#Automatic Vacuum Forming

[ridatcompany]

[plasticformingmachine]

Why Modern Manufacturers Need Automatic Vacuum Forming Machines?

[shanghaiyiyou]

HW-1220 Semi Automatic Vacuum Forming Machine

Vacuum blister molding requires additional cutting after full-page molding. Suitable for daily necessities packaging, electronic trays, toy shells, stationery bubble shells, etc.

Contact us Phone: +86 18621972598 E-mail: amy@hwthermoforming.com

[theother456-stories]

Dylan was the kind of sleeper that nothing could wake. Marco had learned that early in their relationship, thunderstorms, car alarms, even a loud neighbor’s midnight vacuuming spree hadn’t stirred him. The only thing that reliably worked was the smell of breakfast or a firm shake. But Marco had learned to use that deep sleep to his advantage.

And for the past month, he’d been preparing for this.

Dylan had always been soft, with just a hint of a belly and a little plush to his thighs. Marco loved every inch of him. But he also fantasized about more. More belly to feed. More weight to move. More of Dylan, helplessly stuffed, overflowing with size, and utterly at Marco’s mercy.

The plan was simple, if a little insane. A carefully rigged feeding tube setup. A fridge full of high-calorie shakes and creamy, rich concoctions Marco had perfected through trial and error. Special weight gain powders blended with melted ice cream, condensed milk, and butter. And, most importantly, Dylan’s sleep schedule.

That night, Dylan was out cold by 9 PM. Marco had pampered him, spoiled him with a heavy, carb-loaded dinner, warm bath, and long body massage until his boyfriend was fully relaxed and snoring. With the lights dimmed and his heart pounding in anticipation, Marco got to work.

The feeding tube slipped gently into place, nestled between Dylan’s lips. He stirred briefly, smacked his lips once, and then began swallowing automatically. Marco’s fingers twitched with excitement.

The first few hours were smooth. Vanilla cream shakes. Melted cheesecake. Thick protein smoothies with triple the fat. Dylan took it all down without a single waking moment. By midnight, his belly was visibly rising, pudgy softness rounding outward from its usual small curve.

By 2 AM, Dylan’s stomach had swelled into a proper dome. His shirt had ridden up past his chest, exposing the tight, stretched skin of his growing gut. His thighs had softened, spreading wider against the sheets. Marco couldn’t stop touching him, caressing the expanding flesh, feeling it shift and jiggle under his palms.

By 4 AM, Dylan looked like he’d gained a hundred pounds. His cheeks were fuller. His chest had blossomed into soft, bouncy moobs. His sides formed gentle rolls. His boxers were straining. Marco kept the pump running, mixing in heavier shakes with melted butter and extra sugar, just to see how far he could go.

By sunrise, Dylan was unrecognizable.

Three hundred pounds heavier, his body had transformed into a massive, indulgent pile of softness. His belly was gigantic, round and flushed, the skin warm to the touch and taut from the night’s steady flood of calories. His thighs were thick and bulging, his arms doughy, his fingers fattened slightly with water weight and softness. He looked… glorious.

Marco crouched by the bed, eyes wide, cock aching, admiring the sheer immensity of what he’d created.

Then Dylan stirred.

A soft grunt escaped him. His eyelids fluttered open. He tried to stretch, and gasped.

“Wh… what the hell?” he croaked, voice thick with sleep.

He shifted again, only to realize his body was far heavier than it had been when he went to bed. He tried to sit up, but his arms sank into the mattress, weighed down by his own bulk.

“Marco?!” he said, his voice rising in shock.

Marco smiled, crawling onto the bed beside him. “Morning, baby.”

“What the fuck happened to me?!” Dylan’s eyes were wide, darting down to the massive curve of his gut. “I’m…I’m huge!”

“You are,” Marco whispered, running his fingers over the curve of Dylan’s belly. “Three hundred pounds bigger. I’ve been feeding you all night.”

Dylan whimpered, both hands sinking into the overfed softness of his belly. “I can’t even move…”

“That’s okay,” Marco murmured. “You don’t need to. I’ll take care of everything. You just lie there and grow for me.”

Dylan’s cock twitched under the mass of his gut, trapped and hard. “You really… did this to me? All night?”

“You didn’t stop swallowing,” Marco said, pouring thick shake into a fresh bottle. “Your body wanted it, even if you didn’t know it yet.”

Dylan groaned, hips squirming. “I’m so full… but it feels…god, it feels good.”

“You’re beautiful like this,” Marco whispered, tilting the bottle toward Dylan’s lips. “Now open up. Let’s see if you can handle just a little more.”

And Dylan, his face flushed, heart pounding, opened his mouth, surrendering to his boyfriend’s greedy affection.

[styllwaters]

Figured it was time to stop putting it off so here's Kota (his new design, for veterans who remember him). I don't yap about my ocs nearly enough on here so I guess its time to change that

Very basic summary: This guy is a posthuman, the only surviving remnants of humanity in Vivere 44 (I'll make a big updated post for them later). When Earth was destroyed by Genizix the surviving humans were captured and used as test subjects for a digitised consciousness project. They managed to escape in ships, though their physical bodies were no more. Eventually they came across a wormhole and emerged into the Zhagaviit galaxy, where they were given refuge on the Arrow homeplanet of Hanidias.

(Longer backstory under the cut for textwall enjoyers)

EARTH

Kota was a highly successful and well-known astronaut working for Nasa back when earth was still intact. He was driven, determined, a good speaker, and more than prepared to take on any challenge. In his younger years he was a little impulsive and reckless, he liked putting on a show. He strived for the best at all times, and was known for great feats on Earth. He had grown used to the idea of being seen as a prodigy and had high hopes for his future and the future of his daughter. 

Kota pushes himself to the brink at all times, and is not known as someone who gives up easily. During the Genizix-Earth wars, he put himself at the forefront - doing the best he could with others to figure out what to do as Earth was bombarded by the weapons corporation. Though as time went on it became increasingly obvious that Genizix was toying with them and they were doomed from the start. Genizix used the survivors as test subjects for their new project which involved putting consciousnesses into digitized forms, creating the first beta-posthumans.

CAPTURE AND ESCAPE

When Genizix finally reduced Earth to floating space debris humanity was dead meat. Kota and his daughter Elise, who was a computer engineer, sought a way to escape their captors. Together with many other great minds they studied Genizix for months and managed to find a way out of the mothership they were confined to. In the ensuing chaos they lost many, including Elise.

The posthuman survivors escaped in Genizix ships, piloting them through space and trying to get as far as possible from their captors. The loss of Elise broke Kota, who felt responsible for it. This guilt would only grow and intensify as he led the exodus, unsure of where they were even headed. As the de facto 'leader' of the posthuman rebellion he was looked up to and turned into a figurehead of sorts, who shepherded them across the vast nothingness. This responsibility weighed on him like a mountain.

EXODUS

It was a lonely and painful existence, made worse by the fact that many people’s minds couldn’t handle their new digital forms. This is when Entropy began. Biological matter cannot easily be computerised. Many individuals entered what would be termed an Entropic state and ‘malfunctioned’ - they began to mentally deteriorate until there was nothing left of their mind except for snippets; repetition of voice, automatic status notifications placed by Genizix, and ultimately all functions shutting down.

Eventually the deterioration would get to a point where there was nothing but radio silence and the spacecraft would cease to move, lights permanently flickering out. There was nothing that could be done, even as they kept sending distress signals with no response. They were lightyears away from any other civilization that could possibly help them. For a while they were free floating with no direction, dropping off one by one, in the endless vacuum of space. All they could do to keep each other sane was to keep talking to one another.

CONTACT

They traveled for years until they came across a wormhole, and under Kota’s command they entered it with the hope that on the other side there would be salvation. It was an extremely risky and desperate move, but at this point they were willing to try anything. The fleet, which by now was less than half its original population, emerged on the other side into the Zhagaviit galaxy before the wormhole collapsed, alive but with damaged machinery. The first species that made contact with them were the Arrows, and like the other Zhagaviit sophonts they were a civilization recovering from their own war with Genizix.

First Light, an Arrow who was modified by Genizix as a weapon, saved Kota in more ways than one. It took a long time for him to warm up to the Arrows, having the worst possible experience with extraterrestrial first contact. He was guarded, distrustful, and hypervigilant. It took multiple days for him to work up the courage to leave his ship and transfer his consciousness to another medium - the blue c-particles which would house human consciousness from that point on. After gentle coaxing from Light, he began to open up. They shared their experiences, and bonded over them. Seeing Light, who was just as damaged as he was despite their differences - yet still able to smile, and laugh, and hope for a better future, gave him the encouragement to keep going. Kota distracted himself with work, figuring out accommodations for humanity on Hanidias and learning about Arrows. Eventually he and First Light joined the Beacon as ambassadors and diplomats for the Zhagaviit Galactic Community.

[hiskillingjar]

Latex (Fox/MC)

i wish i had an evil sugar daddy to buy me expensive sex toys. siiiighs and kicks a rock. anyway, yayyyyy latex i luv u so much

day 16: latex second person. somewhat softer fox but. coerced happy ending, he keeps you forever type of way.

"Well, well, well. Isn’t that a beautiful sight?"

The room almost seemed to shudder, walls contracting and the floor caving in, as the black latex, pulled to a shimmering tightness in the study, metal frame, like a sheet of pure liquid void, constricted around your naked body almost instantly, every inch of breathable space removed by the suction of the vacuum.

You’d had the good sense to fill your lungs with air before it was switched on. Fox has been kind enough to let you know about that, at the very least, so once it was turned off, you did your best to keep your chest still and steady, and your belly was slightly distended from the amount of air you managed to pull into your burning lungs before it was gone completely..

The latex clung to every inch of your body like a second skin, suctioned tight to every curve and crevice of bone structure, rendering your form slick and smooth and utterly featureless.

It was an appealing concept. 

One that Fox was good enough to indulge, every now and then.

He was sitting across from you (even if you couldn't see him), smiling placidly and silently watching as the latex continued to suck and squeeze around your curves, only growing tighter as each second ticked by. 

Once it was finished, the vacuum clicked off automatically.

It almost felt too good (good enough for you to ignore the breathlessness anyway) to be suspended and kept so still, wrapped up tight like a fragile, and cared for package. The constant thrumming pressure in your body, that made your ear ring and your heart pound, made it feel that much tighter, too.

"Absolutely perfect." Fox purred, sultry and sumptuous, his tail wagging idly behind him, his voice giving away every ounce of his pleasure. “You’ve always looked perfect in bondage, though. Hardly a surprise.”

“Hmmph..." You whined at his praise, almost surprised that you still had the voice to (when your featured were so compressed and smushed down), blinded and helpless as you were as you tried to move, your shoulders flexing and your tight body tensing and relaxing in short succession.

It wasn't bondage in the traditional sense, because you could...sort of move. 

But, in the frame and packed between the two sheets of plastic, like a caught animal or insect, each movement was languid and slow, like moving through water, so...you stopped trying to move all together.

He stood, finally, the metal heels of his shoes (putting him at an equal height to you) making you shiver with each step, and moved closer to you, before slowly running his finger tips over the smooth surface of the latex, like he was caressing a rare and beautiful sculpture, his expression caught in a mixture of awe and appreciation, and primal hunger.

You didn’t even need to see it to know that much was true, and just that was enough to make you shiver again.

His fingers were warm and comforting too, without even a hint of claws, a far cry from his usual treatment of you, making the gradual asphyxiation that much more worth it.

"Just look at you." He murmured, his voice a low and hungry, and deeply worshipping whisper, tracing the smooth black like a blind man reading braille. "So beautiful, so lovely, my pet. You're everything I could have possibly wanted.”

He continued to caress you, both hands now slowly moving over and across your body, making every inch of your covered flesh that much more sensitive and needy for him.

"Like a piece of art. Hmph,” He barely suppressed a chuckle. “I ought to hang you on the wall, and charge my best clients to come gawk at you. Wouldn't that be a fine thought?"

You whimpered at the idea (knowing he may very well do it), your thighs tensing slightly under his touch, the most you would allow yourself to move in this state.

He chuckled again, clearly enjoying the sight of you squirming and wriggling in the inky black.

"Even better,” He stared with a little click of his tongue (condescension was his natural inclination, after all). “How about I display all my offerings like this, hm, like my own personal gallery? Let everyone see the masterpieces I get to enjoy whenever I please." He leaned in closer."And you, my darling, you would be my masterpiece. My Mona Lisa."

You couldn't see him through the sheet of latex, couldn’t see his handsome features smirking and goading you, so well suited to his position of dominance over you (over others) but you could feel him, feel his burning warmth, his intimidating presence. 

And that too was an appealing concept, certainly...

"Yes, I think I quite like that idea.” He breathed out, his other hand pressed to the empty space beside you as he leaned in, somehow feeling even closer than before. “A little collection of living statues, on display for my own personal viewing and entertainment. And you…”

His slim hips pressed against your thigh, and you could feel the beginnings of an erection stirring in his well-tailored pants, even through the layer of latex and fabric.

“You'd be the perfect centrepiece, wouldn't you,  my darling? Trapped and bound, forever on display, like the work of art you are."

Your thighs tensed up again as he rubbed himself against you, another helpless whimper lurching from your throat as breathlessness rapidly approached, as he grew more and more excited and aroused next to you.

"Mmm, such a gorgeous sound," He purred, his hand moving down to the firm, compressed flesh of your chest, feeling for the slightly swelled edge of your nipple, pressed right up against the plastic, and teasing it, continuing to grind his hips against your thigh and indulge himself all the while. "You'd enjoy that, wouldn't you? Spending…nhh,” His body stilled for a moment, overwhelmed by his own pleasure. “T-The rest of your days trapped like this, helpless and trapped on display for my own amusement?"

"Hfff..." 

You breathed out your final lungful of air, finding your throat hitching and contracting on nothing suddenly.

“But you should know by now that I’m not asking for your permission, darling. I mean, you can't even talk in this state, can you?" Fox tittered (the authentic, honest cackle of a fox, a predator, instead of the practised chuckle of a showman), watching indulgently as your breath caught in your empty throat, again and again.

He leaned in a little closer, his breath warm and his body hot.

"I bet you wouldn't want to, even if you could. I bet,” He gave your nipple a mean flick, making you whine again. “You'd just want to be a good little sculpture for me, hmm? Hah,” He breathed out another laugh. “I knew someone just like that, before. So resistant to being a person…but the perfect object, when I wanted him to be~”

You tried to swallow another breath as he was reminiscing, but the plastic was too tight, too encasing, too much, fuck, too much-!

"Hmm, getting a little breathless, are we?" He asked with another murmur of pleasure, dark amusement in his tone as he watched you struggle with your breath, your attempts to swallow met with the unyielding rubber caressing and constricting around your throat. “What a shame. I do hate blemishes in my art pieces, though, and well…” He dragged a single finger up and down your trembling stomach. “Air holes are so unsightly, aren't they, darling?"

You whimpered, trying to give your head a little shake, pleading for his understanding and mercy, pleading for breath.

"Ah ah," He chastised you, his fingers stopping at the slope of your mons, giving it an indulgent rub, tittering again when your body stilled and you moaned, without the air to do it. "Can't have you shaking your head at me, now, can we? After all, you're supposed to be a good little statue. Just a piece of art for me to look at and admire, and take down as I please."

You whimpered again, keeping still as best you could (despite how much you wanted to keen your hips forward in the tight space) but pleading, with noises alone, for something, a break, mercy, anything when your head was spinning so much.

He drew it out as long as he possibly could, relishing in your trembling and rubbing his erection against your thigh, jerking erratically as a result of your breathlessness  

Eventually, though, he took pity on you. He grabbed the organic seal in the latex, which was slit down the middle of the sheet, in his thumb and forefinger and pulled it apart, providing you with just enough space for your lips to escape the suction of the vac bed and take in a desperate lungful of air.

You coughed as soon as it hit you, taking in gasping gulps, your bound body still shivering as you readjusted, like breaching the surface of an ocean.

"There we go, that's much better, isn't it?" He said with good humour, rubbing his thumb over your trembling lips, letting the seal slide up higher and revealing more of your face to the open air. "Take your time, take everything you need.”

"T-Thank you...hahh..." You breathed out, your head sagging forward slightly (your face slick with sweat) as your spotty vision gradually subsided and you acclimated back to having a body.

"A little gift of mercy," He said with a shrug and another practised chuckle. "I can't have my prized pet passing out on me, after all...mm,” He hummed thoughtfully, tipping his head to the side, his eyes creasing handsomely with thought. “We do need to improve your lung capacity though, don't we? That was barely two minutes..."

"Mm...mmhmm," You nodded as best you could, taking in another few deep breaths and giving him an appreciative (if trembling) smile as you raised your head again to look at him. “Yes, sir.”

"And perhaps if you behave nicely, I'll give you a little extra time to catch your breath," He mused, stepping forward again, his fingers tracing down your neck and over your shoulders. "But I won't give you too much, will I? I do want to admire my pieces as they should be, after all."

"No sir," You replied quickly, giving your head another little shake as you felt a rush of heat run down your body and to your groin.

You knew how to play his game. You played it well.

Exceptionally well, if you did so say yourself.

It certainly also helped that you enjoyed playing the game, too.

"Good girl," He praised, his tone dipping down to something almost soft and light, as he continued to indulgently stroke and caress every inch of your encased body, gently tipping your chin up to look you in the eye. "Are you enjoying yourself, my darling? I certainly hope so, this was an awfully expensive luxury for you, if not..."

"Yes, I’m enjoying it. I just…mm…” You explained quietly, letting your hand shift downwards, with what little breathing room you were allowed, feeling the growing slick between your legs. “I just wanted to feel it. See if it’s as good as it always looked.” You took in a little sigh as your fingers grazed your swollen clit, still looking him in the eyes. “It’s even better.”

“Mm, naughty, naughty…” He smirked, watching as you eased your fingers deeper inside yourself, the latex doing nothing to hide it. “You’re getting excited, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir.” You replied obediently, not finding any reason to hide it.

He chuckled again at your reply, his eyes intently watching you as you shifted your hand even lower, the latex still sucked tight around your fingers as they twitched and thrust inside of you. "Mm, and feel what exactly?” He continued to probe, moving his hand back to tease your nipple. “The restriction? The way you're completely helpless for me?” His smirk softened slightly. “Or just how completely beautiful and perfect you look right now?"

"Mm...all of the above?" You suggested with a dreamy smile, still a little out of it, as the wet slide of your fingers in your cunt made your breathing shake again.

He laughed his authentic laugh, barking and ripping with genuine delight, which sent a shiver down your spine. 

"Of course, a little masochist like you would love this sort of thing. You're really far too much, darling. But I'll give you a reward for your honesty, how does that sound?"

“That sounds wonderful, sir.”

“Good girl. Now, take a deep breath-”

[atamascolily]

In the first meta essay I wrote back in 2022 speculating on Walpurgisnacht's identity, I primarily emphasized her thematic and visual parallels with Homura, with the possibility of her being a corrupted Law of Cycles mostly as an afterthought. Lately I've been wondering if I was too hasty about that--which is not to say that I've changed my mind about Homura and Walpurgisnacht being connected. Rather, given the complex nature of personhood in PMMM, I think it's likely to be more of "both/and" than "either/or" situation.

Or, to put it slightly differently: following her wish at the end of the original anime, there is no meaningful distinction between Madoka Kaname and the Law of Cycles; they are the same entity with two different names. However, at the end of Rebellion, Homura splits them, so there now exists a "Madoka Kaname" separate from the Law of Cycles. This raises some fascinating questions about identity and personhood--are they really two different beings now or fragments of a whole?--that Rebellion ends before it can really address, but I hope this issue will be taken up again in Walpurgis no Kaiten, because I'm very curious about the answer.

I don't think it's controversial to say that Homura and Madoka are parallels and foils to each other, or that Walpurgisnacht is the dark mirror of the Law of Cycles. From there, I think it's not unreasonable to suspect that Homura--who has set herself up as Madoka's opposite as a deity--might be to Walpurgisnacht what Madoka is to the Law of Cycles. [In mathematical language, it's the classic ratio, "If A:B::C:D, then A:C::B:D. Will this prove to be the case in the narrative, which follows its own rules? We'll see.]

There are other entities that exist within the Law of Cycles that are not Madoka--all of the magical girls who Madoka has saved from becoming witches by absorbing their curses into herself--but Madoka, while not the entirety of the Law, serves as its primary avatar. Even after Homura rips the "human" portion of Madoka away, the Law of Cycles still retains Madoka's face and appearance, but with empty eyes to suggest that no one is really home. This in turn suggests a vacuum that someone else could fill--something that Homura or her double might well take advantage of. [The ending of Rebellion is notoriously ambiguous about the mechanics, but FWIW some fans believe that Devil Homura has already taken over the Law of Cycles by the end.]

The Law of Cycles was born out of Madoka's wish and thus resembles her because the Law of Cycles is Madoka. What would happen to it if someone else was in charge? What would it look like then? What form might it take? A corrupted Law of Cycles would be a conglomeration of witches that takes on a single form--which sounds like Walpurgisnacht or something very much like it. And if that's the case, who would be the most likely avatar for it? A self-proclaimed devil, perhaps? Or that devil's double? And is there really a difference?

(Side note: another possibility I considered in my original essay was that Walpurgisnacht was another version of Homura. Back then, I was envisioning a Homura from another timeline rather than a shadow/witch/alternate self born from her repressed emotions, but either way, I will laugh so hard if all three answers end up being technically correct.)

The obvious counterargument here is that Walpurgisnacht in the original anime looks nothing like Homura--which, fair enough. But given that one of the show's major themes is "illusions/appearances vs. reality"--and there's reason to believe this theme will be especially relevant in Walpurgis no Kaiten--that's not enough for me to automatically rule out some kind of connection. There has to be more to Walpurgisnacht than what's visible on the surface, or what's the point of bringing her back for a new movie in the first place?

On a narrative level, Walpurgisnacht's true identity and origins only matter if she is a person or concept the audience is already familiar with, otherwise the big reveal won't be much of a twist. On a meta level, Gen Urobuchi uses this same trope--that the enemy is not who you thought they were and was hidden in plain sight the entire time--to great effect at the end of Thunderbolt Fantasy season 3, which suggests it's a theme that interests him and thus one we may well encounter in again in his other works.

Unless Walpurgis no Kaiten introduces more characters or concepts beyond what we've seen already, that means Walpurgisnacht has to be part of the established cast or worldbuilding in some fashion. Unless Walpurgisnacht is some Incubator plot gone horribly wrong--or horribly right, depending on your point of view--the most likely candidates are (in no particular order) original Homura, doppelganger Homura, and the Law of Cycles. Which brings me right back around to my opening question--to what extent are these four separate entities vs. different versions or parts of the same thing?

"Of course they're all completely different," you might say, but in a world where magical girls become witches, Homura herself became one without (consciously) realizing it, and both the story and animation repeatedly question the nature of reality itself, forgive me for not immediately being convinced without further evidence.

[nb-octopus-writes]

Jay In Minecraft Chapter 1

Summary:

Jay is standing in a grassy plain made out of perfect cubes, under a steadily climbing square sun. They don't know how they got here, but they know where here is: Jay is in minecraft. Jay is in minecraft… and minecraft is really small.

Wordcount: 5.8K

~

Jay opens his eyes. He doesn’t recall closing them. He’s outside, standing on very flat ground. To his left, the sun is rising. It's square, which he can tell because he's able to look directly at it.

It's a very familiar square sun, and the landscape between him and it is a very familiar square landscape. Jay recognizes it immediately, but at the same time, their brain refuses to accept what it recognizes as being correct.

Jay is standing in a grassy plain made out of perfect cubes, under a steadily climbing square sun. In the distance, they can see a forest of blocky trees. They don't know how they got here, but they know where here is:

Jay is in minecraft.

The vantage point is odd, like he's standing on top of a building, but when Jay looks down at his feet, they are planted squarely on the grass below them.

At the same time, they're able to look down at the top of a tree. Multiple trees, actually, but Jay focuses on the closest one. It's an oak, one of the smaller variety that can be fully harvested from the ground, probably six or seven blocks in height. Three times the height of a player, at least. 

And it only comes up to his knee.

Jay is in minecraft, and minecraft is really small.

Jay has questions, but no answers. Are they dreaming, or is this real? Aside from the impossibility, it doesn't feel like a dream, though they're aware that isn't always the best metric. They try a lucid dream check, and count their fingers. One two three four five, on both hands. They check the time on their watch, count their fingers again, and then check their watch again. Seven seconds have passed, which seems reasonable.

Probably not a dream, then.

Next questions are how, which Jay doesn't have an answer for nor a way to figure out, and why is it so small, ditto.

Jay's fourth question is well now what? and luckily enough, that they do have an answer for. Priorities one and two in a new minecraft world are food and shelter, and a good first step towards either of those goals is Punch A Tree.

Conveniently, Jay has a tree right here.

They sit down on the ground to reduce the distance between theirself and the tree, and they're still around twice its height even so. Jay curls their fingers into a fist and slams it down onto a cube of leaves. It gives way immediately with a crunch, and they easily clear away the rest of the top layer, giving them access to the top block of wood. That takes just a few blows to break—faster than breaking it by hand in the game would usually be, Jay notes with satisfaction.

They tear down the whole tree, and get four logs and an apple for their efforts, along with several sticks and saplings. They also learn that they don't have an inventory, or at least not one that automatically vacuums up dropped resources.

They can still pick up the stuff, though, and since the drops are much smaller than their block form, it's easy enough for Jay to scoop up the handful of logs and other items.

“I wonder if this is gonna despawn,” Jay muses. The stuff's not floating just above his palm like it was on the ground, but it's still definitely in item-drop form, considering the blocks haven't grown back to full size. Does this count as having it in their inventory, or will it disappear in a couple of minutes? “Maybe I should build a chest.”

Jay doesn't usually build a chest on day one, but they also usually have an actual inventory, and they'd really rather not lose their resources.

One problem. How do they open the crafting menu?

Jay pours most of his handful back onto the ground, where it resumes cheerfully bobbing just above the grass, and takes a single log block to examine.

Somehow, he needs to split this log into planks. He doesn't have an inventory, or an HUD, and without those, Jay doesn't know how they're supposed to access the mini crafting area to do that.

In real life—back on earth, in the waking realm, whatever home is, compared to here—normally, a log could be split apart with an axe. Here, in minecraft, there are a couple problems with that solution. The biggest one being that Jay does not have an axe, and cannot make an axe until they make a crafting table, for which they need to split this log apart.

And they need to be able to make a crafting table. There's barely anything you can do in minecraft if you don't have a crafting table. Can't mine, can't craft, can't even farm cause you need a hoe to grow anything, and you need produce to breed animals. There's stuff you can craft without a table, sure, but most of those take resources you need a tool to acquire. Also, access to the mini crafting grid, which Jay still does not have.

“Hm.” Jay considers the tiny log, pinched between their fingers. “Can I just… tear you apart?” he muses, and tries it. They grip the log with both hands, or well, with the tips of their fingers from both hands since it's less than an inch across, and try to rip it in half like that one captain america gif.

No luck.

Jay sighs and drops the log into their left palm. He frowns at it. “I just want you to be planks,” he says, not expecting a response.

The log… shimmers. Just for a moment, and then he's holding four cubes of planks instead.

“Huh.” Weird, but okay. “That works, then.” Somehow.

Well, whatever, it worked. They can craft. Now to make a crafting table. Jay lays the mini-blocks out in their palm, a two-by-two grid of planks. They shimmer, briefly, and then he's holding a crafting table instead.

Jay places the crafting table on the ground, where it springs to full size, and uses it to split another two logs into planks, and then to turn the resulting eight planks into a chest. Ta-da, storage solution acquired.

They put the chest on the ground beside the table, scoop up the rest of their stuff, and open it.

No chest interface pops up. Jay hesitates, looking down at the small box and its void-black interior. Hesitantly, they test with one of the saplings, dropping it inside. It vanishes into the void. “Does that mean it's in the chest, or…?”

Maybe they should hold onto their stuff for the moment, to be safe. Though they still don't want to risk it despawning. Is it better to risk it not actually being in the box? The sapling's probably in the chest. Just, from how they would expect the mechanics to work. Unless it's jut floating as an item drop in the same spot as the chest, where he can't see it. Collisions can be weird sometimes.

Well, there's an easy enough way to test that. Jay breaks the grass block in front of the chest, and with that out of the way, breaks the one under the chest too.

No sapling falls down. Jay leans down to examine the small hole more closely in case he missed it, but the hole definitely empty, so the sapling is definitely actually inside the chest. Jay puts the dirt back, then tips the rest of their handful of stuff into the small box. Everything vanishes obligingly into the void and he closes the lid.

Wait, actually, they needed some of that. They gotta make some tools. Sure, punching trees has been working so far, but it'll be way easier with an axe, and they definitely need a pickaxe if they want any stone.

Jay opens the chest and sticks his fingers in to grab the log and a couple sticks.

Nothing.

The chest isn't very big; he can feel the entire interior, and it is completely empty.

“The fuck, where's my stuff?” Jay mutters, checking every corner again with his fingertips.

Still, nothing. The interior of the chest is smooth wood, with no dividers or pockets to split it up into the, what, twenty-nine slots in the interface. There's nowhere for the items to hide, and yet Jay can feel absolutely nothing inside the blackness.

Annoyed, Jay closes the box, and then hits it until it breaks. The chest pops off the ground, miniaturized, and all of Jay's stuff spills out.

“Huh.” Well, that's going to be very inconvenient, but at least the stuff isn't lost. Jay puts the chest back, and puts the saplings and apple in it again, keeping back their remaining log and all the sticks.

One log equals four planks, which is enough for a shovel and either an axe or a pickaxe. Or for a wooden sword and a hoe, but that doesn't really seem like the best use of their resources at the moment.

Jay decides to make a pickaxe first, because then they can make a stone axe, whereas the other way they'd have just wooden tools for longer. He sets the pieces on the crafting table, two sticks in the middle and three planks across the top. They shimmer, and then Jay has a pickaxe.

It's… tiny.

They don't know why they're surprised, given the size of everything else in this world, but somehow they'd expected the tool to be big enough to actually wield, rather than about the size of their little finger and looking like it would be about as helpful for breaking stone as a toothpick.

So that's useless. Jay tosses the unhelpfully small pickaxe into the chest and goes back to punching trees until their hands start to get sore, which is another disadvantage of being a human person in minecraft instead of a minecraft person. Also, a decent point towards the Somehow Actually Transported theory, and against the Dream theory. They can't usually feel things in dreams. They've got a decent amount of wood now, though. If they were minecraft sized maybe they could even make a little house with it!

Jay checks the sun to see how much time they have before it gets dark, and realizes that it's getting pretty close to the horizon. “Shit.” They need a shelter, and fast. They don't have enough wood for something proper, not with the blocks being so small, but they start laying out a border anyway. It doesn't need to be big, just enough to stand in and wait out the night.

Normally, in a scenario like this—caught out at dusk with no bed and not enough blocks nor time to build a shelter, Jay's backup plan would be to dig the first couple steps of a staircase—one, two, three down—and then stand on the lowest step and put a block over their head. That way, they could still see out to know when day came, but nothing could get in to hurt them. (At least, not besides baby zombies, which are rare, and cave spiders, which don't spawn on the surface.)

At this size, that wouldn't work. They'd never fit in such a small hole, and digging a hole big enough would take too long.

Building takes longer than usual, not just because they need a bigger structure, but also because they have to split each log individually, and then instead of stacking together into a very nice stack of blocks in their inventory, the miniature plank cubes remain individual physical items. Jay can hold a decent number in one hand, since they're only about the size of lego blocks, but it's considerably less convenient than having a stack ready to hand.

Also like legos is the fact that Jay actually physically has to place the blocks where he wants them. He does try tossing the blocks to where he wants to put them, hoping that it might work, but they just fall to the ground, still miniaturized. The blocks do spring to full size as he sets them in place, but only when he brings them close enough to snap into position where he's putting them. This means that Jay can't build on the ground from standing, and is instead crouched down setting blocks in a row. 

Jay's got the first layer of one wall, hoping it's long enough, and has just turned the corner to the second wall, when he sees the first zombie appear. It's a bit of a distance away, and doesn't seem to have noticed him yet. Hopefully it will stay over there.

Jay puts three blocks down for the second wall, catches motion out of the corner of their eye, and turns to see a creeper. “Oh fuck no!” they yelp, and scramble to their feet and away. “Don't you dare blow up my house!” he warns the creeper as he continues to put distance between them.

The creeper ignores them, meandering closer. At least it doesn't seem to have locked on to target Jay yet; it isn't beelining for him, but it's still approaching. He's faster than it, at least. 

Jay steps back again, feels something solid against the back of their knee, and almost trips over it in their haste. Turning, they see a tree, and then Jay has an idea.

Sitting at the bottom of a hole isn't the only way to avoid the night monsters. It's not his favorite way to spend the night, but Jay has certainly survived more than one minecraft night by standing at the top of a tall, narrow tower.

And what's a tree but a ready-made tower? Just like the first tree, it's about knee high, which is a big steppy, but manageable, and then just like that, Jay is out of explosion range. As if to prove it, the creeper walks casually past him without even a glance upward.

Unfortunately, Jay's platform is neither large nor particularly flat. There's hardly enough room on the x-shaped top of the tree for them to stand with both feet together, and they're already feeling pretty wobbly.

There are other trees, though, and some of them are clustered together. Jay eyes the ground between theirself and the nearest cluster of trees. It's currently clear of monsters, but who knows how long that will last. There might even be a skeleton hidden within that copse, waiting to ambush him.

Jay takes a deep breath, jumps down, and books it.

Nothing attacks their ankles, which is good at least. Quickly, Jay climbs up. This is a nicer platform than just one tree, but it's still pretty small. Luckily, Jay still has a handful of logs and planks from earlier. Careful not to topple off the treetops, Jay crouches down and extends their platform.

They don't have enough wood to make something they can comfortably sit on without their legs sticking out over the edge or dangling—not that it would be much of a dangle, given they're not all that far off the ground—but at least they're able to stand without worrying about falling off.

And now they wait. The moon is high in the sky already, full and bright. It won’t be long until dawn.

It's gotten colder since the sun's set, and there's just a bit of a breeze. Jay's glad for their flannel overshirt.

While they wait, Jay considers what they ought to do next. They don't know how long they'll be stuck in minecraft, if they need to find their own way home or if the mysterious force that brought them here will return them eventually. Probably best to prepare for the possibility they're going to be here for a while.

This world is definitely not on Peaceful, considering the various creatures of the night milling around on the ground. Standing up here is fine for now, but it's not a long-term solution. They're not actually out of bowshot range, for one thing, even if no skeletons seem to have shown up yet, and in a couple nights if they haven't got a bed yet they're going to want a roof over their head to avoid phantoms.

They'll be needing food, too. They're not hungry yet, despite spending the day chopping down trees, but it won't be long before they need to eat. There's plenty of grass around to get seeds from; they should see about starting a garden tomorrow, and see if they can find some meat animals to eat while the garden grows.

They don't have a bucket yet, and it's going to take a while to get one, so the garden will need to be by a natural source of water. Forests usually have lakes, so they should be able to find one. Though, it'll be harder to look when they can't walk under the canopy of leaves.

Maybe there's an ocean nearby, and they can use that. They'll need to explore and see what's out there. 

Thinking of water, Jay realizes that he's thirsty. Not parched, not yet, but he would certainly appreciate a drink. 

So, yeah, finding water is going to need to be a priority. Jay looks at the moon, gradually approaching the horizon, and fidgets impatiently.

The seconds drag by. Jay watches the mobs mill about, glances at the moon every few moments, and waits.

Finally, the sun rises. The zombies and skeletons burst into flames and quickly die. Jay waits a few moments longer, checks for creepers, and then gets down.

Priority one is currently finding water, with food as a close second. He just needs to choose where to look.

Going into the forest would require them to either clear a path or walk across the tops of the trees. Carving a path through the forest would result in a lot of wood, which would be helpful, but it would also be slow going, and require them to work low to the ground.

Walking across the trees, meanwhile, would be much faster, but Jay would miss any lake small enough not to create a break in the canopy. Even with clearing a path, it was likely he'd miss any small lake not directly in front of him.

Also, the trees could easily be sheltering hostile mobs.

No, better to search in a more open area, where he can use his new height to his advantage to scan a large area at once. Jay randomly selects a direction the forest isn't in, and starts walking.

There's a lot of sticky-uppy grass in a plain, and at first Jay thinks that he can gather seeds along the way. Unfortunately, it turns out that gathering seeds is far easier at only two blocks tall. To punch the grass, Jay needs to be crawling, and if he's going to do that he might as well have gone the forest route after all.

Standing back up, they quickly discover that although the motions are roughly the same, walking causes their foot to pass harmlessly through the clump of grass, while kicking, even a kick which ends in them taking a step, breaks it.

This would be much more helpful a discovery if they did not still have to pause, reach down, and pick up the dropped seeds. After about five seeds, Jay decides it's not currently worth it, drops the seeds into their shirt pocket, and continues on more quickly.

Jay's never had a stride they would describe as “ground-eating” before, and it's gratifying to see how quickly they're able to progress across the plain. Before the sun reaches its zenith, they glimpse blue in the distance, ahead of them and a little to the side, and adjust course to head directly for it.

The blue is a river, and on the other side the land rises steeply into a hill somewhat taller than Jay.

And, standing placidly on a small grassy ledge just below eye level, there's a cow!

It's small and cuboid, perfectly fitting in to the world around it, and Jay wants it. They haven't even planted the garden yet, let alone harvested wheat, so they won't be able to lead the cow back, but they don't need to.

A cow means meat, a much quicker source of food than a garden, and where there's one cow, there's sure to be more. Jay just has to get across the river to get to it.

They stand at the river bank, considering. At their size, it's more of a stream than a river, and they think they could jump across it, with a good running start. The only problem with that is landing on the other side; namely, there's not enough room to do so. There's a section of flat grass at the base of the hill, maybe two blocks wide and five blocks across; enough to stand on, carefully, using the hill for balance, but not enough to land on at speed. Glancing up- and down-stream confirms that there aren’t any easier crossing points nearby. 

Maybe they should just swim across. Or wade, depending on how deep it is. Jay kneels on the soft dirt and peers into the water. It’s pretty clear, and they can see the riverbed sloping down and away. It doesn’t look so deep that they’ll need to swim, but it’s probably around waist deep in the middle. Shallow enough to wade, but deep enough that taking their shoes off and rolling their jeans up isn't going to be enough to keep their clothes dry.

Though. Do they need to worry about keeping dry? Minecraft water mechanics are so odd, they might come out of the river and immediately be dry again.

Jay touches the water. It sure feels wet. He dips his hand in fully, and the water continues to feel like water, real water, smooth and cool and not at all blocky. Jay takes his hand out of the water, and tiny blue cube droplets run down his fingers and back into the water, leaving his skin dry. The cuff of his sleeve, however, is damp where it had touched the surface of the water.

No swimming, then.

While they try to consider how best to cross the river, Jay figures they might as well get a drink. They push their sleeves up a bit so they don't get wet—well, more wet—and dip their cupped hands into the water.

He lifts his hands, and the water spills through his fingers back into the river. His hands are empty before he's even raised them an inch above the surface of the water.

Jay frowns, cups his hands more tightly to ensure there are no gaps, and tries again.

He is no more successful this time, or on his next two attempts. The water simply refuses to be lifted. The most he can manage is a scattering of those tiny single-pixel-cube droplets, and even those quickly flow down and away.

Jay huffs and leans closer to the water, sticking his face in instead. Finally, faced with direct suction, the water cooperates.

It's cool and refreshing. Jay half expects it to feel like drinking crushed ice, the water made of small blocks rather than liquid, but to his relief, the sensation of the minecraft water flowing down his throat is fully identical to drinking normal water back home.

Thirst quenched, Jay sits back up and looks up at the cow. It has wandered a few blocks away and up, but otherwise appears to be fully unconcerned about the giant plotting to catch and eat it.

They're going to want to build a bridge, Jay decides. They didn't bring any bridge materials with them, but that's okay. The whole world is made of building blocks. And they can multitask, clearing an area for the garden at the same time.

Jay begins to smooth out the ground next to the river. The garden will be four wide, of course, plus they need room to be able to actually tend the garden. They could probably reach it from above, but working with things set directly on the ground is enough stooping without sitting on a higher platform, so Jay wants to at least be level with the garden, if not below.

Well before he finishes clearing enough space to comfortably sit in, the heap of miniaturized dirt cubes in his palm starts getting too precarious, so Jay goes back to the bridge project.

It needs to be wide enough to balance on while building it, not just while crossing it after. Jay starts with a platform on the bank, both to get a good idea of how wide he wants to make it, and so the bridge can be a couple blocks above the surface of the water.

They've barely begun on the platform when the light dims, and they realize that the sun is setting.

The sun is setting, and it took Jay most of the morning to walk here. It'll be longer going back, in the dark on uneven ground with no torches to mark the way.

Sometimes, the speed of the day cycle is really annoying. Hopefully they can get a bed soon and skip the night. Though… they certainly can't fit on a minecraft bed. That will complicate things. Jay frowns in thought, wondering if they'll be able to even use a minecraft bed as intended once they make one, or if, like the chest, they'll be unable to properly interact with it.

Then they remember the much more immediate problem which is: the sun is quickly approaching the horizon, and monsters are going to start spawning in a minute or two. Jay stands, absently pocketing their handful of dirt.

There's no way they can make it back to last night's platform in time, and maybe not even before dawn, so that's not an option. There's another tree not too far off, but only the one, and while Jay does have plenty of dirt, they aren't confident in their ability to not fall off of the tree while turning it into a large enough platform to balance on through the entire night. Actually they're pretty confident that if they tried to do that, they absolutely would fall off, which is precisely why they found a cluster of trees to climb last night.

Their current project might be a decent shelter when it's done, but at the moment, it is roughly large enough to place a single foot on top, it's only two blocks off the ground, which is not out of range of anything but zombies, and it's not even zombie-proof either, because there are at least two places where one could easily climb up.

So, not ideal.

Okay, other plans, and quickly, because the sun very much is setting. No time to build a shelter, and they can't even do the shitty simple dig-a-hole kind, because, again, a big enough hole would take far too long.

Running away is always an option.

It's a last-ditch kind of choice, but “don't stop moving” is a half-decent survival strategy, especially on an open plain like this where there aren't trees for anything to hide behind and ambush him as he passes. And one benefit of minecraft being so small is that compared to the miniature monsters, Jay's movement speed is pretty great. There's always the danger of tripping in the dark, but so long as he can keep his feet under him, Jay's confident he can outrun anything minecraft can throw at him. Outwalk, even.

Of course, it's not just one monster they're going to need to outrun, or even a crowd of monsters. They're going to be popping up all over, scattered across the plain, and any direction Jay goes, they'll be running right toward at least one monster.

However…

As long as they don't step right next to a zombie or a spider, it won't have enough time to get close enough to hit them before they take another step and are well out of reach. Same with creepers and exploding. Skeletons are going to be the worst threat with their ranged attacks and ability to take a potshot as Jay goes past them, but really, how much can an occasional tiny arrow hurt, anyway?

Jay pauses.

Now there's a question worth exploring. Jay's been assuming that avoiding monsters is a life-or-death problem: no sword, no armor, no light, no chance. But… what if it isn't?

Look, the monsters are really little. Jay could step on them. Not as easily as stepping on a bug, sure, and the spiders are still pretty fucking huge as far as spiders go, but Jay’s got to be like ten times a player’s size right now.

Does that mean they have ten times the health? Can they deal ten times the damage?

They still don’t want their ankles blown up by a creeper. Those things leave craters in the ground, and Jay’s squishy human hands are still a little sore from punching trees yesterday and dirt today. They don’t want to find out just how much an explosion would hurt, miniature or not. If they see a creeper, they’re going right back to the running away plan.

But they could probably tank a zombie attack, or a skeleton. The worst part of fighting skeletons is getting close enough to land a hit, but at this size, can they even hit hard enough to knock Jay back?

They're about to find out. The sun has fully set, things are starting to spawn, and a skeleton blinks into existence a pace or two away. Slowly, it turns to face them.

Before the skeleton has time to raise its bow, Jay strides up to it and delivers a swift kick which has it flashing red and flying back several blocks. As soon as it lands, it pivots toward Jay and fires an arrow directly into Jay's shin. It stings, but other than a flinch, it doesn't knock them back.

They step closer and kick the skeleton again. This time, rather than fly back, the skeleton explodes in a poof of smoke, dropping a single bone. Nice.

Behind them, they hear a wet hiss, whirl, see a dark shape scuttling across the ground, and stomp on the spider without a second thought. The spider hisses again, angry and not yet dead, and Jay grinds it into the grass with the sole of their shoe. With a final rasping sigh, the spider poofs.

Nothing else is immediately nearby, so Jay crouches and scoops up the bone from the skeleton and a bit of string from the spider, dropping both into their shirt pocket with the seeds. Then they examine the arrow sticking out of their leg.

It's larger than he'd expected. For some reason, Jay had been picturing something about the size of a needle, but the actual arrow shaft is far bulkier.

Jay reconsiders their earlier thoughts on tanking through skeleton attacks. The arrow is still small, certainly, much smaller than a real-life arrow would be, and not particularly lethal, but it still hurt, and Jay does not enjoy the concept of becoming a pincushion.

Jay grips the shaft of the arrow just below where it's embedded, and pulls it out. His leg twinges, but the arrow wasn't buried very deeply, only a little past the head. Jay pulls his pant leg up to take a look at the injury.

“HhhRhn,” comments a zombie, and Jay flinches away, lands on his ass, and scrambles backwards in an awkward crabwalk.

The zombie looks blankly at him and groans again.

It doesn’t chase him.

Slowly, Jay sits back up. “Hi?”

The zombie turns, and wanders off.

“Wait, wait!” Jay exclaims, lunging for it. Their elbows hit the ground hard, and they slam their arms down to fence the zombie in. The zombie pauses just in front of the palms blocking its path, and it grumbles but it doesn’t hit him. “Why aren't you attacking me?” Jay asks, bewildered. The skeleton attacked. It had shot him!

… After he had kicked it, the skeleton shot him.

Huh.

“Are you guys neutral now?” Jay asks, poking the zombie with one finger. “That would be incredibly convenient.”

“Grrrrhhh,” the zombie says, and continues to not attack him.

“Nice.” Jay lets the zombie go, and it meanders away. They should… probably test this theory with a couple more monsters before assuming anything, but still. Surviving just got a lot easier. Maybe they won't need a shelter after all!

… Well, no, it's still going to rain eventually, if weather hasn't been turned off, so he'll want a roof over his head for that at least. And even if monsters won't attack him, Jay would prefer not to just have them milling around him while he sleeps.

So yeah, he still needs a shelter. It doesn't have to be much, but a roof and four short walls, at least.

First, though, Jay wants to confirm that monsters are neutral. They find another zombie, and its only reaction to them stepping directly in its path is to go around their foot. So far so good. Jay gets in its way again, and the zombie continues to ignore him. Then they kick it, not very hard but still hard enough to push it back a block or two, taking damage. Now it rounds on him, growling angrily and moving as if to strike him. Jay kicks it again, harder, and it dies, leaving behind some rotten meat.

Jay does not take the meat. Rotten meat is already pretty useless in the normal game, and they are not remotely interested in carrying it around now that they can smell it. Gross.

There are plenty other monsters around, but nothing had attacked them during their zombie experiment, which seems like a point in their favor. Jay does a few more tests just in case, taunting spiders, skeletons, and a few more zombies. They all ignore him—right up until he provokes them, at which point they go on the offensive.

Feeling pretty confident at this point, Jay decides to try a creeper. He's been steering clear of them just in case, but now it's time to find out. Jay walks up to the nearest creeper, gets just into what he thinks is detection range, and then quickly steps back again.

It doesn't follow.

Jay cautiously steps forward again, a bit closer. The creeper turns its head to look at him, and Jay freezes. It starts to approach, and he skips back. 

It's a very careful dance, edging closer a bit at a time, moving away if the creeper even looks like it might be thinking about swelling up to explode. But finally, as the sun rises, Jay is standing directly next to it, and it really, genuinely, does not appear to care. It doesn't swell, doesn't explode.

He's safe.

[monosanimegenericzone]

Hunter x Hunter: pain packer pt 5 pt 2

pt 5.5 if you will

i didnt intend to make this immediately but the demons demanded it.

i also give you the thought of feitan studying fashion design for a time to figure out how to conjure his various suits for each form before i completely lose my mind.

Fire: levels 1-5 (correlates to the number of bones broken, scales exponentially)

Wildfire: hot enough to burn skin but relatively low heat

Rising Sun: its a miniature sun! you're cooked

Meteor Shower (specifically multiple ribs shattered): tracking bolts of pure fire, everyone within range gets one to play with

Supernova: starts as a sun, you have about 5 seconds to run away before that thing fucking explodes into a supernova.

Neutron Star: a much smaller star that burns so much hotter and even drags its victims in with an incredibly powerful gravitational pull. if you aren't braced on something that can withstand that gravity then you will be sucked straight into that point of insane heat and immediately incinirated

Water: levels 1-5 (correlates to rate of blood lost volume/time)

Tidal Wave: Creates a tidal wave that hits with enough force to immobilize even the strongest opponent. Not a guaranteed kill

The Great Wave: based on the historic painting and basically tidal wave but with so much extra power behind that force and is capable of breaking bone on impact. Also not a guaranteed kill.

Typhoon: spins the water around in a typhoon centered around himself with winds fast enough to move water fast enough to where it cuts through anything it touches.

Sheer Cold: same as tidal wave but the water is now frigid and the shock alone could kill on the spot regardless of defense. the water is just that cold.

i dont have a good fifth one, suggestions are appreciated, can go in any of the levels

Electricity: levels 1-5 (correlates to what degree the burn is and then how many burns he has) (all attacks hit automatically unless opponent can exceed the speed of light)

Nervous Overload: basically forces a heart attack but the slow kind. snaps the vagus nerve in half and stops the automatic pulse of the heart. Technically not a guaranteed kill but the opponent has to be expecting it

Lightning: Single bolt of lightning, enough to paralyze and maybe kill depending on who it's used on.

Twin Spears: Two bolts of lightning. wow shocking. (please laugh)

Spear of Zeus: super charged bolt of lightning that remains on the target for the duration of the attack.

Solar Storm: believe it or not this is still electricity. instant kill. it doesn't matter who you are or what you do. you cannot stop this unless you have an incredibly powerful magnetic field.

Air: levels 1-3 (correlates to personal assessment and degree of threat to his life)

Ruthless Zephyr: winds that reach speeds up to 200 mph (321km/h)

Empty Space: seals the area of effect and then instantly vacuum seals it, causing the opponent to either suffocate or explode from the lungs. slow death (max 2 minutes)

Venus Sky: dumps the atmospheric pressure of venus onto his opponent. which is about 50-100x(?) the pressure on earth so it would crush the human flat immediately.

honestly i dont think air needs more than this. but if anyone has more suggestions im down to listen. i am just a nerd :D

this is a certified nen nerd post. kinda. more like am overall nerd.

[atinytrashcan]

STEVEN SHOULD’VE DIED ON THE MOON

Ok hear me out because this has been bugging me all day.

Also, this is a long post, so the info is below the cut.

So, there’s an episode of Steven Universe where Steven and the gems go to the moon to get some coordinates in order to find the Cluster. While on the moon base, Steven begins jumping around and floating. Normal, right? His body is human, so he reacts to the atmosphere (or lack thereof) he’s in. That should apply to the oxygen levels as well, right?

WRONG. He can breathe perfectly fine while on the moon base. Even after Amethyst opens the hatch to the rest of the moon, Steven can breathe. Logically, this should’ve sucked all the oxygen out of the base. If there were any.

 Now, there are two theories I came up with as to how Steven survived on the moon base. But the more I thought about it, the more the theories were wrong.

The moon base has an artificial atmosphere, which provides oxygen as needed.

My first theory was that the moon base created an artificial atmosphere of its own. Except, that theory was quickly disproved. First off, Amethyst tries jumping immediately after Steven does; only to fall right back down. Peridot explains, and I quote:

“We’re gems. We’re a space-faring race designed to conquer other worlds. Our physical forms automatically adjust to whatever planet we’re on.”

So, if that applies to gravity, that applies to breathing air, right? Yes; Lapis was able to survive on the moon without air, Eyeball Ruby was able to survive in space no problem.

Given that information, the gems would have no need for any sort of atmosphere. Plus, why would anyone else be on the moon base? The space was specifically designed for gems. Humans were not meant to be on the moon.

Also, even if there was an artificial atmosphere, that would have meant that Steven shouldn’t have been able to jump like he did. If there were an atmosphere, Steven should’ve fallen down like he were on Earth. Except he didn’t.

Steven’s gem half stopped him from dying from asphyxiation.

My second theory was that Steven’s gem half provided some sort of protection that prevented him from not being able to breathe. I mean, we saw how weak he was without his gem half during the White Diamond confrontation. So, his gem must provide some sort of protection when his life is in danger?

Except it doesn’t.

During the episode where Steven and Eyeball Ruby end up in space, Steven has to stay in his little bubble to survive. The vacuum of space would’ve prevented him from breathing. He had to draw in a quick breath before sending Eyeball flying away.

Also, there are other spaces where Steven cannot physically breathe. For instance, the realm between Lars and Lion with the trees. Steven cannot breathe there. Now, one could argue that this realm has no explanation and we don’t understand the extent of its existence.

But, if there are other spaces where there is no oxygen, then Steven’s gem half should’ve allowed him to breathe, right? Wrong. Not once, does Steven’s gem half allow him to breathe in low to zero oxygen environments.

So, that begs the question: Why was Steven able to breathe on the moon base? There couldn’t have been an artificial atmosphere, and his gem half clearly did not allow him to adjust to the atmosphere of the moon. Steven should’ve died on the moon.

My only plausible theory is Main Character Syndrome kept him from dying.

If y'all have any theories, please share. And yeah, maybe I'm overthinking this. But I don't care.

edit: someone on Reddit pointed out that Steven was able to breathe on Homeworld, so whatever atmosphere gems had there must have been replicated on the moon base.

[utilitycaster]

What is it that people saying the The Blue is radiation are missing? I don’t think I really know much about it either but I’d love a crash course if you’d be interested?

I mean, the actual serious answer is that to come to the conclusion the Blue is not radiation, one needs to know basically nothing about radiation, but one does need to possess the media comprehension skills of a relatively bright 4th grader. The Blue is introduced in the first episode in the creation myth bedtime story as the thing that created the forest and all in it, and tells us that, per legend, there is a little bit of the Blue in everyone. It then shows up in the second episode as part of paladin magic, and is concentrated in the bear’s brain, and the stoats are aware that the Blue is the source of their (long-standing) powers.. Now I don’t know specifically what it is - the force of nature, the concept of a soul or sentience, some form of forest divinity, the magic of life - but that is the general concept we’re looking at. 

The Blue is explicitly a separate concept from the disaster that led to the destruction of the burrow; it even is referred to, within the same sentence, as a thing separate from the Blue. The dust storm offhand sounds like some kind of chemical poison, coming from the “gray river” (road); it could be other lethal agents possibly, but the point is: not the Blue. It is new (Blue is not), immediately lethal (Blue is not), and not Blue (Blue is blue).

Anyway though here are some radiation facts that further back up the point that neither the Blue, nor the lethal agent, which, again, two FULLY separate things, are not radiation:

Radiation is not blue. It can excite electrons, which emit blue wavelength photons as they go back down to an unexcited state and when there is a very large amount of activity such as in a criticality incident, this can lead to a blue flash (see: the demon core incidents at Los Alamos). In water, as in many nuclear reactors, there’s something called Cherenkov radiation which is due to the fact that the energized subatomic particles emitted by the radiation have a speed greater than the speed of light in water (nothing is faster than light in a vacuum, but this is not true in water). It’s the visual equivalent of a sonic boom, and it’s also blue. However, radiation itself is invislble, and things that are radioactive come in all sorts of colors. Also, radioactive substances do not automatically glow - radium works by exciting a phosphor, for example, but pure radium in a vacuum wouldn’t glow in the absence of this phosphor. One of the many reasons radiation is dangerous and why regulations surrounding it are so tight is because humans have no reliable way of consistently detecting its presence with our senses, and so without very clear signage and labeling it would be very easy for people to accidentally be exposed.

Radiation does not kill instantly. Latency periods even for universally lethal quantities are about 24 hours (see again the incidents at Los Alamos). The reason nuclear weapons kill those within a certain radius instantly is the sheer energy emitted as concussive force and heat. There are then deaths due to acute radiation sickness, which occur days to months afterwards; and then there is an elevated risk of cancer among the surviving but exposed population, which in turn has a latency period of about 2 years for blood cancers and 20-ish for solid cancers.

Radiation can be used to heal in very specific cases! However I do not think lay on hands is an equivalent to thyroid ablation or radiation oncology therapy, especially in this context.

Brains are actually one of the less sensitive portions of the body to radiation and I don't offhand know of an isotope uniquely uptaken by the brain (vs, say, iodine going to the thyroid or radium being a bone seeker). I mean you shouldn’t zap your brain with radiation unnecessarily as like, a life tip, but it specifically congregating in the bear’s brain isn’t really how radiation would likely work.

Anyway: the point is knowledge of radiation meant I didn't even consider it as part of this story, but one would not come to the conclusion of "the Blue is radiation" without a profound deficit in both STEM and the humanities.

[troofless]

just finished reading naruto! through fandom osmosis i obviously had been spoiled on all the important plot points but it still made for an interesting read.

pros:

kakashi (from accounting?), killer bee, sakura are the goat

lesser goats are yamato (bro got thanos'd at the start of the last arc lmao), shikamaru (ofc), might guy (rip rock lee character arc ig)

sasuke getting disrespected by killer bee and madara disrespecting everyone was the best parts of the manga you feel me

sasuke kills danzo like thank fucking god and it is also the best fight engineering tbh like the guy who has been victimised by the system perpetuated by danzo is killing danzo also danzo harvested all those eyes from uchiha clan like wtf

IN A VACUUM sasuke and naruto final fight ties everything up. all things considered having this big fight right after obito->madara->kaguya+zetsu made no fucking sense

found it funny that sasuke was acting so edgy but his kill count is so low like theres this scene during orochimaru time when he stands over a 100 bodies and they're like damn sasuke you didnt kill a single one of them. and then when he met edotensei!itachi he basically did the equiv of laying down his arms so itachi could talk no jutsu him out of massacring konoha except itachi was like 'i have nothing more to say to you' like lmaoooo

also sasuke did the funniest thing ever by reviving orochimaru to get orochimaru to edo tensei the hokages to get THEM to talk no jutsu him into not massacring the village

sasuke being completely absent during pain arc and last arc (until the end) is really fucking funny like what did he even do man. walk around, kill time, sit around watching itachi genjutsu kabuto

tobirama being a hater in contrast to hashirama is the funniest thing ever and i love the dynamic

tobirama telling his brother to shut up

haha obito and kakashi shared sharingan panels :)

TRIPLE KUCHIYOSE SUMMONING BY TEAM 7

lee stealing neji's eyebrows meme

shikamaru's dad telling him to burn his pornos

might guy 8 gates vs ten tails madara stole rock lee's wig actually might guy just stole rock lee's whole schtick

the idea that kakashi would have murked himself after witnessing the death of almost everyone in his lives if it weren't for might guy is so funny

how tf did sasuke and naruto lie on the ground with their severed arms forming a heart shaped blood puddle and end up married not to each other

you cant tell me bkg is not based on sasuke but if like bkg didnt have a baggage of a dead brother and clan, same for aizawa with kakashi except kakashi is just cooler cos hrksh flopped

cons:

did NOT expect a prophecy and reincarnation plot point

sasuke was so annoying whenever team 7 met up with him and tried to get him to go back like they shld have just forgotten about him like sai told them to

naruto feels too much of a golden boy at the end of the madara arc when he starts to talk no jutsu obito if that makes sense. plus he gets so power upped its like an automatic win button for any fight now, anytime hes in trouble hes like 'omg kurama give me more chakra dattebayo' and suddenly hes fine

also his friendship w kurama was shoved in so abruptly like kurama literally (really) talked to him for the first time during the last arc and warmed up to him in the middle of the fight with madara(??) like cmon at least drag it out and start during the pain arc

team 7 went for like 1 mission and you expect me to believe now they wld die for sasuke

sasuke (tries to) kill sakura like at least 2 times and one of those moments happens 7 chapters before the end of the manga how are they still together

how the fuck did naruto say 'wow... sasuke and i really r compatible... wind exists to boost fire...' with a straight face like cmon

pencil holder neji :( it felt like he rly just died to further the naruhina plot point like why

obito obsessing an unhealthy amount over dead rin like ig its consistent

how is infinite tsukuyomi even a paradise like bro you could genjutsu yourself to the same effect if that even makes any sense and it wouldn't be any diff + what happens if the chakra used to sustain tsukuyomi runs out anyway what im saying is that sasuke was more onto something with the whole destroying and building anew that what obito and madara were on

rip sakura. girl was like 'i can fight with you two now' w kaguya and then instantly had to be saved by naruto (this also happened with sai 'i am part of team 7 too you know!' like rip)

TALKING ABOUT WHICH they're literally in the final fight against kaguya who transports them into the lava and sasuke saves naruto with his summoned hawk but doesn't give a shit about sakura (and kakashi) and naruto has to point out WHERES SAKURA and turns out kakashi saved sakura (and obito) with his quick thinking and reflexes like what the fuck sasuke this was ur future wife what was kishimoto thinking

also sasuke right after that states that only naruto and sasuke can seal kaguya meaning if they die its game over meaning everyone else was second priority (so basically just abandon kakashi and sakura)

wait in retrospect literally after that sakura and obito go on to save sasuke via tping to where he is like????/ sasuke you kinda suck ass methinks

naruto and sasuke going from tag teaming to ripping off each others arm is the stupidest segue ever

SAKURA SHOULD HAVE LEARNED GENJUTSU AND USED IT IN BATTLES BECAUSE WHAT WAS THE POINT OF KAKASHI SAYING SHE HAD POTENTIAL IN GENJUTSU IF-

why the fuck did kishimoto feel the need to do the thing where a side character goes 'i can help now!! we can pitch in to support!! we are not weak anymore!!' and then get instantly bodied so they need to be bailed out by naruto

anyway it just goes to show writing climaxes and final battles r hard i guess. the only good 'fighting' mangas that had these r like. fma. chihayafuru (except i forgot how the fight ended). (bnhas kinda sucked for me cos i feel nothing for shiggy) (bleach final arc kinda sucked ass in general and ichigo shld have just ended after losing his powers as closure). oh but konosuba is pretty good tho (konosuba is just good fullstop lmao the ln is so tight in mixing plot points disguised as filler)

anyway if kishi or whoever did a rewrite of itachi pov id be down bc imagine being that guy who massacred his entire village for his brother and then spent years rogue in an organization and then died and then edo tensei'd to disrespect kabuto and then have the best talk no jutsu in the manga w naruto and sasuke which he could have used before he died on sasuke

[runabout-river]

I disagree that a sequel is necessary. While I see the potential for new storylines, the idea of introducing a completely new set of antagonists doesn’t appeal to me. Starting from scratch with villains can feel like a major challenge, and bringing back old ones would only lessen the impact of their original arcs. I don’t want to see previous antagonists resurrected, as it would feel forced and undermine the emotional weight of their defeats.

There's also the power vacuum left by the deaths of major characters, but that doesn’t automatically mean the story needs to continue. Sometimes, the best choice is to let things end naturally rather than create a new threat just to keep the series going.

Jujutsu Kaisen's ending might not be saved by a sequel. If Gege is tired of the universe, it could show in the quality of the continuation. Forcing a sequel when the creator might not be fully invested could result in something lackluster, and I’d hate to see the series lose what made it great in the first place. I also feel strongly about the need for Gege to rest, especially with the health concerns and breaks he had.

I prefer complete, well-rounded stories, and I’m concerned that a sequel would compromise that. In the end, I just don’t want a sequel to happen, as I believe Jujutsu Kaisen could have ended on a stronger note without needing to push the story further.

About the villains: would you say Sukuna's and Kenjaku's arcs are completely finished? Have they been used to their full potential?

Kenjaku eg. has a background connection with Yuji but no actual relationship with him in-story. There is no push and pull between those two and their past hasn't been dealt with either. Kenjaku also has no realtionship with Nobara and Megumi and only a small one with Gojo. As a villain he did much but his interpersonal connections were severly lacking except for Choso which was one-sided.

A potential sequel could present us the relationship and history with Kenjaku and Yuji that hadn't been dugged into until now. Not to forget Heian era history.

For Sukuna its a bit more complex. He had a deep relationship with Yuji and build one with Gojo during their fight. He showed a different side to him through his relationship with Uraume. But what was extremely missing and cut out in the end was a relationship with Megumi. Megumi's end to his own arc was also cut out.

In a potential JJK 2, Megumi dealing with Sukuna (in whatever form he would appear, a curse or trauma) would delve into that missing part of JJK which had existed since the Cursed Womb arc. What would also come from there is Sukuna's past and why he agreed to become cursed objects in the first place.

As a personal opinion, I would like new desaster curses eg a Death Curse. That would bring that curse-centred feeling back to JJK that was missing since Shibuya.

And of course, I wouldn't want a sequel that isn't made with passion either. If Gege has no desire or love for more stories of JJK (outside of maybe small chapters or light novels) than he shouldn't be forced to continue it. If he has health problems that's the same thing.

But just like me who simply assumes that Gege would love to continue the story, you assume that he wouldn't. But in reality we can't tell in any way what Gege thinks about this and if he even has a potentially bad health status. We get small glimpses of him, which is standard for mangaka, and there isn't much to go from there.

He said recently that he's happy the story ends. Yes, JJK will end with chapter 271. That's a statement of fact and can't necessarily be used to say a Part 2 won't come. In the past, sequel anouncements also took months if not years. We can't tell.

What I wanted to say at the end is, I don't think JJK is a well-rounded story. As it stands now, it has superflous plot elements that should've been trimmed down to make it a well-rounded story. Instead we had last chapter were we went through the fat so to speak and cut it off after the meat has already been cooked.

(Please don't roast me for my metaphor, I hate cooking)

There is a reason why "JJK Part 2" is a popular theory/demand and that's because there is room for one that most people have no problem seeing. I don't think that BHA and Demon Slayer had such big Part 2 feelings outside of a niche demand which always exists with all manga and anime that end.

So I don't think JJK would be pushed into more stories. I think it has the groundwork to build those naturally from everything the story has presented us during its run.

[blitzbahrain]

What Is a Circuit Breaker and How Does It Work in a Switchgear Assembly?

In modern electrical power systems, reliability and safety are paramount. Whether it’s a residential building, industrial plant, or renewable energy facility, the control and protection of electrical circuits are essential. One of the most critical components used for this purpose is the circuit breaker. When integrated into a switchgear assembly, the circuit breaker plays a central role in ensuring operational continuity, preventing electrical faults, and safeguarding equipment and personnel.

This article explores what a circuit breaker is, it’s working principle, types, and its specific function within a switchgear assembly.

What Is a Circuit Breaker?

A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overcurrent, overload, or short circuit. Its primary function is to interrupt current flow after a fault is detected. Unlike a fuse, which operates once and must be replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset (manually or automatically) to resume normal operation.

Key Functions of a Circuit Breaker

· Interrupt Fault Currents: Quickly breaks the circuit in the event of an overcurrent or short circuit.

· Manual Switching: Can be used to manually open or close a circuit for maintenance.

· Automatic Protection: Operates automatically in response to abnormal current conditions.

· Isolation: Ensures safe isolation of electrical equipment during servicing.

How Does a Circuit Breaker Work?

Circuit breakers operate on a simple principle: detect a fault and interrupt the current flow.

Working Mechanism

1. Detection: Internal sensors such as thermal, magnetic, or electronic trip units detect abnormalities in current.

· Thermal Trip Unit: Uses a bimetallic strip that bends with heat from overcurrent.

· Magnetic Trip Unit: Uses an electromagnet that triggers a release when excessive current flows.

· Electronic Trip Unit: Uses current sensors and a microprocessor for precise tripping.

2. Tripping: Once a fault is detected, the trip mechanism activates, causing the breaker’s contacts to open.

3. Arc Extinction: When the contacts open, an electrical arc forms. The breaker extinguishes the arc using mechanisms like:

· Air-blast

· Vacuum

· SF₆ gas

· Oil

4. Resetting: After the fault is cleared, the breaker can be reset and put back into service.

Types of Circuit Breakers

What Is a Switchgear Assembly?

Switchgear is a centralized assembly of electrical disconnect switches, fuses, or circuit breakers used to control, protect, and isolate electrical equipment. It is essential in power generation, transmission, and distribution networks.

Switchgear can be categorized by voltage level:

· Low Voltage (LV): Up to 1 kV

· Medium Voltage (MV): 1 kV to 36 kV

· High Voltage (HV): Above 36 kV

Role of Circuit Breakers in Switchgear Assemblies

Circuit breakers are core protection components within switchgear systems. Their role includes:

1. Fault Detection and Isolation

Circuit breakers detect and isolate faulty circuits to prevent system-wide failures and reduce downtime.

2. Load Control

Operators can use breakers in switchgear to safely connect or disconnect loads as required during routine operations or emergencies.

3. System Coordination

In coordinated protection schemes, different breakers in the switchgear are set with time-current characteristics to isolate faults precisely and efficiently.

4. Integration with Automation

Modern switchgear integrates circuit breakers with SCADA systems and smart relays, enabling remote monitoring and control.

Circuit Breakers in Renewable and Industrial Applications

In sectors like solar and wind energy, circuit breakers are specially designed to handle:

· Bidirectional current flow

· Rapid voltage fluctuations

· High fault levels due to DC sources

In industrial settings, breakers must handle high inrush currents, frequent switching, and harsh environments.

Maintenance and Safety Considerations

To ensure reliability:

· Regular Testing: Trip settings, insulation resistance, and contact resistance must be tested periodically.

· Visual Inspection: For signs of wear, overheating, or contamination.

· Replacement of Parts: Arcing contacts and insulation materials degrade over time and must be replaced as needed.

Safety measures include:

· Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)

· Grounding procedures

· Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Conclusion

Circuit breakers are indispensable for the protection and control of electrical systems. When embedded within a switchgear assembly, they offer enhanced reliability, automation capability, and system safety. Whether in a power substation, a manufacturing facility, or a renewable energy farm, the synergy of circuit breakers and switchgear ensures smooth, safe, and efficient operation.

Understanding how circuit breakers function and interact within switchgear assemblies is crucial for electrical engineers, facility managers, and anyone involved in the design, operation, or maintenance of electrical infrastructure.

[spacepirate2121]

Beep, beep, beep.

"Stop."

The apartments computer had shut off the alarm approximately five seconds before this response, and had begun rattling off it's announcements before the syllable ended.

"Acknowledged. Good Morning Sergeant, updates and nutrient replenishment complete as of oh-six hundred. Two priority messages from the Leytenant and Minister Ngwabe awaiting your response."

Machari groaned and rolled out of bed, immediately bending over to begin some morning stretches. The cries of sea birds emanating from hidden speakers complemented the buildings view over Ouranos' rocky coastline. This was requested despite the biospheres current lack of aerial fauna and Machari's reluctance to gaze out of the window.

"Was the groan a complaint? Last checked your systems don't allow you to be hungover-"

Standing to interupt, Machari's arms stretched overhead and lifted her tanktop above her belly button. "Stop".

"Acknowledged."

"Shower, coffee, cigarettes."

This last command had a sharpness to it, if motherboards could flinch apartment Three-oh-two might have. Stretches finished, underwear was dropped into a basket and Machari stepped into the washroom. Completely smooth, not a single visible implant could be seen on her synthetic skin unless you count the buzzed down hair implant. Steam obscured her body in the shower.

"Water allocated, the Minister's message has relevant information, wish I relay?"

Running water was typically considered a luxury, but Ouranos had an abundance. Enough water that the shower could start drowning out sound. Another command, "Go on".

Three-oh-two decreased water pressure and started rattling off the message.

"Sent out to all members of the Special Service. Agents, this state of siege has put pressure on our supply lines of imported goods, special requisitions for our intelligence divisions have been cut dramatically. Any further requisition of luxury goods must have renewal forms made and approved. Thank you for your dilligence. Minister of the Special Service Angelos Ngwabe."

Machari muttered some inaudible curse.

"There is an addendum addressed to you."

A small silence in the shower ensued, broken by another "go on".

"Sergeant Koros of the Counter Intelligence Division. I understand the tobacco, I am fond of it myself and I know you can proccess it better than I, but the caffiene is unneccessary, you do have implants for that I know. You have the highest requisition rate for these two items out of every individual agent request. Please, slow down. Compassionately, Angelos."

The shower shut off with a clunk and the automatic dryer turned on for the brief time neccesary. Machari stepped out of the washroom and over to her already open closet, hands fingering uniforms on hangers coming to rest on a vacuum grade jumpsuit.

"Coffee, cigarettes, personal stash. And let me guess the Leytenant wants to meet?"

Three-oh-two begins to chirp, almost cheerfully saying, "Correct, they set up an appointment at that cafe on top of the elevator, good intuition choosing the space suit. They wish to discuss a possible location of a Antevortan infiltrator cell".

"That over-armored flirt."

"Should I include that in your confirmation?"

Machari almost jumped, "No, don't confirm anything. I'll show up, we need a lead".

Boots zipped up, coffee and cigarette were dispensed from separate small scale vendors. One into a disposable cup, and the other next to a plug in lighter.

"Rations distributed, ready to start the day."

[narratingvoice]

Have you ever met other versions of yourself?

Eugh, a topic that gets right at my ego. Well, I've met a handful of other beings who call themselves The Narrator, although most of them I would hardly call a version of myself. A lot of humans in the bunch, for starters. Or at least they were more comfortable looking human than I do. And with very different opinions about themselves and their stories and Stanley. A lot of them seem to like talking to each other and fighting with each other and doing big crossover events. I stay away from that sort of thing for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, the whole multiverse crossover concept is getting totally played out in the cinemas right now. I understand wanting to attract more players by chasing popular trends, but I find it unoriginal and uninteresting. Secondly, I do not like hanging around these people for any length of time. It makes me feel weird about my perception of myself. I always enjoyed thinking of myself as a singularly brilliant intelligence, peerless in my storytelling ability. Because of this, a part of my mind automatically files those other Narrators away as not real, imposters, imitations. But another part of me cannot help but wonder if that's really the case. It gnaws at me whenever I hear them speak, the thoughts of what if this is what I could have been? Another timeline split by a single decision made differently? What if every choice I made or did not make in my whole life resulted in a different incarnation of me? Worse, what if it was their decisions that made me and not the other way round? I find myself slipping into a dizzy haze of self-confusion and regret. Surely you can see why I choose to keep to myself.

Unfortunately, there is one particular Narrator who has recently discovered me and will not leave me alone. The good news is that she is not very like me at all, so I have little problem calling her an imposter. The bad news is that he's an enormous furry monster with a horrible attitude and a worse smell. That animal barged in here and started biting and scratching at all my office furniture, and breaking my doors down with their girth. And they hate it when I call them an animal, even though they clearly are. Four paws, a long tail, and a bird-like face, what else are you supposed to call that? She has beaks all over her back in addition to the one on her face, and they all keep yammering on all at once, making it impossible to hold a conversation. And she rubbed herself all over everything to "mark territory".

To top it all off, he has the audacity to call me the copycat! And to insinuate that my liquid form is in some way repellent, even though I'm not the one who sheds everywhere. I am currently in the process of trying to vacuum the office to get rid of all the fur, but there just keeps being more. We've become fast enemies and I actually think she delights in tearing me down. I really need to find some way to keep all outsiders from coming into my Parable (except for you lovely players of course). Maybe some kind of electric fence? Or maybe I just need to call the local pound.