#descriptive analysis

[sganalytics]

The Evolution of Data Analytics: From Descriptive to Predictive and Prescriptive 

Data analytics has advanced significantly over the last several years, from simple descriptive analytics to predictive analytics, prescriptive analytics, and so on. The progress bears testimony to the growing business need to understand not only history but also future scenarios. This post will briefly overview the evolution of data analytics types. 

Descriptive Analytics: The Beginning 

A quote by George Santayana suggests that if you cannot remember the past, you are more likely to repeat it. Accordingly, you want to use descriptive analytics when summarizing historical event data. Note that to inspect what has happened over a specific period, you require statistical techniques and computing methods for continuous data aggregation, data mining, and visualization. Since descriptive analytics focuses on what happened, finding patterns or trends using previously recorded details from multiple valid sources is essential. 

For example, in a data insights company serving a retail organization, descriptive analytics examine last year’s sales data to reveal which products sold the most units during which season. It is this analysis that is really important for knowing the current situation of the business and for making comparisons and planning future strategies. Still, the primary power of descriptive analytics is in being able to tell us about what happened without explaining why it happened or predicting what might happen next. 

Predictive Analytics: The Interval 

Eric Siegel once said, in his book, that predictive analytics is the technology that excels at learning from experience data to estimate people’s future behavior and drive better decisions. 

In the same way, when firms felt that traditional descriptive analytics was not good enough to compete with the high expectations of the contemporary business landscape, they embraced predictive analytics. Predictive analytics uses unique statistical models powered by machine learning algorithms to tell you what the future holds for your organizational goals. 

When forecasting those events, predictive analytics solutions might analyze historical records to uncover relationships between multiple variables. Moreover, ML models help include more dynamic factors to derive conclusions based on best and worst possibilities. Therefore, you get comprehensive reports on all potential future patterns of outcomes. 

Prescriptive Analytics: The Aftermath 

Ed Catmull believes the manager’s job has nothing to do with preventing risks. Instead, a manager must make it safe to take them. 

While predictive analytics may indicate what is likely to happen, prescriptive analytics not only foretells what is going to happen but also gives a suitable recommendation on how to handle the future risk that is soon going to materialize. Prescriptive analytics skills comprise incremental optimization and scenario-specific stimulatory modeling in order to find out “what happens if” as well as “what one should do about it” types of ideas. 

Prescriptive analytics is very valuable, as decision-making can be very complex when there are huge variables and possible outcomes to consider. For instance, it aids companies in not only forecasting the future but also preparing for the future by creating an action plan beforehand. 

The Integration of Descriptive, Predictive, and Prescriptive Analytics 

Researchers worldwide want to standardize descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive workflows for unified insight extraction and visualized reports. 

Descriptive analytics may function as the foundation by giving insight into past performance metrics. 

Later, predictive analytics builds on that base by predicting future trends. 

Finally, prescriptive analytics adds a final layer by suggesting optimal actions. 

These three data analytics types are used synergistically in real life by enterprises. A firm could first leverage descriptive analytics in order to understand past customer behavior, then apply predictive analytics in order to gauge future purchasing patterns, and finally use prescriptive analytics in order to design specific marketing strategies customized to certain customer groups. 

The Future of Data Analytics Evolution 

Today, corporate leaders have to make use of the best strategies, tools, and talent available in the current market to predict their future, ensuring that the outcomes they prefer do not remain hypothetical promises. That is the only method to thrive in this hypercompetitive data-centric era to surpass your rivals in market share and crucial metrics like the average revenue per user (ARPU). 

[thecoloroute]

Moving Forward: Collaborative Project by Outdoor

A teacher once assigned my class to a collaborative art project. The instructions were to pick a partner and together, pick an artwork and re-create half of it in any manner we see fit. Then, we would eventually come together to combine both halves. Once combined, the work as a whole helped reflect both artists through the contrast of our chosen expression of the piece. Collaborative art offers artists and viewers the chance to consider multiple perspectives, expanding the way people think by offering other ideas simultaneously.

Moving Forward is a collaborative project started by the group Outdoor, which aims to encourage communication amongst artists in the surrounding community (Barbieri, 2014). Located in San Lorenzo, Rome, the exhibit is contained inside of a building that was reused with the purpose of enabling collaborative works for artists in the area. The goal is to promote a space that allows emotional and intellectual discussions to take place through art. Taking a closer look, we will be examining only one of the rooms in depth for further analysis. Artist JB Rock contributed to this project by displaying his art all over the walls of his designated room. Formally titled “Self Portrait”, the work was completed in 2014. 

Upon entering the room, viewers are immediately immersed in a world of movement and color. Rock’s art completely embraces the viewer, as opposed to some of the other rooms in the building with only a few elements painted on the walls. In this particular room, the artist has chosen to cover the full interior with his work. Viewers are captivated by the unknown but seemingly familiar symbols, which some may find overwhelming due to it being literally everywhere. I personally find it to be refreshing, in the same way that some people find excitement in the chaos of the city or the energy of a crowded concert. 

Looking around, there are black symbols that cover every inch of every surface. They look like letters from another language at first, but are soon understood to be unrecognizable. On the walls, the negative spaces created from these symbols are filled with colors of all sorts. 

JB Rock’s work could be best categorized as street art and abstract art. The overall project aims to highlight street artists and muralists, and promotes the immersive building as an outdoor/indoor part of the community. His work is abstract because it does not depict any real object. 

The location of this artwork provides a unique emphasis on JB Rock’s work when viewers experience it because it is unique in its own way. Each room in the building is purposely designed to be different and reflect different artists. The contrast of Rock’s work results in a very interactive and overwhelming sensation from the piece because it is everywhere inside this enclosed space. 

For the project as a whole, the historical context relates to the current conversations going on in the community at the time of its creation. The building was reused to allow artists in the community to express themselves and their ideas. Outdoor intended to avoid labels or big brand names, “so that the general is narrowed down to the individual” (Barbieri, 2014). It is a local project intended for local artists and viewers. With JB Rock being native to the relative area, his work contributes to the community’s ongoing conversations and emotions. Overall, the building and project reflect the neighboring community’s shared perspective because nearby artists are encouraged to create works there as a form of local artistic discussion. 

Upon further examination of JB Rock’s “Self Portrait”, the composition of the piece includes symbols that are reflected on every surface throughout the room. They’re placed together very closely, appearing crammed with no spaces in between. The main components seen in the piece are the black unknown symbols and the colors placed around them. At first, they appear familiar as if the symbols were letters that created a message, but after taking a closer look viewers eventually realize it’s just random symbols. Rock doesn’t utilize the rule of thurs or distancing with optical perspectives. Instead, he focuses on what is best explained as two dimensional patterns that echoed throughout the space repeatedly. 

JB Rock utilizes a variety of formal elements in his artwork. Lines are used to create different symbols that represent letters. On the walls, the shapes created in between the symbols are emphasized through use of color. He uses black for the symbols and a variety of colors used in between the spaces.The repeating symbols crammed together create a random pattern of lines throughout the room. A lack of space is presented in the work because the symbols are jam packed all over every surface. A skylight in the middle of the ceiling as well as ceiling lamps throughout the room provide lighting for his piece. The skylight could be considered the focal point of the piece because it is where the most light comes through, and it stands out in the room. 

Organizing principles are used to create a sense of chaos in the peace. Elements are combined in an equal but crowded way. The symbols themselves are not symmetrical but the entirety of the space is covered which gives the room balance in terms of space. Emphasis is used through color in the negative spaces that the symbols create, which is only done on the walls and causes them to stand out. The same proportion is applied to the symbols throughout the work, contributing to it appearing almost like a pattern. The constant rhythm throughout the piece is achieved by the placement of symbols. As a whole, the work gives off the energy of fast paced chaos, like the jotting down of an idea before it’s gone. Rock achieved this by first painting the symbols all over, then going in with color to emphasize different areas. 

The use of indistinguishable symbols could represent a language only the artist knows through expression, representing his possible feelings of having been misunderstood. The symbols could also represent wanting to share a message in a way that caused chaos and confusion in the viewers, because they can never be understood. Psychologically, black is known to represent mystery, power, elegance, and sophistication (Ferreira, 2022). This contributes to the idea of mystery behind the meaning of the symbols. Multicolor or rainbow can represent “positivity, creativity, and joy” (Roberts, 2022). It’s reasonable to assume that the theme of the work is personal expression through abstract art. JB Rock aims to achieve “impulse that comes forwards before any words, ideas, or reflection on the artistic work” (Project Outdoor, 2014). His goal is to bring on an immersive reaction from viewers rather than an intellectual response. 

Sources

Barbieri, Francesco. “Outdoor - Moving Forward - Ex Dogana - Google Arts & Culture.” Google, Google, 2014, https://artsandculture.google.com/story/outdoor-moving-forward-ex-dogana-street-art-rome/IwVhBvQiTgAA8A?hl=en.

Ferreira, Nicole Martins. “Color Psychology: How Color Meanings Affect You & Your Brand.” Oberlo, Oberlo, 8 July 2022, https://www.oberlo.com/blog/color-psychology-color-meanings#black-color-psychology. 

Liselle, Rhiannon. “Understanding the Rainbow: The Psychology of Colour.” Daily Life, 2 Apr. 2019, https://dailylife.com/article/understanding-the-rainbow-the-psychology-of-colour.

Project, Outdoor. “Self Portrait - JBROCK - Google Arts & Culture.” Google, Google, 2014, https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/self-portrait-jbrock/MQHWXIixD5eUAQ?hl=en.

Project, Outdoor. “Virtual Tour of Moving Forward.” Google Arts & Culture, Google, 2014, https://artsandculture.google.com/.Roberts, Martha. “The Psychology of Colour: Multicolour.” Psychologies, 18 Feb. 2022, https://www.psychologies.co.uk/the-psychology-of-colour-multicolour/.

[cait-sith]

Hey what if Starscream repainted himself post-canon

Unnecessarily long thoughts and ramblings (mostly about Starscream) under the cut.

This was originally in the tags but then it became an actual wall of text so. Keep Reading be upon ye.

So in IDW Till All Are One 12 Windblade shows Starscream his “true” form quote unquote and it's like this blue-white-and-red colour scheme. And while I don't really know how to feel about that; got some implications vis-a-vis transgender stuff, Starscream clearly took it as something that was taken from him, something that defined him, something that would have made him different (more likeable, more successful, unclear). On the other hand, I also think that Starscream sort of clings to that idea, because it's more painful to believe that he couldn't have changed anything, that it might just be a flaw in him. Something external to blame, y'know.

Windblade kinda points that out, it wasn't really the point of showing him that, but maybe that's just my personal interpretation. “I could have been so much more had I just been allowed to be born as I was meant”. Missing Windblade's point that he is still the same person in his spark, regardless of frame, it is ultimately up to him who he is. His actions define him, not his appearance. BUT. I feel like that kinda misinterpretation would be in-character for him, and so maybe in post-canon he'd... well really I think he'd reframe but maybe as like an attempt to reclaim what he thinks he should have been (even if he doesn't need to, even if he was perfectly capable of changing who he was without that). He frequently sabotages himself, because he doesn't believe in trust and he's so used to being in adverse relationships where he cannot rely on anyone being on his side. So then he gets everything he ever wanted, and it's.. not really what he wanted. Metalhawk, Wheeljack, Windblade and Bumblebee all sorta get under his plating, in different ways, and he admits to liking them, but can't bring himself to trust them. He's constantly at loggerheads with Metalhawk and Bee at the start, but Metalhawk tries and gets murdered for his troubles.

Wheeljack, well, he's just kinda mostly nice and willing to forgive and help, even while he's wary. In a way, I think Starscream gets attached to him because he's safe to get attached to, because Wheeljack doesn't take the shot when he's vulnerable, offers to help, to be on his side. From a distance. He doesn't really... actually initiate much of a friendship, but he talks about the idea.

Windblade, I think that relationship is a bit more fraught. They end up working together a lot by necessity, given their positions, and Windblade frequently has to fix or contend with Starscream's messes, and she has none of the prejudices of the others, but again, she's a threat to his power, to what he wants, can't really look past that. She tries, though, and I think he does sort of like her as time goes on. It just doesn't stop him from doing what he always does. No trust and all that. As for Bee. Bee. While he's alive, he's much like Metalhawk and Windblade: A threat to Starscream's power, with the added issues of being a major enemy and an autobot, with all the prejudices that brings. They don't make friends. Only Bee "dying" changes that, and only because Starscream is utterly convinced he is a ghost. In his own mind, he's *almost* okay with admitting to his flaws, his worries. Bee's ghost becomes his conscience, his confidante and companion, and because he's fictional, a fragment of Starscream's mind (or so he thinks), he's safe. Safe in ways none of the others are. And Bee tries, he has nothing really left to gain, no power to hold onto. For all intents and purposes, he *is* a ghost.

That was probably terrifying when Bee turned out to not be dead. Someone who saw all of Starscream's vulnerabilities, with so much power to hurt him. He can't help himself. He does have moments, though. Rare choices where he does trust, sometimes for lack of better options but still. And by the Unicron-finale, he's, well, still not friends, but he admits to everything, he comes clean, kind of.

So. We're going to ignore that he dies for the sake of this. <3 Just temporarily. In a hypothetical post-canon, I think he'd try to get a bit of agency back, try and follow that dream of his better self. And I think Windblade, Wheeljack and Bumblebee are the closest thing to friends he's had since his trine. And Metalhawk, technically, but he's kinda dead and also with the dead universe revival wasn't too happy with Starscream lmao. Perhaps Bee's the most comfortable, after that, if he ever gets over himself, because he's already spilled his guts to him, if accidentally. I don't think Starscream would ever be *easy* to get along with, and Bumblebee doesn't really take shit, but I'd like them to be friends. Squabbly-bantery friends, but still. Wheeljack seems a bit gentler, while Windblade's a bit more professional, she's kind but responsible.

Point being: this is Bee helping him repaint himself to leave the past behind.

Thanks for listening lmao

[chronurgy]

Gortash designs and builds mechanisms so I imagine he has to be able to sketch fairly decently in order to sketch his projects and designs. And I'm imagining a pile of charcoal sketches of Durge, done over their entire acquaintance, starting out with sketches of them in battle and then slowly becoming more detailed and intimate and as they do, the titles changing from things like "The Bhaalspawn" and "Bhaal's Chosen at Their Bloody Work" to "The Chosen in Contemplation" and finally just Durge's name

[bitchthefuck1]

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Identifying Character Descriptions

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References ⚜ 100 Sensory Words

[cirrus-grey]

TMA 122:

Statement of uh, uh, Lorell St. John regarding, uh... zombies. Original statement given 1st February, 2015. Recording by Jonathan Sims. The Archivist.

TMA 53:

My biggest concern right now is whatever creature Mr. Heller encountered down there. It was 56 years ago, but if it’s still alive, I should be careful. What was it? A guardian of some sort? Or perhaps… perhaps… it too was once an Archivist.

TMAGP 26:

It was holding a tape recorder to Mr. Jarrod’s mouth, like it was trying to catch his dying words.

“Who are you?” I asked it.

“An Archivist,” it replied.

I know many people have already pointed out that [ERROR] could be the same kind of being that was under Alexandria, but this phrasing in particular is making me certain of it. A living, breathing, active Archivist like Jon is "the" - the one and only, the main focus of the Eye. The ones that linger after their Archives are forgotten - not alive, not dead, but somewhere in between - are just "an". One of many, still holding the title - still powerful - but far less human.

There are a ton of other parallels between the two that are making me so curious what our Alexandria guy got up to between - potentially - being released by Mr. Heller and finding its way to the Panopticon: basement Archive, the main building/library is burned down on top of it, it remains locked down there until some unsuspecting explorer unintentionally gives it the key... I wonder if there was an [ERROR] drifting around in the TMA world too, hunting people with a quill and parchment rather than a tape...

.

.

.

(Celia's phrasing is also very telling as to what she's been expecting to find.

TMAGP 26:

"No, I mean, something isn't right.… The External, the Archivist, it’s not acting how I would have expected..."

No, it's certainly not acting how the Archivist would. An Archivist, on the other hand...)

[danadiadea]

Let's talk about one of the ways Severus Snape created his imposing adult persona in – his walk and body movements.

Harry describes the walk of teen Snape like that: "Harry looked around and glimpsed Snape a short way away, moving between the tables toward the doors into the entrance hall, still absorbed in his own examination paper. Round-shouldered yet angular, he walked in a twitchy manner that recalled a spider, his oily hair swinging about his face."

- round-shouldered – I mean he is reading while walking, that nerd, but also kid Sev is described as standing "slightly hunched" on the 9¾ Platform, so I think it's safe to say he tended to hunch, maybe as a way to make himself smaller and less noticiable;

- walked in a twitchy, spidery maner – which implies certain nervousness and tension, clumsiness, jerky and antsy movements.

He also moves very quickly when there is danger and reacts like that's survival instinct:

Snape reacted so fast it was as though he had been expecting an attack: Dropping his bag, he plunged his hand inside his robes, and his wand was halfway into the air when James shouted, “Expelliarmus’

Disentangling himself from his robes, he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, “Petrificus Totalus!” and Snape keeled over again at once, rigid as a board.

To put it shortly, teen Severus is awkward, twitchy, constantly feeling unsafe and alert, and is immersed into his own world.

Now adult Snape is different. He is never described as hunched in the books – even when he lowers himself to look at something, he always "bends over", not "hunches over", we also have "Snape straightened up slowly and turned to look at her" after he bends over Dean's cauldron, so that was one thing to deal with.

We know he has a recognisable "prowling" walk, even when he's in a hurry:

"A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry’s victory faded from his mind as he watched. He recognized the figure’s prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner — what was going on?"

Severus is described as prowling on other occasions:

Snape prowled through the fumes, making waspish remarks about the Gryffindors’ work while the Slytherins sniggered appreciatively.

They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin.

Snape hissed, letting go of his arm as though angry with himself. ‘I have as much right to prowl this school after dark as you do!" (he says it himself, so he does that shit deliberately, the fucker)

The most often used description of Snape's walk is "to sweep" forming different phrasal verbs, tho. It's mentioned at least 15 times through the books, there are some of them:

He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone...

Snape swept past Harry, making no comment about Hermione’s empty seat and cauldron.

Snape smirked as he swept off around the dungeon, fortunately not spotting Seamus Finnigan...

Snape nodded silently and swept out of the room.

he watched, with a trace of apprehension on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius.

“I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your O.W.L,” said Snape with a smirk, as he swept among them, passing back their homework.

Snape strode to his office door, his wand still held at the ready, and swept out of sight.

Which sounds like a continuous, graceful, dramatic movement, as opposed to his hurried teen jerkiness. It's fluent in a way, almost gliding or slithering, if you will. Rather quick than slow, but in a controlled manner.

He also has his famous billowing cloak:

Snape bowed and set off back up the path, his black cloak billowing behind him.

Snape snarled, and he brushed past them, his long black cloak billowing out behind him.

said Harry, who was watching Snape running up the marble staircase in his mind’s eye, his black robes billowing behind him as ever...

There, his black robes rippling in a cold breeze, stood Severus Snape.

It was Snape. He approached Harry at a swift walk, his black robes swishing.

Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.

etc etc.

Sometimes he walks quickly for practicality:

Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest.

It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walking quickly along the corridor at the foot of the staircase.

Snape climbed up the stairs quickly and stopped beside Filch.

And sometimes slowly for dramatic effect:

Snape advanced on Ron slowly, and the room held its breath.

For a moment, nobody moved or said anything. Then Snape slowly lowered his hands.

Hardly daring to breathe, Harry remained crouched down as Snape emerged slowly from the classroom. His expression unfathomable, he returned to the party.

So I believe adult Snape usually walks kinda like he speaks, which is another learnt behaviour of his – softly, with deliberate menacing undertones, elegance, and precision.

Also we, of course, have a prominent occasion on which he outran a Hippogriff, and don't you people forget that. This man's got the range.

[rumlead]

what good is a mouth and ears if you only stare? // complicit witness // curly bro is the talk in the room with us?

had the idea for a piece that parallels pre- and post- crash Curly.. ideologically? Or at least to be representative of his body after the crash reflecting his prior actions. Curly pre-crash doesn’t truly listen to concerns about Jim or even have a proper conversation with him, but rather watches things happen (low interference, signing off on his psych-evaluation). Post-crash Curly can’t talk, assumedly has limited/no hearing (mfw ship blow up in my face), and no eyelids— call him the witness the way he be witnessing. He’s doing as much as he would prior to the crash, but now he doesn’t have a choice. There is definitely a more profound way to word it, but you get the point. Probably.

[nonbinarypirat]

What do you think about all this mess in chapter 365? The existence of hierarchy in the society of demons was not something new, but for me it was somewhere in the background, that is, we know that demons have a ranks system but there were social elevators in it. I am asking you because I am a fan of your analysis of the mairuma universe and I am sincerely interested in hearing your opinion.

Good question!! I actually LOVE the direction the story took for the Scala test because it felt like it was going a little too well ya know? I was excited when they turned to farming because as soon as we learned about the carrots I was like, oh they should start a farm that’s the next idea. But I was like, hmm it feels too easy now doesn’t it. And then BAM fascist. But anyway, this is a great question to talk about since I previously made a post about how one of the overarching theme in the story is fascism and fighting against it through education.

The reason why I love this direction for the story is that up until now, all of the subtle hints towards more seediness and corruption has been in the background. It makes sense narratively speaking that we wouldn’t get hit with it too strongly because we like the main character are slowly learning about the world. Iruma is growing up in a relatively safe environment with him mostly being at his house, school, or a safe area like the shopping district (with some obvious exceptions to this). Iruma, having grown up in the human world, has no reason to assume or believe that there is serious systematic problems going on. Instead, he is slowly becoming exposed to this as he gets older and out into more situations where he can no longer not see it.

The signs have all been there from the start with the ranking system being the first exposure. Especially with the introduction of Kirio. The simple fact that you can get better meals if you are a higher rank in a school lunch speaks volumes to how low ranked demons are treated. Especially since we later see this stays true outside of school with Ameri and Iruma going to a segregated high rank only restaurant. And we see instances of bullying/intolerance when it comes to how students treat each other. The notable moments I remember is how the Azz fan girls treated Iruma at first when they thought he was a low rank compared to when they learned he had a higher one than they originally thought. Or the student’s comments to Kirio since he was a low rank. Or how the girls at the party treated the low rank demon girl.

We also have had the vile police system introduced to us during the Walter Park incident and when we first learned about Narnia. Prisons and the whole system is already fucked up and corrupt in the human world but it’s definitely worse in the demon world. The fact that the prisoners have to constantly give their mana up to the park not to mention the fact that it’s located underneath the park to begin with always felt gross to me. And when we first learn about Narnia, the cards start to come together. Narnia is said to treat any injustice, anything at all, on the same level. And he is shown to be cruel and ruthless in the face of what he considers crime. So if you committed tax fraud, you would probably be considered on the same level of a murderer and treated just the same. How are those even on the same level? But Narnia doesn’t care, he sees it as an opportunity to “maintain order” within the netherworld and uses that as justification for his actions. In the end, he doesn’t care about the demons he’s supposed to protect, rather he cares more about maintaining the strict hierarchy.

Add to that the fascist organization we have in the story that wants to control the netherworld to reshape it into their image. The introduction of Baal and learning about the organization kind of kicked started where the story will lead into. This has always been a story of fighting off bigotry and oppression, but it’s very subtly disguised behind what seems like a typical villain takeover plot. Because it’s subtle, we as the audience only start noticing when the themes become prevalent with the evidence stacking up higher and higher. And with the introduction of Azami, we can no longer not see what the story is trying to convey to the audience.

It’s crafted in a way to keep you unaware until we see Narnia being a full on fascist with his fascist cop buddy Azami. And the reason why it’s so effective is because the themes have always been there, just in the background. If we had all of a sudden had Azami or Narnia doing his little “maintaining order” speech without the small build up, it wouldn’t have fully hit as hard. But now that we have the Many-Ears race, a race literally known for being suppressed and subservient to higher ranks, we now see the cards fall into place. Some people wondered if the Many-Ears have done this to themselves, suppressing themselves when there was no need. But now it’s become clear that no matter how the Many-Ears came to live in this way, it’s clear that it’s not an issue of them doing this to themselves. Not fully at least. They are being used by those in power to keep them submissive to those they benefit the most. And the Many-Ears, believing they have no way of changing the system of powers, internalized and conformed to this idea as well. Being trapped in this mindset benefits the majority rule and keeps the “balance” in order. However, now they can see a better way for themselves. Now, they truly believe they have value and worth outside of being a worker for a strong ranked demon. Thus toppling over the hierarchy established.

Fascism feeds on a strict hierarchy where everyone knows their place. One cannot have fascism without it being built off the backs of those oppressed. And Narnia, being a fascist prick, has one dangerous weapon: power. He is a high rank, works within the demon border patrol, and now has become a 13 crown, one of the most powerful positions in all of the netherworld. He is almost untouchable at this current moment unless you are a fellow 13 crown (and we still don’t know how possible infighting works). The Many-Ears have no way of stopping someone like this and are basically forced to either fall into line or become seriously hurt. And even if they do fall into line, there’s no saying Azami won’t hurt them anyway. That’s the thing with cops, they can decide what goes with very little consequences (can you tell my feelings on cops?). Narnia knows, he uses this as a tool for oppression. If he has leverage, he will use it without a second thought to further his mission of control.

But here’s where education falls into the equation. The Many-Ears are no longer among the uneducated. Before, the oppressive power used their lack of knowledge to support the hierarchy. How will it work out for them if they no longer as unaware as they previously were? Once knowledge is spread, it’s hard to put a lid on it. You can’t go into their brains and erase what they know to be true. And now they are no longer fighting alone. This isn’t an us verse them battle. Fascism wants you to believe you are alone. It wants you to believe you are powerless. It wants you to believe that you are the only one that wants change. Why? Because there’s power in people, in community. No matter what happens in the next few chapters, they have people that care and want to see change too. And luckily for the Many-Ears, they have powerful allies too. One person alone can make change but a community of people can make an even greater change. And that is the reason why I love this story so much 🫶🏽

Sorry for how long this post was, I just saw this question and I’ve been dying to talk about this since the chapter dropped because I LOVE the themes of this story so much. And I love the anti cop mentality of both the main line story and the mafia story 🤭

[huggywuggysuppy]

the imagery of someone purposely tearing their chest open, taking their heart out with a smile on their face, and putting it into the hands of their loved one while blood is running down their own chin feels intensely gempearl to me in ways i can't explain and it was invoked by their last conversation in session 1. i choose to believe a little part of gem, as confident as she is in pearl's favoritism and how to use it on a surface level, still can't seem to know what to do with pearl's genuine adoration towards her. they fascinate me

It’s not a surprise to Gem: she has always known Pearl had some sort of heartfelt reason to keep chasing. She knows Pearl will always choose to stay with her. No, what’s new is being confronted with the consequences of her actions: bare earnest devotion, that Pearl hasn’t gotten to communicate in any raw or real way until now, when they’re new and serious, when she thinks Gem can hear it without throwing it away. For so long Gem denied her the simple chance to be listened to and believed.

And once Pearl shares her why’s: that Gem is intensely loyal to her people, and that Pearl always ends up as hers anyway, Gem has to acknowledge to herself if not the audience that either Pearl is wrong and Gem doesn’t want to care or even associate with her, or that Pearl’s right. That Gem not only wants but has always claimed Pearl in some way. And worse: she has used and neglected her, thinking she was in the right.

Once Gem replies to Pearl’s feelings, she has to admit she was wrong: not only to push her away so cruelly and without communication in WL, but wrong for why Gem felt it was right. Using and manipulating Pearl in SL: convinced either she wasn’t hurting her so terribly, or that Pearl would value Gem more than her loyal Mounders — more than her own honor after claiming Scar in the final team face off, before the 2v1.

Gem has to admit she misunderstood Pearl.

Both of them value being special to each other: oldest friends, proudly irreplaceable, understanding each other even when the entire server can’t, won’t, doesn’t. They’re almost always making an effort to enhance each other’s experience in one way or another. Regardless of how intentional it was, Gem’s violated their contract that so far has spanned all worlds. Gem is capable of admitting when she’s been cruel, if only because other people’s fear and distrust has been pounded into her head, but admitting she failed to understand Pearl? Failed Pearl altogether?

And staring down that bleeding heart, Pearl who still wants to choose her, how can Gem even begin to reply? Even form an apology? How can she plan to use this team for her own ends when the reminder of how and why that hurts is offering her sword to be driven through her own heart. In her mind, she can’t fully devote herself to Pearl without apologizing, nor can she use her when Pearl turns around and proudly wears her feelings on her sleeve. These are harder truths and they pick at scars — that even after Gem hardened herself against her reputation and weaponized all of her burdens, she has never stopped being raw and in love.

Gem asked because she wanted to trust Pearl. Pearl answered she has only ever trusted Gem. Nothing will ever be the same again.

So instead of facing that, Gem cuts it away to be handled later. Except Pearl understands what just happened: she says “you don’t wanna talk about it, huh” and leaves it in her video. Regardless of if Gem is ready meet her halfway where she deserves, Pearl has always been ready to call her out to battle. Now, she has the means to, and Gem opened the door first. That’s reason enough to hold her heart out and smile.

[stopper-my-heart]

Nick's moments of panic under the umbrella in Heartstopper S1E4 before Charlie kisses him really get me. So I wrote a thing in second person to try to appreciate the weight of the emotions that I imagine Nick is experiencing.

------------------------

You’re into this boy. So into him. He’s been in your thoughts. . . a lot. You've been talking all the time, you keep wanting to see him, and whenever you do, it’s never enough. You can’t help but smile when you think of him, let alone when you see him.

You want this boy. Romantically. You don’t really know what that looks like, but you know it’s true.

And, it seems, he wants you, too.

Your first kiss was good. Really good. All those tingles and flutters and sparks that you felt from just being close to him were amplified into so much more. It was so much better than you could’ve ever imagined.

And then you panicked. You screwed it up. You ran. You went back, but it was too late. You need him to know that you don’t regret it, that you wanted it, that you want him, that you were (are) just freaking out.

You try to be calm, you try to keep your cool. (No need to embarrass yourself in front of your crush.) Plus things are a little weird, restrained, and understandably so. He's probably really hurt. You need to get this out, you need to explain. You can do it.

And then he begins apologising. It quickly becomes clear that he has this all wrong. That he’s wildly misunderstood, rewritten what has happened. You were there because you wanted to be, because you chose to be. Yes, you were scared — are scared — but he has this all twisted.

Charlie.

Charlie!

Charlie.

He's not getting it. So you kiss him.

You make sure he knows what’s going to happen, and even if he seems very confused, he responds readily enough. You attempt to pour all of your feelings into him, to get across all of your regret and sorrow for hurting him as well as (maybe especially) how much you do want this. And for a moment, he loses himself in the kiss. You understand, you do too. Kissing him is just as good as you remember.

And, well, it’s too late for being cool now. You just kissed all your emotions into him, practically begging him to understand; you’d best explain what those emotions are in the hopes that he properly will. (Besides, this isn’t just “your crush”, this is Charlie.) You can’t leave him standing there so lost and confused. You may be confused, but he deserves to know that that confusion isn't about him.

So you start to explain…and then it all comes out. You’re vulnerable in a way you can’t remember being before. There’s no one in your life you can talk to like this, especially not about this. And it’s really been messing with you. Because not only has this boy's presence in your life already begun to upend everything, but you're so much happier because of it. And what are you supposed to do with that? What even would your life be if it were entirely different? Do you even want it to be different? . . .Maybe. But it’s scary. But you want him. And you want you.

So you tell him this, more or less. Really, you cry into his chest. Is this too much? Is he overwhelmed? So much for keeping it cool, keeping your cool. But you need this. He seems okay, he seems to get it. The friendship you’ve built is there, it can handle difficult things — it already has. He seems to want to be there for you. So you let him, and he lets you, and things are hard but they’re better in this moment. You’re finally seen and understood, and maybe Charlie now understands why you ran away, that it wasn’t about him, about the two of you.

. . .But now what?

You want him, but being with him will indeed upend every single facet of your life if other people know. You’re not ready for that, you can’t face that yet. It's too much. Everything is still so new and confusing. You don’t want to ask, but you want to be with him and you don’t see any other way to do that right now except to…keep this a secret? He finishes the thought for you. "Yeah," you concede, unhappily, but owning that that’s where you’re at.

He agrees, he tries to reassure you; you’re not completely convinced, but you want to believe him, so you let yourself.

And there's that question again: Now what?

There have been a lot of emotions and things are a little weird, even if a lot better, and you want to say something, or to touch him, but this is new and you’re meant to be leaving and…best to just go. The awkwardness will fade eventually. You’ll figure out how to be in this new dynamic. For now, you’re wanting, but you don’t know how to do anything more than that (would he want you to?). So you smile at him through the awkwardness and start to walk home.

. . .

. . .

What. Just. Happened.

This is good, but awkward, but good, and he wants this too, right? You’re together now, right? You’re really getting to be with him, with this boy you want so much, with Charlie. This is happening?

And then you hear it: Charlie calling out to you. Feet slapping on wet pavement.

“Nick!”

You stop, startled, confused, off-balance. What’s happening? He’s smiling, but.. What could possibly be worth running out into the rain in his pyjamas for? Has he changed his mind already? Does he not want this? Is keeping it a secret too much?

The doubts and fear are filling your mind, but you try to rein it in, to not let it show, to not let him see.

And then he looks back at you. And you know, in an instant, that everything that you wanted for your goodbye, he wanted, too.

Right? Please let you be understanding this correctly. You look at his lips, once, twice — you can’t help it. You’re desperately hoping that you’re on the same page, but barely daring to believe it.

And then he kisses you.

And the world stops.

.

.

.

.

And this is it. This is right.

Charlie.

This boy just ran out in the rain to kiss you. He’s soaking wet, he must be freezing, and here he is, kissing you. That’s the only reason he came out after you. To kiss you.

He smiles — that amazing smile of his that lights up your whole world — and then he runs off again.

There’s no more room for thoughts, only feelings. Massive feelings that well up inside you. So much sentiment that it feels like your heart is bursting.

You thought you were off-balance before? Well now you’re practically drunk.

What have you gotten yourself into?

Maybe the best thing ever.

[windcarvedlyre]

I've been following @druidposting's DR2 playthrough on discord and we just had a really good discussion about DR's Closing Arguments. Specifically the way the murderer is depicted as grey and featureless, which until now I found a bit annoying.

In Danganronpa it's repeatedly the case that we don't have the full picture until the talking actually stops- which always goes beyond the end of the trial. We generally vote first and come to understand what the murderer's actual motive was, sometimes filling in important pieces of the timeline in the process, afterwards.

But none of that matters for the killing game because characters' emotions aren't directly relevant to who was the 'blackened'- the only thing that matters to Monokuma- so it comes out afterwards and does nothing to change their execution. It doesn't matter how sympathetic they are (basically everyone) or whether other people share responsibility for the situation (eg. Hanamura, Pekoyama, Momota) or whether they intended to murder at all (Nanami). They objectively pulled the trigger and nothing else matters. Nothing about them as a person matters.

The Closing Argument mechanic might illustrate that problem- literally. They're a dramatic, conclusive summary of the entire case... constructed before the vote even happens, before we know if we're actually right, and they're missing something really important:

The actual perpetrator.

We quite literally don't even begin to see the real person behind the crime, any real exploration of their mental state, anything besides the cold, hard facts of the murder that are necessary to convict them, until the comic finishes and the protagonist makes their final accusation- replacing the grey figure with their real appearance in a shot that's often intensely emotional.

And these comics lack crucial parts of the case's timeline and sometimes important parts of the very scenes they depict that we only find out about afterwards. And those are what we know; characters may die with some pieces of the truth and prevent us from ever learning them. These aren't objective depictions of the murder, they're the protagonist's subjective attempt to connect the facts they have. A join-the-dots portrait of someone with missing dots and no colour.

Even characters' expressions may not match how they truly feel, with the grey placeholder potentially looking way more confident and sinister than they were in reality. Pasting Falter's commentary here since they put it well.

For obvious reasons this could especially be a problem for characters that die before the trial- the ones we never get a post-vote testimony from. DR1 chapter 4 really highlighted that in the way Asahina's huge misinterpretation of Oogami's feelings took up a lot of the post-trial discussion, only for Monokuma to reveal Oogami's real suicide note and recontextualise everything.

It might really be a problem for how Komaeda's depicted in DR2 chapter 5. While he isn't greyed out, we get panel after panel where he's either level-headed or maniacally evil, and even the depictions of his self-torture and death don't humanise him:

But we know that his real feelings were more complicated than that. We have his actual corpse to compare the last page to.

He died afraid.

If we approach the comic as Hinata's mental image of him instead of reality, he died without anyone truly understanding him. He was alarming, very hard to relate to, actively fought against people doing so, ensured even the killer didn't watch him die, and the survivors couldn't begin to understand his motive until a chapter later. The Closing Argument reflects that.

Early in DR1 Togami calls out the rest of his class for judging others by their own standards. However, he, too, is doing this, maybe more so than many other characters; his inability to view other people through anything but the cold, brutal logic of the killing game bites him in the ass in chapter 4. In DR2 chapter 2 voting without a good understanding of Pekoyama's motive or Kuzuryuu's involvement nearly got everyone killed. Komaeda's a walking embodiment of the problems with flattening people into caricatures and not empathising with them, suffered from people doing that back to him, and his case- the Closing Argument for which turned everyone else into grey placeholders- was impossible to solve with objective facts. It was only survivable because the survivors cooperated and one person tried to analyse things the way he would.

The games have always been a critique of the justice system and Japanese society and push us to care about others as individuals, not reduce them to- and judge their right to exist by- something they've done or their net impact on society. There are always consequences when someone neglects to do that, and the above might be yet another way the games explore that theme.

[bleue-flora]

Ok, I recently wrote an essay [here] talking about the definition and duties of civil engineering as well as the ethics because of the brain rot @swordfright gave me with calling Dream Sam’s ultimate engineering project. So, because I actually am a civil engineer I took it upon myself to design the title and summary of quantities sheets just like I do at work for roads but with Dream as the project instead. And in honor of angst day sponsored by @sixteenth-day-event, I figured I’d share it because I feel like it kinda works for the prison of the mind prompt.

“Sam’s “ultimate engineering project” he deemed too damaged like a bumpy road or crumbling building that wasn’t worthy of patching and filling in the cracks or reinforcing, that’s too eroded to be fixed and preserved. So, Sam strived to tear him down to the bedrock so he could remake, remold, and reengineer Dream according to his design for the common safety, public health and well-fair.”

{These are very similar to the actual sheets I make day to day, which I shall not share for the sake of doxing my location, but yea pretty much everything has a significance. Some of it doesn’t necessarily make sense but that was because I was more so taking inventory of what we see in lore (so you know I counted ;) lol)}

[chimyku]

"The two of us were connected with our hands held together."

Jelsa siblings AU?!

(Guys hear me out xD)

I recently rediscovered one of my favorite vocaloid songs, "Adolescence" by producers Signal-P and Orange, and I also remembered that some people said Jelsa looks like siblings, so here's an illustration based on that! Go listen to the song as well: https://youtu.be/u-YH22ijXhs?si=GN6U2xPPZw2b3ROv

I like this version better though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHglIaco2fE

I often hear/read about how Jack and Elsa can pass off as siblings because they supposedly look alike. I personally don't think they do (or maybe that's the shipper in me talking lol) just because they are both light-haired, blue-eyed, and have a pale complexion. I mean, both their hair and eye colors are different shades anyway, that has to count for something, right?! XD

If you haven't heard of the song before, there are basically two major interpretations to it: it can either be viewed as a platonic or romantic relationship between twins. The overall idea is that, as adolescents, they realize that they're growing and that things are no longer the same. By that, no longer the same physically—as in their once similar facial features, hand sizes, etc. are all different now— and from a social standpoint, where it is no longer acceptable to do some things that were so normal for them as twins, such as sleeping in the same bed together (like I said before, you can view it however you like; be it either as the innocent indignance of close-knit twins who were suddenly made to distance themselves, or a tale of forbidden incestuous love). Most vocaloid songs, including this one, are up to interpretation anyway. I might be slightly off though, it has been quite a while since I've delved into the meanings of vocaloid songs. Whether or not to consider this jelsa piece as platonic or romantic, it's also up to you hehehe.

Here's a lovely fanfic I've found from @oni-no-ko that has Jelsa as twins (which reminded me of this song!). Mind the rating before you read it, don't say I didn't warn you XD: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10339919/1/Behind-Frosted-Doors

I have mixed feelings about this artwork. I haven't tried this art style in a while and though I like how it turned out, I'm not satisfied with the hands lol they're the bane of my existence xD. I also kept going back and forth modifying random parts of the artwork, so I decided to finally post it because I will never be done with it at this rate xD.

[waterme-stories]

I knew it. I spent like three hours drawing a Joe's Pizza box one time, I knew it was the same fucking font (or very close). That diner is a goddamn varient of Joe's Pizza from Spider-Man 2.