#i found a new ld fan

[gr1mstar]

I'm a huge Dark romance book girlie

So can you write LDS boys finding out what she was reading like they had no idea reader has a fascination with dark romance books with psychotic ml or villains

I'M BETTER `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

note. i'm also a huge fan of darl romance books so i had fun writing this. thank you for your request love. also, i'm sorry for the wait, i hope you like it.

contains. love and deepspace boys x reader, fluff, sfw.

ZAYNE

you both had this hobby of reading, so it wasn't strange when zayne found you on the sofa in the living room of your apartment, reading a new book.

the only difference between you was that zayne read books related to medicine and history, while you liked to read romance books. zayne knew that you weren't into history or medicine, so he didn't bother to explain in detail what he read, but he was more satisfied listening to you complain that the two protagonists are stupid that they don't see that they love each other others.

at least zayne liked listening to your stories until they disappeared. suddenly, you started not telling him anything.

so curiously, when you put the book down to go drink a glass of water from the kitchen, he took the book you were reading at the moment, wanting to see what makes you stop sharing the plot of the story.

after some time, making your way back to the living room and seeing zayne with the book in his hand, his face red and a shocked expression on his face, you started to laugh subtly.

"what is it? what's with that expression?"

speechless, zayne puts the book down, moving closer to you.

"to understand that this is how you want me to be too?" he said, placing his hands on either side of your waist.

"what?"

"to talk to you like this… to tie you to the bed with something and make you stop walking the next day? to be crazy about you? what do you say?"

XAVIER

seeing you blushing in front of the book you were reading, xavier couldn't help but ask you what you were reading.

"ah, just a romance book." was your answer, returning to reading, the blush on your cheeks not disappearing.

not satisfied with the answer, xavier sighs and sits back with his head in your lap. thinking that he had nothing to lose, in a second the book you were reading now was in xavier's hands, his eyes on the lines you had just read.

"what is this?" he asked, flipping through a few pages and then looking at the cover. a smile appeared on his face. "do you like this stuff?" he continued, handing you the book back.

you didn't answer now the blush in your cheeks being much more obvious than before, your gaze moving down, avoiding his.

"i understand that you like antagonists more than heroes, right? someone obsessed with you?" xavier said, approaching you with big steps, now being a few millimeters away from you. bending down, his face was directly in front of yours, and with the help of a hand he forced you to look at him, grabbing your chin and turning your head.

"you're lucky, princess. i can be mean sometimes, but you have to take responsibility for it."

RAFAYEL

rafayel never understood what you like so much about books. it is a fictional story, with a fictional person. why waste your time reading about them when you have him, alive and very sexy, in front of you.

this, out of curiosity, he tried to read one day, when he had no painting to complete.

getting into bed, with a cup of coffee 'for energy', he started reading the last book you recommended, not expecting what would happen next.

the hours passed quickly, and in the middle of the book Rafayel lay down, looking at the time in wonder. the whole day had passed, and all he had done was read.

"i lived to see this too." he heard, immediately seeing that it was you at the door. "are you reading?" you asked, laying down on the bed next to him.

"let's say. i was curious why you like it so much." Rafael answered, leaving the book on the bedside table and taking you in his arms.

"and did you like it?"

he didn't say anything, taking his face into the crack between your shoulder and neck, inhaling the aroma of your body. he didn't want to admit that he liked the book, being too ashamed to tell you that now he understood why you liked it.

"so you like it." you said, laughing lightly.

"no. I'm better."

© 2024 gr1mstar — all rights reserved. please do not copy, modify, repost, translate, or claim my content as yours.

#jjk #xavier love and deepspace #love and deepspace xavier #love and deep space #love and deepspace x reader #love and deepspace #love and deepspace zayne #xavier #lnd xavier #xavier x reader #lnd rafayel #rafayel x you #love and deepspace rafayel #rafayel love and deepspace #rafayel x reader #zayne fluff #zayne love and deepspace #zayne x reader #zayne #lnd zayne #caleb love and deepspace #fluff #headcanons

[goodoldfashionedengineer]

I like analysing shit.

I like Red Hood: Lost Days

So I am going to analyse some of it.

To start with, lets look at the titles of the issues.

#1: The First Step

#2: Baptism

#3: School

#4: Higher Learning

#5: After School Activities

#6: Benediction and Commencement

What immediately strikes me is how all of these are relevant to the issue AND as a whole. They are describing a life fresh from birth to how that life progresses until graduation. Extremely important when considering that this is basically Jason's second life. He died and now he is "reborn" after being put into the Lazarus pit.

The First Step: The fact that the title name was on the page in which Jason was pushed into the Pit lets me believe that this IS the first step, as Red Hood: Lost Days explains the time between him being found by Talia to him becoming Red Hood. This is the first step in him becoming the Red Hood.

Baptism: Not exactly clear as to what "Baptism" is referring to here. I have multiple ideas. First, there is the possibility that it is a continuation of the last issue, as that issue ended with Jason being pushed into the pit and in religious baptisms, water is usually connected to it as the person being baptized is getting water poured onto their head. But it could also mean a non-religious baptism as in he is starting a new role. He finally gets to train with a clear mind and can properly start his journey.

Issue #3-#5 are relatively similar, all him explaining his training and stopping the evil schemes his teachers are involved with.

Benediction and Commencement: Commencement, he has completed his training or "graduated" if you take the school aspect into account from issue 3 to 5. Benediction, he gets his blessings from Talia to finally confront Bruce after stalling him so long. Commencement, "the beginning of something new". The issue ends with him picking up the Red Hood helmet, before that, he met up with Hush. The beginning of the Red Hood.

Next I want to focus a bit on religious imagery. I am not a big fan of it in general, but considering that words like "Baptism" and "Benediction" are in the titles, it is note-worthy. If it is something you're uncomfortable with, feel free to skip this section

I have seen people make the point that this cover:

Has similarities to pictures of Mary holding a dead Jesus.

And now that I think about it more, I can see why and they are pretty good stand-ins.

Jason came back from the dead, like Jesus.

Talia found Jason after he came back. She considers it a miracle. Like fate WANTS Jason to live. He wandered into her life. She isn't so much as interfering with fate, as stepping out of its way.

And then you have this page:

Jason as he has his arms spread wide, legs forming almost a straight line. Similar to Jesus on the cross.

The Lazarus pit isn't green. It's orange and yellow. It shines so bright. Ra's says it burns in his heart. He tells Talia it could turn Jason mad in a few months, years or decades. That she has unleashed a curse. A pestilence. Pestilence being one of the for Horsemen of the Apocalypse. And so, the Lazarus Pit becomes a symbol for Hell.

The fact that Jason and Talia are more distorted versions of the religious figures they could represent becomes more prominent as the story goes on. In the bible, Jesus goes back to Heaven to rejoin with his Father. In this story, Talia is told and knows that she should return Jason to Bruce. But she doesn't. Because Jason will see it as betrayal and he wouldn't forgive her for that.

My last and favourite point is how RH: LD is the perfect set up to Under the Red Hood.

Jason explains how it isn't about the Joker. Or Bruce. Or him. It's about the three of them.

Bruce was supposed to protect him.

Joker killed him.

Bruce didn't avenge him.

He tried to kill both of them only to NOT do it and walk away.

Jason died away from Gotham in Ethiopia, but not before being beaten with a crowbar, the building he was in having exploded and then asphyxiating due to the smoke.

Jason almost killed the Joker by setting him on fire. (Explosion)

He initially wanted to do it in another location. (Ethiopia)

He wanted to do it slowly. (Crowbar)

Jason says when the pain would hit the Joker, he would scream. Until it hit his throat. His lungs. (Asphyxiating)

He is reliving his own death. He wants his murderer to go through the agony he did. An eye for an eye one could say.

"Reliving his own death" is an objective statement here, as Jason sees the Joker swinging a crowbar that is dripping with his own blood while at the same time also standing right above the Joker, who is drenched in gasoline.

Now I want you to compare these two scenes. This is when he was about to kill the Joker:

The panels switch between Jason and the firelighter, present Joker and past Joker. The firelighter, the device that would end the Joker's life, comes more and more into the focus. Until he disengages it on the last panel.

Now to the second scene, when Jason planted a bomb under the Batmobile and was about to detonate it.

The panels switch between Batman and Jason. Jason is hovering over the detonater. Until he pulls away.

When Jason explained to Talia why he walked away from the Joker, he said that it wasn't enough. It was only ever about the three of them, not just Joker. His plan doesn't include murdering Batman anymore.

But the reason Jason gave Talia why he didn't kill Bruce? "I couldn't let him get off so easy. He'd never know what happened. He'd never know knwo why. He'd never know it was me." One could wonder if we are supposed to see this as a parallel as well. If we should apply this reasoning of why he didn't kill Bruce to why he didn't kill Joker.

The Joker would never know why Jason killed him. He doesn't even know that it IS Jason who is about to murder him.

And while is plan doesn't include killing Bruce anymore. Nobody said anything about the Joker.

As I said, perfect setup to Under the Red Hood.

#I loved analysing this #jason todd #red hood #dc #dc comics #batman #batman comics #bruce wayne #dc joker #joker #the joker #jason peter todd #red hood comics #red hood lost days #character analysis #comic analysis #comic panels #jason todd meta #talia al ghul #religious imagery #religious themes #comic panel #comic #comics

[thelonesomequeen]

Seems like Chris deleted photos that show a lot of his house(s). I wonder if that was intentional so people won't be able to pinpoint his exact location/any new real estate he buys (looking at you Portugal!). Have y'all heard anything about the Architectural Digest? I could see him changing his mind and backing out of it tbh

We haven’t heard anything new other than the receipts we shared last time that proved everything was prepped, lined up ready to go in July and then suddenly nothing other than LD going forward with their own post about it and changing the name of the location.

But I do agree with you. Ariel and I were discussing just this and I was chatting with someone else in the fandom last night about how this seems like a concentrated effort to hide his personal life, family, homes, etc. Because I don’t know that when he was posting before he realized how much he was showing in the background with his posts that made it possible for fans to narrow down locations. And I don’t mean in the harmless way of pointing out if he was in MA or LA, but some people in the fandom went as far as to share his and other family member addresses. A couple of years ago he posted about trees, and days later a group of fangirls posted a photo from the same spot of the same trees saying they had found the trees/his house. We called it out at the time and a lot of people came for us saying it was harmless. We didn’t think it was because we were worried about people going further the next time. And that exact thing happened when a group of fans took a photo from outside of his house the next time. We saw fans this year claim they drove past his house on wedding weekend. Another fan was unhinged enough to fly to MA and show up to his house because they were convinced THEY were his soulmate and not Alba and “needed to find him” before it was too late. And that’s only the stuff we know about because the people who did those things openly talked about it and posted receipts like they were these amazing fandom martyrs and not complete stalkers.

I’m willing to bet worse has happened recently that we don’t know a thing about and he’s finally gone on lock down with his personal information to try a protect his friends and family. And more of that idea is backed up when there were places like Zillow or Google Maps that showed even just the street view of some of these homes and they’ve since been blurred out from the websites. There has been a concentrated effort to remove specific information from the internet. And good for him, I don’t blame him for doing that whatsoever. I think it’s a smart move that should have happened years ago honestly. I just hope nothing worse happened to him or his family because of fan behavior that we don’t know about, but I don’t have faith that it hasn’t happened because we’ve seen too much unhinged behavior occur as is. 🦎

[worldismyne]

Kay Soul Eater fans, finally finished Fire Force

Between the shift in tone and the way they developed the characters, I'm still of the opinion Soul Eater > Fire Force.

But below the cut are my pros and cons for it as a lore prequel

Pros...

The concept of The Evangelist being driven mad by humanity's negative desires and that being the precurser to Asura. I liked the idea of Asura being a Fury driven made by conflicting ideals of justice, driven to fear his own father due to how humanity persieved him for my own fics. The Evangelist was just that, with elements of Asura's design in it, so I'm going to go ahead and say headcanon confirmed.

Arthur's hope and dellusions making Excalibur. Having a creature born from humanity's desire to do good and watch over the new world beginning to end was sweet. And also he was a crazy lil shit the whole time? Perfect.

The cyclical nature of the world. (I.E. the birth and deaths of new worlds being more symbolic of great change, rather than the actual end of the world). This lines up with a lot of anchient myths referenced in both series. Ragnarok's literally named after that concept (specifically the war of the gods). So to have that concept canonized and for SE to start at the beginning of another apocalyptic war where the very nature of the moon and stars changed with new gods awakening is good. Neat, love to see it.

Black Star seemingly being named after the Great Cataclysm. In SE he mentions his name meaning "returning to darkness" and kinda hating it. I found that odd since, clearly that's not what that phrase means in English. (Also, according to SEN, he chose to keep it). But seeing the black sun at the end of FF made it all click.

Witches and Shinigami-sama being two side of the same power. (Liking the concept here, not the execution).

Maka's parents reading to her abt this. You know that lil perfectionist enternalized the shit out of this story. (I'm also a sucker for lil kid designs)

Mid/Neutral

The heavy influence of the Bible on the world building and seeing how that's translated through a Japanese cultural/folklore lens. Interesting to see all that interact with Greek mythology. I was getting in my head abt doing that in my own fics on accident (s2g I'm not trying to make Black Star anime Moses, but now I'm wondering >_>) Always fun seeing how people on the outside interpret something you grew up with.

Kinda like the idea of 8 pillars. I would have rather there been more balance with what the pillars represented instead of an edgy version of Inside Out. It seemed more like a way to countdown toward the apocalypse as opposed to something sustainable in the world building, but I get the idea they were going for. Minus points for them not aligning with any of the Old Ones from SE.

Whimsy being the core part of SE. Like, yeah cartoon logic is abundant. Kind of a clever twist, but also a bummer it insinuates heroes would only exist in a cartoon world.

Animals having magic being different from witches with their own patron diety. Makes sense in the grand scheme of things, doesn't line up with LD thinking Blair was a witch then. LD, did you want Maka to fail the first time on purpose >_> I'd buy that tbh.

Cons

I've said this before, I'll say it again, no god of death??? The more research I do on shinigami, the more this seems like an oversight (they just kinda watch, they don't decide who lives or dies). So you have a god of creation, you have an other world/ afterlife, but no god charged with taking good souls to the other side. Humanity clearly wanted that, they had nuns to pray for it to happen, but that somehow hasn't manifested in the two iterations of the world we've seen? Also would have preferred seeing more than two Old Ones ngl.

Shinigami-sama being able to take godhood from someone. I get that you gotta reset the status quo, but... If he could do that, Asura shouldn't have been an issue. Especially since he's the one who gave him the power in the first place. Why didn't he pull and Aang?

The first witch being Kim with less agency and less control over her power, didn't love it. There's so many different ways they could have set up the catalyst of witches v shinigami. Like nature vs nuture or any other number of things would be more interesting than "catch me if you can". They have a whole realm and religion by the time of SE, there's no seed for that introduced at all.

Where are the werewolves? They supposedly had a whole clan of immortals. Everythings better with werewolves.

Honestly don't buy Rekka being granddaddy Star Clan. There's very little that ties him to the way of the assassin, or the aesthetic other than the eyes. Another missed opportunity.

Are dopplegangers still a thing? Kinda unclear on that one, considering how many were left walking around. This could just be me forgetting something that was said though.

More of a nitpick than a con, the translation I read Shinra said he "changed the value of a life" in order to bring his friends back. Implying death isn't as serious now? That just doesn't feel true given the wieght of character deaths in SE, Sid being the one exception. Just left me feeling a lil icky, didn't like it.

Claiming Kid was in anyway modeled after Shinra. I would have taken LD commenting on Soul looking like Shinra or Black Star acting like him, but Kid is the farthest from that character in every way. Once again, if he was going to do that, Asura was right there. (Also is it just me or did LD seem surprised Kid appeared??? Like humanity manifested him?)

#soul eater #Fire force spoilers #*not that mad mostly being faceitious*

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls Season 2, Episode 15, "Lost And Found", Aka The Bracelet Has Breached Containment, Aka BraceletGate, Aka QuarterOnAStringGate, Part 5

We last left off in the eye of the storm...things are seemingly calm after Lorelai left work in the middle of the day to help Luke look for a new apartment, but of course, this being Mid-Season 2, shit's about to hit the fan as it often does in the last 10 minutes of these episodes. (You can find parts 1-4 and all other episodes in my pinned post). Lorelai thinks she has Luke Danes all figured out. LG: You'll meet someone one day. Probably at a Timberland (boots/ flannell/outdoor clothing) store. You'll ask her out, you'll pick her up, take her on a "patented Luke Danes' night of romance". Juice bar, batting cages, then you'll ask her back to your apartment... LD: I'll give you any amount of money if you stop talking. Allow me.

But Luke doesn't give her any money and she keeps going. "You'll lead her upstairs to the apartment door. You pause. Gaze into her eyes. The stage is set. Fate is waiting. You open the door. She sees your teeny tiny apartment. One room and no closet space and Jess' feet sticking up into the air, because you never did get rid of his dead body." (calling back to earlier in the episode where she said no one would notice for weeks if Jess died under a pile of fallen boxes). Why you gotta bring him into this. Leave his poor little feetsies alone. The feets are innocent.

I skipped past the end of A Tisket A Tasket and never took the time to #AdmireTheBaby in his white sockies so let's do that now.

Pictured: The Quarter on A String and veiny arms. He's wearing a shirt with his name on it. Where did he even find a patch that said Jess in Stars Hollow? Who sewed it on? Why are your arms so veiny? By the looks of that old fashioned phone Luke isn't getting internet in his apartment for at least another 10 years. Your watch is so chunky. Who's guitar is that? Can I borrow your hair tie? Why did your hair never look like this again? Me in Jess Mariano Overstimulation:

Okay, where were we?

“…Then, she sees it. The single bed. You know what they say, never ever date a guy who owns a single bed!” Lorelai’s not subtle Luke-Style rant about single beds evaporating Luke’s chances of getting laid any time in the next decade continues for another few moments, until Luke agrees to sign for the apartment just to shut her up and go home. Lorelai’s nagging wields such tremendous power.

Lorelai catches Jess emerging from Rory’s bedroom (Rory's not home, probably still stuck in the unfathomable hell that is watching movies at Dean's house). No doubt our boy here was up to something nefarious. They have a tense exchange of words which Jess eventually manages to okuh his way out of and go on his merry way.

#AdmireTheBaby

From Lorelai’s POV, I can readily admit that it might look suspicious. For once, Lorelai actually has a real reason to be sus and it’s not just her usual unfounded paranoia.

But because she just has to crank everything up to fucking 11, and she just can’t be *normal* about anything, ever, I will not be waving my Lorelai Gilmore Support Flag today. (Dean has one too. Yes, there will be maybe 3-4 occasions in the future where I side with Dean Forrester. Shudder).

Lorelai heavily side eyes Jess, then scans Rory’s room, as if she suspects Jess just got into the fat reserves of cash and valuables Rory keeps under her mattress. But she’s really just looking for a Quarter. Speaking of shady, suspicious characters, we then cut to Taylor intercepting Luke at the market, and find out that naturally, Taylor owns the apartment building where Luke wants to move.

In my horror spinoff titled: The Hollow: Jess Mariano's Revenge, who should snap and mow down Taylor Doose in cold blood first? Jess or Luke? First Taylor sabotages Luke's attempt at moving. He installs a traffic light in front of the diner without informing Luke first. He annexes the diner to build an ice cream parlor. And you best believe I'm definitely missing a few of them. Didn't he even try to open a competing breakfast service across the street or was that purely Kirk's doing? Taylor also has his slimy hands on the PTA, he committs censorship at the video rental store, and other ventures too numerous to remember.

Hallelujah for more glorious filler. Waste as much time as you possibly can, fellas.

Luke's gonna need some of that 75 cent Tylenol right about now.

WIth 10 properties + all the money he embezzles with the weekly festivals and "charity book sales" you would think he's so rich he could move out of Schitts Hollow (!!!), and like, retire to Florida or something, where he could live among his fellow Karens, measuring the heights of the blades of grass on their properties. Just leave everyone else alone. LD: What are you doing, buying up the town? TD: Well, not yet, but someday, who knows? That is truly ominous, but on my gritty Gilmores spinoff titled Schitt's Hollow, big coroprations are going to move in and flatten your 10 properties, including your market. Hello Walmart! (if during the course of production for Schitt's Hollow I can't afford to use the Walmart trademark, I'll just have a meteor flatten the town. Can't go wrong with meteors).

Cause Schitt's Hollow is filled with a bunch of spineless jellyfish. You're our only hope, Luke Danes. LD: You can't tell people what color to paint their buildings. TD: Someone has to. LD: No they don't! We don't live in a fascist country! TD: The fascists had their faults, but their parks were spotless. Oh dear.

They really had Jackson run for office in this show when Luke Danes should be the Mayor (or Town Selectman, or whatever) of Schitt's Hollow. Not that he'd ever want that bullshit job. Can you imagine Luke leading one of the town meetings? DELIGHTFUL.

Oh hey I found Jess Mariano's stunt double on the left.

In that moment, Luke Danes saw God.

Oh no, he didn't just go there. He goes on to explain that even though he's aware Luke has a sentimental attachment to the sign, it will confuse tourists. He wistfully describes his dream of opening an additional property where he can sell collectible plates. All that stands in the way of Taylor Doose's quest for power is a decent human being trying to make a living named Luke Danes. There are no tourists in Stars Hollow. They're just people who took a wrong turn and got lost trying to find something more interesting in Connecticut. Like the Pez Museum.

How Luke Danes has not completely stroked out from the stress of living in Schitt's Hollow, merely halfway into the second season, is simply incredible. His eyeball should be popping out. There should be veins throbbing in his neck. He is remarkably calm. We should all strive to be this calm in the face of overwhelming bullshittery. Please teach me your ways.

Alright, that settles it, in my horror movie spinoff titled Schitt's Hollow: Jess Mariano's Revenge, we're gonna have an uncle-nephew killing spree contest. Whichever relation can mow down the most annoying townies by the end of the movie will reign victorious. TD: It's people like you who keep Schitt's Hollow from being one of America's greatest towns! Luke is .2 seconds away from going nuclear and Taylor finally tucks his tail between his legs and retreats as he throws Luke's apartment application in the trash, sadly ending this entertaining b-plot. This leaves me with another 7 minutes to watch the rotting meat that is BraceletGate.

Okay Jess, you are one helluva slow worker. That gutter is still stuffed to the brim with leaves. The fuck have you been doing all this time?

Going back to my point that every word Jess says is imbued with meaning. That "How thoughtful" was as loaded as the earlier "that's ambitious". I'll call it Gourmet Sarcasm. Rory explains how she wasted her day looking for the QOAS in every place she could think of. What happened to Butthead's Bargain? The one where Rory agreed to watch movies all afternoon with Dean, a sort of torture condemned by most human right commissions? After all that she still had time to look for the QOAS? Maybe Butthead was merciful and released her from her end of the bargain. Allow me to break down some RorySpeak for you. Jess: It was just a bracelet. Rory: He won't see it that way (I'm scared of Dean). Jess: Not like you lost it on purpose. Rory: He'll read something into this (I'm scared of Dean). Things have been weird between us lately (I'm scared of Dean), but you don't care. Not only does Rory expect Jess to have a vested interest in her relationship with her mother but also with DEAN? And she also expects him to feel guilty for not caring enough about these things...? Narrator: Deep in his heart, Jess Mariano did care.

#AdmireTheBaby JM (with a mischevious lilt in his voice): I think you should keep looking. Things you lose are usually right in front of your face. Check the house again. #HintHint

Narrator: Dean Forrester, would in fact, not get over it.

Rory comes into the house to meet Lorelai where they discuss how they've turned the house upside down and looked 1,000 times. Rory is elated to find the QOAS under her bed. After she declares her plans to "celebrate later", she runs off to tell Lane to stop praying for her. Oh sure, millions of children are dying every day, but for some reason God answered the prayers of Lane Kim in Bumblefuck Connecticut who asked him to help her friend find her shitty boyfriend's shittyquarterbracelet.

Lorelai's got that shit-eating grin on her face, the one she always puts on when she's pretending to be happy for Rory but actually she's quietly seething underneath the surface and when her daughter is out of sight she's going to unleash holy hell on someone.

Target acquired. Oh dear. I'm really going to have go into part SIX with 5 minutes left in the episode.

#gilmore girls #denise rewatches gilmore girls #anti lorelai gilmore #luke danes #jess mariano #milo ventimiglia #gilmore girls season 2 #lost and found

[blueeyeswhitegarden]

Day 14: Halfway to Heartland Tower @arcvmonth

While I think that the Xyz cast tends to be put on a bit of a pedestal among fans, I still like them too. I like the contrast between Yuto and Shun in their initial appearances. Yuto was set on trying to protect Yuzu, thinking that she was Ruri, and while he was set on getting information from Sawatari, he was also willing to stop the duel once he knew that Sawatari didn't know anything about Academia. He only finished it because Sawatari was still set on winning the duel himself. Even when he dueled Sora, Yuto deliberately held back from winning because he didn't want to even make his enemies suffer. Even though he was forced into this Dimensional War where he has to protect himself and his friends, Yuto still was pretty gentle underneath it all.

Shun by comparison was much more aggressive. He targeted LDS members, carding them to get Reiji's attention and hoping to have a hostage exchange to get Ruri back. He was much more set on fighting back than Yuto was and full of more anger. Not that Yuto himself didn't have his own anger problems, but that Shun's anger was much more on the surface compared to Yuto's. Both of their earlier appearances in season one really helped to make them more mysterious and unique.

I also like Shun's development. I just like seeing him become less of an angry bird over the course of he series and I think it works pretty well. While his anger is understandable, I think not willing to trust anyone outside of his hometown was a big issue. Granted, he said his after he found out that Dennis was a spy, so that made him even more defensive. Becoming friends with Crow was his first real step in letting down his walls a bit. The Bird Bro Fist is also just amazing. He seemed more comfortable and willing to work with the rest of the Lancers afterwards as well. I like his friendship with Yuya as well. I liked their chemistry during their duels and just seeing Shun being a bit happier with him was just really nice too. After seeing Yuya's duel against Jack and how it brought the City together, I could believe that made Shun trust Yuya more as well.

I actually like Arc V Kaito quite a bit as well. Maybe it helped that I'm not a huge Zexal fan to begin with, but I kind of liked the changes they made for this version of the character and I think he generally worked for the role he was given too. He felt more like season one Shun in terms of being aggressive and hostile, even towards his allies, and that's why their duel worked. It was to show how Shun had changed over the course of the series up to that point, while also laying the foundation for Kaito's change, and I think it worked well. .I also really liked his Cipher deck, to he point where I wish we got to see more cards for that archetype, and his new Galaxy Eyes ace monsters were really cool too. I really liked that he got to duel in his black coat. Kaito's design never looked good to me with lighter color schemes, including his Photon Change Mode back in Zexal, so seeing him duel in his default outfit was nice. I liked his teamwork with both Ed and Shun during their duels near the end of the series as well.

I also really liked Yuya vs. Shun. I thought it was a good matchup and a solid last duel for Shun. I also think that it gives Shun better closure than fans tend to give it credit for. Shun was lashing out at Yuya after hearing Leo's theory about the other counterparts being erased, and he was going to accept that they were gone if he lost. But he didn't even after he lost. He felt Yuto's presence in Yuya, which made him realize that both Yuto and Ruri were still alive in Yuya and Yuzu respectively. Unsurprisingly, Leo was wrong. The counterparts weren't gone forever or erased from existence like he said earlier. The whole point of the match was to give Shun hope, something that I don't think he ever really had despite fighting Academia for so long. He knew that they both live in Yuya and Yuzu and he had hope that he'd see them again, which he did in the finale. This is a huge reason why I've never liked the notion that Shun is sad and alone forever post-finale. It always felt like adding unnecessary angst to his story while also ignoring the resolution to his duel with Yuya. Admittedly, it might also help that I've never agreed with the fan interpretation that the counterparts are dead after they merge. I understand why fans treat it as such, but it always felt more like fan interpretations treated as if it was canon to me. This is also one reason why I don't have a problem with Yuya and Yuzu being permanent fusions with their respective counterparts. Even if we go with that interpretation, Shun still has friends like Yuya, Crow, Kaito, Allen and Sayaka, so he wouldn't be dealing with any grief all on his own anyway. This is also one reason why I feel mixed on Shun's Duel Links event, but I'll cover that more for that prompt later. My point is that while it might not have been an ideal happily ever after ending, I still think that Shun feeling genuine hope for the future instead of being full of anger or sadness over not being with Yuto and Ruri again does end his story on a hopeful note.

#Arc V #Arcvmonth #Yuto #Shun #Kaito

[talesfrommedinastation]

Let's Talk: Space Living!

Medina Station’s interior was explored as a rudimentary part of The Expanse show, and more is discussed in the books and the upcoming comic series. 

However, as a science writer with a background in physics (and who has an interest in gardening), I wanted to explore more of this possibility of a self-sustaining ecosystem that serves as a crossroads of empires, galaxies, and everything in between. The prairie and fields of Medina’s interior, to say nothing of the residencies that we will explore later on in Far Past the Ring, 

Why are they in a cylinder? Medina Station’s structure is not fan made, it is the actual design that started in season 1 of The Expanse. Originally designed as the LDSS Nauvoo, it was created as a generation ship for the Latter-Day Saints to eventually find a new colony. The ship was designed so that thousands of LDS members could live and survive in space for over a hundred years, until they made it to Alpha Centauri. Things happened, and now it’s a station.

 But the station itself was created, similar to an O’Neill Cylinder (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Neill_cylinder), to create both artificial gravity and a structure that would allow the colonists to farm and live as they traveled.  This is a common trope in many advanced science fiction pieces (you might recognize it from Interstellar and Mass Effect), Additionally, by constantly tilting, it creates not only gravity, but a stronger force, which, though it doesn’t seem like much, does allow for humans to receive adequate amounts of gravity, thus negating the effects of low-g on their bodies that many Belters have faced for generations. 

(Image taken from the subreddit, r/StableDiffusion, an artist's interpretation of Cooper Station from 'Interstellar')

Children born on this station will, most likely, not have the same effects on their bodies that they would in a place with less gravity, which has affected Belters for generation, so much so that many can not survive on a regular planet. This may play a bigger role in the series…you’d better keep reading to find out!

What is the ecosystem like? One of the things Klaes Ashford says that I found especially rueful was the comment about ‘they invented the most advanced spaceship so they could farm like savages’, regarding the LDS settlers who commissioned the construction of the LDSS Nauvoo (which would eventually evolve into Medina Station). Never-freaking-mind that is how humanity has survived for thousands of years: many times, the simplest solution is the best (You’d think Ashford, the most Belter of Belters, would know that!), especially in regards to crop production. 

According to my research–as well as my own personal experience working with indigenous land practices during my time as an AmeriCorps volunteer–creating an environment that nourishes the soil would be best on a landscape in which the most amount of cereal crops can be produced (https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/delivering-mission/apply/study-prairie-strips-integrated-row-crops-growing-momentum).

(Photo from Sand County Foundation. As a Midwesterner, I can literally SMELL this picture from my computer. It's amazing!)

Thus, a prairie, similar to the ones found in places like Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota–some of the top producing farmland on Earth–is necessary for Medina Station and the colonies that it supports, to survive. This drier climate also allows for lesser amounts of rust and moisture to occur within the station, while the plants still allow for air to be properly filtered. Coincidentally, the aforementioned states are the homeland of the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe people, which will be discussed below. 

Why a prairie? This comes out of my own background, with a brief panache of narcissism. As Naomi mentions in Sky Prairie, Part 4, having a prairie in lieu of trees makes sense (https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/prairie/#:~:text=The%20prairie%20grasses%20hold%20the,wheat%2C%20rye%2C%20and%20oats). The plants are more conducive to creating a richer and more complex soil, necessary for growing crops in space. Additionally, they can still produce a significant amount of oxygen and water, vital for life in this universe and beyond. Finally, by cycling the crops, including that of prairie grass, the soil can continue to be nourished in a fashion that will not exhaust it. This is another reason why cows are forbidden on Medina Station, and even smaller dairy ungulates, such as sheep and goats, are given a bit of side eye from the administration. 

This is also a personal objective for myself, and should be addressed. I am a settler, but I was born, raised, and now live on the historic lands of the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe people, who have lived and worked in this ecosystem of mixed forest and prairie for thousands of years. Interestingly enough, Cara Gee (the actress who plays Camina Drummer) is of Ojibwe descent herself. 

(Image from the Star Tribune)

Although it is not officially canon in the world of The Expanse, in my mind, the Drummer family is of Ojibwe descent themselves. I hoped this would be reflected in multiple aspects of this story. First, the professions of the women–where one is a healer (Tanke Drummer, a physician), one gathers plants (Sjael Drummer, a chemical engineer), and the other is the guiding spirit of her people (Camina Drummer, the president). All are fierce defenders and patriots of the Belt.

Taken from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (an Ojibwe community in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan): “Self-discipline, survival skills, loyalty, solidarity, and respect within family are above all individual interests”...a sentiment that is surely reflected in not only the Beltalowda, but amongst Clone Force 99 as well. 

You may also find additional Anishinaabe/Ojibwe words and references throughout Far Past the Ring, such as the names of Camina and Tanke/Sjael’s fathers (‘Aki’ = Ojibwe for ‘Earth’ and ‘Anang’ = Ojibwe for ‘Star’), Tanke’s title amongst her family (‘Niimama’ = Ojibwe for ‘my mother’), and the eagle feather tattoos on the necks of those in the Drummer family who have served the people as either warriors or healers. Certain characters wear embroidery and flowers similar in the fashion of the Ojibwe people as well. 

There could always be healthier representation of indigeneity within science fiction, and I would like to think I’m doing my best here. 

Why are all the buildings made of stucco/adobe? I’d like to think Naomi Nagata does a good job of explaining this, but here’s some more detail.

Stucco is cheap and easy to make, and works very well in a dry environment, like Medina Station’s interior. As metal and plastic might not stand the climate within the station, stucco and adobe, made of the earth from the Hub itself, is a better material to use. Additionally, by being fireproof, it is a safer option to use when the fields need to have prescribed burns on them, a dangerous but necessary step that requires multiple hands on deck, with the watchful eye of Timon Chapelle on top of it all).

The structure’s design is not aesthetic in mindset, to be honest. The Hub is a nucleated settlement (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleated_village), made to not only save the most amount of room for farming and cultivating crops, but also to foster a better sense of community and continuity amongst  the residents within.

(Photo from https://opentext.wsu.edu/)

Ultimately, the Hub is envisioned to look like the Taos Pueblo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taos_Pueblo), which, while not a prairie habitat per se (though those have existed–thanks Frank Lloyd Wright!) offers solid dwelling in terms of heating and cooling, ease of supply creation, and a more organic feel to housing that, for many Earthers, is assuring, and for Martians and Belters, a new experience that helps them reconnect with their Terran roots. 

(Photo taken from WTTW Chicago)

The Ziyaret, meanwhile, is also constructed of adobe, but, due to the transitional nature of its residents, does not have the intense communal aspect of the Hub. Instead, it is a reflection of the Islamic roots of the term ‘Medina’, and the nature of movement in human history, making it resemble one of the many mosques and madrassas found within Mali (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djinguereber_Mosque), constructed as places of safe haven along a perilous trade route. 

(Photo taken from The Guardian)

How does everyone move around? Methane and other gasses are a challenge to have in this type of environment due to the need to keep air pollution at a minimum. As a result, bicycles, skateboards, and other similar modes of transportation are strongly encouraged–a treat for Earthers and a confusing new mode for Belters and Martians! Additionally, this taps right into the independent spirit of the Belt–you do not need to beg for gas when you have a bike!

#fanfiction #science fiction #crossover #future living #the expanse #future homes #medina station #human geography #exoplanet

[overtakebrownwren]

Angry Rant about an article.

Wired did a whoops, I guess. In their article on author Brandon Sanderson, they accidentally and sorta casually insulted his fans, his religion, and utah mormon culture (which is a separate thing from the religion, in that the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints has over 15 million members worldwide with a vast number of cultures and local traditions impacting worship styles). 

Firstly, Sanderson responded publicly to agree that the article wasn’t kind but asked that his readers be kinder in their reactions. To that I will try to adhere, since, although it’s been a few years, I really loved Elantris and Mistborn, and I respected his co-writing of the last three books of Wheel of Time immensely. In Wheel of Time, he could have distanced himself from the polygamy aspects (as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints this is a point on which there is always going to be a lot of hard conversations and awkward talks when you are a member) but he kept the characters consistent and respectful in their relationships. So, I will try to be kind in responding to this article.

Read his response here. It’s surprisingly sweet. Read that if nothing else.

https://www.reddit.com/r/brandonsanderson/comments/1200dzk/on_the_wired_article/

Okay. SO the wired article.

Its title is “Brandon Sanderson Is Your God.” This isn’t necessarily a bad sign. Plenty of fantasy authors create fictional pantheons for fantasy worlds. This could be a clever reference or something about the ways that Latter Day Saints show respect in their worship. Or maybe it’s about the belief that heaven is a place where you can (over millennium) grow to become like heavenly father and many of his fans watch his youtube writing lessons to try to become writers like him. 

Then he calls him a mormon. 

Now. See here. It’s not disrespectful. We’ve had a reclamation movement over this term almost as long as people used it to mock and distance us from Christians. So. Okay. He probably didn’t notice that the past few years Latter Day Saints have been pushing for correct terminology- giving us our real name or a part of that (note my own use of Latter Day Saints, part of the title) But since it’s also a term for all of the churches that use the scriptures “The Book of Mormon” it is pretty imprecise. He’s probably missed the movement, or doesn’t remember which sect Sanderson belongs to . . Except, no. By the third paragraph he has to explain that LDS stands for Latter Day Saints and that that means Mormon. . . But this isn’t a lesson on theology or respectfully using people’s names for themselves. He’s just trying to connect to his readers so whatever.

And it’s whatever that he starts by mentioning Sanderson’s sales then saying that Wired worker’s never heard of him. He even says it’s whatever, “Sanderson has millions upon millions of fans all over the planet; it doesn’t matter that some losers at a single magazine (even if it is one of the nerdier ones) had never heard of him,” but then points out that no other big publishers have either. 

Then he comes to his thesis. The reason that Sanderson isn’t a household name- “Could it be, finally, because he’s a weirdo Mormon?”

No comment. I’ll keep reading

Wait. New thesis found! “I find Sanderson depressingly, story-killingly lame.”

… not gonna comment. Gotta be kind. It’s his opinion. It’s his digital paper to waste.

Then, in front of his wife, Jared Kehe of Wired asks, “Maybe nobody writes about you, I say to Sanderson, because you don’t write very well.”

And look. In the early days of his website I remember being able to find and read his first book, one he never got published because it was too awkward of a book and format. It’s not there anymore (here), but it was pretty good- good in the way that I will devour a hundred chapter fanfiction from start to end regardless of the writing quality and all because of the joint enthusiasm of myself and the author over a base idea. His published writing? Much higher quality. Will it turn to shakespeare? Nope- not nearly enough sex and bawdy jokes or gender confusion for it to make the cut. But it’s still fun. His prose has grown, his world building is solid. 

It’s just…

After reading this. After this article. I kinda want to be mean.

See, Jason Kehe, the author, is so critical of everything. He calls the men as the convention, “ men, boys, menboys, blurring together in a mass of pale, fleshy nerdery in Sanderson-appropriate graphic tees.” He says things like, “Sanderson is a bad writer; I’ve already said it.” 

He sees the fandom and criticizes it for being all about worldbuilding over prose. “All this, I think to myself, is not the spirit of fantasy. If it’s worldbuilding, it’s only worldbuilding one thing: the worldbuilder’s world.” As though fun word play with no meaning- or such complex meaning that it takes forever and a codebreaker to discover it, is only important signifier of good writing. He comes off as such an elitist. And maybe it’s the middle school teacher in me, to want books with low entry points for my struggling readers, but not all books need to be super complex to be good. There is nothing wrong with some of Sanderson’s books being blatantly targeted to middle school students, others to adults, and to have a similar level of reading ability. I worked in a struggling school- some of the kids were in 8th grade with a kindergarten reading level. 

Elitism comes through in other ways, too. For example, Sanderson, a successful writer, has a large home. But when Kehe comes over he seems freaked out by all the people there. Sanderson has friends and family over, like, all the time. His kids salt takeout. Sanderson wears a suit jacket over graphic tee-shirts. These are all written about as though the reader should know they are clearly disturbing qualities. Furthermore, there’s even a discussion on weather and how Sanderson feels and reacts to emotion that shows the writer edging towards vilification of the neurodivergent that made me personally uncomfortable (although it was more of a hint then a statement, so I might be overly sensitive).

Then there is Kehe’s demand on Sanderson’s privacy. He writes about several medical conditions Sanderson has, even when asked not to do so in one case. “When I ask Sanderson later to confirm this, he does but asks if I really have to print it. I’m sorry, I say. I really do,” Kehe writes. Boundaries mean little to Journalists. I get that. But finding something medical out from an employee in the home of the author? I’m just saying there are lines, even in journalism, that shouldn’t be crossed. 

Worst of all. Kehe, the author, complains about a lack of a big story for this writer. He whines about it. And even I can see there is clearly, even within his own writing, a really easy bland story. A gimmy as it were. Like. I could do this in two days. 

Quotes from Kehe:

“In the five months or so it has taken me to sit down and write this magazine story, which is 4,000 words long, Sanderson has published two books. “

“Sanderson formed a writers’ group with almost 30 years ago, back in college at Brigham Young University, when he was a nobody and worked the graveyard shift at a hotel so he could write the nights away. “

“Sanderson has lived so much of his life and fame openly, self-promotionally. It’s a major reason for his success.”

Do you see it? Pull themselves up by their bootstraps author! A writer who didn’t let not being a prose writer stop them from being a prolific well published writer! Follow your dreams, don’t limit yourself, etc etc…..

Then, for quality writing, you sprinkle in some disbelief that a “bad prose writer” can still make it- top it off with a few mentions of Sanderson’s time teaching on accessible platforms like podcasts and youtube, his house full of friends and family who he didn’t let success separating him from, his home with three boys and a wife and a religious community, and you have a republican’s wet dream of an author. 

There is plenty of material here for all kinds of stories. Plenty of publications did articles on his self publishing kickstarter. See here. 

Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/books/brandon-sanderson-kickstarter.html

Gizmo: https://gizmodo.com/brandon-sanderson-s-message-to-publishing-is-mostly-a-m-1848673821 

CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/04/media/kickstarter-brandon-sanderson-books/index.html 

So Why? Why did Wired do an article about how creepy and bad Sanderson is? Was the assignment to find a hot take? And all they could find was his writing is bad actually? Also weirdo religion? 

What the hell?

In the end, he comes back to the title. And no, the connection isn’t deep. God creates worlds. Sanderson writes worlds. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believe that after a few millennia of learning in heaven, some people will grow to be like their Heavenly Father and become Gods. Thus, Sanderson is a God. Blah.

But Kehe goes about it in as insulting a manner as possible. Kehe’s words italics, Mine in parenthesis. 

When Mormons ask God for a sign, they speak of a “burning in the bosom.” Say you’re a kid, wondering if you should be a fantasy writer when you grow up. You might ask God what He thinks. If there’s a burning in your bosom, that’s probably a yes. (This is a really bad example, since you are supposed to ask for things you need for confirmation and children don’t need to know their future career yet. A more common example would be “Should I call home for a ride or is it safe to walk home in this snow storm?” or the more spiritual and personal, “Is this stuff I’m learning at church true?”)

So I press Sanderson on the moments he has felt the burning. He says they’re too intimate, too special, to talk about. That’s fine. Then let’s talk about Mormonism in another way. (Clearly this is targeted questioning because he wants to show that Latter Day Saint faith is hooky and weird. Good on Sanderson for setting boundaries. These experiences are, for those who don’t have experience with the feeling of “sacred” akin to the moment when you realize your mother loves you no matter what. Or the moment you look at your child and realize you adore them. Not secret, but a quiet still moment of love and connection that it’s for your facebook page.) Let’s talk about it as it relates to fantasy. Because it’s no secret: Mormonism is the fantasy of religion. (RUDE. Like seriously. Who says this about a faith. Where did he get the next quote?) “The science-fiction edition of Christianity,” I’ve heard it called, with its angels and alternative histories (Isn’t alternative history a term you could apply to every Christianity that believes in resurrection?), embodied gods (God’s having a physical body isn’t weird except when compared to some specific forms of monotheism), visions and plates made of gold. I ask Sanderson if I’ve got the ultimate promise of the religion right—the ultimate promise being, as I understand it, that we humans will, if we’re good, and marry well (not limited to this life- marriage is an eternal thing and can be formed as spirits eventually), and memorize the passcodes (I hate that, due to the promise of privacy in certain ceremonies, I can’t explain why this is totally wrong and still a little sorta almost correct), eventually pass into the highest kingdom (because we don’t believe in a hell- just in your progress towards this goal being damned or stopped) and come into our divine inheritance. We’ll become gods, in other words, and get our own planets. (Yeah, that phrase “Heavenly Father” is considered literally in our church. We’re in, like, an elementary school called mortality? More or less. Look it up if it’s something you want to know more about https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe/life-has-purpose/your-life-has-a-purpose ). 

Sanderson doesn’t balk at the characterization; he agrees that’s the gist, and he knows where I’m going. He knows I want to know if what he’s doing—writing fantasy books—is fundamentally, in some way, some very central way, Mormon. Of course it is, he says. The worldbuilding. The gods incarnate. The systems of magic. So much of Mormonism is about rules; so are his books, where miracles don’t happen unless you put in the work (Unless there is a reason). That’s when, between mouthfuls of pork cutlet, Sanderson makes the connection between his work and the work of his Heavenly Father explicit. This is when he speaks the seven words of truth, the only ones I’m certain he has never said, in quite this way, ever before: “As I build books,” Sanderson says, as I sit there, for once entirely enraptured, “God builds people.”

This dude. This author. He’s looking for something new and different about Sanderson. When Sanderson is just a nice midwestern author who writes a huge amount of fiction and goes to church on sunday and doesn’t have a specific childhood trauma that explains his writing’s power. Why didn’t this guy just look up a most prolific writer list and talk about how many of the authors on it are now considered racist. 

Look. My opinion as a teacher. It’s hard enough getting kids into reading now a days. Sometimes because of reading level. Sometimes because they look up an author to make sure they don’t need to worry about supporting a bigot and find something they said that makes them angry. Death of the author is nothing more than an action plan to my middle schoolers. So having articles like this, where authors and fans are citicted for being authors and fans- it doesn’t help anyone. It doesn’t make being a writer or author seem fun. And that’s what Sanderson’s books were for me, growing up. They were fun. They were emotional. They were a gateway into series far greater than my own.  

Sanderson, in his gentle talk to fans, talks about Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal.  He says “The man who collects those pins--Stanley Howler--IS special. In part BECAUSE of his passion. And the more you get to know him, or anyone, the more interesting you find them. This is a truism in life. People are interesting, every one of them--and being a writer is about finding out why.”

And this. This is what I want my kids to take away from books. Not great pose or being able to build a metaphor. Those get them past the state exams and then they can spend the rest of their life learning the intricacies of language. What I want them to take from our reading is empathy. Is the knowledge that in the hands of a master, no one, no life, is boring or small or dull. That their stories matter and so do those of the people who have nothing in common to them. 

And that is why I’m being mean now, and saying that Wired Sanderson article is a failure in writing. They make Sanderson’s life other and different and wrong for being different. And they make me and my life feel smaller and worse for it.

#teaching #religion #brandon sanderson #wired #opinion

[mandajiu]

I'll never get over this nonsensical moment of joy between them in TLB tidbits. It's my number one favorite snippet because they are in their own world. That smile on 88 - she is truly gorgeous inside and out. I feel for 30 having to be close to someone so naturally blessed even with virtually no makeup. No one makes 30 smile like 88, no one. No one helps us see the little girl side in the transparent actress like 30, no one. May the flowers be blooming. Birds say that 30 got stuck again yesterday and created a card point that is harmless - now is not the time to show public displays of affection. I suspect all their messages to each other will be veiled in business transactions.

I gathered a few for you: So，30 seems to find the most interesting ways to say "re" 热；therefore, endorsing toothpaste for sensitive teeth with the tagline "Hot and cold, sweet and sour" seems a great way to go around rrrrrre-ing." I did notice in my research that "cold" might be his self-reference. He is Xiao Leng (冷 cold) - the compnay is Leng Suan Ling - and she is Xiao Re. Still in preliminary stages, but it seems to work. He honestly loves cold and hates the heat, but he is always going around in warm clothes sweating and talking about how "hot" it is. lol

88 is pink and 30 is blue.

Red heart= most likely 88 （lately this is her most common symbol in the past little while btw）

88's favorite color this month is Color Key's 55 - 5 for Wu. In the past, she has chosen many lipsticks with special numbers. Will get photo later. It's very cute.

Pekomi spotted this - do you see it?: Wow. She's good. Of course we have the ongoing thread of tying some cloth around the wrist - both shoots for Bazaar too. The anniversary was relatively recent of "Lost in Your Eyes."

Look closely - do you see the cursive R (or B - reminds me of the clothing brand he endorses with the cursive R symobl) either way it fits our 88. Pekomi - you are a true master of CPF! I bow to you!

THE NEWS: WB CRAZY THESE DAYS!

So, the weibosphere for both sides is a hot mess right now. 88 has started the necessary trend of suing paparazzi - YES. The studio of the other lady has sued. This is probably in relation to an article published on CCTV wb referring to a person who didn't know the founding of the CCP (so definitely purple junior) and a few others as "illiterates" but there is also reference to personal life infringement. I have some personal feelings. As a fellow dyscalculic who struggles with dates, times, numbers I get the little purple junior's issue. Dates CAN be really hard for people with dyscalculia and even nearly impossible for a handful; however, if I were given a role and did no research or wrote no notecards about my role so I could learn the information - sorry, that's being lazy. We are good at memorizing information usually even if we don't understand it.

I sent a message to Lei-fan yesterday as I live in Doha about the Sledgehammer broadcast and see the news earlier to warn them of the coming onslaught from the LD broadcast. I also am online more than I should be: Basically a netizen called and said that 30 and a certain purple flower were together. This was on Valentine's Day. LD had previously refuted the CPF as fake. He is most likely being payed to stoke the fire, so although he did not directly say he had evidence, he released the hint of two 95 actors even without evidence based on a random person's conjecture! Whether tea is rubbing or the CPF are just that unruly, it resulted in a bit of mayhem. I wonder if WL's studio will issue a letter soon. His is a family-run business, so spending extra money is not really as easy for him. As for whether the letters will directly refute the CP, it's not good business to lose fans so I don't see it being done that directly. Don't take my word. Check wb yourself.

If you do check weibo, you will see a whole lot of attempts to tear people down using nefarious means. It goes from calm to crazy on 88's weibo - we had a lull, then something will come up. It's just really insane right now.

Whatever is happening, it really looks like 88 might finally be free soon if all these rumors are related to leaving the company! If its just this new role and endorsement she has, then it must be plumb. She has a photoshoot on the 27th. Hopefully we will know by then, but who knows. All is speculation.

What we do know: We know 30 and 88 are the best artists to ship separately or together. They have nothing bad on them and baddies will keep trying to muddy their reputation because they really are good eggs or rub up against them because of their popularity. We don't know if they are together. We hope that is the case, but all CP's are pure imagination until a formal announcement is made and we have to be sensible. Not knowing keeps the business alive; if this is an ongoing business relationship - which I am highly doubtful as it really doesn't have enough capital incentive with the small numbers of Eggs relative to new fandoms - then OK. It's all good. Let's go for a re-match!

#Leidi #磊迪 #3088yyds #birdeggenclosure #鸟蛋 #cpfandom #chewcpresponsibly

[viscountessevie]

I loved Nicola because of Derry Girls and was hoping that like a lot of other Irish actors she would be a good ally but honestly, her shading of her POC castmates, overtaking interviews with Charithra and Simone, the Tudum. I feel like she thinks she's a really a good feminist because she's girlbossing as LW or whatever but, she does what a lot of white women in the British film industry do. Pure white feminism.

Related to any of the asks in my Anti-NC tag

Putting all these together because they are mostly in the same vein and I wanna be done talking about her for now lmao. However, I am separating them into two sections. The first three asks are about NC and her performative allyship and the last two (under the cut) are about how much influence she has on the show and how she’s treated as the main star despite the show being called Bridgerton.

The three of you all hit it on the nail! I’ve talked a lot about what she’s done and called her out on her performative-ness and behaviours against her cast mates of colour so mainly posting these to let yall voice your opinions. 

I will add on to the first ask: I was really excited to see her on Bridgerton after becoming a fan of her and Clare in Derry Girls! She seemed really lovely and sweet. Hell I even liked Pen until the last two episode when its revealed what she did to Marina and then she got worse in S2. It didn’t help that NC doubled down on LW’s actions and said Pen separates herself from the LW persona and doesn’t feel guilt and by extension, NC and the show also doesn’t think Pen did anything wrong. That’s when I started to get even more put off by her and the show’s stance on Pen. And then all the microaggressions came out and it really was giving white feminism. I had to tap out and went Girl BYeee I cannot be your fan anymore. So I will admit, I am a little bias against NC now and am pretty harsh and critical of her actions now because she let me down so much after coming off Derry Girls. 

Oh also! I found out two new things. About Tadum: the first time I got the ick was when she pulled the card line saying “Kathony is the most anticipated couple after Polin - I swear that’s what it says on the card!” and I am a clown who believed her that it was on the card but still thought she shouldn’t have said it. COME TO FIND OUT IT WAS NEVER ON THE CARD?! So really SHE’S THE DICK for adding it in and all this time I was shaming production for that. Like Jesus NC can one moment NOT be about you? 

Crying on Kelly Clarkson: I still refuse to watch it but recently got context for it and wtf she started crying after Kelly was reading out tweets about how the Sharmas and LD meant so much to audiences of colour. Like NC girl this isn’t about you!! All while CC and Adjoa are just sitting there like 😐😐. And of course the white woman tears overshadows what the tweets were saying. Lmao not Kelly’s team naming it video this [Literally only one of them cries and its not the WoCs 😐]: 

Anyways just more things to validate me being upset I can’t respect and be a fan of hers anymore sigh.

Section 2: Why NC Thinks Everything Revolves Around Her & Is The Star of the Show

Okay so I think I’m starting to understand - but still doesn’t excuse why NC behaves like this - why she always needs the attention on her and acts like its her show because I realised she was the VERY FIRST person cast and the first one the production and casting team had in mind when pitching the show. So that should have been a red flag to us that even in the early stages of the show they were going to centre it around her and focus on the LW plot. 

Thank God Simone's team was smart to whisk her out of there.

[I’m sticking to my no more CC asks rule (found in the last paragraph) and cropped out a loaded statement against CC in that ask and added the last sentence about Simone!]

And honestly I think they only started casting characters of colour after Rége blew them all away in auditions (before that it was said Newts and several other white actors were in the running for Simon) and then used that as their diversity selling point and doubled down on that marketing wise when they saw how much S1 blew up in popularity because of Simon and how people were excited to see POC finally featured in a regency romance. But they only want the glory of paving the way but not actually following through. 

All this to say, NC acts like the main star because Bridgerton treats her like it. They give her the most exposure (cough overexposure cough) with storylines, screen time, promos and even producing power with how she convinced them to add in the LW reveal and the “I will not court Penelope” scene. This is why I’m saying just make her a producer already, it would be more honest about how much she contributes to what goes in the show in terms of her storyline. 

I will forever be mad about Producer NC and I think they allowed CC concession as a way to show “See! We aren’t ignoring our WoCs we listened to Charithra.” which is such bullshit when in the same breath took away the scenes and story Simone signed onto the show for and then completely sidelined her in her own season. I will forever be grateful to Lizzy the Intimacy Coordinator for listening to Simone (and Jonny) because HOT DAMN those were best scenes to come out of the show solely because Jimone understood their characters and someone on the team actually listened to what they had to say. 

~

Okay so about FYSee: Yes NC has done a lot of shit but I do have to point out that I don’t put the full blame on her for the S3 announcement during the event. That seemed like it was pre-planned by the Producers/Showrunner. Simone seemed happy for her and not caught off guard so in this case it wasn’t NC being overexcited and letting it slip out. It’s all on the Bridgerton Creative and EP team for timing this announcement at AN EMMY EVENT PROMOTING S2. So that’s on the team and fuck them. 

I hate that they took the spotlight off Kathony and Simone especially who was there as their S2 lead and the leading lady representing them. I don’t understand why they had to pass the baton there when they are still supposed to be promoting S2. It was fucking selfish and I do dislike NC for running with it and taking the spotlight when she should have tried to keep it on S2 and Simone. 

I wouldn’t be this frustrated with all of this if Jonny wasn’t the only one on the cast who hypes up and champions for Simone, giving her the credit she’s due for S2. She always hypes up her other cast mates and never gets anything in return and it just makes really sad for her. I wish she’d just say Fuck yall and just keep her energy for people who deserve it and return the favour. 

#Bridgerton Cast #Anti-NC #Bridgerton Racism #Bridgerton Asks

[icedmetaltea]

Been playing Baldurs gate I see! I'm also obsessed with it currently

What's your party layout? Like which companions do you like to bring, have you changed their classes, etc. Also are you romancing anyone? 👀 wink wonk

(warning for rambling cause I am not normal about this game, I am not normal at all-)

Also warning for spoilers in general kinda

iosjeferijgvierjgv8erjvgoerhg0rehg0rejgre I'm like 30-something hours in and only just now found out I just completed act 1- I THOUGHT ACT 1 WAS OVER AFTER I COMPLETED THE GOBLIN CAMP 😭😭 Which isn't a bad thing cause that just means the game is way longer than I thought, more to enjoy.

I just changed my class from fighter to bard cause I was getting sad always leaving Karlach and Lae'zel out since I didn't need another guy doing heavy hits up front. That plus I was sick of never getting any advantage on persuasion checks. Not sure how I feel about it just yet since I haven't had much experience; I'll def miss my cool armor ; - ;

(fyi I didn't change their classes but adjusted their builds so they'd be more efficient, for instance Asterion basically can't lose at unlocking/disarming a thing cause he has so many advantages now)

Anyways I currently have Gale, Asterion and Shadowheart (was Karlach but brought in Shadowheart since I was curious too see if there'd be any unique dialogue in the Shar temple I'm currently in)

I keep switching out Gale and Wyll, I love them both and am tryna like get an equal amount of both BUT i don't rlly need more than one mage/socerer/whatever at a time ya feel.

The flaming gay va- I mean Asterion is almost entirely just there for unlocking things and disarming traps, man's an absolute twig in a fight 😭 I also like sending him up front to scout out the area in dungeons since I believe he has better perception. Also he was reminding me of someone for so long and I finally remembered what

Karlach is my tank currently, she deals a majority of the heavy damage and I just love her in general so I like to keep her whenever possible (can sub for Lae'zel but idk I don't like her that much?? At first I did but now she's just getting into fights with everyone willy nilly ya know??)

Shadowheart is strictly there for protection and healing. I HATE THIS BITCH SO MUCH!!! (sorry to all the shadowheart fans out there) Just to me she's so "oh the goddess likes me and not you, guess I'm better than the rest of you uwuwuwu" like bitch shut the fuck up please.

As for romancing, not sure?? I know you can technically be poly in this game so I'm tryna romance as many ppl as possible without locking myself into anything (I just had to brutally reject Wyll by just turning away my face from kiss bc apparently it's smash him or break his heart and no in-between, also I looked it up and he's monogamous so I rlly would lock myself into it and I don't want that, EVEN THO HE'S SO SWEET AND LOYAL AND WHOLESOME AND I WANNA H*G AND H*LD H*NDS WITH HIM, FUCK YOU GAME-)

I'll prolly play the game again in a couple months when there's a mod that lets you simultaneously romance everyone cause my RPG self is a SLUT and wants to form the ultimate polycule in any game I play. Everyone is too loveable not to.

Buuuut in the meantime yea I'm just tryna rizz everybody (aside from Wyll cause game is like ok no kiss?? No romance fuck you little dwarven WHORE) up.

If the dil- I mean Halsin is romanceable, I'm absolutely gonna h*ld h*nds with that man. That beast. That guy with GIANT HUGGABLE PECTORALS MMMMMMM. Also the fire queen goddess suprem- I mean Karlach is I thiiiink going pretty steady?? Haven't had any new dialogue options for a while but I think we're in a kinda flirty zone currently so that's good. God she's so wholesome and wonderful, I love her with my entire being and soul. If anything happens to her I will exterminate all life on this planet and then myself.

As for Lae'zel?? I think she was a very much smash or pass person cause when I turned her down at the party she hasn't had much more to say to me sadge (which is fine cause idk like I said she's just been grating on my nerves) Not sure about the others, it's kinda hard to tell, especially with Gale. Maybe cause I've been rizzing other ppl, and I've heard he's also monogamous, wehhhhh (which is valid but c'mon let a bitch dream of polycules and giant sleepovers with a hundred blankets and everyone forming the ultimate cuddle pile around the tiny dwarf who will never know a cold night again)

#Answer tag #Metaltea Talks #bg3 #Baldur's Gate #bg3 spoilers #Baldur's Gate spoilers #game talk #Metaltea rambles #WHY CANT EVERYONE JUST BE PAN AND POLY #IT'D MAKE MY LIFE SO MUCH EASIER AAAA

[hogwartsisheree]

Hogwarts Class Catalog | Hogwarts is Here

Hogwarts Class Catalog | Hogwarts is Here 

is a fully fan-operated online Hogwarts. Make new friends, attend Hogwarts classes and more!

I do request that myself and my Assistants as well as your fellow students are treated with respect. I absolutely will not tolerate any rude or negative behavior towards anyone. Anyone found treating anyone else with disrespect will be dealt with accordingly. You have been warned.

Charms Journal

You will be responsible for keeping a journal of your progress in Charms class. This journal is meant to be a record of your thoughts and observations during class and while you practice the charms we have presented. Each lesson (Lessons One and Nine are optional) you need to write at LEAST two to five paragraphs of information for your journal, with each paragraph amounting to at LEAST five sentences. This means that each lesson should have at LEAST ten sentences about it. Please follow these directions closely as assignments that do not will not receive credit.

Lesson Three will be your first journal turn-in, where you will hand in your entries for Lesson Two and Lesson Three (and Lesson One if you choose to do one for it). This week, as part of your assignment, you will need to tell us what you'll be doing for your journal. More information is noted in the assignment.

While this journal is optional work (and hence marked "Extra Credit"), we strongly recommend that you complete it to solidify your understanding of Charms work.

Grading

Your assignments will be marked for both content and language. If you have any concerns about this because you are either not a native speaker of English (NES) or have a learning disability (LD), please put the label NES or LD on top of your essay. My PAs and I will then know not to deduct points for language mistakes while still keeping the queue anonymous. Translation charms are easily available, for example  As those tend to mess with our grading process, only assignments submitted in English will be graded.

[erictmason]

So this weekend marks the 28th anniversary of the ABC “Sonic the Hedgehog” cartoon.  And while I always mark it in some way, this year, for whatever reason (probably being on Year 2 of an ongoing global plague lD; ), this year I find myself feeling especially sentimental.  So in addition to the above sampling of some of my personal favorite SatAM pics I’ve done over the years (of which there are, unsurprisingly, A Lot), I also have some thoughts on Being A SatAM Fan In 2021.

Because the thing of it is, over the last several years, I’ve found myself feeling increasingly uncomfortable around my continued fandom for this show.  Don’t get me wrong; I still very much love it every bit as much now as I did twenty-eight years ago.  It is something like THE singular passion that drives so much of who I am as an artist.  But it’s a small niche-within-a-niche for a Fandom of something which I can’t realistically argue I am at all still the target audience for.  And worse, it feels, so often, like that niche-within-a-niche is mostly defined by its worst actors.  The ones who harass creators or fellow fans over stupid shit, who act so infuriatingly entitled or belligerent about what is “owed” to them, who refuse to ever just listen and even try to grow even slightly.  And at a certain point, for me, that knowledge, that the space we share is so small that it’s hard not to feel some Guilt By Association, became increasingly hard to ignore.  And it sucked.  I couldn’t stop feeling the way I did about this show, its characters and its world and what they’ve meant to me for so long!  But how could I reconcile those feelings with that guilt?

And I think, over the last couple years, I’ve come increasingly to realize I don’t really need to.

Because this space, small though it may be, isn’t just shared with those bad actors, no matter how insistently those bad actors try to pretend otherwise.  There’s so many wonderful people here too, keeping the spark of something Good alive here, and getting to share that Good with all of them, be they lifelong friends or new acquaintances or just fellow artists who also share and show their love for this one particular little show that somehow managed to take up such a unique place in our hearts...that’s worth it.  And like...it isn’t even just about whether you’d really say you’re a fan of SatAM itself, either.  Maybe it’s the comics that were based on it; maybe it’s just The Idea Of SatAM and you’ve never really watched the show.  I don’t know.  I don’t care.  What I care about is what you’ve managed to share with me, what you’ve managed to inspire in me.  How you’ve managed to help me hold onto the best of what Loving This Show has meant for me.    

@elistodragonwings @kaikaku @starlitskvader @omnicenos @jammerlee @sally-mun @robotnik-mun @fini-mun @werewolf-t33th @riftclaw @wildwoodmage @sege-h @autistic-elias-acorn @chauvel @inkpants @riggo-draws @stormywitch90 @knotholeproject @metalpandora @mechares @another-her @lyllaotterofhalfworld @chordsykat @ninjakasuga @adokle 

Thank you all.  Very, very much.

To Freedom.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic SatAM #fan art #ericthemason #my art

[kaypeace21]

Do you think that the hellfire club is a D&D group or some sport team or what do you think it is? (BTW big fan of your theories)

I think it’s a d&d club. I talked about it in past posts.I think being about d&d makes sense since the game would foreshadow future plot points- like it did in prior seasons . And the “hellfire club” is even an X-men group relating to the dark Phoenix which was referenced in s1 by Will . And I think they’ll take inspiration from that comic book arc for future seasons too . (So it’s an eastergg) . But, also , being called “the hellfire club” is probably an inside joke with the club members- since in the 80s, adults claimed d&d was about devil worship.)

In Bts photos- one of the members has a ‘Wasp’ pin which is a heavy metal band formed in 1982 -so the club is not so shockingly confirmed to be into rock.Along with d&d (if the leaks are legit) . Makes sense since both things are part of counter culture that was demonized by the “satanic panic” in the 80s. In the 80s. D&d (similar to rock music) was believed to be satanic - so the club name (for the club members)is a joke making fun of these people who think that’s true . But also (as a show is) another dark Phoenix ref . One of the s4 movies ‘paradise lost’  (was about a real life case) of small town teens   who were into punk music, horror movies, stephen king, wore black,  into wicca, and accused of being gay. They were unfairly blamed for ‘ satanic child m**ders (in the woods & near a river). They weren’t guilty . But, because ‘satanic panic’ was still alive and well ...the town’s people used their hobbies/ punk look/ and perceived sexualities as ‘proof” they were guilty. The case was later described as a ‘witch hunt’. Meanwhile the other (more likely suspect) at the time was John “Mark” Byers- who was a hunter, had a thing for hunting knives, religious, admitted to hitting his kids, and was  accused of s**ually abusing his son, shot pumpkins (s2 ref), and sang a song about creating a portal to another world without light , that you could enter via a tree (s1 ref). Years later-after the doc- it’s implied he wasn’t guilty either. But, one of the other victims’ fathers - Terry was assumed to be guilty - he was also was accused of m***esting his son and daughter (by his own family members). Admitted to hitting his wife and kids. And had a police report filed on him - describing breaking into a women’s house , while she was in a tub and trying to attack her. He was also formerly charged for m*rdering one of his wife’s family members- but got away with it claiming self defense). Heck if the names John byers/Terry being in the film/st wasn’t crazy enough- the victims were named Steve, Michael, and Chris byers (luckily ours don’t have that same horrible fate/back stories).

I kind of assume - the d&d club will be looked at suspiciously as teens go missing/ kidnapped/ or maybe found k*lled in the woods/quarry. And the cops/others think they’re “satanic k*llings” and rumors about the d&d club insue. And maybe our teens suspect it’s the demogorgan again. But as a subversion- it isn’t and it’s a human . A human that by ab*sing Will- caused Will to unconsciously create many things including the demogorgan (which in d&d is called the “deep father”) . Also, in s3 they called Will “the devil’s baby” (Aka lonnie is the real “devil” ).And such incidents in the woods/ near the quarry would connect back to s1 demogorgan & Will being found in the quarry. And if paying attention you already noticed s1 demogorgan paralleled Lonnie a lot! So s4 would start bringing things to the surface- in regards to how evil Lonnie really is.Not to mention more hints (I previously posted) that hinted they’ll go with this “ch*ld serial ki##er plot line...

But then again I think it may not be literally Lonnie. My guess: Brenner (who I think was created/based on lonnie) is possibly doing failed experiments of teens to open portals (in the basement of pethurst -like in hellraiser 2) . And dumping failed experiments in the woods/water. A few movies had the d*ad victims have numbers carved in them. And then El/kali team up and maybe sneak into the facility (like in ace Ventura people posing as siblings investigate a m*rder and one fakes being ‘crazy’ to sneak in and find a murderer) . In ‘peanut butter solution’ 2 kids - 1 of them is goth/not american teams up with a girl to find a man named ‘senior ‘who is kidnapping kids. 1 of them also sneaks in and is captured on purpose to investigate. Kali already busted Dottie out of a psych hospital and lucas referenced El being there in s1. Alexi (like el-another alter of Will) watches roadrunner- in that papa bear throws him in a psych facility. And assasains creed/dream warriors - the psychiatric facility was similar to the lab with sensory deprivation tanks, cameras, solitary confinement in dark rooms. We already know 1 new character is against the mistreatment of people at the facility. Also the real pethurst (in Pennsylvania) -known for human rights a*use issues- wasn’t a psych facility (but a place for people with intellectual disabilities). So El being at the psych hospital version in Indianna (and maybe having id herself like I mentioned before -would be a nice ref). And in assasains creed- when the character starts sneaking around investigating - the dr reveals how the character is actual the reincarnation of their ancestor ( brenner tells el she’s an alter of Will’s ). And before that the dr was making that person relive the traumatic past of their past life/other person -which they couldn’t change (sort of like el seeing Billy’s past in s3). Also kali said her and El should team up to face their father- which I think they’ll do. And I’m excited about it!

I still think brenner was created by Will and based on Lonnie so he could be responsible and connected to Will/Jon’s backstory with Lonnie/the Woods. In an abstract way. Like how brenner/Lonnie forced their kids to k*ll animals. Brenner threw El in a dark room/ Lonnie threw Will in a trunk. Brenner’s name being associated with the woods and Lonnie being a hunter , etc.

Also we know s4 involves this dark-storyline involving c**ld m*rders cause of foreshadowing

* Also, mentioned here how in s4 rolling a 11 isn’t actually a good thing and that it’s a callback to Will rolling a 7- in s1. Before things go array.In “paradise lost” when blaming the innocent goth boys someone asks the chief “on a scale 1 to 10 how confident are you? You have the right men?” And he laughs and says “11.”

*And , just for historical context of how ‘metal ‘ and ‘scary ‘ d&d was to nonplayers (in the 80s).

“In 1985, 60 Minutes dedicated a full hour to the supposed connection between D&D, Satanic rites, murders and su*cides . 2 years earlier, Patricia Pulling formed Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons (BADD) . She described D&D as ‘a fantasy role-playing game which leads to demonology, witchcraft, voodoo, murder, r*pe, blasphemy, suicide, assassination, insanity, sex perversion, homosexuality, pr*stitution, satanic type rituals, gambling, barbarism, cannibalism, sadism, desecration, demon summoning, necromantics, divination and other teachings.’ In 1987, Peter Leithart and George Grant published The Catechism of the New Age, a pamphlet where they introduced the idea that D&D was immoral because roleplaying allowed too much freedom for critical thinking, which might lead to heretical ideas. That same year, Chris Pritchard and two friends conspired to murder Pritchard’s stepfather in his sleep, the media ignored the obvious financial motivation and instead focused on the men being in the same D&D group.”

( I think quite a few of those themes will come up in s4/5 - although d&d isn’t the actual cause). It’ll just be a subversion.

#stranger things #el hopper #kali prasad #will byers #stranger things theory #s4 theory #d&d #st s4 #s4 bts #DID theory

[cryptticrow]

Ok so, I've been introduced to lemon demon around 2017-2018 (of course I knew some of the songs and other shit but I was introduced to the consept around that time) and only really became a "true fan" around 2019 and I thought I was really late to this band when I first found out about it.

But now I see people who got introduced to LD around the same time as me complaining about "new fans" who found out about his stuff through tiktok or Ranboo or some shit like dude, WE ARE THE NEW FANS lemon demon has been a thing for YEARS.

Just enjoy the content and let other people enjoy it too it's out there for a reason.

#ramblings #mini rant #i guess... #lemon demon #neil cicierega

[biostudyblog]

Cognition

Models of Memory

Memory is an extremely difficult subject to study due to its subversive and subjective nature. Thus, many models have been proposed which describe how memories are processed by our brain. The two major ones are the three-box model and the levels of processing model. 

Three-box model

This model of memory is also known as the information-processing model. It describes how the brain processes information (hence the name). Our sensory memory processes external events. Some of that information is encoded by the short-term/working memory. Some of that information is then encoded by the long-term memory. 

Sensory Memory: The sensory memory only lasts for a fraction of a second and consists of the information you are processing right now. George Sperling demonstrated this memory with his experiment, where he would flash a 9 letter grid to subjects for a split second. The subjects were then asked to recall either the top middle or bottom row letters immediately after they appeared. They were able to recite the letters, showing that that information was being stored for a short amount of time. This type of sensory memory is called iconic memory- a short lived photograph of a scene. There is also echoic memory, which is another short lived memory for sounds rather than pictures. Events that are encoded into the working memory are encoded as visual codes (a visual), acoustic codes (a collection of sounds), or semantic codes (the meaning of the event). In order to decide which memories are encoded into the working memory, the brain depends on selective attention. This means that information that is important to us is encoded. This is why we are able to ignore certain stimuli such as the sound of a fan, or the feeling of our clothes because they are not being encoded into the working memory. This is what makes the cocktail party effect work. 

Short-term memory: Short-term memory is known as working memory because they’re the memories we’re working with in the present moment. They last longer than sensory memories, but not very long; usually around 10-30 seconds. Our short-term memory caps at around 7. In his experiments, George Miller found this number, and titled his research “The Magical Number 7, Plus or Minus Two.” So how do we improve the functionality of our short-term memory? One method is through chunking. Take psychology; there’s a lot of vocabulary to memories. If you try and memorise all of those words a couple nights before the exam, you’re not going to have much luck. Instead, it’s better to chunk that massive list into groups of 7. Another example of chunking is the famous mnemonic device; My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas, where the names and order of the planets are chunked into the first letters of each word in the sentence. Another trick is to rehearse the information. Instead of staring at your vocabulary list, repeat the words you’ve chunked to yourself over and over again, thus maintaining that information in your short-term memory.

Long-term memory: These strategies are great for keeping information in our short-term memory, but the best strategies are ones that help encode that information into long-term memory, as it is our permanent storage. So far, it seems that long-term memories storage potential is unlimited. Once information makes it to our long-term memory, it stays- although it is subject to decay. It is stored in three different ways: 

Memories can be explicit of implicit. 

Explicit memories: Also known as declarative memories, these are usually what first come to our mind. They’re conscious memories that we actively try to remember. For example, at the moment, you’re trying to form explicit memories about psychology.

Implicit memories: Also known as non-declarative memories, these are memories we form unintentionally. You may realise when trying to cook lunch that you’ve managed to form an implicit memory on how to cook grandma’s famous pasta because you’ve watched her do it so many times.

An interesting phenomenon involves individuals with eidetic or photographic memory. Alexander Luria studied a patient who could repeat a list of 70 letters backwards, and could remember it as far as 15 years later. 

Levels of Processing Model

Instead of describing memory in steps, this theory maintains that memories are either deeply/elaboratively processed or shallowly/maintenance processed. If to study for an upcoming psychology exam, you repeat a list of vocabulary words to yourself over and over again, you’ve shallowly processed that information, and will go away soon after you’ve taken your test. If you, however study those vocabulary words and do intensive research into each term, you’ve deeply processed those words, and will most likely be able to remember them long after your exam. The more cognitive energy you expend trying to remember something, the longer that memory will last. This model explains why we remember stories and questions better than boring old recitation of events and statements. We find the former more interesting, and more deeply process them.

Retrieval

All memory models end with retrieval. It is the process of taking information out of memory so it can be useful to us. Recognition is a process where we match a fact with one we already have stored in our memory. (”Where have I heard that song?”) Recall is retrieving a memory based on an external cue. (”What did grandma’s pasta taste like?”) There are all kinds of things that change why we’re able to retrieve some memories and why we lose others.

One factor was found by the early psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus. He found that the order that things are presented in a list influence which things we remember. The primary effect states that we are more likely to remember the first few items on the list, while the recency effect states we are more likely to remember the last few items on that list. Both of these effects come together to form the serial position effect. The serial position effect indicates that we are the least likely to remember words in the middle of a list.

Another factor is context. Something that happens to all of us is the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon. When I was taking my SAT Biology exam, I completely forgot the word “commensalism.” I sat there thinking facts that I knew about it; it’s a symbiotic relationship, it’s the relationship where one organism is helped and one isn’t hurt or helped” “I watched a youtube video about it” and although I remembered all these facts, it took me a second to remember the actual word. A theory that helps explain why this happens is the semantic network theory. This theory states that our brain forms new memories by joining their meaning and their context with those that already exist in our memory, forming an interlocking web full of memories. So when I was listing facts that I could remember about commensalism, I was making my way through the web, until I finally came across the word. Another phenomenon caused by context are flashbulb memories. When you ask someone who was conscious during 9/11, often they can give detailed descriptions of where they were and what they were doing. This is a flashbulb memory; where the importance causes us to encode more than we normally would.

The emotional context also affects retrieval. Mood-congruent memory is an interesting phenomenon, where you’re more likely to remember something when your mood matches the mood you were in at the time of the event. State-dependent memory is a similar phenomenon, where the state you’re in (for example, drowsy) allows you to retrieve memories from when you were in a similar state.

Constructive Memory

As much as we’d like to believe that it is, memory is not perfect. An example of this is the “recovered memory” phenomenon, where someone seems to “recover” a repressed memory that is actually a false memory based on outside influence. This phenomenon was discovered by Elizabeth Loftus. A constructed memory is a memory that contains false details of a real event, or a fake event altogether. This is why eyewitness accounts can prove to be problematic in police investigations. The way a policeman asks their question can completely change how the eyewitness remembers the event.

Forgetting

A number of things lead to forgetting. One example is decay where memories or connections that we don’t use a lot fade after a while. I used to be able to label every European country when I was younger, but now I’ll be lucky if I can get 15. These memories aren’t gone forever though; the relearning effect has shown that it takes less time recovering these memories than it took the first time. Another thing that causes forgetting is interference. There are two main types: retroactive interference and proactive interference. Retroactive interference is when learning something new hurts your ability to recall older information. Proactive interference is when something you learned a while ago interferes with your ability to learn newer information. A friend of mine told me a fun pneumonic that helps me remember the meaning of these two words: PORN- Proactive, Old interferes with new, Retroactive, New interferes with old.

How Memories are Stored

We know very little about the biological process of memory storage. Research performed on patients with brain damage has shown the hippocampus’ importance in encoding new memories. Patients with a damaged hippocampus had a condition known as anterograde amnesia, where new memories couldn’t form properly, but old memories could be recalled. Think of Dory from finding Nemo. Further connecting to Dory, remember how she could read but couldn’t remember that she could read? Researchers have found this phenomenon typical when studying anterograde amnesiacs, where they can learn and remember new skills but can’t remember learning that skill, showing that procedural memory is stored elsewhere in the brain. When studying memories, researchers tend to focus on long-term potentiation. As neurons fire more and more, their connections can strengthen, making the receiving neuron more sensitive to messages. 

Language

Elements of Language

All languages are built with morphemes and phonemes. Phonemes are the smallest unit of sound in a language. non-English speakers and non-Americans tend to have trouble with the American R- a phoneme that is particularly difficult to recreate. On the flip side, Americans tend to have trouble recreating the Spanish R, while a native Spanish speaker would find that phoneme easy to make. Morphemes are the smallest unit of meaning in a language. Morphemes can be words like “but” and “the” letter like “a” or “I” and prefixes and suffixes like “pre-” and “an-.” Phonemes make up morphemes, and morphemes make up words. The words are organised in a particular order which is known as syntax. Different languages have different syntaxes which can be difficult for non-native speakers to wrap their head around. In english, the order that adjectives are used to describe a word is very particular, and while unconscious for us, is extremely tricky for learners. When describing a dress that you just bought, would you say “my velvet, dinner, new dress? Or would you say “my new velvet dinner dress?” At the same time, in french, the syntax of adjectives can be very frustrating for us to learn. For example, the sentence: Ma ancienne lycée means the high school I formerly attended, while the sentence Ma lycée ancienne means my antique high school. 

Language Acquisition

Studies performed by developmental psychologists have shown that while babies who are learning different languages are developing, they move through the same basic stages. The first step of language acquisition is babbling, and occurs when the baby is typically around 4 months old. Babbling is innate, as shown by the fact that even deaf babies babble. Babbling is a babies way of experimenting with different phonemes, and at this point they can recreate all possible phonemes- this is why teaching a baby or very young child a new language can cause the accent to stick. As the baby continues to develop, the phonemes from its primary languages stick, and they lose the others. Babies will then move from babbling to single words (holophrases) which is aptly names the holophrastic/one-word stage, and normally occurs when the baby is one year old. The next milestone is telegraphic speech or the two-word stage. This typically is around 18 months. Toddlers will smash the words they know into basic commands; “No play!”-  They have meaning down (”I don’t want to play right now!”), but are still working on grammar and syntax rules. As they learn these rules, they tend to misapply them. For example, a toddler may learn that “ed” indicates past tense, and may say “I runned to the store!” This is known as overgeneralisation or overregularisation. 

The specifics of how we acquire language is a bit controversial. Behaviorists think that language is learnt through operant conditioning and shaping. If a baby makes a phoneme that exists in the parents language, or says a word, the parents will smile or pay more attention to the baby, reinforcing that behaviour. Cognitive psychologists challenge this idea. Noam Chomsky stated that humans are born with a language acquisition device. This is known as the nativist theory of language acquisition. He used children who had been deprived of language when they were young to show that there is a critical period for language learning. Today’s psychologists believe it is a combination of these two ideas.

Language and Cognition

How does language influence how we think? I know that personally, my personality changes when I am speaking French versus when I’m speaking English, and I know that I’m not alone. Benjamin Whorf theorised that the language we use affects and limits how we think. This is the linguistic relativity hypothesis. While studies have proven that language effects how we think about people, objects, and ideas, few have shown a drastic change in what we are able to think about.

Thinking and Creativity

Describing Thought

Describing thought is a monumental task; descriptions count as thoughts, so if I can get meta for a moment; we have to use thought to describe thought. It’s immensely difficult to create a global definition of thought, so psychologists tend to describe categories of thoughts instead. Concepts are similar to schemas. Everyone has cognitive rules we use to process our environments, and categorise objects, people, and ideas. We tend to base our concepts on prototypes, or what we think is most typical of a concept. Another kind of thought is an image, a mental picture we have in our mind of the world.

Problem Solving

There are two main kinds of problem solving, and like anything have their drawbacks and their advantages. Say you have a safe to open, and you don’t know the combination. There are two simple ways you can try and open it.

Algorithms: A simple, but arduous way to solve your safe problem is to try every single combination. This is an algorithm and is defined as a rule that guarantees the right solution by using a formula or other foolproof method.

Heuristics: If that safe combination is more than 2 numbers, you could be there all day just punching in numbers. Another thing you could try is using numbers that make up years you know are important to the owner of the safe. This is a heuristic. A heuristic isn’t foolproof and doesn’t guarantee a solution but can seriously shave down the time you spend solving your problem. There are severals of heuristics. Two of the main ones are representative heuristics and availability heuristics.

Heuristics can lead to overconfidence as we overestimate how good our judgements really are. This can lead to belief bias, and belief perseverance. Belief biases are illogical conclusions that we make to confirm preexisting beliefs. Belief perseverance is the tendency to maintain a belief even when evidence proves contradictory.

Impediments to problem solving: 

Rigidity/mental set: The tendency to fall back into comfortable thought patterns. People tend to use problem solving methods that worked in the past to solve a new problem- this can cause people to ignore new solutions. A specific example of rigidity is functional fixedness which is the inability to see a new use for a specific object. Books are for reading, cups are for drinking, and clothes are for wearing. One time I accidentally spilled my tea on my desk, and instead of using the old shirt that was sitting next to my desk, I ran to grab a towel, allowing the tea to get everywhere and nearly ruin my computer. 

Not breaking the problem into parts: Research has proven that by breaking a big problem down into smaller, manageable chunks, tackling the problem is significantly easier and tends to lead to success.

Confirmation bias: When we have made a conclusion about something, when researching it, we tend to ignore research that proves that conclusion wrong. This is why anti-vaxxers can spend hours scouring the internet and pull away one or two studies proving their point right, and completely ignore hundreds of articles that prove them wrong. 

Framing: The way a problem is framed can completely impact our ability to solve that problem. If I were to give you a tricky math problem and tell you “99% of people have solved this problem,” you’d likely go into it not expecting much difficulty, while if I told you “99% of people can’t solve this problem,” you’d likely go in expecting something really difficult. This can completely change how able you are to solve a problem.

Creativity

How do you define creativity? Even harder: how do you find a global definition for creativity? While we may agree on some events exemplifying someone’s creativity, people’s individual criteria for creativity varies massively.

 Some psychologists have delved into this problem. In his chimpanzee experiment, Wolfgang Kohler documented elements of insight by observing chimps get the banana from the ceiling. Research looking into creativity has found very little connection between creativity and intelligence. Research looking into creativity tends to look at convergent thinking; thinking pointed towards one solution, and divergent thinking; thinking pointed towards multiple possible solutions. Divergent thinking tends to be linked most closely with creativity.

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