#Optimize Write

[rajaniesh]

Supercharge Your Data: Advanced Optimization and Maintenance for Delta Tables in Fabric

Dive into the final part of our series on optimizing data ingestion with Spark in Microsoft Fabric! Discover advanced optimization techniques and essential maintenance strategies for Delta tables to ensure high performance and efficiency in your data Ops

Welcome to the third and final installment of our blog series on optimizing data ingestion with Spark in Microsoft Fabric. In our previous posts, we explored the foundational elements of Microsoft Fabric and Delta Lake, delving into the differences between managed and external tables, as well as their practical applications. Now, it’s time to take your data management skills to the next…

[whenthelightisrunninglow]

how's the other guy holding up

[cameronhcwes]

I spent a month in the NICU, I know how this ends. 10.12 | 13.01 | 13.02

[cloudclangen]

MOON 2

Oh?

PREVIOUS | NEXT

[littlemissihaveaquestion]

One day, you’ll find the spark again, and you’ll be glad you persevered

[bitesizedpoetry]

Sylvia Plath, aged 27, from "The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath" (dated November 12, 1959)

[save-the-villainous-cat]

Hi! Love your writing a lot! Humble request:

"Hero, please. Just... Not today." with a villain that's already struggling for whatever reason?

“What are you doing?” the hero hissed. And then again, louder this time. “What are you doing?”

The villain turned away from them quickly. Their hand was shaking, the hero noticed. Usually, they would take a step towards them, take their hand…

But the hero could barely see through the tears.

“Are you angry at me, is that it?” The hero’s voice was shaking.

“…please, not today, let’s just…” The villain stared at the ground and the hero got undeniably frustrated. They were at war with themselves. They wanted to hug the villain, they wanted to embrace them.

But they couldn’t.

They just couldn’t. Anger overwhelmed them and disappointment followed right after.

“You’re killing people now, is that it? You’re killing people?!” the hero asked and they were sure if they had argued during the daytime, someone would have called the police.

But the parking lot was empty and the sky was dark. There was just the two of them and the thick, horrible conflict between them.

They’d grown up together, they were best friends. Hell, they had trained together to help people, not to kill them.

And now the villain was standing here in front of them after confessing to multiple murders.

The hero’s heartbeat was fast enough to make their chest hurt. The tears were dropping uncontrollably and they couldn’t, although they tried so desperately, keep it together.

“What is wrong with you?”

“It…I had my reasons.”

“Your reasons?” The hero took a step forward, grabbed the villain’s collar. “Your reasons? Are you insane!? Us being more powerful than others is threatening the existence of every single normal person on this planet. And instead of getting rid of us, people trust us with their lives and you go ahead and betray them? You betray me?”

“Not everyone deserves your protection,” the villain said. “Not everyone deserves to be on this planet. No matter if they have powers or not.”

“What are you talking about? What are you doing? This isn’t you.” The hero let go of them, nearly pushed them away. The villain was a quiet person, a very sweet person.

God, what had they done?

The heartbreak was reaching deep into the hero’s soul. They had wanted the villain to be in their life for a long time, for forever to be precise. They’d had a crush on them since childhood after all.

But this…

“I’m sorry,” the villain whispered. “We both know I’m not like you.”

“No, but this isn’t you either,” the hero argued. Subconsciously, they dug their nails into their palms. As so often when stressed.

They hadn’t done that in months. Digging deep enough to draw blood. Opening old scars.

“I don’t expect you to understand what I did, I…there was no other way, I’m sorry.”

“No, I don’t.” the hero said. “And I don’t need an explanation. What you did was wrong. You betrayed what we stand for. You betrayed…you betrayed us.”

They stared at each other, a few steps away. This was the last time, the hero realised. This was the last time they were seeing each other.

“Leave,” the hero said. “I don’t want to see you ever again.”

The villain waited, as if they were weighing words on their tongue. Then they nodded. And ultimately, they disappeared.

Months later, the hero figured out that the villain had killed those people to protect the hero.

It didn’t change anything, though.

[floertoer]

phantom lord is my favorite fairy tail arc for a plethora of reasons, partly because it explores class dynamics in fiore. ivan assumes that lucy was funneling money into the guild and that she's not actually a competent mage because she's a rich heiress which leads me to believe rich people don't join guilds and they don't do magic. which is why they hire guild mages to do things for them. mages tend to live paycheck to paycheck because mage work is a gig economy. for that reason, mage work is probably undervalued, and that makes me think of the dynamic between mages and high society

expanding on my lucy never runs away AU under the cut. previous post

Mages and Knights

When Erza brings the quest down from the second floor, Mirajane takes a long look at it, a frown forming on her face. She looks up at Erza. “Are you sure you want to take this one?” she asks slowly like she's speaking to a child. 

If she was younger, that would be enough to start a fight. Erza nods, urging Mirajane to hurry up and approve the quest. “Well, I wouldn't be able to go any other way,” Erza responds, her voice harsher than necessary. She's older, but that doesn't mean she's matured that much. 

Mirajane sighs but gives the quest a stamp of approval anyway. “It won't be as fun as you think. High society doesn't like people like us.” 

“How would you know? You’ve never shown up,” Erza bites. Her fuse has always been short with Mirajane, and the patronizing expression on her face is almost enough for Erza to revert back to being thirteen. 

Mirajane doesn't respond. There's nothing she could possibly say that will make Erza not take this quest. Mirajane calls out to her as she storms out of the guild, “Just don't get your hopes up!” 

The door to the guild slams, and everyone turns to look. It doesn't take long for everyone to return back to whatever they were doing before. Mira sighs and grabs the rag thrown over her shoulder and continues what she was doing before Erza stopped her — wiping down the countertop. Cana moves down the bar,  taking a seat across from the exhausted barmaid. “What's the matter with her?” Cana asks, cradling a large barrel of booze under her arm. 

“You know Erza,” Mira replies, not wanting to get into it. 

“Sure,” Cana agrees. “Why're you mad then?” 

Despite not having a proper fight since they were sixteen, it wasn't rare for Erza to get irritated with Mira. Erza didn't blow up like she used to, but it was obvious to everyone when the redhead wanted to. Mira didn't understand it. She rarely gets irritated at Erza, nor does she with anyone. Ever since… Well, she's become much more docile in the last decade. 

“Why does she act like that?” Mira questions. 

“You know Erza,” Cana teases. She laughs when she sees the unimpressed expression on Mira's face. “It doesn't help you still look at her with that condescending expression.” 

Mira gasps offendedly and straightens her back — narrowing her eyes at Cana. “I don't do that.” 

“You totally do,” Cana insists. She takes a quick swig of booze before continuing, “The rest of us have gotten used to it, but you've always gotten under Erza's skin.” Anyone who knew Mira — really knew her — could tell you that she had a look. When she was younger, it was a cruel look, full of judgment; now that she is older, the look is still judgmental, but it’s taken a pitying element. 

An annoyed growl rips its way from her throat. Cana smiles; despite the change in outer appearance, inner Mira remained the same. Mira schools her expression into a look of perfect neutrality before sighing again. “Do you know the difference between guild mages and magic knights?” she asks. 

“Magic knights are a bunch of stiffs,” Cana quickly answers, not giving it much thought. 

Mira laughs. “Yeah… guilds are places for the wayward members of society. A place to find work and family. Can you imagine any of us working a normal job?” 

Cana looks around the guild, taking a good look at each member. There are obvious answers. No job would accept Gray with his stripping habit. Natsu’s penchant for destruction and arson make him a terrible candidate. Evergreen’s too disagreeable. Nab too indecisive, Vijeeter too free spirited, and Bickslow too creepy. 

There are some who could do it. There was little Levy couldn't do if she put her mind to it. Jet and Droy would follow wherever she went, plus they were good at taking instructions. Max had a solid work ethic. Reedus could easily find work as an artist, and of course– Cana looks back at Mira. Mira could do anything. She didn't even take on mage work anymore despite being a guild mage. Cana knew Mira could leave Fairy Tail if she really wanted to. She didn't need the guild. She's grown far larger than it. Cana know that, but… 

“Who'd want to?” she responds. 

“Not me,” Mira replies like she had read Cana's mind. “Poor waywards become mages and rich waywards become knights.” 

“You tryna say we couldn't have been knights?” 

“Not because we’re incapable. I joined Fairy Tail when I was thirteen. I didn't have the money to foot the knight academy tuition. Not that I would've become a knight if I had,” Mira explains. “It’s a hundred thousand jewel fee for a year. It’s not a place for poor little orphans.” 

Thus why poor little orphans gravitated toward guilds. “That’s insane. I don't even have that kind of cash lying around.” 

“That's why most magic knights are heirs or heiresses who don't want to settle down and run their parent’s business yet.” Mira had seen it with her own eyes. She talked to a lot of them. Mira didn't always avoid high society like the plague. She used to galavant among them, happy to be one of the chosen mages. “Erza, it's weird because she grew up with the rest of us, but she has this view of the world…” Mira trails off. 

“Like a fairy tale?” Cana questions. Erza is an outlier among the guild. She dresses up like a knight and makes a big deal about honor. As if mages cared about those sorts of things. 

“Something like that. I just…” Mira pauses, trying to gather her thoughts. “They're not going to like her, Cana. Noblemen, high society, they don't like any of us.” Not even her. 

“Who cares what they like? There's a reason we're mages and not knights, right?” 

“I just don't want Erza to get hurt. A lot of people can't see it but she's sensitive under that armor.” 

Cana chuckles. She guesses Mira has changed because she would never have admitted that a decade ago. Mira reaches over the counter to lightly smack Cana. “I'm serious,” she insists. 

“I know, I know,” Cana responds. 

“Those people… they don't like what they can't control. There are so many rules that you'd never know if you weren't born into it.” Among mages Mira was a graceful swan, among high society she might as well have been a stumbling fawn. 

Cana takes a breath. “Then you're right; they'll hate her.” Fairy Tail has a reputation for their bullheadedness, and Erza is queen of the fairies. Cana shrugs. “What can you do?” 

Mira sighs, “I can just try my best to not to say I told you so.”

[wanderingmind867]

Sometimes (whether true or not), I get an indignant anger and depressed feeling, thinking about the cynicism of modern culture. When characters like batman are written as dark and violent, and when money rules all, and when everything is about meanspirited comedy instead of simple love and respect. Where'a the optimism we desperately need? I don't know. Maybe it's everywhere and i'm just missing it. But it more or less feels like innocence dies more and more each year. And by the gods, it should not be this way. I should not be having to get optimism and hope from almost exclusively old tv shows and old music (with some exceptions, like a good majority of Bob's Burgers). But I swear...either i'm 20 and pining for ages i never knew (which could be possible), or i'm depressed and reading cynicism and darkness into everything, but I hate it. We need hope and light and beauty. We need something to make us feel life is worth living. Even if that thing is merely a beautiful blue sky with bright green grass. We just need these things.

This is why characters like Superman and Wonder Woman need a renaissance at DC. Or even Captain Marvel/Shazam. These characters are fun, whimsical, optimistic. They can't be dark. If they're dark, then they're not Superman or Wonder Woman or Captain Marvel. These characters are the embodiment of that old school style of optimism and hope. Wonder Woman was the embodiment of compassion with strength. Captain Marvel is just a kid in an adult body. Superman and his main villain are both humanitarians, of a sort. When your villian is Lex Luthor, then you know things are almost always gonna automatically be somewhat left wing politically, while also being incredibly hopeful. Because Luthor is rich and misguided, but he's not complete evil. The man has a heart. And that alone shows faith in mankind. To have your main villain occasionally do good things...It's a sign that life is good. Life is good, and we should live it.

[lenodrysalad]

"Eddie said he's straight! Buck said Eddie was straight! Buck said he's not in love with his best friend! They shut down Buddie in the show it isn't happening ya'll are delusional! Queerbait! Queerbait! Blah blah blah"

I feel like I'm going insane. I'm sure we're all tired of people shouting "media literacy" every five seconds, but like... Yeah, develop some media literacy, please.

I'm saying this as someone who doesn't usually like romance, despite being subjected to it in basically every piece of media. As someone who doesn't generally look for love stories. As someone who loved Buddie but didn't consider any serious possibility of it becoming canon before season 7/8, who refused to believe Buddie was truly happening until I couldn't deny it anymore: this episode is loud.

Please understand how narrative arcs work. How character arcs work. How character development works. How serial broadcast television works. Understand how writing works. Consider context; take the whole episode, the whole season, and the whole series into account instead of treating things like they exist in isolation.

I'm too tired to go through the step-by-step details of the episode to prove why these, "they said it on screen, therefore..." takes are shortsighted and ignorant; plenty of people have done that already.

But that episode, even if we do take it in isolation, is textbook. Do people really take everything characters say at face value? Do people not watch other character's reactions? Listen to what else is being said? Watch what is being shown? Consider the implications? Themes? Narrative devices?

Consider that maybe, just maybe, characters can be unreliable narrators, or believe something to be true only for that belief to change later. These things don't happen in one episode. There's such a thing as set-up, foreshadowing, the starting point of a plot. 911 is a serial drama, therefore it is going to have A) long-form story and character arcs, and B) drama.

Characters are not going to move in straight lines, or talk in therapy speak, or solve every problem in an hour. They are not always going to be right, or self-aware, or truthful, or rational. Direct dialogue does not equate to honest dialogue.

Also, saying, "well in real life, people do this, I do that, their feelings would be this, yadda yadda yadda" means nothing. Your experiences are not universal, and more importantly, this is a work of fiction. Realism is whatever the story says it is; it's going to do whatever creates the most dramatic, interesting, developmentally beneficial, or emotionally satisfying story. Whether you like that story or not is irrelevant to the fact that stories are not going to cater to all your expectations or real-world experiences.

To people pointing to Tim or the actor's interviews as "proof" they're shutting down Buddie: again, please understand how broadcast television works. They are not going to tell us everything that's going to happen before it happens. They are going to play the neutral zone, the "wait and see," the "will they/won't they." They are going to lie. That is television production 101. You can compare what they've said in the past with canon and list all the contradictions, misdirection, and twists you didn't see coming because they didn't spoil it for you. Watch the show. That is the canon.

They're also not catering to fandom--people they already know are devoted to the show, familiar with Buddie, and consistently tuning in. They're introducing the idea of Buddie to the general audience, people who likely haven't considered the possibility before. The GA has to see that Buddie is an option, so the show needs to manifest it as if it's a brand new concept. This episode pulled the pin on that grenade in a very obvious way; the idea that Buck could be in love with Eddie and that Eddie could not be straight has been planted. The next seed will be Eddie's feelings. Now the show needs to water it and let it grow.

One last thing. Been seeing a fair amount of hand-wringing and condescension over people interpreting this episode differently. As if this is some sort of "gotcha" for bad writing, baiting, or people being stupid. Listen, genuine complaints about this show's writing aside, different interpretations or inferences are completely normal. This isn't unique. That is how people interact with stories, through personal biases, experiences, emotions, and expectations. That isn't inherently a bad thing. It's totally fine to have your own views; media is all about interpretation.

However, it is also true that just because you have an interpretation, that doesn't make it true. Not all interpretations are equal in their validity, evidence, or warrants. The show has an intention, it has a story in mind. If you don't see it, sure, that could be a failure of the writing, but it could also very well be a failure of your analysis, especially when the show hasn't finished telling the story. Looking at one thing in isolation and forming your whole conclusion based around that makes for poor critique.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see who's right.

[glassamphibians]

whats all this then…..

[mistermistyyy]

Just wanna say, writers, ESPECIALLY male writers: PLEASE write friends who are intimate.

Write friends who can hold hands. Write friends who can rest their heads on each other's shoulders. Write friends who lock arms. Write friends who hug each other when they reunite. Write friends who share food. Write friends who say "Wow, you look pretty today". Write friends that get embarrassed at compliments. Write friends who carry their loved ones when they're tired. Write friends who cry at the thought of losing each other and collapse into each other's arms, clinging to them. And write this with any gender. Male friends, female friends, trans friends, friends with different genders

Especially post-COVID, we're faced with future generations who've got a lot of complicated emotions that feel unwilling to be open and vulnerable with their friends. Prove them wrong. Teach them that it's amazing to be loving and open and vulnerable with your friends. Put it in everything you write. Because a kid or a teen watching a show/movie/book/play and seeing two best friends holding each other while one cries, or holding hands when laughing at each other's jokes will have a more meaningful effect on them than you might think.

[the-golden-comet]

This goes without saying, but I hope that everyone is taking care of themselves. (To be clear, everything is well with me—life’s just been busy as per usual).

In times of uncertainty, hold on to the connections you make, and the activities you enjoy. Tether yourself to life and get some sunshine. Go on a walk if you’re able to—appreciate nature. There will be harder days, but there will be happier ones, too.

Go back to your former hobbies, and recall the feelings of the first time you did it. Where were you? What was it like? What inspires you? Do something kind for yourself, even if the world doesn’t treat you as kindly. Be cordial with others, but treat yourself with kindness even if it means setting firm boundaries for your own health. You owe it to yourself to give your brain the best.

Optimism? You fucking bet. We only have one life to live, so we might as well make the most of it to the best of our capabilities. Take care of yourselves, and your communities.

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2025: May Wrap-Up.

Good reading month, in terms of both quantity and quality (many four-star reads, good daisychain flow between books)! Great adulting month (more on this later)!! Even got some good knitting and writing in!

Here's what I read (photos/reviews linked):

GHOST OF THE NEON GOD ★★★★ Impulse buy; wasn't expecting it to worm into my brain but it did. Not perfect, but I had fun! Funny, fucked up, weird--you know my lifestyle.

CATCHPENNY ★★★★ Kitchen sink book (affectionate) about a washed-up thief who can travel through mirrors and doomsday cults and art and a missing teenager, exactly tickled my ODD THOMAS buttons, fucked up and funny and weird.

THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS ★★★½ I really wanted to love this, but it didn't quite stick the twist!ending landing for me. I admire his ambition and his worldbuilding; excited to see how the author grows. Overall a good time.

MINIMIZING MARRIAGE ★★★ Snagged this from the library for Aro Reasons (Brake coined the term "amatonormativity" and discusses its implications with regards to marriage specifically). Chapter 4 was excellent; the rest of it was interesting but not what I was after. Very readable volume in a Feminist Philosophy series.

BRIGHT ★★★★ Thai novel in translation (first one written by a woman!), been on my radar for years. Lovely translation, lovely tonal balance (sweet moments + melancholy; it's a story about an abandoned 5/6-year-old, but it felt Authentic instead of Saccharine or Depressing). Definitely keeping an eye out for her other work in English.

THE LUMINOUS DEAD ★★★★ I didn't mean to binge this in less than 24 hours on a three-day weekend, but Here We Are. This is We Support Women's Wrongs: Cave SF/Horror Edition. Propulsive, tense, claustrophobic, deeply fucked up.

Under the Cut: A Note About ~*★Stars★*~

Historically, I have been Very Bad™ about assigning things Star Ratings, because it's so Vibes Heavy for me and therefore Contingent Upon my Whims. (Example: I don't like that stars are Odd, because that makes three the midpoint and things are rarely so truly mid for me)(I have hacked my way around this with a ½, which is really only applicable for me at ★★★ and up). Here is, generally, how I conceptualize stars:

★ - This was Bad. I would actively recommend that you do NOT read this one, no redeeming qualities whatsoever, not worth the slog. Save Yourself, It's Too Late For Me. Book goes in the garbage (donate bin).

★★ - This was Not Good. I would not recommend it, but it wasn't a total waste or wash--something in here held my interest/kept my attention/sparked some joy. I will not be rereading this ever. Save Yourself (Or Join Me In Suffering, That Seems Like A Cool Bonding Activity).

★★★ - This was Good/Fine/Okay/Meh. I don't care about this enough to recommend it one way or another. Perfectly serviceable book, held my interest, I probably enjoyed myself (or at least didn't actively loathe the reading). I don't have especially strong feelings. You probably don't need to save yourself from this one--if it sounds like your jam, give it a shot! Just didn't resonate with me particularly powerfully. I probably won't reread this unless I'm after something in particular.

★★★½ - I liked this! I'll probably recommend it if I know it matches someone's vibes or specific requests, but I didn't commit to a star rating on Goodreads. More likely to reread, but not guaranteed.

★★★★ - I really enjoyed this!! I would recommend it (sometimes with caveats about content warnings or such--I tend to like weird fucked up funny shit, and I don't have many hard readerly NO's). Not a perfect book for me by any means, but Very Good. This is something I would reread! Join me!!

★★★★★ - I LOVED THE SHIT OUT OF THIS, IT REWIRED MY BRAIN, WILL RECOMMEND TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE AT THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION (content warning caveats still apply--see 4-star disclaimer). Excellent book, I'll reread it regularly, I'll buy copies for all my friends, I'll try to convince all of Booklr to read it, PLEASE join me!!

[see-arcane]

Speaking of Widespread Fanon in Dracula media... they keep depicting Renfield as this servile minion when not only was his devotion to Master conditional, but Mina's influence overrode Dracula's influence so fundamentally...

"Hmm. Too nuanced. Better scrap it." --every Dracula spinoff director and writer for the past 127 years about -checks notes- this and every other other plot point of the novel Dracula

[fowlfics]

OP Age Comparator

Hello OP writers! Have you ever wondered, "how old was this character when X happened?" or had to do the maths on the ages of a cast of characters at a specific point in time?

Would you like to simplify that process to a mere few clicks?

I have created a google sheet which contains the data of the 432 characters with canon ages*, allowing you to compare any set of up to ten people at once!

*I might be missing some minor characters who had their ages shared, but all the major ones should be available.

How it works is quite simple:

Use the dropdowns in row as needed. These only contain the letters of the alphabet

Use the other dropdown in row 3 to select the character you want. This dropdown will only list characters whose name starts with the letter picked in the first dropdown

That's it!

Column A lists "years from current canon" (as of August 2024, in case Oda blindsides us with another timeskip lol)

Column B lists some major events that happened that year, up to 38 years before canon. For more events check out the World Timeline on the wiki

Column C lists the in-universe year

The link provided above (and also here) only allows for using dropdowns. Please feel free to copy the entire sheet into your own drive if this is something you would find useful!

If there are any errors you find, or something runs wrong, please do let me know and I'll fix it ASAP!

I cannot guarantee the sheet could run in excel or anyplace outside of google sheets. I can guarantee the sheet won't run if you only copy the visible tab or its contents alone xD

Edit Aug 20th, I slightly optimized the layout of the dropdowns due to a sudden "hey i can just do it like this" realization haha

Please enjoy!