#it materializes in such similar but distinct ways from such different individuals with such different lives and experiences!

[pebblesmustard]

I don't think I can ever describe it decently enough but finding a kindred spirit (of sorts) between two authors' voices (especially when they are so distinct from one another and unique to themselves) is so magical.

[communistkenobi]

genuinely curious, if you think "it's a girl!" and "it's a boy!" categorisations are inherently oppressive, do you believe a world where gender isn't recognized in any meaningful way before the child has means to define it for themself to be the best alternative?

I’m going to use a different abolitionist example to illustrate what I mean: when people advocate for abolishing the nuclear family, they are not saying “get rid of parental relationships” or “get rid of fathers.” They are identifying a specific social relation that is used as a building block of society and advocating for a world where it doesn’t exist, because its existence is the foundation of certain forms of oppression. The western social model where children are raised in private detached housing by a maximum of two parents (and realistically, mostly by their mother - a huge problem in itself!) who have complete control over their material, emotional, and social needs produces a fucking huge amount of adverse outcomes - abuse, trauma, dysfunction, poor health - the list is nearly infinite. And this family model also inherently reproduces class, race, and gender by virtue of the fact that children inherit those things from their parents and are forced to exist in those contexts. And even in individual cases where it doesn’t produce abuse, even if you have very good parents who are not abusive to you in any way, that social relationship is still oppressive, in the same way that having a cool boss doesn’t mean that wage labour is good. A society where children are not entirely dependent on one or two people for all of their needs, where they are free to form meaningful relationships with adults outside of strict categories of family, where children are not legally and socially treated like the property of their parents, where bloodline is not privileged as the dominant mode of intergenerational transfer of knowledge, culture, skill, wealth, etc, is a much better world!

“Gender abolition” is, I think, a poor term for a similar goal, and one that has a lot of reactionary baggage (baggage that is not coincidental - I think its imprecision as a term is useful for terf politics). Abolition of patriarchy is probably more precise - I am advocating for a world where gender is entirely non-coercive, where gender does not produce any oppressive social relations. You can engage in gender as a culture in the same way you can engage with different forms of art, in a way that is purely voluntary. This configuration does not prohibit the possibility of trans people; we would just exist in an entirely different form than the current western, medicalist, patriarchal, white supremacist context we are forced to navigate.

So yes, I think for gender to be truly emancipatory, it needs to be engaged with as a voluntary form of human culture, as a form of art that we do with ourselves and our bodies, and to do this we need to abolish sex distinctions on medical records, gender markers on state documents, gendered facilities, and many, many other things.

[specialagentartemis]

Would you be open to elaborating more on your statement “#Admittedly I fundamentally don’t believe that many forms of ADHD and many of the tumblr-acceptable forms of autism are materially distinct”? I haven’t heard someone else voice this sentiment, but I think I have similar feelings to you around this topic and I am curious how others have come to this conclusion as well.

Sure.

When I was eight years old, I was diagnosed with ADD—Attention Deficit Disorder. This is considered a related but separate and distinct thing from ADHD.

When I was a teenager, a new DSM came out. ADD was no longer considered a distinct thing. My diagnosis changed to ADHD-I: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Inattentive Type.

My brain didn’t change, but the professional perception of what was up with it did.

Is ADD materially different from ADHD? Can you have ADHD without hyperactivity? That used to be no, now it’s yes; answer the first question, that used to be yes, now it’s no.

I see very similar things between ADHD and autism. Lots of people do. Traits like the ability to fixate on an interest to the physical inability to pay attention to anything else; infodumping past the point other people lose interest; penchant for physical clumsiness and poor coordination; emotional dysregulation; proclivity to sensory overload; anxiety over not emoting correctly… they’re ADHD things and autism things. Is bouncing my leg an autism stim or an expression of ADHD hyperactivity? Or is it just fidgeting like people do sometimes? I dunno. Are they in fact materially different things?

Similar to ADD, Asperger’s Syndrome is no longer a thing. It’s subsumed under Autism Spectrum Disorder now. Is “high functioning” autism the same material thing as “low functioning” autism? Is “high functioning” autism the same thing as “ADD”? Idk. In some people I think it is.

Especially in mental disorders and neurodivergences, diagnoses aren't physical, material things. They're names given to commonly occurring collections of traits or symptoms. There's no virus that causes ADHD, no bacteria that can be isolated that causes autism. COVID is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2; strep throat is caused by Streptococcus bacteria. They have symptoms, but they are primarily defined by their root cause. ADHD, autism, and plenty of other Brain Things do have neurochemical correlates - that is, there is an aspect of physical reality to them, you brain is wired a certain way - but it's not like ADHD is caused by the ADHD Virus and Autism is caused by the Autism Germ. They're names given to observable sets of traits, in order to figure out ways of treating and managing them. And I think drawing a sharp distinction between them - THIS is ADHD, and THIS is autism, and they're NOT THE SAME! - is pointless.

I like to use the xkcd color survey as an analogy for... well, a lot of things about the human experience and the way we classify it.

If you weren't around in 2010, xkcd's Randall Munroe asked the internet to help crowdsource the true names and boundaries of colors. You could sit down at the screen, colors would appear before you by random hexcode, and you typed in the name you'd call it. You could do this as many times with as many colors as you wanted. This was the resultant chart he made:

This shows the entirety of fully saturated RGB color space. Each pixel is a different hex code. Each pixel represents a different individual's brain.

I usually use this chart to talk about sexual orientation/queer identities. But it's also a great analogy for the categorizations being diagnoses.

If "Blue" is, say, ADHD, and "Purple" is Autism, you can image how one person's "purple" experience may be wildly different from another "purple" experience but very similar to a "blue" experience. But they're labelled differently, for various reasons. Maybe the doctor had recently seen a lot of blues, and this one seems more purple in comparison. Maybe the doctor has a really specific idea of what blue is, so this can't be blue, it must be purple. Which is not to say some blues aren't wildly different from some purples, that some purples match the platonic ideal image in your mind of what "purple" is more than others. There's still clearly a lot of overlap in blue and purple experiences.

That's kind of how I think about ADHD and autism.

And who knows, maybe I think this just because I am actually autistic. I've asked myself that, wondered that before. Am I? Or are these just ADHD symptoms that overlap? And honestly at this point the answer isn't super important to me. I know how my brain works and how to deal with it when it gets bad, and there's very little that pursuing a diagnosis would do for me at the point I'm at in my life.

But when I say that I suspect the two aren't as materially distinct as they're sometimes made out to be, this is what I mean.

[laurelsofhighever]

Unpopular opinion time: I really don’t care for the Titans as a concept. Or rather, I don’t like the way they fit into the worldbuilding of Thedas. It’s a symptom of this ongoing problem BioWare has where everything has to have some grand, shocking twist and an intricate backstory that connects with the intricate backstory of everything else. It’s like a slow power creep to the lore that honestly reminds me most of Supernatural in how desperate it is to outdo itself.

The Dalish Creators aren’t apocryphal characters used to impart moral lessons or explain natural phenomena – they were real, and they weren’t really gods, just super powerful mages who enslaved a bunch of people and used them to build statues!

The Fade isn’t just another, natural layer of existence that only a few can tap into – it was created by Some Guy who decided to fight the Actually Real Elvhen Gods and then had a nap about it for several thousand years!

Lyrium isn’t just a toxic mineral that causes neurological degradation but also happens to enhance magical ability – it’s actually the crystalised blood of an ancient race of giant beings that were hunted to extinction by the Actually Real Elvhen Gods!

The dwarves don’t have Stone Sense because of their specific cultural identity and because their society that’s based underground needs to know how to navigate without the sun – they were literally created by an ancient race of giant beings who decided to make them to the same vague shape as other bipedal mammals for some reason!

(these aren’t the only examples, they do it with everything from character backstories to religious schisms)

It’s like they don’t trust the player to suspend their disbelief in a fantasy world where magic and dragons are real, and the ironic thing is that by dissecting everything instead of just letting these story elements just be, it makes everything about Thedas feel smaller, and less like an intricate, organic world.

In DAO, we’re introduced to many gods – Avvar, Elvhen, Andrastian, as well as the dwarven concept of “the Stone” – and they exist in the role that gods fill in the real world: cultural artifacts that create a shared sense of identity. It makes sense for there to be similarities between the Elvhen Creators and the Avvar pantheon, given the amount of interaction between the two groups before they became isolated by persecution. Similarly, it makes sense that dwarves would have an entirely different theology structured around the material that literally encases them their whole lives and marks them as distinct from the surface-dwelling races. to reduce these belief systems to single, quantifiable truths makes as much sense as trying to claim the Real Zeus was [specific guy] from [specific time period]. It also does such disrespect to the individuals who make up these cultures, and who would have, through history, changed it simply by being part of it.

With the Titans specifically, they weren’t needed. We already had a concept of dwarves that worked well as a framework for the stories being told in the games: insular, rigid caste system, hub of the lyrium trade, collective PTSD from a millennia of fighting darkspawn. It’s cultural background radiation that adds motive and flavour for character actions, and that’s all it needs to be.

We don’t need to know precisely how Stone Sense works, just that it does. We don’t need to know where dwarves – or elves, or qunari, or humans – really come from, it’s enough for the story that they exist within a collective cultural identity. We don’t need to know what lyrium is, we just need to know that bad things happen when characters play with it.

It's fantasy. A wizard did it. The wizard shouldn’t feel the need to pull back his own curtain and then also rip the casing off the mechanism, just to prove how clever he is.

[comicaurora]

How do you make the personalities for your characters? Like, in my writing they all just end up being little emotional carbon copies of me, with some variation, but I can't write characters who are genuinely different from me

I kind of suspect most writers feel that way. We have access to our own internal entirety, so we know ourselves in a way that cannot be seen from the outside - a mass of contradictions, intrusive thoughts and roads not taken. This gives us a lot of material to work with to construct characters that are very different from one another that we still see as reflections of things we found in ourselves.

I think most of us have several different thoughts and opinions about most situations we find ourselves in, but we only typically act on one of them at a time. Teasing those threads apart gives us lots of different options to work from. There are things that we might think or feel, or things that make sense to us in theory - that we would never actually act on, and thus define a character that in practice is quite different from us.

Writing villains is where this is most obvious, since while most of us might have the occasional cruel thought or temptation, most of us have too much of a moral compass or a general sense of compassion to go through with that cruelty in any meaningful way. It'd make us feel too bad. To build a bad guy, we might speculate what we would do without that moral compass, or how we might execute a particularly gleeful revenge scheme against people we hate, or how we would act if we were a near-omnipotent, totally self-interested being toying with the lives of beings we perceived as lesser - you know, like how some people play videogames.

In my experience, building a character that isn't very similar to us is less a matter of adding character traits we don't understand, and more about narrowing in on a very, very specific subset of the infinity we individually contain and carving that off into its own character. I take my scientific curiosity and sense of allure at the infinite and turn it into The Collector, I take the same traits along with Gifted Kid Pride and turn it into Erin, I take alienation and an appreciation for the opportunity to exist in the world and turn them into Kendal, I take wanderlust and absolutely never knowing what's going on and turn them into Tess, I take rage and isolation and abandonment and turn it into Falst, etc etc. Each character is quite distinct from each other and will often disagree, but none of them are alien to me - and while that's obvious to me, it isn't to almost anyone else.

Basically I'd worry less about the character being different from you and more about the character being internally consistent.

[c-rowlesdraws]

Does Siwa have a personalized or customized suit in any way? I've always felt like the Volus suits (and to a lesser extend the quarian suits) that we see in game are a bit too 'one size fits all' to really represent all the options that would be available.

I wanted her to look similar to the other volus NPCs, like she could blend in with a crowd, so her suit isn't customized beyond some painted details, but she does accessorize! Her quarian friend Kesh'Vataar once gave her a Fleet-made belt made of woven cloth, the same kind of cloth quarians wear wrapped around their exosuits, as a present. It's an extremely meaningful gift and Siwa never leaves the airlock without it.

I think individual fashion choices in Mass Effect across species are for sure more complicated "in real life" than we saw in-game, where factors like budget and time and design priorities keep things like NPC fashion diversity low. I can imagine volus' approach to exosuit style being like how humans are with cars: most people choose from amongst affordable but fairly standard and unremarkable-looking models, some people drop heaps of credits on luxury designs and custom paintjobs for a more flashy and extravagant life-support experience, and some people get full-body wraps of anime characters.

For quarians, though, I can see them taking a different approach to decoration, because the context for their own exosuit usage is very different: the highly-industrialized volus, master navigators of the great currents of galactic commercial culture, mass-produce shiny new exosuits all the time (alongside a thriving secondhand market), but the quarians are a nomadic, isolated community with extremely limited material resources-- an exosuit that's completely newly-made, with no re-used parts at all, must be incredibly rare to nonexistent. In addition, a volus suit is a luxury purchase that the majority of the population never has a reason to go for, while each and every quarian must wear a suit for almost their entire life. I can imagine quarian suit style being all about combining used-and-reused components with newer ones in aesthetically-pleasing ways. Tarnished metal is polished mirror-bright around permanent dents and scratches, skillful stitching and artfully-draped wraps hide awkward seams.

Additionally, the quarians are (understandably) obsessed with holding onto their shattered history, and I can see their fashion reflecting that, too. Small family heirlooms made of gold and precious metals survive to be passed down because their cultural and personal value is greater than their material worth would be to the Fleet, were they melted down for use in electronics. Traditional patterns woven into cloth portray stylized forms of Rannochian ecology and natural features no living quarian has ever seen. I bet they're big on embroidery, too. But yeah, anyway, yes, I can see both the volus and the quarians having more diverse exosuit designs than shown in canon, but i think volus and quarian design sensibilities would also be distinct from each other in significant ways.

[objectbiologist]

Object Myths vs Facts

this was written by my colleague @upsidedowngrass in an attempt to help dispel some of the misconceptions surrounding objects and their biology. everything will be listed beneath the cut and should hopefully provide a deeper understanding of the things i talk about on here. check out his page if you haven't yet!

MYTH: objects are made of the EXACT material of whatever they are mimicking.

FACT: not quite. objects are excellent mimics (almost moreso than actual mimics, a convergent species), and are able to accurately replicate the material of the object they imitate. however, this is never 100% exact; objects are organic inherently but may imitate things that are inorganic, or that have their own organ systems. as such, when objects mimic these, they must work with the compounds and materials available to them during development. while this is extensive, as it is with any animal, plant, or otherwise, it is typically never an exact replica.

MYTH: objects are one species.

FACT: objects are an entire domain, not a single species. because of this, they are highly diverse, and the basis of the domain is noticably distinct from the structure seen in the domains of life on earth.

MYTH: all types of objects have the same organ structures.

FACT: because of the sheer diversity of objects, relating to size, shape, and material, objects from different categories often have largely different organ systems from one another, the same way that a snake and a dog have differentborgan systems, but can have similarities between what certain structures are used for.

MYTH: all objects follow the same social behaviors.

FACT: for the same reason, objects are an incredibly diverse domain, and as such, have incredibly different behaviors, especially when it comes to social interactions. it is largely based on individual species- and even then, once you get down to an individual level there are different personalities that affect how an object acts in social situations. there are more common societal norms in object society, though, that may be based on the behaviors of many species.

MYTH: objects of one type have a specific limb type.

FACT: typically, but not always. object genealogy is a complex subject, with the development of limbs not being as strict as it is for earth life- especially when you factor in how lines of object families can jump families, classes, and even kingdoms.

MYTH: object taxonomy follows the same rules as earth life.

FACT: not really. object taxonomy is an understanding of object biology, ecology, and evolution that uses earth concepts, but these analogies are not perfect. understanding objects' biology from the perspective of earth life proves incredibly complicated, and breakthroughs are made each day. taxonomy, and even wider biological concepts are ever moving and shifting.

MYTH: when people discuss object bodies, the body and Body are the same.

FACT: they are not. an object body, uncapitalized, refers to the object the same way humans refer to ones overall self, including limbs. an objects Body, capitalized, refers to the Objects's object, which in itself is a statement that can also garner confusion. the simple takeaway is 'body = entire self, Body = section of the body mimicing an object' and for clarification's sake, 'Object = the person, object = the part of the object that mimics something.

[writing-plurals]

Hello! I am not plural and the characters I am writing aren't exactly original, rather, they are an interpretation of an already existing one that gets referred to by two different names, which sometimes get interpreted as plurality. I am quite fond of the idea, but from what I've seen, the fandom usually gravitates towards just two alters in their system, which is not in any way wrong, however I would like to make them more similar to my friends who are systems. The story is happening in an alien world, where the closest equivalent to humans is still very different, but the story mainly focuses on the giant semi-biological supercomputers they left behind. Naturally, their plural experience is probably very different from one of a system in real life, and I apologize if that complicates things… How their plurality functions is that a supercomputer's mind is made out of thousands of processing units, powerful mini-brains, all constantly processing and exchanging information, like a human brain but in zero gravity and essentially infinitely larger. The origin of system that I am writing is a condition that causes their processing units to struggle to exchange information as smoothly as intended, often clumping in separate groups, the groups may fall apart and redistribute to the rest of the supercomputer, or stay together long enough to, essentially, split a new alter. Due to just how large the processing power of the system's brain is, all of the alters are conscious at once, however some of the processing units will still be exchanged inbetween alters automatically, leaving some in a more dissociative state from time to time. They all don't share the same memories, but can create logs and manually exchange and copy the memories into another alter's memory, though they usually don't do it unless it's something important like scheduling or simulation results. The supercomputers don't exactly have a body in the traditional sense, though they do have an avatar their creators used to anthropomorphize them and act as a sort of output, like how monitors output some of the computer's data. They only have one avatar as their plurality wasn't intended by their creator. They cannot really customize it since they probably don't have a way to get any paint, accessories, or anything similar for their metal plating without the help of their creators, who are gone, however they can project holograms on top of the avatar with some of the details of an alter's preferred appearance (Headspace appearance? Would that be an accurate term?), but they don't usually do that. I guess the closest equivalent to fronting would be that since a supercomputer has only one "user", which means if they want to communicate with other supercomputers, all of the alters can have one "account" in each broadcast group/private broadcasts/etc., and the broadcast system cannot be modified so there can not be a Pluralkit/Tupperbox equivalent, which creates difficulties either always having to clarify who is speaking or only restricting certain groups to be used by a specific alter. A lot of the alters either don't speak in groups at all or only lurk, but 4-6 (haven't landed on a solid number yet) front quite frequently. I apologize for the amount of text…I would talk about each of active alter's arc, their relationships with each other and how they cope with the major event that happens in the plot, but I am afraid I've already given too much material to work on. I am worried whether the depiction of plurality in this system inside a supercomputer is respectful and if something is missing

It took a few read throughs, but what I processed of that, that definitely seems respectful so far, and like you've thought it out a ton! There's the line of logic as to how they form, function, and attempt to express themselves. And especially hearing that there's an arc for at least several of the alters that are all distinct, there's the added individuality that can add to a story a lot!

(For any future asks on this one specifically, something to note the different bullet points like a - or something like that would be Very helpful in breaking up the text and making it easier to process.)

-Mod Tick Tock

[morlock-holmes]

So I've had a lot of too passionate discussion about "AI art" (A term I am deeply unfond of) but they've lately clarified something for me, which is that I am now thinking that certain distinct things have been conflated in the popular discussion.

Incidentally, for the following discussion I'm only talking about image generation; while text generation apparently uses similar programing approaches, I feel like for end users the use case for generated text is very different from the use case for generated images.

So what I have realized lately, is that there are (at least) two ways to make revenue from AI art, and that these two different revenue streams have different implications for copyright law and data use in general.

I've been playing around a lot with Stable Diffusion, a group of open source image generation tools, because, what, I'm going to use a closed-source system like some kind of simp? No thank you.

Honestly, I still have a really poor understanding of how Stable-Diffusion models actually work; everything I've read has been either so technical that I come away with no information, or so dumbed down that I come away with no information. I'm working on it.

But on a basic caveman level, if you want to use Stable-Diffusion, you download a specific checkpoint model which is a big (A few gigs) file full of god knows what. You then download a GUI, you type a text prompt into the GUI as an input, your computer's GPU performs a whole bunch of calculations based on the prompt, and after a minute or so spits out one or more image files.

So, now that Grog explain magic box to you, it should be clear that there are actually two ways to generate revenue from this:

I can sell the individual image outputs, or;

I can sell the model file and access to hardware which does the calculations.

So, a company like Midjourney does the latter; they aren't selling individual pictures to scifi publishers to use as book covers, they are selling access to a proprietary model and the hardware to run it.

This means that copyright concerns are kind of different depending on which of those approaches you are talking about.

I think @squareallworthy was the first person I saw advance a certain argument for AI models as being copyright infringing.

People say that the model isn't the actual image, that it's just data taken from the image, but in a setting involving computers that's a very iffy distinction to draw. A .zip file containing a copy of, say, Marvel's Avengers is, in and of itself, just a bunch of data. I, as a person, can't actually see the movie just by looking at the binary code that composes that particular zip file.

But I can use a computer program to turn that data into a human-readable copy of the Avengers. I think we can agree that I can't evade copyright protections just by compressing my unauthorized copy into a zip folder.

So, take a stable-diffusion model like this one I found on CivitAI (Warning, there are NSFW images there, but they are blurred by default) and ask it to generate an image of Sega's copyrighted character Rouge The Bat and you can get a result like this:

Thereby proving that the checkpoint file contains copyrighted material in a manner similar to that of a .zip file or other compression file.

I think squareallworthy used some painting nobody has heard of to make the same point but the principle is the same either way.

I don't know if this is a knock-out argument in terms of copyright law; I would expect it to be far more difficult to generate, say, a specific panel of a specific Sonic the Hedgehog comic, but it's a colorable argument.

However, that argument applies only to the checkpoint model itself, and is far less convincing when applied to a given output.

Say I instead use the same model to create my own extremely original not derivative of anything in particular OC:

If I just publish the above image, you cannot in any way simply just use that jpeg to recreate the checkpoint model or any copyrighted data that might arguably be inside the checkpoint model.

To me, this is more like, imagine I have a stolen copy of Marvel's The Avengers. And imagine I write a computer program which, say, repeatedly samples the color of a random pixel in the movie at a random time, assigns each color a musical tone, and then outputs the whole thing as an avant garde audio file.

My argument would be that, sure, you might be able to get me for having an unauthorized copy of Marvels The Avengers, but the audio file itself is so transformative of the work that the original work cannot be derived from the audio file, so it would be absurd to say that the audio file has violated Disney's copyright.

I am very skeptical of attacks on this kind of image generation which rely on the idea that they constitute "theft".

Based on the reasoning above, I think you can only argue that the checkpoint models potentially violate copyright; the idea that my mouse girl represents a violation of Sega's copyright because the same model can produce an image of the mouse and an image of Rouge the Bat strikes me as absurd on the face.

The idea that the model itself violates copyright, while I don't agree, is certainly less obviously absurd.

But the danger here is that, if the models violate copyright laws, then that means that only truly giant corporations could produce them, because you'd either need to pay tremendous numbers of licensing fees OR just already own the copyright to an enormous pile of digital images.

Yes, that might hurt MidJourney, but it would definitely kill all open source image generation tech.

A world where this tech can be used easily by individuals, but legally we are only allowed to do so if we pay Adobe a monthly subscription fee strikes me as actively worse than a world where this tech is available open source to individuals.

PS - I originally wanted to do this demonstration with the main Stable-Diffusion models but they, and I cannot believe I am saying this, don't know who Rouge the Bat is. I'm kind of kidding on the square when I say that if these models didn't get any images of Rouge the Bat, they can't have harvested that much data from the internet.

PPS - In terms of the copyrightability of the output images, I generated forty-eight images of Rouge and 14 different prompts, and the numbers are even higher for the mouse girl. It turns out this model trained mostly on furry porn does not have the best grasp of what a shopping cart is. I played a LOT with the weights of individual prompt elements on the mouse girl trying to get something that was at all legible as a beer mug on top of her head. I also looked around to find the best model to use for the demonstration, and added some supplementary models which pulled the image in a certain direction. I was really considering inpainting before I just said, "Dang it, you can't work on these forever, just write the dang post already". My point is, I would argue that, while a tremendous amount of that image is not the result of my decision making, a significant chunk of it is, I would argue I had more input into the subject matter and composition than I would have for, say, a photograph of a neat bug I came across at random, and that photo of a neat bug already is copyrightable.

[staurora]

My Thoughts on Xikers debut!

(gif retrieved from @hunternity )

So Xikers recently debuted with the album House of Tricky: Doorbell Ringing and I wanted to share my thoughts! I’ve been keeping an eye on them as KQ has released more content to build hype and I think they were very easy for me to get interested in compared to many other groups. And their album did not disappoint!

I won’t go into my specific thoughts on every song but I think the entire album as a whole is very well done. Its cohesive and high energy in a way that doesn’t feel annoying or dull, due to the great musicality from the production team (Hongjoong, Edenary crew, ily). If I had to describe the concept, it’s a sort of trickster concept with a modern, youthful kind of twist. They play around a little bit with varying genres while keeping a distinct Kpop sound as the through-line. I enjoyed it very much and I’ve been listening to it often since release!

(I hear they also have lore. I’m not gonna dive into that until like. Next comeback. It looks complicated and I don’t have enough material to judge yet lol)

When you look for negative opinions of them so far, the biggest thing I’ve seen is that people think they’re too much like Ateez, that KQ is just making them Ateez junior, etc. I can see why they feel like it sounds a bit similar, but at the same time, Ateez has a particular sound that I just… don’t really hear in these tracks? Idk how to describe it, like Ateez songs tend to have a more cinematic feeling most of the time I think? I could see a comparison between this album and maybe Fever part 2, but even then its a very vague similarity and I’ve always felt that particular album kind of stuck out of Ateez’s music. I think if Xikers were under JYP, everyone would compare them to Stray Kids in the same way, right? They just sound like a kpop boy group.

Also… yeah I’m sure KQ is trying to make a follow up to Ateez, one of their most profitable business moves to date (come on, KQ fellaz and then KQ fellaz 2? It’s pretty clear). But the members of Xikers are distinct individuals, and their personalities will naturally influence the direction of their music and performances. They will eventually move out from the shadows of senior performers. Hopefully they can bring something very new or innovative to their second comeback, make a wave like hala hala did but in a whole new way.

Anyway, to close on a positive note, here are some of my favorite things I’ve noticed from Xikers thus far!

Sumin! He’s probably my bias, along with Hunter? Hunter’s dance skills are CRAZY (and he did that one performance to all time hit Juggernaut by my fav Tyler the Creator so I’m. Biased.) Sumin kinda snuck up on me tho, for some reason he reminded me a bit of Changbin? But distinctly different, he has this particular kind of coolness yknow? I’m always rapper biased😔.

In Xikey, Minjae’s shout of “Xikers” rly gave me goosebumps! So powerful, he went all in and it paid off!

Edenary, HJ i am Kissing u deeply for Dynamic, that track fucks severely

Yechan… that kid has some crazy potential and I think everyone knows it. With him as well as the other members, I look forward to learning more about them as individuals and seeing those traits shine through in their music.

[moonbearblue]

What is Unspecified Dissociative Disorder?

I am diagnosed with this right now instead of DID and I see very little explanation of it online anywhere so I want to parrot what my therapist told me. (I am in the US and speaking specifically about the DSM and why these are diagnosed in the US. I am not sure if it is the same elsewhere.) First off, about unspecified diagnoses. My therapist said that in her training for the DSM 5 they are taught to diagnose unspecified disorders mostly as a stand in diagnosis. Meaning a diagnosis that is put down until a specific diagnosis can be made. They are diagnosed typically when there is obvious signs of a certain kind of mental illness but for whatever reason they are unable to have enough info to diagnose what it specifically is at that time. This is often very useful because you can still bill insurance with them to cover the same treatment any specified diagnosis would. As well as still being covered under ADA protections and the ability to get accommodations for jobs or school.

Unspecified dissociative disorder is commonly diagnosed before a diagnosis of OSDD or DID is made. It is also diagnosed in other situations in people without alters before a diagnosis of a different dissociative disorder is made. Not everyone with this diagnosis is a system. Because of how long a diagnosis of any dissociative disorder can take, someone may have this diagnosis for a long time. Some systems may choose not to have their records changed to a diagnosis of OSDD or DID for whatever reason even after further testing. Some systems who were originally diagnosed with this may resonate with UDD as a label more than DID or OSDD so they may consider themselves a UDD system and there is nothing wrong with that as it does not effect treatment in any way. Although almost anyone with alters will fall under the label of DID or OSDD because of how broad the OSDD-1 category is in the DSM-5. A lot of people think of the old criteria from the DSM-4 for DDNOS which was slightly different than OSDD in the DSM-5 and less broad. (The DDNOS diagnosis criteria is also where OSDD-1a and OSDD-1b comes from. It is not an actual part of the DSM criteria for OSDD 1 anymore but can be a helpful distinction.)

DSM-5 criteria for OSDD-1

Chronic and recurrent syndromes of mixed dissociative symptoms: This category includes identity disturbance associated with less-than-marked discontinuities in sense of self and agency, or alterations of identity or episodes of possession in an individual who reports no dissociative amnesia.

DSM-4 TR criteria for DDNOS-1

Clinical presentations similar to Dissociative Identity Disorder that fail to meet the full criteria for the disorder. Examples include presentations which a) there are not two or more distinct personality states, or b) amnesia for important personal information does not occur.

So if someone gets the diagnosis of UDD it will at some point, if further testing is done, likely be changed to DID or OSDD if they want it to be.

Originally in older editions of the DSM both OSDD and UDD did not exist. DDNOS was in the place of both diagnoses and became OSDD and UDD in the DSM-5 in 2013. Some systems who were diagnosed with DDNOS before then still use it as a label instead of OSDD.

In the DSM-5 there are no not otherwise specified diagnoses left anymore and they were all changed to either unspecified or other specified.

My therapist has diagnosed me with UDD for the time being because she is not a specialist in dissociative disorders. She does not have the amount of materials to test me with that a specialist or psychologist may have. She feels it would do me the most good to be diagnosed with this since the the treatment of OSDD and DID is the same and then get a more accurate diagnosis later. I can also use my UDD diagnosis to get the accommodations I need in college in the meantime. She is treating me for DID and OSDD but I will likely get a diagnosis of DID at some point I think as we definitely have amnesia. I have no idea how long it will take to find and get in with a specialist or if I will have a diagnosis of UDD for a long time but I wanted to share what I have learned. I may add more to this post later.

[yellowspiralbound]

Witcher School Headcannons

A collection of head canons about each Witcher school. 

Wolf School

Specialization: Curses

Wolf Witchers specialize in the breaking of curses. By the time of their descent from Kaer Morhen, all Wolf Witchers know cures for common curses such as lycanthropy. They are also well versed in discovering curses, their origins, and their possible cures. Many Wolf Witchers die at the hands of Cursed Ones during their first year on the Path as they try to cure instead of kill. Typically, those that return to the Path for a second time have discovered how to tell when Cursed Ones are lost causes. 

Specific/Distinct Mutations: N/A - The School of the Wolf still uses the same mutagens first used by the Order of Witchers before it split into the separate schools. 

Combat Tactics/Fighting Styles: All Witchers will develop their own fighting style with time, but most wolves have a tactic in common: exhaustion. Similar to their animal counterparts, which are endurance hunters and will follow their prey for miles, Wolf Witchers often rely on tiring their opponent out through the strategic use of oils, dodges, and Signs. 

Trial of the Medallion: Any Witcher to emerge from Kaer Morhen goes through the grueling Trial of the Mountain during which they ascend Troll’s Head Mountain without being killed by Old Speartip, the cyclops in the caverns, or by the trolls beyond the caverns. Then, the trainee would place their Withcher’s medallion in the Circle of Elements to activate it. (Canon)

Headquarters: Kaer Morhen in Kaedwan near the Gwenllech River. 

Fun Facts: 

Geralt and the others that died during the second round of mutations were the first attempts at a specially mutated Wolf Witcher. Vesemir was afraid Geralt would end up with the Madness common in Cat Witchers as a result, but it never materialized. 

Wolf Witchers are considered by most to be the most traditional of the Witcher schools and many of their teachings date back to the Order of Witchers. 

Wolf Witchers have a relatively good reputation with humans, as far as Witcher-human relationship goes because Wolf Witchers are reliable and fair with their prices. 

(rest of the schools below cut)

Cat School 

Specialization: Revenge 

It is commonly believed by other Witchers (and the Cats are quite content to let them believe this) that Cat Witchers will kill any human for any price. This is not, in fact, the full truth. Many consider the hardest part of hiring a Cat Witcher assassin to be convincing them that their victim truly deserves to die. It is, naturally, up to the individual Witcher to pass judgment and some Cat Witchers are more willing assassins than others. 

Specific/Distinct Mutations: 

Pheromone control (using their scent to manipulate others/situations)

Retractable claws between the fingernail and nail bed 

Fangs 

Whiskers

Flexible musculoskeletal system (a fancy way of saying their muscles/bones are different and allow for more flexibility and insane jumping height) 

The Madness. 

No Cat has all of them, but all Cats have the Madness to some level. The variation in mutations among Cats stems from the long history of experimentation on them. 

Combat Tactics/Combat Styles: Naturally, Cat Witchers prefer stealth. A typical Cat Witcher will hang in the shadows for as long as possible and, when they do emerge, they will attempt to make the kill as quick and as clean as possible. Cats tend to fight…surgically. Rather than the hack-and-slash method employed by Wolves, Cats prefer to strike areas that will cause immediate results. It’s not unusual for assassination victims to be found with slashed Achilles’ heels to prevent running. Part of Cat training involves learning the most effective places to slash on as many creatures as possible. 

Trial of the Medallion: The final Trial for a Cat Witcher is called the Trial of the Noose. The Trial of the Noose involves a complex aerial obstacle course of sorts. Trainees are expected to complete the course, which is in the shape of a noose, in a set amount of time. Before the day of the trial, bait is set for harpies nearby, which adds an extra layer to the challenge. 

Headquarters: Dyn Marv Caravan in…um…wherever they want it to be.

Fun Facts:

Although experiments were conducted to remove emotions from Cats, they failed. Cats have the same emotional capacity as other witchers...in theory. In truth, prolonged experimentation has caused most older Cats to have so much trauma that their emotional scope is narrower; younger Cats do not have this problem to the same extent

A Cat can only be contacted on assassination contracts through underworld networks; contacting one at all is considered part of the proof that the client really is desperate to have their victim disposed of

The women of the continent are often the most knowledgeable about when and where a Cat can be contacted for assassination 

There is a popular myth in some parts of the Continent that all Witchers have fangs. This myth was spread by a fanged Cat seeking to bolster his own image. His plan failed when he forgot to mention his name during gossip exchanges. 

Bear School

Specialization: Politics 

An unexpected side effect of Bear Witchers’ solitary natures is their involvement in Skelligen politics. Prior to the fall of the school, Bear Witchers served Skellige in an official capacity. Each clan had at least one Bear Witcher in their employment at all times. A clan’s Witcher would handle all contracts in that clan’s domain. They worked closely with Skelligen druids and enjoyed a hesitant respect from most Skelligens. Bear Witchers also acted as advisors to the clan leaders in a manner similar to sorceresses on the Continent. 

Specific/Distinct Mutations: 

Shapeshifting (may become a bear at will) 

“Steroid” blood (the more blood a Bear loses, the more powerful their attacks become)

Combat Tactics/Combat Styles: Bear Witchers rely on their own strength during battle. Like all Skelligens, they are not afraid of injury and often rely on said injuries to draw strength due to their blood mutations. Another common strategy among Bear Witchers is to keep their bear form in the reserves and break it out when they are almost defeated, often fatally stunning their enemy with their transformation. 

Trial of the Medallion: Called the Trial of Salt by Bear Witchers, this Trial of the Medallion is one of the most brutal faced by any school. In the Trial of Salt, Bear Witchers are expected to take on a swarm of aquatic monsters in the sea with a plethora of open wounds inflicted by their masters. The salt of the sea agitates the wounds and makes all movements painful. Bears that survive the Trial carry permanent scars. Many get intricate tattoos of the beasts they defeated over the scars.

Headquarters: Kaer Gelen on Ard Skellige, near Gedyneith ( non - canon; Canon headquarters is Haern Caduch in the Amell Mountain that separates Nilfgaard and the Northern Realms.)

Fun Facts:

Berserkers were created by Bear Witcher mages in an attempt to perfect the mutagens for the school. Since the mutagens supposedly failed completely, they were not sterilized which is why Berserkers are still found today. 

Bear Witchers only rarely returned to Kaer Gelen in the winter; most chose to stay with their clan and a few would winter with the druids in Gedyneith

Bear Witchers are often heavily tattooed in accordance with Skellige tradition. After a particularly difficult hunt that they wish to commemorate, a Bear can always be found adding ink to his skin. 

Viper School

Specialization: Assassination 

Much of the reputation held by Cat Witchers can be more accurately attributed to Viper Witchers. This misunderstanding is used to the Vipers’ advantages. It isn’t unusual for a Viper to don a Cat medallion before enacting an assassination. Vipers will kill anyone for the right price and pry information out of them first for an additional fee. 

Specific/Distinct Mutations: 

Black Blood (Viper blood is toxic to almost everything - think the black blood potion but all the time.)

Toxic saliva (different Vipers have different effects. For example, one witcher may have saliva that paralyzes, while another has saliva that intoxicates.)

Combat Tactics/Combat Styles: Due to their toxic blood, two main forms of combat have evolved within the vipers: ranged and close-combat fighters:

Close-Combat Vipers lean into their toxic blood. Close-combat Vipers will occasionally allow their foe to get hits on them to poison them or corrode their blades. They fight with two "fangs" tipped with poison. Fangs are typically silver/steel daggers but can be made of anything the Viper desires. Some notable alternatives include bone, actual fangs, glass, and stone.

Ranged Vipers adhere to the fact that while their blood is deadly, they're no good to anyone if they're dead. Instead, ranged Vipers use poisoned arrows to attack their foes. The arrows are poisoned with their own blood.

Trial of the Medallion: The Trial of Sacrifice is the final hurdle a Viper faces before receiving their Medallion. As Vipers often work behind enemy lines and kill those they laid with only a moment before, they can’t get too attached to anything. Ever. The Trial of Sacrifice ensures they are prepared for this. When a Viper trainee arrives, they are invited to select a pet. That pet is then their companion and best friend for the entirety of their Withcer training. During the Trial of Sacrifice, a Viper must look their pet in the eye and kill it. (Canon)

Headquarters: Gorthur Gvaed in the Tir Tochair mountains between the Korath Desert and Nilfgaard. Most inhabitants of the mountains are non-humans.

Fun Facts:

Due to the Trial of Sacrifice, Vipers struggle to form attachments to anyone or anything 

The Schools of the Cat and the Viper do not have good relations and the rivalry is overshadowed only by the one between the Wolves and Cats. 

Griffon School

Specialization: Magic, the Dead

Griffons specialize in the art of magic. While their magic is not as powerful as that of a sorcerer or sorceress, it is quite powerful. Griffons can make use of magic beyond the usual Signs. They specialize in a type of magic that is cast using not Elder but Common. Extremely talented Griffons may be able to cast telepathically. Their heavily enchanted Witcher Medallions allow them to fly for short periods of time as well. 

Griffons chose to inhabit a deeply haunted land. To combat this, they quickly adjusted magic to help them communicate with the dead. This magic is considered necromancy and is therefore frowned upon by almost everyone, but Witchers are already frowned upon so what’s one more rumor? 

Specific/Distinct Mutations:

Magic enhancers (the mutation that allows the use of Common instead of Elder in spell casting.)

Air sacs 

Light bones 

Combat Tactics/Combat Styles: Griffons are advantageous fighters. They make use of their surroundings in any way possible, whether that’s by knocking opponents off cliffs or taking advantage of flammable materials. Griffons are also well known for using gravity to their advantage. Some Griffons are known for lifting their foes a considerable distance into the air and dropping them. 

Trial of the Medallion: The Trial of the Egg is the final trial a Griffon Witcher must face. The trainee must locate a Griffon egg, steal it without the parents noticing and transport it to a secondary location. Griffons may choose to take the Trial of the Book instead. During the Trial of the Book, they must recite the Liber Tenebrarum. No trainee has ever selected the Trial of the Book. (Canon)

Headquarters: Kaer Saren in the Kestrel Mountains in the Kingdom of Kovir and Poviss. 

Fun Facts:

The Griffon and Crane schools work closely together due to the typically dual flying/swimming nature of aquatic beasts. 

Kaer Seren was standing for centuries before the Griffons took it over 

The library of Kaer Seren was one of the greatest in the world and contained many book on mutagens and Common magic 

Common magic was feared by mages because they would lose their power if the commoners could cast without Aretuza and Ban Ard. This led to considerable tension between the groups. 

Griffons do not have issues with killing dragons, unlike other Witcher schools. 

Crane School

Specialization: Aquatic creatures

Cranes specialize in societies that live underwater, such as the Vodyanoy, and the monsters that plague them like water elementals, sea serpents, and krakans. 

Specific/Distinct Mutations: 

Gills

Webbed fingers/toes

Second eyelid

Pressure resistance 

Combat Tactics/Combat Styles: Of course, Cranes use their underwater skills. Like Water Hags, they often use silt and sand to blind their opponents. If they’re fighting a creature from a boat, they wrap a thick silver rope around it and yank it upward, out of its element. If they are stalking an amphibious creature, they take a page out of a crocodile’s book and keep still and silent. 

Trial of the Medallion: The Trial of the Frog is the final trial for Crane trainees. The Trial of the Frog focuses on adaptability in combat, like how a Frog adapts to living on land. Similar to a triathlon,  the Trial of the Frog takes place in all three of the main fighting environments of Crane Witchers. Provided they survive, the trainees become full fledged Witchers.

Headquarters: Kaer Nhon in the Silk Islands (Headcannon; no cannon headquarters. Kaer Nhon does not exist at all, unlike Kaer Gelen which can be found in Skellige in Witcher III)

Fun Facts:

Cranes are considered good luck on ships and are often allowed to travel on them for free - a rare reaction to the presence of a Witcher 

The School of the Crane is the only predominantly female school 

Many sea shanties are written by or reference Crane Witchers 

Myths about sirens being desirable originated due to drunk soldiers spotting Cranes in the depths. 

Cranes are generally the most well-natured and amicable Witchers 

Crane Witchers typically face the least persecution from humans despite being the most inhuman Witchers. This is because Crane Witchers do not belong in the uncanny valley like other Witchers; they’re seen as fully inhuman to the point where they enjoy a status not unlike the status of dragons - some people still fear them, but they’re largely respected. 

Manticore School

Specialization: Defense

Specific/Distinct Mutations:

Bulky frames

Tough skin (even by witcher standards) 

Reinforced bones

Combat Tactics/Combat Styles: 

Manticores, unlike all other witchers, are a preventative measure, not a reactive one. While they will kill monsters already present, they focus more on keeping monsters out of human settlements. They achieve this in many ways: they focus on finding and eradicating nests, building walls lined with silver, and teaching the common man how to handle the common monster.

 Manticore fighting styles also reflect their defensive nature. Manticores typically use large shields as their primary weapons. These shields are usually jagged along at least one edge and feature a large spike in the center. This shield effectively protects the witcher, and damages their opponent in one swift move. In the hand not holding the shield, Manticores are equipped with a small "stinger." A stinger is typically a small knife tipped in poison or enchanted to burn the flesh of an opponent. 

Trial of the Medallion: Trial of the Sands is the name given to the Manticores’ final trial. The Trial consists of the trainee making their way form one fortress to the other while taking no injuries - not even one from a cactus spine. It is not uncommon for a Manticore trainee to attempt the Trial multiple times. Because of the nature of the Trial of the Sands, Manticores train for much longer than the Witchers of other schools. 

Headquarters: Behelt Nar & Bialsuf Alsarea are the twin fortresses of the Manticores. One fort is at each end of the Korath desert.

Fun Facts:

Manticore Witchers are also called Alqatil

Women can be Manticore Witchers 

Manticore Witchers are considered dragon protectors by the dragon worshipers of Zerrikania 

[kyonoc]

.........It's a deadass 1AM brainless thought of mine but like, now that I'm rereading Koko wa ima kara rinri desu for the idk 100th time; Alhaitham and Takayanagi could totally swap places and I'd barely notice the difference?

In this essay I will below the cut-

P/s KK: I finish this post at approximately 3AM :D I need to wake up for lectures at 5AM since spring/winter whatever you call them is over haha silly me

Some might argue that "Alhaitham will not go out of his way for others, he prioritize his well-being first due to his rationality", but then again Ethicc teach is only doing his part as a teacher, no? If a student is not having a problem, or at least appears to be so, he will lose interest and take his leave.

Now that I'm really thinking about it, yea..? They are their own distinctive characters, yes, but Alhaitham's and Takayanagi personality does overlap in some way (and if you squint realy hard too).

They extent their wisdom and philosophy to others not because they think they are self-righteous, nor do they believe their way of thinking is the only acceptable one. They do not disregard, nor be judgemental towards others' way of thinking, living or behaving; not even if they are on the opposite side. In fact, they acknowledge and can appreciate the sentiment and the various viewpoints. Rather, it is to lend a helping hand and guide others to a better direction - they both however will not prompt unsolicited advices or unnecessary suggestions that's uncalled for.

Takayanagi never ridicules, be critical nor dismissive of any of his students' beliefs and ideals (eg, chapter 4 where he is very patient and respectful with Honda's Ryu, and is willingly to make up another excuse for her parents so she will have the option to choose when to confess the truth herself). Alhaitham is not a selfish ahhhole, he can (and will if you might) appreciate others' way of living (eg, Dehya doesnt want a predictable life and he respect that, or how he commended Tighnari and his personality).

In chapter 8, Takayanagi doesn't dismiss Ryouta's concerns about being "ordinary". Rather, Takayanagi complimented that Ryouta also have his individuality and it's already splendid, and that he should continue to contemplate "How does one become special" as he continues to live - encouraging him to find his own definition of being better. Alhaitham acknowledges that Traveler is capable of looking after themselves (and Paimon too), and hence he doesn't give any comment or advise us anything that might be unwanted. He might appears as being unnecessary rude and inconsiderate towards Kaveh, but Kaveh really needed that reality check no? I do not condone this type of behavior irl, however, it's only due to Alhaitham's unreasonable attitude and harsh truth that Kaveh finally stood up for himself for once, instead of keep being self-destructive trying to please everyone.

They are also both a strict believer of their own philosophy, (I assume Takayanagi's too is also materialized from his own wisdom), which is not affected by social norms, rules nor expectations. They both are not influenced, limited nor is restrained by rules and what not. For example, in chapter 1, Takayanagi is willingly to ignore the school rules and forgive Aizawa for having intercourse at school, as long as it is consensual. Or in chapter 7, where he expressed very clearly that if he thinks touching female students is sexual harrassment, the same should be applied to male students too. Or else it'd be double standards, wouldn't it? Alhaitham doesn't let peole's gossiping and rumors get to him - that is best reflected in his character story quest, especially through the parallels between him and Ilyas. He is willingly to decline the Grand Sage position and returns his old position, as the Grand Sage role contradicts with his philosophy of leading a leisurely and peaceful life.

They also share some obvious similarities, like not having a huge social circle. Though Takayanagi have more to do with his reserved nature and less with his philosophy (maybe? I like to really think about this manga so I havent rlly finished it yet, pardon). Haitham, well, he is reserved by definition, but it's more to do with his ideals and all. They are *cough cough* thicc *cough cough*, seemingly distant and they both appears to be stoic at all time, but Takayanagi seems to show more emotions (and I think so does Haitham. I'm a stern believer that Mihoyo just sucks at portraying their characters). They don't care about anything that doesn't intrigue them.

Theres might be more that I didn't cover. I'm sorry if this is a mess to read i typed in a daze 🙏🙏 G9 world I'm dying. Also please read "We shall now begin Ethics", it's a really good read

KK.

P/s: Adding this here so I can come back tmr and not forget; Can Haitham really swap places with Takayanagi in that case? Why and why not (eg bc of personality of field of study? Is philosophy included in haravatat- its not right?). If they are swapped (even if theres some difficulties), can Alhaitham do the things Takayanagi did? This is Haitham focused bc ykyk im further expanding my character study about him

[wolves-against-the-world]

Werewolf anatomy: Species

Sourced from: van Leeuwen, A., Cornelissen, F. & Riddarvold, S. (2021). What's in a Name? Debating werewolf classification. Journal of Cryptobiology and Medicine. 8(2). Pp 14-24.

---

Despite ongoing debate on the subspecies of Lycanthropes, the distinction between eldritch and arcane types has shown itself to be most reliable. The main difference between eldritch type (sometimes erroneously called European) and arcane type (sometimes called North American) werewolves is the character of the transformation.*

The transformation of an arcane-type wolf is powered by magic or a comparable force, triggered by a spell, curse, or ritual. Thus the individual does not typically experience visible changes in human form. While there seems to be strong variation between individual transformations, it is notable that it consistently includes the formation of completely new structures, such as vertebrae in the tail and additional teeth. For a more detailed analysis of existing material regarding arcane-type werewolves in North and South America, see Gonzales (2016).

Eldritch-type werewolves experience permanent changes to their physiology even when in human form, which become more pronounced throughout life. On the other hand, some human traits restrict the transition to a fully lupine physiology.

With some exceptions, eldritch-type wolves will not reach 42 teeth as present in wild species, but retain their human denture, though some or all teeth may experience changes in form due to the changed intended use. Retaining visible canines in human form seems to be most common, with molars retaining their shape and purpose even during the full moon.

Long bones, especially in the legs, morph into sheath-like layers to accommodate a quadrupedal mode of transportation. (See van Leeuwen & Cornelissen, 2021)

Notably, this does not include an increase in the number of bones. Even though werewolves have a higher rate of cell regeneration this does not mean they can grow or regrow bones. Limbs amputated both prior to the individual's turning or after will not regrow, though testimony suggests conditions for a reattachment seem more favorable.

Much like the altered leg's shape, a tail is formed from lengthening existing vertebrae (typically 5-6 located in the cocsyx). The average length in proportion to the body is somewhat shorter than on both wild wolves and the arcane-type, by about a fifth. Otherwise, the body proportions are broadly consistent with a non-transformed state.

The nails also transform fully into claws attached to the skeleton, which remains visible even in humanoid form. Unlike arcane type wolves, the eldritch type skeleton does not allow fully lupine paws. Instead, fingers curl in to approximate the shape of paws. This enables the protraction of claws in a similar way to cats. This is not possible in human or interim form when the fingers are uncurled. Due to the diminished length and function in human toes, this usage is impaired in the hind paws.

Eldritch-type werewolves are able to uphold a form both close to fully lupine as well as a bipedal intermediate form. The interim form is described as more difficult to uphold shortly after the first transformation, improving as the individual gains experience.

Due to the visible deviations from human form, eldritch-type werewolves are at far greater risk of detection by non-initiated humans and hunters. For this reason, as well as stipulations in the Warsaw Contracts (see Appendix B), the population of eldritch-type lycanthropes in Europe has decreased significantly, though exact numbers are hard to ascertain.

----

*this classification is very simplified, with the arcane type encompassing several subgroups. The geographical nomenclature is considered outdated and not representative of reality. For an overview of arcane-type werewolf anatomy, see Ortiz (2017).

[warningsine]

“Veep” has, for most of its run, steered clear of explicit real-world references: Its characters are interviewed by fictional journalists, as opposed by CNN stars dropping by for a cameo, and never seem to reference presidents more recent than Nixon. They don’t have stated political parties. Against this backdrop of simplified surreality, the show earned praise early on for capturing a D.C. of the mind, a show that had tonal similarities to the way we imagine politicians behave behind closed doors. Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) was in the show’s first four or so seasons a pathetic, grasping figure who generated instant comedy through her feckless quest for praise and attention; the team around her were practically as vain and as inept as she was, and together they stumbled towards the Oval Office. Alone among the wave of politically-minded shows that debuted in the thick of Obama’s presidency — “House of Cards,” “Homeland,” “Scandal” — it had nothing, really, to say about the hopes or fears of the moment. It played in realities that stayed true about politics, and about people, through the years.

It seems apparent that the praise “Veep” got for summing up the tone of politics generally has led it to believe it must make a more direct comment — even though that’s not what the show has historically done well, and even though it doesn’t have much to say. What it does try to articulate comes out incomprehensible, a sort of primal scream of rage that doesn’t just grapple towards comment on our Trump-obsessed political moment but feels gruesomely of it. Last week’s episode included a sequence in which Amy (Anna Chlumsky) morphed into a Kellyanne Conway figure with teased hair, and a rigor-mortis grimace through which smarmy untruths spilled readily. It was a bizarre transformation of not merely Amy’s approach to politics but also her appearance and bearing that suggested “Veep” is now treating its characters like “Saturday Night Live” performers, plugging them into parodic that are disconnected from what came before or after. And like “Saturday Night Live’s” political material, it had little to say but that a famous person sure is distinctive, and it could be funny to see an actor doing what that famous person does. Later, in the most recent episode, Jonah (Timothy Simons), a candidate for President and Amy’s boss, launched a birther-style attack on Selina, asking to see her birth certificate… in order to figure out her age. “When are you from!” he shouted to a crowd of devotees, several of them, noticeably, in red hats.

Again, what was the point here, but to recapitulate a drama from the recent past in a wearily over-it-all way? The real birther saga was not simply a goof on an individual’s vanities — as we learn that Selina does in fact lie about her age — but a racist smear campaign, and “Veep’s” treatment of its version as just part of the daily parrying of politics suggests that it doesn’t really have a handle on this moment at all. The show’s endgame promises, or threatens, to be consumed with a battle over Chinese election interference that may end up feeling as drawn-out as the Mueller report, not least because it’s consuming show time that could go towards closing out any storyline that’s of the show’s world and not just a smeared carbon copy of our own.

Over the course of its run, “Veep” has been two different shows. The first one ended with the conclusion of the fourth season; that show was about the low-level scheming of a painfully ineffectual public servant who cared little about serving the public, and its comedy stemmed from the manner in which her petty, small-bore goals were perpetually thwarted. The second, which began after show creator Armando Iannucci departed and which happened to coincide with Trump emerging as a political force with the power to make those in his orbit speak his language, is about an abusive sociopath aided and abetted by a pack of scoundrels in lofty schemes to defraud and mislead the public. Either of these shows could work, but there’s too little continuity between the two for them to coexist under one title without strain. 

For a while, the shift worked okay, though: Season five had some terrific individual episodes, like “Mother,” which dials closely into Selina’s personal history and psychology as she deals with her mother’s death. And the sheer acidity of replacement showrunner David Mandel’s version of “Veep” has been widely read as a sort of savage intellect, even as it lost sight of the characters that had previously existed, and even as bile falls short of insight or comment. But while the old “Veep” was satisfied with its depiction of Washington as a place on which fragile egos collided — humor that was both specific and painfully universal — new “Veep” has been set on a goal likelier to eke out laughs of recognition, with none of the second beat that makes comedy great.

To wit: When Selina, in the show’s first seasons, waited endlessly for a call from the President, her yearning was hilarious for what it showed us about her character and a whole class of striving people. Part of the joke was that the show’s president was invisible and unknowable, and that his identity didn’t matter — he was just one in a long string, and politics under him would continue as ever they had. Perhaps it’s impossible to make a show that depicts human frailty in D.C. in this moment without succumbing to the new tone emanating from the top. But when Selina, in the most recent season, cracks scabrous jokes about a mass shooting and the ways it’ll help her political fortunes, it’s a joke borne out of loathing — for politicians generally, and for Selina specifically. We don’t know who she is anymore, and who could care? She’s hardly worth knowing. It’s at least an interesting choice to torch the show on its way out, and I’m not arguing Selina deserves better, exactly, but “Veep” used to sit somewhat astride the politics of the time. Now, chasing currency, it’s become a product of them, filled with a gross loathing that’s available just about anywhere else. With two episodes left, there’s a chance the show will reclaim its characters — not redeem them, just show a baseline understanding of who they are and what they want that does something more interesting than directly map onto Trump administration figures. But this many years and this many story evolutions since the show began, that feels perhaps too audacious to hope. 

[crowbawt]

So going off the dialogue we got from Pazuul those first missions (admittedly not very much so I am probably missing the majority of the picture but I digress)

I’m thinking Pazuul/Erra’s ultimate goal is to either recreate their mother (Praghasa) or at least something very similar to her that can fill that role.  I know it’s stated that the Archon “beasts” were creations of the Sentients in Tau before they got stapled to Warframe corpses. A new kind of life they made to populate Tau with or whatever. But part of me wonders if Pazuul is a more direct remnant of Praghasa, or is attempting to become her. We last saw Erra getting partially destroyed on Praghasa’s corpse, and either he or anyone else wouldn’t have had a lot of time before imminent sun destruction. I’m just saying, he talks an awful lot about devouring, Praghasa the devourer is her name, Erra has a lot of insecurities when it comes to his parents and failure... etc. Sentients are not strictly individuals as humans are, so the distinction might not matter that much anyway. They are, most importantly, a family. One. Big, big family. Made up of parts, but also united. We don’t know the full extent of how that works. Anyway, Pazuul’s talk of devouring to create unity and calling on Narmer to “conjoin like molecules” might not be just a metaphor, but instead trying to build a living vessel/fleet to once again try and eat the Sun and use the energy to jump to Tau.  I know Natah/Lotus says that Pazuul’s kingdom will be Sentients ruling over humans as servants in Tau but... I don’t trust that. I don’t see why the Sentient would WANT humans as servants. I think they’d rather not have us around at all. So perhaps the human subjects of Narmer will serve in a different way: as meat, to rebuild the devouring mother. I mean, I don’t think Natah has the full picture of what’s going on yet either. Could be as simple as that. If not, then he’s likely going to make Jupiter style amalgams out of everyone at the very least. Again, Erra is all about the concept of “his people” and his Sentient family. I can’t see him wanting to rule over humans just as we are. Not even with a parasitic ram’s head or whatever. We are most useful as raw materials, in whatever way that might take form. (note for clarity: i wrote this at 6 am)