#multi-dimensional analysis

[raffaellopalandri]

Daily writing promptWhat have you been working on?View all responses One of the ideas I have been working on most recently is creating a mathematical and statistical model to analyze and forecast the efficiency and performance of an Agile team both at team and individual levels. I am opting for a combination of random forests, gradient boosting, and neural networks (i.e. Machine Learning)…

[ig-quince-works]

also i know math isn't actual science but it does give you "knowledge that's maddening to know"

Bitches love to be like "science sucks where are the eldritch horrors where is the knowledge thats maddening to know" that's thermodynamics motherfucker. The first two world experts in thermodynamics (Ludwig Boltzmann and Paul Ehrenfest) both killed themselves because they had to do fucking thermodynamics

[theriverbeyond]

have you seen any breakdown of the political situation on New Rho (in New Rho? is the rest of the planet also populated? I think at one point someone says "down in Ur" but maybe there is an application of 2-dimensional direction terms to 3d space I havent yet thought of). Like who do they mean by militia, who is the government (who is the police?), is there any official house presence, what is the status of the barracks, who manned the spaceport, what power does BoE hold and how are they viewed in the population (Hot Sauce denounces them but who is her faction-that Pyrrha saw her with-then?) and do they know how splintered and farspread it is? what is the siege the blurb is speaking of, just the imperial emissaries showing up?

Also assuming the BoE wings are all named after different planetary settlements which seem in turn to be named after cities in the ancient near east (ur, merv, ctesiphon), why isnt new rho? but i might be misinterpreting this.

Also where does the Empire want non-House humanity to end up? They seem to be turning planets left and right with no endgoal. And how many settled planets might there be?

Sorry I'm dumping this all at you, I havent seen any worldbuilding discussion here on tumblr at all really so maybe you can redirect me somewhere.

Thankies, keep up the good work (posting)

I HAVE seen posts about the political situation on New Rho including analysis posts that were very interesting and I have utterly failed to tag them appropriately, I am sorry -- if anyone who sees this has links to that meta pls add on/reply to help anon!

But to cover the rest of your points:

What is Ur?

Ur is mentioned twice that i can find, in ch 16: Ianthe says that the end has come to the "rebels of Ur", and a person in the crowd says "Ur is fighting".

EDIT: big thank you to @eskildit in replies: "There are four total references to Ur- Corona also says that Judith is in the Ur facility and Kiriona says that the 6th house is "parked outside the Ur system". Could be that Ur is the planet New Rho is located on. While we refer the nine houses as planets, canonically the houses are actually "installations" on each planet with quite small populations. New Rho alone, which is specifically stated to be just one city on a resettled planet, is 3x the size of the 6th house"

It may have been mentioned more times, but Kindle search is giving me the 2,320 times the letters "ur" were used next to each other so I'm ngl I cannot sift through that. Rather than being a city, though, I actually am assuming that Ur is another planet entirely! This is due to multi-planet SciFi in general treating entire planets like countries or even big cities. Like…. planets are huge. There are thousands of different cultures on a planet, but in SciFi planets are often like. One Big City. One Big Country, if you have a particularly ambitious worldbuilder. See: Star Wars, the Nine Houses themselves, etc. not saying that Ur cannot be on New Rho, just that I don't think it is because this is multi-planet Sci Fi.

The militia/civic government?

In chapter 6 a distinction is made between "the militia and the old civic govnerment". Following that, I think the civic government was probably installed by the Houses, as a ruling party that is friendly to them/House interests. I think the militia is a non-unified population of hired guns, that probably revolted at some point priot to the story. It does seem like at least some section of the militia is in power in most of the city, but I do not think there is one coherent government at the moment

Official house presence?

Yes, because there are official cohort barracks. I don't think they have much political leverage by the time NtN rolls around, though

Barrack status?

Under siege due to the people of New Rho hating them/political instability/possible militia revolt, doing badly otherwise because any and all necromancers are suffering from Blue Madness/RB proximity, as seen in ch 20 when Ianthe mentioned some of them were so poorly she had to put them down.

Space port?

I am assuming the civic government/House was originally in charge. unsure of who is in charge during NtN

What power does BOE hold?

Unclear. It seems like BOE itself is fractionated, with a lot of animosity held between different factions, and a lot of both animosity AND collaboration between different factions of BOE, the militia, the population, and the old civic government. It is a very decentralized resistance force, despite sharing a name. BOE do not appear to BE the official government, or BE the militia, though, but I would not be surprised if some groups had ties to one or both. It seems like they have influence both socially and politically but it is unclear what that power is... some factions have some amount of power. Over some parts. But!! it seems that during the events of NtN they had more power than in the past ("best hand they were ever delt", chapter 1)

How is BOE viewed by the population?

My guess is they have mixed reviews. I think a lot of people probably rely on them for resources/protection even if they don't like or fully trust them. I think a lot of people probably see them as extremists and wish they were less extreme (the liberals, u could say). Like Hot Sauce and the gang, a lot of people probably think they aren't radical enough and wish they would resist more, harder, differently. I think a lot of people probably deeply support them, either physically by being part of BOE or by providing resources/etc, or quietly because they are afraid of retaliation by the House or civil government. A lot of the population probably has opinions about BOE versus the militia, BOE verus House, BOE versus the civic government, based on their own interests/position/power. This is a really long answer that can boil down to "idk"

What is the siege?

I think the siege is the cohort being sieged into the barracks. I am guessing there was some sort of revolt in the local government, probably related to Blue Madness weakening the cohort, and they have pushed the cohort into the barracks. , as described in chapters 1 ("the cohort dies like anyone else under seige") and chapter 20 ("the barracks siege").

What group is Hot Sauce in if she denounced BOE?

Hot Sauce specifically calls BOE "fat cats" and "zombie lovers" in chapter 15, after noting that she, Honesty, and Born in the Morning, as well as Born in the Morning's father, are "active" in with an unnamed group at the park. It is unclear what group that is, if it has a name, or if it is organized in any capacity. From what little we know, it appears it is a group of people who are more radical than BOE, which I think is either ex-BOE members that were pushed out for their radial choices/beliefs, or civilians/other freedom fighters that aren't satisfied with what BOE is doing. But beyond that I have no idea

BOE wing names vs New Rho?

So BOE wings are named after historic Earth cities. Ctesiphon, Troia, Merv, Valencia (which is not historic to us, as it exists today, but WOULD be history in 10k years). They are named by BOE, likely to keep connection to Earth, just like BOE people-names. "New Rho", on the other hand, is likely named by the House. Rhodes is a place on the 7th house (see: 7th cavalier is the "Knight of Rhodes"), and I assumed that New Rho was like. The house naming shit. Like how New York is named after York in England, even though that area of land already had a name (Lenapehoking, I think?).

Specifically this difference is important because like, the House is a imperial colonizing force here, and they are naming things after their home system as a part of the imperial violence they are enacting. In As Yet Unsent, Judith notes that the non-house people call New Rho, "Lemuria" -- HOWEVER, in NtN chapter 17, the Angel mentions Lemuria twice in a way that is phrased like Lemuria is Somewhere else, and is Not the city they are in right now ("I was born on Lemuria", "there's still a facility on Lemuria") I am not sure what happened there, honestly. Perhaps an oopsie?

Where does the Empire want non house humanity to end up?

Unclear. Coronabeth notes in As Yet Unsent that even she (who has studied the war in-universe) has no idea what the real goal is. My guess is nowhere, because a forever-war has no end goal. It's a war for resources gained only by literal blood and death. Many analysis could be made about this as an allegory to to oil based forever-wars of today -- I read a few of them and as said before unfortunately failed to tag them, so if anyone has a link and can share with anon that would be awesome! But anyway, I do not think I am smart or learned enough to say a lot beyond this but, yeah. I think there is no end goal to the war besides meaningless revenge and the resources gained via murder, because that's the point. We could learn different in AtN tho! who knows

How many settled planets?

No idea! Thousands. Hundreds of thousands? Hundreds? Unsure! 10k years is a long time, and there are a lot of planets out there in the fantasy universe that could be habitable. EDIT ty @eskildit, unclear how many planets were settled over the course of the Empire, but there are three settled planets by the timeline of NtN: ""Everyone was crammed on one of three planets now, and they all agreed that this planet was easily the worst", from chapter 2

-

Thanks for sending this!! I really enjoyed answering it, and I hope it helped -- sorry if I missed any. Ask more any time!!

[nateconnolly]

“I have tried to show you what I am,” says Barb, the protagonist of one of the most controversial short stories ever written. “I have tried to do it without judgment. That I leave to you.”

Barb comes from I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter by Isabel Fall, a science fiction story about gender and imperialism. It was Fall’s first published story. There was no backlog of stories to analyze, and her author’s bio was sparse. Readers weren’t given any information about Fall’s gender identity, but that didn’t stop activists from speculating. “… this reads as if it was written by a straight white dude who doesn’t really get gender theory or transition,” complained Arinn Dembo, President of the science fiction writers’ collective SF Canada. The author Phoebe Barton even compared the story to a weapon against trans people: “Think of it as a gun,” she tweeted. “A gun has only one use: for hurting.” N.K. Jemison joined in, tweeting, “Artists should strive to do no (more of this) harm.” But Dembo and the hundreds of thousands of others were mistaken about Fall’s supposed cis identity. The publisher responded to the backlash by taking the story down and posting a statement about the author’s identity. Isabel Fall was a transgender woman, and self-identified activists for trans rights bullied her so mercilessly that she attempted suicide. Dembo later adjusted her criticism, saying “a lot of people might have been spared a lot of mental anguish” if Fall had made a statement about her gender identity. Meaning, Fall had a moral obligation to out herself as a trans woman. Both of Dembo’s comments reveal a preoccupation with the author that distracts from the text. The recent obsession with author identities is one of the great failures of contemporary liberal movements. In order to win liberation for any given group, liberal activists must focus less on who speaks and more on what is spoken. 

Roland Barthes’ 1967 essay The Death of the Author argued that an author’s intentions and life experiences do not make the “ultimate meaning” of their text. The author might as well “die” once the text is in the reader’s hands. The text is “a multi-dimensional space” that one cannot simply flatten with biographical details about the author. Barthes has largely been vindicated among literary critics and theorists, but his idea has not been well-received among liberal activists. It is easy to refuse to acknowledge multiple dimensions of a text. Moralistic groups like liberation movements might even be tempted to sort texts into a simple dichotomy—“good” or “bad,” without any gray areas—on the sole basis of the author’s identity. That is exactly what Dembo tried to do: she suggested that Attack Helicopter was bad simply because of the author’s (supposed) gender. 

I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter is not a transphobic story. Although an in-depth analysis would be beyond the scope of this essay, I can confidently say that Fall critiqued American imperialism, not transgender people. I think that would be clear to anyone who reads the story. But apparently, reading a story is no longer a necessary step in the process of interpreting it. Barton—who suggested her fellow trans woman was a “gun”-wielding transphobe—had not actually read the story. Jemison also admitted she had not read the story before tweeting that it was harmful. We now have a complete reversal of Barthes’ idea: this method of moralistic interpretation is nothing less than the death of the text.

Fall is far from the only queer storyteller to face backlash for allegedly not being queer. Becky Albertalli, Kit Connor (who was still a teenager), and Jameela Jamil all came out of the closet because they were harassed for telling queer stories as “straight” and “cis” people. It is a common talking point in activist circles that the government should not compile lists of queer people or forcibly out them. Why, then, do activists engage in the same behavior? It simply is not always safe to admit that you are gay, or trans, or autistic, or epileptic, or that you have had an abortion. The reason that we need liberation movements for these groups is the same reason that people might not want to publicly claim these identities.

You can read the rest on Substack

[tempestvista]

spoiler warnings for TMA

There is a decent possibility that I am going to eat my words if anything changes greatly since I have not fully finished TMA (Iirc I'm in the middle of season 4? I've been on pause for a bit though so I need to find my place again)

But can I just say how frustrating it is that like everyone villainizes Jonathan Sims in the fandom lmao?? Especially without even considering him and his character + character development as a part of his multi-faceted person and instead just dumbing him down to a one dimensional evil guy who they can also ship with others because ui ui sexo sexo

Now there are obvious things/reasons to dislike him. Namely, the stalking of his employees, which, I don't think I need to explain why is problematic and gross.

But the things I see listed as points against Jonathan Sims are often just… Side effects of him being non-consensually turned into a monster by a deeply calculating man who has a plethora of more knowledge from the get-go and far more manipulation over the situation than Jon himself? ''He killed innocent people!!'' Alright, so did multiple of the other characters?? Like a lot of them, actually?? That's. A really common theme??????????? An overarching pattern (in my analysis/eyes anyhow) in TMA is that literally almost no one gets a happy ending and usually the ones who ''do'' are based in the suffering of others + they've been turned

It just actually infuriates me when I see the "he killed innocent people'' argument without anyone acknowledging how it is near impossible to fight your nature as an avatar and again, really, really loosely saying here because I do not fully recall, but it seems like going against that nature can and WILL kill you. And you can call it selfish, but really, who WOULDN'T want to die? A lot of people have both a conscious and primal instinct to, you know, LIVE.

And again, also not acknowledging that multiple others have done the same.

Also, I see people either justify or entirely ignore the fact that at some point he was being utterly demeaned and belittled by everyone around him. If he wasn't being manipulated by Elias, he was being avoided by Martin, Melanie making cruel digs, being hovered over also by any given person, and generally having petty to hateful comments tossed at him by MOST individuals on any day at any hour. I acknowledge my bias and love for him really does jump out in this, but it also does make me mad that no one seems to care for the fact that he is ALSO a victim. He's a victim of manipulation, of being groomed into being an avatar (at least in my eyes), of being harmed by multiple entities and having lasting marks and impacts from each of them, of being falsely accused of murder (and everyone he knew at the time BELIEVING he was guilty), of being kidnapped/held hostage (MORE THAN ONCE), having to witness literal ghosts/bodies/skins of previous people he knew be lifted around and surrounding him talking about how he's a failure, a bad person, a bad archivist, the worst of the worst- which I cannot IMAGINE the nightmares that that situation would breed. Genuinely just sit and think about that for a moment. Also, as far as the Unknowing and any harm derived from that situation, if we're talking specifically about Sims again, he also had to live with the fact afterward that he was the reason Tim got killed. He has to live with the fact that he was so overwhelmed by everything and the manipulation of Nikola + the Stranger that when he came out of it, Tim had to be the one to end it because Jon failed to. He has to live with Tim being gone, and the fault of it weighing down on him. That is something that I do think one can blame him for (if I am recounting this all correctly). I wanted to bring this up in specific because Survivors guilt is very real and that whole ordeal and blaming must have been something beyond harrowing. He had to realize a thing was basically marching around in the corporeal idea of Sasha and that it WASN'T. HER. Of course this whole podcast is centered around being a nightmare, which is why I find it important to acknowledge the impacts of the nightmare on the people who very much are experiencing them!! And on a continued basis!! Living in that consistent traumatizing environment, developing hypervigilance, watching people drop like flies around you, like. holy shit man. Being traumatized, being threatened by what seems like fate itself at times, and also being used as a pawn for a massive scheme which he didn't even know was a thing. He used to have a life prior to all the world-ending, supernatural, lovecraftian horror stuff that became his new normal.

I know a lot of people would bash the ''I'm a victim too!'' card, but I really don't think that is an easy dismissal here because he just legitimately is.

That, and the people who villainize him also get really.. weird? At times? Like I know this is no longer an uncommon opinion - at least I hope not, but I don't really interact with TMA fandom at all besides liking, reblogging and saving fanart + fics- But people really just tend to make him into this gross or just. Absolutely downright awful human being (occasionally fetishizing his very nature even sometimes) and then Martin is the cutesy innocent person who has never done a single thing wrong in his life, Tim is the sexy hot bisexual who would fuck anything from a lamp-pole to eight mothmen, and Sasha is some demure, sweet and lovely little thing who only exists as just another background person in the polychives.

I can't say I've really seen that characterization of Sasha often thankfully… but that's also because some people straight up forget she was a vital character at one point lol (and I confess I'm not deeply attached to her so the art I save of her is usually secondary/included in other fanart)

I know some of this is redundant, and I am certain that if my memory wasn't so in and out as it is (especially as of late, the dissociation has been… bad, topic for another day, anywho-) I would be able to make more points against the things I've seen, but this is just one facet I really felt like addressing, since I think almost no one is innocent in TMA and harping on Jon specifically is … honestly pointless?? And bland/low hanging fruit as far as the conversation goes? Like big whoop, he's a monster, so is a majority of the characters in TMA? Lmfao??

All in all I say this without aggression or targeted vitriol. I hope people understand I am allowed to be angry at words without hating and/or wishing harm upon the people who say them /npa gen

And if someone happens to see this and has something to contribute, or a point to be made against me, I will gladly listen and engage! I like when people show me my errors, it gives me more perspectives. (Not intended arrogantly, genuine).

I do want it to be clear though that just because this is something I would love to discuss if anyone actually DOES - that doesn't mean I'm accepting of petty spats or arguments.

[endoyamato]

i wanted to get into it in a diff post but basically i think it's. very cool/sad/interesting/amazing (depending on your personal read of this) that endo basically "fandomifies" his own life. he isn't living in the real world because he can't connect to reality, which is boring and unpredictable (<he thinks it's predictable, but i think the issue is that it ISN'T and that's why he has issues here). instead he views himself and people around him as characters to analyze, put in roles (the "the villains role is to destroy the world the heroes have built", positioning himself and takiishi etc as the villains in a movie), and described like works of art. look at how he talks about takiishi, yes, but also look at the meaning he put behind his tattoo (and probably his other tattoos, too) - he explained the sort of analysis you find in essays and "what did the author intend", not usually what you say about yourself/others. look at how he described takiishi and umemiya's fight, with the metaphors and everything, put in neat little boxes. endo cannot connect to reality, so he's made reality into his own fantasy. this is his inability to see other people and reality as multi-dimensional, but also.... his inability to see himself as such, too. he doesn't know his own depth and feelings and he's just now starting to understand the different facets people have - including himself.

[pearl-blue-musings]

Y’all I saw a tiktok that was all “if you’re bored ask ChatGPT to analyze your fictional crushes” and oh my god????????? The way I got read for FILTH 😩😩😩😩😩

Analysis under the cut

Based on your crushes, a few patterns emerge:

Intelligence and Depth: Characters like Shinsou Hitoshi and Alhaitham showcase strong intellectual abilities and depth, suggesting you appreciate individuals who are smart, strategic, or have unique perspectives.

Complexity and Vulnerability: Many of these characters, such as Tsukishima Kei and Kazutora, have complex backgrounds and show emotional vulnerability. This indicates you might be drawn to those who are multi-dimensional and who experience growth through their struggles.

Rebellious or Unconventional Traits: Characters like Kazutora and Aventurine have a bit of an edge or a rebellious streak. This suggests you may be attracted to those who don’t fit the typical mold or who challenge norms.

Interpersonal Dynamics: You seem to favor characters with interesting relationships and dynamics, like Kaveh and Alhaitham, indicating that you appreciate chemistry and tension in relationships.

Strong Aesthetic or Presence: Characters like Aqualad and Umemiya Hajime carry a strong presence or aesthetic that may appeal to you, suggesting you might be drawn to those who have a confident or captivating demeanor.

Overall, it seems your type tends to be intelligent, emotionally complex, a bit unconventional, and marked by strong interpersonal dynamics.

I AM DECEASED

[dailyanarchistposts]

A.3.6 What is Cultural Anarchism?

For our purposes, we will define cultural anarchism as the promotion of anti-authoritarian values through those aspects of society traditionally regarded as belonging to the sphere of “culture” rather than “economics” or “politics” — for example, through art, music, drama, literature, education, child-rearing practices, sexual morality, technology, and so forth.

Cultural expressions are anarchistic to the extent that they deliberately attack, weaken, or subvert the tendency of most traditional cultural forms to promote authoritarian values and attitudes, particularly domination and exploitation. Thus a novel that portrays the evils of militarism can be considered as cultural anarchism if it goes beyond the simple “war-is-hell” model and allows the reader to see how militarism is connected with authoritarian institutions (e.g. capitalism and statism) or methods of authoritarian conditioning (e.g. upbringing in the traditional patriarchal family). Or, as John Clark expresses it, cultural anarchism implies “the development of arts, media, and other symbolic forms that expose various aspects of the system of domination and contrast them with a system of values based on freedom and community.” This ”cultural struggle” would be part of a general struggle “to combat the material and ideological power of all dominating classes, whether economic, political, racial, religious, or sexual, with a multi-dimensional practice of liberation.” In other words, an “expanded conception of class analysis” and “an amplified practice of class struggle” which includes, but is not limited to, ”economic actions like strikes, boycotts, job actions, occupation, organisations of direct action groups and federations of libertarian workers’ groups and development of workers’ assemblies, collectives and co-operatives” and ”political activity” like the “active interference with implementation of repressive governmental policies,” the “non-compliance and resistance against regimentation and bureaucratisation of society” and “participation in movements for increasing direct participation in decision-making and local control.” [The Anarchist Moment, p. 31]

Cultural anarchism is important — indeed essential — because authoritarian values are embedded in a total system of domination with many aspects besides the political and economic. Hence those values cannot be eradicated even by a combined economic and political revolution if there it is not also accompanied by profound psychological changes in the majority of the population. For mass acquiescence in the current system is rooted in the psychic structure of human beings (their “character structure,” to use Wilhelm Reich’s expression), which is produced by many forms of conditioning and socialisation that have developed with patriarchal-authoritarian civilisation during the past five or six thousand years.

In other words, even if capitalism and the state were overthrown tomorrow, people would soon create new forms of authority in their place. For authority — a strong leader, a chain of command, someone to give orders and relieve one of the responsibility of thinking for oneself — are what the submissive/authoritarian personality feels most comfortable with. Unfortunately, the majority of human beings fear real freedom, and indeed, do not know what to do with it — as is shown by a long string of failed revolutions and freedom movements in which the revolutionary ideals of freedom, democracy, and equality were betrayed and a new hierarchy and ruling class were quickly created. These failures are generally attributed to the machinations of reactionary politicians and capitalists, and to the perfidy of revolutionary leaders; but reactionary politicians only attract followers because they find a favourable soil for the growth of their authoritarian ideals in the character structure of ordinary people.

Hence the prerequisite of an anarchist revolution is a period of consciousness-raising in which people gradually become aware of submissive/authoritarian traits within themselves, see how those traits are reproduced by conditioning, and understand how they can be mitigated or eliminated through new forms of culture, particularly new child-rearing and educational methods. We will explore this issue more fully in section B.1.5 (What is the mass-psychological basis for authoritarian civilisation?), J.6 (What methods of child rearing do anarchists advocate?), and J.5.13 (What are Modern Schools?)

Cultural anarchist ideas are shared by almost all schools of anarchist thought and consciousness-raising is considered an essential part of any anarchist movement. For anarchists, its important to “build the new world in the shell of the old” in all aspects of our lives and creating an anarchist culture is part of that activity. Few anarchists, however, consider consciousness-raising as enough in itself and so combine cultural anarchist activities with organising, using direct action and building libertarian alternatives in capitalist society. The anarchist movement is one that combines practical self-activity with cultural work, with both activities feeding into and supporting the other.

[girl4music]

The significance and depth of the WayHaught Wedding as an endgame.

There’s something so ridiculously badass about Waverly with her signature shotgun freeing Bobo from prison and then saving the world by blowing up the Homestead barn all the while wearing her Mama’s dress. Especially because this is the dress she ends up getting married to Nicole in - albeit with Waverly modifications. Just the choice to have her in a wedding dress in general while she does all of this was a great one because it shows her growth from a woman that initially tailored who she was to whoever it was she was dating at the time, to someone that ends up looking a demon in the eyes and telling them this:

“Save your partronizing mouth garbage. I can be a hero AND a wife.” - Waverly Earp.

I can’t help feeling that that is at the least in part due to Nicole never asking her to be someone she’s not. That’s what she needed. Someone that could teach her what healthy love and partnership actually felt like. Where she didn’t ever have to be anybody but Waverly even while going through an identity crisis of sorts because Nicole loved her because she was herself.

I’m pretty sure she found it incredibly hot that Waverly could be her crazy ass, brave heroic self while in a wedding dress. That she didn’t have to look the part to play the part. To BE the hero. She’d be so into that. So at the end of the show when Waverly puts that dress on to get married in - it’s a statement of equality and multi-dimensionality. That’s why Nicole was so dumbstruck by her in it. She recognized ALL OF Waverly was who she was marrying. And god damn if she didn’t fall in love with her all over again… because that dress encapsulates EVERYTHING that Waverly is:

A woman. A wife. A hero. An angel. The beauty of Waverly being more than one thing at any one time is true female representation and you know Emily Andras did it purposefully because she was just so sick of having to see one-dimensional queer female characters with no agency in TV art/entertainment.

I love the wedding not just because of what it means for Waverly and Nicole as a beautiful WLW couple but also because of what it means for both individually. What their vows to each other mean. What the choice to have the wedding on the Homestead means. And maybe nobody else has gone this deep into analysis with the wedding as I have - but I just love how much they’re truly depicted as EQUALS at their endgame and that this is the start of their happily married lives together as wives AND as heroes. That’s really cool because a marriage is a partnership of true equality. Meaning you don’t lose who you are as a person when you tie yourself to another person. At least - you shouldn’t. You just become so much more with them than you even knew that you had in you initially.

[bumblebeeappletree]

We have deployed 2000 structures to patch up a reef in Indonesia and the results were immediate!

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To build this project from the ground up we needed the stability of the constant support that our members give us. Nothing we do is possible without you. We hope you will consider joining us in creating more coral reefs!

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MOSSY EARTH MEMBERSHIP

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The rewilding membership that restores nature across a wide range of ecosystems.

🌲 Support a diversity of ecosystems

🐺 Rewild habitats to bring back biodiversity

🦫 Fund neglected species & ecosystems

Learn more and become a member here: https://mossy.earth

⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️

===============================

0:00 Intro

1:00 Our project area

4:20 First deployment

9:08 Boat name

9:50 Zip ties!

12:10 Scaling up

🔎 ABOUT THIS PROJECT

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Coral reefs are known as “the rainforests of the sea”. These vibrantly complex ecosystems harbour the highest biodiversity of any ecosystem globally. An estimated 25% of all marine species depend on reefs. They are also crucial for millions of people, providing food, livelihoods, resources and coastal protection.

Major threats, such as over-exploitation and climate change, are jeopardising the future of coral reefs. In the last few decades, sharp declines in reef cover have occurred worldwide. This is our first coral reef project to restore damaged reefs in the northern waters of Nusa Penida, Indonesia.

Our long-term goal is to improve resilience by enhancing connectivity of fragmented reefs whilst protecting and preserving endangered coral species. Led by our local team of expert divers and marine biologists passionate about the preservation of this marine ecosystem, we work with local people to promote positive community involvement in coral reef restoration.

Read more about this project here: https://www.mossy.eart...

CREDITS

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This project is managed by Purnomo Yudhianto, Ellie Jackson-Smith

and Chansa Hilmira

Filming: Julie Schleiss-Andreassen, Duarte de Zoeten, Purnomo Yudhianto and Chansa Hilmira

Writing: Duarte de Zoeten

Editing: Duarte de Zoeten and Thomas Hikin

Scoring: Charlie Hernández

📄 REFERENCES

===============================

Bachman, S. D., Kleypas, J. A., Erdmann, M., & Setyawan, E. (2022). A global atlas of potential thermal refugia for coral reefs generated by internal gravity waves.

Boakes, Z., Hall, A. E., Ampou, E. E., et al. (2022). Coral reef conservation in Bali in light of international best practice: A literature review.

Bowden-Kerby, A. (2023). Coral-Focused Climate Change Adaptation and Restoration: The "Reefs of Hope" Paradigm.

Bruno, J. F., & Selig, E. R. (2007). Regional decline of coral cover in the Indo-Pacific: Timing, extent, and subregional comparisons.

Fox, H., Mous, P. J., Pet, J. S., et al. (2005). Experimental assessment of coral reef rehabilitation following blast fishing.

García-Baciero, A., García-Herrero, A., Horcajo-Berná, E., & Clements, G. R. (2024). The Art of Sticking: Attaching Methods Affect Direct Transplantation Success.

Islam, M. S., Islam, A. R. M. T., Ismail, Z., et al. (2023). Effects of microplastic and heavy metals on coral reefs: A new window for analytical research.

Lamont, T. A. C., Razak, T. B., Djohani, R., et al. (2022). Multi-dimensional approaches to scaling up coral reef restoration.

Lange, I. D., Razak, T. B., Perry, C. T., et al. (2024). Coral restoration can drive rapid reef carbonate budget recovery.

Paxton, A. B., Shertzer, K. W., Bacheler, N. M., et al. (2020). Meta-Analysis Reveals Artificial Reefs Can Be Effective Tools for Fish Community Enhancement.

Ruchimat, T., Basuki, R., & Welly, M. (2013). Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area (MPA) Bali - Indonesia: Why Need to be Protected?.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

A new era of solar observation

For the first time, scientists have taken near-daily measurements of the Sun’s global coronal magnetic field, a region of the Sun that has only been observed irregularly in the past. The resulting observations are providing valuable insights into the processes that drive the intense solar storms that impact fundamental technologies, and thus lives and livelihoods, here on Earth.

An analysis of the data, collected over eight months by an instrument called the Upgraded Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (UCoMP), is published today in Science.

The solar magnetic field is the primary driver of solar storms, which can pose threats to power grids, communication systems, and in-space technologies like GPS. However, our ability to understand how the magnetic field builds up energy and erupts has been limited by the challenge of observing it in the solar corona, the Sun’s upper atmosphere. 

Measuring the magnetism of the region through standard polarimetric methods typically requires large, expensive equipment that to date has only been able to study small segments of the corona. However, the combined use of coronal seismology and UCoMP observations makes it possible for researchers to produce consistent and comprehensive views of the magnetic field of the global corona  — the whole-Sun view one sees during a solar eclipse. 

“Global mapping of the coronal magnetic field has been a big missing part in the study of the Sun,” said Zihao Yang, lead author who pursued this research as a PhD graduate at Peking University, China, and is now a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR). “This research is helping us fill a crucial gap in our understanding of coronal magnetic fields, which are the source of the energy for storms that can impact Earth.​”  

The international team is made of researchers from Northumbria University, UK; NSF NCAR; Peking University, China; and University of Michigan. The research was funded by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Key R&D Program of China and supported by the Newkirk graduate student fellowship awarded to Yang by NSF NCAR. The UCoMP instrument was developed with support from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and is operated by NSF NCAR at the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory.

Upgraded instrument

Although scientists have been able to routinely measure the magnetic field on the Sun’s surface, known as the photosphere, it has long been difficult to measure the much dimmer coronal magnetic field. This has limited a deeper understanding of the three-dimensional structure and evolution of the magnetic field of the corona, where solar storms brew.

To measure the three-dimensional coronal magnetic fields in depth, big telescopes like NSF’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) are needed. With a 4-meter-diameter aperture, DKIST is the world’s largest solar telescope, and recently demonstrated its groundbreaking ability for making detailed observations  of the coronal magnetic field. However, DKIST is not able to map the Sun all at once. The smaller UCoMP instrument is actually better-suited to give scientists global pictures of the coronal magnetic field, albeit at lower resolution and in a two-dimensional projection. The observations from both sources are thus highly-complementary to a holistic view of the coronal magnetic field.

UCoMP is primarily a coronagraph, an instrument that uses a disc to block out light from the Sun, similar to an eclipse, making it easier to observe the corona. It also combines a Stokes polarimeter, which images other spectral information such as coronal line intensity and Doppler velocity. Even though UCoMP has a much smaller aperture (20 cm), it is able to take a wider view which makes it possible to study the entire Sun on most days.  

The researchers applied a method called coronal seismology to track magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) transverse waves in the UCoMP data. The MHD waves gave them information that made it possible to create a two-dimensional map of the strength and direction of the coronal magnetic field.

In 2020, a previous study used UCoMP’s predecessor and the coronal seismology method to produce the first map of the global coronal magnetic field. This was a crucial step toward routine coronal magnetic field measurements. UCoMP has expanded capabilities that makes it possible to make more detailed, routine measurements. During the UCoMP study, the research team produced 114 magnetic field maps between February and October 2022, or one almost every other day. 

“We are entering a new era of solar physics research where we can routinely measure the coronal magnetic field,” said Yang. 

Completing the picture

The observations also produced the first measurements of the coronal magnetic field in the polar regions. The Sun’s poles have never been directly observed because the curve of the Sun near the poles keeps it just beyond our view from Earth. Though the researchers didn’t directly view the poles, for the first time they were able to take measurements of the magnetism emitting from them. This was due in part to the improved data quality provided by UCoMP and because the Sun was near solar maximum. The typically weak emissions from the polar region have been much stronger, making it easier to obtain coronal magnetic field results in the polar regions. 

As a postdoctoral fellow at NSF NCAR, Yang will continue his research of the Sun’s magnetic field; he hopes to improve existing coronal models that are based on measurements of the photosphere. Since the current method used with UCoMP is limited to two dimensions, it still doesn’t capture the full three-dimensional magnetic field. Yang and his colleagues hope to combine their research with other techniques to get a deeper understanding of the full vector of the magnetic field in the corona. 

The third dimension of the magnetic field, oriented along a viewer's line of sight, is of particular importance for understanding how the corona is energized leading up to a solar eruption. Ultimately, a combination of a large telescope and a global field of view is needed to measure all the three-dimensional twists and tangles behind phenomena like solar eruptions; this is the motivation behind the proposed Coronal Solar Magnetism Observatory (COSMO), a 1.5-meter-diameter solar refracting telescope undergoing its final design study.

“Since coronal magnetism is the force that sends mass from the Sun flying across the solar system, we have to observe it in 3D — and everywhere all at once, throughout the global corona,” said Sarah Gibson, COSMO Development Lead and an NSF NCAR scientist co-author on the paper. "Yang's work represents a huge step forward in our ability to understand how the Sun's global coronal magnetic field changes from day to day. This is critical to our ability to better predict and prepare for solar storms, which are an ever-increasing danger to our ever-more technologically dependent lives here on Earth."

IMAGE: Illustration of the global coronal magnetic field as the Sun rotates. The background is the solar corona observed in extreme-ultraviolet waveband, with global coronal magnetic field maps measured at different time overlapped on top of it. Credit Image courtesy of Zihao Yang.

[blonding]

my thoughts on shima sousuke, a (semi) short character analysis.

so recently, i’ve had the pleasure of catching up on the skip to loafer manga, which is a seinen manga with romance elements (i know better now than to call it shoujo!) but that aside, ever since the beginning when i started reading it a year or so ago, shima sousuke, the male main character, stuck out to me.

more under cut + various major skip to loafer spoilers are included

shima sousuke is like. well first of all he’s one of the characters of all time, but beside the fact i like him a lot, he’s a character i relate to in a way i never thought i would relate to a fictional character. calling him multi-faceted just sands down the realness of his character otherwise.

shima is very much the type of character that doesn’t want to “stick out or make a fuss” mostly due to childhood trauma and neglect, he feels as if he is already a burden while not realizing the cause as to why. but along with that, he also bottles everything up until the point where his numbness to genuine emotion makes him feel like interaction & intimacy is just the other party, and him, taking advantage of each other in different ways. and, while some of this may be true, in his head shima already knows that he has built up an invisible wall around him, so that even if someone really did want to actually get to know him, mitsumi for example, he couldn’t let them in even if he tried to.

take this screenshot from chapter 46 as an example ^

the writing in skip to loafer (especially the character writing) is incredibly real and dimensional, and while i’m just focusing on shima for now- how he handles his relationships with others, as if he “owes” others his compliance and kindness, in one of the later chapters he calls himself a ‘status symbol’ as if he doesn’t even really see himself as a person worthy of his own autonomy at all.

^ here you can see how he truly thinks about himself.

the cause of this, at least the main cause, is shown to the reader throughout the manga- due to the fact that he was abused as a child, and made to believe that he doesn’t have worth outside of what others can make of him and what he can provide- he has completely alienated himself (or at least his real self) out of a fear of being resented, and honestly, such is the feeling of a child who has only known fear and darkness, it’s probably only natural that he’s extremely afraid to even try to leave that.

on the other hand, even if it was without knowing at first, mitsumi is the constant in the manga that is thoroughly and constantly trying to break this pattern. her kind bluntness and truthfulness aids her in this. i feel as if the reason why shima partially lets mitsumi into his life, with or without realizing, is because of the fact she has what he envies most— love. whether shima realizes this or not- he is jealous of her. he is jealous that she is able to speak her mind as freely and truthfully as she wants, and he is jealous of the fact that she is clearly someone who has those who truly love her.

^ you can see that another character even outright tells her right here.

in a way, these characters are polar opposites of each other. shima wants what mitsumi has, and mitsumi wants shima to open up to her- something he feels he is incapable of.

but even with that being said, shima doesn’t want mitsumi out of his life either, even with his jealousy aside he does actually like mitsumi- after all, what’s not for him to like. she was one of the first people in his life to actually want to know him, and not just the idea of him, but the real, honest-to-god him.

obviously this is all just my own personal speculation, but i do believe that all shima ever wanted was to feel genuinely wanted, but now that he actually is wanted for who he really is, he has no idea what to do, and even less of an idea as how to tear down the seemingly indestructible wall that he has built up around him.

regarding shima’s character, it’s all very this image ^

anyways, i think that’s just about all i have to say for now, thank you for coming to my shima sousuke ted talk, i hope you enjoyed it at least a little bit!

[sak-shi]

Python Libraries to Learn Before Tackling Data Analysis

To tackle data analysis effectively in Python, it's crucial to become familiar with several libraries that streamline the process of data manipulation, exploration, and visualization. Here's a breakdown of the essential libraries:

 1. NumPy

   - Purpose: Numerical computing.

   - Why Learn It: NumPy provides support for large multi-dimensional arrays and matrices, along with a collection of mathematical functions to operate on these arrays efficiently.

   - Key Features:

     - Fast array processing.

     - Mathematical operations on arrays (e.g., sum, mean, standard deviation).

     - Linear algebra operations.

 2. Pandas

   - Purpose: Data manipulation and analysis.

   - Why Learn It: Pandas offers data structures like DataFrames, making it easier to handle and analyze structured data.

   - Key Features:

     - Reading/writing data from CSV, Excel, SQL databases, and more.

     - Handling missing data.

     - Powerful group-by operations.

     - Data filtering and transformation.

 3. Matplotlib

   - Purpose: Data visualization.

   - Why Learn It: Matplotlib is one of the most widely used plotting libraries in Python, allowing for a wide range of static, animated, and interactive plots.

   - Key Features:

     - Line plots, bar charts, histograms, scatter plots.

     - Customizable charts (labels, colors, legends).

     - Integration with Pandas for quick plotting.

 4. Seaborn

   - Purpose: Statistical data visualization.

   - Why Learn It: Built on top of Matplotlib, Seaborn simplifies the creation of attractive and informative statistical graphics.

   - Key Features:

     - High-level interface for drawing attractive statistical graphics.

     - Easier to use for complex visualizations like heatmaps, pair plots, etc.

     - Visualizations based on categorical data.

 5. SciPy

   - Purpose: Scientific and technical computing.

   - Why Learn It: SciPy builds on NumPy and provides additional functionality for complex mathematical operations and scientific computing.

   - Key Features:

     - Optimized algorithms for numerical integration, optimization, and more.

     - Statistics, signal processing, and linear algebra modules.

 6. Scikit-learn

   - Purpose: Machine learning and statistical modeling.

   - Why Learn It: Scikit-learn provides simple and efficient tools for data mining, analysis, and machine learning.

   - Key Features:

     - Classification, regression, and clustering algorithms.

     - Dimensionality reduction, model selection, and preprocessing utilities.

 7. Statsmodels

   - Purpose: Statistical analysis.

   - Why Learn It: Statsmodels allows users to explore data, estimate statistical models, and perform tests.

   - Key Features:

     - Linear regression, logistic regression, time series analysis.

     - Statistical tests and models for descriptive statistics.

 8. Plotly

   - Purpose: Interactive data visualization.

   - Why Learn It: Plotly allows for the creation of interactive and web-based visualizations, making it ideal for dashboards and presentations.

   - Key Features:

     - Interactive plots like scatter, line, bar, and 3D plots.

     - Easy integration with web frameworks.

     - Dashboards and web applications with Dash.

 9. TensorFlow/PyTorch (Optional)

   - Purpose: Machine learning and deep learning.

   - Why Learn It: If your data analysis involves machine learning, these libraries will help in building, training, and deploying deep learning models.

   - Key Features:

     - Tensor processing and automatic differentiation.

     - Building neural networks.

 10. Dask (Optional)

   - Purpose: Parallel computing for data analysis.

   - Why Learn It: Dask enables scalable data manipulation by parallelizing Pandas operations, making it ideal for big datasets.

   - Key Features:

     - Works with NumPy, Pandas, and Scikit-learn.

     - Handles large data and parallel computations easily.

Focusing on NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, and Seaborn will set a strong foundation for basic data analysis.

[fictionalmenmistress]

A VERY IMPORTANT ANALYSIS, FINALE META, AND AT THE END, FUTURE SEASON TAKE; HANNIBAL (important to read to the end)...

I just finished Wrath Of The Lamb, for the very first time, after binging the series over the course off and on from like, spring to now... the last day of summer, of 2023. Tomorrow, in this timeline, it will be the very first day of the season of Autumn. I say binge, because I would hyperfixate and binge it in three segments. Season one moved a tad slow for me, as I was developing my interest, being courted and romanced by the format and unique design flavor of the show, and meeting the characters (I didn't really care much for Garrett Jacob Hobbs tbh, so that took a bit for me to want to get through), and I wanted to see more of Hannibal most of all (whom I loved and knew previously, through the movies), so I ended up taking a lil break about halfway(?) through the first season. But ohhh... like all of us, it consumed me whole, and I came willingly. Then after some months(?) (Like Will, I lost time a lot during my consumation of HANNIBAL, so I lost time. I'm not sure... its all a blurr how it came about, then to now), I came back, and got to season 2, and then I didn't stop. After season 2, I took a small break to try and pace myself... draw it out a bit more. Relish in the sweet savor, before everything was gonna heat up again. I went on an adventure across the world for a month, so, my binging was also stiffled during season 2, then. And then I went hard, again. Hannibal hannibal, I am a cannibal...

I lingered there... in the moment mid-season, before the three years later. Before the Red Dragon. When Hannibal and Will were on Verger Estate, and the last they had of one another... before Will moved on. I relished in that taste, of THEM. Out and about. Then I went back in, about a few days later. Every episode had ads throughout, long ads (thanks, hulu), so often I didn't sleep all night to watch just two or three episodes, then sleep during the day.

And I finally, made it here. The Finale, ended.

I do feel that the end was... sudden. A simple way to lay out the complexity of it. Quick, feeling. It was beautiful, but unfortunately thanks to the internet, reading show analysis as I went that would mention ending spoilers too, and being on twitter and tumblr... coming avidly to the party with cake, ready to dance, ten years late... I have seen and knew plenty well, what was to come. I recieved the impression that "will and hannibal die at the end" and "will got married" and "alana changes her look drastically, and is a lesbian" (but she's actually probs bi?) and of course, seen over and over, gifs handed right to me... of the cliff fall. Them holding one another close, covered in blood. Then... drop.

But here's the thing. The direction is clear, they didn't die. And its just as tragically poetic, in both ways. Now, if its going to forever be left here, its just fine to leave it open to your own opinion, but I do see the intent here. Bedelia's acting was rather framed odd, through, as she was confirmed to have *NOT* cooked her leg, and it was Hannibal, and there are THREE place settings, because I did at first get this weird impression from how quick it all flowed and how it was framed, that she was eagerly cracked (mentally, by hannibal, and given in to her fate) and waiting... which would be very likely for this show and an interesting route to take. But, I digress gladly, as I am very happy this WAS intended to be confirmation that Hannibal and Will made it... and though they were not in the picture, they were running that show, even in the end.

That dive... was symbolic. Like everything about them, it was multi-dimensional. Will, holding on to his last bit of justice and avengement and revenge (for his family, for Abigail again, for Hannibal drilling into him, just... everything), taking the last of Hannibal. In multiple ways. It was his... reconciliation. His final move, his forgiveness and peace, all in one. Then there's the "can't live WITH him... can't live WITHOUT him" dilemna line, this moment showing both the confliction and resolve of that for Will AND Hannibal... and also Will's conflict and impulsive resolutement to solve that tug and pull he will forever live with... just as Hannibal's impulse to free himself of it, was absurdly actually allowing himself to reach a point of desparation when he felt the need to eat will, as the final and only way to be free from his pull and hold on him.

Hannibal's love for him, all consuming. Will's obsession for Hannibal, all drowning. Will was later than hannibal, to realize, and allow himself to realize and admit, that its love for him, too. Hannibal surrendered to Will fully and accepted and stepped into being fully consumed by falling in love willingly, when he realized, "Will I'll wait for you. I surrender. At last, I allow someone else to control me, wholly, and fully I relinquish all of my control to you. Forever, its yours." Will still was confliced and feeling both love and confusion and complete decided resolve, and fighting that dilemna of truth he knows, but is not willing to face or embrace all the way(?), and facing/embracing his becoming, the whole time.

The fall, for Will also, was him fully surrendering himself as well, to Hannibal. He both took the plunge, to sacrefice them tragically, sacrefice their love FOR them, on an altar of their own design, ("this is my design"), for the greater good of all. For the greater good of them, too. And let destiny intertwined with fate, decide what came after... if they live or die from it all. Sacrefice HIMSELF, and put BOTH of them down. But also... more poetically, its when he fully embraced and also surrendered himself to fully leaning into accepting his becoming. He was one with Hannibal. He knew he loved Hannibal at this point, and he finally not just accepted it, but leaned into it... just as Hannibal did by surrendering all of himself, *for* Will, *TO* Will.

And it was so tragic, Will also knew that they must do this. Together. Just like back in the house... at the finale of season 2. Kill together, was Hannibal's plan with him. They must, again, die together. END, together. Their beginning, their End, them. Their becoming. Immortally... tragic death. Together at last, fulfilled.

I can almost envision their smiles, as they held onto one another... finally complete, as they fell. They knew what was coming, but they knew what they were. Every question for one another, and for themselves internally, together answered. All at once, laid to rest. Finally surrendered and fully open to one another. United, soul-tangled. That was everything, for them. Even as they fell, they were willing. Surrendered. In a state of total serene vulnerability, after the intimacy and climax of fighting and killing, vanquishing the beastly dragon, together. (Yes, that was a symbolic innuendo). They were happy. It was now, both Hannibal's becoming for them, and Will's becoming for them... unified as one...

If they survived, then, (which they did, its confirmed) its clear then, what waited for Will on the other side. He is fully Actualized. They both are, together. For both of them, its... new life. Born again, poetically... for they are one, together. They survived and thus have been given their new lives, surrendered to one another, happy, free. Everyone thinks they are dead. Everyone thinks they are gone. Their families mourned and release them, laid them to rest, with their fate. And they are... they've run off. The transformation, has completed itself. And there will be no more attempted killing one another... its... complete. The courtship, the contrasting and fighting back against togetherness, the tension, and reconing of figuring out their dynamic, and what it means to THEM, as individuals and a duo... and what it will be, after all. They are now in the next moment, together.

Which brings us... to Hannibal keeping his date with Bedelia. Post credits. He always keeps his promises... even death cannot deny Dr. Lecter being a man of his word. For he is neither of heaven nor hell's forces, and will not be denied. After all, its Hannibal's world, and we are all just living in it. That's why the show is called "HANNIBAL". And Will and him shall feast, and survive, together. All is right in the world, and everyone simply knows what they need to know. They finally go off together. And all is finally even... forgiven. All jabs taken, all shots, all stabs and slashes... its all even, all complete in its phase, now. ("Even, Steven.") Will and Hannibal, are one. One couple, a united team. A marriage. And they have both, surrendered to it, and chosen to embrace it fully, with open arms. They *are* Actualized.

This keeps going through my head... "see you on the other side." That expression. They needed to plunge, that was Will's final step. Now, everything is... evolved. Completed. What lies on the other side, is a new chapter in their stories. The past, their lives before, laid to rest. The future, now theirs only, to write. They've stopped running, from one another. And are now ironically more free and themselves and fulfilled, on the run, than they ever were before. They's stopped fighting destiny, and embraced it.

Its quite beautiful and poetic... as it always has been.

Now... The Silence Of The Lambs. I have faith that somehow, in some way in the future, we WILL see season 4. And they will succeed in its creation, and maybe even season 5 or 6, EAGERLY, once it gets back in motion. I do strongly believe that. Somehow in some way, it will happen. It feels... right. And with everyone still so driven, its only a matter of time, now. Its something time cannot outrun. Its a canon event in our timeline, I would bet a fortune on it. Someone will pop up and be the final key deal to setting the prepped lumber to burn, ablaze. And it will go like wildfire and everyone is going to be ecstatic. The show will have been revived. Have new life... and so will Hannibal and Will. Everyone will.

But I've seen a lot of takes, where people are afraid of Clarice coming in; when she can, and when she definitely will. This has all led to this, too, just as everything before it continued to build to every moment and landmark in their stories, ALL of the character's stories, thus far.

Its been ten years and I've never seen this take, so here's mine.

We have nothing to fear. Will and Hannibal are not just *ONE* and avoiding it or scared to face it, they ARE an item. They are at last, complete. That is FIXED in the story from this point on... its all led to this. Just as they are fixated, now, their stories together are a fixed point, too. Now I say, the show made us fall madly in love with Will Graham. And Will Graham, with Hannibal Lecter. Would the excellence of the show, not also make us fall in love with Clarice Starling? The only other, worthy of Hannibal Lecter in every iteration? And if Will is his beloved, as Hannibal is Will's, finally... I present a third, very excellent, very untapped but high potential dynamic. That could be juicy brilliant, compelling, conflicting. Hannibal and Will having their time together, just them, complete gay romance and marriage... just them. While Clarice develops as a character, parallel to them, on her own journey with them on theirs, just like Will was when HANNIBAL began. And they have their blissful murder husband honeymoon phase, they never had yet. Its poetic and beautiful... and on the side, we get to know Clarice... and where she fits into this post-fall (falling in love, falling for love, literally and tragically and physically), FBI situation. But I reckon, what if it comes to her pursuing them, and they pursue and play cat and mouse with her, too? The same push and pull tension, in the same brilliant way, and we get to see all of it happen with them together. And I present... what if she? Became *THEIR* obsession? Their destined third. The trifecta... the symbolic, holy trinity. We know Hannibal (character, book, and show) loves his biblical proportions symbolism and analogies. Murderous threesome soulmates... a polycule. Now that... can take this flaming titanic on a whole 'nother next level of WILD mad love. Brilliance.

Hannibal, Will, Clarice. It could have even been foreshadowed, all this time... that they were destined to have a third. Be a "family", complete together, with a younger female counterpart, of SOME kind. But she would not come in the form of a daughter... no, we've seen that. We've been given Abigail, and her time has passed. Micha, and she was laid to rest. They have healed from the loss and position of that dynamic in relation to them. No... she would be theirs, their third, in a new way. Different than Alana ever could be.

How bloody interesting.

If I was one of the writers for Hannibal, that personally would be the route I would pitch and lean to take, as both the shocking turn and sinker, that consumes us all. I think it could be so thrilling. So excellent, dynamic, new, yet iconically perfectly them, somehow. Its their next chapter. She is their next development. The final dynamic... peices, falling into place. The idea may be a love it or hate it for some, but if the show did take that route, I just know they would behold it to us in a way that would make all neigh sayers, and those hesitant of it, fall madly and utterly captivated. Just as it always has... in the disturbingly beautiful, all consuming influence, of HANNIBAL.

"I believe... that sentence, is what they would reffer to, as a 'Mic Drop'. But you've picked the Mic up again, Will."

Any direction we are shown next, will be excellent, and not one to fear. But one that will be beheld, and beloved, just as brilliant as all previous, in the end. Trust Fuller!! Mads and Hugh ♡ and everyone in love with laying out its creation perfectly and intricately.

It will be beautiful.

(Please do share any thoughts or ideas or responses in the comments or reblogs!! I would love to see what you think.♡)

[dndeed]

Crit Role Miniature Rollout: C3E58

Escape From The Past

With Andrew Harshman

An analysis of the minis used on CR.

This episode with have more red lighting, more red flocking, and the continued use of many a custom player character mini (as can be expected from Critical Role guest episodes).

Grab ya character sheets and finest math rocks, it's time for Crit Role Miniature Rollout Campaign 3 Episode 58!

Woo-hoo-hoo, now this is a dandy multi-dimensional battle map. Loving this color scheme. Not only is there custom overhead lighting, the color scheme is also on the autumn foliage, the mushrooms on the trees, and the red fleshy set piece miniature. -and of course the red Dwarven Forge Dungeons of Doom wall pillars.

Manufacturing-wise, the dungeon tiles are Dwarven Forge, the bushes are Monster Fight Club, and the trees are from Printable Terrain.

Best and Worst Mini of the Ep

The coveted DOUBLE AWARD of Best Mini and Worst Mini of the episode goes to the Greater Star Spawn Emissary. It earns the best miniature for its Cthulhu mythos theming and truly immense table presence.

It is a very striking model sculpt amongst other striking sculpts. The Wizkids Ravenloft set is full of cool pieces.

And it wins the award for Worst Mini because it's downright gross. Like, did they have to use so many snouts? One or two dog snouts I can understand, but nearly a dozen?? Good grief. Too many doggo snoots. It is clearly inspired by the 80s remake of The Thing.

Very good inspiration, but also very gross inspiration.

See ya next sesh!

[starlightandetherealshadows]

Hello! Feel free to ignore this, but I wanted to give my two cents about the MC's initial personality while playing. Now, this may be blunt, but at first, I was incredibly disappointed. Usually, I tend to play stoic/quiet MCs who don't lash or speak out, and it seemed to be quite the opposite to the distrusting and stoic mc in the game. However, I was thinking extremely hard about this, and I actually get why the MC was so outspoken, especially when V literally pointed a gun at them. Stoic and stubborn MC, from what I saw in the prologue, could easily be more nonchalant *before* the alien invasion, but that, obviously, changed. When C found them and brought them to the hideout, I didn't take into account that MC was in a vulnerable position, and I only focused on the part that MC hadn't interacted with another person in years. So, yeah, of course, MC may be overwhelmed, but their not gonna let people (V *cough*) walk all over them. I guess the thing was that I was so used to stoic MCs in IFs just standing on the sidelines and observing, but that is obviously not that kind of IF. The thing that had gotten to me the most, however, was the second-hand embarrassment of MC actually talking back to V after he blatantly insults them because I could never😭 I guess what I am trying to say is that even though I was seriously taken aback, none of the characters (including MC) are not gonna be 2-dimensional (as you have stated multiple times), and it has definitely grown on me, even if the MC was a little more of a fire-cracker than I expected. I am really looking forward to seeing where you take this story, and I will absolutely be eating it up because even if I might have to be tossing my phone across the room occasionally (bc my second-hand embarrassment is so easily triggered😭😭), I cannot get enough of your writing and characters!! I hope this made sense because I was just rambling about my take on if you are willing to make the MC a little more stoic or have some mute choices, which I am not against, but at the end of the day, I will still be reading the fuck out of Memento Mori! Have a good day/night!!! MWAH💋

Hi sunshine!

I appreciate your super-thorough analysis of both MC's personality and also your initial/developing reaction to it!

Just wanna offer some perspective on why I'm writing MC the way I am (you've already nailed a lot of the points but this is gonna be a succinct explanation from my head hehe)

MC is ultimately a fully fledged character in Memento Mori. While writing, I have about six different MC's in my head, each with distinct personalities, motives, and reactions to events. As I'm writing Ch. 2 in particular, I'm using these characters to influence the choices available and the stat checks necessary for certain actions. MC was never going to be a self insert. I love a good self insert sometimes, but it doesn't work with this if!

What makes characters feel realistic and multi-dimensional to me is their ability to break out of their different archetypes. We all know the ones like The Mean Girl or the Shy Kid or the Comic Relief. We can use your Stoic!MC example. Do we as humans act the same exact way every single day with every single event and interaction? No, we don't. Because we are complex, muli-faceted individuals that can have conflicting thought and actions, or opinions. What makes a character feel flat is when they are only given like 3 personality traits and stick to those regardless of what happens around them in the story.

So in Memento Mori, your Stoic!MC will have moments where they're outspoken and opinionated. The Charming!MC will lose their cool and lash out rather than smooth talk. The Friendly!MC will snap at someone without thinking. We aren't perfect, neither is MC, and I think that adds dimension to what can easily be a very blank slate kind of character. This isn't exclusive to MC, either! Veronica/Vincent will be nice to you sometimes for seemingly no reason. Zero will have moments where he is not okay and rejects your comfort when he reads it as pity. Cecelia/Chase will not always be the bouncy comic relief that uses humor to make everyone smile.

To add insult to MC's injury, like you mentioned in your ask, they are suffering from extreme amounts of PTSD and trauma. They have lost everyone and everything, they're a young adult living in complete isolation for two years. They're starving, they're injured, they hate themselves and being alive. It's going to take them a while to feel like themselves. In the span of one day, they've been nearly killed by a monster, then they're covered in blood guts and sweat when they meet C, then C brings them to meet 6 other people (including two aliens) and now they're going on this extensive journey with complete strangers, while that very morning they were contemplating ending it all. it's a lot.

By the time MC meets V, they are already at their limit of dealing with bullshit so V pointing a gun at them was never going to fly. V insulting them was a no-go either. Now, in the future, MC can ignore V more often because they'll be less on edge than when they were all first introduced. Once they have time to process, then they can react what is most familiar and comfortable for them. It will take time.

I laughed when you called MC a firecracker! I'd say they're more...unpredictable as a character when they're under high stress. As time goes on, they'll adjust and mellow out in some ways, but right now? MC has had ENOUGH with feeling like shit all the time.

I'm really glad you were a bit embarrassed by MC talking back to V because that was my goal AHDSEWLKMFRLK it's supposed to feel a bit uncomfortable. It's MC trying to clap back on someone when they have lost most of their social skills. It made ME cringe while writing it. Like oof MC, just ignore them???!!!

I'll definitely be adding some more options to be a bit more stoic or selectively mute in chapter 2, and as for chapter 1, I think more options to stay silent while talking to Cecelia/Chase or when they're speaking with Delphine/V could be good too. I'll see how it flows!

You'll see at the beginning of Ch.2 that MC already feels a tiny bit better. Nothing much but at least they aren't alone anymore, and they have a hot shower and some real food. So small wins for MC!

I think that's all I wanted to say for now!!! Thank you again for your message, my friend!!! I'm glad you're liking my writing and my characters, it does mean a lot to have your support!! <3