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avelera · 2 months

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Oh GOD you, too, are an online lectures geek pls consider this your invitation to talk about favs--ones that stuck with you, current obsessions--the more the better! In trade, I'll tell you the two things I'm currently adoring: Yale's Open Course podcast on The Civil War to Reconstruction done by David Blight (man forgot more than ten other civil war historians know even if he mumbles *constantly*) and A History of Christianity by Diarmaid MacCulloch (so! worth the Prime BBC free trial <3)

Hiya! Don't mind if I do!

So 99% of the lectures I've watched lately are on the Great Courses Plus which was recently and stupidly renamed "Wondrium", which I find profoundly stupid because instead of just saying, "Hey, check out the Great Courses, yeah you can kinda guess what the streaming service offers," I have to instead explain what this nonsense term "Wondrium" means, ANYWAY, they've got lectures about basically everything.

Essentially, it's Netflix but for college lectures. YouTube has become so unreliable as far as what's actual information and what's completely made up or even racist conspiracy theory BS that I find it completely untrustworthy. Also, most documentaries are trying to prove something new, or offer a new angle on something, OR they're SO rudimentary and 101 that even for topics I know less about in history I tend to already know everything they're going to say.

So I pivoted to college lectures because 1) it's a whole series so like, dozens of hours I can just throw on in the background while doing something mindless and 2) I know it's going to be trustworthy, reliable, and provide me a baseline on a topic instead of some "new controversial spin" on it. Like, goddammit, sometimes I just want to better understand the history of Ancient Egypt, not your stupid theory about how they were secretly all space aliens or that we've got the carbon dating all wrong or whatever made up nonsense.

So, here's a list of some of my favorites!

Hannibal: The Military Genius Who Almost Conquered Rome - I consider myself about as near an expert as a non-academic can get on Rome and this lecture actually taught me some things, which is rare, so I recommend it as a fantastic deep dive!

How the Crusades Changed History is a pretty good short version that I recommend to anyone who enjoyed The Old Guard's Nicky and Joe BUT, for the best Crusades lecture, I'd recommend this History of the Crusades podcast. Sharyn Eastaugh is not just insanely informative, but her dry wit made me laugh out loud at least once an episode at the sheer hapless ineptitude of the Crusaders.

In the Wake of the Plague is a fantastic new lecture by Wondrium, the lecturer is amazing and it provides a lot of objective insights into how humans react to plagues that is VERY relevant to current events, BUT their lecture on **The Black Death in general is the one that got me obsessed with their lecture series. I watched it in the first week of Covid lockdown and let me tell you, having this super in-depth, objective look into how people behaved during the Black Death was incredibly valuable (and chilling) going into those years because it all played out with astonishing similarity. Also, anything by that lecturer, Dorsey Armstrong, is awesome. She's a Medievalist of the highest order. I also recommend her lecture on King Arthur.

**The Birth of the Modern Mind: The Intellectual History of the 17th and 18th Centuries - this one wins the award for "Lecture I thought most likely to bore me to tears that ended up being the single most fascinating I've heard in YEARS." Seriously, the way it explores the evolution of how we think in the modern era, through the philosophers who first conceived of these ideas, was jaw-droppingly fascinating. I also recommend it to writers of historical fiction and fantasy for a crash course, by proxy, of how to write people who think differently than you.

The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World - I once had beef with a post here on Tumblr that claimed that academic Classicists don't care about slaves or normal people during the Roman Empire, which is just profoundly absurd. I pointed out this lecture to them if they actually wanted to learn more about the subject instead of complaining that an art history professor may not have been prepped for a lecture about the lives of enslaved people in Ancient Rome. If that is a subject of interest, this lecture is great.

The Real History of Pirates - a must-listen for OFMD fans who want to get an introduction to historical pirates and the history of pirates in literature, which "Our Flag Means Death" owes as much if not more to than the historical figures.

**Turning Points in Middle Eastern History - One of the first lectures I listened to and still one of my enduring favorites. It's the first one I picked up for writing my Old Guard fic, Lights Out, when I wanted to write Joe from a more informed angle and I learned so much.

Understanding Japan: A Cultural History - One of my favorite lectures based on format, the lecturer picks a literary work or cultural concept as the entry point to explore the timeline of Japanese history. It's a fantastic way to give a wider and more holistic look at each era, pairing it with a cultural touchstone.

Shout-out to "The Mysterious Etruscans" because I just think they're neat. The lecturer is also very good and I highly recommend his lecture on ancient cities as well which taught me a lot that I didn't know.

Also a shout out to, "Warriors, Queens, and Intellectuals: 36 Great Women before 1400" for its subject and the lecturer who is great and she also has a really fascinating talk about the history of Spain.

Ok, I THINK that's some of the top ones! ;D

#history #wondrium #lecture recommendations #long post

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theneighborhoodwatch · 11 months

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i am sooooo normal about music

and because i am so normal about music, my first instinct when i saw this ask was to look for translations to see if there was any Lyrical Significance. i only found like 3 english translations though, and all of them seemed to be a little rough around the edges - the most accurate one i could find was this one by jeremy maxwell. still, i was Very Intrigued by what i found.

my original plan was to see if i could cobble together a translation that flowed just a little better using my above rudimentary knowledge of spanish and my Extremely rudimentary knowledge of portuguese, BUT my lovely friend @kindestegg offered to put together a quick translation that was both more accurate and flowed a little better than the ones i found. i've included his translation under the cut, complete with footnotes Also written by him.

On Sunday I read your immense¹ letter telling me everything The first time I learned² what you thought, I learned of everything And I felt³ like someone who doesn't live in the world And thus my deep silence I felt that sadness would come and change It⁴ would take over my heart

Today I don't know what I think anymore I want what I search⁵ for I wanted so much to live my future with you⁶ But sometimes things like this happen They show up, seem to show up, to show up⁷

Today nothing is left but waiting⁸ To see something happen And for a new day to come⁹ And for the silence to end and a new day to come¹⁰

TN Footnotes:

¹ I think "immense" is an accurate word here, as well as i add the "me" there because it just helps understanding better, though that is less a direct translation and more implied.

² The verb "know" here isn't wrong, however the way soube is used here is more in the sense of an ongoing discovering, whereas I think "know" implies having full knowledge even previously somewhat.

³ It's hard to translate accurately "ficar" without fully changing the verb, as in brazilian portuguese that verb is often used to signifiy many different things, including a state of being. Therefore "staying" would not work.

⁴ "It" is implied here, referring to sadness.

⁵ The usage of "searching" would be inaccurate, the verb here does not indicate gerúndio, just a present tense in general.

⁶ Small rearrangement to keep understanding.

⁷ Here the singer exemplifies a play on words which is common for this type of national beat, but it is a little hard to translate over text. Essentially "para" here is acting not as in "to" as connected to the previous verb, but rather as its own standalone connective of finality. It doesn't serve the purpose of connecting to any verb, but instead emphasizing that when things "seem to show up", they do so to in fact "show up" in a concrete manner. Hope that isn't too confusing ^^''

⁸ I am confused by a translation I've seen adding "out there", that is not implied anywhere here? It may have gotten tangled with the word "além", but that one is connecting with "de" to create what can be translated as "but". It could be also translated as "aside from".

⁹ Added connectives to keep a better flow, sentence looks weird without them.

¹⁰ Ditto.

anyways. i don't know if any relevance to welcome home wrt the lyrics was like, intentional, but if you need me i'll still be kubrick staring into my bathroom mirror while thinking of this song.

#public notice #welcome home #franklydear #*looks at my “eddie is/was one of the first to Learn” theory*#*explodes into gore and viscera*#hmmm. should i #translation #evinha #yeah. just in case.

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eretzyisrael · 7 months

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LIEL LEIBOVITZ

I am writing this on Saturday, as news outlets report hundreds of Israeli dead, and dozens, if not hundreds, of soldiers and civilians kidnapped by Hamas terrorists and taken into Gaza.

It is never a good idea to write anything as events are still rapidly unfolding, especially as neither I nor anyone else can answer the only question that ultimately matters—namely, “what happens now?” But we can answer another, much more rudimentary and no less urgent question: Who’s at fault?

There will be plenty of time to pore over how a cataclysmic disaster of this magnitude could happen, and who—from Bibi down to the IDF chief of staff, head of intelligence, et al.—failed to protect the lives of Israelis. A lot of it will have to do with people who should have known better—including former prime ministers and former and current high-level security officials—abandoning the core commitment of defending Israel and instead entertaining themselves by cosplaying some game of Demokratia, complete with donning handmaid outfits and ululating about fascism. Hysterics about your political opponents being the enemies of democracy may be fun in Kalorama; in Sderot and Ofakim, and even in Tel Aviv, there’s a price to pay for abandoning the real world and indulging in fetish play.

But the bigger mistake on the part of the Israelis is that over the past few years they have gotten the power equation that governs their lives backward: Instead of understanding themselves to be citizens of a strong but beleaguered country whose first responsibility is to protect itself, they luxuriated in the fantasy that the United States was and always would be their protector—when in fact the ruling party in America has decided that Israel is a liability.

Watch this video. That’s a Hamas drone taking down an Israeli Merkava tank. A drone operated by an organization sponsored and trained by Iran applying both Iranian tactics and, most likely, Iranian hardware to attack Israel. This happened weeks after America sent Iran $6 billion, and one week after we learned that the American government had over the past years ceded whole parts of its own intelligence units to Iranian spies.

The stage for this attack was not set in or by Israel. It was set by the United States.

For the better part of the past decade, the United States has pursued a foreign policy designed to strengthen Iran and enable it to form a strong sphere of influence in the region. This is the idea behind what Tony Badran and Michael Doran called “the realignment,” a vision of a new world order in which America partners with Iran in order to “find a more stable balance of power that would make [the Middle East] less dependent on direct U.S. interference or protection.” Those words aren’t Badran and Doran’s; they’re Robert Malley’s, Barack Obama’s lead negotiator on the Iran deal who, as Semafor reported this week, helped to infiltrate an Iranian agent of influence into some of the most sensitive positions in the U.S. government—first at the State Department and now the Pentagon, where she has been serving as chief of staff for the assistant secretary of defense for special operations. Biden himself, in an op-ed in The Washington Post, spoke of “an integrated Middle East,” using the phrase no less than three times to make clear that his administration was intent on pursuing his predecessor’s commitment to seeing Iran not as a U.S. foe but as our collaborator.

And the Biden administration wasn’t just talking the talk. It was also walking the walk, from unfreezing billions in assets to make it easier for Tehran to support its proxy Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon to sending huge cash infusions used primarily to pay the salaries of tens of thousands of unvetted “security personnel.” And while the previous administration halted all aid to the Palestinians—directly because of the “pay for slay” policies that support the families of those who slaughter Israelis—the Biden administration was quick to reverse the decision.

Lots of people argued that this was simply clear-minded realpolitik after decades of disastrous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bullshit. Here’s how you know this policy was, and is, motivated not by what’s best for America but by what would kneecap the Jewish state: Because it extended to inside Israel’s borders.

The publication on July 16, 2023, of an article by Jacob Siegel and Liel Leibovitz calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel opened a fresh debate over a topic dominated by outdated assumptions and emotional entreaties. To deepen the conversation, Tablet invited a group that includes a retired IDF general, U.S. senators and members of Congress, former Middle East diplomats, and writers from various political persuasions to offer their thoughts on the issue. Their articles, and more from Tablet's archive, are collected here.

In addition to creating the external circumstances for terror, the Biden administration did everything in its power to derail Israel’s democratically elected government and prevent it from being able to see an attack like today’s coming. That the Israelis let themselves fall for this was stupidity of criminal order. But the invisible hand here was America’s. Biden himself took to CNN to call Netanyahu’s government “the most extreme” he’s ever seen, and lost no opportunity to lecture his Israeli counterpart about democratic values. The former U.S. ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, took the unprecedented step of intervening in the country’s domestic affairs, announcing ominously that he “think[s] most Israelis want the United States to be in their business.” And if words weren’t enough, the administration also sent American dollars to support the anti-Netanyahu NGOs organizing the protests that brought Israel to a halt for months. Netanyahu was famously denied an invite to the White House; his key opponent, opposition leader Benny Gantz, had no such problem.

One idea floating around my inbox this afternoon is that part of Israel’s complete military collapse today was caused by a massive Iranian cyber attack that hacked its systems and prevented it from seeing what ought to have been obvious. That this could not only be true but related to the U.S. having recently given a team of Iranian agents high-level access to U.S. intelligence, which could very well have included information about Israeli systems, is not nearly as far-fetched a scenario as many would like it to be. And to the extent that we ever find out the truth about any of this, it will be because of Elon Musk, without whom we’d only have access to state-approved propaganda.

It doesn’t matter what words Biden says today. When you champion Iran; when you send it and its proxies money; when you reward Palestinian violence; when you go out of your way to portray Bibi as a dangerous fascist; when you finance and champion his opponents, contributing to further instability and unrest; when you hand over U.S. intelligence keys to Iranian agents; when you have your spokespeople declare it “disinformation” for people to connect obvious dots; when you do all of this, you know what is going to happen. You mean for it to happen.

Here today, then, is the challenge for Israel’s leadership: Can you accept that this is what’s happening? Can you imagine a future for the Jewish state decoupled from America? Because you must.

For at least a decade now, we’ve been told that part of what makes Israel so mighty and so safe is its superior technology, developed in partnership with America. Who, went this line of argument, needs to worry about missiles when we have Iron Dome and F-35 stealth fighter planes as part of a $3 billion military aid package? Who cares about guns and grenades when we’ve developed high-level cybersecurity systems that can strike at will? The war of the future, we’ve been promised, will be waged on computer terminals, in cyberspace—not in dusty border towns.

And then came a gaggle of Gazans with Kevlar vests and pickup trucks and small arms that brought Israel to its knees. “Startup nation” has been ravaged by reality. It is clear that the dream Israel’s elites have entertained for the past decade—to become part of the global set of people who make all the money and all the decisions and have all the right opinions and fashionable friends—has soured into a nightmare.

And now it’s time to wake up. Stop prattling about the “cycle of violence,” about faults on both sides, about “the occupation,” about Bibi’s cabinet appointments, or any other distraction.

Reroot yourself in what you should never have forgotten—which is that we have enemies not because of what we did or didn’t do here or there, or on this day or that one, or because our hasbara isn’t good enough or because it is too good, or any other pointless argument. It is because we have vicious enemies, and they hate us. Instead of trying pathetically to curry favor with American overlords by scrubbing Judaism from your streets, pray to HaShem to fulfill the promise made to Isaiah and deliver vengeance. Reject, with great force and wrath, the death cult that has gripped so much of American political, public, and intellectual life and that sees virtue in propping up benighted regimes in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We don’t need an integrated Middle East, because we don’t wish to integrate with the murderous mullahs and their packs of wild animals. We have our own interests, and if we’re smart—and if we wish to survive—we’ll never forget it again.

#stab in the back #united states #joe biden #israel #iran

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stagbells · 5 months

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Green Christmas

From: @porkcracker

To: @certifedhoodrat

Note: "Greetings and happy holidays, I hope you enjoy this little story and find joy in it. I wish a bright and happy fest in this rather turmoil full times."

Written work under readmore

Green Christmas

The change had been felt before it had become visible, and the citizens of Hallownest had been understandably wary at first, expecting some kind of negative event to happen. This had not occurred, however. First, the temperature had dropped rapidly over just a few days, resulting in a quick uptake of bugs staying in their houses. When it reached a temperature that did not drop any further over the next few days, more and more bugs braved the steps back outside their houses and, upon noticing no danger, quickly turned towards the new problem. It was far too cold to stay outside for a prolonged time; a solution came in the form of a scarf or coat. As one after the other, every survivor equipped themself with a coat or scarf, or the especially sensitive with both, the traffic inside Dirtmouth picked up again.

It was then that the second change happened. It was over night, and in the morning, there was quite a shocked uproar. Where everybug had gone to sleep with the usual greys of Dirtmouth surrounding them, as they woke, the world was glazed in a powdery white. A general wariness kept the citizens from stepping outside their houses; the white reaching up to the door step and layered on roofs regarded warily. There was only one place that looked like this usually, and that was Kingdom’s Edge. And even then, the Kingdom’s Edge might have looked similar, but the first bug to step outside and interact with the white powder was quick to notice that the white of the Kingdom’s Edge and the white dusting everything were not similar at all. Whereas the white of Kingdom's Edge held the temperature as the cold stone simply layered over each other and could be picked up with one's bare hand easily, the powdery white found in Dirtmouth was freezing to the touch, stuck to itself, and if held too long, melted into water. Once it was discovered to be safe, life slowly returned to Dirtmouth, and hand coverings were added to the new outfits of scarves and coats as well.

The Vessels, all already equipped with coats, were quickly wrapped in thicker, fluffier coats against all protests by their half sister. Hornet, remembering an instance far back, long before the Kingdom had been sealed, where it hadn’t gotten similarly cold in Deepnest, was also quite aware of the wave of sickness, common colds, had rolled through the Weaver’s and was quick to avoid her siblings having the same fate. Already she could imagine the way the Vessels would not delight in confined bed rest and medicine. Ignoring that, the red-cloaked loner was not quite sure how she would even give her siblings the medicine should they get sick. So Hornet made sure that all her siblings were packed in warm cloaks, scarves, and gloves and warmed themselves up on fire when they returned inside, something the Grimchild delighted in as well. The little wyrm was not in need of any warming clothes himself; the fire burning inside him warm enough to melt the white, called snow, around it without any effort to do so.

It came as it had come. In retrospect, no one would be able to tell who threw the first ball formed of snow at another bug, but the result was very palpable for every bug happening to be near the market place of Dirtmouth. Snow was flying from all sides, hitting faces and backs and rendering any covering useless in the long run. Quickly groups had established,

people banding together for more coverage and better protection. It was a no-brainer that Ghost and Chlorophyll ended up in a team, both small vessels quickly building up a rudimentary fort to protect themselves while aiming at the other participants. Ghost had been equipped with a big soft coat that was coincidentally rather similar in design to the Nail Master’s own and had taken to snow quickly, running around and exploring in the white eagerly. On the other hand, Chlorophyll’s mossy cloak had been insulated with even more moss, making the small Vessel look a little like a moss ball. Nonetheless, it didn’t stop either of the small Vessels from being true menaces, snow flying rapidly and rather accurately aimed at others, until the cold and the physical activity began to become too much and they were swept up by their older and bigger sibling, starleting both.

Whereas Ghost and Chlorophyll had taken to the snow well, Hollow had remained rather adverse to the white, cold powder. The cracks in their shell ached in the cold, and as such, the big Vessel remained indoors at most times; however, that did not mean that they had no coat and scarf to go out if they so desired. In this case, it was less a case of desiring it so, but more of a necessity. As the cold and the snow had set in and Hornet had begun to remember the previous cold years before the Kingdom had been sealed, she had also remembered the tradition of a festivity around the time, and the surviving bugs had taken to the mentioning of it eagerly, and the preparations for one such festivity had begun in every house, including the hut the Vessels and their sister were sharing. And now it was Hollow’s task to retrieve their smaller siblings so they may clean up and warm up before the festivity would begin with the meal of a primal aspid caught and prepared by Hornet.

The preparations went rather smoothly, and soon Hollow was watching over their siblings as they hung their cloaks near the fire to dry and warm them, the small Vessels equally warming up. Satisfied, the bigger Vessel left the room to check in on their sister and see if she needed any assistance. Watching the red-cloaked hunter as she moved through their small kitchen, they were joined by Ghost not all too long after. Both continued to watch Hornet, or in the case of Ghost, attempted to sneak a little test bite, until the older tasked them with retrieving Chlorophyll. It was then that the chaos started anew. While the moss cloak still hung by the fire, the mossy Vessel was nowhere to be found. At first, the search was still calm, simply assuming the other Vessel had left the room momentarily, but the longer the search went on, the more frantic it became. Every common place for Chlorophyll to hide came up empty, and worry began to seep in. Nearly two hours had passed, and Chlorophyll had not been found, and Hornet was beginning to consider that the Vessel had gone outside without their coat and was about to leave to search the outside, when a last surveying look through the room caught some unfitting light green in the dark green of the bush they had retrieved from Queen’s Garden.

Hornet wanted to be angry for the necessary worry Chlorophyll had caused, but brushing the lower branches aside to reveal the curled-up, most likely sleeping Vessel, Hornet found herself unable to be mad. It was somewhat reasonable after all; her younger sibling enjoyed dark spaces, so it was not unexpected, or should not have been unexpected, that they would

curl up in the shade beneath the bush to use the extra warmth to warm up quicker, and well, no one could deny the temptation of falling asleep in a warm, comfortable spot. As such, Chlorophyll was instead woken with a slight shake, and after they were swiped in a worried hug from their taller sibling, the family finally found themselves gathering around the meal Hornet had prepared and could begin to feast—a new story to remember and make their first Christmas unique in their repertoire.

#stagbells #stagbells 2023 #hollow knight

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howtofightwrite · 2 years

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My character is a 50 something police officer that suddenly finds herself in a post-apocalyptic world (think similar to Fallout), how would her training help her?

There's a little more complexity here than you might expect. Fallout alternates between three different settings, and I don't mean this in the normal, nerdy, “oh, but Fallout: Tactics, isn't canon, except for the Midwestern Brotherhood...” I mean it rotates across three different post-apocalyptic sub-genres. So, I'll dig those out in a minute.

The biggest thing is probably combat training. Even if they never had a combat specialist role (like a SWAT officer), they would still have undergone training in hand to hand, use of their baton, their sidearm, and a shotgun. They may have also been trained with various types of rifles. While it's not likely to be their most commonly used skill, it does open their options up a lot. It will also help them avoid some very bad situations. Sometimes, having a combat background is more about knowing when not to walk into someplace.

The second big boon is going to be their medical training. Even if they were just a patrol officer, they would still have undergone first aid and CPR certification on a fairly regular basis. Depending on their experiences, this might also give them a passing understanding of pharmacology (especially if they worked vice or dealt with ODs on a regular basis), and they may even be able to perform some rudimentary field surgery if there's no other option. (Granted, they also have a pretty good chance of killing their patient, but that's still better odds than the certainty of dying without any medical attention.)

The third major skill is their grasp of human nature. This is something that most veteran cops will build up over time, simply as a result of their human interactions. Now, this can result in a very jaundiced view of people, due their experiences, but this will make it harder to pull one over on them. (Now, there is a blind spot here, because your character is now in an unfamiliar world, their baseline is going to be a little bit scrambled. But, in general, they're going to have a significant advantage in reading people's behavior, and intentions.)

Depending on their background, they may have a lot of more specialized skills that could be extremely useful. Someone who worked in SWAT will have an extremely robust combat toolkit to work with, someone with a motor pool background will have an advantage in vehicle repair and maintenance (and while only two Fallout games have featured working cars, they're certainly a part of the setting.) A pilot would know how to operate a chopper (or vertibird.) Specific to Fallout, an officer with a background dealing with maintaining robotics would be able to do that, and might also have some skill with working on power armor. A hostage negotiator would have an almost frightening number of social options. A vice detective would have, likely, have a robust knowledge of pharmacology (as mentioned earlier), both in their symptoms, but also, likely, in their creation, and potential uses. Finally, detectives would still have their investigation skills, which could be very useful in their field. This is the usual, determining what happened at a location, tracking people, and so on.

So, why did I make a point about there being multiple versions of Fallout earlier? Because it affects how useful some of these skills are. Fallout, from its first incarnation, was a pastiche of an entire literary genre, which took heavy inspiration from multiple, not completely compatible, visions of a post-apocalyptic world.

The original game is bleak and subdued. You could almost think of it as a low-fantasy post-nuclear wasteland. Very little of the old world survives into the original game. It's also a world without a lot of the more fanciful elements that have become synonymous with the brand. Deathclaws are a ghost story told to frighten green caravan hands, not a massive apex predator understood to be wandering the wasteland. The super mutants are staying in hiding, while they carefully enact their master's plan. Ghouls are rare enough that most mistakenly describe them as the risen dead.

Within this context, a lot of the survival skills are likely to be the most important. Notably, there are a few cases where towns are run by their police. This is something that a veteran cop might have experience with. If they took on a leadership role, then it's quite possible they have a good background for starting, and protecting, a new settlement. Though, as the first game shows, this is an approach that can backfire horribly.

Fallout 2 and New Vegas represent a different, and more unusual, post-apocalyptic setting. These are worlds where the survivors are so separated from the end of the world that they're effectively building new civilizations. In Fallout 2, this includes a number of new, post-war cities, that have built up in the decades between the games.

These games also reflect an era when a lot of the mysteries of the wasteland have been exposed. Things like the ghouls, super mutants, and deathclaws are all known to exist, and the latter are acknowledged as serious threats.

In situations like this, some of the survival skills are less important, and it's possible your character could actually go back to doing their job, if they're living in one of the larger cities. It may seem a little counterintuitive, but these are settings where, to some extent, life goes on like it did before. With some changes along the way.

Fallout 3, 4, and, 76 all kind of operate as, “immediate aftermath,” scenarios. In spite of the mainline games being set in the back half of the 23rdcentury, their worlds are ones that almost make more sense in first few decades after the nukes struck.

Hell, Nick's personal quest centers around settling a score with someone from before the war, and while there's in-universe justification for how this works, this really is a variant of a renegade cop's revenge story. It's explicitly the kind of story you'd normally set immediately after the apocalypse, before everyone had a chance to die off of old age. Granted, there's some extra existential elements at play, but in the end, this is a story that does suffer from spending 200 years at the back of a freezer.

I hate to say this, because I don't want to tell anyone they should play it, but 76 is worth considering, specifically for The Responders. These were a mix of police, firefighters, and paramedics who set about rebuilding immediately after the war. And, ironically, if Todd Howard's dictatorial fiat hadn't put an end to any living NPCs in Appalachia, along with his driving need to wedge the Brotherhood of Steel into places where it didn't belong, 76's concept of The Responders is a pretty good model for what a character could build.

The Desert Rangers get a few stray references in Fallout and New Vegas, but they're never fleshed out... because they're a reference to the player faction in Wasteland. The actual origin, much like the Brotherhood of Steel, is the pre-war US Military group. The Rangers were original a Nevada National Guard Engineering Battalion, and immediately after the war they commandeered a prison complex, repurposing it as their headquarters.

If you've never looked at Wasteland, the Rangers have (to some extent) a more law enforcement focused approach to their territory. This is complicated by the fact that things are still more than a little messed up. However, it may give you some more thoughts on what you could do with a cop in that environment, or how people would try to rebuild after the end.

It's probably worth remembering that Max Rokatansky (the protagonist of the Mad Max films) is a former cop, and his signature vehicle was a Police Interceptor before the end of the world. In fact, the first film, The Road Warrior(1979), isn't even post-apocalyptic. The events occur as the world is falling apart around them. While this has a lot to do with the budgetary constraints of a film that (literally) paid many of its extras in beer, it is a unique apocalypse as a result.

Ultimately, depending on what their job was as a cop, your character has a lot of potential skill sets, and nearly any of them could be extremely advantageous in a post-apocalyptic environment. It really is a question of what overlaps between who they are and the world they find themselves in.

-Starke

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#Starke Answers #How to Fight Write #Writing Advice #Writing Tips #Writing Reference #post apocalypse #Fallout

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pancake-breakfast · 8 months

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There was too much cliffhanger last time, so we gotta get moving today.

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 12, Chapters 4-6 below.

Chapter 4: The Gunslinger

CW. Body horror

Wasn't this a previous chapter title? Referring to Vash?

Knives, that's not even a hand anymore. What have you done to your body, sir??

Vash has his attention. Good. I think.

Oof, Vash just burned more of his power here, didn't he.

Yeah, he did. I hope Knives is as horrified as I am.

Hiding behind the glasses. Good luck, babygirl. I don't like whatever you're planning, but it's not like I could do anything about it. Or come up with better ideas.

Yes. Yes, we are waiting with bated breath. There are TWO more volumes, and we're not even halfway through this one, and babygirl doesn't have much gold left, and Knives is in full monster mode, and where the hell are Legato and Livio and Elandira and... and... and...

I mean, kill him, absorb him.... It's not like it would be a long jump from one to the other. He already doesn't recognize Vash as an individual with a will of his own, or inasmuch as he does, he doesn't respect that will. All that's happened now is Knives has realized cowering in his own fear and following his plan for Ultimate Alone-ness(TM) is going to leave him without his brother, too. And he's decided he'd rather accept that than fail.

Ok, I love Knives' design here. It's like this terrible twist on angel presentation, with his wings looking more like teeth and jaws than wings, and with his face covered not by feathery appendages but by weird otherworldly tendrils.

Mmm, Knives looks like he thinks he got him, but I have my doubts. I don't really know what happened in the last few pages, but still.

LOLOLOL Knives was so busy being insulted by the "rudimentary" weapon Vash wields he didn't even consider that Vash might survive. Also, I bet he doesn't want to see Vash's corpse because then he might have regrets.

Knives is about to wax philosophical and Vash is like, "I ain't got time for your bullshit, bro. Get down here and fight me like a man!"

Chapter 5: +-0

Ohhhh, man. Listening to the Attack on Titan soundtrack while reading this was a mistake. As if I needed MORE feels.

Awww, teen Vash....

Wait, they chained him to a bomb?? Guys! He's just a baby Vash! He's a nice boy! Why'd you do this???

"Most of the time you don't know the person you're dealing with, but knowing their situation can change how you perceive their actions. The world keeps on turning, whether you understand them or not." Truth.

Eighty years?? EIGHTY, and they still look so young??? Also, that's a really long time to spend with someone while keeping them at a distance. It actually sounds like Vash wanted to leave but couldn't quite bring himself to, and so "arm's length" was the best compromise he could come up with. Not because he wanted to be closer and knew he shouldn't, but because he wanted to be further away and didn't know how.

And then... one day, he did.

Domina still doesn't look so good.

Mmm, so in all her battles, Chronica's never failed quite like this. One of the few spoilers I had around her was that she hates Knives, and at this point I think I can see why.

Knives always takes insult at Vash pointing a gun at him. He doesn't fear it. Only his '98 version registers it as a true threat. The rest of the time, it's just an insult. An insult that his brother would have become so distant from him to dare. An insult that his brother, a higher being, would use a rudimentary human weapon in what should be a struggle between gods. But... something something Christian imagery something Vash as a Jesus-like figure something something both Man and God and bridging the gap between the two.

Yeah, unlike you, Knives, Vash sees you as person and is absolutely not keen on taking away your right to life and all that comes with it.

Stampede just ate all this up, didn't they?

Look at that unsteady hand. Surely Knives came here to rescue him. Probably killed all the humans as he did it. Where did Vash get the gun?

Oh, shit. Knives didn't just kill up the guys who were executing Vash. He killed ALL of them.

Yeah, Knives isn't gonna get it.

Ah, tilting his head back like that. Resigning himself to a bloody victory, and allowing himself to revel in it even if Vash doesn't seem to get it.

Oh, man. He shot Knives!

Aaaand that's how Vash lost his arm.

Then what? Knives just left him there to bleed out in the desert while attached to a bomb? This seems questionable for Vash's continued survival.

Vash, NO. Don't kill yourself taking out your brother! This is NOT a reasonable option! There are soooo many people in the world still who care about you!

Also, shout-out to Knives' buggy dragon wings.

I like how in this spread Vash looks like Vash and Knives is... like... a disembodied blob.

Knives wants an all-out fight. Vash just wants victory.

Oh, Vash, honey.... You really should meet your cousin Chronica before you make claims like that. I'm sure she'd have some thoughts. Good thoughts.

Chapter 6: Resonance

Oooh, does this mean we're gonna get more Plant participation here?

Oh, man. I have a LOT of thoughts on resonance that I'm not going to write up tonight. I have to get up at the ass-crack of dawn and want to at least try to sleep at some point.

Knives has absorbed a TON of plants, and yet Vash, with his power and ingenuity, is matching him without having absorbed any.

Rude, Knives. Don't call your brother kii-sama.

Wait, Vash is stopping Knives from getting destroyed by his mini black holes? What's his plan here? Sap away Knives' power until Knives is no stronger than a human?

Oh, Smart Knives is smart. He, too, knows something's off.

I don't think Vash is here to give a lecture to you, Knives. Maybe... more of a practical demonstration, but not a lecture.

Ahhhh! Vash and the humans are trying to do the opposite of what Knives was doing! They're gonna ask! They're respecting the Plants' wills!

Oh, good. We get to see that teen Vash was rescued. Looks like he managed to shoot through the chain, too. I wasn't entirely sure.

If they were trying to spare everyone from radiation sickness, why did they chain Vash up?? Was he just too stubborn about leaving? That sounds like something he'd do.

Yeah, it would be hard to be the sole survivor twice, to know that people loved you and still had to turn their backs on you to keep you safe.

Knives, you are so smart and yet so stupid. You're like everyone else who's ever realized they're smarter than average and then jumped from there to being convinced that, because of their intelligence, they're also always right. That they understand people's hearts as well as they understands facts and logistics.

Yes, this! I just needed to wait a page for Vash to say it!

Ok, so... I've seen a lot of people talk about how pre-Vol. 10 Vash (or, really, pre-Vol. 8 Vash) is just like them fr fr with his slightly hidden depression and constant underlying suicidal tendencies and a bitterness he hides behind fake smiles. Personally, I find more resonance (heh) with post-Vol. 10 Vash, who is openly angry at certain things and has a far more clear view of his goal. I still think he runs more suicidal and/or depressed than I do, but it's not as far a jump from being suicidal to being willing to fight for a cause even if it costs your life as some might think.

Ugh, that's the stupid-ass military, isn't it. Just when it looks like the humans are getting through to the Plants, too.

I wonder if that's Brad there doing the obscuring thing. Kinda doesn't matter. It will be enough to encourage Vash, even if it's not enough to dissuade the military.

LOL, THE CAVALRY HAS ARRIVED!!!

Oh, dear, sweet Meryl. I think he knows.

It was Brad! Huzzah! Good on you, kid!

See? They just hardened his resolve.

Oof, Domina's a mess. I guess it's up to the dependent Plants now. The rest are giving up on her, even though they don't want to. Their situation is desperate and they need to know more. It's like... a very soft Knives and Vash parallel.

Archive

Trigun Vol. 1: Covers + 1-3, 4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 || Vol. 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

TriMax Vol. 1: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 2: Covers + 1, 2-4, 5, 6-7 || Vol. 3: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-7 || Vol. 4: Covers + 1-2, 3-5, 6-7 || Vol. 5: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 6: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 7: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 8: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5 + Bonus || Vol. 9: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 10: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-8 || Vol. 11: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 12: Covers + 1-3

Extra Credit: Trigun Vol. 1: Nebraska vs. Vash's Motivations, Vash's Loneliness, Vash's Depression (pt. 2 of post), Soupy Brains || Vol. 2: Coin Factoids || TriMax Vol. 1: Lina, Vash, and a Haircut || Meryl, Vash, and the Pursuit of Happiness || Vol. 5: Knives, Vash, and Hatred for Humanity || Vol. 6: Coping Series: Wolfwood, Meryl, Vash || Vol. 8: The Uncoordinated Counterattack || Vol. 9: Justice, Punishment, and Mercy, The Tolling of an Iron Bell || Vol. 10: Crucifixion Symbology (pt. 2 of post), Merging of Families, Being Childlike (And Why God Hates Chapel) || Vol. 11: New Hair, New Outlook

#trigunbookclub #trigun maximum #volume 12 #pancake thoughts

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kinderedgeisc00t · 1 year

Text

Okay, how do I do this,

Let's see uh

Okay I have nothing to copy and paste really, so I'm just going to write from scratch. Bear with me.

Hiiiii I'm Edmund Endless. I'm 18, as of last February. Seems important to put out into the world.

I'm a little weirdo. Or, well a tall one according to some people (is 5'8" tall?), But either way, I fully admit that I am in fact rejecting the term normal when it comes to my identity. I'm in fact very eccentric in between the fact that I consider things like slacks to be casual pants and almost always wear some kind of Hawaiian shirt out in public because I like the design of a short sleeve button up with desgny stuff, that definitely counts.

As far as hobbies go, I've had a bit of time to accumulate some, such as being an artist on paper and digitally, a rudimentary writer in the works, and then I look cooking and playing Minecraft (I am most certainly not a gamer but that will hopefully be something I can work on)

I also like to dress super femme [though, also, I see clothing as a thing all should be able to enjoy free of gendered norms, sooo-]. So far not anything huge since I'm working on getting a job as we speak, but once I have money flowing in, I plan to do more. I think skirts, fishnets, and makeup are all amazing things, and that's not even the start of it.

Edit: I've been considering Gothic Victorian attire... I think it's also called Gothic Lolita? Outfits I've found look cute and i wish I had them now-

Anyway, as mentioned in my blurb at the top, I am neurodivergent. As far as I know I Do have an official diagnosis but I don't know where they are because I was not the one who got them- but anyway I have Autism and ADHD. I like to think of them as additional overlays over my brain (I imagine ADHD as like the weird additional RAM space over with my left hemisphere for example) that have a few drawbacks but generally make me who I am. Everyone is a unique individual and I think that's one of the best things ;]

Formerly I was a proud owner of a surprisingly old cockatiel whom I love and cherish- he got to be 31, nearly 32, this year. And throughout the last summer, I also care for two cats- neither of which have any problem with my bird. Usually it's more a concern of if he'll bite them lol

Since my birds passing I've adopted two rescues who needed a new person and while they're not fully tamed yet, we all enjoy each other and I hope to further the bond with time and effort.

Anyway it's a fair warning that because of that I may or may not understand certain social cues, sarcasm, certain jokes, etc. I definitely understand text tones a little better even before people started employing the /srs or whatever stuff, but it's better to put that out there. I can also be a little blunt, but between autism and experiences, I do try to not be harsh if I can.

Anyway I'm running out of long things to list so I'm just going to put some additional facts down here

- I currently have at least one experience working on an alpaca farm, and as a result I have a couple vague understandings of the stuff that goes on there and why they're quite profitable.

- I really really want to dye a bit of my hair hot pink. I think it would be awesome and very outside the box. [Edit: I DID IT! I'M GONNA DO IT AGAIN eventually]

- I like scary stuff and I like silly stuff, and I especially like it when both are involved. Mainly because I see a lot of the same humor nowadays and horror doesn't always phase me (I was one of those kids who got into FNAF when I was younger so a lot of the feeling of being scared over those kind of things desensitized me a little.)

- I at one point wanted to be a YouTuber as a career, but most likely that will not happen due to the ridiculousness of the platform not likely going to mesh very well with my vocabulary at least half the time consisting of Fuck here and there- which is to say I will probably still eventually get back into that because I wanted to post things on there too.

- I've been getting into baking and I really want to try to make creamy jalapeno popper stuffed chocolate donuts from scratch. I also want to make a pizza from scratch :]

- I love Legos and I like making transformers out of them when I can figure out how to do it.

- I like music that is either from the 50s jazz era, older rock, shitposty songs, and then will wood. I/me/myself babyy :D

- I have read the entire Twilight series and shamelessly admit that I used to think it was the coolest thing when I was younger. Not So much Anymore.

- I'm a big fan of books by Rick riordan, James Patterson, and other obscure artists that right strange cool stories- such as The hitchhiker's guide which I also read the entire trilogy of four books.

- for some reason my default thought to looking cooler involves spikes and leather and you know I can't entirely say why. But I think it makes anyone look instantly cooler to be dressed in at least a cool leather jacket and heeled matching boots.

- I am in fact the person behind the two projects R.O.O.T and Enduralt. The former (Root) which I work on more because that's a long-term project and an original project. The other one (Enduralt) was just something me and an old friend kind of jumped back into for fun and I figured I'd keep the ball rolling as long as I can since I felt like it deserved to have its ideas shown in some capacity.

- I have a C shaped spine last I checked. It doesn't affect a whole lot as long as I'm careful, but I think it's an interesting fact to mention.

- through very roundabout means I am related to Johnny Cash, but not by blood.

- at some point I really want to have the space to build the model of an old car but retrofitted for modern road safety stuff since nowadays you need to have at least a partially electric car to drive on the road. I'd like to have mine look nice and cool.

- this probably should have gone upwards by the cake idea but I really like mixing foods together and at some point I intend to create my ultimate burger I've always dreamed of.

- also my favorite color is magenta and I am frustrated that it is hard to find that color in the kind of clothes I like to get because if I could I would have a lot of nice sweaters and skirts and stuff in magenta and it would be amazing-

Anyway, that's all I can think of right now, so unless I something start reblogging and adding more to the list, that's everything relevant. Feel free to ask more about that stuff and I'll tell stories like the weird uncles/dad friend that I am to people.

How the hell do I pin this-

#intro post #if you see these #hi :]

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rw-ethology · 1 year

Note

Do you have theories on why lizards and how relatively open are they to being befriended by slugcat? Them continuing to be a threat to slugpups makes sense, as well as possibility of the lizard accidentally biting the slugcat during a careless attempt at feeding (which is why I now only give them snacks by tossing and running the moment I am sure the Lizard is locked on it). But usually it seems predators take longer to form such mutualistic (suppose?) approach, especially to prey. Cycles maybe?

Looks like kind of a mixture of both generally recognising when it benefits them to stick around, and resource-guarding behaviour directed towards a creature that has made itself look very valuable.

There's two main ways a slugcat can go about taming a lizard- by establishing itself as either a source of food, or a source of protection (saving one from a vulture causes your reputation with it to go way up). Either way, you've convinced it that eating you or letting you die would be counterproductive at this point, so as long as it remains convinced it'll follow you around and protect you from its rivals and other threats so it doesn't lose out. There's probably a number of things that factor into why they'll act in this way so readily, but if you look at it as an alternate expression of other traits and behaviours they already show off, you can kind of see where it might stem from.

Lizards are incredibly food-motivated- they'll go for pretty much anything they can fit in their mouth (that's large enough to be worth the effort), and will ignore almost everything else to run and cache it in their dens, presumably to store for later instead of wasting time that they could be spending finding more. Especially considering the state of the world and limited time pressure placed on every creature by the rain, in general it's probably kind of difficult for a large carnivore to consistently find enough to eat every single cycle. A successful catch whenever you need it isn't at all a guarantee; with that in mind, them having developed some degree of stockpiling behaviour would make sense, and suggests at least a rudimentary understanding that being careful with your food supply hugely bolsters your survival odds in the long run. Likely as a direct consequence of this, many lizards are highly territorial and/or competitive to varying degrees, and will chase rivals down and fight viciously to steal each others' prey or protect their resources under threat. It's also important to note lizards have a global reputation system- if you're nice enough across the board they'll become passive and if you harm enough they'll start to fear you, a behaviour unique amongst predators that suggests as a species they're just about intelligent enough to learn from experience and observation when it's better to just leave something alone.

It's most likely these specific characteristics that allow a lizard to become "tamed" so quickly. All you're really doing is taking advantage of their ability to recognise a valuable benefit, and redirecting their drive to defend one onto you, by teaching them to associate you with good things. No matter how tasty a slugcat looks, if it's proven time and time again that it will provide more food and support (that you desperately need) while alive than it could ever be worth dead, then why on earth would you want to let it die, or allow some other creature to take advantage instead?

However, this relationship only lasts as long as you put the effort into maintaining it. If you fail to let them into your shelter or feed them enough in subsequent cycles, or throw weapons at or around them (even by accident), they'll decide you're no longer worth the effort and quickly go from warning-bites to straight up turning on you as your reputation drops. Additionally, considering they by and large don't seem to recognise the slugcat's other companions- be it other tamed lizards or pups or friendly scavengers- as anything other than a rival or something else to eat, it's pretty clear that to their understanding they really are just guarding a resource and not joining a pack; lizards are not social creatures by nature with very little need to have developed emotional intelligence (even yellows I suspect aren't very close with each other beyond their advanced hunting formations and sharing prey), and any cooperation is strictly down to improving their odds of survival, not any form of attachment or gratitude as we would recognise it. It's still considered mutualistic, as both parties benefit from the relationship, but while a slugcat might become emotionally attached to their companion, the lizard isn't really capable of reciprocating in the same way.

With all that in mind, it's likely not the case that they're any more open to being "befriended" on an emotional level than any other predator in-game- they're just the only ones you can successfully lead to believe that you might actually be more useful alive than you would be as a few extra food pips, and for that to work out in your favour. Other major threats to the slugcat like vultures, miros birds and most large invertebrates most likely either lack the intelligence to discern one prey item from another, or they're so high on the food chain there's simply no meaningful benefit they could get out of collaboration (or both). It just so happens that lizards manage to be in the perfect position on the food chain with ideal behaviour to take advantage of that it's made possible to convince them being your friend is worth it, however temporarily.

-----

BONUS: the first lizard i ever tamed. was a little bit pathetic and utterly failed to protect me from anything before falling off a building in sky islands trying to wrestle a white lizard and losing, but the several painful minutes I spent being mediocre at squidcada hunting were worth it anyway. I miss him every day. godspeed you blue idiot

#rw-ethology #main post #asks #anonymous #my screencaps #rain world #rainworld #slugcats #lizards #really good question i love mutualism.. had a lot of fun coming up with this stuff #*taming* a wild animal is absolutely not the same as *befriending* it in a way that we/social animals would consider a friendship #or like.... domestication (that is a WHOLE other beast and i Highly doubt that's where lizards are heading)#like ofc it can be friendship To You! but believing an animal feels exactly the same is assuming a lot. can be dangerous at worst #though it can also be argued that to a creature where that's the closest it can Get to caring- like reptiles- it's still really meaningful #its just a matter of perspective. even if its not Affection based you can still have a strong bond with them/be important to them #so imo of course rw lizards can still be your friend :) they think you're important enough to protect after all. thats a high honor #perhaps the highest a lizard can give #just be nice to them!!!#downpour spoilers #< nearly forgot. for slugpups ment

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revoevokukil · 1 year

Note

There’s something that’s been on my mind lately; maybe you can help clarify it for me. I can’t remember if the books really answer this. I will reread LOTL, but in the meantime, when Ciri is first brought through the portal to the world of the Aen Elle, does Avallac’h fully know the extent of her innate abilities? Or does this later surprise him? I would think he does know this and is hiding the knowledge from her, but he is still so fixated on her hypothetical offspring as though the child will provide further development of the magical abilities that they tried to genetically manipulate. Do they believe the child that they want will serve their needs in a way that Ciri either will not or can not? Was there an element of surprise once it becomes apparent that Ciri in fact already possesses the full abilities they had attempted to influence centuries prior? Also, I’m not sure I fully understand why the conjunction caused them to lose this ability to travel more freely through time/space.

We don't really know what caused the Aen Elle (& Aen Seidhe) to lose their ability to travel more freely, and it is never explained.

Avallac'h knows about Ciri's potential because, as carriers of Elder Blood, her abilities & his abilities are similar; i.e. they both can cross the threshold of Time & move through different times & places, as individuals.

The books answer this in different bits:

Avallac'h is not surprised - rather, he is annoyed & irritated - when Eredin mentions Ciri's "wild talent" to her, as they arrive in the palace.

In conversation with Auberon, Ciri finds out that "special individuals" retained their ability to move through time & space even after moving en masse post-Conjunction became impossible for the elves. Among Elder Blood carriers, this entails the Aen Saevherne & Ciri herself, naturally. (Eredin's situation is not clarified, as he is not an elven sorcerer nor involved in the genetic programme. Perhaps a mutation of the Gene? Perhaps an experiment? Perhaps amulets/enhancers of some ability that elves seem to have had long before the Conjunction (otherwise the beginnings of a genetic programme are not possible)? These are all HCs.)

During the boat ride, Avallac'h says outright: "...the gene that was specially constructed by us, may save the denizens of that world. We have reason to believe that the descendant of Lara–and of you, naturally–will possess abilities a thousandfold more powerful than that which we, the Knowing Ones, possess. And which you possess in rudimentary form. You know what this is about, don’t you? “In short, it concerns the possibility of transferring between worlds not only oneself, one’s own–indeed–insignificant person. It concerns the opening of Ard Gaeth, the great and permanent Gateway, through which everyone would pass. We managed to do it before the Conjunction, and we want to achieve it now.” - Avallac'h

It's then quite clear Avallac'h knows about Ciri's potential. Does he know the full extent? Possibly in some ways much better than Ciri & in other ways not at all - as Ciri herself does not know the extent of her powers either, and neither does the reader.

For that reason alone, Ciri is not seen as "the Chosen One" & rather as - again - "the Chosen One's" mother. Which, of course, is the subversion of a trope & a conscious choice on Sapkowski's part. History repeats itself (Ciri parallels Lara) being also one of the themes of the story and, sadly, a hallmark of women's role in history.

On the Aen Elle's behalf I can see several alternative motivators:

Even if Ciri could - through some extraordinary feat of power - open the Doors, she would still need to have the child as the elves hardly wish for the strongest branch of the Gene to be lost. A backup & continuation of the experiment is required.

Ciri opening the Doors herself would require extensive magical training, most likely; would her lifetime be enough? Is she "trainable"? Would she choose it/submit to it? Is this training more dangerous than having a child?

Pride. Could the Saviour really be a human mutant of dubious pedigree?

Pragmatism. As you noted: the child would be infinitely more controllable than Ciri herself & also, perhaps & sadly, easier to love should this still not be enough & another generation would be needed.

Purifying the Gene & making it stronger seems sensible by default if mutations of Hen Ichaer exist (& they certainly should even among only elves themselves) & can behave erratically.

Though we don't learn for certain that Ciri herself can open the Gate, we learn at the end of the Saga that Aen Seidhe did leave the Continent & that means, in the absence of deus ex machinas, that Ciri or Ciri's descendant must have opened the Doors (most likely, since a second Conjunction is not mentioned). What led up to it? Did Avallac'h foresee this (as well as Ciri's escape (he predicts Geralt will get her back, after all)), as well as some untold story that happens between the end of the books & the Aen Seidhe leaving the Witcher Continent?

Perhaps.

(It certainly creates a lot of interesting questions about his having, very likely, foreseen Auberon's death as well. A necessary evil needed at the time?)

#asks #the witcher #wiedźmin #aen elle #ciri #cirilla fiona elen riannon #avallac'h #elder blood

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buffyspeak · 2 months

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From Katniss' POV, we know that every district has specialization about their main product or industry, such as District 3 (technology), D4 (fishing), D12 (coal) etc.

What kind of economic system do you think Panem have?

If we can draw parallel with real world right now, which country is the most similar with Panem?

What's your opinion about this situation on Panem and its system?

Thank you 😊

@curiousnonny

hi there!! i saw this a while back and forgot to answer until now, so i appreciate your patience because this is definitely a real interesting subject. i'm probably not the best person to ask, tbh, as i'm not well-researched in my understanding of modern economics and find it all a little fake and strange (as in, money only has value insofar as we assign, value to it), but regardless here are my thoughts!

i don't have any specific quotes to pull, but i'm confident i remember references made to coins and possibly bills as well, so panem clearly has some form of finacial currency comparable to what we have now. it seems unlikely it's the same kind, as i actually believe that these are the kinds of things that would've retained their names if passed down so many generations later, but who knows?

it also seems, however, that the majority of district 12, at least, which is the district we are most familiar with, does not have reliable access to such currency. it's possible that the merchants do - though i find it unlikely they have it in abundance, as we see the baker regularly accepts hunting spoils as currency. the only people who probably regularly pay them in currency are peacekeepers - but in general, it seems that district 12's economy functions primarily - and could not function without - an illegal and somewhat rudimentary bartering system. we learn of a whole illegal black market center known as The Hob very early on. this actually seems to be where MOST of the day-to-day trading activities go on. it's notable because - unless i'm not remembering correctly? - even some of the merchants are known to frequent it, with katniss noting they always waited until the baker's wife left before engaging him in a trade. i could be wrong - it's possible she meant at the bakery. regardless, it's worthwhile to note that while the merchants are obviously materially better-off than those from the seam, they still live in the poorest district and it doesn't seem like even they could function without partaking in some of the bartering system that defines the district. (understanding the culture here is also signifcant in terms of understanding katniss' relationship to being indebted to others.

interesting, too, is the value we learn specific items may hold. for instance: at the start of thg, gale trades the baker a squirrel for a loaf of bread. this is implied (or maybe outright stated? i don't have my copy handy) to be a very good trade, and it's also said that the baker was likely feeling generous that day. a squirrel may be a more life-sustaining product in that it provides more protein in a meal, but A) it is an illicit product, since hunting is illegal, and therefore there is less room on gale's part for negotiation and B) fine bakery like what the mellarks make is a luxury item, with a lot of demand for it but few outside of the peacekeepers who can actually afford it. mr. mellark seems like someone who probably tries to trade fairly, but there is more value assigned to his bread than there is to gale's squirrel.

i'm also very fascinated by both katniss and peeta's changing relationship with currency at the beginning of catching fire, as we learn that, as victors, they earn (what i believe is) a monthly capitol-sponsored income that is substantial enough that they will never need to work again and are not expected to finish school. i have no doubt that this is the first time in katniss' life she has had any signifcant contact with this kind of currency, and i believe it is more unfamiliar to peeta, too, than one might expect. this puts both of them in a new kind of class inside there district (one that only haymitch had entered before them), alienating them from their loved ones in some very interesting ways. what i'm particularly interested in is understanding that this newfound wealth is framed by the capitol as a reward but is fundamentally just another means of control. while the insidiousness of this is not delved into as clearly as other aspects of the capitol's control over the victors, i think one could make a strong parallel between this and more real-world exampels of financial abuse. (i also think this is why i find it a bit harsh when people get down on gale for not accepting when katniss offers him some of her newfound wealth as a victor. i won't act like pride has nothing to do with it - though even that i can understand - but one of gale's strengths is that he really does understand the tactics the capitol uses for manipulation and control. he can't always regulate his feelings about them, but i think he implicitly understands in this situation that accepting this offer would just be one more way he was putting his life in the hands of the capitol. it's also worth noting that his and katniss relationship has always been one based in transaction. they came to care about each other in real and profound ways, but it's hard to shake that original dynamic of "i give you this, you give me that, i teach you this, you teach me that, i protect you, you protect me." only now, in this scenario, gale has nothing comparable in value to exchange for what katniss is offering him. and while katniss doesn't care about that, he obviously does. and i can understand that.)

we obviously know a lot less about every other district, and i'm not well-versed enough in economics that i feel confident in extrapolating beyond some very basic assumptions. (mainly that i assume outside the capitol, there is some sort of underground/black market trade system in most districts, likely based on their specialized industry. for example, i imagine resale of scraps of technology has a significant market in district 3. i imagine currency as we think of it is still less common than in the capitol in most districts, though i think it's likely more common in say, district 2 in exchange for the weaponry industry than it is in somewhere like district 7.)

we know a little bit more about the capitol than we do most other districts, though ofc, district 12 remains the one we know most about, as the story is told through katniss' eyes. but interestingly, even in the capitol - where most citizens are perceived as very well-off by katniss - it only seems that only those who are either in government or heavily involved in the games (which, in a way, do seem to function like a department of governement) are the ultra-wealthy. many of the citizens of the capitol certainly have this appearance - and can engage in luxuries that those in district 12 couldn't dream of - but we find it out in mockingjay that many of them are in debt, implying that there is some sort of credit system, and that those who cannot pay off their debts might eventually be forced into becoming peackeepers. in tbosas, we also learn that the war took a financial toll on some families and lifted up others, with sejanus' family rising in both wealth and social status and coriolanus' family losing his wealth and having to keep up a facade of maintaining his class and social status. while snow's family was obviously significantly impaired, i doubt he was an outlier in being financially affected by the war, and since the events of the original trilogy are really only a few generations later, it's likely that the family's acutely affected directly proceeding the war are those most susceptible to debt years later.

i don't think we can assign a single economic system to panem because the two places we have the clearest pictures of have such opposing systems, but it's clear it's complex around the board.

as for what country panem is supposed to represent - i mean, i'm obviously coming at this with narrow, western, us-based goggles, and would love to hear other perspectives! but yeah, my answer is... it's complicated? geographically, most of panem is canonically what used to be more north america. but socially, america - and the us in particular - is closer to the capitol than any of the districts. notably, though, i think most of us are far closer to the capitol citizens (who perform wealth and have access to many luxuries but are also exceedingly susceptible to debt) than the wealthy of the capitol, but all the same, i do think the story asks us citizens in particular to take a look at our lives and fill our blind spots. one could argue that it's only the government and ultra wealthy in our country who are meant to represent the capitol and that there are impoverished areas in the us that are just as comparable to the districts as other countries - which i think is fair! the point, in general, is that the book asks us to do that self-reflection, not that it gives us the answers.

#the hunger games #thg #thg meta #my meta #tbosas #anonymous #asks #curiousnonny #long post //

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dufrau · 10 months

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(questions post)

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write?

Me and @hellmo invented an AU where Nancy's hair is a portal to a Narnia like dimension where they worship her hand as a god because she keeps putting things like pencils etc in her hair and they land in Narnia and it all seems very magical to the creatures that live there. I think it turns out Karen had an affair with a faun or something and thats why Nancy is half Narnia? I think at some point Robin falls into Narnia through Nancy's hair somehow??? I will never write it because I don't fully understand it even though I invented a lot of it.

20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written?

Um. tits out for annie oakley. up until the morning of the day i posted this the doc was titled "The World On Its Side", like a very dreamy serious kind of title. But I was like... I think it needs to be lighter than that? But I couldn't think of a good title. And instead I thought of a terrible title and was just like... well now I have to call it that.

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

Usually songs. Sometimes I just roll the themes around in my brain and think about songs that fit. Sometimes nonsense titles like the one above. Sometimes phrases that just feel right. Somebody on here a couple days ago mentioned pulling a line from the actual fic and I was like �� because I have literally never considered that but I might try it at some point.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic.

Okay so I dont have any ronance that I dont plan on posting at some point eventually? But can I interest you in some terrible unfinished never posted clexa written in an absolutely batshit style that reading back has me like ??? Im just gonna post the whole thing under a cut its like 1200 words feel free to not read it lol but this is apparently how my mind was working circa january 2016

The fact was that it was a big world indeed. A person could get lost in it for as long as she might like room and time to think, and a person did just that.

The more pressing facts, multiple, were as such: that a person had killed, and killed again, and killed, again, and at the end, had killed some more, and had saved some. The math of the thing was almost rudimentary, but the broader truth, clearly or not, a thing to worry on.

And a person did worry, but she did so entirely within the boundaries of her sanity, and her regrets were measurable to everybody but her.

Losses and gains. Arithmetic.

But more than that, a problem perhaps beyond math, or, more likely, just beyond the math needed knowing for children meant to sweep the same dust their own grandparents had sneezed in, was the matter of things, which was at present: We are here. How do we stay?

Clarke Griffin knew the laws. Physics and morality. But she fell and she fell, and a person does have a limit.

So she left and she walked and she walked until she stopped, in a place that was nowhere. It was not the scene of a great battle (a great victory, however fleeting). It was not the scene of a great loss (betrayal, truly, but again, a victory in kind).

No.

But she stopped. By water, by land. She stopped, and she took what she would. And she was never hidden, as she knew she would never again be hidden on this Earth. And she never hid, as it was no longer, if it had truly ever been, in her nature. She stayed until she went, and if she feared anything, the scouts didn’t say so.

And Lexa heard it all, as a Commander must, in clumsy words, but true enough to tell the bones of it, which were: Clarke of the Sky People yet lives, her people live also, and though the winter threatens, that is all that weighs upon them now. The mountain is fallen.

The winter was a concern, always, but at present it was perhaps the lightest of weights upon Lexa's shoulders.

Always, this weighed: To be invincible was a trying thing. To be thought invincible, perhaps, was better or worse. Her people were, as a rule, practical in their admirations, but some thought her nevertheless the stuff of stardust. If none had bested her, and if she was impressive in the ways some might see fit to measure, then she was also lucky, and, often, she was right. The fact, singular, was that she won. Always, she did that.

A Commander, if she were in the habit of telling anybody anything, might tell them this: She was not at all invincible. Her armor was earned, and it was only ever as true as her reflexes made it. She held no claim to Godhood. She was young and slippery and wiser than many, but she was a girl and she was nothing more. A fool might mark it otherwise, and foolishness might have its uses, but she did not pretend.

If she was a legend, she didn't believe in it.

But if a Commander was truly just a girl, she was certainly a mindful girl. The weight of her burdens was familiar, and she carried it carefully, and everything had a place. Her lands, her laws, and, the root of all things, her people. She carried it all, and she was comforted by it.

She was grounded, until she was not.

Lexa had carried all people, always. But now, in the wake of a great victory (not hers, surely, but her people's, if only by default), she found her equilibrium all wrong, because she did not carry A Person, and in fact she never had.

And so it was that a Commander sent a message, through a messenger to another messenger, and to another after that, to a place that was nowhere, to a person who knew she'd be found, who was only ever pretending at being lost. And the words, by design, were clumsy, but true enough to show the bones of it, which were: The Commander rides for Camp Jaha, and a person would do well to be there when she arrives.

Camp Jaha, probably, had been nowhere very recently. Both the this and the that of it. An open plain, a speck in the darkness. Now, though, it was aggressively somewhere. The this had become the same as the that, all at once, and the visual of the thing was appropriately sudden.

Clarke had known the that, if only from the inside out. It was the this, to her, that was new, but, on approach, it was now the that that was the thing.

Metal, gleaming and bent. Earth, torn and burnt.

There was a place, everywhere and nowhere, where everything felt like guilt. Where a person looked, at everything and nothing, and wondered what they might have done. In this place, right now, Clarke Griffin knew a new thing, which was: This had been a war even before she knew what war was.

Mind, even from a distance (close enough. too close), it was clear: Her people survived. Fully, and actively, they were surviving. But, the that, the Ark, life itself for all of all time, sunken, stabbed, buried (a sword, a spear, a bullet most like), in the this, the Earth, life actually, since before even all time, and it was, frankly, a little on the nose.

A person might laugh, but this person, this time, she walked.

Now, another fact, always true, but for Clarke Griffin, newly known: A civilization, which is to say, people, going about the basic business of living, was a noisy, close thing. Moving, and building, and being, and speaking and speaking and speaking. And now, asking, and hugging, and crying, and looking and looking and looking.

Bellamy was the first to see her, or at least the first to see her, and he shouted and he waved, and he ran in and he ran out. And when he met her, he stopped, and he would have asked, but her mother was next, and she did not stop. And she did ask. And Clarke answered, and she noticed, as she grew again accustomed to the voice that had gotten her exactly everywhere, that Octavia came only as far as the gates, and Lincoln stayed beside her. Raven was last, but she did come, if only just as Clarke ran out of words to say. To her credit, there were, in fact, not many words at all; Clarke had been gone, and now she was back, and, as ever, war was coming.

Days followed, and nights as well, predictably, and once again the math of things demanded attention. Mouths needed meals, meals came from stores and from crops and from ever smaller projections of both. Conceptually, there was winter. Really, a person could only guess.

An estimate, on a particular day, was that for every mouth, there were two eyes, and those eyes were pointing up. Snow. Water plus cold. A miracle plus a miracle. Even so, a person might find her eyes straying to the fields, counting what might yet be saved. A person might also catch her eyes straying to the gates, counting what might yet need saving from.

#eskavibes?!?#fic ask post #clexa #i never actually posted any clexa fic #i think this is the longest chunk i even wrote #and it is unsustainable #like i cannot imagine trying to write an entire story in this style i dont know where it came from or what i was thinking #anyway im hopefully a better writer now???

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the-badger-mole · 2 years

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I just saw a post about all the past Avatars telling Aang he should murder Ozai, even Yangchen (just like in the show) and it made me think: Aang is just 12 when he run away, and when he wake up, he's the last Airbender and last person from his culture, but he is still a 12 year old! I think it's crazy how everything that he says about the Air Nomads philosophy and lifestyle is taken as true. No question. I don't think he had much time to fully comprehend his own culture and its point of view. We know that Monk Gyatso killed Fire Nation soldiers and even Avatar Yangchen implies that kill Ozai is an option that he must take because isn't about him, but the whole world.

How much of this "every life is sacred" is really true? Maybe it was just his interpretation based on his age. Besides, Aang as the Avatar should be loyal to the balance of the world not just his own nation. Shouldn't he, as part of each element, eat meat or at least wear some Water Tribe clothes? Korra eats meet, it doesn't make her less of an Airbender or Avatar.

I don't know, I just think that as someone who should represent all the nations and cultures and balance, Aang seems always pretty bias and unbalanced.

What do you think?

I agree. The Air Nomad culture was both a society and a philosophical (religious?) ideology. I am a Christian and American. When I think back on what I understood about either at age 12, it's insane to me that everyone just took Aang's word for it on Air Nomad teachings. When I think of how I was taught both American culture and religion at age 12, I wouldn't have been able to have complex discussions about either topic, let alone teach someone else about it. My understanding at age 12 was rudimentary at best. And having not had anything approaching a history class since I graduated (unless you count interesting YouTube videos, which considering one of my favorite history YouTubers is Oversimplified, you should absolutely not), I am only slightly more qualified to discuss American society at any length.

Also, understanding a topic doesn't mean there's not ongoing research and education that needs to happen. The best teachers and pastors I had understood that while they knew a lot, there was still a lot to learn, and they kept studying and learning even while they were teaching. Having studied a few languages and lapsing in all but one of them, I can tell you from experience that no matter how good you are at something, continued studies are important not just for learning, but for retaining the information you already 'mastered'.

Now consider Aang, who we never really see practicing any form of bending after "mastering" it. I highly doubt that despite being a 'master' of airbending at 12 that he was among the best benders in the Air Nomad society. He was absolutely a natural airbender, but being a natural at something doesn't equate to being the best. After all, a natural athlete still needs to be trained and conditioned. But Aang doesn't even really practice bending, not even airbending, after getting what has to amount to basics down. Oh sure, he uses his airbending, but we don't really see him actually practicing or putting much effort into getting better at it. There's no reason to believe that he would suddenly throw himself into becoming an expert on Air Nomad philosophy or customs. He was born into it, after all. He studied with the monks (who likely kept the lessons age-appropriate). Why should he study it?

It seems to me, and I would argue that canon supports me, that Aang is not only basing his decisions on a 12 year old's perspective of his culture and philosophy, as he gets older, he's probably not even retaining information to that level. I have to assume that by the time the Acolytes come around, the version of the Air Nomad belief system they're getting is probably mostly just Aang's own personal beliefs and very little actual Air Nomad philosophy.

#atla #anti aang #aang is really out here basing his decisions on a half-completed education #ask the badger mole #the older i get the less the chosen child narrative makes sense #aang needs adult supervision

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boomgun · 2 months

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Everyone Kind Of Gets This One Wrong

So, Nietzsche's Overman (I am using the clumsy direct translation instead of the german word Nietzsche uses because reactionaries still use social media and search for that word to find fellow racists and I do not wish to attract them).

Now, I am an amateur in Nietzsche's philosophical works, but I find a lot of media analyses that plays with Nietzsche's ideas with a lack of understanding of the concepts. The Overman is really misunderstood, even when people try to clarify what it means they are usually just listing what racist reactionaries got wrong instead of going into what it is on its own. For example, there are three stages a person goes through to become an Overman; the Camel, the Lion, and the Child. I am going to be a huge hypocrite and probably irk all of the Nietzschean philosophers out here by oversimplifying these stages, but I think even a rudimentary understanding of these concepts shows how much everyone misunderstands the Overman concept.

The Camel is kind of the stage of cultivating inner and outer strength, an Overman in the Camel stage is simply a person that welcomes all challenges and conflicts that come their way. They do not avoid pain or tribulations, they come to accept that life is full of struggles and that the best way to cope with the suffering is to embrace it as part of living. The problem is that the Camel has not learned to exert themselves on the world, at least not with any direction or purpose, they just seek obstacles to overcome regardless of the objective accomplished by these victories. Once the Overman begins to consciously interact with the world, they become a Lion.

The Lion is the most destructive stage of the Overman. Finding weakness and corruption in the institutions and norms of the world, the Lion seeks to destroy and violate as many of these as they please. The Lion is the incarnation of the Overman I see toted as an example in most pop culture analyses, power and strength applied in acts of destruction that the Overman genuinely revels in. The Lion has a sense of purpose and a goal, an improvement from the Camel, but the problem is that their talent in disassembling the beliefs and systems of the old world does not translate as well into building new ones and can result in a senseless nihilism. When the Lion is left with nothing left to destroy, or that few obstacles are left standing, they start to consider the new world and become the Child.

The Child is the most important stage of the Overman. The Child is really weird because the emphasis on strength (Camel) and destruction (Lion) are abandoned with a sense of innocence and joy at building a new world with new values. The Child is creative, playful, and energetic towards the task. The dour determination of the previous two stages blossoms into a mind that seeks true happiness in the world. The Child still carries the power and violence of the past two stages but are fully complete with a profound and wise sense of joyful transcendence.

Anyway, predictable of me, this is where I pull the rug out and tell everyone that this was inspired by a Fire Emblem take where OP called Edelgard an Overman and I can see where they are coming from (see again the Lion where everyone associates the destructive impulse with the entirety of the Overman), but I disagree.

There is, however, a fascinating discussion in how each FE3H lord embodies each of the three stages.

Dimitri's themes are about acceptance of the cruelties of the world and trying to find joy in the perpetual struggle that is life; the Camel. Edelgard's themes revolve around dissatisfaction with the world as it is and choosing to destroy it for something better to come out of the ashes; the Lion. Claude's themes state that a better world is possible and in fact building it is an exercise in escaping sadness and embracing joy; the Child. The funny thing is how they are weirdly missing previous stages; Edelgard believes in ultimately escaping suffering instead of embracing it (rejecting the Camel that should be part of the Lion), while Claude clearly does not see violence as an inevitability or a wise course of action in any circumstance (rejecting the Lion that should be part of the Child). In other words, they are less stages and more the fragments of a complete person or idea. Which is honestly a very interesting way of viewing the three of them and how the story is broken into three routes that some feel to be arbitrary. Perhaps the tragedy of the story is that it is meant to feel a little broken and incomplete, because our protagonists are internally coherent but nevertheless fragments of something greater and joyous that is denied existence because the metaphorical pieces can never quite come together.

Again, I apologize to the Nietzscheans for polluting their discourse with Fire Emblem and even more amateur summaries of their biggest concepts.

#fire emblem three houses #edelgard von hresvelg #claude von riegan #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd

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waheelawhisperer · 1 year

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Y'know, I genuinely wonder if cattle (and hence burgies) are even a thing in Remnant. It's not terribly clear whether or not Grimm have the same protein needs as other organisms (the kaiju-scale ones sorta hint at 'nope') or if they're territorial enough to mess with bunches of 4-H critters.

I would assume so. IIRC we see something that kinda looks like a steak at Jacques's victory dinner, and frankly the worldbuilding in this show has never been deep enough to address the question. I've been operating under the assumption that Remnant is like Earth unless otherwise stated, and thus the available plant and animal products are similar unless they have an established in-universe reason not to be. I would guess that perhaps the limited space available to the Kingdoms means that resource-intensive agricultural products like cattle might be a bit more expensive relative to other options than they would be in the real world, but I'm proceeding under the belief that they exist.

As for the other topic, the World of Remnant shorts tell us that Grimm specifically focus on humans and don't attack animals outside of territorial disputes. Despite being referred to as mindless, most Grimm we've seen appear to have at least the intelligence of an average mammal - they form loose social groups and engage in at least rudimentary communication and coordination. The more intelligent ones, at least, seem to have a rough understanding of the concept of territory, given the way the Nuckelavee patrols a loosely-defined area and has designated a specific location as its lair. Other Grimm have also been shown to recognize the advantages of terrain and den in areas that offer them better shelter than other areas.

Given that Grimm don't attack animals, I don't think they require nutrients. They've certainly eaten humans before, but my interpretation of that pattern is that it results less from a need to sustenance and more from a need to destroy - Grimm hate humans and act aggressively toward them, and most of them are based on animals that use their teeth as either primary or secondary weapons. Chomping someone in half is more so a convenient means of attack than a source of nutrients.

#rwby #analysis

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