Dragons Are So Cool

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joyous

unfinished wip

Neuron misproduction ideas that spawned from this ask about iterators getting sick - maybe more along that line in the future?

Full transcript under the cut.

Neuron Misproduction

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Neuron flies are comparable to living RAM for iterators. Their purpose is to process short-term information.

They are mostly made out of fat. A high-calorie snack for a slugcat.

Simplified anatomy chart labels each part of the body:

a. Protective membrane (Encapsulates the neuron)

b. Nucleus. (Large ellipsoid at the top-center of the neuron.) Longer-term data caching; oldest data is lost when it is overwritten by new data or when the cache is flushed.

c. Processing organelles. (Several smaller ellipsoids that line the inside of the neuron's membrane.) Data is constantly and cyclically refreshed.

d. Anchoring/connective tissue between the nucleus and processing organelles.

e. Cytosol that provides structural integrity to the neuron fly, and facilitates storage and transport of various resources. (Fills all the extra space of the neuron)

f. Nutrient processing system. Neuron flies mostly function off direct energy transferral, but organic components are still necessary. Both are absorbed directly through other iterator macro-microorganisms. (Resembles a simplified digestive system)

g. Connective tissue between the nucleus and flagellum, used when directly interfacing with other iterator components. (Fibrous tissue surrounded by myelin sheaths, like an axon or the umbilical cord of an iterator)

h. Flagellum, primarily used for locomotion (Long whiplike protrusions on the bottom of the neuron fly)

i. Dendrites that unsheath when interfacing (Many tiny split ends at the end of the flagellum)

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Type: Flagellum deformation Neuron is missing some or all of its flagellum, and/or flagellum are uneven lengths

Not as deadly as spheroid neurons, but harder to detect by inspectors. Neurons without flagellum often cannot access other macro-microorganisms to interface with, and therefore gain resources from, so they usually die on their own. Can rarely cause clogs in single-row neuron transit or affect overall processing speed. A rising count of flagellum deformations may be an early indicator of issues with biological synthesis.

Neuron 1: Typical

Neuron 2: Very reduced flagellum with some shriveling

Neuron 3: Left flagellum forks into a second partially-formed flagellum. Right flagellum exhibits slight shriveling and fraying at the end.

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Type: Gutless body Neurons that often appear normal from the outside, but are missing essential internal components.

This neuron type can often be detected early through careful inspections. Often presents as a virtual husk, only capable of consuming energy and moving about.

Ironically, the nutrient processing system is sometimes enlarged, taking up more space where the other organelles are smaller or missing. This neuron type is relatively easy to remove when detected, and doesn't cause major issues other than resource consumption.

Neuron 1: Typical

Neuron 2: Enlarged nutrient processing system, no processing organelles, severely reduced nucleus

Neuron 3: All organelles are severely reduced, neuron is slimmer and mostly composed of cytosol

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Type: Spheroid Neuron's body length is significantly reduced, often resulting in a spheroid shape.

A spheroid neuron has warped or missing crucial internal structures. It is more dangerous than a gutless neuron due to still being able to process, and therefore corrupt, or result in the loss of information.

Not all neurons of this type are spheroid; it's just named after the common distinct shape. Many neurons of this type lack structural integrity, and do not make it past the production phase.

In a healthy iterator, faulty neurons are rare, and are usually recycled before they can even leave the production phase, or are otherwise destroyed by inspectors.

Mass production of spheroid neurons indicate severe internal issues. At that point, equipment and inspectors likely are failing to recognize faulty neurons or, worse, are indiscriminately destroying all of them. This encourages a stressful rapid production of neurons, which may lead to further equipment failure.

Due to neuron flies' major role in memory encoding and retrieval, neuron corruption can disrupt active processes and cause errors in data storage. In severe cases, affected neurons can corrupt the macro-microorganisms they interface with, and vice versa in a cascade effect, possibly leading to seizures and dementia.

Neuron 1: Typical

Neuron 2: Very round and flattened neuron. Nucleus is partially split and merged with a processing organelle. The rest of the cytoplasm is squished.

Neuron 3: Membrane is pinched into the neuron. Lacks a clear nucleus. Flagella connection is fused at one segment, forming an X-shape.

Neuron 4: Membrane is pinched and folded in several areas, resulting in an unusual asymmetric shape. Organelles are reduced and shoved into whatever space is available. Only one flagellum is connected.

Neuron 5: Membrane is overgrown on one side, leaving little space for the cytoplasm. The nutrient processing system is partially ingrown within the membrane.

Me Giving a Pressed Conference: our advocacy for the disabled must include the addict, the imperfect victim, those we despise; the right to autonomy and life cannot devolve into a popularity contest

Reporter I Hate (Not Sexual Tension): Does that include all the attendees of the Bored Ape NFT event who went blind

Me: *Blood streaming from my nostrils and eyes* david, it includes everyone

Hmmmm

PROFESSOR SYCAMORE DID YOU FUCK MY MOM

b-side work in progress

finally felt like drawing dragons again. how many art styles can one have? idk but i count 3 so far just for dragons

shameless oc art of course, because thats all i post, species headcanons and all. this time around is one of my oldest characters, Blizzard. she's about 8 years old.

she's gone through arguably the most changes in her story and design in comparison to her 4 companions. though shockingly her color has stayed practically the same the entire time, but that's probably because icewings don't have many choices and i didn't want to make her look minty or purple-y.

anyways, work in progress (that may or may not be finished) because i'd like to finish her ex-girlfriend's side of the piece that i redo every year. somehow her girlfriend is not my favorite despite the fact she has the most art.

why i still continue to remake these despite not remaking the actual, written work for the story eludes me, but oh well. pretty colors are nice.

I know I'm late to the party but I just watched Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and I have a LOT of thoughts.

I think this was a terrible adaptation.

I think it was a beautifully produced and well acted movie, and maybe without having read the book it would have been fine, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't separate it from its source material because some of the changes were just horrible.

I know you can't keep everything in, that's fine. You cut some things, you rearrange some stuff, you fit within your runtime. But why change some of the most crucial/beautiful moments? I have a long, long list of quotes that were either removed or just horribly altered/misplaced and it's so disappointing.

Getting rid of Mrs. Quintana grasping Ari's face and saying, "Aristotle Mendoza, I will love you forever" is so sad. Changing what Gina said, that Ari says is the "nicest thing you ever said to me" to be something totally mundane (essentially changed "you got hunkier" to "you look different") is just an odd choice. But changing the way Ari reacts to kissing Dante? That's horrible.

Ari was done horribly in this movie, I'm sorry. The actor did great and he was lovely in certain moments, but they took out what made him shine. I have a friend who said they didn't like the book because Dante deserved so much better, and I disagreed. Book Ari has moments where he's an asshole, but at his core he is a kind and loving boy who is grateful and appreciative. Film Ari is a sometimes sweet boy who is more often than not just rude.

I can understand some changes have to be made when adapting a first person POV novel, that's fair, but you can absolutely use body language and other visual cues to give insight. This is especially clear with Ari's dad, who in the book is understandably difficult for Ari to get along with. He's distant and intimidating and doesn't want to be open. But in the movie he just seems like a sad dad trying his best to talk to his teenage son, and Ari is completely rude and cold to him for no apparent reason! Film Ari does not thank or hug his parents when they give him a car. Film Ari does not say goodnight to his father or listen when his father wants to show him a painting. Idk exactly how that all plays out in the book since I forget a lot, but the important thing is that all we are shown is his father trying and Ari being rude in response. His motivation is unclear and his behavior is selfish.

Now, one of the biggest crimes is what happens in the truck after Dante and Ari kiss. First off, change of location from Dante's room to the truck ... Okay sure. But I have no idea how you can first off, totally alter this scene and omit a very important quote:

"I don’t kiss boys.” “Okay, so the first rule is: No trying to kiss Ari.”

"You have the harder rule? Buffalo shit... I, on the other hand, have to refrain from kissing the greatest guy in the universe—which is like walking barefoot on hot coals." (Pgs 256-257)

And then completely and entirely warp this scene:

So I closed my eyes.

And he kissed me. And I kissed him back.

And then he started really kissing me. And I pulled away.

"Well?" he said.

"Didn't work for me," I said.

"Nothing?"

"Nope."

"Okay. It sure worked for me."

"Yeah. I think I get that, Dante."

"So, well, that's over with then, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Are you mad at me?"

"A little."

He sat back down on his bed. He looked sad. I didn't like seeing him that way. "I'm more mad at myself," I said. "I always let you talk me into things. It's not your fault."

"Yeah," he whispered.

"Don't cry, okay?"

"Okay," he said.

"You're crying."

"I'm not."

"Okay."

"Okay." (Pgs. 263-264)

HOW do you turn that into Ari calling Dante disgusting and screaming at him to get the fuck out of his car??? That's the fucking breaking point for me, because Ari is a lot of things, but an outright aggressive homophobe is not one of them. Maybe I'm forgetting, and maybe something similar happens later and they just rearranged it. But I know for a FACT that Ari NEVER calls Dante disgusting. Never. Because the word disgusting appears once in this book and Gina says it to Ari. That's it, not a single other usage.

That's what broke it for me, even though I had a lot of issues with other parts (Ari not saying thank you about the truck, removing the shoe-throwing game, getting rid of so much important dialogue, etc.) THIS is the thing that was unacceptable because even when Ari was mad at Dante, he didn't hurt him. He didn't immediately go back on his loyalty he'd just sworn, to stay by Dante even though he's gay. He didn't scream at him or curse him.

But I also just couldn't stand how much of the beautiful writing was completely removed. I love that book because it's poetic and full of quips and oddities. Dante in the movie is cute and sweet, but the oddest thing shown about him is that he wears silly sunglasses. We're told he's weird, and get little glimpse of it, but the heart of Dante is not there. In the book he feels a little mystified and hard to fully grasp, but in the movie he's just... There. A shell, almost. He's still lovable, but he's not wholly Dante. It's like an afterimage of Dante, which is impressive because he was very personable in the movie, but that just shows how enchanting Dante is in the book. He's hard to pin down, but he's not hollow. I think a big issue was that a lot of the time, Dante seemed hurt by Ari. Genuinely disheartened, rather than laughing it off until he couldn't anymore, he was kind of just sad? I don't know. We had the bones of something beautiful with this movie, really, but they just didn't do it right.

Again, the loss of the poeticism and the changes to Ari are what hurt it the most. Movie Ari has very sweet moments where the book character shines through, but he takes himself too seriously in a way where it feels like we're supposed to as well. Ari is lame! He's an awkward teenager with a lot of angst because he's figuring things out and struggling to find his place in the universe, but movie Ari isn't that at all. He's just brooding and downright mean at times. His reactions to the things around him were so hollow and uncaring, and maybe that's how he looked from the outside, but again, this story was not told from the outside and completely loses it's effect when you can't tell what he's feeling or thinking because he just seems mad or disinterested. Not all the time, there were some incredible scenes. I loved him talking with his parents after he beat up Julian. I loved the final scene with the kiss. I think his reaction worked well when hearing about his aunt's girlfriend. But damnit that was lost to me the moment he called the most brilliant boy he'd ever met "disgusting."

Overall, I don't regret watching the movie and I loved some of the scenes and think the music and atmosphere were great. But I'm heartbroken over the fact that so much of the nuance was completely lost. Even if there was some nuance present in the movie, it was far, far less than in the book.

(Less structured bonus points because this rant was messy enough but I have more to say): Dante told him not to open the sketchbook until he was gone. In the movie Ari opened it right up and made a kind of rude comment. Next: so many important bonding moments were removed. Dante giving Ari a sponge bath and them visiting with each other every day Ari was in the hospital. The shoes were significantly played down to the point where the sentimentality of the little shoes was almost lost. Also: The letters were so entirely diminished. And: Ari's brother killed two people, not just the trans woman but also someone in jail. Bro I haven't read this book in multiple years and I'm able to recount this much, I don't even want to think about how glaringly off it all is when I've read the whole book to compare. (If any of my points were wrong, I blame this. But I'm pretty sure most of them are right.)

I loved the end of the movie tho lol I'm always a sucker for a sweet scene and Dante's actor killed it with the eye acting in that scene, the emotions were palpable.

”you can just make an oc” you dont understand anything. the character needs to mutate naturally until unrecognizable. like all evolutionary processes it takes time. you can’t force it or it doesn’t take. you must endure weird ooc thematically discordant versions of a guy until they bud off into beautiful new life. have patience

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