#keys to ultimate freedom

[4dkellysworld]

All the effort you're involved in is effort to be an ego, or to resist being an ego. Do you see what the problem is? It is your constant effort. You must become effortless. - Lester Levenson, Session 34: The Self (Your Self) - Keys to Ultimate Freedom

[goddessxeffect]

hi ally, whenever lester said let go and let god does that mean for ego to trust awareness or awareness to trust itself?

Yes, you will come to realise that there is no Ego/person(a)/character to let go of since it isn't and still you are. You are that Self, Awareness/God.

The only real "thing" is I AM so "Let go of limitation and let God be". But when you are still attached to that idea "I am this" you might want to go with the first thing you mentioned.

*limitation = concept, idea, illusion

[thepersonalwords]

Knowledge is the ultimate key to open the door to freedom.

Debasish Mridha

[2happyherder]

[goddessxeffect]

Def mentioned by 4dbarbie and I think it's out of Lester Levenson Keys to Ultimate freedom? But I'm sure she didn't made a whole post about it or explained in detail

@4dbarbie-archive @4dbarbie-backup Do you guys know in which post she referred to that quote?

Hi! There’s a post that said smth along the lines of

“you’re trying to express infinity through a tiny ego” but i can’t find it 😭 do you happened to know what i���m talking about

i think multiple people have said this because it's a quote from someone (dont ask me who, i read so much that the people get jumbled up in my head)

so if anyone as an idea of someone who posted a post w this quote, reply pls ty

[b0tster]

On anon but. I'm someone who has detransitioned. I just want to say that, I was on HRT for about a year. It changed my body in ways that I absolutely love. I have a deep voice, and sharper features, and I have new perspective on my identity and how it interacts with the world. Being trans is a journey. From when I was five up to when I was 17, I fullheartedly believed I was a boy. I was, in that moment. But now, I'm a girl, too. I feel better as a girl - prettier, comfortable. But when I was a boy, I felt good too - in that moment, I was handsome, and I felt so so strong. It's not as scary as it seems. People ebb and flow and change. You can be what you want to be, and if ultimately you want to go back? You can. Just don't discount your experience as a mistake. In the moment it felt right. In the present is what matters.. You'll reflect on it, and maybe you won't ever change. Maybe it'll be what sticks. And that's a lovely thing in and of itself. You will find the you that fits. You will become someone you love by letting yourself express. I promise. Holding back will just mute everything that makes you, you - don't feel like you need to medically transition, either. It was right for me, but research is key, in all things. You'll be beautiful no matter what. Your experiences will shape you - as long as you allow yourself the freedom of expression. I promise.

this is so beautiful. the word detransition does seem to have a negative connotation in certain spaces and im really happy to hear u sharing your positive experience.

its so important to stress that you can simply try it. and if it isnt for you, you can stop.

[carbt2]

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[rainydetectiveglitter]

Astro Notes

🌞 Sun in the 6H — The Sun in the house of labor, illness, and service directs your vitality toward structure and hard work. You are driven to find purpose and recognition in environments of routine and functionality. This position speaks of leadership through service, but there is also a call to rise above being underappreciated or overworked. Your life path is defined by crafting stability in often overlooked spaces.

🌙 Moon in the 8H — The Moon here ties your emotional life to themes of shared resources, death, and deep transformation. Your instincts are heightened when dealing with the unseen or emotional undercurrents of others. You might feel a constant tension between security and uncertainty, but this grants you a unique ability to rebuild from loss. Subtle emotional mastery develops as you navigate hidden realms of intimacy and power.

🗣 Mercury in the 5H — Mercury shines in this house of pleasure and creativity, giving you a lively mind for joyful expression. Artistic, romantic, or recreational endeavors thrive under your ability to weave intellect into fun. You communicate with wit and charm, making you skilled at teaching or storytelling. Romantic pursuits may unfold around shared humor or stimulating conversations.

💖 Venus in the 6H — Venus in the house of duty brings grace and charm to your daily habits. You value harmony in work and practical environments, often excelling in professions related to wellness, aesthetics, or partnerships. This placement makes it easy to form positive collaborations, but you might need to guard against becoming overly attached to routines or acts of service as your only source of pleasure.

🔥 Mars in the 6H — Mars here energizes and agitates themes of labor and routine. Hardworking and disciplined, you tackle challenges with focus but may face conflicts in work or health-related areas. This placement thrives in environments demanding precision and endurance but can push too far into stress or burnout. Success comes through learning to channel your drive without depleting your energy.

💫 Jupiter in the 4H — Your foundation is imbued with abundance and expansion. A fortunate home life or strong cultural ties may support your growth. This placement often points to a joyful upbringing or a prosperous inheritance, whether literal or symbolic. You feel most fulfilled when nurturing your roots and creating a sanctuary for yourself or others.

⏳ Saturn in the 8H — Saturn brings gravity to matters of shared wealth and the mysteries of life. You face karmic lessons in accepting the limits of control in financial or transformative circumstances. Through steady diligence, you develop mastery in managing the boundaries of resources and intimacy. Inheritance or debts, both literal and metaphorical, may present challenges that ultimately forge resilience.

⚡ Uranus in the 7H — Relationships are avenues of change and awakening. Your partnerships often involve unconventional dynamics or sudden turns, pushing you to redefine connection and freedom. You may be drawn to partners who challenge societal norms, and you inspire those around you by modeling individuality within commitment.

🌊 Neptune in the 7H — A dreamy quality surrounds your unions, blending love with ideals and sometimes illusions. This placement highlights spiritual and creative partnerships, but discernment is key to avoiding disillusionment. True fulfillment arises when connections allow for shared higher vision without losing clarity or authenticity.

🗝 Pluto in the 5H — Creative and romantic expressions carry depth and intensity. You experience transformation through your pursuit of joy, often finding that the most meaningful moments come after profound change or loss. Whether through art, children, or love, you approach these areas with a powerful magnetism that leaves lasting impacts.

🦋 Chiron in the 3H — Early struggles with communication or learning fuel your eventual mastery in these areas. You might serve as a guide to others, offering wisdom on finding one's voice or bridging divides. Vulnerability becomes a strength, making your insights resonate deeply.

🌿 Ceres in the 10H — Your nurturing gifts influence your public reputation or career. People see you as a caretaker or a provider, often turning to you for support in times of need. Professional fulfillment lies in roles that allow you to nourish others or grow something meaningful.

🛡 Pallas in the 8H — Your strategies shine in the realm of transformation and shared power. You excel at navigating complex emotional or financial terrains with clarity and ingenuity. This placement suggests a gift for guiding yourself and others through shadow work or difficult but necessary changes.

💍 Juno in the 4H — Deep commitment to home and family defines your partnerships. Your closest bonds are shaped by shared roots or a mutual goal of creating emotional security. Marriage or long-term unions may play out with themes of loyalty tied to domestic life.

🔥 Vesta in the 9H — Your dedication to truth and exploration defines your life’s sacred purpose. Whether through higher learning, spiritual journeys, or philosophical pursuits, you treat these endeavors with reverence. You are fueled by a desire to seek and embody wisdom.

🌀 Node in the 5H — Your destiny pulls you toward embracing joy, passion, and creation. Past tendencies to focus on group dynamics or intellectual detachment are now transformed through personal, heartfelt expression. Growth comes through tapping into your ability to inspire through love and art.

🐍 Lilith in the 10H — Lilith's placement here marks your public image with raw, defiant energy. Others may view your career or reputation as unorthodox, even rebellious, and you might find yourself challenging the expectations society places on you. This is a powerful placement for claiming authenticity, but it may come at the price of being misunderstood. Through embracing your unique vision, you become a force others cannot ignore.

🍀 Fortune in the 11H — Prosperity flows through your connections with groups and shared ideals. Alliances and friendships often lead to unforeseen blessings, with luck arising when you collaborate on collective endeavors. Engaging with like-minded communities opens doors to fulfillment and opportunity.

[sequence-trotter]

Thinking about writing a post about how one of the key things going on in Penacony is Sunday repeatedly trying to have a moral debate absolutely no one is equipped to, or willing to, engage with, since the astral express/firefly very pointedly don't get it and robin is ultimately like "it doesn't matter what the argument is because you're my brother and I love you and I don't want to lose you", which is why ultimately Sunday's tone is less "noooo my megalomaniacal dream!" and more like "fuck this. this is stupid and pointless. whatever." Not even turning into a nascent god-concept is enough to get people to take the suffering of others seriously, even heroes. Who cares?

But also it's sooooo funny because Sunday buddy guy pal you put the mind-whammy on the ONLY guy interested in debating you. I know you were really excited to get to the theater and do the puppet show and bird monologue but chief, knocking welt yang unconscious is NOT the move if your goal is to logic and reason people into what you believe to be an intuitively uncomfortable but morally sound position!

Sunday reaching the fruition of a decades-long totalitarian religious conspiracy which he is subverting to cold but humanitarian ends: What is the value of a status quo where the weak suffer and the strong rule? What freedom of choice do you have under life's constraints? Is darkness equal to daylight? Are sinners equal to the righteous? If you are born weak, which God should you turn to for solace?

The Trailblazer, really sincerely thinking about this as hard as they can, blood trickling out of one nostril: Dreams end sometimes 😡

Sunday: yeah actually just hit me with the fucking train. yeah I'll stand right here. thanks.

[4dkellysworld]

[milkteabinniechan]

♡The Wolf Unbound - Chan

MINORS DNI 18+ONLY MEMBERSHIP//M.LIST

pairing: lycanthrope! Chan x afab! reader

summary: Deep in the heart of an ancient forest, the air was filled with an untamed nature. You come across a captured creature. If you set him free, he will be bound to you forever.

warnings: predator/prey dynamic, mentions of chains, sharp teeth, size difference, rough sex, breeding, knotting

You had grown up isolated from the world of men. Your parents, long gone, had left you with a deep bond to the wilderness and a life of solitude. One evening, as twilight cloaked the trees in shadows, you stumbled upon a hidden clearing. There, surrounded by heavy chains, lay a trapped lycanthrope—an imposing creature with eyes that burned with both primal fury and a plea for freedom. Your curiosity piqued, you faced the ultimate choice: to remain in your safe, familiar world or to delve into the mysteries of the beast that could forever change your life.

The massive lycanthrope snarled into his muzzle, his eyes glowing with a fierce, untamed energy and his muscles tensed as he pulled against his restraints, watching you with his piercing gaze as you approached him. You stepped cautiously, your hands trembling slightly as you made your way closer to the creature.

He watched you with a deadly stare, unsure of what you were going to do next. Your eyes locked with his and you could see the fear and your heart clenched.

“You poor creature.” You continued your path towards him.

The monster's eyes darted to a nearby tree. Hammered into it was a nail with a set of keys dangling from it. You quickly ran over to the keys and made haste to find the one that fit. The beast watched you intensely, his eyes never leaving your fingers as they searched through the different keys.

Finally, the correct key opened the lock to his muzzle. You watched it fall to the forest floor with a loud thud. The unhinged muzzle created a domino effect causing all of his chains to fall off his muscular body. He lets out a low growl as he slowly stands up, his massive form towering over you. With the muzzle removed, he bares his sharp teeth. He looks at you, gratitude shining in his eyes.

"Thank you..." His voice is deep.

You look up at him slowly, taking in his entire form. He had to be at least eight feet tall, although he didn't look like that when he was all chained up a moment ago.

“You're welcome. What happened?” Your voice was soft and immensely curious.

“Humans... Hunters... They caught me off guard... Tracked me for days..." His voice was gruff and angry. “I should have smelled their scent.”

The massive lycanthrope stalked towards you. His head was already tilting like a curious pup. He watches your face, his expression softening slightly. "You're not like them... You smell different... Like... nature and power. You didn't even hesitate to free me.”

You swallow hard as he speaks. You didn't expect him to talk. You had read books about creatures like this. Lycanthrope. Villagers feared them, poachers hunted them for sport. You never thought you would see one up close. Your heart was racing. The severity of your situation was sinking in fast and you weren't sure what to do next.

“Do you have a name?” You asked softly.

The creature stood rigid for a moment, like someone had not asked him that question in a very long time. Eventually, he simply said “Chan. That's my name.”

Chan. You repeated the name under your breath like speaking it into existence would change how your body was feeling.

“Are you going to eat me?” You blurted out loudly.

Chan leaned down, bringing his face close to yours. His breath was warm and slightly musky, a mix of wild and raw.

"You saved my life. Owing someone their life is a big deal among my kind... It's a debt that must be repaid..." His golden eyes held your gaze, unblinking.

You felt your blood instantly run hot through your veins. You couldn't understand what was happening to your body. You couldn't recognize this primal need that was growing. What is a spell? Some kind of curse? You couldn't stop the next words from coming out of your mouth.

“I…I want…” your needy eyes looked up at the beast towering over you, his broad chest heaving with every breath.

Chan breathed deep, as if he could smell the desire on you already. His nostrils flared as the scent of your arousal filled his senses. He knew exactly what you wanted, the heat radiating off of your core was so deliciously desperate. Chan let out a low, feral growl.

Chan moved towards you slowly at first, causing you to fall back onto the ground. His strong hands guide your legs to stay wrapped around his waist. He unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his pants, letting his hard, throbbing member free. He looked at you, his golden eyes filled with primal desire. Your eyes grew wider with need and a hint of fear.

"So big..." You said in a whispered tone. "Is it this big in your...human form too?"

He chuckled darkly, his voice hoarse with desire.

"It's always this big, love. But when I'm a wolf... there's no gentle. I'll split you open, breed you like an animal. Now, hold on tight."

"Like an animal?" The words echoed in your head. You let out a soft, needy moan.

His grin was feral, his golden eyes glinting with untamed passion.

"Exactly like that. I'll pin you down, mount you, and breed you until you're full with my cubs. And you'll love every second of it, won't you, little mouse?"

You nod your head obediently. You didn't even recognize yourself anymore. All your inhibitions had fallen away the moment you had set him free.

His grin widens, his powerful arms wrapping around you as he rolls, pinning you beneath him on the bed.

"Then lift your knees, spread your thighs... show me where you want me.”

You let out a soft whimper as he instructs you. You hold your legs up and spread your cunt wide for him. With a slow, steady thrust that's nonetheless impossibly deep and powerful, he pushes into you until his hips meet yours and you can feel him pressing against your womb.

"You're so tight, little mouse... You're going to take all of me.”

Your body tenses at the initial contact and pressure. Your head falls back and your eyes flutter closed as your body melts into the feeling of his cock hot inside of you.

His arms bulge with muscle as he holds your thighs apart, his golden eyes locked onto yours as he begins to move. His powerful hips pull back, his thickness dragging against your inner walls, only to snap forward again, burying himself balls-deep inside you.

You let out desperate wails of need and pleasure as his massive lycanthrope form towers over you. His pace quickens, his powerful hips a blur as he pounds into you, his thick member swelling even larger inside you.

"You're so beautiful, stretched around me... I'm going to fill you up, little mouse... I'm going to knot you and breed you.”

Chan grunted into the crook of your neck. He was losing the human side of himself now. The only thing in his vision was the sight of you coming undone on the forest floor beneath him. His little woodland mouse that came to rescue him, not squelching around him.

His face contorted in pleasure, his jaw unhinging to reveal his sharp teeth. With a final, powerful thrust, he buries himself to the hilt and hisses, his body seizing as a thick, heated knot forms at the base of his member, locking you together.

You let out a strangled noise you had never heard yourself make before. Something between a moan and a howl. You grabbed onto his arms like a lifeline.

He begins to move within you slowly, his thick, hard flesh pulsing inside as his knot keeps you locked. He grins wickedly, his golden eyes filled with primal satisfaction.

"You're so helpless... so perfect... I'm going to fill you up so much... “

You groan softly, a satisfied smile spreading across your sweat-soaked face. Maybe it was a spell, or a curse. Maybe you would be bound to him now. His little mouse. The lycanthrope snarled as he licked your neck slowly, leaving a hot wet trail on your skin.

“All mine.”

taglist: @simply-trash5 @sugawhaaa @trixiekaulitz @chrizzztopherbang @cassidymb121 @roanns-posts @staysinbloom @yaorzu-blog @bubblebisk @cotton-candycloudz @beautyinhypnosis @domicaru @strawberry31 @slxtmeri @newhope8 @tinyelfperson @dandelions-143 @stayyyyyyyyyyyy21 @msauthor @fun-fanfics @ell0thebell @stephanieeeyang @juskz @kimahreummm @readr1221 @kayleefriedchicken @ovulatingrn @hwnglixho @darthmaddie25 @queen-in-the-shadows @itgirlalisaa @miinhoo @greyaia @chanchansgirly @skzleeknowcore @skz-smut-reader @thatisrankharry @hearts4yawnzzn

[unionizedwizard]

honestly i like zenos' ending because it fits with one of the many reasons he is so memorable and uncanny to the player: his awareness that he is a video game character stuck in a video game, and his refusal to interact with the material in good faith & bend to the narrative's rules. in my opinion this is the key reason he immediately resonated (no pun intended) with the WoL, but his main failure is that he always (arrogantly, cruelly) refused to interact with the world in the way the "ideal" player character does: no emotional investment towards anyone (what for? these are all "npcs" to him, you can just kill or torment them for fun to see what they'll do next or what loot they'll drop), no crafting/gathering (lol), no sidequest (lolx2), no concept of actually conquering/stabilizing an empire (he doesn't care about turning ffxiv into crusader kings the way that varis does, for instance). he's the concept of the entitled cutscene skipper who is only there for high-end content and is unable/unwilling to cooperate because he sees himself as essential superior to everyone else due to his (excellent) skills; even his job change/constant skill evolution mirrors the player character's behavior

in the same vein as yotsuyu's survival being open until she goes too far and denies the very tenets of the narrative (succumbing to despair and the belief in an unchangeable, evil nature which can create nothing but cruelty and is therefore justified in causing harm, with no redemption possible), which dooms her irredeemably, zenos willingly missed every sign & opportunity to actually grow... so that in the end, his apathy & desire for personal freedom coupled with his awareness of the narrative (existential horror if there ever was one) anchored him in ultima thule (literal liminal space between reality and fiction) after a last 4th wall breaking speech to the WoL, just because he refused to be the puppet of the writers ever again. we know he could have left. if WE did, that means HE could have left, with sufficient willpower (which we know he has, for things that really matter to him). but he didn't! i think that's a respectable, honorable choice all things considered, that's truly coherent to his character. he WOULD rather stay stuck in limbo (cancelling his sub?) forever than actually interact with the world with respect & patience & humility because he's too proud & unable to even envision doing otherwise. that was an ultimate manifestation of agency on his part and his story would not hit as such otherwise

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

RIDDLE DREAM SPOILER‼️‼️‼️

Lmao, why is his dream just...

"Quit your job"

"Why?"

"Join my emo band!"

(No but honestly, its a bit cute that, Riddle, in all his seriousness and rules sticking, still seemed to choose a more alt way to dress in his dream, like he still wants to rebel in some way. It was a plot twist in a way since many may have thought that Riddle would have cranked up on his authoritarian ways all the way to eleven, and yet his dream is silly, like all the other house warden's dreams seemed to be more serious in a way and showed off one aspect that we knew off, Leona's low self esteem and Azul wanting to completly overwrite his past, but Riddle wasn't quite that, we knew of his want for rebelion, but his dream wasn't full anarchy, it was just... rebelling in the small ways)

(Sorry for any misspelling, english isn't my native lenguage)

[You can read my thoughts on the book 7 chapter 12 part 3 update here!]

I just saw that meme on Twitter with Riddle and Cater 😭

I was shocked by Riddle’s new look in the dream… It’s close to alt fashion in the west, but I believe it is supposed to be Japanese visual kei. All that black… I don’t know, I don’t think dark eye and lip makeup suits him?? But that’s just me, what do I know about style www

I’m surprised Riddle even knows what that kind of clothing is…? You’d think his mom would not allow him to be exposed to this kind of fashion. I was half expecting Cater to mention he had shared it with Riddle at NRC on a slow day and Riddle expressing a little curiosity about it but ultimately holding himself back from dressing adventurously. That never ended up happening…

I do think that an authoritarian dream has its representation in the second and third layers of Riddle’s mind. The darker implication is certainly there. However, I think it makes the most sense for his surface level dream to be about his childish desires and experiences he never had. As much as Riddle might claim to be mature and to know it all, some part of him desperately misses out on happy childhood memories. He shares this sentiment after recovering from his overblot (“And after a meal, I want to be the one sitting around talking with everyone... And I really wanted to play with you and Chenya more, Trey.”). In events like Endless Halloween Night, Riddle tells his peers that he isn’t familiar with traditional entertainment media like movies or video games; he did crosswords and read textbooks as a child. Various voice lines, like his Suitor Suit, where he wishes his parents’ marriage was happy, or his Beachwear, where he complains about how he is not used to this kind of scandalous clothing, also express this.

I wouldn’t describe Riddle’s dream as an expression of him wanting to rebel or to have anarchy, per se. Wanting more freedom and a longing for a chance to express one’s inner child isn’t necessarily equal to being rebellious. Many of the things he desires are very childish: not wanting to go to school or to study, eating desserts multiple times a week, drinking tea sweet, being able to play all day, always having emotionally available parents, not having to follow rules, having many friends and a happy family… These are not all tied to being rebellious, these are things most children want. It speaks to Riddle wanting to have those childhood experiences he missed out on and having more independence… Being allowed to be his own person rather than a puppet on strings his mother controls and makes all the decisions for.

[caesarflickermans]

SUZANNE COLLINS: SOTR EXCLUSIVE EDITIONS INTERVIEW

This is a transcript from the Barnes & Noble / Waterstones exclusive edition interview. To my knowledge, they are the same.

Not to be confused with interview on her website, which you can find here.

transcript below

DL: Did you always know you’d write a novel about the second Quarter Quell? If not, what compelled you to return to this particular point in the Hunger Games timeline?

SC: I always start with the underlying ideas—in this case, implicit submission, the uncertainty of inductive reasoning, propaganda, love—and they find their way to the story that supports them. But yes, I think I did want to do Haymitch’s story because I’ve always known that the version Katniss and Peeta saw on the train was very misleading. When I landed on implicit submission and its dependency on propaganda, Haymitch’s was the natural tale to tell. Just like the state of nature debate led naturally to Coriolanus’s story.

DL: The quote at the start of the book from the philosopher David Hume is a very telling one. It starts, “Nothing appears more surprising to those, who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which they are governed by the few; and the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers.” This feels like a key to the entire book.

SC: If all people do is read the full Hume quote and discuss it, this book has been a win for me. This quote invites so many questions. Like, “Do you think Hume is right? As human beings, do we ultimately end up being governed by a few people? Not in, say, a totalitarian state, but in a democracy?” (After thinking about it, every single person I asked about this said yes. No one seemed happy about it.) “But why have we resigned our own sentiments and passions to those rulers? Why are we implicitly submitting to this? Especially since force is on our side, as the governed.” Hume answers that for us. We’re allowing ourselves to be controlled by “opinion.” And that’s where propaganda comes in.

All right, then, “What propaganda do we all consume on a daily basis that maintains this status quo? Is it harder to maintain in an autocracy or a democracy where we pride ourselves on our intellectual or political freedom? How much propaganda does it take to make you think that implicit submission is what you want? Is it inevitable? Is there a way to protect ourselves against it? What would that entail?”

DL: Haymitch is starting at a very different place than Katniss or Coriolanus—while his life has had its sadness, it’s largely been a good life so far. How does that change the stakes within the novel?

SC: Yes, his life has been largely good. A loving family, good friends, the love of his life. A sweet part-time job that may lead to a profitable, if illegal, career. He’s happy except for the shadow of the Games that hangs over them all. So, emotionally, his loss is the greatest because he has the most to lose. And unlike Katniss and Coriolanus, who have loved ones to the end, Snow tries to strip Haymitch of everything: family, friends, lover, job, community, happiness, and the freedom to love anyone. His personal stakes couldn’t be higher.

DL: What was it like to be creating a new work that you’d already loosely outlined in Catching Fire?

SC: Actually, it helped. Younger me provided a protagonist, his arena, his overall arc, and some of the cast, including Maysilee Donner. Having to build off the recap, not having everything to decide, meant some extra challenges on the plotting side, but ultimately it was freeing. I just had to work within what was established. Of course, knowing that the narrative had been manipulated into a piece of Capitol propaganda gave me a lot of freedom as well. 

DL: It’s such an interesting scenario, to have our very reliable narrator understand that he is surrounded by so many unreliable narrators — and that, in fact, unreliable narration is a powerful political tool. The “card-stacking” that helps him a little in the beginning (with Plutarch using the manipulation as an excuse to give Haymitch time with his family) ends up being existentially overwhelming when Haymitch watches the “recap” of the Games and realizes how history is truly written by the victory (and not the Victor). To me, this felt like the biggest revelation to Haymitch — the sheer degree of manipulation. Can you talk a little about how this revelation about propaganda sits within the larger scope of the series?

SC: After he watches the reaping on the train, Haymitch realizes that he’s the Gamemakers’ puppet and that they will manipulate his image and actions to serve their needs. Within the arena, he can only wonder what they’re showing the audience. But the full force of their deception doesn’t hit him until he sees how completely they’ve changed his story the night he’s crowned. Remember, too, that in order to appease Snow and protect his loved ones and, when that fails, to fulfill his promise to Lenore Dove, he has to carry the Gamemakers’ narrative forward as the absolute truth. It’s an enormous burden that he bears alone because all of his allies who lived the truth are dead. Keeping the real version straight in his own head while promoting the fabricated version would require constant vigilance. But deep down, even through his white liquor fog, he realizes it’s imperative that he do it. If he can’t distinguish between the two, the Capitol wins. This foreshadows Peeta’s hijacking in Mockingjay and reinforces the question the whole series asks about the information we’re consuming: “Real or not real?”

DL: If I could give you a time machine back to when you were writing Catching Fire, would you have asked yourself to do anything differently?

SC: No, but maybe in the Mockingjay book. I might have shortened the period between Haymitch being crowned victor and when he loses his family. It doesn’t need to be two weeks. Although it does give Snow an additional window to torment him in the Capitol. But really, he could have gone straight home after the Victor’s Ceremony.

DL: Besides Haymitch, was there any other character from the trilogy that you particularly enjoyed revisiting in Sunrise?

SC: I love doing all of them: Plutarch, Effie, Beetee, Mags, Wiress, Burdock, Asterid. Getting to share who they were and what motivated them. They didn’t arise fully formed in the trilogy. All the characters are on journeys. Beetee losing Ampert, Effie clinging to her Capitol beliefs, Asterid healing the sick in 12, Plutarch still staying in the games. Everybody has their own story.

DL: One of the most fascinating things about seeing the Games play out over time — going from the Tenth to the Fiftieth to the Seventy-fourth and Seventy-fifth — is understanding both the evolution of the Games and the evolution of the roles within the Games. In particular, I’d love to ask you about the contrast between Drusilla and the Effie of the Trilogy. There seems to be a profound generational difference that shapes their view of their role in the Games — and, indeed, seeing the start of Effie’s relationship here made me suddenly understand the dynamic that must have governed District 12 tributes for the next twenty-five years. Can you talk about what makes Drusilla tick versus what ultimately makes Effie tick?

SC: As escorts, both Drusilla and Effie are ambassadors for the Hunger Games. Drusilla who lived through the cruelties of the Dark Days, has channeled her experience into vengeance against the districts. She’s dehumanized her enemy, referring to them as beasts and pigs, and she has no qualms about ushering the piglets into the arena. Effie, born decades after the war, has embraced the Hunger Games as her patriotic duty. She’s been raised on them as necessary evil and a reminder of a war that Panem can never afford to repeat. Unlike Drusilla, she believes all the participants have a noble role to play. That begins to wear thin over the years. Every Games it becomes harder to justify the atrocity. You can see her clinging to good manners for reassurance of humanity’s decency. But in terms of the Hunger Games, Effie being assigned as their escort was a lucky break for District 12. She might be ridiculous, but she’s not malicious.

DL: Even though Maysilee is mentioned in Catching Fire, we really get to know her for the first time in this book. In many ways, she’s not so much defined by her privilege as she is by her lack of control over her life — when we first talked about her, you said she was “indentured into a life she doesn’t want.” What do you think fuels Maysilee, both in the arena and out of it?

SC: Rage. She’s one of the angriest characters I’ve ever written. She’s mad about the injustice of the world she’s born into and not it threatens and limits her life on every level. Before she’s reaped, that just manifests as meanness. But once she’s reaped, she begins to evolve and focus that emotion on the Capitol. She remembers who the enemy is.

DL: Snow makes quite an appearance when he arrives at Plutarch’s apartment. What was it like to see him in this era, after spending so much time with his younger self when writing Ballad?

SC: When I started working on this book, for the first time Snow and I were about the same age. We’re both entering our third act. I could feel his middle-agedness in mind and body, imagine his lost and realized dreams, and sense the cost of maintaining them. He's devoted his whole life to controlling Panem. But the work will never be done. It's exhausting.

Emotionally, he's beginning to reflect back on his life. His loves and losses. His resentment at the Heavensbee library when his own childhood books were burned for warmth, his cynicism over Haymitch's romance, his fear and loathing of District 12. I enjoyed having Lucy Gray's memory rise up and disrupt his life.

DL: And poor Haymitch doesn't even know why he's setting Snow off! But that does lead me to a question about Lenore Dove, who has grown up in a very different Covey world than Lucy Gray. How do you feel her outlook is shaped by her Covey roots?

SC: Lenore Dove romanticizes the Covey's prewar days as itinerant musicians on the open road. She also knows the losses that followed, the murdered parents and orphaned Covey children. And in particular, she's haunted by the fate of Lucy Gray. She wears bright bits of Lucy Gray's dress about her person and keeps her forbidden lyrics alive in private performances for Haymitch and Burdock. The Capitol has never meant anything but oppression and pain for her people; and that fuels her desire to bring it down.

DL: And how did Poe become such a part of the book?

SC: Haymitch's love needed a name. Since she's Covey, that starts with a ballad. I knew she'd died young, as Haymitch mentions this in Mockingjay. So, love of his life - her early death + his relentless grief = Edgar Allan Poe. I’m right back at the Romantic poets again. Even then, I’ve got several poems to choose from — “Annabel Lee,” “Ulalume,” “Lenore,” “To One in Paradise” — but I couldn’t resist “The Raven.”

DL: One of the things I love about Ballad and Sunrise is that they make the series much more about “the long game,” showing that the events of the trilogy don’t happen because the right girl shows up at the right time, but because of decades of planning. In many ways, Plutarch’s extremely ambiguous role is the biggest acknowledgment we have of long-game tactics. I don’t want you to try to pin him down here — I know he is ambiguous for a reason — but perhaps you could discuss his role.

SC: Plutarch’s the master of the long game. In Sunrise, we see him as a young man who’s convinced the government needs overthrowing, but he’s just taking his first baby steps. by the time we get to the trilogy, he’s masterminding the rebellion. He’s built a network in both the districts and the Capitol. He’s found an army in District 13 and allied with Coin. When Katniss shows up, he’s got a Mockingjay for his propaganda. He orchestrates the Airtime Assault that brings down the Capitol. And he manages to do all of this while convincingly playing a Gamemaker.

He doesn’t glorify humanity. At the end of the war, he tells Katniss, “We’re fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction. Although who knows? Maybe this will be it, Katniss.” And when she asks what, he answers “The time it sticks. Maybe we are witnessing the evolution of the human race.” So, at heart, he’s an optimist. He doesn’t accept that war and self-destruction are inevitable. Plutarch believes that we’re all on a continuum. We’re all ultimately playing the long game. You may fight your whole life for a greater good and never see the fruits of your labor. Plenty of people have done that historically. And so he tells Haymitch, “You were capable of imagining a different future. And maybe it won’t be realized today, maybe not in our lifetime. Maybe it will take generations. We’re all part of a continuum. Does that make it pointless?” I think that’s a question we all have to ask ourselves.

DL: When we first discussed the manuscript, you told me, “Books are part of Plutarch’s privilege.” In seeming contrast, there is the transmission of stories through song that we see echoing within Haymitch. I’d love for you to share more about this and the role books and songs play in the storytelling within this series.

SC: The Heavensbees have enormous wealth and privilege and, largely thanks to Trajan Heavensbee, that has allowed them to collect and protect an impressive library. The only other personal collection we’re sure exists belongs to the Covey. Much smaller, of course, but it’s apparently got some great books in it. Poetry, philosophy, literature, and at least one guide to raising poultry. The only book the Everdeens owned was the edible and medicinal plant guide they made themselves. That expands into the memorial book at the end.

District 12 doesn’t have many books, but they have plenty of songs. Why? Because a book can be burned, but you can’t burn a song. It can be passed along from person to person without a trace, no physical form required. Theoretically, you could commit a book to memory, like in Fahrenheit 451, but that’s a talent not everybody’s going to share.

By the trilogy, the songs have been discouraged as well. Under Snow, the live music in 12 devolves from the Covey performing in the Hob in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to a trio of instrumentalists in Sunrise on the Reaping to a lone fiddler (Clerk Carmine) in the trilogy. Lucy Gray’s songs, which Katniss sings unaccompanied in the trilogy, are held in memory and are passed along orally. Snow would love to stamp them out entirely, not just because he doesn’t like music, but because they’re powerful politically. A protest song like “The Goose and the Common” can articulate an injustice, stir people up, and become a rallying point.

DL: Just because you mentioned it, I’m going to ask: Are Snow and Clerk Carmine the only two people we see in Ballad, Sunrise, and the trilogy? (I won’t ask what Tigris is up to during Sunrise, but whatever it is, I know it’s good.)

SC: Yes, I think it does come down to Snow and Clerk Carmine. A handful of Snow’s classmates might still be around by the trilogy, but they’re not named characters.

DL: I’m fascinated by the surface similarity of Katniss’s, Coriolanus’s, and Haymitch’s family structures. All have dead fathers. All are being raised by a mother or grandmother. All have a single sibling or cousin in their care. But even if the structures are alike, their experiences vary. In what ways do you think they were shaped similarly by this structure and in what ways were their upbringings different?

SC: You see this a lot in books for young audiences, where the protagonist is orphaned or placed outside of parental protection, leaving them to fend for themselves. It requires them to be responsible for their own survival and choices.

Haymitch has always had at least one functional parent, which is not true of the others. I think this has allowed him to be more open-hearted and optimistic than the other two heading into the story. Coriolanus is orphaned during the war and his grandmother does an impressive job keeping him and Tigris alive, but by the time that book opens she lives in her own world and her grandchildren care for her. Katniss loses her mother to grief and depression when her father dies and becomes her family's provider and protector at age eleven. Haymitch doesn't have to take full responsibility for himself until he's reaped.

DL: The role of the sibling (and I count Tigris as a sibling) is also so important within the series, to the degree that, in this book, becoming a "found" sibling is the highest mark of trust. Can you talk about exploring that dynamic within the series?

SC: In Ballad, when Coriolanus is filling out Lucy Gray's questionnaire and there's no place to record her cousins, he thinks, "There should be a place for anyone who cared for you at all. In fact, maybe that should be the question to start with: Who cares about you? Or even better, Who can you count on?" There's the family you're born into and the family you choose. All the protagonists have trustworthy families to begin with, but they adopt "found" siblings as well and those bonds are born of experience. Maysilee for Haymitch, Finnick for Katniss, even Sejanus for Coriolanus. People who care about you that you can count on. They replicate the natural sibling bond and aren't limited by biology. All of them ultimately find siblings among people they once viewed as antagonists.

DL: With the Newcomers, we see a different angle to the presentation of alliances within the Games �� and in some ways, this alliance is in conversation with the alliance that forms in Catching Fire. In many ways, alliances are the unsung hero of the series, especially when we look at the long game. What does Ampert establish with the Newcomers that echoes throughout the series?

SC: Ampert’s laying the groundwork for the rebellion later with the district alliance in the third Quarter Quell. It’s a work in progress. Even in the trilogy, we’re well into the war before the rebels finally get all the districts on board. But Ampert’s message wins out. “We don’t have to put up with living under the Capitol’s rule. We have greater numbers, more power, more strength. We can change our lives.”

DL: I love how within Sunrise we see how Mags’s and Wiress’s mentoring styles contrast — and neither one is at all like Haymitch’s mentoring style in the trilogy. I can’t believe I’ve never asked you this question before, but of all the characters we’ve seen across the five books, which one would you most want to be your mentor?

SC: Haymitch, but not until the trilogy when he pulls himself together. Before that, I think I’d go with Mags, who’s brought home several victors while retaining her humanity.

DL: How thoroughly do you outline before you start writing?

SC: Pretty thoroughly, this time more than usual. I started with Post-its and laid out everything that was established about the second Quarter Quell in the version that Katniss and Peeta watch on the train in Catching Fire. Then I added in a few things that Haymitch mentions to Katniss in Mockingjay. And finally, I overlaid that with the story of what really happened. Additionally, I had to weave in characters and events from the past and the future.

There are a lot of balls to keep in the air. Multiple versions exist of, say, the reaping: the one we live through with Haymitch, where Woodbine gets killed; a second that’s aired to the public after the delay; a third of Plutarch’s card-stacked edit that they broadcast the night of the reaping that includes footage of Ma and Sid; and a fourth version played during Haymitch’s Victor’s Ceremony, which seems quite close to the one Katniss and Peeta view, but it could have been tweaked a bit over time. It’s a lot to keep straight.

DL: In terms of the smaller connections between this book and the other books (like the use of the word sweetheart or the presence of geese in Haymitch’s early story), were these things you knew going into the book from the start, or were they things that happened when you were putting words to the page?

SC: These were things I knew about, but I didn’t know if I’d ever write Haymitch’s story and have the opportunity to lay in their history. So many things are like that when you’re building a world. But Haymitch’s decision to tend geese at the end of Mockingjay wasn’t random.

DL: And, of course, for my final question I need to ask... what do you have against gumdrops?SC: Not a thing.

[ravenstargames]

✦ Lost in Limbo Masterpost (12/09/2024)

Lost in Limbo is a dark fantasy romance visual novel taking place in the mysterious realm of Limbo. Take the role of River Winchester, a human dealing with common-life problems, as you find yourself trapped in a foreign world.

✦ Lost in Limbo explores themes such as the duality of immortality, family bonds, healing from trauma, forgiveness, acceptance, letting go of guilt, and love. 

✦ The full game will be rated +17 and will include flashing lights, disturbing imagery, mild horror, mild jumpscares, body horror, suggestive sexual scenes and discussions, sensitive topics such as toxic family relationships, anxiety, depression, mentions of suicide, depictions of alcohol / drug use, etc. Each route will have individual content warnings available for the player.

✦ LOST IN LIMBO FAQ + TUMBLR ASKS

🔮 OFFICIAL DISCORD SERVER

Face the nightmares of your childhood and uncover the mysteries behind your summoning to the realm of Limbo. Tie your fate to one of seven deities sworn to be your protectors and survive a world facing its demise.

Will love be the key to your freedom, or the first chapter of your downfall?

Our first demo features over 42k words (around three hours of gameplay), partial voice acting, seven CGs, over 25 different choices...and one bad ending?!

To obtain every CG, we reccommend playing the demo twice and testing different options! 

✦ PLAY OUR DEMO NOW ON:

🔮 STEAM (MAC, LINUX, WINDOWS)

🔮 ITCH.IO (MAC, LINUX, WINDOWS)

🔮 GOOGLE PLAY

When you finally quit your dead-end job and move back to your mother's house in the ever-peaceful town of Faybourne, you think things could only get better. However, the moment you set foot in your childhood home, a harrowing nightmare long forgotten appears to haunt you once more. 

A tower that crumbles in the vastness of a bleeding sky. A voice that mourns and yearns for something.

Torn away from your peaceful life and thrown into a world of danger and deceit, you are at the mercy of the Seven Sovereigns of Limbo. Navigate the Realm Between as it faces an impending cataclysm that threatens to swallow you and those you love whole.

Whether you fall in love or in disgrace... is up to you. 

 Lost in Limbo features seven love interests and a wide cast of secondary characters.

VA: Patrick 'Pat' Langner

God and creator of Limbo, Father Pride has witnessed eons of change in both his world and yours. Aware of the delicate barrier that keeps each world separate and whole, it is his duty to both protect his people and safeguard the endless knowledge his immortality has granted him. 

The Father of All is beloved by his family and worshiped as an invincible leader by the inhabitants of Limbo, but he ultimately remains removed from others; a mysterious, unreachable idol. The life of a deity of unfathomable power is solitary, and you can't help but wonder if there's any trace of humanity in him.

Can you truly trust a being whose power is beyond human comprehension, or are you just another tool for him? 

VA: Brian Vaughn

His father's promises of glory, and legends of a destiny full of wonders awaiting him, drove Amon to build Dagalis, his city, as a mirror image of himself. Flamboyant, free, and absolutely magnificent—Amon lives his immortal life to the very fullest, often ignoring the consequences.

When you fall into his care, you become the Dragon’s newest toy; he is determined to dazzle you, and the temptation to surrender to him is overwhelming. However, Amon can only look away from the ticking bombs within Dagalis for so long, and you will inevitably be dragged down with him if the worst comes to pass. 

Can you rely on each other to save yourselves, or is your love destined to burn you and Dagalis down?

VA: Silvairre Devereaux

Raeya earned her title of Praefectus, leader of Limbo’s military forces and safekeeper of the realm, after centuries of hard work and devotion. Her oath to protect the people of Limbo is an extension of herself, one she wields in the battlefield against the voidbound and against anyone who dares to defile what she believes is just.

However, the truth behind the realm's darkest times will soon put Raeya's loyalty to the test, and with it, her ability to keep you out of harm's way.

When the inevitable cruelty of the Realm Between unfolds before you, what will you be willing to sacrifice to save what you love the most?

VA: Abi Kumar

As ominous as his alias may sound, there has never been a kinder person in all of Limbo than Master Gael. However, rumors tainting the Master's image have begun to spread, and the streets murmur of a plot to overthrow him. Master Gael is facing a crisis in his mandate, and with your unexpected arrival, strategy is more important than ever.

You are met with an offer that's hard to refuse; if you play your part as Gael’s fiancée and help him secure his win in the upcoming Master elections once more, a ritual to return you to your world may be within reach. 

But with powerful individuals keeping an eye on every movement of the Master and his lover, what are the chances of obtaining a victory for you both?

VA: Aaron Moy

Stripped of their name and shunned after commiting treason, the Sovereign now known as Lord Envy resides alone in the Black Citadel, forgotten by those who fled the city and hated by the ones who refused to leave. 

It doesn't take you too long to realize you two have nothing in common besides the fact that you hate each other to death. Envy is harsh, impertinent and unmoved by your plight. However, behind that mask of hatred lies a being that has been hurt almost beyond repair, and their call for help is too painful to ignore.

Can you break the walls they have built around themselves for centuries, or will you remain a prisoner in his castle for all eternity?

VA: Zaria Weems

Ara seems ready to be your ally from the very beginning. Her desire to help you get back to your family seems genuine, and her fervent will to act as your protector impresses you. She believes you are the key to summoning her childhood hero, The Wanderer of Worlds, a mythical figure that is able to walk in every world to bring forth peace.

Ara's passionate personality is incredibly charming, but it hides an ambition that seems almost insatiable...and that may come with problems that are too big for you two. 

What will you do when you find out how far she's willing to go?

VA: Francfil Pontañeles

Seen as an ‘afterthought’ by the people of Limbo, no one has ever expected anything from Xal, not even himself. When you end up in his care, you fear you're going to spend the rest of your life watching him tinker with gadgets, but Xal swiftly proves you wrong when he discovers a ritual that could send you back home in no time.

However, a crucial mistake turns the tables, and you're not the only one to reappear in Faybourne. With no fearless gods with incredible powers around to aid you, you'll have to face the consequences your disappearance left behind...and somehow help Xal go back to his siblings.

But what if Xal doesn't want to leave—and you don't want him to go?

Lázaro and Cécile's routes are Side Routes that will be produced after the Main Love Interests'. As they were not unlocked via Kickstarter, they'll take time to become available!

VA: Callum Sanders

After your encounter in Master Lysander's occult shop, you hoped you would never see those golden eyes again. Destiny, as always, is a capricious thing.

Your rocky return to Faybourne not only brings more questions to the table; it also gives you the opportunity to cross paths with the person who started it all. However, as you confront Lázaro—as they graciously introduce themself— they pretend they don't know anything about what happened in that suffocating room that summer morning.

You refuse to let them go that easily after what they did to you, and soon enough you're dragged into Lázaro's personal hell.

When your world quickly proves to be as dangerous as the realm of Limbo, will you trust the person who started it all?

VA: TBA

When you first meet Cécile, Gael's bodyguard, you can't stop from shivering under the gaze of his bloodthirsty eyes. The Master's Dog, as everyone whispers behind his back, smells of death and despair; it is all he has known since he was born. Revenge on those who snatched his soul away from him is the only thing in his mind—only after serving his Master, who he so greatly worships.

He has no interest in you. In fact, he openly dislikes you. You can tell by the way he looks at you; if it were his choice, his hands would already be around your neck. And yet, you can't deny the attraction pulling you towards him, oblivious of how dangerous it would be if he were to worship you instead of his Master.

Can you survive the love of an obsessed killer, or will you meet your end at the raw passion of his hands?

✦ The MC is written as a young adult who is at least 21 years old. The player can headcanon their character as any age they desire, but every route is written so the MC is of an age similar to that of their chosen love interest, except for Father Pride who is older than the MC.

✦ The MC is a strong-willed individual who isn't afraid to jump into action. In the game, you'll be able to channel these characteristics in different ways. River is funny, kind and a bit too stubborn—but you choose how to manage those traits and whether to let them shine or not. The game will remember, so if you are not too athletic, maybe hitting that monster with a chair isn't a very good idea.

✦ The MC also has some default tastes, hobbies and memories. During the game, you'll be able to personalize how the Main Character feels about their interests, add new ones, or reflect about how the past affected them. The characters will remember this.

✦ The MC doesn't have an established appearance, therefore, you won't see them in game.

The beautifully deadly world of Limbo, The Realm Between. Woven in the eternal canvas that is the Great Void, it is a breathing world that lives in constant symbiosis with those who dwell therein. It rests in the custody of the Seven Sovereigns of Limbo, immortal guardians of unbelievable strength.

Few are those who venture past the Beyond; none have ever returned However, Limbo’s land is deteriorating fast. The balance that holds the threads of life are at the cusp of being consumed by the Midnight Tower, an entity beyond sense and reason that has grown dangerously close to the barrier between worlds. The voidbound, creatures made from the essence of nightmares, are stalking the cities closer to the Tower’s domain, leaving behind nothing but chaos and decay.

Explore the Seven Circles of Limbo and its seven capital cities, and get to know its people, their customs and their culture, inspired by Spanish provinces and cities such as the Valencian Community, Andalucía, Galicia and Aragón. Enjoy the unique animated backgrounds, whether you're lost in a harrowing swamp or just wandering through a boisterous main street.

✦ Seven love interests with independent routes and different kinds of romance. Live a passionate, mature and erotic experience with Amon, or a first love romance with Xal.

✦ Around 80+ hours of gameplay total. Each route will be around 15+ hours. 

✦ Customizable Main Character (full name and pronouns changeable between he/him, she/her or they/them).

✦ Approximately 6 endings per character. Escape from the claws of despair with your loved one or succumb to the pressure of a world breaking to pieces...or perhaps something in the middle.

✦ A mature, sex-positive narrative point of view. Lost in Limbo treats consensual sex as a natural, integral and fun part of the game. The game therefore includes textually and slightly explicit love scenes, and the player has the option not to engage, stop or skip these scenes anytime.*

✦ Player choices can shape the Main Character's personality, traits, likes & dislikes, etc.

✦ A wide cast of side characters to make the world feel alive, each one of them with their opinion and relationship with the Main Character.

✦ A compendium to keep track of events, important information, etc. 

*An exception of this is Amon's route, centered in the sexual tension between him and the MC. His sexual scenes with the Main Character are core to the story and therefore, happen no matter what. The player can still skip these scenes.

In Lost in Limbo, not everything is as it seems. Every route offers pieces of a much bigger puzzle ready to be solved, but small details mattter. Characters will remember how you treat them, what you tell them, and what you don't. Keeping your cards close to your chest may be wise, but in a world where you don't have the upper hand, choosing who to trust is key to survive.

✦ There will be four different choice systems that will give shape to your playthrough:

Trust Points centered around your love interest and the side characters; a low level of trust can translate into bad endings*.

Plot-driving choices that will shape the story and its possible endings, as well as the final fate of the characters.

Personality choices that will determine the nature of the Main Character's relationship with their love interest, as well as how the MC reacts to certain events, their abilities, hobbies, etc.

Flavor choices! These don't impact the game directly, but are there for the main objective of the game: having fun! Do you want ice cream, or perhaps a caramelized apple?

*In Lost in Limbo, there's not only one correct answer and one wrong answer. There's different ways of earning trust points without having to stick for the "one and only right answer", and mistakes can be redeemed...sometimes.

Please note that this may be subjected to changes in the future, but always keeping in mind player's opinions and always in favor of improving the game experience.

We'll first start working on an extended demo / prologue that will be offered for free. This will include an overhaul of sprites, several secondary characters mentioned in our first demo, etc. After that, we'll move to the character routes, and the first episode of each one of them will be offered for free to the public.

Two routes will always be worked on at the same time to make sure they complement each other well. The order in which we'll work on the routes is as follows.

✦ Amon / Gael > Ara / Xal > Envy / Raeya > Father Pride

We estimate that with our current team, development for the seven routes will take  three years. Therefore, our first release plan aims for a full release in 2027.

Please remember there's only four of us; our writer is also our programmer, our artists are in charge of all the art departments, etc.

As stated above, outsourcing would speed up this process, but we want to be cautious with our release plan. If everything goes faster than expected, all the better!

✦ OUR SOCIALS ✦

For more info about our team etc., feel free to visit our official webpage, ravenstar.games!

🔮 TWITTER / X

🔮 TIKTOK

YOU CAN CONTACT US AT INFO@RAVENSTAR.GAMES FOR ANY INQUIRIES!

[4dkellysworld]

Why clear the subconscious to realise Self

I hope this helps people who are struggling with trauma/deeply rooted wounds and are looking for a way to reconcile this with their goal of self-realisation 💕

Context:

The prime obstacle we meet in seeking this unlimited being is the subconscious mind. It is full of thoughts of limitations which propel us every day and they do so automatically. We have made these habits of subconscious thoughts so strong that even when we recognize the direction we would like to go in, the subconscious thoughts keep directing us for quite some time (sometimes lifetimes) until we finally succeed in overcoming them. We overcome them with thoughts of what we really want to do in life, and in that way we become master over the mind, controlling and eliminating the thoughts until only the thoughts we want determine our behavior. Then we’re in a position where we can do something about the mind. We can start to transcend the mind, rising above it and dropping it. In short we let it go! And when we do we find ourselves this pure, infinite, limitless, totally free Being that we naturally are. Then happiness is complete. from Session 9: Mastering Mind and Matter of Keys to the Ultimate Freedom - Lester Levenson

The following excerpt illustrates Lester Levenson's own journey to self-realisation: he actually cleared a chunk of his own subconscious thoughts first before going onto self-inquiry. This would have allowed for a much quieter mind than if he just dived into self-inquiry without it.

I began correcting all my thoughts and feelings in that direction from that of wanting to be loved, to that of loving. And in that process, I discovered another major thing that kind of shocked me. I saw that I wanted to change this entire world, and that was the cause of my ulcers — or one of the major causes. In realizing how much I wanted to change things in this world, I saw how it made me a slave of this world, I made the decision to reverse that. And in the process of following out these two directions — actually unloading all the sub-conscious concepts and pressures in those directions — I discovered I was getting happier, freer, lighter, and feeling better in general. As I saw this direction was good, I made the decision that if a slice of pie tasted this good, I wanted the whole pie. And I decided not to let go of this direction until I got that entire pie of happiness, and with it the answer to “What am I?  What is this life, and what is my relationship to it?” This decision allowed me, as I claim, to get the answer to life itself in a matter of only three months. I believe if I can do it, anyone can do it if they have that much “want to”. In that three month period, all the ailments I had in my physical body corrected. All my miseries dropped away. And I ended up in a place in which I was happy all the time, without sorrow. Not that the world stopped pushing against me —it continued — but I was at a place where I could resolve things almost immediately. Having cleared out the negative fears, all the negative “I can not’s,” I would focus right on the answer to every problem, and get it very quickly. And so, my whole life turned around from being depressed and sick, to being happy all the time, and being in perfect health all the time. from About the Author of another version of Keys to the Ultimate Freedom, also probably in his autobiography No Attachments, No Aversions

I'm not sure why some of the digital versions of Lester's Keys to The Ultimate Freedom didn't include this final session 37 because it's in a scanned copy of a 1993 version (1 year before he died). He had spoken on the importance of clearing subconscious thoughts first to quiet the mind but this was watered down in the 109 page digital version and even overlooked in Session 1 where he says it's "not necessary to dig up this unconscious mind, in fact it's much better to try to quiet the mind." (the wording was changed in other versions to highlight clearing subconscious thoughts first). Depending on the individual ego's own history of trauma, limiting/negative beliefs, tendencies, habits etc (aka samskaras in Hindu philosophy), they may or may not be able to easily quiet their mind to see their Self (the main goal) if they keep getting bombarded with thoughts they can't control despite their best efforts to disidentify/drop/ignore/meditate/control it.

I also believe this is the missing piece and answer to dealing with trauma in a practical and appropriate way on the path to self-realisation. Any good therapy also ultimately concludes with releasing & letting go so it no longer affects the person anymore; this is the true essence of healing. I've personally found a lot of benefit and peace from clearing subconscious thoughts on my own journey and Lester did this too and benefited a lot - he didn't jump straight to self-inquiry (Ramana Maharshi considered self-inquiry to be a practice for 'ripe souls' and recommended other methods for aspirants first depending on their state of mind (to clear and quiet their mind in preparation for self-inquiry)).

So we are all going through the same trip of trying to discover what is this all about, where is my happiness, and when we stop chasing after it out there and we turn inward, we discover that all these hard negative, terrible feelings are only a feeling. And that it is possible to get rid of these feelings by releasing them. All these feelings are subconscious programs — every bit of them put in as pro survival — it's not only fear, but survival. All our feelings have been programmed in to automatically keep us surviving. They keep looking out there, trying to survive, keeping our minds active subconsciously 24 hours a day, so never do we stop to think and discover what we are. So what is it that is keeping us from being in the most delectable state that there is? Simply the accumulated programs called feelings, all these negative feelings have us constantly struggling to survive, having us constantly looking away from this tremendous thing that we are, and all we need to do is quiet that mind and become self-obvious to ourselves of this tremendous being that we are. How do we do it? I say it’s simple. The Release Technique*. It happens to be the fastest, the most effective way there is to achieve this high state of being. When we are in total control of our universe, where every moment is a wonderful, wonderful moment, it is impossible to be unhappy. And I say that is our natural state when these negative feelings are released. So I urge you to learn this technique. It’s a tool, and in one week's time, there will be a big change in you for the better, and from there on, you will continue to get better and better, lighter and lighter, happier and happier. from Session 37: Release your Loving Nature - Keys to the Ultimate Freedom *The appendix describing this technique refers to a whole book called The Sedona Method (written by one of Lester's students) and it was too damn long & boring for me to read lol. (If you're interested in the book, you can download it from my Google Drive) The basic instructions is to bring subconscious thoughts to the conscious so they can be dropped: Feel all the thoughts/emotions (if any) and imagine them leaving your being, acknowledge them then consciously choose to release & let them go now so they no longer have a hold on you.

So clearing a chunk of subconscious thoughts first (not aiming for perfection, just clearing the major roadblocks - in particular the ones that keep causing intrusive/compulsive thoughts no matter how much you ignore them) will help a lot in quieting the mind and then you can more easily do the other practices such as meditate/do self-inquiry/self-surrender with a quiet mind to see & know the Infinite Being you are.

Remember that there is no "one size fits all" approach to self-realisation because everyone has different history, traumas, mental/emotional/spiritual maturity, temperament etc (this is a reminder to let your Self be your main guide & guru and do what's appropriate for your own journey, you don't have to follow any guidance/practices/teachings that don't resonate with you even if others are saying something is this way or that way). Even Ramana Maharshi acknowledged this:

When asked once by Swami Yogananda, a Swami with a large following in America, what spiritual instruction should be given to the people for their uplift, Ramana Maharshi replied: “It depends on the temperament and spiritual maturity of the individual. There can be no mass instruction.”

Obligatory disclaimer that this post does not constitute as medical advice as I am not a therapist, this is based on my own understanding of non-duality as well as my personal ego experiences both on this journey and prior to. If there are major traumas that you feel you need to release first in order to quiet the mind, I would actually recommend finding a competent and trustworthy professional to help you unless you already have experience going through therapy and know how to dig into your own subconscious and release things on your own properly (going to therapy in the past gave me the understanding and experience to do this on my own now). I emphasize on the *properly* part because if you attempt to bring up major traumas from the subconscious without knowing how to properly deal with them, it could actually cause more harm to the psyche so be careful on this please.

So I actually do think therapy and trauma healing has a place on this path to self-realisation and this is where my beliefs deviate from 4dbarbie a bit (I still agree with leaving the mind alone but again, clearing the major subconscious traumas/wounds/blockages first has been immensely beneficial and effective in quieting the mind to make it easier to let go of/disidentify from ego and abide as Self). Everything that I share on this blog are intended to be pointers, suggestions and helpful tips for people on the same journey. If you resonate with it, feel free to explore it further and if it doesn't, you can disregard it :)