#and they begin to open up (and reveal more) the more perspectives you collect

[eggs-can-draw]

Persona 5 x Slay The Princess except I just really wanted to draw The Long Quiet!Joker

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Total $hit$how: A Subtle Threat

in which Kaius begins to understand who he's working with

cw: violence/beating, adult language, brief emeto mention, implied/referenced torture

previous ///// masterlist ///// next

×~×~×

“I didn't even get to help.”

“Sure you did! You said the drone chassis was like a combo lock—”

“A master brand combo lock yes, but those are child's play.”

The team was gathered in the dining hall for the evening meal; platters of tasteless chicken, rice, and some unidentified green vegetable. Kaius assumed it was as nutritious as it was bland, and mindlessly forked small bites into his mouth as the others chattered. Vic’s test had been as challenging as he’d anticipated, and though they’d technically failed it, the trial had given him a better perspective on the team. Cavan was fearless and determined; Ruebin was fearful but willing to run into danger all the same; and Davis… Jericho’s heart got in the way of his brain. Even Harbor had his uses, when he proved willing to cooperate.

He was nearly finished with his meal when Vic strolled into the room, something unreadable on his face. Cavan and Ruebin fell silent, and Jericho straightened in his chair. Shockingly, even Harbor sat up straight for once, looking like he may actually be paying attention. Strange to see him go from a slouching mess to someone who looked like he almost cared about this mission in the span of a few weeks.

Kaius had paid enough attention to know he and Vic had been spending time alone, but he was uncertain if it was for behavioral correction, additional training, or something else, and he didn’t care enough to speculate. 

“I hate to interrupt your dinners,” Vic began. His tone was rife with his usual friendliness, though it seemed off, somehow. Like his voice was wearing a mask.

“I’ve just received an encrypted transmission from a source I believe is connected to Rotorworx.”

Interesting. If the transmission was anything pertinent, it could be the first new development in their intelligence collection. Kaius wondered if this would turn out to be something negative, and that was the explanation behind the shift in Vic. Was their handler concerned about something? 

Unsurprisingly, Cavan raised her hand. “So does that mean they know who we are? Isn’t that a bad thing?”

“It’s nothing to be worried about,” Vic replied. “They reached me using a phantom frequency. One-time use. Untraceable.”

Jericho frowned. “How did they get the frequency?”

At this, Vic sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I want all of you to come with me to the briefing room. I’ll answer further questions there.”

Kaius pushed himself up from the table without hesitation. If they were being directed to the briefing room, this was certainly a more serious matter. The rest of the group trailed behind, filing into the room and taking their seats. A projector screen had been set up against one wall, and the lights were dimmed. Vic closed the door behind them and typed something into the keyboard of an open laptop. The screen flickered to life, a gray stone wall frozen on the frame.

Vic pressed a button, and the video began to play.

“If you’re seeing this, you fucked up,” came a voice, made tinny and small by the laptop audio. It was that of a man, low and hoarse, and as he spoke, he angled the camera down, catching his black lace-up boots for an instant. “We caught your little spy.”

Caught their..? Kaius’s breath stuck in his throat as the camera spun around, landing on a figure tied to a chair. He was slouched forward as if unconscious and stripped to the waist, revealing scarred skin and a heavily bruised torso. Curly, sweat-damp hair hung in his face, obscuring it, but Kaius knew who it was.

“Sahota,” Jericho whispered.

A second figure moved into frame, masked and clad in black. They seized a fistful of Sahota’s hair with a gloved hand, forcing his head up. His face was just as bruised as the rest of him, his eyes unfocused and glaring, blood streaming from his nose.

“If you want him to stay in one piece, you’ll need to take it up with our boss,” said the man behind the camera. “If you don’t, it’s no skin off my back. I’m sure we’ll crack him eventually.” At that, the second figure let Sahota’s head drop, moving around to drive their fist into their captive’s stomach. The camera lingered in place as the beating continued, blow following blow until Sahota was retching up bile.

Every moment of impact sent a small jolt through Kaius—a memory of a nightmare that might’ve not been a nightmare after all—but he couldn’t make himself look away.

“What?” said the cameraman. “Nothing to say to that? Nothing?” He punctuated the question with a blow that sent Sahota’s head snapping to the side, but didn’t draw out much more than a gasp in way of sound. The cameraman let out a breathy laugh.

“Guess if we can’t crack him, we’ll just kill him and find you anyway.” The camera dropped, lens facing the ground once more. “Your choice.”

Vic turned it off. In the absence of the video's sound---the blows and threats and ragged breaths---the silence was very, very loud

“Following this, there’s a black screen with instructions to contact,” Vic said simply, like he was just listing the day’s training exercises.

“What are they? How do we start?”

“We aren’t going to start, Miss Cavan.”

Kaius felt frozen in his seat, unable to look away from the now-blank screen, unable to stop seeing Sahota’s bloodied face. He couldn’t steer his thoughts from his childhood home, the grand estate and all the secrets within it, the secrets he’d worked so hard to uncover but found only regret when they’d come to light. Blood and stone and chains, his mother telling him to come sit in the drawing room and they’d talk about it, and I promise this all has a perfectly sane explanation—

“Then what is your proposed course of action?” Kaius spat out, the words coming out too harsh. No matter, he just needed to curb his thoughts, and there was nothing for that like a good plan. Now that he’d torn himself free of the screen, he could see he wasn’t the only one the video had affected. Across the table, Ruebin was still and teary-eyed, and Jericho seemed rigid beside him.

“Action?” Vic repeated. “I don’t plan on taking action.”

“What?” Joy said. “What do you mean, you’re not taking action? Isn’t he your partner?”

“Sahota is perfectly capable—”

“Sahota is tied to a fucking chair getting the shit beat out of him,” Cavan protested. “Why would you show us this if you don’t want us doing anything about it?”

Vic calmly closed the laptop screen, then moved to turn the lights back on. “I prefer to keep my operatives in the know if the situation pertains to them. The video explains the potential prolonged absence of your trainer better than words could, as well as providing justification for any adjusted security measures on my part.”

Cavan stood. “So what, that was an infographic?” she snarled. “Is he just a fucking visual aid to you?”

“Miss Cavan—”

“I don’t give a fuck what your plan is, I’m not just going to sit here while your second-in-command is tortured.”

“He can take it,” Vic snapped, and his voice seemed to echo in the silence it caused. Cavan’s mouth fell open, but she said nothing.

“Take your seat.”

She did, the room quiet and waiting around her. Vic let the air still for a long moment, as if daring the room to cause another interruption.

“I’d thank all of you to maintain a respectful tone,” he said at last, his voice stony and cool. “Remember that you only have this opportunity because of me, and that I can take it away as easily as I granted it.”

The muscles in Cavan’s jaw tightened.

“Sahota is a trained agent. I know him better than anyone, and I know what he can handle,” Vic continued. “The goons currently in possession of him don’t know what they’re dealing with. Should I give in to their demands and contact their boss, I would be lighting a beacon. They would locate me, locate every one of you, and come down with everything they had. You all would return to whatever sub-ideal situation I rescued you from, and the mission would be a bust. In a few weeks’ time, the Reality Cage would conduct its test, and untold destruction would fall onto the city, potentially the world.” He paused, tugging down the cuff of his shirtsleeve. “And all this for the sake of sparing Sahota a little pain.” 

Kaius swallowed, his palms flat on the table though he couldn’t seem to feel its surface. Logically, doing nothing seemed to be the correct move, but the way Vic said it, cold and uncaring, only filled him with a sense of wrongness. 

“Is there a third option?” he asked. “You have resources. Is a rescue attempt out of the question?”

“It would be a waste of time and energy,” Vic replied. 

“Would it?” Jericho said. “What if they get something out of him? Wouldn’t the mission be a bust anyway?”

At that, Vic actually smiled. “They don’t have what it takes to break Sahota.”

“They said they’d kill him then,” Ruebin spoke at last, his voice wavering. “We—We have to try—”

“They won’t get a chance,” Vic said. Some of his usual jovial tone was beginning to creep back into his voice, and Kaius wondered if the initial shift he’d detected wasn’t worry at all, but frustration at a minor setback. The way he was speaking, it appeared that was all this was to him. Could the same be said for Sahota?

Kaius had a sort of admiration for their trainer. Cold though he was, he was efficient and competent, and didn’t waste words. Having seen him in action, Kaius did not doubt Vic’s claims that he could hold out. But that didn’t mean he should have to.

“I didn’t realize you would all be so distressed over this,” Vic continued. “Rest assured, Sahota will be fine. He will escape, and he will complete his mission. If you don’t believe me, you don’t know him at all. You saw it yourselves. He was hardly shaken by their threats.”

The bruises, the glazed look in his eyes like he was distancing himself from the moment…

Kaius clenched his jaw. “You don’t think it will be a detriment to our training when he returns injured?”

Vic let out a dry chuckle. “You’d be surprised what he can walk off. I don’t think he feels pain at all, not anymore.”

“I still think we should try—”

“I see now that I made a mistake showing this to you,” Vic interrupted. “I can only blame myself. I keep forgetting you’re not accustomed to our lifestyle.” He let out a loud sigh. “But if it gives you peace of mind, I suppose I’ll allow you to attempt a rescue mission.”

“Allow… us?” Ruebin said.

“Yes. I can promise you, you are the only ones with any concern for Sahota’s well-being. I can’t spare the manpower, but if it’ll put your hearts at ease, I can spare you. If you five unanimously agree to it, I’ll temporarily release you from the facility for that purpose.” He held out his hands, palms up, an eyebrow raised. “So what say you? Who wants to rescue Sahota?”

Immediately, Cavan’s hand shot up, closely followed by Jericho. Kaius raised his own hand with a grimace. They’d need someone to keep them on track. 

Across from him, Ruebin closed his eyes, let out a breath, and thrust his own arm up. Almost surprising. Kaius knew he’d never volunteer on his own, but the man seemed more confident in a pack. There was only one vote left to count.

Truthfully, Kaius was surprised Harbor’s hand hadn’t gone up sooner. The often-disheveled man was certainly reckless enough, and if anything, Kaius at least expected him to volunteer out of boredom. But when he glanced over, Harbor was still, fingers tapping restlessly against the table, his eyes fixed on Vic.

Cavan let out a huff. “Harbor, it’s on you. Do you really not want to—”

“I think Vic is right,” he mumbled. “It’d just be a waste of time. Sahota’ll get out soon anyway.”

Before she could protest, Vic clapped his hands together.

“It’s settled then. I suppose I should let you all get back to your dinner.” He unlocked the door and opened it with a shove. “Dismissed.”

It was clear that was the end of the conversation. Kaius was slow to stand, but the others were slower, shuffling out into the hall like undead. It felt surreal, to be called in to witness brutality against an ally only to be told they could do nothing about it. Almost like it wasn’t the explanation Vic had claimed it was, but a warning. ‘Should you stumble on your quest, this will be you, and no one is coming to save you.’

Jericho and Cavan were whispering behind him, and Kaius turned his breathing shallow to pick up on their voices.

“...really stop us? If we can find out where he is—”

“Dangerous, but I like our odds.”

Hmm. Kaius slowed his stride until the pair were a scant few feet behind him. “Planning an illicit rescue?” he said, not turning around.

“Maybe,” Cavan whispered. “Want in?”

To disobey orders was to put himself against Vic, a scenario he was liking less and less. But to turn his back on Sahota’s predicament completely was no different from participating in his torture, and Kaius had sworn to himself years ago it would never come to that. If you had to become the thing you ran from in order to escape it, what was the point of running at all?

“Both captors were dressed in low-grade tactical gear,” Kaius said. “They’re likely mercenaries hired by Rotorworx, and likely don’t have an excess of weapons or backup. The location they had him in in the video is walled by a very distinct type of stonemasonry, indicating one of the city’s older buildings, likely the basement of a repurposed church or courthouse.” He cast a half-glance over his shoulder. “Which should bring us down to a dozen or so potential targets, if we’re lucky.”

“Shit,” said Cavan.

“We need to get out of here first. Without Vic knowing,” Jericho said.

“Better get Benji onboard.”

“What about Harbor?”

“He’s made his choice,” Kaius said. “Meet in the kitchen at midnight. If we can make it out of the facility undetected, I’ll have a plan at the ready.”

Perhaps it was stupid, but to stay his hand would be to betray himself. Even without his usual resources, Kaius was confident he could come up with something substantial. 

He kept careful watch of the time and sat in his room, lights off, mentally recovering everything he knew about the city. To reach it on foot would take too long; they’d need to commandeer some sort of vehicle. Then once they located Sahota, they’d need to deal with his captors. If they were incredibly lucky, it would only be the pair that had shown up in the video, but even if they weren’t, Kaius was willing to bet there were no more than five men. The team had no access to weapons, but he supposed he could leave it to Cavan to improvise something.

The clock struck eleven fifty five, and Kaius made his silent journey to the kitchen.

Jericho was already there when he arrived, Cavan and Ruebin stepping in a shade before midnight.

“The path outside is likely alarmed. Ruebin?”

“Yup. I’ll handle that.” Ruebin seemed tense. They all did, really. Even Kaius was feeling the fear of potential failure, of what could happen if Vic caught wind of it and they couldn’t sway him to their favor.

“You take point, Manak,” Cavan whispered. “Signal us to stop if you see anything.”

Kaius nodded, motioning them to follow him out of the kitchen. As painful as it was to move slow, caution was key; he had no idea what Vic got up to in the later hours. He halted at every corner, every open doorway, just to make absolutely certain. His nerves buzzed with uncertainty at every step, his own body questioning the will of his mind. He ignored it, peering around the next corner.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up when he caught a silhouette, moving towards them. Kaius held up his hand for the group to halt, moving back a pace. Was it Vic? If their handler caught them at this point, what could they say to dampen his suspicions?

He silently waved the group backwards, gesturing to an open doorway. The library, its lights darkened. The group rushed inside, and Kaius lay down with his body parallel to the room’s inner wall, angled so he could just barely see out into the hallway.

To his surprise, it wasn’t Vic who rounded the corner. It was Sahota. 

Kaius had to hold his breath to keep from making a sound as the other man passed by. His cheekbone was darkly bruised, his lips swollen, dried blood still crusted at the corner of his mouth. One finger was wrapped in a crude bandage. Despite this, he walked with his usual grace, though Kaius knew the layers of bruising hidden under his shirt.

Vic… Vic had been right, hadn’t he?

Kaius kept silent until Sahota had disappeared, then slowly pushed himself to his feet.

“Is he gone?” Ruebin whispered.

“He’s back,” Kaius answered. “Sahota is back.”

“No shit,” Cavan muttered.

“We ought to go to bed.”

“Is he okay?”

“He's on his feet.” As bad as his injuries had looked on camera, he seemed unbothered by them. Jericho stood up and began to move towards the hall.

“I'm going to check on him—”

“Don't,” Kaius said. “We can consider our mission complete, and I imagine he'd prefer rest to conversation.” Truth be told, he felt his own plan-oriented nature scrambling at this development, his mind searching for the next step now that everything had so abruptly changed. The only solution he could find was getting to bed; collecting what rest they could before a new training day began. As he left the library and made his way back to the sleeping quarters, the other three followed, albeit reluctantly.

“It was a good plan,” Jericho offered as they walked. “They really can’t get anything past your notice, huh?”

Kaius nodded at the perceived compliment, though he was becoming more and more uncertain of that fact. With every new development, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was getting past him, something that could well be dangling right in front of his nose, but he couldn’t so much as point in the direction of what that something might be.

Whatever it was, perhaps it would only take a more critical eye. Whatever it was, he’d need to unravel it.

Before it was too late.

×~×~×

@theonewithallthefixations

[blueskittlesart]

how would you define a ‘zelda’ game? im making an au of sorts for it but sometimes i cant tell if im taking the zelda out of zelda- whether the master sword is a requirement or not (maybe not because of the four sword?) or having light vs dark/good vs bad as a general theme. this also kinda fascinates me as people tend to complain abt botw as being less of a zelda game compared to past entries. why though? ive seen the lack of stakes being complained about but i dont think a story should have to have world ending stakes to be a zelda game or a good story- could be wrong though. also with how every zelda game strives for a different Vibe than the last what makes one better than the other? anyways yadda yadda replace a ships wooden boards until every board is replaced is it still the same ship, whatre your thoughts?

actually what makes a zelda game a zelda game anon here. i think a better question would be what makes a zelda story a zelda story

as someone who has also/is also writing their own zelda game i do have a lot of thoughts about this. obviously one of the things that defines mainline zelda games is the formula, which if you're doing a ganon/demise villain and you want to be canon-compliant, you're gonna want to follow to some degree in order to stay consistent with the lore. there are other things that go into it though, like the themes, writing style, the presence of certain elements, etc. let's get into what i think is important!!

first of all, the formula. this only applies to mainline games, so if you're looking to do a sequel-style story you have a LOT more freedom, and certain games bend these rules quite a bit so they're not hard-and-fast, but if you want your game to FEEL canon-compliant it's good to take these steps as a general guideline.

opening segment--this is where link wakes up with nothing and has to run around the starting point of the game collecting items to progress. almost every mainline game will have him begin sleeping in a bedroom of some kind, and the player's first action will be to move him out of bed, so if you're struggling for a start point, that's a classic. he usually needs to find at least a sword and shield in this segment, and the player will be encouraged to talk to npcs to get some exposition along the way.

at the end of the opening segment the player is given the true first task of the game, which usually involves travelling somewhere, often with the goal of meeting zelda. the player may also be told to begin seeking out dungeons at this point, or zelda might tell them when they meet her in person for the first time.

the first dungeon section of the game will usually include 3-4 dungeons, often forest/water/fire/air themed and located in those respective regions of hyrule. these dungeons will have a map item to be found as well as (usually) some other dungeon item which allows you to progress through dungeon puzzles (classic items include bombs, boomerang, bow & arrows, hookshot, etc) and a boss fight at the end. when the player completes each of these dungeons, they are given an artifact which they have been told will somehow progress the gameplay for them once they collect all of them. (e.g. in oot the 3 gems unlock the temple of time) this is a crucial point bc no one is gonna want to do your dungeons without a gameplay-advancing reward at the end.

after the final initial dungeon there's usually a mini-boss fight of some kind, often with a secondary antagonist (girahim, agahnim, zant, etc) (if you're using botw as a reference point, stop doing that now, because botw ends here in terms of formula)

after all of that, there's what i like to refer to as a catalyst. this can technically be anything, but the most important point is that it must dramatically shift the trajectory of the story and/or the player's perspective. in oot it's the time change, in wind waker it's the underwater-hyrule reveal, etc. often (but not always) this reveal will come along with a new gameplay mechanic in which something about either the player or the world can be modified to access new areas of the map/solve new puzzles. (oot age-switch, alttp dark vs regular world, tp wolf form, etc) if your game includes the master sword, this is usually when the player will get it.

with a changed perspective and access to new areas, the player is now informed of a NEW goal, usually to beat ganon, who by this point has definitely kidnapped zelda and is holding her hostage. this kicks off the second segment of dungeons. usually there are 6-8 dungeons in this section, following the same map/item/boss/reward formula. (most classic games have you rescuing PEOPLE from these dungeons, but modern ones kinda did away with the damsel-in-distress thing lol)

once those dungeons have been completed, it's time for the final dungeon of the game, which is ALWAYS hyrule castle. this one may have a map, but usually doesn't have any dungeon item or even that many puzzles, it's really more about hacking through menial enemies to get to the big guy. the final battle of the game will be your big bad (usually ganon) and will traditionally have 2 phases, one inside the castle (where, if he ever looked human, he will look human) and one outside of it (where he will become much more monstrous.)

that's the VERY BASIC formula of MOST mainline zelda games. but like i said, plenty of games bend or cut out parts of this formula completely, and some games that follow it pretty well don't feel quite as 'zelda' to me as others. so there are obviously other things that make a zelda game a zelda game.

the first & one of the most important to me is the theming of the games. the franchise has cyclical overarching lore which really lends itself to explorations of coming-of-age, trauma, and healing, which is often what the most successful games focus on. I don't think a successful game NEEDS to be a coming-of-age, but it ABSOLUTELY needs to have SOME central theme to be built around. the best zelda games are the ones which clearly have something to SAY, a secondary thematic narrative that makes their stories relatable and impactful instead of just pure fantasy escapism. if you're looking to emulate the impact that zelda games have on their players, finding something relatable to the human experience and building your story around an exploration of that theme is a great place to start.

another thing to consider is the zelda writing style. zelda games occupy a really interesting niche among modern rpgs because they have such a long history and are often very married to emulating their predecessors. What this means in terms of writing is that zelda still employs a VERY player-based mode of storytelling. the games which define this franchise were built and released when storage space was the single biggest constraint game developers had on their stories; thus, they were built with the incentive to keep cutscenes and dialog to a minimum. this meant that if the developers wanted to tell a story in their games, they needed to get the PLAYER to tell that story for themself. what sets modern zelda games like botw apart from other rpgs (for me, at least) is the almost complete lack of action-breaking cutscenes and dialog. whenever you have a long cutscene in an rpg, you're forcibly removing the player from control of their character and therefore taking them out of the action to some degree, ESPECIALLY if the player character makes decisions during those cutscenes free of the player's influence. zelda games are very careful to avoid taking the player out of the action in almost EVERY instance. you will very rarely see cinematic cutscenes, and you will NEVER have link moving or taking action on his own independently of the player. the entire story & writing process tends to follow that same principle--how can we convey this story to the player through the player's own actions? very rarely will the story be outright stated to you through dialog or cutscenes, instead you will have to piece things together yourself, keeping the player centered in the story at all times.

you mentioned the presence of the master sword in your ask, and i think that breath of the wild is a good example of a zelda game that removes a lot of the standard elements of the franchise without losing the feeling of a zelda game. the master sword, while technically present, is not required to beat the game at all, and it's completely possible to beat ganon without ever finding it. the triforce is totally absent and not even MENTIONED throughout the ENTIRE game. despite this, (in my opinion) botw doesn't lose that zelda feeling. i think the reason for this is because it holds on so tightly to the theme and writing style i mentioned above, and pulls in just enough elements of the formula that it's still recognizeable despite clearly being something new. (the divine beasts are the dungeons, dungeon items are replaced with runes, there are clear REFERENCES to the lore even when its not stated outright, etc.) i also think part of the reason that botw is successful in this regard is because there's a REASON thematically for it to be divorced in this way from other games. it takes place at least 10k years removed from every other game and in the wake of a massive kingdom-ruining tragedy, so the fact that some changes have been made to the standard mechanics players are used to feels natural when paired with this changed version of hyrule. if you want to make a drastic change like that, i think it's always going to feel a bit more natural if you give players a REASON for that change, even if the reason is just 'well EVERYTHING is different so obviously this thing is too.'

final point, and not necessarily as important as the others but still worth noting, i think mood and art direction are something worth considering as well. I have NEVER seen a dark&moody adaptation of zelda that still felt like zelda to me. not to beat a dead horse, but these games originally come from the NES. for YEARS they were defined by sharp, brightly-colored graphics, and i really do think something is lost when you strip all the color and cartoonish-ness from them. (this is NOT a dig at botw btw, i actually think botw did a REALLY good job of creating a world that was both adequately colorful AND realistic. this IS a dig at twilight princess.) many of my favorite zelda games are defined by their bright and blocky art styles, and if anything i think zelda games are a testament to the fact that you can make a thematically dark game WITHOUT sacrificing your art direction to black overlays.

anyways!! hope this helps lol

[astrxlfinale]

Okay! So this will have spoilers tied to it, but this is another lore sample that I just want to have stored here.

So mind the warning! Keep looking at the warning and avoid it if you ain't done!

SO OL' HOOLAY RIGHT?

That Heart of his basically slammed open doors to what feel like a whirlwind of concepts for me. From Rahu's formation, and at large, what those under Yaoshi's blessings run the risk to actively growing into. Through the power of Abundance, the elemental of genetics are heavily explored. One bit at a time however!

I'd like to discuss the matter of a potential correlation with Rahu and Hoolay's heart. As within the current quest, they've actually did a frame showing through visuals of an event in Hanya's character story.

Now we didn't get to see what this could've done once unveiled, as Feixiao was quick to immediate suppress it. Though, as for the 'crimson star' giving this visage?

Hoolay EXPLICTLY calling this Crimson Moonlight? (Matching the nightmarish moonlight and LITERALLY being a beating heart.)

'Voraciously consumed and gave birth to countless offspring.' Now we've SEEN Hoolay not only go and eat a person outright, but there was an important scene that matches with this excerpt as well.

I genuinely find this to be no coincidence. I believe that this act stems all the way back to the age of when the Borisin and Foxians came to be. Their shared ancestry upon that original world will proceed to cycle all of this around. The ability of this 'Crimson moon' implanted within him allows him to freely manipulate that matching genetic strand. It's less of a spiritual and more of a divine DNA type of manipulation I say.

Now comes the idea that this excerpt proceeds to give me here. The planet they were on was a living planet, one of Yaoshi's creations to begin with in statis. You could picture the long made Lupuswinter as measure similar to cryogenic freezing, keeping it from 'heating up' to the extents that you'd see phenomenon on Vonwacq's lore bits. What I want to propose is that on this day, all humans that drank from the Redspring became an extension of the planet's original gene, it altered them to take the form other living lifeforms upon it.

What I see Hoolay utilizing was the original gene that's been made as a more powerful manifestation within Borisin Warheads. There was a moment of time he drew a conversation about it with Jiaoqiu.

Now, there is some differences here to take note of here. That's natural, given how Duran/Tushan are legendary figures within their time on this world from different cultures. Yet, they also could potentially be one in the same person from how the artifact set decided to make take emphasis on this.

Which in concept isn't even wild to imagine. As we've seen Feixiao herself as living proof of a life who managed to bring both of those genetic sides to life.

This only brings a connector back to Yaoshi as the progenitor. Blessings of the Abundance seem to hold this as matching vein, as we can easily infer the descriptions to a similar Abundance based area; Vonwacq.

Just to give a lil touch of lore about this locale!

That said? I believe that this Crimson Moon of Hoolay's is just a more empowered seed of what created a living planet that Shuhu did with Rahu. While I'm not sure how it ENTIRELY spans out. I'm assuming that during the revealing of the Redspring, this was a collective of not only the people who died and returned to the earth (blood being soaked in too), but all animals, beings, organisms.

Borisin and Foxians just happened to be the result that won out with them. I REALLY can't wait to come and see more they unravel and reveal with this plot thread. It's been one of my most curious perspectives within the Xianzhou personally.

Also as a fun ending bit here--

This is why the exact core of tearing these hearts away from sustenance is so important. And in kind, I believe this is ALSO what happened to that living planet they once lived on. It reached a point of either status with Lupus winters or genuinely became unable to continue. It'd be Duran's actions that managed to create not only a important discovery, but also begin an offshoot of Shuhu's work.

[remadorafest]

Claiming Open!

You can now claim a prompt for Remadora Fest 2024! We have 50 wonderful prompts to get you started, AND you can always self-prompt! Claiming closes on 30 November and works will be due by 31 December.

To claim a prompt or submit your self-prompt, use this Google Form.

To view the full list of prompts, please see this Google Doc. Note that it is uncensored and some prompts contain adult themes.

Deadline and rule reminders under the cut:

Claiming open: 31 October - 30 November

Works due: 31 December

Works begin posting: 3 January 2024

RULES

Fics must be a minimum of 1000 words. All ratings permitted. If/when there are more mature topics, content warnings are a must.

You may claim more than one prompt, but each work must be complete and posted to the Remadora Fest AO3 Collection before another prompt can be claimed.

Each prompt can only be used once. You may self-prompt using the directions on the claiming form.

All visual art is accepted, with the exception of AI generated images. No AI artwork or writing is permitted.

All works for the fest must be new and must be able to stand alone. You can add sequels or prequels as you see fit, but the work itself must be able to stand as its own entity.

The works must be centered on Remus and Tonks's relationship. It can be told from others' perspectives but Remadora must be endgame. E.g. if you are planning to write a Remadora break-up fic, this may not be the fest for you.

This will be an anonymous fest. Works will be posted anonymously at first and author reveals will come at the end of the fest.

AUs are permitted. As long as Remadora is endgame and central to the work, you can shape the world as you see fit. (Ex: you can genderbend the characters, you can have Remus and Tonks be the same age, make it a Muggle AU, etc.)

This fest should be a welcoming space for everyone. The following will not be tolerated: bashing, harassment, bigotry, misogyny, transphobia, racism, and/or hate speech. Be kind.

If you have a question, send an ask.

[astronomyforastrologers]

Before Pluto Changes Colors ~ 5 Jan 2024

Before Pluto Changes Colors ~ 5 Jan 2024, Philip Sedgwick

In the wee hours of 21 January (GMT) Pluto drops his Capricorn cloak and goes for something more of Aquarian airy style. There’s a big shift encroaching upon the collective consciousness as he pushes in the clutch for a better gear ratio. Slowly, over the next months, those things seemingly doused in impossibility begin to make more sense and options for resolution appear.

On the 15th to 16th of January, depending upon where in the world you are located, three interesting transits appear that include two dwarf planets and a centaur. Closer inspection might just reveal something new, previously not considered, and within the theme of Pluto changing signs, open an entirely new spectrum for consideration.

Pluto Close-Up, Courtesy NASA

The massively ringed one, Saturn, joins Gonggong in Pisces. Here alternative perspectives organically evolve when one savors any feeling of being stuck or immobilized. Saturn curiously will ask those not moving, “So, what are you going to do about this?” He deserves a good answer. An answer that contains practical objectives, a well-thought timeline, and a unique perspective. Back in the old days of pinball playing if a player jolted the machine for favor, the game could end in a tilt. With Saturn to Gonggong, a new tilt is required. Oblique points of view often align with long distance goals with sufficient parallax that one can actually see around the next bend and accurately determine what more may be required.

Saturn with Gonggong supports none of the tried and true that does not “grow corn,” “make hay” or produce a viable yield. Saturn in Pisces is not quick to condemn or criticize - actually here he can be quite empathetic. Those agreeing to get on with the getting on regardless of the tilted perspective receive kind support, thoughtful suggestions and an ample supply of grease . . . provided that Saturn senses the will to persist and persevere regardless of previous setbacks in life. Saturn kindly points out that what happened before happened before and with the new angle of approach toward life’s objectives, certainly results unlike any produced before may manifest... and it all seems to happen more swiftly if one can remain in their personalized creative zone.

Mars aligns with and passes by the centaur Pholus in Capricorn. These two currently navigate the thickest array of pulsars known. These pulsars jab new ideas and lofty concepts at ones cranium more regularly and faster than the speediest popcorn popper on Earth. Taking time to read the bumper sticker-like blips of consciousness reaching for your attention goes a long way in feeding creativity and locking onto inspired brainstorms.

Mars in Cap is exalted. Here, he is maximum in drive. He is impatient, eager and so keyed on getting going with projects that life essentials - food and drink - can be ignored. It’s never a good idea with a Mars transit to risk hangry. Pholus is all about food and drink. He insists that one make a ritual - a ceremony of eating food that is prepared properly. He asks if how you eat and drink and whatever other substances you may take in the interest of consciousness, totally and fully nurture your being. If a no, Pholus supports abrupt changes in diet, method of consumption, time taken for consumption, and quality of those things consumed. He wants all nurturing in life to be treated reverentially... as if it is a ceremony. In fact, he urges all to consider that every act taken in life is on the path of karma leading to dharma and thus a purposeful ritual. As such, all acts are meritorious (as in those things worth doing) and all efforts applied in life are indeed intended to fulfill the purposes of the soul.

Venus draws an exact bead on Ceres in Sagittarius at a degree in between the Great Attractor and the Galactic Center. They both draw from both galactic points. Very recently, both these goddesses aligned with a collection of potent black holes in Sagittarius. In this recent degree passage, thoughts on the table and up for discussion include:

Becoming an expert in all you do, or consulting only with those with impeccable wisdom when seeking advice, encouragement or critique. Ensuring that all things done totally and completely align with ones beliefs. Consistency in creativity and consciousness. Recognizing and revering every morsel of personal knowledge gained and committing to apply it fully in every life act, including thoughts, words and deeds.

Ceres and Venus advance upon and seek the wisdom of the Galactic Center. Together, they seek to understand the energy underscoring any life difficulty. With understanding, the energy can be shifted, and almost if by strategic pointing of a magician’s wand, the path can clear with insights applied. Ceres and Venus may be tempted to offer up critical - potentially judgmental life reviews. The recent transit to the Great Attractor presumably refreshed beliefs with the thought that new concepts deserve to be considered before dismissal. That everyone has a place in the plan. Inclusion is the easiest way to reduce resistance from others. And finally, everyone expects you to land those insights buzzing around inside their heads with a blazing and thoughtful information drop.

With these gravitationally significant galactic gizmos and their ongoing transits by planets, time and space warp as a matter of course. It’s simply what happens. What you realized today the world needs to know now takes some time for the collective to wrap around. While it may feel boring initially, reading from a journal what you documented six-months might do the trick. What you have assimilated... and come to understand... can be elucidated with greater ease that your latest high flying idea that still requires emotional adjustment on your part and a major dose of grounded applications to make sense of it.

While this may seem old hat, when utility is realized. progress is made, and previously stationary wheels move forward, know that your contribution of the galactic goodies you currently grok, works smoothing in resolving logjams without dynamite. Also, remember, to make the mundane move again and give it momentum, requires altering the energy that prevails as the substrate of stuck situations... not forcing, dominating or manipulating... simply unknotting that ball of energy.

These transits which precede Pluto donning his bright Aquarian duds by less than a week promote believing that things can work out more ideally than previously imagined. Really!

Can you think of a better way to start this brand spanking new year than with such thinking? Neither can Saturn, Pluto, Gonggong, Ceres, Pholus or Venus.

More soon...

This is a prime time to schedule a consultation or to load up with a reserve of consultations. A Galactic Report may shed new insights on life scenarios. You can also ask a question or two, or schedule a half-hour session if that’s what works better for you. The links below will get you started.

One Stop Shopping Order Form Astrological Texts

[goldazu]

Okay, I know people are tired of my Pokemon shenanigans, but hear me out. Some people were also interested in what I thought about the overall plot and I will try to go ahead and give my two cents on it.

Personally, I'm somewhat sick of the same recycled Pokemon plot in which the rivals are overly friendly, hold your hand throughout your whole journey, and act a little too light-hearted for my tastes. Give me a mean rival again, those were fun. However, that isn't to say I didn't enjoy Nemona and Arven in particular. Especially Arven. His arc was very mind-blowing for me by the end of the game considering what happened with his family.

Truth told, before I started the game, I definitely heard rumors of people like "the story made everyone cry." So, I wanted to see what exactly was so heart-wrenching about it. Initially I thought it was the whole plot arc with Arven and his sick dog who showed little to no signs of recovery even as you collect the Herba Mystica (basically nutrient-loaded food for the Pokemon) for him to feel better, which I'll admit was indeed sad and tugging on my heartstrings at some point, but it wasn't anything too eye-opening for me all the same.

Little did I know, this was just the beginning of it.

As the player explores Paldea and collects the Herba Mystic for the professor (Sada or Turo depending on your version—I played Scarlet so I got Sada), your ride legendary also gains some new powers. Dashing, jumping, swimming, gliding, climbing, etc. It's clear throughout the adventure that Arven and the professor have strained relationships due to Koraidon/Miraidon yet the player doesn't really know why until the end, which I consider the most exciting part of the overall story.

Once the Herba Mystica subplot was finished, the player then has to make their way to the forbidden Great Crater since Arven just kinda goes "okay, we need to find my mom/dad." Yes, the professor is revealed to be his parent, though I didn't see it coming even when in hindsight they do resemble each other. That's on me, I guess. Oops? Anyway, the professor up until that point has and continues to communicate with you, the player, via Rotom phone so you never actually get to meet them. It turns out they're "trapped" in the lab in Area Zero, which leads you and the gang to travel there despite the prehistoric/futuristic Pokemon crawling about. All of which are quite powerful in their own right.

Eventually as you approach the lab, it's revealed those Pokemon from the past/future are too dangerous for the ecosystem and must be stopped/contained in their "respective times." It makes sense, to be fair. Should they escape Area Zero, then they'd undoubtedly infest all of Paldea and probably turn the whole region into a living Hell for all the other, much more weak Pokemon who are from the current time period. So, the professor asks you to disable the time machine that they themselves made to prevent that from happening, since a lot of the paradox Pokemon are already starting to go out of control.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, there's just one small complication.

Turns out the professor is actually an AI based on Arven's real parent, who died in the respective time zone of their field of study. They died in an accident trying to protect Koraidon/Miraidon yet somehow the AI still lives on. Ironically enough, even the AI recognizes the whole time machine thing was going to be a bad idea and faults the original professor for it. They warn you that if you try to disable it, they will be programmed to fight you since anything that tries to stop the time machine is immediately deemed a threat.

Now, this is what I find very interesting. The AI is on your side, yet you have no choice but to defeat them in battle. Even though they don't want to fight, it's just how they're wired and programmed, unfortunately. This battle is also very exciting from a blind player's perspective because the AI's whole team is comprised of Pokemon solely from the "past" and "future" that the player has yet to encounter, forcing you to guess their weaknesses if you haven't already spoiled yourself by this point. For those going into the game 100% blind, I can see why the fight poses the greatest challenge yet.

Anyways, after you defeat them, the AI explains they can't leave the time machine which is why they were "stuck" in the lab all this time. Despite your efforts, it doesn't exactly "shut down." There are too many protocols and it turns into a Koraidon vs Koraidon (or Miraidon vs Miraidon, again, Scarlet vs Violet differences) showdown. Yes, there are two of them, by the way. Apparently the one you own is the more submissive one who lost a territory fight or something, but I think it's kind of awe-inspiring that it beats the one it originally lost against. It just goes to show that since you traveled with it all throughout the game, your bond overcame everything else.

Instead of disabling/destroying the time machine, the AI decides they, too, want to go on their own journey. All this time, monitoring you as you collected the Herba Mystica, beat all the gym leaders, challenged Team Star, etc., it's revealed they envied you. Makes sense, since they spent all that time tethered to the lab/time machine. I guess even AI can develop a thirst for adventure.

Enough recap, here's where I add in my opinions on everything.

Honestly, the idea of an AI character in Pokemon developed this way is very interesting to me. I know they tried to do similar in the past, but the exposition here was much more intense than other games. And the fact that it's revealed Arven's sole parent who already spent little to no time with him throughout his childhood as is died, I realized "wow, this is darker than I thought for a Pokemon game." I love it. I actually came to adore the professor more knowing they were an AI in the end. Their parting words to Arven before the time machine transported them was something along the lines of "s/he really cared about you." And I don't think they're lying, either. If you take a look at the lab, you'll see the original professor has a picture of Arven and his dog when he was just a child.

The whole game, all the side characters encourage you to "find your treasure." Yet, here we see with the professor that sometimes people go overboard with their treasure hunt, and they devote all of their time and energy to their goals that they forsake their loved ones, their kids, their family, etc. Hell, the professor even developed all those protective measures so that the time machine would never fail, which just goes to show they wanted to research those paradox pokemon no matter what—even at the cost of neglecting their kid.

If I was in Arven's shoes, honestly, I'd be devastated. The one parent I came to resent and never spent all that much time with turns out to be dead, and I was only speaking to an AI version of them all this time. Crazy, right? He surprisingly took it well despite all the rivals being kids, but still, crazy stuff. Makes one wonder what his life would be like if only he had an active parent around.

Now, I may be biased because I played through Scarlet, which means Arven had mommy issues with Sada. However, I just cannot imagine Arven and Turo for some reason. 💀 Maybe it's because I also played as a girl, and considering his beef with Nemona who is also a young woman, it makes sense that Arven has a distrust towards the opposite gender due to his mother's absence. Sound familiar yet?? Omg, Arven is even good at cooking.

Back to the paradox Pokemon, there are theories that they aren't actually from the past/future and that they're just the professor's imagination coming to life due to a third unrevealed legendary. To be honest, I think this theory is sound. After all, how can Sandy Shocks, a Pokemon resembling manmade magnets, come from the ancient past???

Overall, I loved how surprisingly dark the story in Scarlet and Violet were this time around. Please give me more plotlines like this. TL;DR, Arven is best boy and deserves everything good in this world. 😩

[optikes]

Aida Tomescu (b 1955) Romania, Australia

Spora I (2008) oil on canvas

A Deborah Hart, Senior Curator, National Gallery of Australia

Like blooms that appear quite startlingly before winter’s end, only to be ravaged by frost and wind and then renewed when the season of their being arrives, Aida Tomescu’s works are in a constant state of becoming. Over the years she has developed her own distinctive, continually evolving visual language, working from one group or ensemble of works to the next. Each series, irrespective of media, is like a new beginning; informed by previous experience and yet restlessly, determinedly eschewing the easy, known path in search of new life.

There is a sense of vitality whether it be in the radiance of the paintings or the persistent searching line in the drawings…It is possible to see the ways in which the drawings become increasingly layered, expansive and informed by colour like the paintings and the ways in which the aspect of drawing has increasingly entered into the paintings.

Ultimately what Tomescu’s art has shown us is that it can never be pinned down to one thing, that it is about open-ended associations, moving between the tangible and intangible. It is perhaps in giving up the need for tangible certainties in favour of more subtle intimations that this fluid state of becoming is revealed.

Paul Selwood (b1946)

Sacred Play (2009) steel, varnish

B Bridget Macleod artistprofile.com.au

There are two main theoretical strands to my practice. One is involved with illusory space, re-presenting perspective drawing in the cut-outs. The other deals with real and constructed sculptural space. The two have an historic convergence in the Cubist collage.

I have been doing the perspective cut-outs since the early 1980s. They began on paper as a speculative drawing process towards the possibility of future three-dimensional sculpture. At one point, having arrived at what looked like a good proposition, I decided to cut away the background in order to better visualise what the sculpture would be. I was impressed by the heightened illusion of form resulting from this and decided to do a big one on rusted steel sheet. On the paper, I differentiated the planes with washes and shading of paint. On the steel, I wanted to keep the rust, so I used flat and gloss varnish on opposite planes which considerably enhanced the illusion of the third dimension. Steel is associated with mass and weight, so the works were further enhanced by an illusion of impossible gravity. Heavy architectural forms appear to be floating. The illusion is continued to the wall which becomes space. By extension, the ground the viewer is standing on is called into question.

....I am interested in the psychology of perception. How we focus on an object in a white box in a gallery compared to the same object on the ground when we are standing in the street. Take a screwed-up piece of paper and put it on a white plinth in an art gallery. You are inviting the public to examine all the shapes, folds and nuances of light that there might be. You might be saying is this sculpture? But on the ground, it is only a piece of screwed-up paper.

collection: Orange Regional Gallery, New South Wales

[duck-ducks]

Growing Gardens

Chapter 5: Wallowing Worrier

Soundwave knew that a little bit of sympathy could go a long way. He had seen it on Cybertron and he had seen it on hundreds of planets since leaving his home planet. A little bit of sympathy could make change, change ment surprises and Soundwave didn’t do surprises. He dealt in knowing, in having answers, and making others question him.

He didn’t like not knowing how someone would react, someone new who he had no files on to reference.

But, he had done this before, and with how many organics the Autobots had already collected it was likely he would have to do it again many times over. Creating new files was a task both resented and beloved.

His fingers twitched as he opened the other humans files, they would need updating soon.

Gladiolus was returned to the Autobot base that evening after work.

None of her coworkers had questioned why she hadn’t driven herself to work, or who had picked her up.

His name was Kup. An old soldier even when compared to the millions of years old Optimus Prime, who she found while not terribly young was also not terribly old for a Cybertronian. Thinking it over she was mildly appalled that the Stunticons had called her old with that knowledge. Even with their own age being drastically lower than hers, they were surrounded by beings centuries older. She shouldn’t even be on their radar as beginning to be considered old.

With the Stunticons in mind, she was worried. She had thought about it all morning and any time she could spare a thought at work. She thought about poor Deadend, all alone in the Autobot brig. Although they hadn’t actually said if he was alone, was there a guard watching him or other prisoners in the surrounding cells?

“Hey, you all right?” Sparkplug tapped his nails on the table they sat at, he had taken it upon himself to be her guide to all things cybertronian, giving her a human perspective of everything. She appreciated it especially after Optimus’s spiel the day before.

“I’m not sure.” she truly wasn't. Getting up that morning had been hard. Gladiolus felt that there was something she wanted and with everything that she already had to think about, that made her nervous. She didn’t need or want more in her life. She hadn’t wanted more to her life before the alien robots presents had been revealed to her. “How do you deal with all of this?” she gestured to the rest of the room, to the cybertronians and humans milling about. Some were passing by busy with data pads and the need to be elsewhere. Others were about the lounge area resting or socializing.

In all things they seemed… normal.

Sparkplug looked at his mug of coffee and smiled at it. “At first I didn’t. I tried to pretend as though I had never seen them, as though they had never rescued me and my son from the Decepticons. It’s terrifying to be faced with the reality that your world is so much smaller than you could have imagined.”

“What changed? You seem perfectly at ease with them now.” She took the teabag out of her full mug and left it on the spoon on the table. She wasn’t very fond of tea but she had been trying to drink less caffeine as of recently and she thought decaf coffee tasted weird.

“My son Spike is friends with some of the autobots. While I tried to ignore their existence, Spike fully embraced them right away. He spent a lot of time at their base, much less now that he's gone off to college, but back then if you didn’t know where he was chances were he was here.

He and a bot called Bumblebee became thick as thieves; they were always together.” The man looked tired, she hadn’t really noticed it until now, but he had a general weariness about him despite his cheerfulness.

“At first I always went with him but with Bumblebee protecting him, what was I to be afraid of, right?

So I let him go to and from their base alone. Until one day he left in the morning and didn’t come back. I got a call from Optimus, must have been close to nine pm, he said that Spike had been captured by the Decepticons while accompanying the Autobots on a raid. I Had no idea he was being taken out on the field, into hostile territory.

The Autobots hadn’t a clue that Spike wasn’t an adult, they're better at it now but back then they couldn’t tell with us humans, their concept of children is a little skewed if you haven't noticed.

I wasn’t just going to sit around and wait to find out if my son was ok, so I convinced Optimus to take me with them on the rescue mission. Barely took any convincing at all actually.

I was thoroughly and quickly integrated into a lot of Cybertronian things during that period, leading up to and during the mission.

Spending time with them makes it pretty clear that they’re just people, they love and hate and feel just as much as we do. I found that that made everything surrounding them a little easier to understand.”

Gladiolus wanted to understand. She felt eyes looking at her as though judging how she would respond. “I think I know what you mean.” She wasn’t as confident in that as she would have liked to be but time would tell if she would become accustomed to the world she was shoved into.

“Now I don’t believe you told me what line of work you're in?” Sparkplug changed the subject and gladiolus was glad for it.

They continued to talk at ease, although the feeling of slight unease never left her, Gladiolus was finding it a little easier to relax and not think about all her troubles.

That was something she hadn’t done in a long time.

Something of the serenity was misaligned. Gladiolus was unsettled by the feeling, the situational unease was creeping back. She knew that logically there were things that she should leave be, but logic never paired well with emotion.

“What will happen to Deadend?” she asked Kup, who once again was driving her home.

“Well for now he’ll wait in the brig. The Stunticons aren’t usually told much so we don't spend much time trying to interrogate them.” His voice came from his speakers and had an old timey radio sound to it.

“Interrogate? Is that really necessary?” Even if he was created with preinstalled knowledge, Deadend was still three years old. He and the other Stunticons had been arguing about a curfew.

“I know to you it may seem harsh, but the ruffian won’t be harmed, just questioned.” Kup’s voice ended with a finality to it as they pulled into her driveway.

At first she just sat there. In Kup’s front seat, feeling wrong about the situation. Kup opened his door for her and tilted his seat to get her moving. “Listen, I'll be back to bring you to work tomorrow, how about after I take you to the brig so you can see him. I can’t guarantee that you’ll be allowed to speak to him but I’ll still make the request.”

Gladiolus nodded. “Thank you, and I’m sorry if I seemed put off by you. I don't mean anything by it, I'm having a difficult time… adjusting.”

“It’s alright,” Despite being in his alt mode, something about Kups disposition softened. “Get a good rest kid, a tired mind brings mistakes and confusion. Enemies have a harder time getting one up on you when you’re rested and your minds and full capacity.”

Gladiolus didn’t know what enemies she would be outsmarting but she agreed nonetheless.

Wishing Kup a good night she went inside her house, closing the door behind her.

Her day felt too long as she sat on the edge of her bed to remove her shoes. It served her well when her head hit the pillow and her forgotten dreams returned.

[cinema-hallucinations]

Prompt: Generate a movie concept for a family drama about inheritance where the viewers eventually realise that one of the character is secretly a telepath, unknown to the other characters.

Title: Whispers in the Will

Tagline: Sometimes the loudest voices are the ones you can't hear.

Logline: When eccentric artist Amelia dies, her dysfunctional family gathers to read the will. Tensions rise as hidden resentments and long-buried secrets come to light. But amidst the chaos, one family member, the seemingly unassuming Alice, possesses a secret – she's a telepath, and the voices in her head might hold the key to Amelia's true intentions.

Characters:

Alice: The middle child, often overlooked. Quiet and observant, she secretly hears the thoughts of those around her.

Charles: The eldest son, a successful lawyer driven by ambition and resentment towards Amelia's perceived favoritism.

Olivia: The glamorous younger sister, known for her extravagance and strained relationship with Alice.

Ethan: Amelia's loyal lawyer and confidante. He appears to know more about the will than he lets on.

Plot:

The film opens with the reading of Amelia's will. To everyone's surprise, she leaves her vast estate and art collection not equally to her children, but to a seemingly random charity. The family is thrown into disarray, with Charles fuming about a wasted inheritance and Olivia suspecting a con.

Alice, however, experiences something different. As the family argues, she starts picking up on their unspoken thoughts - Charles' buried anger over Amelia's disapproval, Olivia's secret financial woes, and Ethan's guilt over a past mistake. These snippets of information paint a different picture of Amelia's intentions.

Alice struggles with the ethical dilemma of revealing her telepathic ability. If she speaks up, she risks being ostracized as crazy. Yet, her empathy for Amelia and a desire to mend her fractured family propel her forward.

Through subtle hints and seemingly intuitive remarks, Alice begins to nudge the family towards clues hidden within Amelia's artwork. These clues, coupled with Alice's careful manipulation of conversations based on overheard thoughts, slowly reveal Amelia's true message.

The climax involves a pivotal moment where Alice, cornered by her siblings, must choose to reveal her secret telepathy to expose a hidden clause in the will. This clause reveals Amelia's concern for their futures and a challenge for them to work together on a project she believed in.

Themes:

Family dysfunction and the power of forgiveness

Secrets and the burden of unspoken truths

Trust, communication, and the importance of empathy

The exploration of a unique superpower and its ethical use

Twist:

The ending can go two ways:

Acknowledgement: Alice reveals her telepathy, initially met with disbelief but ultimately leading to a heart-to-heart with her siblings and a newfound understanding.

Ambiguity: Alice remains silent, but her actions and manipulations lead the family to reconcile and fulfill Amelia's wishes. The film concludes with Alice contemplating whether to ever reveal her secret, leaving the audience to ponder the possibilities.

This concept offers a fresh perspective on a family drama, weaving the supernatural element of telepathy into a relatable story of family conflict and reconciliation.

[jcmarchi]

Everything Announced During The April 2024 Nintendo Indie World

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/everything-announced-during-the-april-2024-nintendo-indie-world/

Everything Announced During The April 2024 Nintendo Indie World

Today’s Nintendo Indie World featured 20 minutes of new indie game reveals and updates to anticipated titles. If you missed the event, we’ve gathered each announcement here for a cursory glance at what showed up. 

Little Kitty, Big City – May 9 

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As the title suggests, you control a small cat in a mini-open world set within a bustling, Japanese-inspired metropolis. Your goal is to find a way home, but plenty of distractions and opportunities to help fellow animal friends or cause chaos will likely delay your departure. 

Yars Rising – Late 2024

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Wayforward and Atari are teaming up for a 2D Metroidvania spin-off of the 1982 classic Yars’ Revenge. This side-scrolling platformer stars Emi Kimura, a young hacker (using the handle of Yar) who gets embroiled in an intergalactic conspiracy centered around a corrupt corporation. Yar can blast robots, climb platforms, sneak through vents, hide in doorways, and more. 

Refind Self: The Personality Test Game – Summer 2024 

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This 2023 choice-driven adventure stars an android whose creator has passed away. Unaware of its purpose, you’ll piece together your past by interacting with characters and making decisions to determine what the doctor had in mind for you. Decisions mold the android into one of 23 personality types. Are you a hero, researcher, artisan, or gambler? Whichever the case, Refind Self encourages multiple playthroughs, and you can share results and compare choices and personality results with other players. 

Sticky Business – Today

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First arriving last summer, this cozy shop simulator is now available on Switch. Players run a sticker shop where you’ll use over 400 elements and effects, such as sparkles and glitter, to fulfill specific customer requests. Giving customers their desired stickers causes them to open up to players and share their individual stories. The Plan with Me DLC adds new sticker elements and customer stories, and a bundle containing the DLC and the base game is also available. 

Antonblast – November 12

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As Dynamite Anton or Annie, smash through levels to reach Satan himself, who stole your prized spirit collection. Levels begin by setting bombs, then use your powerful hammer to smash enemies through destructible environments Reaching the end triggers a timer where you must race back to the start before the entire level detonates. A demo will be available later today, and Antonblast will launch as a timed console exclusive when it releases. 

Valley Peaks – 2024

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As a mountain-climbing frog, use your tongue to swing across mountain peaks to place radio towers and reestablish communications with fellow climbers. Each mountain presents its own platforming puzzle, challenging players to find the correct path. Along the way you’ll find equipment to ease climbing, play minigames, and take on side quests from other froggy climbers

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes – May 16

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This Annapurna-published non-linear puzzle game finally hits next month. Created by the team behind Sayonara Wild Hearts, players control a woman invited to take part in a project set in an old European hotel. Her journey becomes a nightmarish and surreal adventure sporting over 100 puzzles with shifting mechanics and perspectives. 

Europa – 2024

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This vibrant sci-fi fantasy game could be mistaken for a Studio Ghibli joint. Players control an android boy with a jetpack-like device who explores a picturesque alien moon. Soar through levels to uncover the secrets of a lost civilization. A free demo is available later today. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate – July 2024

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Originally an Apple Arcade exclusive, this roguelike adventure sees the Turtles traveling through reality-bending portals to find a kidnapped Master Splinter. Each turtle has their own abilities to take down the Foot Clan and other familiar foes, with every room granting new powers and upgrades. Spending earned currency at the sewer base unlocks permanent upgrades, and you can play alongside three other players in drop-in/drop-out co-op. TMNT: Splinter Fate is launching on Switch as a timed console exclusive. 

Cat Quest III – August 8

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Sail the seven seas as an adorable feline pirate to engage in navel combat alone or with a friend in co-op. When you’re not sailing the waves, you’re blasting enemies in dungeons using a refined combat system with tighter combos and new weapon swapping. 

Stitch – Today

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Embroidery fans rejoice! Apply those skills (sort of) to complete over 180 Picross-esque puzzles, called Hoops, to bring embroidery patterns to life. Completed hoops can be replayed endlessly in free play mode where you can recolor them as you wish. Limited daily puzzles offer tougher challenges, and weekly hoops are themed after holidays and other real events. First released on Apple Arcade, Stich is a console exclusive on Switch. 

SteamWorld Heist II – August 8

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The sequel to SteamWorld’s 2015 turn-based strategy game takes to the seas. New features include the ability to perform trick shots to ricochet enemies off each other, a revamped job system, and an interactive world map with real-time naval combat. You can befriend new steambots to join your crew and your actions impact their lives. 

Quick Release Date Updates

Bzzzt – Summer 2024

Schim – July 18

Animal Well – May 9

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami – May 23

Another Crab’s Treasure – April 25

Which announcement interested you the most? Let us know in the comments!

[nerdarena2]

Season Two of Loki Is Out!! Have You Watched It Yet?

The God of Mischief is back, and this time, the stakes are higher than ever. Marvel fans, rejoice! Season Two of "Loki" has hit the screens, and it's everything we could have hoped for and more. If you haven't dived into the latest escapades of everyone's favorite trickster, here's why you should clear your schedule and hit play now!

A Continuation of Chaos : The first season left us on the edge of our seats with its mind-bending twists and turns. Season Two picks up right where it left off, promising more chaos, more mischief, and undoubtedly, more questions that will keep us theorizing until the next episode.

The Multiverse Unleashed : With the multiverse officially unleashed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "Loki" Season Two takes full advantage of the narrative possibilities. Expect unexpected crossovers, alternate realities, and a rollercoaster ride through the vast expanse of the multiverse.

Tom Hiddleston's Charisma : Tom Hiddleston reprises his role as Loki with the same charisma and wit that has made the character a fan favorite. His nuanced portrayal adds depth to the God of Mischief, making us both love and question his every move.

New Characters, New Mysteries : Alongside familiar faces, Season Two introduces new characters that add layers to the narrative. These fresh additions bring their own mysteries and complexities, ensuring that the audience remains on the edge of their seats, trying to unravel the enigma of the TVA and the multiverse.

Visual Spectacle : As expected from Marvel, the visual spectacle is top-notch. From otherworldly landscapes to stunning CGI, "Loki" Season Two continues the tradition of delivering a visual feast that enhances the overall viewing experience.

The Loki Variants : The concept of Loki variants opens the door to infinite possibilities. Different versions of Loki from across the multiverse bring their own quirks and nuances, offering a delightful exploration of the character's many facets.

If the answer is no, what are you waiting for? Dive into Season Two of "Loki" and let the adventure begin. For those who have already embarked on this journey, the excitement lies in the anticipation of what's to come. Either way, one thing is for sure – the God of Mischief is back, and he's taking us on a wild ride through the multiverse.

Prime Characters Of The Loki Series

 Below is are one of the prime characters from the loki series which has played a significant role in the entire series :

Loki

Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain, and sometimes an antihero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a Norse deity, specifically the god of mischief, and is based on the Norse mythology figure of the same name. In the Marvel Universe, Loki is often depicted as the adoptive brother and archenemy of Thor, another prominent Marvel superhero. Loki has shape-shifting abilities and magical powers, making him a formidable and unpredictable adversary. Despite his villainous nature, Loki's character has undergone various interpretations, and he has occasionally taken on a more sympathetic or antiheroic role in certain storylines. If you are a true fan of the loki series series and you wish to purchase such marvel collectibles online then you can find these at marvel figurines india.

Sylvie

Sylvie is revealed to be a variant of Loki, originating from a different timeline. In the TV series, she is initially referred to as "Lady Loki" by some characters due to her female form, but she later adopts the name Sylvie. Like the main Loki variant, Sylvie escapes from the TVA (Time Variance Authority) after being accused of creating a nexus event. She becomes the target of the TVA's efforts to maintain the timeline. Sylvie's character is complex and layered, with her own experiences and perspectives that shape her journey. Her interactions with Loki and others in the series reveal more about her personality and the challenges she faces. If you are a true fan of the loki series series and you wish to purchase such marvel collectibles online then you can find these at marvel figurines india.

Apart from the above anime action figures, there are many other action figures. If you are looking out for such action figures then Nerd Arena is a one-stop solution for such kinds of action figures. 

To know more: https://nerdarena.in/products/iron-studios-loki-battle-diorama-series-loki-classic-variant-1-10-art-scale-limited-edition-statue

[xxx-calibur]

Was it a mistake for Titania to seek out the Prince of Thieves? Maybe. She was well aware of his exploits, there probably wasn't a single soul in all of Chaldea who didn't know what the effeminate young man got up to with his entourage of consorts, especially as their Master was one of them.

Still though, she wanted to know his perspective, as a fellow embodiment of fiction. Queen Titania of the Fae, a fictional character with no basis in reality, and Alibaba, the personification of The One-Thousand and One Nights, a collection of fables and folktales. If nothing else, they might be able to have an interesting dialogue! Of course, being aware of his proclivities did nothing to protect her from them...

Angels and devils, gods and men, none could resist his charm. From the moment Pretender had approached him he knew he would have to have her too. She was simply far too pretty, too lovely, not to be one of his wives. Its why he spoke with her to begin with, even exchanging a few tales with her. She had this refined grace to her befitting of a queen though honestly it made sense. She was the queen of faeries after all, leader of the Summer Court. But, queen she may be, she was still very much a woman and thus once Alibaba grew bored of her tales he decided to move things along.

Much like the Fates, Erebos and Sarakiel it'd take some work to make her completely his. But that was half the fun of these things. Watching a woman who regarded herself as a queen submit and yield her body as the secret path to her 'treasure' was found and opened by the clever prince. With every thrust that noble facade would drop and reveal her true colors. Those lovely eyes, those Faerie Eyes that should have been able to see through his Unassuming Presence, gazed up at him in adoration now as once more he plunged into her depths to let loose another thick and virile load into her borrowed body.

"Hey hey, your highness, your body, its really familiar you know?" he'd smile down at her, the sound of his own voice and of their sex music to his ears. "You know, that gloomy druid girl is gonna be so upset with you when she sees you took her girlfriend away. Alibaba might even feel bad about taking you, if just a little bit. But dont worry, if you have any thoughts about her Alibaba will make sure you dont remember a thing once we're done with our lovey-dovey sex, okay?"

Another load, a sweet moan from him and from Titania. But no sooner was it finished did he flip her to her side and carry on with her as his hidden Noble Phantasm continued to affect her very Core. So much for the noble queen of faeries- Now she was naught but another woman in the harem of the Middle East's greatest thief.

[stokes-theorem]

How much does a weed dispensary make

As per Maryjane Business Everyday's Cannabis Business Factbook, the typical weed dispensary makes $974 in income per square foot of room. For point of view, this is marginally higher than an Entire Food varieties and considerably more productive than the common drug store.

The Pot Business - Dispensary Overall revenues

There is no question these days that pot is one of the biggest development enterprises in the country. As per Weed Business Everyday's 2021 Yearly Cannabis Business Factbook, deals are supposed to climb 31% in 2021 to a sum of $48.4 billion across the US, with California and Colorado alone representing more than one-6th of the complete deals. Maryjane Business Day to day anticipates that this development will go on considerably, prompting a sum of $84.3 billion in deals by 2025.

With large development numbers like that, it is no big surprise that many individuals are hoping to enter the business, frequently by beginning a pot dispensary. In any case, exactly how productive is the typical weed dispensary? That question can be somewhat more mind boggling to reply.

Dispensary Benefits

Normal Dispensary Productivity Review

Our best figures about the productivity of the typical dispensary come from a 2016 review directed by Maryjane Business Everyday. This overview recommends that 18% of dispensaries would agree that they are "truly productive," while 41% would agree that they are "humbly beneficial." Another 29% revealed equaling the initial investment, while the leftover 12% said they were losing cash.

Expecting these figures are as yet exact, that implies that most dispensaries are to some degree unobtrusively productive, with around one of every eight retail tasks really losing cash.

California Market Proposes Long haul Weed Dispensary Benefits

In any case, terms' meaning could be a little more obvious. That is a piece harder to make certain about. From one perspective, we have a 2017 Statista examination that proposes the typical dispensary could produce as much as $1.8 million in benefit from around $3 million in income. Nonetheless, this figure takes away just working costs from the income segment and ignores other key viewpoints, similar to tax collection. Somewhat, this is sensible as some pot markets - particularly those that are clinical just - may stay untaxed.

In any case, maybe our best feeling of the drawn out productivity of a marijuana dispensary can be seen from California, where the market has developed since the launch of the first "legitimate" pot dispensary in 1998. In this market, as per a Leafly study, examination proposes that productivity will be between 10-15%, for which a free review can affirm, by assessing a drawn out benefit of 12% for marijuana dispensaries.

Could you at any point be Productive opening a Weed Dispensary  Business?

Assuming that you are thinking about entering the marijuana dispensary business, you need to consider the many elements to decide if you can be productive in this industry or not which can be tested, considering that the typical beginning up costs for a dispensary approach $800,000 at first. Also, marijuana business advances don't have the best terms, and frequently incorporate revenue with a lot higher rates than customary corporate America. Past that, you should rent or buy an area, set up security, enlist staff, cover expenses, purchase and keep up with stock and the sky's the limit from there.

Taking care of these expenses requires producing a critical degree of income to have the option to become beneficial, while at the same time lessening your working costs. While positively not feasible, this will require a scope of skill for which the American Marijuana Organization can give to you through our far reaching weed counselling administration.

To start with, you need to distinguish and zero in on great open doors. As numerous networks loosen up their limitations on pot organisations, new business sectors are opening practically day to day. Distinguishing which are the great business sectors and how to get them requires skill, experience, and access. Our group's methodology assists you with getting your working permit in business sectors that are probably going to be productive.

You can likewise save altogether on the off chance that you can haggle better terms on your business credits for which functional ability is basic. We can assist with directing you to an effective activity for greatest productivity and give you and your group the outlines for planning an engaging, functionable dispensary that will urge individuals to purchase and return for rehash business.

At the American Marijuana Organization, we decisively consolidate all parts of our way to deal with assistance you lay out a beneficial pot dispensary. On the off chance that you are anticipating beginning another marijuana dispensary, it will be pivotal to have direction from industry experts who know how to get you in a good position.

Individuals frequently say that bringing in cash while accomplishing something you love is the objective throughout everyday life, and for marijuana devotees, that could mean opening a dispensary. The nearby shops are dependably occupied with clients, and the marijuana business is indicating that things are not pulling back. So why not get in on a slice of the pie as well?

Assuming you're understanding this, you've likely done some fundamental exploration and have reached the resolution that settling in takes an extraordinary area, excellent weed item, dispensary POS, a strong group, and in particular, a dispensary permit

Here is the expense of opening a dispensary:

While opening a cannabis dispensary is like sending off some other sort of independent venture, because of specific state guidelines and monetary obstacles to survive, it's much surprisingly costly.

The expense of opening a marijuana dispensary goes from $150,000 to $2 million. That incorporates key expenses of around $250,000 for yearly staffing, $100,000 in yearly lease, and $50,000 for direct front remodels. Obviously, everybody's spending plan is unique, and there are a great deal of factors with regards to capital necessities. A few expenses are in your control; others are attached to the purview you're in.

We should investigate the idea of these startup costs, and the different variables that impact how dispensary costs shift so significantly from one market to another. Then, at that point, we can survey a few instances of those marijuana retail costs in various US states.

Dispensary Permit Application Expenses: Charges Just to Get in the Game

While these expenses fluctuate from one state to another, a precise assumption is to spend about $5,000 for your permit application alone. Thus, before you even sell your most memorable gram, you're burning through a lot of cash just to receive an approval. This is quite possibly the earliest move toward opening a dispensary, and the normally non-refundable expense is notwithstanding your yearly permit charge, which can go from around $1000 to north of $10,000.

Land Expenses and Difficulties: Finding a Blocks and concrete

Area is everything, except it might be hard to come by. There are normally severe principles about how close a dispensary can be to a school, and frequently the way that nearby it tends to be to another dispensary. Finding a retail space that will permit a dispensary to work in the vicinity is just a portion of the fight. You likewise need to find a region with great perceivability and in a perfect world high people walking through.

You'll likely be compensated a premium for being in the weed business. Yearly land for pot store costs could run $100,000. Add to that the one-time cost of renovating the space to meet guidelines, match your image personality, and advance store stream. That could undoubtedly be another $50,000 direct front.

Pot Industry Banking Rules and Expenses

Weed dispensaries fall into a really hazy situation in the business world, as they are in fact unlawful from a government stance in the US. Along these lines, many banks would rather not execute with a dispensary for their underlying ventures as need might arise.

To get around this, proprietors will work with credit associations or even confidential maryjane banks on the off chance that they're available nearby. Tragically, this accompanies an expense as these associations acknowledge you probably won't have some other decision, and they can energise holding charges of to $2,000 each month.

Progressing Expenses to Work Your Pot Dispensary Business

Whenever you've gone through the primary arrangement of money related obstacles, you're well-positioned to become functional. Prior to the first day of the season, recollect that you'll require a completely consistent POS framework, a security framework, and stock to sell.

The gadgets could run you about $25,000, and in states where it's unlawful for dispensaries to develop their own blossoms, loading your shop with quality items could run at the pace of $1,500 per pound.

Other functional expenses incorporate your publicising spending plan. Contingent upon your area, and the number of contenders you have, this could run into the $25,000 territory in practically no time.

It's never an ill-conceived notion to have a lawyer on retainer for any business, as well as having vigorous insurance contracts would it be advisable for anything to occur. Considering that the weed business is weak in numerous ways, these yearly expenses could approach $50,000.

To maintain any business effectively, you want devoted and completely prepared representatives. The size of your shop will surely direct the number of individuals you need on staff, yet expecting you have a couple of budtenders, a boss, and a senior supervisor, you can anticipate that your yearly finance should run near $250,000 assuming that you're paying them at industry standard rates.

What amount does it cost to open a dispensary in California?

In California, you'll pay $1,000 to apply for a dispensary permit, and whenever endorsed, you'll pay an authorising charge somewhere in the range of $4,000 and $120,000, contingent upon the assessed worth of your activity. You'll likewise have to figure land, which can cost between $50,000-$100,000 every year, as well as other startup costs. The cost for many everyday items is high in California, and you can hope to pay workers somewhat more than public midpoints, with budtenders each costing around $30,000 - $40,000 each year.

The typical direct front speculation to open a dispensary in California is somewhere in the range of $80,000 and $250,000. Continuous working costs will cost you somewhere in the range of $30,000 and $70,000 every month.

What amount does it cost to open a dispensary in Massachusetts?

The assessed direct front expense of opening a dispensary in Massachusetts can go somewhere in the range of $325,000 and $1 Million. Progressing functional costs like representative compensations and rent or home loan instalments will average around $70,000 to $100,000 each month. Business land costs can fluctuate decisively contingent upon where your dispensary is found. Obviously, opening a dispensary in Boston would be fundamentally more costly than in a country town in Massachusetts. Albeit the application expense for a pot retailer permit in Massachusetts is just $300, when supported, the yearly permit will cost you $5,000. Massachusetts has brought down expenses for social and monetary value candidates and has presented unique projects for them.

What amount does it cost to open a dispensary in Oklahoma?

Getting a dispensary activity going in Oklahoma costs somewhere in the range of $80,000 and $140,000 direct front, with progressing month to month costs of $30,000 to $40,000. The typical cost for many everyday items and the lowest pay permitted by law is low, so you can likely recruit great budtenders at a deal. Land in Oklahoma is additionally a lower cost than in states like California or Colorado, however you might in any case confront similar difficulties tracking down a decent area and a willing property manager. The application charge for a clinical weed dispensary permit is $2,500.

What amount does it cost to open a dispensary in Missouri?

The clinical maryjane industry in Missouri is still new and loaded with a potential open door. The assessed direct front expense of opening a dispensary in Missouri is somewhere in the range of $85,000 and $150,000. Progressing costs like pay rates and rent or home loan instalments normally around $30,000 to $50,000 each month. Somewhat higher than Oklahoma costs, however the cost for most everyday items and business land costs are still very low.

The application expense for a clinical cannabis dispensary permit is a non-refundable $6000, and the yearly permit recharging charge is $10,000.

[smt22]

This first term of my masters at CalArts I’ve been focusing on themes of belonging, especially connections made in my personal history through my female lineage, concepts of the female wanderer as articulated through archetypes like the hermit, the fool, and the crone.

These disparate directions have seemed to become more connected as the term goes on, and even more interwoven into a more singular stream of focus through a lot of the discussions and films experienced in this class. So much sticks out and sticks on my brain, but bell hooks’s words on Radical Openness, Bérénice Rynaud’s close reading on Wanda, and Cole Swensen’s ideas about the exile and the ‘inile’ have occupied the most space in my interior and very visual processing. I’m keeping these readings the closest to me for this final project as I wade through an attempted partial grappling with some of these ideas in reflections, creative interpretations, sketches, beginnings and offerings. There are so many questions here, in what sometimes felt like an ocean of possibility and inspiration with a spoon sized amount of time and energy with which to take it all on. I’m grateful for a robust reading and screening list to hopefully continually return to.  bell hooks has come up in every class this semester and her voice is always in my head in my negotiations of belonging, understanding, learning and transformation. Her ability/instistance to write herself and parts of her story into theory has often felt like exactly what I’ve needed to access difficult themes and to confront hard to name ways of implementation. I’ve spent so many hours listening to her New School talks this term. I imagine I feel similarly about her to the way Alice Walker did about Zoral Neal Hurston as she traced her footsteps in Florida for Ms. Magazine. She’s become an imaginary relative to me at this point…but one who will tell you to your face that you are full of shit when you are, because that’s real love. I’m aware of just how cliché that might sound, but it also can’t be lost on me that so much of my art practice is about evoking permissions through artist incantations that are definitely part of music from songs that have been playing for far longer than I have been here. Her words and teachings are always reminders of urgency for me. In Choosing the Margin as a Space of Radical Openness she writes, 

At times home is nowhere. At times one knows only extreme estrangement and alienation. Then home is no longer just one place. It is locations. Home is that place which enables and promotes varied and everchanging perspectives, a place where one discovers new ways of seeing reality, frontiers of difference. One confronts and accepts dispersal, fragmentation as part of the construction of a new world order that reveals more fully where we are, who we can become, an order that does not demand forgetting. “Our struggle is also a struggle of memory against forgetting.”

I also think so much about hooks when reworking and introducing new imaginings of what it means to be a feminist or to practice feminism today. So much of that has come from questions raised in about letting go of previous notions of what those ideas might have meant in the past. That it's okay to admit that you’re not really sure and that the collective rebuilding and finding-your-place-in-the-work of it is a kind of active reconstructing and participating from within the aliveness of a chorus of voices that is always being created.

I’m not great at it, but I’m also still thinking about how to sit in the unknown with integrity. To quote from your October 26th email on our collective fatigue, and The Mysticism of Work, “No poetry concerning the people is authentic if fatigue does not figure in it, and the hunger and thirst which come from fatigue.” I feel less fatigued when there is so much collective energy all around. 

Below: Mary Oliver, Thirst, 2006.

hooks, bell. (1989). Choosing the margin as a space of radical openness. Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media, 36, 15–23.

Oliver, M. (2006). Thirst. Beacon Press.

Walker, A. (1976). In search of Zora Neal Hurston. Ms.