careers in science & academia are so Cassandra-coded. you possess a Great and Burdensome Knowledge (at heavy cost*), which is both its own reward and its own punishment. and no one fucking listens to you
Realizing that squid have an ink sac and an internal shell called a pen so we’re living just a few short evolutionary steps away from calamarigraphy and honestly there goes the rest of today
Conspicuous phenotypic similarities among characters like Astarion (Baldur's Gate 3, 2023) and Preminger (Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper, 2004) have been noted in the past; however, establishment of a definitive taxonomy has thus far been hindered by the fact that both are clearly juveniles of their species. Now, however, a mature specimen is believed to have been located:
I would like to preface this with the fact that I am both a biologist and an Astarion fan, so I had a lot of fun making this cladogram and my mini-thesis below the cut so that my silly science doesn't take up the whole page-
The Taxonomy of 'Meen': a Mini Thesis:
Although Astarion and Preminger share characteristics that could be viewed as juvenile in a broad sense of the term, examining them with respect to their native habitats reveals that they are both considered to be fully developed amongst their communities. The aforementioned characters undoubtedly possess similar phenotypes, but the variances amongst them provide evidence to another theory: rather than being members of a single species, they are all members of a single clade with I. M. Meen as the most recent common ancestor (MRCA).
From there, the taxa can be subdivided into two additional clades, though their MRCAs are yet to be determined. Both Dr. Tan and Mr. Cardboard developed from an ancestor who evolved dark hair, while Astarion and Preminger originated from an ancestor with the capability to perform as a government official, such as a magistrate or royal advisor.
Within the clade denoted by dark hair, Dr. Tan is significant for his dance ability as a method of indirect competition to promote himself as a species. A distinction should be noted between Dr. Tan and Preminger, as the fitness of Dr. Tan in his habitat hinges on his ability to dance, while Preminger merely engages in such activities on occasion. Mr. Cardboard is significant for his robotic nature, which is completely unique in this phylogeny.
Likewise, clear divisions are present within the clade of government officials. The distinguishing characteristic of Preminger are his yellow eyes, while vampirism is exclusive of Astarion. Regardless of the fact that the eye colors of both Astarion and Preminger are phenotypically dissimilar from that of the other taxa, the two individuals are not united under that trait due to the fact that the red eye color of Astarion was acquired via his vampirism. One could also argue that vampirism would not be a defining trait of his species, though he could also be denoted by his elvish traits or merely by the fact that only he and his habitat even have the capacity to support vampirism.
Although this phylogeny would greatly benefit from additional research, especially in discovering the MRCAs directly succeeding I. M. Meen, this philosophy provides a more comprehensive approach to representing the taxonomy of these individuals.
[If you managed to read through my mad scientist ramblings, thank you, congratulations, and please have my sincerest condolences.]
Graceful degradation is the ability of a computer, machine, electronic system or network to maintain limited functionality even when a large portion of it has been destroyed or rendered inoperative. The purpose of graceful degradation is to prevent catastrophic failure. (Tech Target, first result on the search engine)
Oh neat the first time I heard of the concept the guy described it to me as "catastrophic functionality".
He was talking about it in the context of designing robots that would go in and stop nuclear reactor meltdowns, something that would 100% destroy the robot, but they would be designed to keep functioning and fighting the meltdown for as long as possible. He had some designs where over 80% of the robot has died and it was functionally dragging its corpse around by its one working arm because one more minute of functionality might save thousands.
I've been having a few bad years mental health wise, and thinking about those robots a lot .
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