#Add database reference

[tweakingsql]

Setting References, Adding constraints

We need to set up some items so that eventually this project will actually run. First off, we need to set up a reference to an existing server where the project will be exported when we're finished.

Under the Solution's name, there is a entry for References. Right-click on that, then select Database References. Change the database reference type to System Database, and select the master database.

Just to be fair, I had trouble with adding the default as below. I kept getting an error SLQ17501, meaning the editor was unable to find the referred to item.

There is an equivalent of SSMS' Crtl+Shift+R, which in the Project menu then Reanalyze Project. And that didn't work. It's supposed to take a little bit like the refresh of the table data into IntelliSense does in SSMS, so I waited. Hours.

Then I deleted the offending item and tried to add it again. Still there.

Then deleted the entire project and started over. At that point, in the error listing, I noticed the project was set for "Build + Intellisense". Clicking the other options confirmed that the problem was in IntelliSense, not the Build.

Next day, I started off with a new and smaller build and planned on using VS to report the issue to Microsoft. And it never came back. Anywhere. Computer Science is in the next classroom, this is working with software, which is a whole different beast. End interruption.

The source table has the one constraint already, which is the clustered primary key. "Clustered" means that the data will be put in the specified order onto the drive. Primary keys have to be non-null and unique, and are often what is used as a foreign key in another table.

This is a table of dates, and there's already date functions and tools built in to SQL. Why add more? Mostly so that we have a simple table to join on for long calculations. You can figure out if a given day is a weekend by looking at the DatePart() function with the first parameter set to DW. But is it a holiday? That is a bit harder to work out. This table does the calculations so they don't have to be repeated endlessly.

First off, let's set the FederalHolidayFlag to default to the character 'N'. We do the right-click on the solution's name, then Add, then New Item. Under Tables and Views we can select a Default Constraint. And it wants a name again.

And VS is helping where it can.

There's a related Check Constraint. Everybody is going to have opinions about where each of the files should be one single step, or if all the related steps should stay together. Make a choice that appeals to you, and realize unless you're the project manager it doesn't matter. I want the practice using the different templates.

The blue squiggle is error SQL70588 - since there's already a data enforcement check on that column, the WITH CHECK part of the statement will be ignored. I'm making a note that the Test Suite needs to look at that.

Document it. Always. Or you will forget.

Why use 'Y' and 'N'? One byte is the smallest column size. The boolean columns do only take up one bit in some byte, but unless you have a lot of booleans (8 or more), it's not much of a savings in space and a tad more work in CPU - probably breaks even in the long run. We could have used 0 and 1 in a tinyint column. It was an aesthetic choice on the part of the Data Architect team.

There are a bunch more constraints we could put in. Which ones matter to you?

[pillowfort-social]

Generative AI Policy (February 9, 2024)

As of February 9, 2024, we are updating our Terms of Service to prohibit the following content:

Images created through the use of generative AI programs such as Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, and Dall-E.

This post explains what that means for you. We know it’s impossible to remove all images created by Generative AI on Pillowfort. The goal of this new policy, however, is to send a clear message that we are against the normalization of commercializing and distributing images created by Generative AI. Pillowfort stands in full support of all creatives who make Pillowfort their home. Disclaimer: The following policy was shaped in collaboration with Pillowfort Staff and international university researchers. We are aware that Artificial Intelligence is a rapidly evolving environment. This policy may require revisions in the future to adapt to the changing landscape of Generative AI. 

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Why is Generative AI Banned on Pillowfort?

Our Terms of Service already prohibits copyright violations, which includes reposting other people’s artwork to Pillowfort without the artist’s permission; and because of how Generative AI draws on a database of images and text that were taken without consent from artists or writers, all Generative AI content can be considered in violation of this rule. We also had an overwhelming response from our user base urging us to take action on prohibiting Generative AI on our platform.  

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How does Pillowfort define Generative AI?

As of February 9, 2024 we define Generative AI as online tools for producing material based on large data collection that is often gathered without consent or notification from the original creators.

Generative AI tools do not require skill on behalf of the user and effectively replace them in the creative process (ie - little direction or decision making taken directly from the user). Tools that assist creativity don't replace the user. This means the user can still improve their skills and refine over time. 

For example: If you ask a Generative AI tool to add a lighthouse to an image, the image of a lighthouse appears in a completed state. Whereas if you used an assistive drawing tool to add a lighthouse to an image, the user decides the tools used to contribute to the creation process and how to apply them. 

Examples of Tools Not Allowed on Pillowfort: Adobe Firefly* Dall-E GPT-4 Jasper Chat Lensa Midjourney Stable Diffusion Synthesia

Example of Tools Still Allowed on Pillowfort: 

AI Assistant Tools (ie: Google Translate, Grammarly) VTuber Tools (ie: Live3D, Restream, VRChat) Digital Audio Editors (ie: Audacity, Garage Band) Poser & Reference Tools (ie: Poser, Blender) Graphic & Image Editors (ie: Canva, Adobe Photoshop*, Procreate, Medibang, automatic filters from phone cameras)

*While Adobe software such as Adobe Photoshop is not considered Generative AI, Adobe Firefly is fully integrated in various Adobe software and falls under our definition of Generative AI. The use of Adobe Photoshop is allowed on Pillowfort. The creation of an image in Adobe Photoshop using Adobe Firefly would be prohibited on Pillowfort. 

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Can I use ethical generators? 

Due to the evolving nature of Generative AI, ethical generators are not an exception.

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Can I still talk about AI? 

Yes! Posts, Comments, and User Communities discussing AI are still allowed on Pillowfort.

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Can I link to or embed websites, articles, or social media posts containing Generative AI? 

Yes. We do ask that you properly tag your post as “AI” and “Artificial Intelligence.”

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Can I advertise the sale of digital or virtual goods containing Generative AI?

No. Offsite Advertising of the sale of goods (digital and physical) containing Generative AI on Pillowfort is prohibited.

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How can I tell if a software I use contains Generative AI?

A general rule of thumb as a first step is you can try testing the software by turning off internet access and seeing if the tool still works. If the software says it needs to be online there’s a chance it’s using Generative AI and needs to be explored further. 

You are also always welcome to contact us at moderation@pillowfort.social if you’re still unsure.

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How will this policy be enforced/detected?

Our Team has decided we are NOT using AI-based automated detection tools due to how often they provide false positives and other issues. We are applying a suite of methods sourced from international universities responding to moderating material potentially sourced from Generative AI instead.

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How do I report content containing Generative AI Material?

If you are concerned about post(s) featuring Generative AI material, please flag the post for our Site Moderation Team to conduct a thorough investigation. As a reminder, Pillowfort’s existing policy regarding callout posts applies here and harassment / brigading / etc will not be tolerated. 

Any questions or clarifications regarding our Generative AI Policy can be sent to moderation@pillowfort.social.

[relto]

i want someone to try out my generator tool. please compliment my coding :(

[botgal]

Update on AB 3080 and AB 1949

AB 3080 (age verification for adult websites and online purchase of products and services not allowed for minors) and AB 1949 (prohibiting data collection on individuals less than 18 years of age) both officially have hearing dates for the California Senate Judiciary Committee.

The hearing date for these bills is scheduled to be Tuesday 07/02/2024. Which means that the deadline to turn in position letters is going to be noon one week before the hearing on 06/25/2024. It's not a lot of time from this moment, but I'm certain we can each turn one in before then

Remember that position letters should be single topic, in strict opposition of what each bill entails. Keep on topic and professional when writing them. Let us all do our best to keep these bills from leaving committee so that we don't have to fight them on the Senate floor. But let's also not stop sending correspondence to our state representatives anyway.

Remember, the jurisdiction of the Senate Judiciary Committee is as follows.

"Bills amending the Civil Code, Code of Civil Procedure, Evidence Code, Family Code, and Probate Code. Bills relating to courts, judges, and court personnel. Bills relating to liens, claims, and unclaimed property. Bills relating to privacy and consumer protection."

Best of luck everyone. And thank you for your efforts to fight this so far.

Below is linked the latest versions of the bills.

Below are the links to the Committee's homepage which gives further information about the Judiciary Committee, and the page explaining further in depth their letter policy.

Edit: Was requested to add in information such as why these bills are bad and what sites could potentially be affected by these bills. So here's the explanation I gave in asks.

Why are these bills bad?

Both bills are essentially age verification requirement laws. AB 3080 explicitly, and AB 1949 implicitly.

AB 3080 strictly is calling for dangerous age verification requirements for both adult websites and any website which sells products or services which it is illegal for minors to access in California. While this may sound like a good idea on paper, it's important to keep in mind that any information that's put online is at risk of being extracted and used by bad actors like hackers. Even if there are additional requirements by the law that data be deleted after its used for its intended purpose and that it not be used to trace what websites people access. The former of which provides very little protection from people who could access the databases of identification that are used for verification, and the latter which is frankly impossible to completely enforce and could at any time reasonably be used by the government or any surveying entity to see what private citizens have been looking at since their ID would be linked to the access and not anonymized.

AB 1949 is nominally to protect children from having their data collected and sold without permission on websites. However by restricting this with an age limit it opens up similar issues wherein it could cause default requirements for age verification for any website so that they can avoid liability by users and the state.

What websites could they affect?

AB 3080, according to the bill's text, would affect websites which sells the types of items listed below

"

(b) Products or services that are illegal to sell to a minor under state law that are subject to subdivision (a) include all of the following:

(1) An aerosol container of paint that is capable of defacing property, as referenced in Section 594.1 of the Penal Code.

(2) Etching cream that is capable of defacing property, as referenced in Section 594.1 of the Penal Code.

(3) Dangerous fireworks, as referenced in Sections 12505 and 12689 of the Health and Safety Code.

(4) Tanning in an ultraviolet tanning device, as referenced in Sections 22702 and 22706 of the Business and Professions Code.

(5) Dietary supplement products containing ephedrine group alkaloids, as referenced in Section 110423.2 of the Health and Safety Code.

(6) Body branding, as referenced in Sections 119301 and 119302 of the Health and Safety Code.

(c) Products or services that are illegal to sell to a minor under state law that are subject to subdivision (a) include all of the following:

(1) Firearms or handguns, as referenced in Sections 16520, 16640, and 27505 of the Penal Code.

(2) A BB device, as referenced in Sections 16250 and 19910 of the Penal Code.

(3) Ammunition or reloaded ammunition, as referenced in Sections 16150 and 30300 of the Penal Code.

(4) Any tobacco, cigarette, cigarette papers, blunt wraps, any other preparation of tobacco, any other instrument or paraphernalia that is designed for the smoking or ingestion of tobacco, products prepared from tobacco, or any controlled substance, as referenced in Division 8.5 (commencing with Section 22950) of the Business and Professions Code, and Sections 308, 308.1, 308.2, and 308.3 of the Penal Code.

(5) Electronic cigarettes, as referenced in Section 119406 of the Health and Safety Code.

(6) A less lethal weapon, as referenced in Sections 16780 and 19405 of the Penal Code."

This is stated explicitly to include "internet website on which the owner of the internet website, for commercial gain, knowingly publishes sexually explicit content that, on an annual basis, exceeds one-third of the contents published on the internet website". Wherein "sexually explicit content" is defined as "visual imagery of an individual or individuals engaging in an act of masturbation, sexual intercourse, oral copulation, or other overtly sexual conduct that, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value."

This would likely not include websites like AO3 or any website which displays NSFW content not in excess of 1/3 of the content on the site. Possibly not inclusive of writing because of the "visual imagery", but don't know at this time. In any case we don't want to set a precedent off of which it could springboard into non-commercial websites or any and all places with NSFW content.

AB 1949 is a lot more broad because it's about general data collection by any and all websites in which they might sell personal data collected by the website to third parties, especially if aimed specifically at minors or has a high chance of minors commonly accesses the site. But with how broad the language is I can't say there would be ANY limits to this one. So both are equally bad and would require equal attention in my opinion.

[chkn-soup]

PHOTOSHOOT

—————————————————————

Warnings: cursing/foul language, explicit sexual content, DUBCON/NONCON (for reference I don’t condone any of these acts IRL) fondling, Somno!!

Syno: Vox (your fellow Vee) is a massive pervert towards you!!

(This is a very short story y’all’s I’m sorry I’ll try to post longer stuff after this one!!)

————————————

He’s always sneaking into her parts of the tower, trailing into her bedroom in the darkest hours of the night. First preforming a couple of simple tests on her to make sure she’s sound asleep and then venturing his way down, pulling her panties to the side, caressing her milky thighs softly to feel the way her soft skin goosebumps and tingles under his very touch, of his hard metal skin.

He’s sniffing the strong scent of her pussy while she mumbles in content without a clue that her coworker and friend, who she trusts so much, is violating her and taking advantage of her pathetic defenseless state.

Obviously the TV demon can’t let this sight go to waste, taking photos of her strongly scented sex, to use when he’s stroking his metallic cock to the thought of her.

He’s fucking around and being coy while lifting her shirt up to see her perky breasts that only adds to her cuteness and her adorably soft figure, the figure that aroused him oh so bad.

He knew how much of an asshole he was to be doing this to her while she wasn’t even conscious, but he knew that while he had this open time with her, he couldn’t waste it. Often coming into her room in the dead of night to fuck with her body, prodding at it, licking her, pinching her skin softly and sometimes even leaving hickies that she’d think were just bruises.

He continues his venture, his long sharp claws spread open her now swollen lips, bringing the camera close, flash on as the camera snaps, and a new photo is added to his camera roll and personal database, a photo of her gaping hole, beginning to clench around nothing and moisten at the soft attention.

He felt ashamed really, he was a dirtbag, he broke her trust anytime he’d do this, but why was she so tempting, so innocent and small, she was too sexy for her own good, it made it all the better to take advantage of her, especially when she had no knowledge of it at all.

He chuckles and his chest reverberates as he lets out a groan, his screen becoming brighter the more he looks at her sleeping state. He begins recording a video, he records videos sometimes but mostly photos are easier and sneakier, much to his liking. But videos..with the some that he has, he knows that videos get to him real good, always getting him off much faster than a snapshot of just her hardened nipples.

The camera pans up her body, deliciously limp, goosebumps adorning her skin and her nipples becoming more puffy by the second, his slender claws play with them, flicking them and pinching them in between his index and his thumb, the hardness feeling godsend between his fingers, were her nipples hard because she was enjoying this? He always had these thoughts that went to his head, and only fueled his actions. There was no way your subconscious wasn’t enjoying this too atleast, right?

His hand fully envelops the plushy breast, kneading the mountain of flesh on her chest greedily all the while making sure the camera catches it all at the best angle.

His hand then dips lower once he’s bored of just playing with her chest.

He cups her warm pussy feeling the wetness and heat it’s radiating, he pulls the panties out of the way once more and dips a finger into her hole, thoroughly enjoying the squelch of her walls as his fingers fully submerges itself into her hole.

And eventually when he’d finish his mini photo shoot with her perfect breasts and her now swollen pussy, he’d quietly teleport off- (most likely through the hidden cameras he has in your chambers) -like nothing happened, and go to shut down for the night or continue his late night working.

And in the morning he’d put on his best fake smile, just to assure her that he would never do anything wrong to her, even with his phone filled with photos upon photos even videos of her body.

———-

Sorry it’s so short guys!! I was just aching to get this out!! Say hello to my first story!! :3

[zahri-melitor]

Here's a list (please add on with additional suggestions) of websites I refer to regularly for DC comic book information:-

My preferred ones:

DC Database: yes it's a Fandom wiki but we all use it as it's the biggest and most comprehensive.

DCU Guide: My go to whenever I'm trying to work out character timelines. It tends to lag a bit with fairly recent comics appearances.

Comic Vine: I mostly use Comic Vine as a confirmation that I've got EVERY appearance for a character tracked down; it's one of the few that doesn't differentiate between periods so it can be useful in totaling up ALL appearances even if someone only appears as a flashback or background group detail after Flashpoint.

League of Comic Geeks: my favourite way of tracking my reading, but also very helpful for looking up what came out when, what issues have been collected in which trades and how many editions have been published, what has been reprinted, and other fiddly topics. Pretty essential assistance when buying comics.

DC Events Crossover History: honestly this wikipedia page is the most useful one I know of for actually figuring out the publication order of DC crossover events, as it also lists a lot of the smaller crossovers not just the big headliners. Helpful to guide long range reading and working out which of these events to pick up.

Comic Book Reading Orders: want to read a big event that contains a lot of tie-ins? Confused where to start? You want CBRO. It's not perfect (I've argued with their order on a number of occasions) but they get it more right than any other website I can think of and tend to preference grouping storylines together over strict publication orders or the arrangement in trades. If you want to blow your mind, go check out their Countdown to Infinite Crisis reading order, which not only contains 250 separate listed issues, but also diverts you to read another event during it. (Infinite Crisis itself is a measly 98 issues in comparison).

[superlinguo]

Hello Grambank! A new typological database of 2,467 language varieties

Grambank has been many years in the making, and is now publically available!

The team coded 195 features for 2,467 language varieties, and made this data publically available as part of the Cross-Linguistic Linked Data-project (CLLD). They plan to continue to release new versions with new languages and features in the future. 

Below are maps for two features I’ve selected that show very different distribution across the world’s languages. The first map codes for whether there are prepositions (in yellow), and we can see really clear clustering of them in Europe, South East Asia and Africa. Languages without prepositions might have postpostions or use some other strategy. The second map shows languages with an existential verb (e.g. there *is* an existential verb, in yellow), we see a different distribution.

What makes Grambank particularly interesting as a user is that there is extensive public documentation of processes and terminology on a companion GitHub site. They also have been very systematic selecting values and coding for them for all the sources that they have. This is a different approach to that taken for the World Atlas of Linguistic Structures (WALS), which has been the go-to resource for the last two decades. In WALS a single author would collate information on a sample of languages for a feature they were interested in, while in Grambank a single coder would add information on all 195 features for a single grammar they were entering data for. 

I’m very happy that Lamjung Yolmo is included in the set of languages in Grambank, with coding values taken from my 2016 grammar of the language. Thanks to the transparent approach to coding in this project, you can not only see the values that the coding team assigned, but the pages of the reference work that the information was sourced from.

[1800pain]

GENDER, SEXUALITY, & PRONOUNS HOARD TEMPLATE.

A really fucking big Notion template by yours truly

I was requested by a follower of mine to create a gender hoard. So obviously, I did everything and more. You can look at my personal gender stash if you want ideas on what to make yours look like.

Genders!

Sexualities!

Pronouns!

Templates within templates

Views. Too many of them. My head hurts.

And an about me?

I took the extra effort and sanity to be pretty in-depth about explaining things for people who are new to this sort of thing. There's a note at the top of the page called "Notes for template users" that I HIGHLY recommend to read to understand if you're new with Notion.

Does it look long? Yes. Is it actually long? Technically no. What I did was added a lot of views for the database so that you can pick whatever you like and just delete the rest. Just be sure you do it properly so you don't accidentally delete anything you actually want to keep.

The entire thing is meant to be pretty modular, meaning you're free to add and delete shit as you will, and you can also insert this into another template if you feel. It's pretty adaptable, so go ham. The only thing I will say about this template is that it wasn't made with DID/OSDD in mind, so there isn't say, categories for alters or specific labels etc for that, but you can fix that with just a few clicks.

You probably already know the next thing I'm going to say...

Endogenic systems/non-traumagenic systems and their supporters are not allowed to use my templates, full stop.

Bigots and assholes aren't allowed to use my templates. Eat shit and die.

You can edit it as much as you like as long as you do not redistribute any version of the template as your own.

I honestly didn't put a place for credit, which is fine because I don't require anybody credit me. If you do keep the credit (or make one in this case), you can move it anywhere you want.

It's 1 AM. I'm going to sleep now.

Also, I'm not really sure how to sort out these sorts of lists, so I just kinda put in the bare minimum after doing a few Google searches. If I get anything wrong or misrepresent something, it isn't my intention to be an asshole just because.

I'm exhausted. Good night.

Link: https://1800pain.notion.site/Gender-Sexuality-Pronouns-Hoard-Template-4cfac5f1336b4fcdb7d00f4be3f41b0b?pvs=4

EDIT: AHHHH I also forgot and I don't know where to put it—I added some references for pronouns/pronoun dressing rooms since I thought those were awesome and cool! Alright, that's all, I'm off to dream about men.

[shewreckz]

Hey your art is pretty whimsical and radical my gender non specific broseph, per chance would thou be able to enlighten us on how you draw such bodacious fine art? Like how you draw bodies and fave and what have thee. (Fr tho your art really cool and I'd like to see how you make it)

okay i have whipped up a quick little visual of my thought process while drawing!! it might not be the best cause im not the greatest at teaching but if anyones curious ^_^

first lets start with how i draw bodies

a lot of people like to do the "skeleton" method which is where you draw lines and circles to plan out where the limbs should be. honestly i really dislike doing that because i like to always have volume and shape in mind when drawing bodies, but if it works for you thats great.

instead i separate the body into different pieces, kinda like an articulated doll. i think it helps visualize all the moving parts in a 3d space and makes posing and perspective a lot easier. i can also always add the detailed anatomy on top of this basic model like you see on the left. its always important to work from simple -> complex. drawing a pose while being too worried on anatomy will really hinder your drawing process.

to improve doing this it really just takes practice and observation. i could be here all day talking about proportions, and how many heads high a person is, and each specific muscle group, but i reccomend you go and watch videos and study professional artists on your own. as someone who has been drawing and studying these things for so long, i barely think about how many heads high a person is when im drawing a body. its kind of like learning how to play and instrument or driving a car. it becomes second nature eventually, but you have to apply those skills and work through that period of time where youre still trying to program it into your brain.

after you get a hang of the basics you can take this basic model and draw all types of body shapes with it. i say its always important to play around with making your body types diverse. its not only fun to do but helps make all the characters you draw unique and recognizable. (dont be like vivziepop).

dynamic posing can be the hardest thing to master for a lot of people. the best way to learn how to pose is to not think about it too much and just doing it. for example in my figure drawing class we had to sketch out gesture drawings from a picture in 15 seconds. excercises like that help a ton in making you feel more comfortable when drawing from a reference. you should definitely reference a LOT when it comes to poses, it helps build this visual database so that eventually you can get to the point where you can just draw accurate and dynamic poses from memory. after getting to this point eventually you kind of start thinking of your canvas as this tangible 3d space and considering your characters in 3d space helps make the poses feel a lot more realistic and interesting.

ok now a quick little tour into how i draw different faces yaaaayy!!!1!1!1

main thing with my art is that i LOVEEE drawing dynamic face shapes i think its so important to avoid drawing the same slim faces over and over. shape language plays a big role into this. like for example the face on the middle is more square, the one on the left is more oval and the one on the right is more circle. shape language helps communicate so much about your character without even saying a word about them and just helps differentiate people from a glance.

facial features also play a huge role into making your faces different. these are all drawn from the same exact face shape but look like entirely different characters by adding variety in the features. different noses, eye shapes, lips, etc. can make such a huge difference

i think before any of that its important to learn the anatomy of the face though. again im not gonna go into how many eyes wide a face it or how far the nose is from the mouth but like its always important to learn the fundamentals before stylizing stuff. again the face is a 3d space and if you dont consider your face a 3d plane the features will kind of just look like theyre floating on your characters face like soup...theres a lot of great resources and tutorials online take advantage of those!!! and reference from artists you like too it helps a ton.

and then you mix that all together and Boom you have cool and interesting faces. you will best that same face syndrome in no time if you take my advice Trust...

anyways yeah thats the soda design philosophy hit that like button if you liked it or douse me with tomatoes and kick me off the stage if you think i give bad advice ill leave the decision up to you

[xx-disco-inferno-xx]

thats right yall its time for another shadow-centric sonic au

its also a long one so ill put the lore underneath the cut (my writing isnt the greatest right now bcuz im tired and ive been writing for almost 12 hours straight lmao i can no longer create proper sentences)

debating calling it Sonic 4D Blast because hey reference

Everything is pretty much the same (wow how original, right) but on the ARK, when Black Doom gave Gerald his DNA, Gerald accidentally created a 4th dimensional entity. No one knows how or what to do about it. Gerald just did his stuff with Black Doom's DNA, turned around, and there was Shadow (named by Maria for his lack of a shadow). Shadow was able to successfully cure Maria, and when Gerald's reports indicated so, GUN became suspicious of the almost miraculous turnaround and started investigating.

Once they found out about Project Shadow and what Gerald had somehow done, they regarded Shadow as a top priority threat and began developing experimental technology to counter Gerald's "weapon" in secret.

It took a few years of observation to make sure Maria really was cured, and during that time, she and Shadow became extremely close. Most of the scientists on the ARK either feared him or were cautious around him, though, not quite sure if he could be fully trusted due to all the uncertainty around how he worked.

Eventually, GUN decided to launch a raid on the ARK. Everyone onboard was given sufficient warning that the shuttle was approaching thanks to Shadow, but no one knew why. Once onboard, they immediately began interrogating the scientists and searching for Project Shadow. A soldier shot at Maria in an attempt to get them to cooperate, but Shadow revealed himself and stopped the bullet from hitting her. (im tired pretend theres a conflict escalation here) One thing led to another, and Shadow ended up getting a gold ring forced into his wrist - the experimental technology GUN had been developing the whole time.

It was a set of four golden rings meant to confine Shadow to the 3rd dimension, and while one didn't do it immediately, it slowed him down enough for the soldiers to get the others on him, trapping him in a 3d form and shooting Maria anyway to punish him for acting out.

yap yap yap the rest of the scientists are massacred and Gerald is arrested as per canon event. Shadow is also taken into GUN custody and tortured in a variety of ways, under the guise of scientific research (green line down torso on ref is a scar from vivisection), all while being in indescribable pain from being confined to the 3rd dimension. For 50 years, this is an on and off thing, and he is kept top secret, only known about by some of the highest clearance agents.

Eggman, looking through GUN's databases for anything that could be of use to him, finds one of Gerald's old reports that slipped through the cracks, and begins the search for Project Shadow. The events of SA2 happen, and after Heroes, Shadow is able to break free from the confinement of the Inhibitors, finally freeing himself from the 3rd dimension.

i think theres more id usually add at this point but my brain has literally clocked out so ill just add more like tomorrow or whenever. but basically now shadow just kinda chills like that one homie you see every once in a while

[my-deer-friend]

I have a stupid question. How do you find out about current history scholarship and research? I am sick of reading books I've read a hundred times and were published decades ago. Is there like a forum or something where historians share research or lectures or things?

Not stupid at all!

The key is 1) knowing which sources provide the most up-to-date information, and then 2) using the appropriate strategy to access them.

Conference and lectures

Conferences are where you find the most cutting-edge research – usually work that has not been published yet, or is still in progress. Accessing conferences can be both expensive and difficult (if they're limited to people with certain affiliations, for example), but there are also conferences that are free for the public, and ones run by groups like the Organization of American Historians that are reasonably priced for the digital attendance option. You can browse conference programmes (here is the OAH's 2024 version) to at least find the names of academics relevant to your field of interest, which will help with the kinds of searches you will want to conduct below.

Finding these is a mix of luck and effort. You can set a search alerts on various platforms, literally just do a search for "[topic] academic conference", find relevant organisations and subscribe to their newsletters for updates, or do some browsing on social media. I found History Symposium (free, current, deep-dive history lectures and a virtual conference) because of something shared here on Tumblr. Following the Instagram account of the Powder House in Charleston keeps me updated on their history lecture programming (which host virtual talks including showcasing new research on the US colonial era). Then there are institutions like the Royal Museums Greenwich who publish a range of high-quality historical content on their YouTube account (they have a good series on black history and the Transatlantic slave trade, as well as a fascinating recent lecture by a historian on the queer history of the British navy, which I also found here on Tumblr).

Academic journals

Journals are where you get the most recent published academic scholarship. A journal article generally is a fairly narrow/focused exploration of a topic that adds something new to the ongoing academic conversation (e.g., a new discovery, a new analysis of existing material, a new theoretical perspective, a challenge to a previous author's work).

Other useful kinds of journal content are book reviews, as well as "review" articles, which summarise and synthesise recent research in a field – as well as newly arising questions and research directions.

Getting your hands on articles requires two steps: 1) finding the research, and 2) accessing the research.

Finding articles

For better or worse, the best generalist search tool for journal articles is Google Scholar – it allows you to search across hundreds of databases and independent publishers for relevant content.

If you're a member of a university library (not necessarily staff or student – check if your library allows external membership), it will have its own search tool which allows you to find material in the databases and journals that the university is subscribed to. Individual databases, archives or publishers (think JSTOR) will also have their own internal search.

My advice is to start your search as narrowly as possible, and then expand out slowly if you don't find anything relevant. So, for example, I might start my search with "same-sex relationships london 1780s", and if nothing comes up, I might broaden it out to "england" or "late eighteenth century", and so on.

The other thing to do is follow citations (i.e., who referenced what?). You can travel "backwards" through the literature by looking at the reference lists of books or articles you already have (in other words, which works the author used to base their research on).

But you can also travel forwards – the "cited by x" link below a reference on Google Scholar is your friend, because it shows you who used that particular source in their (by default, more recent) work.

Accessing articles

Unfortunately, a lot of academic research is gatekept by the academic publishing industrial complex – not by academics themselves, to be clear. This results in those ludicrous charges for single papers:

(And $30 is hardly the upper limit...)

But hope is not lost! You still have some options if you're willing to do a bit of work.

1) Sometimes, if you're lucky, the article will be freely available online. In Google Scholar, for example, check for the "PDF" or "HTML" link to the right of the title:

Some entire journals are freely available (usually called "open access") – one example is the Journal of the American Revolution. You can also search on DOAJ for open-access-only articles and journals.

2) I've also occasionally found the article just by googling "[article name] pdf". Some scholars will make these available for free on their personal websites, for example.

3) You can also try contacting the scholar directly through a platform like Academia.edu. Find the article there, and check if there is a "request full-text" option on its page (or, even, if the full text version has already been posted).

4) For slightly older articles, try searching on JSTOR, which gives anyone with an account free access to 100 articles a month. (I say "older", but there's even scholarship from 2024 on there these days.)

5) If all else fails, definitely do not type "sci hub" into your search engine and check there. That would be bad and naughty and very, very sexy of you. I repeat, do not do this. 🤫

Academic books

Books are not usually a great source of super-current research, both because the format doesn't lend itself to it and the publishing cycle can be very long, but they can be an excellent source for a decently recent and detailed overview of the topic. Note that you specifically want academic books here (not the ones in the "history" section of your local chain bookstore).

If you've done some digging in journal databases, you should have a good sense of which authors are writing about the topics you're interested in. Find their websites or social media feeds and subscribe to get updates on their latest work. For example, historian and Tumblr darling Joanne Freeman has a website with links to her books, lectures and podcast, as well as other media. The Museum of the American Revolution has a "Read the Revolution" speaker series featuring newly published books on relevant topics (and they're certainly not the only museum or public institution to do this). Their newsletter will keep you updated on the upcoming sessions, and the website often has a free recording of the talk available.

The prices can be quite extortionate, so again, see if you can find a free version online using the methods above. You might also have some luck finding the book on Archive.org (which might allow you to loan it out for free for an hour at a time) or Google Books (which sometimes shows you a decently large preview). Definitely do not type "libgen" into your search engine and try to download the book form there.

In summary...

There's a lot out there. A bit of persistence and a lot of searching (on databases, social media and the internet in general) will open up a huge spectrum of intereting and relevant resources!

[xiabablog]

do you have any tips for speaking to/reaching out to recruiters? i'm looking for new grad roles and ppl keep telling me to but i don't even know where to start or find any and all the articles online are so intimidating

Hiya 💗

The people are right, it's one of the best ways to put yourself out there! Oh, this is going to be a long one~!

I'll share tips from my own experience, this might help you, this might because I did it any other way but this:

I applied to a bunch of jobs: like for 5 days straight I was just apply just for the sake of it. The more jobs, the more recruiters have my CV/Resume in their database. I recommend LinkedIn the most as it's super easy to drop a message to the recruiter.

Applied to jobs that I had 50%+ chance of getting a call to: Obviously this means apply to jobs where you have the skills and the experience (work or in building projects etc). I say this because say they do call you but they ask you if you have this certain tech stack and you say no... end of call really. So, for me, I had like 2 or 3 things they were asking for in a candidate so I got through to the calling stage!

LinkedIn is actually your friend, don't be afraid: During my random job searching and whilst I was in my job, I had recruiters message me about job opportunities. Why? Because of my profile. You need to have your LinkedIn vamped up, check mine out for reference (click the LinkedIn icon). But make sure to have your skills e.g. About > Top skills, your work experience (paid or volunteer) and any certificates you have! If you're brave, not like me, start posting on there for a while.

LinkedIn again but Connections: Oh my days please follow people, even if you don't know them personally. I have 300+ connections (not to brag) but I only know like two handful of the people, the rest are of people who connect with people who I follow, I have met like 5 recruiters through this way.

Actually message the recruiters???: Okay so you followed the people, your CV/Resume is done and dusted and now you're ready to message those recruiters! In my case, I had more recruiters message me than the other way round only because I'm shy hehe so I wait for them to make the first move. They would probably send a whole message about the new job that have posted and see if you're interested and then, if you like the job, you can say "Yes please" or whatever is the appropriate reply is, and then they will send further information or arrange a phone call! If you want to message them first, I would find them more after applying for a job on LinkedIn, they usually add the recruiter in the job posting as a way for people to message them.

DO NOT FEEL AFRAID IN MESSAGING RECRUITERS: I say this because a) imagine 100 people apply for the job, only 5 would message the recruiter (I don't know if the stats are right, I just remembered that from bootcamp-) because everyone else is too afraid to do it! Missed opportunity! b) recruiters actually want people to message them. Now in terms of what to write to them? I don't know really. I would always go for the classic "don't repeat what's on your resume", they're going to read it anyways, so just talk a bit about your experience and skills A BIT like

"Hello/Hi, my name is [name]. I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to express my strong interest in the [Job Title] position at [Company Name], for which I recently submitted my application. I'm enthusiastic about the opportunity to join [Company Name] and contribute to [mention something specific you find appealing about the company or role, if possible]. I believe my skills and experience align well with the requirements of the position. Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to the possibility of discussing my qualifications in more detail. Best regards, [name]

No hire, don't be sad: Even if they don't hire you, or go through the next stages, keep in touch by even asking questions about what's on the market/what's new, how you could do better for other jobs you want to apply to that were similar to the ones you failed at. They could point you to the right direction! One recruiter said she wanted me to have more projects I was passionate about online like on GitHub or GitLab, even if they were "silly" projects - at the time, I didn't have much projects online so it made sense! See, I took that advice and now I'm a project making machine (a bit)! Advice they give sticks forever!

Remember, reaching out to recruiters and applying for jobs is a numbers game. The more applications you submit, the better your chances of landing interviews. I really hope this helps and I didn't make too many spelling mistakes! This is all of the things I could note down from the top of my head!

I've made other posts on on my coding blog about career advices:

🌐 Tips for Landing Your First Entry-Level Developer Job

🌐 Career Services For Web Dev (could be useful to you too!)

🌐 The Talent Cloud Community: Careers Workshop

Good luck with your job search!

⤷ ♡ my shop ○ my mini website ○ pinned ○ navigation ♡

[mcyt-yaoi-exchange]

THIS IS NOT THE SIGN-UPS YET. SIGN UPS OPEN AFTER THE NOMINATION PERIOD CLOSES (JULY 20).

This exchange is ran through Discord for easier communication link.

You must join the server and have an ao3 account to particpate. Refer to the FAQ for more answers.

Link to nominations/tagset

—— - ——

WHAT ARE NOMINATIONS?

Nominations are used to put pairings into a tagset. Tagsets are like database that we will use for ao3 gift exchange matching. This means you will be able use everyone's nominatation pairings not just your own for sign-ups.

The only thing we are sorting by for this exchange are pairings, so please only nominate pairings that you would like to create or receive for.

DO NOT INCLUDE CANONICAL TAGS, which are the drop down menu options. This is so that you all can find your desired paring during sign-ups. (This is an easy fix if you mess up, don't worry too much about it)

If you are unsure what fandom the pairing goes in choose the best option you can think of. You can be more specific about during the sign-up process.

There are 5 fandom slots with twenty pairings each, totaling a possiblity of 100 pairing that you can nominate.

You are able to include three types of pairings; QPRs, platonic, and romantic. You are able to able add two or more characters in a pairing (ex: ZITS or Morning Crew).

Link to nominations/tagset

Nomination Spreadsheet

[manonamora-if]

The Interactive Fiction DataBase - IFDB

What is the IFDB?

The IFDB, or Interactive Fiction DataBase, is a game catalogue, recommendation engine, and a platform to play games requiring an interpreter (to run the code).

As a catalogue, the IFDB is meant as a place to create a bibliography of IF games created throughout the years (over 12 thousands!), to leave a trace that these existed. It is maintained by its members. Anyone can join and add a listing or fix a mistake. You can also find listing for past IF competitions!

As a recommendation engine, the IFDB provides not only lists of the best-rated entries, but will show you games that you may enjoy based on the ones you've played/rated or what other members have played/rated. Entries are also categorised by tags, which are all searchable. Members are also able to create lists to recommende games they've enjoyed! Or leave reviews of those games too!

Finally, some games may require an interpreting engine to run. Those interpreters can be sometimes difficult to track down or to set up, especially for new players. The IFDB has a system that will allow you to play those games directly in your browser by clicking the button : Play Online (only available if the game has been uploaded through the IF Archive).

Why is the IFDB important?

The internet is a rapidly changing place. Preserving information is not only important for future generations, but can help current generations find information about what is happening now. Archiving creates a historical record of what the IF landscape looked like.

Along with the IF Archive (which archives IF games), the IFDB makes viewing the history of IF much easier to browse.

However, the IFDB lacks in many aspects. Not every IF community is aware of the database, which means many projects do not appear in this catalogue. While the IFDB has currently over 12k listings, the VNDB (the Visual Novel DataBase) has over 40k! The IFDB is also lacking in entries in languages other than English...

The IFDB accepts any listing for games, made in any program, as long as said game is an Interactive Fiction game and has had a playable version available somewhere at some point (so it accepts WIPs with demo). /!\ Do not create a page for announced project without a release ! /!\

Why create an IFDB page for your game?

Aside from being part of preserving the history of IF (which is the big thing), and be able to share your work to a different part of the community, the IFDB is a great place to get and leave long-form reviews for entries.

If your project was coded in a program that requires an interpreter, it is a great place to host your game without worrying about newer players having to find and set up an interpreter.

If you have been part of an IF competition, or received accolades for your project, this is also a good way to showcase those achievements.

Finally, the IFDB is also a point of reference for IF Awards like the XYZZY and the IFDB Awards.

How do you create an IFDB page?

/!\ Please check that the game listing you want to add has not been added first! /!\

To create an IFDB page, you need to set up an account and be logged in.

Then click on Add a Game Listing, on the right menu in the main page. You will get the following page:

(You should read through the Guidelines the first time you add a listing, they are located at the top of the page)

Though it looks long, there are only very few information required to create a page:

The title

The name(s) of the author(s)

It is recommended to fill in the date of first publication, development system (program used to code), language, IFID (if available) description of the game, and genre.

As for being able to play the game, you have two (non-exclusive) options:

list the URL of the website where the game is hosted

list the download URL of the game (can be done through the IF Archive, only if you are the author of the game!)

Note sure what something is? A description (or a link towards explanations) of what is expected is included for almost all items. You can also include information that is not listed in the drop-down case (like the System or language).

When you are happy with it, click Save changes.

You can also fix, edit, or delete information at any moment. You just need to click on the link Edit This Page at the bottom of the game page.

How do you add Ratings, Reviews and Game Suggestions ?

Logged in with your account, you have the possibility of leaving ratings and reviews on a game page. You can also help the IFDB algorithm by suggesting similar games to an entry.

The process is fairly straight-forward (clicking on the stars for the rating, clicking Review it for the review, and clicking Suggest similar games, for the suggestions). Thought you can find further explanations here, if you follow what the website is asking, you should not have any difficulty to complete the task !

If you review enough games, your name can end up on the main page!

How do I create a Competition Page?

Have you participated or organised an IF competition? Or are you cataloguing previous editions?

You can create a separate page for a Competition by clicking on Add a Competition Page on the right menu of the main page. You will then get the following page:

Then it is a matter of filling the different relevant items.

The Competition Page allows for divisions within competitions (e.g. : the EctoComp had 2 categories, made under 4h and over 4h) and, if needs be, ranking.

Important Note: the competition entries need to already be listed in the IFDB to be added to a competition page.

What are Lists and Polls?

Lists and Polls are two other tools that interact with game entries.

Lists, also called Recommendation Lists, are lists a member will curate with games they are recommending to other members or viewers of the IFDB. Some are general (like best game ever) while others are more specific (like games with an AI that is nice). They are akin to public collections on Itch.io.

Polls are... polls.

Note: If a game is included in a poll and/or a list, these will appear on the game's page.

~~~~

TLDR: create an account, help preserve the IF landscape by recording its history, review games too :P

If I missed something, or something is unclear, let me know so I can edit it!

[warrenwoodhouse]

Fallout Real Life Map (Maps) (Real Filming Locations)

Maps by @warrenwoodhouse #warrenwoodhouse

Last Updated: 16th June 2024 (see Changelog below)

A complete set of maps that feature all of the real life locations from the entire @fallout franchise. Map 1 includes all of the locations from Fallout to Fallout: New Vegas. Map 2 includes all of the locations from Fallout 4 to present. Map 2 also includes the officially recognised mods locations, which are Fallout 4: Vault 1080, Fallout 4: Fallout 3: The Capitol Wasteland, Fallout 4: Fallout London, Fallout 4: Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4: Fallout Miami. I’ve also included the locations from the Amazon Prime Original Series as well as the locations from the DLCs from all of the Fallout video games. Fallout: Nuka Break Fanmade TV Series locations will be added to Map 2 in a few days. Vaults Map includes all of the Vaults in one map, so that you can find them easily. Mods Map includes all of the locations from all of the officially recognised mods and all of the locations from all of the unofficial mods as well. When sharing or reblogging this post, please include the hashtag #warrenwoodhouse in the tags section.

All Locations Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1lfvecCrK4XvprlXwHPpkFa9EZ-lOA0g

Map 1: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1mgfJ-78PmsuP6_5yvRm0fIPx53Y

Map 2: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1YxEfL8jq9VJ_2u7yPqxzbKfq0nhzTNyD

Map 3: To be announced

Map Vaults: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1YmfLtMuEnBWYjUOGxelFUrHcwcUGn_CK

Mods Map: add link here

Below is information such as what tools I used to create additional map icons, changelog, references and more.

Tools I’ve Used

Adobe Express: Some of the icons in the maps were created originally by me using @adobe #AdobeCreativeCloud #AdobeExpress, these icons are available for other uses by request via my Ask page. CLICK HERE to use the Ask page. CLICK HERE to use Adobe Express.

Independent Fallout Wiki: The original map icons that appeared in the in-game maps were taken from the official Nukapedia Wiki, also known as Independent Fallout Wiki. CLICK HERE to visit the official Independent Fallout Wiki.

Google My Maps: Let’s you create real world maps filled with places. If you’ve starred a place on Google Maps, this will appear in your own private Favourites map on Google My Maps. CLICK HERE to create a map.

What Links Here

UI Map Icons Category - Categories - Independent Fallout Wiki (Category)

Google My Maps - Google Maps - Google (App)

Adobe Express - Products - Adobe (App)

Fallout (franchise) - Franchises - Microsoft Bethesda Softworks - Microsoft Game Studios - Microsoft (Franchise)

Changelog

16th June 2024 at 9:41 am: Added tags to the tags section in the post

14th June 2024 at 12:20 pm: Added locations from the Skyline Valley DLC on Fallout 76 to the section titled “Fallout 76”. Also updated the link from Fallout Wiki on FANDOM to Independent Fallout Wiki as its moved entirely from FANDOM

29th April 2024 at 10:18 am: Created the full Fallout franchise map as one whole map! I’m currently importing locations from my other maps. You’ll still be able to access the other maps afterwards as well. This map will feature every single location from the entire franchise

15th April 2024 at 3:00 pm: Created the Vaults map

15th April 2024 at 6:00 am: Updated the post with new sections

13th April 2024 at 7:00 pm: Added a new section titled “Fallout (TV Series) (Amazon Prime Original Series)” to the map and added Vault 33 to the map. More coming soon, my fellow Vault Dwellers

16th February 2024 at 6:20 am: Updated map description

28th July 2023 at 1:13 pm: Moved my post to my Tumblr blog

4th July 2021 at 4:30 pm: Added columns to the locations database on my wiki for the section titled “Fallout 4”

3rd July 2021 at 4:30 pm: Added “Fallout 3” locations to the map. Added “Fallout 3: Broken Steel” locations to the map

29th June 2021 at 5:55 pm: Added “Fallout 4” locations to the map. Updated map description. Added my screenshots into the “Fallout 4” section on the map. Added the section titled “Fallout 5 (TBA)” to the map. Added “Fallout 3” locations to the map

28th June 2021 at 6:22 pm: Added “Fallout 3” locations to the map. Updated section title for the section titled “Fallout, Fallout 2” & I’ve updated section title for the section titled “Fallout (Film) (Cancelled)”

25th June 2021 at 3:20 pm: Added “Fallout 3” locations to the map, added “Fallout 3: Operation: Anchorage” locations to the map and I’ve also added the “Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta” locations to the map

14th June 2021 at 8:09 am: Updated map description

12th June 2021 at 11:15 am: Updated the section title for “Fallout 4” which now lists all of its DLCs and official Mods. Updated the section title for “Fallout 76” which now lists all of its DLCs. Added “Fallout 3: The Pitt” locations to the map and I’ve also added “Fallout 3: Point Lookout” locations to the map

11th June 2021 at 10:00 am: Added my screenshots into the “Fallout 4” section on the map

10th June 2021 at 4:44 pm: Added “Fallout 3: The Pitt” locations to the map, updated the map description & added “Fallout 3: Point Lookout” locations to the map

21st July 2020 at 2:21 pm: Updated map description and added screenshots to various locations on both maps

28th December 2019 at 10:00 am: Map 1 almost fully up to date so I created a second map (Map 1 for everything from the original series & Map 2 for Fallout 4 to present)

14th August 2018 at 1:00 pm: Created post. Copied map from the original Google My Maps map created by another Fallout fan & I’ve added more locations to the map from “Fallout”, “Fallout 2”, “Fallout Tactics”, “Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel”, “Fallout: Van Buren (Cancelled)”, “Fallout 3”, “Fallout: New Vegas” and “Fallout (Film) (Cancelled)”

[litrpgburrito]

Motoko Kusanagi: A Cybernetic Force to Be Reckoned With

Let’s take a dive into the fascinating world of Motoko Kusanagi, the central character in the iconic anime and manga series, Ghost in the Shell. 🤖🔍

Background

Ghost in the Shell is a futuristic cyberpunk universe set in the mid-21st century (around 2030 AD).

The story revolves around Public Security Section 9, an anti-crime/counter-terrorist unit specializing in cyber-crimes.

Motoko Kusanagi, often referred to as “Major,” is the second-in-command of Section 91.

Abilities and Skills

Superhuman Physical Characteristics:

Major’s cybernetic body grants her enhanced strength, agility, and endurance.

She can perform feats that surpass human limits, making her a formidable combatant.

Thermo-Optical Camouflage:

Major can become invisible using therm-optic camouflage technology.

This ability allows her to blend seamlessly into her surroundings or surprise enemies.

Cyber Mind and Expert Hacker:

Her cyberbrain enables her to interface with networks and mimic various powers:

Telepathy: Communicate mentally with others.

Possession: Control other cybernetic bodies.

Illusion Creation: Manipulate perceptions.

Memory Access: Retrieve information from databases.

Offensive Mind Control: Influence others’ thoughts.

Leadership and Tactical Intelligence:

Major’s experience and strategic acumen make her an effective leader.

She excels at analyzing complex situations and devising optimal solutions.

Strengths

Combat Prowess: Major’s martial arts skills and combat experience make her a force to be feared.

Invisibility: Her therm-optic camouflage provides a tactical advantage.

Cybernetic Adaptability: She can use other bodies or objects as duplicates.

Weaknesses

Humanity vs. Cyberization: Major grapples with her identity as a cyborg—balancing her human consciousness with her cybernetic enhancements.

Vulnerability to Hacking: Despite her hacking abilities, she’s susceptible to skilled hackers.

Existential Questions: Her search for purpose and self-awareness adds depth to her character.

In summary, Motoko Kusanagi embodies the fusion of human and machine, navigating a complex world where technology blurs the lines of identity and power. Whether she’s infiltrating enemy lines or questioning her own existence, Major remains an enduring symbol of cyberpunk resilience. 🌟🤖