#and in that i was included in the world so limitless kindness to myself was intrinsic

[jgnico]

I liked your reply to the Gojo ask and I'm not the same anon but I think I kind of see where those people are coming from if I may squeeze myself into the conversation. I think there's two ways people can interpret what going north means - same as detaching from your past self -, you can either use it to refer to the fate of jujutsu sorcerers as a whole or you can take it as a personal matter in regards to a specific characters fate. You focused on the former with your reply which I think makes sense, obviously, and in that sense both Gojo and Nanami choose the north path because they cared to foster the younger generations and try to guide them towards a different future. But I think the way people who believe Gojo might come back look at the situation is more in the sense of Gojo's persona and his own individual journey being focused on his strength and him not being able to move on from his youth. Like the quote "are you the strongest because you're Gojo Satoru or are you Gojo Satoru because you're the strongest?", I think that maybe those theories are meant to signify him stepping aside as the strongest and becoming just Satoru. Not the Six Eyes holder, not the strongest sorcerer, not a special grade but someone who steps aside from that. That's why some people believe he will lose his powers, hence not being part of the generation that will bring change to the jujutsu world. I came here a bit as the devil's advocate, I'm not saying this necessarily makes sense or that you're wrong, just sharing a few ideas I've seen around. There's also the theory that JJK is the type of story that mirrors itself (I don't remember the name) so the same way Gojo died and had his "rebirth" during Hidden Inventory, people believe he might go through another rebirth moment. There are moments paralleling each other in the manga so that doesn't seem too out of reach but I have no idea. I personally believe Gojo coming back could make sense if executed in a very specific way but my wish is honestly for him to stay in the grave since I think his story had a satisfying conclusion for the type of plot JJK has but I'm a bit of an idot I have no idea what I'm saying haha I hope you don't mind this ask. Have a good day!

Oooh, thank you for the ask and different perspective, Anon.

To the point of going North being interpreted to mean Gojo starting anew as simply Satoru, not the strongest, I'd ask, "Isn't he doing exactly that in the afterlife?"

I touched on it in passing in a previous meta answer, but Gojo had a positive outlook on his own death because it would mean him finally putting down the burden of the strongest and getting to return to a time in his life and the people within it that knew him as a person, rather than an ideal. Going back to a world where that isn't the case would undermine that for him. Even if we expand further and raise the idea that he returns without his techniques -- including, ya know, his eyes -- he'd still be going back as someone that held that position before, someone that acted as the head of his clan, someone that the others look to for guidance and knowledge in concerns to Jujutsu.

Gojo's technique alone didn't make him the strongest. He didn't reach that status off of the abilities he was born with by themselves, but by his innovation and implementation of them when it was required of him. His mindset and personality made him the strongest just as much as his techniques did; something that's further reinforced by Geto stagnating when he shouldn't have because his core way of thinking when it came to his technique never changed. Losing the Six Eyes + Limitless doesn't take that or the burden of strength away from Gojo. Jujutsu society quite literally hasn't changed enough for that to be a possibility.

Or, to answer the Geto question: He's the strongest because he's Gojo Satoru, not the other way around.

Additionally, his strength wasn't the root of his unhappiness. Gojo enjoyed being strong as an adult as much as he did when he was a teenager. And we know this because every time he's ever been pushed to a point where he gets to show that strength --Hidden Inventory, Shibuya, the Sukuna Fight, he enjoys it.

The problem that Gojo had with being strong wasn't that he was, but rather that it made him lonely. That for all that it gave him, it demanded so much more in return. Taking his technique away and putting him back into a world where he still isn't understood as a person like he is with his friends in the afterlife doesn't fix that issue.

But couldn't people learn to understand him? I genuinely don't think so, and neither did Gojo.

Too many people over too long of a time never saw him as a person or even cared to. And eventually, Gojo gave up on them ever doing so to make that easier for him to accept. Spending your entire life as a thing, as an ideal, to other people is a tragic reality. One that led Gojo to separate himself from those around them, not as one person being wilfully alienated from a group of people by the majority, but as a being so different from others that it made no sense to ask to be understood.

Is this a healthy mentality to have? Well, no, but that doesn't mean he wasn't pushed there regardless.

Taking him from a place where he's finally free from that, where he's back with the people that see him as a person, and putting him back into a world where only the opposite is true in the hopes that the world will change to accept him when it never has before, isn't the solution.

Believe me, I understand wanting him to be alive, but I don't think that that would do anything positive for his character when it would only make him just as miserable as he was before.

#also anon! dont call yourself an idiot in my askbox! we dont do that here #youre chiming in on the convo and sharing different opinions #thats not stupid and its not unappreciated #jujutsu kaisen #jjk spoilers #jjk meta #gojo satoru #answers #anon #nicos meta #meta answers

[invested-in-your-future]

Honestly I find the maiden's powers to be completely boring and unimpressive compared to semblances

"Oh wow you are able to use ice powers that's reall- oh never mind there's an ice semblance that is ten times cooler (no pun intended)"

"Oh wow you have fire powers that's great and all but we already have a girl who can fire punch using her semblance so...."

And it's not even getting into magic my god,similar to the maidens I am easily unimpressed at the magic in this show since again it's just semblances but with a different coat of paint

If I had to rewrite this then I will make the maiden's powers be a boost to someone's semblance thus getting them stronger as a result (depending of which season),and as for magic I will have it as some kind of spell that everyone uses using a spell book (before humanity was wiped from existence and semblances began to rise),I don't know if they're good but what do you think?

Yeah, I think the issue is that the show never really bothers to commit to the idea at all.

The first showcase with Amber is still the most impressive showcase of Maidens to date. NINE volumes in. Raven versus Cinder was flashy but it didn't convey that this is two limitless beings clashing at all.

Here's this idea about four beings being granted basically limitless power. How did that start? How does it work? What are implications on the world as a whole that beings like that existed through history? How does existence of four extremely powerful superweapons impact the world politically? Why would revealing them go badly according to Glynda? The show doesn't answer OR care.

Generally, when introducing something on this scope, narrative would attempt to hype it up, to establish just how different from "normal" limited things like dust and semblance it is - if something is introduced, the story has to add weight to the concept so it feels like a part of the setting by impacting everything else.

But they can't - because there are Relics now - every bit that would hype up Maidens as this limitless force would in turn make Relics feel less. Not to mention the narrative wants the audience to fear Salem and to think that relics are dangerous and important and with three Maidens being on the "good" side, making them strong in turn makes the threat less.

So the show ends up with a situation where majority of Maiden presence is Cinder being an absolute clown. And then the winter maiden is treated as a hot potato - rather than the force to be reckoned with people (and plot itself) care more about who ends up having it.

And then the magic is very loosely defined too - what is it? what makes it different from the rest of absurd powers that come via use of Dust and Semblances? The answer is simple - in the show, magic is whatever the writers want it to be for convenience - that includes being a device for an insta-flashback or a tool to insta-know a plot-thread without writers having to write a natural way for characters to learn it. Need to create four Maidens? Ozpin, uhhhh, did magic things! The nature and rules of Magic have no clear answer or explanation in the show, because it is treated as the answer instead. It's why Relic "rules" are treated like "guidelines" too.

Honestly I am kind of amazed at how much just would get solved by just dumping the two gods subplot into trash. By dumping all of that, there's a whole lot more room to make Maidens actually a thing that makes sense.

The way I am handling it is that I want to build up and establish how it all works and why it's even there - including what was Ozpin's role in the whole Maiden thing and why Maiden's exist too.

One of the first things I did when planning was to think up what "Magic" means in this setting. Then I wrote down for myself specific rules that should apply to semblance and dust, but not magic/maidens, as well as another set of rules that should apply to specifically only Maidens.

#rwby #rwde #rwby rewrite

[ecoamerica]

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[dreadwhoop]

Reviewing the All Elite Wrestling personnel 2023 Edition (Part 3) -

GET RID OF -

No I've not lost my mind hear me out - Hook is a great prospect and well-guarded in the booking. He is a special attraction. This is it. They don't know what to do now. If the company had sense he'd of done stuff with guys they still have like Ogogo or even Samoa Joe. What would you do with Hook in AEW? For me I'd send him to NJPW and let him develop his technical skills - at the least make him Shibata's protege just don't make him suffer because he's not going to kiss ass to the establishment. I have no faith AEW will do anything with Hook when they've already pushed the wrong talents. He's got to go to grow.

Limitless dissapointment. What a tragic example of someone who can't reach his potential because of a complete lack of wanting it. Keith Lee is the guy who will smile at Jay White taking every spot and thumbs up a Swerve Strickland for wanting to adapt. Indubitably the only thing he resembles of a Junkyard Dog is the 'Junk' aspect. I do not dislike him but his sporadic appearences have tarnished what could of been a revival to his lackluster WWE career. Now I can only look at him as an overgrown mark for himself. The kind of luxury supercar who can only reach second gear.

Not a wrestler. NEXT.

He's returned to the mildest interest imaginable. Remember folks - a former TNT Champion and Tag Champion. This is 2/3 of the Triple Crown. Only Luchasaurus has accomplished this as well. Does he have blackmail on Tony Khan? Nothing about him is original and better talent have got less. Granted he's not winning anything but what do you expect? AEW outgrew him in the 4 years since becoming a weekly syndicated show. What has he done? Stagnated. Be it Kazarian or Ethan Page or anyone he's juxtaposed to he always comes off as the second stringer, the sidekick, the assist. Not a star.

I believe everyone in this world deserves a 2nd chance. Or even a 3rd chance if they've been so successful before and you understand they really want to try. Jeff Hardy has had his last chance more than 3 chances ago. It takes away from others how much he's given and it's beyond unfair. We live in a world where Tessa Blanchard is never given a single chance and is punished for calling "The Black Rose" a derogatory slur, fair enough, but we'll allow a DUI repeat offender the 'chance' to return and he's twice the age of Tessa. What do you think? If the 'crimes' were reversed would you still let Jeff Hardy back in? Of course AEW would - this is why it's just a vanity project and not one built on moral principles. Even if you disregard it the guy is a husk of what he once was so stop embarrassing the nostalgia.

"Protect me from myself" is the wrestler's mantra. Wrestlers are there to put their bodies on the line and expect their opponent(s) to help them keep things safe. Referees are meant to support this. Rick Knox was recently involved in the contraversial Rey Fenix International title win over Moxley. This isn't the first time a guy concussed/KOed has had no help from him look up 'Alex Reynolds knocked out' and look who the ref was there too. He's an amateur and dangerously naive to the well-being of the roster. At best he's careless. At worst malicious. See Jeff Hardy on 'chances'.

I could copy-paste what I said on Ruby Soho and be done with it. For everyone's safety, including her own, for the dignity of wrestling, and the chance for the women's division to mean anything, and belts to not just be used to keep broken wrestlers together, we need her to go - Britt Baker herself said it best - the industry has moved past her. It's now being held back from growing further.

Remember earlier what I said on Hook? This is one example. For a living bar of prison soap, nothing feels clean with this limpet around - I've never seen a guy more in need of having a mask put on him and, like Hook, I'd send him from AEW but instead to a landfill. The only good thing about him is his age which means he has time to go away and return better but, more likely, he's here to stay and infect airtime with negative ratings. A 'change the channel' wrestler.

I'll say this - he's incredible for his age and for the fact since I began watching wrestling he's been around…granted I've tried my best to avoid watching him but guess he thought better. His bit has run its course, get rid of the loose faction around him, free Jay Lethal, and let him be a booker or something. His mind is what is important not his body of work.

The time has come to finally talk about Sammy Guevara - a man I danced around with for 4 years debating whether he should be pushed or go. He should go. Here's why - Sammy Guevara is one of the best talents AEW has got so what's the problem? He can't overcome his own insecurities. He has to be associated with someone. He has to be involved with people who drag him down and, consequently, he's comfortable with it. When the Inner Circle and Pinnacle storyline happened it should of culminated with Guevara becoming the new leader and Jericho eventually breaking off to do his own ego faction. This way Guevara could of feuded with MJF on a more serious level. None of this happened. In fact Guevara has been stuck slowly grinding on the spot without a care. When he discussed why he joined Don Callis he could of mentioned Jericho gave him bad habits and his reliance to do his moves is why he lost NOT because he was just 'sick and tired' of Jericho my god what a bore. If Guevara becomes an AEW World Champion by the time next October runs around this company will die an agonising death.

#aew #all elite wrestling #personal opinion

[tommytranselo]

mafia trilogy gameplay review

alright, here’s my full series review + my hopes for mafia 4 from a purely gameplay perspective (well, mostly).  fair warning, this is not entirely spoiler free and also long as hell–over five thousand words–so click read more at your own risk.

mafia tcolh

unfortunately i have not played the original (yet), so i can’t give a real review, but i have heard about the optional end-of-chapter missions from lucas bertone to unlock new cars and about the extremely detailed free ride, including enemies spawning across the city and the game saving your progress, which i think are great features that (presumably) allow you to take your time with the game and provide replay value that isn’t just doing the same missions over and over or pointlessly driving around.  it’s 21 chapters and i’ve heard it’s a pretty damn difficult game–player preference is gonna vary on that obviously, but overall i get the impression it’s meant to take some time to beat at least on your first playthrough.

mafia 2

coming in at 15 chapters (the first of which was the rather short and partly intended as a tutorial), it seems to be a significantly faster experience than its predecessor and it didn’t take me long at all to finish.  replaying has been a weird experience because i honestly don’t really even like a solid third of the chapters (1, 6, and the last three), but the game is near and dear to my heart.  while i have seen reports (and videos) of serious glitching, i never encountered any.  one note is that the lack of character tags in subtitles was annoying because sometimes it’s hard to differentiate voices (drunk eddie and joe is my biggest gripe).

open world & graphics: whether snow-covered in 1945 or sunny in 1951, empire bay is a truly beautiful city, the npc behavior is very detailed (which can make for some funny experiences if you notice it), and there’s generally a lot to do if you wander around, but the lack of a free ride mode and lack of downtime during chapters leaves little opportunity to actually do it.  i didn’t feel like i had much chance to explore or just hang out in the game world, and like i said before, the experience feels kind of rushed, especially on a replay where you know what’s coming next; i really wish we got more time in the 1945 segment because the winter atmosphere and freddy’s bar were really nice, and there was too little chance to experience them.  if you die at the end of a chapter while fucking around you generally have to replay the last mission, which seriously discourages exploration and is frankly a stupid feature.  there are diners, clothing shops, gun stores, auto shops etc around the city, which is really nice if you’re just hanging out, but i personally never found myself using them much (aside from the auto shop and clothing store once or twice apiece outside the prompts to use them in ch2 and ch7 respectively) because there just didn’t seem to be much time for it, and also because you lose all your stuff multiple times throughout the game, so it feels a little pointless (and it’s easy to accumulate guns from fallen enemies, but tbh i did that in every game).  i’d love to go see giuseppe or harry in my off time (which you’re clearly intended to do as there’s some secret dialogue), but there didn’t seem to be much off time.  overall, a lovely open world with detailed settings and interactivity that we had far too little chance to enjoy.  working mirrors, though!

combat: i appreciated the limitless gun arsenal (being able to carry both a rifle and machine gun was nice) but found switching weapons to be kind of clunky (unless i just suck ass at the controls), for some reason i felt significantly worse at shooting compared to MDE, and honestly the melee fighting sucked.  it’s extremely similar to la noire, so i guess maybe it was standard for the time, but it seems the strategy is to just hold down block at all times except when throwing a punch, and the fact you can end up just endlessly circling each other with nobody landing a hit both a) got boring real fast and b) ruined the immersion for me.  and no knives/bats/other melee weapons, really?  not to mention we only got one chance for stealth gameplay (ch3), and...tbh it just didn’t really do it for me.  it took me forever the first time because i took henry’s statement of “no killing” to mean i wasn’t allowed to do stealth takedowns either, but on a replay when i did stealth attack it was honestly a little too easy.  as for the healing system, as much as i love food in games, the “eat/drink to heal” and the way your health fills up significantly if you just wait a few seconds made healing feel like a non-issue for the most part; i joke about the floor sandwiches but i never actually found any, going to diners between missions to boost my health a little didn’t feel worth it ever (i only ever ate at the very end of chapters, basically), and mostly my strategy was just to duck and cover while i waited for vito's bar to refill.  i didn’t hate it but i think it could’ve been done better.

cars: they handled pretty well once i got the hang of driving, and the snowy roads handling different was nice attention to detail.  the customization was fantastic, and i have to say i love the garage system; it was really nice to be able to store cool cars when i snagged one off the street–and speaking of which, the lock-picking requiring effort was a bit of a pain but in a good way, so overall a nice touch.  the speed limiter was also helpful, especially for the bit with the cigarette truck.  no joke, i LOVED other characters (joe and henry mainly) whining about my driving (if anything it made me drive worse!)

police behavior: the lingering wanted status for both cars and people, while an absolute pain in the ass, added a lot more realism and tension.  having to sneak home after the jewelry store job was, though irritating as hell, exciting.  it also gives you more reason to use the clothing stores and auto shops.  was honestly kind of surprised this wasn’t in other games.  mostly i don’t remember the cops being too hard to get rid of, or having any other gripes about their programming.

hud: i hated the minimap honestly; it was hard to read, it didn’t show if enemies were on your level or above/below, and it didn’t show friendly npcs.  it also just kinda looked bad.  the health bar was confusing as hell at first too but i did eventually figure it out; it looked neat though and it didn’t take up much room.  overall the hud was kinda ugly but that’s just me.  i don’t recall if you can disable it (i never tried) but a quick google suggests no, at least not without mods, which sucks.

soundtrack/radio: fantastic.  lovely score though not my favorite (ending song was a gut punch, though).  wildly chronologically inaccurate licensed music, but most good fifties songs came out after ‘51 so i don’t care (hell, if they’d been accurate it likely wouldn’t have been distinct enough from the ‘45 songs).  the choice of scripted songs was very well done and the radio stations were very distinct–having djs with clear personalities was awesome.  introduced me to some cool songs (billy merman cover of 900 miles, my beloved) and the amount of little richard was much appreciated.  the radio ads were more tolerable than in m3, or i remember them that way.  wasn’t too fond of how, unlike the other games, the radio does NOT continue to play in big map screen and instead it plays its own, honestly very creepy map theme.  on an additional sound design note, the police sirens in this were really really eerie to me, which was neat.

dlcs: i have not played the dlcs and i don’t really intend to.  i’ve not heard good things about them and there was a huge lost opportunity for expansion upon the story, especially with the jimmy stuff (my gripe there is mostly that it’s a completely alternate universe).

final thoughts: overall, despite being evidently a fan-favorite nowadays, in my honest opinion i think it’s kind of the weakest of the (original) series as a video game (still one of my favorite pieces of media).  this has been largely forgotten and i was not at all involved in the series when 2 came out, but i’ve heard it was largely hated by diehard tcolh fans at first only to gain popularity later.  i truly loved the characters and the setting but i really wish we got more time with them, i wish so much content hadn’t been cut, and i wish it didn’t have that lingering unfinished feeling.

mafia 3

wildly different gameplay than the first two games, and while a lot of players hated that, honestly i loved it.  it was a lot easier to take my time with it, and while the missions could get a bit grindy (not something i personally minded, but compared to earlier games i see why it could be an issue), there were some cool locations and you could at least decide how you wanted to go about it, something made easier by the solo gameplay.  the more structured end-of-district missions were cool as hell, though tbh i don’t think i’d want it to be all scripted like that.  on the other hand, it did get very lonely at times with nobody to ride along you and chat during missions, something that became extremely obvious upon playing the dlcs where i had donovan & roxy with me.  i have experienced glitches with this one, a couple of which required restarting missions, but nothing truly game-breaking.  the fact it always turns off my subtitles when i first boot it up is irritating as hell though.  character tags for dialogue subs were nice.

open world & graphics: imo the best open-world hands down, it gave you so much room to explore and i love just existing in new bordeaux; feels like home somehow, at least for me.  the existence of the fuse boxes you wiretap and useful collectibles like the circuit plugs, tac vests, adrenaline shots, and random wads of cash (lol) in addition to a ton of purely aesthetic ones encouraged exploration even if you aren’t normally a collector (which tbh i’m not).  you’re getting on rooftops, on balconies, in alleyways, in stores and diners, in random people’s backyards and even houses; i’ve said it before but it appeals so strongly to my urge to get into shit that i can’t irl.  and don’t get me started on the boats, that rocked (i think more games should have boats).  the lack of stuff to do in stores (besides rob the cash register and maybe grab collectibles) was kind of disappointing, especially given i’d probably make way more use of them in this than in m2, but being able to visit the underbosses & lieutenants whenever still scratched the “go interact with people” itch, and the assistants (jb/betty/hank) you could call was a very convenient way of doing things.  i also appreciated the random npc conversations and the way npcs on the street will say things to you that sometimes lincoln will respond to (those quick exchanges like “how’re you doing?”) added a lot of atmosphere.  the districts had really distinct vibes not just in terms of architecture but also how the npcs looked and acted.  i appreciated the random enemies and allies hanging around, felt very dynamic.  a truly, truly beautiful game too, though the mirrors don’t work.  the weather system was also really nice, although i wish there was a way to sleep through nights/storms because they can be kind of a pain to fight in (or sleep till night, if you want to work under cover of dark); while we’re on the topic, the fact lincoln seems to (technically) stay awake for weeks on end does get real weird whenever i think about it; it also would’ve been nice to see food in game just for atmospheric reasons, even though i liked the health system as mentioned below.

combat: gunplay was generally satisfying and felt balanced, and while the inability to carry more than two guns (one big, one small) is a little annoying, it didn’t bother me all that much once i found ones i liked.  the stealth gameplay was hands-down my favorite; you had way more opportunity to do it, you could take on enemy territory as you pleased and find multiple ways into the target location, the survival knife tbh makes for some incredibly satisfying stealth kills, and the whistle feature is a godsend.  it’s also very fun to get a bunch of enemies all riled up and actively searching for you, if you want to give yourself a challenge.  the “q to punch, left alt to dodge” melee was far preferred to mafia 2’s mouse-clicking, as it made fights go a lot quicker and forced me to actually stay on my toes dodging (it’s harder and i’m worse at it, but it feels much more realistic and overall more satisfying).  intel view was much appreciated and is also closely tied to lincoln’s army background (and donovan’s bootleg cia setup, presumably), though i could see how it might arguably make things too easy.  personally i hate struggling to find enemies so i liked it.  the throwable weapons are fantastic (throwing knives and screaming zemis my beloved), loads of variety, though the knives are a pain to find again if you miss your target and i wasn’t sure how the hell to use some of the others (landmines, namely).  i fucking love that lincoln can swim; saved my ass a few times, and tbh i’d love more gaming protags who don’t insta-drown.  the alligators were a nice touch if annoying (i almost died to them a couple times lol).  as far as healing goes, the collectable adrenaline shots that you could administer in battle combined with the mild regen was nicely done and let you stock up before big fights; immediate healing saved my ass loads of times, and it was possibly my favorite way of doing things out of all the games.  the enemy (marcanos, dixie mafia, ensanglante) retaliation was also a very cool feature.  overall the combat was by far my favorite of the trilogy.

cars: the cars handled very nicely, the best out of the series imo, which i guess is a product of the 1968 setting.  the slow-motion driving, though i don’t use it much, has saved my ass a few times and let me pull off some neat stunts and is quite a unique feature.  there were some cool unlockable cars but the lack of customization for random ones off the street and lack of a garage system was pretty damn disappointing.  i didn’t notice if wet roads drove any differently than dry (i don’t believe so?) but it would’ve been cool if they did.  i got my tires shot out a lot which was irritating.  the rearview mirror was a nice touch but i do wish you could turn it off.  no speed limiter, i don’t think?

police behavior: the way police responded wildly differently depending on different neighborhoods was brilliant storytelling, and you could really tell the difference–you should’ve seen me trying to steal a car in frisco fields before i had the lockpicking perk, confident i could escape before the cops even showed up like i had in other neighborhoods, only to get instantly swarmed and have to tear out of there so fast i ended up wrecking the damn car (the air i caught before doing so, though–chef’s kiss).  now that’s variety baby!  hell, in frisco i kept getting random cops on my ass when civilians heard my gunshots during side missions, and they didn’t give up easy.  the fact that the blue attention arrow (you know the one i mean?) showed up regardless of whether they were after you or not was a brilliant bit of environmental storytelling that really drove home the fact lincoln was being watched even when he did nothing wrong.  the way it did search zones was well done too.  the lack of a lingering wanted feature, though it made my life a hell of a lot easier, is a bit unrealistic; might’ve been interesting if you only got it in high-cop-activity neighborhoods like frisco.  i appreciated the extent to which they search for you, as annoying as it was; it added drama.  absolute hell to ditch them in car chases though, which was noticeable considering the random mob/cult retaliation cars were usually fairly easy to leave in the dust.

hud: much preferable minimap to 2–it showed you if npcs were above/below you as well as showing allies in addition to enemies & cops, was easy to read, and also just looked nicer lol.  the health bar was extremely easy to read.  it would be real nice if you could disable the damn things without mods, though; sometimes a man wants to take a fucking screenshot!  overall, very legible if a bit bland.

soundtrack/radio: killer!  the score itself is gorgeous, and the collection of licensed songs is fantastic (i’m a huge sucker for ‘60s music though).  very careful attention to chronological accuracy, and the choice of songs during cutscenes and specific missions (del shannon’s “runaway” while escaping with álvarez!) was great.  all three radio stations had very distinct character; djs would’ve been nice but it’s not a huge gripe.  the station sweepers were cool but the commercials were annoying as all fuck.  the uncle lou ad going off air after you kill him was a nice touch (and a relief lmao).  the voice and remy had very well-written shows (like, fuck remy, but his persona was believable), but they ran way longer than my drives across the map so i ended up awkwardly waiting in the car to listen, then getting impatient and giving up–a downside of the lack of scripted driving.  “all along the watch tower” as a title song was a hell of a choice, and it worked.

dlcs: the dlcs were well-integrated into the story and gameplay, brought some really unique content without feeling too forced, introduced characters whose presence made sense.  they gave you stuff to do outside the main storyline that was really nice when i felt like dicking around without progressing the plot.  sammy’s bar renovations gave me something to spend my cash on, which honestly i haven’t used much otherwise.

final thoughts: gameplay wise, this one is definitely my favorite.  it’s been an extremely long playthrough (i haven’t actually done the absolute last mission yet) which has some downsides but overall was a lot more relaxed than the others and had much more room for screwing around, exploring, etc which was valuable to me.  i understand the gripe about no chapters (for series inconsistency reasons mostly) but personally it didn’t bother me and overall i absolutely don’t get the hate for it, mafia 3 is a great fucking game.

mafia definitive edition

twenty chapters long (combining two from the original), it was the first mafia game i played and has a special place in my heart for that reason.  i have some complaints, but i adored the game on my first playthrough; i’ve yet to replay but i’m considering.  not too quick of a playthrough, especially with that goddamn race.  in terms of mechanics it had a lot of similarities to mafia 3, since it used the same engine, so some of this is a bit briefer.  same as 3, it had character tags for dialogue subs, thank god.  i mostly didn’t deal with any glitches, except for one major one: the armored car section completely broke because of a graphics issue where the turret hitbox seemed not to register, so none of my shots landed even with aim assist; online advice said to fiddle with graphics settings, and turning off one feature (v-tuning? i forget the name) let me beat it almost instantly, but if i hadn’t known that it would’ve made that section literally unbeatable and the game unplayable, which is a pretty major flaw.  i’m not sure if it’s been patched yet but i sure as hell hope.

open world & graphics: the graphics and setting design are spectacular.  i’ll be honest, seeing the intro sequence for the first time damn near brought me to tears; it felt like coming home.  lost heaven is a beautiful city...with fuckall to do.  pretty much zero downtime during missions, combined with a free ride that had absolutely jack shit to do for kicks besides drive, antagonize pedestrians & cops, and those obnoxious herbert baskerville missions (i haven’t done much, but they really haven’t done it for me tbh) results in...a world you can explore, sort of, but it’s not even that enjoyable.  all those weapons in vinny’s workshop and nobody to use ‘em on–would it kill the devs to spawn a few enemies to fight?  or to let us explore inside mission locations? (which, btw, makes collections hell to complete because you have to replay whole chapters, and unless you’re a diehard collector probably isn’t gonna be worth it to most just for that).  or to even let me climb on stuff easier?  or to give us any kinds of shops, or food somehow, or have any characters besides ralphie (doesn’t talk to you at all), vinny (has like one or two lines), and lucas bertone (whom i visited loads because he actually talks)?  it was lonely as hell and driving around started getting depressing, as much as i enjoyed the scenery.  for a truly gorgeous, detailed, giant map (the countryside went on for miles!) they wasted it with no interactivity.  at least the random npcs will sometimes say hi to you like in mafia 3.

combat: gunplay was very easy to learn and very fun.  i’m not sure if this was specific to easy difficulty (it was my first game of the series and on an unfamiliar computer, give me a break) but there was a neat feature with the crosshairs where they’d turn red if you were on target to hit and form an x if the shot would be fatal, so i got real good at pistol headshots real quick (picked this up again in mafia 3 even without the red crosshair but struggled in mafia 2, so i suspect it’s partly a game engine thing).  melee was the same “q to punch, alt left to dodge” as mafia 3 that kept me on my toes, albeit a little clunkier given tommy isn’t a combat trained vet (nice attention to detail albeit potentially motivated by fan complaints toward previews), so i had fun with it.  knives and bats were nice but i found little chance to use them, knives especially.  the stealth missions sucked major ass (one you had to get right up behind them and one you couldn’t stealth kill–just for relaxation, my detested).  the healing system with the med boxes scattered throughout missions was pretty damn brutal and i got killed a lot (granted i was inexperienced so idk how i’d fare on a rerun), which definitely made me strategize, and honestly it helped balance out the easy shooting.  i’ve heard gripes it was too easy (aside from the fucking race!), and while i played on the lowest setting, i’m kind of inclined to agree, though i’d have to see on a replay on medium/hard.

cars: the driving, once i got the hang of it, was surprisingly smooth, though driving in free ride after i’d been playing mafia 3 was a trip.  some of those ‘30s cars handle like hell though (race car my detested), and one time in free ride i snagged a car in front of a cop just to see what he’d do...well, turns out it was a jalopy with a top speed of 41 mph, and he chased me down and shot me.  on the other hand, the hearse from the saint and the sinner survived me whipping off the top of a hill, slamming down through the trees, and crash landing in the airport parking lot to ditch the cops (wasn’t in good shape afterward, but she made it!) so make of that what you will.  i don’t recall a speed limiter either.  the motorcycles were fucking awesome.  all in all not bad.

police behavior: considering i’ve heard the cops in tcolh were absolutely brutal, comparatively this was a cakewalk.  they were a huge pain to get off my ass in certain chase sequences, but so long as i stayed out of sight especially when they were first called out, they’d give up way too easy, even on hard mode (something i tested pretty extensively in free ride).  lack of wanted feature was surprising to me even when i had yet to play mafia 2; i ended up ditching the hearse in the saint and the sinner before we got back into town, though that was as much about the fact it was slow as hell by then as getting recognized (but still).

hud: similar to mafia 3, especially the minimap, which honestly looked even nicer tbh.  very legible, and afaik you can disable it easily (photomode).  no complaints here.

soundtrack/radio: absolutely beautiful original score; the main theme will genuinely never cease to haunt me and is pretty much without question my favorite original song of the series.  i’m not huge on thirties music so nothing stood out to me as far as licensed songs, but it was a nice and very atmospheric collection.  the radio stations felt much less distinct but the berringers commercials were funny, and overall the ads weren’t annoying at all really.  the news breaks were pleasant and well-timed.  i don’t actually know if djs would’ve added much here, really.

dlcs: besides a few outfit/car packs?  there are none!  for fuck’s sake, h13.

final thoughts: a gorgeous and very fun game that could stand to let the player breathe a little.  cutting the lucas bertone end-of-chapter optional missions (and adding the cars to free ride instead) was a mistake, because that would’ve given the player a chance to fuck around in-chapter, especially given free ride is so damn empty.  overall, despite its flaws, the game is a generally well-paced experience that i really enjoyed.

mafia 4: my hopes

i expect it’ll be chapter style like 1 and 2, rather than more open like 3; i don’t really care either way but slightly more structure might be nice.  i do hope it’ll be on the longer side (longer than 2, at least) but...i don’t know if i expect that.  that would also mean more of a wait till it comes out but that’s probably worth it.  here’s hoping they put character names in dialogue subtitles!

open world & graphics: good visual design (given the quality we’ve seen, i’m not at all concerned) and interactivity.  give us shops, give us random npcs that engage with the player (the “how you doing?” went a long way), give us chances to talk to side characters, give us the ability and reason to go get into shit like in mafia 3.  give us FREE RIDE with stuff to do (enemies to fight and locations to explore, namely) that isn’t horribly lonely and limited, and give us time to screw around in the main story (specifically, let us end chapters at our own discretion like mafia 2 rather than automatically like mafia DE) that won’t result in having to restart stuff if we die.  honestly i much preferred the integrated free ride style of mafia 3 though i have no expectation of that again given i seem to be very in the minority there–but please, i want a good balance of plot progression and messing around.  oh, and let me climb on things.

combat: unlimited arsenal would be nice, so long as switching isn’t clunky, but i wouldn’t mine the 3/DE style of one big gun, one small; so long as the gunplay isn’t totally fucked i don’t really care.  i am however begging for melee in the style of mafia 3 & DE and not 2–make us block on the spot and not just hold it down, that shit got so boring so fast.  i’m also desperate to see mafia 3 style stealth, especially enemy searching, the whistle feature, and knives.  pleeeease give us melee weapons and the chance to use them.  intel view or similar would be nice but is very character specific so i have no hopes of it and i’m fine with not getting it.  i’d love for there to be some kind of food in game (at least alcohol like in 2), but i’d rather a healing system closer to mafia DE or mafia 3–or if they do food, at least make it easier to find during levels or able to be carried with you.  and let us swim, dammit!  unless it’s set in los ondas and there’s no water, but still.

cars: i’m leery of these 1920s automobiles having shit cornering and top speeds, but if they handle like mafia DE’s cars did, i’m fine with it.  rearview mirror (disableable!) and speed limiter would be nice.  and give us motorcycles!  and boats, if applicable.  mafia 2 style garage system and customization please for the love of god.  and other characters bitching about our driving!

police behavior: lingering wanted feature on cars/players (especially cars), and differing police response based on neighborhood.  more intense search for suspects.  don’t get so pissy over traffic offenses.

hud: legible, detailed, and disableable.  show us allies and give us the hollow icons if npcs aren’t on the same level as the player.  and make the health bar easily readable for the love of god.

soundtrack/radio: my hopes are not particularly high for the licensed songs given it’s almost certainly a 1920s setting (i’m still bitter about that ‘70s soundtrack we aren’t getting, and also i’ve had a very hard time finding pre-1930s music in the past), but here’s hoping we get a good original score and distinct radio stations.  djs would be nice.  i do have high hopes the newsbreaks and ads will be pleasant this time.

dlcs: hard to predict or hope for anything when we know basically nothing of the game, but i hope we actually get at least one (hopefully more) and i hope they’re well-integrated like mafia 3’s were.

final thoughts: i kind of doubt we’ll get this, but put goddamn subtitles on ALL speech, not just the main dialogue.  radio announcements?  subtitle it.  random npc chatter in the background?  subtitle it.  stack them and make the less important ones slightly smaller if there’s cross talk (hell, especially subtitle things if there’s cross talk), but for fuck’s sake it’s basic accessibility and the fact i never see this done irritates me to no end.  also, i really hope we see food in game.  doesn’t even have to be for health reasons i just want my little pixel buddy to eat.  and let me sit down, sitting down should be in more games.  and also, please for the love of god don’t have loads of timed missions; i don’t think it will given we haven’t seen a lot of them besides the joe’s adventures dlc, but just in case.

#IT'S HERE FINALLY #mafia 2 #mafia 3 #mafia definitive edition #m4 speculation

[xaracosmia]

ꕥ — WELCOME TO MARE COSMIA, FANDANIEL ( HERMES ). 🌗

ꕥ  — OOC INFORMATION;

name / alias: kaye age: 24 pronouns: they / them ooc contact: ofelpis @ tumblr other characters in xc: angel devil, lelouch vi britannia

ꕥ  — IC INFORMATION;

name: fandaniel ( hermes ) age: 43 ( physically ) pronouns: he / him series: final fantasy xiv canon point: just pre-sundering app triggers: apocalyptic scenarios, death, religious horror, memory loss, brief discussion of identity loss, discussion of symptoms of depression including mention of suicidal ideation, animal harm/death, discussion of euthanization, discussion of suicide

personality: stiff, withdrawn, antisocial. hermes is a brilliant man with a humble demeanor, gentle beyond words and more than a bit subdued. while not the easiest to get along with, he takes his work very seriously and can often be found out in the field, working alongside others not as their superior, but rather just another coworker. he holds a deep curiosity for the world, and takes great enjoyment from observing wildlife and learning to understand their mannerisms. each of his actions are completed with love and exactness, and he strives to make sure that his charges are as comfortable as can be. many are inspired by his diligence.

… his people-handling skills, however, can use some practice. hermes is amicable enough in conversation, but hardly cares for prolonging small talk or discussing topics that aren’t part of his work. oftentimes he can seem distant when talking with others, thoughtful about something he’ll seldom elaborate on compared to reassuring them that he’s fine. the truth is that while he is a deeply passionate individual, his faith in the world around him is incredibly fragile, if not nonexistent entirely. hermes does not fit in. hermes has never fit in. having grown used to getting strange looks for expressing his doubts about society, he has instead turned inwards and stews in his misery, thinking that there is no one else in the world that could ever understand him. if the world is perfect, and it cannot accept flaws, then he hardly finds himself in the position to remain in it.

ah, but that isn’t a big deal. he is helpless in the cycle, and this is a new world entirely. maybe he’ll never need to talk about it.

something your muse struggles with: mercy. not in the sense that he’s a heartless fiend or anything, but rather he has too much of it. the thought of hurting living beings, especially those that don’t choose to be in their circumstances, twists his heart so much that he could break apart.

your muse’s greatest strength: his compassion for nature. everything hermes does is done in order to respect nature and give it the best chance to thrive. this applies to all of nature. there is no creature or thing that is undeserving of love in his eyes, no matter their flaws.

history / background:

chief overseer of elpis, you will witness the world as it is still within its egg. creation will be at your fingertips, and you will ensure that this place that we have crafted with our own hands will remain the paradise that we yearn it to be.

hermes accepts this, for it is what his predecessor asked of him. he takes to it like a fish takes to water, managing the remote community with limitless devotion and a quiet kindness. the people in the fields whisper:

that hermes is so strange! did you hear? he denied the order to cancel that awful concept. he’s been trying to fix it for ages now. why go through the trouble?

that hermes transformed again to help in creating a gust for those creatures in zephyros! isn’t that so indecent?! i can’t imagine doing that myself for a bunch of tiny little creatures!

hermes stayed up all night trying to get those melanion to sleep. i hear they almost bit his hand off! i don’t know where he gets the patience for it…

hermes saved the new researcher from being gobbled up by a gurangatch! i’ve never seen someone run so fast– how brave of him! it makes you wonder if he has any regard for his own life!

how funny, how people can gossip so much about him when he’s just doing his job. it almost makes him want to scream, actually– what makes him so important compared to the creatures that they had all been charged to look after and protect? he can’t imagine how anyone has the heart to allow these creatures to come to harm, let alone kill them.

what makes a creature imperfect? what makes an ancient perfect? how is one better than the other? how does one have control over the other? was it truly their duty? to look down on the world and play the role of judge, jury, and executioner? it hardly seems fair.

he speaks his mind, sometimes. to fellow researches that have praised him to high heavens about his concepts, to those who have seen him everyday and surely must have understood his heart. there must be someone out there that thinks the same as him. that the way that they’ve been going about everything is wrong.

ah… no… to return to the star is beautiful, is it not? to have your aether go back to etheirys, to become the fuel for the world! you don’t think so?

ah, well… everyone has told me that this is just how it is, so i’d rather not go through the trouble of thinking differently… our lives are too comfortable to change things.

they’re just animals, aren’t they? as their creators, we need to make sure that they behave. if you don’t understand that, then why are you here?

you’re not meant to be here.

you’re not meant to be here.

you’re not meant to be here–

hermes spends many sleepless nights sitting at the edge of elpis, staring out at the stars beyond. it is very quiet. the wind blows through the leaves, tousling his hair as he perches on a stone, flowers staining themselves deep violet in his presence.

everyone’s elpis flowers… are white as snow. they truly don’t find any problem with living in the way that they have. it is bliss. it is ignorance. it is blindness that comes from staring directly at the sun for their whole lives. hermes feels like he is cloaked in shadow, ichor that sticks to his skin and stains him black. it makes him sick to his stomach.

there has to be… something better. something more than this miserable excuse of a paradise that everyone here insists etheirys is. something far beyond this star surely knows how to heal the ache in his heart. as he glances down to the blooms beside him, swaying amethysts in the breeze, he gets an idea.

in the endless blue that extends beyond elpis, he would find his answer. he would travel the whole universe, if need be. he just needed to make a messenger.

no matter what, he would make it so.

powers / abilities:

aether manipulation – a healing ability? a hurting ability? aether can be whatever the user desires to use it for. hermes’ abilities all involve manipulation of aether in some form, however for this specific power, i’ll state that this allows him to hit enemies with unaspected aether or, if needed, can impart aether to people in order to enhance their own abilities/heal from wounds.

wind-aspected magic – hermes has power over the winds, and can use them offensively or defensively depending on his needs. gusts as large as a small typhoon can be summoned under his command, along with gentle breezes that tickle the cheeks. one of his particular talents is being able to crystallize the wind itself into large panes of greenish-glass, which can be pushed and manipulated at will.

concept creation – hermes is able to manipulate aether in order to make living beings. he has a particular expertise with flying specimens, and has a liking for birds. that said, he can make other creatures as well. for xara cosmia’s sake, i’ll impose the following limits to his creative abilities:

3 small creatures a day ( such as sparrows )

2 medium creatures a day ( such as dogs/cats )

1 large creature a day ( such as big cats/horses )

transformation – hermes can change into an aerial form in order to further enhance his magical prowess. this form is a cloaked figure with a two long trails of feathers down his chest, along with wings so numerous that they’re difficult to count. always airborne, and capable of flying quickly for long distances. this form is quite large ( around 20 feet, i’ll say ) and incredibly strong. can carry people and other things easily, if needed. unfortunately, transformation is incredibly discouraged in ancient culture, so he very rarely does so.

inherent abilities:

affinity with animals – i don’t think this is necessarily a magical ability, but hermes, having spent so much time around animals, typically understands their intentions and can communicate with them in his own way. very creature savvy.

items / weapons:

caduceus staff – a herald’s wand that allows hermes to channel his magic and also communicate directly with his constructs. can be summoned and dismissed at will so long as he has the sufficient aether. would make for a good hiking cane.

ancient mask – a white mask with silver accents that covers the top half of his face. it has a sharp beak like part that sits on his nose.

convocation mask – red and scary looking. he kind of hates it.

starting ability: concept creation starting item: ancient mask extra:

behold! the first being in the world with depression!

he’s like 6’7” ( 200 cm )... my lanky tall weird bird dad

i also think he’s vegan. because of course he is

even if being an ancient sucks at least he has the ultimate executive dysfunction outfit ( huge snuggie )

i’ve been rotating this guy for almost two full years in my head but it was surprisingly hard to write an app for him. he’s just so sad. please understand

discord id: ofhermetica.

password: (through tears) i can fix him

#xc application #mun: kaye #mare cosmia

[nim-lock]

Hey nim quick possibly loaded question:

What did you study to get better at anatomy? I know a lot of different artists out there say to study bodies and poses as well as art that you enjoy…but I feel like it’s not adequate. I’ve always enjoyed your human pose drawings and the bobadin drawings of yours to a ridiculous extent, so I thought you would be the person to ask.

Thank you for your help! I hope you enjoy the rest of your day/evening, and please say hi to the shrimp for everyone (*´∀｀*)

To preface, you are witnessing the current iteration of a language I’ve been building for years. 

The other folks aren't wrong. Perhaps your dissatisfaction is in the perceived enormity of the task. There is no secret shortcut, but perhaps there are different ways to think about the journey. 

Now, everyone approaches art in a different way, for different reasons. To keep the language analogy going, some people learn enough to google translate their way through a trip to another country, some think it’s fun to roll their R’s, some just happened to move here & are figuring it out as they go, still others need to be fluent for work purposes—the potential diversity is limitless. What makes each individual voice interesting however, are the little details about themselves & that which they hold dear that naturally appear in the process of translating the world into the words, tone, and sentence structure people have. 

Anatomy is one part of it. Like all “rules” around art and language, you learn enough to know what you’re doing, so you can then play and expand and mess things up with intention. 

If I were to give general advice on shit to do:

Find a thing to care about. It’s much more enjoyable if you’re able to be interested in something, ANYTHING, that’s tangentially related to the thing you have to learn

Draw real people who happen to be physically in front of you, because all those books and techniques are cool and everything, but real bodies are all different, and generally tend to deviate from the tutorials.

More resources [post re: timed gestures online] [post 2 re: sketchfab]

[Quick note on how I study (esp from tutorials): copy the diagrams in the books, maybe write down 3 things that you noticed from them that you didn’t know before, translate those ideas into application. Most often when I use ref, I have An Idea already in mind of some fictional character situation, and I double-check reference to make sure I’m not far off the mark.]

Morpho book on fat and skin folds The other morpho books are also very good

Andrew Loomis books (Figure drawing for all it’s worth is a good starting point), you can find PDFs online free

Foreshortening with coil technique video 

Going on a dive on youtube for various ways people construct bodies; you may find a way that works for you, or a piece of a thing that you’ll integrate into your own working knowledge

Fixate real hard on some characters who happen to be human, because ho boi fun fucking shit to follow it down the rabbithole. Even now, I am finding new details on Boba Fett that I never noticed before. 

-- At the end of the day, forcing yourself to learn a thing will only make it less enjoyable, so if the goal is “Get better at [Skill]”, the way to get there is to trick yourself into finding things you like on the way to figuring it out. People are just more complicated plants, sometimes we gotta run circles around our brains to sneak something in there. 

Also, to manage expectations, it’s not about “Getting Good™ Immediately”, but “to observe and be able to describe one thing better, one piece at a time.” Every single thing in your life, including all the times you aren’t doing art, will bring added depth to your work. Take a moment, look at the sky, flex your hands, shove your face into a cat.... 

Thank you for your kind words, the shrimp are doing well.

A one-person circlejerk under the cut 

Hrmmmm how I got here myself :V 

A) a shit ton of fixating

B) a childhood of “ehehe cartoon drawings”, 2013-2018 of concentrated effort to study and Get Better, and 2018-current day of mulling things over and adding a few pinches of spices

Also I went to art school, that’s a giant factor. BFA in Communications Design from Pratt Institute.

If it helps you quantify anything, know that I am currently on my 23rd sketchbook? Sketchbook 1 was started ~2013

I was the sort of bastard who found diagrams FASCINATING.

Very few of my sketchbook pages were assigned schoolwork; I just did that shit on my own because I had an unhealthy existential dread of being unemployed after school, and I also fucking LOVED learning.

Nothing in here is printed out; I copied things out and studied them, goddamn. I no longer have the patience for this but I’m glad younger!me did.

You can tell I got into Yuri on Ice (above). Those studies are from looking up a youtube video on skating, and pausing the video every few frames to sketch the pose. Also the muscle diagram on the above right is fun because I drew the top black lines part on see-through acetate, which you can flip up. There’s more. There’s so much more. Whatever people see now is the culmination of everything I picked up along the way. 

Honestly I definitely forced my own nose to the grindstone wayyyyy too much in college. Think of the person who skips most social events because they’re too busy working, who's perpetually anxious when out on social gatherings because they could be doing work—that was in no way healthy for me, and I never plan on repeating it. I had “motivational” quotes on post-it notes all around my workspace that said toxicly positive things like “think of all the time you spend consuming other peoples’ work, vs. how much time you spend making your own. Only one of those will make you remembered.” 

However, I can’t be upset at past-me because I absolutely did the best I could with the coping mechanisms I had, and I’m really proud of him for trying this hard and still being ALIVE at the end of the day. 

That’s a page from one of my 2017 sketchbooks; drawing was a stim for me + helped me stay awake in classes, so I’d draw the whole way through. 

All sketchbook images above are from my “concentrated learning” phase of 2014-18. Since then I've lowered my own standards and now it’s about the vibes and not the 100% accuracy. Fuck the accuracy, shapes that real humans are can look “fake” or drawn incorrectly if you translate it into 2D. And sometimes it’s some visual prejudice you didn’t realize you had, due to the media you grew up seeing. Maybe some pieces have fucked up anatomy, but I’m not hung up about it (just add a lump when unsure). But yes, this is definitely “keep in mind I have thousands of studies under my belt and thus even if I’m not actively thinking about it, I’ve osmosis-ed enough from the stuff I’ve done previously to make something look like it’s got convincing shapes”. It also doesn’t come out great All The Time! That’s life. You can get here also; just take it in bite-sized chunks, and give yourself plenty of time to rest and go back into your own comfort zone. 

I am not trying to make anyone demoralized; this is simply the path I took myself. Sometimes, even if you’ve barely taken three steps, it’s nice to encourage yourself and be proud of making it this far. 

If you’'re still here for some fucking reason, here’s a shrimp reward. 

--

The art I am often most drawn to are the ones that tell me something new, often about something familiar. “That’s a line I never thought of using to describe the ears”, “That’s an application of color and texture that I would have never thought of myself but makes SO MUCH SENSE” etc. 

I too, have a long ways to go. The rest of my life actually! And what a wild journey that shall be. 

Well wishes on your own. 

-- Reference Tag | Tip Jar

#reference #art reference #long post #anatomy #nim rambles #asks #my tag is 'reference' if anyone is looking for things #I'd make a strange teacher I think #I shall no longer apologize for my rambling longform because this is how I say things :V #asks about art either get answered by me reblogging things I've answered in the past that are similar enough #or in a whole essay length situation #where my ADHD brain just starts glossing over things I previously wrote and I'm like 'well the point is in there SOMEWHERE' xDD

[nakedbibi333]

hi! im kind of new to law of assumption and old to law of attraction. law of assumption is not a hard concept but im a bit confused. i find myself reacting to the 3D too much and like i find it hard to persist? what do i do to make persisting easier? i think it’s because i don’t know much about what im getting into?? all i know is affirm and persist and etc. i hear things like time is an illusion, the 3D is an illusion, circumstances don’t matter, we are all gods of our reality. but WHERES the proof?? i can’t blindly follow people’s success stories because im not them and if we are truly the gods of our realities, doesn’t that mean someone else can manifest failure in mine? like i want to use law of assumption and i want to believe to get what I want fast and easily BUT i want to know how it works and that im not following a delusion to make myself feel better and in the end, I am just left with disappointment and failed attempts at manifesting that left me with the consequences of my actions. ive been in the community for almost 2 years and i don’t think ive ever gotten results. i am not usually agitated but it’s exhausting. i affirm and persist and nothing shows up and im worried im doing it all wrong so i ask and now I’m even affirming wrong?? I know manifestation is supposed to be easy and not feel like a chore but how can it not when everything I desire is of so much importance to me. I can even dm you, just please help me so I can actually manifest what I want. I’ve done self concept but I keep breaking. I don’t even know what affirmations to use to combat my limiting beliefs. Tbh I’m tired. I feel like if someone explained to me how this works and how to do it with no mistakes and how to keep faith in the unseen, I could actually get what I want. I keep failing and failing because I affirm and persist but I affirm wrong or I have a limiting belief that hasn’t been uncovered yet. I’m so exhausted and I just want to get what I want. I just feel like if someone told me how it works and exactly what to do, I wouldn’t be so confused and find it hard to persist

Hi! Okay, so since this is a very long post, I will try to answer each of your questions/concerns in the order you mention them.

So about persisting, I can understand how it seems a bit complicated. You persist when, after a certain period of time, you still don't see movement of your desires manifesting OR if you see the OPPOSITE of your desires manifest. Oftentimes, when you finally open up your mind to the idea that your mind creates your reality, then some past doubts and fears can manifest as well. Your mind will often try to manifest opposite things in order to make you feel like you are doing something wrong, which is why so many loa teachers say to persist. It can be very difficult for people to persist, which is why so many people feel like they can't manifest, or that manifestation isn't real, because their 3D reality has too much weight in their lives, so they take it as truth and end up giving up on their desires manifesting. It's important to begin to believe that your 3D reality is extremely malleable and is only a reflection of your inner reality. You need to take the power away from the 3D and give it to yourself and your ability to create exactly what you want.

Then you ask about proof of manifestation. It is very true and understandable that other people's success stories are not enough for many people because you want to be able to trust the information that you are going to be getting into. Personally, before getting into manifestation, I already had my fair share of unexplainable success stories in my life, so it just seemed like an answer to the questions I've had all my life. Even with these success stories and experiences, when I first got into manifestation, I still would doubt myself by wondering if it was simply a coincidence these things happened, or worse, that I was becoming delusional. I want to tell you that every single person who is now into manifestation has gone through this feeling. We all worry that we are just doing "wishful thinking" and being delusional because the world we have grown up in has always been so practical. It's not easy to believe in something that seems so impossible without any previous personal experience. So, the only advice I can give you for this is to try to manifest extremely small things to build your faith over time, such as seeing a yellow butterfly, getting your favorite food, or seeing some sort of sign, so that you would know that what we are talking about is actually the truth. Also, there are so many documents that go more in-depth on how our minds create our reality, including CIA documents and books about the science of manifestation, such as books by Joe Dispenza, and books about the subconscious mind, such as books by Joseph Murphy, and many many more. Since the only way, you will really believe in manifestation is by having your own experiences, then manifesting small easy things is probably the best route.

Then, you mention how you're worried about "someone manifesting failure into your reality." My view on this is that you are the only person who can affect your life and nothing can happen to you that you don't specifically manifest into your reality (whether it be consciously or unconsciously). Everyone can manifest, yes. Everyone has control over their reality. You can even manifest people acting in certain ways towards you. But that's in your experience specifically. If we are talking about quantum physics, time is not linear, technically all possibilities of all time, ever, exists right now. We also shift through different realities at every moment depending on our mindset, beliefs, and decisions. So, if someone manifests something in their life that would affect "you" but does not align with your thoughts and beliefs, then it won't show up in your reality. You have control over your own reality, nothing comes into your life without you allowing it, so that's a very empowering thought, in my opinion. I really suggest that you affirm this so that you don't have to worry about others manifesting negativity over your life because you would never personally decide to manifest it into your own life.

I also want to talk about how you worry about affirming wrong or simply manifesting wrong. It's Important to note that these beliefs can also negatively affect your manifestation because that is not you truly living in the end. If you were living in the end, you would know that simply deciding that you want this to happen, means that it will happen and that it has to happen. You never need to doubt your manifesting process because your subconscious mind is so powerful and it is so easy to make it do things for you! Just like what @divineangelbee says, you can COMMAND your subconscious mind and it will listen and give you exactly what you want. You don't have to visualize or affirm or do anything. Simply tell your subconscious exactly what you want it to do and trust that it listens! I really think that the reason that you have not been having too much success is because of this, that you are constantly doubting your methods which keeps you from truly living in the end.

Then, about limiting beliefs. It can be beneficial to people to be aware of their limiting beliefs. However, there has been such an intense focus on limiting beliefs in the loa community (mostly on youtube) that I see so much. Coaches keep you focused on the problem of limiting beliefs so much that they don't actually help you move on from them. Personally, I found that whenever I focused on my limiting beliefs, it was like living in the old story. (if you don't get this reference, I seriously suggest you read or listen to Neville Goddard's lectures in which he talks about the law of assumption. They are life-changing). Focusing on limiting beliefs keeps you stuck in that story you are telling yourself about your life. It keeps you from overcoming them and becoming limitless. It helps me to affirm that my limiting beliefs no longer have the power to hold me back. I don't have any more limiting beliefs because I manifested not having them anymore. Manifestation works in many different ways, and a lot of people don't realize that you can simply manifest your desired mindset as well. I suggest trying this!

So, to make this as clear as possible, I will tell you how I personally manifest (disclaimer: people manifest differently, many different things work for different people, I am not saying this is the only or best way to manifest, but this is just what works for me).

First, I get my idea of what I want to manifest. Usually, I want to manifest multiple things at a time, there really is no limit.

Then, I will decide what will help me "feel it real" and "live in the end." This can include techniques, but I don't use techniques every time. I don't like to visualize because I am personally a maladaptive daydreamer, so visualizing makes me feel like I am daydreaming, which keeps me from really feeling like it's really happening. (But, if it works for you, by all means, go for it) I may print out a picture if it's a physical item in order to trick my brain into having something physical that represents this or adding it to a Pinterest vision board (I am a very visual person, so it always works for me). I also like to make a list of what I want just to keep it in a place that I can go back to and mark off in the future, telling my brain that this is a goal I need to achieve (I find that my brain loves to check things off of my goals, it makes my subconscious mind already start working towards the goal). But most of the work goes into my mindset. I don't affirm a lot because I feel like it becomes a chore if I have to recite affirmations all day every day. I may put up affirmations on my chalkboard or put them on my computer, but I don't make it a habit to really say them at specific times, etc. I really focus on making myself feel deserving of getting my manifestation and I also live in the end. Living in the end is where you feel confident that your desire is already yours. If it helps, which it does for me, I like to believe that I have it already in the "quantum field," or the 5D, or however you believe in it. It is not about being delusional and pretending like you have it, no, it's about feeling trusting in your own power to make this happen for you and it will come, no matter what.

After that, I "drop it." I don't forget about it or stop desiring it, that's not what letting go means. It means that I know that I don't need to do anything or force anything to happen because my subconscious, or the universe, will bring this to me and I don't need to worry about anything related to my desire. I also self-regulate my emotions by meditating, focusing on the things that make me happy, and reminding myself of how powerful and capable I am.

Then, eventually, it manifests. Or, if it doesn't come in the timeframe I wanted it to, or if something that would oppose my desire pops up, I focus on my own self-concept, making sure I genuinely feel deserving of and that I can get what I want, and I persist in that feeling that my desire is still mine. No matter if I got rejected, no matter if they told me I couldn't get the job, no matter if it looks like it won't happen. I still persist. and then it comes.

Finally, I want to mention that I am only here to give advice and I can't make anything physically happen for you. To see actual movement in your reality, you need to be willing to go through failures in order to find out what works for you. I have had manifestations fail, I have had MANY manifestations fail. It's not always a perfect process. I don't charge money, my identity is not on this page, I am not here to be a famous coach or to act like I know any better than anyone else. I am just trying to help you guys reach the point that you deserve to get to in your life. But I can only do so much. I really hope this helps.

#ask #advice #long post

[roomeight]

Graham Coxon's Foreword to Narcissus & Goldmund

At seventeen I was wide-eyed and thirsty. I was a student studying General Art and Design. I was a sponge determined to absorb everything I could. All new experiences rang with significance - the pictures, the films, the books, the music, the photographs, they all filled my world with a sense-heightening mess of magic, I humbly held artists of any kind in very high esteem, marvelled at their work. I would walk the streets of Colchester dressed in overalls and tweed, smelling of turpentine and oil paint, much to the despair of my mother. I was a proud student, an honoured aesthete.

At this time, one teacher made a particular impression on me and the rest of my group, although to many it was a bad one. This teacher appeared from nowhere and seduced us into defining ourselves and, in doing so, unwittingly split our group into factions - or at least accelerated the process. What she did was simple and playful but left me feeling as though I had undergone an important personal and creative development. She stacked tables and chairs to the ceiling, climbed up and hung up a roll of tape with string. She then encouraged us to draw it as it swung around the room. The precious graphic design types rolled their eyes, silently mouthed curses, felt for their fine-nibbed pens and bemoaned the prospect of another two hours with a teacher that was so obviously a weirdo; but to others, those of a looser nature, myself included, this eccentrically dressed, enthusiastic, beaming woman immediately became a heroine, and we slashed at our huge sheets of paper with our sticks of charcoal. The already cynical graphic artists thought her teaching pointless and undignified, but the fine artists loved her and admired the unashamed energy and enthusiasm she displayed so unselfconsciously. You were for her or against her. She neither patronized us nor intellectualized, and so created an environment in which we began to the making of marks on paper as a highly personal, sensual, spiritual act.

Late one morning I was sitting drinking coffee and smoking one of those very, very first cigarettes, when she smiled over at me and came to join me at the table. "There's a book you should read, Graham, if you haven't already. I think you would love it. It's called Narcissus and Goldmund. The title alone made me imagine it might be heavy-going, so I found myself avoiding the book for quite a while. I don't know why I didn't at least give it a go. Maybe I wanted to preserve the feeling of excitement of knowing that something beautiful and hugely important was just around the corner but felt it so intimidating that I was loath to quit the comfort of loitering in an adjacent alley. Maybe I felt flattered that a woman I greatly admired thought me mature enough or intelligent enough to contemplate recommending such a book. I am sure she recognized that I was more an empty vessel than a full one and wanted to contribute a little to filling me up, so maybe I was afraid that I would leave the book unfinished or find it boring and in so doing fail my new teacher. Maybe, maybe, maybe...

In any case, time went by, and I left the college and moved on to take a degree in Fine Art at Goldsmiths' College, part of the University of London. The book had been itching away at me for around three years by the time I finally bought it, turned to the first page and, breathing in deeply, took the plunge. I need not have worried. I didn't find the book at all difficult to read, and I was quickly immersed in it totally.

Although I now find myself in the privileged position of writing a foreword to this deeply moving and powerful book, I don't feel in the least bit qualified to do so. I never studied philosophy and I don't consider myself a 'thinker' as such, but I am an asker, an asker of big questions, and always felt there was more to learn and more to  experience right from the beginnings of my impressionable adolescence right up to now and my impressionable late youth.

The clean simplicity of Hesse's writing offers a vast space in which to push your weightless mind, and, although you can see the universe between the lines, he never forces you to venture too deeply but, rather, leaves it entirely up to you as to how far in you might like to travel. This is not just a story. This book is a gentle arm around the shoulder. It gets us off the hook, treasures us that there is still time, that surrender is possible even it is a surrender to ourselves, that no matter how recklessly we bolt out into the unknown the journey home is a brief one. It lets us know that even when we become lost in the crazed volatility of what we think of as freedom, reaching the very edge of our own flat world, gazing petrified over the edge at the black expanse of our own demise, we are but a change of hardened heart away from the innocence of our beginnings, from peace.

We see that outward journeys are easy - essential if somewhat desperate assertions of our will and independence. After all, we have first to be filled with something for an inward journey to be possible. This book made me wonder just how far down the dangerous roads of our early adult lives does the pull of a simpler  life begin to tug at our sleeves. When does the overbearing din of hollow seduction suddenly fall on deaf ears? Does the balance need to be addressed? If so, then when, finally, does an existence free of clutter prove more desirable than one of chaos?

I think we can all see ourselves in Goldmund. His experiences can relate sharply to our own, they melt and shape themselves into the mould of our own lives. Life and the material world was designed to seduce, and we ourselves are designed to be seduced by it. We career, uncompromisingly, through our early lives, proud of our strength and youth but never treasuring it. Maybe that's how it should be, that we squander it if only to mourn it later when we don't feel so invincible and have to savour each day of our late adulthood. Perhaps this may be why as we get older, we like more what we see when we close our eyes. Could this be God's way of making the transition into the next life a smoother, less traumatic one?

This book has proven itself to be a template to me. It has a perfect and gentle tension and familiar dynamic shape. It's a book where you can plot your own progress and plan your own happy ending. It has been a source of great inspiration to me throughout the sixteen years its words have been rooted in my head. It is a book that you can never grow out of because you grow into it, and it softens around you like a good old pair of shoes. It is not without its tragedy and its blood and its guts but shows this aspect of life to be as much a valid part of the journey as happiness.

Narcissus and Goldmund is a well from which we can draw limitless emotional strength, and I am not ashamed to say that I am extremely jealous that you might just be reading it for the first time.

- Graham Coxon, musician

2006

#graham coxon #hermann hesse #narcissus and goldmund #i typed this up from the book because i love it yw #graham's writing #quotes #foreword

[kwangyadetective]

⚙️: Universe Illustration Pages and Resonance

A theory post of NCT’s NCT2021 Universe Album pages that includes detailed illustrations of the machines.

I got desperate and decided to watch an unboxing video of the Universe album to see these pages that has these machine blueprint-like things. I think I kind of understand what they’re trying to show us. I might be wrong, but so far this is how I can interpret them. All of these screenshot are from this unboxing video (UNBOXING NCT 2021 3rd Album UNIVERSE 엔씨티 3집 앨범 유니버스).

The members were generated these ‘orbits’ using this machine. Remember when many people (including myself) thought it was a portal? I mean who would have thought of such thing:”

Each member has their own orbit that was generated by that machine. The S-shaped line is the same position as the escalator group photo. Exactly the same position.

The orbital path is probably similar to how the one on planets work. For now, I believe its just the placement of the members, after they went through a wormhole. To be honest, the placement of wormholes in the main picture (center) is confusing, its like there are two wormholes. But I think its suppose to be only one (I might be wrong tho...).

So that tunnel that each members go through in the photoshoot is suppose to be the wormhole, after they go through that, they stand on that thing that looks like an orbital plane.

According to this page, I think it means that this whole time those YearDream videos are the processes of what happens inside a Dream in a Dream stage. I’m guessing that this is a part of the machine. Somewhere on it. I’m not very sure though... why is it represented as a machine here. So its a part of the orbit generator?

I wrote posts about each YearDream but I have new thoughts about them.

Stage 0: The 7th Sense - I had a thought where I think what they mean by the ‘7th Sense’ is Empathy. Empathy is very important throughout NCT, especially since they are a group. In order for the neos to meet each other in a dream, they must empathize with each other. In this video, we saw Sungchan and Shotaro first entered the shared dream world with the rest of the neos, I presume they empathized and Taeyong (who can predicts the new members and possibly can connect with everyone) empathized with both of them in order to call them into the dream. Something along the lines of that, my explanation could be wrong but you get the idea.

Stage 1: Seeing Myself in a Dream - I interpret this as some kind of self reflection. In this stage, the neos are in their own dreams first before gathering with the others. Dream doesn’t always mean the unconscious, but their goal. Even their whole Dream Phases introduced in NCTmentary is about making the dreams/goals come true; Reality after Dreaming is when it came true. The neos reflect on their goals; decide what goal do they want to achieve? It could also be the different possibilities of what they can be in the Reality afterwards, though in the YearDream video, not all members are aware of this stage (some were confused of it). In the end, the ‘clone’ are just themselves and they become one in the end. I wrote this inspired by Limitless lyrics,

“Can you hear? We have become one Baby I don’t want nobody but you.”

you = their desired goal/the depiction of that member having that goal in the dream. Actually, many parts of the lyrics of the song is connected to this Stage.

Stage 2: Surfing in Our Dreams - I think this is the part when they start to ‘meet’ the other members. The member goes through different dreams of different Neos, but not by choice and they just go with the flow. They ‘surf’, they just go with the waves. Though for some reason, the members that are surfing becomes invisible? I explained it better here: YearDream : Stage 2 - Surfing in our Dreams Thoughts (1), additional notes. I’m not very sure of this one to be honest, its very new to me. I’ll comeback to it.

Stage 3: Synchronization of Dreams - When they actually meet the other members. We are introduced to the flute/whistle here. Though I may still be unsure of what it truly means, I think its a tool that signifies that they are already in connection. Something like that. Could be a communicator but it indicates that they are indeed Synchronized. Like in Beautiful MV too.

Stage 4: Resonance - Each members have their own sound waves which creates a frequency. When they meet in the dream world, their sound waves collide and that’s when they resonate. Resonance; when the vibrations of a Neo meets another matching vibrations of another Neo, it increases the frequency of both Neos. This also creates a chain reaction as it continues to all Neos. I believe this is why they are placed in that orbital path. It starts with Taeyong, the leader in the center then the frequency spreads out to the rest.

In here, we can also see the different orbits of each members. If they are all combined, it becomes like the ones on bottom right. Interestingly, WayV’s looks like an eye; consistent to their logos that often resembles it too and Visionn.

There is this line in NCT Dream’s Dreaming,

“Dreamin’, dreamin’, dreamin’, On these axis, in our respective seats

Lets go on

When each other’s orbits meet

What will unfold will transcend anything, from H.O.S to Kosmo”

I presume its also a part of how they synchronize with each other. So when they synchronized, they create this ball-like structure. Its a part of the process when they are in Dream in a Dream stage and possibly go to Kosmo?

I’m sure there a few more pages that are like these but I don’t have the album yet so I can’t analyze them yet haha. Tell me if there are mistakes!

#nct 2021 #nct2021 #nct #nct 127 #wayv #nct dream #nct u #taeyong #qian kun #nct universe #nct 2020 #mark lee #smcu #sm culture universe #jaehyun #jungwoo #taeil #johnny suh #ten lee #doyoung #winwin #hendery #yangyang #xiaojun #haechan #yuta #jaemin #renjun #chenle #jisung

[ginkgomoon]

Victor and the Time Observers- Analysis

It’s finally here! This post is based on a question asked about the Time Observers and what their relations with Victor was! I deeply apologise to the anon for this response taking too long. I wanted each of my posts to be able to reach a standard where it’s adequate enough to satisfy me and most importantly the readers. Contains lots of spoilers, please do not read if you would not like to be exposed to future content! Here we go! ⏱

The Observer Effect definition-

"The observer effect is the disturbance of an observed system by the act of observation."

Who are the Time Observers?

“What is “intervention”, “correction”, “destiny”? Can we really figure out the mystery behind it?”

The Time Observers is an independent third party under the Space and Time Administration. They can travel through time and even tap can even tap into multiple universes/dimensions, such as when seeing MC in Behind the Curtain and when she travels to another universe in the Winter World. They are seen to be using pocket watches as their transportation tickets to other worlds in each timeline.

They were there in the 1908 White House explosion- where Evol was created, where to which Lucien states, “from then on, many futures have already been decided”. This was due to a comet hitting Earth which created a mini-black hole at the same time from the attack of an American hacker who could transmit data through laser pulses. Grandpa Chuck, the original Helios, and the Time Observers were all there. Soft piano music can be heard when they appear.

“Please stop spreading information about the explosion. Your actions have already affected the progress of this world. Someone has become aware of our presence.”

Victor: “Your people aren’t the only ones who can alter the future, Time Observer.”

“You misunderstand. We never alter, we are correctors of history. We want you to join us, your power’s scope of influence has already surpassed the dimension of this current world. Before you are rejected by it…”

Victor: “I will not leave this world.”

“Even if you’ve seen the future of what is all to pass?”

Victor: “No matter what happens, the person I’m seeking for is right here.” -Chapter 6 Black Curtain

Space and Time Administration

“You’re becoming more like the Victor I am familiar with.”

"Really, what’s he like?”

“Powerful enough to control anything… including time.”

The Space and Time Administration is an observation agency independent of all forces. They are noted for not having a guide or workbook- they just know what to do through their observations day by day. Their work is to observe and note statistics of time changes in the timelines, and the butterfly effect that each one produces. (Apparently more than 90% are negative.) Ultimately, their goal to stable the operations of the different worlds on all timelines.

Since Victor’s Evol is strong and has the capability to do more than the Time Observers, he is the one who is deemed the most suitable and more responsible for “grasping the time in the past and the future”. Ever since STF found out about Victor’s Evol, they wanted him to cooperate with them too, because every time he stops time, certain surrounding energy and space changes.

The organisation also entertains the idea of fate, and how things should be refused to be changed. Since they have “seen the future of how the world ends”, they want Victor in cooperating with them in making it stop. Nobody can rewrite the ending among them, except him. Victor refuses to joining because he doesn’t adhere to this idea.

“QUEEN’s return has brought unexpected consequences; the entire collapse of the world is ahead of schedule. The world’s line has come to an end, no matter through time or space, we can no longer interfere in this world.” Was there a difference in letting each world go to the end alone to close all the world lines in the future directly?

Victor: "But since the responsibility of the Space and Time Administration is to prevent the person who rewrites the world ending, don’t you think I am this kind of person? Moreover, the existence of time is objective, but the negative effects are subjective. I doubt 90% of your statistical results.”

"Nobody can maintain the critical value of the stable operation that each world line has reached. Everyone thinks they have done it. In the end, destruction is coming. We are not looking for anything, we are just waiting, waiting for what should happen when it comes to happen.”

ZERO

“In 1908, there was an explosion at the White House in the United States. There were no casualties, but the people there testified that there was no explosion.”

Amongst them, there was a man who looked familiar, but Victor couldn’t remember whether he had met him somewhere or not. He was gripping a pocket watch. Then, the young man left the spot.

The Time Observer Zero in the organisation is one most familiar with Victor, and had observed Victor travel through multiple timelines, consoling with him about his “failures”. He sympathises with him as he believes that the fate of the world cannot be changed, even if Victor tires himself to try otherwise.

“Now the world line is collapsing one by one, we’re running out of time. We can tell you where she is now.”

Time Observers can seemingly also allow others to see into different worlds too, almost how Grandpa Chuck can create and travel into different pocket glass dimensions, but not permanently enter inside. Zero personally lets Victor in.

“You should be aware of the consequences for doing this.”

“I said, my purpose is only one.”

Victor’s tone revealed unquestionable certainty. Zero willingly approached him with his hands stretched out to him.

“However, other matters are my own decision.” -Chapter 18 Rumours and Secrets

Chapter 33-34 Rumours and Secrets

"I’m wondering what happened in the in between- is it the decision of time or is someone interfering?”

He had told me that there was a group of people in the world waiting on various timelines to revise history.

“But amending the fact that has been changed, is it a course of “correction”, or just another “change?”

“But in any case, the end point of all timelines points all the same -this has not changed from the beginning.”

“Her destiny is tied to all timelines and she must walk into the only ending with this world.”

"You are also different.”

Although we found a breakthrough, this situation really caused us a lot of headaches: she who should not have survived and she should not have been sent to other worlds. As a result, it would seriously interfere and disrupt the timeline. No one had done it before, and no one except Victor could do it.

In disbelief, we weighed it and threw the olive branch- as long as he is willing to cooperate, we will help him find her. As decisive as he was to refuse a few times before, this time he had promised me without thinking. And for a moment, I didn’t know if his decisiveness was good or bad.

Once they had seen that MC was able to defy all odds in coming back alive and en route to becoming QUEEN, they were willing to fully accept Victor's decisions and perseverance on MC and why she was so important to saving their world, instead of him.

Chapter 35-36 Rumours and Secrets

Occasionally, Victor would visit the organisation and observe his hometown world, before Judgement Day. They watch as other worlds collapse and fade away.

Time is best at consuming people’s patience. He will understand that in accordance to the next decade, a century, a thousand years, that the world is just one of our many observation objects. At the end of limitless time- the only thing we can’t do is to change the past that doesn’t belong to us.

Victor doesn’t care about this price- he is more concerned with whether he can prevent the death of the girl in every unpredictable future.

"At least only in the Space and Time Administration can you repair your abilities. This, you know better than me.”

“But you can be rest assured that even if you still intend to return to that world after the deadline, the time flow rate there is a month. But if you stay here, you can continue to look for that ending.”

At that moment, full of hope and courage, I crossed the timeline again without hesitation. This time, he accepted Zero’s invitation.

The white crown slowly fell on the girl’s head, and the thin shadow almost turned into a phantom in the white light.

“The person who can save the world… is not me, but her. As for myself, I know my ending line and how much pain I can bear better than anyone. I would rather take such a risk.”

Zero looked at him without a word, and sighed heavily for a long time.

“Time is up.”

Judgement day arrives- to trigger the beginning of Season 2.

#恋与制作人 #love and producer #mlqc #mr love queens choice #mlqc translation #mlqc analysis #mlqc cn #mlqc en #mlqc spoilers #mlqc victor #victor #li zeyan

[palimpsessed]

Steel Yourself

That morning in Las Vegas when Simon gets his hair cut has been in the back of my mind for over a year, and the recent Wayward Son anniversary reread and lots of talk about hair in the server, brought it front and center. So I decided I had some thoughts and I wanted to get them out.

I asked myself a lot why Simon did this one thing at this one moment. He's let his hair grow out for a long time, probably since the summer before eighth year, or at least the summer after Watford. He's even told us: "I haven't cared enough to get a haircut."

But when Simon does cut his hair, he's still in the same bad place mentally. He still doesn't see himself in a positive light. So why the change? And why this change?

For me, it all comes down to the timing. Timing is very important in terms of Simon's hair. Throughout Simon's life, you could tell the time of year by the length of his hair. At the start of every summer, he shaved his head, and the rest of the year, he grew it out. When Simon starts at Watford, his hair is still fairly short from the previous summer: "A Trojan 11-year-old with baggy jeans and a shaved head." (This is also the look sported by the Insidious Humdrum, which Simon created shortly before being "discovered" by the Mage and taken to Watford.)

Why does the length of his hair matter? Because the shorter it is, the more vulnerable Simon is. (And I don't mean like Samson losing all his strength when his hair was cut off.)

Simon spends months completely unprotected and cut off from all contact every summer. Those summer months in the care homes, exiled from the World of Mages, and the first 11 years of his life, Simon is at his most vulnerable. He doesn't have a family or access to his friends when he's in care. He can't really use or practice his magic. And he's left open to attack from pretty much any magickal or dark creature who feels like trying their luck. (See: fit goblin cabbie and suspected bonety hunter/pervert from the beginning of Carry On.) (Simon has more than one price on his head by the time he's eighteen. And the Humdrum could attack anytime. And the Mage's enemies could hunt him down to get their revenge on the Mage.)

The only person Simon is able to contact during the summers is the Mage, and I think we can all agree that makes him significantly less safe than if he was completely cut off.

Simon is most vulnerable in summer and that's when his hair is the shortest. The drastic change, the rude awakening of being thrust back into the Normal world alone at the end of each school year is perfectly signified by Simon cutting off all of his hair. (Also, undercuts: half-shaved, half-grown. Simon, composed of halves: Normal world/World of Mages; Chosen One/Insidious Humdrum; limitless wells of magic/inability to Speak; dragon/human.)

Once Simon is back at Watford, his hair grows in; the longer he's there, the longer it gets. The more months he spends back at Watford--the only true home he's ever had, surrounded by the only people who love him--the more security he has, and the less vulnerable he becomes.

Are the summer haircuts a necessity of living in a group home "with seven other discards"? Or just something Simon does on his own? It's not really made clear, but Simon does say "I shave it", which implies some degree of agency. I don't think it's uncommon to want to change one's hair (style or color) when life gets overwhelming. (2020, anyone?) It's a great and safe way to exert control over life and self when other things feel out of control. The thing about Simon is that he has never had control over his life; that's part of what makes him so vulnerable the years he spent in care, the years he was the Mage's personal boy soldier, the years he was groomed as Baz's enemy and the Chosen One born to take down the Insidious Humdrum. The length of Simon's hair seems to be the one thing he has control over.

When Simon is most vulnerable, he cuts his hair. In his case, it's an act of defiance, of agency. Cutting his hair is a way for him to be strong, to take control.

Let's move forward in time now to Wayward Son.

Even though he's left Watford and childhood and defeated "the big baddie[s]", Simon is still struggling through a life out of his control. He has wings, a tail, and no magic. He has no direction because he thinks he was born to die. He's burdened with years and years and years of trauma that he can't find a way to avoid or properly confront and he's decided to just stop trying to do either one.

Simon starts the book at his lowest point. And his hair seems to be at its longest, even though he's also at his most vulnerable. How does this tie into the point I'm trying to make?

Simon is not taking agency in his life; he's "lying on the sofa". Life is out of control again, but Simon hasn't shaved his head this time because he's given up trying to fight back.

I think subconsciously, Simon is now trying to use his longer hair as a kind of emotional armor. Short hair has been associated throughout his life with his most vulnerable state (and the Humdrum). Simon is essentially trying to build up a sort of physical barrier to the trauma that's constantly pushing in on him; trauma that he is trying his best to run from, to not face (including quitting therapy and telling his therapist that he prefers to have his brain close "off painful corridors"). Simon tells us that he hasn't "cared enough to get a haircut", but the implications seem to be much deeper than a lack of care.

We first see the hair-as-armor technique with Baz. Baz uses most aspects of his appearance as a way to craft his careful image of control. It's a skill he intentionally adopted from Malcolm. Baz practices his facial expressions and posture in the mirror to make sure that he's able to hide his emotions from the outside world. He cares about fashion, and puts on an expensive suit when he's going into a dangerous situation the way others would put on armor. Up until Simon kisses Baz in the woods, Baz's hair is kept carefully slicked back like a "gangster...or a black-and-white movie vampire". That scene in the woods is incredibly pivotal, but not just from a SnowBaz perspective. That's the moment that Baz hits his lowest point. He's convinced he's failed at finding his mother's murderer (and we all know Baz top-of-the-class Pitch doesn't handle failure well), and he's confronted, and been taunted by, the very monsters that he's been trying his whole life to deny he's one of. He doesn't care that Simon is there to witness his breakdown; he runs off into the woods and sets the fire he hopes will kill him.

That moment in the woods is one of just a few times that Baz allows himself to be vulnerable in front of Simon. And Simon is sure to comment on the state of Baz's hair when it's not neat and tidy. (Simon is very helpful.) There's the moment Baz finds out how Natasha really died ("His hair is in his eyes"), then after sharing magic out on the lawn with the dragon ("His hair falls forward"), which leads to them sharing magic on Baz's bed later that same day. These are incredibly integral steps along the way to Simon and Baz's truce and romance. Baz has to let down his guard so that Simon can see his humanity, his vulnerability, and recognize his own feelings, feelings that he's kept buried down deep because he's believed that Baz hates him and wants to kill him (and we all know what Simon does with painful thoughts). Each instance leads up to that kiss in the woods, after which Simon talks about the way Baz's "hair falls in a lazy wave over his forehead". Simon and Baz spend that night kissing and sleeping in each other's arms; they talk for the first time ever about their feelings for each other. Baz's hair is loose and wavy and not slicked back because he's let his guard down, he's let Simon in, he's let himself be vulnerable. And one of the first things Simon does when he kisses Baz is slide his hand into Baz's hair and mess it up; after kissing, this seems to be top of his list "of all the things [he's] always wanted to do to Baz".

And what does Baz do later on Christmas Eve, when he's getting ready for dinner after Simon leaves with Penny and Agatha? He slicks his hair back. It doesn't evade Simon's notice, either. (Nothing about Baz evades Simon's notice.) He "wish[es]" Baz wouldn't slick his hair back, because "it looks better when it's loose and falling around his face". Simon wants Baz to be vulnerable around him, and Baz was trying to put his armor back up when he was convinced that Simon wouldn’t come back.

Baz has more hair in Wayward Son. (I'm not even going to touch the body hair thing, so calm yourselves.) His hair is longer than it was at Watford, and he's able to grow a beard. Simon sees Baz's new, softer look as illustrative of Baz's maturity, self-assurance, and attractiveness, reasons that Baz is too good for him. ("He's coming into himself. And I'm coming apart.") But what Simon fails to recognize is that, as in Carry On, Baz's softer hair is actually illustrative of his emotional vulnerability.

Between Carry On and Wayward Son, Baz, like Simon, has grown out his hair, and he seems to prefer wearing it loose. He isn't the same boy he was in school; he has everything he ever wanted (Simon), so he can let down his guard. They're supposed to be living the happy ending neither one of them ever thought they'd get to have. He doesn't need to protect himself anymore, because he isn't living with the constant fear of being outed one way or another in a boarding school without escape. (He does still have to live with the fear of being outed as a vampire, but that concern has to be much less immediate now that he's outside of the only place that mages live together. He's under far less scrutiny in London and at university and far less likely to be discovered.)

And yet, Baz isn't happy, he isn't secure. He thinks he's going to lose Simon, that maybe he's already lost him. Baz now struggles to get his hair back under control (just like Christmas Eve), and their ill-fated road trip conspires against him at every turn. Baz's hair gets blown to hell when the convertible top breaks; Simon compares him to Mozart, then Baz compares himself to a member of a "hair metal band"; he can't use magic to tidy his hair, and even wetting it only gets him to a Bucks Fizz or Wham! equivalent; his hair gets "bushy and matted" in their fight with Jeff Arnold and his posse; Simon tells Baz not to ride in the back of Shepard’s truck because of “what the wind does to [his] hair”. (Remember the scene in the back of the truck? Yeah. Very emotional.) Baz's emotional turmoil is reflected in his diminishing physical condition throughout their trip. He finally lands on using his mother's scarf as a means of keeping his hair under control. He's trying to reclaim some of his emotional armor, because, as he tells us: "Simon Snow, it hurts to look at you when you're this happy. And it hurts to look at you when you're depressed. There's no safe time for me to see you. Nothing about you that doesn't tear my heart from my chest and leave it breakable outside my body."

Baz is in pain. He's trying to hold himself together and his hair is the perfect metaphor for this. The fact that he uses his mother's scarf to keep it under control harkens back to his method of aping Malcolm in Carry On. He turns to his parents for the means of bolstering his armor in the face of vulnerability (which we see play out much more overtly when Baz later contemplates calling Malcolm, and calling Fiona, for help with the NowNext).

(Side note about Baz's family. Want to talk about hair showing emotional vulnerability? How about Malcolm going white after Natasha died? The man is broken by his first wife's death and he never recovers emotionally, even though he's remarried and had four more children. He still can't express any emotion toward Natasha's son. Also, Fiona. With her natural white streak dead center in the front of her hair? Fiona is an absolute wreck of a human. She's volatile and self-destructive and vindictive and was also shattered by Natasha's death and before that, Nico's Turning. Both Malcolm and Fiona are permanently marked with signs of their emotional trauma with their white hair.)

I think post-Humdrum Simon has taken a page out of Baz's book, having always seen him as self-assured and completely in control in a way Simon never was. He's internalized the hair-as-armor technique as a misguided way to insulate himself from his pain, growing it out instead of cutting it off (with his "new length" being a physical representation of the barrier he's trying to make around all of the painful things in his head).

This obviously doesn't work. Simon isn't fooling anyone, not even himself.

In Carry On, Simon shaves his hair to exert control, and Baz slicks back his hair to project control. In Wayward Son, Simon uses his longer hair as a kind of shield against looking vulnerable, and Baz's longer hair reflects his vulnerability.

Wayward Son ends with Simon still in a very vulnerable state. If Simon thinks of short hair as being linked with vulnerability, and long hair like armor, then why did he decide to cut his hair in Vegas?

Because he did care enough to get a haircut; he cared enough to make himself vulnerable.

Why?

Because he's in love with Baz and he can't tell him, so he cuts his hair to show him.

Simon is being brave. He's taking a step and he's exposing himself in a way he's been too scared to do for a long time. Which is the crux of all of this: allowing himself to be vulnerable is actually a kind of strength.

The night before Simon gets his hair cut, Baz meets Lamb. Simon listens to Lamb flirt with Baz, and Baz sort of flirt back with Lamb, for hours, and can't do anything about it. When he does finally intervene, he sees them together, and he thinks Baz and Lamb are going to kiss. He thinks Baz wants someone else. He thinks Baz wants to break up with him. (He already did think so, yes, but at this point of the book, Simon has started to convince himself that they're "getting by".)

The night culminates in one of Baz's lowest points, drunk and draining birds in the hotel bath, bloodstained and forced to face the brutal reality that is his life as a vampire with three witnesses, one of whom is the love of his life. Baz doesn't ever want Simon to see him drink. He has to tell Simon more than once to leave the bathroom to try to maintain some part of his dignity and to keep Simon from continuing to watch (because Simon wants to watch).

This is Baz at his most vulnerable, and Simon is there for all of it. Again. And he wants so badly to be with Baz. But Simon is a mess and can't articulate his feelings. So he goes out and gets an expensive haircut to show Baz that he does care. He finally cares enough to get a haircut (to exercise agency over himself and his life). This is his way of trying to fight for Baz. It's completely off the mark (use your words, Simon) but it's sweet and it's well-intentioned. And it's brave.

Simon has two things in life that he's clinging to with all the power he has left in him: Baz and Penny. And that morning in Vegas, he's probably contemplating the possibility that he's going to lose Baz. (And, unless they get a break, Agatha.--Again.)

TL;DR: Simon cuts his hair, to try to get some control over his out-of-control life, to make an effort for his boyfriend, to try to bring back the part of himself from Watford who was a hero who could take on anything with his undercut ("and a belly full of magic"). It's vulnerability, but it's also strength.

Shaved or tousled, Simon Snow, I hope you get your well-deserved happy ending with Baz, and Penny, and Agatha, and Shepard. And therapy. Please, please, please therapy.

#meta #my meta #simon snow #baz pitch #tyrannus basilton grimm pitch #snowbaz #steel yourself #a heavy meta on hair #rainbow rowell #simon snow series #co/ws #awtwb #carry on #wayward #any way the wind blows

[bisluthq]

If anyone wants a good read, I would say that Miles Teller’s profile is as chaotic and messy as Tom’s. And I don’t throw that without meaning it because we all know his pasta and fighting for love at 5 A.M. are very iconic pieces of gossip history. You can tell the reporter is so fed up with him and she is constantly dragging him, and it includes highlights like:

You're sitting across from Miles Teller at the Luminary restaurant in Atlanta and trying to figure out if he's a dick. You've just told him, by way of making conversation, that according to legend the champagne coupe in your hand is shaped like Marie Antoinette's left breast, and he tells you the highball glass is modeled after his cock. Then he tells the waitress the same thing.

He recounts a direct message he—a twenty-eight-year-old actor still trying to find his place in his profession—sent to five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant through Twitter: Kobe, watched your Showtime documentary. Really related to what you're talking about and striving for greatness and how it can oftentimes be an isolated journey, and how relationships can be a weakness in a way, if you're really kind of going after it. He says he wants to contribute to the body of great acting in the world, to the . . . shit, he can't find the term—cache? catalog? canon? Whatever, you know what he means. He thinks he has something to offer.

After the waitress leaves, shrugging off his comment about the highball glass, you ask him about his hair. He's brought up how nice it is in more than one interview. It's a little defensive, like maybe he's making up for not being the best-looking, or sometimes even the third-best-looking, guy in any given movie he's in. "I was thinking about that today, how I probably think I'm better-looking than the public thinks I am," he says with a laugh, like it's funny that he's willed himself into a higher tier of male beauty through limitless confidence. "I was in one of these forums about a film I did, and it's like, 'This dude is so ugly! How does he get fucking parts?' 'Well, he's not, like, traditionally handsome, but . . .' And that's kind of what it is. Maybe it's because I came from a small town, but I always did well for myself."

It gets better:

He's appealingly attainable, a good-looking guy who shouldn't know he's good-looking, who should believe the commenters, except that he dates a twenty-two-year-old model/aspiring swimsuit designer/professional girlfriend who thinks Teller is attractive enough to have permanently monogrammed her perfect ass with his initials.

My personal favorite:

The waitress delivers the entrées, scallops for him and pork belly for you. The pork looks great and you offer him some. "I'll take a little bit," he says, sawing at it. Then: "I can't cut this." You have to cut his meat for him, a man who ten minutes earlier showed you an iPhone photo of his back muscles to prove how strong he is. He wants you to cut it small. "I don't have back teeth. I literally have four teeth." Not true. He's right, though, this pork belly is really hard to cut. But still. "What are you, bullying me now?" he says. His goading is a habit, compulsive, almost athletic. "I didn't know they fucking put marble on top of their pork belly."

He goes into an animated rant about Leo and Bradley and Jake Gyllenhaal and Vince Vaughn, and how it's almost impossible to win an Academy Award as a man under thirty, and Tom Hanks, and Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeff Bridges, Dustin Hoffman. "But if I'm really homing in on the dramatic performance right now, it's probably Christian Bale or it's Joaq." Oh, for fuck's sake. Joaq? “I just said Joaq. Joaquin Phoenix. I don't know him, but my publicist has repped him since he was, like, seventeen. She repped River, too. So I just hear his name."

And also because, well, now he's famous. Despite his penchant for light confrontation, he knows he's always being watched now. A bunch of people in the restaurant looked a second longer than normal when he walked in. He's recognized every day, he says. "I don't give a shit," he says, tough guy. You wonder how much he really doesn't give a shit. Because it kind of seems like no one gives more of a shit about what he does. Enough that, yeah, he has to be kind of a dick about it. How can you not like that?

This. Is. Everything.

Every fucking Pulitzer ever for this reporter.

#nat talks celeb gossip

[spooky-activity]

Just a little update on Cassandratopia 2: Electric Boogaloo (Or as it stands in my Google Docs folder rn, A Helping Hand). I’ll put it under the cut cuz it’s kinda long. 

I just wanted to say that I’m still planning on actually doing it, despite all evidence to the contrary lol 

I did Cassandratopia in a haze of graduating from college(where I was studying animation) and just having ended my first dnd campaign as a dungeon master (which went 3 years!). I was fishing around for internships, but since the pandemic had just kicked off I wasn’t having much luck. So I had a lot of creative energy that wasn’t getting channeled anywhere, and a lot of free time when I wasn’t applying to places. Which is how I did 4 pages a day several times per week. Which was insane. 

As it stands, I’m running 2 dnd campaigns(one meets weekly, the other every other week or so), and just scored a full-time internship at a video game company! The campaigns I’m running are a homebrew open world, which, for those of you who aren’t too familiar with dnd, is a metric fuckton of work to prep for each session because I have no idea what my insane friends and siblings are going to try and do every time we play. 

Anyways all this to say that my storytelling itch is kinda. Sufficiently getting scratched atm and I have a lot less free time. I’m still plucking away at the setting/refining the story of A Helping Hand, but it’s largely on the backburner. Cassandratopia was also, uh, like the first story I’ve ever told in any sort of format besides the give-and-take of dnd, so... I’m not used to having so much control over the narrative. Oddly. I’ve never thought of myself as much of a writer of stories; my main focus is character animation, so someone else is usually writing the stories I’m telling anyways, which is super cool with me. Honestly I’m surprising myself with how much I want to tell this story, which is why I’m still sure I’m doing it. Just. Slower. Than Cassandratopia got done. 

But I’ll share a bit of the lore I’ve been cooking up! Specifically about Zhan Tiri and The Drops. The story will be told in an extremely dnd type setting, because that’s the kind of narrative I’ve told before and am comfortable telling: hard magic rules, neat fights, scary monsters, a dash of eldritch horror, and huge emphasis being put on magical artifacts(kinda like in the show!). Here’s some stuff that’s basically locked-in. 

Zhan Tiri

Zhan Tiri is one of the many Demon Lords of the Abyss. She’s kind of a mashup of two of my favorite Demon Lords, Zuggtmoy, the Lady of Rot and Decay, and Pale Night, the Mother of Demons and Queen of the Night(with just a dash of Hannibal Lecter because who doesn’t like helpful, polite, manipulative-ass bitches lksjflkja;fj). Her domain sits almost exactly between the Sundrop and Moonstone, largely being the new growth that comes from death, and the endless cycle of life and death. Places where her influence is strongest includes the cracks in... Well anywhere really, from society to the planet’s shell, where metaphorical or physical rot could grow; musty, mostly ignored places where something could fester. Iconography related to her would include endless mazes, fungi, grasping skeletal hands, and rotting/blooming corpses. Her spores can animate corpses, which she likes to use as mindless minions when she doesn’t feel like sending one of her Acolytes. She shares a scrap of her power with those few mortals she likes. She appreciates ambition and the desire to Grow to be bigger than what you were to start with, as those are qualities she herself possesses. 

Incredibly intelligent and merciless to those she deems her enemies, her main thing is pulling the strings from the shadows and seeing just how far she can push people to act with as little prompting from her as possible. She does, however, have the power to kinda bulldoze her way through things if she needs to, but she doesn’t like to because where’s the fun in that? 

She first gained interest in the Material Plane when a Wizard with too much hubris from said Material Plane(Named Demanitus) contacted her trying to figure out more information about The Drops and how to control them. After indulging him for a bit, she started preparing to make a summer home on the Material Plane because it’s New and Fun here and Wow These Mortals are Really Fun to Mess With! And some of them she even genuinely liked! Demanitus then realized his mistake and locked her away in Pandemonium for what he hoped was forever, but turned out to be only around 1,000 years, due to the efforts of her followers. Her little stint in Pandemonium magnified the more... Chaotic aspects of her personality, so now she wants to cover the Material Plane in blooming mazes of fungal crops that she can break people with at her leisure. 

The Drops

The drops are two semi-sentient pieces of one original artifact, whose original purpose was to be a tool of creation for the gods. Which, through some great calamity(still deciding that one), got sundered and settled into the two basic aspects of creation: the nearly unlimited well of life-energy which organizes stardust into planets, cabbages, and kings, and the “you gotta crack a few eggs to get an omlette” destructive force which breaks down what the sundrop makes so that it can make more. 

The main goal of the drops is to reunite. I would want to as well if I was ripped in half! This manifests as a... General tug in the direction of the other drop. A desire in the host to Go That Way. It can be resisted, and even ignored for a bit, but it’s always there. Like being hungry if starving wasn’t a danger. Just a bit uncomfortable if you aren’t going That Way, but ignorable. 

Both drops generally try to be as helpful to their wielder as possible, as originally they were a tool of creation to the gods. They are innately obliging. They’re also REALLY UNSAFE FOR MORTALS TO BE MESSING WITH. The Sundrop is a little safer because the most it can do is kinda. Overcharge you into something distinctly not human but still alive, and King Fredrick was lucky he made the Sundrop into soup before giving it to Arianna. But King Edmund got his wholeass arm blasted off for touching the Moonstone. 

The Sundrop

Best I could whittle it down, the Sundrop has power over life energy, like the sun’s light. It also has power over the energy derived from geothermal activities, so deep sea creatures Are Not Immune To The Sundrop, which was a funny thought that crossed my mind that they could be, but that will likely never come up anyways salkdjf;ljsf It is, in its basest form, Growth and Progress. 

It’s a little sentient, but very much entrenches itself into whoever is holding it at the time. Like another mind looking through your eyes and seeing what you see/feeling what you feel while still retaining a bit of individuality from the host. It’s not... Parasitic because it’s in its nature to give, but it’s generally pretty firmly attached to whoever is holding it until they die( which isn’t usually for a WHILE. It ’infects’ a new host when one dies, usually a plant near their grave...) or until a solar eclipse. It wants what they want, but it’s very fussy so they have to ask it for power exactly correctly(like singing an incantation every time you want to heal someone, or doing a Ritual involving lots of very specific ingredients, Celestial Alignments, and Secret Words) or it won’t listen, like an orchid dying if the ph balance is off in the soil by a little bit. But it’s generally pretty intuitive to use, because it wants what you want and (as long as you ask right) is willing to help. 

Anyways basically under the influence of the Sundrop you get a few things: 

Basically limitless energy coursing through your body while you’re in a place with sunlight, which equates to rapid healing, mostly, because every cell in your body is being supercharged with free energy. Never getting exhausted in direct sunlight. (If Rapunzel lived in a place that was sunny 24/7 like near one of the poles she wouldn’t have to sleep like. until it started to get dark in the opposite half of the year. Then she’d have to sleep like a regular human being)

You stay at your prime, or if you are past it, revert to your prime. Someone who is holding the Sundrop, or who has regular access to the Sundrop’s magic can’t die of old age or illness. They have to be hurt beyond the Sundrop’s ability to heal or have it taken away from them. 

The ability to share this rapid healing with others (if you ask right)

The ability to freely draw on the raw, near-limitless energy of the sun to shape into things like cool-looking energy blasts (only if you ask right) 

The Moonstone

The moonstone has powers over varying levels of destruction: from destroying things by ripping them apart/ to Not Letting Things Be Destroyed(also known as protecting) by freezing them in indestructible rock. Like the moon, it can ‘reflect’ a bit of the sundrop’s power, so it can kinda provide energy, albeit a lot less than the sundrop can provide. It’s the inevitable march of The End of All Things, fertilizing the fields of time with the ashes of the old so the new can take root. 

The Moonstone is a bit more in the dark(pun intended hehe) when it comes to bonding with someone, it can only try to figure out what is going on based off the emotions of its wielder, and through anything directly touching the Black Rocks. Because of this it’s... Kinda dumb? It tries to do things to help(Like shooting red fear-rocks to try and scare away whatever must be scaring its wielder so badly) but often fails spectacularly at helping. 

Under the influence of the Moonstone you get: 

Mortals get Neat Body Armor that’s actually just you being turned into a rock! They are very fragile! They need to be protected! The best the Moonstone can do to try and preserve you is to Stop All Destruction by.. Pausing all bodily functions indefinitely. Rocks don’t need to eat, sleep, or breathe, and almost nothing can destroy you if you’re solid Black Rock. The weak reflection of the Sundrop’s energy keeps the host animated, but they’re not exactly alive anymore. Like cryostasis. Wounds (if any) acquired in this state won’t be a problem because they’re not messing anything up, because nothing is technically working in the first place, but they will be a problem when you’re not protected in this way anymore. It’s a cosmic ‘I’ll deal with that later’ button, essentially. 

Like the moon, the Moonstone can reflect the light of the sun. It uses its rock crystals to do so, which can even split the sun’s power into different shades, like a prism. Essentially, different colored rocks can mean new and exciting power sets. 

Blue Lightning! The Moonstone can reflect the Sundrop’s power, so it also has access to pure bursts of energy, even if it is weaker and colder. 

The Moonstone is very helpful, but usually has no idea what you want. ‘Asking’ the Moonstone for more control over its power in the same way you would Ask the Sundrop for more power reminds it of the perfect bond it used to share. The Moonstone’s incantation deepens the bond between wielder and Moonstone in such a way that it actually knows what you want from it, giving you near perfect control of its powers.

*This is kind of just a side note of the Drops: While the Moonstone is weaker than the Sundrop in an head-on fight, it could hold its own if it were on the defensive. Redirecting the power instead of trying to overpower and such.

** Cass made of rocks means I get to draw her skeleton :) not in every picture that would be fucking nuts and way too much work alskjdf;lkjs;fv

#helping hand #a helping hand #casstopia #cassandratopia 2 #mine #so yeah next comic is happening still #but I can't promise when #maybe in like 6 months when one of my dnd games wraps up #my siblings are the ones who play weekly #and I said i'd run a shorter campaign for them #like half a year campaign #then I'll only be running one game! #and I'll have time to draw comic stuff and finish finalizing my draft #I'd also like to apologize in advance for my clunky storytelling #I've literally never done this before lakjs;dlkcvj;lksjf

[dragonflymage]

I went hunting around online for a list of values to choose from to elaborate on. Many lists only have single words like Amusement and Focus, which seems too vague and tells me nothing. I have longer descriptions in my head. So I suppose I’ll just work from scratch.

I ended up choosing several from an online list and included my own short definitions and reasons why they are important to me. These are Values that I have wanted in my life, guide me, and those that are important in my environment.

I apologize if some of my personal definitions don’t match up with whatever these Values may ‘normally’ mean. This is what they mean to me. 😅

I ended up choosing over 50 so I grouped them together by similarity.

Acceptance, Connection, Harmony, Meaning, Purpose, Truth - Represents some of what is important to me in relation to my entire life.

Acceptance of self and my flaws.

Making connections and understanding how and why I exist in the universe.

Harmony with energy, harmony with others.

What does it all mean?

What is my purpose for being? What is your purpose for being?

Will we ever learn the truth? Is there even a truth to learn?

Awareness, Curiosity, Discovery, Exploration, Growth, Inquisitive - Represents how I interact with the universe as a seeker.

Awareness is part of my internal search. Must keep aware of the changes and what they mean.

Curiosity is my favorite way to learn and grow.

There are so many new discoveries to unfold.

Exploration and seeking help with finding the discoveries.

Growth is an important reason for living. There is no life in stagnation.

Always remain inquisitive!

Knowledge, Learning, Skillfulness - The drive to know more. This works well with the above Awareness grouping.

Knowledge and the pull to have the answers to questions. Only, the more we know, the more we realize we don’t know.

Learning all that we can so that we can understand. This is an important goal for many, myself included. Not so that I have the knowledge, but so I can make sense of the blank spaces and gaps in my journey as a seeker.

Skillfulness comes from Learning and Knowledge. With these learned skills, we can help others along their journey.

Accountability, Patience, Sincerity - Represents what I admire in others, and strive for in myself.

I admire people who are accountable for their actions and behave responsibly for their choices. Good and bad.

Patience is truly an admirable trait. What’s the rush?

Genuine sincerity has become such a rarity. So beautiful to encounter.

Calm, Comfort, Enjoyment, Fun, Peace, Playfulness, Solitude, Tranquility - These are important in my environment.

Calmness is a major one due to the anxiety that I deal with.

Comfort, as in no uncomfortable sensations to my eyes, ears, and nose. Makes it easier to focus without discomfort.

I try to find at least one thing I enjoy every day.

If there is no fun in all that we do, why are we doing it?

Peace is important in relationships, as well as the environment.

Playfulness should never be removed from life! Helps to keep negativity away.

Solitude is a must, especially as an Introvert.

The same with tranquility, which is so energizing!

Careful, Common sense, Foresight, Insightful, Intelligence, Intuitive, Reflective, Serenity - These are important for safety and dealing with the harshness of society and people of the world.

We must always be careful. It isn’t paranoid to be aware of your environment.

If only more people would use common sense. Maybe it isn’t a natural trait?

Foresight involves common sense to loosely predict a potential situation. A good way to prevent society’s nonsense.

Insight is similar to foresight but on a quieter scale, relying on personal lessons and experience to interpret situations.

Intelligence is just necessary for life.

Intuitive is also similar to Foresight. It’s good to be prepared for whatever comes your way.

Reflective works well with Insight. Reflection on the universe, finding ways to piece everything together.

Serenity, similar to Tranquility, is important for the sake of the mind. It’s a feeling of mental peace.

Compassion, Empathy, Fairness, Kindness, Support, Thoughtful, Understanding - These are important in relationships and when interacting with other people.

Compassion should be one of the most important ways we interact. If we have no compassion for others, how can we expect to be deserving of compassion ourselves?

Empathy is also important in our interactions. Without it, we can never truly understand how our treatment of others can be helpful or harmful.

Fairness could be considered common sense, but as I mentioned above, it doesn’t seem to be a universal trait. I know most people see Fairness as meaning ‘being impartial and equal to everyone’. But I honestly believe it’s fair to treat bullies and harmful people in ways that make them accountable for their behavior. Fair enough.

Support is part of creating healthy relationships with those around us. It is another way we grow together as a community.

Thoughtfulness is sadly not a common value or trait on this world. Many people I have encountered out in society consider how everything benefits themselves first. I have seen this most often with parents who complain in mean ways about their own children. 😔

Understanding is ultimately what is necessary so the above fall into place. Understanding of self, understanding of others, and how we all fit together.

Creation, Creativity, Expressive, Imagination, Individuality, Openness, Originality, Uniqueness, Wonder - This group is important in showing our souls to the world.

What is more beautiful than creation? We can do this every day whenever we tug a piece of our soul and bring it to the outside.

Creativity, like Creation, is like a tiny whisper from the Universe. Art, music, stories… it is oneness.

Being expressive is another way to translate the inner into the outer. Such as with metaphors and poetry.

Imagination is probably one of my favorite of all values. It brings magic into our lives!

Individuality is also a must so we aren’t all identical. It is possible to be unique and find harmony within it.

Remaining Open to the limitless possibilities keeps us alive, unlike a closed mind which is unable to grow.

Originality is like Individuality. This involves discovering your true self and letting it bloom.

Uniqueness, again like Originality and Individuality. This keeps us from being like everyone else.

Wonder is important so we aren’t taking our lives and our environment for granted.

Feelings, Love, Passion, Sensitivity, Spirit - Emotions are like my oxygen, which I need to survive.

Feelings - I have them, you have them. The way we learn from feelings is by letting them expand so we can study them from all angles and grow from the knowledge they share.

Love also goes along with my Compassion grouping. Love of self, love of others… there are so many different kinds of love, both gentle and striking. Another way our souls speak to us.

Passion is the drive that inspires us to do what we do. It is the lit flame that burns and keeps us going, even when others may have given up. It fuels our creations, our relationships, and the internal search for “why”.

Sensitivity is what helps with empathy and makes us aware of the subtle shifts in the people and situations around us.

Spirit to me is our personal internal interpretation of ‘just what is the universe?’ Be it a religious answer, a logical answer, or the acceptance of the answer that maybe we are just too young a species to know or understand quite yet.

That was a peek into some of my values. There are probably many still missing (since I only chose from a list I found on a website). I’m not sure if I also included beliefs here, but perhaps some time in a different answer. 💗

(Here’s a link to the page where I selected the values from: Core Values List: Over 200 Personal Values to Live By Today)

Thanks for the question! 😊

#infp #infp thoughts #mbti #mbti thoughts #introvert #values #myers-briggs #core values #hsp #emotions #emotional #sensitivity

[neocatharsis]

The Brilliant Members of World Renowned NCT 127 Share Their Thoughts Fashion, Music, Lifestyle, Favorite Things… What Their Individual Styles Are #006 JAEHYUN

Full Interview https://mensnonno.jp/post/51051

Some Excerpts

The secret behind NCT 127’s “neo-esque” aspect

MN: In contrast, to the question, “What do you find is cool about NCT 127?”, you responded,“An identity that is all our own”. In a nutshell, what is this?

J: I believe it is our neo-esque aspect.

MN: So, the “neo” from Neo Culture Technology (=NCT). With the meaning of “new” there, you even use “NEO CITY” in your tour titles, so we can see how important the term is all-around for NCT 127.

J: Exactly. We believe that ‘identity’ is something more that just the team’s identity. It’s more about the members that make up the team, the song, each and every performance. Since our debut, we have strongly felt that those aspects and what is yet to come are what “neo” means for NCT 127.

MN: Wonderful. So, it’s not so much that the team is made up of a group of people, but rather that the team is made up of the individuality that each person brings to the table. As part of NCT 127, to the question, “How has being a part of a group and its activities had an impact on you?”, you responded,“Through many experiences, it has helped me to grow”.

J: There is something I feel strongly about when performing. That is, ultimately, that I really do love to sing and dance. I come to this realization each and every time I’m on stage. It is something that I have felt since our first tour and it makes me want to grow even more.

MN: So, would you say that every time you go on stage, you realize that you love to sing and dance, and the more experience you gain, the more motivated you are to grow?

J: Exactly. First of all, in terms of skills with music, I think I’ve grown as I’ve gradually gained more experience while recording. I feel like I’m progressing as I listen to our recordings and improving on what I lack as I go through the process of recording over and over again. The same can be said for dance. I practice every single day, and I think I’m making progress by doing so. And personally, or should I say, on the people-to-people side, I feel like I have been able to grow because I’m part of the NCT 127 team. When working, we live with each other 24-7, even when we’re not on stage, and so I feel like I have learned a lot about accepting someone as they are and understanding them for who they are.

MN: Since NCT 127 is a multinational group, it feels like there is a rich environment for accepting people with different customs and cultures.

J: Yes, it is. I really do think I’ve also grown in terms of accepting others.

MN: To the question, “Please tell us what you think is great about the group”, you responded,“We advance together towards our goals, rejoice together when we are happy, and grieve together when we are sad“. We can tell you are building a relationship based on trust.

J: For me, NCT 127 is also with whom I’m spending my youth with.

MN: It sounds like they are more than co-workers to you. Without a doubt, the readers are certainly becoming more and more interested in the group called NCT 127. Now, we’d like to ask you to introduce some pieces of work you highly recommend.

J: Yes. I would love to.

MN: We would like to paste in the link to the MV you really want the readers to see, JAEHYUN-san. However, apologies in advance, but all the members up to now have pushed “Hero; Kick It”…

J: Ohhhh, I bet. I was thinking about that one as well (LOL).

MN: Sorry (LOL). From this series of articles, we can clearly tell how confident you are that it is one of your best works. Since we are at it, it would be amazing if you could list up a different song.

J: Sure. Since it has come up so many times, I would be glad to introduce a different one~!

MN: Thank you for your consideration!

J: Please catch the Japanese version of “Limitless”. There is a story behind it and I just love the atmosphere that shows through the visuals. I also recommend a feel good piece, “Highway to Heaven”.

MN: We promise to write about how you love “Hero; Kick It” too.

J:  (In Japanese) “Yes, thank you so much (LOL).

What do you mean by challenging spirit backed by passion?

MN: Next, we’d like to dig deeper into your “passion”. We can already tell from what you said earlier that you’re quite passionate about the way you engage yourself in your performances. For the question, “How do you want to spend your 20s?”, you wrote,“Full on and with passion”.

J: That’s right. The first thing I’m most passionate about right now is singing. I have a lot of passion for singing, truly so much. And the other thing is that I do not want to have any regrets about challenging myself to do something new. I always feel that there should never be any regrets and so that’s why I also have passion towards ‘challenging new things’.

MN: Regarding that, even with the questions on fashion, we could really tell that you are someone who loves to challenge yourself in terms of fashion as well. For the question, “What type of fashion would you like to try out?”, you wrote,“high fashion photogravure. I enjoy the challenge itself”. Additionally, for the question, “Fashion is indispensable when it comes to transmitting performances and artwork, but what’s your take on it?” , you responded, “When it comes to outfits for the stage and for photo shoots, even if they may require some bold courage, I try my best to assimilate”. Your challenging spirit on what you wear also comes through.

J: You mentioned that I am a person who loves to challenge myself. I totally agree! When on a shoot for a magazine or CD jacket, I often wear clothes that require a sense of challenge, and I love to imagine the different ways I could wear those outfits while the photos are being taken. By daring to challenge myself, I am able to find what suits me, what I like, and what don’t like, and that’s what makes the challenge so much fun.

MN: ”Fun”… nice. You really do enjoy fashion.

J: Exactly~! (In Japanese) Fashion is one way to express myself,

MN: To the question, “When thinking about what to wear, what is the most important thing, your policy?”, you responded,“It has to look good on me”. While many of the members preferred a more carefree taste in the interviews up to now, your answer that it has to look good on you shows your stoic mindset, which is different in personality from the others and also shows your challenging nature.

J: Ohhh, right~. As for the reason why I responded, “it has to look good on me”, I think it’s super cool when you can wear something eccentric and it still looks good on you. In contrary, even if the item isn’t particularly unique, if it suits the person, then it too will look cool. So, in the end, I think it is important to know what suits you and wear it with style. It’s not so much that I’ve decided on a particular fashion style. It’s more about how I can enjoy different styles in that way”

What is it to have sincerity?

MN: We fully understand that both “classic” and “passion” make up who you are, JAEHYUN-san. Now we would like to ask about the third element of “sincerity”.

J: I wrote sincerity because, well… it’s a little embarrassing, but if you talk about your true feelings with sincerity and without embellishment, I think the other person will understand how you feel, and that kind of thing is important to me.

MN: That is really lovely. There are many types of sincerity, but for you in particular, JAEHYUN-san, from the questionnaire, we can tell that you have a strong desire to care for the people around you. To the question, “What dream would you like to achieve in your life other than music?”, you wrote,“The health and happiness of my loved ones”, which was quite impressive.

J: You see… when you try to do something on your own, I feel there is a limit to what you can do. That’s where the people that are willing to be around you become important. That is the thought behind my response.

MN: Since when have you thought that way?

J: Let me see… probably since our debut. When you do your best and work hard at it, you can inspire others. And under those conditions, you can also be inspired by others around you. Working in a positive manner like that is very important even for the work itself, and since our debut, I have felt that it is all about the people around you.

MN: For this series, we have added the question, “Have you already found the real you?” You responded,“I have, but I’m still searching for more”. Including your devotion on growth and your policy of taking good care of the people around you for that purpose, would you say that what you have told us thus far constitutes who you are at this point in time?

J: Well… I mean, I am totally serious about what I talk about regarding what kind of tastes I have, what kind of things I like, what kind of person I am, but I think I’m still in the process of getting to know myself. That’s how I feel and that’s where, “I have, but I’m still searching for more” comes from.

MN: I know it’s really a difficult question to answer. Thank you for sharing something invaluable about your thoughts right now.

What do you need to create a world of comfort?

MN: You wrote about other things that you also like. To “what has had an impact on you?”, you wrote,“R&B, JAZZ”. To the questions, “What kind of place or atmosphere do you like?” “What landscape symbolizes who you are?”, your response was,“nightscape”.

J: I love to watch the nightscape. It’s healing, calming and eases my mind, and it makes it possible for me to think about a lot of things. Although I’m not able to see it that often, I try to make it a point to watch the nightscape whenever I can.

MN: As we ask you about the things you like, JAEHYUN-san, such as classical atmosphere and music, as well as the nightscape, what comes to mind is the visuals of the cover you did of Lauv’s “I Like Me Better”. It feels like it is packed with all the things you like. We hear it’s getting a lot of views on YouTube, too… (as of Nov. 2020: Approximately 40 million views).

J: (In Japanese) Ohhhh, why thank you! The reason why I decided to make it in the first place was because I was in Europe for a performance and the landscape was so lovely. It all begin while I was thinking about wanting to put myself in a landscape like that and take a photo. I then thought that the mood of Lauv’s “I Like Me Better” would fit really well; and since I love the songs in Lauv’s album to being with, I decided on that song. At first, I never even thought people would like this video as much as they have, but I’m very grateful to everyone who has watched it. At the time I shot this, I was simply trying to capture my trip as natural as possible and preserve it. I just want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone for the response and for liking it so much.

MN: We will make sure to pass on this message to everyone as well.

J: Yes, please. Thank you!

LOVEHOLIC and JAEHYUN

MN: Please tell us your enthusiasm towards your new Japanese album “LOVEHOLIC”. The release date is now set for February 17th, which is near your birthday, JAEHYUN-san.

J: Exactly.We’re actually in preparation as we speak [editorial staff note: at the time of the interview], but it’s been a long time since we’ve prepared and released a Japanese album like this, so I’m really excited about it. Whenever we release a new album, I have a strong desire to show a new side of myself, and you can expect the same this time as well”

MN: In light of the album title, what does “LOVEHOLIC” mean to you, JAEHYUN-san?

J: It means to really be into something. I’m really into Netflix as of late! (LOL)

MN: Hahaha! That’s really not romantic at all.

J: (Chuckle) I guess I’m into Netflix love.

MN: We are told that the lead track is a love song. There are many types of love songs, but what kind of love song do you like to sing, JAEHYUN-san?

J: When I’m listening to a love song, I like super sad love songs or love songs about a broken heart, but I prefer love songs with a happy ending. So, if I’m going to sing a love song, I prefer a happy love song. However, since “LOVEHOLIC” expresses various kinds of love, I would like to convey a bigger and stronger love than just a love song. I hope to be able to tour in Japan and to show it on stage. I really can’t wait to see all of you.

MN: Is there anything in particular that you would like us to focus on with regard to the album?

J: The growth in my vocals!

MN: We’re really looking forward to the release. Thank you for everything you have shared with us today. On a final note, could you share with us what you feel is “my own style” right now, JAEHYUN-san?

J: You mean in a word, right? “To be continued”… Mmmm… no… let me think about it again… Let’s go with, “As everyone sees me.

MN: My own style is “As everyone sees me”. You’re the first person to give a response that basically leaves your style to the other person’s perception, JAEHYUN-san. “To be continued” is intriguing as well. With what you shared today, they both make sense… In the end, you’ve given us a comment that will linger on in our minds.

J: Thank you deeply for interviewing me about so many things. To the readers, stay tuned for all our upcoming activities~!

MN: Thank you very much.

J: (In Japanese) Thank you! Until we meet again!

#nct #nct 127 #Jaehyun

[cecilspeaks]

174 - Radio Jupiter

This is Radio Jupiter calling out to all who hear. Please respond. Awaiting your reply.

[different theme song]

This is Radio Jupiter. I’m not sure who is listening. I’m not sure if there’s anyone to listen. I can only verify my own existence. I can only verify the void around me, the apparent fact of stars, the swirling atmosphere of the planet below me. I cannot verify much. I don’t know who I am or where I came from. I woke up here, and all I have to go on is my call sign. So this is Radio Jupiter, reaching out to whoever there is to be reached out to.

It is so beautiful here on my perch, here in my place, in the cosmos and the universe about which I know nothing but feel everything. I don’t know if everywhere is as beautiful, or even most places. Did I happen onto the one beautiful place in the all of it? Without perspective, there is only what is nearby. Without the burden of comparison, everything is beautiful.

If a person is the sum total of every experience they’ve ever had, is a person without memories still a person? Or are they a different creature altogether, made either limited or limitless by the possibilities of a clean slate? I am either trapped or I am more free than anyone who can hear this. If anyone can hear this.

There is a framed photo in this room. It is an elderly woman. Maybe my mother or my grandmother or an aunt. Perhaps merely a photo I saw in a magazine once and liked for whatever reason. I have no way of knowing what kind of person I am, what kind of photo I would keep. Perhaps it is a photo of you. Do you present as an elderly woman? Would you like to? I think perhaps I would like to, even for just a little while. But I only am what I only am, I ever am, whatever I am.

[distortion] This is Radio Jupiter calling all cars, all (species), all… [fades out]

Cecil: Is that any better? Is that better? Can you hear me? [clears throat] OK, my producer is giving me the signal that we are now back on the air. Sorry about that, not sure what that other signal was, but it completely took over ours, which is rude. We’re currently looking for the source of the signal. We’ve narrowed it down to up. Just right up there somewhere, beaming on down to us. But we’re back in control and we do not expect any more interruptions. Of course, we didn’t expect that interruption either. I don’t expect almost anything that happens to me, my life is full of mystery and surprise, as is yours I’m sure, but still, we seem to have this one technical issue addressed. With that settled, I think we can get to the news.  

Our top story concerns… [reluctantly] Susan Willman. OK. Sure. There has been a lot of talk in town since the whole incident with the Obelisk, in which Susan Willman learned the name of an immortal all knowing being. This name now exist in her head, an object of great power reverberating through her thoughts. She has withdrawn from her duties as director of the Night Vale Community Theater and the Night Vale PTA. Oh darn, we’ll miss her and her prosaic, muddled staging and grandstanding about home-work life balance.

Susan has instead taken residence in a booth at the Moonlite All-Nite Diner. There at all hours, toying with a half drunk coffee and playing with the reflection of the sun in the back of a spoon. At night, the mint light of the sign outside sends strange shadows across her face, and her friends say they sometimes don’t recognize her at all. Steve Carlsberg, who is taking over her role at the Night Vale Community Theater, went to talk to her about some finer details of the casting process, and said that she was less than helpful. She was weeping, and the only thing she said the entire time he was there was that she was afraid to speak, lest the awful name slip past her lips. “No one was meant to carry such death inside of them,” she whispered, and then said no more. “Oh sure, yeah yeah, makes total sense,” said Steve, as he (-) [06:51] down some invisible pie. Well, I think we’ve given Susan enough attention for now, moving on.

In other news, the new beer cave at the Ralphs has been closed for repairs due to occasional time loop issues reported by certain customers. Manager at the Ralphs, Dave Ball, issued a statement by spelling out words with cantaloupes in the parking lot, saying “everything is fine with the beer cave, it’s a great and refreshing addition to Night Vale. Please don’t go inside or even look at it, as we don’t know why it’s doing what it’s doing. Everything is fine, please stay safe and stay away.” Dave then rearranged the cantaloupes to create complex fractal designs that made me dizzy to gaze upon, but were beautiful nonetheless. When reached out for a comment, Ralphs corporate said they had no records of any branch in a town called Night Vale, and were tired of receiving prank calls with bizarre tales about a made up store. When provided with pictoral evidence of Night Vale, a representative at Ralphs corporate began to bleed form the eyes while shouting: “This can’t be real! My god, this can’t be real!” More on the story of the beer cave if anything happens [distortion, fades out]…

Agent N-223: [--] out there, out there? Not sure if any of this is getting thru, but continuing to narrate on the off chance anyone will hear this and come, you know, to collect me. I’ve been doing some digging through the spaceship, and I’m disturbed by what I’ve found. Weapons. Many, many weapons. Racks of guns, cases of grenades and explosives, radar that I instinctively know is for tracking combatant space crafts, even though I have no memory of receiving that training. I am armed to the teeth and ready to wage war. But on what? There are no living beings in sight, and for all I know, there are no other living beings anywhere. Perhaps I’m here to wage war upon the planet below me, that swirling gaseous titan. Maybe someone had enough of it and sent me up here to put Jupiter back in its place. If so, I think the weapons they gave me were insufficient. I experimented by shooting off a round or two out the airlock, but the bullets soared into the upper atmosphere of the planet without slowing at all. My attack had no appreciable effect on my victim. So maybe the planet is not my target. Could it be the stars themselves? I am sent here, a pinprick in the side of God to cast myself as the stars, shouting threats and tossing grenades until the entire (-) [09:42] of the universe cowers and surrenders. Perhaps that.

Or perhaps I am at war with you, whoever is hearing this. Maybe I was given this radio in order to threaten and terrorize before I attack. So be afraid, I am coming. O-once I figure out where you are. I have no idea which direction to start moving and I don’t even know if this space ship has any way of controlling movement or if I’m just stuck in this orbit. Either way, this is Radio Jupiter apparently declaring war. [distortion] Consider it declared and [fades out].

Cecil: Can you hear, they can hear me? OK, I apologize, we’ve been doing all kinds of troubleshooting, including shifting the angle of our broadcasting tower, updating all of our software, and yes before you ask, we did try unplugging it, doing a ritual spilling of blood and plugging it back in. The issue we’re having is that these broadcasts are being sent out on military frequencies, which unfortunately automatically override ours. I’m unclear why the military would be getting into broadcasting, that’s more of a community radio thing, so let’s all stick to what we’re good at. I’ll keep doing radio shows that inform and delight, and the military can spend three trillion dollars on a plane that instantly explodes if anyone tries to fly it.

We have reached out to Rudy DeJardin, the local representative of the military industrial complex. He has a little table set up outside of the hardware shop, and anyone who has any questions for the military can just ask him, and he’ll do his best to answer. Most of the stuff can’t answer because it’s classified or embarrassing, but sometimes he’ll say a few cryptic words. In this case, his only answer was to make “mm-hm” sounds and shake his head frantically, while rolling his eyes toward the heavens. Not clear what to make of that, but I sure love whatever this broadcast is off my frequency, Rudy. Any time you want to get on that.

And now a word from our sponsors. Today’s show is brought to you by Nature’s Caress Fountain of Youth gentle flushable wipes. Did you know in most of the world, they just wash after using the toilet? They have a whole thing specifically for doing that. It takes a couple of seconds, cleans thoroughly, and doesn’t create mountains of paper waste. If you dirty your hands, do you wipe at them frantically with an even less robust version of tissues, or do you use water and soap? Why would it be different for anything else? Because it just is, that’s why. It’s the American way, love it or leave it. Nature’s Caress Fountain of Youth gentle flushable wipes: clog the world with your debris. This has been a word from our sponsors.

And now, as a special treat, Mr. Lee Marvin himself will perform act 3 scene 5 of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. This is the scene that contains the immortal line “I never knew the meaning of fear until I kissed Becky.” [distortion] OK, Mr. Marvin, take it away!

Agent N-223: This is Radio Jupiter speaking to you from a time of peace. Yes, there was that brief episode of war, and it was regrettable. I fired upon an innocent planet, although that planet seems none the worse for my crimes. In any case, that war is now over, as far as I’m concerned. I have no interest in battles and conflict, especially when I have no memory of what that conflict could involve. I have no interest in killing anyone, and I have no interest in dying quite yet.

So, peace in our time. I’m jettisoning all the guns and other weapons. Let them scatter out harmlessly into the universe, most of them swirling down the gravity well of Jupiter, where the immense pressure of the inner atmosphere will compress them into diamonds. I don’t know if that idea is scientifically sound, but I like the thought of it. All these worthless guns made glittering jewels, swirling in the endless storm of a planet that doesn’t even know they’re there.

As for me, now that I’ve declared peace upon the galaxy, I would like to know what is out there. I have found the controls for the ship and it seems I must have been trained in their use, because whatever I do appears to work as I want it to. I am turning away from the only star I’ve ever known. Because my memory is short and it’s the only star that has been there for the last two hours. I’m turning out to the dark unknown, and I’m casting myself into it. I hope there is a grander universe out there, I’d love to see it. This is Radio Jupiter, letting the cosmos know that I am on my way. I’ll see you soon. Or, given the size of space, most likely I won’t see you. But we’ll both exist, and [distortion] won’t that be nice?

Cecil: [clapping] Wow, wow wow wow. Thank you, Mr. Marvin, truly a performance for the ages, and what a treat… What? What happened? When? Oh not again!

This is Cecil Palmer of the Night Vale community radio station. I don’t know if you can hear these words, but if you can, we have identified the source of these intrusive broadcasts. She is agent N-223, sent during the early years of the space program on a secret mission. She was put into hibernation so that she could wake up and serve as reinforcement in the Blood Space War at some point in the future. But it appears that the hibernation damaged her memory, and anyway the Blood Space War doesn’t happen for another thousands years, so eh, she won’t be much use in that battle yet. Ah, thanks to the anonymous tipster who snuck us this top secret info. We owe you, Rudy.

Oh, uh it looks like we might be having more interference due to some Rough weather.

[“The Faded Red and Blue” by David Berkeley http://davidberkeley.com/]

Agent N-223: This is Radio Jupiter on the tail end of the tail end. If there was anyone listening back near that star, I think I’m getting out of range. I feel you getting out of range. Whatever presence I felt that I was speaking to, that feeling is getting hushed and fuzzy. The way I’m sure my voice is for you now.

You’re gonna have to go on without me, I suppose. Be brave about it. Or be scared. Your feelings are not my problem anymore, if they ever were. I have new problems now, problems of void and cosmos, problems of dark matter and lost memories. I am adrift in a universe that does not know I exist, but then you are too. I don’t know what is out there, but I hope I live to see it. Won’t that be something, if I get to see whatever happens next? I hope I do.

Well, this is Radio Jupiter signing off for the last time. [echoing] Stay safe out there, I’ll try to stay safe out here. Goodbye.

Cecil: The signal has faded out. It seems she has finally left our world and also left my radio frequency. I’m not trying to speak badly of a strange remnant of a war that has not yet happened, floating out into the nothing beyond the nothing, but come on, please, use a different frequency. It’s just rude. The military, through Rudy DeJardin has disavowed any knowledge of Agent N-223 or her mission. “Nope,” Rudy said through clenched teeth, “Never heard of her. Iiii certainly wouldn’t just say her name on the radio, after being asked not to. That’s not something I would do Cecil,” he said. So I dunno. Maybe we got the story wrong.

It is something, isn’t it? We are bits of life floating in a whole lot of non-life. The fact is true for us in both space and time, we are brief on any measure. And yet we can reach out our voice and be heard, even if only for a moment. And that has to mean something, doesn’t it? Doesn’t… it?

Stay tuned next for an angry buzzing from inside your cutlery drawer, but you’ll be too afraid to open it and find out its source.

Good night, Night Vale, Good night.

Today’s proverb: Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Agate is a girl’s worst enemy. Emerald is a work acquaintance who a girl hung out with once and then it just – never turned into anything more.

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