It doesn't have to include everything I have ever liked in a character; just see if you get a general gist for what my taste in characters is and give me some ideas on what to build! It doesn't need to have to include characteristics of all. Also, knowing this table, we are probably never leaving Tier 1, so bare in mind a lot of games will be spent at level 4.
Name: Lucia
Race: Grung
Class: Undead Warlock, Conquest Paladin
Character Concept: Kelemvor follower who made a deal with an undead.
Things I like about this character:

• Conflicting flavors (class)
• High Cha

Name: Prince Colman of Gawloth
Race: Plasmoid
Class: Rune Knight, Eloquence Bard
Character Concept: Exiled prince learns rune carving and music while overseas.
Things I like about this character:

• Becomes giant
• Fun roleplay
• High Cha

Name: Hoomi
Race: Autognome who became a Tiefling
Class: Battlesmith
Character Concept: Modron enthusiast builds a Monodrone and Tridrone, plans on taking them to Mechanus
Things I like about this character:

• Conflicting flavors (race)
• Int weapon attack
• TWO companions!

Name: Ginny
Race: Verdan
Class: Hexblade, Armorer
Character Concept: “Knight in shiny armor” with 8 str 8 dex
Things I like about this character:

• Verdan
• High Cha/Cha Weapon
• Animal Companion

Name: Uriel
Race: Assimar’d Centaur
Class: Zealot Barbarian
Character Concept: A “bard” of Bahamut, is a scholar of the Wind Dukes of Aaqa
Things I like about this character:

• Coolest looking one
• Shawm proficiency

Name: Ivan
Race: Warforged
Class: Ancients Paladin
Character Concept: A robot in the forest, sworn to protect his horse
Things I like about this character:

• High Cha
• Animal Companion
• “Robot + Nature” flavor

Overall things I like
Favorite Class: Artificer
Favorite Subclasses: Battlesmith, Rune Knight, Eloquence Bard
Favorite Races: Verdan, Plasmoid, Grung, Autognome, Centaur. In this order.
Random Things I like:

• High Charisma
• “Weird” characters
• Companions
• Conflicting/opposing concepts (classes with opposite flavors, planetouched race that shouldn't be planetouched, robots doing non-typically-robot-stuff, etc)
• Hitting things with a sword > casting spells
• Classes that let you hit weapons with mental stats
• Cool flavor!

So this morning I learned that a lot of these animal shelters are like smaller versions of homeless shelters that claim to be "non profit" yet have a lot of people on payroll raking in the dough. Here is an example of a homeless nonprofit pulling that crap. I'd like to show you how we can expose them.
In my town there was a charity that got a $25 million dollar grant from the county.
All charities are required to make their financials publicly available. You can search the IRS site for their latest returns, some sites put them in an easier to read format like this.
Looking at the above link, we can see the top people and what they get paid, nearly $1m a year in salaries. What's interesting is the CEO. Let's look at his political donations.
In the first link to the article I posted, it talks about County supervisor Joe Simitian pitching this grant. If we look up CEO Bruce Ives, and Recipient Joe Simitian, we get a fairly comprehensive list of donations from Bruce to Joe.
This is what I'm proposing. Along with the other information that this sub collects, we need to find these feedback loops of grants to 501c's > 501c officer donations > politicians that authorized the grants.
While the above is human homeless shelter, I have a sneaking suspicion we'll find the same with "Rescues" In the very least, if a rescue is operating as a 501, we can rattle their cages a bit and demand they provide their tax returns.
So lets talk about the tools I like to use.
OpenSecrets - Database of political donations Nonprofit Light - Database of 501c3's data. Corporation Wiki - Find Connections between People and Companies - Sometimes 501c3's will funnel money out of the charity through subcontractors. Mailer service, web design, even gardeners. It never hurts to find out who the principles are at those subcontractors and check them against opensecrets.
While digging this info out for 1 or 2 towns might not garner much interest from the media, if we dug up enough of it happening around the country, it adds up.

It doesn't have to include everything I have ever liked in a character; just see if you get a general gist for what my taste in characters is and give me some ideas on what to build! It doesn't need to have to include characteristics of all. Also, knowing this table, we are probably never leaving Tier 1, so bare in mind a lot of games will be spent at level 4.
Name: Lucia
Race: Grung
Class: Undead Warlock, Conquest Paladin
Character Concept: Kelemvor follower who made a deal with an undead.
Things I like about this character:

• Conflicting flavors (class)
• High Cha

Name: Prince Colman of Gawloth
Race: Plasmoid
Class: Rune Knight, Eloquence Bard
Character Concept: Exiled prince learns rune carving and music while overseas.
Things I like about this character:

• Becomes giant
• Fun roleplay
• High Cha

Name: Hoomi
Race: Autognome who became a Tiefling
Class: Battlesmith
Character Concept: Modron enthusiast builds a Monodrone and Tridrone, plans on taking them to Mechanus
Things I like about this character:

• Conflicting flavors (race)
• Int weapon attack
• TWO companions!

Name: Ginny
Race: Verdan
Class: Hexblade, Armorer
Character Concept: “Knight in shiny armor” with 8 str 8 dex
Things I like about this character:

• Verdan
• High Cha/Cha Weapon
• Animal Companion

Name: Uriel
Race: Assimar’d Centaur
Class: Zealot Barbarian
Character Concept: A “bard” of Bahamut, is a scholar of the Wind Dukes of Aaqa
Things I like about this character:

• Coolest looking one
• Shawm proficiency

Name: Ivan
Race: Warforged
Class: Ancients Paladin
Character Concept: A robot in the forest, sworn to protect his horse
Things I like about this character:

• High Cha
• Animal Companion
• “Robot + Nature” flavor

Overall things I like
Favorite Class: Artificer
Favorite Subclasses: Battlesmith, Rune Knight, Eloquence Bard
Favorite Races: Verdan, Plasmoid, Grung, Autognome, Centaur. In this order.
Random Things I like:

• High Charisma
• “Weird” characters
• Companions
• Conflicting/opposing concepts (classes with opposite flavors, planetouched race that shouldn't be planetouched, robots doing non-typically-robot-stuff, etc)
• Hitting things with a sword > casting spells
• Classes that let you hit weapons with mental stats
• Cool flavor!

Hey all ❤️ I'm 23, NB, and from the UK looking for some new internet friends!! I have a pretty funky schedule and work a lot so a texting buddy would be amazing! I'm currently watching terrible YouTube videos and I'd love some company! Hopefully it'll bloom into a lovely friendship!
I've been getting back into FF14 a lot, and digging into lots of the content I have to finish off and preparing for Dawntrail this summer! I play on light - show off n tell me about your chara!? (I love G'raha so much <3 ) I'm also making my way through my (very long) TBR! Currently I'm reading Oathbringer by Sanderson, and I'm really into Sci Fi and fantasy!
I adore gaming, reading, manga / comics, movies and anime as well - typical nerdy fun stuff!! 💖
I'm very light hearted, non judgemental and a sensitive soul, if you think we'd click please send a message/chat!!
Please only message me if you are 20+ !!
Thanks for readin' !❤️

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⚠️ WARNING: Maasverse Spoilers—Proceed with Caution ⚠️

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Part 1: Characters and Courts
Part 2: World Map, Items, Terms & Other - YOU ARE HERE
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If this is the first post you've landed on, see Part 1 above for an introductory explanation to this two part post.

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UK + IRELAND

PRYTHIAN

A combination of Prydain, the old Welsh name for Britain, and Brython, which translates to “Ancient Britons” from Welsh.

HYBERN

A riff of Hibernia, the Classical Latin name for Ireland.

​
Artist of Prythian map: P-dulcis on redbubble

ADDITIONAL EUROPEAN-PARALLEL LOCATIONS

ILLYRIA

The Ancient Greeks used the term Illyria to define a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula. The numerous peoples who populated those areas were known collectively as the Illyrians. The region itself is quite mountainous.

THE MIDDLE

May refer to the Midlands, the central part of England, though geographically the Prythian map places the Middle central to Prythian, not central to England; with the Prythian inclusion of Scotland, the Middle on Prythian maps is located further north than the actual Midlands of England.

UNDER THE MOUNTAIN

A potential nod to the Schiehallion, a cone-shaped mountain often referred to as the center of Scotland. It's name comes from the Gaelic Sìth Chailleann, meaning "fairy hill of the Caledonians." On the southwestern side of the mountain is said to lie the well-concealed Uamh Tom a' Mhòr-fhir, a cave serving as an entrance to the underworld.
As the Schiehallion lies in the middle of Scotland (the Night Court) and not the middle of mainland UK (Prythian), the Sciehallion could instead be representative of Ramiel.

THE WESTERN ISLES

May refer to the Outer Hebrides, also known as the Western Isles, which is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. They are also sometimes known as Innse Gall, a Gaelic term meaning "islands of the foreigners/strangers" which was originally used by mainland Highlanders when the islands were ruled by the Norse.
ACOTAR role: The Prison is located in the Western Isles.

THE PRISON

Though located in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland rather than the Outer, the Prison may be a nod to Beinn Shiantaidh, which is Scottish Gaelic for "holy mountain." It is located on the western side of the Island of Jura and is the second highest peak of the Paps of Jura.
Fun fact: Pap is of Old Norse origin and means breast.

VALLAHAN

Valhalla is the hall of slain warriors in Norse mythology, located in Asgard, where those who die in combat live in peace under the leadership of the god, Odin. They are said to dwell in Valhalla until the events of Ragnarök, where they will then march out to fight in aid of Odin against the jötnar, a type of being in Germanic mythology.
ACOTAR role: Vallahan is a faerie territory located in the northwest portion of the Continent.

ADRIATA

The Adriatic Sea is located in Southern Europe and separates the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. It contains more than 1,300 islands.

BOG OF OORID

The Oorid Lough is a freshwater lake in the west of Ireland.

CRETEA

Crete is the largest and southernmost island in Greece.
ACOTAR role: Cretea is where Miryam and Drakon's people lived following the War.

LAPPLUND

Lapland is a geographic region in Northern Fennoscandia which covers much of the Nordic countries. It is also a province of Sweden and the largest region of Finland.
ACOTAR role: Lapplund is where the Cauldron was hidden.

ITICA

Ithaca is an island featured in the Odyssey and was the island home of Odysseus. It is also a real island in Greece. The Kathara Monastery is located in Ithaca.
ACOTAR role: Itica is one of three temples where the feet of the Cauldron were hidden.

MONTESERE

Montserrat is a mountain range near Barcelona.
ACOTAR role: Montesere is a fae territory located in the Continent's NW and is considered generally wealthy. They allied with the loyalists in the War.

RAVENNIA

Ravenna is located in Northern Italy and was the capital of the Western Roman Empire.
ACOTAR role: Ravenna is a fae territory on the Continent and allied with the Loyalists during the War.

DUNMERE

Dunmere is a hamlet in Cornwall, England.
ACOTAR role: Dunmere is a town located within the Night Court, between Velaris and the sea.

NEVA

The Neva is the fourth-largest river in Europe and is located in northwestern Russia.
ACOTAR role: Neva is one of the largest human cities on the Continent and is where the Archeron sisters' father travels to trade.

SCYTHIA

The Scythians were an ancient Eastern Iranic equestrian nomadic people who migrated from Central Asia to the steppes of modern-day Ukraine and Southern Russia.
ACOTAR role: Scythia is one of the territories of the human lands on the Continent, ruled by Queen Vassa. They are said to be a horse loving people.

ROSEHALL

Rosehall is the name of a remote hamlet in the Scottish Highlands.
Fun fact: The 2nd Duke of Westminster acquired the Rosehall estate and his mistress at the time, Coco Chanel, redecorated the interior to her own liking. Winston Churchill, a close friend of the Duke, also visited the estate.
ACOTAR role: Rosehall is mentioned in ACOFAS and is theorized to be the place where Azriel's mother resides.

AFRICA-PARALLEL LOCATIONS

THE BLACK LAND

Black Land translates from Kemet, a popular ancient name for Egypt, which is derived from the color of the fertile black soil along the cultivated area of the Nile valley.
ACOTAR role: The Black Land is a region of the continent where human slaves were ruled over by a High Fae queen. Miryam and Drakon joined the mortals in the War and freed Miryam's people by crossing the desert and eventually the sea.

THE ERYTHRIAN SEA

The Erythraean Sea, originally an Ancient Greek geographical designation, has been used as a name for the Red Sea which lies between Africa and Asia.
ACOTAR role: Drakon used his magic to split the Erythian Sea.

ASIA-PARALLEL LOCATIONS

XIAN

Xi'an is the the most populous city in Northwest China snd the second most popular tourist destination in China.
ACOTAR role: Xian is a Fae territory on the Continent and allied with the Loyalists during the War. A large majority of the Dawn Court is made of Fae from Xian, including Thesan's mother. Feyre remarks that Amren may have molded her mortal body after their peoples.

BHARAT

Bhārat is one of the two principal official short names for the Republic of India.
ACOTAR role: The Archerons lost their fortune when their father's ships sank on the way to Bharat.

RASK

May refer to Rask, a city in Iran, that serves as both capital of its county and district.
ACOTAR role: Rask is a Fae territory on the Continent and allied with the Loyalists during the War.

ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS

VELARIS

Possibly derived from the Latin vēlo*,* meaning "to veil, cover, wrap" along with "to hide, conceal" and "to clothe in." Could also derive from the Latin vēlum, meaning "to veil, curtain" and also indicates a tarpaulin acting as cover for outdoor spaces.

THE WALL

No singular reference, but the presence of a wall separating one race from another, often humans from mythical beings, is rife throughout history, mythology, and fantasy.
One from each category that has loose ties to ACOTAR: (1) Hadrian's Wall, ie the Roman Wall, a defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia. It spanned from coast to coast, cutting across the entire width of Northern England. (2) In Norse mythology, the Master Builder asking for the hand of the goddess Freyja as payment for constructing a wall around Asgard to defend the gods. (3) The English village of Wall in Neil Gaiman's Stardust, named after the wall separating the land of Faerie from the mortal realm, highly guarded and cautioned against for mortals seeking to pass through.

THE MOONSTONE PALACE

Romans linked moonstone to the moon goddess Diana (goddess of wild animals and the hunt) and Ancient Greeks linked it to their lunar deities Artemis, Hecate, and Selene.

SIDRA RIVER

Sidra is a name of Latin origin and means "Goddess of the stars" or "like a star."

RAMIEL

Ramiel is a fallen Watcher, a type of Biblical angel, one of the 20 Watchers that rebelled against God by mating with mortal women, therefore creating the Nephilim (Shadowhunters, anyone?). Ramiel means "God has thundered." Ramiel is sometimes conflated with Remiel, also known as Jeremiel, meaning "God shall have mercy," as is listed as one of the seven Holy Angels. He is the archangel of hope and is responsible for divine visions and guiding the souls of the faithful into Heaven.

POOL OF STARLIGHT

No plausible connection found, though there is a famous pool in Greek mythology—a pool Mnemosyne presided over in Hades, counterpart to the river Lethe. Dead souls would drink from Lethe to wipe their past lives from remembrance when reincarnated. Those who drank from Mnemosyne's pool remembered and halted their transmigration of the soul.

ATHELWOOD

Ethel (also aethel) is an Old English word meaning "noble." Athelwood can mean "noblewood."
ACOTAR role: Athelwood is Morrigan's estate located in the Night Court.

GOLLIAN MOUNTAINS

Göll is one of the named Valkyries from Norse mythology. Her name means "tumult," or "noise, battle."
ACOTAR role: The Gollian Mountains are where the Valkyries were slain during the War.

MYRMIDONS

In Ancient Greek mythology, the Myrmidons were an Ancient Greek tribe. In the Iliad, they are the soldiers commanded by Achilles. Myrmidon has also come to mean "a follower or subordinate of a powerful person, typically one who is unscrupulous or carries out orders unquestioningly."
ACOTAR role: The Myrmidons are a set of mountains serving as the border between the Day Court and the Night Court from which the Illyrians migrated.

CESERA

No direct reference found, but may allude to Caesarea, the name of numerous cities and locations throughout the Roman Empire.
ACOTAR role: Cesera is one of three temples where the feet of the Cauldron were hidden.

SANGRAVAH

No direct reference found (and I lost my mind searching for one). Closest I came to was the similarly sounding Angharad, a feminine Welsh name, long associated with Welsh royalty, history, and myth, including Arthurian legend.
ACOTAR role: Sangravah is one of three temples where the feet of the Cauldron were hidden.

GREENFIELD VILLAGE

No direct connection found, though Greenfield is the name of several villages of England.
ACOTAR role: Greenfield village is a neighboring village to where Feyre grew up and where Isaac Hale's wife is from.

WINDHAVEN CAMP

No connection found, though a separate Windhaven also appears in Tower of Dawn in the TOG series. Altun—Windhaven being the rough translation—is located in a three-peaked mountain range and is the home of Sartaq's hearth-mother and family.
Fun fact: Windhaven is the name of a science-fiction novel by George R. R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle following a group of humans who crash-landed on a foreign planet and learned to craft their own wings out of the spaceship wreckage.

THE WOLF'S DEN

No connection found, BUT fun fact: there is a named Wolf's Den castle in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series (aka Game of Thrones) that now serves as a prison. "All the days were much the same inside the Wolf's Den, and any change was usually for the worse." A Dance with Dragons, Ch 29
ACOTAR role: The Wolf's Den is the name of the worst tavern in Velaris that Nesta is known to frequent.

SILVERSPRING CREEK

No plausible connection found, BUT fun fact: "Silver Springs" is a song written by Stevie Nicks, performed by Fleetwood Mac, and is so strongly ACOTAR-coded even my non-loving playlist-to-book self can't deny it. If you want more bread crumbles that SJM is a Stevie Nicks fan, "Rhiannon" and it's lyric origins have potential ties to the Rhiannon of TOG.
You could be my silver springBlue-green colors flashin'I would be your only dreamYour shinin' autumn ocean crashin'
Time cas t a spell on you*, but you won't forget me*I know I could have loved youBut you would not let me
ACOTAR role: Silverspring Creek is a stream running through Feyre's human village, near where she hunted rabbits.

STRYGA'S CASTLE

No direct reference found, but due to Stryga/the Weaver resembling a female demon akin to a vampire in Slavic mythology (see the Monster section above), it is possible Stryga's former home, before she was confined to her cottage, is reminiscent of Bram Stoker's 1897 Dracula and the Transylvanian Castle complete with three vampiric sister brides who entice men with their beauty and charm before proceeding to feed upon them.

The Night Sky

ARKTOS

Arktos, also written Arctus, means "bear" in Ancient Greek. Arktos was a centaur who fought against the Lapith spearmen. The Arktos Megale (aka Ursa Major, the Great Bear) is one of the original 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy who drew on earlier works by Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian, and Assyrian astronomers.
ACOTAR role: Arktos is one of the three regarded holy stars (the furthest left star) of the Illyrians and serves as part of the symbol for the Night Court. The echelon of Arktosian is reserved for Illyrians who survive the Blood Right but fail to reach Ramiel.

CARYNTH

May refer to Corinth, an ancient city that was one of the largest and most important of Greece, or Carinthia, the southernmost Austrian state in the Eastern Alps, noted for its mountains and lakes.
ACOTAR role: Carynth is one of the three regarded holy stars (the middle star) of the Illyrians and serves as part of the symbol for the Night Court. The echelon of Carynthian is reserved for Illyrians who scale the summit of Ramiel during the Blood Rite and are considered elite warriors.

ORISTES

Orestes (also spelled Orestes) means "stands on a mountain" and he is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays and myths concerning his madness and purification.
ACOTAR role: Orestes is one of the three regarded holy stars (the furthest right star) of the Illyrians and serves as part of the symbol for the Night Court. The echelon of Oristian is reserved for Illyrians who make it to the Ramiel during the Blood Rite but don't reach the top.

Locations not listed: A slew of various more minor locations have not been listed, including the Four Market Squares of Velaris, certain cottages and houses, and even the Ironcrest Illyrian war-camp.
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THE CAULDRON

There are many magical cauldrons present in various mythologies, one being the Pair Dadeni in Welsh mythology, a magical cauldron able to resurrect the dead, and the coire ansic of Irish mythology, the cauldron of the chief god of the Tuatha Dé Danann, which never ran empty.

TRUTH-TELLER

Possibly inspired by Fragarach, an Irish mythological sword known as "The Whisperer" or "The Answerer." It was the sword of Nuada, the first high king; it was said that no one could tell a lie with Fragarach at their throat and that the sword inflicting wounds from which no one could recover.

THE HARP

May refer to the uaithne, the magical harp of the Dagda, the chief god of the Tuatha Dé Danann in Irish mythology. It could control men's emotions and change the seasons.

THE MASK

In Egyptian culture, death masks were designed to guide the spirits of those mummified into the next world.

THE UNKNOWN 4th TROVE ITEM

Seen in a vision by Nesta via Lathys, which we now know to be the Horn, and may refer to the Gjallarhorn of Norse mythology, the sound of which is said to herald the beginning of Ragnarok.

ATARAXIA

Ataraxia, in Ancient Greek philosophy, was a state of calmness untroubled by mental or emotional disquiet, ie tranquility of the mind. It was considered the ideal mental state for soldiers entering battle.
ACOTAR Role: Nesta's Made sword.

GWYDION

Gwydion is a name meaning "born of the trees" and is the given name of Gwydion fab Dôn, a magician, hero, and trickster of Welsh mythology. Caer Wydion, the castle of Gwydion, was the traditional Welsh name for the Milky Way.
ACOTAR role: The Starsword and twin to Truth-Teller.

NARBEN

No direct reference found, though narben in German means "scar."
ACOTAR role: Narben is a lost sword from the Dread Trove.

OUROBOROS MIRROR

The ouroboros is an ancient symbol of a serpent or a dragon eating its own tale, first present in ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition, the term itself deriving from Ancient Greek. It has been used frequently and extensively throughout fantasy literature. It often symbolizes the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

BOOK OF BREATHINGS

The Books of Breathing are a set of ancient Egyptian funerary texts that are intended to enable those deceased to continue their existence in the afterlife. It is a simplified form of the Book of the Dead.

VERITAS ORB

Veritas is of Latin origin meaning "truth." It is the name for the Roman virtue of truthfulness and in Roman mythology, Veritas is the Goddess of Truth. Universities and colleges such as Harvard use the term veritas as their motto.

SYMPHONIA

Symphonia is Greek in origin and was used to denote a variety of musical instruments.

AMARANTHA'S NECKLACE AND RING (JURIAN'S FINGER AND EYE)

Jurian's finger bone and eye, kept by Amarantha, are reminiscent of relics and reliquaries, often religious in nature. Relics typically consist of the physical remains or personal affects of a saint and the reliquary is the container that holds them.

FAEBANE

Possibly inspired by wolfsbane (aka aconite or monkshood), a poisonous flower ancient Greeks would poison arrows and bait with to hunt wolves. It is lethal and often fatal and is an oft-used plant and poison within the fantasy genre.
Fun fact: In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet himself was killed with an aconite-laced blade.

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DAEMATI

Potentially a combination of the Greek word dae (to give) and the concept of mati, labeled as "the evil eye" in Greek classical antiquity. Daemati may effectively mean "to give the evil eye."

THE WEAVER'S SONG

The Weaver's song, sung when Feyre was stealing Rhysand's ring from her cottage, is similar to "The Twa Sisters," a traditional murder ballad dating back to mid 17th century England. It tells of two sisters who travel down to a body of water where the older one pushes the younger one in. A harp or a fiddle is then made out of the murdered sister's body, which plays itself and sings about her murder.

(I am not a creationist, but I am a bored contrarian and I need to argue with somebody right now. Also, I'm trying to get a better grasp of the rules of phylogeny, so maybe y'all can teach me something.).
Reasons that I think the LUCA was an animal:
1: Unicellularity is hard. We have this idealized conception of a unicellular microbe, where you stick a single cell on a petri dish and then overnight it becomes a million cells, but the vast majority of life can't do anything like this--certainly the LUCA couldn't, right? I think there would be an advantage to early life being multicellular, in that early life could "borrow" RNA/DNA/proteins with neighboring cells. Also they wouldn't need a full complement of molecular machinery if their neighbor can help out, even if their neighbor is a different species. Just like I can borrow my neighbor's stove if I'm making a special meal, early life probably borrowed very basic molecular machinery from the neighboring cell. And if any of their genes broke, they could maybe get a replacement from their neighbor? I think that it's hard to live all by your lonesome self if you're a primitive life form, so being multicellular is easier since you can rely on neighbor cells for various things and don't have to do everything yourself. I also think there's a very blurry line between a single multicellular organism and an interdependent community of unicellular organisms where none of the organisms could survive without the others. Many scientists agree that early life was like this—an interdependent community—and much life still is like this. But why should this type of community be considered to be closer to unicellularity than multicellularity?
2: The nucleus seems like a leftover relic from the RNA world. The primary function seems to be to separate transcription and translation, but why would you want to do this in a DNA organism? Why are you separating transcription from translation if you already have this elegant system in prokaryotes of just having the ribosome and the RNA polymerase right next to each other doing their things almost simultaneously, much, much faster and more efficiently than eukaryotes. Why make everything ten times slower by evolving a nucleus when you could just not evolve a nucleus? Evolution doesn’t plan ahead, and I fail to see how the nucleus is a favorable adaptation in the short term. On the other hand, a nucleus makes a ton of sense for an organism with an RNA genome because you'd need a way to separate your genomic RNA from your RNA transcripts so they could be regulated separately -- You wouldn't want to splice up or run a ribosome over your RNA genome, that would be a disaster.
3: Having a nucleus would make it easier to evolve DNA. Whatever enzyme is deoxygenating the RNA backbone wouldn't run into the problem of accidentally deoxygenating the RNA transcripts. Since the transcripts are outside the nucleus.
4: The nucleus could be an early form of cell specialization for a multicellular life form. If we think of the nucleus as a separate cell from the cytoplasmic space, I think the picture of early RNA life becomes clearer. Some cells/compartments evolve to specialize in replication and transcription -- these become the nucleus -- wheras other cells/compartments become specialized for translation of proteins --these became the cytoplasmic space, which ultimately engulfed the nucleus. In this primitive RNA organism, there would have been little distinction between replication and transcription. The cells of various sizes would have shared proteins, allowing the smaller cells specialized for replication/transcription to still benefit from the gene products being produced in the larger cells specialized for translation. The smaller cells would do a more faithful job of replicating the genome and not have to risk damaging their genes in the messy process of gene expression.
5: Based on the multiple chromosomes in the nucleus, the first Eukaryote was a likely a synthesis of multiple organisms. Multiple organisms implies multicellular. If we look inside the nucleus, we see multiple, weird, x-shaped chromosomes, with a bunch of dumb hacks (centrosomes, telomerase, etc) to keep them from falling apart as they replicate. The bacterial system makes so much more sense for modern organisms -- just having a single circular chromosome: simple, elegant, effective. Again, the eukaryotic system seems like a molecular fossil from an earlier era where these features were actually necessary. I'd argue that the eukaryotic system supports multiple chromosomes because the original chromosomes were the RNA genomes of different interdependent organisms that lived in a multicellular community. Their RNA migrated into a single nucleus for better regulated and better synchronized replication of the community genes.
6: The homologies between Porifera and Amoebozoa make no sense if Animals came from Choanoflagellates. It is widely assumed that multicellular eukaryotes evolved from single-celled eukaryotes, and this seems to be the case in land plants, at least, since they're so similar to algae which obviously came before land plants--but are we sure that it isn't the other way around for animals? Conventional wisdom is that animals evolved from choanoflagellates, and we see very similar cells to choanoflagellates in Porifera called choanocytes. BUT: Porifera (sponges) also have amoebocytes, which look and function a lot like amoebas. Amoebas are believed to be relatively closely related to animals, although not as closely related as choanoflagellates. Yet animals cannot have evolved from both amoebas and choanoflagellates, and choanoflagellates look nothing like amoebas. Isn't it an odd coincidence that amoebocyte cells in sponges are so much like amoebas? If animals came from choanoflagellates, then the similarity of amoebas and amoebocytes would have to be a coincidence. An alternative direction of evolution makes a lot more sense to me: Animals came first, and amoebas and choanoflagellates are separate lineages of reduced animals that have evolved down to only being a single cell. Other eukaryotes (such as fungi, algae and plants) could be evolved from these single-celled descendants of animals.
7: Gene homologies between microsporidia and prokaryotes. Since microsporidia are very obviously reduced fungi, this makes no sense in the current prokaryote-first paradigm, so these gene homologies are handwaved away as being the result of horizontal gene transfer. But what if it isn't horizontal gene transfer? Microsporidia is a parasitic clade of fungi which has lost most of its genes, seemingly lost its mitochondria (are we absolutely sure they ever had mitochondria?) and shrunk to about the size of a bacterium. Its shrunk so much and lost so many genes that it actually is able to withstand mutations to very basic molecular machinery such as its ribosomes, which are very different from the ribosomes of other eukaryotes and seem more similar to the smaller ribosomes of prokaryotes. Perhaps prokaryotes are just even-further-reduced microsporidia that have lost their nucleus, circularized their DNA (which can also happen in cancer cells, google "eccDNA") and further streamlined their molecular machinery.
8: We can learn a lot about the order of the clades from the type of ecological niches they currently occupy. For example: there do exist extremophile bacteria, so there's nothing inherent in bacterial microbiology that prevents them from evolving into extremophiles. So why do we see mostly extremophile archaea, but bacteria occupy almost all of the generalist, high productivity microbial niches? I'd argue: Probably, archaea had a head start in evolving specialized adaptations for extremophile environments. Probably, archaea came first. Imagine an archaeon existing before there were any bacteria, and it evolved to occupy all microbe ecological niches. Then bacteria came along in a new adaptive radiation with superior molecular biology. They were able to supplant archaea from most generalist niches but haven't been able to challenge archaea for extremophile niches for which archaea have specialized genes and specialized adaptations. And neither bacteria nor archaea seriously challenge eukaryotes for the larger ecological niches which require even more specialized adaptations. This to me implies that Eukaryotes came first, archaea came second, and bacteria are the most recent domain.
9: Animals almost exclusively occupy the large, complex, predator niche. I'd argue that the large predator niche, of all ecological niches, is the one where the greatest advantage is given to the organism who evolves to fill the niche first. Because selection pressure changes a lot once the predator appears: Things that can't run away from the predator are forced to make themselves as unappetizing as possible. So they can't have complex proteins, since complex proteins = tastier. So how can any clade evolve into a predator if there already exists a predator clade that could eat it? The fossil record seems to think: It can’t. Throughout the entire fossil record for which we have good records (since the Cambrian), the predator is always an animal. Never does a slime mold or a fungus something evolve muscles and teeth and start competing with animals for the predator niche. But this isn’t 100% true -- you have Venus fly traps, I suppose? So that’s one exception, the only one I can think of. Animal predators today have billions of years of evolutionary head start evolving such things as muscles, a nervous system, circulatory system, etc. If anything else other than an animal starts evolving complex structures or energy storage, it's only going to make itself tastier to an animal. The predator is also the niche that cares the least about the efficiency of basic molecular processes -- it doesn't need to be efficient when the world is its buffet. For this reason, I'd argue that the predator clade must have established itself very early. Probably the kingdom that occupies the apex predator niche at any given time is the absolute oldest lineage of multicellular life. Because long, long after all the original autotrophs have gone extinct, replaced with things that don't waste so much energy and have more efficient and streamlined molecular biology, the apex predator clade would remain on its throne, since nothing, I'd argue, would be able to compete with its evolutionary head start evolving so many complex adaptations for multicellularity. Are we to believe there was ever a time when the apex predator niche was something other than an animal? It's difficult to imagine. If that apex predator was a prokaryote, what is it about animal molecular biology that allowed it to overcome such extreme odds and supplant that prokaryote as the apex predator?
10: The fossil record of animals before the Cambrian is probably very incomplete. The first complex animals in the fossil record (the cambrian explosion) seem very, very advanced already -- I think this is a representation that our fossil record is incomplete and animals are a much older clade than they seem. Since predators are rarer in an ecosystem, and may have been even rarer when energy was scarcer due to less oxygen in the atmosphere (early heterotrophic life likely breathed sulfur compounds), we may simply not have any good fossils of animals from before the cambrian.
11: It's also possible that early animals simply weren't made out of the right material to fossilize. Maybe Archean-eon animals had no bones or anything like that and so they didn't fossilize, so we don't have examples of them. We can't assume that just because you don't find fossilized animals from ~3 billion years ago doesn't mean they weren't around then. And even if we did find fossilized animals from that long ago, they were probably so radically different from modern animals that we might misidentify them. For example, we have many fossils of strange creatures from billions of years ago, nobody knows what they are. Maybe they are animals? Example: Google “Grypania”. Currently there is a debate on whether these are algae or bacteria. But they are quite large, and they look sortof wormlike, so, in my view, there’s no reason they couldn’t be primitive animals.
12: Animals are slow reproducing but have the most sophisticated adaptations for multicellularity. The slower something reproduces, the slower it evolves, since there’s less opportunities for mutations. So how did animals have time to acquire so many complex adaptations for multicellularity? They must be an especially ancient lineage, something that has been multicellular much longer than anything else – otherwise they wouldn’t have had time to acquire so many complex adaptations for multicellularity.
13: Phylogenetic trees based on bioinformatics suffer from "long branch attraction" artefacts -- where fast reproducing, simple, and numerous organisms group together at the base of the tree. This is a well-known problem for making phylogenetic trees. Since prokaryotes are so much more numerous and reproduce so much faster than eukaryotes, it’s natural that they would have the most genetic diversity, even if they evolved later. The appearance of prokaryotes at the base of the tree of life derived from bioinformatics algorithms may be a product of long branch attraction.
14: Counterpoints on mitochondrias. I’ll admit that mitochondrias do look a lot like bacterial symbiotes, but that doesn't necessarily mean the original eukaryotes had mitochondrias. Once alphaproteobacteria evolved, it might have infected many lineages of eukaryotes simultaneously, since nothing had resistance to its infections yet. Maybe it impersonated the mitosome and supplanted its function, and did such a good job as a mitosome that the only surviving eukaryotic lineages are ones with alphaproteobacterial infections. Also, if we assume that bacteria are reduced eukaryotes, then many of the gene homologies for mitochondria associated genes could have been present in the eukaryotic LUCA, and perhaps they were used for regulating the mitosome which preceded mitochondrias. I think that the mitochondria is an interesting piece of the puzzle, but it doesn't conclusively demonstrate that prokaryotes came first.
….
I make ASCII phylogenetic tree for fun:

 _______________________________________________Placazoa 1____LUCA_____________________________________________5_____Ctenophora _______Cnidaria ___Bilateria ______________________________________________Porifera _____________Choanoflagellatea _________Dinoflagellata _______Algae ____Viridiplantae __2___________________________________Amoebozoa _________________________________Fungi _3_______Microsporidia __4____Archaea ^ ______Bacteria (endosymbiosis into various eukaryotic clades) _____Mitochondria ^ (horizontal gene transfer from now-extinct RNA life forms to bacteria and archaea) ______________________primitive RNA life forms (extinct) 1: A community of highly interdependent organisms evolves into multicellular eukaryotic progenator with a DNA genome inside a nucleus. This hypothetical LUCA is a relatively large and complex heterotroph which fed on primitive RNA life forms. 2: First truely unicellular (non-colonial) organisms (independent living isn't easy!) 3: Extreme miniaturization 4: Loss of eukaryotic nucleus 5: Complex adaptations for apex predator niches (neurons, etc) 

Just finished the three anime series and loved them, (starting back through the LNs so I can learn everything I can about this awesome world)
By normal person, I mean like a non-student normal resident who doesn't have any powers.
Academy City is a city filled with students, but there are normal people as well. What is the difference between someone who is a level 0 esper and a normal person?
Now that I think about it, why does Level 0 exist in the first place? Like isn't the point of the academies to develop one's esper abilities? If I don't have an esper ability to develop, won't I be at a huge disadvantage to the other students in the class?

https://animalcharityevaluators.org/charity-review/the-humane-league/2018-nov/#rf1-4-24548
https://rethinkpriorities.org/publications/corporate-campaigns-affect-9-to-120-years-of-chicken-life-per-dollar-spent
As these studies show, every dollar you spend could be used to spare several animals, and several years worth of animal suffering on factory farms. The humane league was estimated to prevent about 6-13 animals from being bred into industrial farming (via reducing # of animals bred altogether OR effective campaigns leading to the animals being raised on non-industrial farms with high welfare standards). Corporate Cage-Free Egg campaigns cause 10 years of Hen life to be spent in vastly better conditions. There are several other charities ranked with similar effectiveness by ACE. https://animalcharityevaluators.org/donation-advice/recommended-charities/
If you already donate to your local animal rescue, I would strongly urge you to consider donating to farm initiatives instead. Shelters for pets use significantly less of your donation for actual animal-related initiatives. Your dollars are much more effective in terms of animals affected in farm initiatives. And shelters often feed the animals they house by buying meat for them, further decreasing the overall effectiveness of your intervention.
If you don't donate at all, you may be thinking that your only moral obligation is to not do harm, not to actively do vast amounts of good. But do you really think that you aren't at the very least strongly compelled, and shouldn't feel a duty, to spare vast amounts of animal suffering more effectively than essentially any cause in the world by sacrificing trivial luxuries for yourself? If you came across a wild animal suffocating under a fallen branch whilst on a walk, but going and lifting the branch would cause you some slight discomfort and get your pants dirty, would you not feel compelled to prioritize the vast suffering and life of the animal over your own comfort? Would you not feel extremely wrong for leaving the animal to continue suffering when all you had to do was get your pants dirty? One of the common arguments for veganism is that eating meat puts your own minor pleasure and convenience over the vast suffering and death of an animal. Unless you really think there is a massive difference between doing harm yourself and refusing to spare others from harm, the same argument should apply here. *After all, you are here trying to convince people to go vegan (which certainly doesn't fall under mitigating the harm you do to the world) at the cost of your brain-cells, so why refuse to do something vastly more effective?
Moreover, many of the things you spend on are not even good for yourself. Some vegan ice cream is poor for your health and expensive, but you'd still choose to buy it rather than doing real good on a very high scale.
Think of what Batman does by dedicating his life to fighting crime in Gotham. Despite all his efforts and sacrifices, he still hurts many people, makes mistakes, and never even truly realizes real extreme progress. Many people would think that when you have a unique ability to do a lot of good, you are morally obligated to do so, or at least strongly compelled to, instead of prioritizing your own normalcy. But we as overwhelmingly well-off people in first world countries do, in fact, have a unique ability to have outsized effects on the world around us.
Now think of what the average income person in first-world countries could do by donating just 5% to one of these charities. You could effect 15,000 + animals by giving up a few luxuries while otherwise living a pretty normal life and clicking a few buttons on your computer. And, of course, you could completely revamp your lifestyle and be many times MORE impactful than that.

Howdy All! I looked through the FAQ and started reading online but information overload!!
I have never worked with resin. My reason looking into it now is due to my recent pet losses, lost my oldest kitty (Khan) 1.5 years ago and my girls (Anya :kitty, Xena : pup) both in the last 2 months! I keep seeing these lovely resin keepsakes with fur but I am so hesitant to send out the fur (and especially my boy whos been gone since 09/22 I have less of his fur than my girls)
Although I have worked in different arts and crafts areas throughout my life resin is new to me so some very basic questions. Im in the US.
- for pet fur specifically are there recommendations of brand/type? (likely looking to cast small pieces either a paw or animal shape things that would fit in a palm or smaller)
- reading that ventilation and safety is very important, I usually work in the basement with my arts but there is no air flow, even if I have a ventilator can I not work there? Only other option Id think would be outside weather permitting or garage with door open?
- in addition I suffer from migraines, so odors etc more concerning/triggering, does anyone with migraines work with resin or should i just give up before i try :D
- difference btw UV and non-UV - not know much on the surface UV seems nice bc setting times but ...
- recommended (all-in-one) starter kits for practice ?
Thanks for your time!

TL;DR I'm hoping to find a game with similar mechanics to Fallout 4, but without such a grusome setting. So open world, crafting, settlement building, character development. That kinda stuff minus the graphic post apocalyptic stuff. Not necessarily totally cutesie, just a bit less intense. Not too fussed about if it has combat or not.
This is maybe a weird thing to ask for. But I'm not usually a post apocalypse or gruesome shooter type gamer. Most of the games I enjoy are things like breath of the wild, animal crossing, stardew valley, planet zoo etc. Fairly cute or non-graphic games. Some fighting some exploring or building. Not too difficult or stressful. Pretty "girly" games I guess.
But for some reason fallout 4 really hooked me. I absolutely loved it, especially the exploration and (it appears somewhat controversially) settlement building. I sunk hours and hours into that game and really got deeply into it in a way I don't think I really have with many other games.
I'm feeling a fallout 4 shaped hole in my heart right now but I'm not sure I'd be able to get back into it now. I think a lot of what drew me in was the novelty of it (to me) and I'm not sure if it would still be fresh enough for me to enjoy it through all the exploding heads and supermutants.
So yeah kinda weird request maybe... Are there any games like Fallout 4 as far as game mechanics go, but without the gruesome stuff? And ideally without needing to kill actual animals/ innocent creatures. I can't bring myself to kill a bramin let alone a rabbit or a deer. I feel guilty enough accidentally catching a fish in Zelda 😂
I'm really not the right type of person for a game like Fallout. I have no idea how this happened. I don't think I'm the type of people these games are catering to so I'm not sure if there's anything at all like what I'm after out there. Thank you for any suggestions.

I’d love finding people who i could hopefully form a friendhsip with. I’m very shy and struggle with mental health so i’d prefer talking to ppl who can relate or are non judgemental. I like reading, drawing, gaming, listening to music and animals (: feel free to dm if you feel we could get along <33

New Features and enhancements
New AI-enhanced tools join Smart Tempo and the Pitch Correction plug-in to augment your artistry.
Bass Player and Keyboard Player join Drummer to complete a set of Session Players — all built with AI making it easy to create performances that respond to your direction.
Session Players can follow the same chord progression using Global chord track.
Add warmth to any track with ChromaGlow, an advanced plug-in with five saturation models designed to simulate the sound of vintage analog hardware.*
Separate a stereo audio file into stems for vocals, drums, bass and other parts with Stem Splitter.*
Session Players, ChromaGlow, and Stem Splitter also come to Logic Pro for iPad 2 — making it simple to move between projects created in Logic Pro for Mac.
Play any of six deeply-sampled acoustic and electric basses with Studio Bass.
Perform any of three meticulously-sampled pianos with Studio Piano.
Loops that contain chord tags will automatically populate the chord track when added to a project.
Three new Producer Packs are available: Hardwell, The Kount, and Cory Wong.
Original multi-track project of Swing! by Ellie Dixon available as in-app demo song.
Downmix and trim options allow custom mixing for non-Atmos channel configurations.
Exported ADM BWF files have been expanded beyond Dolby Atmos and can contain settings for stereo and other multi-channel formats.
Bounce in place adds automatic real-time recording for External Instrument regions or tracks that utilize external hardware using the Logic Pro I/O plug-in.
Route MIDI signals generated by supported software instruments and effects to the input of other tracks for creative layering during playback or recording.
Edit more efficiently using key commands for moving, extending, or resizing marquee selections.
The Nudge Region/Event Position key commands now also nudge Marquee selections.
The Transpose Region/Event key commands now also move or expand the Marquee selection up/down.
Pattern regions can now be created on Drummer tracks, and Drummer regions can be converted to Pattern regions.
New key commands include Trim Note End to Following Notes (Force Legato) With Overlap and Trim Note End to Selected (Force Legato) With Overlap.
Bounce in Place and Track Freeze can now be performed in real time, allowing for use of external instruments, I/O plug-ins, and external inserts.
Mastering Assistant analysis now can be performed in real time, allowing for use in projects that incorporate external I/O or instruments.
The Dolby Atmos plug-in now offers Downmix and Surround/Height Trim controls.
The Recent Projects list can now be configured to show up to 50 projects.
* Requires a Mac with Apple silicon.
Stability and reliability
Scripts with 1071 characters or more in Scripter no longer cause Logic Pro to quit unexpectedly.
Fixes an issue where creating a an event in a lane assigned to Note off in Step Sequencer could cause Logic Pro to quit unexpectedly.
Fixes an issue where Logic Pro could fail to launch with an Error Initializing Core MIDI message when the system is under heavy load performing other tasks.
Resolves an issue where Logic Pro could quit unexpectedly when a 64-bit floating point IR file is loaded into Space Designer.
Fixes an issue where Logic Pro could hang when opening a project while the Project Settings > MIDI window is displayed.
Logic Pro no longer quits unexpectedly when creating multiple Aux tracks with multiple existing Aux tracks selected.
Improves stability when bypassing control surfaces with Musical Typing open when EuControl software is installed.
Fixes an issue where Logic Pro could hang when quitting a project containing a large number of instances of Sampler.
Fixes an issue where Logic Pro could quit unexpectedly when replacing a playing Live Loops cell with another loop.
Performance
The UI is now more responsive when adjusting Flex Pitches directly on regions in Deviation mode.
Performance is improved when editing Transient Markers in Take regions with Flex enabled.
Performance is improved when making Flex Pitch edits in the Tracks area with a large number of selected regions.
Alchemy's Performance is improved.
Performance is improved when moving regions in projects with a large number of tracks and regions.
Projects containing a large number of flex-pitched regions now open more quickly.
Resolves an issue where loading a project saved with a Summing stack selected that contains Software Instruments that have no regions and/or with the tracks turned off could load the Software Instruments into memory.
Accessibility
VoiceOver now announces the state of Automation mode buttons on channel strips.
VoiceOver now announces the status of the Pause button in the LCD.
VoiceOver no longer announces hidden controls in the Smart Controls view.
VoiceOver no longer reads the values of pan knobs that are currently hidden in Sends on Faders mode.
VoiceOver now announces the state of the Details button and the Follow button in the Drummer Editor.
VoiceOver now announces left-click and Command-click Tool selections in the Control Bar.
VoiceOver now announces the name of the Time Quantize button in the Piano Roll.
VoiceOver now announces changes in value when the Next/Previous key commands are used to change Quantize values.
VoiceOver now announces state of key commands for Cycle, Mute, Track Solo, Input Monitoring, Track On/Off, and Lock/Unlock Track.
VoiceOver now announces the selection state of focused tracks.
Spatial Audio
Fixes an issue where adding a new 3D Object track for the first time to a Spatial Audio project could cause the Renderer to switch from the current model to the Apple renderer.
The Dolby Atmos plug-in now offers a 5.1.2 monitoring option.
Fixes an issue where setting a project to Dolby Atmos could output to 7.1.4 even when the mode defaults to Apple Renderer.
It is now possible to monitor Dolby Atmos projects directly via HDMI to a surround capable receiveamplifier.
The metering for Height channels now shows as post-fader on the Master channel as expected.
Loading a Master Bus channel strip setting in the 7.1.4 channel format now preserves the 7.1.4 channel layout as expected.
Session Players
Resolves an issue where loading a user-created Drum Machine Designer patch could set the input to a bus and fail to load the Drum Machine Designer instrument.
Using the Create Drummer Region command in a Marquee selection now creates a region that corresponds to the Marquee.
Smart Tempo
In cases where there is not an existing Smart Tempo Multitrack Set, selecting an audio file in the Smart Tempo Multitrack Set window and disabling the “Contribute to analysis” check box now causes the Update button to change to Analyze as expected.
Pressing the Space bar now immediately stops a Free Tempo recording.
Fixes an issue where projects previously open in the same Logic Pro session could unexpectedly affect “Contribute to Analysis” in the Smart Tempo editor.
Recording
Audio regions recorded to unnamed tracks now include the project name and track number in their name.
Mixer
The channel strip Stereo Pan control and the Pan menu now can be adjusted when Caps Lock is enabled.
Creating a single Multi-timbral Software Instrument in the New Track Sheet no longer creates two Software Instrument instances in the All view of the Mixer.
Resolves an issue where remaining tracks in a Multitimbral Software Instrument Track Stack could unexpectedly rename the channel strip.
Adjusting the activity status of a speaker in the Surround panner no longer causes the signal to unexpectedly mute.
Groups now immediately show as inactive when switched off for a selected set of channels in the Mixer.
Metering now correctly works on individual channel strips with plug-ins that send to more than two channels and are routed to a surround bus.
Option-clicking on a send in a selected group of channel strips now sets all corresponding sends to 0 dB as expected.
Fixes an issue where performing Undo after adjusting the fader values of grouped channels with Group Clutch enabled and then disabled could cause the faders to jump up to +6 dB when one member of the group is touched.
Setting multiple selected channels to No VCA now works as expected
Alchemy
The oscillator section in Alchemy offers a new Wide Unison mode.
All controls for Additive Effects now accept typed-in values as expected.
Values typed into parameters related to milliseconds (MS) in Acoustic Reverb are no longer interpreted as full seconds.
Resolves an issue where performance control destinations for modulation could show as duplicated.
Sampler, Quick Sampler, and Quick Alchemy
The Playback direction button in Quick Sampler now immediately updates when clicked.
The view now scrolls correctly when dragging the Trim marker in Sample Alchemy.
It is now possible to adjust the level of a group in Sampler up to +24 dB.
The Up/Down buttons for navigating zones in Sampler now remain available after adjusting the start or end positions of samples.
The general Zoom/Scroll key commands now can be used to trim the current view in Sample Alchemy.
Handles and Trim Handles in Sample Alchemy behave correctly when click-dragged, even when the plug-in window does not have focus.
The Ancient Vocal Chop and Baily Glide plug-in settings for Quick Sampler now open in Classic mode, as expected.
Plug-ins
The MIDI Scripter plug-in now shows in Logic Pro when running in dark mode.
Fixes an issue where clicking on Sampled IR in Space Designer could activate Synthesized IR mode unexpectedly.
Resolves an issue where repositioning the playhead could cause audio to cut out on channel strips that use Step FX.
The preset Note Repeater in Scripter now works as expected.
The wet/dry setting on Ringshifter is now always set to 100% wet when inserted on an Aux.
There's now a DI Delay Compensation switch in Bass Amp Designer to improve phase correlation when blending between Amp and Direct Box in the plug-in.
StepFX now includes presets using Sidechain.
The Beat Breaker preset called “Basic / 2 Slices, Speed 66%” no longer plays the slices at 50% speed instead of 66%.
Resolves an issue where ES2 could produce glitching sounds when using Sine Level or Poly Voice mode on Apple Silicon computers.
Mono > Stereo instances of Console EQ no longer can cause unexpected feedback.
Using the Delete all Automation key command while an Audio Unit window has key focus no longer causes the Audio Unit window to go blank.
The menu for the compression section of Phat FX can now be opened by clicking on the Up/Down arrows.
Beat Breaker now offers new default patterns divided evenly into 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 slices.
Mastering Assistant
There is no longer unexpected latency with bounces from projects that use the Clean or Clean + Excite mode in Mastering Assistant.
Mastering Assistant analysis is no longer incorrectly triggered in projects that contain no regions, but are previewing audio from Ultrabeat, etc.
Mastering Assistant no longer allows the -1 dBFS peak limit to be exceeded in certain cases.
Automation
The Consolidate Relative and Absolute for Visible / Automation menu item now only displays when automation types that support relative automation are active in the lane.
Region-based Automation is now pasted as Track-based Automation when pasted to an area of a track that does not contain regions.
Pitchbend now works as expected with zones in Sampler that do not have Flex Pitch enabled.
Selecting Region-based automation points on a region now deselects previously selected automation points on other regions
Disabling Region-Based Automation no longer dims the Power button for MIDI CC data lanes in the Piano Roll.
The movie window now updates to show the correct frame when moving Region-based automation points.
The Autoselect automation parameter now works as expected when clicking any plug-in control.
Automation of the Gain plug-in no longer exhibits unexpected latency.
Region-based automation is now drawn correctly when recorded into projects that start earlier than 1 1 1 1.
Automation lane views for all tracks are now maintained when switching into Flex view and then back to Automation view.
Flex Time and Flex Pitch
Flex Pitched notes now play as expected when clicked while Record or Input Monitoring is active on the track.
Flexed audio tracks using Monophonic or Slicing mode no longer produce clicks at tempo changes.
Takes and comping
Fade-ins are now applied when flatten and merge is performed on Comps.
Renaming a take that encompasses the entire length of an audio file no longer unexpectedly changes the file name.
Comps in Take Folders are now preserved when performing Cut Section Between Locators on a section that includes the end of one Take folder and the beginning of another, with a gap in-between.
Track Stacks
Record-arming a Track Stack now arms grouped audio tracks in a Track Stack it contains.
Dragging a subtrack out of a Track Stack that is assigned to a VCA now removes the assignment for the subtrack.
Fixes an issue where Track Stacks could sometimes be dimmed when some, but not all, subtracks are muted or off.
It's now possible to replace stacked instrument patches that are inside a Summing Stack with single track patches.
Track Alternatives
Loading a patch on a Summing Stack containing sub-tracks with Track Alternatives no longer causes inactive alternatives to be deleted.
Track Alternatives can now be created for the Stereo Output track.
Selection-Based Processing
Using Selection-Based Processing on a Marquee selected section within a Take Folder no longer creates an unexpected comp.
Selection-Based Processing on a comp now retains the comp.
Score
The spacing of notes is improved in cases where there is a dotted note on a line with the stem is pointing upward.
Command + Z to undo now works after deleting a Score Set.
Upward bends in TAB staves now display correctly.
Importing an instrument track no longer can cause Score Sets in the current project to disappear.
Imported Score Sets can now be deleted from a project.
Live Loops
“Join Region and Fill Cell” now works as expected.
Recording a performance in Live Loops now temporarily puts all tracks into Automation: Latch mode.
Fixes an issue where changing patches for a Live Loop track could cause the length of cells to change unexpectedly.
It's now possible to paste MIDI notes into a Live Loops cell.
Step Sequencer
It's now easier to use the disclosure triangle to open sub-rows in Step Sequencer.
Pattern regions now play back correctly immediately after being nudged.
Pattern Regions now immediately play as expected after using the Slip/Rotate tool to drag their contents to the left.
The “Separate pattern region by kit piece” command on Drum Machine Designer tracks is now applied to the correct area of the Pattern Region, in cases where the left border of the region has been moved to the right.
The length and number of steps of a newly created Pattern Region accounts for Time Signature changes correctly.
The maximum possible pattern length of a Pattern region is now 4 bars of the current time signature.
Step Sequencer now allows pattern lengths to be added based on 5/4 and 7/8 time signatures.
The Step Sequencer Inc/Dec controls now work in Loop Edit mode.
Fixes an issue where Pattern Regions on frozen tracks be edited unexpectedly.
Region-based automation now displays properly on Pattern regions in tracks that have been partially frozen, and on regions that have been frozen and then unfrozen.
It's now possible to assign MIDI channels per step in a Pattern Region.
MIDI
Reset messages for Software Instruments now work correctly.
Sustain messages are now sent correctly when playing back regions with Clip Length enabled in cycle mode.
There is now an “Internal MIDI in” setting in the Track Inspector to allow for recording MIDI from any other software instrument or External MIDI Instrument track.
The “Send all MIDI settings” key command now sends program changes to external devices assigned to empty tracks.
Resolves an issue where 3 bytes of random MIDI data would be sent when playing back regions containing SysEx data with MIDI 2.0 disabled
New 'internal MIDI in' feature allows recording of MIDI from other tracks, including MIDI FX plug-in output and 3rd party MIDI generators.
The “Delete MIDI events outside region boundaries" key command now correctly creates a starting CC event in the region to match the last matching CC of the same type in the track.
Fixes an issue where Chase could cut off notes that are preceded by notes of the same pitch on tracks with third-party instrument plug-ins.
Editing
The Humanize transform set now works as expected when the Randomize functions for Position, Length, or Velocity are set to very small values.
The menu item Delete and Move in the Event List is now only displayed if regions are displayed in the window.
When MIDI 2.0 is selected in the Settings, clicking on an Event in the Event List no longer plays events back with MIDI 1.0 resolution.
Fixes an issue where using the Cut command in the Audio Track Editor could switch the view to another editor.
When a region in the Project Audio window is double-clicked, the Audio Track editor now opens as expected.
The content link buttons for the Piano Roll and Score show the correct color as expected when toggled using the mouse.
The Event List correctly updates to reflect changes made by using key commands to select notes in other editors.
Resolves an issue where the Velocity tool in the Piano roll could affect the values of non-note events.
Fixes an issue where applying the Transform set Double Speed could cause the notes to disappear from the Piano Roll.
Step Input
Extending the length of note entered using Step Input now works correctly.
Global Tracks
Adding multiple audio Apple Loops of the same key to different tracks of a new project now changes the project key as expected.
Clicked in Tempo points are now placed at their correct positions in projects that start earlier than 1 1 1 1.
Share and export
When No Overlap is enabled, regions bounced onto existing regions no longer overlap them.
Audio files bounced from Logic Pro now include the proper Encoded Date in the metadata.
Fixes an issue where MIDI regions could be truncated when bounced in place.
Fixes an issue where audio files including Volume/Pan automation exported from mono tracks that use plug-ins could export as stereo files.
It is now possible to bounce sub-channels of multitimbral instrument tracks as individual files.
Import
Resolves an issue when dragging multiple audio files into a project, choosing the “Place all files on one track” option could create a second track and places the first file on one track, and the rest on the second.
Output channels in the Mixer can now be imported from other Logic Pro projects.
Apple Loops
The Loops browser now correctly shows the same enharmonic key an Apple Loop was tagged with.
Apple Loops now preview using the Key Signature active at the current position of the playhead.
It's now possible to add Aliases to bookmarks and untagged loops.
Dragging an Apple Loop from the loop browser to an existing track no longer changes the input for the track.
Fixes an issue where MIDI Apple Loops could jump to the start of the nearest bar position when dragged from the Loop Browser to the middle of a bar.
Video Support
A secondary screen that is running a full screen video with Show Animations off will no longer remain black after closing the project.
Key Commands
The “Increase (or Decrease) last clicked parameter” key commands now work for controls in the LCD.
The “Record off for all” key command now works on Software Instrument tracks in cases where one or more audio tracks are also record-enabled.
There is now a key command to add to the current selection of regions or cells that are assigned to a toggle solo group.
The Zoom Toggle key command now works in the Step Editor.
Compatibility
GarageBand projects that use Pitch Correction now sound the same when opened in Logic Pro.
Undo
If Undo is used immediately after creating a project, the New Track Sheet is displayed as expected rather than leaving a project with no tracks.
Undo/Redo now works as expected with Audio Unit v3 plug-ins.
Changing the Automation Mode, or changing a Track On/Off state now creates an Undo step.
Performing Undo after adding a surround track no longer corrects Drummer tracks in the project.
Logic Remote
Logic Remote immediately updates to show time and signature changes made in Logic Pro.
Control Surfaces and MIDI controllers
Controls on Control Surface devices that use Lua scripts now provide feedback when learning assignments for them in Logic Pro.
Illuminated buttons on control surfaces now show the correct state for Show/Hide Track Editor.
General
The LCD now displays the Cycle start and end times in both SMPTE time and Bars/Beats when the secondary ruler is displayed.
Search in the All Files browser now finds matching items in bookmarked folders.
Fixes an issue where the visible editor in the Main window could unexpectedly switch when rubber-band selecting regions.
Audio Take folders created in Cycle mode now loop as expected after recording when Loop is enabled in the Region Inspector.
It's now possible to create external MIDI tracks when Core Audio is disabled in Logic Pro.
Resolves an issue where deleting a Flex marker from an audio region while a Marker List is visible could switch the key focus to the Marker List.
Track information pasted into a text editor now includes the TIME position when the Use Musical Grid setting for the project is not enabled.
Input monitoring buttons are now displayed on audio tracks when Logic Pro has fallen back to an alternate audio device because the selected device is not available.
Previewing an audio region in the Project Audio window no longer causes it to jump to the top of the window.
Command+Option clicking on the On/Off button of a track now toggles the button for all tracks, as expected.
Copy/paste of regions now works when Automation view is enabled.
Right-clicking on a looped segment of a region now opens the contextual menu as expected.
It's now easier to see when black keys are depressed in the Musical Typing window.
The right arrow key now reliably moves the text cursor in the Bounce > Save As file name panel.
Groove Templates created from audio regions now work in Smart Quantize mode.
Dragging multiple regions from the same audio file from the Project Audio browser to the Tracks area now works correctly.
Audio regions are no longer moved to unexpected positions when trimming, if absolute Snap mode is on, and the region anchor is moved away from the start of the region
Fixes an issue where pasting a Marquee selection with No Overlap and Snap Edits to Zero Crossings mode enabled could delete a non-overlapping part of an existing region.
Autozoom now triggers when a region's upper right corner is dragged in the Main window, or the Audio Track Editor.
The Playhead no longer may briefly appear to be in the wrong position when zooming horizontally.
The Time Ruler now immediately updates to reflect changes made to the “Bar Position [bar position] plays at SMPTE” setting.
The File browser correctly shows the full path when using Save As.

Hoyi there :3. I am on a grand quest to find love, on the hunt for the most important role in my life to be filled and to fill that for someone else, and that is to be partners (Aka future Spouses, Aka Love for eternity. That whole thing)
Couple ground rules. These are NON NEGOTIABLE AT ALL NOT NEGOTIABLE

1. Never EVER want human kids. Dont have them with you now and never want them please. Please be 100% child free not NEGOTIABLE.
   
2. MALE between 19-23. NO ABSOLUTELY NO one older or younger. Hard rule. Very HARD rule.
   
3. East coast prefered. HEAVILY prefered! Bonus points if you are in the tristate area but east coast is alright
   

Ok now that we got the hard boring ugly rules out the way, lets say the fun stuff. Umm Im a girl thats very short, very very short, I have curly brown hair, I have brown eyes. I have freckles. I am whiteeee skin color. I am an absolute DOG of a girl. I want to love love love you all the time and be with you all the time. Im such a golden retriever as they say, and I want you to be the same. I am looking for my absolute darling of a soulmate, my man for eternity. Thats what I hunt for. :>
What I like (hobbies wise get your head out of the gutter mf!!!)

1. I LOVE ANIMALS ANIMALS ARE MY LIFE
2. I love houseplants a ton
3. I love nature in general and the woods
4. I play some video games
5. I am into anime and other medias, not social media though, most is cancer!

Qualifications to be my boy for eternity: (breathe its not hard I swear)
1 Be extremely affectionate. Please please PLEASE expect and want to be the cutest most affectionate most adorable guy on the planet with me, because thats what I will do with you. Please please love all the cute stuff and dont shy back
2 Please be under 6 foot tall. I know it sounds shallow but Im really short guys please ;-;
3 Please be on the skinnier side. Im small!!!! AHHHH
5 please be serious. I swear. Do not bother me if you want to fool around. In addition respond with a small description of yourself. You dont need to write a ton but dont just say 'hey 😏' either because nope. Just hard pass
6 Love animals. Simple as that
Ok thats all I can think of. Can't wait to hopefully finally meet you my dear. Please. Let's just love each other forever.
(Did you notice number 4 is missing? 🤭 :P)

Other Wants : Legacy Animated Prime, SSGE Bee, T30 Orion Pax.
All from a loving, smoke-free home. I have to use Google Drive unfortunately, Imgur hasn't been working for me for awhile now. Shipping starts at $8 but is subject to change due to size/weight. Willing to bundle
TF: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TlpCghIFwwOLy3_DTaPSWElQE1YHjteF?usp=drive_link
Non TF: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1b8c6jeUGFkBEXx9YulfsauFPZ3Wfjp5I?usp=sharing

Bot	parts	Price
07 Protoform Starscream	gun, no missile	$15
07 Voyager Blackout	complete	$20
ROTF Leader Prime	chest eyebrows missing	$45
Classics Hound	gun, no Ravage	$15
T30 Skids	AR gun, no revolver	$25
BM Beast Changer	complete	$40
Energon Sky Shadow	gun, no energon star or visor	$10
CW Viper (x2)	complete	$10
ROTF Powerglide	complete	$15
ES Megatron	complete	$10
G1 Gears	complete	$15

Non-TFPrice Xevoz$15 per, $20 for 2, $35 for 4, $60 for all Non-Lego$5 Speed Champions$25 per, $40 for 2, $55 for 3 blue Speed Champs$5 K'nex lot$65

I got a long case of toxic falloout so I built roofs over the animal pen. This caused it to allow them to generate filth there. But now the toxic fallout is gone and I removed all of the roofing. The animals keep generating filth. My colonists are cleaning it non stop but they can never finish. How do I fix it? From what I know, the animals should not generate filth outdoors in unroofed spaces.

Based on some background info from the PDB wiki that I took in a new direction, came up with my own descriptions.
"If the sexual E8 is a manifestly intense person who does not disguise his antisocial attitude and even seduces with his courage to be a bandit, and the social E8 is one who puts his power at the service of just causes, we can briefly describe an E8 of conservation as a hard person in his egoism—and we can understand something of the type thought of the aforementioned Henry VIII or Stalin, whose very nickname, which was given to him by his acquaintances in his youth, alludes to the hardness of steel."
"If we want to find an animal representation, E8 conservational, due to its hardness, reminds us of the crocodile. In contrast, E8 social can be compared to the pig, relatively domestic and intelligent, while E8 sexual is associated with the boar, a wild and dangerous pig, highlighted by its formidable tusks.."
Based on Naranjo's metaphoarchetypes of SP8=crocodile, SPX=wild boar, and SO8=pig. The lion is also mentioned for SP8 which is similar (the SP8 is "like a lion and only moves when it's hungry").
SP8, Crocodile: large, aggressive, can be lean or a bit fat, but the focus is on predatory behavior, survival. No-nonsense, sleeps/rests as much as needed, waits for prey, attacks swiftly and efficiently. Practical 8s. Typical no-nonsense 8s you often see mentioned in various literature/descriptions.
SO8, Pig: overweight, a bit lazy, yet dominant and aggressive. Known as intellectual and appearing more harmless than they really are. Can try to appear benevolent, the classic wolf-in-sheep-clothing 8s. Often corrupt but unwilling to face the facts, can have more of a velvet glove/iron fist dichotomy.
SX8, Wild Boar: an edgy, aggressive 8 known for its alternatingly intimidating/charismatic styles used to compete sexually and attract intimates. Tends to be a quietly charismatic 8 nevertheless ready to go into battle preemptively, evidenced by its size and tusks. Can be unrefined, wild, and irreverant, and at times mellow for an 8 given their need to get behind others' defenses and attract sexually.
SP-last 8s (SO/SX and SX/SO) - pure hogs, lack the survival skills of the SP (crocodile/lion) 8s. Predators but more offensive and frightening than they are high on the survival food chain. Live lives of decadence, aggression, and gluttony. Can be highly impractical and more rare as 8s.
SO-last 8s (SX/SP and SP/SX) - crocodile/boar variations. The least "lazy" 8s, the toughest from a sharp aggression standpoint, and the most conventionally intimidating. Live lives of survival and domination. Direct, aggressive, and often more overtly anti-social in attitudes.
SX-last 8s (SO/SP and SP/SO) - crocodile/pig variations. The least colorful and most no-nonsense 8s, no-frills, down to earth and yet not to be underestimated. A combination of leanness, girth, and mass, they live lives of expansive pragmatism. A combination of expansiveness and pragmatism, less ruled by passions and socially/practically mobile.
SP/SO - One of the earthbound 8s (sp-last), the overweight, strong-fat crocodile. Basically, a fat-ass crocodile. Maybe the MOST recognizable and stereotypical 8. Tough, business-minded, practical, pragmatic, earthy, a bit lazy, and brutal. They want survival and status -- a scary combination and sex is often just a physical-gratification afterthought. There's the sense that they can buy who and whatever they want.
SO/SP - A strong-ass, hard-boiled pig. Not quite a boar, just a nasty pig that's in charge of the rest, with weird lizard-like scheming qualities. Gets fat while also getting strong and acts relatively innocent to the people they're trying to control. Doesn't stand out too much as an object to be feared and is probably one of the 8s that you'd least suspect to be a monster inside until they show their true colors. Manipulative on a large scale but in a way that feels somehow gentle.
SP/SX - The crocodile with a wild boar flavor. Definitely more flashy and scary but not as large as the SP/SO. The most vicious 8 from a survivalist standpoint. They like controlling individuals more, don't really need or want status, just to surround themselves with resources, independence, and a convenient "possession/manipulation of intimates" as a secondary ability. The crustiest and most savage 8, can also be extremely stubborn and single-minded. Very difficult to control.
SO/SX - One of the "pure pig breed variations" (sp-last 8s) which have a fat-ass, grandiose, completely excessive quality to them in terms of non-material lust over power, influence, ability to charm, charisma, and power hungriness. These are probably the most "lazy-feeling" of the 8s. They are quite intellectual and talk more about doing things, with some intimate possessions thrown in for fun. They might get by on surprisingly little yet have an incredible larger-than-life quality. Can have an easygoing quality while also being intimidating.
SX/SP - One of the SX-first "boar variations" - also an SO-last variation which has none of the pig's homeliness. Harder to get close to but a rare combination of practicality and charisma. Tend to have a smaller circle and adept at balancing savagery with pragmatism, nevertheless giving over to attention-seeking and ability to seduce without having to rely on social niceties. The most raw, relentless, and single-minded in their possessiveness and able to resist codependency while going after power and control. As an SX-first variation they're quietly charismatic while also having the SP hardness of steel just underneath the surface.
SX/SO - the most intellectual aggressive of the boars, it's the most excessive 8 from a standpoint of passionate energy completely drained of any need for material sustenance. They will often get everyone else to do what they want, but especially people they're very close to. Other people are simply leveraged and epxloited for their causes when unhealthy. Can be an extremely influential 8 and a strong leader with an impartiality that makes them seem deceptively humble. They just need people to do what they say and everything will work out fine. The most attention-seeking and provocative 8s in a sexual sense while caring little for the classic/stereotypical "tough/hard" style of the 8. Nearly impossible to control and master manipulators, can have the most problems of all the 8s with addiction, excess, self-destructiveness, etc.

Hello! My name is Nycro and I've been a roleplayer for roughly 13 years now! I'm primarily an original story writer, preferring to build a story from the ground up. I love world building and character building. In my extensive history I've written most genres and continue to find enjoyment in exploring and sometimes trying new ones. I'm looking for someone to build a story with me with original characters and an original story. I'm a huge sucker for romance and prefer to have it involved in my roleplays as well.
I'm a multi-paragraph writer, tending to put in 3-5+ paragraphs for my writing, though I'm open to writing more depending how much I get back, but for a simple matter I refuse to write with anyone unable to give atleast two paragraphs, and would strongly prefer someone who can match or beat me in length to push me to writing more.
It is a requirement that you are capable of paragraph writing and able to produce atleast 2-3 paragraphs per emote. I'm not interested in single sentences.
It is also a requirement that you are 18+ I'm uncomfortable writing with anyone younger then that.
A little more about me! I use they/them pronouns I write in the third person, though I've dabbled in first person. Definitely prefer third.
I'm a caretaker irl, and things can be very hectic and busy with both my health and well-being, so I'm not always available but I'll always try to be open about it.
I'm a dog and cat owner, lover of the small critters, always happy to share pictures of my animals.
I enjoy making playlists, and have recently started making reference boards.
I'm open to writing all pairings, I honestly prefer finding a story that fits more then worrying about the pairing, so I'm open to everything.
I'm also open to furry/anthro! I'm happy to include or work them into the story some way if that's something that would interest you.
For Genres I prefer, though not limited to, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Post- Apocalyptic, Adventure, Slice Of Life, Romance, Drama, Tragedy, Medieval (non-fantasy), Historic, Western.
I'm open to some fandoms, though I'm not interested in playing canon characters
Harry PotteHogwarts Legacy. Recently picked up the game and I've had a strong pull to do something in the wizarding world.
Homestuck. Not ashamed to admit I'm still a fan and interested in coming up with plots for it!
Doctor who. A fun science fiction series, has been a bit of an inspiration and I love creating wild stories to go in the setting. One of my favorites.
My Hero Academia. I haven't done a roleplay in this setting in a while, and I'm a little hesitant to pick it back up, but I'm open to trying depending on the story we come up with!
Titanfall 2. This is a bit out there but it's one of my favorite games in general and I've had such a strong calling to get into it and write a pilot/mech dynamic duo as characters and think it could be a fun setting!
Halo. In general another one of my favorites, I'm not exactly sure what kind of story I'd like to write in it, but I'm open to any and all suggestions!
Monster Hunter. I'm a big fan of the games and am open to writing in any setting though I have a leaning preference toward new world plots. I'm happy to go back into older game settings, or creating our own though!

Ignore the overheated geeks: the general election doesn’t matter
By Jeremy Clarkson (The Sunday Times, May 12)
I went to the finals of the Madrid Open tennis championships last weekend, where a spindly man from Russia was set to face an unseeded French Canadian, who turned up in a cowslip yellow version of the fetching playsuit that Sean Connery wore in Goldfinger.
The spindly man made a shaky start, and it looked like General Montcalm was on course for an amazing victory. But then the man with legs like pipe cleaners started to fight back. And you could sense the tension. In one corner of the stadium, you had Montcalm’s friends, family and trainers writhing in a cauldron of dopamine and serotonin, willing their man to hang on in there. And in the other corner, there was a tribe of Russians doing exactly the same thing.
It was a good match with some epic baseline rallies, a lot of nifty backspin dolly drops, and a palpable sense of infectious excitement from all the tennis fans in the stadium. Me included. It was gripping and fascinating, but here’s the thing: I absolutely couldn’t care less who won. I’ve no love for Russia at the moment, obviously, and I think the French Canadians need a smacked bottom. James Wolfe won: get over it and speak English. But watching the fight was tremendous. And of course, that brings me on to the general election.
All over Westminster, there are hundreds of people who are frothing at the mouth with anticipation of the forthcoming duel. Wonks. Journalists. Lobbyists. They love the fight, the game. They meet and gossip and when you see them huddled round an embarrassing Student Time YouTube clip that’s just emerged, you sense they are actually aroused.
They wait in a mummified state, like the flight controllers at Nasa when a spaceship is in the re-entry radio blackout zone, for someone on the front line to say something which is at odds with the party line. Or for a junior minister to appear on the BBC News programme and not know the price of a loaf of bread. Then that’s it. Their down-the-line winner.
Every small mistake, every bacon sandwich moment, is pounced upon with delirious glee. They wait, like Frost did when he was in the third round against Nixon, for Angela Rayner to admit she had two houses, or no houses, because that’ll be that in their eyes. Game, set and match.
Of course, those in the Sunak dugout will noisily explain that this is proof that she’s Ronald Biggs in a frock. While at the other end of the court, Sir Starmer’s gatekeepers will argue that she’s only human. And news of all of these titbits will be broadcast with squeaky glee to a wider audience than the one watching Baby Reindeer.
I usually care about a general election. And I certainly cared about the Brexit referendum. But this time round, you can vote for a party that’s useless by accident. Or a party that will be useless on purpose. So it really doesn’t matter who wins. It won’t change your life in any way, shape or form.
Cancel culture and a woke civil service means the Conservatives won’t even be allowed to say what they want to do, let alone actually do it. And the Labourites will be prevented from making the changes they want by the world’s financial markets, and common sense.
We are told that if the Tories win, non-doms will continue to avoid paying taxes, which won’t make a ha’porth of difference to you because you don’t even know what a non-dom is. And then we have news that if the Labourists win, people will no longer be able to buy their council houses. And that doesn’t affect you either.
Then you’ve got Sir Starmer on the trans issue. He implied last year that a woman can have a penis and immediately the Westminster fanboy bubble went bananas. “HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT A WOMAN IS,” they bellowed. And we all sat at home, sighing and thinking: “Yes he does. He just can’t say it, because unlike JK Rowling, he needs a job”.
We saw a similar thing with Mr Rishi when footage emerged of him saying he doesn’t have any working-class friends. Straight away the wonks were out of their seats, spitting with fury as they explained he only eats swan and that he uses his butler’s children as footstools. Meanwhile, you were thinking: “I really ought to mow the lawn.”
Doubtless there will be fans of the political system bouncing up and down in their seats right now, pointing to the recent council elections in which a Muslim chap, standing on the Green ticket, celebrated his win by saying it was a victory for Gaza, and referred to a local Jewish chap as a “kind of animal”. He sounds like the sort of chap who manages to be daft and unpleasant all at the same time, but he’s in Leeds and most of you aren’t, so what does it matter if his head’s full of silly nonsense? All he’s going to be able to do in the next five years is have a very small say on where the next park bench will be built.
It’s not a completely different story for whoever wins the general election. They may have the power to make changes, but only in the same way that they have the power to drop a nuclear bomb on Belgium. It’s not actually going to happen.
The fact is that we will be treated to a bombardment of promises and polls in the coming months. And it will be a good spectator sport. But it doesn’t really matter who wins because the pot holes will continue to give you punctures, the trains will continue to be unreliable, air travel will continue to be a nightmare, NHS waiting lists will continue to be barbaric, the navy’s missiles will continue to misfire, the small boats will continue to arrive, farmers will continue to get a kicking, bills will continue to land on the doormat, we’ll all continue to pay taxes and we’ll all continue to die.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
And here's the Sun column: "I’ll be staying in the UK this summer and not going abroad – here’s why."
Clarkson's columns are regularly collected as books. You can buy them from his boss or your local bookshop.

As per Anekantvad, there is no one thing as right/wrong, everyone has their own way of looking at things and according to their viewpoint they choose what is right/wrong.
Lets take a kid for example, living alone in forest, he is not conditioned by any worldly laws or has any understanding of whats right /wrong. He is a product of nature, so functions accordingly. He might eat plants/ animals etc. He lives on. He wouldn't even have idea that his body is not permanent but his soul is.
Now according to us he is committing himsa of Animals, so he is wrong from our viewpoint. But he does what is needed at that moment, he doesn't think of killing animal is wrong. He is right from his viewpoint. So according to the environment, the character is developed, and any person present there think/ behave accordingly. Things which I feel good might be considered bad by them and vice versa.
An example of a kid living in city, is conditioned by his parents/society/country. So he would follow what is taught as right/wrong to him. He wouldn't have this knowledge otherwise.
Considering the Shraddha towards Tirthankara as the truth,

• so should I be giving my advice(viewpoint) to the kid in the forest? If he doesn't want to follow it, should I persist on advising more. Should the advice be forced?
• Would it be like ekantvad then?
• In 5 Mahavraths, we have Sathya (Truth), how can it be defined in the context of Anekantvad? I feel like both the principles are contradicting in some way.
• When Sadhu/Sadhvi ji give advice, most of us just accept it without having a rational thought on it, to rationalize any advice is to ascend towards samyaktva, what should be done if we are not 100% convinced with their advice.
• Will the kid in forest accumulate paap karma due to his ignorance of knowledge towards killing animals, even though he feels he is right. Will the intensity of paap karma be same as anyone doing the same act knowingly with its implications? Now how would the paap karma accumulate if its the lion/tiger. Their nature is in a way that they have to kill another animal for their own survival, they are also right from their viewpoint. Where the forest kid has the ability to change his path of choosing non-violence but not the carnivore species, they wouldn't able to change the outcome atleast in this lifetime.

From the moment a puppy enters your life, you have the opportunity to develop a deep, lasting bond with them. Like other new pet parents, you’re likely dreaming of years of companionship and joy with your new buddy! Building a deep bond with your pup from the beginning will bring your visions of loving companionship to fruition.
The love between a human and their puppy happens naturally – I mean, just look at those sweet faces! However, a deep and lasting bond takes a bit more effort to fully develop. Dogs understand our words, emotions, and gestures like no other animal, and their renowned ability to interact with humans is one of their most noteworthy characteristics. But how can we use this natural ability to interact with us and their selfless devotion to develop a bond that will last for years?

Puppy Eyes

Takefumi Kikusui, an animal behaviorist at Azabu University in Japan, works in a lab focused on the study of oxytocin. In 2015, Kikusui began to wonder if the mother-infant bonds created by oxytocin were replicated in the human-dog bond. Canines are one of the rare animals that gaze into a human’s eyes as a sign of understanding and affection, and Kikusui chose to focus on this mutual gazing to see if oxytocin levels rose in the dogs or their owners based on this eye contact.
Remarkably, his experiments showed that there was a tremendous increase in oxytocin for both owners and their dogs in duos that spent the most time making eye contact during a 30-minute session. For owners, oxytocin levels increased by 300% and their dogs experienced a 130% increase.
This research shows that affectionate, non-threatening eye contact with your pup can be a significant contributor to developing and strengthening your bond. But are there other behaviors that can similarly impact your puppy’s trust and devotion?

Behaviors that Promote Healthy Attachment

Use Clear and Concise Communication
Any command longer than three words will be hard for your puppy to understand. Therefore, when you use lengthy or confusing commands your pup gets lost in what you are trying to say. Choose one or two-syllable words to train your pup, accompanied by a simple hand signal. Using clear commands with your puppy will help them understand you, deepening your bond as your communication improves.

Provide Structure for Your Pup

Puppies thrive on structure! They need boundaries to help them understand where they can go and what expectations you have for their behavior. Building healthy boundaries helps establish you as a trustworthy leader in your home. Excessive chewing and potty accidents are the two most common challenges new puppy owners face. Teaching your puppy to behave appropriately will reduce your own stress and frustration surrounding your puppy, and further develop your bond as they learn to please you by following your expectations.

Build Trust

Teach your puppy to understand that your presence is reassuring, not threatening. Teach your puppy to allow you to touch their food, handle their paws, and clean their teeth and ears. Building trust allows your puppy to feel confident and safe. Be sure to watch your pup’s body language for signs of stress, and avoid threatening or dominating body language yourself when spending time with your puppy.

Get Assistance from the Pros

Still feeling a little shaky about bonding with your new puppy? We recommend training programs to all our new pet parents. Not only will this help you establish some trust and basic commands, but you will also begin to deepen your bond as you learn together! We feel confident you and your pup will walk away with a ton of newfound knowledge.

Ready to Pick Out the Perfect Companion?

Sugar Sweet Puppies From Heaven offers adorable, happy, and healthy puppies contact our Lawrenceville, GA pet store location to find the perfect puppy for your family.

This is an expansion of a recent post and also incorporates some ideas from this theory (by u/ndependent-Design17). Throughout the series the reader is repeatedly reminded that "only death can pay for life" — that magic, especially powerful magic, comes at great cost.

"Only death can pay for life, my lord. A great gift requires a great sacrifice.”

Davos, ASOS
This phrase or variations of this phrase are repeated by Melisandre, Mirri, etc. at various points throughout the series. That which follows is a highly speculative theory on the nature of the cost of magic in the series. Specifically, that souls are central to the exercise of magic and can be used as magic currency.

1. establishing the concept of the soul

Oh, to be sure, there is much we do not understand. The years pass in their hundreds and their thousands, and what does any man see of life but a few summers, a few winters? We look at mountains and call them eternal, and so they seem… but in the course of time, mountains rise and fall, rivers change their courses, stars fall from the sky, and great cities sink beneath the sea. Even gods die, we think. Everything changes.

Bran, AGOT
What happens after we die? Is there some part of us that lives on or do we simply cease to exist. These are fundamental questions that are essentially unanswerable in life but not in ASOIAF. The reader is given a point-of-view account of death in the prologue of ADWD. After unsuccessfully attempting to steal the body of Thistle, a wildling spearwife, Varamyr dies and briefly becomes a disembodied consciousness:

The white world turned and fell away. For a moment it was as if he were inside the weirwood, gazing out through carved red eyes as a dying man twitched feebly on the ground and a madwoman danced blind and bloody underneath the moon, weeping red tears and ripping at her clothes. Then both were gone and he was rising, melting, his spirit borne on some cold wind. He was in the snow and in the clouds, he was a sparrow, a squirrel, an oak. A horned owl flew silently between his trees, hunting a hare; Varamyr was inside the owl, inside the hare, inside the trees. Deep below the frozen ground, earthworms burrowed blindly in the dark, and he was them as well. I am the wood, and everything that’s in it, he thought, exulting.

Prologue, ADWD
Afterward his "spirit," or soul, is eventually transferred into a body of wolf and he begins his second life. This event, and the process of skin-changing more generally, appears to involve projection of a soul from one body into another. The process of transferring souls to either the animal vessels or the weirwoods is central to the magic of the Children of the Forest.

“Someone else was in the raven,” he told Lord Brynden, once he had returned to his own skin. “Some girl. I felt her.”
“A woman, of those who sing the song of earth,” his teacher said. “Long dead, yet a part of her remains, just as a part of you would remain in Summer if your boy’s flesh were to die upon the morrow. A shadow on the soul. She will not harm you.”
"Do all the birds have singers in them?"
“All,” Lord Brynden said.

Bran, ADWD
After death a "shadow on the soul" of the Singers remain in the crows. The soul of Orell is also described as living on in the body of his eagle after his death.
This process appears to take two forms: the soul can be temporarily projected from one body into another (e.g., as happens when Bran skin-changes into Hodor) or can be permanently transferred as is described in the separate examples above.
These transferred souls merge with their recipient, at least to some degree, and may decay over time:

"The wolf is part of you from that day on, and you’re part of him. Both of you will change.”
Other beasts were best left alone, the hunter had declared. Cats were vain and cruel, always ready to turn on you. Elk and deer were prey; wear their skins too long, and even the bravest man became a coward. Bears, boars, badgers, weasels … Haggon did not hold with such. “Some skins you never want to wear, boy. You won’t like what you’d become.” Birds were the worst, to hear him tell it. “Men were not meant to leave the earth. Spend too much time in the clouds and you never want to come back down again.
...
"They say you forget," Haggon had told him, a few weeks before his own death.
"When the man's flesh dies, his spirit lives on inside the beast, but every day his memory fades, and the beast becomes a little less a warg, a little more a wolf, until nothing of the man is left and only the beast remains."

Prologue, ADWD
Bran is provided with similar warnings about the danger of spending too much time in Summer's skin by Jojen.
The Bran that appears to Jon-Ghost in the vision in ACOK is also likely the lingering soul of a non-contemporaneous Bran, contained in the weirwoods and communicating from the future.

The weirwood had his brother’s face. Had his brother always had three eyes?
Not always, came the silent shout. Not before the crow.
He sniffed at the bark, smelled wolf and tree and boy, but behind that there were other scents, the rich brown smell of warm earth and the hard grey smell of stone and something else, something terrible. Death, he knew. He was smelling death. He cringed back, his hair bristling, and bared his fangs.
"Don’t be afraid, I like it in the dark. No one can see you, but you can see them. But first you have to open your eyes. See? Like this." And the tree reached down and touched him.

Jon, ACOK
There is more information about this in the Time Traveling Bran series. Briefly, the version of Bran in this vision does not appear to be contemporaneous because likes the dark, is able to open Jon's third eye, and smells of death. (This is well outside of the scope of this theory however.)

2. shadow magic requires souls

As above the reader is repeatedly reminded throughout the series that "only death can pay for life." What is specifically being sacrificed, though? Is the magic being fueled by the blood of the sacrificed or by something else?
To answer this let us examine one of the most concrete example of magic in the series, the use or exchange of Stannis Baratheon's "life-fire" in order for Melisandre to manifest the shadows used to kill Renly Baratheon and Courtney Penrose.

Shadows only live when given birth by light, and the king's fires burn so low I dare not draw off any more to make another son. It might well kill him."
Melisandre moved closer.
"With another man, though... a man whose flames still burn hot and high... if you truly wish to serve your king's cause, come to my chamber one night. I could give you pleasure such as you have never known, and with your life-fire I could make..."

Davos, ASOS
According to this explanation, the cost of producing these shadow appears to have been part of his "life-fire," or soul. The shadow is also specifically described as having the shape Stannis. Whether this applies to other types of magic — specifically blood magic or fire magic — is less clear but shadow magic very much appears to require the use of souls.
The exchange of seed for soul is also directly referenced in the story of the Night's King.

A woman was his downfall; a woman glimpsed from atop the Wall, with skin as white as the moon and eyes like blue stars. Fearing nothing, he chased her and caught her and loved her, though her skin was cold as ice, and when he gave his seed to her he gave his soul as well. (Credit to u/DigLost5791 for this reference.)

Bran, ASOS
Stannis is described by Davos afterward as follows:

The look of him was a shock. He seemed ten years older than the man that Davos had left at Storm’s End when he set sail for the Blackwater and the battle that would be their undoing. The king’s close-cropped beard was spiderwebbed with grey hairs, and he had dropped two stone or more of weight. He had never been a fleshy man, but now the bones moved beneath his skin like spears, fighting to cut free. Even his crown seemed too large for his head. His eyes were blue pits lost in deep hollows, and the shape of a skull could be seen beneath his face.

Davos, ASOS
Asha later describes Stannis as appearing life a "man with one foot in the grave."

What little flesh he’d carried on his tall, spare frame at Deepwood Motte had melted away during the march. The shape of his skull could be seen under his skin, and his jaw was clenched so hard Asha feared his teeth might shatter.

Asha, ADWD
These descriptions seem appropriate for a character that has lost part of their "life-fire" or soul.
Throughout the series Stannis is forced to make a series of increasingly difficult decisions. The most significant of these decisions regards the fate of his nephew, Eric Storm. Melisandre repeatedly urges him to "give [her] the boy," presumably to be burned, but is rebuffed by Stannis.

“I know the cost! Last night, gazing into that hearth, I saw things in the flames as well. I saw a king, a crown of fire on his brows, burning … burning, Davos. His own crown consumed his flesh and turned him into ash. Do you think I need Melisandre to tell me what that means? Or you?” The king moved, so his shadow fell upon King’s Landing.
"…what is the life of one bastard boy against a kingdom?”
“Everything,” said Davos, softly.

Davos, ASOS
Is the life of this bastard boy worth the lives of millions that would die if the Others break through the Wall? Making a deal with the devil and literally selling his soul in pursuit of some greater good seems very appropriate for his character, thematically.

3. blood and fire magic

As opposed to the creation of the shadows described above, we are also provided an example of blood magic in the leech burning ritual.

“Give me the boy, Your Grace. It is the surer way. The better way. Give me the boy and I shall wake the stone dragon.”
...
Melisandre bowed her head stiffly, and said, “As my king commands.” Reaching up her left sleeve with her right hand, she flung a handful of powder into the brazier. The coals roared. As pale flames writhed atop them, the red woman retrieved the silver dish and brought it to the king. Davos watched her lift the lid. Beneath were three large black leeches, fat with blood. The boy’s blood, Davos knew. A king’s blood. Stannis stretched forth a hand, and his fingers closed around one of the leeches.
“Say the name,” Melisandre commanded.

Davos, ASOS
Following this ritual all of the mentioned individuals do die but do so as the part of separate conspiracies (e.g., Robb Stark is betrayed by the Freys and Boltons, Joffrey Baratheon by Littlefinger and the Tyrells, etc.). It is left intentionally ambiguous by the author but it does not appear that the ritual was responsible.
The creation of the shadows required part of Stannis' soul. Could it be that the leech burning ritual was unsuccessful because blood alone is not sufficient as a sacrifice?
These forms of magic are frequently described, at least in the community, separately as "shadow magic" and "blood magic." These concepts — "fire and blood" and "flame and shadow" — are highly associated with one another in the series:

“Shadow?" Davos felt his flesh prickling. "A shadow is a thing of darkness."
”You are more ignorant than a child, ser knight. There are no shadows in the dark. Shadows are the servants of light, the children of fire. The brightest flame casts the darkest shadows."

Davos, ACOK
I speculate that these are different expressions of the same concept; that all of these fall under the general umbrella of fire magic and share common principles. Fire consumes.
After Alester Florent is sacrificed on Dragonstone Davos describes "the smell of burning flesh" on the wind:

Melisandre had given Alester Florent to her god on Dragonstone, to conjure up the wind that bore them north. Lord Florent had been strong and silent as the queen's men bound him to the post, as dignified as any half-naked man could hope to be, but as the flames licked up his legs he had begun to scream, and his screams had blown them all the way to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, if the red woman could be believed. Davos had misliked that wind. It had seemed to him to smell of burning flesh, and the sound of it was anguished as it played amongst the lines.

Davos, ADWD
Whether these forms of magic are actually interchangeable or not — whether they each require the consumption of souls — is difficult to prove based on the text. It appears likely given the association between these concepts that sacrifice that powered this "anguished wind" was that of a soul and not a body or blood.

4. dancing shadows

The tent was aglow with the light of braziers within. Through the blood-spattered sandsilk, she glimpsed shadows moving.
Mirri Maz Duur was dancing, and not alone.
...
No, Dany wanted to say, no, not that, you mustn’t, but when she opened her mouth, a long wail of pain escaped, and the sweat broke over her skin. What was wrong with them, couldn’t they see?
Inside the tent the shapes were dancing, circling the brazier and the bloody bath, dark against the sandsilk, and some did not look human. She glimpsed the shadow of a great wolf, and another like a man wreathed in flames.
“The Lamb Woman knows the secrets of the birthing bed,” Irri said. “She said so, I heard her.”
“Yes,” Doreah agreed, “I heard her too.”
No, she shouted, or perhaps she only thought it, for no whisper of sound escaped her lips. She was being carried. Her eyes opened to gaze up at a flat dead sky, black and bleak and starless. Please, no. The sound of Mirri Maz Duur’s voice grew louder, until it filled the world. The shapes! She screamed. The dancers!
Ser Jorah carried her inside the tent.

Daenerys, AGOT
The introduction of shadow magic in the series is provided above with Mirri Max Duur. Following this ritual Drogo is described essentially as a lifeless husk:

"He seems to like the warmth, Princess," Ser Jorah said. "His eyes follow the sun, though he does not see it. He can walk after a fashion. He will go where you lead him, but no farther. He will eat if you put food in his mouth, drink if you dribble water on his lips."

Daenerys, AGOT
It has previously been speculated that Mirri "reverse skin-changed" Drogo (e.g., "strength of the mount go into the rider, strength of the beast go into the man."). The description provided is less consistent with a horse soul inhabiting a human body than it is with the complete or near-complete absence of a soul. It appears more likely in retrospect that Mirri sacrificed part of Drogo's soul to summon the shadows, likely as a means to kill Daenerys' unborn child.

“The stallion who mounts the world will burn no cities now. His khalasar shall trample no nations into dust."

Daenerys, AGOT

5. reanimation

If "only death can pay for life" and souls are used as a form of magical currency how does one explain the reanimation or resurrection process?
There is a paucity of information on the reanimation of the dead in the series. The resurrection of Beric Dondarrion, for example, appears to be different in fundamental ways from that of the wights or Cold Hands. (We are potentially given a point-of-view account of this process if you accept that Victarion died in ADWD.)

“Thoros, how many times have you brought me back now?”
The red priest bowed his head. “It is R’hllor who brings you back, my lord. The Lord of Light. I am only his instrument.”
“How many times?” Lord Beric insisted.
“Six,” Thoros said reluctantly.
“And each time is harder. You have grown reckless, my lord. Is death so very sweet?”
Arya, ASOS

There is no immediately identifiable cost for the "kiss of life" and repeated resurrection of Beric. I speculate that Thoros is breathing part of his soul into Beric during this process.

“That first time, his lordship had a hole right through him and blood in his mouth, I knew there was no hope. So when his poor torn chest stopped moving, I gave him the good god's own kiss to send him on his way. I filled my mouth with fire and breathed the flames inside him, down his throat to lungs and heart and soul. The last kiss it is called, and many a time I saw the old priests bestow it on the Lord's servants as they died." (Credit to u/watchersontheweb for providing this quote in the initial thread.)

Arya, ASOS
Thoros is also described as appearing very different after performing this ritual several times in a way that is not entirely dissimilar to the changes in Stannis’ appearance referenced above.

“Here’s the wizard, skinny squirrel. You’ll get your answers now.”
He pointed toward the fire, where Tom Sevenstrings stood talking to a tall thin man with oddments of old armor buckled on over his ratty pink robes. That can’t be Thoros of Myr. Arya remembered the red priest as fat, with a smooth face and a shiny bald head. This man had a droopy face and a full head of shaggy grey hair. Something
...
“Thoros of Myr. You used to shave your head.”
“To betoken a humble heart, but in truth my heart was vain. Besides, I lost my razor in the woods.” The priest slapped his belly. “I am less than I was, but more. A year in the wild will melt the flesh off a man. Would that I could find a tailor to take in my skin. I might look young again, and pretty maids would shower me with kisses.”

Arya, ASOS
Thoros attributes these changes to his renewed devotion to the Red God and spending "a year in the wild" although he is not exactly forthcoming with Arya about the resurrection process. It is also likely that he may not entirely understand what specifically is being exchanged here.
Thoros later describes Beric giving the "kiss of life" to the corpse of Catelyn Stark:

“The Freys slashed her throat from ear to ear. When we found her by the river she was three days dead. Harwin begged me to give her the kiss of life, but it had been too long. I would not do it, so Lord Beric put his lips to hers instead, and the flame of life passed from him to her. And… she rose. May the Lord of Light protect us. She rose.”

Brienne, AFFC
Notably, this process produces a reanimated Catelyn (a.k.a. Lady Stoneheart). The soul of Beric, or at least whatever is left of his soul at this point in the series, is consumed in order to resurrect Catelyn.

6. cold shadows (wild speculation)

The terms "white shadows," "pale shadows," and "cold shadows" are repeated used to describe the Others. The Others are also highly associated with ghosts — the spirits of souls of the dead bound to the earth. (The forrest is literally called the Haunted Forrest.)

The Others made no sound.
Will saw movement from the corner of his eye. Pale shapes gliding through the wood. He turned his head, glimpsed a white shadow in the darkness. Then it was gone. Branches stirred gently in the wind, scratching at one another with wooden fingers. Will opened his mouth to call down a warning, and the words seemed to freeze in his throat. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps it had only been a bird, a reflection on the snow, some trick of the moonlight. What had he seen, after all?
“Will, where are you?” Ser Waymar called up. “Can you see anything?” He was turning in a slow circle, suddenly wary, his sword in hand. He must have felt them, as Will felt them. There was nothing to see. “Answer me! Why is it so cold?” It was cold.
Shivering, Will clung more tightly to his perch. His face pressed hard against the trunk of the sentinel. He could feel the sweet, sticky sap on his cheek. A shadow emerged from the dark of the wood. It stood in front of Royce. Tall, it was, and gaunt and hard as old bones, with flesh pale as milk. Its armor seemed to change color as it moved; here it was white as new-fallen snow, there black as shadow, everywhere dappled with the deep grey-green of the trees. The patterns ran like moonlight on water with every step it took. Will heard the breath go out of Ser Waymar Royce in a long hiss. ...
The Other slid forward on silent feet. In its hand was a longsword like none that Will had ever seen. No human metal had gone into the forging of that blade. It was alive with moonlight, translucent, a shard of crystal so thin that it seemed almost to vanish when seen edge-on. There was a faint blue shimmer to the thing, a ghost-light that played around its edges, and somehow Will knew it was sharper than any razor.

Prologue, AGOT
This is again highly speculative but it seems reasonable to consider that these cold shadows are not "ice demons" but are in fact ghosts, the spirits or souls of men that are bound to the earth through magic by the Children of the Forest. (The textual evidence of the creation of the Others by the Children has been previously discussed at length in the community.) Whereas fire consumes, ice preserves.
This would explain several unusual characteristics of the Others as described by Tormund

“Tormund,” Jon said, as they watched four old women pull a cartful of children toward the gate, “tell me of our foe. I would know all there is to know of the Others.”
The wildling rubbed his mouth. “Not here,” he mumbled, “not this side o’ your Wall.” The old man glanced uneasily toward the trees in their white mantles. “They’re never far, you know. They won’t come out by day, not when that old sun’s shining, but don’t think that means they went away. Shadows never go away. Might be you don’t see them, but they’re always clinging to your heels.”
...
Tormund turned back.
"You know nothing. You killed a dead man, aye, I heard. Mance killed a hundred. A man can fight the dead, but when their masters come, when the white mists rise up… how do you fight a mist, crow? Shadows with teeth … air so cold it hurts to breathe, like a knife inside your chest … you do not know, you cannot know … can your sword cut cold?"

Jon, ADWD
A reasonable interpretation of this is that the Others are present during the day, at least in some capacity, and are only able to assume corporeal form at night.
The Others are also described as "going lightly upon the snow" which is in keeping with their nature as spirits.

“The white walkers go lightly on the snow,” the ranger said. “You’ll find no prints to mark their passage.”

Samwell, ASOS

7. conclusions

This highly speculative theory that attempts to reconcile the several seemingly disparate concepts in the series related to magic, namely the actual nature of magical sacrifice ("only death can pay for life") and shadows or shadow magic. More specifically, I suggest that souls are the primary magical currency and can be consumed to summon shadows, create glamours, etc. I also speculate that similar processes took place during Mirri Maz Duur's shadow-binding ritual in AGOT and during the repeated resurrections of Berric Dondarrion in ASOS. I further suggest that the Others are ghosts, the spirits or souls of the dead bound to the earth.
EDIT: edited several times to address formatting issues

It’s crow nesting and fledging season! A fledgling is a young bird that has just left the nest, and is not yet a fully grown adult.
I’ve seen several posts in this subreddit recently showing concern over a fledgling crow and wondering if it’s injured or how to help it, thinking it might be an adult crow in trouble. All very well meaning, and can’t blame anyone for wanting to help! However, fledglings are usually doing just fine and do not need human intervention, even if they look a little silly and clumsy.
Here’s how to recognize a crow fledgling (non conclusive list, and sometimes they don’t have all of these features but it’s a great place to start):

• Pink around their beaks/pinkish mouths
• Paleish blue eyes
• Fluffy feathers
• Pin feathers on the underside of their wings where their flight feathers are growing in (they look like long white tubes and can be seen sometimes if they’re flapping their wings)
• Caws/noises that are more frantic and high pitched than adult crows
• “Please feed me, mom!” behaviour, where they open their beaks, lean back, and frantically flap their wings and caw loudly

Importantly, when they are learning to fly they are sometimes on the ground, and not yet able to take flight for long distances or much at all.
The general rule of thumb is, if you see a fledgling, leave it alone. It is being cared for and watched by adults - even if you can’t see the adults yourself - and is in an important stage of its development into a full grown adult. It is not recommended to directly feed a fledgling as they’re still very young and may have different tolerances to certain food; adult crows will feed it and hydrate it appropriately.
If it is a particularly hot day, it might be nice to leave a dish of water out. (However there is no need to try and directly hydrate the fledgling, it will either drink it itself or the adults will use it to soak food to feed to it).
The caveat to putting out water is to check if bird flu is spreading in your area. If that’s the case, it may be risky to do this, and definitely follow your local guidelines (some places will recommend against birdfeeders and water dishes).
If you do put out water, you need to very frequently wash the dish with soap and change the water. (Probably a good idea to do this regardless of if bird flu is an issue, as standing water can spread disease between animals fairly easily).
When is it OK to intervene?
Occasionally, a fledgling IS in need of help.

• If it is in a particularly busy or high risk area (by the road, near where there are outdoor cats, etc), you can very gently move it to somewhere safer nearby. Do not move it very far because the parents will be looking for it.
• If it is obviously injured (bleeding, broken/twisted wing, if you saw it be attacked), keep an eye on it and call a wildlife rehabilitation centre asap. More info near the end of this post about next steps in this case.
• If it seems abandoned (if no adults return for a LONG time - many hours or a full day or night), I would also call a rehab centre first and keep an eye on it. Keep in mind that it is normal for adults to leave fledglings alone in a spot for some time during its maturation, and just because you don’t see an adult doesn’t mean it’s abandoned. Furthermore, adult birds sometimes don’t approach their fledglings if there’s a human nearby, so give it some space and observe from a good distance if necessary.

Fledgling vs nestling
A fledgling outside the nest is normal, a nestling outside is not. Nestlings look far more like what we see in our heads when we think of baby birds - they’ll look quite naked (fledglings on the other hand have full bodies of fluff/new feathers) and quite a bit smaller. If you see a nestling out of the nest, it may have fallen. If it doesn’t look visibly injured (blood/broken bones), try and find the nest nearby and put it back. The myth about birds abandoning their babies if a human touches it is false.
Occasionally, crows (and other birds) will deliberately push a nestling out of the nest. This seems cruel on the surface, but sometimes they do this if they sense the nestling is very sick or something about it might compromise the wellbeing of the rest of the babies. This is pretty rare though, so unless you see a nestling that is visibly sick or injured, definitely go the route of trying to put it back.
If you can’t seem to find the nest, a good bet (if you have the time) is to stay nearby but out of the way of the area. Adult crows will fly in and out of their nests periodically as they take turns taking care of the babies and going out to find food or to keep watch. You can probably spot the nest by keeping an eye out for an adult coming back and maybe disappearing into tree foliage.
Next steps
In the chance that you: - find a nestling that’s either injured/sick, or you absolutely cannot find the nest it fell from - find a fledgling that’s obviously injured or abandoned
Call a wildlife rehabilitation centre ASAP. Do NOT try to feed it or give it anything, nestlings in particular are very vulnerable and they can easily choke on food/water. Only adult crows and trained professionals should be feeding nestlings, and even though fledglings are older, it’s best not to do it yourself as well. It may very well do more harm.
Adult crows might get very mad and divebomb you if you approach/touch a nestling or a fledgling. It’s not personal, they’re just protective of their young and even in cases when their young need help, they have no idea that you’re trying to help it.
Try and wear a hat or hold an umbrella if they’re swooping at you. In the future, to prevent crow grudges, just offer the adults unsalted peanuts or something healthy for crows to regain their trust. (This may take a few tries, but crows do learn and adjust their opinions on people).
Keep an eye on the nestling/fledgling that needs help, and if appropriate, very gently pick it up and keep it in a quiet, dark space (like a well ventilated cardboard box). Try not to touch it or interact with it very much, because it’s very stressful for young birds to be handled by humans, even with the best intentions, and it’s easy to accidentally injure them further. Just keep it safe until a professional can care for it.
Hope this info helps people! Enjoy fledgling season and the adorable antics of young crows.
Note on all the above: I’m not an expert or professional rehabilitator, but I have been observing crows and learning about them for a long time, and have experience contacting wildlife rehabilitation centres regarding crows. All this info is collated from experience and professional websites I’ve looked up over the years. In the chance you see something that needs correcting or that I missed, please let me know!