#i love the indomitable human spirit!!!!!!

[snekjoy]

Bro you're telling me you don't care if I have an edgy backstory, you still believe in the inherent good of humanity and recognise that my past actions don't define me as a person? Bro you're telling me you're the happy go lucky mc and you see me (the edgy emo secondary mc) as a good person because you refuse to give up on someone who wants to do good but hasn't been given the opportunity to do so? You're telling me you believe I have good in me even if my past actions were awful, because you understand that a past as traumatic and tumultuous as mine will push people to awful things? You're telling me you love me? Nobody's told me that before. You're telling me you'll still welcome me into your team of ragtag do-gooders because you think every person deserves a second chance, and a third, and a fourth? You're telling me you'll keep trying, and keep trying, and keep trying to help me and allow me to open up and become a happier person because you think every human life deserves happiness and care? Even me? You don't care if I think I'm a horrible person undeserving of love, you believe in me and you love me and you know that it isn't actions that define a person, it's the person that defines themself? Bro....

[ariariari-freehounreal]

“Blood all over every single soul

Wipe them down in iron, watch them fucking burn

Run while you can, make your own demands

It is fucking over, get out while you

Run”

Run - Zeal and Ardor

[narratively-doomed]

mfw 2 birds in a cage of god's creation discover free will

[bookshelfpassageway]

one of these days i'm writing some kind of essay about lost media and humanity's need to solve loose ends. people only care about it because its lost. people only know its lost because somebody cared about it. it's such an achingly beautiful concept. it's such a horrifying fate. it's about mortality and the traitor that is memory and about love. its about the human spirit and a new kind of folklore. all forms of media preservation are a race against the deprecation and physical decomposition of their storage medium. i hope there's a heaven for art.

[whenthewallfell]

~ oh, the places you'll go! ~

[stormofdefiance]

I wanted to share some wee thoughts about Ratio’s E6 art & why I believe it is a symbolic parallel to Michelangelo’s David. This speaks to both Ratio’s humanist beliefs and possible future plot points.

Ratio’s E6 is Vincit Omnia Veritas or Truth Conquers All. I’ve heard it claimed (although I have no idea if it’s explicitly stated anywhere?) that the character’s E6 art represents them at their innermost core, an honest and deeply vulnerable shard of themselves. Evoking David here is an interesting choice; the biblical figure who, using nothing but a stone and sling, took down the tyrannical Goliath. The parallel is perhaps as simple as this: Ratio views himself - and by extension the truth - as the underdog, someone never accepted into the Genius society, forever to be kept from Nous and THEIR gaze, but nonetheless will, in the end, prove himself the final victor. Truth will topple the seemingly unconquerable, whatever that might be.

But I also think Michelangelo’s David is a specifically interesting parallel to draw on from a historical perspective. Ratio is pretty much the textbook definition of a renaissance man - he is a philosopher, a scholar, interested in medicine and science and the vast array of human achievement. He speaks in Latin (the language of education during the renaissance in Europe that allowed the transmission of information without having to rely on translation) while heavily styling himself on Ancient Greek symbols and drawing from Greek philosophy (often seen at the time as more ‘sophisticated’ and interested in ‘wisdom’ than the contemporary ‘militaristic’ Romans).

Michelangelo’s David was the first colossal marble statue to be carved since antiquity, and it came to be a symbol of the renaissance itself. This is interesting to me for Ratio and what I believe are his humanist beliefs. Humanism was an ideal that propagated during the renaissance that championed the belief that man had beauty, dignity and worth that deserved as much respect and adoration as any deity. Keep in mind this philosophy was emerging following the Middle Ages and at a time where religious institutions across Europe held exorbitant and sometimes absolute power. David as a statue is an ode to the sublime beauty of the human body, completely unashamed and uninhibited in his gigantic nakedness (Doctor! You’re huge!) retaliating against the idea that prominent idea at the time that man’s body is inherently sinful. The humanists sought to recenter humanity, and David became a symbol of man’s independence against the seemingly unconquerable might of the Church.

Consider how Ratio centres humanity in his Simulated Universe project, how he values every life, how interested he is in constant self-improvement. How this symbol - of not just the renaissance but of the re-centring of humanity itself - becomes an echo of an effigy fixed in the centre of his soul.

Ratio has never - as far as I’m aware? - stated or hinted at any desire to overthrow the Aeons or even disparage or rubbish them, but it is clear to me that he believes in the strength man can draw on despite them, through sheer force of intelligence and clever planning and fiercely independent thought, the weak can ultimately overcome, or at least stand shoulder to shoulder with, the strong. Perhaps this will become a more pertinent plot point in the future - who knows? - but this was fun to chew through nonetheless 🫶

[milquetoast27]

Subtext in The Creeping Man

I find that this story of Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes canon features some of the most complex subtext we've had aside from A Study in Scarlet. But rather than being complex early-on because of our lack of knowledge of the characters, it is rather complicated by the fact that we both know too much and too little of their relationship. This story, with astonishing subtlety, conveys the cooperative relationship between Doyle's two characters — the nuance in their limits and strains, but also the joys that they work to reach, together. It emblemises the beauty of the Canon, where it all ties back to the joy and complexity of human understanding and belonging.

This story opens in "those latter days" (1903, near to Holmes's retirement) where Watson describes their relations as "peculiar". The word certainly feels like a euphemism from the ever-polite Dr. Watson, when it is soon made clear that their relations were far from amenable. Watson has become one of Holmes's "concentrated habits", and apparently is as good as a piece of funiture, as all of Holmes's remarks would have been as "appropriately addressed to his bedstead." It's given through snapped sentences; "I was a whetstone for his mind. I stimulated him. He liked to think aloud in my presence." This "irritation" and discordance between them is extremely concentrated in the early pages of this story, but drags through it, as well. Take, for example, the "laconic" (or perhaps iconic?) message:

"COME AT ONCE IF CONVENIENT — IF INCONVENIENT COME ALL THE SAME. S.H."

Watson gives us the original of Holmes's telegram to demonstrate to his readers just how "long-suffering" he is. A true exhaustion is apparent in how he simply shows the telegram, rather than politely referring to it. Compare this with the unendingly civil telegram sent to Watson in The Boscombe Valley Mystery, and you can see the great shift that has taken place in their alliance.

"HAVE YOU A COUPLE OF DAYS TO SPARE? HAVE JUST BEEN WIRED FOR FROM THE WEST OF ENGLAND IN CONNECTION WITH BOSCOMBE VALLEY TRAGEDY. SHALL BE GLAD IF YOU WILL COME WITH ME. AIR AND SCENERY PERFECT. LEAVE PADDINGTON BY THE 11.15."

While long-term and intimate relationships will remove need for over-courtesey, there are two very different reasons for why Doyle has shown both of these telegrams at a point in time. This accumulation of Holmes's ungrateful behaviour not only imparts Watson's utter despondancy, but also, importantly, Holmes’s — and this is something that Watson's ever-perceptive and intelligent heart does not fail to miss. It is important to note that this story nears Holmes's retirement, where he acknowledges that he has been "sluggish in mind". There is no doubt, then, that the great detective is out of his prime. Hence the temperementalness, taking his Watson for granted, and a heavier reliance on those "narrow and concentrated habits."

Despite the turbulent roads of their life, we see Watson's undying devotion co-exist with it. Past all the irritation, Watson closes, "Such was my humble role in our alliance." It is more than clear that he consciously makes the decision to remain at Holmes's side, to be his ally. Such has always been Watson's role in their alliance. His "humble" service extends to his practice as doctor and soldier. His pride is in his duty to others, and to Holmes as his assistant.

There is something that shines through Holmes's unsocial behaviour when we look closely at the text.

I sank back in my chair in some disappointment. Was it for so trivial a question as this that I had been summoned from my work? Holmes glanced across at me. "The same old Watson!" said he. "You never learn that the gravest issues may depend upon the smallest things."

We know from the Canon (opening of DANC and RESI) that Watson's emotions are like an open book to Holmes. This 'sinking in some disappointment' is not missed by Holmes's 'glance'. "The same old Watson!" he says, and I feel it important to note that he compliments one of Watson's most distinguishing features; his stability and fixture — the "one fixed point in a changing age." Yet, we may miss these details, because Holmes, ever in his own insecurity, must back-hand every praise with a teasing chide. We could say that an attempt was made to cheer Watson up, though not very successful.

Developments continue, as Holmes tryingly says "I had hoped to have a longer chat with you", then parades him with compliments before their client, "Dr. Watson is the very soul of discretion". But mixed indications continue to come as he flips back to patronising language; "You will appreciate it, Watson, when"—. Doyle further cements Holmes's particular unbecoming behaviour on this day as he further also annoys their client, who speaks in a "tone of reproach" when Holmes does not listen, and is "clearly annoyed" at irrelevant interruptions — to which, Holmes only smiles in, what I believe, is pure self-importance.

Here we find a shift — a greater effort on Holmes's part, a second round of appreciation for Watson's stability, even when his opinion is faulty. "Good, Watson! You always keep us flat-footed on the ground". He's then included in his bubble; "We were gradually coming to that conclusion, were we not, Watson?", and even a sordid attempt at bringing Watson with him on the bait of the Chequers in 'Camford' where "the port used to be above mediocrity and the linen was above reproach." (Which he follows up on!)

And, despite these attempts, their connection still does not rekindle. Watson is clearly irritated still with the inconsiderate easiness with which Holmes was able to leave London, leaving only difficulty on Watson's end to join him. It's an indicator from Doyle that nothing's remedied, yet.

Here is an interesting passage for study.

"Have you the effrontery necessary to put it through?" "We can but try." "Excellent, Watson! Compound of the Busy Bee and Excelsior. We can but try — the motto of the firm."

Burstive praise from Holmes at the merest utterance of a phrase — a phrase which has only ever been used one other time in the Canon; the previous story, The Problem of Thor Bridge. This suggests it may be some small motto of Holmes's, though one not often seen in Watson's records — this makes his use of the phrase a very Holmesian approach. This participation, no doubt, is nothing but a delight for Holmes, who is trying to restring their relationship, and continues to overenthusiastically affirm Watson's sturdiness.

Yet it's made clear that superficial praises are not a true apology, as we see signs yet again of Watson's dispassion. As they sit to their meeting with Professor Presbury, Watson writes:

Mr. Holmes smiled amiably.

This sentence may seem unassuming, but be assured it is one of the coldest in the Canon. This usage of "Mr. Holmes" is entirely unique within the Canon. In other times, when Watson has used "Mr. Holmes" or "Mr. Sherlock Holmes", it has been when speaking directly to his readers, since they would be using the honourific. This moment is the only exception, where Watson has intentionally used "Mr." to create distance and convey undesire for intimacy with Holmes (rather than any professional effect). Why has Watson used the line here? Well, Holmes is 'smiling amiably' — in a way that forces a friendly manner, one that attempts to create a good impression with Professor Presbury — which also didn't work out, by the way. Considering all the superficial means up to now employed by Holmes on his companion, Watson no doubt feels cheapened and no more important than Holmes's investigative objects; as if his trust is just as easy to gain as anyone else's, with nothing but an 'amiable smile'.

We are shown time and again that Watson isn't pleased with Holmes's desultory attempts at reconciliation, until finally, a shift happens. One that is not identifiable in the text, and so is reasonable to assume happened unpenned. We find Holmes acknowledging that "Dr. Watson has his patients to attend to", when before this information seemed completely irrelevant to him. Holmes even sent Watson a "short note asking [him] to meet at the train"! The greatest change is when we finally have Watson using "my friend" and "my comrade" for the first time in this story. Now we see Watson taking real excitement in the case, in the "assurance of [his] comrade". Self-teasing also makes its way into their dialogue as Holmes cries "Oh, Watson, Watson, what a fool I have been!" The emphasised address seems to suggest an apology for something more. It's as if he cries 'Look how wrong I have been Watson, how imperfect and daft I can be!' It's adorable, really.

All semblances of reproach towards Holmes disappear as they steal together in darkness, come to the dénoument of their adventure, as Holmes philosophises on science and nature, and described admiringly as "the man of action". Our story ends in a light-hearted resolution, as always.

"There is an early train to town, Watson, but I think we shall just have time for a cup of tea at the Chequers before we catch it."

To conclude, this story presents so much so subtly in its pages; a reflection of the small, nuanced and unseen processes between human beings, but those which we must be attentive to in order to find fuller understanding between each other. Yet, there is still much uncertainty in my inferences; which also shows the uncertainty of language and communication. We simply must be clear of ourselves, as we can only assume Holmes and Watson were, off-page, for them to have found that resolution, rather than fleeting smiles and compliments. Arthur Conan Doyle, with this story, further cements the triumph of bonds and connection, perhaps far more than any other of his stories.

[sharkneto]

what about five made him ur blorbo…

Man, what made Five my guy.

There’s the surface level stuff – he hits a lot of tropes I love. Asshole with a heart, competent in everything but people, an assassin who gets cool fights to good music, teleports, last man in the world, has a fucked up wife situation. He’s a fifty-eight-year-old man who looks thirteen, that concept right there has so much to work through, all by itself.

All of that is really fun stuff, but under all of that, I think I can sum up why Five hit so hard with just that he has heart. The show could have gone the route of comic!Five – unredeemable bastard of a tiny man. That would have been fun, I love comic!Five, but he works better on a comic book page, where things can be more 2D. The change the show made – maybe on accident – is that show!Five loves an incredible amount, and that’s what hooked me hard. Sure, some of this is fan interpretation, but I think it’s got moments in-show to back it up. One of his first moves he made, when stuck in the apocalypse, was to make Delores – he has her within a few days of landing there. She says so much about him the second we meet her in the show - shorthand to tell us just how bad the apocalypse was, and that, when faced with nothing, Five makes a person he has to take care of. With that, he survived four decades as the last person on earth in dystopian hell before he could get back to save the world – so he says, at least, but he has always prioritized his siblings. They're his world. He’s not great at saying it, but he’s a man of action and his actions speak very loudly.

With all that love, comes a lot of grief, which is actually what keeps me going with Five. I’m pretty open that I’ve had a lot of grief in my life. I’m doing better, it’s been a number of years now, but grief doesn’t go away, and Five is an incredible vehicle for playing with and processing grief. Experiencing it, growing from it, moving on with life around it. And Five has so many layers of grief to play with. There’s the grief for his family who he found dead when he was 13, grief for the world because it all ended, grief for the life he lost, grief for the life he had to live, grief for what he’s had to do, grief for his body and his situation. How do you keep going and move on after experiencing such loss? I find it both cathartic and motivating to think about and sit in that space.

He's a walking tragedy and I adore him for it. Character of all time.

[argentinpantsuit]

Stephanie drives me insane because imagine being constantly put down , never trusted always seen as weak and a liability. A character destined to always be despised by writers and have to take a backseat to a boy WITH THE EXACT SAME SKILL SET AS YOU as everyone parades him along and EVERYONE says that you arent good enough. You try and try and try and prove yourself and fail and get fired from a role you desperately wanted by a mentor who doesn’t give a shit abt you and so you try and get killed and tortured and go through so much and still nobody thinks you can do it . BUT YOU DONT GIVE A SHIT !!!!!!! STEPHANIE STILL TRIES SHE STILL CRACKS JOKES AND NEVER LETS ANYONE KEEP HER DOWN AND SO WHAT IF SHE CANT DO IT SHE DOESNT NEED YOUR OPINION SHE KNOWS WHO SHE IS AND SHE KICKS AND SCRATCHES AND NEVER EVER GIVES IN AND OH MY GOD I LOVE HER 😭😭😭😭😭

[ironunderstands]

How do you feel about the Penacony final boss?

I love it both gameplay and story wise.

I’m gonna yap about the gameplay because I actually adore HSR’s combat system so yeah. Personally, I think the weakness break = gained shield mechanic is great, as you are a) forced to use Harmony MC who is an amazing breaker and also buffs characters who like breaking which causes b) you bring characters who also like breaking things, which is a really good way to Segway into the new break effect meta we will be seeing, and allows players to get a feel for it before Boothill and Firefly really release.

Also like, the music, the design, the Bible references, Robin? Robin. Witness the will of the weak? Chucking the fucking astral express at Sunday? How Sunday literally and metaphorically attacks us with music? The boss switching faces to look more like Ena’s puppet form at the end? I love it.

Story wise, it’s an amazing way to end Penacony. Harmony vs the Order, Robin vs Sunday, Everyone vs the Family. The shot where Robin catches Sunday is like engraved into my brain. The fact that he’s the bird who can’t fly and she’s the own who can, so he plummets and she flies to save him. How only when we defeat Sunday, can he be truly free.

“People dream because one day they will wake up “ UGHHHH RAAAAAAAAAA. I can’t express why this line is just so fucking good, but I will try. In your dreams, you experience a warped version of reality. Perhaps it’s what you want to see, perhaps it’s what you don’t want to see, perhaps it’s something else entirely. In this, dreams mirror life. They prepare us to live, they give us experiences we might never have in reality, they show us possibilities we may or may not encounter. However, dreams are fleeting and you will eventually wake up. That’s why people want to dream, because they want to experience reality, every part of it, the good and the bad, even the unimaginable, just without the consequences.

So when you inevitably wake up, and the dreams are no more, the only thing that remains are the memories of those dreams. Those dear memories, which you learn from again and again and again. So you dream, again, and again, and again, because only in reality can you appreciate and learn from the dream, and only in the dream can you truly understand reality. I can’t really phrase why I adore this line, so hopefully you can at least get an idea from this.

I honestly struggle to explain why I love 2.2 (and Penacony as a whole) in general, if I were to try, I’d probably say I just really love power of friendship plots. Call it corny or stupid, you are wrong! Incorrect! People coming together to support one another and achieve a common goal is the best thing ever! I adore how so many different factions with their own goals and philosophies and motives and methods from across the universe of hsr come together to fight for their freedom. To work well, in Harmony. To prove that no matter who or what you are, your life does not and should not be defined by Order.

So yeah, it’s great, hopefully I can phrase why it’s great in the future but for now I hope this satisfies

[nellandvoid]

i was gonna make a less complicated intro to this oc but whoops my hand slipped!

anyway meet the wayfinder, aka diane orosco! she’s a bounty hunter who’s been traveling the multiverse for ten years by the time stanford first meets her (aka the oracle, for reasons beyond our comprehension (she loves drama) dropped him off at where she was staying when he was almost fully healed)

lucky for her, she’s been looking for him ever since she started her dimension hopping. unlucky for him, she knew a stanford in her dimension, and let’s just say things did not end very well between them!

i have so many thoughts about her which i’m uber excited to share soon

i was super proud of the coloring, so this time silhouette is under the cut, along with a shaded version

[wewillbeseen-butnotbeheard]

i think this is stupid and i’m stupid.

but if you yourself exist in a space where you find the existence of somebody who is not a human plausible, then DON’T call me one i think. i don’t care if i am one or not, i am, but it pisses me off and it hurts probably just as much as me as it does for you so. DON’T?

it shows sometimes in comments and replies and i can tell when it’s being done, and it’s nobody’s fault, maybe the universe but it’s still not a great feeling especially today apparently

again i am a human. i will call myself one and i will carry the soul-crushingly heavy burden and factuality that comes with it. some people don’t but i don’t get to just drop it like that.

BUT if you’re going to even entertain the idea that some people aren’t “human” to a degree then i don’t see how there’s any problem with calling and addressing me as simply a fox. “well actually-“ well i don’t care, and i don’t CARE that im really a regular human, because it doesn’t make it hurt any less and it doesn’t make it NOT feel good to be addressed as “fox” i simply don’t give a fuck

and you can see when it happens. “also well actually some people who are humans c—“ you’re doing it RIGHT NOW. if not that i’d rather not be addressed at all. and i don’t CARE if you don’t care because this isn’t even directed to anyone in particular, more like a large collective and community of people that i KNOW see me as a regular human, or would call me as such, or etc etc. i’m pissed the fuck off right now. this is such a non-issue. why can’t i even be close to something that would be slightly comforting

i need to write more about my own frustrations

[honeydewcorporation]

Oh my goodness... the world is so so beautiful.

The experience of life is amazing, and it's all going to end one day, and you can't do anything about that other than enjoy the time you have left and hope you make it better for the people who get to live it after you. The people we get to share this life with are all incredible and unique and each one of them leads complex, brilliant lives... golly the world is amazing... I love it here. I love everything. What a gift this is <3

[biocrafthero]

The DOOM series actually teaches some valuable morals; it primarily preaches that you are obligated to fight against oppressive, unjust systems, and that anyone who supports the system is complicit and must be stopped along with the machine. Any system that demands the suffering of innocent people and/or requires entire populations to be slaughtered should be dismantled and destroyed. Another lesson the series teaches is that big guns are fucking awesome

[homo-un1versalis]

"I firmly believe that the human personality is inexhaustible; each may become a creator, leaving a trace upon the Earth [...] There should be no nobodies -- specs of dust cast upon the wind. Each one must shine, just as billions upon billions of galaxies shine in the Heavens."

--- V. A. Sukhomlinsky

[ivebeensetonfire]

For those who wonder what hope looks like, to me, it is this symbol.

Culturally, so much of the time, hope is personified as naivety and whimsy. This is why when people tell you to have hope when you are in a dark place, it means nothing, or can feel patronizing. You think to yourself, "I am in hell, and this person wants me to just say that everything will work out and no problems ever beset me again? Don't they understand that I'm fighting for my life with every thought, every breath, and every step?" Thus we often fall into the trap of thinking negativity and pessimism is the only mature perspective on life.

But, my friends, having hope is a fundamental human trait. The belief that life can be better, even one inch better than it is right now. The drive to try, to get up one more time. To spit out your own blood and teeth, and push just once more against your obstacle, is part of what makes us human. You too have the indomitable spirit within you.

When you are in the pit, the lowest point, where you have to look up in order to see rock bottom, somewhere within you is a small flickering flame of hope. Find it, keep it safe, and fan it into an inferno. Let the passion and drive to make your life just a single inch better fuel you to better things. Life can be better, but you have to try. Sometimes you will only have a flash, mere seconds of drive, and that is okay. Seize the opportunity, and those quick seconds to do one tiny small thing to make your life better for you or those around you. Progress is, and will always be, progress.

Remember, the demons that live in your mind may seem unbeatable, their enormity blotting out the sun, but what would the Doomslayer do?