#society and environment amie

[reasonsforhope]

A reef that has been degraded—whether by coral bleaching or disease—can’t support the same diversity of species and has a much quieter, less rich soundscape.

But new research from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution shows that sound could potentially be a vital tool in the effort to restore coral reefs.

A healthy coral reef is noisy, full of the croaks, purrs, and grunts of various fishes and the crackling of snapping shrimp. Scientists believe that coral larvae use this symphony of sounds to help them determine where they should live and grow.

So, replaying healthy reef sounds can encourage new life in damaged or degraded reefs.

In a paper published last week in Royal Society Open Science, the Woods Hole researchers showed that broadcasting the soundscape of a healthy reef caused coral larvae to settle at significantly higher rates—up to seven times more often.

“What we’re showing is that you can actively induce coral settlement by playing sounds,” said Nadège Aoki, a doctoral candidate at WHOI and first author on the paper.

“You can go to a reef that is degraded in some way and add in the sounds of biological activity from a healthy reef, potentially helping this really important step in the coral life cycle.”

Corals are immobile as adults, so the larval stage is their only opportunity to select a good habitat. They swim or drift with the currents, seeking the right conditions to settle out of the water column and affix themselves to the seabed. Previous research has shown that chemical and light cues can influence that decision, but Aoki and her colleagues demonstrate that the soundscape also plays a major role in where corals settle.

The researchers ran the same experiment twice in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2022. They collected larvae from Porites astreoides, a hardy species commonly known as mustard hill coral thanks to its lumpy shape and yellow color and distributed them in cups at three reefs along the southern coast of St. John. One of those reefs, Tektite, is relatively healthy. The other two, Cocoloba and Salt Pond, are more degraded with sparse coral cover and fewer fish.

At Salt Pond, Aoki and her colleagues installed an underwater speaker system and placed cups of larvae at distances of one, five, 10, and 30 meters from the speakers. They broadcast healthy reef sounds – recorded at Tektite in 2013 – for three nights. They set up similar installations at the other two reefs but didn’t play any sounds.

When they collected the cups, the researchers found that significantly more coral larvae had settled in the cups at Salt Pond than the other two reefs. On average, coral larvae settled at rates 1.7 times (and up to 7x) higher with the enriched sound environment.

The highest settlement rates were at five meters from the speakers, but even the cups placed 30 meters away had more larvae settling to the bottom than at Cocoloba and Tektite.

“The fact that settlement is consistently decreasing with distance from the speaker, when all else is kept constant, is particularly important because it shows that these changes are due to the added sound and not other factors,” said Aran Mooney, a marine biologist at WHOI and lead author on the paper.

“This gives us a new tool in the toolbox for potentially rebuilding a reef.”

Adding the audio is a process that would be relatively simple to implement, too.

“Replicating an acoustic environment is actually quite easy compared to replicating the reef chemical and microbial cues which also play a role in where corals choose to settle,” said Amy Apprill, a microbial ecologist at WHOI and a co-author on the paper.

“It appears to be one of the most scalable tools that can be applied to rebuild reefs, so we’re really excited about that potential.”"

-via Good News Network, March 17, 2024

[buzzcutlip]

Cracks and Gaps - The Waterfall (part II) Carmen Berzatto x Fem!Reader Mature (Explicit in the following parts) 6573 words

You meet Carmen in Copenhagen through a mutual friend and bond over shared experiences. After following his rising career from afar, you reconnect in Chicago when he renovates his late brother’s restaurant. As an editor, you can’t miss an opportunity to find out more about the comeback of this chef prodigy. part I The Worst Day

A/N: The angst continues and morphs. This part is full of fashion, understanding and soft words. Thank you Amy @foreveraimingtowardsthesky and E @butchcarmy for giving me the confidence to write and to publish this :) (Also reader is reffered to as someone who blushes, in case you would like to know this ahead of deciding to read the story)

THE WATERFALL

You want so badly to forget the fight, but instead, you keep replaying it in your head over and over, until it feels like a movie you saw on TV or in a cinema. Like it wasn't really you Carmen was shouting at. You try to comfort yourself by imagining what you should have done in that moment—anything but nothing, like you actually did. But at least you stood up for yourself. That’s somehow comforting.

The way forward is to go—to leave. To remove yourself from the situation and find a new environment that has nothing to do with what happened. For the weekend, you take a long-postponed trip to Seattle. People envy you for traveling to fancy places for work, but to you, it’s just that—work. This time, though, you’re unusually eager to get on the plane to another state. Nothing in Washington is going to remind you of Carmen Berzatto, you hope. The plan is to try a luxury wellness retreat for women in tech and business at Salish Lodge by Snoqualmie Falls. You’re not in tech or business, but the place paid the magazine to review the program, so you couldn’t really say no. There’s a "pillow menu for the best night’s rest" and a "Canna-bliss CBD natural ritual" option, so you’re not complaining. To escape the busy networking event on Saturday, you sneak out and walk to the top of the falls, take a deep inhale—just as you practiced during that morning's yoga class—and shout into the void, letting the roar of the water swallow it all. 

There’s so much pent-up energy in you that you start to worry you’re scaring all the Zen businesswomen around you. During a workshop, you realize that most of them are your age, or even younger. They have careers, partners, and some even have kids. It sucks, being reminded of what society expects from you when you’re thirty.

When you get back on Tuesday, the office clerk tells you that someone was looking for you on Monday. Not thinking much of it, you sit down at your desk to start working on your piece about the trip. It’s scorching outside—concrete city in July is unforgiving—and you’re grateful for the office's functioning AC.

The next time you check the clock, it’s already noon. You stand up to stretch and grab the empty mug on your desk. It was a silly gift from your parents when you first got this job—white with a black handle and a funny picture of a green pickle with a face that says "It’s kinda a big dill." As foolish as it sounds, drinking coffee from this mug always makes you smile.

As soon as you step out of your office, Dasha, the desk clerk, waves you over. Even sitting, she’s tall, her head and upper body towering proudly over the counter. She always wears amazing glasses.

“I love your glasses,” you say, complimenting her tortoiseshell frames.

“Thanks,” Dasha smiles. “You have a visitor. I was just about to call your desk.”

The blood in your veins seems to stop. You turn your head toward the guest sofa by the elevators. There’s no doubt who the visitor is.

“He said his name was Caramel—Carmel? Sorry!” Dasha fumbles with the name, blushing and nervously fiddling with her pen. “I should’ve written it down!”

Of course, it’s Carmen.

“You’re fine,” you assure her with a quick smile. Taking a very, very deep breath, you ask sweetly, “Could you send Caramel to meeting room three?”

‘I’m so Zen,’ you tell yourself as you walk to the kitchen, giving Dasha and Carmen a few minutes. If you’re going to meet him, it’s going to be on your terms, you decide standing by the fridge. Or, hiding by the fridge?

Wearing a summery yet elegant dress, heeled clogs, and your hair up, you look nothing like you ever did at The Bear. You’re pleased to discover, just before opening the door to meeting room three, that the tight feeling in your stomach isn’t just nerves—it’s also a bit of excitement and confidence.

The frosted glass door closes behind you, and you watch as Carmen’s eyes land on you. He’s already seated in one of the uncomfortable white plastic chairs, and now he’s looking at you. His gaze drops to your legs, where the frilled hem of your dress stops just above your knees, then to the mug you’re still holding, though it’s empty.

“Hey,” he greets you, shifting as if he might stand up. You sit across from him, setting the mug on the table.

“Hi,” you reply, curious about what he’s going to say. You’re fairly sure he’s here to apologize, probably sent by Natalie and Sydney—maybe even Richie—to make things right. You had texted Natalie to say you needed to focus on your "real" job as an excuse to avoid going back to the restaurant. Now, you wish you had told her the truth.

“I brought you something,” Carmen says, awkwardly pulling out a paper bag. “Thought you might be hungry.” He hesitates, then adds, “It’s smoked mozzarella mezzelune.” When you don’t make a move to take it, he places the bag back in his lap.

Leaning back in your chair, you fight the urge to cross your arms. You probably feel as out of place as he does right now—but you’re not about to let him see that.

“We didn’t have to meet here,” he says, glancing nervously around the room. “I just wanted to bring the food.”

You blink a few times, wanting to make him even more uncomfortable. “You could’ve left it at reception,” you say calmly.

Carmen rubs a hand over his face and purses his lips. “About before—the recipe. It was all bullshit.”

You grimace. That doesn’t sound like an apology. You're starting to lose faith that Carmen is even capable of one. Disappointed and at a loss for words, you scoff, and Carmen’s eyes dart back to yours. He looks almost offended, which really pisses you off.

“Bullshit,” you repeat, your voice steady. “I’m not interested in this, Carmen,” you say, meeting his gaze without wavering. “Go to hell with your food.”

He looks down, fidgeting with the paper bag. “I’m terrible at this.”

“Terrible at what? Apologizing? Well, it’s past time you learned.”

The urge to shout at him is strong. You want him to feel as humiliated as you did. But you won’t. He spent his whole life in an environment where people yelled for different reasons—or no reason at all. That’s not your style.

Not expecting anything else from him, you push your chair back, the screeching noise cutting through the tense moment, sending a shiver down your spine.

When Carmen suddenly stands as well, his chair scraping even louder, your heart jumps. You gasp, nearly sick from the fright.

“I—I also came to tell you that I’ll do it,” he stammers. “I’ll do the interview.”

You study him for a moment. Is he serious?

“This isn’t what I want, Carmen,” you say, shaking your head and rubbing your wrist. “Why now?”

“I talked to Syd and the crew. It’s the right thing to do. Right for the restaurant.”

He’s sincere, as far as you can tell. His eyes look huge, and that tortured artist look is back. A martyr. How much does he enjoy playing that role?

“Please, don’t ruin my Zen,” you say quietly, not wanting to return to how you felt a few days ago.

“I’m not interested anymore,” you add, praying Rob won’t find out and fire you. “Dasha will see you out. Or you can take the elevator.” The condescension in your voice is clear, but you’re not sure if Carmen even notices.

—

For the next two days, you decide to work from home and mope. Calling Becky isn’t an option because she would probably go talk to Natalie and tell her everything. The feelings of anger and humiliation are mixing within you, and you don’t know which one makes you more miserable.

When you get back to work, Rob calls you over to his office. Shit, you think.

You walk in with a smile and confidence—fake it till you make it. The usual clutter of papers and magazines is still there, but Rob himself seems unusually animated, almost buzzing with excitement. He waves you in, barely able to contain a grin. “Take a seat,” he says, his tone a little too eager.

You sit down cautiously, trying to gauge what's coming. Rob leans forward, resting his elbows on his desk, and you can see he’s practically bursting to share something. “So, I got a call this morning,” he starts, and you immediately feel a sense of dread creeping in. “It was from Natalie, the manager over at The Bear.”

Your heart skips a beat, but you force yourself to stay composed. You nod, prompting him to continue. “She told me that Carmen Berzatto—yes, that Carmen—wants to do the interview and a photoshoot,” Rob says.

“A—a photoshoot?” you stammer. “Is this the same Carmen Berzatto?” God, you couldn’t imagine Carmen wanting to be a center of attention like that. He would probably die right on the spot.

Rob ignores your snarky remark—as he often does—leaning even closer, his excitement palpable. “And get this—he specifically requested that you be the one to do it.”

He pauses, waiting for your reaction, clearly expecting you to share in his enthusiasm. But all you feel is a mix of shock and apprehension. “Rob, I—” you start, but he cuts you off, too caught up in the moment.

“I mean, this is huge!” he exclaims, practically bouncing in his chair. “The Bear is blowing up, and an exclusive like this could improve all the important numbers for us. And he wants you—he’s insisting on it! Do you have any idea how big this could be for your career?”

You do, of course. An exclusive interview with Carmen could put you on the map in a major way. But all you can think about is that last encounter in the meeting room, the awkwardness, the unresolved tension, and the anger laced in bitterness you thought you had finally let go of. Rob notices your hesitation and softens his tone, though his excitement is still simmering beneath the surface. “Look, I know there’s some history here,” he says, a bit more gently. “But this is a massive opportunity. And honestly, if Carmen wants you specifically, there’s something there. He’s not the type to just pick someone randomly, right?”

You shake your head and swallow hard, your mind racing. The offer is tempting, the kind of opportunity that doesn’t come around often. But it also means facing Carmen again, reopening wounds you thought were starting to heal but ignoring the issue—the healthy way, you think bitterly. But also, you would need to contact Nat and Sydney again about your place in The Bear, which you’ve been putting on hold for a long time now, in internet terms.

Rob senses your inner turmoil and leans back, giving you some space. “I’m not going to pressure you, but I really think you should consider it. We could make this the cover story. It’s that big.”

The room is silent for a moment as Rob waits for your response, his eagerness practically vibrating off him. You’re absolutely sure that if you don’t agree to this project, Rob will ask another editor, or even hire a freelancer. As much as you want to be offended a bit longer, letting it simmer inside you, you also want to do this with The Bear staff. As Natalie must know—this is all her doing, after all, you suppose—the visibility for the restaurant is going to be huge.

You take a deep breath, trying to steady your nerves. Then, you make your decision. “I’ll do it,” you say, your voice firmer than you expected.

Rob’s face lights up instantly. “That’s what I’m talking about!” he exclaims, practically beaming. “I knew you’d come through. This is going to be incredible, I can feel it.”

His enthusiasm reassures you, and for a brief moment, you let yourself feel excited, too.

Rob starts rattling off details, already planning how to make this the magazine’s biggest feature yet. “We’ll do a full spread—interview, photoshoot, the works. We can even tie it into some of the broader trends in the culinary world. This could be huge!”

You nod, letting his words wash over you, but part of your mind is still focused on the impending meeting with Carmen. You pretty much sent him to hell. How will you handle this?

“Let’s get the ball rolling,” Rob says, snapping you back to the present. “I’ll coordinate with Natalie to set up the interview. We’ll get the photographer involved, and I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”

“Thanks, Rob,” you say, managing a small smile, not mentioning that you will get in touch with Natalie too. “I’ll make sure it’s worth the hype.”

“I have no doubt,” Rob replies confidently. “This is going to be something special.”

As you walk out of his office, the reality of what you just agreed to starts to settle in. You’re going to see Carmen again, face to face, in a setting that’s as personal as it is professional. It’s also a chance to prove to yourself that you can handle it—and maybe even come out stronger on the other side.

The nerves are still there, but so is a newfound resolve. This is your story to tell, and you’re ready to own it.

---

Naturally, you had to tone down your emotions in Rob’s office, as he didn’t know anything about your work you had done for The Bear or the situation with the chef himself. The need to show off your professional skills, both to Rob and Carmen, won. Natalie nearly pisses herself—her words, not yours!—when you confirm the news over the phone. She shares with you that it actually was Carmen’s idea to do the interview, supported by Sydney and Richie and Tina and everyone. The shoot not so much, but he’s gonna do it too, she says, and you can hear the mischievous smile in her voice.

The photoshoot is set to happen in a studio your magazine usually uses for smaller productions, as it’s only Carmen you need to get. Rob informed you that he had sent a photographer to The Bear earlier, so the photos from the place, as well as photos of the team, are already done. You know this from Natalie and Sydney already, who thanked you probably more than a million times for “arranging this,” but in front of Rob, you play guileless.

It’s awfully quiet in the room when you enter, the swinging door swooshing quietly behind you. No wonder. The shoot had to be planned on Sunday—the only day Carmen’s not at work, which has been met with not very enthusiastic responses. There’s no music playing, which is very unusual.

The studio has high ceilings and large windows that let in natural light. It obviously used to be a factory, now rebuilt into a fancy, modern building with that historic edge. You’ve been here a couple of times before.

You spot the photographer, Elena, adjusting her equipment with the precision of someone who knows exactly what she’s doing. She smiles at you and you give each other a quick hug. With a shoot this small, there’s no one doing production, as you’re using the magazine’s regular talents. As much as you want to stall, you know that Carmen must be sitting on the make-up chair, very probably freaking out. It’s a bit unpleasant, but the fact that he’s more uncomfortable than you here makes you feel better, helps you calm your nerves down. The situation is similar to the one in the office a few weeks back, and you realize it’s more your confidence than maliciousness.

Your steps echo as you walk around the corner to the make-up and hair spot by one of the big windows. Carmen’s just getting up from the high chair, his posture screaming uneasiness.

“Hi Margot,” you say to the make-up artist with a piercing in her eyebrow. She’s younger than you, so you get why she thinks that the 00’s are so cool, since that’s probably when she was born.

Then the spotlight is on Carmen and you, and it takes you both to the moment when you approached him outside of The Bear months ago.

Carmen stares at you without blinking, probably relieved to see a familiar face, and also terrified, because it’s you. It’s crystal clear he doesn’t know what is appropriate for him to do in this setting.

Deciding quickly, you move towards him, giving him a similar hug as to Elena—quick, light, and impersonal. When you feel his palm press against your lower back fleetingly, the touch immediately makes you shiver, unfortunately not completely in a bad way, but you don’t have the time to ponder.

“I’ve just fixed his hair a bit and covered some bits here and there,” Margot explains, already cleaning her brushes. You notice immediately that Carmen’s curls are more defined and softer looking. He also appears less tired, but that’s surely due to Margo’s concealer magic.

“Thank you, Margo, that’s perfect,” you say as Carmen stands unmoving.

“Carmen just needs to moisturize more,” she adds cheekily, giving Carmen a wink over her shoulder.

You suppress a laugh. You’re absolutely sure Carmen has no idea what moisturizing or face cream means. He’s as lost here as you had been in the Bear's kitchen.

“Uhm—” Carmen makes an unsure noise, his hand reaching up to his hair, but Margo interrupts him:

“No touching!” she says hurriedly. “Not until the end of the shoot.”

You laugh for real now.

“How is it looking, guys?” Elena calls from the other side of the studio, checking on you.

“We’re fine. Carmen’s about to get changed, so you can get ready, El.”

You turn back to Carmen, who’s checking the studio with a mix of hesitance and curiosity. He’s dressed in light blue denim—unusual—and a gray jumper you’ve seen on him before.

“I’ll help,” you assure him. As the stylist is absent, you promised Rob that you would give a hand on the shoot. Besides, some selected garments are meant to be ready, plus you know they had asked Carmen to bring some of his stuff. “Follow me.”

Disappearing behind a screen that creates a changing space with clothes and steamers, you come properly face to face.

“Hey,” you say, unable to think of anything better. Your voice remains steady despite the slight flutter in your chest.

“Hey,” he replies, offering a small, almost uncertain smile. He glances around, taking in the unfamiliar setting. “This is… different.”

“Yeah,” you agree, gesturing to the setup around you. “But it’s all about making you look good.”

Carmen chuckles softly, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little. “No pressure, right?”

You smile, unable to play the Ice Queen anymore, and for a moment, the awkwardness between you dissipates. “Let’s get started.”

Carmen glances at you, seemingly reassured by your calm demeanor, even if he’s out of his element. You walk over to the clothes neatly hung on a rack. Immediately, you spot the cool embroidered Bode jackets, simple Carhartt pieces, more tailored Ami Paris clothes. There’s Maharishi and PAM too, probably included by the stylist based on your comment that Carmen likes the workwear style, though they are a bit too colorful.

You tell Carmen a little about every brand, trying to get him out of his head and focus on something else. To give him a taste of the world of magazines, media, and fashion. Similar to what he had done for you in the restaurant—when he was in a mood to talk about his dishes, ideas about combining ingredients, and crafting new flavors.

“What about this?” you suggest, handing him a soft, tan brown Carhartt WIP suede jacket. You know that Carmy knows Carhartt because you’ve seen him in their clothes, and you also know that he’s a big denim head. This garment will also help him not to feel as exposed in front of the camera at the start.

Carmen takes the jacket, his brow furrowing slightly as if he’s analyzing every stitch. He slips it on, and you can’t help but note how well it fits him. Natalie nailed the sizes of his clothes perfectly.

You go wait for him at the spot that Elena has set up, Margo already waiting there too, in case any adjustments to the hair are needed during the shoot. When Carmen finally walks over, Elena gives him a reassuring nod as he takes his place in front of the camera, hands in the jacket’s pockets. You watch from the sidelines, a little amused but mostly impressed at how the whole scene has come together. The large windows bathe the room in soft, natural light, casting shadows that play off the industrial vibe of the studio.

Carmen is nervous—anyone can see that—but he stands tall, doing his best to follow Elena’s quiet directions. You watch the laptop screen from the corner of your eye, where all photos appear after Elena presses the shutter, frame after frame. Carmen’s unease is apparent, and for a second you wonder if this really was such a good idea after all.

After another five painful minutes, it’s clear that it’s not getting better. You share a quick look with Elena and say, “Could you put some music on, girls?” Then, turning to Carmen, you add, “I think we can change the outfit now,” you say easily.

You go back to the styling corner, Carmen following you. When you’re both hidden again, you glance at Carmen whose whole body is stiff, discomfort oozing off him.

“This is really not so bad,” you start, but Carmen shakes his head, running a hand through his hair, messing it up in a way that would drive Margo mad if she saw it.

“I’m a chef, not… this,” he says, gesturing to the setting. “I’m not supposed to be in front of cameras, doing interviews, pretending like—like I fucking know what I’m doing. This is all bullshit.”

You take a deep breath, trying to figure out how to reach him. You’ve seen him under pressure before, but this is different. This isn’t about the restaurant; this is about him feeling out of place, exposed.

“Carmen, you’re right. You’re a chef, and a damn good one,” you say, keeping your tone calm and reassuring. It’s strange to be this way for a person who you’ve only ever seen confident and sure, except for what happened in the office two weeks ago.

“But this is part of it, too,” you carry on, trying to catch Carmen’s eye. “People want to know the person behind the food. They want to see the passion, the creativity. Even the struggle. That’s what makes the Bear special—it’s you.”

He looks at you, eyes filled with doubt. “But what if… what if they see through it? What if they realize I’m just faking it?”

You step closer, close enough to reach out, but you don’t. Instead, you offer him a small, genuine smile. “Then they’ll see that you’re human, just like the rest of us. And that’s okay. You don’t have to be perfect, Carmen.”

He closes his eyes, exhaling slowly, trying to steady himself. “I don’t know if I can be that guy.”

“You don’t have to be anyone but yourself,” you reply gently. “And if you’re not feeling it, we can stop. We don’t have to do this. We could just use the pictures from the Bear.”

Carmen opens his eyes and looks at you, something shifting in his expression. It’s still a mix of fear and doubt, but there’s also a flicker of determination. “You really think I can do this?”

“Absolutely,” you confirm with deadly certainty.

The next moment, “1972” by The Smashing Pumpkins starts playing from the speakers in the studio.

Carmen surprises you by taking the initiative and choosing the clothes by himself. You turn when he starts shedding the jacket. Instead, you hang it back on the rack, needing something to do. When the rustling stops, you face the chef again. He’s wearing a pair of vintage Levi’s and a striped sailor crew neck. He looks good in the dark colors.

“Yeah?” he checks, trying to gauge your reaction.

“Yeah,” you nod, hoping it’s not obvious how much you like what you’re seeing. “Yeah.”

Gathering your courage, you reach to roll the sleeves up, exposing Carmen’s forearms, then move up to straighten the seams on his shoulders. You catch his gaze and this time, there’s a flicker of something—perhaps gratitude, or just recognition that you’re both navigating unfamiliar territory. Not just here, on the set, but also between you. You’re discovering another layer of your relationship, perhaps sensing that at this moment, you have the upper hand.

Carmen's expression softens from that tight apprehension to something more open, more trusting. “Thanks,” he says quietly, then looks down at himself, as if trying to imagine how he’ll appear in front of the camera now.

You step back slightly, giving him space, but also giving yourself a moment to collect your thoughts. The tension between you feels different than before, less about awkwardness and more like a mutual acknowledgment that neither of you has the playbook for this. And yet, you’re figuring it out together.

“Here,” you point Carmen to a big mirror in the corner, and he checks the reflection.

“I think I like it,” he says after a moment, and you give him a thumbs up, the silly gesture completely honest.

Back on set, with the music playing, the atmosphere lightens. Carmen doesn’t smile, but there’s a shift in the way he carries himself. He seems more settled in his skin, the dark colors enhancing his quiet confidence. Elena notices the difference immediately; she barely needs to give direction this time. He’s still far from relaxed, but there’s an authenticity in the way he stands, his gaze steady.

The photos start to reflect that subtle transformation, and you feel a tremendous sense of relief as you watch them pop up on the screen. Watching him, you feel an odd sense of pride. This isn’t just about Carmen being in front of the camera; it’s about him facing something that makes him uncomfortable and pushing through it, allowing himself to be vulnerable in this position. If you’re completely honest, you’re surprised that he’s willing to go through with this.

Elena seems pleased, giving Carmen a reassuring nod after every few clicks of the camera. When she finally steps back and lowers her lens, you see Carmen visibly exhale, tension easing from his frame.

“That was good,” Elena praises, glancing at the screen. “We’ve got some solid shots here.”

Carmen looks over, seemingly a little surprised, like he wasn’t quite sure it had gone as well as she said. “See?” you say, nudging him gently. “You nailed it.”

Carmen gives you a small, genuine smile this time. “Maybe,” he says, scratching the back of his head, messing up his styled hair.

After the third outfit change, Rob shows up, as planned, alongside the magazine’s publisher. As this had been arranged before the shoot, you hope it doesn’t throw Carmen off balance too much.

Luckily, Carmen slips into his professional chef mode as Rob greets him, calling him “Chef,” and thanking him sincerely for the opportunity. Rob shoots you a happy grin over Carmen’s shoulder. 

The final outfit is dark gray tailored wool pants and a simple white tee, similar to what you know as Carmen’s daily uniform—probably why he chose it. You suggest adding a nice leather belt with a silver clasp to complete the look. Elena positions Carmen on a high stool this time, changing angles and perspectives.

For the first time today, Carmen looks truly at ease, despite the additional onlookers. You know Rob is looking for the perfect shot for next month’s cover.

Elena captures a few more shots before lowering her camera. “That’s it! We’re done,” she announces, a smile of satisfaction on her face. “Carmen, you did amazing.”

Carmen slides off the stool, his shoulders visibly relaxing as the weight of the shoot lifts. He looks over at you, a small, almost sheepish grin playing at his lips. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

You laugh softly, walking over to him. “Told you. You nailed it.”

Rob joins you and Carmen. “Chef, you were great today,” he says, clapping Carmen on the shoulder. “Can’t wait to see the final shots.”

Carmen nods, clearly more comfortable now that the shoot is over. “Thanks, Rob. I appreciate it.”

Rob turns to you with a grin. “You too. Thanks for making this happen.”

You nod, feeling a bit of pride at how smoothly things turned out. You’re careful not to jinx it—after all, the interview is still looming in the second half of the day, after you’ve had something to eat.

For the interview, you and Carmen sit down in a corner of the studio that’s been set up to look more intimate—two chairs facing each other with a small table in between. Your notebook rests on your lap. Elena is supposed to take a few shots of the formal interview, and now it’s your turn to be nervous. Very nervous.

You did an extensive amount of research and preparation for the article, keeping in mind your personal history with Carmen. He’s not just another personality you’re interviewing. He’s a guy you once knew. A chef at whose restaurant you had worked, or volunteered. These facts leave you feeling like you’re balancing on a thin rope, and you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to approach the interview. In the end, you decide to let Carmen set the tone. He could keep it personal or strictly professional.

“How did you enjoy the shoot?” you ask with a mischievous smile, starting off lightly. You don’t need to check your notes for that.

Carmen smiles, rubbing his lips with his fingers. “It was a new, interesting experience. I’m afraid I wasn’t very good, but I hope you’ll be able to find a couple of decent images.”

“And one excellent for the cover,” you add, careful not to interrupt him.

Out of habit and nervousness, you adjust the recorder on the table between you, making sure it’s on. Then you glance at your notes.

“When we met in Copenhagen ten years ago, you were staging at Noma. How do you look back on those times—when you were at the beginning of your journey but already experiencing the kitchens of the world’s best restaurants?”

It takes a moment before Carmen responds. “I was very young and very lucky. I took every opportunity that came my way, worked hard—harder than most—to learn and grow, and hopefully to stand out.” Carmen’s words are measured, careful. “Noma was my first experience outside the US, and it was intimidating. But also—it’s an incredibly peaceful and inspiring place. I loved every moment there. It also helped that I knew someone familiar in Copenhagen. That definitely made me feel less alone.”

You catch yourself staring, a warm feeling spreading through your chest—liquid heat filling every corner. You imagine this is what drinking Felix Felicis must feel like. You smile, and Carmen returns it with a quick smile of his own.

Clearing your throat, you prepare for the real questions, the ones that have to live up to everyone’s expectations—Rob’s, Carmen’s, and mostly your own. As the interview progresses, you feel a shift in the atmosphere. The initial tension has faded, replaced by a sense of collaboration. You’re both here for the same reason: to tell a story that matters.

You ask Carmen about his journey in the culinary world, the chefs he’s worked with, and the chefs he looks up to. You discuss diligence, innovation, and respect. You briefly touch on the topic of Michael and Carmen’s family, letting him decide how much he wants to share.

“You can be more or less fortunate with the starting position you get in life. That’s out of your hands. But the rest is in your hands. There’s no point in thinking about how others might have it easier—it will only paralyze you, trust me. You have to focus on what you can do, what you can change. Take the little you have and turn it into everything you have. Be proud of it. Stand up for yourself. Value yourself, but also others.”

His words are thoughtful, and you can tell he’s reflecting deeply.

There’s a pause, and you realize he’s waiting for your next question. You nod, acknowledging the weight of his words. Carmen answered everything with a mix of humility and passion, offering you—and the audience—glimpses of the person behind the chef: the struggles, the doubts, the relentless drive to succeed.

You glance at your notes, then back at him.

“That’s it. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to share a glimpse of your life and The Bear’s story with Taste readers,” you say, finishing with a cheeky smirk, hoping Carmen knows you’re sincere.

Carmen chuckles at your tone. “Thank you for having me,” he replies, smiling with that familiar mix of modesty and quiet strength. “It was a pleasure to talk. Hopefully, your readers won’t be too bored.”

You laugh lightly, shaking your head. “I doubt that. If anything, they’ll be more intrigued than ever. You’ve got a story people want to hear—and not just about the food.”

He raises an eyebrow, studying you. "Well, that’s good to hear."

You stand up and reach out to shake his hand, a gesture of thanks and closure. He takes it, his grip firm but gentle. Then Rob approaches with more handshakes and thanks, joined by Mrs. Sullivan—the publisher. You quietly slip away, not wanting to disturb their networking, and head over to thank Elena and Margot, who have already packed up their gear while you were interviewing Carmen.

“You guys are cute together,” Margot teases, winking at you. “I didn’t know you actually knew him knew him.”

You absolutely do blush, and Elena adds, “Totally,” giving you a sly grin. “He IS cute.”

“You should see him in the kitchen,” you grumble, shoving your notebook into your tote bag to hide your flushed face.

Suddenly, Carmen appears next to you, having parted ways with Rob and Mrs. Sullivan, who likely have better things to do on a Sunday. “You did good,” he says quietly, almost as an afterthought, as if offering reassurance you didn’t know you needed.

Your chest warms again with that liquid heat, a mix of pride and gratitude blooming. You offer him one last, genuine smile.

“Thanks, Carmen,” you reply softly.

“Actually,” he begins, looking nervous again, hands on his hips, “I—I wanted to talk to you. If you have time now?”

He glances back at Rob, but the man is nowhere to be seen, already gone. Carmen nods, seeming relieved.

“Lead the way.”

—

The weather’s been sweltering lately, the sun heating up the city’s concrete walls, asphalt roads, and stone pavements until it feels like being in a big kiln. Luckily, the coffee shop has air conditioning, which both Carmen and you welcome. They are offering unusual caffeine drinks—most of them including something fruity and milky. Carmen orders a Coke with ice without checking the menu, and you go for an iced blueberry matcha latte.  

“Thank you for—” Carmen says when he’s seated properly, across from you once again.  

“Really, that’s enough of the thanks,” you wave him off, but Carmen talks over you, “For respecting that I wanna keep some things private. During the interview.”  

“Ah,” you nod slowly. “You know, normally I would send all the questions for authorization first,” you tell him truthfully, stirring your drink with the thin paper straw, mixing the green matcha with the milk froth and the purple syrup. “I wanted to be a bit nasty.”  

It’s Carmen’s turn to slowly nod, once. “I see,” he says. “I’m not surprised, honestly.”  

You fiddle with the collar of your cotton blouse nervously.  

“I appreciate that you had my back today,” Carmen continues. “It means a lot to me, you know?”

Not used to hearing kind words from Carmen, you find it hard to look at him directly, so you keep staring into your drink instead. “I think I do.”

As if sensing your hesitation, Carmen gives you a second before he asks:

“So, you have a thing for clothes, huh? Fashion, I mean.”

“As you do,” you shoot back playfully but honestly.

“I guess I enjoy the aesthetic aspect of it… I really liked some of the clothes today. It was nice to try something new. I’m not very good at new things,” he muses. “I liked the dress you wore in your office the other day. You looked—different,” Carmen adds uncertainly, playing with the napkin under the sweaty glass.

“I don’t wear dresses very often,” you stammer out, trying to hide the flush creeping up your neck. “And in the restaurant, I wanted to be in something that can get dirty. So… not too fancy clothes.”

Carmen notices how caught off guard you are right now.

“I wanted to bring up the topic of what happened at your work,” he explains slowly, hesitantly. “And what happened at The Bear before that… A lot of the aggression comes from my own frustration. And I shouldn’t take it out on other people. Like I said, there’s no excuse for it.”

You squirm in your seat, nervous to talk about the topic out loud for the first time. “It’s hard, Carm. First, you pretend you don’t know me. Then you barely talk to me. Then I feel like we’re actually starting to get along well, but you accuse me of this huge nonsense. All the while, I’m only trying to help you.”

“I know.”

“Then why?”

“Because I don’t know how to respond to kindness.”

Your eyes fill up with tears, and you have to blink a couple of times to chase them away. You take a deep breath, your chest expanding with it. Carmen’s sitting still on the stool, looking like a schoolboy who had misbehaved during recess.

“Be kind to kind,” you say simply, spreading your hands, your eyebrows raising.

Carmen chuckles, sounding very self-deprecating, scratching his nose. “I’m working on it.”

He might think you’ll let it slide. You won’t. “Promise,” you press, urgent. “Promise me.”

His eyes meet yours, and he says it. “I promise.” Then once more, in a stronger voice: “I promise. And I’m sorry.” And your heart breaks for him because you know he’s never known much kindness.

“Deal.” To keep your hands occupied, you take out your chewing gum, wrapping it in an empty sugar packet. Then you raise your iced latte in a mock toast, taking a first sip of the drink.

“Just... be careful with the 'nasty' part,” Carmen says with a slight grin, breaking the tension. “I don’t think either of us needs more of that.”  

You chuckle. “Fair enough. I’ll try to keep the nastiness in check.”  

Carmen smirks, shaking his head as he relaxes back into his chair. “I appreciate that.”

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

It’s Sonic Gang Disney Movie Night! And it’s the Unstoppable Forces vs Immovable Objects! Let’s meet our competitors:

Knuckles “the last of his kind on a noble quest to protect a gem with trust issues, badass fighting skills, and a water-based spirit most of his lost culture was based around who wants to live out his fantasy of his people coming back and enemies turning into friends via continued applied trust” the Echidna who wants to watch Raya and the Last Dragon

Tikal “the curious and empathetic chief’s daughter who was really close with her now-dead grandma who yearns to return to a culture her people once had but have now abandoned and works to make peace with the dieties of her culture while being best friends with sentient water who wants to live out her fantasy of resolving her daddy issues and bringing her people and gods to peace” the Echidna who wants to watch Moana

Blaze “the heir to an entire kingdom with a lot of huge expectations placed on her by her deceased parents desperately trying to keep her deadly and dangerous powers under control which is an issue because they burst out when she’s emotional and she’s been repressing quite a bit of emotions only for an energetic, bubbly person to bring her out of her shell and prove that she can be herself without hurting anyone else” the Cat who wants to watch Frozen

Elise also wants to watch Frozen so two points for Blaze

Shadow “an alien scientifically created to be a living weapon meant to destroy who ends up befriending a little girl who teaches him to have humanity, after which he begins to appreciate life on Earth and fights to protect both it and the found family he’s pieced together for himself” the Hedgehog who wants to watch Lilo & Stitch

Sonic who wants to watch Wreck-It Ralph because he’s in it and things go fast

Amy Rose who wants to watch Sleeping Beauty because it’s “romantic” and “beautiful” but also so she can wait until the dragon scene and then start blasting “What I’m Made Of” and scare the shit out of everyone

Silver “was left alone in a barren wasteland for far longer than he wants to admit and honestly probably longer than he can remember who ends up finding one last bit of hope and who wants to live out his fantasy of bringing life back to his planet and seeing society grow around him as he finds a family of his own” the Hedgehog who wants to watch WALL-E. he’ll also settle for Lightyear he guesses

Cream who wants to watch Snow White because pretty princess sing to animals and spin around

Sally “the heir to an entire kingdom with some severe dead dad issues who ends up on the run as a child only to return and find her kingdom decimated by someone she once trusted who now has to raise a rebellion with her childhood sweetheart to dethrone the usurper and retake the land before he can destroy the entire environment” Acorn who wants to watch The Lion King

Vector who wants to watch The Great Mouse Detective and say “that’s what we do. we do that”

Shahra who wants to watch Aladdin. do i even have to

oh and Jet wants to watch Aladdin too but that’s just because he thinks stealing things is funny

Merlina actually does not want to watch Sword in the Stone it makes her uncomfortable however she will BITE someone if they don’t watch Coco next

Marine who wants to watch Finding Nemo because oooh water ooh australia oooh look at the fishies go. no she doesn’t have abandonment issues why do you ask

alternatively, Marine will make everyone watch The Pirate Fairy

Tekno who wants to watch Big Hero 6 because look at those robots go

Omega who wants to watch The Black Cauldron cause it has the most death in it

Rouge who would rather watch everyone argue than see any movie

Mighty and Ray just wanna watch Bambi guys

Big who wants to watch Fantasia because it calms him down. Omega does a quick ecosia search of Night on Bald Mountain and immediately likes this plan

Belle who wants to watch Pinocchio for obvious reasons

Charmy who wants to watch Peter Pan just to point at the tv when Tink is onscreen and look Belle dead in the eye and say “that’s you”

Espio who wants to die

Miles “Tails” Prower who can’t decide if he wants to watch Dumbo or Meet the Robinsons or if both will just bring up a lot of traumatic memories

and finally, Sticks the Badger, who wants to beat the TV to death with a wooden club and then burn Disney HQ to the ground

who will win!! vote now on your phones

[phlve]

The Enneagram of Divine Forms — Point 5: The Observer

Will narrow the universal view into the particular and subjective point of view of the observer

Always losing perspective of the forest because their entire attention is on particular trees

Is found collecting bits and pieces

Can spend a lot of time trying to disclose the riddles of life and society

Continuous interest in observing others

Fear that they are also the focus of attentive study and observation by others

Inclined to hide and be anonymous around people

General inclination to play the social game without giving of themselves completely and openly

General attitudes of fear of the environment, natural and social, ‘nervous wrecks’ because of the pressure of their fear and stress

Perceives and projects their distortion of reality by thinking that they have been alienated by their siblings or the world

Ego-delusion: of being stingy or a person who keeps to themselves as they judge others exclusively from their personal perception and narrow point of view

Passion of avarice: amass information and accumulate, pieces of knowledge and gossip about others, as well as collecting material things

Meddling on one side and antisocial on the other

Introjection: their primary defense mechanism, in which they absorb themselves in and internalize the attributes and personalities of others by assimilating their behavior, emotions or characteristics

Self-obsessed, see themselves as a separate bystander

Assert to themselves: ‘I am sociable and self-sufficient’

Shyness which makes them nervous socially

Ego-reaction: distrust, which produces a constant looking in every direction

Ego-justification: to face facts with cynicism because of their poor idea of the motives and self-interest of others

Intense aversion or repulsion that is felt acutely, which becomes the starting point for their plotting and scheming

Considerate on one side and imposing on the other

Source: @/if u seek amy on PDB

[shsl-heck]

One thing that's had me thinking about Amy lately, is the tension between disgust and desire. She is horrified by the immensity of her desire for Victoria, but the shame and guilt over it can only ever make it worse. Fear and arousal, disgust and desire, all of them bleed into each other (we see this constantly in both porn and horror). It's like she has this splinter at the core of her being and she either cant realize or wont accept that the more and more she digs for it to try to get it out, the deeper she's driving it into herself. She cannot remove this without help from someone else. (Coincidentally, not being able to recognize that her attempts to do/be what she's supposed to are only making things worse is also what leads to the Enwretchening)

I'm aware there's a reading of Worm in which Amy's attraction to Victoria is purely an expression of a kind of morality focused ocd, but I personally think that's less interesting. She definitely experiences some level of that (the urge to fuck up a baby she's healing followed by disgust with herself is like a perfect example of an intrusive thought associated with that brand of ocd), but I think this is a case of *and* rather than *or*. My reading of Amy is that of a deeply lonely and emotionally neglected child clinging to the one person in her life that gives her any form of affection, whose attachment only gets increasingly complicated as she starts to grow up and realizes she is attracted to women.

She has never been treated as part of the family, has always felt on some level that she's only playing at being a sister to Victoria, and she is dealing with that during a stage of her life that is turbulent at best for even people raised in a healthy functional environment. There is a broad cultural taboo around sex and desire, but there's a special sort of self-loathing and fear that you're somehow predatory for finding someone attractive that a lot of queer people experience due to the stigma surrounding their sexuality and/or gender. Homoeroticism and attraction is seen as disgusting and fundamentally wrong by society no matter what. It is especially disastrous for Amy because even though she's never been able to see herself as Victoria's sister, she knows she's supposed to, and that adds a whole new layer of guilt and shame to even a passing thought about Victoria being attractive.

Then she triggers. Suddenly she not only has to pretend to be Amy Dallon the well behaved unintrusive family member, she has to be Panacea, the girl who performs miracles. She doesn't even have a secret identity to fall back on for privacy because of New Wave's gimmick. Any resentment about her role, or desire to live a normal life become more proof that she is a sick, evil person; a parasite who has wormed her way into the Good and Heroic Dallon-Pelham family and is eating away at them from the inside-out.

Even as it forces her to repress more and more of herself, Panacea also offers Amy what is seemingly her only chance to be Good like her family. Healing people isn't just something she has to do in order to avoid being a terrible person, but also how she can atone for everything else that's Bad about her. Saving people is a way to try to purge herself of the desire for Victoria, and to prove that she can be a Dallon in more than name.

Like, as awful and lesbophobic as Wildbow's handling of Amy was, there is something deeply compelling and even relatable about her to me. She perfectly captures an emotional state that I've struggled (and failed) to explain as I wrote and rewrote this post. It's the hunger, the guilt, the shame, the fear, the loneliness that settles on your skin like frost as a child when you accept that there must be something wrong with you, because if there wasn't then you wouldn't have to try so hard to be good.

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution Analyzer: The Story, Lore & Characters

Sonic Cyber Revolution (shortened as SCR) is a Sonic the Hedgehog AU story taking place on an alternate Earth, following the adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends and teammates as they deal with various challenges they come across.

Sonic the Hedgehog, an Irregular ARNav, usually spends his days racing across Neos City and living his best life. The Blue Blur is always in the search for the next adventure along with his friends, but when trouble calls, be it in the form of aggressive Irregular ARNavs, secret government projects, dangerous rivals, like Metal Sonic and Mephiles, or Dr. Eggman taking advantage of the advanced AR technology present in this universe to expand the Eggman Empire, there is nothing that will stop Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Silver, Shadow and their friends from taking on the challenge and protecting those they care about.

The Story

The story follows the adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends in Neos City, Starpoint Area, as they get involved in day-to-day hijinks ranging from protecting the city from various dangers (mainly Dr. Eggman), dealing with destructive Irregulars and Hunters, learning about secret government projects, trying to prevent future Neos City from turning into an a fiery apocalyptic wasteland, etc.

While the story is, for the most part, original, it also adapts elements, characters and storylines from various Sonic media. It should be noted that only characters featured in the Sonic video games, Sonic OVA, Sonic X, Sonic Boom, Sonic Movies and Sonic IDW comics appear in this story. Characters featured in media such as AoSTH, Sonic SatAM, Sonic Underground, Sonic the Comic and the Sonic Archie comics (such as the Freedom Fighters) won’t appear in the story.

Note: The sole exception to this rule is Eclipse the Darkling due to his connection to the Black Arms, meaning that he will play an important role in Shadow the Hedgehog's character arc.

The setting itself is also inspired by the world of the MegaMan Battle Network (Rockman.EXE) and MegaMan X (Rockman X) series.

It should be noted that the Sonic characters in SCR are different from their main canon counterparts. In the SCR universe, Sonic the Hedgehog is actually a video game franchise that has somewhat faded out of the public mind, although it still has its fans (with the main cast being part of it), and due to the unique nature of Sonic and his friends (as described below), they exist as separate entities from their video game counterparts.

The Lore

With SCR being an AU story, the most notable thing is that Sonic and his friends have different origins than those featured in the main canon. In SCR, they are sentient digital beings known as Augmented Reality Navigators (ARNavs), and their concept is based on the NetNavis from MegaMan Battle Network.

They have the ability to interact with both the augmented reality and the real world. They also have human partners, who fulfill a similar role to the Operators from MegaMan Battle Network.

However, while most ARNavs exist to assist their human partners during their daily activities, there are also ARNavs who pose a danger to society. They are known as Irregular ARNavs (Irregulars) and their concept is mainly based on the Mavericks from MegaMan X/Zero/ZX.

Unlike regular ARNavs, Irregulars have the ability to absorb BioEnergy, which is essentially a human’s life force, and become empowered by it. They are capable of influencing and interacting with any non-AR Field environment to a much greater degree and have both biological (e.g. having the need to eat and sleep) and digital traits. This allows Irregulars to stay outside AR Fields without having their energy drained. They are considered a threat to humans, due to their aggressive and unpredictable nature.

They are targeted by Irregular Hunters, a group of combat-oriented ARNavs specifically created to track down, detain and eliminate Irregulars. The Irregular Hunters are based on the Maverick Hunters from MegaMan X.

All of the Sonic characters are Irregulars, but of the non-aggressive kind. They are capable of absorbing BioEnergy, which results in them in them developing an ability called Chaos Surge, which not only enhances the Irregular’s natural abilities (e.g. Sonic’s super speed going into overdrive), but also gives their human partners similar powers so they can assist in combat.

The Characters

The main protagonists of SCR is Team Neos, whose main goal is to protect Neos City from The Eggman Empire. Team Neos consists of the following members:

Sonic the Hedgehog & Lucas Kinomoto (16), who act as the de facto leaders of the group.

Miles “Tails” Prower & Warren Taylor (16), who are the team’s engineers, providing them with various necessary gadgets for their missions. Warren and Lucas are also childhood friends, while Sonic has adopted Tails as his little brother.

Knuckles the Echidna & Lily Crystle (16), who have the most combat experience, with Knuckles being self-trained while Lily is experienced in kickboxing. Unlike his main counterpart, Knuckles isn’t the Guardian of Angel Island and the Master Emerald, but he considers himself Lily’s Guardian.

Amy Rose & Minami Kusakabe (15), with both being quite intuitive, although this intuition can cause them to often find trouble. Amy is also skilled in fortunetelling, while Minami has an interest in the occult.

Silver the Hedgehog & Makoto Ryle (15), who are united in their desire to protect the future. Similarly to his main counterpart, Silver is a time-traveler, having arrived in the past to prevent an apocalyptic event, but is unable to return to his timeline. Makoto and Minami are also childhood friends.

Shadow the Hedgehog & Touka Kageura (16), who have a rather mysterious past that keeps haunting them, despite their best efforts to move on from it. They also consider each other siblings, having grown up together. Shadow and Touka tend to act as the Lancer to Sonic and Lucas’ Leader.

On the opposing side, we have The Eggman Empire, a totalitarian regime ruled by Dr. Eggman, whose main goal is to establish complete control over Neos City, planning to spread his rule from Starpoint Area until he has conquered all of Earth. The Eggman Empire consists of the following members:

Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik, the main antagonist of SCR. He is an evil, mean, self-proclaimed genius scientist who dreams of conquering Earth with his Badnik Army.

Metal Sonic & Ferra Ahearn (16), who act as Eggman’s Enforcers and are Sonic and Lucas’ rivals. Unlike his main counterpart, Metal Sonic wasn’t created by Dr. Eggman and is more loyal to Ferra, who supports Metal’s goal of defeating Sonic.

Mephiles the Dark & Toshiro Miwa (15), who also act as Eggman’s Enforcers, albeit they’re more of a wild card, preferring to do their own thing. Unlike Eggman, they want to destroy Earth. They are Shadow and Touka’s rivals, their own past being closely intertwined with theirs.

Orbot and Cubot, two robotic assistants of Eggman. Orbot is the snarky one, Cubot is more dim-witted.

Dr. Starline, a shadowy platypus scientist and self-proclaimed Eggman fanboy who deeply admires his idol, acting as his apprentice. Starline tends to be at odds with Ferra, due to the latter’s disdain for Eggman and insistence on Starline leaving the Eggman Empire for his own good.

Aside from the ones listed above, there is also a wide cast of recurring characters from the main Sonic franchise who appear in the Sonic Cyber Revolution (the human partners are also listed for simplicity’s sake):

Rouge the Bat, an infamous “treasure hunter” who is usually at odds with Knuckles and Lily, attempting to steal the valuable gemstones from the Crystle Mansion. While she is usually out for herself, she also acts as an ally to Team Neos, especially after forming Team Dark alongside Shadow, Omega and Touka.

E-123 Omega, an E-100 series robot created by Dr. Eggman and left forgotten at an old abandoned Egg Base. Due to this treatment, Omega holds a grudge against Eggman, having made it his goal to destroy him and his creations. He is, along with Shadow, Rouge and Touka, a member of Team Dark.

The Babylon Rogues are a team of famous hoverboard racers and infamous treasure hunters/thieves. The group consists of Jet the Hawk and Chase Young (16), Wave the Swallow & Rika Nakano (15), and Storm the Albatross & Arven Pryce (17). They consider themselves Sonic, Lucas, Tails, Warren, Knuckles and Lily’s rivals. Chase and Lucas also have a history together.

Blaze the Cat & Sana Jai (14), who hail from the Surya Empire. Sana is the imperial princess, while Blaze holds the title of the Fire Guardian, protecting the Surya Empire with her pyrokinetic powers from pirate invasions. They become friends with Sonic and Lucas after a diplomatic visit to Neos City.

Marine the Raccoon, is Blaze and Sana’s best friend, as well as the Captain of the SS Marine. She has great nautical skills and water powers. She also has a tendency to get herself into trouble to due to her brash nature.

Team Chaotix are a team of detectives who run the Chaotix Detective Agency located in Neos City. The team consists of Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee. They are allies of Team Neos, having met them during an assignment given by Knuckles and Lily. They’re also close friends with the two.

Surge the Tenrec & Kitsunami “Kit” the Fennec are two artificial Irregulars created by Dr. Starline for the purpose of assisting him in his combat against Team Neos. Surge and Kit consider themselves Sonic and Tails’ rivals.

Big the Cat and Froggy are a duo who tends to hang out at Starlight Lake, which is Big’s favorite fishing spot. They have a tendency to just roam around, preferring a peaceful lifestyle, but will help Team Neos when necessary.

Cream the Rabbit and Cheese the Chao live together with Vanilla the Rabbit, Cream's mother, and Chocola the Chao in Neos City and are close friends with Team Neos, supporting them in their adventures.

Rough the Skunk and Tumble the Skunk are two skunk brothers who act more as bullies and vandals than actual villains and are considered as a nuisance by Team Neos due to the trouble they cause.

Important original characters that don’t hail from the Sonic franchise, but play a major role in the story are:

Prof. Hiroshi Sakamoto was the head scientist and geneticist of the Codex Research Facility 10 years before the start of the story. He is the father of the late Tomoe Sakamoto, whose death has driven him into madness. He is also the creator of Shadow the Hedgehog, Touka Kageura, Mephiles the Dark and Toshiro Miwa. He currently works for Dr. Eggman at a hidden location, researching an infinite energy source. His character was inspired by Prof. Gerald Robotnik.

Tomoe Sakamoto (15) is Hiroshi Sakamoto’s deceased daughter and Touka’s “older twin sister”. She died 11 years before the start of the main story from a terminal disease, but some of her memories and will have been transferred to Touka. Her character was inspired by Maria Robotnik.

Dr. Kisaki Kageura is Touka and Shadow’s guardian, having adopted the former. She used to work at the Codex Research Facility as Touka’s personal doctor and currently works as a pediatrician at St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital in Neos City.

Kotone Midorikawa is a news reporter alongside her frog ARNav partner Kero. The two are always looking out for the latest scoop and are very tenacious about their work.

Dr. Telos Tamago is an android created by Dr. Eggman to act as the CEO of the Tamago Corporation, a company specializing in innovations in the field of robotics. It had been established around five years before the main story takes place, having gained a respectable reputation. In truth, it is actually a cover for the Eggman Empire. In the public eye, the Tamago Corporation and the Eggman Empire are separate entities. The only ones who are even vaguely aware of the connection between the two is Team Neos.

Commander Loki is a wolf ARNav and Irregular Hunter. He is the commander of the Alpha Unit, keeping Neos City safe from Irregulars. Due to the nature of his job, he tends to clash with Team Neos and especially Sonic, being annoyed by their “vigilantism”.

The Advance Reconnaissance & Mission Support, usually abbreviated as ARMS, is a military and security organization of Starpoint Area, run by Commander Roy Williams as its commander-in-chief. ARMS is a specialized branch that deals with threats like the Irregulars and the Eggman Empire by using their own unit of Irregulars and trained soldiers. They have also collaborated with the Codex Research Facility in the creation of Project Shadow, their main goal being to use Shadow and Touka as military bio-weapons and forcefully recruited the two in the present day (along with Rouge and Omega, leading to the formation of Team Dark). The organization ARMS was inspired by G.U.N.

Saiba is an unknown entity present in the Cyberspace, who had significant role in the creation of Touka Kageura and Toshiro Miwa, as well as supplying Prof. Sakamoto with the data necessary Project Shadow (which resulted in the creation of Shadow the Hedgehog) and Project Shadow: Resurrection (which resulted in the creation of Mephiles the Dark). Little is known about Saiba, but it is speculated that they are aware of the true origins of the Irregulars.

More characters will be added as the story progresses.

This was an overview of the story, with the following updates going more into detail about the story of Sonic Cyber Revolution, including personal notes about the characters, lore, powers, etc. as well as the differences between it and the main canon.

Links:

#The Metal Irregular Arc

#Sonic Cyber Revolution Analyzer (Masterlist)

[sneezemonster15]

I find it so funny when people try to dissuade people from shipping same sex pairing by using the "We need more representation of close and intimate male friendship. People need to stop making everything gay" excuse. But the reality is that the friendship who is truly under representated is male/female friendship. Ask anybody if 2 guys can be friend? Of course! Ask if 2 girls can be friend? Obviously! Now ask if a a guy and a girl can be friend? "Well, hum ... not really ... the guy probably want to fuck the girl if she is pretty ... the friendship isnt real." Clearly society lacks representation of healthy male/female friendship. Tv shows, anime etc ... give the MC a whole harem of girls (girls who are supposed to be just friends and he thinks of as only friends at the beginning) pining for him or love the trope of the good guy friend who is waiting for the girl to stop dating assholes and finally notice him. Which also lead to the gay best friend trope bc its the only guy who can be the girl's friend.

Representing male/female friendship not only help against heteronormativity but also misoginy. The idea that women arent fun to be around and are boring perpetuate the thought that women are just good at being fucked, at being wifed etc, and not fun enough to just have a good time doing friends stuff ... So men end up thinking they can only return romantic or lustful feelings toward women.

All that to say that those people clearly do not care about friendships representation. They are just annoyed that people prefer same sex pairings to the holy straight pairings. And "feminist" women who cheer because their queens finally got to get the dicks they wanted are advocating for the wrong thing. Celebrating their faves girls being used as sequel factories or for disney happy ever after the heteronormative and misogynist society craves so much, isnt the big flex they think it is.

Well said anon.

Yes, I agree there is a dearth of healthy and realistic m/f friendships in media and they are surely underrepresented. Lately, more creators are portraying m/f friendships in their films/series etc. But yeah, it's such a stereotypical thing to reduce m/f relationships to romantic or lewd isn't it?

I liked how the character of Amy in Gone Girl talked about the Cool Girl trope. How men wanna see women they wanna hang out with in a certain way and outwardly, it seems this is a fun girl, with a free, liberal and casual devil may care attitude yet still have their personalities revolving around the desires and fetishes of men. I also liked how again, the character of Amy in a film called Chasing Amy portrayed a similar issue, even though the film has its own problems. How men see lesbian women and even though their sexual interests don't intersect, men nevertheless feel righteous about constructing sexual fetishes around it, objectifying lesbians because women, by the simple grace of being women, simply cannot do without men, that their whole existence is nullified if men aren't in it.

A male/female relationship which is platonic and based on equal terms can do so much to give some resolution to this issue.

As for the 'feminist' fans in this fandom, it is interesting to see how Sakura or Hinata stans think cheering their faves is a holy act of feminism while understanding nothing about feminism and female representation in media. It has created such a toxic environment in this fandom, and I am sure others. To a huge extent, I blame the industry because the target group of this genre is so impressionable, it's so easy to misinterpret things, especially with how these women are written. While I get why Kishi did it with these two female characters, given they would be paired up with his two main (and clearly gay, living in a homophobic world) characters for the sake of the sequel and that he writes other female characters much better than theirs, it still is very problematic. Because they were never condemned in the actual story. They were never called out. Never made to face consequences for their actions. And this, THIS, makes their fans so insistent about the apparent goodness of them, while sweeping the rest under the carpet. While it doesn't take a genius to spot their faults, it certainly takes a certain level of understanding of narrative, visual language, themes and understanding of the world.

I can talk about narrative subversion till my lungs give out but unless one shows an inclination to learn how narratives are built, they would keep sticking to their token understanding of concepts such as representation and feminism. Which is such a sad phenomenon. It is almost hurtful how so many fans are so willingly tone deaf and blind, all because of some shallow relationship they wish they had. It's amazing to me how well fortified their delusions are. How strong their willingness to be courted by a hot popular boy. How fine they are with having their fave character revolve around some guy for the most superficial of reasons. This is what their understanding of feminism amounts to. All this nonsense for some cheap self insert.

Even Sasuke stans who are anti SNS. They prefer thinking of Sasuke as some cool, badass, revolutionary man archetype who sleeps around and struts with his massive dick out. And this is how they facilitate their Sasuke*fem reader smut. These Guevara extremists who think homosexuality only exists in western societies, who also consider themselves uber feminists, who think Sasuke casually slept with Karin (because why wouldn't he? He is a man and he has a dick and a willing girl is around, it all makes sense lol), are fine with self inserting into a female character, as long as the badass revolutionary would casually fuck her and then throw her away or let her die without a second thought after his demands have been met. Because yay, feminism. Like irony goes to anti SNS and SS/NH to die a horrible death.

Hinata stans would get triggered at SNS posts or anti NH posts and share the same four Spanish panels of photographs of Naruto with his family because that's their understanding of a happy family. Orchestrated studio pictures. Because gay men living in a het marriage have never been clicked. Because gay men in het marriages don't exist. That's their extent of understanding a relationship. A family picture. It is certainly not a flex.

Just look at how SS apply all sorts of mental gymnastics to justify Sasuke staying away from his family for 12 freaking years. Like you can certainly feel bad for SS stans who even after Gaiden, had the courage to ship this ship. The levels of desperation. And to what ends? What is even their payback? Where is their reward? Kishi certainly isn't giving them any.

You know sometimes I feel shipping is a strong word for what I feel for the story. Because Naruto is just a love story about two boys. If I want them to be together, is it shipping? Shipping is such a fandom term. If that's what the story has led me to, to hope for the two main characters to have a resolution that the entire narrative has painstakingly led me to, is it really shipping? I am just an ordinary reader/audience who wants a good ending to this story. The way the creator wrote it. All I did was to follow what he wanted me to see. Is it then shipping or just a natural conclusion to the story? To want them to be with each other?

As for those fans who say 'we need more representation of men being friends, stop making everything gay' are so fucking silly. Like damn, don't we have enough representation of platonic male bonding? There are entire tropes based on that dynamic. Cop buddies, bro code, band of brothers, big brother mentor, bromantic foil, bros before hoes, brother from another mother and this goes on and on and on. I can count like forty films and twenty books off the top of my head that use these male bonding tropes. Just say you are a homophobic piece of shit. Why circumvent facts? Like we live in a patriarchal, heteronormative world and suddenly stories about men being friends are in jeopardy. Like c'mon, cut the utter bullshit. Lol.

There are only a handful of sane voices in fandoms. Because the rest of them leave and I totally understand why. Hehe. But while you are here, do what you can and then get out. This shit is not good for anyone long term.

[roselynchin]

The Joy Luck Club (1993)

The Joy Luck Club recounts the stories of four pairs of Chinese immigrant mothers and their American born daughters. The four mothers, Suyuan, An-mei, Lindo, and Ying-ying, make up the Joy Luck Club during which they eat, share stories, and play mahjong. The Joy Luck Club is based on the book of the same title by Amy Tan (1989).

The mothers fulfill the sojourner then accommodation mentalities as we learn about their lives in China then coming to America and adapting to the new environment. While each of them have their own reasons for coming to America, their struggles to provide better lives and opportunities for their families are shared. On the other hand, the four daughters, Jing-mei, Rose, Waverly, and Lena serve as the total assimilators as they have grown up in American society and adopted many of their norms despite their mothers’ efforts to instill in their daughters their own traditional values and experiences. The mothers’ accommodation is an exact example of the article’s mentioned “distinct Chinese American identity, one rooted in experience and a belief in a community with shared interests and a common destiny in the United States” (Stringer 427).

Each of the mothers hope to leave their traumatic pasts behind by coming to America and using their experiences to properly raise their daughters and set them up for success. For example, Lindo was betrothed at four years old and forced to marry into a wealthy family at age fifteen who abused her for not bearing an heir. Lindo is able to escape by taking advantage of her mother-in-law’s superstitious beliefs and years later raises a family in America, including her daughter, Waverly. Lindo has high hopes for her daughter which Waverly at first fulfills by becoming a chess champion at six years old. However, Waverly interprets her mother being proud of her as pompous, overbearing boasting and decides to quit chess which both ruins her confidence, any chance she has at playing, and her relationship with her mother. This ruination of something that made her extraordinary and made her mother proud results in Waverly’s constant fear of never being good enough for her mother. This continues until Waverly confronts her mom before her second’s marriage (for some context, her fiancé is white and has disrespected Waverly’s family with his cultural ignorance like his insults of the food and not being able to use chopsticks).  

Throughout the film, Jing-mei or June also faces this struggle of never being enough and throughout her childhood and even adulthood, has always been compared to Waverly. June also feels like she never lives up to her mother’s expectations first with a failed piano recital and more and more flaws over the years. June reaches her breaking point after Waverly rejects her business proposal and embarrasses her at a dinner party, and confronts her mother, believing that Suyuan implied Waverly has more style than her. 

Throughout The Joy Luck Club, the mother-daughter relationships display how impactful the mothers’s pasts are on their hopes for the children’s future and the pressure that in turn has on their children. The Joy Luck Club depicts the struggle of living up to the American dream while retaining as a fixture in immigrant and Asian American identity. Regardless of economic status or other factors of one’s situation, there are always improvements to be made and possibilities for social mobility. The children and descendants of immigrants feel the constant pressure to prove themselves to their family even if their family’s high expectations come from good intentions and love of their children. 

Even though many of the events of the film take place years before or after the events of immigration, how are the characters’ self-view affected by the move?

The four mothers meet at church after immigrating to America and form their own tight-knit community. How do these connections provide support while also challenging and threatening each others’ success in America? 

The Joy Luck Club was made in 1993, do you feel that the portrayal of the Chinese Asian American identity still holds true today? How do you feel the portrayal of Asian American identity has developed in the media since then?

Several of the stories of The Joy Luck Club address the families making a place and a name for themselves in America. Why do you think it is important for the film to show the struggles they face in introducing others to their culture along with the struggles they face accommodating or assimilating to western culture?

[awardseason]

21st Annual Visual Effects Society Awards — Film Winners

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature Avatar: The Way of Water – Richard Baneham, Walter Garcia, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, JD Schwalm — WINNER Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – Christian Mänz, Olly Young, Benjamin Loch, Stephane Naze, Alistair Williams Jurassic World: Dominion – David Vickery, Ann Podlozny, Jance Rubinchik, Dan Snape, Paul Corbould The Batman – Dan Lemmon, Bryan Searing, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands, Dominic Tuohy Top Gun: Maverick – Ryan Tudhope, Paul Molles, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson, Scott Fisher

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature Death on the Nile – George Murphy, Claudia Dehmel, Mathieu Raynault, Jonathan Bowen, David Watkins I Wanna Dance With Somebody – Paul Norris, Tim Field, Don Libby, Andrew Simmonds The Fabelmans – Pablo Helman, Jennifer Mizener, Cernogorods Aleksei, Jeff Kalmus, Mark Hawker The Gray Man – Swen Gilberg, Viet Luu, Bryan Grill, Cliff Welsh, Michael Meinardus The Pale Blue Eye – Jake Braver, Catherine Farrell, Tim Van Horn, Scott Pritchard, Jeremy Hays Thirteen Lives – Jason Billington, Thomas Horton, Denis Baudin, Michael Harrison, Brian Cox — WINNER

Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Aaron Weintraub, Jeffrey Schaper, Cameron Carson, Emma Gorbey, Mad God, Chris Morley, Phil Tippett, Ken Rogerson, Tom Gibbons — WINNER Strange World – Steve Goldberg, Laurie Au, Mark Hammel, Mehrdad Isvandi The Bad Guys– Pierre Perifel, Damon Ross, Matt Baer, JP Sans The Sea Beast – Joshua Beveridge, Christian Hejnal, Stirling Duguid, Spencer Lueders Turning Red – Domee Shi, Lindsey Collins, Danielle Feinberg, Dave Hale

Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature  Avatar: The Way of Water: Kiri – Anneka Fris, Rebecca Louise Leybourne, Guillaume Francois, Jung-Rock Hwang — WINNER Beast: Lion – Alvise Avati, Bora Şahin, Chris McGaw, Krzysztof Boyoko Disney’s Pinocchio: Honest John – Christophe Paradis, Valentina Rosselli, Armita Khanlarpour, Kyoungmin Kim Slumberland: Pig – Fernando Lopes Herrera, Victor Dinis, Martine Chartrand, Lucie Martinetto

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: Geppetto – Charles Greenfield, Peter Saunders, Shami Lang-Rinderspacher, Noel Estevez-Baker Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: Pinocchio – Oliver Beale, Richard Pickersgill, Brian Leif Hansen, Kim Slate — WINNER Strange World: Splat – Leticia Gillett, Cameron Black, Dan Lipson, Louis Jones Turning Red: Panda Mei – Christopher Bolwyn, Ethan Dean, Bill Sheffler, Kureha Yokoo

Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature Avatar: The Way of Water: Metkayina Village – Ryan Arcus, Lisa Hardisty, Paul Harris TaeHyoung David Kim Avatar: The Way of Water: The Reef – Jessica Cowley, Joe W. Churchill, Justin Stockton, Alex Nowotny — WINNER Jurassic World Dominion: Biosyn Valley – Steve Ellis, Steve Hardy, Thomas Dohlen, John Seru Slumberland: The Wondrous Cuban Hotel Dream – Daniël Dimitri Veder, Marc Austin, Pavan Rajesh Uppu, Casey Gorton

Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: In the Stomach of a Sea Monster – Warren Lawtey, Anjum Sakharkar, Javier Gonzalez Alonso, Quinn Carvalho — WINNER Lightyear: T’Kani Prime Forest – Lenora Acidera, Amy Allen, Alyssa Minko, Jose L. Ramos Serrano Strange World: The Windy Jungle – Ki Jong Hong, Ryan Smith, Jesse Erickson, Benjamin Fiske The Sea Beast: The Hunting Ship – Yohan Bang, Enoch Ihde, Denil George Chundangal, John Wallace Wendell & Wild: The Scream Fair – Tom Proost, Nicholas Blake, Colin Babcock, Matthew Paul Albertus Cross

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project ABBA: Voyage – Pär M. Ekberg, John Galloway, Paolo Acri, Jose Burgos Avatar: The Way of Water – Richard Baneham, Dan Cox, Eric Reynolds, A.J Briones — WINNER Prehistoric Planet – Daniel Fotheringham, Krzysztof Szczepanski, Wei-Chuan Hsu, Claire Hill The Batman: Rain Soaked Car Chase – Dennis Yoo, Michael J. Hall, Jason Desjarlais, Ben Bigiel

Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project Avatar: The Way of Water: The Sea Dragon – Sam Sharplin, Stephan Skorepa, Ian Baker, Guillaume Francois — WINNER The Sea Beast – Maxx Okazaki, Susan Kornfeld, Edward Lee, Doug Smith Top Gun: Maverick: F-14 Tomcat – Christian Peck, Klaudio Ladavac, Aram Jung, Peter Dominik Wendell & Wild: Dream Faire – Peter Dahmen, Paul Harrod, Nicholas Blake

Outstanding Effects Simulation in a Photoreal Feature Avatar: The Way of Water: Fire and Destruction – Miguel Perez Senent, Xavier Martin Ramirez, David Kirchner, Ole Geir Eidsheim Avatar: The Way of Water: Water Simulations – Johnathan M. Nixon, David Moraton, Nicolas Illingworth, David Caeiro Cebrian — WINNER Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: City Street Flooding – Matthew Hanger, Alexis Hall, Hang Yang, Mikel Zuloaga Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – Jesse Parker Holmes, Grayden Solman, Toyokazu Hirai, Rob Richardson

Outstanding Effects Simulation in an Animated Feature Lightyear – Alexis Angelidis, Chris Chapman, Jung-Hyun Kim, Keith Klohn Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – Derek Cheung, Michael Losure, Kiem Ching Ong, Jinguang Huang — WINNER Strange World – Deborah Carlson, Scott Townsend, Stuart Griese, Yasser Hamed The Sea Beast – Spencer Lueders, Dmitriy Kolesnik, Brian D. Casper, Joe Eckroat

Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in Feature Avatar: The Way of Water: Landing Rockets Forest Destruction – Miguel Santana Da Silva, Hongfei Geng, Jonathan Moulin, Maria Corcho Avatar: The Way of Water: Water Integration – Sam Cole, Francois Sugny, Florian Schroeder, Jean Matthews — WINNER The Batman: Rainy Freeway Chase – Beck Veitch, Stephen Tong, Eva Snyder, Rachel E. Herbert Top Gun: Maverick – Saul Davide Galbiati, Jean-Frederic Veilleux, Felix B. Lafontaine, Cynthia Rodriguez del Castillo

Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project Avatar: The Way of Water: Current Machine and Wave Pool – JD Schwalm, Richie Schwalm, Nick Rand, Robert Spurlock — WINNER Black Adam: Robotic Flight – JD Schwalm, Nick Rand, Andrew Hyde, Andy Robot, Mad God, Phil Tippett, Chris Morley, Webster Colcord, Johnny McLeod The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power “Adrift” Middle Earth Storm – Dean Clarke, Oliver Gee, Eliot Naimie, Mark Robson

Emerging Technology Award Avatar: The Way of Water: Depth Comp – Dejan Momcilovic, Tobias B. Schmidt, Benny Edlund, Joshua Hardgrave Avatar: The Way of Water: Facial System – Byungkuk Choi, Stephen Cullingford, Stuart Adcock, Marco Revelant Avatar: The Way of Water: Water Toolset – Alexey Dmitrievich Stomakhin, Steve Lesser, Sven Joel Wretborn, Douglas McHale — WINNER Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: 3D Printed Metal Armature – Richard Pickersgill, Glen Southern, Peter Saunders, Brian Leif Hansen Turning Red: Profile Mover and CurveNets – Kurt Fleischer, Fernando de Goes, Bill Sheffler

[ms-cellanies]

I posted 22,667 times in 2022

911 posts created (4%)

21,756 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@russalex

@cheekybug2

@ladytuarach

@angreav

I tagged 252 of my posts in 2022

#donald trump - 19 posts

#us news - 18 posts

#florida - 16 posts

#us politics - 12 posts

#environment - 9 posts

#politics - 9 posts

#world news - 8 posts

#abortion - 7 posts

#ron desantis - 7 posts

#republicans - 7 posts

Longest Tag: 82 characters

#limbaugh was more disgusting than a huge pile of dog barf or a truckload of manure

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

182 notes - Posted October 18, 2022

#4

ALITO, GORSUCH, KAVANAUGH & CONEY BARRETT MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE SUPREME COURT.  They owe their positions to The Federalist Society but they are supposed to uphold the U.S. Constitution.

215 notes - Posted November 11, 2022

#3

I stumbled upon this & thought it was quite interesting.  There were stronger restrictions on guns in the “Old West” than the world we’re living in now.  The article even mentions that the understanding of the 2nd Amendment was nothing like what we’ve been dealing with since Scalia & the other RepubliKKKans on the Supreme Court made up their own interpretation.

221 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

#2

Johnson’s comments are the most batshit crazy yet.  Could he be suffering from brain damage?  Seriously just read this statement he made on Sept. 11th:

“ On Sunday Johnson suggested to Levin that liberals, Democrats, and anyone on “the left” as he put it, do not have an inherent right to participate in American life on an equal footing as Republicans.”

RON JOHNSON MUST BE DEFEATED & NEVER HOLD GOVERNMENT OFFICE EVER AGAIN.

236 notes - Posted September 13, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

THIS IS A MUST READ.  

RUTH BEN-GHIAT IS AN EXPERT ON AUTHORITARIANISM.  THAT IS WHAT AMERICA IS FACING, WITH OR WITHOUT TRUMP.  RON DESANTIS IS ALREADY PREPARING TO REPLACE TRUMP & OVERTHROW AMERICA’S DEMOCRACY.  

PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE & REBLOG IT.  OUR LIVES DEPEND UPON US BEING AWARE OF THE IMPENDING DANGER TO OUR COUNTRY.

327 notes - Posted June 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[purring-meadows]

Get to know us! 🤎 We're the Purring Meadows System / Verdant Athenaeum Society :-)

We are bodily almost 18; collectively we are fine with They/We/Xe pronouns; and the names Toby, Willow, River are all fine to use if you don't know who's talkin'! :-D

• DNI & BFI Lists 🤍

DNI:

Basic Criteria (Racists, Transmeds, Endos/Tulpas, Proshippers, etc.)

BFI:

We have DSMP alters! That does NOT mean we support it. However, if that somehow makes you uncomfortable, please take your leave quietly. This applies to any problematic source.

"Doubles" are okay! We don't quite believe in exact doubles, considering the complexity of source material ^^

We are fictive heavy! We support all types of (VALID) systems. Whether you are fictive heavy, poly-fragmented, have a low head-count, etc. We like to enforce an open and welcoming environment! :-)

Alter Masterlist::

Ainsley/Zero - brainmade

Amber - brainmade

Ambrose - brainmade

Amy - "I Love Amy"

Apis - "Vigilantes are Wronguns, but this one's okay" Ao3

Asmodeus - brainmade

Atticus - brainmade

Autumn - brainmade

Ava - "Mad Father"

Azalea - brainmade

Azrail - brainmade

Basil - brainmade

Bee - brainmade

Ben - BATQFTIM

Bluebell - brainmade

Box - brainmade

Clarabelle - brainmade

Corbin - Tubbo fictive

Creame - brainmade

Darling/Esmé - brainmade

David - "Lalin's Curse"

Deiderich - brainmade

Derwin - brainmade

Edward - Gotham

Elizabeth - brainmade

Fauve - brainmade

Felix - BATQFTIM

Francis/Frannie - DSMP Fundy fictive

Gabriella - brainmade

Golden Wolf/Ryker - "LUMINE"

Grey - "Stars Align" Nao fictive

Grian - "Hermitcraft"

Grimoire - brainmade

Griselda - brainmade

Holden - "Catcher in the Rye"

Ivory/Snow - brainmade

Jaskier/Dandelion - "The Witcher"

Jihan/June - "My Hot Friend is Glowing"

Karina - brainmade

Kasimir - "Diabolik Lovers"

Kat - "Stars Align" Kanako fictive

Kel - "OMORI"

Kiara - "Danganronpa: Killing Harmony" Kirumi fictive

Kris - "DELTARUNE"

Leviathan - Tubbo fictive

Linnea - brainmade

Lithia - brainmade

Lynx/Aether/Link - "Legend of Zelda" Link fictive, variety of games

Mare - "Red Queen" book series

Mary - "IB"

Mellifleur - brainmade

Merlin - BBC's "Merlin"

Michi - "BNA" Michiru fictive

Miriam - "Black Butler" Mey-Rin fictive

Mirza - brainmade

Mituna - "Homestuck"

Newt - "Maze Runner" movies

Nico - "Percy Jackson" books

Oliver - "Vocaloid"

Oliver/Ollie - brainmade

Peter - "Spiderman" movies

Quill - brainmade

Rayne/Fleur - brainmade

Robin - "Stranger Things"

Rowan - "LUMINE"

Sam - "Supernatural"

Serafim/Seraphina - brainmade

Simon - "Lord of the Flies"

Sloth - "Tokyo Ghoul:Re" Saiko fictive

Sock - brainmade

Sock - "Welcome to Hell"

Sparrow - Tubbo fictive

Spectre - Tubbo fictive

Starla - brainmade

Stitches - "Tokyo Ghoul" Juuzou fictive

Teddy - "Haikyuu!" Yamaguchi fictive

Tilman - Dragon Tubbo fictive

Tobias - "(not) My Family" Tubbo fictive

Toby/Tubbo - CC!Tubbo

Token/Toby/Temple - brainmade

Tubbo/Jester - Tubbo fictive

V - brainmade

Val - brainmade

Vinyl - brainmade

Wanda - MCU movies

Wax - WaxFraud fictive

Widow - "Stranger Things" Henry fictive

Will - "Stranger Things"

Willow/Cedar - brainmade

Zipporah/Quiver - brainmade

Bodily we have ADHD, Autism, DiD, Depression, & Anxiety!

Tone tags are preferred to be used when interacting, but don't worry if it slips your mind or you don't know how! :-)

We honestly don't use Tumblr often, but we do pop in every now-and-then!

Don't be afraid to correct us on anything you find incorrect! We're always open to criticism, we'd much rather be corrected ASAP in order to prevent further harm.

That's about it! Thank you for taking the time to read through this, please enjoy the rest of your day/night! <3

[montessoriofusa]

Unlocking the Benefits of Preschool Montessori Near Me: A Parent's Guide

As parents, we all want the best for our children, especially when it comes to their early education. The foundation laid during the preschool years is crucial for a child's overall development, and this is why the choice of a preschool is so important. If you find yourself searching for Preschool Montessori Near Me you're on the right track to providing your child with a nurturing and effective learning environment. Montessori education, with its child-centered approach, has been lauded worldwide for its ability to foster independence, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning. In this blog, we’ll explore why choosing a Montessori preschool is beneficial and how you can find the best one near you.

What is Montessori Education?

Montessori education is a method developed by Dr. Maria Montessori over a century ago. It is based on the belief that children are naturally curious and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared environment. The Montessori method emphasizes hands-on learning, self-directed activity, and collaborative play. In a Montessori classroom, children are encouraged to choose their activities and work at their own pace, promoting independence and confidence.

Why Choose a Montessori Preschool?

Individualized Learning One of the most compelling reasons to choose a Montessori preschool is its focus on individualized learning. Unlike traditional classrooms where the teacher leads the learning process, in a Montessori classroom, the child takes the lead. Teachers observe each child and provide activities that align with their interests and developmental needs. This approach not only nurtures a child's innate curiosity but also ensures that learning is tailored to their unique abilities.

Development of Key Skills Montessori education is designed to develop essential life skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and social interaction. The multi-age classroom setting allows younger children to learn from older peers, while older children reinforce their knowledge by helping the younger ones. This collaborative environment fosters a sense of community and mutual respect, preparing children for future academic and social success.

Hands-On Learning At the heart of Montessori education is hands-on learning. Children engage with a variety of materials that stimulate their senses and encourage exploration. Whether it’s pouring water, counting beads, or building with blocks, these activities help develop fine motor skills, concentration, and a deep understanding of concepts. Hands-on learning makes abstract ideas more concrete, allowing children to grasp complex concepts at an early age.

Encouragement of Independence Montessori classrooms are designed to promote independence. From choosing their activities to cleaning up after themselves, children learn to take responsibility for their actions. This sense of independence boosts their confidence and self-esteem, empowering them to become self-motivated learners.

Preparation for Future Success The skills and habits developed in a Montessori preschool lay the groundwork for future academic achievement. Studies have shown that children who attend Montessori schools tend to perform better in reading, math, and social skills compared to their peers in traditional schools. Additionally, the emphasis on self-discipline, time management, and goal-setting prepares children for success in higher education and beyond.

Finding the Right Montessori Preschool Near You

If you're convinced of the benefits of Montessori education, the next step is finding the right preschool for your child. When searching for a "Preschool Montessori Near Me," consider the following factors:

Accreditation and Certification Ensure that the preschool is accredited by a recognized Montessori organization, such as the American Montessori Society (AMS) or the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). Accreditation guarantees that the school adheres to the principles of Montessori education and maintains high standards of teaching and learning.

Qualified Teachers The quality of education in a Montessori preschool largely depends on the teachers. Look for schools with certified Montessori teachers who have undergone rigorous training in the Montessori method. These teachers will be adept at guiding your child through the learning process in a supportive and nurturing manner.

Classroom Environment Visit the preschool to observe the classroom environment. A genuine Montessori classroom should be well-organized, with a variety of materials that are easily accessible to the children. The space should be designed to encourage independence and free movement, with areas dedicated to different types of activities, such as practical life, sensorial, math, language, and cultural studies.

Parent Involvement A strong partnership between parents and teachers is essential for the success of Montessori education. Choose a preschool that values parent involvement and provides regular opportunities for communication and collaboration. This could include parent-teacher conferences, workshops, and events that allow you to engage with your child’s learning journey.

Why Montessori Academy of Anaheim is an Excellent Choice

When searching for a "Preschool Montessori Near Me," one standout option is the Montessori Academy of Anaheim. Located in a vibrant community, this school offers a comprehensive Montessori program that caters to the developmental needs of young children. With highly qualified teachers, a well-prepared environment, and a commitment to individualized learning, Montessori Academy of Anaheim provides an exceptional foundation for your child's education.

The Montessori Academy of Anaheim emphasizes the holistic development of each child, focusing on academic, social, emotional, and physical growth. The school’s approach ensures that children not only excel in academics but also develop the character and skills necessary for lifelong success.

Conclusion

Choosing the right preschool is a significant decision that can have a lasting impact on your child's future. By opting for a Montessori education, you’re investing in a learning environment that respects your child’s individuality and fosters their natural curiosity. When searching for a "Preschool Montessori Near Me," consider factors such as accreditation, teacher qualifications, and the overall classroom environment. The Montessori Academy of Anaheim is a prime example of a preschool that embodies the principles of Montessori education, making it an excellent choice for parents seeking the best for their children.

[iankhanblogs]

Visionaries Shaping the Future in Futurism AI and Augmented Reality

What is a Futurist?

A futurist is someone who studies trends and predicts what the future might look like. They use their knowledge of technology, society, and science to imagine how things will change.

Studies Trends: They look at current events and technologies to predict future developments.

Makes Predictions: They forecast future trends in technology, society, and the environment.

Advises Organizations: They help companies and governments plan for the future by giving advice based on their predictions.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence Experts

Artificial Intelligence experts are professionals who work with AI technologies. AI stands for artificial intelligence, which refers to machines and computers that can perform tasks that usually require human intelligence.

Develops AI Technologies: They create programs and systems that use AI to solve problems.

Improves Machines: They work on making machines smarter and more efficient.

Innovates New Solutions: They find new ways to use AI for different industries, like healthcare and finance.

What is Augmented Reality (AR)?

Augmented Reality (AR experts) is a technology that adds digital elements to the real world. This means you can see and interact with digital objects and information while you are in the real world.

Designs AR Experiences: They create AR applications that blend digital information with real-life environments.

Develops AR Tools: They build devices and software for AR experiences, like AR glasses or apps.

Explores New Uses: They find new ways to use AR in various fields, such as education, entertainment, and retail.

Are you curious about what the future holds? Do you want to know who’s shaping the world of tomorrow? In this blog, we’ll introduce you to the Top 10 Futurists who are making waves in the fields of technology, innovation, and science. These best futurists are visionaries who help us imagine and prepare for the future!

A futurist is someone who studies trends and makes predictions about the future. They use their knowledge to help businesses, governments, and people prepare for what’s coming next. Technology futurists focus on how tech will change our lives, while tech futurists look at specific technological advances.

Who Are the Best Futurists?

Futurists are people who think a lot about what will happen in the future. They study trends and predict changes in technology, society, and more. Here are some of the best futurist you should follow:

Elon Musk: He is the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla. He works on future technology like electric cars and space travel.

Ray Kurzweil: He is known for his ideas about the singularity, a time when technology will grow so fast it changes everything.

Michio Kaku: A physicist who talks about future technology on TV and in books. He explains complex ideas in a way everyone can understand.

Top Technology Futurists to Watch

Technology futurist are experts who look at new technologies and predict how they will develop. Here are some top technology futurists:-Jason Silva: He is a filmmaker and speaker who explores the future of technology and how it affects our lives.-Amy Webb: She is a professor and founder of the Future Today Institute. She helps businesses plan for the future with tech forecasts.

Who Are the Leading Tech Futurists?

If you are interested in the future of technology, here are some of the best tech futurist to follow:

Tim O’Reilly: He is the founder of O’Reilly Media and writes about future trends in technology.

Brian Solis: A digital analyst who looks at how technology changes the way we live and work.

The Top AI Experts of Today

AI experts are people who know a lot about artificial intelligence and how it will grow. Here are some of the top AI experts you might want to follow:

Geoffrey Hinton: Known as one of the “godfathers” of AI, he helped create the technology behind many AI systems today.

Yoshua Bengio: A leading researcher in deep learning and AI, Bengio’s work helps advance artificial intelligence.

Best Futurist Authors to Read

If you love reading about the future, these best futurist authors write amazing books:

William Gibson: He is famous for his science fiction novels like Neuromancer that explore future worlds.

Nicholas Carr: Author of The Shallows, he writes about how the internet and technology are changing our lives.

Who Are the Best Futurists to Follow?

Futurists are visionary thinkers who predict future trends and advancements. They offer insights into how technology, society, and the world might change. Here are some of the best futurists to follow:

Top Best Futurists examples

Elon Musk

Who He Is: CEO of SpaceX and Tesla.

Why He’s Important: Elon Musk is known for his groundbreaking work on electric cars, space exploration, and AI technologies. He’s constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

Ray Kurzweil

Who He Is: Director of Engineering at Google.

Why He’s Important: Ray Kurzweil is famous for his predictions about the singularity, a future point where technology will advance so rapidly it changes everything. His books and talks are filled with fascinating predictions about future technologies.

Inspiring Futurist Authors to Read

If you enjoy learning about the future through books, these futurist authors have written some of the most thought-provoking works:

Futurist Authors You Should Read

William Gibson

Notable Book: Neuromancer

Why You Should Read: William Gibson is a renowned science fiction author whose book Neuromancer explores futuristic worlds and technologies. His stories provide a thrilling glimpse into what the future could hold.

Amy Webb

Notable Book: The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity

Why You Should Read: Amy Webb offers deep insights into how the AI industry is evolving and what it means for our future. Her book is a must-read for understanding the future of technology.

Meet the Top AI Experts of 2024

AI experts are specialists who work on developing and advancing artificial intelligence. Here are some of the top AI experts to follow:

Top AI Experts to Follow

Geoffrey Hinton

Who He Is: Renowned AI researcher.

Why He’s Important: Known as one of the “godfathers” of AI, Geoffrey Hinton’s work in deep learning has been foundational to the development of modern AI technologies.

Yoshua Bengio

Who He Is: AI researcher and professor.

Why He’s Important: Yoshua Bengio is a leader in the field of deep learning and machine learning. His research continues to push the boundaries of what AI can achieve.

Must-See Keynote Experts for Insightful Talks

Keynote experts are speakers who share their knowledge and vision at conferences and events. They offer valuable perspectives on technology, AI, and the future. Here are some of the top keynote experts you should listen to:

Keynote Experts to Watch

Garry Kasparov

Who He Is: Former World Chess Champion and AI advocate.

Why You Should Listen: Garry Kasparov speaks about the future of AI and its role in decision-making and strategy. His insights are both thought-provoking and inspiring.

Claudia Goldin

Who She Is: Economist and professor.

Why You Should Listen: Claudia Goldin offers expert analysis on how technology and policies impact economic and social futures. Her talks are rich with data and predictions.

The Visionary Insights of a Futurologist Speaker

When seeking inspiration and guidance about the future, look no further than a futurologist speaker. A futurologist speaker is a visionary professional dedicated to exploring and forecasting future trends across various domains such as technology, society, and business.

the engaging and thought-provoking presentations, these experts delve into the potential developments of our world, providing audiences with a glimpse into what lies ahead.

Their talks are designed to challenge conventional thinking and offer innovative perspectives on future possibilities.

What an AI Futurist Can Teach Us About the Future of Artificial Intelligence

One prominent specialization within this field is the AI futurist. An AI futurist focuses specifically on the future of artificial intelligence, exploring how this transformative technology will evolve and reshape our world.

These experts offer deep insights into the potential applications of AI, from advancements in machine learning to the integration of AI in daily life and industry.

Their presentations often cover how organizations can strategically position themselves to leverage AI for competitive advantage and societal benefit.

What an AI Futurist Can Teach Us About the Future of Artificial Intelligence

A futurist keynote speaker stands out for their ability to deliver high-impact, engaging keynote addresses at conferences, corporate events, and other major gatherings.

As a futurist keynote speaker, they craft compelling narratives about future trends and technologies, inspiring audiences with bold visions of what the future could hold.

Their expertise helps organizations anticipate changes and develop strategies to thrive in an evolving landscape.

The Role of a Top-Rated Keynote Speaker in Shaping Future Trends

Among the elite in this field is the top rated keynote speaker, a professional celebrated for their exceptional speaking skills and deep knowledge of future trends. Known for their dynamic presentations and insightful analyses, these individuals captivate audiences and leave a lasting impression with their forward-looking ideas.

The Broader World of Futurists: How Experts Shape Our Understanding of Tomorrow

Futurists as a broader category encompass all these roles, dedicating themselves to the study and prediction of future developments. They analyze current trends, explore emerging technologies, and offer forecasts that help individuals and organizations navigate and prepare for the future. whether as a futurologist speaker, an AI futurist, a futurist keynote speaker, or a top rated keynote speaker, these experts provide valuable insights that help shape a better tomorrow.

Future Trends and Strategic Foresight: Meet the Top Futurist Speakers of Today

Top futurist speakers are visionaries who explore what lies ahead for humanity, technology, and society. They offer insights into emerging trends, anticipate future challenges, and provide strategic foresight for individuals and organizations. These speakers use their knowledge of future trends to inspire innovation and guide decision-making. They might cover topics such as the future of work, technological advancements, and societal changes.

Cutting-Edge Technology Keynote Speakers: Engaging Talks on Innovations, Trends, and Future Impacts

Technology keynote speakers are experts who deliver engaging and informative presentations on the latest advancements in technology.

They discuss cutting-edge innovations, industry trends, and the potential impacts of new technologies on various sectors.

These speakers are often sought after for their ability to explain complex technical concepts in a way that is accessible and inspiring.

Becoming a Futurist: A Look into the Methods and Strategies of Professional Trend Forecasters

AI Keynote Speakers Unveiled: How Experts Discuss the Future of Artificial Intelligence and Industry Applications

An AI keynote speaker specializes in artificial intelligence and its applications. They discuss the latest advancements in AI, its implications for various industries, and the future of human-AI interactions. These speakers are skilled at breaking down complex AI concepts for a general audience and providing actionable insights for businesses and organizations.

Leading Authorities in Artificial Intelligence: Pioneers of Research and Innovation

The best AI experts are leading authorities in the field of artificial intelligence. They conduct cutting-edge research, develop new technologies, and contribute to significant advancements in the AI landscape. These experts are often involved in shaping the future of AI through research, consulting, and thought leadership.

Futuristic Speakers: Visionaries Shaping Tomorrow’s Trends and Innovations

Futuristic speakers are thought leaders who offer visionary perspectives on future trends, technological advancements, and the potential direction of societal developments. They use their expertise to explore speculative and forward-thinking ideas about what the future holds. Futuristic speakers present on a range of topics, including emerging technologies, future economies, and global challenges. They engage audiences with their innovative ideas and predictions about how current trends might evolve into future realities.

AI Mentorship: Guiding Success in Artificial Intelligence Learning and Implementation

AI mentorship involves providing guidance and support for individuals or organizations seeking to understand and implement artificial intelligence technologies. AI mentors offer insights into AI principles, applications, and strategies for success in AI projects.

AI mentors help mentees navigate the complexities of AI through personalized advice, technical knowledge, and career development support.

They guide individuals from learning about AI fundamentals to applying AI technologies effectively.

Futurist Speakers: Exploring Future Trends and Shaping Tomorrow’s Possibilities

Futurist speakers explore future possibilities through in-depth analysis of trends, technologies, and social changes. They offer expert opinions on how these elements will shape the future. Futurist speakers provide audiences with insights into future trends, offering perspectives on how current developments will influence future scenarios. They cover topics like technological innovation, future work environments, and global trends.

Mastering Advanced Concepts and Future Directions in Artificial Intelligence

AI expert speakers are authorities on artificial intelligence who share their knowledge on the latest AI research, applications, and future developments. They speak on advanced AI concepts and their implications for various industries. AI expert speakers delve into advanced topics in artificial intelligence, including the latest research, real-world applications, and future directions of AI technology.

Experts in Future Technologies, Societal Changes, and Innovation Strategies

The best futurist speakers are top-rated professionals who provide deep and engaging insights into future technologies, societal changes, and innovation strategies.

They are known for their impactful presentations and visionary ideas.

Best futurist speakers are highly esteemed for their expertise in forecasting future trends and providing actionable insights into technological and social advancements.

Best Inspirational Speakers: Masters of Motivation, Personal Growth, and Success

Best inspirational speakers are renowned for their ability to motivate and uplift audiences through their personal stories, achievements, and messages. They are known for their engaging speaking styles and powerful delivery.

Best inspirational speakers are celebrated for their motivational talks that inspire personal growth, professional development, and overcoming challenges.

They offer strategies and encouragement for achieving success and fulfillment.

[techtired]

The Amazing Journeys of Kase Abusharkh and Amy Berry

A lot of people are creative and want to make the world a better place. Kase Abusharkh and Amy Berry are two of those people. Not only have their amazing efforts changed technology and the way things are done, but they have also left an indelible mark on society. This blog talks in great depth about their pasts, what they've done, and how important they are to making the future what it will be. Who Is Kase Abusharkh? Early Life Grew up in a small, close-knit town; developed an interest in technology and problem-solving. Academic Successes Attended prestigious colleges; excelled in engineering and technology; received numerous awards. Career Highlights Developed groundbreaking technologies; led innovative companies; known for blending innovation with practicality. Notable Projects Created a sustainable energy system reducing carbon pollution significantly. Impact on Sector Set new standards; inspired global adoption of innovative solutions in technology and environmental protection. Collaboration with Amy Worked on renewable energy solutions combining technology and environmental sustainability. Awards and Honors Innovator of the Year Award, Green Tech Award. Future Projects Developing next-gen renewable energy technologies and smart city solutions. Key Lessons Importance of creativity, resilience, and breaking the rules to achieve technological progress. Context and Early Life Kase Abusharkh began his journey in a small, close-knit town. It was there that he developed a strong interest in technology and how it might affect society. Kase grew up in an environment that encouraged creativity and new ideas. His desire to understand how things worked led him to study a number of scientific fields. His early interest in gadgets and complicated ways to solve problems gave him a strong foundation for the work he did later on. Academic Successes Kase continued his education at some of the most prestigious colleges in the world. There, he improved his skills and learned a lot about engineering and technology. He won a lot of awards and honors in school, which shows how dedicated he was and how good he was at his job. Kase's commitment to academic excellence not only made him better at technology but also changed the way he thought about how technology can be used to solve real-world problems. Highlights in His Career Kase's job shows how creative he is and how hard he works to be the best. Through the development of groundbreaking new technologies and the leadership of innovative businesses, he has always pushed the limits of what is possible. His work in many areas, such as technology, engineering, and environmental responsibility, shows how flexible and knowledgeable he is. Kase is famous in his field for being able to mix new ideas with useful ways of doing things. Contributions Of Kase Abusharkh Notable Projects and Innovations Making a groundbreaking sustainable energy system that will cut carbon pollution by a huge amount is one of Kase's most well-known projects. This creative project showed not only how good he was at technology but also how much he wanted to make the future of the Earth better. By combining new technology with clean energy sources, Kase's work has raised the bar for the business. Effects on the sector Kase's work has made a big difference in the field. His ideas have set new standards and been widely adopted by businesses all over the world, which moves the goals of technological progress and environmental protection forward. Not only did his work advance the field of science, it also inspired others to find creative solutions to problems in the world. Who Is Amy Berry? Early Life Grew up connected to nature developed a passion for environmental sciences. Academic Successes Studied environmental science at elite colleges; recognized for innovative research. Career Highlights Led projects promoting sustainability; influenced public and private sectors to adopt green practices. Notable Projects Developed environmentally friendly farming techniques; integrated modern technology with traditional methods. Impact on Sector Shaped policies and practices prioritizing sustainability; promoted greener lifestyles. Collaboration with Kase Partnered on renewable energy projects, blending technological and environmental expertise. Awards and Honors Sustainable Leader Award, Environmental Hero Award. Future Projects Expanding sustainable farming efforts; exploring new environmental education and conservation methods. Key Lessons Importance of passion, dedication, and holistic approaches in addressing environmental issues. Context and Early Life Early on in childhood, Amy Berry was deeply interested in environmental sciences. She grew up surrounded by nature and became passionate about protecting it since she connected strongly with it. Her professional activities revolved mostly around this enthusiasm, which helped her to choose a career in environmental sustainability and protection. Academic Successes Amy studied environmental science, completing degrees from elite colleges. Her academic path was unique in that her innovative studies on sustainable practices and climate change brought her respect and distinction in scholarly settings. Amy's schooling gave her a strong basis from which to address some of the most urgent environmental problems of our day. Highlights in His Career Amy's unrelenting quest for sustainability defines her job. She has collaborated with many environmental groups, leading projects endorsing environmentally friendly policies and practices. Her leadership in these fields has resulted in notable progress in environmental preservation, therefore impacting public and commercial sectors to embrace more environmentally friendly practices. Contributions Of Amy Berry Notable Projects and Innovations Among Amy's major accomplishments are her efforts towards environmentally friendly farming techniques. Her creative solution has made farming more sustainable and efficient by helping to lower its environmental effect. Amy has produced environmentally sustainable and successful solutions by combining contemporary technology with age-old farming techniques. Effects on the Sector The environmental industry has seen a revolution from Amy's work. Her efforts have been crucial in forming policies and practices that give sustainability a top priority, therefore impacting the public as well as the private sectors to adopt greener ways of life. Amy's efforts have opened the path for a more sustainable future, therefore proving the need to include environmental issues in every part of our lives. How did Kase Abusharkh Met Amy Berry? Cooperation and Common Projects On various initiatives, including ones involving technology and environmental sustainability, Kase and Amy have crossed paths. Their joint work on renewable energy solutions has been especially successful as Amy's environmental views complement Kase's technological knowledge to provide creative ideas. Combined, they have created initiatives addressing environmental preservation as well as technical progress. Work That Complements One Another Their efforts complement one another exactly; Kase's technological developments provide the instruments required to apply Amy's sustainability ideas. Their combined achievements show the value of multidisciplinary cooperation as neither one of them could have done by itself. Their combined work has produced creative and environmentally friendly solutions. Creative Solutions Of Kase Abusharkh and Amy Berry Kase Abusharkh's Novel Approaches Kase's approach to innovation is forward-looking and based on a thorough awareness of present technical developments. To propel development, he underlines the need to always be ahead of the curve and always investigate fresh ideas. One of the main reasons Kase has been successful is his foresight of future technology demands. The Creative Strategies of Amy Berry Amy's approaches stem from effect and pragmatism. Her main concentration is on developing scalable, replicable, creative ideas that will have a major impact on the worldwide scene. Amy leads the field of environmental sustainability since she approaches problems holistically. Effects on Society: Volunteering and Giving Back to the Community Amy and Kase both really want to help the people in their neighborhoods. Kase has started a number of programs to teach young people about technology and give them the skills they will need in the future. Amy, on the other hand, has worked on many neighborhood projects that encourage people to care about and do something about the environment. In their towns, their work has had a big effect, encouraging a culture of innovation and sustainability. Impact On Society As A Whole Their work has an effect on society that goes beyond what they directly do. They are trying to make the world a better place for future generations by promoting sustainable technology and the environment. Their work not only moves their areas forward but also encourages others to follow in their footsteps. Awards And Honors Many awards, such as the Innovator of the Year Award and the Green Tech Award, have been given to Kase for his work. These awards show how important he is as a leader in his field by recognizing his work in both technology and environmental protection. Amy has won several awards for her work, such as the Sustainable Leader Award and the Environmental Hero Award. These awards show how much she has done to protect the environment and make her a more well-known figure in the fight for sustainability. Problems And How To Solve Them Problems That Kase Abusharkh Had To Deal With? During his work, Kase has had to deal with a lot of problems, ranging from technical setbacks to money problems. However, his toughness and ability to solve problems have helped him get past these problems and reach his goals. Kase's progress has depended on his ability to deal with these problems. Amy's path hasn't been easy. She has had to deal with pushback to change and problems with making sustainable practices work. But her drive and willingness to try new things have helped her turn these problems into possibilities. Amy's success is due in large part to her ability to change and get through tough times. What Does The Future Hold For Kase Abusharkh and Amy Berry? Kase is working on a lot of interesting projects right now, such as creating the next generation of renewable energy technologies and smart city solutions that will change the way people live in cities. These projects are going to make big changes in the fields of science and the environment. Amy is working hard to grow her work in sustainable gardening. She is also looking into new ways to teach about and protect the environment. Through her work, she hopes to inspire the next group of people who will take care of the environment. Amy's future projects look like they will help the cause of protecting the environment even more. What We Can Learn From Kase Abusharkh and Amy Berry's Journey? Kase's story shows us how important it is to be creative, strong, and ready to break the rules. His story shows that technology can bring about good change and that sticking with something can help you reach your goals. Amy's story shows how important it is to have a desire, be dedicated, and look at problems from all angles. Her work shows how we can be environmentally friendly in all parts of our lives, which motivates others to do something to protect our world. In Conclusion Kase Abusharkh and Amy Berry are great examples of how dedicated and creative people can make a difference in their areas and society as a whole. Their work on technology and protecting the earth continues to inspire people and move things forward. They will definitely leave a legacy of innovation and impact that will only grow as they work on new projects and efforts. FAQs What does Kase Abusharkh do best? Most people know Kase Abusharkh for his groundbreaking work in developing environmentally friendly energy systems and new technologies that help the environment. What are the most important things Amy Berry has done for her field? Amy Berry's most important accomplishments are creating farming methods that are better for the environment and pushing for environmental protection through new policies and strategies. Have Amy Berry and Kase Abusharkh ever worked on a project together? Yes, Kase Abusharkh and Amy Berry have worked together on a number of projects, mostly related to green energy solutions that combine technology with care for the environment. Read the full article

[harvestgreenmontessori]

The Harvest Green Montessori School and Career Employment Opportunities Richmond, TX United States.

Harvest Green Montessori School in Richmond, TX, United States. However, you can typically find job openings and career opportunities through the following channels 2024:

School Website: Visit the official website of Harvest Green Montessori School. They may have a “Careers” or “Employment” section where they post job openings and provide information on how to apply.

Job Search Engines: Utilize online job search engines such as Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn. You can search for positions using keywords like “Harvest Green Montessori School” or “Montessori teacher” in Richmond, TX.

Professional Networks: Connect with professionals in the education sector, especially those with Montessori experience, on platforms like LinkedIn. Networking can sometimes lead to job opportunities or insider information about openings.

Local Job Boards: Check local job boards specific to the Richmond, TX area. These may include community websites, newspapers, or job fairs.

Direct Contact: Reach out to the school directly via phone or email to inquire about any current or upcoming job openings. You can often find contact information on their website.

Montessori Associations: Explore organizations such as the American Montessori Society (AMS) or the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). They may have job boards or resources for Montessori educators seeking employment.

Social Media: Follow the school’s social media accounts, as they may occasionally post job openings or announcements about employment opportunities.

Word of Mouth: Spread the word among your professional contacts that you are seeking employment opportunities at Harvest Green Montessori School. Sometimes, job openings are shared through referrals or word of mouth.

When applying for positions, make sure to carefully review the application instructions provided by the school and tailor your application materials (such as your resume and cover letter) to highlight your qualifications and experience in the field of education, particularly in Montessori environments if applicable.

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[v1821anna]

Bonjour les amis! Ready for a deep dive into the captivating world of digital citizenship and political engagement on social media? 🌐 Buckle up, because we're about to embark on a thought-provoking journey through this week's topics! 📚✨

What is digital citizenship? Digital citizenship refers to the competence to navigate digital environments in a manner that ensures safety and responsibility, while actively and respectfully participating in these spaces (Mossberger et al., 2010). So why we need to know about digital citizenship? A good digital citizen possesses the necessary skills and knowledge to utilise digital technologies in a constructive manner, enabling them to actively engage in society, communicate with others, and generate and consume digital content (NSW Department of Education, n.d.). Otherwise, we may engage in inappropriate behaviour in the digital realm.

Platformisation - when a "thing" become a "process" Platformisation refers to the process of converting social networking sites into social media platforms (Helmond, 2015). Platformisation refers to the transition from viewing "platforms" as physical entities to examining "platformisation" as a dynamic process (Nieborg & Poell, 2018). Through the process of platformisation, these sites evolve from a rudimentary state to increasingly intricate and sophisticated forms. Several of these websites have now become dominant players in their respective industries, such as Facebook or Twitter.

Trump versus Clinton: Amateurism versus Professionalism Hillary Clinton employed the strategy of professionalisation during her 2016 election campaign. Professionalisation refers to the process by which occupations strive to attain public recognition as professions, based on the extent to which they fulfil the supposed criteria (Smelser & Baltes, 2001). During that period, Hillary underwent a process of rebranding in order to present herself as more contemporary and fashionable, deviating from her typical image (Enli, 2017).

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016 In addition to Hillary, Donald Trump employs amateurism as a deliberate strategy for his election campaign. This is due to Trump's background as a businessman and his lack of prior involvement in political campaigns, which enabled him to effectively capture media attention and counter prevailing trends (Enli, 2017). Therefore, emulating Hillary's professionalism carries significant risks due to her advantageous position as the spouse of a former president, which grants her access to a highly influential and experienced mentor. Below is a video about the process of the 2016 election:

When Twitter is Trump's weapon An interview with Trump after the election in 2016 reviewed that Trump's victory was based on his social media campagin. The finding in 2016 figured it out that there are around 80% of the tweets about Trump appear to come from the Democratic side of the political spectrum, which mean they are the supporter for Hillary (Müller et al., 2020). But this is a double-edged knife, since more people will know more about Trump, and this lead to the side effect that the authenticity he made is can be more effective than Hillary. Trump usally wrote his tweet, with 33% authenticity to 5% of Hillary. Imagine if Twitter didn't have the platformisation process, we may not see Trump at the White House in 2016.

#MDA20009 #DigitalCitizenship #Platformisation #Election #Trump&Clinton #SocialMedia #Twitter

References

Enli, G. (2017). Twitter as arena for the authentic outsider: exploring the social media campaigns of Trump and Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election. European Journal of Communication, 32(1), 50–61. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323116682802

Helmond, A. (2015). The Platformization of the Web: Making Web Data Platform Ready. Social Media + Society, 1(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305115603080

Mossberger, K., Tolbert, C. J., & Mcneal, R. S. (2010). Digital citizenship : the internet, society, and participation. Mit Press.

Müller, K., Schwarz, C., & Fujiwara, T. (2020, October 30). How Twitter affected the 2016 presidential election. CEPR. https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/how-twitter-affected-2016-presidential-election

Nieborg, D. B., & Poell, T. (2018). The platformization of cultural production: Theorizing the contingent cultural commodity. New Media & Society, 20(11), 4275–4292. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818769694

NSW Department of Education. (n.d.). About Digital Citizenship . Www.digitalcitizenship.nsw.edu.au. https://www.digitalcitizenship.nsw.edu.au/about

Smelser, N. J., & Baltes, P. B. (2001). International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences. Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/referencework/9780080430768/international-encyclopedia-of-the-social-and-behavioral-sciences