#para phenomena

[mimill3]

“You HAVE to see this! It totally proves my theories are right!”

[universalheart]

fan art for @mimill3

[anjels001]

Kirosk (KEE-rohsk)-equivalent to turtle

General Description:

The Kirosk is a formidable terrestrial creature indigenous to the planet Mandalore. Known for its formidable shell and assertive territorial nature, the Kirosk bears a striking resemblance to Earth’s turtles but boasts unique attributes that set it apart as one of the most esteemed and intimidating species on Mandalore. Revered and feared, this creature symbolizes the enduring spirit of Mandalorian culture.

Physical Characteristics:

Size and Structure:

Length: Up to 4 meters

Height: Up to 2 meters

Body: The Kirosk possesses a broad, muscular build, covered by a segmented shell composed of hard, resilient plates. These plates are made from a material akin to beskar, the legendary Mandalorian metal, known for its exceptional strength. The shell’s coloration ranges from dark gray to muted green and blue, aiding in camouflage against Mandalore’s rugged terrain.

Head and Limbs:

Head: The Kirosk features a wide, flattened head with small, piercing eyes that emit an amber glow. Its robust jaw is equipped with razor-sharp teeth designed for breaking rocks and extracting valuable minerals and metals.

Limbs: Short but powerful, the Kirosk’s limbs end in formidable claws. These claws are adept at digging through the earth and defending against potential threats.

Tail:

Structure: The Kirosk’s tail is long, thick, and armored with spiked protrusions. It serves dual purposes: as a defensive weapon and as a tool for attacking. The tail can knock over small trees and deliver significant damage to adversaries during combat.

Behavior and Habits:

Territoriality:

Marking: The Kirosk is highly territorial, using deep scratches on rocks and soil to demarcate its domain. Preferring rocky and mountainous environments, it uses these areas for shelter and strategic observation of potential threats.

Diet:

Feeding Habits: Omnivorous by nature, the Kirosk’s diet includes tough vegetation, small fauna, and minerals embedded in rocks. Notably, the consumption of beskar deposits contributes to the robustness and durability of its shell.

Activity Patterns:

Behavior: Generally solitary, the Kirosk is active during the cooler hours of dawn and dusk, seeking food and defending its territory. Its behavior reflects a blend of cautious observation and aggressive defense.

Cultural Significance:

Mandalorian Symbolism:

Cultural Role: The Kirosk is revered in Mandalorian culture as a symbol of strength, resilience, and perseverance. Its image is often depicted in art, monuments, and armor, representing the enduring spirit of the Mandalorian people.

Ritual Significance: In Mandalorian tradition, confronting a Kirosk is considered a rite of passage for warriors, serving as a test of bravery and skill. The challenge of facing such a formidable creature is seen as a mark of honor and capability.

Utilitarian Value: The Kirosk’s shell, when found naturally, is highly prized. It is often repurposed into armor and shields, enhancing their protective properties with the strength of beskar-like material.

Conservation Status:

Population: The Kirosk is a rare and respected species, with populations concentrated in specific rocky regions of Mandalore. Its rarity contributes to its status as a formidable and coveted creature within Mandalorian society.

Threats: Natural predators and environmental changes pose threats to the Kirosk’s habitat. Conservation efforts focus on protecting these creatures and their ecosystems to ensure their continued presence on Mandalore.

Ecological Role:

Ecosystem Impact: As a keystone species, the Kirosk plays a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance of Mandalore’s rocky environments. Its feeding habits help control mineral deposits and promote the health of the ecosystem.

Curiosity:

"In our extensive studies of the diverse flora and fauna across the galaxy, one particularly fascinating specimen from the remote world of Mandalore has come to our attention: the Kirosk. This remarkable creature, with its formidable shell and elusive nature, has revealed an intriguing biological phenomenon concerning the formation of a rare crystal known as the Mado'a Kyeber. The Mado'a Kyeber, or 'Ka'ra Manda' as it is known in the native tongue, forms within the Kirosk’s digestive system in a manner reminiscent of the pearls produced by the Krayt dragon. As the Kirosk consumes various minerals, some of these are not fully digested and instead accumulate within the stomach. Over time, these undigested mineral fibers crystallize, resulting in the formation of the Mado'a Kyeber. This process mirrors the creation of Krayt dragon pearls, which develop from the irritation caused by foreign objects within the dragon’s digestive tract. The resulting Mado'a Kyeber is a striking black crystal with a pulsating resonance akin to a heartbeat. Its unique formation and properties make it a valuable and symbolically significant substance within Mandalorian culture. The comparison to Krayt dragon pearls underscores its rarity and the complex interplay between the creature's biology and the environment of Mandalore. Such discoveries not only enhance our understanding of the natural world but also deepen our appreciation for the intricate ways in which life adapts and evolves in different corners of the galaxy." — Archivist Nerron, Jedi Archives, circa 1017 ABY

[doefrilled]

𓎟 ̊    names, prns, and sys names relating to scp𓈒

requested by anon

Facility﹐  Plague﹐  Foundation﹐  Corvid﹐  Corvidae﹐  Doctor﹐  Virus﹐  Anomaly﹐  Phenomenon﹐  Oddity﹐  Hazard﹐  Seven﹐  Four﹐  Five﹐  Six﹐  Nine﹐  Entity﹐  Paradox﹐  Cryptid﹐  Paranormal

eye eyes﹐  plague plagues﹐  049 049s﹐  173 173s﹐  999 999s﹐  (or any scp numbers as pronouns)﹐  anon anons﹐  entity entities﹐  odd odds﹐  it its﹐  ix ixs﹐  horror horrors﹐  secure secures﹐  para paranoia

Anomalous phenomena﹐  Special containment database﹐  Superstitious foundation﹐  Paranormal facility﹐  Hazardous anomalies﹐  Memetic hazards

note: I do not know much about scp at all unfortunately, but I tried my best!

[PT: Names, pronouns, and system names relating to scp

Requested by anon

Names: Facility, Plague, Foundation, Corvid, Corvidae, Doctor, Virus, Anomaly, Phenomenon, Oddity, Hazard, Seven, Four, Five, Six, Nine, Entity, Paradox, Cryptid, Paranormal

Pronouns: eye/eyes, plague/plagues, 049/049s, 173/173s, 999/999s, (or any scp numbers as pronouns), anon/anons, entity/entities, odd/odds, it/its, ix/ixs, horror/horrors, secure/secures, para/paranoia

System names: Anomalous phenomena, Special containment database, Superstitious Foundation, Paranormal Facility, Hazardous Anomalies, Memetic Hazards

/end PT ]

[transmutationisms]

do you think the subconscious/unconscious ‘mind’ is a qualifiable mechanism (like, ‘is it real’ lol)? i’m curious about its origins and whether it started as some kind of para-psychological metaphor (a la Jung) that kind of took on a life of its own within a more medical context.

sooo there are a couple different ways i would approach this.

one is, like you suggest, the idea of 'subconscious' or 'unconscious' phenomena (i believe these terms first appeared around the same time, the early 18th century, and have always had a lot of overlap with one another) certainly made early appearances in psychological discourses that were not (overtly) medical. in these contexts, afaik, people weren't really talking about an unconscious or a subconscious—distinct entities with some kind of biological or metaphysical demarcation from other aspects of mental life—they were more talking about thoughts, ideas, or cognitive processes that occur without deliberate direction or even knowledge. so, an object that's making an impression on my sensory organs right now is most likely something i'm conscious of; a memory of an entirely different object i perceived three months ago is probably being 'preserved' (more metaphorical language lol... psychology is lousy with it) without my conscious intent, hence subconsciously or unconsciously. but this category would also include things like my knowledge of how to direct my muscles, language i've acquired, other skills, memories, bodily functions that are related to my nervous system, and so forth. there is more than a whiff of faculty psychology embedded in here, but it's not an overtly medical construction the way psychiatry becomes later.

two, even just pointing out a shift from non-medical psychology to medical psychology is still not quite capturing the full weirdness of what happened during the 18th to mid 20th centuries, because the medicalisation of psychology took a while and started relatively early (certainly by the late 18th century it was underway) but medicine itself was also undergoing some critical changes at the time. i would argue that, despite a clear lockean influence, those very early formulations of subconscious and unconscious processes also have certain roots in vitalist discourses, maybe especially in the french and german contexts, and as we start to see the shift to medical discourse about the unconscious as a kind of sub-entity of the mind-or-brain, we're also seeing much more flagrant mechanistic metaphors. so in some sense, already there's a break here that's being obscured by the language-game of hanging onto an existing term but deploying it in a pretty critically different way. i am not totally confident about this but my sense is that a lot of very early users of the terms 'unconscious'/'subconscious' would have had pretty strenuous objections to some of this later discursive reification of the subconscious or unconscious entity.

three, although medicine is a critical piece of this puzzle, the other major one i would say is evolutionary theory. by the turn of the 20th century, and certainly into the early 20th century, the idea of an unconscious or subconscious mind was very frequently and even explicitly invoked as not just a distinct mental apparatus, but specifically one considered to be 'primitive', like a kind of ancient or primordial part of the mind/brain. (this is i think in some tension with freud's use of the concept of repression as generally accompanying and arising as a result of civilisation and social mores... but freud and evolutionary thinking is a whole other topic, lol). in its most extreme form this type of claim ends up feeding into things like evo-psych claims about the so-called 'lizard brain' (i am looking at bessel van der kolk unblinking) or generally the particular narrativisations around the limbic system as a kind of 'primal' interior brain, responsible for certain bodily processes, involuntary atavistic fear-responses, &c, contrasted to the more recently evolved outer gray matter. the valences attributed to certain neurological structures and processes justified with an evolutionary story (virtually always a teleological one) is, i think, really critical to unpack how the concept of the unconscious/subconscious has come to be used. and, again, this is all just fundamentally different to the earliest usages (that i know of) of these terms, not least because evolutionary hypotheses really were not taken seriously until the mid-late 18th century (and then sporadically, locally, and with difficulty), and certainly were not foundational elements of the kinds of psychological discourses that posited unconscious or subconscious activities.

of course none of this inherently discredits the idea that the unconscious is (a) 'real' (mechanism). but if someone wanted to defend that hypothesis they would probably want to come up with some anatomical propositions that just... haven't really materialised (surprise) and i do think it bears on this discussion that historically, unconsciousness and subconsciousness have really been largely narrative inventions or metaphors used to make sense of mental life, to the point where the terms really have meant numerous different things since their inception and have never had any serious correlation with anatomical structures, organs, tissues, &c.

i would also say that like... whether or not the subconscious or unconscious are 'real' in this mechanical sense isn't necessarily the same as whether the concepts have utility; an awful lot of science runs on exploiting a metaphor or model until for various reasons it's replaced by a different one. i would say though that it is a hindrance to scientific study if these metaphors are presented as being something other than metaphorical—like for instance if the mechanical reality of the unconscious is presumed because expressed in suitably scientific language, and then justified with post hoc circular logic.

so i suppose the short version of my answer is: i don't think the unconscious/subconscious have a historically stable meaning; to the extent that they have a contemporary stable meaning, i don't think they have a corresponding 'real' mechanical cause or instantiation; and although i'm sceptical of their utility in psychological study on these grounds, i'm not categorically opposed and would leave that to other people to sort out.

[theforbiddeneden]

TEETH OF GOD US TOUR(30/04/2024): INTERLÚDIOS

The Interludes of Teeth Of God seem to explore themes of mortality, transcendence, and the nature of truth and existence. According to Heidegger, he argues that death is an inevitable possibility that shapes the totality of human existence. He speaks of "Being-towards-Death," meaning that the awareness of one's own mortality is essential for an authentic existence. The interludes explore the constant presence of death in human life and suggest that this awareness of mortality can lead to a deeper understanding of existence. Heidegger emphasizes the importance of temporality in human experience, arguing that we are temporal beings who exist in time and for time. The interludes reflect on the temporality of human life, especially in relation to finitude and transitoriness.

Os Interlúdios de Teeth Of God parecem explorar temas de mortalidade, transcendência e a natureza da verdade e da existência. Segundo Heidegger, argumenta que a morte é uma possibilidade inevitável que dá forma à totalidade da existência humana. Ele fala sobre o "Ser-para-a-Morte", significando que a consciência da própria mortalidade é essencial para uma existência autêntica. Os interlúdios exploram a presença constante da morte na vida humana e sugerem que essa consciência da mortalidade pode levar a uma compreensão mais profunda da existência. Heidegger enfatiza a importância da temporalidade na experiência humana, argumentando que somos seres temporais que existem no tempo e para o tempo. Os interlúdios refletem sobre a temporalidade da vida humana, especialmente em relação à finitude e à transitoriedade.

INTERLÚDIO I:

To me it seems there must be something on the other side we're all told the truth is merely a conclusion that can be derived from some observable phenomena.

Parece para mim que deve haver algo do outro lado, todos nos dizem que a verdade é meramente uma conclusão que pode ser derivada de alguns fenômenos observáveis.

We forget that truth is a tool; it is the hook upon which we hang our deeds and the bed from which we rise each day

Nós esquecemos que a verdade é uma ferramenta, é o gancho no qual penduramos nossas ações e a cama da qual nos levantamos a cada dia.

To assume that death is the end is to assume that our being extends no further than the physical substrate that carries us

Assumir que a morte é o fim é assumir que nosso ser não se estende além do substrato físico que nos carrega.

This assumption does not account for the world in which we experience being alive

Essa suposição não leva em conta o mundo no qual experimentamos estar vivos.

Nor does it sit comfortably aside the fact that we are not yet able to comprehend the way in which our being manifests itself from the flesh and bone that binds us

Nem se encaixa confortavelmente ao lado do fato de que ainda não somos capazes de compreender a maneira pela qual nosso ser se manifesta a partir da carne e do osso que nos prende.

I believe that those gaps in our understanding are still wide enough to cast doubt in such conclusions

Eu acredito que essas lacunas em nosso entendimento ainda são amplas o suficiente para lançar dúvidas sobre tais conclusões.

I believe that those gaps are yet wide enough for our souls to fit through

Eu acredito que essas lacunas ainda são amplas o suficiente para que nossas almas possam passar por elas.

And drift onwards into some new realm

E seguir adiante para algum novo reino.

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

INTERLÚDIO II:

To argue the existence of anything beyond death is to reject the idea of death itself

Argumentar a existência de algo além da morte é rejeitar a ideia da própria morte

Death is not the opening of some eternal goal

A morte não é a abertura de algum objetivo eterno

Death does not confer transcendence of any kind

A morte não confere transcendência de qualquer tipo

To make such assertions is to act as though you do not know death

Fazer tais afirmações é agir como se você não conhecesse a morte

As though we do not spend our lives trying to drag forth some semblance of meaning from beneath death's thick, dark shadow

Como se não passássemos nossas vidas tentando extrair algum semblante de significado de sob a espessa e escura sombra da morte

As though we have not also inflicted it, no less than we sometimes revel in it

Como se nós também não a infligíssemos, não menos do que às vezes nos regozijamos nela

It is only the certainty of death that provides us with the darkness against which we all glow

É apenas a certeza da morte que nos proporciona a escuridão contra a qual todos nós brilhamos

Defiably, life without death knows no form, no boundary without death and our finite nature, we will be stripped of all meaning

Definidamente, a vida sem morte não conhece forma, nem limite sem morte e nossa natureza finita, seríamos despojados de todo significado

Left to wander as little more than endlessly, rotating gears in the choir of tension of a cold hell

Deixados a vagar como pouco mais do que engrenagens girando interminavelmente no coro da tensão de um inferno frio

But we do not die, because it gives our lives meaning

Mas nós não morremos, porque isso dá significado às nossas vidas

We die because this is the way of all the things

Nós morremos porque esse é o destino de todas as coisas

And in the end, is that not all we are?

E no final, não é isso tudo o que somos?

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INTERLÚDIO III:

It is not simply some kind of existential threshold we all are fated to cross

Não é simplesmente algum tipo de limiar existencial ao qual todos estamos fadados a atravessar

It is far more than these small notions

É muito mais do que essas pequenas noções

One does not need to look as far as the end of their own life to be confounded with the unknowable

Não é necessário olhar até o fim de sua própria vida para ser confrontado com o indescritível

One does not even need to look that far to be confronted with death

Não é necessário nem mesmo olhar tão longe para ser confrontado com a morte

Look around you

Olhe ao seu redor

About what can you truly be certain

Sobre o que você realmente pode ter certeza

Death is a color

A morte é uma cor

It soaks a part of every canvas

Ela impregna uma parte de cada tela

Death is a fabric

A morte é um tecido

It can clothe the living

Ela pode vestir os vivos

Death is merely another weapon we all define a great adversary

A morte é meramente outra arma que todos nós definimos como um grande adversário

Another cadence in this terribly and beautiful symphony listening to, helplessly

Outra cadência nesta terrível e bela sinfonia que ouvimos, impotentes

Let it bring me hope in one hand and fear in the other

Deixe que me traga esperança em uma mão e medo na outra

It is asking you to dance with death after all

Afinal, está pedindo a você para dançar com a morte

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

SETLIST:

TNDNBTG - the Night Does Not Belong To God

The Offering

Dark Signs

Higher

Interlúdio I

Atlantic

Hypnosis

Like That

Alkaline

Missing Limbs

Interlúdio II

Chokehold

The summoning

Granite

Rain

Ascensionism

Interlúdio III

TMBTE - Take Me Back To Eden

Euclid

Fontes:

Sleep Token - Teeth of God Tour - April 30 2024 - Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix, AZ

O que é o existencialismo - três características fundamentais

Em Camus, revolta é resposta para absurdo da condição humana

[semi-deuses]

Mediunidade - Instrumento de Deus a serviço do espírito encarnado e desencarnado.

Mediumship - Instrument of God at the service of the incarnate and discarnate spirit.

É um espírito utilizando o médium para expor sua arte. Ele assina com o nome de Reant Duttvin, talvez um desconhecido.

Os dons mediúnicos sempre foram parte da vida entre os planos, e são muitos meios que são parte desse maravilhoso instrumento. Sempre houve um momento da história em que os fenômenos foram utilizados de forma a chamar atenção da humanidade, pelo menos aqui nessa faixa onde encarnamos.

É por onde posso dizer, já que não tenho plena lembrança das vidas nos mundos invisíveis.

No velho e novo testamento, bases do religiosismo do Ocidente, temos por exemplo, os dons poderosos de Moisés, quando vários fenômenos foram feitos para chamar a atenção do Faraó e do povo de Israel, a entrega dos Dez Mandamentos, seu cajado se transformando em uma serpente, e outros efeitos.

Mais adiante, tivemos a presença do mestre Jesus. Por mediunidade ainda. Jesus nasce do ventre de uma mulher virgem, seus prodígios quando fez a água se transformar em vinho, a rede se encher de peixes, a cura dos doentes e o mais grandioso de todos, a desmaterialização do corpo, conhecido como o TÚMULO VAZIO. Jesus apareceu depois para os apóstolos e abre os dons para a humanidsde praticar abertamente, no dia da festa do Pentecoste, quando vários encarnados médiuns e de forma espontânea, começam a falar em diversas línguas.

E no século retrasado, que poder era aquele sonre as mesas girantes, que flutuavam nas reuniões em París, não era esse poder da mediunidade?

Quantas pessoas foram assassinadas só porque praticavam a mediunidade? Jesus disse que aqueles que são contra os dons do espírito santo, teriam que responder diante da Justiça de Deus.

It is a spirit using the medium to display his art. He signs with the name Reant Duttvin, perhaps an unknown.

Mediumistic gifts have always been part of life between the planes, and there are many means that are part of this wonderful instrument.

There has always been a moment in history when phenomena were used in order to draw the attention of humanity, at least here in this band where we incarnate. That is how I can tell, since I do not have full memory of the lives in the invisible worlds. In the Old and New Testaments, the basis of Western religiosity, we have, for example, the powerful gifts of Moses, when several phenomena were made to draw the attention of Pharaoh and the people of Israel, the delivery of the Ten Commandments, his staff turning into a serpent, and other effects.

Later on, we had the presence of the master Jesus. Through mediumship again. Jesus was born from the womb of a virgin woman. His miracles included turning water into wine, filling the net with fish, healing the sick, and the greatest of all, dematerializing the body, known as the EMPTY TOMB. Jesus later appeared to the apostles and opened up the gifts for humanity to practice openly on the day of the feast of Pentecost, when several incarnate mediums spontaneously began to speak in different languages. And in the century before last, what power was that over the turning tables that floated at meetings in Paris?

Wasn't that the power of mediumship? How many people were murdered just because they practiced mediumship? Jesus said that those who are against the gifts of the Holy Spirit would have to answer before the Justice of God.

[ylespar]

"Long-term covert intelligence operations often exhibit distinct patterns and causes of evidence emergence. These can be categorized into several types, including: genuine accidents; unauthorized disclosures (e.g. Snowden-like leaks); deliberate misinformation (which may contain contradictory or nonsensical elements to undermine authentic leaks); and unanticipated improvements in the target’s detection capabilities. Intriguingly, our analysis suggests the history of UAP evidence may include a similar classification pattern of events."

UAP Bridge, "The Great (Strategic) Silence" (22 July 2023), sec. UAP Phenomena As Potential Evidence of ICI (para. 3), https://uapbridge.org/great-strategic-silence/

[lunaissabella]

I could have been totally casual with the #KymanHalloweek2024 or let it consume me... as you can see, I was consumed

Summary:

The week leading up to Halloween is one of the busiest times of the year when you’re dedicated to keeping the mortal world separate from the supernatural and investigating the strange phenomena between both worlds. Especially when you’re a witch unaccustomed to your dreams sending you warnings of what’s to come, or a vampire trying to protect him.

It’s probably a bad time to realize that you don’t want to lose the person you claim to hate with your entire existence.

Pude haberme tomado la Kyman Halloweek con casualidad, o pude haberme dejado consumir... como pueden ver, me dejé consumir

Resumen:

La semana previa a Halloween es uno de los momentos más ajetreados del año cuándo uno se dedica a mantener el mundo mortal separado del mundo sobrenatural e investigar los fenómenos extraños entre ambos mundos. Especialmente cuando eres un brujo poco acostumbrado a que tus sueños te envíen señales de lo que está por suceder, o un vampiro tratando de protegerlo.

Es, probablemente, un mal momento para caer en cuenta que no quieres perder a la persona que aseguras detestas con toda tu existencia.

[curried-mermaid]

A Review: Tokyo Revengers Vol. 1

Author: Ken Wakui Illustrator: Ken Wakui Publishers: Seven Seas Entertainment Age Group: Older Teen Genre: Shonen Fantasy Type: Manga Omnibus (1-2)

Content Warnings: Violence, SA, Gangs

Spoilers ahead

Plot

Watching the news, Hanagaki Takemichi learns his junior-high girlfriend Tachibana Hinata has died. A sudden shove sends him 12 years into the past to face the Tokyo Manji Gang that once made his life hell, which is also responsible for Hinata’s death in the present. To save Hinata and change the future, Takemichi must rise to the top of Kanto’s most sinister delinquent gang! But things aren’t simple when he befriends the gang’s leader, Mikey. What turned Mikey from a petulant child to the leader of the most infamous gang in Tokyo? 

Character Development

Hanagaki has a lot of regrets from junior high that he’s never gotten over. He bums from one job to the next without a life goal until he’s able to go back in time. This allows him to solidify what he wants. We see a lot of character growth in the omnibus containing the first two volumes of Tokyo Revengers. He’s a bit of a coward and can’t fight, though that doesn’t stop him. He’s not the smartest or strongest but he does have a fighting soul. 

Naoto Tachibana is Hinata’s brother who’s become a police detective in order to save his sister. He can't do that without investigating and having Hanagaki help him change the past. If they can do that, Hinata may just be saved. Naoto is a serious type that’s obsessed with taking down the Mangi gang by any means necessary. He’s intelligent, but his sources could use some work. 

There’s a lot of tension developing between Naoto and Hanagaki as things between the present and what’s in the past aren’t lining up. 

World-building

We have a contemporary setting with time travel back exactly 12 years. The phenomena of Hanagaki’s time-traveling powers are interesting as he needs the catalyst of shaking hands with Naoto to go back and forth. 

Themes

Sometimes to achieve what you want, you have to have guts of steel. Hanagaki isn’t the brightest, strongest, or anything. He’s your average Joe that just wants the best for a girl he still pines after. He doesn’t let anything he encounters stop him from saving those important to him, even though he knows the odds are not in his favor. As such, we shouldn’t let things get in our way either, even if its ourselves to achieve our goals and dreams, especially if we have another chance. 

Observations & Predictions

While we don’t know who is behind all of the misinformation between the past and present, I have a hunch that it’s Kasaki Tetta. Tetta may be more intelligent than we think once we meet him. We know that Hanagaki’s friend is so scared of him in the present that his friend commits suicide. In order to save his friend, he’ll have to change the past. Who is Tetta and how does he gain control? That’ll be the biggest thing for Hanagaki to investigate. 

Recommendations

Wind Breaker By: Satoru Nii

Holyland By: Kouji Mori 

To Not Die (Webtoon) By: Parae, Jinguk Lim

Nine Peaks By: Tetsuhiro Hirakawa

[shotbyshe]

Words of the Day

duplicitous:

Given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech.

Exhibiting duplicity; deceitful; double-dealing.

symbiosis:

A close, prolonged association between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but does not necessarily, benefit each member.

A relationship of mutual benefit or dependence.

The living together in more or less imitative association or even close union of two dissimilar organisms.

In a broad sense the term includes parasitism, or antagonistic symbiosis or antipathetic symbiosis, in which the association is disadvantageous or destructive to one of the organisms, but ordinarily it is used of cases where the association is advantageous, or often necessary, to one or both, and not harmful to either.

Aether

Classical element

According to ancient and medieval science, aether, also known as the fifth element or quintessence, is the material that fills the region of the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere. The concept of aether was used in several theories to explain several natural phenomena, such as the propagation of light and gravity.

scabrous:

Having or covered with scales or small projections and rough to the touch.

Dealing with scandalous or salacious material.

Rough to the touch, like a file; having small raised dots, scales, or points; scabby; scurfy; scaly.

reconnaissance:

An inspection or exploration of an area, especially one made to gather military information.

An examination or survey of a region in reference to its general geological character.

An examination of a region as to its general natural features, preparatory to a more particular survey for the purposes of triangulation, or of determining the location of a public work.

~~~

"Duplicitous": Someone describing Andrea from Love Island's behavior during the reunion. I wouldn't know, I only watched the show. Apparently she had an online forum going on after she was kicked off. Good lord. I don't follow those people on social media, (my conscience: "you don't follow anyone, you don't even use social media") or their whereabouts. I don't get people nowadays. Can you not just watch a show and be satisfied with it? Must you lurk these personalities online? I call them "personalities" because they are not real people. They go on reality TV so they can get brand deals. That was a character you watched -- just like Rachel and Phoebe -- enjoy them, then go watch someone else. These para-social attachments are strange and alien to me. I'm not fond.

I watched a lot of Avengers movies this week.

When I tell you that I'm obsessed with the word aether and the whole science-fiction realm of it all. I mean my favorite movie isn't The Fifth Element for no reason. The nerd that lives inside of me wants to bring up 'aether' in every conversation that I have.

[mimill3]

Receiving Messages

[sobreiromecanico]

Mais uma órbita concluída

Dois dias de atraso, pois o mais inesperado presente de aniversário que tive foi uma valente dor de garganta. Mas essa chegou só já depois de jantar (do mal o menos), pelo que ainda deu para se aproveitar o dia - e para receber óptimas prendas.

White Chalk, de 2007, vem para a crescente colecção de discos de PJ Harvey - é um álbum maravilhoso, que marca uma mudança interessante na música da cantora e compositora inglesa (recuso-me a usar a expressão horrível "cantautor"), afastando-se do rock que marcara os seus discos até aí para procurar outras sonoridades. Roaming, de Jillian e Mariko Tamaki, foi uma banda desenhada que me chamou a atenção há algum tempo, e que tem excelente crítica; estou muito curioso quanto à história, pois as ilustrações, essas, já vi sei que são excelentes. Karen Lord era um nome em falta na biblioteca doméstica de ficção científica, e esta nova edição de The Best of All Possible Worlds vem mesmo a calhar. Também a calhar vem Tolkien - é absolutamente impossível alguém se enganar ao oferecer-me alguma coisa do autor de The Lord of the Rings. E, por fim, os filmes: Forbidden Planet é um dos melhores filmes de sempre de ficção científica, e nunca aparece em streaming ou em reposições nos cinemas de Lisboa - ter uma edição física para ver e rever é muito bom mesmo. Barbarella é uma das minhas lacunas cinematográficas, e ficará resolvida em breve.

Discos, livros, banda desenhada e filmes - não se pode pedir muito mais.

Claro que ainda houve tempo para dar um saltinho à BD Mania e comprar o segundo volume de Phenomena, de Brian Michael Bendis e André Lima Araújo. Será uma das leituras deste Verão. Já andava de olho neste livro desde Abril, mas ainda não tinha calhado comprá-lo; e apesar de poder comprá-lo a um preço consideravelmente mais baixo online, não quis vir da loja de mãos a abanar.

Não refiro isto por acaso. Também no meu aniversário descobri com alguma tristeza que um dos meus espaços preferidos de Lisboa - o bar e loja de discos Chasing Rabbits - encerrou portas em definitivo no início de Junho. Era um espaço incrível, onde se comia muito bem e se podia consultar uma selecção muitíssimo criteriosa de discos. Estive lá em meados de Maio, no aniversário de uma amiga, longe de imaginar que seria a última vez; e olhando para trás só lamento não ter ido lá mais vezes. Sim, por norma sai mais barato comprar online, seja livros ou discos, e percebo mesmo muito bem a necessidade de retirar o máximo de um orçamento limitado. Mas se de vez em quando não fizermos compras nas lojas físicas de que gostamos, mesmo que sejam um pouco mais caras - como é forçoso que sejam - acabamos por vê-las desaparecer, com tudo o que isso representa.

Na comida, houve isto: bolo de chocolate de Campo de Ourique ao lanche (o melhor do mundo, dizem, e eu não disputo), e o delicioso tataki de lombo de novilho do restaurante Soão ao jantar. É um luxo de uma vez por ano.

[dustedmagazine]

Botanist — Paleobotany (Prophecy Productions)

Photo by Wyman Choy

For much of Botanist’s existence — as an artist, a project and now a band, with a line-up that has cohered over the last few full-length records — their association with black metal has been taken as a sort of given. And as recently as Photosynthesis (2020), Botanist was deploying the harsh tones and shrieked vocals typical of black metal in its many sub- and hybrid genre forms. Listeners familiar with Botanist since the project’s initial releases (this reviewer started listening with III: Doom in Bloom, still his favorite Botanist record) know that Otrebor, founding member and songwriter, has always had a delightfully idiosyncratic and high-concept notion of black metal. Otrebor’s principal axe is an amplified hammered dulcimer. And that band name? It’s serious: all of Botanist’s songs thematize plant life, as mythic protagonist, anti- (or at least counter-) human lifeforce or object of scientific study.

As the title Paleobotany suggests, plant life remains a primary concern, and the band takes a sort of para-scientific approach here, thinking and riffing on the phenomena (and experiences) of ancient vegetation during the long evolution of the earthball’s ecologies. That hammered dulcimer is still the most prominent element of Botanist’s sonic environment, but things are changing in Botanist’s sound. There are bursts of harsh, guttural vocals on some of the record’s tracks, but they operate in a sort of duet with the more prominent clean singing of Mar Stacey. And “clean” doesn’t really capture the heroic, dulcet quality of Stacey’s performance. The vocalist seems to have spent a fair amount of time listening to Jon Anderson’s more operatic turns on Tales from Topographic Oceans.

Yes is a loaded reference, but prog is relevant to Paleobotany in a few ways. Numerous songs on the record evoke a sound akin to Kayo Dot, c. Coffins on Io, for good (some) and for ill (mostly). The long middle of Paleobotany, from “The Impact That Build the Amazon” through “Strychnos Electri,” is Botanist at the band’s most bloodless. You might say, “That’s sort of the point. No blood. Only chlorophyll.” Fair enough. But stultifyingly self-important compositions are still stultifying. The playing and the production shimmer, and to be sure, a beautiful shimmer is an aesthetic property ideally suited to the dulcimer’s brightness. But on that stretch of tracks, you’d be hard pressed to dig up much drama or intensity under the shiny surfaces.

Perhaps Botanist wishes to leave black metal behind, and one can applaud the impulse to change. Even to evolve. The record’s themes loom significantly here. But there’s something to be said for rootedness, and dirt, and darkness. Is it significant that one of the most effective songs on Paleobotany is “When the Forests Turned to Coal”? It’s compositionally ambitious, full of strange noises and forceful playing. There are moments of triumphal grandness, especially in the song’s closing 50 seconds, but there is also a grittier passion. With a bit more cultivation, something more engagingly strange may emerge from Botanist’s less doomy bloom.

Jonathan Shaw

[knight-of-the-round-belly]

Hell yeah! Would love to hear about your ocs!

Oh damn, I was dead for a while, and didn't realize there's such a demand. Alright anon, for you, I'll share some. I have way too many to list all of them, but here's the most used ones. I don't think I'll post pictures yet because I'm very selective on where I post art I commission, but maybe later. Posted under read more because of length.

Leona MacAonghis - My first ever vorish OC, and has a special place in my heart. She's a goliath fighter that started as a D&D character but later got used on other things, and I am in the process of trying to write a story featuring her. She's a typical excitable young hero that tries to do good and help everyone, even if her appetite often gets in the way. Her mentor is extremely disapproval of predators so she couldn't develop her natural abilities when studying under him, but he eventually accepts that part of her, and after she strikes off on her own she starts to train her very high vorish potential too. Physically, she's 2.75 meters (9 legs) tall, with fair skin, green eyes and a red ponytail. Her body type is muscular and curvy with healthy amounts of body fat, and like most of my OCs she has sharp teeth because why not.

Seraph - Lazily named seraph oc, the excuse is that her true name is impossible for mortals to comprehend. She's para-causal in nature and her true form can't exist in the material world, but she can interact with the material realm through an avatar body she creates. She has no physical sex, but chooses to present herself and identify as female. Seraph serves a deity that spends most of it's time in solitude, minding it's own business, so most of the work managing it's realm of creation falls onto her and her fellow celestials. After several billion years of service in the highest planes, she eventually got bored, and curiosity drives her to explore the universe, where she learned from the entities and phenomena she encounters. Most of all she gains an appreciation for mortals, and yearns to understand them, and get close to them in any way she can. She ends up also learning a few vices, primarily gluttony, and has gotten addicted to eating. She solves most of her problems with her mouth, and also prefers to learn about new things by ingesting them. Seraph has a tragic and lengthy backstory in one of her iterations, but I'm too lazy to go into it here.

Lurk/"The Knight" - my self-insert persona and the character in the PFP, a large knight in full white plate armour carrying a greatsword. Mostly exists to be eaten by women I find attractive, including my own or my friends' ocs, but occasionally I do serious stuff with him. Has no concrete backstory.

Betty - former enforcer bot that grew a personality, rebelled, and transed her gender. Now mostly serves herself, but will occasionally still protect her city from threats to fund her illegal body modifications. Purposely replaced her normal batteries with a matter assimilation reactor that acts as a digestive system, and feeds primarily on humans and their property. Because I'm a degenerate and also she exists in a superhero setting, she will sometimes eat a giant monster however, and can temporarily grow larger to fight them because I like mecha stuff.

I have a lot more, but I got lazy. I'll share about them later, this post is already very long overdue.

[pluagemask042]

Project NEXUS Redesigns- Dib Membrane

Son of the famous Professor Membrane. Dib has a highly scientific mind, however instead of focusing on the mainstream sciences he studies and catalogs Para-scientific phenomena such as Cryptozoology, Ufology, Ghost Hunting, and Astrobiology. Growing up all his theories and accusations (including those about his classmate zim) was regarded as mere ramblings of a lunatic, but now as different paranormal phenomena starts emerging, all his crazed theories seem to have a lot more merit... well some at least.