#even basic human interaction is becoming increasingly difficult
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littlexdeaths · 2 months ago
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i feel like i need to put my brain through the deep clean cycle right now
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caffeinated-enigmathing · 11 months ago
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Some personal stuff...
I have some things going on in my life right now that are affecting how I'm functioning on a basic human level and will limit how much I post, write or interact with all of you here. If you wish to know more, I will explain a little further below, but just know that I'll still be lurking here even if I don't write anything or interact with the community. I'll get to responding to any messages in time and when I'm having those better moments. Ty all for being amazing, inspiring people that continue to lift up others. ♥
My dog, Maxim, passed away on May 15th last year and with his death anniversary coming up I've been having a hard time enjoying the continuously increasing sunny days, feeling a bit like it's just an awful reminder of the grief I'm still processing. Also experiencing some spring fatigue and my sleep has been all over the place even more than usual. It's not been an easy month for me. Last week my parents dog, who was also Maxi's brother, passed away as well. And while the grief I'm experiencing for him is not the same, it's still very painful and also triggers a lot of memories that feel crushing right now. His death hasn't really hit me yet as I have not been to my parents (and my childhood) home to truly feel his absence. It will become a harsher reality when I visit them. I'm trying my best to prepare for that and also process everything.
Finding the motivation to write or enjoy things other people are sharing is becoming increasingly harder as the shock fades away and the numbness dissipates. I hope that's understandable.
I am truly blessed to have an amazing family and friends who are my support network in life and with their help I will get through this difficult time, although most of the work on that I will have to do myself. The pain of a deep loss is something you just have to go through and fully experience. I don't believe there are shortcuts.
Mental health struggles are something I think everyone goes through and I wanted to share my journey a bit with you all to remind you that even though we are all just strangers online, we share our humanity in many ways. The love, passion, creativity, pain and frustrations are things we can draw from to relate to one another.
All of you, no matter how you create or interact with the community here, have managed to inspire me and make me laugh, even when I'm going through the sadness of it all. For that I am grateful and wish all of you health and happiness. Thank you for taking the time to have this small glimpse into my life.
And as always, my inbox and messages are open, even though it may take me longer to get to responding right now.
I'll be back and I'll be ok.
And on that note... I truly hope anyone who reads this doesn't take offence in me grieving our beloved furry family members and any sort of comments of them being 'just dogs' are not needed or wanted. Let's all give each other grace and be respectful. ♥
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jcmarchi · 2 months ago
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What might happen if AI can feel emotions? - AI News
New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/what-might-happen-if-ai-can-feel-emotions-ai-news/
What might happen if AI can feel emotions? - AI News
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In a world where artificial intelligence is becoming omnipresent, it’s fascinating to think about the prospect of AI-powered robots and digital avatars that can experience emotions, similar to humans.
AI models lack consciousness and they don’t have the capacity to feel emotions, but what possibilities might arise if that were to change?
The birth of emotional AI
The prospect of an AI system embracing those first sparks of emotion is perhaps not as far-fetched as one might think. Already, AI systems have some ability to gauge people’s emotions, and increasingly they’re also able to replicate those feelings in their interactions with humans.
It still requires a leap of faith to imagine an AI that could feel genuine emotions, but if it ever becomes possible, we’d imagine that they’ll be somewhat basic at first, similar to those of a child. Perhaps, an AI system might be able to feel joy at successfully completing a task, or maybe even confusion when presented with a challenge it doesn’t know how to solve. From there, it’s not difficult to envision that feeling of confusion evolving to one of frustration at its repeated failures to tackle the problem in question. And as this system evolves further, perhaps its emotional spectrum might expand to even feel a tinge of sadness or regret.
Should AI ever be able to feel such emotions, it wouldn’t be long before they could express more nuanced feelings, like excitement, impatience, and empathy for humans and other AIs. For instance, in a scenario where an AI system acquires a new skill or solves a new kind of problem, it might be able to experience a degree of satisfaction in success. This is similar to how humans feel when they solve a particularly taxing challenge, like a complex jigsaw puzzle, or when they do something for the first time, like driving a car.
Empathy as a motivator
As AI’s ability to feel emotion evolves, it would become increasingly complex, progressing to a stage where it can even feel empathy for others. Empathy is one of the most complex human emotions, involving understanding and sharing the feelings of someone else.
If AI can experience such feelings, they may inspire it to become more helpful, similar to how humans are sometimes motivated to help someone less fortunate.
An AI that’s designed to assist human doctors might feel sad for someone who is afflicted by a mysterious illness. The feelings might push it to try harder to find a diagnosis for the rare disease that person is suffering from. If it gets it right, the AI might feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment at doing so, knowing that the afflicted patient will be able to receive the treatment they need.
Or we can consider an AI system that’s built to detect changes to an environment. If such a system were to recognise a substantial increase in pollution in a certain area, it might feel disappointed or even saddened by such a discovery. But like with humans, the feelings might also inspire the AI to find ways to prevent this new source of pollution, perhaps by inventing a more efficient way to recycle or dispose of the toxic substance responsible.
In a similar way, an AI system that encounters numerous errors in a dataset might be compelled to refine its algorithm to reduce the number of errors.
This would also have a direct impact on human-to-AI interactions. It’s not hard to imagine that an AI-powered customer service bot that feels empathy for a customer might be willing to go the extra mile to help resolve that person’s problem. Or alternatively, we might get AI teachers with a better understanding of their students’ emotions, which can then adapt teaching methods appropriately.
Empathetic AI could transform the way we treat people with mental health issues. The concept of a digital therapist is not new, but if a digital therapist can better relate to their patients on an emotional level, it can figure out how best to support them.
Is this even possible?
Surprisingly, we may not be that far off. AI systems like Antix are already capable of expressing artificial empathy. It’s a platform for creating digital humans that are programmed to respond sympathetically when they recognise feelings of frustration, anger or upset in the people they interact with. Its digital humans can detect people’s emotions based on their speech, the kinds of words they use, intonation, and body language.
The ability of Antix’s digital humans to understand emotion is partly based on the way they are trained. Each digital human is a unique non-fungible token or NFT that learns over time from its users, gaining more knowledge and evolving so it can adapt its interactions in response to an individual’s behaviour or preferences.
Because digital humans can recognise emotions and replicate them, they have the potential to deliver more profound and meaningful experiences. Antix utilises the Unreal Engine 5 platform to give its creations a more realistic appearance. Creators can alter almost every aspect of their digital humans, including the voice and appearance, with the ability to edit skin tone, eye colour, and small details like eyebrows and facial hair.
What sets Antix apart from other AI platforms is that users can customise the behaviour of their digital humans, to provide the most appropriate emotional response in different scenarios. Thus, digital humans can respond with an appropriate tone of voice, making the right gestures and expressions when they’re required to feel sad, for example, before transforming in an instant to express excitement, happiness, or joy.
AI is getting real
Emotional AI systems are a work in progress, and the result will be digital humans that feel more lifelike in any scenario where they can be useful.
The CEO of Zoom has talked about the emergence of AI-powered digital twins that can participate in video calls on their user’s behalf, allowing the user to be in two places at once, so to speak. If the digital human version of your boss can express empathy, satisfaction, excitement and anger, the concept would be more effective, fostering a more realistic connection, even if the real boss isn’t present in their physical form.
A customer service-focused digital human that’s able to empathise with callers will likely have a tremendous impact on customer satisfaction, and a sympathetic digital teacher might find ways to elicit more positive responses from its students, accelerating the speed at which they learn.
With digital humans capable of expressing emotions, the potential for more realistic, lifelike, and immersive experiences is almost limitless, and it will result in more rewarding and beneficial interactions with AI systems. 
Tags: ai, artificial intelligence
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fortunerobotic · 4 months ago
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Personal Assistant Robot in Dubai
A personal assistant robot is an intelligent, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tool created to help people with a variety of duties, from basic housework to more difficult jobs like scheduling and reminders. These robots frequently have speech recognition built in, which lets them communicate with people by responding to spoken commands. Some are even capable of traveling on their own while doing things like vacuuming, grabbing objects, and keeping an eye on their surroundings.
How Do Personal Assistant Robots Work?
Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI enables the robot to understand instructions, pick up on user interactions, and gradually adjust to preferences for improved performance.
Natural language processing (NLP) and speech recognition are two technologies that allow the robot to understand the context, interpret human language, and react appropriately.
Sensors and Navigation: The robot can travel, identify obstacles, and recognize faces thanks to sensors like cameras and LIDAR.
Connectivity: The robot's ability to create reminders, provide updates, and operate smart devices over the internet makes it a useful tool for contemporary living.
Benefits of Personal Assistant Robots
Enhanced Productivity
Assistance for the Elderly and Disabled
Efficient Household Management
Continuous Learning and Customization
Enhanced Entertainment and Interaction
The Future of Personal Assistant Robots
Increased Affordability
More Human-Like Interactions
Integration with Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
Advanced Emotional Intelligence
Greater Autonomy
Robotic personal assistants are transforming daily life by providing an unparalleled amount of efficiency and convenience. Their potential uses are endless, ranging from helping with basic household tasks to offering support and medical care. These robots will play an increasingly important role as technology develops, becoming invaluable resources in both personal and professional contexts.
To know more click here;- Optimus Robo
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ai-for-recruitment · 5 months ago
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Recruitment in the Post-Automation Workplace
A new era in the workplace has begun with the rise of automation, one that offers more productivity and efficiency but also poses serious issues for talent acquisition. As routine and manual jobs are replaced by artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and machine learning, the need for human labour is changing to include increasingly complex, creative, and strategic responsibilities. The recruitment process will be significantly impacted by this change. Organisations need to reconsider their employment practices in the post-automation era, emphasising not only technical talents but also emotional intelligence, creativity, and adaptability.
The Changing Nature of Work
Industries are being transformed by automation at a rate never seen before. Data input, regular production, customer service, and even some areas of decision-making that traditionally required human labour are now performed by machines. A McKinsey Global Institute study found that current office functions may be automated by employing existing technologies up to 45% of the time.
The demand for some job categories is declining as a result of this change, especially those that are repetitive and rule-based. Automation, however, may lead to the loss of some employment, but it also opens up new career paths in fields like data analytics, robotics engineering, and AI research. In addition, positions requiring human-centric abilities like creativity, leadership, and problem-solving are becoming increasingly desirable.
Identifying the Skills Needed for a Post-Automation Workplace
Businesses in the post-automation era are searching for employees for more than just traditional job roles. The search is becoming more and more focused on finding people who can work well with automation. A few essential abilities that employers are looking for are as follows:
Technical Expertise: Professionals with the necessary skills must design, create, and maintain AI systems for automation. Experts in domains like robotics, data analytics, and machine learning are therefore in greater demand. Nonetheless, employees are expected to have a fundamental understanding of digital tools and processes even outside of tech-heavy professions.
Adaptability and Lifelong Learning: The capacity to pick up new skills is more crucial than ever because technology is changing so quickly. Candidates with a growth mentality and an openness to lifelong learning are what employers seek. This guarantees that they will be able to adapt to new technological developments.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Human workers are anticipated to concentrate more on responsibilities that call for empathy, communication, and relationship-building while robots take over basic duties. For leadership positions, interacting with customers, and working in teams, emotional intelligence is essential.
Creative Problem-Solving: Automation works incredibly well at prescribed jobs, but when it comes to addressing problems, human creativity still excels. Employers are searching more and more for applicants that possess critical thinking, inventiveness, and the ability to solve difficult problems that are difficult for robots to solve..
Leadership and Strategic Thinking: There is an increasing demand for leaders with the ability to drive strategy and make strategic decisions in the automated workplace. Human judgement, morality, and the capacity to lead groups through change are still necessary attributes.
Recruitment Strategies in the Automated Era
In this new environment, recruiters need to adapt their tactics in order to draw in top talent. Conventional hiring procedures, which place a lot of emphasis on resumes and credentials, might not be adequate anymore. The following are some ways that hiring is evolving in the post-automation workplace:
1. Focus on Potential Over Experience
Hiring for potential rather than experience is one of the major trends in recruitment. Given how quickly technology is evolving, a candidate's capacity for learning and adaptation is frequently more important than their in-depth knowledge of a particular tool or platform. Businesses are searching more and more for workers who can transition into new positions as automation continues to change the nature of work.
Recruiters are measuring attributes like creativity, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving skills using techniques like psychometric testing and gamified tests. Regardless of a candidate's present skill level, these attributes are seen to be indicators of their future success.
2. Embracing Diversity in Recruitment
When automation is misused, it might exacerbate hiring prejudices. For example, AI-powered hiring instruments that depend on past data may prioritise particular groups of people above others. Companies are actively trying to diversify their staff in order to counter this. In a time when the value of human ingenuity is higher than ever, having a diverse workforce is essential because it brings a diversity of viewpoints and approaches to problem-solving.
In order to ensure that their recruitment techniques reach a wider pool of candidates from varied backgrounds, genders, and experiences, recruiters are concentrating on more inclusive hiring procedures.
3. Leveraging AI in Recruitment
Paradoxically, recruiters are finding the perfect talent thanks to the same technology that is automating employment. AI-powered hiring technologies are being used to evaluate applicants, place them in positions, and even forecast their success based on historical data. This gives HR specialists more time to concentrate on the interpersonal components of hiring, such establishing rapport and determining cultural fit.
AI can also lessen unconscious prejudice in recruiting by evaluating candidates based on objective data. Recruiters must, however, keep a close eye on these tools to make sure prejudices embedded in past data aren't reinforced.
4. Building Strong Employer Branding
To recruit top talent in a competitive job market, organisations must engage in building their employer brand. Employer branding is about developing a culture that promotes creativity, adaptability, and personal development in addition to providing competitive pay and benefits.
Today's candidates are searching for businesses that share their values, especially when it comes to social impact, diversity, and sustainability. Employer testimonials, company blogs, and social media platforms are important tools for recruitment marketing, which helps to communicate the company's mission and values.
Preparing for the Future
Businesses need to develop forward-thinking recruitment methods in order to prepare for the ongoing transformation of the workplace caused by technology. The workforce of the future will be greatly influenced by human-centric traits like creativity, emotional intelligence, and adaptability, even though technical abilities are still vital.
In the post-automation workplace, recruiting is about creating teams that can succeed in a constantly changing environment rather than just filling jobs. The companies that prioritise lifelong learning, support diversity, and use technology to augment rather than substitute human abilities will be the ones that prosper.
Ultimately, the post-automation age is about people and machines working together, each using their unique skills, rather than about machines taking over human jobs.
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omsri07 · 9 months ago
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Natural Language Processing: Enhancing Communication with AI Systems
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In an era where technology evolves at breakneck speed, Natural Language Processing (NLP) stands out as a transformative force, bridging the gap between human communication and machine understanding. As AI systems become increasingly integrated into our daily lives, from virtual assistants to sophisticated analytics tools, NLP plays a crucial role in enhancing these interactions, making them more intuitive and effective.
Understanding Natural Language Processing:
Natural Language Processing is a subfield of artificial intelligence focused on the interaction between computers and humans through natural language. The goal of NLP is to read, decipher, understand, and make sense of human languages in a valuable way. By leveraging computational linguistics, machine learning, and deep learning, NLP enables machines to perform tasks such as translation, sentiment analysis, and text summarization.
The Evolution of NLP:
The journey of NLP began in the 1950s with simple rule-based systems that could perform basic tasks like word counting and simple text-based commands. Over the decades, advancements in computational power and algorithms have propelled NLP into new realms of capability. The advent of machine learning in the 1980s and deep learning in the 2010s has been particularly impactful, allowing for more sophisticated models that can understand context, nuance, and even humor in human language. The journey of NLP began in the 1950s with simple rule-based systems that could perform basic tasks like word counting and simple text-based commands. Over the decades, advancements in computational power and algorithms have propelled NLP into new realms of capability. The advent of machine learning in the 1980s and deep learning in the 2010s has been particularly impactful, allowing for more sophisticated models that can understand context, nuance, and even humor in human language.
Key Components of NLP:
Tokenization: Breaking down text into smaller units, such as words or phrases.
Part-of-Speech Tagging: Identifying the grammatical parts of speech in a sentence.
Named Entity Recognition: Detecting and classifying entities like names, dates, and locations.
Sentiment Analysis: Determining the sentiment or emotion expressed in a piece of text.
Machine Translation: Translating text from one language to another.
Enhancing Communication:
Virtual Assistants: AI-driven assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant rely on NLP to understand and respond to user queries, making everyday tasks more manageable and efficient.
Customer Service: Chatbots and automated support systems use NLP to handle inquiries, providing quick and accurate responses that improve customer satisfaction.
Content Personalization: NLP enables personalized content delivery in marketing and media, tailoring recommendations to individual user preferences.
Accessibility: NLP-powered tools, such as speech-to-text and text-to-speech applications, assist individuals with disabilities, making technology more inclusive.
Challenges:
Despite its advancements, NLP still faces significant challenges. Understanding context and cultural nuances remains difficult, as language is inherently complex and varied. Additionally, ethical concerns, such as data privacy and algorithmic bias, need to be addressed to ensure fair and responsible use of NLP technologies.
Future Directions:
The future of NLP looks promising, with ongoing research aiming to create more advanced and accurate language models. Techniques such as transfer learning, which leverages knowledge from one task to improve performance on another, and the development of more sophisticated neural networks are paving the way for even more seamless human-AI communication.
Conclusion:
Natural Language Processing is at the forefront of enhancing communication between humans and machines, making interactions more natural and efficient. As technology continues to evolve, the capabilities of NLP will expand, driving innovation and transforming how we interact with AI systems. By overcoming current challenges and addressing ethical considerations, NLP has the potential to create a future where machines not only understand our words but also our intentions and emotions, truly bridging the communication gap.
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education30and40blog · 1 year ago
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Skills of the Future: Preparing Students for Jobs That Don't Exist Yet
World News Wire 21st December 2023, 19:56 GMT+11 
In an era marked by rapid technological advancements and evolving industries, the job market is continually transforming. Many of the jobs that will shape the future haven't even been conceived yet, making it crucial for educational systems to adapt and equip students with the skills necessary for success. This article explores the skills of the future and the importance of preparing students for jobs that don't exist yet.
Adaptability and Flexibility: One of the primary skills that will be crucial for the jobs of the future is adaptability. The ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn will be paramount as industries undergo constant change. Students must be taught how to embrace change, be flexible in their thinking, and adapt to new technologies and methodologies.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: As automation takes over routine tasks, the demand for human skills like critical thinking and complex problem-solving is on the rise. Students should be encouraged to think critically, analyze situations, and develop innovative solutions. This skill set will be vital across various industries, especially in roles that require creativity and strategic thinking.
Digital Literacy: The digital landscape is expanding, and future jobs will undoubtedly require a high level of digital literacy. Students need to be proficient in using digital tools, navigating online platforms, and understanding emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things. These skills will be fundamental in almost every industry.
Collaboration and Teamwork: In the future, the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams will be a key competency. Students should be taught how to work in a collaborative environment, respecting diverse perspectives, and leveraging collective intelligence. Teamwork skills will be essential for problem-solving and innovation.
Emotional Intelligence: While technology continues to advance, the importance of human-centric skills cannot be overstated. Emotional intelligence, including empathy, communication, and interpersonal skills, will be critical in jobs that involve human interaction. These skills are difficult to automate and will become increasingly valuable in professions such as healthcare, counseling, and customer service.
Continuous Learning: The concept of lifelong learning is no longer a choice but a necessity. Students must be instilled with a mindset of continuous learning to stay relevant in a dynamic job market. This involves developing the ability to seek out new information, acquire new skills, and adapt to evolving industry trends throughout their careers.
Entrepreneurial Mindset: With the gig economy on the rise, an entrepreneurial mindset is becoming a valuable asset. Students should be encouraged to think creatively, take initiative, and embrace risk. This mindset will be beneficial for those entering traditional employment as well as those pursuing entrepreneurial ventures.
Cultural Competence: Globalization has interconnected economies and cultures, making cultural competence a vital skill. Future job roles will likely involve working with diverse teams and catering to a global audience. Students should be taught to appreciate cultural differences, communicate effectively across cultures, and navigate the nuances of an interconnected world.
Data Literacy: As data becomes increasingly central to decision-making in various industries, students must develop data literacy skills. This includes the ability to analyze, interpret, and draw insights from data sets. Understanding statistical concepts, data visualization, and basic coding skills will be valuable across a spectrum of professions.
Cybersecurity Awareness: With the proliferation of technology, the importance of cybersecurity cannot be overstated. Students should be educated on the basics of cybersecurity, including the importance of protecting personal and organizational data, recognizing potential threats, and adopting secure online practices. This knowledge will be crucial in safeguarding against cyber threats in the future workforce.
Environmental Awareness and Sustainability: As the world grapples with environmental challenges, there is a growing demand for professionals with a strong understanding of sustainability. Students should be educated on environmental issues, sustainable practices, and how industries can contribute to a greener future. Jobs related to sustainable development and eco-friendly technologies are likely to emerge.
Robotics and Automation Skills: The rise of robotics and automation will create a demand for individuals with the skills to design, program, and maintain these technologies. Introducing students to basic robotics and automation concepts can prepare them for roles in industries where these technologies are prevalent, such as manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare.
Conclusion: Preparing students for jobs that don't exist yet requires a holistic approach to education. Beyond subject-specific knowledge, a focus on developing adaptable, critical-thinking individuals with strong digital literacy and emotional intelligence will be key. By cultivating these skills, educational institutions can empower students to navigate the uncertainties of the future job market and contribute meaningfully to a rapidly changing world. As we continue to advance, the ability to learn, innovate, and collaborate will be the foundation for success in the jobs of tomorrow.
Source: World News Wire
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ammusahayam · 2 years ago
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Rise of the Robots: The Advancements and Challenges of Humanoid Robotics
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"Have you ever watched a sci-fi flick and seen those humanoid robots? Well, believe it or not, they're not just a figment of our imagination anymore!"
Recent advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence have brought us closer to a future where robots can perform complex tasks, interact with humans, and even have emotions. In this blog post, we'll explore the rise of humanoid robotics, the cool advancements and challenges in this field, and what the future may hold for these intelligent machines.
What are Humanoid Robots?
So, what exactly are these humanoid robots we're talking about? Well, they're basically machines designed to look and behave like humans. With advanced sensors, cameras, and other devices, they can sense their surroundings and respond accordingly. They have arms, legs, and even facial expressions, making them more intuitive for humans to interact with.
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And they're not just for show either. These robots are being designed to perform tasks that are too difficult or dangerous for humans, like exploring space or responding to natural disasters. They're also being developed for use in healthcare and education, where they can assist humans with various tasks.
Advancements in Humanoid Robotics
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The advancements in humanoid robotics are seriously impressive. As we see, with the help of advanced sensors, cameras, and AI, robots can now move and interact with humans in a more natural way. They can even recognize and respond to human speech and facial expressions, making communication a breeze.
But the real game-changer has been the development of robots with emotional intelligence. These robots can recognize and respond to human emotions, making them capable of providing emotional support or assistance. Imagine a humanoid robot helping people with autism or other social disorders learn how to recognize and respond to emotions.
Another significant breakthrough has been the development of exoskeletons. These robotic suits can be worn by humans to augment their strength and mobility, and have been used to help people with mobility impairments like spinal cord injuries walk again. Talk about cool tech!
Challenges in Humanoid Robotics
Of course, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. One of the biggest challenges is developing artificial intelligence that can mimic human behavior. This requires a deep understanding of how humans think and interact with their environment. Another challenge is developing motors and sensors that can mimic the movement and sensation of the human body. These technologies are still in their infancy, and much research needs to be done to improve them.
Another significant obstacle is the potential loss of jobs. As humanoid robots become more advanced, they'll be able to perform more tasks that were previously performed by humans. This could lead to widespread job loss and economic disruption. It's important to find ways to integrate robots into the workforce in a way that benefits both humans and robots.
Future of Humanoid Robotics
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The future of humanoid robotics is super exciting, and many experts predict that these robots will become increasingly advanced and integrated into our daily lives. Here are some potential developments in the future of humanoid robotics:
1. Increased Autonomy and Mobility
In the future, we can expect these robots to become even more agile and precise, thanks to advancements in motor and sensor technology. They'll also become more autonomous, meaning they'll be able to make decisions and perform tasks without human intervention. This will require further advancements in AI and machine learning.
2. Improved Communication and Interaction
As these robots become more advanced, they'll become better at communicating and interacting with humans. They'll develop more natural-sounding voices and facial expressions, as well as improve their ability to understand human speech and gestures.
3. Increased Use in Various Industries 
Did you know that humanoid robots are becoming more and more common in industries like healthcare, education, and even entertainment? These robots can be used to help out doctors and nurses in surgeries and patient care, act as teaching assistants or provide personalized tutoring, and even show up in movies, TV shows, and video games. And, if you're into theme parks and attractions, you might even get to hang out with one of these guys and have an even more immersive experience!
4. Ethical and Social Implications 
Of course, as with any new technology, there are some important ethical and social questions to consider when it comes to humanoid robots. For example, who's responsible if a robot goes haywire and causes some kind of harm? And what about all the data that these robots will be collecting about their interactions with humans? 
As we move forward, we'll need to figure out how to balance the potential benefits of these robots with the potential risks and concerns. But overall, the rise of humanoid robotics is definitely something to get excited about!
The Importance of Streamlining and Professionalizing Presentations:
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And speaking of cool stuff, have you ever used the best presentation templates? They're a total game-changer in the rise of robots as they allow individuals and organizations to create visually appealing presentations that effectively communicate complex concepts related to humanoid robotics. With the help of even free slides, speakers can create engaging and informative presentations that can help to educate others about the advancements and challenges of humanoid robotics.
Conclusion:
Well, that's a wrap, folks! It's clear that humanoid robotics is on the rise and could seriously change the game for how we live and work. Of course, it's not all sunshine and rainbows, and we need to figure out some of the challenges that come with these robots. But, if we can balance the potential benefits with ethical and social considerations, we could see some seriously positive impacts on society. So let's get ready for the robot revolution, and see where it takes us!
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oystertongue · 3 years ago
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Ok! Here are my thoughts on the sinking ship that is academic anthropology. 
I’m pretty sure anthropology is on the decline as a discipline - I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets broken up and reorganized in the next 10-20 years or so. Some of the reasons are institutional/procedural and have to do with the general atrophying of academia & universities, and some have to do with the intellectual underpinnings of anthropology itself. It’s a lot of straws and one very strained camel, but I’ll do my best to keep it organized. 
I should also say that this account is quite U.S.-centric. Other countries have their own traditions of anthropology, and anthropologists are by no means the only people who have ever attempted to think systematically about the meaning of humanity and difference. This is just the view from where I’m sitting, as a junior scholar in a dying empire.
Although it might seem intuitive to start with a basic definition of anthropology, I will not do that. In the year of our lord 2022, 80% of what anthropologists do behind closed doors is argue about what anthropology. Instead, I’m going to summarize the major issues facing the field now, and sketch out the substance of some of these arguments.
What do we study? Anthropology is usually glossed as the study of culture, or the study of the human - but neither of these terms have easy or obvious definitions. 
The human: Evolutionary approaches to the human also entail examining closely related species, so some paleoanthropologists study other primate lineages, and many anthropology departments include primatologists. We also study things that humans make and interact with. Objects, infrastructures, technologies, and ecosystems both bear the impacts of human activity and shape the ways in which we live - so there are anthropologists who write about plant species, hydraulic technologies, rocks, smartphones, and more. More recently, (some) anthropologists have begun to seriously reckon with scholarship in the Black Radical and Afropessimist traditions that critically interrogates “the human” as a racializing and exclusionary construct. 
Culture: Once upon a time, we conceived of culture as self-contained wholes  - the A people who live in B believe C, the X people of Y do Z, and so on. As global travel has become easier and the internet has expanded to connect more people in virtual space, it’s increasingly difficult to think of “culture” in strictly geospatial terms. The boundaries of our field’s chosen object are imploding, and no one’s quite sure how to square ethnography - upon which we have historically hung our whole analytical hat - with a world in which “cultures” are increasingly mobile, diffuse, and intermingled. There’s such a thing as “digital ethnography,” but it’s been slow to get off the ground and remains marginal in many institutions. For ex - when I was seeking funding for my dissertation research, which is almost entirely online, one of my applications was slammed by reviewers because they didn’t think I could account for demographic features like race and gender by doing work in online spaces, where these things “aren’t visible online.” There is plenty of actual scholarship about race and gender (and other identities) on the internet, and they do show up here - just not in precisely the same ways as in faceto-face settings. These things are not inaccessible, but understanding them requires a different kind of methodological toolkit than conventional ethnography. 
How do we study it? “Anthropology” in the year of our lord 2022 includes everything from biochemistry to writing poems. Studying “the human” or even “human culture” entails examining our past and our present, our bodies and our beliefs, our bones and our memes. Different departments may emphasize different areas, but it’s still fairly common for archaeologists, bioanthropologists, and sociocultural anthropologists to share a banner (...and once upon a time there was also linguistic anthropology, but in the U.S. at least, this has mostly been absorbed into sociocultural and/or splintered off into other disciplines). My office buddy is an immunologist who works primarily in a wet lab, and down the hall from us there’s a paleobotanist who studies fossilized plant seeds, an archaeologist with an art history background, and a poet who studies urban queer communities. (And then there’s me, who reads tweets all day and calls it research.)
But I’ll linger on sociocultural anthropology for a minute, since those are my monkeys and that’s my circus. For the past 120 years or so, ethnography has been The Gold Standard of anthropological research. Social anthropologists who want to be taken seriously have been expected to ship off to The Field for a year (or two or three) and only come back when they have something interesting to say. There are two major epistemic assumptions being made here: First, that you have to do it yourself. Relying on accounts written by others, video footage, or even superficial in person exchange is not enough; if you want to know something, you have to go to where it is and live it. Second, difference is what makes meaning legible. Initially, anthropology/ethnography modeled itself as a science, by which trained observers could produce objective results through empirical means (some anthros still subscribe to this idea.) Ethnography relies on the assumption that outsiders are best situated to “see” how a culture works; they’ll be able to ferret out and make explicit the implicit assumptions that are so familiar to “the natives” that they don’t even consciously register them. There’s also the (mostly) implicit assumption here that Europeans and, by extension, white Americans can themselves be “culture-neutral” - that they don’t have their own set of implicit-invisible assumptions. 
It’s difficult to summarize the 40 year long crisis that we’ve collectively been having about this, but objections to these assumptions have been raised from a number of perspectives. First, as the composition of the academy has slowly changed to include more women, gender nonconforming people, and people of color, the whole “lone wolf anthropologist dashes off into the jungle” model has become increasingly untenable. First of all, it’s really expensive, and they don’t pay us that much. It’s even more unfeasible for those of us who care for others (children, elderly parents, etc) and can’t simply pass off all domestic responsibilities to a long-suffering wife. Similarly, it’s not always feasible for disabled scholars to travel long distances or relocate to places where access to medication or other forms of support might be disrupted. There’s also the issue of safety in the field. While cishet white men with American and European passports occupy a social position that makes it easy for them to travel alone safely, the same is not true for women and queer or gendernonconforming people, who’ve faced threats including sexual assault while in the field. 
The question of the “outsider” perspective continues to be contentious. In 1986, a book called Writing Culture was published, whose big intervention was to approach anthropology as itself a genre of writing, full of the same linguistic slippages and indeterminacies as any other construction of language, and yolked to the subject-position of its author. This kicked off the reflexive turn in anthropology, where ethnographers began thinking in much greater detail about both their own cultural assumptions and the meanings and ethics of ethnography itself, as a particular kind of encounter between worlds. But WC has also been widely criticized - largely by women, scholars from the global south, and nonwhite scholars in the U.S. and Western Europe, who remind its exclusively white and almost exclusively male authors that they’re the only ones who’ve been assuming that they speak for everyone and from nowhere. More anthropologists today decline to participate in Heroic Explorer style ethnography, study problems that are closer to home, and explore modes of writing that embrace poetic and narrative techniques over attempts at scientific objectivity, but these are still stigmatized choices in a lot of departments. Many older and old-school anthropologists actively discourage or even forbid their trainees from doing so. 
What have we done? Historically, anthropology has worked hand-in-hand with colonialism. While many early anthropologists were progressive for their time and argued against slavery and cultural genocide and in favor of relativistic approaches to human difference, many were not, and those that were didn’t always pursue these ostensibly laudable goals in ways that prioritized the needs of oppressed people. We’re reconsidering the ethics of ethnography: what can we ask of communities that we don’t belong to? What should we share with the world from our own communities? When and how can the knowledge produced by ethnographic research benefit actual, living peoples? When and how has it been used to harm them? From my experience, junior scholars and scholars from marginalized communities are particularly interested in working at the nexus of scholarship and activism, trying to do work that doesn’t just produce “knowledge” as though this is itself an unquestionable good but that offers something to the people of whom it asks the kind of intimate disclosure upon which ethnography depends - but unfortunately, this kind of work is seldom rewarded by the academy. 
Moreover, since anthropology was from its inception conceived of as the study of The Other, the assumptions of mostly white, mostly male  anthropologists themselves went unquestioned, and Others could not themselves participate in the project of anthropology. Most anthropologists today would probably locate themselves somewhere on a liberal-to-progressive spectrum, but the field remains unwelcoming to its own Others in many ways. Whether and how we should continue to teach the anthropological canon, what we can still learn from scholars embroiled in colonial violence, and how best to redress the (ongoing) harm done in the name of the discipline are all open and hotly debated questions. 
Alongside all of this, academic anthropology has had its piece of recent reckonings with power and oppression. Major scholars have been accused of abuse of all stripes. A field that generally prides itself on the recognition of a universal human dignity is increasingly exposed for not practicing what it preaches in its own house. 
And so we now have a situation wherein increasingly divergent approaches to scholarship, activism, and, like, being a person are being smashed together inside a single, increasingly loud and crowded tent. Some people have embraced reflexive, literary approaches, blending anthropological questions and sensibilities with poetic and narrative techniques. Some people (such as the founders of the illustrious and scandal-embroiled journal Hau) maintain that we need to return to the roots of empirical ethnography. Some people remain invested in difference as the driver of ethnographic insight, while others have turned towards approaches that prioritize collaborative investment in one’s own community. Some people have questioned how we construct the boundaries of the human, and embraced anthropologies of other species, interspecies relationships, ecological systems, built environments, and constructed objects. Some people want to burn the canon and its thieving museums to the ground, while others seek to preserve and rehabilitate it. 
Tensions are mounting. People are defecting to other fields. Junior scholars are struggling to publish as reviewers seek to gatekeep their own personal ideal version of anthropology. The last American Anthropological Association meeting I went to felt downright hostile.
And you know! I’m fine with this. These are serious philosophical disagreements, and there is no reason to seek to resolve them just to maintain the integrity of what is ultimately - like every other academic discipline - a historically particular ontological exercise. The fruit of the enlightenment is rotting upon the vine. Why not let the Anthropocene spell the end of “the human”?
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shihalyfie · 4 years ago
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The differences between Takato and Haru
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(This meta was requested by @digitalgate02​, who also assisted me with a large portion of it. Thank you for your help!)
Takato and Haru often beg a lot of comparisons because of the fact they go so against the usual “brash hero” archetype common to not only Digimon but also shounen franchises in general, being significantly more mild-mannered (on a language level, they’re also the only Digimon protagonists to date who use the more polite boku first-person pronoun instead of the more assertive ore). Haru himself even points out in Appmon’s very first episode that this kind of personality would normally be more suited towards a side character than a protagonist!
Because of that, Haru is often considered to be a spiritual rehashing of Takato, and many have tried to make close parallels between the two, but while the desire to make comparison is naturally understandable, the truth is that beyond surface temperament, the two characters actually have very little in common. In fact, both Tamers and Appmon take rather different approaches to their definitions of a “conventional hero”, and that results in both Takato and Haru having very different roles in the plot.
In many cases, the role of a protagonist in a narrative has a deep relationship with what kind of narrative it is in the first place, and especially what kinds of themes it wants to present. For instance, in the case of 02, you could argue that the story is more “about” Ken than it is about Daisuke, since both major arcs in the story are about his fall and reformation, but when you consider the major themes present in 02′s narrative about purpose in life and pragmatism, Daisuke’s way of life and overall attitude are vital elements in relation to them, and it’s why he ends up being the “protagonist” (or, more accurately, the character at the forefront of the story) despite Ken’s heavier connection to it.
Tamers and Appmon have a number of similarities in storytelling, mainly that they’re both “hard sci-fi” stories in comparison to other entries that have stronger fantasy elements, and do have a certain amount of crossover in terms of dealing with AI-related topics. However, the actual “nature” of each work ultimately turns out to be different, and thus impacts how each of their protagonists is presented.
I heavily dislike calling Tamers a “deconstruction” of the monster collecting genre or of Digimon Adventure, mainly because of how much that term has been exploited to stereotype works in a genre as being things they’re not, or less nuanced than they actually are (as one Twitter user aptly put it: “a deconstruction is when I like something in a genre I disrespect”). I absolutely do not care for the idea of claiming that Adventure or 02 were somehow less nuanced or “deep” than Tamers just because they were more idealistic or more subtle about it, because they sure as hell had a lot of deeper things hidden between the lines if you bother to look out for them, and I also don’t like the implication that Tamers exists to criticize Adventure for supposedly being too naive. It is true, however, that Tamers re-examines a lot of Adventure (and 02)’s concepts in a different context; while Tamers isn’t as strong of a theme narrative, and it’s much more difficult to say there's an overarching message that encompass most or all of the series as much, it does indulge in a lot of thought experiments and smaller subplots that wouldn’t be possible in Adventure, and Takato thus has an important position in facilitating those kinds of thought experiments. The overall franchise metaphors of “growing” (evolving) alongside your Digimon (or, at least, something different from you) and the symbolism associated with it are still more than present, so the Tamers way of showcasing it is in mainly presenting the question of how that kind of goal would even be achievable in the first place when things aren’t as clear-cut.
In particular, Takato serves to address how someone who doesn’t fulfill the typical protagonist mold would cope with situations that somewhat resemble those in Adventure, what would happen when a Digimon partner is fundamentally different from oneself, and how one would still be able to grow alongside such an existence. Thus, his own character arc is more relevant to his own personal growth in accordance with interacting with Guilmon and what he gets out of his journey. This is especially because one thing particularly unique to Tamers is how it portrays Digimon as significantly more feral and different in mentality to humans, which means that he had a much higher personal hurdle to begin with, and thus his personal story and what he gets out of it becomes of significantly more importance.
Appmon, on the other hand, very much is an overarching theme narrative and isn’t exactly subtle about it, with one of its biggest questions being about what’s important in a world that’s getting increasingly controlled and regulated by modern technology that’s getting more and more intelligent. Haru is thus the embodiment of Appmon’s answer to that question: “to choose to be kind” -- and the less-than-subtle invocation of the word “protagonist” ends up having a very different meaning invoked in its final episode.
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At the very least, on top of both being rather unconventional protagonists, both Tamers and Appmon do start with Takato and Haru both expressing a desire to be more like one who could go on some kind of adventure (Takato’s version isn’t as verbal, but his way of enthusiastically putting on goggles as proof that he’s a Tamer in Tamers episode 2 carries heavy implications of wanting to emulate the heroes he saw on TV).
However, this is where we get our first difference: Takato proudly claims his newfound status as the series protagonist, whereas Haru is unsure and self-conscious about it -- Haru himself is the one who initially considers himself not cut out for the role despite Yuujin personally believing he does and Gatchmon trying to urge him into it. And, in fact, this is actually the difference that kicks off where their paths entirely diverge.
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Takato is often said to be unconventional for a protagonist, but when you really think about it, it’s not like Taichi or Daisuke were exactly models of typical protagonist tropes; while you could call them “hot-blooded”, in the end, Taichi’s standout traits have more to do with natural charisma and sometimes even being too chill, and Daisuke, for all he seems assertive, is actually extremely deferential. So why is Takato still such a standout in comparison?
Well, when you look at the detailed profiles of all twelve of the main Adventure and 02 cast, you might notice something: all of them are naturally selfless people who put others before themselves without a second thought. On the other hand, when you look at Takato, you might realize that this is very much not the case, especially during the early parts of the series. As much as Takato is a “soft” person, he’s not necessarily very “kind” or “nice”, especially during the early parts of the series; he can get possessive or clingy, petty, or even a little arrogant (Tamers episode 11 basically has him go on a mini-power trip based on his card combo having worked so well in the prior episode, which ends up becoming part of his isolation from Hirokazu and Kenta in the following one). Moreover, Takato loses his emotional composure and becomes a crying mess as early as Tamers episode 2, and while it’s not like other characters in Adventure and 02 hadn’t been prone to emotional outbursts, combine it with the above facts and you get the take-home that Takato isn’t “soft” out of an active choice to be so as much as he’s just really, really lacking in emotional mettle to begin with.
To be fair to him, Takato has to deal with quite a bit more stress during the early parts of Tamers than Haru has to during the equivalent parts; having to deal with a Digimon partner that’s outright feral at times and doesn’t have a fully intelligent understanding of how to communicate is a pretty rough thing to start off with. That said, Takato is fairly cowardly even in situations that don’t necessarily have to do with this, it’s just that this makes it worse -- but it means a lot that Takato himself is willing to put in that much effort in bonding with Guilmon despite being initially intimidated by what he’d just created, and that perhaps is what’s the beginnings of how he continues to develop that strength of heart for the rest of the series (and also extends to how he’s the one who connects with Grani).
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This is in contrast to how Haru is described by Yuujin at the end of Appmon episode 1, in which Yuujin states that Haru is already cut out to be a protagonist because he’s a kind person -- in other words, Takato is someone who is not cut out to be a protagonist of any kind of adventure at the start of Tamers, even though he thinks he now gets the luxury of being one due to the circumstances he’s thrust into, whereas Haru is already someone with the potential to be one even at the start of the series, but initially lacks the self-confidence to consider himself able to be so. Thus, Takato’s character arc involves having to actually grow into someone worthy of the position, whereas Haru’s involves coming to terms with the aspects of himself he already has but doesn’t quite understand yet.
One very important thing to reiterate is that “unconventional” does not necessarily mean “better” by default, and, on the flip side, just because Takato isn’t as virtuous of a person at the beginning doesn’t mean he’s a worse character (after all, these kinds of things are what makes one interesting). Rather, it’s more important to consider why these characters are this way based on the context of the narratives they’re in.
In the case of the Adventure/02 kids, getting twelve naturally kind kids wasn’t exactly accident, nor was Haru and the other Appli Drivers also being that way; said kids have a bit of selection bias in that they were deliberately chosen by various entities (”the one who wishes for stability” and the Agents, the Holy Beasts, or Minerva) knowing that a massive world- or humanity-threatening crisis was on the horizon and quite understandably picking kids who had the greatest potential for the kindness that shouldering the world’s burdens would take (in Adventure and 02 this manifested in having the kids resonate with Crests and Digimentals that represented virtues, and in Appmon this involved Minerva actively testing them). After all, it’s only natural that anyone with the chance to recruit people to help with a monumental task would ideally go out of their way to pick people who seem best suited for the job, whether it’s something as grand as fantasy chosen hero picking or something as simple as job recruitment. But at the beginning of Tamers, none of the involved parties were really aware of any kind of grand, looming threats on the horizon, and whatever the DigiGnomes were thinking (or not thinking) when giving Takato his D-Ark is arcane to us all, and so Takato ended up becoming a Tamer by functional accident, resulting him starting off very poorly equipped for the job and having to learn how to do it on the fly.
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This also means that the “motives” Takato and Haru have for taking action at the beginning of the series are accordingly different. Because any concept of “stakes” was not immediately apparent at the start of Tamers, Takato’s motivations for being a Tamer are more self-centered and selfish than Haru’s are for being an Appli Driver at the start of their respective series.
Takato’s motives at the beginning of Tamers really just revolve around “I want to be able to play with Guilmon more and not lose him,” and there’s no indication at said beginning that he’s really prepared for or even understands the part about having to protect others from harm. That doesn’t mean that Takato’s a selfish person to the extent of not caring about others at all -- in fact, by the time of Tamers episode 15, he demonstrates an understanding that they’re not playing a “game” anymore when things get difficult (and even puts his foot down in front of the other kids for it, a huge improvement from his rather cowardly outlook at the beginning of the series), so the issue largely had to do with the fact that the early parts of Tamers didn’t immediately make such high stakes clear, and Takato himself was thus in a situation of not worrying about others because that necessity wasn’t there yet. But even in the same episode, Takato still has a clear motive of wanting to show off his cool Digimon partner to the others and bask in his “status” as a Tamer, and it’s still a huge contrast to Haru who was initially too humble to accept his role as part of such a larger narrative until his desire to “protect everyone” won out. It’s a big deal that Haru understood the stakes that would be involved in the fight against Leviathan from day one, and actively chose to opt in because of his selflessness.
Another major reason for this difference is that Haru has a certain character trait explicitly ascribed to him that isn’t with Takato: Haru enjoys reading books and is actually rather book-smart and intellectual. On a certain technicality, Takato being characterized as not particularly skilled in that department actually brings him a little closer to the conventional shounen protagonist archetype than it does a “bookish” character like Haru, because such a character is often considered too nerdy for the protagonist position -- but in Haru’s case, the fact he’s actively thoughtful and ruminates on things means that he spends a lot of time thinking about “what’s the right thing to do” in a given situation.
For all it’s worth, I really hope that the above won’t be taken as an implication that Takato is a fundamentally bad person for having more selfish immediate priorities than Haru or the Adventure/02 kids do; having to carry the weight of such a large thing is a huge thing to ask of someone, especially when we’re talking about someone who kind of got thrown into this whole mess and has been spending the entirety of this series trying to figure it all out without a lot of reliable sources of help. On top of that, it should also be noted that Takato is ten; if there’s anything that can be said to be not entirely true-to-life with the Adventure and 02 cast personalities, it’s that a lot of the emotional awareness and levelheadedness they exhibit usually come from people much older than 8-12 (it’s one of the “acceptable breaks from reality” employed in kids’ shows that kid protagonists are often a tad bit more mature than actual kids would be at that age, otherwise a lot of said kids’ show plots wouldn’t function), and real ten-year-olds in Takato’s situation would often have more difficulty knowing what to do with such great burdens at this age. It’s actually fairly significant that Haru is 13 and from a group composed mainly of middle schoolers, in contrast to the older series having elementary school kids (the youngest Appli Driver, Astra, is actually the same age as a classic Digimon series protagonist), and thus it’s probably not surprising that they’re more willing and able to deal with such huge issues much earlier on.
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Thus, although Takato’s character arc does involve him slowly growing into the role of becoming less shallow and selfish, and becoming more truly assertive while he’s at it, this fundamental difference in their natures ends up continuing to have a major influence by the time of the later parts of the series. The difference can be most starkly illustrated in Tamers episode 35 versus Appmon episode 41 -- in which Takato, upon seeing Beelzebumon kill Leomon, is utterly consumed by his emotions and decides that the best course of action to take would be killing Beelzebumon in revenge, even though this won’t bring Leomon back or accomplish anything productive (and, indeed, it does make things worse in the form of driving his own partner over the edge and traumatizing Juri further). (Adventure had already warned that prioritizing “revenge” over “protecting others” is foolhardy and tends to cause a lot of really nasty problems.)
In contrast, one thing you might notice about Haru is that he never “denies anyone’s feelings”, even when confronting someone like Knight. You could argue that Haru wasn’t necessarily dealing with direct trauma in front of him, but recall that Knight had caused tons of grief and misery for many (something Haru takes serious offense at) and had, along with Charismon, gotten very close to permakilling all of the Buddy Appmon at one point back in Appmon episode 37 -- so it’s not like Haru doesn’t have reason to have grudge against Knight, even if the severity isn’t as immediate. Note that Haru doesn’t “both-sides” this issue; he still insists on making his own case, it’s just that he still doesn’t have it in him to not acknowledge that Knight has a good reason for making the case he does given his background, consider his words to an extent, and fight against the idea of having Knight be killed for no good reason. Haru has a very strong belief in “thinking with one’s heart” and “respecting feelings” that he'd exhibited through the entire series (for example, very prominently in Appmon episode 12 with Rei), and because of that he has a ton of emotional control over himself even taking some very harsh things. It’s clear that Haru does have very deep understanding of what he’s dealing with -- and chooses to be idealistic and kind anyway.
(In addition, because Haru is so naturally inclined to be selfless, the one time he really does hit an emotional low in Appmon episode 49, it’s not anger or lashing out at anyone, but rather sadness and despair. Haru just really does not have the fundamental capacity to be aggressive.)
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As said before, Takato’s character arc is very much a personal story of how he grew into the role of a Tamer, via learning to fight for what’s important and have a strong heart for it. As a result, his motives for fighting end up still having a much more personal streak to it than anything -- at the time of Tamers episode 49, technically speaking, the Wild Bunch was still being counted on to work on the D-Reaper problem, and his own family was urging him to stay home for now, but what tipped him over the edge was not some desire to protect people as a whole but rather the fact that Juri was calling for him. It’s not to say that such a thing is selfish -- he’s clearly doing it for her sake, not anything to do with his own -- but nevertheless his involvement was directly related to something that hit a little more personally moreso than it was for the sake of the wider picture.
As said before, this is fitting for someone whose story is really more of a personal character arc before anything else; the significance is more in line with the sheer amount of emotional growth Takato had to go through in order to get to this point at all, and how someone normally so divorced from the concept of heroism could come to do something so meaningful, especially thanks to his interactions with Guilmon and growing alongside him. There’s absolutely no doubt that Takato wouldn’t have been able to do this kind of thing at the beginning of the series, so it’s a huge accomplishment that shouldn’t be watered down. It also makes him a very good foil to the D-Reaper, an emotionless program that’s still fixated on rehashing the same destructive purpose it was originally created for years ago and has long lost its purpose, and while Takato isn’t technically the sole factor in putting it to rest (at most, the most valuable asset as part of the Wild Bunch’s plan), the contrast is quite apparent.
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On the flip side, Appmon episode 54 not only involves the exact opposite -- in which Haru sacrifices something closely personal to him for the sake of everything else -- but also ties it very closely to its own series themes, which are assertively laid down in all of their glory during this finale. The reason Haru had been “chosen” by Minerva to begin with, and the reason he himself had been given an opt-in “choice” at the beginning of the series and again in Appmon episode 38, and so many other characters had been given “choices”, is that this story is about choices -- because Leviathan (and Knight, and any kind of “AI should manage everything” argument that this series fights hard against) believes that humans shouldn’t be allowed them, and that everything ought to fall in accordance with a “rational” system. Haru, on the other hand, believes in the human heart that can do unexpected things, and his constant choices to do things out of kindness despite understanding what they entail.
Over the course of the series, Haru hadn’t always been putting himself in a spotlight situation -- in fact, many episodes had involved him saying “we’ll support you!” and generally uplifting others before he’d ever tried to take charge. But in the end, the reason he ends up as the “protagonist” who makes the final choice for everyone’s sake is because he’s the one who understands that gravity of “making a choice with one’s feelings” that’s so vital to changing Leviathan’s mind -- plus, the fact he’d been so supportive and kind to everyone means that everyone else shows up for him when he needs it most. Note that when Astra and Eri are upset at Yuujin in Appmon episodes 48 and 51, it’s not so much out of the overall betrayal as much as the fact he specifically betrayed and hurt Haru, because that’s how much they’ve come to care for him in return.
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Hence, why Appmon latently ends on a frame of redefining the concept of “protagonist” -- certainly, on a meta level, Haru became the “protagonist” of the narrative that is Appmon, but what it actually means in terms of what Haru became is that everyone, including the members of the audience watching this series, is “the protagonist of their own life”, meaning that being a “protagonist” is defined merely by said act of “making choices” and defining what your own path will be. And especially in a world where singularity is going to become more and more of a real possibility -- as the show indirectly reminds us, AI surpassing human intellect is something that’s been predicted and warned about in this very world we, the viewers, live in -- understanding this is going to become even more important.
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Incidentally, in the end, as much as it might be tempting to try and draw parallels with Takato because both of them are in the franchise-mandated position of “protagonist”, removing that requirement actually brings up a character that might make a much closer parallel -- “making choices that are out of kindness” easily directly invokes a certain other character from 02 who had “kindness” as a huge part of his character arc, doesn’t it...?
Really, if you think about it, Haru has a lot in common with Ken, who’s also thoughtful, intellectual, very in touch with his own feelings, assertive, resilient, strong in heart, and kind out of choice even when he doesn’t have to be -- you could basically say Haru is what Ken would be like if he hadn’t gone through such a massive formative event of trauma early in his life, or, alternatively, Ken if he had a bit more of Daisuke’s more outwardly bright, friendly, and supportive traits. It may not be a comparison you’d be easily tempted to make because, as stated above, as much as Ken had a deep connection with 02′s plot, he’s not portrayed as the protagonist of his own narrative...and, hence, Haru is unusual in that the exact archetype that was formerly placed in the role of the series deuteragonist has now been recast in the role of the protagonist itself. But then again, from Haru’s perspective, it’s not like Ken wasn’t technically the driving force of his own story, right?
(I’m not just drawing this comparison because I usually blog for 02. I promise.)
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scripttorture · 4 years ago
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In what instances would ICURE fail to change someone's beliefs? Would access to outside information or (not very good at their jobs) guards discussing events without tact help someone realise something fishy was going on?
Very broad question without clear, satisfying answers Anon.
 Basically: there is no guaranteed way to change a person’s mind. There are strategies we know can’t work. But everything that has a chance of success also has a chance of failure. And it isn’t a clear cut thing that I can give you a clean list of factors for.
 Humans are difficult creatures to study because they come with a lot of inbuilt confounding factors and individual variation. This makes it very difficult to identify clear reasons why something didn’t work. Because we have to assume that multiple factors are at work and the interaction of those factors may be as important as each factor individually.
 Even if you write your villains performing ICURE ‘perfectly’ there is still a chance of failure. And therefore it is realistic for you to decide it fails for this character.
 We can’t really study which ‘bits’ of ICURE are most effective. Partly because of that little thing called ethics but partly because setting up a study would be incredibly difficult. It’s hard enough to measure belief. Finding a large enough sample size, controlling for every possible confounding factor or variable and studying people for the years it would take to get any answers… It’s a big ask. It’s probably never going to happen.
 So with the caveat that we can’t tell if any of the parts of ICURE are more important let’s talk about how they can break down.
 ICURE, for everyone who hasn’t heard me talk about it before, is a set of techniques which can (sometimes) be used to manipulate a person into changing their views. They take months or years to have any real effect and as mentioned they’re not always successful.
 The acronym stands for Isolate, Control information, create Uncertainty, Repetition and Emotive responses. And if you’re writing a story where villains are trying to apply this but not doing it well it can break down at literally any one of these points.
 I would say based on what I’ve read that different groups focus more heavily on different aspects depending on their setting and strategy. Groups that are straight up kidnapping or imprisoning people often seem to focus more heavily on isolation and controlling information but often fall down on the other three. Whereas the impression I get of cults and some extremist political groups is that they focus more on creating uncertainty and emotive responses, which they can then use to further isolate members from family and friends.
 Controlling information is a common place for ICURE to break down nowadays. The rise of the internet and the decreasing size of devices has made it easier for victims to access unauthorised sources even when imprisoned.
 But repetition is also a very common place for ICURE to break down because in large groups not every individual is going to follow the same script perfectly. Group members can also undermine ICURE by lashing out, physically or verbally, driving their target away.
 Creating uncertainty doesn’t always work. Sometimes victims straight up do not believe what they’re told. Some attempts to create uncertainty around core beliefs lead to a knee-jerk rejection of what’s being said. Sometimes targets know more about a given subject then the person trying to create uncertainty and as a result the attempt is absurdly obvious.
 Emotive responses are similarly… charged. Attempting to instil a sense of disgust or rejection of something an individual supports won’t always work. Over a long period of time it can. But I can think of a lot of cases where it has instead taught individuals to lie to the group, hide their beliefs or activities and served to drive them away from the group.
 Isolation is either difficult or easy depending on the context of the story. A character who is in a literal prison can easily be isolated from anyone but vetted individuals. A character who has been targetted by a cult, but is still going about normal day to day business, is a lot harder to isolate completely.
 Cults and extremist groups tend to rely on uncertainty, repetition and emotive responses because they know that if they can shift a target’s beliefs the target will isolate themselves.
 Let me give you an example to illustrate this. Imagine a country where there’s a big, culturally important celebration that involves eating candied orange peel and wearing red. Now imagine a cult within the country that rejects candy as sinful and wearing red as a sign of bad character.
 A character targetted by this cult might feel increasingly uncomfortable with this festival. May be at first they go with their friends and family, wear red but don’t eat the candied orange peel. May be the year after they decide not to go, missing a chance to spend time with their friends and family. May be a few years later their rejection of the festival is so deep they try to persuade their friends and family not to go.
 This leads to a big argument. They and their friends/family say things in the heat of the moment. Now all sides are upset and communication becomes harder.
 These kinds of patterns of behaviour lead to the target isolating themselves from friends and family, as their views become more extreme and drive away people who aren’t members of the cult.
 But crucially they can still choose to socialise with people outside of the cult. This will probably be met with social censure from the cult, making it difficult and painful. It is still possible. And outside friendships or activities can help a person to break free or resist ICURE techniques.
 All of this basically means you have a lot of options for your story because there are plenty of things you can weave in that would undermine ICURE.
 Your character is in prison, so breaking isolation is more difficult. But if the prison is overcrowded or there’s a sudden influx of people being transferred between facilities the character might end up with a… poor choice of cell mate from the guard’s perspective. Some one with beliefs radically opposed to the guards or someone who could support and shore up the character’s old beliefs.
 There may also be opportunities for covert communication and bonding within the prison. Perhaps prisoners can gather during breaks and have worked out a cant or code to talk about beliefs the guards are trying to stamp out.
 Control of information can break down because isolation has broken down, with prisoners trading information. It can also happen through the prisoner trading for a phone or a similar item allowing them to access forbidden information. Or it can happen through things like guards inadvertently giving out information.
 Uncertainty is difficult to create around core beliefs. The impression I get from anecdotal accounts is that pushing too hard at core beliefs too early often causes targets to withdraw from the people attempting ICURE. It can also lead to targets doubling down on their beliefs.
 People attempting ICURE can also mess up on creating uncertainty, as described above.
 Repetition can break down because guards don’t all do or say the same things consistently. They could contradict each other. Or they might just not repeat the same thing very often.
 Emotive responses can break down in much the same way creating uncertainty does. Not everyone responds emotionally to the same things or in the same way. Once again different guards can undermine the desired response. The character might dig in to their original position, they might withdraw from the people attempting ICURE. They might just learn to lie to them.
 I think as a writer the best approach to this is to use a mix of internal and external factors effecting multiple parts of ICURE. Just because I think that would create a better story.
 The readers can see the internal struggle and resistance in the character. They can also see the guards messing up and how that impacts the character. May be the importance of support from other people, fellow prisoners or cleaning staff or doctors or anyone else that fits with the setting.
 Basically including multiple elements will give you a more fleshed out story with more emotional depth and impact. That’s a good narrative reason to include it.
 I hope that helps. :)
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sleephyjhs · 4 years ago
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Sleeping Lions (Taehyung One-Shot)
pairing: dad!taehyung x pregnant!reader
genre: fluff ofc!! + family au (?)
summary: a quiet morning in the kim household was very much unheard of. a puppy, three small children and another on the way was constant cause for mayhem. when better to cause a raucous than an early sunday morning?
wc: 1.53K
song rec: stay here - gaho
note: i think this is my favourite thing i’ve ever written here, please enjoy!! <3
m.list | requested
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The eventual gush of tepid sunlight through a thin gap between the curtains was the worst part of every sunday morning. Striking across your aching eyelids, the light disrupted your peaceful slumber and forced you to acknowledge the impending sunrise. You took a brief moment to wriggle around in the imprint you’d moulded into the mattress; the arrangement of pregnancy support pillows sometimes gave you more aches than they eradicated.
On lazy sundays such as these, sitting up straight away was more effort than what it was worth. Taking the few minutes that were left before your shared bed would be surely invaded to embrace the chilliness of the sheets were essential. Beside you laid your husband Taehyung who, visibly, seemed much less accustomed to the early morning than you. Bound on your back by the angled pillows and the growing bump you carried, you instead rolled your head over to face him. Cheeks puffy from a good night’s rest, Taehyung scrubbed the sleepy residue from his squinting eyes.
“Morning sleepyhead...” you groaned, harnessing his attention. His hearty pout widened into a toothy smile at the sight of you. Since you were unable to, Tae curled onto his side and reached a hand out to your bump. Smoothing down the crinkled fabric of your cami, he took a few moments to greet his unborn baby before registering you were there also. With his thumb, he stroked the curve where the most kicking activity seemed to be. Sure enough, the direct caressing alerted your baby it was morning time.
Following her first few kicks of the day, Taehyung returned his extended smile back to your face, “She’s getting stronger every week, you know.”
“Oh I know.” Out of all your children, this one definitely packed the strongest punch. Despite your bump being designed to protect her, her main goal was seemingly to escape, “One day she might just kick a whole right through.”
Taehyung chuckled at your prediction, adoring your sly smile that accompanied it. He took a small breath, evaluating which gentle statements were acceptable for so early in the morning, “At least we’d get to meet her a lot sooner.”
For an unborn child, she sure was already loved; beyond adored. Not a single baby of his wasn’t. All of the children you shared seemed to latch onto him differently to you. Being outnumbered by 3 kids to one adult, one might have thought Taehyung would struggle to divide his attention equally between them. Yet somehow, he always managed to make each one release their giggles. With a fourth on the way, it was beginning to look like you’d have to join in on some of their playtimes. Of course, there’d be no need to ask you twice.
“It’s not even two months to wait now! She’ll be here before we know it, Tae.” He chuckled at your sudden burst of enthusiasm. Usually such expression was reserved for later in the day yet for some reason, you couldn’t quite hold back.
Before any more reminders could be dished to one another, the still silence of your bedroom was ripples by a tuning bark. Taehyung turned back to look over the edge of the bed in disapproval of the columbus introduction, “Are you wanting to come up, Tannie? You feeling left out?”
A slight tilt of the head confirmed his suspicions. Without missing a beat, Taehyung offered his hand as a step up onto the mattress and soon enough, you were greeted with a daily lick to the cheek. Ruffling his flattened fur, you soon had Yeontan looking more like the majestic puppy he really was. The couple of you watched attentively as Yeontan approached the bump protruding from the mattress. Having a pet that reacted so gently to the welcoming of your children was more than a relief to you both, but neither of you ever failed to completely melt at the change of character he expressed when interacting with the smaller humans.
Seemingly uninterested in his surroundings, Yeontan stalker back up to the head of the mattress and snuggled between a small gap in the pillows (a spot generally reserved exclusively for him), “Still tired Tannie? I feel you.” Taehyung groaned groggily, making the final adjustments to waking up.
“Lazy day?” You asked. Taehyung opened one eye and furrowed the opposite eyebrow. It couldn’t have been more obvious that that was the plan anyway, “Lazy day it is!”
A few more blinks to really adjust to the light and you were ready to sit up a bit, “Can you just help me a second?” Before you could finish, Taehyung was already propped up on the bed, ready to roll onto his knees should the extra support be needed. Basic actions such as sitting up and climbing the stairs were becoming increasingly difficult with every passing day. Assuming that all the changes would be second nature by the fourth pregnancy was a regrettable mistake.
Huffing slightly as you scooted back into the pillow chair you’d recrafted for yourself, comfort was now yours, “Everything good?” Tae assured before realigning himself to match your new height.
Snapping the attention away from each other, the plain panel door to your shared bedroom sweeped open, revealing your second born, Jaehee, sucking his thumb, “What’s wrong little man?” Taehyung asked, leaning forward in order to comfort him, “You never suck your thumb.”
You pouted as Jaehee looked to you for assurance; something wasn’t right. Taehyung was observant. Thumb-sucking was a habit none of your children had really developed. However, it had its benefits at times; it was the perfect indicator of their mood, which was clear to both of you mattered more than most things, “You’re okay in here.”
Soft easings was how to approach your son. Nervous habits had become daily procedures with him and he rarely reacted well to direct approaches before. Taehyung patted the creased duvet, formally inviting Jaehee into your bedroom. Without any hesitation, he shuffled across the ivory carpets towards the foot of the bed. For the sake of your children, you’d previously purchased a small stepping stool for them to be able to climb in with you.
“Come here bub,” Taehyung cooed, wavering his hands to direct him over. Wobbling, Jaehee clambered over your outstretched legs and rushed into his dad’s arms where he collapsed into a cuddle, “wanna tell us what’s going on?”
“I missed you.” He muffled, head buried in Tae’s chest. Your heart could’ve melted right there and them. From the day you became parents, it had been your only goal to raise them with love and affection; seeing that your children had inherited the same love you showered them with was nothing short of a relief.
“We missed you too bud!” You replied, reaching out to tickle his side. His rowdy giggles curled him further into Tae’s chest, earning a bonus hair ruffle.
Just as the ripples of laughter began to settle down, the bedroom door edged open, instigated by a tiny hand, to reveal your two girls holding hands. Minju, the firstborn, clutched onto Somin, the most recent addition to the household. As the oldest child, it wasn’t uncommon for Minju to guide her siblings to where they needed to be. Perhaps the echoing giggles of their brother had guided them towards the main bedroom.
Suddenly, Somin yanked her hand from the grip of her sister and began to waddle towards the bed, “Tannie!”
Increasing in her speed, you couldn’t help but become worried. She still wasn’t the most stable on her two legs, and the last thing you needed was to search for the first aid box you’d slipped away somewhere, “Careful darling...” You warned, already holding out the arm to support her for when she climbed onto the bed.
Following behind, Minju shuffled across the carpet, clearly still not accustomed to the morning light. As Somin fussed over Yeontan, who remained curled between the pillows, Taehyung looked over to Minju, who was unusually quiet, “Everything okay?”
Minju nodded slowly, “Just sleepy!” Thankfully, the cheer in her high-pitched voice hadn’t dimmed overnight, “Mummy...”
“Yes~?” You smiles as she too clambered up the stepping stool at the foot of the bed. She crawled up the side of your legs and crouched at your hips. Her wavy baby hairs plastered against her cheeks; the best sign of a good night’s sleep.
“Is baby sister awake yet?” Minju asked innocently, gently holding her cheek against the curve of your bump. She was, by far, the most excited of your children, particularly after learning she’d have another sister. Being the most capable of understanding what was happening meant Minju frequently offered to help where you were less able. Taehyung had taught her to help make beds and organise shoes on the rack, and strangely enough she rather enjoyed it.
Flashing a quick smile to Taehyung, who watched his eldest daughter with softened eyes, “Well, if you feel around here,” you began, leading her hand slightly upwards, “she might give you a small kick to say hello!”
Along with Taehyung, you chuckled as her eyes illuminated. In all fairness, you too became just as excited whenever your precious cargo decided to say good morning.
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^ congratulations! your request is my most favourite post i’ve ever written 🥺 thank you for this!!
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fitzefitcher · 4 years ago
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honestly i've been seeing bastion as like a Buddhist-ish place with ancient greek aesthetics, bc letting go of your earthly attachments to be enlightened is pretty Buddhist. 'If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill the Buddha. If you meet your father, kill your father.', that kind of thing. i haven't thought of it as a Light place at all, though i can see why others do.
so there's. a lot of things I would like to cover in answering this, and I'm honestly dreading it a little lmao buuuuut I will do the best I can. I have a lot of thoughts about Bastion, and about the Light, so I'm going to take this as an opportunity to explore that. so: content warning for discussion of religion and religious trauma, esp in regards to identity erasure.
full disclosure: I'm an american queer that was raised roman catholic (specifically, roman catholic within the confines of a heavily irish-italian community) and currently identify more as like. an agnostic apostate, would be the closest thing to describe it, I think. generally, while I'm not really crazy about organized religion as a massive institution capable of doing absolutely wretched things to the people it alleges to helping (and by no means am suffering under the delusion that it hasn't and won't continue to do these things so long as oppressive systems of power are in place, just like it would be in any other area, not just religion), I also acknowledge that there's a lot of good in it, too, and it's the cornerstone of many people's community, culture, and identity. ultimately, my opinion is that religion is a tool, and whoever's holding that tool decides its purpose and intention. it's. a complicated matter lmao.
I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert on buddhism, here. obviously this was not the religion (or any of the many cultures its beliefs are centered in) I was raised as, and honestly even the research I've done for this feels like it's barely scratching the surface. so, rather than try and argue or explain something that is really out of the realm of what I'm familiar with or have experience with (esp. something that's not really mine to claim), I will try and explain things from my own experience as a queer AFAB person raised as roman catholic. and speaking from that perspective, it is very incredibly obvious to me how much of bastion was lifted from christian theology. not just the aesthetics of it, all of the weird identity conformity shit, too. the way that kyrian ideology is being used here, is as a tool to enforce this conformity.
same with how the Light as a concept has been developed in recent years- there are no longer any significant differences between the way individual factions use and interact with the light, even though as cultures their views on it should be radically different, or at least different enough that they don't feel like homogenized versions of each other. like, there's no real difference between how the humans view the Light, and how dwarves view the light, and how gnomes view the Light, and it doesn't really feel like there ever was. Nelves' view on it used to be characterized pretty strongly and differently, as did trolls and draenei, but the longer the years go on, the more that they sort of blend together. to get back to your statement, "I haven't thought of it as a Light place at all," I find that very difficult to parse as a statement, as Bastion as a whole has been developed from base concepts of the Light. Like, Kyrians were designed from spirit healers, spirit healers are now confirmed to be Kyrians (for some reason), and all of the aesthetics of their magic, their clothing, their environment are all heavily priest, paladin, and light-inspired. everything is golds and marbles and sky blues, when they become "corrupted," they suddenly become shadow-themed, like all greys and blacks and purples, their wings turn black, etc. but the similarities, and all their short-comings, go much farther than that.
so the general story thread of each area of the shadowlands in this expansion is that things aren't as they seem, right? that their individual systems are beginning to fall to internal corruption and are crumbling under their own weight. and we see this in each of the trailers- the houses of maldraxxus are starting to eat each other, ardenweald is slowly starving to death, revendreth's citizens are being choked with heavy demands from the aristocracy, and bastion is struggling to adjust in the face of new, unprecedented problems, unwilling to change their ways, even when it's explicitly obvious how badly they need to change. like, I've talked about this a little bit before- the trailer and the way it's structured led me to believe that we, the players, are meant to be hanging out with Devos and Uther, trying to help them convince Devos' boss that very obvious bad thing that's happening, is happening. And this is about how it goes for the other trailers- we learn about the betrayal of Draka's house in maldraxxus, and the maldraxxus storyline is centered on helping her figure out what happened and pick up the pieces. We learn about Ardenweald's rapidly shrinking resources and dying environment, and the ardenweald storyline is centered on figuring out what the cause of this famine is. We learn about Revendreth's aristocracy and how they're demanding more and more of the common people, and the revendreth storyline is centered on overthrowing the increasingly tyrannical cruelty of their current leaders and helping the common people, with the help of a leader favored by the common people. And I feel like, given the state of things, and how the IRL world as a whole has been going the past couple years, helping Devos and Uther get to the bottom of this, maybe even helping Bastion adjust and change in the face of these new challenges, would have been a very good, insightful storyline, and very appropriate for the times we're in.
This, clearly, is not what happened lmao. Whether or not they'll decide to develop bastion further, at least in terms of addressing its failings with its own people, is up for debate, but based on WoW's previous history of similar stories, I'm not very confident lmao.
so I will touch on that statement of bastion being a "buddhist-like place" for a moment, I did look into buddhism a bit, and while I very quickly realized that there wasn't really a way that I could discuss this at length in a way that's fair (esp. with how many variations and cultures there are centered around it, again, I am not an expert, I am doing the best I can with the information I have), the very very bare bones basics of buddhism that I can find more or less boil down to, yes, letting go of earthly attachments to attain enlightenment. but this is not really a nuanced assessment of buddhism, and tbh, isn't really the goal of the kyrians' purification rituals. sure, at first glance, it seems to line up- shedding the burdens of their mortal lives in order to achieve ascension- but ascension here, is not enlightenment. buddhist enlightenment, from what I can find, seems to be the act of breaking free from the cycle of death and rebirth and from mortal suffering. kyrian ascension is the act of, not breaking free of that cycle, but tying yourself to it for an eternity of service. and living your life (even  an eternal one- especially an eternal one) in the service of others is a really strongly christian concept. and the kyrian's concept of virtues only strengthens this. the fact that kyrians have virtues at all is heavily christian-coded, and on top of that, the virtues they have feel like they've been lifted directly from christian beliefs. also like. they're literal fucking angels, trying to earn their wings. like. there's not much else I can think of that's that heavy-handed lmao.
let's talk more about those virtues, though.
the kyrian virtues are as follows: purity, humility, courage, wisdom, and loyalty. There are a number of variations on christian virtues, but here are two of the main sets: one set lines up as the ideological opposite to the seven capital sins (or seven deadly sins if you're an FMA fan lmao), and the other is more-or-less what is accepted in contemporary belief. This is what I was taught in sunday school/CCD, so this is what I'm a little more familiar with.
so set 1, the heavenly virtues, are: chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility, and set 2, the contemporary virtues, are split further into 2 groups: the cardinal virtues, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, and the theological virtues, charity, hope, and faith.
So humility, courage, and wisdom, are pretty straight-forward in terms of what they represent, and line up pretty neatly with humility (lol) from the heavenly virtues, and fortitude and prudence from the contemporary virtues. To touch on those briefly, humility is exactly what it says on the tin, and acts as an ideological opposite to the capital sin of pride, fortitude is bravery and endurance as well as patience, and prudence is reason and self-discipline, esp in terms of handling yourself and how you interact with others. And these are perfectly fine as principles. the ones that set off alarm bells for me, though, are loyalty and purity.
as kyrian virtues, they don't really line up to any christian virtues from either set. but tbh, this is beside the point- the fact that purity and loyalty are considered virtues, at all, especially in combination with each other, at best feel very suspicious, and at worst openly hostile. and the way this is covered in game only enforces this. purity is only obtained by sloughing off pieces of yourself that the kyrians consider obstructive to your ascension and how you can serve the Purpose, and questioning this or any other aspect of their ascension ritual gets you sent to the temple of loyalty to, ostensibly, stay there until you Get Your Priorities Straightened Out lmao. Like, there's no exploration of why these purity rituals are being questioned to begin with, there's no examination of why the rituals are necessary to begin with, and seemingly, prospective kyrians are punished for even asking. like, for a faction that seemingly prides itself on helping their members becoming their best selves, it feels strange that the reaction to their unsure members is punitive instead of therapeutic.
at this point, the link between the kyrians' beliefs and christianity should be readily apparent. it's no secret that over the centuries, christianity has used as a tool for oppressive systems to dominate marginalized groups, both within its ingroup and without. "purity" in christianity is less a virtue and more a heavily enforced, wildly contradictory idea, hiding itself in mealy-mouthed platitudes about being a Good Person or Becoming Your Best Self while simultaneously, stringently punishing its own members for daring to step a toe out of an extremely arbitrary line. like, I remember going to church growing up, and in the same breath that the head priest said to pray for various members of the community (thoughts and prayers, lmao), pray for [insert local sports team here] to win for their upcoming game, he also said that yes, democrats are corrupting the country. yes, homosexuals are going to hell. mass was an exercise in enduring misery most of the time, and a big reason I stayed closeted from my family for the majority of my life is because of this, and I still am, in many ways. I still have to divvy myself up in bits and pieces to become Socially Acceptable enough to appease my extended family, and there are certain family members that I will go to my grave never having come out to them, because I know they will never accept me for who I am, truly. so to have purity be a kyrian virtue with no further examination, no trace of irony, and to have loyalty as a virtue to back it up, feels, at best, extremely tone-deaf.
when you quest alongside kleia and pelagos, you see these purity rituals, and you see how large a toll they take on them. you see pelagos struggle, and you as the player help him overcome the difficulties he faces- difficulties he could not overcome himself. you see kleia, over time, becoming more and more disgruntled with bastion's governing body as a whole, and finding more and more cracks in the kyrians' concept of purity. but no lessons are learned, from either of these. nothing is examined further, and I have doubts that it ever will.
you, the player, see other kyrians, who previously were orcs, tauren, trolls, draenei, all these non-humans, being stripped of their identity, ostensibly for the reason that it will make them more just and fair a judge, a concept that rapidly falls apart the longer you look at it. the idea of all these sentient creatures from all these walks of life, particularly the ones heavily coded as BIPOC, are to be stripped of their cultural identity and made into Homogenous Standard (white-coded) Blue Human is so intrinsically malicious that it is genuinely baffling that it was even seriously considered as an idea, let alone greenlit and put into the game. prospective mortals are scouted to be kyrians theoretically for the lives they lived in service of others, in justice and kindness and wisdom, and then they are made to give up more and more pieces of those lives, rendering whatever they've learned, whatever experiences they've gained, that made them this person that the kyrians sought out in the first place, an utterly pointless and redundant endeavor. things like kindness, wisdom, courage, are not inherent qualities. They are things that have to be learned. They are things in which the context of them is paramount to how they will be measured. So to say that it is Necessary to do this, to make them Fairer, to make them More Just, feels both stunningly nonsensical and just pointlessly, nihilistically mean.
so what does this have to do with the Light?
well, in recent years, it seems to be steering more and more towards the idea that only correct religion within WoW is the Light, and there's only One Way to be Light. Early on in WoW's development, it was established that yeah, shadow has a bit of a reputation and can certainly be misused, but nobody's arguing that the Light can be misused, too, and that neither shadow nor light are inherently good nor inherently evil- they just Are, and each serve their own purpose in this world and its way of things. I had written a post about this like. several years ago, and a lot of it hasn't aged very well (I will not link to it bc woof, it was Pretty Rough to look at again after seven years lmao), but the gist of it was that Light and Shadow, are less like good and evil, and more like the Force from star wars. Well, a more nuanced force- again, Light is not Strictly Good, Shadow is not Strictly Evil. They are merely opposite sides of the same spectrum, but they are not inherently antithetical to each other. It was less a religion/belief system with an established deity, and more just reverence for the universe and its workings as a whole. Yes, it has the markers and drapings of christianity, particularly in its aesthetics, but the actual belief system didn't really lift anything from any particular christian belief system, and didn't really match up to any one of them, besides, again, the aesthetic of it. The Light now, however- now it does have a lot in common with christian beliefs. or at least, it and the church of the light have a lot in common with the mentality of those with strong christian beliefs. Which is to say, again, there is only one Correct Religion, and it's Light, and there's only One Correct Way to be Light. other religions within wow are either condemned, painted as savage, violent, heretical, or watered down so much that they either don't matter or function as mere Extensions to the light.
last summer, when I was reading the "before the storm" novel as research for my sylvanas essay, one of the many, many things that made it a difficult read was how like. unintentionally, thoughtlessly intolerant Golden had written it. Anduin, one of the main characters in it, despite having a history of kindness, compassion, curiosity, and understanding, is kind of shunted into being a 1-dimensional Good Christian Boy(tm). Like, he struggles with interacting with the forsaken, despite them having been in existence for over a decade at this point, and more than half his lifetime, and despite having dealt with them before, and orcs, and tauren, and a great number of other non-human creatures, while still treating them with grace and dignity, and respecting their perspectives, experiences, and beliefs. like, he's painted as thinking that the netherlight temple would be an alliance-only, church of the holy light only affair, and is really surprised, even stunned, at the thought of having to interact with non-alliance, non-light priests. and something that really really stuck with me while reading this, was that Anduin, this compassionate, intelligent, understanding person, could only learn to interact with priests of other factions and species, despite having already done this before, many, many times in his life, on the basis that They, Too, Are Servants Of The Light. and there's just. no examination in this. no irony. Light is Right, Others are Not. No lessons were learned.
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Yandere! Minos Griffon: Head-cannons.
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I’ve been wanting to do head-cannon’s for Minos for quite a while now, but the problem was I didn’t want to rush it and just spew out a bunch of head-cannons; because I didn’t think they’d be that great if I did that; but I watched the episode’s he was in again and with them in mind, I decided to write these. 
I hope you all enjoy these because I really love this series, The Lost Canvas specifically and I deeply believe that the characters in the anime, like Minos and, most especially, Alone, are not given enough attention. Plus I thought this would be a cool way for me to get back into writing since I haven’t written anything on here for a while. ^~^ 
Anyway, Please enjoy. ^~^ 
Warning: Due to the mentions of possibly adult subjects and dark and possibly triggering theme’s, this post is ONLY for those over the age of 18 only and not easily triggered. Minors please do not interact or read. Thank you. 
“ Entertain me won’t you? My beautiful puppet. “ 
As a judge of hell, Minos, the most sadistic and cruel of the three judges is one who delights in chaos simply because it brings entertainment for him--something that he has found increasingly difficult to find among his long life and otherwise boring duties as a Judge Of Hell-- but none more so than seeing someone or a multiple someone’s dance on the end of his cosmic strings to escape, no matter how futile that attempt may be. This only makes it all the more unfortunate for you when you happen to catch his attention, but it’s also something that at first inwardly shocks him when he finds himself interested and intrigued by a human, much less one without a cosmo.
Upon noticing this Minos will find it little more than laughable and you a passing interest who happened to catch his eye by chance when you, instead of cowering and begging for your life like the other humans, when your home was destroyed, instead stood up against him with defiance and resolve burning in your hues, how your lips curled up into a defiant snarl while you glared up at him with little intimidation and fear, regardless of how you knew he could easily kill you if he wished, despite your friends and family avidly advising you against it, something that was quickly met by anger by his men, who, outraged by your insulant tongue, quickly began moving towards you with the intent of silencing you. 
As much as he knows he should’ve simply allowed his men to kill you, he doesn’t and instead, with command clear and obvious in his voice, speaks against it, all while his gaze remains on you, his expression tinged with intrigue. Not giving any response to the confusion and surprise this causes in his men, Minos, silver eyes never leaving your face, approaches you, stopping only when he is standing directly in front of you. Primitively doing this as a test of sorts to see whether or not your courage and bravado would wither away once he stood before you, his intrigue only grows when it doesn’t, causing his eyes to narrow in amusement. Reaching out a hand of his, he takes a firm hold of your jaw amidst his cool, surplus clad hand and once he does, it’s only then that he sees the smallest hint of fear, by way he could feel your pulse quicken regardless of how that glare of defiance did not leave your eyes.
It’s then, while looking into your eyes and watching for any change of emotion, and listening to any change of pattern in your heart, like a griffon observing it’s next meal, that he comes to a decision: He won’t kill you. No. Destroying you would be too much of a waste, it would be too boring, instead, he’ll toy with you, play with you and see just how long it can take him to get fear to shine in those eyes of yours; until you're begging him for death. While he continues to hold your jaw in his grip, his lips curl into an anticipated smirk and before you can ask what he finds so amusing, his invisible strings are already wrapping themselves around your body, leaving you stunned for a long moment, due to knowing what that meant before your eyes shift back to that glare. The smirk remains, cruel and sadistic before his gaze returns to the people who had survived the onslaught he and his men had done, causing the town to be near rubble and when his gaze lands on one of your family members in particular, before glancing back at you, despite your best attempts to hide it, fear, more so for them, comes to you quickly, causing you to throw curses at him demanding he leaves them alone, to which he responds, the smirk still not leaving his expression and instead only growing as sadistic amusement dances on his tongue.
“ Whether I allow them to live or not is entirely up to you. Come with me like a good little doll, unless you want to watch as I break your friends and family right in front of you. “
It’s an amusement that only seems to be elongated upon noticing the way you deflate inside at hearing your family and friends beg the judge not to take you, including the ones who had shown courage and glares along with you but it’s a decision that you’ve already made, to keep them alive, despite how much you loathe the very idea. 
So beings your new ‘life’ although it is hardly what one would call life, stripped of your friends, your loved ones and your freedom, although Minos keeps you well-fed to keep his doll from death, the room that you are kept in at first is more so a dungeon than an actual room. Ensuring the comfort of a human is very low on the griffon's priorities after all and for a long while your sleeping arrangements will involve you sleeping on the cold floor with only your body heat to keep you warm at night. The most freedom you have is going to the toilet and bathing in the bathroom connected to your cell-like room and eating when he delivers you your food; anything else is off-limits to you to ensure no chance of escaping; and if you do try and escape, his punishments are cruel. One's which involve denying you clothes, or food until you beg him on your knees. Why he does this is simple, or at least, in his mind, as it’s to ensure you learn and accept your place as his doll and he, your master, one who gives you what you need to survive and can deprive you of them if you do not behave, it is all very dehumanizing, but a strategy that Minos believes essential, for his dear little puppet to learn proper obedience and it’s a method that slowly but surely works as, despite how much you tried to escape, defy and go against his wishes, the denial of basic human necessities atop of everything else quickly begins to eat away at your senses.
If he believes it necessary, Minos will not hesitate to break one or several of your bones with his Cosmic Marination, mostly to prove to you how powerless you are against him, or to escape him, before having those same bones mended and healed while you are unconscious, most likely due to having passed out due to the agonizing pain of the several broken bones. For a long while, Minos will purposely play and toy with you, giving you small tidbits of hope at escape, only to destroy them and then punish you for being foolish enough to believe such a thing. That this punishment is your fault. 
Yet despite how he enjoys knowing that he’s slowly breaking you down, a large part of Minos does not want to take that part of you away and have you become entirely submissive, at least, not entirely. Your courage and the will that burned in your eyes was what initially lured him to you, despite how he would never admit it, due to him being a rather prideful and arrogant man, like a certain god of death. To anyone who asks, be it his fellow judges, specters, or other gods, Minos will only shrug it off, referring to you as a means to keep him entertained, but he will never admit that his interest in you steams far beyond that of simple amusement, at least, now it does. His pride keeps him from admitting such a thing, but overtime you, his dear doll, have grown on him, very much in fact. Those moments where he will allow his fingertips to brush over your soft skin when he’ll thread his fingers through your soft, long hair; all while you're forced to sit atop his lap due to his strings; are moments that he has come to crave like the chaos that comes with every holy war. But that will be subject to change as his obsession with you, one that he will be in denial of for a large amount of time until the moment he finally accepts it, grows more and more.  
The strings will remain bound to you, but instead of you being kept in that cell-like room, you will now be kept in his private chambers, and due to how your rebellious nature and defiance has dwindled you’ll be given more freedom while you are inside of his room, but even then the threat that if you try to escape, he will hunt down and decimate your family as easily as he did your town, hangs over your head. You have no problems believing that to be true, especially with how keen he now seems to keep you by his side, often taking you to meetings he has with other judges solely to show you off. The means are cruel and sadistic, but it is one that, just like his initial treatment of you when he first brought you to the underworld, feeds into his sadistic side while also asserting his dominance once again, making it clear to you as to who the one in control is, despite his….Ill-advised but growing infatuation with you. 
How he will show you off will defer in two ways depending on whether or not you misbehave or behave. One is dressing you nicely, something that he can easily do given his authority and position as a Judge Of Hell, one of his arms being around your waist as he sits there with a satisfied and smug smirk, mentioning just how lovely you look, to both you and the other judges and the other is a far more inhuman way. Despite how he may find your stubbornness and defiance cute, Minos’s patience is not immune to coming to a grinding halt if he believes punishment is order and he will strip you of all your clothes, put a collar around your neck, and have you sit on his lap as punishment, the only thing that makes it less horrible is the fact that he sits you in a way no one can see the flower between your legs, only to whisper in your ear as you bury your face into his neck from shame and embarrassment, while his fingers thread through your hair. It is a means that quickly puts an end to any misbehavior; as you know, he can get quite creative with how he uses those strings of his.
This way of showing you off is one that is only given more cause by the irritating and annoyance he will feel; if he believes that you are acting ungrateful, especially with how kind he is now, or trying to, be to you. Letting you sleep not only in his room but also in his bed while ensuring your comfort while seeing to your needs and going out of his way to ensure that you had something to eat, instead of giving you food from the underworld. Things he would never even consider doing had you just been another human. During these kinds of displays, although you only see them as what they are, a type of punishment, your only relief is how he has yet to act on the desire you see whenever he looks at you in such a vulnerable and submissive state. Although you wonder how long it will be until that happens, despite how Minos has said, time and time again, that he’ll wait until you come to him.
If any of the specters that he commands show an interest in you, he will not be happy, but will simply give off a remark saying that it would be best if they’re interests lay elsewhere, but if that specter persists Minos has no problems putting that fool in his place. If the fool still does not get it and tries to so much as touch you, Minos’s strings will wrap around that specter's neck and snap it in half faster than you can say hell. You are his doll after all and the judge of hell does not take lightly to anyone, specter or human, trying to take what he now believes is his. 
“ You’re always so lovely when you dance for me. “
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vonbaghager · 4 years ago
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just throwing my ideas onto my blog so they’re not buzzing around in my head anymore. DBD fan-killers: The Barber, the Abomination and the Ignited.
EDIT: And a new one, the Faceless.
The Barber, spawned entirely from a single mental image in which I imagined a killer that uses a straight razor as a weapon, cleaning it off by grinding it against a sharpening strop tied to the other arm.
Short lore blurb: Was an Old Time-y Barber, the ones that did both haircuts and surgeries. His own failing health had him search for occult methods to keep himself alive, using drawn blood as sacrifice. Eventually dove deep enough into occult lore to find out about the Entity, and became enamored with both the idea of eternal life in its realm, and with the creature itself. Strove to catch its attention by using the surgical prowess he’d learned to craft “masterpieces of agony” on unwitting victims, hoping that their pain and terror would draw the creature to him. Eventually, he received an anonymous gift: An immaculately-crafted straight razor that grew sharper as it cut flesh and bone until the victims didn’t even realize they had been cut until a single solid blow or attempt at exertion blew open all of their wounds at once.
Eventually fucked up and caught the attention of an Angry Mob, but by then had earned his place in the Entity’s Realm and fled into a foggy night, never to be seen again.
Base stats: 115% movespeed. 32 meter terror radius. Medium height (Freddy height).
Active Power: Masterpiece of Agony. Base cooldown: 5 seconds. Enter a special animation with a 1.5 second charge time, during which the Barber cannot make a normal attack but gains speed, up to 130% for up to 5 seconds. Lunging out of this state causes the Barber to madly swipe the razor out, striking every Survivor in the path of the lunge, afflicting them with a special status effect: Agonized. The Barber is greatly slowed for 1 second after the ability ends, whether he lunges or not.
An Agonized survivor’s bloodstains and grunts of pain are magnified until the status effect ends. If an Agonized survivor performs any strenuous action, such as fast-vaulting, dropping a pallet, or missing a check when repairing a generator, the Agonized state ends and the Survivor becomes injured while screaming in pain, potentially alerting the Barber. Being struck by Masterpiece of Agony while already Agonized harms the survivor as if they were attacked, meaning performing a strenuous action will drop them to dying. Agonized can be cured in the same manner as Deep Wounds.
Passive power: Sadist. The Barber’s movement speed and lunge distance is increased for every Survivor currently Agonized, hooked, or dead.
Unique Perks:
A Shrine to my Love: Your adoration for the Entity brings you comfort when you are closest to it. The cooldown of your missed attacks is reduced by [25/30/40]% while within 13 meters of the Basement. The wiggling of a survivor in your grasp has a [moderately/greatly/tremendously] reduced effect on your movement while you are within 13 meters of the Basement.
Serrated Hooks: You’ve made creative additions to the Basement, increasing the hold it has over its victims. A survivor on a Basement hook has their chance of escaping it on their own reduced [greatly/tremendously/completely], and is painfully aware of this fact*. A survivor pulled off a Basement hook is affected by both Hemorrhage and Broken for [16/20/24] seconds.
*the survivor receives a notification about the Serrated Hooks upon being speared on one, which lingers until they’re freed. Survivors rescuing their fellows from the Basement are also alerted to the Serrated Hooks.
Grasp of the Shrike: Yes, they will do. They will do nicely. The diamond atop the ring, as it were. You and the Entity become Obsessed with one survivor, clinging to them tightly and never letting go. The Obsession takes [0.5/0.8/1.0] extra seconds to unhook. Whenever the Obsession dies, another random survivor becomes the new Obsession after 13 seconds.
---------------
The Abomination, based on the video game archetype of “really fat guy with a grappling hook” that’s really just Blizzard but leaks into other games now and then.
Once a gluttonous ruler in the past, he wished for his feast to never end, sparing no expense to have food brought to him from all over the world even as his subjects starved in the streets. When death came for him, he fought with every fiber of his being to remain in the world of the living, tearing his soul free from death’s grasp and forcing it back into his bloated body. He continued to live, but did not belong, beginning to rot and decay even as he brought in the greatest doctors and surgeons to restore him, using the very people he neglected as replacement parts for his increasingly aberrant body.
Never one to waste food, the remains of those slain to restore him were added to his menu, and soon he discovered a love of the taste for the humanity he became further and further divorced from. Ironically, he became a much better ruler the more monstrous he became, if only because the healthy and fat citizens made for better parts and better plates, but eventually it was found out just where the criminals of this prosperous land were disappearing to, and the hideous ruler was threatened with a second death.
Knowing death would not let him escape a second time, he fled from his prosperous land, but soon encountered a problem: he had not stopped rotting, and without a supply of fresh parts, he would succumb sooner or later. He spent his every last coin and gemstone seeking a cure for this condition, slaughtering those he met upon the lonely roads as he fought to remain whole, and eventually he found a solution. He would never again taste the succulence of the world he was leaving behind, but the new world held a banquet for him that would never grow dull. He wished for a feast that would never end, and the Entity granted it.
Base stats: 110% movement. 44 meter terror radius. Large size (Plague height)
Active Power: Glutton’s Grasp. Base cooldown: 8 seconds. The Abomination is slowed as it lets down a lengthy meat hook and begins loudly twirling it around. Any survivor that comes too close to the Abomination in this stance interrupts it but is damaged by the hook as if attacked. Attacking while in this stance flings the hook up to 10 meters outwards, which is blocked by terrain. If a survivor is struck by the hook, they scream and are pulled 5 meters towards the Abomination and become slowed for 2 seconds. If the survivor is pulled directly adjacent to the Abomination, its middle splits open to unveil the Great Maw, which bites into the survivor, damaging them and causing them to become Mangled for 1 minute.
The hook can also interact with certain props. Striking a partially repaired generator stuns the Abomination for 0.75 seconds as a current runs through it but damages the generator as though it had kicked the gen, causing it to regress. Striking a dropped palette stuns the Abomination for 2 seconds as it pulls the wood into the Great Maw, chewing it to pieces.
Once per trial: The Abomination can stand over a survivor who has been hooked at least twice and use the Great Maw to swallow them whole, sacrificing them instantly and becoming hasted for 2 minutes.
Passive: Corpulent Corpse. The Abomination is considerably wider than other killers, making it difficult to sneak or dash past it if it’s in a narrow enough area.
Unique Perks:
Varied Diet. Even the most luxurious banquet can grow boring without variety. Each time you strike a survivor with your basic attack, gain a token, to a maximum of 4/6/8 tokens. Each token grants you 1/2/3% increased movement speed and vaulting speed. Striking the same survivor twice in a row causes you to lose 2 tokens. 
Hex: Abattoir. This Hex turns the lockers within the trial into deathtraps for your victims. An injured survivor hiding in a locker bleeds profusely, creating a noticeable pool of blood. If a survivor lingers in a locker for 20/15/10 seconds, they become injured, or are pushed into the dying state if already injured.
Starved Rush. The scent of their flesh, the smell of their blood, it calls to you, driving you into a frenzy the longer you go without it. You enter Bloodlust [slightly/moderately/considerably] faster and do not immediately lose it if you break a pallet.
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The Ignited. Had the mental image of someone undergoing an Oni-style rage transformation, except they burst into flames.
There’s not much of a story for this one tbh. Probably someone who was burned at the stake and called down horrific vengeance for their unawful destruction, becoming what they were accused of (a vampire, a witch, a werewolf, etc). The alternate tale that I like more is that they were just a pyromaniac that finally decided to burn down their own house with them inside so they could feel what their victims felt.
Base stats: 105% movement. 16 meter terror radius. Medium size (Blight height)
Active Power, Kindling form: Choking Smog. Base cooldown: 20 seconds. Unleash a cloud of black smoke the Ignited can perfectly see through, but which is completely opaque for survivors. The smoke spreads outwards to cover a 11 meter radius, choking survivors inside of it, causing them to loudly cough. Survivors in the smog are Exhausted and slowed. The cloud lingers for 6 seconds.
Passive power (Cinder Form): Building Inferno. The Ignited is unaffected by the trial’s fog. The Ignited can interact with piles of tormented kindling that spawn throughout the trial, gathering energy from each of them. The Ignited can also gather energy by damaging generators and survivors, and hooking survivors. At maximum charge, the Ignited can activate the secondary power to explode into their Wildfire Form. All the survivors receive a notification when the Ignited enters Wildfire Form as it shrieks in agony and rage.
The Ignited in Wildfire Form has a terror radius that covers the entire map, moves at 130% speed, and becomes taller than the Plague. A pillar of fire and smoke travels up from its body to signify its position at all times. Wildfire Form lasts for 1 minute, after which it drops back to Cinder Form.
Active Power (Wildfire Form): Pyroclasm. The Ignited charges up briefly and then blasts an incredibly wide cone in front of it (roughly equal to its FOV but only 6 meters in length). Survivors in the area are damaged, generators in the area begin regressing, and dropped pallets in the area begin burning and will be fully destroyed after 5 seconds unless a survivor slides across them. Survivors injured--but not downed--by Pyroclasm gain a unique status effect: On Fire! Survivors who are On Fire glow softly with flame and their auras are revealed to the Ignited, shouting and screaming as long as they remain On Fire. On Fire lasts for 1 minute, until the survivor is put into the dying state, until they vault a pallet or window, or until they stop moving and spend 3 seconds patting themselves down.
Unique Perks:
Smokesight: The fog thickens in your presence, though it’s no impediment to you. The trial fog is [slightly/moderately/considerably] thicker, though you see through it as if it were two stages lighter.
Hex: Fear of Failure: To build a tower so tall just to see it fall before you, it is a feeling that can invoke despair in any, and one this Hex enhances to self-destructive levels. If you kick a generator that has been repaired above [75%/50%/25%] progress while your totem still stands, the last survivor(s) to work on that generator shriek in frustration and are highlighted for 3 seconds if they are within [24/32/40] meters.
Hex: Trap in the Blaze: Lock them inside. Seal the windows, bar the door. Let them burn. Let them burn. Let them burn. When the exit gates are powered, this Hex flares to life if there is a dull totem for it to inhabit. The switch to the gates is partially infested by the Entity, slowing all attempts to touch it. Interacting with the switch takes an extra [3/4/5] seconds. Abandoning the exit switch causes it to slowly regress.
--------------- 
The Faceless. what if there was a stealth killer even more humanoid than the pig?
Not sure of a backstory here. Either a member of an ancient species trying to avoid total extinction, or an envious human who altered their own bodies with strange chemicals, vile magic, and horrible operations until they could look like anyone they wanted. 
Base stats: 110% movement. 32 meter terror radius. Large size (Demogorgon height in true form).
Active power: Assume Guise. The Faceless loudly and grotesquely reshapes its body into the shape of a random survivor in the trial, letting all survivors within the terror radius hear the cracking and squishing just before the terror radius abruptly vanishes. The noises are noticeable enough to be heard a short distance outside the terror radius, akin to the Wraith or the Spirit vanishing. Any survivor within a 15 meter radius is briefly highlighted by Killer Instinct after the transformation is complete. While disguised, the Faceless has no terror radius and is treated by the game as though it were a survivor. If its aura becomes revealed by any perk or item, it appears as though it were a survivor, even if the perk or item reveals the killer’s aura only.
While it can crouch and sprint as a normal survivor, the Faceless cannot interact with props like a survivor can, with the exception of vaulting pallets or windows. It cannot open chests, repair generators, or sabotage hooks. When it assumes a survivor’s shape, it cannot copy any items they hold, nor can it pick one up or use them. If the survivor its copying is injured, it is not. Its voice as a survivor is ever-so-slightly distorted.
Assuming its true form is a horrid affair, stunning the killer for 2 seconds as it bursts from its former body. After transforming back, the Faceless is hasted for 4 seconds and Assume Guise is placed on a 10 second cooldown.
Active power (disguised form): Backstab. If the Faceless performs the healing action on a survivor using the secondary power button, it acts as though it’s healing them for 5 seconds, after which it suddenly strikes, afflicting the target with Deep Wounds and Hindered and beginning its transformation back.
Unique Perks
Hex: False Friendship. This Hex confounds and distorts your aura, leading your prey to blunder into your grasp. While the totem stands, any time your aura would be revealed, it appears as though it’s a survivor aura, and the survivor(s) reading your aura are highlighted by Killer Instinct for [8/12/16] seconds if they’re within 40 meters of you.
Subtle Sabotage: Your machinations are much more insidious than that of your brutish kin. After kicking a generator, the generator becomes Sabotaged for [60/80/120] seconds, regressing continuously even as it’s being worked on, effectively halving the speed it’s repaired at. A sabotaged generator loses this status if it fully regresses, or if the survivors working on it succeed [2/3/4] Great skill checks on it without abandoning it. Sabotaged gens are highlighted to the survivors, and survivors working on a sabotaged gen are aware of how much longer the status will last and how many skill checks are required to undo it.
Calming Emanations: Let them have their hope, if only so it’s more spectacular when it shatters. Each uninjured survivor reduces your terror radius by [18/20/22]%.
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Herd Immunity and the Anthropocene
When is getting an infection actually a good or a bad thing? Let’s start by talking about herd immunity. What exactly is it, and why have we been hearing about it so much during the Covid-19 pandemic?
Herd immunity, as described by the CDC, is a situation in which a sufficient proportion of a population is immune to an infectious disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness) to make its spread from person to person unlikely. When a group has a high enough percentage of immunity in its population, transmission becomes increasingly difficult for a disease to spread to even the more immunocompromised members of the community.
Although, herd immunity is obtained at different levels of community immunity depending on the disease. Some highly infectious diseases, such as measles, require about 94% herd immunity to stop community spread. According to the Mayo Clinic, about 70% of the US population would need to have immunity from Covid to stop our current pandemic.
So how do we even get herd immunity? Well, we can achieve herd immunity through two different methods. The first method is infection. Herd immunity can be achieved by having a large amount of the population getting the virus naturally. The downside of this method is that the population has to get sick and recover. Depending on the disease, short or long-term side effects or mortality rate can be very detrimental to the population.
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Germs have most likely existed for around 3.5 billion years (the age of the oldest living organisms, bacteria). Modern humans have only been around for about 130,000 years. Humans have only been around for a fraction of the time diseases have, but they are both a part of nature. However, in response to their presence, humans have developed immune systems that have been a part of a back and forth protecting us from harmful germs. Terrestrial vertebrates such as humans have complex immune systems that have evolved to protect them from new immunological dangers.  Getting sick is a part of life. Diseases have always been a part of nature, and that is especially true of the current time period, the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene is the current geologic age where humans have a substantial effect on their environment. During this time period, the way we interact with nature through contributing to climate change, deforestation, and urbanized lifestyles has increased the likelihood of pandemic-like illnesses to sweep over our communities. Deforestation causes loss of habitat; and with loss of habitat animals will be forced to come into contact with animals they originally wouldn’t have, including humans. This increases the chance for germs to spread to new hosts. Climate change and urbanization are also causing organisms to live closer together, allowing for diseases to spread more easily through communities. So, while diseases are a part of life and nature, occasionally there is one germ that can come around and have a profound effect on society.
I remember the news stories when NYC was first getting taken over by Covid. Medical personnel lacking PPE, hospitals overflowing, using ice trucks to store the deceased, and exhausted nurses and doctors. All of that resulted in just 22% herd immunity. At 22% herd immunity most of the population of NYC is still susceptible to Covid. If natural infection was the only way forward, so many more of NYC’s citizens would die or become severely ill. However, because this happened NYC was quick to understand the importance of instituting mitigating measures to slow the spread of the disease. Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, is similar to Rand Paul in that he is in a position that he can implement policies. When Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, saw what was happening in his state, he used his ability to implement policies to follow scientific guidance surrounding closures, social distancing, masks, etc. As a result, the rates in NYC decreased. Not because of herd immunity, but because of serious measures against Covid. If we look at a different state, such as Florida, that did not take measures against Covid seriously, there were consecutive days in the state where they were having 10,000 to 15,000 new cases a day. This lacking approach to Covid caused thousands of preventable deaths. Even after months of lockdown the US is not close to herd immunity. All of the preventable deaths and long-term health complications that I’m seeing in people are going to continue with the natural spread. This is why the global race for a vaccine is so important.
The second method of reaching herd immunity is through vaccinations. By developing a vaccine for an infectious disease, we are able to reach herd immunity without having to subject our population, community, and families to the side effects and overall awful experience of falling ill. By using widespread vaccinations, we can also protect our most vulnerable members of society, like our loved ones in an older or younger age range, immunocompromised individuals, or those with allergic reactions making them unable to receive vaccines. Herd immunity is a good thing. When we have a disease like Covid, however, natural infection will cause crippling long-term effects in what were healthy people, and hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths. This is why herd immunity is good, but it depends on the method used to obtain it.
Immunity is an important part of preventing diseases in my home. Herd immunity helps me protect my family, friends, and people I come across every day. When paired with vaccines, I am able to protect more people in my community. I have a small child in my home, and older family members who I come into regular contact with. My family (my herd) and I get our vaccines and flu shots every year to help protect those more immunologically vulnerable members of our family. By doing this, my herd is creating a mutually benefiting environment where our personal actions protect those around us. The actions that we take to protect our family also protect the members of our communities and your herd too.
Humans are a part of nature, and so are diseases. Individual actions have a larger inter-connected effect on surrounding environments and society. The same thing could be said about the Covid virus spreading through the country. Society as a whole needs to develop a larger scope of thinking about how the actions of individuals affect the environment and planet. The factors I mentioned earlier, climate change, deforestation, and urbanization, are keeping steady and increasing. If these continue as they are currently, we can expect more pandemic-like diseases in our future. And when it happens, society will have to come together again to figure out the best way of adopting herd immunity to combat the disease.
As for my advice for the rest of this year, think critically, look at scientific data, vaccinations work, and in the words of Mr. Rogers, “Real strength has to do with helping others.”
Hannah Smith is an intern in the Section of Anthropocene Studies. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.
Works Cited
Glossary
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS): A medical condition where the immune system cannot function properly and…
www.cdc.gov
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/terms/glossary.html#commimmunity
Herd immunity and COVID-19 (coronavirus): What you need to know
Understand what's known about herd immunity and what it means for coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID-19). Curious as to…
www.mayoclinic.org
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/herd-immunity-and-coronavirus/art-20486808
Vaccines Protect Your Community
Did you know that when you get vaccinated, you're protecting yourself and your community? This concept is called…
www.vaccines.gov
https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/work/protection
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.
Dr. Fauci was appointed director of NIAID in 1984. He oversees an extensive portfolio of basic and applied research to…
www.niaid.nih.gov
https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/anthony-s-fauci-md-bio
https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/26/science/when-humans-became-human.html
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/precambrian-time/
https://www.britannica.com/science/immune-system/Evolution-of-the-immune-system
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/c-change/subtopics/coronavirus-and-climate-change/
https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/45-quotes-from-mr-rogers-that-we-all-need-today.html
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