#for their own goals of cataloguing the universe

[showrunnerihardlyknowher]

so i've followed your stuff for a while now, & i have something embarrassing to admit, when i was 14 and scrolling through the g/t tag on ao3 (it was some years ago) i found your jacob & edix fic, and i was so upset after reading it that to calm myself down i had to imagine an entire scenario where a vengeful giant brutally killed edix to save jacob. i'm so sorry your writing is lovely but i hate edix so much. that mofo needs to die. jacob get behind me

when someone finally gets just how fucked up edix is and that he's literally the villain of the entire series no matter how much he tries to justify it on his end

if you also want to hear a secret a big reason i wrote the milo and ben story despite not really liking the borrower trope that much was because i also read a fic on ao3 about an exterminator doing something too fucked up for my liking to a borrower colony so i wrote a (somewhat) fluffy.......ish story to make me feel better and then abandoned it halfway for like a year until i needed a bday gift fic for my bestie lmao

[cynthiav06]

With Percy, we know that he hates going to school and his goals don’t really line up with Annabeth’s, but Annabeth is kind of forcing him to do it with her because he can’t say no to her. Say Rick didn’t make Annabeth Percy’s entire personality, what do you think he would’ve done in the mortal world rather than go to university?

I was checking my drafts cause I am trying to catch up on all the asks in my inbox ( as I said in one of my earlier posts I was in middle of a medical situation so I have at least a month of backlog) and found this draft.

The funny thing is I had already written most of the post in the draft version, and this ask wasn't even being displayed in my inbox, so I was very confused as to when it was from.

But it's such a good prompt and a sort of controversial question in the fandom, so I wanted to post it asap.

Percy doesn't like studies, but he knows the importance of it, so I am sure he will finish his initial college, probably either in the science or arts section. We know at one point he got better grades than Annabeth at one point so he certainly isn't quitting studies and doing way better than what people expect. He also wouldn't like just staying at home and doing nothing (I am looking at certain Percabeth stans here), so he definitely would be doing one job or another.

1.

I don't think he would study marine biology like most believe. After a conversation I had with someone who had taken the course, I am convinced Percy wouldn't like it. It's heavily based on chemistry, and we know how much Percy is affected by sea creatures being mistreated or caged, so having to study marine biology wouldn't really be something he would choose.

2.

An interesting twist would be if he chose to be a writer like his mother.

We all know that Percy writes or at least dictates and narrates the first five books, which are written and narrated entirely from his perspective. Moreover, there are books on Percy just narrating his own sarcastic takes on Greek gods and Greek heroes. What if he did actually catalogue his own adventures in those books as a sort of manual for other demigods on how to deal with certain monsters and gods and such.

Through Percy's thoughts, even as 12 years old, we can certainly say he has advanced vocabulary despite being dyslexic and given how much he admires Sally, why wouldn't he be interested in following her footsteps. Sure, he has trouble reading, but that's not to say he wouldn't love expressing his thoughts through humorous retelling of his own adventures which he can pass as fiction to normal readers but actual experiences in demigod world. Who doesn't want to know the exploits of Percy Jackson?

Plus, it's a good money hack. And don't for a second tell me he wouldn't. Sally petrified Gabe, and then they sold his statute to a museum as a sculpture and earned money off of that. So Sally would definitely encourage it, and Percy would even follow through on it just for shits and giggles and the added benefit of helping demigods and earning money.

[I literally want this to happen just for the Godly reactions. I am all for god slander, especially Zeus slander. Poseidon would be half laughing at the book and half worried cause of the sheer catastrophes his son seems to fall into almost on a daily basis.

Apollo would be having a grand time, and Hermes will be half depressed and half impressed throughout. Overall, it would be hilarious all around, and it might finally make the gods feel a bit more accountable . It's literally the Reading Percy Jackson Series trope, and that's always fun.]

3.

One other option is that Percy will get into environmental preservation, specifically the protection of Rivers and Seas from pollution by actively involving himself and others in its cleanliness and purification. He would also run Beach cleanliness programs.

I think he and Grover would become environmental activists and would definitely get into preserving forest areas and other places where nature spirits dwell frequently. I can see them doing it a lot, long-term wise, too.

4.

I think he would kind of like marine explorations, but that might cause his powers to be somewhat exposed, so he might not do that, but it's a possibility.

That's all I can think of. I would like to hear everyone else's opinions on this.

[kiraridertime03]

We need to free the Weasel

A brief discussion about the way that Creature Commandos uses politics in its narratives.

Spoilers for it and everything else James Gun DC up to this point though, below the cut.

Also, it is a busy post, content warnings for discussions of white supremacists and cops, as it is necessary.

With the release of the trailer of James Gunn's Superman film, hype for his grand DC Universe has kicked into high gear, and for good reason. That trailer, no matter the quality of the final film, is a goddamn work of art. A piece of film that understands Superman better over the course of 2 minutes and 20 seconds than Zack Snyder did over the course of 3 overlong movies. That mixed with his solid back catalogue of Superhero films. However, slightly more obscurely, this universe has already started with the animated series Creature Commandos, and especially with the fourth episode, which released hours before Superman's trailer, shows the kind of skill and thought Gunn and co. are putting into this new universe.

At its front, Creature Commandos feels very... blunt, in a lot of ways. It's like The Suicide Squad but with Creatures! It's big and raunchy, being an animated series with blood and swearing and sex and whatnot. And, when it comes with its politics, some of the early villain's mooks are a bunch of weird incels, and one of the main characters constantly advocates for killing Nazis. It is a work that immediately shows its hand, making the type who would decry the wokeness of modern movies and games or whatever. However, with these early examples, it can feel like a bit too much, maybe. I love it, don't get me wrong, I'm the type to really enjoy blunt earnestness. Though, given the more comedic approach that many of these elements take in the early episodes, it can feel a bit like it's only there for the bit.

Where the series really starts to excel, though, is when it starts integrating its flashback segments. As a whole, even outside the point of this post, the flashbacks feel like a wonderful decision. A way of fleshing out our characters while giving each episode a distinct feel, justifying the series as, well, a series rather than just one long movie. However, here, I want to discuss some of its political ideas, and how they integrate. Because, for these, they integrate more thematically, being an undertone to each character's own story.

For the bride, her story is centered around this idea of the objectification of women. I mean, it makes sense. She was literally made to simply be the bride of Frankenstein, an object of his affection. However, as she gained her own independence, the masculine figure who feels he is owed her hand in marriage breaks out into a rage, harming her and the person she actually loves. This story is what gives her the cynical edge she gains in the series proper, giving her an interesting, sympathetic story while using the elements of said story to say something about how many men perceive woman. A strong enough parable that acts as an undercurrent for her character.

Then, we get to G.I. Robot's episode, a real tear-jerker of a thing about a silly robot character, the exact thing to set my brain off in all sorts of ways. Much of this story is designed to set up his tragic past, so that we can feel catharsis once he gets his big moment, then feel the tragedy when he gets brutally murdered. However, it again is saying a lot of complex things. Many have discussed the PTSD angle for GI, which I do see, however, in GI's story specifically, I see the way that the American state treats veterans. Like, think about it. This being who was forged and created for the purpose of making war, goes to war, then once the war is over, they are, best, used for spectacle on live TV (Where they are unable to properly adjust to the tone of peacetime, accusing the audience of being Nazis themselves), studied not to help them, but to make the next generation of soldiers even more efficient at their goal of warcraft, then thrown to the side when they are no longer useful. The man selling GI to the collector literally says he slipped through the cracks. It, again, is a wonderful metaphor that takes advantage of what GI is, and uses it to emphasize these issues in a more literal way. It is a lot easier to show a robot who was programmed in a specific way weird the room out than the rocky adjustments a veteran may have to go through. It then, also, shows the kinds of people who really benefit from this warcraft, those it appeals to. The collector who buys GI turns out to be a part of a White Supremacist group in America, a group of people who gladly use Nazi iconography, identify with it, and gladly push it. Those also happen to be the types who want to buy old war memorabilia. Obviously, not all war collectors are Nazis. But these are people who see this kind of might makes right ideology that America so often employs with its military, and latch onto it. GI, rightfully, finds this appaling, and kills them on sight. It is this wonderful moment from this delightfully twisted series.

However, even that could be seen as a tad blunt. Again, GI is very clear with his words, he doesn't hide much. So, where I see this series going from good to great is with Weasel's flashback segments. This begins when a lawyer, a member of a nonprofit, demands she see Weasel, as she is putting on a case for him. In essence, she states that, at least to her and her organization, he was unjustly prosecuted. To both Rick Flag and us, this seems absurd, as we have a lot of predisposed biases towards Weasel. You see, he is one of the few pre-existing characters in this cast. Weasel was previously seen in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, though only briefly. There, as a member of the Decoy Team, he makes weird, gross noises, they make a joke about him having killed 27 kids, then have him promptly drown before the mission even starts (Though, in the post credit, it turns out he survived, because that's even funnier). Even if you hadn't seen that film (Which you should if you haven't), they reestablish all that in this series in the first few episodes, portraying him as a stupid, vulgar, violent creature who isn't worthy of rights. However, expertly, this is all a front.

In the flashbacks, we learn that Weasel only interacted with about 8 kids, a bunch of students left at an after school program. Contrary to what we had been told, he really just played around with the kids, chasing around a ball. They eventually get inside the school and, while messing with stuff they shouldn't have, start a small fire. However, some antics are afoot. While he is playing around, an old senile man sees this and, rather than asking about what's going on, decides to run back to his home, call the cops about what is a clear, if odd, misunderstanding, then grab his gun to try to take things into his own hands. And, as he does, shakily trying to shoot Weasel, he makes the problem of the small fire worse, shooting a gas canister behind them, turning the small fire into a school-destroying explosion and fire. Then, the cops show up. Many of the kids are already dead, seemingly, but one survived. So, as he pulls her out of the wreckage, what do the cops do? They start shooting. Throughout this whole sequence, the cops do nothing but shoot and get in the way of things. It all culminates in the final shots, where Weasel has dropped the kid after being shot. And, instead of either of them going to get the kid, they both pin Weasel down, try to pull him out. This leaves the young girl to be crushed.

This is a massive tragedy, a game of tragic misudnerstandings that gets kids killed. However, again, it does this by hiding its politics into a genuinely moving character based story to make them more effective. It is a story, in part, about our predisposed biases. I mean, the narrative literally sets this up. Characters around Weasel say things about him without him being able to have a say. Because he's a Weasel. Then, our characters make judgments based on what they believe and what they've heard from secondhand sources over what they actually see. Even when Weasel is his most violent (taking down Circe in episode 3), he does it to protect his teammates, and he doesn't actually kill her. In his backstory, characters make rash decisions based on their misinformed judgments in hopes of "protecting the kids," when all they are actually doing is harming them. They get 8 kids killed all because Weasel is a little freaky.

Then there's the cops themselves. It so masterfully uses showing rather than telling. The most it tells us is of the trail at the start, and again, this is moreso used as setup, playing into our dispositions. However, when it is time to actually depict the injustices, it shuts the fuck up. It doesn't just say that cops are bad with a couple of clear shitheads and moves on. It shows how cops are bad. Their only answer to this situation is violence. They don't actually serve their community, in this instance the children stuck in the fire, their only answer is to start shooting things. Because they have no other answer than state sanctioned violence. And they did this all with an episode about FUCKING WEASEL!

Now, imagine what they can do with Superman. It doesn't even have to be political, like these previous examples. However, to me, this shows that he can do what, to me, some of the best storytellers do. They weave every element of their story together with deliberate choices that strengthen each other. If anything, more than any well edited trailer, it is that that excites me about everything James is working on. Of course, he is doing this with a team, but James is the type to surround himself with smart people who understand these things inside and out. That one David Corenswet quote about the shorts proves that to me in shades. That's what gives me hope about these works. That they will be movies and shows that mean things. Which seems like a low bar, but hey, so many fail at it that it's kind of impressive.

[r4v3nr0s3]

HELLO!

SEPTEMBER 22 is my B-day, I am trying to get my completed series THE EMERALD FORMULA, published.

So I’ve started a GoFundMe! Please check out my story below and if you could like, share, or donate it would mean everything to me.

LEARN MORE BELOW

I'm Raven Rose a queer, Latino, chronically ill, and disabled author and artist. Welcome to my journey as I get ready to be on my own for the first time in 15 years, go back to school, try to get on federal disability in the United States, and get my first novel published. September 22 is my Birthday month so if anyone is feeling extra festive, in lieu of gifts, I'd appreciate help here!

I’m restarting from scratch after a near decade of health problems, and despite great efforts to re-etner the workplace, 6 months time doing what I used to love, put me back in the hospital. For more about me visit my web page !

My lifelong dream has been to become a writer, but I can't do it alone. You can help me reach my goals and achieve my wildest dreams, and I could not be more grateful! Please do whatever you can do - like, share, and/or donate. I'm finally investing in myself and I believe my ideas and this story deserve investment too, so that's why I'm asking for your help.

Now for the goods!

THE EMERALD FORMULA is a series I've been working on close to 20 years.

The Working BLURB for novel 1 is as follows:

Renata Salcedo has never made a wave in her life. In the last few years though, she's broken up with her long term boyfriend, moved into her own place, and was diligently working towards the career of her dreams: a spot at the Smithsonian.

Fine... Adrenaline Junkie, Renata was not. She learned to stay small and figured out how to move quietly enough to stay unnoticed and survive. But it wasn't like she was unsuccessful. Her carefully planned path of baby steps lead her to exactly where she wanted to be: living her boring life and people leaving her alone to do her job. If anything, the job provided her all the excitement she needed. Unearthing old civilizations? Cataloguing the past through objects and art? Thrilling stuff! All done from the safety atop of an orthopedic pillow from behind a desk.

There was only one teensy problem with Renata's goals.

An entire world she knew nothing about existed right under her nose, and it's going to disrupt her boring little life whether she's planned for it or not. And really she can't complain too much, as it all starts with one of her absolute, most favorite things...

A Book

(Story EXCERPT at the bottom too)

REALM OF MATTER is the first novel in a complete 3-Book series called THE EMERALD FORMULA. At this point, the series needs refinement and editing, so both developmental and line editing. Funds will go towards paying the editors. Whatever is left over will go towards my publishing goals, and my intent to get an art degree and start doing marketing and making book covers. The three mock ups below were all created by me in Vector and Photoshop.

This Epic tale is a paranormal adventure with elements or horror, humor, fantasy, and an underlying slow burn human/humanoid monster romance. It features a diverse cast of human characters who break the mold of the Hero's Journey, and reject its sanctity all-together.

Its universe is heavily based on the History of science, magic, and folklore, focusing mainly on Pagan and Catholic mythology to give this Hero's journey a darkly poignant and comedic edge that digs in and punches up. The magical system is highly elemental, and dives deep into Alchemical and Spiritual theory from thousands of years ago. All of the artwork you see was done by me, a self taught artist (thought I'd like to go back to school next year).

I created my own language and phonetics system, also an alphabet.

All so I could make these transmutation circles based on sacred geometry.

YOU CAN READ CHAPTER 1 HERE

THE EMERAD FORMULA: REALM OF MATTER is a snarky thriller that features a bunch of traumatized, relatable saps often thrust into magical and extraordinary circumstances with not much but found family and magic on their side. But if they can't find hope in a hopeless situation against the ultimate evil, no one can. If you vibe with sacrilege, and enjoy flawed, funny characters, family antics, awkward slow burn romances, complex but accessible lore, legacy heroes, ancient monsters, chaos, magic, and mayhem? You've found the series for you.

Please do whatever is accessible to you: liking, sharing, and donating are all extremely important to make this project a reality. This means a lot to me and I greatly appreciate your support.

Thank you for your time,

Raven Rose

[archoneddzs15]

Sony PlayStation - Wizardry 7 The Pearl of Guardia (Crusaders of the Dark Savant)

Title: Wizardry 7 The Pearl of Guardia / ウィザードリィVII ガーディアの宝珠

Developer: Sir-Tech Software / Soliton Soft / Locus Company

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (Japan)

Release date: 13 October 1995

Catalogue No.: SCPS-10010

Genre: RPG

Wizardry 7 The Pearl of Guardia otherwise known as Crusaders of the Dark Savant on FM Towns, PC-9801, and MS-DOS, as well as the Sega Saturn as part of Wizardry 6 & 7 Complete is the seventh installment of the Wizardry series and a direct sequel to Bane of the Cosmic Forge (which saw a console port to the Super Famicom in the same year this PlayStation version of Wizardry 7 was released). At the end of the previous game, the party of heroes finally acquired the Cosmic Forge. However, before they were able to decide what to do with it, it was taken away by a servant of the Cosmic Lords, the cyborg Aletheides. It appears that the Cosmic Forge was in fact a clue to the location of the Astral Dominae, the artifact of life, somewhere on the planet Guardia, which has now been revealed to the universe.

The heroes then travel to Guardia, which is populated by many races and organizations with their own agendas, including the rhinoceros-like Imperial Umpani Federation and the spidery T'Rang affiliated with a malevolent being known as the Dark Savant, whose goal is to get rid of the Cosmic Lords. All these factions are looking for the Astral Dominae, finding which is the primary goal of the game. Depending on the decisions made by the player in the previous game (should he opt to import the party from there), the game will have different openings and begin in different locations. However, regardless of the initial premise, the player is free to follow or betray whatever faction he was supposed to be allied with.

I actually have to admit. It took me a while to get into Wizardry. I've always found Might and Magic games more varied and more dynamic, with their larger and much more open worlds, their flexibility, and user-friendliness (so far, I have played Might and Magic Gates to Another World and Isles of Terra. Might and Magic on PC Engine deserves mention though I hadn't played it). The first Wizardry I tried to tackle seriously was Bane of the Cosmic Forge, the Super Famicom version. I was fascinated by its character-building aspect but disappointed by the extreme monotony of its world and its linear progression. I also couldn't quite stomach the lack of an auto-map feature in a game known for its devilishly complex dungeons. I was therefore somewhat reluctant to play Wizardry 7. To my pleasant surprise, this game fixed everything that was, in my opinion, wrong with its predecessor, while retaining everything that made it great. It is a more generously designed game with a large world open for exploration, a less rigid progression, and new interesting features that come on top of an already excellent role-playing system.

The character creation can give you an idea of the game's depth and potential. I spent almost an hour rolling characters, trying to get that perfect combination of class, race, and attributes, to create the party, I really wanted. Without knowing the game inside out, however, it is rather impossible on the first try; that is why, somewhere in the middle of the game, I realized that I could have done some things differently and created a more powerful team. The discovery was a joyous one, because my party was perfectly capable of efficiently dispatching the foes, yet out of sheer curiosity and desire for experimentation I'd wanted to replay it before I finished it the first time. The game encourages trying out different combinations of classes and skills with your characters, increasing the replay value. And I barely even touched the excellent class-switching system, which allows you to create your own hybrids. Want to have a ninja who can hide in shadows, treacherously backstab, and critically hit enemies, and at the same time have at his disposal the entire spell arsenal of an experienced mage? With enough patience, persistence, and planning, you can do that.

Like its predecessor, Wizardry 7 is a beautifully challenging game - and, like it, the biggest challenge is simply exploring it. The entire game is built like an absolutely enormous, highly complex maze. There are two reasons why I enjoyed exploring it more than the comparable environment of Bane: non-linearity and automap. Unlike the previous game, Wizardry 7 doesn't put its areas in a specific order. Of course, some of the game's toughest and most coveted places are blocked off in the beginning due to a lack of certain skills and crucial items. Yet it is possible (especially during replays, when you already know where what is) to procure those items fairly quickly, gaining access to areas "out of order". In fact, you can march into the reasonably high-level Giants Cave almost right away - all you need is a high swimming skill, which you gain simply by swimming a lot. But even when you play the game for the first time, you are free to go to four or five large settlements and explore most of its dungeons in any order. This means that you feel much less "stuck" when you face a difficult puzzle - you can always go back and explore some other area, find a friendly person to trade with or get some information, hunt for better weapons or enemies that give more experience, and so on. The game keeps you occupied and interested regardless of what exactly you're doing.

The freedom of gameplay manifests itself also in the way the game handles encounters with its rather eccentric and well-written characters. You can choose to attack and kill anyone you meet in the game. This includes shop owners and crucial quest-givers. As long as you write down exactly what each character tells you, you can always finish the game, even if you literally kill everyone you meet. By the way, these characters are rather talkative and will provide quite a bit of information, enriching the game's lore - all given to you through an old-fashioned, yet strangely fulfilling text parser. They also tend to be memorable and funny. One of my favorites is the poetry-waxing Gorn King with his pseudo-philosophical musings. And who can forget the constantly inebriated brother T'Shober?..

A really interesting feature of the game is the NPC movement. Certain characters in the game don't just stand in one place, but wander around, searching for the exact same maps that you are searching for. These maps contain crucial information, and without them, it is impossible to finish the game (unless you're replaying it or consulting a walkthrough all the time). The thing is, these NPCs will sometimes get to those maps sooner than you. It will then become your priority to get the maps from them. This can be frustrating, but there are no dead ends in the game, and at any rate, it ensures that no playthrough is alike. Another notable feature is role-playing choices. You are free to join either the T'Rang or Umpani in their pursuit of the mysterious lost spaceship. Siding with one of those races will invariably incur the ire of the other, and one of the endings leads to a union with a certain faction. The different endings aren't easy to achieve and figure it - which, again, increases the replay value of the game.

On the downside, Wizardry 7 is tough. The battles, in fact, become more forgiving as the game advances, even if your character development is less than optimal - even simple straightforward leveling up gives you quite an edge. The game's difficulty lies in its puzzles, the clues to which are scattered all over the world and are really hard to find. Essentially, you'll have to explore each one of the game's large and complex dungeons to get the maps that give you crucial hints. However, some of those maps will likely have been snatched by your in-game adversaries, which means that you'll also have to find out who exactly has the map, track that person down, and either kill or bargain with him. Naturally, some people (me! me!) with little free time and even less patience can always use a walkthrough, bypassing much of the game's most cryptic and long-winded puzzle quests. Two maps, however, need to be found and used to complete the game.

Other difficulties and annoyances mostly lie in the game's somewhat user-unfriendly interface and archaic, hardcore gameplay elements such as the lack of teleportation spells. Luckily, some dungeons do provide reasonable shortcuts for quick post-exploration back-and-forth trekking, and enemy encounters lessen considerably when you backtrack on the same route.

Even though Wizardry 7 is a definite visual improvement over the previous game, it's still not very pretty, and quite monotonous. There is only one kind of tile for the cities, one for the wilderness (which consists entirely of forest), and two for the dungeons (castle and cave). More importantly, the wilderness feels somewhat too maze-like and too empty. Of course, you can always count on a treasure chest with a great weapon being hidden somewhere amid a thicket, and I suppose that's the reward for plowing through dozens and dozens of identical greenish squares, fighting sprite-sharing enemies on the way. Still, a little more variety would certainly make the game more appealing.

I am personally a bit mixed on what SCEI and Soliton have done to the portraits of enemies and NPCs in this PlayStation version. I know what they are going for, it was basically Sony flexing their 3D prowess (which was funnily enough inspired by Sony personnel seeing Virtua Fighter in the arcades), but to me, it just feels wrong somehow. I guess I am so used to the hand-drawn 2D portraits found on the FM Towns, PC-9801, MS-DOS, and Sega Saturn versions. Don't forget, the Sega Saturn version was ported by Data East and somehow Data East actually honored the good old days of 2D art in that version.

On a curious note, this must be the very first version of Wizardry 7 to actually feature some voice acting in it, though the voices are actually entirely in English (there are Japanese subtitles). If I remember, in 1996 there was a CD version of Wizardry 7 for MS-DOS PCs titled "Wizardry Gold". Somehow, Wizardry Gold is a little bit worse than this version of Wizardry 7 - it's buggier than the original Wizardry 7, features some questionable art design choices, and suffers from a bland, cumbersome Windows 95 interface. Also, Wizardry 7 for the PS1 does not support the mouse input, which feels bizarre considering Wizardry 6 and 7 were meant to be played with mouse input in mind.

In the end, Wizardry 7 is, for me, the first truly epic game in the series, one that broke boundaries and expanded beyond its scope, establishing itself as an essential classic RPG. It has everything that made its predecessors great, yet it takes risks and paves a path toward the future. With patience and persistence, this monster of a game can be tamed, and the reward far outweighs the frustration.

[morporkian-cryptid]

✨Lupin III Discworld AU✨

What happens when you drop Earth's greatest thief in a world with werewolves, a Thieve's Guild, a postmaster who's a former conman, and Commander Sam Vimes? Chaos. Chaos is what happens.

Characters introductions here!

.

Headcanons and random ideas!

Lupin III and Moist Von Lipwig

They get along like a house on fire, both figuratively and literally. They're both adrenaline junkies and Lipwig (pronounced Lip-vig) hasn't completely shed his kleptomaniac tendencies. Lupin regularly attemps to rob the Post Office, the Royal Bank and the Royal Mint (all under Lipwig's responsibility). One of the reasons Lord Vetinari tolerates Lupin's presence in Ankh-Morpork is because he gives Lipwig enrichment.

They also sometimes challenge each other to thieving competitions. One of the contests’ goal was to steal Vetinari’s manuscript, The Servant. Fujiko won. She wasn’t even in the race.

When they're not busy competing, Lupin and Lipwig are actually great friends. Lipwig infected Lupin with his pencil-stealing tendencies, to Yata's great despair as he finds his pencils disappearing every time Lupin is brought to Pseudopolis Yard.

Fujiko ended up befriending Adora-Belle Dearheart (Lipwig's rather explosive wife), they get together to lovingly trash-talk their respective S/O. Completely unrelatedly, Fujiko acquired a horse golem (which Adora-Belle swears she didn't give to her).

.

Jigen, sharpshooting, and Archchancellor Ridcully

Jigen is a self-taught sharpshooter, proficient in anything from a slingshot to the infamous gonne (DW's first and only firearm, with a regretful tendency to possess its user and send them into a murderous rage). Jigen religiously reads every issue of Bow and Ammo, and knows by heart the entire crossbow catalogue of Burleigh & Stronginthearm.

Jigen is crossbow-hunting-buddies with Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully of the Unseen University. They bonded over their love of shooting anything that moves, and Mustrum brok- hum hum, circumvented the University's rules to teach a non-wizard a spell. Jigen can now shoot fireballs, to Lupin's endless delight and the Watch's horror. At Jigen's demand, Mustrum also enchanted the Gang's bright-ass yellow carriage to make it go supernaturally fast, in exchange for the opportunity to take a ride in it.

The Gang also had the misfortune of stealing the aforementioned gonne (we're going to ignore that there's no canonical window allowing this to happen). Jigen had heard of it, and Lupin decided to steal it as a gift for his partner. The second he got his hands on the gonne, his moral compass evaporated. He would have even shot his friends, if Jigen hadn't taken the gonne from him... and immediately gotten possessed himself. In the end, Goemon managed to take the gonne from them. He was completely unaffected, a phenomenon he later explained as "being confident in the blade's superiority to filthy morporkian artifacts".

(The gonne doesn't so much "possess" people as by-pass their moral restraints to unearth whatever urges for violence, power and destruction they have. Which I think would be a very interesting thing to happen to Lupin.)

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Lupin and dragons

The Gang owns a swamp dragon (very small and pathetic creatures with a tendency to explode at the slightest inconvenience). Lupin uses it to melt safes open, and to light his and Jigen's cigarettes.

Aside from this blatant mis-use of an endangered creature, the dragon is actually very well treated, and in time has become a sort of mascot of the Gang. His name is Sir Arson Burp-A-Lot Lupin.

Lupin (the human) is a regular at the Sunshine Sanctuary for Sick Dragons, and has a false identity entirely dedicated to visiting the Sanctuary. He managed to befriend Lady Sybil Ramkin, owner of the Sanctuary and wife of Commander Vimes of the City Watch. Goemon disapproves of the whole situation, and Jigen finds it hilarious, regularly joking that Lupin is playing with fire.

.

The Gang and lycanthropy

It is common knowledge that Lupin's Gang includes a werewolf. Lupin thinks that everyone thinks he is the werewolf (because he's posh and has a wolf-related name), but actually everyone knows it's Jigen. It's a bit baffling as there are no werewolves in the Agatean Empire, and Jigen has no known Überwaldian ancestors.

Thanks to Jigen's lycanthropy, the Gang is fully aware that the Watch's resident werewolf is Angua Von Überwald (and not Nobby Nobbs as is the common belief). They unfortunately can't use scent bombs to ward her off as it would hurt Jigen, but following these stinky thieves is just as bad for her nose. They smell like a tobacco factory that has caught on fire.

It took a lot of time for Jigen to tell Lupin about his "condition", and Lupin (who easily put two and two together after seeing Jigen leave to gods-know-where every full moon and growl when he's angry) didn't press him and waited for him to open up about it. Growing up, Jigen had always seen his lycanthropy as monstrous, but Lupin's delight at having 1) a big fluffy cuddlable boyfriend and 2) someone who can smell the police coming, eventually made Jigen feel more comfortable with his gift. Lupin and Goemon both adore Jigen's wolf form (although Goemon would rather die than admit it out loud). Jigen almost bit off Fujiko's hand the only time she tried to pet him.

.

More miscellaneous headcanons here!

If you have ideas, headcanons, or even just vague vibes for this AU, please do reblog, comment or send me an ask!

[sidewalkchemistry]

F/W 2022 Catalogue of @SidewalkChemistry Patreon Posts

All that has been posted in the fall/winter 2022 season thus far. (Everything could not fit in one post. Find the full post on Patreon). If you would prefer the tier-organized inventory, see here.

For the spring/summer 2022 inventory, see here.

Emotional Healing Intensive Program: a 32-day inner work experience to help you come into a new perspective of your emotions, overcome traumas, and learn about the abilities of emotional alchemy Emotional Healing Program Introduction Emotional Healing Prep Guide The Sidewalk Chemistry Guide to: Herbs for Emotional Support Day 1: Deep Listening for Emotional Healing

Day 2: The Labyrinths of Imagination

Day 3: The Body Keeps the Score, All the Answers are Inside You, and The Portal to the Higher Self Day 4: E-nergetic MOTIONS of Individual Energetic Beings

Day 5: Inspiration & Joy (Infinite Intelligence = Inner Voice & How to Meditate)

... Days 30 & 31: Your Mental World is a Universe Meditation To Find An Herbal Ally Day 32: Now That the 32 Days Are Completed SAD Diet Transformation Series: the SAD diet is a poor but ever-popular manner of eating; discover how to increase the nourishment, sensory delight, cultural heirloom, and medicinal factors of your food for your bliss Installment no. 5: Why Eat Nutritiously? Installment no. 6: So, What are Powerful Meals Made Of? Installment no. 7: Why It Doesn't Mean Sacrificing Flavor (pt. 1) Investments 101 Series: become a student in investments deeper than conceptual/monetary wealth in order to enrich your life and health Behind the 'That Girl' Allure Lesson 0.5 What is Health Insurance Really? (Lesson 0.75) Understanding Abundance via Imagery Understanding Abundance via Imagery pt. 2 I Know Nothing - What Can I Share (or How to Remain Confident in Your Visions) How to Design Your Holistic Leveling-Up Journey (Preview) Earthly Wellness Comprehension: a journey of the elemental and alchemical perspectives of all things; a meaningful foundation in herbalism and understanding your personal health, alchemy, biomes, earth-consciousness and scientific discovery Calming, Captivating, and Consuming: First Encounters with the Water Element Body Literacy Series: critical self-healing teachings for recognizing, attuning, and realigning imbalances in the body; the central series for tier 3; centers around learning the body... Body Scanning & Meditation 

Developing Intuitive Intelligence 

Chakra System 

Notes from an Amateur Gastronomist: gastronomical tidbits to increase your experiences of eating, preparing, and enjoying food; with previews from my upcoming gastronomically-informed whole food plant based cookbook Seed Saving Gastronomy Cookbook/Journal Sneak Peek: Kitchen Prompts Create the Rainbow and Eat It Too 

...

Expand Your Horizons (Greens Edition) Umami: Uncovering Nutrition Bliss Activations: a set of DIYs and self-care routines for seasonal living and holistic well-being Autumn Hair Perfume Formula Bear Medicine Sound Healing  How to Avoid Seasonal Depression This F/W Season

2023 Alchemical Reset & Recalibration 

Herbal Winter Skin Care Routine 

Recipes: whole food plant-based and nutritionally dense dishes that don't neglect your taste buds Soft Herbed "Cheese" Spread Sweet Breakfast Noodles My All-Time Favorite Smoothie I Finally Found It...A Thoroughly Nourishing Wine Recipe Hemp Tahini Citrus Salad Dressing + Jeweled Winter Rainbow Noodle Salad Umami Nettles-Boosted Pasta (Whole Food Plant Based) Stress-Balancing Green Smoothie 

Sticky, Sweet, and Spicy Noodle Sauce 

Shadow Work Archetype Series: the winter inner work series for uncovering the archetypes within us to gain deeper depths of self-knowledge, act as a tool for growth for sticking to our own desires, and attune our mind/goals towards beauty (internally, externally, and universally) Following Your Own Path | Shadow Work Archetype Challenge Introduction Inner Angel (Description) How to Begin: Shadow Work Inner Angel Archetype Codes Inner Seductress/Seducer (Description) 

Inner Magpie (Description) 

Herbal Arts Series: exposes readers to all 8 different aspects of herbalism to integrate and practice herbalism as a lifestyle All You Need to Know About Herbal Formulations and Applications What is Food-Centric Herbalism and Why Is It My Favorite? Build-Your-Own 'Sick and Tired' Care Package + Protocol for Infection Recovery What Is An Herbal Ally A Gallery Glimpse: Herbal Allies for Spiritual Growth Conscious Relationships via Herbs (Law of Love Preview) January's Herb of the Month (Preview) Mindfulness: learn how to create a meditation practice for your mental hygiene, as it were, and make mindfulness a way of being Herbal Allies for Your Meditation Journey (Abridged Version) New Year's Resolutions (Easy, Intermediate, or Challenge), Even If You Dislike Them How to Begin Talking to Trees Law of Love Series: learn to live the courageous heart-centered lifestyle to active your heart center, follow your heart, and find unconditional love within Don't Let Anyone Be Your Guru (Preview) The Foundations of Self-Care (or How to Never Experience Bad Days - for real!) Why Do We Have a Higher Self + How To Connect to Yours Dealing with People (Love Everyone but Don't Like Everyone) Tea Time Series: chatty series focused on herbal wellness and learning to establish self-care as a daily means of recalibration Series Introduction

Tea Time (Video 1): How to Create a Tea Time

Tea Time (Video 2): Herbs & Altered States of Consciousness

Tea Time (Glowy Skin, Raw Vegan, Cozy, Winter Edition) Chamomile Wisdom Tea Time Chat on Ancestral Herbalism Sun-Aligned Herbs & Heliocentric Theory 

How to Have Unshakeable Confidence & Why I Never Struggled with Body Image 

Anatomy Reconsidered: snippets and previews from the upcoming booklet on how to conceptualize the mind/body/soul to restore health in whichever area of trouble

10 Ways to Improve Your Microbiomes in 2023 ✨ 

Misconceptions About the Human Being (Preview)

Overview for Addressing Hormonal Issues (Preview) The Stress Reduction Plan for Hormonal Imbalances 

HSP Guide: assistance for aligning your internal worlds and realities with your lifestyle, especially useful for highly sensitive individuals Revised Traits of a Highly Sensitive Person Miscellaneous: everything else The Significance of Holistic Healing Journeys All Our Upcoming Projects My Holistic Health Journey ...

[whenpraxisbecomesunbearable]

not answers, but questions

Delivered at The Question: Department of English Postgraduate Symposium

University of Malta

28 May 2024

To lay out some thoughts on questions, and the questions that appeal to me, I’d like to start on an autobiographical note. For reasons I don’t remember, I chose to attend the Department of English postgraduate symposium for the first time in March 2013. The theme of that symposium was: Writing Life. It might have been on that occasion that I came across the title of a book which, at the risk of sounding corny, changed my life. But maybe it wasn’t on that occasion that I came across it after all; ‘origins’ and ‘first times’ are often mistaken when it comes to matters of how certain questions come to us. The book was Judith Butler’s Giving an Account of Oneself. It argues that the self is, and oftentimes ought to remain, a question. An opaque question about ethical and political responsibility.

It is also a book about the opacity of questioning – that hazy and blurred terrain from where questions arise. Why do we ask some of the questions that we ask? How do they come to us? Where do they come from? What is in it for us when we ask certain questions, and not others? In my studies and research within the broad field of questions that is philosophy, the more I asked, the more I started to realise that I ask questions for my own sake. Not theory for its own sake, but for mine. Fleshy questions that cut deep, that matter. In my case, it was ethical and political questions that I was drawn to – my question; not mine, indeed it’s philosophy’s first question – was, ‘how to live?’ As Derrida puts it in one of his last, if not his last interviews – again, in the same way that I’m cautious about ‘first times’, I’m also suspicious of ‘last times’; after all, as Derrida might say, questions have afterlives too – but anyway, as he said in ‘the final interview’, we remain ineducable in the task of learning how to live. He confesses, in the interview’s title, that there is no such thing as learning to live finally. The question of how to live remains open, unanswered but surely not an irrelevant question. To the contrary, we might want to say that it is precisely through its inability or its refusal to yield to answerability that that question obtains its value.

What is it to value something beyond calculability, to stay with Derrida? What is the value of questions that are unanswerable? What are the effects of calling into question the structure that orders questions into a hierarchy? Critique, to me, is another word for transforming answers into questions. And since they defy neat and easy measurement, terms such as ‘critique’ or ‘critical evaluation’ are often frowned upon by regimes of quality assurance discourses within academia. Critical questions are judged as impractical, unhelpful, irrelevant, unrealistic or unpragmatic. Incidentally, these questions tend not to feature in the ample emails I receive on an almost daily basis about funding programmes, strategic goals and priority areas. Sometimes I worry that maybe my questioning and I are not on the right track. As if The Big Other or The Father doesn’t want me to ask these questions. Of course, as a student I carried this exclusion as a badge of honour. Not having my questions catalogued by authoritative schemes was a sure sign that I haven’t been institutionalised yet. The reasoning of student-me was: Of course my questions will not be funded; I’m in the unprofitable business of problematisation, of critique, of making life harder. I wanted to ask questions whose non-answers revealed not that we humanity are on the verge of stumbling upon solutions to our problems, but rather that matters were even worse than initially thought.

But, I confess that with time I began to question my outlook on these matters. What was a defiant attitude to the system that determines the value of questions transformed into something more worried. Is worrying a question? Which questions keep us up at night? Of all questions, sometimes I’m kept up by the under-appreciation, or even the active exclusion, of critical epistemologies within academic settings. On bad days, I fear that in a few years’ time, universities will no longer be the spaces where these sort of questions are asked. Some questions are increasingly received as an affront, a confrontation, a defiance. One would think that it’d be robust answers that could land someone in trouble. Yet, increasingly, it’s questions that are framed as violent; diverse questions such as: why is it that students are being arrested at pro-Palestinian protests on campuses? Why is it that some sports must be sex-segregated? Is AI use in education always a good thing? What is this injunction to ‘be practical’? What ends does it serve? What are the desires and affects that animate it? How does this hegemonic impulse curtail and curate which questions are asked? Oftentimes, I experience these questions as worry. Worry and care are related terms. The Old English word ‘caru’ evokes meanings of grief, lament, cry, sorrow, anxiety. And I would add that critique too is animated by concern. Concerned by and with questions about what is being left behind.

I consider the questions I’m drawn to as falling under the questioned category of critique or critical theory. My theoretical heroes are writers such as Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, and increasingly Hannah Arendt, Adriana Cavarero and Chantal Mouffe. It might not be the coolest of moves to speak of ‘theoretical heroes’, but I do it beause they’re the ones who shaped my outlook towards questions and questioning. I find myself drawn to a thinker not only for the answers they put forth, but for the questions they ask. For example, writing on how nameless groups of people are abandoned to death on a daily basis, including in the Mediterranean sea, Judith Butler asks: “What makes a life valuable? What accounts for the unequal ways that lives are valued?” I’m drawn to these questions; they bear witness to a space that I want to be in. I’m drawn to their lexicon, their pathos, their urgency and their stakes. In these questions, I see myself.

Theory’s questions help me voice and give form to something within me that needs some articulation. Some account. Some description or re-description. I’m drawn to these words – description, articulation – beause these are the activities I associate with the questions I ask. The Platonic impulse for foundations and justifications never appealed to me. I tend to see the task of philosophy – or at least the type of philosophy that appeals to me – as one of providing vocabularies with which to describe phenomena, and to critically and creatively experiment with these vocabularies. Philosophy as a form of poetics, one could say; or even the essayistic spirit of philosophy, at once introspective, personal but also outward looking, critical and thus political. The questions one asks reveal quite a bit about the one who’s asking; questions reveal tendencies, attractions, sensibilities and impressions. Questions reveal how we’re shaped; they defy belief in an agency that’s fully transparent and autonomous. I don’t always know why I ask the questions that I do. The texts we read fill us with questions; we yield to some, we incline towards others.

So these are the questions I like, and the textual texture I resort to in order to navigate them. Questions about the criteria that establish the value of lives, of knowledge, of questions themselves. Questions, that is, about which questions can be legitimately posed and when; questions on how questions can be answered, if at all. I don’t always care whether questions can be answered, as long as they provoke me enough and so fully that I keep returning to them and their orbit, in a sort of psychoanalytic process of repetition, where frustratingly but sometimes also beautifully, I find myself asking the same questions anew, again and as if for the very first time.

***

It was truly a pleasure to participate in this inter-disciplinary roundtable at the 2024 Postgraduate Symposium, organised annually by English at UM, to share my thoughts on the ethics & politics of questions, and the future of questioning. Thanks to Omar N'Shea and Vanessa Camilleri for their excellent contributions, and to Giuliana Fenech for moderating. Attending the 2013 edition of this symposium ('Writing Life') as a postgrad was a transformative event for me, so being part of this roundtable felt extra special. Grateful to English at UM for the invitation and for their awesome work.

[q-academy-online-course]

Top Online Learning Platforms: A Comparison for Certification Seekers

With everything going digital these days, numerous students are looking for online classrooms to meet their needs for higher education. The e-learning industry is in the boom and expected to be worth $399.3 billion in 2022, with a 14% CAGR forecast between 2023 and 2032.

With the growing number of online learning platforms, how shall one select an ideal platform? 

Whether you are a student, a professional looking to improve your skills, or an organisational personnel looking for effective training solutions for your team, continue to read the article and find out top-tier and the best online learning platforms that provide a wide range of courses with flexible learning opportunities and engaging experiences for the users. 

These platforms provide access to a wide range of subjects and competencies, allowing students to work at their own speed and achieve their goals. Explore the top online learning systems customised to varied educational needs, enabling learners to thrive in the digital world.

Q Academy

Q Academy is a learning institution that focuses on providing education and training in various fields, with a particular emphasis on technology & digital marketing. 

Q Academy online courses are aligned with current industry demands, ensuring students have their hands on relevant, applicable skills that employers are looking for. 

Q Academy’s courses are taught by professionals with substantial experience in their respective fields. This provides students with in-depth knowledge of courses directly from the experts who have succeeded in the industry. 

Q Academy's online courses are designed for learners ranging from beginners looking to pursue courses to build a strong career to professionals seeking to upskill or re-skill in their current careers. 

LinkedIn Learning

If you are a working professional, LinkedIn Learning is one of the finest options you could choose. WIth over 17,000 courses in diverse fields, LinkedIn Learning caters to a variety of learners, especially a hot choice of professionals. 

Furthermore, the platform offers affordable subscription models which can be paid monthly or annually which gives users access to a plethora of courses. 

Curious learners can benefit from a one-month free trial, where they can access the entire course library, certificates of completion, personalised recommendations, and full LinkedIn Premium privileges.

Udemy

Udemy is a formidable contender in the rapidly developing industry of online learning. Their extensive course catalogue aims to cater to a diverse spectrum of interests and learning needs. Udemy gives access to 185,000+ courses with lifetime access to the users. The platform offers courses in various sectors like IT, Technology, Art, Music, Content etc. 

Coursera

Coursera is one such name that appears first in the minds of the learners. It has established itself as a major influence in the online education business. 

Coursera provides a wide range of courses, specialties, and degrees. One of the major benefits learners can get is from its collaborations with prestigious universities and organisations.  

Coursera offers courses that are flexible to pursue. From beginners courses to specialisations (a series of related courses designed to master a specific skill) to professional certificates, and even full-time degree programs, there are a wide range of courses available for learners of different ages. 

To make it flexible for learners, Coursera offers courses that often include video lectures, readings, peer-reviewed assignments, and community discussion forums, allowing students to learn at their own pace and schedule.

Conclusion

While e-learning may sound thrilling, it is very crucial to select an online learning platform that is both user friendly and keeps learners engaged.

Learners, from students to working professionals, who are seeking higher education that matches modern day needs can opt for Q Academy online courses and customise their learning experiences and gain knowledge at their own speed. Q Academy provides a wide range of courses, from fundamental to advanced subjects which allows students to choose the one that best fits their needs and areas of competence.

Read for more info: https://q-academy-online-course.blogspot.com/2024/05/top-online-learning-platforms.html

[drexlerpublishing]

The Visionary Journey of Drexler Publishing

In a world where the written word is both a portal to the imagination and a tool for education, Drexler Publishing stands as a towering figure, exemplifying a commitment to excellence and innovation in children’s literature. Guided by an unwavering dedication to inspire, educate, and entertain, Drexler Publishing has carved a unique niche in the hearts of young readers around the globe. Each book published under the Drexler imprint is more than just a story; it is a delicate weave of imagination, curiosity, and wonder, designed to empower the next generation of readers to dream, explore, and create.

Igniting the Flames of Imagination

Since its inception, Drexler Publishing has understood that the true essence of childhood is rooted in the boundless realms of imagination. With a diverse catalogue that ranges from vibrant picture books to compelling young adult novels, Drexler ensures that every young reader can see themselves as heroes of their own stories, irrespective of their background. The tales spun by Drexler’s authors are crafted not only to entertain but to challenge the minds of young readers, encouraging them to think critically about the world around them.

Fostering Curiosity and Wonder

Curiosity is the bedrock of all learning, and at Drexler Publishing, it is the heartbeat of every publication. By introducing young readers to characters who ask bold questions and explore their worlds, Drexler books instil a spirit of inquiry and fascination. Science fiction titles take young minds on interstellar journeys, fantasy adventures break the boundaries of the known world, and historical narratives offer a window into the past, all fostering a sense of wonder about the universe and its endless possibilities.

Empowering Young Minds to Dream

Drexler Publishing’s commitment goes beyond mere storytelling; it is about building a foundation for future leaders, thinkers, and creators. Through engaging narratives, Drexler books encourage children to dream big and affirm that they have the power to make a difference. Whether it’s a story about a young inventor who finds a solution to save his village or a girl who stands up for justice and equality, Drexler’s characters serve as role models, showing that courage, perseverance, and kindness are traits that can truly change the world.

Innovation at Its Core

At the heart of Drexler Publishing’s operations lies a relentless pursuit of innovation. In today’s digital age, Drexler has embraced the latest technologies to enhance the reading experience and connect with audiences across various platforms. From interactive eBooks to audiobooks and virtual reality experiences, Drexler is constantly exploring new ways to engage with its readers, ensuring that the joy of reading is accessible to every child, regardless of their preferred medium.

A Commitment to Educators and Parents

Understanding that education is a collaborative effort, Drexler Publishing works closely with educators and parents to develop books that not only align with educational standards but also support at-home learning environments. Resources, guides, and activity sheets provided by Drexler help integrate reading into broader educational goals, making each book a tool for learning and development.

A World of Infinite PossibilitiesAs Drexler Publishing continues to write its story, its legacy remains clear: to light up young minds with the power of words. With every book it publishes, Drexler aims to open a door to new adventures, new understandings, and new dreams, ensuring that the young readers of today become the inspired leaders of tomorrow. In a world of rapid change and uncertainty, the commitment of Drexler Publishing to foster a love of reading is a constant beacon of hope—a promise of a literate, educated, and imaginative generation ready to craft a world of infinite possibilities.Grab your now https://a.co/d/1LZBVDm

[inyourbestwriting]

I recently read this book about the concept of a congregation in a secular age. The idea that struck me the hardest was Root's framing of our personal motivations as having shifted from objectively determined 'shoulds' to subjectively determined 'coulds'. In the past, when the shape of our lives was based more on religious frameworks, how we lived - from what we ate to the rhythm of our week to how we assessed our own performance - was measured against these expectations.

A good life was made up of meeting the criteria set out by a bunch of shoulds. As religion has fallen away as a morally guiding force in how we structure our lives, coulds have replaced them. Coulds are more numerous as they are subjectively determined, just as our performance against these objectives is. We could do anything with our days, weeks, lives. The possibilities and combinations are as numerous as the people making the choices. They are more anxiety-provoking as a result, being so personal. Everyone is going around inventing their own wheels of value and progress and success. In addition, as Barry Schwartz describes in The Paradox of Choice, having more options doesn't necessarily make us happier; conversely, it can leave us more stressed than we might be with a more limited selection of things to choose from. This is why I love a short menu.

It made me think about how we progress through life. You start off living by a set of shoulds, as dictated by your parents: what you wear, what you eat, where you go. Finally, you graduate to self-determination and worlds of possibility open up, hence the rumspringa-like atmosphere of university. You have access to all the coulds and for a short while we bask in the sun of the countless possibilities. Life is could! Ultimately, with time and increased self-awareness, we return to a set of self-determined shoulds: for me these are - among others - exercising vigorously, drinking what feels like far too much water, trying to stay off my phone. Nothing earth-moving, but nonetheless definitely a set of non-negotiable shoulds. I could stay up all night drinking delicious wine and watching something filthy, but I know tomorrow I will feel like a terrible and slow death so really I should drink this water and go to sleep.

I'm not sad about this process of constriction. It's comforting and nourishing in a way a night in front of Forensic Files (I don't know what you were imagining) never could be.

Connected but tenuously but on my mind nevertheless this week, my friend Lisa is the lady in the photo above. Exercise, as mentioned is one of my shoulds. I met Lisa when I started attending her classes at her Pilates studio, Burn, in San Francisco. When we left, Burn was one of the things I missed the most. Through a series of personal and professional pivots, she can now be found online here and in real life here, and whilst I recognise that her journey to that place has not been easy, I am very happy she's to be found there.

I set myself a goal of working through all her prerecorded Burn sessions from the day I started backwards. It's turned into a pretty trippy project. As Lisa moves forwards through time recording new stuff, I move backwards through her catalogue, spiraling away from her. I follow her progress in reverse, charting it through her hairstyles, the videos' backgrounds of a succession of apartments, houses and studios, and both her daughters and her dog, Chuck, getting younger and younger like Benjamin Buttons.

To end where we began, what I do in her classes has come to me to feel a little like I imagine church does to those who go. I do as she commands, wholly obedient in my observation of the ritual-like sequences, and I emerge transformed: saved for a while in body if not in soul. Or maybe...

Photo from here.

[clairejozefa]

How does the Learning Management System (LMS) benefit both the students and the college?

Learning Management System is organized to simplify the delivery of instructional content and functions essentially as an online classroom. Learning management systems (LMS) have the power to improve, automate, and streamline your educational initiatives. putting together meaningful, personalized, and fun training for the final user.  Subsequently, we can group the essential elements of an LMS into the following categories:

Course Catalogues: An assortment of accessible courses that participants can peruse and choose from User Dashboard: An individual area where students can monitor their development and access courses

Communication Tools: Functionalities that promote collaboration by enabling learners and instructors to engage

Data analytics: Monitoring and evaluating user progress to assist teachers in improving their methods of instruction

The Functions of an LMS

It's crucial to look at an LMS from the viewpoints of both administrators and users to understand its capabilities fully.

From the user's perspective, navigating an LMS requires multiple steps:

User Registration: Upon first sign-up, users must supply the required information to establish a distinct account that will serve as a record of their learning progress and accomplishments.

Interface Navigation: Learn the design and find the locations of the courses. They look at where to find classes, how to get resources, and how to get in touch with teachers or other students.

Accessing and Finishing Courses: Users can continue at their own pace after registering for courses. They finish the courses, modules, and homework within the allotted time.

Assessments and Progress Tracking: Users use the integrated assessment tools to evaluate themselves. tracking of progress

Impact And Benefits of LMS In Many Industries

Academic institutions are not the only ones that can benefit from using LMS. It has been widely used in a variety of industries, including:

Education: The system is used by schools, colleges, and universities to administer curricula and provide individualized instruction, which increases student engagement.

Corporate Training: Companies train staff members through the platform, resulting in a knowledgeable and productive workforce.

Governmental and Non-Religious Institutions Through LMS, these organizations can improve efficacy and reach by streamlining operations and training.

The system's adaptability makes it a priceless resource for all of these industries. It's not static, though. Let's examine the present patterns reshaping this environment.

The LMS Landscape's Shaping Trends

It is still evolving, just like any other technology. The following current trends are changing eLearning capabilities and standards:

Mobile Learning: In response to the increase in smartphone usage, platforms are developing to provide education on the go.

Gamification is the process of adding gaming aspects to educational materials to increase student engagement and interaction.

Artificial Intelligence and Adaptive Learning: AI customizes content to fit each learner's unique learning preferences and speed. By enabling adaptive learning, which modifies the speed, degree of difficulty, and kind of content based on a learner's success, AI integration with LMS promotes an individualized educational experience.

The LMS market is shaped by these trends, which also affect our selection of the best platform.

Selecting The Correct LMS: Everything You Should Know Before making your choice, you should carefully consider several crucial factors:

Identify Your Needs: Whether for corporate, non-profit, or academic use, identify what you need. Putting your goals in writing will help you find the ideal fit.

Consider the Available Options - Evaluate the characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of various platforms to make comparisons. Make sure to check reviews and get input from existing customers.

Identify the Key Elements Determine the essential qualities. Emphasize the non-negotiables, such as reliable data analysis tools and mobile accessibility.

The ideal platform fits your needs and is in line with your goals. You may now successfully navigate the world of learning management systems with the help of these insights.

Conclusion

In response to the need for cutting-edge educational solutions that make use of developments in information technology and telecommunications, learning management systems, or LMSs, have evolved. Course management, assessment, learner progress tracking, gradebook, communications, security, and smartphone access are just a few of the features that LMSs offer to facilitate online learning. Future iterations of LMSs are probably going to have tools and features that allow for more customized content for individual students, improve social interactions amongst students who are learning online, and give institutional decision-makers access to more timely and pertinent information.

[spacenutspod]

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx delivered its precious cargo to Earth on September 24th, 2023. The sample from asteroid Bennu is contained inside the spacecraft’s sampling head, and it’s in safe hands at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Two stubborn fasteners delayed the opening of the sampling head, but they’ve been removed, and now we can see inside. What looks like unremarkable dirt is primordial asteroidal material that’s billions of years old, a natural treasure trove that eager scientists can’t wait to begin studying. The head and its sample are in the hands of the astromaterials curation team at Johnson Space Center. On January 10th, they opened the Touch-and-Go-Sample-Acquisition-Mechanism (TAGSAM.) The leading image shows what greeted them. The sample material includes dust and rocks up to about .4 in (one cm) in size. Credit: NASA/Erika Blumenfeld & Joseph Aebersold The next step is to remove the round metal collar and place the sample into trays. Each tray will be photographed, weighed, packaged, and stored. The final mass will be determined in the weeks ahead, including the 70.3 grams (2.48 oz) removed previously. That material was on the sampling machinery but outside of the capsule. OSIRIS-REx’s goal was to return 60 grams of material, so it’s already exceeded that amount. The curation team will catalogue all of the samples later this year. After that, scientists from around the world can request access. This map shows the 38 institutions that will be the first to receive Bennu samples. Image Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona. Bennu is a carbonaceous asteroid, a primitive chunk of rock that forms a link to the past when the rocky planets were forming. Scientists have already found carbon and water in the previously removed material. In fact, according to initial analysis, its carbon concentration is close to 5%. That’s among the highest non-terrestrial carbon percentages ever measured. “The OSIRIS-REx sample is the biggest carbon-rich asteroid sample ever delivered to Earth and will help scientists investigate the origins of life on our own planet for generations to come,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at the time. Once scientists get their hands on more of the material, they’ll doubtlessly find other interesting components. Maybe even some of life’s building blocks, like amino acids. Bennu’s water and carbon content could indicate that life’s building blocks originated in asteroids like Bennu. The sample also gives researchers an opportunity to test their findings against previous observations of Bennu. Astronomers studied the asteroid’s composition with OSIRIS-REx’s instruments as it approached Bennu, and the samples will tell them how accurate their efforts were. It’s an opportunity to verify and improve spacecraft instruments and remote sensing methods. Bennu’s boulder-strewn surface. The asteroid is a rubble pile rather than a monolithic body. Image Credit: NASA/University of Arizona. Scientists suspect that Bennu could actually be older than our Solar System. If that’s true, then it’s a window into the distant past when only the solar nebula and the proto-Sun existed. It may contain insights into how everything formed, including the Sun. Bennu may also be one of the remaining pieces of a much larger body. Scientists think that the parent body broke apart between 700 million and two billion years ago. Scientists hope to learn more from the Bennu sample about its parent body and how Bennu migrated to the inner Solar System. In a notable act of foresight, 75% of the sample will be stored for the future. Instruments and analysis techniques will only improve over time, and these pristine samples will be available when they do. NASA has done the same with other materials like lunar samples, and it’s paid off. The Bennu samples can only enhance our understanding of our Solar System and how everything came to be. From its ancient early beginnings in the solar nebula to its present-day location in the inner Solar System, Bennu is a well-travelled message-bearer. Now that we have some of that message in our labs, scientists can reveal what Bennu has to say. The post Finally, Let’s Look at the Asteroid Treasure Returned to Earth by OSIRIS-REx appeared first on Universe Today.

[ind211-deryabuyukbayrak]

KEITH TYSON

Keith Tyson is a British artist born on 23 August 1969.(1) Geno Pheno, a new collection of paintings and sculptures by British artist Keith Tyson, was exhibited at PaceWildenstein, 534 West 25th Street, New York, from October 15 to November 12, 2005.Geno Pheno is both Tyson's first exhibition with PaceWildenstein and his first significant solo presentation of his work in America since 1993.The exhibition was accompanied by a full-colour catalogue, which included an essay by Michael Archer, author, speaker and professor of art history and theory at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Art at the University of Oxford.Tyson records a generative scheme on the left panel of the two-panel paintings, and on the right panel, he generates a single probable conclusion.He has also assigned the system to sculpture, using the “base” as the Genotype and the “sculpture” as the Phenotype. Although Geno Pheno studies take many different forms, the transformation process is always clearly evident.Examining several of the new works, Michael Archer writes in his essay, “It might be more accurate to say that there are not merely two but three parts to each work. Inevitably, the phenotype as a working out of the genotype’s potential will be understood to reflect back upon the genotype from which it stems, illuminating more fully its fundamental nature. He uses many techniques such as painting, drawing and installation in his works. Geno Pheno explores the essence and limits of artistic creativity in a bold and humorous way, beginning with the traditional diptych form. A piece's genotype, or the genetic material of the work, and phenotype, or the physical manifestation of that material, make up each two-part structure. In terms of sculpture, Tyson represents this dual duality with the plinth and the object, and the paintings are diptychs that mirror one other. Tyson uses the concepts of genotype and phenotype to examine the theme of causality in the Geno/Pheno series. A genotype is a generative system that encodes for one of several possible outcomes in genetics. Despite coming from the same generative system, these results, or phenotypes, are all quite different from one another. Tyson pairs two elements, one of which takes on the role of a genotype and the other of a phenotype, by using the basic coding system seen in nature. Tyson has produced twenty-seven paintings and eighteen sculptures in this series. The two complementary elements that make up each of these pieces are the Genotype, which is on the left and is a generative system that encodes for the Phenotype, which is on the right. The artist's continuing preoccupation with the beginnings of matter and the limitless possibilities created by chance is evident in the Geno/Pheno series. According to Tyson, paint is a medium that can be programmed to respond to certain social and aesthetic cues. In his paintings, he incorporates them into text, mathematical symbols, mythology, and pictorial language. Even though he frequently creates works in rule-based series, he says that his ultimate goal is for every single piece to develop into its own universe, complete with its own set of laws, aesthetic, and purpose.(1)

TABLE – (3)

-A DIPER MINING OF THE CASUAL VEIN-(3)

-SYNAESTHETIC TURBINE- (3)

References

Keith Tyson - Hauser & Wirth. (2023, August 7). Hauser & Wirth.

Keith Tyson: Geno Pheno on artnet. (n.d.)

Archer, M., & Tyson, K. (2005, January 1). Keith Tyson. Haunch of Venison.

[yessadirichards]

Three years after George Floyd: Hopes dashed, progress mixed

MINNEAPOLIS

It's been three years since a white police officer put his knee on George Floyd's neck, asphyxiating the African-American man and sparking mass protests against racism and police violence.

On the anniversary of the May 25, 2020 killing -- which was captured on video and went viral around the world -- AFP came back to ask his aunt, a protester, and one of the leaders of an organization dedicated to his memory to describe what has changed, and what hasn't.

Angela Harrelson

For George Floyd's aunt, among the most notable developments after her nephew's death is "the acknowledgement that systemic racism exists."

"The conversation is different. People are more open, especially white America, about talking about race relations," Harrelson tells AFP in front of "George Floyd Square," the makeshift memorial erected where the 46-year-old was killed in the northern U.S. city of Minneapolis.

"People always ask, 'Do you think it's getting better?' Yes," she says.

She points to the conviction of the police officers involved in Floyd's death, the reforms in Minneapolis law enforcement, and diversity programs at universities.

"Is there more work to do? Yes. Will there be more police killings? Yes, there will," she says.

That is why the work must go on.

"Twenty years from now, 50 years from now, 100 years from now, the goal is not to hold a sign that says 'Black Lives Matter.' And until we can do that... that's when we know we have arrived. That's the goal."

Bethany Tamrat

AFP first encountered Bethany Tamrat, now 22, at a protest in Minneapolis in 2020. At the time, she says, it was essential for her to participate in the movement because she wanted "to be able to say, 'I saw it with my own eyes.'"

"In the moment, during 2020, it felt like there was a shift.... There was a lot of hopefulness... that there was going to be positive change," she says, speaking on her university campus.

"And I can confidently say three years after that, it was really a facade," she said. "It almost feels like we took five steps, only for us to lose 15 steps back."

The heated debate in schools and universities over Critical Race Theory -- which holds that racial bias is inherent in many parts of US society, and often embedded in legal systems and policies -- is a glaring example, she says.

On May 15, nearly a month after AFP's interview with her, Florida's governor signed legislation to end diversity programs at public universities in his state.

"I don't think people are ready to make the change," she says.

Talking about diversity and inclusion within a private company is one thing, but when you "really sit in with yourself and reflect on how you have contributed to racism, how you have these personal biases against certain communities, that takes harder work."

"Even as a country, we can't all be on the same page when it comes to history.... We all have varying versions of what happened in this country... then how can you make change?"

Maybe, she ponders, it is by "truly listening to the people that are affected."

Cofounder and executive director of the George Floyd Global Memorial, Jeanelle Austin preserves every single item left at the scene of his murder.

The signs, flowers, notes and other items will one day be displayed to ensure that people "remember what happened for the purposes of continuing the pursuit of racial justice," she says amid the curated items from the scene that are catalogued and stored.

For her, real change was possible, but "people won't do it," she says, "because we have a system and an industry in our country that requires Black people to be at the bottom."

The anti-racism protests of 2020 saw Americans take down Confederate statues and fight for legislative change in a campaign for justice.

But "all of that was not going to solve the problem of racism in the country if people weren't willing to change," Austin says.

The nature of policing is also an issue, she notes.

For example, when Tyre Nichols, a young Black man from Memphis, died in January after being beaten by African-American police officers, "people said, 'Well, what is this?' This is Black-on-Black crime,'" she says. "Policing culture is policing culture, regardless of your skin."

Some people then reverted to business as usual, "and business as usual is what caused harm," according to Austin.

These issues do not revolve exclusively around policing, but churn in the country's media, education and health care, she says.

"It's always a state of emergency. Because lives are at stake. People are dying."

[thetwotorches]

Hello, answering this via the more relevant blog.

Initially I didn't have an answer to this question because I hadn't quite encountered an outright 'haunted' book or book with 'strong presence' before (to generalize it), but just now I recalled something possibly of interest that happened to me in college.

I was wandering my university's stacks with no real goal in mind, just killing time, when I spotted two extremely old books on the shelf next to infinitely newer ones. Never one to passing up flipping through a very old book, I carefully opened the first one and saw that the copyright was early 1810s with the author's name not printed but penciled in by someone ages ago. I was really astounded that such old books (they were a set, the two of them) were just sitting out openly in the stacks, as this library also had a rare books department that surely would have been more suited to protect them. But here they were, just sitting out. I decided to take them with me, and checked them out.

They were books about nature written with a poetic flourish, that constantly referenced a slew of other philosophic writers (clearly the author was well read), and had an exceedingly interesting voice that forced me to slow down and absorb what he was saying. There were also some really banger lines in there that I initially started to copy down into a notebook for the future after the books were returned when suddenly it occurred to me...what if I *didn't* return them? What if I just....*kept* them? It was $80 per book 'lost' at my school, regardless of the book, and I decided that was probably less than the two were worth and I would roll the dice. I kept them beyond the return date. Days passed. I kept waiting for the charge ping, but it never came. I got curious- maybe it just took them awhile to demand money out of you?- and went back to the library and looked up the books. Sure enough, they were now marked as 'lost' in the catalogue, but when I logged into my account? What books? The system had never heard of them. Somehow, for some reason, all record that I had ever checked them out, ever 'lost' them, was ever supposed to be fined for them, was utterly and completely gone. Vanished. Nothing.

The books were now safely mine, free, and it was from then on that I decided I would absolutely take care of them, and also try to find out more about the author whose beautiful writing somehow didn't even merit his own name printed in his own books, left to be penciled in by some considerate future reader. And I did just that. I created reference pages for him, dug up what little sparse information I could, and then waited. It took a couple years but the internet algorithm did the rest- now with references pages for him out in the wild, databases elsewhere- at other universities, institutions that knew him personally ages ago, etc., suddenly found information on him worth adding to the internet. And thus his story finally grew and expanded and he had a history and a reputation again and a list(!!) of his works attached to his name, no longer just penciled in but printed for eternity on the world wide web.

I did not understand at the time but today obviously know that I am a magnet for a lot of the dead and am able to intercede if we happen to meet on the same wavelength. I think he saw me wandering through that day- perhaps he had seen me before- and brought me to his books and wiped the system- somehow- because he knew I'd revive him. And I'm far from done with him, too. I have more plans. But it's been quite a slowburn adventure over the years, me and this author. Two years ago I got to hold in my hands a letter he had written to someone that surfaced at a nearby library. It's taken a lot of time, but his tide has finally come, and I've been so pleased I could help.

In this way, the needs of two books and their author fit my abilities and I was able to help, along with some mutual aid along the way. This has been my only encounter with this sort of thing, but now I am wondering if this post isn't again some way to nudge me to remember this little project and see what's new again to add to it some more. So thank you, @l-u-c-i-i-e , for continuing to post about it. <3

The Inner Librarian

To follow mypost about "Grimoires" :

Here is what catches my attention in your answers :

1-Books that are dormant and that awaken when the time is right. Which is somewhat similar to what @witchcraftingboop writes : books that have their own presence. Books that in one way or another make noise in themselves. Do you have any examples? Could you describe your feelings? (~ @friend-crow's nausea) 2-This kind of passion that we maintain with some books, the one we work with AND the one that works us. -> Are they the same ? 3-Not being able to afford this or that book, staying free. 4-Notebooks that act as oracles and also act as receptacles. So do you consider Marseille Tarot decks or other types of card oracles to be books? - For my part, I have a copy of the Mutus Liber which has always disturbed me a lot because it is "mute", which in a way "blinds" me (but I can't say how exactly or "what") and which I feel "white as milk". Of course it echoes to alchemy and hermeticism but that's not the point. The point is -> I've been avoiding reopening it since 5 years !

I have another book, which - in my experience - brings #diehard change. I always have an unpleasant feeling of cold wind (La "bise" we say in France) when I open it. The Fair Folks also seem to appreciate it a lot. It's a translation of the Egyptian Book of Gates. I really don't open it often :D

-

NOW : 3 questions for the witches book team :p 1/ Do you have haunted notebooks? How do you go about making your notebook magical ? What is a magical notebook according to you ? Has a "haunted" notebook ever taken you by surprise ? (you didn't expect it to be haunted for example.) 2/ To follow up on @witchcraftingboop super interesting post, how do you practice bibliomancy? (it doesn't have to be super complicated, nor spiritual, I'm just asking out of curiosity, I'm not making a judgment on what someone does or doesn't do ^^) Do you need a special book to practice bibliomancy? A book related to the occult, to spirituality, to religion? Or not necessarily ? And why ? 3/ Rarity VS industrial books. What can we say about the presence of one and the other? What do we put of ourselves in a book or a notebook that we want to awaken?

Yes I'm tagging you all again :D <3 @witchcraftingboop @friend-crow @windvexer @buddyblanc @gryphis-eyes @graveyarddirt @blackthornwren @la-dame-grise @gamayunsteward @lailoken @wildwood-faun @unseelie-witch @fur-teeth-bones-earth @reno-matagot @satsekhem @satsuti @aechlys @rainbluealoekitten @stormcrow513 and sorry if I forgot someone!