little chance of making an impression where matters of a wildly bizarre or highly controversial nature are concerned.

It is further against us that we are not, in the strictest sense, specialists in the fields which came primarily to be concerned. As a geologist my object in leading the Miskatonic University Expedition was wholly that of securing deep-level specimens of rock and soil from various parts of the antarctic continent, aided by the remarkable drill devised by Prof. Frank H. Pabodie of our engineering department. I had no wish to be a pioneer in any other field than this; but I did hope that the use of this new mechanical appliance at different points along previously explored paths would bring to light materials of a sort hitherto unreached by the ordinary methods of collection. Pabodie’s drilling apparatus, as the public already knows from our reports, was unique and radical in its lightness, portability, and capacity to combine the ordinary artesian drill principle with the principle of the small circular rock drill in such a way as to cope quickly with strata of varying hardness. Steel head, jointed rods, gasoline motor, collapsible wooden derrick, dynamiting paraphernalia, cording, rubbish-removal auger, and sectional piping for bores five inches wide and up to 1000 feet deep all formed, with needed accessories, no greater load than three seven-dog sledges could carry; this being made possible by the clever aluminum alloy of which most of the metal objects were fashioned. Four large Dornier aëroplanes, designed especially for the tremendous altitude flying necessary on the antarctic plateau and with added fuel-warming and quick-starting devices worked out by Pabodie, could transport our entire expedition from a base at the edge of the great ice barrier to various suitable inland points, and from these points a sufficient quota of dogs would serve us.

We planned to cover as great an area as one antarctic season—or longer, if absolutely necessary—would permit, operating mostly in the mountain-ranges and on the plateau south of Ross Sea; regions explored in varying degree by Shackleton, Amundsen, Scott, and Byrd. With frequent changes of camp, made by aëroplane and involving distances great enough to be of geological significance, we expected to unearth a quite unprecedented amount of material; especially in the pre-Cambrian strata of which so narrow a range of antarctic specimens had previously been secured. We wished also to obtain as great as possible a variety of the upper fossiliferous rocks, since the primal life-history of this bleak realm of ice and death is of the highest importance to our knowledge of the earth’s past. That the antarctic continent was once temperate and even tropical, with a teeming vegetable and animal life of which the lichens, marine fauna, arachnida, and penguins of the northern edge are the only survivals, is a matter of common information; and we hoped to expand that information in variety, accuracy, and detail. When a simple boring revealed fossiliferous signs, we would enlarge the aperture by blasting in order to get specimens of suitable size and condition.

Our borings, of varying depth according to the promise held out by the upper soil or rock, were to be confined to exposed or nearly exposed land surfaces—these inevitably being slopes and ridges because of the mile or two-mile thickness of solid ice overlying the lower levels. We could not afford to waste drilling depth on any considerable amount of mere glaciation, though Pabodie had worked out a plan for sinking copper electrodes in thick clusters of borings and melting off limited areas of ice with current from a gasoline-driven dynamo. It is this plan—which we could not put into effect except experimentally on an expedition such as ours—that the coming Starkweather-Moore Expedition proposes to follow despite the warnings I have issued since our return from the antarctic.

[booksandchainmail]

nanoha vivid liveblog: episode 11

Time for Corona vs. Einhart!

ok, i know wendi is referring to teo, but i did misinterpret at the start as einhart has been nicknamed kitty cat

... still better than most of the other contestants

attacking from the start, before corona can summon. it’s the obvious weakness of anyone who needs prep in the way she does

but shes ready for this it seems, and starts summoning while still in the air, which is pretty cool

oooh, i don’t think anyone else has used the terrain like this. makes you wonder how corona would fare in a larger or varied arena

damn. the goliath packs a punch

Einhart know the first rule of fighting someone with a summoned creature: directly attack the controller

Or in this case, separate her from the golem to where she’s vulnerable

Oh, seems like goliath needs pretty active instructions at all times, which means with corona knocked away, he just kinda stands there and gets hit

the most brutal attack of this match

I think we’ve seen elements in this in how corona started planning from the assumption that einhart could beat her: she’s very level-headed. That extending into combat is valuable, especially in a setting like this where her opponents are also amateurs and likely to falter under pressure. Though einhart might be less vulnerable to that, due to her war memories

her strengths fit her powers well. She literally creates in order to fight, and she needs to be strategic in order to get time and space to summon.

is she gonna stab einhart

This is a very calm match, in comparison to the others we’ve seen. It’s partly that theyre friends, and there’s no grudge driving them, but also just a lot who they are as people. Einhart and corona are both relatively quiet, but also self-assured. They have good understandings of their own abilities, and you can see that here in how calmly they return to the ring, theres no worry about running out of time or how theyre going to continue

flashback time!

I really love the range of motivations and backstories this show gives the contestants. You do have people with tragic backstories, or who want to prove themselves, or have a deep passion for martial arts, but you also have those who just value the connections it brings, or for whom its just an extracurricular. You don’t need to be deeply motivated to do something, it can still be a meaningful part of your life, and you’re not lesser or shallower for it.

I also like the idea (idk if this is canon) that Corona sought out summoning because she recognized that she couldn’t keep up with normal fighting. It’s a unusual thing in a fighting show to have a character who isn’t at the same level as everyone else, and who finds their own style that draws on different strengths.

this is a great summary of everyone’s motivations, but also einhart is hilariously incongruous with the others 

OH SHIT I THOUGHT THE PARTIAL SUMMONING WAS HER NEW TECHNIQUE

HOLY

FUCKING

CHRIST

shes just knocking einhart around effortlessly

ooooooh

This makes a lot of sense for Corona’s character! She’s a clever and observant fighter who’s willing to innovate but not particularly talented, and who takes motivation primarily from her friends. Of course she studies their techniques, and of course she copies them

And no wonder einhart was caught off guard, it’s like she was suddenly fighting a different person

but einhart gets up

she’s spent her life struggling with hundreds of years of guilt and grief, and just keeps on going through all of that

i think klaus may have been defined by his loss, but einhart is defined by the strength it takes to carry that loss

…y’know, you could have rested a little bit before forcing yourself up, there was plenty of time

oh this is tricky. Can corona press an attack, which is definitely outside her normal mode of fighting, or does she give up the advantage she’s won here?

The other question is if corona also learned anything from rio, or from einhart herself, though I think using her own style against her could backfire badly

… if that’s based off vivio, it’s primarily a counter, and using it for a direct attack might not work as well

ducking like that is both well suited to the height difference, and one of vivio’s signature moves

most of how corona’s moving here fits vivio, or any of the more close quarter fighters we’ve seen, but that arm sweep looked new to me, and seems very indicative of corona’s fighting style. Calm, collected, redirecting the opponent.

and in contrast, you can see how panicked einhart looks, which is very unusual for her

Okay, things are looking bad for einhart here. But she’ll have a chance to heal, and I think the next round will go differently. A lot of corona’s success here is she’s brought out completely new techniques and styles, and einhart’s just been reeling most of the bout: all her fighting’s been very basic hand-to-hand, with basically no hegemon style attacks or more elaborate moves. But with a chance to collect herself and replan, I think einhart’s experience will let her adapt to this fairly quickly. Additionally, a lot of corona’s new moves are based off vivio, who einhart has fought (and beat) before.

so she has copied from rio as well

OH

that’s a neat twist. It explains how she was able to pick these moves up so quickly, and how she can handle without any particular skill at martial arts. This also explains why Nove disapproved: I can’t imagine using techniques meant to control large amounts of stone on your own body is particularly safe.

That’s fucking cool. 

And also a massive weakness, because it makes her predictable. If einhart can figure out what triggers one of those moves, then immediately counter based on knowing how corona will respond, she can retaliate very quickly

from your own memories, or klaus’s?

this is the complete opposite of how I’d expected an einhart vs corona fight to play out

yeah, she’s not just copying specific moves, but entire fighting styles. that is honestly incredible, especially when you consider she had to pre-program them all herself

awww, i’m glad to see she’s in there too

Having multiple settings gives corona a lot more flexibility…

...but einhart’s already figuring out the pattern

I can’t help but think this technique would work a lot better on anyone else. Corona has the disadvantage her of her opponent already knowing all the sources of her automated moves, but imagine a fight where one side keeps pulling out new completely unknown styles every couple of hits.

I guess that’s why this isn’t common

Oops

Yeah the other reason einhart can deal with this is she has a completely ridiculous level of knowledge about this one particular style

And corona is starting to fight wildly, while einhart remains calm. This is a complete reversal of the previous round

Holy fuck is that blood

~tempting faaaate~

and yup, automation is weak to feints from people who know the moveset.

Though to be fair, I don’t know if a non-automated fighter would have dealt with that any better

DOES THIS TOURNAMENT FOR CHILDREN HAVE SAFETY STANDARDS

PLEASE DO NOT MAGICALLY PUPPET YOUR OWN ENTIRE BODY

i feel like that would go badly

fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck

theres some excellent and creepy puppet imagery going on here

And einhart mostly just looks sad here. I’m guessing with memories of actual war, she’s not that happy about her friends pushing themselves this dangerously for a competition?

OR ITS ABOUT OLIVIE AGAIN

because this is einhart, and everything always comes back to olivie

But yeah, the puppet connection would be a bad reminder. And corona’s whole  feeling weak compared to her teammates, and wanting to be able to stand next to them, seems like it connects pretty strongly to olivie’s story 

she just looks so tired and sad here, and i’m remembering how happy she was at the idea of a way to fight without stakes, and she’s just now realizing that even if they aren’t lethal, there are still consequences to these matches

at this point, einhart is pretty in control of the battlefield. she’s brilliant at this kind of fighting, and corona doesn’t have any moves that einhart hasn’t already fought against

I’m starting to think this fight won’t end with an attack, but with corona just collapsing when her magic or body wears out

another connection to olivie with the damaged arms. this must be hell for einhart to have to fight

gods

just, can someone stop this match please? are there any kinds of precautions?

and here’s the hardest part for einhart. Because of her memories, she has a pretty unique first-hand perspective on war. I don’t think mid-childa has had a war, and certainly not recently enough to still have wartime soldiers around. And even with all the pain they cause her, there must be some comfort in the fact that olivie’s dream of peace was achieved, even at the cost of her life. But here, even in this peaceful world, there are still children willing to hurt themselves terribly in order to have the power to fight. And this must feel like such a failure and betrayal of the world to einhart. 

THEN STOP

NO, GIVE UP PLEASE

THAT IS A MAJOR PROBLEM

i want nanoha to show up to stop the match and yell at everybody about techniques that excessively strain your body

THERES MORE?!!!??!!

ok, that’s a fair point. Corona has pulled out some really impressive moves here, but she hasn’t done much in the way of golem stuff. I wonder if in her rush to make up for her weaknesses, she’s discounted her own techniques too much?

finally

corona has amazing terrain manipulation abilities. combine that with her summoning, the automated moves, and even i guess the full body technique, and she’s maybe the most versatile fighter we’ve seen. In a larger area with unfamiliar opponents, or as support for a team, she’d be devastating.

all those anime characters who dramatically slice rocks in half with a sword have nothing compared to einhart

ooh, nice feint using the partial summon as well as the big one. even here at the end, corona continues to fight smart

and now she has a ranged attack as well. no matter the outcome of the tournament, i’m voting corona for mvp

awwwwww

and she uses binding magic as well, because apparently corona reacted to not being as good at punching people as her friends by learning EVERYTHING ELSE

bit of tonal dissonance, but awwwww kitty!

and her golem can reassemble itself.

corona is amazing

but einhart is the martial arts master, and she just stops it stone cold

what a hell of a match. this was definitely my favorite fight so far, and the finale’s gonna have a tough time topping that. The variety of techniques and strategies used, as well as the brilliant character work on corona and einhart, made this incredible to watch. 

it was hard fought, and corona pulled out ten times what anyone expected from her, but in the end einhart managed a victory

but in the aftermath, she just looks defeated

this was a hard match emotionally on all sides

(i count myself as a side)

[testbaboon3-blog]

Searching for Artist Manager - Whenever and How to Find Representation From your Specialist Supervisor For Your Music

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You need real, significant advance that we may back-check. There should be some momentum to your job in advance of you seek management; which is, something to manage. This particular doesn't imply you have to be wildly productive however, but you will need to be able to state plainly and directly what you include achieved within your career so far and also be in a position to articulate what goals you may have for your career expansion and progress. After you qualify by yourself, you in addition need to qualify the manager you seek. Merely getting "a manager" must not be the goal. Managers are likely to be connected much better in a few regions, and also many emphasis their get the job done within a distinct variety. Time to find out which fellow musicians are represented by. Do analysis on these supervisors. Implement they have good reputations? If so, ask to get a meeting with them describing your success and exactly why you seek portrayal from this particular manager. You will find a lot of good managers in existence, but there are only as many unqualified, unprofessional managers very. I understand so many works compose me because they notice "manager, " but realize nothing else about me- including the genres My partner and i job with as well as state My partner and i work in. Learning which you are pursuing is definitely a important first move. NEEDS When you did your self-analyzation, you ought to have discovered your strong points and your flaws. This will be imperative to get you to be able to articulate what needs you have got beyond the broken history involving the your desire in order to are able to "the next amount. very well Managers have several strengths (some have superior experience developing an work, some experience industry the ears and can help you choose a good song, and a few possess strengths in visiting, ie) and so by a person identifying what you require, you can get closer to finding a director who else is the right fit. Several hungry music artists think their very own success sets in several manager's rolodex and so they search for this person out for one of the reasons for this only- to get access to often the manager's connections in the enterprise. A good manager will, actually have a good good sized addresses of qualified experts. But since managers, we preserve these contacts like treasured jewels. The manager should have a robust belief throughout the artist's upcoming achievements before he/she might be inclined to set up appointments and have interaction their colleagues regarding you. Some sort of better center for you to currently have is to start along with self-management or have the friend assist you within the organization parts associated with your career. Operate on your current artistry and your reputation (fans online and offline). Working managers keep their face and ears wide open to having next and if you are creating the lot of buzz (selling outside shows, promoting CDs independent of each other, thousands regarding hits on YouTube, etc . ), that manager will see you. Another option will be to search for a administration consultation that can let anyone to tip-toe right into a functioning relationship with the director. Sometimes executives will end up being prepared to consult you upon a new project-by-project basis and that technique you include some business help the reason why you audition for typically the manager and they audition for you to find out if it's a right match. TESTING The best administration relationship is created on have confidence in and regard. If the particular manager truly feels within the artist's expertise plus the artist totally trusts the guidance of the administrator, it can be a very rewarding relationship. Each should work every bit as tough. Recall, managers happen to be paid for the commission associated with the artist's income. So, if you have no income coming in but, help to make the offer to help pay for typically the executives time in a diverse way (such hourly or maybe by project), until several income will be generated. Create that are the first standard, for you equally for you to obtain together, finding earnings streams for the specialist and their music. As a result to recap: Identify your current advantages and also weaknesses in addition to meet the criteria on your own. Be able to clearly articulate who you are and what good results an individual have experienced. Know what artist managers do. Look at self-management while you build your own personal fan base. Have a thing to manage before approaching a supervisor! Identify what their needs are. Research executives to approach that do the job inside your genre of songs and still have good kudos. Build trust and respect together with the office manager in advance of requiring they clear their rolodex, and create a fair means to pay typically the administrator for their services. These types of few things will fixed you apart from this zillion various other artists out and about there aimlessly calling "a manager" in cyberspace. In addition to hopefully help you get started a mutually rewarding romantic relationship to further your career.

[s-c-i-guy]

Troubled Times for Alternatives to Einstein’s Theory of Gravity

New observations of extreme astrophysical systems have “brutally and pitilessly murdered” attempts to replace Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

Miguel Zumalacárregui knows what it feels like when theories die. In September 2017, he was at the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Saclay, near Paris, to speak at a meeting about dark energy and modified gravity. The official news had not yet broken about an epochal astronomical measurement — the detection, by gravitational wave detectors as well as many other telescopes, of a collision between two neutron stars — but a controversial tweet had lit a firestorm of rumor in the astronomical community, and excited researchers were discussing the discovery in hushed tones.

Zumalacárregui, a theoretical physicist at the Berkeley Center for Cosmological Physics, had been studying how the discovery of a neutron-star collision would affect so-called “alternative” theories of gravity. These theories attempt to overcome what many researchers consider to be two enormous problems with our understanding of the universe. Observations going back decades have shown that the universe appears to be filled with unseen particles — dark matter — as well as an anti-gravitational force called dark energy. Alternative theories of gravity attempt to eliminate the need for these phantasms by modifying the force of gravity in such a way that it properly describes all known observations — no dark stuff required.

At the meeting, Zumalacárregui joked to his audience about the perils of combining science and Twitter, and then explained what the consequences would be if the rumors were true. Many researchers knew that the merger would be a big deal, but a lot of them simply “hadn’t understood their theories were on the brink of demise,” he later wrote in an email. In Saclay, he read them the last rites. “That conference was like a funeral where we were breaking the news to some attendees.”

The neutron-star collision was just the beginning. New data in the months since that discovery have made life increasingly difficult for the proponents of many of the modified-gravity theories that remain. Astronomers have analyzed extreme astronomical systems that contain spinning neutron stars, or pulsars, to look for discrepancies between their motion and the predictions of general relativity — discrepancies that some theories of alternative gravity anticipate. These pulsar systems let astronomers probe gravity on a new scale and with new precision. And with each new observation, these alternative theories of gravity are having an increasingly hard time solving the problems they were invented for. Researchers “have to sweat some more trying to get new physics,” said Anne Archibald, an astrophysicist at the University of Amsterdam.

Searching for Vulcan

Confounding observations have a way of leading astronomers to desperate explanations. On the afternoon of March 26, 1859, Edmond Lescarbault, a young doctor and amateur astronomer in Orgères-en-Beauce, a small village south of Paris, had a break between patients. He rushed to a tiny homemade observatory on the roof of his stone barn. With the help of his telescope, he spotted an unknown round object moving across the face of the sun.

He quickly sent news of this discovery to Urbain Le Verrier, the world’s leading astronomer at the time. Le Verrier had been trying to account for an oddity in the movement of the planet Mercury. All other planets orbit the sun in perfect accord with Isaac Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation, but Mercury appeared to advance a tiny amount with each orbit, a phenomenon known as perihelion precession. Le Verrier was certain that there had to be an invisible “dark” planet tugging on Mercury. Lescarbault’s observation of a dark spot transiting the sun appeared to show that the planet, which Le Verrier named Vulcan, was real.

It was not. Lescarbault’s sightings were never confirmed, and the perihelion precession of Mercury remained a puzzle for nearly six more decades. Then Einstein developed his theory of general relativity, which straightforwardly predicted that Mercury should behave the way it does.

In Le Verrier’s impulse to explain puzzling observations by introducing a heretofore hidden object, some modern-day researchers see parallels to the story of dark matter and dark energy. For decades, astronomers have noticed that the behavior of galaxies and galaxy clusters doesn’t seem to fit the predictions of general relativity. Dark matter is one way to explain that behavior. Likewise, the accelerating expansion of the universe can be thought of as being powered by a dark energy.

All attempts to directly detect dark matter and dark energy have failed, however. That fact “kind of leaves a bad taste in some people’s mouths, almost like the fictional planet Vulcan,” said Leo Stein, a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology. “Maybe we’re going about it all wrong?”

For any alternative theory of gravity to work, it has to not only do away with dark matter and dark energy, but also reproduce the predictions of general relativity in all the standard contexts. “The business of alternative gravity theories is a messy one,” Archibald said. Some would-be replacements for general relativity, like string theory and loop quantum gravity, don’t offer testable predictions. Others “make predictions that are spectacularly wrong, so the theorists have to devise some kind of a screening mechanism to hide the wrong prediction on scales we can actually test,” she said.

The best-known alternative gravity theories are known as modified Newtonian dynamics, commonly abbreviated to MOND. MOND-type theories attempt to do away with dark matter by tweaking our definition of gravity. Astronomers have long observed that the gravitational force due to ordinary matter doesn’t appear to be sufficient to keep rapidly moving stars inside their galaxies. The gravitational pull of dark matter is assumed to make up the difference. But according to MOND, there are simply two kinds of gravity. In regions where the force of gravity is strong, bodies obey Newton’s law of gravity, which states that the gravitational force between two objects decreases in proportion to the square of the distance that separates them. But in environments of extremely weak gravity — like the outer parts of a galaxy — MOND suggests that another type of gravity is in play. This gravity decreases more slowly with distance, which means that it doesn’t weaken as much. “The idea is to make gravity stronger when it should be weaker, like at the outskirts of a galaxy,” Zumalacárregui said.

Then there is TeVeS (tensor-vector-scalar), MOND’s relativistic cousin. While MOND is a modification of Newtonian gravity, TeVeS is an attempt to take the general idea of MOND and make it into a full mathematical theory that can be applied to the universe as a whole — not just to relatively small objects like solar systems and galaxies. It also explains the rotation curves of galaxies by making gravity stronger on their outskirts. But TeVeS does so by augmenting gravity with “scalar” and “vector” fields that “essentially amplify gravity,” said Fabian Schmidt, a cosmologist at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, Germany. A scalar field is like the temperature throughout the atmosphere: At every point it has a numerical value but no direction. A vector field, by contrast, is like the wind: It has both a value (the wind speed) and a direction.

There are also so-called Galileon theories — part of a class of theories called Horndeski and beyond-Horndeski — which attempt to get rid of dark energy. These modifications of general relativity also introduce a scalar field. There are many of these theories (Brans-Dicke theory, dilaton theories, chameleon theories and quintessence are just some of them), and their predictions vary wildly among models. But they all change the expansion of the universe and tweak the force of gravity. Horndeski theory was first put forward by Gregory Horndeski in 1974, but the wider physics community took note of it only around 2010. By then, Zumalacárregui said, “Gregory Horndeski [had] quit science and [become] a painter in New Mexico.”

There are also stand-alone theories, like that of physicist Erik Verlinde. According to his theory, the laws of gravity arise naturally from the laws of thermodynamics just like “the way waves emerge from the molecules of water in the ocean,” Zumalacárregui said. Verlinde wrote in an email that his ideas are not an “alternative theory” of gravity, but “the next theory of gravity that contains and transcends Einstein’s general relativity.” But he is still developing his ideas. “My impression is that the theory is still not sufficiently worked out to permit the kind of precision tests we carry out,” Archibald said. It’s built on “fancy words,” Zumalacárregui said, “but no mathematical framework to compute predictions and do solid tests.”

The predictions made by other theories differ in some way from those of general relativity. Yet these differences can be subtle, which makes them incredibly difficult to find.

Consider the neutron-star merger. At the same time that the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) spotted the gravitational waves emanating from the event, the space-based Fermi satellite spotted a gamma ray burst from the same location. The two signals had traveled across the universe for 130 million years before arriving at Earth just 1.7 seconds apart.

These nearly simultaneous observations “brutally and pitilessly murdered” TeVeS theories, said Paulo Freire, an astrophysicist at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany. “Gravity and gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light, with extremely high precision — which is not at all what was predicted by those [alternative] theories.”

The same fate overtook some Galileon theories that add an extra scalar field to explain the universe’s accelerated expansion. These also predict that gravitational waves propagate more slowly than light. The neutron-star merger killed those off too, Schmidt said.

Further limits come from new pulsar systems. In 2013, Archibald and her colleagues found an unusual triple system: a pulsar and a white dwarf that orbit one another, with a second white dwarf orbiting the pair. These three objects exist in a space smaller than Earth’s orbit around the sun. The tight setting, Archibald said, offers ideal conditions for testing a crucial aspect of general relativity called the strong equivalence principle, which states that very dense strong-gravity objects such as neutron stars or black holes “fall” in the same way when placed in a gravitational field. (On Earth, the more familiar weak equivalence principle states that, if we ignore air resistance, a feather and a brick will fall at the same rate.)

The triple system makes it possible to check whether the pulsar and the inner white dwarf fall exactly the same way in the gravity of the outer white dwarf. Alternative-gravity theories assume that the scalar field generated in the pulsar should bend space-time in a much more extreme way than the white dwarf does. The two wouldn’t fall in a similar manner, leading to a violation of the strong equivalence principle and, with it, general relativity.

Over the past five years, Archibald and her team have recorded 27,000 measurements of the pulsar’s position as it orbits the other two stars. While the project is still a work in progress, it looks as though the results will be in total agreement with Einstein, Archibald said. “We can say that the degree to which the pulsar behaves abnormally is at most a few parts in a million. For an object with such strong gravity to still follow Einstein’s predictions so well, if there is one of these scalar fields, it has to have a really tiny effect.”

The test, which should be published soon, will put the best constraints yet on a whole group of alternative gravity theories, she added. If a theory only works with some additional scalar field, then the field should change the behavior of the pulsar. “We have such sensitive tests of general relativity that they need to somehow hide the theory’s new behavior in the solar system and in pulsar systems like ours,” Archibald said.

The data from another pulsar system dubbed the double pulsar, meanwhile, was originally supposed to eliminate the TeVeS theories. Detected in 2003, the double pulsar was until recently the only binary neutron-star system where both neutron stars were pulsars. Freire and his colleagues have already confirmed that the double pulsar’s behavior is perfectly in line with general relativity. Right before LIGO’s October announcement of a neutron-star merger, the researchers were going to publish a paper that would kill off TeVeS. But LIGO did the job for them, Freire said. “We need not go through that anymore.”

Slippery Survivors

A few theories have survived the LIGO blow — and will probably survive the upcoming pulsar data, Zumalacárregui said. There are some Horndeski and beyond-Horndeski theories that do not change the speed of gravitational waves. Then there are so-called massive gravity theories. Ordinarily, physicists assume that the particle associated with the force of gravity — the graviton — has no mass. In these theories, the graviton has a very small but nonzero mass. The neutron-star merger puts tough limits on these theories, Zumalacárregui said, since a massive graviton would travel more slowly than light. But in some theories the mass is assumed to be extremely small, at least 20 orders of magnitude lower than the neutrino’s, which means that the graviton would still move at nearly the speed of light.

There are a few other less well-known survivors, some of which are important to keep exploring, Archibald said, as long as dark matter and dark energy remain elusive. “Dark energy might be our only observational clue pointing to a new and better theory of gravity — or it might be a mysterious fluid with strange properties, and nothing to do with gravity at all,” she said.

Still, killing off theories is simply how science is supposed to work, argue researchers who have been exploring alternative gravity theories. “This is what we do all the time, put forward a working hypothesis and test it,” said Enrico Barausse of the Astrophysics Institute of Paris, who has worked on MOND-like theories. “99.9 percent of the time you rule out the hypothesis; the remaining 0.1 percent of the time you win the Nobel Prize.”

Zumalacárregui, who has also worked on these theories, was “sad at first” when he realized that the neutron star merger detection had proven Galileon theories wrong, but ultimately “very relieved it happened sooner rather than later,” he said. LIGO had been just about to close down for 18 months to upgrade the detector. “If the event had been a bit later, I would still be working on a wrong theory.”

So what’s next for general relativity and modified-gravity theories? “That question keeps me up at night more than I’d like,” Zumalacárregui said. “The good news is that we have narrowed our scope by a lot, and we can try to understand the few survivors much better.”

Schmidt thinks it’s necessary to measure the laws of gravity on large scales as directly as possible, using ongoing and future large galaxy surveys. “For example, we can compare the effect of gravity on light bending as well as galaxy velocities, typically predicted to be different in modified-gravity theories,” he said. Researchers also hope that future telescopes such as the Square Kilometer Array will discover more pulsar systems and provide better accuracy in pulsar timing to further improve gravity tests. And a space-based replacement for LIGO called LISA will study gravitational waves with exquisite accuracy — if indeed it launches as planned in the mid-2030s. “If that does not see any deviations from general relativity, I don’t know what will,” said Barausse.

But many physicists agree that it will take a long time to get rid of most alternative gravity models. Theorists have dozens of alternative gravity theories that could potentially explain dark matter and dark energy, Freire said. Some of these theories can’t make testable predictions, Archibald said, and many “have a parameter, a ‘knob’ you can turn to make them pass any test you like,” she said. But at some point, said Nicolas Yunes, a physicist at Montana State University, “this gets silly and Occam’s razor wins.”

Still, “fundamentally we know that general relativity is wrong,” Stein said. “At the very core there must be some breakdown” at the quantum level. “Maybe we won’t see it from astronomical observations … but we owe it to ourselves, as empirical scientists, to check whether or not our mathematical models are working at these scales.”

[btssavedmylifeblr]

BTS Fic Recommendations

There seems to be a weird divide in this fandom between reader x member and member x member stories, but I’m just here in the middle like “all Bangtan smut is good smut!” A good story is a good story and good writing is good writing. Some of these have no smut at all and some are so filthy that I can’t believe I’m recommending them, but, you know, BTS ruined my life and I have no shame anymore. 

I’ve probably read hundreds of BTS stories by now and these are the ones that I go back to over and over. I tried to pick only one per author, but all of these authors are amazing and you should go check out their whole masterlists. These are the authors that I personally fangirl over and stand in awe of. None of these are particularly similar to mine (eg. they are way better) and none of them are particular similar to each other. These are the fics that, for whatever reason, I couldn’t forget about after I read them.

Warning: Some of these are very explicit, so use caution. Anything marked with an M is definitely NSFW. 

Hope you enjoy!

New Recs! 

New as of 4/30/18

same damn hunger (M) by marienadine - Yoongi X Hoseok - I am weak for Yoonseok and this fic does an amazing job capturing the push and pull of their relationship. I think this might be my favorite fictional Yoongi I’ve yet read, striving so hard to be tough, but secretly and vulnerable softie. 

Dig Deep (M) by @johobi - Yoongi X Reader - Tentacle kink is not in my usual list of things I am interested in, but this was so enjoyable and weird and sexy and compelling that I actually sat in my car for 15 minutes not driving anywhere just so I could finish it. I love the level of world building in this tentacle porn. There are real characters and backstory and whole alien species with foreign biology. It is awesome. And the ending is so surprisingly sweet. I love how Jo kept all the things that can be sexy about this genre but made it all consensual and fun.

Completed Stories

All of these are stories that I’ve read more than once, and I am sad every time they are over. 

Transference (M) by @jeonjagiya - Hoseok x Reader - There is not enough Hoseok fiction in the world, but this story’s tantric therapist Hoseok goes a long way to making up for that. Probably my personal favorite male lead in a reader-insert story. Such an incredibly sexy story that feels real. I am madly in love with Iris and have read all of her stories more than once. Her sub!Jungkook story almost killed me.

In the Twilight Air (M) by @trilluvium - Yoongi x Jimin - Yoongi and Jimin are dorky best friends who lose their virginity together.  I don't think I've ever read a one-shot that made me feel so many emotions! It was so cute and sweet and felt authentic to what a good first time would actually be like. Originally this was a one-shot but Trill has expanded it and I am loving every new chapter. I have read Trilluvium’s whole masterlist and am in love with everything she’s ever written.

Good Boys Like Bad Girls (M) by @wildernessuntothemselves - Reader x Taehyung - I read this story and was hesitant to recommend it for a long time because it is so incredibly intense. All the characters are terrible people and the smut is both exceedingly hot and exceedingly disturbing. I cannot stop thinking about this story. It remains one of the stories that has stuck with me the longest after reading it. I care about all of its messed-up characters so much and the ending is devastating in such a perversely satisfying way. But seriously, don’t read this if you want all of your protagonists to be good people and do good things. This is not that story. I admire Moe so much for how unique and unapologetic her ideas are and have enjoyed a lot of her other writings as well, even if they all unsettle me in different ways.

Jasmine (M) by @btssmutgalore - Reader x Jungkook - Jungkook x noona is my favorite thing ever and he’s so well-captured here: nervous, but sexy at the same time. I’m also a huge fan of Business which is a very very sexy threesome with dom!Tae and sub!Jungkook. 

Playing to Win (M) by @tayegi​ - Taehyung x Jungkook x Reader - I am such a sucker for Taekook threesomes, but I particularly love this one because of “I hate you but you’re so sexy” thing going on with the reader and Jungkook. I haven’t a chance to read all of Lu’s astoundingly large masterlist but some of my other favorites of hers are her new MadScientist!Tae story, her Jungkook wolf stories, and this awesome fuck-or-die Jungkook story. Lu has an amazing ability to come up with such clever and unique fic ideas and all her stories are hilarious in addition to sexy.

Milage May Vary (M) by @crossfilth - Taehyung x Jungkook - Rix is the reason Taekook is my OTP (I have two OTPs and two biases, can’t help it). I love every single one of her stories. They are so incredibly sexy, but also so full of real emotion and great dialogue. This is Rix’s longest work so far and it is phenomenal, really sexy, but also really interesting character development and compelling love story. Her entire masterlist is amazing. 

Love at First Touch by @bagelswrites - Jimin x OC - I am such trash for soulmate AUs and this is my all-time favorite. The OC is so well-realized with her own flaws and struggles and you really feel for her throughout the story. This also has my absolute favorite fictional depiction of Jimin. I personally find Jimin very hard to write and he is so often written out-of-character, but this story really nails his signature blend of insecure, vulnerable manliness. The author did so much research to make sure this story lined up with BTS’s actual timeline in real life. Bagels is my hero. 

Thursdays are for… (M) by Arguileless - Taehyung x Reader x Jungkook - My favorite story in the “dating one member but really want to fuck a different member” genre. It’s all smut, but manages to reach 17,000 words. This version of Taehyung who is wildly adventurous and dominant is incredibly sexy. This story started my Taehyung as bias-wrecker problem.

tear the moon from the stars tonight (M) by euphoriae - Yoongi x Jimin - Historical AU with so much real research behind it, I’m blown away. At first, the “jimin is a slave” premise sounds ridiculous, but the rich context, attention to detail and world-building quickly make you forget about it.  I learned a surprising amount of Korean history because of this story, and the love story here is beautiful. One of the very first fan-fictions I read and it showed me how literary fan-fiction could be. 

Inc. (M) by @park-loins - Seokjin x Yoongi - BTS meets The Office. Had me cackling over and over, but also desperately rooting for the love story. Can’t believe this is the same author that also wrote the heart-breakingly beautiful Reprise.

you have 1 new message by bazooka - Namjoon x Jin - I think everyone in this fandom has already read this story, but on the off chance you haven’t, you should. It’s starts as totally hysterical and then becomes amazingly sweet. 

Love is not possession (M) by kuragecharms - Jungkook x Jin - More A/B/O because I am trash. I really love all of kuragecharms’ wolf stories. This author was also the first to sell me on Jin x Jungkook as a ship and now I’m a big fan.

Bloody paws in the snow (M) by pandorasumbrella - Yoongi x Hoseok - My all-time favorite A/B/O story. Does such a great job building an incredibly detailed world. This is the first work in an elaborate trilogy that is so beautiful it breaks your heart. 

Nirvana (M) by syubology - Jimin x Hoseok - Jimin and Hoseok struggle with their feelings for each other. One of the first fics I ever really loved. This story does a terrific job of depicting BTS as BTS and the possible ramifications of a relationship within that dynamic. 

In Progress

For where there’s sun you’ll find a moon by @bulletproof-dork-boys - Yoongi x Taehyung - I am huge a greek mythology nerd and I am super excited to see where this Taehyung as Hades, Yoongi as Persephone story goes.

SAVE ME (M) by agnes_viviane - Jungkook x OC - Adorably awkward OC befriends Jungkook on accident, then falls in love with him. Makes me cackle with glee and second-hand embarrassment every time I read it. Full of all my favorite things: awkwardness, angst and Jungkook. Agnes is the sweetest and taught me a lot of important things about the correct ways to address people in Korean and how to properly use Korean in my stories.

Touch Me, Touch You (M) by @deathbyyoongi​ - Yoongi x Reader x Hoseok - Yoongi + Hoseok + smut + angst + mild D/S… it is all the things I am weak for in one story.

The Fitting (M) by @noona-la-la-la​ - Jungkook x Reader - Noona-la-la-la writes really excellent, realistic but still super sexy smut and all of her reader inserts are adult women, often older than the boys. I also really really enjoyed Unexpected which is Yoongi smut and Conditioned featuring sub!Taehyung.

Grey Area (M) by @blushoseoks - Yoongi x Reader x Jimin? - Soulmate AU where everything is more complicated than it should be and so wonderfully angsty. Such an interesting take on the Soulmate AU.

The Purge by @jungblue - Hoseok x Reader - I just found jungblue and everything I’ve read from them so far is phenomenal! I love this fic in particular because it is such a different idea than anything I’ve seen before and stars Hobi!

The Unwanted Alpha (M) - by RedPantherVitality8 - Jungkook x Reader - Combines A/B/O with noona x Jungkook angst. No faster way to my heart.

Leave your mark (M) by @inarsics - Jungkook x Jimin - A/B/O is my big weakness/guilty pleasure. I love this story in particular for its interesting take on the genre, where all the alphas have gone extinct. Also, Jimin has a little brother and it’s incredibly sweet and adorable.

i like how desperate you seem (in the way you look at me) (M) by fatal - Jungkook x Jimin - A “classic” of BTS A/B/O subgenre. Super slow-burn that keeps you on the edge of your seat and desperate to know what happens next.  

your taste is so sweet on my lips (M) by @pinktteokie - Hoseok x Taehyung x Yoongi - My favorite polyamorous story. The slow-burn is so good and the way the relationship moves from a relationship between two people to a relationship between three people is fascinating.

read between the (panty) lines (M) by @lunaticmyngi - Yoongi x Jimin x Jungkook - I fangirl so hard about everything from TheHalesNyx. How she manages to write so many different requests and have them all be so well-done, I have no idea. This prompt started off so filthy, and became such an intensely emotional story. You feel so much sympathy and angst for all three members in this story. Her entire masterlist is amazing.

Obviously, there are many other amazing fics that I just haven’t read yet, or accidentally forgot about. As I find more, I’ll add them to this tag #fic rec.

[ageloire]

How AI Will Redefine the Modern Marketing Campaign

Today, the term “marketing” encompasses a slew of interconnected tasks. Instead of simply promoting goods or services, marketers are spending colossal amounts of time researching, creating, managing, analyzing, and reporting on campaigns. Marketers are ever-present through all stages of the sales journey, and their jobs are never done.

It wasn’t always this way. While basic marketing has been around as long as commerce—with ancient traders displaying their wares as attractively as possible—our modern understanding of the field evolved alongside the Industrial Revolution. This era marked the start of mass production and a shift from making products to buying them. The glut of manufactured goods created a new need: courting potential customers and standing out in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Thus, modern marketing was born.

We’re experiencing another revolution today. Just as machines redefined marketing in the eighteenth century, today’s technology is advancing the way we exchange goods and services yet again. The biggest evolution will come from artificial intelligence (AI), which uses data and algorithms to model and predict behaviors. AI is already influencing the marketing profession, but this is just the beginning. Marketing campaigns of the future might look wildly different than today’s.

The Changing Face of Marketing

Years from now, we’ll still recognize the core elements of campaigns, even if the way we approach them changes. We’ll continue to consider the who, what, where, when, and how. And we’ll always measure what happened. But there will also be major shifts. AI has the sophistication to test infinite combinations of variables over time to optimize the sales experience for every person. Equipped with this technology, marketers will move from mass campaigns for large groups to hyper-individualized campaigns built from a huge supply of plug-and-play microcontent.

Let’s explore how AI will redefine the elements of marketing, and look at what a campaign of the future may look like.

Audience

In marketing’s humble beginnings, an audience was simply whoever happened to walk by. Tradespeople were limited by location, and sophisticated outreach was simply nonexistent. Today’s marketers have come a long way by using rules-based segmentation and Smart Lists. But with the widespread adoption of AI, these methods will eventually seem as outdated as word of mouth.

As AI helps pinpoint preferences, trends, and past purchasing behavior, the “who” of each campaign will become increasingly important, and marketers will create individualized tracks for every customer. They will also leverage this massive amount of data to do a cluster analysis and identify natural affinities within groups.

But it won’t stop there. AI will also analyze data to continually expand and create lookalike audiences for colossal—yet incredibly targeted—growth. In the future, how marketers select audiences will change. Instead of them telling their CRM and automation software whom to include in campaigns, the technology will tell marketers whom to target.

Content

Everyone knows that one size doesn’t fit all. But most marketers still take a wide-spray approach—like producing content for the entire population of Facebook or Twitter—rather than a precise one. This will change. Soon, marketers will use AI and machine learning to create hyper-personalized messaging. The technology will help companies identify preferences and values so they can create microcontent and assemble it in real time based on an individual’s specific needs and interests.

Instead of a 100-page “definitive guide” to a topic, marketers will produce hundreds of small, varied bits of content. Then, they’ll assemble the pieces like a puzzle. The result? A completely unique picture for each individual that’s driven by data to be as rich and relevant as possible. In the future, marketers will move from distributing messages to the masses to assembling bits of content and creating completely personalized campaigns based on real-time engagement.

Editorial Calendars

The more personalized campaigns become, the less effective a large-scale editorial calendar will be. Most B2B databases house thousands of contacts. If each of them is on a tailored journey within a unique campaign, how could you possibly manage all those calendars?

The answer is, you won’t. Technology will likely evolve to filter contacts into “categories” of journeys or campaigns. AI will organize groups of people into similar categories, and marketers will be able to analyze the different rates of engagement among them. In the future, marketers will move from an editorial strategy and struggling to visualize campaign operations in calendars to a more intelligent strategy where calendars have gone extinct.

Creative

AI already has an impressive creative portfolio. In the last few years, advancements have allowed machines to compose music, paint pictures, play board games, and even generate human-like faces with stunning accuracy. So, where does that leave the actual people?

We often think of creativity as a uniquely human trait. And even with AI continually evolving, it will remain that way. Though AI can innovate, it must first be programmed by humans. Even “creative” AI can only master one skill, while humans can be great at singing and playing chess.

One of AI’s most attractive traits is its ability to can take on mundane campaign tasks, like crunching performance numbers, so humans can focus on more strategic and creative tasks. In the future, human marketers will give up burdensome, time-consuming numerical tasks to AI, freeing up time for people to do what they’re great at: being creative.

Measurement

In addition to transforming marketing journeys themselves, AI will also change the way we analyze our investments. With powerful technology running campaigns, marketers will focus less on engagement metrics because AI will already be optimizing them. Instead, people can take a more holistic approach to the numbers.

Marketers are already becoming comfortable with this concept. Take trade shows, for example. If an organization participates but only closes one deal, the attendance costs may just barely be covered. But the value of participation cannot be measured by only that one sale. ROI also comes from increased awareness and brand affinity. In other words, it’s a longer-term play.

Marketing will always have to prove its worth and show ROI, but marketers might be doing so in ways they can’t presently imagine. In the future, marketers will move from struggling to show true ROI not even trying to show ROI—at least, not in the ways we currently do.

Unlocking the Power of AI

These days, inboxes are flooded with irrelevant marketing emails. Campaigns adopt a mass approach, sending messages to millions of people with the hope that a fraction of 1% open it. This relegates companies to marketing purgatory: the spam folder. But AI, with its tremendous computing power and vast amount of accessible data, can do amazing things—and it will transform marketing forever. As marketers, we are living in an incredible time. Technology is evolving so quickly that we’re witnessing our profession change right before our eyes. The future of marketing is on the horizon. It’s up to us to seize it.

Ready to learn more? Check out our Practical Guide to Artificial Intelligence for Marketers for ideas about how to get started.

The post How AI Will Redefine the Modern Marketing Campaign appeared first on Marketo Marketing Blog - Best Practices and Thought Leadership.

from Marketo Marketing Blog https://blog.marketo.com/2019/02/how-ai-will-redefine-the-modern-marketing-campaign.html

[neutrogenawatergel-blog]

NEUTROGENA HYDRO BOOST WATER GEL

I usually offer the care product I review here on the web log a full 4-6 weeks of testing before I share my thoughts with you, however i am returning in a very very little keep of 4 weeks for this one. I initial denote pics of the show for the new NEUTROGENA WATER GEL assortment back on January first, and that i found this product in my space on January 2d. I directly started testing the day I found it, therefore i will be at four weeks on the dot this Friday. however since i do know lots people were quite excited concerning this printing operation, and this product in particular, I figured you wouldn't mind me skimping on those last few days of testing!

I know that some of you were curious about how this product might compare to the wildly-popular Laniege Sleeping Water Mask ($23 for 2.7 oz at Target), and since I have actually tried the Laniege Sleeping Water Mask, I can undoubtedly let you apprehend however the 2 compare at the finish of this review. therefore let's start.Please note that the value might vary betting on the retailer; I bought mine at Walmart for $17.97 however I listed the pharmacy.com value of $18.99 higher than since that is nearer to what I've seen at numerous store chains in my space.

Here's alittle additional information from the pharmacy.com website: Helps Instantly Quench Skin Contains mucopolysaccharide, Naturally Found in Skin Clinically tried to stay Skin hydrous for forty eight Hours Oil-Free Fast-Absorbing Non-Comedogenic Ideal for All Skin sorts Introducing Neutrogena® Hydro Boost Water Gel, a refreshing, light-weight water gel that instantly quenches and incessantly hydrates skin. developed with mucopolysaccharide, it boosts association and locks it in therefore skin stays hydrous, sleek and supple day when day. Applies effortlessly, engrossing quickly into skin while not leaving associate degree oily or greasy feel.

Hydro Boost hydrates skin through associate degree approach of replenishing water and reconstruction skin's barrier, investing 2 key ingredients:

Purified mucopolysaccharide Naturally found in skin, it delivers pure boost of association. It acts sort of a sponge for dry skin cells, absorbing up to 1000 times its weight in water and progressively releases water back into skin, keeping skin hydrated and supple throughout the day.

Olive Extract Known for its protective, moisturizing and anti-oxidant qualities, it is a complex combination for fatty acids, which is similar to skin's natural moisture shield. It integrates into skin barrier, forming a structure that protects skin from excessive moisture loss. It also helps leave skin feeling soft and smooth without tackiness.

One of the first things that drew me to this product was the absence of denatured alcohol. Some drugstore-level gel moisturizers seem to contain a high amount of denatured alcohol (Example: it's the third ingredient in Garnier Moisture Rescue Refresher Gel-Cream) which is why some gel moisturizers don't seem to add any real moisture to my skin. Everyone's different, and I know that many of you like the Garnier Gel-Cream but for me, moisturizers that contain denatured alcohol feel great at first, but my skin actually ends up feeling drier after a few hours.

Since Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel does not contain denatured alcohol, and it DOES contain hyaluronic acid as well as olive extract, I felt like I was already off to a good start. Yes, there are dimethicones in this product (which will make your skin incredibly smooth to the touch), but my skin doesn't normally act up with dimethicone, so that wasn't a deterrent for me.

This product features a gel-like consistency. it's not thick--in truth, it is a bit "soupy" after you dip your finger into the pot. If you do not like jars once it involves care, you'll simply transfer this into a bottle employing a little spoon and you'd most likely haven't any problems in the slightest degree dispensing it from a squeeze or pump bottle.

This product does not very create any claims apart from that it'll boost wetness and hydrate the skin. therefore if you are looking for one thing that's progressing to facilitate minimize the design of fine lines, even skintone, etc., then this is often most likely not for you. This moisturizer are often used throughout the evening or morning--that's up to you. I in person favor to use it at midnight, however i will get into that in a very moment.

You only want a little bit to hide your entire face and neck, which implies that this one.7 oz jar ought to last you an honest, long while. i have been using this nightly before bed for pretty much four weeks, and I've also used it a few times in the morning, and I'm nowhere near the halfway mark. There is a fragrance to this product, and it smells very clean and fresh to me. I actually really like the scent of this product but I would consider it medium-strong, which means that if you're sensitive to fragrance in your NEUTROGENA WATER GEL  skincare, this might be too much for you.

True to its claims, this product absorbs quickly into the skin, which I love. At first you might feel a slight tackiness but, after a minute or two, the skin becomes very soft and smooth-feeling with no stickiness whatsoever. I've seen some comments online about how this product dries to a powdery finish, but that is not the case for me--my skin just feels very soft to the touch (thanks to the dimethicone, I'm sure), in the same way that some foundation primers make skin feel soft to the touch.

Feeling soft to the touch is all well and good, but does this product actually deliver any lasting hydration? For me, the answer is yes. I can feel a noticeable difference in the morning after I've applied this the night before, and I've also noticed that my skin feels more hydrated throughout the day when I use this the night before. Keep in mind that I do have very oily skin, so if your skin is dry or very dry, you may have different results. But I think that if your skin is normal-to-very-oily, you'll probably notice a difference in hydration.

I've also used this product in the morning, before applying my makeup, and I do like it that way as well. I find that this product does not increase my mid-morning breakthrough shine, and I don't find that my skin is a giant greaseball by the afternoon. This product also helps make my makeup look smoother (much like a face primer) but it doesn't really help my makeup last any longer (not that it claims to). The only reason I haven't been reaching for it more in the mornings is because I like for my daytime moisturizers to contain SPF, and this one does not. I never leave my house without at least SPF15 on my face, and I don't like adding an extra sunscreen to my face (in addition to moisturizer and foundation) due to my oily skin. So that's the only reason why I haven't been reaching for this product in the morning.

After almost four weeks of use, I have not experienced any breakouts that I can attribute to this product, and I haven't experienced any irritation to my skin or stinging when this comes close to my eye area. All in all, I think that this is a solid moisturizer that does just that: it moisturizes. I think it's probably best for those with normal-to-very-oily skin, but that's solely based on my experience having very oily skin. Since it works so well for me--without making my skin any oily than it already is--I'm guessing that it MIGHT not deliver enough hydration to very dry skin (I'm guessing that's why there is also a Gel-Cream for Extra Dry Skin in the NEUTROGENA WATER GEL  Hydro Boost line). The Hydro Boost Water Gel really gives my oily skin the perfect boost of moisture though, so if you're a fellow member of the oily skin club, I think this one's worth a shot.

FINAL VERDICT : I'm really loving this product and I find myself actually looking forward to washing my face at night, just so that I can apply it again. I love the fragrance, texture, how quickly it absorbs into my skin, and how soft my skin feels when I wake up in the morning. But more importantly, I love that I can feel some lasting hydration the next day, without any added oiliness (such a blessing during this time of year). Is this moisturizer perfect for all skin types? I'm not so sure about that. I have very oily skin and it works very well for me, but I think that if your skin is dry or very dry, this might not deliver enough hydration, so I would probably consider the Hydro Boost Gel-Cream for Extra Dry Skin if that's the case. however if you have normal-to-oily skin and you are trying for a solid moisturizer that will simply that (moisturizes), i feel this is often associate degree possibility value considering.

NOTE: as a result of i do know that a number of you were curious, below may be a fast comparison of Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel to Laniege Sleeping Water Mask.

[ncyrocks]

Thoughts on Ace Attorney’s Music Part 4: Spirit of Justice

I finished Spirit of Justice last year before I finished posting, but I didn’t complete this post in time. So, I’m making another one of these Ace Attorney soundtrack blog posts, because listening to Ace Attorney music is pretty much a habit of mine now.

So here are my top 5 songs again.

SPIRIT OF JUSTICE SPOILERS IN CASE THAT’S STILL RELEVANT

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice

Nahyuta Sahdmadhi ~ The Last Rites Prosecutor

Possibly my favourite rival theme in the series. It uses the Khura’inese instruments found throughout the soundtrack extremely well, and then gives it some background sound (something other Khura’inese songs lack enough of) in the form of the mystical synth instruments that Noriyuki Iwadare used so well in Trials and Tribulations. And THEN, just to make it sound really majestic and authoritative, he chucks on some dope choral vocals. It just sounds cool.

Athena Cykes ~ Courtroom Révolutionnaire 2016

I named this last year as one of my favourites from Dual Destinies, knowing full well that there was a better version in Spirit of Justice. They took the most danceable song in the series, make it twice as danceable as it already was, and added electric guitars to the mix. They lost a tiny bit of the melody along the way, but this is easily my favourite Objection theme of all. In fact, I think it’s so grandiose that you could just change the drums a bit and turn it into a Pursuit theme.

Investigation ~ Core 2016

Core themes have varied wildly between Ace Attorney games, in my opinion. The original one was top-notch, JFA’s was better as a song but didn’t suit the mood as well, Apollo’s was pretty good, T&T didn’t even have one, and the rest have been adequate.

But I think this one was finally as good as the original (as I was hoping it would be). The quick, low strings combined with the synths makes it just the right amount of mysterious, tense, and exciting.

Detention Center ~ Iron-Bar Elegy

After I played the first Ace Attorney and fell in love with the original Detention Center theme, I paid special attention to the corresponding theme in each game that followed.

They were all okay, except this one.

This one has a similar feel to the first one, making you feel sorry for the defendant who’s been left totally helpless. That was part of what made this theme about as good as the first one for me, but another part of it was just that it sounded good.

What? Can’t a guy just enjoy a song without having to write an essay about it? The ambient noise combined with the Khura’inese instruments sounded good, and sad, and stuff. Like a good detention center theme. It’s not that hard.

And this one.

This track is so obscure that it doesn’t have a name, and I had to link to it via a different channel. It’s left off the OST completely, and it plays once, over 5 textboxes (about 30 seconds), in the entire game. But I think it packed an incredible emotional punch.

Okay, serious spoiler time. So serious I’m going to hide it behind a “Keep reading” link (with the honourable mentions and conclusion).

This is the track that plays just as Apollo figures out that the second victim of the final case was Dhurke, and that he’s been dead for 3 days or so.

This track represents that moment when time slows down, and Apollo knows the truth but hasn’t processed what it means yet. He’s realised that Dhurke Sahdmadhi is dead, but not that his adoptive father who he cared so much about is dead.

This track is quite similar to the Suspense theme, but slowed way down, which is pretty suited to the situation - it’s not fast-paced, or sudden, but it is tense, mysterious, and suspenseful in a different kind of way to the usual courtroom antics.

The drum beats become more like slow heartbeats as if everything has gone quiet and Apollo can’t hear anything else. What used to be the bass becomes a slow organ, which are associated with death and much less intrusive.

It's a very well crafted piece, if very short and simple.

Honourable mentions:

Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2016, Troupe Gramarye 2016, Ema Skye ~ The Scientific Detective 2016, Apollo Justice ~ A New Chapter of Trials! 2016, A Cornered Heart, Andistan'dhin ~ Head-Banging

Unfortunately, I’ve now run out of Ace Attorney soundtracks to analyse, unless I play the Layton crossover or Capcom localises Dai Gyakuten Saiban, neither of which are probably happening soon.

I might analyse Ace Attorney for itself in the future, but this will probably be the last I post about their music. Which you’ll be very sad to hear, I’m sure.