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seahorsepencils · 8 months

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london/manchester adventures: part 1

Vague spoilers below for anyone who hasn't seen Octopolis.

A few weeks ago I went to see Octopolis and Great Expectations with the Berena group of @batnbreakfast @ktlsyrtis @elphiessolsikke @iordio @starfleetwitch @ariverandasong and @akaanonymouth.

I have a lot of feelings/thoughts! For the sake of brevity I'm going to try to keep the focus narrow.

octopolis

Anyone who's not able to see the production, I highly recommend buying a copy of the script online if you can. It's very beautiful and strange, and I think it's a satisfying read if you want to get a sense of some of the funnier and more vulnerable moments, and imagine Jemma in those moments.

I saw the play three times in total (twice on Thursday and once on Friday night), and each performance was very different. Because the show is a two-hander and both actors do such an amazing job listening to each other and taking in each other's (and the audience's) energy, there's a lot of variable space for the mood/vibes to shift between performances.

The Thursday matinee got lots of laughs in the first half and then felt really sad at the end. The evening show got almost no laughs at the beginning and felt sort of tense? In a way that I don't think was intentional, but made for an interesting experience watching it. Also the director, Ed Madden, was at that performance - my eyes kept flicking over toward his area of the audience to try to gauge how he was reacting.

Friday was definitely my favorite performance of the three. Ewan Miller's comic timing is pretty great in general, but in this production it was perfect - and everything he said felt very honest and vulnerable, not like a punchline. And the chemistry between both actors was definitely at its best in this version. I will say that I found the chemistry to be a bit unsatisfying in general - they have a lot of fun together, but I never quite believed that either one had fallen for the other, so it didn't quite click for me as a romantic chemistry. But thinking of the two as curious and vulnerable friends and intellectual partners, I definitely found that chemistry to be most palpable in the Friday show.

Additionally, Jemma hit a different level of anger in the Friday show, which I loved. I think the ending of the play really depends on the sense that her character feels incredibly betrayed, and on Friday, I could really feel the depth of that betrayal in her reaction to it.

And if I'm not misremembering, the final dance between the characters was a little different in that version - not the choreography itself, but how they initiated physical contact at the start of it. It had a bit more of a loving/vulnerable quality, which was very sweet and sad.

Oh, also: Jemma snort laughed the most times in the Friday performance. Very important data.

My favorite difference between the three was the bows at the end of the Friday night performance - Jemma and Ewan did a little cute shoulder bump during each bow, like they were happy about how well it went and what they'd created together this time around.

It was really lovely being able to see the show with friends the third time around, and to spend time talking about bits of the production that broke our brains, and parts where her intonation was similar to a specific Bernie moment, etc. It was also great being able to chat with Jemma after the performance - I'm not good at writing about that sort of thing so I'm going to refrain, but @ktlsyrtis's post covers it pretty nicely.

#jemma redgrave #theatre #octopolis

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science-doyle · 8 months

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Did I make an impulse decision and track down to London on Saturday to go watch Jemma Redgrave in Octopolis?? Why yes I did. Do I regret the horrendous wake up at 3am to get there??? Hell no!!!!

But on a side rant she is so sweet and kind and God you need to see this play it is so good!!!! Jemma is phenomenal in it

#jemma redgrave #octopolis #autograph #hampstead theatre #doctor who #cyberman

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puffinsandpelicans · 8 months

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going to try and keep this succinct but i probably won’t be successful so putting it below the break (and i promise it is relevant to both octopolis and jemma redgrave)

tl;dr people who have been to octopolis, is it possible to give a small note from my wife to jemma redgrave?

my wife was diagnosed with a hefty glioblastoma tumour 6 months ago, it was inoperable, untreatable and she was given 2 months to live.

she did at this point try to haggle that amount of time up and i’m not sure the doctor knew what to do as she very confidently declared that she’d like six months (minimum) please and thank you

but regardless, she was given 2 months and any treatment was super unlikely to give her any meaningful extension of time, so we did what everyone does in that situation and we started on her bucket list.

we ticked most of it off in the first month and had a blast doing so and then when she had seen no further deterioration in her health we kept going through the second month…and the third, fourth and fifth months too!

which brings us to the end of september. i get home from work and she tells me we’re going to london the following week to see go to the theatre. she refuses to tell what theatre or what show.

low and behold we show up at hampstead theatre at the start of october and i figure out what show it is pretty soon after that.

i was a bit confused about why my wife would spend her precious time doing something which i know wasn’t high on her list of fun things to do before she died (she never could sit still long enough to make theatre trips worth it & i tend to go with friends instead). but she took me to this, knowing how much i adore jemma redgrave. she travelled to london knowing how it would exhaust her, because she didn’t want me missing out.

the day after we saw play her health declined rapidly. we’d prepared for this situation of course, but i felt horribly guilty that going to london had sped up the inevitable. she, of course, told me to stop being so fucking ridiculous.

she never did suffer fools, and i was never exempt from that rule

in one of our last proper conversations a couple of days ago, she told me i’d have to go back to hampstead theatre to watch octopolis again because she’d bought me a ticket. and she’s written a note for jemma. i have no idea what it says, but it’s safely enveloped and stored in the pages of octopolis itself on my coffee table.

i don’t have social media really (as if this empty blog alone wasn’t evidence enough of that). i don’t even know if it’s possible to get this note to jemma.

so this post was a really long winded way of asking those who have been whether you think it’s possible?

i’ll be at the show next thursday evening (26th) so if anyone sees a woman sobbing in the corner it’s probably me. i am bereft and rudderless and i am furious with the world, that she is gone and that the planet has the fucking audacity to keep turning without her.

my wife died last night, she was my world and i just want to do right by her

#jemma redgrave #octopolis

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batnbreakfast · 10 months

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Okay, theatre peeps:

We are thrilled to announce Jemma Redgrave and Ewan Miller as the cast of Marek Horn's Octopolis, directed by Ed Madden, opening at the Hampstead Theatre Downstairs on 15 September.

Jemma Redgrave plays Professor George Gray, who is a brilliant behavioural biologist who, alongside her recently deceased husband, became world-renowned for her pioneering research into octopus intelligence. Mainly the intelligence of one particular octopus, in fact: Frances, who still resides in a large, purpose-built tank in George’s campus accommodation.

#ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh #okay #sooooo #I'm going to finalise my theatre plans soon #because I guess it will become a Jemma/Catherine theatre weekend #anybody wanting to join: hmu #jemma redgrave #hampstead theatre #london theatre

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casualscribbler · 8 months

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so i’ve just seen octopolis and had a quite frankly lovely chat with jemma after the show which was one hell of an unexpected bonus

octopolis spoilers below

first off, the show is astounding. and i think there was some benefit for me personally having read the script prior but regardless it’s one hell of a play live.

i think Horn’s script juggles cerebral debate that really requires you to be switched on and keep up with some heartbreakingly tender and genuinely laugh out loud funny intersections.

jemma was outstanding and for someone who rarely rarely cries at any form of media, i did find myself blinking away tears at a couple of points. i think there’s a (obviously) vast difference seeing her on TV versus stage. She was electric in her performance, assured and confident and commanded the room and quite frankly took it by the throat at the end.

(and ewan was sublime as well, they play off each other magnificently)

octopolis is an odd little play, dialogue heavy and bounces about some ideas and premises that in themselves could’ve warranted a much deeper dive but i think Horn’s writing does an excellent job of educating and leaves you questioning too.

okay okay, now i genuinely hadn’t intended to wait for jemma after the show, i was sat at a table because i needed to readjust my fucking leg (again) and i didn’t actually notice her when she first appeared because i was stressing about how i was going to get to my hotel with a broken prosthetic.

in the end she came up to me, looking mildly concerned about why i was trying to pry my leg apart. she very kindly offered to call me a taxi when i explained the problem but my ankle fucking finally rotated back around whilst we continued to chat. the conversation all feels a bit like a fever dream, and maybe i’ll be able to write something more coherent in the morning once i’ve slept but i did manage to make her laugh which was an absolute joy. she was exceptionally kind and stayed until i was certain my leg could bear (bare?) weight again

i have a free evening next week amongst a job interview and catching up with friends and i might go again bc this play is going to live in my mind for a very, very long time

#the past like 4 hours have felt insane #octopolis #jemma redgrave

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apompkwrites · 2 years

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aster name anon here haha, I’m so glad you (and others 💞) like the name!

Now here’s some poly headcanons for the trio since I really like the little ashen storyline, since I love the Ashengrottos and Coral Reef gang (Everything listed is in the view of ocs rather then reader inserts)

Aster and Little Leech are theatre kids, and always end up playing enemy roles while Little Ashengrotto watches their plays!

Little Leech really likes flowers! Particularly the poisonous ones. Perhaps they take after Jade with that

Aster and Little Leech have a hit-list (kill count-) and everyone on it is someone who’s talked shit about Little Ashengrotto.

Little Ashengrotto sneaks food/dessert from their parents restaurant for Little Leech and Aster

Whenever the eel duo pisses Little Ashengrotto off they cook eel for them with their parents and Azul.

Also just a cute little scenario I wrote for them <3

Ashen was first to get out of the water, they’ve watched their older brother earn his legs and walk among the dirt and mud with great grace in the past. Unfortunately, their first time on land isn’t as graceful.

“Ashen, are you okay?” the youngest Leech asked, while typically nonchalant, worry seeped into their tone as they were wobbling looking for something to hold onto, they didn’t want to end in the sand such as their friend.

Unfortunately for them, they took a quick dive to the sand next to Ashen, as Aster laughed standing above them with legs of their own,

“careful with your steps, leech-“ before he could finish, a petty Leech kicked his legs as he took the tumble to the land as well.

aster anon aster anon aster anon

we love our lil octopoly trio :DD

got me kicking and swinging my legs

i love leech and aster being worried for ashen but then leech falls and aster just laughs. followed immediately by leech tripping aster :)

i would love to see what other lil ideas you have with our trio <33

#a pompk answers #black sheep

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sciencespies · 3 years

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Female Octopuses Throw Things at Irritating Males, And Look, We Totally Get It

https://sciencespies.com/nature/female-octopuses-throw-things-at-irritating-males-and-look-we-totally-get-it/

Female Octopuses Throw Things at Irritating Males, And Look, We Totally Get It

When it comes to getting rid of an annoying pest, sometimes subtlety just won’t cut it. Sometimes you just have to throw everything or anything within reach, pelting the offender with shells and debris until they scuttle off back to their hole.

OK, that approach probably isn’t great for humans. But for octopuses, it seems to work a treat, according to new research.

In a site off the eastern coast of Australia, where such large numbers of Sydney octopuses (Octopus tetricus) congregate that scientists have dubbed the region Octopolis, scientists first observed octopuses flinging objects at each other in a scene of heated argy-bargy in 2015.

Debris throwing by octopuses in the wild. (Godfrey-Smith et al., bioRxiv, 2021)

Now they have determined that the flingers are mostly female – and they’re probably, at least in some instances, trying to ward off overly amorous males.

“The throwing of material by wild octopuses is common, at least at the site described here. These throws are achieved by gathering material and holding it in the arms, then expelling it under pressure,” the researchers write in their pre-print paper.

“Force is not imparted by the arms, as in a human throw, but the arms organize the projection of material by the jet… Throwing in general is more often seen by females, and we have seen only one hit (a marginal one) from a throw by a male. Octopuses who were hit included other females in nearby dens, and males who have been attempting mating with a female thrower.”

Many animals fling debris at others, and there are many reasons for doing so. It can be a threat or defensive behavior, or have to do with trapping prey. Most animals seen doing this, however, are flinging things at other species, not their own.

So, to determine why octopuses might like to throw shells, silt, and algae at each other, a team of researchers led by philosopher of science Peter Godfrey-Smith of the University of Sydney set out to observe the chucking in action.

Using non-invasive GoPro cameras left on-site, they recorded over 100 instances of the inhabitants of Octopolis flinging debris willy-nilly. The octopuses would hold material in their arms, and then use their siphons to blast a jet of water that would blow the material up to several body-lengths away.

As they analyzed their recordings, the researchers noticed that there seemed to be two main types of throwing. The first had to do with housekeeping, and keeping their cosy dens free of unwanted debris and food waste.

The second seemed a bit more targeted. Octopuses, determined to be (mostly) female, were observed throwing material at other octopuses in targeted attacks. Overall, shells were the most commonly thrown object, at 55 recorded instances.

For 33 percent of these targeted throws, the flung object actually hit the intended target, with silt being the best material for this task. The targets were either other nearby females, or males making attempts to mate.

In one notable instance, recorded in 2016, a female octopus threw material at a male 10 times over a period of 3 hours and 40 minutes, hitting it five times. Interestingly, octopuses that were hit with such ejecta made no attempt to retaliate, but did sometimes attempt to duck (although not always successfully).

Another, perhaps slightly more controversial explanation for this behavior could be that the throws are not always necessarily targeted, but could be a form of tantrum due to frustration.

After several dramatic interactions, the researchers observed that one octopus would throw things in a manner that didn’t seem directed at the other octopus. Given how difficult it is to assign intent to animals, though, especially one as alien as octopuses, it is impossible to definitively conclude that this is the case.

Either way, it seems that the throwing does seem to play some sort of social role.

“Octopuses can thus definitely be added to the short list of animals who regularly throw or propel objects, and provisionally added to the shorter list of those who direct their throws on other animals,” the researchers write.

“If they are indeed targeted, these throws are directed at individuals of the same population in social interactions – the least common form of nonhuman throwing.”

The paper is available at the pre-print website bioRxiv.

#Nature

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zaptap · 3 years

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yesterday octavian showed up in my campsite in acnh, which means my plan that started a year ago (when zucker moved in in like, june?) finally reached its next step

i had zucker replace hopper which left me without a cranky, which means (since i have all other personalities) there is a 50% chance i will be guaranteed a cranky on each campsite visit. it also cycles through all members of a personality type before you can get repeats, so the pool of crankies continually gets smaller

that being said, according to dodotracker i still only had a 1.54% chance of octavian showing up (only slightly higher than finding him on a mystery island) so it was pretty lucky it happened at this point, i was expecting to cycle through like 30 more crankies (and i dont want to play the game much longer so i kind of thought it wasnt going to happen at this point)

now that i have zucker and octavian, i just need marina, and ive had a plan for that too

she’s the only octopus left, so she has a 2.86% chance of showing up on a mystery island (far more than any other specific villager). i have about 100 nmts lying around in my house (left over from that mail dupe glitch from way back, i only actually bought one of them) which is plenty to give myself a good chance of finding her

just need to kick out ken first to empty a plot. octopolis is almost complete

#acnh #animal crossing #also only need 2 sculptures from redd and then im DONE with this game #aside from asking kk to play splattack every week either until he stops pretending he doesnt know it or i hit 100 concerts

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pers-books · 7 months

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Look what arrived today! (I didn't buy it - someone bought it for me!)

#Play: Octopolis #Playwright: Marek Horn #Gifts #Jemma Redgrave

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theelliottsmiths · 4 years

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What are some random things that blow your mind?

I could rant for a long time about the gloomy octopus but I promise I won't. Simply put: a group of gloomy octopuses (Octopus tetricus) built a fucking city. They're usually solitary but they grouped together and made homes out of scallop shells and scientists named it Octopolis. It has a sister city called Octlantis. There was a bit of fighting but some people were arguing that it might have been something closer to playing. They were using their siphons to throw rocks at each other.

Just everything about fungi. Every fungi fact I learn is accompanied by a soft 'what the fuck'. There are no rules, we barely know what they are, they're a big part of how trees communicate with each other, there are credible people who think maybe they're sentient in their own way, Google prototaxites to have your mind mildly blown, they do really freaky things Just Because such as ink caps beautifully deliquescing and some boletes turning blue when you cut them.

I say things here and people read them and sometimes say nice things about them. Sometimes people actually ask me to say these things. Wild.

Every humans life is built on the back of the people who came before them. Literally every single human is only who they are and doing what they are because of choices people made thousands of years ago and the things other people made and are making and discovered and are discovering. I'm sitting here listening to Rammstein right now because of so many people and pre-people and because events went exactly the right way but the tiniest decision at any point could completely alter that. I know the whole butterfly effect thing is hardly a new idea but do you ever physically try to imagine history/time or the universe and then stop feeling like a person (or anything) for a while because holy shit?

#me rambling

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seahorsepencils · 9 months

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Good Morning Britain star Kate Garraway left fans in hysterics – and her co-host Ben Shephard needing a lie down – after wrongly telling viewers that actor Jemma Redgrave was to star as an octopus on stage.

The TV star made the blunder on Thursday’s instalment of the ITV show, as she and Shephard told viewers how they would be chatting to Doctor Who star Redgrave.

The actor is set to star in a play called Octopolis – which Garraway had taken to mean she was actually playing one of the sea creatures herself.

The presenter was introducing Redgrave and said she would be talking about growing up in an acting dynasty and “how she’s played an octopus on stage”.

—

Okay but what if she did play an octopus on stage? There's still time to make some quick changes to the script. I don't know about everyone else, but I'd pay at least 3x as much for a ticket if her character was inexplicably dressed as an octopus for the entire play. Bonus points if the characters never mention or call attention to it.

#seriously just picture her in a dramatic two-hander #in the middle of a very emotional argument or monologue #sitting down on a chair #and her tentacles get in the way #we do have a tentacle fashion expert in this fandom #so it seems only fair

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splattales · 5 years

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Fifteen Questions. Fifteen Mutuals.

Repost, don’t reblog!

(HEY DID Y’ALL KNOW I HAVE LIKE 1,000 MUSES? I’LL DO THEM ALL. HERE’S A READMORE FOR YOU. SORRY MOBILE USERS)

1. Are you named after anyone?

Molly: Sorry, nah. Can’t really ask anyone though.

Finn: I believe my first name is my grandfather’s middle name. Dad’s side.

Marina: Maybe? I think I was named after a historical figure, but it’s, like, a really popular name anyway...

Brine: Nope! Just salty water.

Pansy: I’m named after a flower. It’s a tradition in my fam’bly to name your first-hatched after a flower...

Ribbon: Momma’s a Ribbon Eel!

Slushie named himself -- though technically, he’s named after a beverage.

Tay: Yes! Many rulers in my bloodline were also named ‘Octavio’.

Sabi: It’s shortened from ‘Wasabi’. Not very creative, I know, but ... I’ve had a few names. This is just the one I’ve gotten used to.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Molly: Nunya bizness. (About three days ago.)

Finn: I’m actually quite happy at the moment! Maybe two weeks?

Marina: I don’t ever cry, duh. (Last week after spilling her meal on the floor.)

Brine: Yesterday! Don’t worry, it was just a touchy subject that came up. Always cry when you need to, it can really help.

Pansy: Haven’t in a fair bit, I think I cried on Groa the other day about somethin’ real dumb. One of my workmates left n’ I burnt dinner n’ then something else happened and just… well, I sure hope he doesn’t think I’m weird ‘cause of that, eheh.

Ribbon: It was my birthday recently, so I haven’t felt like crying! I dunno.

Slushie cried the last time he ate a memcake, so two days ago.

Tay: That isn’t any of your business. (Ten minutes ago.)

Sabi: Sometimes I cry when I’m listening to sad music, so, um… Tuesday?

3. Do you have kids?

Molly: No! Adopting might be cool when I’m older, but I’m only 19 and I have way too much to deal with already!

Finn: Do I look like a father? I’m still in uni! … That said, a few of my classmates have kids, it’s really strange.

Marina: No, but I have younger siblings, so I know how to take care of ‘em. … I don’t think I’m gonna want kids for a while, if ever.

Brine: Haha! No! Maybe someday.

Pansy: Slushie’s my kid! He’s adopted, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t family. I hope he knows that.

Ribbon: You’re funny! Sometimes I pretend my dinosaur toys are babies, and then we destroy the town as a powerful army.

Slushie is 15 years old!

Tay: I think Reed could be considered my ‘child’, but I’m still not altogether sure about that. And Masako, I think? But I never had any children in this timeline, so it’s a little confusing…

Sabi: No, no, I don’t think I’d make a good father…

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Molly: Here and there. I don’t like to overdo it, but it’s totally justified sometimes.

Finn: Yeah … my friends aren’t exactly a good influence.

Marina: All the time. I don’t think I could live without it.

Brine: Hardly! It wouldn’t be good if I sassed my superiors, and it’s mean. But a harmless eyeroll won’t hurt, on occasion.

Pansy: Eh, sometimes. I’m not really smart enough, I get out-sarcasm’d, and it ain’t the nicest thing.

Ribbon: Doing a sarcasm can be pretty hard… you get told off, too.

Slushie doesn’t talk enough to use sarcasm, but his body language often suggests it!

Tay: Oh no, I neeeever use sarcasm…

Sabi: …It isn’t kind to be sarcastic.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Molly: Their face. Some people have real distinguishin’ features.

Finn: Their ink colour! If they don’t have one, then I look at their style instead.

Marina: Uh, does it matter? It depends on the person, right? I usually notice if somebody’s an Octoling.

Brine: Usually? Their handshake. I know that’s kind of weird to say, but the way someone shakes your hand can tell you a bit about them.

Pansy: I try to look at how they carry themselves n’ the expressions they make. It helps you figure out what a person’s like – though how they talk and what they do’s the next important thing. S’ important to watch the eyes.

Ribbon: If they’re smiling!

Slushie pays very close attention to the way other people talk.

Tay: How they behave towards me! Respect can be the difference between a guest staying or being thrown out – and potentially a matter of life and death when assassins are concerned!

Sabi: How much of a threat they are to me, haha… I try to keep my head down.

6. What’s your eye colour?

Molly: Kinda… teal green? Lighter?

Finn: Rose pink!

Marina: Green eyes, green sclera. Just once I want somebody to say I’ve got eyes like emeralds, but I don’t see it happening. Nobody’s that suave, and I’d probably slap a stranger if they did.

Brine: Ocean blue!

Pansy: Deep pink. Cute, right? Haha, that was a joke…

Ribbon: Pink like dad’s!

Slushie’s eyes are purple, with a white sclera.

Tay: Soft blue on green~

Sabi: Blue – and um, I’m the kind of octoling that has green ‘whites’.

7. Scary movie or happy ending?

Molly: I like scary movies, they’re usually not that scary, haha. Happy endings make me think of those sappy films, but I don’t mind them in like … regular stuff.

Finn: I love happy endings! Especially in a romance film. Scary movies aren’t so bad, but some of them I’d prefer not to see…

Marina: Horror. Happy endings can be way too saccharine for my tastes.

Brine: I do love a good happy ending!

Pansy: Yeah, happy endings here too. I don’t mind horror so much if things work out in the end, though. What’s the point if everyone dies?

Ribbon: No scary films please!!!

Slushie isn’t a fan of scary films. He’d much rather watch something happy.

Tay: It depends on my mood. I like a happy ending, but it has to be written well, and scary films – well, I’m not scared of anything, but too much of it taints the mind, you know…

Sabi: Please . . . take one look at me and say I’d enjoy a horror film. You’d be wrong in every way…

8. Any special talents?

Molly: People keep saying my cooking’s good, but I don’t really see it? I know lots ‘bout weapons…

Finn: Art! I’m trying to make a career out of it.

Marina: I’m pretty good at mending up old human tech, and I can program. Real dab-hand at fixing technology. Betcha didn’t know that.

Brine: I’ve got a good eye! … Yup, that’s all I can think of, ahah.

Pansy: Me? Er, I guess I can cook pies pretty good. I used to be decent at all that detective stuff too, but now I’m not so sure.

Ribbon: I dunno what my special talent is yet! I’m hoping it’s to do with detecting.

Slushie is very good at puzzle solving, and has quick reflexes. He’s also an absolute STAR at learning languages.

Tay: I have so many talents! Always looking good is practically a talent, and there’s my overall intelligence – I’m especially good at mathematics – but I’m a creative mind too! I’m PERFECT at stage performance and mixing music, not to mention I’m excellent at tinkering with machinery, I’ve built plenty of things and […etc.]

Sabi: Oh, um, I’m pretty good when it comes to music, I guess…

9. Where were you born?

Molly: Small town just outside of Inkopolis, but basically Inkopolis.

Finn: I think my parents moved to Inkopolis around the time I was hatching? Yeah.

Marina: Octopolis. You know, underground.

Brine: Inkopolis, hatched and raised. (This is a retcon--)

Pansy: Cuttledown, it’s a little village right near Calamari County.

Ribbon: Here! Inkopolis!

Slushie doesn’t know when or where he hatched, but he was quickly picked up by the underground orphanage.

Tay: Oh, somewhere on the surface a very long time ago… (Actually, that isn’t true.)

Sabi: In a lab somewhere underground. It’s, uhm, not very glamorous.

10. What are your hobbies?

Molly: Turf War! I listen to music a bunch too, n’ play games.

Finn: When I’m not doing art, I like to play Turf War and hang out with my friends.

Marina: *gestures to her room full of human artefacts and study notes*

Brine: I don’t have a lot of time for hobbies, aha… sometimes I still make coffee…? I like stargazing and laughing at conspiracy theories.

Pansy: I garden a lot, but that’s also my job now.

Ribbon: I play videogames and draw and use my imagination and collect dinosaurs.

Slushie is still trying to find his place on the surface, so is trying a lot of new things.

Tay: Tinkering! I get excited about circuits and wires. Surprising, no?

Sabi: I really… REALLY invest a lot of my time into music. But I, um, I also like to read. Mostly science fiction.

11. Do you have any pets?

Molly: Nah. Banned. I leave too much to give ‘em attention anyway.

Finn: My little brother. … Okay uh, that was kind of a cruel joke, eheh. No.

Marina: Pets are cute, but I don’t have the time! Not to mention no space.

Brine: Haha, Mom would kill me.

Pansy: We used to have a nudibranch back at Ma’s but not anymore. Maybe I should get another…? They cost a whole lot, long-term.

Ribbon: I reeaallly want an axolotl but dad and mom say no! It’s not fair. Dad used to live on a farm so he basically had EVERY PET.

Slushie lives with Pansy, so likewise has no pets.

Tay: Hm, no… perhaps I should invest in one for companionship. I’d pay someone else to feed and clean up after it, of course…

Sabi: Ah, that’s a lot more responsibility than I could handle…

12. What sports do you/have you played?

[Everyone says ‘Turf War’ in unison, except for Tay who says ‘Sword fighting’ and Slushie who says nothing].

13. How tall are you?

Molly: *grumbles* 4’10”…

Finn: 5’4”, still waiting for that growth spurt.

Marina: 5’5”. I’d like to be taller.

Brine: 5’11”! Nothing more, nothing less.

Pansy: Not nearly tall enough. 5’7”. I’m the shortest of my siblings, and I’m the oldest, pffah.

Ribbon: Small! (She’s exactly 4ft.)

Slushie is something like 5’2”, I haven’t written it down anywhere.

Tay: Tall enough! (He’s 5’6” and insecure about it.)

Sabi: Aaah… I’m 6’8”, how embarrassing… I’m thankful I’m not any taller.

14. Dream job?

Molly: I sure as heck don’t know, my dude. Something where I could show off my knowledge about battling, I guess. A teacher?

Finn: An artist that gets paid!

Marina: I will become the world’s greatest archaeologist.

Brine: Almost there! I’d love to be a fully-fledged lawyer.

Pansy: … I already lost my dream job as a detective.

Ribbon: A detective!! Or a secret agent!! Or… a mailperson!

Slushie doesn’t really know what he wants to do with his life yet.

Tay: What could be better than being an emperor and a DJ? … being an MC? A showhost? I could do that too.

Sabi: My music is already selling well, so I’m very happy.

15. Favourite subject in school?

Molly: I hated school. Uh, I liked history sometimes, but I wasn’t great. Music? We used to mess around a lot…

Finn: Apart from the obvious ‘art’, I did enjoy literature too!

Marina: Human studies. As for the military side, I did always enjoy target practice.

Brine: Law! Since it’s a later subject, I also had fun in Social Studies and Inklish Language.

Pansy: Long time ago, uh… I remember bein’ pretty good at geography? I was awful at Inklish n’ Maths and that. Science was pretty good though.

Ribbon: Hm… I love all the subjects! Does snacktime count as a subject? We hardly get those anymore now we’re older.

Slushie likes foreign languages. He also excelled in agility training.

Tay: I’m not sure I remember exactly, but I do love mathematics.

Sabi: I technically never went to school, um…

Well, here’s the end!

Tagged by: @manysquidsandoctos

Tagging: meap

#pretty sure like 90% of my mutuals were already tagged so do it if you wish--#long post #EVERYONE.#Molly #Finn #Marina #Slushie #Brine #Pansy #Ribbon #Octwovio #Wussabi

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ofdiceandmendevlog · 3 years

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Board Concept: Outrageous Octopoly

This design is from roughly a month ago and I wanted to share it, but I wanted to finish the coloring first. However, I have since moved on to working on other miscellaneous things so I figure I'll just show it to you all in black and white while I work on those other tasks. Last month I mostly finalized the layout and design of a board called "Outrageous Octopoly" (the concept at the very least, it is no-where near playable yet). You can see it here:

This board works similarly to Windmillville and Koopa's Tycoon Town from Mario Party 7 and 8 respectively where you invest in locations to own their Heart(s) rather than buying Hearts individually. The player with the largest investment in a location owns it; so if another player walks up and out-bids you, they now own it instead.

What makes this board unique is that the locations you invest in double as item shops, each with their own unique inventory. How much you spend at these shops is proportional to how much you invested in it compared to other players. On top of this, the player with the majority investment not only owns the Heart(s) tied to the shop, but also gets half of the money other players spend on items at that shop.

One thing to consider when you arrive at a shop is whether you want to invest or buy an item as you can only do one of the two on a visit. What is more important to your game plan? That exact item or investing in this shop?

There are seven shops. Four are worth one Heart, two are worth two and the last one is worth three. The three in particular is difficult to get to as a secondary gimmick of the board is the police barricades and station. On four intersection on this board there is a police barricade blocking off one of the two paths connected to it. If you slip the officers stationed there 10 Dollars they will "look the other way" and block the opposite path instead. On top of which, there is a police station on the board where you can pay a 10 Dollar fee to swap any one barricade's position somewhere on the board.

The board is divided in half and on each side, half of the shops are available with both sides leading to the three Heart shop. That shop, however, is blocked by two barricades on both sides making it a little pricey to get there. But remember, if you open the way to it, those behind you can follow you for free, choose your paths wisely.

The observant among you might have noticed that the board is named "Outrageous Octopoly," a play on words of the term "Monopoly," or a market dictated by a singular party. Thus "Octopoly" implies that it is instead run by eight parties; yet there are only seven shops. I have intentionally left it up to interpretation why this is, but all I'll say is that there are a few ways of looking at it to have an eighth participant in this economy.

There are a ton of details I have not discussed about this board and even some easter eggs, but I'll leave the rest for you all to discover on your own, meaning that is all for now! If you wish to ask me anything or inquire about this project, here is my twitter: https://twitter.com/Gamedev_Horayn

#gamedev #video games #of dice and men #board game design #map drawing #work in progress

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alienvirals · 7 years

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Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith review the octopus as intelligent alien

A scuba-diving philosopher of science explores the wonder of cephalopods, smart and playful creatures who live outside the brain-body divide

Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs / Uponthe slimy sea. Coleridges lines evoke those Precambrian depths where sensate life first stirred, and which remain lodged atavistically in our collective imaginations. Perhaps thats why we look on the octopus as an eldritch other, with its more-than-the usual complement oflimbs, bulbous eyes, seeking suckers and keratinous beaks voraciously devouring anything in its slippery path.

Peter Godfrey-Smiths brilliant book entirely overturns those preconceptions. Cephalopods octopuses, squids and nautiluses are an island of mental complexity in the sea of invertebrate animals, he writes, having developed on a different path from us, an independent experiment in the evolution of large brains and complex behaviour. This is why they present themselves as a fascinating case study to Godfrey-Smith, who is a philosopher of science because of what can be learned from them about the minds of animals, including our own. His book stands alongside such recent works as Hal Whitehead and Luke Rendells The Cultural Lives of Whales and Dolphins as evidence of new and unconstrained thinking about the species with which we share our watery planet.

Unlike cetaceans whose sentience it is possible to imagine, partly because they demonstrate our mammalian connections so vividly and physically cephalopods are entirely unlike us. If we can make contact with cephalopods as sentient beings, it is not because of a shared history, not because of kinship, but because evolution built minds twice over, says Godfrey-Smith. This is probably the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien. The fact that they have eight legs, three hearts, and blue-green blood allies them more with The Simpsons gloopy extra-terrestrials than anything earthly.

The body itself is protean, all possibility an octopus hunting in a lagoon on the island of Mayotte near Madagascar. Photograph: Gabriel Barathieu

The beauty of Godfrey-Smiths book lies in the clarity of his writing; his empathy, if you will. He takes us through those early stirrings in the seas of deep time, from bacteria that sense light and can taste, to cnidarian jellyfish, the first organisms to exhibit nervous systems, which he describes wonderfully: Picture a filmy lightbulb in which the rhythms of nervous activity first began. The ocean itself became the conduit for evolution; we feel a magnetic attraction to the vast waters that gave us birth because we still carry the sea inside us.The chemistry of life is an aquatic chemistry. We can get by on land only by carrying a huge amount of salt water around with us.

In the same way, the octopuss fluidity seems like a collation of the sea itself. Its ancestors evolved defensive shells and became the first predators: the frills of these snail-like creatures, which crawled on the ocean floor, became tentacles and they began to swim. Then they discarded their shells; the first octopus probably appeared 290m years ago. They also developed large brains to compensate for their new vulnerability. A common octopus brain has 500m neurons, a smartness that ranks alongside dogs and even a three-year-old child. But unlike a vertebrates, an octopuss neurons are ranged through its entire body. It is suffused with nervousness including its arms, which act as agents of their own and sense by taste as much as touch. For the octopus, the body itself is protean, all possibility; it lives outside the usual body/brain divide.

Clarity and empathy Peter Godfrey-Smith. Photograph: Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard University News Office

The result is a wondrous being. In lab experiments, octopuses attain good results, able to negotiate mazes and unscrew jars containing food, using visual cues to achieve their goals. They also show a sense of craftiness squirting water at researchers they dont like, for instance. One celebrated aquarium-kept octopus proved its skill when staff noticed fish from a neighbouring tank had gone missing overnight CCTV revealed the smooth operator. The octopus was lifting the lid on its own tank, slithering over to the fish, claiming its prize, then crawling back, covering itself again as if nothing had happened. But Godfrey-Smith finds another anecdote more revealing: an octopus at the University of Otago in New Zealand learned to turn off lights by squirting water at the bulbs; brightness annoys an octopus. Cephalopods are not only aware of their environment; they seek to manipulate it.

Godfrey-Smiths interest in octopuses goes beyond the academic. An experienced scuba diver, his empathy is a product of personal observation, mostly in the Pacific Ocean close to Sydney, where he teaches. It is this that makes him ask what it feels like to be an octopus. Consciousness is required to perform novel acts beyond routine or instinct. Octopuses will manipulate half-coconut shells in ways that suggest they are investigating the shapes as much as using them. They play; they recognise individuals (both human andoctopus); and, like us, they exhibit qualities of caution and recklessness asthey intuit the world.

As those autonomous arms reach out and touch-taste the diving author, he reads their gestures as friendliness rather than possible predation. They even see with their skin, replicating the terrain around or below using a layered screen of pixel-like cells known as chromatophores, iridophores and leucophores to detect and reflect the shade and pattern of rocks or sand. Noris this almost photographic ability solely for camouflage; cephalopods flood their bodies with colour according their moods. Godfrey-Smiths Romantic flourishes summon up almost angelic, Blakean spirits: one octopus on the offensive, flushing red with horns, seems to create a real sense of what is frightening for a human, and was trying to produce avision of damnation.

More like us than our hubris allows an octopus in an aquarium in Timmendorfer Strand, Germany. Photograph: Markus Scholz/AP

Wondering if he is entirely real in their watery world, and not one of those ghosts who does not realise they are a ghost, the author hypothesises that this chromatic chatter is a subtle kind of communication. We now know that speech isnt needed for complex thought; perhaps these animals, so incredibly sensate, learning from each others behaviour, shifting in shape and colour, are more social than we ever suspected. Yet what they might know or feel still eludes us.

Returning again and again to his many-armed friends in their Octopolis off the Australian shore, Godfrey-Smith evokes a cephalopod utopia. In the process, he proves that, like all aliens, these strange, beautiful creatures are more like us than our hubris allows. Only evolutionary chance separates us. After all, as he concludes, When you dive into the sea, you are diving into the origin of us all.

Philip Hoares RisingTideFallingStar will be published by 4th Estate in July. Other Minds: The Octopus and theEvolution of Intelligent Life is published by William Collins. To order a copy for 17 (RRP 20) go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over 10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of 1.99.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us

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