#degrees of freedom

[alohapromisesforever]

First Principles: Humanity Has Won Its Battle. Liberty Now Has A Country.

— This quoted excerpt from a letter from Marquis de Lafayette shortly after Yorktown captures the triumph of the human spirit in achieving freedom and establishing our American republic. Individuals fighting for liberty birthed a nation and society based on freedom and equality, liberating us from oppression. It should be noted that, although quoted in the New York Times as referenced from a…

[unissonmag]

FLASH: DEGREES OF FREEDOM – CLASH VALIAN

C’est avec un style infusé de diverses influences que l’univers onirique de Clash Valian se construit dans Degrees of Freedom. Review. Continue reading FLASH: DEGREES OF FREEDOM – CLASH VALIAN

[philsmeatylegss]

I’m super shocked how little I’ve seen people (specifically Americans) care about the Tiktok ban on this website. It officially has passed as a law and I have seen nothing about it on here. I get this site hates Tiktok (for many valid reasons), but this should be terrifying that a country who supposedly loves freedom can ban one of the largest social media platforms in the country because they don’t like it. That should be fucking terrifying. I have yet to see a non-politician American support the ban and it is clearly just about the partial Chinese ownership. I get it, the app sucks, but about 170 million Americans have Tiktok. It is a huge platform that the government is mad they cannot control (like Facebook, Instagram, Google, etc which are all located in America). It’s still unknown if Biden or Trump will uphold it, but the very fact it has passed should be terrifying for every American. Including the ones who don’t have tiktok. Yes, Tiktok is beyond a flawed platform, but a government banning it with no say from the public is even more flawed. And it’s crazy imo that this site isn’t furious.

[antirepurp]

been thinking more about portrayals of naivety and how often it gets viewed on a surface level and further translated into "the character is vulnerable, childish, and must be protected, they are incapable of harm." it's an obvious pet peeve of mine, all similar acts of reducing a character to a single, likely prominent trait is, but it strikes me more with naivety because it can add so much complexity to a character when combined with other traits

for sonic characters, shadow is naive. he's naive all the way from sa2 to shadow 05, way too trusting of others for his own good, and it's not until after 05 that he really begins to acknowledge that tendency and consciously work against it when necessary. it is not his most prominent trait but it's an important feature of him and plays a lot into who he is as a person, but in his case it gets brushed aside because he's also dangerously cool, and for whatever reason the council has deemed naivety to not mix with that particularly well. so instead we get a portrayal of him as someone much more mature than he actually is, at least in terms of fan interpretations. there's nothing inherently wrong with that of course, but it ends up grinding my gears

silver has the exact opposite problem to shadow, where his naivety gets highlighted and played up to the point it drowns out everything else about him. that kind of reading fails to take into account how brutal and reckless he has the capability of being, how many of the choices he makes in 06 stem from a feral desperation to make a change, save his world at any price. he's naive, too trusting for his own good, with a remarkably black and white view of the world, what's right and what's wrong, but to reduce him to a child for it is missing what makes him so interesting in the first place. silver doesn't have the mysterious coolness to him that shadow does, and perhaps for the sake of being a foil to him his naivety is played up to a point of ridicule at times. perhaps some of that could be brushed up to his world being in a relative state of peace after the timeline reset, allowing him to grow into a person who doesn't have to live in a state of survival mode every moment of his life. either way is flattens him in a way that i despise in all honesty

other media also has examples of this kind of stuff, which is what's actually gotten me to think about this in the first place. it is, to a degree, interesting to see which traits people deem worthy of highlighting in any given character admittedly, and gives me food to chew on and ask myself why the characterization feels so off. it may not be a feast, but it gives me ideas on what the feast that i crave so badly consists of

[divorceblogger]

when the armand & lestat parallels really hit 🚬

[theatrekidenergy]

I JUST FOUND OUT I CAN BIKE WITHOUT* PAIN!!!!! I JUST FOUND OUT I CAN BIKE WITHOUT PAIN!!!!!!! I NOW HAVE TWO PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES I CAN DO WITHOUT PAIN!!!!!!! I CAN BIKE WHEN IM NOT FIGURE SKATING!!!!!!! IM GENUINELY SOBBING RIGHT NOW THIS IS SUCH A MASSIVE THING FOR ME YOU DONT UNDERSTAND

* = check tags for explanation

[wisteriasymphony]

Because we're the good guys! // Everything I do, I do for you // I am motivated chiefly by self-interest; Someone has to be.

[hot-astrology]

Venus Retrograde

(The love i once had)

Venus! one of the most lovely planets that loves. But everyone doesn't get to enjoy it the same way or have its fairytale play out the same way in their lives. Around 8 % of people have Venus retrograde in their natal chart. When a planet goes retrograde, in a persons chart its a life lesson and a new cycle of events that makes the person get new perspective of life and how this energy plays out. The person will learn how to go within and depend on their own values, and have more of a self introspective with what life has for them. Maybe last life time or times the person didn't use these energies wisely or could have not used them at all. It can make a person not satisfied with what they see or what a person presents to them. Maybe you could of been a person who always pushed out love, money, attention, to others but always seem to come up short and left high and dry with your feelings, emotions and desires left unfullfilled. We all want to be loved, cared for as well give it to others who deserve it. This is where it gets tricky and the struggle for those with this retrograde placement.

This life you are here to give yourself everything you want to push out to others. Its never selfish loving yourself first, and doing things that brings you joy or make you happy. As well you need to understand who deserves your LOVE, ENERGY, GIFTS, TIME and beautiful HEART. Its time to go within and understand why you love who you love or why you keep attracting the same encounters. Maybe its a karmic lesson that mirrors your insecurities, wants, needs, lust, desires, and old habits. Now this will play out differently in each and every ones chart, due to sign, house, aspect, degrees and life path. For the most part its a beautiful experience to go through, we at times look at things that deal with change, uncomfortability, and what the mass says, once you go through it and experience it yourself, it hits different.

When having a retrograde its like having opposing energies, you will play out the opposite sign and house but on the negative traits of that sign and house. Once you understand this you can shift the energies to your favor and use them to evolve into the new you. Thats why you can learn so much from the opposite of yourself, kind of like the ying yang, sun and moon etc.

Also degrees can play a major role in this situation. It can point to what area of life or what energy you need to change or adapt into to help you focus on transforming this outdated image.

Now we will give you some examples or placements with Venus retrograde and you will see how plays out in your chart and give you a better insight on your lifes experience.

Cancer/ Venus retrograde

Here can bring an individual who can love so hard that it smothers their partner. Fear of rejection, being not good enough could make this person emotionally broken and insecure. So they tend to overcompensate with over loving a person and not loving their selves. These individuals can be extra sensitive with any situation dealing with love matters, care and the heart. Need to love yourself as you would your partner, only then you will develop growth and bring others into your warm heart and get it back 10 fold. Be your own mother and nuture your broken and confused heart.

Scorpio/Venus retrograde

Well Venus in scorpio would be in detriment, so this makes this placement a little more challenging. For a retrograde ( our opinion ) the person will be extra picky, secluded, and like things how they like it. Kind of like a Virgo thats why Scorpio and virgo kind of have simular traits, but thats a different topic. So this will make them want to know everything about you. As well hesitate in pursuing a relationship, their relationships can be hidden and secretive. You need to fully open your hidden heart and experience deep transformative experiences. Learn your deep subconscious traits and the love, trust and loyalty you expect from others. Once you meet that partner you will be with them through thick and thin and also the toxic side.

Aries/Venus retrograde

Usually venus in aries would be your warrior, quick to talk to that girl or dude but not with this retrograde. They will be more of a shy type and kind of not letting people know about certain rejections in their love life, could get extra defensive when it comes to anything in the losing realm. You can be very dependent on other, feel like you need others help to be assertive and to gain money. You need to be independent and rely on yourself and own abilities. You need to go within to find that part of you that wants more in life from money, love, confidence, personal achievements etc. Remember you are in aries energy its a fire sign, so go after what you want and desire.

[eloquentsisyphianturmoil]

Eru in the timeless halls watching Fëanáro and just. Absolutely losing it like why won’t you behave

[greatbigbellies]

Okay but, closeted trans lady pregnant prompts... 👀

Alright, different angle, lets seeeeeee........

Tgirl gets pregnant, she's still in the closet with her job but like, that's not a big deal, she works from home! She's a software dev who is very independent and good at her job, so 99% of the time, she gets to sit at home, code through her shift, collect her paycheck, and mind her own business. And that suits her just fine. No coming out, no drama, she barely speaks to her coworkers outside of emails, and she has browser plugins to replace her deadname and old pronouns with her current name, so... from her perspective, it's like they already know? 38 weeks crawl by, and the combination of a sedentary job with a twin pregnancy and the accompanying cravings means she really blows up. Her belly is ALL out front, and she's a little squishier too. Her due date is soon, but no big deal, she has a year's worth of vacation PTO saved up, so she can covertly squeeze in pseudo-maternity leave and be fine. She's kind of liked the pregnant lady life. Sure, she had to order a couple of maternity dresses for doctors appointments, but otherwise she gets to sit at home with her belly out and just... exist peacefully. Granted, nearing her due date means she's at the apex of her growth, and she looks every bit as pregnant with twins as you can get, but the belly makes a good snack table! And she can "rubber duck" code with her unborn twins, so there's even a nice work benefit. Then the fateful day comes. She finishes this quarter's big project, and she goes to submit for all that sweet, sweet maternity vacation time... when her submission doesn't take. She gets an email 10 minutes later. "Hey, HR messed something up with remote PTO submission. Could you come into the office tomorrow? We'll process that request manually. Sorry for the inconvenience,"

The Egg-iest tgirl egg you've ever met gets knocked up. They don't think they're trans, but they've also not dabbled in feminine anything, and while the writing is on the wall for everyone else they know, THEY are going to be the last person to know they are trans. Their belly starts to fill out and swell, and their old wardrobe just... stops working. A friend of theirs who has kids offers one of her maternity dresses. "Just try it. At minimum, it's comfortable, and it'll keep you warm when december rolls around" she says. They begrudgingly accept. One night, frustrated with their mid-term tummy causing their pants to ride down and shirt to ride up, they put it on... and it takes a moment before they realize... wait a minute, this is really nice? They feel pretty, they look it too. The pregnancy glow suits them. A few weeks later, they paint their nails, a couple weeks later, they shave their legs (or try around that now officially third trimester belly)... they're gonna wait to try heels until after they give birth, their balance is bad enough as it is. One day near their due date, their friends are all around throwing them a baby shower, and they finally pull the trigger and come out. Everyone is of course super supportive and happy for her, but after the party each friend comes to her independently, saying something to the effect of "We love you, but we totally called it".

[lemoyne]

guys PLEASEEEE stop making headcanons to excuse bad writing and poor game development for veilguard 😭😭😭 this is how EA gets away with it

[carnelianwings]

Something I find really funny is how for all the rumors that Seed’s staff/writers don’t like Cagalli, Orb under her leadership just keeps ending up in a better (political) position with each addition - Seed Destiny ends with Logos wiped out, Blue Cosmos severely hampered, and the entire Seiran family wiped out, including Yuna. This leaves Cagalli with almost no political opposition in Orb (since the second Battle of Orb would’ve flushed out a majority of the Blue Cosmos/Logos sympathizers within the government/military), along with giving her a boost in popular and military support thanks to her actions and field leadership during the battle.

(Cutting for me just rambling on a bit about the in-universe politics after Seed Freedom)

You can tell with how much she’s managed to get done in the years between Seed Destiny and Seed Freedom - in that short year and a half to two years, she was able to propose and found COMPASS, secret away and upgrade the Impulse, Destiny, Strike Freedom, and Infinite Justice, arrange for ties between Orb and Terminal to investigate/exchange intel (Athrun and Meyrin), and put into place all the evacuation/defensive protocols in case of another attack on Orb (as seen vs Foundation and Requiem, even if she needed Kira to pull an “I lived, bitch” to Aura 😅).

And it doesn’t end there - thanks to Foundation, Cagalli arguably has an easier time internationally now, because the Eurasian Federation leadership also got hit and the Eurasian Federation, while not necessarily Blue Cosmos sympathizers like the Atlantic Federation, was very staunchly anti-PLANT, which I think would’ve caused some problems for Cagalli, especially post Seed Destiny with Lacus joining her for that broadcast.

I actually think Orb probably has fairly decent diplomatic relations with PLANT (I think Chairman Lament mostly cut off that call after everything went south in Eldore because of the whole nuke situation), especially since Lacus is COMPASS’s inaugural president, plus the time both Dearka and Waltfeld (I’m not sure if he’s in Orb or PLANT as of Seed Freedom since his silent cameo has him helping to stop the coup in PLANT in Seed Freedom) spent there. And we have a very prominent all-Coordinator team with the Yamato Team - truth be told I actually wonder how much the Earth Alliance invested into COMPASS because everything we see on screen is either contributed by Orb (Archangel, Murrue and crew, Kira, Mu, and the Murasame Kais), PLANT/ZAFT (Millenium, Konoe and crew, Heinlein, Shinn, Lunamaria, Agnes, Gelgoog, and Gyan), or arguably both (namely, Rising Freedom and Immortal Justice). Unless I missed a minor crew member along the way. Which is possible.

Also pure speculation on my part on this - but the fact Seed Freedom has Athrun going into intelligence with Terminal (which we first see as having a presence in the PLANTS) from the Orb side and Yzak and Dearka going into intelligence from the PLANT side can’t be a coincidence. I want to think the three of them decided on it together because being in intelligence/covert ops gives them the chance to work together without having to force anyone to change their current loyalties - I don’t think Athrun can be truly loyal to anyone except Cagalli after Seed Destiny, and Yzak was always loyal to PLANT, and if Dearka hadn’t been captured and made to realize how extreme PLANT had become under Patrick Zala he wouldn’t have switched sides to Orb/Three Ships Alliance during Seed either. Which also indirectly feeds into Orb and PLANT having better political relations than Orb and Earth Alliance.

Which brings me to my final point - I would be very surprised if Orb isn’t the primary target for the antagonists in a Seed Freedom sequel. At this point Orb’s capable of doing too much with the limited resources it has as a small nation with too much military strength at its command. And there is room for a sequel (setting-wise) because while Earth Alliance took another major hit with during the Foundation Conflict, the ideologies that led to the First and Second Earth Alliance-PLANT wars still exist - even if Blue Cosmos lost another leader, even if the believers of Coordinator Supremacy lost another leader (in Jagannath) those ideologies still fundamentally exist. All the Foundation Conflict did was serve to take down the military leadership of those ideologies - even if the public on both sides see those views negatively it doesn’t make them go away.

[lovergf]

First day of freedom methinks I will count all of my books and rearrange my bookshelves

[floridakilo]

on paper i know the age difference looks ~problematic~ on his end but i think maybe im the selfish one bc the idea of being with someone my own age or younger or even slightly older (less than 10 years) is anxiety inducing bc then id have to worry about whether we can “grow together” … like i already have to think about what i’m doing in order to mature into a successful adult so the thought of having those same anxieties for your partner by proxy is insaneeee… i kind of already went through this tbh bc my ex was 26 when i was 19 (cringe asf gap) and then at 21 when i was starting to surpass him educationally / at work etc it brewed so much resentment in me and i eventually broke up with him… but imagine if i had stayed with him longer to let him “grow” meanwhile he’s still in the same spot nowadays as 2021… i think i would constantly be worried about that with someone in their 20’s or even like early 30’s tbh

[sockssketchingshack]

GUYS. Good news. My mom just let me go on a walk outside of the house and around the neighborhood without supervision. And while yes that doesn't seem like much you're talking to someone with -50% freedom. I picked flowers and felt the grass. So nice. Sometimes I just wanna start walking and don't turn back.

[retroautomaton]

howdy! I'm also a robot enthusiast and I'm trying to get better at designing robot characters. I absolutely adore all of your robot designs, especially the sweet salt cosmonauts! do you have any advice for designing robots?

Ohh thank you~!! ✨✨

The biggest advice I can give is to study the functionality! That’s the most interesting part of robots to me, and influences all my designs. You definitely don’t have to understand the mechanics completely, but getting an idea of the basics, and knowing what the function and purpose of the robot is, and what parts help to carry out that function, is always a good starting place!

Here’s an example of how I was mostly focused on the saw mechanics of the shoulder, because that’s what was important to the story, and made the rest mostly aesthetic driven.

Whereas with Thylo, I had an idea of how I wanted his legs to look, and built the mechanics around that, to serve the aesthetic, but it also plays into his motion, and how he stands, and his balance.

For Snap, both her new and older designs are more personality driven, and wanted to keep her more ‘human’ elements more round and approachable, and her mechanical parts sharper, to sell that they’re weaponry, and that she’s both kind and a fighter. But even her sharp aspects are never perfectly straight, keeping it fun and light-hearted.

Her’s is also a transforming design, and every little piece serves that function, especially the head area, and I consider how the panels will fall or open, or attach. Again, it doesn’t have to be mechanically accurate, but if you’ve got a solid idea of how the physics work for the character, it really sells the design!

Even for less humanish designs, you can give a clear idea of the robot’s function through decals, or how it affects the environment/other characters.

Here’s a little example: let’s say I wanna make a robot whose purpose is to lift boxes on top-shelves, and bring them down to a pallet. It would need a way to see the box, a way to reach it, and to push it onto the pallet.

So, I’ll play with the idea of his functionality first. I could go with some sort of scissor lift, or hydraulic system, but I settle on mostly a telescoping mechanism, and build a little warehouse, or dock worker aesthetic around him.

In short, I’d say just study mechanism that interest you, play with their shapes, their motion, figure out the purpose or character of your robot, and how they function, and what ways you can best convey that through their design! Hope this helps! ✨