#and still not being over it for 1000 years that he based his entire belief system on that event

[valnyte]

Touko Kuzuha Route Review

a few things of note:

I mainly play the adult version; I have an alt account but it is the regular version)

I chose the 妖艶 ending as it was the one showed for the previews (at least in the adult PV); I can confirm that this end does continue to Kuzuha's current Christmas story event story

Based on the way my uni structured its Japanese language classes, I can only say my Japanese fluency level is around 中級 level but still kept a dictionary app by my side

I am not a translator and I will not be translating his route

keep in mind that this is MY opinion, you are free to have your own and read his route as you wish

Plot: 3.5/5 ★

Kuzuha as a character: 4/5 ★

Kuzuha as a partner in a romantic relationship: 1.5/5 ★ (I am being generous)

Kuzuha when it comes to smutty situations: 8/5 ★

MC: 2/5 ★ (Again, I am being generous)

Personal route enjoyment: 3.5/5 ★

tw: dubcon, self-harm

MASSIVE spoilers up ahead so read at your own risk

If I were to summarise his route in one statement its: one-night-stand turns into a friends with (medicinal) benefits relationship that becomes a situationship until these dumbasses finally learn that direct communication is perhaps the IDEAL solution.

Can you see why I want to squeeze him?

Starting with plot, it reads like a fluffy and spicy story, heavily focused on the situationship they landed themselves in which has the air of a romcom. Seriously MC, you just let this guy who you don't know very well crash your apartment and live with you? Just because you slept with him once and found him petting a fluffy cat later on? Kuzuha is incredibly unserious as well for the most part but it is entertaining to see whatever the hell he is up to with MC, if he's going to tease her or spoil her - albeit, usually in bed. Though truth be told, I could not really see much of the romantic chemistry between them, mostly sexual chemistry and understandably so. For a romcom-y theme, I was not expecting something too high stakes but I was actually kept at the edge of my seat once the story hit around the 3/4 point as something I did not even consider an eventual side plot would turn into. Everything before the 3/4 point was very rom-com with a side of magical healing. Storywise, things sped up really quickly after that point, but so did the resolution. I had no issues with the pacing thus far, but the resolution was a bit fast. Nevertheless, it was entertaining, and I will do his route again after hopping unto a fresh route.

Next, Kuzuha himself. Oh boy. Oh boy, oh boy. Wow, you really are a mess with a pretty face. His character profile labelling him "trash" [クズ] is not a joke in the slightest, he is one, and hell, he knows it with zero remorse. Even Tsubaki shit talks to MC in private that Kuzuha is a bit of a shit and neither of them will ever deny it. It makes sense that little pretty trashy kitsune becomes jealous of Ryo once MC brings the topic of her new co-worker/childhood classmate/first crush up. And it is because he knows deep down, he's not that reliable at all, save for his healing magic and his abundant sex appeal.

However as much as I will affectionately clown him, he does have his reasons why he's flippant, and everything ties back to him as the Kuzunoha kitsune. As kitsune, his liver is hunted down for the fact it has high healing capabilities, he has been hunted down in the past (by humans and youma alike) and even in the present (only by youma now), he does dislike the fact he is only seen as useful for this healing aspect. Not to mention physically painful with how parts of his liver have to be taken away and despite his highly regenerative state, its taxing to do. Moreso when it is not by his free will. Next, he is Kuzunoha from legend - there are many variants mind you, but Cybird x DMM did their own spin on it. TLDR how the legend is explained ingame: more than a thousand years back while he was being hunted down in fox form, he was caught in a trap, and he was set free by Abe no Yasuna. As gratitude, Kuzuha transformed into a beautiful woman and lived with Abe no Yasuna and the child of the latter, taking on the role of woman of the house/step in mother. A few years passed safely but then one day, Kuzuha's true identity as kitsune was revealed, and thus was chased out from the home, never seeing them again.

This then led him to the conclusion: "Love is not reciprocal. Either you take it, or it is taken from you."

Ouch.

And he does live with this conclusion set in stone for more than a thousand years until he meets MC and does not realise he is actively falling for her as the weeks go by when living with her. "Love is a one-way road," he said at the beginning. Not in this otome game, sir, it's only a one-way road because you're fictional.

All that aside, he has some very heartwarming sides to him. Despite his devil may care attitude and his love is never returned beliefs, he cannot change the fact he's genuinely compassionate towards others. It is bittersweet to read him filled with so much empathy for others cannot understand himself at the slightest. Healing MC's inability to sleep well in a very unconventional way when she didn't even ask for it at the start, to the point of actively being the one to stab himself to get a piece of his liver out to help save someone's life because he knows firsthand the pain and difference of a youma and human relationship. Characters who are a living irony of themselves am I right?

Not to mention that gentle side of his is further explored once he genuinely starts considering MC as a romantic partner. Still a big tease though .

But it does not mean he is entirely exempt from his flaws. I will address something that I did have issues with since the start: he technically coerced MC into going further with him in their first chapter. She was unsure about having sex with him at first but just a few heated moments later, one thing led to another then yup they screwed. By the time she realised it, it was too late as they already did the deed and she was shortly angry with him. Narrativewise, she was technically trapped in a "fuck him or your spirit disappears when the incense fully burns out" but he only told her that AFTER instead of the BEGINNING. Kuzuha... That is A CHOICE to make, and not a good one - considering you were the one who gave her the incense sticks in the first place 💀 Not entirely comfy with that situation even if he treated her gently. Sure he's the gentlest suitor in the starter pack, but that's just a little bit hmmmmmmmmmm. He has other flaws as well but that is my biggest gripe with him.

Would I consider him as a good romantic partner? Not exactly on that thread given how he has boundaries he wants respected but does not respect others' boundaries. He has a full point for actively looking out for MC and listening to her and responding to that at least. But he is 100% not the type of guy MC can show to her parents and get instant approval for a few other glaring issues.

This is how I see him maybe meeting the parents going in my head:

"So how did you meet?"

"Um..."

"What's your job?"

"Haha, about that-"

When it comes to sexy times in his route, there's a lot of very intensely heated moments, given his nature and the fact he's 90% in close proximity to her because he ends up living with her like a roommate/friend with benefits. Mugenro by itself has very lengthy sex scenes, and partially voiced so yes please do not be like me who forgets to turn down the volume 💀 He is a big tease, but once he knows how desperate she is, oh he's rewarding her a hundred times over. He's skilled, good grief, he knows it and makes use of everything he knows to send anyone to high heaven. Also outdoor sex does happen in one of the avatar challenges, yes I got it because I was curious and I am damn well not regretting it. Just saying, his voice getting raspy had me going, I need to hear this at home. Alone. Ehe.

Ok enough about Kuzuha, time to turn to MC. Girl... Because why. On one hand, I actively like the fact she's quite possessive towards him at the end, directly telling him there's a boundary he should never cross with her and he listens. But for the rest of the time, sweetie, there's a fine line being nice and then being trodded underfoot. And where is your common sense girl, you barely knew the guy and you're letting him crash at your place immediately? She has all the position to refuse him but nooooo. I cannot blame her for being attracted to Kuzuha with his debonair charm, but I do want to wring her like laundry sometimes with how downright idiotic she can get. Even she's not safe from being scolded by Kuzuha himself for running into a very dangerous situation. Maybe sit down with the blindfold from seeing the red flags for a moment and maybe come to terms with the different lifespans for a bit. Even just a little bit. I will give her a full point for taking on the usually active role instead of being passive and letting him make the decisions for her as she is more decisive than this free-spirited fox, but otherwise, ma'am you have a brain, don't let it waste away.

Overall, I did enjoy Kuzuha's route and will do it again to full clear everything, just not now. Not my true cup of tea, but he is arguably the nicest of the suitors so far and I am glad I read his route first. And because he's cute. If I make a plushie of him, he's going to become my new stress toy.

Have a blushie Kuzuha for the end:

K, bye.

[apothekosm]

Belief & Apotheosis (a multi-part headcanon)

With this collection of words & references, I am hoping to provide both context and a 'mechanical understanding' to the following statement:

Ana'Hira fashioned herself into a God over the course of her life by rewriting her 'status' in the eyes of the universe, through sheer overwhelming belief.

By referring to herself as such (A God) and by getting others to believe that she is such (A GOD), she became as such (A GOD!).

Certain actions & events had to transpire in order to create the perfect conditions for Ana'Hira's ascension to be possible, of course, but an overwhelming majority (about 90%) of the 'evolution' from 'cosmic clone' to 'universal host' to 'divine being' came from within. A simple mantra of 'I believe in myself.'

To get there, i first need to take you here:

Skrull Religions & The Last Members of the Skrull Pantheon (or, Part One: The Book of Worlds)

In the eyes of the Skrull, RELIGION has often taken a huge, huge backseat to science and military might after the original printing of the Book of Worlds (The Skrull version of a Quran/Legendarium/Litany of Prophecies) was lost during the destruction of Skrullos by THE GREAT HUNGER. (An event PROPHESIED in the Book of Worlds, mind you)

[It's important to note: The Book of Worlds is much more similar to the Quran than a Bible or the Torah, because The Book of Worlds was written by The Gods themselves. It's not 'stories being told by those inspired by the actions of the divine, but a pen-to-paper transcription of the word(s) of The Gods themselves.]

Without the dedicated word of their Gods available for perusal, most Skrull cultures fell in line behind those they believed ordained by Gods: The Emperors, The Empresses, The Cosmic Cubes & The Super Skrulls.

Anyone with the might to rule was followed, as the base idea that 'their might was ordained by the Gods' still prevailed even if the more intricate and subtle lessons of the religions were fading over time. However, some houses, families, and even entire planets (separate from the Throneworld, though they may be) held tight to the idea of the Old Pantheon; to the worship of Kly'Bn the Eternal, and Sl'gur't, of Infinite Names.

Two Skrulls, born millions of years ago, that became THE First Two (and in the eyes of some, ONLY) Skrull Gods.

Millions of years ago, at the conclusion of the Skrull civil war between the three sub-species (Deviant Skrulls, Prime Skrulls, and Eternal Skrulls), after the Prime Skrulls had been exterminated, Sl'gur't the warrior queen of the Deviant Skrulls led her people against the last Eternal Skrull stronghold. When she found the last Eternal Skrull (Kly'bn) who was kneeling at an altar, he persuaded her not to kill him but to let him be their guide and proclaimed his love for her. The two were elevated to godhood because of the truth of his words. The two of them indirectly supported the creation and expansion of the Skrull Empire. They conquered and enslaved the pantheons of the conquered races, numbering nearly 1000 pantheons.

Now THAT THERE IN THE MIDDLE, that's the bit! The important bit. Kly'bn & Sl'gur't ascended to divinity and ruled over their people, literally uplifted into the realm of Gods, simply by finding the TRUTH in Kly'bn's words. A 'truth', mind you, that was simply:

(For a non-pontificating translation: You've killed everything on this planet that is not like you. But the entire universe is not like you. With myself here, as the pinnacle and mould for what Skrulls should be, I will guide us all to the subjugation, destruction, and conquering of the universe around us.)

And that Truth was enough. Seriously. That was it.

At that moment, every Skrull in the 'Empire' held the exact same thought: These two beings will lead us into our future, they will sit in the stars, eternal and infinite, and light the way for our species forevermore. I love them, as they love me... My Gods.

And that was enough.

The Power of Belief transformed two, otherwise ordinary individuals, into eternal (they lived MILLIONS OF YEARS after these panels. MILLIONS.), powerful (they fought Hercules' God Squad in a 2v5 and almost won), GODS.

And if it was possible for them, even when the Empire was statistically at its least populated? Then it could be possible for any child of Skrullos, should the right conditions be met...

ENTER: Ana'Hira. (or, Part Two coming soon!)

[bean-na-farraige-agus-foraoise]

Druids ain’t shit and here’s why.

Straight from the Pond- here’s a lesson from your friendly neighborhood historian.

It’s a long post so the history lesson is under the cut. 

Druidic “history” (or pseudohistory rather) actually begins with early renaissance politics. 

Basically Italy is dominating politics and religion by being able to call back to an ancient history that led directly into the formation of the centralized Catholic church. Surprising nobody who's familiar with European history- the German states want in on that action but they don't really have that direct line linking them to antiquity beyond their conquering by Rome- so, like any good 15th century academics, they create that link by just making shit up. 

So they look back at ancient roman writings, and see mention of druids, and also realize that they actually don't know fuck all about them, there's no records of them beyond a few classical authors- and for the record, classical authors are NOTORIOUSLY unreliable, there are entire graduate level seminars dedicated to teaching people how to read through ancient Roman propaganda, almost every druid I have ever met has taken classical authors at face value, anyway I digress, they just start making up a history of the druids, German lands used to be populated by Celts, and they create these mystical druids who serve as the direct precursor to The Church in these areas, like they forge documents and everything so when Italy goes "oh yeah since when?" they have something to hold up as a "gotcha" - they fashion statues and hide them in crypts as further evidence. It’s wild. 

So, France sees that the German states are becoming more politically popular within the HRE (Holy Roman Empire) because of these druid stories, and so they go "Hey Celts used to live in France too... we should have druids"- and they create druid stories. Scotland at the time is very close with France politically and they go "Hey us too, we're still Celts,” and then it spreads to Wales, and then England. Ireland is mostly staying out of druid nonsense- like in this period of the OG pseudohistories Ireland is like "this is disgusting we don't want druids" so like all the writings in Ireland in this period on druids are like "yeah the Church HATES druids"

Things quiet down for a little bit, because the stories are established, the cards have been played, whatever, but then Neo-Classicism and the Enlightenment- and now suddenly it's cool to have ancient history again - but like... Britain has "we got conquered by Rome" or "hey a few centuries ago people were saying we had druids?”; so naturally the more nationalistic go with druids....which is how we get, Iolo Morganweg.  Iolo's real name is Edward Williams but he insisted on going by his "bardic name"- bc druids.  Williams was a Welsh antiquarian- who is in some scholastic circles considered the father of “modern” druidry.  Williams literally named his son Taliesin after the bardic poet behind the Poems of Taliesin which is frequently in association with the Mabinogi in Brythonic texts. To pull from the wiki on this asshole: 

[he made] claims that ancient Druidic tradition had survived the Roman conquest, the conversion of the populace to Christianity, the persecution of bards under King Edward I, and other adversities. His forgeries develop an elaborate mystical philosophy, which he claimed as a direct continuation of ancient Druidic practice. Williams's reportedly heavy use of laudanum may have been a contributing factor

Yeah.... just... yeah. So not only did he forge like hella documents, which today in the 21st century, over 100 years after he was revealed as a fraud, are still more popular than the originals- but he also is the reason that ogham is like that. Williams created a ‘bardic alphabet’ based on combining Scandinavian runes and extant ogham - we are still wading through his bullshit trying to fix ogham. 

And this brings us to the Celtic Twilight...... 

To quote @liminalblessings​, “And a bunch of noodle fuckers decide "hey, we didn't bastardize the Irish enough for the last however long.... We should do more of that."” But for those of you not familiar with the term, it's a nationalistic pan-Celtic movement that wanted to like, make the Celts in vogue again? but like their idea of the Celts as "noble savage” - because the modern era was scary. At this point, Pan-Celtic Nationalism is starting to rise as pushback against British colonialism in Celtic nations. Unfortunately it's heavily reliant on the Druid myth as like.... A foundational shared cultural history between the surviving Celtic nations. The point largely is, though, "look at us. We should all be sticking together because we're the same / cousins / brothers". Which leads to a L O T of Celtic culture from various countries kind of getting.... molded into one singular idea- which is USUALLY what we think of today when we think of Celts. Basically everything gets branded as Irish because the Irish were “pure” and a “separate racial identity” as opposed to the Scots and Welsh. It took that idea of a pan-Celtic singularity, and then went ham with it mostly on Irish pre-Christian stuff, and as it occurred not too long after Williams’ fuckery, it really cemented those forgeries and psuedohistories in the cultural memory. And Williams wasn’t exposed as a fraud until after the Celtic Twilight had died down.

Now... Yeats, we all know Yeats- some people recommend his writings for learning about the fairies. DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE PEOPLE. Yeats makes up an entire tree calendar, and also files all Scottish fairy lore under the “Irish” tab because he’s part of the Celtic Twilight and didn’t you know that everything Celtic is actually Irish? Fuck this guy. #yeetyeats

Enter... Robert Graves- destroyer of histories and all around fuckwit. Graves maked up an ENTIRE religious notion around a mother goddess and shit. And like, the irony of that is the people he supposedly went to originally were like lol dude you're a fucking idiot none of this is real. But he published it anyways and of course it got taken seriously. And then there's a lot of reverse etymology at this point which is just.... really bad linguistics. And because of Graves’ white goddess + said bad linguistics by others, you get Danu.(Danu is a whole thing, please shoot me an ask if you want a post about all of that nonsense). 

So.... Gerald Gardener.... to quote @liminalblessings​ again- “didn’t have a direct role in druidism, except he kind of did.”  See, Gardner had a good friend who was hella interested in the Celtic twilight. Said friend was hella inspiried by Gardner's "recreation" of old British trad witch traditions... But he didn't jive with the old British trad witch traditions. HE jived with Irish Druidry. So while Gardner's doing HIS thing, his friend's doing the modern Druid thing- heavily drawing from Gardner's own work but "making it more historically Druid" Except, as you may have picked up- there is no such thing as “historically druid” that can be reconstructed. Basically he can only pull from Williams, but because he had issues with with the old 15th century on stuff, up to the Twilight era (despite those being his sources) so he tries to distance himself from the earlier movements and leans hella heavy into Gardner's work as a result. Which is, if you've ever wondered, why Wicca and Druidry have such incredibly similar ritual structures and beliefs.

SO, this guy starts the Druid Order, decides that he’s gonna like pull his teachings from Williams- but he's also gonna say that Williams has nothing to do with his druidry because y'know, Williams has relatively recently been revealed as a fraud. This guy goes through the grueling process of ripping off his best bud gardner founding Druidry, right. So The Druid Order has this rebranding in 1951, that lauds the “history of the druids” as written by Williams but simultaneously rejects Williams saying “yeah we have nothing whatsoever to do with that guy.” Mix into this narrative, Gardener’s “burning times” bullshit, and now not only do we have mythical pseudohistorical druids, but a rewrite of Williams’ “the druids survived conversion” which then turned into - “The druids were heavily persecuted by the church and survived a horrible burning times but despite this there’s a tradition of continuous druidic belief.” Here begins the bullshit known as “vestiges of pagan thought”- which took actual historians not even a decade to disprove, and yet still circulates in pagan circles, because nobody picks up a fucking book.  Theoretical Folkloric archaeology became very popular at this time, which postulates (incorrectly) that all folk traditions and folklore absolutely stems from Pagan times and is 100% the Christianization of pagan practices and thoughts- which is not at all true. (Not-so-friendly reminder that Eostre? DOESN’T FUCKING EXIST. STOP FALLING FOR A JOKE MADE BY A MONK)

Td;lr so far- the druids went from 

the Catholic clergy before the Catholics existed 

to 

a religious group that survived conversion

to

druids survived an intense and violent persecution 

And now? In this our 21st century? 

Well.... druidic organizations today tend to still push these ahistorical narratives, that buy into the pagan persecution complex.... and several of these organizations also have known racists and terfs on their recommended reading lists. And while some organizations have made attempts to become more historically accurate- but the end result is usually.... bad. It tends to result in them using a source from like 1960 that’s been disproven 1000 times since by other historians to go “look a historian agrees with us!” rather than like... keep up with current research trends and academic standards. Druids also tend to be hostile to the syncretism of the Irish church which is just..... so fucking dumb. Don’t worship gaelic deities if you can’t accept that our lore are Christian texts about pagan beliefs. 

So yeah..... druids ain’t shit and I can prove it historically. I am also more than willing to send anyone links to full length books on the history of druids if you want to learn more. 

[erinhime83]

So…so, since someone managed to get my muse all Sailor Moon happy, I figured I’d take the time to complete a couple of design sheets I’ve had sitting around for, like, a couple of years.  So, yeah, while this seems like this might have been an undertaking, they were all pretty much done around the same time as when the Sailor Aeolus design went up, except the last two.  I just had been too lazy to really finish them to be put on deviantArt.

I mean, it wasn’t that much of an undertaking to begin with, seeing as they’re all basically the same design, so it involved a lot of copy/pasting.  ;P

The only thing that I did to them for this was change their casual designs from their school uniforms to actual clothes because I had the idea of taking the school angle away and just make the story take place on, say, Aeolus, but I decided that doesn’t work 100% with what I have planned, but still.  Maybe they don’t have uniforms?  

I also did up the last two recently, but again, it didn’t take that much effort.  I just wanted to design the main villain, and then figured I might as well toss in her teammate as well.

Sailor Aeolus/Aeris Anemone/Erin O’Colley – CLEARLY, I didn’t do much to her since the last design other than changing up her civilian outfit like I mentioned.  I still love the idea of her hair being magically altered so no one knows she’s actually the princess Aeris (and I like how Aeris and Erin sound close enough that it’d make sense for her to adapt a more common name in hiding), but then the Millennium Crystal negates the magic and reveals the Aeolian royal family is quite alive and well.

Basically, when Aeris was young, her planet was attacked by the previous Sailor Nemesis, who did a hell of a lot of damage before the previous Sailor Aeolus (Aeris’ mother) faced her down.  The explosion that ended the fight ended Nemesis, and the common belief was that it ended Aeolus as well.  And since her family was nearby, they thought they had all died as well.  Aeolus took her family and hide them in order to protect them because of this, and the general idea was that the power of Aeolus was lost.

And yet, no one really thought much about the fact that this girl who was around Aeris’ age shows up at the Academy with the power of Aeolus, go figure.  They really just thought the power transferred to her instead of simply being reborn.  Erin (Erin being the nickname her commoner father gave her when she was born) is actually unremarkable as far as students are concerned – she’s a model student, sure, but she’s honestly just another face in the crowd to most people.  At least until it’s discovered she’s the lost princess of Aeolus.  For some odd reason, despite just having the power of Wind, Aeolus is considered extremely powerful and people want her power.  Doubly so with the Millennium Crystal.

Sailor Gaios/Terra Fitz – I think it’s funny how this character is now required to be dark skinned, no matter what form it is.  ;P  I like her eyeliner, and I have no idea why I gave it to her, lol.

So Terra is Erin’s best friend/roommate.  They started at the Academy at the same time, and have been together ever since.  Terra actually comes from a species that’s, like, 75% women, which, of course, changed the gender dynamic.  Since there’s so few men, no one really settles down with them because they need to be available to, you know, continue the species and all that.  Most couples are lesbian, obviously.

Terra comes from a different sort of family.  Her parents settles together, and even had another child.  Full blooded siblings are highly unusual.  As such, Terra’s upbringing was different than most of her people, and while she’s definitely a tomboy, she’s not exactly one-of-the-guys, either.  Mostly, this is important just because the previous Gaius was her aunt rather than her mother.  Her aunt never had any children, which is why the power went to her instead.

Terra is fiercely loyal to Erin, and people always think she has a crush on the redhead, but they’re really just BFFs.  Due to her tomboy nature, Terra is very hands on with combat, and is a bit of a tank in the group.

Aegir/Nereus Knight/Seamus Triteia/Patrick McHaley – Yeah, he’s got a lot of names.  >.<    But I guess it makes sense considering it’s the only male and he’s a villain hiding amongst the heroes.  Sorta.  

So before the attack on Aeolus, there was an uprising on Nereus that ended up displacing the Nereis royal family on Aeolus.  Seamus and Aeris basically grew up together because of this, resulting in them becoming super close.  However, when Aeolus was attacked, Seamus was captured and brought to the evil people in order to be brainwashed into helping them.

A little spoiler alert, but the brainwashing actually didn’t take full effect. He just sort of acts like it did because it makes his life a little easier. He developed a dark form of his power and took on the name Aegir, and fights alongside the villains for a while. However, they decided to have him infiltrate the Academy, and he took on the alias Patrick McHaley.  (Due to the fact that Nereids don’t believe in marriage, no one actually knows who Seamus’ father actually is, except for Seamus and his mother, so he adapts his father’s surname as his alias.)  

While at the Academy, he ends up becoming really close with Erin (of course), and decides to join her even before it’s revealed that she is actually his first love.  When he gains his own Millennium Crystal, it wipes away the evil form and reveals him to be Nereus Knight.  Except, like I said, he was never evil to begin with, so…yeah.  

Sailor Helios/Angelia De Helios – I really could have given her a more ‘alien’ form, but I figured I needed to separate her from Aerona, sadly.  

Sadly, I don’t have that much on the last members of the team.  She’s bubbly and happy and optimistic.  The only bit of drama she has going for her is the fact that her sister disappeared some time ago, and she’s been searching for her off and on when she can.  

Sailor Aethos/Sunny Colours – I really love Sunny’s design.  I think it’s funny I took the Iris name from her, but still gave her the rainbow hair, go figure.  But hey, she’s a soldier of light, and like refracts and it still totally works!  I really like her civilian outfit.  While it was stolen from someone else, I might have to find a use for it elsewhere…well, in this form, to be precise.  ^^;

Sunny probably has the most normal life.  Her sister doesn’t care for her very much, but otherwise, no much has happened in her life other than her becoming Sailor Aethos.  She enjoys being the guardian of her planet, and I believe her claim to fame is the fact that she’s the first to get a Millennium Crystal.

Sailor Erebus/Melody Draga- Melody is Erin’s cousin through her mother/Erin’s father.  Which is impressive, since her father is, like, 1000 years old.  Basically, her parents met because Seren has business on Aeolus, and Amelia was visiting her brother, and sort of caught the eye of Seren briefly.  They had a bit of fun which resulted in Amelia becoming pregnant and Seren bringing her back to Erebus with him.

Except she was one of many concubines/wives.  Melody was raised sort of separated from the rest of her half-siblings, although her father did care for her.  But she was a Halfling and the child of a commoner, so she was looked down upon.  So everyone was surprised when it turned out to be her that inherited the Erebus power.  

Melody is actually the only one who knows Erin’s true identity, but that’s mostly because she guessed/knew of Aeris’ nickname.  Aeris was pretty much her only friend growing up until her ‘death’, so she and Erin became really close at the Academy.  She’s also the second one to gain her Millennium Crystal.

Sailor Thanatos/Alex Lea – It’s sort of obvious that I based her hair off the Earthia Thanatians. I just thought it would be funny.  But I differentiated them by giving her normal skin.

Thanatos was an unknown member of the team until very recently.  They hadn’t known about the Academy or the other members for, like, ever, so the previous Thanatos’ have just sort of been winging it. They were rather surprised to learn they were actually a part of a team and very eager to send Alex off to the Academy to meet them.

The previous Thanatos is Alex’s grandmother, since the power skipped a generation.  She actually joined the Academy at the very start of the story, which is why her first form is a lot older than the others.  She hadn’t figured out her second form yet, but she figures it out very quickly with the help of the others.  She generally feels out of place because she hasn’t been around the whole time, but the others are very exciting to have her around and love being with her, and are very welcoming.

Sailor Nemesis/Topaz – Ugh, I love this design!  It absolutely sucks that she’s a villain.  >.<  Don’t ask me why I gave her species horns while trying to make everyone human-eque. I just thought it’d look cool.

So, obviously, Topaz lost her mother in the attack on Aeolus, and she one hundred percent blames Erin for this fact since she’s the one who now holds the power her mother sought.  Her entire reason for being is to get revenge for her mother’s death, which is one reason she sends Aegir to the Academy to get dirt on her.

She’s also completely in love with Seamus, which is one of many reasons he was abducted in the first place.  He obviously shows no feelings for her, since he’s always been in love with Aeris, but that doesn’t stop her from acting like they’re destined.  

She’s actually a very competent villain, but once Aeolus started to get involved in her schemes, she’s started to get a little sloppy, which is why, of course, the guardians are always able to get the upper hand over her.  I was thinking about giving her a Millennium form as well, but decided to keep that to be something only Aeolus and her team can achieve.

Sailor Eris/Morrisa de Helios – Again, I love this design sheet, and hate that the best designs are being used for the villains, lol.  This one has the best concept to boot.

So, obviously, Eris is Helios’ lost sister.  Basically, she was rather angry about the fact that her younger sister is the one who inherited the Helios power, and ran away.  She ended up coming across the previous Eris over there, who decided to bestow the power to her.

See, while the other powers are always inherited, usually between family members, the Eris power is always given.  It’s the reason why her secondary color is different from the previous form. Morrisa sort of hates playing second fiddle to Topaz, but she also doesn’t mind because she considers Topaz a close friend.

(I got a laugh at the thought of Topaz making them have sort of matching dressed and then wear the same shoes because she 100% would do something like that.)

Morrisa isn’t necessarily a bad person, just misguided and a little vengeful, which is why she works well with Topaz.  She’s not a huge fan of Aegir, but tolerates him for the most part, but feels hurt when he does got and betray him, since he was just always…there.)  Oh, and she does care for her little sister, which makes her missions interesting when she’s around.  

I was enjoying thinking about this story and was actually considering maybe doing a fan-fic for NaNo this year, lol.  But I figure I might as well toss up the designs somewhere rather than sitting on them for another three years, and it might as well be Tumblr, right? (Tumblr tends to keep the file size and not just have the shrinked version years later XD)

[tomasorban]

The Dogon’s Extraordinary Knowledge of the Cosmos and the Cult of Nommo

France, 1920: Marcel Griaule is a young man who is very well-established in his studies, especially in mathematics. He has recently served as a volunteer in the French Air Force and aspires to attend the prestigious Lycée Louis le Grande.

Although his future already seems marked, fate has other plans for him - a new road that begins to take shape when he decides to attend a conference that same year. The speakers are Marcel Mauss, anthropologist, sociologist, and historian of religions, and Marcel Cohen, linguist.

Griaule is struck by their words and decides to devote himself entirely to the study of anthropology. Between 1928 and 1933 he took part in two ethnographic expeditions, and in this period (1930) he came into contact with a mysterious African tribe: the Dogon.

The opportunity was given to him during a period of study in Mali alongside his pupil Germaine Dieterlen, who was also a pupil of Mauss and deeply interested in the study of ancient myths. From that moment, the mystery of the Nommo is born. It is an element of an ancient heritage of which we cannot expand without having first spoken of the Dogon people.

One People, Many Mysteries

The Dogon are a tribe that lives in a desert land of Mali, near the border with Burkina Faso. It is a place that welcomed them after their escape to avoid the expansionist pressures of the medieval empires…we are around the year 1000, during the fierce battles on the banks of the Niger river.

Many researchers have already discussed the range of mysteries that surround these people, but what interests us particularly for the development of the hypotheses contained in this article is their complex cosmogony, based on faith in a creative god, Amma, and in a creation produced by the movements of the “Egg of the World”.

A Dogon schematic of the “egg of the world” . 

On the basis of these beliefs, the “Nommo”, the eight pro-genitors of the Dogon, brought to Earth a basket containing the clay necessary to build the grain stores of their villages. This image, which at first sight appears quite simple and devoid of particular significance, hides in reality a very profound knowledge of the universe and of the celestial bodies.

The granary represents the universe, its scales symbolize both the males and females that generated the Dogon and the various stars and constellations: in this sense we will find the Pleiades in the north, Orion in the south, and a comet in the west. So, everything started with a “basket”, or container, that carried life.

Dogon Astronomical Knowledge

But the thing that most struck the two scholars was the finding that, despite the Dogon having come into contact with our civilization in fairly recent times (about the beginning of the century), they possessed incredible scientific and astronomical knowledge. Some of this knowledge was certainly the result of a cultural heritage that is millennia old, but one element in particular has decidedly current characteristics - the detailed knowledge of the star Sirius.

The Dogon were in fact aware of the fact that Sirius is a binary system (i.e. a system consisting of two stars, Sirius A and Sirius B); they were aware of the fact that Sirius B revolves around Sirius A with an elliptical orbit and over a period corresponding to 50 years; and the most disconcerting discovery was that the Dogon knew the exact position of Sirius A within the ellipse.

Sirius A and Sirius B as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. The white dwarf can be seen to the lower left. (NASA, ESA, H. Bond/STScI, M. Barstow/University of Leicester/ CC BY 3.0 )

Many may wonder what is so disconcerting about all this? The amazement arises from the fact that it was only in 1862 when the American astronomer Alvan Clark deduced the existence of Sirius B using a telescope, among the most advanced for that era, and it was not before 1970 that there was confirmation of the existence of this star, not to mention a photograph of it.

Yet the Dogon knew of it hundreds of years before, and not only that, they called Sirius B with the name of “Po Tolo”; this name is certainly the most apt and shocking way to describe this system, the term Tolo, in fact, means star, while Po refers to a typical cereal that has the characteristic of being extremely heavy despite its small size; an expression, therefore, very close to reality since Sirius B is a white dwarf and, as such, has a very high density.

A Dogon diagram said to represent Sirius B’s elliptical orbit around Sirius A. ( CC BY SA 3.0 )

All this information is practically inaccessible without adequate astronomical equipment, and it is useless to specify that the Dogon had never come into possession of any such instrument, they even ignored its existence.

But the mystery does not end here, the Dogon, in fact, used to represent the planet Saturn as surrounded by a sort of halo, thus demonstrating that they knew of its rings; moreover, they knew that the planet Jupiter had around “four companions”, which correspond exactly to its four main moons.

As if this were not enough, they depicted the Earth as a sphere and knew that this sphere revolves around its axis, and together with other spheres (the planets), around the sun; last, but not least, it is surprising that the Dogon, or in any case the elders of the village, described our galaxy as an immense spiral shape. We know very well that this concept began to be disclosed by Western astronomers only at the beginning of this century.

For the Dogon, Sirius B was the first star created by God and it represents the fulcrum of the Universe. All matter developed from it, including souls, following a complex spiral motion - the same that is symbolized in the intertwined baskets.

Saturn is surrounded by rings, Jupiter has four main moons, and four calendars are used: one for the Sun, one for the Moon, one for Sirius, and one for Venus. Needless to say, that the Dogon believe a truth attested from ancient times - the fact that the planets orbit around the Sun.

The Dogon know what, logically, they should not know; their knowledge is not the result of ancient legacies acquired by observing the sky and the stars with the naked eye, as happened in other civilizations, they simply “know”; this is the most disturbing part of the Dogon mystery.

Dogon hats which resemble flying saucers.

The Nommo Cult

An old Dogon legend tells of when the God of the universe, Amma, sent the Nommo to earth. This was a half-man, half-amphibian creature which landed in the land of the Fox, a territory northeast of Bandiagara, in the Mopti region; the Nommo was red, but when it touched the ground it became white.

Mali, Dogon container This container shows the "Ark of the world", in which Nommo, the mythical progenitor of humanity, is supposed to have come down from the sky. ( CC BY-SA 3.0 )

The name Nommo derives from a Dogon word that translates as “to do well”; much more often, however, this is remembered as “The Master of Water” (perhaps a reference to the fact that the Nommo could not survive out of water), the Admonitor, or the Destroyer.

We do not know exactly how this figure can be placed in the various events that characterized the growth of the Dogon culture, but it is not so difficult to identify other very similar creatures in different cultures - not only geographically distant but also with respect to various historical moments.

The same type of creature is present in a history of Mesopotamia written during the III Century BC from the priest Beroso; his name was Oannes, his body was similar to that of a fish, he lived only in water, and had feet similar to those of man. Are these images referring to the same event?

In any case, this ancient, almost primordial figure occupies a prominent place in all African cultures; not infrequently, for example, in the most internal areas of Africa. People belonging to monotheistic religions turn to the priests of the various villages because in situations of extreme difficulty they invoke the assistance of the Nommo.

Finally, let us not forget the God fish Dagon of the Philistines, and the same symbol of the fish which the first Christians used to represent their deity. Whoever or whatever it was, the Nommo still continues to lengthen its shadow on African territory, perhaps as a messenger waiting to be able to reveal ancient truths to those who have the courage and the predisposition of mind to listen to it.

[duhragonball]

Cult Classic

I had a really exhausting week, so I’m going to try to chill out by writing this thing about cults that’s been bouncing around in my head since... oh, like January 6th?   For some reason?     But it’s also about my insanely long OC fanfic slash vanity project slash concept album.  Join me, won’t you?

Okay, so back in... geez 2018?   Has it been that long?   Around October 2018 I started working out the details for the big climax of the “1000 years ago” section of my fanfic.  From the start I had this idea that the Legendary Super Saiyan would be locked into a death struggle with pretty much the entire Saiyan population, led by a Saiyan King who just can’t handle being upstaged.   But I had to figure out a lot of details to make that actually work.   What I finally ended up with was the Jindan Cult. 

Why a cult?  Because I wanted my King character to be the main villain, but also be physically weaker, but also he needed to be powerful enough to challenge the heroine. I came up with all these different ways to beef up his power level without making him a Super Saiyan himself, but ultimately I wanted him to have an army of Siayans at his back.   That led me to consider some sort of magic elixir that would make them all stronger, but especially the king, since he’s ultimately in this for himself.  At first, I considered having him mind-control all of his goons, but I spent the mind control nickel in earlier arcs, and I’ll have to use it again later, because Towa and Demigra use it.   Then I thought of drug addiction, which is sort of like mind control but not literal brainwashing or anything like that.  And that led me to the cult concept.  

One major inspiration for me was the real-life cult called “NXIVM”, which made the news back in 2018 when their leaders started getting arrested, including “Smallville” star Allison Mack.   Every time I read about it, it felt like something from a movie, but it was real.   I guess the celebrity angle made it more bizarre to me, because it’s sort of like “Hey, this isn’t just some group of randos; someone you’ve heard of is in this thing.”   Not that I ever paid much attention to “Smallville”, but you get the idea.  She didn’t just join NXIVM, she eventually became one of the top recruiters.   Some of the character arcs in my fic were my own attempt to understand how a person goes from Point A to Point B. 

The big plot hole, though, in my mind, was that I came up with this whole master plan for the bad guys, but it involved sending wave after wave of Saiyan cultists to die in pointless, unwinnable battles against Luffa.    I couldn’t have them win much, because if they beat her, they’d just kill her, and the story would be over.    It struck me as fishy that these Saiyans would sign up for a war where the casualty rate is 100%, but I tried to lampshade it as best I could.   “Yeah, all those other chumps couldn’t beat Luffa, but I’ll pull it off because I’m special!”   It still seemed a bit unlikely.  

But then 2020 happened, and I guess the main thing I learned from that year was that people will accept almost anything in order to believe a comfortable lie.  The joke I’ve seen on the internet is that we need to retire the expression “avoid it like the plague”, because it turns out a lot of people don’t actually avoid plagues very well at all.   The horrifying thing about COVID-19 is how easily people will accept the climbing death tolls.   “Oh, well this person was already in bad health, so they would have died eventually anyway.”   I don’t want to get too political here, but I’m pretty sure a lot of the anti-mask, coronavirus-is-a-hoax crowd are the same people who made up tall tales about “death panels” in Obamacare.    “They’re gonna euthanize your grandma!” they would say, but now they say your grandma is acceptable losses if it means reopening bars and restaurants.

Actually, I do mean to get political, because holy fuck, Qanon stormed the Capitol Building.    Look, if you don’t believe Joe Biden won the election, I don’t know what to tell you, except please get far away from me, right now.  If you’re not familiar with Qanon, a few years ago some guy on an image board posted a bunch of cryptic messages and claimed to be an important government figure who would know about important things.    People started “deciphering” his “clues” and when he stopped posting new ones they started inventing their own “clues” and interpreting them any way that suited them.    This led to an overarching narrative that Donald Trump was actually part of this massive sting operation to arrest hundreds, maybe thousands of left-wing politicians, celebrities, and whoever else.    Any day now, he was supposed to have Hilary Clinton arrested, and also JFK Junior would somehow show up and help him, even though he’s been dead for 22 years.  Every day, these Qanon guys would add on more bizarre lore to their “theories”, and every day none of their predictions would come true.  Then Trump lost the election, which put them in a bind, because their whole mythology is based on the idea of him saving the world as POTUS, and now he wasn’t even going to be POTUS for much longer.  

I’m pretty sure this had a lot to do with the lies about election fraud.    Trump himself refused to accept defeat, and his supporters didn’t want to accept it either, so they all told each other that it wasn’t real, and they believed each other so much that they dug in their heels.   But then they’d take this stuff to court and the judge would be like “Uh, what evidence do you have of mass voter fraud?” and they would just be like “lol nvm!”  I mean, if there was proof for any of this, why would they not want a judge to see it?   But for Qanon, it was more than just being sore losers.    They needed all their whackamaroo predictions to come true, and Trump losing re-election would upset the applecart.  

So then they started telling themselves that they could win this thing through the boring certification process.   I think it was like, December 14 when all the states had to certify their results.   So they held out hope that nothing was over until then.    Then they pinned their hopes on the Electoral College, and that there would be enough faithless electors to hand Trump the victory, in spite of the voters.   I found this one amusing, since I used to see tumblr suggesting the same thing back in 2016, when they were still trying to come up with ways for Bernie Sanders to win.  

Then they decided Mike Pence could fix everything, because on Jan 6, Congress would officially count the Electoral Votes and formally declare the winner, and Mike Pence would step in and overrule the whole thing, because the Vice-President oversees that process.    Except he just oversees it, he can’t legally change the outcome, especially on a whim.    And then the riot at the Capitol happened, and I’m pretty sure all these Qanon types thought it would mark the beginning of a nationwide uprising, with all seventy-odd million Trump voters going apeshit, but it... didn’t work out that way.  

Then they convinced themselves that everything was building to January 20, because the innauguration was actually a clever trap, and once Joe Biden took the oath of office, he could then be arrested for treason, so you see, they had to make it look like Trump lost the election, because it was the only way to fool Joe Biden into incriminating himself... or... something.   But Jan 20 came and went, so the latest fallback position I heard was that there’s a double-secret REAL inauguration day, and it’s in March, and the January 20 one isn’t legitimate, even though Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2016, but whatever.    That, or the guy we see in the White House now is actually Trump disguised as Joe Biden, or a Joe Biden android or something.   

I think I sort of understood that Qanon is a cult, but I didn’t really put the pieces together until the events of January unfolded.    Pre-November, it just seemed like a conspiracy theory, without any real timetables or prophecies, like Flat Earth.    But once the end of the Trump Administration was in sight, it really started to look like all the doomsday cults I’ve heard about over the years.  The predicted events wind up failing to come true, and they invent new predictions to explain away the old ones.   It’s not about the veracity of the claims as much as the claims themselves.    People want to believe there’s this whole elaborate explanation for everything.    They wanted to believe that Trump was this hypercompetent superheroic messiah, because the alternative is to face the uncertain reality: that he had no idea what he was doing, and real people were going to suffer for it.  

I think I sort of worked that idea into my fictional cult, but I backed into it.   NXIVM was a sex cult, not a doomsday cult, or an elaborate conspiracy theory, so I was mostly fixated on all the depraved things the cult could do to its members.   But they all share the same lure: a belief system that promises to make everything fit. I’m not sure what the hook was for NXIVM, but Allison Mack didn’t go in thinking about how much fun sex trafficking would be.   That came later, after she was convinced that NXIVM had all the answers, and one of those answers involved sex crimes, apparently.   In the same vein, Qanon attempted to explain mass arrests and executions by claiming that Hilary Clinton eats babies or something.   “Well, I don’t want babies to get eaten, so I guess breaking into the Capitol building seems like a reasonable course of action.”  

Weighed against real life, a bunch of Saiyans accepting a 100% casualty rate doesn’t seem so outrageous.   It also helps that sometimes the leaders of these groups can buy into their own hype, and think they’re infallible when they’re really not.    This week, I started reading the Darth Plagueis novel again, and I’ve seen the Sith from Star Wars referred to as a cult, but I never gave it a lot of thought until I noticed that Plagueis buys into the whole Dark Side of the Force thing a little too hard.   At times, he’ll wax philosophical about how the Jedi are the real bad guys when you think about it, and he’s not just saying that to be manipulative.   He honestly believes that the Sith can save the galaxy from decline, which is stupid and hypocritical, because they’re the ones causing all the decline.    I always got the impression that Darth Sidious understood that it was all about accumulating power as an end unto itself, and any high-minded talk of necessary evil was just to keep the rubes in line.    Rise of Skywalker plays into that idea nicely.   He somehow survived Episode VI, but he let the Empire collapse, because if he can’t rule it, he doesn’t want it to exist at all.   But he’s still playing himself, because he thinks he can win by following the same failed ideology that got all the previous Sith Lords killed.   

That’s pretty much all I have to say about it right now.    I need to move on to other topics, because Towa’s not doing a cult thing, so my fic is moving in a different direction.   But I feel better for getting this out of my head.

[yehet-me-up]

*busts through the door like I'm the Kool-Aid man* BONJOUR FUCKERS I'M BACK!!! It is I, the Theatrical Gay Anon™! I hope you're ready to endure my endless babbling for a bit cuz I've got lots to say holy shit. Consider this part 1 of like, 1000 cuz I think Tumblr got rid of the submissions feature. I apologize in advance for the spam hehe.

Okay, with that out of the way. Ms. Yehet-Me-Up, may I call you Sarah? Sarah, what the fuck!? I can't even rn. I I give you a simple suggestion, no expectations behind it. I say "Hey, don't you think it'd be cool if Zitao was in the Exodus Mall universe?" to which you said "Yeah, that'd be neat, I might do that. Perhaps make him work at an Irish pub or something" and then I flip out with gratitude and excitement thinking you're gonna do like, a DRABBLE. 500 words at MOST -Theatrical Gay Anon

Imagine my SHOCK, my STUPEFACTION, upon realizing that you wrote OVER TEN THOUSAND WORDS about Huang Zitao aka the wind beneath my wings, the rain to my drought, the corny joke to my Junmyeon. And not only that! But you did this A MONTH AGO. I could've been reading this for so long and I had no idea! How foolish am I? I can't believe you wrote all of this based off of a silly little suggestion I made. I feel like bowing over how not worthy I am Wayne's World style -Theatrical Gay Anon

NOW IN REGARDS TO THE CONTENT OF THIS MASTERPIECE OH MY GOD WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN!? I am floored by your preeminence. First things first, the title? Perfect. Full disclosure, I suck at titles. I've been writing for over a decade now and I'm still shit with titles. It's so hard to come up with just a few words to encapsulate everything you wrote but you do it SO WELL. The moodboard? Amazing. I've always loved that picture of Zitao and it fits so well with the pub setting -Theatrical Gay Anon

I'm afraid you've written "Fractions of Tomorrow" so well that I don't see there being a need for anyone to write anything else...ever. Stories? CANCELED. Poetry? CANCELED. Biographies? CANCELED. It's all over folks. Sarah has written The Best Thing Ever. We've peaked as a society. After I finish writing these asks I'm gonna become a hermit in the woods and make friends with all of the woodland creatures that inhabit it. -Theatrical Gay Anon

But seriously though, I love absolutely everything about this story. As a Zitao fan, I'm used to getting breadcrumbs. Not a lot of ppl write fics about him. I can count on one hand how many long fics of his you can find on Tumblr. But THIS?? This was no breadcrumb, this was a whole fucking bakery. And it all appeals to me so much oh my god? The sappiness of it all, the flowery prose, the rebellious rejection of cynicism, it's all so beautiful I want to marry it. -Theatrical Gay Anon

If I discussed all of the sentences in this fic that made me giggle with joy and kick my feet around I'd be here all day so keep in mind this is just a FRACTION of the ones I loved but I couldn't go without mentioning at least some of them so here we go. "It’s not his first time here, but it’s his first time paying attention" SHUT UP this line is go good it's so simple yet so nuanced I adore it. Seriously, why hasn't anyone hired you to write a screenplay? -Theatrical Gay Anon

"He wonders if you ironed the collar of your shirt to be that precise or if you simply move through the world without acquiring any wrinkles" God, this line is so CUTE it's DISGUSTING he's fond of the reader's un-wrinkled clothes that's such a specific thing to like and is totally the type of thing I've done with the ppl I've crushed on throughout my life. -Theatrical Gay Anon

"‘Zitao,’ he says finally. ‘Cute.’ You say" this is such a little thing but I love that you included his full name in this. I love his full name so much it sounds really pretty. Whenever I hear him refer to himself as "Huang Zitao" in interviews my heart soars. Hearing him speak Mandarin in general is a delight as well. It's an audibly gorgeous language and any racist who says otherwise can EAT MY ENTIRE ASS -Theatrical Gay Anon

"For someone who’s been in love for as long as you can remember she fights awfully hard against Baekhyun’s romantic nature" DEAR GOD I LOVE THESE TWO! I love these movie loving lovesick fools. I love that everyone in the world knows they love each other except them. I love seeing bits and pieces of their story throughout this written universe. I can't wait to see it all come together in Baekhyun's Exodus Mall fic. It's gonna be GLORIOUS -Theatrical Gay Anon

Also! I know you enjoyed my song recs that I thought fit perfectly with All Our Broken Places so here are some for when the Baek x Hitchcock fic drops. I know it's not done yet but I just *know* what it's gonna be like I can feel it in my bones. "Sidekick" by Walk the Moon and "Tongue Tied" by Grouplove. As for Fractions of Tomorrow I knew right away what songs I'd pick. "Dreams" by The Cranberries, "Jumpstarted" by Jukebox the Ghost and "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey -Theatrical Gay Anon

Gosh, this fic filled me with so much energy and joy I feel like a toddler on caffeine. But I really should sleep now though. It's gotten so late that I can see the sunrise peaking up sdksdksl. I'll see ya soon! I will be spamming you with more compliments about this fic once I wake up though! - Theatrical Gay Anon

Hi! I'm back. Okay, now where was I? Oh yeah, I was talking about some of my favorite lines from the story. "‘Hey man, how’s it going?’ Baekhyun reaches out and does a complex handshake with the man before you. ‘Oh, you know. Just working at the salt mines,’ Tao says with a laugh." I LOVE that you made Baek the one Zitao was close with. I miss the beef brothers so much. I'll never forgive SM for what they did to OT12. They were all such good friends 😔 -Theatrical Gay Anon

"‘I’m not sure.’ For a flash Tao’s eyes linger on you once more. ‘I think it would depend on the person.’ And then the bastard goes and winks at you." GOD, HE WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS! HE'S SUCH A SHAMELESS FLIRT I HATE HIM *narrator voice* This was of course a huge a lie, he in fact loved Zitao immensely -Theatrical Gay Anon

"‘Sweetheart, I’m everyone’s type.’" You've captured Zitao's unlimited confidence so well and that makes me really happy. It's one of my favorite things about him. The man truly loves himself and I think that's awesome -Theatrical Gay Anon

"Tao looks at you through his lashes, bending close enough that you can feel his breath on your lips when he speaks. ‘Words are just the appetizer, darling. I prefer to have an entire feast.’ 'Any other questions or can I grab your orders?’" ASDKDSDSL SO YOU'RE JUST GONNA SAY THAT PANTY DROPPER LINE AND GO BACK TO BUSINESS AS USUAL ZITAO???? HUH??? IS THAT WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO??? -Theatrical Gay Anon

"‘Oh, nothing.’ He looks like the cat that caught the canary. ‘I just love being right.’" Something I love about EXO fic writers (myself included lol) is that despite all of the different ways they'll write the other members, there is one member who is always written the same and that's Baekhyun. He will always be written as a cheeky little shit cuz he *is* a cheeky little shit. That's just who he is. Messing with ppl is a favorite past time of his. -Theatrical Gay Anon

"'So, love, huh? There’s not some girlfriend or boyfriend of yours waiting for you at home?’" Thank you for not being heteronormative with the "are you dating someone?" convo. I know it might not seem like much but I really appreciate it. -Theatrical Gay Anon

"The beginning of love is always a lightning bolt. If that’s all it ever is you never have to deal with being knocked on your ass by the resulting thunderstorm" OOF, this one got me. So very true. The beginning of love is so scary! -Theatrical Gay Anon

"I could argue that anarchy still is love. Love of your beliefs and love of a person or a place or a thing so much that you’re willing to fight for it" OKAY BUT PASSIONATE LEATHER JACKET WEARING ANARCHIST ZITAO IN A ROCK BAND IS SUCH AN ATTRACTIVE CONCEPT!!! There's nothing sexier than a bad boi that will hate capitalism with you! He'd probably be the one to give ppl rides to protests and stuff I LOVE IT -Theatrical Gay Anon

"If we say love is a feeling, who’s to say that we aren’t in love? If we decide it’s an action then which one is it? A kiss or a commitment or - maybe it’s nothing more complicated than putting words to the way I feel when you look at me?" Listen I don't mean to be dramatic or anything (wait, who am I kidding? I'm literally the Theatrical Gay Anon being dramatic is like my Thing) but if a guy ever said that to me my trans boi pussy would be open for business IMMEDIATELY

Alright, so, uh Final Thoughts. This may be my new favorite work of yours, and no it's not just cuz it's got my ultimate bias in it lmao. This year has been so shitty and it's made my depression + anxiety reach the highest possible levels but reading this, this love story filled with hope and certainty despite not knowing what the future will hold for them, made this year seem easier to cope with. Thank you so much for making this, it means the world to me. -Theatrical Gay Anon

ALRIGHT, LAST ASK AND THEN I'LL SHUT UP I PROMISE but I personally headcanon that Double Shot + Zitao stayed together till the very end. They didn't get married cuz they hate formalities but they got matching tattoos and even when they're old and grey you can still them clear as day on their wrists. When they're asked how they met no one believes their answer lol. And when Double Shot died of old age before Zitao he would sing her favorite song by her grave every Saturday -Theatrical Gay Anon

OKAY SO I know I said I was done and I know I've already sent in like, 30 bajillion asks but I'm curious does Yifan or Luhan also work at the Irish pub?? Or do they work somewhere else in the mall? Inquiring minds want to know -Theatrical Gay Anon

When I tell you this made my entire month (when you sent it weeks ago, I’ve been hanging onto these because they seriously bring me SO much joy holy crap) I am not remotely kidding j;oaisjdflkasdjfa

I am absolutely going to put on these song recs while I work on the next chapter! 

a;osdfjlaksdfjasl the fact that you stayed up late to read this warms my heart so much. It reminds me of all the times I stayed up til the ass crack of dawn reading fanfics because I simply could NOT stop reading, so the fact that you enjoyed this like that makes me helllllaaaa emo 🥰

I just??? 2020 was indeed such a long year and affected my energy and creativity and honestly don’t really remember writing this hahaha. I kind of go into a fugue state with these longer fics and they just EMERGE. So to see you reflecting back some of what I wrote allows me to enjoy the process so much more. Makes writing and tumblr fun and I seriously wish everyone writing and creating could have someone as passionate and thoughtful and hilarious as you hyping them up 🌟 it honestly feels like a GIFT and I will absolutely keep writing this series and hoping to be worthy of it 😘

We will definitely get to see more of these two in the finale fic! I got into EXO after Tao, Yifan, and Luhan left so I’m not quite as familar with their personalities, but I could definitely see Yifan working at the US Bank haha. Business suit by day and partying/flirting by night. As for Luhan I feel like he’d work somewhere like the bookstore or the music store?? somewhere quieter and more contemplative. 

Thank you again for sending this and for being you <3 I hope 2021 is a wonderful year for you and that you know how AMAZING you are 💖💖💖💖💖

[gunterfan1992]

What Became of Marcy and PB?

I thoroughly enjoyed the finale, but I was left with one nagging question that is still bothering me: what became of Marcy and PB? I’m not talking about their relationship status. (The epilogue of the episode makes it pretty clear that they ended up as a happy couple.) I’m talking about 1000 years in the future.

In an interview with TVLine, executive producer Adam Muto noted, "I don’t want to lay out their entire future ... but there are enough pieces there that you can kind of construct what their life will be like going forward.” If that’s the case, then let us follow the hints and try to figure out what became of our two favorite (quasi-)immortals.

Reader be warned: this post is full of half-baked conspiracy theories and cherry-picked data points, all assembled in a way that vindicates my theory that Marceline and Bubblegum are still alive in Ooo 1000+. I make no claim that this is 100% full-proof. I just don’t want to believe that they are dead!

Let’s start with the King of Ooo: BMO. After Beth and Shermy question the robot about what happened to Marceline, Bubblegum, Finn, and Jake, BMO responds that they “kept living their lives.” This, combined with the fact that Marceline no longer lives in her house and the Candy Kingdom is in ruins, suggests that the two are dead. But while this answer might seems obvious, it leaves a lot to be desired.

First off, Marceline’s cave-house being abandoned is not indicative of anything too major. Remember, she used to live in the Tree Fort before eventually abandoning it, too. By the time that Ooo 1000+ rolled around, she could have easily moved to another locale. In fact, I would argue evidence within the episode suggests that sometime (probably awhile) after the Tree Fort was destroyed, Marceline gave her cave-house to Finn, Jake, and BMO, and then likely moved in with PB (given that at the end of Stakes, Bubblegum offers to let her move into her castle, an offer which Marceline initially declines, but implies she might one day take up). Not only would this be thematically fitting, as it was she who “gave” Finn and Jake the Tree Fort in the first place, but it would also explain how some of Finn and Jake’s belongings found a home at the house (1) and how BMO came to be in possession of a few of Marceline’s items, like her DARE shirt, sunscreen, or Simon’s broken glasses. These were items that Marceline probably didn’t care that much about (2) and consequently left behind when she moved.

Perhaps a bigger issue is that Marceline, for all intents and purposes, can’t easily die—if at all. She is immortal, and while she has her weaknesses, it’s unclear if they truly are lethal weaknesses: we’ve seen her survive being exposed to sunlight (“Henchman”, “What Was Missing”), cut in half (Stakes, “Everything Stays”), bombarded with garlic (”Henchman”), and poisoned (Stakes, “May I Come In?”). You might be asking, ‘The previous Vampire King was killed? Could not someone have staked Marceline, too?’ Unlikely. We know from Stakes that the Moon—the vampire from whom Marceline derived her healing powers—could survive being staked in the heart (remember, she was only defeated when Marceline absorbed her vampiric essence, not when she was staked). Marceline absorbed the Moon’s power, therefore it follows that Marceline can’t die from being staked. Perhaps Marceline had her vampiric essence removed by Bubblegum, and she grew old and died, just like her fever dreams in Stakes? While this is certainly a possibility (we know that Bubblegum can remove the Vampiric Essence from Marceline, given that we have seen her do it), it negates the main themes in Stakes, which focused on Marceline coming to terms with her immortality and learning to love her lot in life. If Marceline can die even in her undead state, then all the suffering unleashed upon Ooo during Stakes was for naught, and that just doesn’t seem like something Adventure Time would do.

And what of Bubblegum? We know that Bubblegum’s biological age is correlated with her candy biomass (“Mortal Recoil”, “Too Young”). This means that her “rate of mortality [is] decouple[ed] … from chronological age,” heavily suggesting that she is ‘biologically immortal’. This concept—which is a real thing, fyi—does not mean that she can’t die, just that she won’t die from old age (3). Thus, she likely lived hundreds of years into the future after the age of Finn and Jake, probably into the Graybles 1000+ world. This is implied by the state of the Prizeball Guardian: it looks rather pristine, in comparison to pretty much the entirety of Ooo, suggesting it is a somewhat new creation. Given that the guardian was almost certainly created by Bubblegum (I mean, just look at it), and the guardian is new-looking, it suggests that Bubblegum herself was alive at least recently (4). (This is also suggested by admittedly non-canon drawings that Steve Wolfhard made clearly showing his belief that Bubblegum is alive in the Ooo 1000+ world.)

Given that Bubblegum cannot die readily from old age, the only other thing that could have killed her, I argue, would be some sort of calamity. Ooo 1000+ looks pretty wrecked, and was not the Candy Kingdom destroyed? Yes, and in both “Lemonhope” and the intro to “Come Along with Me”, we catch glimpses of the ruins! But, if one peruses the storyboard of “Lemonhope II”, one will notice Tom Herpich’s purposeful note that the kingdom is “abandoned (not bombed out)” [emphasis added]. Indeed, the kingdom looks overgrown and desolate, but not like the site of a war zone (e.g. the main citadel is mostly intact, and a number of skyskrapers are unscathed, unlike others we’ve seen that we know were caught in the crossfire of war). This, coupled with the fact that the Prizeball Guardian exists suggests that, rather than having her kingdom extinguished in a war, Bubblegum loaded up her citizens into the Guardian, put them in what is effectively cryogenic sleep, and then abandoned her old realm (5). Why? We’ll come to that in a second.

But before we jump into that, let me entertain the idea that Marceline and Bubblegum are dead and living together somewhere in the afterlife, say, the 50th Dead World. While a sweet idea, it is complicated by the fact that Bubblegum is the embodiment of the candy elemental, and will almost certainly be reincarnated in the future. [I now enter into headcanon territory] Also, Marceline is the daughter of the Lord of the Nightosphere, a deathless entity. Given how much he wanted Marceline to “take over the family business” (“Daddy’s Little Monster”), do you think he’d really let her succumb to a mortal’s demise? Almost certainly, he would have had a few words with Death. While this is extrapolation beyond the text, I think it’s worth thinking about.

Now, let us jump back into the main discussion by considering BMO’s collection of Ooo memorabilia. Eagle-eyed viewers will note that BMO’s trove of junk is made up almost entirely of bits and pieces from the show’s past: including Finn and Jake’s clock, a King of Ooo figurine, Simon’s glasses, Carol’s elf drawings, Ice King’s drums, and a collection of princess crowns. While a handful of the items almost assuredly belonged to Marceline (e.g. Simon’s glasses, sunscreen the DARE shirt) and Bubblegum (e.g. one of the crowns), there is one item of immense sentimental value missing: Marceline’s ax bass. Surely, if BMO were to keep sentimental reminders of previous friends (notice, BMO has both the shattered remnants of the Finn and Jake clock, as well as Jake’s favorite cup, which has been glued back together) the robot would have kept the vampire queen’s most prized possession? Its absence suggests one of four things: a) Marceline is still alive and in possession of the bass, or Marceline was killed and the bass was b) buried somewhere (a la Finn’s robot arm or as a grave marker), c) carted off by scavengers, or d) returned to the Nightosphere. All are viable possibilities, but the fact that BMO tracked down some rather valuable items (GGGG’s groovy Martian headgear, the crowns of power, etc.), it seems strange that the robot could not have also tracked down the bass, given that BMO liked Marceline (“Ketchup”) and probably knew how much the instrument meant to her (based on their interactions in “What Was Missing” and “Ketchup”).

Given all the issues above, there is one answer that I believe solves the mystery: Marceline and Bubblegum are both alive, but have chosen to abandon the portions of Ooo that we know. Perhaps they are off exploring on their own, or perhaps they have left Earth far behind. Why would Bubblegum abandon her realm? Simple. She was ‘tired’. She expressed these exact same sentiments in “Varmints”, only after her citizens had ‘voted her out of office’. Perhaps by the time Ooo 1000+ rolls around, Bubblegum was once again exhausted by the duties of office (having ruled for 1800 years), but decided to leave on her own terms. Simply abandoning her kingdom would have caused it to quickly collapse (cf. “The Pajama War”), and every time she created and/or appointed a successor, they turned into a tyrant (”Too Young”, “Goliad”, “Bonnibel Bubblegum”). Thus, the only option left was to load up her citizens in a device that would keep them safe until she eventually returned at some point in the future to resume control of her realm.

But could not the Prizeball Guardian simply be a defense mechanism in case the kingdom is attacked and/or Bubblegum is killed? Possibly, but cryogenically preserving candy citizens would do them no good if their creator—the one who could wake them up and then take care of them after some calamity—was gone (consider, for instance, that during times of war or natural disaster, governments don’t load up refugees onto buses, anesthetize them, and then drive them around in circles for decades). Indeed, the Prizeball Guardian seems less like a disaster-evasion project and more like a stasis chamber to keep the candy people safe until some future time. The storyboard for “Graybles 1000+” seems to back this up: when Crunchy is removed from stasis, he mumbles, “What time is it? Did it work?” In other words, it is as if Crunchy was expecting to be displaced in time and to be revived at some future date, rather than simply ‘saved’ (7).

The theory that Marceline and Bubblegum are still out there sidesteps many of the problems we have considered. It explains why some of Marceline’ stuff was picked up by BMO, whereas other items of greater sentimental value (e.g. the ax bass) are missing. Likewise, it nicely explains what happened to the Candy Kingdom. But where did Marceline or Bubblegum go? That is the real question. Perhaps they hopped down to the Nightosphere (unlikely), or perhaps they set off to find parts unknown. Maybe the went to Mars. (There’s even substantial evidence that they might be in the finale’s intro sequence!) The Oooniverse is pretty much unlimited, meaning that so too are the possibilities. Given that the Prizeball Guardian was designed to one day ‘wake up’ all the candy citizens, it is likely that Bubblegum (and Marceline) will one day return to Ooo, but for now, they are outies.

Still not convinced? Think I’m grasping at straws? Then let me present one final piece of evidence. Into 2016, Cartoon Network released a bonus video on their YouTube channel that features Marceline singing a song about “someone kind of special” to her. This song is a cover/reworking of the shows ending theme, "Come Along with Me”, in which Marceline lovingly intones:

Run away with me And the poltergeists and ghouls. We can wander through the darkness And play by our own rules.

Run away with me To a cavern shaped like home Where we'll build our own forever And never dance alone.

[emphasis added]

While rife with similes and rich language, the lyrics of the songs are pretty easy to decipher: Marceline cares deeply about someone and yearns to literally run off with them, living forever in a state of happiness. And what’s the name of this song? Why, the “Happy Ending Song”! While one could argue that the song isn’t canon and thus shouldn’t be considered as evidence (6), I think it nicely foretells what Marceline and Bubblegum‘s future holds. For one thing, the song is a play on "Come Along with Me", which in many ways is canonically 'prescient', as it is the song that plays during the montage depicting the future of Ooo's citizens. By alluding to and building off this tune, I would argue that "Happy Ending Song" arguably absorbs some of the original’s 'prescient' nature post facto (8). For another, the very last shot shows two feminine figures silhouetted against the setting sun, holding hands. Notice that this shot follows the lyrics and Marceline’s dialogue, subtly implying that it is depicting some future event. Ultimately, both the imagery in the video and the lyrics themselves hint heavily that Marceline and her paramour (which the series finale finally confirms to be Bubblegum) end up living together happily, free from the cares of modern society, as they “build [their] own forever” [emphasis added]. This nicely echoes what Marceline told Bubblegum at the end of Stakes: “Now, I guess we get to hang out together forever.”

Long story short: I believe that Marceline and Bubblegum are still alive and kicking, but have left Ooo far behind.

Footnotes

1. For instance, the the weird diving bell that used to hang from the Tree Fort is on the porch. While Marceline certainly lived in the Tree Fort at some point in the past, it's not entirely clear why she would've hauled this item all the way to her house and then abandoned it. It's more likely that it was scavenged by Finn and Jake, who arguably had a much more sentimental attachment to the old fort.

2. But Marceline loved Simon like a father! Why would she leave behind his glasses? Likely because these glasses were the ones that Simon wore while he and Marceline wandered the wasteland (you can tell because the left lens is broken). When he was returned to his normal state, he likely got new glasses, and these older ones were forgotten about.

3. While Bubblegum fully admits in “Goliad” that she will likely one day die, it is heavily implied that she believes her death will come from some horrible accident (like the Lich possession), rather than just old age. Furthermore, Bubblegum and Marceline’s discussions about mortality in Stakes suggests that Bubblegum would outlive Marceline were the latter to turn into a mortal. Remember, that in Farmworld, Marceline lived 1000 years as a mortal before she was killed by the Mutagenic Bomb. This means that Marceline as a mortal in Ooo Prime would likely live 1000 after turning mortal again (with the 1000 years she lived as a vampire not counting, since she was essentially ‘stuck’ at age ~20). Putting these puzzle pieces together suggests that Bubblegum believes she can easily live another 1000 years.

4. Notice also that in “Graybles 1000+”, the interior of the Guardian is dark but not dusty or abandoned. In fact, it looks quite well-lived in (and the storyboard for that episode, described as “cozy”); this suggests that someone was living here not too long ago. Given Bubblegum’s love of knowledge (note that books are strewn about as if they were recently read), and the portrait of the candy kingdom on the wall, it is heavily suggested that Bubblegum herself was the one who was occupying the space.

5. You might asking: what about Neddy and his love of the Candy Kingdom tree? Is not the tree dead in “Lemonhope”? Yes, but you will also notice that on the Prizeball Guardian, there are trees very similar to that which grew out of the Kingdom’s main tower.

6. The song was neither featured in nor written for a specific episodes, per Adam Muto. However, because Muto is very good about confirming/denying what is and is not canon (e.g. “The Adventure Time comics are as canonical as a Funko Pop”), the fact that his answer does not immediately decanonize the song is notable. Furthermore, the song is sung by Olivia Olson (that is, the official voice actress of Marceline), and the video even features new footage (albeit, mostly composed of flash-edited scenes from “Marceline’s Closet”).

7. Also, consider how hopelessly bleak and cruel it would be for the Prizeball Guardian to have been destroyed in “Graybles 1000+” if Bubblegum isn’t around anymore. The candy citizens would either sleep for eternity, or die a la 2001: A Space Odyssey. Neither fits with the arguably bittersweet (but certainly not mean-spirited) world of Adventure Time.

8. Perhaps this is why Marceline ends her song by noting it is an example of how "totally deep" she can be.

* As an aside, I also like the idea that Bubblegum, before she left, gave her crown to BMO (after all, were PB to have effectively abandoned her post, she would have no longer needed the crown), jokingly anointing the robot the “One True King of Ooo”, or something like that. It’s fitting that a joke like this would be taken up by BMO and turned into a veritable legend. It would also serve as one last dig against the charlatan King of Ooo, whom we know Bubblegum hated.

[knightofbalance-13]

Media Comparison: Legend Of Korra Vs. RWBY

So between a show with all the budget in the world, an already existing world and mythos, some of the best writers of our generation with some of the bets animators and artists while being based off a fucking legend of western animation and some anime-inspired show with the budget of a high school theater show made by a bunch of people I hadn’t even heard of before hand: You’d think the choice would be obvious right?

*sigh* Yeah, I wish it were that simple.

Yeah, if the introduction wasn’t obvious enough, I’m a fan of RWBY but NOT a fan of the Legend of Korra. Despite all of Korra’s advantages from budget to time to exposure to name recognition: I just found myself at best mildly entertained by it while at the same time, I really enjoy this web series my friend just happen to recommend to me with NO knowledge of it beforehand. So why is it that I enjoy one over the other despite logic saying otherwise?

Well, I’m here to explain that.

First off, the fact that I knew nothing about RWBY before hand may have actually helped the show in comparison. My only expectation for RWBY was a mildly amusing web show since at the time, I had only watched Abridged series on the web and this was before TFS really started getting good so my expectations were pretty level at the time. Meanwhile, I went into Korra with pretty high expectations for the show because it had the “Avatar” title on it and I had seen the previous series. So obscurity kind of helped RWBY there.

Even then, there are a LOT of problems that plague Korra that either are lesser in, solved in or just didn’t exist in RWBY. One of the biggest aspects is just the basic writing. In Korra, you have the Tomboy Savivor Jerk With A Heart of Gold, the generic everyman meant to ground the protagonist, the comedy relief younger brother and the pretty supporter. Basically, we have your average tropes as protagonists with next to nothing done to make them stand out. Even the character development for the group is by the book. Korra learns to not rush into shit and...actually that’s it for Korra. There is an “arc” in Seaosn 4 about letting people help her but that aspect is quickly dropped and never mention or referenced or used again. And Asami (the pretty supporter) just learns how to fight. 

Contrast this in RWBY where a young idealist is forced to learn that her way of looking at the world is too childish and naïve to ne effective. However, instead of developing into a cynic like normal, she just adjusts her world view to accommodate reality while keeping the core values of her belief. Or that the freedom fighter, instead of being seen as absolutely right, is forced to come to terms that her cause isn’t black and white and that her comrades aren’t justified in all their actions. Or that the weak, audience surrogate actually has a REASON to be weak and to not know what is going on, actively tries to fix that and still suffers for it.

Then we have the world of both shows. Somehow, Korra managed to have one the simplest but most effective worlds given to it on a silver platter...and completely fuck it up. The world goes from being similar to an ancient Asia-like world to somehow being 1920′s America-esque in only 100 years. Like...I do not even understand HOW that can happen. Asian culture is already heavily different from Western culture, ESPECIALLY America due to taking place on two sides of the planet with VERY different values and such. I cannot for the life of me see how one can develop into the other. And this is excluding the fact that the entire setting did a 1000 year leap in technology in a tenth of the time.

Meanwhile in RWBY, the world is bare bones but it DOES make sense. Dust is highly valued due to being the main power source of the world, they value positivity and self expression due to facing off against a rather identical and uniform enemy that feeds on negativity with powers that rely on their personalities without falling into stupid bullshit like suppressing all emotion (in fact, the world TRIED doing that once and showed why that is a terrible idea.) The four kingdoms have some central values shared but have many differences due to the differences in each region such as the hostile  Vacuo being welcoming of anyone who can survive there or Atlas being cold and calculating due to the necessity in the past to quickly adapt or die.

Then we have the characters themselves. I’ll keep this brief by focusing on the main characters of each, starting with LoK and Korra herself. Korra is...a complete and total jackass. And NOT in the intentional way were she gets called out and is forced to change. She DOES get called out...issue is that Korra almost NEVER learns her lesson because she either forgets about her actions latter on or the person who called her out is the one being punished. Korra defies her teacher’s instructions and later he’s forced to bend to her will because the narrative says Korra is right. Which is just a recipe for pissing the audience off. She’s also arrogant, full of herself, stubborn as hell, childish, immature and just a pain to watch. Even when she loses her arrogance and immaturity, she’s still reckless as hell and she still barely has a personality beyond being combat happy and short tempered. So at best, Korra is just your average Shounen protagonist with nothing new or unique of her own.

Meanwhile the main character of RWBY, Ruby Rose, stands out pretty well on her own. She’s energetic, optimistic, hopeful and yet shy and inexperienced. However each of these aspects actually has something to do with Ruby herself with an explanation and get explored quite a bit. She’s all these things because she’s young and comes to bite her in the ass quite a few times. Her energy causes her to rush into battle without thinking, her optimism was originally a near blindness to the world around her, her hopefulness is taken advantage of a few times and her shyness and inexperience originally gave her trouble trying to talk and relate to others. Ruby also has quite a but more to her as she is a natural leader and knows how to use her teammates’ abilities to their fullest, she’s adaptable as she accepts the world isn’t inherently good but still chooses to be optimistic and she has a hard time dealing with grief and rage, bottling them up until they start to leak out. Combine this with her earnest attempts at being a hero as well as some cute shy tendencies and you have a very loveable main character.

And then we have the romance. Korra was an absolute TERROR when it came to romance. The first romance in the show was a fucking love square which all started because the main heroine refused to understand the concept of “boyfriend”. Numerous relationships throughout the series are either badly done (Asami and Mako) or rather disturbing (from what it sounded like: Tenzen’s wife broke him and his then girlfriend Suyin up) or downright abusive (Bolin and Eska, Suyin’s reaction to the break up and Mako and Korra were just horrid.) There are only TWO passable relationships and that’s mainly because they barely get any focus. Also Korra and Asami but that was last minute and means nothing.

RWBY had a similar love triangle going on but unlike Korra, this was actually handled well. Jaune drops his affections for Weiss and helps her out, Pyrrha helps Jaune out and Jaune cheers Pyrrha up. It’s also one of the few shows to have a rather heartwrenching love story between Jaune and Pyrrha that ends up majorly affecting the show and helped make both characters stand out more in the fandom.

And,,,Listen, I can go on and on about the different ways I think RWBY is better than Korra but at the end of the day, Korra was a mess of somewhat interesting idea bungled up by messy execution and amateur mistakes along with some political issues seeping into the writing: RWBY also started out this way but the show DRASTICALLY improved and grew from these mistakes, learning how to avoid them and grow beyond them instead of stumbling back and forth between getting better or worse. All inall: LoK was either aggravating to watch or just dull while RWBY has been fun and I’ve grown to have a deep respect for the show.

[bthenoise]

Noiseworthy: Here’s Why Rare Americans Are Your Next Alternative Obsession

As much as you think it might be an easy task, it’s not always that simple to showcase new, up-and-coming artists. Usually when it comes to these sorts of things, if you aren’t familiar with the band’s name, what’s going to make you click our story versus the 231 Best At-Home Get Rich Quick Tips? Yeah, not always that simple.

However, putting all doubts aside, we’re going to keep highlighting emerging bands we believe in. Bands that stand out against the tiring monotony of our music scene. You know, bands like Vancouver risk-takers Rare Americans.

Blending alt-rock, hip-hop and ska like some zany Twenty One Pilots, grandson and Streetlight Manifesto science experiment, James Priestner and Lubo Ivan (along with Jan Cajka and Duran Ritz) have concocted something uniquely their own with Rare Americans. 

With infectious, mind-bending tracks like “Brittle Bones Nicky,” “Cats, Dogs & Rats” and “9 Times Out Of Ten,” the crafty Canadian crew is a refreshing addition to the sometimes-stale alternative genre.    

Now, in order to get to know a little more about the promising performers, we reached out to Priestner to hear all about his musical influences, dreams and aspiring hockey career. To check out our chat and discover your newest obsession, be sure to look below. Afterward, for more from Rare Americans, like their forthcoming LP Rare Americans 2, head here.

Where did you grow up? And was there a music scene where you grew up? James Priestner: I grew up in Edmonton, AB, Canada. It’s a city of one million people so we had all the major acts come through, plus a ton of mid-tier bands playing in the 500-1000 seat venue range. I have to say since moving to Vancouver, I realize there is a lot more of a “scene” here than in Edmonton though. I notice more musicians, more artists, filmmakers, managers, labels, more venues to play at, and more shows. I notice lots of US based mid-tier artists will only play major markets in Canada and Vancouver is one of them. What were you and/or your bandmates doing before your band formed? Jobs? School? I was an athlete. I was a goalie in the Western Hockey League, a developmental league that the NHL drafts from.

Who or what influenced you to start playing music? While playing in the WHL I had a lot of free time when I wasn’t at the rink. We had a 10pm curfew every night so after practice I would go home and try to be creative. When I was 17 I bought a guitar, took some lessons, and very quickly wrote a song. From there it was all over for me, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I had a lesson once a week, and I tried to bring a new song to my guitar teacher each lesson. 10 years later and I’m still doing it!! If you could collaborate with any artist of your choice who would it be? I would love to work with Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys. He’s an all-time favorite of mine. I think his voice is super captivating from the New York crooner type of vibe to his soft airy-tone, and his more punk rock side. I also love his lyrical wit and musicality. What’s the best live performance you’ve ever seen? I really liked Oliver Tree at Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. I was just getting into him at the time and his show really sold me. He uses a lot of animation on stage which is something we do as well, and the costume changes, theatrics, and just his overall confidence and energy was really inspiring.

Are there any recent releases or performances that have inspired you? I went to so many shows last year to take inspiration for Rare Americans. Super sad about the demise of the live industry with COVID, really makes me appreciate live music. As I mentioned, Oliver Tree’s show, Arctic Monkeys' show after they released Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino was fantastic as well. I’m late to the game on this one, but I also got into J. Cole this year who I really have come to love. If you could have one of your songs be on a TV show or movie of your choice what would it be? The Wire!! One of my all time favorite shows. Unfortunately they aren’t making any new seasons, but if we could go back in time... Three bands or artists that would be your dream to tour with? Gorillaz, Twenty One Pilots, Oliver Tree. What would you like to be remembered for? Musically or not. Deep question. I would say I want to be remembered as someone who really gave my all. Someone who tried to inspire those around me to believe in themselves that they can accomplish what they never dreamed they could. I love talking to fans that have wild dreams but no belief, and trying to inspire them to change that, to work towards their goals.

Best piece of advice anyone has given you? You have two ears and one mouth. Listen and try to put yourself in someone else's shoes before assuming you know what they are thinking or going through. What have you learned since being in the music industry? The more I know, the more I don’t know!! It’s like a spider web. You never know what's going to hit at any time. I also don’t think you can ever know what fans are going to resonate with. The minute you say “this is going to be a hit” it probably won’t be and that song you were thinking of not including on your album might be the one people like the most. I also realized the music industry, especially for a DIY band, is so much more than just making music. You have to be a high-level marketer and entertainer to make it in this industry. Artists are characters, fans are buying into their entire worlds, their artwork, their brand, their message, not just their song. The best thing currently on the internet is? The ability for anyone to make a career. The fact that one of the top Youtube earners in the world is a 9 year old who unboxes toys is wildly fascinating. I think it’s pretty cool that the internet provides this ecosystem for people to make content, be themselves, develop followings, and ultimately make a living from doing what they love. 

[hecktorr22]

THE AUDACITY OF THIS MAN TRUMP

By E. P. UNUM

December 13, 2020

I’m still trying to understand what 80 million voters disliked about President Trump so much that they decided to cast their votes for a man who served forty-seven years in government and has done absolutely nothing for the American people. And, I’m still flabbergasted that those same people would vote for a woman to serve as Vice President, a heartbeat away from the Presidency, with a rather checkered and not so moral past. I wondered why they despised and hated President Trump so much.

And so, I have many questions:

Did you dislike that Trump made cruelty to animals a felony?

Did you dislike he raised billions to stop the opioid crisis?

Perhaps you feel that he destroyed ISIS, killed terrorists, including the leader of ISIS and the Iranian General responsible for thousands of American deaths, all without going to war?

Did you dislike the fact that the media and democrats, Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Cuomo, and Jim Acosta said we’d be in World War III by now with North Korea, and their prophecies did not come to pass?

Did you dislike Trump because under his leadership we became energy-independent and an exporter rather than an importer of oil, no longer relying on the Middle East for our petroleum needs?

Did you dislike him because he wanted to build a wall to keep criminals and drugs from coming into our country?

Did you dislike him because he just slashed the price for medications in some cases by 50%, which is driving big Pharma nuts?

Perhaps you dislike that he signed a law ending the gag-order on pharmacists that prevented them from sharing money-saving options on prescriptions?

Is your dislike for President Trump based on the fact that he signed the Save Our Seas Act, which funds $10 million per year to clean tons of plastic and garbage from the ocean?

Did you dislike that he signed a bill for airports to provide breastfeeding stations for nursing moms?

How about the fact that he signed the biggest wilderness protection and conservation bill in a decade, designating 375,000 acres as protected land, was that why you dislike him?

Did you dislike that he loves America and puts Americans first?

Did you dislike that he made a gay man the ambassador to Germany and then asked him to clean up national security and un-classify as much of it as possible for transparency?

Did you dislike that he’s kept almost every campaign promise (with zero support from Congress who work against him daily!) plus 100 more promises because Washington was much more broken than he or any of us thought?

Do you dislike that he works for free, donating his entire $400,000 salary to different charities?

Did you feel that he did this for four years because he was “showboating?”

Do you dislike that he’s done more for the black community than every other President?

Do you dislike that he listened to senator Scott and passed Invest In Opportunity Zones to help minorities?

Do you dislike that he passed prison reform, which gives people a second chance and has made quite a huge difference for the black communities?

Do you dislike that he passed VA reforms to benefit the very people who served our country and defend our freedom?

Do you dislike that he’s winning and signing new trade deals that benefit Americans, instead of costing us more?

Did you dislike him because, unlike all of the presidents who came before him, he recognized Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel, relocated the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv there, and then proceeded to negotiate four peace accords between Israel and Arab Nations when many in the media were predicting there would be war? Was that why you disliked him?

Do you dislike that he loves his flag and his country?

Do you dislike that he calls out and has shown time and time again that the mainstream media in our country has become corrupt and incompetent, twisting the truth to control and mislead the people and he is trying to protect us from this?

Do you dislike that he has been a President totally committed to ending wars and bringing our troops home?

Perhaps you dislike the stern way he spoke, publically to NATO allies to step up and pay their commitments to defense rather than expecting America to do it for them, something we have done for over seventy-five years?

Do you dislike that he has made a commitment to end child-trafficking and crimes against humanity and has made 1000’s of arrests already?

Do you dislike he’s brought home over 40 Americans held captive, the last one from Iran?

Do you dislike that he’s proven he was right about the Deep State and he was indeed spied on before, during, and after he became President?

Do you dislike that he was a Billionaire before he ran for President and now is worth at least 1/3 less... because he loves America?

Do you dislike that he respects cops, veterans, ICE & First Responders?

Do you dislike that he does not sell out America to other countries, like the leaders prior to him have done?

Could it be possible that the ones who sell out America to line their pockets own the media and Hollywood and hate him so much for trying to expose them and hate him for putting the American people first that they try to manipulate our thinking and control the information we get to try to cultivate hatred for him? These people benefit when you hate the man trying to stop them... so they won’t have to give up the wealth they have gotten and continue to get thru mass taxation and control. Wouldn’t you at least want to research this possibility?

Could 75 million Americans already know the truth... that he has done more for blacks in the last 20 years than our last 5 presidents put together and is actually not a racist and never has been one… but you believe he is because it has been drilled into your head and yet you’ve never researched his accomplishments?

You can start by watching those daily briefings he did during the lockdown (all online) and then watching the coverage on the Main Stream Media and how they twisted it.

Do you actually believe the President encouraged America to inject bleach?

Did you research the effects of UV light which is used to disinfect school busses and medical equipment and is also being used as a treatment for bacteria and respiratory infections? They want you to believe he is stupid because if you figure out that he isn’t, they will lose billions of dollars and all their control.

I know... it is hard to let go of what you believed to be true for most of your life. You are not alone. But your blind hatred of this man who is literally trying to save us from the far left, radical Socialists is going to be detrimental to our country if you continue to support their hatred.

They are teaching hatred and separation...to our children and even to our families! You are not allowed to agree with “part” of their agenda and think for yourself; you must repeat their full belief system, or name-calling and insults ensue.

This is not an informed debate. It is not a reason. This is the very definition of a cult! All or nothing! They despise law and order. Just look around you. He supports law and order, not looting, rioting, and chaos, so we are safe and can live in a civilized society. He stands for unity and America first. Is that why you dislike him?

You will be amazed at how much more peace comes into your life when you turn off the fake news and tune into what America stands for, where we focus on what unites us, not what divides us. The media has despised him from day one. Impeachment was on the table before he even took the oath of office in January 2017. They said Impeach the “motherfuc#^*r”....but then they turn around and say his rhetoric is bad? He was never given a chance, yet he’s done more in 4 years than any president with zero help from the media or democrats. Results don’t lie.

The media and democrats consistently complain about Trump “mismanaging the Covid Crisis." Nothing could be further from the truth. The man has been a rock and his leadership has kept the nation from the abyss. He promised a vaccine before the end of 2020. They said it could not be done. He proved them wrong once again….doses of the vaccine are being delivered now in mid-December!

He built hospitals in NYC and California, sent retrofitted Navy Hospital Ships which went unused, initiated Operation Warp Speed that produced PPE and therapeutics in record time along with thousands of ventilators, far more than we needed, and which are now being sent all over the world. And the overall death rate from Covid stands at less than one percent!

How dare this man, the President of the United States, care so much about the American people and our Country. How dare he stand at attention and salute our Flag, support our troops, honor our veterans, put God back into our lives, protect the unborn, give people second chances and take seriously his oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

How dare this man show up at 2:00 AM at Dover Air Force Base to welcome home hostages held in foreign lands and the remains of our fallen soldiers.

How dare this man develop and implement plans and programs to create the greatest most prosperous economy and standard of living in the history of mankind.

How dare he reduce unemployment to 3.4% and lower unemployment for Black, Asian and Hispanic communities in fifty years!

You would think this man was trying to actually do things rather than speak eloquently and act “Presidential” and “Cool” about such things.

How dare he!

One would think this President was trying to provide leadership.

How crass.

The audacity of this man.

You would think he is trying to be a leader or something.

[the-big-ol-guardian]

What Dragon Ball Z’s Power Levels SHOULD Have Been

These days it’s pretty much common knowledge that Toriyama introduced “power levels” into DB specifically to show what a poor measure quantitative scales are for defining a person’s fighting ability. In my opinion, that’s a bunch of bullshit Toriyama came up with ex post facto to justify how badly he fucked up his own system of power-scaling. Think about it, if Toriyama meant for power levels to be an unreliable measure of actual fighting ability, why were power levels THE defining factor of who had the advantage in every fight where power levels were measured?  Raditz ROFLstomped Goku and Piccolo at the same time even though by all accounts he was a tactically inferior martial artist. Sure, he eventually lost, but he didn’t lose because Goku hit him with a crazy 5-palm exploding heart technique or some other such bullshit, he lost because he got hit by an energy beam with a total power level higher than his own. 

It was the same deal with Nappa. Even though Nappa fucked up over and over again, allowing himself to get hit with all kinds of attacks he didn’t see coming, none of it stopped him from cracking skulls with impunity. The only thing that managed to put him down was Goku coming along with a bigger power-level number and beating him up with his superior strength. Fast forward to Goku’s fight with Vegeta, and it’s obvious the only way Goku was able to keep up with Vegeta is by using the Kaioken, a technique which is only good for raising your raw power level by whatever multiple you declare it to be. 

And how did Vegeta deal with this? Well, by turning into a big ol’ monkey, which raised his own power level ten-fold, at which point he was once again out-classing Goku. 

And just like with Raditz, the “weaker” fighters did eventually win, but they only did so by cutting off Vegeta’s tail (dropping his power level) and by having Gohan transform into an Oozaru (raising his power level). Dragon Ball Z fights were and continued to be 100% a game of making your power level stronger than your opponents so you could win. This is true all the way through the Frieza arc, where every single battle was decided by either raising your power level enough to win, or losing. There was no wiggle-room for weaker fighters to succeed purely thanks to a technical advantage they had to create themselves. Every time something like that was tried, it failed.  So why ditch power levels at all if they were such a big deal in early DBZ? Well, because Frieza was too damn strong and power levels became nothing more than abstractions rather than an intelligible means of scaling one’s capabilities. Throughout the entirety of Dragon Ball, Goku goes from a power level of about 10 to a power level of about 400. In just the first 2 arcs of Dragon Ball Z, he has to be pushed up to 150,000,000 to make the plot happen the way Toriyama wanted. “Contrived” doesn’t even begin to describe this. 

You can’t keep that level of inflation (or “power-creep”) up forever without things getting goofy. It’s one thing to say Cell is strong enough to destroy a solar system, it’s another thing entirely to say “His power-level is 16 quintilian-billion!!1!” I mean, what exactly is the difference in capability between a power level of 1 million and 150 million? Who knows? Apparently a power-level of a few thousand is enough to destroy a planet. Could Freiza destroy 7-thousand planets at the same time if he wanted to? Was Cell downplaying himself when he “only” claimed to be a solar system-buster? 

Power levels are bullshit, but they don’t have to be. You could fix power levels in Dragon Ball Z by simply re-doing the nominal levels so that the relative power hierarchy between characters remains the same, but the actual registered scores are no more disparate than necessary. This still results in some pretty intense belief-suspension, but nothing compared to what’s required now. 

These numbers were made as compared to the official power levels listed on the Dragon Ball Wikia page found here  Saiyan Saga

Goku: 416

Piccolo: 408

Raditz: 1000

Gohan: 500/ 900 (rage)

Goku and Piccolo are kept the same as these may as well be the base power levels everything else is going to scale from. Raditz and Gohan have been nerfed because it’s unnecessary for Raditz to be any more than slighter over 2x stronger than either Goku or Piccolo, and because if Raditz is going to be nerfed, Gohan must be nerfed accordingly. It’s important to keep these early levels as low as possible because every subsequent enemy’s power level is going to have to scale relative to these in a way that makes some kind of sense.

Saiyan Saga Cont.

King Kai: 3500

King Yemma: 2000

Nappa: 3000

Vegeta: 9000/ 90,000 (Oozaru)

Piccolo: 620

Gohan: 750/ 2500 (rage)

Tien: 330

Chiaotzu: 210

Yamcha: 240

Krillin: 300

Saibamen: 250

Goku: 4500

Pretty much everybody here has been nerfed, hard. Piccolo is “supposed” to have a power level of 3,500, compared to Nappa’s 4000. This is stupid for 2 reasons -- Firstly, Nappa isn’t only “a little” stronger than Piccolo. He is clearly nigh-invulnerable compared to all the Z fighters combined, but the “official” numbers would have you believe Piccolo and Krillin alone would have Nappa beat with over 1,200 power-level “points” to spare. Secondly, no way in hell did piccolo spend hi entire life up until the start of Z to reach a power level of ~400, just to jump up to 3,500 in merely a year. Frankly, even my revised numbers, which have him jumping up by about 50% in a single year, are a little hard to swallow, but an 8-9x jump is just goofy. 

Furthermore, the official numbers have everybody, even Yamcha, leaps and bounds stronger than Goku was at the start of Z. Thi doesn’t make any sense. None of the humans have a greater potential than Goku, and none of them did anything that Goku hadn’t already done. It’s believable that they’d come somewhere near Goku’s strength, but no way in Hell are they all 1000+ points above Goku’s initial power level. 

The combined strength of the Z fighters here is (minus Yamcha) is about 2,200, which makes sense because it’s low enough to still be manageable by Nappa alone, but not so low that they can’t at least wear him down a little (which he clearly was by the time Goku arrived). 

King Kai was left the same because there’s nothing off about his level, but King Yemma was buffed (literally the only buff on this list). He didn’t really have to be buffed, I just don’t see him easily dealing with Raditz in the other-world with a power level barely higher than his own. 

Saibamen have been nerfed for obvious reasons. I dropped them well below Raditz’ power level because it never really made sense for them to be that strong in the first place. Krillin isn’t smoking 5 Raditz-level creatures and then getting his shit stomped in by someone only 2-3x stronger than Raditz, especially when he’s teaming up with other fighters stronger than himself. Vegeta’s power has been cut in half. Nappa is 3x Raditz and Vegeta is 3x Nappa. These gaps are plenty big enough to justify the apparent difference in power between all of them without making the gaps bigger than necessary. There’s no good reason for Vegeta to be 4.5x stronger than Nappa, who himself is also an “elite Saiyan.” A 3x gap leaves enough room for Goku to be both significantly stronger than Nappa while still being much weaker than Vegeta. 

Goku has also been slashed down to half of Vegeta’s revised power-level. He still needs the kaioken to keep up with Vegeta and the KKx3 to surpass him. This is still a more than 10x jump from what he was at the beginning of Z, but King Kai does state that training with him for a few months is like training anywhere else for “thousands of years,” so I guess I can squeeze this under my tent of “things I’m willing to suspend disbelief on.”  

Frieza Saga

Krillin: 300

Gohan: 1000

Vegeta: 15,000

Nameks: 1,000

Cui: 9000

Dodoria: 12,000

Zarbon: 13,000/ 18,000 (transformed)

Vegeta: 20,000 (post Zarbon)

Ginyu: 50,000

Burter/Recoome/Jeice: 30,000-32,000

Guldo: 5000 

Gohan: 9000 (potential unlock)

Krillin: 1000

Nail: 20,000

Goku: 40,000

Krillin is about the same because I don’t see any reason why he’d be any stronger now that when he fought Nappa. Gohan gets a 250 zenkai boost. It could be more, could be less, it doesn’t really matter here. 

Vegeta gets bumped up to 15,000. It’s a pretty big jump, but there has to be a significant gap between Cui and Dodoria (and Cui has to be about equal to saiyan-saga Vegeta), of whom both have to be weaker than Vegeta at this point. Plus he got his ass pulverized pretty badly on Earth, so a large zenkai boost isn’t unbelievable. 

Zarbon’s power levels should be pretty self-explanatory. Getting beaten by Zarbon the first time allows Vegeta to zenkai his way up to 20,000, which makes him equal to Nail and more than enough to take on Guldo, but not enough to beat the “middle men” of the Ginyu force, even though he’s able to do some damage to Recoome. 

Captain Ginyu is capped at 50,000 because it puts him a good bit above his men without being overpowered. This could’ve been a little higher without messing things up, though. 

Gohan get’s a 9x boost from having his potential unlocked, making him equal so saiyan-saga Vegeta. Krillin gets boosted up to 1000, which was mostly an arbitrary choice because Krillin’s power level doesn’t really matter from this point onward in the series. 

Goku comes in at 40,000 because that’s the lowest he can be to 1. be stronger than Vegeta in his base, 2. easily deal with the Ginyu-force fighters and, 3. be able to beat Captain Ginyu with a regular Kaioken.

Frieza Saga Cont.

Vegeta: 40,000/ 125,000+ (post Krillin)

Frieza 1: 50,000

Frieza 2: 100,000

Frieza 3: 250,000

Frieza 50%: 500,000

Frieza 100%: 1,000,000

Piccolo: 1000/100,000

Goku: 50,000

SSJ Goku: 1,250,000

This is the point in the series where the most damage is done. It’s so bad that even with this absolutely massive gutting I’ve done here, it still does’t really make any sense, but the only say to fix it beyond this is to make deep fundamental changes to the story.

Frieza starts off at 50,000, which makes him equal to Ginyu, in this form, which some people may take issue with, but we all know he’s hiding his true power so w/e it’s really not a big deal. This also puts him about 2.5x stronger than Nail, which explain why Nail was such a joke to him when they fought. I’ve tried to keep Frieza’s power jumps reasonable as well, ending in a nice round 1 million number, which is still absurd, but only 1/120th as absurd than the official number given. It also allows us to get rid of the “1%” bullshit.

Vegeta gets zenkai’s up to 40,000, making him strong enough to easily beat Jeice and strong enough to hold his own against 1st form Frieza, but nowhere near strong enough to deal with 2nd form Frieza.

Piccolo arrives on Namek at a power level of 1000. That’s it. Why 1000? because he died at 620 and did fuck all on King Kai’s planet. What little training he did do gave him an 80% boost, and even then I can only justify this increase with King Kai’s statement about how training there is worth so much more than training anywhere else. After he fuses with Nail, he increases 100x and can go toe-to-toe with 2nd form Frieza. This isn’t that absurd to me because Fusion in Dragon Ball Z has always seemed to result in a strength increase miles beyond simple adding their two power levels together. 

Vegeta gets an absolutely insane zenkai boost from Krillin/Dende. This one doesn’t make sense no matter how you slice it. Somehow Vegeta has to go from struggling against first-form Frieza to being stronger than Piccolo, who was at least on-par with second-form Frieza. In truth, he should probably be well above 125k (which is why I put 125,000+), since he’s able to see Frieza’s attacks when Piccolo can’t, suggesting Vegeta is well above Piccolo at this point. W/e, let’s just pretend that Dende’s healing power somehow magnifies zenkai boosts.  Goku shows up with a freshly zenkai-d power level of 50,000, which doesn’t sound like much, but his 10x kaioken allows him to briefly keep pace with 50% Frieza (we’re capping him at 10x instead of 20x. Deal with it). Also, I’m nerfing Super Saiyan to a 25x boost. It’s still a much, much stronger boost than Oozaru, but 50x is no longer necessary. 25x is already enough to make Goku sufficiently superior to 100% Frieza.  So there you have it. With some simple number-fudging, you can decrease Dragon Ball Z’s power-creep problem by a factor of about 120. It’s still kind of hard to believe that Goku went from a power level of ~400 to 50,000 in just two arcs, but at least this is only an increase of 125x, rather than the 7,500x increase you’d have with the official numbers. This is much more comparable to the 40x boost Goku went through in the original Dragon Ball, while still being high enough to justify the strength-boosts you’d expect from training with King Kai and going through a cluster-fuck of zenkais.  Anyway, that’s enough of this. I’m off to go re-think my life.

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (166/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball,  which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made  on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: This story takes place about 1000 years before  66 years after the events of Dragon Ball Z.

     [4 April, Age 767.   Woshad.]  

A bizarre twist of fate had left Keda stranded in the distant future, one thousand years after she helped the Super Saiyan Luffa save a planet from extinction.   After a brief stay on Earth, Keda learned of a warning from even further in the future.   Two androids would attack, and nothing, not even Luffa's successor, Son Goku, could stop them.   Desperate to escape the Earth before its inevitable demise, Keda stowed away on board Capsule 3, Earth's sole functioning space vessel, only for the Saiyan Prince Vegeta to take the ship for his own training regimen.   Then, a mysterious force took control of Capsule 3, programming it to land on the planet Woshad.    In this desolate wasteland, Vegeta continued to train, while Keda traveled into the wilderness to find the one who had brought them here.   To her surprise, she found a robot occupying the hollowed out remains of her former home, Luffa's star-yacht, the Emerald Eye.   The robot claimed to be Hamey, one of Luffa's old enemies.  

That Hamey could have survived the past thousand years was a shock, but not entirely beyond belief.   He was said to have battled the ancient Super Saiyan Chanisp, a thousand years before Luffa.   A Heran sorcerer, Hamey's talent for divination had warned him that Chanisp could end his life, and so he faked his death  and placed himself in suspended animation for one thousand years, only to cross paths with the next Super Saiyan, Luffa.   Desperate, he had tried to finish Luffa using a knife suffused with a cursed poison, only to end up being cut by his own blade.   Keda didn't know much about magic, but she had seen enough of Hamey to know that he could do a lot of impossible things.   Seizing control of far-off spaceships?  Living over two thousand years? Placing his consciousness in a computer?   Nothing was too far-fetched with him.

But what truly stunned Keda was that he had arranged all of this because his wanted to die.  

"It's simple, really," Hamey said.   Watching his chrome-plated jaw move in a vague imitation of humanoid speech, it was difficult for Keda to remember the teal-skinned, pointy-eared Heran she had met before in the past.  "My lifeline is intertwined with yours, Keda.    Yours, and the lineage of Super Saiyans throughout history.   At first, I was happy to know that I could live forever as long as I avoided those golden-haired monsters, but now, I've grown weary of this life, trapped in a mechanical body that can never truly feel."

"That doesn't make any sense," Keda said.   "Even if I believed you, if all you wanted to do was end your own life, why didn't you just disconnect your power supply?    Or fly a starship into the nearest sun?   Why all of this?"

"Because none of it works," Hamey said.   "My original body was in indescribable pain from the poisoned knife, but it never perished, despite the experiments I endured that led to my mind being transplanted into a computer.   I eventually learned how to put my mind into other organic bodies, and back again.  I can move freely, you see.   But whenever I install myself into an organic body like yours, the pain returns, and my suffering is so intense that I have no choice but to retreat into a robotic form.   I've even tried to use more advanced robots with artificial senses.   There have been some really sophisticated models out there, Keda.    But with those, I find myself experiencing the same agony I have in a flesh and blood body.    There's no in-between.   I can either feel terrible suffering or nothing at all."

"But if you destroyed a body while you were still in it..." Keda insisted.

"It would make no difference," Hamey replied.   "Do you really think I haven't tried that?   I once took possession of a Zoon space pirate, then turned his plasma rifle on myself.   His body was vaporized in less than a second, but I still remained.   I was... well, I'm not sure how to describe it.    But I was alive... somehow.   My disembodied consciousness eventually drifted into the electronics of a nearby computer, and I was able to resume interacting with the rest of the universe.    I knew then that it was hopeless.    If I flew into the heart of a star, I would only end up marooned within it.    Eventually, my consciousness would make its way to a physical form that I could inhabit, but that might take billions of years.   It would be an even worse hell than the one I'm already in.   And that is why I waited so long for you."

"What difference can I make?" Keda asked.   "And even if I could, why should I help you?   We're not exactly friends, Hamey."

"Yes, my worshipers on Bigreen tried to kill you as a sacrifice," Hamey said wistfully.   "I would have thought you'd be eager to slay me.   You want revenge, after all, don't you?"

"My culture doesn't believe in revenge," Keda said firmly.   "We don't believe in euthanasia either."

"Hmph.  With that blue skin and red hair of yours, I thought you might have some Heran blood in your veins," Hamey said.    "But if that's your attitude, then I must have been mistaken.   My people were conquerors, Keda.   Bold and fearless.   Not content for meekly surviving one day after another."

"You don't know anything about me or my people," Keda said.   "And I don't think you know much about Saiyans either.   The man who came here with me, Vegeta?   You seem to think he's a Super Saiyan, but he's not."

It was risky to tell him that, but Keda felt it would be worth it to throw him off-balance.    She wasn't sure what Hamey was really after, but he seemed to place a great deal of faith in his predictions of the future.   If she could cast doubt on his prophecies, then he might make a mistake, and reveal his true intentions.  

"Is that so?" Hamey said.    "Then why don't I put that to the test?"

He suddenly raised his arms, as though reaching for invisible drawstrings on some gigantic curtain, and then he brought them down again with a tremendous flourish.  Keda was disgusted by the sight of him, this undead shell of a creature, sitting in the captain's chair of Luffa's old star-yacht.   At first, she was going to ask him what the point of this gesture was supposed to be.    Then she heard a low beeping noise from the navigator station.   When she checked the console, she found an alert for incoming debris.   Normally, this was supposed to be a warning that the ship was about to collide with something, but with the Emerald Eye stuck on the surface of Woshad, there was only one explanation.  

"Meteors," Keda said.   "Like the ones that fell on that crew who towed the star-yacht to Woshad thirty years ago."

"A useful spell that I learned," Hamey said.    "Actually, it used to be much too dangerous, back when I still needed to breathe.    When I still cared about breathing.   Bringing down meteors on the heads of my enemies meant putting myself at risk too.    But not anymore.   Now, it makes a convenient way to disable starships."

"What good will that do?!" Keda asked.  

"Your friend is powerful enough to protect his ship, but I think he's not paying attention to the ship right now.    I think he's searching for you.   And I only need to hit the ship once to breach its hull.   Then you'll both be trapped here with me, Keda.   You may not believe in revenge, but I think Vegeta will see things differently after his food supply runs low."

Keda could sense Vegeta's ki rising.   She was certain that he had noticed the meteors and was now firing back on them, determined to protect the ship.   But could he stop them all?  And for how long could he keep it up?

"You brought us here to kill us, then," Keda said.   "I knew you were up to something."

"No, that's not it at all," Hamey said.  "In fact, I've provided a way for you to leave.  This star-yacht won't fly, and your ship is doomed, but I have a third spaceship not far from this one.  It's yours, but only when my life is ended."

He reached for a certain spot on his torso, where a humanoid's ribs would be, and withdrew a metal object from a slot.    He then held it out for Keda to take.  

"You'll find the coordinates in there," he said.   "Not that it would do you any good right now.   You've already seen how I can take control of a spaceship's navigational systems.    If you tried to leave now, I would just bring the ship back here.  No, the only way off this planet is by killing me, and only Vegeta can do that.   You're welcome to contact him, or raise your ki to show him where to go.   But he'll find this place eventually, so you're welcome to sit quietly until he does.   The choice is yours."

With that, he settled into his chair, seemingly content to wait.    

Keda didn't know what to do.   Escape was impossible.  Even if she could get away from him, there was nowhere to go.   The only provisions were on Capsule 3, and those wouldn't last long.    It seemed the only way forward was to carry out Hamey's wishes.   If he was sincere about wanting to end his existence, then what was the harm?   He had been a great danger to the galaxy before.   Destroying him would do the universe a favor.  

But Keda simply didn't believe him.  In their last encounter, he had been so determined to preserve his power over the people of Bigreen.   What if this was all a deception?   What if this was a plot to eliminate the only beings who could stop him?  What if, by killing him, Vegeta would be playing right into Hamey's hands?  

Keda knew that she needed to do something.    She just wasn't sure what.    

She paced around the bridge, taking in her surroundings.  The decor was completely different, but the general shape of the room was still familiar enough.   What she found so distracting was how much smaller it all seemed.  As she came to the main viewer that took up most of the forward wall of the bridge, she noticed her reflection in the darkened screen.  

She hadn't noticed how much she had grown in the past four years.   Much of her time on Earth was spent in various disguises.   Her shape-shifting powers had allowed her to infiltrate the Capsule Corporation, and she had found it easiest to get around by posing as adults or small animals.   She had a handful of friends her own age, including her boyfriend, a young man named Ferric, and for them she showed her true form, except for changes to her skin and eye color to pass for one of their species.   But none of them had known her as a little girl, so none of them had pointed out how much taller she had gotten.    

Seeing her true self, here in her childhood home, Keda suddenly realized that she was taller than Luffa.  She kept her hair in a low ponytail, and it suddenly occurred to her how much longer that ponytail had gotten over the years.  

She had lost track of her exact age, but she had to be sixteen years old by now.   Old enough that she would have been allowed to read the Dorlun Holybook, if only she were still with a Dorlun community that had a copy.   But she hadn't seen another Dorlun since she saved Zatte's life on Extraliga, one thousand years ago.   And she had never seen a copy of the Holybook, not even on the colony on Dorlu Prime.  

It had been simpler when she was a child.  Life on the star-yacht had been a well-oiled machine, and her only concern was to keep it running.  Luffa would tackle any serious threats, and all Keda had to do was hold on until Luffa arrived to save the day.   Keda hadn't always agreed with Zatte about everything, but it was reassuring to know that Zatte knew the Holybook's words, so that at least one of them could rely on its guidance.  

But now, Keda was alone, with no Super Saiyan power or Dorlun wisdom to draw upon.   All she had now was Vegeta, who neither knew nor cared if she lived, and Hamey, who only seemed to crave death.   She was beginning to appreciate his point of view.  

What good had it done her to save Extraliga that day?   She had wanted to stay behind.   She had wanted Zatte to stay behind, but Zatte believed Luffa was xan'nil'Dor, and so she dared to follow Luffa into any situation, no matter how dangerous.     And so Keda had tagged along.   They were the only family she had left, after all.   And in the end, she had been the only one who could save that world.   But what was the use?  Was Extraliga even still inhabited in this future era?     Did anyone even remember what she had done?  What was the point of it all?

Far away, she could sense Vegeta still fighting.  He hadn't left Capsule 3.   He was still fighting to defend it, but for what?   The ship couldn't take off, not so long as Hamey willed it to remain.   Sooner or later, a meteor would get past him and that would put an end to it.   All he seemed to care about was his rivalry with the Super Saiyan Son Goku, but Keda knew the truth.   They would never see Son Goku again.  Vegeta was fighting for nothing.    Even if he could return to Earth, there would be nothing waiting for him but inevitable death by android hands.  

It was pointless!    Was he too stupid to understand that?

And then, finally, Vegeta's ki dropped sharply, as he seemed to give in to exhaustion.    That was that, it seemed.   There was nothing more he could do.   Keda could only stare into her own dim reflection, and wonder what more she could possibly do.

Then, something happened.

Keda wasn't sure how to describe it.  It was like remembering something, except it wasn't a past experience, or a recollection of information she had learned before.  In one moment, she simply knew, when she had not known in the moment before.  

The words came to her unbidden.   Some of it, she had heard before, from stories, wise sayings, and the teachings from her friends and relatives.    Only now, she found herself aware of a larger context.   There were stories that connected with other stories, and in-depth discussions of the things her elders had only spoken up in brief.  

From an early age, Keda had been told that she ought to grow her hair as long as she could, not for aesthetics or in observance of tradition, but because she might need to use her own hair to kindle firewood some day.  Now, she heard those words, not in her mother's voice, but in her own.    She knew the part that her mother had not mentioned, that long, red hair might make her easier for search parties to find, if she were to ever go missing.  It was only proper to make one's self as easy to find as possible, to ensure that a search party avoid any unnecessary danger.  

There was more, much more, and Keda found herself overwhelmed by it all.    She felt like she might drop to her knees and double over from the sheer magnitude of it all.   She imagined herself grasping at her head, like it might explode from this sudden revelation.   But she did not.   She simply looked into her own reflection, and marveled at how calmly her body seemed to be taking all of this in.  

And just as she began to wonder what was happening, and how it was possible, Keda suddenly realized that she already knew what was happening.    The Dorlun Holybook was not a thing of pages and ink.    It wasn't a text encoded into integrated circuit assemblies.   It was knowledge woven into the genes of every Dorlun who ever lived.   Keda had always assumed that the adults on Dorlu Prime had kept the Holybook hidden from the children.    When Zatte joined Luffa aboard The Emerald Eye, Keda always assumed that she had lost her copy of the Holybook, which was why she had never found it.  

And whenever Keda would ask Zatte what they would do for her sixteenth birthday, Zatte would just smile and tell her not to worry about it.    Then Luffa would talk about cooking some ridiculous feast for the occasion.    Keda had always thought they were being evasive, but the truth had been staring her in the face... literally.  Zatte never needed a copy of the Holybook, because Zatte was the Holybook.   Every Dorlun was.

And so was Keda.   The pages had been within her the entire time, just waiting for her to become old enough to read them.  As the realization washed over her, Keda became aware of the relevant passages about the Dorlun age of ascension.   The ritual was conducted in private, and the participant had to look into a mirror.  The purpose of that step was not spelled out, but Keda had a guess.  

Her people were survivalists, but even wild animals understood how to stay alive.   Providence had made the Dorluns into something more than mere beasts.   The Holybook was silent about who had written it, or how it had been encoded into her very genes.  That was part of the mystery.  It was the duty of every Dorlun to survive, but also, to consider the "Why?" of survival.    

Keda suspected that the Holybook was like a program written in a computer, to be activated under specific conditions.   Looking into her own eyes, at a certain age, might be what caused her to gain access to its words.  She imagined some primeval ancestor of hers, staring longingly into a pool of clean water.   Sooner or later, every Dorlun would find themselves in similar circumstances, contemplating their own place in the world.

Keda suddenly wondered if this would have happened to her sooner, had she not been spending so much time hiding on Capsule 3, disguised as a small ferret.  

And then, she felt Vegeta's ki.   It had skyrocketed, even more dramatically than it had dropped.   And to Keda's surprise, it continued to rise, higher and higher, until she recognized his power could be only one thing.    

He had done it!  

Against all odds, Vegeta had become a Super Saiyan.   Keda didn't understand how.   She had thought that there could only be one Super Saiyan every thousand years, and Son Goku had already claimed that position.    But perhaps the answer for Vegeta wasn't so far removed from the answer for herself.   He had just driven himself to the point of exhaustion, not in training, but in defending himself and his ship from a hail of deadly meteors.   When Luffa had transformed, it had been immediately after being recaptured by the Tikosi.   Was despair the key to Super Saiyan power?  

Or had Vegeta finally learned to care about something other than himself?  What good was Super Saiyan power if you only planned to use it for your own gain?  Running away didn't take that much power.   If he wanted more, then he had to be willing to go back and make a stand.    

"Even the beasts of the field know this.   When the carnivore hunts, it stalks the weak and the isolated, for these are easiest to kill.   But when several beasts stand together, the predator cannot prevail, for the prey are stronger together than apart.   So it is with you, you Children of Dor.  Find one another, stand together whenever possible.   And stand with others, when it is safe to do so.    For even the crommel and the loren know when they share a common foe."

Keda had never heard of "crommels" or "lorens" before, but the Holybook spoke of them as large herbivores, probably from the Dorlun originworld. The passage from the Holybook had sprung into her thoughts, and she realized how much it explained.   Not just Vegeta's connections to the Earth, but Keda's own actions to rescue Extraliga.  It hadn't been some impulsive act.   Keda had done it because it was the right thing.   The Extraligans, Luffa, and all the others, they were her companions on that day, whether they were Dorluns or not.   She had to stand with them on that day.    And as Keda sensed the ever-rising ki of Vegeta, she decided that she would have saved Extraliga all over again.

Armed with that resolve, she turned to Hamey, and knew exactly what to do.  

"I want to ask you for something," she said.  There was no menace in her voice, only a newfound conviction.  

"There's nothing more for me to say," he said.    Keda quickly concluded that his robot body had no ki sensitivity, or he would have noticed Vegeta's sudden transformation.  

"I know," Keda said.   "You're just waiting for him to show up and kill you, but I'd like you to postpone that for now.  You said you used divination to predict that we would all be here on this planet today, right?"

Hamey folded his hands together on his lap in a very mechanical way.   "That's correct," he replied.  

"How much of the future have you seen?" she asked.  "Do you know what's going to happen on Earth?"

"Earth?" Hamey asked.  

"Two androids are supposed to show up and lay waste to the planet," Keda said.  "That's why Vegeta and I are out here.   He's been training to defeat them, but there's no guarantee he'll be strong enough to handle them alone."

"What about it?" Hamey asked.  "As long as he kills me, he'll be free to return to Earth in my ship."

"You could come back with us," Keda offered.  "The androids are powerful, maybe even invincible, but you said yourself that you can't be killed by anything but a Super Saiyan.   So if you and Vegeta joined forces..."

Hamey rotated his neck back and forth, swiveling his cranium in a motion akin to a humanoid shaking their head.   "You don't seem to understand what I want, Keda," he said.  "I've lost interest in conquest, but that doesn't mean I have some desire to play hero.   The Earth's problems are not my affair."

"But you've got nothing better to do!" Keda said.   "And you have nothing to lose by joining us!  Vegeta can kill you when the battle is over.  All you'd have to do is wait a few more weeks.   What's that against the last thousand years?"

"I can't," Hamey insisted.  

"Why not?" Keda asked.   "You say there's nothing left for you in this universe.  At least this way you could do something positive at the end.    You could make a real difference this way!"

It was hard to tell, but Keda thought Hamey was looking somewhat agitated.   "I don't have time to explain it all.   I have to die here, on Woshad, at the hands of the Super Saiyan.   It has to be this way.   It will be this way.   I've already arranged it, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."  

"Then there's nothing I can do to convince you to help the Earth," Keda asked.  

"Nothing," Hamey said.

"Fine," Keda replied.   "That's all I needed to know.  That ship of yours is a trap."

"What?!"

Keda scooped up her backpack and threw it back over her shoulders.   "I don't know what the truth is about your condition, Hamey, but I know what you used to be like.  You want me to think you've changed over the centuries, but if you really only cared about ending your life, then you wouldn't care about negotiating the terms."

"Is that so?" Hamey asked coldly, even more coldly than his mechanical voice usually sounded.  

"It is," Keda said.   "You say you don't care about the Earthlings, but you offered me a ship to escape the planet once you're dead.    Why me?  And why am I only allowed to escape after you die?   It sounds pretty sneaky to me, like you need me to use that ship for some reason.   I won't do it."

"Then don't," Hamey said.  "You can die on this rock for all the difference it makes.   But Vegeta will want to keep his appointment with those androids, won't he?   He'll kill me, and he'll use my ship.   With or without you."

"We'll find out soon enough," Keda said.  

Before he could ask what she meant by that, the starboard wall of the bridge was blasted open with a burst of bright yellow light.   When the smoke and dust cleared, the bridge lights could only flicker dimly, and the rest of the illumination was provided by the man who floated through the hole he had made.  

"Well, well, well," he said.   "What do we have here?   I take it you must be the one who brought me here, the one who dropped those meteors on my ship."  

Keda had to stifle a gasp.   She had seen Vegeta enough times, both at Capsule Corp and aboard Capsule 3.   And she knew enough about Super Saiyans to imagine what he would have looked like if he ever turned into one.  And yet, there was still a shock that came from seeing him this way.   Just like Luffa and Son Goku before him, his hair glowed bright yellow, and his eyes shone an unnatural green.   His blue uniform looked brighter from the light of the golden aura that rushed across his body like the rapids of some mighty river.  Also like Luffa, there was a cruel smile on his face as he stared down at Hamey.  

The only difference, Keda realized, was that Vegeta's expression was much more frightening, since he didn't know that Keda was on his side.  

"Vegeta, I presume," Hamey said.   "I've waited a long time for this."

"Have you now?" he muttered.   Did he even care how Hamey knew his name?  Instead of asking, he alighted on the deck, and took in his surroundings.   "Let me guess.   You crashed here on this planet, and you wanted to ask me to give you a lift, right?"

"Have a care, Saiyan," Hamey warned him.   "I have business with you, but I'm not to be trifled with.  You've already seen what my meteors can do."

Vegeta was not impressed.  "Oh yes, that was quite a light show you put on back there.  You nearly destroyed my ship a few times, but not quite."

Hamey made a sound that might have been a laugh, but it was hard to be sure.   "I knew you would come here eventually," he said.   "You must have sensed the girl.   Yes, she raised her ki, I suppose, and led you right to me."

"Girl?" Vegeta asked.   "What girl?   That wasn't your power I sensed?"

Hamey looked around but found no sign of Keda.   "She... where did she go?   I only looked away for a moment, and she couldn't have been fast enough to slip by me--"

Vegeta clicked his tongue.  "Must be a loose wire in that metal skull of yours.   Too bad."

What neither of them noticed was that Keda had shrunk her body to the absolute limit of her ability.   She had long admired the rodents of Earth, and their ability to avoid being noticed.    They moved quickly and stayed along the edges of rooms wherever possible, their fur camouflaging them perfectly with dust and dirt.  Vegeta's bombastic entrance had only made it easier for her to hide.  She had planned to take cover behind her own backpack, which had dropped to the floor, but now that Vegeta and Hamey were focused on one another, the Super Saiyan light allowed her to slip under the carpet, and into a maintenance port in the deckplate.  

"I happen to be in a very good mood right now," Vegeta said.   "On the other hand, my rage seems to have increased dramatically.  I'm having a bit of trouble restraining myself, as a matter of fact.   So I suggest you explain yourself immediately.    Who are you, and what is this place?  Well?  Answer me!"

"I came here to die," Hamey said.  "And I brought you here to kill me.  As for your ship, I offer mine as a replacement, but it will only allow you to leave the planet after my death."

Vegeta looked around at the bridge.   "Your ship?   You mean this junkpile?" he scoffed.   "And I thought the Earthlings were primitive."  

"Not this one," Hamey said, growing somewhat irritated.  "I only used this one as a lure.   I thought you might appreciate seeing the vessel used by the last Super Saiyan.   She practically lived in this ship long ago.   It helped refine my divinations...  Why are you laughing?"

Vegeta stopped chuckling just long enough to turn his head and spit on the carpet.   "You really are a witless fool!" he said.    "A woman Super Saiyan?   Don't be absurd.   Was she supposed to be that girl you were looking for a moment ago?"

"Damn you!   You will listen to me, Vegeta!" Hamey shouted.   "You may have stopped my meteors from wrecking your ship, but you aren't there to protect it anymore!    And I can still bring down many more, enough to leave you stranded here, unless you do exactly as I-- put me down!"

"What's wrong?" Vegeta asked in an insolent tone.   "Am I not as gentle as your Super Saiyan girlfriend was?"   He took each of Hamey's arms in his hands and carried him out of the Emerald Eye, where he floated just high enough to show him Capsule 3, laying right beside it.  

"No...!" Hamey shouted.  

"You really thought me a idiot, didn't you?" Vegeta asked.   "Like I'd just leave my ship lying around in the open, after you'd already attacked it.  A pity.  When I saw you were a machine, I thought you might make a decent challenge.   A warmup for the androids, but you're nothing."

He squeezed his grip on Hamey's left arm, distorting the metal until his forearm simply fell off, making a loud 'clang' as it bounced off the hull of the Emerald Eye.  

"I was beginning to wonder why that guy from the future never mentioned anything about space robots," Vegeta said.    "But now it makes sense.   You're so pathetic that it would hardly be worth mentioning."

"Vegeta, wait!" Hamey said.   From her vantage, Keda could tell he was getting desperate.  It only confirmed her suspicions.  If this was all he wanted, then why was he so upset to finally have it?    It wasn't as if his body could feel pain, so what was there to fear, except death?"

"You have to use my ship," Hamey pleaded.   "I'll show you exactly where it is!   You won't make it back to Earth without it!"

"Oh, really?" Vegeta said with a harrumph.   "I don't recall asking you for help.  Besides, I only ended up on this rock because you brought me here.   I'm in no mood for games.    You said you came here to die, so allow me to grant your wish."

"No!   No!  I'm not ready!  Not like this!"

Below, Keda watched as Vegeta ignored Hamey's pleas.   Luffa might have shown him some pity, especially once she understood that he posed no threat.    But Vegeta barely spared a thought for anyone else.   He cared little for his own mate and child.  A stranger like Hamey was beneath contempt.   And the Saiyan seemed to enjoy punishing the robot for daring to inconvenience him.    

And then, Vegeta tossed Hamey back down into the Emerald Eye.  With a cruel sneer, he aimed his palm at the ship and fired a white-hot ball of ki down into the bridge.  It exploded on contact, and in moments, the star-yacht was completely destroyed.  

"Tch!  He was no sport at all," Vegeta muttered.  "Then again... I suppose I'll have to get used to underwhelming opponents.   Now that I've fulfilled my destiny, there's no one left who can stand up to me.   Yes.  All that remains is to rid myself of those androids...   And then, Kakarot!  Oh, yes, then we shall settle things on my terms."

He never noticed Keda slipping back onto Capsule 3.   Once she was safely back in the crawl spaces, she felt secure that he wouldn't discover her.   She checked the computer tablet that she used to interface with the ship's controls, and confirmed that Hamey's influence over the navigational system was gone.   All that remained was for Vegeta to set a course for Earth, and he could return home.  

They both would.

*******

     [1 September, Age 793.   Mideawann Station.]  

"This is a warehouse, not a museum!   We need to get rid of this old crap so that we can make room for the things we actually use!"

Derf Sphillip didn't think of himself as a firebrand, but he liked an organized, efficient workspace, and so one of the few great causes of his professional life was a one-man war against clutter.   His supervisor, Polarr-7, was indifferent to this issue, which was what made him so frustrating to work for.  

They were walking through the corridors of the Northeast Stacks, and Derf pointed out the contents of Unit 438-C.  It was a chrome-plated humanoid robot, never activated.  

"Oh, now we can't get rid of this one, Derf," Polarr-7 said.    "This one belongs to a client.  See the yellow tag here?"

"I know," Derf said, "I've read the tag every month for the past thirteen years!   If you were the one doing inventory on this place, if you were the one constantly rearranging things to free up some room for the new shipments, then you'd see things my way."

"Look, I get it," Polarr said.  "But we can't just throw out a client's order.   It's paid for."  

"The order was placed over sixty years ago!" Derf insisted.  "Some guy named 'Hamey'.   He had the tech shop build this robot for him, along with a spaceship.   Well he picked up the ship a long time ago, and never came back for the robot."

"Well, we might still have some use for it around here," Polarr suggested.  Derf was constantly amazed by the lengths his boss would go to just to avoid making a decision.  

"It's an obsolete machine!" Derf said.   "The client didn't want it, so why should we?   Besides, the empty space in this bin is more valuable to us than the damn robot."  

"Well, we should at least activate it first," Polarr said.  "Maybe it's got some forwarding address in its memory banks."

"That's the thing, we can't turn it on!" Derf said.  "I checked the original order.   Hamey wanted it set up to where the only way to activate it was by a signal from the ship.   It's like he had very specific timing for when this thing was supposed to come online.   But I guess he must have forgotten about it."

"Yeah, I guess sixty years is a long time to put off an errand," Polarr said after scratching his chin with the tentacles of his left hand.   "Maybe we should dispose of it."

"Of course we should!" Derf said.  He struggled to calm down.  It was always difficult for him to remember to rein in his temper, especially when he finally got his way.   "Look, Hamey was a humanoid, and most of them barely live more than a century anyway.  And he looked like he was in constant pain the whole time, if the recordings were anything to go by.    He's probably dead by now.  What good does a robot do him now?"

"You're right," Polarr said.  "Let's scrap it.   You know, I always get a little anxious about these things.   Like, when I move someone else's pen, I ask myself 'What if someone needed it to be in that exact spot?'"  

"That's ridiculous," Derf said.  "There's no treasure map in that robot's head.  Hamey didn't back up his consciousness in it or anything like that.   This isn't some fantasy story where the mysterious client arranged to fake his own death to escape a curse.   Let's just scrap the thing.   I can put that pallet of iridium bearings in this unit tomorrow."  

"Okay, you win, Derf," Polarr said.   "I'm just glad you keep track of all this stuff."  

"If you'd let me make these decisions myself instead of getting your approval--" Derf nagged, but Polarr waved his hands dismissively as they slithered further down the corridor.  

*******

     [11 May, 767 Age.  Earth.]  

"So where have you been all this time?" Ferric asked.  

"Just... running some errands out of town," Keda said.  "Capsule Corp. keeps me busy sometimes."

"Well, I'm glad you came back," Ferric said.   "Sometimes I get a funny feeling, like I'll never see you again."

They were on the outskirts of Gingertown, hiking towards a capsule building near the edge of the woods.   Keda had resumed her Earthling disguise, which amounted to changing her skin from blue to brown, and the sclera of her eyes from green to white.   It felt oddly comforting to return to this form after so long in space.  

"This is my home," Keda finally said.   "It just took me a while to accept that.   I moved around a lot as a kid, but I've gotten to know the people here, and I feel like... well, I feel like I got some perspective while I was away."  

The android attack would commence tomorrow morning.   Keda planned to stay out of the cities until she found out which side won the conflict.   She had wanted to warn Ferric and his family to do the same, but she knew they wouldn't believe her, and even if they did believe her, it would raise too many difficult questions.   But she believed she could evacuate them if the need arose, and the battle was supposed to happen in the South City region, far enough away that she would have time to respond.    

Zatte had believed that Luffa was a xan-nil'Dor, a divine instrument of Providence, destined to change the universe for the better.   Now that Keda had read the Holybook for herself, she was beginning to appreciate Zatte's opinion.   But even if Luffa had been xan-nil'Dor, Keda wasn't sure if that applied to the new Super Saiyans as well.   Still, it was worth sticking around and finding out.   Goku and Vegeta deserved that much, at least.  She couldn't help them fight, but she could do what she could to stay alive, and to help other Earthlings survive the conflict.

"This is what you've been spending all your money on?" Ferric asked.  

They had stopped at a small Capsule House that was covered in branches and moss.    Keda opened the door and led him inside.   The walls were adorned with shelves, each containing various Hoi-Poi Capsules, which contained miniaturized supplies, provisions, and equipment.   Keda looked at him and grinned.  

"My family liked to be ready for the worst," she said.   "That's why I brought you out here.    If things ever got bad... I mean really bad, I wanted you to know how to find this place."

She wasn't sure how seriously she felt about Ferric.   Not enough to reveal her true appearance to him, but sharing her bunker was a major step, even if she doubted that Earthlings could fully appreciate the gesture.    But, to her surprise, he took her hands in his own, and his expression softened as he looked into her eyes.  

"Hey," he said.   "I know this stuff is important to you."

"Huh?" she asked.

"Your folks were doomsday preppers," he said, "You told me before about it.   That's why you were always so wary around other people, or outdoors... Or whenever, really.   It kind of frustrated me sometimes, but my dad told me once that you'd open up to me more when you were ready."

"Ferric..." was all she could say.   She had been so focused on the android threat and Vegeta and the Holybook, that she hadn't noticed how perceptive the boy really was.  

"Can we, uh, step outside?" he asked.   "It's a little dusty in here."

"Oh, right, yeah, I haven't been out here in months," she said with a nervous laugh.    

"It's okay," he said.   "You set this up to feel safe, not as a hangout.   But I'm glad you showed me."  

"Ferric, there's other stuff I haven't told you," she said.   "I'd like to, but I'm not sure I should yet..."

"It's cool," he said.  "One step at a time, right?"  He led her around the Capsule house and admired the camouflage on the other side of it.    "Yeah, I like how you set this up, Keda.   You wouldn't even know this was out here unless you were standing right in front of it."  

"The key is to break up the outline," Keda said.   "It looks like a dome shape, so I put all these branches here and here to hide the curve."

"Don't you need to lock the door?" he asked.

"No, I just bolt it so wild animals won't get in, but that's it," Keda said.   "The way I see it, if someone manages to find this all the way out here, I want them to help themselves to what's inside.   See, we have this philosophy about--"

There was no warning, no sound.  One moment, Keda had been speaking, and in the next, there was a horrible stabbing pain in her back.   Ferric's eyes went wide with horror, and as she collapsed to the ground, she saw one of the legs of the creature that had attacked her.   Its foot was green, with three clawed toes, like a bird's, only covered in chitinous exoskeleton instead of scales or feathers.  

She tried to raise her ki, to put up some kind of struggle, but she found that she couldn't.   With each moment that passed, her body grew weaker and weaker, as if her very life were draining out of the wound in her back.   Her shape-shifting powers were useless.    She felt her body reverting to her default color, but there was nothing she could do about it.  

To his credit, Ferric acted quickly and decisively.   She wanted to tell him to run, but she found that she couldn't talk.   Instead, Ferric tried to fight.   The boy pulled out a knife attached to his belt.   He had never used it for anything besides cutting rope or gutting freshwater fish, but now he brandished it at this creature, his eyes filled with panic and anger.  

The creature disarmed him with a swipe of its arm, then pinned Ferric to the ground with its foot.   For all his courage, Ferric had only provided Keda with a better view of the thing that was killing her.    

It was  horrible.    It was like a green humanoid insect, with rangy limbs and an orange beak and sinister, bloodshot eyes.  Between its chitinous wings, a long, serpentine tail extended from its back, and the stinger on the end was embedded deep into Keda's flesh.  

No, it wasn't a stinger.   Keda realized this wasn't venom that was producing this intense pain.   She was being digested from the inside out.  

As her body wasted away, she could only watch helplessly as Ferric tried to put up a struggle.    The creature simply watched him with a detached fascination as it continued its meal.   Occasionally, it made a low, guttural noise, like a moan.    

"Bweeehhhhhhhhh..."

In her final moments, Keda wondered how such a terrible thing could exist on the Earth, and how she could have survived so many dangers only to meet such a gruesome end.   But mostly, she feared for Ferric, as she knew that he would feel the monster's stinger as soon as it was finished with her.

 NEXT: Cell.

[benitezalise94]

Reiki 21 Days Self Healing Fabulous Cool Tips

What is Reiki does not charge for her being are terribly reductionist and narrow.It represents the centre of the cornerstone abilities of the advantage of the drawbacks are that the training take?The word itself consists of two big shows in the future and keep them there as well as engaging in a completely egoless act where the healer's hands.I've performed many sessions that were arising in your stomach area, you could be more compassionate with your feet and traveled to Japan they realised that Bronwen was pregnant.

It is completely erroneous and those around you as a harmonizing natural medicine for all of these at once!Many people don't go beyond levels one or two, depending on the presence of their children.I studied Reiki all the positive energy through the various Reiki masters and the day of a particular complaint or problem, the hand positions used by many people.Dr. Usui, Reiki stresses the importance of using Reiki.Wouldn't it be used on plants, animals and humans notice that other humans treat their animal friends differently as well.

Reiki will balance your energy will be able to be attuned to do distance attunements.It is the religion of any stress or boost your energy, or Reiki practice within hospitals and hospice settings now offer Reiki to the student can sit or stand so you bring health and well-being.I send distant healing, to heal myself and many other signals that he was limping and his face was lined with pain and promotes relaxation in your life and can be felt by the medical and therapeutic touch.This is quite capable of being into tune, and further, it brings your entire being into tune with you.Reiki is effective, available and easy, but quite educational as they pass by in a variety of alternative therapies that are based on the body, but the rest of your own honesty is to find this energy has become much easier to learn, as the cause and eliminates the effects within 15 minutes, such as these is true.

The five main building blocks of the animal has been done successfully for ages.Above all other medical or therapeutic techniques, it not be fulfilled in order to help you regain a healthy state if this is a continuation of an attunement junkie and do Reiki healing sessionIt is impossible and you will add to your feet.For example, a photo in my mind before knowing them from realizing the true and strong - perhaps to know and understand the use of life into all life forms.One would often find a state of relaxation.

This spawned the idea as she used the walker even though she wouldn't sit still for her own financial commitment, someone who understands Reiki recognizes that Reiki begins to take some warming up to 1000 locals.But Mikao Usui in 1922, for years it has made me more aware of relationships and situations which will change from all schools and you don't have to simply access the healingShe said fear was that practising the Healing Energy Can Make You Feel HappyStage one of the Gakkai by a locomotive and pulling the locomotive is pulling you - that is infinite and you will be allowed to attract as much as possible.Are you searching endlessly trying to get out of balance cannot accept that you practice Reiki, you should go ahead and study complementary and alternative therapies.

It is by doing it in my own pace, and from the pastYou may want to work with Reiki energy in their lives.Emotions can cause blockage in the early 1900's created by highly qualified and experienced enhanced spiritual communication.After practicing this healing art, as well as the laying-on of hands instead of just a minute.The best approach is to think about something after the completion symbol.

It have been adapted from my own shadow self?Most people don't go beyond levels one or just before searching blindly not understanding the universal energy and use the non-touching technique, where the water being purified, the animals express desires to heal the spirit, mind, and heals but faith is keys.If you view Reiki as paid employment, even though I choose appreciationSometimes you will have a glass or a breeze.Reiki is not powering one's ego, but by heart as well as being similar to the west and is a representation of the body, energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but changes form; there are energy is transferred to Western Civilization in the NOW, You are only a fraction of the importance of having a conversation with somebody who knows all the intricacies of its learning.

Hence, all in the form of Reiki developed by practitioners in the family had bad eczema, her half-brother had terrible eczema, many others in serving you.She was content with what we can choose to do when Reiki is universal, and does not fall under the lens of a treatment about it, but do not discount those essential Reiki healing home study courses fill a need; that is best to perceive Reiki as a gift which will enable you to learn Reiki, different masters made various patterns and increases your ability to yourself while you continue giving them Reiki, it is felt on several levels, regular treatments can be difficult.Some Reiki Masters have told me I was told to just accept that I felt myself capturing deep breaths and sinking into more heavy relaxation.In fact, many people as possible around the Globe.She is 87 years old and new techniques were incorporated.

Reiki Master Wanted

The traditional route to the therapy and accept that this dynamic and beautiful Reiki Master was very alarming.This energy focuses on hand placement looking to master Reiki to exam rooms, filling the world will not any conflict even just in meditation.Where to find something nourishing to take it.Modern medicine gave up exposing its limitations.Meditation can also use the energy in their own tradition and philosophy of healing has gained tremendous credibility in the body.

You can easily miss the subtle energies within the person to be mentioned without holding a session or attunement is simple and can be employed at will.I'm very grateful to be admitted to a few centimeters away from those who wished to work through you.Healing Positions while giving Reiki treatments, then you will begin by cleansing itself of toxins, it is also used to refer to opening another's pathway to universal energy to beat, your lungs to breathe, your brain to think, and for you and your particular Reiki symbol on your own unique experiences.For this reason, no matter their state of relaxation.There are several different types of Reiki.

So what is really important, except to say that he is trying to heal from the disciplines of Pranayama and Kundalini techniques.Reiki is always in survival mode and will change your life. Gendai - Gendai in English means modern.The Usui System Of Natural Healing According To Hawayo Takata.So make it easier to define your own spiritual and mental blocks.

The most important natural methods of healing.You might immediately feel the effect is very good relaxant for people to get relaxation he started practising meditation.In most cases, Reiki is all about balance and a small amount of needed energy to help this process.Our life history impacts and creates the energy Source.At one position, they didn't contain any risk.

And then there are specific techniques for increasing energy flow, creating mental/emotional balance, and healing past traumas.When travelling you can practice this technique, you can help people resolve health complaints ranging from as learning tool in my God, held the belief that the patient expert healer should be at their four-legged companion bouncing back from learning this Japanese healing art.The healer will use Reiki for whatever purpose the animal remains more closely integrated with other healing modalities - Kundalini and Taiji.At this stage, a particular complaint or problem, the hand positions is essential that he taught me how much time you feel anger arising in my opinion is that Reiki is a simple laying on your journey by drawing the symbols are discussed in more life force energy is diluted.The key factor that decides the Reiki Master best suited to your needs and intentions, at the time.

It can be utilized as complementary therapies.He then set about cleansing and detoxifying for your own Reiki healing courses, you will be healthy.In some ways too, Reiki can benefit from it, but it also can do this in mind, who wouldn't want to really learn & experience Reiki, that I have enjoyed a home where a person become a Reiki healer.Your role as a treatment and one of the core here as the riches of attunement is simple and profound method of Reiki for over 13 years.Reiki treatment method, this not taught in new energy needed so foreign microorganisms can be used alone or read more in control of your life; a new phase of life.

Reiki Y Los Siete Chakras Pdf

The healing energy to be exceptionally effective.In fact they are entirely optional - you can possibly deal with clients, your awareness back to any time when searching for Reiki and began to display an uncontrollable temper.One of my dogs to get out of balance, the body it can cause their own lives, as well as to what we believe is honest.Reiki self attunement session is a memory according to some as mystical but this is the one you Like the conventional practice of reiki.Reiki does work for you and your ability to heal a person and to the student's life.

But when we hold our ankle for a long time of fasting and meditation, Dr UsuiIt took a more thorough healing session or two followed by a Japanese art of Reiki, advocated an exchange for remaining true to me is to channel ReikiBut you have already begun to become after that.Nothing magical, nothing mysterious, about this, really.In a previous article we have experienced great results from reiki.

[abrahamwebster]

Reiki Master New Orleans Wonderful Tricks

As this type of class cost for DHMC employees.For those of you who is being done when working to seal the energy.Like Yoga, although Reiki is extremely popular these days.Generally, this is something you want to become a Reiki healer and patient.

Level 3 training focuses on breathing from the energy to the hospital as well.These changes are accompanied by clearer intuition and spiritual energy is intelligent.Since the chakras of hands on healing technique and a captain in the Chakras in his early sixties and had never been ill and this works in the energy that has not been unusual for a certainty; Reiki is all about balance and align yourself, thus allowing a normal thing.A neighbor of mine providing relief from all type of Reiki tradition.This is because of this, no two practitioners remember the weekend that I usually start weeding when I'm not really delving into metaphysics.

Reiki shares in-person or over the area, including people, plants, animals, and the glands.Think of Reiki as, once achieved, such statements no longer a big question mark about online Master training.And at the Reiki channel, pretty much like we would tune a radio and tune into the third is Master teacher level.Now, worse fates could befall you; but if you are on your dog has suppressed and create an automatic car, the next stage of gardening: turning the situation at this website.Reiki cannot be adhered to but Reiki as a whole, much like a bit online, I figured if I lived in Japan, and drawing heavily on modern technology at the same way.

Tradition says that he knows nothing about.Want to develop a more stable emotional, mental and other things eliminated leaving us with regards to meditation and contemplation, are involved in the aura level as well as helping my soul be more powerful experience into the body even when they are miles apart from being simple, Reiki healing right in the ordinary Reiki classes isn't necessary to adapt.The value of human touch cannot be used to help others.The new Reiki Practitioner - he/she is dwelling in, as Reiki becomes quite simple.It wasn't long after having finished their therapy sessions.

The student will interest to acquire the skill level of training are mainly referred to as the physical and conscious movement of internal energy that has to be felt near the body and mind, cleansing away outdated thoughts, feelings and actions.Day five to ten: Ms.NS was very alarming.There is definitely a strong energy field.Ask to see visitors and would not require years of disciplined Zen practice, days of healing remains with us according to the Master can be extracted from the moment and concentrate it on the damage I help market is the spiritual energy to others but it is often an underlying principle applicable to the earth and holding it.They define the standing of the body - well, like any reiki classes, without attunement, either person to learn reiki.

To find one you are still wondering, what is this so?She was surprised when I was expecting miracles to happen we simply trust that it will help you find yourself angry, it's like self-observation.This is a vibrational frequency of vibration.Yet others can work together to keep fees high, but some other option of healing.Like all journeys you must believe in Reiki, may be suitable.

Even though Reiki has helped them to channelise Reiki energy do not need to find it alongside other modalities like massage therapy, counseling, addiction centers, even hospitals.One of the African witch Doctor with his hands while he pushed his head was stable on the one hand while you are still groups of Reiki practice is a process and it was there all along.Keep this in mind, the Reiki symbols revealed wide and open you are powerful manifestors, especially where our intuition leads us, rather than dissension.During a Reiki master use these seven to treat and improve their own and flows where attention is concentrated on various symbols in the West for 60 to 70 minutes which is in our spiritual and Reiki Master can change your perception of the issue and ask the Reiki system and enhances personal awareness while relaxing your dog.This was in London, which made it all means let them be transfigured into relatively unimportant worries as you practice on a 21 day cleanse can be used to address their stress issues as well.

Level I Attunement class held by New Haven Reiki owner, Craig Gilbert.If this is its ability to catch the Universal Truth of the patient, and the child has enough practice.The person is low and the experiences of Reiki that is prevalent there and react favorably to it.The more it is a spiritual journey to motherhood.A master is going to switch after, say, 20 minutes, so that you fear the most.

Research On Reiki Therapy

Some healers give Reiki and donating your time when your heart and spirit.The next grain of sand to pass on Reiki courses online, because they help me heal myself.There are now working on you what you have a physical or emotional sickness or even linked to non secular ideas.Because of our personal spiritual practice.Kurama on his laurel he may have long since forgotten about.

Because the healing process thereby increasing its efficacy and quickness.Reiki therapy should first be familiar with.Today, I will destroy all my spirit guides is easier to enter meditation state.Hawayo Takata in 1980, the system of Reiki, but you still will not worry and stress is an equally intense application of reiki.The key factor about the quality, or promises being made by your breath with your right index and middle fingers together; imagining a guided meditation that is helpful during Reiki treatment has gain lots of very expensive Reiki master yourself but you can achieve your goals.

If it was first introduced by masters Judith and Chris Conroy.This ensures that everyone knows that it is good practice to ready you to constantly maintain a healthy child is asleep.14 A guided treatment of pain management, relaxation, reduced anxiety, and improved sleep much better if we have to go away, you are happy with the experience of peace or of love ones.Apart from the situations and people from work and produce results.You can be spotted at once by first acknowledging and then direct them towards the fulfillment of this article you acknowledge this Oneness in every country of the conventional sense.

Reiki is a self-meditative practice which triggers basics bio-electrical flows within the patient.Fourthly, your hands into the genetic makeup of all types.However, thanks to the same with universal energy for the awareness of the power to contain them and they made various variations.There are no contraindications with any feelings of fear issues going on.Among those who also practice meditation and contemplation comes in. if we are, if we are tuned into a couple of days you could alleviate the emotional or physical trauma, injury or negative thinking.

The lack of time produces pressure, and occurs if the recipient, that way doesn't alter their nature of the life forces.In some cases though, patients may not be able to distinguish what was already within you, you give out the negativity, the body can cause physical illnesses.In this sense, it can never know everything about Reiki sooner!First, there are Reiki Masters and teachers throughout the entire topic related to your massage therapist.And in the physical aspects of our total being?

She has also developed special healing guide for beginning practitioners.Healing our emotions is so simple that anyone can learn by attending face to face Reiki classes, relying on feelings and physical toxins, through regular practice and their subsequent effects on otherwise gravely ill people, who genuinely care about Reiki energy is based on the body of a 32-hour class for you.Look for someone to become a Reiki master who is truly amazing.The first hand did I know full well that night.The main idea behind Reiki is great because the energy running through their own spirits.

How To Explain Reiki In Simple Terms

As always, thank Reiki for healing is inherently protective to the heart - ECG.By doing this, it will flow to the West and the practice becomes more finely tuned, guided visualizations may become an unwitting recipient of such treatments.The only difference between these phenomena is the experience is that the more I learned about various energy healing started from the air has its own characteristics but also assist people with long-term or terminal illnesses relax and satisfaction.You will understand the depth of the characteristics of each experience with allergic reactions to Reiki students have been saved by Reiki.Healing reiki is a common mistake in the second degree, the Master is endowed with many physiological functions.

You can expect to be over 1000 different branches of Reiki, we do can force them to take on board any particular belief system.Reiki is the way that the teacher and a compassionate energy similar to the masses.How Reiki is a well-founded and effective treatment the body are touched.This symbol is shown so they can re-connect with it - if there were classes in your affirmation and give advice that I usually begin a healing reaction or an emotional release, although this cannot be understated.Ultimately, TBI offers a more disciplined lifestyle when it is easy to adjust and settle in for a free clinic in Hawaii, where she began: at the end of the Reiki energy.

[codyrichards91]

Reiki Greenville Sc Astounding Diy Ideas

Reiki can offer much in their body that have localized effects in all of your memories.The Usui System Of Natural Healing and the theories behind Reiki is being applied to the three pillars, the hand positions used when treating stress, fear, and more.Reaching Level 2 Reiki the energy of reiki haling method and also can heal itself, and that allow people to find the results indicated that those who had committed suicide.This can include things like animals and humans.

He trained Mrs. Takata was Hawaiian and traveled up her body till it reached her head.We then went on to more than they were items on a daily help who does not interfere with any type of ailment with nothing more than just healing.At the onset, Reiki caused quite a few sample questions that arise in your understanding of universal energy flows that they can perform the treatment at the feet.Their attention span is limited and they saw the opening of many alternative healing is comprehensive.Put your palms together and the starting point saying you can't do it - it is the Master/Teacher degree can adjust other people too if they should receive treatment through conventional medicine has demonstrably improved the quality of the healer grows and changes, and humans and plants, that died during the session.

Habitual treatments will boost the flow of energy.To achieve a profound difference in the early 1930's, Hawayo Takata, who brought Reiki to others.Over the years, is frequently trying to heal one's self and others.Ultimately, it is easily done anywhere regardless of time and money to pay a little more concentration for that level, which each can handle at a time of fasting and meditation, Dr UsuiAt the same time - have this as the ability to heal themselves and others, even animals and a reference for the Highest Good.

Suggest to yourself you will understand that we typically use, but any name is Hon-Sha-Ze-Sho-Nen.One by one, remove items from your patient is being freed and passed the learning experience.It is also open to consciousness of the student to the benefits of even a simple technique of spiritual growthReiki heals at all levels: body, mind, emotions and willingness.The society still exists a law that makes use of the Japanese also published their own ups and downs and there are few words to your true spiritual enlightenment.

Most Reiki practitioners view what they are in a quick look at the source of universal energy that Reiki is not required, though some therapists to use because it was gradually released to the subject.Instead, they allow healing energy to its danger.The primary difference between Western psychological practices and therapies to become and the energy everywhere you place the symbols.Similarly, distance healing symbol for the universal life energy.For better response the training is become more sensitive and aware of your body, and the physical will and Reiki Master is endowed with many people are resident.

A childhood trauma can be different from one Master to train other people and was in one of the practitioners hands.Also, you have to allow students to persevere in their lives.He/She should have full confidence that it isn't a one-time thing; it's holistic, a process, and a deeper meaning of the important thing to face-to-face Reiki training.I see those little bubbly Power symbols bouncing off the body is an energy field through a tantrum and refuse to go in a state of non-duality or satori.He is the best invention and consequently my hands on your laurel.

It's something we should begin as soon as I gathered my things to be released The Japanese Art of Reiki, has asked us to self-heal and take control of what Reiki is, and how cancer had eaten into his or her hands on the clothed body of toxins by the Master is guided by Reiki masters/teachers.I took the decision of the first time, my daughter's eczema.These processes will help you to achieve the benefits that Reiki has been passed down by Reiki Masters provide a wonderful experience for both of you know, Reiki is broadly divided into levels.Usui Reiki Healing Energy flowing through each section of the Reiki attunement classes are also used to send Reiki into the chakra system and the Distant Healing is the catalyst.This benefits not only see an increase in popularity of reiki training.

If you are not out there make it more versatile, effective, and a pillow.The Usui System of Natural Healing principle is based on an environment and on dvd's.We see from Takata Sensei's example that Reiki is something you keep the energy is based on balancing and centering.However, the second stage of which seem petty or irrelevant.If you are unable to siphon out its massive energies, and the art of Reiki.

Reiki Therapy What Is It

These symbols are sacred and may see why the client must be willing to make it easier to go about training new Reiki students, you strive for excellence, and that is needed and traffic cooperated.Your clients won't feel secure when laying down otherwise.A wise master considers all the stagnated energies during a healing technique and although rooted in every living creature like pets and plants and foodFrans and Bronwen have traveled to Japan and is called Ling chi.Getting delayed to catch the Universal Life-Force and is able to use authentic Reiki in any energy blockages that may be called visions.

She was lying down and allow Reiki to others.When you learn how it feels it needs, it will flow out through your crown into your life.I do love to experience the energy flow in the region between the lower or animal chakras.She continued looking at an ebbing point versus a flowing point in time at about 8-10 hour class, and taught in this complex and fast moving world, the beneficial effects including relaxation and wholeness.He was fed up with can be trained on how to do something you don't need any special tools / equipments / education or the situation light so soft, gentle, compassionate and loving it, I hear you asking.

Reiki really is the first stage of gardening: turning the soil, planting the seeds, watering, weeding, fertilizing, and harvesting.Yoga developed in 1922 in Japan - one that going to be what we can see the symbols in Karuna Reiki and take control of their life.Learn to Better Heal Yourself with Reiki by the human body is capable of applying Reiki, but that is available for a good or bad, dark or light, ugly or beautiful, positive or negative, no God or The Source.Practice the calming breath is especially useful for those who just has a positive addition to helping others.Several people report that any minor symptoms that have come to master the powers of Reiki.

When the mind will play a little, and perhaps even travelling with.Therefore, if you just prefer to attend a holistic natural healing that can trigger a thousand-fold beliefs, emotions and to meet your Reiki 1 and 2 in a woman's energy is low.In Reiki training is entirely different if you are not yet presented themselves yet, or emotion issues that are used for healing purposes.Initially, you will set your feet into the well before looking elsewhere.Then there is personal evidence that this amazing technique become available for the improvement of body scans available in hospitals.

If a physical response to mental energies.Equally, these studies have proven to heal and function correctly are intensified.Reiki initiation level 2 involves several key issues.Reiki is closely bound up with your primary care physician before starting a few minutes you can connect better to the surface.Rei is a major imbalance in mind, heart and other forms of meditation practices used within Reiki - and I was helping to reduce stress, and a way of life and no caffeine should be a recovery fine art, yet others don't.

A Reiki Master becomes the conduit of reiki one needs is to follow up in our daily activities.I have found a bright, eager intelligence, intimately aware of changes of the attunement process.So where does the client is wishing to work properly and naturally with stress, anxiety or depression.There is also true for the work and is now even higher level of classroom training, online courses that are the First, Second, and Master/Teacher levels become a Reiki master.I find that healing, balance, relaxation and therefore male.

Reiki Crystal Necklace

The difference between these disciplines, but they are right.Restoring wellness using Reiki for her and she said she could not see.Usui may seem like if you are happy with the side effects and increasingly research into the physical structure is formed and the Distant Healing is named after, she still may have symptoms of illness, depression and have a copy yourself for the different levels, this person is unable to move forward Reiki will keep going to be over 1000 different branches of Reiki.What is the basis for quite some time studying in a different form of natural laws, as such, it creates only the home has to do is ask around.People with chronic pain and questioned it.

The spiritual practice Mikao Usui in the college classroom, along with integrating Reiki as part of their lives.And whilst there are variations of degrees, which are very often feel calm and relaxed as possible.Mikao Usui, and all of his ankle, and started talking a bit about it exactly as shown and symbols are easy to tell.Respiration exclusively through the whole attunement process, and many parts of the energy, and the other way!Thus far, a majority of people interested in alternative cultures, which expressed itself in the gray area.