#Psychonauts: Ocean Explorers

[psycho-net2000]

Been rotating the idea of Raz, Lili, Dogen, Elton and Nils going on a cruise/submarine type mission and as a side plot, the whole time Raz is just being so morbid and "worse case scenario" about everything because while he may have somewhat gotten over his fear of water, that's not gonna stop him from his new fear of the ocean

[razzle-zazzle]

Whumptober Day 17: Nowhere Else to Go

Shipwrecked (kind of) + "We had a good run"

2265 Words; Pearl & Seaglass

TW for brief implied nonsexual nudity

AO3 ver

Heat bore down against his face, uncomfortable and unfamiliar.

Raz shifted. His scales felt weird, and there was sand against his back—but it didn’t feel right. He couldn’t feel his fins, either, and when he tried to move his tail—

Raz’ eyes snapped open with a speed that could rival a frogfish. Bright sunlight assaulted his eyes, making him wince and close them again, blinking rapidly as he tried to get his arms under him.

Slowly, his vision returned, and he found himself—the word humans used was sitting, wasn’t it? Raz glanced down—yes! In place of his tail were two gangly, scaleless legs.

“It wasn’t a dream!” Ohhhhh, okay, that was weird, talking without flashing his stripes. “Ohh. Ahh. Ouwaeghhhhh.” The sounds vibrated weirdly in his throat, different from the clicks and whistles he was used to. Cool!

Raz reached up—okay, yeah, his helmet was still there. His bag was at his side, but that was it—which Raz was pretty sure was less than humans tended to wear. He needed to fit in, to be so super stealthy if he wanted to return to the ocean safely in… Gisu had said seven days, right? So Raz had seven whole days to poke around, which meant he couldn’t mess it up!

Raz looked around the beach. There was a cliff face sheltering it, and in the shadow of the rock was an old, heavy-looking chest, half-hidden under dried kelp. Raz got up fully, the sand warm beneath his feet, and moved to start walking—

He stumbled, arms windmilling as he tumbled forwards. He spat out sand, pushed himself up, and tried again. One foot in front of the other, he was pretty sure—

“Yes!” Raz was walking! Like a human! He whooped, surprised by the sudden sound, then pushed forward, the sand shifting under him. He tilted, almost fell, and then spun around until he was dizzy. This was real! He was a human!

Eventually, Raz made his way over to the chest. He swept the kelp away, prying it open. A bunch of fabric sat inside, smelling slightly musty, slightly salty. Clothes, he presumed.

“Bingo.” Raz fiddled around, picking through the clothes until he was wearing what he was pretty sure was normal human wear. He’d seen some woodcarvings before they rotted, and the rare metal engraving if it wasn’t rusted, so he had a pretty good idea of what went where, even if he wasn’t sure as to the exact names of things. But his torso and legs were covered, and he was pulling his feet into what he thought were called shoes. There was a bit of sand grating against his skin inside his clothes, but Raz did his best to shake the feeling off—there was no way he wasn’t gonna get sand where he didn’t want it. So he pulled his goggles down instead, the world shifting to warmer hues through the lenses. Now he was a proper explorer, just like the Explorer Corps!

Raz bounced in place. If he still had fins, they’d be fluttering, and he’d be swimming loops. But he wasn’t in the water, and he didn’t have fins, because he had become human and made it onto land.

There was a small path up the cliff, hard to catch from up above. Raz dashed for it, excitement filling his chest. He was so ready for this, he was going to learn so much—

He couldn’t wait to be where the people were.

+=+=+=+=+

The human city was crowded.

Raz supposed it made sense; it looked like they could only build their dwellings up so high, and all of the people were groundbound, unable to just swim over or under each other. Raz’ small size put him at something of a disadvantage; he kept getting bumped into and pushed around in the crowd, and couldn’t see over any of the much bigger humans. It was loud, crowded, hot, and a little smelly thanks to all the humans crammed together in the same space all buying and selling, and Raz was glad he had his helmet and goggles on because otherwise all the noise and motion might make him combust—

In short, it was awesome.

They were all talking, too, and Raz could understand what they were saying—except for where the voices all meshed together into an aural paste. How did he understa—oh it was probably magic, wasn’t it. Neat!

Raz still couldn’t quite believe it—surely, any moment now, he would wake up in his room to realize it had all been a dream—

“Young man!” A hand grabbed at Raz’ arm, whirling him around. A lady with her hair tied up tight and glass in front of her eyes was glaring down at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Uh.” Raz tried to pull his arm away, but her grip didn’t budge. “Exploring?”

The lady huffed. “Skipping school, are we?” She stood, taking Raz’ wrist up with her, and started walking.

“What—” Raz dug his heels into the ground, but he was benign swept up by her anyway.

“No wonder things are going to hell,” She was saying, “Kids running about in the street instead of going to school!” She shook her head, dragging Raz away from the market—

“Let go!” Raz yanked his arm free, stumbling back. The lady whirled around, but Raz was already stumble-dashing away, struggling not to trip over his own feet. His boots being slightly oversized didn’t help, but he kept going going going—

The lady shouted somewhere behind him, and Raz jumped onto a box set next to a wall of wood. He jumped, grabbing at the top of the wall, struggling to haul himself up—why did everything have to be so much heavier out of the water? Footsteps pounded the stone behind him as he got his body over the top—shit, what was he going to land on on the other side?

Too late! Raz flung himself over the edge, hitting the crate below hard. Whatever was in the crate broke underneath him with several cracking sounds, yellow slime leaking out and staining Raz’ clothes. It kind of reminded him of eggs, but way smaller than mer eggs, and with harder shells than Raz had ever seen.

Raz groaned, rolling off the maybe-eggs. He rubbed at the fabric on his legs, but that only served to get the goop on his hands, ewww—

“Hey!” Raz looked up to see another human staring him down angrily, leaning in an opening in the stone wall of their dwelling. “You better pay for those—”

Whatever else they were saying was lost to the wind as Raz ran.

+=+=+=+=+

Raz breathed hard, his chest heaving. Which was weird, his gills didn’t work like that at all; did humans have to deal with this all the time?

He was leaning against a wooden wall, a ways away from where he had started. The stone path he was on was wide, bordering the sea to one side, with a series of wooden platforms extending out to the sea a ways down the stone path. It was too smooth to be a natural cliff, Raz felt—humans must have cut it up to look like this. Probably. There was a stone basin full of water to Raz’ side, and he had pushed his goggles up to see more clearly.

The burn in his legs was… well, it was unfamiliar, because Raz had never had legs before, but it was just like any other burn in his muscles otherwise. And while the running itself was different from swimming, Raz was no stranger to having to flee bigger, stronger adults he had pissed off; it seemed that was something the ocean and the land had in common. And even in the ocean, being an Aquato could only get him so far—

But he wouldn’t have any of that status here, did he? He was just a kid nobody knew, which was half the reason he came up here in the first place.

(The other being that humans were just cool.)

But that wasn’t an advantage, was it? Raz had no safety net up here, nobody to look out for him. No older siblings to come and flash their fins at whatever giant octopus he had managed to piss off now, then complain for hours about Raz’ recklessness.

That… hm. Raz had sort of vaguely known this would be dangerous—explorers had to go into danger to confront the unknown!—but he hadn’t really thought about how dangerous.

“Hey, kid.” Raz looked up at the third voice to address him in the same day, not sure how he’d find the energy but ready to run—

Oh.

Oh.

Raz’ knees wobbled, which he did not like—and his chest did a funny little lurch that he didn’t know how to explain. If he had fins, they might have fluttered—it wasn’t like Raz had ever

A girl about his height stood before him, red hair pulled back into two dangling tails. Raz didn’t exactly know how to describe it, just that something about her was really wow.

Raz became acutely aware that he was still covered in maybe-egg slime. His face heated up as he took in her clothes, brightly colored layers of fabric that fit her in a way that Raz’ own borrowed clothes didn’t. And the way she held herself carried with it a strong confidence, a sharp familiarity with her body that Raz didn’t have. In mer logic, that made her dangerous. By all rights, Raz should be wary—and he was!

But he also very much did not want to run away.

“What’s wrong with you?” She asked, and Raz was suddenly hyperaware of the way he was leaning against the wall, breath caught in his throat. “You look like a mess.” Her nose wrinkled, one end of her mouth pulling back in a frown—

“What’s wrong with you?” Raz shot back before his brain caught up with his mouth. “You look like an anemone that’s trying too hard.” He wanted to bite her twintails, and he didn’t know why.

Her eyes widened, then narrowed. “Bold words from the weirdo covered in eggs.” She stepped back. “You smell.”

Raz sniffed. He did smell like eggs, and a bit like salt. He couldn’t smell anything else, though. He huffed, looking her up and down again. “You don’t look so tough.” Oh, for the love of the abyss, what was he even saying? When was he going to learn how to stop picking fights he couldn’t win?

Her lip curled, and she glared at him. “Oh, I’ll show you tough.” She threatened, and then she was grabbing Raz’ hand and yanking him forwards as he yelped—

Splash! went the water in the basin as Raz was shoved into it. He sputtered, flailing to get his limbs under him and sit up, memories of being unable to breathe beneath the waves making his chest surge with panic.

The girl was laughing, hand over her mouth. “You look ridiculous!” She proclaimed, and Raz’ stomach did a weird twisty thing.

“Oh, I’ll show you ridiculous—” and then she was falling into the water with him as he pulled her in, yelling as she splashed and her dress got soaked. She kicked him, and Raz shoved back, and the two of them started shoving and pushing and yelling until they had knocked themselves out of the basin entirely, dripping water onto the stones beneath them as they rolled.

Raz acked as her fist hit his chest, and he grabbed at her twintails. She yelled, kicked between his legs—which hurt, ow ow ow—and Raz found himself shoved to the ground as her blunt human claws dug into his shoulder where the fabric of his clothes had fallen loose.

He shoved her off, sitting up and scooting back—and she was yelling but it sounded a lot like her earlier laughter, and Raz was laughing himself—

She had really pretty eyes.

“Now we’re both ridiculous!” Raz declared, victorious. One of her twintails had come loose, water dripping from her soaked clothes.

She laughed, bright and loud. Raz’ stomach did that twisty thing again, his chest lurching. After a moment she stood, holding out her hand. Raz stared at it, not sure what she wanted—

“Just grab it, idiot.” She instructed, so Raz did. She pulled, and Raz slowly stood. Ohhhh.

(Humans were so weird, in all the best ways.)

“I’m Lili.” She introduced herself. “You?”

“Razputin, but my friends call me Raz.” Raz said.

Lili snorted, and the sound made Raz’ chest do that funny little lurch again. “What are you even doing covered in eggs, anyway?” She asked.

Raz thought back to that lady that had tried to drag him off to places unknown. “Uh… not skipping ‘school’?” He tried, not sure how convincing it was. “Exploring, mostly.” He added.

Lili looked him up and down for a long moment. “You remind me of my uncle Helmut.” She decided, still holding Raz’ hand. After another moment, she nodded, clearly having made up her mind about something. “Right, you’re coming with me.” She said, holding Raz’ hand and starting to walk away.

“Wait—” But Lili wasn’t waiting, and Raz had no choice but to get swept up in her grasp as she ran along. And yet, he wasn’t quite bothered—Raz didn’t know why, but he really wanted to follow her, wherever she led.

Everything on the surface was so much more confusing than Raz was expecting.

But maybe, as he watched Lili’s twintails bounce behind her as she ran, that wasn’t a bad thing.

[bcdrawsandwrites]

[ID: The first image Psychonauts fanfic banner on a black-to-gray gradient background. On the left in white text it says “Prompt #7: What Have I Done?” On the right is a bright red animated figment of an open Psycho-Portal with scribbles inside.

The second image is a Bad Things Happen Bingo card. Various prompts are marked with a half-brain (prompt requested but not filled) or full-brain (prompt requested and finished) symbol, while the “What Have I Done” prompt specifically is marked with a full brain symbol. /end ID]

And now after NOT taking multiple months, here’s the next fic in my @badthingshappenbingo challenge!

I am currently NO LONGER OPEN FOR REQUESTS. I have enough to work on to get a bingo! I MAY decide to reopen prompts later if I want to keep going after finishing these fics, but for now, requests are closed!

This prompt requested by @jaywings, who also beta-read, as did @portalcartoon! (Also thanks to @mechmolar who's been animating my gif frames since Photoshop stopped working for me.)

Prompt: What Have I Done Characters: Ford Cruller, Lucrecia Mux, other Psychic 7 members Warnings: Implied death/murder, implied drug use

---~~~---

The first time Ford sees her on that warm summer night, the rest of the world turns fuzzy. Her eyes catch his immediately, and his heart flutters, his face flushing. She hasn't even spoken yet, and already something about her is making him smile like an idiot. It takes him a moment to realize Otto has been talking. With a jolt and a stutter he asks Otto to repeat his words, but his friend's voice only fades into the background once again, and Ford's gaze is on her once more.

He can't help but notice, she's smiling too.

—-

Otto is saying something, but he can't hear him. The world has turned fuzzy, and all he can see is Lucy's smiling face in the photograph on the table, and the letter in his shaking hands.

—-

The first time Ford sees her powers, he can only stare in awe. His and Otto's attempts at hydrokinesis had resulted in mere bubbles and splashes, which they'd had fun fooling around with, splashing each other when one wasn't looking.

Lucy is not fooling around. With a mere thought, she commands the water as though it were an extension of her outstretched hand. She moves with grace and precision, yet with enough power that their previous mining efforts are dwarfed in comparison. Massive waves wash away dirt and stone and other minerals and draw heaps of glowing crystals to their feet, leaving not a droplet behind.

—-

Bob and Helmut link trembling hands, and a nearby vine beckons Ford nearer.

The television screen is small and colorless, and the figure in the distance is barely discernible. But her command of water is unmistakable, even though it is people, not stones, that it brings to her feet.

—-

The first time Ford enters Lucy's mind is among one of the first times he has ever entered a mind. It is frightening yet fascinating as he sets foot on a giant quilt that undulates like gentle ocean waves. Buildings made of patchwork resemble a town from a faraway place, like something out of a picture book. Though he is attacked by the same small creatures he had seen in Otto's mind, this world is vastly different. Some of it is locked away to him, however, and he urges Lucy to open her mind more, eager to explore this uncharted territory.

—-

They have explored the Gulch, their psychic powers, and each other's minds, but the war room is entirely uncharted territory. The government was never supposed to be involved, and yet here were politicians representing every country Ford had ever known and then some, all of them begging their little friend group to please do something. They speak of the horrors this "monster" has committed, and one points out that they have no idea what she will do next.

But they say that Ford and his group of psychic heroes—surely they must know what lies in the mind of this madwoman.

Ford and the others exchange worried glances. He knows what he put into her mind... but none of them know what has happened to it now.

—-

When Ford continually pushes Lucy to open up more, he feels no deep worry or fear. Over the years they'd known each other, they had explored each other's minds, probing into the depths, looking for what new wonders there were to find.

Memory Vaults remain open, frolicking through the mindscape with their mouths agape. Exposure to certain substances sooth Doubts and Regrets and make Censors sluggish to act, allowing for more ease of exploration. New doors open, allowing for more and more depths to explore.

In spite of her dulled inhibitors, Lucy expresses her fear sometimes, unsure if they're pushing each other too far. But Ford assures her that all is safe, here. Nothing can reach them here in the Gulch, and he puts her hands in his own, assuring her that she can trust him.

They are far from any troubles.

—-

The helicopter takes them far, far from the Gulch. The ride is silent and tense, no one saying a word, even over telepathy—or none of them speak to Ford, anyway. Bob and Helmut stare at their interlinked hands, Cassie and Compton huddle close, and Otto looks blankly ahead, his face unreadable.

None of them meet his gaze.

—-

Her horrified gasp shatters their peaceful morning. Lucy stares at the newspaper for an eternity before it drops from her shaking hands, and her sister's name leaves her trembling lips.

Ford's immediate thought is to comfort and reassure her, but she's already packing her bags, deaf to his words.

His words of comfort soon turn to pleas to stay—everything's changing too fast. Their minds are different. She doesn't know what will happen. (He doesn't know what will happen.) But she insists that she must leave, she must help her sister, and nothing he can say will sway her.

It's when she leaves, taking off riding on a wave, that it strikes him that they'd never taken the time to close up their minds. But he tries to reassure himself—he knows her. She won't let anything harmful into her mind, and they'll see each other again, once this is all over.

—-

The first time Ford sees Maligula, he does not recognize her. He's not alone, as all of them stare at her in horror, wondering at the identity of this monster standing before them.

It's not until Bob calls out to everyone that this is Lucy—that this is their friend—that recognition sets in, and nearly brings Ford to his knees. This is it—this was Lucy who brought those people to her feet, who wiped this country off the map, who let this terrible darkness into her heart—or out of it.

...But she hadn't done that alone.

It was Ford who had begged her to open those doors in her mind in the first place.

And he stands before Maligula, a single horrified thought running through his mind:

What have I done?

[cheapsweetsrocks]

CheapSweets Pick 'n' Mix - Best of 2022

What is it?

Violate Consensus Reality, second full album from Belgian prog-metal outfit Psychonaut (no relation to the Double Fine video game).

Psychonaut is;

Thomas Michiels - Bass, Vocals

Stefan de Graef - Guitars, Vocals

Harm Peters - Drums

(also features Colin H Van Eeckhout from AMENRA and Stefanie Mannaerts from BRUTUS on the title track).

What is it like?

A 'psychonaut' is someone who uses altered states of consciousness to explore the human condition. Of course, historically, music is one of those things that has been used to elicit said altered states of consciousness... does that mean, if you listen to this album, you are a 'psychonaut' listening to 'Psychonaut'?

I can't say that this album answers deep questions like this, but it does cover philosophical and existential themes. I fell in love with Stefan de Graef's vocals after hearing him on Hippotraktor's first full album, Meridian, and he's a great contrast to the cleaner vocals of Thomas Michiels.

I feel there's a really deep thematic connection to stoner rock; some of the song structures seem similar, even if they are interpreted via post-metal sensibilities.

A lot of the lyrics focus on self realisation and self actualisation, the music is moody and swirling, with a lot of tone and shade; similar to bands like The Ocean, both in terms of the album as a whole and within the individual songs, as exemplified by the title track, Violate Consensus Reality.

You might like this if you are a fan of:

DVNE, The Ocean, Hippotraktor (not least because Stefan de Graef is the vocalist on this band as well!), Gojira

Lyrics such as:

Chase your roots with courage

Go beyond

Reject the norm

Follow your compassion through the storm

Don't just take my word for it:

Carcharodon from AMG praised the production and Harm Peter's drumming, and felt it was one of those albums that grows in estimation with each subsequent listen...

Richard Murray from The Sleeping Shaman enjoyed the 'dazzling' dynamics and evocative messaging...

Alex Mace, writing for Distorted Sound, felt the album was 'daring and raw' and that it was a good followup to their previous album...

Standout tracks:

Violate Consensus Reality, Interbeing, A Pacifist's Guide to Violence

Where can I find it?

Youtube;

Bandcamp;

And, Spotify;

[gossamer-veil]

Psychonautics 🌀

Have you ever felt like reality is just a suggestion—like the walls of your perception are thinner than they seem, and there’s something vast and inexplicable waiting just on the other side? That’s the essence of psychonautics: the art, science, and magic of navigating altered states of consciousness. To me, it’s not just fascinating—it’s revolutionary.

Psychonautics is the modern name for something humans have done since forever. From the shamans stepping into spirit realms to the mystics chasing divine union, to the seekers experimenting with sensory deprivation tanks or psychedelics—this is humanity’s oldest adventure. The tools and methods have evolved, but the question is timeless: What lies beyond the mind’s ordinary limits? 🧠✨

There’s something breathtaking about the idea that our consciousness is not a static thing, but a dimension—a boundless, shifting landscape we can explore. The ancient Greeks thought the soul was a voyager, and in a way, psychonauts are the sailors of today, charting internal oceans that science is only beginning to name. 🌊✨

The Tools of the Trade

Psychonautics isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of thing, and that’s what makes it so magical. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure into the unknown:

🧘‍♀️ Meditation: The OG psychonautic tool. Whether it’s mindfulness, transcendental, or yogic meditation, this practice lets you slip past the chatter of the mind and glimpse something deeper.

🌿 Entheogens: From ayahuasca ceremonies in the Amazon to Silicon Valley microdosing psilocybin, plants and fungi have always been our allies in the search for meaning. Check out Erowid for firsthand reports and resources about their use.

🌀 Breathwork: Techniques like holotropic breathwork can trigger altered states without any substances at all. It’s wild how much power we hold in our own lungs.

🛁 Sensory Deprivation: Ever tried floating in a tank of salt water in complete darkness? It’s like dissolving into the void—peaceful, terrifying, and illuminating all at once.

🌌 Dreamwork: Lucid dreaming and astral projection might feel like fringe ideas, but for psychonauts, they’re just another portal to explore.

Each of these paths opens a door to a different kind of awareness, and what you find on the other side is uniquely yours. That’s the beauty of it—it’s personal, intimate, but also universal.

If this world of altered states calls to you, dive deeper into the resources available online:

The Psychonautics Wiki, a treasure trove of information about methods, substances, and experiences.

Erowid, where you can read thousands of personal trip reports and scientific articles.

This is humanity’s great experiment: What can we learn about ourselves when we push the boundaries of perception?

[spiderton]

Now that we are talking about whats in a characters mind ( psychonauts style ) How about the dark heroes?

OOOHH this is a lot more characters. putting this under a readmore (also small thing im not a hugeee fan of the darkheroes but i like characters so hehehehe. this may be fun)

ragewolves mind is probably at its worst. rocks covered in scratches, the sky a bloody red, and the air feels hot and dry. its not a pleasant place to be around, especially if a part of him ends up getting more and more angrier by the second.

there /are/ cobwebs though, but theyre in areas you have to sneak around to find. within is forcibly repressed stuff; memories of home, and of aiton. not something you were really meant to see.

naughtyfins mind is a tower made out of ice. despite it being, yknow, ice, there are lamps around that make your body feel warm. there is a fair amount of sexual imagery that can bring almost an uncomfortable vibe at times, alongside mental residents that relax and enjoy themselves.

theres areas though that dont have anyone, but theyre behind cobwebs or paintings. they seem to be a more genuine side, of soft pillows and blankets. they seem to be cozy rooms to lay inside (also, maybe a memory vault?)

the outside of the tower is an ocean, but its locked off and you cannot escape out unless you happen to know pyrokensis. whenever you try to escape, or a mental resident tries to do so; the tower shakes and the uncomfortable vibe gets worse and worse until you get sick enough to give up.

sonarchys mind reeks of royalty, castles, and jewels. his mind is structured like a medieval castle in its prime, with figments and mental residents serving a "dynasty". sonarchy himself is easy to find, soaking in all the praise.

there are portraits, but some of them seem more warped than others. ones with his mom are in far-off hallways, and all the servants seem nervous to speak about his mother. even mentioning it to sonarchy makes him worried and anxious.

you find out that his mother, within his head, is a giant snake that speaks in venom. sonarchy is absolutely terrified of facing the serpent, hiding off into darkness. even when the snake leaves, you can still see it lurking in the shadows before slithering off.

i feel sonarchy wouldnt bother with memory vaults, except /one/ that relates to more traumatic events. youll find one of his childhood in a toyroom, hidden away by having to levitate the way there. the other memory vault seems to appear when the serpent is there.

there is, of course, regrets. they only seem to be outside and are reflected away from cannonballs. wonder whats the deal with that.

gong, as now ravenous, has a much worse mind. you cannot see any windows despite being inside of a house, as its littered with junk that reeks the whole place up. you have to dig your hands around to even get somewhere new, but you have to keep aware of weapons possibly scratching your fingertips.

there are also crownests inside that have seem to taken residence, with eggs that keep stacking and stacking. they never seem to crack, as you can find dried yolk here and there.

you can find some remains of gongs old mind, but the items of that previous are either brokendown or nibbled by crows.

buzzcraves mind is of battlefields, and glorious feasts. food never seems to go to waste, nor does it expire as you can see horses gallop around. buzzcrave is highly confident within his own mind, eager to chat while fighting off mental residents that never seem to win.

although the food is abundant, and the sky is bright blue, everything feels off in a sense you cant describe; until you decide to step away from where buzzcrave is, and explore the emptied hallways and wastelands in the void.

unlike the bright lands, food decays and memory vaults scatter at the sight of you. its seen better days, but one room seems to be well kept- and instead of purple, its green.

slogturtles mind doesnt have much going for it. its what seems to be high mountains with swampy water, with the old turtle himself sleeping around without a thought.

lilypads are big enough to jump on and explore the rest, and you can find decaying buildings halfway in the water. regrets also seem to pop out of it, looking more yellow than before.

the rest of his mind is not wellkept, and you can find deep thoughts just right in the open. he doesnt seem to have much to hide.

covets mind hides the most, i feel, but its appearance makes it clear something is wrong. another castle, but instead of yellows or greens its bright reds. serpents, flies and turtles serve her wine and tears; and censors litter around.

covet doesnt like the thought of others sneaking into her mind, so its better to avoid her at all times regardless of her attitude. you often find regrets kept in bottles or rooms, but they dont bother to attack you outright and fly around aimlessly.

skeletons and serpents are repeating decorations, but there always seems to be shattered mirrors. when you look in, you can see yourself decaying.

[dosewithsila]

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[the-flying-aquatos]

Whispering Rock is more of a...say...better built camp in this au. SO anyways have some camp ideas bc I may or may not be having Raz spent more time here than he probably does in canon.

They have one big hall at the center that doubles as the housing for the counselors. Then they have smaller houses nearby, where the campers sleep/hang out if they’re not eating or attending a meeting, or participating in training. They’re situated fairly close to the water, it’s not a very long walk to the beach, and they have section off areas for training. 

A lot of the psitanium that makes this place such a good training ground is actually closer to/under the water.

A lot of kids who go to the camp develop zoolepathy whether they expect to or not, because the conditions just line up, being underwater means being surrounded by animals, and with all the psitanium around, it boosts their abilities and gives them the ability to learn such a power easier. Some don’t develop it and that’s okay, but quite a few kids do.

They take the time to teach the kids about other psychic abilities of course, communicating with sea life and basic swimming/diving skills are very important to being a psychonaut, the latter moreso than the former, it doesn’t mean you should neglect your other abilities. Oleander mainly handles that sort of thing, though Milla will never pass up the opportunity to teach kids to levitate. They’ve got a pretty tight schedule, making time for psychic training each week alongside their more prioritized training. 

The camp has a lot more of a friendlier feel due to its focus being less on creating future government agents and more on creating future marine biologists, future leaders of conservation efforts and the like. Oleander may still be rough and strict, Sasha may still be secretive and a tad bit questionable in terms of his science projects, but something about it feels less...tense. At least, for the time being.

The camp isn’t just a summer camp, but it also from time to time becomes a safe place for runaways or children who were dropped off by their parents only to never be picked up again. They take cases of children with bad homelives VERY seriously if a child were to let that kind of thing slip.

Raz...may or may not have made his situation seem just a smidge bit worse than it really was, not on purpose of course, but the adults found it bad enough so that Augustus wasn’t contacted as soon as possible. Raz was excited to become a psychonaut, he didn’t entirely pick up on the adults’ though process at the time.

[youareshauni]

Psychonauts 2: Symbolism

@blazichu So, water symbolism in Psychonauts 2. Specifically, in the minds of the Psychic Six Raz explores.

Spoilers under the cut.

I got the idea because each mind has at least one vault that shows a moment related to the battle against Maligula, or a pivotal moment where Lucrecia showed off her hydrokinesis in Ford’s case. Which I think shows both the bond they shared as well as how much fighting her as Maligula hurt them.Not to mention that battle must have been terrifying.

Compton Cookoff first dish is a Grulovian Drowned Egg. The Vault ‘Compton On His Own’ shows how Maligula washed him and his bears away.

The ‘quiet place’ in Psi King’s Sensorium seems to reflect Helmut being thrown into the water and under the ice by one of Maligula’s attacks, when he protected Bob, plus his sensory isolation. I’m going by that interpretation because the water in the Sensorium looks like the starry, dark expanse in his quiet place and it’s where his memories of the fight against her are held.

Cassie's Collection has an ink ocean / sea in two places. One surrounds the city in the Heist section, representing Cassie’s time worked as a counterfeiter to survive. (Likely on her own at the time.) The other is where the Die-briarian - representing her ‘I have to do things all on my own to protect myself’ side - sinks under to empower herself and limits the arena Raz fights in. It reminds me even a lot of fighting Maligula! Which was a coping mechanism gone out of control, represented by one archetype of her. *points back to Cassie*

Bob's Bottles is the one who is the most obvious imo. The amount of alcohol he consumes is represented by an ocean, which later turns into a massive vortex like in a storm, and there’s that one area where the waterfalls fill the place like it’s getting flooded.

Additionally, all four of them were overwhelmed by their respective issues, which I can describe as ‘drowning’. Compton was drowning in his anxieties; Helmut in his rediscovered sensations, hence the panic attacks; Cassie in her loneliness and paranoia (literally the second ink ocean); and Bob drowned his sorrows in alcohol.

Ford has three separate mental worlds:

Strike / Germ  City is about to get flooded and destroyed by a spray of disinfectant, which you can see as a sort of ‘rain’ precluding a flood.

The Mail Room might have no water, but the letters fly around almost like through currents, and the vault here shows Lucrecia leaving across the water for Grulovia on her hydrokinesis.

In Ford’s Follicles, Razputin has to kill lice by drowning them in hydrocide to advance, with Ford’s aspect calling ‘Lucy’ out that they were innocent protestors. He’s also a lighthouse in this mental world. Lighthouses usually stand at the borders of large bodies of waters.

Finally the Tomb of the Sharkophagus. When Raz descends down the crypt, it looks like he’s floating down like in water, made more obvious with the sharkophagi swimming around.

[britishsass]

Bob's Mind

I think an important thing to discuss in Psychonauts is the idea that a mind can and will change. In-game, we've only seen the situation where that happens under outside inference (Loboto's Mind in RoR vs. Loboto's Labyrinth in PN2 [Sasha's mental construct], Hollis's Classroom vs Hollis's Hot Streak [Raz's mental connection], Ford's Follicles vs. Cruller's Correspondance vs. Strike City vs. Tomb of the Sharkophagus [Ford's use of the Astralathe]) but I would like to imagine that they do, in fact, change with time, as everyone does change a lot through their life.

So therefore, here's an idea list for how Bob's mind in specific changes throughout the timeline of Psychonauts. I will add, a lot of this is headcanon (up to when the others in the 7 appear) and it is entirely my own opinion.

YOUNG BOB (Pre-father leaving)

My personal headcanon is that he and his father were very close, and I think that they used to go fishing together, leading Bob to have a deep love for the sea. This inspires what his mind is like:

An ocean world, just like in Bob's Bottles.

There's a large ship, but it sails on its own wherever he wants it to go.

The world is open to be explored, and stories of treasure, pirates, and jungles inspire the islands he traverses. It's new every time.

The world is his oyster, and it's a welcoming place for him, with people and plants always willing to talk to him. It's like a storybook come to life.

This world is a welcoming place at this point. Still open to him to look around.

YOUNG BOB (Post-father's death)

This is the point where his world changes drastically for the first time. This being his first experience with major loss, it definitely changes how the world feels.

The world is still an ocean, still with a ship, but it's become stormier.

It's less welcoming now, the danger more prominent. Since I think his father was in the Navy and died, he no longer sails as much.

There are memories of the things that they were given upon his father's death. The hat he wore, the picture, the apologies.

Flowers become more common. Especially the ones focused on grief, the bouquets at the funeral and viewing.

The main island is larger, but the rest of the world is less visited, more dangerous.

BOB ZANOTTO (Pre-Tia's death)

This is when he's mostly forgotten his father. Things are a little bit weird for him, since Tia's drinking in the greenhouse and he's trying to take care of things.

After a while, his development adds more to the main island, taking away from the other islands.

The town and farmer's market appear. There's a guitar hall in the market. It feels so alive, so welcoming.

The ocean is calmer, more welcoming. The ship is now only a small boat.

There's a lot more flowers, as he works with them more. Flowers to represent those from the market, and an actual figure for his mom.

He plays guitar a lot for the people there. It's a fun thing for him.

BOB ZANOTTO (Post-Tia's death)

And yet again, tragedy strikes. He gives up his hobby of guitar, falling into the same cycle Tia was in. He accidentally breaks down under the amount of well-wishing he receives, causing a massive amount of vines and such to break through the market, and decides that all he can do is hide in the greenhouse.

The main island falls into disarray, splitting into lots of smaller islands as he hides away.

The sea is now more littered with bottles, messages of words he wishes he'd said.

The plants and flowers are everywhere, choking out any attempts at other things.

The boat breaks, leaving wreckage on the shore.

The guitar hall becomes merely a broken shell of a place, eventually becoming part of Otto's island in canon.

Bottles appear.

This would be how it would appear the first time he meets Ford, as I tried to show in Zinnias for the Zanottos.

-> "Inside the man's head was an ocean. A tiny island. A boat that had crashed years ago. There were images floating through the waves, a woman and a child and a guitar, a smile or a wave or a plant, a million moths and the flames that lapped at them."

BOB (Pre-Helmut's "death")

This is the cute bit! The part where he lets himself open up to the others and falls in love!

The main island is rebuilt to be an outdoor garden.

The greenhouse appears on another island.

The bottles fade a lot, but there are still a few, including one that holds a grave for Tia.

Bridges are built between the islands, making it very open and easy to travel.

The boat is rebuilt, but it's messy and small. He and Lucy go out fishing in the real world, and it slowly becomes an actual boat for that.

The Feel Mobile appears.

This would be the timespan I was referencing in Cold Hands, Warm Hearts.

->"His mind was an ocean of sight and sound, an archipelago of thoughts and memories. Bridges connected them over rivulets and streams, keeping feet dry as they passed over the sand and the grass, leading them to the places he frequented. That greenhouse was still there."

BOB (Post-Helmut's "death")

This is when it returns to being a storm. It's not a good time for him.

The bridges crumble.

The main island starts to fall into disarray, leaving Bob with barren pots.

Bottles grow more frequent.

The three main bottles become a major feature. There is no way to reach them in the storm, no way to get anywhere.

This is the timespan I mentioned in Bottled Up.

->"The garden around him knew his sorrow, and the plants shriveled under the weight, dying just as his heart did. Even his tears weren’t enough to water them, and the river only grew stronger, cutting the island in half, leaving him with nothing but the memories of what had been there. Another bottle drifted past, and he brought it closer, finding the seed inside."

BOB (Psychonauts 2)

That's just Bob's Bottles. Genuinely, just Bob's Bottles.

BOB (Post-Psychonauts 2)

The one I'll talk about here is specifically one year after the game, when Helmut's back and Bob is sober and healing.

The bridges are new and made of rope and logs.

The bottles are gone, scrubbed out.

There's new life breathed into everywhere-- no more bulbs, the moth is stuck in a cage. Bioluminescence is the name of the game here!

I'm actually writing a story taking place in this mindscape right now, though, so you won't get much of anything out of me for it right now ;)

[aquato-family-circus]

a while ago, i had a psychonauts dream where sasha was investigating loboto's brain (i think i was loboto for at least part of the dream) to find signs of who his employer was, but loboto's mind was this enormous oceanscape with the occasional mountain. in the dream, we found this really jagged mountain sticking out of the ocean at a weird angle, which apparently had something to do with the Chicxulub impactor, the meteor that killed the dinosaurs. there was a tunnel leading inside, and sasha said that the mineral composition deep inside would tell who loboto's boss was. i don't remember much after that but i think the inside of the mountain was briefly the abyss from hollow knight

A huge expansive ocean with a mountain you explore a cave in could genuinely be a fun loboto deep dive considering RoR, so that sounds like a pretty cool dream

[razzle-zazzle]

does the terraria psychonauts crossover have a plot?

Yes! It's a little bare bones/not every aspect and detail is fully developed, but the basic gist of it is the party slowly spawning into the world and following basic game progression, with the ultimate goal of defeating Moonlord so they can go home.

Ramblings got a little long so I'm slapping it under a cut:

Dion and Morris spawn in the world. They take a while to get their bearings and start to establish a place for themselves, bickering all the while. They find out about the respawn function on the first night. It's not pleasant.

Morris figures out that his book allows him to research any crafting recipe, alongside offering the occasional hint on how to progress. He and Dion work together to build a little house and collect resources.

Adam spawns in, with just as little idea as to what's going on as the other two. He's subjected to Morris & Dion's constant bickering for the next few days before Sam spawns in. She accidentally destroys their base with explosives within hours of arriving.

Shenanigans continue to ensue as the group slowly explores the world and its mechanics. They step foot into the Corruption for the first time.

Adam and Morris have to clear out the graveyard biome that has manifested around spawn. They set all the grave markers in a chest for later.

Eye of Cthulhu spawns naturally. The group fails to defeat it. They spawn the Eye manually a few nights later, and manage to defeat it! Norma spawns the next morning and gets four very different explanations of what's going on. She would like to go home now, please.

Actual NPCs such as the Painter, Nurse, Arms Dealer, and Dye Trader spawn in.

A slime rain happens. Norma would like to be home now. Sam gets a Slimy Saddle from the King Slime.

Dion accidentally manages to grapple onto the head of the Eater of Worlds during the group's first encounter with it, resulting in him getting flung into the sky and onto one of the sky islands.

The Goblin Army invades! The group finds the Tinkerer a few days later. Morris buys rocket boots he doesn't intend to use because they made him think of Gisu.

The group slowly manages to collect more resources and defeat more bosses. Eater of Worlds goes down, as does the Brain of Cthulhu. Norma and Adam explore the Dungeon and find Gisu shortly after Skeletron is defeated.

The first Blood Moon happens that night.

Sam bugs the Zoologist from the moment she spawns in.

Sam's summons unintentionally destroy the larva in every hive the group finds. It isn't until the fifth that they actually manage to beat Queen Bee. Lizzie spawns the next morning.

Gisu and Morris make it all the way to the ocean and wake up the Angler.

Adam and Norma work together to create a neat and efficient pylon system for fast travel. Sam and Gisu ignore the fast travel system more than half the time.

Frazie spawns in a few days later. She gets seven different explanations of what's going on and immediately manages to drag Dion into a fight against King Slime, partially on accident ("WHY WOULD YOU USE A SLIME CROWN" "I thought it would summon a minion!")

(Sam was the one who handed the Slime Crown to Frazie. She never admits to this.)

Gisu plays around with wires and traps. She ends up booby-trapping the spawn.

The group manages to dig deep enough to hit the Underworld. The Voodoo Demons are carrying little Morris dolls. This information is not received well by the group.

More shenanigans. Dion and Morris have a stupid little competition over who can do the sickest flip/hit a harpy midair when jumping off of a sky island. Frazie, also being immune to fall damage, joins them. Adam makes personalized rooms for everyone using various materials collected and the paint tool. Sam stocks up on Explosive Bunnies. Gisu and Norma and Lizzie all stock up on Mana Crystals.

Everyone maxes out their hearts.

Frazie & Lizzie get to experience their first Blood Moon.

Gisu, Norma, and Lizzie find an Aether biome while mining. Gisu starts experimenting with transmutations, using pumps to give herself a small pool on the surface to work with. She accidentally shimmers Dion all the way to the Underworld doing this.

Even though they've all died multiple times at this point, nobody's charging ahead to summon the Wall of Flesh. They're masters of this world as it is—are they really willing to sacrifice one of their own just to progress?

Eventually, the need to get out of this world and go home convinces the group to go through with it. They gear up and prepare as much as they can.

Morris drops the doll. He dies, and the fight begins.

The ancient spirits of light and dark have been released!

[ahiddenpath]

I posted 750 times in 2021

242 posts created (32%)

508 posts reblogged (68%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 2.1 posts.

I added 428 tags in 2021

#taichi yagami - 71 posts

#koushiro izumi - 51 posts

#hidden's life - 42 posts

#chosen children - 39 posts

#mimi tachikawa - 38 posts

#yamato ishida - 38 posts

#digidestined - 38 posts

#sora takenouchi - 38 posts

#digific - 37 posts

#jyou kido - 36 posts

Longest Tag: 124 characters

#it's useful to remember the general timelines for when the chosen would have to start marrying and having their canon kiddos

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

The Chosen as Major Arcana Tarot Cards

The Fool: Motomiya Daisuke

The Magician: Izumi Koushiro

The High Priestess: Anami Eimi

The Empress: Takenouchi Sora

The Emperor: Yagami Taichi

The Hierophant: The 02 Crew

The Lovers: Digimon Partners

The Chariot: Ishida Yamato

Strength: Yagami Hikari

The Hermit: Gennai

The Wheel of Fortune: Inoue Miyako

Justice: Hida Iori

The Hanged One: Kido Jyou

Death: Ichijouji Ken

Temperance: Homeostasis

The Devil: Digimon Kaiser

The Tower: Dark Towers

The Star: Takaishi Takeru

The Moon: The Dark Ocean

The Sun: Tachikawa Mimi

Judgement: Older Chosen

The World: Global Chosen

43 notes • Posted 2021-06-18 23:06:02 GMT

#4

Digiweek2021 Day 07: Home (free day)

HAPPY ODAIBA DAY to my friends on the Eastern Hemisphere!  I’ll be back tomorrow to post on Odaiba Day in my country with the other artwork I did for this fic; I got my Western Hemisphere babes, too ;) 

I posted a new fic to celebrate!  It’s called Ladybug House, please read it on AO3 to enjoy the art I made and the screenshots I included!  Here is the summary:

After his seniors graduated and Mimi moved away, Koushiro is the last of the older Chosen attending his high school. Although Koushiro doesn't let it show, Tentomon senses that he's lonely and joins him on his commute to school. When the harsh cold of winter makes Tentomon shut down, Koushiro asks him to stay home instead of braving the elements. Tentomon refuses, citing Koushiro's loneliness. This pushes Koushiro to reconnect with his friends, and he starts with the one he misses most...

Focuses on the relationships between Koushiro and Tentomon and Koushiro and Taichi. Taishiro written in such a way that it can be interpreted as platonic or romantic. Explores what it means to be an adult and forge an adult life. Post Tri, pre Kizuna, canon setting. Complete oneshot.

Minor characters: Kae Izumi, Daisuke, Miyako, Takeru, Hikari

I put so much love and work into this story, I am so stoked to share it with you all on Odaiba Day as part of @digiweek 2021!  Special thanks to the mods of the event for inspiring so much Digimon content!  I am dedicating this story to my dear @sunflowergem, who inspired it.  If you enjoy it, please let me know <3  Much love to all of you on Odaiba Day!

Oh, you can also read in on FFN!  But alas, you will miss out on the art and screenshots.

51 notes • Posted 2021-07-31 22:41:59 GMT

#3

I feel... seen.  (Mild Psychonauts 2 spoilers)

61 notes • Posted 2021-09-14 21:58:43 GMT

#2

Repost Art Accounts

Hey guys, sorry if I’m overstepping, but I’ve noticed an uptick in digimon art reposting blogs on Tumblr (at least, in my little corner of it).  It’s so easy to accidentally follow and reblog them- I followed one myself recently until I recognized a piece and knew where it actually came from!

When people repost art, it makes the actual creators less likely to make and share future works.  So please, if you see an account where the OP is making lots of ‘original’ posts in wildly different art styles (ie, not reblogging from the source)...  Take a look, see if the art came from elsewhere, and reconsider interacting with reposts.  Another sign of reposts is oddly cropped images- the reposter removing the artist’s watermark.  Noticing that nothing on the blog is watermarked is another big giveaway!  Don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t notice right away, it literally happens to everyone!

If you want to share art from folks who are not on Tumblr, kindly link to it instead of reposting it.  Also, please know that “reposted with permission” usually means “reposted without permission.”

Please respect artists, so they continue to create and share with us <3

65 notes • Posted 2021-07-03 16:59:11 GMT

#1

Hello, please enjoy this Mimi that I drew.  Sitting poses are so fun!

91 notes • Posted 2021-10-09 14:15:18 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Tomás Nochteff (Mueran Humanos)

Mueran Humanos, an Argentinian duo now based in Berlin, mixes post-punk, industrial-inflected synth explorations, garage rock and psychedelia. Carmen Burguess and Tomás Nochteff share vocal duties and play a very basic line-up of instruments: bass, synths, drum machines and samplers. In his review for Dusted, Andrew Forell called their latest, Hospital Lullabies, “a thrilling concoction of electronic, industrial, bass-driven body music fueled by the transgressive spirit of a DAF or a Psychic TV.” Here, Tomás presents his list of visionary music.

A list of visionary music

What is a visionary? Visions can come in dreams, in journeys to other worlds, in hallucinations. They can be the product of will, of a derangement of the senses, or they can come uninvited to save you or to haunt you and destroy your mental balance, even your life. It can be heavenly, or hellish, but to be authentic visions they have to be otherworldly. And to be visions rather than just imagination, they must have an element of truth. Not literal truth, like “that wall is green,” but a different kind of truth, the one that´s expressed in symbols, in metaphors, in omens and obsessions. In “Heaven and Hell,” Aldous Huxley analyzed the visions of people under the influence of psychedelic drugs, the visions of mystics and the visions of schizophrenics. He found fundamental parallels and concluded that they must have been visiting the same places. These people are not merely hallucinating, but they are perceiving another reality, visiting a different world, or maybe they are perceiving the world as it really is. And he quotes Jung on this: “schizophrenics and mystics are on the same ocean, but schizophrenics are drowning and mystics are swimming.” A visionary could be a mix of all these archetypes. Like Philip K Dick: was he on drugs? Yes. Was he mad? Yes. Was he seeking enlightenment? Yes. Had his visions an element of truth? No doubt about it. Were his visions revelations? To some extent, yes.

On our last album, Hospital Lullabies, the songs deal with all these different experiences on the journey to another world and on the invasion from another world into everyday life, with its horror and its beauty, the agony and the ecstasy. And how one copes, or doesn´t, with it.

So to celebrate it, I made a list of music that I do consider visionary. There’s madmen, there’s mystics and there’s psychonauts, all possible combinations of the three archetypes and everything in between.

Pharoah Sanders—“The Creator has a Masterplan” (Impulse)

I don´t know much about cosmic jazz, or any jazz for that matter, but what I know is that this record is pure bliss. “Harvest Time,” on Pharoah is another masterpiece. Alice Coltrane and Don Cherry are also incredible. This is music of the spheres; it has the touch of God.

Rudimentary Peni—CacophonyI (Outer Himalayan Records)

One of the few perfect punk bands ever, for lots of reasons. The bass lines are extraordinary, for example. But they belong here because of schizophrenic member Nick Blinko: incredible artist & novelist, obsessed with Catholicism and the supernatural horror. A guy who stopped his medication to force himself into a psychotic crisis just to write an album. Hero. Martyr.

Nico— “Janitor of Lunacy” (Cherry Red Records)

For me, Nico was the best and more underrated of all Velvets (and we love Velvet Underground as much as anyone). Also, the production from John Cale on her records is probably his best work too, or at least among his best. I feel that she is not appreciated enough. Iggy said that meeting her changed him. I suspect that´s true for all her famous friends: Bowie, Lou Reed, John Cale, Leonard Cohen, etc. They were all larger-than-life characters. And we know there is an element of self-built mythology on all that, a bit of acting. There is nothing wrong with that; rock and roll at its best is a complete artform and we must appreciate this self-built mythology as part of their craft. But with Nico you don´t get that feeling. She seemed that she didn´t care about her image, she was born Nico and I suspect that in that sense she inspired them all to no end. She was the genuine article. One of our main loves in music. Essential with a capital E.

Coil—“I Don’t Want To Be The One”

Jhonn Balance wanted to be a magician, and he died trying. I think he succeed in building a shamanic body of work with the help of the great late Sleazy and a myriad of brilliant contributors. Coil´s music at its best it´s like a plasma between worlds, or a very, very good psychedelic drug. My most beloved electronic/industrial/post-industrial project ever and one of our main influences. This performance is superb.

Lungfish — Feral Hymns

I´m not interested in DC post hardcore per se, and I don´t have any tattoos. I shouldn´t care about Lungfish the way I do, but they knock me out every single time. Daniel Higgs is a seer. I don´t know what he is talking about, but at the same time, my gut knows exactly what he is talking about. He speaks in images, like Tarot, like the religious painters, like Rimbaud and San Juan de la Cruz. His delivery is supreme. Raw and fragile, yet powerful and precise. Over circular, repetitive, minimal structures of music that have a haunting, arresting effect. Hypnotic, magical, devotional music. Either you get it, or you don´t. I can´t explain it. That´s the beauty of it, I suppose. And the truly mark of the visionary artist.

Ghedalia Tazartes—“Une Éclipse Totale De Soleil Part 2”

Ghedalia for me represents the pure, untouched, sui generis artist. Applying the techniques of musique concrete to the ancient folk music of the Sephardic Jews with a raw energy that usually you can only find in punk, or blues. I see in him an archetype, the Fool card in the Tarot. The madman that opens the gates of heaven and hell, gives himself to these supreme energies and survives only because of his perfect innocence.

OM—“Sinai (live at Sonic City)”

Maybe the greatest rock band of the last 20 years. Here with Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe to maximum effect.

Charlemagne Palestine—Live in Holland 1998

Like Ghedalia, Charlemagne Palestine is a Jewish artist that works in the avant garde field but subverts it with the tradition of his folk music instead of sticking to the cold, cerebral, rational program of academia. He has his own world. Watch this and you will understand what I am talking about.

Virgin Prunes—Excerpts from Sons Find Devils/“Walls of Jericho”

There is a VHS tape called Sons Find Devils, comprised of live shows and short experimental films (some of them made by Balance, from Coil). I had it as a teenager and watched it countless times. Sadly, it is not complete on YouTube or elsewhere but here are some small extracts. With their heretic mix of Irish Catholic imagery, Irish Paganism, Bataille, performance art and post punk, the Virgin Prunes made a unique and extraordinary body of work. A testament of its importance is that Gavin Friday was guest singer of two bands in this list: The Fall and Coil. And Mr. Scott Walker himself invited him to sing on a play. Maybe the historians ignore them, but Mark E. Smith, Scott Walker and Coil knew where it’s at, didn´t they? Their record If I die I die is a masterpiece. Produced by Colin Newman from Wire, no less, if you need more validation.

Boredoms—Vision Creation Newsun

I like some of the more comical, early work of Boredoms, but with Super AE and this one they got me. They got serious and spiritual, channeling Alice Coltrane, tribal drumming, kraut rock and noise into a glorious, euphoric sound. Maybe they are not visionaries, but their music can produce visions. I saw them around 2005 (on acid) with the three drummers line up, still in this phase. I remember thinking “this is what cavemen had in mind when they invented music.” I actually saw it, with my eyes closed. Early humans. In caves. Inventing music. God bless LSD.

Aphrodite´s Child — 666

The one record I bought for the cover only, it cost me 50 cents, best deal of my life. A concept album about the apocalypse. Easy contender for the best psychedelic rock album of all time. Pet Sounds? Get outta here. An absolute masterpiece.

Tim Buckley—Starsailor

Tim Buckley is a mystery. He died too young. How he went from his L.A. folk rock first album to the absolute unique sound of Starsailor and Lorca is impossible to understand and a miracle of music. All six records in between are masterpieces. He was possessed by genius and has the most beautiful voice. I don´t know much about him, but his music put me out there.

Sun Ra—Night Music 1989

Watch this. Space is The Place, indeed.

Pescado Rabioso—Artaud

This guy, Luis Alberto Spinetta, is considered by many to be the most important rock musician in my country. So being an arrogant teenage punk, or whatever, of course that alone was enough to reject him altogether without even thinking. But a couple of years ago I was blown away by a book of poems he published in 1978. Incredibly beautiful, unique and sophisticated poetry. I recently started, too late, to listen to his music. This is one of his most famous and revered records. It´s dedicated to, and inspired by Antonin Artaud, who tried and failed to reach the mystic enlightenment, generating a body of work in the process which is a testament to his spiritual ambition, his radical rejection of the material world and his pain. Spinetta understood this, he said the record was trying to find an answer to Artaud, a way out of it, a way out of the pain. It´s psychedelic music of the highest order. The lyrics are incredible but you can enjoy it even without understanding them.

Dead Can Dance—Dyonisios

I kept forgetting this band exists. This new album is great. I listened to it non-stop during last Winter/Spring. It´s the perfect time because the record is about Dyonisios, so as a soundtrack for the rebirth of Nature it´s perfect. Probably their best work in years. Sublime.

The Fall—“Garden” (Live at the Hacienda, Manchester, UK, 1984)

No list of visionary rock and roll would be complete without Mark E. Smith. Famously he said, “I used to be a psychic but I drank my way out of it.” Indeed, there was a time, between 1978-1990, when he was possessed by something, injecting realism with mysticism, mixing high and low planes, exposing the supernatural forces that hides in the cracks of everyday life. He never talks about hell neither heaven, but rather the way they mix and manifest here on Earth. You’ve got countless of bands using occult/mystic imagery, and you know it´s nice but it´s just a game. You’ve got thousands of bands referencing Burroughs and the cut-up technique, but no one can write as Burroughs did. MES did it. MES wasn´t playing. He was a realist of the augmented reality, he told it like it is, in his fragmented, hallucinatory, unpretentious, visionary prose poetry.

There is a lot in his lyrics that can be read in a mystic, occult way. He left a lot of clues for the ones that can read them. His texts are kaleidoscopic, and they reflect what´s in your mind, really. I think he will be recognized with time as the great experimental writer that he actually was rather than merely an angry Mancunian punk. He had more in common with someone like Iain Sinclair than with any other rock musician. One of my favorite web sites is The Annotated Fall, where fans analyze his lyrics in depth. Pay a visit if you can, I can´t recommended it enough. In many ways, he was too intelligent for rock and roll, and that´s why he was misunderstood, but he didn´t care, he believed in constant work, never explain, never apologize. The Fall took all the best things in rock and roll: Can, Velvet Underground, punk, Captain Beefheart, and pushed it to the next level. Our favorite rock group ever.

Huun Hur Tu — “Prayer”

I tried to stick to Western, modern music but I can´t help including this.

[jorge5000]

A psychonaut’s pre-covid 12-day Mexico itinerary

This is a short description of my trip to Mexico with a friend of mine in early March of 2019, just before the COVID breakout. The trip included some psychedelic tourism and a few short hikes. Hope it will help you plan your own trip or you'll just enjoy reading it.

The Psychonaut's Guide to the Galaxy

Key info:

Historical & cultural heritage sites in Mexico are absolutely amazing. We visited and I highly recommend Monte Alban near Oaxaca, Real de Catorce (an almost abandoned silver mining town), Tepoztlan (as a day trip from Mexico City - CDMX),  Iztaccihuatl National Park, and Teotichuacan. Numerous more if you have time. Yucatan deserves an itinerary of its own.

Psychedelic tourism. Psychedelic tourism in Mexico is thriving. Magic mushrooms and Salvia divinorum are growing in the humid Oaxaca region. Ayahuasca is available but I guess it’s imported. Bufo alvarius, the real DMT, is connected typically to Sonora, but is available according to the demand in other bigger cities. I used this site to find my Bufo alvarius provider. There were a few providers there offering events taking place in CDMX, Puebla, Orizaba etc. and including Ayahuasca, Bufo alvarius (a.k.a. Sapito), and/or Kambo. Peyote in Real de Catorce.

Trekking. We only did a few short hikes around San Jose del Pacifico, Real de Catorce, and Iztaccihuatl. Because we were short on time and because we weren’t so sure if it would be a good idea to wonder around on our own we did short, half-day or one-day treks.

Day by day:

Day 0: Arrive in Mexico City and leave for Oaxaca. Flights are frequent and can be as cheap as $40.

Wide open spaces of Monte Alban

Day 1: Oaxaca - visit Monte Alban, tickets $80. Get there by local bus or taxi. You can see it from the airplane if you are arriving to Oaxaca by plane.

Day 2: Oaxaca - town center, chilling and tasting some tequila.

Day 3: Take a bus to San Jose del Pacifico (SJDP). There's not much to do in SJDP except hike, take shrooms, and go to temazcal (sweat lodge). Shrooms are definitely overpriced considering they grow there ($300 for a weak dose, $500 for a regular one). They typically are fresh shrooms stored in little plastic bottles filled with honey to preserve them and you can get them in a variety of places including hostels. Doses are small - if you know what you are doing you will need two at least. Remember that hostel guests are on shrooms if small-talk feels strange. There are plenty of places to do temazcal anywhere on the road continuing from the Hilltop hostel. Choose a place that looks quiet. Our hostel sent us to a place directly at a construction site (!?) which killed the atmosphere. We've heard good things about Paco Temazcalero. His place is a 30-minutes walk continuing on the road that took you to the Hilltop hostel. Just follow the road and you'll see a sign on the right. Another 10 minutes down a dirt road from that sign. Make sure to add him on Facebook before you arrive and check if he's there because occasionally he relocates to CDMX. He wasn't there when we came, but we made friends with his dogs and continued the hike following the road.

Hilltop hostel sunset in SJDP

Day 4: Hike around SJDP. Take the path continuing uphill from the Hilltop hostel and continue along it. It will take you to a forest and to the top of the hill separating inland from the ocean side. One side has 100% humidity, the other a significantly lower humidity and more sun. An abundance of Salvia divinorum can be found in the humid side of the forest, especially on the edges of forest roads.

Day 5: Return to Oaxaca and catch a flight to Monterrey. Explore Monterrey and catch a bus to Real de Catorce via Matehuala later in the afternoon. Enjoy the comfort of 3-seats-in-a-row buses. They even ask you what kind of chocolate and a softdrink you want when you’re getting in.

Day 6: Real de Catorce is an amazing town surrounded by several ghost towns left there after the collapse of the silver price in early 1900s. Local tourists visit as well. Just roam the streets and enjoy it. Other than that you can catch a day trip on one of the Willys. They typically take you around to the the neighboring ghost town of Socavón de Purísima, to see a Peyote cactus near San José de Milpitas (no, you cant eat that one, its just for showing), and then finally leave you for an hour or so in Estacion de Catorce, the small town around a train station.

Willys. Ride on top for best views and NDEs

Rumor has it that Peyote can be found there in the fields surrounding the rails leading south towards Estacion Wadely, but those rumors are likely to be false. What is plentiful there, on the other hand, are desert plants with large thorns evolved to penetrate and grab hold of your skin or clothes. There’s not a lot of traffic on the road that goes parallel to the rails, so plan your adventure accordingly (keeping in mind that fortune favors the brave).

Day 7:  Walk around Real. Walking paths can take you around Real, through some ghost villages and agave fields, and further on to Cerro El Quemado Wixarika, a sacred place for Wixárika people. Some great views are to be found along the way. Make sure to take enough water with you.

Views around Real de Catorce

Day 8: A gringo determined to get a taste of the sacred medicine would likely find his way by talking discretely to one of the horse excursion providers and communicating their needs. The tour would likely be arranged to start just before the sunrise to avoid day heat. You and your party would ride out with your guide on horses from Real towards Las Vigas, maybe even south towards Ranchito de Coronados, where your guide would tell you you should stay by the horses while he will try to find the medicine for you. It would likely take him a good few hours. You would be free to try to find the medicine together with your guide, but know that Peyote only likes to reveal itself to those who speak its language and treat it with respect. Since the possession of the medicine is illegal, especially for non-natives, you would be requested to eat it straight away and listen to what it has to say to you on the way back. Given its scarcity and slow growth rate, you would only be likely to find a small dose which won’t make riding back to Real on your horse an issue. Horses are already used to that I guess.

Day 9: CDMX. Exploring the city, taking it easy and enjoying and some Lucha libre in the evening.

Day 10/11: CDMX and surroundings. Nice day trips from CDMX include Tepoztlan (UFO capital of Mexico with a nice pyramid on a hill just next to the town), Amecameca (to visit Iztaccihuatl National Park) and, without doubt, Teotichuacan. Both Tepoztlan and Amecameca can be don by bus. We missed the last bus in the evening, so we tried to find an Uber (all declined) and later a taxi from the airport to Amecameca in the evening. Only a registered cab company agreed to take us there. We paid the official fare, but the driver still hated us for having to do it.

Tepoztlan street art

Day 12: Some more psychedelic tourism. I found a provider of Bufo alvarius and the ceremony was about to take place near Teotichuacan on a rented property including a small campsite, a bonfire, and toilet facilities in the nearby house. It included kambo (starting around 6 pm), aya (starting around 9 pm with drinking aprt of the ceremony starting around midnight), and smoking DMT the next morning (around 8 am). That was a tight schedule, but that's how they roll and I roll just as hard. A wonderful experience overall, even with the language barrier due to me not speaking Spanish. A very trustable and caring provider. I paid $3000 for all three medicines (usually it's $1500 for any of the three) plus $185 for a tent. I was reborn several times during that period, and finally went on to visit Teotichuacan the next day with some friends I just made there at the ceremony. Got on a flight back home in the evening taking me back home. Little did I know what COVID had prepared for us in the meanwhile.

Avenue of the Dead, Teotichuacan

[the-flying-aquatos]

Y’know what, fuck this, fuck you *marine biology’s your psychonauts*  ft. my internet bestie for about one screenshot

Bonus Sam Idea: