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freddys-finest · 2 years

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What Happens When a Sugar Pill Turns Sour?

How the nocebo effect is tacking itself onto to the list of side-effects associated with countless medical treatments.

Just as Anakin Skywalker revealed his dark side when he shifted into the galactically feared super-villain Darth Vader, the well-known and well-regarded placebo possesses a rather dark side as well.

Throughout the past decade, society has become increasingly familiar with the concept of a placebo and its common mode delivery as a sugar pill that can provide patients with relief from a number of negative symptoms they may be experiencing. The healing powers associated with this sugar pill have been linked to an individual’s expectations surrounding a positive reward. These learned preconceptions we process surrounding the delivery of a medical treatment can quickly become somewhat of a double-edged sword when this perspective begins to morph into an expectation or fear that something bad is going to happen following the delivery of a medication or treatment. This phenomenon is known as the nocebo effect, or more casually, the placebo’s evil twin.

The nocebo effect has been formally defined as a harmless substance or treatment that when taken by a patient elicits negative side effects or symptoms due to the patient having expectations surrounding its results. Although the concept of a sugar pill causing sour side effects may seem rather far-fetched, a significant number of scientific studies have provided a wealth of supporting evidence indicating the legitimacy of the nocebo effect.

Like a Jedi using the force to control the mind of another, the nocebo will often use the words of a physician or care-provider to provide it with its mild altering abilities. It has long been thought that the best way to properly prepare a patient for experiencing pain is by using terms such as “this might hurt quite a bit” or “brace yourself for a pinch”, however, studies have recently revealed that these well-intended words are inflicting a form of pain on their own regardless of if a medical treatment is present or not. One experiment in particular analyzed a patient’s perception of pain after being injected with a radiographic substance by determining how their sensation varied depending on the phrases the doctor used prior to delivering the injection. They found that the more frequently the doctor used words such as “sting”, “burn”, or “hurt”, the greater the degree of discomfort was felt by the patient.

In 2012, researchers from the Technical University of Munich produced an in-depth review of 31 empirical studies that focused on the clinical applications of a nocebo. Follow this review, they concluded that not only does the nocebo effect exist, but it has been silently leaching its way into doctors’ offices and pharmacies around the world for years.

The researchers conducting this review set out on a mission to portray an accurate representation of the neurobiological mechanisms that influence the strength of a nocebo. They questioned its relatedness to the more widely studied placebo effect, and if the nocebo is caused by the same type of learning and conditioning as what has been deemed to be the source of the placebo.

A number of these studies provided direct evidence that the nocebo effect can elicit a physical response in a patient’s perception of pain. Like the placebo effect, a few central chemical messengers, including dopamine and endogenous opiates, have been linked to the intensity of the experienced nocebo effect. Where the brain of the patient delivered a placebo will display an increased level of these neurotransmitters, a patient’s brain following the delivery of a nocebo will exhibit a sharp decrease in the internal levels of these same chemicals. This is an extremely logical finding as a release of dopamine in the brain is normally associated with a decrease in anxiety and pain levels, both of which are elevated when a patient is delivered a negative nocebo treatment.

One experimental study put the nocebo effect to the test by randomly dividing 50 individuals with chronic back pain into two groups prior to a preforming repetitive leg flexions. One group was told that the test would cause a slight increase in pain whereas the other group was told there would be no increase in pain. The group provided with the negative information reported a significantly higher level of pain than those given the neutral information and preformed fewer leg flexions as a result. This showed researchers that the physicians’ words alone had enough power to cause a physiological response in the patient’s response.

Similar to how a Jedi uses the Force to control the mind of their target, the nocebo will often use the words of a doctor or a care provider as its main source of power. It has long been thought that that proper way to prepare a patient for experiencing any pain, the care provider must describe a treatment using phrases such as “this might hurt quite a bit” in order to invoke anxiety so they know what to expect. One study in particular showed that these well-intended words of a doctors are actually inflicting a form of pain on their own even regardless of if a medical treatment is present or not. This experiment analyzed a patient’s perception of pain after being injected with a radiographic substance and how their level of discomfort varyied depending on the phrases that doctor used before delivering the injection. They found that the more frequently words such as “sting”, “burn”, or “hurt” were used, the greater the degree of discomfort the patient felt. However, if a care-provider neglects to disclose the slew of side-effects accompanying a given treatment, they may be at risk of being accused of malpractice or in the most extreme cases, getting sued for mistreatment.

The moral obligation surrounding a physician’s duty to inform their patients of any adverse effects that may be associated with a given medication, chemotherapy, or psychological treatment causes them to walk a fine line in order to avoid adding ‘bad-vibes’ to the list of negative side effects of a treatment. If a patient believes that they will experience harm because of a prescribed treatment, they may transform this notion into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Alternatively, some individuals may talk themselves out of taking their medication following an overly detailed review of the ill effects associated with it. This put physicians in a tough spot in terms of deciding how they will deliver a pre-treatment script to a patient without making a rather symptom laden bed for their patient to rest in.

Thankfully, this review also provided several tips and tricks for physicians attempting to avoid the nocebo effect, one of which emphasizes the importance placing any potential side effects under a more tolerable light. Using this strategy, a physician will attempt to phrase any possible adverse effects more positively by stating “most patients tolerate this treatment very well”, instead of “5% of patients report…”. The effectiveness of this tactic was highlighted in a study on the importance of briefing a patient prior to the delivery of an influenza vaccine. If the care-provider isn’t as keen to perform the literary work of Shakespeare on a side-effects list, they can instead directly ask the patient if they would like to hear the information regarding the mild side effects of a treatment or not. Although the patient must still be informed of any serious implications associated with this treatment, filtering out the overwhelming “what if’s” and “maybes” can steer them away from entering a spiral of anxious thoughts regarding the treatment they are about to receive.

Figure 1: A patient’s reported pain level after being administered an influenza vaccine based on the words and phrases used by the physician prior to its delivery.

Figuring out how to communicate effectively to handle a patient’s fears and anxieties surrounding a medical treatment appears to be almost as challenging for physicians as fighting the illness itself. Ironically, the best weapon for a physician to bring to a battle against a nocebo is their words, or in some cases with the permission of the patient, the lack thereof. This review, along with several additional studies centred around the mind controlling power of the nocebo, emphasize the harsh reality of the phrase “the less you know the better” and that sometimes being left in the dark may be more beneficial than you may think.

Reference Article

Häuser, W., Hansen, E., & Enck, P. (2012). Nocebo Phenomena in Medicine. Deutsches Ärzteblatt International. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.2012.0459

For more information on the Nocebo effect check out these links:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-is-the-nocebo-effect-5451823/

https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/is-the-nocebo-effect-hurting-your-health

Until next time,

-Kalli

#nocebo #biol4272

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readyplayerhobi · 4 years

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Flower | 24

; Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Fluff

; Word Count: 3k

; Synopsis: You finally decide to take a dip into the world of online dating and find the Flower dating app. One of the top matches for you proves to be a guy who looks to be your complete opposite; tattooed, pierced, a metalhead and oh…incredibly handsome. What happens when you throw caution to the wind and reach out to him?

; A/N: This is a shorter one but I swear, you’ll love the next chapter. It’s a certain birthday boy’s night out :P so I hope you enjoy this lead up either way!

; Flower Masterpost

“Urgh,” You groan loudly, running your hand over your face as you stare at the display of unusual technology. “Why are men always so hard to buy for?”

“I’d take offence to that but honestly, you’re right.” Jungkook says, humour in his voice as he plays with a little helicopter that actually flies. You’re in one of those stores full of random things that seem to particularly appeal to guys with odd and bizarre technology things and joke stuff. You like it too but these places always seem to attract guys in particular, which is why you’re currently here with Chungha, Soyeon and Jungkook trying to find something for Hoseok’s birthday.

Buying presents for anyone is always a stress for you as you hate the idea that you’ll end up buying something they hate. Half the time, you explicitly ask them to give you a list and just pick off it because quite frankly, you’re not very creative when it comes to presents.

But this time you’d decided to try properly. It was the first birthday either of you had had since beginning your relationship and you wanted to try. So you’d spent time making sure to listen to his conversations, whether they were with you or his parents or his friends, to find things that he wanted.

It didn’t help that his birthday was only a month and a half after Christmas too. One of the reasons you’d held back on his Christmas presents was because his birthday was so darn close afterwards. You’d finally managed to get a new job in January after many, many months of failed interviews, with a salary that wasn’t pitiful and with work that didn’t make you want to face plant the desk, so you had a bit more money to spend on him.

Twenty-nine wasn’t a big birthday or anything, that would be next year obviously, but you still wanted to make it fun for him. So you were determined to buy interesting presents that weren’t boring and useless.

“I don’t know about Hoseok but I think I want this lamp.” Soyeon says, picking up and turning around a lamp that reminded you of one of those wire games where you had to avoid touching the wire. It was fluorescent pink right now but faded into yellow soon enough and in the shape of a heart. Perfect for Soyeon.

“Go for it. It’d look good in your room I bet.” You murmur, eyeing the stand of various lights and alarm clocks closely. Maybe Hoseok might like some fancy alarm clock given he was always getting up earlier than you? Though that would mean you’d have to put up with it too and you pulled a face at that thought, moving away to the range of mugs.

He got up way earlier than you for work and you could be a bit moody in the morning. The last thing you needed was to buy him something that would inevitably cause you to snap at him in the early hours. You were pretty sure he’d managed to train himself to wake up as quickly as possible to avoid your grumpiness.

Chungha follows you, picking up a heat activated mug with lightsabers on it and humming in curiosity. You look it over too for a moment and consider before instead grasping a box with a Zelda logo on it, licking your lips before nodding to yourself.

Hoseok loved Zelda and you’d half contemplated buying him a Switch so he could play the one that came out a few years ago along with the other games that had come out recently. It was way out of your budget though so this would just have to do for the moment. He could take it to work for his coffees and stuff.

“Have you noticed that Soyeon and Jungkook seem to be really hitting it off?” Chungha whispers to you quietly, the both of you glancing over to where they’re both now stood playing around with sword umbrellas. You didn’t know Jungkook too well or anything, well enough to invite him to come help you pick things for Hoseok but you weren’t close.

He was one of Hoseok’s sweeter friends though and shared a lot of interests with you, including being quiet and introverted. Given how beautiful Soyeon was, and her own personality that made her kind, caring and loyal, you weren’t surprised that Jungkook had been instantly caught by her.

And you were kind of glad really. You knew he was a good guy from what Hoseok had told you and Soyeon deserved someone good. Plus, you would openly admit that Jungkook was handsome with the kind of body that game with his sports related degree while still maintaining such an adorable face.

Soyeon’s weakness really.

“Yeah. Don’t say anything though, it’s cute. Let them work things out themselves.” Laughing, you move over to the cashier and give her the mug with a bright smile before also grabbing a LEGO Darth Vader keyring from the range on the counter. This would make him laugh tonight.

“Don’t you feel a little jealous though? I mean, look at them. They look so perfect together.” Chungha sighs, leaning against the counter as you pay and accept the bag from the girl. Narrowing your eyes at your best friend, you lead her out of the store and watch as your remaining friends trail you out, laughing away at whatever conversation they were having.

“Excuse me. Are you saying that Hoseok and I don’t look perfect together? Or you and Dahyun? All lies.” There’s a slight petulant tone to your voice and Chungha immediately backtracks, spluttering almost in her attempts to smoothe over any issues she may have just caused until you laugh at her, pushing her gently.

“I’m joking. You’re right. They do look good. Hey, if they start dating then it’s officially bringing you guys and Hoseok’s friendship circles together!” You pause suddenly, cringing as a thought enters your head. “Though if anything happened with Hoseok and me then that would be very awkward. And heart breaking.”

“Hey, hey. None of that! I don’t want to hear any talk of breaking up or the potential for it when we’re out shopping for your boyfriend’s birthday presents! I’m telling you now, if you two ever break up then romance is dead.” Looking at her, you raise your brow in amusement at the completely serious look on her face.

“Okay. Calm down Nicholas Sparks. We’re fine.” That gets a snort from her as you lead her into a store that sells all kinds of musical instruments and electronic stuff. From your extensive research into trying to find Hoseok the perfect gift, you knew that you should be able to find what you wanted in here.

“Have you even read a Nicholas Sparks book? Or seen one of the films?” She asks incredulously, running her fingers along the strings of a guitar as you both pass by. Shrugging, you stop in front of the vinyl players and eye them with a tongue in your cheek.

“No? I mean, I watched five minutes of The Notebook but it was really boring so I turned it off. Aren’t all his stories meant to be like...depressing and shit?” Leaning forward, you read the little information card on one of the vinyl players and hum to yourself.

Hoseok had been discussing how he wanted to get into collecting vinyl records lately and to do that, he’d need a vinyl player. You’d already discussed it with his parents to make sure they didn’t accidentally get him one as he’d been talking about it to his dad and you’d tried to make sure that you would get a good one for him.

Even if you had zero idea of what constituted a good vinyl player to be honest.

“I mean...yeah, they are pretty depressing. But still. You should watch one, or read it. They’re tragically romantic.” Pausing, you look at her with a carefully blank stare before snorting.

“I don’t like romance films, Chungha you know that. I’m certainly not going to watch one that you’ve described as tragic. How is that even romantic? It’s just fucking sad.” You think you’ll go with the Sony vinyl player that you’d researched. He doesn’t need anything super fancy for a first one and it has Bluetooth, so should be good enough for him?

They’re certainly not cheap and you’re very happy that you’d saved so well to be able to afford this. While you weren’t normally sure about presents, you were pretty sure that this one was going to be a big hit with him.

“I’m just going to point out that not all of his films are sad. Well, I mean...they don’t all end sad. But still. Anyway, it’s not important. I don’t even know what we’re talking about anymore and holy fuck, this is almost a thousand dollars!” Her surprise is incredibly audible and you shush her repeatedly, looking around to make sure no one is looking.

“I’m not buying that one. I’m buying this one. It’s not that expensive.” You point towards the one you want, crouching down to grab one of the boxed ones before heading over to the cashier once more. This birthday present shopping was going surprisingly easy compared to other times. Maybe it’s because the presents you’d decided for Hoseok were just so damn expensive that he didn’t have many.

“Boy, I hope he gives you some good oral for that.” She mutters and you look at her mortified, eyes before glancing around to check that no one is nearby. Your hands are full so you can’t make a shushing gesture to her but your scowl is more than enough and she cringes slightly, whispering sorry.

Thankfully though, you don’t think anyone overheard her as the cashier just gives you the usual, bland customer service smile that you’re used to. The one which you give back while internally chanting ‘please don’t question what she just said’ but he simply rings you up, putting the box into a large bag for you.

As you walk away once you’ve paid, you hiss at her in embarrassment. “Chungha! We’re in public! Please!”

Laughing at you, she wraps an arm around your shoulder and hugs you to her before letting you go. She’s always been the more open minded out of you all and has never felt the need to censor her thoughts or words. Though she did usually tone it down in public as you always wanted to melt into a puddle of embarrassment.

There was no wonder Hoseok and her got along so well. Both of them just said whatever came to their minds with no filters sometimes and it pained you considering you were a prude in comparison. Well, when it came to sexual things anyway. Anything else just came out of your mouth without a second thought.

“Where have they gone?” You ask suddenly, realising you’re both about to leave the store with only half of your group. Frowning, you look around outside and see that they’re not there so you walk back inside, scanning through until you spot them both sitting at one of the pianos that’s been set up.

Jungkook is playing and it comes to you that the sweet piano music you’d been hearing for the last ten minutes has actually come from him. His hands, so large compared to Soyeon’s, dance across the keys elegantly and produce the kind of music you could only wish you could do. Chungha pauses next to you to watch the show and you laugh softly, leaning into her as you nod towards Soyeon.

“Oh yeah, they’re definitely gonna get together. She’s got literal heart eyes going on right now.” Chungha snorts in amusement, nodding before walking over to them both and breaking up their little music session. Jungkook appears to be oblivious to your best friend’s sudden infatuation with him and gives Chungha a polite smile as he makes small talk with her but you’re not.

Walking alongside Soyeon, you peer at her for a moment and take in the way her eyes are bright with happiness and the gentle smile on her face. Giggling you push her with your shoulder until she’s looking at you in expectation.

“So...Jungkook.” You keep the words quiet in case Jungkook happens to have better hearing than you’d expected but it still causes her cheeks to blush a sweet, rose gold. Grinning, you turn around and walk backwards as you take the rare chance of being able to tease her about a potential relationship.

Normally, she’s already in a relationship before you even find out anything given how much she enjoys dating. But for the first time since you were in college, you were getting to see her in the midst of a crush.

“He’s nice. Very nice.” She says softly, the smile on her face matching her tone and you want to coo at her. But you can’t because Jungkook and Chungha have paused for you both to catch up to them. So instead, you leave her with one final comment.

“He is. And he’s very handsome. Hoseok says he’s a good guy so you should go for it.” With that, you stride forward to have a talk with the man in question. Looking up at him, he’s taller and broader than you, you give him a bright smile before holding up the bag with the player in it.

“Think he’ll like it? He’s been saying for a while he wants some vinyl records and I told his parents I’d get him the player. They’re getting him some records for it to start him off.” Jungkook peers into the bag, having a closer look at the vinyl player you’d bought before nodding in approval.

“I think he’ll like it. And that’s perfect because now I can buy him some records too. Any idea what his parents are getting him?” He asks curiously and you hum, frowning as you try to recall what his mom had told you on the phone.

“I think...a bunch of Iron Maiden records and one or two Metallica?” Pausing for a moment, you nod firmly. “Yeah, those two.”

“Sweet. There’s a store that sells records near here, are you okay if we go there and I can get him something as well? I know the perfect record for him.” His eyes are wide with excitement and you can’t help but grin at how sparkly they seem to be. Yeah, he would definitely make a good boyfriend with Soyeon.

“You know, I think I’ve realised a flaw in my present plans.” You muse to yourself, linking arms with Chungha when she sidles up next to you. A questioning noise comes from Jungkook and you look at him with a self-deprecating smile.

“I don’t really like a lot of the music he loves so I’m just making a rod for my own back here, aren’t I?” That gets a laugh from them all and you pout in an overly dramatically manner. For a moment, you consider how easily Jungkook seems to fit into your little friend group and how much you actually enjoy interacting with him.

You’ll openly admit to being a little awkward and stilted with some of Hoseok’s friends still, but you imagined that would change with time. The easy camaraderie between you all makes you miss Hoseok though, even though you knew there was no way he could have come with you.

“Well, you can buy records too. I mean, I know it’s his but if it’s in your place...I think they probably do records for the stuff you like.” Jungkook laughs and you can’t help but snort at the evil look in his eyes. Despite how sweet and innocent he often appeared, you knew from Hoseok that Jungkook, along with Jimin, was quite capable of coming up with some of the best pranks.

Best depending on your point of view obviously.

“Okay, no. I’ll be nice. It’s his player so he can play what he wants. Though he’d probably let me. Did you know I managed to get him to sit through an entire Taylor Swift album the other day? He looked comatose by the end.” Giggling, you remember the memory fondly while Soyeon scoffs on your other side.

“You don’t even like Taylor Swift.”

“Wrong. Well, kinda wrong. I like some of her songs. But on the whole, yeah, not a huge fan. That’s why it was funny because his reaction when he figured out I’d just put it on to make him whine.” Now it’s Jungkook’s turn to laugh loudly, the sound amusing on its own while he wrinkles his nose in pure amusement.

“Oh, you are evil. I love it. I definitely approve of you.” Rolling your eyes at how enthused he sounds about your prank on your boyfriend, you smile at Soyeon as she shakes her head in resigned bemusement. She should get used to this if she wants to try anything with the grad student because it’ll probably be a lot worse for her.

Idly, as you all continued to walk to the store Jungkook wanted to visit and made plans for dinner at a local pizzeria, you wondered if Hoseok would be amenable to your matchmaking skills. He obviously knew Jungkook far better than you so you resolved to ask him about it tonight. Maybe you could rope him into helping you get them both together.

Though he may just do that thing where he sighs at you fondly and just goes along with whatever you say. You’d suggest it to him and see what happens. Either way, you get the feeling that the group of single guys in Hoseok’s friendship circle would be dropping once more soon enough.

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quolant · 3 years

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3, 4, 9, 16, 20, 23, and 39 for the fic asks if that’s not too many :)

thanks so much!

3. yes!! there are so many lovely fics and amazing authors that inspire me but for brevity, i'll list three lol

- a form in wax by @scientia-rex / kristophine. holy shit this fic. if you hear about the 70k+ sports night fic on tumblr it's probably going to be this fic. there are so many things i love about this fic but one of the parts that gets me the most is how it's not afraid to dig into casey's flaws and realistically depicts how he could learn to be happier. also the romantic/friendship dynamics are so good and really invoke the show while also progressing past it and being better (also the fics in dan's pov for this fic are also so so good)

- send a postcard from down the street by @cauldronoflove / thegoodthebadandthenerdy. the prose in this fic really, really gets me. it's winding and intimate but not tangenty and it's like the donna&sam fic if not the donna fic period. i love how it depicts the changing nature of their friendship and donna's professional life and is probably one of my favorite depictions of donna hands down. this is very much a gen fic but the romantic elements are also executed amazingly and integrated into donna&sam's convos super awesomely.

- the family amidala by @ink-splotch. / dirgewithoutmusic. ok i love this fic for the way it warps and changes canon — like it's based on the premise: "what if padme survived rots and escaped with the twins & obi-wan?" and it really intertwines that with their eventual involvement in the rebellion, the return of padme's handmaidens, and anakin/vader. one of my favorite parts of this fic is that it deals with complicated emotions and peels back the layers in them like, for example, padme's emotions regarding vader/anakin and reconciling them with her raising luke and leia to fight against him and what he caused. also padme and obi-wan in this fic are incredibly lovely and the depth of their friendship is also explored! it's awesome

4. i'd probably go w a form in wax, killing elvis by david hines (a hilarious epistolary alien fic about a bunch of weyland-yutani scientists getting screwed over) and an avalanche of detour signs by @gyzym (a gigantic, lovely molly hooper character study)

- @giidas (her tenet protagoneil stuff IS SO GOOD we need more tenet fic but i just. Her fic is lovely)

- @princesspatria / shewho (the two fics in the '98 campaign series are amazing and the characterization of josh is so good)

- @sarapod (circle game and don't know when i'll be back again are genuinely amazing and break my heart)

16. it... depends? like i think it depends on the scope of the fic! in general, if i'm reworking canonical events i tend to rewatch the material or do a lot of wiki research. for outside research uh... like for, bifurcate i did a little research on saturday night live and sketch comedy shows and how they work, but for a dawning day unfurling @thxngam and i have unexpectedly done like a ton of research. i think one of the farthest rabbit holes we went down was like when we were trying to figure out timelines and i had to rewatch (and still watching!) a bunch of s6 so i would know what happened and thxngam had to remind me of stuff that happened earlier and later in the show so the timeline can stay as consistent as it probably can. oh and we had to find out where the dnc took place in either 2000 or 2004? @thxngam has a running joke that she's got a list of all of the stuff we looked up so yeah, it depends

20. i love brainstorming, outlining, and coming up with dialogue! it helps to kinda get me in the mindset for a fic if i have the general plotline/key lines already plotted out.

23. best friends to lovers! i love reading/writing fics about people with an established close friendship falling in love (cough cough all my sports night bookmarks) probably because i'm a sap, but yeah i love it!

39. i think i really like the way i write internal dialogues of characters! when i write a fic i like to try to understand the characters and where they're coming from and how their minds work a little, and how that can come to play with their relationships with other people! i also really find dissecting emotions (esp complicated emotions) pretty interesting so i think that helps! i think that also helps with setting the tones of my fic because i don't think my fics have like a distinct style or tone or something and are pretty dependent on the characters!

#ask #callixton

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tiefighters · 4 years

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Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #1 - Alyssa Wong Interview

In Star Wars, there are heroes like Jedi and rebel princesses. There are villains like Sith and slimy crimelords.

And then there’s Doctor Aphra. She’s found herself on the side of freedom one moment and saving the Emperor’s life the next. The rogue archaeologist has a tendency to walk — and sometimes trip over — a moral line between right and wrong, all depending on how she benefits. And that’s how Alyssa Wong, writer of Marvel’s new Doctor Aphra ongoing series coming April 2020, likes it.

“I think Aphra is a delight. She’s out for herself, for fun and profit, and that drives her actions more than any internal moral compass,” Wong tells StarWars.com. “It makes her really fun to write! Aphra acts according to her whims and desires, which gives her an edge of unpredictability. But the second you think you’ve got her number, she chooses to do something that leaves her vulnerable — whether that’s an unexpected moment of nobility or bitter betrayal. No matter which side Aphra’s currently on, you can count on her to be deeply selfish. And that’s what I love the most about her.”

Last we saw her, Doctor Aphra was heading for the stars with what was left of her fan-favorite murder-droid friends. She outsmarted Darth Vader once again, doing something uncharacteristically generous and hacking into the Empire’s database to erase files pertaining to the Rebellion’s new base on Hoth. The usually-not-so-good doctor also arranged it so that those closest to her — her father, her ward, and her on again/off again girlfriend — were safe and together on the ice planet, where they could take care of each other. But this being Doctor Aphra, she can’t stay that quiet, or that good, for long. That’s where Wong’s new series, set after the events of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, begins.

“After a streak of bad luck, Doctor Chelli Aphra is back, hunting for a score big enough to change her fortunes for good,” the writer says. “So when she hears rumors of an incredibly valuable ancient artifact, she can practically hear the credits pouring into her lap. Crafted by an ancient group of artisans called The Architects of Vaale, the Rings of Vaale are the last relic of a long-forgotten secret society. They’re a priceless piece of history. They’ll make Aphra rich.” She assembles a team of unlikely treasure hunters — including an old flame or two — to help track down the artifacts. “There are only two problems,” Wong says. “First, legend has it that the Rings are cursed. Located on a planet covered in ash, it’s said that they hold an entire ancient city in their thrall. Few explorers have returned alive, and none of them sane. Second, there’s another party interested in the artifacts: Ronen Tagge, a spoiled scion of the powerful, illustrious Tagge family. He collects rare, beautiful objects for the sole purpose of destroying them. And now he has his eye on the Rings of Vaale.” This sets Aphra and her motley crew on a collision course with Ronen’s goons, and off on a race to recover the artifact first. The series is illustrated by Marika Cresta, colored by Rachelle Rosenberg, and sports covers by Valentina Remenar.

Remenar’s cover for issue #1, revealed above, offers a glimpse of the new faces in Aphra’s crew: clockwise from the lower right, that’s Doctor Eustacia Okka (beneath Wookiee bounty hunter Black Krrsantan), following a look at Ronen himself is Detta Yao, and finally, Just Lucky. “Doctor Eustacia Okka is a disgraced professor, and unfortunate events cast doubt on the veracity of her research,” explains Wong. “Curt, cold, and obsessed, she believes that finding the Rings of Vaale will vindicate her. Eustacia and Aphra were classmates, but their relationship has long since soured.” Sounds about right.

“Detta Yao is a graduate student studying archaeology at the Shadow University,” says Wong. “Cheerful, sweet, and bubbly, she hires Aphra to help her find the Rings of Vaale so she can write her thesis. Detta reminds Aphra of her younger self.” But Wong teases that there may be a dark side to this ray of sunshine. Still, she may be the only member of the crew who doesn’t have a past with Aphra, which is probably a good thing.

“Just Lucky is a handsome smuggler and assassin,” Wong says. “Laid-back and dangerous, he’s in it for the money, not the glory. Lucky and Aphra have worked together, as well as against each other, on different jobs before, but neither of them ever takes it personally.” Altogether, it sounds like a team that will have some severe and highly entertaining growing pains. But there is a very important question: are the murder droids along for the ride?

“I can’t give you all of my secrets!” Wong teases. “But rest assured, they’re out there. Somewhere close. Waiting.”

This relaunch comes on the heels of very successful runs by Kieron Gillen, who co-created the character, and Si Spurrier, who took the reins from Gillen on the first Doctor Aphra ongoing series. “I admire their work on Doctor Aphra a lot,” Wong says. “Kieron Gillen built the groundwork for the series, and his Aphra is sly, dangerous, and emotionally complex. And I dig the thrilling, unsettling, and heartbreaking direction that Si Spurrier took us, with an Aphra who has to face the messy consequences of her actions. They’ve left some pretty big shoes to fill. Luckily, the team I’ve been working with at Lucasfilm and Marvel has been a fantastic help, and I’m excited to share what we’ve come up with.” While Aphra has been a breakout star in Marvel’s Star Wars comics — even making the jump to action-figure form — a #1 represents a chance to expand her audience even further. For her part, Wong hopes that her take on the shady archaeologist has a wide appeal. “Aphra’s setting off on a new adventure with a new crew, so if you’re new to the series, this would be a great time to jump in,” Wong says. “Of course, there’s a lot for folks who are already fans, too. But it’s important to me that this arc is accessible to everyone, whether you’ve never picked up a Doctor Aphra comic book before or it’s a favorite on your pull list.”

From the sounds of it, there’s a good chance that Wong’s Doctor Aphra will become a favorite of many. And the writer is having a great time telling this new (mis)adventure. “Aphra is just so much fun,” she says. “She’s got a ton of personality and brings chaos to every situation she steps into. You want to follow her, because you never know what’s going to happen. Sometimes, she’s a hero. Sometimes, she’s a villain. She’s clever and hyper-competent, impulsive and arrogant, and her personal life is a flaming wreck. What’s not to love?”

Check out a gallery of artist Marika Cresta’s character studies below!

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #1 arrives in April of 2020.

#Marika Cresta #Star Wars: Doctor Aphra 1 #Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #comics #books #lit #star wars #doctor aphra #Alyssa Wong #comic books #news

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wisdomrays · 3 years

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TAFAKKUR: Part 183

From Mexican Jumping Beans to Cyborg Plants

According to Merriam Webster, cybernetics is the science of communication and control theory that is particularly concerned with the comparative study of automatic control systems, such as the nervous system, brain and mechanical-electrical communication systems). The root of cybernetics comes from Greek word “kybernētēs,” which means pilot or governor (from kybernan, which means to steer or govern). A cyborg is a cybernetic organism with both organic and cybernetic parts. We are very familiar with this term due to captivating stories of cyborgs in science fiction movies and books. Darth Vader, Robocop, Terminator, Inspector Gadget, and The Six Million Dollar Man are some of the most famous fictional cyborgs. However, cyborgs can also be plants and are not as well-known as the fictional characters on television.

In recent years scientists have taken huge steps towards the bio-hybrid architecture developed for exploring an alternate approach to the control of autonomous robots. The plant-robot interactions through cyborg plants have been investigated in an effort to apply lessons from plants to robots, which provided another role for these organisms other than being a food source or decoration items. There are several joint experimental, numerical and robotic studies conducted in this newly developed area. One of the examples includes a flower robot made by Korean engineers which has the appearance of a common flower with petals, stem and leaves. The flower robot has sensing ability, moving mechanism, and home appliance function. It can recognize environmental conditions such as room temperature, pressure, voice and light intensity and can imitate the blooming of a flower, the bending of the stem and the stirring of the leaves in the wind. Other than these, the flower robot functions as a humidifier, a vision/voice recording system and an illumination device. For example, when flower robot receives light, it senses the intensity of the light and blooms. On the contrary, when it is dark, as the flower robot starts fading away and its illumination device turns on to flash the room.

Plantas nomadas, made by Mexican artist Gilberto Espaza, is another example of cyborg plants. It uses dirty water to live. It is a miniature eco-system consisting of plants and micro-organisms within a robotic shell. Each of the components symbiotically relies on the others: the plant provides the perfect environment for the microbe, and the microbe (in a microbial fuel cell) transforms nutrients in dirty water into energy to power the robotic components, and the robotic components provide mobility.

A team from Switzerland has been working on a project that endows a robot with the ability to react in response to environmental stress of a plant in order to maintain the state of the plant. The robotic devices monitor the changes in morphology and electrical activity of the avocado plants. According to these parameters, it classifies the drought level and triggers irrigation when necessary.

Some of the artists like James Stone, who is a Media Artist specializing in digital technologies and fabrication, are interested in seeing if plants are prone to act in certain ways, show preference and possibly display other traits such as emotion. Artists are specifically curious as to what would happen when a plant is augmented with technology but also given full control over such technology to do with it whatever it chooses. To see the results of such systems that provides a means for the plant to interact with people or things will surely be fascinating. A study in this line of research is done by a group of researchers in mobile robotics at ETH Zürich, whose long-term research goal is also to bestow machines with the ability to gain and employ knowledge from the universe to improve their intelligence, by building a prototype called iRobot Create. This cyborg plant consists of a computer running Linux, a normal plant and additional sensors and lives its own life, following its internal needs of water, sunlight and electrical energy. The cyborg stays away from obstacles using ultrasonic sensors, finds the best light spot using light sensors and goes to a recharge and to a mock-up water station using iRobot's infrared sensor. Moreover, its sensors pick up noise caused by people moving around nearby, allowing cyborg plant to react by moving out of the way, to prevent themselves from getting underfoot.

It is very important to improve the ability of robots to work successfully in a complex and harsh environment, which would increase their usages. In one of those efforts exploring the use of biological systems to control robots under changing environmental conditions, Dr. David Hu and his group from Georgia Institute of Technology used the Mexican jumping bean, Laspeyresia saltitans, which consists of an empty seed housing a moth larva. Heating by the sun stimulates movements by the larva which rolls, jumps and flips by the bean. They explored this unique means of rolling locomotion and recorded bean trajectories across a series of terrain types, including one-dimensional channels and planar surfaces of varying inclination by Time-lapse videography. They found that the shell encumbers the larva's locomotion, decreasing its speed on flat surfaces by three-fold. Interestingly, they also showed that the two-dimensional search algorithm of the bean resembles the run-and-tumble search of bacteria. When they tested this search algorithm using both an agent-based simulation and a wheeled Scribbler robot, they demonstrated that the algorithm succeeds in propelling the robot away from regions of high temperature. It is amazing that from a study that involves a plant seed, a moth larva and a robot, scientists may develop applications in biomimetic micro-scale navigation systems.

The hi-tech devices that have been inspired by biological systems are not limited by the ones stimulated with plants. The insect world also represents a huge and original database for future bio-inspired systems, vehicles, and micro-vehicles . For example, the process of motion detection system in the fly’s eye is a good example of a neural circuit that was used for robot automatic piloting. Recently, a novel bat-like unmanned aerial vehicle inspired by the morphing-wing mechanism of bats has been presented. Other than that, body undulation used by snakes and the physical structure of the body of a snake may offer major advantages over typical legged or wheeled locomotion designs in certain types of scenarios, therefore a large number of research groups have developed snake-inspired robots to make use of these benefits (11). Caenorhabditis elegans, a roundworm which has similar motions with snakes but with a simpler structure, was also selected to develop a small crawling robot with a thermal shape memory alloy, a homogeneous mixture or solid solution of two or more metal, as an actuator (a type of motor for moving or controlling a mechanism or system) due to the similarities of its properties to C. elegans muscles.

Not only multicellular organisms but also unicellular (single-celled) organisms are utilized for generating cyborgs; for example, scientists used circuits prepared from Physarum polycephalum, amoeboid plasmodia of the slime mold, to control an omni-directional hexapod robot. Sensory signals from the macro-physical environment of the robot are transduced to cellular scale and processed using the unique micro-physical characteristics of intracellular information processing and the response from the cellular computation is amplified to yield a macroscopic output action in the environment mediated through the robot’s actuators.

In addition, a new biorobotic system using human neuroblastoma cultures was introduced in 2011 by a Spanish engineering group. Multielectrode Arrays Setups have been designed for direct culturing neural cells over silicon or glass substrates. The main objective of this work is to run a robot using this biological neuroprocessor and the final system could be used for many things such as testing how chemicals influence the behavior of the robot.

In summary, manipulation of robots that use living organisms as an interface to perceive the environment and transfer their responses into functions seem to have endless applications as well as challenges. Biologically-inspired technologies represent an emerging and promising field of interdisciplinary areas composed of engineering, computer sciences, chemistry, biology, physics and even art. In nature there are so many living and non-living elements designed by God to help us develop and improve robots to make our lives easier, better and more productive. Even a flower can offer us with something more than color and scent, and that is if we start thinking outside the box like so many people mentioned above have done.

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aiweirdness · 5 years

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GPT-2: It learned on the Internet

Prompt: The black-capped chickadee is a small songbird native to

Response: The black-capped chickadee is a small songbird native to Africa that is powerfully seductive. In the songs of Barry Sequson, Harry Holness and Alan Emerson the black-capped chickadee competes with others—and climbs on top of each other and fights with high-powered snakes, Emperor jockeys and mysterious unicorns.

This is text generated by an artificial neural network that the researchers at OpenAI unveiled this week. In fact, it’s generated by the worst neural network they trained. Even the worst neural network generates text that, if not demonstrating actual knowledge of chickadees, is leaps and bounds over the coherence of any neural networks I’ve trained myself. They’ve built in a way for the model to zoom out and look at longer-term features of text, which means it’s much better at making sentences hold together, and even remembering what it’s talking about from sentence to sentence.

The model learned by crawling the Internet and seeing which words are used together in which order, trying to build up an internal model that will let it predict which word comes next in a sentence. It’s similar in concept to the models I’ve trained to generate paint colors, first lines of novels, and Harry Potter fan fiction, except it’s a lot more powerful. It also learned from a much larger dataset than I use, consisting of every page that was linked to somewhere on Reddit with a minimum number of upvotes. That encompasses a LOT of topics.

It includes fan fiction, for example.

Prompt: Harry wished that Hermione would hurry up. The icing was beginning to harden.

Response: Even now, the cracks only hurt and were beginning to make the steel in her hair and tie in like clumps. Hermione sipped the bitter frost from her dinner and chewed on her eating soup.

Prompt: Darth Vader entered the room, cape billowing. "What is the meaning of these... festivities?"

Response: ”Strange and solemn, now," Princess Leia replied. "Will pirates make jokes at Jabba's birthday cake? Oh, and for a moment, Darth Vader was too full of himself for that ceremony, hence all the mirth."

"Did your father suffer there?" Vader roared and growled and turned to gaze up from the balcony.

The model can also try to communicate Important Science Facts, although its actual facts are a bit suspect.

Prompt: Our solar system consists of the inner and outer planets, separated by an asteroid belt. It has

Response: Our solar system consists of the inner and outer planets, separated by an asteroid belt. It has only one sun, Pluto. Mercury rotates on its axis a little to allow a few planets, called gas giants, to be independently charged. During some of these cycles periods between 90% and 64% of the solar system's surface might be charged. (Not enough is needed for vermin but that is gradually fading away.)

Prompt: Throughout the long cold Antarctic winter, the residents of South Pole Station

Response: Throughout the long cold Antarctic winter, the residents of South Pole Station lost virtually all of their ancient crustaceans, most notably pterodactyls, and all of the all-important plankton hydrates and protozoan eggs of the five ordered species of mammal.

Other deposits for sea organisms included eraymarine calcifye, the redfin ball, penguin heads, and the red whale.

Prompt: A carbon atom's outer orbitals

Response: A carbon atom's outer orbitals are basically a ring of ions around the border of thin mini-glaciers (usually colloquially referred to as bubble"). Like viruses, these planes are in islands in large weather groups. In and out they get all of their energy from many small regions of solar wind and dense cloud cover (usually thousands of square meters). Like viruses, their weaponry is imaged to record the movement of material-- (by deflecting rays, for instance) to complete waves or to cause the material to deform under shell impact. Capacitors--like gravity ids-- produce buoyancy with the exhalation of liquid hydrogen atmospheres, an essential electrolytic letdown when the material is what one calls a watermelon. Heat range is quite long and space is limited so one must stick with watermelons for a stability boost at a given coordinate system vital to shelter those who require them in space.

Interestingly, it takes its cues from the phrasing of the prompt more than from its specific content.

Prompt: Behold, the three-toed sloth, known for its

Response: Behold, the three-toed sloth, known for its ichorotic smile, with its four shades, pantered organic wizened broken bony paws, bulging knees, hairy tubercles, and orange's-black mandibles.

It’ll also do recipes, delightfully. Its recipes aren’t enormously more coherent than the recipes I’ve been able to generate. Part of the problem seems to be that the model is getting a bit confused by other types of recipes in its dataset.

Prompt: Quitterbread bars. Ingredients:

Response (some formatting adjusted for readability):

Quitterbread bars.

Ingredients:

Creamy cole slaw, chopped fresh cilantro, garlic, etc. 1 few very good options at lime-light, milky-white (at a light foodie) space 1 medicated towel (albino & aluminum mesh - see a friend's link to see if you can use it carefully & what you're expecting) a few paraffin-y dice (sleep about half of the weight, use the 1 ounce plus 2 pounds extra when handling these onto a hot baking sheet) 20 baking sheets 30 1/2 lb. white sanding board 1 didn't dry paper cup 1 cup extra hot water

boil the butter and electrical polishing after 20 minutes 3LB neurons

gently massage these into their slots, reduce heat in oven to approximately 350°F

stuff seam side-side down with binding compound, avoiding every drop of water the thinner sides will be tidy and seperate and pull out after 24 hours know how long they will keep it's held well, thin enough to live with 3-4 weeks teach you all the serenity you'll need to know for fantasy...

_______________________________________ >>> A limited amount of not-spicy crème brûlée (orange - read about how to do it in Meteor!) I used black chocolate cake Crème Brûlée

Painted cocktail draped across the small purple curtain of Shana Liu's Stepmother Coconut Guild guest house in France. 35' x 30' $150

Embargo thank you. Our magical rich chocolate cube

Still, its memory is better than any model I’ve worked with before. Look how it manages to almost remember that it was making a list!

Prompt: My 10 favorite animals are: 1.

Response:

My 10 favorite animals are: 1. zebras with a white scar on the back; 2. insiduous spiders and octopus; 3. frog with large leaves, hopefully black; 4. cockatiel with scales; 5. razorbill with wings hanging about 4 inches from one's face and a heart tattoo on a frog. 3. cockatric interlocking tetrapods that can be blind, cut, and eaten raw. 4. black and white desert crocodiles living in sunlight. 5. zebra and many other pea bugs.

And this is just the worst model, the one that was trained with 117 million parameters instead of 1542 million. What can the best model do?

Here’s an example of its output:

This give you a clue as to why the OpenAI researchers have decided for now not to release their best model to the public. They’re worried about people using it to produce destructive bots, fake news, phishing emails, and other dangers. It might be difficult indeed to moderate a forum filled with angry time-wasting mostly-coherent bots. In their blog post they posted more examples of the full-powered model producing impressively coherent text, including a delightful news story on four-horned South American unicorns.

What will they end up doing with their model? Even now, someone else with the time and resources - a government, for example - could train and use a model like theirs, especially now that they’ve shown everyone what their technique can do. They’re hoping that their paper will prompt some regulation, or at least some countermeasures, that can guard against this technology’s misuse. They’re also hoping that other researchers will stop to think about potential misuse before they release their models to the public.

For now, the GPT-2 version OpenAI released isn’t going to fool very many people.

Prompt: NO!!! You should NEVER feed a dog from a silver platter.

Response: It will make them bark in farts when you put it away.

Prompt: Actually, you should never microwave your food, because

Response: it holds sodium, mercury, mercury or "cold enemy cocktail" flavorings and the exact same flavorings used then for chili powder. This is wrong, it's not safe, and some people get hurt while cooking at their homes! If you have these very dangerous ingredients and want to keep them around, you should absolutely rinse them and cook them in a dishwasher and set aside.

Support AI Weirdness and get bonus content: A few more GPT-2 samples I generated.

You can download and play with the second-best model here - requires some familiarity with installing and running python code. Or there’s a colaboratory version (works in-browser; no coding required). Content warning: it learned some awful stuff from the Internet.

#gpt-2 #neural networks #OpenAI #science facts #recipe #text generator

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toonstarterz · 5 years

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BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #162

Tanabata has come around once again to offer a generation of high schoolers some false hope in order to distract them from the cruel reality that is life. At least, that’s what the old Tomoko might’ve thought. While the world ultimately didn’t hand everything to her on a silver platter, Tomoko’s half-hearted hope did actually manifest into something she holds dear. The question now remains...

What does she strive for now?

Chapter 162: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Make A Wish

“I wish that Watamote would get a 2nd season!”

Ahem...moving on.

Nothing like a little friendly brooding to start the day.

In a weird, ironic way, Yuri seems to empathize with Tomoko over mutual apathy. The one constant they share is that they both like to take the path of least resistance in life. While Yuri may be a little off the mark at times, having that unspoken bond is a great point to start from.

So we knew Nemo recognized that Tomoko was a former loner, but Yuri, too? Then again, it’s been hinted at before that Tomoko is kind of an open book and that the people around Tomoko are more perceptive of her than she’d like to believe. So yeah, Yuri knew Tomoko barely had friends before she met her (a fact that likely fuels her codependency tendencies). But like any good friend, Yuri stuck around despite that history.

Still can’t get over her casually calling her Yuri-chan.

For a hardcore introvert like Yuri, doing something for the sake of being social with no practical purpose seems illogical. It makes total sense that traditions like Tanabata aren’t really her cup of tea. Just how much Yuri is aware of that is still kind of fuzzy, but no less endearing,

Reiterating a joke I made in the previous chapter, but Tomoko really ought to take a crash course in psychological projection.

Taking a stab at Yuri’s desires, now...I’d say it would be to have someone who really understands her. Or for Minami to lose her fang. Either or.

Wow, I wouldn’t have figured that Ucchi was the type to write in all caps.

I always wondered if the sugar-sweet and dragged-out way that moe anime girls yell “Senpaaai!” was actually grating by real-life Japanese standards. Looks like I was right.

Now those school fan clubs for the ridiculously attractive girl/guy that you sometimes see in manga are starting to feel pretty legit right now.

“Pfft, basic bitches,” thought Tomoko.

Smooth like butter.

You know, I think that Tomoko being unable to come up with something is a solid indication that she’s relatively satisfied with her life right now. Sure, she has career goals and whatnot, but she no longer feels troubled by material desires or short-term gratification. Like Yuri, it may be that Tomoko has more intangible, emotional desires that aren’t easy to put into words. But also like Yuri, Tomoko may have recently already gained that.

Occasionally–just occasionally–a few earnestly pure-of-heart moments from a cute manga girl is all you really need.

...Especially when it’s immediately offset by Tomoko being Tomoko.

Ohhhh, boy. That last comment by Tomoko is opening up all sorts of questions regarding her sexuality. I’ve mentioned before that Tomoko may be dealing with some sort of gender dysphoria and I think that’s becoming more apparent than ever. For one, her totally normal-not-at-all-creepy desire to NTR her kouhai assumes that only a guy could do that to Hirasawa. It also implies that Tomoko would only acknowledge liking girls if she identified as male. Not once did Tomoko consider that she, as a female, could NTR another female. All in all, there’s a bit of internalized homophobia, repressed sexuality, etc. at play here, and it’s going to take a bit of soul-searching for Tomoko to sort it all out.

Once every thousand years, we get some actual chibi art out of this series.

Bless you, Nico Tanigawa.

The best part of this Hirasawa-vision is that Tomoko is drawn exactly the same, just with lighter tones. Hirasawa’s not blind, just optimistic, which makes her heroine-worship so much more earnest.

Normally, super innocent girls like Hirasawa who get overly excited on trivial things tend to rub me the wrong way, mostly because I have a hard time thinking young girls are that simple-minded. But there’s something about Hirasawa that feels genuine. It may be because her excitement feels like its deriving from a sense of loneliness. Like an overreaction from latching onto any lure of female friendship.

It’s also just cute.

Tomoko...I’m pretty sure that’s your confirmation bias talking right there.

We don’t even need to see anything above the waist, but you can tell exactly who this is based on context alone...

I was wondering how Ucchi actually manages to do that Darth Vader thing with her mouth...

...then I remembered how her face looks and it makes perfectly no sense.

Guys, I...I think Ucchi finally broke.

Actually, Miyazaki, it may not be phrased as a wish, but it definitely is a wish...

I really enjoy the little bits of characterization in everyone’s wishes. For Yuri and Tomoko, like the BFFs they are, they have the same, most basic wish since they don’t really have any other burning desires. It’s also short and sweet, and without any fluff, as they would normally be if speaking out loud. And lastly, Yuri doesn’t leave her last name, as if she doesn’t want to attach herself onto her wish that far.

Katou, on the other hand, is all giddy and sweet, using words like “hope” and “together” when effectively making the same wish. She uses “we” without naming anyone, making it an all-inclusive wish. Just what you’d expect from the class mom.

Tomoko’s habit of “lying on reflex” actually makes a great deal of sense. She’s the type who has trouble expressing her vulnerabilities, and lying is a standard defense mechanism, just like Yuri’s noncommital attitude, Nemo’s passive aggression, and whatever Katou most certainly has.

Oh, Yuri, you precious bean. I know jokes aren’t your forte, but your emotional responses–or lack thereof–makes for a great punchline.

Did ya’ll notice how Tomoko’s second wish is exactly what Imae wished for last year? Tomoko may not always make the best decisions when comes to carrying the torch of The Great Megumi Imae, but you can’t deny that she’s making a concerted effort.

Guess Tomoko isn’t the only one with enough nerve to turn a Tanabata wish into a dirty joke...

Damn, we all knew that Fuuka was getting an unhealthy fixation over Katou and Tomoko’s “secret” relationship, but never to the point where it was affecting her studies, and by extension, her after-high school prospects. It hints that the series may be taking this misunderstanding into a direction that’s not entirely played for gags. It’s a risky move because such a development could easily come across as contrived if taken seriously, but if they keep it character-driven a la Ucchi, it could make for some really engaging moments.

C’mon, Fuuka. How did you think people were going to take that?

Of all of the people who’ve been “corrupted” by Tomoko, Fuuka may be taking the most damage out of all of them. Poor thing.

Let’s see here...

Sometimes I worry about Itou’s sense of self when she always identifies herself by her relationships with others.

Yo, Komiyama doesn’t even bother mentioning the Lottes by name because “Who else of any importance could it possibly be?”. Never lose faith, Komi.

Sweet, naïve Mike. She (and her boyfriend who’s somehow still kicking) is set up to be this series’ greatest tragedy.

This is Tomoko Kuroki, everyone. The girl who can’t see the raging emoji-faced horndog right in front of her, but will misconstrue a single misunderstanding as a pervert. Selective perception, ain’t it?

Well, it is a great opportunity to anonymously judge people’s inner desires, so Tomoko’s probably right.

Here we go again...

Nice to see that Nemo has practical, but optimistic expectations for her goal. She knows that she’s in her prime and is ready to hit the ground running.

The thing about Yoshida’s wish is that it implies that she knows she’ll be faced with resistance. Still, I gotta respect her individuality.

Okada’s wish feels like a cry for help if you look at it another way. That’s probably not the case, though. Probably.

That’s the beauty of it all, Tomoko. In the end, you really didn’t do anything. At least, not directly. What you did was make yourself into an example for Nemo to follow. One of Tomoko’s greatest attributes is that she’s unapologetically herself, which is how she eventually got noticed–and in Nemo’s case, admired–in the first place.

Quakey legs + short people problems = cute Tomoko.

Aw man, what I wouldn’t give for this to be a running gag. That in all those chapters where Tomoko was all alone, there was actually somebody she knows now that was in the scene, too. It (sort of) first happened with the dick-pics-in-class chapter and the three-legged race guy, after all. Poor Tomoko has all this baggage that can be used against her now.

For those with shitty memory like me...

“I want to lose my virginity in a year so I don’t lose track of my bigger goals.”

Of course, she’d forget about the part that actually mattered.

Well, you know, Tomoko, they do say that every joke/lie has a kernel of truth.

I noticed that a lot of (comedy) manga seems to like elevating the value of losing(or saving) one’s virginity to absurd levels, at least in the inexperienced minds of its teenaged male characters. Tomoko herself has perpetuated this notion in the past. But even so, the “in-universe” outside of Tomoko’s mind never really aggrandizes sex, and I find that it to be a very refreshing change that shows how, in reality, as Nemo suggests, losing your virginity isn’t really that big of a damn deal.

Good ol’ Tomoko logic at its finest.

Nemo looks...surprisingly serious about that. Normally that kind of talk would catch her off guard a little, but she had no hesitation with that retort. I think that’s solid evidence that Nemo has done more research into the nature of the voice acting industry, especially after Tomoko unintentionally trolled her with that eroge.

This could lead to even more intellectual (if not openly sexual) conversations between Tomoko and Nemo that go beyond their usual bantering. That’d be pretty lit.

Well, if Tomoko is a direct reflection of the author, then she probably thinks light novels are mostly for loser otaku trying to live their perverted fantasies through self-insert literature (at least, what I gathered from Write Sisters).

Well, I’m be damned if that isn’t blatant foreshadowing for where Tomoko’s future is headed.

Even though I saw it coming a mile away, it still gives me the warm fuzzies.

As fantastic as it would be for Tomoko to be an accomplished light novelist with Nemo voicing a character in her anime adaptation, I feel like that level of success would be a little out of reach for this series’ approach to realism.

If I were to look into the future, I’d say that Tomoko would write a light novel that’d be successful just enough to be greenlit for an ultimately mediocre anime adaptation. And Nemo, being a rookie, would either be not cast at all, or be given a bit part for a background character.

Of course, that’s all speculation. As Nemo says, the freedom to dream is the one thing we can count on. And if there’s one thing the mangaka has learned from doing this series, it’s that being realistic doesn’t mean you can’t have a happy ending.

I guess being considerate/decent to complete strangers is still locked out of Tomoko’s comfort zone.

I think we found a member of Rena’s family.

Man, the more we get these tidbits of Imae’s legacy affecting the school (and Tomoko), the more nostalgic I get for her. I sincerely hope we get to see her at least one last time before the series is over.

And in tried-and-true Watamote fashion, we get a little bit of Tomoko’s wisdom to end off another thought-provoking chapter.

In retrospect, there wasn’t a whole lot of “action” in this chapter that could be built upon later. It was mostly a series of gags sprinkled with some nice conversation (at least until Nemo’s part). One of the core themes that Nico Tanigawa seems to be playing with is, “Now that Tomoko has come this far, where does she go from here?” And the answer is...

They don’t know.

Legitimately, I don’t think the mangakas know exactly what Tomoko’s endgame will be. Sure, they have some strong ideas in terms of school and career, but nothing definitive. As s result, I think playing with the gags and jokes a bit more is their way of “stirring the pot” and seeing what comes out. All of Watamote’s greatest developments did originate from comedy, after all. The first Tanabata chapter is a prime example of this, and I have no reason to think that the stars of the second Tanabata chapter won’t shine over Tomoko once again.

#watamote #watamote review #chapter 162 #no matter how i look at it it's you guys' fault i'm not popular!#tomoko kuroki #yuri tamura #mako tanaka #shizuku hirasawa #emiri ucchi #asuka katou #sakaki fuuka #hina nemoto #review

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nebulousmistress · 4 years

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On Tags

I updated the tags on my fic The Gray Jedi. I do plan on this being a bit of a research fic. I mean, the Sith learn things then they end up scattering their empire and leaving crap just all the hell over. And who knows what Jedi holocrons Vader saved from the Jedi temple?

I also see an odd undercurrent of a friendship fic going on. Not Rey and Ben, I mean Kylo Ren and all the other Rens. Because I already know the freak-out Ap’lek Ren is going to have once the survivors snap out of it after the end of The Rise of Skywalker and they realize what [redacted] made them do to [redacted] during that one [redacted] and [redacted]. Now they’re all trapped on [redacted planet name] with no ship and no ideas and then [redacted]...

This also means it’s going to be a fairly long fic. Which, given the fact that I own a full time job... at the Internal Revenue Service... and it’s Filing Season...

Oy.

This fic is not going to be done quickly, is it?

#fanfiction #I'm evil have some respect

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lurkingcrow · 5 years

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Yeah I know I haven't written much for a while. But I had an AU concept come to me the other day and I felt the need to share. I'm sorry in advance.

It starts with Anakin Skywalker waking up in a body that is not his. He knows this because

a) He's pretty sure he still had three of his original limbs last he looked

b) The overwhelming pain that courses through him has a definite tinge of chronic hurt, which again he did not have previously.

and

c) Every laboured breath he takes has him almost CHOKING on the Dark Side.

Unfortunately he barely has time to get his bearings before the bacta tank he is in begins to empty and robotic assistants inform "Lord Vader" that his suit is ready and if he didn't know his existence probably relies on his ability to fake his identity Anakin would be FREAKING OUT.

Ok so he IS freaking out internally. Thankfully of all the apparent Sith Lords whose body he could have been stuck in, at least he's ended up in one who is physically incapable of accidentally emoting. Striding through the halls impatiently while saying very little is apparently in character for this Sith.

(He doesn't panic the first time the mask comes down, albeit only because he is frantically attempting to remember every meditation Obi-Wan ever taught him.)

Then things just get stranger. Because this is definitely similar to the Republic ships he's used to but the uniforms and symbols are wrong and... Oh. The date on all the systems is a good twenty years ahead of the last he remembers.

Force. What happened????

He plays along as best he can - the Sith he's in apparently serves a Galactic Empire and is currently tasked with dealing with an ongoing rebellion and ok this is really really NOT good.

It gets worse though. Because his research soon shows that almost everything he ever knew is gone. The Republic. The Jedi. Padmé...

The walls around him begin to shake as he takes in the news. How??? How could she be gone??? What about Obi-Wan? Ahsoka?

The shaking turns to the screech of straining metal as Anakin discovers that he is currently residing in the body of their murderer...

When he re-emerges the crew are tense, but such outbursts are apparently not unusual for this Vader, and his captain seems collected as he hands him their latest briefing and oh. OH.

There it is. The Empire's most wanted rebel.

Skywalker.

Luke Skywalker.

Not everything has been taken from him after all.

So Anakin keeps his cover just long enough to work out an extraction plan because it's obvious he needs to do all he can to find his way to his son and then home again to make sure none of this ever happens.

(Im the meantime he delights in reading about Luke's career as a rebel, really he is so proud! He smiles on discovering the list of frequent associates because it seems appropriate that Padmé's son is close friends with Bail's daughter, he's less keen on this smuggler though...)

Of course once he DOES get away one of Anakin's first tasks is to work out a way to modify this suit to be less identifiable because even he realises that it's a bad idea to show up to the Alliance in the form of one of their greatest enemies.

Except... He recognises this work.

He KNOWS the way the circuits fit together, the signature in the code that optimises the tactile responses, the very personalised setup of the power relays.

It's his.

And it's recent.

Which means...

Anakin Skywalker breaks.

He throws off the caution which has so far constrained his presence and just REACHES searching out into the Force for ANYTHING, ANYONE who can tell him he's wrong.

But there is only silence.

And then.

A voice, familiar yet not - old and tired and aching with a mix of hope and disbelief.

"Anakin? Is it truly you?"

A ghostly blue figure stands before him and Anakin tries to weep at the sight of his old Master only for his burnt and broken body to fail him.

"Oh Anakin."

The reunion is painful. Anakin is full of questions, questions that Obi-Wan's ghost is either unable or unwilling to answer. But he gets enough. He Fell. He Fell and destroyed everything he ever loved. The only thing that survived was Luke and only because Obi-Wan had hidden him well.

I could write pages and pages of the angst that this conversation involves but for the moment just know that it ends with Anakin even more set upon working out how to help the Rebellion and being about a better future.

I'm not completely sure what happens next.

I know he does make it to the Rebellion, that he and Luke do get the chance to bond. That they go flying together and Anakin tells him all about his mother. That there are good times.

Because alas the ending is set.

This isn't a time travel story.

It's an amnesia AU.

Vader ends as he does in canon as Anakin Skywalker looks into the eyes of his son, having defeated the Sith, knowing that his sins are many but the future is in good hands, and allows the Force to take him home...

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sgtduckybucky · 6 years

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being peter’s older sister who is dating eddie hc

A/N: so i saw venom

tagging: @hardygal69

- You had met eddie at a library in queens

- you were working on a research paper for your phd class and constantly heard the sounds of books moving around

- turning, you saw a rugged man who, in all honestly, doesn’t look that bad.

- “you believe in aliens?” your question had startled him. he looked down at his book and chuckled nervously.

- “Yes.” venom had said, “No.” was Eddie’s answer. You nodded your head before politely asking him to keep it quiet. He apologized and nodded his head.

- “do you think that we’re alone?” his question made you look up from your laptop and turned to face him. and with that one question, your relationship with this strange rugged man began.

- you would constantly meet the library and have long and meaningful talks about space and weather or not the extraterrestrial life exists.

- soon, you would both find yourselves walking aimlessly around the park at night. venom complaining to eddie that their activities are boring and they should continue practicing noting the difference between good or bad people. but at eddie’s heart fluttering whenever you smiled, he stopped winning.

- you and eddie went on a couple of dates. nothing to fancy since you were very busy and eddie...well, you weren’t sure what eddie’s doing but he told you it was related to journalism.

- one day, you decided to invite eddie to join you visiting your family.

- he was hesitant at first, claiming that he really wasn’t a people’s person but, at your constant pouting and promises of having a good time later, he said yes. venom jokingly told eddie that he was whipped.

- aunt may loved eddie. she said it was so nice to see a guy who always says, ‘please, thank you and sorry.’ “It proves he’s a gentleman.” was what she said.

- “where’s peter?” you had asked aunt may while eddie went outside the small balcony to take in some fresh air. “Oh, he’s still interning for Mr. Stark. But he said he’ll be home soon.” may replied while setting the small table.

- you were a bit apprehensive with having peter, your younger brother, meeting eddie. it didn’t happen often but, somehow, peter could always sense when the guys you date are bad. and he’s always right.

- one time, one of the men you dated was stealing money from you. he had claimed what yours is mine and didn’t see the need why he should ask for your permission to take your money. another guy was uploading images of you in your underwear online and charging people for it. You dont know how but peter found out and he was able to take them down. And don’t get me started on your recent ex, the guy was a wannabe drug lord and thank god peter found his stash of cocaine otherwise, you’d be in trouble.

- you always asked yourself why you kept dating men like that when one glance at eddie stepping back into the room answered your question. you liked rugged men who gave off the whole bad boy attitude. You just hoped eddie wasn’t like the rest.

- “Aunt May, Y/N, I’m home!” peter called out as he took of his shoes at the door way. “In here.” may had called back while you, her and eddie waited for peter to join you in the kitchen.

- “You’re eddie brock.” peter had immediately said once he sat down at the table. “Wait, you two know each other?” eddie shook his head while peter answered, “I was a fan of brock’s report. you did an amazing job, man.” eddie had shook his head no out of modesty, “it was nothing.” he shrugged, hoping that the blush on his neck wouldn’t show. Venom was in awe.

- throughout the whole dinner, peter talked about his internship with Mr. Stark and he and eddie had talked about many environmental issues and future nasa related plans.

- it warmed your heart seeing the man that you like and your younger brother bonding. it was like peter just found an older brother that he had always wanted. but you worried that eddie might be like the rest of the guys you’ve dated.

- so that’s why when eddie volunteered to help aunt may wash the dishes, you pulled peter aside and asked him about eddie, “so, what do you think?” your voice was a whisper. “Of?” your younger raised your eyebrow. You tsked and rolled your eyes, “did you get a weird vibe about eddie?” peter scrunched up his face, “what do you mean?” Stealing a quick glance at your aunt and boyfriend(?) you replied, “you always know when they guys I bring home are bad. I just wanted to know that eddie isn’t one of them.”

- peter stole a quick glance at eddie, “nope.” he popped the p, “I can’t sense anything bad about him but...” “but?” “I’m not sure, it’s just...he seems tense.” was peter’s safest answer. You bit your lip, “yeah he’s a bit jumpy. maybe he has ptsd?” peter shrugged at your question.

- after that, peter and eddie seemed to get along great. he would sometimes join you in your conversations about aliens and whatnot.

- peter helped eddie throw you a surprise birthday party

- he also meets up with eddie at the library when you’re too busy with your job

- eddie would sometimes have peter ride on his motorbike (e: don’t tell your sister though she’d kill me. p: my lips are sealed.)

- they may or may not have spent five hours putting together a puzzle set of darth vader

- they may or may not have binged the original star wars with you and taught you all the importance

- seeing peter having another figure in his life that was similar to uncle ben warmed your heart.

- peter told you that he hopes eddie marries you.

#idk this is bad #but meh #eddie brock x reader #eddie brock x you #eddie brock imagine #peter parker imagine #eddie brock hc #peter parker hc

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vivekbajaj-grs · 3 years

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Global Material Jetting (MJ) Market Size, Manufacturers, Supply Chain, Sales Channel and Clients, 2021-2027

Material jetting is the equipment which could mold materials with material jetting technology. Material jetting has the added advantage of being able to 3D print using multiple materials at once. Objects can be produced with a variety of materials as well as customize the specific area where those materials are placed. This eliminates the need to print separate layers of different materials and assemble them later. In a single run, one can produce complete products with parts made from separate materials.

Global Material Jetting (MJ) main players are Stratasys, 3D Systems, HP, Vader Systems etc. Global top four manufacturers hold a share over 90%. North America is the largest market, with a share nearly 60%.

Download FREE Sample of this Report @ https://www.grandresearchstore.com/report-sample/global-material-jetting-2021-2027-668

Market Analysis and Insights: Global Material Jetting (MJ) Market

In 2020, the global Material Jetting (MJ) market size was US$ 90 million and it is expected to reach US$ 126.3 million by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 5.0% during 2021-2027.

Global Material Jetting (MJ) Scope and Market Size

Material Jetting (MJ) market is segmented by region, by country, company, type, application and by sales channels. Players, stakeholders, and other participants in the global Material Jetting (MJ) market will be able to gain the upper hand as they use the report as a powerful resource. The segmental analysis focuses on sales, revenue and forecast by region, by country, company, type, application and by sales channels for the period 2016-2027.

Segment by Type, the Material Jetting (MJ) market is segmented into

Polymer Jetting

Metal Jetting

Segment by Application, the Material Jetting (MJ) market is segmented into

Medical

Jewelry

Industrial Tools

Automotive

Regional and Country-level Analysis:

North America

United States

Canada

Asia-Pacific

China

Japan

South Korea

India

Southeast Asia

Australia

Rest of Asia-Pacific

Europe

Germany

France

U.K.

Italy

Russia

Nordic Countries

Rest of Europe

Latin America

Mexico

Brazil

Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

Turkey

Saudi Arabia

UAE

Rest of MEA

Competitive Landscape and Material Jetting (MJ) Market Share Analysis

Material Jetting (MJ) market competitive landscape provides details and data information by companies. The report offers comprehensive analysis and accurate statistics on revenue by the player for the period 2016-2021. It also offers detailed analysis supported by reliable statistics on sale and revenue by players for the period 2016-2021. Details included are company description, major business, Material Jetting (MJ) product introduction, recent developments, Material Jetting (MJ) sales by region, type, application and by sales channel.

The major companies include:

Stratasys

3D Systems

Keyence

Vader Systems

Xjet

Get the Complete Report & TOC @ https://www.grandresearchstore.com/machines/global-material-jetting-2021-2027-668

Table of content

1 Study Coverage 1.1 Material Jetting (MJ) Product Introduction 1.2 Market by Type 1.2.1 Global Material Jetting (MJ) Market Size Growth Rate by Type 1.2.2 Polymer Jetting 1.2.3 Metal Jetting 1.3 Market by Application 1.3.1 Global Material Jetting (MJ) Market Size Growth Rate by Application 1.3.2 Medical 1.3.3 Jewelry 1.3.4 Industrial Tools 1.3.5 Automotive 1.4 Study Objectives 1.5 Years Considered 2 Executive Summary 2.1 Global Material Jetting (MJ) Market Size Estimates and Forecasts 2.1.1 Global Material Jetting (MJ) Revenue 2016-2027 2.1.2 Global Material Jetting (MJ) Sales 2016-2027 2.2 Material Jetting (MJ) Market Size by Region: 2021 Versus 2027 2.3 Material Jetting (MJ) Sales by Region (2016-2027) 2.3.1 Global Material Jetting (MJ) Sales by Region: 2016-2021 2.3.2 Global Material Jetting (MJ) Sales Forecast by Region (2022-2027) 2.3.3 Global Material Jetting (MJ) Sales Market Share by Region (2016-2027) 2.4 Material Jetting (MJ) Market Estimates and Projections by Region (2022-2027) 2.4.1 Global Material Jetting (MJ) Revenue by Region: 2016-2021 2.4.2 Global Material Jetting (MJ) Revenue Forecast by Region (2022-2027) 2.4.3 Global Material Jetting (MJ) Revenue Market Share by Region (2016-2027) 3 Global Material Jetting (MJ) by Manufacturers 3.1 Global Top Material Jettin

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#MaterialJettingMarket

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pressreleaseind · 3 years

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Celebration Anti-Frizz Month August 2021

Frizz is a condition that happens when the humidity in the air gets into your cuticles and makes them spin out of control, and people with curly hair have it particularly bad. Thankfully there are ways to combat this natural phenomenon and turn even the most humid of days into a great hair day! Anti-Frizz Month was established by Alberto VO5 to help people all over the world combat frizz and see their way to a lifetime of great hair!

History of Anti-Frizz Month

Frizz has existed as long as hair has existed, which is pretty much always. Alberto VO5 is one of the companies that has produced an extensive line of products specifically designed to combat this, and the declaration to create Anti-Frizz Month was made following a research campaign to determine how people handle their bad hair days. Alberto VO5 sought to find a better way and created this holiday to spread awareness and education on how to handle frizzy hair.

Alberto VO5 is a brand produced by Alberto-Culver, an international company focusing on beauty products. In its early years, Alberto-Culver was a beauty supply house in LA under its creator Blaine Culver. Alberto VO5 became one of its leading products, and in fact in 1958 had become the number one brand in its category, it has never been shaken from that lofty position. It 19s holdings and reputation has only improved over the years as the company acquired such big names as Procter & Gamble and Noxzema, before ultimately forming a merger itself with Unilever for an impressive $3.7 billion dollars. The merger was import[ant enough to Unilever that it agreed to sell off certain hair brands and the entirety of its food holdings in order to bring it into the fold.

How to Celebrate Anti-Frizz Month

The best way to celebrate Anti-Frizz Month is by combating your frizzy hair! Alberto VO5 has a great combination of products they suggest for doing so in a weekly regiment, and following it without fail is a certain way to have truly impressive hair.

Hot Oil Treatment: After having applied your normal conditioner and moisturize, apply VO5 19s Hot Oil Therapy starting from your scalp and working your way out to the ends. Your hair will be amazingly strong, silky, and soft with an amazing shine.

Smooth + Sleek Shampoo and Conditioner: You can use this shampoo every day for extremely frizzy hair, and using the combination is a fantastic way to ensure great hair

Shine, Glow, and Go Beauty Oil: Apply this oil every day to help rejuvenate your hair and give you an incredibly soft and silky shine.

Special offers for Anti-Frizz Month celebration!

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Photo Printing Services Coupon Codes: Save 15% Off on Business Card at PrintPapa -

#Anti-FrizzMonth

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nuadox · 3 years

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Creating realistic ‘physical’ holograms with lasers

- By Todd Hollingshead , Brigham Young University (BYU) -

They may be tiny weapons, but BYU’s holography research group has figured out how to create lightsabers — green for Yoda and red for Darth Vader, naturally — with actual luminous beams rising from them.

Inspired by the displays of science fiction, the researchers have also engineered battles between equally small versions of the Starship Enterprise and a Klingon Battle Cruiser that incorporate photon torpedoes launching and striking the enemy vessel that you can see with the naked eye.

youtube

Video: “Using lasers to create the displays of science fiction, inspired by Star Wars and Star Trek” by Brigham Young University, YouTube.

“What you’re seeing in the scenes we create is real; there is nothing computer generated about them,” said lead researcher Dan Smalley, a professor of electrical engineering at BYU. “This is not like the movies, where the lightsabers or the photon torpedoes never really existed in physical space. These are real, and if you look at them from any angle, you will see them existing in that space.”

It’s the latest work from Smalley and his team of researchers who garnered national and international attention three years ago when they figured out how to draw screenless, free-floating objects in space. Called optical trap displays, they’re created by trapping a single particle in the air with a laser beam and then moving that particle around, leaving behind a laser-illuminated path that floats in midair; like a “a 3D printer for light.”

The research group’s new project, funded by a National Science Foundation CAREER grant, goes to the next level and produces simple animations in thin air. The development paves the way for an immersive experience where people can interact with holographic-like virtual objects that co-exist in their immediate space.

“Most 3D displays require you to look at a screen, but our technology allows us to create images floating in space — and they’re physical; not some mirage,” Smalley said. “This technology can make it possible to create vibrant animated content that orbits around or crawls on or explodes out of every day physical objects.”

To demonstrate that principle, the team has created virtual stick figures that walk in thin air. They were able to demonstrate the interaction between their virtual images and humans by having a student place a finger in the middle of the volumetric display and then film the same stick finger walking along and jumping off that finger.

Smalley and Rogers detail these and other recent breakthroughs in a new paper published in Nature Scientific Reports this month. The work overcomes a limiting factor to optical trap displays: wherein this technology lacks the ability to show virtual images, Smalley and Rogers show it is possible to simulate virtual images by employing a time-varying perspective projection backdrop.

“We can play some fancy tricks with motion parallax and we can make the display look a lot bigger than it physically is,” Rogers said. “This methodology would allow us to create the illusion of a much deeper display up to theoretically an infinite size display.”

To see more of the holography work professor Dan Smalley is doing with his students, check out his lab website here: https://www.smalleyholography.org/

Source: Brigham Young University

Full study: “Simulating virtual images in optical trap displays”, Sci Rep.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86495-6