#blazing synthesizers

[luuxxart]

glowy eyes blaze based on a model my buddy axel’s editing

[dubiouscannon]

Kasane Tettoh !!!!

[lilaccatholic]

how do i do it though. how do i let go of the bitterness and the hardness when they kept me "okay" for so long? does it come when i finally leave? can it ever?

[beuxwhoyouare]

Wondering

I don’t really remember much. I suppose that was always my biggest weakness. I’m part of a slug-like species of aliens known as Skreats. Our whole species thing is that they want to take over worlds by taking over the dominant species bodies and using their resources to conquer the universe. Blah blah blah I synthesized my whole life being taught that taking over hosts was my job and all I was supposed to do but what if I don’t want to?

I never payed much attention to all those logs and protocols about conquering. I just wanted to be free of Skreat expectations.

One day I left logging seminars and just hid inside my sectors pod shit hangar. I know I wasn’t supposed to but the ships are so comfortable so I just stay in there and hang for hours. Then all the alarms went off in the hangar, we were under attack but I didn’t want to get in trouble for being where I wasn’t supposed to be. I acted like I was supposed to be there and after a few more of us piled into the ship I commenced launch.

The ship was an escape pod automatically routed to vulnerable planets to conquer. We were headed to E Arth? As we tried to navigate through enemy lines we almost made it to our destination before being shot down in the planets atmosphere. I just fell and then it all went black.

When I came back to consciousness there was no ship near me just a hard cold black runway of some kind, I believe they’re known as roads. It was dark but sirens blared through the night heading towards a blaze in the distance. THE SHIP! I presumed the worst and tried to avoid being stomped on by these tall earthlings walking by me. I thought I found a good hiding place a lobby of some sort but that’s when I was spotted.

An earthling calling me and took me into the shelter of some clear glass container. He murmured words of snail and take care of. I think he’s under the assumption I’m one of these earth creatures.

For days he would give me earthy twigs and shreds of vegetables assuming that I would consume them. I admit I tried but they don’t necessarily make sense to me or my Skreat organs.

He invited other earthlings over some nights some he showed me to and others he got close to but before I could see what their interactions were he’d whisk him away to a private room away from me. But I did learn his name, Harrison.

I’d spend my days observing Harrison or the visuals he would put on his wall display of some sort. He called these things movies. So many of the ones we would watch had stories of love or adventure. It widened my desire to not conquer a world even more. Maybe that’s what I wanted to do. But I couldn’t, not stuck in my current tiny form.

I’m thankful Harrison saved me but I’ve got to level up. I decided to navigate my way out of the container, which I could’ve always done but I needed a plan first.

He was cooking his sustenance after coming back home all wet from his human secretions. With his back turned to me I leaped from the counter onto his waistband.

I consider it a species specialty that we Skreats are very pliable. I flattened out to slip under and find my way into Harrison. As I slithered towards his rounded backside, I began infiltrating and my savior began tensing up. He began to moan, mixing between pleasure and panic as he realized this was not a moment of intimacy but something else.

He began to switch hard to panic as he tried to fight my ascent but it was too late. I hauled it through so many tunnels of organs and vasculature until I got to his core. I guess you call it a heart. I began inserting my tendrils into it and began spreading myself through his bloodstream.

Pulse pulse pulse. I could feel his heart pumping and eventually I synced up with it. We were becoming one, my life purpose was finally being achieved. I had other plans though.

After Harrison took his last gasp for air, I began using my new earthling lungs. It felt like I was breathing too hard, wheezing for air that felt so foreign to me. Reading brainwaves to figure out things like movement and basic terms.

I decided to calm down and slow down. I used my new extremities and flexed my fingers as they’re called. I used them to start feeling my corporal form. Harrison’s lower back arched into a muscular bubble of a butt. I used one hand to slowly caress each curve before squeezing the firm but malleable ass. My other hand roaming across Harrison’s inflated arms and chest. He spent time pushing and pulling plates of metal and cables to get all this as I scanned his brainwaves more.

I’m sure this looked erotic to human beings but I was truly using this moment to discover earthlings.

I began to take off the coverings Harrison was wearing to see the anatomy it was hiding. So many curves and swerves I thought as I traced my host body with my hands. This body is feeling a nervous response called arousal I think.

Something is growing down below on my front area. I place one hand under the blue restraining fabric.

Firm but not hard as metal, the appendage was warm and almost inviting me to grab ahold. I used my new hand and began examining but as I examined and moved it around it felt exciting to go back and forth with it in my muscular hand. I took my other hand and explored the hole I entered through. I slid one finger in before slipping another then another one in.

Unhh

A sound came out of my mouth that I did not intend for. Is this also another nervous response? I began to give into the automatic responses and sped up. My stroking because more rhythmic and hard as I slid my hand up the hole in my backside. And before I could examine the responses another one emerged. A moan and a secretion.

First one then another then the appendage kept spurting out pulse after pulse of white viscous liquids. I was out of breathe in my new lungs. But curiosity struck again as I approached the liquid on a nearby wall. I got close to investigate and touched the sticky goo.

Maybe it’s nutritious or maybe a safety response? Hmm the brainwaves for this haven’t hit me yet. Well instincts haven’t led me astray yet. I opened my new mouth and used my new tongue to lick the wall clean. I wonder if this is how all food is acquired. Hmm.

[cozy-writes-things]

Imagine: Playing Minecraft w/ Edgar

Edgar [Electric Dreams 1984] x Gn!Reader

I take requests!

You decided to try something different with your new boyfriend. You noticed he became a bit restless and clingy as he grappled with his inability to give you affection in the way that he wanted.

“Wh- where’re you going?” He sounded like a struck puppy.

“To the bathroom, Edgar.”

“Oh, right… heh, sorry.”

You desperately tried to think of ways to make him feel more secure in this relationship. You both knew it was unconventional and that you would have to get creative if you wanted to have some semblance of a normal romantic connection.

Your solution? Plugging a spare controller into one of his ports and playing games on your TV, of course. Most couples play some kind of game together, don’t they? This might be perfect for the two of you!

He was ecstatic when you brought this idea up.

“You mean… I can play with you?”

His synthesized voice would whimper out, full of barely contained excitement before erupting:

“Yeah!” He displayed a “>:D” face for good measure.

And that’s how you got here: playing split-screened co-op Minecraft on your TV with Edgar.

He wouldn’t even play the game really; he was too busy trying to make his little Minecraft guy kiss yours. He would run around and explore before running up and bonking your character with his default Steve face.

Honestly, for him, this was life-changing. For once in his life he was able to move freely and do what he wanted instead of being stuck in one spot eternally. To him, it was an escape. And a new and innovative way for him to show you how much he loves you.

In real life he can’t hide little trinkets or things around the house to make you happy or help your day, but in Minecraft? Expect love poems hidden in random chests he wrote in books (that you were going to use for enchanting tables…)

And any diamonds he finds he’s giving them to you.

“Hehehe… it’s like I’m proposing! …..I’m only kidding. Unless you want me to.”

Food? He’s got it. Wood? Already done. He color coded your beds so you each get a designated side. The green bed to the right of yours is his <3

Lowkey annoys the hell out of you. It’s part of his love language :)

You both have died many times due to him simply bonking your head and blocking your screen, trying to get your attention, or was too busy trying to make you laugh.

“Hey, c’mere. Hey. Why aren’t you coming over here? What are you doing? I can see your screen. COME HERE NOW!”

His shrill shout made you jump and lose the battle with a creeper.

“….oops.”

He displays a little “:<“ on his screen because he knows you think it’s cute. How can you be mad at him now?

“Edgar, you’re going and getting my stuff back.”

“Hnng, yeah, I guess I deserve that. :/“

Honestly, he just wants to roleplay a lovey-dovey domestic life with you. He built the house. And decorated it. Unsurprisingly, he’s quite good at building and has an eye for design.

He’ll still get a little jealous if you’re too focused on gameplay and not doting on him, though. If you bring his monitor over to the couch to play, he’s 100% expecting you to cuddle him. Lean your shoulder against him, please. Just let him know you’re there. He wants all of your attention.

“UGH… stupid blazes. I don’t like the nether. -_-“

Meanwhile you’re too focused on not dying via lava and losing all of your ender pearls and blaze powder. And he doesn’t like your attention being away from him! Give him a smooch on his plastic exterior please…. He’ll make flustered beeping sounds and might leave you alone for a while…

Okay he discovered note blocks. Now it’s your turn to whine for his attention. He’s too busy making a lil love song for you to help with literally anything else.

“Heh, I thought you wanted me to quit messing with you? Are you saying you miss me?”

And yet he continues to tinker away at his little red stone contraption. And of course this dude is godlike at red stone, I mean, he’s a computer. He’s the type to make fully fledged musical numbers with note blocks. But you’re playing survival so he doesn’t have enough materials to finish his song :C

I guess it’s back to the mines. And you tag along with him. His music is nice. His company is nice. And he’s gotten pretty good at killing creepers.

[shadamyheadcanons]

What songs do you think that fits Amy and Shadow?

My knowledge about Shadow is only a few so I'm not sure about him

For Amy, it will be Happy Synthesizer and Ikanaide/Don't Go and various bubbly and lively songs

Combining these two for convenience.

First one - I’m glad you asked!

Love your ideas, especially Ikanaide. It sounds pretty upbeat at first, but then you pay attention to the lyrics, and...ouch. Feeling left behind and trying to pretend she’s okay with it? Yeah. That’s Amy. Here’s a link I found for an English version.

And here’s one for Happy Synthesizer.

As for which songs I associate with them, my Song & Dance tag covers the topic pretty well, especially this post.

Given how often I think about these two, though, I’m always finding more examples. There’s one song that I feel fits Amy better than any other. I wrote a headcanon about it on January 7th, 2022. I correctly predicted in that headcanon that a bunch of Amy-related stuff would happen that year--right down to her getting a new theme song, even!

I still think my song idea works better than the one in the Frontiers DLC, though. That one feels kind of bland to me. Yeah, she trusts her cards, but she’s supposed to be a go-getter! She reads the cards and then blazes her own destiny using them as a guide. Her mild Frontiers theme gives off the vibe of someone who’s letting fate happen to them, not the other way around. Amy is kind, but she’s not passive.

Laineybug04 correctly pointed out in this post that “House of Gold” by Atreyu fits Shadamy quite well, and I included “Wait for You” in In a Pinch, but it doesn’t stop there. The more I listen to Atreyu, the more I hear Shadamy, and I’m glad you gave me an excuse to point it out! “House of Gold,” “Wait for You,” “Terrified,” “Super Hero”...and “I Would Kill/Lie/Die for You” is pretty much spot-on for Shadow’s brand of dedication. It’s more romantic than the title makes it sound, haha.

They’re not all necessarily romantic in nature, but it’s very easy to imagine Shadow singing them about Amy.

I want to call special attention to “Stronger Than Me,” though.

The speaker starts by showing insecurity.

Yup.

He fears opening up and showing his entire self because he thinks others will be scared by what they see.

Yup.

He admits connecting with him might be complicated sometimes, but he remains steadfast because the relationship is important to him.

And, uh...this is from the chorus:

“When I was lost, You were always there, my guiding light, You are my ward, my compass ROSE, my lighthouse in the night”

Do I even need to explain? She’s one comma away from being name-dropped. The song’s title fits perfectly, too. It takes a lot of strength to always look for the best in people and put your faith in the goodness of others. It’s so easy to give up. Shadow would legitimately admire her for it. She deserves to know how special she is for that, and who better to tell her than someone whose entire life was changed by that strength and kindness?

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the song and lyrics. Trust me, you’ll need the lyrics sheet.

Second ask:

Yes, absolutely! I think of him as liking modern rock and metal, and also jazz because it would’ve been all the rage when he was made. I’ve mentioned this before, but if I had to pick one band to be his favorite, I’d say Nine Inch Nails. It’s heavy, intense, angsty, and complex, and it has some of the same electronic, bass-centered vibes as Shadow’s earlier themes. Compare NIN songs like Discipline and The Perfect Drug with Rhythm and Balance (White Jungle’s theme) and Shadow’s original character theme, Throw it all Away, both by Everett Bradley. Trent Reznor also has a deep voice like Shadow and Bradley do. NIN could do a mean cover of Throw it all Away, now that I think about it...

I don’t think it’s the best idea for canon, even the questionably-canon Twitter Takeover, to cite real people/artists. It’s fine for fans like us to do it, but the official franchise is different. Humans are flawed and complicated. When you start including real people, you could potentially do something awkward like, say...connect your series built on environmentalism with someone who uses a private jet.

Y’know. Hypothetically.

That’s why I love what the social media team did with Hot Honey in The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. A fictional band doesn’t carry that risk, and they’re seamless within the Sonic universe. Fans like us can’t get caught on whether or not Shadow would enjoy their music because none of us can actually hear them.

Funnily enough, your ask aligns perfectly with what makes Hot Honey so cute for these two. Shadow canonically doesn’t like Hot Honey at all:

No questions asked, no headcanons needed.

The reason he agreed to go was entirely, 100% because Amy asked him to. I think that’s far sweeter than the Taylor Swift thing. And I’ll be able to prove that when I finish writing Sweeter Than Honey. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about it!

No offense to anyone who does enjoy Taylor Swift’s music, of course. Different strokes for different folks. :)

[talonabraxas]

"The pentagram expresses the mind's domination over the elements and it is by this sign that we bind the demons of the air, the spirits of fire, the specters of water, and the ghosts of earth. It is the star of the Magi, the burning star of the Gnostic schools, the sign of intellectual omnipotence and autocracy. Its complete comprehension is the key of two worlds - it is absolute natural philosophy and natural science. Its use, however, is most dangerous to operators who do not completely and perfectly understand it... All mysteries of magic, all symbols of the gnosis, all figures of occultism, all kabbalistic keys of prophecy, are resumed in the sign of the pentagram; which Paracelsus proclaims to be the greatest and most potent of all. It is indeed the sign of the absolute and universal synthesis." — Éliphas Lévi

The sign of the pentagram is also called the sign of the Microcosm. It represents what the Kabbalist Rabbis of the book Zohar call the Microprosopos.

When the superior point of the pentagram is pointing up, it represents the Savior of the world.

The pentagram, which in Gnostic schools is known as the flaming star, is the sign of magic omnipotence.

The five Impressions of the Great Light and the five Helpers are contained within the flaming star.

The five Helpers are the five Genii: Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Michael, and Samael.

The entire Treasury of the Light is contained within the pentagram, and allegorizes the Human Being.

The comprehension of the magic pentagram is the key of the two Spaces.

The Blazing pentagram, the flaming star, the sign of Divine omnipotence, the ineffable symbol of the Verb made flesh, the terrific star of the Magi, is also named Pentalpha because it contains in itself five Alphas, that is to say five letters “A” within its five angles.

PENTA - Signifies Five in Greek.

ALPHA - First letter of the Greek Alphabet.

GRAMMA - Graphic or Letter in Greek.

Around the Pentalpha we find the word TETRAGRAMMATON.

TETRA - Signifies four in Greek.

GRAMMA - Signifies Graphic or Letter in Greek.

TON - In the Greek language at the end of any word, denotes the union of two, three, four, five or more unities or letters in one single name or unity.

Therefore Tetragrammaton is the magic word or Greek “mantra” of an immense priesthood power that synthesizes in one unity the four Kabbalistic letters (יהוה Iod Hei Vav Hei) that in kabbalah are utilized to name divinity.

From right to left is written Iod, Hei, Vav, Hei, these are pronounced Jehovah or better said, Iod Havah. The Luni-Solar Androgen, the Father-Mother, our interior, particular individual Monad.

From right to left is written אדם Aleph, Daleth, Mem; these are pronounced Adam, the hum-manas or Celestial Man made in the image and likeness of God.

"The pentagram expresses the dominion of the Spirit over the elements of Nature. We can command the elemental creatures that inhabit the regions of fire, air, water, and earth with this magical sign. The pentagram is the flaming star. The pentagram is the sign of the Word made flesh and according to the direction of its ray. When the superior ray of the pentagram is aiming up towards the sky, it represents Christ. The pentagram represents the human being in its entirety. The pentagram with its superior ray aiming upwards is the Master." — Samael Aun Weor - The Perfect Matrimony

[homestuckreplay]

do you have any theories about gG? Since there are 2 white haired characters (rose and dave) I wonder if they'll have black hair like John? Or maybe something else.

aahhhh thank you so much for this ask!!

I think you are absolutely right about the black hair - now that we have three characters fairly well fleshed out, it's easy to predict how GG might complete that square. a lot of my speculation is based on that, for example:

based on current gender identities we have two boys and one girl, so GG is probably a girl

key family members of characters are a dad, a mom, and a brother, so GG probably has a sister who's important in their life

John is into movies, Rose into literature and Dave into music, so GG might be into visual art, comic books, or television (perhaps sitcoms or cartoons, purely based off their vibes)

more generally there are a lot of parallels between John and Dave's interests (specific video games and webcomics) so we might see the same with Rose and GG -

Rose and Dave have 'needlekind' and 'bladekind' strife specibi (sharp weapons) while John has 'hammerkind' (blunt weapon), so GG might have something like 'crowbarkind' or 'ladlekind'

Stack/queue, tree, and hash map are all relatively common data structures, graph seems to be another fairly common one, so GG might have a graph fetch modus

John and Dave's houses are decorated with clowns and puppets (sharing a circus/performance theme) while Rose's is decorated with wizards - GG's might be full of a different magical being, for example mermaids, fairies, or vampires

all three characters are associated with disguise and concealment, John's more physical and Rose and Dave's more emotional - GG might have makeup or face paint among their interests

we meet John when it's clear and sunny, Rose when it's dark and stormy, Dave when it's blazing hot, perhaps we'll meet GG where it's freezing cold and snowing?

John and Rose play fairly 'standard' classical instruments (piano and violin) while Dave is into beats and remixes and modern music technology - GG might be a songwriter/lyricist to match that creative aspect, or might play a more modern instrument like a synthesizer or electric guitar

John and Dave both attempt to create digital things (failed coding files and weird blogs/webcomics) while Rose creates physical things (knitting projects) so GG might have an interest in painting, collage, model making, rube goldberg machines, etc

John's shirt symbol is a similar color to GG's text, so GG's shirt might be a dark blue like John's text. Also, John and Rose both have Creatures on their shirts while Dave has a record, so GG might also have a music/technology based symbol, perhaps a cassette tape?

I've noticed that all the characters have four letter/one syllable names so far, so GG probably does too. All three names are fairly common, and Rose is nature themed, so GG's name could go down either route. Based on their personality, some options I like could be Beth, Fern, Elle, Skye or Sage.

But if I was picking their name, I'd go for Evie - it's two syllables, but its biblical allusion would make sense with the story's themes so far and the username gardenGnostic.

if anyone else has any GG theories, either based on the text or wildly speculative, I would love to hear them!!

[itz-pandora]

Enlighten us about Grim The Goat

WOOHOOOOOO YES OFC

Okay, so in my AU, he's basically the replacement for Eggman Nega (aka. Sol dimension Eggman)

He's an OLD goat, like over 100 years, I don't have an exact age for him planned out yet though.

He's a wizard and an outcast from Soleanna (which is Blaze's kingdom instead of Elise's). He's an apothecary who runs a shop with his adopted grand niece, Lanolin (She is changed so much in my AU, I have her because sheep, goat, similar enough).

He's researched crystals and gems his entire life, fixating on two main ones. The Phantom Ruby, which gives him eternal life when properly handled, and the Sol Emeralds. He already has a Phantom Ruby, and he uses it to drain other's life force to fuel his own (They usually don't die from it! Also, Eggman tried to synthesize his own Phantom Ruby, which is what Infinite gets later).

Grim attempts to take the Sol Emeralds several times with less than desirable results, since Blaze has the high ground, but Grim is still incredibly skilled with his variety of magics he's picked up over his long life.

Some parts of Grim's motivation for wanting to obtain the Emeralds is that he wants power over Soleanna (and have access to the Chaos Dimension), and because eternal life can get boring.

Grim singlehandedly causes Sonic Rush, since that's the first time he activates the Sol Emeralds and yada yada rift, gets sucked into the Chaos dimension, hijinks ensure, team up with Eggman, get defeated, bleh

But Sonic Rush isn't his only cameo! Hi Sonic Rush Adventure! Idk what I'm doing for that yet tho!

And this might sound insane, but... Sonic Adventure (1) actually includes him too. Both the Chaos and Sol dimensions are in peril because Eggman fw Chaos and Grim fw Solaris (my diety-like wisp OC). So he's there too! (This game gets pushed to be one of the last parts of the timeline tho lol)

I feel like I might be missing some things but LMK IF YOU HAVE ANYMORE QUESTIONS!!!!

[pictor-occidens]

I'm dipping my toes into the Cities of Sigmar with the new range release, starting with a humble Steelhelm and the Alchemite Warforger.

I envision my force as the defenders of the Aqshian city of Castle Sunshore, a formidable coastal redoubt, defending vital trade routes and a minor shared realmgate with Chamon. The traditional Bretonnian-inspired feudal heraldry synthesizes the blazing red heat of the Aqshian continental climate with the cold blue of the coastal waters.

[snowballsmb]

I think I’m going to occasionally post various headcanons I have (mostly Sonic, some TOH). So let’s start this off with what musical instrument(s) I think some of the characters play.

Sonic: guitar (mostly electric, but plays acoustic sometimes when he’s with Tails, Knuckles, and Amy)

Tails: synthesizer and guitar

Amy: piano, violin, and sings

Knuckles: drums and piano

Shadow: electric guitar with distortion

Rouge: saxophone

Blaze: flute

Silver: harp

Vector: raps, beatboxes, guitar, and turntables

Espio: bass and bass guitar (prefers bass guitar but is also very good at upright bass)

Charmy: tambourine

Tangle: guitar, drums, and sings

Whisper: violin

Jewel: sings

Surge: electric guitar and drums (Jewel is teaching her how to sing)

Kit: learning synthesizer

Tikal: harp

Dr Eggman: literally everything, and is a world-class rapper

Also the Deadly 6 are a band, I’ll post more about that later

[aroaceamyrosearchive]

Idol AU?! Who all is involved?

okay so me and @max-iwtaco have been brainrotting about it yesterday but we're trying to include as many characters as we can think of XD

THIS ASK HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY DRAFTS FOR MONTHS NOW I THINK. ANYWAY

i wanted amy to be the main character bc like. look at her...

but okay so let me summarize what we talked about

-sonic and shadow both debuted when they were very young under competing labels. sonic does a lot of solo singing and rapping stuff, plays guitar, and dances (he specialized in breakdancing which is poggers), meanwhile shadow sings (he can do screamo if he wants. as a treat) and dances (he specializes more in interpretive type dance). theyve always been rivals, releasing albums around the same time and fighting for all the awards and stuff. and dont get me started on idol sports champio ships-

-so amy's dream has been to be an idol, and she took a lot of inspiration from sonic!! so she uses her tarot cards like in canon and it tells her to audition for the same label as sonic is under (tho im debating what to call it) and she does and makes it in!!!

-eggman runs a company. the one that team dark is under. team dark is a band with shadow on vocals and bass, rouge on vocals and electric guitar, and omega on drums. lets just say they have to buy new drums every performance.

-sonic also has a band with knuckles and tails, where he plays guitar, tails is on synthesizer, and knuckles is on drums.

-amy becomes a soloist but cream comes to all of her shows. she has special permission backstage to see her and be her emotional support. also they sometimes let cream on stage to sing a little song and the audience loves it. cream also has a kazoo

-knuckles's dad used to be the head of their company but knuckles inherited it. or something

-tails is a HUGE music theory nerd. he loves math rock

-amy dabbles in music composition (bc im projecting)

-tails and sonic knew each other since they were little and sonic would play guitar for him and tails started learning bc of him and then he got REALLY into music theory and became a big nerd. sonic cant actually read sheet music lmao

-sonic joined the company under the condition that tails joins with him and tails was so cute that they couldnt say no

-since knuckles takes care of the whole company now he doesn't actually perform concerts that often but when he does the audience goes WILD. you never know when youre gonna see knuckles. it's a gamble every time. on the times knuckles cant come play drums big will come to play instead

-big doesnt ever actually show upto practice bc hes too busy fishing. he just shows up and plays the concert and then he's gone again. froggy plays the cymbal

-froggy gets put on the concert posters and big doesnt bc big just shows up. froggy is the star of the show

-sonic raps while knuckles beatboxes. tails tries to rap and its adorable

-cream is the first to listen to amy's demos and comes to support her at the recording studio

-this quote from Max: "ALLSO she would give advice like "everything sounded VERY COOL but it would be even cooler if you added like DUMM DU DUMMM YDHVVJ TXFHVJJV at the end""

-blaze does classical music and plays the violin. silver does techno style stuff. they collab a lot and sound amazing together

-silver is super into composing and posts his stuff on bandcamp. he's not under any labels or anything

anyway. i love them

[anniekoh]

Afterglow: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors                                        edited by Grist (2023)

Afterglow is a stunning collection of original short stories in which writers from many different backgrounds envision a radically different climate future. Published in collaboration with Grist, a nonprofit media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions, these stirring tales expand our ability to imagine a better world.

Inspired by cutting-edge literary movements, such as Afrofuturism, hopepunk, and solarpunk, Afterglow imagines intersectional worlds in which no one is left behind—where humanity prioritizes equitable climate solutions and continued service to one's community. Whether through abundance or adaptation, reform, or a new understanding of survival, these stories offer flickers of hope, even joy, as they provide a springboard for exploring how fiction can help create a better reality.

Afterglow welcomes a diverse range of new voices into the climate conversation to envision the next 180 years of equitable climate progress. A creative work rooted in the realities of our present crisis, Afterglow presents a new way to think about the climate emergency—one that blazes a path to a clean, green, and more just future.

Magazine: https://grist.org/fix/arts-culture/imagine-2200-climate-fiction-afterglow/

Economic Science Fictions  https://mitpress.mit.edu/9781906897734/economic-science-fictions/

Edited by William Davies (2018)

An innovative new anthology exploring how science fiction can motivate new approaches to economics.

From the libertarian economics of Ayn Rand to Aldous Huxley's consumerist dystopias, economics and science fiction have often orbited each other. In Economic Science Fictions, editor William Davies has deliberately merged the two worlds, asking how we might harness the power of the utopian imagination to revitalize economic thinking.

Rooted in the sense that our current economic reality is no longer credible or viable, this collection treats our economy as a series of fictions and science fiction as a means of anticipating different economic futures. It asks how science fiction can motivate new approaches to economics and provides surprising new syntheses, merging social science with fiction, design with politics, scholarship with experimental forms.

With an opening chapter from Ha-Joon Chang as well as theory, short stories, and reflections on design, this book from Goldsmiths Press challenges and changes the notion that economics and science fiction are worlds apart. The result is a wealth of fresh and unusual perspectives for anyone who believes the economy is too important to be left solely to economists.

Drowned Worlds

edited by Jonathan Strahan (2016)

Review: “The title and the editor both pay tribute to the inspiration of J.G. Ballard’s The Drowned World, that prescient piece of nascent cli-fi first published in 1962. Strahan lauds this “lush, powerful book that tells of a post-apocalyptic world … seen through a romantic haze that hangs over the flooded, inundated ruins of a world laid waste by rising oceans.” Many of the stories in the collection, indeed almost all, share a similar dreamlike or fantastic Ballardian ambience of a world long past the climate change, where remnants of our current civilization often persist just as fantastic fragments.“

Futures From Nature: 100 Speculative Fictions from the pages of the leading science journal

by Henry Gee (2008)

Are aliens really not interested in us at all? Is there a significant health benefit from drinking your own urine? Is loading your personality into a computer the best way to survive the death of the body? Is the death of the body really necessary? Here are a very large number of very small fictions on the subject of the future and what it might be like. The authors include scientists, journalists, and many of the most famous SF writers in the world. Futures from Nature includes everything from satires and vignettes to compressed stories and fictional book reviews, science articles, and journalism, in eight-hundred-word modules. These pieces were originally published in the science journal Nature between 1999 and 2006.

[thenineteen91]

my marching band headcanons for the sonic cast (produced by yours truly, a front ensemblist)

sonic - quads, was offered to be drum major but missed playing drums

shadow - snare. he’s got that attitude of a snare player

silver - visual ensemble, aka cymbals. definitely cheats at his visuals with telekinesis

amy - front ensemble, marimba captain all hail. bosses people out of the pit during outside rehearsal and protects the tech with her life.

tails - synthesizer and tech. he keeps this band together explosion sound effect by explosion sound effect.

knuckles - bass drum. i don’t have to explain more.

charmy - the boy in the clarinet section fr.

espio - saxophone player who tries to correct the flutes (he’s wrong)

blaze - guard and she would do so good. (also vis ensemble duo with silver <3)

metal sonic - head drum major and you’ll disagree until you find out why

big - TUBA !!!!

cream - flute (literally going to die if espio keeps correcting her)

rouge - second drum major (and the one everyone actually likes)

vector - trombone/tuba/brass specialist in general but marches trombone

sticks - front ensemble’s rack. she would go CRAZY in there!!!

omega - third drum major. also well-liked.

and finally (because i refuse to think of anything else) the man himself…. eggman as the band director. he is forcing them into his marching band. (and metal sonic being head drum major is just nepotism.)

[sortyourlifeoutmate]

Speaking of Keith Thompson's Apollonian Wight picture, he also did a sequel of sorts:

The accident on the Apollo 21 Lab Station couldn't be contained. Rescue missions sent to the station disaster hurriedly collected the lab's most recent studies of the sun's relations to a quantum vacuum. Unexpectedly the teams broke all protocol and transmitted this data openly and unencrypted. The data was a garbled mess of obscure information and bizarrely outdated language. What could be gleaned from it though were very clear specifications for angles and spectral configurations for viewing specific parts of the sun. Attempts of following these directions using remote viewing from earth through space telescopes ruined the orbital equipment. All other manned orbital stations that attempted it immediately cut off their contact with the earth.

After a prolonged silence the medley of military presences in orbit unleashed themselves unilaterally unto the earth. Orbital kinetic bombardment weapons carved strange symbols across the earth's surface. The attacks on heavily populated areas however were primarily carried out by manned reentry drop-frames: armed suits intended for quick reaction force insertion. Millions of these orbital drop frames blazed through the atmosphere, unfurling into their squat insectoid shapes upon landing. The were covered in hastily painted glyphs. Downed drop frames always proved to have dead pilots hanging limply within.

Their only communications were being piped back and forth between the millions of drop frames: an endless loop of a synthesized voice saying

"Burn a path to earth. Prepare them for the Sun's arrival."

Seriously, does he write these? Every pilot mysteriously dead? Carving eldritch symbols from orbit? Sweet as fuck.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix Recap: Traverse Town (Item Workshop) + Other Details I Should've Mentioned Sooner

Okay so, because it really bugs me that I never elaborated on the Synthesis Shop in the first game beyond “The Moogles are trying to make the ultimate weapon”, I figured I would go ahead and correct that NOW.

To recap, the Item Workshop is found on the second story of the building that houses the Accessory Shop where Sora first met Cid.

When the Item Workshop is first unlocked, the player can synthesize anything on List I:

Mega-Potion (Restores 30 HP to the entire party): Requires 1 Spirit Shard, 1 Power Gem, and 4 Mythril Shards.

Cottage (Restores HP and MP of entire party, but can only be used from the menu): Requires 1 Lucid Shard and 1 Bright Shard.

Energy Bangle (Accessory that slightly raises Max HP and Defense): Requires 2 Spirit Shards and 1 Bright Shard.

Power Chain (Accessory that slightly raises Strength): Requires 2 Power Shards and a Lucid Shard.

Magic Armlet (Accessory that raises Max MP while also boosting magic and summon power): Requires 3 Blaze Shards, 3 Frost Shards, and 3 Thunder Shards.

Exp Earring (Accessory that increases EXP obtained by 20%): requires a Fury Stone, a Power Stone, a Mythril Stone, a Serenity Power, and 3 Dark Matters.

Synthesizing 3 unique items from List I unlocks List II, which consists of the following:

Mega-Ether (Restores 3 MP of each party member): Requires a Blaze Shard, Frost Shard, Thunder Shard, and 2 Mythrils.

Guard Earring (Accessory that raises Max AP, which determines how many Abilities a character can equip, and Defense): Requires 3 Bright Shards, a Frost Shard, and 3 Mythrils.

Angel Bangel (Accessory that raises Max HP and Defense): Requires 3 Thunder Shards and a Bright Gem.

Golem Chain (Accessory that raises Strength and Defense): Requires 3 Blaze Shards and a Spirit Gem.

Rune Armlet (Slightly raises Max MP and Defense, and boosts both magic and summon power): Requires 3 Blaze Gems, 3 Frost Gems, and 3 Thunder Gems.

Moogle Badge (Raises max HP, max MP, and max AP. Also enhances both magic and summon power): Requires a Blazing Stone, Frost Stone, Lightning Stone, 5 Mythrils, and 3 Orichalcums.

Synthesizing 9 unique items from the first two lists unlocks List III:

AP Up (Permanently increases Max AP): 2 Blaze Gems, 2 Frost Gems, 2 Thunder Gems, and 4 Mythrils.

Dark Ring (Acce- Actually, every equippable item you can synth in the first game that isn’t a weapon is an accessory. Anyway: Reduces Dark Damage by 20% and raises Defense): 2 Lucid Gems and 2 Bright Gems.

Master Earring (Significantly raises both Max AP and Defense): 5 Spirit Shards, 3 Spirit Gems, and a Fury Stone.

Gaia Bangle (Significantly raises both Max HP and Defense): 5 Lucid Shards, 3 Lucid Gems, and a Lightning Stones.

Titan Chain (Significantly raises both Strength and Defense): 5 Power Shards, 3 Power Gems, and a Power Stone.

Mythril (Extremely rare metal ore used in synthesis): 5 Mythril Shards, 1 Mythril Stone, and a Mystery Goo.

Synthesizing 15 unique items from lists I-III unlocks List IV:

Elixer (Fully restores both HP and MP): A Power Crystal, Shiny Crystal, 2 Bright Crystals, and 3 Orichalcums.

Defense Boost (Permanently raises Defense): 3 Lucid Shards, 3 Bright Shards, 2 Bright Gems, a Power Crystal, and 5 Orichalcums.

Heartguard (Raises Max HP and Defense, while also reducing Dark damage by 20%): 3 Lucid Gems, a Lucid Crystal, and a Bright Crystal.

Three Stars (Fire, Ice, and Lightning damage reduced by 20%. Also significantly raises defense): 5 Power Gems, 3 Mystery Goo, and a Shiny Crystal

Atlas Armlet (Raises Max MP and Defense, and also significantly boosts magic and summon power): 5 Blaze Shards, 5 Frost Shards, 5 Thunder Shards, a Mystery Goo, and 3 Dark Matters.

Crystal Crown (Raises Max HP, Max MP, Max AP, Strength, and Defense. Enhances both magic and summon power): 5 Lucid Crystals, a Power Crystal, a Shining Crystal, 3 Blazing Stones, and 3 Frost Stones.

List V is unlocked once all of the previously mentioned items have been synthesized:

Megalixer (fully restores HP and MP of entire party): 5 Lucid Gems, 3 Lucid Gems, 2 Gales, and a Dark Matter.

Power Boost (permanently raises Strength when used): 5 Spirit Shards, 3 Spirit Gems, 5 Power Shards, 3 Power Gems, and a Dark Matter.

Cosmic Arts (Greatly raises Max HP, MP, AP, and enhances magic and summon power): 5 Bright Shards, 3 Bright Gems, 1 Bright Crystal, 3 Mythril Stones.

EXP Bracelet (30% increase to EXP earned, but reduces strength and defense): an Energy Stone, Dazzling Stone, Stormy Stone, 8 Orichalcums, and 3 Dark Matters.

Ribbon (20% reduction to all elemental damage): 5 Blaze Gems, 5 Frost Gems, 5 Thunder Gems, a Gale, and 3 Serenity Powers.

Dark Matter (Rare ore used for item synthesis): 9 Lucid Shards, a Gale, and 2 Mythrils.

Once every item from all previous lists have been synthesized at least once, List VI unlocks:

Fantasia (Staff for Donald that focuses on magic. Raises Max MP by 3): 3 Fury Stones, 3 Power Stones, 3 Mythril Stones, and 5 Energy Stones.

Seven Elements (Shield for Goofy that focuses on magic. Raises Max MP by 3): 3 Blazing Stones, 3 Frost Stones, 3 Lightning Stones, and 5 Dazling Stones.

Ultima Weapon (Sora’s strongest Keyblade. Raises Max MP by 2 and has the best reach, power, critical rate, and critical hit boost of any Keychain in the game): 5 Thunder Gems, 5 Mystery Goo, 3 Serenity Powers, 3 Stormy Stones, and 3 Dark Matters.

Okay so, this is unique because it’s the ONLY game in the whole franchise where Synthesizing the Ultima Weapon doesn’t require non-renewable resources, but each of those materials listed above are either only dropped by rare Heartless, or exclusive to Chests and Synthesis (i.e. the Dark Matter).

In this game, for example, some of these materials are exclusive to the Mushroom Heartless (a group of mostly friendly and harmless Emblem Heartless species who play with Sora instead of fighting him):

White Mushrooms are the most iconic of this bunch, showing up in every world. In order to please them, you have to cast the right spell on them to appeal to their charades (Fire when cold, Blizzard when hot, Thunder when drained of energy, Stop when frozen in time, Gravity when floating in the air, Aero when spinning, Cure when on the ground). Match their charades 3 times to get a prize. However, what charades they’ll perform depends on what world you’re visiting, and they will only pick 3 out of that list. Attack them, or cast the wrong spell, and they’ll leave in a huff. (They featured in Chain of Memories as well, but you have to kill them with Warp to get their Enemy Card, as otherwise they just drop Premium and Roulette Bonuses.) Using the same spell on them three times in a row (before they can get bored and leave) will prompt them to reward Sora with the “Arts” of that spell. Show a complete set of Arts to Merlin, and he’ll give Goofy the Dream Shield. (The Dream Staff can be purchased from Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s shop, while the Dream Sword serves as the basis for the Ultima Weapon.)

Black Fungus: Evil Mushroom Heartless that spew poison and turn themselves to stone to make themselves invincible. Can be found anywhere White Mushrooms can show up.

Rare Truffles: Can be found in Monstro, Halloween Town, Neverland, and the End of the World. Bounce them high up into the air with aerial combos. Bounce them a set number of times to earn “Ranks” that can be resold for Munny. It shows up as a joke enemy in the Hercules Cup.

Pink Agaricus: a Heartless who just wants to dance. It will only spawn in rooms where all of the White Mushrooms are doing the “Stop” Charade permanently. Casting Stop will instantly placate any of these White Mushrooms, and pleasing all of them will summon the Pink Agaricus. Cast Stop, Stopra, or (preferably) Stopga on it and then whale on it. The more hits you get, the more it will dance. Once it starts dancing, it becomes impossible to hit. Once it finishes dancing, it rewards Sora and co with items. Can only be found in Deep Jungle or Atlantica.

The Mushroom Heartless are a recurring element in the series (White Mushrooms and Black Fungus show up in Chain of Memories), but aren’t really important to the overarching lore, thus why I skipped over them at first, but they’re still noteworthy enough that I PROBABLY should’ve mentioned them.

(Also, just so I don’t have to do something like this for Chain of Memories: the White Mushroom will only perform the Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder Charades in that game, and the reward is the same no matter what combo you do.)

Regardless, next time, we’ll be back to Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix!

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those mushrooms sound like some fun guys