#like. so old that its from the Beginning Stages of development. back when he was a pastel goth girl named catherine <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[felassan]

Excerpts from [this] Entertainment Weekly article:

"[Jennifer] Hale believes one of the biggest misconceptions about what they do is the skill required. "The work we do in games — this does not cover performance capture but in voice capture — is 85 to 90 percent cold reading," she says. "The entirety of Mass Effect, I saw no line before the moment I recorded it. It was all cold reading on the spot. A couple takes, maybe a few, and it goes out to market. That's it." She notes that this scenario isn't much different even now. "So voice performers have to be incredibly skilled in the game arena, even more so than in other arenas," Hale continues. "It's extraordinarily demanding." With Mass Effect, one of her more widely recognized projects as the voice of Commander Shepard, Hale remembers a specific experience when she attended the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards (a predecessor to today's Game Awards) as a nominee in the "Best Performance by a Human Female" category. "A voice performer was very much treated like the utensils on the table," she describes. "I really appreciated being invited, but I had an experience where I waited and waited and waited for my category to be announced. I had a 6-month-old at home who I was still nursing. I really was watching the clock. I finally sought out the stage manager toward the end of the show. He goes, 'What's your category?' And I told him the category. He said, 'Oh, we taped that earlier with the winner.' The dismissiveness of it — definitely I felt that.” However, Hale prides herself on the discipline she developed over time to focus less on those moments and more on the wins — and there have been clear wins in changing the perception around the acting part of the craft, something she has seen happen more in the past five to seven years." [...] On the same topic, Hale looks back to the evolution of voice acting between the releases of Mass Effect (2007) and Mass Effect 2 (2010) alone. "In the beginning, the visuals technologically were where they were, and we had to be slightly presentational to push what was happening," she notes. "But as those visuals became so much more hyperrealistic, we could actually drop back and do one of my favorite things. Thought registers on camera. Now we're in the space where we can relax and allow thought to just register on the mic." [...] [UPDATE: Just hours before this article went live, SAG-AFTRA told its members in a memo that the companies' latest proposals contained "alarming loopholes that will leave our members vulnerable to A.I. abuse."] Newbon agrees A.I. is a real problem, but folks like Hale and Goldman aren't so concerned with A.I. replacements. They're confident players are more prone to connect with a character if there's a real performer behind it. Kniebihly agrees. "There's no doubt that the industry is going through a challenging time. Layoffs, budget cuts, and uncertainty have made it clear that nothing is guaranteed — even for successful studios," he says. "To me, what makes this job interesting in the first place is that weird, intangible chemistry between an actor and a director. It's the trust at the core of that relationship that pushes everyone to give the best of themselves and creates more than the sum of its parts. And I'm not going to get that from A.I. anytime soon.""

[source]

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Zuck’s gravity-defying metaverse money-pit

Tomorrow (Oct 31) at 10hPT, the Internet Archive is livestreaming my presentation on my recent book, The Internet Con.

Think of everything that makes you miserable as being caught between two opposing, irresistible, irrefutable truths:

"Anything that can't go on forever eventually stops" (Stein's Law)

"Markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent" (Keynes)

Both of these are true, even though they seemingly contradict one another, and no one embodies that contradiction more perfectly than Mark Zuckerberg.

Take the metaverse.

Zuck's "pivot" to a virtual world he ripped off from a quarter-century old cyberpunk novel (reminder: cyberpunk is a warning, not a suggestion) was born of desperation.

Zuck fancies himself an avatar of the Emperor Augustus (that's why he has that haircut) (no, really). The emperors of antiquity are infamous for getting all weepy when they run out of lands to conquer.

But the lachrymosity of emperors has little causal relationship to the anxieties of tech monopolists! Alexander weeps because he just loves a good conquest and when he finishes conquering the world, he's terminally bored. That's not Zuck's problem at all. When Zuck attains monopoly status, his company develops an autoimmune disorder, as his vicious princelings run out of enemies to destroy and begin to knife one another.

Any monopoly faces these destructive microincentives, but tech is exceptional here because tech has the realtime flexibility and speed that brick-and-mortar businesses can never match:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

Sociopaths with tech monopolies are worse for the same reason that road-rage would be worse in a flying car: adding new capacity to indiscriminate self-destructive urges turns ordinary car crashes into low-level airburst warfare:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/microincentives-and-enshittification/

The flexibility of digital gives tech platforms so much latitude to break things in tiny increments. A tech platform is like a Jenga tower composed of infinitely divisible blocks. The Jenga players are the product managers and executives who have run out of the ability to grow by attracting new business thanks to their monopoly dominance. Now they compete with one another to increase the yield from their respective divisions by visiting pain upon the business customers and end users their platform connects. By tiny increments, they increase the product's cost, lower its reliability, and strip it of its utility and then charge rent to restore its functionality:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/24/cursed-bigness/#incentives-matter

This is the terminal stage of enshittification, the unstoppable autocannibalism of platforms as they seek to harvest all the value created by business customers and end users, leaving the absolute minimum of residual value needed to keep both stuck to the platform. This is a brittle equilibrium, because the difference between "I hate this service but I just can't stop using it," and "Get me the fuck out of here" is razor-thin.

All it takes is one tiny push – a whistleblower, a livestreamed mass-shooting, a Cambridge Analytica – and people bolt for the doors. This triggers the final stage: the "pivot," which is a tech euphemism for "panic."

For Zuck, the pivot got real after a disappointing earnings call triggered a mass sell-off of Facebook stock, history's worst one-day value incineration, which lopped a quarter of a trillion dollars off the company's market cap:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-19/dramatic-stock-moves-of-2022-led-by-meta-dive-nordic-flash-crash

This was when the metaverse became the company's top priority.

Now, in my theory of enshittification, the step that follows the pivot is death: "Finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys

Many people have asked me about the conspicuous non-death of Facebook! That's where I have to fall back on Stein's Law: "Anything that can't go on forever eventually stops." Facebook can't continue to annihilate value, alienate its workers, harm the public, hemorrhage money in support of a mediocrity's cherished folly forever. Can it?

Admittedly, it sure seems like it can. Facebook's metaverse pivot has thus far cost the company $46,500,000,000. That is: $46.5 billion. That's even more money than Uber torched, seeking to maintain the illusion that they will be able to create monopolies on both transport and the labor market for driving and recoup the billions the Saudi royal family let them use for the con:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/11/bezzlers-gonna-bezzle/#gryft

Don't worry: the Saudi royals are fine! They cashed out at the IPO, collecting a tidy profit at the expense of retail investors who assumed that a pile of shit as big as Uber must have a pony under it, somewhere:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/19/fake-it-till-you-make-it/#millennial-lifestyle-subsidy

Uber has doubled the cost of rides and halved drivers' wages, using illegal gimmicks like "algorithmic wage discrimination" to squeeze a little more juice out of the nearly exhausted husks of its workforce:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

But Stein's Law hasn't been repealed. Drivers can't drive for sub-subsistence wages. Do that long enough and they'll literally starve: that's what "subsistence" means. We lost a decade of transit investment thanks to the Uber con, at the same time as traditional taxi drivers were forced out of the industry. Uber can't be profitable and still pay a living wage, and the fantasy of self-driving cars as a means of zeroing out the wage-bill altogether remains stubbornly, lethally unworkable:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/09/herbies-revenge/#100-billion-here-100-billion-there-pretty-soon-youre-talking-real-money

Which means we're at the point where you can get off a commuter train at a main station and find yourself stranded: no taxis at the taxi-queue, no busses due for an hour, and no Uber cars available unless you're willing to pay $95 for a ten-minute ride in a luxury SUV (why yes, this did happen to me recently, thanks for asking).

As more and more of us are exposed to these micro-crises, the political will to do something will increase. This can't go on forever. "Don't use commuter rail" isn't a viable option. "Walk three miles each way to the commuter rail station" isn't viable either. Neither is "Pay $95 for an Uber to get to the station." Something's gotta give…eventually.

"Eventually" is the key word here. Remember the corollary of Stein's Law: Keynes's maxim that "markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent." Sure, anything that can't go on forever eventually stops, but that is no guarantee of a soft landing. You can't smoke two packs a day forever – but in the absence of smoking cessation, the eventual terminus of that habit is stage-four lung cancer. Keep hammering butts into your face and your last smoke will come out a crematorium chimney.

Zuckerberg hasn't merely blown a whole-ass Twitter on the metaverse with nothing to show for it – he's gotten richer while doing it! In the past year, his net worth increased by 130%, to $59 billion, thanks to an increase in Facebook's share-price, driven by investors who stubbornly remain irrational, keeping the Boy Emperor solvent long past any reasonable assessment of his performance.

What are these investors betting on? One possibility is that the rise and rise of Facebook's share-price represents a bet on technofeudalism. Since the Communist Manifesto, Marxists have been predicting the end of capitalism. That end seems to have come, but what followed capitalism wasn't socialism, it was the return of feudalism, an economic system where elites derive their wealth from rents, not profits:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/28/cloudalists/#cloud-capital

Profit is the income you get from investing in capital – machinery, systems, plant – and then harvesting the surplus value created by workers who mobilize this capital. Capitalism produces massive returns for its winners – in the Manifesto's first chapter, Marx and Engels just geek out about how productive and dynamic this system is.

But capitalism is also a Red Queen's Race, where the winners have to run faster and faster to stay in the same place. Capitalism drives competition, as other would-be winners pile into the sector, replicating the systems that the current winners are using and then improving on them. This is why the prophets of capitalist end-times like the FBI informant Peter Thiel say that "competition is for losers."

Capitalism's "profits" stand in contrast to the feudalist's "rents." Rents are income you get from owning something that other people need to produce things. The capitalist owns the coffee-shop, but the feudalist owns the building. When a rival capitalist opens a superior coffee-shop and drives the old shop out of business, the capitalist loses, but the rentier wins. Now they can rent out an empty storefront in the neighborhood everyone's coming to because of that hot new cafe.

Feudal and manorial lords also made their fortunes by extracting surplus value from workers, but these rentiers don't care about owning the means of production. The peasant in the field pays for their own agricultural equipment and livestock – control over the means of production is necessary for worker liberation, but it's not sufficient. The worker's co-op that owns its factory can still find the value it produces bled off by the landlord who owns the land the factory sits on.

The jury's still out on whether American workers really see themselves as "temporarily embarrassed millionaires," but America's capitalists have a palpable, undeniable loathing for capitalism. The dream of an American "entrepreneur" is *PassiveIncome: money you get from owning something capitalists and/or workers use to create value. Digital technology creates exciting new possibilities for rent-extraction: a taxi-operator had to buy and maintain a car that someone else drove. Uber can offload this hassle onto its drivers and rent out access to the chokepoint it created between drivers and riders, charging all the traffic can bear. This is feudalism in the cloud – or as Yannis Varoufakis calls it, cloudalism.

In Varoufakis's Technofeudalism, he describes Amazon as a feudal venture. From a distance, Amazon seems like a bustling marketplace of manic capitalism, with sellers avidly competing to offer more variety and lower costs in a million independently operated storefronts. But closer inspection reveals that Amazon is a planned economy, not a market.

Every one of those storefronts pays rent to the same landlord – Amazon – which determines which goods can be offered for sale. Amazon sets pricing for those goods, and extracts 45-51% of every dollar those sellers make. Amazon even controls which goods are shelved at eye-height when you enter the store, and which ones are banished to a dusty storeroom in a distant sub-basement you'll never find:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/14/flywheel-shyster-and-flywheel/#unfulfilled-by-amazon

Zuck's metaverse is pure-play technofeudalism, Amazon taken to the logical extreme. It's easy to get distracted by the part of Zuck's vision that will convert us all into legless, sexless, heavily surveilled low-resolution cartoon characters. But the real action isn't this digitization of our fleshy wants and needs. Zuck didn't spend $46.5B to torment us.

The cruelty isn't the point of the metaverse.

The point of the metaverse is to rent us out to capitalists.

Zuck doesn't know why we would use the metaverse, but he believes that if he can convince capitalists that we all want to live there, that they'll invest the capital to figure out how to serve us there, and then he can extract rent from those capitalists and start earning "passive income." It's an Uber for Cyberpunk Dystopias play.

Zuck's done this before. Remember the "pivot to video?" Zuckerberg wanted to compete with Youtube, but he didn't want to invest in paying for video production. Videos are really expensive to produce and the median video gets zero views. So Zuck used his captive audience to trick publishers into financing his move into video. He fraudulently told publishers that videos were blowing up on Facebook, outperforming boring old text by vast margins.

Publishers borrowed billions and raised billions more in the capital markets, financing the total conversion of newsrooms from text to video and precipitating a mass extinction event for print journalists. Zuck kept the con alive by giving away (fewer) billions to some of those publishers, falsely claiming that their videos were generating fortunes in advertising revenue. These lucky, credulous publishers became judas goats for their industry, luring others into the con, the same way that the "lucky" guy a carny lets win a giant teddy-bear at the start of the day lures others into putting down $5 to see if they can sink three balls in a rigged peach-basket.

But when we stubbornly refused to watch videos on Facebook, Zuck stopped spreading around these convincer payouts, and precipitated a second mass-extinction event in news media, as the new generation of video journalists joined their predecessors in Facebook-driven unemployment. Given this history, it's surreal to see publishers continue to insist that Facebook is stealing their content, when it is so clearly stealing their money:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/saving-news-big-tech

Metaverse is the new Pivot to Video. Zuckerberg is building a new world, which he will own, and he wants rent it to capitalists, who will compete with one another in just the way that Amazon's sellers compete. No matter who wins that competition, Zuckerberg will win. The prize for winning will be a rent increase, as Zuckerberg leverages the fact that your "successful" business relies on Facebook's metaverse to drain off all the value your workers have produced:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/18/metaverse-means-pivot-to-video/

This can't last forever, but how long until Zuck's reality distortion field runs out of battery? That's the $46.5B question.

The market can certainly remain irrational for a hell of a long time. But the market isn't the only force that regulates corporate outcomes. Regulators also regulate. Europe's GDPR is now seven years old, and it plainly outlaws Facebook's surveillance.

For nearly a decade, Facebook has pretended that this wasn't true, and they got away with it. Mostly, that's thanks to the fact that Ireland is a corporate crime-haven with a worse-than-useless Data Protection Commission:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/15/finnegans-snooze/#dirty-old-town

But anything that can't go on forever will eventually stop. Facebook has finally been dragged into EU federal jurisdiction, where it will face exterminatory fines if it continues to spy on Europeans:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/07/luck-of-the-irish/#schrems-revenge

In response, Facebook has rolled out a subscription version of its main service and its anticompetitive acquisition, Instagram:

https://about.fb.com/news/2023/10/facebook-and-instagram-to-offer-subscription-for-no-ads-in-europe/

For €10/month, Facebook will give you an ad-free experience across its service offerings (it's €13/month if you pay through an app, as Facebook recoups the 30% #AdTax rents that the feudal Google/Apple mobile duopoly extracts).

But this doesn't come close to satisfying Facebook's legal obligations under the GDPR. The GDPR doesn't ban ads, it bans spying. Facebook spies on every single internet user, all the time. The apps we use are built with "free" Facebook toolkits that extract rent from the capitalists who make them by harvesting our data as we use their apps. The web-pages we visit have embedded Facebook libraries that do the same thing for web publishers. Facebook buys our data from brokers. Facebook has so many ways of spying on us that there's almost certainly no way for Facebook to stop spying on you, without radically transforming it operation.

To comply with the GDPR, Facebook must halt surveillance advertising altogether. There's no way to square "spying on users" with "you can't surveil without explicit consent, and you can't punish people for refusing."

And of course, "not spying" isn't the same as "not advertising." "Contextual advertising" – where ads are placed based on the thing you're looking at, not who you are and what you do – is hundreds of years old. Context ads underperform surveillance ads by a slim margin – about 5% – but they're vastly more profitable for publishers. That's because surveillance ads are feudal, controlled by rentiers like Facebook, who own vast troves of the surveillance data needed to run these ads. Traditional ad intermediaries (agencies, brokers) took 10-15% out of the total advertising market. Ad-tech companies – the Google/Facebook duopoly – take 51% out of every ad dollar spent.

Eliminate surveillance ads and you torch their feudal estates. Facebook will always know more about someone reading a news article than the publisher – but the publisher will always know more about the article than Facebook does:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/05/save-news-we-must-ban-surveillance-advertising

There are rents under capitalism, just as there are profits under feudalism. The defining characteristic of a system is what happens when rents and profits come into conflict. If profits win – for example, if productive companies beat patent trolls, or if news publishers escape Facebook's rent-extraction – then the system is capitalist. If rents win – if investors continue to bet large on the metaverse as its losses pass $50 billion and head for the $100 billion mark – then the system is feudal.

Anything that can't go on forever will eventually stop. The question isn't whether the platforms will eventually become so enshittified that they die – the question is whether they will go down in an all-consuming fireball, or whether they'll go down in a controlled demolition that lets us evacuate the people they've trapped inside them first:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/09/let-the-platforms-burn/

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/30/markets-remaining-irrational/#steins-law

Image: Diego Delso (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puente_de_las_cataratas_Victoria,_Zambia-Zimbabue,_2018-07-27,_DD_10.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Accidentally Conquering Humanity

*Audience claps as talk show begins

Human Host: Good morning world, and welcome to the start of your day.

Human Host: I’m your host David Jefferson.

Human Host 2: And I’m Joy Menferd.

David: Our first guest today is a recent tech entrepreneur visiting our little planet today all the way from Vengon VI; please give a warm welcome to Kelnor Hi’tel!

*Audience begins to clap as Kelnor slowly levitates on to the stage from the back. They nervously wave their tentacles at the human gathering before sitting down on the couch next to Joy.

Kelnor: *Slit in mouth vibrates but never opens

Kelnor: Greetings human David and human Joy.

Kelnor: Kelnor is most joyful to be on this human entertainment circuit.

David: *Laughs and smiles

David: Well if that isn’t the warmest welcome I’ve had since we invited Drumstick the acrobatic chicken.

Joy: Didn’t we have him on the show last week?

David: *Shrugs

David: What can I say; it’s been a long week.

Audience: *Laughs

David: Now Kelnor I understand you are here to show us one of your latest inventions.

Kelnor: This is correct.

*Kelnor’s tentacle reaches into pocket and withdraws a small vile

Kelnor: Kelnor calls it “Serum PS”.

David: Did you come up with that name?

Kelnor: Kelnor did.

David: Then I would invest in a marketing firm before you put that to market

Audience: *Laughs

Kelnor: Kelnor thought it an appropriate name as it has a connection to your people.

Joy: Oh?

Joy: And what would that be?

Kelnor: I believe your culture calls it the “Philosopher Stone”.

Audience: *Quiet gasps

David: If I’m not mistaken, that is the legend of a stone that can turn metal to gold or give its user eternal life?

Kelnor: That is correct.

Joy: He learned that watching harry potter last night.

David: I’m a raven claw and not ashamed of it.

Audience: *Laughs

David: So are you telling us that this will make us, say, live forever?

Kelnor: *Shakes head

Kelnor: Sadly no.

David: Well that’s a sh-

Kelnor: But it will drastically increase the lifespan of your indentured servants.

Audience: *Awkward silence

Joy: Pardon me?

Kelnor: Kelnor asks for forgiveness.

Kelnor: Human language is still a subject Kelnor is learning.

Kelnor: Kelnor believes you would call them “Pets”.

Audience: *Silence

Joy: Could you repeat that?

Kelnor: How Serum PS works is when it is injected into the body of a creature, it induces the host to begin producing more cells that are more abundant during the development stages of early life.

Kelnor: These cells normally cease production when the host reaches maturity, but with the injection the host begins to produce them again for an extended period of time.

Kelnor: Now while tests have shown that when used on human bodies the desired effect is not reached as the body cannot handle the sudden influx of new cells, your pet’s bodies can handle it as their life spans are much shorter.

Kelnor:  The shorter the original lifespan means it is easier to restart the cell production process without causing harm to the host.

Audience: *Hushed whispers

Joy: So given your tests, how far can you extend the lifespan?

Kelnor: Projections show that the pet host can reach the age of 80 human years before their bodies can no longer accept the influx of newly generated cells much like your human body can.

Joy: Well that is simply fascinating, don’t you think David?

David: How much do you want for that vial?

Joy: David?

David: I’m being totally serious, how much do you want for that vile right now?

Kelnor: Kelnor had not expected to sell so soon.

Joy: *Laughs nervously

Joy: I can tell someone’s-

David: *Snaps at Joy

David: Shut it!

David: *Turns back to Kelnor as audience members begin making some phone calls

David: My retriever Baxter is 18 years old and he’s gone blind, and you say this could make him young and see again?

Kelnor:*Thoughtfully nods

Kelnor: If the blindness was a result of age process then yes, Serum PS should reverse that as the cell influx begins.

David: I’ll wire five thousand credits to you right now for that vial.

Joy: David!

Kelnor: Kelnor had no plans to charge so much for-

Audience member: *Shouts

Audience member: I’ll triple that!

Audience member: My Mr. Snickers needs that more than his dog!

David: I’ll pay 50,000!

David: I’ll even throw in my hover car in the parking lot on top.

David: *Reaches into pocket and pulls out electric key, then shoves it into Kelnor’s tentacle.

David: Top of the line model, can go from 0 to 120 in under a minute and it’s all yours plus the money!

Kelnor: *Looking a bit nervous now; tentacles coiling around their body and the vial as Kelnor can sense the raw desire for the vial.

Kelnor: Kelnor can assure you, human David, and the other human’s watching that there is more than this vial soon to be for sale.

David: But that is the only one right now?

Kelnor: Well, yes, but-

Camera Man: *Leans around camera

Camera Man: I’ll trade you blackmail material on Joy and David for it!

Joy: What?!

Camera Man: They forget to turn off the camera drones when they go back into their dressing rooms and that footage is all yours for that there vial!

Joy: You sick son of a bitch!

Joy: I’ll have you fired and out on the street!

Camera Man: What part of “Blackmail” do you not understand?!

Camera Man: My lizard Finchy’s been acting up lately and doctors don’t know why.

Camera Man: Unless you want that footage showing up on the web you’d best get me that vial, Joy!

*Camera spins around as audience members begin walking towards set with wallets, keys, jewels, and other materialistic items of value all in an attempt to entice Kelnor for the vial.

*Camera feed cuts as several audience members begin fighting each other while David continues upping his offer to Kelnor. --------------------------------

*6 weeks and 357 trillion credits profit later

Kelnor: *Sitting with fellow researchers

Kelnor: Well……..this escalated quickly.

*Researchers all nod slowly as they sip their drinks.

Researcher Tinuk: Tinuk thinks we own another continent of the human planet after this morning’s shipment trade.  

Kelnor: We now own ALL, their continents now.

*Researchers mumble in disbelief

Researcher Nav’ra: When we were making this, Nav’ra honestly expected it to be a novelty item in gag shop on homeworld.

*Researchers collectively nod

Researcher Yuni: Agreed.

Researcher Yuni: Yuni did not think any species would care so much about lower life forms.

Kelnor: *Takes deep swig

Kelnor: Humans are not like other species.

Kelnor: *Refills glass

Kelnor: Kelnor watched elderly human female drive through line of other humans at distribution center to save their pet pig.

Kelnor: *Downs another glass

Researcher Tinuk: What is a pig?

Kelnor: *Shrugs with tentacles

Kelnor: Kelnor still does not know, but it was important enough to decease thirteen humans for in process.

[signanothername]

penny for your thoughts on dadmare and more fandom takes??

🪙

Tbh Anon you have to be a bit more specific with what fandom takes you want my opinion on cause I genuinely can’t think of any shshhshshs

But for dadmare… hmmmmmmm

It’s… I have complicated feelings about this trope

Like on one hand, I love the exploration of dadmare as a concept and would genuinely love for it to be explored in a deep meaningful way

On the other hand… the fandom never actually explores it in a deep meaningful way so everytime I come across dadmare a part of me dies inside

Like the fandom immediately settles for “tired generic dad trying to control his rowdy kids” and i’m here like :’)

Like i’d love for dadmare to actually be explored in depth, like the shift for Nightmare from being a bitch to being “dadmare” how does Nightmare deal with MTT in a dadmare way while staying true to his character

How did Nightmare develop and change and how does he feel about being “dadmare”, does he struggle to face the consequences of the abuse he put MTT through and how does he make it up to them? but like also for the love of god you can explore this trope without having MTT act like children, they’re literally +30 old men and you don’t have to infantilize them for the trope to work

Also hot take but everytime MTT call Nightmare “dad” unironically an angel loses its wings, it just ruins the vibes for me, like dadmare is a trope yet people genuinely take it too literally, which again just plays into the infantilization of adult characters

Hell, relationships aren’t one sided, how does MTT feel about Nightmare’s shift, do they trust him or do they take it as an opportunity to escape, do they hate Nightmare but warm up to him or do they not care for his change of heart

Like here’s an example, when people write dadmare, they write his ability to absorb MTT’s negativity to relieve them of their pain right? Ok cool, I LOVE THAT! What I hate tho is the fact every single person in the gang seems to “trust” Nightmare with their life and how all of them react the same way

Basically the MTT are reduced to cardboard cutouts that are literally just duplicates of each other, they all have the exact same reaction to anything Nightmare does, like you’re actually gonna sit here and tell me that Killer trusts Nightmare with his soul????? What did Nightmare do to earn that trust, and Killer isn’t a trusting person to begin with

Hell what did Nightmare do in the first place? Even when the interpretation of Nightmare is that he’s kind from the beginning and that he “saved them”, do you honestly believe that Murder would genuinely feel saved? Are you gonna tell me Horror is gonna stay and live with Nightmare by his own volition and abandon his brother where he only goes back to “visit” him? Since when has Nightmare become more important to Horror than Papyrus?

Hell since when can Murder, Killer and Horror communicate well?? Since when were they super close to each other and since when was Murder ok with Killer’s existence considering his very dangerous Determination and Chara-like nature?

Since when was Killer super emotional in stage 2 and since when was his other stages completely forgotten to fit the perfectly happy and healthy family that the fandom is trying to force onto these obviously unhealthy characters with unhealthy relationships and destructive behaviors

Like don’t get me wrong, people are obviously allowed to explore their fave characters however they like, but my point is, I can’t enjoy the trope of Dadmare even tho i want to, cause the fandom just settles for very straight forward answers to every problem, every little problem is immediately resolved with a snap of a finger

Everything is happy and rainbows and roses and any problems the MTT have they just go to dadmare and suddenly they’re no longer self destructive cause dadmare immediately saves them cause he always has the answer!!!

And i’m here still waiting for an interpretation of dadmare that actually pulls me in and actually interests me like

[wishgraanted]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63393211

Something I've been playing with while being busy, and also sick ❤️

Introducing you to the Proscenium Phantasm Au; art and explanations under the cut:

In this universe, the Gods are obscure and Eldritch; with Mitternacht serving as the Creator and Progenitor God of them all. Click Clack (Known as Curtain Call in this au) is the forgotten God of Storytelling. They're so obscure in fact, that they does not have a proper form to be observed by mortals.

Thespius is a downtrodden writer whose passions are being crushed by his day to day life. His scripts are rejected over and over again and he works a dead-end job at the Bizzymart. One night, after finding his most recent script has once again been rejected, he decides to go to an old book shop, where he finds an unlabeled book full of gibberish, aside from a ritual that is meant to summon the help of the Storytelling God.

He completed the ritual at home, and when he goes to sleep wakes up on a dark stage with velvet curtains and rows of empty seats.

This entire place is Curtain Call; the audience, the script and the actors. Here they meet, and Curtains proposes a deal; they'll keep Thespius' passion from ever waning, and in exchange he will dream for them every night and act out their roles. Thespius agrees, only to immediately regret it, as Curtains puts him in the shoes of the most terrifying, painful roles. He threatens to walk out, and the God frantically agrees to tone it down.

Over time, Thespius introduces passion, love, and most importantly humanity into the scripts. He begins to enjoy their meetings, and Curtains is given back a name and a small form to interact with him (a shadow puppet that moves around via spotlight.)

Of course, however, if Thespius is rubbing off on Curtain Call, then the opposite is true as well.

At first it's just faint whisps of emotions from inanimate objects; the love people feel for the things they interact with and use every day ..but then it turns into connections between people...a tug towards his coworker Patty and that stranger that visits during her night shifts, his manager 's pride in his employees...

Headaches and nosebleeds. A sharp edge that begins to develop in a radius around him.

Thespius begins daydreaming during work about Curtain Call and their stage...and promptly drops like a puppet without its strings.

Sent home to recover for a few weeks, Thespius has nothing else to do but to visit Curtain Call. Hence where the fic begins : )

Anyways, if people like this I'll answer questions and post more of my concept art.

[riizebabie444]

𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 🌸

pile one

a new relationship, not necassarily romantic. it could be a friend or a work colleague. becoming closer with a family member. potentially a blossoming romance. you will find yourselves int he early stages of this new relationship.

so for some of you, you could find yourselves in a situation where you or another is abusing their power, or letting emotions rule over kindness and logic. alternatively, it could be that you are shying away from a leadership opportunity.

you could find yourself as someone or with someone who is clingier than expected, someone who doesn't necassarily feel good to be around. it is of utmost importance to prioritise yourself and your self-care over pleasing this person.

you could be welcoming a spiritual, or even religious, awakening. you are aligning your beliefs with your way of life.

an increase of wealth or financial opportunity may find its way towards you this summer. it could come in the form of a gift or as a new job. something with financial value will come to you.

the inevitable confrontation of your darker side. your bad habits, tendencies and mindset will be challenged. you will learn how you are holding yourself back and begin to better yourself against your shadow traits,

you will be introduced to changes which will help you break free from cycles you no longer wish to be a part of.

an opportunity for learning. if you have applied for a school or university, a scholarship or grant to support your education, good news regarding these will come for you. if you are working, it will likely come in the form of training to level up your skills and perhaps ready you for a promotion.

overall, this summer has a lot of self-development and growth in store for you, pile one!

cards: ace of cups, the emporer rv, queen of cups rv, the hierophant, king of pentacles, the devil, four of cups, page of pentacles

pile two

you will experience luck and success in the areas you want/need it most. i see it will all be a result of your hard work up until you achieve it.

material success is also on its way. if you have been expecting or applied for money, it seems there will be a positive result. it could also be unexpected or come in an unexected form.

you will have more freedom this summer, take this how you will it is different for everyone. but i see it will be a more free summer compared to summers you've had in the past. you will have fewer restraints.

you will have a stronger mind and be able to make rational and logical decisions. you could be enforcing more structure in your life, saying goodbye to lazy or negative behaviour.

self-confidence is on its way. you'll also find some more independence in your life, sort of growing up or out of an old phase where you relied heavily on others. as you "grow up" you will also grow more confident.

i see hard work so you may find dedication and determination coming to you and your summer will consist largely of you working on this project, or something you have been working hard for will be achieved.

despite the dedication to this work, i see this summer you will have lots of time left for your own thoughts. you'll have a lot of time to think and reflect on your life and desires. and also time to just daydream.

even when things get difficult, you will find yourself standing strong. by the end of the summer, you will see yourself as brave and courageous, you will have a stronger mentality.

overall pile two, it seems like you guys will be more independent and free this summer, taking control over your routine and life.

cards: ace of wands, king of pentacles, the devil, king of swords, queen of wands, knight of pentacles, the hermit, nine of wands

ʚɞ ─── masterlist. paid readings. exchange rules.

donations. games/events. feedback.

© riizebabie444 — all rights reserved. please do not copy, steal, repost or translate my readings on any site. any act of which will be classed as plagiarism.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

lilia and uncle iroh

“Leaves from the vine, falling so slow… Like fragile, tiny shells drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy comes marching home… Brave soldier boy comes marching home.”

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how similar Lilia and Iroh’s character development is 🤔 At a surface level, they’re both the wise mentor types that guide their somewhat misguided or naive pupils—but the parallels run even deeper than that!! I wanted to go over those in this post; maybe it would help us appreciate how far Lilia has come on his own merits ever since his war general days.

***Spoilers for book 7 of TWST and Avatar the Last Airbender (only the animated series, not other ATLA materials)!!***

To begin, let's set the stage for the character we'll be comparing Lilia to: Iroh. The show Avatar the Last Airbender takes place in a heavily Asian inspired world where some have the ability to bend an element: earth, water, fire, or air. At present, the Fire Nation has been waging a 100 years long war on the other nations in an imperialistic bid for power. Iroh, while presented as a kind and peaceful old man in modern day, was once a leading general for the Fire Nation. He was an active warmonger and, as the eldest son of the Fire Lord, set to inherit the throne, and the legacy of bloodshed and violence that came with it. Notably, even during his days as a general, Iroh still came off as mild-mannered and had a sense of humor (joking about how magnificent Ba Sing Se is, but saying that his niece and nephew may not get to see it because he might just burn it to the ground first). Iroh is also characterized as being more kind and forgiving than his younger brother Ozai, as he lied about slaying the last dragons to allow them to go into hiding and prevent people from hunting them into extinction. His personality still persists during all of this time. The event that would shake Iroh's life and serve as the impetus for turning his back on the war efforts was at the siege of Ba Sing Se, a city known for its impenetrable walls. There, Iroh managed to breech the Outer Wall and fully intended to finally conquer the city thought to be unconquerable--until he tragically lost his one and only son, Lu Ten, on the front lines. This destroyed Iroh's fighting spirit, causing him to abandon the siege and branding him a failure and a coward in the eyes of his family members.

When Iroh's father passed away under mysterious circumstances, it was his younger brother Ozai who was named as the successor. Iroh had lost the will to fight for his birthright, as he was still grieving for his son. Instead, a disillusioned Iroh left his role in the military and politics to embark on a worldly journey, visiting multiple other nations and learning from their unique cultures. At first, he was filled with great shame at his "failure" to become the Fire Lord--but with time, Iroh realized that avoiding his ascension to the throne was actually a stroke of good fortune. He turned away from the aggression and imperialism of his home country and began seeing the value in peace and balance in all things. Later on, Iroh would serve as a vital mentor and father figure to his nephew and Ozai's son, Zuko, who was banished from home and sent to capture the one person who could stop their victory in the war: the Avatar. Having been disgraced and practically renounced by his own father, Zuko had very few people left to turn to. It was his Uncle Iroh who accepted him with open arms and tried to support him through these difficult times. On their hunt, Zuko is very clearly still in a dark place, constantly insisting that he "needs to capture the Avatar" and that he needs to "regain his honor". Meanwhile, Iroh does what he can to calm his nephew and pass on wise words, extoling the virtues of peace and recognizing the importance of other nations. He urges Zuko to seek inner peace and to determine his own destiny, rather than act out a destiny that someone else has decided for him. We later learn that Iroh sees Zuko as his own son ever since he lost Lu Ten to the war, and we see this compassion and care similarly reflected in how he treats everyone around him. Rarely does Iroh ever express anger or hatred, not even when faced with men intent on harming him. One notable example of this is when a robber demands all of his money, and all Iroh does is disarm him and correct his weak stance. They then sit down, have tea, and talk about the robber's future prospects. This segment infamously comes from Iroh's segment in the episode Tales of Ba Sing Se, in which he's living in the city he once laid siege to as a refugee of war. In it, Iroh goes about his day giving helpful advice to the various people he comes across. This all culminates in the penultimate moment where he scales a hill outside the city and prepares a memorial in honor of Lu Ten. "Happy birthday, my son. If only I could have helped you too." These lines completely recontexualize everything Iroh has been doing up until this point in the series. Literally everything he does and says comes, in part, from the guilt he feels for the part he played in the war and the countless people scarred by it, including himself and his own family. He saw it happen to Lu Ten, and he fears it happening to Zuko and the numerous others touched by the horrors of war. After all, war and hatred do not discriminate. Everyone is affected by it, and Iroh is now wise enough to understand that and to wish for no one to go down the same dark path he once was. ... But hey, this is mostly meant to be a Twisted Wonderland post, so let's finally get to how any of this is relevant to Lilia.

Like Iroh, Lilia was a general to his country's military during a war. In Lilia's case, they were on the losing side, as fae were greatly outnumbered by humans and repulsed by the iron human soldiers wore in combat. The fae weren't the aggressors, but rather people who were trying to defend their territory and resources from invading humans who were tearing apart nature. From what we've observed of him in his book 7 dreamscape, the Lilia of the past is different from what we know now. He maintains his teasing humor and love of surprises, but comes off as gruff and closed off, acting suspicious of others and rejects the idea of wanting or having children. Most shockingly of all though, Lilia states that he has no interest in going to Night Raven College or really engaging with other races. This is a huge departure from modern day Lilia, who encourages his dorm members (most notably Malleus and Sebek) to go out of their comfort zones and to make efforts to understand their peers. He is also known for instilling in Silver a desire to unite people of all races (something which Silver explains to the pixies in Fairy Gala: If). Lilia even uses his wish during the Star Sending to wish for a peaceful world where everyone can live in harmony. He made LARGE strides in his worldview in the hundreds of years between then and now. It's important to note that Lilia often travels and talks about how much the world has changed. This, I assume, would lend to his knowledge and acceptance of many different races and cultures, similar to how Iroh's travels imparted knowledge and appreciation in him. Given how abrasive Lilia was during the war era (plus his refusal to consider other races), I'd surmise his travels started after the war ended.

All that's missing now is the impetus for Lilia's change in behavior: the Lu Ten to Iroh, so to speak. For Lilia, I think it's actually a compounding of many factors: firstly, his best friend (and Malleus's father) Levan, the messenger sent to an enemy fortress goes missing. Secondly, we can infer that his princess Meleanor (and Malleus's mother) must have been killed by humans (as Malleus says in modern day that his only living relative is his mother, and we are currently on a book 7 cliffhanger knowing that humans have ambushed the castle where she is staying)... leaving Lilia to pick up the pieces of a war-ravaged country and with an egg that has yet to hatch. I think it’s safe to say though that Lilia probably felt immense guilt at Malleus, still unborn, having to be raised without parents, by someone who doesn’t understand parental love himself—and perhaps Lilia took up that mantle to atone for being unable to protect them. It was also, after all, Meleanor’s wish that Lilia protect her son and ensure he hatch in her stead if something horrible befell her. Maybe, in another way, you could say that Lilia eventually wants to avoid war so that no one has to suffer such cruel, unnecessary loss as Malleus, Silver, or he did ever again.

Then we also learn that Lilia started raising Silver because he wishes to understand humans—a sentiment that Levan expressed to his friend. It was also Levan that kept the NRC invitation letter safe for Lilia, an implication to reconsider. And so Lilia willingly raises child of a sworn enemy, the Dawn Knight. We see how Silver in particular softens Lilia and changes his worldview and, most notably, Silver so innocently wished his father good health with an acorn amulet. That amulet would become Lilia’s most prized possession, and he kept it all these years later despite the acorns losing their freshness. It’s in raising Silver that Lilia recognizes and learns to appreciate the fragility that is human life and hardens his resolve to defend what he once deemed relatively unimportant.

In Lilia's case, his impetus comes from the guilt of not being there at the crucial moment to protect his sovereign--and later down the line, from the disillusionment of knowing that he had a part in escalating the conflict that would ultimately harm humans and fae alike. This may be whey he so readily adopts a policy of peace and acceptance of other races when we see in at NRC. Not only that, but it was the first person he lost, Levan, that encouraged Lilia to open his heart to other races. His enlightening travels, his experiences with raising children who are innocent and rely on him for survival, and the guilt setting in all feed into Lilia's change of heart, his desire to not see history repeat itself, and his vision of world peace. That's why he's so keen to instill these same values into those he mentors: because he knows that, someday, he won't be here anymore to spread them. While he's still around, he wants Malleus, Sebek, and Silver to carry on his legacy, to make his dream a reality.

Truthfully, Lilia could have easily gotten mad. He could have closed himself off. He could have become hateful and sought revenge. He could have blamed humans for what they took from him. It speaks immensely to his strength as an individual that he didn't, and that he instead learned from his mistakes to ensure they don't happen again. Lilia still very much has pride in his home country and its royal family. However, the difference now is that he has opened himself up to other sources, seeing that there is something wonderful in every corner and facet of the world.

Both Iroh and Lilia are wise, loving mentor characters who have developed in their own ways far before the main show/story events begin to pan out. One might even argue their development is "already finished" long before the other characters even start on theirs, which puts them in a good position to lead others. Age grants them the edge of knowledge and being able to impart that onto the younger generation, not only to avoid imminent disaster, but to create a better world for all.

[florsial]

I've been wondering about something you've mentioned to do with Rab + reg multiple times, what are your "stages/parts" of their relationship/life? How does that develop/change?

now wow did this take me so long to respond...forgive me Starzz...

But! I've broken it into 4 acts:

Act I: Begining

-The start of their downfall basically.

-Not only is Rabastan trying to find his footing as an aristocratic 16-year-old bearing the brunt of his paternal family's disappointment and trying to redeem himself through a nonexistent act of redemption, but Regulus is also a foreign child picked up from their home and still trying to navigate a world where customs, language, and the overall culture are drastically different and everyone is watching him

-I think it's innocent enough in the beginning, Rabastan is being pestered by the 6-7-year-old Regulus and keeps trying to shove Regulus into a corner and leaving him with adults while Regulus thinks Rabastan is similar to Sirius.

Act II: Development/Regulus goes to Hogwarts

-Where it begins to get worse

-It's when Rabastan should've told Regulus off but he doesn't. He sees advantages and likes the sole attention. Where he used to push Regulus away, he now actively seeks Regulus out. With gifts, sweet words, compliments, and a shoulder to cry on. Because when Regulus left for the train, he spent months and months in loneliness and scribbled letters in an artist mad (expect he loki kinda is just insane but whatever). It's when Regulus kinda has a taste of how much he can hold over Rabastan

-I genuinely hate how sweet it can sound but it's a pivotal point! It's where their relationship starts to become fucked up. ITS THE MOST FUCKED UP PART. It's when people should've stepped in! It's when Rabastan should've backed off. But he doesn't! It's the part that's meant to make you second-guess yourself!

Act III: Relationship/Height of Wizarding War/ The House that Doesn't Exist

-The actual relationship itself and where it becomes a two-people issue

-Their relationship is in full swing during the First Wizarding War. Where hypocrisy is fully highlighted. They fully see each other as a part of each other's life, they aren't married but there is a sense of anger and frustration in the way they talk of weddings and children in an extravagant dining hall with real gold plates and utensils, while other newlyweds are being murdered in cold blood before they even have their honeymoons.

-They are a mockery, (the house that doesn't exist), trying to recreate something they've never witnessed <---a healthy home life/romantic relationship and marriage

-AND THEY DON'T EVEN FULLY "SEE" EACH OTHER! I've said before that they kinda of dehumanize each other for the sake of that "home life" like it's just another part of what a home "should be". Which is part of the reason why they love each other (the other being familiarity)! They both need each other to fulfill a deep desire. Like dolls in a dollhouse!

-Obviously, in this case, Regulus is older, he even bears the Dark Mark. He knows where Rabastan is weak. They've known each other for so long. There is a clear shift in dynamics when he takes that Dark Mark because it's not only proving his status and power (as the youngest DE as well) but it's also a slap in Rabastan's face because they are now both part of Voldemort's inner circle.

-Due to that, they never argue in this phase! They both are too aware of each other so it's easier to pretend it doesn't exist rather than get into an argument every other day (WHICH THEY LOOOOVEEE TO DO IN A MODERN SETTING BTW)

Act IV: Aftermath (Regulus' death and Rabastan's imprisonment in Azkaban)

-Ending. Not much else to it. It's like ending a book you spent too long procrastinating and rushed through within 2-3 hours and now you're just stuck with a stew of unprocessed feelings

-Rabastan feels betrayed for one. Like Regulus sauntered into his life, ruined it, and left without a word. In his biased perspective, Regulus left him for dead (metaphorically or literally is hard to tell). To him, Regulus is a traitor, not to Voldemort, but to him. He's angry and frustrated and I can see him loudly insulting Regulus either at the funeral or after (also when I think his relationship with Bellatrix deteriorates).

-He's stubborn enough to cling to that hate even after Azkaban until he dies.

-It's interesting because it might be the only point in his life where he ignores Rodolphus or he isn't concerned around Rodolphus. Regulus dies in 1979 and Rabastan spends 3 years insulting the dead and being bitter and betrayed and fighting as he was meant to do, then imprisoned, probably in a different cell than Rodolphus, and then when they break out there is something unspoken and different between them, the loyalty is still there, yes, but there is something else more unfamiliar. Before dying like another 2 active war years later.

The stages/acts of their relationship is really just the slow decline of what they could've been. They literally just get worse and worse yk. Think of it as a declining linear graph

[satoshi-mochida]

NINJA GAIDEN 4 announced for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC - Gematsu

Publisher Xbox Game Studios and developers Team NINJA and PlatinumGames have announced NINJA GAIDEN 4 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam, Microsoft Store). It will launch this fall. It will also be available via Game Pass.

Get the first details below.

A New NINJA GAIDEN World Unveiled

While the series has been beloved for almost four decades, the announcement of NINJA GAIDEN 4 marks the first new mainline entry in 13 years. When asked about the long gap—spanning two Xbox console generations—Yasuda expressed Team NINJA’s long-standing desire to bring the series back. “Fans have long been asking us for a new NINJA GAIDEN game,” he said. “Koei Tecmo‘s President, Hisashi Koinuma, and PlatinumGames’ CEO, Atsushi Inaba, share a close relationship, which led us to explore a collaborative development effort. PlatinumGames had the expertise we felt was ideal for working on NINJA GAIDEN, and with support from Microsoft’s Phil-san [Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming], the three companies were able to take the next step towards creating a brand-new NINJA GAIDEN.” Appearing for the first time in the Developer_Direct broadcast, and published by Xbox Game Studios, NINJA GAIDEN 4 is positioned as the direct sequel to NINJA GAIDEN 3. While maintaining the dark and gritty world that the series is known for, players will take on the role of a new protagonist, Yakumo. “A significant amount of time has passed since NINJA GAIDEN 3, and players will find themselves arriving in a gruesomely transformed Tokyo. One of the key themes of this story is the return of the Dark Dragon, which has plunged the city into chaos. Within these unsettling conditions, Yakumo will have to face off against his foes, as well as the formidable Master Ninja himself, Ryu Hayabusa,” Nakao explained. When asked why a new protagonist was introduced, Nakao clarified that “since it’s been a while since the last game, we wanted a new hero to make the series more approachable for new players. Of course, we also wanted long-time fans to enjoy the game, so Ryu Hayabusa plays a significant role in the story, serving as a major challenge and growth milestone for Yakumo. Ryu will appear throughout the game and be playable, ensuring his prowess and presence is deeply felt in NINJA GAIDEN 4.”

Overcoming Adversity in NINJA GAIDEN 4

In the Developer_Direct trailer, the new protagonist, Yakumo, shows off stylish new mechanics which include traversal using wires and rails, something new for a NINJA GAIDEN title. When asked about the addition of these elements, Nakao revealed one of the game’s core themes: “Adversity is a key concept for this game. From the beginning to the end of each stage and even in the transitions between, everything is designed to represent adversity for Yakumo.” First and foremost, that adversity will come in the form of NINJA GAIDEN’s signature combat, but Nakao explains that these new additions outside of the fights keeps that feeling high at all times: “To maintain the tension throughout, we’ve added high-speed elements like rail and wire-based actions to keep up the sense of challenge.” The announcement footage also depicted a rain-soaked, cyberpunk-like Tokyo, leaving a strong impression to those who watched the trailer. “In NINJA GAIDEN 4, we wanted to blend old and new elements. Tokyo in this game has been drastically transformed by the influence of the underworld., which is why it appears this way,” Nakao explained, elaborating on the Dark Dragon’s miasma rain, as well as the disasters it has caused. “Rain is a major visual theme in this game. For example, we’ve put a lot of effort into how characters look when drenched, how raindrops hit the ground, and various other effects.” These visual motifs stay true to the signature dark, hardcore atmosphere of the series while bringing new flavor to its visual direction. Nakao also touched on the game’s anticipated difficulty. “We’ve brought together the best aspects of the series and elevated them for the current generation. Personally, I believe [the difficulty level of] NINJA GAIDEN 2 had a lot of standout qualities, and I think fans will feel its influence strongly throughout NINJA GAIDEN 4.” After such a long break between games, it’s paramount that the team balances what’s great about the series, while adding new ideas. Despite the daunting challenges, the collaboration between Team NINJA and PlatinumGames promises an unparalleled NINJA GAIDEN experience. “One of the key differences between modern action games and NINJA GAIDEN lies in the sense of fairness when confronting enemies,” Nakao said, explaining the series’ unique game balance philosophy. “Enemies are designed to be masters of defense and experts of unrelenting aggression, but players never feel they’re at an unfair disadvantage. There’s a sense of balance that’s been passed down through the series, transcending current-day trends.” “The rapid shifts between offense and defense, the almost fighting game-like 1v1 combat—you’ll see these elements evolve in NINJA GAIDEN 4. At the same time, we’ve ensured that returning players will immediately feel at home when they pick up the game,” he concluded.

A True Successor

When asked about the challenges involved in achieving the fairness that defines the NINJA GAIDEN series, Nakao shared his thoughts with a laugh. “If I were to go into detail about the feel of the action, we’d be here for quite a while (laughs). In all NINJA GAIDEN titles, a delicate balance is carefully crafted to maintain the satisfaction of attacking enemies without losing the speed and exhilaration that define the gameplay. I remember struggling with the fine adjustments required to achieve the right feel when we first started implementing and testing the systems. Additionally, when we brought Ryu Hayabusa into NINJA GAIDEN 4, we wanted long-time fans to experience the exact same enjoyable gameplay feel they’ve come to expect. We had numerous discussions with Team NINJA to fine-tune the mechanics and ensure everything felt just right.” Yasuda also added that “when it comes to gameplay feel, Team NINJA was deeply involved. Fairness in combat with enemies is only possible when ultimate playability is a given. To achieve that, we pushed for even deeper refinement of controls and other aspects. I know it probably seemed like we were being a bit too demanding at times…(laughs).” This collaboration across company lines was crucial to creating the next ultimate NINJA GAIDEN experience. One of the standout features of NINJA GAIDEN 4, which embodies the series’ experience while introducing fresh elements, is Yakumo’s “Bloodraven Form.” Nakao described this as “a technique that manipulates the blood of oneself and enemies, transforming it into a massive weapon capable of slicing through multiple foes at once.” He elaborated further on how this addition expands upon the series’ traditional gameplay. “Yakumo fights using Bloodraven Form, and when certain conditions are met, he can unleash a move called ‘Bloodbath Kill,’ which instantly bisects enemies in one strike.” Nakao explains that, while previous entries have tasked players with working out how to approach encounters with multiple enemies, and NINJA GAIDEN 4 is introducing another exhilarating way to fight against swarming crowds: “This time we’ve added large-scale, high-damage attacks with the Bloodraven Form, enabling players to instantly turn the tide of battle in their favor.” This system introduces moments of release from overwhelming situations, offering new depth to the gameplay that Nakao hopes both newcomers and returning fans will enjoy. Both Team NINJA and PlatinumGames are known for their expertise in high-end action games. According to Nakao, the process of creating NINJA GAIDEN 4 revealed the unique strengths and characteristics of each studio. “Looking at the titles created by PlatinumGames, we noticed clear differences in approach. While we emphasize flashy, impactful strikes and moment-to-moment experiences, the NINJA GAIDEN series focuses on delivering refined and satisfying gameplay feel, culminating in an exceptionally polished overall action experience. This collaboration was a truly unique learning opportunity for us at PlatinumGames.” When asked about the significance of bringing NINJA GAIDEN 4 to Xbox, Yasuda reflected on Team NINJA’s long history with the platform. “With titles like the Dead or Alive series and the NINJA GAIDEN series—especially the original NINJA GAIDEN, NINJA GAIDEN Black, and NINJA GAIDEN II—we have a deep history with Xbox. It’s been a long time, but we’re thrilled to bring the latest installment back to Xbox players. Additionally, with the game being added to Game Pass, we’re excited that more people will have the opportunity to experience it.” Nakao, who became a fan of the series during his days as a student, also shared his excitement. “Personally, I played NINJA GAIDEN II on Xbox 360, so being able to play the latest installment on Xbox again makes me very happy. Even now, I occasionally boot up NINJA GAIDEN II on my Xbox Series X. As a developer and a fan, I’m thrilled to see the NINJA GAIDEN series come together on Xbox, creating a moment in time where all these titles can be enjoyed in one place.”

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.

Announce Trailer

[ovenstavern]

oh. my. goodness. its like 3am in my area and i just finished a nightlong binge on the manhwa, Secret Alliance by Creator Lero. if i had to put it into a genre, i’d say its a psychological thriller, and…

ho. ly. shit.

i was never a visual novel or “comics” person, but holy fuck. this blew me away. i discovered a tik tok about it, with the nutshell plot of “stalker crossdresses as a girl to stalk his object of attraction, who is afraid of men” and quickly gained an interest. but as i read further into the manhwa, it was so much more than that.

before i get into the details, i warn that the manhwa has dark topics such as stalking, obsession, attempted suicide, assault, sexual harassment, and trauma. the ramble (and spoilers) is gonna be below the cut. stay safe and healthy yall

okay. ho. ly. shit.

so, i don’t even know where to begin. the first few chapters introduce our main characters, eun sian and chae “yuri”. right off the bat, you quickly realize eun sian’s intense fear of men. you can already tell that she has some trauma with men, and as you continue to read, you find that her paranoid mother perpetuates and reinforces that fear; a helicopter parent to the extreme.

not only that, you can immediately detect that something isnt quite right with chae yuri (even before it was revealed he was a guy).

i dont really wanna explain the whole story in its entirety, as i believe its a story best experienced. but what i will go into is the amount of love that was poured into this story. it still astounds me

the characters are complex, and their personalities and actions are deeply rooted in the trauma that they went through. eun sian and chae yuri’s relationship is so toxic and wrought with manipulation and co-dependent, and it was written so well. it beautifully illustrates how two people that come from two different, but toxic households often can find themselves in a toxic relationship for the both of them, as they have no other reference for love.

and speaking of relationships, yujin’s and eun sian’s relationship makes me want to squeal and giggle and they’re just so cute!! i loveee at the beginning, yujin subverts our expectations and ends up being a playboy who loves the feeling of being wanted. it gives him sm room for development, and makes his relationship with eun sian so much sweeter.

yujin and eun sian make a deal that he helps her get over her fear of men, while eun sian helps yunjin get together with chae yuri. in the earliest stages of their relationship, you can tell that yujin was able to ground eun sian and reassure her when needed. even beneath his playboy exterior, his caring nature shone through, especially for her. meanwhile, eun sian makes yujin want to be better for her (and if you seen a very old post, you know how i feel about that). i loved their friendship at the beginning, and i loved their romance at the end. they’re so healthy for each other and im glad they got together in the end

and speaking of the ending?????? sjdkdndkddjjdksjdsknsnz. i loved it so. much. it was just so fulfilling. i won’t spoil it, but it touched my soul to its very core, and i couldnt think of a more satisfying note to leave it off of.

the depiction of trauma felt very realistic and well written too. eun sian’s breakdowns felt so well done, and not once did it feel like the story was calling her “crazy” or “hysterical” even if other characters told her that she was. and actually, all the relationships felt so realistic, its astounding.

and the character development was so… empowering. it was amazing to watch the moments eun sian take back the parts of herself that her abusers took, it was amazing to watch yujin transform from a playboy to a golden retriever boyfriend. i just… love love love!!

i do wish they delved into yujin’s backstory a lil more, gave hyunee (the best friend) a more influential role, and did some more with yunjin’s blackmail when he found out about chae yuri, but all in all, i loved it. i started reading at 11, and kept reading til 3. its an absolute page turner, and extreme kudos to the artist(s) and writer(s)! you have my respect

to those who want to read it, the sites i read the manhwa either has a subscription service, or an insane amount of porn ads and porn pop up browser tabs. just for viewer discretion. if it sounds like yall can deal, please read! you won’t regret it. ill definitely be revisiting this manhwa again and again. its that good

have a wonderful day yall! im finally gonna get some sleep

[notsp1derman]

a pondering review of to kill a mockingbird, by harper lee

[may contain spoilers]

“It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.”

There's no thing more tragic and necessary than the death of innocence. It's one of the most fragile parts of growing up: the beginning of understanding, the frustration of knowing so little. At this very fundamental stage of living, we are directly shaped by our environment, absorbing opinions and moral compasses that will become harder and harder to break as the years go by.

As a white woman from a latin american country, I firmly believe in the importance of books like this. When you grow up surrounded by white children, you don't really understand the awful things they say until you're old enough to reflect on the consequence of those words. Still today, more than half a century later than the publication of this book, racism and even worse things are still present in our society, and are still behaviors reproduced by children before they even understand what they're talking about.

To kill a mockingbird shows the conscience we all should develop as we unlearn the prejudices of our parents, as well as a lot of other great examples. In it we follow Scout, a small girl from a quiet Alabama city where everyone knows each other, and her tribulations growing up, learning about the injustices of the world and witnessing her father, one of the city's loved attorneys, get involved in a scandal that shakes the town to its core.

We see things from Scout's perspective, and understand how our prejudice is entirely learned. Scout doesn't understand why people frown upon seeing how well Calpurnia, the black woman who takes care of Scout and her brother, she sees her only for the person she is: a complex person that she hates sometimes and loves all the time, who cares a lot about the siblings and very important in their home. This is only possible because of Atticus Finch, Scout's father and a very learned man, whose parenting is an amazing example to follow for such an old book because he lets Scout be completely free of social norms and notions.

But even with such a pristine example, everyone has faults, and Atticus isn't sure how to prepare Scout to the cruel reality of their town: the outside world won't take very kindly to little girls who question everything and don't care about being perfect housewifes. His kindness is perhaps too utopic to the imperfect society we live in. And this translates to some impactful scenes and a whole lot of self-reflecting. Sometimes there's just no right answer.

Still, it's far from a perfect book, and while I was already bothered by some parts, it was leynes' review on goodreads that made me rethink a lot of my perspective. Because they are right. For a book about racial injustice, there's very little of black points of view, and the characters that appear are a lot more two-dimensional when compared to the nuanced (and most of the time just plain bigoted) white folk of maycomb. Depending on how you read it, Atticus Finch is very much the figure of the white savior, which just muffles the actual voices of minority groups instead of helping things.

Let me just reiterate this: I'm not american. Racism and bigotry are expressed very much differently where I live, so I just hear this by reading others opinions. But it seems like to kill a mockingbird is one of the most read books about systemic racism, and the base of discussions of this topic on some schools. Why is a book written by a white woman the MOST FAMOUS BOOK IN AMERICA ABOUT THIS TOPIC? It just feels like a story palatable enough for white people to pat themselves on the back and maybe think for a bit about the consequences of slavery, but it's definitely unrealistic in its portrayal of this time in american history.

Just like in my review of house in the cerulean sea, I'm fiercely advocating that, instead of trying to talk about stuff we will never experience, we as white people should use our privilege to make other voices louder. The default book about racial inequality should be by a black author.

Still, that's not to say this book is terrible and shouldn't be in school. I'm not as extreme in my opinions as leynes, and I think it's ten times better for a white author to show their perspective instead of trying to guess (and taking space of) the points of view of other minorities. It is still a sensible and well written book that, at the end of the day, does more good than it does harm. Because if reading from the perspective of a white girl makes other white people think about their actions because it's easier to relate, at least that's something, I guess. I would love to know your opinions on this though.

★★★★☆

[hollow-dweller]

5-10 🤭

it's always you at the scene of the crime

5. worst discord server and why

the answer to this is actually not in spidey, it's this one klance server i was in back in ye old voltron days that was absolutely horrible to exist in as an Allura lover/Allurance shipper. when she died, and klance didn't become canon (because it was never going to), things got nasty and i will freely admit i am still bitter about it! nothing made me dislike klance faster or more thoroughly than klance fans.

6. which ship fans are the most annoying?

anyone with a Tony Stark ship, really, though obviously the one I see the most nonsense from is irondad. Tony fans are, 90% of the time, there for Tony, and really focus on him to the exclusion of any of the other characters, including the one that he is partnered/shipped with. as someone who writes for and interacts with irondad because i love both Tony and Peter, who wants to explore them and their extended universes, it fucking sucks to have to wade through post after post that grossly misrepresents or misinterprets Tony, and treats Peter as a prop more than a character.

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

having said the above: Tony Stark you will always be famous! none of these people who pretend you're a soft uwu dad who's never done anything wrong could make me hate you, because that's NOT you!

i don't know there are any characters i "hate" per se, but certainly there are ones i will AVOID because the fandom is so terrible. in Spidey, though he's not a Spidey character, that's Harley Keener. i have zero feelings toward his canon character because he was a child and then an easter egg, and basically has no canon character. but i will avoid him at all costs in fic/tumblr tags, because his fans use him to completely supplant and erase actual Spider-Man characters, like Ned and MJ and Flash.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

MJ WATSON WOULD NOT WORSHIP PEPPER POTTS ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME

MJ "i want to get a little light protesting in before lunch" Watson, MJ "so really this is all your fault" Watson, MJ "i don't want to tour a building made by slaves" Watson would NOT be falling over herself to talk about how "cool" Pepper Potts is.

fandom loves to drop MJ into interactions with Tony where she's snarky and rude and makes "eat the rich" jokes. but then they'll turn around and also make her look up to Pepper as a girl boss.

and it's because people's aren't representing her as anti-billionaire or anti-establishment as a genuine reflection on her character and how she might behave meeting Tony Stark or Pepper Potts. she's an audience avatar to spout a couple memes and jokes, then is unceremoniously shuffled off stage left so that Tony and Peter can cuddle on the couch or whatever. it's about making Tony look cool and chill for "putting up" with her, and to make Peter embarrassed so that Tony can reassure him.

9. worst part of canon

Far From Home, beloathed. its sins are innumerable but to sum them up in as concise of terms as possible: it represents so much wasted potential. we could have had post-blip meta! we could have had the FOS as more than a joke! we could have had actual development of the petermj relationship! and yes we could have had an actual examination of the impact of Tony Stark and his legacy on Peter and his life!

WE COULD HAVE HAD MAY PARKER

instead we got a kidz bop european road trip movie and only head fakes to anything deeper going on between any of the characters

10. worst part of fanon

here's the thing: the idea of a community of people coming together to collaboratively fill in the blanks of a piece of art is, conceptually, beautiful, and exactly what fandom should be about. doing collaborative, generative creative work is genuinely valuable, and an important part of community building in creative spaces.

but the relationship that people have to fanon, is, frankly, completely fucking whack. modern fandom doesn't use fanon to generate collaborative and creative elaborations, variations, and interpretations of canon: they use it to supplant canon. popular fanon goes beyond being just an idea that a lot of people like; it starts being treated as law. people start interpreting canon through the lens of fanon, and in doing so treat the canonical text not as a work of art that deserves consideration and interpretation, but as a static and authoritative source whose purpose is to be excavated for "proof" of fanon, and anything that exists outside of fanon or in opposition to it is to be dismissed, ignored, and denied.

there are plenty of people who will happily admit they don't pay attention to canon and prefer fanon, and while that isn't my preferred way to engage with art, i have way less of a problem with that. people who engage with the original work through a fanon lens first, in an attempt to "prove" fanon, aren't seeking alternative interpretations or elaborating on the art. they're not even picking and choosing the things they like and the things they don't. what they are doing is working backwards from a foregone conclusion to pretend like art has one fixed, immutable interpretation, and that interpretation is the only correct or acceptable one.

the only proof you need of this tendency is the way people lose their fucking minds when you question popular fanon, or, god forbid, point out how it is directly contradicted or disproven by canon. it's a shitty way to engage with fandom as a community, and it's a shitty way to engage with art, and i have no patience for it.

choose violence ask game

[sonicasura]

I'm back, lets get to the rest of my updated Aus.

Since you mentioned about dysphoria, I should really tell just how badly trumatized Kafka is in this au of mine. Along with that one, Kafka also suffer from social anxiety as well. However the truth it is very specific cause it only rear its ugly head when Kafka is near his own fellow sirens and other merfolk thats not kaijufied. The therapists agree that due to the long isolation between him and his own kind in the centuries since, along with what happened back when he got kaijufied, has given him this disorder.

Honestly, his dysphoria is the thing he struggles the most with, however once Kafka evolve, he will find his voice has changed for the much better. But I'm not telling anything yet as its still in the works and I need to see what happens next once again.

Kafka also has BDD, or body dysmorphia as it is called. This is once again thanks to what happened oh so long ago and how most of his old pod reacted. Sirens care a lot about their pods, social standing within and how one looks, so you can say Kafka don't exactly has the greatest view of his kaijufied body. Specially at the beginning. Luckly though, he only has for lack of better words a mild case as Kafka has gotten better thanks to other fellow kaijufied merfolks support. And the fact that there are only certain things that has never felt right from the get go after his kaijufication.

Infact, BDD is very common among the kaijufied merfolk specially those of Kafka's age and the older generations. And depending on how much truma was received throught the transformation, it can be as mild as Kafka's or very severe since some kaijufied merfolk never fully recover from the rejection, hurt and various other things that happened during that time. It is still commen enough that some kaijufied mers prefer to take their own lives then continue to live or let the transformation continue to its full stage. This is especially common among the very traditional ones.

Lailis will also develop this disorder as well, though since it was caught early on it won't have long lasting effects nor stay for long. In all honesty, she suffer far more from her experience with 9 when he caught her and did the kaijufication on her. She has some serious PTSD from that and thats enough for her.

Btw Sonic, most kaijufied merfolk stay between 10 to 50 meters after a kaijufication. Noone is quite sure why a kaijufied mer goes giant, but none has really cared figuring why given the old fashioned beliefs, fear and tradition has not given much reason to find out. Though has many will learn, that just like how Lailis got kaijufied in a rahter unique way thanks to 9, Kafka's own is far from normal.

Can you guess why Sonic?

BDD would be a constant with kaijufied mer as that kind of change ain't something to sneeze at. Especially since some cases are more drastic than others or the individual's current social standing. I imagine it has something to do with Kafka's kraken heritage.

[theworldcigarr]

The History and Craftsmanship Behind Hand-Rolled Cigars

Introduction

Hand-rolled cigars have long been regarded as the epitome of luxury, sophistication, and craftsmanship. For enthusiasts and collectors alike, these cigars represent a tradition that has withstood the test of time, capturing the essence of both the artistry and the culture of tobacco. But what makes hand-rolled cigars so special? In this blog, we will explore the rich history behind hand-rolled cigars, the meticulous craftsmanship involved in their creation, and how the art of cigar rolling has evolved both globally and locally in places like Mumbai. From the leaves of tobacco plants to the hands of skilled artisans, every step in the making of hand-rolled cigars is a testament to a centuries-old tradition that continues to captivate smokers around the world.

The Origins of Hand-Rolled Cigars

Hand-rolled cigars have a deep and fascinating history that dates back centuries. The practice of rolling tobacco into cigars was first observed by the indigenous people of the Americas, long before the arrival of European explorers.

Early Beginnings in the Americas

The history of hand-rolled cigars begins in the ancient civilizations of the Americas. Indigenous people such as the Mayans and Aztecs were known to roll tobacco leaves into cylinders for ceremonial and medicinal purposes. These early cigars were not like the refined products we see today, but they marked the first use of tobacco for smoking in a rolled form.

When Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World in 1492, he encountered the practice of smoking tobacco, which was subsequently introduced to Europe. As demand for tobacco grew in Europe, the need for a more refined process of rolling and preparing cigars also emerged.

The Rise of Hand-Rolled Cigars in Europe

By the 16th century, hand-rolled cigars were firmly established in Europe, particularly in Spain and France. Cuban cigars, made from high-quality tobacco grown on the island of Cuba, soon became highly coveted among the European elite. The meticulous craftsmanship of Cuban cigar rollers (known as "torcedores") gained international recognition, and Cuba became synonymous with cigar culture.

The art of cigar rolling spread beyond Cuba to other regions of the Caribbean, Central America, and eventually to places like India and the United States. However, Cuba remained the undisputed leader in the world of premium cigars for centuries.

The Craftsmanship of Hand-Rolled Cigars

Creating a hand-rolled cigar is an intricate and delicate process that requires years of experience and an eye for perfection. It involves selecting the right tobacco leaves, aging them to perfection, and then expertly rolling them by hand into the perfect cigar. The craftsmanship behind each cigar is what elevates the experience from simply smoking to enjoying a true work of art.

Selecting the Best Tobacco Leaves

The first step in crafting hand-rolled cigars is the selection of the finest tobacco leaves. These leaves are grown in specific regions known for their rich soil and ideal climate for tobacco cultivation. In Cuba, for example, the Vuelta Abajo region is famous for producing the world’s best tobacco.

The leaves are harvested at different stages of maturity to be used in different parts of the cigar. The wrapper leaf, which is the outermost layer, is usually the most delicate and sought after, as it must be smooth, oily, and blemish-free. The binder leaf holds the filler together and contributes to the overall flavor, while the filler leaves, which are placed in the center of the cigar, determine its strength and taste.

Aging and Fermentation of Tobacco

Once the tobacco leaves are harvested, they go through a complex aging and fermentation process that lasts for months, sometimes even years. This process is critical for developing the flavor profile of the cigar. The tobacco is carefully fermented to reduce harshness and bring out its natural oils and aromas. As the leaves age, they undergo chemical changes that enhance their flavor, making them more complex and balanced.

The Role of the Cigar Roller (Torcedor)

After the tobacco leaves are aged and prepared, it is time for the torcedor, or cigar roller, to craft the cigar. This skilled artisan will carefully select the right combination of leaves for the filler, binder, and wrapper, based on the desired flavor and strength of the cigar.

The torcedor begins by bunching the filler leaves together and binding them with the binder leaf. Once this is done, the cigar is rolled tightly but evenly to ensure an even burn. The wrapper leaf is then carefully applied to the outside, requiring a delicate touch to ensure that it is smooth and free of wrinkles.

The entire process is done by hand, and it can take hours to roll a single cigar, depending on its size and complexity. The torcedors are highly trained, often spending years perfecting their craft. Their expertise ensures that each hand-rolled cigar is both visually appealing and performs beautifully when lit.

Hand-Rolled Cigars in Mumbai: A Local Perspective

In recent years, the cigar culture in Mumbai has grown exponentially, and hand-rolled cigars are increasingly popular among tobacco connoisseurs and enthusiasts in the city. The growing number of exclusive cigar lounges and local cigar shops is a testament to Mumbai’s emerging place in the world of cigars.

The Influence of Imported Cigars

Though Cuban cigars are the most famous internationally, the availability of hand-rolled cigars from other regions, such as Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, has increased in Mumbai. These cigars are often considered premium alternatives, with their own unique flavor profiles and craftsmanship. Many local cigar retailers in Mumbai offer these hand-rolled cigars alongside their Cuban counterparts, providing a variety of choices for aficionados.

Mumbai’s Cigar Lounges and Clubs

In Mumbai, the demand for hand-rolled cigars has led to the opening of several premium cigar lounges. These lounges provide a space where smokers can enjoy their cigars in a comfortable, stylish environment, often with a drink in hand. These establishments often offer exclusive collections of hand-rolled cigars, which cater to the tastes of the city’s growing number of cigar enthusiasts.

Local Craftsmanship and Cigar Production

While Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua dominate the cigar industry, there is a small but growing local market for hand-rolled cigars in India, including Mumbai. Some boutique manufacturers have started producing hand-rolled cigars in India, using locally grown tobacco. These cigars, while not as well-known as their Cuban counterparts, offer a unique experience and contribute to the diversity of the global cigar market.

FAQs about Hand-Rolled Cigars

What makes hand-rolled cigars better than machine-made cigars?

Hand-rolled cigars are crafted by skilled artisans, making each cigar unique. The tobacco used in hand-rolled cigars is often of higher quality, and the meticulous rolling process ensures an even burn, better flavor, and a more enjoyable smoking experience.

How long do hand-rolled cigars last?

Hand-rolled cigars can last for many years if stored properly in a humidor. The key is to maintain the right level of humidity to preserve the flavor and quality of the cigar.

Are hand-rolled cigars more expensive than machine-made cigars?

Yes, hand-rolled cigars tend to be more expensive due to the labor-intensive process and the high-quality tobacco used. However, many cigar enthusiasts believe the price is justified by the superior experience they offer.

How should I store my hand-rolled cigars?

Hand-rolled cigars should be stored in a humidor to maintain the proper humidity level. This prevents them from drying out or becoming too moist, which could affect their flavor and smoking experience.

What’s the difference between a Cuban hand-rolled cigar and a non-Cuban hand-rolled cigar?

Cuban cigars are famous for their tobacco, which is grown in the rich soil of Cuba’s Vuelta Abajo region. Non-Cuban cigars, such as those from the Dominican Republic or Nicaragua, have their own unique flavor profiles due to differences in soil, climate, and tobacco cultivation practices.

How do I know if my hand-rolled cigar is of good quality?

A high-quality hand-rolled cigar should have a smooth wrapper, an even burn, and an aroma that is rich and inviting. When smoking, it should draw easily, without being too tight or too loose.

Conclusion

Hand-rolled cigars are much more than a mere indulgence; they represent a centuries-old tradition, a deep connection to craftsmanship, and an appreciation for the finer things in life. From the early days in the Americas to their prominence in Mumbai’s growing cigar culture, hand-rolled cigars continue to embody luxury and sophistication. Whether you’re a novice or an experienced aficionado, there’s always something new to discover in the world of hand-rolled cigars. The craftsmanship, dedication, and passion that go into creating these cigars ensure that they remain a timeless symbol of artistry and indulgence for generations to come.

[ayearwithoutwater]

Six.

“Love Again” was one of my immediate favorites upon the release of Dua Lipa’s 2020 album Future Nostalgia. I remember thinking that that album was a solid pop record: its sledgehammer hooks are underpinned by immaculate grooves, and its sonic palette yearns for the disco ‘70s. It’s no surprise, therefore, that 2020 was also the year that I finally educated myself about the music of the inimitable Donna Summer.

I was raised on the piano. My mother had a great love for the instrument but never had the time to learn, so she would live her dreams through me. Beginning as early as age five, I was expected to practice daily on the household piano, originally an old upright piano that was later swapped out for a baby grand Kawai. During car trips, the radio was only ever attuned to classical stations.

Naturally, as I grew up, I developed my own likes and dislikes. Through my bedroom radio, I discovered the likes of Michelle Branch, Avril Lavigne, and Hilary Duff via Radio Disney. Classmates introduced me to LimeWire, which came into my life just before MySpace did, too. Although it was more widely known for being the proto-Facebook, MySpace was also the premier venue for music discovery, in which I would get lost for hours as I scoured for new music. I wanted the coolest song to display on my profile by musicians who were obscure-but-not-too-obscure, and it’s how I came to be a fan of Taking Back Sunday, Something Corporate, and Senses Fail. Music became my first love because I, like so many others, sought to escape an unhappy home; a catchy melody could take up residence in my head, and obsessing over lyrics occupied my mind. My school journals from this period of my life are still covered in my scrawled doodling as I incorporated into my imagination the lyrics of Hot Fuss, my favorite album by The Killers.

One June day after my big breakup, I wandered SoHo with my sister. In the downstairs section of the MoMA Design Store, she played the opening chords of “Clair de Lune”—one of my favorite melodies of all time—on a standing keyboard, evoking a deep sense of nostalgia from within me. As she played, I told myself that, if I managed to patch things up with Henry, I would play the piano with him.

I can pinpoint the exact moment I realized Henry was falling for me. We had been dating for a couple of months, and I was randomly scrolling through his Instagram feed. (Habitually, on social media, I mute or suppress notifications from the men I date unless I think it’s become serious enough to unmute.) I came across a recent video he’d uploaded of himself sitting at an upright piano in his parents’ home, playing his way through and singing “Love Again.” Partway through watching the video, it struck me that he was singing about me.

I have to admit, I was charmed.

We were still in the early stages of our relationship at that point, but all the signs were there of something more taking root. We were spending all of our time together and I had begun to meet his close friends. He was constantly in my apartment to the point that we were starting to discuss eventually moving in together. I knew he was special, I knew I needed to protect him, yet still I feel like I ultimately screwed it up.

When it all ended, I tried to find refuge in music. (I was basically catatonic, anyways, so all I could do was lay in bed and listen to the same sad songs on repeat.) Each year, I create a playlist of songs that I’ve come to enjoy during that year; 2022’s playlist, however, is still a field of landmines for me all this time later—listening, even now, only transports me back to the darkest chapter of my life, where all I could think about was him, him, and him.

Some of those songs include: Tina Turner, “Private Dancer” Harry Styles, “As It Was” Percy Sledge, “Love Me Tender” Kehlani, “altar”

In my time of need, music also had a funny way of finding me.

Before this, I’d never spoken to my parents about my love life. It’s a subject for another time, but suffice it to say that credit should be given where it is due: my mother tried. When she learned what had happened, she suggested that I go back to California for a brief reprieve. So, with my tail tucked between my legs, I went home. That year, I returned to California more times than I did in the past half-decade combined.

In my (American) hometown, I tried to recuperate. Being away from the hustle of New York and being away from Henry, I hate to admit, did bring me some measure of relief. I spent time with my loving, dopey, three-legged dog as well as my friends from high school. I even tried to shoehorn myself into (ill-advised) hookups, rationalizing that I needed to learn how to mingle once more.

I agreed to meet one man, someone I'd met only once before, but neither of us was able to host this time. He came up with a solution, claiming that he had a friend who'd offered us their house for our use. The address he gave me looked suspiciously familiar, but still I drove to it, bad idea notwithstanding, because I was a shell of myself and I no longer cared about propriety.

I showed up. I knocked on the front door, he let me in, and we did the deed. Post-coitus an hour later, after I had put myself back together, I left, and—instead of going straight to my parked car—I went next door and rang the doorbell.

The door opened, and I was greeted by my childhood piano teacher.

Because I don’t often revisit my hometown, I’m sometimes asked to look in on her. As I took a seat in her living room, I looked around—two grand pianos side by side, a couple of dogs, a few cats—and recalled all the years I spent in that very same room, oftentimes a welcome reprieve from my quarrelsome parents. She was a fierce, blunt instructor who hailed from Beijing and possessed a strong streak of kindness. She taught me more than just music theory: her home was where I learned how to regularly interact with pet dogs and cats, and it was where I had my first taste of (my now-beloved) oxtail. After one instance of my childhood self breaking down in tears as a result of her tough reprimands, she softened her approach with me and we developed a good rapport.

I hadn’t seen her since I graduated college, so we had a lot to talk about. I told her about my life in New York and that I was in town to attend a wedding, which prompted the evergreen question of when I myself would be getting married. I wasn’t quite in the mood to come out to her at that moment, so I explained to her my ongoing breakup with my “girlfriend.”

She admonished me, telling me not to give up. She told me to go back to “her” apartment every day, with flowers and gifts, until “she” either shooed me away or, God willing, took me back, because that’s what a man does when he’s truly devoted to his partner.

I merely nodded along. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’d spent months sending “her” red roses and apologies between New York and Singapore, that I’d bawled my eyes out every night, every week, that I grieved the disappearance of the one person out of all my past lovers I ever wanted to marry, that I was functionally a zombie because I’d lost my better half forever. Thus, I listened to my piano teacher and pretended to agree that I would go back to New York and make all my amends. By then, I already knew that “she” wasn’t ever coming back.

My teacher switched topics to idle gossip. I updated her on the activities of my immediate family; she talked about her neighbors. Interestingly, there was one neighbor in particular who she’d known since he was six years old. Now in his thirties, he was openly gay and still lived in the same house. She’d installed security cameras all over her property and even once called the police to investigate the strange men coming and going from his home…because he lived right next door.

After our visit ended, I drove to a random plaza, where I sat on a nondescript bench and mulled my thoughts over a blended taro slush drink and pan-fried soup dumplings, alone. She’d told me not to give up, but I knew I had to; I was certain that I needed to move on.

As I ate, I pulled out my phone—with its battery at less than five percent—and began another listen of my 2022 playlist.

[treasureyourfire]

(Eng)

Day 2

26.01.2024

My card of the day:

The Star

Unfortunately, I no longer remember the events of the day when I received this card, but probably, there was no event in the physical world that I could relate to. Either it wanted to lead me to something about my inner world, or the card could point to the current stage of my life in general.

The following list was compiled for my own situation, it does not contain a complete, comprehensive description of the given card.

Thoughts and inspirations from several sources:

"... you have connected with your true life path." ... "Duality meets: who you are on the earth plane and who you really are." ... "You have met a part of your life plan that fits into the Cosmic Plan..." - Teremtő-Tarot Modellezés

I trust this.

"The Star is the card of hope, wisdom and the discovery of deeper connections. It shows that we are planning or launching things that extend into the distant future and that we can legitimately hope for a positive development. At this early stage, we are often not even aware of the far-reaching impact of our actions. It is only when we look back at the events that it becomes clear to us how decisive the change of direction that the Star signaled at that time was. Like the greening of a seed, realizing the results of this action also takes time. The traditional interpretation sees the Star as one of the three protective cards, which promises joyful success." - tarrdaniel.com

"The card means that the Questioner's great desire will be fulfilled if he is willing to make sacrifices for it." ... "It doesn't have to be a huge sacrifice beyond your strength. It is enough if the victim is conscious. This awareness gives its true value. Sacrifice, resignation can be anything. Even a very small thing: a bad habit or charity, etc.” - Ágnes Székelyhidi

"... after stumbling in the dark, the light finally shines in our lives - even in the sense that we suddenly or gradually become enlightened in connection with a tormenting question or dilemma."

"Water is an element of renewal, a fresh start, and purification, and indeed: card 17 indicates that we are leaving behind a previous phase of life and a new chapter in our destiny is beginning. In doing so, we have to give up the old, ingrained habits and behavior models that still belonged to our former self - that is, it is worthwhile to wash off the impurities of the past in a spiritual and spiritual sense. The other symbols also refer to freedom, liberation, the breaking of barriers: the bird roams freely in the sky, but usually the bird symbol represents our higher, divine self. It can also mean that we are entering a phase of life where it will be worthwhile to listen to our internal "compass" (the higher self) in our decisions instead of the outside world." ... "...let's dare to be ourselves, let's even take a sharp turn in our lives - even if it seems bold, and maybe we're actually faced with the incomprehension of our environment."

"The Star here is also our lucky star. This card is encouraging: it indicates that our sufferings are over, that luck is finally smiling on us. If we draw this card, we may have big plans in the near future..." ... "And since the star is also a symbol of distance and cosmic horizons, it has an even more important message: now it is worth looking at our lives from above, comprehensively: looking back into the past, taking stock of what has happened so far, analyze the present and – with sufficient wisdom – plan the future.” - Boglárka Kincses

"Advice: believe that everything is getting better! Look to the future with confidence and expect the best! Be an optimist and let better opportunities gradually open up to you! Expand your horizons! You are on the road to recovery and improvement! Don't lose sight of your goals!" - tudatkulcs.hu

"The Star is also called the "Leading Light". This can be taken as a deep understanding that the chosen path is the right one, that the end of this path is good, and that there is perfect harmony between psychic feelings and physical actions.” - babbajosda.blog.hu

"This card often appears when we need perseverance, when the goal is still far away. But it often appears when someone is thinking about giving up. In such cases, they tell with the Star that you are on the right track... just keep doing it." - Tarottia (Facebook)

The quintessence of number 17:

The path of acquiring cosmic knowledge, which leads to harmonious, well-thought-out decisions (VIII. Balance/Justice)

Keywords:

Incentive, Motivation

Trust (in self and in the larger whole)

Faith

Hope

Intuition (Listen to your inner voice.)

Contemplation, retreat

Consciousness

"Spiritual Rebellion"

Practicing spirituality

Let's look at our situation from a bird's eye view

Connection, communication with the higher self

"Let your star rise and stay in touch with the earth." (Harmony)

It is as if our inner and outer eyes are opened

End of a difficult period, rest

Joyful distant future

Long-term favorable development

Desire, Fulfillment of desires

(It is important to clarify in ourselves exactly what our desires are! Let's turn inward and study ourselves.)