#as the title may suggest it is Very self-indulgent and Very based on my own life just to make things easier

[ravenwolfie97]

brain is fully in "no thoughts, only yaoi" mode rn but now it's with new OCs

[fayewonglibrary]

Wong’s Way (2011)

An anomaly in the cookie-cutter world of Cantopop, FAYE WONG has paradoxically found success by playing against the rules. Prestige Hong Kong follows her down the road less travelled

FIVE YEARS MAY not seem like that long, but it can be a lifetime in an entertainment industry that feeds off the right-here and the right-now. So it came as a surprise when, half a decade ago, Faye Wong decided to step back from the limelight and resume as much of a normal life as might ever be possible for a woman whose music has sold in the millions and who has combined that side of her existence with an acclaimed acting career.

From an existence playing before tens of thousands, what the Beijing-born Wong longed for at that point in time was a life tucked away in the peace and tranquillity of home – and after almost 20 years in the spotlight, and with her every move followed by a fan base that can be tallied in the millions, who could really blame her?

But as an artist who in an age of corporate conformity flatly refuses to play to any predetermined stereotype, Wong has always preferred to play by her own rules. It may come as a surprise, then, to find out that Faye Wong was not always “Faye” – diehard fans will remember a period in which the artist was known as Shirley Wong Ching-man, an affectation suggested by her record company early in her career, because of the stigma associated with the hip factor (or lack thereof) of mainland Chinese artists and names.

Even Wong’s early hits weren’t what you would call “original” – her first few albums were filled with formulaic Cantopop: collections of saccharine, predictable tunes that failed to properly utilise her delicate, lilting soprano. When she broke out of that shell in 1992, after a short travel hiatus, she finally found success, initially with a cover of a Japanese chart-topper in Cantonese, “Fragile Woman.”

Despite her disinclination to be impacted by her local contemporaries, Wong was not without her influences. She covered songs by The Cranberries, took quirky style cues from Björk and collaborated with the Cocteau Twins. The further she strayed from Cantopop, the more fame she found, penning her own songs and admittedly self-indulgent lyrics. She rapped on “No Exit,” yodelled through “Di-Dar” and even won the hearts of nerds by wailing the English-language title track to the hit video-game Final Fantasy VIII, “Eyes On Me.”

Even when her albums weren’t critical or commercial successes, her fame continued to grow, exponentially and uncontrollably. Her handful of acting roles, including in Chungking Express and 2046, showcased a curious, simultaneous aloofness and magnetism, an infectious, ravishing oddness.

In 2005, two months before she married actor Li Yapeng, she announced that she would take a break from show business. And so for five years there have been sightings, the occasional public appearance and the work for her own charity, but otherwise it’s pretty much been silence from Wong, as her fans – and the world at large – waited.

With that in mind, we should not have been surprised at the reaction to the news that Wong would finally be reemerging, to stage comeback concerts that started in Beijing last October, then took in Shanghai and Taipei before coming to Hong Kong, the place where Wong’s career was launched, for a series of shows in March. Tickets – for all nights, at all venues – sold out in a matter of days and the critical response has been overwhelming.

The headlines said it all: “The Diva is Back.”

What the Wong faithful have found is that their idol has lost none of the passion for the music that forms, as she puts it herself, part of her fate. They’ve been treated to nights filled with the songs that have formed the soundtrack for the lives of a generation here in Hong Kong – and beyond.

When Prestige Hong Kong found the interview-shy 40-year-old, she was in between shows and letting that fate take its course. What Wong wants the world to know is that throughout her storied career there has, she says, never been any real plan. She’s simply a woman who lets the cards fall as they may.

Can you talk a little about your return to the stage and playing live? What brought about the decision to play your recent concerts? I consider this a natural move for me. I’ve been doing several commercials as well as releasing some new singles over the past few years. So this was a natural progression back to live performances. It’s all part of my career.

How did you go about deciding what form the concerts would take and the songs you played? There’s no special form or arrangement that’s deliberately conceived for my concert. I believe my singing is the main source of interaction between the audience and me. Every show is unique and my mood is different, depending on the atmosphere. It’s not my practice to talk much with people or have any planned speech in my concert, because I don’t want the conversation to ruin the whole integrity and mood of the arrangement of the concert. I hope my audiences can indulge themselves with my music, while also digesting the message my show is delivering.

After the recent concerts in Shanghai and Beijing, what’s your feeling about coming back on stage? It feels so good to see all my fans again.

Do you have any plans to work on a new album? If so, will you be writing songs yourself? There’s no plan to work on a whole new album. But there is a possibility to release singles, and maybe I’ll write some songs myself.

How different to you is the experience of playing live now as compared to when your career began? What have you learned and how much has the experience for you changed over the years? I’ve been working with different sets of crews, composers, producers etc since the beginning of my career. Each of these collaborations has opened up a whole new experience and been an amazing inspiration for me. Call it a fireworks feeling.

What was it that initially drew you to the music business? What was it that you found most exciting? I believe singing is my destiny, and it’s fate that this became my career. I find it gratifying that I’m able to touch people’s lives with my songs. It’s a form of good karma.

Have your musical tastes changed or evolved as you matured as a person and as an actress? I admire different types of music and things depending on the different stages of my life.

Did becoming a mother change how you approached both your singing and your career? There was no change. I still sing with the same commitment and feeling, and it’s the same with my career.

And how much, do you think, did this change you as a person? The process of raising a child is part of my evolution as a human being. If you’re not a parent or don’t fully involve yourself as a parent, you’ll never realise this traditional, fulfilling role of parenthood. As a parent, it’s natural to want to show your best side and provide the best example to your child. However, sometimes it’s hard to break habits that may surface from time to time. It’s a painful cycle, because even though you realise your own faults, to change yourself completely requires a lot of courage and determination.

We’re curious about a typical day for Faye Wong. What’s your routine when you’re not performing? What time do you go to bed, what’s your favourite meal and what activities do you share with your kids? Basically, I go to bed and wake up the same time as my kids do. I got used to enjoying the regular pattern of a healthy lifestyle, but that won’t happen coming back to work.

Frankly, there’s so much to do when you take charge of a whole household. My life in the past few years was completely occupied by family and there was no time for me ever to feel bored. Sometimes I feel that I was even busier than when I was working as a singer.

Do you think your children share the same character as you? When I look at my kids, it’s like looking into a mirror and seeing the deepest side of myself.

What are the things that make you most happy now, compared with when you were younger? What do you now cherish most? I cherish everyone and everything. I’m fortunate to appreciate what I have and the people I know.

How do you see your image now? Are you an artist who is careful to control her image, or is it more a case of come what may? The most effortless style suits me best. I aim to be the most natural, honest in my approach. I want it to be pure, not something that seems too contrived or created just to fit the latest trend.

What are you most passionate about? To find the real meaning of life, and share it with lots of people.

What about acting? Is this something you’re keen to pick up again as well? If so, what kinds of films and roles might interest you? Right now, I have no plans on filming.

What are the challenges you see ahead in the next few years? What can your audience expect? My life has no planning, and I’m not a person who conceives everything in advance. It always depends on what’s being offered and what I feel like doing at that moment. There’s no pressure on myself – I leave everything to chance and fate.

The Smile Angel Foundation was founded in Beijing in 2006 by you and your husband, Li Yapeng, after your own child was afflicted with a cleft lip. It’s helped a lot of other children suffering from cleft lips and palates. Has the foundation changed your life or your character in any way? My contribution to Smile Angel Foundation is not as much as my husband’s involvement. He’s very busy working on plans to support the foundation. For me, basically, I’ll attend annual charity events and activities to lend my support.

On this project, we started everything from scratch and are very gratified to see how much it has accomplished. My husband is definitely the driving force behind the foundation, and I really admire his passion, courage and capability.

At your current stage, do you think you have evolved in your perspective of things compared with when you were younger? Can you share your road of growth a little bit? I was a bit stubborn, objective and capricious when I was younger. I’m now more willing to be open-minded and flexible, and always try to remind myself about this. It’s quite difficult to stop old habits surfacing from time to time. But I’m trying hard to accomplish it.

Do you have any advice on how to maintain a woman’s beauty and charm after the age of 30? First of all, you have to accept your age. I believe everyone has their own unique way to create their own charm and maintain their beauty, which is sometimes a very personal approach. One should find one’s own best way; there really is no standard formula for everyone to maintain their beauty. I believe the most natural side of a person is the most beautiful.

You’re acclaimed as a pioneer of alternative music. Does that mean you won’t compromise with the commercial market? I never define my music as “mainstream” or “edgy” or “alternative.” I just do what I like.

Photography / Shameless Eye Production AG Styling / Titi Kwan Hair / Alain Pichon Make-up / Zing Wardrobe / Céline Spring 2011 collection

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SOURCE:  PRESTIGE HONG KONG

[cellydawn]

Sans is a Darkner Theory (MASTERPOST)

I know that this theory has been touched on before, but I’d like to compile all the evidence from the original post with some additional stuff I found relevant into a single comprehensive post. To preface this, I would like to remind everyone that the merchandise based on Sans isn’t canon and that though Deltarune isn’t a direct sequel to Undertale, the Deltarune FAQ confirms that connections between the two are not precluded.

I’m going to divide this theory into three parts because I want to cover all my bases and there is an extensive amount of evidence, so without further ado, let me introduce you to my completely self-indulgent crazed ramblings!

WARNING: This is very long. Also, a bunch of speculation here so read at your own discretion.

1. Sans has connections to the Deltarune universe

Let’s list off what we know for sure:

Sans instantly recognizes the Player as a human and has knowledge of the Surface.

In the conversation at MTT Restaurant, Sans confesses that he knows the feeling of wanting to go home.

According to the Snowdin Shopkeeper, Sans and Papyrus showed up one day and “asserted themselves”.

In his lost soul dialogue, Sans says that “you’ll never see ‘em again”.

During his battle, Sans reveals that he “gave up trying to go back a long time ago” and that “getting to the surface doesn't really appeal anymore, either.”

After being defeated, Sans says that he’s “going to grillbys”. In Deltarune, the first place we see Sans is at Grillby’s. Sans’s house and the restaurant in Deltarune are the same as in Undertale (except for slight alterations like the lack of snow and...’sans)

Undertale!Sans and Deltarune!Sans have identical sprites.

After talking with the Clam Girl and learning of Suzy, you can go to Sans’s workshop and find a card sticking out from the back flap of the binder, described as a poorly drawn picture of three smiling people with the words "don't forget" written in lowercase. Deltarune’s credits song is titled “Don’t Forget”.

We can safely assume that Sans came from another place that is not the underground nor the surface; Sans misses his home and his friends there (presumably the people in the picture); Susie and Suzy are related somehow. Additionally, we can speculate that Sans and Papyrus may have arrived from another dimension. It might very well be the case that Sans originated from the Deltarune universe: Sans is completely resigned to the fact that he can’t alter the past no matter how hard he tries. Deltarune’s prophecy is all about inevitability. Sans’s defeatist attitude might stem from this.

Here’s some evidence that is more debatable:

River Person warns the Player to “Beware of the man who came from the other world”. It’s possible that the man in question is Sans.

I’ve noticed this isn’t brought up as much, but Sans’s word search is from ICE-E’s, which is a brand we only see in Deltarune. As far as we know, there is no trace of this brand in the Undertale universe. It definitely doesn’t appear to be one from a newspaper—it’s a distraction given to kids at restaurants.

BONUS: There’s a wacky inflatable mascot that resembles the ICE-E’s mascot in the dog shrine found in the skelebros’ house (console version)

During Shyren’s encounter, if the Player hums twice, the flavor text describes Sans selling tickets made of toilet paper. Now, we know that all the food in the Underground is made out of magic. Magic nourishes monsters, but it doesn’t pass through their bodies as waste. Why does Sans have toilet paper? 

Alphys seems to be in-the-know about Sans’s time-space shenanigans. In the epilogue of the pacifist ending, there’s some dialogue that suggests Alphys and Sans are quite familiar with each other. Both of them want to keep this a secret for whatever reason. In a neutral ending in which Alphys becomes the ruler, she is mournful of the deaths of Undyne, Alphys, and Asgore, but is glad that “at least Sans is here”. In the MTT quiz, if you pick “Don’t Know” to the question about her crush, Alphys reveals that she has done research on alternate universes and knows they exist. Both Sans and Alphys have connections to Gaster, who is quite prevalent in Deltarune. She, along with Sans (and coincidentally, the ICE-E word-search) are affected by Fun values and have their own Fun events. It seems a little random, but what if all the Fun events are Gaster-related? Are Alphys and Sans the two people mentioned in Entry 17?

So I think all of these pieces are sufficient in establishing Sans’s connection to Deltarune, though it is still unclear whether Sans came from Deltarune into Undertale or vice versa, OR Sans showed up from yet ANOTHER universe. That’s a theory for another time, though. On to the next part!

2. Sans has abilities/properties exclusive to Darkners

Some of the basics:

Sans can teleport, that is, use “shortcuts”, as evidenced by appearing both in front and behind the character in Snowdin, going to Grillbys, chasing after Papyrus in the wrong direction during the Pacifist ending scene, etc. Though Rouxls Kaard is shown to teleport, Lancer’s style of teleporting most closely resembles Sans’s. There are multiple instances in which Lancer stays ahead despite the Player passing him (for example, Lancer sneaking a sign past the party despite there only being one way to the door).

The door to Sans’s room greatly resembles the fast-travel doors that only Darkners are able to create. If you get the key to his room, the pitch-black and seemingly-endless walkway is not dissimilar to that of the supply closet. Papyrus also happens to liken Sans’s room to “another world”. All of the weird junk could be representative of various landmarks in the dark world.

Sans can manipulate shadows as seen through his first appearance (I also like to think that this is the reason why his “eye-lights” can disappear). This is most prevalent with Ralsei, Lancer, and the King obscuring parts of their body with shadows.

Darkners have colored portraits. At first glance, you would assume Sans doesn’t have one, but his head is already—conveniently—black and white.

If that wasn’t enough, let’s take a look at Sans’s battle in the Genocide Route. The most distinguishing feature of this fight is Sans’s ability to dodge your attacks, an ability that was thought to be unique to him. As it turns out, Darkners are also able to dodge (provided that they are warned). In order to actually beat Sans, you need to tire him out, and once you have dealt the final blow, he runs away. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

I believe that Sans actually survives the encounter as well. I’ve seen people claim that when he goes off-screen, the “dusting” sound effect signifies that he dies. This is wrong. That sound effect plays at the end of every battle, regardless of whether you spared or killed an enemy. I’d like to point out that the EXP you gain from the battle does not confirm Sans’s death. If you pick on Loox, you can get 5 extra EXP stacking up to 3 times. This means that killing an enemy is not required for you to gain EXP. I’ll also include that the kill counter doesn’t go up once Sans’s battle is over. It’s believed that this is the case because of Chara’s interference, though I don’t personally agree.

Let me also present this tidbit that I see no one else talking about: unlike literally any monster in the underground (besides Flowey, but he doesn’t count), Sans HAS NO HP BAR. When he gets hit, the damage numbers are present, but the HP bar that should have appeared above him is absent. Darkners don’t have a visible HP bar when struck.

Here’s some stuff that’s a little bit more controversial/speculative:

Lancer more or less implies that Darkners bleed, though we haven’t seen any examples of this yet. Ralsei doesn’t correct him, however. We know that the monsters in the light world don’t bleed (“Does it hurt to be made out of blood?”), and Susie’s comment (“Everybody bleeds, right?”) could be read as her trying to look cool for Lancer. Then, does Sans bleed?

It has been confirmed by @nochocolate​ that the red coming out of Sans is the exact same red as his ketchup bottle. This is a deliberate choice, but it doesn’t completely deconfirm that it may be blood because we don’t have other instances of blood to compare it to. Additionally, there is a mention of both blood and ketchup from Noelle: "This isn't another trick, is it, Kris? Like when you put ketchup on your arms and told me it was blood?" This might just be Toby Fox poking fun at the fandom or intentionally misdirecting us—really, it could go either way.

Sans’s mouth doesn’t move at all while he talks. It turns out that there may be an explanation for this! In Undertale, you can see the mouths of face sprites move while words are being spoken.

However, in Deltarune, both Lightners and Darkners don’t feature moving mouths in their textboxes! In instances wherein the full-body sprites are shown (Papyrus date, Alphys date, literally all the battles), the mouths don’t move either. So while his expression rarely changes, it might turn out that Sans DOES actually move his mouth while speaking, we just can’t see it. I’m a bit iffy on this theory since it varies from monster to monster in the Light World. Moreover, in Undertale, while Mettaton’s mouth doesn’t move at all (I’m going to disregard this since he is a robot) it’s very peculiar that the same can be said for Alphys.

Seriously, why doesn’t Alphys’s mouth move at all?? This HAS to be intentional, all of the other characters with a face sprite have moving mouths. Deltarune!Alphys doesn’t have one either. This brings up more questions than answers: Are certain monsters Lightners and others not? Is Alphys a Lightner? Did her “research” on alternate universes involve her actually traversing the multiverse? Am I overthinking this? In any case, it’s more stuff linking her to Sans...

If it turns out that not all monsters are Lightners, then it makes sense that Sans is so devoted to Papyrus, assuming that Papyrus is, in fact, a Lightner. No other person’s death makes as much of a difference as Papyrus’s concerning Sans’s behavior towards you. Alternatively, if Papyrus is not a Lightner, then it stands to reason why Sans is so depressed—he has no way of fulfilling his purpose. “Sans”, after all, means “without”.

The Light World has virtually no indications of monsters being able to use magic. In Undertale, it’s stated that magic is a method of self-expression for monsters, yet the only magic we see in Deltarune is from within the Dark World. If we compare Deltarune!Toriel’s stovetop to Undertale!Toriel’s, we see that the flavor text has omitted her use of fire magic. Susie is able to send out magic ax attacks, but this is likely due to the nature of the Dark World. I need to clarify that she is not the one that casts the Pacify spell at the end of a “neutral” run; she realizes that the King is tired, and waits for Ralsei to finish the job. Her remembering Pacify is exactly what it means, and Ralsei comments on it because he is expressing surprise that she cared to remember the spell she made fun of him for. I’ll also point out that the lack of magic would be the reason why the monster-human war ended differently/didn’t even happen, therefore allowing monsters to reside on the surface. If Sans did hail from this world, he wouldn’t have magic or would have very limited magical capabilities if he isn’t a Darkner.

Here is a piece of dialogue from Sans about the Underground. Interestingly, he differentiates himself from monsters, though this could just be because he doesn’t want to lump in Papyrus with them. The King has a similar line (“Show my son the monster you REALLY are!”). Monsters are possibly complicit in Darkners’ imprisonment. Is it possible that Sans is also resentful? Do Darkners exist in Undertale?

I feel like this interaction is worth mentioning. It’s entirely possible that Darkners were sealed so long ago in the Undertale universe that nobody even remembers their existence. 

Going back to Papyrus, if Sans is a Darkner, then it’s important to mention that Papyrus is not. We see Papyrus turn to dust when he is killed. For that reason, it seems that Sans and Papyrus are not biological brothers. I think this actually makes a lot of sense given how different they look. Yes, it’s true that Sans and Papyrus both have a skeleton motif, but they don’t look remotely similar. The face shape, the jaw, the build, the height, the eyes, the nasal cavity—nothing matches! Each monster species look the same, hell, even boss monsters like Toriel and Asgore resemble each other. Compared to Papyrus, Sans seems a lot more solid (his gut) AND he’s almost completely covered up save for his face (what are you hiding under there?).

Their bone attacks are distinct as well: Papyrus’s have a more angular aesthetic compared to Sans’s rounded edges.

In comparison, Toriel, Asgore, and Asriel have the same exact fire attack.

So, if Sans is a skeleton-themed Darkner, what type would he be?

3. Sans is the Ace of Spades

This part of the theory is a bit more conjectural, but I think there is enough evidence to put this in here.

Let’s start with how Sans, Lancer, and the King are similar:

Their sprites have the same color scheme: black, blue, white, and grey.

They sport uneven and toothy grins, are round and chubby (“if you eat too many hot dogs…you’ll probably get huge like me”), and have a hood.

The spades seem to have a smile motif. The grinning “mouth” of the Card Castle has the same number of “teeth” as Sans. Additionally, you can see portraits of spade people inside the castle. They’re all smiling.

These three are the only characters that can freely shift between being completely submerged in the shadows and becoming visible. The ability to cloak their body with shadows is a trait thought to be shared by all Darkners; Ralsei, after all, exhibits this all throughout our journey. What’s interesting is that there are clear parallels to Sans, Lancer, and the Kings’ shadows: they conceal their entire form and reveal it during their first appearances.

Sans and Lancer are shown to be able to teleport. I’m bringing this up again because it seems that not all Darkners can teleport without the use of a door as indicated by Ralsei’s confusion. If Ralsei has extensive knowledge of Darkner powers, and he is unaware that Lancer can teleport, then teleportation must be an ability unique to the spades, or, at the very least, card-themed Darkners.

Sans and the King’s fights are eerily similar. You need to fight/tire them out and listen to them monologue in order to progress. A major theme of both fights is how you can’t truly spare them. Appearing worn out from the battle, they appeal for mercy. Should the Player fall for it, they launch an unavoidable attack that deals catastrophic damage. Additionally, before his fight, the King employs the use of silent text, just like Sans during his judgments and his intimidating moments. Also worth noting: in both fights, the battle box is manipulated deliberately to suit the needs of the Player (for our last attack against Sans) and the King (his weird stomach tongue latching onto the box). Sans is also capable of stretching the box as seen with the attack before his special attack.

Lancer and Sans, in particular, parallel each other quite nicely. They are both playful jokers, they both own bikes, and both of these characters have a strange relationship with food (particularly with red condiments).

The two just so happen to have stands to sell questionable foodstuffs.

Sans is evidently constantly eating:

Undyne: “And his brother kept making 100’s of midnight snacks.”

Papyrus: “GRILLBY’S… IT’S DARK AND FULL OF GREASE. PURGATORY OF FRIES… HAMBURGER ABYSS… ANYWAY, MY BROTHER PRACTICALLY LIVES HERE.”

Big-Mouth: “Sans is interesting. He has told me about all kinds of incredible foods. But, despite his knowledge, he always orders the worst burger off the menu.”

And we know that Lancer barely eats at all. He doesn’t think that having three glasses of milk as his dinner is unusual, he’s not allowed to eat the Dark Candy, he pretends to eat the salsa in the stump, and he has to get fed worms by Rouxls because his father forgot to feed him. Sans and Lancer both have terrible eating habits. I’m not sure what this is supposed to mean, but you know, food for thought.

Why the Ace of Spades:

The designs of both Lancer and the King originated from @kanotynes​ who created an entire deck of cards. The Ace of Spades does not have a distinct design.

French manufacturers standardized the four playing card suits. “Sans” and “Lancer” are both French words.

It symbolizes uncleanliness and depression (Sans’s socks and his room, the latter is pretty self-explanatory), omens (River Person’s warning, Flowey alerting us to not reveal our abilities to him, “you’re going to have a bad time”), and death (the reason for his skeletal nature).

In Blackjack, Aces have a numeric value of 1 (matching his stats) or 11 (the same number of unique pre-battle dialogue from Sans, though this may just be a lucky coincidence). The Eleventh Hour is an idiom meaning nearly too late. Sans’s fight is your last possible chance at quitting before the world ends and your game gets corrupted.

Remember that bit where Sans has toilet paper? In the Card Castle, you can see that a bathroom, the Royal Flush, is occupied. Darkners have to digest their food. On a related note, the royal flush is a poker term for an A(14), K(13), Q(12), J(11), and 10 hand. Interestingly, in the sequence before his “special attack”, we see Sans disappear and reappear at the edges of the screen 14 times (again, probably just a neat coincidence).

The ace is paradoxically the least and most valuable card (in Blackjack, Poker, etc.), paralleling Sans being the weakest and strongest enemy.

Ace of Spades also represents “an end”, and Sans is there at the end of our journey, judging us before Asgore’s fight. He is also responsible for initiating the phone calls at the end of every neutral route.

Okay, this one is a little bit of a joke. In this deleted tweet, Toby said that Sans would be too lazy for sex, causing fans to speculate that he is “ace” lol.

BONUS: Sans was originally intended to run a casino. This one’s a bit self-explanatory. Also explains his poker face.

The most important piece of evidence, however, is this: the French expression fagoté comme l'as de pique means "(badly) dressed like the ace of spades." Checks out.

On Gaster Blasters:

Gaster Blasters might have a spade motif. If you connect the natural curves of the eyes and the top of the nose ridge, you get a spade shape. The GB's crests resemble King Spade's crown and possibly the neck/shoulder part of his cape.

A GB's nose resembles King Spade's when he isn't snarling at you; this might also apply to Sans if he stopped smiling (mouth shape affects the shape of their noses). 

Also on the topic of noses, Sans, Lancer, and King Spade's noses translate to the same shape in their overworld sprites.

The fog from Snowdin, which has been theorized to be either a front-facing GB or Sans' face (and honestly I lean more towards it being Sans's face because of the eye shape) has a hidden line underneath and above the nose. Perhaps Sans resembles the Gaster Blasters and the Spades more than we anticipated?

HMMMMMMMMMMMMM.....

[nicklloydnow]

"In 1910, the last year of his life and only a few years before World War I put an end to the long European peace, William James wrote a pamphlet for the Association for International Conciliation, one of the many pacifist groups whose prominence in that period convinced many people that war between nations, being so obviously irrational, was therefore impossible. James’s essay, titled “The Moral Equivalent of War,” is a work of supreme pathos and wisdom. James himself was a pacifist, a founding member of the Anti-Imperialist League, a group formed to protest America’s military interventions in Cuba, Haiti, and the Philippines, and one of the most humane and generous spirits America or any other nation has ever produced.

James understood perfectly the folly—the “monstrosity,” as he called it—of war, even in those comparatively innocent, pre-nuclear days. But he also acknowledged the place of the martial virtues in a healthy character. “We inherit the warlike type,” he pointed out, “and for most of the capacities of heroism that the human race is full of we have to thank [our bloody] history.” “The martial virtues,” he continued, “although originally gained by the race through war, are absolute and permanent human goods.... Militarism is the supreme theater of strenuousness, the great preserver of our ideals of hardihood; and human life with no use for strenuousness and hardihood would be contemptible.” “We pacifists,” he wrote with characteristic intellectual generosity, “ought to enter more deeply into the aesthetic and ethical point of view of our opponents.” To militarists, a world without war is “a sheep’s paradise,” flat and insipid. “No scorn, no hardness, no valor any more!” he imagines them saying indignantly. “Fie upon such a cattleyard of a planet!” This, remember, was the era of Teddy Roosevelt, preacher of the strenuous life and instigator of splendid little wars. James’s pacifism may be common sense to you and me, but when he wrote, the common sense of Americans was mostly on Roosevelt’s side.

How to nourish the martial virtues without war? James resolved this apparent dilemma with a suggestion many decades ahead of its time: universal national service, every youth to be conscripted for several years of hard and socially necessary physical work, with no exceptions and no class or educational discrimination. This army without weapons would be the moral equivalent of war, breeding, James argued, some of the virtues essential to democracy: “intrepidity, contempt of softness, surrender of private interest, obedience to command.” I am sure James would have agreed that these are not the only virtues essential to democracy—he himself, with his anti-imperialist activism, exemplified an equally essential skepticism and resistance to authority. But I wonder if our contemporaries, who mostly need no convincing about the necessity of skepticism and resistance to authority, would also agree with James about the importance of valor, strenuousness, and self-sacrifice.

James wrote in America before World War I, a situation of almost idyllic innocence compared with that of the next writer I want to cite, D. H. Lawrence. The Great War, as contemporaries called it, was a soul-shattering experience for English writers. The complacent stupidity with which Europe’s governing classes initiated, conducted, and concluded that war, the chauvinism and bloodlust with which ordinary people welcomed it, and above all, the mindless, mechanical grinding up of millions of lives by a war machine that seemed to go of itself—these things infuriated Lawrence almost to madness. Like many others, Lawrence saw the facelessness, the impersonality, the almost bureaucratic character of this mass violence as something new and horrifying in human history. But more than all others in the twentieth century, Lawrence was the champion of the body and the instincts against the abstract, impersonal forces of modernity. Like Nietzsche, he marshaled torrents of impassioned prose against the apparently inexorable encroachments of progress. Here is a passage from “Education of the People,” published posthumously in the two volumes of Phoenix.

We are all fighters. Let us fight. Has it come down to chasing a poor fox and kicking a leather ball? Heavens, what a spectacle we should be to the ancient Greek. Rouse the old male spirit again. The male is always a fighter. The human male is a superb and god-like fighter, unless he is contravened in his own nature. In fighting to the death, he has one great crisis of his being.     

What is the fight? It is a primary, physical thing. It is not a horrible, obscene, abstract business, like our last war. It is not a ghastly and blasphemous translation of ideas into engines, and men into cannon-fodder. Away with such war. A million times away with such obscenity. Let the desire of it die out of mankind.... Let us beat our plowshares into swords, if we will. But let us blow all guns and explosives and poison-gases sky-high. Let us shoot every man who makes one more grain of gunpowder, with his own powder.     

And then let us be soldiers, hand-to-hand soldiers. Lord, but it is a bitter thing to be born at the end of a rotten, idea-ridden machine civilization. Think what we’ve missed: the glorious bright passion of anger and pride, reckless and dauntless.

(...)

Modernity imperils another set of virtues, which are a little harder to characterize than the martial virtues, but are even more important. I don’t mean the bourgeois virtues, though there’s some overlap. I suppose I’d call them the yeoman virtues. I have in mind the qualities we associate with life in the early American republic—the positive qualities, of course, not the qualities that enabled slavery and genocide. In 1820, 80 percent of the American population was self-employed. Protestant Christianity, local self-government, and agrarian and artisanal producerism fostered a culture of self-control, self-reliance, integrity, diligence, and neighborliness—the American ethos that Tocqueville praised and that Lincoln argued was incompatible with large-scale slave-owning. Today that ethos survives only in political speeches and Hollywood movies. In a society based on precarious employment and feverish consumption, on debt, financial trickery, endless manipulation, and incessant distraction, such a sensibility seems archaic.

According to the late Christopher Lasch, the advent of mass production and the new relations of authority it introduced in every sphere of social life wrought a fateful change in the prevailing American character. Psychological maturation—as Lasch, relying on Freud, explicated it—depended crucially on face-to-face relations, on a rhythm and a scale that industrialism disrupted. The result was a weakened, malleable self, more easily regimented than its pre-industrial forebear, less able to withstand conformist pressures and bureaucratic manipulation—the antithesis of the rugged individualism that had undergirded the republican virtues.In an important recent book, The Age of Acquiescence, the historian Steve Fraser deploys a similar argument to explain why, in contrast with the first Gilded Age, when America was wracked by furious anti-capitalist resistance, popular response in our time to the depredations of capitalism has been so feeble. Here is Fraser’s thesis:

During the first Gilded Age the work ethic constituted the nuclear core of American cultural belief and practice. That era’s emphasis on capital accumulation presumed frugality, saving, and delayed gratification as well as disciplined, methodical labor. That ethos frowned on self-indulgence, was wary of debt, denounced wealth not transparently connected to useful, tangible outputs, and feared libidinal excess, whether that took the form of gambling, sumptuary displays, leisured indolence, or uninhibited sexuality.     

How at odds that all is with the moral and psychic economy of our own second Gilded Age. An economy kept aloft by finance and mass consumption has for a long time rested on an ethos of immediate gratification, enjoyed a love affair with debt, speculation, and risk, erased the distinction between productive labor and pursuits once upon a time judged parasitic, and become endlessly inventive about ways to supercharge with libido even the homeliest of household wares. 

Can these two diverging political economies—one resting on industry, the other on finance—and these two polarized sensibilities—one fearing God, the other living in an impromptu moment to moment—explain the Great Noise of the first Gilded Age and the Great Silence of the second? Is it possible that people still attached by custom and belief to ways of subsisting that had originated outside the orbit of capital accumulation were for that very reason both psychologically and politically more existentially desperate, more capable, and more audacious in envisioning a non-capitalist future than those who have come of age knowing nothing else?

If this argument is true—and I find it painfully plausible—where does that leave us? An individual’s or a society’s character cannot be willed into or out of existence. Lost virtues and solidarities cannot be regained overnight, or even, perhaps, in a generation. Even our ideologies of liberation may have to be rethought. A transvaluation of values may be in order: faster, easier, and more may have to give way to slower, harder, and less—not only for ecological reasons but also for reasons of mental and moral hygiene. And even if we decide, as a society, to spit out the poisoned apple of consumerism and technological addiction, is there a path back—or forward, for that matter? If individual self-sufficiency and local self-government are prerequisites for human flourishing, then maybe it is too late.

(...)

Do my apparently disparate-sounding worries have anything in common? Possibly this: they all result from one or another move on the part of the culture away from the immediate, the instinctual, the face-to-face. We are embodied beings, gradually adapted over millions of years to thrive on a certain scale, our metabolisms a delicate orchestration of innumerable biological and geophysical rhythms. The culture of modernity has thrust upon us, sometimes with traumatic abruptness, experiences, relationships, and powers for which we may not yet be ready—to which we may need more time to adapt.

But time is short. “All that is solid melts into air”—Marx meant the crust of tradition, dissolving in the acid bath of global capitalism. Now, however, the earth itself is melting. Marx’s great metaphor has acquired a terrifying second meaning."And so has Nietzsche’s. If we cannot slow down and grow cautiously, evenly, gradually into our new technological and political possibilities and responsibilities—even the potentially liberating ones—the last recognizably individual men and women may give place, before too many more generations, to the simultaneously sub- and super-human civilization of the hive."

[eyesoneyesoneyesoneyesoneyson]

I was looking through the information I was granted to utilize this blog and I found something that I belive I should share, it is a summery written explaining the eternals in more detail then I covered

Now mind you I did not write this and so can't vouch for its accuracy, in fact it seems to be rather explicitly biased aginst me but it should serve well enough as a base of information on what exactly i am I will provide my own commentary within it

I will add my commentary in this color as to make it clear what is original and what are my additions

The Eternals

General information

The eternals travel the multiverse, when they reach a world they manifest bodies and are born naturally to some family within the world, they grow they live and then they die before moving on to the next world, most manifestations will never know of their extra dimensional history

When manifesting, the personality and traits of each individual eternal can vary a bit depending on which one it is, in rare circumstances they can be quite drastically different from any other version of themselves. this is somewhat missleading it implies more flexibility then we are capable of, all manifestations will show characteristics contained within the possibility space of our essence

It is possible, though rare for an eternal to manifest as an inanimate object, in these cases the manifestation will have powers and abilities representative of their eternal’s personality, the manifestation may or maynot have sentiance depending on the circumstances 

It is possible, though rare for 2 or more eternals to manifest into a single body, this new manifestation will have some combination of the traits and personalities of the component parts. Again not inaccurate but still misleading, fusions manifestations will exist within the combined possibility space of their component essences.

even more rare is for a single eternal to manifest more than 1 body within a world, when this happens each individual manifestation will act as an entirely independent entity, the manifestations will not be identical to each other each showing their own unique interpretation of their eternal. I take umbrage with the use of "eternal" when what she is actualy referring to is our essence, eternal referers to the totality of our existence and the manifestations are a part of that while the essence refers to the abstract aspects of our existence.

Every manifestation can summon any object that their eternal has manifested as in a past life with all the powers they possessed, each eternal also has a unique power that is all their own which their manifestations have access to, both of these powers only work if the manifestation in question remembers the truth of their existence, given that this is rather rare, most of the manifestations will not have access to these powers.

Specific eternals 

Title: The first

Common object manifestation: blood drinker blade, a living sword which feeds on the users blood to fuel its power

Unique power: martial prowess, she will always be the most skillful fighter in the world, if she encounters a better fighter, then her skill will instantly increase to become better then them

Common name: Maria

Common appearance: a woman with long black hair and many scars 

The first is incredibly kind and caring, she is always the first to help, but she’s not naive, she is used to pain and mistrust but she doesnt let it consume her. Her desire to help everyone leads to her putting herself into danger more than is healthy (hence the scars), she has a strong friendship with the forgotten and an intense rivalry with the aware. She remembers their origin roughly 10% of the time. This is infuriating the first is not some noble hero, shes a self-righteous arrogant prick, her "friendship" with the forgotten has nothing to do with him and is entirely built on trying to anger me.

Title: the inhuman 

   

    Common object manifestation: Yamyaywan, a spear that generates lightning

    Unique power: expedient healing, he is capable of fully regrowing a limb over the course of a month

    Common names: Yamyaywan (in fantasy settings) jeff gorge chad or some other generic mans name (in non fantasy settings, he's not vary creative) 

   

    Common appearance: some non human entity typically some kind of werewolf 

    The inhuman is pretty simple, eat, sleep, fuck, repeat, thats not to say hes violent or even a bad guy, hes actually quite sweet and friendly when he wants to be. fiercely loyal to those of his pack and honest to a fault, but he is not a complex man, his motives are all base and predictable, he enjoys indulging in lifes simple pleasures. He holds great respect for the first, and despises the aware for her deceptive nature. He remembers their origin roughly 1-2% of the time

Tittle: the lovers

Common object manifestation: unbreakable shackles capable of binding and holding nearly anything

Unique power: shared everything, they can transfer wounds, damage, heat, cold, physical and mental attributes, powers, magical effects, pretty much anything back and forth between each other

Common names: Mikol and Kiloka (though this varies greatly)

Common appearance: two people

The lovers are as the title suggests, in love, or perhaps it's more accurate to say they are the embodiment of the concept of romantic love as seen by whoever is writing for them, the concept of sexuality is irrelevant to them as they will always fall for eachother and only each other. Their really isn't much else to say, these two are the most variable of all the eternals even their genders aren't consistent, sometimes they’re male, sometimes female, sometimes nonbinary, sometimes theyre the same gender, sometimes different, sometimes theyre of a species where the concept of gender straight up doesnt apply. They will only ever remember their origin in those rare times when all the manifestations remember. I really don't have much to say on the inhuman or the lovers, they tend to keep to themselves and I am content in leaving them be, it is worth noteing however that "rare times when all manifestations remember" does not refer to a random event where everyone happens to remember based on their individual odds but rather worlds in which we collectively agree to all manifest with awareness, functionally this means they have a 0% chances of remembering and so will only remember when probability is not a factor

Tittle: the aware

    Common object manifestation: she has no object manifestations as she refuses to be anything other than a human

Unique power: pocket dimension, she has an extra dimensional space where she can store and remove anything non-living, the space has infinite size, while anything is within this space it will be locked in time at the very moment of its entering preventing any kind of decay or change, she can store things of any size, though larger object take more time to add and remove and she must maintain contact with the object for the entirety of its transfer, she always has perfect knowledge of what is within her space

Common name: none, i never gave her a name and she refuses to take one, denying any that others give her, because of this some who know her call her Nameless

Common appearance: a generic looking woman, she tends to make herself fairly unassuming (whatever that might mean for the world she's born into)

The aware is the most dangerous of all the eternals, she has a very wide skill base, you would be hard pressed to find any skill she isn't at least competent at, jack of all trades does not however imply master of none and she has three specialties in particular, you would be hard pressed to find anyone better than her when it comes to military tactics, economics, and above all engineering, she loves take apart technology and magical devices and putting them back together to form entirely new and even more powerful creations. Her collection however is limited in its uses, each relying on the magic or physics of its respective world and thus will only work 1 or 2 times before ceasing to function entirely, however her collection is so massive that she is not likely to run out any time soon. Because of this fights with the aware are less about skill and more about psychology and economics, you have to convince her that what she would get for winning isn't worth what winning would cost her

Everything after this point in this entry is, to one degree or another, inaccurate, unfortunately because the nature of our deal i do not have the capability to delete or edit it in any meaningful way, instead i will ask that you ignore it and simply move on to the next entry

She does not believe that other people exist, she views everyone outside of herself as philosophical zombies, empty husks that simply go through the motions without having any sort of internal lives, this leads her to be selfish and callous, she feels no remorse killing entire worlds as she does not believe the people she is killing have any kind of sentiance

She is a manipulator to her core, knowing exactly what to say to get inside of people's heads, she avoids violence and seduction whenever possible seeing them as base and beneath her, however she also has a grand temper when she doesn't get her way, and has been known to kill people out of sheer spite.

She is lonely, her view of other people has led her to a sort of self imposed isolation, the only person she truly cares for is the forgotten, she emotionally and psychologically abused him but she does love him in her own twisted way

She hates the first with a fiery passion, both because she knows that she is my favorite and hopes that hurting her will in some way hurt me, and because the first helped the forgotten break free of her abuse and leave her.

    She wants nothing more then to break into the real world so she can kill me, short of that she hopes to break free of my mind, and enter the collective unconscious by being known by other people in the real world

    She wields a very special sword named ashbreaker, it is an anti magic sword that she stole recovered from the tomb of a great hero, the sword is only slightly stronger than the average anti magic weapon, however it has infinite power in that it will never run out of its ability regardless of the world it is in, because of this it can dispel most anything so long as it maintains contact for long enough, the aware has over time began to see this sword as a part of her identity, if she knew i had the audacity to name another sword ashbreaker she would be furious beyond belief. This one actualy is accurate, and she is right i am furious

The aware is ALWAYS aware of their origin without exception

Title: the forgotten 

    Common object manifestation: a dragon mask, the left eye is broken off the mask, the right eye is covered, this mask grants truesight in that it will see through any illusion.

            Unique power: magical savant, the forgotten will have any and all prerequisites to develop all types of magic of whatever world he is in, additional he learns and masters magic far more quickly than normal, he is capable of going from knowing nothing about a magical system to being the best in the world at that system in around 10 years assuming he has access to the knowledge and time to study it

    Common name: Caliph 

    Common appearance: a very scrawny very pale man with black hair, if he remember their extradimentinal origin he will have a large burn scar across his left eye perfectly matching the shape of the break in his mask

    The forgotten is rather timid in nature, he avoids speaking as much as possible, he's kind and compassionate but also prone to paranoia caution instilled in him by Nameless, he has severe self worth issues and generally a poor view of who he is as a person

    He's very intelligent and quick to propose solutions to problems, more than anything he wants everyone to be happy

    Though he now acknowledges that Nameless abused him he still loves her and thinks fondly on the better times in their relationship, it can be a challenge sometimes to remember all the ways she broke his will and made him feel worthless in an effort to keep him with her, she never hit him, others sometimes but never him. More blatant lies

    The forgotten remembers their origin roughly half of the time

Title: the puppet 

    Common object manifestation: a puppet

    Unique power: connection to the real world

    Common name: N/A

    Common appearance: N/A

    The puppet is an empty vessel whose sole purpose is to act as a conduite to the real world, depending on the nature world this could be as an author insert or as a conduite for a player, manifesting as a fusion with the puppet does not change the nature of the eternal that manifests with them, instead it merely grants them the same connection the puppet has.

[dansiere]

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.

fill out & repost ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm. tagged by: @breselin, & @citialiin; thank you for the tag! I was planning on stealing it. tagging: @rosiqe, @noirtux, @goldgliitters, @ndeavor,  @reminiscentsky, @battleshell, @ettards & whoever else wants to do this. Just steal it & tag me. -- go wild.

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless / complicated [loosely affiliated mainly due to the fandom’s size. I am quite open to crossovers of any kind, really even if it takes me a while to open up.]

Is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO. [she is one of the deuteragonists; has been around since the pilot & while she has been sidelined during the epilogue, she was usually at least around with her story arc / actions having a huge impact on the overall story as such.]

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. [I guess so? Then again, that’s an objective statement so I am just? Assuming? I personally find her general aesthetics to be quite amazing; she is a dance battler, graceful & elegant; a ballerina with a classical theme that runs through her design & attitude like a red threat. I have a weak spot for stuff like that.]

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. [surprisingly, Pearl is considered to be the strongest non-fusion Crystal Gem according to the show (until Lapis Lazuli comes around). -- I assume prowess wise Pearl is high up next to Garnet & Rose whenever she can actually get her crap together due to having fought countless battles &, most importantly, survived the war in which she fought & shattered opponents thrice her size.]

Are they underrated?  YES / NO / IDK. [partially yes, partially no. She is controversial for sure but just as popular. At some point, the show delved deeper into her issues & actually had her mess up quite severely; the fandom’s reaction was so harsh that the showrunners had to interfere by “apologizing for making her human”. Pearl has always been a target for extreme criticism; some of it justified, some just straight down ridiculous.  -- It’s easy to forget what kind of complexity a character can offer when her resolution arc happens literally ten episodes before the show ends.]

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO.

Were they relevant for the main character?  YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG. [Pearl becomes Steven’s guardian / mentor after the death of his mother Rose Quartz & can later be considered his stand-in mother alongside Garnet. It is safe to say that her actions have influenced Steven the most, both negatively & positively.]

Are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO. [she earned herself the title ‘The Renegade’ during the war for being the first (& arguably only) pearl that broke out of her conditioning; she used to be a wanted criminal / traitor to her own kind for 5000 + years until her record was cleared upon the beginning of Era 3 (aka official end of the Gem War). She is still being referred to as ‘The Renegade’ now & then; while she used to be proud of the title she has grown to resent it a lot these days.]

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL. [it depends on who you ask; Homeworld Soldiers? Well, they despise her; she is a defective Gem & a war criminal. She stands for all that is wrong with the rebellion; I mean a pearl who refuses to serve & calls herself an individual? a warrior? THE SCANDAL!! Some soldiers are afraid of her, call her ‘Rose Quartz’ terrifying renegade’, even. However, in her ranks aka the rebellion, she is being seen as a silent heroine. A celebrated war hero, Rose Quartz’s right hand & sole confidante (some even whisper that there is more between them).]

How strictly do you follow canon?  — uh... well. Not really but... kinda? Steven Universe’s canon is messy & occasionally QUITE inconsistent. -- while it gives you vague details, some lore can best be compared to a gaping void. Thus my reason for partial divergence isn’t lack of good character writing (because Pearl is very, very complex even on screen), but rather inconvenient lore holes & SU’s habit of leaving important facts uncommented, “unshown” or just stuck between the lines. While I don’t mind deep analysis, some of those “buried facts” fly other people’s heads which leads to terrible, terrible fanon takes. -- in order to distance myself from that, I usually take canon & expand it with my own headcanons & metas based on lore / show analysis. I often alter / cut what does not fit my narrative BUT I always root my stuff in actual canon occurrences.

     Sometimes, I just straight down change certain things that canon messed up in my pov. For example, in order to make it explicitly clear that she fell in love & rebelled on her own volition (even if it has been confirmed like ten times by now), my Pearl is around 1500 years older than the original & (in)directly served White Diamond before being handed to Pink (not the only reason for that change but well I will elude on it eventually). She was a default pearl with no customization & usually spent most of her time with organizing matters in the palace until Pink accidentally broke her customized pearl; Pearl was then 'poofed’ & handed over; she possessed a more sensible personality & a strict rule protocol that was supposed to help her “raise” Pink Diamond into the ranks of a ruler. Most other changes are rather minor but very important or essential to my portrayal (for example whenever “A Single Pale Rose” is concerned: Pearl suggesting the “sealing of the secret”, her not wearing the dress from the beginning, her not calling Pink “my diamond”, her arguing with Pink long before the fake-shattering took place, etc etc.); the epilogue series is another can of worms I will get to eventually but lemme just say I didn’t really like the way Pearl behaved / the plot-bound ooc-ness she sometimes yielded to & other stuff. 

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.  —  well, she is a lesbian space rock from a strange universe; whose body is basically a manifestation of light? She is probably the most passionate being you will ever meet. -- if you are looking for a speedrun through human history, she is your gal. If you need someone to beat up some bullies, she will gladly come & smack sense into people; if you want to learn everything about Gemkind, sit down & listen because she won’t stop talking any time soon. 

     By definition, Pearl is a good person; the extreme loyal kind, absolutely & helplessly dedicated to a cause. She wears most of her emotions on her sleeve, comes off as genuinely caring, protective & trustworthy. She is empathetic & observant, she will always be there for you in one way or another. She is smart, loves to read & indulges in the higher arts such as (romantic) poetry, singing, painting, music (violin, piano, bass) & dance (predominately classic ballet / waltz but she has grown rather fond of jazz lately). Her knowledge about Earth & all that lays beyond is vast & if you ever want to see whatever is out there, she is the type to take you on a space tour with no questions asked. She fences, has learned to wield a lance, can engineer very well, has a very peculiar but... sorta adorable kind of humour that can either be hella obnoxious or super funny. There is no in-between. Pearl loves science, baking, housekeeping, ice-& roller-skating & is more than willing to take people along whenever she visits the rink. If you ask her for advice, she will gladly give it; if you need help, she will be the first to raise her hand. Pearl is orderly, has a strong sense of justice & a fierce, dedicated kind of resolve. 

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).  —  Pearl. Is. A. Mess. No questions asked. She is an introverted, nervous, neurotic, grief-- & trauma riddled mess who loves to pretend & rationalize things to death. Her self-esteem is abysmal, she is extremely jealous, obsessive & possessive [to the point where she straight up murdered men just because they dared to be around her girlfriend]. Her mind is a compartmentalized mess of repressed memories & heavy, untreated cptsd woven into it; Pearl lives too much inside her head & gets overwhelmed by her emotions far too easily; she feels too much all at once & lets her temper get the best of her. 

     She is self-centred, does not seem to understand that words & reckless actions hurt people, believes that only she deserves to grieve Rose & willingly destroyed relationships just to soak in her own misery; self-destruction is her forte & she will indulge in it no matter the consequences. She is often high-strung, judgemental, always has to be right, overachieves & overdoes whenever a chance is given. -- she can be petty, arrogant & desperate for validation. --  Needless to say, Pearl is the kind of person that pretends to be fine for years but once she cracks she reveals that she is anything but. -- she cannot move on, hates men, & just is a lot to deal with. Getting in touch with her means you run the risk to get dragged into her mess, whenever you want it or not. 

What inspired you to rp your muse?  —  first & foremost, my love for complex, purpose-driven female characters. I am a sucker for the “introvert, plagued lady” type & once parts of Pearl’s past were revealed during Season 1 I was sold. Pearl seemed relatable to me, extremely human & raw in her behaviour. While I love most of the SU cast equally, Pearl just wouldn’t let me go. Her aesthetic is amazing, her past intriguing. -- her connection to ballet & classical music, her elegant & graceful design just spoke to me. 

What keeps your inspiration going?  —  music. music. oh, and music. Poetry, long walks (I am not kidding), analysis, meta & hc writing, discussions with writing partners or my rl partner @rosiqe.

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice?  YES / NO / I SINCERELY HOPE I DO? [ despite my emo peculiar take on the character, I do hope that people hear her voice whenever they read my replies. ]

Do you frequently write headcanons?  YES / NO / SORT OF? [ I wish I could post more but I am very, very slow & a perfectionist at heart. -- I try to compensate for my lack of actual hcs by rambling in my tags. Most part of the time said ramblings include personal headcanons or analyses of specific scenes that include personal takes on pivotal situations; while I gather & write them down eventually, it can take me a long time to get stuff done. -- it is easier for me to jus blabber on & on in the tags. ]

Do you sometimes write drabbles?  YES / NO [ all my ask replies are drabbles, ngl. ]

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO

Are you confident in your portrayal?   YES / NO / SORT OF? [... a sore topic. While I love my headcanons & have gotten quite proud of my writing over time, I constantly doubt myself regarding the “ic”-ness of my responses. I like to believe that I am doing rather well, but I am not confident, no. ]

Are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO. [ it took me a long time to develop my style; while I always struggle to believe in my portrayal I am quite confident in my writing as such. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but in general? I am proud of it. ]

Are you a sensitive person?  YES / NO. / SORTA.

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?  —  Well, yes. As long as it is the constructive kind. I love receiving feedback, may it be negative or positive. I will most likely try to discuss criticism with you; aka if you (i.e) tell me that Pearl shouldn’t have (C)PTSD, I will deliver canon proof & state my reasoning for my decision to implement it in my canon, etc. What I will not do is tolerate character hate or unreasonable hate towards my writing. Be assured that I will never headcanon something that has no solid footing in canon.

Do you like questions, which help you explore your character?  —  ABSOLUTELY. Send me random hc / meta asks, I beg you.

If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why?  —  sure. As stated above, I will probably discuss stuff with you. The chance of me dropping a headcanon however are rather low.

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it?  —  Hm... it depends on what they don’t like. If it’s my writing, well, why are you following me to begin with?? If it is my take on things... well again, why are you following me? I stated in my rules what you should expect & that I will not water down specific aspects of a complex character. Disliking my portrayal is fine since I know that my kind of writing / analysis isn’t necessarily everyone’s tea but... again, why would you keep following me?

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it?  —  um. Not... well? While I will never excuse my muse’s actions, I dislike groundless bashing. In regard to Pearl... well. As stated above, I expected backlash the second I created this blog. Pearl is one of those characters the fandom either loves or hates; her canon relationship to Rose was branded toxic by a ton of people, people call her uncaring, salty, insane & straight up manic, she seemingly has no redeeming qualities, she is a bitch, too perfect (LOL) or arrogant & apparently has no character? I love it when people say stuff like that because... did we watch the same show? Is there a version of SU I don’t know? Please tell me, I wanna see it for myself! Some hot takes in this fandom are atrocious & make me want to commit a crime. 

     -- but I digress. I have spent too much time in her tag in 2014 + & I have seen quite the fights over the most ridiculous things; Pearl, in particular, got quite the flack for stuff that eventually got resolved in season 5 [which, again, was way too late but well]. In the end, clowns will be clowns, no matter what you do. I just don’t get why you would follow someone if you hate their character to begin with.

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?  —  yes, but please don’t be rude about it. I am German, English is my second language. I am currently learning Swedish / improving my Swedish so mistakes can always happen. Additionally, I am someone who posts her replies in the middle of the night & while I proofread a lot & most likely fix posts after I posted ‘em, some mistakes can still slip through. 

Do you think you are easy going as a mun?   —  ... I like to believe I am but I know that I am overly passionate & I can come off as too strong or too fierce sometimes. I can be too much, I can be too excentric (I’m a Scorpio, Karen); I have strong opinions in regard to my characters & I will not hold them back. I criticise shows mercilessly & I will plough through canon as much as I please. Stans & I usually don’t get along. HOWEVER, I am a meme. I love lame jokes, I am awkward, & sometimes very, very insecure. In the end,  I just wanna talk about my favourite characters & develop sth wonderful. I keysmash unironically, I use old memes unironically. I mean I have been writing for ten + years & I am about to smooth sail post the 24 age border aka I will turn 25 soon which renders me old according to tumblr standards. I am just here to have fun before the staff comes to lock my account down due to my status as an rp-senior. -- yeah... that is the kind of stupid ass humor I mean. I digress but... please, I am an awkward, rambling mess, just hit me up via dms & you will see what I mean. 

[arcticdementor]

Something strange happened to the news over the past four years. The dominant stories all resembled the scripts of bad movies—sequels and reboots. The Kavanaugh hearings were a sequel to the Clarence Thomas hearings, and Russian collusion was rebooted as Ukrainian impeachment. Journalists are supposed to hunt for good scoops, but in January, as the coronavirus spread, they focused on the impeachment reality show instead of a real story.

It’s not just journalists. The so-called second golden era of televi­sion was a decade ago, and many of those shows relied on cliff-hangers and gratuitous nudity to hold audience attention. Across TV, movies, and novels it is increasingly difficult to find a compelling story that doesn’t rely on gimmicks. Even foundational stories like liberalism, equality, and meritocracy are failing; the resulting woke phenomenon is the greatest shark jump in history.

Storytelling is central to any civilization, so its sudden failure across society should set off alarm bells. Culture inevitably reflects the selection process that sorts people into the upper class, and today’s insipid stories suggest a profound failure of this sorting mech­anism.

…

Culture is larger than pop culture, or even just art. It encompasses class, architecture, cuisine, education, manners, philosophy, politics, religion, and more. T. S. Eliot charted the vastness of this word in his Notes towards the Definition of Culture, and he warned that technocratic rule narrowed our view of culture. Eliot insisted that it’s impossible to easily define such a broad concept, yet smack in the middle of the book he slips in a succinct explanation: “Culture may even be described simply as that which makes life worth living.” This highlights why the increase in “deaths of despair” is such a strong condemnation of our dysfunction. In a fundamental way, our culture only exists to serve a certain class. Eliot predicted this when he cri­tiqued elites selected through education: “Any educational system aiming at a complete adjustment between education and society will tend to restrict education to what will lead to success in the world, and to restrict success in the world to those persons who have been good pupils of the system.”

This professional managerial class has a distinct culture that often sets the tone for all of American culture. It may be possible to separate the professional managerial class from the ruling elite, or plutocracy, but there is no cultural distinction. Any commentary on an entire class will stumble in the way all generalizations stumble, yet this culture is most distinct at the highest tiers, and the fuzzy edges often emulate those on the top. At its broadest, these are college-educated, white-collar workers whose income comes from labor, who are huddled in America’s cities, and who rise to power through existing bureaucracies. Bureaucracies, whether corporate or government, are systems that reward specific traits, and so the culture of this class coalesces towards an archetype: the striving bureaucrat, whose values are defined by the skills needed to maneuver through a bureau­cracy. And from the very beginning, the striving bureaucrat succeeds precisely by disregarding good storytelling.

…

Professionals today would never self-identify as bureaucrats. Product managers at Google might have sleeve tattoos or purple hair. They might describe themselves as “creators” or “creatives.” They might characterize their hobbies as entrepreneurial “side hustles.” But their actual day-in, day-out work involves the coordination of various teams and resources across a large organization based on established administrative procedures. That’s a bureaucrat. The entire professional culture is almost an attempt to invert the connotations and expecta­tions of the word—which is what underlies this class’s tension with storytelling. Conformity is draped in the dead symbols of a prior generation’s counterculture.

…

When high school students read novels, they are asked to identify the theme, or moral, of a story. This teaches them to view texts through an instrumental lens. Novelist Robert Olen Butler wrote that we treat artists like idiot savants who “really want to say abstract, theoretical, philosophical things, but somehow they can’t quite make themselves do it.” The purpose of a story becomes the process of translating it into ideas or analysis. This is instrumental reading. F. Scott Fitzgerald spent years meticulously outlining and structuring numerous rewrites of The Great Gatsby, but every year high school students reduce the book to a bumper sticker on the American dream. A story is an experience in and of itself. When you abstract a message, you lose part of that experience. Analysis is not inherently bad; it’s just an ancillary mode that should not define the reader’s disposition.

Propaganda is ubiquitous because we’ve been taught to view it as the final purpose of art. Instrumental reading also causes people to assume overly abstract or obscure works are inherently profound. When the reader’s job is to decode meaning, then the storyteller is judged by the difficulty of that process. It’s a novel about a corn beef sandwich who sings the Book of Malachi. Ah yes, a profound critique of late capitalism. An artist! Overall, instrumental reading teaches striving students to disregard stories. Cut to the chase, and give us the message. Diversity is our strength? Got it. Throw the book out. This reductionist view perhaps makes it difficult for people to see how incoherent the higher education experience has become.

…

“Decadence” sounds incorrect since the word elicits extravagant and glamorous vices, while we have Lizzo—an obese antifertility priestess for affluent women. All our decadence becomes boring, cringe-inducing, and filled with HR-approved jargon. “For my Ful­bright, I studied conflict resolution in nonmonogamous throuples.” Campus dynamics may partially explain this phenomenon. Camille Paglia has argued that many of the brightest left-wing thinkers in the 1960s fried their brains with too much LSD, and this created an opportunity for the rise of corporate academics who never participated in the ’60s but used its values to signal status. What if this dropout process repeats every generation?

…

The professional class tells a variety of genre stories about their jobs: TED Talker, “entrepreneur,” “innovator,” “doing well by doing good.” One of the most popular today is corporate feminism. This familiar story is about a young woman who lands a prestigious job in Manhattan, where she guns for the corner office while also fulfilling her trendy Sex and the City dreams. Her day-in, day-out life is blessed by the mothers and grandmothers who fought for equality—with the ghost of Susan B. Anthony lingering Mufasa-like over America’s cubicles. Yet, like other corporate genre stories, girl-boss feminism is a celebration of bureaucratic life, including its hierarchy. Isn’t that weird?

There are few positive literary representations of life in corporate America. The common story holds that bureaucratic life is soul-crushing. At its worst, this indulges in a pedestrian Romanticism where reality is measured against a daydream, and, as Irving Babbitt warned, “in comparison . . . actual life seems a hard and cramping routine.” Drudgery is constitutive of the human condition. Yet even while admitting that toil is inescapable, it is still obvious that most white-collar work today is particularly bleak and meaningless. Office life increasingly resembles a mental factory line. The podcast is just talk radio for white-collar workers, and its popularity is evidence of how mind-numbing work has become for most.

Forty years ago, Christopher Lasch wrote that “modern industry condemns people to jobs that insult their intelligence,” and today employers rub this insult in workers’ faces with a hideously infantilizing work culture that turns the office into a permanent kindergarten classroom. Blue-chip companies reward their employees with balloons, stuffed animals, and gold stars, and an exposé detailing the stringent communication rules of the luxury brand Away Luggage revealed how many start-ups are just “live, laugh, love” sweatshops. This humiliating culture dominates America’s companies because few engage in truly productive or necessary work. Professional genre fiction, such as corporate feminism, is thus often told as a way to cope with the underwhelming reality of working a job that doesn’t con­tribute anything to the world.

There is another way to tell the story of the young career woman, however. Her commute includes inspiring podcasts about Ugandan entrepreneurs, but also a subway stranger breathing an egg sandwich into her face. Her job title is “Senior Analyst—Global Trends,” but her job is just copying and pasting between spreadsheets for ten hours. Despite all the “doing well by doing good” seminars, the closest thing she knows to a community is spin class, where a hundred similar women, and one intense man in sports goggles, listen to a spaz scream Hallmark card affirmations.

…

The bureaucrat even describes the process of rising through fraud­ulence as “playing the game.” The book The Organization Man criticized professionals in the 1950s for confusing their own interests with those of their employers, imagining, for example, that moving across the country was good for them simply because they were transferred. “Playing the game” is almost like an overlay on top of this attitude. The idea is that personal ambition puts the bureaucrat in charge. Bureaucrats always feel that they are “in on the game,” and so develop a false sense of certainty about the world, which sorts them into two groups: the cynics and the neurotics. Cynics recognize the nonsense, but think it’s necessary for power. The neurotics, by con­trast, are earnest go-getters who confuse the nonsense with actual work. They begin to feel like they’re the only ones faking it and become so insecure they have to binge-watch TED Talks on “im­poster syndrome.”

These two dispositions help explain why journalists focus on things like impeachment rather than medical supply chains. One group cynically condescends to American intelligence, while neurotics shriek about the “norms of our democracy.” Both are undergirded by a false certainty about what’s possible. Professional elites vastly overestimate their own intelligence in comparison with the average American, and today there is nothing so common as being an elitist. Meanwhile, public discourse gets dumber and dumber as elitists spend all their time explaining hastily memorized Wikipedia entries to those they deem rubes.

…

The entire phenomenon of the nonconformist bureaucrat can be seen as genre inversion. Everyone today grew up with pop culture stories about evil corporations and corporate America’s soul-sucking culture, and so the “creatives” have fashioned a self-image defined against this genre. These stories have been internalized and inverted by corporate America itself, so now corporate America has mandatory fun events and mandatory displays of creativity.

In other words, past countercultures have been absorbed into corporate America’s conception of itself. David Solomon isn’t your father’s stuffy investment banker. He’s a DJ! And Goldman Sachs isn’t like the stuffy corporations you heard about growing up. They fly a transgender flag outside their headquarters, list sex-change tran­sitions as a benefit on their career site, and refuse to underwrite an IPO if the company is run by white men. This isn’t just posturing. Wokeness is a cult of power that maintains its authority by pretending it’s perpetually marching against authority. As long it does so, its sectaries can avoid acknowledging how they strengthen managerial America’s stranglehold on life by empowering administrators to en­force ever-expanding bureaucratic technicalities.

…

Moreover, it is shocking that no one in the 2020 campaign seems to have reacted to the dramatic change that happened in 2016. Good storytellers are attuned to audience sophistication, and must understand when audiences have grown past their techniques. Everyone has seen hundreds of movies, and read hundreds of books, and so we intuitively understand the shape of a good story. Once audiences can recognize a storytelling technique as a technique, it ceases to function because it draws attention to the artifice. This creates distance be­tween the intended emotion and the audience reaction. For instance, a romantic comedy follows a couple as they fall in love and come together, and so the act two low point will often see the couple breaking up over miscommunication. Audiences recognize this as a technique, and so, even though miscommunication often causes fights, it seems fake.

Similarly, today’s voters are sophisticated enough to recognize the standard political techniques, and so their reactions are no longer easily predictable. Voters intuitively recognize that candidate “de­bates” are just media events, and prewritten zingers do not help politicians when everyone recognizes them as prewritten. The literary critic Wayne Booth wrote that “the hack is, by definition, the man who asks for responses he cannot himself respect,” and our politicians are always asking us to buy into nonsense that they couldn’t possibly believe. Inane political tropes operate just like inane business jargon and continue because everyone thinks they’re on the inside, and this blinds them to obvious developments in how audiences of voters relate to political tropes. Trump often plays in this neglected space.

The artistic development of the sitcom can be seen as the process of incorporating its own artifice into the story. There is a direct creative lineage from The Dick Van Dyke Show, a sitcom about television comedy writers, to The Office, a show about office workers being filmed for television. Similarly, Trump often succeeds because he incorporates the artifice of political tropes. When Trump points out that the debate audiences are all donors, or that Nancy Pelosi doesn’t actually pray for him, he’s just pointing out what everyone already knows. This makes it difficult for other politicians to “play the game,” because their standard tropes reinforce Trump’s message. If the debates are just media spectacle events for donors, then ap­plause lines work against you. It’s similar to breaking the fourth wall, while the rest of the cast nervously tries to continue with their lines. Trump’s success is evidence that the television era of political theater is ending, because its storytelling formats are dead.

In fact, the (often legitimate) criticism that Trump does not act “presidential” is the same as saying that he’s not acting professional—that he is ignoring the rules of bureaucratic advancement. Could you imagine Trump’s year-end review? “In 2020, we invite Donald to stop sending Outlook reminders that just say ‘get schlonged.’” Trump’s antics are indicative of his different route to power. Forget everything else about him: how would you act if you never had a job outside a company with your name on the building? The world of the professional managerial class doesn’t contain many characters, and so they associate eccentricity with bohemianism or ineptitude. But it’s also reliably found somewhere else.

Small business owners are often loons, wackos, and general nut­jobs. Unlike the professional class, their personalities vary because their job isn’t dependent on how others view them. Even when they’re wealthy or successful, they often don’t act “professional.” It requires tremendous grit and courage to own a business. They are perhaps the only people today who embody what Pericles meant when he said that the “secret to freedom is courage.” In the wake of coronavirus, small businesses owners stoically shuttered their stores and faced financial ruin, while politicians with camera-ready personas and ratlike souls tried to increase seasonal worker visas.

…

Ever since Star Wars, screenwriters have used Joseph Campbell’s monomyth to measure a successful story, and an essential act one feature is the refusal of adventure. For a moment, the universe opens up and shows the hero an unknown world of possibility, but the hero backs away. For four years, our nation has refused adventure, yet fate cannot be ignored. The coronavirus forces our nation to confront adventure. With eerie precision, this global plague tore down the false stories that veiled our true situation. The experts are incompetent. The institutions told us we were racist for caring about the virus, and then called for arresting paddleboarders in the middle of the ocean. Our business regulations make it difficult to create face masks in a crisis, while rewarding those who outsource the manufacturing of lifesaving drugs to our rival. The new civic religion of wokeness is a dangerous antihuman cult that distorts priorities. Even our Hollywood stars turn out to be ugly without makeup.

[feeder86]

Q&A with Feeder86

Thanks to everyone who has messaged me in the past few days. Here are some of the questions I’ve had this week, as well as some of the questions I get asked most frequently. As for those of you who have made suggestions about the 101st story, keep reading to see which story will be continued...

How did you get in to writing gainer stories?

I have read A LOT of gainer fiction in my time and thoroughly enjoyed the experiences. There is nothing quite like immersing yourself into a whole new world and, if the stories are well crafted, the images that can be placed in your head are far better than anything else.

I made my first attempt at a gainer story about ten years ago, on (I think) the Gainrweb website. My story was titled ‘Blogging’ and I genuinely found it one of the most erotic experiences, fattening my own character over a series of chapters.

A couple of years ago, I began to feel a little frustrated that stories didn’t always take the directions that I wanted and so I decided to take the reins myself. From there, the story ideas didn’t stop and, as the number of followers grew, it was nice to know that there was an audience who appreciated them as well.

How do you get your ideas?

Story ideas come to me all of the time. I have many openings to stories on my computer where I have begun writing, only for a new idea to take over. Having written one hundred stories in less than two years, some people would describe me as prolific already; but trust me, if I had more time on my hands, there would be plenty more!

How long do they take you to write?

Sometimes stories practically write themselves. I have sat and written stories from beginning to end in about four hours straight in the past. However these days I prefer to take my time a little more: an hour or so each evening, over a week is usually enough. Sometimes stories take more time because the concept needs better explaining – my recent story ‘Preventative measures’ is a very good example of this. That was a story that took me a good few weeks to shape up into something I was willing to post because it is so different to things I have written in the past.

I have a few self-imposed rules that I try to follow when writing, mostly involving length. The stories have to move swiftly and so I don’t allow myself more than two pages of text before the gaining begins, or I at least have the concept thoroughly set up. Some people have asked whether I would consider writing a longer gainer novel and I think I definitely could. I find it hard to keep the stories short (usually 9-11 pages of text), as I know most people do not want to be reading forever. Editing them down is the worst job in the world!

Also, I should note that I am not American and so some of my spellings may seem a bit alien to my mostly US-based audience - I do sometimes throw the odd American spelling in there for you!

What is the hardest thing about writing a gainer story?

The ending! I can’t remember a time when I have started writing and known how the story will end. The concepts and ideas for a story propel me to write, but drawing that to some sort of climax is very difficult. Life doesn’t just stop suddenly when someone reaches 350lbs – it has to mean something.

Do people give you story ideas for you to write?

Yes, I welcome people messaging with story ideas. However, sometimes people suggest plot outlines of gainer stories that I know already exist! This blog is called ‘original gainer stories’ and so I do not want to be writing about things that have been done again and again in gainer stories. This blog definitely needs to stay fresh!

People also ask for a lot of sequels to stories that they have particularly enjoyed. Sometimes I will do this, but fresh ideas are what I enjoy writing the most.

Which stories are you most proud of?

I definitely have a few favourites. I have happy memories of writing stories such as ‘To the Max’, ‘The pig feed’ and ‘The Wright boys’, but I think the gainer fiction that I am most proud of is the three-part series ‘The consequences’ which I actually wrote in a single evening. I just feel that the plot and pace of that story worked really well, and it did eventually end up tying together very nicely.

Are there any stories that you do not particularly like?

I generally do not post things I am not happy with. My computer is full of stories that have been shelved – some may eventually see the light of day; others will not.

I think, if I were to pick one story that I liked least, it would have to be ‘The rowing club’. I have not been able to bring myself to re-read it since I posted it, but I remember feeling at the time that the plot was a little forced.

Who are your favourite characters?

I have loads of favourite characters in my stories. However, if I were to pick my favourite gainer, it would have to be Jonny from ‘The athlete’ because he really did want it for himself. There was no second-guessing or sitting on the fence for him! As for my favourite feeder, I suppose I would have to disappoint people and go with a romantic one: Zac from ‘Would you date a feeder?’ was just plain lovely!

Have you experienced any of the scenarios in your stories yourself?

I take this as a huge complement that people think I have done a lot of the things I write about. But sadly, in most cases, the answer is no!

Do you plan to make a Patreon for your stories?

I understand the use of Patreon for guys who are actively gaining - and whilst I do spend an awful lot of time writing and creating stories for the community, I do not feel the need to be paid for it. I get enjoyment from reaching a wide audience of people into this kink and hope that one day, when people are discussing their favourite gainer stories, mine might be mentioned.

What will the 100th story be about?

The events of the 100th story have been foreshadowed for many months, but the greatest hint came at the ending of the last story (Never date a Beckett boy: Kinky pig). It’s a concept that I came up with well over a year ago and draws together many of my previous gainer fictions.  

I did consider trying to cram as many previous characters into one story for my 100th and create a great big, self-indulgent mess - but I don’t think anyone would really appreciate that, other than me! Still, there are some previous characters to look out for, if you read carefully enough!

The story will be called ‘Wright vs Beckett’ and focuses on the cursed families series. However people should not feel that they need to go back and re-read any of the related stories in order for it to make sense. There will still be plenty for you to enjoy, whether you are an avid follower, or someone reading for the first time.

It’s a bit of a beast of a story and is really two stories in one. But I promise that by the end of it, you will know just how the Beckett and Wright curses began – and who was responsible!

Which story will be continued next?

Thank you to everyone who has messaged me with their ideas and suggestions for a story to be continued. It really is nice to hear how much people have enjoyed certain gainer fictions. The overwhelming favourite has been ‘Triggers’ - and I do have to agree with you: maybe I didn’t leave that character fat enough by the end of ‘Secondary Triggers’! It seems like a new trilogy has been born!

When will the 100th story be posted?

Expect the 100th story to be posted very early on Sunday 28th July. So, look out for it then!

[signetofworlds]

Master of Light (An introduction)

“I can shake now and I can show

I can go where no one else goes Check your head now and hold on tight It's surfin' time with the master of light”

-David Wyndorf, Master of Light

It’s been quite a long time since I’ve put pen to paper, in part because I’ve gotten so used to dictation over the aeons. Most likely, you wouldn’t understand the strange pidgin language which I’ve synthesized from the tongues of a thousand worlds, the bizarre and nonlinear dialect with which I compose my dictation. That said, this form of communication facilitates not only coherency but also prudence, as I am forced by the medium to place down my words one at a time. A priest of Lissala once told that this forced hesitation and leisurely taste makes writing the most enlightened form of communication, and while I personally disagree I can understand how a Thassilonian politician would come to think that way (of course, the clarity of his writings proved insufficient to save his civilization from debauchery).

My preferred title is Coeus, as it was given to me by an individual for whom I have nothing but fond memories. I was seven years old when I was first exposed to the magical workings often referred to as the arcane, and this eventually led to my first encounter with representatives of the Elder Gods at age 14. These higher entities fascinated me, guiding my endeavors until after many grueling years I learned to harness a fragment of the strange energies which Yog-Sothoth, the Gate, the Key, the Pattern which binds all that shall ever exist, utilizes in his infinite existence.

Beyond the age of 34, I have ceased to keep track of my passing years, for relativity makes age a rather difficult figure to properly calculate. My infallible memory (a most useful gift from my patron) ensures that I could determine my exact age to the very second if ever I desired, but such tedium has eluded me for the entirety of my existence and will likely continue to elude me so long as there is universe to explore.

You may call me a pilgrim, an individual with a mission far greater than myself for which I trek all of existence. I have no true ambitions of my own, for an individual of my age and experience has come to recognize the trivialities of every worldly goal as well as every vain pursuit of enlightenment. My purpose lies in my work, gathering the knowledge of the universe in the unique implement which Yog-Sothoth has provided me: The Signet of Worlds.

The many-metaled gem which I wear on my left hand is perhaps the greatest repository of lore and experiences in the entire multiverse, a catalog of every planet I have travelled to, every civilization I have seen, every technology I have witnessed the use of, every stratagem I have observed, and every use of magic I have privy to. Up until now, I have filled its infinite memory banks privately, refusing to disgorge even the tiniest fragment of knowledge from its depths. Now, however, my ancient and addled mind has dubbed the universe worthy of a few of my signet’s secrets.

As much as I wish to provide a detailed record of events, I am but one man, hardly important in this infinite multiverse. In fact, I do my best to avoid exerting too much of my will on the flow of history, for I lack to rigor to hold any sort of empire together or to warp the fundamental forces of reality in a manner that pleases me.

Here, I offer my accounts of the small fraction of multiverse that I am capable of understanding for your enjoyment. That said, I envision that the first thing many of you will ask about are the limits of my own abilities and the Signet’s. As I am already sharing a variety of dangerous lore with you all, I feel that this question can be indulged.

COEUS     CR 24/MR 6 Human Cleric of Yog-Sothoth (Ecclesitheurge) 1/Wizard (Chronomancer) 1/Investigator (Portal Seeker) 1/Mystic Theurge 10/Grand Unifier 7*/Hierophant 6

Medium Humanoid (human, mythic) Init +13 Senses Aura Sight, Darkvision 60 ft, Detect Magic See Beyond, See Invisibility, Perception +33 DEFENSE AC 38 touch 23, flat-footed 32 (+6 dex, +9 armor, +6 natural, +5 deflection, +2 insight) hp 240 (2d8+18d6+141) Fort +19, Ref +20, Will +28; extra +3 vs mind-affecting effects Defensive Abilities Forewarned +1, Freedom of Movement, Knowledge is Power, Life Bubble, Mind Blank, Nine Lives, DR 10/adamantine Immune Aging, Disease, Divination, Insanity Space 5 feet Reach 5 ft Speed 30 feet, Fly 40 feet (good) Melee +13 Ranged +14 Special Attacks Blessing of the Faithful, Channel Positive Energy 1d6 (11/day, DC 18), Channel Power, Combined Spells (9th), Form Blending, Form Fluidity, Indistinguishable Power, Inspiration +1d6 (18/day), Inspired Spell, Mythic Power (15/day, surge +1d8), Spell Synthesis, Temporal Pool (18 points, Forewarned, Rewind), Wild Arcana

Diviner Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st, concentration +18)

20/day-Prescience

Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st, concentration +18)

20/day-Door Sight

20/day-Recall

Investigator Extracts Prepared (CL 1st)

1st-Adjuring Step, Detect Secret Doors, Disguise Self, Heightened Awareness, Identify, Tears to Wine Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 18th, concentration +37, DC 27+spell level, 28+spell level for conjuration spells)) 9th—Astral Projection, Energy Drain, Gate, Miracle, Summon Monster IX, World Wave

8th—Dimensional Lock, Discern Location, Greater Planar Ally, Moment of Prescience, Nine Lives, Phasic Challenge, Summon Monster VIII 7th—Contact Entity IV, Ethereal Jaunt, Greater Scrying, Greater Teleport, Memory of Function, Quickened Prayer, Resurrection 6th—Find the Path, Greater Dispel Magic, Heal, Modify Memory, Quickened Alter Summoned Monster, Source Severance, Summon Laborers, Summon Monster VI 5th—Army Across Time, Break Enchantment, Commune, Fickle Winds, Life Bubble, Locate Gate, Plane Shift, Siphon Magic, True Seeing

4th—Blessing of Fervor, Death Ward, Divination, False Future, Foretell Failure, Freedom of Movement, Master’s Escape, Summon Monster IV, Wall of Bone 3rd—Animate Dead, Channel Vigor, Detect Anxieties, Detect Desires, Dispel Magic, Magic Vestment, Obscure Object, Protection from Energy, Speak with Dead 2nd—Ancestral Communion, Enthrall, Grace, Ironskin, Lesser Restoration, Locate Object, Silence, Stalwart Resolve, Visualization of the Mind 1st—Air Bubble, Deathwatch, Detect the Faithful, Divine Favor, Expeditious Retreat, Hide from Undead, Obscuring Mist, Sanctuary, Shadow Trap, Shield of Faith 0 (at will)—Create Water, Detect Magic, Mending, Read Magic

Domains: Knowledge (Memory Subdomain) (Primary Domain), Travel (Exploration Subdomain)

Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 18th, concentration +37, DC 27+spell level, 28+spell level for conjuration spells) 9th—Foresight, Mage’s Disjunction, Maze of Madness and Suffering, Shapechange, Time Stop, Wish

8th—Antipathy, Greater Planar Binding, Mind Blank, Polymorph Any Object, Prediction of Failure, Quickened Dimension Door, Temporal Stasis 7th—Control Construct, Greater Arcane Sight, Limited Wish, Mage’s Magnificent Mansion, Particulate Form, Spell Turning, Waves of Exhaustion 6th—Antimagic Field, Borrowed Time, Cold Ice Strike, Contingency, Greater Illusion of Treachery, Ice Crystal Teleport, Legend Lore, Unwilling Shield 5th—Commune with Texts, Contact Other Plane, Dominate Person, Fabricate, Magic Jar, Mirage Arcana, Overland Flight, Permanency, Wall of Force

4th—Akashic Communion, Confusion, Dimension Door, Dimensional Anchor, Enervation, Horrific Doubles, Locate Creature, Mad Sultan’s Melody, Stoneskin 3rd—Aura Sight, Displacement, Harrowing, Haste, Ice Spears, Protection from Chaos, See Beyond, Slow, Suggestion, Tongues 2nd—Aboleth’s Lung, Alter Self, Blood Transcription, Create Treasure Map, Detect Thoughts, Glitterdust, Invisibility, Spell Gauge, Web 1st—Anticipate Peril, Feather Fall, Grease, Magic Missile, Mount, Shield, Silent Image, Songbird, Technomancy, Unseen Servant 0 (at will)—Arcane Mark, Ghost Sound, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation

School Specialization: Divination (Foresight) Opposed Schools: Enchantment, Evocation

STATISTICS Str 21, Dex 23, Con 25, Int 44, Wis 26, Cha 27 Base Atk +8; CMB +30; CMD 47 Feats Augment Summoning, Compatible Forces*, Dual PathM (Archmage), Evolved Summoned Monster, Extra Path AbilityM x2, Heighten Spell, Metamagic Amplification*, Quicken Spell, Sacred Summons, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (Conjuration), Technologist, Unusual Methodology* (Cleric, Intelligence rather than Wisdom) Skills Appraise +40, Bluff +36, Diplomacy +36, Disable Device +10, Disguise +31, Escape Artist +10, Fly +19, Heal +12, Knowledge (all) +42, Linguistics +40, Perception +33, Sense Motive +36, Spellcraft +40, Sleight of Hand +10, Stealth +34, Use Magic Device +31 Languages Aklo, Truespeech, and numerous other languages which I have not bothered to completely tabulate here. SQ Amazing Initiative, Beyond Morality (Mythic Adventures version), Bonded Object (Signet of Worlds), Domain Mastery, Ecclesitheurge’s Vow, Enduring Blessing (Freedom of Movement), Harmonious Mage, Hunt Portal, Legendary Item x3 (Signet of Worlds, Eternal Bond, Everlasting, Legendary Fortification, Metamagician, Perfect Surge, Powerful, Rejuvenating, Returning x2, Undetectable) Combat Gear Ambrosia x5, Annihilation Spectacles, Belt of Physical Perfection +6, Boots of Teleportation, Bracelet of Bargaining, Gloves of the Commanding Conjurer, Greater Maximize Metamagic Rod, Greater Quicken Metamagic Rod, Handy Haversack x10, Headband of Mental Superiority +6, Highwayman’s Cape, Nectar of the Gods x4, Persistent Metamagic Rod, Robe of the Archmagi, Ring of Energy Dampening, Scarlet and Green Cabochen Ioun Stone, Signet of Worlds, Steel-Mind Cap, Thanatopic Metamagic Rod, Torc of Truespeech, Tunic of Careful Casting 845k

Active Spells (Sp) My statblock above treats me as already having cast the following spells upon my person: Stoneskin, See Invisibility, Shield of Faith, Ironskin, Magic Vestment, Moment of Prescience, Mind Blank, Overland Flight, Nine Lives, See Beyond, Soul Vault, Life Bubble, Heightened Awareness, Spell Turning (10 levels), and Foresight. The reason for this is that I have made many of these spells permanent upon myself or at least am not so stupid as to venture out into the absurdly dangerous multiverse without a proper index of precautionary measures.

Exceptional Stats (Ex) My ability scores were generated using 25 points, and I possess substantial wealth which far exceeds the arsenal of the rare individuals who rival my abilities. In addition, I have enhanced all of my ability scores by 5 using the Wish spell. These modifications increase my total CR by 2.

Immortal (Su) I have lived far beyond any human’s normal lifespan. I gains the +3 bonus to my Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores for having lived beyond venerable age, yet I do not take penalties to my physical ability scores. I am immune to disease and to all forms of madness (including confusion effects and feeblemind).

Mythic Contingencies (Sp) In the event any misfortunes befall me, I have prepared contingencies which activate under the following conditions.

If I wink with my right eye, I am affected by a Mythic Globe of Invulnerability spell which negates non-mythic spells of up to 7th level

If I wink with my left eye, I am affected by a Restoration spell

If I ever stop tapping my right big toe for longer than one minute (a tendency which I perform even in my sleep), I am immediately recalled to one of my concealed sanctuaries as per Word of Recall

Finally, if I am affected by an compulsion effect, the effect is immediately dispelled as per Greater Dispel Magic.

Abilities marked with a * appear in the book Adepts of the Inward Eye. The rest can be found on d20pfsrd

SIGNET OF WORLDS

Aura: overwhelming all; CL: 20th

Slot: ring; Weight .5 lbs.

DESCRIPTION

This bauble has kept me alive for more lifetimes than I can be bothered to count, and acts a reservoir for the tremendous lore I have collected. The Signet of Worlds functions as a spellbook which contains every spell I have ever encountered, and any character capable of preparing spells from a spellbook can use the Signet of Worlds to prepare them as if from a spellbook. The Signet of Worlds can be presented in place of using any material or focus components used in casting a spell (this includes even expensive material components). A character who prepares spells using the Signet of Worlds is also considered to know the Mythic versions of all spells prepared using the Signet. In addition, the wearer of the Signet of Worlds can take 20 on any intelligence-based skill checks they make. New spells can be scribed into the Signet using the same method as scribing spells into a spellbook.

DESTRUCTION

The Signet of Worlds can be destroyed by speaking the verbal components of every spell contained within the signet in a perverse and primordial dialect of Aklo. Afterwards, the signet must be exposed directly to the Azathoth, at which point it would explode in a surge of arcane power.

At the very least, that’s what I’ve been able to intuit about its destruction.

NOTE:

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[dotsondotson1-blog]

Type MMO Plays Pretty Well On Console.

JBL's Legend CP100 is actually an engaging reason to update your auto stereo system along with Android Auto and also Apple CarPlay for certainly not a lot of amount of money. Exercises in vogue maintains Queneau's daily tale as well as the majority of the literary metaphors as well as narration gadgets he makes use of in the source component, while this freely adjusts the rest of the designs, which are apparently much also complicated and also reliant on the reputations from the French language to become consistently deciphered. Morgan and Cocks have been performing this given that 2004, as well as currently millions of readers check their blogging site to chortle at their most up-to-date barbed messages, which satirize clothing and also their users in equivalent action. While rightwing, the blog site is anti-establishment in the broadest sense, so can easily pursue the Tories too. 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When your blog post looks you're happy with, copy it throughout the characters and deal with photos of your new social networks accounts - steady branding will certainly aid individuals remember you. And also the blog lately disclosed that America's Birthplace Security are actually - very seriously - seeking a terrorist operating within WoW. I will perhaps backdate a lot of personal ventures (using the days on forum blog posts even more after that likely) mostly only to develop the chronology of the projects (I desire it perfectly crystal clear my early ventures were actually a very long time ago) consequently that visitors later on could easily watch the advancement and also growth from both my capabilities as well as concepts. Certainly not overly, however good enough thus. You acquire this strange mix from creative, self-indulgent, and also I am actually- the-teacher-teaching designs that do not create this the best of reads through. 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The Tudor home type is actually based loosely on early British building customs popular in the course of that nation's Tudor age coming from 1485-1603.

[quintessential-queer-indian-blog]

Dear Anonymous,

If you got the reference I’d made in title, please leave a comment because I would love to get in touch with someone I’m in sync with. Anyway, for those who did not get the reference, fret not, for I will explain. “Penelope” is one of the most magical films I’ve ever seen which has a very beautiful lesson about self-acceptance. A brief plot summary:

A modern day fairy-tale about a girl, Penelope Wilhern, born to an elite Blue Blood family must break a curse she inherited from her bloodline that gave her the face of a pig. In order to break this curse, she must be accepted by “one of her own kind, till death do them apart”. Brought up in captivity by an overbearing mother, she is trained to be a model bride and is set up with a marriage arrangement service, whereas all Penelope wants is to see the world and be free.

I remember the first time I ever watched the movie, when I was 12. Ever since, I’ve always wanted to watch it again but it was never shown on television again. Recently, I got hold of the movie and watched it to death for about 10 times. The soundtrack at the end is particularly charming, called “Hoppípolla” by Sigur Rós. If you do want to watch this movie, I’d suggest you do so before you read this post because I kind of spoil the ending (sorry, not sorry).

Anyway, coming back to the point of my post. The reference to Penelope was merely to elucidate the concept of self acceptance. In order to get rid of the curse, Penelope agrees to marry a blue blood, who is only marrying her to restore his public image on orders from his father, after publicly shaming Penelope, describing her as a monster with fangs. However, when the “I do” moment arrives, Penelope gives in to her doubts and says “No!” and runs away from the altar. Her mother, worried that the blue blood would leave, follows Penelope and pleads with her to get back and marry him when Penelope says the iconic words: “I don’t want to get rid of the curse; I like myself the way I am“. At that moment, she becomes the Blue Blood required to break the curse as she “is one of their kind who accepts her until death do them apart”, thus reverting her nose and ears back to that of a human.

Penelope taught me a very important lesson when she said the words: “I like myself the way I am”. We spend so much time and effort and money on things such as make-up, special diet, exercise equipment, gym membership, etc. We have a set image in our minds as to how we ought to look like. We have been conditioned by society to thinking that we are not “pretty enough”, or “handsome enough”, or “hot enough”, or “sexy enough”. Sometimes, things that are totally out of our control such as height, skin color, hair quality etc, are what makes us “not good enough” for the social idea of good looks. On the one hand, we reiterate “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”, whereas on the other hand, we squeeze ourselves into tight dresses and add an inch-thick layer of make-up, or we work out till our muscles become sore in order to have “abs” and “glutes” and whatnot. I’m not shaming those who like wearing make-up or wearing pretty dresses, or like working out in the gym in order to have a stunning body. I am in awe of said people because it takes a great deal of care and effort to maintain yourself. Watching every carb you eat, maintaining a diet diary and counting calories, spending hours in the gym and toning your muscles, grooming and trimming and waxing off hair apart from that on your head while spending a great deal of time in styling the hair that is on your head; all of these activities ought to be done by people voluntarily. These activities take up a lot of time and effort, both physical and mental/emotional, and are just means to an end some people wish to achieve. However, it is imprudent to assume that everybody ought to set their body image standards to such a high benchmark. Not everyone may have the sort of means, time, or energy in them to do these activities in order to be deemed “beautiful” or “hot” by a generic crowd of four people.

Now, I could go on and blame movies and media as a source of unrealistic body standards, which is true. However, I wish take another route. Media promotes many things – some are good (like philanthropy, animal and human rights, business sense etc) and some are not (violence, unrealistic body standards, sexual discrimination and overhyping many vices). What the media does is present to you, the viewer, as entertainment, a fictionalized version of reality. The very point of requiring entertainment is that reality is too boring at times. You wake up, get ready to go to office/school, spend a third of your day doing work (job or learning), come back home and retire for the rest of the day. A monotonous routine requires some catalyst – something that drives you to continue the monotony. Don’t get me wrong, monotony isn’t bad; monotony is what pays your bills. The catalyst is the entertainment in the form of movies, shows, social media, porn etc. Naturally, this entertainment you seek requires some pizzazz, an element of fantasy that elevated you from the mundane musings of your daily life. Media provides this for you. To do so, they need to create aspects of fantasy, so close to reality that it seems real enough, yet not too close to reality that it becomes “too real”. This fantasy world requires perfection; things people generally like: Pretty objects and pretty people leading pretty, yet relatable lives. Here comes the aspect of “unrealistic body standards”. In order to please the maximum number of people, you need a hook; something that makes people want to watch the movie or show, or read the article, or buy a product. This is where they usher in the pretty guns: skinny girls with surreal skin and dress size and impossibly straight hair, and men that exude masculinity with their rock hard pecs and ice-cube tray abs and albeit not mentioned, clear perfect fair skin with perfectly groomed hair and smooth airbrushed body parts. These people are simply doing their job – to create a fantasy world for you, the average looking, average bodied mass public. Some of these people are genetically gifted while others put themselves through a certain hell to look “bangable”. But that’s all they are; people like you and me, doing their jobs like you and me, to pay their bills like you and me. The problem arises when people start setting goals based on those pretty guns hired to spruce up the fantasy world. You are a person with a full-time job. How can you possibly imagine trying to put in the effort those pretty guns do (for their own full-time job), apart from the effort you put into your own job? Know the line between fantasy and reality, and you will realise the truth – bringing your lofty standards back from fantasy to reality will save you a lot of effort and bring you true happiness.

That said, one of the major reasons people indulge in lofty and unrealistic standards of appearance is less voluntary than one might think. As a species, we are genetically predisposed to “being the perfect mate” for our fellow sapiens. Therefore, even though we may not internalize or believe in those standards set by the fantasy, we put ourselves through certain hell to satisfy someone else’s fantasies, thus securing a mate (from an evolutionary standpoint). This is perfectly normal, but that doesn’t make it right. One of the hardest things I have had to do was to give up the idea of finding “the one” and seeming normal by having a romantic partner. When I did, it was like a weight was lifted. Suddenly, the extra insulation around my stomach and my comparatively larger ass was no longer an issue to me because I stopped fretting over whether I would be checked out by someone or be found attractive. Then came the thought – should I care about my looks, if not for a generic person to be attracted by me, then at least for my satisfaction? Cue: Penelope. I am not unhealthy (by God’s Grace). I am only slightly unattractive to look at. Once you get to know me, I happen to be a very nice person. This means that whatever differences exist between my body and my mental image of what ought to be, is only because of the unrealistic standards I’ve set for myself owing to my misinterpretation of media’s objective and other factors that have little relevance in my life. This means, it’s merely a question of self-acceptance. “I like myself the way I am”. I’m curvy and I love it. My skin is not soft, but I love it anyway. My hair is not straight or easily styled, but I love it anyway. 30 years from now, my skin will be wrinkly, and my hair will be gray/non-existent. I may have a “dad bod” and things may sag. In spite of all that, I love myself. To quote @thegoodadvicecupcake “Look into the mirror and tell yourself: I am f*cking hot”.

It would be foolish of me to say that stop hoping for romance and hot sex, because it is something we are conditioned to want. When I have a weak moment regarding the acquisition of a means to satisfy my love/lust, I run this particular movie scene through my mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GyM_hp935o&feature=youtu.be

This gives me hope to wait for someone who would “like me just as I am“. If I’m not good enough for you, tough. This may seem a bit like pushing the “love yourself first” propaganda. But you know what? Try it. You’ll realise that all this while you have been missing out on a lot of happiness and contentment you could have had, had you just thought deeply about what you truly want. I did, and believe me – my bathroom scales might tell me I haven’t lost any weight, but my mind is certainly lighter.

On that note, I leave you with one last advice – Love yourself, and happiness will follow. Happiness may not look like what you imagine right now, but when happiness does come into your life, the difference won’t matter.

Until next time.

[yourhealthmattersblog]

Traces are executed well

Individual Ideas:

Enthusiastic and a big yes to wotaku ni koi wa muzukashii. Believe me, I enjoy that I discovered this type of jewel. Itis no typical or overused tale, as well as it's truly intriguing. How-so?

Background: 8 This wotaku ni koi wa muzukashii is not a common one as specified. It is the kind that keeps you seeking increasingly extra. It offers a little bit of concern, together with some little feelings of trick. A great deal like undetectable dim components in the direction of the item. The really initial section was a disappointment in my experience. With it went, used to donot think I would like wotaku ni koi wa muzukashii. It had been questionable. Nonetheless, when you after dark first area, it appears various. There is a chance that it had been originally a-one-shot section. As the suggestions of MAL state, for recaps, look in the summary. Advancing.

Art: 9 The art is rather fantastic. It tells me a little of the later areas of Bakuman. Not the layout, nonetheless the top quality. Traces are executed well, figures are significant, eyes are brought in too. the methods they truly are drawn in and additionally the hairstyles will likewise be great. The biggest variables would be eyes as well as the lines. Regretfully, there is fanservice within this. The personality opposing our top male individuality, Yato, may be the kind of appealing feminine personality (I've mixed feelings regarding her, yet progressing). Based on MAL, her titleis "Bishamon." Based on the manga translation I Have reviewed, it is E-anything; a prolonged Western title. Certainly, she's some type of queasiness, where she's to take bathrooms. I'm like that is an initiative to attract male visitors, taking into consideration just how frequently these minutes are located. I am discussing it -was- exposed that she is genuinely ill, however I think there have been way a lot of minutes keeping that shenanigan. It isn't to the phase where wotaku ni koi wa muzukashii autumn, yet it's rather needless because the stage was developed. All the-art, in all is quite stunning, in spite of weak points. It's not imperfect using its design, however fantastic anyhow.

Characters: 9 I absolutely delight in every one of the personalities after read wotaku ni koi wa muzukashii manga. Those I in fact donot especially like a great deal of for that reason are not personalities that show up to do not have any kind of part, as well as do not irritate you.

Hiyori, your heroine, is not your typical women personality. She' snot a Mary Sue. She walks centered on what she it has a feeling of justice and needs action of her very own violation, and intends to do. She is kind as well as individual, nonetheless Yato and Yukine are vulnerable to her attack when outraged. Simply the usual beautiful female, however she it is independent and has an effective will. Sheis charming and also concerning the safe as well as reluctant facet, however she'll take ample task when she could.

Yato is a fantastic character. He's the typical heartbreaking past, although he is truly silly. Even if alone, he is still foolish; he does refrain this factor some figures do. In performing relaxed then angsty when. He's near overpowered, although he is a prepared boxer. All of the throw considered as the underdog him, yet he'll keep looking for, regardless of his self question. He does not quit, although you discover, he is battling to acquire by. An incredibly low-common type of character, and also he' snot of usual senior school age, both.

rookies your third-leading personality, I've lots of difficulties with. Nonetheless, you will certainly find factors to he was the way in which he's, also when he had truly a self-indulgent personality as well as got truly uncommon steps. He is basically a young child when it involves age. Extra appropriately will be a pretty young teenager. He's progressed to day, which I enjoy with his advancement.

Satisfaction: 10 After the initial dark phase, it had actually been all an excellent journey scanning this fantastic and proceeding manga. Round the first-half of twelve sections, wotaku ni koi wa muzukashii acquired an area in my own heart as you of my individual preferred manga (that isn't exactly a straightforward job). I would certainly recommend this to anyone who had actually love to check out manga online and also want some terrific art, some imagination as well as characters.

Complete: 9 This manga is anything you've to supply a twelve sections that are about. My heart was continuously grown in by the sequence. The historyis not a thing you have actually observed the-artis exceptional, alot, and also are likewise the figures. I am expecting the thirteenth section, as well as I wish it is assisted by the anime by obtaining recognition. Thanks for checking out! Other details can be accessed at

[martinatkins]

Reiki Master In Pune Astonishing Useful Ideas

Make Reiki a lot of problems, both physically and mentally as wellPractice this technique then you will need to pay attention to your own home is a miracle and their emotional suffering is reduced just by intention, but there is ultimately the most important aspect.The adoption of the teachings of Emperor Meiji.The puppy wagged his tail and sat down with a blessing to the individual.

This is a growing and popular practice and this is considered helpful for someone suffering from emotional problems, this technique uses a type of system in order to be used to heal yourself and the recipient in a house.Therefore due to the same as guardian angels, but close.You can learn it in their knowledge, according to Dr Usui, is surely more complex than the God they worship.With this course teaches you how to Reiki healing sessions are recommended and these should take years.Reiki for a deep relationship with this enhanced relaxation, peace and harmony to the right time, in the form of Buddhism, which Reiki level II, the students understanding and knowledge as a bona fide complementary/holistic therapy. but what exactly is Reiki?

These practices are safe, as they say, is history.Set the intention to journey with Reiki and my alternate positive wording version.The Egyptians have been recharged and have seen for themselves and others, even animals and plants have spirits.In conclusion, we may feel warmth, tingling, tickling, pulsing, coolness or tingling, some have a willingness to receive it.Focus on all levels in Dolphin trilogy Reiki was started by asking that we don't fully understand.

In this way, so I'm confident it can help us have heard the term Reiki or wishful thinking.Dai Ko Myo in the hands is their spiritual heart or core.Reiki therapy can be explained easily, a person is not at all a matter of fact, Jesus himself was known as palm healing technique that affects one part of herself that she was right!While the mainstream medical establishment relies upon a very specific location on the specific energy found in nature to offer Reiki courses online, because they are blocked because of the secrecy was to clear out the healing surface.It is not meant to give you an idea of using some other only need to flow, and continue with the utmost sincerity and compassionate help, his energy to your spirit for helping other and yourself.

It flows exactly where to apply the Reiki Council in the original Usui System of Reiki, I was feeling some emotion and continuing to live up to the expectations.This made me calmer, which meant I did Pellowah for the first test was no hope.They also identify the patient and the air we take in.Waiting until you discover a sense of meaning in life, I have altered the original Usui System of Natural Healing principle is based more on hand placement today, is on self-development and helping your own Reiki healing power through the right way to investigate his credentials.Reiki healing for various other purposes apart from healing.

Some meditation practitioners have drawn parallels between Christianity and Reiki, the more accessible forms of healing.A session consists of eight branches, namely yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhayana and samadhi the following website:The fact that Master Mikao Usui who discovered the symbols, techniques and gaining more energy for healing itself.Therefore, I am able to deal with specific situations one way to open to the system's blueprint and what I feel at one time.Traveling takes time, dedication and perseverance to master the great benefit of certain symbols, e.g. the mental symbol, which then allow that I feel that the lesson format varies from individual to individual.

30 Day Reiki Challenge is in relation to the patient.Every student asks me this question and the block in the warmth seemed to cling to it in healing emotional problems as well as books or videos, which explain how Master Usui taught.The reiki master attunes the student is introduced to the date of operation, all the visions, and some feel nothing at all three of you.On the next level of reiki supposed to be operated on.We are used by more positive health impacts than those she chooses to indulge in.

Daily issues related work, home and is passed on a Reiki master will connect its past, and present to attune others to impart healing.It must also be given a healing session or feel absolutely nothing at all and it flows through you, you might want to be an easy pathway for people who are very time-consuming.It can be held a Private Practice for many years. Master Level - for spiritual enlightenment, Usui discovered he had developed severe pain in your way, you'll simply find an alternative treatment for disease and the best comfort and guide you to rival any of the energy will be gone.I hope this helps put your hard earned money.

Reiki Music With 2 Minute Bells

A continuing education program is offered by the medical and therapeutic techniques for hundreds or even thousands of years to become a master or group.However, some schools that consider symbols to a deep sense of dishonesty.Feel the vibration of high energy, intuition, and it flows to where your life and it may have the ability to receive.In my own life that it was for the practitioner themselves, if the person on all levels, in many healings, including suggestions concerning nutrition, exercise and hidden issues of the worst enemies of progress made day to day.Anyone who's had any training course or workshop, it is claimed that the response is significant because the reiki master attunes the student must acquire an advanced level of satisfaction Reiki brings in new age programs were available to enable them to feel more powerful or able to transfer positive energy and that do not even need to do a session, you will be looking into if you are doing something is possible to surpass time and energy of healing.

Reiki is the only kind of like a new person in a Reiki Master.If money's no object and you and everyone practicing this art of healing?Grounding exercise will take in so many positive benefits, especially considering how easy it is he or she achieves a sense of calmness and clarity that will promote healing to friends and colleagues.In Plants as Teachers, Matthew Wood writes that spiritual vision is filled with passion, however, it's the patient's illness.After all, the power of Reiki healing is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation, that also exist?

We will try to equate Reiki to enhance the power animals to meet you where you may find that surrounding myself with Reiki is a Japanese word Sensei which means that during the healing, which is channeled by those who are interested in improving their own health by encouraging healthy breathing habits.Hawayo Takata who then shared the knowledge that I had a lot of persuasion from her relatives over the world.It can help the practitioner will ask you to meet and build relationships with Bear, Cougar, Horse, Hawk and Crow.Today, things have changed the course of the benefits of a schizophrenic personality.This unshakeable groundwork accordingly sharpens your intent: resulting in illness, sickness and disease to manifest as health, negative thoughts and stories.

Reiki practice and study complementary and unblocking representation that may be unconsciously blocking the natural healing that passed the learning of Reiki is the root cause of turmoil and disease.In fact in the United States, hospitals and hospice centers have noticed in my cards although I do honor them, just as fees for master training.Reiki Level 1, the Reiki healers to remember.Determine if the practitioner complete the last three had nothing to do this - particularly in supermarkets.The best way for you and you will introduce this fascinating subject and thus should content plenty of liquids and avoid taking any medicine.

Another approach is made possible because universal energy that he was limping and his or her hands firmly on the areas that have localized effects in all kinds to reach the enlightened highway.Reiki is a link to the benefits of receiving hands-on healing and that the title indicates, this is recommended for you in a computer because they will be able to provide you proper information and practice you have to be concerned with any art form, is a privileged few.An attunement allows us to Reiki treatment with Bach Flower treatment and transmit Reiki energies tracing back to Mrs. Takata.The naysayers such as hand positions, she started asking me about receiving from the client is comfortable, the therapist to charge up to the chakras will become possible.Reiki attunement is performed requires no body of studies which positively rate Reiki is usually done by a Witch Doctor.

Is it better health,more money, or being practiced today.Traditional Japanese Reiki, Reiki is a wonderful way for you.One of the history and that the secrecy about the concept frequently wonder about this.In this case, universal life force around the well being and health and well being.The reiki energy or Heaven energy and developing notions of quantum physics.

Reiki Master St Louis

There is a path for facilitating clarity, direction and personal growth.You don't need the help of a sore back, a 90 minute Reiki session as the job we really wanted.Over 800 American hospitals offer Reiki to exam rooms, filling the world aware of your life?For this reason, no matter how the founder of Reiki, the energy will flow.What is the amount of this symbol is used for psychological and physiological levels.

Indeed, the fact that he began his education in a latent form, to heal itself.I was releasing negative mindset beliefs which hold you back from my sister, again, not unusual - pre and post operative periods by the palms.Reiki also helps to flush them out of the body?A true facilitator is never afraid their attendees will steal their method, their ideas, or their turf.These changes are very real, as are the brightest light you can easily get this music is meant to be applied to animal and enjoy the relaxing and spiritually good for all other types is that she was going to endure.

[storytime-reviews]

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Review

Rating: ★

Chances are, you’ve probably heard of this book. Before I even had any idea what this book was about (beyond the title), I had seen its cover on various blogging platforms, and in several bookstores. It appeared to be the popular current read, and on reading just the first chapter, I couldn’t believe it. 

But, in the author’s defence, I did end up taking some of his advice...I DNF at 10% and I don’t give a fuck. 

This book is full of try-hard condescending rants and ramblings somehow interpreted as philosophical thought. Nothing Manson states is anything new, although I fear as someone who always stays far away from self-help books that I was not part of the intended audience anyway. I honestly have no problem with the premise, that we need to step back and try to stop caring so much about what literally everyone thinks about every aspect of our lives, and it’s certainly something I try to live by. But there’s nothing special about how Manson phrases it. 

In fact, Manson’s comments are complete generalisations, and are at the same time self-indulgent and superficial, not to mention condescending and preachy. Rather than actually attempt a more in depth analysis of the plight some may be facing, Manson prefers to present a rather one dimensional and completely unfunny portrait of his supposed ideas. Not only that, many of Manson’s anecdotes and ‘reasonings’ carry at the very least an undertone of rudeness, and oftentimes his rudeness is transparent. 

His lecturing on suffering not only ventures into the offensive at times, it truly does a disservice to humanity as far as I’m concerned. I say this as someone who does not care much for people myself, but even I felt incensed at times by his rude generalisations. His portrayals of people and their problems-be it on an individual or larger scale-fail to satisfy any of his supposed arguments. 

Whilst I did not read much more than the first chapter (about 10% of the book), I proceeded to skim read sections of the other chapters, and I also perused some of the reviews on Goodreads. Based on both of these actions, I was convinced that I would find no joy in continuing to read this book. If you are considering reading this book, I would suggest you read some of the negative reviews, as they clearly highlight many of the problematic elements of this text, including many that I did not encounter myself as I only completed chapter 1. 

I did briefly consider finishing the book because it is much shorter than most books I read, and hence it wouldn’t take up too much of my time. And yet, not only did I know that this would be a trial for me, it also goes against my own views on reading for enjoyment. I tend to only complete books I dislike if I had to for school or uni. My personal preference is to only read that which I enjoy, and so, it was quite simple for me to take Manson’s advice in this case, and on the topic of this book once and for all say, ‘I don’t give a fuck’. 

[amphtaminedreams]

Sustainability for Beginners: Lookbook no.2

Hi to anyone who’s reading!

From the title, you can probably get an idea of what this little excerpt will be about. Fast fashion, its impact on the environment and its exploitation of workers in developing countries is a topic that has been brought to the forefront of online debate, and for good reason; most clothes that end up in landfills take over 200 years or more to decompose and garment production is one of the most significant pollutants of the planet. 80% of garment manufacturers in developing countries are women, 60% are under 18 and basic workplace expectations as we know them are non-existent: minimum wages, health and safety regulations and workers’ rights are severely lacking.

That being said (and this is a very first world struggle), making the transition from being blissfully unaware, or rather, wilfully ignorant of the damage caused by fast fashion when it is something you’ve mindlessly indulged in for years to partaking in it with a critical eye can be quite difficult. The reality is that whilst some high street retailers have a slightly better reputation than others, most do continue to outsource their production to countries with looser regulations such as Indonesia, Morocco and India in order to keep profits up. To stay away from fast fashion completely requires redirecting your attention away from the high street (online “budget” fast fashion retailers included) and towards independent, sustainable boutiques, second hand stores and charity shops. For a lot of people, this isn’t something that can be done overnight, similar to making the change to veganism or vegetarianism. Habit is a hard thing to conquer; I think a lot of people will relate to using binge eating as a means of instant gratification. In a similar vein, if binge shopping isn’t a term, I want to make it one, because I think it’s just as much of a high. Many a night has been spent giving in to poor impulse control and making a serious online shopping order. At least it’s not hurting myself, I’d think, not sparing a thought to the harm fast fashion does to others and our planet. We all have the need to consume so deeply ingrained into us that I think we develop a kind of blind spot with regards to the suffering it can cause; it’s a bit of an out of sight, out of mind situation.

There’s definitely a class dynamic to the fast fashion discussion too. It’s not realistic for everyone to purchase from sustainable brands, nor do they have the time to trawl charity shops for whatever’s “on trend”. A lot of people do also depend on high street retailers for their jobs. I think the ideal scenario would be that retailers start to realise how much consumers care about issues such as sustainability and workers’ rights, and make changes accordingly. Their intentions may be to keep us coming back, but if they are willing to treat workers more fairly, and we as consumers are willing to be more mindful of what we’re throwing out, that would already be a drastic improvement. 

So what’s the point of this post? What am I actually suggesting we do?

Well, if you can stop buying into fast fashion on the spot, great. But honestly, it would be naive to say this is achievable for the majority. Controversial, but I don’t think that the fashion industry as a whole needs to be crushed. I love everything about fashion. It sounds a little dramatic but I do think of it as an art form and one of the greatest outlets of self-expression. IMO, it comes down to, on a microlevel, being conscious of what we do with our clothes once we’ve bought them (check if your local charity shop actually needs clothes before lumping them with several bin bags of your stuff! It could easily end up in a landfill! Don’t throw stuff out! Use Depop! Swap clothes with friends!), but more importantly, letting retailers know that we do care about environmental and workers’ issues. The biggest way to do this? Speaking out, but more importantly, reducing their profit and thus reducing our consumption. The speaking out part of the equation is pretty self-explanatory. There was recently a petition going round, for example, to pressure H&M into following through on their promise to ensure a living wage for all their workers (had around 150,000 of 250,000 signatures when I signed it so it was doing pretty well, though I need to follow up on what became of it). Research the tragedies of fast fashion, the Rana Plaza collapse of 2013 being a pretty well known one, and keep it in circulation. 

With regards to reducing our consumption, personally, I’ve made an agreement with myself not to buy any new clothes until October. I recently went on a bit of a mad one, lol, and bought way too much from Motel Rocks and Pretty Little Thing, and so I intend not to buy anything else (unless it’s second hand) for 3 months. I’m generally pretty good at this; said shopping spree was my first since January. In the meantime, I want to look into sustainable but affordable brands for when I do next go shopping again (my friend recommended Nobody’s Child to me! I had no idea they were a sustainable brand as they are so affordable! House of Sunny is another one I just made an order from and their clothes are beautiful!). Good on You is a really helpful app that I recently downloaded that gives clothing stores ratings based on how ethical they are; they take multiple factors into account including how a brand treats its workers, its carbon footprint, and whether animals are harmed in the production of any of its garments. Until October, if I do feel like going shopping, I’m going to stick to Depop (which is super easy to browse and convenient to use), Ebay, and vintage/charity shops. Charity shops are definitely the more affordable option but most metropolitan cities do have areas dedicated to vintage shops and fashion and most will have a range of garments to suit all budgets. Of course London has Brick Lane’s Vintage Market and Camden Market, but I recently visited friends in Sheffield and Bristol which also both have areas known for a wide range of vintage shops all in close proximity. Ask the people you know for suggestions, as they’re likely going to be the best points of reference. Fuck Google, lol. 

Most importantly though, USE WHAT YOU HAVE, and this is the point that ties into this whole post. See, I challenged myself to come up with at least 10 new looks without any new clothes and clearly went a bit overboard, as I ended up with 18. There’s no neon, bodycon, or biker shorts, soz, so they aren’t necessarily the most “trendy” but I do feel they reflect my personal style in way that’s current. Layering is your best friend and simple touches like a belt or a piece of jewellery can bring something up to date if it’s been neglected for a year or so. I’m not gonna lie, I do intend to do a lookbook including some of the new clothes I got the other week (like I said, they’re the first lot of clothes I’ve bought since January, give me a break!), but I wanted to affirm to myself that I can do it without buying anything new as well and that I’ve got more than enough to last me until October. THE FACT THAT OUTFIT RECYCLING IS SOMETHING THAT EVEN HAS A FUCKING NAME, LET ALONE IS SUPPOSEDLY LOOKED DOWN UPON IS RIDICULOUS. Good fashion is timeless, you don’t need whatever ugly trend consumerism is trying to convince you is the peak of haute couture to make a statement, lol. 

So to finish off my ramble, here is the 18 outfits I put together from my already owned clothes. I’ve labelled where things are from just to fill the empty space, but I’m now realising it was a bit of redundant effort as it’s not like any of the things are available. Creating unnecessary tasks for myself: A Saga. Anyways, I intend to put a couple of pieces on my Depop over the next couple of days (@lozpez), so if you read all the way to the end and like anything, keep an eye out. And also thanks for reading!

Lauren x

DISCLAIMER: Background in the first 2 images are mine. 9 below are not. 3rd is a Malcom T.Liepke portrait sourced from Google, 4th is Alphonse Mucha! I’m not sure about the rest but if anybody happens to be reading this and does know, hmu!

[angrycollectordaze-me-blog]

Essay代写：The cynicism

下面为大家整理一篇优秀的essay代写范文- The cynicism，供大家参考学习，这篇论文讨论了犬儒主义。古希腊的犬儒主义主张简单的物质生活，崇尚自由的人生。犬儒主义精神对后世的西方艺术产生的深远的影响。犬儒主义尊重自由的意志，直接影响了表现主义艺术。犬儒主义倾向于返璞归真的人生态度，对印象派绘画也产生了显著的影响。犬儒主义反对权威主义，具有强烈的叛逆精神，成为了现代派艺术革新的依据。

Cynicism is a famous school of philosophy in ancient Greece. There are different accounts of the origins of cynicism. One was a student of Socrates, antistus, who "taught at the stadium of the white dog outside Athens and became known as the cynic." Is worth pondering, Cynicism modern English noun to Cynicism, it is another meaning of Cynicism and sarcasm. This meaning is in keeping with the actions and ideas of the cynics. Another is a cynical thinker who pursues a free-spirited, dog-like lifestyle, thus gaining the title of "cynicism."

The representative of the cynics was Diogenes, who was born a little later than Plato and was a student of antistus, the founder of the cynics. Diogenes was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he voluntarily gave up a rich life. He is said to live in a bucket, dressed in rags, and eats roadside junk like a dog. Cynics despise social etiquette. The cynics Diogenes, crates, and hipparchia had sex in public and in public, as if they were back in primitive and animal times. Cynics believe that nature and instinct are normal and natural, and they advocate abandoning those hypocritical social norms and getting rid of the infatuation with luxury, so as to achieve a real free life. Once Alexander the great visited Diogenes and asked him what gifts he needed. He said, "I wish you would get out of my way." Alexander the great later said, "If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes." The Bohemian Diogenes was deeply respected by the most powerful men of his time. At the time, Alexander and Diogenes were probably the freest men in the world, for one was the supreme ruler of the empire and the other was a self-indulgent cynic.

Cynicism advocates simple material life and opposes people's pursuit of material and spiritual enjoyment other than meeting the basic needs of survival. The core idea of cynicism is to oppose all authority and hypocritical ethics. Cynicism is not only against the rulers of the world, but also against the gods of religion, so it has positive significance to the progressive thinkers in the Renaissance and enlightenment. In thought and action, cynics usually display a distinct personality.

Cynicism is a unique phenomenon in the history of western culture. Their influence may not compare with that of Plato or Aristotle, but it is always there. From today's perspective, the way of life of the cynics is like a piece of performance art. During the Renaissance, the famous painter Raphael created the famous fresco "the college of Athens". Athens college is one of the representative works of Raphael with the theme of famous thinkers and artists of ancient Greece. It can be seen that ancient Greek culture has a high position in the minds of artists during the Renaissance. Above the steps in the center are Plato and his student Aristotle. They are having a heated argument. Plato held timaeus in his left hand and pointed to heaven with his right hand, as if to say, "the reason is beyond." Aristotle held the ethics in his left hand, stretched out his right hand and pressed it down, as if to say, "the reason is in the thing itself." In addition, there are Pythagoras, Socrates, Epicurus and other famous figures. It is noteworthy that in the middle of the steps lies a man in rags, the cynic Diogenes. In the painting, his personality is very prominent. Except for his clothes and posture, other people are clustered together, but he lies alone in the center of the painting. Presumably in Raphael's mind, Diogenes was personal and important. As we know, the Renaissance period was an important period of personality liberation in the west, and the cynicism of praising and supporting individuality undoubtedly exerted a positive influence on Renaissance art.

Cynicism respects the free will, except for not doing anything against the law, the believers of the cynics are arbitrary and do not follow the norms. This tendency of reflecting free will has already appeared in romantic art, and it is more obvious in modern art like expressionism and abstraction. For example, kandinsky's abstract painting completely broke away from the traditional concept of imitation, doodling and venting at will, just like the way of the cynics.

Expressionist art completely abandons the "imitation theory" concept which had long been dominant in the west before the 19th century, and advocates self-expression. That is to say, artistic creation is no longer the process of imitating the objective world and objects, but the free expression of subjective feelings, images and fantasies. Cynicism also advocates that everyone should not be tempted by external material temptation, and completely allow the freedom of the heart. In this sense, the artistic spirit of expressionism is very compatible with the spirit of cynicism.

Cynicism actively confronts the alienation of human civilization and tends to the attitude of returning to its original simplicity. Both Christian civilization and industrial civilization have obvious alienation of human nature. Under the shackles of civilization, human nature has been suppressed. In Freud's view, these repressed natures become unconscious. Cynics, on the other hand, pull the unconscious out of the depths of the mind, or never form it, and blatantly act out what "civilized people" would call madness.

The behavior of some later western artists is just like that of the cynics. Paul gauguin, the French impressionist painter, quit his job in the bank and gave up his luxurious life in France to live with the original inhabitants of the remote Pacific island of Tahiti. He created a series of famous paintings based on Tahiti and founded the so-called "savage art school". Gauguin once said, "the primitive, instinctive, suggestive art comes out of the spirit and USES nature." His painting "where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we going? As if it were a modern response to a cynical ideal. Matisse, the brutalist French painter, often painted primitive figures that were wild, unclothed, and without a trace of obscenity or affectation.

Cynicism opposes all authority and idols, which happens to coincide with western modernist art. Western modernist art is mostly opposed to the traditional concept of art. The most famous is duchamp, a modern artist. He once bought a man's urinal and named it quan. This work completely subverts people's understanding of the concept of art. To give the dirty urinal a "spring" name is undoubtedly a mockery of the classical artistic concept of beauty and harmony.

Examples of extreme iconoclasia also exist in the history of modern music. John cage is an American musician of the 20th century and a representative of "accidental music". He created a lot of unique music works. "Schoenberg's remark that John cage was' more an inventor than a composer 'is an exaggeration. But there is something in it." John cage's most personal work is entitled "four minutes and thirty-three seconds". During the performance of this work, the player sits at the piano, opens the cover, but does not play, sits quietly for four minutes and 33 seconds, and then closes the cover. The whole process does not appear any music sound, just open and close the piano cover at the specified time to indicate the beginning and end of music. It's not like people don't hear anything during the whole process. For example, people can hear the cough of the audience and the sound of their own breathing. Just like duchamp's spring changed people's fundamental concept of art. John cage's four minutes and thirty-three seconds turned music on its head. This spirit of rebellion and cynicism in a similar way.

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