#semantic clusters

[cruxcreations]

Why Are SEOs Shifting from Keywords to Semantic Clusters?

This image visualizes the transition in SEO from traditional keyword targeting to semantic clusters. A vibrant, interconnected word cloud demonstrates the importance of thematic relevance and understanding user intent for modern search optimization.

[keskl]

wake up babe the new definition of "narcissist" just dropped

[asdminstituteahmedabad]

Introduction for How to Increase Website Organic Traffic in 2025

In 2025, organic traffic remains the backbone of a successful digital presence. As businesses increasingly compete for visibility in an oversaturated online world, earning organic traffic has become more challenging—and more rewarding—than ever. Unlike paid traffic, which requires ongoing financial investment, organic traffic provides a cost-effective, sustainable way to drive users to your website while fostering trust and credibility with your audience. The ability to consistently attract visitors without relying on ads is invaluable in building long-term relationships and brand authority.

The importance of organic traffic has grown alongside the evolution of search engine algorithms. Search engines, particularly Google, continue to emphasize quality, relevance, and user experience. For 2025, the focus is on delivering content that not only matches user intent but also adheres to Google’s EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness) guidelines. These principles ensure that your website provides real value to its audience, increasing the chances of ranking higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).

The SEO landscape, however, is in constant flux. Trends like AI-driven keyword research, voice search optimization, and core web vitals are reshaping the way websites approach organic traffic growth. Staying updated with these changes is not optional; it’s a necessity. Websites that fail to adapt risk falling behind their competitors and losing valuable traffic. By understanding and embracing these shifts, businesses can not only keep up but also get ahead in the race for online visibility.

This blog outlines actionable tricks that can help you navigate the complexities of SEO in 2025. From enhancing user experience and leveraging content clusters to optimizing for local searches and repurposing old content, these strategies are designed to drive sustainable growth. Implementing them effectively can help you build a robust online presence and consistently attract your target audience, paving the way for digital success in 2025.

1. Focus on Core Web Vitals for a Stellar User Experience

By prioritizing Core Web Vitals, you create a foundation for a stellar user experience, which directly correlates with higher engagement and better search engine rankings. Incorporating these optimizations into your SEO strategy will not only improve your website’s performance but also solidify its credibility and authority in the competitive digital landscape of 2025.

In 2025, the importance of Core Web Vitals in driving website organic traffic cannot be overstated. These metrics, introduced by Google, serve as a cornerstone for evaluating user experience and play a pivotal role in determining your website’s search engine ranking. Optimizing for Core Web Vitals ensures your website is not just user-friendly but also search-engine-friendly, aligning perfectly with Google’s focus on delivering high-quality, reliable, and engaging content.

At the heart of Core Web Vitals are three key metrics: page speed (Largest Contentful Paint – LCP), interactivity (First Input Delay – FID), and visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift – CLS). These elements work together to create a seamless browsing experience for users, directly impacting their engagement and retention.

Page Speed (LCP): Fast-loading pages are essential for capturing and retaining users. A slow website can frustrate visitors, leading to higher bounce rates and lower conversions. Ensuring your largest visible content loads within 2.5 seconds or less is critical for maintaining user satisfaction and improving rankings.

Interactivity (FID): First Input Delay measures how quickly your website responds to user interactions, such as clicking a button or filling out a form. Reducing delays enhances the user experience, making your website more intuitive and reliable.

Visual Stability (CLS): Nothing annoys users more than unexpected layout shifts while they are interacting with a page. Maintaining a CLS score of less than 0.1 ensures that your website provides a smooth and visually predictable experience.

By prioritizing Core Web Vitals, you create a foundation for a stellar user experience, which directly correlates with higher engagement and better search engine rankings. Incorporating these optimizations into your SEO strategy will not only improve your website’s performance but also solidify its credibility and authority in the competitive digital landscape of 2025.

2. Optimize for Voice Search Queries

Voice search is no longer a futuristic trend—it’s a critical component of SEO strategy in 2025. With the increasing adoption of virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, voice search is transforming how users interact with search engines. To capitalize on this growing trend and drive organic traffic, businesses must optimize their websites for voice search queries. The key lies in leveraging long-tail keywords and crafting conversational content that aligns with the way people naturally speak.

Why Long-Tail Keywords Are Essential

Voice search queries are often longer and more specific than traditional typed searches. For example, instead of typing “best coffee shops,” a user might say, “What are the best coffee shops near me that serve lattes?” This shift makes long-tail keywords—phrases that are more detailed and less competitive—essential for ranking in voice search results. By integrating these keywords into your content, you can better address user intent and capture highly targeted traffic.

Long-tail keywords also increase your chances of appearing in featured snippets, which are frequently read aloud by virtual assistants in response to voice queries. Optimizing your content with natural, question-based phrases like “How to,” “What is,” or “Best ways to” improves your visibility and engagement.

The Power of Conversational Content

Voice searches mimic everyday conversations, so your content should sound natural and conversational. Writing in a tone that mirrors how people talk, while maintaining professionalism, helps your content resonate with voice search users. Incorporate FAQs and structured question-and-answer formats to address specific user needs effectively.

By combining long-tail keywords and conversational content, you can create a voice search-optimized website that ranks higher, captures organic traffic, and delivers a seamless experience for users relying on voice-enabled devices. As voice search continues to dominate, adapting your SEO strategy to this evolving behavior is crucial for staying competitive in 2025.

3. Leverage AI Tools for Enhanced Keyword Research

In 2025, AI-driven tools have revolutionized keyword research, making it smarter, faster, and more effective than ever before. These tools harness the power of artificial intelligence to analyze massive datasets, uncover hidden opportunities, and deliver actionable insights for crafting a winning SEO strategy. By leveraging AI for keyword research, businesses can stay ahead of the competition and align their content with user intent more effectively.

Why AI-Driven Tools Are Game-Changers for SEO

Traditional keyword research methods, while still valuable, can be time-consuming and limited in scope. AI tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Surfer SEO go beyond basic search volume and competition metrics. They use advanced algorithms to predict trends, identify semantically related terms, and understand search intent at a granular level.

AI-powered tools also excel at processing contextual data. They can identify patterns in how users phrase queries, allowing businesses to optimize for long-tail keywords, voice search queries, and questions-based searches that are increasingly common in 2025. This deeper understanding of search behavior empowers content creators to deliver value-driven content that resonates with their target audience.

Refining SEO Strategies with AI

One of the most significant advantages of AI tools is their ability to adapt to changes in search engine algorithms. With real-time updates and predictive analysis, these tools ensure your strategy remains aligned with the latest SEO trends, such as Google’s EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness) guidelines.

Additionally, AI simplifies the creation of content clusters, suggesting topics and subtopics that improve internal linking and semantic relevance. These clusters not only improve rankings but also enhance user experience by answering multiple related queries on a single website.

By incorporating AI into your keyword research process, you can uncover new growth opportunities, optimize your content for better rankings, and consistently refine your SEO strategy for long-term success. As AI continues to shape the digital landscape, it’s a must-have tool for businesses looking to dominate organic search in 2025.

4. Create Hyper-Relevant Content Clusters

In 2025, content clusters have emerged as one of the most effective strategies for optimizing your website for semantic SEO. This approach focuses on creating interconnected pieces of content that revolve around a central topic, known as the pillar page, and supporting it with detailed subtopics, or cluster content. This method not only improves website structure but also signals to search engines that your site provides comprehensive coverage of a subject, boosting your authority and rankings.

What Are Pillar Pages?

A pillar page is a broad, authoritative piece of content that serves as the foundation for a specific topic. For example, if your website focuses on digital marketing, a pillar page could be titled “What Are The Benefits Of A Digital Marketing Course in 2025.” This page provides an overview of the subject while linking to more in-depth articles on subtopics, such as SEO, social media marketing, and content strategy.

Pillar pages are designed to be exhaustive yet concise, offering readers a one-stop solution for understanding a topic. By organizing information this way, you cater to both user needs and search engine algorithms, improving your chances of ranking higher on SERPs.

How Do Cluster Strategies Enhance Semantic SEO?

Cluster content dives deep into specific subtopics related to the pillar page. Each cluster article is internally linked to the pillar page, creating a web of interconnected content. This structure improves semantic relevance, helping search engines understand the relationships between different pages and rank them accordingly.

For instance, if your pillar page covers “Digital Marketing,” your cluster topics might include:

“How to Build an Effective SEO Strategy”

“Top Social Media Trends in 2025”

“10 Must-Have Tools for Content Marketing”

By interlinking these articles, you improve user navigation, encourage longer session durations, and increase the likelihood of appearing in featured snippets and related searches.

Benefits of Content Clusters

Improved SEO Rankings: Search engines favor well-organized, topic-focused content.

Enhanced User Experience: Visitors can explore related information effortlessly.

Authority Building: Comprehensive content signals expertise and authority in your niche.

By creating hyper-relevant content clusters, you align your website with modern SEO requirements while delivering value to your audience. This strategy not only enhances your online presence but also ensures sustainable growth in organic traffic for 2025 and beyond.

Want to Learn More Point for How to Increase Website Organic Traffic .

[spikyiwaizumi]

It’s a perfect morning for a hike.

The chill dusts Yaku’s nose as a soft winter kiss, his hot breathing tearing up his throat as he pushes onwards.

His thighs strain with pleasant effort, the slope harsh and unforgiving under his well broken-in boots, a stone breaking free of the thin, frozen layer of snow to bounce down behind him. They're all familiar sensations, worn into his skin almost as deeply as the court.

With one difference.

A gasp heaves behind Yaku. He turns back to his companion, who is bent over, hands on his knees.

“Wow, you really have left yourself go, huh?”

“Shut —“ here one of Kuroo’s hands lifts weakly, flagging his words. “— the fuck —“

“I’m waiting.”

“Up.”

The last line is delivered with a laboured expulsion of breath. Kuroo’s hand drops back to his knee, his gulping of air audible to even where Yaku is standing. He grins.

Kuroo had always been a single step faster than him in high school, and even in the early years of university he could hold his own; it’s nice to get the upper hand for once.

Yet something needles at Yaku; a slight twinge in his knee. A reminder that he, too, is getting older.

“I’m sorry,” Kuroo continues, straightening up. “That I can’t keep up with an Olympian while having an actual career.”

An actual career, huh?

Kuroo probably hadn’t meant it like that, but Yaku becomes aware of a pit in his gut, one that had been growing since he hit thirty. It seemed to swallow good moments with the overwhelming knowledge of time, and Yaku hadn’t adjusted to it yet.

“Your career is literally making my career a viable thing.”

“Semantics.”

"I don't think you know what that word means."

"I don't think you know either."

Yaku flips up his middle finger at him, and Kuroo cracks a grin, trudging up alongside Yaku.

“I’m good to go for a while longer.”

“I can carry you, if you’d like.”

The answering glare that Kuroo gives him makes Yaku grin again, the movement of his cheeks feeling welcome, as if dislodging a layer of frost.

The camera shutter noise rings out alone in the deserted, slumbering mountains.

“Shame Kai couldn’t see this,” Yaku mentions as he sends the photo to him.

“Yeah, I’m sure he’s devastated,” Kuroo says. “Being flown in to Australia to consult on Japanese flora there instead of waking up at an obscene hour for a hike must be so awful for him.”

“His girlfriend got a ticket too, didn’t she?”

“Yeah.” Kuroo sighs, resting his hands on his hips. “Well, fiancé now. He had a plus one, and I can't believe that he brought his fiancé instead of say, one of his best friends of…”

He scrunches his brows, hesitating. Yaku wants to laugh.

“Don’t strain your—“

“Eighteen years!”

“There you go,” Yaku says encouragingly, and Kuroo shoots him a death glare.

“Don’t pretend that you were any better at me at math.”

Sticking out his tongue, Yaku winks at him. "At least I'm not the one who called Akaashi at two in the morning, crying over his project finance homework."

"He told you that?! And I wasn't crying, just on the verge of tears -"

"Like that's any better."

It works, as it always had. Kuroo doesn't notice Yaku speeding up, doesn't notice how they move faster when sunk into arguing. Maybe he does, and chooses to say nothing.

The sunrise is a haze of orange and pink, and Yaku thinks that it looks beautiful. It shines against the snow-patched hillsides, throwing up brilliant glares as it spreads across the mountains, claiming them for the morning. Here and there, a grey cluster of rocks emerge from the snow, as if waking up.

He glances across at Kuroo. Kuroo, who had agreed to take a day off of the work he loved so dearly to join Yaku at ass o’clock in the morning to clamber up a mountain to catch a sunrise.

He’d sounded tired on the phone when Yaku had called, just at the end of his workday, just long enough for Kuroo to run into his boss’ office and tell him that he needed the day tomorrow — yes, he apologised for the short notice, yes, he had everything in order — and then returning to Yaku to curse him out for forcing him to do that.

Yaku had asked why he wasn’t the boss yet, how come his career was flatlining, and Kuroo’s swearing at him had increased at a rate Yaku hadn’t thought possible before.

Yet he’s here.

“I missed this,” Yaku says.

“Yeah,” Kuroo agrees. His tone is a little wistful, softened by the sight in front of them. “I can’t remember the last time I went hiking.”

He's here, with his hands set on his hips, his chest driving out with each hard breath. There's unmistakable satisfaction in the curl of his lips.

“Better than lazing about on the beach, huh?” Yaku comments, moving closer to elbow Kuroo in the side. “Glad to hear you’ve seen the light.”

“Hey, that was not me saying that mountains are better.”

“Not yet.”

Yaku grins up at him, and he sees the edges of Kuroo’s lips curve upwards in response, despite trying to cling onto the mask of annoyance. His gaze wanders upwards, over Kuroo’s rough cheeks, a day’s worth of black stubble sprouting up, to the almost invisible scar on his cheekbone left from one of Fukunaga’s “inventions,” to rest on the grey bags beneath his eyes.

Cradled in the delicate glow of the sunrise, Tetsurou feels familiar and strange, all at once.

The pit stretches its muscles inside Yaku’s gut again, the pit that consumes his friends’ lives and leaves men in their places that Yaku only half-knows. His absence had been a choice.

He doesn’t regret it, but he acknowledges the painful consequences.

Swallowing, he turns back to the sunrise, and thinks he feels a wave of warmth from it. Kuroo is still a bachelor. Yaku has waited over a decade, expecting him to be one of those consequences, one that he paid the moment he chose to pursue volleyball professionally. He wets his dry, cracked lips, and glances up at Kuroo again.

Kuroo’s face is awash with an orange tint, and there are folds Yaku doesn’t recognise, smile lines faded into his skin, his bone structure just a fraction more prominent than before. Yaku wants to relearn all of it — maybe even better than before. His eyes are creased up in the way they always did when he was considering something; his tongue working within his mouth.

“I’d have brought you here sooner if I knew this is what made you speechless,” he says, and Kuroo’s removed, thoughtful expression vanishes. It's replaced by a flicker of a fondness, a momentary splinter before his usual laid-back expression settles in.

Instead of a snarky retort, Kuroo only leans his forearm on Yaku’s shoulder. He's heavy. Yaku can feel his body heat, revved up from the walk, radiating against his side.

“You’d get bored without my quick wit,” Kuroo proclaims. “We can't ever go to a mountain peak at sunrise again. Only beaches from now on, I think.”

He flashes a smile down at Yaku, and Yaku, after climbing up a tough trail for two hours, now, only now, feels woozy. He wasn’t a stranger to how Kuroo makes him feel. He’d been ignoring it for years.

Consequences.

Yaku looks down at Kuroo’s hand, jutting past his shoulder, dangling in the air. He’d stripped off his gloves at some point during their hike, and the tips of his fingers are tinged with a dusty pink, just visible through the brown. They’re lined. Yaku thinks of Kuroo telling him how his last relationship didn’t work out, that they wanted different things.

For the first time in a long time, Yaku stares at a Japanese sunrise and thinks of coming home.

Bending his elbow, he reaches up and takes Kuroo’s warm hand in his, interlacing their fingers. Beside him, Kuroo shifts his weight; taking more off of Yaku.

One last time, Yaku upturns his face to meet Kuroo’s gaze. His whole body is buzzing with the risk he’d just taken, but Kuroo’s steady eye contact grounds him; reminds him that they’d be alright, no matter what.

He inhales the crisp air, tasting a new day.

Waits.

“You’re serious?”

Kuroo’s voice is low, stripped of all and any teasing edge.

Yaku nods.

“I’m serious.”

[thedwarrowscholar]

Hi there, I’m working on a, admittedly ambitious, fic in which Smaug joins the quest for Erebor (it’s a long story) but I was wondering how Smaug would be referred too by the Dwarves of Erebor?

After all, he didn’t exactly *tell* them his name while he was sacking Erebor so I wonder if he would’ve been given a name/title/curse in the meantime? Thank you so much 😊

Well met! An interesting question—though, in all honesty, I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that Smaug joins the Quest for Erebor (seeing as the main motivation behind that quest was, well… killing Smaug and reclaiming the Mountain).

You're absolutely right, though, that Smaug didn’t formally announce himself during the attack on Erebor in T.A. 2770. But even so, the Dwarves of Erebor likely did know his name—not only eventually, but quite possibly even beforehand.

🐉 Was Smaug’s name known?

Yes—almost certainly. Smaug was already considered a feared and known creature by the time of the attack. Though his exact origins are unknown, we know he was called “young” when he first appeared in Middle-earth’s records in T.A. 2770, and described as “old and strong” by T.A. 2941.

Given that the War of the Dwarves and Dragons spanned T.A. 2570–2589, Smaug would very likely have been born near or soon after that conflict—making him at least 180–200 years old at the time of Erebor’s fall. Still “young” by draconic standards. That timing makes it possible that older Dwarves—particularly those displaced from the Grey Mountains—had already heard of him, even if they hadn’t yet fought him directly.

After the sack of Erebor, his name would have spread rapidly. The survivors of Dale called the surrounding wasteland “The Desolation of Smaug”, and Smaug’s own ego ensures he likely proclaimed his name loudly and often. Dragons in Tolkien’s world are shameless self-mythologisers, after all.

The Map of Erebor, clearly indicating the Dragon

🔤 What does Smaug mean?

Tolkien noted that the name Smaug comes from the old Germanic root smugan, “to squeeze through a hole.” This imagery—creeping, coiling, burrowing—suits dragons (or “worms”) perfectly. Earlier drafts of The Hobbit named the dragon Pryftan, a Welsh compound meaning “Worm of Fire.”

Interestingly, Smaug’s name in “true Dalish” was recorded as Trâgu. That root—trah-—is shared with Trahald, the Westron name of Sméagol. Trahald means “apt to creep into a hole”, and all these terms (Smaug, Sméagol, Trahald, Trâgu) are linguistically connected through ideas of sneaking, burrowing, and creeping. Even the Hobbit term smial (meaning “burrow”) belongs to the same semantic family.

🏔️ What would the Dwarves have called him?

As the Dwarves came to know the name Smaug, it’s unlikely they used it freely—and even more unlikely used it without bitterness, or further follow-up curses. Dwarves have a long tradition of bestowing grim titles and bitter epithets upon their enemies, especially those who brought about ruin or dishonour.

We do, in fact, have attested examples from the texts (Neo-Khuzdul translations are further below):

“Old Worm” – used by Balin in The Hobbit

“Worm of Dread” – sung by the Dwarves upon learning of Smaug’s death

“The Dragon” – used in The Quest of Erebor

“Smaug the Golden” – appears in Appendix A

Beyond that, Dwarves would surely have coined their own epithets, depending on context, or degree of loathing. Examples might include:

"The Worm of Fire" – ’Urmu ’Urs

"The Doom of Erebor" – Dumsu ’Urd

"Stonebreaker" – ’Abanukraf

"The Northern Curse" – Aklâfu Faham

"Gold-thief" – Uthrab Kidiz

These wouldn’t necessarily replace his name—but they allowed Dwarves to speak of the dragon without honouring him in any way.

🪓 How would Smaug be rendered in Neo-Khuzdul?

While Dwarves closely guarded their language and carefully chose their moments to utter the names of their enemies, we can still deduce a likely phonological adaptation for Smaug:

Khuzdul does not allow initial consonant clusters like “Sm-”

The diphthong “au” does not exist, and would likely reduce to ô through crasis

A leading “u-” prefix mimics both the personified agent and superlative forms—which Smaug would have loved (let’s be honest)

Given that, the name would most likely be rendered as:

→ Usmôg

As a side note: had they adopted the Dalish name Trâgu, the Khuzdul form might have been Utrâg—but this runs into a semantic issue. The radicals TRG are attested in Khuzdul as referring to “beard.” As such, ‘Utrâg would more likely be interpreted as “greatest beards”, which is far too dignified for a dragon (especially this one), and certainly inappropriate. By contrast, the SMG radicals are unattested, making Usmôg both a cleaner and more fitting adaptation.

💬 Canonical Epithets (and Their Neo-Khuzdul Renderings)

Smaug, of course, had no shortage of titles for himself. In The Hobbit, we encounter several canonical epithets. If rendered in Neo-Khuzdul, they might look like:

Smaug the Golden → Usmôg Biriz (Note: we use Biriz for “golden” here, not Kidzul, which would suggest Smaug is made of gold, rather than merely golden in colour.)

Smaug the Impenetrable → Usmôg Binurzakablânul (lit. Smaug (the) Unpierceable)

Smaug the Terrible → Usmôg Gurud

Old Worm → ‘Urm Gamil

Worm of Dread → ‘Urmu Agrâd

The Dragon → Id-Uslukh or simply Uslukh (related to Urulókë in Quenya, meaning “fire-serpent” or “fire-dragon.”)

In short: yes, the Dwarves knew his name—but they also gave him others. Bitter. Hard-edged. In loss, they named him by what he destroyed, what he stole, and what he became.

Ever at your service, The Dwarrow Scholar

[ladyofkythera]

"pi divided by 4" is my conlang's word for "to see"

to explain what i mean by this let me get here step by step

1. numbers are formed by assigning phonemes to a base-10 positional system, such that 1 = p 2 = i 3 = t 4 = e 5 = c 6 = a 7 = k 8 = o 9 = q 0 = u plus some extra stuff like -mu to mark negative numbers and schwa to mark some unspecified number (though schwa can also be used as padding for uncomfortable consonant clusters)

2. operations are formed by placing the operands after a prefix for that operation, such that 9+10 = xə-q-pu [xəq.pu] 9-10 = əx-q-pu [əχq.pu] 9·10 = pi-q-pu [piq.pu] 9:10 = q-q-pu [qəq.pu] (it is also possible to prefix particularly ambiguous operations with f- to specifically say that this is an operation, like pi which can mean 12, 3.141592..., or multiplication, but fpi specifically means multiplication)

3. prepositions that indicate a movement in space and time are indicated by an angle within a spacetime diagram expressed as a radian, such that standing still is represented as 90º, or π/2 rad, or q-pi-i [q(ə).pi.ʔi], so a sentence like "qpii haa hhezb" would mean "i'm at rest relative to the planet", or "i'm at the planet" (note that i had to remove all the bullshit like existential quantifiers in that example sentence as to not bloat it so hard it strays from the point) so for indicating motion, one would have to slant that world line. if we wanted to express 45º, we could say π/4, or q-pi-e. but the issue there is that 45º in a spacetime diagram indicates traveling at the speed of light, which is impossible for an object with mass. so to express slower than light movement, we'd need some arbitrary number between π/2 and π/4... oh well, we'll figure that out some other day. what matters is that this frees q-pi-e semantically to be used for some other more nuanced meaning that relates to movement, and that is movement at lightspeed.

4. so, if i were to say "qpie hheza hab" that would mean that a planet is moving at lightspeed relative to me. but it can't do that, of course it can't! so the implication at play is that it's an image of the planet made out of photons that is moving at lightspeed. we can further specify that A is moving toward B with -zmu (meaning "negative redshift") so "qpiezmu hheza hab" means "[an image of] a planet is moving at lightspeed to me", or "a planet is illuminating me", and if the light hits me it's also probably hitting my retinas, meaning that i could also use it to mean "a planet is seen by me" note that even though this is glossed into english as a passive verb, it is a fully active verb with a fully active meaning. this comes down to a different idea between the languages of what it means to see. if you think about it, seeing is not an action you do at something, it's photons that do the action of getting in your eyes. the distinction doesn't really matter for natlangs but for a language built from scratch by a civilization with an understanding of modern physics, it makes sense

[mewling-central]

Introduction to Collective Seraphic

Now that Seraphic's at a stable place, I think I'm gonna take some time to delve into the basics of how it operates. For this post I'll only be going into the language itself and not the writing system, as that's going to need a post of its own to elaborate on. I'll try to keep this as concise as possible, but I may make separate posts expanding on topics discussed in this one. So, without further ado, onto the infodump!

Background

Collective Seraphic (which I'll be referring to as "Seraphic") is an artlang that I've created for a comic that as of this post I have not began yet, but am still developing. The majority of the comic will take place on the Seraph Homeworld, an alien planet some 3,000 lightyears from Earth populated by the seraph species (pictured below):

Within the story, Seraphic acts as the lingua franca of the Seraph Homeworld and the many colonized planets under Seraph control. It's used in the government, and among speakers of differing languages. As such, this language was the first one that I knew I would need to make as it will play a vital role in both the storytelling and narrative structure.

Syntax

Seraphic is largely a fusional language, employing affixes to modify the semantic role and meaning of morphemes. Seraphic does not, in the traditional sense, have verbs, so the sentence structure is strictly subject-object (will expand upon later). Nouns decline for number and tense, and are grouped into seven noun classes. Adjectives agree with nouns in number, except if derived from nouns themselves, in which case they'll also agree in class. Seraphic is very head-initial; with demonstratives, numerals, possesives, adjectives, genitives, and relative clauses following the noun the modify; and prepositions preceeding the nouns they modify. Auxiliaries preceed procedurals (again, will expand upon later).

Phonology

Here is the phonological chart for Seraphic:

It has a syllable structure of (CC)V(CC). Plosives cannot exist word finally, clusters of consonants of the same manner are illegal, and vowel clusters are also not permitted. Syllabic consonants are grouped with vowels and behave much like them, carrying tone and stress, so they together are grouped and referred to as vocalics. Seraphic is a tonal language, employing the use of four tones: rising (á), falling (à), high (ā), and low (a). Low tones remained unmarked in both the Seraphic script and in romanization. Stress is syllable-independant. It will take either the ultimate, penultimate, or rarely the antepenultimate. Stress always falls on the syllable with a voiceless initial obstruent nearest to the end of the word. If none are available, it will fall on the syllable with an initial sonorant within the same parameters. Stress will never fall on a voiced obstruent. For clarity, I'll provide a key describing the pronunciation of the romanization.

Sounds that are similarly pronounced as they're read in American English:

m, n, p, b, t, d, k, g, f, v, s, z, y, w, l

Sounds that have special pronunciations:

ŋ, like the ng in English "sing"

p', like the ጴ in Amharic "ጴጥሮስ"

t', like the t' in Navajo "yá'át'ééh"

k', like the კ in Georgian "კაბა"

', like the the space within English "uh-oh"

c, like the sh in English "sharp"

j, like the s in English "measure"

x, like the gh in English "ugh"

ğ, like the γ in Greek "γάλα"

pf, like the pf in German "Pfirsiche"

ts, like the z in Italian "grazia"

tc, like the ch in English "chain"

kx, like the kh in Lakota "lakhóta"

r, like the rr in Spanish "perro", although occasionally like the r in Spanish "amarillo"

i, like the ee in English "meet"

į, like the ы in Russian "ты"

u, like the oo in English "boot"

e, like the é in French "beauté"

œ, like the a in English "Tina"

o, like the o in Classical Latin "sol"

a, like the a in English "bra" although this can change to be more forward or more backward.

Another letter that might trip people up is ł, which is meant to represent the high tone syllabic 'l'. Otherwise, syllabics are written the same as their pulmonic counterparts, with tone markers written when applicable.

Nouns

Nouns make up the bulk of the Seraphic lexicon. Every noun is grouped into one of seven classes:

Solar class: nouns related to seraphim or seraph-like beings, and seraph body parts. Prefix appears as zā-, zō-, zē-, s-, or ts-.

sēr = "person"

Astral class: nouns related to non-seraph animate lifeforms (their equivalent to "animals"). Prefix appears as ğr-, x, or kx-.

xuc = "cherub"

Vital class: nouns related to inanimate lifeforms (their equivalent to "plants"). Prefix appears as wā-, wō, w-, ū-, wē-, or wī-.

wējlux = "tree"

Terranean class: nouns related to landscapes, locations, and natural phenomena. Prefix appears as va-, vo-, vu-, f-, and pf-.

voxāl = "sun"

Metallic class: nouns related to inanimate objects, both natural and artificial. Prefix appears as ja-, jo-, c-, or tc-.

jağrú = "rock"

Lunar class: nouns related to abstract concepts, and terms related to time. Prefix appears as la-, lo-, le-, li-, y-, or l/ł-.

levren = "job"

Oceanic class: nouns related to general words, tangible concepts, numbers, all adjectives, and non-incorporated loanwords. Prefix appears as a/ā-, o/ō-, or aw-.

awuf = "group"

Adjectives do not agree in class, due to the fact that nouns originally are derived from adjectives, and noun classes acted as a way to differentiate between nouns and adjectives.

fa = "warm, hot"

jafa = "fire" (lit. "a hot thing")

When adjectives are used as predicatives, they decline into the oceanic class in order to take the procedurals (once more, will expand upon later).

Nouns also decline for four numbers: singular (one thing, usually unmarked), dual (two things, both things; suffixes as -ac, -oc, -œc, or -c), plural (things, many thing; suffixes as -n, -an, or -in), and collective (every thing, all things; suffixes as -āf/ōf, -áf/-óf, or -'ōf).

Seraphic doesn't use pronouns. Everything and everyone is referred to by name, including yourself. From our perspective, the Seraphic language constantly speaks in the third person. However, it can be repetitive to use the same name over and over again in a sentence, and sometimes you don't know the name of things, so they'll apply what I've called pro-forms. They consist of the demonstrative adjectives fl "this", sl "that", and xl "yon" declined into the Solar class and taking the place of the first, second, and third person respectively. For ease of reference, I'll provide the forms and their declensions below.

zāfl (I/me), zāflc (both of us), zāvlin (we/us), zāfláf (all of us)

zāsl (you), zāslc (both of you), zāzlin (you guys), zāsláf (all of you)

zōxl (they), zōxlc (both of them), zōğlin (many of them), zōxláf (all of them)

Seraphic makes no distinction in the gender of the speaker, in this regard. Although these resemble pronouns, they're not meant to be used as often as regular pronouns, and whenever possible it's much preferred that you refer to someone or something by name.

Adjectives and Prepositions

Adjectives are fairly straightforward. Adjectives follow the noun they modify (e.g. sēr tan "big person"), and agree with them in number (e.g. sēr tan "big person" vs sērn t'aŋon "big people"). Adjectives agree in the singular form with singular and collective nouns, and they agree in the plural form with dual and plural nouns.

There are three main types of adjectives: native adjectives (e.g. cna "good"), borrowed adjectives (e.g. anzn "nice"), and noun-derived adjectives (e.g. arfi/ofi "new"). Native and borrowed adjectives don't agree with noun classes, but noun-derived adjectives do. It originated from the animacy-based adjective agreement system in Proto-Seraphic, which has been lost in all other adjective instances. When you want to make a noun into an adjective you'll affix one of two prefixes to it: ar- (if agreeing with Solar, Astral, and Vital nouns) and o- (if agreeing with Terranean, Metallic, Lunar, and Oceanic nouns). There are specific rules on the forms each prefix takes based on the noun they're attached to:

"ār-" when preceeding high or falling vocalic syllables (e.g. sēr ārzājna "popular person")

"ar-" when preceeding low or rising vocalic syllables (e.g. wēn arfe "local fruit")

"ó-" when preceeding high or falling vocalic syllables (e.g. lalel ówē "grassy flavor")

"o-" when preceeding low or falling vocalic syllables (e.g. lesar olvulvren "economic problem")

"ōw-" when preceeding words that start with a vocalic (e.g. lnin ōwāsāvbas "momentary event")

Prepositions occur before the nouns they modify, and don't change form in any circumstance. There are currently 19 prepositions in the modern language, and they are usually connected to nouns via a hyphen (e.g. e-fe "at (the) place"):

cu = of; indicates possession

pr̄ = indicates the indirect object, equivalent to "to" in the phrase "The man sends the letter to me."

in/īn = as or like; indicates similarity or resemblance. Will either be low or high tone depending on the tone of the following syllable.

e/ē = at or on; indicates location.

tsa = near or for; indicates relative distance from a location or an action performed for the sake of the referent.

cni = without; indicates a lack of possession or company.

wa = in or inside of; indicates interior position.

tn = on top of, above, or before; indicates superior position or a prior instance in time.

pux = under, beneath, or after; indicates inferior position or a following instance in time.

pi = with, together with; indicates being in company of or making use of the referent.

fān = from or away from; indicates the motion of leaving the referent.

ku = out of; indicates motion from within the referent towards the exterior.

tun = into or through; indicates motion from outside the referent towards the interior.

xel = to or towards; indicates the motion of approaching the referent.

kxun = across; indicates motion from one location to another

pn̄ = around; indicates location surrounding the referrent.

cāza = between; indicates location in the middle of the referrent.

tē = after, behind; indicates posterior position.

fr = during; indicates a moment in time

Prepositions aren't combined in Collective Seraphic, but may be in certain instances in colloquial speech.

Procedurals

Okay, this is probably the most complicated part of Seraphic, so I'm going to need to get into things individually. First, I'll start with defining a procedural itself. Procedurals are the term I use for the prefixes used to describe the relationship or process of and between the agent noun and the patient noun. These are what act as the equivalent to "verbs" in earth languages. There are three in use:

Existential: used to denote a state of being or equivalence between agent and patient, or to the patient and itself. Equivalent to English "to be" (e.g. A is B, there is B). Usually prefixes as some variant of n-, m-, or ŋ-.

Actional: used to denote an action or process between the agent and patient, or with the patient and itself. Equivalent to English "to do" or "to act upon" (e.g. A acts upon B). Carries a connotation of agency and intent. Usually prefixes as some variant of re-, ra-, or r-.

Resultative: used to denote an occurence or change in state between agent and patient, or patient and itself. Equivalent to English "to become", "to happen", or "to change into" (e.g. A becomes B, B happens to A). Carries a connotation of passiveness or motion. Usually prefixes as some varient of ed- or ez-.

The procedural will change its form slightly depending on the class and declension pattern of the noun it modifies. It always affixes to the patient noun, demonstrating a relationship of an action and what is being acted upon. In this way, the patient can be clearly identified. In transitive or causative clauses, the word order is always S(P)O, with the agent acting as the subject and the patient as the object. In intransitive and passive clauses, the word order is always (P)S, with the patient acting as the subject and the agent demoted to the indirect object or omitted entirely.

Although seemingly limiting, using these three procedural, as well as prepositions, nouns, and adjectives, altogether can be used to make all sorts of verb equivalents that are called "procedural phrases". I'll demonstrate how to build a sentence now. First thing we need to know is the subject and object:

Sāx ... jafa (The child ... the fire)

Next, I'll add the actional procedural in the present tense to this.

Sāx rejafa (The child acts upon the fire)

By itself this is technically grammatically correct, but it doesn't really mean anything. It's too broad. So we add a prepositional phrase to specify exactly what action the child is taking towards the fire.

Sāx pi-sīman rejafa (The childs acts upon the fire with (their) eyes)

Now we know that the child is performing an action involving the use of their eyes. Now of course this could mean many different things in English, but in Seraphic the first thing that comes to mind would be fairly obvious: to see! Thus, "Sāx pi-sīman rejafa" would be the same as saying "The child sees the fire" in English! There are a lot of set phrases that equate to verbs, and remain consistent in their arrangement. Often differing phrases are a useful way to ascertain where someone is from or what their first language is.

Tense and Aspect

Seraphic has six main tenses: two pasts, two presents, and two futures. The two pasts consist of the recent past (happening recently) and the remote past (happening a long time ago), and they prefix and/or combine with the procedural.

Sāx pi-sīman ğrejafa (The child just saw the fire)

Sāx pi-sīman eğrejafa (The child saw the fire a while ago)

Similarly, the future tenses consist of the near future (will happen soon) and the distant future (will happen eventually).

Sāx pi-sīman drejafa (The child will soon see the fire)

Sāx pi-sīman izrejafa (The child will eventually see the fire)

The present tenses consist of a general present tense (happens) and the infinitive (to happen) which is used with auxiliaries and copulae and carries no presence in time.

Sāx pi-sīman rejafa (The child sees the fire)

Pi-sīman ezrejafa (To see a fire)

Whether someone considers an event to be nearer or farther in time from them is completely up to their discretion. There's no set timeframe for when to use the recent vs. remote past, it's all fairly subjective. However, whether you decide to use the recent or remote can really indicate whether you believe something to be in the distant past or future, or just a few moments ago or soon.

Seraphic also makes use of two copulae, the perfective -r and the imperfective -l, helping clitics that expand on the aspect of the procedural, i.e. how the procedural happens over time instead of when in time. The copulae are separate from the procedural, being placed directly before it and conjugating on their own similarly to the lexical procedural. When the copulae are in use, they are conjugated instead of the lexical procedural, while the lexical will be put into the infinitive. The exception to this is if the point in time is considered necessary to be stated for the sake of clarity or emphasis, in which case the lexical verb will also conjugate (though this isn't considered to be the default). The two copulae each conjugate to six tenses, and give 12 individual aspects in total. They are as follows, starting with the perfective:

āgxōnr - Pluperfect: indicates that the action happened at a point before some time in the past either specified or implied (e.g. āgxōnr nidsl "that has happened")

xōnr - Preterite: indicates that the action happened in the past with no reference to if it was completed recently or remotely. A general past (e.g. xōnr nidsl "that happened")

nar - Relative: indicates relative clauses, i.e. clauses that act to modify a noun similarly to an adjective. Equivalent to "that", "who", or "which" (e.g. lsl nar nidsl "the thing that happens")

ednr - Gnomic: indicates general truths, common knowledge, and aphorisms (e.g. ednr nezłsl "things happen")

t'enr - Future Simple: indicates the action will happen in the future with no regard to how near or far it is from the present (e.g. t'enr nidsl "that will happen")

āt'ēnr - Future Perfect: indicates that the action will happen before a time or event in the future (e.g. āt'ēnr nidsl "that will have happened")

And the imperfective:

ŋ̄xōzl - Discontinuous: indicates that an action was happening in the past, but is no longer happening in the present (e.g. ŋ̄xōzl nidsl "that used to happen")

xōzl - Habitual: indicates that an action is done often or out of habit (e.g. xōzl nidsl "that always happens")

īzl - Progressive: indicates that an action is happening at the very moment of conversation (e.g. īzl nidsl "that is happening")

nizl - Prospective: indicates that an action will be starting to, or is in the process of happening (e.g. nizl nidsl "that is about to happen")

t'ezl - Iterative: indicates that an action happens again, repeatedly, or more than one time based on context (e.g. t'ezl nidsl "that happens again" or "that happens again and again")

nt'ezl - Continuative: indicates that an action happens continuously and without end (e.g. nt'ezl nidsl "that still happens")

With both tense and aspects, this largely expands the capability of Seraphic in referring to time.

Moods

Seraphic makes use of seven modal particles to denote seven moods. They are always placed at the beginning of clauses, and no two modal particles can exist in the same clause. They are grouped into four categories: the declaritive (indicative and negative), the inferential (evidential and interrogative), the deontic (volitive and imperative), and the epistemic (subjunctive and conditional). They add extra clarity in the speakers mood or opinion concerning the clause they modify, and are as follows:

Indicative: base form of a clause. Indicates that the speaker is stating a fact or what exists, and is unmarked (e.g. idsl "that happens")

tu - Negative: indicates that the speaker is stating a fact that is untrue or what doesn't exist. Usually only appears in formal, official texts, as the first syllable of the procedural will chage tone to contrast as well and leaves the particle unneccesary in colloquial speech (e.g. tu īdsl "that doesn't happen")

cuc - Evidential: indicates that the speaker is stating a fact that they believe or understand to be true, regardless of having experienced it or not. (e.g. cuc idsl "apparently that happens") Direct evidentiality is denoted using a different method.

an/ān - Interrogative: indicates that the speaker is confirming whether a statement is or isn't true. Forms questions (e.g. an idsl? "does that happen?")

tcān - Volitive: indicates that the speaker desires for the statement to be true (e.g. tcān idsl "that wants to happen" or "that needs to happen" or "that should happen")

má - Imperative: indicates that the speaker is giving a command or suggestion, to themselves and/or to other referents. Functions additionally as a cohortative and a jussive (e.g. má idsl! "let that happen!")

tir - Subjunctive: indicates that the speaker believes the statement to be possible or likely (e.g. tir idsl "that could/would/might happen")

nun - Conditional: indicates that speaker believes the statement to be possible under specific circumstances or conditions (nun idsl "if/when that happens..."

Miscellaneous

That's about the basics of the Seraphic language outline. I'd like to eventually get into things like comparison, evidentiality, declension forms and the like, but those are all topics that definitely need their own individual posts. Real quick, I want to provide one more additional fact about Seraphic.

Seraphic uses base-16, meaning it groups numbers in sets of 16 instead of sets of 10 like we do. 1-16 would be written 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F, 10. 10 would be read as 16, and equally 20 would be 32. They're still counting the same amount of things, they're just dividing it up differently!

Anyways that's about it, I hope to share more about Seraphic soon, and when the comic gets released I hope you'll all be able to read it and pick out the many many lines of Seraphic I've poured into it!

ŋKowīci cu-stux 'ōf tsa-levp'ā cu-zāsláf pi-lizt'n ğōdjasa! (Thank you all so much for reading!)

[gaurja24510045]

A Spotless Mind

No film captured my imagination as a teenager the way ‘Eternal Sunshine of A Spotless Mind’ did. A couple, heartbroken and exhausted of each other after a break-up, decide that they want nothing to do with each other. So much so that they don’t even want to remember they were ever a part of each others’ lives. They decide to take the services offered by the New York city ‘Lacuna’, where they ask you for all belongings you have that remind you of a person in your life, and then plug you up in some machine which systematically erases every single one of your memories of that person, starting from the recent ones all the way back to when you met them.

However, as the machine is deleting the guy’s memories, it is doing a replay of them in his head and as soon as it reaches the initial, sweeter memories, he realises he doesn’t actually want to forget her and wants to earn her back. He tries his best to hide her memories in other, unrelated corners of his mind where the machine memory erasers can’t touch them. At the end of it, he manages to retain one crucial bit of information which leads him back to her. 

Apart from the romance of it all, what has always intrigued me is if there actually could be some sort of machine that simply erases a person’s existence from your brain? Because there sure are some exes I would like to forget!

That’s why, when I learnt of something called concept cells in the brain, something clicked. What are they? How do they work? And most importantly, can they be eliminated to get rid of certain, ahem, concepts from my brain? Concept cells are cells housed primarily in the medial temporal lobe, especially the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and the amygdala, which respond to specific people, objects, or ideas regardless of which modality in which they are presented. You could be looking at a picture of Kate Winslet, hearing her voice in a video, or even simply be looking at a picture of the Titanic, and the same cells would fire. Thus, these cells don’t just represent specific features, rather, they are representative of abstract concepts, making them crucial for abstraction, generalization, and discrimination from other concepts. They are also quite efficient in representing concepts because they form new concepts quite quickly, they respond to a variety of modalities, be it pictures, spoken words, or written, and also they utilise something called ‘sparse coding’, in which only few neurons fire for a particular concept, but strongly. 

Coming to the real questions, can these neurons be eliminated to get rid of a concept? These cells are quite selective, which means that a certain set of them will respond very strongly to only one concept and quite weakly or not at all to others. This would imply that there may actually be a way to do away with some of these and forget unwanted people. However, there is some degree of overlap between related concepts. There is something called ‘semantic clustering’, which means that cells that fire for similar concepts, are located close together in the brain. So say, if you were to erase Kate Winslet from your memory, you run the risk of also forgetting Leonardo di Caprio, or at least have some sort of lacuna (that was definitely deliberate) in his concept. Additionally, concept cells are also part of a larger memory network. Eliminating some may erase or weaken certain memories, but because memory is also distributed across the brain, not all traces of it would vanish.

So, the verdict unfortunately is no. I cannot simply erase my exes from memory and will have to forever live with the memories. Consequences of my own stupid decisions I guess!

[phenixcreations]

The Role of Semantic Search in Modern SEO Services San Francisco

In today’s dynamic digital landscape, search engine optimization (SEO) is no longer just about inserting the right keywords into your content.

With the rise of AI-powered algorithms and user-centric search experiences, semantic search has become a core component of modern SEO strategies. But what exactly is semantic search, and how is it transforming SEO Services San Francisco? Let’s explore.

What is Semantic Search?

Semantic search refers to the process by which search engines attempt to understand the intent and context behind a user’s query rather than relying solely on keyword matches. Instead of looking at search terms in isolation, semantic search interprets meaning by analyzing:

The relationship between words

User search history and location

Natural language queries

Synonyms and variations

Structured data and entity recognition

Search engines like Google now aim to deliver results that are not just textually relevant but also contextually accurate, thanks to major algorithm updates like Hummingbird, RankBrain, and BERT.

Why Does Semantic Search Matter in SEO?

In the past, SEO success depended heavily on keyword density, exact match phrases, and backlink quantity. But today’s search engines are much smarter. They understand that a user searching for "how to fix a leaky faucet" doesn’t just want a page that repeats that phrase ten times—they want a helpful guide, perhaps with step-by-step instructions and tools needed.

Here’s how semantic search impacts modern SEO:

1. Focus on Search Intent

Understanding user intent is now critical. Are users looking for information, trying to make a purchase, or comparing products? Semantic search helps deliver tailored content that aligns with the user’s goal, and SEO professionals must optimize content accordingly.

2. Natural Language and Conversational Queries

With the rise of voice assistants and AI chatbots, people are using more natural, conversational queries. Phrases like “best pizza place near me” or “how can I improve my sleep quality?” require semantic understanding. SEO now involves optimizing for these long-tail and question-based keywords.

3. Topic Clusters over Keywords

Modern SEO emphasizes topic relevance rather than isolated keywords. Creating content clusters around core themes helps search engines understand the depth and authority of a website. For example, a health blog writing about “diabetes” should also cover related topics like diet, insulin, symptoms, and treatments.

4. Structured Data and Schema Markup

Semantic search engines benefit from clear, structured data. Using schema markup allows search engines to better understand your content, which can improve rankings and increase chances of rich snippets appearing in search results.

5. User Experience and Engagement Metrics

Since semantic search prioritizes delivering the most useful content, user experience (UX) plays a major role. High bounce rates, low time on page, and poor mobile optimization can negatively affect rankings. SEO services now need to align content relevance with fast, intuitive website design.

How are SEO Services Adapting?

SEO agencies and professionals have shifted from keyword stuffing to creating meaningful, high-quality content. Here’s how they’re leveraging semantic search:

Conducting intent-based keyword research instead of generic keyword lists

Creating comprehensive content hubs that satisfy multiple user intents

Using AI and NLP tools to analyze semantic relationships

Optimizing FAQs and voice-friendly content

Implementing structured data to enhance content discoverability

Final Thoughts

Semantic search is not a passing trend—it’s the foundation of how modern search engines work. For businesses, this means SEO is no longer a technical back-end task but a holistic digital strategy that includes content marketing, UX, and even AI.

To stay ahead in the SEO game, brands must shift their focus from keywords to meaning, from volume to value. By embracing semantic search, businesses can deliver better experiences, reach more relevant audiences, and rank higher in today’s intelligent search engines.

[flowerandthesongstress]

hi here's some youtube video essays and such

The Ouroboros of Grief

Esperanto Explained

TomSka's guide to Plagiarism

The Problem with Irony

An introduction to Semiotics

Ghosts of Mark Fisher: Hauntology, Lost Futures, and Depression

The true and incredible story of Merkel's favorite song and its singer

Planned Obsolescence Will Kill Us All

The Rule of Three

How you all we all became the Big Brother

The art of Semantics

Bo Burnham, Arcade Fire, and the infinite dread of the internet

Actually properly analyzing ‘Inside’ by Bo Burnham

The fictional vampire has always been sexy

Peter Singer and the most controversial ethics paper ever

How the internet kills your creativity (and what to do about it)

Movie monologues that changed my entire worldview

Wings of Desire — the epic of peace

My cluster b parent died and I felt nothing much

Why Bonnie and Clyde is Hollywood’s most revolutionary film

Paterson: embracing the poetry of the Everyday

Melancholia: depression on film

The gift of letting go and Ted Lasso

Fighting cosmic horror with charts and graphs

Poker Face: more than just an homage to Columbo

White Oleander: toxic beauty and narcissistic mothers

An ardent, unironic defense of Edward Cullen

A beginner’s guide to Soviet animated cinema

Dream Scenario — Kristoffer Borgli & the Dream Machine

How to think about your narcissistic parent

The politics of ‘Parks and Rec’

The Lincoln Highway: across America on the first transcontinental motor route

Elden Ring and the Art of Knowing Less

Explaining Europe to Americans

An avoidable disaster: the tragedy of Mass Effect Andromeda

Scrubs: My Retrospective

Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas is Beautiful

okay bye

[cacophony-eg]

Trick or Treat? (Chimera Shipping Fic)

A/N: Happy Halloween!

here's a little Chimera treat for this holiday season. =3

Red Son gazed upon the Monkie Boy and Dragon Girl in awe, tears of joy welling in his eyes at their offer, his hair warmly glowed and flickered with soft flames. The demon never thought this day would come, he had hoped they would one day see the darkness and choose the path of villainy but had never expected it to happen. Nor could he ever anticipate that the two heroes would invite him to join in on an evil plan of their own making.

"Of course, I will join in on your crusade to extort civilians all across the city!" Red Son declared, nearly choking on his words as his chest swelled with pride.

"Well, I wouldn't call it extorting..." MK began, glancing over at Mei for assistance.

"We usually call it trick or treating," The dragon girl stated, with a twitching smile holding back a giggle. This was honestly turning out better than she expected, she had imagined the Bull Prince to call their yearly mission childish and turn down their request.

"Yes, Yes, I am aware of the modern way of celebrating all hallows eve." Red Son assured with a wave of his hand "Your party disguises themselves in costumes to not be recognized while going door to door demanding treats or trinkets in exchange for not harming the ones who reside there or their land," The fire demon explained.

"Huh, maybe it is low-key extorting?" Mei pondered out loud, with a slight nod of agreement towards Red boi.

"But legal, traditional extorting?" MK reasoned, with a slightly nervous smile.

"Now enough with the semantics" Red Son asserted "you two claimed to have a plan already constructed."

The Dragon Girl and Monkie Boy shared a devious smile that caused The Prince's heart to flutter and cheeks to warm.

Mei dashed to a nearby wall, pulling down a large map of the city, with coloured coordinated circles scattered all over it, as Mk rushed over with a handful of markers.

"Green symbolizes places that give out soda," MK began.

"Yellow are places that give out goodie bags," Mei added.

"Red is..." The Ponygirl started as The Noodle Boy used the markers in his hands to do some air drumming.

"FULL-SIZE CANDY BARS!" They both cheered.

Red Son nodded looking over the map, they had done a splendid job in recon, "and what does the blue symbolize?"

"Healthy snacks..." Mei answered in disdain, as MK stuck out his tongue in disgust.

The Demon Bull Prince's lips twitched upwards in a slight smile but used one of his hands to cover his mouth. It was a childish notion toward healthy food, but he could understand the sentiment. When you desired one thing... or two things, anything else only felt like a distraction or an obstacle towards your goal.

"So what is your plan of attack, where do we strike first?" Red questioned looking over the map, mentally clustering key areas together and calculating a route.

"Well, that's kind of the main part we need your help with..." MK explained with a shy, eager smile. "We both figured with your great planning skills-"

"We could reach our goal to collect the most Candy we ever have!" Mei declared with a fiery determination. "And become Halloween Candy Royalty!"

Red Son could feel both his cheeks and hair heat up as they both looked up at him with unwavering looks that held no doubt he was the perfect addition to their team.

"I will see what I can do" The prince coughed out; to mask his blush. Plucking a purple marker from MK's hand, the demon stepped closer to the map as he scanned over what they already had. Red Son, temporarily tuned out the two chatty mortals as they talked about possible costumes.

The disguises were inconsequential to the demon, he needed to focus on the task at hand. The Prince would not fail in proving himself a key member of their trio. The three of them had accomplished much together, the demon hoping to make his... What did Mei call them… frienemies? Into a stronger type of companionship. Help guild the hero's to become something more sinister, and this crusade would be the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Red Son silently promised himself that he would not be replaced by anyone, he would not lose Mei or MK to anyone else. He would prove to be superior to all others so the two of them would have no doubt about his capabilities and-

"Oh that's a great idea that way you and I can be Red Son's first and second Mates" The Dragon girl agreed with her best friend.

The Demon Prince had to reel himself away from the Map as his hair burst into a large gust of fire "WHAT ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT?!" Red shouted in shock, turning to face the two heroes.

"Oh just which one of us should be your first mate and which of us should be your second mate," MK answered casually.

Making Red Son's jaw nearly drop to the floor. The three of them had not even discussed about becoming each other's intended or any courting steps, and yet the two heroes were already talking about who would be his first MATE!?!

"MK, you should be the first mate, you're a lot better at leading than I am, plus you two balance each other out," Mei suggested.

"No way Mei, you and Red Son work great off each other and click together way more, you should be the first mate," MK countered his best friend.

Red Son's eyes widened as the two heroes argued back and forth, constantly stating that the other would be a much better first mate than themselves for the prince. The Prince listened to them in stunned silence, as their argument continued; making several good points along the way that even the demon hadn't thought of, and may very well use to convince his parents of their trio courtship.

“Even just visually you and Red make a better pair” Mei argued back “Your cinnamon roll energy with his hot pepper vibes jell way better, and will get way higher appeal”

“No way, you and Red Son are like a bonfire together, you two are bright and blazing no matter where you go, everyone will pay attention to the two of you.” MK replied back.

“Come on MK, you would keep Red from going overboard, that’s perfect first mate material,” Mei declared to her friend.

“Yeah, but you would be jumping overboard with Red, that’s way better first mate material,” MK argued.

"ENOUGH!" Red Son shouted, the prince feeling as if his whole body may combust if they passively praised him anymore. "If I were to take a Mate, I would have you both become my Mates at the same time, so you both are First Mates!" The Prince declared leaving no room for argument.

"Hmm I guess that works" Mei nodded.

"Red Son would be the Captain so it is his choice who’s the first mate," MK concluded.

The Prince blinked several times "Captain?"

"Yeah, of course, you'll be our Pirate Captain," Mei said happily.

Something in Red Son's mind suddenly shattered "you two were talking about crew mates..." The demon groaned face-palming himself, feeling like such a fool to assume these two would ever so casually desire him as their mate.

"What did you think we were talking about?" MK innocently asked.

"NOTHING!" The Prince snapped, wishing to end this conversation.

"What other kinds of mates are... There..." Realization hit The Dragon Girl first as she gasped and her face lit up. The Demon Bull Prince quickly whipped around so his back was facing the two of them and was once again looking at the map.

"STOP DISTRACTING ME, IF YOU TRULY DESIRE THE PERFECT CANDY COLLECTING ROUTE" Red Son shouted at the two of them, hair still a flickering fire, as a mix of anger and shame towards himself burned inside of the prince.

MK looked over at his demon friend with a worried frown. Mei leaning towards her best friend, whispering something into his ear that had the Monkey King's successor's face morph from confusion, into surprise, then a bubbly kind of joy.

The two best friend's shared a silent conversation that consisted of hand gestures and mouthing words before the two of them looked over at the unassuming Prince with a new kind of determination in their gazes.

The two heroes stroll up to either side of Red Son, each hooking one of their arms with the Prince's, leaving no room for escape.

"So you would take both of us as your mates at the same time?" Mei clarified, pulling herself closer to the bull prince as she held his arm a little tighter.

"How would you plan that out?" MK asked, his tone not sounding as innocent as it had a few moments ago.

Red Son's hair became a bright flame once more as he looked back and forth between the Dragon Girl and the Monkie Boy. Both shared similar devilish shine in their eyes, and devious smirks as they looked up at him. Their gaze on him ignited a different kind of fire inside of the Prince.

[absurdly-overpowered-astronaut]

Ooh, the Connor T1 stuff sounds interesting!

I’m like 90% sure I’m going to re-write this but probably the part I like the most so TvT

“The stars are pretty.”

“Yeah.” I reply dumbly. My breath froze in the cold night air. I felt like I can vaguely remember being enraptured by it as a kid. Thinking I was like a fire breathing dragon but it no longer excites me.

I dig into the depths of my mind for something to talk about. “Canis Major.” I said after riffing around in my brain for any sort of star related knowledge I had stored up in there.

“Where?” The other boy asked. I watched his eyes twitch back and forth scanning the cold night sky for the cluster of stars.

I formed my fingers into a point and gestered towards where I’d spotted it. It took a minute but soon he meet eyes with it.

“Oh I see now!”

“Doesn’t much look like a dog does it?” I laugh dryly

“I think I can see its um- leg if I tilt my head and swint-.”

There is a sickening silence again. A dip in conversation I can’t stand. Whenever it's quiet I feel like I’d done something wrong or that I could be doing something better.

“Incredible isn’t it?” He says suddenly

“You think so?” I ask

“Yeah that people all cross history and all across the world have looked up at the sky and saw all these different things. Objects , animals , mythological figures and such.”

“I don’t think I see it that way. If anything I think it's a testament to how boring we all are as a species.”

“Come again?”

“Well we looked up at the endless; the incomprehensible and when we couldn’t understand we decided we wouldn’t see it as it is but as something familiar, as something that made sense to us.” I explained “We looked up at light from distances beyond our wildest speculation and thought “looks a bit like a dog, don’t it?”

I paused before continuing “it baffles me”

“Ha- when you put it that way it is a bit ridiculous isn't it” he swiped a lock of hair behind his ear and out of the way of his eyes. “and also a bit sad. The idea that you’ll be seen by millions of eyes but only as something within the limits of their experience.”

“That's how everyone sees everyone isn’t it?” I asked. Humans will just see what they want to see in each other.

“I’d like to believe there are people out there who will take the time to listen to you and see you for well you.”

“It's a nice thought.” I say but I don’t agree. Who’s to say a self let alone a true one even exists? “But in objective reality-”

“You're always going on about that.”

“About what?”

“About objective reality. What even is that?”

“Well see this coin.”

I held out a small 50c coin

“Yeah.”

Then I let it fall to the ground below.

“Now it has fallen from my hands and hit the ground.”

I explained the concept. It couldn’t be any more simple. The coin had fallen and there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

“But it's not so.”

I’m caught off guard by the reply. How could that be? “Eh- what do you mean by that?”

“Who’s to say it hit the ground?”

“You saw it didn’t you? So you must know that the coin falling to the ground is the one object truth”

“Yes but isn’t it just as true to say that the coin sailed gently to the Ground?”

I didn’t follow his line of reasoning

“Or” He got up and hung upside down from the bench.

“Now from my perspective the coin has risen from your hand to the ‘sky’.”

“Or even to call what you were holding a coin isn’t objective. Other places call it other things or a small child with no concept of money might call it a circle or a plaything.”

“That's semantics.” I rebuke simply

“How about this then. Take these two statements “the boy died” and “the boy was killed” both meet your definition of objective reality. Though both are things that happen they are filtered through our subjective perspectives so as soon as a human knows of a reality it is no longer objective.”

“To say anything is objective you would need to find something that everyone agrees on and that's a sisyphean task if I’ve ever heard one.” He said “We can’t even all agree on whether to live or that we should be kind to each other.”

I turn his words over in my mind and it still doesn’t sit quite right with me.“But even your example acknowledges that the boy must have objectively died”

“I concede on that front”

[daytura]

out of curiosity, what is telegraphy of communication?

Telegraphic thinking condenses amodal, propositional information; it is complex semantic clustering. This makes it ideal for rapidly wielding (findings from) sizeable topics while remaining durable enough for reuse amongst other telegraphic statements. Long-term telegraphy would also stimulate some idiolect, either repurposing existing phrases with new definitions or using haptic phrasing to "pull" semantic value closer to the "surface" of the text. But does telegraphy actually provide mass communicative value? Thought and communication may fuse and feedback into each other at the level of language, but they cannot be wholly interchanged nor should they be. Academics do not make their work as short as possible; they make it as organized as possible. Telegraphy is most effective as a transient functional response.

---

Telegraphy of information is basically being as direct and terse with your wording as possible while keeping max information. It's a bit more rich than summarization — all the chatbots can summarize, ad nauseum. This is closer to Ernest Hemingway, thesis sentences, specific distributivity, etc. You condense your thinking, and triage what you actually care about for your intended recipient (e.g. another person, a piece of writing, your future self). I don't have it down perfectly, but I'm trying. The former shouldn't be a mandate for telegraphic writing; we all speak and write differently, so it holds that every person has a slightly different telegraphic style. I prefer to compound adjectives. Maybe someone else likes sticking individual nouns together; or they simply away with propositions, conjunctions, and other function words.

From Cevolini and Schmidt 2016, "Forgetting Machines: Knowledge Management Evolution in Early Modern Europe":

Whereas the early notes [in Niklas Luhmann's entire oeuvre of notes, from his time as a senior civil servant all the way to an academic and professor of sociology] from the 1950s and 1960s frequently tended to be more of the running-text kind and more closely reflected the original readings, they increasingly became more compact and thesis-like in the 1970s. Particularly, these later notes were not simply excerpts [...] for instance, the [bibliographic] notes from reading an entire book frequently fit onto one of these cards [A-6 European format].

And from one of his cards in the ongoing digitization project, translated:

536/2c18a Important consequences for the process of institutionalization: There is a lack of time to explicitly protest against everything implied. As a result, one becomes entangled in shared assumptions.

I think my last sentence sums up my stance on telegraphic writing well: it's not always sustainable or appropriate, and that's fine. If you wrote and spoke like that all the time, it'll impede your communication. Luhmann's publications were and still are notoriously difficult to translate into English, because he couldn't quite get out of this slipbox/condensing mentality. (Apparently his transcribed lectures are easier to follow.) You compare him to someone like Bob Doto who has been a writer long before he picked up the zettelkasten system: his book, "A System for Writing" is written as if he organized and drafted it like it were a regular book (because it is). Telegraphic phrasing serves an internal function to propagate and stimulate further thinking, but it doesn't (necessarily) constitute the blogpost you'll be posting to Tumblr or Substack.

[dreams-and-honor]

Fucking LEAPS out of bed because I'm like 80% sure an actual old god just visited me in my dreams to try to romance me because I have NEVER felt that kind of love for someone in a dream EVER.

under cut for length

Like, in the dream, I was moving somewhere far away, to a different country, even, I think? And I went through the whole process of saying goodbye to my family, and then it cut to me looking around the, admittedly kind of spooky, new apartment complex I was living in. And I found a courtyard that was a liiitle bit neglected, but, like, in a maybe a couple months at the most kind of neglected.

There was this little vent-looking thing under the curb, and when I sat down on one of the benches for a while this black smoke started pouring out of it and a HORRIFIC fucking huge creature started pulling itself out, which looked very frantic because he was a BIG LONG MOTHERFUCKER.

He had like, a canine-ADJACENT (bc idk how to fuck to describe what kind of creature that skull looked like it was from) face, and then a fluffy mane with a couple eyes clustered around where the floof overtook the bone. And he was REALLY long. Like, not serpent-long but waaay longer than anything with that particular body shape should be. It was like a dragon body but with black fur of varying lengths. Also, he had a tail that was like, very out of focus in a really reality-warping sort of way, and eye-like shapes would flicker in and out.

And it was, by all means, the most terrifying sight I had ever seen in my goddamn life but there was no way I was gonna run past him so I just kind of sat there horrified and then like

He stopped thrashing about and started more DEXTROUSLY pulling himself out of the vent and telling me to not be scared, I was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen and there was no way he couldn't at least TRY to talk to me, seriously, I'm a god, don't you want to talk to a god?

But not at all in like a duplicitous or fae-trickery or anything way, it was legit like he was trying to rizz me up lmfao. And I was fucking STUNNED into being like "Are you serious?" "Absolutely, yes. Please, just sit with me for a little bit, I know I'm not easy on the eyes but you are SO beautiful."

And we talked and I was like "Oh my god he is actually really super hot, we are entering the monster fucker zone." and he was CUTE too. Definitely just some dude trying to slide into a pretty boy's dms. And then he went on about how he was just trying to see what sad motherfucker was making the vibes for his burial ground all mopey and then was like "WAHEY" and started trying to come onto me without even thinking about the semantics.

"Ohhh, I see how it is. You DEFINITELY already have a crush on me."

And I was embarrassed and hiding my face and blushing and saying that he was cute and I couldn't help it and he was very much pleased with this, saying "Good luck getting rid of me now, I'll romance you if it's the last thing I do." and then left

And there were several montages of us just being together and getting to know each other.

In one of them, I got confused and tried to open the wrong apartment door, and some drunk lady in her mid-20s came out and started yelling at me, and then tried HITTING on me. But then I felt this arm around my shoulder and look up to see this OBSCENELY tall super handsome goth dude smirk and be like "He's taken, thanks," and spin me around and escort me back to my apartment.

And in time it took me to put my stuff away and be like "Are you serious? Thanks, though," he was lounging on the couch in this very monstrous, like, half-human-half-god-form appearance, and I was blushing SO hard over it.

"Of course, I wasn't gonna let that slide."

And then we started CUDDLING on the couch, and I was extremely flustered but SO happy, and that was the part where I had never felt so in love with someone in my dreams before, and I was talking to him like "I want to take a few more steps," and he looked at me and was like "You don't have enough life in you right now for that, you're gonna have to wait a little more." "Are you really pay walling me right now?" "Just think of it as one of those pay-to-read so much per day romance webtoons."

And then after I expressed my disappointment, I woke up.

I don't remember him ever SAYING his name, but I know for a fact that it was Akingraeux

Idk man, I'm STILL flustered over it. You ever meet an elder god so thirsty for you that you can't NOT fall in love with him?

anyway

so

maybe

i'll do something with this

👉👈

[oo111111]

In 2021 wrote about the shift and nuances going on in political and public speech at that time and reflected on the fact that some words were being used in such a way that they seemed to acquire multiple contradictory meanings, something like a "semantic plurality". The way some terms were used discursively made them virtually interchangeable and ultimately amounted to a problem of "epistemic indetermination".

Butler recently spoke about this same aspect, stating specifically when talking about gender or gender ideology, different "meanings get clustered around" specific terms, reason why it is important to "parse what is being meant" in these contradictory views. This does feel important, and it is a problem and chasm that keeps expanding. It's not just about words it's about a complete disconnect and misunderstanding of meaning.