#its the way they took the same message and adapted to it differently as a result of the sudden point in their lives where they diverge.

[mackenyu-archives]

GQ Japan Interview: Mackenyu Arata x HUBLOT

(05/12/2022)

“Right now I am having the most fun and at my happiest. I’m living my dream,” Mackenyu Arata, a man who continues to challenge himself.

"If the world around you doesn't change, then it's better to change yourself," actor Mackenyu Arata who left Japan with that mindset, resonates with HUBLOT, a brand that continues to challenge. What kind of scenery does the 26-year-old who had challenged the world see now?

“I’m the kind of person who doesn’t mind eating curry every day,” Mackenyu said of himself. He doesn't have a lot of material desires, and says that as long as he likes something, that's enough. The watch he has been using for the past two years is the Hublot Classic Fusion Black Magic.

"It's the first watch that I thought was cool and I wanted it. It's not really flashy or big, it's elegant but it has a presence. My father was always wearing a watch, so growing up, I thought it was natural to wear a wristwatch. I always wear it when I'm not working as my 'buddy' I spend my precious time with."

In 2020 Mackenyu decided to be active overseas. He had been challenging the world a year later.

"The impact of the coronavirus was a big factor in giving me time to think for myself. Since my teenage years my work schedule has always been packed, so I didn't really have time to reflect on myself. I would be filming a movie in the morning, and a drama series in the afternoon. At the same time I would also attend interviews for publicity. I was living a life where I could only sleep on the move. During the pandemic, I spent time with my family and friends, and also with myself. As I engage in my hobbies, I realized that I enjoy this kind of time, and I think its important to have them. Up until that point I've always had this anxiety, that if I'm not constantly working, I would disappear. But really there's no need to feel that way. That time made me think that I want to enjoy myself more, both at work and in life. I reflected on this and it had influenced me in the way I work and how I make decisions. I've realized that I should be doing what I want to do and just do what I want to do."

Born and raised in the US, he has the "weapon" of English. Temporarily stopping his activities in Japan to challenge himself overseas, what awaits him were the Hollywood's adaptation of Saint Seiya "Knights of the Zodiac" and the Netflix series "One Piece" (both scheduled to be released in 2023).

"I wonder if I was scared when I accepted the role back then... I don't remember (laughs). Anyway, working abroad was fun. The scale of the work is different from Japan. A huge number of people risk their lives to make a series with a budget that is 100 times bigger than that in Japan, and the degree of their commitment is just incredible. I'm already happy just being there among those people. Moreover, the working environment is set in order, the cast and staff have time to rest properly. So when work begins, everyone is in good spirit and they work wholeheartedly. To be honest, this is completely different than in Japan. In Japan, even when I take care of my health properly, it wasn't easy to get rid of my fatigues from work. But I'm really healthy now though (laughs). I realized that there's a world where I can be an actor under those circumstances."

In Knights of the Zodiac, he was chosen as the lead. His overseas career took off with a smooth start.

"It feels like I'm living my dream. Right now I am having the most fun and at my happiest. I had the opportunity to check the finished movie footage. I was taken aback. When a team of first class professionals work together, we can achieve this quality. I couldn't be any happier to be the lead in this movie. I can't wait to see the final movie, and I'd like everyone to watch it too. I'd like people to feel inspired when they see me in that movie. That I represent Japan, and challenge the world as a Japanese actor. I don't plan to convey big messages like encouraging people to revitalize Japan or anything, but if we could break out of our shells and jump out of it, there's this incredible world that awaits you. To instill that kind of mindset alone already makes me happy."

Source: https://www.gqjapan.jp/feature/20221205/hublot-mackenyu-arata

[just-a-silly-little-whumper]

(Mal)Adaptive

Masterpost | Read on Ao3

The pressure Matthias exerts on his children causes them to react in different ways. Or, sometimes, in exactly the same way.

For @whumpril Day 28: Fight/Flight/Freeze

Contains: Vampires, religious whump, minor character death, exhaustion, unhealthy eating habits, dissociation, parental whumper, mind/emotion control

~~~

The cathedral in the city held a sermon about the scourge of undeath on a cool, misty morning.

It shouldn’t have bothered Renata as much as it did. The words were familiar; though the preacher was different from the one she was used to back home, the cadence and tone and message was one she had heard many, many times. In another world, it might have been comforting, a reminder of a home a quiet part of her still yearned for. But now, with everything Renata had become, there was no solace to be found in the Church of the Radiant Dawn’s exhortations on purity and light and repentance. All she could feel was the shame that sat in her stomach and the hunger that prowled under her skin and the anger that clenched at her unbeating heart.

She should have just left. Her mission was complete, the relic she had taken from one of the praying nobility tucked away safely in her bag. She had no reason to linger. It would only jeopardize everything she had come here to do. And when success was so valuable, so crucial, she couldn’t afford to take pointless risks.

And yet. She stared up at the preacher, so sure of his righteousness as he spoke of cleansing light and terrible darkness as though he knew what either of those things meant. As though the condemnation he so readily touted would actually help anyone, rather than helping tie the knot of a snare that was impossible to escape. As though one of the monsters he so hated weren’t sitting in his very cathedral, reflecting back the judgment he cast.

The city wasn’t that far from Matthias’s manor. If she made haste on her return, no one had to know if she stayed in the city a bit longer than she should have. And she was never one to leave well enough alone.

The priest didn’t even notice her as he returned to his office, so preoccupied was he by whatever mundane and sanctimonious thoughts filled his head. But even the blinding, searing light of the Radiant Dawn couldn’t eliminate all of the shadows that she had learned to expertly shroud herself in. By the time he realized he wasn’t alone, it was already too late. He couldn’t scream out for help with her hand around his throat and her knife sliding between his ribs.

If he wanted a monster, an undead menace, a scourge upon the world, then Renata would gladly give him that. And maybe in return his blood would, if not quell the maelstrom of emotions that had spurred her forth, at least quiet the hunger that sang so insistently within her.

---

For all the many hours he could gain by working through the night, there still never seemed to be enough. Magic was a delicate art, and mastering it took time. Time to read, time to practice, time to make the craft one’s own. For most, it took years. Nathan was trying to distill that mastery into a matter of weeks.

In the dark of the basement, the passage of time was marked only by the ever-diminishing candlewax. Even still, Nathan didn’t even notice how many hours had passed, how the candles were nearing the point of going out entirely. He was too focused on the tomes in front of him, trying to understand the sigils and systems for spells of obscurement and invisibility. Such magic, with all its flexibility, would be a great boon to him. It was sure to make his Father proud. He just had to get it to work first.

The pages of arcane writing all made sense. His own notes, written in his deliberately precise and elegant hand, distilled the theory even more. It should work. And yet the best Nathan could do was shroud one of the tomes in shadow, rather than rendering his entire form unseen.

And the work was taking its toll. He was starving. After using so much magic, trying to make his magic yield to his will, he was achingly drained, and the hunger was howling in the back of his mind.But he wouldn’t go seek out one of the thralls that roamed the manor like ghosts. Especially not when Matthias would inevitably find out. That would be admitting weakness.

He could never be weak. He had to be perfect. He would never survive otherwise.

The candles flickered, burning low but not extinguishing yet. Nathan blinked the exhaustion back from his eyes and stood to find another tome. Maybe there was something he was missing. He would find it before morning came. He would not end the night without results.

---

There was blood on her hands.

Priya couldn’t look away from it. It was so striking, so bright, so red. It almost didn’t seem real. Distantly, she could feel the warmth of it on her palms, could smell the scintillating aroma on the air, could taste it on her tongue. But it was like all of those sensations were coming to her through panes of glass. Like she was only dreaming them.

There was blood on her hands.

There was blood on her rapier, too, and scattered on the ground where she had dropped her blade. There was blood leaking from the body of the noblewoman she had killed. There was blood dripping from her teeth where she had sunk her fangs into the woman’s neck, sealing her death just in case the blade between her ribs wasn’t enough. Blood, blood, everywhere, and she could never escape it.

Her Father had asked her to kill this woman. He had given a reason, too; she was too dangerous, too powerful, and for that she had to die. Priya had to kill her. Had to sneak into her manor in the middle of the night and slay her in bed as she slept.

There was blood on her hands.

She should leave. She had been here for— she wasn’t sure how long. Too long. Someone would find her soon. One of the guards, perhaps, or the noble’s lover. She couldn’t let herself get caught. Getting caught would mean more death, either hers or the ones who found her. And Father would be extremely disappointed if she stumbled in her mission now. She couldn’t let that happen. The consequences of failure were too dire.

But there was blood on her hands, and Priya couldn’t bring herself to look away.

---

They always took all of their dinners together. Matthias insisted; he knew how important time together was to building familial bonds. The only exception he allowed was if someone was gone on a mission; otherwise, they had to sit, even if they weren’t eating.

He had the finest prepared for them, Thralled a mortal chef who could design meals that would upkeep their strength and accustom them to excellence. It was just another means of establishing the standards he had for his children; only the best for them and from them. He wouldn’t eat himself— mortal food tasted of ash on his tongue, sat like stones in his stomach— but he drew a goblet of blood to drink as his children had their own sustenance. Even after all the many long years he had spent as an immortal, he hadn’t forgotten the value of sharing a meal with those one wanted to be close to.

There was often a tension in the air as his children ate. Matthias wasn’t ignorant to that. They still had much adjusting to do, after all. And part of that adjustment was sitting for meals, as Matthias carried a calm conversation, asking them about their days and their progress and their mindsets. Usually, their responses were short and perfunctory, and Matthias was left to fill the silence with his own thoughts and observations. He had no problem with that; the time spent with his children was more than enough, especially at such a crucial time in their development.

Sometimes, however, he thought best to draw a little more out of them. There was no growth to be had in sticking to what was typical, after all. They needed to internalize the importance of these moments, of their growing familial bond, of the love they harbored for their Sire regardless of whether they were ready to acknowledge it yet. And he was more than willing to provide that help.

There were nights when he only focused on one of his children, both in the interest of providing them his full attention and so that they could serve as an example to their Blood-Siblings. Those nights were always interesting, a mix of emotions on display and conversations taking unexpected turns. But when he was feeling particularly indulgent, or when he thought the time was particularly ripe, he let his influence tug at the hearts of all of his children. Watched the way the tension eased out of them and their expressions became so much more unguarded and devoted. It filled him with pride and joy unlike anything else, those glimpses of what eternity could look like with the family he was making. A reminder of why he was doing all that he was doing.

In time, that effort wouldn’t be necessary. His children would show him the love and respect and veneration he was due all on their own. It had already begun, in the subtle ways they conducted themselves around him, in the ways they sought to please him at all cost. Even if they didn’t see it, Matthias did. And he knew exactly how to reinforce those tendencies, whether by subtle influence or through more overt methods.

No matter what they might have thought, whatever delusions of freedom or defiance or subterfuge they might have had, Matthias had bound them to him, and they were his. There was no escaping his hold on them; it was written into their very souls.They feared him and they loved him and they could not exist without him, and Matthias would not have it any other way.

[letsberealgenz]

look mom, i can fly high too.

Will you believe if I told you this? Just a couple of days ago, I participated in a competition where the results shocked me more than anything else. It felt so surreal and to be honest it felt like a movie scene that played way too fast for me to even grasp the meaning behind of it.

But there was this one moment, just a day before the competition, I felt I couldn’t do it. I know I was being a coward at that very moment because part of me felt like pulling out of a battle that haven’t even begin yet. You wouldn’t believe what kept me going. It was a book that I read a couple of days ago, Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, where there’s one specific line I believe would trigger many of us. It goes like this:

“The cowards never started and the weak died along the way — that leaves us.”

Ouchh! When this sentence triggered my emotion, I felt like a bird whom had an eagle as its opponent but this very bird knows it’s the same skill that keeps both of the species battling in the same space. The only difference was the altitude. The bird took the challenge and there she goes trying to fly as high as it can.

But as she was approaching the altitude of an eagle, self-doubt starts crippling in. Panic attack and anxiety rushed like a tsunami. Do you know why? Because now the bird was out of its comfort zone. Her wings shivered as the altitude rise. But then something happened!

Whether you call it an intuition or a message from the Universe, whatever was it, the bird knew she had to take a swirl around the battle field to have a moment of solitude despite the constant voices that were being whispered into her ears. She knew in every creature, the voice of a demon often being disguised as self-doubt, would often be way louder as the creature steps out of its own bubble!

This means whenever you’re trying to be 1% better in life, you’d be challenged in the most terrifying manner where giving up feels like the only option left.

But there comes a moment of breakthrough when the bird decided to fuel herself with highly enthusiastic chemical known as dopamine. She knew she just needed that pep talk. She knew she just needed a little dose of motivation. She knew she just needed someone to affirm “Hey look! You’ve came this far. It’s show time. It’s now or never. Go out there, do your best and the rest is history.”

There she goes wings widely being spread, venturing into different levels of foreign altitude, flying towards that eagle with such high confidence where winning became her only option. As the finishing line came closer, she began suffocating yet she didn’t give up.

She kept flying because she knew she would never allow a specific parameter of altitude to decide whether she can or cannot. She knew it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.

She knew she was out of her comfort zone and she’s doing everything to thrive through the changes she’s making. She looked below and said “Look mom, I can fly high too” and moments later she fell onto the ground.

She opened her eyes and tries to fly but little did she knew she had already won the battle. This time it wasn’t the demon that was whispering into her ears but it was the cheers from the spectators that was banging her ear drums. She found herself flying back home with a golden trophy all the way from the United States of America.

And ladies and gentleman, the bird was none other than the girl who’s typing this right now. If you’ve read till here, thank you. I hope you found some sort of value from this!

Yours, Asrajjit Kaur

[essaysandopinionss]

All Quiet On the Western Front was one of the best films I watched last year. It's beautiful and sounds amazing and the acting is great and the editing is super slick and and and......

But it's not really a great adaptation.

Like so very rarely do you get an adaptation of a novel that happens to be so brilliant as a film that it's almost strange for it to at the same time be bad at the adaptation bit.

Usually you get a good film that is a good adaptation (A Clockwork Orange, The Princess Bride, No Country for Old Men, I'm Thinking of Ending Things) or a bad film that is a bad adaptation (Eragon, the Percy Jackson films, Hannibal Rising, The Goldfinch).

You do occasionally get films that are more of an homage rather than a direct adaptation (Trainspotting, Brokeback Mountain) although these tend to be due to the format of the original material not really being suitable for a feature length film.

All Quiet (2022) is none of those things, though. It is, in some ways, incredibly faithful to the book. Certain scenes are almost exactly as they were originally written, and many others were so fitting in tone that the fact they weren't quite ripped straight from the book didn't matter. Many of the more intense combat scenes are beyond what was shown in the book (the book took much more time to explore the non-combat bits of war, though more because it is a book about the consequences of war rather than the unedited horror of violence itself). It's also German, in language and in production. A minor point, but something that had a big impact on my experience watching it, and one of the few things I found to be a big step up from the 1930 film.

These things are all good - an adaptation should stay faithful to tone, if not exact scenes, right? And the 1930 film does already provide a play-by-play adaptation. So perhaps the 2022 version wanted to be a little different.

And it was. Some of the small changes are good, others not so much.

The opening where we follow the bullet riddled uniforms from their owners bodies all the way to the hands of their new owners? Fucking genius.

Paul's death happening moments before the ceasefire? Misguided at best, and a distraction from the heart of the film's message at worst.

But there is something more egregious.

I'm sure if you've read the book or seen the original film you'll have a good idea of what I'm talking about.

Political intrigue is a popular genre. Films, but TV most of all. Think of the most popular shows of the last decade or two. House of Cards, Borgen. Even things like Game of Thrones or The Thick of It. The politics that drive everything are what people enjoy, if you take ratings at their face value.

So why not in All Quiet on the Western Front?

WW1 right? One of the greatest conflicts the world (read Europe, mostly) ever suffered, and so politically complex that its inception is basically a joke at this point. And the armistice. Such a wonderful demonstration of... what exactly?

And that's the problem, isn't it.

The politics that drove the war were so far removed from the people who were truly a part of the war. Erzberger did a good thing. A great thing, sure. But I don't want to care about his journey or whatever bullshit we were handed. And I really, really don't want to be forced into hating that silly caricature of a warmongering general, regardless of who he was meant to represent.

Remarqué never wrote All Quiet as a criticism of the individuals responsible for the first world war, he wrote it as a criticism of war itself and as an homage to the men destroyed by it.

Why, do you think, are we shown Paul and his friends tormenting corporal Himmelstoss? And why are we shown Paul, after months on the front lines, unable to understand the people he left at home?

We are shown that because it makes us understand the essence of war, not as a big, evil, incomprehensible concept, but as the tangible, devastating force that takes a human being and annihilates everything about them but their rawest instincts.

We are shown that, because Remarqué wanted us to understand what the war had done to an entire generation of sons who were expected to pack up and go back home as though they hadn't experienced hell on earth.

So yes. I loved All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) as a film. The soundtrack alone deserves special mention, let alone the cinematography, editing and sound design.

But no. It's not All Quiet on the Western Front. So read the book, if you haven't. And I promise you'll gain quite a bit more.

[desultory-novice]

Note: This is about the RtDL novel, “The Starcutter and the Lying Wizard.” It also contains some vague spoilers of said novel. (It also has me being salty about Magolor.)

...Oh gosh, I totally missed this message! So sorry about that and thanks for reminding me. Hmm. “Official fanfiction” is an interesting term. I did some double-checking and couldn’t find a generally agreed upon definition, so I’ll just state that I've always taken in to be mildly insulting toward a work. 

Of course, fanfiction doesn't have to be bad (and there are many, many great fanfic out there!) but I feel like, sometimes, it's a way to label an official work that feels like it goes OOC or does whatever it wants to the story without sticking to established guidelines. Stuff that makes it "fanfic-y."

So, under that definition, is the novel official fanfic?

...Hrm. Well, anyone who's read this post knows my feelings on the novel lean toward mixed. That said, I don't think the novel's flaws (yeah, it has them) are the same as the kind of flaws "official fanfiction" has.

Outside of one clear “this isn’t what happened in game, no matter how you look at it"(1) moment that sticks with me, the rest of what they do with the story is just a matter of interpretation. It doesn’t stray from the story of the game (maybe to its detriment...?) and no one is out of character. 

Now, I do think Mie-sensei chose one of the least interesting interpretations of RtDL's story, but it is still RtDL’s story, no question. (I've said this before, I’ll probably say it again, but she focuses too much on the friendship of the core group while giving Magolor barely any presence in the story, thus robbing us of the other relationship we're supposed to compare the group's friendship to. And just to make this clear, his absence as a character alone does NOT do a good job saying "This is why he fails at being a true friend!" Because a character can be missing for most of a story and still be a good friend. As long as they're characterized that way. But it’s tricky to characterize someone when they’re barely present and have nothing but expository dialogue..)

Of course, if the question isn't about the quality of the novel but where it stands as an official Kirby production, well, in that sense...

I would also say the novel is NOT official fanfiction. While the game series definitely make up the core Kirby universe/story, Kirby has expanded to a multi-media franchise now, and those often tend to have multiple interpretations of the same stories as they get translated into different media.

So this is, rather than official fanfic, an official adaptation of Return to Dream Land. That is, it’s just plain old fiction.

In the end, the game “Kirby’s Return to Dream Land” is its own thing and (to me) the best and most complete way to experience that story. Outside of the prologue chapter, I wouldn't say there's anything you can get here (that is significant) that you can't get out of playing the game. (And you also get, ya know, MAGOLOR AS A COMPLETE CHARACTER if you play the game.)

Oh, he may not engage in narrative conversation with the four main characters in game as he does here in the book, just him talking to the player/Kirby. But I'd argue those dialogue boxes characterize him better than the....maybe four conversations he has total in this book? 

...Argh! GDI, I'm still salty! 

The funny thing is, I’m really glad we don’t get a big expository Magolor chapter that spills all his secrets and reveals he’s, like, Hyness’s great grandson, or an unrelated salvager looking to make it rich boosting artifacts, or the lost child of Halcandran royalty just trying to reclaim his birthright, or a test cat experimented on by the Ancients seeking revenge by taking their stuff, because I like seeing all the various interpretations of Magolor and want them to continue existing freely. But that doesn’t excuse the fact that they took him out of the parts he SHOULD have been in!

The thing is, I've been replaying RtDL and there's some things I want to bring up there that I really don't understand why they’re not in this novel...

There's a reason Magolor is so beloved after all these years, and it's not just because of the "Hahaha, I was manipulating you the whole time!" Generally speaking, every few stages in RtDL, Magolor will pop up on screen to tell you excitedly about a new room he's built for you on the Lor, and that you ought to come back and check it out. And after every boss battle, you have a cutscene that takes you back to the ship where he'll converse with you, update you on your goals, tell you what's next, and generally wish you good luck. Then you can stay and bother him some more if you want, and he’s got TONS of dialogue! He's always there on your journey, even if he never leaves the ship.

I know I haven't finished with the novel’s translation yet (please, no one take my ranting about it as evidence I'm not going to finish it or that I'll give it a bad translation out of spite. I will finish it and I’m even trying to take the most generous and enjoyable interpretation of the text in my translation of it, so that everyone doesn’t have to live with the version I see in my head when I read it. But I feel it's also okay to level appropriate criticism at things, even things you're working on/are a big fan of!) but anyway, you've probably all read enough of the novel to see Kirby and the gang fight several bosses and every time they beat one it's "...and they took the part back to Magolor. Chapter over."

Why would you cut the Magolor bits out? I mean, are we REALLY reading this book for Mr. Dooter lore? To find out Fatty Puffer desperately needs his worldview broadened? Or to hear EVERY SINGLE BOSS give the exact same "Nuh-uhhhh! I found this shiny thing and it's mine now and you won't take it from meeeeee!" speech? (Also, when I say “the most generous read of the text” up above, I want you know, their speeches really are almost IDENTICAL to each others, and I’m trying hard to make them NOT read that way in English so you all won’t get bored.) And of course, they ALL keep their stolen parts in identical treasure rooms hidden behind walls?? ...Sigh...

That said, I'd be perfectly fine with all those things if they didn't seem to come at the expense of cutting the deuteragonist-villain out of the story! He's in the title! He's the one you should be developing before the end! Else his betrayal comes off as meaningless. What exactly is Magolor BETRAYING if he's never established to be anything other than a pitiful stranger to Kirby and the others? Give us an emotional connection so that we have an emotional investment in him when he grabs the Master Crown and gives The Speech. 

Mie-sensei does this very thing with the Lor! Gets us involved. Quite subtly and brilliantly, even! It only takes a few lines to make us feel the ship’s sadness by the concerned way Bandanna Waddle Dee speaks of it. But we get (spoilers for unfinished chapters) that at least two more times to hammer it in! 

Opposite to that, “Let’s hurry! Magolor is waiting for us!” has no emotional cues to let us know the group is warming up to this funny wizard and are beginning to think of him as a friend. (Which you’d hope they would. The novel actually makes the journey to repair the Lor take a LOT longer than is implied in game. They really SHOULD be friends. Or fake friends.)

I don’t know why the small page count is the way it is. It’s supposedly not even that short a book, as it’s got more text in it just because of the size they printed the book at, but the narrative balance on things is just..off.

...Okay. I've done enough ranting about novel Magolor...

TLDR, the novel is not bad; it's definitely lacking in a key area, but it IS official; it's just an official adaptation. 

(Technically, Pupupu Hero is ALSO an official adaptation of Return to Dream Land. You know, the manga where Magolor wants to bed Chilly?)

Maybe we'll get yet another adaptation of RtDL down the line in a different form? Maybe we'll get a new Kirby anime that treats the different games as 4-5 episode arcs? Right now, this is the only novel adaptation of RtDL, but it doesn't necessarily supersede the game's version of events - even if it's got some additional details that ARE likely canon to the Kirbyverse going forward.

Magolor started out with magic (at least, the ability to project light through his hands); the Ancient’s city resembled a clean, modern day metropolis and they worshipped the Lor before they were destroyed overnight; Super Abilities exhaust Kirby and could be dangerous; legends of Halcandra have spread all over multiple-universes; the Lor can speak - not with words, but into people’s minds/hearts; Meta Knight can recognize Halcandran text and is a huge nerd for history; Bandanna Waddle Dee is pure of heart... (2)

Oh, and for a better explanation on what I mean by “details that are probably canon...” on a broad scale even though these are only adaptations, I point to the Planet Robobot novelization that had stuff like The Pocketwatch in it, and spelled out Susie and President Haltmann's real backstory....yet also had Haltmann survive, something that definitely did NOT happen in game.

Anyway, as is typical for one of my posts, this was very rambly and derailed quickly, but I hope that cleared some stuff up!

--

Actual Spoilers: 

(1)

...Whether or not you interpret Magolor Soul’s death scream in game as him shouting “Kirby!!” - and you don’t have to - it has an unmistakeable “...aieeee!!” sound in there. The novel writes Magolor Soul as shouting “Guoo...” - trail off included. Literally the only vowels not in his in-game scream.

(2)

...that the Master Crown responds to the wearer’s soul and Magolor became that way because he had evil in his soul. Also, that the eye that appeared where his mouth should be was NOT his eye.

[o-craven-canto]

Ea, Our Second Chance (2d)

2d. Ea: the human presence

(> Back to 2c. Life on the planet > On to 3. South of Dagon)

(full image)

« We were born into a broken world. If our existence has a purpose, it is to fix it. » – "Gene Taylor", Hypertopian Manifesto, incipit

« ... The closer you come to true freedom of association, the closer you get to a world where everyone is a member of more or less the community they deserve. That would be a pretty unprecedented bit of progress. » – Scott Alexander, Archipelago and Atomic Communitarianism, 2014

Humanity came to Ea a little over three centuries ago. The Ark left Earth sometime around 2070 CE, carrying ten thousand cryopreserved people that roughly reflected the variety of the human species, vast electronic archives detailing millennia of history and culture, compact industrial machinery, frozen seeds and embryos of hundreds of plant and animal species, and most importantly tools to measure planetary habitability (gravity, surface temperature, atmospheric composition, distance from star) from light years afar, and a limited AI to judge what world held the best chances for humanity. The mission didn't quite work how it was meant to. Nobody knows exactly how far the Ark traveled, or or how long; and, as far as they can tell, no message was ever sent to or from Earth. Nevertheless, the passengers survived. The Ark placed itself in Ea's low orbit, and thawed its human cargo. 100 landing pods reached the surface a few hundred km south of the Dagon Sea, while the bulk of the starship was left orbiting the planet. Ea is cold and dry, its winter incredibly long and harsh, its summer brief but sweltering; the atmosphere is choked with toxic amounts of carbon dioxide, from which both biospheres nevertheless depend for survival; there are no convenient deposits of fossil fuels; and native life is unfamiliar and often dangerous. The first generation of colonists suffered terribly, but eventually they learned both to adapt themselves to Ea, and to adapt Ea to them. When population started to grow and material prosperity to rise, disagreements arose on how to organize their young society. Many resorted to violence to extract resources from their neighbors or to impose their ideals on them; warlords and tyrants arose as the authority of the Mission Commanders declined. Disruption to Ea's biosphere spiraled out of control, as plants from Earth throve uncontrolled in the abundance of carbon, and humans drilled boreholes through the crust or blasted apart the icecaps in the attempt to prevent temperatures from falling. Still, in the end, a stable order took shape. People scattered on all the planet setting up whatever form of society they preferred, as free as possible from each other's interference, each trying to relate itself to Ea in a different way. The greatest powers (in the colored borders) are united in the Sevenfold Pact, in which they pledge to respect all others' independence, and to allow every citizen to move to the society of their choice unimpeded. Smaller nations (in grey in the map) have arisen elsewhere, enjoying the same autonomy, though they are not members of the Pact. In the spaces inbetween, dozens of smaller communities host people united by common culture, religion, or ethnicity.

(List of named polities under the cut)

SEAT OF THE METAGOVERNMENT: the central seat of the Sevenfold Pact. Landing Point (this is, of course, the point where the landing pods first reached Ea's surface). THE SEVEN SIGNATORIES: the powers that ended the Planetary War by creating the Pact. Children of the One: Olduvai*, Amma, Imani, Laetoli, Maisha, Mizizi, Selam, Toumai, Upendo, Uzuri Living Spore: Galapagos*, Cascadia, Coenobium, Guanacaste, Jannah, Karisoke, Pachamama, Vernadsky, Virunga, Volvox New World Academy: High Court*, Chagas, Galileo, Lavoisier, Leeuwenhoek, Ockham, Pavlov, Ramanujan, Tsiolkovsky, Wegener Pandava Legions: Fort Vajra*, Arrowhead, Camp Glacier, Camp Thunder, Deepford, Freehold, High Clearing, Redfield, Thornwood, Whitestone Humanity Remade: Prime Node*, Breath of Dawn, Embrace of Kindness, Glow of Aurora, Hope of Humanity, Nest of Warmth, Peace of Mind, Scent of Water, Song of Bliss, Voice of Flower Golden Garden: Penglai*, AtlasCorp, Helios Energy, InterChem, Luxor, Kuznetsov, NeuralArts, Qian&Gupta, StarSeeker, WeltraumStahl Celestial Kingdom: Montsalvat*, Axum, Babylon, Byzantium, Carcassonne, Djenne, Mediolanum, Palmyra, Shambhala, Shangdu LESSER POWERS: other important polities with less global influence. Brotherhood of Workers: Phalansterium*, Beccaria, Kulischov, Kropotkin Blood Covenant: (none) Soil of Ea: (none) Inner Cosmos: Tharmas*, Los, Luva, Urizen Incarnation: Self* EXCLAVES: autonomous city-states founded on different principles. Ethno-cultural: Babatunde [Yoruba], Beaufjord [Scandinavian and Canadian], Civitanova [Mediterranean], Gandhara [Indian], Gokturk [Turkic], Joseon [Korean], Hanunah [Pan-American], Sama Orang [Malay], Shin'yamato [Japanese], Svoboda [Slavic], Tianhua [Chinese], Vrijburg [Germanic] Religious: Beit haShlishi [Orthodox Jewish], Bodhisvaha [Buddhist], Devanagara [Hindu], Faluncheng [Falun Gong], Makka al-Jadida [Sunni], New Zion [Mormon] Experimental: Aryavarta [Proto-Indo-European reconstructionism], Kallipolis [Plato's Republic], Panopticon [self-explanatory], Port Royal [egoist anarchism], Shulamith [female separatism] * = national capital

[twistedtummies2]

Artists in Wonderland - Number 8

Welcome to Artists in Wonderland! Running till the 4th of July, I’m counting down My Top 10 Favorite Illustrators for “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland!” The Lewis Carroll stories of Alice are as immortal as they are odd, and many great artists have handled them in different ways. This countdown will pay homage to just a few of them. Our 8th Place illustrator is truly a (Little) Golden Choice. Today’s artist is Leonard Weisgard!

Leonard Weisgard is a name probably not well-recognized today, but he was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, especially in the field of children’s literature. Weisgard is most well-known for his work in the Little Golden Books series: a collection of children’s stories that dominated the market of the 1940s, and are still celebrated and beloved today. These books covered just about everything a children’s company could cover, from original stories to adaptations of fairy-tales and fables to educational subjects. Weisgard was not the only artist who worked on the books, but he was one of the most prominent, responsible for such titles as “The Golden Egg Book,” “Indian Indian,” “The Little Eskimo,” and “Pussy Willow.” The Little Golden Books were not the only things Weisgard worked on, naturally. In 1949, Harper & Brothers Publishers released a new omnibus edition of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass” illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. I first learned of this book after seeing it in a local library, but I was never able to get hold of it myself, and unless I’m much mistaken it’s no longer to be found there. (Not sure what happened to it.) Tracking down Weisgard’s edition is NOT an easy task: while he is hardly the oldest illustrator of the stories to be found on this countdown, his particular version IS the oldest I own. The Weisgard volume has not been in print since at least the mid-1950s. The used copy I hunted down has a small message, inscribed upon the inside cover, that dates this edition being given to someone in 1953. A friend of mine found it on Etsy, and purchased it for me as a gift. If you’re reading this, you know who you are, and you are AMAZING. Weisgard’s artwork was done in a modernist aesthetic, which was highly fashionable in the 1940s. It’s a style that’s difficult to describe; on the one hand, it’s very graphic and geometric, all points and spheres, simple and clean in its construction. The characters are flat, but they have a sort of dimensionality to them; this was NOT the way Weisgard made them, I should point out, but they feel like paper collages that have been photographed. You can almost reach and feel as if you could peel them off the page and pull them into your hand, like a collection of paper dolls. The most striking thin about Weisgard’s style, and it’s especially prominent in “Alice,” is the colors. The colors here are breathtaking: bold, electric, vibrant, and intense, yet somehow they never feel overly garish. The art style actually reminds me a lot of Mary Blair, the artist who was responsible for crafting the look of the Disney film. It is entirely possible Blair and Weisgard knew each other, given their respective backgrounds and similar artistic feels, but Weisgard’s Wonderlandians stand on their own, somehow being both blocky and detailed at the same time. I would argue that, of all the Wonderlands I’m talking about on this countdown, Weisgard’s world feels the safest. There’s no real menace or danger to this world, instead it’s more like a vivacious, childhood playground. The characters feel comical and, despite the geometric angles, at times downright cuddly. It’s like a crayon box exploded, and the wax took the shapes of the characters: no threat, no fear, just colorful imagination, splashed across every image in the story. It really is like a Little Golden Book edition of “Alice.” As somebody who grew up with those books, that’s not a bad thing for me to say.

Come back down the rabbit hole tomorrow as I present Number Seven! Don’t be late! ;)

[angerissue]

Anonymous asked... Your Bruce Banner is BRILLIANT. Click here to send me something!

Sorry for taking so long to respond to this! I've been going back and forth on what to say, because it was so nice to see this in my inbox, and I wanted to reply properly. I'm not an innately confident writer, and because of the chilly reception that adaptations like this usually get on tumblr, there are often occasions where I wonder if I'm writing Bruce well. Sometimes my assurance disappears. But messages like yours are super encouraging, so thank you.

I've been writing for a long time. I've had one or two things published, but nothing substantial, and certainly not novellas or novels. I remember when I first took a real interest in writing stories, and my characters were absolutely terrible, haha. My first original character was based on a book for young readers about dragons (who could assume human form) and people. In this book, there was a teen girl who had dragon wings. I can't remember the name of the book, but I used like 90% of the character's traits for my first OC, and I didn't really put much thought into it beyond this. Call it a product of me being ten years old, but the OC was goofy and corny, and my writing was beyond dramatic, holy smokes... But at least it formed a great foundation for what not to do, moving forward.

When I was in high school, I took an immediate liking to English class. Digging into media and writing essays was very enjoyable for me! Some of the material felt too simplistic, like a deeper meaning couldn't be derived from it, but I still really loved looking for metaphors and nuance in different texts, and devising different ways to present my findings, and sometimes bullshit them from scratch. I jumped headfirst into AP English soon after that. I particularly remember the assignments for Kafka's "The Metamorphosis", and Swift's "A Modest Proposal", which were pretty strange and surreal texts, but they were fascinating!

(That is the kind of literature I love to encounter. Things that are "out there", that make you think, that have something to say about certain topics, and that leave a lasting impression.)

During this time, I picked up a few other OCs, including some that were inspired by my lucid dreams and the film "Avatar" (2008). I also loved analyzing and discussing films that I'd watched, and I became more and more interested in "character study bait" films, including "Hunger" (2008), "Taxi Driver" (1976), and "American Psycho" (2000). The more focus that a film had on a character, the more I liked exploring it and looking for details. "Breaking Bad" was absolutely captivating to me because of all the colour palette and script choices. And certain characters jumped out at me as well, such as Jesse Pinkman, Wikus Van De Merwe, Tony Stark, and Jake Sulley, who all received varying amounts of attention in fics.

Bruce Banner was another character who really stood out, when I finally decided to give him a chance. My first exposure to him was "The Incredible Hulk" (2008), and even after that single film and its somewhat anemic script, I noticed there was a lot going on with him, and I wanted to explore it. It helped that he was a science fiction character too, because that is my favourite genre, and that I'd always been a sucker for werewolf and monster tropes. I hadn't even gotten into the comics yet or learned about his family life (that happened shortly before I graduated), but I was already so invested in him! And it snowballed from there.

I think it's the combination of my keen interest in Bruce and my love for analysis that has resulted in this portrayal. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I like to think he's still recognizable, and he is very much the same character. He was simply given different options from canon, and he's developed accordingly. But he's never wandered too far from his roots. Everything about this portrayal can be traced back to something I've seen, somewhere, in canon.

I'm also deeply proud of my decision to make this portrayal exceptionally self-aware about the psychology of trauma. I put a very heavy emphasis on how trauma informs someone's decisions throughout their life, which canon has rarely bothered to dissect (the comics on occasion, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe only like, once). I've said it before, but Bruce is often depicted and handwaved as "yet another superhero" and is often dumped into the "superhero genre", which is conflated with formulaic, flashy popcorn flicks. I try to write him deeper than that, and more well-rounded. I've never been a fan of shying away from gritty, dark, or personal shit, because it can often be very revealing and insightful, especially for a character like Bruce. I also feel like this makes him a more accessible character to someone who doesn't necessarily like the MCU or Marvel. If all of the "bam, pow, superheroes and capes and high stakes" stuff takes a break, and the painfully human aspects can shine through more, it humanizes him that much more. I think that's part of the reason the television show and Ruffalo's performance in "The Avengers" was so well-received.

(But this is all just my opinion.)

So thanks again, anonymous! I'm really happy to hear you like the direction I've taken him.

I have many other messages in my inbox, including some old ask memes. I'm slowly working through them. Thanks for your patience, everyone.

[mvsmediagroup]

Revolutionizing Outdoor Marketing: The Power of Digital Advertising Trucks

Several advancements in outdoor marketing are evident, including the shift from traditional billboards to moving ones. Other forms of traditional outdoor advertising include posters, street furniture, retail, bulletins, and more. At present, advertising trucks have evolved and adapted modern features like LED screens. To know more, continue reading to discover how these innovations revolutionize outdoor marketing in the digital age.

The Rise of Digital Advertising Trucks

Digital LED trucks are vehicles with one or a few screens that showcase ads. With modern technology, some also have audio features, such as remote display control. These trucks showcase advertisers’ skills in producing ads with high conversions, from the strategy to effectively convey the campaign message and route.

These trucks have evolved from static billboards mostly seen along the freeway. These advertising methods were first developed during the late 1800s to promote brands and products. Additionally, there were also origins of mobile billboards on horse carts. Since its humble beginnings, these advertising efforts have come a long way.

Advantages of Rising Digital Mobile Billboards

Since their modernization, these trucks have much more to offer to advertisers and businesses. These perks include flexibility and customization, high visibility, interactive features, and cost-effectiveness. These are significant changes from its predecessors, which were mostly static and took much more effort to replace.

These boast flexibility and customization, with trucks capable of changing advertisements remotely and targeting specific locations. As mentioned, marketers strategize these trucks’ routes based on the campaign goals, making them highly visible. What makes these ads even better is that they are now interactive, with some advertisers utilizing QR codes to engage with bypassers. More importantly, this marketing approach is cost-effective, with better stats when it comes to cost-per-impression compared to traditional static billboards.

Due to the vast benefits these advertising measures offer, numerous industries utilize them. From local retailers, event promoters, real estate, tourism and hospitality, politicians, and more.

Challenges and Considerations

Before using an LED mobile billboard for your campaigns, there are a few factors you must consider. These factors may vary depending on your location or where you intend to launch the campaign. These challenges include regulatory hurdles, technical considerations, and environmental impact.

Each state and city has different regulations for these moving billboards, and it's important to follow these for a seamless campaign. Other technical considerations involve maintenance, power supply, and weather resilience. It’s important to partner with a service provider that has thoroughly thought these out and can still carry out the campaign despite external restrictions.

The Future of Outdoor Marketing

There has been a rise in advertising trucks and other modern outdoor advertising efforts. So, what should the future of this marketing approach look like? These high-resolution screens that roam a specific area can be changed with just a single click. Brands and advertisers can now change ads and messaging based on data gathered in real time.

Another perk to the future of outdoor advertising is data-driven personalization. Though it currently plays a significant role, the future holds better strategies for improving consumer behavior analysis. With this, advertisers have hyper-targeted advertising for a more precise data-gathering process.

Aside from the advantages mentioned above, future trends include dynamic and interactive digital displays that offer flexibility. In fact, there is a continuous rise in 3D-moving LED billboards. These displays draw lots of attention from people passing by due to their ability to showcase ads at the same angle as the human eye would see them.

On the other hand, potential changes in regulations may also change. These rules and parameters currently limit the operations of these moving billboards. However, they might change, and local governments may adapt to changes due to the rise in this marketing effort. Advertisers must also keep in mind that some areas are off-limits for specific reasons. These may involve protected areas due to their natural, historical, or cultural impact.

Integration with Other Marketing Channels

Mobile trucks can incorporate online and offline marketing strategies into one cohesive strategy. Advertisers should be aware that it is important to incorporate a seamless and consistent presence on various platforms. How can professionals do this? Moving billboards is part of the offline strategy, and marketers can help with online conversions by redirecting audiences to a platform that discusses the event, product, or brand.

Advertising trucks help increase a brand’s visibility and awareness by traveling to areas frequented by their target audience. They can do this by incorporating messaging and graphics in their campaign that resonate with their audience. In addition to this, they can showcase calls to action that encourage their target to engage with their online platforms.

Market Your Brand with LED Mobile Trucks

LED advertising trucks are revolutionizing the outdoor marketing scene due to their different benefits. Different companies in the United States offer these services to brands and entities, but how do you choose one? Trusting service providers who have been pioneers in the industry is one place to start. MVS Media Group has been in the mobile billboard game since 2003. We are a trusted partner with sharp, cutting-edge, and the latest technology to advertise your brands innovatively. Learn more about us today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If you’re a business looking to expand your advertising efforts into mobile trucks with digital billboards, here are a few questions you might have.

What is truck advertising?

This truck advertising approach involves campaigns on trucks that roam around a specific area. Depending on the truck the brand or business chooses, the graphics may be static or digital.

Is it expensive to advertise?

Advertisement rates usually depend on the medium or platform being used. Rates are different online and offline. Offline advertising, like mobile trucks for ad rates, depends on the service provider.

What is the main purpose of billboard advertising?

Billboard advertising has existed since its beginnings to amplify the brands it endorses. These creative ads showcase a business or entity’s personality to leave an impression on individuals passing by.

[thej320]

Week 2: Group Reflection

Our communication continues to be our greatest strength, keeping each other on the same page to input work into our blog posts as we continue to offer new ideas to our work and hold one another accountable for the team's development. We all stepped up and contributed to our roles after a dilemma with Tumblr that we worked through. Leading into this week’s more technical struggle. We had difficulty using blog software like Tumblr to create a group blog to post our posts. We had to communicate with our instructor to help solve this and find alternative apps. We worked through it this week because we all took the initiative and communicated to contribute our responsibilities to develop the blog post. We want to try to fix this in the future. That way, it’ll be easier and more accessible for us to all unload our work onto a group platform instead of doing it separately and regrouping.

We all contributed their roles similarly to how we did last week; Content developers (Summer and Jack) both formatted and wrote the blog post content with class themes. Planner and editor (Sandro) wrote the group reflection and used grammatical tools to make quick fixes. Creative lead (Tracy) contributed to incorporating this week's themes into our blog post with the content developers. Research Coordinator (Taten) gained and shared credible sources that we implemented into our blog post. We continued to communicate with each other to keep on track with deadlines and themes present within our blog and the class lectures, along with supporting each other when someone was unsure about something.

For week two’s topics, we learned and engaged with representation and its different systems for adequately understanding and communicating about things. We also distinguished representation with denotation and connotation, communicating both through discourse. Connecting to our topic of women’s athletics, how does the media use its power and discourse to divide women’s athletics from men’s? How to interpret media by encoding and decoding messages presented. The messages presented could have a different meaning or understanding to others with different perspectives. To avoid misreading or misunderstanding the content, we produce and present it to our audiences to provide them with direction and closure. Due to our social/cultural backgrounds, media messages are polysemic; we need to be able to decode what the media presents with different perspectives and ideas. To properly encode our topic's meaning into our blog during its production. The media uses our differences to separate us from each other; we must recognize that when they present content, they use means to divide us. With that, we cannot do the same thing, avoid dividing audiences with misunderstandings, and properly provide information with closure and direction.

The project's evolution will continue to change and adapt to the weekly content taught in the class lectures. With this week’s content learned, we must be open-minded to our audience with our content. It's our job to clarify our direction to our audience through discourse and by putting the meaning in during our blog production. We want our audience to learn something new that they can spread awareness about without marginalizing or misrepresenting other groups of people who would do them wrong. We must be confident and know what we want to present when deciding our blog posts. Our project will continue to evolve as we learn to include new ideas, concepts, and themes we learn from each lecture to interpret media and our blog post with ease and direction.

[hypnotichyenascrunchyrollcatchup]

Parasyte The Grey

"Hey Hyena, what gives, that's a people! I come here for anime wtf?" I hear the rhetorical reader in my head saying. Well, in case you hadn't heard of the award winning manga from 1989 Parasyte or the 2014 anime adaptation on Crunchyroll's top 100 best anime from the 2010s Parasyte: The Maxim, it's related enough to anime that I consider it fair game for this blog. Hell, if y'all want I could do a series of Netflix anime adaptations if you enjoy me hating on things. Maybe this one isn't so bad though?

The most important thing to know when judging this adaptation is that not only is it telling a different story, I don't think it's even the same timeline. A lot of things just do not make sense until you forget what happened in the anime. With that said, it's still got some real goofy flaws.

Right in the first 5 minutes of the show, you've got a flaw that just does not make logical sense. So at the moment of pollination, one of the larvae dropped on a guy at an EDM festival in South Korea, and proceeded to go on a rampage in the middle of the crowd. A lady comes up to him and tries to get him up, the parasite had already taken over his brain by this point so it's very odd that he just gets up and starts walking into the crowd.

The thing about the parasites is that they're very simple organisms in that they are instinctual. All they really know when they're first born is hunt, they do gain knowledge as they go on but it's kinda like being a toddler in an adult's body. So the fact that this newborn parasite just passes up the chance to get an easy hunt is just baffling ? The argument can't even be made that it was avoiding being detected because while it was out in the crowd the parasite bumped into someone and they accost it which sets off the parasite's killing rampage.

The next thing about that incident is that it did not make the news. How is it not going viral on social media? This was a stadium with thousands of people, some of them surely would have been able to record the incident and get away. In fact we are shown footage someone at the concert took at the end of the episode when we're introduced to this parasite task force. I'm not buying their claim that they were able to censor every bit of evidence, not with a crowd that large. Something like that would have blown up like cancer on the internet before they would even get a chance to put a lid on the story.

After that the episode is hard to follow for a while as they try to introduce too many characters at once. Or rather we're not even introduced to these characters, they just sort of show up like the guy that eventually has to explain the situation to the main character first shows up in a scene where he's stabbing some unrelated guy in a brothel.

The main character gets her parasite after getting stabbed by a guy that followed her home from work, and because of her injuries the larva was not able to consume her brain in time. At first I thought this was dumb, but then I remembered that there were other ways for hosts to remain human, I just can't remember if something like this happened in the anime and whether it worked the same. They said the guy that stabbed her had schizophrenia though which is yikes.

I will give it credit for having an interesting dynamic in which the parasite cannot directly communicate with the main character unlike Migi in the anime. I'm guessing the reasoning is that it is a part of her brain so instead of taking control of the hand like Migi, it takes control of her whole functioning. This leads to the aforementioned random guy coming to a meeting of parasites after following the parasite in his sister's body. At first the main character's parasite was going to kill him, but then changed its mind and told him to pass on the message to the host.

It's not entirely clear why it changed its mind, I guess because he knows one of the parasites? But like, why would it care if he was killed, there's no emotional attachment. Even if it was to prevent suspicion that it wasn't a successful integration, that wouldn't even be on the sister parasite's mind. He snuck there, the parasite wouldn't have known he was there in the first place or else they would have killed him. This guy's disappearance would have been chalked up to some rando hunting him.

Another thing I want to mention is that when introducing both the parasite's church and the anti parasite task force, we're shown that the church was storing bodies in some abandoned location. We know that it has been a month since the parasites arrived on earth, so what I want to know is how are these bodies not rotting by now? It can't be that they're saving them to eat later because one body would be enough to sustain a single parasite, and since the method of luring victims seems to be through one parasite disguised as a prostitute they wouldn't be getting more than one kill at a time. So they somehow managed to get working refrigeration in this derelict building.

The cops break down the door to their secret body storage room and find a symbol used to represent their church. Then, as the camera pans away from the main cop lady we see the same symbol written in blood on the side of the building across from them and it's much larger. This was probably the goofiest mistake this show has made, because it's literally just done to be spooky without any thought put into it. This is a secret organization of organisms that can telepathically tell when one of their own is nearby, why would they paint their logo on a building like that? Not to mention, it isn't as if they would know what it was if they weren't already contacted about it. All this does is go "LOOK OVER HERE WE KILLED PEOPLE" which is not something you want to do when you're a secret organization storing bodies for some nefarious purpose.

There were other things that may or may not get explained from watching more episodes but I don't know if I want to do that to my Netflix algorithm. I was intending on this being a quick review whoops.

[jamesdsass]

The following passages are from Rene Guenon regarding the degradation of the higher comprehension of tradition into sentimentality. The distinction between metaphysics and religiosity. It is important to note when he uses the term "intellectual" it is not in the contemporary academic sense of the term, but in the sense of noesis or intellection, a higher form of comprehension. This is the level of pure traditional metaphysics. Almost every manifestation of traditional and non-traditional religion in our contemporary society has degenerated into pure sentimentality and used as little more than an Implement of public manipulation.

((Nous (British: pron.: /ˈnaʊs/;US: /ˈnuːs/), sometimes equated to intellect or intelligence, is a philosophical term for the faculty of the human mind which is described in classical philosophy as necessary for understanding what is true or real, similar in meaning to intuition. It is also often described as a form of perception which works within the mind (“the mind’s eye”), rather than only through the physical senses. The three commonly used philosophical terms are from Greek, νοῦς or νόος, and Latin intellectus and intelligentia respectively.))

From Rene Guenon:

'...we have already pointed out the most essential difference between a metaphysical doctrine and a religious dogma; whereas the metaphysical point of view is purely intellectual, the religious point of view implies as a fundamental characteristic the presence of a sentimental element affecting the doctrine itself, which does not allow of its preserving an attitude of entirely disinterested speculation; this is indeed what occurs in theology, though to a degree that is more or less strongly marked according to the particular branch under consideration.

...

The influence of sentimental elements obviously impairs the intellectual purity of the doctrine, and it is only right to say that it does in fact represent a certain falling away from the standpoint of metaphysical thought; this falling away, in the region where it took place generally and extensively, that is to say in the Western world, was in many ways inevitable and in a sense even necessary if the doctrine was to be adapted to the mentality of the men for whom it was being specially framed, men in whom feeling was stronger than intelligence in virtue of a predominance that has reached its climax in modern times. Nevertheless, it remains true that feeling is but a relative and contingent thing, so that any doctrine that makes an appeal to it and on which it reacts in its turn is bound to be relative and contingent; and this is especially noticeable in regard to the need for 'consolations' with which the religious point of view is closely bound up. Truth, in itself, has no need to be consoling; if anyone finds it so, so much the better for him certainly, though the consolation he feels does not emanate from the doctrine, but purely from himself and from the particular predispositions of his own sentimentality.

It follows that a doctrine that adapts itself to the requirements of sentimental beings and that must therefore itself put on a sentimental dress can henceforth no longer be identified with absolute and total truth; the profound change produced in the form of the doctrine by the introduction of a consolatory principle corresponds to an intellectual falling off on the part of the human collectivity to which its message is addressed. Looked at from another angle, it is this characteristic that gives birth to the inevitable diversity of religious dogmas; hence their incompatibility, for whereas intelligence is one, and truth, in whatever measure it is understood, can be understood in one way only, the same does not apply to feeling, so that religion, in seeking to satisfy the demands of feeling, cannot avoid trying to adapt its form as far as possible to its multiple modes, which vary largely according to race and period. This does not mean, however, that all religious forms, in their doctrinal part, suffer the dissolving action of sentimentalism to an equal degree, with its resultant need for change; a comparison between Cathlicism and Protestantism, for example, is particularly instructive in this connection.'

-- Introduction to the Study of the Hindu Doctrines

[liezetjhb]

My greatest takeaways

The subject Technology for Teaching and Learning II had taught a lot of things that I could bring with me as a walk on the path of teaching. Teaching, I thought it was just about educating the young minds of the learners, I thought it is a simple task such as recording the scores of the students, rating their performances, giving them assignment and task, etc., but it is beyond that. The teachers who mold and taught me made it look so easy that I was encourage and motivated to become one. However, when I took the course of education, my whole world turn upside down. As someone who has got no one to taught me about the things that the teachers do, I can say it was hard. It was difficult to cope up with everyone. But, did I regret on walking in this path? No, because I met someone who left her mark on me, she’s our instructor in this subject. She made me realize a lot of things, she taught us some strategies, she told us about her experiences, she advices us and making us feel assure that whatever life unfolds, it must go on. So, I noted some of unforgettable phrases she had mentioned as my major takeaways in her subject.

First, “I am willing to learn, unlearn, and relearn” she just told this a while ago, this means that she wants us to be adaptive in nature. There are some things that might go against our standard, there are somethings that go beyond of our capabilities, however, this phrase meant to remind ourselves that we should be willing to learn, unlearn and relearn new things. For instances, in a work scenario wherein you were task to create a different thing that is beyond of your expertise, you should learn to adapt and show willingness that you can do it despite the fact that its not the one that you have learnt.

Second, “Iya iya ug kaluwasan/There is no salvation, save yourself.” I really like this phrase, ma’am would remember it as a joke but it has a deeper meaning for me. I have realized that, everything in the world will not remain, somethings will change, because it is the only constant thing in the world. But, saving yourself first should be prioritized. When you are a teacher, you will be drained because there are a lot of things that should be done, it causes the body to feel drained like a candle that has been standing and lighted, it is slowly running out. Who would save the teacher? When she’s busy taking care of her students. It’s not other than herself. Even when things get busy, teachers should also think for their selves too.

Third, “Technology will not replace great teacher, but technology in the hands of a great teachers, it’s transformational.” This phrase emphasizes the great use of technology in our lives as a future educator. The advancement of the technology has given the teachers an opportunity to enhance their abilities and depth knowledge. Teachers are built different, unlike the technology, teachers feel empathy towards the students and can adapt to the style of students which the technology can’t. We should keep in mind that we can make a difference with technology in hands and not the other way around.

Fourth, she told us that she likes talking, especially in front. She inspires me to exit my introverted world and transform into something new. I like how she manages to keep us energize even though she, herself feel so drained and tired. When we become teachers, I hope everyone can also be like her, she never failed to make us laugh but at the same time learn something.

Lastly, the greatest takeaway that I had is to become the teacher I never had. Never in my life that someone taught me explicable things but also at the same time I am learning. She told us that even though she felt tired because of her loaded schedule, she wants to cure her students by uplifting the mood and hear the laughter of the students. I want to become like her, the teacher who makes a difference in the lives of the students. She makes impactful messages that clearly conveys her sincerity.

Life must have been so meaningful if our past teachers are great as her. I wish there are enough words to say how grateful I am that I have met such amazing person.  She manages to left a mark as we bid goodbye since the term is almost over. Thank you, Ma’am.

_Liezet Jane Bantayao

[trevmex]

POLYMORPHISM UNBOUND

Bruce Eckel

AUTHOR/CONSULTANT

@BruceEckel

Bruce was studying at the oceanography school at UW!

Cfront was a type of C++ sent to schools on tapes that would generate code to run through a C compiler.

Cfront had virtual classes and dynamic binding.

Simula67 was the first OO language. The common thing you need to do is send messages to step simulations forward.

Smalltalk evolved from Simula to introduce code reuse through inheritance. But Smalltalk is inherently dynamic: it is part of its nature.

Alan Kay regrets not calling OOP Message-oriented Programming. Since OOP is really all about message passing.

C++ took the idea of inheritance and dynamic binding and expanded it. C++ was statically typed…for safety!

With C++, you don't have to use objects if you don't want to.

Then Java came along to say: if objects are good, then objects are the best. Everything is an object! And Static typing is also the best! But…inheritance was a mistake.

What is polymorphism? A type that represents multiple types. Usually as a function parameter. Why would you do this??!?

We are somehow fitting a group of types into a single type.

Ad-hoc polymorphism, aka Overloading. The same function taking different arguments. Under the hood, this is jus two different functions.

Kotlin by default makes all functions final, use the open keyword to make them open.

Overloading is in a lot of languages: Java, C++, Kotlin, etc.

Subtype Polymorphism: "Classic" inheritance. Follows the Liskov Substitution Principle.

Multiple Inheritance: forces an existing set of types into a hierarchy. This is useful if you are handed classes that you cannot change. But…it gets messy.

Multiple inheritance is really just composition in the guise of inheritance.

But true composition is much cleaner than multiple inheritance for code reuse and readability.

C++ is private by default, and it allows you to do private inheritance. It is not used very often.

Parametric Polymorphism: Generics in Java, Templates in C++

Now you have a parameter that creates a class of types instead of just one type. Mostly used for standard libraries for generic use cases.

Parametirc polymorphism allows you to introduce pattern matching! (Which we are getting with Java 19, LET'S GO!)

Kotlin has reified generics, Scala has that too.

Duck Typing: In dynamically typed languages, we can just throw a method at an object, and if it works, it works! "If it quacks like a duck, it is a duck!"

C++ has duck typing through templates. The templates do function overloading for you!

Union Types, aka Sum Types: creating anonymous types by combining multiple types (Type1 | Type2 | Type3)

Union types allow you to get errors at type check time instead of run or compile time (aka faster)

Go has a version of union types, but they are composed differently.

C++ has union types, too, but it is not pretty

Protocols: another way to mash your types together. Now you can have interfaces that invert the control of your inheritance.

Algebraic Data Types (ADTs). Martin was all about Enums in Scala 3. ADTs become case classes in Scala. The ADT makes sure the pattern match is exhaustive.

Type Classes: Type classes allow you to extend generic functions to, again, invert control of execution. A type class is an adapter that is taken care of at compile time.

Multiple Dispatching (need more info here)

Takeaways:

Why do we want to treat multiple types into a single type: capturing and reusing concepts.

Don’t do it without questioning!

Was OO a mistake? No, sometimes it is quite useful, just not ALL THE TIME.

Ad-hoc polymorphism is used all over the place: map, foldLeft, FoldRight, flatMap, etc.

Thank you, Bruce, for the great talk!