#i have watched this approximately 10 million times

[martanis]

"A shadow is growing in Studio 6B" via The Tonight Show

[3liza]

saw a youtube sponsorship for a brand that markets itself as "masculine shoes in small sizes, for trans men" and if the entire idea wasn't already preposterous (this is part of a large scale marketing push to convince trans people that clothing that has been available on the normal heterosexual market for generations is "hard to find" so they can charge you hundreds of dollars for it), it's also ugly, and they have chosen to call their company "Tomboy Toes". if you said those two words to my face in a shoe store i would slap you

$120 for a black or brown version of the standard school uniform brogue which has been available all the way down to toddler sizes since uhhhhhhh approximately 1820.

just to double check my sense of reality i went to the largest single online shoe market on earth besides Amazon (zappos) and typed in "women's brogues" and selected size 5 which would be pushing the lower limit on the larger part of the bell curve of adult AFAB people on earth, or at least the northern hemisphere, and there are many options in approximately the same price range depending on brand name, with sales regularly down to much less, on similar or identical styles. ebay also. Tomboy Toes carries down to size EU33 which is around 3.5 US Women's and again, that's just in the children's section if you need Picture Day/uniform (children)/ Office Whatever (adult) Shoes and they are on eBay lightly used in great numbers because kids grow out of them in 6-10 months.

is it annoying to be shopping in "women's section" or "kids section" for these things when you are an adult man. yes. so i dont understand the marketing impetus to replicate that exact scenario by naming your company for adult trans men something i would assume was a sassy yet misguided terf brand if i found it on a label in a generic wingtip at Goodwill. cis men who are very small also have to shop in the small sections for their small clothes. i am wearing a t-shirt meant for a 7 year old right now, it says so on the label. it fits me better than any of the shirts i own that are made for the standard american adult. i literally have bigger things to worry about

naturally their "vegan leather" selection is much larger but again, it's ugly Trendy Booties that will fall apart in a year and are, i cant emphasize this enough, made of plastic, nothing special, and in standard women and children's sizes which are already plentiful at every shoe retailer. why are we letting these "trans brands" charge us a $100 tax to pretend to take us seriously (while at the same time calling us "tomboys")? does anyone know

i do, its actually because of the learned helplessness issue again. the accepted wisdom at the tumblr layer of transness is 'its so hard to find [item of clothing that is suitable for trans people]" because the knowledge of how to shop for these items in the actual market has completely evaporated within the last ten years, i watched it happen right in front of me. but it's a complete fallacy, you can find this stuff easily. you can find large women's shoes, small men's shoes, women's clothing with wide shoulders or long torsos, there are entire stores for this already and measurements and sectiions within "department stores" (such as they are) and then after that there are one million billion foam inserts and seams and button placements and belts and scarves and gloves and hem lengths and blah blah blah that trans people and also cis people who are not standard-shaped or who just want their shoes or bras or shirts to fit have already been using for thousands of years so ive been mad about this all day. TOMBOY TOES. they are having us for absolute fools. just call me a slur at this point

i already know some nincompoop is going to match me paragraph for paragraph in a heated defense of the hundred dollar jingle keys boring shoes so i just want them to know in advance: we are not the same. i have so many cool shoes it is unbelievable. in every gender imaginable. and i didn't pay more than like $50 for any of them. also no theres no cheat sheet to learning to buy clothing for your body, i do not say this with any rancor either, its just hard, it takes a long time, and i dont have a cheatsheet for it because there isnt one. except rule #1: dont buy $120 boring ugly shoes from someone jingling their keys in front of your face and calling it Queer Fashion when you can get them for a lot less basically anywhere $120 isnt even a lot for a GOOD pair for mid-range, non-designer leather dress shoes. if you know they will last for ten years and stand up to resoling, it's completely fine. but not for thooooooose

[skellymom]

"Sunset Over Pabu"

Hunter X OC/Reader One Shot

Word Count: 910

Background: An "Old Love" relationship. Nostalgia. Saying Goodbye. Using planet and star interchangeably. The celestial body in this fic is a Moon, similar to our planet Mars it reflects light so the appearance is a shining star.

The inspiration for this story came from @lightspringrain artwork. Including the link to her Etsy shop and image of "Hunter's Moon"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1556715876/star-wars-the-bad-batch-omega-or-hunter?ref=yr_purchases

There are parallels to the first time Mad met Hunter in this fic. To read how they met, here is the link:

https://www.tumblr.com/skellymom/738467105361494016/vagabonds?source=share

Warning: Sadness.

(Credit: Cool moving star dividers by @4ngelic-wh1spers )

They snuggled close on that settee just as they did the first night meeting on Ord Mantell.  In between trips off world, children, weddings, funerals, holidays, and all manner of life Hunter and Mad carved out while on Pabu to watch the sunset together.  Approximately 10 standard cycles of building a bonfire on the beach and cuddling up together to watch the sky turn deep shades of crimson, purple, and eventually black.  Gazing at the stars as they cycled by with the seasons in the night sky. 

The broken settee was resurrected by Hunter’s own hands when they first settled.  He built it strong enough for two.  A solid foundation so it would never break again.  Mad helped weatherproof it to withstand the ocean salt.  Together, they performed maintenance when needed, so it would last for many years.  A continuing project and labor of love. 

In addition, a firepit was constructed to hold the burning heat kept within.  Hunter and Mad collected stones on their travels around the galaxy.  Bringing back chunks of memories to line into a continuing never-ending circle.  Occasionally family and friends would add their own additions when returning to Pabu. Wrecker kept his eye out for oddly shaped or colored rocks while fishing and would surprise them with a new addition already stacked against the ring. 

Tonight, Hunter had a bit of difficulty making his way down the stone steps to the beach.  Mad took his hand, providing support.  His long hair and beard had gotten greyer the last few months.  She joked that he was almost as silver as her.  The wrinkles and laugh-lines accumulated since being together, a happy long life for a clone prominent on his face. He smiled as she fussed about him being careful not to slip. 

“Taking good care of me.” 

“Of course, what else would I do.”  

She winked, and he chuckled. 

He told Mad tonight he’d forego their usual “Spotchka under the stars” and just do “The Stars” for tonight.  The alcohol was wearing heavily on his system, making for extremely tiring mornings after...even with him cutting back considerably. 

In the last few months, Hunter and Mad watched a vibrant moon make its transit across the heavens.  It stood out amongst the other stars.  Burning a brilliant red flicker that could be easily seen even though it was millions of light years away. The bright red star reached the zenith of its orbit and total brilliance tonight per Tech’s calculations.   

“There’s YOUR moon, Hunky!” Mad pointed up above.  

There was a number for this moon at one point. With millions of celestial bodies orbiting the galaxy, only numbers were given to keep track of them all. That wasn't good enough for Omega though. She named it “Hunter’s Moon” rotations ago before leaving on her own journey with Echo and Crosshair. 

“Shame it’s the last night we’ll see it on Pabu.” Hunter mused. 

Mad sighed. “Didn’t Tech say something about it being visible somewhere else?” 

“Think he mentioned another planet not far from this one...” Hunter trailed off. 

“Whattsamatter Hunky?” 

He looked a little guilty “Not sure I’m up to traveling much any time soon.” He also sounded tired. 

“Not in any hurry. We have a sky full of stars.” 

“Mhmm, that’s my Mad... always thinking ahead.” 

“It’s the wanderlust. Brain never shuts off.” 

“I LOVE you, Maadienne.” 

Mad smiled and squeezed his hand. “I LOVE you too, Hunky.” 

They both gazed up at Hunter’s Moon.  

“Make a wish, Mad!”  Hunter said quietly.  

They were both silent for a while.  Then Hunter gently rested his head against hers. 

She knew he wouldn’t come out and tell her his wish, that to tell it wouldn’t come true.  Mad still liked to chide Hunter and try to playfully tease it out of him.  It would end in tickling, laughter, hugs, kisses...and on less tiresome nights love making. On tiresome nights they fell asleep in each other's arms on the beach. 

“Okay Hunky, spill the beans.”  Mad hugged Hunter tighter.  He didn’t reply.   

“Hunky..?”   

Mad brushed Hunter’s long locks away from his face. She gazed down at him, marveling at how the bonfire illuminated his hair, tattoo, dark skin. The face of a sleeping angel.  A rhyme in time back on Ord Mantell all those years ago.  The younger man who decided to buy her a drink in Cyd’s Parlor.  A partner that travelled with her across the galaxy, helped care for her family, whose brothers adopted them all, and a partner that never left her side. 

She caressed his face lovingly, immersing herself in the scent of his skin, hair, and... 

...breath...? 

Hunter’s chest had stilled.  An expected, but heavy weight resting against her body, a bit heavier than his usual bodily presence. 

“Oh...Hunter...Hun...” Mad suddenly hitched and exhaled, tears running down her face. 

She knew this day would eventually come.  And as the full rotations went on, she kept wishing on a certain red star that she could have another standard day with him.  Every standard day she wished to have another. 

But wishes only carry you so far...and there are only so many wishes granted. 

And you must accept that the universe has other plans. 

To believe in having just a moment of happiness instead of none. 

Mad kissed Hunter’s forehead.  “Aw, Hunky...we were REAL good...  Weren’t we? 

The red star above Pabu twinkled in reply to Mad’s words as she hugged Hunter for the last time. 

PLEASE like, comment, and/or REBLOG!

IF YOU WISH TO BE ADDED OR DROPPED FROM MY TAG LIST, PLEASE MESSAGE ME! Don't just comment as I might miss it. Thanks!!! <3

[endiness]

Debunking misinformation about Netflix's The Witcher (Part 5)

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7]

"The show was supposed to have 7 seasons."

So. This isn't quite true and this rumor has largely been based off of what was basically a misunderstanding of what Lauren said and the subsequent misreporting of that along with the media never really following up on any of her clarifying comments, either — all of which is the thing that I really want to get into.

First off, I will preface this by saying that at one point, Lauren did say something along the lines of how she pitched "season 1, then season 2, season 3, 4, 5, 6, 7" to Netflix. Unfortunately, I cannot find this quote at the moment, but I do think that should be noted. However, as far as I can tell, the main source of the rumor that the show was originally planned for 7 seasons is not based off of Lauren having said that but rather this SFX/gamesradar interview instead:

Which Lauren later went on to clarify what she meant in another season 1 interview:

And in an interview for season 2:

The basic gist of what she was saying was that she initially mapped out 7 seasons with the idea of 1 season = 1 book, essentially, which she mainly did in order to have an overall sense of where the characters were going. So, was there a rough draft, outline for 7 seasons? Sure. Were there definitive, concrete plans that the show was always supposed to have 7 seasons? imo, no.

Just to address this, too, and how the subsequent misreporting of inaccurate information spreads: People — and not just the fanbase but other media outlets, too — usually cite this Hollywood Reporter interview with Henry Cavill as proof that the show was always supposed to have 7 seasons because he said he'd be up for doing that many:

But Henry Cavill was never directly quoted as saying that, and given that he was never directly quoted, it's likely that the interviewer asked him something along the lines of "Would you be part of the show for 7 seasons?" which prompted the answer he gave — and there is a difference between Henry Cavill himself saying that there's going to be 7 seasons and he's down for being part of the show for that long vs an interviewer asking him if he'd be up for doing 7 seasons of the show (which has been based off of the subsequent misreporting of what Lauren said in the first place) and him answering yes.

On top of that, here's an earlier season 1 interview Henry Cavill did with Elle where he talks about how many seasons he hopes the show goes to:

Which imo also only goes to show that the idea that there were ever any definitive plans for 7 seasons is not an accurate depiction of the situation.

"The viewership for season 3 was bad."

Season 3 debuted at #1 on the Top 10, it stayed at the #1 spot in the Top 10 for a total of 3 weeks, and it stayed in the Top 10 altogether for 8 weeks.

It had approximately 54.8 million views over the course of 186 days — 6.9 million views in 2 days (from Netflix's Jan-Jun 2023 data) + 49.7 million views in 184 days (from Netflix's Jul-Dec 2023 data.)

It was also the 5th most watched show in Netflix's Jul-Dec 2023 data, which I think is the most important factor because regardless of how the season-by-season numbers look and any potential drop in viewership, it was still one of the most watched shows on the platform during that time period.

"The show was cancelled and it was cancelled because of season 3."

The show was already rumored to have been renewed for season 4 and season 5 back in September of 2022.

So, long before season 3 even aired or it was announced that Henry Cavill was leaving the show or any other season 3 related issue. Given that Netflix already has a track record of shows rarely going beyond 5 seasons, if that, I think it is entirely probable that it was renewed for season 4 and season 5 back in 2022 with the intention for the show to end after that point anyway — although, granted, this hasn't been confirmed.

Also, like, despite claims otherwise, the show is following the books and the books do have a set endpoint. The show ending where the books do is not the show being cancelled, it's just the show coming to its natural conclusion like the books do. Also just to say, but it is entirely possible for the show to adapt the last 3 books into two seasons anyway. Baptism of Fire largely focuses on Geralt's story, not Ciri's as she's hardly in that book, whereas The Tower of the Swallow largely focuses on Ciri's story, and both books roughly take place over the course of summer/fall. It is extremely probable that S4 will cover Geralt's story in BoF and Ciri's story in TTotS (especially as we already know that Bonhart will appear in S4 and he's really not that prominent of a character until TTotS), leaving the remainder of TTotS and The Lady of the Lake for S5 (which roughly covers winter/spring, just to give a sense of the timeline in the books.)

[picklerocket]

Happy 3rd Anniversary Little Nightmares 2!!

I have not finished my pointillism piece for the celebration, so it will have to be belated. Instead, I will share a disjointed rant about how I think Thin Man and the Signal Tower function!

In my mind, the Signal Tower from Little Nightmares 2 (pictured on the right) is a Lovecraftian Shoggoth (pictured on the left), and it crashed to the earth thousands- perhaps even millions of years before we see the game take place. This is a theory I have personally had since the game came out, but I know there is a theory video floating around somewhere about this same theory, and a few of my fellow fans also share it.

(If you have not played/watched LN played or listened to the podcast, and do not want it spoiled, be warned! Spoilers ahoy!)

I will attempt to explain how I see Thin Man and the Signal Tower having a sort of symbiotic relationship, and what exactly Thin Man is and where Mono comes from.

In "The Sound of Nightmares", we learn that children almost always get to the Nowhere in their sleep, with a few possibly having been born there (i.e. the Pretender). However, Mono seems different, and not just from Six. His abilities of walking through tv screens, and whatever other powers he possesses as he grows into Thin Man, seem to be completely natural to him- to the point that he must cover his face with a bag to keep them at bay.

I am going to take this a step further and say that Mono was not only born in the Little Nightmares universe, but he wasn't even born on their version of the earth!

This is where my theories begin to seem a bit far-fetched, so stay with me.

I have decided to call what Mono/Thin Man is, a "Broadcaster" (a name which was assigned to Thin Man by fans when he first appeared in the secret ending of the Residence DLC), and has been a populr name for him in fanfiction, as well as fanart and comics as well.

Well, now I want to take a closer look at Thin Man's powers- and how they are comprised of electromagnetic fields and frequencies of light. So why can Thin Man manipulate these things in his environment to the point where he can pretty much control reality?

Because he is part of a species- a "Broadcaster". An alien. He has these superhuman abilities because he isn't a human at all!

You may have noticed that I said "a" Broadcaster. Implying there are more- which I believe there are, somewhere, out in the universe. I personally think that they are ageless beings similar in life cycle to the fabled pheonix; Growing old and being reborn again new each time.

But where do these Broadcasters come from?

The way I think, the only way any being could manipulate the laws of matter and light could be to have it composing their bodies as well. Yes, I am indeed implying that Thin Man is a solid projection of light (yes, like a gem from Steven Universe lol). All this to say, I believe they are born amongst stars forming in nebulas. They are made of/powered by stars! Made of light!

I mean, think about it! Whenever he's seen in-game, he looks black and white and staticy just like he's on tv! Like he's made of fizzling and flickering light. But what about Mono? Mono is solid, and he can even die!

Well, we can explain Mono being more physical and vulnerable as him being a tiny baby of course! I don't think he's just trapped in a time loop by the Signal Tower- I believe the Broadcaster life cycle for Thin Man starts over when we see Mono wake up in front of the TV in the forest at the beginning of the game.

"But why is Mono 'born' as a 10/11 year old?"

That, my friend, is because the Shoggoth that composes this particular Signal Tower is garbage at approximating human anatomy! It's never seen a human baby, and therefore can only replicate what it has seen- children.

"But Pickle, what do you mean the Tower made him look human?? What???"

Well, if you were a giant behemoth that consumes entire populations, you'd need something to lure them in. Like an anglerfish! And what did I pose is made of light? Broadcasters. That's what I think so far. The Shoggoth rips through nebulas searching for a Broadcaster, and once it traps one it its body, it takes it to a planet and uses the Broadcaster's abilities to consume the populace. Make him look like them and plaster him all over their communications and entertainment.

So there you have it! My current Thin Man/Mono theories and headcanons. I may elaborate on this further, and draw up some broadcaster life cycle examples. Let me know what you think! 👁️✨

Again, Happy Anniversary Little Nightmares 2!! 🎉🎊🎁

[inkpunkz]

//blood ⚠️

I love...extremely detailed ocs but I removed those fin/ear tendrils extremely fast... time to yap :]

This is Altair, an ancient jellyfish sea monster that lives at the bottom of the ocean and is considered a "god".

During building up this character, originally he was supposed to be orange and black but I wanted lean more towards a more bioluminescence take on the design and ultimately came up with this. He wasn't supposed to be a jellyfish but rather an eel but I didn't like what I was coming up with :(( he wasn't really based off anything besides well...jellyfish and an entity from a game that caught my attention.

Altair is capable of granting wishes but for a price which is usually gruesome, depending on the person and what they tell him. His face has his mouth directly down his head that has millions of sharp teeth, he also has 4 tendrils on his back with hooked ends to latch onto his prey and uses them to smell and inject poison.

He is approximately 300 meters (984 feet) high in monster form. He is 10' ft in land form (Taller than punkz, who is 6'8, also ignore the fact why seph looks so tall, i changed altairs height as of typing this lol). In land form, he has to often wear a hood because his eyes are extremely sensitive to light and he wants to hide himself and be as passive as possible. more under the cut :33

His skin are transparent and some of his bones are on the outside of his body (his heels, hips and back of the knees.)

He dosent talk much whilst on land and usually just stares, he'll make noises of confusion or interest but dosent talk unless he has to get a point across.

He has a tail, I just forgot to include in his body sheet lol

He sleeps in a large cave most of the time and looks after pufferfish and swims along side schools of fish. He dose prey on pirate ships but he also swims up directly to land and stalks a dock and watches people walk up and down it. (He dosent have a taste for meat, he's a vegan guy lol) Dutch or uhm "silly guy who's extremely lonely who was betrayed by the only person he could trust" follows altair around and tries to strike up conversations but they never work.

Altair knows punkz personally mainly due to the fact he's a megalodon and related to an ancient megalodon, Altair had fought over the sea with the megalodon so he considers and sees punkz as a threat.. (ooooo lore oooo wiggles fingers).

He has an anchor tattoo on his back and he's Maori. :]]

[iguessitsjustme]

I was tagged by @my-rose-tinted-glasses, @troubled-mind, and @littleragondin and I finally have a chance to do this (cries in introvert forced to be social)

RULES: put 5 songs you actually listen to, then tag 10 people.

I listen to approximately a million songs all of the time. I always have music playing if I'm not working or watching something and I have talked nonstop about many songs already here so I tried to choose songs I haven't mentioned yet.

Laugh About It - Remember Monday

Quite literally been obsessed with this song lately. Also this music video doesn't make me feel gay at all. Nope. Definitely not. I am looking respectfully. Completely. But also I genuinely love the song. These girls have gorgeous harmonies and the whole song is about being petty so of course I love it.

2. Sinner - Leadley

I bet you thought I was gonna put the other Sinner here considering how often I mention it and that I made a video edit using it. But nope. This song is just...a bop. At least for me. There was a time in my life I listened to this at least once a day.

3. She - dodie

This song was probably the catalyst for me to start...questioning things. Anyway it's gorgeous and calming. Actually dodie is one of my favorite artists and I don't mention her nearly enough. I especially like listening to her when I'm traveling because her calming voice and soft melodies help me keep my travel anxiety in check.

4. Pegadito - Tommy Torres

This song scratches my brain perfectly. Also nothing like listening to songs in Spanish to remind me that I need to brush up on my Spanish because I now suck at it and I am very angry at myself for that. But also this song is just...I love it.

5. HAN "외계인 (Alien)

Would I be able to leave Stray Kids off this list? Of course not. I mean, I'm mentioning songs I haven't mentioned before, not bands. Anyway believe it or not, my favorite of their albums is skz-replay and this is just the first song I saw when I was trying to choose. My favorite by Han is actually Wish You Back, but this is a very close second. It hits just right for me. Can't explain it. Also Han is just an extremely talented person and it both baffles me and impresses me. I genuinely believe he might be one of the most talented people on the planet. At least musically. And definitely works very hard for it as well. I'm getting sidetracked.

Tagging @heretherebedork because I told you I was going to and I want to see what 5 songs you end up choosing :P

I am also tagging anyone who has not done this and wants to but maybe hasn't been tagged yet. It's been a minute so I don't remember everyone who's done it and who's been tagged. But if you do this please, please, please, tag me so I can see your song recs. And also potentially scream at you about music.

[f0point5]

I assume you meant a mil hyperbolically but Dennis Hauger and a few others have mentioned costs before and I figured I’d add this for anyone who doesn’t know.

A single season of F2 is now approximately $3 million USD (or £2.26 million or €2.68 million). PER YEAR. F3 is around $1.2 million USD. If someone does 2 years in each series they’re looking at $8.5 million cost. And that doesn’t include housing, travel, visas, trainers, extra insurance, private schools (to accommodate their schedule) or any of the feeder series stuff up to that point (FRECA, F4, etc). We can estimate that as being at least $1 million conservatively. So $10 million+

If I, as a parent, was responsible for even 10% of that $10 mil you can bet your ass I’d be sitting in that garage watching my kid as much as I possibly could

Well, Jos Verstappen estimates that he spent over a million euros on Max’s career on the way to F1, and I can believe that. Without sponsorship, that sounds about right.

I know almost all drivers have sponsorships because they need it but for people like Lance and Lando, their parents could conceivably have poured all the money into it themselves. Lance for sure did, I believe George missed out on an F3 seat because Stroll outbid him for it.

But even if the parents don’t have the million, there’s people like Anthony Hamilton who took out a second mortgage on his home, Esteban’s parents who sold their home and business, etc.. Even if it’s not millions, it’s whatever they have, and it’s whatever time they have as well. Think of how many flights Adam Norris was taking to and from Europe for Lando’s karting, that time he was missing with his family. This is real shit.

So yeah, if that was my life for a decade, you can bet I would be soaking up every single lap of my kid doing what we BOTH had bled, sweat, and cried for them to be able to do.

[dontforgetoctober3rd]

I need new anime fans to understand that there is no "new" Big Three and never will be.

The Big Three was a cultural phenomenon the likes of which we will never see again in manga or anime.

Social media back then was NOT what it was today. There was social media personalities, but no such thing as influencers and companies certainly didn't begin to advertise in earnest until the later 2000s.

What the Big Three (Naruto, One Piece and Bleach) accomplished was crazy.

Sometimes a manga is not as popular in anime form and vice versa, either due to a really good manga being bungled in the anime form or a really crappy manga having a redemption in anime form. For a property to be extremely popular in *both* manga and anime form is quite an accomplishment that not every story can boast about. (Helloooo Tokyo Revengers, Eyeshield 21, Tokyo Ghoul, Claymore, etc)

BUT ANYWAYS back to my main thesis: There will be no new Big Three ever again and here is why.

For that to happen, there would have to be THREE incredibly popular manga in circulation at approximately the SAME time (even tho Naruto, One Piece and Bleach did not share starting publishing dates, their sustained popularity did coincide for the better part of almost 15 years)

Not just that, but those same three manga would have to come from the SAME PUBLISHER. Big Three were all Shonen Jump/Shueisha properties.

I constantly see arguments about the "New" Big Three but none of them have any merit. Sure, Kodansha had Attack on Titan but what else did they have? Tokyo Revengers, yeah, but it was published almost 10 goddamn years after AOT and was nowhere near as popular either in anime or manga form.

But what about Demon Slayer? Bestie, that is a Shonen Jump/Shueisha property and honestly the anime is way better than the manga. But Jujutsu Kaisen! Another Shonen Jump/Shueisha girlie. Spy X Family??? Come on, that is not on the same level as either Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen. I'd argue even that Demon Slayer isn't as popular as JJK, though it does far outstrip Spy X Family but STILL those are soooo not Big Three its not even funny.

but I digress. Heres what would have to happen: Imagine how popular attack on titan is. It STILL is only a *tad* slightly more popular than the least popular Big Three property, Bleach. To catch up with Naruto, it'd have to sell 100 million more manga volumes. To be on the same level as One piece, AOT would have to sell 350 million more manga volumes. I really don't think people understand how crazy it was. As popular as AOT was, I still think its manga was way more popular than its anime. Meanwhile, each Big Three's anime eclipsed its manga counterpart in popularity imo. Even if they didn't watch the show, in an era where the internet was still a new fangled thing and people could still be unreachable for days at a time, everyone outside anime at least knew who what Naruto, Bleach and One Piece were. They heard of it.

I'm starting to get rambly so lemme just conclude: there will be no new Big Three. That's over and done, it was a one time thing and it was special.

[uncontrolledfission]

What is a neutron star merger?

Post #4 on Physics and Astronomy, 08/07/23

I'm not sure where, but somewhere a certain phrase was imprinted into my head. I genuinely have no idea where I got it from, so in this post and the next I'll be exploring that very phrase: 'nucleosynthesis in merging neutron stars.' I genuinely have no idea where it came from. Goodness, I really was born to be a physicist.

Neutron stars are what's left of a star at the end of its life cycle. They're the alternative to becoming a black hole. Neutron stars are one of the universe's most dense stellar objects, save from whatever it is that exists at the heart of the black hole. For reference, they're estimated to pack the mass of the Sun into the size of a city. Wild, right?

Since these neutron stars are packed so tightly, the boundaries of these atoms' nuclei actually disappear. Einstein's theory of general relativity then means that these stars emit gravitational radiation: 'ripples in the geometry of space and time.' (Caltech.) This causes the orbits of those stars to shrink and and gradually bring them closer together. This is no hurried process--it can take place over millions or billions of years.

Just so you can visualise (if you can visualise) it, this process can take place over 1 billion years, eventually climaxing at 1,000 spins per second, followed by the actual merge of the stars in the matter of a few milliseconds. The merger releases a burst of gravitational waves and gamma radiation in the process. Of course, not all neutron star mergers will follow this model, but it's fun to imagine. You can watch a simulation of sorts here.

This merger can lead to the formation of a larger black hole, or just a larger neutron star--which of these outcomes occurs depends on whether or not the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit is exceeded by what's left. This limit, which I'll abbreviate to the TOV limit (NOT to be mistaken with Treaty of Versailles!!) refers to the maximum mass of a neutron star. Current values for this limit are approximately 2.1 solar masses (1 solar mass is around 2 x 10³⁰ kilograms).

This then begs the topic of nucleosynthesis in these merging neutron stars. But that process is so fascinating, I think it deserves an article of its own.

UP NEXT: Nucleosynthesis in neutron star mergers.

Sources:

Gravitational radiation.

General relativity.

Neutron star collision. NASA.

Not a source but something I read as I was writing this: is the boundary of an atom well-defined?

The Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit.

Neutron star merger. NASA.

[catdotjpeg]

As he watched the last plane lumber down the runway, Chief Allan Adam was finally able to breathe freely again.

He had just posted a live video from the Fort Chipewyan airport on the evening of May 31, documenting the last flight out with evacuees fleeing impending disaster. A wildfire was advancing approximately seven kilometres from his remote community, which is accessible only by boat or plane.

But the relief was short-lived. The straight-shooting leader of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, one of three Indigenous communities in Alberta who call Fort Chipewyan home, was abruptly hit with biting pain.

“That was the stress that hit me, right after that post, that’s when the pain came to my neck,” he says in a telephone interview the evening of June 1, between back-to-back meetings with local leaders, authorities, and firefighting officials.

Despite the searing ache in his neck, he continues to roll with the punches. The homes and livelihoods of nearly 1,000 people are on the line. It’s the first time in anyone’s living memory that the hamlet, located about 300 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, has been under a mandatory evacuation order. Chief Adam — together with Billy-Joe Tuccaro, chief of the Mikisew Cree First Nation, and Kendrick Cardinal, president of the Fort Chip Métis — has stayed behind to oversee efforts to save his homelands.

“We had to get everybody out. Everything that we’ve done, that was our main focus, to get everybody out immediately. And then once that was accomplished, it was a relief for me because now we can focus our attention on preparedness (for) what’s coming.” 

Record heat waves and dry conditions have sparked an unrivalled wildfire season of destruction across the country, affecting almost every province and territory.

In May, roughly 2.7 million hectares of forest — an area equal to about five million football fields — were burned to the ground in Canada, said Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair at a press conference. Over the last 10 years, the average number of hectares burned in the same month was just 150,000.

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told reporters at the same press conference that the rampant infernos are caused by climate change.

“It’s a simple fact that Canada is experiencing the impacts of climate change, including more frequent and more extreme wildfires,” he said...

“I tell them this,” [Adam] said during the phone interview, explaining that he confronts the Alberta and federal governments about climate change.

“I speak with them all the time and we hold them very accountable. The climate change issue is not going to go away. And we’re gonna have to deal with it — and you (governments) are gonna have to deal with us.”

-- From “On the ground with Indigenous communities fleeing a climate inferno” by Brandi Morin for IndigiNews, 9 Jun 2023

[namtanlovesfilm]

Top 10 GMMTV OSTS

ooooh great question, the problem is that gmmtv has almost exclusively great ost's :'))) I'll choose an entire series' ost rather than individual songs to make it simpler!

not me: I have nothing to say that I haven't said before, this soundtrack is not only PERFECT for the series but also so different from literally every other thai drama so it stands out in the best way, just like not me as a series does. will literally bring me to tears in a matter of second no matter where I am, 1000000/10

theory of love: as I say approximately once a week on my blog, this is literally the most reused soundtrack in all of the thai entertainment industry, bc it's THAT good! for the time it really made theory of love stand out a lot in terms of soundtrack, and also fit the movie theme perfectly bc it definitely feels like an indie movie soundtrack! moreover fake protagonist by getsunova will forever be the best sad song ever produced & that's that on THAT!

2gether: for a show about music, it really does have a great musical identity & made millions discover the work of scrubb which is always great! I like honestly every song in that soundtrack & it's one of the best crafted from gmmtv imo.

one night steal: the show in itself is very mediocre & forgettable but to this day I still listen to this soundtrack bc the two original songs are straight up FIRE! literally iconic, but warning for kr*st lol

midnight motel: not only have I been obsessed with the only monday song that is the opening credits of the show since its mock trailer, but the whole sound design of this show is perfect! it gives it an indie movie quality that truly stands out.

my school president: another musical show that understood its theme perfectly & created awesome original songs as well as covers which made the show even more lively & fun :)

1000 stars: another soundtrack that sounds so different from other thai dramas & brings back a very distinct feeling of watching the show. as soon as I hear that khlui sound I feel transported back on the hills of pha pun dao <3

sotus: so as everyone knows sotus was my first thai series & I also think the sotus soundtrack is very iconic with its rock sound that I've never heard in any other series. I'm not a rock girlie so I don't necessarily love all the songs, but I do love the identity it provides the show & it also brings me a LOT of nostalgia.

enchanté: two songs around the french language sung by tay tawan & fluke gawin??? sign me the fuck up! once again we have a soundtrack that follows the theme of the show well & is very lovely to listen to!

10. fish upon the sky: I don't think overall the soundtrack is that memorable, but I ADORE the main song by louis thanawin lol, so idk this show deserves a place here just for that :')))

to be noted: the gawin dark blue kiss song that was my third most listened to song EVER in 2021 <3

xxx

[minusboy]

14 & 16 ^_^

hii! ty! ^_^<3

14. that was out of my comfort zone

this entire scene from french exit

According to Kepler’s laws of planetary motion, all planets orbit the sun in elliptical motion, and their distance from the sun determining the length of time it takes for a planet to travel around the sun. For example, Mercury, the most innermost planet, only takes 88 days, whereas Saturn, the gas giant, requires 10 759 days to do the same, which is nearly 30 years. And this is only considering our own solar system. To put this in some kind of perspective of just how terrifying it all is, Betelgeuse, a supergiant in the Orion constellation, that is huddled close to Mars, and one of the brightest stars visible to earth, approximately 640 light years away from earth, compared to Saturn, which is 0.000151 light years from death. Betelgeuse is roughly 10 million years old, having evolved rapidly due to its large mass, and started drastically losing its brightness a little over four years ago, dimming to around sixty percent in an event now known as the Great Dimming- Wait. Hold on. ”Dimming?” Chuuya repeats. ”The Great Dimming? What does that mean? Is it dying?”

16. from a recent piece that i want to brag about

this scene from an untitled work

He blindly passes Chuuya the controller and presses the power button on the console and listens to it whirr softly as it slowly wakes from its slumber, pushing warm air through the vents. He wonders what would happen if he were to completely take it apart one day, how many dust bunnies would he find gathered in the corners, how many rusted parts in need of replacing. He wonders if people look at him and think the same thing.  Chuuya nudges him with his foot from where he’s perched on the edge of the mattress. ”Gross,” Dazai comments airily, eyes lingering pointedly on the dirty soles of his white tennis socks. ”You’re gross,” Chuuya shoots back, retracting his foot.  ”Nice one.” It rains. The droplets hit the window panels in a strange cacophony of sound like the rain is coming sideways, and whenever it picks up Chuuya’s shoulders inch closer to his ears. Game over text flashes on the screen. Dazai closes the window. There’s a fly stuck between the window panels, Dazai watches its limbs twitch, stiff with the remnants of winter. He looks away, his gaze landing on an old camcorder on the windowsill gathering dust, the books stacked in the corner by the bed in a crooked pile, a deck of cards sitting on top of it. Outside, a flash of lightning.

send me numbers :^)

[remidyal]

hi hi!! 3, 10, and 28 for fic writer ask game! 💙

3. What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer?

Hmm, mostly I think I learned I CAN have more than one fic really in progress at a time, especially of the longfic style. I was reluctant to start anything else longer than a oneshot for a long time because I worried it would keep me from finishing Lunacy, and while that really did slow down when I started on other stuff it was also because I needed to take my time on the finale of it. Having something much more seat of the pants like Missing as a semi-long fic to work on really helped.

I also learned that I cannot, under any circumstances, spell unconscious (or consciousness or anything like that) correctly the first try. I always forget the first s. I have made this error approximately 3 million times this year and anticipate making it another 3 millions times next year.

10. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

Oooh, this is a tough one partly because of measuring a quick burst of creative energy, something that was done in an hour or two, or something that I crafted for a lot longer. I think I'll go for peak happiness with the least misery of fighting through any kind of blocks, and for that I'll go with Five Times Assassination Attempts were made on the Traitor Elven Oracle without a Death, and One Time with. This one took me a few hours, and was a complete delight to write - when I proposed the idea in the fic discord the rest of the group took the core idea and ran with it in a very different much more serious direction (which Tangerine has started writing here ) but I always had this almost purely comedic piece in mind for it.

28. How did you recharge between fics?

Reading fics counts, right? Also in the D20 space, something I spent a lot of time doing (mostly with people not actually involved in the fandom otherwise!) was getting together with different friends and watching some series together over discord voice chat. It's kind of a great way to do a rewatch; having someone else there means I focus more than I tend to when I'm alone, and it's a great deal of fun to see the various series freshly through others' eyes!

In terms of other hobbies, I play chess poorly and Slay the Spire a whole bunch and other games middling amounts.

[bibliophileiz]

Ranking Keira Knightley movies I've seen

Found this ranking I made of Keira Knightley movies in one of my old notebooks and had to share with the world this new year's eve (worth noting that some of them like Imitation Game and Anna Karenina weren't originally on the list, so I added them tonight)

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace - Keira Knightley is not in it enough. when she is, she's indistinguishable from Natalie Portman. 1/10

Princess of Thieves - baby Keira Knightley chops off all her hair and makes me bisexual. is a cutie with a reasonable amount of chemistry with the charming love interest. wins over grouchy dad by saving england and being good at archery. 8/10

King Arthur - Keira's acting is great but i don't think the writers knew what to do with her. i do love her costumes though. 5/10

Never Let Me Go - i barely remember anything about this movie. book was probably better. -1/10

Atonement - OMG!!! the PASSION. the YEARNING. this is the first tragic WWII romance i ever experienced and it DELIVERS. mostly though it's the green dress. the one she's wearing when she has sex with the faun from the narnia movies. that green dress belongs in Titanic or something illustrious. i don't think this movie's appreciated enough. i think it's time for a rewatch. 12/10

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms - little known (no one but my mom and i ever saw it) but holy SHIT is the world missing out. Keira puts on this high-pitched voice as the EVIL SUGAR PLUM FAIRY in a giant tuto. she is by far the best thing about the movie which unfortunately is lackluster in every way. 6/10 and all 6 are for her

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - this movie should not be allowed to be so darn cute when it's about the literal apocalypse but it is and Keira is cute in it. she gets to go on a roadtrip with Steve Carrell in hopes of seeing her parents again before a giant meteor hits the earth and kills everyone. has a surprisingly touching ending. 8/10

Begin Again - i like anything where Keira sings. she's also a good role model for mark ruffalo's daughter in this. not my favorite John Carnye movie (that would be Sing Street which came out three years later) but definitely watchable. 7/10

Love Actually - why didn't they let Keira do anything in this movie? -2/10

Imitation Game - more tragic WWII stuff, though not as gutting as Atonement. Keira gets a turn playing the normal (albeit v. smart) person playing opposite Benedict Cumberbatch being weird. she does just as good a job as Martin Freeman while being way hotter. (also helps that the movie is better written than Sherlock.) her story isn't the tragic part and i'm not going to make jokes about Alan Turing who deserved much better than he got. 7/10

Anna Karenina - despite plalying the character whose name is the title, Keira was not in this enough. costumes were good but movie was approximately 1000 years long. still haven't forgiven my college boyfriend for making me watch it. -5/10

Pride & Prejudice - not my favorite Austen adaptation but you can't say Keira's not having the time of her life. she's a little giggly -- Elizabeth is more dry -- but she's definitely pretty and does a good job with the material given. Rosamund Pike may be the only person as good as her. 6/10

Bend It Like Beckham - the movie that launched a thousand lesbians. Keira gets put on the map as a tiny cute blond tomboyish lesbian soccer (ahem, *football*) player. she's a treat. 10/10

Pirates of the Caribbean - THE Keira Knightley movies. the dresses? check. the sword fighting? check. Pirate King with men falling at her feet? check, check, and check. best thing about the triology. got to kiss three dudes (sao feng doesn't count), gives a rousing third act speech, and gets to be the character who got the "keeps removing weapons from more and more illogical places on her person" trope. plus she sings! (a little.) disney did not deserve her and neither did any man in those movies. (orlando came closest though) 10 million/10

[blood-darkened-moon]

The Ashford Family is Resident Evil's Tragedy of Summerhall: An aristocratic family obsessed with restoring their past glories ends up burning down due to them meddling with things they don't truly comprehend.

I haven’t read House of the Dragon, and most summaries of The Tragedy of Summerhall weren’t that useful. They were short and often only listed some key points. Aegon V Targaryen wanted to hatch dragons using a ritual and somehow caused the death of most of his family members. The book is apparently vague about the exact occurrences in Summerhall anyway. I have watched a video with various speculations. According to fan theories, it could have been an accident, a ritual sacrifice, or an assassination. Without further knowledge of the source material, I can’t tell how similar these two events are. Therefore, I only concentrate on the downfall of the Ashford family instead.

The Fall of the Ashford Family

I think external factors are more significant in the fall of the Ashford family than internal ones, but Edward, Alexander, and the twins still contributed to it. However, before I come to that, we need more background information since the games did not elaborate on the situation.

First, I start with some issues I have and the reconstruction of possible events. What we do know is that Edward was considered the most successful Ashford after Veronica and that the family’s reputation suffered massively under Alexander as he was unable to continue his father’s virus research. How exactly these things are connected was not explained in the game and left me with many questions.

The initial situation is rather strange. Edward died in a lab accident in 1968 in which he infected himself with the Progenitor virus. The accident was orchestrated by Spencer. The question is, why would Spencer kill Edward shortly after Umbrella’s foundation? Of course, the answer is to expand his power, but why then? Umbrella was still in its early stages. Why not wait first and see how things are going? Edward shared the same ideals as Spencer. He wasn’t an immediate threat to his plans, and if Spencer wanted more power, he could have founded the company without Edward, to begin with.

I already mentioned in another post that Edward’s great success could only be the foundation of Umbrella, but due to his death shortly after, he never profited from his company. Additionally, I would assume that Alexander’s failure involved a significant financial loss, but that can’t be the case. In fact, Alexander must have made more money with Umbrella than Edward did. Edward only profited from Umbrella for a few months at best. It was still a brand new pharmaceutical company without or very little reputation during his time. Alexander, on the other hand, gained money from there for 15 years! And considering that Umbrella gained more importance over time, the profits he received must have been much bigger. Even if he initially lost a greater amount of money, it wasn’t existential-threatening to the family and was recoverable. Later, Alfred is doing well financially. He built a mansion on Rockfort Island and owned two Harrier Jets and a rare tank. (In 2020, you could buy a Harrier Jet for 1.5 million dollars, btw.) Alfred wanted to restore the family’s reputation. He wouldn’t throw away money that he needed otherwise for fancy shit. So he must have paid for it all with money he could spend (approximately 5 and 10 million dollars). I would estimate his wealth to be in the three-digit or at least upper two-digit million range. He’s filthy rich. A lack of money is definitely not the problem of the Ashfords. A (possibly) ruined public image can’t be the problem either. Who cares if you could use bills as toilet paper for a year, and in the end, you would still own more money than most people will ever see in their entire life?

Back to Alexander and more issues I have. What is his failure, and when did it happen? Alexander’s Memo mentioned his father’s death and the planned construction of the Antarctic Base. Therefore, he must have written it between late 1968 and early 1969. Whatever Alexander did must have happened shortly after Edward’s death. This leads to more questions.

It is suggested that Alexander’s failure is linked to his lack of research results and great competition. The first breakthrough in the Progenitor virus research came from Marcus when he discovered the t-Virus in 1977, 9 years after Edward’s death. Edward’s demise would indeed have a massive impact on existing research projects and slow them down, but Alexander still had plenty of time to recover from this. In 1969, no one was even close to any promising results.

Regardless of how the virus research was done before Umbrella’s foundation, Alexander doesn’t have to do everything himself anymore. He can hire suitable people until Alexia is ready to take over. In his position, Alexander wouldn’t be the one standing in the lab anyway. He would mostly coordinate other researchers and do administrative work. As long as his team is competent enough, they should be able to compensate for Alexander’s lack of expertise.

Progenitor virus research is fundamental research. Fundamental research is important for further applications, but it rarely produces results for immediate practical use and is expensive. All kinds of results are valuable in fundamental research, even negative ones. They narrow down the range of possibilities and may help understand certain mechanisms. This means it’s hard to produce no results if you actually work on the project. Maybe the results aren’t what you want, but it’s something.

The money for his employees and the research, in general, is not his private money but the company’s money. If Alexander doesn’t produce good enough results, it’s Umbrella’s loss, not the loss of the Ashford family. However, these financial losses were a calculated risk. The whole reason Umbrella was founded was to compensate for the costs of the Progenitor virus research.

In conclusion, unless Alexander wasted money en masse or caused a massive fuck up that would threaten Umbrella as a whole, there is no way that anything research-related affected his family directly within less than a year after Edward’s death. There must have been more to it. (Note: This situation mainly arises thanks to later lore additions in the RE universe, though.)

Here is my speculation of what could have happened. The three founders did not contribute equally to Umbrella’s foundation. Marcus invested the least money and Edward the most. In return, Edward received the most company shares. He would be a controlling shareholder. Maybe he was even the CEO after Umbrella’s foundation. So Umbrella was more or less his company. The idea came from Spencer, though. I think Edward negotiated much better than Spence expected, and he had to give him more power than he wanted. But Spencer didn’t have much of a choice since he lacked the financial means to found the company with less capital investment from Edward’s side. Having limited power in the company that was supposed to be his would most likely enrage Spencer. Thus, tricking Edward into getting the money and killing him as soon as possible before he had the chance to expand his power even further was the best option for Spencer. I assume Edward’s shares would go to Alexander after his death. His position (if Edward was the CEO) is not heritable and would likely go to Spencer. Alexander was less experienced and less competent than his father was but still dangerous with so many shares. And he was young, which means he could improve his weaknesses over time. Replacing one rival with another one makes little sense. Spencer must have done something else to deteriorate Alexander’s power. Maybe he used his newly gained position and Alexander’s vulnerability after his father’s death to convince him that the “accident” in which Edward died must have consequences. Alexander, the one with the second highest position in his research group, is the one who has to accept them. Another possibility would be that Spencer orchestrated a different situation that would lead to Alexander fucking up on a big scale. Though, I think the first scenario is more likely. As a consequence, Alexander had to sell most of his shares and was forced to give up decision-making power regarding company policy. Losing his father’s company shortly after his death would explain how Alexander disgraced his family and why he wanted to make up for it so badly.

Here are some additional speculations, though these aren’t supported by canon. Spencer could have offered Alexander a deal to prevent him from leaving. He had insider information, after all. Maybe it was something like if Alexander produces good enough results, he would get his power/shares back to a certain extent.

It is also possible that Spencer directly or indirectly sabotaged Alexander’s research to make sure he wouldn’t get up on his feet again any time soon. He could have paid someone in Alexander’s research group to manipulate the experiments. Or he did use Alexander’s lack of knowledge in the field and sent him the least competent scientists he had.

I think the situation of the Ashfords is more complex than just a family fallen from grace. The Ashfords never held political power to a greater extent, as far as we know. Their strength was probably economic in nature. Under Alexander and later Alfred, nothing has changed in this regard. Despite what happened after Edward’s death, Alexander held a high position in Umbrella, and Alfred was even in charge of two of their facilities. Both must have had a very good income and, as I said above, a lot of money. Maybe they did not live up to their potential of what could have been under Edward, but aside from their personal problems, I would objectively say the Ashfords were doing better than ever before in certain regards. The only real problem I see is that they were heavily dependent on Umbrella, as you can see in the Antarctic Base and Rockfort Island. In both cases, their private quarters are integrated into the facilities. Even if they want, they can’t just get away so easily. The Ashfords were basically at Umbrella’s mercy. So “restoring their past glories” would, later on, correspond, in their case, to becoming independent from Umbrella again. It’s a pretty grounded goal, not chasing nostalgia-ridden dreams of better days.

Internal Factors

Edward

Edward was the one who doomed them all by making a deal with the devil. But could you blame him for it? He had known Spencer for years and likely knew how ambitious he was. Ambition doesn’t necessarily equal being ready to kill, though. Edward and Spencer also shared similar ideals and had the same goal. It’s not that they were direct rivals. Unless there were obvious red flags, I think Edward couldn’t have avoided his fate which dragged his family into the mess.

The bigger problem is, in my opinion, Edward approving the Veronica project. He indirectly signaled Alexander that he wanted someone to continue his research, which left him no other option but to stay at Umbrella, even though virology was not Alexander’s field of interest. There were so many uncertainties regarding the project. Was cloning humans a thing before? How could they be sure that it would be successful? They apparently never thought about anything but the technical aspects. Ethical issues aside, the clones from this project are still fully functional human beings with a mind of their own. What would have happened if they didn’t want to continue Edward’s research? Or if they aren’t good enough in virology? Forcing them? That didn’t work for Alexander. Producing clones until one of them goes for it? Sounds time-consuming and impractical. Alexander was lucky that everything went as he intended (until it didn’t). Still, Alexander spent a lot of time on the project, time he could have used to focus on his strengths, preferably far away from Umbrella. Edward should have been the voice of reason. At least he should have discussed an alternative with his son. I think this would prevent the worst.

Alexander

Alexander was the one who contributed the most to the dependency on Umbrella. I said he had no choice but to stay, of course, that's more figuratively than literally. He could and should have left Umbrella after his father died or after the incident that disgraced his family. It would have hit the Ashfords hard, but in the long run, this would have been the better choice. I assume Spencer would have been a problem, but during these early stages, Alexander probably still had a chance to get away. Instead, he stayed, built his mansion into one of Umbrella’s facilities, and later “sold” his daughter to them, deepening the dependency further and further.

I think he stayed mainly for two reasons, personal ambition, and his father. The goal of the Veronica project was to find a worthy successor for continuing Edward’s research. Alexander must have thought very highly of his father and his achievements if it meant so much to him to please him. Losing his father’s legacy must have hit him twice as hard. He disgraced his family, and he disappointed his father. His reaction to stay and try to make up for it is perfectly understandable, but he should have reflected on his chances. Alexander knew that Spencer was a greedy bastard and a serious danger.

But he had personal ambitions as well, as you can see in the Veronica project. Instead of choosing the easier alternative, cloning and genetically engineering himself or Edward, he cloned Veronica. It seems that he wanted to be remembered for a big deed, and “reviving” Veronica was his way to achieve that. However, he should have directed his ambition to different matters. Alexander was a brilliant genetic engineer. He could have sold this knowledge to another company to make a career. Too bad for him that he apparently saw genetic engineering only as a tool and virology as the more promising approach. Umbrella happened to be the company that offered him the best prospects in this regard.

Since he didn’t intend to leave, Alexander’s strategy to reduce the dependency was to increase his power again. Alexander couldn’t do it on his own, so he made Alexia speed-run her education and hoped she could do it for him. Overall, his plan was an utter failure. Not only did he miss his goal, but he also turned Alexia and Alfred against him with massive consequences.

Alfred and Alexia

The one who contributed the second most to the dependency was Alexia. She had no intention of restoring her family’s reputation. Alexia wanted to rule the world as a queen. Her world-domination dreams were purely selfish.

She never thought about the consequences of her plan for Alfred, only if he was capable of doing what she wanted. He was 12, still a child. He had very few legal options to help her. Alfred likely had to give in to unfavorable deals to keep her safe, which worsened the interdependency with Umbrella. How else was he able to keep the Antarctic Base at that age? Alexia was trapped there for 15 years. Alfred could not wake her up earlier, nor could he move her. The Base belonged to Umbrella, and the secret lab area was connected to the regular facility. If they had given someone else control over it, Alexia’s plans would have ended at that moment.

In Alexia’s defense, she was a child as well. She grew up in an isolated sheltered environment and had little life experience. And who knows what Spencer would have done with the twins once the t-Veronica virus was complete? I think he would have tried to win Alexia over for his personal projects, but if he had failed, he would likely have killed her (and Alfred?) as he did with Edward and later Marcus. Alfred alone wasn’t a threat to Spencer, though. So maybe Alexia actually saved him by removing herself from the equation.

Alfred ended up in a difficult position. He was forced to play with the cards that were given to him. Nevertheless, I think he did it remarkably well. What we should keep in mind about Alfred is that he wanted to restore his family’s reputation, but this was secondary. His main goal was protecting Alexia.

Protecting his sister meant he had to stay at Umbrella for 15 years and keep the Antarctic Base at all costs, which likely worsened the situation initially and resulted in losing parts of Rockfort Island to them (but that’s just speculation). It also meant that he had to do his job without attracting too much attention, neither in a positive nor in a negative sense. And whatever Alfred did to reduce the dependency on them must be subtle. Alfred solved that by not integrating any notable research into his facilities. The Antarctic Base became apparently a storage and logistic center, and Rockfort Island was mostly a prison camp and the UBCS training ground. While these facilities had their importance to Umbrella, I think the higher-ups didn’t care much about what was going on there as long as everything worked well enough. It was not where the money came from, after all.

I think Alfred actually prepared for leaving Umbrella after Alexia’s awakening. It seemed like he didn’t like working for them. He made mistakes, took out frustration on his employees, did not always follow the protocols, and abused his position for private pleasure. The Mansion in the Antarctic Base looks largely abandoned. Rockfort Island is filled with his personal military-related belongings. In the Antarctic mansion, there isn’t anything that looks like he purchased it recently. The room from the dragonfly video hasn’t been touched within 15 years, even Alexia’s now dead ants are still there. Alfred probably just slept in the mansion when he had to stay for a couple of days.

Here are some of my speculations about Alfred’s plans. Despite Claire’s remarks, I think Alfred enjoyed a very high level of trust from Umbrella. The prison camp is used for Umbrella’s enemies. They don’t mind killing people or using them for experiments. So the people that ended up there still had (potential) information Umbrella wanted (What are their intentions? Whom are they working for? What do they know? Who else knows about it?). Alfred had access to all the information through the prisoners, likely including some restricted or even top-secret things. Things Alfred could use against Umbrella if he wanted to. If Umbrella wouldn’t trust Alfred 100%, they wouldn’t have given him the position.

Then there is the UBCS. I know the game isn’t canon, but in Operation Raccoon City, it is said that the UBCS isn’t loyal to Umbrella. They are mercenaries who work for the one who pays the most. The game also makes it clear that Umbrella doesn’t care about the UBCS soldiers (they don’t even care about their elite soldiers particularly). If the soldiers turn against them, they simply send others to deal with the situation. Umbrella doesn’t negotiate. Alfred had enough money and direct contact with the UBCS. He could have hired a good amount of the soldiers if he wanted. Not to forget, if Alexia’s plan would have worked as intended, she could have used the virus to control them. In some way, you could say he raised his private army on Rockfort Island. And it isn’t just the soldier, he had access to weapons, military equipment, and BOWs as well.

I think Alfred had all the necessary puzzle pieces to leave Umbrella to his conditions, not theirs. He could have blackmailed them with the information he had or sold these to a rival company for protection. He could have even risked an open war with Umbrella, using the UBCS. The trust they had in him could have become handy for a surprise attack. Alfred was on the best way to get his independence back, but he had to wait for Alexia to wake up.

External Factors

What broke their neck, in the end, weren’t internal factors but external ones, specifically the implications of Raccoon City. I can’t remember anymore where I’ve read this theory, but I agree with it because it makes sense. Wesker choose to attack Rockfort Island because of the Raccoon City incident. Many UBCS soldiers were sent to Raccoon City. They were injured or died there. Rockfort Island was critically understaffed at the time of the attack. Without the Raccoon City incident, more soldiers would have been on the island and likely could have defended it, or at least Wesker’s attack wouldn’t have had the same devastating consequences.

And, of course, if the Raccoon City incident never happened, Claire wouldn’t have been on Rockfort Island, and without Claire, Alfred would still be alive. In that case, Alexia had no reason to avenge him, so she wouldn’t have died either. As long as the twins were alive, there was a chance to recover what was lost.

Conclusion

I think the fall of the Ashford family happened mainly due to poor decision-making for various reasons. Choices weren’t thought through, and risks were underestimated, but I can’t find anything that would classify as something they didn’t truly comprehend. Quite the contrary, most consequences were foreseeable. The “fall” is a relative term anyway, since they were still doing quite well.

Also, the only one who really clung to past glories in some sense was Alexander, who indeed bears a large part of the blame. Alexia had different intentions, and Alfred had different priorities. In addition, Alfred was probably on the best way to drag the Ashford family out of the mess Alexander had started. The death sentence for the Ashford family was the Raccoon City incident and what followed. But this was an event out of their control. They hardly could have done anything about it.