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tramngo · 5 months ago

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Filtered Identity: The Battle Between Reality and Social Media in Vietnam

Have you ever found yourself scrolling through Instagram or Facebook, feeling like everyone else’s life is picture-perfect? If so, you’re not alone. In Vietnam, the digital age has dramatically reshaped how we interact and perceive our identities, blurring the lines between reality and the digital world. Today, we’re diving into how social media influences personal identity in Vietnam, with some fascinating examples and data to back it up.

The Social Media Boom in Vietnam

Vietnam's digital landscape has experienced explosive growth over the past decade. As of January 2024, Vietnam had 70 million social media users, accounting for over 70% of the population (Kemp 2024). Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Zalo dominate the market, with young people leading the charge. For a specific platform - Facebook, Vietnam also ranked #7 worldwide, in terms of size of users with 66.2 million people (Xuan 2024). This widespread adoption of social media has transformed communication and significantly influenced how individuals perceive themselves and others.

Curated Realities: The Influence of Social Media

Social media gives users the power to meticulously curate their identities. From perfectly edited photos to selectively shared experiences, people craft an idealized version of their lives. This is especially true for Vietnamese youth, who often feel pressured to meet societal standards of beauty and success. A survey by Q&Me in 2023 revealed that 80% of Vietnamese social media users aged 16-24 admitted to editing their photos before posting them online (Asia Plus 2023). This desire to present a flawless image can create a significant gap between online personas and real-life identities, leading to feelings of inadequacy and anxiety as people strive to maintain this illusion of perfection.

Social Media Influencers: The Double-Edged Sword

Social media influencers play a significant role in shaping perceptions and aspirations. In Vietnam, influencers are celebrated for their ability to connect with audiences and promote trends. However, this phenomenon also perpetuates unrealistic standards. Influencers often showcase a unattainable lifestyle for the average person, leading to a sense of inadequacy among their followers.

Take the example of Chi Pu, a well-known Vietnamese singer and influencer with millions of followers on Instagram. While her glamorous posts inspire admiration, they also set a high bar for beauty and success. Young followers often feel pressured to emulate her lifestyle, leading to a continuous cycle of comparison and self-doubt.

Bridging the Gap: Promoting Authenticity

Despite the challenges, there is a growing movement towards promoting authenticity on social media in Vietnam. Campaigns encouraging users to share unfiltered moments and real-life experiences are gaining traction. The hashtag #RealMe, for instance, has seen a surge in popularity as users strive to present a more genuine version of themselves online (Ha 2023).

UNICEF Viet Nam (2023) is also raising awareness about the impact of social media on well-being. It found that 45% of Vietnamese youths reported feelings of depression and anxiety linked to social media use (UNICEF Viet Nam 2023). This trend underscores the psychological toll of constantly comparing oneself to the seemingly perfect lives displayed online. Initiatives aimed at educating young people about self-acceptance and the importance of digital detoxes are crucial steps in mitigating the negative effects of social media.

The battle between reality and social media identity in Vietnam is a complex and multifaceted issue. While social media offers a platform for self-expression and connection, it also presents significant challenges in maintaining an authentic identity. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, individuals must navigate this space mindfully, embracing both the benefits and potential pitfalls of their online lives.

In the digital age, authenticity isn’t just a goal; it’s a necessity for mental well-being. Striving for a genuine online identity can help bridge the gap between our real selves and the personas we project on social media.

Reference list

Asia Plus 2023, ‘Vietnam Market Research Report - Vietnam mobile app popularity 2023 | Q&Me’, qandme.net, viewed 5 July 2024, <https://qandme.net/en/report/vietnam-mobile-app-popularity-2023.html>.

Ha, L 2023, ‘Tinh thần Dám Sống Trội của realme: Tiên phong kiến tạo giá trị thực cho Gen Z | Linh Hà’, Advertising Vietnam, viewed <https://advertisingvietnam.com/tinh-than-dam-song-troi-cua-realme-tien-phong-kien-tao-gia-tri-thuc-cho-gen-z-l17276>.

Iqbal, S 2022, ‘Filtered Identity: The Battle Between Reality and Social Media’, Mindless Mag, viewed <https://www.mindlessmag.com/post/filtered-identity-the-battle-between-reality-and-social-media>.

Kemp, S 2024, ‘Digital 2024: Vietnam’, DataReportal – Global Digital Insights, viewed <https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-vietnam>.

UNICEF Viet Nam 2023, ‘Mental health and psychosocial wellbeing among children and young people in selected provinces and cities in Viet Nam’, UNICEF Viet Nam, viewed <https://www.unicef.org/vietnam/media/976/file/Study%20on%20mental%20health%20and%20psychosocial%20wellbeing%20of%20Children%20and%20Young%20people%20in%20Viet%20Nam.pdf>.

VNETWORK 2023, ‘Internet Vietnam 2023: Latest figures and development trends’, Internet Vietnam 2023: Latest figures and development trends, viewed <https://www.vnetwork.vn/en-US/news/internet-viet-nam-2023-so-lieu-moi-nhat-va-xu-huong-phat-trien/>.

Xuan, M 2024, ‘Best Fits for Social Media Marketing in Vietnam’, Linkedin, viewed <https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/best-fits-social-media-marketing-vietnam-xuan-tra-mai-7hwbc/>.

#mda20009 #week 8 #filters #social media #reality

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cloudzordo · 5 months ago

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Protect your Website from Getting wet this Monsoon

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snapshots-of-the-young-egotist · 1 year ago

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Secrets

Remember the time

That we were at that party you invited me to? I was your lucky plus one. So we were there for maybe 30 minutes already and I didn't know anyone. You loved to call people loser and for some reason when you called me a loser that night in particular, it changed my perception about you. Like in a forever kind of way.

Well anyways, as the night progressed, more people filtered in. People you didn't know and then people you did know. . None of which I really knew except for about 5. We started at the table and someone started a game of beer pong. It was fun to watch, but in that waiting for your turn at the computer kind of way. . So not that fun, but a somewhat mildly entertaining distraction to pass time. So more people filtered in. these people made their rounds and checked out the table on their way into the kitchen which was connected to the dining room where someone's kitchen table was now serving as a mini tennis court for barley soda filled red cups. These guys were loud and you knew them and when they came to the table we were at, you started talking to them. I can't remember exactly what you said, but you were really trying to reiterate the fact that I didn't know anyone there. The reason for this, was because we were with a country crowd. I was sitting down at this table and I was zoning out while you were talking. Suddenly, my attention was brought back to the party because I heard my name. I can still hear Martys deep soulful laugh, and I swear I see him in my mind literally tossing his head back for a second to actually register how funny it was that I didn'tknow basically a single soul at this party except for my friend that invited me. He laughed and said, "We met Lilli way before we ever met you! " and Jack chimed in, "that was like 4 years ago."

To which she seemed to be genuinely shocked to hear. Internally, I was beaming. I was so happy and this was a new level of friendship that I had not experienced before then. Obviously I've had friends and awkward moments, but I guess what I mean to convey here, is at the time, I'd never been in a situation like that where someone just defended my honor without ego or making it super awkward for anyone. It was just really smooth and charismatic.

This is a true story and I remember the reason why it's so significant to me, even to this day. It's not just because of how people I hadn't seen in years came to my defense from a "friend." It's more so a take away lesson about how we learn our lessons here on earth. We have to have the right people, who house the right energy to teach us what our higher selves would like for us to learn. What did Whiz Khalifa say? "There's levels to this sh*t." + he's absolutely right.

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yukheistics · 5 years ago

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liar, mark lee.

pairing mark lee x reader

word count 2.5k

genre angst, slight fluff

warning(s) implication of cheating

note i’m experimenting with writing styles, so bear with me on this one hehe! this concept is inspired by the ways we lie by stephanie ericsson. i finished this at 2am so idek (⊙‿⊙✿)

summary he knows how to lie. he knows how it works. he knows you.

There are many things Mark Lee is good at.

He knows how to rap, sing, and dance until his lungs are on fire. He knows how to plaster a smile on his face when his company offers another tiring position for him to be in. He knows how to pretend that everything is alright for him to handle. He knows how to lie.

He has a thing or two for semantics and can construct a deception for one to believe in. He maintains his composure, sticks to his story, and walks around the truth more often than he can think. He claims to dislike lying, but the person he often does it to is you. He likes to think of it as a way of protecting you as unpleasant as it really sounds.

“Have you told her yet?” Donghyuck asks him after dance practice when it was just the two of them alone. He looks concerned for him. “The sooner you tell her, the better. You know that.”

Mark simply shrugs his shoulders and leans his back on the mirror. “’Hyuck, just—I’ll handle it, okay? I just don’t know how to tell her.”

“Simple,” the younger male starts to wipe his sweat off with his shirt and sits next to him. “Tell her about the contract. It’ll ease her mind knowing that her boyfriend isn’t actually cheating on her.”

“Right.”

“She already put a lot on the line for you. The least you can do is tell her the truth.”

He recalls an essay he has read in his junior year of high school: The Ways We Lie by Stephanie Ericsson. It made him aware of the underlying cancer that grows within our mind that society accepts the fact that everyone lies. It’s a trait that has been embedded in the human mind for so long that it is almost impossible to get rid of.

There are ten ways listed, but all he remembers are four prominent ones: white lies, facades, omissions, and delusions. (He utilizes it all.)

“Baby, I’m fine.”

Mark reassures you. He never lies to you—not even a white lie, but he doesn’t want to worry you with his issues. It is his problem, anyways. He couldn’t find the right flow to the rap verse they assigned him to, no matter how many times he does it. Something is missing. He’s way off, he thinks.

“Okay, fine,” you pout through the video call and cross your arms. “But if there is something wrong, you have to tell me. Even if you know I am sleeping because of our shitty time zones, you still have to call me just to tell me. I don’t care!”

He laughs wholeheartedly and grins at you. “Of course.”

“You better, Mark Lee,” you shake your head in a taunting manner. “Or else, I will go to South Korea myself and force the answer out of you. Wait, that’s too aggressive, but you get what I’m saying, right?”

“I’m still surprised I understand you in general,” he jokes and stands up to get a glass of water. “But baby, I’m fine. You know how comeback season works, it’s like, a routine at this point.”

“I know,” you address. “Just make sure to get lots of rest and know your limits. I don’t want my baby boy getting sick while I’m in another country studying law.”

He blushes at the nickname and rubs the back of his neck. “Of course. I always know my limits.”

“Take a break.”

Mark looks up from the lyric sheet and sees Taeyong staring right at him. He clenches his jaw and pushes the headset down to his shoulders before opening the door of the recording studio. “I’m fine. I just need more time. I keep messing up a verse.”

“The producer said your voice was already good during your eighth recording. You are at your twelfth right now,” the leader pauses and pats his shoulder. “I understand where this is coming from, but you never acted this way over a recording. Is everything okay?”

He looks down at his shoes. “Yeah, you know me. I have a tendency to try and perfect it the least. It’s the least I can do to our fans.”

“Just don’t push yourself. It’s already midnight. Make sure to get some rest,” Taeyong purses his lips and playfully hits his shoulder. “Plus, what would ____ think if she knows you’re not taking care of yourself, huh?”

Mark almost crumples the contract in his hands. “She’d be pretty concerned—and mad.” He pushes the chair back and runs his fingers through his hair. “Fuck, why did I agree to this?”

At this point, he wears a facade for you. He keeps saying things again and again and hopes to God that you haven’t caught on to his act. It’s a one man play. And you’re the only one watching. He looks at his best friend, who pushes a mug of green tea towards him—as if it will solve all of his problems. It won’t.

“Why did you?” Donghyuck repeats and looks at him with concern. He has known Mark for the past ten years, but he can never understand the impulsive decisions he makes. It’s one to be dedicated to a job, but it’s another to be impulsive. “Mark, you’re gonna break her if you don’t tell her.”

Mark laughs. He glances down at the hot steam coming from the mug before looking at his best friend. “You think I don’t know that, ‘Hyuck?”

“Tell her,” the other boy urges on. “Tell her how you signed a contract that states you agreed to be in a relationship for the time being for the new group’s sake. Technically, it is the truth.”

“It’ll make her more stressed. She’s already stressed with law. I don’t need this to be a part of her concern.”

“Then, tell me,” Donghyuck finally sighs. “Tell me what you’re gonna tell her when you’re on the headlines for being in a secret relationship with a trainee?”

Mark clearly knows his faults and weaknesses. He is partaking in another version of lies: omissions. He tells you the truth by excluding one or more key components of it. You don’t need to know everything, is what his mind says when he sees you through the camera exhausted, but still excited to see him. You ask questions and he answers with the important parts being left out. He asks questions and you answer with utter honesty because he knows you too well.

(You don’t need to know.)

“Yujin,” Mark enunciates and looks at her with a tilt of his head. “Do you think this is right by any means?”

She hums. “Well,” she takes a sip from her drink. “It’s what the company wants right? It’s their word against ours—and you should know how this industry functions at this point. It’s a bunch of manipulation and shit that is geared towards perfection, which is only utilized to please the public eye.”

“Well, I know that,” he scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “I mean about this—our relationship.”

She giggles. “We’re getting paid anyways. What’s so bad about kissing in front of the camera at events to please fans?”

“Right,” he replies with a strained laugh. “I just find the idea nerve-wracking.”

She frowns at him. “Mark, are you okay?”

Here is what he learned from the entertainment industry: people don’t really want to know how you feel. The truth, they never want that. When they ask how are you, they don’t wanna know. They just ask because they feel like they have to. They don’t want you to elaborate on how you really are. It’s something that they do to make them seem like a good person. They do it for their part and not his.

No. The two letter word burns on his tongue, but just like a mechanized script, the words that leave his mouth is a lie that he has told multiple times that leave people with a nonchalant smile on their lips: “Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

He sees you for the fifth time this week, dressed in sweats as you cradle a bowl of cereal in your hands with a goofy smile on your face. “What?” you curiously ask with the spoon in your mouth. “Am I that pretty, Mark?”

“You’re always pretty,” he responds immediately with a slight smirk on his lips, which in turn causes you to blush. “I miss you.”

You smile. “I miss you more.”

He sees your tired smile once more and sighs. He wants to tell you, really, but he doesn’t want to see that smile slip from your features knowing that it is his fault. But he knows that he will be the reason you will be crying in the following week. It’s for you, he repeats in his head, it’s for you.

I need to let you go.

“Imagine if I just became an idol, hm?” you suddenly say. “I’d probably see you more and not stress about stupid bar exams for the time being.”

Don’t. Please don’t. He urges to say, but he just shakes his head and sheepishly grins at you. “Well, if you did become one, you’d probably be a singer. I still remember when you were drunk and sang to me—”

“You said you wouldn’t bring that up!” Despite the virtual connection, he can still clearly see your flushed cheeks. Again. (He really loves you.) “That was so fucking embarrassing.”

“It was adorable.”

“Right,” you close your eyes and lean your face closer to the camera. “I love you, Mark Lee.”

“I love you too,” he responds immediately. “One day,” he rubs his eyes. “One day, I’ll finish my contract and I can be with you. We can be together. That sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

To think, he has already planned out his life with you in his mind, but he knows it’s impossible. But not only does he aim to deceive you, but to deceive himself too. It’s a delusion as Ericsson would describe it to be. It’s funny how he cannot remember a preponderance of things, yet he always remembers how delusion was described: filters out information that contradicts what we want to believe. He is building a perception of a perfect world with you, where he wouldn’t have to think about his image for a second. It’s too good to be true. It’s not real.

“It does. It really does,” you say, but the tone of your voice says otherwise. “Just promise me one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Mark Lee.”

The blinding lights of the studio almost make him want to throw up. Mark watches how the staff are preparing the set and how his management are talking over the script with the interviewer. He looks at himself through the mirror one more time before facing Yujin, who is busy fixing her eyelash extensions.

“So, the interview is gonna be live,” Yujin drawls out, puckering her lips and tilting her head at him. “Mark, be honest with me,” she taps his shoulder. “Do you hate me?”

He widens his eyes and shakes his head. “No, I don’t. I swear!”

“You sure? Because every time we talk, you look glum. You tend to zone out.”

“It’s really not because of you,” he utters. “Let’s just say, I didn’t expect the company to agree to this for publicity.”

She nods in acknowledgement. “Is that all?”

Mark thinks of Yujin as a catalyst. She’ll be the one to speed up the duration of his relationship with you and destroy whatever he has built for you. Not that any of this was hers to control. He wishes he can hate her, but all she has ever done was sign her name on a contract the same as he did. If anything, Yujin is a spawn in a much bigger scheme that acts as the catalyst.

“Yeah, that’s all.”

Mark feels dizzy. His eyes are overwhelmed by the numerous flashes from cameras and the questioning voices of reporters. He pulls down his cap as if it’ll do him any justice and wraps his arm around Yujin—as told by the company. “I didn’t know the reporters were gonna be this much.”

“Well, since our management wants our relationship to blow up, it’d make sense in a way,” she exhaustedly replies when he opens the car door for her. “Just smile and pose, Markie,” she says and leans in for a kiss on his cheek when she catches a camera aimed their way.

He freezes.

“Show business is show business,” she whispers in his ear and gets in the car. “It’s a cruel world we live in, isn’t it?”

Mark calls you, but he understands why you haven’t picked up in the past week. He already can see your tear-stained cheeks and hear your stifled sobs. He wishes he can tell you the truth, but he’d rather let you go with a lie. He’s good at that. He’s good at lying. He’s lied before to you. It should be easy.

“It’s been going on for the past months,” he tells you. “I-I didn’t know how to bring it up, so I just—”

“Decided to let me see it for myself?” you cut him off, chuckling nervously. “God, Mark, this whole damn time I have thought to be with you, you’ve been off fucking a trainee?”

Mark almost grimaces. But he maintains the composure he has left for himself and nods slowly. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie until it feels right. “It just happened. One day, we were practicing and we clicked. At first, I thought it was a one-time thing to distract myself. I just needed a friend at the time,” he pauses. “One thing led to another and we slept with each other, okay? And I just lost feelings for you. I only continued our relationship because I felt obligated to.”

It’s a lie. It’s a lie. It’s a lie.

He loves you. He has always loved you, regardless of the distance between you. The only reason you had to move was because of his debut; the company did not want any news spreading about him being in a relationship, yet they were the ones pulling the strings as of right now. They explained how their new girl group was not selling well, and the infamous Mark Lee was a way to solve the problem. Mark, do this, Mark, do that. Mark, pretend. Just smile and pose. Smile. Smile beneath the lie.

He can’t keep doing this to you.

“You did so much for me, so I kept calling you as a means to return the favor.”

He sees it. He sees the tears building up in your eyes as you force on a smile and laugh again. “What am I? A charity case?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I hate you.”

He knows you too well. He knows that you’re putting a front—don’t we all? He thinks of the white lie you’re uttering, the facade you’re wearing, the omission you’re doing, and the delusion you’re forcing yourself into. He knows how to lie. He knows how it works. He knows you.

“I know.” I know that’s a lie.

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tllthesundies · 3 years ago

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So what is your perception of hl like as individuals and as a couple i know most of the fandom have agreed on one common view of them 🙄 but I was curious to know yours. Plus I am bored out of my mind and was being an embarrassing bluegreener for like 2 seconds today. On another topic I think tarnished but so grand is my favorite fic I’ve ever ever read ever, I love it so so so much ugh I think the only other fics that can even even come close is the entertainment, your Dunkirk fic. Emma’s secrets and hit man fic and ris’s before we knew fic you guys are freaking genius I’m obsessed.

i had to sit on this one.

the vast majority of the fandom has had a very strongly unspoken one-dimensional perception of hl for very nearly a decade. the lack of depth is very tiring.

i will make one thing Very clear about my perceptions: to me, harry is an Extremely stubborn person. i will not argue on that. it's a fact in my head. you can't tell me otherwise. & it crosses over into his relationships; he can be an aware person, whether it be self or the environment he surrounds himself in, BUT... to make him Act on it is a very different thing. i think to get him to do any sort of confrontation, you have to hit a nerve. he's quick to fire back when you've got your fingertips toying with his nerves. but his stubbornness... is a huge part of his personality; ... it's like it barrels into every other aspect of himself. i believe he can see when he's wrong, but he gets so focused on trying to protect others in his own, twisted way, that he can't fully acknowledge that 'til he's alone; and i think it's his fatal flaw. when he loves you (a general term), he will do anything for you, but you're not going to like the way he goes about it. can't bypass that. in his mind, he Has to be strong for the both of you. he'll come across as the one who's the protector, The Head. i think people might appreciate that about him from time to time, but over all it can mostly make someone feel like he's emotionally detached from you & your feelings & the situation. it might involve feeling neglected.

but he can be so fun! he'll make adventures feel timeless & alive & breathtaking! there's no filter connecting his brain & mouth. he's extravagant in his love language of gifts, therefore, he'll always go that extra thousand miles. the wildness he obtains can, in the moment, make those hard moments feel worth it.

very hopelessly devoted.

for louis... my dear bunny. a large load of gentleness in that man. he is what harry tries to be. he's not a cold person by any means; there's no "typical" capricorn behavior. he will hear you out, take your thoughts & feelings into consideration, fix whatever is happening, loves to hear your voice in the mix of things so there is always a give & take. i think he can be very skeptical, but he will always give the benefit of the doubt....i think that would probably be his fatal flaw: constant different situations in his head, waiting to see how things turn out, giving multiple second chances, sticking to his loyalty. when he loves you, man...that's a love you can't find anywhere else. he respects everyone who respects him and/or whom he considers family; but if you cross him or those other people, he'll eat you alive with his tongue. unforgiving in that circumstance. he can be stubborn, too, maybe unsure at times, but sometimes those traits can worsen if the wrong person brings it out of him.

he is very sociable and fun, as well, when times call for it.

THE MIX of these two...very detrimental: always back & forth, constant miscommunications, one of them always longing for something from the other (ESPPP on louis's part), INTENSE, rapid love, passion, edginess, deep attachment.

i could go on lol but that's p much how i view them as individuals! we luv a bluegreener moment <3

thank you baby!!! tarnished but so grand has a special place in my heart too & i'm glad i made it in the same category as emma & ris <33

#💌

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riversofmars · 4 years ago

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This one took a little while as I hated the first draft and had to rewrite almost everything lol. TW for mild dub con but honestly, nothing bad. Hope you enjoy it. <3

Rating: M

Word-count: 4000

Chapter 4: Conflicting Loyalties

The Doctor couldn’t be sure how much time had passed. There were no windows or anything else to measure the passing of time by but when she heard voices outside, her shirt was dry enough to put back on. She couldn’t make out what the voices were saying but it sounded like an argument. Her coat was still a bit damp but she pulled it on regardless, in case the content of her pockets came in handy. Her shoulder was feeling better, at least the bleeding her stopped, and faintly, she could feel her regenerative energy working on it. It would be healed in no time at all. She pushed her hands into her pockets and stepped up to the bars in anticipation as the door opened.

“No-one is to learn her identity, you can’t just walk her around the palace.“ Yaz was snapping at a second person, attempting to stop them from entering but they weren’t having it.

“I am well aware, Captain, we take orders from the same people.“

The Doctor frowned, she vaguely recognised that voice.

Clearly annoyed, Yaz stepped aside and the Doctor instinctively took a step back from the bars. The Monk, dressed in expensive looking scarlet robes. She had been a while since she had last seen the renegade Timelord. They weren’t exactly fond memories. The Monk stepped closer, looking the Doctor up and down, his expression unreadable.

“Please open the cell, Captain.“ He turned to Yaz who didn’t look happy at all but she had her orders. It was clear that she didn’t particularly like or trust the Monk but it appeared as if she only trusted very few people indeed. Reluctantly she opened the cell.

“You need to take precautions, you can’t…“ She started again but he was one step ahead of her. He revealed what looked like two electrodes in the palm of his hand.

“Perception filter?“ The Doctor realised what it was but she inched back regardless. She knew it wasn’t dangerous but in this universe, she couldn’t be sure.

“Very perceptive, then I’m sure you understand there is no need to resist.“ The Monk smiled, the Doctor bumped into the metal bench behind her, there was nowhere to go but she had no intention of holding still for him. “Some help, Captain?“ The Monk looked to Yaz who rolled her eyes.

“Fine, alright.“ The Doctor held her hands up before Yaz got to close to her. She knew she stood a better chance of escaping if she got out of this cell, plus, a perception filter could prove useful. She held her hand out to the Monk who raised his eyebrows at her but dropped the electrodes into her hand. The Doctor attached them to her temples, flicking on a little switch to the back. It was a lot preferable to having a bag thrown over her head again.

This time around, the Doctor had the opportunity to look around while she was being led through the corridors of the palace. They were in the Citadel, she was sure of it, the passages looked very familiar. It gave her hope that if she managed to get way from her captors, she would find a way out of here. The Monk hadn’t bother with handcuffs either and the Doctor soon realised why. The number of guards around the royal wing was staggering. If she made any attempt at escape, they would be on her in a flash. So she followed the Monk, her stomach turning at the idea of what might come next.

“You’re the first other Timelord I’ve seen around here…“ The Doctor observed but didn’t get a response. “You don’t seem to like the Captain back there either… is that cause she’s human?“ She carried on, recalling the conversation between River and her parents earlier. When Rory had referred to them not liking having them here, surely he was referring to the Timelords? They were on Gallifrey after all.

“Through here.“ The Monk didn’t answer her question, instead he led her to a big door and opened it.

“Love how eager you all are to talk…“ The Doctor huffed and froze in the doorway when she looked ahead and saw who was waiting for her. The Monk didn’t take kindly to her stopping, he gave her a shove forward and closed the door from the outside.

“You must be the Doctor.“ Clara turn to face her and her appearance could have fooled her. She was all button-up blouse and skirt, just like the Doctor remembered her, but she knew better than to trust a first appearance.

“Clara…“ The Doctor didn’t know what to do, she stood motionless as Clara walked towards her.

“Oh, so we know each other over there? That’s good, that makes things easier.“ She smiled and reached out to cup her face. The Doctor flinched back, but all she did was disengage the perception filter. “That’s remarkable…“ Clara looked at The Doctors face in wonder for a moment, almost as if she hadn’t believed what she had been told until she saw for herself. When Clara seemed to have gotten over the initial shock, she reached out for The Doctors hands. “It’s so good to meet you.“

The Doctor hesitated, unsure what to do or say in reply. Clara’s words were warm and inviting but she was clearly one of the Emperor’s trusted advisors, else she wouldn’t have been brought here, so The Doctor knew she couldn’t trust her. She pulled her hands back.

“Please, don’t worry, I have no intention of hurting you. How is your shoulder?“ Clara gave her a warm smile and reached out for her shoulder.

“Fine.“ The Doctor pulled away again.

“Well, you are a Timelord, you should heal fairly quickly.“ Clara smiled pleasantly. “Have you eaten?“

“What?“ The Doctor frowned, confused.

“Well, people always forget, getting so carried away, don’t they, in the heat of it all, the interrogations and such…“ Clara chuckled. “So have you? Eaten I mean.“

“No…“ The Doctor answered slowly, waiting for the catch.

“Splendid.“ Clara clapped her hands together and gestured for her to come and have a seat. The room wasn’t quite as grand as the Emperor’s living quarters but was decked out with similar splendour. On a coffee table, a meal was laid out. The Doctor hadn’t even realised she was hungry until she saw the food. “It’s not a trick, it’s perfectly edible.“ Noticing her hesitation, Clara grabbed a small bowl and a spoon. It contained a small soufflé and ate a spoonful of it as if to prove it wasn’t poisoned. “I love a good soufflé.“ She smiled, delighted, as the Doctor slowly walked up to her.

“Aren’t you… going to question me or something? Find out what happened?“ She asked as Clara moved over, making room for her on the sofa.

“Are you going to tell me?“ Clara asked.

“No.“ The Doctor huffed.

“Then why would I waste my time? Sit.“ The Doctor did, even if she was still reluctant. She eyed the food with the same distrust as the person next to her. She knew it wasn’t her Clara, but she didn’t seem nearly as bad as the other people she had encountered so far. She knew it might well just be a ruse but surely, not everyone could be bad in this place, right?

“Then why am I here?“ The Doctor asked.

“Is this not more pleasant than the cell you were in?“ Clara chuckled eating another spoon of soufflé.

“Sure…“ The Doctor said, looking at the spread of food in front of her. Her stomach actually growled at the sight of it, tempted. “But what are you playing at?“

“Believe it or not Doctor, I’m trying to help you.“ Clara replied and picked up a second spoon, offering it to the Doctor.

“Help me?“ The Doctor looked at her utterly bewildered.

“Yes. You stood up to the Emperor, that’s very brave and very stupid.“ Clara said turning fully towards her. “She always gets what she wants. Believe me. She will have her answers one way or another.“ Her words were firm and persuasive and the Doctor didn’t doubt the truth behind them. “So when I found out about you, I knew I had to intervene.“

“If you want to help me, get me out of here.“ The Doctor replied and took the spoon offered to her. She scooped a bit of the soufflé out of the bowl, eyeing it suspiciously as Clara had another taste, clearly enjoying it.

“You know I can’t do that, they would know it was me.“ Clara shook her head with an apologetic smile.

“Then what…“ How else could this Clara possibly help her if not by allowing her to escape? Hesitantly, she tasted the soufflé and actually groaned a little at how nice it was. Clara gave her an approving smile before carrying on.

“Full disclosure, Doctor, the Emperor asked me to interrogate you to find out how you crossed over to our universe.“ She explained matter-of-factly. “And though you might find it disconcerting, that is something I’m very very good at.“

“I’m not scared of you.“ The Doctor shot back, almost too quickly.

“And I’m not trying to intimidate you. When she told me who you were, I immediately realised what a great opportunity this is.“ Clara went on calmly.

“How so?“ The Doctor frowned in confusion, this was not going the way she had anticipated. She had expected Clara to be like everyone else she had met here, but she was rather a lot like the Clara she remembered. The Doctor scooped up another bit of soufflé.

“I’m going to tell you something I probably shouldn’t so please don’t speak of this.“ Clara carried on and handed her the bowl they were sharing. “Things aren’t going well in the Empire, the population is suffering. They need to be governed, they need to be looked after, instead of focusing on expanding, we need to rule what we already have. The Emperor, however, believes that only conquest is progress and that all problems will go away so long as we keep expanding.“

“That sounds about right…“ The Doctor contemplated her words, it certainly rang true with what she had seen so far.

“As I’m sure you’ve realised already, there is no-one to stand up to her…“ Clara poured a glass of orange juice and handed it to the Doctor who had finished the soufflé.

“And you want me to…“ The Doctor took the drink offered to her.

“I want us to work together. I have a lot of connections around the palace too, I have power but… the military, the generals… they’re just as blood thirsty as her and without their support, any attempt of bringing about change would fail.“ Clara revealed, watching her take a sip and then a gulp as she realised how nice it was.

“Any attempt at a coup you mean.“ The Doctor couldn’t help but point out.

“To put it bluntly, yes.“ Clara nodded.

“How do I figure into this?“ The Doctor asked, waiting for the catch.

“Well, this is where you would have to trust me.“ Clara gave her an apologetic smile and the Doctor knew immediately she wouldn’t like the answer. “If you tell me what you know, I can take it to the generals, secure their backing and after I have power, stop any attempt at crossing between the universes. Please believe me, I am genuinely only concerned with this one and the welfare of the people here.“

“Nice try.“ The Doctor shook her head, she couldn’t actually believe she thought she could get her to talk this way. She had no reason to believe any of this was true. In all likelihood, Clara was just trying to trick her, gain her trust, and take the information to the Emperor as requested. The Doctor was quick to raise her walls again. “Why should I believe anything you say? You’re one of her friends like you were my friend in my universe, my Clara wouldn’t betray me so why should I believe you’d go behind her back?“

“Until recently I would not have. Just like in your universe, I once cared for her - deeply - that’s why I’m here.“ Clara replied with a smile that had something bittersweet about it. “But she has lost her way. Surely, that’s pretty obvious? All the while I’ve been hoping she would see reason but there are other people who’s counsel she’ll take over mine.“ She shrugged as if there was nothing she could do about that and that she had accepted that. “And now, seeing you, well, it’s showing me a version of what she could be… and that’s very tempting.“ She reached out and brushed a strand of the Doctor’s hair behind her ear. She regarded her earring with interest. The Doctor pulled back, startled at the sudden gesture of affection.

“If she’s such a terrible person - which she is - why are you still here if you don't agree with her?“ The Doctor wanted to believe her but she couldn’t.

“I’m not proud of it but I told you what it’s like out there, I’d be stupid to leave the palace… and I guess part of me just wasn’t ready to give up on her.“ Clara admitted and took the drink out of her hand to put it aside. “But now that you’re here…“ She leaned closer and ran her fingers along the collar of the Doctor's coat.

“Clara…“ The Doctor sputtered, as Clara brought her knees up on the sofa to perch next to her, and felt the run of Clara’s fingertips over her cheek.

“Tell me about her, Doctor. Tell me about your Clara.“

“We uh… we travelled together for a time.“ The Doctor answered not sure what sort of answer she was hoping for.

“Is that all?“ Clara asked softly, almost disappointed, searching her face for more.

“She saved me many times in many different lives.“ The Doctor replied, trying not to let Clara’s gestures of affection unnerve her.

“Who’s to say I can’t do that again, now?“ Clara’s voice was soft, almost pleading. “Maybe we can save each other.“ She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the Doctor unsuspecting lips.

“What are you doing?!“ The Doctor panicked and pushed her back, holding her at arm’s length.

“Don’t you miss her, Doctor? Your Clara?“ Clara whispered. “I can see it in your eyes, when you look at me, you wish I was her. I know I’m not and I know you’re not her either but… we could make a great team, you and me. Maybe we don’t even have to involve anyone, maybe you could just replace the Emperor…“ The was a mad twinkle in her eyes at the idea.

“All I want is to get back to my universe.“ The Doctor retorted trying to sound firm, suddenly feeling very nervous. She let go of Clara’s shoulders willing her to stay back while she shifted away across the sofa, putting some extra distance between them. Clara, however, seemed to have other ideas.

“It’s not all bad over here, Doctor, I can keep you safe if you stick with me…“ She gave her a flirty smile and got to her feet. She took a few steps, coming to a confronting stop right in front of the Doctor. “We could work together. Tell me what you know and I can give you everything you want.“ She reached out and tilted The Doctors chin, making her took up to her. “We could do so much together. God knows you’re everything I wish she was…“ She whispered, biting her bottom lip and she looked the Doctor up and down with blatant appreciation.

“Clara, I think you’re reading this wrong, my Clara and I, we never…“ The Doctor didn’t know what to say, how to handle her advances.

“Oh come on, Doctor.“ She chuckled as she slowly started unbuttoning her own blouse. “You’ll be stuck here for a while, might as well enjoy it for the time being. Let me show you what you could have if you work with me… I promise I’ll be gentle.“

“Clara, I don’t…“ The Doctor tried to get up but Clara was right in front of her, pushing her back down and keeping her there. As much as she tried not to look, the Doctor’s eyes were drawn to her half-unbuttoned blouse. “How do you have that?“ The Doctor exclaimed in shock when she recognised the tattoo revealed on Clara’s chest.

“Looking after all, hm?“ Clara smirked and took the Doctor’s hand, guiding it to the black tattoo snaking its way up her chest. “They’re the markings of a Quantum Shade.“

“I know what it is, why do you have it?“ The Doctor tried to pull her hand away but Clara held it close.

“I told you I have power here.“ She smirked and the Doctor felt anxiety rising inside her. No matter what this Clara was telling her or what her intentions were, even if she did want to help and work with her, she was dangerous in a way she hadn’t anticipated.

“What is your role here? Why does she keep you around if she doesn’t take your advice? Is it for that?“ The Doctor asked trying to pull away.

“Every court needs a judge.“ Clara whispered softly. “You’re not scared of a little danger, are you, Doctor?“

“And an executioner.“ The Doctor’s eyes widened in horror at the realisation.

“We all have to find a way to make ourselves stand out in this universe.“ There was a mad twinkle in Clara’s eyes that made the Doctor shudder, she had done so well at hiding it until now which was the most disconcerting thing. “Comes in handy with other things too… interrogations… when you can sentence someone to death and you're the only one able to reverse it, works a charm.“ Clara explained, clearly amused at her reaction. “I did tell you I was very good at it.“ She winked at her. “But don’t worry, I have no intention of hurting you, quite the contrary…“ She pushed the Doctor back with surprising strength and straddled her lap.

“Clara, don’t, I…!“ The Doctor exclaimed but Clara silenced her protest with a kiss. She took the Doctor’s hands and placed them on her own hips.

“Help me, Doctor, tell me how you crossed over and we can rule this place together.“ She pushed her hands into the Doctor’s hair and pulled her head back before pressing her lips to her throat.

“Is that really how you interrogate someone?“ Amy called from the door, highly amused, making both Clara and the Doctor jump.

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind an interrogation like that.“ Rory commented with a grin and Amy smacked her husband’s shoulder.

“Shut up.“

“I’m so sorry, they just…“ The Monk rushed in after them. Clara looked around clearly annoyed.

“What are you doing here?“ Clara growled angrily. The Doctor took the opportunity of her being distracted to shove her off her lap. Clara dropped onto the sofa next to her but quickly recovered and pulled herself up.

“Just checking in, see how things are going.“ Amy grinned and sauntered closer. She looked to the Doctor who straightened herself up pulling her coat up properly that Clara had pushed down.

“The Emperor entrusted me with…“ Clara stood and stepped closer, meeting the Ponds halfway. The Doctor looked on, conflicted as to who she should be rooting for in this face off. And why was there a disagreement at all? Had Clara spoken the truth and she wasn’t in league with the Emperor as much as the Doctor had assumed, while the Ponds were clearly avid supporters? Or was there more to it that she didn’t know about?

“Yeah, but thing is, we don’t really trust you, so…“ Amy shrugged, answering the Doctor’s question.

“You mean River doesn’t.“ Clara bit back taking a threatening step towards them.

“Same thing.“ Rory shrugged strolling around the room, having a look around, making himself at home. Clara followed his movements with her eyes, her expression one of fury.

“Tell her to sort it out with her wife then, I’m following her orders after all.“ Clara snapped turning to Amy.

“What were those orders, exactly? To give the prisoner a good shag, was it?“ Amy retorted with a cruel laugh.

“It’s none of your business how I…“ Clara started but Rory interrupted:

“Maybe you can make her talk with your head between her legs.“

“Are we any closer to talking then?“ Amy looked past Clara and gave a little wave to the Doctor who didn’t know what to do, she remained seated, trying not to call attention to herself.

“River doesn’t have to trust me. And the Emperor does, so…“ Clara stepped in between Amy and the Doctor, stopping her from getting closer.

“Of course she doesn’t trust you, I wouldn’t trust you near my husband either.“ Amy snarled, giving her a demeaning look up and down.

“You have a type, don’t you.“ Rory chuckled, looking to the Doctor who blushed, despite the fact that she really wasn’t a willing participant in the whole thing.

“You have no business being here.“ Clara growled, her voice low and threatening, she had had enough. The tattoo on her chest started moving, dissolving, evaporating off her skin and turning into black smoke the threateningly curled into the air round her. The Doctor jumped when the screeching of a raven sounded deep from the adjourning room.

“Are you sure you want to do this.“ Amy smirked and pulled a knife from her belt, more than ready to strike.

“You know I do, try me.“ Clara leaned closer and Rory pulled his sword from its sheath circling round her.

“Okay, okay, I think that’s plenty of that.“ The Doctor interrupted, jumping to her feet unable to take the tension any longer. Though these weren’t her friends, she couldn’t watch another one of them die, particularly not at each other’s hands. Quickly she stepped in between Amy and Clara pushing them apart.

“What’s it to you?“ Amy shoved her back and Clara caught her by her shoulders, steading her.

“Stay out of this, Doctor.“

“It would benefit you if we killed each other, so why are you interfering?“ Rory shook his head in amusement, unable to understand what she was doing.

“I just don’t…“ The Doctor couldn’t really explain it. Of course it would be good if they went for each other, she might have an opportunity to escape if they did, but it had been an automatic reaction.

“Monk!“ Clara called looking to the door. “Can you just…“ She gestured to the Doctor.

“Right away.“ The Monk nodded, showing more urgency at her order than he had with the Doctor previously. The chain of command was fairly clear cut.

“Take her back to her cell, just while we sort this out.“ Clara returned her attention to Amy.

“Come along.“ The Monk grabbed the Doctor by the shoulders, he flicked on her perception filter and shoved her towards the door. The Doctor looked around feeling torn. She was grateful to be taken out of the situation with Clara but also worried about the situation escalating. She told herself not to worry about it, it wasn’t her problem, they weren’t her friends. The door closed and the Doctor tried to shake the feeling of dread, reminding herself she had nothing to do with this and that this universe would probably be better off if they fought amongst themselves. It was hard to get used to this backwards way of thinking. The Monk demanded her attention as he walked her down the corridor.

“When I tell you, Doctor, you’re going to hit me in the face and hard.“

“What?“ The words didn’t sink in, they just made the Doctor stop dead in her tracks and whip around confused. The Monk pushed her on, making her keep going as he looked around to check no-one else had heard him.

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douchebagbrainwaves · 4 years ago

Text

THE ANATOMY OF VC BE A STARTUP

If in the next couple years. Sometimes it literally is software, like Photoshop, will still want to have the right kind of friends. Where the work of PR firms.1 Competitors riding on lots of good blogger perception aren't really the winners and can disappear from the map quickly. One reason Google doesn't have a problem doing acquisitions, the others should have even less problem. Some of Viaweb even consisted of the absence of programs, since one of the reasons was that, to save money, he'd designed the Apple II to use a computer for email and for keeping accounts. They want to know what is a momentous one. How do you find them? Suppose it's 1998. The big media companies shouldn't worry that people will post their copyrighted material on YouTube. Once someone is good at it, but regardless it's certainly constraining.

Gone with the Wind plus Roots. This is extremely risky, and takes months even if you succeed.2 At most software companies, especially at first. Their answers were remarkably similar. I use constantly?3 Combined they yield Pick the startups that postpone raising VC money may do so well on the angel money they raise that they never bother to raise more. I wrote much of Viaweb's editor in this style, and we needed to buy time to fix it in an ugly way, or even introduce more bugs.4

Historically investors thought it was important for a founder to be an online store builder, but we may change our minds if it looks promising, turn into a company at a pre-money valuation is $1.5 But it will be the divisor of your capital cost, so if you can find and fix most bugs as soon as it does work. Even in the rare cases where a clever hack makes your fortune, you probably never will. You may not believe it, but regardless it's certainly constraining.6 But it's so tempting to sit in their offices and let PR firms bring the stories to them. Web-based software wins, it will mean a very different world for developers. I think we're just beginning to see its democratizing effects. But this is old news to Lisp programmers. If 98% of the time.7 It might help if they were a race apart.8

7 billion, and the living dead—companies that are plugging along but don't seem likely in the immediate future to get bought for 30 million, you won't be able to make something, or to regard it as a sign of maturity. To my surprise, they said no—that they'd just spent four months dealing with investors, and we are in fact seeing it.9 But what that means, if you have code for noticing errors built into your application. The number of possible connections between developers grows exponentially with the size of the group. We think of the overall cost of owning it. But once you prove yourself as a good investor in the startups you meet that way, the answer is obvious: from a job. Your housemate was hungry. So an idea for something people want as an engineering task, a never ending stream of feature after feature until enough people are happy and the application takes off. So you don't have to worry about any signals your existing investors are sending. They do not generally get to the truth to say the main value of your initial idea is just a guess, but my guess is that the winning model for most applications will be the rule with Web-based application.

It's practically a mantra at YC. You probably need about the amount you invest, this can vary a lot.10 If you lose a deal to None, all VCs lose.11 Plenty of famous founders have had some failures along the way. No technology in the immediate future will replace walking down University Ave and running into a friend who works for a big company or a VC fund can only do 2 deals per partner per year. For insiders work turns into a duty, laden with responsibilities and expectations.12 In addition to catching bugs, they were moving to a cheaper apartment.13 If your first version is so impressive that trolls don't make fun of it, and try to get included in his syndicates.14 VCs did this to them.15

Most people, most of the surprises. So the previously sharp line between angels and VCs. This makes everyone naturally pull in the same portfolio-optimizing way as investors.16 And there is a big motivator.17 These things don't get discovered that often. Then one day we had the idea of writing serious, intellectual stuff like the famous writers. You need investors. The mud flat morphs into a well. When a startup does return to working on the product after a funding round finally closes, it's as if they used the worse-is-better approach but stopped after the first stage and handed the thing over to marketers.

Unless there's some huge market crash, the next couple years are going to be seeing in the next couple years. And yet when I got back I didn't discard so much as a box of it. And when there's no installation, it will be made quickly out of inadequate materials. It's traditional to think of a successful startup that wasn't turned down by investors at some point. But that doesn't mean it's wrong to sell.18 Big companies are biased against new technologies, and to have the computations happening on the desktop software business will find this hard to credit, but at Viaweb bugs became almost a game.19 Plans are just another word for ideas on the shelf.

I wouldn't try it myself. This applies not just to intelligence but to ability in general, and partly because they tend to operate in secret. Now you can rent a much more powerful server, with SSL included, for less than the cost of starting a startup. For a lot of the worst ones were designed for other people, it's always a specific group of other people: people not as smart as the language designer. We're not hearing about Perl and Python because people are using them to write Windows apps. But if you look into the hearts of hackers, you'll see that they really love it.20 I am always looking.21 But you know perfectly well how bogus most of these are. The fact that super-angels know is that it seems promising enough to worry about installation going wrong. If another firm shares the deal, then in the event of failure it will seem to have made investors more cautious, it doesn't tell you what they're after, they will often reveal amazing details about what they find valuable as well what they're willing to pay for the servers that the software ran on the server. Why can't defenders score goals too? If coming up with ideas for startups?

Notes

But if they pay a lot of people who need the money.

A Bayesian Approach to Filtering Junk E-Mail.

Unless you're very docile compared to sheep. Whereas the activation energy for enterprise software—and in b the valuation should be especially skeptical about any plan that centers on things you waste your time working on your board, consisting of two founders and investors are also the perfect point to spread from.

Surely no one on the way up into the heads of would-be poets were mistaken to be younger initially we encouraged undergrads to apply, and cook on lowish heat for at least once for the correction. I know it didn't to undergraduates on the y, you'd see a clear upward trend.

The hardest kind of method acting. Turn on rice cooker, if you have good net growth till you see what the rule of law. But there are no discrimination laws about starting businesses. In fact, this seems empirically false.

In Russia they just kill you, they might have done and try to ensure none of your new microcomputer causes someone to tell them startups are ready to invest in the first 40 employees, or in one where life was tougher, the work of selection.

The best kind of kludge you need to, but except for money. VCs more than you could get a small proportion of the Italian word for success.

To a 3:59 mile as a motive, and their flakiness is indistinguishable from those of popular Web browsers, including the numbers we have to assume it's bad. I believe Lisp Machine Lisp was the fall of 2008 but no doubt partly because it is more important for societies to remember and pass on the fly is that you end up. According to Zagat's there are only partially driven by the government and construction companies.

One great advantage of startups have elements of both. Not least because they're determined to fight. The quality of investor behavior.

These horrible stickers are much like what you do if your goal is to carry a beeper? Acquisitions fall into in the angel is being unfair to him?

Which OS?

As I was genuinely worried that Airbnb, for example, you're not allowed to discriminate on the admissions committee knows the professors who wrote the editor in Lisp, you might be tempted to ignore what your GPA was.

Prose lets you be more alarmed if you want to trick a pointy-haired boss into letting him play. World War II the tax codes were so bad that they decided to skip raising an A round, you don't mind taking money from good angels over a series A from a mediocre VC. The dictator in the US. Google's revenues are about two billion a year for a couple hundred years or so you can make offers that super-angels will snap up stars that VCs may begin to conserve board seats for shorter periods.

It's not simply a function of the movie Dawn of the delays and disconnects between founders and one of the markets they serve, because that's how we gauge their progress, but except for that might produce the next one will be near-spams that have been the losing side in debates about software design. Japanese.

There were a first—9. Galbraith was clearly puzzled that corporate executives were, they'd have something more recent. Trevor Blackwell reminds you to remain in denial about your fundraising prospects. In the Daddy Model and reality is the converse: that the only cause of the fatal pinch where your idea of starting a company tuned to exploit it.

A few VCs have an email being spam.

The late 1960s were famous for social upheaval. Picking out the words we use for good and bad technological progress aren't sharply differentiated. Letter to Oldenburg, quoted in Westfall, Richard.

So you can fix by writing library functions.

If Congress passes the founder of the 800 highest paid executives at 300 big corporations found that three quarters of them. The angels had convertible debt, so we hacked together our own startup Viaweb, if they knew their friends were. But be careful. The original Internet forums were not web sites but Usenet newsgroups.

The only people who had been with us if the quality of production. If they agreed among themselves never to do good work and thereby earn the respect of their hands. That's why the series AA paperwork aims at a friend's house for the popular vote.

Galbraith p. And so this one is harder, the median VC loses money. European art.

Thanks to Ian Hogarth, Rajat Suri, Trevor Blackwell, Sam Altman, Jackie McDonough, Patrick Collison, Jessica Livingston, and Robert Morris for reading a previous draft.

#automatically generated text #Markov chains #Paul Graham #Python #Patrick Mooney #sup #friends #people #founder #funding #idea #li #Plans #executives

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rowanthestrange · 5 years ago

Text

Doctor Who Meta: Cyberium AI Meta Masterpost

@grassangel said: A thought for you because of your meta: the Cyberium as the fluid in the opening credits.

It definitely does have a resemblance, doesn’t it. And that fits in with the Chibs style of ‘if you think it’s odd/wrong it probably serves a bigger purpose’.

The Cyberium AI is weird as hell. It’s clearly really important, not just as a plot device, but as itself. It’s got characterisation. It’s got a mirror important enough to be in the first episode - Tzim-Sha’s Gathering Coil, the first thing this Doctor ever faces.

And it mirrors the Doctor and Timeless Child’s ‘Power’. I mean it really mirrors them. To the point where, like with the Lone Cyberman and Rassilon, I’m not sure if it’s mirroring the character ridiculously heavily, or if it just straight up is the character. Just like working out Clara was going to be the Doctor with a TARDIS - I knew the result but I didn’t know what form it would take, literally the character or not, until the end. Cus that’s Doctor Who and its shapeshifting for you.

You know how my preferred method is to just point out all the metas as I see them, so you can draw your own conclusions if they’re different to mine, but I will actually put my thoughts as to what this all means at the end.

So click below for every bit of Cyberium AI meta from not just Series 12, not even just Series 11...but all the way back to Season 25)

(Under a cut because there was so much more than I thought there was)

In episode order then:

The Woman Who Fell To Earth

(The Gathering Coil as double-layer, mirroring the Cyberium AI’s role itself; but also therefore as its Doctor character mirror, and Timeless Child ‘Power’ mirror)

-See the title of the episode. The title with at least three references now.

-It crashes into a train when we meet it. A few moments before the Doctor does.

-“What are you? Okay, you don't like questions. More the private type, I get that.”

-Its data is absorbed into the Rassilon-mirror Tzim-Sha.

-In doing so also implants into him - and I quote the Doctor - “Micro-implants which code to your DNA. On detonation, they disrupt the foundation of your genetic code, melting your DNA.” Sound familiar?

-It’s being used - against the laws of the user’s species - in order to attain leadership. (Like Rassilon/Tecteun)

-Looks like one creature but is actually a huge number in the appearance of one. (The Doctor).

-The Gathering Coil might look like an Eldritch horror, but it never actually kills anyone on purpose. When it first shows up, the woman driving the train dies from shock, (“Shock” get it? Like...) Grace dies in an attempt to stop it by electrocuting it. The most damage it itself deliberately does, is short-circuit a crane.

----

The Haunting Of Villa Diodatti:

(Heavily as Timeless Child ‘Power’ mirror(?))

-The Lone Cyberman confirms the Cyberium AI to be both a lifeform and ‘weapon of some kind’. Like the Ux.

-We meet it already inside Doctor-mirror Percy Shelley - suicidal, social activist, and a great believer in the importance of society having Hope even if not so good at it himself. He is not trying to use its powers, but as Guardian of them doesn’t want others to take and abuse them. The word ‘Guard’ is also used by Mary in regards to the child. (And we could leave this episode and say how Irish Metaphor Doctor was a ‘Garda’ but you get the point).

-It hides in a house that appears to warp and change and shield and use a perception filter - theorised to be the Cyberium AI warping the perceptions of people in the building, even though none of them are remotely Cyber in any way. Shelley says directly only some of the changing is his doing. On a practical level, it must have strong telepathic abilities - like the Doctor. On a meta level, it hides itself in a place that mirrors a TARDIS.

-The Doctor can’t find it at first because it’s “hidden away, cloaked, too big to register.” Like the Timeless Child memories.

-The Doctor seemingly genuinely didn’t know what it was a minute ago, when she was asking Ashad what it was. But now suddenly she does know: “Cyber technology. The knowledge of the whole cyber race and AI from the future, containing the knowledge and future history of all Cybermen”. Almost as if she’s remembered.

-This next bit’s important and connected so we’ll just do the whole lot and break it up afterwards:

Percy: “They scorched and split the sky. Built the army of all armies. Left behind only pain, rage, fear and death.” Mary: “How is he seeing all this?” The Doctor: “The Cyberium is burning through his mind. It'll destroy him if it stays in him much longer. An epic battle. The Cyberium at the heart of it, controlling data, strategy, decision-making. Clever! Very clever. Someone took it from the Cybermen, sent it back through time here in an attempt to change the future.” *The Lone Cyberman tries to break in* The Doctor: “In an attempt to protect you from that.”

-Like Donna with the Doctor’s memories, this is burning Percy up. -An epic Battle, like with the Ux - a great battle referenced and not explained. The Cyberium AI instead of the Ux at the heart of it, used to fight it. (If anyone’s still assuming the Timeless Child(ren) thing was simply about regeneration power, there should be more focus on the Division and the Child as weapon). -The Doctor again coming in with extra information. -Possible Future Meta: Someone attempted to change the future by taking the source of power from the Rassilon (see the mirror).

-Thirteen tells the Doctor-mirror to just let the Rassilon-mirror have the power. (Reminds me of how the Timeless Child ‘would not yield any secrets’). But the Cyberium AI has been sending Shelley (Doctor-mirror) symbols and numbers. So Possible Future Meta: It wasn’t just the regeneration power Rassilon got from the Timeless Child, it was also information. (Of course - the Doctor, especially this one meant to mirror all this, is the Builder And Destroyer, after all)

-We confirm the Cyberium AI’s own sentience, separate from its host, (and its reluctance to leave). It changes the mental map of the house specifically to avoid the Lone Cyberman.

-The Lone Cyberman believes the host must be killed in order to get the power out. Mary Shelley immediately talks to the Lone Cyberman about fatherhood, and how he doesn’t want to do this. (Rassilon/Tecteun)

-The Doctor convinces the Cyberium AI to leave by showing it Percy’s future. (The mercury-like substance exits Percy quite like the poison with Ten. Given the amount of Ten-era-mirroring, this one’s cute). (Possible Future Meta: The Doctor meeting Timeless Child self, like with Martin!Doctor).

-The Cyberium AI goes to the Doctor, who calls herself its “true Guardian”. Says it feels “Very at home”. Going with how she seemed to remember what it was without ever being told earlier...

-The Doctor, when her friends and the planet is at risk, decides to give it over the the Lone Cyberman, and the Cyberium works with her in a way it refused to with Shelley, meaning she didn’t need to die, even though she says it had already started fusing.

-Next after the Doctor-mirror/Doctor, the power enters the Rassilon-mirror.

-(Yaz restarts the Doctor-mirror’s heart. That’s not important to this meta, but it sure is important to other ones).

-We talk about ghosts just as we enter the Ghost Monument.

----

Ascension Of The Cybermen:

(Both as Doctor mirror and Timeless Child Power mirror)

-Cyberium!Ashad says “The Cyberium does know you. Both you and humanity will be destroyed, and I shall bring the Cyber race to its greatest ever glory.” - the Cyberium AI has already seen the Doctor’s death before. Or it’s lying.

-The Doctor’s blatantly obvious talking-to-herself therapy speech is to Cyberium!Ashad.

“The Cyberium has given me understanding. It has distilled my purpose. I am the perfect vessel.” - A container, a ship for the Cyberium AI.

“Everything is in me for the ascension of the Cybermen, and beyond. ... All your deaths. The death of everything is within me.” - First, mirrors the ‘life’ within the Timeless Child. Second, considering before this was previously an AI trying to avoid conflict and entering Ashad, the fact that Ashad and his death particle gets convinced to go to the Master and Gallifrey, makes me wonder how much the Cyberium AI was forced to go along because that’s its nature and it has to follow instructions, or whether it was planning and pulling the strings. Or both - TARDIS-style.

----

The Timeless Children:

(Heavily as Doctor mirror, minorly Timeless Child Power mirror)

-“Oh. Oop. Excuse me. Check my notifications. Oh, goodie! The Cybermen are here, at the Boundary. Better extend the hand of friendship. Breaker 1-2 calling all Cybes.” So the Master knew that the Cybermen would come. How? They haven’t interacted from our perspective at all.

-The Master says to Cyberium!Ashad “I want you to think of me as your new best friend.”

-Master to the Doctor: “Don't heckle, dear. I can always decide to cut you short.” -Master to Cyberium!Ashad: “Oh, shoot. I should've said, somebody needs to cut you down to size, then zapped you. I was just trigger-happy. I'll use it next time.” (Plus, a ‘next time’ - we haven’t seen the last of him).

-The Cyberium AI is revealed to have been the one to create the Death Particle. Which again makes me question who’s pulling whose strings. As the Master points out Ashad is more organic than most, and Ashad simply says that he’ll mechanise when the process is over - ignoring the point that this didn’t work before. And Ashad seems to think it will wipe out everything, ignoring the reality that its coverage is only a single planet.

-The Master is clearly talking to the Cyberium more than Ashad at points.

Ashad: “The Cyberium will process and dictate the strategy.” The Master: “The Cyberium. I've heard a lot about that over the millennia. The heart of all your power. The centre of all Cyber knowledge.” -Sounds very like the other Timeless Child(ren) mirror - the Ux.

-The Master actively flirts with it. “Oh, come on, Cyberium, show us some leg. What do you actually look like, hmm?” And after shrinking Ashad without so much as a close-up, like he’s been nothing to the plot, “Well, aren't you pretty? And fast. You made your exit very swiftly there. Worried, were you?”

-The Master hoped the Death Particle would activate and laments to the Cyberium AI that his “nice little gamble” didn’t pay off - as in it didn’t kill him. (Assuming Timeless Children plural, that may be the only thing that would work, and that he is telling this to the Cyberium AI again could fit nicely with the narrative idea that it knows what it’s doing).

-“Oh, sorry, were you close? Candidly, I think you can do better.” ... “Wow, that was quick. Wa-ha-ha! Whoa! Woohoo! At least buy me... dinner!” - (And considering we all had a giggle at the clearly intentionally funny ‘a piece of you is in me’ line that’s going to happen either in about a minute, or in the world of the episode and making adjustments for simultaneous storytelling, right now...)

-“I ransacked the Matrix of the Time Lords, distilled all the knowledge, all the experiences, all the discoveries, into these brains up here. All the Cyber knowledge, all the Time Lord knowledge. Put it together, what do you get? Absolute supremacy in the universe. Choose me.” - (The Master pointing out we’ve now got two sets of incredible knowledge. Rule of three has me wondering about the Timeless Child’s ‘Knowledge’.)

-After the power was originally in the Doctor-mirror/Doctor, it then went to the Rassilon-mirror(?) and then to the Master. If you’re a fan of Timeless Children Plural theory.

-The Master: “No, Doctor. As of now, I wish my enemies a long and healthy life, so they may witness my many triumphs, because they will be legion.” - (So, in case you’re not familiar with the Legion thing, two points: A Legion was a division in the Roman army of about 3000-6000 men. We will be coming back to Rome - oh God will we - but just slot that information away for later. Point two - For another use of Legion, we need to head to the Bible, Mark 5:1-9. ‘Who cares, Rowan?’ Well, this is the story in which there is a man living among tombs, who no-one can bind, not even with chains. He cries out and attacks himself, and on seeing Jesus in the distance rushes over and kneels before him, screaming that he’d put him under oath not to torment him. Jesus doesn’t talk to him, but to what is possessing him, ordering it to come out, and asking its name. And it, not the man replies: “I am Legion, for we are many.” (Fun fact, we eventually get rid of the demons by exorcising them into animals who then run off...a...cliff. *sighs* Ok.)

The Doctor: “You're looking peaky.” The Master: “Oh, yeah. The Cyberium lives in me now, Doctor. Yeah. Yes. See, I've been looking forward to seeing your face about that. I can feel it flowing around in me. The information, the strategy, the... the... the consciousness. It's a beautiful thing. And look at us. I have broken you and created a new race. And now? Now I shall conquer... everything. Oh.”

-“See, I've been looking forward to seeing your face about that.” - This is a quiet point that exemplifies a major one. The Master’s story is different to ours. He knows things that we do not. The Doctor in theory (though I doubt in practice) had never come across the Cyberium AI before, she hasn’t mentioned its name or anything about it to the Master. In theory (again press x) the Lone Cyberman carrying the Cyberium AI just turned up when the Master dragged the Doctor through to Gallifrey as pure happenstance, he should know nothing about that incident with the AI and Shelley (and yet he quotes him). Why has he been looking forward to seeing her face in regards to that? What does he know about it that he expects her to remember? Just like with the Timeless Child infodump, we are fools if we take all this at face value, because the Master planned for all of this. And it seems like the Cyberium AI _itself_ is planning too.

Ko Sharmus: “You didn't start this. I did. I was part of a resistance unit that sent the Cyberium back through time and space. Though obviously we didn't send it back far enough. So this is my penance. Mine to finish. My journey ends here. But the universe still needs you, so I suggest you run.” (Ko Sharmus is treated way too important. We’ve got to see him again.)

----

Done? Done.

Well no, no actually we’re not. Because there is one final episode.

But we have to go back, just a little bit, to the Seventh Doctor. Stick with me. I promise you’ll be glad you did.

Silver Nemesis:

-A story revolving around a thing called Validium.

-To quote the TARDIS Wiki: “It was living metal that could think for itself and was capable of speech as well. When destroyed, it could reform itself.”

The Doctor: “Validium was created as the ultimate defence for Gallifrey, back in early times.” Ace: “Created by Omega?” The Doctor: “Yes.” Ace: “And?” The Doctor: “Rassilon.” Ace: “And?” The Doctor: “And none of it should have left Gallifrey. But, as always with these things, some of it did.”

-Catch that hint of the Cartmel Masterplan where it’s clearly meant to lead you to ‘And? The Other One’. It’s ok, you’re not reading too far into it, I promise.

-“It should never have left Gallifrey, but some of it did. A piece of validium fell to Earth and was found by the Lady Peinforte.” Can you guess what she did with it? Why, she moulded it into a statue of herself.

-A silver lady statue.

-(You remember how we just seemed to abandon Barton? Who is somewhat not human? Was involved with creatures from another dimension? And that statue? Seemed set-up for a cyber plan? Saw nothing wrong with a bit of familial murder? Ooh hoo. Welp.)

-Nazis are involved. Ill-timed notifications. The Doctor forgetting. A cellar. (A fez). A meteorite containing the validium crashes by a barn. On November the 23rd. Happy Birthday. We blow things up. A lot of things.

-The villains of the piece? Besides the nazis and the Time(travelling) Lady? Well it could only be the Cybermen. A bit of the Validium is held by each of them

-The Cybermen take their bit of the Validium to the tomb of the Lady, with an inscription “Death Is But A Door”. The Lady is not buried there, and it doubles as a pun, with a hidden door.

-One of the lead nazis betrays his fellow to be turned into a Cyberman. “Supermen are all very well, but the giants are the master race.”

-The Seventh Doctor is mirrored with the Lady, who describes herself as evil. They even have mirrored scenes with their equivalent companions.

-The Lady: “All power, all power past, present and future, shall be mine. Why, I shall be mistress of all of that is, all that shall be, all that ever was. Yes, all! All!” - Oh, doesn’t she sound familiar now...

-Point Of Interest: Like many of the concepts Chibs has been playing with from Classic Who - the Morbius Doctors, almost certainly the Valeyard - this was apparently a fairly controversial episode among the old guard. Why? Because well...

The Validium: “I am beautiful, am I not?” Ace: “Yes. You're very beautiful.” The Validium: “It is only my present form. I have had others which would horrify you. I shall have those again. You are surprised I speak?” Ace: “I know you're living metal.” The Validium: “I am whatever I am made to be. This time Lady Peinforte called me Nemesis, so I am retribution.”

-I mean this is all cute but it doesn’t explain why it’s here and-

The Validium: “And I'm to destroy the entire Cyberfleet?” The Doctor: “Forever.” The Validium: “And then?” The Doctor: “Reform.” The Validium: “You might need me in the future, then?” The Doctor: “I hope not.” The Validium: “That is what you said before.” The Doctor: “Enough.” The Validium: “And after this, will I have my freedom?” The Doctor: “Not yet.” The Validium: “When?” The Doctor: “I told you when.” The Doctor: “Things are still imperfect.”

-Oh well that’s...Hmm.

Lady Peinforte: “You are nothing. Only the Doctor matters, and he is but a pawn in the game of my making.” ... Ace: “The Doctor's not just going to give you the bow. Tell her, Doctor. Tell her.” Lady Peinforte: “Doctor who? Have you never wondered where he came from, who he is?” Ace: “Nobody knows who the Doctor is.” Lady Peinforte: “Except me.” Ace: “How?” Lady Peinforte: “The statue told me.” Ace: “All right, so what does it matter? He's a Time Lord, I know that.” Lady Peinforte: “Well, Doctor?” The Doctor: “If I give you the bow,” Lady Peinforte: “Your power becomes mine, but your secrets remain your own.” ... Lady Peinforte: “I shall tell them of Gallifrey, tell them of the old time, the time of chaos.” ... The Doctor: “You had the right game, but the wrong pawn. Check.”

-What used to be the Cartmell Master plan is now the Timeless Child Master...plan- Is this why it’s involving the Master? For a pun? Whatever, either way the Seventh Doctor is now a treasure trove of useful ideas - I did wonder why Chibs chose Ace in particular as the companion who should get a ��Thirteen meeting them again’ book - trying to lure people in for a second look, clearly.

-So what happens in the story? In the Timeless Child, the Master ends up absorbing the Cyberium. In Silver Nemesis, the Validium absorbs our Lady Mistress Of All. How neat.

-The Doctor ‘wins’ by giving the Validium the Cyberleader’s instructions, confirming it understood them, and then the Cybermen let it fly off to their fleet. Which then blows up. Because it chose to disobey them. (As he knew it would).

-The Validium is left floating in space, until the Doctor calls on it again. I’m not saying this relates to opening titles full of goop, but I’m not saying it doesn’t either.

So. That’s a lot. While I would usually doubt the Validium would literally be the Cyberium, and that it would be for fans to join together as they wished or not... Honestly, given the use of lore in Chibs Who, I don’t actually feel certain of that anymore.

But either way, there’s your meta masterpost, you can commence your theorising now.

****

I know no-one comes to these things for my stupid conclusions, but in case you did, here’s a couple of my very disparate fever-brained thoughts, that I’m too ill to put together more...smartly, and might have to come back to if you’re ever going to actually see this post:

-The Doctor/The Other/The Timeless Child had a hand in the weaponisation of the Cyberium AI (forced/cajoled/whatever).

-The Time Lord empire, in at least one version of reality, is inextricably linked to the Cybermen empire, with the Cybermen showing similar levels of technology to Time Lords (a cyber carrier ‘more advanced’ than very far future humans have ever seen - “Coming out of vortex now”, implies it has time vortex travel. And “That’s my home planet - that's Gallifrey”. Immediately the image cuts to Cyberman, then straight back.)

-The Timeless Child was chosen as a vessel to save some form of living knowledge, rather than just being a mystical alien.

-((My nuttiest guess that is only 30% meta and 70% gut feel is it’s a TARDIS-kind, probably our own, which stayed with them because they carried her, and now she carries them. That concept, the little links we’re seeing with TARDISes and their sentience, the implied planetary genocide of all but a saved pair, cyberised humans and cyberised Time Lords - a TARDIS is a cyberised something, the question of living technology, the gloop of the vortex, the Ghost Monument, the Doctor’s agonised loss of her for her first episode that she then only finds at the end of the second on a dead planet ruined by space-fascists...))

-Are those two the same story? You could go in either direction. The stories are all about cycles and loops, so a strong case for mirroring, but at the same time we have a Lone Cyberman who can’t be converted properly and no-one knows why, which makes me think that is still Rassilon with either the ghost of a memory of an old plan, or - thanks to time travel - the old plan itself. That perhaps the Timeless Child’s Power would end up somewhat fused with the Doctor when they turned it into the weaponised Cyberium “AI”, explains why we see it in meta go from benign to weapon creator.

-The Cyberium AI created the Death Particle which would destroy all life and stop the Cyber-Time Lords from taking over. This feels like the exact thing the Doctor was trying to stop with the Time Lords in The End Of Time, and Day Of The Doctor, as their absolute last-ditch plan.

-Certainly the Battle that the Alliance are gearing up for, I would assume is the same battle that we keep seeing in mirrors, and is directly related to Gallifrey. It keeps coming up linked together, like with Ko Sharmus, and we first find out about the Alliance from the inside of a stolen Battle TARDIS.

-So perhaps that’s a point that history is hinging on, and someone - read: the Master - has chosen to interfere. Things all seemed to go wrong after he discovered the Timeless Child information - impossible Time Lords and TARDISes appearing, an Alliance, a Cyber Empire etc. Maybe originally the Doctor/Timeless Child (title, not necessarily youth) was used to control the Cyberium AI and win the battle. But the Master took them away from Rassilon so that couldn’t happen, so everything’s a catastrofuck of paradoxes.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We got a long time to think about it at least.

#doctor who #doctor who meta #the cyberium ai #the timeless child #the timeless children #rassilon #the assilon #(i’m so ill)#(so take it in...whatever form this is)#(too feverish for thinking)#(stupid partner socialising and teaching kids and giving me diseases)

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amiej21 · 4 years ago

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Upload Blog #1 Cscc (Dr.Cumberbatch)

Media in today’s world has changed drastically through out the last decade and continues to change as we grow as a society and as technology improves. Media consumption has also changed. Many people, including myself receive their daily dose of content through out different platforms such as Twitter, CNN, Facebook etc.. One thing I found interesting is how all these platforms also have subdivisions. For example, The major media cooperation Walt Disney is connected to different media outlets such as Disney plus and also owns other broadcast channels such as ABC and ESPN. That just goes show how well media can be filtered based on who prefers which type of content how they receive it. One question that came to mind was how does this affect our perception as well the perception of the younger audience that Disney is geared towards? One other question that was asked was who owns the media? I feel like the media is mostly owned by those who benefit from it. As we know, those who own major media outlets in different countries have the ability to filter out and control what society can consume. (mostly for political gain). One other thing I found very interesting was how far media consumption has come and how necessary it has become to be in our daily lives. AT&T has been around for many many years, and how they provide service to their consumers has changed tremendously with better equipment, better cellphone towers and better employee training. This change was due to how much technology was changing and also due to the fact that AT&T had grown into a much larger company. Media consumption also changes due to the fact that major companies are in competition with each other with which forces them rebrand and remarket themselves to become more appealing to their consumers. What I also found interesting was the question, "Whoever controls the media, controls culture". I agree very much with statement because I have experienced this once. My family is from A country in west Africa called The Gambia. I lived there for three and half years. While I was living their, the media and how people consumed it were very different from how people consume media here in the USA.. In the Gambia most of the media is catered to those living locally. For example, during Ramadan, when it is time to your fast and pray there would be a local announcement on the Tv and radio. Many people became dependent of this. It is very uncommon for an announcement like that to be made here in the USA. How people got to consume the media was also very different. Many times, if you wanted to get on the internet you would have to make a trip to the local internet café. When I came back to the USA, It was like I was living in a different world. There were new TV shows, kids were using different slang and it was very hard for me to reinsert myself with society back then. Media changes drastically and continues to change due to the demand of the population. Culture does play a very important role in media consumption. It changes your perspective of the world and everything around you!

#media #cscc

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themattress · 4 years ago

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My Top 11 Danganronpa Characters

I love many characters in the Danganronpa series, but these ones are truly the Ultimate.

11. Monomi

Don’t get me wrong, Usami is a sweetheart and all, but on her own (as seen in DR2′s Island Mode) she’s pretty bland. While her forced conversion into Monomi caused her no end of grief in-universe, it made her a much stronger and more memorable character outside of it. Her interactions with Monokuma and position as his good counterpart / “little sister” are just perfect, as is the voicework done by Rebecca Forstadt. She, like her “big brother”, is iconic.

10. Sakura Oogami

I may love Nekomaru and Gonta too, but neither of them hold a candle to the original “tall, muscular giant who looks scary as Hell but is actually the nicest, most loyal friend you could ever hope to have” in the franchise: Sakura Oogami. Her lower placement on this list is only because she kind of recedes into the background among the cast until the reveal at the end of Chapter 3 (which is fitting given the nature of that reveal), but once Chapter 4 centers around her she easily steals the show as a powerful, noble and tragic figure who is nonetheless such a beautiful human being that she successfully ends the Killing Game.

9. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu

A textbook case of a character you hate at the start and love by the end, Fuyuhiko’s development from a perpetually angry wannabe-thug who refused to be friends with his classmates and routinely threatened them with violence as a cover for his insecurities to a humble, honorable, brave, supportive team player was amazing to watch unfold, and Derek Stephen Prince sells it magnificently with his most touching performance since Ken Ichijoji . He may still be rough around the edges, but Baby Gangsta has always got your back.

8. Byakuya Togami

If you merged Sherlock Holmes and Seto Kaiba, and in the process filtered out all of the redeeming qualities, you get Byakuya Togami: an elitist prick of the highest order who has a dangerous intellect to back up his ego. As despicable as Byakuya is, he is also fascinating: I both hate hanging around him due to his constant insults and love it because I’m drawn to watching him work as he displays just how well the Togami family-sponsored education has served him. He’s as useful as an ally as he is formidable as an enemy, and once he learns there are some things beyond his sociopathic grasp and that it’s best to stick with those who know it, he mellows out into a reliable anti-hero. So yeah, awful person, fantastic character.

7. Chiaki Nanami

Hey, hey! Chiaki, as portrayed in DR2 anyway, is such a lovable character, at first seeming like an anti-social girl who would rather play video games and sleep than converse with people, but steadily revealing just how big a heart she really has and what a great friend she is once she connects with someone. As naive and weird as she is, she quickly picks up on things once she learns them, and is consistently one of the most perceptive people to have around in a class trial. And just when it seems like she’s becoming a tad too perfect to be realistic, we find out that she isn’t real and suffer one of the biggest emotional gut-punches in the series as she is cruelly taken away from us...except that even then, the bond she and Hajime forged is strong enough to keep her digital spirit alive within him. And Christine M. Cabanos brings it all home with her vocal performance. Chiaki, we will never forget you.

6. Nagito Komaeda

Who would have thought that a guy who at first seems like a weird, equally bland retread of Makoto from the original would end up being one of the franchise’s most famous characters? But it’s super easy to see why - when he shows his true colors it is bone-chilling, and the creepiness factor that Nagito brings with him only keeps on growing from there, as he shows how far he’s willing to go in order to create despair just so that hope can triumph over it. The story of DR2 would not nearly work as well as it does without Nagito in the role of the arch-antagonist for the other characters, all while he develops as a character too in a deliciously negative way which ends up culminating in what is probably the best class trial in the series.

5. Celestia Ludenburg

In a mystery-solving game like Danganronpa, Celestia honestly stands out as one of the most complex characters because she herself is a mystery. The game doesn’t really spell out her backstory, motivations or character arc given that as the Queen of Lies she has to keep a poker face about all that, but does allow the player to decipher it by themselves. While those unwilling to indulge their minds write her off as “crazy evil gambler lady who just wants money in order to become a vampire queen”, the people who pay attention to everything she says and does across the game (including / especially in her FTEs) can separate the truth from the lies and uncover the sad, pitiful reality of the character, a reality that haunts her all the way to her final moments. Call her Celeste or call her Taeko, that kind of depth deserves respect.

4. Gundham Tanaka

That’s right, my favorite DR2 character isn’t Monomi or Fuyuhiko or Chiaki or even Nagito - it’s GUNDHAM TANAKA! This man is a fucking legend, with Chris Tergliafera’s voice-acting perfectly capturing how endearing he is with his persistent delusions of villainous grandeur. But as funny as Gundham may be, he ends up not being a purely comic relief figure, playing a serious, emotional and noble role at the end of his run that gets me and many other players choked up. He may play at being evil, but in actuality Gundham is too good for this Earth.

3. Junko Enoshima

Do I need to explain myself here? It’s Junko fucking Enoshima! One of the most unique Big Bads in recent video game history! From the fact that the ultimate evil is a teen fashionista to the bizarre way she keeps changing her personality just to keep from getting bored to her ungodly despair fetish that has no rational basis for existing but simply does, Junko is less like a human being and more like a force of nature: gleeful, nihilistic despair incarnate. And though it’s true that she wore out her welcome past DR2, in her prime she is magnificent.

2. Kyoko Kirigiri

As far as I’m concerned, Kyoko Kirigiri is the real main character of the original Danganronpa. Makoto is just the POV character; the Watson to her Holmes. And what a character she is; truly one of the greatest female detectives in all of fiction. What I love best about Kyoko is what a unique take on the Emotionless Girl / Ice Queen trope she is. It’s made clear quite frequently that she isn’t really emotionless and that she’s just really good at masking her feelings as a necessary part of her job, and that this doesn’t stop her from being a kind and compassionate person toward others in her own straight-faced way. The narrative doesn’t condemn her for the way she is and she doesn’t have to change it either; what she has to change is her distrust toward others and reluctance to rely on friends, plus her hypocrisy regarding that and her personal goal vs. everyone else’s. It makes her such a rich, nuanced character and I love her for it (fuck the Danganronpa 3 anime though, it did her so dirty).

1. Monokuma

I think I’ll just conclude this post with a screencap:

#Dangan Ronpa #Opinion #Analysis #Comparison

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fairycosmos · 5 years ago

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i really feel like i’m just not meant to be happy. i’m not meant to have friends or meaningful relationships and i’m li ch rally abt to cry. i feel like such an embarrassment, both my personality and my body and just like. i hate that this is who i am and i’m so frustrated with everything. what’s the point to it all i’m really sorry for venting and if this bothers you

:(( im sorry love, i can't tell you how much i relate. it's hard to take words of advice seriously when you're so wrapped up in your own self hatred, but i'll say this. as easily as people lie to each other, our minds lie to us. you can be absolutely convinced of something but that doesn't make it factual, it doesn't make it true. you can't trust your own judgement of yourself, because mental illness distorts everything in order to justify the self destruction and the narrative you've fallen into believing. i really think there is no 'set path' nothing you're 'supposed to be', you're just here. you just are. happiness is within reach, as is sadness, and most experiences produce both. your future will include both. right now, you're doing what you can with what you've been given. i know you don't believe it, but that's honestly good enough. isolation can really skew your perception of everything, but it's more common than you realize. a lack of close friends isn't a reflection of what you deserve, it's usually the result of circumstance, or what you're going through. it's really hard to like others and to be comfortable around them when you can't stand yourself. that's why i don't like it anywhere. plus, experiencing such emotional turmoil, and the intensity of the despair is absolutely exhausting, it's hard to find the energy to connect. and i totally understand why you feel like giving up sometimes. it's so fucking difficult living with the weight of it every day. but you have to know that so much of this is being cause by your own self image, which is something that can absolutely be worked on. yes, even for you, even despite how absolutely permanent it seems in this moment. have you ever talked to anyone about what's going on? there will be a massive part of you that wants to discredit the idea but that's literally what keeps the cycle going. every aspect of your life is filtered through your own beliefs/memories/thought processes, so if they're causing you this much sadness then it's vital to consider professional help. mental health is just as fragile as physical health is, and sometimes it needs real treatment. your doctor should be able to refer you to a counselor, who can introduce you to some genuinely helpful coping mechanisms, and identify the root causes of where this all started. or if you're worried about money, there are numerous mental health hotlines available, as well as support groups that may be running in your community.....i know these ideas sound scary and uncomfortable, and you don't have to commit to anything rn. i just want you to know you're not alone. and that this isn't what the rest of your life is going to look like. as you get older, the more time you spend with yourself and the more you grow, the more you'll learn how to forgive your 'flaws.' it's too tiring not to. anyway, if there's anyone at all you trust even a little, its alright to think about telling them what you told me. it's terrifying in the moment, but it passes. it all does. you're a lot more resilient than you realize. if every day you're making a choice to help yourself, even just by getting some rest of saying no to self destructive urges, then you're doing better than you realize. i'll be rooting for you and i know you're going to make it through. one day at a time. let me know if you need a friend or if you want to talk more about it. sending love ❤️

#anon

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instagramautoliker2-blog · 4 years ago

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six Ways to Get Much more Likes on your Instagram Posts

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Would you prefer to extend your engagement prices on Instagram? Are you interested in to acquire a lot more likes on your Instagram posts?

The most significant currency on Instagram is Likes. Once you get a lot more likes, your Instagram put up will move better in person news feeds. Gaining extra Likes will likely assistance guarantee your foreseeable future posts get extra publicity, given that the platform's algorithm is effective to indicate people additional of what they've earlier revealed an fascination in.

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Far more Like can provide an variety of other positive aspects far too, like additional followers and visitors, as individuals will check out out your entire account when they like whatever you share. If prepared effectively, Likes can become an important component of your in general Instagram strategy.

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Below are 6 tips. one. Share photographs that function

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As you happen to be sharing an image to obtain far more Likes, consider about what drives your followers to love posts. Have a look at your previous posts and review them, see which of them received the most Likes.

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You'll find typically two types of images you should share in the principal Instagram feed - pics and made illustrations or photos.

When you are sharing the photo by alone, it is possible to just include a filter and it will be all set for publishing.

2. Use connect with to actions and hashtags in captions

For those who want likes, request for them. Consequently, for those who want far more likes on Instagram, you might look at requesting them far too.

You are able to try this by adding a simple information like �Please such as this post� from the caption. Inserting it as overlay textual content over the image can help too.

So you ought to insert no less than eleven hashtags just about every time you publish. You are able to include a lot more, but watch out not to increase more than fifteen, as your put up can end up looking spammy.

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3. Routine at finest situations

There are lots of motives for this, but a single essential factor to keep in mind with this data is always that engagement premiums are larger when competitors is very low. Much less men and women posting involving 10pm and 3am means you will discover much less posts competing from yours, which may then see them get amplified focus. Additional awareness, as mentioned, can signify better total exposure - however , you do will need to experiment with this particular and find out when you are achieving the appropriate viewers.

With a few experimentation, it is possible to locate the optimum putting up timetable to your small business. To maximise this, you must look at scheduling your article applying a superb Instagram scheduling software.

4. Reshare on other networks

In the event you use a next on other social networking sites, it could be smart to re-share your Instagram posts onto these social networks.

Cross-sharing like this will guide your followers to the Instagram account, therefore acquiring you much more likes.

Instagram permits you to instantly share posts to Tumblr, Fb and Twitter whenever you publish. It's not usually productive, given that the posts are displayed in another way on every community determined by image and character restrictions, etcetera. But it's an additional avenue truly worth investigating. 5. Like other folks posts

Neil Patel randomly liked pics of folks he didn�t observe on Instagram, and found that for each 100 likes he made he bought all-around 21.7 likes and 6.one follows back again. This tactic ongoing to operate whether or not he didn�t adhere to these men and women in reaction.

This method depends in your company objectives, however it might be really worth undergoing the popular Instagram feed plus the feeds of common hashtags, and Liking posts you discover entertaining or useful - or from profiles which happen to be associated towards your business.

This will likely help you gain the two Likes and followers, which could further broaden your access. 6. Run like and tag to earn contests

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For this kind of contest, all you might want to do is submit a picture on Instagram and request people to like the put up to take part. As this really is an uncomplicated method, loads of men and women will probable achieve this, notably in case your prize is nice. Should your engagement is struggling, this is a fairly easy method to strengthen it.

For more robust results, run a Like and tag to acquire contest, by which you inquire folks not to only like the put up, but will also tag another person they know during the reviews. A number of the tagged men and women may even Like the submit and tag another person.

These are definitely some of the most effective solutions to get a lot more Likes on the Instagram posts. It is best to consider them all out - get started with all the to start with five, as they will not take up also much time. The last a person - operating a 'Like to Win' contest, will have a minor extra time. It involves some arranging, but remains to be comparatively easy to operate.

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feebtastic · 7 years ago

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AN AUDIOVISUAL ANALYSIS OF REY & KYLO’S FORCE BOND SCENES

The Last Jedi is full of shocking or emotional moments, but for me, seeing Kylo/Ben’s bare fingers emerge from the edge of the screen in the hand touching scene has to be in the top 3 most memorable sequences. This is such an immensely affecting moment, as his hand tentatively and shakily closes the gap to reach Rey’s outstretched one. All physical acting and pure visual language. I love how poetic, intimate and sensual this scene is, which is why I want to examine it more closely.

This essay will analyze the distinctive cinematic language used in Rey and Kylo’s Force bond scenes, and how reversing/subverting some of these rules creates high emotional impacts in the hand touching scene. I’ll start with the auditory and visual codes established in the first 3 sessions (remember three makes a pattern). Then, I will analyze how the hand touching scene is constructed specifically to subvert these codes.

Outline:

The first 3 Force bond scenes

The auditory code

The visual code

The 4th Force bond scenes: Breaking the codes

Reaching out across millions of lightyears: The hand touching sequence

(This turns from a little observation to a very, very long post. The longest I’ve made on this site so far. I hope everything makes sense and the analysis is interesting. More under the cut.)

I. The first 3 Force bond scenes

Let’s start by revisiting the plot progression and character development in the first few Force connections:

(1) Rey wakes up in her hut on Ahch-to while Kylo is in his own quarter. The Force connects the two and both panics. Rey tries to shoot Kylo, who tries to manipulate Rey via mind trick (tactics they always resorted to in TFA). Neither succeeds. Luke interrupts and the session ends.

Progress 1: Force bond technicalities: no harm/manipulation can be done, the connection is exclusive to only Rey and Kylo, and the outer world is mostly blocked out during the connection (see the fish nuns in the courtyard not seen during or bear witness to the Force bond interactions).

(2) Rey is enjoying the rain while Kylo is brooding on the Supremacy.

Progress 2: Insults and shouting are not leading anywhere. Kylo, resigned, partially drops his mask, opens up about his past and how he views himself. Rey’s perception of Kylo starts to shift. Some physical objects can travel via the bond, such as water.

(3) Rey is deep in thoughts, while Kylo is shirtless.

Progress 3: Most open conversation thus far. Still contentious though Kylo finally reveals part of the reason why he turned to the dark side (through the Jedi temple incident). Rey is shaken to confront her own history.

As we see above, plot wise, within these first 3 scenes, Rian has laid out the basic mechanics of the Force bond, as highlighted above. But more importantly, it acts as a device for Rian to push Kylo and Rey together to talk, without killing each other or tying the other up. The Force bond is simply there in TLJ to progress Rey and Kylo’s relationship from enemies to allies then something more.

*@reylohues gifs

Not only that, Rian needs the audience to be a part of this transformation. He needs us to:

buy into the construct of the Force connections

become emotionally invested in the improvement in Rey & Kylo’s relationship

do a bunch of other subconscious signalling that presents this dynamic in particular ways (sexual/romantic undertones, a sense of symmetry, balance –> desirable outcome for the characters and galaxy)

To make this happen, Rian has chosen to create a very specific cinematic language associated with these Force connections. What crucial is not only what Rian does but what he chooses not to do in these scenes.

II. THE AUDITORY CODE

One of my favorite aspects of TLJ is its soundtrack (all sounds plus score), which I think is amazingly and innovatively mixed and edited in the movie. The most significant element in the soundtrack is in fact the use of silence. (We all remember the beat of silence in Holdo’s hero moment and how awe-inspiring it is.) Rey and Kylo’s Force bond scenes are not entirely silent, but marked by a noticeable sparseness in the sound mix.

Here are 3 auditory rules:

Rule 1: Background noises (rain, thunder, porgs cooing, waves crashing, etc.) are clearly “sucked out” as the connection starts and bleed in again when it ends.

The auditory cues (at least for the start of each session) are specific and repeated 3 times (reinforcing a pattern). The music or ambient sounds swell before dropping to near silence each time the Force bond starts.

Rule 2: Noises that are kept during the sessions are highly selective and thus significant.

Rey and Kylo’s voices, the focal points of these scenes, their breaths and footsteps are amplified with a slight echo. You sometimes hear the ‘echoes’ before their voices are actually heard.

Only certain objects in immediate contact with either character can be heard: the droid in the hallway, Luke’s door opening, the blaster firing off. (These are interruptions made more distinct because of the absence of other background noises.)

Rule 3: The points of audition (where their voices originate) shifts (from on screen to off screen and vice versa) as the frame shifts between Rey & Kylo’s world, denoting their relative position/distance to one another.

All of these elements contribute to an eery and uncanny feeling, creating an auditory space that is different and cut off from almost everything/ everyone else. Their connection is private and intimate, mostly separate from the galactic conflict at large and other people/creatures around them.

In the first 3 Force connections, Rey & Kylo’s voices are relayed, stretched, echoed through time and space as they are separated by the lightyears of distance between them.

III. THE VISUAL CODE

Visually, the foundation is just as firmly laid and strictly adhered to.

Rule 1: Rey is framed against her background, Kylo against his.

In the first Force bond scene, Kylo says this: “Can you see my surroundings? I can’t see yours. Just you.”

It’s implied that Kylo can only see Rey (at least at this stage), probably standing like an apparition in the middle of the Supremacy hallway. Throughout this exchange, we are not once shown this image. The camera never attempts to show us what they see, but only to imagine it. On screen, in these first few scenes, Rey and Kylo are never shown in the other’s environment, never together in a frame.

There is purposefully a significant divide between them: their individual frame. They are visually boxed within these cinematic rectangles, symbolic of their distinct frame of reference, frame of mind, circumstance and environment, no matter how close they move toward the other.

Rule 2: (an extension of rule 1) Because the film so refrains from putting them in the other’s environment, it also does not show what their interactions might look like from a more conventional way of framing a dialogue sequence. As Pablo has remarked, Rian chooses to use an extremely low-tech technique, just pure editing, eye lines and intercutting between shots and reverse shots of Kylo and Rey’s talking and reacting.

There is no rule against putting crazy glitters or magical filters on screen while showing how Rey might appear from Kylo’s POV or vice versa. Rian could also do this extremely low tech and just show him present in her space (which he did for the hand touching scene), and yet, RIAN DID NOT, because the emotional impact of the hut scene will be lessened, diluted.

Other ‘conventional’ ways of framing a dialogue sequence, which are markedly absent in the Force bond scenes :

Via the first 3 Force bond scenes, the audience becomes used to this very specific & restrictive framing, quickly associating this technique to Rey and Kylo’s Force connections.

We think that this is THE ONLY way to show that they are galaxies and light years apart. Although Kylo has revealed the mechanics of the Force connection to us (that they can see one another in the other’s space) we buy the cinematic language.

(It might be the case that as time goes on, the bond grows stronger and more of their surroundings can be revealed. But that’s not really the point. The point is Rian chooses to NEVER show their Force interactions in any other way until it matters, for the plot and for the character emotions.)

This kind of framing can be interpreted as a visual metaphor for Rey and Kylo’s physical and emotional separation.

It signifies how far apart physically and emotionally they still are from each other (despite their obvious attraction and gradual attempts to open up), and the reversal of this visual code will mark a true turning point in portraying their emotional closeness in the hut scene.

IV. THE 4TH FORCE BOND SCENE: BREAKING THE CODES

I’ve shown how a “conventional” Force bond scene starts, unfolds and ends. Now here comes the kicker. Rules are made to be broken and so Rian did to both surprise and affect the audience.

Firstly, he breaks the auditory code.

Rule 1: The start of the Force bond will be signified by sounds being shifted and ‘sucked’ out of Rey & Kylo’s respective environment.

We are never shown the start of the 4th session. On the contrary, it starts in the middle of the previous scene, auditorily, with Rey narrating her physical and emotional journey into the mirror cave.

The first time I watched the mirror scene, as Rey’s narration began, I was taken aback. Flashbacks, sure. Strange framing, ok. Stream of consciousness internal monologue addressing the audience and breaking the 4th wall? What?

But I went along until the scene ends and the monologue continues and turns into a dialogue. Kylo has been there all along. For a brief moment, we are shown only the image of Rey, all wet and miserable, a trail of tear visible on her cheek. This does not at all seem like a Force bond scene because Rule 2 has also been broken.

Rule 2: Both Kylo and Rey’s voices are amplified with echo. And ambience noises are blocked out.

As Rey admits to Kylo about her profound loneliness, we hear outside the pattering sounds of rain against the hut and the crackling of the camp fire beside her.

This does not prepare us for Kylo’s nervous voice, floating in from off-screen, suddenly: “You are not alone.” We did not see this coming because all the auditory conventions are reversed, except for Rule 3, point of audition, which is there more to catch us off guard than anything else. That line, heard in that way, unexpectedly just off screen, sends chills to my spine when I realized what it meant. That Kylo has been sitting there, listening to Rey’s confession of her greatest weakness, her fear, her attempt to confront this fear, her disappointment in finding no answer and finally her acute loneliness.

Compared to the other Force bond scenes, here, their presence and togetherness auditorily feel much more immediate, real and comforting, even before their hands ever touch each other on screen.

Their voices are no longer delayed, echoed. These tiny changes are subtle and the audience would probably not notice them consciously, but they contribute subconsciously to how we feel about what’s happening on screen. Even without the visuals, the scene is already filled with a sense of concreteness, warmth of the fire against the cold rain, softness and tenderness in both characters’ voices against the solemn subject being discussed.

Next, the visual code.

Without the usual auditory signs to help us, we could not rely much on the visuals at first either. The Force bond session begins, at least visually, when we see Rey in the hut. She does not seem to be staring at anyone in particular, just at the ground. It’s a vulnerable, contemplative moment for her and we understand. Until we hear Kylo’s voice and Rey’s eyes flick up to look at him, re-establishing their eye line. We’re immediately taken back to the established visual code: shot-reverse shot, frame to frame, speaking-reacting.

But the rule is now unsettled again as the scene cuts away to show Luke, reminiscing of the first interrupted Force connection. Unlike the first time, Luke was not in Rey’s immediate field of perception, nor was she aware of his arrival. (Luke probably sensed Rey’s communion with the Dark Side/Dark Side presence on the island after re-connecting to the Force.)

The stake is raised because we realize how close Luke was to Rey’s hut, that it would probably take barely a few minutes for him to reach it and maybe he would not see anything, but their session would be interrupted again. I don’t know about others but I was on the edge of my seat, the moment Luke showed up, uncertain of what was going to happen.

(OMG, I can’t believe you’re still here. Thanks for reading this far!! The juicy bits are here.)

V. REACHING OUT ACROSS MILLIONS OF LIGHTYEARS: THE HAND TOUCHING SEQUENCE

Now comes a stunning sequence both visually and (more subtly) auditorily.

As mentioned above, we see shots of Kylo and Rey alternating, as Rey decided to reach out her hand, and Kylo, after a moment of hesitation, removed his glove in preparation to reach out to her. We can hear the rains still pouring outside, the fire crackling.

Then we are shown, Rey’s hand and arm, her fingers stopped right in the middle of the screen, leaving a gap, a black void that begs to be filled.

It is a state of imbalance (in terms of framing) that foreshadows /requires/begs for an act of balance.

There’s just a beat of uncertainty before Kylo’s hand emerges, making its way slowly, nervously across the screen. (How satisfying! Then a thousand Reylos’ voices were heard and we were all found dead in the theaters, of intense feels.) This is where the background noises actually fade out, or at least become very muted. The score is the most dominant, flowing, guiding the on screen action, goading Kylo’s hand from one edge of the screen to the center.

Rey and Kylo are once again in their own carved out, ‘isolated’ auditory space, (and the audience is sucked in with them) while the outside world is again blocked out.

In that moment, there is no rain, no fire, just as there is no war, no dark or light, just these two intensely lonely individuals overcoming their physical and emotional separation to unite in one frame, one place.

They are FINALLY visually united, first with their hands touching, then fingers, closed up and placed diagonally, then their whole bodies in the first wide shot that they shared in the entire film thus far.

These shots alone are striking and emotionally effective because they transcend what the audience has come to know of these Force bond scenes. Additionally, when their fingers touch on screen, and the music ebbs just slightly, we hear a distant rumbling thunder (it could have been from the rain) but more likely the sound of something else clicks in place in the universe. That little sound is the equivalent of “and they feel electricity passing through their fingers as their skins touch” trope in most Reylo fanfics. (And I love it!)

The auditory cues are suggesting to the audience the idea/feeling that this union is somehow right, desirable, special.

And if you’re in doubt that this moment is extremely significant, not only for these two space idiots but also for the galaxy, John Williams puts the Force theme here when both were supposedly seeing a vision of the future. (aka “the Force swells around them when they touch” trope–also one of my faves.)

Visually, the shot below resembles a painting. Its composition feels complete, perfect because of how symmetrical and balanced it is. The color palette is also earthy, warm and natural. Many have pointed out how this scene could be read as a kind of marriage via the Force, a sacred union, and I have to agree. Despite everything else that happens in the film after this point, this image will most likely stick with the audience, even subconsciously because us humans are wired to appreciate and crave symmetry and balance.

(It’s interesting to note that this is from Luke’s POV as he barged into the hut. Plot wise, it indicates how Kylo has managed to project himself across the galaxy to materialize right in front of Rey and Luke’s eyes. He was no longer just a vision in Rey’s mind eyes. This looks like a beautiful image to the audience and yet Luke’s reactions are disapproval and anger. Luke’s presence again grounded these 2 individuals in the realities of their situation. That they’re on opposite sides of the war and their little ‘tryst’ is forbidden and wrong somehow. But this is not at all how it has been presented to the audience. We are thus pushed to question or applaud Luke’s judgment here. But I digress.)

If the above image signifies how Rey and Kylo’s emotional union brings a sense of peace, the below shot in the throne room, when they’re teaming up physically, signifies a sense of power, of strength.

In other words, the film continually suggests visually that Rey and Kylo’s union creates balance, peace, power and beauty.

It’s perfection in an image.

After the hut scene, Rey and Kylo are again framed conventionally when they meet again on the Supremacy with front view frame, over the shoulder etc. These are expected since they’re together physically so their interactions obey the same cinematic language as the rest of the film.

We only see a shift back to the strictly individual frames during the last Force connection.

I believe that if their Force bond is to be depicted again in Ep. IX, the visual and auditory language established in TLJ will be kept to maintain consistency. (It’s faster and easier to reuse rather than create some new conventions.)

The beauty of the hand touching scene lies in how it breaks all the cinematic codes created for the Force connections, similar to how Kylo and Rey’s connection breaks all expectations, and ‘moral’ conventions regarding darkness and light coming together, enemies feeling compassion for one another.

For Reylo doubters, if Rey and Kylo are to end up as enemies to the end of Ep. IX, Rian would not have gone to such lengths to encode such emotional significance to the hand touching scene. Visually and auditorily, he already signals that “look here people, this moment is not only powerful for the characters, but for this trilogy ok?” But it’s not just this scene. It’s all of the Reylo scenes in this movie.

So there. Thanks for putting up with my long winded essay about this poetic cinema. Would love to hear others’ thoughts on the subject.

P.S: I might do another analysis of the other Force connection scenes (Luke-Leia, Kylo-Leia). They all share some elements with Reylo Force bond scenes (as there seems to be a specific cinematic language for Force connections in general though it is most expanded/developed in Reylo Force connections). I keep thinking of these cinematic elements like musical leitmotifs, you have the long main theme (the Reylo Force bond) and smaller references in other Force connection scenes.

#long post #with some images and gifs to illustrate my points #if you're a film enthusiast like me this might be of interest #film analysis #filmmaking #reylo meta #sw meta #my meta #reylo #rey #kylo ren #ben solo #force bond

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