#also invented the true arena

[vaugarde]

yknow on second thought maybe i wont 100% EVERY kirby game i have bc ngl. i do not care for kdl2

[starfleetshrimps]

i love star trek bc it's actually a high school theater production most of the time. We focus a lot on the over-acting, theatricality of the actors and the directors, and that's all well and amazing, but /I/ want to focus on the /TECH/ bc ASHAijnjsdnbhgaARREghghhuuagjkshdmhbAHJBSSHJHIEJBnkjsdjhbsdhjBmahbsjshsbHkjnswkjshsn yea.

FIRST THE SETS?!? they're so silly and stupid? i know they get a lot of shit but the amount of work (not to mention styrofoam) that went into building individual sets for each planet they went to? like sure about 50% of the away missions take place in the california desert (the arena, *cough cough*, etc) but the rest of them have individually made sets that look PRETTY GOOD MAN. they get the point across, they're FUN, and innovative, and they really don't reuse planet sets all that often as well.

PLUS they used traditionally /theatrical/ cycloramas with painted backgrounds and classical cyc lighting (reminiscent of mariano fortuny's domed cyc! i WILL talk more about lighting) which look really cool and once again get shit for being unrealistic.

it's not supposed to look realistic it's supposed to look cool as shit. and it does. shut up. <3

if you view the sets as being modern TV sets then yeah, they're weird, and they look sorta bad, but THEYRE NOT modern TV sets: they're THEATRICAL SETS FROM THE 60-70S. AND I LOVE THEM.

SECONDLY, THE

lighting

while it's true that some shows in the 60s were developing new lighting styles specifically for TV, remember that in the year 1950 less that 10 percent of US homes had a television. this shit was new. COLOR tv was ESPECIALLY new. nobody knew how to light these things! and actually why would you need a new lighting style, we already KNEW how to light dramatic productions, why would we ever need to reinvent the wheel Stanley Mccandles, Mariano Fortuny, and Gene Rosenthall already invented says Gene Roddenberry and Jerry Finnerman (the head lighting designer). and oh my god i am so ridiculously glad. because the lighting. is so good.

i HAVE seen others talking about how good it is in the super early episodes (Charlie X and the conscious of the King, etc.) and i do agree! but i disagree that the quality goes down. i think it just got a tad bit more subtle as the show went on and it gets less in your face, harder to notice. but i noticed. because I'M the WORST (and also a lighting tech)

the impossibility of listing every example of amazing theater lighting choice they made is absolutely horrific and nasty so i'll just lost some my my favorites:

the cyc! i mentioned before but the cyc they used on away missions was only painted when they needed a specific scene in the background, otherwise? that bitch was LIT. and i LOVE IT.

any of the scenes where they light spock's face have green and half pink? or even just washing the walls behind him? i eat that shit UP. the METAPHOR. the CONFLICT. i will acquiesce that green and pink are (and were) pretty goddamn industry standard gels (color-films) to add to lights, for subtle contrast, but this is not subtle. it is LOUD. was it purposefully done from a storytelling perspective? no idea. is it cool as shit and interpret-able as hell? absolutely. also sometimes they do it with just green when they want to emphasize his vulcan-ness and other him a bit. like they do it a lot when he's in his room in amok time. anyway.

whenever they shutter a light so they can emphasize a character's (kirk, we're talking abt kirk here. and *sometimes* spock, and also Charlie in Charlie X but yeah mostly kirk) eyes when they say something #Deep, or just pre-commercial break closure worthy line. it's so SHJSDJBFEJNKN. to add onto this, they'll do a striking half-wash over half of their face sometimes in conjunction and it looks So Good

The GOBOS. sometimes, they'll just throw light through a gobo, or wall screen, or something, for /visual interest/ and it looks so silly i love it sm. does it make sense from a realism pov? nO. but star trek is a theater production actually and they lit everything using mainly naturalistic techniques! amazing!

honorable mentions: the glowing time donut, and the entirely random colors in the hallway.

there are so many other examples but this post is long enough lmao. notice the lights next time you watch tos!!,! please!!! <3

[fishing-lesbian-catgirl]

do you have any mech pilot oc's

Yes! I actually have an entire Mech pilot setting that I’ve been wanting to write about for a while. And since I can’t think of a better opportunity to talk about it I’ll do that here. Warning for lots of text and infodumping below, also all of this was originally an idea for a novel so if this sounds a bit like reading the back of a book or like the setup to something that’s why

The story takes place in an huge city in America, where the entrepreneur who invented* zero gravity technology got so wealthy off of it that he decided to build an enormous tower that now has 7 ringed districts floating around it, with each one getting more wealthy and fancy the higher up the rings go. Besides its bizarre structure, the city’s other claims to fame are being the birthplace of Mechs that use zero g technology to function efficiently and being the place where Mech combat as a sport, which is played in large zero g arenas, is played. Mech combat is primarily a sport in this setting, although combat Mechs do exist that are used by the oppressive US police forces and militaries (it’s a bit of a dystopian setting) but the focus is primarily on the sport part in the story I want to write. There are also Mechs used for construction and other practical uses.

The main character of said story, Wormgear, is a mech mechanic who lives in “the underworld” which is the poor city that is beneath the floating ring districts. Wormgear grew up in her moms’ mechanic shop learning directly from her mothers how to be a mechanic for servicing primarily construction mechs and other vehicles. When one of her moms caught a lucky break and got an offer to move to another city to work for a big construction vehicle company, their moms moved away, while they stayed behind and took over the shop. Living alone and working in a poor part of the city, they struggled to make ends meet servicing just construction Mechs and transport vehicles, but once she found her way into being a mechanic for Mechs used in underground illegal combat sport that is even more dangerous than the official leagues played up on the rings, she finally found her true calling. She built her own Mech and became a successful underground prize fighter while also advertising her business to everyone in the scene. Things are going well enough for her, until a masked stranger in a machine far fancier than most underground fighting Mechs shows up and starts dominating the scene. After one particularly grueling match, when Wormgear gets back to her shop, she’s surprised to find the masked stranger in here garage.

Penelope Darlington, is the daughter of a wealthy businessman who had early on invested heavily into the zero-g corporation that now owns the entire city and the technology used in half the machines in the country. Being passionate about the gravmech sport, her father invested all the best training and equipment in the world for his son to be one of best pilots in history, and when said beloved son changed her gender and began going by the pilot moniker “Darling” it was such a good idea for her personal brand that he never even thought of opposing her. Now a national celebrity and a rising star predicted to earn titles and break records in the sport, Penelope should have had everything she ever wanted. But when the off-season comes and she can’t get that exhilarating thrill of piloting, the boredom drives her to do something stupid and illegal. Anonymously commissioning the creation of a new Mech, she enters the gravmech underworld with a mask and a pseudonym. She had never anticipated that anything would go wrong with her plan, and after weeks of wiping the floor with her competition without a scratch on her paint she got too comfortable, and some punk in a hunk of scrap landed a blow that disabled some of her engines. She didn’t lose, but she now needed to find a mechanic that could be discreet. Following the advice of someone in the scene, she found herself in a Mech garage of the very punk who damaged her precious machine in the first place, and what’s worse is the lifts to the higher levels are shut down this late at night!

Gonna stop my early plot synopsis there I think. If you couldn’t guess from everything I wrote here, these are my lesbian mecha pilot ocs who I love very much and hope to be able to actually write the story for some day when I can actually finish or even just continue working on a writing project for once.

[icedragonlizard]

Headcanons for certain Magoland masks

I'm aware that Merry Magoland is not 100% canon, but screw it. I implement it and its masks into my headcanon universe anyways.

... And at that point, it begs the question as to how Magolor knew about certain people to be capable of making masks out of them.

Of course, one could easily interpret Magolor just traveling across dimensions and through the timeline to find out himself, but I prefer to go with a more fun route for my interpretation instead.

I'm more than glad to share my headcanons for certain masks:

-The blue, green and yellow Kirbies were literally just Magolor giving more color palettes for Kirby because he thinks Kirby is very special and decided to give him utmost privileges. Lol.

-How did Magolor find out about Nightmare? Here's how: King Dedede has a photo of Nightmare somewhere in his castle. It's there to spread awareness to one of Popstar's earliest threats, and it's also there for the waddle dees in the castle to make fun of. Magolor encountered the photo when he came by Dedede's castle one time.

-"Gray Coo" was the result of Magolor trying to create a fake love interest for Coo to go along with Rick's and Kine's love interests. Magolor was originally going to call it "Poo" until the waddle dee staffers for the park turned that down and instead suggested it to be named "Gray Coo" or else they wouldn't put it up, which Magolor reluctantly agreed. Coo felt embarrassed and awkward when he saw the mask and was told about its purpose, while the rest of the animal friends laughed their butts off as they think that the mask is hilarious.

-How did Magolor find out about Dark Matter to make masks for Dark Matter Swordsman and Zero? Dedede and the animal friends told him about it. When Magolor first met Gooey and learned his origins, he was fascinated to learn more about Dark Matter, so those guys told him more. Dedede has a photo of DMS in the castle, while saying that Zero was super easy to remember the appearance of.

-My headcanon universe disregards a lot of True Arena content from many games, so this means that the Marx Soul stuff does not exist in my headcanons. I interpret that the Marx Soul mask came 100% out of Magolor's own twisted mind. His own invention. He thought of making an alt mask for his buddy Marx and decided to make a more menacing version of him. Marx was ecstatic when he saw the mask.

-Magolor didn't physically encounter a clockwork star himself, but Marx and Susie were able to walk him through about what they look like, allowing him to piece together the appearance of Nova to make a mask for it.

-The alternate Ribbon mask (friend's hairstyle) was a recent hairstyle that Adeleine gave Ribbon. Magolor was interested in giving Ribbon a second mask, and so she and Adeleine told him about the alternate hairstyle to make a mask for.

-The alternate DMK design (dark mirror) was not actually something that Magolor learned about, but made on his own. He didn't plan to make a secondary DMK mask (because they're not friends) until he noticed all the other star allies had secondary masks, so he figured he'd do the same for DMK, albeit just a lazy color hue change. He sometimes look at both DMK masks to laugh at their edginess.

-How did Magolor find out about Drawcia? Drawcia is known amongst Vividria individuals across Popstar. A Vividria slipped out information about Drawcia and depicted her in a painting to show to Magolor, giving him the opportunity to make a mask of her.

-Dark Daroach and Dark Nebula were things that Daroach told Magolor about. When Daroach first came to Magoland to see the masks, he thought it was both hilarious and ironic for the masks to exist. He pointed out that he didn't see a mask depicting Magolor being possessed by a cursed artifact (there's the master crown mask, but that's the phase where he hadn't been possessed yet).

-How did Magolor know about Galacta Knight? Hyness told him.

-Magolor was trying to fill up some slots with alt color swaps, explaining the "EX" masks for Whispy Woods, Mr. Dooter, Fatty Puffer, Goriath, Grand Doomer, Metal General, Landia and Traitor Magolor.

-How in the heck did Magolor find out about Sectonia, and not just that, but her original Joronia form as well? Taranza has photos and paintings of her all over the Royal Road castle. That's how Magolor found out. He decided to make the masks to honor the memory of Joronia/Sectonia and he'd figure Taranza would be grateful to the masks. Uhhh.... he eventually did, but initially he had an outrage because Magolor did it without permission. It's fine now, though.

-Magolor saw the Robobot Armor turned pink one time. It was during one time when he and Kirby simultaneously visited Susie in her home planet that contains the HWC headquarters. Magolor wanted to see Kirby ride around in Invader Armors, so Susie let that happen for him to see. That's how he knew to make a Robobot Armor mask.

-Susie's weekend outfit is, indeed, an outfit that she likes to wear on the weekends. Magolor was physically seen her wearing it, giving him the idea to make a mask for it.

-Susie has photos of her dad in the company's headquarters. Magolor briefly had a weird fixation on Haltmann by virtue of being a fellow egg-shaped money liker, just like he is. This made it a no brainer that he was going to make a Haltmann mask for the park.

Susie was initially not happy to see the weekend outfit and Haltmann masks because Magolor made them both without permission. She was getting close to threatening to sue him until he apologized and said he did it for honorable and celebrative purposes. Eventually, Susie relented and became perfectly fine with the masks existing, but she really wishes that Magolor had asked for permission first.

-Morpho Knight is very elusive in my headcanons, so how did Magolor find out about him? He found out through Elfilin and Leon. They remembered what he looks like and were glad to tell Magolor when he expressed wanting to know.

-I'll make it clear that while I headcanon the games mostly happening by order, Merry Magoland opens after Forgotten Land's events for me. This explains how Magolor knew about New World inhabitants such as Elfilin, awoofies, Carol and Leon to make masks of them. He also watched Kirby perform his mouthful mode stuff when he visited the New World, giving him the chance to make a mask of that too.

-Wait... Forgo Dedede is among the New World masks. How did Magolor find out about that when Dedede is back to normal now? Elfilin told him about the incident. He vividly remembers what Dedede looked like when Fecto Forgo further possessed him.

-----

Ok... that's all of the more questionable masks covered in my headcanons! Thanks for reading if you made it through all of this.

[thefortressofscience]

Random tips for writing a martial artist!

The ruleset for the competitive form of their style (ie Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Wrestling, etc...) will inform how that character approaches fighting. For example, Karate where points are awarded based on how many hits you land means that fighter might prioritize keeping someone at a distance, whereas in Knockdown Karate where victory is achieved through a KO that fighter may prioritize trying to pummel someone with close range attacks

A mixed martial artist will often have a "base" style. This is usually their first style and then they build around it by taking techniques from other styles in hopes of creating their own effective blend. Common base styles in MMA include Boxing, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiujitsu, and Muay Thai. In the last decade there's also been a wave of Karate practitioners joining MMA as well.

Related to the first two points, no two styles are fully comparable and no style is better than another. However, styles that pressure test their practitioners with a healthy dose of sparring and competitions will generally produce more competent fighters. After all, you don't get good at what you don't practice! So if you're writing a fight, the fighter with a more pressure tested background will probably come out on top more often than not.

Disabled martial artists exist, and also compete in tournaments. For example, in Paralympic Judo, the only difference is the fighters start off grabbing each other's uniform and the referee saying certain commands outloud so the fighters know to return to the center or avoid the edge of the arena.

In real life, fights between two experienced fighters are less like in movies where two characters are constantly rushing each other with few pauses. Generally, two fighters will try to feel each other out, making on the fly risk assessments with periodic high intensity exchanges. This is generally known as "explosiveness" in martial arts. Those on the higher end of explosiveness tend to resemble all out brawls more but the characters are still doing risk assessment with periodic lulls in the action. That said, this is a stylistic choice for the author, so you don't really need to consider this one if you're more interested in Rule of Cool.

A blackbelt in Japan typically does not mean the same thing it means in the West. In Japan, the first degree blackbelt is usually just a sign that you are now competent (and thus tourney-ready). It is not uncommon for a Japanese martial artist to get their shodan (first degree blackbelt) at an early age based on how many training hours they clock. Furthermore, most Japanese martial arts only have white and black belts. The colored grading system is largely a western invention to serve as a motivational tool.

Size matters. You might hear a lot about how size doesn't matter but that's just not true. A larger person has an advantage that can't be ignored. However, there are ways around this and a smaller fighter can still win. Typically, this requires the smaller fighter to keep larger foes in mind when they're training. It also requires them to strategize around their larger opponent's advantage. This applies specifically to two trained fighters. A smaller well trained person is still much more likely to defeat a larger, untrained enemy.

I want to stress these aren't rules or a do's and don't list, it's just tips for writing martial artists. You can also just disregard everything here because you're free to go hog wild. That said, I hope this can be useful to people wanting to write fights.

[desultory-novice]

hi dess, I was thinking about drawcia and her siaters last night and was curious if you ever thought about a connection between her and adeleine and noir. because of the... art theme, and because her sorceress form has some glaring similarities to dark matter blade. and/or perhaps some relation to the painter and mysterious brush mentioned in paintra/DX's boss descriptions? the subject of 2 siblings being separated is something adeleine/noir and paintra/drawcia seem to have in common

Oooh, D00p... >w< 

I hate to say that while I've been passively aware of some of the visual similarities/glaring connections between Drawcia and Dark Matter Blade, I have never really thought hard of doing anything with it/come up with anything particularly HC-y for them. Kinda goes for Drawcia and Nightmare too, who also share some concepts.

(There's just too much Dark Matter in Kirby! Keeping them all straight yet connected in a way that makes sense is difficult, darn it! No wonder Shimazaki left! "Figure the rest out for yourselves!" XD) (1)

I do know that, for Apologies, it's canon that Noir and Adeleine's family are 'people upon whom the rest of the planet does not look too fondly on.' That is why, while it would already be hard for two kids to survive there, it has been especially hard in their case...

:Dess still in deep consideration whether she wants to finish drawing the content warning-required Noir backstory chapter or not, even though it keeps poking its head into other stories:

Ahem! But I do remember thinking that if the Dark Matter Blade is Lab Discovera's first cursed af attempt at trying to make or recreate, I dunno, Galaxia maybe(?) That Ado's Paintbrush is probably the same for the Magic Paintbrush in Canvas Curse.

So, they are tied into the lore of this somehow... And you're right that their story echos the separated siblings. In fact, I was talking with thecrashman a little about some Apologies spoilers related to the above mentioned sidestory and witches made of paint did dance through my head for a second... but I still don't have anything concrete as to how the four (five, counting Vividria) are related.

-

(1)

Speaking of, I saw someone post that another Japanese guidebook supposedly made it "clear" that the Dark Matter you fight in DL 3 is the same as Blade which made me gulp because in Apologies, I wasn't necessarily going to make the Dark Matter in 3 the same as Noir and I was pre~tty sure the Japanese wiki backed me up on the possibility that they were, or at least, could be different!

...God, making Blade be the same Dark Matter that's in both 2 and 3 in Apologies-verse would have even ME crying and screaming?!?

It was bad enough that he's just a shadow of himself in 2. Flickering whispers of fading memories fighting a losing battle against the all encroaching darkness, but now, in Dream Land 3, he's LITERALLY a thrice-dead soulless husk?! Made to repeat the same task he failed at before by a heartless tyrant who only demands of the boy:

"Again." How...many...more...times...? "Again until you succeed."

Noir was gentle enough to keep Dedede asleep the whole time he was possessing him. Noir only captured Kirby's friends, not hurt them, mildly inconveniencing Kirby. But Zero? Zero resurrects his dead pawn, rips open Dedede's stomach and shoves Blade inside the king like he was a prison made of flesh within which Blade can only gnash his "teeth" (...rattle the bars...) and shed tears of darkness...

Zero then parades him out before Blade's own BABY BROTHER as a meat shield and an "example" - to fill both Gooey and Kirby with despair and hopelessness at the inevitability of that which they face.

"...You thought you had ended this one's suffering?" "This is the fate of all who defy EYE."

What is this True Arena Noir Soul I have accidentally invented?

[ithinktheygotthealias]

a (draft) list of evidence james tiberius kirk has The Big Bi™

*this version will be deleted when (if) i fix this list up with some gifs and screenshots*

so, i have decided to compile some independent evidence on a few points that have been in (more than usual) contention lately in the fandom. my focus, as always, is tos. this first one is a bit of preaching to the choir consideirng my usual haunts, but i hope it will at least strengthen the argument for a bi/pan kirk, by virtue of bypassing the "spock" part of the discussion entirely.

and why despite being vocally not into the show it is still my hope in my heart of hearts that the canon!bi kirk in snw rumours from a while back are true

following up will be a similar draft list on all the times spock had any kind of interaction that might be construed as romantic in the show. the goal is to have one on all of the references to chapel's feelings for spock too, but that will be more work so maybe in a few days? never trust any promises i make on this blog

so, without further ado, the list, divided on categories for my our convenience:

arguable:

Gary Mitchell (Where No Man Has Gone Before) - i've put him down as arguable bc i've also seen ppl compare how jim acts towards him to how he acts towards spock as evidence for his being into spock. i think they had something going on at some point, but it had long ended by the time of the episode.

i will fight anyone on this:

Ben Finney (Court Martial) - embiterred former lover, much? he even named his daughter after the guy ffs. and that was BEFORE the revenge fixation.

Captain John Christopher (Tomorrow is Yesterday) - poor jim wanted that 1960s wasp booty so bad his flirt overflowed into every single man they found in the past

"Don't you believe in male androids, Harry?" (I, Mudd?) - speaking out for himself and all men lovers out there

Tyree (A Private Little War) - they lived together, come on

man-magnet jimothy:

Trelaine (The Squire of Gothos) - depending on your interpretation: bratty toddler with a favourite toy, toxic child with a first crush and no idea what to do about it, or manchild outright trying to eliminate the "competition" aka spock? obviously not reciprocated. might count as meme evidence instead.

Garth (Whom Gods Destroy) - both the orion battygirl (pun intended) and her #1 megalomaniac boytoy had a twisted little something going on for the captain

meme evidence:

I'm Not Sure He Likes This Guy, But He Sure Likes His Rock Dildo (What Are Little Girls Made Of?) - iconic.

Jim's Favourite Colour (Arena) - this fight is kinda... is.

"Are there any men on this planet?" (That Which Survives) - while much beloved by all, this quote is taken kinda out of context, and even the rainbow flag was still years away from being invented when it aired, let alone the bi flag. sorry, guys, meme category it is.

[kteezy997]

The Heart of a Bene Gesserit-Part Three//Paul Atreides

Warnings: cursing, spice slavery, prostitution innuendo

You didn't really want to see Paul. You still felt so raw after last night. It wasn't even his fault; it was your feelings that got hurt when you realized that you'd never have a real chance with Paul. He’d never see you in a romantic light.

Once you got ready for the day, you decided to go out for a walk around the grounds, to clear your head and get some air. You didn’t opt for a still suit, as you didn’t plan on traveling far or long.

The morning was warm and bright, but not uncomfortably so, as it was still early in the day. The sun was not yet too high. You had made your way around to the spice silo crates where some workers were emptying the crops. You watched the grouping of men, and something caught your eye. The closer you looked, you noticed that it was a bald head. Harkonnen.

It had to be a Harkonnen. No one on Arrakis had such pale, smooth skin like that. You saw the man's eyes and you knew exactly who it was. A near final Kwizatz Haderach: Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. Why was he a slave working for Paul?

"Miss," a servant approached you, and you turned to them.

"Yes?"

"You really should not be out in the sun this time of day."

You looked over at the silos, nodding toward the working men, "It is still early. And besides, the slaves are out here."

"As a special companion of the Emperor, he would wish that you'd stay safely indoors." the servant pointed out, trying to urge you back into the House.

"I think the Emperor should put his worries elsewhere."

"Very well, ma'am. But if you wish to stay out longer, I'd recommend changing into a stillsuit, to keep your body cool and hydrated." the servant gave you a polite nod, then left.

You looked on, remembering your singular visit to Giedi Prime years ago, seeing Feyd-Rautha dominate his opponents in the Harkonnen Arena. The Bene Gesserit found him to be quite impressive, not only in his strength and fighting skills, but also in his superior intelligence. Feyd was almost everything that Paul was. A very valuable and useful tool in human form. Why was he now reduced to a simple slave?

......

After the midday meal, you approached a rather tired looking Paul. You said his name as you walked up to him. You needed to ask him about Feyd. Paul looked at you, and his tired eyes faded into a brighter expression that lit up his handsome face. You tried to not think too much about the effect you had had on him. You felt no need to read into it.

"I want to ask you about one of the slave workers you have in your possession, my lord." you said.

Paul frowned at you, as if he could never guess the things you were about to say, "Very well. Let us retire to the council room to talk about this.”

He led the way to the meeting room in which you had spent some time with him and his men, listening to them invent work for themselves. Really, you thought he needed more women on his council, to actually help resolve issues of the Imperium.

"Sit down, y/n. What would you like to know about the slaves?" he asked, sitting down and gesturing for you to do the same next to him at the table.

"Well, I became intrigued by one of them in particular. And I'm not going to play around about this, Paul. Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen is alive and he is among your slaves, isn't he?"

Paul sat back in his seat, a strange quiver of a smile on his mouth, "Nothing gets passed you Bene Gesserit, does it?"

You gave him a serious look.

He let out a small sigh, "Yes, Feyd-Rautha is where any lasting Harkonnen should be."

"He had nothing to do with what happened to your father."

"But he is a Harkonnen! He deserves to be where he is. He's lucky he's not dead and buried in the sand with the Baron."

You scoffed, "Feyd is a psychopath, that is true. But he is far too valuable a human being to just be your slave."

“He is not just my slave. He works for the Empire, you yourself expressed that you only want what is best for the Empire.”

“Yes, but Feyd deserves a more honorable position. He’s an intelligent man, a good leader. He was able to bring spice production back to full capacity after his idiot brother fumbled the job. You could use someone like Feyd-Rautha in your corner. Hell, he should be on your council, advising you, helping you.”

“I would never take advice from a man whose family had my father killed! He would have never attained control of Arrakis if it weren’t for me.” Paul shouted, his voice littered with an angry growl.

You sat still in your chair, gripping the armrest, you knew he was right. Rabban could not stand up to Muad’Dib and the Fremen, nonetheless, this issue was not about Rabban, but his younger brother. “Someone of Feyd-Rautha’s superior breeding deserves to have a more productive job.”

“Are you suggesting spice production is unimportant? It is only the most vital substance in the universe, without it, you wouldn’t have been able to come to Arrakis, y/n.”

You shook your head, becoming aggravated with him and his condescending tone, “Do not patronize me, Paul Atreides. You know what I mean. You should use Feyd-Rautha to your advantage, that is all I am saying. Think about it.”

“Perhaps you would like to use him to your advantage.”

Now you were mad, “Whatever do you mean?”

“You were sent here to secure the Kwizatz Haderach bloodline. But you’ve been unsuccessful thus far, so why not try out a runner up: my cousin, the final Harkonnen.”

You sighed, your anger subsided and you were left with the disappointment that he still had no trust in you. “That is not my intention. You should know by now that I am here for you, I am trying to fulfill my duties as your councilwoman.”

Paul raised his brows, rested his elbow on the armrest of his chair, held his chin in palm and looked at you in the eyes, “Oh? So you’ve decided to take my job offer? You’ll stay here, on Arrakis?”

“I hope to. As long as you stop being an ass.” You stood up, pushed your chair back under the table. “Good day, my lord.” you said, turning on your feet and exiting the council room, without bowing before the Emperor.

…….

Paul sat for a moment more after y/n left, then he called a servant to retrieve Gurney Halleck.

“Gurney.” he greeted his old master, who now served as one of his right hand men.

“My lord.” Gurney answered, nodding.

“Appoint one of the servants to keep a close watch on y/n. I’d like to know what she is doing, and whom she may be speaking to.”

……

That evening, after dinner was over and the sun was set, you quietly made your way to the slave quarters. You were met with the slave master, who looked you up and down, like he couldn’t place you.

“Haven’t seen you down in these parts, woman.” he said, holding his strong stance.

“My name is y/n, friend and councilwoman of Muad’Dib. I’ve come to ask if I can speak with one of the slaves here.” you kept your poise and confidence in check. I must not fear.

The tall man before you gave a simple nod, “Hmm. Do you know the slave’s name?”

“Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.”

You were then led to a sort of outside recreational area for the prisoners. There were tables and chairs under a roof to provide some shade.

“Wait here. And don’t worry, he’ll like the looks you. He won’t have any desire to kill you.” the slave master said, giving you a small dose of assurance.

But you were Bene Gesserit, you did not need to be assured. You could take care of yourself. It did not matter how intimidating or dangerous an opponent may be, you could always come out on top with the proper training.

After only a couple of minutes, you heard his voice first: hoarse in his throat, but with chilling low tones. “A visitor, for little ol’ me?”

You looked straight ahead, seeing his tall, muscular figure making its way toward you. He was just as you remembered, his face and head free of hair, but still as strikingly handsome as his Atreides cousin.

“Well, you are beautiful. You’d be a nice gift, but there’s no way you are a working woman. Also, no sign of the Ibad blue eyes, so you’re not the Atreides’ Fremen woman.” Feyd was speaking as he looked you over, getting his senses about you.

You felt a slight thorn in your side as he insinuated that you could be Chani.

He then looked in your eyes, squinting, “You’re Bene Gesserit?”

“You are sharp, Feyd-Rautha.” you replied.

He smirked, but did not show his black teeth. He gazed at you as if he wanted to devour you, then and there. “Hm. Now, why were you looking for me, my darling?"

@gatoenlaciudad @thebetawolfgirl @musicandbooksaremyhappyplace @softhecreator @tchalamss @lixzey @bitchyunknownuser @ducktapebar @aoi-targaryen @yukideadinside @elloise0 @thatoneweirdgirl17 @mel-vaz @sammy-halpert @iwishchalamet @that-one-fangirl69 @jindongdongie @briefkittenearthquake

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

* * * *

Thinking about the verdict.

June 1, 2024

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

With the benefit of twenty-four hours’ reflection, nervous Democrats and excitable media have invented endless grounds for converting a resounding victory for the rule of law into a new source of anxiety and confusion. Legal experts are analyzing prospects on appeal and political strategists are arguing over how vigorously President Biden should lean into the convictions as a campaign issue.

Here's my advice: Don’t overthink it.

The verdicts were a singular outcome for justice, the rule of law, and the democratic political process. Accept that gift and move forward.

Should Democrats use Trump's criminal convictions for partisan advantage? Of course!

What is the maximal strategy? We will have a clear answer to that question in several decades—after historians have ventilated the results of the 2024 election with the luxury of hindsight.  

For us, the verdict changes nothing about strategy and everything about outlook.

We needed a win. We got the only win that bestowed blazing moral clarity. Good. But the election still comes down to turnout. And turnout depends on relational politics: Person-to-person, door-to-door, phone calls, texts, post cards, house parties, yard signs, letters to the editor, showing up, and speaking out. That was true before the verdicts and is true after.

But we should feel some wind beneath our wings. We should have more spring in our step and more confidence in our approach to undecided voters. Twelve people were put to the test and saw through the lies. Every single one of them. Even the juror who said his major source of news was Truth Social.

If twelve randomly selected citizens can discern the truth “beyond a reasonable doubt” despite the obfuscation and lies of defense counsel, so can tens of millions of persuadable Americans. And in the political arena, we need not convince twelve out of twelve persuadable voters. If we can persuade more than half, Biden will by a landslide.

We should pause for a moment to reflect on how fortunate we are that the verdict was conviction on all counts. The range of possible outcomes were as follows:

1.    Guilty on all counts

2.    Guilty on some but not all counts

3.    Hung jury with 1 or 2 holdout jurors

4.    Hung jury with 3 or more holdout jurors

5.    Acquittal on some counts

6.    Acquittal on all counts

Outcomes 2 through 6 would have resulted in varying degrees of victory dances in the end zone and claims of exoneration by Trump. Only the first outcome—guilty on all counts—communicates with clarity that “Donald Trump is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and stands for all time as a convicted felon for interfering in the 2016 election.”

The undeniable force of the 34-count guilty conviction leaves Republicans only one option: Attack the justice system, the judge, and the jury. As bad as that feels, it is not a winning strategy for GOP candidates in purple districts and swing states that hinge on independent voters.

The insane response by Republican congressional leaders has been unnerving. But it contains the seeds of the GOP’s destruction. The ugly threats of retaliation are red meat to the base but not a winning strategy for Americans who want a governable country run by a Congress focused on something other than revenge.

Moreover, while we should be outraged and concerned by the comments of GOP congressional leaders, we should not ascribe superpowers to Republicans they do not have. Railing about subpoenas to Judge Merchan and his daughter is one thing. Obtaining an enforceable subpoena is another. And finding evidence of a crime is yet another stretch—as the hapless House Oversight Committee learned in its Hunter Biden investigation and presidential impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden.

Likewise, we should also maintain perspective about media reports about Trump supporters calling for violence. A careful reading of such reports indicates that they are based on single-person interviews on the street or reviews of social media sites that contain “dozens” of such threats. While one threat is too many, a couple of dozen threats on fringe websites must be measured against the hundreds of millions of Americans who use social media on a daily basis. Compare the Reuters’ headline, Trump supporters call for riots and violent retribution after verdict, with the factual basis for the story, “dozens of violent online posts . . . on three Trump-aligned websites.”

To be clear, I am not criticizing those observers and commentators who are thinking through Democratic strategy or appellate prospects. Indeed, I cite some of them below. Thinking through strategy and prospects are necessary exercises and should be performed post haste.

But you should not allow yourself to become consumed or overwhelmed by complex calculations best solved in n-dimensional anti-de Sitter space. Read the articles if they help you navigate this historical moment. Don’t fret about them if they interfere with your ability to shape history by taking action now.

I recommend the following articles for those interested and up to the task of taking a deeper dive.

See two articles by Lucian K. Truscott IV, Trump guilty verdict changes everything, and If you thought my take on the likely effects of the Trump verdict was a little too rosy . . . .

See also Martin London, Marty’s Blog, RIGGING.

See also Vox, The best — and worst — criticisms of Trump’s conviction.

There are a handful of non-frivolous grounds for challenging some of Judge Merchan’s legal rulings. But the criticisms of those rulings mostly come from federal practitioners who are attempting to import federal jurisprudence onto New York’s interpretation of its own law. Whatever the outcome of the appeals process, it will conclude long after the 2024 election.

Until the final judgment is issued after appeals are exhausted—sometime in 2026 or 2027—Donald Trump is a convicted felon. That is a good result, for now. Let’s focus on ensuring that Biden is reelected.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[unproduciblesmackdown]

arrrghhh and having a moment just now b/c earlier i was rewatching this clip and appreciating how ofc not only is it a stellar little expression saga of jeremy's there but it's so Relevant to how we're being shown like [yeah clearly this is a bad idea but we are led to understand why he'd do it anyways] when like yeah jeremy's hurt & miserable as this new computer enemy immediately beating him up insulting him like you're the worst die Admit You're The Worst & Die. but also like jeremy was already There & already getting that message from others / life, which is why he's in this situation already, and why even though this obvious antagonism & hurtful treatment Does dig that hole a little deeper it's like, still more of the same from jeremy's perspective / a supposed further confirmation of what he was already sufficiently believing was true anyways. but what's so different & new to him is this like invented & temporary Vision Of How Things Could Be where suddenly he's getting attention that is so positive & everyone is sooo hyped about him we love everything about you....and That's what's so much more motivating to jeremy than the previous shit that he of course experienced as Unpleasant

and then just now was looking at this gifset again with christine being surprised by how as she's increasingly exiting the defensive mode of trying to stay out of the way / rein herself in, jeremy's just interested and encouraging and giving Thee clearest most positive feedback as earnestly and spontaneously as she's being rn....the way that she's having a parallel experience to jeremy's Mall Visions Of Possibility like here's this random person suddenly who is responding so positively to whatever tends to be reacted to negatively as [weird/wrong/overmuch]....their earnest spontaneous little parallel threads that keep weaving together throughout the story like. christine and this ever surprising new person who first crops up super nervous but then really openly enthused about Her enthusiasm; freaking out at a mall food court; doing great at play rehearsal even though he's new to this; then a whole moment where at first he's maybe being confusingly standoffish compared to that enthusiasm at their first meeting but then the whole [i guess a part of me xyz] section of a guy that i'd kinda be into like waaaaauugh oh lord and now i'm thinking of the agtikbi reprise like i am sweeping the bmc obcr up into my arms for so many reasons & including that track is a hell of one....being presumably a bit further bemused by jeremy's whole deal but during this period where christine's presumably a bit preoccupied w/the play and with trying to try new things and dating jake, there goes jeremy suddenly dating brooke apparently & eventually evidently christine is like okay i guess he's in this popular kids group more cohesively than i am & [whatever interpretations in how christine thinks that jeremy is also hooking up far & wide w/ppl in that group lol] but here he is also feeling in over his head & overwhelmed & out of place after trying to play the part & Act Correctly & indeed managing to end up here & yet....And Yet they can have another earnest vulnerable spontenaous enthused encouraging moment on the couch, despite that then of course christine's like okay look in general What is going on around here, and that's even before anyone's burned down a house & so forth, all before we he she they get Proof of what jeremy wants & feels & chooses, and have that reunion finally with finale jeremy where it's like, yeah he's got more confidence in Himself, ofc he still likes her and her as herself, and he's still nervous but okay with that, she's more comfortable likewise being out of her comfort zone lol not trying to maximally stay either in the one arena she can be herself Or otherwise out of everyone's way, ugh their vimh moment like that willingness to be vulnerable with this person b/c as in any interactions you're not guaranteed "safe" but the stakes of that and effort of navigating are made lower by having this trust and understanding and knowing this person genuinely cares....the fact that they can misunderstand each other And That's Fine because they can and do just go "no, i mean xyz" which in turn isn't to chastise but an earnest effort to connect & let this other person understand & know you better & believing that They want to exert the effort to Try To Get It, to Genuinely Care....waah

tl;dr that the way jeremy is (theoretically) looked at in the mall while simply existing when everything is going to be wonderful and so alive & is so moved by is the way christine experiences jeremy looking at her For Real when they're first properly meeting in the i love play rehearsal scene, and furthermore: ;ww;

[mariacallous]

American politics is a circus. In the arena of Washington, DC, lawmaking and lawbreaking is a fanatical kind of entertainment, a warped experiment that, in recent years, has taken on the veneer of blind zealotry. Republicans, in particular, have thrived on a diet of chaos since the rise of former president Donald Trump, turning the performance of democracy into primetime viewing. “The reality of it is, it’s all theater,” Representative George Santos of New York said on Thursday during a press conference on the steps of the US Capitol as he faced expulsion from Congress.

Soaking in the carnival of media attention that has stalked him since he arrived in DC in 2022, Santos—taking one last stand as a solo act this week—was predictably unmuzzled in the hours leading up to the vote that would decide his political future. “It’s theater for the cameras, it’s theater for the microphones,” he said, referring to the playhouse of American bureaucracy and, ironically, himself. “It’s theater for the American people at the expense of the American people.”

In a short time, Santos had fashioned himself into one of the most fascinating carnival barkers of recent memory. By Friday he was out of a job.

As cameras rolled and online chatter swirled across social media about his alleged scams, there was nowhere for Santos to hide. Not that he wanted to, of course. In a Spaces conversation hosted on X, Santos was hellbent on exposing his congressional associates—“Felons galore,” he colored them—for their alleged crimes. “I have colleagues who are more worried about getting drunk every night with the next lobbyist that they’re gonna screw, and pretend like none of us know what’s going on, and sell off the American people,” he said. The spotlight was his alone, as was the intense scrutiny that came with it.

In October, a report filed by the House Ethics Committee claimed that Santos had overstepped his authority as a member of Congress, accusing him on multiple counts of financial fraud and criminal activity. The ethics report determined that Santos—among other misdeeds that already included charges of wire fraud and conspiracy—used campaign funds on Botox, the adult subscription site OnlyFans, and luxury Ferragamo shoes (select pairs sell for more than $2,000). True to form, and a true master of spin, Santos said the report was “littered in hyperbole.”

Equal parts enigma and attraction, Santos courted controversy from the beginning of his tenure as a US representative. There was an uncanny cadence to his personal testimony: Nothing was exactly as he told it. Even now, in the dim light of his scandalous incumbency, the question of “Who is George Santos?” remains unclear. The air of mystery surrounding Santos, and the public’s deep fascination with him, is owed to his own innate flair for invention, which both feeds into the eccentricity of American politics and mirrors the conceited, but no less savory, surrealism of reality TV that we obsess over. Who doesn’t love a surprising plot twist and a riveting character arc?

Even by Washington standards, where truth and fiction live side by side, Santos’ particular taste for fabrication was extraordinary. He said he received his MBA from New York University. He had not. He said he previously worked at investment firms Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. He had not. He said his grandparents were Jewish and escaped the Holocaust. They had not. He alleged personal connections to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, where he said his mother worked in finance, and denied past criminality in Brazil. Those were also lies.

Hubris. Ego. Narcissism. These now seem to represent the defining traits of American lawmakers who swagger and shout with little concern for the dangerous consequences their actions set in motion. Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that earlier this week, photographer Al Drago captured a 15-foot inflatable George Santos against a backdrop of blue sky outside the US Capitol building, as MoveOn, a progressive public policy and advocacy group, called attention to the 35-year-old New York congressperson’s indulgent falsehoods. “Full of Lies,” exclaimed the message on its red tie, the inflatable’s tiny gremlin feet dangling in the air. As metaphors go, this one was unmistakable in its framing: George Santos is all hot air.

Santos always seemed thirsty for the spotlight, and now he has it. He is the first US representative to be banished from the House, not convicted of treason or a federal crime. In a vote of 311–114, members of Congress found a resounding legitimacy in the ethics committee report.

Santos has vowed to wear his expulsion like “a badge of honor.” In doing so he joins a cohort of politicos—along with Trump, Rudy Guiliani, and other MAGA acolytes—who defy the gravity of democracy, smugly facing the cameras even as they face indictments. In their reality of government, theirs is the only truth worth subscribing to.

The loss of Santos’ congressional seat in New York could help give Democrats the momentum they need, as Joe Biden readies for a likely round-two matchup against Trump. A screening of potential candidates is already underway, and a special election will be held next year. For now, though, democracy breathes a little easier—purged, though not completely, of the lies politicians like Santos feed into the body of the imperfect republic.

Farewell, George Santos. It was fun until it wasn’t.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Toontown Rewritten Recap: November 2002 (Part 2)

November 9, 2002

Sir Max reveals that they’ve removed the instant transportation the Trolley previously used, and replaced it with a roundabout called “Trolley Tracks”. (Sir Max assures us that the Toon responsible for that name has been fired… Out of a canon.)

How does “Trolley Tracks” work?

All of the participating Toons get a set number of votes, and vote to go either up or down.

At the end of the tracks are a series of tunnels that lead to various Trolley games. Winning those Trolley games earns the Toons more votes. After three Trolley games, the Toons can get off the Trolley or ride again.

Additionally, Toon Memory Game has been added. 1-4 Toons can now try to match pairs of cards to score points. Clear the board to win.

The Great Umbrella Shortage has ended! Now Toon Slingshot can be played with friends!

Bingo cards have been placed at every Fishing Pond, so Toons can now play bingo for even MORE Jellybeans! They’ve all been given hardwood rods and bigger Jellybean Jars to boot!

Loony Labs has invented the Toon TAGS. These are basically holographic nametags that float over every Toon in Town, meaning you don’t have to worry about forgetting your friends’ names anymore! Thank you Loony Labs! I would never be able to forgive myself if I forgot duchess of the clover’s name!

(Note: Trolley Tracks is typically a Thursday-only thing, and Fishing Bingo Wednesday only, but I have no idea if this was true of Alpha testing, given that they were implemented on a SATURDAY! Then again, Saturdays typically rotate through all Weekly Holidays, so…)

November 10, 2002

Upon being allowed back into the Toon Council the previous evening, Sir Max attempts to pitch one more Trolley game before they declare the Trolley games done: Robot Thief.

Unlike Canon Tag and Crane Dozers, the Toon Council actually likes Sir Max’s idea this time, being outright moved to tears by how beautiful they are. After raising him for his first ever good idea, they asked how soon he can make his beautiful dream a reality.

Upon seeing how much debt his idea would put them in, they kicked him out of the meeting.

Before Sir Max could build a top-down minigame on public property, however, he was stopped by a Toon from Loony Labs. The Silly Scientist somehow already knew about Sir Max’s brilliant plan, and promised to foot the bill for the Toon Council.

With a new arena constructed by Loony Labs, “Robot Thief” discards the “top down” view of Cog Thief in favor of the same third-person POV used in the rest of the game, complete with a designated pie-throwing button taken from one of Toontown Online’s boss fights. It otherwise works exactly like Cog Thief, but actually fun to play!

Indeed, the Robot Thief overhaul was so popular, that it’s still in Rewritten today!

November 11, 2002

Hawkheart had been getting reports and complaints of Fishing Bingo not working properly, and so navigated the under-construction streets to get to the Fishing Bingo Office and tell off the Bingo Operator.

Halfway through his lecture, Hawkheart got fed up with the Bingo Operator refusing to acknowledge him, and turned the Operator’s swivel chair around so he could look them in the eye while telling them off.

Turns out there was no Bingo Operator. The entire system was automated and had never been switched on.

Oops.

Ah well, easy enough to fix!

November 12, 2002

Sir Max considered this update to be cringe-worthy, as all that got added were the “Cringe”, “Bored”, “Confused”, and “Think” emotes.

They would be continuing to add four emotions per day over the next four days.

(Out of character, the devs asked if their players thought that “emotions” should be renamed “animations” to fit with the cartoon theme.)

November 13, 2002

Sir Max found Fat McStink’s “Doglet” script laying around, and decided to make some edits to it.

He also announced the induction of the “Delighted” emote, while the script he was editing called for the use of the “Dance”, “Applause”, and “Bow” emotes. Conveniently, those are the other three emotions that got added that day.

Also, TTR Staff were given special Toon TAGS: Toon Troopers were given yellow tags, while Resistance Rangers were given green tags.

For reference, Sir Max is a Toon Trooper.

November 14, 2002

Sir Max wanted to teach everyone how to do the Flop. Either the “Belly Flop” or “Banana Peel” emotes will do. The “Cry” and “Laughter” emotes were also added.

November 15, 2002

The last batch of emotes were delayed by one day.

Professor Propostera announced that he was studying “The Gray”, a strange “space beyond spaces” that Toons can sometimes see through holes in geometry, or fall into if they happen to phase through something.

Out of universe, the Gray is just a nickname for the “out of bounds” area you can clip into in certain places. This update just patched up some level geometry so you couldn’t see it in Ice Slide, and also patched out certain glitches that’d allow Toons to clip out of bounds. It’s called “The Gray” because it’s an endless gray void outside of the game’s skybox.

Irrelevant, but if you jump while in the Gray, your Toon will just get frozen halfway through the animation and never land. You should still be able to move, but I just thought it was funny.

November 16, 2002

So, no emotes were added, but Sir Max announced something equally exciting: Donald’s Dock was now open for business!

In addition to this, Punchline Place (the street that connects Toontown Central to Donald’s Dock) was now open for business as well!

Also, Toontown Central’s Toon HQ was now open for visitors! It’s not quite complete YET, but soon it’ll be able to serve as a hub for all of Toontown’s tasking needs!

To celebrate, free Ice Cream treasures were deposited all over Toontown Central!

Also, Sir Max decided to open a photography business! First, he just needed some Toons to hop on the Trolley, ride it in a circle so they get off at the playground, take these ambiguously stolen cameras, and take pictures of all the Toons running around the Playground.

Unrelated, but Photo Fun was added to the Trolley Game rotation!

Photo Fun simply requires the player to take pictures of the various Toons doing certain things, and earning more jellybeans the closer the picture is to the goal.

-

I know I said this before but I do find it great how they just. Roleplayed the fuck out of this.

[grandhotelabyss]

The answer to this, no matter how prescriptive, can only be disguised autobiography. In one of the only “scientifically” useful things I ever posted to this website in 10 years, I recalled to the best of my ability what I was actually assigned to read in high-school English in a massive suburban public high school in the mid-to-late 1990s. I thought posting actual information would be better than the crude generalizations people (including me) usually make on this subjects. I was 17 between 11th and 12th grades, so you can see from the list what I read in school: 20th-century American literature at the end of 11th grade and a very selective world-literature curriculum in 12th grade consisting mainly of Sophocles, Beowulf, Chaucer, and Shakespeare.

Extracurricularly, I think of the summer between 11th and 12th grade—so the summer of my 17th year—as one of the most important in my reading life. This was where I made the final break with childish things. I had read comic books and genre fiction (not always but often very good: Ray Bradbury, Alan Moore) and a smattering of popular realism (Johns Steinbeck and Irving for preference) until then. But in that late spring and early summer, partially in school but mostly out of it, that I read not only Hemingway and Fitzgerald but also Melville (“Bartleby,” Billy Budd), Faulkner (As I Lay Dying, The Sound and the Fury), Morrison (Beloved, Paradise), Rushdie (The Ground Beneath Her Feet, The Satanic Verses), and DeLillo (Underworld). 

These novels—along with the poetry I enjoyed (Keats, Eliot) and the monumental example set by Shakespeare (above all Hamlet and Lear)—ruined me forever for both fantasy and realism in their popular forms. I made instead a compact with the broad modernist tradition, which I can explain using that ever-“problematic” form/content distinction. Literature’s proper content is experience, life, history, reality, “a shout in the street,” not a wholly fantasized invention, not some other world that you “build”; form is your true arena of invention, the place you transfigure the real with your own sensibility and give the audience something new. This is what I learned on that magical, torrid, stormy summer; as I’ve recalled elsewhere, a storm put the power out for three days in July, so for three sweaty days in July I read Underworld by candlelight. 

In this period I also began reading literary criticism seriously. The Western Canon was useful encouragement—I don’t buy Bloom’s theory overall, but he was always good to me as a rhapsode—and, more importantly, Sexual Personae, though I might have discovered that one at the beginning of my 18th year, I don’t quite remember the winter month. If the modernists from Melville to DeLillo shaped my commitments and concerns as a writer, I would say Paglia in concert with Morrison determined my social and political sensibility. They assured that I would never properly be right-wing or left-wing: the one side consisting of metaphysicians who would bar whole categories of person from the universe, the other side cultists of the demiurge who believe there is no limit whatsoever to reason’s design on nature and the spirit. 

Now would I recommend that course of reading to a 17-year-old? Not any one book in particular, though in my years teaching in an English department, often to high-school students taking college courses, I introduced Shakespeare, Melville, Morrison, and DeLillo to many a 17-year-old (see my syllabi here and my online lectures here). More important is the level of reading; I hate when teachers patronize students, giving out what are essentially children’s books, or, worse, crude political polemics, in the first year of college. 

The replies to the Tweet are dire in this regard—so many recommendations of the wretched Vonnegut. I couldn’t stand him as a teen and only forced my way through one of his books a few years ago so I could cogently explain why I hated it. His homespun nihilism and smug pseudo-naive prose make me vomit. I didn’t care for Salinger or Kerouac as a kid either. I came to appreciate them later but suspect at this late date they require a historical sensibility to enjoy. The world might be too different now for their styles to register to youth as immediate critique or relevant vitalism. For that kind of thing, I imagine today’s teens rely on online schizoposts. I like those too; just make sure you get to Hamlet eventually; hell, he schizoposts four or five times in that play.

[thecatfarm]

Neil deGrasse Tyson's fun-police shtick was a bit more entertaining when it was, in a sense, right: either relevantly true (rare, but delightful, and sincere) or, at least, technically correct on some level (abundant, sarcastically jokey, but good for a discussion).

It's been getting less useful to any discussion for a bit, but man, what an unforced error, to stride, naked, with not even a passing interest in the fighting topic, into the arena of Frank Herbert -an obsessive, granular Warrior God, covered in sand, who spent half a lifetime making sure he knew his element intimately, and when he exhausted the direct path, he went wider, and technical, and tried to get every detail that could be checked right, because he needed it to be as real as possible, more real and complex than direct experience

And because you don't learn to recognise your home dunes by their song if you don't have passion, he went deeper, and spiritual, and started inventing constructs for his sand to dance on.

And, my man, Neil, completely oblivious, pulls out a white glove and tries a technicality gotcha about sand dunes not actually being resonant "in real life".

And I don't think I ever felt more embarassed for a person professorially making a mistake, because, even the gray, clay-ish, kinda damp, overgrown with rash foliage mini sand dunes that I played on as a kid, resonated in fun -and reliable!- ways. So much more reliable than trying to shout over the wind, in fact, that we used short, impromptu drumming sessions on the dried base of the slope, to warn our cigarette smoking interlocutor hiding at the other side of it about approaching parents.

And, when the wind did a specific, slow but intense, long swirl, on late afternoons, it picked up the finer sand, and moved it about in a way that made it start buzzing, and, eventually, murmuring.

And I realised, oh no, if even the "that doesn't count as a sandune" sandunes can thump, and even sing, brokenly and as if through static, but, unmistakably, sing, this mistake will be instantly obvious to anyone who has ever explored some sand. You could figure it out on your beach vacation by accident.

And then I realised Neil, even if he just realised he was wrong, he wouldn't know how actually common knowledge this is yet, and how many people understood he was cockily wrong. And it feels to me like he cares about that, and that pains me, in a way -but maybe not as much as realising he didnt know, because he didn't have an experience that's quite common, but also kind of magical.

And, finally, I feel a bit dissapointed- I guess, on behalf of?- the eldritch Sandbender, whose meticulousness is presumed missing by default, because, judging by today's production timelines, there is no reason to expect that someone actually sat his ass down to come up with a detailed, scientifically accurate explanation of how his imaginary alien creatures use vibrations and fluid dynamics to swim in sand, because why, Frank, when you can waffle something in the direction of scientific words. It's much faster, cheaper, and the audience isn't expecting needless complexity anymore, so, inevitably, self fulfillingly, the shallow becomes necessary.

So it becomes useful for your content creation rhythm, to assume nobody checked, do no prep, science cinemasins ding it, and get back to your 25 other projects, that you also can't make sure are correct beyond surphase level technicalities, because, who has the time?

Frank does.

[tbookblurbs]

Shadows of Self - Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn Era 2, #2)

3.75/5 - reluctantly not higher, very interesting new concepts and political criticisms introduced

For as much as these books do read as fairly neoliberal due to the police propoganda of it all, Sanderson really invests in a critique of capitalism that I appreciate. The overarching villain is an evil banker? "Money isn't real" discourse? Personally, I'm charmed.

I enjoyed questioning Sazed and his methods of remaking the world. The concept that, by overcorrecting and making it too easy for people to live, Sazed stunted their development is quite fun and builds on how Sazed as Harmony is still a human, fallible entity. It is also such a Sazed flaw to have a timeline for how quickly humans should develop. Furthermore, from a Doylist perspective, war motivates a lot of human invention, so it makes sense that those arenas remain relatively undeveloped.

Other highlights from this book includes the intra-kandra dynamics in the subplot, the Tensoon appearance, and Steris. She's my favorite character and I do not care if she's only in this book for a few scenes, she's easily one of the most genuine and fun. Marasi is a close second in my ranking.

As for the reluctantly low score, and this is truly tragic, I am not attached to the two main characters. Wayne got slightly less annoying and more interesting this book with the introduction of his backstory and how that continues to affect him, so I hope to see that trend continue in Bands of Mourning and the Lost Metal.

However, I just don't like Wax. Nothing against him as a character, I just find that he is somewhat selfish, cowardly, and altogether too self-pitying. These are all traits that could be forgiven if I liked his character attributes, but I don't find him super appealing as is. Moreover, I do not enjoy reading other characters going "well why is it always about him", the character in question going "it is about me", and then seeing that belief hold true. Perhaps, if it is subverted in later books, I will look on this period more favorably but for now I do not find myself charmed by either the titular Wax, nor Wayne.

EDIT: I do also find myself drawn in by this book much more than the first. Somehow, Elendel feels much more lived in in SoS than in AoL. It feels more like we're entering a world and less like we're skimming over the surface of it, but such was the nature of a opening novel focused largely on a noble.

[joebuccino]

How Soldier Innovation Competitions Drive Military Progress

Innovation is the lifeblood of progress in many industries, and holds extra significance within the ever-dynamic landscape of military operations. In the intricate web of geopolitics, where adversaries constantly evolve, innovation is not a mere buzzword, but a requirement upon which military superiority rests. It transcends the realms of technological advancements and organizational shifts, including the art of inventing, incubating, and implementing essential changes in warfare. This intricate process equips the military with the agility and strategic understanding required to triumph in a nation’s wars.

The value of innovation lies in its ability to transform abstract ideas into tangible solutions. It involves the conception of novel tactics, the integration of cutting-edge technology, and the restructuring of organizations. This transformative journey finds its true momentum through soldier innovation competitions. These competitions provide a structured platform where creativity meets strategy.

Soldier innovation competitions foster a culture of out-of-the-box thinking, encouraging military personnel to explore uncharted territories of problem-solving. Participants envision innovative solutions to real-world military challenges, transcending the boundaries of conventional wisdom. The unconventional thinking nurtured within the confines of these competitions mirrors the complexities of modern warfare, where adaptability and creativity often determine the course of victory.

These competitions also serve as breeding ground for leadership development. Participants are not merely contenders; they are leaders in the making. Engaging in these contests sharpens their communication skills, hones their ability to work cohesively within teams, and enhances their strategic decision-making under pressure. These leadership qualities, cultivated in the crucible of competition, prepare military personnel to assume pivotal roles in operational scenarios, ensuring the effective execution of innovative strategies in the field.

Moreover, soldier innovation competitions expedite the adoption of groundbreaking ideas within the military ranks. When an innovation proves its mettle in these contests, it gains the credibility required for top-down acceptance. Military leadership recognizes the potential of these innovations and allocates resources for their further development and implementation. This seamless transition from concept to execution ensures that innovative solutions become integral components of military operations, enhancing overall efficiency and effectiveness.

These competitions provide a structured platform on which military personnel can showcase their problem-solving skills and entrepreneurial spirit. In this arena, ideas are not merely theoretical, but prototypes waiting to be realized. Service members, driven by a genuine desire to contribute meaningfully, engage in a process that transcends individual aspirations. Instead, they become integral contributors to the military’s evolution, shaping the future of warfare through their innovation.

The military is home to service members with a wide range of skills, experiences, and backgrounds. Soldier innovation competitions provide a platform for tapping into this diverse expertise. Soldiers from different units, branches, and ranks collaborate, share their knowledge, and brainstorm solutions.

Small commands within the US military can also leverage service member innovation contests to drive localized innovation tailored to their specific needs. These contests provide a platform for service members in smaller units to voice their ideas and concerns, ensuring that the innovation landscape is inclusive and representative of the entire military spectrum. By nurturing innovation at the grassroots level, these contests empower smaller commands to address their unique challenges with inventive solutions, enhancing their operational capabilities significantly.