#multidimensional medium

[getout-ofyourownway]

The deep mysticism and alchemy within hip-hop/rap are criminally unrecognized and not talked about. It's very deep magic we play around with. And I find it so unironic that "black" people are the ones who channeled (and continue to channel) this vessel called rap.

[gemsalive]

re: that HEFTY siffrin sweep on id5’s isat favourite blorbos poll — this might sound silly but i do actually think it’s kinda fascinating that isat, as a game so inseparably steeped in (for lack of a better way to describe it) queer fandom culture, managed to so completely sidestep the common Fandom Phenomenon that i suspect was behind the poll in the first place by creating a main character that is also overwhelmingly the fan favourite character for once.

obviously there are any number of factors we could point at to explain the extent to which siffrin nomiddlenames nolastnames manages to grab people and absolutely not let go, but personally i think one of the most interesting ones to consider is the one specific to the medium — that is, how siffrin subverts the “silent blank slate video game protagonist” archetype in such a way that happens to be primo brainrot breeding grounds.

like, when a video game dev makes a silent protagonist it’s usually a bid to maximize immersion by closing the aesthetic distance between player and character as much as possible, right? which is especially true of rpg video games — players find connection in the generic, as that is what gives you the freedom of motion to insert yourself into the story in whatever unique shape suits you best. you are your character and your character is you.

(as ever, post ran long. yall know the drill. tossin in a quick header pic before thoughts on blank slates & blorboification continue under the cut)

and then you’ve got siffrin, who is expressly pointed out to be the taciturn type; who when initially giving the player exposition about their journey so far doesn’t seem to hint at a life or history or even really any motivations outside the journey; whose every thought and action is narrated in second person so as to keep tracing and re-tracing the connection between him and you.

even their design — all darkless and shapeless, bundled up in that big cloak, as if an invitation for you to fill it in with whatever lets you relate to them most! at this point they are their own character for sure, but they also have enough very clear parallels going on with the silent protagonist archetype to feel more than accidental.

of course, as you keep playing you start to recognize that his blankness is much, much more than just a grab at immersion; his apparent lack of backstory, itself a fundamental piece of backstory. this is where he flips dramatically in the player’s perception from “generic vessel for story delivery” to “thoroughly multidimensional character trapped within endless torment nexus custom-built to target and exacerbate all his very specific worst traits rooted in very specific traumas”.

yknow, the good stuff !

but by then you have also been playing enough to be feeling the effects of the thing isat’s design does best of all. i’m talkin bout that ludonarrative lockstep baby. every piece of isat’s gameplay is designed to make you feel what siffrin is feeling — you understand by now that he is not a stand-in for you, but all the same you share in his frustration, his grief, his rare moments of joy and the subsequent heart-in-your-shoes devastation when that joy is inevitably poisoned — and through it all, the desperate grasping for anything new — all as if they were every bit your own.

so in this way the connection is maintained, even if you were someone for whom siffrin’s particular traits & struggles might not otherwise cause you relate to them at all if you had encountered them elsewhere, in a setting where you weren’t actively controlling them as a player. siffrin still gets to carry all the “just like me fr” impact of the blank slate protagonist in the tropes he embodies and in the game mechanics’ design, while totally free to evolve completely into his own character and keep you relating to closely them all the same. now toss back in the fact that said traits & struggles very much ARE of a flavour that a great many people Would Tend To Relate To and just like that you’ve got a perfect storm cookin.

too individual and compellingly written to be an empty vessel for plot delivery. too closely connected with the player’s emotional state to be a story observed impassively from the outside. he has 92 mental illnesses and for the low low price of free u can give him yours to carry too. nobody is doin it like him. congratulations on your well-deserved nose sniffrin nomiddlenames nolastnames <3

[multidimensionbb]

New Mini Event: The Great MCYT WIP Purge

Hello everyone! Luna here! I had an idea for a new mini event, and this time, it's all about the WIPs!

We all know fanartists/writers of all stripes habitually struggle to finish WIP(Works In Progress)s. I know I certainly do. After one too many stressful nights where I agonized over projects I'd forever left unfinished, I came to a solution: AN EVENT!

This event is all about finishing the WIPs! They can be any length, any medium, any MCYT corner--anything! There are no word limits, no finish levels, no nothing--all that matters is that you finish it to your comfort level so it stops haunting you at night (or maybe that's just me, who knows).

If you're a perfect angel who doesn't have any WIPs (lucky you) or you want to help someone else beat their demonic art block with a stick, you can sign up to be a part of the hype squad! Each participant will be assigned a member of the hype squad based on their interests (which will be determined similarly to a big bang, because I apparently love torturing myself with spreadsheets). The hype squad will help the participants with brainstorming and advice when they need it, because making stuff is always more fun with a designated partner in crime!

You can be a hype squad member and a participant if you'd like, just make sure you have enough energy to do both, okay? No burnout! You may also sign up with a pre-selected hype squad and save me a bit of a headache, if you already have a friend you'd like to run with.

If any of this sounds interesting to you, fill out the interest check linked below to help me out! It'll be open until the 15 of August, so you've got two weeks to decide! I hope you guys find this event as helpful as I do. We can do this together :^D

[ckret2]

Chapter 50 of by this point human Bill Cipher is almost relieved to be imprisoned in the Mystery Shack again: Bill tells Mabel about his adventures, and Ford and Dipper tell Fiddleford about theirs.

But first Bill's gonna die for a bit.

"Guys! You're okay!" Mabel flung her arms around Dipper and squeezed him. "We were worried you were floating around and broke your legs when the gravity came back."

"N—no, we were fine," Dipper said. 

Mabel let go of Dipper to hug Ford next—and then drew back, looked him up and down, and looked at Bill. "What happened to your clothes?"

Bill said, "We fell in the lake."

"Ha!"

"Tate was kind enough to loan us dry clothes," Ford said.

"You look like big dorks." She turned to Bill last, took in his dirty haggard appearance, and said, "And you look awful. Where have you guys been the last two days?"

"Thanks for asking! I've been in..." Bill glanced at Stan. "Am I allowed to say the name of the place I've been?"

Stan shook his head. "Not in front of the kids, you don't."

Bill sighed. "Agony. I've been in agony."

"Aww!" She hugged Bill last. "I like your stupid Fishmas sweater."

"Consider it yours as soon as I can change." He wriggled out of her embrace to point at his feet. "Check out the shoes, though!"

Mabel cracked up. "Omigosh, fish slippers! Fi— Fishlers? Fishppers?"

"Fishoes?"

"Fishoes!"

Soos said, "What did happen out there?" He was in the kitchen, cleaning and reorganizing after zero gravity had tossed everything out of order. "Did you heroically save Gravity Falls from imminent multidimensional devastation?"

Ford said, "No. Aside from the effects on gravity, it... turned out to be a benign phenomenon."

"Oh," Soos said. "Like... what Bill said?"

Ford grimaced. He managed to just nod instead of saying afraid so.

Again, he expected Bill to gloat; again, Bill said nothing. He didn't even look at Ford.

"It wasn't an eclipse, though," Dipper muttered, shooting a dark look at Bill. "It would've been an eclipse if it had gotten between us and gravity. It was basically the opposite."

"What do you want from me." The question was more sighed than spoken. "It was called an eclipse when I was growing up, I dunno what to tell you."

Ford, Dipper, and Mabel all looked straight at Bill at the mention of his childhood; but he didn't say anything more. He just trudged to the kitchen and leaned tiredly on the doorframe, watching Soos work. "Grab me something from the fridge."

"Sure thing, dawg." Soos opened the door. "What do you want?"

Bill was silent for a moment. Slowly, like a spirit medium channeling a faint message from the other side, he said, "I think... the body wants a vegetable. Gimme some guacamole."

"Sorry, dude, we had the last of it with dinner."

"Fine. Just give me an avocado and salsa, I'll make do."

"You got it."

"Two avocados."

Soos started rummaging through the jumbled mess in the fridge. "So if everything was okay, what took you guys so long to get back?"

"Yeah, I've been wanting to ask," Stan said. (He hadn't been able to in the car; when everyone realized Bill had passed out as soon as he'd sat down, they'd fallen into an awkward silence.) "Was the demon making trouble or what?"

Dipper and Ford exchanged a glance; who wanted to share the embarrassing news? Ford said, "Actually, under the circumstances, he was... well behaved." Ford resisted the urge to add the modifier "tolerably." It seemed mean-spirited. Bill had constantly complained, sure, but in retrospect could Ford say the complaints were unjustified?

"Then what took you so long?"

Now Ford felt Bill's gaze on him, watching him sharply. Ford understood now. This was why Bill hadn't mentioned saving them. He was holding it in reserve—offering a deal. If Ford and Dipper didn't embarrass him, he wouldn't embarrass them. If they mentioned his breakdown, he could cut in, claim it was natural for him to be in shock after performing such a difficult, heroic deed.

It wasn't blackmail, per se. Revealing the truth wouldn't cost anybody anything but a bit of momentary self-consciousness. But wasn't that just like Bill—only passing up an opportunity to boast so he could use it to shield his ego.

"It was Bill's fault," Dipper said quickly. Ford's heart leaped into his throat. "Because—we had to climb up and down the tunnel to Gravity Peak, and he only brought dress shoes and dumb fish slippers. We kept having to slow down."

Ford felt the pressure of Bill's gaze slide off of his face as he turned away, staring back into the kitchen. Bill said, "Yep. Guess I should have brought my hiking shoes—oh, wait."

Stan said, "You could've got some better shoes when we were at the mall! You're the one who wanted those dumb dress shoes."

"In my defense, I didn't think you paranoiacs would ever let me wander around in the great outdoors—much less force me to." He leaned more heavily against the doorway with a groan, muttering, "My legs are still jelly. Worthless human body."

Dipper glanced at Ford, as if checking with him to see if he'd made the right decision. Ford gave him a tiny nod of approval. After the day they'd had, humiliating Bill just for the sake of humiliation wouldn't have served any justice; it would have just been mean.

For the past three decades, Ford had always felt that Bill deserved the strongest possible punishment, both for his prior atrocities and to prevent future ones; but, he wanted to deal with Bill swiftly and efficiently. No gloating, no torture—just one quick shot. Sure, he got some grim satisfaction from knowing Bill was unhappy—knowing that Bill's vile intentions were being thwarted—and if anyone decided to treat Bill cruelly for cruelty's sake, he couldn't say they were wrong for it... but the thought of committing it himself made him uneasy.

He tried to remember if he'd felt that way when Bill had first arrived.

"I found the salsa!" Soos called from the fridge. "Somehow it all floated onto the highest shelf? Which kind do you want?"

"That one with a picture of a sobbing baby on it."

"Extra spicy it is!"

When Soos handed over the salsa and avocados, Bill said, "Hey, Hick Junior said his father was making announcements about staying inside and low to the ground? You didn't happen to have anything to do with that, did you?"

"Oh—yeah, I called Old Man McGucket and said I had a hot anonymous tip about what was going on," Soos said. "You said it was this whole public safety thing, so I figured the whole town should probably know? He's the local respected science guy now, I thought he'd know what to do with that kind of important information."

Bill grunted. "Terrific, he gets credit for my help. But you'd all be giving me heck if I'd said nothing and half the town broke their necks, so... whatever, net zero. Here." Bill took off the Monster-Mon backpack and swung it over to Soos. "Your reward. Good job."

"Whoa, haha, this is heavy. What's in here, a bag of rocks?"

"No, just one." Bill pushed off the doorway, wheeled unsteadily around, and trudged toward the stairs.

Soos unzipped the bag. A drugged geodite blinked sleepily up at him. He gasped. "Dude! A real Monster-Mon! Is this my call to epic adventure with a lovable animal sidekick?"

Ford grimaced, remembering watching Bill feed a geodite cold medicine. "Ah."

"I think I'll name you... Rocky," Soos said.

"That—really shouldn't be here. Its natural environment is caves, I don't know if it's safe for it to be out here—for it or us." They had been known to bite.

"Aww." Soos cradled the backpack like a swaddled baby. "Do you think it would be okay if I made it a fake cave to live in?" He gasped. "I could make an exhibit for him! I'll say he's a living meteorite! People love aliens."

"I'm not sure that..." Ford sighed. Well, none of them were going back to the cave today. "Maybe you should put it in the cellar where it's darker."

"Great idea!" Soos carried the geodite through the living room. "Hey, I've already got a mattress down there. You're gonna love it, lil dude..."

Ford hoped Soos didn't get attached to that thing. He shot a glower at Bill.

Bill was already on the stairs. "Now everybody leave me alone. Except you." He pointed at Mabel. "I don't want to do anything but lay on the floor and talk about whatever Mabel wants to talk about for the next three hours."

"Cartoons and boy bands."

"Yes," Bill sighed in relief, already preparing to turn 95% of his brain off. "Wow, yes, that's exactly what I want to talk about. I can't wait." He grabbed the handrail as he climbed heavily, leaning against it for balance as he dragged himself upstairs.

Before Mabel could follow him, Ford put a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, before you go—there's something I wanted to tell you and Dipper." Voice low, he said, "You remember when you told me that Bill had mentioned Edward Bishop Bishop?"

"Yeah? When we were drawing our houses."

"Something Bill said while we were out shook a memory loose. It reminded me of a book I read as an undergraduate—Flatworld, written by Edward Bishop Bishop."

"Aww," Mabel said. "Not an artist?"

"No, although he did illustrate the book," Ford said. "It's a novella that combines Victorian social commentary with a primer on higher-dimensional mathematics by using an allegory about sentient shapes living in a two-dimensional world."

"That's what you were talking about in the boat, right?" Dipper asked. "When Bill said something about..." He scrunched his face, trying to remember, "'Up in the sky'...?"

"Upward-but-not-skyward," Ford said, "to describe something that isn't higher than us in the third dimension, but rather, in a higher dimension relative to us."

"How do you know about it?" Dipper asked. "The first time it came up, you said the name Edward Bishop Bishop was familiar, but..."

Ford sighed in irritation, "I read it as an undergraduate—in a haze of sleep-deprived exhaustion just before finals week—to get extra credit in a course on the history of mathematics. I immediately forgot ninety percent of it—which I'm sure is why I never thought of it in relation to Bill. If only I'd remembered the book thirty years ago, when it might have done me some good..."

"It's okay," Mabel said. "I forget almost everything I've read for class basically as soon as I've taken the test. I think it's pretty good that you remember anything about Flatworld at all!"

Ford smiled awkwardly. He was afraid that might say more about Mabel's study habits than about his. "Thank you, Mabel."

"And you did have a lot on your mind thirty years ago," Dipper said. "Like, Bill. Literally. On your mind."

Mabel added, "Doing creepy possession things!"

"I suppose that's true, too." What would he have done if he had remembered the book during that frenetic, delirious period when Bill and Ford had wrestled for control over his body? He'd been in no fit shape to go to the library. "I did think about it a couple of times in the multiverse—when I was visiting Exwhylia, for instance—but at the time I'd brushed it off as a lucky coincidence that I'd read a book that invented a society of shapes. It wouldn't be the first time science fiction predicted science fact. But now that Bill's mentioned it twice, I'd say it's less likely a coincidence and more likely that Edward Bishop Bishop was another of his 'students.'"

"Is there a way for us to find out?" Dipper asked. "If he was Bill's student, would he have left behind any... hints? Coded messages?"

"Like secret society conspiracy things?" Mabel asked.

"Yeah!"

"I suppose it's possible," Ford said. "If Flatworld happens to feature a one-eyed yellow triangle sharing the secrets of the universe, we'll know for sure. But, there's only one way to find out: now that I do remember the book, we can pick up a copy for research."

"That's great," Dipper said. "If Bill told the author about his home dimension... there's no telling how much we can learn about him by reading it."

"So it's basically a math textbook disguised as a story?" Mabel groaned. "That's just like doing word problems! The most confusing kind of math problems. Why does Bill keep making me have homework this summer?"

"You know what he's like," Dipper said, elbowing her with a grin. "Dastardly villain."

"Pure evil."

Ford huffed. "If it helps, as I recall the book teaches you about math concepts, but it doesn't make you do any math."

She let out a longer, more theatrical groan. "Fine. But if there's a cousin Throckmorton I'm throwing the book away."

"I dunno, sounds kinda neat," Dipper said. "It might give me a leg up when we start geometry."

"I don't remember the details of what it covers, but I bet it could," Ford agreed. "I have to visit Fiddleford this evening to return the equipment he loaned us, and... discuss the events of the last couple of days. If the library's still open when we're done I can go by and see if they have a copy of Flatworld."

"Can I come along?" Dipper asked.

"Of course. Just give me a moment to..." He looked down at himself, "change into something a little less ridiculous."

Dipper tried not to laugh. "Okay. I'll wait here. Mabel, do you want to...?"

"No thanks!" She pointed upstairs. "I've got a captive audience to teach about boy bands. I'm going to make him listen to Sev'ral Timez's entire discography."

"He's already had a pretty bad day. Don't torture him even more."

Mabel blew a raspberry. "He'll love it." She bounded up the stairs.

Ford headed to his and Stan's guest room. Dipper took off his backpack, dropped it in the living room, and stuck his hands in his pockets—then pulled one out in surprise.

The enchanted friendship bracelets. They were still in his pocket. Bill hadn't had them on since Dipper's out-of-body experience that morning.

Dipper stared at them uneasily; then hung them in their usual place on the entryway coat rack and resumed waiting for Ford.

####

It was a rare opportunity that Bill was allowed in the kids' room; but with Ford and Dipper out of the house, the one person most likely to complain wasn't around. So after having extracted a strict promise for him to behave himself, Mabel had let him in, for ease of gossip and CD-switching.

But even if Dipper had been in the room, he wouldn't have found much worth complaining about. Once Bill had finished his snack (he'd eaten the avocados like pears, skin and all, and drank down the salsa like a chunky smoothie), he'd laid down on the floor, and since then had remained a dead lump. Face buried in his crossed arms, curled up in the oversized Fishmas sweater and a set of loose stolen-from-Soos sweats to replace the towel skirt, he might as well have been a pile of laundry that had sprouted curly golden hair. Mabel had put Sev'ral Timez's first album on the boombox, sat herself on Bill's back, and started brushing out his damp, knotted curls without asking as she talked about each track.

To her delight, Bill started insisting they skip past the slow, emotional love ballads, saying he preferred the bouncier dancier tracks; she thought the fact that he was displaying a preference rather than begging to turn the band off was a good sign. He was actually listening to the music. Possibly even liking it! Maybe she'd manage to convert him into a fan. She recounted her experiences with the band's cloned members and Bill threw in the polite "Mhm" and "Uh-huh?" where appropriate without lifting his head from the floor or opening his eyes. She'd thought he might have had something to throw in about the cloning thing, that seemed like the kind of conspiracy nonsense he might have a hand in; but if he knew anything, he wasn't up to sharing it.

When she'd wrangled his hair into some semblance of order, she got to work on his fingernails. His arm was like a dead weight in her hands, loose and unresisting but not helping, either. He shifted his head over to rest on his other arm and otherwise didn't move.

"Your fingernail polish is destroyed," Mabel said. On three fingers the paint had been all but completely scraped off. When he'd left a couple of days ago, it had just been lightly chipped. She started stripping the remainder with nail polish remover.

"Is it?" Bill mumbled. "Mmh. Yeah, probably from clawing in the dirt."

"Pfff. What did you do the last couple of days?"

Bill slowly sucked in a breath so deep that Mabel felt his back lift her a little higher off the ground; and then he just as slowly let it back out. "Do not," he said, "get me started."

He got started.

He began with a tirade about the contempt that both Ford and Dipper had shown him and his far superior subject matter expertise for the last two days; and then about being hauled out and exposed during totality after repeating over and over how dangerous it was and how much he would prefer to not do that—Ford had even admitted he'd dragged Bill out into open air just because he knew how much he didn't want that!—and from there Bill looped back to listing a whole litany of gripes against what he perceived as egregious and undeserved disrespect from Ford over the last couple of weeks—"Youmight have lied to me about that glass pyramid, but at least you didn't laugh in my face about it!"

(Mabel thought Ford pretty much had the right to be as disrespectful to Bill as he wanted, after everything Bill had put him through. Lying about a silly imaginary cult was less mean than lying about taking over the universe. But part of being a good friend, she knew well, was lending a sympathetic ear to your friend's venting without suggesting that said friend might be in the wrong. She had a Color Critters episode about being honest with your friends she could show him later.)

Bill seemed to gain strength as he aired his grievances, bolstered by Mabel's encouraging "mhm" "uh-huh" noises. By the time she'd finished repainting his first hand (she'd picked a glittery purple polish she thought would complement all the yellow he wore), he was sitting upright and Mabel had to sit in front of him to start on his other hand.

"—and my stupid feet hurt," Bill griped. "Since Stanford made me traipse halfway through the mountain barefoot because he wouldn't let us go back down before the gravity returned and I don't even own shoes for spelunking. And my knees hurt, and my back hurts, and I could have killed for a walking stick but do think they'd have allowed me one if I asked? Because I don't think so! I tripped over—I don't know, a hundred roots."

"Worst hiking trip ever." Mabel finished painting his second hand, and started looking through her miniature sticker sheets for some fun stickers to put on Bill's first hand now that it was dry.

"Worst in the history of your planet! Even the Donner party had a better hike! At least some of them got something to eat," Bill said. "All I got for two days was a handful of cereal and Stanford's liquid meat in a toothpaste tube."

Mabel stuck out her tongue.

"And Stanford walks too fast. And your brother kept trying to squeeze through gaps between trees I couldn't get through. And Stanford kept fiddling with his—stupid—useless antique Civil War lantern he's so proud of, and he's just lucky that I thought to bring a way to find a light source even though I didn't even need one, because I knew he would bring that stupid Civil War lantern..." Bill's complaints petered out.

And then, voice oddly quiet, he said, "And I saw my corpse." 

Mabel looked up from carefully placing a yellow butterfly on Bill's middle fingernail. There was a dark look in his eyes. "Oh," she said. "Oh, Bill. I'm so sorry."

This wasn't just a bad camping trip. This was serious. She had to treat it seriously.

She ejected the current CD from the boombox, put in another Sev'ral Timez album, and skipped to track 4: "This goes out to anyone having a bad day. Ladies, this one's for you. 'Girl, today has been—straight whack. You don't know how you're gonna—bounce back. But any time you're down, I'll always be around; I'll drive your heart back to Happy Town'..." Oh yeah. That was the exact energy Mabel was trying to channel.

"And I didn't feel anything when I touched it." Bill was staring down at his hands like he barely recognized them. "No energy, no connection—nothing. What if there isn't a connection anymore? What if I'm just a human now?"

Did that weigh on Bill? Clearly, enough that he'd decided to endure imprisonment in the Mystery Shack rather than kill his body to see if there was still a triangle inside.

But he'd never talked about it before now; she'd thought maybe he just didn't worry about it.

But that was dumb. Of course he worried about it. He was just like her. When something scared him, he just pushed it down and hoped that if he ignored it enough, everything would be okay! Until he couldn't pretend anymore.

And she'd never heard him sound this scared before.

She took his hands and hoped that would help.

He squeezed her hands so hard it hurt. His still-wet nail polish smeared on her hand. "What if I'm really gonna grow old and die in this rotting meat doll, what if I never go home again—? There's so much I haven't done, I was going to throw an eternal party, it would have been beautiful, everyone would have loved me, but now— and now—" He let out a choked noise, head bowing over their joined hands, posture broken. Hot tears landed on the backs of Mabel's hands. "And I didn't even get to, just, die and be done with it, I have to know I'm dead, I have to know everything I was going to do..."

"Hey—come here." Mabel tentatively wrapped her arms around Bill's neck and shoulders, compressing his bouncy curls. She half expected him to pull away.

Instead, he buried his face against her shoulder and hugged her back like she was the only thing keeping him from drowning.

After spending the last two days suppressing his grief and fear so hard his body couldn't function through it—after spending over a month suppressing his grief and fear—finally, finally, he peeled the tape off his cracked shell to let it leak out. He couldn't hold it together anymore. He'd barely put himself back together long enough to get on his feet and make it to the shack. This was the only place it was safe to fall apart. He muffled his sobs in Mabel's sweater.

And Mabel—who was used to being comforted by adults but who had never been called upon herself to comfort anybody but her brother and the occasional friend—had no idea how she was supposed to comfort a zillion-year-old almost-definitely-adult alien through an existential crisis.

Not for the first time, she wondered whether she might have gotten in over her head.

She pushed the worry down. Everything would be okay. Bill needed her—she could feel him trembling—and he didn't have anybody else in the world he could trust. And if she didn't know what else to do, at the least she could keep hugging him.

Voice so tight it almost squeezed out as a whisper, Bill said, "I was going to make a utopia here, but now I'm just gonna die here."

"I'm so sorry." How do you comfort someone processing the fear of mortality? She'd never processed it herself, she was thirteen, it was just another scary future thing she'd deal with when she had to. The best she knew how to do was be nice. "But... I'm here, okay? For—for anything you need." (Anything that wasn't evil, anyway—but now was not the appropriate time to make Bill feel like her support was conditional.)

"Tell me I won't die."

"You won't die! You're never, ever gonna die." Mabel hugged him tighter. "I'll fistfight Death. I'll—break his bony kneecaps."

"Thanks."

"I'll swing at the reaper with a baseball bat."

Bill laughed feebly. "With nails in it?"

"Yeah! And barbed wire! Connected to a battery!"

"Oh, we're taking Death down. Nobody's dying ever again."

"Everybody lives forever!" Mabel laughed; but it quickly petered out. "But... I'm not gonna let you die. You're my friend, and I won't let anything happen to you."

Bill's trembling had stopped, and his embrace was less death-grippy. "I owe you one, Shooting Star." From Bill, "thanks" sounded hollow, but "I owe you one" really sounded like a thank you.

"Hey. If I tell you a secret, do you promise not to do anything evil with it?"

"Sure. Promise."

Mabel doubted it, but that was as good as she was gonna get. "I've always thought you're still a triangle on the inside. You've got those creepy cat eyes that see the future and stuff! If you were just a normal human, wouldn't you have normal human eyes?"

Bill made a noncommittal noise.

"Plus, if you'd really been turned into a human on the inside, then being in a human body wouldn't feel so bad—right? It'd just feel normal."

Bill was silent for a moment. Voice hoarse, he whispered, "I hope you're right."

####

Fiddleford answered the door himself. "Stanford, Dipper, come in! I was just cleaning up." He had a broom, and the great hall's floor behind him was sparkling with broken glass. Ford was relieved to see Fiddleford had put on shoes. Unfortunately, they were fuzzy slippers. "Pardon the mess!"

"Think nothing of it. The shack's been turned upside-down, too." Ford stepped around a broken chair. "Don't you have anyone to help you clean, though?"

"Oh, I do, I do! I built me a Janitorial Executive Drone to tidy up," Fiddleford said. "I'm just cleaning up the mess JED left."

Ford and Dipper looked around at the shattered glass, broken furniture, scorch marks around the fireplace, and torn curtains. Dipper asked, "Did... JED make this place any cleaner?"

"Not at all!"

Ford and Dipper caught Fiddleford up on their scientific findings of the last couple days. Ford was almost embarrassed to admit they hadn't found any noteworthy quantities of micro-rips, as if he were confessing to a personal academic embarrassment—even after Fiddleford pointed out that it had been his own theory, not Ford's. (All the same, Ford hated to be so wrong, even by association. Being wrong felt like a moral failing.)

In return, Fiddleford told them what he'd been up to. He'd confirmed with them NASA fellas that the odd gravity effects weren't detected anywhere but Gravity Falls. At their behest, he'd set up some sensors around town, and when gravity suddenly reversed, the measurements they'd taken had allowed him to make a very loose model of the shape of the force that caused it. He showed Ford and Dipper the model on a computer in his lab, black screen with sharp glowing green lines forming an armature in the shape of a force. It looked like an enormous flying sausage that tapered down at one end. Too little detail to tell exactly what it was; but it certainly could have been an axolotl.

It was turning to look at the cliff where they'd stood.

Fiddleford wasn't pleased to find out the information he'd passed on from Soos had originally come from Bill; but he'd suspected it and already done all his soul-searching before reluctantly sharing his advice with the masses and hoping it wouldn't come back to bite him. "He didn't bother to warn us that gravity would actually disappear today, though," Fiddleford said indignantly. "So he could crow about being right and still get to see some folks get hurt, I reckon."

"Actually, this time I don't think he was hiding it. I kinda think he just made a mistake?" Dipper said.

Ford nodded. "Dipper's right. Bill was incredibly alarmed this morning when it became clear our estimates were wrong. It only made more trouble for him."

"I suppose," Fiddleford said grudgingly; then gave them a sharp look. "This mornin'? You took him camping?"

Ford and Dipper winced. Ford mumbled, "Not for fun."

"Stanford Pines—!"

It took a minute of hooting and hollering before Ford could calm Fiddleford down enough to explain the circumstances: that they'd only brought Bill because of just how much he explicitly did not want to be brought; that it had been a thoroughly unpleasant experience for everyone and Ford had never expected it to be otherwise; and that Bill had proven useful—Ford decided not to share the details—but he hadn't forgotten that Bill always made himself useful before he betrayed someone. If a man helped a little old lady cross a street, opened her door for her, put up her groceries, and then knocked her out and burgled her house, only one of those actions mattered.

(Dipper fell silent rather than help reassure Fiddleford. Ford supposed that was because he'd objected to bringing Bill, too.)

Fiddleford grudgingly admitted that under the circumstances, bringing Bill had been logical. "But that's just the thing—sometimes your logic don't account for the fact that you've got human emotions, too."

"Ah, yes, those human emotions. One of my worst flaws," Ford joked.

Fiddleford didn't laugh. "I mean it, Stanford. The most logical plan in the world don't mean nothing if he talks you into throwing it aside."

Ford thought of all the times he'd let his temper get the best of him over the last couple of days. Could he really say he'd made the logical decision when he'd made it out of anger? "Yes. I... see what you mean."

"Just be careful," Fiddleford said. "I saw you under that demon's oppression for months and never thought it was anything worse than how you always got around finals week—heck, for all I saw, I reckon he coulda started possessing you without me noticing—and I don't want that to happen again!"

Dipper winced. Ford found somewhere other than Fiddleford's face to look.

"What?"

"He... did. Possess me." (Dipper didn't pipe up with his experience. Ford didn't blame him.)

"He what? When?!"

"Remember toward the end of the project? When I started pulling all-nighters to finish the calculations...?"

Fiddleford smacked his forehead and sank down into the nearest chair.

Ford winced again. "I should have told you." During their talks over the past year, he'd been very reluctant to mention Bill or the fallout at the end of the portal project. They both had. "But—I assumed you'd guessed by now. What did you think was happening?"

"Frankly? I thought you'd started taking something illicit."

Ford snorted. "I—all right." He'd done stupider things during finals week.

"If he was possessin' you, why didn't you ask for help? I could've found somebody who knows how to do exorcisms. Did he not let you? Or—or did I miss you trying to tell me...?"

Ford shook his head. "No, I didn't want an exorcism." He wasn't sure Bill was the kind of "demon" that responded to exorcisms anyway. "At the time, I thought... that he was helping me."

Dipper reluctantly piped up, "He... possessed me once too. I didn't know that's what he was doing until too late, but... Even after you know he's a bad guy, he's really good at making you think he's just helping."

Fiddleford didn't immediately say anything to that. Ford couldn't meet his gaze.

Finally, Fiddleford said, voice low and worried, "Just tell me you won't let him get into your head again. Either one'a you."

Dipper shook his head. "Definitely not."

Ford said, "As he is now with all his powers gone, I don't think he can enter my head. Anyway, I had a metal plate surgically installed—"

"I didn't mean that way."

Right. "I won't. I promise."

Fiddleford nodded. "Didja really get a metal plate installed?"

Ford knocked on it demonstratively.

"Hmm." Fiddleford stroked his beard thoughtfully. He pointed at a contraption in the corner that looked like a ten foot tall tuning fork with electricity arcing between its tips. "Try not to get within five feet of that thing."

Ford eyed it nervously.

####

Fiddleford insisted Ford and Dipper stay for dinner. It was the first proper meal they'd had after two days of tubes mushy meat and mushy vegetables; so they tried not to show their disappointment when they received mushy meat and mushy vegetables. Fiddleford's automatic meatloaf-and-mashed-potatoes maker did its job more competently than JED did its, but Ford suspected that was partially because it didn't have legs to let it go get in trouble.

As they drove back into town, a stoplight turned red at the intersection with Main Street. Ford glanced down Main toward the library and asked, "Do you still want to stop by the library?"

Dipper, who'd nearly nodded off, blinked sleepily. "Huh?"

"To pick up Flatworld?"

Dipper yawned. "Honestly, I kinda just wanna go home and sleep."

"I hear that." He'd almost drowned today. He was exhausted. "Perhaps this weekend."

"Aren't you going to that concert with Mabel?"

"Was that this Saturday?" He'd lost track. Mabel had won four tickets from some radio contest to see Phrancisco in Portland and had asked Ford if he'd like to come. "I'm undecided. I'd like to go—I've been a fan of Invisible Plastic Yellow since they formed." He was the one who'd told Mabel about the band after their Portland trip and gotten her their albums. He'd had a phase when he'd really gotten into cutting-edge underground new wave music. It had made him feel conventionally cool, which not many things did. Now, all his musical tastes were three decades behind. He hadn't even known Phrancisco had a solo career until Mabel came home with tickets.

"But she's bringing her friends, and whoever has the fourth ticket needs to chaperone; and I'm afraid an old man escorting around three young girls would look... odd. It may be more appropriate for one of the other girls' parents to go." But he did want to see Phrancisco. "Perhaps I'll wait and see whether Mabel talks me into it."

"Better pack your bag now, then."

Ford laughed. He had a point. "If I do go to Portland, maybe I can stop by a bookstore to pick up Flatworld. If it tells us anything useful about Bill, I suspect we'll want a household copy for reference."

He was eager to reread it. He'd forgotten so much of it since college. He only recalled the vague, overarching plot: something about a third-dimensional sphere teaching a second-dimensional square about realities with higher and lower dimensions—from zero dimensions up to four—and a stuffy society based on what geometric shape you were... but that was it. He probably never even would have remembered the phrase "up but not north" if Bill hadn't referenced it. He wondered how much it could have helped him if he'd reread it sooner.

Dipper yawned again. "Sounds good."

The light turned green; and Ford drove past the library and headed on home.

####

(After going full tilt for two months, we finally get a breather lol. I hope y'all enjoyed, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!)

[yermes]

PAC: why you should invest in yourself 🍷

I don’t know how some of these fundies get off. The fact that they can be stay at home wives in a “safe” way is due to feminism. We should all be investing in our skill sets, knowledge, personal freedoms, and self happiness. Because at the end of the day when it all goes to shit no one can take away your self love, your wisdom, your knowledge, your beauty inside and out. The crime it is to assume someones worth by an arbitrary title or connection. The fact that you live in the tender nature of the divine is worthy enough

Heres a reminder

Disclaimer: please take what I say with a grain of salt and not as the gospel. I just want to share some ideas of practicing and giving advice using the medium as often as I can with school, work, and my own personal studies and practice. But I am working on sharing my notes soon so that will be exciting! Liking and sharing does a lot 🥰

Socials: Podcast | Follow me!

Pick a meme

1 2 3

The cards

Chariot 🦤

Mars associated with Mercury, Mars with Sun, Cancer, Binah to Geburah, water

You are a bitch with some real big and really glorified goals (not always a bad thing) to achieve these goals you must stay connected to the root of these goals and not to let your ego transcend the actual and original purpose. Keep your head and yourself stable in the pursuit of excellence.

Knight of disks ⭐️

21° Leo to 20° Virgo, Earth of Assiah, Chokmah

You are a strong enduring mother fucker. TAKE CARE OF YOUR VESSLE! Eat food that makes you happy, do small material things for yourself. Get a treat, get a tattoo get many! You have a lot of worldly and material goals. You need to take care of yourself and invest in yourself so you are able to invest in greater pursuits

The Empress 🪼

Venus in Taurus, Chokmah and Binah, Earth

You love. LIKE A LOT! It’s important to acknowledge that amazing and multidimensional skill and you can use that skill to leverage other skills. But while you do give a mom vibe. You are no ones mommy. Don’t give so much you neglect yourself and your pursuit. You Have an abundance of creative energy, please foster and take care of it.

Extras:

Story/vent:

My new hoodie came in! New ear drip come tmrw

[successinsider]

Immerse Yourself in Tim Han Success Insider Podcast and Activate Your Development

Are you a driven individual who wants to fulfill your greatest potential? Do you yearn for transformative personal growth that catapults you into success? It will help if you look no further than Tim Han's Success Insider Podcast, a gold mine of inspirational knowledge waiting to be discovered. Tim, a well-known success coach and entrepreneur, gives you the knowledge and skills to realize your full potential in this captivating audio adventure.

Success Insider: An Activator for Development

The Success Insider Podcast with Tim Han is a life-changing experience rather than simply another podcast. Tim Han's Success Insider Podcast is a gold mine for people who want to discover their hidden potential. The man behind this podcast, Tim Han, is a highly respected success coach, well-known author, shrewd businessman, and captivating public speaker across the globe. His best-selling book, "Follow Your Heart and Take Action," perfectly captures the spirit of his teachings: motivating action that results in profound change.

Tim Han's Transformative Personal Development

Success Insider: Transformative Personal Development with Tim Han is highly regarded in personal development. Tim Han's multidimensional approach combines motivational skills with practical understanding. His podcast turns into a transformational medium that directs people's energies towards empowerment and self-discovery.

What's in store for you in the Success Insider domain is as follows:

Modern tools for personal development: Go deeply into tried-and-true techniques for conquering mental blocks, increasing output, and changing your perspective. Tim breaks down difficult ideas into understandable frameworks so you can easily apply them to your everyday life.

Leading-edge observations in the industry: Take advice from the experts! The podcast offers in-depth interviews with well-known business owners, CEOs, and thought leaders who offer their viewpoints and doable success tactics.

A welcoming community: Visit the Success Insider website and social media platforms to become a part of the vibrant community of other "Insiders". Make connections with like-minded people, exchange stories, and receive helpful guidance.

Tim Han: Your Mentor on the Road to Achievement

Tim Han, a guy whose journey symbolises personal development's transformative potential, is the host of the Success Insider Podcast. Tim's journey from modest beginnings to becoming a globally recognised success coach is evidence of the values he upholds.

Tim is your perfect mentor on the road to success because of the following:

Experience that speaks volumes: Tim has years of coaching experience in addition to his business endeavours, giving him a plethora of useful information and insight from the real world. He is aware of your difficulties and provides realistic guidance that you can apply.

The passion that ignites: Every episode exudes Tim's contagious enthusiasm for personal development. His enthusiasm for every subject and wish for your success make learning interesting and motivating.

Practical advice: Tim doesn't simply talk the talk; he also acts on it. The Success Insider Podcast is brimming with doable tactics and realistic measures you can practice right now to begin experiencing positive changes in your life.

Impact and Reach Worldwide

Because of Tim Han's unshakable dedication to personal growth, Success Insider has grown exponentially. The podcast shot to prominence in personal development thanks to its widespread appeal. Its influence spreads over continents, creating people who share similar values and are committed to achieving greatness.

To Summarize

Tim Han's Success Insider Podcast is a revolutionary platform redefining success. Tim Han enables people to overcome obstacles, realize their potential, and confidently walk towards their goals with insightful advice and priceless tools. Every episode acts as a catalyst for change, guaranteeing that listeners go on a path of self-discovery and unheard-of expansion.

[toxicroyjamie]

WHOMST is talking shit about keeley?

Just some random 😔

I hate seeing Keeley reduced to "perfect slay feminist queen" and enjoy seeing discussions of her flaws and shortcomings, because TL's female characters are just as complicated and multidimensional as its male characters and it's a waste of Keeley to pretend she's totally flawless and always in the right, but I ALSO hate seeing people blame Keeley for everything that went wrong in her relationship with Roy as if she's victimizing him somehow. It's frustrating that people still can't find a medium between treating a female character like a flawless goddess and demonizing her

[cocofawn]

xiva !! hope ur doing well and that logan and yūta is taking care of ya ! so uhm uhm, is it okay if i ask u on how i can widen my vocabulary? (⁠｡⁠ﾉ⁠ω⁠＼⁠｡⁠) i love love love ur writing so much and i get inspired everytime i read them but when i try to write, the words in my mind get all scrambled and messy ... (·•᷄∩•᷅ )

hallo, precious miroooo (◜ᵕ ◝ ྀི ) .ᐟ .ᐟ do take a seat 'n allow mi tew provide chu wif a potful of tea 'n a few pastries 🫖 fwom m’ pantry whilst we chat 🩷 i wld b sho honoured tew aid u wif ur dilemma .ᐟ .ᐟ

fwirst of all, i wld liek tew gib chu a biiig thanku fwor da praise .ᐟ .ᐟ 🥺 hearing dat da vrrie hobby i find solace in is able tew inspire such a creative soul such as urself 'n leave an imprint on ur craft is a privilege 'n an honour .ᐟ inspiring others wif m’  own work is indeed an unforeseen yet incredible outcome . . 'nd i am eternally grateful tew b able tew contribute dis littl bit tew chu 🩷

regarding ur question, well, i fink da key tew expanding ur vocabulary is simply immersing urself in a wide range of mediums. reading is indeed an excellent source fwor improving vocabulary, but there are many more forms of art 'n expression out there dat will help chu develop a rich lexicon, such as poetry, film, music, theatre, 'n video games. 

poetry, especially, can provide a plethora of words, phrases, 'n idioms dat will help build a foundation. a simple google search 'n a few moments spent exploring will lead chu down a rabbit hole filled wif endless opportunities tew learn 'n discover. 'tis also important tew keep an open mind 'n take in a wide range of works, from modern poets, tew ancient writers, 'n even foreign language writers ! i wld recommend dat chu choose pieces chu show interest or haff a connection wif, bcos da experience will be much more enjoyable 'n engaging .ᐟ da last thing chu want is tew feel liek ur doing a chore instead of a passion project .ᐟ .ᐟ

film can offer a variety of new phrases, expressions, 'n colloquialisms, which can be helpful fwor da creative aspect of writing. i would also suggest looking fwor films made by directors who share similar interests 'n values, since dat way, their work will reflect the same mindset 'n ideas dat chu are interested in .ᐟ .ᐟ 'tis important tew note dat not all films are created equal, sho 'tis imperative tew keep an open mind 'n haff discerning taste.

similarly, theatre can offer a wide range of vocabulary, particularly regarding the nuances 'n dialects used in different plays. 'tis an excellent form of expression, but one dat may require some practice 'n adjustment. exploring theatre will not only provide a large array of vocabulary, but will also expand ur knowledge on how language, tone, 'n body language can be used in various ways to communicate a multitude of feelings 'n ideas— which, in turn, can improve writing tenfold.

music is an undisputedly beautiful form of art. listening 'n appreciating it will help broaden ur horizons 'n enrich ur senses. da phrases, 'n words used in music are scrupulously crafted 'n arranged. they are woven together in a delicate balance, creating a unique, complex, 'n multidimensional experience. not only can music influence emotions 'n create vivid imagery, but it can also offer an entirely new world.

lastly, video games are another excellent outlet, particularly if chu are interested in storytelling. da characters, dialogue, 'n environments are carefully created, 'n every detail has a purpose 'n place. video games can provide inspiration 'n fresh material 'n can even help with the creative process itself.

moving away fwom media though, implementing eloquent speech into ur everyday life is another way dat will help chunprogress. using flowery language is 'n indeed a very pleasant 'n enjoyable experience, but if chu are interested in creating an extensive, rich vocabulary, chu will have tew explore different avenues.

using metaphors, similes, 'n allusions in daily conversations 'n texts is an excellent start. 

'n of course, if possible, reading aloud is a phenomenal exercise. practicing pronunciation 'n inflection is a valuable skill, 'n due tew u speaking out loud, da words will become much more familiar— embedding themselves in ur memory 'n providing an anchor fwor reference .ᐟ

when introducing urself tew new stocks of words, ur writing may become awkward, choppy, or even discombobulated. a tip tew avoid dis is tew not add tew many elements at once. instead, take small steps 'n integrate a few things at a time. da words may initially feel strange, foreign, or unnatural, but da more chu practise, da easier it will become ! chu should also keep in mind dat progress takes time.

i hope all of dis helps somewhat 'n provides an adequate solution fwor chu 🥺 if not, feel free tew message mi at anytime .ᐟ a fwend is wat i am here tew be 'n a shoulder is wat i am here tew offer 🩷

[sp-epari-digitalmedia]

God of War: Decrypting Kratos

BLOG 5: SIGNS AND SEMIOTICS BEHIND GAME CHARACTERS

God of War: Ghost of Sparta was the game that first got me interested in video games. It was an immersive experience that not only introduced me to console gaming but also made me fall in love with this enthralling medium. One character stood out above the rest with unmatched force amidst the suspenseful plot and fierce action: Kratos. His appearance on screen served as more than just a decorative element; it also served as a spark for my developing passion for video games.

Kratos, with his intense presence, left me curious. I wanted to dig deeper, beyond the cool fights and epic adventures, to understand what made him tick. Where did his name come from? Why did he look the way he did? What hidden meanings were behind the colors and symbols that defined him? I decided to take a closer look through the lens of semiotics, examining the signs and symbols that make up his character.

About the Character

Kratos, the central protagonist in the popular game series "God of War," leads a spectrum of nine titles: God of War Betrayal, God of War Ascension, God of War Ghost of Sparta, God of War Chains of Olympus, God of War I, II, III, God of War 2018, God of War Ragnarok, and God of War Ragnarok Valhalla.

The genesis of Kratos's character witnessed a noticeable shift in 2018, not only transitioning from Greek to Norse mythology but also marking a substantial evolution in his personality. In his earlier depictions, Kratos showcases unbridled rage, an unrelenting force shaped by the profound losses of his wife, children, mother, friend and his long-lost brother. The paradigm shift surfaced in a more contemplative and rational Kratos, departing from the archetypal rage-fueled spartan we had come to know.

This transformation extends beyond a mere alteration in mythological backdrop. It signifies a profound metamorphosis in character. No longer solely defined by unbridled fury, Kratos, in his evolution, unfolds as a multidimensional figure, portraying a depth and complexity that belies his initial portrayal.

Academic Standpoint

Fiske in his study, "Introduction to Communication Studies", mentions that media is not always direct. He breaks media comprehension into 2:

Denotation: This classification is the literal meaning of the media. It is simply the direct translation of what is visible to the audience. (Fiske, 2010)

Connotation: This classification is the hidden meaning of the media. It is the intended meaning behind what is visible to the audience. (Fiske, 2010)

To decrypt the character, I am going to use this study. In order to keep it comprehendible I am going to take Kratos from 2018 edition onwards.

Semiotics in Character Design

Name & Origin

The name of the character is Kratos.

Kratos is a Greek word that means Strength. Additionally, Kratos is also the name of the Greek god of strength.

Color Thematic

The character constitutes of the selected palette of colors.

From right to left:

#660000: Dark Red

#922929: Indian Red

#F2F3F4: Anti-Flash White

#A9A9A9: Dark Gray

#1B1B1B: Eerie Black

Dark Red is the color normally associated with emotion or rage and also the color of blood. Indian Red is color made in the honor of Red Indians symbolizing brotherhood and friendship. Anti-Flash White is a type of white. White color is often associated with purity and godliness. Dark Gray has a lot of negative emotions associated with it including fear, frustration, gloominess and mourning. Eerie Black is the color of mystery and death.

Other References

Scarred Eye

Scarred eye is a warrior like feature, often representing strength and resilience.

Ashed Skin

Ashed skin is often linked with the supernatural and the energy to connect with it.

Kratos's Tattoo

Kratos's tattoo is actually a replica of his brother's birthmark symbolizing his love and endless pursuit for his lost brother.

Shoulder Guards

Shoulder Guards showcase the burden and responsibility that one bears.

Character Development

Paradigm shift in the Pesonality

In the documentary Raising Kratos, Corey Barlog mentions that Kratos represented his phases of life. Kratos earlier was rageful and aggressive and was the symbolism of his teenage. The new Kratos was symbolizing his adulthood phase highlighting his joy of becoming a father.

Overall Representation

The name Kratos means strength is a direct remark on the character symbolizing his strength is unparalleled even though he is not completely a god in the beginning and is not really the god of strength but takes over the mantle of God of war.

The colors represent the building blocks of the character. The Dark Red is the emotional state of the character which is anger and bloodlust. Kratos being a father, general and initially a brother justifies Indian Red in his palette. Being a god Anti-Flash White is the perfect representation of his status. The color Dark Gray sets his emotional tonality too, he has lost quite a lot of people in his life and the color represents mourning, gloominess and frustration. The color black is the color of death that he himself is surrounded with or is the reason for.

Features like scarred eye, ashed skin, body tattoo and shoulder add different layers to the characters. It shows that he fills the shoes of many roles from a soldier, mourner, seeker and an avenger.

There is an additional dimension to the character as it is the direct reflection of the creator's emotional state.

Conclusion

Kratos is quite a complex character and has many dimensions to it. He is filled with various hidden meanings and that information is quite easy to miss out. Overall, Kratos has a rich history, and the design of the character symbolizes that quite impressively.

References

Fiske, J. (2010) Introduction to communication studies, Routledge eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203837382.

[artparks-sculpture]

A sculpture titled 'Diana (Multidimensional Figure sculpture)' by sculptor Toma Nenov. In a medium of Bronze.

[dudeimnotafurry]

Echo is an amazing novel but I’ve never gone back to re-read its routes.

A lot of the time when I really enjoy a piece of fiction I’ll read it over and over again to ferret out all the little details or just enjoy the story that it depicts but for this game I can’t bring myself to read it again in its entirety. Its an expertly crafted narrative with such fully fleshed multidimensional characters and it even utilizes the medium its written in to contribute to its themes but despite all that I haven’t gone back to read it again despite the fact it lives rent free in my head.

And I think its because the entire story is just so damn bleak. Once you go through all the routes you just know that nothing good can come from here so why would I ever re-visit it in its entirety. Sure there are some nice moments here and there but they are all tainted by the knowledge that you the player has about how totally fucked each and every character is. Sure there is a veneer of polite friendless at times but in a different timeline, if you made a few different choices, these characters might hate each other, they might even kill each other. This ‘friend group, has so much history and so many unresolved issues that seeing them interact normally feels almost more weird then seeing them at each others throats.

Echo is an stunning game with a thrilling narrative, but I don’t know if I’m ever going to read it again myself.

[treasurem]

Title: Reincarnation, a point of balance

Medium: Supawood carving, Oil-based ink and Acrylic paint

Dimensions: 1.21m x 40cm

Year: 2023

Description: Exploring the multifaceted nature of human identity and the role of our bodies play as vessels of time. The piece emphasizes the interconnectedness of the body and mind, in acknowledging the influence of past-present and future practices on defining individuals and their existence. The theme of reincarnation suggests a continuous cycle of rebirth and renewal, while the idea of a "point of balance" suggests a need for equilibrium between different aspects of our identity. The piece invites viewers to consider how their identities are shaped by the human experience and the larger societal structures that surround them. The artwork also touches on the notion of multidimensionality, as our bodies have captured different contexts and at different points in time. This currency of space implies a reconfiguration of how we think about the evolution of human identity.

[multidimensionbb]

The Great MCYT WIP Purge 2024: Info Post!

EVENT DETAILS ARE HERE!

For this event, artists of all mediums and stripes (cosplayers, artists, writers--anyone!) are encouraged to pick up a WIP, whether half-finished and shared, just a random Discord DM to a friend, or 95% done in your Google Docs, and finish it to your desired finish level! Those who choose to battle their creative demons will take up the mantle of a WIP warrior (warrior for short) in the event. Only one WIP will be allowed per person, due to the structuring of the event, but you are encouraged to work on other WIPs if you finish yours early and are feeling it!

If you do not wish to fight on the front lines, keep reading, because we still have desperate need of you! Those who do not wish to take up arms can still help from the sidelines as our amazing support roles. There will be three main kinds of support roles: doodlers (who are capable of sketching motivational doodles), betas (those who check over work to polish it; though they are usually readers, in this event, they may also check over the quality of other mediums if asked!), and duckies (those who help the warriors problem solve their way around creative blocks with cooperative brainstorming sessions). Any supporter may sign up as multiple of these roles for one person--sign up for whatever you're comfortable and capable of helping out with!

Warriors and supporters will be paired in teams of two based on an anonymous summary of the warrior's work. If a warrior wishes to fight solo, they can simply let a mod know, and if they already have a supporter in mind, they can also let a mod know! We would like to keep teams in pairs, if possible, but we can make exceptions if a warrior's team is pre-selected.

A participant may also choose to sign up as a warrior and a supporter. Please be mindful of your workload if you do this, however--we don't want you to burn out!

EVENT RULES:

If you need to drop the event, please let a mod know right away! No shame at all, we just want communication!

13+ please, to comply with Discord's TOS.

You must have a Discord account to participate, as the vast majority of this event will be hosted there!

No E-Rated fics! Sorry! If you are concerned about your WIP crossing the line, please DM a mod during the idea finalization phase of the event.

Shipping is permitted for this event; however, we request that you keep ship-related discussion and art to the specific keyed Discord category, to respect other participant's personal preferences!

Conversely, no ship-related harassment will be tolerated. Do not be surprised when an event that allows shipping has shipping in it and do not argue with others about their ship preferences. Mods will not be censoring projects based on relationships or content as long as those projects follow our other rules.

WIPs must be MCYT-related! Any corner of MCYT will do--we're not picky (this is just to make teaming easier than a multifandom event, to be quite honest).

If you need any clarification or elaboration, please check our multidimensional asks tag to see if the question has been answered; if it hasn't, feel free to shoot us an ask or an individual DM!

To see the event timeline, look here!

To meet the mods, look here!

To sign up, look here!

[horrorknife]

2 8 and 10 for the love ask game.

2) a headcanon you weren't sure about at first but have come to like

mmmh...i'm really really picky about this kind of thing usually. i tend to have my own headcanons and even if i incorporate someone else's idea into my interpretation, what i have at the end is so far from the original intent that im not sure they would count as the same thing? JKFNSJNd i hope that this doesnt sound too self important but i have highly specific and fleshed out versions of characters i love that live in my mind and i have very very in depth reasoning for a lot of my hcs and ideas . so uh yeah long winded as fuck way to say i am usually a "my own ideas" type bitch. i have my own interpretations of characters before i ever end up going into any tags and it's difficult to deviate from that idea i think is the point i'm trying to make. christ. sorry. i drank two beers and i am high rn.

8) you hope more people will come to appreciate _ (a ship, a trope, an episode, etc)

hmmmmmmm. i mean for me i love love love exploring love through violence because i think it's so interesting and fiction is a great medium for exploring the ways people can love and hurt each other! :3 i just love it when people are bad for each other but are very devoted to each other or are driven to unusual/distressing lengths for each other. so i think that trope. or like. obsession being a form of unholy and desperate affection? Whew. i think that this is really really fun to explore in saw and i loveeeeeee making things multidimensional and complicated <33333 <- homestuck fan. lol

10) a blog (mutual or one you follow) that has made your fandom experience brighter

i dont even know who comes to mind. uhhhhhhh i dont know any blgos anymore. fuck my life. in general if we've dmed or interacted or anything i probably have had my experience bettered by you. i love getting talked to whether its via asks/dms/tags/whatever. if you acknowledge my existence im probably like aw hell yeah i like that guy :-)

[yermes]

Blood in the water 🩸 

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Pick a meme

123

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Disclaimer: please take what I say with a grain of salt and not as the gospel. I just want to share some ideas of practicing and giving advice using the medium as often as I can with school, work, and my own personal studies and practice. But I am working on sharing my notes soon so that will be exciting! Liking and sharing does a lot 🥰

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Socials: My Socials ☾

My insta is priv but I do approve daily

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The cards

Germanium Ge 32

They showed us the extent of their care, and its reach is not far at all. If they cannot show care we must understand the steps of what must happen. The worms can turn. The allure of the energy is strong and we must foster and care for it individually. We cannot wait for people to feed our energy we must do what we can to keep our furnaces alive, the only way the alchemical and sacred nature of ourselves may be fostered and be made to flourish is by our own hand. Do not let those dampen it.

Niobium Nb 41

Truly the most esoteric girl in sewer its one thing to believe to have care for those around us. We should have care an empathy for those around us and if you don’t! That is incredibly alarming ! Its cool to have empathy, in a world as brutal and as harsh as our own if we don’t approach people in worst positions than our own with kindness we are no better then the rot who keep them in their positions. There is no care for evil, only for gentle hands who reach out to otherness and meet compassion to those whom don’t feel the standard of love.

Silicon Si 14

Unsure how to proceed, its easy to get swept up in the negativity. There is so much around us in this point and time do we stay, do we go, do we help, do we withdraw? What is there to do? We are in a weird middles ground of otherness in emotions and mental states, we must tend to the multidimensional aspects of ourselves. We cannot be of help if we succumb to our fragile nature. We must help but we also must not destroy ourselves in the process.

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Extras:

Story/vent: I am so exhausted pookie but I CRUSHED my math hw

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[yugiohcardsdaily]

Posted Cards Master Post - 37.5

July 2022, 15th thru end

Therion "Bull" Ain

Therion Charge

Therion Cross

Therion Discolosseum

Therion "Duke" Yul

Therion "King" Regulus

Therion "Lily" Borea

Therion "Reaper" Fum

Therion Stand Up!

Visas Starfrost

Vivid Tail

V-LAN Hydra

War Rock Medium

XX-clusion

Yakusa, Lord of the Eight Thunders

Yamatako Orochi

Zombie Reborn

Land of the Ojamas

Ojama Black

Ojama Blue

Rick Astley (joke card)

Ojama Delta Hurricane!!

Ojama Duo

Ojama Emperor

Ojama Green

Ojama King

Ojama Knight

Ojama Pajama

Ojama Pink

Ojama Red

Ojama Trio

Ojama Yellow

Ojamagic

Ojamassimilation

Ojamatch

Ojamuscle

The Virtuous Vestals (token)

Tri-Brigade (token)

Ecclesia the Exiled (token)

Albaz the Shrouded (token)

Aluber the Dogmatic (token)

Artifact Scythe

Back to the Front

Black Dragon Collapserpent

Branded Fusion

Branded Lost

Branded Retribution

Branded Sword

Called by the Grave

Chaos Dragon Levianeer

Dark Ruler No More

Dimensional Barrier

Fusion Substitute

Keeper of Dragon Magic

Lubellion the Searing Dragon

Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon

Giltia the D. Knight - Soul Spear

Harpie's Pet Dragon - Fearsome Fire Blast

Kaiser Glider Golden Burst

Mystical Elf White Lightning

Necro Fusion

Omni Dragon Brotaur

Pot of Extravagance

Radian the Multidimensional Kaiju

Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon

Springans Kitt

Starliege Seyfert

The Golden Swordsoul

There Can Only Be One

Thunder King, the Lightningstrike Kaiju

Tri-Brigade Mercourier

Waking the Dragon

Warning Point

White Dragon Wyvernburster

Altergeist Failover

Baxia, Brightness of the Yang Zing

Bluebeard, the Plunder Patroll Shipwright

Borrelend Dragon

Brute Enforcer

Chaos Grepher

Chimeratech Fortress Dragon

Chimeratech Megafleet Dragon

Chimeratech Rampage Dragon

Chronicle Magician

Cipher Twin Raptor

Cocatorium the Heavy Metal Avian

Code Exporter

Code Generator

Code Radiator

Contract with the Void

Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon

Crystron Halqifibrax

Cynet Conflict

Dark Alligator

Dark Contract with the Gate

Dark Contract with the Swamp King

Dark Magician the Dragon Knight