#forest discussion

[delicatelysublimeforester]

Unveiling the Secrets of the Forest: A Conversation with Dr. Suzanne Simard

[teddypickerry]

“women in male fields” but it’s just rory gilmore running away after all three of her boyfriends said i love you.

[lennardd]

it's always good to ask your co-workers for feedback

[dreams-incorporated]

I don't want this to happen again

[captainhysunstuff]

22 more images below the cut (Warning: Less than moral discussion ahead):

Light leads L to a particular stretch of woods that he calls "neutral ground" and demands to hear L's conditions for him to work with Kira. L tries to explain in a way that will convince Light to accept his assistance. It appears to be successful...

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Transcript

Big Disclaimer here: I, personally, don't condone the "Kira Plan" in any way, shape, or form. I don't even believe that there is a "correct" way to enact it. I am very firmly on the "Anti-Kira" and "Light is a Tragic Character with Bad Coping Mechanisms/Self Delusion" teams. I don't want to spoil too much of what's left of this story, but I do have a plan/explanation in the future~.

[dreamsicle262]

roadkill.

my art entry for @megaroniandcheez's dtiys. see tags for notes and explanations on the art. also tumblr may have absolutely nuked the quality so click the picture for a better look

[statementlou]

https://www.tumblr.com/louisupdates/754934426217152513/goodbye-faith-in-the-future-world-tour-272024?source=share

did he or did he not lose fans then?

I will answer this because this anon actually brings a concrete question to the table rather than just "hurhur but you're a larrie??" (tell me you can't actually refute any of our points…). Anyway this post shows the decrease in Louis instagram followers between the screenshots taken directly after the release of Faith in the Future in Nov '22, when he changed his bio to promote that album and the tour tickets, and now, when he changed it again to mention the current release. But I'm putting that response under a cut because I'm tired of the actual POINT of all this nonsense getting lost in a sea of made up things people insist are important:

There is no rational argument you can make to say that Louis has less fans now than he did 2, 4, or 6 years ago. You don't need a spreadsheet of details you need to USE YOUR EYES! He has gone from filling theaters to filling arenas and stadiums. His second album made a higher chart position than his first album. His festival has doubled in size EVERY year of its existence. And for that matter: his insta post engagement numbers remain about the same (despite the fact that older posts should have way MORE likes due to having been there longer, even aside from follower counts.) SO WHO FUCKING CARES ABOUT HIS INSTA FOLLOWER NUMBER???? Serious question: what does the word "fans" mean if these things aren't what matters? ALL of this quibbling about what he should do to make things better and people can't even see that THINGS AREN'T BAD.

Anyway to address the specific question- (con't......)

NO- HE DID NOT LOSE FANS. HE LOST SOME INSTA FOLLOWERS. THESE ARE NOT THE SAME THING. As I said above, literally what does it mean to lose fans if that number change coincides with him having higher sales, more audience members, and higher engagement than ever before? Whatever he lost ISN'T FANS. I wouldn't be surprised if a significant factor was something like a bot purge, but also yes: I'm sure a lot of casuals followed him around the time of his big album release and later unfollowed him. That's extremely normal because that's how casual engagement works, and why the definition of fan really matters. Louis and his team understand this and have referenced it repeatedly, talking about how lucky he is to have *us* specifically, to have the kind of dedicated fanbase he has, to have the KIND of fans he does who will allow him to do what HE wants. @dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram named the issue of depth vs breadth with regard to fans a long time ago, and pointed out why having DEPTH is so much more important. It's like this- artists who are on top 40 radio have more numbers on things like insta follows, and for a time on sales and tickets. But those aren't FANS- they're people with a casual interest. And as soon as that person isn't being forced in their ears 10x a day, those people lose interest and stop supporting them, stop buying stuff and unfollow, and those artists end up doing the 'opener on the jingle ball' circuit rather than their own tours. One Direction as a whole, and Louis maybe most of all or near to at this point, have something MUCH MORE VALUABLE than that- DEPTH FANS. Louis has fans who will support him even if he takes years to release music, or stops parading around with a pretend girlfriend to stay in the headlines at least once a month, or completely changes his image and genre, and that is UNHEARD OF. It's ASTONISHING and worth SO MUCH MORE. And they get that! THAT is why he always bragging about us, why industry people he works with are always so agog about us, why he will do anything for US- not for randos. He is also growing his breadth- and it's OBVIOUSLY WORKING whatever his follower counts are, but that is always going to be secondary to doing things for THE FANDOM because that is his sustainable business model. That is what keeps him onstage and reaching number one. And not coincidentally, the things they do are also working to grow that- much more valuable- commodity. So the fact that that's exactly what these chuckleheads complain about- that he does things that are just fandom facing or serving rather than everything being aimed at recruiting casual fans- does nothing but betray how completely they, unlike Louis and his team, misunderstand the actual drivers of his (actual, existing, happening) success. Luckily for Louis, he and his team rely on their own data harvesting (they do a LOT of it) and growth metrics (they're off the charts) rather than the smug assumptions of random (mostly quite new to this) fans and the few bitter people leading the complaining about everything Louis does.

[episims]

Aurora "—Oh, I see! Cloud wrote to the chore list: 'I also cooked'. Also is written in capitals."

Julian "I assume he's trying to indicate an annoyed tone since he also did the chores I forgot about yesterday. I'll apologize to him later."

Aurora "Apologizing makes him less annoyed?"

Julian "...Some."

Aurora "Dad, um... the school's librarian said it's causing them extra work to order me books from other libraries."

Julian "It's a part of their work."

Aurora "Yes, but it's true. I saw her computer's screen and I was the only one who had ordered books in the past week. But the elementary school's library has a really small scientific section! And there's almost no technical books at all..."

Julian "Hmh. What's your motive for telling me this?"

Aurora *sigh* "You've said it's better if I don't skip grades. Why...?"

Julian ...I could've predicted this. My standpoint was justifiable but nevertheless idealistic. "I've based the decision on personal experiences... but I admit I should've considered your opinion, too. What do you think would be the best solution?"

Aurora "I think I could go to high school already. I've seen Casper's homework and it's not very hard. And, um... ever since he went there, I... haven't talked with my classmates, much. I didn't talk with them a lot before either, but more than I do now."

Julian "Oh. Are you, uh. Lonely?"

Aurora "...A little. I already know everything the others are trying to learn, but they won't like it if I teach them, and I don't want to do that either. I want to learn something new, too."

Julian "I see. I'd like to hear Cloud's input as well, but that's enough reason to reconsider my decision."

[ships-n-bats]

I still absolutely love how Wolfwalkers ended.

Love that it still ultimately focused on Robyn and Mebh and how they leave their old world behind to find a new one, just for them, their parents, and the wolf family to live in peace, far away from the townspeople. How after all that drama and near-death experiences, they just get to rest in the caravan, protected by their respective parent and live together in the forest.

No more societal expectations. No more gender roles. No need to appease a bunch of people who really only want them dead for what they are. No focus on these two literal children to change a town’s whole mindset like so many other films do. No, the message was just these two girls finding their happy ending with their loved ones somewhere else and just cutting out that toxic environment all together.

Why waste energy trying to help a bunch of people they don’t even have any real attachment to, after all? Especially with people who actively forced roles they didn’t want onto them and mistreated them for being different? It’s just such a breath of fresh air to see a film that ends with the characters finding happiness and peace in their own little slice of heaven, rather than wasting time, energy, and emotions on trying to change others.

[yarameijer]

Worldbuilding challenges I did expect: History and political environment.

Worldbuilding challenges I did not expect: I, a soil & geology student, accidentally getting side-tracked and fixating on developing the area's climate, geological buildup, geological history and development, current geological phenomena, geological relations to land use, land use in economical and trading context, influences of climate on said land use, I could go on.

[catscraftsandcommentary]

Can't remember if I've made this post before, but eh, why not repeat.

The Accidental Warlord AU needs a daycare/nursery at Kaer Morhen, SPECIFICALLY so that Geralt can go play with all the babies, toddlers, small children, etc and hide from his responsibilities.

Just IMAGINE how adorable he'd be, buried in little tykes, play-wrestling with them, or reading to them, or cuddling them to sleep.

Their parents come to pick them up, and are immediately like "....uh, I need to have FIVE DOZEN MORE CHILDREN NOW, just so I can hang them off the horribly terrifying Warlord of the North, who can be completely disarmed with exactly ONE (1) small child."

After about the fifth time that various members of the council have to pry Geralt away from the nursery, the children start hiding him.

Well. Attempting to hide him.

Please imagine:

Eskel has been sent to fetch both Geralt and Jaskier, who had previously been sent to fetch the runaway lord. He walks in to find

- 1 suspiciously Warlord sized lump, covered in a truly hideous afghan (it was an early project of Ciri's, Geralt adores it but made the mistake of taking it to the nursery ONCE and has never been able to able to reclaim it since)

- 3 gleefully giggling children sitting atop said suspiciously-sized blanket-covered lump

- one missing Consort instructing said children - and several stuffed animals - on proper tea party etiquette (he may or may not be playing his lute - I bet one of his spares has made its way down there after how many times Geralt has hidden among the children)

- one Consort's bodyguard (Aubry) with two toddlers in his lap and three more cuddled close, all listening to a story about birds (illustrated by Aleksander, obviously)

And if you think that Eskel escapes the tea party ding dong you're wrong

[robotlcangel]

(Link to og post)

Cant say I like starscream being the villain I really was hoping that the main conflict of season two would be the mia autobots and newly released cons struggling to assimilate with humans and the non mia autobots, like there’s a real big disconnect between the two groups, and the Terrans are just in the middle of it, especially if the mia autobots sympathize with the decepticons and have an aversion to the active autobots, I really thought we would finally have a tf piece of media that would finally stop the “starscream is always destined for being evil” especially with how he has a connection with hashtag and genuinely cares for her, but no starscream is a probably gonna be a mid villain, the ONLY role where it would be interesting if star was the villain is if his schemes are against the autobots and especially megatron how how heavily persecuted the cons are and that they had to fight to barely survive especially if they didn’t want to be in jail, I just hope they do something interesting, like humans having civil unrest because cons are being “accepted” in to society and them protesting it, I would be even better if this persecution and fear mongering affected the autobots and Terrans. Also it literally make no sense for them to be attacking the maltos THEY LITERALLY JUST HELPED THEM FIGHT MANDROID, maybe starscream is having a manic episode or megatron did something to really piss him off

But if the evildoings of the cons is just them doing childish bs then I’ll gladly watch that

Also nightshade is not mentioned once all the rest of the malto kids are but not them

which if their by the wayside that will be really disappointing because imo they are like the most interesting Terran and the one who has the most opportunity for character growth, especially with how open minded they are, this either mean they become a minor character (which would just be bad writing and a wasted opportunity) or the become a decepticon, AND THEY TOTALLY SHOULD IT WOULD BE SO INTERESTING IF THEY WERE ISOLATED EVEN MORE FROM THEIR FAMILY BECAUSE THEY ARE A DECEPTCON, please con nightshade 🙏🙏🙏

(This will be them in season two)

Also also this seems like a very hashtag heavy season which I am very excited about especially because she’s has cool ass powers and she’s my second fav (nightshade will always be my number one ☝️☝️☝️🔥🔥🦅🦅) and I think why it’s hashtag centric season is because starscream is the main villain, and she’s one of like 5? People he likes and seeing someone she’s close too be all evil and shit will probably fuck her up even more.

So in conclusion all I wish for is for lesbian and decepticon nightshades, windblade(PLEASE), and for starscreams motivations to be interesting

The only thing I can do is be hopeful 🙏🙏

[fatehbaz]

Ecologies of Imperialism in Algeria, by Brock Cutler, begins with an account of food poisoning in nineteenth-century French Algeria. A deep rural crisis of drought and famine in the late 1860s had reduced the amount of fuelwood coming into the city of Algiers, leading one baker to use construction debris shipped to the colony from Paris to fire his bread oven in early 1869. The lead paint on that metropolitan rubble, product of Baron Haussmann’s transformation of the French capital, became a toxic element in the bread that sickened settlers in the colony. The author [...] treats this small episode as a microcosm of the divides, the unruly circulations, and the nonhuman actants and processes that characterized the early decades of colonial rule in Algeria, which the French invaded in 1830.

These divisions and circulations include those between metropole and colony, between modern and not modern, between person and environment, between human and nonhuman, and across the colonial frontier with Tunisia. [...]

---

The first [of three major narrative veins in Cutler's study involves] [...] bread [...], the consumption of wheat grown on the Mediterranean plains of Algeria [...]. The toxic bread affair of 1869, however, was a reminder that the distance between metropole and colony was not so great. [...] The second vein examines the production of new ecosystem relations [...]. [T]he violence of decades of uneven conquest and the confiscation, appropriation, and enclosure of land and its reorientation toward regional and international [European] markets between 1830 and 1870 thoroughly destabilized rural Algerian life. This fragility turned lethal in the final years of the 1860s, when a series of environmental crises - locust plagues and drought - caused widespread famine and ultimately the deaths of up to eight hundred thousand Algerians. [...] The emptied land and cheap labor that were outcomes of the environmental crises enabled [France] to complete the capitalist transformation of rural Algeria [...]. Another outcome of the environmental crisis was an increase in the number of rural Algerians migrating to cities, where they were perceived as both a threat to public order and a reservoir of potential labor energy. [...]

[D]ivisionary logics, including the line between city and countryside and the modern gendered subject, were being performed, produced, and reproduced in the context of environmental crisis.

---

[Another] major element [in Cutler's scholarship] [...] is an exploration of the complex politics of policing French Algeria’s eastern border with Tunisia, in the era before French colonial rule began in the latter polity in 1881. [...] [T]his border, officially demarcated in 1846, was only integrated into local ecosystem relations over the course of subsequent decades. Repeated performance of sovereignty through patrols and taxation of pastoral communities that lived and worked in the frontier commons instantiated the border, but the border region remained resistant to the forms of modern statecraft, such as standardization, bureaucratization, and written transactions, that French authorities preferred. [...] [Cutler] draws on intentionally “mundane” examples to show how they were critical to the steady reproduction of a modern imperial border (p. 47). [...] [A specific] episode of transborder [dispute] [...] in 1869 [...] became a referndum within the settler community on the virtues of military rule and a reminder for that [European] community of [supposed] indigenous incompatability with modernity. [...]

[T]he various divisions illuminated by the story - between modern and not, between inside and outside, and between European and Algerian - were performances staged at various times and places, not eternal features of the society or landscape. The repetition of “divisionary logics,” in the author’s telling, were at the heart of French colonial modernity (p. 149). [...]

---

[T]horough reading of the French colonial archive, from official sources as well as memoirs, newspapers, and periodicals [...], [t]he first two narrative threads, on bread and disaster, demonstrate the significance of moments of crisis [...] in actually changing the course of history [...] [and] longer-term [...] ecological transformations. The other thread, however, examines how the mundane performance of modern sovereign power and its divisionary logics, over time, made real or even naturalized the new imperial frontier between Algeria and Tunisia. Both [...] society-wide crises or the steady performance of the mundane logics of power [...].

---

All text above by: Jackson Perry. "Review of Cutler, Brock. Ecologies of Imperialism in Algeria". H-Environment, H-Net Reviews. April 2024. Published online at: h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=59842. [Text within brackets added by me for clarity. Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[ash-is-expired]

zenless zone zero is based (sadly its owned by hoyoverse)

i got miyabi :3

gender

at some point i'll probably make a rant about gacha games as a person who is relatively new to gacha games. i'm a nintendo girl, i got my gamecube in my left hand and my penis in my right. these lil gambling addictions are fairly new to me.

but what it seems is that, as long as a game isn't an active moneymaker (and the dev team actually cares about the game, yippee), the game will be good.

this is not backed by anything. i would say i'm pulling this shit out of my ass but literally my hands are full with my gamecube and my penis

[inkbery]

Forest Dragon + coloring page

[merakiui]

Last Octavinelle post made me think of Leona being able to smell when you’re ovulating and taking that as a free pass to mate 👀

Omg yes. orz imagine Leona in captivity and you're the one who brings him his meals and cleans his enclosure. You're the only one he doesn't lash out or growl at, so the task of caring for him has been entrusted to you because no one else is able to take one step into Leona's enclosure without being chased out with his intimidating presence and low, threatening growls.

No one tells you he's in rut, but then they couldn't have known because Leona keeps to himself most days (often sleeping in a spot where the view of the cameras can't quite reach him). So when you step into his enclosure as you do every day, you expect to find him napping in his usual place. But he's wide awake, staring at you from across the enclosure, his pupils blown so wide and his nostrils flaring curiously. You don't realize that because you're menstruating the scent of blood clings thickly to you, which Leona can smell so clearly with his heightened senses. And it doesn't help that he's in rut, too, so it really is an appealing smell to him. You smell so fertile. <3 naturally he will be overcome with the instinctual desire to mate.

One of the behaviors in lion courtship is that the male will patiently follow the female, so Leona will trail behind you so slowly, so patiently, waiting for you to pick up on his subtle gestures. Human courtship is so foreign to him, but despite that, in the midst of his rut, he's certain that since you came into his territory with such an appealing scent and looking so perfect in his eyes it must mean you want to mate.