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usergif · 6 months

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HOW TO: Cross-Fade Multiple Gifs

Hi! In this tutorial, I'm going to go over how I typically do a fade transition that works with Video Timeline. Disclaimer: This tutorial assumes you have a basic understanding of gif-making in Photoshop and requires the use of keyframes.

Before I start, if you're wondering "why don't you just use the cross fade tool on the Timeline?" — this thing:

It doesn't work for me 🤷🏻‍♀️ Something happens when converting from Video Timeline back to Frame Animation (the converting everything into a smart object step) that completely negates the cross fade whenever I use it. I'm not sure why, but this is why I do fade transitions the way I'm about to explain.

PHASE 1: THE GIFS

1.1 – Determine how many frames you need. There are 3 things to remember here: 1) Ideally, each gif section should have the same amount of frames, so the transitions feel evenly spaced. 2) The gif's dimensions and total number of frames affect file size. Your final exported gif needs to be under 10MB (Tumblr's limit), so you should consider the total number of frames in relation to the size of your gif. My example gif is 540x540px and 60 frames total; final file size = 7.8MB. 3) Add 4 extra frames to each section to account for the cross-faded portion. (The reason I chose 4 specifically is because Video Timeline works in 0.03-second intervals. The typical duration of my fade transitions is 0.06 seconds — which, when converted back to frames, is 4 frames.) I knew 60 total frames would be a safe bet for a gif this size. Since I had 3 gif sections, each would be 20 frames. I added 4 additional frames, making each one 24 frames (before removing duplicates in the exporting process, which will be explained in Phase 3). You can make your transitions longer than 0.06, but I recommend keeping it to intervals of 0.03 due to the way Timeline works. Every 0.03 seconds = 2 frames, so use this when deciding how many extra frames you'll need.

1.2 – Import frames, crop, and resize. Do this as you normally would! If you need a tutorial for the basics, here's my tutorial. :)

1.3 – Move all gifs onto one document/canvas. Right-click the gif layer and select "Duplicate Layer:"

Then choose the appropriate document from the dropdown list:

Do this for each gif section so you can work on one document for the rest of the process.

1.4 – Put each gif into its own group. Select each layer and use the shortcut Command+G or right-click and select "Group from Layers." In Phase 2, we'll be putting the opacity keyframes on the groups instead of the individual layers.

1.5 – Arrange each gif's group on the Timeline. At the end of Gif 1, move backwards 6 times. Move the starting point of Gif 2 to this spot. At the end of Gif 2, move back 6 times and make this Gif 3's starting point. Here's how my gifs look arranged on the Timeline, animated so you can see the 6-space distance:

We'll be adding keyframes to these overlapping sections in Phase 2.

1.6 – Set up the last transition. At the very beginning of the Timeline, hit the forward button 6 times and click the scissors to divide the clip. Move the starting point of your gif to the newly trimmed beginning as shown below:

Then, move the original beginning chunk of Gif 1 — that tiny 0.06-second clip — to the end of the timeline above the rest of your layers, aligning its end with the end of Gif 3. Put it in a group like you did in Step 1.4:

Note: This screenshot shows my final workspace with the coloring layers in groups and the keyframes already placed.

1.7 – Color your gifs. Do this however you want, just keep all your adjustment layers and any other effects within their respective groups:

Duplicate the adjustment layers from Gif 1 and move them into the folder Gif 1 - Beginning (where your tiny 0.06-second clip is). Be sure the adjustment layers line up with the rest of the group so those adjustments don't affect your other gifs! You may want to trim the adjustment layers to match the duration of the clip or just move them so they start at the same spot as that clip.

PHASE 2: THE KEYFRAMES

2.1 – Place a 100% and 0% keyframe at the beginning of each gif's group. Drag the playhead (red vertical line) to the end of Gif 1. Expand the Gif 2 group to reveal the opacity keyframes on the left side of the Timeline panel, then place a keyframe by clicking the icon that looks like a stopwatch. This opacity keyframe is at 100% by default; leave it like that. Drag the playhead to the beginning of Gif 2 and drop another keyframe. While that new keyframe is highlighted yellow, go to the layers panel, make sure Gif 2's group is selected, and reduce the opacity to 0%.

Repeat these steps for each gif's beginning, including the tiny chunk we moved to the end! Here's a gif to show the process:

(Btw, if you click this gif, it should expand to full size so you can get a better look! I made it 1080px.)

PHASE 3: THE DUPLICATES

3.1 – Convert back to Frame Animation. If you're not sure how to do this, I've written out the steps here. But I recommend using an action in your general gif-making process to make this step a lot faster. The one I use is linked in my tutorial which I linked earlier!

3.2 – Delete duplicate frames. Remember, at the beginning I set out to make my final gif 60 frames total. With the keyframe animations, I now have 66 frames:

Palpatine's number 👎 Anyway, that means I have 6 duplicate frames. This is what the gif looks like without removing these duplicates:

Watch closely during the transitions; there's a tiny lag. It doesn't look smooth to me. It's the clones!! Here's why we have these duplicates:

For every 0.03-second long keyframe animation, you'll get 1 duplicate frame. Unfortunately, that's just how Video Timeline works with any kind of animated keyframe. Since our fade transition is 0.06 seconds, we have to get rid of 2 duplicate frames per transition section (2 x 3 transitions sections = 6 total duplicates. Ew, math!).

There's not really a way to avoid this step that I know of, but it's not a big deal in the long run. You just have to look at each transition section, eyeball the duplicate frames yourself, and delete them. It's usually the first frame where the fade starts and then two frames after that. I already deleted the duplicates from the first two transition sections, so here's how it's done for the last transition:

Side note: I set up keyboard shortcuts so I can quickly move forward and backward by one frame and delete frames. You can do this by going to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts and editing these:

And now I have 60 frames like I originally said I would!

If you want the transition sections to be quicker, you can even decrease the frame delay for the 3 transition frames only — 0.03 or 0.04 might be up to your speed 🥁 but I don't usually do this since I'm fine with the way it looks already.

3.3 – Export. That's it!

I hope this tutorial is helpful. As always, if you have a specific question about this tutorial, feel free to send us an ask!

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avvail-whumps · 2 months

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Royal Bought: Complete Masterlist

General/brief content and warnings:

🏹 Luke’s Arc: vampire whump, non-human whumper, defiant whumpee, human auctions/trafficking, pet whump, hypnosis.

🍂 Ten’s Arc: none, apart from (temporary) character death, hypnosis and vampiric turning at the beginning.

💌 Ileana’s Girls: vampire whump, lady whumper, non-human whumper, multiple lady whumpees, hypnosis, conditioning, polygamy.

Information: the numbers beside each chapter indicate the writing order they’re written in. All stories are listed in chronological order. Although the stories can overlap and some are repeated, the emoji’s indicate who the chapters belong to mainly. For example, 🏹’s appear within Ten’s first few chapters of his arc because he makes an appearance, and it’s beneficial in understanding the origins of his story. However, they are mainly Luke’s chapters and are from his point of view.

🏹 Luke’s Arc

Growing up in a distant camp away from vampire civilisation, Luke has lived a life of constant fear and the unknown. When a vampire is thrown into his path under alarming circumstances after threatening somebody he cares deeply about, Luke is carted away to the kingdom and prepared to be bought and sold at one of their famous auctions; by none other than a Royal.

Note: Don’t like lady whump? Chapters 6-11 contain a (temporary) lady whumper. If you’d like to skip them, here’s a masterpost briefly summarising these chapters.

Hunting Deer (#1)

Upon Gates (#2)

Child’s Play (#3)

Underground Cattle (#4)

Sampling (#5)

Pretty Girls (#6)

Thorns and Roses (#7)

🍂 Ten’s Arc

When the vampire Justinian finds him in the Collared Forest, Ten was oblivious to the fate that would be in store for him. When he’s tricked into drinking vampire blood and subsequently murdered, Ten finds himself waking up as a bloodsucking creature of the night. Alone in an unfamiliar world, Ten adjusts to being an immortal child and the new life ahead of him.

🏹 Hunting Deer (#1)

Enter Justinian (Bonus)

🏹 Upon Gates (#2)

🏹 Child’s Play (#3)

💌 Ileana’s Girls

The story of three strangers, who are forced into unforseen circumstances when they’re abducted and planned to be sold off to any vampire that will pay for them. But their fates become irrevocably intertwined when they catch the eye of Ileana, a beautiful vampire attracted to pretty humans. And pretty things deserve to be spoiled, don’t they?

coming :)

Asks and Answers

Questions:

Ten’s Arc and Minor Whump (Short answer: there is none)

Justinian’s Significance

Plush Bunny

Everything Tag List: @whumpatize-me-captain @whump-me-all-night-long @softvampirewhump @d-cs @suspicious-whumping-egg @sapphirechao @sparrowsage @excessive-vampires @thecyrulik

Ten’s Arc Tag list: @obsessednerd505

Note: if you ask to be added to the tag list, I will automatically add you to the ‘Everything Tag List’. If you want to opt out of certain stories, e.g you don’t enjoy lady whump and don’t want to be tagged in Ileana’s Girls, then please let me know so I can tag you accordingly.

#royal bought #masterlist #whump writing #vampire whump

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linghxr · 2 years

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Chinese Surname Ranking Analysis

According to this list, these are the top 10 surnames in China as of 2020*:

李 Lǐ

王 Wáng

张 Zhāng

刘 Liú

陈 Chén

杨 Yáng

赵 Zhào

黄 Huáng

周 Zhōu

吴 Wú

I’ve seen articles like this one discussing the regional distribution of surnames. I wanted to take a look myself and compare the top surnames in different provinces/municipalities. For instance, do any locations have a top 10 list that is the same as the overall country top 10? Which surname is ranked #1 in the most locations? Let’s explore and have some fun along the way.

*The top surnames for 西藏 Tibet are not included. I believe this is because the population is vast majority Tibetan.

1) Find how many surnames in a location’s top 10 are also in the national top 10.

Most in common

Arrows: grey = same as national rank, green = higher than national rank, red = lower than national rank Circles: orange = in national top 10 but missing from top 10 of individual location, blue = outside national top 10

四川 Sichuan - 9/10 surnames Missing: 赵 Zhào Added: 罗 Luó

贵州 Guizhou - 9/10 surnames Missing: 赵 Zhào Added: 罗 Luó

Fewest in common

浙江 Zhejiang - 6/10 surnames Missing: 杨 Yáng, 赵 Zhào, 黄 Huáng & 周 Zhōu Added: 林 Lín, 叶 Yè, 郑 Zhèng & 徐 Xú

广西 Guangxi - 6/10 surnames Missing list: 赵 Zhào, 黄 Huáng, 周 Zhōu & 吴 Wú Added: 梁 Liáng, 韦 Wéi, 陆 Lù & 卢 Lú

上海 Shanghai - 6/10 surnames Missing: 刘 Liú, 杨 Yáng, 赵 Zhào & 黄 Huáng Added: 朱 Zhū, 徐 Xú, 沈 Shěn & 陆 Lù

2) Find the average national rank for each location’s top 10 list.

OK, this section is a little confusing. Basically, I was thinking that just counting overlapping surnames this isn’t necessarily the best metric. When it comes to surnames outside the national top 10, just counting like I did above can’t distinguish a rank of 100 from a rank of 11! So I decided to take averages.

For each location, I found the national rank of the its top 10 surnames and averaged them. This should give me an idea of which location’s top 10 surnames collectively rank the highest in the whole country. If you add up 1-10 and divide by 10, you get an average of 5.5, so that would be the minimum possible average.

Lowest average

Highlighting: red = lower than national rank, green = higher than national rank, no highlighting = same as national rank Blue circling = outside of national top 10 Annotated numbers = national rank

湖北 Hubei - 6.2 average Outside national top 10: 胡 Hú & 徐 Xú

安徽 Anhui - 6.3 average Outside national top 10: 徐 Xú & 孙 Sūn

江苏 Jiangsu - 6.5 average Outside national top 10: 徐 Xú & 朱 Zhū

Highest average

海南 Hainan - 30.5 average Outside national top 10: 符 Fú, 林 Lín & 郑 Zhèng

广西 Guangxi - 28.2 average Outside national top 10: 梁 Liáng, 韦 Wéi, 陆 Lù & 卢 Lú

上海 Shanghai - 16.2 average Outside national top 10: 朱 Zhū, 徐 Xú, 沈 Shěn & 陆 Lù

3) Add the difference in rank of surnames for each location to create a composite score.

Then I started to think about order within the top 10. After all, a province for which 李 Lǐ ranks #10 should be treated differently from one where 李 Lǐ is #1. So I wanted to capture the difference between a surname’s national rank and its rank for individual locations.

For example, in 广东 Guangdong, 陈 Chén ranks #1, but it’s #5 in the whole country. The difference is 5 - 1 = 4. I did this for the other 9 surnames in 广东 Guangdong’s top 10 as well and added the numbers to get a composite score. Then I repeated this for the other locations.

I used absolute values—otherwise a positive difference and negative difference would offset each other! But I used + and - signs in the images below to show more information. You could also divided by 10 to get the average difference for the top 10 surnames each location.

Lowest score

Highlighting: red = lower than national rank, green = higher than national rank, no highlighting = same as national rank Blue circling = outside of national top 10 Annotated numbers = difference b/t national rank and local rank, with (+) indicating a higher rank locally and (-) indicating a lower rank locally

安徽 Anhui - 14 score

四川 Sichuan - 15 score

宁夏 Ningxia - 20 score

Highest score

海南 Hainan - 264 score

广西 Guangxi - 253 score

山西 Shanxi - 113 score

上海 Shanghai - 113 score

4) For each location, determine how many surnames have no difference in rank.

As an extension of the above, for each location, I counted the number of top 10 surnames that had no difference in rank compared to the national rank. Let’s look closer at locations whose top 10 lists had the fewest changes:

四川 Sichuan - 6 surnames 李 Lǐ, 刘 Liú, 陈 Chén, 杨 Yáng, 黄 Huáng & 吴 Wú

青海 Qinghai - 4 surnames 李 Lǐ, 刘 Liú, 杨 Yáng & 吴 Wú

云南 Yunnan - 4 surnames 李 Lǐ, 陈 Chén, 赵 Zhào & 周 Zhōu

重庆 Chongqing - 4 surnames 李 Lǐ, 刘 Liú, 杨 Yáng & 黄 Huáng

I’ll also list the locations for which no surnames had the same rank as in the top 10:

广东 Guangdong

福建 Fujian

江西 Jiangxi

江苏 Jiangsu

贵州 Guizhou

Summary: Which location’s top 10 is closest to the national top 10?

We just saw several different ways of looking at this. Someone who is better at math than I am would probably devise a way to combine the different metrics into a single score. I’m just going to recap which locations we saw appear the most.

Overall most similar: 四川 Sichuan & 安徽 Anhui

Overall least similar: 广西 Guangxi, 上海 Shanghai & 海南 Hainan

5) Find which surnames appear on the most and least location top 10 lists.

This wasn’t something I was initially curious about, but after my analyses above, I grew curious. I’m just looking at the national top 10 surnames here. There are 30 locations total, so 30 is the highest possible number.

So 李 Lǐ and 张 Zhāng are the only two that appear in the top 10 for all 30 locations!

I also thought it would be interesting to see which locations are missing for the surnames that were close to 30/30:

陈 Chén - 29/30 Missing: 新疆 Xinjiang

王 Wáng - 28/30 Missing: 广东 Guangdong & 广西 Guangxi

刘 Liú - 28/30 Missing: 海南 Hainan & 上海 Shanghai

杨 Yáng - 26/30 Missing: 海南 Hainan, 浙江 Zhejiang, 江西 Jiangxi & 上海 Shanghai

6) Which surname ranks 1st in the most locations?

This questions grew pretty naturally off of the question above. I spent far too long making this map to go along with the numbers!

The winner is...王 Wáng with 15 locations! It’s so interesting to see how 王 Wáng is dominant in the north, 陈 Chén rules the southern coast, etc.

王 Wáng - 1st in 15 locations

李 Lǐ - 1st in 6 locations

陈 Chén - 1st in 4 locations

张 Zhāng - 1st in 3 locations

刘 Liú - 1st in 1 location

黄 Huáng - 1st in 1 location

The winner is...王 Wáng with 15 locations!

7) Mainland China vs. Taiwan vs. Hong Kong

I thought this would be an interesting comparison. I wanted to include Macau as well, but I had difficulty finding a list. Here is the Hong Kong data source.

Arrows: green = higher than Mainland rank, red = lower than Mainland rank Circles: orange = in Mainland top 10 but missing from the HK and/or TW top 10, blue = outside Mainland top 10

I was actually surprised how similar the top 10s are for Taiwan and Hong Kong!

I also wanted to compare Taiwan and Hong Kong to Fujian and Guangdong, respectively. These are the two provinces in Mainland China that they are closest to.

Now, I’m no history expert, but I know that a lot of Taiwanese have roots in Fujian, so it makes a lot of sense that their top 10 lists look so similar. I don’t know much about the history of migration to Hong Kong, but as such a major economic center, I’m guessing people from all over China came to Hong Kong.

Thank you!

If you actually read this whole post, I’m impressed. Thank you!

I initially began working on this post in September 2021. Needless to say, this post ended up being a lot longer and taking up a lot more of my time than I had anticipated. I asked my dad to read over an earlier draft of this post for me, and he literally asked me, “why are you doing this?” I didn’t really have a concrete answer. I just thought it would be interesting to explore surnames a bit. And so here we are :)

Extended list - 大陆25大姓氏

李 Lǐ

王 Wáng

张 Zhāng

刘 Liú

陈 Chén

杨 Yáng

赵 Zhào

黄 Huáng

周 Zhōu

吴 Wú

徐 Xú

孙 Sūn

胡 Hú

朱 Zhū

高 Gāo

林 Lín

何 Hé

郭 Guō

马 Mǎ

罗 Luó

梁 Liáng

宋 Sòng

郑 Zhèng

谢 Xiè

韩 Hán

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ellies-cycling-notes · 8 months

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Day 17: Findley State Park to Van Buren State Park

Distance Covered: 81.27 miles

Total Time (including rests): 7:10 (8:03am-3:13pm)

Time spent riding: 6:22

Average Speed: 12.8 mph

Apples Eaten: 4 (fuji - 7/10, fuji - 6/10, fuji - 7/10, fuji - 5/10)

Today's ride was another boring, yet alright, one. It was basically 80 miles straight West from one State Park to another, only going North or South to switch to less busy roads. The entire ride was on various state roads and side roads, most of which had rather good pavement. I made rather good time for a few reasons. There was the good pavement as mentioned, and then also I had a tailwind for most of the ride, and thirdly, this ride was really flat. I barely had to switch gears at all, and when I did, it was more likely to be because of a sudden change in wind making the ride too hard or too easy, rather than because of going up or down a hill. The weather was also really nice, barely getting above 70 Fahrenheit, and oftentimes cloudy for miles on end.

I stopped twice on the ride, once about half-way through, and once only 10 miles from my campsite. I wanted to not take that second stop at all, but I was getting really hungry and didn't want to hold off on lunch.

Today's ride's main focus was on conserving the battery on my phone. One of my power banks is dead, and I think I might have to use my laptop as a power bank to get my phone fully charged for tomorrow. Because of that, I took various measures on the ride to extend my phone's power. For one, the fewer number of stops meant I spent less time just sitting looking at my phone (of course, that didn't really matter in the end because it meant I arrived at my campsite earlier, and this would have more time reading stuff on my phone). I also kept my phone's brightness as low as I could, and even turned off my maps whenever I was about to be on a straightaway for several miles, only turning it back on again when I believed myself to be close to the next turn.

I saw a few interesting birds on today's ride. In addition to the normal ones, I also saw a peacock on a front porch, a vulture by a field, a bird I think was a hummingbird (it was moving too quickly for me to be sure), and what I think was pheasants in a yard. Apart from those, today's ride didn't really have anything that stood out, which is kinda what I expected, biking across rural Ohio.

Design Notes

Today's notes are probably going to be short (I don't actually know, I have a few key points that I wrote down during the ride, but most of the substance has yet to be written).

I've been thinking about character stats/ability scores. This train of thought comes from 2 places.

1) Yesterday's ruminations on Procedural Generation got me thinking about Characters, Inc. again, in which each character has 6 (maybe 5, I can't remember) stats that affect how well they do in a dungeon. I'll go more into detail later in this section, because I spent a lot of time specifically thinking about Characters, Inc.

2) I've been reading LitRPGs, which are a fantasy sub-genre where the fantasy world has game-like elements, often including ability scores.

Ability Scores

I understand the necessity of ability scores in games in order to simplify complex systems of the world, but there's always something about them that feels awkward. There's always too much overlap between certain abilities, or cases where it doesn't make much sense for you to automatically become better at multiple unrelated things. For example, bench pressing should increase your Strength, but in most games that would also increase your leg power, even though they're different muscles. With that being said, I do enjoy the use of ability scores as measures of characters that aren't directly controlled by players, because then those abilities end up being used in more broad stroke ways, and so it makes more sense. For example, if you have a character with high dexterity, you can't guarantee that they'll succeed at a certain parkour move, but if you give them an entire parkour course, they'll probably complete it more quickly than someone with a lower dexterity score. That brings me to my discussion of Characters, inc.

In Characters Inc, you the player send a party of characters out on a quest, and only receive the results of said quest. As such, this is the perfect place to make use of ability scores, as they can be used to broadly define a character's strengths. Here are the ability scores as I remember them in Characters, Inc. I will describe the ability and what it used to do, if I can remember, as well as what I would have them do if I was to remake the game.

Strength (STR) - Every quest in Characters, Inc has a hidden power level the party has to beat in order to complete the quest. STR contributes directly to meeting that power level. In addition, when distributing damage amongst the party, characters with more STR will have been targeted more by enemies, and so will receive a larger portion of the damage.

Agility (AGI) - I don't remember what this does in the original version of the game. If I was to remake it, it would have 2 main effects: it would influence how long it takes for a party to complete a quest, and it would act as a buffer relative to one's STR such that they are targeted less if they have high AGI.

Endurance (END) - Endurance directly impacts how much health a character has.

Toughness or Defense (TOU) - After getting assigned damage, TOU reduces the amount of damage that a character takes. If I remake the game, it might also increase the amount that the chosen character is targeted, because otherwise a high TOU character is useless without high STR.

Magic (MAG) - Similar to STR, this directly contributes to the power level of the quest. It also increases the chance the character is targeted, but at a much lower rate than STR. Thus, it pairs well with characters that have lower END or TOU.

Luck (LUCK) - Increase the rewards characters receive from the quest. Every quest has guaranteed rewards, but this stat increases the chance for additional gold and/or item rewards. In the original version, each character's luck was used independently to figure out additional gold and items, such that you could get at most +1 item per character. If I was to remake it, I'd probably have it that the character with the highest luck is taken as a base, and each other character's luck is added on to that, but not to the full amount.

That's all. There's no pics today, as the ride was rather bland and boring. Tomorrow I'm headed straight North to Ann Arbor. I hope the wind will've calmed down a bit by then, because I'd rather not ride 80+ miles with a headwind.

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#blogpost

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earaercircular · 8 months

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Europe limits the dominance of six tech giants

Google, Amazon, Meta, Tiktok, Apple and Microsoft: these are the six companies that Europe designates as 'gatekeeper' and that must adhere to new, stricter competition rules.

The European Commission on Wednesday 6-09-2023 designated six companies as 'gatekeepers'[1]. That list contains no surprises: it concerns Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Bytedance (Tiktok), Apple and Microsoft. Those companies have six months, until March 6, 2024, to comply with the rules of the Digital Markets Act, or DMA[2] in short. This means, among other things, that they are no longer allowed to use their dominant position in a certain domain (for example search engines or operating systems) to favour their own products over those of competitors.

This should lead to more competition on the European digital market and, the founders of the DMA hope, to more choice and in some cases lower prices for European consumers. “DMA means more choice for consumers, fewer obstacles for smaller competitors, opening the gates of the internet,” European Commissioner Thierry Breton posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.

DMA and DSA

Between now and early next year, the key provisions of two major pieces of European legislation will come into force, together described as a new 'constitution for the internet'. The Digital Services Act[3] (DSA) is about the security and moderation of social networks and online stores, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is about allowing competition.

In April this year, the European Commission also drew up a list of Very Large Online Platforms or VLOPs[4], the companies to which the strictest provisions of the DSA apply. The lists of the VLOPs (DSA) and the gatekeepers (DMA) overlap. The conditions for being on those lists are also similar: in both cases it concerns services with at least 45 million users in Europe, but the DMA also takes turnover into account.

A number of VLOPs have not been designated as gatekeepers: Twitter, Alibaba, Booking.com, Pinterest, Wikipedia and Zalando.

No Europeans

Also striking: the Korean electronics giant Samsung, previously mentioned as a potential gatekeeper, is ultimately not on the list. This means that it concerns five American companies and one Chinese (Bytedance, the company behind Tiktok, ed.). And, significantly: not a single European company, which exposes Europe to criticism that the DMA has protectionist aims with strict rules that only hinder large foreign players.

There was not much doubt about the names of the six gatekeepers, but it remained to be seen which of their products or services (the so-called core platform services) that designation would apply to. There are a few surprises there.

Alphabet (Google) is considered the gatekeeper for seven different services: Google Search, the Google advertising platform, the Android operating system, YouTube, Google Maps, the Google Play app store and the shopping site Google Shopping. Gmail ultimately did not make that list. Meta is on the list with five services.

Procedures are still ongoing for a number of services to determine whether they will fall under the DMA rules, because the companies are contesting the designation. This includes Microsoft's Bing search engine and Apple's iMessage messaging service.

Messaging

One of the most striking – and most controversial – provisions in the DMA is that providers of messaging apps (Whatsapp and Messenger, because iMessage is not on the list for the time being) must allow interoperability. In concrete terms: if the provider of a messaging app such as Signal or Telegram requests this, Meta will be obliged to allow messages to be sent from Signal or Telegram to users of WhatsApp and Messenger, and vice versa.

Initially, that interoperability will be limited: you will be able to forward text messages to an individual person in another chat app. Video calls and group chats will only follow a few years later. The criticism of this obligation is that it reduces the security of messages: apps such as WhatsApp now encrypt all messages in a secure manner (end to end, in the jargon), which becomes more difficult if other apps can connect.

Another visible change would come for iPhone users: Apple should allow users to replace any of its own apps with competing apps, and they should also be able to get those apps from outside Apple's own App Store. Apple said on Wednesday that the company is "concerned" about how the DMA could threaten the security and privacy of European consumers. Apple says it is committed to mitigating those risks.

Source

Dominique Deckmyn, Europa legt dominantie van zes techreuzen aan banden , in: De Standaard, 6-09-20323; https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20230906_94101351

[1] Some large online platforms act as "gatekeepers" in digital markets. The Digital Markets Act aims to ensure that these platforms behave in a fair way online. Together with the Digital Services Act, the Digital Markets Act is one of the centrepieces of the European digital strategy. https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/digital-markets-act-ensuring-fair-and-open-digital-markets_en

[2] The Digital Markets Act (DMA) establishes a set of clearly defined objective criteria to identify “gatekeepers”. Gatekeepers are large digital platforms providing so called core platform services, such as for example online search engines, app stores, messenger services. Gatekeepers will have to comply with the do’s (i.e. obligations) and don’ts (i.e. prohibitions) listed in the DMA. https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/index_en

[3] The rules specified in the DSA primarily concern online intermediaries and platforms. For example, online marketplaces, social networks, content-sharing platforms, app stores, and online travel and accommodation platforms. The Digital Markets Act includes rules that govern gatekeeper online platforms. Gatekeeper platforms are digital platforms with a systemic role in the internal market that function as bottlenecks between businesses and consumers for important digital services. Some of these services are also covered in the Digital Services Act, but for different reasons and with different types of provisions. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-services-act-package

[4] The strictest rules only apply to the biggest players, the Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs), with more than 45 million users in the EU. There was never any doubt that Google, Meta and Amazon would be among them. Google even appears five times on the list: with Google Maps, Google Play, Google Search, Google Shopping and YouTube. But the Commission also mentioned: Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Microsoft (LinkedIn and Bing), Apple, Amazon, Pinterest, Snap, Tiktok, Twitter, Wikipedia, Zalando, Booking.com and AliExpress. More names will be added in the coming weeks. https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20230425_96504173

#Digital services act #digital markets act

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careeralley · 1 year

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Craft Your Path to Success: 6 Tips for an Effective Resume

When people complain about not having heard back from a hiring manager they sent their resume to, there’s usually one possibility; the hiring manager isn’t interested in hiring them (and may not want to ruin their mood by telling them). Most of the time, hiring managers and talent acquisition heads do not have any interest in hiring a particular candidate for a job because they do not find enough information on the individual’s resume. Here are some tips to consider making your resume effective and landing you before the screening panel of your dream employer. 1. Be Simple and Consistent As much as you can, keep things simple, and don’t overcomplicate things. Your resume should be readable. If you are not in the creative industry, it needs four sections - a summary of your qualifications, education and certifications, work experience, and technical skills and activities. These sections should be neatly organized and should not overlap. The headings of these sections should be in bold and should draw attention (increase the font size to achieve this). Use a grammar checker such as Grammarly to check your resume. The maximum number of pages you need for a resume is two pages. Even a page is not too small. It is a good tactic that helps keep your resume simple and still on point. By keeping it brief, you can highlight only the most important qualifications and achievements. This also shows that you can be concise and effective in your communication. The entire content of your resume should be consistent all through. Do not mix bullet points with numbers or dashes in your resume. When you maintain a steady consistency throughout the entire resume, you are simply informing the employer that you are very attentive to details and will be able to cope with the establishment. A consistent and organized format also makes it easier for the employer to navigate through your resume, increasing the chances of them finding the information they need quickly and efficiently. Killer Resumes $9.99 Stand out from all the rest by crafting letters and resumes that will blow people away. This career reference guide provides a simple, compelling and foolproof way to create both cover letters and resumes that are uniquely powerful and, most importantly, virtually guarantees you the high value job interviews and career you really want. Buy on Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. 12/03/2022 12:36 am GMT 2. Choose Your Terms Wisely The best resumes that easily beat other resumes to the job had an added advantage by making use of certain keywords. When you begin to litter your resume with important keywords like “Team player”, “Hardworking” and “Pays attention to Detail”, you are surely going to hold on to the employers' attention and you would be guaranteed a callback. Our Pick Best Resume Keywords $17.95 $10.00 Here's the first book to identify hundreds of keywords job seekers should incorporate at critical stages in their job search. Buy on Amazon.com We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. 12/04/2022 12:17 am GMT 3. Include Major Achievements Highlighting major achievements on a resume attracts hiring managers. Employers seek focused employees and prioritize examples of overcoming distractions to complete tasks quickly. Ready to craft your path to success? Our 6 tips for an effective resume will help you stand out from the competition. Check it out now! #resume #jobsearch #careeradviceClick To Tweet 4. Avoid Using Resume Templates For most individuals, the process of creating their personal templates seems to be very burdensome and that immediately discourages them from being creative. In such instances, they will choose to simply snag up any template that they find on the internet without realizing that they cannot simply get ahead using such a tactic. CareerAlley Resume Review Partners Improve your chances in job interviews by optimizing your resume. Our partners specialize in resume writing, reviewing, and tailoring to specific job requirements, ensuring job seekers stand out to potential employers. Boost Your interview chances We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. The process of creating your unique resume template is one that you should try and follow with unique patience and dexterity. It is like creating a unique piece of art that is sure to last for a lifetime. Let me quickly tell you a secret: most employers who look through resumes always spot a recycled resume at first glance. Because there is no originality to the template, such employers become discouraged and move on to looking for something original. Even if your friend or family tells you that the template is a sure guarantee, resist the urge and then proceed to craft your own. 5. Mention You’re Most Important Points First One of the common mistakes job seekers make is burying their most impressive accomplishments deep within their resume. However, hiring managers spend only a few seconds scanning each resume. Therefore, placing your most vital achievements in the first few lines is crucial to getting noticed. By placing these achievements at the top of your resume, you increase your chances of grabbing the attention of the employer and keeping it long enough for them to read through your entire resume. So, make sure to highlight your most impressive accomplishments right from the start and increase your chances of landing that dream job. 6. Focus on the Job You Want Specificity is the most important key factor that you should be aiming to achieve when writing your resume. There is absolutely no point in trying to impress your prospective employer with information that does not pertain to the job offer. If the job is for hiking, there is no need to discuss how you won the spelling Bee championship when you were at a smaller age. And if you are applying to become a financial analyst, there is no need to talk about your editorial experience while you were in college. Be specific! These six tips from experts will help you write a professional custom resume that will make the employer invite you for an interview and I’m sure you will agree with me that going for an interview is a step closer to being employed. Interview Coaching At TopInterview, each session is tailored to you and your unique goals. Your choice of comprehensive packages make it easy to get the help you need to nail your interviews. TopInterview offers three plans based on your needs Ace your interview We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Read the full article

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merriammusicinc · 1 year

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Roland FP-30X FAQ | Features, Performance, And Overall Value | Digital Piano FAQ

youtube

The Roland FP-30X is easily one of the single most popular 88-key digital pianos currently on the market, known for its killer combination of key touch, piano sound, features, connectivity, portability and very reasonable price point.

Now, if you’re considering the FP-30X and are in the midst of research, there’s a chance that very specific questions about this piano have come up in your mind, the answers to which aren’t readily apparent in the FP-30X’s marketing literature, specs sheets or various online piano reviews.

Fortunately for you, we’ve scoured the internet and created this Roland FP-30X FAQ - compiling the 12 most commonly asked questions. In today’s article and companion video, we’ll be providing answers to these commonly asked questions to help fill in the missing pieces of your research.

Roland FP-30X FAQ - 12 Most Commonly Asked Questions

FAQ #1: What is the Difference Between the FP-30 and FP-30X?

First of all, we have done a video on this exact question over on our YouTube channel, where we go through every detail point by point. If you want a super in-depth breakdown, we’d recommend checking that video out.

But to quickly summarize, Roland has improved in several areas with the FP-30X that are very meaningful. For one, they’ve upgraded the sound chip architecture to Roland’s new BMC chip which is able to render a far more complex version of the SuperNATURAL piano sound engine - the improved sound quality is easily apparent when playing the FP-30 and the FP-30X side-by-side even though the amplifier power is the same.

Secondly, courtesy of the new BMC chip, the polyphony has been doubled from 128 to 256 notes. Thirdly, they’ve added 1/4” line outputs which is a huge deal as it firmly establishes the FP-30X has a gigging option for professionals and means no more messing with the headphone outputs. Number four, Bluetooth audio has been added to the mix as well.

Finally, the FP-30X also adds a built-in USB audio interface which is going to be a really nice bonus for anyone working with DAW software.

As you can see, to call the FP-30X an improvement over the FP-30 would be a grand understatement.

Roland FP-30X FAQ - Digital Piano Dimensions

FAQ #2: What Does the USB Audio Interface Do?

The built-in USB audio interface allows you to transfer audio information directly from your FP-30X to a DAW without the need for an external audio interface. This cuts down on additional gear and clutter in your workspace.

FAQ #3: Is the Roland FP-30 Digital Piano Discontinued?

Yes, the FP-30 is technically discontinued and the FP-30X is its replacement. Roland does not overlap production when a new model replaces an older model as you see in other industries, such as video game consoles for example.

This means that when you’re doing research, be sure to include the “X” in your searches to ensure you are in fact learning about the FP-30X as opposed to the FP-30.

While Roland is no longer manufacturing or shipping FP-30s, you can most definitely still find them on the second-hand market.

FAQ #4: How much does the FP-30/FP-30X Cost?

How much is the FP-30X versus the FP30? As is typically the case with new models, there has been a price increase with the FP-30X, in this case, by around $100 USD in most markets.

The exact cost will depend on your geographic region, but in general, an increase of $100 USD can be expected.

FAQ #5: Does the Roland FP-30X have MIDI?

The answer here is another “yes”. Virtually, all modern digital pianos work on a MIDI-based framework, meaning that the signals that the keys send to the tone generator are all based on MIDI language.

Most digital pianos and keyboards are built in a way that allows you to externalize MIDI information to both send and receive said information with other devices. The FP-30X has both Bluetooth MIDI and USB Flash Drive MIDI.

FAQ #6: Is the FP-30X Good for Beginners?

The answer to this question is an emphatic "Absolutely." Of course, this needs to be considered within the context of affordability and budget. If you’re comfortable in the price range of the FP-30X, it’s without question a fantastic option for beginners.

If you’re working with a budget in a lower price range, there are still a number of 88-key weighted action digital pianos available that will also be fine for a beginner starting piano lessons.

Why is the FP-30X a fantastic beginner option if the budget allows? Most significantly, because of the presence of Roland’s excellent PHA4 Standard action (also found in the more expensive FP-60X) - the top key action available in the price in our opinion here at Merriam Pianos due to its triple sensor, escapement, adjustable touch sensitivity and ivory feel key tops.

Add in a great piano tone, speaker system, multiple connectors, features like split, twin piano, transpose and metronome, compatibility with education apps, included damper pedal (sustain pedal) and the option to add the KSC-70 keyboard stand and KPD-70 triple pedal unit, all of which adds up to an incredible total package.

FAQ #7: Does the Roland FP-30X have Weighted Keys?

The Roland FP-30X most definitely has weighted keys. If you’re not familiar with the concept of weighted keys, it essentially means that the keys are designed to replicate the weighting of an acoustic piano key in terms of how much force the player has to provide to get the key in motion.

You’ll probably hear piano teachers or people you know with piano experience harping on the fact that the digital piano you choose needs to have weighted keys if you’re serious about learning piano. This is because weighted keys are necessary to learn the nuances and sense of control necessary to play an acoustic piano.

FAQ #8: Does the FP-30X Come with a Music Stand?

The FP-30X (and all FP-X series portable digital pianos) ships with a free plastic music stand (sometimes called music rest) in the box.

It’s lightweight, easily removable, and can definitely accommodate standard sheet music and music books.

FAQ #9: How Do You Connect the Roland FP-30X to a Computer?

There are two ways to connect the FP-30X to a computer. The first way is through a standard USB cable, and this is going to be the most stable method. Simply plug one end of the cable into the USB port on the FP-30X, and the other end into the USB port on your computer, which results in a MIDI connection.

If your computer is Bluetooth enabled, you can also connect wirelessly via the FP-30X’s Bluetooth MIDI function.

FAQ #10: How Do You Record On the FP-30/FP-30X?

The FP-30X has an internal USB audio connection, so you can record audio information (WAV) directly to a DAW by simply connecting via a USB cable. The FP-30 doesn’t have this feature, so to record to a DAW, you’ll have to use the headphone jack to run a splitter that then runs a 1/4” jack into an external USB audio interface.

Secondly, on both pianos, you can record MIDI files wirelessly via various apps available for Android and iOS

Thirdly, both pianos have basic internal recorders that can be activated with the press of a button (further instructions are available in the owner’s manual here.)

FAQ #11: How Do You Connect the Roland FP-30x to Bluetooth?

The first step to connecting your FP-30X to a device via Bluetooth is to ensure that the Bluetooth MIDI connection is actually turned on. To turn the connection on, hold the function button and press the lowest A - this turns the Bluetooth function on.

Next, press and hold the function button until it starts to blink in a blue color. From there. launch the Piano Every Day app on your Smart Device. The app will automatically begin searching for a piano, and shortly after the FP-30X will appear which you can select.

Once connected, you can start using all of the various features of the Roland Piano Every Day and Piano Designer apps. You can also navigate and control the various functions and sounds of the instrument through your Smart Device, easily scrolling through various grand piano, synthesizer and electric piano sounds (the e-piano sounds are especially nice.)

Apps like Apple’s Garageband and others that offer arranger keyboard-like functionality are also accessible.

FAQ #12: Is the FP-30/FP-30x Good or Live Performances?

The FP-30 was certainly capable of being used as a performance instrument, but it wasn’t ideally or particularly suited for this purpose.

The various upgrades to the FP-30X make it a much more capable performance instrument, especially with regards to the upgraded polyphony and of course, the inclusion of discreet 1/4” outputs meaning no messing around with adapters is the biggest reason why the FP-30X is a legit performance instrument.

The build quality and overall durability were already present with the FP-30, but these improved features take it one step further.

Roland FP-30X FAQ - Wrap-Up

We hope this article covering the top 12 Roland FP-30X FAQ has been helpful. Stay tuned for more entries in this series where we’ll cover other Roland instruments such as the Roland FP-90X, as well as instruments from other manufacturers such as the Yamaha P-125, Kawai ES-120 (coming soon), and Casio PX-S1100.

The post Roland FP-30X FAQ | Features, Performance, And Overall Value | Digital Piano FAQ first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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transienturl · 2 years

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I don't want to edit this at all but I tried to write down the basics of wifi bands/channels. I guess to make a comprehensive tutorial you would have to include, like, "how does wifi compare to wired internet really (and what do the numbers on the box mean" and "how do you get to your router's settings page" and etc, but. eh.

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Wireless internet kind of comes in two (actually three) types:

2.4GHz: Older; has much less capacity; has the potential for interference from microwaves and some types of wireless transmitters. Has three channels that don't overlap (1, 6, and 11). Not supported by older or inexpensive devices.

5 GHz: Newer and has more channels; exact number depends on your country and hardware (bands are numbered 36 and above). Much less potential for interference and congestion. Slightly less raw range.

6 GHz: As of my writing this, your devices probably don't support this yet; if they do, I'm jealous. Just like 5 GHz, but additional channels that most people won't be using.

Ideally, you want your wifi network to be on a channel that is not used by any of your neighbors, since networks on the same channel interfere with each other. If you live in a populated area, there are often wireless networks on every single band, often more than one, so this turns into "the channel with as few networks as possible."

In an ideal world, usually, we try to put as many wifi networks and devices on the 5 GHz band as possible, since it has a lot more room. However, some devices (the Wii, I think, is an example) only support 2.4GHz networks. This generally results in most wireless routers actually having 2 sets of antennas inside them, and generating one network on 2.4GHz and one network on 5GHz.

There are two options to configure this:

a) You can name your networks the same thing. This will make them appear on your device (phone, computer, etc) as a single network, and your wireless router and device will do their best to choose the ideal one. Sometimes this works great; other times it doesn't.

b) You can name your networks different things, like "Strawberry 2.4" and "Strawberry 5" or whatever. This means you can control which devices are connected to which band yourself. You can then only connect all of your modern devices to the 5 GHz network, and then connect any device where it doesn't show up to the 2.4GHz network. (This is only a hardware thing; they will still be able to connect to each other.)

Regardless of which one of the above you do, you will want to ensure that your router picks a channel with as few other networks as possible. Usually, there is an automatic mode in the router which will attempt to do this for you, and again, sometimes this works great; other times it doesn't.

I like to manually choose the channels my networks are on. To do this, you'll need an app that shows you every network in your area and which channel it's on. Annoyingly, the only ones I know of are for Android smartphones, as most PCs, Macs, and iOS devices seem to have drivers that don't expose this information...? Anyway, you can borrow someone's Android phone and search for "wifi analyzer" in the store.

For 2.4GHz networks, there are technically 11 bands, but generally you only want to use 1, 6, and 11. As you can see from this graph, each network takes up an "area" of wireless spectrum, and if they touch, things get slower. (You can control how "wide" this "area" is in your router's settings, too; definitely leave it on the minimum, which will be 20 MHz.)

Ideally you want to select a free channel. I'm not posting it for privacy reasons, but the 2.4GHz band at my house is literally unreadable with around 30 networks on it, so obviously at that point it really doesn't matter much.

For 5GHz networks, first check your router's settings to see which bands it supports. Mine supports 36, 40, 44, 48, 149, 153, 157, and 161, for example. Often, you'll be able to find one or more of these that are free or only have a weak signal on them.

For 5GHz networks, you can choose to only take up one of these channels (20MHz), two channels (40MHz), or four channels (80MHz). Increasing this won't help if you have spotty wifi, but for a given amount of at-least-decent signal strength it will give you better peak speeds. If you have e.g. gigabit fiber, your internet speed will be limited by wifi, so this will be nice.

Anyway, walk around your house a bit and see which supported channels stay the emptiest, then put your network on those! You can also test out the low range (36-64) vs the high range (100+) since they have slight differences in wall penetration because of physics, if I recall correctly, but I've never noticed a difference.

(If you're lucky enough to be reading this in an era where devices supporting WiFi 6E are common, then maybe you'll set up a third network, too, for your newest devices. I'm not sure whether 6GHz networks will involve manual channel configuration or not.)

Anyway, yeah, that's it. Random other notes about wifi that aren't related to bands and channels:

Not 100% sure on this, but I think it makes the most sense to put external antennas roughly parallel-ish to one another, as opposed to pointed in completely different directions (they work together). also, they make a plane, which I believe is optimally perpendicular to the longest direction you want your wifi to go

Generally the correct security option at present is WPA2 (WPA2 personal, WPA2-PSK) or WPA3+WPA2/transition mode. Do not select the old "WEP" option (if you have a device old enough that it won't connect without this... that is generally not ideal, also you almost certainly don't).

If you have multiple wireless routers generally you put them on different bands (with the same network name) and rely on your devices to connect to the closest one. If you have a mesh wifi solution, ignore this entire post basically.

I haven't used it, but my understanding is that powerline is a quite good solution for many of the sorts of problems that would be solved by "I sure wish I had an ethernet cable that went from here to there." Look into it! (Unless you are really trying to take advantage of a >150 megabit home internet connection, or something.)

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blueprint-han · 3 years

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[Image ID: A black picture with the title “HOW TO SUPPORT FANFICTION AUTHORS” written in bold caps lock, colored with a winter forest picture. End ID.]

Well, this post has been made countless times, but I’m making one too because I’ve seen a lot of people say they’re new to tumblr and don’t know the whole “reblogging is better than liking” rule and other stuff. So without any further ado, here are ways YOU can support the fanfiction authors. Now keep in mind this applies to almost every author out there, not just the stayblr fandom, so if you’re a silent reader (or even if you aren’t), I advise you go through this post. Warning, this is a fairly long post going into detail, so yeah. I still expect you, the readers to read this, and if you’re a writer, feel free to lmk if i’ve written smth wrong or if you want me to add something! ^^

In this post I’ll go into thorough analysis of the pros and cons of each of the methods listed here and how YOU as a reader can show the authors whose fics you read more love and motivate them to produce content.

WARNING; LONG POST! GOES INTO A DECENT AMOUNT OF DETAIL. NOT EDITED, EXCUSE ANY TYPOS.

#1 : LIKING !

I think this is basic common knowledge, and a lot of people tend to do this. When you like the post, the author sees it, you see it, and if the author has their liked posts accessible (which majority of the time they don’t), and if someone deliberately goes to check it, then they see it. See why so many authors say just liking does nothing? Only liking says “Hey, I’m gonna tell you your story is not that good by simply liking it and not sharing it with other people. :D”

♯ PROS:

You’re telling the author that you've read their fic, and either you’ve enjoyed it to a certain extent, or you’re just saving it to read for later.

Likes are seen by you, the author and anyone who has access to your likes (which, most people don’t).

♯ CONS:

If you ONLY like, you’re not really helping the author’s work reach a wide audience because this site isn’t Instagram. Reblogging is the only way people can SEE our works. I’ll cover more on that in the next section.

In a nutshell, liking is good! But you should most likely use it in a combination with the other stuff I’ve listed below, because just the like itself doesn’t really do much in giving the author any feedback or interaction on their fics.

To clear shit up; I’m not talking about those people who don’t read the story or appreciate it in the first place. I’m talking about those who appreciate the fic, like it, but don’t leave any sort of feedback to show that.

#2 : REBLOGGING !

This is SO, SO important. I cannot stress on this enough. Let me explain WHY so many writers stress on reblogging content:

Tumblr’s tag system is inherently fucked up, and has grown more so over the year. I’m not kidding, at first, the fic either used to show up in the tags or it didn’t, but now, sometimes your fic can be REMOVED from the tags because of,,, idk tumblr tag shit. Anyways, as you can see, it’s very demotivating for authors at that point, because the major way for people to find their content and expand their blogs has been blocked.

Due to this reason, tumblr authors need to RELY on you, their followers to help spread their works to a wider audience. Now again, before you get me wrong, I’m not saying you ae forced to rb our works regardless of whether you like them or not. BUT, that being said, if you DO infact like the story, there’s no harm in reblogging, right? By doing this you’re indirectly telling the author — “hey! :D I liked your fic! Which is why I am gonna share it to my followers so they can read it too :D” Trust me, you’re doing nothing but helping the people who produce content for you to read. Seems like a worthy cause to hit the reblog button, right? It’s only a one, or maximum two step procedure.

Leave tags in your reblogs! Trust me, as an author myself and as much as I know from all my author friends, we oft check the tags of your reblogs to see if you found any part amazing or even if you have anything to say about the writing we put so much hard work into. Even a key smash or a “This was so [insert adjective] 🥺” is enough to leave a smile on your authors face.

♯ PROS :

You’re !! Sharing !! Your authors !! Works !! This leads to them getting more recognition, so for the content they’re so graciously providing for free, you’re promoting their blog and helping them expand it.

If the tags are being a shit, which majority of the time they are, then you’re literally making an author’s day by reblogging! You’re showing them that you, a follower and appreciator of their works are willingly sharing their content because it deserves to be seen by more people. Again before any dumb people decide to attack me, i am talking about people who like the fic but don't bother reblogging and are silent/ghost readers. I am not forcing anyone to read anybody’s work.

YOU’RE MAKING YOUR AUTHOR SO HAPPY WHAT MORE REASONS COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT !! 🥺

♯ CONS :

Literally none, because as far as I remember no author is against reblogging of their works. It’s quite literally the way this platform functions. Reblogging is IMPORTANT.

#3 : COMMENTING/SENDING FEEDBACK !

This kind of overlaps with the previous section, but THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT STEP !! When you leave feedback, you are directly giving the author something so much more valuable to them than high follower/note counts or money. Your feedback is literally our serotonin. I kid you not the number of times I’ve received a positive comment and smiled and it has made my day. There’s a reason youtubers (though not the best example, bear with me here because it was the only one I could think of) ask people to subscribe, like and COMMENT. The subscription is like a follow, the like is ofc like a heart, and the comment is equivalent to an rb with comments in the tags.

You might argue and tell me that a comment is basically like an ask so the reblogging step isn’t necessary, but I’m sure 99% of you use YouTube and you know that more comments leads to people’s videos boosted in the stream/trending charts. This is what reblogging does. Reblogging shares the piece with other people like minded, which leads to a boost in reads. You are literally helping your author grow.

It’s quite literally the same thing as youtubers. Youtubers NEED validation to keep their content creation going, so do writers, so do other ccs on this site. This post is however, focused on WRITERS, so keep that in mind.

♯ PROS :

By doing this, you’re giving author valuable feedback! It’s similar to what you do in rbing with tags. Interactivity with their fics boosts their note counts and helps expand their audience, so srsly, now think of it: your one comment is playing such a massive role to help ccs create more content.

Imagine how much of a difference the note counts will be in when every person who simply likes after reading the fic, reblogs, leaves a comment and sends an ask. the note counts would be high on each and every fic, which is validation in itself, but your comments would inspire the writer so much more! Please, don’t skip the commenting part. Even a simple one like: “this is so cute!” is wonderful.

♯ CONS :

Remember, if you’re gonna give constructive criticism (which I’m sure you all are smart enough to know if different from hate), make sure the author is okay with it. Authors need to be in a specific mindset and must be ready to accept criticism, so if you’re gonna give constructive criticism to them when they’re at a low point, it may demotivate them.

Just commenting, instead of reblogging and commenting in the tags/ reblogging and then leaving an ask in their inbox, while it gives validation in plenty, will not lead to the author’s work being spread. Therefore I suggest either reblogging and commenting in the tags or reblog and then leave an ask, or comment under the fic!

!! reminder; I am not saying that if you don’t rb and just leave feedback, your feedback has no value. We authors truly appreciate every bit of feedback, but this post is aimed to help you learn how to interact with and support authors, and make them feel more motivated, because the current scenario of liking and scrolling is taking a toll on their creative abilities. Take it from a person who’s been writing for a year.

#4 : COMMSIONING VIA THEIR KO-FI/OTHER APPS !

Before any of you attack me, let me tell you that this is not a step that is 100% necessary to do. ONLY donate if you can and if you genuinely want to, and if anyone is forcing you to pay for something against your will, you need to get yourself out of there.

Regardless, if an author has a kofi and you’re able to and you want to donate, you definitely should! It’s also a valid form of support.

#5 : ADDING THEM ON REC LISTS/ RECOMMENDING THEM TO REC BLOGS

This is such an underrated option, to be honest. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen my fic was recommended onto some rec list and it’s made me smile so hard. If you like some fics, create a rec list! They’re oft very popular amongst the fans too. Making rec posts is such a great way to share your favorite stories with others.

Rec blogs! I’ve seen a couple going around, and needless to say they are a great way to get someone else to read your favorite author’s work whilst also giving them your own feedback. These blogs oft accept recs via a form or ask box, and they leave your feedback along with their own, or else they’ll oft tag the author in the feedback post, so look! You’re basically helping your author share their fic to many more people, because you’ve given them feedback and a reblog.

♯ PROS :

Validation! Feedback! Reblogs! More exposure! Helping a blog grow! Spreading love! basically a run down of the stuff I’ve said before!

♯ CONS :

Literally no con of this. Unless, a one in a million case, this author says they don’t like receiving feedback/being tagged, and I’m sure NO person has said this before, at least none that I’ve heard of.

#6 : FINAL COMMENTS; MISC !

When an author points out about how the interactivity is drastically reducing, don’t just give them blind apologies. Yes, you feel sorry for not interacting as much, we understand, but rather show that you’ll become a better content consumer through your actions. We need to see that we’re not just throwing words into a void and that people are actually trying to be better content consumers.

Understand the fact that authors don’t get paid for this, and 99% of the time, these authors don’t take commissions either. They’re giving you novel worthy writings for free. Take Percy Jackson: You think the author would have felt motivated to write the subsequent parts, let alone two whole series based off of it if literally no one showed that they were interested? Rick Riordan has sales, he is being paid, there are millions of people and big agencies who provide him feedback. Now take that huge amount and simmer it down to an audience of maybe 10000 people This is what fanfic authors want. They don’t want your money, nor are they telling you to risk your lives for them. All they want is, a reblog, some tags, some feedback, some INTERACTIVITY. A sign that they aren’t throwing fics into the void and that people actually like them, some motivation to continue. Seems fairly easy to throw an rb with some tags, right?

Don’t bother to tell me that we do this for ourselves and we shouldn’t ask for likes and reblogs and feedback, because 1) you are consuming the content that we “write for ourselves” and 2) writers post their content here for interactivity and feedback. We could just not post and write and save our fics in our dungeon drafts for years. But we choose to post to entertain the readers, the consumers. And we aren’t even asking that much in return.

Don’t give me the whole “I’m scared that authors feel that comments are annoying” excuse either because seriously this has been DEBUNKED SO MANY TIMES. Istg, in the nicest way possible, if you still think writers are annoyed by interaction and feedback, after so many posts, long rants have been posted as to how we’re not, then you must truly be living under a rock. There, I said it. Please stop thinking this way, I’ll say it again, AUTHORS ARE NOT ANNOYED OF FEEDBACK, COMMENTS, TAGS, REBLOGS. WE LOVE IT. Saying this is like saying that the audience in a theatre play shouldn’t clap when the play ends because the actors would find it noisy. 🤡

I’ve seen some people saying they have anxiety issues and such, so pls note that I’m not invalidating your condition. If you’re trying to be more interactive, I really appreciate it! If you can’t, that’s fine too. You’re trying.

But for the people who have no reason other than feeling lazy to rb and comment, your lack of interactiveness is not excused. Please. Tumblr is a reblogging site. If you’re gonna consume content like authors are some sort of machines, I encourage you to go get some more perspective.

This site is not Instagram or the satan bird app. Your likes are appreciated but frankly speaking, they do nothing to the author except tell them “Hey i read ur fic but i'm not gonna support u :D” and honestly, that is detrimental to their creative capabilities and mental health.

DON’T FOLLOW AN ACC JUST TO MINDLESS RB THEIR SIGNAL BOOST POSTS AND THEIR REBLOGS OF GIFS AND NOT INTERACT WITH THEIR WRITING AT ALL ! Trust me, authors prefer a lower amount of interactive followers than a high count that doesn’t even give them any feedback. Again your follows are appreciated, but when you’re following, you know the type of content the author creates, so the author expects that the more followers, the more interactivity. These days, this is just becoming the opposite. So don’t do it! If you’re gonna follow to read, interact with their works. I promise, this will make both you and the author happy. A win-win situation.

In conclusion: SUPPORT YOUR FUCKING AUTHORS! THEY ARE NOT MACHINES THAT HAVE NO FEELINGS TO PRODUCE CONTENT FOR YOU! FICS TAKE DAYS AND DAYS OF PLANNING, PLOTTING, OUTLINING, WRITING, EDITING, MAKING TEASERS. SO JUST SHOW THEM YOU APPRECIATE THEM WITH AN RB. IT’S THE L E A S T YOU CAN DO.

I will be liking this post here written by the lovely @chaninfused and @scriptura-delirus . Please take time to read it because if you weren’t convinced by my arguments, you will see how much frustration we as writers face on a daily basis. Please, just show support. Here is the post by @stayndays about how to get more people to read your work, because it also has a note on reblogging. Please educate yourself, and put an end to this mindless consuming culutre and bring up some interactivity.

If you’ve read this far, I want you to go to two of your favorite authors and leave some feedback in their inbox, and tag me in it (either tag me yourself or ask the author to do so, they won’t mind). Show your writers that our words are taking effect and you are becoming better consumers. I mean it. I’m serious. I want every single one who reads this post to do this. besides valid reasons, if you’re lazy to do this, you’re a part of the problem. PLEASE get more perspective.

Also, feel free to add to this post! I’d love to read your thoughts too, remember to be kind though. And, if I think your rb is somehow contradicting my points and is bringing down the reason I made this post, I will politely ask you to delete your comment, because this post is about being truthful about the harsh reality of tumblr consumers and how we can change it. I’m sure none of you will let it get to that point, though. <3 love you guys. 💓

And, just a reminder, don’t just blindly like this too. Do what I said before, and while I am not forcing you, I’d appreciate your reblog, because seriously, it took me 3 whole days to write this, plus, I’m sure this will help more of your followers understand the fault in consumer culture. haha, that’s it! This post was way too long uff.

also, this is ur cue to not be stupid in my inbox. You have something to say? Think I worded smth wrongly? I’m sure it wasn’t my intention to do so, point it out with manners.

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kendrixtermina · 2 years

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Uncomplicating Tritype: Synergy vs. Conflict

I would actually not echo the common advice of "nail your core type first" because ppl often mistype within their tritype, & often when you have it its easy to find the core by triads or the dominant center speech patterns thing.

However, for tritype to bring illumination rather than confusion, it bears to keep a principle in mind:

Tritype is about Synergy, not Inner Conflict

What does this mean?

Look at the types in someones tritype as like a venn diagram of possible traits. A person of that tritype will have those overlapping traits in the center of the diagram. That which all the types in the trifix have in common.

You can also look at it as a modifier that describes where you are in the "range" of your core type.

Say youre a 7.

Slap a 2 fix on it, and the sociability & optimism of the 7 get enhanced, since those are traits that 2 and 7 share. Give them a 3 fix and they will be even more industrious, energetic 6 even better smooth-talkers than the average 7. Slap a 4 on it & it will enhance the artistic and intellectual side of 7 but also make them yet more prone to dissatisfaction & frustration.

Hence why some tritypes can have a wholly different vibe despite being just 1 number away, because the overlap is different.

So what's that bit about inner conflict?

There's that common scenario of a person being like "I probably have 8 and 4 in my tritype" because they feel a polarity or conflict between wanting to be strong but also identifying with the underdog... otherwise known as "being a 6".

But you also see the odd 9 explaining various facets of themselves this way, which they'r predisposed to see as facets because, well, theyre 9s. its that whole fragmentation thing.

But knowing this trap helps you evade it with the aid of this simple rule:

Assume that any big inner conflict you experience (especially if its one of the main things often causes you grief) would be part of your core type & hence an important hint about what it may be.

Attachment Types in particular (9,6,3) inherently experience some conflict between fitting ppl's expectations & being their true selves. Some comply most of the time, some try to defy or resist the expectations, most are somewhere in between depending on the situation - rebel 6 vs compliant 6, stubborn 9 vs yielding 9, the tough competitive 3 vs the approval-seeking side.

It came up in a discussion with @its-an-inxp-again and @jerdle-typology how we generally think of the "counter 3" as the default & overlook the gloomier 9s. Looking at 3 as only 'oily salesman' or 'ellbow mentality' is kind of like looking at cp 6 as only the aggression without looking at the underlying fear, doubt or questioning.

I would add that tough-acting in 3s can be compensation for being seen as flawed or a loser in early life (Tom Cordon's materials describe compensation in 3s pretty well - & a bunch of those then mistype as 4s because they feel 'flawed', but they're overcompensating for it agressively rather than pointing to it as a reason for why they dont have to do their homework.)

Asuka from Evangelion is a good example of a "counter 3" where the compensatory nature of it is actually adressed. She's introduced as very competitive, viciously aggressive to her co pilots & putting up this big front of not caring about anyone's opinion but her own. At first she looks like a shallow self-obsessed bitch who is just mean to the other main characters. But then, bam! big reveal! The whole time she was secretly desperate for ppls attention & love and she is only acting so proud as a compensation for her terrible family situation & actually pretty low self esteem. She only hates her 9 colleague/roommate whom she views as meek and servile because shes rejecting the part of herself that wants others approval very much. (& then her final monologue in the last rebuild movie went like - "Give me somewhere to belong! I just wanted a pat on the head" & ends with her being told that shes enough just being herself)

But if you look at many content creators that are 3s there's many that are quite recognizeable as heart types & wanting your approval & just wanting to hear that ppl are proud of them. They don't come off like oily salesmen at all but rather like overeager golden retrievers. (Ferdinand from 3 houses is a good fictional example. Or heck, Naruto of the eponymous anime)

MBTI feelers in general tend to be the less "onion layered" versions of their enneagram types, whatever the type is. Maybe because they are more talented in & have more conscious control over processing feelings so they need less psychic shielding - or because it is harder for them to keep up & maintain it. Though given a tragic enough backstory you can get some very oniony feelers, and sincere thinkers are hardly nonexistent.

But pretty much any type is complex enough to have its own particular dilemmas.

Tl;dr: Any big inner conflict you feel is very likely to be a product of your core type. Tritype is less a conflict between the patterns but rather the overlap between them.

also, hug a 3 today

#enneagram #mbti #typology

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theanimeview · 3 years

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Crunchyroll Expo 2021 - So You Wanna Be a Vtuber!? - Notes

Credit: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

What is a Vtuber?

Vtubers are “an online entertainer who use a virtual avatar generated using computer graphics and motion capture software or technology. A digital trend that originated in Japan in the mid-2010s, a majority of VTubers are Japanese-speaking YouTubers or live streamers who use anime-inspired avatar designs. By 2020, there were more than 10,000 active VTubers” (Wikipedia)

Important Terms

Live 2D or L2D - the model that is moving on screen

Model or PNG - the character reference art for what will become the rigged L2D

Mama, Papa, & Parents - terms for your png artist and your rig artist (terms are fluid, though typically the rigmaster is typically the “papa” while the png artist is typically the “mama”)

Debut - The stream or day in which the Vtuber presents themselves and their model

Hololive - an agency for Vtubers

Background - the background of your character (think of it like the desktop behind apps on your computer)

Overlays - Goes over your background and stream that include socials, and other blocks to provide information

Lore - the backstory of your characters

Assets - are the things that pop on screen to fit alerts and such (like a gif that comes up every now and then)

How to Get a Model

1. Commission a PNG artist. V-tubing means you need different pieces for art reference--something like 126 would be pretty good to start but some models have more and some have less. (The model our host, Celine, uses in this panel is in the 120s range.) It’s expensive for reference sheets but worth it to make the process easy later on in the rigging process.

2. Your model’s base art needs to be:

PNG/PSD/WAV

Not pixelated or blurry

2000x2000 pixels, 150-300 dpi is good

3. Preparing the character: Each moving part must be separated, and everything underneath it must be filled in (no holes) so that it’s whole. Multiply and Opacity are okay. 72-150/300 is pretty standard.

4. Next you need a program to rig your model. Live2D Cubism is probably the best program for making a rigged model and is a current industry standard. Link: https://www.live2d.com/en/

5. Remember that rigging your model to move with you will require a lot of space on your computer. Computer Specs to meet this requirement may include:

Intel core i5 CPO

OpenGL33

4GB Ram (8gb recommended)

400 MB hard disk space

Set-up and PSD Import

1. Step-by-step set-up:

File > New > Model

File > Canvas Settings > Pixels match PSD

Drag PSD into Live 2D

“Untitled Model (model)” > OK > Add layers as new Art Mesh

Wait, Character will Import

Press Control + A > Move Character into Place

Hold Shift to scale Character as needed

2. Keeping Organized

Create Working Folder for model,

Save PSD to this folder

Save often!

3. Workspace Folders

Part (aka Body parts) = photoshop layers

Inspector: Information for selected part

Deformer

Parameter

4. Character Setup

Move body parts into Live 2D folders, examples:

brow> Brow

arm > Body

eye parts > eyes

THEN download Live 2D models for help

5. Adjust Drawing

Draw order = number system for editing layer order

+500 = layer above/in-front

-500 = layer below / behind

Edit as needed

6. Apply Clipping ID

Clipping Masks - Layers used to mask out (hide) other layers

Select part to use as mask

Control + C (copy) ID Name in Inspector

Select part to mask out

Control + V (paste) ID name into the “Clipping ID” in inspector

Press Enter of click off

Use only a few Masks for eye parts, mouth parts, etc.

7. Generate Texture Atlas

Texture Atlas - texture file needed for export

Control + A (select all)

Control + T (Texture Atlas) or Select “Edit Texture Atlas”

Rename texture file > choose size: 2048x2048 > automatic layout > ok

Move Parts to avoid overlap

Check Scale, try for 100% scale

Fit all body parts onto 1 texture file at scale 100%

Smaller the scale % = blurrier image

8. Add Mesh

Mesh - Warp a layer and make your character move

(1) Control + A (select all) > click automatic mesh generator

Edit Mesh manually

9. Add Deformers

Deformers - deform and create the illusion of movement

2 types of deformers

Warp deformers

Rotation deformers (joints)

Select Body Part(s) > Create Warp/Rotation Deformer > Rename Deformer

Hierarchies and Parenting

Parent/Child Relationships in Rigging = parent objects tells child objects what to do. Example: 1. Shoulder (parent) to Arm (child) 2. Shoulder Rotator (Parent) to Arm Warp (Child)

1. Make your Character Move with Parameter

Add key forms to rig your character

Green key forms record your movements

Keyform numbers determine how long it’s going to take to perform an action

X=left to right

Y = down to up

Z = left to right (rotate)

2. Make folders to organize different parts of the body

Face: Angle xyz

Body: Body xyz

Brow: Brown position, angle, form

Eye: Eye open, eye smile (blink)

Eyeball: Eyeball xy (where I look)

To Be a Vtuber - Resources:

Vtuber Studio

OBS Studio

Webcam (iPhones and Mac products work for this)

You need a computer that can handle the amount of data used for streaming/recording.

----

You can check out the host’s youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTdJlk46uc2POpAl324Xp6A/featured

#vcrx #VCRX 2021 #CRX #crunchyroll #crunchyroll expo #summer 2021 #crunchyrollexpo #V-crx #V-CRX 2021 #vtube #vtubing #youtube #stream #twitch #note #notes

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oh-boy-me · 3 years

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Obey Me! Card Planning Tips

Hello! This game causes us all a lot of pain and suffering, but I’m MANAGING (?), so I thought I’d give what I’d consider some tips to maybe make things feel slightly more possible for you :)

I’ll split it into three parts and put it all under a read more.

Team Strength Calculation

Team Preparation

General Tips for Resources and Daily DP

Part 1: Team Strength Calculation

Each stage has 2 sins tied to it, as you’ve probably noticed. In chapters 1-20, the stats of these two sins are boosted for ALL cards (character and support) by 15%.*

In chapters 1-20, your team’s strength is calculated with the following formula:

Strength = 1.15(AttributeSin1Total) + 1.15(AS2Total) + Other5SinsTotal

For example, let’s look at Lesson 10-20, which is a Gluttony/Lust battle. My team is composed of Pandas Mean Profit (Greed), A Special Ceremony (Lust), and Colorful Panic (Pride). And I’m using zero support cards just so I only have to add up 3 numbers.

Strength = 1.15(24338) + 1.15(34921) + 122736 = 190884**

Keep in mind that the buffs only apply to the attribute sin scores. If the battle is Gluttony/Lust, the Pride scores will stay at their base values. This is the case for all lessons up through chapter 20, both normal and hard mode.

However, from Lesson 21 onwards, there are two changes. One, there is a primary sin and a secondary sin for each battle, marked by which icon is bigger in the preparation screen. (There always has been, but now it matters which is which.) In boss battles, both are primary. Second, the buffs have changed drastically.

Every card has its main sin, obviously, and its strength in that sin is the strongest. However, they still have strength in the other 6 sins as well. There are two non-main sins that a card is very strong in, two that it is average in, and two that it is terrible in.

The percent increase is now dependent on how good a card is in the battle's two attribute sins. (Remember that these buffs still only affect that sin, not the card’s total strength.)

If a card is the same sin as the battle’s primary sin, that sin gets a 160% buff

If a card is the same sin as the battle’s secondary sin, that sin gets a 90% buff

If a card’s second or third best sin is the battle’s primary sin, that sin gets a 30% buff

If a card’s second or third best sin is the battle’s secondary sin, that sin gets a 10% buff

Any sins lower than third best no longer get a buff

I’m not going to make a formula this time because it’s too long and situational. But let’s look at that same 3-card team again, this time with Lesson 21-5, a Lust/Gluttony stage in that order.

Pandas Mean Profit has an average Lust score, so it gets no bonus. Its Gluttony is its 3rd best sin, so that gets a 10% buff (10752 > 11827)

A Special Ceremony is a Lust card, so its Lust gets a 160% buff (17308 > 45000). Its Gluttony sucks, though, so that doesn’t get a bonus.

Colorful Panic has Lust as its second best sin, so it gets a 30% buff (10423 > 13549). Gluttony is its third best, so that gets a 10% buff too (9866 > 10852).

With the new system, the team’s Lust score has skyrocketed from 40158 to 65739. However, its Gluttony score dropped from 27987 to 26399.

This means that the sins of your cards suddenly matter more in battle. (And honestly I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I know people complain that it makes it harder, but. If my Comedy team in A3! is made entirely of Action/Drama cards with poor Comedy, I shouldn’t expect that team to do well. Idk why people think that shouldn’t apply to Obey Me.) Which brings us to part 2.

By the way, colored glow sticks raise the card’s total strength by 10%, and rainbow glow sticks raise it by 30%.

* It’s actually like 14.99% but it’s effectively the same. The “slightly under but so close that I’m just rounding for significant figures” thing will be consistent for all of these buffs.

** The actual in-game strength is 190881, 3 points off due to the .99% thing.

Part 2: Team Preparation

I’m so sorry. But someone has to say it. Are you listening? Great.

URs aren’t automatically better than SSRs. Honestly, they never were. They ESPECIALLY aren’t now. You’re not losing the battle because you’re using SSRs. You’re losing the battle because you’re throwing Wrath cards at a Sloth opponent.

Morning Voice is an Envy SSR card. My copy of the card is only level 10, and in a Lesson 21+ Envy battle, its Envy score is 6866.

What is my Level 90 UR Colorful Panic’s Envy score in the same battle?

3489.

Colorful Panic is a higher rarity and 80 levels higher. It has worse Envy. Why? Because Envy is its worst sin.

Obviously you aren’t going to be using a level 10 card in a battle, so for a more realistic standpoint, my copy of Resentment Runs Deep (SSR Envy) has 46108 Envy in the same battle. That’s 13x better than the UR.

I’ll repeat it one more time before I move on. The sin scores of a card are far more important than the rarity of the card. A random SR card of the right sin is better than a UR with no sin bonus. The most impressive thing about a UR is how hard it is to get one.

Anyway, what does this mean? Is it hopeless?

Well, if you wanted to binge all three seasons within the first month of playing, yes. But let’s assume that’s not the case. (Side note, but the feeling that our cards are never good enough is definitely exacerbated by the aggressive speed at which they release new lessons combined with the fandom’s apparent allergy to spoiler warnings, but that’s a point for another post maybe.)

Remember that having URs isn’t actually all that important. Now remember the sheer amount of SSRs they release since they also aggressively release events. Also remember that with every 10-pull, you’ll get at least one SSR+. (Also remember to never do single pulls; they're not worth it at all.) If you’re really struggling with a lot of battles, here’s how you can improve your scores while focusing on as few cards as possible.

Open an Excel document or Google Sheets page and make a chart that looks something like this:

[Image Description: An 8x8 Excel sheet. The columns are labelled with each of the seven deadly sins, and the rows are labelled Cards 1 through 3 and Support 1 through 3, with a blank row in between. The rest of the sheet is blank.]

Now choose a card you want to use. Doesn’t matter why you want to use it, maybe you like how it looks, maybe you worked really hard to get it, maybe you like its ability, maybe it’s just your current strongest card. I don’t care. For my chart I’m gonna use Pandas Mean Profit because it’s really pretty and I got it from the 100-pull pity reward.

Look at your card’s top 3 sins and put them into the chart. For the character cards, note who the card is, because you can’t double up. For reference later, also note whether it’s 1st, 2nd or 3rd best. (Be sure to do this through Contacts and not a battle so there are no buffs skewing the scores.)

Once that’s in, choose another card you like for a different sin and input that card’s top 3 sins. Envy is still completely empty, so I’ll put Resentment Runs Deep in next. It’s an SSR, but I really love the Refresh Team ability. Do this for one character card and one support card of each sin at first, if you can. It doesn’t matter what level they are right now. Then fill in whatever blanks you have with cards that specialize in that sin.

If a sin comes up more than 3 times, keep whichever ones are strongest in that sin without overlapping characters. Play around with it until you get something that works for you. Keep note of the sins you’re lacking cards for.

[Image Description: The same Excel Sheet as before, except filled in with various Obey Me card names. The cells in rows 2 through 4 are color coded to match the character of the card. Each cell marks in parentheses how strong the card is in the sin of the column it’s in from 1 to 3.]

Mine looks like this. This chart isn’t perfect (if you look, none of my cards had Envy as a good non-main sin, and Pandas and Bunny have too much overlap for the same character), but it works as a rushed example. I used the cell colors to mark the characters.

Are these the teams you should be using for each battle? No, obviously not. First off there’s no single-sin battle, and second off the game will still build the teams for you.

BUT, this greatly lowers the amount of cards you need to pour resources into. Instead of 42 cards, with this chart I only have to focus on 18 cards in order to be guaranteed that all my cards get at least a SLIGHT boost in each battle. The best-case scenario would drop it down to 14 cards.

Later on, once you’ve managed the cards on your chart, the next thing to do would be to find main sin cards to replace those that are only third best in their sin. On mine I’d definitely focus on a Gluttony character card next, but in general Sloth is the one you want to be the most proactive about.

That should help you get through at least Season 2. Season 3 is admittedly where the difficulty actually IS ridiculous, but Season 2 really isn’t as hard as we’ve been saying. It just requires more planning than “the first three URs I ever got.”

I do still apologize for the resources and Grimm it’ll take, though :’)

Part 3: General Tips for Resources and Daily DP

This section is just some extra tidbits to help you have the resources to get cards and upgrade them.

[Image Description: The “hard to swallow pills” meme. The pills read “You don’t need every single card and unless you’re a whale eventually you’re going to have to prioritize some events and ignore others or you’ll never have the resources to improve the cards you already have.”]

However, events ARE good for farming Grimm, so it’s not the end of the world if you want every SSR. The only issue will come up when you need hard mode items and never have any AP, but it’s manageable.

If you’re going to log in more than once throughout the day, you can do the 2-1 job distribution. If not, do three jobs with one character each so you get the daily task done

To save money for leveling up your good cards, complete the devil tree daily mission with N-rank cards.

Use vouchers over DP whenever you can (and use Raven to get vouchers). The 99 DP level-up sale IS worth it if you can afford it, because that’s like 50% off a 10-pull once you do two.

I’m not certain, but I THINK skill level also influences how often an ability activates? I feel like my Lv 10 SSR cards activate often but my Lv 1 URs never do. So if you’re relying on an ability, the permanent SSRs might be worth looking at over limited time cards.

Anyway, I hope this helps at all in our mutual suffering.

#obey me #gameplay talk

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script-a-world · 3 years

Note

hi, any advice on timeline and era etc stuff? I have dyscalculia so numbers and measurements are meaningless to me and it’s really difficult to figure out how much time should lapse (on a large scale; time periods, millennia, eras, etc, not stuff like in one persons lifespan) between eras and events, especially in regards to political n social n technological etc changes

Feral: That depends. There isn’t one answer. You’re asking for longer time periods than a generation or a lifetime, but for scale, take what’s happening now. How many calamities, major political events, social trends, and changes in technology (and how we interact with it) have happened in the year 2020? Since the year 2016? Since 2008? Since 2001? How are they grouped together or spaced apart? And these are all working on each other. In the USA where I live, the 9/11 attacks absolutely have a direct causal effect with the politics that led to the 2016 election (actually before that a Supreme Court decision in the 2000 election also had an impact on that result), and the results of the 2016 election impacted how COVID has been handled this year. That’s 20 years, so when we’re looking at longer timeframes, we scale up. We see gaps and groupings and there just isn’t a specific “oh every decade/score/century, these types of events happen.”

To quote a particularly relevant introduction on Wikipedia:

This results in descriptive abstractions that provide convenient terms for periods of time with relatively stable characteristics. However, determining the precise beginning and ending to any ‘period’ is often arbitrary, since it has changed over time over the course of history.

To the extent that history is continuous and not generalized, all systems of periodization are more or less arbitrary. Yet without named periods, however clumsy or imprecise, past time would be nothing more than scattered events without a framework to help us understand them.

Eras, of the non-geological or -cosmological sort, or time periods are culturally determined, completely variable in length, and often overlap. For example, the beginning of the Victorian Era, 64 years, (defined by Victoria’s rule of England) of the Anglo-influenced world overlapped with the Antebellum Era, 78 years, (defined by political and social tensions in the lead up to the American Civil War) of the United States, which is also part of the Anglo-influenced world, and then following the end of the Antebellum Era, was the American Civil War, 4 years, and then the Reconstruction Era, 14 years (the first 2 of which are within the Civil War), which are both fully contained within the Victorian Era. Typically, when you are trying to think about eras, think about political rulership, wars, and large scale trends like artistic styles. It may also be helpful to familiarize yourself with the Three-Age System, which can be applied individually on cultures, rather describing trends for the whole world.

What it really comes down to when we think of eras and time periods is almost like a type of pareidolia. People see groupings of like things happening and put this grouping into a bubble of time, which kinda doesn’t actually exist in objective reality and is more or less a group hallucination on a massive scale. It calls to mind what Zeno’s arrow might have actually been trying to describe - not to say that this paradox is infallible, but it’s an interesting thought exercise, especially once you get into the quantum Zeno effect.

Now that I have fully diverged from the question at hand, we’ll get back to it. Let’s look at one technology type and how much time elapses between developments as well as some tie-in technological, social, and political forces that may be acting on the developments or that the developments might be acting on. I’ll also note how this technology traverses the eras of history as I find that looking at one discrete set over time is easier than just trying to look at the big picture. Let’s look at the history of printing.

(With hopes that it will be easier for you to conceptualize, I will use simplified (aka rounded up/down) timeframes written numerically rather than spelled out or via terms like decade or century so at the very least you can compare length of numbers. I’m also going to link as many Wikipedia articles as I can - I like Wikipedia for this because of its incredible cross-indexing and how it strings relevant articles together into a series, often chronologically. If the numbers are still challenging for you, I will summarize without at the end.)

5,520 years ago, the very first form of printing we know about is done with cylinders rolled over wet clay in Sumer in 3500 BCE, the beginning of the Early Bronze Age.

3,700 years later, woodblock printing is developed in China somewhere around 200 CE/AD, just after the end of the Pax Romana in Europe.

700 years later, the next development of printing is movable type, which is developed in China in 1040. 26 years later, on the other side of the world, in 1066 is the Battle of Hastings and the establishment of the Norman Era of rulership in England, in another 20 years, in 1086, the Domesday Book is hand written in 2 volumes: 1 is 764 8”x15” pages, the other 900 8”x11” pages.

400 years later gives us the Gutenburg printing press that is developed in Germany (at the time in the Holy Roman Empire) in 1440. This is during the Renaissance Era; it’s also the Era of Humanism, and often called the Early Modern Period. Martin Luther will write the 95 Theses less than 80 years later and start the Protestant Reformation, largely thanks to the ability for the theses to be easily copied by the printing press and spread quickly.

75 years later we have etching in 1515. 90 years later, the first weekly “true” newspaper, the Relation, begins printing in 1604.

130 years later we have mezzotint in 1642, which is the start of the First English Civil War, which will last for 4 years. Depending on your preference, the Age of Enlightenment either began 5 years before or 40 years later (unless you’re French).

130 years later we have aquatint in 1772. That is right at the beginning of the American Revolution: 2 years after the Boston Massacre; 1 year before the Boston Tea Party; 2 years before the Intolerable Acts and the First Continental Congress; 3 years before Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” Speech (which is printed and shared across the colonies), Paul Revere’s Ride, and the Battle of Lexington & Concord; and finally 4 years before Thomas Paine’s Common Sense is published, the signing of the Declaration of Independence (which is printed and shared across the colonies), Nathan Hale’s execution for treason against the Crown, and Washington’s Crossing of the Delaware.

25 years later lithography is developed in 1796; the year prior Napoleon overthrows le Directoire.

40 years later we have chromolithography in 1837, the year Victoria ascends and the first electric/battery powered locomotive is invented.

5 years later is the rotary press in 1843. The First Industrial Revolution is over.

15 years later is the hectograph in 1860. 1 year later, the American Civil War begins.

15 years later is offset printing in 1875. 1 year before, the first commercial typewriter becomes available. 1 year later is Bell and Watson’s first phone call in 1876.

10 years later is hotmetal typing in 1884.

1 year later is the mimeograph in 1885. 2 years later is Black Monday. 5-10 years later the radio is invented.

20 years later is the photostat and rectigraph in 1907.

4 years later is screen printing in 1911. 3 years later WWI begins in 1914.

10 years later is the spirit duplicator in 1923. The Roaring Twenties.

2 years later is dot matrix printing in 1925. 4 years later is the Great Crash.

10 years later is xerography in 1938, the same year as the first digital computer. 1 year later WWII begins in 1939.

2 years later is spark printing in 1940. 1 year later is the Attack on Pearl Harbor.

9 years later is phototypesetting in 1949. The USSR detonates their first atomic bomb.

1 year later is inkjet printing in 1950. Truman orders the development of the hydrogen bomb. Apartheid becomes law in South Africa.

7 years later is dye-sublimation in 1957. 6 years later, Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his “I Have a Dream” Speech.

12 years later is laser printing in 1969, the summer of which is known for very Very.

3 years later is thermal printing in 1972. The break-in at the Watergate Office Building is this same year and 2 years later Nixon resigns.

14 years later is 3D printing in 1986, the year Pixar Animation is founded and the year after the beginning of the Iran-Contra Affair.

1 year later is solid ink printing in 1987. 2 years later is the invention of the World Wide Web, and the internet as we know it.

4 years later is digital printing in 1991, the same year the USSR dissolved. 2 years before, the Berlin Wall fell.

There have been no significant developments in the history of printing since 1991.

So, let’s look at some averages to help us consume this data. Printing has a history of 5,520 years. It took 3,700 years for another development to occur, and then another 700 years after that - in other words, in the first 4,400 years of printing, there were 3 developments, equalling to an average of 1 every 1,470 years. In the 400 years between 1440 and 1843, there were 7 developments (average of 1 every 57 years). In the next 100 years between 1860 and 1957, there were 14 developments (average of 1 every 7 years but with 1 year having 2 developments simultaneously). In the next 22 years between 1969 and 1991, there were 5 developments (average of 1 every 4 years).

While the general trend is that the more a technology develops, the faster it develops, a trend is not the whole picture. Consider: in the 90 years of 1796-1885, there were 6 developments, making the average 1 every 15 years. In the 85 years of 1907-1991, there were 15 developments, making the average 1 every 6 years. There has not been a development in the past 30 years! There hasn’t been this large of a gap since 1837, 180 years ago.

In general, without numbers, what I think we can see here is that sometimes a certain development, like the printing press, can usher in a new era, and sometimes reactions to what else is happening in the world can pressure someone into developing something new, but often times, most times, when you look at just one thing under microscope over time, why that thing is produced in this era but not that era has nothing to do with the eras in question. When we create time periods, we’re generally doing it after the fact. No one living under the rule of the Roman Empire in 100 CE was thinking to themselves, “ah yes, the Pax Romana, when we have peace for 200 years!”

So applying all of this to worldbuilding, I see two methods that you can use together, to create a timeline that makes sense and is useful to your storytelling.

Method the first, arbitrarily create time bubbles of various lengths - I recommend the use of index cards for this. Index card A is 7 years; card B is 150 years; card C is 47 years and so on. Then take big ideas and put those onto your cards; use inspiration from real history. “I want the War of the Roses but condensed into 7 years.” “A Mongolian Empire type expansion happens over 150 years.” “There’s a 47 year Renaissance of fascination with Ancient History.” Then take those cards, lay them out into roughly the order in which you want them to occur, maybe overlap them a little, especially if they are happening in different parts of your world. Remember that time is not actually linear and things do not happen in a linear, narrative manner in the real world, so there can be wild leaps; there can be regressions; and you don’t have to follow real world history here - though you may want to the first time as a helpful exercise. It’s also very unlikely that you will ever have to know exactly how many years are between the eras or what the interstitial eras are.

Method the second, list all the major historical events, inventions, etc that you want/need to have happened. Start with what directly impacts your main characters and plot. “MC’s great-grandfather is humiliatingly defeated in battle, casting a pall of embarrassment across the generations following and ultimately putting the MC in the position that she starts in.” “The first great wizard codifies the 10 Laws of the Important Magical Order that the MC is trying to earn her place in.” Put these in an order that makes sense to you, keeping in mind that it’s not going to be a perfect progression. Again, you don’t need to know how many years there are between each event, but if great-grandpa was the last in a very long line of family members allowed to be in the Important Magical Order, then that IMO had to be founded first, and there would probably be some events between these two.

Then, when you have your two timelines, one of era/time periods and one of events, graft them together. You may have to shift some things to make it work, but consider the “feeling” or theme of the eras and what events make sense in relation to those feelings. Additionally would this event be more suited to happening when the era is new and is finding itself or when the era is solidly on course or is it an event that would completely shatter the illusion of the era and usher in a new one? Does it make sense for your great wizard to be codifying her laws in the expansion of an empire, or during a period of relative peace and prosperity in an established empire, or before empires were a thing in this world and few traveled far from home?

Tex: I’ve found that historically important events are caused for roughly two reasons - one, an invention that others capitalize on for an exponential growth into other inventions/social uses, and two, someone got sick of someone else’s crap and did something about it. Natural disasters will happen with enough frequency to be noted (see: the Little Ice Age, the Black Death, and the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa), although there’s little prediction for them because of the lack of observable build up in activity.

To pull from Feral’s timeline of examples, writing is popularly attributed to being invented in Sumer, 5,520 years ago - it’s our oldest found example, at any rate, though I’ve learned to never say never on archaeological discoveries.

What prompted this invention? Things rarely occur out of the blue, and rarely without interaction from other domains - where could writing have come from? Maybe art? What about from the creation of a tool, a reuse of certain skill sets? Something else we haven’t thought of yet?

So that’s one half of the question. But what about the other half - what did people around the inventor (multiple inventors?) think of this new thing? Deliberately associating a particular sound with a particular object - even a 2D object like pressing shapes into a piece of clay - and then standardizing it, is no mean feat. How did this agreement even happen? Were there arguments about how to do these graphemes, how best to shape them? What about which phoneme to each?

I doubt Sumerian cuneiform was created in a day, and likewise I doubt that language popped into existence on a whim. To keep pulling from this example, language composition has a strong effect on how we interact with our environment (University of Missouri-St Louis Libraries), but it conversely is also deeply affected by the environment its users create (Nature).

Because of this, I think it’s easier to work from a different angle - figure out what your major events are, and what eras you’re covering. If these major events also define an era, that’s even better! Working out how long everything each thing takes is ultimately a bunch of minor details, so it’s up to you how much your plot actively needs them, rather than decoration to your story meant to amuse you more than your audience.

#pylons #time #eras #timelines #Anonymous

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sutekiyomitsu · 3 years

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Two Sides of the Same Coin: An Analysis of AIRREAL in Re:FOLLOWER (2019)

Re:FOLLOWER (2019) is one of those TV dramas that you watch till the end and then have to watch from the beginning again. The identity of the enigmatic AIRREAL was one of the most intriguing questions that I had since the start and even after the final climactic reveal. Who is he? What does he symbolise? What is his relationship with Hitomi? Does he even exist? Let’s talk about the mystery of AIRREAL down in the cut below.

(So fascinated I was that I wrote an academic paper analysing his role in the drama and handed it in. Below is me finally writing what I wish I could write in that academic paper, because I have to sound objective and follow a word limit in academics. But I do not have to do that when I want to rant about Sato Ryuji on tumblr.)

((Also, spoilers ahead.))

AIRREAL is not real

The final revelation of in the last episode is, of course, the revelation that AIRREAL is not actually “real” in the fullest sense – that is, he isn’t a separate human being, but has only existed in Hitomi’s head the whole time. Hints about his non-existence are scattered all over the drama.

AIRREAL’s name, costuming, and behaviour

AIRREAL's name is taken from Ariel in the Tempest, a spirit (not a human!), which already hints at his non-existence. Furthermore, his name, unlike all the other direct references to Shakespearean texts, is spelt differently: AIRREAL. The two parts of the name "AIR" and "REAL" already raises the question of why it's spelt that way. Is he real? Or is he just air?

His costuming, particularly because Sato Ryuji is dramatic and asked for it, stands out from everyone else, who is dressed rather normally. He has bright blue eyes and coloured highlights in his hair that change from episode to episode without any explanation. Compare that to the naturalistic costuming that everyone else has and it highlights him as a strange character.

He never moves anything nor passes anything directly to anyone. In Episode 1, he tosses the book to Hitomi and Hitomi is seen catching it. In Episode 3, he drops the book on the table instead of handing it to Hitomi. When sitting down, he never moves the chair.

He never speaks directly to anyone except Hitomi, and nobody speaks directly to AIRREAL except Hitomi either. When communicating with Tomoki, for example, he does it exclusively through text. He never addresses anyone directly by speaking, other than Hitomi. In Episode 2, he appears to be speaking to the whole group, but nobody reacts to his words (with the exception of Hitomi). In fact, there are quite a number of times when he appears to simply speak into the air. Nobody reacts to him except Hitomi.

“Plot holes”

He appears in places with no explanation. Hitomi and Tomoki spend about an episode and a half infiltrating the Kurikara cult to get in their building and temple. However, AIRREAL suddenly appears in the hallway and the room with them (Episode 4), with no explanation to who he is. Nobody reacts to his sudden appearance. Nobody asks why he’s there. He just appears and enters the room as if he’s always been there.

Another example is when Hitomi is on the run. Hitomi and Mina have been running around randomly without a clear destination for about an episode, trying to dodge the police. Just then, AIRREAL somehow magically appears across the lake from them, with no explanation about how AIRREAL knew that Hitomi would be there, a completely random spot that Hitomi had stopped at to take a breath.

When passing tickets to Hitomi, Yuusaku gives him two tickets to the play (even though there are three of them). Hitomi goes to the play, and Tomoki looks up at the time and realises he’s missed it, indicating that the two tickets were most likely meant for Hitomi and Tomoki (who doesn’t make it to the show). What about AIRREAL? AIRREAL shows up to the play to watch it, but leaves in the middle of it later. But if CRESSIDA was a four-man group, why would Yuusaku only give two tickets to his three friends?

Cinematography

The camera uses certain shots that suggest AIRREAL’s immateriality. There’s a shot-reverse-shot in Episode 4, where AIRREAL mysteriously vanishes in the final shot. AIRREAL’s abrupt and sudden disappearances continues in Episode 6-7, where AIRREAL suddenly vanishes from the theatre and appears outside even while the play is still going on.

There’s also the ending of Episode 3, which portrays (the spirit of) the dead boy Taku appearing over the hill to symbolically represent that he has moved on. AIRREAL appears in the shot just after Taku’s voice is heard – and then Taku is seen coming over the hill. Placing AIRREAL before Taku’s appearance not only suggests that he is not actually there because it equates him with Taku, who is also clearly not meant to be seen as “real”, but also suggests that AIRREAL has brought Taku with him to say one last goodbye.

AIRREAL is often portrayed being in the distance as well, such as in Episode 7’s ending, giving him a distant, solitary feel compared to the rest of the characters.

The use of a low angle in the climax of Episode 10 where AIRREAL appears to be standing above Hitomi also gives AIRREAL an unreal feeling because he does not seem to be grounded in anything – the background behind him is completely white (presumably the sky). All of these shots contribute to the idea that AIRREAL is not actually a “real person” in that sense.

AIRREAL and Hitomi are the same person

Double exposure

The relationship between AIRREAL and Hitomi is hinted even in Episode 1. The use of double exposure and overlapping voices shows how AIRREAL and Hitomi are overlapping personalities, not two different people all together. This double exposure happens multiple times. It happens twice in Episode 1: First, in the intro flashback, which shows their voices blending into each other as well.

The second comes from an extremely jarring sequence, in which AIRREAL passes Hitomi while walking down the street. It is filmed in slow-motion and comes to a pause using a freeze-frame. There is a series of quick jump-cuts between the two of them, then a double exposure of a negative image onto the freeze-frame. In the negative image, their positions are the reverse of the freeze-frame, so that they appear to be "in" each other. Then, there's multiple double exposures of their faces flashing quickly. As the scene resumes into normal speed, they lift their phones at the same time.

Another instance of this double exposure happening is in Episode 6's climax. In this case, the scene starts with a series of jump cuts between Hitomi and AIRREAL's faces and then slowly fades AIRREAL's face in Hitomi. Another thing significant about the scene is that their voices also mirror this effect, starting with only AIRREAL's voice (even though Hitomi is shown to be speaking, so it's non-diegetic) and then fading in with Hitomi's voice gradually. There's an implication that even though Hitomi is speaking to the crowd, it is AIRREAL who is actually the one speaking through Hitomi. Their identities, voices, faces all overlap into each other.

Blocking

AIRREAL is also shown to be behind Hitomi. In the library scene in Episode 1, the camera quickly pans from Hitomi to reveal that AIRREAL is sitting behind him – AIRREAL is the driving force behind many of Hitomi’s actions. This blocking (of AIRREAL being behind Hitomi) repeatedly occurs. He is shown trailing behind Hitomi in Episode 3 as they walk towards the field, as the camera pans from Hitomi to AIRREAL (drawing an equivalence between them).

AIRREAL's phone

One of the biggest hints and also one of the reasons why some keen-eyed people were able to guess the big twist from Episode 1 is the presence of AIRREAL's phone in a key scene: the intro flashback. AIRREAL's phone is kept off to the side, but it's present in Hitomi's room, even though presumably AIRREAL is not there. When AIRREAL is introduced, we don't see his face at first. First, we see a shot of his back, then we first see his hand and his phone, before he slowly moves it away, revealing his face. AIRREAL's "identity" is represented through his phone, as shown in the later revelation in Episode 10, where they reveal that Hitomi has been carrying around 2 phones and texting from both of them, without realising it.

Mirroring

AIRREAL and Hitomi also mirror each other multiple times. In Episode 2, they both pause in their step at the same spot between the bookshelves while walking around the library. (In the behind the scenes commentary, Ryuji also mentions that they were supposed to mirror each other's actions, but Shun didn’t, oops.) In Episode 4, the shot-reverse-shot shows AIRREAL and Hitomi both pulling a book from the shelf at the same time. These parallels between them show their sameness.

AIRREAL is the Darkness to Hitomi's Light

So, AIRREAL and Hitomi are the same person, as revealed in the ending. What sets them apart?

AIRREAL represents darker instincts of vengeance while Hitomi is meant to be the beacon of justice.

Episode 3 epitomises the difference between them. AIRREAL sets up the entire incident: he is the one who lures everyone to the field so that Yui can kill Shuiichi's boy in front of him as revenge for Shuiichi's murder of Taku. But Hitomi calls Yui's father to stop her from going through it by making her realise that she needs to let Taku go. The balance between what is revenge and what is justice is very delicate, but justice (represented by Hitomi's intervention) wins. The shallow focus shifts from AIRREAL to Hitomi in the conclusion of the incident. They are parallels of each other, not polar opposites. In that same line of thought, revenge and justice are not opposites, but two sides of the same coin, and the fact that they are actually the same person reinforces that there is justice in revenge and vice versa.

Costuming and Personality

Their costuming and styling reflects their differences. AIRREAL is typically dressed in black and other dark colours, while Hitomi tends to wear brighter colours like yellow. When Hitomi does wear dark colours, it indicates that AIRREAL's influence is very strong in that particular scene. The flashback sequence, where AIRREAL presumably first appears to Hitomi, is one, because AIRREAL manifests out of Hitomi's grief and need for revenge. Another important one is Episode 5-6, when Hitomi confronts the Kurikara cult. Their identities in Episode 5-6 become roughly indistinguishable from each other, showing that his want for personal revenge for the cover-up his mother's death (by Inukai, the cult leader) and the justice that he is serving for the client have become indistinguishable.

In reverse, AIRREAL also becomes more 'real', or in other words, human over time. He loses his coloured hair highlights by Episode 8. In relation, his personality also becomes warmer over time. In Episode 3, he is willing to let the little boy die for the sake of revenge. However, he later apologises to Tomoki for endangering him in Episode 7, one of the rare times that AIRREAL shows concern for the collateral damage of his vengeance.

Final Confrontation

In the final climax of the series in Episode 10, when Hitomi fights Yuusaku, the most pivotal moment comes when the dagger falls to the ground and Hitomi reaches for it, saying that he must avenge his mother's death. Goto and Ogishima are framed in the background but frozen and out of focus, which indicate that the events that unfold are not actually happening but are occurring in Hitomi's head. AIRREAL then appears, standing over Hitomi, and takes over the fight, easily knocking Yuusaku to the ground and intending to stab him (yes, for real!). He quotes a line from Hamlet: “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.” In Hamlet, this line suggests that even as he prays (my words fly up), Claudius’s thoughts remain in hell and are ungodly (my thoughts remain below), hence, his prayers are insincere and he remains unrepentant for his sin of murdering his brother. AIRREAL referencing this quote shows that he will have no guilt in killing Yuusaku as he believes it to be justified in his revenge.

Recall Episode 3, when Yui was in almost the exact situation. Hitomi, having experienced not just the death of his mother, but also the "Dog", who was accidentally killed by Mina. Hitomi realises that killing Yuusaku to avenge his mother’s murder would only cause him pain, and this, coupled with Goto’s voice (like Yui’s father in Episode 3) “wakes” him up. The camera cuts to a medium shot of him dropping the knife as if in a daze, and Goto tackles him to the ground. This is followed by a low angle shot of AIRREAL, who falls backwards, and a montage of different AIRREAL moments from various episodes.

Disoriented, Hitomi looks around and calls for AIRREAL. Goto and later Mina try to explain to him that AIRREAL has never been “there”, but that he has been AIRREAL the whole time, causing him to break down. His first friend and truest supporter does not actually exist, but has been within himself the whole time

The case of AIRREAL’s identity

So, back to the question. Who is AIRREAL? Why did Hitomi create him? In the montage that follows this realisation, we see different scenes of AIRREAL from various episodes, but with AIRREAL missing, showing that Hitomi has been by himself this whole time. In the voice over, Rei, Hitomi’s (or Nao’s, because that was his name before his mother’s death) mother, talks about how Ariel in the Tempest vanishes at the end of the story. As she says that, we see a shot of AIRREAL (from Episode 2, judging by his attire, by the way) walking away into the distance and vanishing. In Tempest, Ariel is bound to serve Prospero and fulfils various tasks for him, and when all of them are done, he is released. In the same manner, AIRREAL was created by Hitomi for a specific purpose.

I believe that AIRREAL was created because Hitomi could no longer bear the burden of his grief and deep-rooted anger about his mother’s death. Knowing that she had been murdered, Hitomi was unable to move on from her death, but felt entirely helpless to fight against those who killed her and covered it up. It is in this greatest state of helplessness and grief that AIRREAL was born. AIRREAL was created to help to take this darkness from Hitomi, and therefore Hitomi projected his deep and dark desire for revenge onto him.

We can see this from AIRREAL’s own words, as he states that he will become Hitomi’s power/strength – strength that he needs in order to overcome his own helplessness and also his enemies (those who killed and covered up his mother’s death). He states this twice, first in the intro flashback and in the final confrontation, where he reminds Hitomi that he does not have to take on the task of killing Yuusaku by himself – AIRREAL is there to be the darkness, so that Hitomi does not have to be. In this way, AIRREAL protects Hitomi from being lost in his quest for revenge by taking it on himself.

Also, the name “Shiroe Kimito”, which is the reported ‘real name’ of AIRREAL (not that he has a real name but it was a red herring by the producers), is an anagram of “Kishimoto Rei”, the name of Hitomi’s mother, showing how the image of AIRREAL that Hitomi created was based on the memory of his mother. It is his memory of her that drove Hitomi to create AIRREAL so that he might be able to avenge her. Actually, even “Hitomi”, the name that he chose for himself after being released from prison, is based on his mother, showing that his whole life had been completely altered when he lost his mother and that his whole identity is based on that incident.

AIRREAL vanishes after the final confrontation, having fulfilled the purpose of finding out the truth about his mother’s death and captured the one responsible for it. Hitomi is finally able to move on with Mina, and like Ariel in the Tempest, AIRREAL’s role is finished and he vanishes.

Or is he?

In the very final scene, he looks back, before he turns and walks away. But the camera then cuts to AIRREAL again, who, much like in his introduction flashback, moves the phone away to reveal his face.

AIRREAL’s work is still not finished. Not yet.

(and if it weren’t for [censored] we’d actually be able to know what it is but unfortunately the sequel stage was cancelled and we cannot have nice things.)

AIRREAL and Hitomi are two sides of the same coin. AIRREAL is yin to Hitomi’s yang. They are different, yes, and AIRREAL embodies darker aspects of vengeance, but one cannot exist without the other. It is this relationship between AIRREAL and Hitomi, and therefore the ideas of justice and revenge, that characterise the themes of Re:FOLLOWER as a whole.

#esther analyses #re:follower #sato ryuji #nishime shun

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fluffynexu · 4 years

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Astralignment

and the Korribani Calendar System

Before the arrival of the Exiles the native Sith on Korriban had their own system of keeping track of time. Over the years, this became standardized and refined and is still in use by a large portion of the modern Pureblood community. Since the ancient Sith were observant beings of their world, many of the names and symbols reflected their natural environment. All of these aspects go into what is known as a Sith’s astralignment (astro-alignment).

Since the Empire runs on Imperial Standard Time (IST), anything relating to Korriban or any other Imperial world is referred by the local time of that planet.

Compare a year on Dromund Kaas to Korriban:

Dromund Kaas (everything in standard)

24 hours/day

312 days/year

7,488 hours/year

60 minutes = 1 hour

24 hours = 1 day

5 days = 1 week

7 weeks = 1 month

35 days = 1 month

8 months (+4 weeks and 4 holidays) = 1 year

312 (standard)days = 1 year

Korriban

28 (standard) hours/day

780 (local) days/year

21,840 (standard) hours/year

70 (standard and local) minutes = 1 hour

24 (local) hours = 1 day

10 (local) days = 1 week

6.5 (local) weeks = 1 month

65 (local) days = 1 month

12 (local) months = 1 year

780 (local) days = 1 year

This roughly makes 1 Korribani year approximately 2.9 [Dromund] Kaasi years.

Calendars

The days on Korriban are annotated on some versions of the Imperial calendar alongside the standard days.

In this example, names of the days on the calendar reflect the IST. The black numbers indicate the date in IST, the red numbers represent the date of the Korribani calendar. Placement of the Korribani date indicate when that day begins in relation to the Kaasi one.

A. 00:00 is the same for both. B. 00:00 K starts at 04:00 DK. C. 00:00 K starts at 08:00 DK. D. 00:00 K starts at 12:00 DK. E. 00:00 K starts at 16:00 DK. F. 00:00 K starts at 20:00 DK. G. Loops back around and 00:00 K lines up 00:00 DK .

While seemingly complicated to some, most Sith have grown with this system of overlapping calendars and can easily tell the date by the positioning of the numbers in this format.

There are of course, electronic versions where the date is shown simply:

Since the Korribani month is longer than the Kaasi one, the dates will continue through the Kaasi months. These next two pictures show how long 1 Korribani month is in relation to a Kaasi one.

There is also a version of the Korribani calendar that does not overlap with IST. These are used locally on the planet.

The days of the Korribani week were named after major gods from the most widespread pantheon on the planet:

Ahmuriq, from Ahmurn: the creator god.

Marseriq, from Marserha: mother goddess of the Sith.

Bashariq, from Bashara: goddess of passion.

Teraiq, from Teral: god of protection and justice.

Iskarliq, from Iskarln: god(dess) of conflict and war.

Marduriq, from Mardur: patron god of the Massassi and strength.

Rusaniq, from Rusanel: goddess of knowledge.

Zefiriq, from Zefir: goddess of the hunt.

Shumariq, from Shumari: god of the harvest.

Goruiq, from Gorul: the trickster god(dess).

Months

There are numerous constellations in the Korribani sky. Twelves of these mark the months of the year as well as going into the astalignment. The 12 major, monthly constellations all depict local fauna from ancient fables and have certain characteristics that are commonly associated with them.

1. Yuninchâtsutuyok, the jiminat and agzonûboj engaged in eternal conflict. Dedicated, ambitious, and insightful.

2. Qyalatuyok, the qyalak. Calm, sentimental, and inquisitive.

3. Badzuriqatuyok, the badzuriqash. Tenacious, practical, and direct.

4. Kaarjontuyok, the kaarjontû. Spontaneous, contemplative, and observant.

5. Tukatatuyok, the tukata. Loyal, respectful, and staunch.

6. Hatyatuyok, the hatya. Articulate, perceptive, and adaptable.

7. Lomaituyok, the lomait. Disciplined, fearless, and competitive.

8. Dzushatuyok, the dzushaj. Private, calculating, and flexible.

9. Mowhetuyok, the mowhef. Stern, traditional, and ruthless.

10. Dyaltituyok, the dyaltir. Mischievous, studious, and charismatic.

11. Jhan’dikanatuyok, the lost dikana. Creative, sociable, and resourceful.

12. Niqoituyok, the niqoit. Erudite, cunning, and free-spirited.

Years

The years are also represented by local animals. No one, not even Sith scholars or historians, are sure of the origin of how these animals came to represent the years on Korriban’s calendar. It is one of the many parts of Sith culture that have been lost since it is believed this particular record has been passed down through oral tellings.

The years are kept track of in a 6-year cycle with each year emphasizing a likely success for the ones born in that year.

Chiroik - Wealth

Wokinai - Knowledge

Natûsh - Fame

Dzenal - Influence

Litskoj - Power

Sulemish - Longevity

(ie. Those born in the year of the Sulemish will have a long life.) This again factors into a Sith’s astralignment.

In addition to the years, these 6 animals are also used for the hours on Korriban. But time is not conveyed in the same manner as Basic. While in Basic one would simply say “14:25” (or two twenty-five in the afternoon) the Sith have a much more involved way to convey time.

For example: Shyracks screech and return to their caves as the priestess prepares the altar in the hour of the wokinai.

Translates to: 07:15 local time (or seven fifteen in the morning).

As a side note, a few centuries ago Darth Feras domesticated and bred wrats within the Empire. At first they weren’t seen with much interest by her peers. But popular rumor has it that she pointed out her creations embody the physical traits of the yearly beasts.

Eyes - Chiroik

Ears - Wokinai

Body - Natûsh

Hands - Dzenal

Feet - Litskoj

Tail - Sulemish

Afterwards they quickly became a favored pet and companion among the Sith, being seen as an auspicious animal.

While not related to their calendar there is a tradition of being assigned a birth flower. For this, the Sith do not look to their skies but rather, when a child is born the placenta is buried in a pot with 12 seeds. The first of these seeds to sprout becomes that Sith’s birth flower. These 12 flowers are also used in medicine, therapeutic or preventive, for some common ailments.

Serla for headaches.

Roshal for good eyesight.

Nashkir for sore throats.

Atsudqâ for heart health.

Hyaranjat for good digestion.

Mûyoin for muscle pain.

Shasâyar for fertility.

Jûzon for blood circulation.

Ashanin for bone mending.

Qoyo for fevers.

Chisiqsanu for irritated ridge skin.

Kûsk’inti for fatigue and replenishing energy.

The last two parts that go into a Sith’s astalignment are their energies. The weekly energies correspond with 4 classic “elements” of earth, fire, air, and water. While the daily energy simply refers to day or night (d/n) in regards to when the person was born.

Combined with all aspects mentioned in this document, year, month, weekly energy, day (+energy), and flower, one can study a Sith’s astalignment. ex. Darth Vowrawn’s astalignment factors:

The study of these astralignments is a complicated field on to its own while the findings can be very important to some among the Sith. There are specialized scholars who offer their services to the old families so that the “perfect matches” (marriage, business, or otherwise) can be set up.

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aaaaahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT’S DONE. i feel like frodo at mt. doom after the ring is destroyed omg... ;-;

SOOOO. i wanted, and i mean REALLY wanted, to finish this for lunar new year (for pretty obvious reasons lol)...... :,) welp. then i was like “i can do may 4″ lol NOPE. but here we are! still technically sith day? whatever. imma say I Did It. :D

also pls don’t laugh at my stupid drawings. i already know i can’t art. ok??? >,<

special thanks to @snootysith for giving me a bunch of sithy names and words for me to use. c: like y’all... coming up with fake words, that look and sound ok is really HARD (for my dumbass anyway)

other worldbuilding posts that are... sorta mentioned/used in this:

@inquisitorhotpants‘s dk calendar

BOOS! x3

and some other stuff ....

but uh, yea. if you’re wondering “hang on there fluffy... did you really make a big, dumbass zodiac/astrology post??” the answer is...

yes.

yes i did... xU

but also i imagine the ancient sith had a lot of special and important dates for you know... religious things? *shrug* and over the many, many years all of this was passed down and prob altered in some way to fit into modern sith society? idk...

now imma say some things here bc i know For A Fact!!! that ppl don’t go onto original posts to read op tags on this hellsite lol.

and this isn’t me trying to sound like an arrogant asshole... but these are for some common questions that’ll undoubtedly come up:

yes, you can use this in any extent or manner.

no, you obvs don’t have to. ignore it if you want. i’ll be ok lol.

no, i’m not gonna write a long ass book with all the little details on every aspect of all the traits and then assign these things for your character(s). just make something up. that’s what i did here xD (plus my brain is d e a d from this)

yes, this is seen as a mostly(!) tomato pureblood sith thing but obvs attitudes are different between individuals. some are super into it, some could careless and think it’s all fake news, some have parents that care too much about it which is annoying and interfering with their life so they lowkey hate it lol.

no, i couldn’t do a read more bc it wouldn’t look as nice and i worked hard ok? ;-; i apologize for clogged dashes in advance.

i think that’s it? ofc feel free to hmu if you’re ok with a reply that can take anywhere from a few min to 3 business days ^-^;

#swtor #sith pureblood #sith warrior #sith inquisitor #y'all know how surprisingly hard it is to make constellations???#like...#DX #they have to look like the thing and i had to know what that Thing was #but also! have you seen rl constellations??#they don't look like The Thing at all!#so i had to make it kinda abstract? idfk #now if you'll excuse me #i'm off to be a completely unproductive member of the fandom again #:')#worldbuilding #long post

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