#i think if the metaverse continued to exist in some form

[kaetor]

I swore to myself I'd never redesign the black mask fit because I think it's perfect the (horrible) way it is but then I got bored and had an idea.

[p5x-theories]

I've been thinking. Do the original phantom thieves exist in the p5x timeline, or is this an alternate universe where they didn't? I feel like someone would have mentioned them at this point, or Closer would probably bring up his they're like those "other guys" (the PTs). Unless the whole team is dense and didn't notice them when they were doing the whole thing.

That, or this is the Maruki universe? I haven't played Royal, but I'm gonna assume his whole thing was like, giving you what you wanted the most or making you happy no matter how many laws of the universe he broke, such as raising the dead. Unless that was all a sort of simulation of sorts. That being said, if you get everything you want, wouldn't that mean you'd have no desire for anything else? Though considering the Palace owners, that isn't really the case. Maybe.

Another thought I've had is that this takes place in one of the bad endings of P5X, probably the one where you sold out the crew and joined with Jablo...Jabloldbrka....the cup fella. I can't put it into words since I've never seen it because I'd be too sad practically betraying everyone, but maybe it works? Since we don't know Joker's role in the story despite seeing him in the previous trailer, maybe he's going to be working against us?

Ah, yes, the bad end theories! Both post-Maruki bad end and post-original P5 bad end have been suggested as possibly being where P5X is set on this blog before, and it's always fun to come back to those after we get some new info, so thanks for bringing them up again!

In Maruki's case, he was absolutely trying to create everyone's "ideal" worlds without trauma, so it would stand to reason that people would have no desires left if everything's "ideal" for them. I could definitely see Maruki smoothing over the involvement/actions of the Phantom Thieves to keep people from questioning his world too much- in fact, this comes up at least a bit in P5R as, if I recall correctly, at least one of the Phantom Thieves doesn't seem to quite remember what brought them all together as friends in the first place- which could explain your point about the Wonder Squad never so much as referencing the original Phantom Thieves so far in P5X.

I think the biggest hitches here would be: 1) There'd have to be more to it to result in all traces of the Phantom Thieves, as real-world people, being completely erased as far as we've seen so far, including things like the rebrandings (Big Burger, no Leblanc or Crossroads, etc), because Maruki wouldn't have done that at least as we saw him in Royal, and 2) It would suggest something's gone wrong with his "ideal" world, as people are having desires again- both our main characters, and people with warped desires that form their own Palaces or even just a Mementos Shadow. But neither of those are insurmountable obstacles to this theory!

In Yaldabaoth's case, specifically making the deal with him, it does track that people would lack desires, as the point was control, conformity, and essentially locking everyone into Mementos to think the same way, unable to act for themselves (ie, desire something). The fact that the deal with him would allow Joker to continue acting as a phantom thief (and possibly joined by the other original Phantom Thieves as well, though that's unclear or even unlikely if I'm remembering right) would also explain how the Metaverse still exists, and how there are still Palace rulers. If the other Phantom Thieves are gone, locked inside the Velvet Room, it could also explain why traces of them in the real world have vanished, which works out nicely! I don't think there are actually any major points against this theory right now.

These "post-bad end" theories are fascinating to me, because I'd really love either of them to be true, but I'd also be kind of surprised if Atlus let them make Joker be an antagonist, haha. I just... keep expecting something in P5X canon to disprove them, and instead they just... seem to keep clicking into place better???

Anyway, on the other hand, there's always the alternate universe theory, like you also mentioned. This one would be a good way for P5X to tell its story and have similarities to P5, while still being able to get away with any discrepancies, because it's an alternate universe so of course things are a little different! Since it's so flexible, it's a pretty good fallback theory at the moment, as it'd be hard to contradict unless something directly from P5 canon shows up to prove it's actually the same universe, haha.

[ankitaacadereality]

Steps to becoming a Metaverse Company expert 

Web3 career projections are in huge demand in 2024. Metaverse company, Defi, NFT, and Blockchain are the new profitable options for supporters who wish to do their job in IT. 

Metaverse, described briefly, is nothing but an imaginary iteration of mankind’s age-old dream of such a world that merges reality with the virtual world. Think of it as a digital environment, just like metaverse game development services, where users can interact, engage, and exist with anything and everything virtually. 

A complete digital world where you can explore and create endless opportunities and capitalize on them for exponential income potential.

Career Opportunities in the Metaverse

With more and more of the inventor economy aggregating towards the metaverse company domain, different job opportunities are forming in the web3-verse. Here are some of the top employment opportunities that you can select for in the metaverse:

I. Metaverse Developer

A metaverse developer shapes smart contacts and decentralized apps (dApps) using blockchain technology as per the metaverse platform protocols and architecture. 

They also develop 3D solutions, designs, and models that can be integrated to boost consumer experience in the metaverse company. 

Essential Skills to become a Blockchain Developer:

Learn Cryptography, Database and networking, Data Structures, and Programming language. 

Ii. Metaverse Planner

Metaverse Planners design roadmaps and case studies, identify market opportunities, and more in order to build a planned catalog of initiatives based on proof of concept. They are also accountable for executing metaverse company strategies from development to conceptual stages. 

Essential Skills to become a Metaverse Planner:

Knowledge about immersive tools and design, critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills. 

Iii. Metaverse Business Analyst

Metaverse Industry Analysts nurture new company opportunities for prospective clients in the metaverse game development services by helping with planned analyses through different technological results.

Essential Skills to become a Metaverse Business Analyst:

Conceptual ideas, negotiation skills, communication skills about extended reality, NFT, multiparty systems, and Blockchain. 

Iv. Metaverse Data Analyst/Data Scientist

Data Scientists in the Metaverse demonstrate, develop, and define functioning and proof-of-concept prototypes by guaranteeing the responsiveness and quality of metaverse applications and platforms and developing enterprise-grade apps. 

Essential Skills to become a Metaverse Data Scientist/Data Analyst

Ability to curate company solutions, objective decision-making, statistical/analytical expertise, and a great grasp of user interfaces. 

Steps to Become a Certified Metaverse Expert

Follow the steps below to become a qualified Metaverse expert:

Educate Yourself

One of the key reasons why individuals are unable to advance in their jobs is that they limit their learning and knowledge. 

Thus, your primary responsibility would be to train yourself. Learn about the nitty-gritty of metaverse companies, NFT, Web3, and Blockchain. Learning is infinite!

As you continue to learn, you will get more interested in the field. Due to procedure, your lane as a metaverse expert will inevitably be clear.

Develop Skills Specific to your job requirements

A correct way to land a job as a metaverse professional is to develop suitable skills for any particular profession. Hence, you need to nurture those particular skills which are appropriate for your occupation of choice. 

If you want to be a designer, then learn cryptography, algorithms, data structures, and coding. If you want to be a content writer, then enhance your knowledge about writing, keyword-based research tricks, and SEO. 

Develop only those abilities that are associated with your job prospects.

Select the Right Certification

As the metaverse game development sector is still in its early stages, being qualified is not absolute, but it is certainly a plus. Qualified certifications will incur enhanced opportunities with higher benefits and compensation. 

But you need to select your certification correctly. For instance, if you want to be a designer, then you might opt for Ethereum, Blockchain, or other likewise cryptography-related authorizations. 

On the contrary, if you want occupations in non-technical fields, you might opt for expert certifications and mixed reality. The difference between non-tech and tech roles in the metaverse is really fuzzy. 

Thus, most non-tech documentations also consist of initial information about procedures.

Learn Particularly about Cryptonomics, Ethereum Solidity, and Smart Contracts

Blockchain technology is primarily based on the concepts of consensual algorithms, digital ledgers, cryptography, and smart contracts.  

All other advances of Blockchain, metaverse company being one of them, share resemblances. As a metaverse professional, you must understand all of these. 

Such will confirm many advanced possibilities for you to land a job in the metaverse.

Search for internships. Gain hands-on experience

The best way to gain actual-world working experience is to work under experts who have more experience than you in the field. Search for internship openings. 

Always remain solution-oriented

It is the most honest recommendation one can ever give. Constantly be solution-headed. Don’t merely apply just because of the money. Try to think of artistic ways to approach your difficulties. Research more and brainstorm different possibilities about how industry experts are offering solutions. 

Wrapping up

There you have it. This is all you need to become knowledgeable in the metaverse. Yes, it can feel overpowering at times, and it needs a lot of effort to become one, but the consequences will be worth it. 

Not only will this ensure you a job in any sector, but you will acquire a future-proof skill set that will all be useful in the coming years. It may also allow you to start your own metaverse company. 

By becoming a professional in this field, you can be one of the foremost to make the most out of it and take advantage of its opportunities. 

[mango4567]

MAJOR P5R SPOILERS and way too many words about my thoughts on the ending

I can’t stop thinking about how, per Lavenza’s explanation, the PT were essentially briefly gods.

And about how she says the PT passed on this divinity and power to Maruki with their wishes and trust in him. But Ren never accepts his reality. Not even for a moment. The dream sequence makes this pretty clear.

And while Ren is part of the reason Maruki allegedly brings Akechi back, they never say he was fulfilling Ren’s wish and the usual corresponding cognitive distortion never occurred. Akechi’s persistence after they realize the truth (including the truth of his existence) points towards his situation being quite different than Okumura and Wakaba’s. Furthermore, Akechi was never under Maruki’s power like the other PT, Okumura, and Wakaba were.

Imo, Ren never surrendered his cognition to Maruki, so he never gave up his divinity either. This, I think, is why he never lost sight of reality, why the people closest to him were freed of Maruki’s influence, and why his agreement to Maruki’s reality was so damn critical. (Note that his acceptance rewrites the cognition of the PT and Goro, not just his own.) He, at the very least, holds the power to resist and reverse distortion. Not just in his own mind, but other’s as well.

This is consistent with the game’s internal logic: these powers are based on his own cognition of himself. And he knows himself as the resistance against Yaldy’s distortion (both in role and in action) and a changer of hearts. In addition, the position of being the ruler of Mementos is split between him and Maruki, so Maruki can’t actually fully take control without his agreement.

Time and time again Maruki dismisses what the other PT and Akechi say, asking for Joker’s answer instead. Liking Ren and appreciating him seems a flimsy excuse in the face of his distortion and desperation, when he’s happy to mindfuck everyone else for, allegedly, their own good. His actions make far more sense as an appeal to the fellow god of Mementos whose consent or surrender is necessary.

This is a really neat concept in and of itself. Ren as a quiet, unassuming GOD is amazing. But also, if I’m right, he’s the only one to hold Yaldy’s position in the collective consciousnes that doesn’t use that position to control others.

He also destroys Maruki’s Persona’s divine form with a single fucking bullet, without even summoning a Persona. Yeah, the conditions had to be perfect, but that’s still an absurd show of power considering you can’t even kill a pixie with a single bullet.

Given all that, I think that Joker is actually be the one responsible for Akechi’s return.

This really isn’t unheard of either: Morgana returning after vanishing in Mementos is iirc said to be the result of the PT believing in him (in vanilla p5 anyway). They actualized a talking cat back into existence, even without the mementos fusion, so why not a person?

The fact that Akechi returned on Christmas Eve, after reality and mementos were temporarily unfused, before Maruki was changing anything else, and at the height of the PT’s influence, really really points to something else going on. And why would Maruki even bring him back right then if he was just going to erase both of their criminal records and free Akechi a few days later?

And if you accept Maruki’s offer, the resulting Akechi seems VERY different. It’s pretty clear he goes back to being his detective prince persona rather than his unrestrained self imo. If this is what Maruki intended and what he wanted to give Ren, why doesn’t he just do that in the first place? Especially when you consider that this version of Akechi isn’t exactly all sunshine and rainbows. While Ren is okay with that and wants to be with the true Akechi even if it hurts and even if he’s a difficult little shit sometimes, this is clearly not aligned with Maruki’s obsession with avoiding pain. So it doesn’t make sense for this Akechi to be Maruki’s creation, when Maruki clearly has no issue bringing back dead people as idealized, kinder selves AND he shows that he’d change Akechi given the opportunity.

His continued existence after Ren finds out he’s allegedly dead and after Maruki loses his Persona is likely because his existence is from Ren’s power, not a creation of Maruki’s cognitive distortions.

Finally, I think Akechi really is dead irl, because any other explication gets too weird, but that he persists in the Metaverse.

tl;dr: Ren is a god with some cognition-warping powers of his own and probably was the one that brought Akechi back

[threadbareturnbacks]

The Tchotchke Internet is a social media landscape of digital flair and knick-knacks, a direct evolution of the freemium user experience. It’s the small ways that users can spend money (or make money) to have a better experience on social media. It’s Reddit Gold, Discord Nitro, Twitter Super Follows, celebrity verified checkmarks, premium Zoom calls, NFT galleries, Ethereum domain names in your bio, Fortnite skins, Roblox Robux, personal Minecraft servers, custom Twitch emotes, Linktree URLs, cryptocoin giveaways, Clubhouse invites, and social media partner programs.

People are spending a lot of money to express themselves online and most of what they’re paying for is basically the digital equivalent of an emo kid’s backpack covered in Hot Topic pins, random little digital artifacts that bely some kind of personal identity. And looked at one-by-one, it just seems like random services people pay for to get a bit more out of their social media, but looked at as a whole, it does feel like a big shift in user behavior. Especially if you think about how radically different this is from the online piracy days of the mid-00s or even the peak of free Facebook viral media consumption five or six years ago.

In a way, this feels tied to the mass adoption of social media that happened globally over the course of the pandemic. With millions of people only being able to safely interact with one another online, suddenly there was a need to attach irl social value to how a person uses the internet. And companies have been more than happy to oblige.

Bu this also feels tied to the growing connection between financial capital and viral traffic. Whether we’re talking about influencer marketing or meme stocks, the assumption now is that digital audience size directly maps to economic capital, an idea that wasn’t always taken for granted. And I suspect that as creator monetization tools continue to roll out across social platforms, this assumption will only grow.

Which means soon there will be very few places left online — if there are any at all anymore — where all users have the same basic set of tools at their disposal and are, in theory, free from some kind of class hierarchy. And as this stratified user experience continues to spread, I think forms of digital flair will only become more popular — your cryptopunk NFT profile pic, your custom Fortnite skin, or your custom short-form video filters.

It’s kind of a huge bummer. At least with the metaverse, in theory, you could fly your avatar around or order Uber Eats from Optimus Prime or something. With the Tchotchke Internet, as it exists right now, it feels like we’re giving up openness and equal access to digital tools just to spend money to use emojis that no one else has access to.

Garbage Day nailed it y’all.  

[dragon-overlord-yuu]

I hadn’t touched Mystic Messenger in years, but this brainworm came for me outta nowhere and won’t leave until I wrote it all out , so motherfuckin uhhh Another Story Persona 5 AU

MC is a Persona user investigating a string of disappearances which leads her to Mint Eye. Same shit happens where she meets Ray, who hooks her up to the RFA app, also meets Rika, and Jihyun tries to rescue her only to get captured and both of them need to be rescued by Seven.

Anyway, Jihyun is on his self sacrificing bullshit again, and out of curiosity, MC inputs Rika’s name into the Metaverse navigator. It’s a hit, of course. She would be surprised if someone like Rika didn’t have a Palace. Now she needs the place of distortion. An easy guess again: the Mint Eye compound. What’s left now is the distortion itself. But before MC could mull over it, Jihyun leaves their safe house, intending to offer himself to Rika in exchange for the RFA’s safety. MC manages to trail him all the way back to Mint Eye and stops him before he could do anything stupid. She pleads with Jihyun that there is another way. She can make Rika stop her crimes without the need for any bloodshed or sacrifice. It takes a while, but Jihyun finally relents, but only to hear MC out. She pulls out her phone and shows him a strange app with a glowing red icon and asks, “What does Rika think of Mint Eye?”

A little confused, Jihyun says he’s heard her call the place a “paradise”. But the app says there were no candidates found. Paradise is a pretty broad term, after all. They need to think inside the box. Mint Eye is a cult, so perhaps Rika thinks of it as some sort of religious establishment? Church? Temple? Hell, even synagogue for good measure. Still no hits.

MC mulls over the information she knows about Rika so far: she was engaged to Jihyun and she was the RFA party coordinator before her, but not much else. She remembers a pamphlet she saw at Mint Eye. “Attend the endless party”

Nervously holding her phone up to her lips, MC utters the words “party venue” into the microphone.

Candidate found. Beginning navigation.

The world warps around them. The dreadful looming presence of the mansion was now replaced by a delightful affair of glittering lights and laughter. V looks around, half in awe and half in confusion. The mansion looks mostly the same, except the outside was decorated with golden streamers and balloons. What’s more, MC’s clothes had somehow changed too, like a strange masquerade costume. He has so many questions, but MC beckons him to follow, promising an explanation once they’re somewhere safe. They sneak in, trying to blend in among the party guests and glittering chandeliers. MC fights some Shadows that manage to catch them, summoning a strange being called a Persona. But they eventually reach a safe room. Jihyun is now thoroughly confused, demanding answers and MC sits him down and calmly explains everything to him: they are in an alternate reality where Rika’s distorted desires have taken physical form, insinuating that the gentle, loving Rika he’s so desperate to bring back never existed in the first place, considering everything this disgustingly lavish party full of mindless, brainwashed guests is built on is created from her cognition. She further explains that if they steal Rika’s treasure, the core of this world, the Palace will collapse and Rika will feel remorse for her actions and confess her crimes. MC states this was her plan from the beginning and she will proceed with or without Jihyun.

Jihyun still has some doubts as he and MC traverse through the Palace, until he spots the other members of the RFA, all of them raving about an empty happiness. He panics, thinking Rika managed to indoctrinate them too, until MC assures him they’re merely cognitions, lifelike puppets created from Rika’s perception of them. Eventually, they bump into Rika’s Shadow, dressed in an extravagant white and gold dress fit for the goddess she thinks of herself as. By her side was a cognition of Jihyun, blindfolded and chained to Rika at all times, pathetically whimpering about his love for Rika. MC nearly vomits at the sight. Was this all Rika thought about Jihyun? Just another puppet that was endlessly devoted to her?

Jihyun questions Rika endlessly, who laughs in his face, gloating about the fact she never loved him. As a person, anyway. She was so obsessed with the feeling of being loved by someone at all. And now she’ll take away everything Jihyun held dear so that the only thing he had was her, starting with that little thief that dared to turn Jihyun against her. She then summons a bunch of Shadow minions to ambush them. MC tried her hardest to fight them off, but she quickly finds herself overwhelmed and outnumbered.

Upon realizing this was Rika’s true nature, a strange feeling welled up in Jihyun. What was it...? Anger? At who? Her? For manipulating him to the point he was a hollow shell of himself? Or himself for being so blinded by what he thought was love that he denied the monster she truly was? Or was it the realization that everything he gave up for her was for nothing?

No, he can’t keep making excuses for her anymore. He cannot be complacent if all Rika was going to do was hurt the ones he cares about.

“I see you‘ve made up your mind” a light, jovial voice calls from the depths of his subconscious. It’s the first time he’s heard it, but somehow it’s familiar. “You’ve allowed yourself to be blinded by a poisonous imitation of love. It’s time you take off those rose-colored glasses that clouded the truth before you. Shall we move on with the contract?”

A sharp pain shoots through Jihyun’s head, bringing him to his knees. He screams and writhes in agony as the voice continues speaking. “I am thou, thou art I.”

A white mask with intricate gold filigree appears on Jihyun’s face. It burned, like white hot iron. His hands flew up to grasp at it, feeling an intense need to remove it. With a few sharp tugs, he rips the mask off, his face bloody as he calls out to his other self, “Come, Eros!”

Jihyun is engulfed in blue flames, his clothes morphing into an elegant white suit with trimmings of gold. A white cape in the shape of wings flaps gently behind him. In his hand, a white cane with a deadly blade he knows is hidden in the handle. Running on pure adrenaline, Jihyun lunges forward, pulling out the blade from his cane and slashing at his cognitive double with ease, reducing it to black smoke.

“I’m sorry, Rika.” He says, his tone soft and apologetic as ever, despite the cold, menacing glare that was uncharacteristic of him. “The V that obsessed over you is dead now. I’m taking back everything you robbed me of!”

“Now tell me, what shall you do now?” The trickster god of love asks him, manifesting by his side.

Protect MC. Jihyun thought.

He hears Eros chuckle in response, as if he could read Jihyun’s thoughts as well “Very well. I lend you my power.”

(Idk might make a part 2 if I’m so inclined)

[bcanetwork]

BCA NFTalk Vol.3｜Art Blocks NFTs’ Imagination

Guest Speakers：Host ArthurLou BCA Co-Founder丨Vulcan DAO GP（简称A）

Zero Chen NFT Consultant of FTChinese.com（简称C）

Ting Song AI and Blockchain Artist丨IOAC Asia Ambassador（简称S）

Hesiod 「Theogo NFT Observer」Chief Editor （简称H）

Nico Yang VulcanDAO GP（简称Y）

Background: It's been a few months of a mini-bull market for NFT collectibles, which the frenzied sales of CryptoPunks have pushed up in recent days. In addition, Art Blocks, as a generative art segment, topped the 7-day trading volume list strongly, ranking first with The Art Blocks segment was ranked fifth overall with $498 million. These three segments - avatars, generative art, and solo editions - make up a solid JPEG Summer. In this context, we invite four guests to chat about the NFT imagination beyond Punk.

01

Host A: What do you think of the macro reasons for this 2021 Summer rampage? Share some of the recent Punk-like replica disc projects and NFT collecting tips that you've been following.

C: It's not very surprising that Punk is on fire; its holders or investors/collectors who are bullish think it should be higher priced. Its broken circle has become more apparent, and this mini-bull market is a spurt of an accumulation from the entire NFT market that preceded it. Social subcultures and aesthetic psychology drive NFT and trendy fashion, so its rise and fall may be very different from how technology has evolved and popularised. Compared to traditional art and traditional collecting, this wave in the crypto world should be just beginning. If CryptoPunks do become digital antiques, I believe they will be worth much more than that in the future.

Y: Until 2021, it will be difficult for digital content creators to get their work recognized by the market and to cash in without relying on big institutions with a centralized approach. The breaking of the circle in media and the entrance of money brought by the wealth creation effect have greatly refreshed the perception of digital content. Echoing what Che Guevara once said, "After we leave, they build you schools and hospitals, not because they have shown great mercy, but because we came."

The identity that comes with NFT is only really felt when it is held. The purpose is different, and the logic of buying and collecting can be very different. A scarce NFT is a status symbol in itself.

S: Compared to the art market, which is repeatedly tested and scrutinized by connoisseurs from different perspectives, there is a sizeable speculative bubble in the English-speaking community on Ethereum. A lot of this bubble is in cultural content and projects that lack culture can be short-lived. The works that I want to keep inside my wallet for a long time are the ones that I will be happy to look at even ten years from now.

In this JPEG Summer, I strongly feel that it is similar to 1CO at the end of 17, where all aspects of blockchain project parties were active, but the market turned cold after 18 years. A successful crypto art series is also a successful cultural product that combines technology and art.

Punk is Punk in the same way that an asteroid hitting the earth is hard to replicate, and special times happen like this. How do you ambush the next Punk? 1. Is there innovation? 2. Is the seed community very geeky? 3. Is it a historical level under the megatrend? 4. Can the team continue to do it? 5. are the institutional holders coming in at the middle stage good enough to drive the project forward? 6. can it create a cultural resonance in the circle? These are all worth exploring.

Regarding collection investment strategies, I am very much focused on niche artists from developing countries, especially those with a pure art background or a very pioneering sense of creativity in the contemporary art field and those who respect the blockchain spirit of the blockchain community.

Moderator A: Each Trader (trader) has a different investment strategy, and each person has limited energy to focus on one vertical track. Suppose one is easily influenced by the market and forcibly changes his investment strategy. In that case, it is scary for a Trader, which is equivalent to the whole cognitive system having to be reconstructed.

H: The cost of a physical painting is not high, but it can be sold for hundreds of millions. Therefore, the value of a work does not lie in its materials or cost. Its physical price does not determine the value of Jpeg. In the structure of the blockchain market, Crypto Punks, Art Blocks, and BAYC represent the three dimensions that can be found in the NFT market. Crypto Punks starts from a programmer and is driven by technology; the monkey BAYC is community-driven. The blockchain community may be The base for the survival of the future blockchain; Art Blocks enter from artistic creativity.

From the perspective of social governance, Token is an institutional symbol. Mature NFT projects must create a field and a way of existence, and a variety of hobbies professional life corresponds to the current needs of various communities. I don't see it as a speculative target but rather as a script for building a kind of Metaverse called the respective Metaverse, whose development depends on the evolution of the community.

02

Moderator A: The more successful 10K projects have a cultural tribe behind them, and the ethos can be very different from project to project. How do you see Art Blocks as a clear stream with awe-inspiring numbers? How do you see it breaking out and the appreciation and valuation insights into generative art as a discipline?

S: The group of projects in NFT that are particularly speculative and not culturally good enough are like passing clouds and won't be in the prosperous state they are today when the market is in a bad mood. But two things are sure to go a long way: firstly, good cultural content is never speculative. But anything that has an innovative aesthetic or interest that strikes a chord is not entirely speculative and has its own commercial identity quite typically. The second point, the trend towards avatars and social identities, is unstoppable.

I am very bullish on generative art. Behind it is a respect and exploration of the mathematical logic behind information technology. The methods used are engineering in nature and reflect the cultural identity of a group of people.

C: Generative art started with computer technology and continued until this wave of artificial intelligence, more precisely the application of convolutional neural networks, entered the aesthetic vision of the masses, with a low correlation to the market price of generative artworks. In the past, the general aesthetics of popular art did not break through the traditional class texture (strong mediated aesthetic vision), the blockchain market changed this law, and the same thing is now entering the NFT art collectibles market.

H: NFT is a fuse to the art market, not a monopoly on art history. When the financial operation goes to an extreme, it is decoupled from the actual value creator. Although Art Blocks has a centralized organizer, it is isomorphic with the state-of-the-art community. Generative art will present different visual effects depending on the materials used. With the rapid development of technology and speculation, it is possible to join the first-line NFT.

Y: Art Blocks is the same thing as the explosion of CryptoPunks. Looking at the top 20 Crypto Punks holdings, the most intuitive data is that there is a very high degree of overlap with the big Art Blocks accounts, with the smallest of these holdings holding more than 50 Art Block NFTs.

More generally, a large percentage of the first blockchain explorers to make a large fortune were programmers. The culture that Art Blocks carries is precisely an aesthetically pleasing phenomenon from a programmer's perspective.

Any art form first evolved from technology, and the value of NFT relies on the programmer-led blockchain revolution to provide sufficient wealth to support it. Crypto Punks represent a new class of people, the last piece of the puzzle in internet development.

03

A: The bigger the wave, the further back you look; what should be the kind of work that can be called classic or digital antiques? What is the view on the future of NFT?

C: If we look at this from a long-term perspective, three points need to be considered. Firstly, there is a characteristic of any cultural investment product that performs more similarly to financial assets in a bull market and can be less liquid than financial assets in a bear market, with a liquidity black hole. Classic core assets can find counterparties no matter when they are traded. Broad consensus and acceptance are the hallmarks of traditional investments, and a sense of scarcity and value is formed over a long period.

Secondly, whether crypto art or generative art, continuing to move forward requires special attention to fit in with other cultural and sub-cultural trends, the spirit of the times.

Thirdly, the artist is a profession, not an inoffensive one. One might as well consider the NFT market giving artists such opportunities as a form of nourishment. If it does not produce investment returns, it is still making its contribution to the art market.

H: I encourage artists to get involved in art that may not be very romantic because there is a massive demand for essential art waiting there. A good NFT project is hardly successful without the creation of artists, and NFT offers a vast blue ocean for artists. Calmness is always within one's heart, maintaining a sense of rationality in the course of a bear or bull market, no matter how noisy it may be.

Host's summary: Since I entered this track myself, there are still times of anxiety and confusion, but things are still in the making. I hope that I can do something genuinely long-term like the four excellent teachers.

[auncyen]

Ruby Red and the Rain

Kasumi had been walking home with her father, each of them carrying a bucket of fried chicken--one just for her so her parents could get a piece, her father joked--when a drop of rain splashed on her nose.  The redhead looked up to the sky, blinking as drops started to fall faster, a couple plopping on her face.

Her chest grew tight.

Christmas Eve was a time for white snow, if anything...what did red rain mean?

“What’s wrong?”

“D-don’t you see it, Dad?” Kasumi asked him, taking one hand away from her cargo to point up to the sky.  “I didn’t even know rain could be red...”

“See what?” Her father looked up, then back at her, his face the picture of confusion behind his red glasses.  “Skies look normal to me.”

Kasumi gaped at him.  How did her father not see the rain when it was coming down so fast?  It was raining so hard--oh no, it was raining so hard that the path was already covered in a sheen of crimson that splashed as she shifted her feet.  She gulped.  It looked so much like blood...like the pool of blood that had formed when Sumire died.

No, no.  She closed her eyes, trying to block out the sight and think.  Ignore the liquid soaking through her shoes.  Something strange was going on, and, and...lately, when she’d seen strange things, it’d all been in...the Metaverse?  She reached out in her mind for Cendrillon, relieved when her Persona answered readily, but also wary.  Had she and her father accidentally entered the Metaverse somehow?  She didn’t have her rebel’s clothes, though.  What had Mona-senpai said about that again?

Wait.  Even if they were in the Metaverse, why wasn’t her father seeing this?

“██████, are you not feeling well?”

“I’m okay, I think,” Kasumi said, forcing her eyes open to look at her father.  Was she seeing things, or was he...not?  She didn’t want to worry him--he’d been worrying so much about her in her slump, after Sumire died-- “Wait.  What did you call me?”

Her father looked even more confused.  More concerned.  “Your name?  ████re.”

It was like she was hearing him from deep underwater, and for a moment she wondered if the blood rain was swallowing her up.

No.   It was still around her ankles.  If it was even there.  “Dad,” she said, her voice wavering.  “I’m Kasumi.”

Her father’s lips parted in shock, but she didn’t know why that should be so surprising.  He’d just--he’d slipped up names.  It happened.  He was getting older.  He needed reading glasses now.  Messing up names every once in a while was normal for someone his age, right?

She was Kasumi Yoshizawa, and she reached for her inner confidence, for Cendrillon again.

But now Cendrillon had vanished.

In Shibuya’s scramble, the Phantom Thieves were discovering the power of the public’s cognition as it was impressed upon them, dreadful, inescapable, that they did not exist.

Kasumi’s brush with the public’s cognition was not as painful.  Not physically, at least.

But the public knew that Kasumi Yoshizawa was dead, and that scraped against her thoughts, peeling away her perception, her sense of self.

Her father looked so, so terribly pained.  “That--that explains some things,” he said.  “Please, Su--”  He stopped himself, then continued in a gentle voice.  “Let’s get home quickly, and we can eat, and you can get some rest.”

His daughter pursed her lips.  The last time his voice had sounded so gentle, almost like he was afraid of setting her off somehow, was after ████mi’s death--

After ██su██--██████--Ka--

Nononononononothatwasn’trightitwas Sumire!  Sumire had died!  It had been raining and she had been stupid and run into traffic without looking!  It was still sad she’d died but she’d brought it on herself!  There was no good reason for Kasumi to be the one who got hurt and every reason for it to be Sumire, so the blood at her feet had to be ██sumi’s--

The food she’d been carrying dropped to the ground as her hands flew up to cover her eyes, her shoulders hunching as though they could block out her father’s panicked voice.  Why...why was there so much blood?  It had come down so fast, like it wanted to flood the earth and swallow her up, but her father and everyone else were moving around like it’d always been there--

Oh.  It must have always been there.  If everyone else was behaving like it was normal, then that was just obvious.

The Phantom Thieves were erased from the public’s consciousness.  ██████, with her fragile sense of self, was subsumed into it.  When she reopened her eyes to the ruby red pooled around her ankles, she didn’t feel any alarm.  Just disappointment at the overturned bucket already soggy in the low flood.  “Sorry, Dad,” she said, smiling apologetically at him.  “That was really clumsy of me to drop half our dinner.”

Her father had a strange look on his face, and she wondered if he was really upset about it before he shook his head.  “That’s all right, dear.  It doesn’t matter.  Let’s--let’s hurry home.  Hold my hand, okay?”

That was kind of a strange request, especially when he still had his share of chicken to hold, but it was kind of sweet, too.  Maybe he was feeling sentimental since it was Christmas Eve.  ██████ took the hand her father freed from carrying the bucket, and they resumed their walk home.  Along the way, he asked if she would want to try a new therapist, and ██████ reassured him that Maruki was doing a great job.  She liked Maruki.  And really, she was doing a lot better now, with help from both her therapist and her senpai.  Her father worried about her too much.

When the public’s cognition started to unravel, the people finally recognizing the danger they were in, her father reacted first, tugging ██████ into the nearest open shop.  He gripped her hand tighter as others who had crowded into the shop with them vanished in wisps of black smoke.  ██████ roused briefly from the lull she’d fallen into at the increasing distress in her father and the others around her.  She reached for Cendrillon again.  Her Persona still wasn’t there.  Her true self was gone.  She couldn’t even remember what it had been like, and gave up trying soon enough.

If they were all going to die anyway, she should really be focusing on how to say sorry when she saw ██████ again.

She didn’t feel a spark of rebellion until a TV in the store lit up with static and the Phantom Thieves’ logo.  She recognized the voice that declared “We’ll definitely, definitely...take the world!”  It was a struggle to raise her voice loud enough, but she cheered in response:

“Mona-senpai!  Joker-senpai!  You...you can do it!!  Go, Phantom Thieves!”  She believed in them, even if she couldn’t believe in herself.

And then, a little later, her father blinked and looked at her.  “What are we doing in here?”

“Um...”  What were they doing in here?  ██████ couldn’t remember.  “Weren’t you the one who wanted to come in here, Dad?  You must have seen something cool in the window display.”  That would explain why the store was so crowded, though now the other patrons were quickly filing out, looking a little puzzled themselves.  Only some of them had actually made purchases.

Her father laughed.  “Oh, brother.  It was me, wasn’t it?  But I really can’t remember.”

“Uh oh.  Old age is setting in...”

“Kasumi!”

The redhead laughed brightly at her father’s mock indignation, and they set out of the store to finally go home.  Their joined hands separated naturally as they reached the door--they both were carrying a bucket of chicken they needed to mind.

Kasumi and her father walked through a Tokyo that was gradually turning into a winter wonderland with a gentle, pristine snowfall.  They passed by dozens of other happy families, as well as a few couples Kasumi smiled at, hoping she’d be able to have a cute relationship like that once she was through with her gymnastics career.  They got home and ate dinner with Kasumi’s mother.  There was nothing mentioned about a new therapist, because Kasumi was doing so well with Dr. Maruki’s help.  Really, she didn’t even much need to see him anymore, but she was so grateful for all he’d done for her.  They all turned in for the night, Kasumi watching snowflakes drifting lazily outside her window before her eyes drifted shut.

Instead of white snow, she dreamed of red rain

and floods

and the pool of blood her sister had died in.

Kasumi frowned when she woke up from the bad dream, hugging her pillow closer.

She wished Sumire had been more careful.

-

“Sumire should have been able to see what was going on during Christmas Eve because she had a Persona, just like any other PT could even if Joker missed maxing their confidant” vs “ok but her entire cognition is screwed up” go GO GO

[chuckling-chemist]

No One Understands Kingdom Hearts

Okay, I know I make the joke of saying “the stupidest thing I’ve ever written” before I write the second stupidest thing I’ve ever written, but this time I seriously, actually mean it this time. I am not sure we’re going to top this one, lads. 

There’s no warnings, but heads up this thing is incredibly rough and is unedited/beta-ed. I just had to write it out after a series of snapchats between @commentisunrelated and myself. About you know. Xehanort. And hearts. 

It felt like they’d been running for hours. Hours of white walls and white ceilings, ambushing faceless shadows dressed in black cloaks long before they had the chance to strike. Ren didn’t remember the last time they encountered a safe room. If it hadn’t been for his cooking, the Phantom Thieves’ stamina would’ve been wiped out far too long ago, and they’d be stuck traversing through this nightmare of a Palace another day under potentially different circumstances.

He was fast to jump on the first door that looked different – heart shaped, its pink color almost pulsing against the white. Locked, but not a problem. Ren picked locks for so long in his life he was practically a master at it now, Metaverse abilities or not.

“Readings say it’s pretty important,” Futaba said. “Might have a boss inside.”

“What about a map?” Makoto asked.

Futaba shrugged helplessly. “If he’s got a map, then yeah. Otherwise? We’re on our own still.”

Ryuji groaned. “Goddamn it. I hate this place. This…this effing--”

Ren heard a few taps on something behind him, followed by Futaba saying, “Xehanort’s Kingdom of Hearts. That was the key phrase. Don’t ask me why.”

The hefty, heart shaped lock clicked open, dropping to the ground with a resounding thud. Ren turned back to the rest of the group with a grin. “Showtime.”

Unsurprisingly, the room was painfully white. It was also wide open, with absolutely no cover from the singular shadow standing beyond them – human looking, with gold eyes and long silver hair that stood out against the man’s long black and white coat. He watched, motionless, as the group walked in. Just like Futaba predicted. On the corner of his vision, he saw the fuzzy outlines of what looked to be a safe room. This man, clearly waiting for them, was the only barrier between their goal.

“Welcome, thieves,” he said. If he noticed Ren immediately grabbing for his baselard, he didn’t say anything, opting instead to continue standing there with his arms crossed.  “I see you’re after Kingdom Hearts.”

“Are we?” Ann blinked owlishly. “Wait, did this shadow name the Treasure?”

“Oh no. Kingdom Hearts is one thing: Kingdom Hearts is darkness.”

Ryuji scowled. “Wait what? I thought Kingdom Hearts was—”

“Kingdom Hearts!” the man shouted, as if Ryuji said nothing, “fill me with the power of darkness!!”

The shadow transformed, morphing into a black beast not unlike the ones they’d seen at other points in the Palace. Darkness in the form of inky black smoke pooled around them, cutting off their vision as smaller shadows bombarded them. It was only thanks to Captain Kidd’s lightning and the light from Power’s hama the Phantom Thieves saw anything during the fight. By the end, the shadow disappeared into nothingness, leaving the rest of them exhausted.

“That’s a safe room up there. Let’s pack it up for now and return in a couple days when we have our strength back,” Ren said. He wasn’t ready to process the shadow ate up that much of their energy and didn’t even have the decency to drop a map. That was, apparently, asking for too much.

No one argued with him. They were all too tired.

When they went at it a second time, it was the same thing all over again. White rooms. White halls. Black shadows. Pink hearts. Hoping they made progress.

The answer to their question came at the appearance of another Shadow. Like the previous one, he was tall with long white hair. Unlike the previous one, he dressed himself in what Ren swore was a zebra-fur coat, though simultaneously knew it couldn’t be possible since the man in question didn’t technically come from a place where zebras existed.

“Who’re you?” Ren demanded.

“I am Xemnas. I seek to bring Kingdom Hearts,” he said. His voice rattled just as deeply as the previous Shadow, though different. Hollow.

“Oh…kay,” Futaba said. “And what exactly is Kingdom Hearts?”

Xemnas smirked. With a snap of his fingers, white walls gave way to reveal a monstrous, actual heart-shaped thing in the sky past the windows. “Kingdom Hearts,” he said slowly, almost in a drawl, “is how us Nobodies will feel again. It is a heart for all Nobodies!”

“And what does that have to do with it being darkness?” Morgana asked.

“Yeah, the last guy told us Kingdom Hearts was darkness!” Ryuji shouted.

Xemnas didn’t answer. Rather, the instrument of apparent darkness used to make Nobodies (whatever those were) to feel again shot a beam of light through the room.

The fight afterward was grueling. Physical attacks did almost nothing to him, resulting in Ryuji and Yusuke taking a backseat as the heavier magic-aligned Persona users blasted him. Kingdom Hearts – at least, what Xemnas claimed was Kingdom Hearts – proved to be its own problem as well. While Xemnas attacked them with his own laser beams, “Kingdom Hearts” shot at them from afar. It managed to catch Ren’s coat more than a few times, singeing the tail.

Still, they managed to end the fight. Xemnas faded away into darkness, and Kingdom Hearts disappeared from the window along with him. Where Xemnas once stood, a map lay crumpled on the floor in his place.

“Oh thank goodness,” Haru said.

“I was beginning to get worried we’d never find it,” Makoto said.

Ren nodded wordlessly in agreement. He picked it up, scanning it for any relevant details.

“I have good news.”

“Oh?” Yusuke asked.

“One more push and we’re at the Treasure. Looks like Xemnas even had the thought to tell us what it’s called.”

“Really?” Morgana’s eyes shone brightly. He hopped up onto Ren’s shoulder, and Ren swore he felt every excited vibration running through the cat as he scanned the map up and down. “Wait, that’s not the Treasure name! That just says Kingdom Hearts!”

Ren used his free hand to point at the arrow pointed neatly to the big red spot marked in a suspiciously large chamber toward the center of the castle. Above the arrow was the name Kingdom Hearts scrawled in dark ink. “You sure? Looks like it’s pointing to a treasure to me.”

“But he said Kingdom Hearts was a heart for all Nobodies,” Ann said.

Haru frowned. “The man before said Kingdom Hearts was darkness,” she said.

“Perhaps it is both?” Yusuke closed his eyes as if in contemplation. “Maybe all so-called Nobodies have hearts filled completely in darkness, and Kingdom Hearts is a collection of all of those.”

“If that’s the case, all the better we’re changing his heart,” Morgana said.

“But wait.” Makoto shook her head. “Earlier in the Palace, we came across books calling Kingdom Hearts all sorts of different things. Some called it light, others called it a portal, others said it was used to make a sword. How can it be all of those things and also a heart for Nobodies and a representation of darkness?”

“Maybe it’s whatever the summoner of Kingdom Hearts desires?” Haru said.

“Whatever it is, it can wait until after the Palace is completed. Come on, we’ve almost secured a route.”

After the fight with Xemnas, the rest of the Palace was a breeze. Ren tried not to focus on the noticeable physical similarities the grunt shadows shared with Xemnas and the other shadow from earlier, but as their difficulty seemed to melt away, it proved more and more difficult. By the time they reached the Treasure and secured a route, Ren was absolutely certain every single shadow was merely a stand-in for the Palace owner himself.

The following days started as normal: send the calling card (an unusual circumstance, but Futaba made it work), infiltrate the Palace and steal the treasure. Ren sold some of their treasure (hearts, they were all somehow related to hearts) off at Iwai for some extra cash that he immediately traded off for medicine at Takemi’s clinic. He didn’t know what to expect, and after months of doing this he learned to prepare for the worst.

And by worst, Ren meant fighting the Palace ruler.

Needless to say, shortly after they took the Treasure – which had taken the form of, what else but a silver gray heart – ahead of them stood the palace ruler, Xehanort. An old man, balding with a long gray beard and a notably similar outfit to the first man they found.

“You really think you can just come here and take Kingdom Hearts? After all the work I’ve done to bring it about?”

“What?!” Ryuji shouted. Thank God it was Morgana who held the Treasure, otherwise Ryuji would’ve dropped it right there. He marched straight up to the old man, grabbing him by the lapel of his coat. It was almost like their previous conversation about the nature of Kingdom Hearts never happened. “What do you mean this is effing Kingdom Hearts?”

“Skull! Get back here!” Ann shouted.  

The man’s lips curled into a smirk. “Yes Skull, return to your friends.” He pushed Skull away with a shocking amount of strength for an old man. With the flick of his wrist, the Treasure morphed from a heart into the strangest, key-shaped weapon any of them had ever seen in their life. Another wrist flick, and the blade disappeared out of Morgana’s paws, moving straight into Xehanort’s hands. “And yield, Phantom Thieves to the true power of Kingdom Hearts!”

As Xehanort’s hands touched the Treasure, darkness surrounded his form. It twisted and shifted around him, the influence of the Metaverse taking over to turn the Shadow into his true form. The first time it happened, back with Kamoshida, Ren had to admit it frightened him. Now? Ren was numb to the change.

At least, he would be, except Xehanort’s form shifted into something quickly becoming painfully familiar to the Phantom Thieves: a twisted, dark shadow in the shape of some sort of malformed heart with eyes and a mouth. Spindly, monochromatic limbs popped out of either side to give it some semblance of arms and legs. It clung onto the key-like blade of a Treasure for dear life. A horrific monstrosity, truly, but not in the way Ren ever expected.

“Kingdom Hearts! Come, consume me with your power!!”

Ryuji sighed. “So what, now he’s Kingdom Hearts?!”

“Perhaps the nature of Kingdom Hearts isn’t important, only what it means to the self,” Yusuke said.

“Yeah right! If it didn’t mean shit this whole place wouldn’t be Kingdom Hearts.” Ryuji grabbed his pipe and pointed it at the giant heart, ready to charge. “I’m starting to think this yahoo doesn’t even know what Kingdom Hearts is!”

And with that, Ryuji bolted forward toward the shadow.

“Skull wait!” Morgana exclaimed.

It was too late. They were left charging in after Ryuji for a fight unlike any they’ve had before.

[crackimagines]

Persona and Yakuza crossover, in which both stories happen in the same city, and both Kiryu and Majima always get stuck inside mementos until they finally get a persona.

God I WISH they were in a Persona game.

Originally, I had a whole thing written out for them, but unfortunately my computer decided to kill itself midwriting, so I’m going to take a step further in this ask, and make it part 1.

Thanks for the ask, anon! I hope you enjoy!

By the way. I keep using the KEEP READING tab, but it always messes up, so sorry about this! 

-----

PART 1

Kiryu and Majima Meeting the Phantom Thieves

Meeting the Phantom Thieves:

Kiryu and Majima first heard of the Phantom Thieves when Madarame confessed his crimes, which made all the bosses become on edge. Everyone in the Tojo clan was ordered to keep their heads down, and keep an eye out for anyone suspicious.

They didn’t get to meet them first hand until they came to Kamurocho in search of information about Kaneshiro.

Kiryu was in the bar with Majima after they had fought, with Kiryu being the victor. He had originally wanted a peaceful night, but had to deal with Majima. He figured there were worse ways to spend the night, however.

Ohya sat next to Kiryu, a giant grin on her face as she raised a glass.

“Kiryu! Good to see ya again, this your buddy?”

(Kiryu) “Same to you, Ohya...And Majima’s...something like that.”

(Majima) “Ah, come on Kiryu-chan! No need to be so cold!”

He sighed deeply, and drank for a few seconds before putting the cup down hard.

(Kiryu) “What brings you here Ohya, you don’t look like you’re here for pleasure tonight.”

(Ohya) “Yeah, it’s work. Someone’s here to see me for information, and in exchange I get info from them.”

(Majima) “Who’s that someone?”

The door opened, and all three of them turned to see a tall black haired kid in glasses.

“Um, is Ohya here?”

(Kiryu) “Woah hang on a sec, that a high school kid?”

(Ohya) “Oh relax, Kiryu! I’ll be ordering him some water!”

(Majima) “This is what the youth is getting up to these days? Sheesh...”

Ohya and Akira took a seat near the booths while Majima and Kiryu continued drinking.

(Kiryu) “Didn’t figure you’d care about these kinds of things.”

(Majima) “What, are you kidding me? I may be a bit looney, but I’m still an upstanding member of society!”

(Kiryu) “Heh, right...”

(Ohya) “-...his name is Junya Kaneshiro. Hope that’s what you were looking for!”-

(Kiryu & Majima) !!!

They both looked at each other and remained silent for the duration of their conversation. Once it was over, Akira got up and left the bar, while making sure to avoid eye contact with the both of them.

Once the door was closed, they turned around.

(Kiryu) “Where did you hear that name-No, why the hell did you tell a kid that?”

(Ohya) “Well, I needed info on the Phantom Thieves! Got my info, and he got his.”

(Majima) “What’s the kid’s name?”

(Ohya) “Akira Kurusu. Goes to Shujin, I think. Anyways, I’m buzzed as hell, so I think I’m heading out”

She waved a hand out while not looking back, exiting the bar.

(Majima) “Tch, just what is that kid planning? He sure as shit can’t just go to the cops about it.”

(Kiryu) “Maybe we should keep an eye on him. Our families might be troubled if he’s asking for that asshole by name.”

A few days later, Kiryu and Majima separately tailed Akira after school ended, and saw him meet up with Ann, Ryuji, and Yusuke and Makoto. They bumped into each other, but instead of fighting, they kept watching to see if anything happened.

(Kiryu) “What are they doing?”

(Majima) “I think they’re typing stuff into their phones. Are they calling someo-”

Before they realized what was happening, they saw the district they were in completely shift, and transformed into a world they had no idea even existed.

(Kiryu) “W-What?!”

(Majima) “The shit is this?!”

(Ryuji) “Huh? Are those human voices?”

(Yusuke) “That doesn’t sound like shadows...”

From there, the Phantom Thieves confronted Kiryu and Majima who were originally hiding behind a tree.

(Makoto) “Who’s there?!”

(Akira) “Wait a second...You’re the guys from the bar with Ohya!”

(Morgana) “Oh yeah, those guys!”

(Kiryu) “Did...your cat just-”

(Morgana) “I’M NOT A CAT, DAMN IT!”

(Ann) “Just...what are they wearing?! Those suits are so...tacky!”

(Majima) “I don’t know why you’re going on about my clothes missy, the fuck are YOU guys wearing?!”

(Yusuke) “Joker, you said you knew them?”

(Akira) “No, all I know is that they were there when I asked for info.”

(Makoto) “Wait a second...are you guys with Kaneshiro?!”

Makoto reached for her pistol, making Kiryu raise his fists and Majima pull out his knife.

(Kiryu) “...What clan?”

(Ryuji) “What...?”

(Majima) “Your clan, dipshit! Which clan are you guys with to be going after Kaneshiro?! We’re Tojo, now who the hell are you guys?!”

(Ryuji) “L-Like...as in Yakuza clan?!”

(Ann) “Holy crap...! That’d explain the eyepatch guy!”

Kiryu and Majima looked at each other, lowering their weapons.

(Kiryu) “Obviously they have no idea who we mean. That’s probably for the better.”

(Makoto) “You’re not here to stop us?”

(Kiryu) “No. We were here to make sure you didn’t cause any trouble for us. We don’t care what you do to Kaneshiro. Not part of a family as far as we’re aware, so you all can kill him. Where did kids like you even get guns anyway?”

(Akira) “Er...These aren’t real actually.”

(Majima) “Come again? I see all of you packing some serious heat for being a couple of school children!”

(Ryuji) “It’s uh...complicated.”

(Morgana) “What the hell are we still doing here?! We gotta go infiltrate the Palace, let’s throw em out and be done with it!”

(Akira) “Right...Skull, some help here.”

(Ryuji) “R-Right...CAPTAIN KID!”

(Akira) “ARSENE!”

Both their Personas picked up Kiryu and Majima, scaring the hell out of them as they tried to break free of their grip.

(Akira) “Sorry about this!”

(Majima) “GET YOUR PIRATE ASS OFF ME!”

(Kiryu) “W-WAIT, HANG ON-”

Before he could finish, they were both tossed out the Metaverse and back into the real world.

(Majima) “...Eugh, we both weren’t hallucinating, right?”

(Kiryu) “I...don’t know.”

Kiryu felt a vibration on his phone, and pulled it out.

(Kiryu) “What’s this?”

(Majima) “A red eye...?”

(Kiryu) “...We should probably get out of public sight. Everyone’s staring.”

Majima looked up and noticed that a crowd of people had formed, seeing that they had shown up from thin air.

(Majima) “R-Right.”

They both left the crowd and tried to find a quiet spot, not ready for what was to come.

TO BE CONTINUED

[bindingties]

(( Obv I’ve been thinking abt a p.ersona 5 AU bc that’s who i am so im just gonna dump all the ideas i got in here & futz and add later or something idk i make aus via the ‘throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks’ method

also just bc this has been a problem lately & i lack the energy to deal w things after the fact rn: pls personals do NOT reblog my posts ^^ ))

Manfred

Manfred absolutely has a Palace.  Look at him.

The detention center / prison, courthouse, and prosecutor’s office all appear distorted, but I’m gonna go with the courthouse being the kinda ‘center’ and being where his Treasure actually is.

The detention center / prison looks like an extensive trophy room commemorating all of his won cases.  The trophies tend to have design elements that hint at the damning evidence and crime in question while also having the name of the defendant in question somewhere.  All of them are gold, except for the one representing the IS-7 case.  That one is a bronze and notably smaller in size.

Both the courthouse and the prosecutor’s office appear as temples that worship him as a god.  The office is a bit more like a bustling hub of priests that are incredibly incompetent.  The courthouse is grand and opulent with perfectly sculpted marble statues and busts of him.

There’s a slight infestation of insects which all have a pattern similar to the defense attorney badge.  They mostly scurry and run away from just about everything.  The Shadows take the form of judges, prosecutors, bailiffs, and detectives.

Safe Rooms correspond to defense lobbies.

There is a depiction of the DL-6 Incident actively showing Manfred shooting Gregory, but the style frames it more as a heretic being righteously smote than the reality of an unconscious man being shot by a petty fossilized man child.

There are cognitive versions of both Miles and Franziska and neither of them are great.  Cognitive Franziska actually still appears as child and would fight any intruders but, due to Manfred’s low opinion of her and her capabilities, she actually cannot win.  Cognitive Miles is dressed in that horrid Manfred-style red suit but like resembles Gregory to a much higher degree than Miles actually does.

The Treasure is held in a large, central courtroom.  In the Metaverse, it is a golden, weighed scale and, once brought out, is a prosecutor’s badge.

Also you bet him as a boss utilizes a lot of Electricity skills.  Also some Gun skills.  What can I say, I’m not that subtle. 

KAY

Kay vc: i can steal shit AND have superpowers?????? hell yeah!!!!

100% agree with @flairer Kay would be Sun Arcana with Yatagarasu P.ersona absolutely no doubt let’s go

Have nothing firm on how they actually.... get there???? Maybe during the Quercus Alba nonsense.

tfw an ambassador keeps flaunting diplomatic immunity so u just gotta come into incredible power to force the bastard to admit to murder himself

also just Akechi: my codename is Crow Kay: absolutely not u Mask☆DeMasque lookin motherfucker

not that im really trying to super integrate w the existing team, but kay was extremely offended by akechi’s codename choice & i have to share that

KLAVIER

Tragically started thinking that after Turnabout Succession, Klavier would develop a Palace due to worsening paranoia and lack of healthy coping. 

The distortion does cover the entire city... kinda? The thing is that Klav is very ‘the whole world’s a stage’ in an absolutely unhealthy way.  The layout and buildings are retained but it has the vibe of a music festival or other celebration?

Everything leads toward the courthouse though, which is 100% a very large and elaborate stage.  It’s hard to notice from the ground, but a tightrope is suspended way, way above it.  There is no safety net below it.  Just the cold, hard stage.

Shadow Klavier is always in the middle of a concert on that stage and the crowd oddly alternates between vicious heckling and overwhelming praise.  It turns on a dime and seems to have nothing to do with the actual performance.

Various cognitive versions of familiar faces exist in the Palace and perfectly match the mannerisms / personalities of the real counterparts... when talking to any Thieves.  If the subject of Klavier comes up, though, they tend to grow more harsh and disparaging toward him.

Cognitive Miles has the role of a manager and at first attempts to discourage any interaction with Shadow Klav because it might distract him and ruin the show.  He immediately relents, however, with the thought that he’s always wanted to fire Klavier and so any mishaps with the show would be the perfect excuse.

Shadow Klav isn’t that overly aggressive, but there are still traps and Shadows swarming the area.  While he is certainly civil, he does not hide his mistrust at all and can be surprisingly gloomy, though is somewhat like Shadow Futaba in that he’ll drop cryptic hints or express support for the Thieves’ actions.  

I love the idea of Klavier getting pulled into his own Palace due to Shenanigans™ and Cognitive Nick sees him and tells him he’s almost late for walking the tightrope and forces him toward it

Meanwhile Klav is just ‘wow idk what the hap is fuckening but my overwhelming sense of guilt compels me to do whatever Wright(?) says so i guess im abt to do a very dangerous stunt that will most certainly end in my death’

Shadow Klav does a very aggressive intervention because he does contain Klavier’s wish to help people.  He insists that Klavier cannot survive living solely like he’s a product to be consumed and destroyed.  A ticking time bomb of contradictory desires based on unknowable perceptions.

Meanwhile, Cognitive Nick grows more twisted and manipulative and begins to viciously antagonize and guilt-trip the hesitating Klavier.  The crowd likewise grows more and more restless and demanding of a spectacle.  Still, whether the crowd wants Klavier to succeed or fail is hard to determine.

Also like Manfred having a Palace kinda implies Nick as a Thief too and the idea of Nick also being there and seeing that this is how Klavier sees him is... oof ouch.

But yeah Shadow Klav is like “Are you going to continue to let yourself be chained to expectations?  Even when it will kill you?”

Obv Klav’s like “yeah, you know what? I will live for my own damn self.”  And comes into his P.ersona which is like... halfway unnecessary.  Cognitive Nick is just an asshole... not exactly a giant fucking sphinx

Can’t decide whether Klav’s Arcana is Death or Moon, though.  I like Death’s message of metamorphosis and change for him.  But also Moon’s got fun bits about facades and fear.

Nick afterward: hey um... i just wanna say that im so- Klav: i finally have some capacity to be mad at you without feeling like the scum of the earth for doing so so im gonna be 100% unashamedly pissed for a while just... give me some time. also im abt to sleep for 1000 years because holy shit

And yeah it’s not a 100% fix and Klav still has paranoia and the unhealthy perspective of being a product for consumption but like... he’s got somewhat better footing to seek and accept help.  And, likewise, does not have the subconscious desire to be hated so that he may self-destruct without guilt.  So, like, that’s a plus.

[vicsep7250]

@ren-amamiyaa and their (he/she?) Golden Heist, Thief Nanako and Cryptid Chaser aus flooded my brain and now Im making this post bc I cant fit all of this in asks!!!

All right, so, idea. Cryptid Chasers, Thief Nanako and Golden Heist are all connected righr???

CC acts as a prequel, TN becomes the inbetween starring Nanako and Akechi, and GH stars a broken and older IT and slightly jaded PT.

So far CC has Yosuke and Naoto forming the brotp that fanon wanted through silly Saturday Night Ghost Chasers Shenanigans, Akiren is bein' a lil shit at midnight bc he needs an outlet and exercise to Phantom Thief. While this goes on, Akechi's ghost/spirit/rement/heart/whatever pulls pranks and shenans along with Joker (hiwever that happens).

As the Cryptid Chasers keep going out of their way to confront Joker about Arsene (bc even he likes to mess around) the other IT in Inaba start to try and stop them from disrupting the peace (read : harassing a known criminal) and this somehow leads to a falling out. Mayhaps Naoto and Yosuke break a few laws and Chie busts them, Kanji wants to know why theyre stalking his student/protege, and Yukiko just wants to keep the rumors about the inn in check bc jfc Yosuke STOP SCREECHING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT IN THE LOBBY THERE IS NO GHOST ON THE TV!

Maybe eventually they call it quits or dont bc Naoto dug this hole too deep to climb out themself and Yosuke is having the time of his life since Partner isnt around and hasn't come back to visit yet (Not sayin' souyo is canon and there but-). And the Cryptid Chasers arc probably ends here with there being some animosity towards their shenanigans , but the IT are all still friends.

Now fast forward to like, uhhh (*flings dart at wall of calendars*) 2014 during winter and Akiren's cryptid acts are now fully accepted and maybe exposed, who knows. Nanako is like 10 ~ 12 (P5 is maybe three/five years post P4 I believe) and is just going through the motions of public education. I.E. go to class, do work, get good grades. Dojima is still the same as he was before Yu came but is at least doing better at being a dad, not much but better. Yosuke and Ted aren't around as much bc Junes, Chie is transferred to Tokyo, Yukiko is busy managing the Inn, and Kanji is busy with work (as a teacher and crafts business owner). Rise unfortunately cant come visit and Big Bro now visits every other year.

Nanako starts to look back and wonder how things started to fall apart amongst the group and recalls that "delinquent" who came back at the same time the Cryptid^tm showed up and ruined the group. So now she starts to remember the good times when Big Bro came by and starts to notice some blanks around winter... Why was she in the hospital when she got kidnapled? Why does she remember these weird flashes of Big Bro and his friends and some monster?? And how come she tried to ask them anything about it they brushed her off each time???

The TV in her room flashes and soon she starts hearing things. She starts to move closer to the tv, as if she was in some sort of trance, as the sounds start to become voices to her. When she's directly infront of the screen she sees something... someone on it...

Nanako doesnt show up for breakast, or to school, and nobody seems to have seen her.

A full year passes on after that day. It starts off with a big search party of the IT and Social Links for the first two months, then after ankther three something stange happens... are people forgetting that Nanako existed or something? Everybody's starting to act like completely different peoplw than who they are too, some even end up hospitalozed due to severe headaches and such, and start claiming that Nanako was never around when she vanished or that she left Inaba or was already deamed dead or missing. This rings alarms in the IT's mimds as they search for answers, eventually all fully reuniting for the first time in years/months.

Naoto and Yosuke blame themselves bc they piece together her disappearance with the Cryptid + Ghost case and immediately get scolded for trying to pin their stupid kids game on a missing person's case - especially now with Nanako missing and possibly in danger again! Afterwards the IT are a bit on edge and a bit broken with the whole thing. Meanwhile Akechi can hear the tale ends of "missing person" and "literal disappearnace" and starts looking into this weird limbo metaverse he's in bc some shit is kinda fucked in here now for some reason. They're pretty much only together as a team to rescue Nanako.

GH in the PTs POV starts when Akiren invites the group to the Amagi Inn thanks to licrative money grin- I mean training. He comes clean into having seen something weird on the tv one late night and wants to let the gang know.

Midnight rolls around and Akechi shows up on the screen and the Thieves losing their shit is an understatement - numerous noise complaints were filed that night. Anyways Akechi decides to just play the role of "hey moron, some shits fucked come help fix it" and ends up informing them of a missing girl and this weird TV Mementos world he is in.

I would like to note that Akechi is not at all bitter or confused at everyone's circumstances in life, no of course not Joker stop crying I know its been a while but shutup theres a kid in trouble rn and youre the only ones who can possibly help her.

When the PT figure out a plan to reach this other world Goro is in (Arsene : THOUARTTHEESTICKYOURHANDINTHETVDOITDOITDOITDOIT) the IT eventually come to the very sad conclusion that Nanako moght be in the TV world and that opens a whole can of worms and burnable bridges to cross.

While in the TV world, I'd like to imagine that due to Akechi having been there for a good while it has been shaped to reflect his heart and be the new overall theme of that world. It all still looks like Inaba, but it all holds themes to Akechi and his no good terrible life. However due to Nanako having been in that world as a kid, and now for an uncertain amount of time, the world now holds motifs to the Heaven area from P4, but it's all sorta ruined and kinda darker.

When both teams get together and enter the weird Tele-Mentos world (IT in a Junes storage and PT at either Ren's pad [bc he moved out obvi] (OR bith teams enter from seperate TVs at the Inn so SHENANS!)) Yu and the IT go through Akechi's influenced world/TV Palace, finding out about his tragic backstory and involvement with the PT, but anything that can and could reveal their true identities is blurred and staticy or missing bc Akechi aint gonna snitch out who ruined his sperm donors life (also I guess saved the world too yeah). While going through the Palace the Team starts to think that finding Goro will just be an "if it happens" sort of deal bc he's been missing for years already, what if we just leave him here bc M U R D E R E R.

Cue a sudden appearance by someone in some sort of fallen angel garb who starts whipping out a full on Metal Gear Villain monologue about how hypocritical the IT are when they find the truth about Akechi's life and disappearance - they claimed to want to live in a world where no one hides in the fig, was that all a lie? Are they going back on their word, and hiding behind a shriud of lies and falsehoods once more? "You've gone and lied and hidden the truth already, what's to say you won't continue?"

Meanwhile Akiren and the Thieves enter at the very top of the Heaven TV Set and have to climb all the way down. As they do so they start seeing little murals or epitaphs about memories and people in this girls life. They see all of these memories of a happy girl who had such a loving family - both found and by blood. As they go further and further down the ruins start to look like an actual Heaven, and the scenary becomes more bright and colorful. Eventually they might run into Crow in his Black Mask clothes and give the bastard a slug on the arm and a group hug or two, bc man he doesn't deserve to suffer anymore like this.

Now that the Phantom Thieves have been reunited (Akechi : I can't leave this world The PT : FUCK, MORE PLOT) they end up thinking up ways to get Akechi out until this weird angel priest looking dude shows up and starts babling about how they are criminals and how they've done more bad than good and blah blah blah. Everyone is just all "We're the good guys, we do the right thing even if its morally grey/ambiguous!" and oh look! Another crazed maniac wants to kill us for our "injustice" *Crow has the decency to look away and not say anything* annnnnnd Heaven is locked off. Perfect.

Now maybe the Phantom Thieves and Investigation Team run into each other somewhere in Akechi's Palace and "You have Personas?!?!" "The hell is a Palace?" "YOU'RE THE CRYPTID OF INABA!!?!?" "And Im the 'Ghost' that follows him." "Wait you followed me as a ghost?" "WAIT WHY ARE THERE TWO AKECHIS??!??!!"

Oh yeah, Shadows... Akechi is still kinda in denial about the whole friends and justice thing...

And now the Dark Priest is back great ("Good name Skull" "Well I've got my moments right?").

Annnnnnnd now I have no idea what happens next and Im all burned out but AAAAAAAAA this entire AU crossover thing is so GOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of May 29th, 2019

Best of this Week: Doomsday Clock #10 - Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, Brad Anderson and Rob Leigh

And yet another wrinkle is added to the DC Universe.

Or should I say, “Metaverse” now? Yes, after I think three months since the last issue, Doomsday Clock returns with yet another strong issue that expands upon the mythos of the DC Universe and just how Doctor Manhattan viewed and affected things at the many different positions of time that he has been able to inhabit.

The issue is framed around an actor by the name of Carver Colman, a very huge star in DCs 1954, who has been referenced or used in previous issues. This gives some kind of continuity in the context of the story as Johnny Thunder was seen watching his movie in the retirement home al the way back in issue two or three. Colman, unfortunately, has a secret that gets him killed soon after wrapping up the filming of his biggest hit, The Adjournment and as we make it through the issue and the back and forth of his life, we find the biggest change to Doctor Manhattan’s character and how he has to bend to the rules of this new universe.

Doctor Manhattan actually meets Colman in 1938 when he was a struggling actor who had just lost his job delivering mail to a movie studio after an unfortunate accident and things he saw. Manhattan takes Colman out for some food, attempting to use him as a rod to focus on to look towards the future as he can’t seem to do so on his own after arriving. He does so and is able to see a year into the future, then four and so on. His abilities work again, but then he hears something strange.

A radio report of a man lifting a car into the air. The first appearance of Superman on April 13th, 1938. Suddenly, it was gone, the crowds of people were gone as if they never existed. He follows the path where Superman existed in 1938 and finds the Justice Society, having formed and waiting for Superman to answer their summons. Jay Garrick “Flash”, “Green Lantern” Alan Scott, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and others, waiting for the Man of Steel to join their ranks and suddenly, they too have never heard of him.

Manhattan follows the many arrivals of Superman, from 1956, to 1986 and sees his arrival change again and again, noting the many deaths of Ma and Pa Kent and how this “Universe” seems to use Superman as a focal point, even going to a thousand years from now when Superman was briefly part of the Legion of Superheroes. So to test how things revolve around Superman, he changes the past by moving the Lantern away from Alan Scott, killing him, and drastically changes the future, creating the New 52 Timeline.

Everything is recontextualized as Manhattan sees that this action changes this universe and that it’s constant state of flux affects the wider multiverse. From the parallel worlds, to the anti-matter, to the Dark Multiverse, Earth Prime is a “Metaverse” in his words. The others change to match whatever is going on in the Prime World and once it realizes what he’s done, it begins to fight back. Manhattan sees Wally West trying to fight his way back to the Universe. This one action causes a chain reaction that will lead to his inevitable confrontation with Superman where Superman either kills him or he kills the Metaverse.

Cutting back to 1954, Manhattan is at Carver Colman’s home on the night that he’s murdered. He doesn’t do anything to stop it.

There’s a saying that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” In the Watchmen Universe, Doctor Manhattan was allowed to do or not do as he pleased because that world was a little bit more grounded or at worst cynical. Though, one might say that because he refused or didn’t care to use his power at a larger scale, Ozymandias’ “evil” won. Though Ozymandias thought what he did was the right thing, this series proved it it be disastrous in the wake of Rorschach’s journal being published, but initially Veidt’s plan did succeed. Doctor Manhattan escaping to the DC Universe put him into direct conflict with the Metaverse and its Hope. Its innate desire to have the good triumph over evil won’t let Doctor Manhattan get away with inaction and in his words, “To this universe of hope… I have become the villain.”

Words can’t describe how hype I was for this. With each and every issue, a new layer is added and brings us closer and closer to the epic conclusion that only Geoff Johns and Gary Frank can realize. I also love how they’ve expanded on the importance of Earth Prime, seeing as how it has indeed gone through many changes. It’s good to finally have an explanation that implies that even through the many reboots and retcons that if DC wanted to, they could tap into those timelines as main universes at any time. Everyone’s favorite time period matters or will matter again soon.

---------------------------------------------------

"One last adventure together…"

Runner Up: Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1 - Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia and Tom Napolitano

Joker's words to describe his and Batman's last run together in the hell that is the world after some unexplained event killed numerous heroes, villains and just about anything else. It also describes what MAY be the last time we see Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo do a big Batman story together and I already feel like we're in for a BIG one.

After a curious case of large scale chalk drawings,  showing a dead Batman, leads the Dark Knight to the Crime Alley he inadvertently sets off a trap laid by an unknown assailant using the decomposing body of a ten year old child. He later wakes up in Arkham Asylum, apparently having been there since KILLING HIS FAMILY in Crime Alley all those years ago. Capullo does a great job of setting atmosphere and making things unsettling as even a small fly buzzing around and "Dr. Redd Hudd" looming over a straight jacketed Bruce Wayne looks creepy.

Arkham appears to be just a regular Asylum with Alfred showing up and trying to convince Bruce that Batman was all in his head, showing him a mock costume they made to keep him calm with a cowl stitched to a straight jacket. Bruce sees through it all and fights his way through Arkham until Alfred reveals the truth. He only wanted to keep his boy safe because half of Gotham was just gone. Years had passed and Batman has no idea what happened.

He later wakes up in a desert and coincidentally finds the head of The Joker. He wakes and immediately begins cracking jokes as Batman takes him and they begin to walk to Coast City. I don't know how much of this is real and that adds to the mystique of the story. We're never given an explanation as to how he got there from Arkham or how Joker is surviving.

They arrive at Coast City and the decayed corpse of Mogo looms over a giant crater and ruins. Joker says that all of the Lanterns fell and rings are just there for the taking. Suddenly the duo are attacked by projections of babies before being saved by Vixen and Poison Ivy. Ivy then knocks Bruce out just in case and he wakes up surrounded by the new Amazons; Vixen, Donna Troy, Poison Ivy, Supergirl and Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman explains that one day, Luthor just… convinced most that they should just take what they deserve. He told them that goodness was a lie and they just ate it up. It echoed the future that Luthor saw back in Justice League/Legion of Doom #5, but given that this is a Black Label book, one wouldn't be wrong if they didn't want to think of this as the explanation of that timeline because they're not in the same canon.

Wonder Woman also tells Batman that the one wielding the Anti-Life Equation may be one of the Boys and pleads with him to join the Amazons in Hades.

But Batman is Batman and he decides that he's going to put a stop to this.

Last Knight on Earth reads like an alternative ending for Scott Snyder's Justice League epic. Even though that story is far from over, not even close, there's this unsettling feeling that, if Scott didn't have to have the heroes win in the end, this should be the absolute endgame. A world, no UNIVERSE possibly, under siege by someone wielding the Anti-Life Equation, hope dead and dying and the ever creeping feeling of dread knowing that somehow life and death have lost enough meaning that Joker as a decapitated head still lives… this story is terrifying.

Honestly, this might be some of Capullos best art to date. With Glapion and Plascencia's help, this book feels so atmospheric and dark. Glapion accentuates Capullos lines and shading well with dark-dark inks, making Batman appear to be shrouded in it even in the sun. It's haunting, especially in the Arkham scenes where things are absolutely not as they seem and dark secrets hide behind and within the walls. Plascencia, on the other hand, can make even light and vibrant colors threatening. The red sand on Jokers jar is intense  and the Green Lantern babies are deadly. Hell, Coast City, Hall Jordan's crown jewel, looks unbelievably desolate, colored like a wasteland. Capullo pulls all of this together with as much detail as he possibly can and his work shows.

Faces are expressive, from Batmans fear, to Alfreds regret to Jokers madness. Body language is utilized greatly as Batman fights like a caged animal. He's taken aback by Jokers head, but still finds his resolve. Wonder Woman is still fierce, but even her edge has dulled with the sheer lack of hope that running away and going underground has given her.

This story is terrifying and I absolutely love it. From the creepy visuals of Capullos art, to the expression of thought because of the mature liberties Black Label books can take, it's all beautiful. This one is absolutely going to match my love for Batman: Damned and every one should go and read this. High recommend!

[stormc97]

Shane looked at the brunette in orange and black dress. “It’s said you destroyed the magical world.... So then why is it still in existence?” The brunette, Kayoshi grinned. “Depends on what you mean by destroy.”

Shane paused and asked “What do you mean?”

Kayoshi sighed gently. “Poor, poor, unknowing Shane. There’s two types of destruction, you know. There’s the physical destruction, which only one group would know why that one really happened and how everything changed and then there’s political destruction and persecution which mostly just turned the magical world on its head.”

Shane aimed his weapon at her. “So you admit you destroyed it?”

Kayoshi used her void ability and took his weapon from him. “I’ve never denied or lied about anything to you, you know this.”

Shane stated “So you’re going to kill me for wanting answers?” “No.” She took the magazine out of his gun and returned the weapon, but not the ammo. “Honestly, you know me better than that. After all, you’ve spoken to people I’ve worked with all my life. I know for a fact they told you I do things for good reasons.”

Shane’s face was surprised. He was curious, but this was the woman who destroyed some of the magical world. He thought to himself, ‘Minato mentioned the magical world used to be worse off.... so what did she do exactly.’ “Why?... What and why did you destroy it?”

“Simple for both answers... Prior to there ever being people dragged into the Metaverse and Metanav... We had issues with those things being on our end, destroying everyone and everything that wasn’t magically protected.” She smiled as she continued. “God-tiers were the only beings able to fix that mess of things. Things were messed up due to people who were bad finding God-tiers and bargaining with them. To fix it... a group of people, including me, went to fight the God-tier of Fate, Nyx. After we defeated Nyx, that part of the magical world was fixed to how it originally was...”

She sucked in a breath. “For the second... There was a lot of corruption in the politicians in the magical world and what they had their people doing... My resolve was to bring to light the corruption. If I had realized how far it went.... maybe I’d still have my legs and not have almost been a martyr.” Beneath her knees were prosthetic limbs. “Had I known... Not only would I not be like this, but I would have probably done what was foretold.”

Shane tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Kayoshi smiled, but her eyes looked far away in her mind. “A lot of people told me I was the chosen destroyer of the magical world... In a sense, I still lived up to that, just not in the way anyone imagined... I didn’t always see good in the magical world.... If anything hadn’t changed.... If Minato hadn’t survived Nyx... I wouldn’t be good in anyway... He didn’t say the things that I needed to hear until three months after defeating Nyx... Everyone kept me further from them to protect themselves from me... Minato and the others, now that I really think on it, never did, even before our fight with Nyx, but now would have been too late to realize that... Minato asked me if my friends and I were truly good if we still thought those who had also been experimented on, like we had been, were truly evil. To phrase it simply, he was calling me out for being a hypocrite.... Had he not done that during my formative years, I wouldn’t have changed at all.”

Shane chose his next words carefully. “So had you not changed the magical world would have been destroyed?” “Yes.”

She shifted on her prosthetics. “The thing about being chosen, is what you do about it. Some people will tell you I destroyed the magical world, which in two ways is technically true... How I went about it, however, saved a lot of innocent lives. By bringing corruption to light, people realized what was going on behind the scenes and called for action. By defeating Nyx, people without magic wouldn’t have to fear the negative things we fight in the Metanav and Metaverse. Everyones not dying anymore. There are better things in place to find corruption and get rid of it. Those two plans and measures were put into place by those chosen to save the world.”

Shane nodded. “I think I get it.” “Good.”

The person who grew up expecting to be the “chosen one” learns that they are meant to destroy the world, not save it.

[bcanetwork]

BCA NFTalk Vol.5丨Decisive Moments in History of NFT

This podcast is produced by the BC A Blockchain Art Center, supported by China's CryptoPunks community, Panda community, Vulcan DAO and Block Rhythm.

Background: The author of "When the Stars of Mankind Shine" said in the preface that a moment of historical significance is about to usher in a rich and rich history of the human world. A few hours, often even only in a certain minute, but their decisiveness affects beyond time. In the process of WEB2.0 migration, we should also discover some great moments. Look, they will also become their shining stars in the galaxy of human history.

ModeratorLou Ziwei Arthur BCA Co-founder丨Vulcan DAO GP (hereinafter referred to as L)

Guest: Senior Practitioner of Alex NFT (hereinafter referred to as A)

Ah Feng TheForce.trade BD (hereinafter referred to as F)

Wang Yang NFT Senior Collector (hereinafter referred to as W)

Jason US Stocks/Blockchain Robot (hereinafter referred to as J)

01

Why is a JPEG worth a thousand dollars? Why does CryptoPunks become the spiritual symbol of the encryption circle?

F: Token to Metaverse is a progressive process. From no entity to entity, something must be used. The best way to achieve this is pictures. CryptoPunks just appeared. In the initial stage of NFT, the main function of people buying NFT is for social identity, and the pursuit of social status is the driving force for the advancement of human civilization. The price of CryptoPunks already symbolizes a certain status. Buying a very expensive CryptoPunks also shows the determination to be optimistic about the NFT industry.

CryptoPunks is the first NFT community to survive, and the first successful benchmark has very strong vitality. The first group of community members have received very rich returns. This group of people is rich and interesting, but the appearance of CryptoPunks does not seem important. The community has become the largest wealth deposited by CryptoPunks, giving CryptoPunks a historically low level of time condensed.

A: CryptoPunks has become the spiritual symbol of the encryption circle, which is essentially the difference between FT and NFT. A friend once said a classic saying, "FT is consensus, and NFT is empathy." FT cannot mark emotions, but NFT can entrust emotions, and its manifestation is unique. Only emotional things can be connected to spiritual symbols, and only on this basis can CryptoPunks gradually generate value. CryptoPunks inspired the establishment of ERC721 and the NFT craze. CryptoPunks is like the first person to climb Mount Everest and will be remembered forever. It is supplied in limited quantities. As more and more people know about NFT, its price is getting higher and higher, which also expresses the spirit of Crypto and the spirit of punk. Based on the historical status, the spirit of expression, and NFT, it has become the spiritual symbol of the encryption circle.

The historical position of CryptoPunks cannot be replaced, neither Monkey nor Loot can be shaken. Perhaps the price will exceed, but the CryptoPunks logo will continue to be consolidated as more ecology enters, and the historical position will be condensed there.

W: Because I am a basketball fan, I resonate with NBA Top Shot. There is very little information about NFT on the Internet. After entering the CryptoPunks community, I found that the knowledge base here is perfect. Any new NFT project, about their characteristics and innovations, will be discussed in the CryptoPunks group first.

The community has accumulated a large portion of people who have been playing CryptoPunks since 2017. They have been doing NFT in this circle for many years. In April, many senior CryptoPunks veterans were discussing Art Blocks and were very optimistic about the technological breakthrough of this project.

Moderator L: Being at the tip of the information pyramid is very, very important. Whether the first-hand information received is high-quality information or marginal information is directly related to subsequent actions.

J: The most successful community and project on the Ethereum chain is CryptoPunks. The social value of holding it far exceeds the beauty or so-called actual value of a picture. The ultimate goal for many people to earn money in the currency circle is to hold a Punk, and I also earn enough money to buy my own Punk by investing in different projects. Because everyone wants a Punk, it becomes the spiritual symbol of the encryption circle.

02

Collect NFT strategy and experience? What are the bright projects? What do you think of Loot?

J: In recent months, I mainly invested in Art Blocks and Crypto Cities. I am more optimistic about the innovative project of Loot, which has changed the logic of the NFT project from top to bottom, and the value of NFT is given by the community.

W: The Internet has become the main place of modern life. The emergence of NFT gave the online virtual product pricing mechanism. After a picture is uploaded to the Internet and made into an NFT, no matter how many people copy the picture to their computer, they will eventually distinguish between original and copy due to the existence of NFT. Original value. NFT opened up a new field and started the process of value discovery.

The avatar NFT is used as a social platform avatar, which represents a social identity and cultural community circle in online social networking. The biggest difference between Art Blocks and other digital art NFTs is that it is natively on the chain and does not involve storage such as PNG and JPEG. Its biggest innovation is to put the code that can draw the picture on the chain and read the code through the browser. , To generate. The advantage is that as long as the ether chain exists and can read the code, the possibility of NFT disappearing is almost zero.

Damien Hirst, as one of the highest-priced artists in the world (a painting exceeding 100 million US dollars), is the first to test the new field of NFT. The release price of his works is only set at 2,000 US dollars. It is an absolute welfare for NFT collectors. It has risen to 50,000-60,000 US dollars. I believe that in the future, there will be more big-name artists of classic art testing the NFT, and these have the potential to become opportunities for high returns.

One of the main reasons for the popularity of Loot is also technological innovation. It can be used as a platform to make many games. In the future, competitors will buy Loot to make their own games, or create Loot to make their own games. These are all to be determined. It depends on whether it can form a large enough community so that everyone must use it (traffic).

A: My collection of NFT is more from the perspective of industrial blockchain. In our opinion, the most valuable thing about NFT is the underlying accounting technology of this non-homogeneous asset. The categories for bookkeeping are artworks and digital collections, and there will be many categories for bookkeeping in the future. Because human beings have two kinds of assets, one is called FT and the other is NFT. FT is currency, and NFT includes artworks, real estate, contract bills, and so on. NFT truly realized the private ownership of digital assets for the first time.

Private knowledge in the traditional physical world is protected by law, but legal supervision is a very high-cost accounting method. Blockchain creates a very low-cost and efficient accounting method and circulation method. From the perspective of the industry, NFT gave the blockchain a huge opportunity to break the circle for the first time because it was connected with traditional assets.

After the emergence of NFT, it gave birth to assets connected to the currency circle and the crypto circle such as NBA Top Shot, and realized the rapid transfer and flow of assets through the blockchain. Essential changes are the basis for the entry of major players in these eras such as Alibaba, Tencent, and NetEase. I bought Punk because I wanted to do the business of NFT, and explored in this direction. The survey found that Punk is the project with this status the most.

Blockchain and NFT have truly changed the soil, and only flowers and plants that we can't imagine will grow on them. Loot is similar. It creates the chemical reaction in NFT, which will inspire many projects and become a seed of innovation.

F: All innovations are played out. My strategy is to be familiar rather than raw, and start trading from familiar areas. From the perspective of game manufacturers, although Loot is very malleable, it takes a very long time for the final product and game to be made. A complete game development cycle will not be less than one year. Loot has not passed the test of time, it is a very dangerous behavior to rush now.

03

Understanding of encryption art? Is the emergence of generative art and programmable art overturning and challenging traditional art?

W: Compared with traditional art, encrypted art has a very wide audience (dissemination). When you make an NFT work, the world can see it; as an art lover or collector, you can see the art of artists from all over the world with a mobile phone. Works; for professional collectors, it is easy to transfer works (liquidity), because facing the global open market for collectors; transaction information, prices, and circulation information are completely transparent, and traditional art industry information is very opaque; NFT is storing and transporting On the one hand, it is safe, low-cost, and fast to circulate, and there is no need to consider storage space issues.

J: The limited edition NFT is a bit like grabbing a sneaker. You can change hands to earn 20% to 30% in two days after you buy it. More contacts have found that the art category has a unique collection significance. Different artists have very interesting understandings of the world and blockchain, and they have gradually changed from short-term traders to long-term collectors.

Xcopy, which is relatively popular recently, started doing NFT two years ago. I bought it in a bear market and the return was good. Unlike the Beeple hype, Xcopy is a very down-to-earth artist with a high degree of recognition in the circle.

A:I think the history of NFT, or the current innovation projects are all marked. These projects may have a relatively good return on investment, but the wealth-making effect of the industry will not last forever.

F: This market has a strong head effect. As young people, what I see is that these things are no longer for young people. We must look at a larger market in the longer term, so we choose Go to Gamefi. Only playable things that allow more users to participate can expand the entire NFT market. NFT art is only a very small part of the entire market.

Social NFT and game NFT can be stacked, and the most potential in the future may be the characters or equipment on the Gamefi track with the nature of social games.

Host L: Traditional art has the problem of high music and lack of music. The interactive experience of encrypted art will be much better, allowing users and audiences to participate in the creation of artworks.

04

NFT projects with Asian cultural themes are rare in the market. What is the reason for the current lack of influence? Breakthrough ideas?

J: RPC can be regarded as a domestically produced NFT project with a larger transaction volume. Kongfu Hero and River export traditional culture. It is a good publicity for traditional Chinese culture, but the culture of China for 5000 years needs more artists to join in. In the next three and five years, Chinese culture/Asian culture will be gradually introduced to the blockchain. Whether it is building Chinatown in Metaverse or different social circles, more and more Chinese people will enter, whether it is buying or issuing, there will definitely be more and more NFT projects in Asia.

A: Kongfu Hero originated in the Punk community. The element that can most arouse global empathy is Kongfu, who has designed characters such as gods and demons. Lack of influence, because many times lack of innovation, some bold things. This kind of craze will actually drive more teams to invest more resources to plan longer-term roadmap development IP. The Chinese or Asian teams can make very good projects, and gradually we will see some better projects, because it is really just starting now.

Moderator L: There are some things that time cannot pass, but you can learn from it. In the blockchain world, persistence is the most important thing, leaving some traces.

F: Many Asian projects do not have the ability to operate overseas communities, and lack people who have the ability to operate communities. We have an advantage in doing Japanese culture, but we still don’t know how to talk to the community and listen to the voice of the community. This is our weak point.

W: The success of a project is critical to the recognition of well-known collectors in the community. Because as long as the big collectors approve it, ordinary investors will come in one after another. One of the main problems with Asian elements is that wealthy Asians have always invested conservatively. The acceptance of potential customers is relatively lower than that of high-income groups in Europe and the United States.

[gigslist]

Why Is the Metaverse Worth So Much Money?

What is the metaverse, and why is it worth so much money?

Developers discuss the various visions this widely used term implies, the increased investment in thosse making it a reality and the many barriers they face

The word 'metaverse' is becoming almost inescapable, especially for those who peruse technology and games-related headlines.

Most recently, Facebook has been making big noises about transitioning from a social media company to a metaverse one. Meanwhile other companies have raised significant capital -- such as Epic Games securing $1 billion -- towards similar ambitions (Epic even stated in court earlier this year that Fortnite is not a game, it's a metaverse).

Jon Radoff, CEO of Beamable and formerly mobile developer Disruptor Beam, has attempted to map out the companies that have either expressed an interest in the metaverse, or at least could be argued are connected to it, which is extensive to say the least.

With the term already in danger of overuse after these opening paragraphs alone, it's time to question why so many major companies across multiple industries are investing so heavily in a concept some might write off as science fiction.

"The metaverse is to virtual worlds as a website is to the internet"

Herman Narula, Improbable

Indie developer Rami Ismail sums it up to us rather nicely: "The idea of creating an alternative world in which everyone has to use your currency, play by your rules and everyone wants to promote their brands is really appealing to rich people. I mean, I guess we are talking about Fortnite after all."

But this feature would be too short if we just accepted the "Because money" rationale behind the rise of the metaverse. So let's take a deeper dive into what it is these companies are actually trying to achieve, and why games developers see themselves at the forefront of these efforts.

Novaquark, the developer behind user-generated MMO Dual Universe, is so dedicated to the concept that it even refers to itself as a metaverse company. General manager Sébastien Bisch describes the metaverse in much the same way most people envisage it: a single, persistent virtual environment shared by everyone on the planet. The go-to pop culture references are The Matrix or Ready Player One's Oasis if you want a shorthand for what that might look like.

"We believe that the metaverse will be the place where all forms of entertainment and media eventually converge, a gateway where they can be consumed," Bisch explains. "We also believe that the metaverse will be an inherently social place where social media and online discussion groups might eventually migrate as well."

Earlier this year, US-based HiDef raised $9 million for its own metaverse project. Founder and chief creative officer Jace Hall paints a picture of the metaverse of something virtual that interacts with reality, rather than replaces it -- a platform that eliminates the distinction between online and offline.

"For example, whether you spent time working a McDonald's in-game at a virtual mall or McDonald's down the street from your house becomes irrelevant, because the money/value you earned is exactly the same. Literally the exact same currency," he says. "Spend it offline. Spend it online. Order a pizza online, it is delivered offline. Order a pizza offline, get it delivered online.

"Reality is the metaverse, the metaverse is reality. Same thing. It's just what location do you want to spend your time in and at what moment? Consequences of action both online/offline are similar if not identical (beyond physical). Everything interfaces with everything."

Herman Narula, CEO of tech firm Improbable, maintains the metaverse is a more "nebulous concept," instead suggesting it has become a term for more sophisticated virtual worlds that connect a much higher number of people.

"A highly connected environment with lots of interactive players and complex simulation creating rich experiences, something more than a game but less than the real world," he says. "The metaverse is to virtual worlds as a website is to the internet."

He admits the analogy breaks down because not all concepts can flow easily between different virtual worlds. The example he gives is whether a player in a Harry Potter virtual world would want to encounter Master Chief. He instead suggests that, unlike the singular internet we have, there would be many metaverses for people to choose from.

"The idea of creating an alternative world in which everyone has to use your currency, play by your rules and everyone wants to promote their brands is really appealing to rich people"

Rami Ismail, indie developer

But we already have multiple virtual worlds. Every MMORPG, battle royale, shared world shooter, or creation game like Minecraft and Roblox can allow people to explore a digital environment together, so what elevates the metaverse above what currently exists?

Bisch observes that video games mostly offer a limited type of virtual experience, one focused around set mechanics such as shooting or driving. He adds that even the biggest video games with the largest audiences don't truly connect those players together in a unified experience -- it spreads them out across servers.

"Take the concerts that happen in Fortnite," he says. "Yes, these were the same for everyone, but two friends who attended them on different servers were technically not able to share them at the same time, in the same virtual place.

"Very few games have tried to propose a unified, persistent game world for all players, and when they did, the scalability was extremely limited with a cap to the number of players able to play in the same area."

So far, there seems to be a lack of consensus on what the metaverse could actually be, but investors seem to agree there's big money in it. Narula likens it to the formative stages of the internet, and the initial reactions of the dot-com boom investors and first consumer evangelists.

"[They] can sense there is something important about virtual worlds and the metaverse because people spend so much time playing games and increasingly, playing games online," he says. "There is an expectation that wherever people spend their time new aspects of society, culture and economy will follow.

"I think this is a correct intuition but much like the early dotcom era, our analogies from the past can only be imperfectly applied to this new medium."

Ready Player One's Oasis has been the go-to analogy for what the metaverse might look like, but there's debate as to how realistic that is

Ian Hamilton, CEO of UK developer Maze Theory, believes the pandemic has also accelerated interest and investment in the metaverse; not only is there the increased time spent in gaming's virtual worlds, there's also been an increased need for ways to connect with other people online, especially with the rise of remote working.

"I feel like people look to the metaverse to replace 'in real life' social interactions and experiences, but with those expectations they are probably not quite satisfied with what we have now"

Ian Hamilton, Maze Theory

"I feel like people look to the metaverse to replace 'in real life' social interactions and experiences, but with those expectations they are probably not quite satisfied with what we have now," he says.

Maze Theory's own ambitions for the metaverse involve what the studio refers to as 'story living': immersive narrative experiences, such as its Peaky Blinders and Doctor Who VR games. But VR itself -- which fictional works often depict as the entry point into the metaverse -- highlights a key technical challenge of building such a system.

"From a hardware perspective, people will have lots of different entry points and capabilities," Hamilton says. "So how do you create a world rich enough to feel transformative, but populated enough to gain real traction? Even if you take the current VR landscape, the number of concurrent users is challenging. Additionally, within gaming, there are a massive amount of technical challenges to creating persistent worlds that evolve."

Ismail observes that there are many technical challenges to overcome before a metaverse could ever be feasible: "So much of creating immersion in games right now is creating acceptable shortcuts and boundaries for behaviours that people have in real life -- for now, we don't even have a 'metaverse'-esque input and output method.

"Walking is already an almost impossible challenge, with giant walking cages being built to let people move around - that's just one input vector... I don't even understand how they walk in the Oasis."

He continues, citing how much effort and resource it takes to simulate a mostly static version on Earth in Microsoft Flight Simulator, or the struggles to create a virtual reality environment where players can't immediately put their head through a wall. Other developers point out the current limits to the number of players that can connect simultaneously, the language and culture barriers, the internet infrastructure and its inequalities between developed and less developed nations, plus the latency factor that affects any connected experience.

"The main barriers are 'everything besides voice communication,'" Ismail says. "Even if you remove the VR aspect, most games we play now are very clearly defined in what is possible -- the freedom comes from 'emergent' mechanics or behaviours. To create anything resembling a real-life situation, you'd need something that's the Dwarf Fortress of Dwarf Fortresses."

And Hall suggests the biggest challenges might not even be technical. While those may be solved with time, funding and innovation, he says the real challenge will be the use of proprietary platforms and "business models that only focus on extracting value from the user into the publisher instead of a more mutually beneficial equation."

"'Walled gardens' appear to be fundamentally anti-meta in the macro sense," Hall says. "More and more, users seem to be realising the value that they generate and represent. They are demanding recognition and reward for their contributions. As a result, the aforementioned barriers might be overcome in time because it will be good business to do so. We are already seeing some of the pressure mounting and turning into lawsuits. Change feels afoot, and it should be step-by-step."

Beyond the specific barriers that need to be overcome, there has been skepticism among some of the industry's higher-ups. Most notably, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said earlier this year he believed talk of metaverses refers to nothing more than what Rockstar Games has already built with the online versions of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, and dubbed the term itself a buzzword.

"If you take metaverse, [special-purpose acquisition companies], and cryptocurrency, put them all together, in five years, will any of this matter? I'm not sure that it will," he told investors during an earnings call.

"There's a lot more wanting it to be true... than there is actual demand in the market or tech and ability to make it happen"

Mandisa Washington, CUNY Brooklyn College

Narula likens this attitude to the famous 1995 Newsweek article that labelled the internet as just a fad. He adds: "Much like the early internet there will be a lot of misdirected hype towards the wrong use cases. In addition, tools, technology, business models and consumer awareness all need to catch up before virtual worlds really take off but it is happening incredibly quickly."

Bisch agrees, adding: "Some believed that social media would be a fad and that it wouldn't revolutionize the way we consume content and information; the evolution of mobile computing was also met with skepticism. Time proved these doubters wrong.

"We've never consumed as much virtual content and had as many virtual experiences as we do today. But this content and these experiences are fragmented, only accessible and connected via the primitive form of the metaverse that is the internet. The metaverse is the next step of how we will access and consume these virtual experiences, one that binds them all together."

However, Mandisa Washington -- a mobile developer from CUNY Brooklyn College -- is less convinced, equating the metaverse with flying cars and Star Trek's holodeck: "There's a lot more wanting it to be true... than there is actual demand in the market or tech and ability to make it happen."

She notes that while the prize "seems very sweet indeed to investors," it's the inherently fickle consumers that must be won over. After all, ultimately they are the ones who decide what does and doesn't become popular. And in a world where we already have the internet, any attempt at a metaverse "had better bring something truly revolutionary, not only to the gamer's table, but to grandma's as well."

"We've been here before," she says. "Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter -- and MySpace and Second Life before them -- have collectively invested billions into trying to make themselves indispensable and unavoidable. I think where they've been successful is in emerging markets, where they can essentially follow AOL's old model of positioning themselves as the 'gateway to the internet.'

"But in more mature media markets, or in countries like China, with barriers to newcomers and well-established competitors in the social space, I just don't see how any one company plays its siren song loudly enough to be heard over the din."

She also suggests that, for all the experience developers have in creating virtual worlds, any metaverse that does take off might not originate from the games industry.

"Video games are very much a 'You must be this engaged to participate' situation, which generally requires some combination of access, money, time, and equipment," she says.

"Video games are probably our 'roughest' communication medium, in terms of how smoothly and intuitively people are able to consume it. Language barriers aside, books, music, film/TV, and oral forms of communication are generally so seamless that people need relatively little instruction or prompting to be able to consume -- and potentially produce & manipulate them. By contrast, games literacy is just nowhere close to that level of intuitiveness. Even among self-described gamers, you can readily see how much impact prior exposure/training has, rather than genuine intuition, by simply providing a different input style than a person is used to -- say, swapping a Wii remote for a footpad DDR controller.

"This is an ongoing challenge for game devs, to be sure, but I see it as an insurmountable barrier to any hope of a game-based metaverse."

"Some believed that social media would be a fad, the evolution of mobile computing was also met with skepticism. Time proved these doubters wrong"

Sébastien Bisch, Novaquark

The increased investment, and Radoff's sprawling metaverse map, also indicates another challenge that may be near impossible to overcome: competition. While there will be some collaboration, most companies investing in creating the metaverse will inevitably seek the dominant position so often depicted in science fiction. Again, whether it's The Matrix or Ready Player One's Oasis, there's usually one metaverse the world becomes immersed in -- something that Ismail believes we should avoid.

"Almost everything about the Oasis is the worst-case-scenario of the idea of metaverse," he says. "Everything has collapsed into one monopoly that is apparently brand-licensed with everything, the interface is a helmet so I'm unsure how it works, and even if you ignore all that now you have to do a fetch quest in a more brutal online version of EVE Online."

Hall insists that no one entity would own the metaverse, just as no one owns the internet, while Hamilton points to the competition over other transformative technologies.

"Normally they start out as a series of successful experiments and start-up businesses that do pretty well," he says. "Then one or two big players become the dominant ecosystem and take over. And the network effects of these top dogs knock everyone out. [That's] probably quite a realistic vision.

"Taking social media as an example, there were all sorts of quite successful front runners -- MySpace, Bebo, Friendster but over time Facebook and WeChat in China have become the dominant players."

Narula brings it back to his theory of multiple connected virtual worlds rather than a single metaverse, and again points to how people engage with the ones that currently exist as proof of why a metaverse is inevitable.

"It is my belief that we underplay how invested people are in the life of the mind," he concludes. "In one sense, we are already living in mental virtual worlds. Gaming has been quietly fulfilling humanity's needs for decades in this mental life. Far from being 'just' entertainment, gaming structures, play and goal-oriented models all help deliver the essentials for psychological health and well-being of an individual.

"In gaming, people are actively growing, striving to overcome challenges and creating new experiences which ultimately fulfills as a whole. The needs being fulfilled are universal and innate and include the need for competence, autonomy and relatedness. And that is the promise of the metaverse, that these human needs will find greater fulfillment."

by James Batchelor

Source: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-08-20-ashley-maidy-joins-riot-games-as-head-of-global-consumer-products