#but still continuing the alphabetical sequencing

[thedragonagelesbian]

is there any greater satisfaction in life than working on a new character and finding their name and being like 'oh yeah. 100% thats it you are SO clicking into place'

[audliminal]

It's Just a Game, Right? Pt 4

Masterpost

"Okay, so like. We start with this video." Bernard says, bumping Tim's shoulder lightly. Huddling over a laptop together is a familiar experience; before they actually started dating they both regularly used laptop videos as an excuse to get close. It's a memory that Tim sort of cringes at, because now it seems so silly to be scared of Bernard not liking him back, and yet now he finds himself thinking back to those early days. The thrill of huddling together to solve a mystery is a little different from the thrill of being around your crush, but there's something there, a sort of excitement in questions yet to be answered.

"All right, hit me." And as Tim leans into Bernard a little harder, his boyfriend presses play.

The video is definitely weird. That much is immediately obvious. It seems to be a slideshow of pictures, complete with audio, but the pictures just seem off in a way that Tim can't describe and the audio is - it's a little sticky, but that is definitely Space Oddity, only it sounds kind of wrong like somebody's playing certain notes off key.

"Oh, that is definitely a Caesar cipher, huh?" Tim mutters. There's a line of text written beneath every photo in the little slideshow, but they're all garbled nonsense - it would seem entirely random, but Tim can already see a touch of pattern, some of the letters definitely appearing more common than others.

"Spy phase, huh?" Bernard teases. "I should've known you would already be on this stuff."

Tim grins and does his best to pretend he's not blushing. He's never been more grateful for his tendency to go overboard with his interests. The last thing he needs right now is Bernard asking questions about why he knows so much about code-breaking. Sure, he wants desperately to tell him all about Red Robin, but it's complicated with the rest of the family being implicated in your own identity.

The video continues in the same line for the whole duration of the song, then abruptly cuts off the second the last note of the song plays.

"Well, my first thought is that it seems kind of basic." Tim offers, at Bernard's expectant look.

"Right? Like when I first watched it I was kind of like what's the hype even about? But like, every video follows this general format, but the gradient of apparent code just keeps increasing, and it's like. What if there's more here and nobody ever realized they needed to look for it?"

"Okay well, the text has already been deciphered, right? So what does it say, and how'd they decode it."

"Here," Bernard switches tabs, to a document with screenshots of the various images. The first image was a simple photograph of a man, with the translated text reading Jonathan, January Thirteenth. The next photo, which was of an empty street, dusted with snow, read Hawthorn Way, Johnny's birthday. The rest of the photos followed in the same line. Simple labels describing who or what the photo showed and when they had been taken. None of the information seemed odd or suspicious, just the kind of photos that a family might take.

"Okay, it's a Caesar cipher, but each time the alphabet is being shifted a different amount."

"Yeah. And I already tried writing down the amounts in order to see if that meant anything but like.... No luck." Bernard gestures to his notes, where there is indeed a long number sequence.

"Okay, but how'd you solve it? Did anybody look for a clue to imply the shift or did they just brute force it?"

"I mean, there's literally websites that will run it for you, so I think people just did that." Tim hums, tapping his pen against his ear. The number sequence Bernard had shown him -

"None of the shifts are greater than eleven." Tim says. Bernard blinks, and glances back over his list.

"Huh. You're right, but what does that mean?"

"Means we need to figure out what's eleven." Tim reaches out and switches back the video and starts it again. The music still seems weird to him. He's no expert musician by any means, but he did take piano lessons for a bit when he was little, and more than that, he trusts his instincts. "There's only seven notes in a scale so it's not that..."

"A scale? Do you think there's something in the music? I mean other than it just being creepy?" Tim stares at Bernard.

"Bernard, you literally told me that you think it's all been more intentional than anyone realized. If that's true then the music definitely means something."

"Huh. Yeah, that is. Oh, we definitely needed new eyes on this, huh?" Bernard's huffs, then leans into Tim. "Okay well some the notes in the song are just straight up rank so maybe it's something to do with that?"

Tim hits play on the video again, focusing on the music. Six seconds in, a note hits, sounding very off.

"See?" Bernard says hitting pause. "It does that sometimes. Just plays a wrong note. I thought it was just to fuck with us, make us on edge, but maybe it means something?"

"We need the sheet music on this."

"Yeah? Do you know how to transcribe it?"

"Not reliably enough. But I know how to find someone who can."

"Babe, you're doing it again." Bernard laughs. "That could not have sounded more like Mafia energy if you tried."

"Oh my god, shut up."

[whencyclopedia]

Quipu

A Quipu (khipu) was a method used by the Incas and other ancient Andean cultures to keep records and communicate information using string and knots. In the absence of an alphabetic writing system, this simple and highly portable device achieved a surprising degree of precision and flexibility. Quipu could record dates, statistics, accounts, and even abstract ideas. Quipu are still used today across South America.

Quipu use a wide variety of colours, strings, and sometimes several hundred knots all tied in various ways at various heights. These combinations can even represent, in abstract form, key episodes from traditional folk stories and poetry. In recent years scholars have also challenged the traditional view that quipu were merely a memory aid device and go so far as to suggest that quipu may have been progressing towards narrative records and so becoming a viable alternative to written language just when the Inca Empire collapsed.

Method

A typical quipu consists of a horizontal string or even wooden bar, from which hang any number of knotted and coloured strings made from either cotton or wool. Some of the larger quipu have as many as 1500 strings, and these could also be woven in different ways suggesting this, too, had a meaning. The various colour shades used could also carry a specific meaning. So, too, the type of knot, the position of it on the string, the total number of knots and the sequence of the knots could all combine to create a potentially huge number of meanings. The whole method was based on a decimal positional system, with the largest decimal used being 10,000. The Inca mathematical system was almost exactly the same as our own system in use today. The numbers or units in the system on a particular quipu are indicated by the strings furthest from the primary string, acting as a sort of key.

Different types of knot had different meanings. For example, a knot could indicate a number from one to nine by the turns of string within the knot, a figure-of-eight knot could indicate a fixed value, a 'granny' knot equalled ten, and a string missing a knot signified zero. Secondary strings could also hang from any single string and these could indicate that this string was an exception or of secondary importance to the other strings. Finally, individual quipu could join with others in a specific and meaningful sequence.

Naturally, to maximise the quipu's potential for information storage, it was better to have an accompanying oral record and so there grew a body of experts or masters, the khipu kamayuq (also quipucamayos). These individuals memorized the oral account which fully explained a particular quipu and, as the job was hereditary, the oral part was passed from generation to generation. There was a certain pressure attached to the job, however, as lapses in memory could be severely punished.

Continue reading...

[moon-swag-tourney]

please tell me about your blorbos/myshows i have questions

these are all the series/characters i want to hear more about,,, don't fret if your blorbo isn't on here, some of them i just don't want spoilers for, and others are from things I'm already a fan of!

this is. kind of long bc im curious about a lot of things. but if you spot your guy in here feel free to send me an ask or respond to this!! also this is just in alphabetical order lmao

The main things I'm looking for are:

About the character

The premise of the series theyre in

Please assume this has spoilers, btw!

Aruru Otsuki - Revue Starlight

tbh I don't understand what kind of franchise revue starlight is so that's my first question. But I also see that a lot of people love her and i wanna know what's up with that!! i heard a lot about her experiencing potential found family trauma and that's always interesting to see

Bayonetta

this is kind of a weird one bc tbh bayonetta is rlly popular as is, and it's something i've been wanting to get into for awhile, so my main question is: is it inappropriate for minors or could i watch it and if so what's the best order/sequence to watch the games in??

Cure Moonlight / Yuri Tsukikaga - Heartcatch Precure

tbh im just gay on this one. but I saw a lot of love for her even when she had zero propaganda so i wanna know what makes her so beloved by the precure fans?? and tbh if the precure she's in isn't too long i'll probably watch it

Hisoka Mikage - A3!

I'm gonna let you guys on a secret. this dude is the reason I wanted to make this. he only had one submission but on top of being a long one the amnesia storyline just appeals so deeply to me please tell me how I can absorb info about him and/or watch canon events of him oh my god

Judith - Tales of Vesperia

i think i mentioned it in the ask about her but she's seem interesting!! and im always down for some sapphic storylines!! a lot of it is just that ive heard the tales of vesperia name but never really knew what it was, but off of the descriptions i do have i could enjoy it and wanna hear what exactly it's about?

Moonlight Cookie - Cookie Run

i've. tried to get into cookie run before. but i just couldn't bring myself to care. so i guess my question is can you guys please tell me about how she's a lesbian, as someone who has zero bias whatsoever (lying i am a lesbian) and also just what appeals to you about the story so i can maybe give it a second shot?

Sigma Klim - Zero Escape

listen im all for mastermind plots, even if I know the plottwist going into it. ive seen fanart of 999 from an artist i've admired for awhile and it looks like it could be interesting but i don't know what the series is about so please tell me if you don't mind,,

Sirius Gibson - Witch's Heart

im a sucker for games with different endings, and also a sucker for small indie games that have a lot of passion put into them. i'm not actually sure if that's what this, but that's what i assume it is, and it looks interesting enough to give a chance either way? but i don't

Ursula Callistis / Shining Chariot - Little Witch Academia

so uh. fun fact. one of my siblings actually tried to get me into little witch academia once! and then we never continued bc i guessed the plot twist of the teacher being shining chariot, but that was very early on before i'd really gotten attached to anyone. what im trying to say is if you can pitch the writing and/or characters of this that would be epic sldkjf

Vanitas of the Blue Moon - Vanitas no Carte

i honestly can't remember what appealed to me about em off the top of my head, but it mightve been that one post with the gifs going a bit more into the lore of the story? as of now im just a sucker for the aesthetic but i wanna hear more about the premise to see if its my kind of story sdljf

Yue / Yukito Tsukishiro - Card Captor Sakura

i actually have friends who are fans of ccs! well. friends of friends im not super close to but it still counts! i wanna hear more about them bc tbh i both think he could be interesting and im sure said friends would appreciate it :'D i also just don't know a lot about ccs premise though, if you'd like to offer that instead!

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 16- Part 4

I remember, we go back up north and to the right and then-

OOOOH!~ Further proof of how blessed this area is! And I have a Net Ball, this is perfect!

First, some precautions. Paralysis!

And then damage it with Decibel and Bite!

And now we deploy the Net Ball!

Now, as for what to name it…oh, I know!

Monarch! Mostly for Vivillon, not only because butterflies, but because I’m sure those Shiny-colored wings are going to look magnificent.

So now, we continue onwards…

Yes…at last, we meet again! And this time, you’re not avoiding me!

Now let’s see what this next PULSE is going to be-

Oh my gosh, this process is literally killing the poor thing! That’s what happens when your organs stop, because they’re not supposed to do that! It’s practically a zombie at this point!

…Wait- if this is the end of the purification process, why is this Tangrowth labeled with “A”, and the early-stage one was “C”? Shouldn't it be the other way around if it’s a sequence? Not only are they trying to co-opt Team Rocket’s motto, but the Meteors also don’t know the alphabet! Outrageous!

But as for how to actually fight this thing…well, its Defense is already really good, and Stamina will make it even better. So what I’m getting from this is that we wanna attack it with Special moves instead of Physical. It’s typing also reminds me of Cradily…but unlike back then, we’ve got a Pokémon that won’t immediately die to Grass or Rock attacks! And uses Special moves! So Crater’s gonna be key for this.

Anyways, heading back and continuing to the right to find anything still unexplored, and…well, it’s the same dead end as before, but here’s something I didn’t notice last time.

Standing right up to the vine or root like this, and if you look all the way to the upper right, you can actually see the PULSE machine, somewhat. So close, yet so far…

But now…well, I really am kinda at a loss for what to do now, or at least where to go next. I’ve been everywhere I could go, and everywhere else is blocked off in some way. But that can’t be all there is to this place, there’s still that one tree we need to cut down! So what’s next? Maybe I really do need to go to that one house…? But it’s nowhere near the PULSE or the tree, so how would that help? Do I actually need to look at the Rhodochrine Jungle map to find out where to go next???

No, no- maybe if I just look at my screenshots and commentary from the last part, maybe I’ll spot something I missed. Lemme see- 

(A few moments later…)

So, there is one place I didn’t actually look at yet, and I sorta forgot about it until now. Another staircase in the Underroot- this one, by the white Poké Ball item!

So this has to lead to the Cut tree, right? There’s literally no other place to look, as far as I’ve been able to tell.

Is that…an alternate exit from the jungle? I mean…it’s not exactly what I was looking for, but it’s still something new, so there’s no use ignoring it.

Oh- this must be the half of Beryl Ward we couldn’t get to before because the roads were all blocked by vines. Hello, new street sign!

“Little Poe”? Man, they’re really stretching for some of these street names now- 

So it looks like there’s really only two places to see, this one pink building and something to the left.

And this rock with a bottle of vitamins.

I’ll check out this pink building first, assuming we can even go inside of it.

We can! Fancy-looking building, lots of bookshelves…is this a library?

But speaking of the bookshelves, I see a TM up there- there must be a way to parkour up on the shelves then, right?

OH HECK! Field Effect Read-Out! Now I really wanna parkour on the bookshelves! Can’t really do that from down here, though- but there are some stairs over there!

Yeeeah, broken railings save the day! This is definitely a safe thing to do!

Incredible. Now we use the stairs on the other side to get on the bookshelves on that side, and then…!

I’m sorry- “Corrosive Field”? I…greatly dislike the sound of that! But it sounds very similar to that Corrosive Mist field I remember being mentioned with regards to Misty Terrain, so…are they related? Corrosive Field, Corrosive Mist…still don’t like the sound of either of those.

But anyways, there are a few doorways too, so…well, we’re on the right side, so might as well investigate the one on the right first.

Oh, hello Growlithe! What’s this guy doing here? Is there a police officer nearby? There’s still one more to find, after all.

Well, we’ll interact with it after I pick up this item here.

A WHAT NOW?? Pardon me??

WHAT. What purpose could this possibly serve?? Okay!! I guess we just…have this now!! That’s cool!

Okay, that’s…interesting. I swear, if Xera ends up falling down this hole just like she got sent down the Nuzleaf pitfalls, I’m going to throw myself into a centrifuge-

Previous

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[filmfanaticfables1990]

The Evolution Of Axel Foley: A Journey Through The Beverly Hills Cop Trilogy

The Beverly Hills Cop trilogy, starring the charismatic Eddie Murphy as the street-smart Detroit detective Axel Foley, has left an indelible mark on the action-comedy genre. Each installment offers a unique glimpse into the evolution of both the character and the franchise, reflecting the changing landscape of Hollywood and societal attitudes over a decade.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984): A Groundbreaking Blend Of Comedy And Action

The original Beverly Hills Cop (1984) is a landmark film that catapulted Eddie Murphy to superstardom. Directed by Martin Brest, the movie follows Axel Foley as he travels to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of his friend. The film's success lies in its perfect blend of action and comedy, with Murphy's improvisational skills and infectious energy driving the narrative.

The film's appeal is rooted in its subversion of genre expectations. Axel Foley, a black detective from Detroit, navigates the opulent and predominantly white world of Beverly Hills with wit and audacity. This juxtaposition not only provides comedic moments but also subtly critiques social and racial dynamics. The film's ability to balance humor with a compelling crime story set a new standard for action comedies.

Beverly Hills Cop 2 (1987): A Sequel Struggling With Identity

Beverly Hills Cop 2 (1987), directed by Tony Scott, attempts to recapture the magic of the original but falls short in several areas. While the film boasts a bigger budget and more elaborate action sequences, it lacks the charm and originality of its predecessor. The plot revolves around Axel Foley returning to Beverly Hills to solve a series of Alphabet Crimes and avenge the shooting of his friend, Captain Bogomil.

One of the critical issues with the sequel is its tonal inconsistency. The film oscillates between serious action and forced humor, often failing to strike the right balance. Eddie Murphy's portrayal of Axel Foley becomes more abrasive, losing some of the character's initial likability. Despite these shortcomings, the film still offers moments of entertainment, particularly through the chemistry between Murphy and his co-stars, Judge Reinhold and John Ashton.

Beverly Hills Cop 3 (1994): A Franchise In Decline

By the time Beverly Hills Cop 3 (1994) was released, the franchise had lost much of its original luster. Directed by John Landis, the film sees Axel Foley investigating a counterfeit money operation at a California amusement park. The plot is convoluted, and the film struggles to find its footing between action and comedy.

One of the most significant criticisms of the third installment is its lack of coherence and originality. The film's attempts at humor often fall flat, and the action sequences lack the excitement of the previous films. Eddie Murphy's performance, once the franchise's saving grace, feels tired and uninspired. The absence of the original producers, Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, is palpable, as the film lacks the high-energy production values that defined the earlier entries.

Conclusion: The Legacy Of Beverly Hills Cop

The Beverly Hills Cop trilogy serves as a fascinating case study in the evolution of a film franchise. The original film's groundbreaking success set a high bar that the sequels struggled to meet. While Beverly Hills Cop 2 and Beverly Hills Cop 3 have their moments, they ultimately highlight the challenges of maintaining a franchise's momentum and staying true to its core appeal.

Eddie Murphy's portrayal of Axel Foley remains iconic, and the character's journey from Detroit to Beverly Hills continues to resonate with audiences. The trilogy's blend of action, comedy, and social commentary ensures its place in cinematic history, even as it serves as a reminder of the difficulties in sustaining a successful film series.

[mynm3217journey]

Final Assignment Commentary: Brand Style Guide

Thought Process

For this final assignment, I chose to create a self-identity brand style guide. I was inspired by my MBTI personality type: ISTJ-T (the turbulent logistician). ISTJ-Ts are known to be reliable, responsible and practical and I aimed to embody those values through my logo and overall design of the brand style guide. With that in mind, I envisioned a rather minimalistic guide that effectively communicates my dependability and pragmatism, which I felt were important traits of mine that I wanted to communicate to prospective employers.

Creating the Brand Style Guide

Logo

Taking inspiration from abstract symbols as logos, I wanted to create a logo that featured my name. I first looked at modern Arabic calligraphy styles (like the ones below 👇🏼) and I tried to recreate something like that using latin alphabets instead of Arabic alphabets.

Some of my initial prototypes include:

Ultimately, I felt that they were too complex and didn't really fit with my minimalistic vision. So I started looking at shapes like squares, rectangles and circles to see which shape worked best. I decided that circles were the best because not only do the lack of edges give a very clean and uniform look but also it symbolises a sense of wholeness, unity and stability. Some of my circle logo prototypes include:

I was leaning towards the last one because of it's symmetry but during the feedback session, many of my classmates said that the focus is on the "N" while the two "H"s seem to be neglected. Many of my classmates and even my instructor prefer the first one as it is more stylistic but still minimalistic. My classmates and instructor suggest that I vary the weights of the lines in the logo so that the logo looks more dynamic and add colours or patterns to the logo. Following that, I added the various colours from my colour palette to the logo and the final product looks like this:

Business Card

As for the business card, I initially had two different ideas for the back of the card (as shown below 👇🏼). The top one features a colour block design using the various colours in my logo in the same sequence while the bottom one is more of a monogram type of design using my logo.

I settled on the colour block one since it is in line with my minimalistic vision yet it still communicates the ISTJ-T values through the choice of colours.

On the other side of the card, where my details are, I experimented with different levels of opacity for my logo, which I included in the background of the card.

Initially, I tried 30% opacity but the dark blue in the logo was still rather opaque and I felt that the contrast between the dark blue and the black of the text wasn't so stark so I reduced the opacity to 13%.

In the final business card, the logo is shifted to the right side of the card to provide more balance since my details are clustered on the left-hand side of the card. The final product of the business card looks like this:

Resume

As for the resume, I struggled greatly with the layout. I wanted to include a biography, information about my work experience, education, co-curricular activities and skills/languages.

During the critique session on Canvas, I brought up my concern about the symmetry of the resume. The slight asymmetry between the left-hand and right-hand sides made me slightly uncomfortable, but at the same time, there's some balance between both sides. Furthermore, if they were to be symmetrical, the resume would be wordy and off-putting. My classmates pointed out that the resume is indeed wordy and I can consider adding more pictorial elements to break up the monotony. For instance, I could include icons for the apps under the "skills" section instead of writing it in words.

My instructor suggested that I could incorporate the colour block design from the business card in the resume (and throughout the guide too) to enhance brand continuity. Taking all of the feedback into account, the final product looks like this:

Colour Palette

These are the colours that I have chosen for my brand:

Firstly, I decided on the colours that I wanted like blue and green. Blue is commonly associated with reliability, responsibility and dependability while green is commonly associated with structure, organisation, practicality. All of these values are on brand for an ISTJ-T. Following that, yellow was a contrast colour suggested by my instructor when I consulted him about my colour palette. Black is chosen as an accent colour. Following that, I went to a website called coolors to generate different shades of blue, green and yellow so I could pick out the best ones for my brand. Below is a screenshot of the colour palette generated by coolors 👇🏼. From there, I converted the hex numbers into CMYK, tweaked them accordingly and used them for my logo.

Typography

Following my minimalistic vision, I wanted to use sans serif fonts for my guide since they are clean looking. I researched sans serif fonts and settled on a few: Helvetica, Open Sans, Lato and Roboto but the Windows version of Adobe InDesign didn't have them so I had to look through the font catalogue and choose from the available sans serif fonts. From there, I settled on Acumin Variable Concept for Titles and headers and Franklin Gothic Book for body text.

However, during the critique session, my classmates pointed out that the two fonts look quite similar to one another. One of my classmates suggested that I could consider a different sans serif font to replace one of them like Impact. From there, I looked through the catalogue of fonts on the Mac version of InDesign and settled on Helvetica Neue for titles and headers and Avenir Next for body. They are both clean and minimalistic sans serif fonts that are distinct from each other (as far as my vision goes). Together, the fonts look like this:

Adobe Workspace

Here are some screenshots of my workspace on Adobe InDesign and Illustrator.

Conclusion

All in all, this assignment topped off the module and allowed me to utilise all that I have learned this semester. I won't lie, this assignment was the most difficult of all because I had to create something from scratch and it had me in tears at one point. Nevertheless, having completed it, it feels like a great accomplishment.

[roserens2170]

Week 2

This marks week 2 of the Graphic Design class as we are making much steadier progress into the project with an overview of the Adobe InDesign Software we are using.

I have come up with three ideas I am putting into practice for my final idea. Here are the modified sketches from my initial thumbnails.

The first design is supposed to give a layout like a traditional keyboard with the alphabet in its place and the numbers above them and the unlabeled keys being the special keyboard symbols. One concern is about fitting the special symbols on the keyboard space with the letters because if they are placed above the numbers like the sketch depicts, it may not look authentic and if I try to divide them into one box, it might cause a little confusion to the viewer if it doesn't look clear. Though I am looking forward to exploring the idea of putting the extra details of keys that wouldn't have their place taken by photos of resembling subjects.

The second design is supposed to resemble a paintbrush with streaks of paint behind it in a style similar to pointillism or pixel art. I am considering putting borders around the images with color that would further the design to look like a paint brush. Not certain if I want to continue with the sketch's design of different sized borders for the pictures because it may look a little out of sorts, but I am also worried if they are all the same size, it might appear too blocky. I am certainly interested to see if the pictures put in would change that issue, though.

The third design is a little more basic compared to the other two because of its simple shape of a pyramid. The simplicity would make it a bit easier to visually understand with the sequence of letters to numbers to symbols descending from left to right. My only concern with this design is that it may not be creative enough for the equally important criteria of the assignment and myself.

Well, I have quite a few things to consider for these challenges, But I am looking forward to sorting out those concerns during our class workshop, as well as seeing how everyone else is approaching our assignment. Here a few more resemblance photos I plan on using in this project final version.

This snapshot of a truck shows a shape on its back that I believe resembles the number 1.

This tree's branches would be a bit more obscure for its shape, but I was able to spot a shape in the center of the photo where the curved branches cluster, and it seems to resemble an ampersand: &

This tree was a little more straight forward with how it resembles a capital "Y."

I am planning on utilizing all these photos and the many more I have gathered to put this project together to meet the standards of the assignment and still make it something I can look at and say that I made that with pride like I do with anything that requires a large amount of work.

[starry-skies-116]

Part 3 of GregEvan Character Analysis (FNAF Project Samsara AU):

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Vague descriptions of gore/blood, PTSD, panic attack and mental breakdown symptoms: also, existential crisis, religious imagery, mention of psychedelic lucid dreams and nightmares involving said religious imagery, gaining awareness (horror ig)

Part 5- Starting Over:

Okay. The failsafe worked. Everything worked- everything went according to plan. The memories were encrypted and stored in the back of the mind for both safekeeping and later retrieval, and both separated segments went to sleep as a part of the reset sequence- the atman didn´t self-destruct. 

The bah and the ren, plus segments of the kah and some scattered elements of the shut are present within the computer chip stored Fredbear, which in turn is stored inside Gregory- the reincarnated robotic vessel meant to serve as the new khet, while the sah, the ib, and the sekhem are stored within the Fredbear animatronic. Everything is okay, everything is fine.

So… what now?

Well… when Gregory awakens for the second time after the events of Software Instability, he is… confused, to say the least.

Memories have not yet begun to return to him, but questions are starting to surface to his head amidst the fuzziness and the pain: Who am I? What was I even built for in the first place?

Within this universe, Gregory is well aware of his true nature- that he´s not normal, that it would be dangerous if he met anyone and revealed his secret to them at that present moment.

Gregory at this point is lethargic, beginning to suffer the effects of exhaustion and starvation, even though he´s been asleep for nearly sixty years to recover his energy. There´s no food in the room, save for a few pieces of expired, wrapped up Sundrop candies and a disgustingly warm and overly carbonated bottle of Fizzy Faz- a serving of meager portions that he begrudgingly accepts as his meal. 

After eating, I like to think that he tries to explore, only to trip and unceremoniously fall into a wooden box filled with writing utensils, unlit candles and sticky notes. His consciousness hasn´t fully returned to him, some of his most crucial fragments still asleep in the back of his mind- he does not yet know how to read, write, or draw in normal alphabetic characters. And yet the first thing he does when he glances upon the myriad of strange supplies he falls into is take out a pastel-turquoise coloured sticky note, click the pen he now grasps in his hand, faintly feeling along it´s texture, and writes something, watching in fascination and awe as the ink carves itself into the paper, writing intricate characters of binary:

01110111 01101000 01111001 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01101001

Translating to: ¨Why is I?¨

As in the question of ¨Why am I alive? What was I created for? What, or who, am I meant to be?¨ Again, a recurring question that pops up in Gregory´s mind time and time again. He doesn´t know how to write like he used to, even though he doesn't know how he used to be. And yet, he feels as though such things should be obvious to him, almost blatantly obvious. He´s frustrated- how bothersome! It is as though he knows, and yet he doesn´t. Why must some things be so obscure?

Either way, he is tired- thinking drains a lot more energy than he would expect or like, so he merely curls up, lies down, and goes to sleep. And for a couple of days, his daily routine remains the same as his first day trapped within the sticky note room- he behaves like a small, semi-docile animal holed away in its den. He hunts and scavenges for any food that may be hiding away in the safety of his sticky note room, sniffing out food, and he continues to sleep when he´s not scavenging in an effort to gather energy.

(No joke- in my AU this robot ate a decaying rat one day).

Gregory is confused, disoriented and scared- scared of why this is happening. He actively writes on other sticky notes over the days in crude, haphazard and barely legible binary strings- "Hide." "No Hide."

A depiction of a perfectly punctuated plan.

For the longest time, this is what seems like the life of Gregory- scavenge and hunt, eat, sleep, scribble occasionally on the notes in frustration after nothing comes to him, then rinse and repeat.

That is, until he receives his first vision in the form of a lucid, psychedelic nightmare.

The smell of decay lingers on his nostrils. Every time he closes his eyes, there´s a strong sense of vertigo, as if he´s free-falling, perpetually adrift through a chasm of abyssal, infinite black steeped in the soft glow of the embers of twilight and dusk.

He recalls once more- he falls through darkness and flies through light- body aflame and alight, burning brighter the stars, the fire never going out.

An obelisk, a triad of birds encircling the top above as the clouds swirl at the tip, glistening and as sharp as the end of a sword. The black, impeccably smooth obsidian surface reflected obscure, cryptic hieroglyphs carved painstakingly into the surface, the surface prismic and iridescent with flecks of color visible on the cold metal.

A sarcophagus entombed deep within the ground, outside the reaches of the ever-changing world.

A once clear sky littered with the stars speckled across the countless celestial bodies spanning across heaven´s black, now clouded with storms and lightning. The water´s surface yet still remains serene as the thunder crackles in the distance- butterflies of pure light flutter around him as far as the eye can see, and seemingly luminescent lotus flowers tickle his toes as they float lazily atop the surface of the endless ocean, perfectly still.

Alone, slumbering in the space between now and forever, he drifts.

And that brings him to the question… why? What sort of cryptic imagery that made his heart ache and throb could possibly invoke such emotion, why were the past and futures he never bore witness to somehow in his mind?

He digs deeper- even though the effort tries to rip him apart, he continues to dig, shuffling around desperately in the back of his mind for an answer. He has to know, he NEEDS to know!

A few days of a bone-deep ache later, like hard coils of chains were wrapped tightly around his head trying to asphyxiate his brain, he finds something amidst the blackness of the mist enshrouding his mind.

The surroundings enshrouded in light- three figures smiling with joy and pride at the magical little thing below them, full of warmth and life, babbling its first breath into the waking world.

“Daddy?” a young boy speaks in a thick British accent- a voice some emotion was tied to. “Can we keep him?”

“He’s your brother, Michael,” an older, more smoother voice responds. “Of course we can keep him.”

The lights flash and distort- the colors invert, and Gregory is back in his room again- no longer feeling warm or full, how the memory made him feel. The loneliness and the frigid, gnawing sense of emptiness is eating him from within once more. He tilts his head. 

He feels the name roll around and off his lips, forming itself into existence from nothingness as it vibrated in his throat, echoing and cushioned in his mind by hazy fondness. “Mi…chael. Michael.”

Hm- how curious… as far as he knew, none of those mechanics were named Michael.

“Who’s… Michael?” the young, brunette robot boy stutters his thoughts aloud with what limited speaking ability he possesses at this point. Who was Michael? Who could this strange ‘Michael’ character possibly be to him? As far as he knew, Michael was a stranger- a name he hadn’t met. Whoever could he be?

And yet… a strange sense of deja vu- a great depth of emotion was tied to the sight of him. He felt pain and love, longing and regret, fondness and admiration, and all things in between, continuing to gaze into the boy’s ocean blue eyes swirling like glimmering, sun-lit currents gazing so lovingly into him, cradling him in his arms with the promise of protection and eternal love.

A love bound and sealed by blood and soul in kind.

Gregory sighs, rubbing his throbbing temples and letting a sigh seep through his clenched teeth, exhaling out his frustration… until his posture shoots ramrod straight, eyes wide, palms unfurled.

“He’s your brother, Michael.”

That figure… that figure looking down upon him- was he referring to…?

No, no- that couldn’t be.

His entire body quakes- the ground spins like gears beneath him. The word echoes in his head, cushioned by the hazy clouds and condensated pillows of disbelief.

Brother. Brother brother brother.

He’s family. An older brother.

Another word flashes to his mind- a surname. Afton. Michael Afton.

Hasty and tripping over himself more times than he can count, stumbling frantically with every step, he scrambles to another sticky note- a purple and a red one, respectively, before he whips out the pen once more and begins to scribble and write every thought in his waking mind, converging and then dispersing like the dewdrops glimpsing the first morning light.

¨You are Afton Family.¨

Followed by a set of two smiling faces.

Hours of sleeping and laying dormant in his nest later, yet another face comes to mind- the face of a fair skinned girl tinted with a peach blush and translucent freckles underneath her cheeks, donning a ginger shade of blonde hair and glimmering green eyes glistening with gemstones of chartreuse and the purest jade.

He scrambles to the last sticky note to draw a third face.

His beloved little sister, the third face. Elizabeth Afton. The three siblings, together and happy.

Gregory´s heart swells from within with a strange ache of pain and longing, crackling and flickering like a firework from within. When was the last time he had seen them… where were they, at this present moment, if they were not by his side? 

He begins to draw more- a house on one sticky note, to provide a roof above their heads. A semi-crude map to Fredbear´s from their house to the doors- not that he knew why these places were special to him, anyways- but more and more memories were beginning to take hold, coming back to him.

Soon, nearly the entire room, even the floor he walks upon- is covered with a thin sheet of sticky notes with haphazard, childish musings of a past life scribbled onto them. He adorns them with lit candles, the melted wax sticking to the polymer paper and the gentle golden glow illuminating the otherwise dim and dilapidated room- as if this were a sacred place.

If so, then the heads of the decommissioned staff bots that fell down the chute nearby must’ve been offerings, he silently mouths to himself, chuckling at the positively silly thought.

More and more days pass, days that Gregory doesn´t bother counting- not when he had more important things to do, like remembering. Days stretch out into weeks, the time within illuminated by his frequent pastimes of drawing, programming, writing, creating countless things despite the ache in his stomach wailing for food like an infant animal. Weeks stretch out into months, which probably extended into a year or two. Over time, the stench of garbage and rusting metal becomes the stench of a new home.

Seven tally marks- seven faces, all for his friends.

Three slices of cake, one for him, two for his siblings. Three slices of pizza as well. Words repeated three times- home home home, fun fun fun, play play play.

Gregory had almost forgotten how cake tasted in his mouth- the salt and grease of classic cheeze Pizza, takeout from Fredbear´s Family Diner. He ponders the whereabouts of his plastic blue toy telephone, the Fredbear Plushie he would always carry around.

His soul longed to be whole- to return home. To his real home- his house, his neigborhood and community and town of Hurricane, Utah- like he totally didn´t just remember that two seconds ago.

Family. Family family family.

The back of his eyes hurt, throbbing with a dull ache that pierce and penetrate his temples as if someone were poking him in the head rather brutally and insistently. His fingers run through his hair, attempting to mitigate the effects of thinking so hard.

Where could it all have gone wrong…?

Where could it have all fallen apart?

He gets his answer on the day he can hear a party going on upstairs- the party for someone obviously not him.

Not him.

Gregory blinks. A grave mistake.

A flash- the lights, the balloons, the stage. Black linoleum floors sprinkled with rainbow confetti, the posters of colorful animal mascots plastered on the walls.

¨I can´t believe you need a girl to defend you…¨

He blinks again

Shoved against the muzzle of a bear- tears blurring the sides of his vision, heavy against his eyes. Blue, green, yellow, red- the lights above the stage as the world comes crashing down and collapses beneath his feet. His feet, dangling above the floor.

The party was all for me.

¨You heard the little man- he wants to get even closer, haha!¨

What…?

Pleas for mercy- screams that beg for a life to be spared. Miscellaneous voices in the background- the commotion trying to observe what was going on at the stage where Fredbear remained singing.

¨No! Stop, I don´t wanna go!¨

¨P-Please, Michael, I´m scared!¨

Wails, followed by laughter.

A crunch and a thud.

Red against matted golden fur- the laughter and squeals stop, the room is dead silent.

All for me.

He blinks again- an action he pays dearly for.

Gregory falls through darkness, he wings through light- he zips through countless pasts, presents and futures before the unceremonious thud of the floor befalls him and he loses sight of everything he´s ever known- the world crumbles into ash and blows away in a nonexistent wind, as if the hole in his heart had been scooped out that very moment. 

One moment, he´s a prokaryotic, single-celled organism floating amidst the creation of life newborn, awakening amidst a moment of stillness in the relentless chaos and fire.

Another moment, a butterfly whose wings had been clipped no longer, as he was free to fly away- his wings every shade of all the colors in the world, alight.

The next moment- a boy being screamed at by his father, disciplined over running away from home because it was too much and he was crying all the time.

No gravity, no light, no sound. Endless, vast and incomprehensible nothingness.

Gregory blinks yet another time, and the days have passed, the sticky notes already having the events from those horrific, psychedelic nightmares drawn on them. ¨God,¨ he whispers, practically croaking the words out- he doesn´t know why he´s invoking such a name, perhaps to draw on his strength. His eyes blur- and before he knows it, he´s screaming.

Shrieking with laughter, with grief, with pain and lost love- of the rifts in his heart that deepened with every sob that tore itself loose from his throat and ribs, as he cried so hard that his chest began to hurt.

Every memory in his mind- the screams he didn´t realize were coming from him- his own throat, his own lungs. He curls into his knees, pressing his fingers to his sternum, his knees to his forehead, heels to his buttocks and screams into the dampening skin slick with tears.

No, no, no, no, no.

You´re just a problem with no solution- an over-emotional brat and an embarrassment to the Afton name.

His Father´s voice. He lets out a primal growl crossed with a high-pitched whine of distress, the sound animalistic, nigh bestial.

He covers his ears, skin slapping against his temples as he cries his surroundings away, the ground beneath and sky above melting, until there was nothing left but him and the sticky notes, and the starry abyss encroaching all.

Just let it out.

Let it out… and then let it go.

He screams.

Even as he boxes up a poster perfectly for Fredbear’s Family Diner, even as the silo of the perfect, spitting image of his family sits before him- arranged like a family at dinner, a recreation of all he ever wanted- he continues to cry.

After all, he has always been a crybaby- his heart too big for his body.

So he places it outside in a box for his family- the statues, in a place where no one can see.

The perfect plan.

[thatlastdanceofchances]

April Torchwood round-up

The April Torchwood audios are on the Torchwood EU website.

No particular content warnings for the Torchwood One: Nightmares box-set.

My Guest Tonight is a fascinating and chilling story. The ending is surprising and absolutely perfect. Brilliant writing, brilliant acting, loved it!

The concept in Lola is really interesting but as it’s introduced half-way through, I like the second half far better than the first. The first half feels very run-of-the-mill for Torchwood One. So not bad but nothing that blew my mind either.

Less Majesty has so many good lines (some of them that I had to write down while listening - see below the cut). And the acting and the editing make it perfect. It is fun and perfectly executed. A delight from start to finish! The opening sequence is hilarious and you think they won’t be able to maintain this level of chaotic energy throughout…but they do!

Misogyny is basically the subject matter of April’s monthly, Infidel Places. This particular brand of misogyny is often unknown and it is important but not handled subtly at all. I found the plot very predictable and therefore not that interesting. I don’t mind predictable plots in my Torchwood audios if there are good character moments. But it’s very light on character development. Still, I really liked the last dialogue so it ended on a good note for me.

Next month: Toshiko looking extremely badass (and sexy. I am looking respectfully.) in War Chest.

Spoilers for Less Majesty below the cut!

Some sample of great Less Majesty lines:

Yvonne revealing a corpse: "Tadaa! I mean should I tada? I don't really know what else to do."

Tommy: "How many people have you stabbed?" Yvonne: "I've never killed anyone in my life!" Ianto: *coughs* Yvonne: "I've never knifed anyone in my life!” *pauses* “Well, not to death."

Ianto: "Instant is fffffffffffffffine"

Also, the saga of Ianto and alphabetical food continues...

[justletmeplayminecraft]

Hermitcraft Great British Bake Off AU

(Or the Great British Baking Show outside the UK)

With the start of a new series, I thought I'd compile this AU I came up with a while ago. Big shout out to @skywillsometimeswrite who helped me brainstorm nearly all of this (and accidentally got into the series sorry. Time to get emotional over bakers again.) 

It's Great British Bake Off, where the hermits take the place of the contestants, judges and some of the crew (with the recap boys as the hosts!) It follows the structure of the show, but to add maximum fluffiness, nobody leaves and the show works on a point system instead. The loser of each week does the washing up. (Not that the winner matters, this is all about the shenanigans.) Further explanations and what role each hermit fills with a short bio is under the cut!

The recording structure follows the usual routine. It takes place over several weeks, with the recording happening at the weekend. They stay at a hotel over the weekend. On the Saturday they record the Signature Challenge and the Technical. On the Sunday they film the Showstopper. Each week is themed, with the challenges fitting into that theme. The themes are often based around a certain kind of baking (pastry, bread, chocolate) but sometimes around time periods, places, or diets. I recommend googling or watching an episode of the show but a brief explanation of the challenges:

The Signature Challenge: They're given a certain thing (cake, pastry, biscuit, etc) to create. They've been able to practice at home. This is the opportunity to show personality and a home-cooked, rustic style with tried and tested bakes.

The Technical: The Judges take turns each week to set a recipe for an often uncommon bake. The recipe is bare-bones and the bakers have to use their intuition and knowledge about baking to create what's intended. This round is unpractised, and judged blind, with the judges outside the tent for the duration. The aim is to perfectly replicate the recipe given and that's how they're judged.

The Showstopper: A chance to bring out the big guns! They're often given a theme and a type of bake and then the contestants can go wild. The aim is to create something of professional quality, that makes the judges go 'wow' and still tastes good. Also practiced over the week, though sometimes less due to the size of the bakes.

Now onto the hermits:

The Judges are TFC and Biffa. TFC is the friendlier of the two. He does his best to find positives in bakes, although he enjoys making jokes about things that go wrong. Most of the contestants come to think of him as a grandad. Biffa gives more thorough criticism, but it helps the contestants improve a lot and is tailored towards the advice they need. They enjoy talking to the contestants about their bakes and lives outside the tent, both on and off camera. They've both had long careers in the industry.

The Hosts are our recap boys, Pixelriffs and Zloy. They're a dynamic duo in front of the camera, riffing off each other and the contestants naturally. They have a good balance of improvisation and planned skits. Zloy will doodle scenes from the tent during their downtime.

In alphabetical order, the Contestants:

1. Beef: Works as a butcher. It's often joked about, and not helped by him spilling red food colouring on his apron early in the series. He's incredibly good at piping and often creates artworks on top of his bakes for decoration. Absolutely smashes any biscuit decoration.

2. Cleo: Works as a teacher. Ironically, has to be censored at least once an episode and continuously hopes none of her students watch. It's hard to tell what she's doing until the last minute when she pulls it all together. She enjoys making little figures from fondant or rice crispy marshmallow mix.

3. Cub: Runs a sports equipment company. He likes coming up with creative solutions to the challenges and surprises the others by how focused he can become once in the zone. He has a deadpan sense of humour and a willingness to commit to bits. Often banters with Scar.

4. Etho: His job seems to change every time he mentions it. It never fails to catch the others off guard. He rarely explains his bakes, and his ability to mix flavours that shouldn't work but somehow do is infuriating. Sometimes, as he waits for things to bake, he uses the free time to play music on the baking equipment.

5. False: Works as a bodyguard. She says the details of her job are classified and never brings it up again. Nobody is sure if she's joking, but she's built. She's a very precise builder, with perfectionist tendencies that can sometimes come back to bite her if she focuses on them too much. She jumps between different themes with ease when decorating.

6. Grian: Works as an architect. He's fond of going big with his bakes, trying to push the limits of what's possible. However, he often gives himself too much to do, and ends up having to rush, disguise unfinished parts or the other contestants help him finish. He's bubbly in front of the camera and enjoys the occasional prank.

7. Impulse: Works as an electrical engineer. Also anxiety central. He's a very technical baker who's brilliant at following recipes. However, he will restart a bake if very minor things go wrong, which often leaves him pressed for time. Despite this, he's one of the most likely people to jump in and help someone who's struggling.

8. Keralis: Owns a bookstore. He loves decorating and his bakes are always some of the prettiest in the tent. Although he has a sleek, modern style, he can branch out when needed. He makes up his own pronunciation for ingredients, bakes and the other people in the tent. Gradually, everyone else starts using them too.

9. Scar: Works as a landscaper. Skilled at detailing and has out of the box thinking for his designs. Likes creating vehicles. However, sometimes he finds himself hiding bad baking with his decoration. His name proves accurate when half of his arm ends up bandaged in the first episode. Becomes good friends with Bdubs because of this.

10. Stress: Works as a personal trainer. Her bakes are always bright and colourful. It isn't a Stress bake if it doesn't make you smile. She's fairly equal on her decorating and her baking and enjoys a cartoonish style. A delight to have in the tent, loves helping other contestants and cheers them up if something doesn't go to plan.

11. xB: Medical researcher. His bakes are always creative, with fun stories behind them, if a bit dark. He's soft-spoken and doesn't raise his voice. He never quite swears but always comes close. The others can tell something's gone wrong when they hear a quiet 'dangit' or 'son of a-' and somebody jumps to find out what's happened.

12. Xisuma: Works as bee-keeper. He loves big shapes and patterns in his bakes. Often keeps things healthy(ish). He's primarily a technical baker and researches and practices his bakes extensively. However, he has a tendency to panic and makes silly mistakes (salt instead of sugar, forget to turn on the oven, etc.) 

The Crew Members:

Camera Crew:

Mumbo: Sometimes mistaken for being on a work placement/internship. He enjoys his work and takes a lot of the detail shots of the bakes. Although he can keep to himself, Iskall often brings him out of his shell and encourages him to chat with the contestants.

Ren: He's an incredibly chill presence to be around. He'll do his best to chat with contestants in-between filming and try to calm them down or hype them up. Usually he films stressful sequences with a reassuring smile and kind words. He enjoys singing in their downtime.

Zed: Very bouncy. He enjoys rushing around the tent to get over the shoulder shots or focus on the detail. He's good friends with Tango, and maybe he occasionally worries he’s ‘broken’ something to get the chance to talk to him on set. 

Sound:

Wels: He's calm and organised. He tests everybody's microphones are working and manages audio levels. He's good at handling distractions, but if they manage to catch him off-set they find he has a fun sense of humour and can give genuinely good advice. Enjoys singing to test the microphones when he thinks nobody's listening.

Wardrobe:

Iskall: Most of his work is done off-set, and he becomes good friends with the contestants, discussing their plans for bakes and chatting. He'll dart onto set to touch up make up when the cameras are off, offering words of encouragement as he does. Though it’s a bit concerning when he calls people’s bakes ‘of doom’.

On-site Medic:

Bdubs: Bdubs is a familiar sight with the accident prone contestants. He's always there with calm words and enthusiasm, talking the contestant down from their worry about their injury, helping them to relax. Despite his silliness, it's obvious he takes his job seriously. The contestants are glad to have him.

Set Manager:

Jevin: A bit chaotic, but he helps make sure things are set for filming. He enjoys getting the ingredients ready for the day and working out what they'll need. He also enjoys bullying Hypno. They've worked together a few times now. He enjoys a good joke when he gets the chance.

Hypno: Fairly relaxed, but he can appreciate a good joke and he appreciates Jevin. He helps organise ingredients and makes sure that things run smoothly on set. Very precise with his work, he doesn't cut corners and makes sure everyone has what they need, when they need it. A good person for the contestants to talk to.

Researcher:

Joe: He takes great pride in searching recipes, trying new things and adding them to his repertoire. Sure he might use a few too many words, but he's good at his job. He's not often on set, working mostly with Jevin and Hypno behind the scenes. But he might step in as tech if he's needed. A bit of a cryptid to the contestants.

Technicians:

Tango: A good friend of Zed. Even though he has some... Less than professional terms, he does his job well, and enjoys the opportunities he gets to socialise with the bakers. Very smiley and friendly, however if he’s in the tent, it’s likely something has gone very wrong. He's terrible at baking himself, much to the amusement of those who find out.

Doc: More serious than Tango, he's there to do a job, not make friends. Then he ends up making friends anyway. They're infectious. Grian enjoys 'breaking' things to annoy him (and have a chance to pull him on set to talk to him.) He does, secretly, enjoy the shenanigans the contestants get up to. But he'd never admit it.

Keeping in mind, I care less about the accuracy of this and more about The Shenanigans:

The first time Xisuma gets everything correct in a bake, he is convinced he’s still got something wrong. He spends the entire time until judging expecting there will be something wrong with it that they only discover during judging. A lot of memes are made out of his worrying.

At the end of filming during the heatwave, they have a lake party. Someone challenges Cub to jump in the lake and he cannonballs straight in. The others are surprised. Scar, who knows him well enough by then, is not. Doc is dragged in. Xisuma sits neatly on the edge and looks so relaxed they’d feel too guilty pulling him in. Keralis sits next to him and splashes him a little instead.

Cleo will make frequent asides to her students to try and impart good messages. Sometimes she swears during them. Then swears again upon realising. She uses her teacher voice on the other contestants a few times by accident (and on purpose.)

Someone doubts False’s strength. It’s probably Grian. She makes a beeline straight for him and hauls him onto her shoulder. And possibly into the lake. She makes it her mission to pick up most of the guys, whether they’re ready or not (with prior consent, of course.)

Stress and False work out together in the mornings. Sometimes some of the other contestants will join them and she’ll lead an impromptu work out session. She also does yoga in the evenings to calm down after filming. A fair few join her for that. 

Some of Etho’s jobs include: ‘I’m a gardener so I want this cake to include edible flowers’, ‘I’m a beekeeper so I wanted to use honey.’, ‘I’m a piano tuner so music is a big part of my life’, ‘I used to hack as a part-time job’. His job subtitle changes each episode. He gets a lot of concerned looks from other contestants.

Grian and Scar become frenemies because they’re bench buddies. Grian loves bullying Mumbo off-camera. He argues with Iskall over wearing anything but a red sweater. He loves complimenting everyone’s bakes. He makes a lot of friends. 

Tango and Zed often try to take jobs on the same productions. Zed likes to bother Tango with stupid ways to make broken tech work. Impulse will sit there and try to fix it in earnest. They have to remind Impulse he’s supposed to having a break before filming resumes. The three quickly become friends and can be found hanging out together.

During one of the heatwaves, Impulse near passes out from heat exhaustion. There’s eleven concerned people crowding around him, and it’s one of the only times Bdubs has to seriously raise his voice to gain control of the situation. The others are all sat outside in the shade and given water. Impulse goes back to the hotel and is ambushed by a lot of very concerned friends later that day. They take good care of him and threaten to beat him up if he doesn’t take better care of himself.

During Saturday evenings is when they’ll all lounge around the hotel and hype each other up for the show stopper. They like discussing what their plans are and sharing their ideas. A lot of dumb things happen to help work off the nervous excitement. 

There’s also a lot of calming each other down when they’re stressed out and caring about each other. It’s the Found Family VibesTM.

Even though washing up is supposed to be a punishment, a group of them usually end up doing it together and singing loudly and terribly to the radio.

One of the contestants catches Wels singing as he tests his microphone and drags him outside to come and jam with the contestants. Ren joins in. Etho provides backing. It delays things a little but they agree it’s worth it.

Keralis and Beef at some point have some made up war between them that is completely stupid, entirely overdramatic, and gives all the contestants a lot to laugh about.

There is, absolutely, a prank war part way through the season. It also extends off-set. Nobody is safe.

I haven’t seen anyone doing this AU before, and I apologise if they have! I hope there’s enough unique ideas to set it apart. But yeah, this is the AU I use when I just want some Fluffy content. Thanks for reading!

[reikikabbalah]

Kabbalah Ultimate Guide: Key to Your Inner Power (2021)

Kabbalah (also called Kabalah, Cabala, Qabala) is a Jewish tradition that deals with the essence of God. It is frequently translated as "mysticism" or "occult knowledge." Kabbalists believe that God works in mysterious ways, whether it's through a sacred text, an experience, or the way things work. Kabbalists, on the other hand, believe that actual knowledge and understanding of that inner, unfathomable process is possible, and that this knowledge can lead to the deepest connection with God.

The Zohar, a compilation of written, mystical interpretations on the Torah, is regarded as Kabbalah's foundation. The Zohar, written in ancient Aramaic and medieval Hebrew, is meant to lead Kabbalists on their spiritual path, assisting them in achieving greater degrees of communion with God.Kabbalistic philosophy is frequently regarded as Jewish mysticism. Its adherents prefer to see the Creator and Creation as a unified whole rather than separate entities, and they yearn for closeness to God. Because of the tremendous mystical sense of connection that Kabbalists believe exists between God and humans, this longing is extremely strong. Every person's soul has a hidden part of God that is waiting to be unveiled. Even mystics who hesitate to express such a strong merger of God and man find divinity pervading all of Creation, blurring the lines between God and the universe. Moses Cordovero, a Kabbalist, writes: “The essence of divin­ity can be discovered in everything, and nothing exists save It....It exists in each existent.”

History of Kabalah:

Throughout history, historians of Judaism have identified numerous schools of Jewish esotericism, each with its own set of interests and ideas. The Kabbalah as it was known in the 12th and subsequent centuries. To avoid the pitfalls inherent in mystical experiences, Kabbalah has traditionally been primarily an oral tradition in which entrance into its teachings and rituals is conducted by a personal tutor. Insofar as it claims secret knowledge of the unwritten Torah (divine revelation) that was transmitted by God to Moses and Adam, esoteric Kabbalah is also "tradition." Though the Torah remained the central foundation of Judaism, Kabbalah provided a means of directly addressing God. It therefore provided Judaism a theological dimension, while some saw its mystical approaches to God as dangerously pantheistic and heretical.The origins of Kabbala can be traced back to Merkava mysticism. The euphoric and mystical contemplation of the heavenly throne, or "chariot" (merkava), seen in a vision by Ezekiel, the prophet, began to grow in Palestine in the first century CE (Ezekiel 1). SeferYetzira ("Book of Creation"), the first known Jewish treatise on magic and cosmology, was written between the third and sixth centuries. It presented creation as a process involving God the Creator's 10 divine numbers (sefirot; see sefira) and the Hebrew alphabet's 22 letters. They were claimed to make up the "32 paths of secret wisdom" when taken together.

The 12th-century Sefer ha-bahir (“Book of Brightness”), a significant tract of early Kabbala, had a deep and enduring influence on the development of Jewish esoteric mysticism and on Judaism in general. The Bahir not only understood the sefirot as playing a role in the creation and maintenance of the universe, but he also incorporated concepts like soul transmigration (gilgul) into Judaism and strengthened the foundations of Kabbala by giving it with a rich mystical symbolism.The Sefer ha-temuna (“Book of the Image”), published in Spain in the following century, established the concept of cosmic cycles, each of which provides a divine attribute-based interpretation of the Torah. As a result, Judaism was portrayed as a religion with changing truths, with a different Torah for each cycle, or eon. Spain also produced the legendary Sefer ha-zohar ("Book of Splendour"), a book with a sanctity rivaling that of the Torah itself in some places. It included mystical theories on evil, salvation, and the soul, as well as the mystery of creation and the roles of the sefirot. After their exile from Spain in 1492, Jews were more interested than ever in messianic expectations and eschatology, and Kabbala gained widespread acceptance.

Lurianic Kabbala also had a considerable impact on the ideas of modern asidism, a social and theological movement that emerged in the 18th century and continues to thrive in small but substantial Jewish communities today.By the mid-16th century, Safed, Galilee, had established itself as the undisputed center of Kabbala, and it was here that one of the greatest of all Kabbalists, Isaac ben Solomon Luria, spent the last years of his life. Luria's influence was only equaled by that of the Sefer ha-zohar, according to Gershom Gerhard Scholem, a modern Jewish Kabbala scholar.The “withdrawal” (tzimtzum) of divine light, so creating primordial space; the sinking of illuminating particles into matter (qellipot: “shells”); and a “cosmic restoration” (tiqqun) that the Jew achieves via an intensive mystical life and unrelenting combat against evil. Shabbetaianism, a 17th-century Jewish messianic movement, was justified using Lurianic Kabbalism as justification.

The name "Kabbalah" technically refers to literature that first appeared in medieval Spain and southern France in the 13th century. However, outside of academics, the name "Kabbalah" is used to refer to all types of Jewish esotericism.Kabbalah was a popular and widely practiced esoteric knowledge tradition until the start of the modern period, however there were restrictions on the age and relative piety of initiates. It included ancient Talmudic investigations of biblical subjects, stories of ecstatic descents to God's throne, massive creation myths, tremendous messianic zeal, and forms of pietistic ritual and practice that gave rise to groups that still affect Judaism today.Following the haskalah, or Jewish Enlightenment, many Jews saw the Kabbalah as at best an embarrassing relic of a more credulous era, and it fell into contempt among Europe's increasingly secular Jews. The Kabbalah, on the other hand, has recently witnessed a huge renaissance, with widespread secular and religious interest in it and certain schools reaching out to non-Jews in unprecedented ways.

Difference between Kabbalah vs Hermetic Qabalah?

Now lets see what is Hermetic Qabalah it is a type of Kabalah Hermetic Qabalah is a Western esoteric tradition incorporating mysticism and the occult (from Hebrew (qabalah)'reception, accounting'). The essence of divinity is a key preoccupation of Hermetic Qabalah, whose idea differs significantly from that of monotheistic religions; in particular, there is no rigid division between god and humanity as observed in monotheisms. The Neoplatonic belief that the manifest cosmos, of which material creation is a part, arose as a sequence of emanations from the godhead is held by Hermetic Qabalah.It is the ideology and framework that underpins magical organizations like the Golden Dawn, The lemic orders, and mystical-religious societies like the Builders of the Adytum and the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, as well as the Neopagan, Wiccan, and New Age movements. The Hermetic Qabalah is the foundation for left-hand path orders like the Typhonian Order to study Qliphothic Qabalah. In the European Renaissance, Hermetic Qabalah evolved alongside and merged with Christian Cabalistic participation, evolving into Esoteric Christian, non-Christian, or anti-Christian schools in the contemporary age. It is influenced by a variety of sources, including Jewish Kabbalah, Western astrology, Alchemy, Pagan religions, particularly Egyptian and Greco-Roman (from which the term "Hermetic" is derived), neoplatonism, gnosticism, John Dee and Edward Kelley's Enochian system of angelic magic, hermeticism, tantra, and tarot symbolism. Although Hermetic Qabalah differs from Jewish Kabbalah in that it is a more openly syncretic system, but it shares many concepts with Jewish Kabbalah.The Neo-Platonic, Sufi, Hermetic, and Christian Mystical Sources have enhanced the main system, which is known as the Hermetic Qabalah. Qablah is more than just a collection of facts. It's a technique for teaching the mind to think practically and in relational terms. Aspirants can use this technique to awaken their awareness and solve the ultimate questions about nature, God, the Universe, and man's soul.In the European Renaissance, Hermetic Qabalah evolved alongside and merged with Christian Cabalistic participation, becoming variously Esoteric Christian, non-Christian, or anti-Christian across its various schools in the modern day. It is influenced by a wide range of sources, including Jewish Kabbalah, Western astrology, Alchemy, Pagan religions, particularly Egyptian and Greco-Roman (from which the term "Hermetic" is derived), neoplatonism, gnosticism, John Dee and Edward Kelley's Enochian system of angelic magic, hermeticism, tantra, and tarot symbolism.

Mystic Kabbalah & Esoteric knowledge:

Jewish mysticism is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of theories about the Godhead, as well as practices and beliefs that go beyond the requirements of traditional Judaism. The term Kabbalah refers to a type of Jewish mysticism that emerged in Provence and Catalonia in the 12th century CE. It was concerned with the inner structure and processes occurring within the divine realms, the metaphysical dynamics of which the Kabbalists attempted to influence.

This phenomenon was distinct from the older Ashkenazic mystical traditions, which were primarily concerned with rigorous piety and interpretive techniques applied to official Jewish texts in order to reveal their hidden layers of meaning. It was also distinct from magical traditions, which were primarily concerned with subduing supernatural forces and harnessing them to effect physical change. What these various strands of hidden Jewish traditions have in common is a belief in the supernatural power of language.

The Hebrew language has a divine origin, according to Jewish tradition. God creates the world in Genesis by pronouncing his will; thus, language has the ultimate creative potential. From antiquity to the present, this viewpoint has served as the foundation for the majority of Jewish mystical and magical traditions. One of the earliest Jewish mystical texts of Hellenistic provenance, Seferyetsirah, which scholars date between the 2nd and 7th centuries CE, describes the process of creation as taking place through the 22 Hebrew letters and ten cardinal numbers.Early on, SeferYetsirah received magically oriented interpretations that explained how to imagine and possibly repeat the divine process of creation by manipulating the Hebrew alphabet, resulting in the creation of a golem.  Giving a golem a name was thought to animate and control its body, while erasing the name was thought to annihilate the creature.

Any name and its designated object are directly linked in Jewish mystical tradition, so the name reflects the nature of its object. Every entity has a linguistic equivalent – a name, and God is no exception. The highest form of knowledge in some medieval Ashkenazic mystical works, as well as in some types of later Kabbalah, concerns the divine realms, with the names of angels and the divine being the most important.

Abulafia's prophetic Kabbalah required extensive physical and mental preparations, as well as years of study by each potential practitioner. Although it required a thorough understanding of the accompanying procedures, the use of names in Jewish magic was far more democratic. Anyone could follow a procedure detailed in multiple manuals or cookbooks, and success was solely dependent on strict adherence to the formulae. As a result, divine, angelic, and even demonic names were used for a variety of purposes. Manuscript sources abound with spells and adjurations demonstrating the widespread popularity of all types of magic among Jews, whether therapeutic (aimed at healing), learned (aiding in knowledge and memory), or even aggressive (used to subdue a person to someone else's will).

While the majority of mystical and Kabbalistic teaching was aimed at understanding and influencing the supernatural realm, magic was thought to provide immediate effects in the physical realm. Interestingly, many medieval and early modern manuscripts contain both Kabbalistic and magical texts, confirming the widely held belief that language was capable of affecting changes on various levels of creation and beyond. Each miscellaneous Kabbalistic manuscript captures a complex web of connections between speculative (elite) Kabbalah and practical (popular) Jewish magic.

The Jewish mystical tradition is rich and diverse, and Jewish mysticism has manifested itself in a variety of ways. Moshe Idel, a scholar, categorizes Jewish mysticism into two broad categories: moderate and intense. Moderate mysticism is philosophical in nature. It is an attempt to comprehend God and God's world, with the ultimate goal of influencing and changing the divine realm. This type of mysticism incorporates many aspects of traditional Judaism, such as Torah study and commandment observance, and imbues these activities with mystical significance. Intensive mysticism, on the other hand, is primarily experiential. In order to communicate with God, intensive mystics engage in nontraditional religious practices such as chanting and meditation.

The first forms of Jewish mysticism appeared in the first millennium's early centuries. The most common early form was Merkavah mysticism. Merkavah mystics sought to comprehend and experience the vision of the divine throne described in the first chapter of Ezekiel's biblical book. Another type of early mysticism was concerned with delving into the mysterious methods by which God created the world. The most important work of creation mysticism, SeferYetzirah, describes the creation of the world through the arrangement of letters and numbers.

Traditional mystical concepts continue to pervade mainstream Jewish thought (for example, the concepts of tikkun ha-olam, or world repair, and tzimtzum, God's self-limitation), and texts of mystical origin have infiltrated Jewish liturgy (including LechaDodi, the Friday night hymn welcoming the Sabbath, and other liturgical poetry). Furthermore, academic study of Jewish mysticism has flourished in recent decades, owing largely to the work of a single scholar, GershomScholem. Scholem discovered and interpreted numerous mystical manuscripts, shedding light on the origins and evolution of Jewish mysticism.

Can Kabbalah used for healing!

Sharon Brock's Kabbalah, a branch of Jewish mysticism, has regained popularity after a brief surge in the 1970s. But are its tenets relevant to health-care providers? Dr. Tsvi Bar-David, an interfaith chaplain in San Francisco, believes the answer is unequivocally yes. On May 12, he explained to UCSF students how health care providers can use Kabbalah facets to heal. The UCSF Jewish Students Association sponsored the lecture.Kabbalah, which means "to receive" in Hebrew, is a nearly 2,000-year-old belief system about the nature of divinity, the creation of the world, and the role of humans. Kabbalah, as described in the 13th-century book The Zohar, or "Book of Splendor," includes meditative, devotional, mystical, and magical traditions, which is why it is considered an esoteric offshoot of Judaism. Bar-David took a practical approach to Kabbalah in his lecture, explaining how the Ten Sefirots of Light and Darkness can be used for healing. The Sefirots are three-dimensional conceptual spheres that are specifically arranged in a treelike formation in a theoretical space between heaven and earth.

The other spheres are arranged in this contraction-versus-expansion pattern, implying that happiness is attained by striking a central balance between the two sides. The concept of wisdom - or layer of wisdom - is balanced between Binah, which means orderly intelligence and analysis, and Chochmah, which means boundless knowledge and insight. Waiting is a concept or layer that balances Hod, which means restraint and reflection, with Netzach, which means persistence and steadfastness. On a clinical level, the spheres can be used as diagnostic categories, according to Bar-David.Health care providers can assess where their patients fall on this map and recommend behaviors to mitigate the problem. For example, if a woman shows smothering love to her husband and becomes co-dependent, she is displaying too much Chesed and needs to restore balance by setting boundaries, or Gevurah. "Balance is the key to happiness," says Bar-David. "A significant part of healing occurs when patients have the words to describe their behavior and how they are feeling." This map establishes a common language of communication "According to Kabbalists, this map represents the path that the world took when it was created, beginning with the top layer, EinSof, which is the infinite divine and beyond human comprehension; moving down to the first sphere, Keter, which means the will or desire to be a parent; and continuing to the Yesod, or male sexual energy; and the Schechinah, or female sexual energy. Another basic tenet of Kabbalah is that man was created in the image of God. As a result, when people heal themselves, they are also healing God, every other person on the planet, and the earth itself, according to Bar-David. "When I am able to heal my own wounds,'I'm also helping the world and repairing God,' said Bar-David, adding that "from a Kabbalistic standpoint, the journey of health is a very different journey."

Can practicing Kabbalah bring you closer to God!

Every human action on earth, according to the Kabbalah, has an impact on the divine realm, either advancing or impeding the union of the Shechina and the Holy One, blessed be He. God is not a static being, but a dynamic becoming. God is incomplete and unrealized without human participation. It is up to us to actualize the divine potential in the world.

God needs us. Be aware that God fashioned everything and is within everything. Flashes of intuition will come and go and you will discover a secret here. If you are deserving, you will understand the mystery of God on your own.In the flow of the holy spirit, one feels the divine life force coursing the pathways of existance, through all desires, all universe, all nations, all creatures. By cleaving in love and full awareness to the source of life, the soul shines from the supernal light, and all feelings, thoughts and actions are refined. The essence of faith is an awareness of the vastness of Infinity.

Conclusion:

According to Kaballah Not transcending the body, but bringing body and spirit together is the highest spiritual achievement. To do so, however, you must let go of the beliefs that erect barriers around the Infinite and recognize the body as a source of holiness in and of itself. Kaballah is basically a holy process of connecting with got and finding out ones inner self and connection with magical power that one has on himself. It is a spiritual connection that can heal you physical and mental health by connecting with god. That finds the god who is  inside everyone of us. And it creates the believes on oneself and the connectivity between god and us. And makes you believe that god is within us and we can interact with him whenever we want we just need to focus and find it out in our inner self.

[locktobre]

bcbd thoughts

right away I see that this is only an hour long, so... it’s not a movie, then. it’s a one hour special, again. I feel like I’m already gonna miss the extra 20 minutes just like dolphin magic but we’ll see I guess. maybe it’ll be a mercy that it’s shorter.

the opening credits/dream sequence was nice. the animation on the city is decent, and the monochrome thing was kind of cool.

her being on stage reminded me a little of Eden, and then immediately I missed Eden so much. they would never let a version of Babs be a bitch now and that’s such a shame.

so now we’re joking about George tracking Barbie’s cell phone? bc that’s fine and not at all an invasion of privacy or anything. also, you can check flight statuses on the internet so that’s really not necessary. also, why the fuck didn’t Barbie call them once she got off the plane? or at least text? I always text or call my mom when I land, and frankly I’m not even as close to my mom as Barbie claims to be to her parents. and I did that when I was 17 traveling alone, too, so it’s not just something I do as an adult. it’s part of the responsibility of traveling to let ppl know that you got somewhere safe so they don’t worry about you. what the fuck Babs.

was that honking supposed to be like censoring the cabbie swearing bc I would love that. let the cabbie say fuck.

I still maintain that this “summer program” thing is bullshit and Babs should have been going off to college. I know they won’t let her grow up but it makes more sense than this does. also, you’re telling me there’s no summer programs for acting/whatever in LA? seriously? she HAD to go across the country for this? and her parents let her? they don’t even trust her! they said that 2 seconds ago! or is tracking her cell phone the reason she’s allowed to travel across the country (to Willows and Florida and Hawaii) by herself in the first place? I hate this I hate it so much already

The Handler Arts Academy... oh I’m feeling emotions

“luck’s got nothing to do with it. you worked your tail off for this” SHOW ME FOR WHEN, PLEASE. this could have been an actual arc of the show, a goal Barbie was working towards that could thread thru multiple episodes... but no. this came out of nowhere. I’m STILL saying that Amelia bought Barbie’s place here bc FUCK YOU SHOW

“I hope I’m good enough” you’re a mediocre rich white woman, you can do literally anything you want.

why is her guitar shoved in a cardboard box and not, idk, in a guitar case? that’s stupid. also, that’s an open cardboard box, so how did that travel on the plane? a closed cardboard box, fine. should be a suitcase, but fine. but this just makes no sense and I am not going to let it slide bc I hate this continuity and everything about it.

however, I will give Brooklyn a pass for the open cardboard box bc she literally lives in NYC and didn’t have to take a fucking plane to get here. she can carry it like that if she wants.

“as long as you don’t break [my leg], we’re good” I’ve already seen Brooklyn in a cast, so... does Malibu literally break her leg later on? even on accident... jesus christ.

is this Russian(?) custodian lady gonna be the antagonist/villain? bc I’m already not vibing with that. not at fucking all.

how the FUCK could they show up a day early? why would they not show up on the day they’re supposed to? that doesn’t make any sense! and if they’re NOT supposed to be there yet, then there would be no staff there to watch them, so they should have to come back tomorrow! they shouldn’t be allowed to be by themselves in a school like this! I’m assuming this is to facilitate a day of bonding without stupid things like classes in the way, but they could have written an orientation day or something in that would have made more sense, and as I said, I am not inclined to give them a pass on anything these days. fuck you all.

so, room assignments are alphabetical... I guess that kind of explains them being in the same room, altho it does feel coincidental that they wouldn’t be, like, in neighboring rooms. also they didn’t animate little signs on the other doors, even with nonsense text if they didn’t want to put other names up, so their door really sticks out for no reason. also, shouldn’t it say “Barbie Roberts & Barbie Roberts” or some other way of having both names on the door? also, if the school knows they have the same name, couldn’t they put middle initials or something? we know Malibu is Barbie M. Roberts, and I will generously assume that Brooklyn’s middle name is something else, so that would have been fine. this really feels like the administrators don’t give a fuck, and in a supposedly prestigious school, I don’t buy that.

so, Brooklyn has been training every summer in different programs, very intensely, to get in here... and Malibu trained on the internet. what have I been saying about Malibu’s white mediocrity? hmm?

even after that (lackluster) montage, it feels way too soon for “Before Us.” I don’t believe they’re best friends who warrant a song about their friendship. I don’t believe that at all.

I like the bald fashionista being on the billboard, that’s a nice touch.

Malibu bringing up her vlog like that gives me hives. she has already stated multiple times that she does that to help ppl, not for clout, and yet. here she is. being a fake ass bitch once again.

Brooklyn and Emmie’s story is already way more interesting than this and I’m pissed that’s just backstory.

LOVE that green-haired dude. idk where you’re going with that drum but godspeed my dude.

I’m assuming that’s Emmie incognito in the back, but... what’s she doing here if she’s already famous? pulling an Erika Juno?

Dean Morrison seems cool

(is it too early to ship Brooklyn x Emmie?)

if pets are allowed in this school, I’m SHOCKED Malibu didn’t bring Taffy. truly fucking shocked.

Rafa reminds me so much of Jacques Rousseau

“the only labels we believe in are designer” so Rafa’s gay, right? Barbie’s first gay character? I can only assume

the ballet thing still doesn’t make sense to me, if their goal is to be on Broadway. ballet is an entire art and discipline in itself.

fencing makes more sense, bc stage fighting is a thing.

‘work it’ is even funnier than I imagined. Malibu you’re such a fuck up. and I can’t even cut you some slack bc earlier you said your training was “internet.” you didn’t work for this and you don’t belong here. die.

if this was PCS, Malibu would have been kicked out already. YOU WERE NOT PREPARED FOR THIS. WHAT HAVE I BEEN SAYING FOR MONTHS.

so, the ‘work it’ montage clearly showed the passage of time, it’s been at least a week, and... Malibu hasn’t talked to Ken at all during that time? this is the first time she’s telling him about Brooklyn?

ok, confirmed to be a week. and she hasn’t talked to Ken. of course. they are so close of course she hasn’t talked to him in a week, especially when she’s been struggling so much and would need to vent to a friend about it. of course.

so, Emmie is pulling an Erika Juno. at least she’s in disguise.

jesus christ, they’re really having Emmie be exploited by her own father??? JESUS.

ok Brooklyn x Emmie is sailing.

Brooklyn’s mom is an airline pilot, that sounds cool.

so the dresses are powered by the magic of friendship? cool. that’s stupid.

of COURSE Emmie’s dad is the board member. jesus christ I hate this dude.

okay, so she DIDN’T break her leg, it’s only a sprain. thank god. poor green-haired drum dude.

saying “epic fail” in 2021 unironically is not cool, mattel. unless I’m even more out of touch with the youth than I thought, but I’m pretty sure about that.

wait, so Brooklyn was dancing... and now she’s on crutches again? what is this montage? they fucked up here.

of all things to kick Malibu out for, they’re saying she pushed Brooklyn? why not all the fuck ups in her first week?

also, Rafa was taping that class so how do they not bring that up immediately? that’s the whole reason they were dancing over there in the first place! (so he might not have caught anything, but still, I have to assume that’s going to fix this bc that’s what these movies do.)

I really like Malibu’s leather jacket look, but she does look a little bit old I think. Brooklyn’s leggings look is nice, too.

okay, so Brooklyn suddenly believes the unnamed witness over the girl she sang ‘before us’ with? okay. I told you this friendship was a crock of shit. they don’t trust each other at all! Brooklyn should have been angry when she first fell, and it builds to thinking that she was sabotaged, but she brushed it off... and now she’s pissed. that makes no sense.

this friendship breakup song also means nothing to me bc their friendship fell apart for such a stupid reason. fate didn’t tear you apart, you tore yourselves apart by not trusting each other. stupid little children.

if Brooklyn’s ankle isn’t completely healed aka still painful, she should not be dancing on it, she could injure herself more or at least prolong the healing process.

ok, so NOW, after Malibu has already been expelled and sent back home, they remembered the video. these kids are so fucking stupid. and of COURSE the unnamed witness is Mr Miller! Emmie, you ALREADY KNOW that your dad is shady as shit and wants you to get the Spotlight Solo! HOW DID YOU NOT PUT THIS TOGETHER IN 5 SECONDS? I DID

so, Mr Miller thought Malibu was Emmie’s biggest competition for the solo? Malibu, the spectacular fuck up? not Brooklyn? or any of the background extras? I refuse to fucking believe that. I REFUSE.

how did George and Margaret just let Malibu get expelled without flying out there to fight the charge? seriously?

how is is Brooklyn singing ‘before us’ in-universe such that Malibu recognizes it? you’re breaking the conventions of musicals! I don’t get this!

I like Brooklyn’s mom being a pilot less after it’s been used to facilitate this bullshit part of the plot.

again, just “Barbie Roberts” makes no sense. where’s a middle initial to differentiate them! SOMETHING! I know they’re doing the finale together, but still, it’s STUPID.

shipping Rafa x green-haired drummer dude bc I can

where’s the Emmie doll for this movie?????? I’m so disappointed. also the other outfits, the leather jacket and leggings ones, I swear those weren’t dolls either. what the fuck

I see more fashionistas on billboards at the end! I really like that

so the custodian wasn’t a villain... then why that introduction for her? that went nowhere

is “Big City Big Dreams” supposed to be Emmie’s song? that Malibu lips-synced to on her vlog (apparently)? I can’t tell by the voice and they don’t list the voices for the songs in the credits

overall, once again it largely made no sense. idk if it would have benefitted from 20 extra minutes of screentime bc nothing really happened.

also, what the fuck happened to Mr Miller? he just keeps on exploiting his daughter? and for that matter, what happened to Emmie’s mom? bc she lived with her, and then all of the sudden her dad was in her life again and exploiting her, so... what did mom die? did he kill her? what am I supposed to think? and Emmie’s STILL stuck in that situation? girl. what the fuck

also of course they were too cowardly to confirm anything about Rafa. of course.

[otterskin]

The Devil in The Window

Apologies for low image quality. This is a repost with some reworking for an earlier, longer breakdown I did of the Loki trailer. Now that episode 1 is out - (YAY I WAS RIGHT, TAKE THAT MEPHISTO FANS! But also I do look forward to his eventual appearance, you think I don’t also have a huge interest in satanic mythology and the devil’s appearances in literature? Because I certainly do.) - I think it’s a good time to review.

Anyway, here’s a new shot of the window, apologies for using the older ones I drew on before from hereafter though. They updated the design for the episode, so some details have changed - however, I think that the old one had some details that were actually better to demonstrate with, the biggest being the change to the chest shape. Still, I think the intent remains, and I suppose it’s all to the good I used the design that shows it clearer.

So, Norse Mythology. It’s been Christiannized. You can thank Snorri Sturluson for that, but you can google all about him later. Let’s just say that he made many Norse figures into equivalents for Christian ones. Baldur is Jesus, pure and a sacrificial lamb who dies for a greater good. And the devil is...Loki. Something the Marvel comics and the MCU have continued.

Here we have a devil, dressed in green and with a distinct shape on his chest:

Hmmm...wait...I know that weird horny shape...(yes they changed this design in the episode, but it still has this basic shape, just with another layer of gold above it.)

Ah. I’d say that cinches it. This is meant to be Loki. If you look at the devil’s hair, it also resembles Loki’s, being shoulder-length and kinda curly.

So, what’s devil-Loki doing? Laying an egg? Trying out a foot massager? For a second I thought it was a moon, but we see the moon over his left shoulder, amongst the stars. Which means this is - probably the Earth.

...Dammit; I live there.

So Earth is barren and being devoured by flames, likely caused by this Loki sitting atop of it (in a throne, no less). Aw gee, things look pretty bad, don’t they?

But wait - what’s that? Under the Earth (and, possibly, under the earth)?

It’s a plant. A shoot, to be exact.

Back to Ragnarok for a second. Ragnarok isn’t the apocalypse (something we see a lot of in this trailer - all of it seems to be exploring the end of days). Ragnarok is the fire meant to wipe out the old and fertilize the ground for the new. And after the gods have died, what happens? Well, Baldur emerges from Hel, one of the only surviving gods (hmm, seems him dying worked out, didn’t it?). He’s joined by Líf and Lífþrasir, who are the new first man and woman, who’s names mean ‘Life’ and who are pictured, usually, with plants and new life. It is they who are tasked who growing a new Yggdrasil after the destruction of the old. The previous first man and woman are Ask and Embla, meaning Ash Tree and Vine/Elm tree, so there’s a theme there.

So a new sprout, possibly a tree, growing out of the destruction of the old.

This fits with Loki’s role as understood in mythology. He checks the arrogance of the gods, including when they tried to achieve immortality (sorry, Baldur, nothing personal), and that keeps the gods at their best. After Loki is imprisoned, the gods become weak, unhelpful and foolish, and Yggdrasil starts to rot. Eventually Loki escapes and returns along with Surtur (who also resembles this figure) to burn it all to the ground. This is also referenced in Thor:Ragnarok, with Loki releasing Surtur in the Vault, a place of thematic importance to Loki and one that represents the hidden secrets and sins of Asgard). You could say Ragnarok continued into Infinity War, where Loki played an important part in aiding Thanos’ destruction, giving up the stone to protect his brother and essentially dooming the rest of the universe - but also ultimately leading to its salvation, even if, like Myth Loki, he wasn’t around to see it.

So, we see the Variant literally start a fire in the trailer -

- in fact, this whole trailer is awash in flame -

It’s fire, fire everywhere and Variant Loki’s setting them!

Damn, even our ‘hero’ Loki is burning stuff down! Does this mean that Loki is doomed, always meant to be an avatar of death and toasty destruction?

Well...let’s go back to that stained glass. Hmmm...wait...I know that weird horny shape...

And there’s something else...the bottom of the Earth is being lit up, and not by fire. Light appears to be coming off this little plant.

What colour is this plant again? That’s right, green. Green is the colour of new life and growth and change and...hang on, I’ve heard that before, too..

.

Hang on hang on HANG ON... let me have a look at the shape again.

That’s...a letter. An L? For Loki? Like in the title sequence?

Wait...no, a different letter. An older letter. After all, Loki is old Norse. How do you spell his name in that again?

ᛚᛟᚲ ᛁ

And ENHANCE on that third letter!

This, my friends, is a Kenaz/Kaunaz, or what would become 'K' in our alphabet. It is also known as the 'Loki Rune' (and the Ulcer Rune, for some reason. I suspect Odin understands why). It’s used to spell his name, but is also used on his own to represent him. Heck, it's even his Superman 'S' in the comics:

Runes are more than letters - they are symbols for concepts. So what else does it mean?

Primarly, it means ‘torch’.

And also ‘knowledge’ (ken). As well as ‘growth, change, the search for truth, decay, arrogance, elitism, feminine, kinship and creativity.’

...Okay, that’s a lot, but you have to admit it fits.

More specifically, it means ‘Mastery of the Fire’. As in, someone who has learned to tame fire so that it is helpful, not harmful. To bring light and, symbolically, knowledge.

There’s another way Loki’s been associated with fire - in the Wagner Ring Cycle, Das Rheingold, the opera that inspired much the Thor films’ aesthetic and certainly their helmets, Loki is called ‘Loge’, which means ‘Fire’. He’s usually dressed to match, too -

Many trickster figures are associated with fire. They are usually called ‘Fire-bringers’ - See: Raven, Lucifer, Prometheus, etc. They are often complex figures with a foot in different worlds, but who nonetheless help mankind with the gift of ‘fire’ - although they usually pay for it, and tend to be self-destructive.

(Side note. Lucifer means light-bringer, which is what luciferase is named after. Because it glows. Which is helpful in labs. In case someone needed to know that.)

Moving from a destructive fire-starter to a fire-bringer seems like a great character arc for Loki to take, especially given his rehabilitation in pop culture, the comics, and even wider culture. Loki has gone from being seen as an evil, deviant, destructive character to one who’s seen as a patron of the arts and creativity, of stories rather than lies. Heck, some scholars of Norse Mythology even posit that he’s the closet thing to a protagonist Norse Mythology has, so I guess that backfired, Snorri!). Being dressed in green and with the sprout clearly also being stylized after his Kaunaz, there’s foreshadowing that he’ll be capable of growing good things even out of ashes.

So, to sum up: Being ‘Satan’ sounds pretty bad, but with a little letter re-arranging like we see in the title sequence, you can be...

...practically a saint. Maybe even a saviour.

Merry Christmas, everybody.

[alunclewe]

I’ve been extremely busy the last few days, so I haven’t been posting anything here, but... I’m not going to miss @goblinweek.  (Hey, it’s still Sunday here in L.A., so it’s still the first day of Goblin Week here.)  So, continuing my alphabetical sequence of goblins from previous years, I’m now on the letter T...

T is for Tibble and Tobble, a pair With one head apiece, but one body to share. They don’t often get into each other’s way, Since one sleeps at night and the other at day.

[ellie-winthrope]

Glittering Stardust - [Kiro]

In Kiro Zhou’s life, there are two people who meant the world to him.

Without them, the sun known as “Kiro” wouldn’t have existed in the first place.

With the female producer being one of the two most important people to Kiro, who is the other person?

A glimpse into the past will reveal the answer...

Words: 1614 words

“Kiro.”

A blonde boy was hugging a teddy bear tightly to his chest while standing by the window. Even though his gaze was directed outside the window, he wasn’t looking at anything in particular.

“Kiro.”

There was no response from the blonde boy, even though the same name had been called several times by a young man for the past ten minutes. Instead of being annoyed, the young man merely shook his head while smiling helplessly at the boy’s unresponsiveness. He then walked over to the boy’s side and gently tapped his shoulder, which caused the latter to flinch on the spot before turning around slowly without looking up at the man.

“You have to answer back when your name is being called,” said the man kindly. “Do you know your name?”

There was a moment of silence before the boy hugged the teddy bear in his arms tightly and spoke in a barely audible voice.

“3684.”

There was a hint of sympathy on the young man’s face upon hearing the boy’s answer, but it was quickly hidden away by his usual smiling expression.

“No, no, no, that’s not right,” said the man before he knelt before the boy so that he was on the same eye level as the latter. Even though the boy still didn’t meet his eyes and continued looking downwards, the young man didn’t mind. In the same gentle tone, he stroked the top of the boy’s head as he spoke.

“Your name is Kiro (Qiluo). Kiro Zhou (Zhou Qiluo).”

Hesitantly, the boy shifted his gaze towards the man before him, which prompted the man to smile a little wider.

“Try to remember it from now on. Okay, Kiro?”

*************************************************

Six-year-old Kiro had observed both the computer screen and the young man next to him with rapt attention.

The young man was humming a tune of a recently trending song. His head was bobbing about while his slender fingers were dancing rhythmically across the keyboard. To Kiro, it looked as though the young man was composing a song or playing a piano. However, instead of music, what appeared on the computer screen were countless lines of rapidly changing sequences of unintelligible numbers and alphabets.

“Done.”

After uttering that single word, the man gave the “Enter” key of the keyboard a firm tap, which then cleared up all the sequences on the screen. Two seconds later, there was a pop-up box with the word “Success” blinking on the computer screen. Kiro watched with fascination as the man opened and closed several other pop-up boxes in succession with the swift clicking of his mouse and several quick taps on the keyboard.

Although the boy didn’t understand what exactly the man was doing, he found the agile movements of his fingers on the keyboard to be entrancing. His fascination with the man’s actions must have shown on his face because the young man, who had already closed his laptop, had chuckled when he turned to look at Kiro.

“Hmmm? Are you interested in this?”

The man asked teasingly, in which Kiro responded by nodding vigorously.

“Then, do you want me to teach you?”

Kiro nodded vigorously again with an excited grin and sparkling eyes this time, which made the man laughed.

“Alright, then from now on, you will call me “Master”.”

*************************************************

It was late at night when the young man discovered that there was a glowing blue light within the unlit kitchen. The first thought that came to his mind was…

A thief.

Even so, instead of calling the police or arming himself with a weapon for self-defense, he flipped on the switch of the kitchen lights without the slightest hesitation. The instant the kitchen was lit up by bright lights, he could hear a startled yelp coming from the source of the glowing blue light, which was the opened door of the refrigerator.

With a knowing smile on his face, the young man walked past the kitchen counters and went towards the opened fridge. As expected, he was greeted by the sight of the snack thief, who was crouching in front of the opened fridge while holding onto a bar of half-eaten chocolate with both hands. Noticing his presence, the little blonde thief had slowly turned around and looked up at him with chocolate smeared all over his face and mouth.

Instead of being upset, the man maintained his smiling expression as he spoke in his usual amiable tone, “Kiro, why are you still up and about? It’s already midnight.”

Hearing that, Kiro averted his gaze towards the floor before replying in a soft voice, “I can’t sleep. I am hungry.”

After much hesitation, the boy then presented the half-eaten chocolate bar towards the man with both hands without looking up at him. “I am sorry, Master. Please don’t be angry.”

He couldn’t help but to sigh softly.

Who could possibly be angry towards this adorable child with a chocolate-covered face?

He certainly couldn’t.

Nodding to himself, he took the half-eaten chocolate bar and placed it inside the fridge. After closing the fridge, he lifted the seven-year-old boy and placed him on the stool by the kitchen counter. He then picked up a clean cloth from one of the drawers of the counter and moistened the cloth with tap water before he started to carefully wipe the boy’s chocolate-covered face. Seeing Kiro flinching when the wet cloth touched his face, the man laughed softly.

“Look at this little glutton,” he teased while he continued wiping the stain on the boy’s cheek, “Getting so much chocolate on your face. Are you trying to have a chocolate facial?”

Kiro opened his mouth as though he wanted to retort, but no words left his mouth. So, in the end, he pursed his lips and remained silent, which further tickled the man’s heart.

*******************************************************

With his chin propped up by his left arm, a teenage Kiro was deep within his own thoughts.

He had a pen resting on his right ear while he continued tapping the desk with his right index finger. His blue eyes were fixed upon the half-written song lyric on the paper before him. He had rewritten the lyrics several times, but the outcome was still unsatisfactory for him. Somehow, there was something missing about the lyrics, but he didn’t have much time left before the promised date of his first live concert to redo the whole song from the very beginning. Exasperated, he rested his forehead on top of the paper on the desk.

“Inspiration, oh, inspiration, where are you when I need you?” whined Kiro while rubbing his forehead against the paper.

“I guess this is the common woe of any creator.”

The sudden voice that was coming from behind him had caused the blonde youth to sit up instantly and turn around … with the paper still sticking to his forehead like a paper talisman. It was a rather amusing sight that had instantly made the man laugh.

“Master! You’re here!”

The man nodded in response before he went and plucked the paper away from his beloved student’s forehead. After reading through the written song lyrics on the paper, the man hummed thoughtfully.

“In my opinion, the current lyrics are meaningful and well thought-out. So, what is the problem here?”

“It … It just doesn’t feel complete.”

Confused, the man had raised an eyebrow at the statement. Kiro was having difficulty explaining his situation, which can be seen from the troubled look on his face. Nonetheless, the man didn’t interrupt him and waited patiently for the blonde youth to continue.

“It’s like something is missing, but I don’t know what it is…”

Kiro hung his head dejectedly at this moment and the man heard the youth muttered in a barely audible voice.

“It just isn’t perfect enough.”

It was then that the man realized the core of the problem.

In fact, it was a common problem that had plagued countless artists and creators in general. A perfectionist’s trait, the refusal to accept any standard short of perfection. Although striving for perfection was a good motivation to always improve oneself, constantly aiming to achieve complete perfection would be detrimental to one’s self esteem instead. After all…

“Nothing is perfect in this world.”

Taken aback, Kiro had instantly looked up at the man with wide blue eyes. The man merely smiled widely with his eyes crinkling up into crescents.

“It is good to always look for improvements, but do be careful not to be bound by the need for perfection. After all, didn’t the superheroes that you idolized also have flaws?”

Kiro knitted his brows and seemed to ponder about those words for a moment before the corner of his lips eventually tugged upwards slightly, which the man had then taken as a sign to continue speaking.

“Sometimes, the flaws or the lacking parts are what made something unique from others. It is up to you, as the creator, to determine its actual significance.”

“Mmm, I think I understand what you mean!” exclaimed Kiro brightly with a grin after pondering over his master’s words, having regained his usual vibrant energy. It seemed that the youth had finally found an answer from the man’s advice.

“Master, promise me that you will watch my live performance on that day or I will be very unhappy!”

“Of course, I would never miss your first live performance, little Kiro.”

*******************************************************

To the world, KEY is the best and most skilled hacker.

But to Kiro, he is much more than that.

He is his savior, his mentor, his cool “leader” and his family.

Without him, there wouldn’t be a Kiro (Zhou Qiluo) in the first place.