#but the same uncertainty thing does apply

[maybemoss]

unpopular opinion but i lost most of my interest in wolf 359 as a whole after desperate measures. they just didn't care about the two that had the MOST character development potential. and yes there are flashbacks and i still cared about the others but it is very much Not The Same

ough understandable,,, the way they just killed off those two. especially maxwell. i wish we at least got the chance to see her in action more.

honestly though, i think hilbert’s death served the narrative well. it wasn’t necessary, but it… i dunno, really hammers home the tragedy. eiffel’s right, he could have been redeemed. he could have. (but would he have?) and the lingering uncertainty of it all makes me Feel Things. if he had made it to cutter’s appearance, would he have ended up betraying the crew? surely not—but he did it once, why couldn’t he do it again?

and the fact that we don’t know, i think, fits his narrative well. a man with many identities, his past crimes hidden under a veil of lies that goddard helped weave. with him dead, we never get to know. every time he ‘appears’ after, it’s inherently colored by the perceptions of the other characters. he becomes this sort of spectre hanging over the crew, a puzzle that can never be solved. not a person. never a person. just how goddard wanted him.

[aliennooboo]

I've been dealing quite okay with all the changes coming to my workplace this spring, but now I learned there's gonna be yet more changes, and it's just too much for my autistic ass to handle adgsdfdfddfgf 😒

[hxney-lemcn]

General Romantic Headcanons — Anya, Daisuke x gn! reader

tw: none.

wc: 1k (~500 per character)

Master List

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Anya

❥Anya is really soft when it comes to the people she cares about. One of the reasons why she wanted to become a nurse was to help others, so it’s no surprise that she’s very caring, always looking out for you. It’s hard to keep friends in her line of work, so she cherishes you extra, finding solace in your company.

❥She feels a bit silly having a crush when she’s this old. Sure, she hasn’t reached middle aged yet, but having a crush over the age of twenty makes her feel a bit foolish. Yet you always seem to make her fall for you even more. The inside jokes, the late night discussions, your constant encouragement and strong willed belief in her makes her heart flutter. You had been by her side after so many of her lows, the constant rejections from med school and her long trips that separated you for years. She’s not sure what she did to deserve you.

❥When Anya has a crush on you she’ll be a bit more bashful yet confident at the same time. It’s a confusing mix. Some moments have her blushing and shying away, while others she’s teasing and complimenting you. If you tell her how pretty you find her or brush her hair behind her ear she’s done for. It’s like her heart won’t stop beating out of her chest and her face is bright red. Anya will hide her face, trying to stay calm. If she finds you shying away for one thing or another? It’s over, she’s like a cat who spotted its prey. She won’t let it go and continue to tease you until you combust. She loves seeing you in such a state, and it may seem out of character, but with you she feels comfortable enough.

❥Honestly, it's a toss of the coin who confesses first. After long enough, she’ll end up confessing during one of your nightly hangouts, going from how much she cares about you to how she wishes you were together. If you’re the one confessing, do it in a more private setting. She’s not the biggest romantic, but the quiet setting would feel more intimate to her, like it's just the two of you in the big, big world. Anya would be so happy that you both finally crossed that boundary, wishing it could’ve been sooner. 

❥When you start dating things won’t change much. Things just get a bit more comforting and homey. Neither of you hesitate with your innocent affection anymore, threading your fingers together without uncertainty or resting your head on the other’s shoulder without care. If anything you both hang out even more, going on small dates to cafes or reading books at home. What does change is how it's even harder to let her go when work calls. How you dread the upcoming year without her smile or laughter, or how frustrated she gets when she loses to you. 

❥But you don’t worry too much. Anya always comes back, and you’ll continue to be by her side when she inevitably applies to another med school. Listen to her rant about what she experienced, her minor grievances with her coworkers. It’ll be all the sweeter to have her back in your arms, watching the stars and pondering where your futures will lead.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥Daisuke

❥Like Anya, Daisuke is soft when it comes to those he loves. He’s just a bit more outgoing about it. The type to show someone a picture of you and be like ‘yeah, that’s my best buddy’. Yes, he is internally dying when he has to call you his friend. 

❥Hands down he’s so obvious with how he’s crushing. Daisuke basically becomes your personal butler with how fast he’s willing to stop what he’s doing for you. You’re hungry? Don’t worry, he’ll get you some food. You’re cold? Hold on, he’s got a really fluffy blanket you’ll love. He’ll take any excuse he can get to prove his worth to you (not that you need him too). He gets extra giddy when you both hang out. It’s just so chill, and he gets to spend more time with you, maybe buy you something that’ll remind you of him. 

Yeah…he’s down bad.

❥Finding reasons to love you? It comes naturally to him. It’s like every day he finds another thing that makes him want to squeeze you. Confessing? Hahaha…uhhh he’s having trouble on that front. Daisuke cherishes what you have so much, he finds it terrifying to shift things. He’s so blindsighted by his own feelings, he’s afraid he’s projecting the hints he thinks you’re giving him. So he keeps his feelings to himself, refraining from touching you for too long or saying something that may give him away…yeah he’s not as good at that as he thinks.

❥You’ll have to confess. Daisuke will just continue to beat around the bush, blushing and pretending like he wasn’t head over heels for you. Confess anywhere, Daisuke doesn’t mind. He’ll be too taken aback at the confession to care if people were staring or not. The moment you tell him you like him he’s on cloud nine. 

He nearly forgets to confess back…

❥Once it’s official (and boundaries are placed), Daisuke will be all over you. It’s like he’ll die if he isn’t touching you in one way or another. Loves love loves holding hands with you, extra points if you fidget with his fingers or rings. He not only loves feeling you by his side, but being useful (whether that be by being your guide in crowded spaces or a fidget toy for you to calm your racing mind) is his top need. It’s just so reassuring to know that you love him, need him, and rely on him. 

❥Loves any and all kinds of dates. From exciting ones like theme parks and haunted houses, to the lowkey ones like sleepovers and going to the park. Can barely take his eyes off you if you dress up (this could be just the smallest touch up like putting on perfume/cologne if you normally don’t or doing your hair differently). Can barely take his eyes off you if you don’t dress up tbh…

❥Daisuke finds himself finally looking forward to what his future holds.

[auspicioustidings]

Kinktober Day 31

SUGGESTED POTENTIAL NON-CON

You have completed your contract admirably soldier, I think our mutts may miss you - Laswell

It’s strange. You wake up without your alarm in your own bed and it’s strange. You go put the kettle on for a cup of tea and it’s strange.

You are no longer under contract for the Kennel. The month had been defined as 30 days, so here you are with more money than you know what to do with, a body that is aching from all the hedonism of the past weeks and an utter uncertainty about what comes next.

You suppose what comes next is taking a week off to recover and not have to think about it yet.

So you showered (had you had to wash your own body at all in the last month or had there always been someone to do it for you?), dressed and went to get groceries. You caught up on TV shows mostly once everything was packed away.

It was sort of nice having alone time but sort of not knowing that it was probably going to be like this for the foreseeable future.

You had still been contracted at the end of the day, so it wasn’t like you were suddenly going to develop the ability to date. It was just sex. Just a release for people who needed it and were too dangerous to get it from civilians.

So why did you feel so conflicted about the likelihood of never seeing them again?

—

The day went quickly, but the evening lasted forever as you laid on the sofa and just tried to process. At least until you heard something from your bedroom. Could have been nothing, but you didn’t have a veritable shit ton of military and special forces training to dismiss things that could be nothing.

You had checked your house as soon as you had gotten back and it hadn’t been touched, so you knew there was a gun safely stowed away in a drawer of the coffee table. You got it out slowly and stood, going to investigate the bedroom.

Now you had never actually seen Ghost masked up before, it wasn’t like he cared about hiding his identity in the Kennel and the people he was around weren’t in any position to judge his scars, but you’d recognise those eyes anywhere. He was looking at the photo on your bedside table, you and your cat (she had died a few years back and it didn’t seem fair to adopt another when your work meant they would be staying with a neighbour most of the time).

“Gonna shoot me princess?” he asked, still looking at the photo.

“The Kennel shouldn’t be escapable” you said, keeping your gun trained on him.

“It’s not. Not if I was trying to get out alone. But give me a group of very motivated soldiers? Becomes a lot easier then” he said as he placed the photo back where it was and turned to you, arms crossed. “Get your sweet arse packed, I’m taking you home.”

“Nice try” you said, both hands steadying the gun.

“Gonna shoot me?”

“I don’t want to Ghost. You need to leave.”

“Then sink a bullet into me princess, because I’m not leaving without you and I don't much care if you're conscious for the trip.”

You aimed for his shoulder, just a warning graze but it must have hurt like a bitch as it took off a chunk of skin at the surface and his body jolted with the force. Good thing you picked a rural house, there were farms around here so gun shots weren’t totally uncommon with critters coming to feast on chickens.

“Yes you are.”

“Hmm” he chuffed, seemingly a little surprised you had actually shot him but not at all put out by it. “You never did let Mace fuck you with a gun did you? Could be fun you know.”

You were hopeful that it didn’t show on your face that your dumb hind brain found the idea a little hot. Mace had threatened it when you were playing the part of the doe-eyed step-daughter who idolised a daddy that definitely wanted to fuck her. Would he have went through with it?

“And if I said red?” you asked because there in lay the issue.

Under contract you had some protection. You did not imagine the same would apply if he took you back now.

You were furious with yourself when your wrists were twisted and Price disarmed you. You should have been paying attention behind you, should have considered that Ghost would hardly have come alone.

“Depends on my mood sweetheart. If I really think you need it I’ll let you safeword.”

You went for him, tried to get him down so you could rush past and get out of the situation. But your hand to hand was rusty and he was stronger than you, so it didn’t take him long to get you pinned against him and restrained.

“So what you just kidnap me? You’re supposed to fucking run the Kennel but I’m starting to think you should be a resident sir.”

“So am I sweetheart. Of course if you lived there then being a resident doesn’t sound so bad.”

“I’m not spending the rest of my life in a prison because you want a personal whore.”

“You’d be free to come and go so long as you came back to us” Ghost said, calmly watching the whole exchange.

“And what? I just get a brief everyday of who I’ve to service?” you asked, bitterness flooding your tone.

God it was so stupid. The deal was technically good. You got to live a life of luxury, got freedom to come and go and got to be intimate with people that you foolishly held affection for. Would it be so bad? So what if it wasn’t real? So what if you were just a means to an end for them while you would be doomed to pine forever for reciprocation of what you were sure would bloom into love?

“You’d get briefs from people who want to spend time with you so you can choose if you want to or not” Price answered, squeezing you a little.

“And if I never say yes?”

“Unlikely. We all owe you orgasms after being so mean with them yesterday, don't you want what you're owed?” Ghost laughed.

“I told you I’d only listen to a safeword if I thought you really needed it sweetheart. What you’re describing is a situation where what you’d need is a good fucking to remember who you belong to.”

“I belong to myself John Price.”

“Technically that’s true in the eyes of the law and God” Ghost said, considering, sly.

You could feel Price harden against your ass and you made a sound of protest.

“Can’t help it sweetheart, he’s got wedding bells in my head.”

“I- excuse me?”

“Seems a fair trade. You’d agree to belong to me and by extension all my dogs in the Kennel, I’d agree to belong to you and by extension they would too. Fuck you’d look stunning in white” he groaned, hips rutting against you.

“White?” Ghost said with a smirk.

“Doesn’t count if she was under contract. I’m sure Farah will lend her something borrowed if it comes down to it.”

—

She did. You wore a little reddish bead on a necklace on your wedding day. Price barely made it though the ceremony given that he was rock solid the whole time. Fucking wife kink.

It took place in the Kennel of course so everybody could attend. Things had changed. Velikan was a temporary resident now, mostly because he enjoyed trailing a step behind you when you went out shopping. Soap was permanent on account of Ghost saying he was sick of not having 24 hour access to his holes. You’d have thought it was romantic from how Soap preened about it. Valeria was gone but she visited sometimes. That iron control of herself she had meant the Kennel didn't have much justification to keep her locked up.

You met Nikolai in person and discovered him and Price made a hell of a tag team.

And you got to see what it was like when someone new was brought in with Kreuger. It wasn't pretty. You wondered if they had all been as untameably violent and angry about it when they first got here. If not for Mace and König you weren't sure the guy would even be unchained ever, but to your surprise they gelled well with him and turned out very good at keeping him in check.

By the time there was a second wedding he had calmed a lot. Enough that he got to attend with everybody else when Farah got a ring on Alex (another ring you thought given the ink that looped around his cock).

The only mention of the gunshot wound Ghost had was jealous looks from Nikto. Sometimes you thought about that little brand sitting on Ghost's skin and how it might look burned into yours. There were still silvery marks from the knife and you were almost sad thinking about how they would likely fade entirely.

You didn’t stop working, but then you were one of the monsters now so may as well do what you were trained for. Your radio and signals room was state of the art and half the kit in it was definitely not legal, but at this point legal was a pretty meaningless concept. You did horrible things, but at least there were always warm bodies to keep the nightmares away. Plus you had a little fluff ball companion keeping you company since a cat had shown up out of the blue (you were fairly certain exactly who had brought her in but he never mentioned it).

Sometimes you got whisked away. Ale and Rudy took you to Ale’s family vineyard for a week in the Mexican sun. Calisto surprised you with a romantic night in Paris. Keegan shoved you in a ridiculous dress so he could show you off to his team and you paid him back for every dig he took at you that night. Gaz took you to a football game during which him, Nova and Price argued the whole damn time. Lots of holidays, lots of laughter and dare you say contented happiness.

Now you just had to avoid giving in to that pesky fucking pregnancy kink half of them had.

[cocoatonedcurls]

simplified manifestation 101 :))

hii! i thought I would post a beginner's guide to manifestation, for people who are still new to the idea of it/want a thorough, contextualised explanation 🤗

manifestation is not something people necessarily struggle with, however, grasping concepts about it and misconceptions surrounding it can make it a little difficult for those who are just starting out.

if I could simplify manifesting down to a single sentence, it would be:

"If you can believe it, you can have it."

it's really as simple as that, manifesting is all about believing 😇

I don't know if anyone else had this experience, but when I was a kid, around 7-12, I used to manifest without even knowing what it was; I would just believe that I was going to achieve something that was , there was no uncertainty about it, and then, I would! ����

(I manifested a spot in a competition abroad when I was 10 🫣)

Over time, as my confidence in myself faded, this occurrence would happen far less frequently which goes to show that its all about your confidence and belief 💥

This is gonna sound like something straight out of mlp 😭 but you just need to believe in urself and the universe will conform to allow everything you want to be yours 🙈

some basic guidelines

* CIRCUMSTANCE DOESN'T MATTER

no, it doesn't matter if you're trying to get an ex back, or win the lottery, or convince your parents (who've been putting it off) to get a dog. manifesting is taking your life into your own hands and controlling it. your life is a movie and you're the director of it.

now, majority of people get into manifesting when they are curious about manifesting SPs, but coincidentally, it is also the concept that people struggle with the most because of the concern of free will or circumstances, but really neither of those two things matter.

* DON'T GET AFFECTED BY THE 3D

the 4D is the dimension that allows you to live the life that you would live while having what you are manifesting. as long as you are aware of what you're manifesting, just visualise yourself living in this reality and feel all the emotions and fulfilment you would while living in that ideal reality, this will allow you to reach the state of having, which I will get onto later in the post

the 3D is the dimension you experience physically, but it does not get to dictate what is yours and what will be yours; that is what the 4D does, it controls the 3D, and lucky for you, you control the 4D!

if you're manifesting an SP and you see that person posting with another person of interest, don't start sulking and feeling sorry for yourself thinking that its over for you, that's shooting yourself in the foot. what you do is you think "that's cool, but they're happier with me", that way you're not getting affected by the 3d and conveying your message to the 4D, which will relay it back to the 3D, and then your 3D will conform to it.

* "EVERYONE IS YOU PUSHED OUT" & LAW OF ASSUMPTION

you see this saying, Everyone is You Pushed Out, a lot in the manifesting community, and it might seem like an intimidating concept but its something that you experience in your day to day life anyways 😦

for example, you know when you've heard something about someone which changes your perception of them, and suddenly their persona suddenly conforms to your changed perception? that's the law of EIYPO in action!

the Law of Assumption is essentially the same concept but in a more general state, like your life as a whole, eg. manifesting a better grade or job or paycheck 💸

however, the way I see it, the results of manifesting are the results of other people's actions. for example, if you're manifesting a better grade, you yourself are the person that your manifestations are affecting, you'll retain information better and apply your knowledge properly in a test; if you're manifesting a job, your manifestations are affecting the person who had the position before to move, and the person who is hiring to be inclined to hire you; and the same concept applies to when manifesting an SP, your manifestations are affecting your SP to have more positively correlated feelings towards you.

so you can use these concepts to help you in your manifestations, particularly in the SP context: if you believe that they are attracted to you, it'll only be a matter of time before they will be.

* THE STATE OF HAVING, NOT DESIRING

considering this is arguably one of the most important aspects of manifesting. it is what brings manifestations to fruition

in simple terms, there are two objective states of being when manifesting:

The state of having

The state of wanting

The state of having is what you experience when you allow yourself to live in the 4D (the 4th dimension, where your goals are reality) and feel the fulfilment that you would feel while living the life you are manifesting. Affirmations like "I am paid incredibly well", "That job is mine", "They are attracted to me" will help you in achieving this mindset. This feeling is your biggest helper when it comes to applying the Law of Assumption/EIYPO in practice! It is you knowing you have what you want and allowing the universe to do the rest for you.

The state of wanting is when you are stuck feeling like you still crave what you are manifesting, not feeling like it is secured in your possession. This can leave you plateaued and doubts can slow down your manifesting. Affirmations like "I will be paid well", "That job will be mine", "They will be attracted to me" pose the question 'WHEN?'

Now don't take this as a, "If I doubt, my manifestation won't come true" because we all have doubts, even the greatest manifesters, but what is important is that your doubts do not stop your state of having being affected. As long as in the 4D you know it is yours, the 3D will conform to make it yours.

Here's a quote that helps me acheive the state of having

"You want it so badly because you already have it in the future"

simplified tutorial :)

many people have the question, "how?"

there isn't any set way, but honestly, the state of having is the essence of manifesting, if you can remain in the state of having, you can achieve your goal.

now that isn't to say that if you're not in that state, thinking about it 24/7, your goal wont manifest, but rather, if in the background of your mind, you have a feeling of knowing it is yours and not panicking about it, it will happen.

if someone asks, "hey, what's your job?" you'd reply with your current job, but in your mind you'd know that your dream job was what you actually worked as. this example highlights the difference between the 3D and the 4D and how not to let your 3D affect your state while still living in the 4D.

techniques like robotic affirmations, visualising and different manifestation methods (3,6,9 method, letter method, etc.) can help you reach the state of having and manifesting. there are so many different techniques you can find!

it really all comes down to how I described manifesting earlier, believing it is achieving it.

hopefully this was helpful for you whether you're completely new to manifesting or you just wanted some clarification and concepts :))

- li 🌘

[minmin-vs-physics]

HUP, EPR, and Bell’s Theorem

Abstract

An educational document discussing the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, the EPR (Einstein- Podolsky-Rosen) Paradox, and Bell’s Theorem, written for an audience without a background in physics, but with their head still screwed on right.

1 Introduction

Ah, quantum mechanics. A bizarre theory which unfortunately describes our physical world exceed- ingly well. Einstein didn’t get it. Bohr didn’t get it. I don’t get it. And soon, you won’t get it either. As the saying goes, the more you know about quantum mechanics, the less you understand it.

I will be skipping around in terms of topics covered in undergraduate quantum mechanics courses to prepare you for the actual beast, Entanglement.

Entanglement, the property of quantum systems to remain correlated even when separated, is a concept which has transformed from a worrisome byproduct of a thought experiment [1] into a cornerstone of quantum mechanics itself. What is a quantum mechanics? Google is your friend, my dear reader. My time with you is limited„ and I cannot teach you the alphabet to make you read Shakespeare. I can only explain what you directly need to understand this article. Anything else shall be your homework, and if I am feeling kind at the end, I will provide a list of accessible resources on learning quantum mechanics the RIGHT way.

As we dive into the frankly confusing world of entanglement, it is vital that you remember one thing– A quantum particle is described by a wave function, Ψ. This wave function is a solution to the Schrodinger equation.

This is what they mean when they say something is both a particle and a wave; It’s behavior can be described by a special kind of wave equation, which we all know and love as the Schrodinger Wave Equation. But that’s not important right now. I’ll explain more if I need to. We need to get to HUP.

2 Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle

Formulated by Werner Heisenberg in 1927, the Uncertainty Principle is an indomitable tenet in the field of quantum mechanics. Its premise is simple. The more precisely a particle’s momentum is determined, the less precisely is its position. In one dimension, this can be summarized with the following mathematical statement: ∆x∆p ≤ 2

Here, ∆x is the standard deviation or “spread” of the position x, while ∆p is the standard deviation of the momentum p. As the spread of one quantity decreases, the other must increase in order to maintain the inequality. I will not bother proving the Principle in full, but I have Heisenberg’s original proof in the references.

Is that it?

Ummmmm, no. An important thing to remember about HUP is that it is not exclusive to x and p. HUP applies to any two quantum mechanical operators, A, B, which do not commute with each other i.e. [A, B] = AB − BA = 0. But that’s all mathematical nonsense, Min! What does it really mean?

Fine! I’m only doing this because it will be useful when we get to measurements in the EPR paradox and Bell theorems. In order to understand what “not commuting” means in the physical sense, let’s use our favorites, position and momentum, as an example. In quantum mechanics, xˆ andpˆ are referred to as the position and momentum operators respectively. (Why the little hats? Firstly, they’re cute, and secondly, well, you’ll see.) The whole point of calling them operators is that they act on wave functions. And in the crudest sense possible (please don’t try this at home, folks), hitting an operator on a wave function and taking the expectation value, gives a measurement of the quantum mechanical system.

There is about three semesters of quantum mechanical education I’m waving off right now, but bear with me. When we act the momentum operator on the system, in some sense we extract the momentum. Same thing for position. However, the whole deal about x and p is that they do not commute. So, the order in which you conduct the measurements absolutely does matter. First measuring x and then p would give you a different answer than first measuring p and then x. This is because the very act of measuring a quantum state changes it. That’s right! It changes. This makes all the difference when you consider the standard deviation of a bunch of measurements. If my memory of introductory quantum mechanics serves me right, after about three pages of algebra you arrive at the familiar position-momentum uncertainty principle.

The moral of the story is that the non-commutativity of these operators manifests as a sort of granularity in the accuracy of measurements you can make on a physical system. This granularity is retained between any other kinds of non-commuting measurements you can make!

On second thought, do you really need this? Probably not. But, the algebra of uncertainty principles is a pet project to me. Especially the strangest of them all, the energy-time uncertainty principle. Enough on that! Here’s the main takeaway (other than the actual HUP statement) that you need from this section:

Making a measurement on a state changes its wave function. No exceptions. None. The detached observer is not a reality in the quantum mechanical world.

3 Spin

I realized that the following sections will not make any sense if you don’t at least know what spin is. So, let’s make a short pit-stop at Spin City to learn about this nonsensical physical quantity.

We’re all aware of angular momentum– its the rotational analog of linear momentum (which we talked about the previous section). We all agree that it is a property related to the motion of an object, right? WRONG! Sometime in the 1900s (Seriously, 20th Century Physicists should chill out), it was discovered this angular momentum from motion i.e. “orbital” angular momentum, as it was called in the atomic physics context it was first described, does not account for all the angular momentum of a particle. Long story short, the remaining angular momentum, which is intrinsic to a particle, is now called Spin. Every fundamental particle has a particular value of spin, which, in quantum mechanical jargon, is the eigenvalue of the spin operator.

For understanding the following sections, we really only need to care about spin-1/2 particles, which are lovingly called fermions, and are the building blocks of all ordinary matter. The shining feature of spin-1/2 particles is that their spin can either be +1 or −1 , which is often referred to as spin-up (↑) and spin-down (↓) respectively.

Physically, the up or down comes from whether the measured spin is along the axis it is measured, or opposite to it. Yes, spin is a vector, so it does have three independent components in the three spatial directions, but it is convention to consider the z-component of the spin for calculations and experiments. Any references to up and down in the next sections are along the z-direction.

Oh, and one more thing, spin-0 particles have no intrinsic spin. This will be important when we encounter the EPR Paradox.

4 EPR Paradox

After skipping a whole bunch of most-likely important concepts in the study of quantum mechanics we arrive at the EPR paradox.

The EPR paradox is a thought experiment first described in the groundbreaking paper [1] by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen in 1935. Einstein was quite vocally a hater, and the EPR paradox was proposed as evidence that the description of reality provided by quantum mechanics is incomplete. Reality doesn’t care, of course, and the EPR Paradox isn’t really a paradox. In fact, it is the foundation of entanglement– a magnificent, very real feature of reality which spans black holes, quantum computers and even my field of research: Entanglement in elementary particle physics.

In fact, I’m so self-centered that the example we will use to illustrate the EPR paradox is from particle physics. Just kidding, my explanation follows Chapter 12 in Griffiths’ Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, and is a simplified version credited to David Bohm

EPRB Paradox

Suppose a pion (funky particle with spin-0) at rest, decays to an electron and positron which fly off into opposite directions. Since the pion has spin-0, conservation of angular momentum dictates that the electron and positron occupy the following spin configuration.

√(1/2) (|↑↓⟩−|↓↑⟩)

BE NOT AFRAID of the mathematical jumpscare. The fancy bracket |·⟩ is what’s called a “ket”, and is used to denote the state of a quantum system. All the expression says is that either the electron is

spin-up (+1) and the positron is spin-down (−1) or vice-versa, because the total spin of the system 22

must add up to 0. (Since the initial state is spin zero, the system must stay spin-zero even after the decay occurs. That’s what angular momentum conservation is all about.) We don’t know which combination we will get, but it must be one of the above. Measuring the spin of one of the particles will automatically tell us what the spin of the other particle is. This means that the spins of the electron and positron are correlated. In modern terms, such a state is called entangled.

Now, let’s pretend that these particles fly off in opposite directions, until say, they are several light years apart. What would happen if we found the electron and measured its spin to be +1 ? We instantly know that the positron’s spin is −1 . This is obvious. Why are we mad about this?

Naturally, we may think that the electron really was spin-up from the moment it was created and it was only that quantum mechanics did not know until we made a measurement. But by the principles of quantum mechanics, neither particle had a definite spin, until we made a measurement, causing the wave function to “collapse” and instanteously produce the spin of the positron which is lights years away!

The EPR bros were NOT having it. Einstein famously called this phenomenon “spooky action at a distance”. They stated that the quantum mechanical standpoint must be wrong! The electron and positron must have had well-defined spins from their creation, even if quantum mechanics does not know it. Quantum mechanics is not a complete description of reality and there must be some hidden variables which describe a physical system that we do not yet know.

The fundamental assumption guiding the EPR argument is that no information can propagate faster than light. This the principle of locality. In order to appease this, we can say that the wave function collapsed at some finite velocity and is not instantaneous. However, this violates conservation– If we measured the positron spin as well before the information of collapse reached it, there is a 50–50 chance that both particles are spin-up, which means the system has total spin-1. Preposterous! You can mess with anything you want in this universe, but you don’t mess with conservation laws. What do we do now?

Okay, let’s calm down. The theorists may say whatever they want, but experiment doesn’t lie. Experiment tells us that in these cases, spin is perfectly correlated. The wave function collapse is instantaneous. That’s crazy. Call your mom and tell her you want to go home. The EPR Bros are frightening you— Quantum Mechanics is NOT local so it is NOT complete.

...Except. It is. Enter, Bell’s Theorem.

5 Bell’s Theorem

Now, what’s the situation? The EPR gang is not happy. I’m not happy. You’re not happy. Is quantum mechanics wrong? No, silly! EPR said it themselves: they think it’s merely incomplete. So, in order to completely describe a quantum mechanical state, you not only need the wave function Ψ, you also need some unknown, hidden variable λ. Lots of hidden variable theories were proposed after the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paper, but none of them ever gained traction. It was still a respectable area of study until 1964, when J.S. Bell proved that any local (Remember locality from the last section?) hidden variable theory is incompatible with quantum mechanics.

I’ll spare you the details of Bell’s work, dear reader. One thought experiment in an essay is gruesome enough. (It is also getting quite late and I still didn’t code my calculations. I have spent far too much time on this already.)

Bell’s proof involves the wonderful use of probability, and the barest assumptions that can be made about local hidden variable theories. Basically, in any local hidden variable theory, the probabilities of various outcomes are related by what’s known as a Bell inequality. If EPR’s conjecture is right, and there really are hidden variables we don’t know about, then any physical system must obey its Bell inequality.

Except, there have been various experiments since the 1960s confirming that Bell’s inequality is indeed violated. This came as a rude shock to scientists as it is not fun to learn that reality is very much nonlocal. It was all fun and games when this was all merely a mathematical artifact, but nonlocality felt like a gateway drug to a much grimmer violation.

Causality

Bell inequality violations, no matter how surprising, are merely wonderful correlations between two sets of otherwise random data. Sure, the measurement of the spin of the electron affects the positron, but it does not cause it in any meaningful way. The person measuring the electron spin cannot use this collapse of the wave function to send a message to the person with the positron, since they don’t control the outcome of the experiment. They can decide whether to measure the electron at all, but the other person only has access to the positron’s spin and cannot tell whether the electron has been measured or not.

Phew! This sort of nonlocal influence does not transmit any energy or information, so it is exempt from the speed of light. Meanwhile, causal influences, those which do transmit information or energy, cannot travel faster than light. According to special relativity, if this was possible then, there are reference frames in which information can propagate backwards through time. And that, my dear reader, is what we call a big nono. Since the EPR paradox does not imply that causality is violated, we can lie uncomfortably on our bed of nonlocal but causal theory of quantum mechanics.

So rest easy, quantum mechanics is weird, but safe. Entanglement is not a fairytale, but also not the boogeyman. It’s probably more scared of you than you of it. Just give it some time. More answers will follow.

What Do I Do Now?

So, you want to know more? Or curl up in a ball and never think about this again? Either is fine. I won’t judge. If your answer is the former, here are some resources to guide you through the thickets of quantum mechanics.

PopSci Sources

1. IDTIMWYTIM: Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle 2. Why did Quantum Entanglement Win the Nobel Prize in Physics? 3. Bell’s Theorem: The Quantum Venn Diagram Paradox

Surely, you’ll get more out of these wonderful science Youtubers than you did from me yapping for four pages. There are a bunch more probably, but you’ll have to find them yourself.

Academic Sources

1. An Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, D.J. Griffiths.

Of course, there are other quantum mechanics textbooks that I like much more than this one. But, this is the least daunting, so I’ll leave it here.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more silly academic style papers.

References

[1]  A. Einstein, B. Podolsky and N. Rosen, “Can quantum mechanical description of physical reality be considered complete”? Phys. Rev. 47, 777–780 (1935) doi:10.1103/PhysRev.47.777

[2]  Heisenberg, W. “Über den anschaulichen Inhalt der quantentheoretischen Kinematik und Mechanik”. Z. Physik 43, 172–-198 (1927). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01397280

[3]  D.J. Griffiths, D.F. Schroeter, “Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, Third Edition” Cambridge University Press (2018) 978–1–107–18963–8,

[tumblingxelian]

Crossposting from SV:

https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/iwiw-rwby.125050/post-32676154

Regarding the expectation of perfection, yeah, I don't think the team expected it. The one who could be arguably said to have put the most "pressure" on Ruby is Blake as we saw in V8, but having faith in someone isn't the same as demanding perfection. & Blake showed she was fine stepping up and trying to help or support Ruby when she needed it.

The others applied even less pressure, at least knowingly, but none of them are aware of how Ruby had internalized Ozpin's lesson (& from what I know of Coco Second Semester does not make his lessons better)

But Ruby definitely took a lot of these things to heart in a way likely never intended. & more to the point that likely wouldn't be nearly as bad if not for the trauma conga-line the last volumes have been.

For instance in V8 Ruby does seem briefly hurt by Yang noting that following her lead hasn't worked out, but Yang's language is still rather casual, this isn't her trying to deliver some cutting barb to wound Ruby's pride. & given their reunion in V8 it didn't have a lasting impact... Up until V9 landed because with everything that went wrong, suddenly those words pack a lot more sting.

In regards to Yang & Ruby in particular, one thing I find interesting is that in early volumes, even after Ozpin's leader talk Ruby was more comfortable showing uncertainty, discomfort, fragility and the like.

Especially around Yang. She was sulking in V2 about Blake not coming to the dance and feeling overtly helpless, she was fine with being uncertain about her decision to reveal the WF's location to Ozpin & co, also in V2.

But more integrally, in Volume 3, after everything had gone to hell what is the first thing Ruby did once she could move under her own power?

Was it go to her dad for comfort? Seek Qrow for advice? nope, those two came to her, with Tai mostly being used for an intel update and Qrow being prodded for info, and only seeing a flash of vulnerability.

The person Ruby went to was Yang, Yang who she was surprised to find wasn't in a good head-space, and who when Ruby asked what to do couldn't answer her, seemingly leaving Ruby unsure of what to do. In essence, there have been periods where Ruby also expected others to be more sturdy than they could otherwise be expected to be. This isn't a jab, just an observation.

More integrally however, in V4 we see Ruby really hit hard on the repressing.

Oh she did it before, the fact she's modelled her entire persona after her missing mother and was raised by a girl two years her senior should already make it clear she's gonna have some issues. But it becomes a lot more overt with her being all smiles around JNPR but sad when unseen until she's hitting a breaking point. One that is... Sort of countered though of questionable help by being told she's inspiring.

The time we really see it break in in Volume 5 when Yang & Ruby reunited, she cries, she fumbles her words, she gets a damn hug.

But then, the next day, she sees that Yang is not nearly as recovered as she's trying to act. When Yang is upset & removes herself from the situation to calm down and mourn silently, its Weiss who has to help her out of it, because Ruby has no idea what to do.

That's not just her sister in there, its the girl who raised her, & this stuff is not Ruby's forte, but more integrally, Yang is the one who has always been 'all right', the one who Ruby could turn to whenever she needed and who she never had to worry about in combat.

But she's not OK the one person Ruby could always rely on is more fragile than Ruby ever realized, and so clearly, Ruby can't go to Yang with her problems either.

& thus closes her final person to really, properly, well and truly reach out to.

& the thing is Yang would have no idea this is happening!

She didn't hear Ozpin's speech, or Ruby re-phrasing it. She wasn't present when Ruby was really building her walls in V4, and any that existed before that will have been interwoven with Yang's own issues and thus be something she deemed as normal the same way Ruby deemed Yang's self sacrificing penchant as normal.

Put simply, Yang isn't aware that Ruby's mental image of her has shifted and so is not aware that Ruby no longer sees her as someone viable to reach out to.

None of which is helped by the fact Yang canonically admires Ruby and so is prone to see the best, strongest, most idealized side of her, and so like Ruby would need to be told Ruby needs help before keying into it.

Both these girls are very traumatized and damaged and they care about each other so god damn much, but also just cannot wholly see one another.

Its agony, I love it.

[drumcanister]

okay so im doing it anyway and this is about djevel's post kinda but im also just kinda talking out my ass about my opinion on cupanny (I LOVE U MOOT BUT I NEED TO LET THIS OUT IM SORRY 😞)

(to be clear im not attacking the person who made the post im just putting my opinion and thoughts here or else i might start eating the furniture)

The question about why can't colly just stay friends , especially coming from someone who ships cupanny is just,,kinda?? idk

The whole thing with cup and fanny is that he just wants to be friends , nothing more so why use that argument with a ship that clearly has more to offer?

I personally groan out loud when any mention of cupanny being together is mentioned purely because their dynamic is NOT going to benefit either of them at all. Neither respect eachothers boundaries and personally it feels like watching a really bad situationship unfold. (still love them being sillies tho)

They know barely anything about eachother and honestly in my eyes they dont have enough of a connection to really be anything more than friends. the "flirting" is just really stale in my eyes and lacks depth. Plus shes exactly the kind of girl hes dated like 3 times before , it's just going to be a cycle of him getting hurt again.

Cupanny is obvious , it's predictable and literally everyone and their grandma is expecting it to happen. Colly (if its done right) has the potential to be a really good slow burn. It has everything cupanny lacks in my opinion.

Holly has seen everything cup is afraid to show and she doesn't judge or get disgusted , she knows what kind of person he is which is the entire reason she didn't trust or like him at first. He can be himself around her , his childish self , without the fear or uncertainty. He can be open and honest , he can cry and be scared around her.

Fanny hasn't and she never will because he doesn't trust her enough to tell her that like he does with holly. Theres a clear lack of connection and trust with them.

Considering fanny's situation as well i don't think she should be dating anyone for a long time , she needs to heal from this and being with someone like cup isn't going to help that at all. Same would apply to him as well , he needs that genuine love and understanding and unfortunately , in my opinion , i don't think fanny can provide that for him.

honestly all in all idgaf who bro dates (if anyone at all) just get him a cat , heaps of candy and a goddamn vacation.

(once again this isn't an attack i just wanted to share my thoughts on this whole thing , its my personal opinion so if you don't agree then don't read it lmao)

[blueikeproductions]

After days of uncertainty, it’s official via a trademark applied by Hasbro.

It’s coming next year, and is indeed the successor to EarthSpark.

It’s still being treated with uncertainty by some if it has a show, but we’ve crossed this bridge before with each new show. Need I remind people how it was commonly believed Cyberverse was going to be a filler toy line with no show or some new Animated or Prime sequel when increasing evidence proved otherwise. (Though I suppose in a way they were half right on the former, since it did come off as a filler kids line when Hasbro put all their eggs in Netflix WFC’s basket, & look how that turned out.)

But no matter what we keep having that weird cycle of denial. Some still convince themselves Cyberworld is a sequel to EarthSpark or that it’s a continuation of TFONE.

TFONE themed series is more plausible but too soon to call because TFONE isn’t out yet, & we don’t know if it will be profitable. Just because people say they liked something doesn’t mean it made money or casuals liked it. -gestures to CV, RotB & ES rotting on shelves-

A Mutant Mayhem style Tales of the TMNT continuation DOES make sense, but Hasbro going full steam ahead with Cyberworld after EarthSpark’s underperformance feels more like a reaction to EarthSpark specifically not TFONE.

And again, why focus on what appears to be an Optimus Prime vs Galvatron story? How does that make sense where TFONE leaves off via leaks. What emotional connection does Orion Pax have towards Galvatron if he’s a separate person? Why skip ahead to D-16 having apparently upgraded further to Galvatron when he named himself after his idol Megatronus Prime? Theres leaps of logic that don’t make sense from either a Hasbro or fan perspective. The same can be said with Scorponok, who to my knowledge, isn’t even IN TFONE.

EarthSpark sequel speculation. Same problem. Even Rescue Bots Academy, despite focusing on new Rescue Bots, was very upfront in leaks and marketing about still including Heatwave’s group, so how is this an ES sequel when the Terrans aren’t even included? Not even any hint of new Terrans or for that matter new unique to the show Transformers.

The Autobots so far appear to be Optimus, Mirage, Grimlock & Snarl. Unless Hasbro is also sick of Bumblebee, the little lemon should be front and center along with Twitch & Thrash (with new Vehicle Modes), but he’s seemingly not in favor of Mirage. People try to defend it as an ES sequel due to its “unorthodox choices”, but are they really? Cosmos, Skywarp, Nova Storm, Skullcruncher, & the Insecticons feel more like hold overs from Cyberverse more than anything since both shows share staff, & in both shows hardly any of them get to do anything memorable. ES Cosmos’ only memorable thing is being voiced by Weird Al so far as of typing. Hardtop is the only one that sticks out to me because of his highly specific reference to a forgotten toy only TF Cybertron toy. And then he proceeded to be a nothing character with his arm used by Mandroid. Dude didn’t even get his own toy (yet), not even as a bad repaint of Swindle’s toy…

Sky-Byte, in fairness if he were allowed to be his RiD personality, DOES make sense for EarthSpark, but they never used him for it for whatever reason. (He too is a Cyberverse hold over in that earlier context, so it is kind of strange they didn’t use him).

One thing that does stick out to me though.

Similar to Digimon, Transformers has gotten into the habit of using one of the 13 Primes as a gimmick for a show, like using one of the Seven Deadly Digimon as a set piece.

Prime had Alpha Trion (& the Prime arm Megatron wore), RiD15 had The Fallen as a major villain and Micronus as a supporting character, Cyberverse had Alchemist Prime as a major character (albeit not handled well & feeling tacked on), & EarthSpark of course has Quintus Prime as the reason the show’s events happen.

If we’re to assume Cyberworld follows a similar approach, would that mean Onyx Prime gets used here?

It’s still bizarre to me he wasn’t used in RiD15’s own Beast theme, and with Cyberworld seemingly having its own Beast theme using Grimlock, Snarl, Sky-Byte & Scorponok, perhaps Onyx might have a role here? Maybe his weird Mask ties into the World aspect?

It can see other times, people, places and WORLDS after all.

Above all, the bare minimum is CyberWorld has to be fun instead of whatever CV, PW, WFC, & ES were.

And that will be put to the test soon enough…

…As Studio Trigger has been confirmed as working on some kind of Transformers anniversary anime thing. Notable rep includes Animated, Armada & G1 in what’s been teased so far. More than likely it’s a short similar to Gridman’s Boys Invent Great Hero short, and as many have pointed out, that served as the launching point for the well received SSSS.Gridman, SSSS.Dynazenon & Gridman Universe series & film. Fans seem extremely excited at this, so hopefully it’s a big return to the anime TF era that began with RiD01 in the states (yes I’m aware of Headmasters & the rest but still). With Trigger at the helm too!

We have nowhere to go but up after late stage IDW, CV & ES’ shortcomings, & with Skybound continuing to do well as of typing, hype for TFONE remaining strong, and general excitement at Cyberworld & Trigger, perhaps an emphasis to back to basics is just what we needed.

[ikeromantic]

Ikevamp Boys React to a Tattooed MC pt 3

Arthur, Jean, Isaac, Dazai, and Will!

Arthur

"What's this, luv?" Arthur's voice breaks the silence in the parlor as you take down the curtains for washing.

You turn, amused to see his playful grin, but anxious too. He is unpredictable and always such a flirt. "What's what?"

Arthur chuckles, reaching for you. His hands brush your hair aside and tug down the back of your collar. "This. I knew I saw a hint of something."

"Hey! I didn't give you permission to just go -"

"There's a little heart. With wings!" His fingers brush the tattoo on your upper back. "I had no idea you were such a naughty girl, hm?"

"Arthur. I am not naughty. Let go of me?" You don't want him to notice how your pulse races at the touch, or the delighted shiver it sends through you.

He reluctantly releases you, merriment dancing in his eyes. "So how and why did you become a tattooed woman? Please tell me there's some juicy story involving a carnival and too much whisky?"

You roll your eyes. "Absolutely not on both counts. Look -" You clear your throat. "In my time, it's not unusual. Lots of people get them. I got mine after a bad breakup. To symbolize my faith in true love. Because I know it's out there, even if I haven't found it yet."

Arthur grins. "Haven't you? I mean, you do live in the same house as the most desireable-"

"Shut. Up." You let out a sigh, realizing the mansion's playboy writer is not going to take anything seriously. "And go away. I have work to do." You turn back to the curtains, trying to give him a hint.

"Oh, but I can't!" He hugs you from behind, his cheek pressed against yours. "I have to see the whole thing without all those pesky clothes in the way. And oh!" His hands slide up your side, sending a delicious warmth rolling through you. "What if there are more? I need to see all of you, luv. Inspect every inch."

Jean

You take a tumble while helping Jean at his sword shop, and cut your leg. He insists on bandaging you up, and despite your misgivings (does he know how to apply a bandage??), you let him.

As he slides your dress up to see the cut on your leg, he gasps. You realize he must have noticed the tattoo on your thigh. The equal-armed cross done in a delicate, colorful pattern, just for your eyes. Jean leans close, his breath warms your skin.

"Jean? The uh, the cut is a bit lower?" You try to redirect him.

"This mark -" He touches it, first with his fingers then with his palm pressed against your skin. "Where did you get it?"

You take a breath, trying to sort your thoughts with the distraction of his rough palm on your upper thigh. He has absolutely no right to make you feel this way, not when he's completely unaware of your reaction. You want him to let go, and you don't want him to all at once.

"In my country. Why?"

He lets go of you then, a relief and a let-down. Then he tugs down his own shirt to show his shoulder. The tiny cross there is so similar that you gasp. "I got mine after Orleans . . ."

"Well. I mean. It's not - not that unusual?" You feel uncomfortable at the intensity of his violet gaze.

"We are marked. Connected."

Your heart lurches in your chest, thudding against your ribcage. You don't know what to say, and can only nod.

Isaac

You aren't sure why Isaac draws back. You thought the two of you were about to have a moment, but his hot-and-cold behavior always keeps you on your toes. You never know if he wants you to stay or to go away.

"Can I ask you something," he says, his tone full of uncertainty.

"You just did." Your joke doesn't even raise a smile. "Sure. Anything."

"You shouldn't tell people they can ask you anything. They might really do." He sighs, frowns. "I - I noticed something on your arm?" He gestures.

That's when you realize your sleeve slid up enough to reveal the first letter in the words on your forearm. "Oh. Yeah. I have a little quote there." You put your hand over it, remembering the day you got it.

"Why?" His petal-pink eyes are wide and curious, a hint of worry in them.

You shrug, uncomfortable with the attention. "I don't know. I guess . . . I wanted to remember. The quote and what it means to me. Does it bother you?"

He shakes his head after an awkward pause. "No. But. Would you tell me about it?"

His response sends a shooting warmth through your chest and you nod. "Yeah -" The two of you scoot closer as you show him the tattoo, and the story behind it.

Dazai

"Toshiko-san! What's this?" Dazai's teasing voice comes from the window to your room.

You jump in surprise. Afterall, you're on the second floor. "I'm not even going to ask why you're coming in through my window," you sigh.

"Good. Less to explain. Now -" He climbs over the sill and plops down on your floor. "What is that I see on your foot?"

"This?" You show him the tattoo on top of your foot, where SpongeBob and Patrick grin under a cartoon sun. "It's from a TV show I liked."

He grabs your foot, a wide smile on his face. "Tee-vee? Hm. And here I was, thinking my lovely Toshiko-san was secretly mafia."

Will

"I have a query for thee," Will's chin nestled on your shoulder, his hands around your waist. "Pray tell, what is this painted upon thy delicate canvas?" He reached with one hand to stroke your shoulder blade, where your sun-and-moon tattoo was inked.

You shrug, drowsy and not in the mood to explain.

Will nips your neck, sharp teeth grazing your skin lightly. "Thou must answer lest I am forced to request more forcefully. I want to hear the tale."

Awake now, a tremble of anticipation running through your body, you turn in his grasp, or try to.

He laughs and holds you in place. "Ah ah. Release shall not come until you give me what I seek."

You surrender, mostly because it feels good to be snuggled in his arms. "I got them in college. I was thinking about the duality of nature - how nothing is as simple as it looks and . . . I don't know. I like the symbolism." It's hard to put into words but you try.

After a moment, he nods. "I see." He kisses your etched skin. "I wonder if I might spin a tragedy 'round a mark such as this. Though thine is more fair and deserves a better fate. Perhaps then, a comedy?"

Laughing, you finally turn to face him and place a kiss to his upturned lips. "You are impossible," you sigh."

[warsofasoiaf]

On ceasefire negotiations related to how Israel-Hamas is operating. Israel demanded to know how many hostages remain and who is alive, and apparently Hamas is refusing to provide the names and count. Is this a normal thing to argue over and is it normal for a country to sacrifice military campaigns for a comparatively small number of civilians? For example would the United States act similarly if it were in Israel's situation? Would another Western country?

This is actually something I can talk a great deal about, because it deals with negotiations, game theory, and applying economic concepts to non-economic subjects. This will be pretty clinically heartless, so I'm going to throw a cut down.

A hostage negotiation is, at its core, taking prisoners to extract some form of compensation for their safe return. The hostage taker wants something, and trades in human lives to get it. This can be money (ransom), an exchange of prisoners (a prisoner swap), or to exert pressure to enact political change (terrorism). The negotiation is largely an argument over price - how much is it worth to return the hostages safely. We'll get back to this in a bit.

It is typically standard practice to declare the name, number, and status of hostages for a few reasons. One is verification, to prove that the organization has the hostages in question. The second is to establish good faith that the negotiations can be conducted, that the hostages won't be immediately executed. If there is no good faith, the other side does not negotiate and instead attempts rescue (or in Russia's case, just mows them down indiscriminately). That's the same reason why hostage takers can release hostages as a show of good faith that further negotiations are fruitful.

At the end of the day, a hostage negotiation is an argument over the price of the hostages' lives. In any negotiation, information asymmetry is the name of the day, and the more advantages you have in that category, the better price you can command. Hamas is incentivized not to declare the name and status of the hostages for both benign (relatively) and malign reasons. By refusing to name the number and status of the hostages, it forces uncertainty into the Israeli negotiations. If Israel doesn't know how many hostages it's "buying" then it's liable to offer more than Hamas is willing to settle for, which makes Hamas come out ahead in the exchange. If Israel offers too low an amount, Hamas can simply demand more - there are no downsides unless Israel refuses to negotiate.

Of course, the malign reason is that the hostages are not in the best shape - they're either the victims of torture or are already dead. In this case, Hamas is disguising the status to up the price of the negotiations. Typically, negotiators don't pay for dead hostages, so in the event you have dead hostages, it's advantageous to disguise that status to extract something for them (typically money because once you have it in your hand, it's tough to go backsies). It's not good business in the long run, because no one does business with you again, but Hamas likely doesn't believe it's going to be in a position to negotiate again so that threat is less prescient. Similarly, Hamas likely believes it's insulated from the inevitable blowback that it would bring. Support for Hamas, either from their Iranian backers or Western groups, doesn't typically go down even in response to perfidy, torture, or other crimes. So in that sense, being a habitual bad-faith actor doesn't hold the same animus - they're still going to enjoy support from their backers regardless of what they do, which are prime conditions for reinforcing bad behavior. It's similar in Israel, where the Netanyahu government largely doesn't care about foreign political pressure - their reaction typically to international condemnation is to close ranks and accuse their critics of wanting them dead, or at least not caring whether they live or die.

Typically, governments don't like to negotiate ransoms for hostage taking for the all-too-logical reason, it incentivizes other hostage taking attempts. Private citizens often pay ransoms because for them, it is a singular iteration of game theory - there typically isn't a second instance of hostage taking unless the individual is quite unlucky. Governments however, frequently interact with terror groups and are thus less likely to negotiate directly save in the event that the hostage in question is extremely important.

In that sense, hostage taking is usually an attempt to force private citizens to enact domestic pressure on a government, not to pressure the government directly. In the sense of the United States or any other Western countries, this is more effective than in autocracies such as Russia or China, which both are relatively resistant to domestic criticism and are more willing to accept civilian casualties. So to answer your question of what would the United States or another Western nation do, the answer is "it depends on the willingness of the public to place domestic pressure on the government to free the hostages versus their desire to punish the perpetrators."

Thanks for the question, Cle-Guy.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[sexydreamgirl]

💟

The best best best advice I can give you is to put your knowledge into practice. The "worst" that could happen is that it wasn't true and your life remains the same, you won't lose anything by simply trying.

Running such a well known blog in the loa community often overshadows the fact that I was once a beginner who went through the exact same uncertainty and concern that you guys did. I had my doubts, I felt that it was too good to be true, I was afraid to have come across something so wonderful only to find out it was a hoax. We all felt that fear at one point. Even so, I practiced what I learned. I didn't always succeed on the first "attempt" but I got the hang of it eventually and I succeeded. When you succeed, you feel more confident to do it once more because you have proof that it did work, and then you keep on doing that again and again and your list keeps on growing. You get to a point where your faith in the law is so unshakeable that you're not moved by absolutely anything. If you have tested it and seen for yourself that the law is real, does it really matter what the world thinks? No.

I have absolutely nothing to gain from creating a platform where I publish nonsense to thousands of people (for free, might I add). I joined this community to learn more about the law and to share what I've learned through reading Neville's lectures as well as from application. When you're in the present moment relishing the fruits of your shift in consciousness the last thing you will think about is people who don't believe in or even try to disprove the law. When I think back to what I've manifested, as an LOA blog I think to myself about how I really wish my followers could also take that leap of faith and apply what they've learned. Each and every single one of you is capable of achieving and acquiring absolutely anything you set your heart on. I was able to do it, my fellow LOA mutuals were able to do it, what makes you any different? You guys deserve to be happy, you deserve everything you could ever want. You deserve the career, the house, the relationship, the friend group, everything. This world was made by and for you. There are plenty of us here to speak on it but nothing will ever truly compare to the satisfaction you will feel when you apply and succeed.

We have a whole community full of different blogs posting their personal interpretations, there should be at least one blog that will make sense and resonate with you. We've told you everything you need to know. All else that is asked of you is that you have faith and start applying.

[godsfavdarling]

09 wedding day delight

list of chapters, also available on wattpad and Ao3, my masterlist pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!oc summary: Wedding time (not Spencer's) warnings: none for this chapter words: 2,2k

In front of the vanity, Brittany meticulously applied her makeup, the soft glow of morning light illuminating her features. She was dressed in a backless, sleek black dress that hugged her figure, its simplicity accentuated by long sleeves.

Her hair cascaded freely around her shoulders, its natural waves adding an effortless elegance to her appearance. Spencer sat on the bed, quietly observing her with a mix of admiration and intrigue.

"Why does this room feel so... basic and empty?" Spencer mused aloud, his curiosity piqued.

She glanced at Spencer, a wistful smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"That's because it's not really my room," Brittany explained, her voice tinged with nostalgia. "When my family moved here, I was already in college."

Spencer's eyebrows furrowed in surprise. "So, you never had a room here?"

Brittany shook her head, her expression wistful. "Nope. I guess I've always been a bit of a nomad when it comes to this house."

Spencer's gaze softened with understanding as he took in Brittany's words. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like for her, never having a permanent space to call her own in her family home.

"So, where are all your childhood things?" Spencer's inquiry broke the quiet hum of the room, his tone gentle yet curious.

Brittany paused, her hands stilling as she considered his question. "Somewhere in a box, probably," she replied with a shrug, her gaze distant as she recalled memories tucked away in the recesses of her mind. "And yours, Dr. Reid?”

Spencer's expression softened at the mention of home, a fleeting shadow crossing his features. "Probably... somewhere in a box," he echoed, his voice tinged with a hint of melancholy. 

"Exactly… Since your mom is in Virginia, do you still have a home here?" Brittany's inquiry was gentle, her concern evident in her voice.

His breath caught in his throat, the mention of her mother stirring a mix of emotions within. 

"No... well... she... I took her to DC a few years ago," he began, his voice faltering slightly as he spoke. "She's there in a mental health facility. She was in Vegas for years, and now… it's just easier to have her closer."

"And your dad?" Brittany's question hung in the air, the unspoken tension palpable between them as he hesitated.

"He's... still here," Spencer admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Her eyes widened in shock, “Oh my god, why didn't you say? We can make time so you can go see him."

"No need," he replied quietly, his voice tinged with sadness. "We don't talk."

Brittany found herself at a loss for words. 

"It's fine. He's been out of the picture since I was 10," he finally managed to say, his voice tinged with a hint of resignation.

She nodded in understanding, a flicker of sympathy crossing his features. 

"So, when did you move to DC?" she asked, shifting the conversation to lighter territory.

"I was 22, and I had just started working for the FBI..."

"Wait... what year was that?" Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"2003. Why?" Spencer replied, his curiosity piqued.

Brittany's puzzled expression deepened as she processed his response. "Did you always live in that same apartment?" she asked, a note of uncertainty creeping into her voice.

"Um... yeah," Spencer admitted, his gaze drifting to the floor. "It's a good location, and I don't like change very much, so..."

Brittany's eyes widened in realization, her features morphing into a mixture of shock and disbelief. 

"I moved to DC in 2003... So you're telling me we were both born in 1981 in Las Vegas, then at 22 we both moved to DC, lived in the same neighborhood for all this time, and then we found ourselves in the same office. And after all those years, that was the first time we met..."

Spencer's own astonishment mirrored Brittany's as he processed the coincidence. "Yeah... That is strange," he agreed, a bemused smile tugging at his lips. 

"So, you lived in the same apartment all those years?"

Brittany nodded, a wry smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Yeah... At first I was with a guy, but then he cheated on me, so I kicked him out. If he was going to be a cheater, I might as well keep the apartment," she explained with a shrug. 

Spencer's expression softened with sympathy as he listened to Brittany's recounting of her past. 

"As you said, great localization. And I don't like change either...What?" Brittany prompted, catching the puzzled look in his eyes.

The air hung heavy with unspoken words as Spencer's gaze lingered on Brittany, his mind swirling with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "Nothing," he finally muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Brittany arched an eyebrow, her expression a mix of amusement and curiosity. "Come on!" she prodded, a playful glint in her eye. "You just gave me such a look! What's going on in that head of yours?"

Spencer hesitated, his thoughts racing as he struggled to find the right words. "I just... I find it hard to believe that someone would ever cheat on you," he admitted quietly, his gaze never leaving hers.

A shadow passed over Brittany's features, her smile faltering slightly at his words. "Well... he did," she confessed, her voice tinged with resignation.

"That's not what I meant," Spencer rushed to clarify, his words tumbling out in a jumble as he struggled to articulate his thoughts. "It's just... Why would anyone do that?"

"Well, he was stupid," Brittany replied with a wry chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood.

His heart was heavy with sympathy. "I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice filled with genuine concern.

Brittany offered him a small smile, a silent acknowledgment of his compassion. "It's okay. It was a long time ago." she replied softly. 

With a deft hand, she added a final touch of sophistication, swiping on a bold red lipstick that adds a pop of color to her understated elegance.

As they arrived at the wedding venue, Spencer couldn't help but notice the abundance of pink and red hearts adorning every corner. 

The air was filled with an unmistakable aura of love and romance, fitting for a Valentine's Day celebration. The venue was transformed into a whimsical wonderland, with twinkling fairy lights and delicate floral arrangements adding to the enchanting atmosphere.

As Spencer and Brittany made their way inside, they were greeted by the sight of the ceremony space, beautifully decorated with cascading ribbons and elegant floral arches. The room seemed to glow with warmth and anticipation, a perfect setting for the union of two hearts.

The ceremony began, and Spencer found himself entranced by the heartfelt vows exchanged between the bride and groom. Love filled the air, palpable and contagious, as the couple promised to cherish each other for eternity.

Amidst the joyous celebration, Spencer couldn't help but notice the absence of Brittany among the bridesmaids.

"I noticed you're not one of the bridesmaids," Spencer remarked quietly.

Brittany flashed him a wry smile. "Good riddance," she replied with a hint of amusement. "I'm perfectly content not to be up there.”

“Besides," she added, her gaze flickering towards the bridesmaids' pastel pink dresses, "I don't think I could pull off that color even if I tried. Pink just isn't my thing, you know?"

Spencer nodded in understanding, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He couldn't help but admire Brittany's confidence and authenticity.

As Spencer and Brittany settled in at their table for the reception, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement and merriment. The room was alive with laughter and chatter, the clinking of glasses and the sound of music filling the air.

The music shifted to a familiar melody and Brittany's eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, I love this song," she exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face as the opening notes of "Linger" by The Cranberries filled the air.

Turning to Spencer, she grabbed his hand excitedly. "Come on Handsome, we're gonna dance,"

"Umm... I can't... I can't dance," Spencer protested, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"What do you mean? It's easy. We'll just sway side to side. Come on," Brittany encouraged, her smile infectious as she led him to the dance floor.

As they reached the dance floor, Brittany placed her hand in his and rested the other on his shoulder. 

Spencer reciprocated, but his hand brushed against her bare back, causing him to recoil slightly.

"Sorry, my hands are cold," he apologized sheepishly.

"It's okay," Brittany reassured him, taking his hand and placing it on her back. "I'm gonna warm it up."

"Ooh… that is cold," she remarked, a playful grin tugging at her lips as she felt the coldness of his skin against hers.

Face to face, their proximity intensified, and Spencer found himself unable to look away from Brittany's captivating gaze. His heart raced with each breath, the electric tension between them palpable.

"Sorry... am I making you uncomfortable?" Brittany asked playfully.

"Umm... no. No, you don't," Spencer replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Are you sure? I can stop if you want," Brittany offered, her tone gentle and sincere.

"Stop what?" Spencer questioned, confusion flickering in his eyes.

"Well, you know... being myself," Brittany clarified, a hint of vulnerability creeping into her voice.

"I don't want you to stop that. I love... everyone should be themselves," Spencer affirmed, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"You're sweet," Brittany remarked, her eyes sparkling with affection."So you're okay with this?" her voice soft and tentative as she glanced at Spencer, seeking reassurance.

"With what?" Spencer replied, a hint of confusion coloring his tone.

"Me flirting with you," Brittany confessed, her words hanging in the air as she waited for his response.

Spencer's heart sank at her admission. "Is that what you've been doing?" he questioned, his voice tinged with a mix of surprise and uncertainty.

As Spencer's heart sank, he gathered his courage to add. "I don't... I don't mind it,”

"Really?" Brittany's voice held a mix of surprise and relief.

"Yeah..." Spencer nodded, "You can keep being... you... you know?" 

"Was it really not obvious?" Brittany questioned, her brow furrowing slightly as she searched Spencer's eyes for an answer.

"Maybe it was... it's just..." Spencer hesitated, grappling with his thoughts before continuing. "Well... why would you? I kind of thought that's just the way you talk to everyone."

Brittany's expression softened with understanding as she processed his words. "I don't talk like that to everyone," she clarified gently, a hint of vulnerability in her voice.

Brittany leaned in closer, her face nearing his neck. As her fingers traced the scar, a sense of intimacy enveloped them, drawing them closer together. His breath catching as he noticed the concern etched on her features.

"Oh my god... what happened?" she asked, her voice filled with concern as she traced the scar with her fingers.

"I got shot," Spencer replied, his tone somber as he recalled the painful memory.

"In the neck?" Brittany's eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah... it was close," Spencer confirmed, a shiver running down his spine at the memory of the near miss.

"Oh wow. That's scary. Where else did you get shot?" Brittany inquired, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"In my knee," Spencer replied with a wry smile. 

"Knee?" Brittany's laughter bubbled up despite herself.

"Yeah... I had to walk with a cane for months."

Spencer chuckled, the tension easing as he joined in her laughter. "It was quite the sight. A twenty-something with a cane. It was kinda funny.”

"So... you enjoy when I flirt with you?" Brittany asked, a playful glint in her eyes as she sought confirmation.

"I mean... yeah... you make me nervous," Spencer admitted, a shy smile playing on his lips.

"Nervous?" Brittany raised an eyebrow in mock disbelief, her tone filled with amusement.

"Yeah?" Spencer chuckled, his laughter mingling with her teasing.

"Little old me?" Brittany teased further, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Yeah," Spencer laughed, feeling a warmth spread through him at their banter.

"Why don't you flirt back?" Brittany questioned, genuine curiosity coloring her words as she leaned in closer.

"I'm not sure I know how to," Spencer confessed, his voice tinged with self-doubt.

"Fair enough," Brittany replied with a gentle smile, her understanding evident in her tone.

As Brittany's eyes lingered on Spencer's lips, a surge of courage propelled her forward. With a nervous flutter in her chest, she leaned in and kissed him softly, her heart pounding with anticipation. 

Their lips met and Brittany sensed a hesitance in Spencer's movements, a subtle restraint that dampened her excitement.

Did he share her feelings, or was this merely a fleeting moment for him? With a pang of disappointment, she pulled away, a veil of resignation falling over her features.

Spencer's heart sank. He had wanted nothing more than to lose himself in the kiss, to reciprocate Brittany's boldness with his own passion.

As Brittany withdrew, Spencer's heart ached with regret. He had failed to convey the depth of his feelings, and now, it seemed, he had lost her. 

Brittany laughed softly, her eyes dancing with amusement as she noticed his lipstick-stained lips. 

With a gentle touch, she brought her hand to his face, using her thumb to wipe away the smudge of red lipstick. "Sorry," she murmured, her voice tinged with a mix of apology and affection.

He stared at her in a daze as she cleaned his lips, his mind swirling with a mix of confusion and exhilaration. 

[paragonrobits]

"One thing you will unfortunately have to combat," Iroh says, slowly walking a meandering path around a pond, Aang walking beside him, the both of them moving at a similar steady pace. "Is that far too many people of the age believe that the will to harm, and ruthlessness as a whole, is a sign of maturity."

Aang sighs, tilting his head up towards the stars. His expression is solemn, his face young, and his eyes unbelievably old. There is wisdom there; wisdom from a century ago, and echoes of wisdom even older than that, going all the way back to the foundation of the world.

The wisdom of the Avatar is something built from pain. The pain of past lives, the pain of countless generations that will not learn or are made to forget, the pain that comes from a thousand sources. The world is locked into an endless cycle, he thinks, and that cycle turns on pain.

"I think too many of the world's problems today," Aang says, in the soft and steady tones of one who is stating a fact that he ill likes, but does not ignore. "Is that people keep saying things like 'harmony and spirituality don't matter, all that matters is that we do whatever it takes to get what we want'."

"Indeed." Iroh stops, turning and looking at the water. His eyes seem younger than the Avatar's. For a moment, they almost glow with dragon-flame, or a mirror to the sun. It's a different sort of fire than that burning in most of his countrymen these days.

"I'd guess Sozin thought something like that, back before I went into the ice," Aang says.

The grandson of Sozin nods somberly. "It's one of the great illusions we see in these days," Iroh suggests. Something in tone implies that he may be thinking out loud; wondering, pondering, guessing at things that he cannot definitely say for sure. Pain, and uncertainty; that is the hallmark of the world today. "Thinking that because you are a different one from your enemy, that doing the same things as them doesn't carry a risk of repeating the harm they bring, because its you doing it, not them."

Aang nods. He is silent, for a time, and then he speaks. His words bear the weight of a great distance, and Iroh knows that he has made some kind of a connection, or an old fear. "Do you know the death toll of the Fire Nation navy at the battle of the Nothern Water Tribe?"

"Yes." Iroh gives Aang a concerned side glance. "Do you?"

Aang breathes in deeply. He looks down, calmly, at his hands, and his expression is tired, and looks older than he should.

It was not his will that happened there. He was the channel, that was all. Through him, the Ocean Spirit did as it willed, as was its right.

Nonetheless, it was his hands that had carried the deed. It was hard, to remember it, to accept it.

"Yes," the Avatar says simply.

Iroh is silent, and waits for the Avatar to speak.

When he does, he gives a heavy sigh. Aang continues, "I know that in the future, people are probably going to write about the... the Ocean Spirit being wrong. That it was vicious, or cruel, or that it might have attacked the Water Tribe too if things had been just a little different. Judging the Ocean by human attitudes, by the way humans have to be."

"And what do you think?" Iroh asks.

"That the Ocean Spirit isn't human," Aang says. "That the spiritual rightness of humans doesn't apply to the Ocean. Something like... our ways are not their ways. And in any event, things like how abstaining from the slaying of another liberates people from the ties of the world, or the flow of pain in the world... I don't think that CAN apply to spirits, at least not the world-defining ones like the Ocean. They are what they are. Their natures are tied TO how they are a part of the world. It's not really about making a moral decision for the Ocean Spirit. It's simply doing what it does."

"And as humans, it is our duty to seek harmony with the spirits, and the nations of humanity," Iroh says, stroking his beard; he strikes the image of an old master, and together with Aang he looks the part of a master and pupil. And yet, it is the reverse; there is so much he does not know, and that Aang does. He is the student, and the young man the teacher. "If the Fire Navy had not attacked with intent of conquest, they would have lived, and the Ocean Spirit would have no need to take retribution."

There was a certain way to things; if one wronged a spirit, it had to take retribution. It was like a pendulum; if you pulled it far enough back and let go, it would have to swing the other way just as far. It was simply the shape of the world. It was human error to attribute human morality to gravity moving the way it did. And it was greater human error to expect the most ancient and mighty spirits to abide by flawed human belief that the nations were fundamentally separate.

Aang's expression was solemn. For a moment, a thousand lifetimes of understanding shone forth, and beyond that there was an intelligence far older than that; the world itself in human form, regarding itself.

It was a look of sorrow. Sometimes that was the only response to human foolishness.

[strayg0dss]

Suegiku drabble: Jouno initiates the first kiss

I.

It happens often that Tecchou gets in the line of fire. Jouno has always known him as someone who gets reckless and disregards his body for the sake of what he calls ‘justice’.

The first time this happened, Jouno held mixed feelings about it: his new partner pissed him off to no end and Jouno threw around the phrase “I hope you die” quite a few times before their first mission had even started, but it also left a bitter taste in his mouth when something did happen to Tecchou in the end.

However, getting to know Tecchou has been realising that he will always walk it off and afterwards carry on like nothing happened, no matter how severe his injuries are.

Jouno considers it his job to poke fun at him whenever Tecchou ends up having to be dragged away by paramedics—it’s all light fun to them, after all.

Never in his life would Jouno have thought to hear the words “critical” and “condition” in that exact order when applied to Tecchou. One moment, he’s wearing that grin as Tecchou is carried away, the next his smile fades like a candle blown out when he hears the genuine panic in the doctor’s voice.

He doesn’t know how he hasn’t realised that before now. Usually, he pays such close attention to Tecchou’s vitals to the point where even his own are only second to them.

All he does know is that, if Tecchou dies, the last thing he’s seen of Jouno are his mocking smile and venomous tongue spitting insults at him.

II.

They tell him that it’ll be alright, that he’ll live. But every time they say that, Jouno can hear the uncertainty that he doesn’t want to hear. Sometimes, he tells himself he’s imagining it only to make Tecchou’s passing easier for him. That way, it’s something he’s expecting and he won’t be as affected by it.

He tries to ignore his spiralling thoughts and pushes them down, then asks a nurse again. The uncertainty lingers when she says, “He’ll be fine.”

And yet, they don’t let Jouno into the room. Nobody tells him off as he paces up and down the hall, and if Teruko hadn’t come and threatened him, he would have continued to walk by that door for days, even months if he had to.

She forces him to sit down and wait, and at this point, Jouno doesn’t even bother to hide his worry anymore—she’s seen it already. Also, Tecchou isn’t there. Jouno likes telling himself that leaving his partner in the dark about any positive feelings towards him is a good thing, although he doesn’t know why he has that attitude. Maybe it’s to protect Tecchou, maybe himself, maybe he simply isn’t worth having those feelings reciprocated, or he thinks of Tecchou as being beneath him. All at the same time and none of these at all, probably.

And yet, when he’s finally let in and, to his surprise, encounters Tecchou awake and most of all alive, Jouno can’t help himself.

He connects their lips without thinking.

[scramblecat]

Hi! Me again, back with another Scramble Ramble. I was listening to a bunch of Narrator’s dialogue again and started thinking about the bucket endings, and how the Narrator reacts to all of them.

Then I made the realization that wait, the Narrator is reacting to most of those, because most of them aren’t planned. And I got to thinking, how in the world did the Narrator get roped into involving himself with fifteen brand new endings in a game which he values its integrity, involving an object that was never meant to have narrative significance in the first place?

So, without further ado, under the cut because it’s another long one, I present to you:

The Bucket, the Narrator, and the Endings of Ultra Deluxe

I highly doubt the Narrator would WILLINGLY talk about the bucket for 20-something endings, knowing how obsessed with the game’s integrity he is. There are few endings that are 100% planned from the start to involve the bucket as a narrative element and not a character— the only ones I can think of are silly birds, freedom, Mariella, and coward. The rest are either reactions (gameshow, broom closet, out of window, comedy, separation, cushion), the Narrator trying to prove a point to Stanley read: the Narrator getting jealous of the bucket and/or trying to convince Stanley to get rid of it and listen to him again, but we’ll talk about that later (bucket destroyer, apartment, bottom of the mind control facility, elevator) and the rest don’t even involve him at all (museum, escape pod, vent)

So it’s not his INTENTION to have the bucket be a pivotal part of the game. It’s his intention to show up the game developers, to prove to Stanley that he’s better than the developers & win him over again, to give him something to project on & an outlet for him to describe in detail how being held by Stanley would feel because despite being something inhuman he sure acts and feels like one I mean what

The bucket becomes a huge part of the game by happenstance alone… unless you take the influence of Gambhorra’ta and apply that.

We already know from the bucket vent ending how exactly the bucket affects people, and the fact that it’s really closely tied in with Gambhorra’ta. There’s absolutely nothing stopping the same thing from happening to the main cast of TSPUD as well! And nothing does stop it.

Seeing how much the bucket changed the Curator and the museum, it’s not difficult to confirm that it’s messing with both Stanley and the Narrator as well, albeit in more minor ways. Unlike the Curator, Stanley and the Narrator still have many of their needs and desires intact, though some are adjusted to fit more within the bucket’s influence— such as Stanley’s inherent human need for connection, and the Narrator’s need for Stanley to listen to him. For the Narrator, there’s also that aspect of control that I’ve talked about before— he needs control over the situation, & he THINKS he’s in control all the time, but not being able to control the situation is a harsh reminder that he’s not, and it stresses him out and even makes him scared.

I think the Narrator comes to see the bucket as a threat— he isn’t able to control Stanley’s attachment to it, and because of it Stanley is no longer listening to him. So he feels fearful about the fact that he’s losing the one person he has to listen to him, his companion, to this bucket, and he feels helpless because he can’t control that, and as a result that translates to despair, frustration, and desperation. I think that’s when that third category of endings starts to come in, where he’s trying everything to get rid of the thing. He created it for Stanley to have a sense of companionship and warmth since he knows Stanley needs those things, being human, and he also knows that he’s unable to provide those things himself. He writes up a few fun little endings for Stanley to be able to experience (planned endings) but the bucket begins to get in the way of things, causing turmoil and uncertainty on the Narrator’s part (reaction endings) and he begins to realize that the bucket is taking all of Stanley’s attention, and as a result Stanley is not listening to him. Maybe, for a bit of added angst, we could say that he’s recalling the skip button ending, and already knows the damage that having nobody to listen to him has caused and what it will cause. That’s when he becomes desperate, trying his best to convince Stanley to get rid of the bucket entirely.

And just like that, despite the fact that the Narrator only meant it to be a prop with a few oneoff gags, with that whole arc— ranging from planned endings to normal endings being disrupted by the presence of the bucket to completely altered endings by the Narrator— now half the endings in the entirety of Ultra Deluxe have been made about the bucket.

I think that’s fascinating to think about from the perspective of the characters and the story, because I’ve only ever really thought of it from an external perspective of ‘a bucket was added that doubles the endings’, and left it there. But fuck, man, Davey continues to surprise me on how well he can wind this stuff into an existing narrative & existing character personalities.