#arithmetic techniques

[kithpendragon]

Similar: 20+40 = 60 feels like one step to me, counting by tens from 40 7+8 is a memorized 15 15+60 = 75 feels like one step too

I spent too much time in math classes refusing to show my work, and had to be able to finish very quickly when asked to prove I wasn't using a calculator. I've lost much of that ability due to lack of practice in the intervening decades. There might still be some intermediate steps going on in the background, but I'm not conscious of them.

I was taught to "carry the one" for this kind of addition, but this way is both faster and has fewer moving parts.

... looking for the double-check, I also see a different grouping:

27+3 = 30, 48+2 = 50 30+50 = 80 80 - (3+2 = 5) = 75

, but it's apparently not my go-to method in this instance.

[giorgio52fan]

Math Marvels: Adding Natural Numbers Made Easy!

Before we start solving some problems, click on the video below: Problem 1: Understanding Carryover in Addition of Natural Numbers Introduction: Addition is a fundamental mathematical operation that helps us combine numbers and find their total value. However, when adding larger numbers, a concept called “carryover” can pose challenges for learners. Problem: Consider the addition problem: 589 +…

[searchingforserendipity25]

There are some things Davenport knows.

He counts them sometimes, the things he knows.

His name; how to tie his shoes with twelve different knots; how the Madame Director likes her coffee.

The rules of playing Fantasy Chess, and how to cheat at Fantasy Chess too.

How to tell when someone is afraid

How to make his bed, so tight and neat he can drop a coin on it and it jumps, newly polished and gleaming, right back into his hand

How to bandage up to twenty different kinds of injuries

How to make the best sea chowder on the Moon Base, and also on the planet

How to press a uniform so it lasts a week and several explosions with no crinkled corners

How to organise reports with proper colour-coding techniques

Not a great many words, when it comes to that - slippery as fishtails, words, hard to grasp in the mind and impossible to put into his mouth

How to laugh, and how to cry

How to be helpful, if not always in the most efficient way

Some very complicated geometry and arithmetic, though not the word for geometry, nor how to write down an equation to explain how he got his results.His name, the names of his colleagues, where he is, what time of the day it is, what happened yesterday.

His name, his name, even when he doesn't know anything else, his name is Davenport -

Most days, anyway

He cries, sometimes, over bowls of spicy soup and at cute dogs, when someone leaves a book half-open on the table - when he sees groups of people laughing, and when he's alone for a long time. He is rarely alone. The Madame Director finds him, every time. Brings him biscuits and jam, shares puzzles, gives him folders to file.

She tries to teach him new words from brightly coloured books, sometimes. Not often; Davenport hates to make her unhappy, and she looks very sad, whenever he fails. He hates failing - this he knows for certain. But regardless of what he does, the Director is sad a lot of the time. Busy, busy; but she goes very still, late at night, and writes lists in strange languages with shifting characters, and then burns them, with a look on her face like stone, like a closed fist. He sweeps the ashes, afterwards; there's nothing in them he can understand.

No one sees her in those hours. Only Davenport is there, with no one else around. Davenport does not count as company, really. Or at least the Madame Director trusts him enough to let him see her when it's very late and she is very tired, and there is too much work for a night's rest.

It's nice, being trusted. Davenport likes it, likes his little tasks, his schedule and his friends. He knows every corner of the Moon Base, except the ones he is not supposed to enter; he has a little map sewn into his coat pocket, for when he forgets he knows every corner of the Moon Base.

He loves slow music, and sea chowder, and to drink his tea (the Director makes it, sometimes; she knows just how he likes it) while standing behind the transparent windows and watch the planet down below, all green and blue and changeful, like a face with many moods.

He knows he likes these things.

It is only that, sometimes, Davenport is very full of a painful feeling, a feeling like being full of smoldering fire, a feeling like --

Anger has no face, no colour. Davenport does not know a lot of things; sometimes he grasps at the softened edges of his mind, looking for something sharp enough to cut himself with. Davenport is angry, sometimes, though he has no words for it. Sometimes, anger is the only real thing in Davenport's world, the first thing he ever knew.

And then he forgets about it.

There are few things Davenport knows. He can feel the shape of something very important, prodding at him, filling him up with a warm, unpleasant energy. It is there when he wakes, for a handful of moments - every day, in the dreaming place between wakefulness and sleep. Like a dream, it fades before he is done dressing for the day. He has no words for it. The truth is, most days Davenport only knows his name is Davenport, and the worst of it is Davenport forgets there might be anything missing.

[ancientnapdragon]

First Post | Second Post

My last set of ramblings I left off on a loose cliffhanger... which will stay that way! I kinda wanted to pull apart the Food Peak itself and how it functions/how they actually Cultivate there! It seems like a fun exercise on developing the world this AU takes place in c: Maybe a few ship crumbs in there, but since I DO love to yap, expand that read more at your own risk! Hehe!

Food Cultivation is, on the surface, exactly what it sounds like. You eat stuff and it helps fortify your body, soul, and strengthens your Core! Not just ANYTHING works, though, and it's more than just finding a Chicken Faced Serpent's liver and choking it down.

Food Cultivation is seen as a super easy way to Cultivate, maybe even scorned a little bit, and can be indulged in by people who don't even usually Cultivate that way. But, it's almost impossible to get to a Golden Core stage without a LOT of money or a LOT of knowledge/work. One of those low basis to learn, high skill ceiling sorta things. Usually, the only people outside of Sects who get to that stage are very very wealthy Nobles; and even then, they're not really strong.

Food Cultivators don't need a lot of Qi or natural talent to start cultivating. The techniques that are taught specifically on CQ are all about strict control. You use what Qi you have in a very precise way to make little shields, blades, to enhance certain parts of your body, or occasionally heat or cool things. It's short, controlled bursts. Most of the really good 'talent' goes to the 'higher' Peaks so they've really gotta master what they've been given on the Food Peak.

With Food Cultivation, you can't just eat your way to success even if that's what it might sound like so far. You need to keep your body strong and master various skills before you can even hope to learn to channel Qi into them to improve them. You still need to meditate and put in the elbow grease to get you anywhere worth being.

Food Cultivation expects you to eat a lot of different things. Not everything you eat will help you grow your spirit. Plus, you can only eat the same thing so many times before it doesn't really do anything for you. Spiritual Foods, when eaten on the regular, have diminishing returns. You get a super strong Flower and eat it; the first time is a nice boost, the second time is just ok, the third isn't much, any time after that would be wasted on you, ect ect. The best that eating that flower would do for you after you've got all the 'boosts' is just helping replenish your Qi if you're low. Since you can only eat stuff a few times before it stops boosting you, it becomes sort of like a puzzle. Say you got a Strawberry and it boosted you by '20 Points' (which is probably what the System would tell SY). Then you got a piece of cheese and it boosted you by 20 points. If you cooked them together, you would get-! 15 points total! That's less than just eating them! BUT, if you dipped that Strawberry in Chocolate (20 Points, too), you might get 50 points! More than both! So, you can either eat things as they are or try and experiment and get even more of a benefit! But, you'd also have to think about stuff like cooking techniques, how long until the thing you want to eat goes bad, plus all this other stuff which can make the Boost you get higher or lower. If you just chew through everything that crosses your path, your Cultivation will suffer! You have to plan ahead on top of getting really lucky with the more rare stuff!

On the Peak itself, younger and newer disciples are given basic reading, writing, arithmetic, and basic cooking classes. The cooking classes teach basic skills like how to hold your knives properly and how to care for them, some easy recipes, ect ect! All disciples have, also, their basic Peak upkeep chores like laundry, cleaning, and lots and lots and LOTS of scrubbing.

After you've proven yourself capable enough to not slice your fingers off or set (too many) fires, disciples are expected to head down the mountain into the nearby city and set up what is basically a food kitchen. It's used to help cement basic fundamental skills! After all, you get really good at chopping something up if it's all you do for like 4 hours and slightly under duress. Usually the newer disciples handle the basic prepwork while a few of the more advanced ones will actually cook. This is overseen by a few seniors who make sure everything goes smoothly and who actually hand out the food! (I imagine that the Qian Cao ALSO do something similar nearby, except for healing. They get free food in exchange for helping out any unfortunate accidents!)

As for the more senior disciples, I think they have a few more intensive duties! Other than the Head, there are at least eleven more 'upper' Seniors. Each of these Seniors is the head chef for each of the other Peaks. When you're at a high enough skill to not fuck it up, you get rotated to act as a Chef under these Seniors at each Peak; Each Peak has their own food needs, after all! (Side note: around this time is also when you would be expected to get your Spiritual Sword) For Seniors who aren't the 'Head Peak's Chef', though, there is a secondary duty- but I gotta explain that giant pot of soup I briefly mentioned in the first post.

That Giant Cauldron of Soup is, like, more important to the Food Peak than anything else. It's some special kind of spiritual metal that the OG Founder worked to craft and stands over this massive fire pit that is constantly burning. It's HUGE, with a whole facility like half built over and around it; gotta keep the rain and snow out of the SOUP. I love stuff like Hunter's Stews and stuff like that, so this is basically what this is- this pot of soup has been stirred and tended since the OG Peak Lord first lit it. Part of a senior disciples duties is to keep the soup topped up, tasting good, and filled with stuff to help fortify your Qi.

The Soup is a huge cultural thing on the Peak. You're expected to have a giant bowl of it, with sides, every morning- even the Peak Lord. The stuff in it helps to strengthen the new/weaker disciples as well as fortify anyone older. It's a Qi superfood, even with dimishing returns. It's usually only allowed to be eaten by people on the Food Peak, though; only in emergencies will people off-Peak get any. Even the Sect Leader doesn't have the right to demand any. (SY is going to of course try and sneak some to his fussy boyfriend) Okay, so we got all that, but what about SY's obsession with the recipes that the System keeps teasing him with? Well, part of your study on the Food Peak isn't just learning to cook or even the spiritual food dance- you're training to be become a skilled chef. There is a lot of study to master the recipes from the Food Peak itself, but the disciples are also tasked with learning as much as they can and try to develop their own recipes. The skills overlap; you never know when learning to make the perfect Scrambled Egg will allow you to maximize some weird spiritual ingredient you found.

Other than non-spiritual food and The Soup, disciples are encouraged to do a lot of their Food Cultivation on their own. They are encouraged to go on Night Hunts with other Peaks for the chances to gain stuff for their own Cultivation. The Bai Zhan kids only care if they slayed the beast, so go ahead and grab it's heart for yourself, ect ect. You can, of course, trade stuff around or sell it at your leisure. Whatever will get you more gains! It's seen as either really stupid or flat out courtship to offer someone else your spiritual food you make, especially if you can still make use of it yourself. This is something that will 10000% go RIGHT over SY's head when he starts to offer stuff to SJ. They'll be about 18/19 at that point, so everyone from SY's peak will squint when they realize what he's doing. (Even though I have some Evil Plans for after they all become Peak Lords, I think that SJ would still be really welcome on the Food Peak despite how everyone else looks down on him. Everyone there 'knew' that SY was 'sweet on him' kinda thing. They don't believe that SJ is the reason SY.... hehe :) )

taps chin. okay, i thiiiiink that is enough yapping about that for now? I wanna write up a brief lil thing about how SY would be around the other Future Peak Disciples, as well as how his relationship with SJ will eventually complicate things. I know that SQH would figure out SOMETHING was up with SY when he was suddenly served, like, a blueberry waffle. But that's for another post!!! AS ALWAYS ty for reading my ramblings. I'm very slowly working on getting a more strict outline up and ready for the fic I would really like this to be. I'm a menace to myself and others, so it will be a slow burn and I'm dragging you all down with me. >:)

[codemerything]

A structured way to learn JavaScript.

I came across a post on Twitter that I thought would be helpful to share with those who are struggling to find a structured way to learn Javascript on their own. Personally, I wish I had access to this information when I first started learning in January. However, I am grateful for my learning journey so far, as I have covered most topics, albeit in a less structured manner.

N/B: Not everyone learns in the same way; it's important to find what works for you. This is a guide, not a rulebook.

EASY

What is JavaScript and its role in web development?

Brief history and evolution of JavaScript.

Basic syntax and structure of JavaScript code.

Understanding variables, constants, and their declaration.

Data types: numbers, strings, boolean, and null/undefined.

Arithmetic, assignment, comparison, and logical operators.

Combining operators to create expressions.

Conditional statements (if, else if, else) for decision making.

Loops (for, while) for repetitive tasks. - Switch statements for multiple conditional cases.

MEDIUM

Defining functions, including parameters and return values.

Function scope, closures, and their practical applications.

Creating and manipulating arrays.

Working with objects, properties, and methods.

Iterating through arrays and objects.Understanding the Document Object Model (DOM).

Selecting and modifying HTML elements with JavaScript.Handling events (click, submit, etc.) with event listeners.

Using try-catch blocks to handle exceptions.

Common error types and debugging techniques.

HARD

Callback functions and their limitations.

Dealing with asynchronous operations, such as AJAX requests.

Promises for handling asynchronous operations.

Async/await for cleaner asynchronous code.

Arrow functions for concise function syntax.

Template literals for flexible string interpolation.

Destructuring for unpacking values from arrays and objects.

Spread/rest operators.

Design Patterns.

Writing unit tests with testing frameworks.

Code optimization techniques.

That's it I guess!

[howlingday]

Pyrrha: I don't mind us helping with your studies, but wouldn't it be easier without us distracting you?

Blake: Well, studies show that there benefits to studying together that can't be found in studying by ourselves.

Jaune: Hey, uh, if we fail this exam, does that mean the whole team doesn't get to go on vacation, or is it just that person?

Ruby: Well, if we're supposed to be a team, then we should all take it like a team, right?

Weiss: I'm not worried. Not to name names, but I suggest you stay out of my way, Arc!

Jaune: H-Hey! What happened to not naming names?!

Nora: We'll show you, Weiss! Jaune'll ace this thing; you'll see!

Ruby: ...

Ren: Is something wrong, Ruby?

Ruby: I'm having trouble with this math problem...

Ren: Oh, the arithmetic sequence? Do you remember the formula for calculating the sum?

Yang: Solving problems like this really arithmetickles my funny bone~! Haha, oh man, I gotta write this down...

Weiss: Ugh... Dealing with Arc is one thing, but I never had to deal with both him AND Xiao Long like this...

Nora: Oh, so you think you can one-up our leader? Guess again, Yanga-Banga!

Jaune: Could we not get distracted like this?

Pyrrha: ...Jaune, are you stuck on the same page? Oh, I see! You're using memorizing techniques, aren't you? I see... Nothing beats repetition until you can memorize it by heart.

Yang: Beats? Heart? Bravo, P-Money! That was a good one~!

Pyrrha: Wh- No, no, I- I didn't mean to-

Ruby: Well, if you're pullin' out of the race, then we win hands down! Team RWBY stands unde-FEET-ed~!

Weiss: Ugh... This was the worst idea ever...

[regressioncurriculum]

A document from the Curriculum Center's filing cabinet

These are the benchmark skills our firm's expert slave regressors use to determine degrees of regression.  

For example, if you’ve hired us to regress your spouse to the fourth tier, we’ll test them on various domestic skills; if they can still reliably make a bed, we know they need more time with our state-of-the-art techniques.

First tier skills: expressing feelings, sucking, humping

Second tier skills: self-pleasure with hands, crawling, pointing, controlling facial expressions, self-soothing

Third tier skills: walking, one- and two-syllable words, sharing, following rules, sustained attention, spoon use, naming colors and animals 

Fourth tier skills: manners, speaking in sentences, counting, coloring pictures, cooperative play, understanding rules, drinking from cup, tidying up

Fifth tier skills: posture, memorization, describing situations, arithmetic, bed making, food serving, appropriate clothing choice, self-reporting rule-breaking 

Sixth tier skills: dancing, sex as performance, cooking, laundry, applying makeup 

Seventh tier skills: housekeeping, conversation, baking

Eighth tier skills: hostessing, seduction

[ometochtli2rabbit]

MAYA:

13.0.12.10.16

ox [3] KIB|AJMAQ[wisdom] - kanlajun [14] ZIP

galactic tone: action/ rhythm

sun sign: WISDOM| vulture or bee/yellow or blue/south

sit on a rock

NAHUA:

yei [3] - COZCACUAUHTLI [vulture]

Chalchihuitlicue | Itzpapalotl

huactli [falcon]

lord of the night: Tlazolteotl

trecena [3]: Quetzalcoatl

x: mahtlactli-onei [13] - ochpaniztli

"Mental Arithmetic. In the Public School of S.Rachinsky", Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky, 1895.

"L'agression mental", Ivan Tovar, 1993.

Day Cozcacuauhtli (Vulture, known as Cib in Maya) is governed by Itzpapalotl as its provider of tonalli (Shadow Soul) life energy. Cozcacuauhtli signifies long life, wisdom, good counsel and mental equilibrium. It is a good day to confront the discontinuities, disruptions, failures and deaths one suffers in life. Cozcacuauhtli is a day for tricking the Trickster. www.azteccalendar.com

As we get through Mental Health Month, for the better of all, here are songs that mention the word MENTAL:

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts: Reality Mentality

Eazy-E: Real Muthaphuckkin Gs

Dead Prez: Soulja Life Mentality

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Subway

Immortal Technique: Dance with the Devil

Jon Secada: Mental Picture

Ariana Grande: no tears left to cry

Steppenwolf: Foggy Mental Breakdown

Sizzla: Mental Chains

Taylor Swift: this is me trying

Jeru the Damaja: Mental Stamina

Twenty One Pilots: Migraine

P.O.D.: Panic Attack

Weezer: Booby Trap

Street Mentality: Freeride

Bush: Mouth

Rihanna: Red Lipstick

Queens of the Stone Age: My God is the Sun

Guru: Insert A (Mental Relaxation)

Halestorm: Heavy MeNtal (Fuck Yeah)

Julien Baker: Mental Math

GZA: Liquid Swords

Hanoi Rocks: Mental Beat

Sabrina Carpentar: Crazy Train

Ozzy Osbourne: Crazy Train

Ultramagnetic M.C.'s: Mentally Mad

Father John Misty: Mental Health

Golden Earring: Suzy Lunacy (Mental Rock)

Buck Owens & Rose Maddox: Mental Cruelty

Alanis Morissette: Straitjacket

Chicago: I'm a Man

Aerosmith: Monkey on my Back

Death: Mentally Blind

Eddie Cochran: Nervous Breakdown

Green Day: 80 & Burnout

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Over Funk

Wu-Tang Clan: Wu-Revolution

The Smiths: I Keep Mine Hidden

Willie Nelson: I Won't Dance

Oscar Peterson: Let's Fall in Love

Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco: Lo Tuyo Es Mental

Fela Kuti: Colonial Mentality

Los Lobos: La Venganza de Los Pelados

Bob Marley: Redemption Song

The Doors: Mental Floss

Dolly Parton: Daddy Come and get Me

Nirvana: Talk to Me

Ella Fitzgerald: The Real American Folk Song (is a Rag)

Waylon Jennings: Mental Revenge

Public Enemy: Fight the Power

David Bowie: Outside

Ramones: Go Mental & Mental Hill

[forevergulag]

Bourgeois economists try to justify the existence of unemployment under capitalism by references to eternal laws of nature. This was the aim served by the pseudo-scientific fabrications of Malthus a reactionary British economist who flourished at the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning ‘of the nineteenth century. According to the “law of population” invented by Malthus, the population, from the very beginning of human society has increased in geometrical progression (as 1, 2, 4, 8, etc). but the means of subsistence, owing to the limitations of natural resources, have grown only in arithmetical progression (as 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) This, said Malthus, was the fundamental cause of the existence of surplus-population and of starvation and want among the masses of the people. The proletariat, in Malthus’s opinion; can free itself from poverty and hunger not by abolishing the capitalist system but by abstaining from marriage and artificially restricting childbearing. Malthus considered wars and epidemics beneficial, since they cut down the working population. The theory of Malthus is profoundly reactionary. It is a means whereby the bourgeoisie justifies the incurable taints of capitalism. Malthus’s fabrications have nothing in common with reality. The mighty technique which mankind has at its disposal is capable of increasing the amount of means of life at rates which cannot be overtaken by even the fastest growth of population, But this is prevented by the capitalist system, which is the real Cause of the poverty of the masses.

political economy, part two: the capitalist mode of production, chapter IX: accumulation of capital and the impoverishment of the proketariat; the industrial reserve army. 1954

[ifelllikeastar]

Robert Johnson spent his childhood growing up in Memphis and attending the Carnes Avenue Colored School where he received lessons in arithmetic, reading, language, music, geography, and physical exercise. It was in Memphis that he acquired his love for, and knowledge of, the blues and popular music. His education and urban context placed him apart from most of his contemporary blues musicians.

A school friend, Willie Coffee, who was interviewed and filmed in later life, recalled that as a youth, Robert was already noted for playing the harmonica and jaw harp. Later in life, Son House remembered Johnson as a "little boy" who was a competent harmonica player but an embarrassingly bad guitarist.

Johnson perfected the guitar style of House and learned other styles from Isaiah "Ike" Zimmerman. Zimmerman was rumored to have learned supernaturally to play guitar by visiting graveyards at midnight. When Johnson next appeared in Robinsonville, Mississippi, he seemed to have miraculously acquired a guitar technique.

*The Crossroads* is where Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for mastery of the blues, according to the legend. It is the intersection of U.S. Routes 61 and 49, at Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States.

Born Robert Leroy Johnson on May 8, 1911 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi and died on August 16, 1938 in Greenwood, Mississippi at the age of 27.

[ym-loreposting]

On the origins of Shez

Shez is the protagonist of Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes and a mercenary who helps shape the war that erupts across the continent Fódlan during the events of the game. They are not in the original game, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, likely because their survival in a battle against Byleth marks the point where the timeline of Fódlan diverges to lead either into Three Houses or Three Hopes.

And while they appear to be a simple mercenary at first, their origins are shrouded in some mystery. They share their body with a being known as Arval, who can grant them great power. So what actually are the origins of Shez and Arval?

Shez’s life before becoming a mercenary

Shez is thought to be in their late teens, as they are said to be around the same age as the students attending the Officer’s Academy of Garreg Mach Monastery by Archbishop Rhea. It is unknown who their biological parents are, as they were raised by a woman in a secluded mountain village. The village was situated in the Ordelia territory in the far south of the Leicester Alliance.

(Credit to @cartographers-office for removing the names from the Fódlan map used in the above picture)

In various Support Conversations, more details are given about this time of their life. To Yuri, Shez tells that their adoptive mom took them in when they were abandoned. Most of their Support Conversations with Ashe are dedicated to their mom. It is said she was a smart woman who knew about most things, including magic. She also taught Shez arithmetic, to read and to navigate using maps, things that are noted that only nobles are taught in Fódlan. Finally, to Claude Shez explains that their mom at one point fell ill and died. They were then chased out of their village and they fell in with a mercenary group when they ran out of money. Shez started out by doing their laundry and eventually worked up to become a fighter, which is they are found at the start of Three Hopes.

On Epimenides and Arval

The backstory of Shez raises some questions, but is mostly just vague on its own. However, Shez’s body also houses the being known as Arval. They awaken when Byleth is about to kill Shez and grants them power that allows them to survive the encounter. The presence of Arval, who does not have any memories either, raises many more questions about where Shez originally comes from. Arval’s origins are explained more in Chapter 15 of Three Hopes, The Hour of Vengeance, and the Paralogue Cycles of Nostalgia.

In the former, a man called Epimenides who looks identical to Arval, talks with Arval. He explains that his race wavers at the brink of extinction and that he seeks to reclaim the world for his people. He created Arval and seems to have sought to place his own soul within Arval, but this is a dangerous technique that can lead to irreparable consequences if an essence is wrongly transplanted. The initialization of Arval’s consciousness faced an unforeseen accident, but proved to be useful to Epimenides in another unspecified way, which would allow Arval to become Epimenides.

The identity of Epimenides is made more clear in Cycles of Nostalgia and the introductory cutscene of Three Hopes. There, he is seen fighting in the War of Heroes that transpired more than a thousand years before the events of the main games. He fights against the forces of the Adrestian Empire and the Four Saints led by Saint Seiros leading several dark mages in battle, aiding the forces of the Liberation King Nemesis. He also references Thales, the leader of the Agarthans or Those Who Slither in the Dark. This makes it clear that Epimenides is an Agarthan. This is further made clear by the presence of ruins that bring to mind Shambhala, the underground home of the Agarthans, in the void of Zahras where Epimenides and Arval reside.

The introduction cutscene of Three Hopes then shows how Epimenides met his end and how Arval failed to initialize. During a battle of the War of Heroes, Epimenides led some Agarthan mages into battle and caught the attention of Saint Seiros. She transformed into her dragon form, the Immaculate One, and killed the Agarthans, including Epimenides. Before that, water is seen rushing and some markings that indicate this is inside Shambhala. This lines up with how Arval’s initialization is described.

“When my consciousness first initialized, I was nothing. I remember the sound of water… Of bubbles… The sound of a massive object slowly lurching along… I thought the noise would continue for eternity. But then…a change. Something gave way. The water began rushing rapidly. Pale shadows closed in around me. Amidst deafening sounds, I walked desperately in search of light.”

What are the Agarthans?

The query as to Shez’s origins and their relation with Arval and Epimenides thus ties into the Agarthans. It also begs the question as to what they are. They appear to be very long-lived, as Thales was around during the War of Heroes and is still the Agarthan leader in the present day. They are also capable of shapeshifting and do not want the secrets of their bodies to be revealed, as Thales says in Chapter 10 of Three Houses.

“If you were to die, then the mystery of our bodies would be revealed. Preventing that was my only aim.” -Thales in Chapter 10 of Three Houses, Where the Goddess Dwells

In Chapter 22 of Three Houses’s Verdant Wind route, Fodlan’s New Dawn, the history of the Agarthans is explained. They were the original humans who inhabited Fódlan and were a technologically advanced civilization. At some point they waged war against Sothis and her children, the draconic Nabateans. In that war, Fódlan was all but destroyed and the Agarthans retreated underground to Shambhala to bide their time. Sothis would eventually use her power to restore Fódlan, although this took an extremely long amount of time.

The Agarthans are thus human and also consider themselves as such. In the Romance of the World’s Perdition, a book found in the Shadow Library in Abyss of Garreg Mach Monastery, they are described as “the children of men”. The book was likely written by the Agarthans and tells of the war against Sothis and the Nabateans from their perspective.

But that begs the question as to how they are so long-lived and have abilities like shapeshifting. A hint might be found in the concept art of the Agarthan Solon, which reveals something interesting about his gloves and eyes.

“He is fitted with a prosthetic eye made with Agarthan technology that can store magical power and knowledge. His right eye does not blink because his eyelids are fixed.”

“These gloves are sewn directly onto the wrist. They have a smooth texture.”

These pieces of concept art, which are reflective of Solon’s final design, reveal that his body is integrated with advanced Agarthan technology. His gloves are sewn directly into his arms and his unblinking eye allows him to store knowledge and magical power. Furthermore, in Chapter 10 of Three Houses, Where the Goddess Dwells, Solon pulls an object from the chest of fellow Agarthan Kronya. He shatters it and uses it as fuel for the Forbidden Spell of Zahras. The object is hard to make out, but appears to be metallic in nature.

The Agarthans are thus most likely humans who used their advanced technology to cybernetically enhance themselves, giving them long lifespans and the ability to shapeshift. They do not want the humans of Fódlan, who they consider beasts, to discover this and so go to lengths to keep the contents of their bodies a secret. Furthermore, in Three Hopes, it is also implied that they sometimes switch out bodies when their current bodies give out. They talk about “this flesh” when they are wounded and how it has run its course, likely referring to this.

“I need to get this flesh underground…” -Solon in The Hour of Vengeance (Three Hopes) “So this flesh has run its course. No matter.” -Thales in The End of Tragedy (Three Hopes)

Attack of the clones: Arval and Shez

With all of this context, it becomes clear what Shez’s relation to Arval is and what their origins are. Epimenides was likely the one who invented the technique to rehouse souls, allowing the Agarthans to swap out their bodies. Arval was supposed to be a backup body for Epimenides, but things went awry when their consciousness was initialized. Everything was lost according to Epimenides, but then Arval proved useful in a different way.

It seems likely Shez was another backup body of some kind. Solon confirms in The Hour of Vengeance explicitly that Shez is from Shambhala and in Chapter 10 of the route Azure Gleam in Three Hopes, Fanaticism, the Agarthan Myson says the following to Shez.

“Why? Why do you wield the power of Epimenides? […] Tell me, where did you obtain it? Unless… His core!” -Myson in Fanaticism (Three Hopes)

It seems the core is what is transferred from body to body with the Agarthans and may have been the device that Solon pulls out of Kronya in Three Houses. The core of Epimenides was first housed in Arval and came to house their rudimentary consciousness as well after their initialization failed. It was then transferred to Shez, who was created in Shambhala. The streaming water that Arval and Epimenides reference is likely a liquid they were held in while in stasis, perhaps in one of the holding pods on the lower levels of Shambhala that are seen in Three Houses.

Shez was likely taken from Shambhala by the woman who would become their adoptive mother. She may have been an Agarthan, hence her great knowledge of many fields, who felt pity toward Shez and their destiny to become a vessel for Epimenides. The hamlet where Shez grew up is located not far from Shambhala after all, as its entrance sits on the other side of the Airmid River that borders the territory of Ordelia.

(Credit to @cartographers-office for removing the names from the Fódlan map used in the above picture)

[gil-estel]

gonna force everyone I know to read this article

Abstract

High-quality mathematics education not only improves life outcomes for individuals but also drives innovation and progress across society. But what exactly constitutes high-quality mathematics education? In this article, we contribute to this discussion by focusing on arithmetic fluency.

The debate over how best to teach arithmetic has been long and fierce. Should we emphasize memorization techniques such as flashcards and timed drills or promote “thinking strategies” via play and authentic problem solving? Too often, recommendations for a “balanced” approach lack the depth and specificity needed to effectively guide educators or inform public understanding. Here, we draw on developmental cognitive science, particularly Sfard’s process–object duality and Karmiloff-Smith’s implicit–explicit knowledge continuum, to present memorization and thinking strategies not as opposing methods but as complementary forces. This framework enables us to offer specific recommendations for fostering arithmetic fluency based on the science of learning. We define arithmetic fluency, provide evidence on its importance, describe the cognitive structures and processes supporting it, and share evidence-based guidance for promoting it. Our recommendations include progress monitoring for early numeracy, providing explicit instruction to teach important strategies and concepts, implementing well-structured retrieval practice, introducing time-limited practice only after students demonstrate accuracy, and allocating sufficient time for discussion and cognitive reflection. By blending theory, evidence, and practical advice, we equip educators and policymakers with the knowledge needed to ensure all children have access to the opportunities needed to achieve arithmetic fluency.

[govindhtech]

Craig Gidney Quantum Leap: Reduced Qubits And More Reliable

A Google researcher reduces the quantum resources needed to hack RSA-2048.

Google Quantum AI researcher Craig Gidney discovered a way to factor 2048-bit RSA numbers, a key component of modern digital security, with far less quantum computer power. His latest research shows that fewer than one million noisy qubits could finish such a task in less than a week, compared to the former estimate of 20 million.

The Quantum Factoring Revolution by Craig Gidney

In 2019, Gidney and Martin Ekerå found that factoring a 2048-bit RSA integer would require a quantum computer with 20 million noisy qubits running for eight hours. The new method allows a runtime of less than a week and reduces qubit demand by 95%. This development is due to several major innovations:

To simplify modular arithmetic and reduce computing, approximate residue arithmetic uses Chevignard, Fouque, and Schrottenloher (2024) techniques.

Yoked Surface Codes: Gidney's 2023 research with Newman, Brooks, and Jones found that holding idle logical qubits maximises qubit utilisation.

Based on Craig Gidney, Shutty, and Jones (2024), this method minimises the resources needed for magic state distillation, a vital stage in quantum calculations.

These advancements improve Gidney's algorithm's efficiency without sacrificing accuracy, reducing Toffoli gate count by almost 100 times.

Cybersecurity Effects

Secure communications including private government conversations and internet banking use RSA-2048 encryption. The fact that quantum-resistant cryptography can be compromised with fewer quantum resources makes switching to such systems more essential.

There are no working quantum computers that can do this technique, but research predicts they may come soon. This possibility highlights the need for proactive cybersecurity infrastructure.

Expert Opinions

Quantum computing experts regard Craig Gidney's contribution as a turning point. We offer a method for factoring RSA-2048 with adjustable quantum resources to bridge theory and practice.

Experts advise not panicking immediately. Quantum technology is insufficient for such complex tasks, and engineering challenges remain. The report reminds cryptographers to speed up quantum-secure method development and adoption.

Improved Fault Tolerance

Craig Gidney's technique is innovative in its tolerance for faults and noise. This new approach can function with more realistic noise levels, unlike earlier models that required extremely low error rates, which quantum technology often cannot provide. This brings theoretical needs closer to what quantum processors could really achieve soon.

More Circuit Width and Depth

Gidney optimised quantum circuit width (qubits used simultaneously) and depth (quantum algorithm steps). The method balances hardware complexity and computing time, improving its scalability for future implementation.

Timeline for Security Transition

This discovery accelerates the inevitable transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) but does not threaten present encryption. Quantum computer-resistant PQC standards must be adopted by governments and organisations immediately.

Global Quantum Domination Competition

This development highlights the global quantum technological competition. The US, China, and EU, who invest heavily in quantum R&D, are under increased pressure to keep up with computing and cryptographic security.

In conclusion

Craig Gidney's invention challenges RSA-2048 encryption theory, advancing quantum computing. This study affects the cryptographic security landscape as the quantum era approaches and emphasises the need for quantum-resistant solutions immediately.

[mariacallous]

In late 2017, Ashwin Sah and Mehtaab Sawhney met as undergraduates at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since then, the pair have written a mind-boggling 57 math proofs together, many of them profound advances in various fields.

In February, Sah and Sawhney announced yet another joint accomplishment. With James Leng, a graduate student at UCLA, they obtained a long-sought improvement on an estimate of how big sets of integers can get before they must contain sequences of evenly spaced numbers, like {9, 19, 29, 39, 49} or {30, 60, 90, 120}. The proof joins a long line of work on the mathematical impossibility of complete disorder. It also marks the first progress in decades on one of the biggest unsolved problems in the field of combinatorics.

“It’s phenomenally impressive that they managed to do this,” said Ben Green, a mathematician at the University of Oxford. At the time the work was released, the trio were all still in graduate school.

Sequences of regularly spaced numbers are called arithmetic progressions. Though they’re simple patterns, they hide astounding mathematical complexity. And they’re difficult, often impossible, to avoid, no matter how hard you might try.

In 1936, the mathematicians Paul Erdős and Pál Turán conjectured that if a set consists of a nonzero fraction of the whole numbers—even if it’s just 0.00000001 percent—then it must contain arbitrarily long arithmetic progressions. The only sets that can avoid arithmetic progressions are those that comprise a “negligible” portion of the whole numbers. For example, the set {2, 4, 8, 16, …}, in which each number doubles the one before it, is so spread out along the number line that it’s said to make up 0 percent of the whole numbers. This set has no progressions.

Forty years later, in 1975, a mathematician named Endre Szemerédi proved the conjecture. His work spawned multiple lines of research that mathematicians are still exploring today. “Many of the ideas from his proof grew into worlds of their own,” said Yufei Zhao, Sah and Sawhney’s doctoral adviser at MIT.

Mathematicians have built on Szemerédi’s result in the context of finite sets of numbers. In this case, you start with a limited pool—every integer between 1 and some number N. What’s the largest fraction of the starting pool you can use in your set before you inevitably include a forbidden progression? And how does that fraction change as N changes?

For example, let N be 20. How many of these 20 numbers can you write down while still avoiding progressions that are, say, five or more numbers long? The answer, it turns out, is 16—80 percent of the starting pool.

Now let N be 1,000,000. If you use 80 percent of this new pool, you’re looking at sets that contain 800,000 numbers. It’s impossible for such large sets to avoid five-term progressions. You’ll have to use a smaller fraction of the pool.

Szemerédi was the first to prove that this fraction must shrink to zero as N grows. Since then, mathematicians have tried to quantify exactly how quickly that happens. Last year, breakthrough work by two computer scientists nearly solved this question for three-term progressions, like {6, 11, 16}.

But when you’re instead trying to avoid arithmetic progressions with four or more terms, the problem becomes tougher. “The thing I love about this problem is it just sounds so innocent, and it’s not. It really bites,” Sawhney said.

That’s because longer progressions reflect an underlying structure that is difficult for classical mathematical techniques to uncover. The numbers x, y and z in a three-term arithmetic progression always satisfy the simple equation x – 2y + z = 0. (Take the progression {10, 20, 30}, for instance: 10 – 2(20) + 30 = 0.) It’s relatively easy to prove whether or not a set contains numbers that satisfy this kind of condition. But the numbers in a four-term progression have to additionally satisfy the more complicated equation x2 – 3y2 + 3z2 – w2 = 0. Progressions with five or more terms must satisfy equations that are even more elaborate. This means that sets containing such progressions exhibit subtler patterns. It’s harder for mathematicians to show whether such patterns exist.

In the late 1990s, Timothy Gowers, a mathematician now at the Collège de France, developed a theory to overcome this obstacle. He was later awarded the Fields Medal, math’s highest honor, in part for that work. In 2001, he applied his techniques to Szemerédi’s theorem, proving a better bound on the size of the largest sets that avoid arithmetic progressions of any given length. While mathematicians used Gowers’ framework to tackle other problems over the next two decades, his 2001 record remained steadfast.

In 2022, Leng—then in his second year of graduate school at UCLA—set out to understand Gowers’ theory. He didn’t have Szemerédi’s theorem in mind; rather, he hoped to answer a technical question related to the techniques Gowers had developed. Other mathematicians, fearing that the effort needed to solve the problem would eclipse the result, tried to dissuade him. “For good reason,” Leng later said.

For more than a year, he didn’t get anywhere. But eventually, he started making progress. Sah and Sawhney, who had been thinking about related questions, learned about his work. They were intrigued. “I was amazed it’s even possible to think like this,” Sawhney said.

They realized that Leng’s research might help them make further progress on Szemerédi’s theorem. Within a few months, the three young mathematicians figured out how to get a better upper bound on the size of sets with no five-term progressions. They then extended their work to progressions of any length, marking the first advance on the problem in the 23 years since Gowers’ proof. Gowers had shown that, as your starting pool of numbers gets bigger, the progression-avoiding sets you can make get relatively smaller at a certain rate. Leng, Sah and Sawhney proved that this happens at a rate that’s exponentially faster.

“It’s a huge achievement,” Zhao said. “This is the kind of problem that I really would not suggest to any student because it is so incredibly hard.”

Mathematicians are even more excited by the method the trio used to get their new bound. For everything to work, they first had to strengthen an older, more technical result by Green, Terence Tao of UCLA and Tamar Ziegler of Hebrew University. Mathematicians feel that this result—a sort of elaboration of Gowers’ theory—can be improved even further. “It feels like we have an imperfect understanding of the theory,” Green said. “We’re just seeing a few shadows of it.”

Since completing the proof in February, Sah and Sawhney have both graduated. But the pair’s collaboration has not yet slowed down. “Their incredible strength is taking something that is extremely technically demanding and understanding it and improving upon it,” said Zhao. “It’s difficult to overstate the level of their overall accomplishments.”

[sarkariresultdude]

Understanding American College Test Results: A Comprehensive Overview

 In the USA, standardized checking out has long been a cornerstone of university admissions. From the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) to the ACT (American College Testing), these exams aim to measure a scholar’s readiness for college-level work. The results from these checks have historically performed a good sized function in determining a pupil’s eligibility for admission to various schools and universities. However, the landscape is changing, and the role of take a look at outcomes is being reevaluated with the aid of educators, policymakers, and students alike.

how to interpret American college test results

What Are American College Tests?

 These tests determine a student’s capabilities in areas together with analyzing comprehension, arithmetic, grammar, and, in a few cases, scientific reasoning and essay writing. Typically taken by high college juniors and seniors, the rankings from these exams are submitted in conjunction with university applications.

SAT Overview:

Scored on a scale of four hundred to 1600

Two predominant sections: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) and Math

Optional Essay (discontinued after June 2021)

Administered by means of the College Board

ACT Overview:

Four sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science

Optional Writing Test

Administered through ACT, Inc.

The Role of Test Results in Admissions

For a long time, high test scores had been considered a robust indicator of educational potential and have been frequently seen as a ticket to prestigious establishments. Admissions officers used them along GPAs, extracurricular sports, letters of advice, and private essays to evaluate candidates.

In many aggressive faculties, check ratings have historically served as an preliminary screening mechanism. For instance, college students with underneath-average ratings is probably removed early inside the technique, no matter different strengths. Conversely, high rankings may want to bolster an software and catch up on different areas that were not as robust.

Test effects also motivated scholarships and financial aid choices. Merit-based scholarships regularly protected a minimal test score requirement, making the checks critical now not best for admission but also for affordability.

Recent Trends in Test Results

In current years, there was a shift in how take a look at consequences are considered. Several factors have contributed to this converting landscape:

Test-Optional Movement: Over 1,800 faculties and universities within the U.S. Have followed take a look at-optional rules, which means college students can pick out whether or not to publish SAT or ACT scores. This motion gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic while take a look at dates have been canceled or postponed nationwide.

Score Declines: The average scores on each the SAT and ACT have seen slight declines in latest years. The College Board and ACT, Inc. Characteristic this to more than one factors, together with academic disruptions, mental fitness challenges, and increased diversity within the check-taking populace.

Holistic Admissions: More schools are adopting a holistic overview manner, which considers the whole pupil in place of focusing closely on check results. This includes comparing management roles, community carrier, unique abilities, and lifestyles experiences.

Socioeconomic Bias: Critics argue that take a look at effects reflect socioeconomic status greater than educational potential. Students from wealthier backgrounds often have get right of entry to to high-priced check guidance publications, tutors, and resources which can notably enhance rankings.

Cultural Bias: Some query whether the assessments are culturally biased, potentially disadvantaging college students from minority backgrounds. Language and content may also want certain agencies, main to disparities in overall performance.

Stress and Mental Health: The strain to carry out well on a unmarried exam can take a toll on students’ mental health. High-stakes testing environments can exacerbate tension and make contributions to burnout.

Questionable Predictive Value: Research suggests that while standardized take a look at scores correlate with first-12 months college performance, they may be not usually strong predictors of long-time period achievement. High faculty GPA is often a better indicator of a student’s capability to persist and graduate.

Alternatives to Traditional Testing

With mounting worries approximately the fairness and effectiveness of standardized checks, numerous options had been proposed or implemented:

Test-Blind Admissions: A step past take a look at-non-compulsory, take a look at-blind guidelines suggest that colleges do now not take into account check scores at all, even supposing submitted. Institutions just like the University of California gadget have followed this technique.

Portfolio-Based Admissions: Some colleges allow students to post portfolios showcasing their work, together with research papers, art, or initiatives, rather than check rankings.

Interviews and Personal Statements: Greater emphasis is being located on interviews and personal essays to assess a pupil’s person, motivation, and fit for the organization.

Class Rank and GPA: Schools may prioritize academic overall performance over time—inclusive of cumulative GPA or magnificence rank—over a single standardized degree.

The Future of College Testing

The debate over the relevance of standardized take a look at effects continues. Some educators advise for an entire overhaul of the device, while others agree with that the tests, if reformed, can nonetheless provide value. There is also a developing movement toward designing extra equitable tests that don't forget extraordinary getting to know patterns and life studies.

Technological improvements might also shape the future of checking out. Online adaptive checking out, wherein the difficulty of questions adjusts based totally on preceding answers, could provide a extra customized and accurate degree of scholar capability. Additionally, new gear for assessing tender capabilities, along with emotional intelligence and teamwork, may want to supplement educational metrics.

Student Perspectives

From the scholar perspective, the shift away from obligatory trying out has been both a alleviation and a source of misunderstanding. While a few admire the flexibility and reduced stress, others locate the dearth of clean standards annoying. With so many schools adopting extraordinary regulations—take a look at-elective, take a look at-bendy, or take a look at-blind—it can be hard for college kids to strategize their programs.

Students who are robust take a look at-takers can also nonetheless benefit from filing scores, mainly if applying to aggressive applications. On the alternative hand, college students who conflict with standardized assessments may also focus on strengthening other factors in their application.

[ironlamb]

sophia brown , thirty two , demi woman , she / they . announcing ! liege ynys yronwood of house yronwood hailing from boneway . they are known to be stouthearted & candid but also , tactless & unrelenting across the realm . there are faint whispers that they support house velaryon alongside their house. they are currently at court in driftmark .

𝑩𝑨𝑺𝑰𝑪𝑺 .

birth name : ynys yronwood . pronunciation : in - ihs , ai - urn - wuud . nicknames : yn , warden , nys , bloodhammer in the fighting pits , other things probably . date of birth , age : first day of the fourth month , thirty - two . place of birth : boneway . gender , pronouns : demi woman , she / they . orientation : lesbian . status : liege .

𝑨𝑷𝑷𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑪𝑬 .

height : six foot - 182.8 cm . build : athletic build with long limbs , more of a swimmer's build . hair : freeform dreads, quite dark at the roots but lighter at the ends from years of salt water and sun bleaching . eye colour : quite a dark brown , almost black . notable features : full lips , long two toned hair , long nose , dark brown eyes , broad smile , a scar through their eyebrow . faceclaim : sophia brown .

𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀 .

natal chart : aries sun , leo moon , sagitarius rising ( likely has no relevance in this world but i wanted to give it for personality reference ) moral alignment : chaotic neutral . mbti : esfp , the entertainer . positive traits : persistent , driven , independent , loyal , strong willed , charming , dependable , bold , passionate , straightforward , talented . negative traits : uncompromising , merciless , ruthless , competitive , cocky , blunt , rude , unforgiving , resentful , combative , impertinent , unpredictable . character inspirations : toph bei fong ( avatar the last airbender ) , bakugo katsuki ( my hero academia ) , hashibira inosuke ( demon slayer ) , aoi todo ( jujutsu kaisen ) , zeraki kenpachi ( bleach ) , holga the barbarian ( dungeons and dragons ) , brienne of tarth ( game of thrones ) , annie leonhart ( attack on titan ) , sharako lohar ( house of the dragon ) , thor ( marvel cinematic universe ) .

𝑻𝑳𝑫𝑹 . miscarriage tw , murder tw ( i try to make it p vague but i will indicate ! ) , death tw , blood tw !

the first brutality is one she can't remember ; a killing she has no memory of . but her father mourns the loss anyways , of the son he was meant to have . of the son that he claims the daughter ate in the womb ; an other half that she absorbed to make herself whole . the midwives say that her father looked upon her with a great pain that night .

they also say that it was perhaps the first time their mother looked upon her with a beam of pride .

after all , that was their first duel . their first victory . ( the one who lives wins . the one who lives wins . )

there would be others .

as they grew they were weaned on hate . on resentment . their grudge was their family heirloom and their mother passed it down onto them with firm hands and even firmer eyes . you will tend to it now . it will be your responsibility .

she never asked if ynys wanted such a responsibility . ynys , in truth , never thought to ask themself the question either .

the burden wasn't heavy if you were strong enough to withstand it .

ynys prided themself on being strong enough .

a sword was thrust into their hands the moment they could hold it . their lessons in battle started before their lessons in reading or arithmetic . grow strong . avenge our line . bloodroyal . bloodroyal .

in truth it was something that ynys cared very little for . after all , what did history have to do with them ? what did grudges of those long dead have to do with them ? it was them they should live for . them they should die for . what did all else matter ?

and yet they had talent . strength one could grow , technique one could learn , but they had talent . it was something that came to one naturally . something that was either bestowed upon you or wasn't . and ynys had it in spades . she could lay grown men flat before she had even reached their shoulders . she defeated her father in battle before her thirteenth nameday . she was gifted , and she was a gift . to her bloodline . to the yronwood name .

and yet they were loud about their lack of investment in their family's grudge . in truth , ynys was loud about a great many things . they saw little purpose in hiding the way they felt . their instructors quite quickly deduced that while ynys would be a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield , they'd be of little use in politics . ynys is a blunt instrument . they once overheard their swordmaster say to their mother , in a slicing critique . pure unadulterated force . if only it were directed .

later that evening at her mother's command ynys defeated him , and he was disregarded before she thought to ask what he meant by the words . but it was no matter . she went through weapon tutors quite quickly then , and truly how much value could there be in the words of a man so easily defeated ?

attempted murder tw ! murder tw ! she reached her hundredth victory on the night before her thirteenth nameday . it came not in the form of a spar , or a battle in the womb but in an attempt on her life . ynys was woken up out of her bed with it , the coolness of a blade at her throat and the roughness of a calloused palm tight over her mouth . they would like to say that they don't remember the battle that ensued but to say such would be a lie . ynys did not lie .

by the time the guards came the man was slain . by the time that they had discerned that the assassin was sent by the martells her mother had congratulated her on her victory . and that was the first time ynys was able to see it herself , through the one eye that wasn't blurred from the blood spilled from her brow ; the beam of her mother's smile , lit with pride .

she was a victor . that was what mattered . the one who lives wins .

even with her triumph , the event incited ynys . she had yet to even make a transgression against the martells and yet they wanted her dead . such an act could not go unmatched , and ynys vowed not to allow it to . she understood her mother now . whether the fight was hers or not she had inherited it and if others wished to face her in this battle she would not back down from the fight . she would even the score . and they vowed that they would come out triumphant once again .

from then on they drank they poison their mother delivered to their door . the martells , the daynes , the fowlers . all would fall as they rise , for they were the firstmen , after all . they were usurped , after all . they deserved to reclaim what was taken from them , and ynys would tear it from the hands of those who had the nerve to steal it .

ynys' hunger grew with time . after their hundredth victory their line of disregarded tutors only grew . their defeats of their father grew into the double digits . they defeated their mother for the first time as they turned fourteen , and the thrill of such a triumph was a high that couldn't be compared .

so the hunger grew as they did . and yet with their age came more responsibilities . expectations of duty , of marriage , of a knowledge of politics and history . and yet their hunger grew still . what need did they have for such things ? they were the yronwood's sword . the warden's club . their mother said it . ynys , you are our blade . it was said with pride the day they had defeated her . what need did blades have for balls ? ynys disregarded them . she disregarded them and she searched for more .

it was from the knights of the boneway that she first heard of the rings . the men would place bets on the fighters within them and yet they wouldn't enter them themselves . cowards . ynys was perhaps many things , but a coward wasn't one of them . she entered her own name the very same night , among snickers at the sight of a child . of someone's daughter .

ynys knew they were much more than someone's daughter .

that first night she returned bruised and sated , her pockets heavier for it . the second night she slipped away she returned with a new weapon taken as a token of victory . and the third time she slipped away her ears were still ringing from the roars of the crowd as she walked through the halls of boneway .

it only took the first time for ynys to find herself addicted . she returned time and time again , tackled opponent after opponent . and she won . again and again she won . and the crowd applauded her for it . they roared for her . the warden . bloodhammer . ynys the undefeated . it was the same feeling as her mother's beam of pride . she was a victor . they loved her and she was deserving of it . her streak of wins was satisfying enough , but the spectacle of it all fed ynys anew .

of course rumours swirled of her involvement . ynys dismissed them . her father was unhappy with her , but her mother was indifferent . her only comment : if you lose you will be unallowed to return .

ynys did not know how her mother planned to bar her from returning . she supposes she never will .

after all , ynys did not lose .

𝑴𝑰𝑺𝑪 .

honestly this is just me treating myself to a toph bei fong dupe as a treat i won't lie to you ... me gifting myself a bhm present fr fr sdkjds however , ok . y'all know that tiktok sound that's like 'mofos think i'm fighting to save the day but really i just like to fight' ,,, ya . ynys in a nutshell actually . loves a good fight , lives for it truly , the battlefield is their superbowl and yk what , we support them for it . they're a v simple person honestly , they see someone who looks formidable and they will in fact challenge them to a duel on the spot actually . incredibly , incredibly competitive i fear and loves to prove their strength . truly , does not care for much else like politics ? they don't give a fuck . truly she's only on the velaryon side bc of the old family grudge against the martells , like she's here to make good on that fr . also , speaking of , did her mother send an assassin to kill her and frame the martells for it just so she could get ynys on board with the family grudge ? ya ,,, ya she did , and yk what i feel like that should tell you enough about that woman actually . and yet ynys actually like respects her mother quite a bit so even when she heard whispers of such a thing i don't think she would believe it even if her gut tells her otherwise yk . got a scar through her eyebrow from the encounter tho and probably others tbh , they've probably reached who knows how many wins in battle by now , i don't but they're probably still counting honestly . very instinctual , very intuitive , but that's all just to tell y'all that this bitch doesn't think dsssd no thoughts just action ! nothing but battle strategy up there truly ! and it has served them well thusfar but will it forever ? who knows . honestly , should not be in polite society fr , like ? 9 times out of 10 they give commonfolk real bad ... giving ulf in the last ep of season 2 fr fr , just at the dinner table wolfing down little birds ... rip . like not polished in the slightest and yk what we love that for her ? she thinks decorum and like double wording and such is all deeply stupid so quite the straight shooter truly and tends to get really pissed off when she gets less than that from anyone else . uses dual swords bc her fc does and yk what how fun . left the fighting pits an undefeated champion and is a bit of a legend there , will go to random fighting rings on days she's feeling kind of down just to wipe the floor with everyone and hear the crowd roar bc that'll improve her mood INSTANTLY . LOVES an audience and LOVES attention . thinks she's funny , and yk what she kinda is , she's here for comic relief . a big flirt honestly , tends to be as transparent with interest and hate alike . literally cannot like hide what they're thinking generally , like they've got a poker face in battle but day to day ? you will see their look of disgust plain as day across a room . honestly kind of fun < 3 they're just hear for a good time but their version of a good time involves spilling the blood of their enemies . just girly things < 3

𝑾𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑫 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑵𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺 . just something to spring off of for plotting things .

childhood friends because have you met me i freaking love a childhood friend connect ,,, childhood enemies perhaps , bc that could also eat . betrothals or broken betrothals , past dalliances maybe idk let's have fun , a sparring partner could be fun , someone who they've challenged to a fight who refuses to indulge them < / 3 they're booing truly , someone who she's won a fight against in the past who maybe is holding a grudge perhaps not maybe they're besties now idk , an unlikely bestie < 3 perhaps someone with booksmarts to balance her out , ex lovers or a secret tryst style because idk i love drama , someone who they feel protective of for some reason or another could be interesting , a drinking buddy , a sparring partner , and literally anything else ok thx < 3