#structured concurrency

[ladyargento]

Virtual Threads and Structured Concurrency in Java

So I was curious about virtual threads and the structured concurrency API that is being introduced to Java so I did some research and wrote some things about it on my Dev.to blog. Check it out!

[javadevtech]

Structured Concurrency API - Java 25 OpenJdk Proposal

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes ​Structured concurrency in Java, introduced as a preview feature in Java 21 as part of Project Loom, an ongoing OpenJDK project comprising Virtual Threads, aims to simplify multithreaded programming by treating groups of related tasks as single units of work. This approach enhances code readability, reliability, and maintainability by ensuring that concurrent…

[aliusfrater]

the spnisms of walker r literally everywhere in that damn show. jensen (barely) had the winchesters and jared created a whole different show and used the same core themes

[bismuthburnsblue]

hrmmm. to fell the shift seams i have left before changing my machine over (its in the right colour now) or to just go right into sewing my boning channels?

[stillfruit]

what am i supposed to do when peer reviewing obvious ai generated reflection papers in university. neither of us clearly wants to be here

[t00thpasteface]

trying to get irl friends into watching mash is insane, i'll be like "have you heard about this critically-acclaimed, emmy-award-winning, 11-seasons-long sitcom-turned-dramedy that established the A-plot-B-plot structure of modern tv writing and to this day holds the all-time record for the most concurrent viewers on a single episode of any tv show ever?" and they'll be like "no i haven't!"

[ceausescue]

been consumed with the idea for the worst programming language in the world. a lisp 2 with clojure syntax, bytecode interpreted. with goroutines. like janet written by a moron, like common lisp written by someone who hates themselves. hand rolled garbage collector that has to deal with all the intermediate objects from immutable types. im tagging like 11 bits out of every pointer, 3 on the small end and 8 suspended in the middle of the top 16, which is a violation of the geneva convention. none of those bits encode the type and im still boxing floats. pretty sure i worked out how to support special environments that compile to totally untypechecked machine code for fast math. came up with an inline assembly thing for it i might just expose to the user. i don't expect ill ever bother with networking

[serpentface]

Ancient funerary cairn mounds in Wardi territories: a post:

The internal structure consists of an above-ground tomb made with bricks or large stone slabs, upon which rocks are piled. Most mounds found in the lowlands also have multiple layers of dirt piled atop, resulting in the mounds becoming covered in grass and appearing as a small unnatural hill. The entrances to the tombs are always sealed with slabs or stacked stone, though the east-facing 'windows' are left open. Pillar shaped cairns were often built on their peaks, though few of these remain standing. If one looked inside, they would find a human body laid on its back with its feet towards the door, and usually at least one khait (tacked with reins and a saddle blanket) buried in there with them. The person would be fully clothed and surrounded by grave goods, sometimes carrying weapons and almost always carrying a torch.

A how a well-preserved mound looks in the present day, with its 'window' still exposed and pillar cairn intact. The stones piled around it is the work of contemporary people, intended (more as a psychological/magical barrier than a physical one) to keep livestock out and ghosts inside.

Burial mounds are associated with one the major prehistoric material cultures found across and beyond the region. Societies that formed cairn-building material culture were probably ancestral to all proto-Wardi peoples, but the practice split and existed concurrently to others as a matter of cultural shifts (most significantly the adoption of khait for highly mobile nomadic pastoralism, with other populations retaining on-foot travel or adopting settled/semi-settled subsistence methods). Khait-nomadic populations retained this cairn grave practice, while others shifted to smaller above-ground tombs located near settlements (and eventually shifted entirely to cremation). As such, cairn mounds can be found everywhere but occur most densely in open grasslands of the interior.

The cairn-building practice gradually diminished and eventually was restricted to a few major groups, some of whom abandoned khait-nomadism while retaining the practice and some of whom even traveled short distances overseas. The last two populations who built cairn graves were clustered in the Highlands and the Elumuqi island chain to the south. The latter went culturally extinct in conflict with early proto-Jazaiti migrants by 2500 years BP, while the former went extinct in the Yellowtail River Valley and northwestern ranges of the Highlands by about ~1700 years BP. Neither was a wholesale extinction of the population itself (members likely abandoned settlements and dispersed elsewheren in small groups, resulting in the final cultural extinction), but both entailed rapid depopulation, and the Highlands remained unusually sparsely inhabited compared to surrounding lowlands when proto-Finnic migrants started arriving a couple centuries later.

The most specific (though heavily mythologized) descriptions of these people in the oral record occur in Jazait and Atig Wermani cultures. In the former, the story of their settlement describes encounters with the fierce people who inhabited the islands and built the cairns. They looked like humans, but were feathered like birds and could transform into albatross to hunt for fish. They would kidnap newborn Jazait children in the night, exsanguinate them atop the cairns to feed their dead in the underworld, and would perform horrible shrieks and screams throughout the process. The early Jazait went to war with the cairn-builders and killed their clanmother, and the rest fled as birds. This story may contain traces of the real people, as the wearing of gull and albatross feathers is likely, and the shrieking Might refer to funerary wailing practices (which are ubiquitous enough among minimally connected peoples west of the Blackmane mountains to be likely Very ancient).

The ancestors of the Atig Wermani story would have encountered their neighboring cairn-builders much more recently (relatively speaking) and their accounts are a little more grounded as a result. It describes them as a people who lived in the Yellowtail River Valley, herding horses, hunting deer, and interring their dead within the cairns. The entire people was cursed by the Yellowtail river itself after their king drowned his own brother within it. The valley was flooded and most of the people drowned. Those who fled up into the hills survived, but were transformed into feydhi khait. The Highland cairn-builders are Exceptionally unlikely to have had any form of monarchy, but the other descriptions of their subsistence may be accurate, and it is almost certain that the feydhi khait landrace largely descends from this people's herds (and were found feral and re-tamed by later proto-Finnic settlers).

---

The consensus on these mounds tends to be that they are Extremely haunted. It's well-known that they're graves, and that they contain bodies that have been left to rot (and thus are assumed to contain trapped earthbound spirits, especially dangerous given their great age). Some taboos regulating behavior around the mounds are near-ubiquitous, such as belief that one should never tread over a mound, point at a mound, or look directly at its window on a moonless night (when earthbound ghosts are considered most active). It's usually difficult to prevent free-ranging livestock from walking on them to graze, and unexplained disappearances from herds are sometimes attributed to the mounds. Other taboos tend to be localized in nature, as a matter of small communities near mounds figuring out how to coexist with the dangerous ghosts.

These tombs are generally left untouched and don't frequently suffer robbery, but are sometimes broken into to exhume and cremate the body and their associated grave goods when the spirit is blamed for grave local misfortune. This is generally considered a desperate measure and very risky maneuver, as chances are very low that earthbound spirits that old can be sent onwards by even by the best of funerals.

[gamblersdoll]

brolys concept of love is .. skewed.

he only knows his father, cheelai, and leemo. but he does think he loved his father before he perished at the hands of frieza, but he does still love him.

even if he finally comes to terms that paragus didnt properly raise him as a son, he loved him. thats all he had when he was banished to vampa.

but with you? its… frustrating, it feels foreign.

he knows he likes giving you things that look pretty, or just cute. hes given you rocks, because he thinks that they have their own beauty within them. how did he come up with this? well, he inspected it at first, it was just some brown rock that was rough and dry on the outside. but, he breaks it, seeing the new shiny and crystalized structure inside.

and he gives that to you.

he also doesnt like vegeta or beerus around you. it makes his chest tight, like a sense of protection should be around you. but, you always assure him that youre okay, like he wants you to be.

and dont get me started on the fact he wanders when he looks for you. yall ever seen a corso or doggo argentino just wander? and its a whiny thing? thats him. he checks each room and when he doesnt find you, he gets nervous.

because what if you had left? where did you go? it takes a toll on him, because you were really all he trusted. cheelai and leemo were there, sure. but you were just… different from them. he panics, almost losing himself and having to have goku or vegeta calm him and guide him to you is a concurrent thing.

he also needs your comfort at night.

the first nightmare of you was you leaving, never leaving a trace.. or your death. it freaks him out, because he remembers paragus’ death, and he blamed himself when he was told. it took months for you to finally tell him that it wasnt his fault, it couldnt have been.

and hes up like a light, doing the deep breathing exercises that you taught him and clutching ba’s ear.

his feet pad against the floor, eyes filled with grogginess and find your sleeping frame in your own bed. he lightly taps you, you moaning and turning to him. “hello.”

“what is it, baby?” you say, a smaller voice yet stronger southern accent comforting him. “had a nightmare?”

he nods, a pout in his face and he’s trying his best to not tear up.

“c’mere..” you say, scooting to the side of your bed and watching him crawl into it. it was slightly amusing, a big saiyan crawling into a small bed. “you wanna talk about it?”

“no, i dont.” he says, facing you and watching your frame. “am i allowed to.. touch you?” he asks cautiously, big hand on your shoulder.

you looked beautiful, even in the darkness of the day.

you nod, getting closer to him and radiating your heat to him. and he feels safer, like he knows youre not going anywhere and that he wont have to grieve you, either.

he knew that he was in love with you when you watched him finally go super saiyan, and you cheered in joy. he feels himself get giddy, his chest tighter, and he wants to cry from feeling joy.

he just couldnt tell you yet.

[javadevtech]

Structured Concurrency API - Java 25 OpenJdk Proposal

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes ​Structured concurrency in Java, introduced as a preview feature in Java 21 as part of Project Loom, an ongoing OpenJDK project comprising Virtual Threads, aims to simplify multithreaded programming by treating groups of related tasks as single units of work. This approach enhances code readability, reliability, and maintainability by ensuring that concurrent…

[not-existent]

The Academy Maniacs

Artyom Alexandrovich Anoufriev 一 RUSSIAN: Артём Александрович Ануфриев

Born: October 4, 1992, in Irkutsk, Russia Mother: Nina Ivanovna Anoufrieva

Artyom’s early life was characterized by a series of challenges that shaped his personality and future actions. Raised by his mother, Nina, who reportedly struggled with her own issues, Artyom often found himself in a tumultuous home environment. Despite being perceived as an outcast among his peers, he was described positively by some who knew him. A family friend noted, “Artyom is a good-natured boy, polite; I’ve never heard a bad word from him.”

However, his mother’s influence was complex. His headmaster reported that she instilled a sense of animosity in Artyom, particularly towards authority figures, and sought to manipulate his academic results. This pressure did not deter Artyom; he maintained good grades, especially in English and literature, subjects that resonated with him. He also developed a passion for music, taking lessons in guitar and double bass. During his youth, he participated in a local music group, where he thrived creatively until the group disbanded.

As he transitioned into adolescence, Artyom experienced significant changes. He began to mature and became more outgoing, yet this newfound confidence came at a cost; his academic performance began to decline. He graduated high school with sufficient marks, but his senior year was marked by introspection. In a farewell video made by his classmates, Artyom shared his thoughts on happiness, stating, “To be honest, I do not know what happiness is. But I would really like to quickly find out what it is.” This reflection hinted at the internal struggles he faced.

After high school, Artyom enrolled at Irkutsk State Medical University while concurrently working at an art museum. This period was pivotal for him, as he sought to carve out a future despite the shadows of his past. Unfortunately, reports emerged three months before his arrest indicating troubling behavior. Neighbors reported hearing shouting and loud banging from his apartment, suggesting escalating emotional turmoil. During the investigation, Artyom admitted to a strained relationship with his mother, expressing fears that he might harm her. His lawyer noted that he often spoke negatively about her, labeling her as “defective” and displaying a generally negative attitude towards women.

Nikita Vakhtangovich Lytkin 一 RUSSIAN: Артём Александрович Ануфриев

Born: March 24, 1993, in Irkutsk, Russia Mother: Marina (worked at a shoe store) Father: Absent early in life, with a troubled family history

Nikita’s childhood was equally tumultuous. His father left shortly after his birth and later remarried; however, this new family structure was also fraught with tragedy, as his stepmother died shortly after childbirth, leaving a profound impact on Nikita. His father’s sporadic presence contributed to a sense of instability, and Nikita often found himself facing bullying at school. Rather than confronting his bullies, he would respond with a resigned “die,” a reflection of his internal struggles and feelings of helplessness. This led to him being nicknamed “Jimbo,” a reference to a character from The Simpsons known for being a bully.

Despite these challenges, Nikita excelled academically, especially in junior high, but struggled socially. He was assigned to a special math class due to poor performance in that subject, further isolating him from his peers. A family friend suggested that Nikita's unsociability stemmed from envy towards classmates from wealthier families, further eroding his social connections. As his social skills diminished, he began losing touch with friends, deepening his sense of loneliness.

The paths of Artyom and Nikita converged at a mutual friend's birthday party, where they quickly formed a close bond. Although they attended the same school, Artyom was a grade ahead. Their friendship became a sanctuary for both; Nikita fell into a deep depression and found solace in Artyom's companionship. However, Artyom's mother disapproved of their friendship, fearing that Nikita would negatively influence her son.

After graduating, Artyom continued his education, enrolling in medical school, while Nikita's academic journey took a different turn; he reportedly dropped out or was expelled due to insufficient grades. During their friendship, they formed a punk-rock band named “Злые гномы” (Evil Gnomes). Though the band was short-lived, they managed to release an album titled “Чёрные полосы крови” (Black Streaks of Blood) in 2008. Following this, they created a noise band called “Расчленённая ПугачОва” (Dissected PugachOva), showcasing their musical collaboration.

Shared Interests and Dark Fascinations

Together, Artyom and Nikita developed a shared fascination with violence and criminality. They were particularly drawn to stories of notorious criminals, including the infamous “Blood Money Gang” from Irkutsk, led by Konstantin Shumkov. The gang, comprised of teenagers from dysfunctional families, was responsible for a series of brutal attacks on homeless individuals. Artyom and Nikita followed their exploits closely, even dedicating an album to the gang, with songs featuring disturbing titles such as “Killing is Cool!” and “Massacre at a Maternity Hospital.”

Nikita reportedly created a social media group expressing admiration for Shumkov, declaring their intent to continue his legacy. They espoused a chilling ideology, stating, “There is no place for posers in our group. Only those who decide the fate of cattle or are only going to start serious actions are allowed.” Their delusions of grandeur led them to believe they could emulate the violence they admired.

Possible Motives and Ideological Influences

The motivations behind Artyom and Nikita’s violent tendencies remain complex. One theory suggests that they were influenced by nationalist propaganda. At one point, Artyom was affiliated with a white power skinhead group, earning the nickname “Fashik-Natsik.” His influence led Nikita to engage with extremist groups online, although he was ultimately rejected due to his Ossetian heritage. Investigators noted that both boys exhibited a profound hatred for humanity, devoid of specific targets or ideologies.

Their desire to imitate infamous serial killers played a significant role in their actions. Artyom claimed that the idea of murder originated with Nikita, who instigated the violence. However, he expressed that the act of killing did not provide the satisfaction he hoped for. Despite this, he planned to continue his criminal activities had he not been apprehended.

Timeline of Crimes

November 14, 2010 - Anoufriev and Lytkin attacked 18-year-old Anastasia Markovskaya while she was walking home from the 19th school bus stop in Novo-Irkutsky Village. Reports vary regarding the incident; some indicate that the attackers were frightened off, while others suggest that Markovskaya pretended to be unconscious. Following the attack, Markovskaya posted about her experience on the Akademgorodok online forum, where Anoufriev and Lytkin responded by questioning her feelings about being assaulted.

November 24, 2010 - The duo targeted a 46-year-old woman, whose identity remains confidential, stealing her bag.

December 1, 2010 - Anoufriev and Lytkin attacked another woman, stealing 500 rubles, which they later used to purchase mallets. Later that day, they encountered 12-year-old Danil Semyonov while he was sledding. Nikita proposed killing Semyonov, perceiving him as a weak and defenseless target. After subduing him, they inflicted fatal injuries: Nikita struck him in the back of the head, followed by Artyom hitting him with a baseball bat, and Nikita ultimately stabbed him with a penknife. Despite attempts to summon help, Semyonov succumbed to his injuries before paramedics could arrive. A hematoma on his arm indicated that he may have struggled against his attackers. Initially, both his parents and the police dismissed the incident as an accident, theorizing that he crashed into a birch tree. However, Anoufriev and Lytkin later stated that Semyonov was merely "training" for them, marking him as their first homicide victim.

December 16, 2010 - Approximately 20 meters from Semyonov's location, 69-year-old Olga Mikhailovna was found murdered. A researcher at the Research Institute for Solar and Terrestrial Physics, she was killed swiftly, suffering 30 knife wounds. The attackers recorded audio of their plan to murder her and subsequently filmed the act.

December 29, 2010 - The pair first attacked 29-year-old Valentinovna Svetlova at 6 AM, who managed to escape. They took her purse but discarded it afterward. An hour later, they attacked 22-year-old coach Yekaterina Karpova, who was pregnant at the time, while she was walking with her 6-year-old niece, Olga Averina. Although Karpova noticed the attackers, she did not engage with them. As they crossed a railroad, Karpova and Averina were assaulted. Averina narrowly escaped but sustained injuries, while Karpova suffered severe trauma, including a crushed skull, despite her attempts to alert the attackers that she was pregnant. A passing car ultimately scared the assailants away, allowing Karpova and her unborn child to survive.

January 1, 2011 - At approximately 5 AM, Anoufriev and Lytkin attacked a homeless man near some garbage cans, inflicting 40 blows and ultimately killing him. He has since been identified as "Corpse No. 20" due to the authorities' inability to determine his identity.

January 15, 2011 - A 19-year-old homeless man, Vladimir Bazilevsky, was wrongfully detained on suspicion of the murder. During interrogation, he was coerced into confessing to a crime he did not commit. After further investigation, it was revealed that DNA evidence did not match any of the victims. After serving more than a year in prison, all charges against him were dropped in May 2012.

January 30, 2011 - The attackers targeted a student named Oleg Semyonov, who was returning home from a nightclub. He survived, but sustained head wounds, a concussion, and a traumatic brain injury.

February 3, 2011 - An elderly woman was attacked but survived with a head injury.

February 8-9, 2011 - The pair assaulted another woman at night, but she survived due to a passing vehicle.

February 21, 2011 - Alexander Petrovich Maximov was attacked while walking home after visiting his sister. He suffered severe injuries, including a broken jaw and decapitation. Lytkin shot him in the head with a Baikal air pistol while Anoufriev attempted to remove his eyes, ultimately failing.

February 27, 2011 - Lytkin attacked Nina Kuzmina while she was sitting on a bench on Lermontov Street. He struck her twice in the head, but she survived after a nearby resident intervened.

March 11, 2011 - Near the State University bus stop, Anoufriev and Lytkin killed a homeless man named Roman Faizullin. Anoufriev shot him in the face, and they subsequently stabbed him multiple times. Anoufriev later photographed the body from his apartment.

Unknown Dates in 2011 - The pair attacked a homeless woman who survived due to an off-duty police officer intervening. On another occasion, they used a screwdriver in an assault but fled due to the crowded location, allowing the victim to survive.

April 3, 2011 - The duo committed their final crime, killing 63-year-old homeless woman Alevtina Kuydina near a research institute. They filmed the attack, during which Lytkin cut off her earlobe and attempted to inflict further injuries. The video was later shared with an online associate, who distributed it despite its graphic content.

Investigation and Arrests

The investigation into the series of assaults took several months, as law enforcement struggled to connect the dots between seemingly unrelated victims. However, as the attacks continued, investigators began to identify patterns. The police sketches of the suspects circulated widely, eventually reaching the family of Nikita Lytkin, who recognized the resemblance. His uncle discovered incriminating videos on a camera belonging to Nikita, leading to their arrests.

Trial and Sentencing

The trials began in early 2013, revealing the extent of their violent actions and the psychological factors at play. Artyom was sentenced to life imprisonment, while Nikita received a 24-year sentence, later reduced to 20 years due to his age at the time of the crimes. Throughout the trial, both defendants presented contrasting narratives, with Nikita attempting to downplay his involvement.

Current Status

Artyom: After his sentencing, he was transferred to various correctional facilities, where he expressed intentions to appeal and pursue education. Reports indicated that he began studying law while in prison.

Nikita: His journey through the correctional system was marked by transfers and mental health evaluations. Tragically, on the morning of November 28th, 2021, Lytkin was found in his cell with severe self inflicted wounds on his arms. Paramedics rushed him to Angarsk City Hospital, where on November 30th he was pronounced dead. Lytkins inmates stated that he had been subjected to bullying and others state he had threatened to do it when his sentence wasn’t reduced furthermore and when he wasn’t transferred to the same facility as Anoufriev.

[hananoami]

Pulse Hunter / Sky's Embrace Guide

to make the most out of this limited-wish banner here's a quick review of what to expect from pulse hunter/sky's embrace with some suggestions at the end. regardless if you're a new player pulling for the first time or a veteran player who has already experienced it during 2.0's launch i hope this helps prepares you. good luck with your pulls! may you get the memories you want 🫶

🍎 What is Pulse Hunter / Sky's Embrace / Xspace Echo?

Pulse Hunter is a limited-wish banner that was first introduced during Sylus's debut in Love and Deepspace version 2.0 - Opposing Visions (07/14/2024). This was the first time they introduced a 5-star selector banner like this, which is why you'll often see older players refer to this banner type as Pulse Hunter. It ran concurrently with Sylus's limited-time banner [No Defense Zone]. This special banner essentially guarantees that you will only pull one of the five selected memories within 70 pulls or less, depending on your luck. To differentiate between banner versions, they simply renamed this limited-wish banner as Sky's Embrace for or Caleb's debut in Love and Deepspace 3.0 - Cosmic Encounter (01/22/2025). Aside from the name change the structure of the banner is exactly the same as Pulse Hunter. This banner will also run concurrently with Caleb's limited-time banner []. Xspace Echo is the standard banner that's available permanently. It is NOT to be confused with the above limited-wish banners. ‼️ When pulling make sure you're on the correct banner ‼️ I cannot stress this enough. Do not mistakenly use your tickets on the wrong one.

🍎 What memories are available? How many can I choose?

In this special banner players are allowed to select up to five 5-Star Memories (5) of their choosing from the Xspace Echo wish pool - no more, no less. All of the newly added Caleb's 5-star memories (2 solars, 3 lunar) will also become available. Companions you can obtain are the following: ⭐ Xavier's Lightseeker (LS) ❄️ Zayne's Foreseer (FS) 🐟 Rafayel's Abysswalker (AB) 🐦‍⬛ Sylus's Relentless Conquerer (RC) 🍎 Caleb's Farspace Colonel (FC) Take note limited-time 5-star memories are excluded from the selector, as they do not get included into the wish pool after their respective banner ends.

🍎 Can you change your selected memories?

Once you confirm your selected 5 memories you CANNOT change them later on. It is important that you choose wisely.

🍎 What currency does it use?

There are two ways to pull on this banner-- Empyrean Wishes, obtainable through item shop / wish shop / chocolate shop / heartsand shop / completing agenda: weekly tasks. Diamonds.

🍎 How many times can we pull on this banner?

The cap for this banner is 350 pulls. After that you won't be able to pull anymore. With a maximum of 350 pulls you can obtain a minimum of five 5-star memories, potentially more if you're lucky to hit early or pull multiple 5-stars in one 10x.

🍎 What are the probability rates?

There are no rate ups for this limited-wish banner. The rates are the same, as seen in the image above from the standard banner, Xspace Echo. As mentioned earlier this special banner guarantees that you will only pull one of the five selected memories of your choosing within 70 pulls or less.

🍎 Does pity carry over?

Pulse Hunter/Sky's Embrace has a separate pity system. For veteran players, if you've pulled previously during Version 2.0 then your pity from [Pulse Hunter] will carry over into [Sky's Embrace]. You should be able to view your pull history once the banner is live. Your pity from the limited-time wish banner and Xspace Echo are different banners, therefore will not carry over into Pulse Hunter/Sky's Embrace.

🍎Banner pull rewards?

Incentive rewards for pulling on [Sky's Embrace] are as follows: 25 - Wish Crate: SR x1 75 - Wish Crate: SR x1 100 - Sun Crate: Random x1 (from your selected 5) 200 - Sunlight Crate x1 (can choose from your selected 5) You can select the memories from the SR crates, however, those crates only contain 4-star solar memories obtainable through Xspace Echo. All of the selectable crates can only be claimed ONCE so make sure you pick the correct memory of your choosing when opening them.

If you've made it this far thank you for taking the time to read all of this! As a veteran player who has pulled before here are my advice and tips!

This is the BEST way to get any of standard banner Companions that you haven't unlocked yet! I highly recommend selecting solar memories over lunars, as they are harder to come by when pulling. Lunar memories will eventually be available on a rotation via the Wishing Well exchange shop for 180 stardust (blue crystals).

You can exchange resources in game to obtain Empyrean Wishes to help save your diamonds for the limited-time wish banner instead. If you have to spend diamonds for pulls, the exchange rate is 150 Diamonds = 1 Empyrean Wish. HEARTSAND SHOP (weekly) * 5 Empyrean Wishes = 150 Memory Heartsand: SR (purple sands) * 10 Empyrean Wishes = 60 Memory Heartsand: SR (yellow sands) CHOCOLATE SHOP (weekly) * 1 Empyrean Wish = 600 Chocolates WISHING WELL* 10 Empyrean Wishes = 90 Stardust (blue crystals) [monthly discounted at 9/per] * 1 Empyrean Wish = 12 Stardust (blue crystal) [unlimited]

MAKE SURE YOU'RE PULLING ON THE RIGHT BANNER! I said this before, but make sure you're on [Sky's Embrace] and not Xspace Echo. It didn't happen to me, however, I have seen horror stories of players accidentally wasting their Empyrean Wishes/Diamonds on the wrong banner.

I know we're all excited to pull for Caleb, but I would highly recommend unlocking Caleb's companion / [With Him] via Main Story before pulling. That way you can start earning affinity points when doing your pulls for his memories. If you are also going to be pull for his limited-time banner, I would suggest pulling on that banner first before making your selection in Sky's Embrace. On the off chance you get that missing solar pair you can save that slot for another memory. Also note that we are going to get one of his lunar 5-star memories for FREE via event. So make sure you choose wisely when making your selection.

What to spend your selectable 5-star memory crates on? If you haven't unlocked a companion yet I would suggest doing that over a memory duo rank up, just because it will help you in the long run should you need it to clear a trial or stage. But don't let me tell you what to do. If you want that duo rank 2 for the alternate outfit color or R3 sole for getting a complete duo rank 3 pair then go for it~

...more will be added if I can thing of anything else. signal boosting: @hunters-association

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Three Act Structure

Three act structure - divides a story into three distinct sections, each anchored around one or more plot points that drive the overall action.

Over the course of the three acts, a complete story structure unfolds.

The main character passes through the stations of a character arc, the main plot builds toward the realization of the protagonist’s goal, and by the end, the action is resolved and key loose ends are tied up.

History

Novelists, playwrights, and screenwriters have many options for organizing the structure of their novels, plays, movies, and television episodes.

Traditionally, these narratives are broken into acts, which are subdivisions of the overall story.

Some stories are told in a single act, like short stories and one-act plays.

Sometimes a storyline demands many acts. Example:

Willam Shakespeare was loyal to the five-act structure when writing his plays.

Yet of all the ways to subdivide a story, writers have shown great loyalty to the three act structure, which is typical of most forms of modern storytelling.

The notion of three-act storytelling traces back to Aristotle, who theorized on story beats in Poetics.

He argued that stories are a chain of cause-and-effect actions, with each action inspiring subsequent actions until a story reaches its end.

Elements of the Three Act Structure

At their most basic, the 3 acts of a book or script represent a beginning, a middle, and an end.

In most three-act stories, about 50 percent of the actual storytelling occurs in the second act, with 25 percent of the story falling in the first act and 25 percent falling in the final act.

ACT ONE

The first act typically starts with exposition—one or more scenes that establish the world of the story.

If the story contains supernatural elements, the rules of the supernatural world would be established here.

This act should also establish the ordinary world of the story’s main character.

Before the act is over, however, an inciting incident should occur—one that pulls the protagonist out of their normal world and into the main action of the story.

Concludes with some sort of turning point that launches the action into act two.

ACT TWO

A story’s middle act consists of a rising action that leads to a midpoint, then devolves into a crisis. Example:

A story is about a detective who is tracking the killer of her murdered partner.

The Act One inciting incident would be her partner’s murder, and the turning point would be her decision to track the killer.

Thus the rising action of Act Two would involve the sleuthing she must do to track down the murderer.

Act two will raise the stakes of the protagonist’s journey, perhaps revealing the danger to which she’s exposing herself. By the story’s midpoint, the detective would be fully immersed in her journey.

Typically ends with another turning point that makes it seem as if the protagonist will fail. This is sometimes called the “dark night of the soul.”

Perhaps our detective has gotten too close to the killer and has been wounded by one of his henchmen, allowing him to escape.

ACT THREE

The third act begins with what’s known as a pre-climax.

This consists of events leading up to a climactic confrontation in which the hero faces a point of no return: they must either prevail or perish.

In our detective story, perhaps our hero has regained the trail of the killer and has traced him to a safehouse.

This launches us into the actual climax, where the detective apprehends her partner’s killer—either taking him into custody or killing him.

Finally the story de-escalates in a denouement, where the events of the climax wind back down into normal life.

Of course the hero detective’s life will never be the same again.

Note that almost all novels, movies, and TV episodes have subplots (also known as B-stories) that occur concurrently with the main plot. These subplots, often crucial to character development, may also follow a standard three act structure, but the way they play out varies greatly from story to story.

How to Use the Three Act Structure

The best way to incorporate three act structure into your own writing is to map out the key plot elements that should populate each act.

Act one: exposition, inciting action, turning point into act two

Act two: rising action, midpoint, turning point into act three

Act three: pre-climax, climax, denouement

Some novelists and screenwriters consider these story points when they brainstorm; others brainstorm in a far more open-ended way and only later do they consider specific plot points.

If you’re the type of writer who prefers open-ended brainstorming, perhaps via the snowflake method, don’t disrupt your process by thinking about act breaks and a specific plot structure.

If you prefer to be hyper-organized in your writing process, it may make sense to keep the three act story structure in mind from the very beginning.

It can be a useful planning tool to think of the story in terms of exposition, inciting action, rising action, and beyond.

Just remember when you are writing a novel or a screenplay that good stories don’t start with templates for act breaks; they start with memorable characters, vivid worldbuilding, and a protagonist whose journey is worth following.

Once you have those in place, a three act structure will likely naturally reveal itself.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

[sam-keeper]

Hey Look At This Comic: Crossed Wires

hey look at this sequence from my friend @irisjaycomics's cyberpunk webcomic Crossed Wires. I just caught up on this comic and this sequence, the second page in particular, jumped out at me. there's a lot to like here structurally, lots of regular rhythmic panel use, this great buildup in the penultimate page with that set of eight regular panels, jumping between the stopwatch and the company clock app as the clock ticks down, to the break of that pattern with the dramatic reveal on the last page: the company is stealing time, fractions of a second at a time.

but it's that interesting little box that starts page 2 I want to talk about. look at that little diorama, in nice orthographic perspective. for ages I've loved the technique of using a panel with that kind of angled bottom to suggest a top down dimensional view. I first encountered it in venerable A Lesson Is Learned (But The Damage Is Irreversible), but I think I've seen it used as early as Lily Renee's golden age horror comics (hard to verify--I thought a collection of her work got released concurrent with Trina Robbins's comic biography but apparently not, and it seems like some of the blogs hosting pages of her work have fallen offline). it creates such a sense of space, of entering into a whole environment. in that ALIL page above it serves to emphasize the imposing scale of the breakdancing giant as the protagonists enter the forbidden garden. here, though, it really does feel like a diorama to me. the ersatz amazon employee Elaine is a bug in a terrarium, dominated by the space and by the technology she serves. but the text describes it as a space where "her life belongs to herself alone". the sense of space created by the unique panel arrangement, bolstered by a series of other shots that also emphasize the dimensions of this small closet sized space where the company can't put cameras, thus takes on multiple strong, competing meanings, for character and reader. I think that's the sort of thing how-to book writers might peg as confused, or at least a confused analysis, but it feels pretty true to life to me. a cage keeps you in but it also keeps the world out, after all. I've lived some geometries like that in my life.

it's cool how the visuals of comics can make a space feel at once imposingly large and suffocatingly small, constraining and comforting. and it's partly down to the unique breakdown of the comics page, where unlike in something like film can impose the irregular geometry of this orthographic view on the rest of the regular, rectangular page and panels! at a recent talk Iris noted that space in comics represents time traditionally, but space in comics can also represent space, and this sequence is a great example of the medium's strange bi-dimensionality.

damn. comics sure are neat, huh.

This review originally ran on Cohost March 15, 2024.

[mariacallous]

Today—250 years since the Continental Army officially formed to fight for the independence of the American colonies against the British monarchy—marks a milestone in President Donald Trump’s effort to politicize the U.S. military. Though they are rare, military parades have happened before in Washington, D.C. For the most part, these have been celebrations of military achievements, such as the end of a war. But today is also Trump’s birthday, and what he and his supporters have planned is a celebration of Trump himself.

A mark of a free society is that its public institutions, especially its military, represent the body politic and the freedom-enabling equal rights that structure civic life. If service members and the public begin to believe that the military is not neutral but is in fact the servant of MAGA, this will threaten the military’s legitimacy and increase the likelihood of violent conflict between the military and the public. Today’s events bring us one step closer to this disaster.

I have seen the politicization of the military firsthand. Last month, I resigned my tenured position as a philosophy professor at West Point in protest of the dramatic changes the Trump administration is making to academic programs at military-service academies. Following an executive order from January, the Department of Defense banned most discussions of race and gender in the classroom. West Point applied this standard to faculty scholarship as well. As a result, my research agenda—I study the relationship between masculinity and war, among other things—was effectively off limits. I consider what the Trump administration is doing to the military-service academies as a profound violation of the military’s political neutrality. That destructive ethos is the same one apparent in the parade scheduled for today.

Before Trump was reelected, the Army had planned significant celebrations across the country to mark this day, including the release of a commemorative postage stamp and a visit to the International Space Station by an Army astronaut. But according to The New York Times, arrangements for today’s D.C. event, unlike the other plans, began only this year.

The day is scheduled to begin with a variety of family-friendly concerts, a meet and greet with NFL players, and military-fitness competitions, all on the National Mall. If all goes to plan, the celebrations will culminate with what organizers are calling a “grand military parade” that starts near the Pentagon, crosses the Potomac River, and ends near the White House. The parade is anticipated to involve 6,700 active-duty soldiers and a massive display of Army equipment: dozens of M1A1 Abrams tanks and Stryker armored personnel carriers, along with more than 100 other land vehicles, 50 helicopters, and a B-25 bomber. Trump is scheduled to give remarks after the parade and receive a flag delivered from the air by the U.S. Army Parachute Team known as the Golden Knights. A fireworks show is set to follow later tonight.

The organizers have made it abundantly clear that today’s purpose is to directly laud Trump and his politics. In promotional materials, they tell us, “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Army has been restored to strength and readiness.” They credit his “America First agenda” for military pay increases, enlarged weapons stockpiles, new technologies, and improvements in recruitment, declaring that he has “ensured our soldiers have the tools and support they need to win on any battlefield.”

Monica Crowley, the State Department’s chief of protocol and a former Fox News host, went on Steve Bannon’s podcast WarRoom to say that the concurrence of the U.S. Army’s anniversary and Trump’s birthday is “providential.” She called it “meant to be. Hand of God, for sure.” She added, “It is really a gift, and we want to be sure that we celebrate in a manner that is fitting, not just of this extraordinary president but of our extraordinary country.” She also expressed hope that the crowd would serenade the president with “Happy Birthday.” Clearly, Trump isn’t merely the guest of honor; he is the reason for the party.

During his first administration, members of Trump’s own Cabinet often thwarted his efforts to corrupt the Pentagon. This time, Trump has appointed a secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, who is willing to tear down the boundaries separating politics and the management of national defense. Trump and Hegseth claim to be purging the military of politicization instilled by previous administrations and resetting the DOD around the nonpartisan matter of readiness for war. But in reality, they have used this rationale as a cover to insert an unprecedented level of political partisanship into the military.

Other events in recent months have pointed in this same direction. For instance, in February, the administration fired the top lawyers for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The only meaningful justification given for the move was Hegseth’s claim that the fired lawyers might be roadblocks to the president’s agenda—a frightening admission.

In January, the administration banned transgender people from serving in the military, not because they allegedly pose a threat to unit cohesion or because their medical treatment is unusually expensive, but because they are supposedly bad people (“not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member”). At present, transgender soldiers who have met all performance standards are being discharged simply because of the administration’s bigotry against them.

The administration has also inserted its politics into all the military-service academies—the reason I left West Point last month. Trump and Hegseth have denied the validity of ideas that are taken seriously in a variety of disciplines and banned them from the classroom, including, as I noted above, matters pertaining to race and gender. Books and other works, most of which are by women and people of color, have been removed from the curriculum. The academic programs of the service academies are now structured around the Trump administration’s ideological worldview. Faculty and cadets wonder if they are allowed to entertain perspectives inconsistent with the administration’s politics.

In May, Hegseth led an evangelical prayer service in the Pentagon’s auditorium. Standing at a lectern with the Department of Defense seal, Hegseth led the audience in prayer to “our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.” The main speaker at this service was Hegseth’s pastor, Brooks Potteiger, of the Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. This church restricts all leadership positions to men, declares homosexuality immoral, and asserts that women should not serve in combat. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a secretary of defense acknowledging his religious faith. What’s objectionable is the use of his authority to push his personal religious views on subordinates, especially as the director of a major institution of the secular state.

The president now routinely speaks to uniformed service members in his red MAGA hat, using his trademark rhetoric centering himself and belittling, even demonizing, his critics. He openly suggests a special alliance between him and the military. At Fort Bragg on Tuesday, for instance, Trump encouraged uniformed soldiers to cheer his political agenda and boo his enemies.

This is all extremely dangerous. Keeping the military a politically neutral servant of the constitutional order, not of the president or his political ideology, is vital to ensuring the security of civil society.

Up until a week ago, the blurring of the boundaries between the administration’s ideology and the military had not yet manifested as an attempt to employ the military directly on Trump’s—or the Republican Party’s—behalf. The steps taken until that point had been mostly symbolic. (The one possible exception was the deployment of the military at the southern border in what is essentially a law-enforcement matter.)

But these symbolic expressions of military politicization have paved the way for that endgame—presidential orders that deploy the military for directly partisan ends. In just the past week, the Trump administration responded to protests against the enforcement of his immigration policies with military deployments. The likelihood that the administration will try to use the military against its political opponents is now very high. If that comes to pass, we will then learn just how successful Trump’s efforts to politicize the military have been.

[traincat]

Reading North's FF as my first proper comic run, and I'm enjoying it a lot! Only about halfway in so far. After this, u think I should jump to Hickman or Fraction? I've heard good stuff from the FF fans on twitter from both kinda, and I don't really care too much about reading in order? Secondly, I have absolutely no idea where to start with spiderman comics, but I really would like to get into some. I feel like I need a good beginner-ish run that's not heavy on past lore... Bonus points if it's got good art, I really enjoy that. Any recommendations?

I'm glad you're enjoying North's run! I think, between the two of them, Fraction's will be more similar to North's in tone. Hickman's is very good, but it's extremely -- when I think of Hickman comics in my mind, I think of a "Hickman Plot" and a Hickman Plot is that Hickman is going to blow everything up. He's really good at it, but I think it's pretty different from either North's or Fraction's. It's also more difficult to follow Hickman than Fraction, because of the way his run is structured. Both Hickman and Fraction's runs have two books -- Fantastic Four (the main title) and a side series called FF. Hickman's Fantastic Four becomes FF for a while before they separate into two books, whereas Fraction's books are two concurrent series you read together. So it's kind of just a little easier if you're not used to The Renumbering yet. I also don't care about reading in order, though, so I think you could go with either. I generally recommend Waid's run for newer Fantastic Four readers as a starting point. It's cute, fun, generally has good characterization, emotional, and it's an easy entry point.

Basically:

You want family road trips? Fraction.

You want a lot of plot? Hickman.

You want something I think is pretty in tune with North's run? Waid.

Spider-Man is a whole other kettle of fish. For backstory here, I pretty much just jumped into Spider-Man wherever, read until I got confused or bored, picked another point, and rinsed and repeated.

I generally think Amazing Spider-Man volume 2 (1999) #30 is a good starting point for Spider-Man. It starts off with Peter at a particularly low point in his life -- his wife is in LA and they're not speaking, he needs a new job -- so you're not going to be thrown into the whole cast of the Bugle or all of his friends immediately. The run tends to focus very singularly on Peter, MJ, and Aunt May. (The first five-ish issues of it are also Spider-Man's take on Dracula and it's fun.) In general, I think its writer, J Michael Straczynski, has the strongest modern voice for Peter Parker, so the characterization is really good. Your mileage may vary on the art. I really like John Romita Jr's art, but he has a definitely style and you may or may not click with it.

(ASM v2 #31) Just as a warning, the second issue in this run does deal with a school shooting, if that's something you might to avoid. I think you could theoretically skip over it and be fine with the rest of the run.

Alternatively, you could start with a fairly standalone story like Kraven's Last Hunt, which is widely considered one of the best Spider-Man stories ever written. It's very good, but it's heavy -- for this one I have to warn for depictions of suicide, drug use, uh the cannibal rat man in the sewers (it's not his fault) -- you know, all that stuff. It's composed of alternating issues of n Web of Spider-Man #31–32, The Amazing Spider-Man #293–294, and Spectacular Spider-Man #131–132, so it might be easier to read in trade paperback form.

(Web of Spider-Man #32)

I'll be totally honest: with Spider-Man, it might be easier for me to recommend comics if you can give me an example of the kind of art you like, what Spider-Man characters you feel drawn to, or anything you want to avoid. (This could be specific topics or time periods -- I know a lot of people don't click with '60s and '70s comics, for example.)