#erron ryder

[duardius]

granjon arabesque?

john ryder titled a section of his A Suite of Fleurons [charles t. branford, boston, 1957, p21] «A Venetian Arabesque» believing first showing of an arabesque ornament with venetian printer gabriele giolito in 1552; the section opening displays monotype 280 as ryder believed it to be a recutting of this «giolito» ornament [2nd illustration]. ryder cites no source within his text, but his bibliography reveals that he probably got the notion from the seminal paper by francis meynell & stanley morison «Printers’ Flowers and Arabesques» [The Fleuron, vol. 1, 1923]. meynell & morison tell us: «A new Development took place (circa 1550) in Venice. Gabriel Giolito cut a small unit of type-ornament whose pattern may be observed in book-bindings of an earlier date, e.g. those of Grolier.»—their illustration no. 10. meynell & morsison in notes to no. 10 indicate «Venice, Giglio, 1552», but they do not cite a book; also indicated is the monotype recutting, & their no. 10 indeed seems exemplar for monotype 280. so, giolito, circa 1550 in the text, but giglio, 1552 in the notes.  i spotted a similar ornament in the john rylands library on the title-page of Il Petrarca printed in 1551 [MDLI] by venetian printer domenico giglio [3rd & 4th illustrations] ¹: a year earlier than the meynell/morison attribution, indeed at venice, confirming giglio had a similar, though not the same, ornament. hendrik d.l. vervliet attributes this ornament to robert ganjon: it appears as no. 1 in his Granjon’s Flowers [oak knoll press, new castle (del), 2016, p23]—indeed, this may have been granjon’s first foray into arabesque. vervliet places first showing in the paris printing office of denis janot, 1544: parisian not venetian—vide ‹granjon’s first arabesque›. & under venice showings he cites the 1550 edition of boccacio’s Decamerone, printed by gabriele giolito—this must surely be the book erroneously alluded to by meynell/morison in Fleuron. vervliet further cites the meynell/morison giolito attribution for the assymetrical variant—presumably, as being superseded; & erroneously indicates that a matrix for the 1544 version is preserved at oxford university press [ibid., p24]. apparently, meynell, morison, & vervliet were unaware that they were looking at two like-though-not-the-same ornaments.  monotype 280 is not a recutting of granjon no. 1, the 1544 janot ornament, but a copy more diagonally symmetrical [cp. 4th illustration]: the undoubted exemplar for monotype 280 is to be found in oxford university’s fell types, & is shown by stanley morison in his John Fell [at the clarendon press, oxford, 1967, p182]. here again morison erroneously cites venice, 1552—presumably with reference to the 1923 Fleuron article; & further notes: «Plantin had a matrix for this ornament sorting with the Colineus Cursive of Granjon as remodeled by Henri du Tour² in 1575.» if plantin had sorted the asymmetrical-variant matrix with the colineus cursive it is no longer to be found there.

who cut the original asymmetrical unit?

 ¹ with thanks to the john rylands library for permitting my examination of the giglio petrarca. ² hendrik van den keere.

for a composition using 280 vide ‹wardropism no. 2›; for a digital setting vide ‹typographical ex libris›.

[kenshi-vakarian7]

Study: Fears

I was tagged months and months ago by @alyssalenko Thank you.

I tag anyone who wants to do this.

I’ve already done this for the following;

Adam Shepard & Kira Ryder Marc Shepard & Luke Ryder Amy Shepard & Aleera Ryder Zena Shepard & Rick Ryder Ty Shepard & Rose Ryder

---

Eliza Shepard

the dark ~ fire ~ open water ~ deep water ~ being alone ~ crowded spaces ~ confined spaces ~ change ~ failure ~ war ~ loss of control ~ powerlessness ~ prison ~ blood ~ drowning ~ suffocation ~ public speaking ~ natural animals ~ the supernatural ~ heights ~ death ~ dying ~ intimacy ~ rejection ~abandonment ~ loss ~ the unknown ~ the future ~ not being good enough ~ scary stories ~ speaking to new people ~ poverty ~ loud noises ~ being touched ~ forgetting ~ being forgotten ~ hospitals

Erron Ryder

the dark ~ fire ~ open water ~ deep water ~ being alone ~ crowded spaces ~ confined spaces ~ change ~ failure ~ war ~ loss of control ~ powerlessness ~ prison ~ blood ~ drowning ~ suffocation ~ public speaking ~ natural animals ~ the supernatural ~ heights ~ death ~ dying ~ intimacy ~ rejection ~abandonment ~ loss ~ the unknown ~ the future ~ not being good enough ~ scary stories ~ speaking to new people ~ poverty ~ loud noises ~ being touched ~ forgetting ~ being forgotten ~ hospitals

[whatamidoingwithmylifeman]

MK OC Randomness part 4

HEEEEEEEY here's part 4. My ocs belong to me, others belong to midway/NRS. (also I'm just gonna do all my Black dragon stuff in here as well) tw/cw for mentions of trauma enjoy

*before finding his cousins and Blaze*

Reiki: One of you will betray me tonight

Taven: Is it me Reiki?

Reiki: No, it's not you Taven.

Michiko: Is it me darling?

Reiki: No it's not you either love.

Daegon: Is it me Reiki?

Reiki: *Mockingly* iS iT mE rEiKi ?

------

Red: Hey Ryder, guess what?

Ryder: What?

Red: No you gotta guess!

Ryder: I don't know. What?

Red: Your shop's on fire.

Ryder: WHY WOULD YOU MAKE ME GUESS THAT!?

------

Klaudia: You call it, trauma. I call it, spicy memories!

Erron: *sobbing* Please see a therapist!

------

Megumi: My usual approach is 40% distractions and 20% work.

Tasia: What about the other 20?

Megumi: Trying to figure out why the fuck I'm so bad at math!

------

Kristy: Alright kiddos, who has the braincell today?

Megumi, Ayeka, and Tremor: Terra

------

Sektor: Oh Michiko, my wonderful sister, can I bother you for a second?

Michiko: I mean you always do, but sure.

------

Tomas: Would it kill you not to take 40 minute showers?

Michiko: Physically? No. Mentally? The toll would be catastrophic.

------

Shariah: Name a way to be nice to others.

Nyx: Don't kill them.

Shariah: Setting the bar a little low, but I'll allow it.

------

*Before finding out she was half vampire/half dragon*

Raiden: You are the worse human I have ever met!

Illythia: I would be offended if I were human.

Raiden: What?

Illythia: What!

------

Kronika and the One Being: *exist*

Fuyuka: Congratulations, you've traumatized me.

(thank @yuvononik for that joke)

------

Kristy, in college: Writing a paper with ADHD is so much fun!

Vera: How so?

Kristy: Well one minute I'm distracted by the birds outside and then the next I'm writing at the speed of 100 km/h with the intensity of a huge lightning storm!

------

Tremor: What's the first thing you notice about a man when he approaches you.

Megumi: The audacity.

------

Bi-Han: Hey Michiko, what are you doing?

Michiko: Making muffins for Sektor.

Bi-Han: I thought you hated your brother?

Michiko: *deadpans at him while dumping poison into the mix* I do.

------

Shinnok: I have something I need to get off my chest.

Charu: Is it your shirt?

Shinnok: What? N-

Charu: Please tell me it's your shirt.

------

Charu: Hey, can you help me with my zipper?

Shinnok: Of course!

Charu: ..

Shinnok: ..

Charu: Up Shinnok. Up.

Shinnok: Right! Sorry.

------

*3 am*

Shinnok: I REALLY LIKE YOU!

Charu: I REALLY LIKE YOU TOO!

Shinnok: WE SHOULD GO ON A DATE SOMETIME!

Charu: WHEN!?

Shinnok: WHENEVER'S GOOD FOR YOU!

Charu: THE WINTER SOLISTICE IS IN THREE DAYS!

Shinnok: ALRIGHT SOUNDS GOOD! SEE YOU THEN!

Cetrion: *sipping some lavender tea to try to go back to sleep* Good for them. I'll have to tell Fuyuka in the morning.

------

*at the tournament*

Cyrax: Hey Chika! Come over here!

Michiko: *walks over to him and Sektor* Hey Cy, what's up?

Sektor: *bouncing up and down happily* You remember all the screaming matches you and dad used to get into when you were a kid?

Michiko: *sighs* I just want one childhood memory I don't have to repress.

------

Old LK GM: *screams*

Kid Michiko: *screams louder to assert dominance*

Older teen Hydro: Should somebody this?

Kid Sektor with some candy: No I wanna see who wins!

------

Megumi: *wakes up screaming*

Ayeka: *bolting up* What!? What happened!?

Megumi: I had a nightmare where I asked you out and your said you were straight.

Ayeka: *shudders*

------

Scorpion: Arctic you'll be alright. *goes to put an arm around her in comfort*

Michiko: Touch me again and I'll kill you and your fucking family

Scorpion: *pulls his arm away scared* Alright.

*a few minutes later*

Scorpion: HEY WAIT A MINUTE-

------

Havik: Melantha, Melantha, Melantha. Look I get it. You had a really bad day. You're stressed out. 7 people died

Melantha: TWELVE PEOPLE!

Havik: Not the point. Look they're dead now. And really, who's fault is it?

Melantha: YOURS!

Havik: That's right. No ones.

@yuvon

@toomanyf4ndoms7

@dontunderestimatemypoison

@deepinthefog

@maddenedroses

@feistyfandomthings

[padawanlost]

Would the Jedi stepped on if Anakin started training his kids or say older Force sensitives he finds?

It depends on what and who he’s teachings. If he’s teaching his kids to control their powers better, if he’s only teaching force-sensitive strangers things like ‘be mindful’ or ‘trust the force’ I don’t think it would be a problem.

Now, he’s *actively* gathering people and teaching them Jedi secrets. Yes, I can totally see the Jedi Order seeing that as a potential threat.

1 - The Jedi were against force-sensitive families:

The reason why Jedi can’t marry is very simple, they feared the formation of powerful force-sensitive dynasties.

2 – The Order wasn’t very accepting of those who contested their beliefs.

“As Jedi learn more about the Force, it is not unusual for them to form their own theories about how and why it works. They question how, if the Force creates and sustains life, it can have a dark side. Some arrive at the conclusion that the Force is not divided into dark and light, that its energy is inherently positive, and that there is no “dark side” waiting to corrupt them. Time and again, this conclusion has been proved erroneous, and the Jedi who felt compelled to test the limits of the Force rarely perceived the dangers of their explorations. As they approached the brink of the dark side, some were rescued by other Jedi or came back willingly when they saw the error of their ways. Those who refused to renounce their mistaken beliefs were either exiled to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, or destroyed.” [Ryder’s Windham’s Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force]

3 – They allowed certain *members* of the Order to do their own thing but they pretty much excluded from the usual activities of the Coruscant Jedi Order.  As is the case of the altisian Jedi.

Some of the things we practice are what most Jedi have been warned to shun as the path to the dark side. [Karen Traviss, No Prisioners]

They could do things like love and marry, and Altis openly disagreed with Yoda and the Council. As a result, most Jedi didn’t even know they existed. It wasn’t exactly an exile but their beliefs weren’t publicized either.

Good radar,” Pellaeon said. “So who’s Master Altis?” Ahsoka seemed to be racking her brain for an answer. She looked to one side, blinking. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I’ve never heard of him. But … he’s definitely strong in the Force. So are many of his companions.” [No Prisoners by Karen Traviss]

However, it would be different for Anakin because he would no longer be a Jedi and, unlike Altis, Yoda had no great trust and respect for Anakin’s wisdom and self-control.  Altis was allowed to do his thing because he still was a Jedi subordinated to Coruscant, something that, in this scenario, couldn’t be said for Anakin.

Conclusion:

We have enough evidence to believe the Jedi Order would probably be interested in Anakin if he decided to train people by himself. When we consider the Council’s relationship with him. They didn’t trust his ability to control himself and make good, wise decision. That would definitely influence his reaction to him ‘going rogue’, especially after he had turned his back to them. 

However, I don’t see them becoming ‘violent’ about it. they would probably send someone to check everything out, talk to Anakin and maybe keep tabs on him. but I don’t see them doing anything drastic unless he (and/or his apprentices) became a problem.

[norcumii]

Reblogging a post from the prior blog, typos and all, because while I like the meta I am not comfortable sticking this on AO3.

Originally posted on 06/08/2018

I was kindly directed towards this post about the Mind Trick (it’s not a Jedi specific ability, so I’m not going to refer to it as the Jedi Mind Trick), because it’s one of my areas of interest and I can think of at least 3 of our stories where we’ve already planned on addressing the topic.

There is…rather a lot of this post that I take issue with. I’m making my own post because it’s a big fandom, everyone gets to view things how they want, don’t harsh the squee, etc etc.

Stuff under the cut, TRIGGER WARNINGS for: mind fuckery, gaslighting, victim blaming, and mention of various mental illnesses.

To start: mind fuckery is bad. I have a lot of personal experience with gaslighting, so I get twitchy about the notion of someone messing with my head. When I say gaslighting here, I mean both the vernacular (someone lying to fuck with a target) and the technical sense (from Wikipedia: “a form of manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, hoping to make them question their own memory, perception, and sanity. Using persistent denial, misdirection, contradiction, and lying, it attempts to destabilize the target and delegitimize the target’s belief”). So the possibility of someone coming in and forcibly changing my perceptions and memories is Very Not Cool. I think it’s an ability that canon does use a bit too casually for my own preferences, but the same could be said about how quick everyone is to pull out blasters.

Calling it ‘evil,’ though, goes way too far. As with many things, it’s neither good nor bad, it’s about how it’s used. So what good uses are there, you might ask?

Well, just off the cuff, we’ve got:

Breaking gaslighting

assisting with hallucinations and compulsive behavior

assisting with phobias

basically all the things cognitive behavioral therapy is useful for, now with a Force-assisted oomph

treating addictions

treating trauma, including PTSD

assisting with meditation and mindfulness

aiding memorization and learning

non-violent means to defuse potentially violent situations

Now, that last one in particular is questionable, and would vary as appropriate from situation to situation. Which is a greater evil, a security guard shooting and presumably killing a bank robber that could kill lots of people, or a Jedi using the Mind Trick to get them to surrender to authorities? People will probably give you different answers, but that’s the point about how this is tricky. It also doesn’t even get into ‘who decides how ethical a thing is’ and fears of authoritarian regimes, which I’m just not in the mood to tackle right now.

Moving on, we’ve got the OP’s interpretation of sources.

I. Well. Look, EU stuff is of questionable quality and level of canon in the first place. Secondly, there’s that weird split in both fandom and creators of canon where Jedi and Sith tend to be viewed as all good or all bad, not organizations what are fucked up and in need of reform. Third, I don’t have the texts they’re quoting so I can’t give you context, meanwhile it’s first person which is often used as an authorial mechanism to give unreliable narration and so immediately makes me hesitate to accept them whole-heartedly.

With all that in mind, I have a REALLY different interpretation than OP.

Jedi Order does not disclose their power, people don’t know how the Force works. All they know is that Jedi are good. That’s it.

Totally false. Both Jabba and Watto knew about the Mind Trick when it was being used on them. These are folks from Outer Rim areas – the boonies, where Republic education would not be standardized and taught – neither of them seems to be the type to either have extensive knowledge of fairy tales about Jedi abilities, nor a background in historical trivia. When Jabba declares he’s immune to Jedi mind tricks, no one around him acts confused or surprised – there’s no question what this is. Watto – a former soldier who now owns a junk shop – also knew the handwave was meant to indicate something, like he knew exactly what it would convey. So I’m pretty sure this means it’s common knowledge.

No, wait, it’s demonstrated in the next quote as to be known:

referred to by Jedi as affect mind and alter mind, but popularly known as Jedi mind tricks

JEDI refer to this ability as Affect Mind. OTHERS call it Jedi mind tricks. That doesn’t mean Sith, that means the general populace.

there are rumors but the victims are usually dismissed (or end up with brain damage) because they didn’t understand what happened to them and because this power was usually performed on “less influential” members of the Republic

Not backed up by their own data. The quote mentions “a relatively innocent subject” but there’s nothing that extrapolates to mean it’s more often used on the poor/disadvantaged. It IS typical Jedi sanctimoniousness, but it’s not about targeting more vulnerable beings.

The brain damage comment is also inaccurate for reasons I personally find frustrating. The quote is “the power can easily cause permanent damage”.

That doesn’t mean brain damage. There are plenty of ways to fuck with someone and ruin them without brain damage. IF the Mind Trick is extreme and unlimited in power, then you can make someone: perpetually anxious/depressed; so self-effacing as to never stand up for themselves; vulnerable to specific commands; all sorts of other nasty things.

That goes back to the whole ‘personal experience with gaslighting,’ and I need to point out that any of this can be done with time, patience, and willingness to fuck with someone. You don’t need the Force to do it. The Force is basically a shortcut, but vilifying the Mind Trick right off the bat because it messes with someone’s head and that’s something we norms can’t do is erroneous.

And the Jedi don’t see to care because they see their victims as weak-minded (like they had it coming).

That’s a deliberate spin on the text. Looks like I’m quoting the whole thing because I can’t pick out just one bit:

A Jedi can use the Force to manipulate the behavior and perceptions of weak-minded beings. Essentially, this power—referred to by Jedi as affect mind and alter mind, but popularly known as Jedi mind tricks—utilizes a combination of receptive empathy, projective empathy, and hypnosis. Jedi mind tricks can stop the understanding of what’s really happening by blocking the senses, and can also obliterate memories altogether or even replace them with false ones. [Star Wars Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force by Ryder Windham]

As a Jedi, you should be able to sense immediately whether the guard is prone to violence or susceptible to fear. This knowledge can be used to your advantage, and may direct your use of affect mind. Also, you must determine whether it is best to divert or subdue your target. Such decisions must often be made instantly, without hesitation. What would I have done in such a situation, you ask? I really can’t say. A Jedi is not proud or boastful, and I trust you will understand I am sincere when I say that it is hard for me to imagine that the guard might have spied me in the first place, had I not wished to be seen. But if a guard had seen me, I might make him believe I was nothing but a gust of wind, or the shadow of a soaring indigenous avian. A Jedi can do such things, for it is the will of the Force. [Star Wars Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force by Ryder Windham]

“Weak-minded” isn’t victim bashing, it’s back to sanctimoniousness. The narrator is describing who it can affect. It’s the exact same phrasing that was used in the Original Trilogy when we first encountered it. It’s not “those who are affected by the Mind Trick are weak willed and deserve it,” it’s “the Mind Trick only works on those with weak wills, and if someone isn’t weak willed then we’re just standing there waving a hand and talking like an idiot.” Which ALSO ignores that there are entire species who are resistant/immune to the Mind Trick and mental influences, and they can’t all be ‘strong-willed’ so that means the comment is bullshit anyways. It’s shorthand for “so this works on some people, but if they’re already on alert or tend to be stubborn you’re shit out of luck when it comes to making friends and influencing people even with your space magic.”

The “will of the Force” bullshit is more of the same. It’s a sanctimonious way of saying “I got lucky on the genetic lottery,” not “It’s the will of the Force I have this power and it’s the will of the Force this weak-minded being is here therefore it’s the will of the I remove their agency and do what I want to their mind.” Yes, some assholes are going to use that as an excuse for their behavior. Assholes are always going to find some excuse for their behavior, be it religion, substances, background, or whatever else might be in reach.

On top of all this, the Mind Trick is hardly a Jedi specific tool. In Rebels the Inquisitors use it. I want to say that Palpatine used it too but I can’t find anything convenient on Wookieepedia and I’m sorry, I’m not rewatching six movies and Clone Wars just to prove a point. Meanwhile, Mother Talzin DID visibly use it to manipulate both Asajj Ventress and Savage, so Nightsisters are obviously familiar with it. There’s no reason other Force users couldn’t do the same, it’s just that Jedi are the predominant group of such in the Republic.

In sum, the Mind Trick is a dick move, that post presumes a lot of incorrect things, and it really shouldn’t be called the JEDI Mind trick.

Finally, in criticism of the Jedi Order: Qui-Gon is so casual about his use in TPM, it makes me twitch. I love the guy, massive faults and all, but it often feels like this is the first tool he reaches for, not the last one. I get that this is a time-critical mission with an entire city going into prison camps, and those peoples’ fates rest on him getting shit done fast. I get that he has to weigh the Chancellor’s request vs planetary needs vs individual autonomy vs the lives of those he’s responsible for. (It’s still most often a dick move.) Meanwhile Obi-Wan’s…THING in Attack of the Clones with the deathstick dealer – I will never understand it, and I usually headcanon it as something other than what we literally see because WHAT EVEN you do not fuck with someone’s head like that. The casual “let’s raid Cad Bane’s mind!” thing in TCW is several massive types of awful. Given these charming examples (and there are others, but those are the ones I immediately think of), it’s no wonder that the Order has a reputation.

~end

There was also a follow-up post the same day:

oft-goes-awry replied to your post:I was kindly directed towards this post about the…

   RE: Obi-Wan and the Death-Sticks Guy - Without going too deeply into the Mind Trick as a whole, I think we can break this moment into two parts, neither of which are GREAT, or good, even, but are mostly pragmatism and Jedi sanctimoniousness.  1) “You don’t want to sell me death-sticks” = “I am trying to remain undercover in this bar, without causing a fuss or getting people shot, and I have neither the time nor the patience to argue with you or risk a scene. …so please, GO AWAY.“ 2) "You want to go home and rethink you life.” = Jedi Sanctimoniousness, I know what’s good for you better than you do, and I don’t think anyone should be selling death sticks, so see, I’m HELPING you?  Because Jedi know better and I am a Jedi, peon!

Yes, thank you! Well said! And credit where (what little) credit is due: he tells the guy to rethink his life, not actually change it. If dude goes home, thinks on things, and decides nope, he’s already living the life he wants, then he can keep at it –

which still sounds awful and sanctimonious, but it’s not quite as skin-crawlingly horrible.

[blue-opossum]

Hilarious Conveyor Belt Lucidity Fail

        Morning of August 4, 2018. Saturday.

        Dream #: 18,856-02. Reading tim: 1 min 40 sec.

        I am watching television with Zsuzsanna. It may be our present address on W Street, though the focus is mainly only on the imagery on the television screen, which at times seems very close and three-dimensional, though not as if I am at the locations as in other dreams.

        It is a reality show about conveyor belts in different locations. The whole show mostly features items and people moving on conveyor belts.

        A baby is lying on a moving conveyor belt at one point. They are moving from right to left in all the scenes.

        At one point, the sawed-in-half woman from "Beetlejuice" (from 1988) is on the conveyor belt, except that it is Winona Ryder in the role. Her upper half is smoking a cigarette. Although the scene is strange, my dream self perceives it as "real."

        As threads of my conscious self identity become more viable in the waking process, I see two doll-sized men sitting on the conveyor belt. That seems wrong to me, as I know that all the previous scenes were "real." I am considering telling Zsuzsanna that this is a fake event. I can see two unfamiliar normal-sized people in the background, with the miniature men in the foreground.

        As I think of talking about the fake part of the show, which seems to be the last segment of the episode, one of the tiny men relates that it is a test, implying effects and camera operation. (I had first thought it was an attempt to fool the audience.)

        My dream self perceived the living sawed-in-half woman as real, without question (even though the movie reference itself is erroneous as Winona Ryder was in a different role), yet when the small men appeared after this, I knew it was special effects. That is often how the reactive representation of the waking process works, as I move closer to full consciousness and viable thinking skills. The same transition exists in thousands of previous dreams. It has nothing to do with "interpretation" (an idea shared by people who do not understand what the dream state is) but is a factor of the waking process itself, which anyone of reasonable intelligence would understand. It is similar to associations with liminal space where the waking process renders itself as features such as a jigsaw puzzle, detective, or an attempt to read something for cognitive arousal. It is in contrast to when RAS modulation uses conflict or unrealistic events to create the distinction and emotional reaction that triggers waking.

[share-your-shepards]

My personal favorite pic of my Erron Ryder with Cora. :)

Submission by: http://kenshi-vakarian7.tumblr.com/

[mothify]

LETTER TO BBC APRIL 7th 2017

Dear BBC-type-people,

Factually you are incorrect about moths.

You did a rather off-hand report on breakfast (April 6th) about moths eating some upholstery in some stately home and talked about 'moths loving dirt' and reported the item as if ALL moths in the UK eat clothes. You then went on to report the different ways we can kill moths.

This is just lazy journalism. The reported couldn't even be bothered to find out the name of the moth but instead chose to report it so it seemed like all moths were the problem. 

It's irresponsible as people who know nothing about moths - (your reporter/compiler/'story'-inventor/whoever included) will have this ignorant view corroborated. 

You made a half-hearted attempt to correct this by having Zoe Randle from Butterfly Conservation on the Today programme this morning (April 7th) but she was not given a chance to explain and, yet again, you had someone talking for longer about how awful the moths were and annoying it is that they're all eating someone's clothes, and which ways they could be killed. John Humphries seemed biased in his view and closed the interview leaving us in no doubt that moths are bad. 

I really find it upsetting that you think it's a casual item.  Our UK species of moths are under very real threat because of eradication of and damage to their habitats and food-plants, as well as light pollution and other human activities, and you're just making it worse. 

You can't even get your facts right. 

Let's get this straight. There are roughly 2,500 species of moth in the UK (there are 59 species of butterfly).  Only 5 species of moth caterpillar actually eat clothes (some of these are rare) and they will only eat clothing made of natural fibres.  The two most common species are the Brown House-moth and tinea pellionella. They are not particularly attracted by dirt. They don't 'love dirt' as the reported stated. They have natural fibres such as woollens and hemp as their larval food-plant when they are caterpillars as all caterpillars do of both moths and caterpillars, (and many flies, beetles and other insects). 

I could've reported this item better. 

It's true there could be a problem when you have an infestation of a particular type of moth. Yes I said 'moth' - this is only ONE species of moth and I would guess in that stately home that it is tinea pellionella. I would've known to name that species and do a proper interesting story about it. And it IS interesting because the tiny moth caterpillar - it is VERY small - makes a small case for itself out of what it's eating and drags itself along in the case. The little case will be the same colour as the thing it's eating so it's hard to see it. This is an interesting story and gives new information to most people. It wouldn't've taken any longer for the reporter to say either.

However - instead what we had was a really simplistic and erroneous report. It would be the equivalent of reporting a type of bird which is doing a behaviour which human activity conflicts with (such as eating crops) - as ALL birds. Stupid!

All the person compiling the report had to do was a) ask one of your many wildlife presenters you have working for you b) go online to a site such as ukmoths  c) use a book - to find out which moth was doing this and to see that all moths are not only harmless to human beings, they are very important as they are food for birds, help pollinate plants and are vital to the planet because of their role in the ecosystem - munching their way through incredible amounts of organic matter as well as other roles. 

That's more than we can say for human beings.

PLEASE - do not attempt to report things like this in future if all you're going to do is make a hash of it. At least try and find someone who knows.

It is not funny and no-one's laughing. The planet is in danger and you're making it worse.

Honestly – it makes other wildlife programmes you do such as SpringWatch seem a bit less genuine – I mean couldn’t  you’ve connected with these supposed numerous wildlife presenters who work for you ay?

I don’t suppose you are going to respond but I hope someone is reading this and thank you for doing so. 

Yours sincerely,

annA rydeR

[gabrielvidrine-blog]

I Never Got to Be a Boy

*Record scratch*

*Freeze frame*

Yeah, that’s me. Bet you’re wondering how a shy introvert got to be standing up in front of hundreds of people, in the freezing cold, talking about being trans masculine and non-binary.

Public speaking scares the bejeezus out of me. I did it anyway.

I did it for the trans children that are now being attacked by our government for merely wanting to go to the bathroom. The right bathroom. The one that matches their gender identity.

I also did it for me. The past me, the “girl” who never got to be a boy.

No, I never got to be a little boy. I never got to have my first kiss as a boy. I never got to ask out a pretty girl (or boy) to the prom. I never got to have my first date as a boy. I never got to be a part of the men’s drill team in ROTC, or take part in anything other boys get to do. I was never a boy.

I had to have my first kiss as a girl. I had to wait to get asked to the prom. On my first date I had to wear a hated dress. Instead of being in the men’s silent drill team I was forced into the women’s drill team. We were basically Rockettes in military uniform. It was humiliating (for me).

I just didn’t know why, back then, I was so uncomfortable with my body, with my lot in life as a girl. At least I was lucky in one regard: it was the 90s, when wearing baggy flannels and jeans was fashionable, and for the first time in my life (and only time since) I was considered “in fashion.” I could cover my traitorous body in layers of flannel and a leather trench coat, be round-shouldered (to hide my breasts) and androgynous with my short hair and combat boots.

Back then, I didn’t know what being trans meant. I didn’t know there were trans masculine people. I barely knew there were trans women, and those only from shows like Maury Povich and Jerry Springer.

Because of this invisibility, it took me a long time to figure out my gender identity. I didn’t have anyone to look up to, to tell me what I was feeling was valid and real.

When it takes 30 years to figure out your gender identity, like it did for me, there’s a lot of guilt and pain that weighs heavily on you. The questions I ask myself the most are, “Why did I not figure this out sooner?” and “Why did I waste so much time in the closet?” The answer to both is because trans masculine people are not visible.

Trans masculine people just aren’t visible anywhere in the movement. Still, today, trans men are erased from the conversation around trans rights. Just last month, a trans boy was forced to wrestle girls instead of the boys he wanted to wrestle (and should be wrestling). He is taking testosterone, making it, frankly, unfair that he had to wrestle the girls. Parents were rightly upset, but not for the right reasons. The rules were intended to protect cis girls from losing to a trans girl, due to the erroneous idea that trans girls have some sort of unfair advantage in girls’ sports. No one considered what might happen if a trans masculine person was forced to wrestle the girls.

The bathroom bills are the same. Bigots want to put trans men (who often, but not always, pass as cis men due to testosterone) into women’s restrooms, because they fear “men” (i.e. trans women) in the women’s restroom. It’s because they forget that trans men even exist and don’t care how women would feel should a trans man enter a woman’s bathroom.

When people talk about trans men there is always at least one person who misunderstands and assumes trans women are being discussed. Because they just don’t know there is such a thing as a trans man.

Trans masculine people are told we’re just confused lesbians (considering I’m married to man this is funny to me) or that we have it “easy” because we can vanish into cishet-hood, which is laughable because many of us are not heterosexual at all. Nor would many trans men want to vanish into cishet society even if they could. I do not consistently pass, even after nearly 2 years on testosterone, and I’m very clearly married to a man. The question that follows is if we wanted to sleep with men, why transition at all? As though our gender identity had anything to do with our sexuality.

So when the opportunity came to be a voice for trans masculine people, I took it. I stood up for all those trans boys who don’t see themselves represented in media, who don’t see people standing up for them. I stood up so we can’t be ignored or erased or misunderstood, even by well-meaning allies.

I want trans boys to be able to be boys. I don’t want them to have to wait 30 years before realizing who they are inside. I don’t want them to miss out on the first kisses and first dates, and all the other experiences they should have as boys, not as girls. It makes me die a little inside every time I think about what life would have been like for me had I grown up a boy. I don’t want any other boy to ever have to go through that.

And so, there I was. Standing in the snow, shivering with fear and cold, to speak out and give voice to all the trans masculine kids who are invisible, who are suffering. I never got to be a boy, but I will do what I can to make sure they get to be one. Even if it means doing what terrifies me most.

If you want to know more about me and my story, I have an essay about how I discovered I was trans in the #Trans anthology. You can order it here (Amazon) or here (Smashwords).

This post is also part of a blog tour! Find out more about the anthology and the blog tour here. Please check out the next on the list, coming out on March 24th, Velvl Ryder.

[pabluesman]

via The Blowhard Pundit #BlowhardPundit

[paulbenedictblog]

%news%

New Post has been published on %http://paulbenedictsgeneralstore.com%

Abc news 9 members of American family killed in ambush in Mexico, officials say

Abc news

Not decrease than 9 people of an American family, including six younger folks, were killed in an attack in northern Mexico on Monday, the Mexican militia has confirmed.

in Mexico?

Add Mexico as an ardour to no longer sleep thus some distance on potentially the most traditional Mexico news, video, and evaluation from ABC Knowledge.

The family used to be ambushed by an armed community while traveling from the metropolis of Bavispe in Sonora exclaim to Galeana in Chihuahua exclaim between 9: 30 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time, constant with Mexico's security minister, Alfonso Durazo.

The house the put the attack took put -- decrease than 100 miles from the Arizona border -- is of territorial dispute by several cartels, and it be that it is doubtless you'll perchance well also imagine the family's convoy of automobiles used to be erroneous for one amongst them, Durazo talked about at a press convention Tuesday morning.

Three females and 6 younger folks were killed in the ambush, constant with Durazo. Eigth assorted younger folks survived the massacre and many were injured. One of them first and valuable went missing.

5 younger folks were taken to a neatly being facility in Arizona with the encourage of the Mexican militia, constant with a relative, Julian LeBaron. He advised ABC Knowledge that the diminutive one who used to be missing has since been rescued.

Kenneth Miller/Lafe Langford J/by the use of Reuters

The burnt wreckage of a automobile transporting a Mormon family dwelling shut to the border with the U.S. is considered, after the family used to be caught in a crossfire between unknown gunmen from rival cartels, in Bavispe, Sonora, Mexico, Nov. 4, 2019.

One of the most family's vehicles, a Chevrolet Tahoe, used to be chanced on burned with 5 charred bodies interior about 2 kilometers from the village of San Miguelito in Sonora exclaim, constant with Sonora Remark Attorney Frequent Claudia Indira Contreras Cordova. Inner that automobile were Rhonita Maria Miller, 30; Howard Jacob Miller Jr., 12; Krystal Bellaine Miller, 10; Titus Alvin Miller, 10; and eight-month-feeble twins Titus Alvin Miller and Tiana Gricel Miller, constant with LeBaron. They were all shot as well to to being burned, he talked about.

A white Chevrolet Suburban used to be chanced on about 18 kilometers away with one girl and two younger folks, Cordova advised ABC Knowledge. Inner that automobile were Dawna Ray Langford, 43; Trevor Harvey Langford, 11; and Rogan Jay Langford, 2. All had been shot, constant with LeBaron.

A third automobile, a white Suburban, used to be chanced on about 2 kilometers away from the border between Sonora and Chihuahua states, with a girl's body chanced on about 15 meters away from the SUV, constant with Cordova. Christina Marie Langford Johnson, 29, used to be chanced on shot unimaginative, LeBaron talked about.

by the use of Miller Family

Christina Langford is considered on this undated family portray.

Per LeBaron, the identities of the survivors in the first Suburban integrated Kylie Evelyn Langford, 14, who used to be shot in the foot; Devin Blake Langford, 13, who used to be unharmed and walked about 14 miles to La Mora to observe encourage after hiding his injured siblings in the bushes and holding them with branches; Mckenzie Rayne Langford, 9, who used to be sent by his sister Kylie for encourage after Devin didn't return rapidly ample, bought misplaced and walked about 10 miles for four hours at hour of darkness sooner than he used to be chanced on by search groups; Cody Greyson Langford, 8, who used to be injured in his jaw and leg; Jake Ryder Langford, 6, who used to be no longer injured; Xander Boe Langford, 4, who used to be shot in the encourage; and Brixon Oliver Langford, 9 months, who used to be shot in the chest and wrist.

Religion Marie Johnson, 7 months, used to be chanced on in the 2d Suburban unharmed in her automobile seat, which perceived to were attach on the ground by her mom so that you have to maybe supply protection to her, LeBaron talked about.

About 200 shell casings of .223- and 77 mm-caliber guns were chanced on on the scenes, constant with Cordova .

The relatives were U.S. citizens but lived in a Mormon neighborhood, referred to as La Mora, in the Mexican border exclaim of Sonora, constant with one more relative, Leah Staddon, who used to be born and raised in the identical neighborhood but now lives in Arizona. She talked about her family, even even though American, has lived in Mexico for decades and they also're all dual citizens.

The La Mora neighborhood, situated in the metropolis of Bavispe, is the put lots of the family lives, and they also were on a route they on the total use to elope errands, constant with LeBaron.

by the use of Miller Family

Dawna Ray Langford is considered on this undated family portray.

On the morning of the attack, the community of relatives left the neighborhood to pressure to a bridal ceremony in Chihuahua exclaim, constant with Staddon.

Rhonita Maria Miller, who used to be riding the Chevrolet Tahoe with her younger folks in tow, used to be going to keep up her husband in the USA sooner than heading to the marriage ceremony, constant with LeBaron.

"All people's perfect in entire and suppose shock," Staddon advised ABC Knowledge in a Skype interview Monday evening. "It has been fairly violent down there for some time and now that it has hit our family, I perfect favor folks to take dangle of out here how harmful it has gotten."

LeBaron talked about he went to the scene with authorities to encourage derive the bodies of the unimaginative and uncover those who survived.

Kenneth Miller/Lafe Langford/EPA by the use of Shutterstock

Photos obtained from a video posted to social media say one amongst the vehicles attacked by an armed community whereby several people of a U.S. family were traveling, in Bavispe, Mexico, Nov. 4, 2019.

There could be an organized crime cell linked to the Pacific Cartel that has a criminal presence in the metropolis of Agua Prieta and in the mountains home on the border between Chihuahua and Sonora, but there are additionally criminal groups on the Chihuahua facet that claim to manipulate territorial areas of the exclaim of Sonora in agreement with criminal groups, constant with Durazo.

Mexico's Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection has launched by the use of Twitter the "strengthening of the exclaim pressure" in Bavispe "following the allegations of disappearance and assault of several folks traveling to La Mora." Participants of the country's nationwide guard, army and exclaim police were deployed to the arena to habits a "search operation," the company talked about.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Division of Remark confirmed the deaths of the 9 U.S. citizens and accidents of 5 others to ABC Knowledge, declaring that it condemns "this horrific act of violence."

"We're carefully monitoring local Mexican authorities’ investigation, and as President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [of State Mike] Pompeo own acknowledged, we provide to make stronger this investigation," the spokesperson talked about.

Trump spoke to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Tuesday, whereby they agreed that the 2 international locations will "cooperate carefully to guarantee the perpetrators face justice," constant with the Remark Division spokesperson.

"The Division of Remark has no increased precedence than the safety and welfare of U.S. citizens in a international country," the spokesperson added. "When a U.S. citizen is missing or passes away abroad, we pick with local officers at a couple of ranges and present all appropriate consular assistance."

Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to tackle the brutal attack and equipped to encourage Mexico flush out "these monsters."

"This is the time for Mexico, with the encourage of the USA, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth," Trump tweeted. "We merely take a seat up for a call out of your sizable contemporary president!"

Mexico's president released an announcement saying Mexico didn't "need the intervention of a international executive to tackle these instances."

Sashenka Gutierrez/EPA by the use of Shutterstock

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and the Secretary of Public Security Alfonso Durazo focus on an attack on a Mormon family from the U.S. during a morning press convention in Mexico Metropolis, Nov. 5, 2019.

After the phone call with Trump, Obrador tweeted his "deepest condolences" to the family and visitors of the victims. U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau additionally expressed his condolences on Twitter.

The FBI talked about it used to be in contact with Mexican regulation enforcement and "equipped assistance and stand ready to encourage in the wake of this tragedy.”

Claudia Pavlovich Arellano, the governor of Mexico's Sonora exclaim, additionally talked about the massacre in a tweet Tuesday, vowing to make use of all her vitality to no longer let the crimes proceed "unpunished" and to form "those in payment pay."

"I designate no longer know what form of monsters dare to damage females and younger folks," Pavlovich tweeted.

ABC Knowledge' Chop Cirone, Patrick Doherty, Conor Finnegan, Anne Laurent, Kirit Radia and Alondra Valle contributed to this file.

[kenshi-vakarian7]

Happy Valentine’s Day!

[Shepards] [GIF Set From Last Year]

My Ryders kissing their respective love interests.

And then there’s Rose Ryder enjoying the single life.

For the Leather & Lace Month event hosted by @starsandskies @alyssalenko and @vorchagirl

[goldeagleprice]

Attendance Tops 3,000 at National Money Show ®

The American Numismatic Association’s (ANA) 2019 National Money Show® in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, welcomed a total of 3,002 people to the three-day event, held March 28-30 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. “The Pittsburgh convention was very successful thanks to the combined efforts of the great ANA staff and the tremendous support provided by PAN [Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists] and its volunteers,” said ANA President Gary Adkins. “The show was well attended and the venue overlooking the river and skyline was incredible.”

ANA President Gary Adkins addresses attendees during the PAN-hosted dinner to kick off the National Money Show.

During the show’s opening ceremonies on Thursday morning, President Adkins presented National Money Show Host Chair Pat McBride with the ANA Goodfellow Award in recognition of his service. Adkins also recognized the host club, the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists and its president, Tom Uram, with the Lewis S. Werner Host Club Award.

The event featured 180 companies buying and selling coins, currency and related items; a wide range of numismatic educational presentations led by notable speakers; a three-session sale by Kagin’s Auctions; and exhibits of priceless rarities from private collections and the American Numismatic Association’s Money Museum in Colorado Springs.

The week kicked off on Wednesday, March 27 with a dinner hosted by PAN at the Five-Star Diamond Award-Winning LeMont Restaurant, known for its spectacular view of Pittsburgh from atop Mt. Washington. United States Mint Director David Ryder gave the keynote presentation on his efforts to revitalize the Mint, including an increase in marketing coin collecting.

A major draw for numismatists and the general public alike were the collector exhibits and the Museum Showcase. On display were a 1913 Liberty Head nickel, one of a mere five struck, and a Class III 1804 silver dollar, one of eight known. Also featured was a 1943 Lincoln cent erroneously struck on a bronze planchet, and a world-class case filled with historic Pennsylvania paper money. A 1933 Indian Head eagle (gold $10) on display was a bona fide showstopper.

The Kids Zone offered youngsters a plethora of activities to engage them in coin collecting, including a Treasure Trivia game where they learned about numismatics and earned prizes as they explored the bourse floor in search of answers to trivia questions. A Young Collectors Corner also debuted this year, offering basic information about the hobby.

Former United States Mint Chief Engraver Don Everhart was the guest of honor at the ANA Legacy Series on Thursday afternoon, March 28. During the interview, moderated by Barbara Gregory, editor-in-chief of The Numismatist , attendees learned about his early years, professional challenges, and crowning achievements in the world of numismatic art and design. Everhart elaborated on his decades-long career during his “Money Talks” presentation, “Don Everhart: A Career in Coin Design,” on Friday, March 29. Nearly a dozen free Money Talks presentations were offered at the event, highlighting historically significant events, artistic vision and numismatic objects from around the globe.

Eleven of the 14 individuals who have received the necessary nominations for the 2019 ANA Board of Governors election participated in the Candidates Forum on Friday, March 29 to answer questions and express their views on a number of topics. (Video of the forum can be viewed on money.org/election .) In what can be described as an unusual election, two individuals are running for president, two for vice president and ten candidates are competing for seven governor positions. “This election has the largest number of candidates running that I can remember,” noted former ANA Board President Jeff Garrett. “The election is particularly important this year with so many seats being contested,” he said. “I urge everyone to watch the forum once it is posted.”

Kagin’s Auctions of Tiburon, California, served as the official auctioneer of the 2019 National Money Show. The multi-session sale featured a variety of interesting and important numismatic properties, from colonials, encased postage stamps and pioneer gold to tokens, medals and patterns. Total prices realized (with a 20% buyer’s premium) was $2.5 million, including:

  $336,000 for a unique $10 Treasury note from the War of 1812 (Friedberg TN-14b) part of the Joel Anderson Collection of Treasury Notes. The 16 lots realized a total of $561,720.

The $10 Treasury note from the War of 1812, part of the Joel Anderson Collection of Treasury Notes. The note realized $336,000 during Kagin’s auction at the National Money Show. (Photo Courtesy of Kagin’s Auctions.)

$180,000 for an 1860 Clark, Gruber & Co. Pikes Peak $20 gold coin with a reeded edge, Rarity 6+, certified Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) “Graffiti [About Uncirculated] Detail.” One of nine known.

$38,400 for a 1796 “Reverse of 1794” large cent, graded PCGS Mint-State-62 Brown.

$28,800 for an 1888 $3 gold coin, graded PCGS Proof-65 Cameo.

  Pittsburgh Show Attendance

According to ANA Executive Director Kim Kiick, attendance at the Pittsburgh National Money Show was relatively slow on Thursday and Friday, but more than a thousand people registered on Saturday. “Pittsburgh is a working town and as such, most people couldn’t get to the show until Saturday,” she said. Tom Hallenbeck of Hallenbeck Coin Gallery agreed. “The momentum really picked up later in the week,” he said. “We stayed to the very end and it paid off for us. Our sales were great.”Total attendance was 3,002, reflected as follows:

1,796 general public

708 ANA members

32 volunteers and staff

466 dealers and their assistants, representing 180 companies at 192 tables

  Five-Year National Money Show Statistics

  Year City Attendance (MAKE INTO A TABLE MOLLY PLEASE)

2019 Pittsburgh 3,002

2018 Irving 2,671

2017 Orlando 2,516

2016 Dallas 2,585

2015 Portland 4,592

  The next ANA convention is the 2019 World’s Fair of Money® to be held August 13-17 in Chicago (Rosemont), Illinois, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. The 2020 National Money Show is slated for February 27-29 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia. The ANA Board of Governors will be selecting the 2021 National Money Show site in May.

  ANA Board of Governors Meeting

The ANA Board of Governors met in open session on Saturday, March 30 to review and approve the IRS Form 990 and Fiscal Year 2018 audited financial statement prepared by Waugh & Goodwin, LLP, and to receive an update on ANA financials from Treasurer Larry Baber.

Fiscal Year 2018 expenses were $5,806,161, of which $4,710,294 were directly related to ANA programs (conventions, magazine, education, museum, library, etc.) and $1,095,867 were for support services (marketing, fundraising, membership, development, administration).

“Our investment in the Ben E. Keith Corp. had an exceptional year with an increase in value of over $8.5 million,” Baber reported. “With assets of over $84 million we can continue to provide benefits to our members and the numismatic hobby.”

“The ANA has a very strong financial footing,” said President Adkins, “and a portion of the Keith funds can continue to be invested in the future of numismatic education. These amazing resources will be utilized prudently and judiciously to improve the ANA’s mission and strategic goals, while advancing the Association’s continued relevance and leadership.”

The ANA’s Fiscal Year 2018 audited financial statement and IRS Form 990 are available for review online at money.org/financial-reports.

 The American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging the study and collection of coins and related items. The ANA helps its 25,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of educational and outreach programs, as well as its museum, library, publications and conventions. For more information about the ANA, call 719-632-2646 or visit www.money.org .

  This article was originally printed in Numismatic News. >> Subscribe today.

The post Attendance Tops 3,000 at National Money Show ® appeared first on Numismatic News.

[padawanlost]

Good evening! So - I'm not sure if I'm burdening you with this ask, so do excuse me beforehand - I've been pondering on Jedi and emotions, specifically darker emotions, and I had a little thought. If a Jedi (not one who has fallen) were to be overwhelmed by a negative emotion, hatred for instance, but they performed an (intended positive) action whilst they were in the throes of that hate, would that cause them to fall, do you think? Or is malicious intent necessary? I hope I'm making sense

Hey!! Don’t worry, you are not burdening me :P I love answering questions :)

I think I get what you’re trying to say. Is performing a good action fueled by ‘negative’ emotions enough to make someone ‘fall’? Short answer is no. long answer…is not that simple.

What we call ‘fall’ is the result of a choice, not the person’s emotional state. Anakin ‘fell’ when he decided to join the Sith and explore the dark side. He didn’t fall when he was consumed with worry and grief for his mother, when he slaughtered the tusken, when he killed Dooku or did any of the many shady things he did during the clone wars.

If slaughter an entire community of people (children included) doesn’t *automatically* make you go dark side, I’d say it’s a choice. Obi-wan was feeling hatred (a dark side emotion) when he ‘killed’ Maul in TPM but he was never even considered a ‘fallen’ jedi. On the other hand, beings like Ventress and Dooku who chose to walk away from the Jedi Order and willingly joined the Sith are considered dark side users.

What it’s important to remember is the distinction between what the Jedi taught their members and what actually happened. The Jedi Order believe the dark side was a one way street, that once you give in to the ‘negative’ emotions you WILL loose your way in the dark. This creates a very interested (and complicated) moral dilemma:

“‘Ah, I see. You can do whatever you want, so long as you maintain your Jedi calm? So long as you can tell yourself you’re valuing life? You can kill and kill and kill and kill, so long as you don’t lose your temper?’ She shook her head, blinking astonishment. 'Isn’t that a little sick?’ Matthew Stover’s The New Jedi Order: Traitor

The Jedi of the Prequel Era believe that any ‘negative’ emotion was a pathway to the dark side, to evil so they did everything they could to avoid it. that’s why they took infants before they would form attachments to their biological families and that’s why they didn’t trust Anakin. they didn’t believe that someone who had been exposed to such emotions could ever fully live without experiencing them again.

“To dwell in the dark will lead to suffering. Attachments will cause you to lose sight of your path and are cause for expulsion from the Order.” The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force by Daniel Wallace

Passion lines the path to the dark side and must be avoided. Fear, anger, and hate are strong passions that will cause you to lose focus and find appeal in the easy pleasures of the dark side. Love is also a strong passion and equally dangerous. The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force by Daniel Wallace

“Those who obsess over a parent, child, or lover devote all their energies toward the special object of their focus. The Jedi must serve all, not a select few. Should the urge to contact your birth families or form romantic attachments emerge, please consult your Master.” The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force by Daniel Wallace

“As Jedi learn more about the Force, it is not unusual for them to form their own theories about how and why it works. They question how, if the Force creates and sustains life, it can have a dark side. Some arrive at the conclusion that the Force is not divided into dark and light, that its energy is inherently positive, and that there is no “dark side” waiting to corrupt them. Time and again, this conclusion has been proved erroneous, and the Jedi who felt compelled to test the limits of the Force rarely perceived the dangers of their explorations. As they approached the brink of the dark side, some were rescued by other Jedi or came back willingly when they saw the error of their ways. Those who refused to renounce their mistaken beliefs were either exiled to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, or destroyed.” [Ryder’s Windham’s Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force]

But as much as the jedi order believed that experiencing ‘dark’ emotions was enough to mark you forever, we know for a fact that experiencing and even using the dark side is not a one way street. Anakin committed a terrible crime against the tuskens *and* he managed to save millions of lives in the war before he finally became vader. Some Jedi of the Old Republic also used the ‘dark side’ on a regular basis without even ‘falling’. 

So, no, emotions and intent alone is not enough to make one ‘fall’ or go evil even if that what the jedi teaches their members. Joining the sith, becoming a evil person is a fully conscious *choice*, not the automatic result of whatever emotions people might be experiencing.

[themoontheinconstantmoon]

Pokemon fishing rant

What is up with the fishing in pokemon? I mean, I can understand the flavor aspect of it, that you get water pokemon by fishing, but it’s always been so poorly implemented. There are two main mistakes. Over reliance on magikarp means that one water-type is much easier to catch than the others. Magikarp is also not weak. It evolves into the mighty gyarados at only level 20. This is before the third gym in most games. The inexplicable splitting of the fishing rod into three means that it is almost impossible for all three of them to feel unique, especially since you can catch water pokemon by surfing too. We end up with the old rod being useless, or the good or super rods barely being an upgrade. It feels like an excuse not to think about designing water catch rates properly  

It’s worst in gen 1. You can get a level 5 magikarp for 500 yen just before mt. moon. Then, when you get the old rod in Vermillion, you can catch… more level 5 magikarp. And that’s it. It offers no improvement. The good rod expands your water pokemon catches to goldeen and poliwhirl, then the super rod to all water types. (Tentacool was the only pokemon available by surf.) Except you get them both at about the same time. In fact, it is quite likely you’ll get the super rod first. This makes any difference between them immaterial. Moreover, you get both of them well after the fourth gym. Until then, magikarp is your only option for a water type if you didn’t start with squirtle The remakes sort of fix this problem by giving the good and super rod different catch rates, making the good rod also give you krabby and horsea once you get to the sea, except it’s all pointless because the super rod can still be obtained before the good rod and the first half of the game still has nothing but magikarp.

Gen 2 isn’t great, but improves a lot on the formula. It doesn’t abandon it as it should have, but none of the three rods feel meaningless. The old rod gives you an 85% chance of magikarp which is still high, but there’s a 15% chance of either tentacool, poliwag, goldeen, or krabby. That’s more than gen 1 or 4. Then there is the good rod. That 15% chance is now 55%. There is also a 10% chance of a staryu, horsea, shellder, or dratini. Other pokemon are sprinkled in occasionally. The super rod is disappointing, though. It expands the 10% chance to 30, but only introduces two new pokemon, and neither is very good. There is also the issue of the good rod coming at about the same time as surf. The remakes then totally shit the bed on all of it. I can understand the reason, to make the super rod better. But they sabotaged the old and good rods. The old rod now has a 95% chance of magikarp, and the good rod has 60%. The good rod also now has only a 3% chance of making the best catches. The super rod is unchanged, but the least important of the three, because nobody is altering their team in the endgame. It’s also a special “fuck you” to nuzlockers, who are never going to catch anything in the rare slots now.

Gen 3 does have the best old rod. This wins it points. Magikarp is only 70% likely to appear. The other 30% was tentacool in saltwater, or goldeen in freshwater. Combined with the fact that having dive meant there were even fewer fishing opportunities, it did reasonably well. Unfortunately, there are problems after the old rod. The good rod was very late in the game, just after the fifth gym. It does offer 4 new pokemon at 20%. The problem is that freshwater gets three of them. All ocean routes just get wailmer, and there’s 17 ocean routes. Wailord is also not as good in battle as gyarados or tentacruel, making it feel like a downgrade. The super rod is again underwhelming. It only provides two new pokemon, and that’s only on 4 of the 18 routes. In freshwater it just increases the three 20% chances to 100%. In the ocean, there is 60% wailmer and 40% sharpedo. You can get carvanha, sharpedo’s preevolution, with the good rod though. Once again, the remakes alter the data. The good rod’s 20% chance of new catches is reduced to 5. This means you’ve beaten the fifth gym, and you get a rod that barely changed from the one you had at less than half this level. They also took the sharpedo out of the ocean routes, so it’s just wailmer. On the bright side, horsea is now on two more routes, and the chances of catching it go from 15 to 40%.

Gen 4 had better placement of its rods. The old rod is before the first gym, and the good rod is before the third. The super rod is just after the pokemon league, clearing the room for really only having two rods ingame. Unfortunately, it completely fails to act on any of these advantages. We go back to the old rod catching only magikarp, and the good rod catches 65% magikarp. You might as well not have had the old rod at all, since the good rod will still catch mostly magikarp at all locations. The super rod is no better. The promise of having dozens of water types to choose from is largely wasted. It mostly just catches evolved versions instead of any interesting national dex pokemon. Sinnoh region fishing is a bitter disappointment. There were no excuses of inexperience or structural problems. The only reason for the choice was the erroneous belief that magikarp is basic.

In gen 5, the super rod is now the only rod, and it is only available after the game is complete. Unfortunately, it really could have used it. The benefit of the fishing rods before ride pokemon were introduced is that you can have them before surf, because surf is a 95 power move and you can’t hand it out at the beginning of the game. The problem is this game has surf well after the 6th gym! (5th gym in b2w2) That’s the latest it’s ever been. There’s only two wild water pokemon available before then in bw. Oshawott is only one of the three starters. You get panpour if you choose snivy, but won’t use it if you have self respect. Tirtouga is just not as cool as archen, so you probably won’t pick it as you fossil. Even with surf, only 3 more evolutionary lines are available, and only one of those is good. The absence of fishing created a larger problem.

Gen 6 is seriously hurt by its insistence on splitting the pokedex in three. I know I spent this whole rant complaining about magikarp being everywhere, but this wasn’t an improvement. Central kalos has magikarp for all old rod catches, coastal has luvdisc, and mountain has poliwag. It isn’t one hundred percent magikarp, but it still has issues. The problem here is that the old rod comes just into coastal. That means that if you do want magikarp (which is again very good), you have to backtrack. This means you are basically stuck with luvdisc until almost the fourth gym. Nobody wants luvdisc. It has no evolution and is as weak as a first stage pokemon. You might as well not have a fishing rod. At least the magikarp line was useful. The good rod once again seems like the only rod with a purpose. You get the super rod about as you cross into mountain. Mountain has no super rod exclusive pokemon. They’re all in coastal, requiring even more backtracking. You have fly by now, but it still feels bizarre and pointless. The game isn’t structuring the wild pokemon and the new rods around each other at all.

Gen 7 finally introduced the fishing rod. Not the old rod, the good rod, the super rod, or the rod Ryder carbine action 200 shot range model fishing rod with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time, just a fishing rod. Singular. The only problem is that it brings us right back to being plagued by magikarp! There’s 300 pokemon in the alola pokedex, twice the size of rby, dp, or bw. Why was it all spent on giving each patch of grass different capture data and not on making fishing not an annoying peripheral? 2 areas have 99% magikarp outside the bubbling spots. Why even have bubbling spots? They still have 50% magikarp in most places. Just have that be the normal capture data. The bottleneck problem returns, even if there’s only one rod. The fishing rod comes at about the same time as lapras paddle, the replacement for surf, and also the water-type filled land area brooklet hill. This means there is again a sudden glut of water types. It makes them feel less distinct. Ultra sun and ultra moon do improve on the overuse of magikarp. It’s unsurprisingly still everywhere, but it’s less common.

This may seem like getting worked up over something that doesn’t matter. It probably is, but a multibillion dollar game series has no excuse for mismanaging a basic feature this heavily. If I’m going to buy 7 games 28 times, I shouldn’t need a poorly designed feature to 100% them. I love pokemon, but its ceators is so complacent. They doesn’t bother to fix things until the entire fanbase complains about them twice. They know people will buy the games anyway. It just feels very cynical, and pokemon should not feel cynical.

[superduperairgunswptg464-blog]

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