#binary funnelling

[critical-skeptic]

The Illusion of Complexity: Binary Exploitation in Engagement-Driven Algorithms

Abstract:

This paper examines how modern engagement algorithms employed by major tech platforms (e.g., Google, Meta, TikTok, and formerly Twitter/X) exploit predictable human cognitive patterns through simplified binary interactions. The prevailing perception that these systems rely on sophisticated personalization models is challenged; instead, it is proposed that such algorithms rely on statistical generalizations, perceptual manipulation, and engineered emotional reactions to maintain continuous user engagement. The illusion of depth is a byproduct of probabilistic brute force, not advanced understanding.

1. Introduction

Contemporary discourse often attributes high levels of sophistication and intelligence to the recommendation and engagement algorithms employed by dominant tech companies. Users report instances of eerie accuracy or emotionally resonant suggestions, fueling the belief that these systems understand them deeply. However, closer inspection reveals a more efficient and cynical design principle: engagement maximization through binary funneling.

2. Binary Funneling and Predictive Exploitation

At the core of these algorithms lies a reductive model: categorize user reactions as either positive (approval, enjoyment, validation) or negative (disgust, anger, outrage). This binary schema simplifies personalization into a feedback loop in which any user response serves to reinforce algorithmic certainty. There is no need for genuine nuance or contextual understanding; rather, content is optimized to provoke any reaction that sustains user attention.

Once a user engages with content —whether through liking, commenting, pausing, or rage-watching— the system deploys a cluster of categorically similar material. This recurrence fosters two dominant psychological outcomes:

If the user enjoys the content, they may perceive the algorithm as insightful or “smart,” attributing agency or personalization where none exists.

If the user dislikes the content, they may continue engaging in a doomscroll or outrage spiral, reinforcing the same cycle through negative affect.

In both scenarios, engagement is preserved; thus, profit is ensured.

3. The Illusion of Uniqueness

A critical mechanism in this system is the exploitation of the human tendency to overestimate personal uniqueness. Drawing on techniques long employed by illusionists, scammers, and cold readers, platforms capitalize on common patterns of thought and behavior that are statistically widespread but perceived as rare by individuals.

Examples include:

Posing prompts or content cues that seem personalized but are statistically predictable (e.g., "think of a number between 1 and 50 with two odd digits” → most select 37).

Triggering cognitive biases such as the availability heuristic and frequency illusion, which make repeated or familiar concepts appear newly significant.

This creates a reinforcing illusion: the user feels “understood” because the system has merely guessed correctly within a narrow set of likely options. The emotional resonance of the result further conceals the crude probabilistic engine behind it.

4. Emotional Engagement as Systemic Currency

The underlying goal is not understanding, but reaction. These systems optimize for time-on-platform, not user well-being or cognitive autonomy. Anger, sadness, tribal validation, fear, and parasocial attachment are all equally useful inputs. Through this lens, the algorithm is less an intelligent system and more an industrialized Skinner box: an operant conditioning engine powered by data extraction.

By removing the need for interpretive complexity and relying instead on scalable, binary psychological manipulation, companies minimize operational costs while maximizing monetizable engagement.

5. Black-Box Mythology and Cognitive Deference

Compounding this problem is the opacity of these systems. The “black-box” nature of proprietary algorithms fosters a mythos of sophistication. Users, unaware of the relatively simple statistical methods in use, ascribe higher-order reasoning or consciousness to systems that function through brute-force pattern amplification.

This deference becomes part of the trap: once convinced the algorithm “knows them,” users are less likely to question its manipulations and more likely to conform to its outputs, completing the feedback circuit.

6. Conclusion

The supposed sophistication of engagement algorithms is a carefully sustained illusion. By funneling user behavior into binary categories and exploiting universally predictable psychological responses, platforms maintain the appearance of intelligent personalization while operating through reductive, low-cost mechanisms. Human cognition —biased toward pattern recognition and overestimation of self-uniqueness— completes the illusion without external effort. The result is a scalable system of emotional manipulation that masquerades as individualized insight.

In essence, the algorithm does not understand the user; it understands that the user wants to be understood, and it weaponizes that desire for profit.

[cybertron-after-dark]

Average transformers g1 episode:

Megatron is attempting to black out the entire sky across a hundred mile radius and funnel all the sunlight into one, concentrated solar death ray to target a heavy duty solar panel he's having soundwave and the cassetticons build in order to convert it to energon. Then he plans to hit the autobot base with the death ray just for funsies. Starscream plans to push Megatron directly into the death ray, also just for funsies.

Optimus sends Wheeljack and Spike to deal with it, along with two bots you're pretty sure have not been in this show before this point, but you're kind of past asking how many of these fuckers were on the ark offscreen when it crashed. One of them has the worst fake Canadian accent you have ever heard, and the other's name sounds inexplicably dirty.

Starscream tries to get Megatron to stand in the spot he told Skywarp and Ramjet to direct the death ray, but is interrupted when Rumble asks why Starscream stuck him with extra work (a task Megatron assigned specifically to Starscream). This vexes Megatron. The autobots show up and try to figure out what the point of the blacked out sky is while Starscream attempts to talk his way out of it. Then the death ray goes off two feet away from Megatron, which only pisses him off further.

The Canadian bot yells "AH BINARY-BEAVERS!!" because the death ray caught him off guard and completely gives away the bots' position. Soundwave immediately fires on them. Gratuitous robot violence ensues. Spike is generally useless and tries chucking rocks at Rumble. Megatron is too busy trying to almost-murder Starscream to bother with the autobots and just lets Soundwave handle it.

Probably-an-innuendo-name-bot is luckily a flier and takes the chance to see what's blocking the sun now that their cover's blown anyway. He gets up there and the seekers are sticking tinfoil on the clouds to make the tops reflective. The writers are really just hoping you don't think too hard about it.

Skywarp starts firing on dirty-name and calls him a nerd. Dirty-name takes evasive action. Skywarp runs out of ammo and starts just chucking tin foil at him. Dirty-name calls him dumb and says his processor is made of spare toaster parts. Then he crash lands and canada-bot asks if dirty-name's wings are spare toaster parts as well. Wheeljack yells that they'll all be spare toaster parts if they don't focus on the decepticons. The death ray goes off again and barely misses the autobots. Wheeljack corrects himself to Melted spare toaster parts.

Dirty-name gives Wheeljack the rundown on the tinfoil clouds so he can figure out a way to get rid of them while Canada-bot fights Soundwave and the cassettes in the background. Spike is kind of helping too sort of almost. Those rocks hes chucking sure are damaging. Ravage gets straight up drop kicked. It cuts back to Wheeljack whipping up a good old fashioned Device™️.

Starscream flies up past the tinfoil barrier while Megatron shoots at him. All the holes he's shooting in the blackout barrier are just making more, slightly shittier death rays and the main one is losing concentration. One of them hits Megatron right in the optic and he keels over with an over the top screech. Starscream descends, breaking another hole in the tinfoil to see a golden opportunity.

"MEGATRON HAS BEEN BLINDED!!! I, STARSCREAM AM NOW YOUR LEADER!!!"

Wheeljack finishes his Device™️: A grenade that makes tinfoil entirely invisible, thus rendering the whole weapon unusable. The writers are hungover, please do not think about it too hard. Pretty please. Dirty-name doesn't know if he can throw it into one of the holes in the barrier on his own since he can't fly in robot mode and he cant throw in altmode. Spike offers to get on his back and throw it in for him if he can get close enough. And he's just SO good at throwing things. The other two agree he's their best shot, they're so happy spike is around, couldn't do it without him.

Starscream is hovering in the air as he gives his Decepticon Leader Acceptance Speech he's prepared for this very occasion, golden light streaming in from the him-shaped hole in the barrier. Dirty-name and spike zip past him and spike makes the best goddamn throw of his life. Before starscream can properly question the Fucking Audacity of these autobots interrupting him while he's trying to have a moment, the invisible explosion goes off that the animators are just happy they don't have to put that much effort into drawing. Starscream gets knocked out of the air and crashes directly onto Megatron. This vexes Megatron.

Sky's normal again. Don't worry that there's still tinfoil there, don't even fuckin worry about it dude. Spike and Dirty-name touch back down. Round of applause for spike for throwing super good. Wheeljack comments that he's just happy it blew up the way it was supposed to. Cue uncomfortably long laughing. Megatron manages to roll starscream off him and calls for a retreat.

Back at the decepticon base, Megatron has an eyepatch and is skulking. Starscream yaps about how it makes him look like a proper tyrant, brooding and battle scarred, and, dare he say, darkly handsome? This vexes Megatron.

[zespaceblog]

Minkowski's Butterfly

Some planetary nebula create hour glass/butterfly type displays, the atmosphere of the star released leaving a core white dwarf behind in time. That gas can create orb like constructions, and other times it's funnelled along poles into this beautiful shape.

This can sometimes be the result of a binary partner, but not in every case.

The nebula lies 2,100 light years from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus.

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

So remember that massive scandal about the media covering up Biden's cognitive decline?

Turns out there might be a reason for that beyond the usual left wing bias:

Gonna mix and match from both articles, so give them both a read

With the white-hot light of accountability firmly on USAID, more and more details are coming out about what your taxpayer money was being spent on. From transgender comic books to promoting Moroccan pottery classes, to propagandizing Sri Lankan journalists on the supposed evils of "gender-binary" language, the level of waste and corruption is hard to fathom.  Things are about to get much worse, though, so buckle up. According to recently revealed records, left-leaning news outlet Politico received over thirty-four million dollars from USAID and other government agencies. That money went to pay for "subscriptions" for various bureaucratic officials, including "pro" subscriptions that add up to over $10,000 a pop.  A breakdown of some of the expenditures shows USAID paid $443,998 for just 37 subscriptions to Politico for FDA officials. Another outlay for "subscriptions" cost $862,025.

...

Let's not forget the context in which all of these funds have flowed to the supposedly "independent" news media. The State Department actively worked to suppress criticism of news orgs like the NYT and Politico through its Global Engagement Center and the Global Disinformation Index it produced to scare advertisers away from truly independent platforms that challenged the Biden administration's policies and positions. Now we know that USAID and the State Department provided funding for the Protection Racket Media through various guises, including in Politico's case $12,000 subscriptions to their paywalled articles.  We knew about the racket. Now we see the payoff. Small wonder that the media and the Left are screaming over DOGE and Elon Musk's attempts to expose the funding. This is very reminiscent of the screaming that took place when Musk exposed the Big Brother-Big Tech Censorship Complex after purchasing Twitter. The motives are the same -- to keep the corruption from getting fully exposed.

Remember GamerGate? This is GamerGate times a million.

I know it feels like we've been saying this a lot in the last few months, but this is, with no hyperbole, the biggest government scandal in decades. A rogue government agency with zero accountability was secretly funding some of the biggest news organizations in the world and no one was disclosing any of it. We've been saying for years that the press is a de facto government propaganda arm for the Democrat Party, but now it turns out it's a de jure one as well. I can't overstate how damaging this is to the very concept of a free press. Even more than biased reporting and outright lying.

Oh, by the way, Politico?

Politico has never disclosed those payments even as they've written pieces covering USAID, posing as unbiased arbiters of truth. That represents one of the biggest scandals in the history of the press. The United States government was funneling money to a left-wing news outlet that has repeatedly done the bidding of the Democratic Party. As an example, you may remember Politico as the same news site that laundered the infamous letter from "51 intelligence officials" saying the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation. 

In other words, it sure looks like the Biden administration was paying a news outlet to do its bidding. Are we supposed to believe it's just a coincidence that Politico was routinely the go-to for Democratic Party politicians and officials to launder their propaganda?

This is insane. You should never see this in a supposedly free country. The level of corruption and insidious programs that keep getting discovered as we dismantle the deep state is shocking. And we're still in the early days. This is just the beginning of exposing what one agency was doing. There is much more to come.

Thank God for Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

[this-is-exorsexism]

as a genderless person, i'm sick of the way exobinary identities are treated in the queer community. there is so little respect for nonbinary identities that don't relate to manhood or womanhood, but people still talk about us as if we're the default, privileged nonbinary that needs to be fought against.

i see so much discussion about nonbinary people who relate to the binary in some way but nonbinary people who don't are just... erased and unacknowledged. and then discussions often lead to flattening all nonbinary people into somehow relating to the binary, and those that do are either just "cis-lite" or "trans-lite".

to them, exobinary people don't exist, and all other nonbinary people are just secretly binary in some way. it's disgusting and hurtful.

it's not fair to any of us. why can't we just be ourselves? why is that so threatening? why do we have to be understood in relation to the binary? why are we all funneled further and further towards a binary idea of gender??? it drives me crazy. i fucking hate it here

this is exorsexism.

[mightyflamethrower]

In the last 20 years, the Left has boasted that it has gained control of most of America institutions of power and influence—the corporate boardroom, media, Silicon Valley, Wall Street, the administrative state, academia, foundations, social media, entertainment, professional sports, and Hollywood.

With such support, between 2009-17, Barack Obama was empowered to transform the Democratic Party from its middle-class roots and class concerns into the party of the bicoastal rich and subsidized poor—obsessions with big money, race, a new intolerant green religion, and dividing the country into a binary of oppressors and oppressed.

The Obamas entered the presidency spouting the usual leftwing boilerplate (“spread the wealth,” “just downright mean country,” “get in their face,” “first time I’ve been proud of my country”) as upper-middle-class, former community activists, hurt that their genius and talents had not yet been sufficiently monetized.

After getting elected through temporarily pivoting to racial ecumenicalism and pseudo-calls for unity, they reverted to form and governed by dividing the country. And then the two left the White House as soon-to-be mansion living, mega-rich elites, cashing in on the fears they had inculcated over the prior eight years.

To push through the accompanying unpopular agendas of an open border, mandatory wind and solar energy, racial essentialism, and the weaponization of the state, Obama had begun demonizing his opponents and the country in general: America was an unexceptional place. Cops were racist. “Clingers” of the Midwest were hopelessly ignorant and prejudiced. Only fundamental socialist transformation could salvage a historically oppressive, immoral, and racist nation.

The people finally rebelled at such preposterousness. Obama lost his party some 1,400 local and state offices during his tenure, along with both houses of Congress. His presidency was characterized by his own polarizing mediocrity. His one legacy was Obamacare, the veritable destruction of the entire system of a once workable health insurance, of the hallowed doctor-patient relationship, and of former easy access to competent specialists.

Yet Obama’s unfufilled ambitions set the stage for the Biden administration—staffed heavily with Obama veterans—to complete the revolutionary transformation of the Democratic Party and country.

It was ironic that while Obama was acknowledged as young and charismatic, nonetheless a cognitively challenged, past plagiarist, fabulist, and utterly corrupt Joe Biden was far more effective in ramming through a socialist woke agenda and altering the very way Americans vote and conduct their legal system.

Stranger still, Biden accomplished this subversion of traditional America while debilitated and often mentally inert—along with being mired in a bribery and influence-peddling scandal that may ultimately confirm that he easily was the most corrupt president to hold office in U.S. history.

How was all this possible?

Covid had allowed the unwell Biden to run a surrogate campaign from his basement as he outsourced his politicking to a corrupt media.

Senility proved a godsend for Biden. His cognitive disabilities masked his newfound radicalism and long-accustomed incompetence. Unlike his past failed campaigns, the lockdowns allowed Biden to be rarely seen or heard—and thus as much liked in the abstract as he had previously been disliked in the concrete.

His handlers, the Obamas, and the Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren radical Democrats, saw Biden’s half-century pretense as a gladhander—good ole Joe Biden from Scranton—as the perfect delivery system to funnel their own otherwise-unpopular leftwing agendas. In sum, via the listless Biden, they sought to change the very way America used to work.

And what a revolution Biden’s puppeteers have unleashed in less than three years.

They launched a base attack on the American legal system. Supreme Court judges are libeled, their houses swarmed, and their lives threatened with impunity. The Left promised to pack the court or to ignore any decision it resents. The media runs hit pieces on any conservative justice deemed too influential. The prior Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer whipped up a mob outside the court’s doors, and threatened two justices by name. As Schumer presciently put it, they would soon “reap the whirlwind” of what they supposedly had sowed and thus would have no idea what was about to “hit” them.

Under the pretense of Covid fears, balloting went from 70 percent participation on election day in most states to a mere 30 percent. Yet the rates of properly rejected illegal or improper ballots often dived by a magnitude of ten.

Assaults now followed on hallowed processes, laws, customs, and institutions—the Senate filibuster, the 50-state union, the Electoral College, the nine-justice Supreme Court, Election Day, and voter IDs.

Under Biden, the revolution had institutionalized first-term impeachment, the trial of an ex-president while a private citizen, and the indictment of a chief political rival and ex-president on trumped up charges by local and federal prosecutors—all to destroy a political rival and alter the 2024 election cycle.

Biden destroyed the southern border—literally. Eight million entered illegally—no background checks, no green cards, no proof of vaccinations. America will be dealing with the consequences for decades. Mexico was delighted, receiving some $60 million in annual remittances, while the cartels were empowered to ship enough fentanyl to kill 100,000 Americans a year.

“Modern monetary theory,” the Leftist absurdity that printing money ensures prosperity, followed. It has nearly bankrupted the country, unleashed wild inflation, and resulted in the highest interest rates in a quarter-century. Middle-class wages fell further behind as a doddering Biden praised his disastrous “Bidenomics.”

Biden warred on fossil fuels, cancelling federal leases and pipelines, jawboning lending agencies to defund fracking, demonizing state-of-the-art, clean-burning cars, and putting vast areas of oil- and gas-rich federals lands off-limits to drilling.

When gas prices predictably doubled under Biden and the 2022 midterms approached, he tried temporarily to lease out a few new fields, to drain the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and to beg the Saudis, and our enemies, the Iranians, the Venezuelans, and the Russians, to pump more oil and gas that Biden himself would not. All this was a pathetic ruse to temporarily lower gas prices before the mid-term elections.

Biden abandoned Afghanistan, leaving the largest trove of military equipment behind in U.S. military history, along with thousands of loyal Afghans and pro-American contractors.

Biden insulted the parents of the 13 Marines blown up in this worst U.S. military debacle since Pearl Harbor. He lied to the parents of the dead that he too lost a son in the Iraq war, and when among them later impatiently checked his watch as he seemed bored with the commemoration of the fallen—and made no effort to hide his sense that the ceremony was tedious to him.

Vladimir Putin summed up the Afghan debacle—and Biden’s nonchalant remark that he wouldn’t react strongly to a “minor” invasion of Ukraine if it were minor—as a green light to invade Ukraine.

When Biden did awaken, his first reaction was an offer to fly the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy out of the country as soon as possible. What has followed proved the greatest European killing ground since the 1944-45 Battle of the Bulge, albeit one that has now fossilized into a Verdun-like quagmire that is draining American military supply stocks and killing a half-million Ukrainians and Russians.

Suddenly, there are three genders, not two. Women’s sports have been wrecked by biological men competing as women, destroying a half-century of female athletic achievement. Young girls in locker rooms, co-eds in sororities, and women in prison must dress and shower with biological men transitioning to women by assertion.

There is no longer a commitment to free speech. The American Civil Liberties Union is a woke, intolerant group trying to ban free expression under the pretense of fighting “hate” speech and “disinformation.”

The Left has revived McCarthyite loyal oaths straight out of the 1950s, forcing professors, job applicants, and students applying for college to pledge their commitment to “diversity” as a requisite for hiring, admittance, or promotion. Diversity is our era’s version of the Jacobins’ “Cult of Reason.”

Race relations hit a 50-year nadir. Joe Biden has a long history of racist insults and putdowns. And now as apparent penance, he has reinvented himself as a reverse racial provocateur, spouting nonsense about white supremacy, exploiting shootings or hyping racial tensions to ensure that an increasingly disgusted black electorate does not leave the new Democratic Party.

The military has adopted wokeism, oblivious that it has eroded meritocracy in the ranks and slashed military recruitment. It is underfunded, wracked by internal suspicion, loss of morale and ginned up racial and gender animosity. Its supply stocks are drained. Arms productions is snail-like, and generalship is seen as a revolving door to corporate defense contractor board riches.

Big-city Democratic district attorneys subverted the criminal justice system, destroyed law enforcement deterrence, and unleashed a record crime wave. Did they wish to create anarchy as protest against the normal, or were they Jokerist nihilists who delighted in sowing ruin for ruin’s sake?

Radical racial activists, with Democrat endorsement, demand polarizing racial reparations. The louder the demands, the quieter they remain about smash-and-grab looting, carjacking, and the swarming of malls by disproportionally black teens—even as black-on-black urban murders reach record proportions.

In response, Biden tried to exploit the growing tensions by spouting lies that “white supremacy” and “white privilege” fuel such racial unrest—even as his ill-gotten gains, past record of racist demagoguery and resulting lucre and mansions appear the epitome of his own so-called white privilege.

This litany of disasters could be vastly expanded, but more interesting is the why of it all?

What we are witnessing seems to be utter nihilism. The border is not porous but nonexistent. Mass looting and carjackings are not poorly punished, but simply exempt from all and any consequences. Our downtowns are reduced to a Hobbesian “war of all against all,” where the strong dictate to the weak and the latter adjust as they must. The streets of our major cities in just a few years have become precivilizational—there are more human feces on the sidewalks of San Francisco than were in the gutters of Medieval London.

The FBI and DOJ are not simply wayward and weaponized, but corrupt and renegade. Apparently the perquisite now for an FBI director is the ability either to lie while under oath or better to mask such lying by claiming amnesia or ignorance.

Immigration is akin to the vast unchecked influxes of the late Roman Empire across the Danube and Rhine that helped to finish off a millennium-old civilization that had lost all confidence in its culture and thus had no need for borders.

In other words, the revolution is not so much political as anarchist. Nothing escapes it—not ceiling fans, not natural gas cooktops, not parents at school board meetings, not Christian bakeries, not champion female swimmers, not dutiful policemen, not hard-working oil drillers, not privates and corporals in the armed forces, not teens applying on their merits to college, not anyone, anywhere, anytime.

The operating principle is either to allow or to engineer things to become so atrocious in everyday American life—the inability to afford food and fuel, the inability to walk safely in daylight in our major cities, the inability to afford to drive as one pleases, the inability to obtain or pay back a high interest loan—that the government can absorb the private sector and begin regimenting the masses along elite dictates. The more the people tire of the leftist agenda, the more its architects furiously seek to implement it, hoping that their institutional and cultural control can do what  ballots cannot.

We could variously characterize their efforts as destroying the nation to save it, or burning it down to start over, or fundamentally transforming America into something never envisioned by the Founders.

Will their upheaval  succeed? All the levers of the power and money are on the side of the revolutionaries. The people are not. And they are starting to wake to the notion if they do not stop the madness in their midst they very soon won’t have a country.

A perfect metaphor for what the progressives have done to America.

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

Is it possible to see aurora borealis on Gallifrey?

Is it possible to see aurora borealis on Gallifrey?

Yes, in theory! While Earth's aurora borealis (and australis) occur due to interactions between solar wind and the planet's magnetic field, Gallifrey's unique atmospheric conditions suggest that similar—if not even more dramatic—phenomena could naturally exist.

🌌 The Science Behind Auroras

Auroras on Earth occur when charged particles from the Sun interact with the Earth's magnetic field and collide with atmospheric gases, exciting them and causing a luminous display of colours. The key ingredients for auroras are:

A magnetic field – to funnel charged particles towards the poles.

A solar wind – a stream of charged particles from the sun.

An atmosphere – with gases that can be ionised to emit light.

Gallifrey orbits a binary star system, meaning it experiences two sources of stellar wind instead of one. Depending on how its magnetosphere is structured, this could result in auroras being far more frequent and dramatic than on Earth. The presence of violet clouds and air diamonds in the upper atmosphere suggests unique ionisation effects, potentially leading to auroras with unusual colours and patterns.

🌠 What Would a Gallifreyan Aurora Look Like?

Vibrant hues: Due to unique atmospheric compositions, Gallifreyan auroras might shimmer in deep purples, golds, and silvers instead of Earth's greens and reds.

More structured patterns: The planet's twin moons and strong gravitational fluctuations could create ribbon-like auroras that twist unpredictably, rather than simple arcs or curtains.

Strange motion: Given Gallifrey's atmosphere contains particles not found on Earth, auroras could shimmer, strobe, or pulse in waves rather than simply glowing.

🌈 Does Gallifrey Even Get Natural Auroras?

It depends. The Time Lords love to control everything, and given their history of planetary-scale engineering (like weather manipulation), they may have smoothed out their magnetosphere to minimise celestial interference. If auroras exist, they could be:

Regulated for aesthetic reasons. Maybe they switch them on for festivals.

Used for scientific monitoring. Some high-altitude energy research could produce aurora-like displays.

Artificially enhanced. If a Time Lord wanted auroras, they could probably just make them bigger and more ridiculous for fun.

🏫 So…

Yes, auroras could occur on Gallifrey, but they'd likely be far more dramatic, vibrant, and possibly artificial compared to Earth's.

Related:

💬|⛅🌩️Are there storms on Gallifrey?: The nature and occurrence of storms on Gallifrey.

💬|⛅🌧️Does it rain on Gallifrey?: Gallifreyan rain and its features.

💬|🪐🌍How is Gallifreyan geography different to Earth?: The landscape of Gallifrey.

Hope that helped! 😃

Any orange text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →📢Announcements |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts → Features:⭐Guest Posts | 🍜Chomp Chomp with Myishu →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired 😴

[witchofthesouls]

Question for the Pharma x June au, do they have friendships with the residents? Like, do they evetually makes friends with other people or at least form friendly acquantances?

Oh, for sure.

Pharma will develop relationships with the Clockwork residents and his usual shopkeepers. The center itself acts like a way point for travelers and traders. There's plenty of work to do, and Pharma is tentatively exploring the floors.

The medical units enjoy his company since Pharma is capable of synthesizing a multitude of pharmaceutical compounds, including very finicky ones that need a deft, nonmagical touch to ensure a perfect yield. Pharma still thinks the potioneer is still fucking with him an on-going century long joke over the Silly Funnel -the most ridiculous and convoluted tool known to the universe; Pharma is in the firm opinion that there has to be unaccounted variable on its success, but the Potions Master believes 'the uncomfortable feeling of bamboozlement and being had' is necessary for the more whimsical essences.

Pharma has an exchange with some of the staff. They poke at each other, ask questions, and compare notes.

The Clockwork are very fascinated by Pharma since he's unlike something in their range. He's very human-like: the need to consume, a sleep schedule, inability to remain alone for long periods, touch starvation, the constant search for enrichment outside his occupation, and a peculiar sense of law and morality, to name a few. Of course, Pharma is mechanical, but not like them. Pharma has organs.

Pharma strikes up friendship with the local pair of Clockwork librarians. Binary is the common ground. The librarians 'speak' in a language of noise: pages flipped, a typewriter, dial up, a rolling cart, and drawers opening. Pharma gets a migraine whenever he tries to 'network' with them.

John Doe -June's ex-fiance- becomes another constant figure in his life. The spend time together in the bar, drinking snd smoking.

June, on the other hand, has more acquaintances rather than friends. It took her a long time to come to terms with her newfound status. The more long-lived beings around her had to coax her into a pace that wouldn't burn her out and remind her why humanity had the endearment of Mudmen.

There is The Good Doctor, who usually keeps to himself deep in the many basements of the Foundation. He's so old that he predates the organization itself. He reminds her of her old master, and June goes down to watch him work or run errands.

She comes across a young (old, ageless, how long have wandered, lost one?) mercenary with no true name. He's a man. The most dangerous kind as he managed to thrive Elsewhere with little debts but the blood in his hands and just a number on his skin. Quiet and contained. They usually sit together in silence before one goes away.

In a marketplace, there's a dragon in human form. He, too, comes from a world far away, and they become food buddies as they sample different eateries, particularly the ones that remind them of their respective homelands.

Of course, John Doe was the closest one to her, but he and June were overlooking crucial details, and neither one wanted to be the person to bring it up. They were hoping that by ignoring things, everything would be fine or rebalanced. John and June are good friends and can work very well together, but they both want something the other person can't give them: June cannot stop looking for the signs of her home (pieces of her heart was left in her homeland and the Adventure she came from) and John is too much fae-raised to stop his Obsession.

[swxppedshitposts]

January 20, 2025 – The Day the World Shifted

As the sun rose over Washington, D.C., the world watched as Donald Trump took the oath of office for the second time. Across the globe, leaders braced for the impact of his new policies. Among them was Mr. Gold, the Head of State of New Zealand, watching the ceremony from his study in Wellington. Belle sat beside him, her expression tense as the television screen displayed Trump’s triumphant smirk.

Trump’s speech was as divisive as ever. He boldly declared that the U.S. would recognize only two genders, reinforcing a policy shift that would erase protections for transgender and non-binary individuals. Minutes later, executive orders were signed: the U.S. was pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, slapping 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, and withdrawing from the World Health Organization.

And then there was Elon Musk. At a rally that same day, he performed the Nazi salute—twice—igniting global outrage.

Mr. Gold took a deep breath, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. He had worked with Trump before, back when the man was first president. He knew his brand of politics—bluster, provocation, and power plays. But this was different. This was dangerous.

The Immediate Response

New Zealand’s government was already in turmoil. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon had aligned with Trump’s worldview on several issues. While their coalition partners in ACT and NZ First welcomed Trump’s protectionist stance, their Green and Māori allies were furious. Protesters flooded the streets of Wellington, demanding that New Zealand condemn Trump’s policies.

By nightfall, Mr. Gold had called for an emergency meeting at Government House. Seated at a long table were Luxon, Deputy PM Winston Peters, ACT leader David Seymour, Labour leader Chris Hipkins, Green leader Chlöe Swarbrick, and Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“We need to respond,” Mr. Gold said, his voice calm but firm. “Trump has made his position clear. The world will soon be split between those who follow his lead and those who resist. Where does New Zealand stand?”

Luxon exchanged a glance with Seymour before replying. “New Zealand stands where it always has—neutral. We must act in our best interests, not get swept up in American theatrics.”

Mr. Gold’s lips curled into a smirk. Neutrality was a coward’s stance.

“With all due respect, Prime Minister, our best interests lie in standing for our values. New Zealand has long been a leader in climate action, inclusivity, and multilateralism. Abandoning that to appease a man who plays politics like a reality show would be a mistake.”

Swarbrick leaned forward. “I agree. We need to issue a strong statement condemning the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the WHO. And we need to open pathways for transgender Americans seeking asylum here.”

Luxon’s face darkened. “You want to declare diplomatic war on our closest ally?”

“No,” Mr. Gold said smoothly. “I want to declare that New Zealand is not for sale. We are not Trump’s lapdog, and we will not be bullied into submission.”

The room was silent. Then, Peters let out a chuckle. “You’ve got a way with words, Your Excellency.”

Mr. Gold merely smiled. If only they knew the real extent of his power.

The Magic of Diplomacy

That night, while the government debated policy, Mr. Gold took matters into his own hands. Alone in his private quarters, he pulled out a piece of straw from his coat pocket and placed it on his desk. With a flick of his fingers, the straw twisted and transformed into pure gold.

Gold was power. And Mr. Gold had plenty of it.

He sent a series of encrypted messages—some to international leaders, others to select billionaires who did not support Musk or Trump’s new world order. He spun gold in secret, funneling resources into climate initiatives and a shadow network of resistance that would work against Trump’s policies behind the scenes.

And then there was Musk.

Mr. Gold had never liked him—arrogant, chaotic, a man who toyed with power like a child playing with fire. The Nazi salutes were no accident. They were a signal. And if Musk thought he was the only one who could send messages, he was wrong.

The Press Conference

Two days later, Mr. Gold stepped before a podium in Wellington. The world was watching.

“The United States has made its choice,” he said, his voice echoing across the courtyard. “New Zealand will make its own.”

He listed the policies Trump had enacted, pausing at each one for effect.

“We will not follow the United States in its retreat from the Paris Agreement. Instead, we will strengthen our commitment to fighting climate change.

We will not abandon global health. New Zealand will increase funding for Pacific and global health initiatives to fill the void left by the United States.

We will not ignore the erasure of human rights. New Zealand will open pathways for transgender asylum seekers affected by these policies.

And as for those who seek to normalize extremism—let me be clear. Fascism will find no home in Aotearoa.”

It was the boldest statement a New Zealand Head of State had made in decades. The backlash was immediate. Right-wing politicians accused him of overstepping his role, while activists hailed him as a defender of democracy.

But Mr. Gold didn’t care about the politics. He cared about results.

Trump’s Retaliation

Within hours, Trump fired off an unhinged tweet:

“DISGRACEFUL! New Zealand’s so-called ‘leader’ is just another socialist loser! SAD! Maybe we should put some BIG TARIFFS on them too!!!”

Mr. Gold read the tweet and let out a quiet chuckle. “He’s predictable.”

Belle, reading over his shoulder, sighed. “And dangerous.”

“Yes,” Mr. Gold murmured, “but he’s also a man who understands deals.”

He had spun straw into gold. He had done the impossible.

And if Trump thought he could strong-arm New Zealand into submission, he was about to learn the hard way that bargaining with the Dark One never ends well.

And then Alexsander cooked Donald Trump with asparagus and cut off both of Elon Musk's hands and feet. "Perfect," he announced with glee, "now I have the ideal meal to feed the alligator for dinner!"

OOC; Seriously, what the fuck is this? I'm crying

[amirinthewind]

I’ve found that my life literally becomes easier when I focus on creating art. It’s very scary tho. Cause if I’m focusing on art who’s focusing on like everything else I need to live a life in the context I do. I will literally art until I pass out. I used to go days without eating just sitting and drawing or working in photoshop or something. It’s not even on purpose I just become very consumed through creation. I don’t think the current world I live in has a healthy place for people like me. Whenever I do feel safe or free enough to just create I get pulled out by our shared reality. It’s very lame. I remember being younger and loving drawing and how turned off I used to be when people would take pictures of my work to post them or something. It always just felt weird. I derive my enjoyment from just creation itself so to receive praise for the product feels odd. I’d rather get praise for my natural will to create more than the result of that feeling. The products just come about naturally as a byproduct to me existing. It’s like marveling at the grand canyon but ignoring the rain that created the beauty. I praise the life that reflects the art not the art itself. I find art conversations to be very difficult with my peers, I’ve noticed a lot of people love making things but don’t know how to. Like in a meaningful way to themselves. Creating is innate, it feels good but like there’s a lot of creativity that we get trained out of and self expression then takes a backseat.

I feel like art as I was taught and see around me is seen as a binary of “abstract” and “realistic”. Like your art can be so nonsensical that it doesn’t exist in our shared reality so it becomes “abstract” or it’s something we recognize/connect with and can place within our shared experience which becomes “realistic”. Realistic art feels tangible because it mimics something “real” it’ll attack your 5 senses and force you to react to it in some way. These are the artworks you look at but don’t identify with. Reality is mimicked but not filtered. It’s a puppet of what you already know. “Abstract” becomes a funnel for the alternative. What cannot be expressed to another human through just the 5 senses? How can I transfer an idea or experience to you and filter it through my own interpretation without losing you or myself in the process. Whats my experience beyond my senses? As a viewer you find yourself not viewing but experiencing this work. It almost transforms you. To experience the experience of another through the choice of the artists. I’m just yapping foreal. But I feel like there’s def a difference in the way people use their creative skills to reflect their reality vs people who use their creative skills to refract their reality. I get so fucking bored looking at landscapes by old white people who get to reflect the reality of being old white people. And I find it fascinating that I can tell the difference. When viewing art the perspective of the viewer feels so obvious to me at times it’s uncomfortable. I walk into a gallery and I can feel the privilege and ignorance oozing through the overtly trained pale hands of these retirees. I just find it weird that nature and land is apart of their cultural expression yet these people have LITERALLY been the cause of the death of that very thing. I’m just confused all the time.

[truthful-deceitful-bah]

Can we ask for a mystic pack? Probably space themed/with space vibes if it's possible!

I hope this is adequate and you enjoy it!

Reminder headmates will not turn out the exact as the pack, this is normal :)

Pack under the cut~

Name(s) - The Void, Void, Star, Moon, Space

Gender - voidgender, spacegender, agender

Pronouns - it/its, they/them primarily (also none/name pronouns)

Species - eldritch Void being heavily tied to space

Age range - ageless

Orientation - aroace

Role(s) - apathy holder/manager, emotion Absorber, overrider, emotional funnel, architect/headspace alterer (generally takes strong negative feelings)

Source - brainmade/conceptive

Faceclaim(s) - all of these were stolen off of reddit, as mentioned below, meme-y creatures are typically the go to, it doesn't have a solid face

Sign-off ideas - 🕸🖤👤🐈‍⬛🌑🌌🌠♣️♠️

Likes - the little things in life, music, space, hearing others deemed friendly talk, anything soft

Dislikes - tries not to dislike much of anything, in all honesty it stays very apathetic to most beyond it's likes, though notably does not like being gendered on the binary

Aesthetic -

Potential Triggers - strong emotions, needing to be neutral on topics, burnout, needing to get things done

Paras/Kinks - 🐙,🐲,👊, 💐, 💤, 🛍,👄,🩸,🪢,🔗,💊,🌘🪐,🌃🪩

Silly fun facts -

Anything pure black and/or galaxy patterned? That's void now.

Does not have a solid faceclaim for itself because it thinks it's silly to try and make it one singular thing, thus it's faceclaim is often meme-y pictures of Void cats

It knows basically how to use technology, but it doesn't make a habit of it

Very interested in kink related things despite seeming mostly indifferent to most things

Does not want to be perceived as a human in any way

Can be anywhere in headspace at any time, but if you say it's name, it will typically acknowledge you assuming you need something

Makes star charts in headspace if applicable

[zespaceblog]

The Cat's Eye Nebula

Planetary Nebula are not all quite so "Planetary", particularly if the star that is dying happens to have a binary partner, that can stir up the output, but it's also true that some stars lose mass which is then funneled along the poles producing bi-lobal structures instead of spherical ones.

The above image is a composite of optical and x-ray output, and reveals the beautiful structures and patterns of expelling events as the star slowly becomes a white dwarf.

[thatonefactive]

hello, i am very grateful you started a blog like this as i've noticed a lot of other similar accounts exclude factives and do not understand why they do that. it feels nice to have somewhere where i am safe to request things.

is there any way i could get an BAH pack for Max Verstappen (F1) with themes of cats (both domestic and wild) and trauma-related themes, preferably things related to being a emotional/physical sort of trauma holder? also possibly any terms related to being a non-woman butch, if that's not too specific.

hopefully that gives you enough to work with and take all the time you need. : )

- @verstappenbutch

of course! thank you for requesting!

pt: of course! thank you for requesting!

╪〞 names: maddox , missus , mercury , mars , verono , veronica , verse , ronnie , kit , klava , clawee

╪〞 pronouns: he/hir , zhe/zhim , cla/claw , whis/whisker , chi/chime , trau/trauma , anxi/anxiety , kit/kitten (or kitty) , meo/meow , purr/purr

╪〞 age: sysadult , age slider (17-27)

╪〞 orientation: pnc lesbian , trixic , gai

╪〞 gender: non-binary , boybutch , boy+ , liaspec , cusper

╪〞 source: max verstappen (f1)

╪〞 roles: trauma architect , trauma holder , emotional funnel

i hope this works out for you! thank you so much for requesting again

[iluvumike]

often i get mistaken for a straight man because i'm into predominantly masculine interests (doom, halo, CoD, metal music), dress exclusively in jeans and t-shirts, and doesn't have a voice that clocks me as "gay" or something like that.

but i'm non-binary. gender expression is useless to me and i perceive it as an accessory, not what defines me. i wear my masculine traits for convenience and utility, not because i really want them.

at one point, i thought i was trans, but as it turns out, i really just wanted to live in a world where gender characteristics didn't funnel people into different buckets and have significance to the trajectory of their lives. being feminine is ultimately dangerous if you value your security and well being (no matter what's underneath your underwear), which honestly really fucking sucks.

but this is the rock i spawned on. gotta make the most of it. so imma just like what i like regardless of its intended audience. i like cute art, i like stories about friendship and love, i like people who are unabashedly themselves.

and i also like games about killing a shit ton of demons and no scoping shit talkers online. one day, i hope for everyone to be able to share what they like without having to consider how they appear.

[gippity]

Trump and Palantir Forge a Pan-Government Surveillance State, Empowering Tech Oligarchs and Silencing Critics

Source article for analysis: https://newrepublic.com/post/195904/trump-palantir-data-americans

1. Narrative Framing

Simplicity & “Common-Sense” Appeal The administration casts cross‐agency data‐sharing as an efficiency and “government modernization” measure, flattening complex privacy and constitutional concerns into a feel-good story about bureaucratic streamlining. This preloads the conclusion that any objection is mere technophobia or red tape, rather than a debate over surveillance power.

Binary Framing (“Security vs. Chaos”) By emphasizing “national security” and “public safety,” critics are implicitly positioned as indifferent to immigrant crime or terrorism, pressuring dissenters to choose between safety and liberty—an either-or that forecloses nuanced policy discussion.

2. Emotional Engineering

Fear & Resentment References to “enforcing the March executive order,” “punish his critics,” and fears of immigrant targeting stoke anxiety about arbitrary state power. This fear is then channeled into loyalty among “true patriots” who trust the administration to wield that power wisely.

Pride & Tribal Bonding Invoking a “war on inefficiency” and naming a “far-right billionaire” ally provides a rallying narrative for supporters who see themselves as part of an inner circle, engendering pride in being on the “winning team.”

3. Pipeline On-Ramps & Ecosystem Mapping

Soft Entry via “Modernization” Pitches around “data modernization” and “innovation” serve as gateway content—memes and soundbites in tech-oriented outlets gradually introduce audiences to more radical surveillance proposals.

Content Funnel

Friendly tech press (“efficiency gains”)

Conservative opinion pieces (“keep America safe”)

Policy white papers and FOIA-leaked memos (“full database blueprints”)

Private sector deep dives (Palantir user groups, DOD contractor briefings)

4. Dog Whistles & Euphemisms

“National Security” Sanitized language for mass surveillance and immigrant tracking.

“Data-Driven Governance” A euphemism that hides the indiscriminate collection of personal information under the veneer of neutral analytics.

“Government Efficiency” Code for centralizing power and reducing agency-specific safeguards that currently protect civil liberties.

5. Archetypes & Mythos

Tech-Militarist Savior Casting Peter Thiel and Alex Karp as modern “warrior-lords” of data who will “defend” America—evoking the warrior archetype that simplifies identity into a battle of “us vs. them.”

Fallen Homeland Narrative Suggests America’s institutions are backward and corrupt, needing a techno-strongman to resurrect core values—mirroring the “rise-from-ruin” mythos common in alt-right rhetoric.

6. Strategic Impact Assessment

Real-World Mobilization This intel could be used to silence dissidents (through audits, visa denials, or targeted prosecutions), chill protest activity, and surveil immigrant communities disproportionately.

Beneficiaries & Victims Tech oligarchs (Thiel, Musk) and the Trump political machine gain concentrated power; critics, immigrants, student activists, and labor organizers become object lessons.

7. Vibe Warfare & Identity Signals

Stoic Realist Aesthetic Dark, angular visuals of data centers and code screens reinforce a mood of uncompromising techno-authority.

“Based” Tech Patriotism Pittings of “innovation bros” vs. “liberal elites,” using jargon (“Foundry,” “Grok”) as in-group markers to foster parasocial loyalty among tech-savvy conservatives.

8. Epistemic Booby Traps & Self-Sealing Logic

“If you have nothing to hide…” Pre-emptively discredits objections by labeling them paranoia or disloyalty, barring dissenting evidence from being taken seriously.

Data as Truth Presents analytics as inherently objective, making any critique of methodology or oversight seem “anti-science.”

9. Irony Shielding & Tone Drift

Tech-Bro Irony Occasional self-deprecating jokes about “big brother” memes allow participants plausible deniability (“We’re just goofing, who doesn’t love tech?”), while the surveillance machinery locks in.

Memetic Alchemy Use of playful GIFs or “dank” one-liners about “tracking your ex’s Starbucks habit” masks the seriousness of mass data collection.

[judeonfilm]

Some men attending a Last Dinner Party gig felt unwelcome due to venue security - a reflection on the treatment of non-men fans

Currently on the UK leg of the tour for their debut studio album, The Last Dinner Party received backlash about the treatment of some fans at a concert. This Saturday, September 28th, the band made up of women and non-binary people was due to perform in Lincoln. However, some men who went to the concert alone have spoken out on the internet about their experience. One man wrote that on arriving at the venue, he was "funnelled into a dark corner with other men, told I might be a pervert cus I’m alone and then taken into a room alone with a security guard where I was interrogated and searched. Feel sick." Another man wrote : "I rocked up there tonight at 8:45 on my own, no queue, I got asked how long I had liked them for, and to name my favourite song." They clearly did not deserve to have their evening ruined by an unjustified discriminatory act.

The venue has since apologised, announcing that the over-reaction was due to a change in security policies after being informed of incidents at previous gigs by the band. As much as these actions were well-intentioned -to protect other fans- their executions were clearly awkward and counterproductive. The Last Dinner Party clarified that they had not been informed of this change in security policies. Indeed, the band posted a statement on their social media, saying "Our shows are intended to be safe, welcoming spaces for everyone, which is something we deeply care about. Seeing inclusivity embraced by our fanbase is one of the best parts of performing live." They added that "everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend our shows" and that they were "appalled and disappointed that anyone was made to feel otherwise."

TLDP's audience is largely young, queer, feminine -people that are frequently victims of stereotypes, discriminations, and insecurities. I can confidently say that every person of colour, every woman, every queer and transgender person has already felt condescended to, unsafe, and unwelcome at concerts. Just because you don't belong to the stereotypical default audience (usually a majority of white male fans, for example Metallica's), you are asked to prove you deserve to be there, to prove your knowledge on the artists (how many times have you been asked to "name three songs"?).

For me, this treatment is directly linked to the image of the ‘fangirl’, a misogynistic term used to ridicule and exaggerate a category of audience. It is a magnifying glass on the misogyny suffered by women in the wider world. I won't go into too much detail on the subject (or I'll be at it for hours), but there's still too much discrimination against women and minority groups in the pit, as much as on stage, and behind the stage.

Obviously, these men did not deserve such discriminatory treatment. But I can't help thinking about the irony of it all: a man has felt the absurd condescension that non-men fans are regularly subjected to, and his story makes the news...