#IT IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF EVERY PIECE OF HUMAN HISTORY

[that-one-loz-nerd]

God I fucking hate ai art so much it makes me mad

[the-cypress-grove]

So, You Want To Write Vampires...

Here's a basic list of things to do/consider when approaching this creature.

Source Material

Go back to the origins. Almost every culture around the world has a story or myth containing cannibalism / blood drinking. You may want to base your origin story for vampires on one of these. This can also give you some ideas about what traits and abilities you might want to include that have been written out of modern fiction. It could help you add a unique twist.

2. Vampire Fiction

Vampires have been popping up in fiction for a very long time. Read The Vampyre by John Polidori (thought to be one of the first books written on vampires). Check out Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu (the lesbian vampire story that came out before Dracula). Speaking of, Dracula is a classic.

Look at modern fiction. Vampire Academy, Twilight, Vampire Diaries, True Blood, A Dowery of Blood, Crave. Read the good and the bad. Learn what qualities you like and which you will not use.

Make a list of things you like and things you don't.

3. Themes

Writing vampires brings a lot of themes surrounding mortality, immortality, morality, and at what point do we draw the line between what is human and what is other. These themes are integral to a vampire story whether you're writing a gothic horror, a paranormal romance, or a YA. There are a lot of links between cannibalism / blood drinking and love, vampires and LGBTQIA+ characters / coding.

4.Pick your traits

Vampires tend to be unique to the writer. The vampires in Twilight work differently to the vampires in The Vampire Diaries to the vampires in Dracula.

By this point you should have a list of possible traits and abilities you might want to give your vampires. My advice: tailor it to your genre. If you're writing a horror go with the traditional vampire abilities, give them the things that scare you. Think Nosferatu. If you're writing romance, then you might want to soften the traditional vampire traits in the way you find frequently in modern vampire media.

What you choose is up to you.

5. Origins

This is often overlooked in vampire stories but how did your vampires come into being? Who was the first vampire? Is this vampire still alive? How far back do vampires go as a species?

This could affect your vampires in terms of relationships with others of their kind, their powers, their strength.

This might not impact on your plot but, in terms of worldbuilding, if you intend to turn your book into a series then this could be very important going forward.

6. Society

Unless you're writing about the first ever vampire you're probably going to be writing about an established vampire population who will have their own laws, their own history, their own leadership, their own customs. This is an important piece of worldbuilding. It will affect your characters relationships, add conflict to the plot, create established enemies and can be used to raise the stakes.

7. Nocturnal Life

If you're following a traditional burn-in-the-sun vampire and they haven't found a way around this then you need to determine the night life of your setting. What is there for your vampires to do at night?

8. Feeding, Hunting, and Bloodlust

This will affect the level of gore in your story as a lot of the bloody parts in your story will take place through feeding and hunting. This will also determine your vampire population.

You need to decide how much your vampires need to feed, how often they need to do so, and what they can feed on. Do they drink animal blood? Is that possible? Do they drink human blood? Can they drink from blood bags? Do they need the blood fresh? If they need human blood do they need all of it?

The less a vampire feeds, the larger a population you can have in one area as it attracts less attention.

What happens when your vampires are hungry? What does their bloodlust look like? How does it affect a vampire? Is the amount of bloodlust a vampire experiences determined by how old the vampire is?

9. Threats

Unless your vampires are well and truly endless there will be ways to kill them and they will have enemies. Do these enemies take the shape of humans, of other vampires, or another species entirely? How can your vampires be killed? What other species are out there?

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hello raven! 🐉Anon here. What do you think the future of fae/human relation should or could be? Humans multiply faster & destroy nature for resources. I think briar valley should be fae exclusive for peace and safety of everyone. Just like diurnal fae. Assuming whatever pixie hollow equivalent exists in twst. Do we know in game where they live? Also what's your take on the senators? The idea of dead ghost like entities governing the living is very questionable to me. Maybe it's in their culture

Well 💦 look, I’m not claiming to be an expert on politics or foreign affairs… but I definitely don’t think isolating Briar Valley and making it fae-only would work out for everyone. Moreover, I think that would totally go against the messages and themes TWST is preaching (that very different people can befriend/understand one another and peacefully coexist).

The post gets sort of long, so I’ll place it under a cut.

PLEASE NOTE: due to the nature of this ask, I will be discussing (fictional) politics. There are also brief but non-specific mentions of irl politics. If you are not comfortable with that, then I advise you not read the rest.

Looking at modern Twisted Wonderland and at the course of history that Lilia has experienced, we can see that human-fae relations have already made considerable improvements. It isn’t perfect of course—and there’s still lots of work to be done. The point I want to focus on is that the dynamic between their races has been changing and will continue to evolve going forward. The same has happened with human-merfolk and human-beastmen relationships, albeit those are (to our knowledge) less bloody than the history with fae. I believe that humans and fae will continue to work toward a future where they can be side-by-side—not that there won’t be missteps along the way, but that’s a natural consequence of such a complex goal with many moving components to it. Mistakes and steps backward are expected and normal. I just want the parties involved to be able to pick up the pieces afterward and use those missteps as opportunities for learning and growth.

I don’t think the “humans multiply faster” point holds much water. That makes it sound like humans reproduce like bacteria, making hundreds and thousands of children/doubling the entire population every few minutes. It also assumes that the birth rate of humans never declines or stagnates. Even if this was a concern, it wouldn’t be the case until several generations down the line (and again, this is assuming that nothing is done to combat any rising tensions in this long stretch of time). However, Humans do currently make up the majority of the population, and this was noted to be a factor in why it is difficult for even the magically inclined fae to fend them off.

I also think that “humans destroying nature” isn’t that valid either?? The phrasing, again, makes the situation seem far more dire than it actually is. Humans (at least that we know of) are no longer pillaging the land and robbing other races of their resources. There are several environmental efforts being made in multiple countries to preserve nature (which isn’t as good as not destroying nature in the first place, but hey, I’ll take what I can get). Silk City makes use of its waterways for trade. Harveston folk farm and forage while using sustainable methods. Sunset Savanna has labs to research ecofriendly ways to mine and generate energy for the country. In fact, the Sunset Savanna’s people prioritize living in harmony with nature more than making technological advances. Merfolk and humans have developed programs to help integrate their two races, and I assume this would include teaching them about how their two worlds impact one another (though this point is the only bit of speculation of these examples on my part). It sounds to me like everyone (or mostly everyone) is making active efforts to preserve their environment, rather than continuing to ravage the land as their ancestors did hundreds of years ago. Wouldn’t it have been better for nature if it was never changed by humans in the first place? For sure. But we cannot exactly have them dismantling their own communities, so working hard to preserve what they have left is the next best thing.

Now, about the whole… “Briar Valley should only be fae” idea proposed in this ask 💦 as I said earlier, I don’t think it would work. Creating an ethnostate (a place where citizenship is restricted only to members of a certain racial or ethnic group) won’t magically fix or prevent problems. In fact, I would propose this segregation could potentially result in more complications over time. For example:

The current population isn’t entirely fae. This includes Sebek’s human father, as well as Sebek and his two older siblings, who are all half human. What would be the proposed process for handling these cases if suddenly only fae were allowed to be in Briar Valley? Would they have their citizenship and the rights associated with that revoked? Would they be forced to leave the country? Do you see why this could cause issues?

Briar Valley may become even more isolated and self-contained than it already is. This would create an echo chamber where the main ideas reasonably accepted are their own/that of fae. They’d become trapped in their own bubble, unopen to the idea of change or thinking differently, leaving the country stagnant and its people arrogant. That doesn’t bode well for when they go out there as socialize with foreigners, who may be treated as “less-than” by fae.

Racial tensions could heighten from Briar Valley being made fae-only, thus resulting in a new cycle of hatred and distrust. We saw this happen in the past, and history is 100% capable of repeating itself. Humans and Briar Valley fae didn’t know much of each other and so this lack of knowledge morphed into scary stories and prejudice toward fae. This “othering” eventually led to humans feeling entitled to invade fae territory and seize their resources. Give it enough generations of limited interaction, and these fears could be bred anew when humans don’t have the opportunity to really get to know and interact with/live among fae. The fae will become proverbial boogeymen again.

On the subject of diurnal fae, I think a lot of assumptions are being made about how they live 😅 We actually know very little about them, so I’d rather not make assumptions.

It is stated in Fairy Gala that smaller fairies gather in a place called Faeland. However, not all smaller fairies live there, as we see plenty of pixies in the wild on Sage’s Island as well as in Briar Valley. It’s also never stated that Faeland is ONLY fae. We shouldn’t assume that Pixie Hollow being all fae means that Faeland (its twisted equivalent) is the same. Pixie Hollow itself isn’t even entirely fairies either, so that’s a false basis to work off of. There are many other beings there or in Never Land that aren’t fae: the animals, Mother Dove, mermaids, pirates, dragons, etc. That means other races could also live in Faeland.

As for the senators, I think they’re fine? I mean, I don’t approve of how they act or think on a personal level but they serve their function in the story and how they’re written makes sense. Quite a few politicians irl are older and conservative, and the senators are a reflection of that reality. I wouldn’t even say letting “dead ghost-like entitles governing the living” is that out there, specific to Briar Valley culture, or “questionable”. It’s actually very common, just not in as literal of a sense of Twisted Wonderland is making it out to be. Many of the laws and court rulings we have today follow precedents established by far older treatises and other legal documents written by men long since passed. Policies that were relevant years ago shaped the thinking of today’s politicians who lived through those policies in their youth. Prejudices that developed in wars we no longer fight still exist to this day. The politics of the past influence and inform the politics of today; they are not separate things.

[lunarsilkscreen]

The Monetization System

This was going to be a deep dive into [wealth] and the history of the term and how [wealth] is not the same as [currency].

Then I figured... We already know what this is, right?

It's a simple transport system for getting goods with a [Per Diem]{per day costs} as a base line. And many people, who want money to be affected by the laws of Thermodynamics... That is; automatically, or Dynamically.

*It* {meaning the economy} isn't automatic. And the automation we use *isn't* beholden to the laws we have defined for it in our economic text books.

It's a system with which to move junk from one place to another utilizing human greed/need as the driving force. That's it.

And what keeps happening to this system is that it deviates from its intended purpose and shift towards that [greed] part of human greed/need.

If you think you can make an unlimited amount of money; you're sorely mistaken. If you think you can save an unlimited amount of money; the banks are still gonna lend yours out, because we need that money to move the economy.

Those things drive up costs and reduce the effectiveness of our economic structures. I've been deliberating on what the other side of the economic issues are; or aren't; and I'm definitely missing pieces of this puzzle. But I wouldn't expect congress to be able to tell me what they are.

Because I think this is the definition that *most* Americans have arrived at.

So what happens when the economy encounters a stutter or blockage like it tends to do every 5-10 years? Turn it off and back on again until we need to do so again?

The issue with that is that it doesn't reset anything, so nothing changes. Lots of corporate $$ invested into ensuring their systems boot up a certain way and shutdown another.

So turning it off and back on again won't affect the cache-clearing-need. And they're definitely uses quick boot tech... Which further restricts how much data needs to be reloaded, and often causes issues on a home PC.

I dunno if you've ever been stuck in the endless update of doom. It's part of the reason.

It's why you need to maintain your shit.

So we know these things should be able to be reset AND WE KNOW; Corporate and government interests from both sides (Fed, Banks, Every Financial Whatever) because they want to ensure a certain data integrity and less-breaking.

Creating a situation where the [breaking] that needs to be done, cannot be done. This kind of breaking is closer to an [reorganization] or a [spring cleaning].

How interesting.

They can't change it because they don't want it to deteriorate, or worse; lose transaction records.

So. Since [that] is *always* going to be broken, and everybody agrees it does not need to broken further; we need a way to distribute resources to where they need to go when the economy starts trickling down to a stop.

And, actually, a lot of this might already be covered in economic and farming and supply chain documentation.

Which is likely in place to ensure there are no food shortages even when your favorite [snack] isn't on the shelf.

So how do we consolidate all *that* information into a single document that can reference the other documentation?

And then use it to ensure that we counteract inflation for things that may not have reason to [inflate] not limited to [decreased demand] and [increased availability of resources].

At the same time; there's a recurring disruption in our tech sectors related to the price of Video Cards; which are attributed to Crypto and AI.

Which changes the target audience of our [graphics cards] from [work and hobby] to [throwing as much resources as Crypto and AI as we possibly can]

On the surface it looks like a drop in available resources. But that's *not* the case, it's a rise in demand for support towards a specific kind of technology that is both wasteful, and poorly implemented.

Not that it isn't useful; but the *kind* of increased demand we see in the tech sector has a direct correlation to both Crypto and AI, and includes how they're implemented, who's implementing them, and what restrictions they're taking account of to ensure a waste of [wan-internet] resources.

[wan-internet] is a term to describe the [world wide web] when restricted by region.

The [wan-internet] in this depiction is exactly like how you would think of a power plant. Not including the power demand, all power on the internet (especially by region) affects everybody else online currently.

And with the increased internet adoption rates; were *more* likely to see a huge adoption for more skilled tech experts AND increased demand and resource drain until the bubble itself either collapsed or decompresses.

Anyway; unless people get their butts into gear, the economy is likely to take a turn for the worse and increased intervals until the general population loses interest in generic AI and Crypto use-cases.

Which is why I'm making this suggestion.

We need a way to move resources where they need to go, or even people to where there is available (AFFORDABLE) housing should they have need. (Across the country, if it needs to be.)

So in order to curtail that inevitability; we need alternative ways to affect our economic and supply chain systems that are not directly tied to financial support arms.

And a way to charge developers creating WAN and maybe not paying their fair share towards resource generation (electricity) which a big difference from simply asking somebody to pay their taxes.

It may mean they don't know that the apps they create [wan apps specifically] how much affect that will have in their user's bottom line.

Or even that of their non-users... Since it congests all of our networks anyway!

[speckled-jim]

Let’s talk about how Basquiat’s Slave Auction relates to the themes of remembrance & trauma in IWTV.

All the artwork we see displayed in Dubai is evocative of painful memories. It’s present in every single room we've seen, so much so that I'm surprised it took Louis this long to summon Daniel back for a redo of the ’73 interview.

The Basquiat piece is first seen in 1x3, an episode that starts with Louis telling Lestat about Jackson Square’s ugly history as the site of slave executions, and ends with a race riot caused by Louis’ actions. It also marks the beginning of Louis’ struggle with self-definition: he cannot divorce himself from humanity as easily as Lestat. He cannot divorce himself from the camaraderie, kinship, and mutual support/responsibility so integral to minority communities. Yet, as a vampire, he is now inherently separate from such aspects. By the time we meet Louis in Dubai, he lives in isolation, for all intents and purposes, his contact with humanity limited mainly to the penthouse staff. The art is evidence that he still craves a connection to his roots; however, it's no longer a positive connection centered on belonging, but a reminder that the gap has grown even wider.

Our next encounter with this piece is in 1x4, when Daniel finds "Rashid" praying in the same room.

The framing choice is quite interesting: the painting doesn’t dominate the shot, but its presence is still prominent. It’s physically behind Rashid/Armand, but more to the side of him than his back, and although there’s light streaming in through the windows, Armand’s just on the outskirts, sharing the shadows with the painting. It’s a rather startling image, considering how closely the piece depicts Armand’s past, not just in terms of the events he can remember but the jumbled manner in which they exist in his head: broken fragments, rather than coherent memories he can recount.

Thus, it connects to the previous episode’s introduction of the painting, which appears in the background just as Daniel casts doubt on the accuracy of Louis’ own memories.

On the surface, these appear to be lucid and orderly enough that Louis can form an unbroken narrative account of his life, but are they? When Daniel challenges Louis on the stark differences between the story he told in San Francisco and the story he is now telling in Dubai, Louis quotes Daniel’s own words at him, calling the second interview an “odyssey of recollection.” This implies some recognition on Louis’ part that his memory’s imperfect, even when it’s not “an admitted performance.”

Slave Auction likewise contains a chaotic profusion of themes: the lasting scars of slavery, racism, and failed assimilation, overlaid with images of black men as entertainers and athletes, a superficial success applied like a band-aid over a gaping wound. Is that not the very core of Louis de Pointe du Lac? Fathomless, unaddressed anguish buried under a placid façade of wealth? A lifelong attempt to gloss over his innate pain as a man grieving the loss of his family, his community, his connection to humanity?

Not for nothing the arc words of these two seasons have been “memory is a monster.” Many horror enthusiasts say that one of the scariest things you can do is never show the monster in full, instead letting the audience craft its image from their own fears. Louis has spent decades living with just such a monster always at his back, too terrified to turn around and face it for fear of what he’d see there.

And then, in the final scenes of s2, he finally finds that courage, only to realise that the monster, all along, was just love.

[billveusay]

I watched Gundam Unicorn and...

...and we're back in the hot take zone, probably the hottest yet. Fine, yes, I didn't like Unicorn. I didn't hate it, but I still have a lot of issues with the whole Newtypes concept, at least when it's played straight (I have it on good authority that X does interesting subversions with it). And this is the "oops, all Newtypes" show.

I went into it knowing almost nothing about it, and what I knew wasn't encouraging. I saw gifs of the Unicorn going destroy mode in full CGI, which always makes me feel robbed of pretty 2D animation, and I knew there was an actual char clone named Full Frontal with a ridiculous hairdo and a collar that made him look stupid. However, by the end of the first episode, I was actually pretty invested. Large chunks of the plot were the same as always (young kid finds himself piloting a Gundam while his colony is getting attacked, etc) but the pacing and presentation were much better than F91, really did a favour to Unicorn by watching them back to back. And the first fight was entirely in gorgeous 2D and one of the best choreographed space combat scenes I've seen so far, dynamic but easy to follow.

However, most of my goodwill came from all of the mystery it was setting up. Oooh, what's the deal with this girl? Oooh, what's Laplace's Box? Oooh, political intrigue. Put the problem with catchy set-ups is that the pay-off must not be disappointing. And I was disappointed. In fact, captain something echoed my reaction pretty well.

There is so much wrong with this box.

So. If I got my UC history lessons correct, 60 years before Zeon Zum Deikun made his theory about Newtypes, and 80 years before they turned out to be a thing, every world leader not only agreed, with no basis, that maybe living in space will turn people into mutants, but also that it will probably be for the best if those eventual mutants are given ruling positions.

And... I'm absolutely not opposed to the idea of something impossible or highly implausible happening in sci-fi stories, that's what they're for. I don't mind you telling me that living in space makes some people psychic in your universe for some reason. But even though Newtypes are an integral part of the UC that we and the characters now take for granted, we have internalized that fact only because we were presented with concrete evidence of it in 0079 and all of the subsequent pieces of UC media. But it feels like the writer was so caught up in his grand and deep message about humanity that he didn't realize how much he took it for granted, and how weird this concept sounds when presented as purely hypothetical. And besides...

"Okay, I know that we, the ruling class, have sent you, the underprivileged, into space by force. And I'm really sorry about that. But to atone, I make you a promise: if you evolve into a new, space-adapted race, we will give you priority in government affairs"

"...can you stop oppressing us now instead?"

"Naaaah, you gotta prove that you're worth it. So chop chop, get evolving"

Moreover, the prime-minister decided to add that at the last minute, and every world leader was okay with it? And when they got hit by the terrorists and went "well now I'm not doing it", they managed to erase every trace of it besides the charter? In one of the biggest events in the history of mankind, and therefore one that was probably highly mediatized?

And finally, we're expected to believe that this thing had the potential to uproot the whole Federation and allowed the Vist Foundation to blackmail them for a century? Did they really think that the spacenoids would not only believe that this clause is real (how hard is it to fake a big slab?), but also be convinced to revolt by it?

"Oh my god! I could excuse the Federation oppressing us, but going back on a promise to give us rights if space turned us into mutants, and subsequently hiding it from us?! That I won't accept! To the streets!"

Even after the One Year War, where the existence of Newtypes is proven... well a spacenoid rebellion already happened. And then several more followed. So it's not like revealing the content of the box would have made much difference, people are already revolting against the Federation for much better reasons.

It's absurd on so many levels, I have trouble wrapping my head around it, and because it's the foundation of the entire plot it makes everything else fall apart. And with how pretentious the writing is ("It was a prayer... but also a curse..."), it had a long way to fall.

On that note, again, I have trouble with the points that Tomino and this show are trying to make. Partly because I have trouble understanding them since they're presented in such a messy knot of ideas and themes, partly because what I can understand, I find wonky. Some of it is just stuff that aged poorly, like the idea that colonizing space is the way to save earth from pollution. No better way to know that you're doing something wrong than having Musk give you the thumbs up. As for the other ideas, yeah, I guess that most of our problems come from not understanding each other. But when the proposed solution is "evolving into psychics so we can communicate without misconceptions"... it has to be allegorical since that will straight up not happen, but then what is it trying to actually say? I'm genuinely asking. Because like with Evangelion, there's always a small part of me telling me that maybe I just don't get it. And if I did it, maybe it would be a transcendental experience, you never know.

BUT. I'd still argue that there are better ways to convey your big important message than having whatever character is close to hand shout it out. Then shout it out again. And again and again and agai- I KNOW that people should understand each other. I KNOW that people's souls are weighed down by gravity. Take Disco Elysium. An incredibly intelligent game that deals with an abundance of psychological, political, philosophical and existential themes. At no point does it feel like the characters step aside to let the writer tell you directly all of his very intelligent thoughts. They always feel human, their opinions and motivations coming from their personal experiences and personality, and not the needs of the (gundam) narrative.

Plus, even admitting that the message is profound and meaningful, the Newtype concept still brings a bunch of issues with it. One thing I've already mentioned in a previous review is that the pilot skills just come down to having the good pilot gene. You can just shove Quess Paraya in a cockpit and she'll turn into a weapon of mass destruction. And since MSG, I can't think of a single time a fully-developped Newtype lost to an Oldtype (there's probably some, I've watched a lot of Gundam since then), so it's back to DBZ power levels deciding everything. And overall, it just gives too much power to the hand of the author. They can brush aside any challenge they introduce by having the protagonist yell for 10 minutes. 15 minutes if it's the climax. Then the FX department goes wild with the sparkles, emotional music plays, and everything is resolved. It's not just artificial, it's predictable. I don't feel suspense because I'm just waiting for the moment the VA finally gives himself laryngitis and they have no choice but to move on to the resolution. I know this is a me thing, it's omnipresent in anime so it has to appeal to most of its audience, this is just me explaining why I don't personally like it.

Phew. Okay, I'll admit that all of the above was not just about Unicorn but most of the Gundam stuff that I don't personally enjoy, it's just the show that I found most symptomatic of it, and so it was a good occasion to discuss it. But with all of that out of the way, what's left? Well, mostly stuff that we've seen before, because this show (or the novel it was adapted from) is, like so much of Gundam and especially UC Gundam, derivative as hell. I get that often it's the point, iterating on a similar formula to propose alternative takes. But you know how repeating a word a bunch of times makes it lose its meaning at some point? That's what this reminds me of. We've already seen a teenager finding himself piloting a Gundam developed by his father after his colony gets attacked. We've seen that teenager getting beaten up into a weapon by military officers. We've seen a mobile suit battle in a populated environment wreck havoc and destruction. We've seen the protagonist try to psychically reach out to a brainwashed girl. We've seen the psychic ghosts of every dead secondary character coming together in a climactic moment, etc... and at that point, we've seen all of that more than twice for most of them, so it just doesn't hit the same.

Moreover, while the repetition in some shows could be excused because say, they're from an alternative timeline that you can watch without having watched the rest of Gundam, here knowledge of everything from 0079 to CCA is required. I haven't watched ZZ yet (I skipped it because Zeta was a slog and I wanted to get to CCA and the pretty OVAs, but now it's actually one of the series I'm the most excited for) and even if I could follow the plot without too much trouble, there was a lot of stuff I noticed I was missing because of that. So the ideal viewer of Unicorn, who has all of the necessary knowledge, is guaranteed to have seen similar events play out multiple times.

As for the story and the character themselves, I found Banagher pretty bland as a protagonist. Yes, I'm saying that while Stardust Memory remains my favourite Gundam show, and I am STANDING by it. He doesn't differ much from the previous protagonists, and while there are differences in his backstory and trajectory, most notable being his tendency to get captured and recaptured by the other side at the beginning of each episode (that got a bit funny the fifth time it happened), in practice I struggled to find something that set him apart from his models.

Mineva is probably the most interesting character, and it was nice to see her again after Zeta, but her subplot of inheriting the leadership of a violent and extremist faction while being opposed to war fell into the muddled mess of philosophical concepts and politics by the end, so I mostly think of her as good potential, but not really paying it off.

And then there's Full Frontal. Fucking Full Frontal. No. I'm sorry. I can accept a Gundam with a moustache, I can't get over that hairdo and that collar. I can't watch any dialogue scene where he's involved without imagining the other characters refraining from chuckling. Shūichi Ikeda is doing some heavy lifting to keep him charismatic, but fortunately he's an incredible voice actor so it somewhat works. Hearing his voice echo through the comm systems of the Nahel Argama was very effectively chilling. But... remember when I talked about how I like my mecha stories at least partially grounded in reality? Yeah, so you can guess how I feel about him travelling to the heat death of the universe with his psychic powers, where a ghost tells him to stop being such a brat. This is why I have trouble enjoying even the good parts of Unicorn, because at the end they all devolve into something so over the top and disconnected from reality to the point of meaninglessness (again, this is how I experienced it, can't add "imo" to every sentence) that I can't stay invested.

Same goes for the fight scenes actually. As I mentioned, the first ones were incredible, but that was because they had some restraint, which allowed them to keep it readable. But because they need to up the stakes, they make the mobile suits progressively faster, they add more effects, more sparkles, more funnels, more explosions, more CGI, and by the end... well it becomes visual noise.

Sorry, tangent, back to the characters. Riddhe... I get the point of his character, but it felt poorly executed. He wants to preserve the statu quo because he fears chaos, ok. And he hates Newtypes because of that, but Newtypes represent change in the meta-symbolism, not in the diegesis of the story. It's like if Agent Smith hated Neo because he knew that he was a metaphor for transgenderism (among other things) and Smith was transphobic. Oh, and he also hates Gundams. Why? Gundams are just a brand of high-tier Mobile Suits that just happened to often be piloted by Newtypes. And... did he have a crush on Mineva? Is that why he got so butthurt? Because this becomes wrong on so many levels, least of which being, he went from hating her to helping her escape in- say it with me now -five minutes.

Who else... Marida and her adoptive dad were somewhat interesting, though I wish I knew her backstory from ZZ. Bright is Bright, true to form, a concrete traffic cone. I liked the moment where he chats with the picture of Amuro though. And we got to see my boy Kai Shidan! He doesn't do much, it's pure fanservice, but it's nice to see him well!

Before moving on to the visuals, little side note: man, Witch from Mercury took a lot from this one. The Gund format effect looks like the destroy mode, the main theme sounds similar, and the climax also ends with the Gundam using its weird glowy power to shield a space station from a giant laser. It's far from plagiarism, but it was fun DiCaprio pointing.

Okay then. Animation wise, all of the 2D stuff is gorgeous but as I've said, I don't like the CGI on the mobile suits. I hasten to add that I have nothing against 3D animation in general, I'm in 3D animation school, but cell-shaded 3D mechs don't trigger my dopamine receptors like hand-drawn ones do. The beautiful perspective, the details, the silhouettes, each frame a dynamic pose thought out to have maximum impact. You don't get that with CG, and it always kind of breaks my feeling of a coherent diegesis. But at least it's not on every shots, and the 2D ones are beautiful. As for the mech design... for the non-gundam ones, it threads the line between great and overdesigned. The Kshatriya is just under it, the Sinanju is just over it.

But the Unicorn and the Banshee I really don't like, at least in destroy mode. The red glowy highlights should be drawing the eyes of the viewer toward the important details, but here they just cover every part of the frame indiscriminately, so nothing stands out and it becomes visual noise that doesn't feel dynamic or purposeful. I think the gundams of WfM do it much better. And that's before the Full Armor version where we kiss goodbye to any sense of identifiable dynamic silhouette.

Okay. I feel like there's still a lot I want to talk about, but I'd never see the end of it, so I'm punching out here. One final "just my opinion" for the road and let's move on.

Next is 00, and even though it's flawed on many many levels, I'll have a lot more nice things to say about it. See you there!

My gundam reviews :

> Hathaway's Spark > Mobile Suit Gundam > Gundam Zeta > 0083: Stardust Memory > 0080: War in the Pocket > 8th MS Team > The Witch from Mercury > Gundam Thunderbolt > The Origin > Turn A Gundam > F91 > Gundam Unicorn > Gundam 00 > MS IGLOO > Gundam Narrative > Iron-Blooded Orphans > Gundam Wing > Twilight Axis > Requiem for Vengeance

[himejoshiangels]

batgirl 2000 reread pt 2!!!

Back 2 batgirl..Cass has to have some of the worst daddy issues in the whole family and that's saying so much like between Bruce and Cain she deserves billions of dollars in compensation for all the all the way fucked up and over shit they put her through that she doesn't even have the capacity to work through yet

also this little interaction made me smile, average bat conversation

obsessed w how they integrate cass into the Bruce wayne: murderer storyline. We're operating fully from cass's perspective here and the whole thing is formatted like any other case she's taken on. we get exposition as cass investigates but there's a feeling of uneasiness as she paces the manor. she fully doesn't know who this guy is but we do. we do.

truly one of the most iconic ways anyones ever figured out his identity. she knows him so deeply that she's able to recognize the pure unbridled determination and fury in his eyes just from a picture

Cassandra cain truly stays unmatched, the "I'll kill you" "not tonight" panel hits just as hard as when I first read it. I need a physical copy of this shit NEOWWW. also cass's ability to recognize that Shiva is just as suicidal as she is, that in fighting each other their both fulfilling the others death wish..like we know she isn't going to kill her from the start but it makes the decision all the more powerful

EEEK she's so cutest patootest..she's a detective

cass if projecting onto every case she dealt with was a job..

srsly tho the whole alpha arc thing was sooo good especially when it came to cass's immovable belief that even people with the most diabolical histories are capable of change, are worth saving

ermmm..the lawyers are advising me not to discuss the stephcass drama issue at this current time..thank you

idk how I missed the political commentary the first time but issue 43 got it. FAWK AMERICA

I love this comic I LOVE THIS COMIC!!! I love love love when Cass has a conversation that leads her to experiment which leads her to self discovery. oh my god. truly baffled and disgusted as she discovers gender roles, she just like me fr

THIS^^^^^^ is so, it's such a good way of broadcasting cass's insecurities and emotions to the audience. unlike a lot of characters cass rarely ever says what she's feeling, even when asked she'll often lie. it's either that or a lack of self awareness/means of communication when it comes to her own emotions. BUT this also shows that cass is aware of the complex interpersonal dynamics and drama around her. Usually these things are just implied like when Cass wordlessly punches the shit out of dick for making babs cry, but this is one of the first times in the comic where these things that cass had been feeling and hearing are told instead of shown [which is pretty 50/50 considering the kinda jarring writer switch but I think this specifically was a cool choice]

Cass has a tendency to avoid emotional topics centered around her all together but at the climax of this arc she's forced to confront very conflicting views of her identity, social pressures, and her own insecurities.

this part got to me BAD

Cass's pure and utter devastation in response to Bruce attempting to fire her (I say attempt bcs that shit barely lasted a day) is so gutwrenching. batgirl was the first name she ever had, the first identity as a human being she'd ever had. Not to mention her suicidal-perfectionism. For Batman of all people to say those things to her, not only does she not have anything outside of batgirl (partially BECAUSE of him) but she's literally as close to perfect as it gets, matter a fact bruce literally calls her perfect. To be accused of jeopardizing the mission, despite that she might be the only person who values it just as much as bruce does..No wonder she shatters into a billion pieces when he does that to her. she has nothing else to be if she's not batgirl.

[zwy01]

Noble OCs - Siriana

Making five OCs for every clan!

Tianming Siriana: Pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to Lagus’ generation.

Tianming is smart, cunning, and manipulative. He takes great pride in being a noble and enjoys flaunting the power he possesses. His favorite pastime is playing with humans and pulling on their puppet strings. The world is his little ant farm and he views humans as brainless ants who only know how to move around in circles. A long time ago, a very bored Tianming wanted to spice things up. If human history was a canvas, he wanted to be the painter. Tianming used his noble superpowers to make himself look like he descended from the heavens and blessed the humans with his presence. Then, he announced himself as one of the gods, and told the humans about the “Mandate of Heaven”; something about there only being one legitimate ruler at a time, and if a king rules unfairly he could lose heaven’s approval, etc. The humans were in total awe and soaked up his teachings like a sponge. Little did they know it was nonsense he made up on spot because he just wanted to stir up drama. Tianming often disguised himself as a human and dwelled amongst them, taking part in rebellions to overthrow rulers he helped to establish in the past. He’d partake in the creation of a new dynasty, play with them for a little while, and accelerate the downfall of said dynasty once he gets bored. And this would be the norm for subsequent dynasties. Tianming’s having a blast with his little role-play game in the human world. He doesn’t fine-tune events for any particular outcome and simply enjoys being the steering wheel in the shadows. Even if it’s an anthill, he wants his piece of the ants’ treasure. The other nobles are aware of his unusual hobby and most are neutral. Some look at him with disdain, chaos-lovers cheer him on. Tianming doesn’t kill humans, so nobles who think he should be dealt with can’t do much about him. He has no urge to kill, but he doesn’t mind seeing people do it to each other. Their screams and cries make nice background music. Even better than an orchestra, how neat. Tianming is the father of Raizel’s brother, whom he had with the Previous Noblesse. He shows little to no emotion at her death nor does he acknowledge their son’s death. His exact relationship with the Previous Noblesse remains a mystery.

Guanyin Siriana: Pureblood. Entered eternal sleep, belonged to Gejutel’s generation.

Guanyin was the mother and predecessor of Zarga. She wasn’t exactly the best mother nor did she spend much effort in at least trying to be one. To her, Zarga was merely another noble amongst the crowd and she viewed him as an average acquaintance. His “special” connection to her existed solely because she gave birth to him and was his mother in simple terms. Precisely, she created him from a soul fragment. That was all. Guanyin didn’t exactly shun Zarga, but she never once referred to him as her son. To her, he was more like a younger colleague who had a permanent residence in her home. She didn’t show affection for him, and simply sat still and stared whenever he had his typical child moments. She heard him, but didn’t listen to what he had to say. She saw him, but didn’t integrate him into her field of view. Zarga had no one to praise him for his milestones nor did he have anyone to hold and comfort him when he felt sad. On the flip side, he was never punished for anything he did as long as he made progress with his education and training. He wasn’t the type to break rules for fun, but he was functionally free to do so to his heart’s desire. His mother would be the last person on this planet to discipline him. Guanyin’s concern for Zarga was minimal. He was her heir, she was his Clan Leader; their relationship stopped there. She treated him with respect and even bowed to him like she would in a greeting with another noble of similar status. She completely ignored the child part of his identity and grouped him with her adult colleagues. She never held him in her arms. Zarga’s other parent and soul fragment donor had no role in his life either. Zarga’s birth was planned a long time ago, when his other parent owed Guanyin a favor in his youth thus offered to have a soul fragment available for her when she needed one for her heir. The absence of reliable parental figures in Zarga’s life meant he felt lonely at times. From his mother’s perspective, her lack of any sort of emotion towards her son wasn’t her being personal at all. Rather, she felt almost nothing for her own kind in general. She had her duty towards her clan and fellow citizens of Lukedonia, and she did a good job. No one could ask her to be involved beyond that in any of their business.

Ironically, Guanyin was known as the “Goddess of Mercy and Compassion” in the human world. She felt neutral towards her own kind but loved humans unconditionally. She offered comfort to them. She was their spiritual and physical savior. She represented compassion, mercy, and love. The free time she could’ve spent with Zarga was always given to the humans without any hesitation. Guanyin was truly dedicated to her cause. She was revered as a goddess for a good reason. Perhaps Guanyin’s blatant favoritism sowed a seed of bitterness in Zarga’s heart. To add insult to injury, Guanyin addressed the humans as her “children”, which was a luxury Zarga never got to experience. Zarga was reluctant to admit that he missed his mother and tried to convince himself that he didn’t need her. He hated how he wanted her to notice him and felt pathetic. Guanyin was many people’s savior, yet never once reached out to the one who needed her most.

Caishen Siriana: Non-pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to the Previous Lord’s generation.

Caishen is charming and optimistic. His special talent is being lucky. The world somehow always has coincidences set up so he avoids everything that could possibly harm him. It’s as if he has an invisible shield following him around at all times. This may sound like a blessing, but it’s a minor huge inconvenience on his part. A perfectly fine table would collapse just because he’s about to stub his toe from being careless and not looking at where he’s walking. Dang, what a pity, that table was a real work of art. Or he’s about to accidentally trip himself and rather than falling onto the floor, there’s always someone nearby and he’ll fall on them instead and he’s fine because they took the blow for him. For this reason, the nobles all avoid him because they think he’s going to bring them bad luck. Everyone thinks he’s unlucky. Nobles look at his friends and wonder why they even hang out with him. Caishen is naturally clumsy but learns to be more careful to not let his luckiness cost others their wellbeing. He also tries his best because he doesn’t want his belongings to keep destroying themselves. Caishen carries red envelopes with handwritten letters, candies and toys stuffed inside on him at all times and gives them to people he likes. Then he exclaims “gong xi fa cai!” and laughs. Nobles eventually come to appreciate his gifts and affectionately calls them “Caishen’s unlucky red envelopes”. His quirky gift-giving ritual spreads to the human world and inspires “lucky red envelopes” filled with money in some human cultures. Even his gibberish catchphrase becomes a classic verbal blessing humans exchange with friends and family. Caishen has a Chinese dragon buddy named Jikuai and the two of them go on adventures in the human world once every twelve years. They visit villages and give out gifts of money, food, and other goods to residents. The humans mark their calendars and every twelfth year is the Year of the Dragon. Caishen and Jikuai are very flattered. To humans, they are the bringers of good fortune and prosperity. How flattering! Caishen’s hobby is making sycees.

Ganesha Siriana: Non-pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to Raskreia’s generation.

Ganesha is a bit shy. He usually wears an elephant headdress covering his own head entirely and only takes it off around people he knows. He speaks in two different voices depending on whether he has his headdress on or off. His friends ask him why he does his voice changes and to be frank he doesn’t know either. Ganesha is very intelligent. He was born with a gift, and he also spends a lot of time studying in the library tower Minerva. He’s very well acquainted with the Paradiso scholars there, and they often engage in deep conversations on all kinds of subjects. The scholars miss him when he’s busy and can’t come, and look forward to each of his visits. He tends to not announce when he comes and goes, so they hope he does remember to drop by. Ganesha’s creative thinking skills are excellent and nobles go to him for advice sometimes. He’s smart, cool, dignified, and elegant. That is, until he sees sweets. He goes extra crazy for pastries and won’t calm down until he’s had his fill. Thank goodness they’re nobles and overeating isn’t really detrimental to them. Ganesha is the person who stuffs his friend Geirmundr Landegre’s mouth with a cake to show him a new world. Geirmundr becomes a baker and in his career, he creates a very tasty dessert he names modaka, which is Ganesha’s all-time favorite. Ganesha has a supernatural giant rat friend named Kroncha and they’re inseparable. Sometimes Ganesha rides Kroncha on walks. Ganesha has two partners, Buddhi and Siddhi.

Erdene Siriana: Non-pureblood. Entered forced eternal sleep, belonged to Gejutel’s generation.

Erdene was the younger sister of Harald Siriana, the mother of Valentina Mergas, and the caretaker and tutor of Zarga Siriana. Erdene was sweet, empathetic, and patient. Zarga’s mother Guanyin being uninvolved in raising him meant that he spent his early years rotating between countless caretakers and nannies. They were Siriana clan members arranged to take care of Zarga in Guanyin’s stead because she couldn’t spare time for her own son. Some of them agreed it would’ve been better for their future Clan Leader to have his mother in his life, but they were in no place to suggest that to Guanyin. They could only listen to her orders as they had no say in such matters. The caretakers’ faces all blur in Zarga’s memory. Since there were so many of them and each only stuck around for short time, they often left just as he was about to grow attached to them, and that was very stressful for a young Zarga. Guanyin’s arrangements for her heir would continue to overwhelm him, until Erdene stepped up. While the other caretakers left as soon as their part of the job had been completed, Erdene couldn’t bring herself to leave behind the child who clutched onto her sleeves. His grip was weak, signaling that she was free to pull away as he didn’t expect her to stay with him even though he wanted her to. Erdene stayed with Zarga and requested to meet with Guanyin, and proposed that she would like to be the young heir’s primary caretaker. Guanyin, with her usual disregard for her son, agreed to the proposal. She didn’t care about who took care of him as long as he had someone. Erdene and Zarga grew very close to each other and he called her “Miss Erdene” and later “Mother”, which started when he had a slip-up because he viewed her as one and got confused for a second. He was flustered and promptly apologized for his mistake, but a teary-eyed Erdene insisted that he could call her that. He teared up too, and they shared a happy embrace. When Zarga became a little older and more independent, Erdene took up the role of tutor and instructed him on Clan Leader duties because Guanyin was nowhere to be seen yet again. If we’re being nice, she had full trust in Erdene’s competence with her heir. If we’re being honest, she was too busy saving humans to even remember that her son existed. Fortunately, Guanyin’s continued absence in Zarga’s life didn’t bother him as much anymore because he had his beloved Erdene. He sort of had a sister as well, though she wasn’t too keen on calling him her brother despite thinking of him as one. Erdene’s daughter Valentina, the Mergas heir, sometimes studied with Zarga and the children were close. They were similar in age and personality, and though the two clans had different educational systems, there were some overlapping areas so they occasionally shared study sessions.

Unfortunately, tragedy would follow and both Valentina and Zarga’s happiness came to an abrupt end during their teenage years. Erdene truly wanted to help Zarga, after all. She was his mother figure in practice, but she also hoped that his real mother would pay more attention to him. As much as Zarga appreciated the sentiment, he was more or less annoyed with Erdene’s unwavering persistence with her futile efforts regarding Guanyin. To him, it was a bit like her saying she was planning on leaving him, which would be a wrong assumption on his part. On Erdene’s part, she thought maybe Zarga still longed for his “real” mother and hoped to help him reconnect with her. This mutual misunderstanding drove an invisible wedge between them. One day, Zarga grew tired of Erdene’s refusal to let go of the impossible and in a split second, he snapped at her and told her that she shouldn’t try to meddle with his life because she wasn’t his real mother anyway, and at least his mother never bothered him. Zarga regretted it immediately, but his pride kept him from apologizing. Erdene was hurt, but blamed it on herself and quietly left after apologizing to Zarga, which just made him feel even worse. Unbeknownst to them, that would become their last interaction. Erdene left Lukedonia in hopes of finding a suitable gift for Zarga to cheer him up, but was unfortunately ambushed and killed by werewolves on her way back. Zarga was devastated, and so was Valentina. Their friendship ended when Valentina called him her mother’s killer. Zarga, feeling numb and guilty, accepted Valentina’s accusation. Erdene’s funeral was short and simple. Zarga didn’t attend because Valentina told him she’d kill him if he dared to show up. When Erdene was alive, her hobby was making mooncakes.

Thank you for reading! Drosia is next!

[fireangel]

Venting:

Dear Christopher

Your image will never recover because you decided to play along with the stupid lies your C's make degrees publicist team put out there against your actual fandom and all of those who spent time defending you

You do not deserve the amount of time, effort or money that has been spent at the expense of others over your precious "image"

You have shown not only your fandom that held you up all of these years but the entire world that you are nothing but a spineless git who will never stand up and do the right thing if it does not directly benefit you or your bank account

You have chosen to stay silent during what may turn out to be one of the most important turning points in history

You were absolutely dead wrong about any part of the character that made you famous rubbing off on you, you are nothing alike and never will be

You use the excuse of "remaining neutral" for the benefit of your website to hide behind instead if your long gone fandom who abandoned you because of your own bad choices

Stop hiding behind the lies and rumours they've spun out of the fandom, you've had ample opportunity to set the record straight properly and you've actively chosen not to

I have a word for people like that, Ostrich Managers, they like to run and hide instead of apologising for the shit they did to other people making them run around and do the work for them so they don't have to do anything, passive aggressive narcissists

You sit silent, and yet you claim to understand the meaning of the word and what it means to remain so

Theres neutrality, and then theres avoidance of responsibility and lying to get out of it

You are a failure of an actor and a piece of shit human being; how you continue to participate being a Hollywood puppet and retain any personal integrity is beyond my comprehension

At least if you actually got angry about something we'd know you actually possessed real human emotions

Even fucking AI bots have done more work than you have to combat whats happening out there in the world right now, even I have and I have far less of everything by comparison but I still actively choose to show up every day and do the work that I can for the benefit of other people, not because they asked me to, but because its what I want to leave behind in this world is far more important than what people think of me

I'm nobody with nothing, and yet I still possess far more than you will ever be able to obtain

A complete soul

[wraith-of-the-chibi-demons]

Alroght getting off purgatory and returning to my hellsite, but wanted to talk about it real quick. Elon replyied to another post makijg the same point saying to stop using hashtags anymore because they aren't needed and are ugly. And this is just... first may i note the fucking hilarity that almost every comment is people using the hashtag #stopusinghashtags Which is just... beautiful. But also i want to draw attention to how badly elon handles his companys... he has destroyed bassically every part of twitters power in the modern sphere... like yeah twitter was trashed on but fucking everyone used it... i specifically make an effort to avoid social media because its aweful, with tumblr being my one exception because tumblr is less a social media as monkeys on typewritters, (you couldnt start a movement on tumblr, and thats exactly how i want it) but even i am constantly surrounded by twitter, i know how twitter worked LONG before i ever went on the website, and thats insane.. people say 'knowledge is power' and while i fully agree its powerful ive always perfered the idea behind 'the pen is mightier than the sword' becuse knowledge itself isnt that powerful, but controlling it, or freeing it is. Whats powerful is communication, and elon bought one the most respected, trusted, and powerful forms of it. The first thing he did... remove the branding, one of the single most powerful aspects... he killed its name. EVERYONE knew twitter, everyone knew what it meant to tweet something, and he killed them... he killed the most valuable thing about the site he bought as one of his first acts... ill be honest it took my friends a litteral hour to convince me they werent joking when they told me... Next elon killed their reputation, he started by unbaning a yon of rasist sexist assholes and flooding the site with shit, and then when advertisers started pulling back and he needed money he did the worst possible move and killed the 3rd biggest icon of the site, the ever sought after blue check mark. This is what killed the site to me. Changing it to X, dumb, but not going to kill the site, this... devastating... what this did was ruin their reputation with hundreds of brands as the once presigious symbol showing you were important and that you were the real deal became 5$ as hundreds of versions of advertisers, companys and celebratys flooded the site with fake posts that people mistook for real due to this symbol that was formerly trusted(though it gave tumblr a great joke) finally elon now is going to destroy tge hashtag, one of the most recognizeable pieces of culture over the last 2 decades, which fully integrated itself into the vocabulary of a generation... elon has shown that he has NO FUCKING IDEA how to control a company, to tge point where even a 8 year old version of me could have told you that he was fucking up. I respected elon once.... he did some great yhings with space x, and tesla did massive work to move us towards electric vehicles, a major step in the battle against climate change... sure he was excenric but what amazing inventor isnt? He has cone to the point where I feel shame for what his companys name does for Nicola Tesla, one of the greatest minds in human history... I had already lost almost all respect for him when he bought twitter, but there was a small piece left... his handleing of it not only killed but mutilated its corpse, leaving only hatred for this aweful man who i once thought could have been a force of possitive change in the world... I think its fascinating that people can still believe in him after all of this, and i will fontinue to watch thise people, and him with curiosity, while knowing, he shall never regain what he once was, ir cpuld have been

[yaenvs3000w24]

Nature Interpretation through History

Diving into Edward Hyams' musings in "The Gifts of Interpretation" really got me thinking. He says, "There is no peculiar merit in ancient things, but there is merit in integrity, and integrity entails the keeping together of the parts of any whole…" It's a hefty thought, especially when I relate it back to what we've been unpacking in our latest unit on history's role in nature interpretation. It's like Hyams is nudging us to see the bigger picture, to connect the dots across time to maintain the story's wholeness.

Now, as a biomedical science undergrad who’s ventured into the world of environmental interpretation, I’ve always been about the facts and figures. But this course, and particularly this unit, has been a gentle push towards appreciating the narratives behind those facts. It’s about seeing the forest for the trees, quite literally. The history that shapes our natural landscapes isn't just a backdrop, it is a vital part of the narrative, improving our understanding and connection to the environment.

Hyams' idea of integrity made me reflect on how we approach nature. It's not just observing the natural world but understanding the historical threads that weave through it. This perspective is crucial, not just for the sake of knowledge but for fostering a deeper connection with our environment. It’s recognizing that every tree, river, or mountain has a backstory, shaped by both nature and humanity. It’s about honoring those stories in our interpretation, making sure they’re not lost to time but preserved and shared.

This approach aligns with what we’ve been exploring in the unit—how history enriches our interpretation of nature. It’s like we’re detectives, piecing together clues from the past to present a fuller picture of the natural world today. This doesn’t mean turning every nature walk into a history lesson. Instead, it’s about peppering our narratives with historical insights that add depth and context, making the experience richer for our audience.

In the spirit of not being formulaic and embracing the interpretive freedom this course encourages, let’s think about how we can weave these historical threads into our own stories of nature. Maybe it’s sharing the legacy of a local park, the ancestral significance of a landmark, or even how our understanding of conservation has evolved over time. The goal? To spark curiosity, foster connection, and maybe even inspire action towards preserving these natural and historical treasures.

[sspacegodd]

The pineal gland, or third eye in human terms, is an alien piece of biochemistry embedded in the human race -- as any biochemistry textbook tells of our reptilian history.

Reptiles will do anything for a pineal gland because they want its mystical powers--but they have been unable to integrate this organ into their own being as it gives access to dimensions of incredible energy and spiritual purity that would be a bit off-putting to a species hell bent on slaughter. The Reptiles are trying to bring through the 'Old Ones' as characterized by HP Lovecraft.

"So Jacob called the place Peniel (Pineal!), saying, 'It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared'." ~ Genesis 32: 30. So, the Pineal Gland ('Third Eye'), where Jacob saw God face to face, is a small endocrine gland in the brain. The Pineal Gland produces melatonin, a serotonin-derived hormone which modulates sleep patterns in both circadian and seasonal cycles, but it is also related to our imagination and IN-SIGHT; however, it also produces DMT and other wonderful hormones. The shape of the gland resembles a pine cone from which it derived its name; i.e., in Latin pinea "pine cone," from pinus "pine tree".

So the Pineal Gland ('Third Eye') is where you communicate with God face to face, where you have genius IN-SIGHT, where your intuition strengthens. Human beings of GREAT intelligence (both emotional and intellectual intelligence) have their Pineal Gland highly developed. It has also been discovered that the Pineal Glands of stupid and ignorant people with poorly developed minds/brain structures are highly atrophied. Since this gland produces many important hormones for sleep and intuitive (divine) guidance, animals also have it; although in animals it has another name (Parietal Eye). Parietal Eye ('Third eye'/'Pineal Eye') is a part of the epithalamus present in some animal species; and in many animals it permits them to see in darkness or night. Except, in animals it cannot be developed further as in human beings, because animals lack a car and a job.

Now, what is the power and how to develop it...??

There is no doubt that all the great Biblical prophets were great Pinealists (developers of the Pineal Gland). Sexual chastity combined with certain practices permitted them to see the ultra of nature. And it is because the development of this Pineal Gland is strictly based on our sexual energies. Healthy food and drink is a must, that is obvious. But sexual chastity is key! Not spilling the semen in outbursts of uncontrolled lust is key to develop this great gland. Why...?? Because in the semen is the energy in physical nutrients for the brain to develop, for illumination to reach the conscience, for us to be able to talk to God face to face and listen to divine guidance. So, when Samson lost his sexual purity, he was cut off from God--i.e., his Pineal Gland ('Third Eye') atrophied, so he lost divine contact.

They have a hypnotic gaze that fixes the victim in a trance of terror which promotes secretion of the pineal gland--at that point, they cannot hold human form any longer and shapeshift in anticipation of supper...

Alta Major Chakra (also called the mouth of God) which is located at the base of the skull, when in alignment with the 33 vertebra and the Cranial Temple opens up a whole complete channel to bring in more LIGHT into the body, the sacred temple which holds many blueprints for the activation of divine inspiration, intuition, and information.

Transformation is happenin in every cell, our Spiritual DNA is becoming active as we ascend in frequency and vibration the whole planet and all of humanity is awakening in one form or another.

I need some third eye drops.

[wihinaphe-makhoche]

6/26/24: Pride in Dawnland, Folklore, Microaggressions, and Indigenous Queerness.

Queerness is and always has been.

In their 2023 talk, Passamaquoddy historian, medicine person, and maker Geo Neptune discusses gender, cultural identity, sexuality, and their craft at Bowdoin College.

I originally listened to this talk as a part of my American Folklore class this last semester. Understanding folklore as part of every human society, the ways in which we interact with it, and how it affects every aspect of our lives was truly eye-opening.

I digress. I could fill a book with the importance of folklore in cultural interaction, regardless of what "groups" one may be a part of.

I decided to open with Geo's talk and provide this as something of a baseline of where my thinking is coming from in this post. I highly recommend listening to the whole talk if you can.

Dawnland has always and always will have queer people. It will always have Indigenous queer people.

The Wabanaki have a very felt presence in the central and coastal Maine area where I'm from—especially Penobscot and Passamaquoddy, who live closest to Bangor. I recently had the pleasure of attending Bangor's 32nd Pride, an event which has become increasingly Indigenous since I first began attending back in 2017. Visit the website for the event now, and the first thing you will see is the image of the Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance walking in the parade. This has felt momentous, and an active effort by both (perhaps most importantly) Wabanaki people, as well as their non-Native queer allies.

Since "joining" the queer community at age ~13, I've had the pleasure of experiencing many different angles of my queer community. Something that I've appreciated on a local, "irl" level is the effort of integrating queer and Indigenous education. I first heard Geo Neptune speak on being Two-Spirit and Indigenous ways of engaging with sexuality, gender identity, and societal roles when I was about 15 years old at my first Rainbow Ball, a queer, alternative prom held in Western coastal Maine each year. Workshops during the day offered us opportunities to engage with queer adults and learn about our community's history, present, about safety, and various other topics (such as Geo's talk on Two-Spirits in Maine).

When I attended Pride last week (the largest in the history of the event), I was browsing stalls with my partner and best friend when I was stopped by a (white, non-Indigenous) sewist who complimented my skirt. I thanked her, saying that it was a ribbon skirt. I had bought this pink and blue ribbon skirt at the spring social on Indian Island this year, an event by and for the local Indigenous community. It was made by a very skilled older woman. I won't say the price, but it was expensive--I felt, though, given the history of ribbon skirts, and their role as a regalia item to some, this was a fair price. The price must be affected by the time, materials, energy, and cultural importance of the item.

This is why I was shocked when the sewist launched into a pitch about how she could make something similar for me for only $35 and began showing me her wares. While I was understanding as a fellow creative seeking to connect and make a living, comparing a clothing item with deep cultural importance and symbolism to an item of regular clothing did not sit right with me. It left me disgruntled and wrestling with my feelings.

Circling back to folklore, I and this sewist are of (assumedly) shared groups--Queer people, Mainers, and Americans. But I am Indigenous, and she is not. "Groups" in the folkloric sense are defined as two or more people that share something in common. All groups have folklore–material and nonmaterial. A ribbon skirt is folk art, a traditional article of clothing, and is important to Indigenous women both as an expression of identity and as a piece of regalia; It has deep historical and cultural meaning that is not understood by those outside of our group.

To the outsider, in seeing the skirt, it becomes a sum of the materials from a craft store (assumed to be relatively inexpensive) and effort (perhaps seen as minimal to a skilled and experienced sewist). In lacking cultural context, the entitlement lies in the assumption that a colonizer can replicate the importance of a garment cheaply. It stems from a lack of understanding of the other group, yes, but also a devaluation of cultural objects. The item is seen as clothing and not folk art.

Some people are just misinformed, awkward, and lacking in information. On one hand, I feel that this lack of education or social grace can't be held against them. On the other, the devaluation of a cultural garment by a settler is a microaggression that is perhaps symbolic of a greater issue in settler-Indigenous relations.

I want to clarify before I go any further that I don't feel any ill will towards this individual, and that I don't really know anything of her background; This anecdote simply means to serve as a lesson and rumination in the decolonization of thought and behavior.

In my previous post, I discussed Christianity and the entitlement that this religious tradition has given to colonizers. It is an inescapable reality that permeates American life, even if it is not something one religiously ascribes to. When Adam and Eve left Eden, all that the Earth had to provide was for the taking of man to eke out a survival. In the Christian-dominated Euro-American tradition, the relationship between humans and the world around them would be inherently selfish and destructive. This dogma of entitlement to the world around oneself permeates all of the interactions one has, and the decolonization of thought must be an active and continuous effort. 

As Queer people, we can only really guarantee in Queer spaces that we share a singular group (that being queerness). People will come from all walks of life, will be from differing and overlapping groups, and have a body of life experiences that are extremely diverse. This is the beauty of community. The effort made by Bangor Pride to express this diversity is admirable, and I am hopeful and excited about future events. This small interaction did not color the event for me, but provided an interesting thought discussion. 

If you made it to the end of my post, I want to thank you as usual for reading. Let me know your thoughts in my inbox, by commenting, reblogging, etc. Respectful and thoughtful discussion is always encouraged!

[klenvs3000w24]

06: The Railway ‘Walked’ So The Train Could ‘Run.’

For this week, we are to unpack the quote by Edward Hyams – I found I had to read it several times to grasp the poetic wording and metaphor! In doing so, I also had to rethink its meaning each time I reread it which provided a deeper understanding. Here is how I initially unpacked the quote:

The quote begins by speaking to the idea that old items generally don’t have much worth (aside from the cool vintage finds at Value Village). Following is a seemingly different topic, integrity. Edward says that to have integrity (honesty, moral principle), one must keep together the smaller factors that come together to create the larger outcome. He then brings it back to the idea of “ancient things” by describing how the parts he is referring to are actually history or “scattered through time.” With this in mind, ancient things are indeed of importance, as the knowledge they provide upholds integrity.

In summary: History may seem unimportant, yet it provides knowledge and memory of the parts of our past that have come together to make up the whole of our present.

So, what’s this got to do with nature interpretation?

Well, every single inch of land on our Earth has a story that accompanies it and in knowing its past we are more equipped to interpret its present. For instance, the University of Guelph was once a 500-acre farm, focused purely on agriculture studies; knowing this I can see why the term “aggies” is so suited and niche to the University of Guelph (UofG, 2024). Fortunately, this information was documented and is easily accessible, along with much more information on the history of UofG. However, this is not always the case – there is often controversy on the accuracy and authenticity of history (Beck et al., 2018). This is an issue to interpreting nature in various ways, for instance, even if experts find history to be authentic, interpreters have found that visitors do not necessarily believe in the authenticity (Beck et al., 2018). If visitors do not find the interpreters' knowledge to be credible, they will be less likely to participate and enjoy the nature interpretation (Beck et al., 2018).

Reflecting on the implications of Edward’s words, I think how so many pieces of land, particularly land where humans do not reside and nature is the true focus, have limited documented history. I would love to learn the stories and evolution of the forestry behind my house, however this knowledge on ancient things was not documented, taking its integrity away too. This inspires myself to take pictures of nature and write about what I see, as one day when the present becomes history, I will be able to refer to the knowledge and experiences I have gained and share that with others.

To conclude for this week, I think an important takeaway is that the present would not be how it is without the past, and thus we should acknowledge both. Or, in other words, the railway ‘walked,’ so the train could ‘run.’

Thanks for tuning in,

Kiera

References

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage for a better world. Sagamore-Venture.

University of Guelph [UofG]. (2024). University of Guelph History. https://www.uoguelph.ca/about/history/

[wherenotesmeetmeaning]

Starry, Starry Night: A Love Letter to Don McLean's "Vincent"

As a music enthusiast and a fan of meaningful lyrics, I'm truly inspired and moved by Don McLean's classic "Vincent (Starry Starry Night)." This song has been an integral part of my life, and every time I listen to it, I'm reminded of the power of music to evoke deep emotions and spark reflection on the beauty of the world around us.

The song tells the powerful story of Vincent van Gogh, the iconic artist who suffered from mental illness and struggled to find his place in society. But despite the challenges he endured, his passion for art and commitment to his craft shone through in every brushstroke, making him an inspiration to artists and creatives around the world.

"Vincent" touches on themes of isolation, identity, and mental health, making it a particularly relevant and meaningful song in today's world. The lyrics are beautifully crafted, painting a vivid picture of van Gogh's inner world and the beauty he saw in the world around him, even through the darkness of his illness.

One of my favorite lines in the song is, "Starry, starry night, paint my soul and set it free." These words evoke an image of van Gogh's art literally coming to life and breaking free from the confines of the canvas, touching the hearts of his viewers. As a listener, I can't help but feel a deep sense of connection and appreciation for the artist's work, and a sense of awe at the power of art to transcend the ordinary and transform the human experience.

Another aspect of the song that I love is the way it brings history to life. "Vincent" transports us back to the early 20th century, when van Gogh was alive, and allows us to walk in his shoes and experience his struggles and triumphs, both as an artist and as a human being. The song is also a poignant reminder of how far we've come since then in terms of understanding mental illness and championing artistic expression, and reminds us of the ways in which the legacy of artists like van Gogh continues to inspire and impact us today.

And the song remains the same, "Vincent" is a truly timeless masterpiece that stands the test of time and speaks to the human experience in a way that few other pieces of music can. The song's vivid imagery, powerful lyrics, and historical significance make it a must-listen for anyone who appreciates great music and the power of art to unite us all.

"Let 'Vincent' be a reminder that even amidst darkness, a flicker of creativity can illuminate the world. So, pick up your brushes, your pens, your instruments, whatever your artistic language may be, and paint your own starry night. The world needs your unique light."

[deadbysunrise-fire]

MOVEMENT AND MEANING

In the academic world, dance research has blossomed into a multifaceted discipline that uncovers why we dance, how we dance, and what dance means across societies. From the science of a dancer’s body to the philosophy of movement as communication, this field is as diverse as dance itself.

Dance research is like a gem with countless sides, each offering a unique perspective on this art form. Here are the main areas it covers:

Dance History: Tracing the origins and evolution of dance styles.

Dance Theory: Exploring the ideas and philosophies behind dance.

Dance Ethnology: Studying dance in its cultural and social contexts.

Choreology: Analyzing the structure and patterns of dance.

Dance Science: Using science to understand the physical and mental aspects of dancing.

It’s a newer field that studies how dancers move and applies those insights to boost performance and well-being. Whether you’re a history buff or a science nerd, there’s a corner of dance research for you!

DANCE ENTHOLOGY

Dance ethnology digs into the why behind the dance. It’s not just about documenting moves or music; it’s about understanding dance as a vital part of a community’s identity and history. Why do people dance? What does it mean to them? These are the questions ethnologists ask.

For cultures like those in India, dance isn’t a museum piece; it’s alive, shaping and reflecting society with every step. Think of it as a conversation between the past and the present, where each performance adds a new layer of meaning.

What Makes Ethnology Tick?

Authenticity: Who’s telling the story? Researchers must ensure their sources are genuine and unbiased.

Full Picture: Capturing every angle of a community’s perspective keeps the research honest and rich.

Without this care, studies could turn into cheerleading instead of true exploration.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF MOVEMENT

Dance theory is where the big ideas live. Born in the 20th century, it looks at everything from the roots of dance styles to the tiny details of footwork. It’s about asking: What makes dance beautiful? How does it tell a story? What’s it saying without words?

It breaks down into three main areas:

Philosophy: The deep thoughts behind dance.

Ecology: How dance connects to its surroundings.

Sociology: Dance as a social glue.

Decoding Dance with Semiotics

Ever heard of semiotics? It’s the study of signs and symbols, and it’s a big deal in dance theory. When a dance moves to a new place or time, like India’s classical Sattriya adapting to modern stages, semiotics helps us understand how its meaning shifts.

REAL STORIES, REAL IMPACT

Dance research isn’t just abstract, but grounded in real people and their work. Here are a few examples:

Susan Anita Reed: Her studies on Sri Lanka’s Kandyan dance show how it went from village rituals to a national symbol.

Rina Shah: A Fulbright scholar, she explored Kathak with guru Kumudini Lakhia, resulting in her book Movement in Stills.

Nicole Cox: Another Fulbright researcher, Cox dove into Kathak’s emotional storytelling, connecting dancers’ feelings to their art.

These stories prove dance research isn’t just academic; it’s a bridge between cultures and histories.

SOURCE: INFLIBNET Centre. (n.d.). Performing arts (dance/drama/theatre).Vidya-mitra: Integrated e-content portal. Retrieved July 15, 2025, from https://vidyamitra.inflibnet.ac.in/index.php/home/subjects?domain=Arts%2C+Humanities+%26+Languages&subdomain=Performing+Arts%28Dance%2FDrama%2FTheatre%29

READING THE DANCE

Hermeneutics is a fancy word for interpretation, and in dance, it’s about “reading” both the written and unwritten parts of the art. Think of it like this:

Literary Texts: Books or scripts, like India’s Natya Shastra, that guide dance.

Performance Texts: The moves and traditions dancers pass down through their bodies.

In Sattriya, for instance, there’s no single “rulebook”—the dance lives in the collective memory of its performers. Scholars like Pallabi Chakrabarti blend mind and body to explore how emotions (or rasa) come alive in Indian classical dance.

GLOBAL BEATS AND QUIRKY TOPICS

Dance research isn’t stuck in one place, it travels the world and tackles some wild ideas:

Dance as a Human Right: How dance heals or resists in tough times.

Wedding Dances: Think Jewish traditions or other cultural celebrations.

Cinema Meets Dance: How Indian films weave in Natya Shastra principles.