#and also learning more about finite element method

[bispacecadet]

vaguely having ambitions for something I'd like to do as a career so it doesn't feel like I completely threw away those years I was at uni but also having no idea how to get there ughh

[mmaurysiek]

a few supplementals (sorry, the infodump below grew long on me) :

- Chinese braille

Chinese braille is pinyin-based, which means essentially Latin alphabet with accent symbols, but no capital letter symbols, as far as i know; while it didn't exist in the time period the show is stylized as - that time period also had much lower literacy rates than the show suggests, so we've got some wiggle room here;

specifically about literacy: the characters used in the show are characters, not letters - so the literacy is more of a scale: learning to read means learning whole words, starting from the most common ones; a lot of people would know more common characters and be unfamiliar with the less common ones

more complicated characters have repeated elements, so one could technically try to guess the meaning, with varied (mostly wrong) results (what a woman carrying rice to a - is that a silo - has to do with maths? it's about that level of abstract)

so much like real Chinese people without access to formal education occasionally had done - some characters may invent a writing system to use between themselves; it might be even sound-based too, though probably not tied to a Latin alphabet like pinyin is, so the character length may be even more consistent there than in the pinyin-based braille; it may also be written vertically, top to bottom, like traditional Chinese writing and even modern poetry often would 🤔

braille as a tactile medium is limited to the maximum amount of detail that would be relatively easily decipherable in minimal time; it's a raised-dots sixpoint that fits under a fingertip for a damn good reason; that means a finite amount of characters - any extras, e.g. larger characters or new characters that would have a line instead of two dots - would take a little longer to read per character, but it's still plausible that people may come up with that; any indents (instead of raised bits) would take much longer time to check for, and are therefore impractical;

China and the cultural significance of paper aside, i was wondering why an earthbender country wouldn't use clay tablets (probably due to the low percentage of earthbenders in the general population). these are more suited to making indents than ridges tho, but would make sense as easily erasable (just press it blank) stuff that children could draw on, so if the characters are trying to metaphorically reinvent the wheel before finding a writing system that already exists - that could be a fun plot device

before the typing machines became the main writing method for braille, currently much cheaper braille writing tablets were a way to go - nowdays they're made of plastic; they're shaped like a book cover without any book, with one side full of rectangular holes the size of a standard braille sixpoint, the other with round indents that make sure that the resulting ridges are nice and even and pleasantly round to the touch; you put a thick paper sheet inside and write by pressing the stylus into the specific parts of the sixpoint holes, mirror-like so that the letters on the other side would be written in the right direction

these braille writing tablets can also be used to draw mazes and stuff, though the easier way of flat-drawing is to glue appropriately thick thread to a flat surface; that way of drawing allows not just for lines but also for using shapes and varied textures, too

btw, getting used to braille means training up one's touch sensitivity; new readers tend to sometimes press letters back into the paper

also, it's customary to cut or fold a specific corner of the paper sheets to quickly indicate which way the text is going; the gaang obviously didn't know that when hanging the lost Appa posters

do what you want with that information :)

- the Moses / skewer / sword-cut maneuvre

when it comes to using long cane (sorry if that's not an appropriate term in English; here the users tend to call it a long cane because it's a vibration-conducting lightweight long cane, calling it a white cane is a more of a sighted people thing - but it may be just a regional custom for all i know -- when it comes to using the long cane, there are a number of ways to do it, depending on what the user wants to achieve (e.g. prevent collisions with people? hold diagonally; check the terrain? a sweeping motion in front of oneself)

the Moses / skewer maneuver is a rare one, because it takes a really very specific kind of person to even consider it - and Toph is very much that kind of person:

we call it a Moses / skewer maneuver here because you do it to pass crowded areas by raising the cane in front of you like a sword - (which also means no tracking of the terrain for the duration of the maneuver) - and march forward at a steady pace, so that the crowd has no choice but to part aside to avoid getting skewered

Toph so would

(the question is - what would be a setting-appropriate name for this maneuver? i came up with a "sword-cut" but there may be something better.)

as for the long cane length, the standard length is a cane that reaches an armpit, shorter for the people who walk slowly and cautiously, and longer for the speedsters; i imagine that Toph may opt for one long enough to touch her face when held vertically 🤔

- the hoop and stuff

there are stand-ins for the cane in circumstances where it can't be or isn't efficient to use; the most basic ones are the back of one's outstretched hand or a stack of papers to maneuver between writing desks

since my country doesn't hand the stabby but fragile and expensive long canes to toddlers, we've got the hoops put to use - basically a hula hoop that a kid can either hold in front or around themself to avoid all collisions; there are no convenient hoop skirts in the setting, but i imagine that there must be some tools that Toph could have used in a similar manner? baskets, perhaps? 🤔

- searching trick

i think Toph discreetly does that in canon, i can't guarantee it tho - i tend to miss moments that weren't audiodescribed - the searching trick is simple - it's using a circular motion of one's hand (starting from a spot in the middle, going in increasingly larger circle) to locate a thing that should be there, or to check one's seat against pranks and leftover stuff

- pouring liquids

frankly, i don't know how how the tea was done before the battery-powered beepers that beep when the water (or touch) reaches the prongs and thus closes the electric circuit; the level of room-temperature and cold drinks can be checked with a thumb inside the cup, but hot drink may be too hot; and with how diligently China sterilised water for drinking by boiling it shortly before use -- i can't think of anything better than use an oddly lare cup and only pour in about half of it, to make the error margin bigger 🤔

- basic echoes and other supplementals

if one's hearing works fine, there are basic echoes one can use regardless of not having any advanced echolocation skills: open space makes sounds travel (like outdoors), flat surfaces make sounds bounce back (like a mostly empty tunnel / room with good acoustics), intensely patterned surfaces mute sounds (like sound barriers that cancel noise of the streets); echoes like that would give Toph information that she wouldn't be able to access through earthbending, like the long curtain separating the room in half ends roughly about here sort of stuff

along with smells, more generic noises, and warmth levels (btw, dark fabrics heat up much more in direct sunlight than bright fabrics do) -- it's going to significantly supplement Toph's navigation, both clarifying stuff she's already perceived through earthbending (like the wall that ends here is mostly bare here and prbably covered in some stuff over there) and alerting her of stuff she did not (like the soup smells ready)

- seismic sense navigation and how Toph sees people and stuff

the clarity of Toph's seismic perception depends on the quality of the ground: solid rock seems best, small highly mobile grains like sand and mud give her a lot of difficulty, and floors from non-rocky materials like wood block her seismic sense (i imagine Toph might have a love-hate-mostly-hate relationship with carpets)

Toph cannot seismic-sense flying objects, so she can't seismic sense through air; her area of earth-sight is fairly far through whatever solid rock she's standing on or touching with her hands, more "fuzzy" if she has to parse through that rock to another touching it, and her horizon ends where the rock ends and air / water / wood / etc. begins

that suggests that Toph perceives the pressures exerted on the rock and estimates the objects' qualities from that; it's very different from seeing; (that indirect perception style is more similar to echolocation than to touch)

immobile objects that aren't a stone conduct that could carry Toph's seismic perception further -- these exert a steady downwards pressure on the rock based on their weight; let's take a wooden chair as an example - Toph can see the pressure points where the chair's legs weight on the stone floor (a staple in the earthbender country); she can see how heavy is the weight on each leg based on that, but she can't directly see whether there is anything suspended between the chair's legs nor the chair's shape; but she can take an educated guess. it's light and small enough to be an empty chair rather than a wardrobe.

and if someone sits on that chair without directly touching the floor, their added weight and the uneven weight distribution (heavier on the leg they're leaning towards) -- is also something that Toph can see, and take an educated guess that either the chair is occupied or it's a coat rack with more coats on one side... nah, the coats don't just shift weight by themselves, must be an occupied chair

i don't know if she would be able to notice whether the thing touching the rock is stiff or soft just based on pressures, or is that another educated guess based on weight distribution - a softer thing creates more of a flat surface contact point with the floor, lighter pressure on the edges, compared to a stiff thing that doesn't change shape under the weight

as for the people (or animals), they move, so the pressure from their contact points with the ground isn't going steadily downwards as is the case with objects -- instead, it goes at an angle, as the living being pushes themself away from the ground / surface to a particular direction; similar as happens with objects that bounce off the ground / surface -- the trajectory of the movement is yet another educated guess

so specific people (and animals) have their own individual gaits, (and a person's gait shifts to reflect how they're feeling! or whether they're carrying bulky / heavy stuff around!), though there are some patterns -- e.g. i think Toph would be able to guess which stranger is an earthbender just based on how rooted their gait is; Aang is the opposite of that, so airbendingly light on his feet, hard to spot (which is a funny contrast with how easy he's to spot visually, with his yellow-orange clothing xD)

now, there are seismic signals that are more obvious and the subtle ones that require much more focus to notice: a person's gait is way more obvious than whether they're wearing shoes; i think it's most likely that Toph can recognise the gait of a person without much effort, but she has to actively look for more details like e.g. whether they're wearing shoes

- seismic sense truthtelling

speaking of minute details that require concentration, feeling someone's pulse through the skin which that person happens to press against the rock -- that sounds like a feat that requires a whole lot of focus! thus - probably only done on purpose; a person's gait may alert Toph that there's something to look for, though

- shape of rock

with rock being a thing that Toph perceives through rather than outside of, Toph would probably have a good grasp on volume, distances through, and maybe the mineral structure of rock she's using; quite a different perspective from the things that she perceives by either seismic proxy or by touch

i think that makes sculpting a fun challenge to Toph, that shift of perspective; i imagine it feels a bit similar to crawling into inside the empty space of a large sculpture to find these all-reversed bits that face away from you now (indents and outdents, all reversed) -- she gets this sense through solid rock, no crawl space required

- sense of time

btw, being completely can't-see-light blind, Toph's internal clock would be disconnected from the daylight cycle; there are still cues she gets from noise levels, meals (fats may make one more energetic and carbohydrates more restful), air temperature and how much of a workout she gets -- sill, Toph (given her general attitude towards society rules) might easily be not an early bird, not a night owl, but a secret third thing (sleeping when she feels like it, possibly operating on a different length of day than others do)

(for full disclosure and context, i'm sighted with visual processing issues, like, good vision with a somewhat noticeable delay in actually seeing things plus an occasional colour perception glitch; i have some training in non-visual navigation as we call the O&M here, and i had accidentally taught myself to echolocate as a kid prior to that, which totally makes sense for a kid who hears way faster than sees, lol)

Writing Toph Beifong, Advice from a Blind Writer

I’m Mimzy, an actual visually impaired writer and blogger who talks a lot about writing blind characters accurately and sensitively. A while back someone sent me an anon asking how to write Toph more accurately and sensitively.

Anonymous asked: Hi there! Your blog has been super-helpful already - I thought I knew a bit about writing with blind characters, but it turns out there was a lot to learn - but this is more specific. I’m writing a The Last Airbender fanfiction, and one of the characters is Toph. I think the fandom has done a fairly good job of respecting her blindness, but what are some things you’d like to see when people write her? I want to represent the character as best as possible; thanks in advance!

It’s taken a while for me to answer because I have a lot of thoughts about it as both a blind writer and someone who has read a lot of atla fanfiction. So here we go:

Keep reading

[indianapolistaekwondo]

The Essence and Tradition of Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo

Martial arts have always been more than just physical disciplines. They are pathways to personal development, self-defense, and cultural understanding. Among the myriad forms of martial arts practiced worldwide, one of the most historically significant and influential is Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo. With its roots deeply intertwined with Korean history, this martial art form reflects the evolution of physical training and mental discipline over decades.

A Brief History

Chung Do Kwan, meaning “Blue Wave School,” is one of the original Kwans, or schools, that laid the foundation for modern Taekwondo. Founded in 1944 by Won Kuk Lee during a period when Korea was under Japanese occupation, Chung Do Kwan emerged as a response to the need for a unique Korean martial art. This period was marked by significant cultural suppression, but it also served as a crucible for preserving and developing indigenous traditions in subtle, powerful ways.

Lee combined traditional Korean martial techniques with elements of karate, which he had studied in Japan. His teachings emphasized discipline, humility, and a profound respect for others—core values that are still central to Taekwondo practice today. Despite its tumultuous beginnings, Chung Do Kwan played a pivotal role in shaping the national and international identity of Taekwondo.

Philosophical Foundations

At its core, Chung Do Kwan is about much more than physical prowess. Practitioners are taught to embrace a holistic approach that incorporates mental fortitude, emotional balance, and moral integrity. The guiding principles include respect for oneself and others, perseverance in the face of challenges, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Students are encouraged to view their training as a lifelong journey rather than a finite pursuit. This philosophy fosters a sense of continuous growth, pushing individuals to strive for improvement not just in their martial abilities, but also in their personal and professional lives.

Techniques and Training

The training in Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo is characterized by its balance of traditional and modern techniques. While it incorporates dynamic kicking methods and powerful hand strikes that Taekwondo is famous for, it also retains elements of older martial art traditions that emphasize self-defense.

Key techniques include:

Striking and Blocking: Precision is paramount in Chung Do Kwan. Students are trained to deliver powerful and accurate strikes while maintaining a strong defense.

Forms (Poomsae): These choreographed sequences are integral to training. They teach students discipline, timing, and coordination while embodying the philosophy of the martial art.

Sparring (Gyeorugi): Controlled sparring sessions help students develop reflexes, strategy, and situational awareness in a safe and structured environment.

Self-Defense: Practical techniques for real-world scenarios are emphasized, ensuring that practitioners are prepared to handle various threats effectively.

The Role of Discipline

Discipline is the cornerstone of Chung Do Kwan. From the first day of training, students are taught to respect their instructors, peers, and the art itself. The structured hierarchy within the dojang (training hall) reinforces this, providing a clear framework for learning and growth.

This emphasis on discipline extends beyond the physical. Students are encouraged to cultivate patience, focus, and resilience in all aspects of their lives. The practice of bowing, maintaining silence during instruction, and adhering to a code of conduct are small but significant ways that discipline is instilled in every practitioner.

Physical and Mental Benefits

Practicing Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo offers a plethora of benefits that go far beyond self-defense. Physically, it enhances strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular health. The rigorous training routines also help in weight management and improve overall fitness levels.

Mentally, the art form is a powerful tool for stress relief and emotional balance. The focus required during training sessions encourages mindfulness, helping practitioners remain present and calm even in high-pressure situations. Over time, students often find themselves more confident, resilient, and capable of handling life’s challenges with grace.

Cultural Significance

Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo is not just a martial art; it is a cultural treasure that embodies the spirit of Korea. Through its practice, students gain a deeper appreciation for Korean traditions, values, and history. This cultural connection fosters a sense of unity among practitioners worldwide, transcending geographical and linguistic barriers.

In addition to its cultural roots, the art form’s global reach has made it a symbol of harmony and mutual respect. Martial artists from different backgrounds and cultures come together to learn and grow, forging bonds that reflect the universal appeal of Chung Do Kwan’s principles.

Modern Relevance

While rooted in tradition, Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo has adapted to the demands of the modern world. Today, it is practiced by people of all ages, genders, and fitness levels, making it an inclusive and accessible discipline. Its emphasis on both self-defense and personal growth ensures that it remains relevant in an ever-changing society.

Instructors around the globe continue to uphold the values of Chung Do Kwan, ensuring that the art’s legacy is preserved and passed down to future generations. This commitment to excellence has made it one of the most respected schools of Taekwondo, attracting practitioners who are eager to embrace its philosophy and techniques.

Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo is far more than a physical discipline; it is a journey of self-discovery and personal transformation. Rooted in history and enriched by philosophy, it offers practitioners a pathway to holistic growth, blending strength with wisdom and tradition with innovation.

For those seeking a martial art that embodies respect, discipline, and resilience, Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo stands as a testament to the enduring power of dedication and the human spirit. By embracing its teachings, practitioners can cultivate a balanced and fulfilling life, enriched by the timeless principles of this remarkable art form.

[brandonjohnbarnard]

Webs

I have started committing fully to the process of, while I am reading a book or into a topic, creating a web of each element that interests me via Clip Studio.

This formed, like many academic practices, as a solution to a problem. I wanted to see which ideas/people/events were linked to each other, and by making the connection, what new ideas emerged. Sort of like doing chemistry in the dark, I would grab two elements on different sides of the spider diagram, and ask the question ‘how are these connected?’.

Sometimes, there is none, or at least none that do not make me come across as someone rambling to themselves on the bus. Though, when there are, its impossible to un-see the connections.

Originally, this process was done with mostly my (digital) notes, with some multimodal elements such as screenshots.

What stopped me from embracing this type of learning method in the past was 2 primary concerns.

Searchability: with this type of web, there is no ‘ctrl + f’ to quickly find specific words or themes, meaning that for a quick reference it does not do as well as a word document. Though, I have come to learn that this is its strength. By looking at the web, and following its connections, new ideas are continuously forming with each inspection. In a way, it is a living document.

Finite Space: since these files exist as images, there is a limit to how large they can become. This is due to: the time it takes to save an image causing potential corruptions/crashes, what file types it can be saved as becomes reduced as the file size increases, space between connections becomes too compact. Etc.

There are solutions to the finite space problem, such as using an alternative software that is built for spider diagrams, but that always tends to result in some form of freedom-restriction, e.g. dealing with its method of classing/hierarchy, not having certain mediums allowed.

Also, from an authorship standpoint, using these systems felt less me. Less personal. I want to be able to doodle, be silly, or include images of people and concepts on tangentially related without the entire system feeling off.

Then, something happened to me which had not happened before. I realised, that a lot of my works, from lots of separate university modules and projects, had two shared elements — the theme of chance, and the medium of film. As such, I decided to write a PhD proposal looking into a merging or these 2 domains.

With this, I had to write a 6000 word piece in a short time, so I did not have as much time to prep and make a new web like I normally would. So, I instead looked at all of my previous webs I had made in the past. To my surprise, I was making connections between different webs, and a new meta-web formed. This, in effect, pulled the bandage off of worrying about sticking to one shared web with everything.

...

When reading around ‘chance’, I had stumbled upon the nouveau réalisme movement. It sounded interesting, so I did something relatively new to me, and I just started a new document looking into the same topic of ‘chance’, but from a different place. Rather than writing out my ideas first, I copied and pasted multiple Wikipedia articles.

When I read about an artistic work that sounded interesting, I would look it up and paste it in for extended context. Same with locations, publications, etc. It moved more away from word connections, to a type of Dada collage of things.

...

Now, when it comes to reading a book, I do the same thing as the Wikipedia articles.

Read the work

Create Physical Note

Insert both ‘the book’ and ‘the physical note’ into digital web.

Make connections between concepts within web.

Create digital notes around the nature of the connections, as well as include other image elements where appropriate.

...

I’m sure this process will evolve further in the future, but I am having a lot of fun with it.

I hope this maybe gave you some ideas of how to manage theme connections. Let me know if you have any thoughts regarding this!

[sunaleisocial]

Helping robots zero in on the objects that matter

New Post has been published on https://sunalei.org/news/helping-robots-zero-in-on-the-objects-that-matter/

Helping robots zero in on the objects that matter

Imagine having to straighten up a messy kitchen, starting with a counter littered with sauce packets. If your goal is to wipe the counter clean, you might sweep up the packets as a group. If, however, you wanted to first pick out the mustard packets before throwing the rest away, you would sort more discriminately, by sauce type. And if, among the mustards, you had a hankering for Grey Poupon, finding this specific brand would entail a more careful search.

MIT engineers have developed a method that enables robots to make similarly intuitive, task-relevant decisions.

The team’s new approach, named Clio, enables a robot to identify the parts of a scene that matter, given the tasks at hand. With Clio, a robot takes in a list of tasks described in natural language and, based on those tasks, it then determines the level of granularity required to interpret its surroundings and “remember” only the parts of a scene that are relevant.

In real experiments ranging from a cluttered cubicle to a five-story building on MIT’s campus, the team used Clio to automatically segment a scene at different levels of granularity, based on a set of tasks specified in natural-language prompts such as “move rack of magazines” and “get first aid kit.”

The team also ran Clio in real-time on a quadruped robot. As the robot explored an office building, Clio identified and mapped only those parts of the scene that related to the robot’s tasks (such as retrieving a dog toy while ignoring piles of office supplies), allowing the robot to grasp the objects of interest.

Clio is named after the Greek muse of history, for its ability to identify and remember only the elements that matter for a given task. The researchers envision that Clio would be useful in many situations and environments in which a robot would have to quickly survey and make sense of its surroundings in the context of its given task.

“Search and rescue is the motivating application for this work, but Clio can also power domestic robots and robots working on a factory floor alongside humans,” says Luca Carlone, associate professor in MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro), principal investigator in the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS), and director of the MIT SPARK Laboratory. “It’s really about helping the robot understand the environment and what it has to remember in order to carry out its mission.”

The team details their results in a study appearing today in the journal Robotics and Automation Letters. Carlone’s co-authors include members of the SPARK Lab: Dominic Maggio, Yun Chang, Nathan Hughes, and Lukas Schmid; and members of MIT Lincoln Laboratory: Matthew Trang, Dan Griffith, Carlyn Dougherty, and Eric Cristofalo.

Open fields

Huge advances in the fields of computer vision and natural language processing have enabled robots to identify objects in their surroundings. But until recently, robots were only able to do so in “closed-set” scenarios, where they are programmed to work in a carefully curated and controlled environment, with a finite number of objects that the robot has been pretrained to recognize.

In recent years, researchers have taken a more “open” approach to enable robots to recognize objects in more realistic settings. In the field of open-set recognition, researchers have leveraged deep-learning tools to build neural networks that can process billions of images from the internet, along with each image’s associated text (such as a friend’s Facebook picture of a dog, captioned “Meet my new puppy!”).

From millions of image-text pairs, a neural network learns from, then identifies, those segments in a scene that are characteristic of certain terms, such as a dog. A robot can then apply that neural network to spot a dog in a totally new scene.

But a challenge still remains as to how to parse a scene in a useful way that is relevant for a particular task.

“Typical methods will pick some arbitrary, fixed level of granularity for determining how to fuse segments of a scene into what you can consider as one ‘object,’” Maggio says. “However, the granularity of what you call an ‘object’ is actually related to what the robot has to do. If that granularity is fixed without considering the tasks, then the robot may end up with a map that isn’t useful for its tasks.”

Information bottleneck

With Clio, the MIT team aimed to enable robots to interpret their surroundings with a level of granularity that can be automatically tuned to the tasks at hand.

For instance, given a task of moving a stack of books to a shelf, the robot should be able to  determine that the entire stack of books is the task-relevant object. Likewise, if the task were to move only the green book from the rest of the stack, the robot should distinguish the green book as a single target object and disregard the rest of the scene — including the other books in the stack.

The team’s approach combines state-of-the-art computer vision and large language models comprising neural networks that make connections among millions of open-source images and semantic text. They also incorporate mapping tools that automatically split an image into many small segments, which can be fed into the neural network to determine if certain segments are semantically similar. The researchers then leverage an idea from classic information theory called the “information bottleneck,” which they use to compress a number of image segments in a way that picks out and stores segments that are semantically most relevant to a given task.

“For example, say there is a pile of books in the scene and my task is just to get the green book. In that case we push all this information about the scene through this bottleneck and end up with a cluster of segments that represent the green book,” Maggio explains. “All the other segments that are not relevant just get grouped in a cluster which we can simply remove. And we’re left with an object at the right granularity that is needed to support my task.”

The researchers demonstrated Clio in different real-world environments.

“What we thought would be a really no-nonsense experiment would be to run Clio in my apartment, where I didn’t do any cleaning beforehand,” Maggio says.

The team drew up a list of natural-language tasks, such as “move pile of clothes” and then applied Clio to images of Maggio’s cluttered apartment. In these cases, Clio was able to quickly segment scenes of the apartment and feed the segments through the Information Bottleneck algorithm to identify those segments that made up the pile of clothes.

They also ran Clio on Boston Dynamic’s quadruped robot, Spot. They gave the robot a list of tasks to complete, and as the robot explored and mapped the inside of an office building, Clio ran in real-time on an on-board computer mounted to Spot, to pick out segments in the mapped scenes that visually relate to the given task. The method generated an overlaying map showing just the target objects, which the robot then used to approach the identified objects and physically complete the task.

“Running Clio in real-time was a big accomplishment for the team,” Maggio says. “A lot of prior work can take several hours to run.”

Going forward, the team plans to adapt Clio to be able to handle higher-level tasks and build upon recent advances in photorealistic visual scene representations.

“We’re still giving Clio tasks that are somewhat specific, like ‘find deck of cards,’” Maggio says. “For search and rescue, you need to give it more high-level tasks, like ‘find survivors,’ or ‘get power back on.’ So, we want to get to a more human-level understanding of how to accomplish more complex tasks.”

This research was supported, in part, by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Swiss National Science Foundation, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the U.S. Office of Naval Research, and the U.S. Army Research Lab Distributed and Collaborative Intelligent Systems and Technology Collaborative Research Alliance.

[g2ginnovation]

Hypermesh Institute in Pune | HyperMesh certification training in Pune

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Skills developed in this course will give you a platform to take up Job in CAE also it will become the foundation for Product Simulation.

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[engiestudy]

I’ve been studying for midterms (three this past week, two next week. project due next Sunday) and so school has been a lot recently. It’s been tough to prioritize and my brain isn’t a big fan of starting anything and I don’t know how to study for open note tests. Honestly, I’m not sure how to study at all in a way that isn’t just doing a ton of problems and hoping it works out.

That being said, my last post about juggling has worked its way into my brain and is now a method of organization. It’s also become a way to forgive myself for dropping less important tasks. I’ve been trying to work on convincing myself that not all the balls are glass, and that some really are plastic and okay to drop even though it feels like they’re not.

This picture is from my studying of finite element methods, the class I both feel the best about and feel is the hardest. I think there’s a lot to learn but it all flows together well so I feel okay about it. After my first midterm (the only closed book one) I feel a lot more comfortable and in the swing of things.

Wrestling with my mental health has been hard, convincing myself that doing these things is worth it at any given time has been hard, but I’m getting through it. I’ve taken to printing out the answers to my homework when I study and putting it on the back monitor so that I can have a little less screen time.

[irispublishersengineeringscience]

Iris Publishers - Global Journal of Engineering Sciences (GJES)

Artificial Neural Networks and Hopfield Type Modeling 

Authored by Haydar Akca

From the mathematical point of view, an artificial neural network corresponds to a non- linear transformation of some inputs into certain outputs. Many types of neural networks have been proposed and studied in the literature and the Hopfield-type network has be- come an important one due to its potential for applications in various fields of daily life.

A neural network is a network that performs computational tasks such as associative memory, pattern recognition, optimization, model identification, signal processing, etc. on a given pattern via interaction between a number of interconnected units characterized by simple functions. From the mathematical point of view, an artificial neural network corresponds to a nonlinear transformation of some inputs into certain outputs. There are a number of terminologies commonly used for describing neural networks. Neural networks can be characterized by an architecture or topology, node characteristics, and a learning mechanism [1]. The interconnection topology consists of a set of processing elements arranged in a particular fashion. The processing elements are connected by links and have weights associated with them. Each processing elements is associated with:

• A state of activation (state variable)

• An output function (transfer function)

• A propagation rule for transfer of activation between processing elements

• An activation rule, which determines the new state of activation of a processing element from its inputs weight associated with the inputs, and current activation.

Neural networks may also be classified based on the type of input, which is either binary or continuous valued, or whether the networks are trained with or without supervision. There are many different types of network structures, but the main types are feed-forward networks and recurrent networks. Feed-forward networks have unidirectional links, usually from input layers to output layers, and there are no cycles or feedback connections. In recurrent networks, links can form arbitrary topologies and there may be arbitrary feed- back connections. Recurrent neural networks have been very successful in time series prediction. Hopfield networks are a special case of recurrent networks. These networks have feedback connections, have no hidden layers, and the weight matrix is symmetric.

Neural networks are analytic techniques capable of predicting new observations from other observations after executing a process of so-called learning from existing data. Neural network techniques can also be used as a component of analysis designed to build explanatory models. Now there is neural network software that uses sophisticated algorithms directly contributing to the model building process.

In 1943, neuro physiologist Warren McCulloch and mathematician Walter Pitts [2] wrote a paper on how neurons might work. In order to describe how neurons in the brain might work, they modeled a simple neural network using electrical circuits. As computers be- came more advanced in the 1950’s, it was possible to simulate a hypothetical neural net- work. In 1982, John Hopfield presented a paper [3]. His approach was to create more useful machines by using bidirectional lines. The model proposed by Hopfield, also known as Hopfield’s graded response neural network, is based on an analogue circuit consisting of capacitors, resistors and amplifiers. Previously, the connections between neurons was only one way. At the same years, scientist introduced a “Hybrid network” with multiple layers, each layer using a different problem-solving strategy.

Now, neural networks are used in several applications. The fundamental idea behind the nature of neural networks is that if it works in nature, it must be able to work in computers. The future of neural networks, though, lies in the development of hardware. Research that concentrates on developing neural networks is relatively slow. Due to the limitations of processors, neural networks take weeks to learn. Nowadays trying to create what is called a “silicon compiler”, “organic compiler” to generate a specific type of integrated circuit that is optimized for the application of neural networks. Digital, analog, and optical chips are the different types of chips being developed.

The brain manages to perform extremely complex tasks. The brain is principally com- posed of about 10 billion neurons, each connected to about 10,000 other neurons. Each neuronal cell bodies (soma) are connect with the input and output channels (dendrites and axons). Each neuron receives electrochemical inputs from other neurons at the dendrites. If the sum of these electrical inputs is sufficiently powerful to activate the neuron, it transmits an electrochemical signal along the axon, and passes this signal to the other neurons whose dendrites are attached at any of the axon terminals. These attached neurons may then fire. It is important to note that a neuron fires only if the total signal received at the cell body exceeds a certain level. The neuron either fires or it doesn’t, there aren’t different grades of firing. So, our entire brain is composed of these interconnected electro- chemical transmitting neurons. This is the model on which artificial neural networks are based. Thus for, artificial neural networks haven’t even come close to modeling the complexity of the brain, but they have shown to be good at problems which are easy for a human but difficult for a traditional computer, such as image recognition and predictions based on past knowledge.

Fundamental difference between traditional computers and artificial neural networks is the way in which they function. One of the major advantages of the neural network is its ability to do many things at once. With traditional computers, processing is sequential– one task, then the next, then the next, and so on. While computers function logically with a set of rules and calculations, artificial neural networks can function via Equation, pictures, and concepts. Based upon the way they function, traditional computers have to learn by rules, while artificial neural networks learn by example, by doing something and then learning from it.

Hopfield neural networks have found applications in a broad range of disciplines [3-5] and have been studied both in the continuous and discrete time cases by many researchers. Most neural networks can be classified as either continuous or discrete. In spite of this broad classification, there are many real-world systems and natural processes that behave in a piecewise continuous style interlaced with instantaneous and abrupt changes (impulses). Periodic dynamics of the Hopfield neural networks is one of the realistic and attractive modellings for the researchers. Hopfield networks are a special case of recurrent networks. These networks have feedback connections, have no hidden layers, and the weight matrix is symmetric. These networks are most appropriate when the input can be represented in exact binary form. Signal transmission between the neurons causes time delays. Therefore, the dynamics of Hopfield neural networks with discrete or distributed delays has a fundamental concern. Many neural networks today use less than 100 neurons and only need occasional training. In these situations, software simulation is usually found sufficient. Expected and optimistic development on all current neural network’s technologies will improve in very near future and researchers develop better methods and network architectures.

In the present paper, we briefly summarized historical background as well as developments of the artificial neural networks and present recent formulations of the continuous and discrete counterpart of a class of Hopfield-type neural networks modeling using functional differential equations in the presence of delay, periodicity, impulses and finite distributed delays. Combining some ideas of [4,6-10] and [11], we obtain a sufficient condition for the existence and global exponential stability of a unique periodic solution of the discrete system considered.

Artificial Neural Networks (ANN)

An artificial neural network (ANN) is an information processing paradigm that is in- spired by the way biological nervous systems, such as the brain, process information sees more details [12] and references given therein. The key element of this paradigm is the novel structure of the information processing system. It is composed of a large number of highly interconnected processing elements (neurons) working in unison to solve specific problems. ANNs, like people, learn by example. An ANN is configured for a specific application, such as pattern recognition or data classification, through a learning process. Learning in biological systems involves adjustments to the synaptic connections that exist between the neurons. This is true of ANNs as well.

The first artificial neuron was produced in 1943 by the neurophysiologist Warren McCulloch and the logician Walter Pitts [2]. But the technology available at that time did not allow them to do too much. Neural networks process information in a similar way the human brain does. The network is composed of a large number of highly interconnected processing elements (neurons) working in parallel to solve a specific problem. Neural net- works learn by example. Much is still unknown about how the brain trains itself to process information, so theories abound. An artificial neuron is a device with many inputs and one output (Figure 1). The neuron has two modes of operation; the training mode and the using mode. In the training mode, the neuron can be trained to fire (or not), for particular input patterns. In the using mode, when a taught input pattern is detected at the input, its associated output becomes the current output. If the input pattern does not belong in the taught list of input patterns, the firing rule is used to determine whether to fire or not. An important application of neural networks is pattern recognition. Pattern recognition can be implemented by using a feed-forward (Figure 2) neural network that has been trained accordingly. During training, the network is trained to associate outputs with in- put patterns. When the network is used, it identifies the input pattern and tries to output the associated output pattern. The power of neural networks comes to life when a pattern that has no output associated with it, is given as an input. In this case, the network gives the output that corresponds to a taught input pattern that is least different from the given pat- tern. Hopfield-type neural networks are mainly applied either as associative memories or as optimization solvers. In both applications, the stability of the networks is prerequisite. The equilibrium points (stable states) of networks characterize all possible optimal solutions of the optimization problem, and stability of the network’s grantee the convergence to the optimal solutions. Therefore, the stability is fundamental for the network design. As a result of this fact the stability analysis of the Hopfield-type networks has received extensive attention from the many researchers, [4,6-9,11,13] and references given therein. The above neuron does not do anything that conventional computers do not already do. A more sophisticated neuron (Figure 3) is the McCulloch and Pitts model (MCP). The difference from the previous model is that the inputs are ‘weighted’, the effect that each input has at decision making is dependent on the weight of the particular input. The weight of an input is a number which when multiplied with the input gives the weighted input. These weighted inputs are then added together and if they exceed a pre-set threshold value, the neuron fires. In any other case the neuron does not fire. In mathematical terms, the neuron fires if and only if

X1W1 + X22 + X3W3 + …. > T,

where Wi, i = 1, 2, . . ., are weights, Xi, i = 1, 2, . . ., inputs, and T a threshold. The addition of input weights and of the threshold makes this neuron a very flexible and powerful one. The MCP neuron has the ability to adapt to a particular situation by changing its weights and/or threshold. Various algorithms exist that cause the neuron to ‘adapt’; the most used ones are the Delta rule and the back-error propagation. The former is used in feed-forward networks and the latter in feedback networks.

Neural networks have wide applicability to real world business problems. In fact, they have already been successfully applied in many industries. Since neural networks are best at identifying patterns or trends in data, they are well suited for prediction or forecasting needs including sales forecasting, industrial process control, customer research, data validation, risk management, target marketing.

ANN are also used in the following specific paradigms: recognition of speakers in communications; diagnosis of hepatitis; recovery of telecommunications from faulty software; interpretation of multi-meaning Chinese words; undersea mine detection; texture analysis; three-dimensional object recognition; hand-written word recognition; and facial recognition.

To read more about this article https://irispublishers.com/gjes/fulltext/artificial-neural-networks-and-hopfield.ID.000601.php

Indexing List of Iris Publishers: https://medium.com/@irispublishers/what-is-the-indexing-list-of-iris-publishers-4ace353e4eee

Iris publishers google scholar citations: https://scholar.google.co.in/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=irispublishers&btnG=

[enteknograte]

FEA & CFD Based Design and Optimization

Enteknograte use advanced CAE software with special features for mixing the best of both FEA tools and CFD solvers: CFD codes such as Ansys Fluent, StarCCM+  for Combustion and flows simulation and FEA based Codes such as ABAQUS, AVL Excite, LS-Dyna and the industry-leading fatigue Simulation technology such as Simulia FE-SAFE, Ansys Ncode Design Life to calculate fatigue life of Welding, Composite, Vibration, Crack growth, Thermo-mechanical fatigue and MSC Actran and ESI VA One for Acoustics.

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[shrutisodhi]

Top 7 Ways in Which a Luxury Hotel Designer Can Do Wonders for Your Brand New Hotel

The luxury hospitality sector is a multi-billion-dollar industry because the allures of luxury hotels are baffling and inviting. Hotel interior designing is as much of an art as a science. To deliver memorable experiences and go beyond the finite boundaries of limited home walls, luxury hotels accommodate a “wow-factor’. Modern designs have risen in popularity and to meet and surpass the ubiquitous need for a captivating appeal, luxury hotel designers always go an extra mile.

Yes, you can always follow the DIY method and save money, but hiring a professional hotel designing service provider can help you to thrive in the competitive hospitality business of an upscale city like Delhi. Here are 7 perks of investing in any top luxury hotel designer in Delhi:

1. Lay a strategic interior blueprint of your interior

If you scratch the surface a little, then you might realize that having a swanky hotel designer is not merely about improving the aesthetic element. A hotel designer can help you devising and implementing a strategic plan where all the designing pieces fit in harmony with each other to keep your luxury hotel organized. Whether you are looking for a tranquil country vibe or a snazzy, power-packed interior for your hotel or business, a luxury hotel designer can synchronize every piece of your decor to bring a perfect-looking theme to your table.

2. Designers know their decorating game better

If you are looking for a space that will look high-profile on the very first glimpse, then a designer can work like your very own decorating fairy godmother. Look at the image below, a Jacuzzi is paired cleverly with an olive green shade and retro theme, The gold-bordered mirror, subtle lighting, everything makes the room look like it has jumped straight from a fairy tale. Everything is the resonance of imagination and luxury designers have a suave imagination to accompany their artistry.

3. You can’t decide which elements define the luxury, but designers can

From bling chandeliers to fancy curtains and statement pieces, designers know how to define luxury through la-di-da pieces. Just like the image below, your space also can speak volumes about class. The exclusive designs, close-knit patterns and homogeneous hues make a space look elegant and ingenious. Only designers can do these sorts of wonders.

4. Lighting & fixtures are taken care of almost without a failure

If you want every element of your hotel to stand out from the crowd and make it as luxurious as you want it to be, then adding warm lighting and fixtures can be a distinguished idea. Pick the light tones as shown in the picture, or add pendant lighting. Ranging from tea-light holders and candle holders to large wall lights, designers know to add fixtures to make your space posh. Mostly, designers have a flashy taste of swish lighting because they know how to play with several tones and corners. They can make storage smarter and can add better lighting options to make your space look vibrant and flair up your design quotient.

5. Designers know how to divide and conquer

Luxury hotels aren’t just rooms, lobbies and restaurants. They are much more than a necessity. Luxury hotels also host modish pools, grand lobbies, urbane gym spaces and whatnot. In order to make everything organized and add the utility concept to the dignified and cultured spaces, designers add extra effort by dividing spaces exquisitely. Whether it is about crafting upscale libraries or ritzy banquet halls, designers make everything ostentatious and appealing.

6. Luxury designers have an excellent choice of artwork

Paintings and artworks don’t just transform any hotel into artsy spaces, but they also give spaces a deeper meaning of learning and experience. Several hotels take advantage of an impeccable art collection in their lobbies or specific rooms to host their would-be galleries. Luxury designers can pick the best artwork for your hotel and add the urbane touch to your luxury hotel.

7. Designers can work like magic to create an opulent facade

Facade is the representing face of every hotel’s street image. A building’s facade can transform a hotel into a work of art. It specifies the character and affects the overall aesthetics of the hotel. You can design the facade but you cannot transform it into a masterpiece. But a luxury designer can do that.

The bottom line

Luxury hotels don’t just transmit a unique sense of calmness and comfort; they also make visitors feel regal. Find the best luxury hotel designer and integrate your visions with the designs. Ranging from the one-size-fits-all minimalist atheistic designs to the ubiquitous traditional themes, luxury designers know how to level up any interior by diversifying the true meaning of sophistication. Invest in the inquisitive minds and witness the designers constantly expanding the interpretation of luxury for hotels.

[klimp42]

Final Fantasy 8: An Amazing Story Hidden Behind Weird Mechanics

So it should be said that there is one thing that I love and that is some good narrative in gaming. I love it, give me a game with a good narrative and at least decent gameplay and I am in there, and a good narrative doesn't mean oscar level writing because I love Deadly Premonition, a notoriously weird game, but a golden game in my heart. Its story is weird and unique and at times outright strange, but it's endearing and I love how wild the story gets as it goes on. Now why am I talking about this? Why it's because of my lovely new bad gameplay good narrative obsession, Final Fantasy 8. That's right, gamer boys and girls we are going back to another old game, and that's because I just played it, and the remastered just got announced at E3 this year.

Alright so if you know nothing about the Final Fantasy series, let alone the 8th installment, let me help you out. Final Fantasy is an old franchise, it started in 1987 and got its name because the original name Fighting Fantasy was taken by a board game in the states, the myth of it being called Final Fantasy because it was a last ditch effort to make a successful game is just that, a myth. The game is prolific, being one of the granddaddy's of the JRPG genre and helping bring that good ol fashion turn based combat system popular in tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)  to videogames. Final Fantasy 1 is a classic of gaming and also is kind of like D&D, you have classes similar to the previously mentioned board game; Warrior, Monk, Thief, Paladin; with a few of its own unique classes; Red mage, Black mage and White mage. The games story was very simple, worlds ending, killing these fiends and go back in time and stop Chaos from doing this over again, also at some point the game explains that you are from another universe and that's why you just start outside the beginning kingdom, Final Fantasy stories like to be a little wild at times.

Like D&D you gained levels in this game by fighting monsters, getting stronger with each fight and eventually being strong enough to be able to face the final boss on even grounds, or maybe a little above them if you grind out yourself to max level. This system, if you are into the RPG genre, is incredibly rewarding as you get to see your team of lowly nothings evolve into masters of combat who can slay gods. The best part, to me at least, is going back to the starting area or an area that gave you trouble and stomping on those monsters who thought they were so cool 20 levels ago. Now in Final Fantasy series this system is in most of them, fight monsters, get exp, level up and your stats go up with it, the special cases are Final Fantasy 2,6,8 and 10, and of these the worst offenders of weird leveling are 2, 6 and 8. That's right, I said it, 6 has a weird leveling system with level not raising stats and needing summons equipped to level stats, I personally don't believe that it deserves its spot as one of the best Final Fantasys but that is an article for another time. I could explain why each is weird and 10 is fun and different in a good way, but forget all that and let's get into the focus of this piece, Final Fantasy 8.

Now even though it is my new obsession in good story bad gameplay, my fascination for this game goes way back to when I was a 3 year old with a pizza hut demo disc. Yeah you bet that was a thing, you would order a large pizza and it would come with a playstation demo disc that had a couple of games, but the only one that mattered to little old me was the demo for Final Fantasy 8, or that game with the guy with the cool sword and big water snake, as I was 3 and couldn't read that well. Seriously, if you have played a Final Fantasy game before you would know that you can use summons by clicking the tab they are in and then selecting the one you want, well ol kid me thought it was random as I was just picking things at random. So what I am saying is, I have always had a special place for this game in my heart, so there might be a bit of bias.

So I spent some time flip flopping over what I wanted to discuss and explain first, story or gameplay, on the one hand I wanted you to know what FF8 had to offer narratively, but on the other hand I feel I should let you guys know what you're getting into when you play this. So I decided to compliment sandwich this one, but like a subway compliment sandwich where the teenager who doesn't really want to work there barely tries to cut your bread so the top part is like really thin. So thin that what I am going to give you is this, FF8 is a great story of a young man learning to overcome his own weaknesses to understand that strength can be found in companions, listen I know that sounds cliche but I need more space to talk about the amazing character development and got to tell you about this bad gameplay.

So remember when I said that old Final Fantasy's had a nice leveling system based on fighting enemies, getting exp and raising stats? Throw it all out the window, because like I told you earlier FF8 is one of the weird ones. So for some reason FF8 has a whole system based around equipping "Guardian Forces" (summons) and then through this unlocking the ability to junction (equip) magic to your stats; like strength, magic, hp and the other classics; while also being able to junction magic to element and status attack and defense, allowing you to be able to either protect or do damage based on said elements and statuses. Now you might be thinking how does this work, because magic is usually used based on magic points (mp) well there is no mp in FF8. This is due to the narrative stating that it is very rare for people to do raw magic instead they need to draw magic from nature and creatures/people and use it that way. This means that in FF8 magic is a finite resource and instead of regaining mp you have to spend time drawing magic that is randomized to be either 2 or 12 magic, so it can take awhile. If this sounds a bit weird and confusing, don't worry it kind of is, there are tutorials to explain it, but man is it a weird system. So why is this all necessary? Well unlike other Final Fantasy's, in FF8 leveling raises your stats by the littlest amount, so to be able to do decent damage and also defend against it you need to junction magic. Also to make things even worse, leveling can be a problem as monsters level with you, so if an enemy is tough for you at level 20, raising your level to 30 won't help you as they will be doing more damage and have more health. The game does try to offset this by making it so if an enemy had fire to be drawn at lvl 10, at lvl 30 they would have fira to be drawn, which would make it so that you can junction a more powerful magic and do more damage. FF8 also gives you the option to just cast magic instead of drawing it from enemies, and can be useful since most bosses have healing magic to draw from them meaning you can go in without a huge stock of cure's.

Alright so we have a confusing system with a bad mechanic of monsters getting stronger with you as you level, is that all that is weird? Nope. So remember the guardian forces I mentioned earlier? Well they are necessary to be able to junction spells to stats and make your party stronger, but there are a limited number of them and that usually means only three of the six party members will have guardian forces so you can make a decent party for fighting. The problem is that the game likes to switch around who is playable a lot, and while it is fun and interesting in the narrative, it sucks gameplay wise. The game does make it easy by letting you be able to switch who has what guardian forces in a menu, but it gets tedious after the 15th time you have to do it and especially when the game switches between two perspectives like 4 times in 30 minutes. Also sometimes you have dream sequences where you play as another team and when you come back to your main party everyone but Squall, the main character, has everything unequipped, so you have to go back and re-junction everything and it's just a waste of time. Listen I could keep going on the weird aspects of this game, but I don't want it to take up this whole article and we got cool card games to talk about.

FF8 does a lot of things in a weird and bad way, but that doesn't mean it doesn't do things really really right, and thats with Triple Triad baby! Triple Triad is the super fun card game that exist within FF8, a game so good that you can also play it in FF14. The game is easy to get into and can get pretty hard with each area of the game map have unique rules, yet you can game the system by going to areas and abolishing rules and bring rules from other regions to new regions. Well except for one region, it is the king of rules, no exceptions! The fun of this game is not just showing the npc's of FF8 why you are the Yugi Muto of Triple Triad, you see you can learn an ability to turn cards you win from Triple Triad into items, which in turn can be turned into spells, powerful spells, I'm talking spells you are not meant to gain until like lvl 45 or 50. This means that if you want to you can spend time in the starting area at lvl 7 and leave a powerhouse that level thanks to Triple Triad. But there is a problem, this method is not quick, it takes hours to do this and also to even be able to get the ability to do this you will need to get AP for your Guardian Forces, which means either fighting fights normally or carding enemies which kills them but doesn' give exp, it can only be done at low health so be careful not to accidentally kill them.

So I have given a decent way to have fun but let me give you guys, in my opinion, the best way to enjoy FF8's gameplay, cheats. That's right a game that's so weird that the PC port has cheats that you can add to your save. I'm not talking about the normal ones we saw when FF7 and FF9 were ported to modern consoles, like the ability to turn off encounters and have it so you don't lose health in combat and do max 9999 damage. I am talking about the ability to modify a save file so you start with most low and mid level magic at full stock on all characters, and let me tell you it is a blessing. On PC it also allows you to at anytime raise all magic stocks to 100 and max level Guardian Forces, and let me tell you guys if you don't have the patience for the grind or want to try and just enjoy the story I highly suggest using these cheats, it makes things so much easier and I hope that the FF8 port coming to console has these cheats too. Also I should let you guys know I didn't immediately use these cheats, I tried to play it legit about three different times and every time the grind burnt me out, honestly if it wasn't for these cheats I would never had enjoyed FF8's amazing story. Speaking of amazing stories, let's finish off this subway compliment sandwich and talk about the good stuff.

So let me give you guys the easy lore of this world, on this planet, there are two types of people, normal people and sorceress, sorceresses can use magic naturally and a lot of them use this power for world domination especially the last sorceress, Adel, who was in charge of the country of Esthar and almost succeeded, due to this the Gardens were created by a man named Cid with the sole purpose to be able to kill sorceress should one like Adel show up again. The thing is one will show up and I don't mean because of plots need for a main antagonist, I mean because a sorceress can not die until she passes her powers to another female. Our story follows the character of Squall Lionheart, a quiet and distant youth who wants nothing more than to be able to prove that he is strong enough to be on his own, so badly that he actively shuts out other people who try to get close to him. Our boy here is a SeeD candidate in Balamb Garden, which means he is close to graduating and being basically a mercenary for the Garden until the need to fight a Sorceress arrives. And from there that's how the story grows, you have a cast of characters that join over time each interesting in their own right, helping as you deal with a looming sorceresses threat. Sounds pretty standard right? Well let's be real even something standard can be handled masterfully and that is exactly what FF8 does. Before I get into that there are two more characters I need to talk about. Laguna Loire, a soldier of the Galbadian army, who Squall keeps having vivid dreams about, through these dreams you see piece by piece of what he went through and how these events shaped him and the world around him and also how he is connected to Squall. There is also Rinoa Heartilly, a young girl who wishes to free the city of Timber from Galabadian control and in the process acts as the catalyst to what motivates Squall to change, all do to a chance meeting. When you look at the plot of FF8 it is abit generic what with stopping a Sorceress from creating her perfect utopia and most characters, outside of the ones mentioned above, get little depth to them, but what makes this story so engaging and interesting is Squall.

You see Squall starts off as a character who I can say I was disappointed in and didn't really like, a character I had adored since I was a kid due to my memories with that demo. He is angsty, off putting and really annoying, hell it feels like half of Squalls Dialogue is "...", but the thing is, that's the point. Squall is like that because he is afraid of trusting people again, fearing that if he does he will get hurt again and abandoned like he was as a child, so he puts on this cold front to make it easier for him, he doesn't have to worry if people like and rely on him if he is cold and indifferent, they would all just hate him. It is through this premise and his chance meeting with Rinoa that we see how Squall grows and changes, a man who I started off hating and grew to love and it's because it feels natural. Squall isn't cold because he thinks its cool or because he knows he is better than everyone else, he is a kid, a sad kid who went through heartbreak way to young and is afraid to love someone again. He is thrust into a dangerous world and has to come to terms that his lifestyle will not work for him, that he needs and wants to rely on others and he can't just keep ignoring a part of himself. Through the course of FF8 you see a quiet kid with a broken heart, overcome himself and become a real hero and use his new strength to make sure he can protect those close to him as well as himself.

And now we reach a bit of a problem, I would love to explain more, I want to explain why certain scenes moved me so much and why Squall's journey brought me to tears, but then I would need to spoil parts of the story, and that is the last thing I want to do. This is a Final Fantasy story that has incredible character development and I want people to be able to experience it themselves, to see what makes it great. I should also at least mention that the story is not without faults and tropes with Rinoa starting off being your typical manic pixie dream girl and if Squall really wanted to be alone he would have left SeeD after completing his training, and of course the other characters are not given as much screen time as Squall and Rinoa. However, tropes are not always bad and can still have depth, and by the end of the story I would say that Rinoa sheds the trope but it is on the nose in the beginning.

I left a lot of stuff out and with the HD remaster coming out sometime this year I think that if this article intrigued you, pick up a copy and experience it yourself. Experience a masterpiece of character growth that I believe is held back by clunky gameplay choices. I sincerely hope if you do decide to pick up this title that you enjoy Squall's story as much as I did.

[pens-swords-stuff]

Hello! and Happy New Year btw. I wanted to ask, how do you convey magic? For example, my oc would make a ball of fire in her hands.. how would you put that into words, with the bright light effect and other stuff. i'm sorry if this is confusing btw.....

Happy new year to you as well, anon! I hope 2019 is a fantastic year for you.

Hmmm honestly, I’m a little confused by this question. Are you asking me specifically how to describe a magical fireball? Or making it clear that something is magical? I’m not really familiar with what you mean by ‘the bright light effect and other stuff’ either, sorry — are you talking about the glow of a fire, or is this bright light effect something magical and different from natural light provided by fire? What’s the other stuff??

This is also a question I have difficulty answering because I don’t know the context or magic system you’re using. I don’t have enough specifics to give you any detailed answer.

That being said, I can definitely try to describe how to convey that something is magic!

How to Convey Magic in Writing

Casting

Most magic systems have a method of casting. Things don’t just happen, something has to be done to make the magic happen, especially if someone is using magic because they presumably have some sort of control. Writing about the process of what it takes to cast a spell or whatever it is can make it really clear that it’s a deliberate use of magic and not just some freak accident.

Having a clear method of casting lets the reader know that something is going to happen, and it’s magical.

Examples of casting

In Harry Potter, characters have to use a specific wand movement and incantation to cast a spell. Magic is conducted and channeled through the wand for the desired effect.

In my WIP Wanderlust, my character Aiden uses sigils to help him use magic by drawing symbols on himself with marker, usually. These symbols help channel and externalize his magic to that specific ability (i.e., throwing fireballs) so he can use it with ease as long as that symbol is somewhere on him.

In Avatar the Last Airbender, elements are controlled via movement. Waterbenders can’t just sit and stare at a river to control it, they have to move their entire body to manipulate them. Firebenders kick, punch, breathe, and use other movements to generate fire. If they can’t move, they can’t ‘cast’.

In Naruto, characters have to go through a complex series of hand motions to use jutsus (spells) as well control their chakra (magic) output to fuel that jutsu.

But what if your magic system doesn’t use wands/symbols/movement to channel and control magic?

Using magic tends to be a deliberate action. Your characters have to will it to happen somehow. If there is no physical method of casting, you can still show them ‘casting’ by writing about how they mentally caused that to happen. If your character is telekinetic and can move objects with their mind, chances are they still have to look at the object, and visualize it moving for it to work. If they’re conjuring fire, they need to do something to make it happen, even if it’s not waving a stick at it and saying a spell.

Just because your magic doesn’t need a thing to channel with doesn’t mean that you can’t give your character one. I don’t know about you, but if I was telekinetic and didn’t need hand motions to move things with my mind, I might still dramatically use my hands. I might not need to snap my fingers for something magical to happen, but I still might do it because why not? It’s cool. This depends on your magic system and character personality of course, but it’s something to think about.

Even when magic use is involuntary, there’s still a cause. For example: a character has control over weather and accidentally causes a thunderstorm when they’re upset and crying. Maybe they weren’t consciously thinking about creating a storm, but it’s happening because they’re upset. Maybe there’s no deliberate method of casting, but you can still make it clear that this storm is magical by describing the ties it has to that character’s emotional state.

Drawbacks and Costs

Another really good way to show that something is magical is through drawbacks, if your magic system allows for it. 

For example: A character is holding up a crumbling statue by magic. There was no visible method of casting, and they’re doing a really good job of supporting the statue, so it’s not immediately apparent that they’re responsible for holding it up via magic. If there is a drawback however, like if the character can’t sustain the spell for long, that character will reach their limit eventually. They might collapse and pass out because they’re overexerted themselves by using too much magic. Without the magic supporting the statue, the statue crumbles down, just as the character does. Now it’s made clear that the character was doing something, and the moment they are unable to keep doing it, the statue breaks apart.

The character had to pay a price of some sort to use magic, and it can help be a clear indicator of magic happening.

Examples of drawbacks:

In Life is Strange, Max can use magic to go back in time. However, she often gets a bloody nose when she does because it’s straining and has a physical drawback. Using her powers also has a huge effect on the environment around her, like snow in the summer, or a storm that will destroy an entire town.

In Naruto, they have a limited amount of chakra (magic) that they can use. It replenishes itself through rest and other means, but once they burn through too much of their chakra, not only can they not use jutsus (spells), it also fatigues them to the point of collapse. Additionally, if they deplete their chakra completely, they die.

If a character messes up the casting, the spell could backfire violently.

If magic is a finite resource, using it up will mean that they can’t cast spells in the future.

Have a clear set of rules

Magic systems have some sort of rules that guide their usage. It’s not always fun to be able to do anything and everything because magic exists. Even if you don’t write the rules down explicitly for your readers, you should write them down for yourself so you can remember what your guidelines are. Implying these rules of magic consistently can give your reader a sense of what’s possible in this world, and what they can expect when it comes to your magic, thus making it clearer when magic is happening.

A basic list of questions to ask yourself to help make rules:

How do you use magic? What fuels it? What abilities does it give your character?

How is magic learned? Do you have to be born as a magic-user, or can people learn to use magic? 

What are the limitations of magic? What can’t it do? Is it a limited resource?

Can magic be used maliciously? What dangers are associated with magic? Can it be dangerous for people to use it? How does society view magic?

Where does your magic come from? Why/how does it exist? Are there different types of magic?

Describing magic

What does magic look like? Does it have a distinct appearance? Is there an obvious indication that magic is happening that can be perceived by the five senses?

If there is, including that in a description of magic can be a really effective way to make it obvious that magic is happening.

Color is a really big one in media for a visual indication. In Harry Potter, spells are often accompanied by a color. Anime also tends to have a lot of color to convey magical casting.

Smell is one that I haven’t seen used very often, but it’s one that I like a lot. Does magic have a distinct smell that people can recognize when it’s being used?

Sometimes magic can be felt as it’s being used. Like static electricity, maybe people can feel it building and building and building until it’s finally released. Maybe magic usage makes the immediate area hotter or colder. Maybe magic has a feeling associated with, like it’s running through your body, and if you focus, you can feel the undercurrent humming within you.

As for describing a ball of fire that you specified in the ask… This might be how I would write it out.

She flicked her hand open when she felt the magic settle and charge in her palm. A spark of fire appeared, barely larger than a candlelight. She leaned in and breathed life into it, channeling more of her magic into the flame until it bloomed and grew. There was a distinct smell of ozone crackling through the air as the magically fueled fire flickered and gleamed — it was alive like a real fire, even if it had an unearthly glow.

I guess that could be an example?? I’m not terribly great at descriptions.

But here, there was a method of casting (flicking her hand open when enough magic had accumulated), a way to fuel it (channeling more magic into the flame), and a couple of physical indications that it was magic (ozone smell, unearthly glow, feeling magic in her hands).

I’m not entirely sure if this was what you were looking for, but I hope it helped at least a little bit!

If you’d like to ask me for advice on writing or running a writeblr, please check out my Ask Guidelines and FAQ first.

Ask Guidelines | FAQ | Advice Masterlist

[pcttrailsidereader]

Parallel Tracks...

I have been thinking a lot about my experiences on the Pacific Crest Trail over all the years I have been walking it. I recently completed my last section and this has given me a chance to consider some insights. I also realized that the time I spent in my career as a teacher and the time it took me to complete the PCT have been quite similar. Here are some reflections on both.

Techniques and equipment change. Techniques such as how best to reach my students and how best to pack for a another section of the trail are all about efficiencies and practicalities. Over time both change and usually for the better. Flexibility is a key to all of this. 

Experience increases confidence. The more you do something the more confident one feels. That has certainly been true for me. When I think about my first trip on the PCT compared to my last I my confidence level had grown by leaps and bounds. Same was true with my teaching. 

Variety and change are good. I have not walked the PCT strictly in one direction or one section to the next. Rather I have gone after those sections that fit best into my calendar and the calendars of my hiking partners. As a result we have seen the trail in many ways, directions, and in a range of conditions. My teaching career was augmented by trying new methods, new grades and job descriptions. These elements have kept me fresh and enthusiastic. 

Risk makes one stronger. Putting myself ‘out there’ has increased my confidence as well as my physical and mental strength. I have come to realize just how much ‘grit’ I am made of. 

Relationships are formed and some are maintained better than others. Along the PCT and with my professional colleagues I have formed friendships that have various lifespans. My hiking partners have remained consistent and our friendship has only deepened and gotten stronger over time. My professional colleagues include a large group but only a small number have remained close over time. 

Try not to make it a job but a journey. I have often said about my teaching career that when it became a job I would likely lose interest. Then I determined that when my job became work I would not want that either. Ultimately the finite difference between what is work and what is a job is difficult to define. It is one of those ‘gut level’ things that one knows it when they feel it. Work or a job can both be fulfilling and/or discouraging. I have always tried to keep what I do whether it is following a career path or following a hiking path, fulfilling. Some of the people I have met at school and on the trail appear to have made their efforts a job not a journey. I have clearly decided that is not my choice.  

Work smarter not harder. Evolution is an interesting thing. Trying my best to be as smart as I can be has often resulted in less fatigue and increased motivation. Continually striving to apply skills and knowledge gathered along the way has certainly shaped my professional life and my hiking life. 

Both my career and the PCT were longer than I ever imagined they would be. When I began I never actively thought finishing the PCT or teaching would go on for close to four decades. Surprisingly, the PCT and teaching school continued in a rhythm that mimicked one another. One revelation about the PCT was California is a very big state. One revelation about teaching was I could keep learning day after day, season after season, and year after year. In fact, I am still learning about teaching and the PCT. 

Both my career and the PCT opened my eyes to new challenges. After finishing a section to Walker Pass I was checking my phone for messages. My supervisor had called wondering if I would be willing to teach in a different building and classroom. Timing was important in making this ultimate decision. Since I had just completed another piece of my PCT puzzle I was not feeling averse to a new challenge. The Pacific Crest Trail has brought that out in me many times over. I have gone places I had no idea I would go or see, hear, touch, and smell. All experiences I had never imagined before.

Reflective and introspective...Walking the PCT has offered many opportunities to reflect on my life so far. It has also allowed me to deeply consider choices I have made or will make. This time has also given me the gift of time either alone or with others to consider or exchange thoughts, feelings, and ideas.  Teaching asks the practitioner to do the same only it never seems like there is ever enough time to do that. 

Howard Shapiro 

[coconut2877-blog]

9/10/19 the very start

I’m interested in the translation between physical properties and sounds. This translation is bidirectional, ambiguous yet carefully derived, and potentially creates transformative experience. 

Drama that leads to this 

This past summer marks the burst of my frustration towards music and sounds, which, along with the people involved in it, used to be what saves me from misery and gives me strength.  Experimental music and electronics sounds exhaust me. I miss string noise, hammers stroke on soft woods, and resonating bodies.

In my journal I wrote 

“

maybe deep down i still repel the idea of electronics, those blatant spectrums without any physical carrier. objects are what give me attachments.

i want sound to be coming from vibration of surfaces, strings, wooden enclosures, vocal cords, stomaches and skins.

”

Serious Stories that lead to this

Last fall Prof. Selesnick and his DSP lab got me started on physical modeling, the idea of physically simulating how a sounding object vibrates is intimidating yet fascinating somehow - to have the freedom to adjust certain properties (parameters) of an inorganic or organic entity, and synthesize its corresponding sound, to extend appearances beyond rationality and inspect on the sounds it’s capable of making.  

My initial project was using a method called functional transformation method, which wisely avoided the heavy computations incurred in common numerical methods (i.e. finite element methods) while faithfully solving the original partial differential equations, to synthesize sound generated by vibrations of 1D string and 2D surfaces. By the end of the semester I created a plugin for DAW with a GUI that allows users to adjust physical parameters of simple 1D string and 2D rectangular surface models, and accordingly synthesize the sounds in real-time. The end product was convincing yet incomplete, due to its raw-looking GUI and glitch in sounds from computational inefficiency. The rest of the school year I extended it into the third dimension, which already implies a “virtual sounding object” since the box model is technically vibrating (the displacement of the box) in the fourth dimension. Fourth dimension in a spatial sense rather than the time axis that people usually assume. 

Thoughts/Progress over the summer

As of now I realized the shortcoming of a real-time synthesizer. After reading certain chapters in “Digital Sound Synthesis by Physical Modeling Using the Functional Transformation Method”, I realized that my solution needs to be evaluated to see if it falls under the “real-time friendly domain”, if advancing/solving for one time step in the solution takes longer then the actual sampling rate of the plugin. I also thought about the “accessibility” of the form of this project, since plugin still assumes users having DAWs on their laptops, and knowing how to download and install new plugins. As essentially, a tool, this project would need more straightforward, and intuitive if not fun interfaces, and even evoke thinking about sounds in different ways.

I’m trying to synthesize sound as accurately as possible, however that is not the only goal, as it would become a known known problem. Tons of researchers have yielded satisfying theoretical approaches, just that no one I know(I haven’t really searched either) of have built it into a comprehensive and accessible tool yet. I feel that the project I completed above is a good start for making a more flexible physical modeling tool, however that would only mark the start of something bigger/more abstract. 

Looking into the “big blue sky”

I drew a map on my notebook, noting where I go from here. Completing a rather comprehensive tool that implements the physical process is one of my goals, but I also want to move back from where it might end - reverse-engineering the sound back to its physics. A friend brought up a paper Fisher wrote years ago, “on hearing the shape of a drum”, which turns the problem into a complete set theory question centered around mapping from one space to another. I’m not prone to this approach...

What does a sound implies about its shape, dimensionality, and materials? Is it possible to excite an object in a particular way so that it creates a sound alien to its shape? How are speakers designed to remove its intrinsic resonance? What kind of questions are worth asking? What approaches can be legit of investigating this reverse-engineering process? Machine learning or listening tests? 

I have a lot more to do - read about historical context of physical modeling and where my method stands in it, figure out different approaches to model the resonant bodies and experiment with my own transducer + resonator + signal combination, see if MIR (musical information retrieval) is a convincing reverse-engineering approach. 

With that i end with a photo of my notebook. 

[creative-type]

The Murder of Arthur Wright XIV

First  Previous AO3

Chapter Fourteen: An Unexpected Discovery 

With the formalities out of the way, Margot started to where Tobe was waiting. As they were walking Dash asked, “How’d you even find me?”

“I looked for you at your office and asked the secretary,” Margot said. “It wasn’t that difficult.”

That elicited a quiet chuckle. “We’ll make a detective out of you yet.”

“That reminds me. Here, you might want to keep a hold of these in that pocket of yours.” Margot pulled the loose sheets out of her notebook containing Master Wright’s research, but Dash waved her off.

“You keep a hold of it, Prof. I think out of the two of us you’re more likely to get good use of it. Besides.” He glanced at her sidelong. “It could be dangerous in the wrong hands.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Margot said, but tucked them back in her notebook regardless. “They’re no good to anyone if we can’t get them decoded. Do you think any of your contacts would tell you what the official investigation’s come up with?”

“Maybe. I can look into it.”

Having a plan of action suited Dash. He stood a little straighter, his whole posture more relaxed and friendly. He adjusted his coat as Tobe melted out of the shadows just outside the park (he had refused to go inside for reasons Margot found unfathomable) and gave a lazy wave of greeting.

“Looks like the lady got you outta your funk,” the boy said, peering up at Dash though narrowed eyes. “I thought you’d put me through all that work for nothin’.”

“I wouldn’t call a handful of coins nothing, Tobe,” Dash said. “And yes, the professor has knocked some sense into me.”

“Margot.”

Dash turned to look at her. “What?”

“My name is Margot,” she said. “If we’re going down together, it might as well be on friendly terms.”

Dash’s grin spread enormously wide. “Can’t deny it.” He returned his attention to Tobe. “So what’ve you got for us? Did you find her?”

“Yeah. There’s a pretty elf that works at that dump. Brown hair, wears it long. Talks like she was schooled somewhere real fancy.” A wicked glint entered his eye. “But that ain’t all I found.”

“Wait, wait, wait, you had him looking for Desdemona Wright?” Margot asked incredulously.

“Was a hunch,” Dash said with a shrug. “I thought it real strange that Anansi was hanging out at that playhouse by the waterfront. Even if he was expecting you to find him, people don’t just sit themselves in an unfamiliar place. Anansi had a reason for being there.”

“But what does that have to do with Desdemona?” Margot said.

“Anansi got that poem somewhere,” Dash said. He fished out a stick of jerky and began chewing with methodical thoughtfulness. “It’s too much of a coincidence otherwise. An anonymous author? Him making an illusion of an elf lady when Wrights senior and junior were both in the audience? Honestly I thought Anansi might be Desdemona, but if he was the one who wrote the play for Mr. Westmacott fifteen years ago then the timeline doesn’t check out. If the two haven’t been in contact I’ll eat my hat.”

He looked down at Tobe. “What else have you got?”

Tobe held up an expectant hand. “You paid me to find the lady, and I did. Anything else is gonna cost you extra.”

“Tobe, I swear if not for you I’d be a millionaire,” Dash sighed.

“Pleasure doing business,” Tobe said, and once Dash paid he pulled a small, grimy envelope from the inside of his vest. Dash took it with the greatest suspicion, and then went completely still when he looked inside.

“Dash?” Margot asked.

“Tobe, you magnificent scoundrel, that’s worth double,” Dash breathed. He fished more coins out of his pocket and thrust them at the boy. Tobe grinned, exposing a missing eyetooth.

“Toldja you’d like it.”

Dash grunted his agreement and with two thick fingers pulled out a single hair, holding it to the dying light. “You sure it’s hers?”

“Are you sure the lady ain’t a better detective than you?” Tobe challenged. “I tried to show you yesterday but you were off being stupid ‘cause some dame yelled at you.”

“That’s not why—“ Dash cut himself off, recognizing a lost argument when he saw one. “You know what, never mind. Thank you, Tobe. Is there anything else?”

“Naw.” Tobe shoved his hands in now-heavy pockets and looked up at Margot, cheeky grin firmly in place. “Keep him in line, Professor. He’s the best cash cow I’ve got.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Tobe laughed impishly and dashed out of sight. Margot watched him until he was swallowed by the darkness. “Do you think he’ll be okay alone?”

“He’s as alone as he wants to be, Prof—Margot,” Dash said. He tucked the hair back into the envelope, suddenly sheepish. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll stick with professor. It suites you.”

Margot smiled. “Whichever you prefer. Now tell me, do you know how to track Desdemona with that thing, or am I going to have to do it for you?”

Tracking a person with magic was one of those things that was easily done but difficult to master. A great deal mattered on what material was used (blood was best), the quantity that was present (a single hair without a follicle was suboptimal), how far away the target was (they had no idea where Desdemona was hiding), and the control of the mage.

Control was something Margot had in spades, so it was decided that she would be the one to conduct the spell. Together she and Dash went to the waterfront playhouse where Dash was convinced she had met with Anansi.

Once they arrived Margot found a convenient bench under a lantern and rummaged through her bag until she found the small sewing kit that she never left home without. Dash stood guard behind her, looking tough and dangerous so she was left alone while she worked.

“Envelope please,” Margot said. Dash handed it over without question, curiosity painfully evident on his face.

Margot used the single hair to thread her needle, tied it off, and then wrapped the tail around the shaft of the needle. A spark of magic kept it from unraveling again.

“We don’t know why, but magic works best when you can link the metaphysical energy to the familiar. Perhaps it’s the only way our finite minds can understand the more abstract aspects of our spells, perhaps it’s a simple mental block that none but the best mages can overcome. Perhaps there’s some fundamental law governing magic that we don’t yet understand.”

Reaching behind her, she plucked a stray leaf that somehow managed to attach itself to Dash’s coat and wove her needle through. Then calling on her magic, Margot gathered a small pool of water to the cup of her hand.

“When I was small I read an adventure book where the heroine had to make their own compass to navigate a haunted forest. Imagine my surprise when I learned with the proper tools anyone could make their own compass.”

Water was the element Margot worked with best, so that was what she used for the basis of her spell. She fixed the image of her makeshift compass leading to Desdemona Wright. The single hair, not a magnet, polarized her needle. Magic flowed unhindered through the water in her palm, sparking something that was almost life into the dead cells of Desdemona’s hair.

The needles spun wildly, and Margot could feel Dash’s excitement rising. It finally settled, the sharpened point indicating they should head west, into the heart of the waterfront district.

“Did it work?” Dash asked.

What does it look like? Margot thought to herself irritably. “She’s within the range of the spell for now. We should hurry before she moves.”

If Margot’s first trip to the waterfront was tense, her nighttime dalliance with Dashiell Cain was downright uncomfortable. People had a way of knowing who did and didn’t belong, and Margot was especially out of place.

Between Dash’s size and Margot’s burns they stuck out like a sore thumb. It was almost tempting to step away from the well-lit streets. Almost. Margot didn’t know this area of town well, and confident as she was of her ability it was wiser not to invite trouble.

But while Margot felt uneasy Dash seemed to be in his element. He exchanged greetings with those they passed, and more than once they were forced to stop as he made small-talk with the locals. Each of these conversations followed a similar beat, chatting and being generally friendly. The longest of these conversations involved him buying a shish kabob from a street vendor.

“Are you done?” Margot said under her breath.

“Just checking the pulse, Prof,” Cain said. “Who knows, might come in handy someday. Besides, it doesn’t look like she’s going anywhere.”

He was right; Margot’s compass had not moved. Suppressing a sigh, Margot moved on.

As he worked, Margot got the impression that this was where Dash truly thrived. Rather than the high profile cases that made his mentor famous, he was an ordinary man who enjoyed working with ordinary people.

Margot sincerely hoped that one day he would have the opportunity to do just that.

Finally the needle turned at a narrow street. The road, or perhaps it was better described as a glorified alleyway, was packed dirt with deep ruts caused by countless carriages. The street sign that marked it as the Plumet Road was crooked and worn.

Margot and Dash shared a glance and plunged into the darkness. Without being asked Dash called light to his hand, his magic bright orange.

“Lead on, Prof.”

Together they were led to the steps of a tall, narrow building that Margot guessed was rented housing. Cautiously she pounded the heavy brass knocker against aged wood.

The door opened a crack, revealing little more than an eye, while a man’s voice said, “Who is it?”

“My name is Mr. Cain, and my associate here is Professor Margot of Kempeston Academy. We have business of a professional nature with one of your tenants.”

The door opened wider. A squat man of about fifty peered up at Dash suspiciously. “Which tenant?”

“In addition to being of a professional nature, our business is also confidential. Please may we come inside?” Dash said.

The man considered this for a few moments, his gaze sweeping from Margot, to Dash, and back again. After his contemplation he reached into his pocket and pulled out a smooth black stone.

“Say that one more time.”

“Our business is professional in nature and also confidential?” Dash said, confused.

A rune on the stone flashed white, and the man nodded in satisfaction. “If you was lying it’ve turned red.” He opened the door the rest of the way. “Hurry up and then be off with you. I run a respectable place.”

Dash tipped his hat in thanks. Margot indicated that they were to go up to the second floor, wincing as the stairs groaned in protest. From there it was a short walk down a dingy and poorly lit hallway. The needle led them to a door marked number 7 and Margot raised her hand to knock.

“Hold on, Prof,” Dash said under his breath. He leaned an ear to the door and whispered a few words Margot couldn’t catch. He listened for a full minute, Margot growing more and more anxious that someone would come out and demand to know what they were doing. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he pulled his head back.

“Couldn’t catch anything specific, but I think there’s only one person inside,” he said. Then, indicating to the compass, “Better get rid of that.”

Margot hurried to stuff the leaf and needle into her bag while he knocked. She barely finished dissipating the water back into the air before the door opened to the astonished face of Desdemona Wright.

As soon as she saw who it was she slammed the door shut, but Dash was quicker. He stuck a foot in the doorway, wincing only a little at the force she used.

“Go away,” the elf hissed, her voice pure venom. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“Miss Wright, I only want—“

“I’m no Wright. My father made sure of that ten years ago.”

“Alright, fair enough. What would you preferred to be called then?” Dash asked.

“I would prefer if you go away, Mr. Cain. Now remove your foot or I’ll scream. Don’t think that I won’t.”

Dash’s eyes lit up. “You remember me?”

“I try to remember all of my stalkers, Mr. Cain, and I’ll have you know that I’ve a policy of not allowing them into my living quarters.”

Margot couldn’t help it. She laughed, and was forced to bite her knuckle to smother it. Desdemona turned her attention from Dash.

“I see you’ve brought a lackey this time around. Both of you ought to be ashamed.”

“I assure you the professor is no lackey, Miss Desdemona,” Dash said. “She’s my client and is helping me figure out who caused the explosion that took your father’s life. Now I get that you two didn’t get along the best, but that fire would have been deadly if not for her. More deadly, anyway.”

Desdemona’s grip on her door slackened. “You’re not working for my brother?”

“He fired me,” Dash said cheerfully. “And then your mother threatened to have my license revoked and the professor fired. Lovely people, your family is. I’ll tell you all about it if you let me in.”

There was a heartbeat of hesitation. “Now isn’t a good time.”

“Too bad.”

Dash shouldered the door, wrenching it from Desdemona’s grasp as he forced his way inside. Margot danced in behind him before Desdemona could force it shut again.

Desdemona was rightfully furious, but she did not scream. Candles lit her small living area, bathing the room in a soft light that gave the entire space a homey atmosphere. The space was tidy, but not fastidiously so, and it appeared that they had interrupted Desdemona from a late supper.

The woman herself bore a striking resemblance to her mother, both in appearance and bearing. Resentment smoldered in dark brown eyes, her posture regal and proud. The only thing Desdemona seemed to inherit from her father was his mousey brown hair and thin blade of a nose, too long to be considered conventionally attractive but suiting her well.

She jutted her chin out, and said in a scathing tone, “Are you happy now, Mr. Cain? Were you so discontent with hounding me in public that you must invade my personal privacy as well?”

“I need to talk with you, Miss Desdemona,” Dash said calmly. “I would prefer to do this nicely, but you’ve been making yourself hard to find.”

“And yet here you are.”

While they went back and forth Margot wandered deeper into the apartment. The furniture was serviceable, cheap but no dilapidated. A charming landscape painting decorated the wall, for there was no window. Her cookware seemed to be in good condition, a fading floral pattern painted on both the dishes on the table and those setting near the wash bin.

“Just where do you think you’re going?!”

The exclamation, directed at her, made Margot stop in her tracks. “You have a lovely home, Miss Desdemona.”

“I have nothing to say to you,” Desdemona said. “To either of you. Now leave or I’ll start yelling. Don’t think I won’t.”

It was the second time she had threatened to scream, but through the entire conversation she hadn’t raised her voice above a strained whisper. Margot frowned. Something wasn’t right. Desdemona had nothing to lose by causing a racket and everything to gain. Why wasn’t she forcing them out?

Two sets of dishes, one at the table and another at the wash bin. Perhaps they were left over from a previous meal, but…

Now isn’t a good time.

Someone else was in the apartment. Someone Desdemona didn’t want them to find.

Slowly Margot stepped back to Dash. There was no room for someone to hide here except behind the door that led to Desdemona’s bedroom. Margot supposed that together she and Dash could rush Desdemona, but that seemed like a gross invasion of personal privacy, even in these circumstances.

“I’m sorry we interrupted your meal,” Margot said. “We didn’t realize you had company.”

“The only company I’ve had tonight is you, and you’ve worn out your welcome,” Desdemona said. “Now leave.”

“Not until we get answers,” Dash said. His eyes had glued to the bedroom door at the mention of company. “I’m a patient guy, got all the time in the world to wait. How about you, Prof?”

“I’ve got all night,” Margot said, her voice velvety soft.

“Don’t you want to find out who bumped off your old man?” Dash asked.

“Not particularly,” Desdemona said. She managed to keep calm as she moved to block their view of the bedroom door. “If you ask me, it was probably my mother.”

“Your mother?” Dash parroted.

“My mother wanted what all upstanding women want: a picture perfect family. That isn’t what she got, and I’m sure by now the resentment’s nearly killing her,” Desdemona said bitterly. “They can all rot for all I care.”

“That doesn’t sound very good, coming from you,” Margot said.

“It’s the truth. That’s what you want, isn’t it?” Desdemona’s hands clenched into fists. “My father deserved everything he got and more for how he treated…how he treated his family. I didn’t kill him, but I applaud whoever did.”

Dash cocked his head. “Seems kinda extreme. I mean, yeah he disowned you, but I heard you stole a whole bunch of silver from the family.”

Desdemona’s laughed. It was a lovely laugh, like silver bells, but something about it caused a chill to go through Margot’s spine.

“This isn’t about me,” she said. “None of this is about me.”

“Then who is?” Dash demanded. “What are you hiding? Who are you hiding?!”

“I told you! I didn’t kill my father. I’ve had nothing to do with him for ten years. This is the last time I’ll warn you, get out, or—“

“Dessy, stop.”

Whatever Desdemona had been planning to say died in a strangled croak as all three people standing in the living room whirled to the bedroom door. The color left Desdemona’s face as a young woman quietly shut the door behind her. She shared an uncommon resemblance to Desdemona, even for a sister.

For a moment no one could speak. The strength left Desdemona’s knees and she collapsed into the nearest chair and buried her head in her hands. The second woman took a step forward, regret in her large, grey eyes.

“I’m sorry, Dessy, but they weren’t going to leave. Not this time.”

Dash took off his hat and placed it across his chest. He swallowed hard, and with reverent wonder asked, “Am I wrong in saying I have the pleasure of addressing Miss Abigail Wright?”

The woman looked away, her shoulders curling in on themselves as she gave the smallest of nods. When she spoke her voice was tiny, and Margot had to strain to hear her say,

“You do.”

[dearwriters]

Since this poll is finished, let's review a bit, shall we? As you can see, the last option is clearly the winner and in the notes people discussed a lot of reasons why that is:

1. Structures are too "rigid"

Some feel a certain structure is too rigid for their creative process. They are what a lot of people call discovery writers, a completely valid way to write. Although I personally would argue, that a structure is only as rigid as you make it. I think the difference between a discovery writer and a plotter is not so much a difference rather than a spectrum and how much planning or structure you need depends on how your specific brain works.

But I can't help but think that in some cases the rejection of story structure may stem from a certain perception that opposes structure with creativity often to the point of insinuating that true creativity can only exist outside of structure. There seems to be a misconception that using a specific story structure means you have to rigidly adheare to it and can't change things up as they suit you. Which is very much untrue, since most writers who use structures (as you can also see in the notes) start out with a structure as a basic framwork and build upon it in whatever way they choose. They use what they need and leave what isn't helpful to them. I think it is all about individuality and how a personal creative process works. That's why many people argue that they use different methods or structures (or even combine different structural elements to build their own individual structure) depending on the project they are working on, which is actually very common! So however you write, if you use structures or you don't, if the way you write is true to the way you think about your writing, then it is legitimate!

2. My stories "accidentally" fit a certain structure

A lot of people mentioned that their stories "accidentaly" fit certain structures without them trying to build the plot according to said structure and I just wanted to say: congratulations to you A+ pattern recognition! A lot of writers, even those who don't have that much experience can emulate certain features of the craft by instinct just by the virtue of them consuming a lot of stories. Some people are great at structuring, or building characters or worldbuilding just because they know how the kind of story they like to read works. This is why a common piece of writing advice is "read read read". As humans, we learn how stories intrinsically work, just because we have been consuming stories since childhood. There is a lot written about how there are only a finite number of stories told over and over again and originality is just in the way they are told and equipped. We know how a fairy tale works, we know how a crime story works or a romance or a quest and so on. That's the reason discovery writing can work so well: We already know what makes a good story, so we sometimes instinctually know where a story needs to go.

3. Structures are not "realistic"

Some people argued that to structure a novel is unrealistic, since real life is not structured. I struggle most with this argument, since we are talking about fiction. To paraphrase an argument made in the notes: "real life often is unsatifying". When we pick up a fiction book, we are prepared not to read a depiction of real life. That's where the whole "suspension of disbelief" thing comes from. A novel needs to have inherent logic to feel "realistic" in a sense, but actual depiction of reality is not necessarily the goal. Stories are inherently artificial in nature, just by the virtue of being written and/or told. Other than structures, there are several things like stylistic devices, character wants/needs, etc. that are part of this artificiality. As a human, I don't have a character arc, I don't have one set goal with a clear motivation, I don't have a specific lesson to learn on a specific journey. Humans are way more compley than that. But a character would have these things, that's what makes them a character, artificial. They are imagined so they are only as realistic as an image can be. Which can be very realistic! But never real. And I think that's where this argument falls apart from me: trying to emulate reality in fiction isn't productive, because you can only ever depict. You can aim for "realistic" but never for "real".