#she has zero to no respect for other people and did nothing to avoid spreading it even if i already wasn't doing well and was in the

[torgawl]

can't believe i'm getting sick. and i also cracked the back of my phone by accident because nothing was going my way today. wow, great christmas

[molothoo]

We live in a world where simps allow their girlfriends to spread their cheeks on Onlyfans while they cry silently. People pleasing robs men of their personal power. It kills them from the inside out like a vicious cancer. Here is what to do about it.

Building Power

He F**cked Up

I once heard a story of a lighthouse keeper who had a limited amount of oil to keep his beacon lit.

For many years, his lighthouse helped passing ships avoid rocky shores.

One day his neighbour asked for some oil. Not wanting to look like a bad neighbour, the lighthouse keeper obliged.

The next day, a passing traveller knocked on the door and offered the lighthouse keeper some bread in exchange for some oil. The lighthouse keeper had plenty of bread already but did not want to deny the poor man, so he gave him some of his oil.

The next week a beggar knocked on his door and begged for some oil – The beggar wished to sell it so he could buy some food. Feeling bad for the beggar, the lighthouse keeper gave him some oil. He was always taught to be a good Samaritan, so this act of kindness pleased him.

The next day a ship crashed into the rocky shores killing hundreds of people. The lighthouse keeper had run out of oil and could not keep the beacon lit.

Paying too much attention to other people’s needs whilst omitting his own led to the preventable disaster.

Whatever good he did prior was undone by his neglect towards his personal mission.

Mother Theresa and Jeff Bezos

From early childhood most of us are told to put other people’s needs first.

We are told taking care of our needs is selfish and wrong.

Society propagates this mentality.

People who accumulate success for themselves are depicted as being evil and selfish (Mr. Burns from The Simpsons being the archetype of a rich man).

From a spiritual perspective those who keep giving and ask for nothing are seen as pure, whilst those who wish for reasonable compensation are seen as the scum of the earth.

I’m sure we have all heard the bible verse,

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

Mother Theresa was made a saint for her philanthropy whilst the likes of Jeff Bezos are branded as corporate monsters.

Mother Theresa is celebrated because she did not get to fly in private jets and eat caviar from a gold plate. She was on the streets helping people with little time for herself – These acts of service making her a paragon of virtue.

If we were to look at the net good created in the world, one could argue Bezos has done more in terms of charity ($10 billion goes a long way even if you are not feeding the poor with your hands).

Weird Programming

When you were young, your parent subconsciously programmed into you the notion other people’s needs were more important than yours.

If you dropped a plate, they would yell,

“How can you be so clumsy, what’s wrong with you?”

If a visitor to your household did the same thing, they would say,

“Don’t worry about that, let me clean it up.”

People see the world as a zero-sum game - If you are winning it must mean someone else is losing.

The world is not a zero-sum game as I have shown with the Jeff Bezos example.

You don’t have to please everybody else while secretly suffering inside.

You don’t have to give up your oil like the lighthouse keeper when you desperately need it.

Real Life Applications

Jobs

Stop working in a shitty job just because you feel like you have to do it.

You don’t have to do shit.

You are not trapped despite what you might think.

Find something that fulfills you which also creates a tangible benefit for people.

Making money from this will become easy because you will find creative ways to produce more value.

I did this myself. I once studied a mechanical engineering degree and dropped out.

I now write posts like this which inspire people to see the world differently.

Life is good.

If everyone was committed doing the work they love, our world would be a much better place.

Fitness

Prioritize your health.

It doesn’t matter if you are a new dad or mum.

It doesn’t matter if you are working a job that requires a lot from you.

You need to put your health first.

You have only one body and failing to take care of it because you were concerned with other people’s issues will be to your detriment.

Don’t wait to develop an illness before you start taking your health seriously.

Relationships

Have clear boundaries in your relationships.

Don’t suffer quietly whilst your partner does something you do not like.

If something bothers you, speak out.

We live in an age were many simps allow their girlfriends to show everythin on Onlyfans.

They say nothing and allow the resentment to build up and destroy them from the inside.

This is foolish and destructive.

Closing words

Our world will be better once you start respecting yourself. Once you build your self-esteem and reclaim your personal power, you will be able to create more win-win situations. You don’t always have to lose, there is a way for everyone to get what they need.

P.S.

If you like this post you will love my self-mastery email newsletter, JOIN HERE (no spam, fuck spam).

The first paragraph was exausting 🥵 so I stopped reading after that. But I hope you feel better! or whatever 👋🏾.

[lilallama]

(Sorry if I spell something wrongly lol) Idk, This is my opinion? Gryffindor, Jungkook. Hufflepuff, Taehyung & Yoongi. Ravenclaw, Namjoon & Jin. Slytherin, Jimin & Hobi??? I literally just searched the meaning of each house and just picked one based on the personality shown. Also, If you don't think this matches them, Sorry ;-;

[Don't worry, sweetie ^^. You don't have to apologise! 💕🍑]

Hoseok is a lot more two faced than I actually tend to show. The way he presents himself is mostly a mask. While he seems mostly calm on the outside, he's actually quite the opposite on the inside. Out of all the boys it'd be easiest for him to manipulate/influence Y/n (@bangtans-apollo Tae is quacking-) and he's aware of that. That's one of the reasons why they started the club 1. To protect Y/n, 2. The club concept came because it'd be easier to meet up and they would automatically get a clubroom and 3. Hoseok threatened to tell on them if they don't join, he'd make Y/n despise each one of them.

He is a strong leader (one of the Slytherin traits), I try to make him resourceful (but I am not myself so that might not shine through too much), he is definitely cunning. The whole ordeal with wanting to be with Y/n no matter what is pretty ambitious, I'd say. And lastly the traditionalism trait, he is very into tradition and has to keep his domestic fantasies with Y/n a secret. His parents raised him very traditional, he would hate it if (female) Y/n would ask him out first or would propose first and would at first frown upon his attention to (male or non binary) Y/n.

All in all Slytherin seems very accurate.

Now concerning Jimin; similar to Hoseok he too can be a two faced snake. He doesn't hide his true thoughts from Y/n or the boys, if anything he overshares sometimes (one time he started talking to Taehyung about some... rather inappropriate things concerning Y/n. That got his Y/n privilege taken away for a whole month). And despite practically pleading to be the "dumb bimbo" stereotype, he is surprisingly clever and intelligent. Before Highschool, before he made his first experiences with popular boys, he was a straight A's and B's student. Yet once he had his first boyfriend, he discovered that the people surrounding him typically preferred the dumb blondes. (He actually broke up with the captain of the football team for Y/n.)

He also sometimes displays ambitious, just in a whiney sort of way. Self preservation is definitely something. Unlike Taehyung, Yoongi, Namjoon or Jeongguk, he wouldn't let himself be killed for Y/n's sake. If Y/n were to be killed he would end up deluding himself into thinking a person who looks similar to them is them and would force Y/n's personality and style on them. Cunningness is 100% accurate. He's fake. He pretends to be a silly sweetheart who loves everyone but will spread rumours about you, blame things on you etc. and everyone believes him. His cunningness concerning Y/n is more whiney than anything.

So I do think Jimin fits Slytherin.

Namjoon was raised by strict parents who forbade him a tremendous amount of things and painted his world for him. It was engraved in his head, he was going to be the CEO of their company one day. Yet despite everything he still had a head of his own. Maye it was because if his high IQ that he understood that his parents weren't the only opinion in his life. Don't get me wrong, they still left him scarred (sadly literally, as his father once hit him bloody) and traumatised but not without a mind of his own. Ever since he was small creativity and originality was something he admired and loved. It was partly reason of why he fell for Y/n, their individuality, their mind, their heart, their soul.

We will not need to discuss intelligence, it's a trait he undoubtedly has. He is always willing to learn and showed interest in many different things before Y/n captured his focus. He is most likely one of the wisest members as he is aware of how twisted his love for them truly is (once again something I tend to fail at portraying) and tried to stop it when it started. But somehow that only made everything worse and by now he doesn't care anymore at all. When he was a child he used to be more openly curious than nowadays (as it caused him many punishments from his parents).

I feel that Namjoon would fit Ravenclaw.

Seokjin was spoiled all his life. His parents adored him, other kids adored him, everyone adored him. While he might've acted oblivious he knew that it's because of his money. Similar to Jimin, Seokjin changed when he entered high school. While he always was a pretty intelligent and well behaved student (still very arrogant though) he then became less concerned with studies and once made a teacher cry (that was before he met Y/n). He loves standing out as an individual, that includes making anyone change who crosses his path with the same outfit (not in school as they wear a school uniform. But outside, yes, he has that much power. Everyone knows Kim Seokjin).

As said before, Seokjin is far from stupid. He is a very intelligent individual but doesn't show the extent of his nolage. Instead aiming for a cool "Queen B" persona. He is witty with his comebacks (something I cannot write because I do not possess that superpower), he's quick with his words. He holds respect for people who are 60+ years old as he believes they've been through a lot in life already. These people have wisdom he could only gain by experience and that he respects (there is one very sweet lady that lives alone in a very big mansion a few streets away from his penthouse. He always visits her because he loves her genuine kindness. When he met Y/n she recently passed away and he saw a part of her in them).

Seokjin could qualify for a Ravenclaw.

Taehyung was raised by a very Christian family that he still cherishes very much. Because of their intense belief he was raised to worship. He never fell in love, so when Y/n crossed paths with his, he started showing love how he's used to it (Out of all the boys Taehyung is straight up insane. Something in his brain might be wired wrong, there is no explanation on why he likes them, on why he believed that's what love is because his parents treated him with normal, familiar love. So he is simply sick, there is no "saving" him. He's better of in a mental hospital). But he was always a very kind boy. Giving instead of taking, never wanting anything in return. Out of everyone, Taehyung was the one who welcomed new students and made tons of friends. But he grew out of it as his focus turned to art. He aimed to make his parents proud so he didn't have time for friends.

His loyalty is unlike any other. You could torture him half dead and he'd still forgive you, stay loyal to you, serve you. He is Y/n's servant. He works hard on improving his artistic abilities and also to maintain fairly good grades. For Y/n any labour he'd have to be put through would seem like a blessing. Another trait for Hufflepuff would be fairness and he surely is fair. As one of the least jealous members of the club he really only cares if Y/n's okay with what's happening or could get hurt (he always kets the other members have more privileges than he has because he believes it'd be not only greedy but prideful to want Y/n to hinself. He avoids any sin when it comes to Y/n, envy, wrath, pride, sloth, nothing will ever come near his modern day Jesus).

Taehyung definitely is a Hufflepuff.

If the boy who works two parttime jobs, to pay for rent, bills and food, cleans the shabby apartment by himself because his alcoholic mother is busy messing it up again, yet still treats his mother with kindness, only to be treated like trash by seven more powerful and successful guys in his school who all like the same person he does and still manages to maintain the position as intern and honour roll student at a prestigious school for roch people, isn't in Hufflepuff then I don't know what. This poor soul is incredibly sensitive and kind. He isn't judgemental (as he himself is used to people judging him). All round very sweet.

I think it's very clear that he's very diligent and hard working. He holds great passion for music and enjoys writing poetry, a very sensitive soul. Yoongi isn't someone to complain about something being unfair (cough cough Jimin cough cough) or try and steal Y/n away from them. His day dreams consist of imagining Y/n liking him back, but he is certain that would never happen (according to you guys, it seems a lot of you would pick Yoongi if you'd get to decide). Not only is Yoongi kind but loyal as well, he'd never imagine leaving anyone behind even his useless mother.

Yoongi is 1000% a Hufflepuff.

Jeongguk tends to be hot tempered, he goes from zero to a hundred in a matter of seconds. Everything in life seems like a challenge to prove he's better than others think (his father was a notorious serial killer who killed twenty one people yet got away with a ten year prison sentence and got released after six, ten months later Jeongguk was born). In truth he did not care for anyone else, only Y/n. So all tge chivalry he could muster was directed at them.

He is one brave guy who doesn't get easily scared (I guess living with as well as being a serial killer at sixteen years old desensitised him). Jeongguk is courageous just not in/for a positive way/purpose. He deluted himself into thinking that Y/n needs protection, HIS protection. He once attacked a teacher because they were helping Y/n with a question, that's very daring (more like stupid) just not in a good way. A (still not) more positive example of his daringness is when he wants to impress Y/n. He hung from a skyscraper for five minutes doing pullups, just to inpress them. One time he also jumped across his luxurious pool at home (and almost slipped, almost bashing his head in) just to prove that he can jump further than someone they talked about.

I could very much picture him as a Griffendor.

If you enjoyed reading my work, please consider reblogging it. Thank you for reading

[sportsfamilylair]

the parenting record by one robert rotten #1

sportsfamily fanfic demo Robbie Rotten’s diary of becoming a parent and a husband, the struggles that came with it and all the joy in the end. 

a not-ready concept I really wanted to share

First and foremost, for all intents and purposes, this is not a diary but only a personal data record to assist my future self who most likely will need all help he can get. As of today, past Robbie has committed the insanity of starting parenthood because he’s an ass with feelings. A softie. And despite his cynical insistence that this is just a disguised act of egocentrism, he does indeed care and have thought it through more times than he has anything else. To clarify every given point about when, how, and who, here’s some backstory.

How it Came to Be

As an underappreciated artisan, there is a lot I hold against society. As a gay man, too, but this is too deep. I have chosen the most secluded place to settle myself, my sensitive sleeping schedule would finally have an opportunity to work itself peacefully, and no need to play neighborly or fake happiness by morning. Doom’s day arrived in the form of a pink hurricane and a blue elf bringing suffering and unprecedented mess wherever they went. I was instantly filled with loathing, decided to fight the invaders and free my poor lazy town of their influence. Fast forward, there it was, me, finishing a tap shoe for the child I swore to destroy. 

In my defense it was work. Paid work. And I’m a proud artist. When she gave me the pair she had I was horrified. Apparently, she was gifted that piece of garbage -- by someone who really has no shame -- and they wanted me to fix that. Perform a miracle. 

It was not her right size. It was not her color. It was probably two left pairs. If she ever managed to dance on those things it was hell. 

For once I was doing something that was not born of the need to send Sportaflop away or scare away those little goblins. It was to someone else. Something wanted. The whole process felt different and special like it used to be. I got more creative and more sensitive, I paid attention to all I could grasp about my little client to add the necessary features to the shoes. I polished and measured ten times to be sure, it was my art. In the end, I found myself sewing with bright pink thread, playing this fantasy in my head that I was doing it for my own daughter. 

Despite the popular strategy about knowing your enemy, I had not spent much time getting to know Pinky and Elf Guy too much. My hours were being wasted by getting annoyed that they were real breathing people in this universe, so it completely went unnoticed that uncle Milford was not actually uncle at all. My, what a twist. Pinky was a foster kid. The garbage shoe made sense. As one does know rejected kids don’t ever get to have nice things. Evidently, I just had to make her another dance shoe. 

When I left my cave to once again get some measurements I was met by almost every single citizen complimenting my job and how it made the kid happy. She had spread the word faster than any marketing team could. Something I did was making someone happy. What a unique experience. I went to check from afar how well had the shoe fit and I saw all the kids surrounding their pink leader, stomping and digging their heels on the ground trying to mimic the steps she was showing them. It would be endearing if it wasn’t so noisy. 

After they left, I went there, “Has it adjusted comfortably yet?” I asked expecting a simple answer. She got up in a beat and hugged me with such energy, I was barely able to keep my balance. “Hands to ourselves, respectful one-meter distance”, I untangled those little arms from my waist and pushed the kid away, carefully, like the radioactive element she was.

“Oh, sure, sorry Robbie, I know that you don’t feel good with so much contact,” she said promptly giving me my space and sharing that much thoughtful observation. It caught me unguarded. “I just wanted to thank you”.

“I was under a moral obligation to do something about that garbage you brought me,” she laughed at my bashing of the shoes which was nice. Normally I’m the only one laughing at my own jokes. “But since we are at it, how about some ballet slippers? Are you able to climb on a pointé already?”. 

She looked surprised, “I-I… I would love to have one. I mean. I have slippers but… they are from different pairs. One has a hole in it. The other makes me itch”.

“I heard enough!”.

“But, Robbie-”.

I looked at her annoyed. 

“I’m not very good at pointé yet...”.

“Big deal,” I said as it obviously changed nothing for me and stood up, “I’ll need a couple more of measuring if you don’t mind”.

“What about the money? I don’t know if uncle Milford will-”.

“It’s a gift”.

There was an awkward silence, but I sighed. I knew what was coming. 

“Don’t ask me and do not look at me like that, I am doing this for me, not for you,” I cut it all short avoiding those shiny grateful little eyes staring at me like I was a goddamn Santa Claus. I was beginning to regret this whole idea. I got all I needed and sent the brat away, my child tolerance down to zero. Maybe, at that moment I was still doing it all for me. So much was about to change...

[sharinluna]

MLQC Chapter 16 Translation Part 1

Translation of excerpts from chapter 16.

This is not a full translation, only some parts. It’s more like a abbreviation/summary/paraphrasing of some parts of the story. Do not ask me to translate more or reveal more plots in the story.

The translation is based on KR version text. I’m not a professional translator and get things wrong. So do not regard this as the actual canon story.

I used Yōurán as the name of MC because that is the unofficial default MC’s name in CN version.

DO NOT COPY, QUOTE, REPOST OR REBLOG THIS ANYWHERE. Links are okay but I don’t want this post to spread too much in other communities or websites.

16-1

???: As you all know, Hades’s return-to-zero plan has started.

16-3

It has been 10 days since Gavin was gone. I looked down at my bracelet feeling pain and sorrow. He said he’d come back, I had to believe him.

The news was talking about the latest influenza outbreak. The symptoms were similar to a regular flu, coughing, high fever and lethargy. It couldn’t be cured by any existing antibiotics. No one died yet, but the number of the infected was increasing every day. Every laboratory in the nation was researching about this, but there was no solution yet. The virus spread faster than anything we’ve seen before. 

I wore my cotton mask before I went out.

When I went to the office building I heard the security guards talking.

Guard: Did you hear about that guy? He caught the flu this morning. He couldn’t even recognize his wife.

I felt anxiety in my heart growing. He didn’t even recognize his wife… how could this be a symptom of a regular flu? It occurred to me that I could inquire someone about the disease.

As I entered the hospital my suspicion that this was not a regular flu grew more. I met doctor Song(the female doctor from chapter 13), after the Evol rampage was solved, she went back to curing patients.

Yōurán: Dr. Song, I wanted to inquire about the recent flu epidemic…

Dr. Song: I was about to call you. There are some strange things, and I wanted to check that I’m not being paranoid… This flu is unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Yōurán: I thought so too, and I just heard something that might back your claim. Among the infected, there are hardly any children or old people. Usually they get sick first because they have weaker immune systems. But this time, it’s the opposite, the flu only targets healthy, young people.

Dr. Song: Yes, and I found out that there are no evolvers among the sick. I think…. the virus is selecting certain genes.

Yōurán: So you’re saying that the virus is targeting healthy non-evolvers on purpose.

Was this another scheme from Black Swan. They’ve targeted evolvers before, now they’re targeting non-evolvers?

16-6

I was walking home. The usually busy streets were empty and many shops were closed down. I felt dismal. Could I ever look up to the sky with light feelings?

The TV screen in the building lighted up.

News: Professor Lucien’s research lab has announced a press conference about the latest influenza.

I stopped right there. I haven’t thought of Lucien for a long time. Since that day, he disappeared from my life. He moved away from next door and didn’t answer any of my calls.

I asked myself many times whether I despised him, and the answer was “no”. The world was not black and white, and I didn’t want to judge him with just one idea of what was right and wrong.

I just didn’t want to think about him again, but every word from the screen etched to my ears. He is part of the Black Swan, and since this virus is likely related to Black Swan… I can’t deny that he is part of all this.

Yōurán: I could just send Willow… or anyone else to report about this conference…

I don’t know what I was trying to avoid. Was I afraid of the answer that would come from him? Was I afraid to find out that the flu outbreak had something to do with him, because I would get emotional? Or… was I simply afraid to see him again?

I closed my eyes and made up my mind. I had to attend this conference.

Footsteps could be heard and the reporters gathered up front to hear what Lucien had to say. Just then, his eyes met me standing among the reporters. I turned around and lowered my head. My heart was beating like crazy. A few seconds later, I gathered courage to glance at him, he was talking to his assistant like he hadn’t seen me.

I needed to get a grip. I made my decision to come here. I was not going to cower in fear. After taking a few deep breathes I held my camera up to start shooting.

16-7

Lucien: Hello. Thank you all for coming. I would like to announce that we are working on a new remedy that will cure the influenza.

Audience A: Professor, my father has the flu, and he’s trying to volunteer for human experimentation. Please refuse him!

I took out my voicepen to record his words and realized that it was actually Lucien’s silver pen. I shoved that thing back into my pocket. I must have brought it instead in my hurry.

Yōurán: Why now…. this… of all things…

I was too busy feeling sorry about myself to notice that Lucien startled for the shortest second.

Lucien: First of all, I would like to offer condolences for your father, but I’m afraid that I can’t grant your wish. Furthermore, I want more people to offer themselves for this drug testing.

Audience A: But… what if my father dies?

Lucien: All scientific progress is founded on sacrifices, that includes trial-and-error of bodily harms and deaths. All of which I think are necessary.

Audience A: So you’re expecting people to submit themselves to this testing that is potentially fatal?

More people began to voice their complaints. But Lucien faced them without even a blink. I suppose for him, this was a rational solution to the problem. I felt resentment rising slowly in my chest. 

I’d heard enough. I got up to leave, but someone grabbed my wrist.

Reporter C: Hey, aren’t you the producer of the Miracle Finder? Professor Lucien is a consultant in that show!

Reporter B: Does that mean that you were already aware of his human subject research?

Yōurán: I was just here for the report. Please focus on the conference.

I tried to get away. I sincerely regretted coming here. But I was surrounded by reporters. Questions flew at me from everywhere.

Reporter C: As a producer and his coworker, what’s your opinion about Professor Lucien’s thoughts?

Reporter D: Does Miracle Finder agree with Professor Lucien’s human experimentation?

I looked at Lucien, unsure what to answer. He was looking at me like he was seeing a very entertaining scuffle. The corner of his mouth was even twitching.

I felt anger boiling inside me. I was angry at him, and I was also angry at myself.

Yōurán: Apologies. But this is not something that I can answer. My relationship with Professor Lucien is purely for business, and Miracle Finder will find a new consultant. I ask that you focus on the conference at hand. Please excuse me.

After I was done talking and made to leave, I heard his familiar voice.

Lucien: Does Producer Yōurán(he’s referring to her very formally, almost like a stranger) not agree with the direction of this experiment?

My heart felt like bursting out. I didn’t think that I could face him. I pictured many times how we would meet each other again, but I hadn’t thought that we would meet like this.

Yōurán: No, I don’t.

Lucien: Then why are you trying to leave when the conference is not even over. If there is something you don’t agree, then say it.

His tone was nonchalant, but I could sense fury that the others couldn’t catch.

I closed my eyes and clenched my fists, then turned around and faced him. This was the first time that I saw him face to face since his reveal as Ares.

Yōurán: I want to ask Professor Lucien a question. Earlier you mentioned that sacrifices are necessary. Specifically what kind of sacrifices are needed?

A smile crossed his eyes. He was silent for a moment, then slowly opened his lips.

Lucien: Death, in the sense of physiological meaning.

Yōurán: So you’re saying that it’s normal to demand people to sacrifice their lives for the advancement of society?

Lucien: Yes. I agree wholly to that statement.

The reporters were shooting their films at us enthusiastically. Apparently, the war of words between us was more interesting than the remedy for the flu.

Lucien: This reminds me of the famous trolley problem. No matter what you choose, you face an ethical dilemma. But the truth is, many people fall behind as society progresses, in the form of death or others. It is the law of the universe that the weak ones fall back and the strong ones survive and reproduce. That is the only way that the human race survives continuously.

He enunciated each world clearly as he met my eye. I felt utterly foolish. What was I thinking, that I could change his views which he held onto no matter what?

Yōurán: In your eyes, is human life so insignificant?

He took a step towards me. It seemed that his eyes held some kind of enmity.

Lucien: Then, what is not insignificant in this world?

I gathered up my courage and stood up straighter and said:

Yōurán: All life forms have a right to be respected. Every one of us are doing their best to survive. You may think that’s nothing, but look at the patients in the hospital. They may be comatose, but their consciousness are fighting to stay alive. The children in the orphanages, beggars in streets, they are trying their best to live on. Their will to keep on living is their right. You have no right to deprive people of this.

Silence could be heard. Lucien looked down at me with inquiry and arrogance.

Lucien: Well said. But you are only voicing the minority. Ever since prehistoric times, the human race have slaughtered and sacrificed the weak. Some of those deaths contributed nothing to the society. “Equality” is not the principle of society. Humans have competed with each other to stay in the higher place of hierarchy for survival. If it’s for progress, we don’t even need consent for such sacrifices.

I thought of that day before when he said the same things coldly like this. That it was all for the better future. Is this really the future he wanted?

I asked him something that I wanted to ask for a long time.

Yōurán: What if… you had to sacrifice yourself? Would you still do it?

He nodded without hesitation, it even seemed like he was smiling.

Lucien: Yes. For the advancement of society as a whole, I will gladly make that sacrifice.

Yōurán: What if you had to sacrifice someone precious to you?

Without thinking, that question came out from my lips. I stared at him. I didn’t know what I was hoping for. I knew the answer already.

He kept staring at me without answering. The subtle movement of the corner of his lips seemed to mock my asinine question. Time passed. He still didn’t answer.

What was I doing here? I knew what his answer would be anyway.

There was a time when I thought, if I ever met him again, I would argue with him and voice all my opinions. But I now realized how futile that was. What was the point? He was not the Lucien that I used to know anymore.

Yōurán: I wish you all luck in your research, Professor. However, I cannot agree with your values. Ever. To me, there are more important things than survival.

I closed my eyes to hide my hurt and disappointment, and turned around and walked away. I could hear the shutters of the cameras. Next day there will be numerous headlines about our verbal match, but I didn’t want to care anything about that now.

16-11

I sat down on the bench trying to calm my wildly beating heart. I looked back at the direction of the conference room, and I realized once again that Lucien and I were on opposing sides.

Yōurán: And you already know that. Why are you still concerned…? Let’s just go home…

I gathered my things and realized that I left my pen behind.

Yōurán: Well.. the owner of the pen is still there… if the staff pick it up they will give it to him…

I tried to convince myself to leave with this logic.

Ten minutes later I put my head inside the conference room.

Yōurán: I guess everyone’s gone now…

After I checked that no one was there, I walked hesitantly in. Soon I found the pen on the floor and picked it up.

Yōurán: Found it!

???: What are you doing there?

I startled and hit my head on the podium. It really hurt and I had to drop the pen to grasp my head. Then pen rolled and stopped at the front of black shoes. Long slender fingers picked it up.

Lucien: You came back for this?

His eyes looking down at me held mischief. I gathered myself before approaching him.

Yōurán: Yes. Is something the matter?

He handed the pen out to me.

Lucien: Don’t ever lose it again.

His voice reminded me of that warm late spring day from such a long time ago, but my heart grew colder and colder. I knew shouldn’t have come back here.

I didn’t take the pen from his hand and retraced my steps.

Yōurán: I don’t need it anymore. Besides, it wasn’t mine from the start. The pen should go back to its owner now.

There was no change in his facial expression, but his eyes narrowed slightly. He took the pen in his pocket.

Lucien: You owe me something else besides the pen.

Yōurán: …what?

Lucien approached me and blocked my way.

Lucien: Today I found out that I was resigned from Miracle Finder without notice. Is it too much to demand an explanation?

Yōurán: I’m sure such things don’t matter to you anymore, Professor.

Lucien: It matters for my reputation.

His tone was light, like he was playing with me. The audacity of him!

Yōurán: This is not fair!

Lucien: I thought you already knew that about me.

He’d already stepped closer to me. I felt pressured.

Lucien: All I want to know is why.

Yōurán: You don’t have to waste your valuable time honoring my humble show with your overbearing presence. (She is sarcastically talking to him as if he’s some royalty. That since he’s so high and mighty he shouldn’t concern himself with the likes of her.)

Lucien: What if I want to continue to be on your show?

Anger raged inside me again. I closed my eyes to contain my emotions and said quickly.

Yōurán: You lost your right because you have different values. My show, Miracle Finder, is about intrinsic values of justice and philanthropy.

Why was he not saying anything? When I opened my eyes he had let me go and was walking away from me.

Lucien: Good thinking. I understand.

Yōurán: Wait! I have something I want to ask you. The recent flu outbreak, did you have anything do to with it?

Please, please tell me that you had nothing to do with it.

Lucien: Yes.

I felt something sinking at my chest.

Yōurán: Y, yes, I see…

Lucien: It seems that you’re disappointed in me. What were you planning to do if you confirmed your suspicions?

He was emitting out a dangerous atmosphere. I stepped away from him until I reached the end of the stage.

Lucien: Did your concept of what is right and just, give you what you wanted? Is this what you think is more important than survival? I want to ask you, will you sacrifice someone precious to you to hold on to your beliefs?

My back reached the cold hard wall. Lucien had already put his hand on the wall beside my face.

Lucien: I see you’re hesitating. Should I take that as a yes?

Before I could answer, a bright light blinded my eyes. In an instant a strong force pulled me forward and I was in his arms. Next moment, a ray of golden beam struck the place where I’ve just been. He hugged me tighter into his chest, his hands shielding my head.

He looked out the window. His eyes held a murderous stare. Was I mistaken when I thought I saw in his eyes fear that he would lose something precious to him…? But that look vanished quickly, as if I had imagined it.

I tried to get away from his arms, but he held on tight.

Yōurán: Lucien…

Lucien: Don’t talk…

It felt like things between us had gone back to the way they were before. When he was still Lucien. Like then, he was protecting me from danger. I felt warm in my heart.

I stepped back and saw a hole that was paved on the wall.

Yōurán: Are you okay? Thanks for saving me…

Lucien: It was only for your safety, nothing more.

Yōurán: You saved me… because you need me alive in your plan?

Lucien: Of course, I never engage in useless actions.

I knew it. Back then, the Black Swan goons said they needed me alive for their scheme. So all this time he must have protected me for the same reasons…

I felt tired. I just wanted to get away from here.

Lucien: You still haven’t answered my question.

I looked at his eyes but couldn’t fathom anything about him. Maybe this was for the best. I laughed dejectedly and looked into his eyes.

Yōurán: I didn’t. And I won’t.

My eyes were getting teary but I kept them wide open.

Yōurán: Even if I were smart enough to know all the secrets and knowledge with my precognition, even if I were powerful enough to move all mountains, without love, those are meaningless to me.

Yōurán: The truth of this world is cruel and painful. But even when the light is gone from people’s lives, I will hold on to my own light. No matter how impossible it is, no matter how dark everything else is, no matter how foolish I may be. I won’t give up.

Yōurán: Someone who used to be very precious to me taught me that. I will never give up.

As I turned around I let the tears flow freely. I will never shed tears in front of him again.

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

Okay, I had to stop here because this was being too long.

I had so much fun translating Lucien and MC in the press conference. What I love about their dynamics is that Lucien and MC both hold on firmly to their beliefs but they still care for each other deep down.

Lucien as an extreme Darwinist won’t bat an eyelash as he sacrifices many “weak” people for the “strong” people to survive, but when asked about whether he would sacrifice MC, he refuses to answer.

MC will continue to defy Lucien and fight against him but when asked whether she would “sacrifice” him, she refuses to answer.

They are fighting each other ferociously and they are both determined to defeat the other, but none of their swords will land a fatal blow to each other.

Who will win in this battle? Well the answer is obvious :)

I’ll come up with part 2 when I feel like it.

[thiskindofshootingstar]

My thoughts on the finale

Okay so, I'm gonna try to keep this as a list and not go off too much, but basically my thoughts on the 100 s6 finale

Overall, found it pretty anticlimactic. ESPECIALLY the Madi/Sheidheda and Russell plots. It was just like, one second they're totally gonna rule everything and the next Madi is Madi again and Russell is arrested. Like.... Okay? That's it? That's how we're resolving what have been the two main villains of the entire season? Cool.

Octavia is the best and I will love her for all time and she better not be actually dead (I don't believe she is, but still). This is gonna need a sub-list so here we go: 1) she is the ONLY one to volunteer to go with Gabriel to save his people. They made it a point to show each and every one of spacekru not saying a damn thing, but it was Octavia who said no, I won't let people die if I can do something about it. She is still the ONLY character that tries to save EVERYONE regardless of whether or not they are "her people". Only after O declared she was going and entreated her brother, only then did the rest of them join. Because my girl is an inspiration. 2) her and echo, amazing, "I like those odds" and then echo grinning like I always knew I liked you. 3) she is a warrior queen! 30 on 3? Easy. Dude was hiding behind a shelf and runs out? Take down the bitch like it's nothing. Woman sets herself on fire to light up the building? JUST EFFING TACKLE HER. Iconic. 4) "Hope?" That one line and it was Confirmed that Octavia helped Charmaine raise little Hope in the Anomaly. Also she totally knew and accepted it and was there for her, I just. Yeah. 5) SHE IS THE KEY TO THE ANOMALY AND ACTUALLY ESCAPED IT AND SPENT YEARS IN THERE AND SHE SHARES HER NAME WITH THE FINAL SYMBOL AND JUST AHHHH SHE IS LITERALLY MAGIC THIS SEASON I LOVE IT SHE EVEN TURNS INTO GREEN SMOKE AND INSTANTLY STOPS THE ANOMALY SPREAD WITH HER "DEATH" LIKE COME ON IT'S LIKE THIS ENTIRE THING WAS SET UP FOR HER, and we've got this mystery villain dude who sent Hope to kill her as the only way to save Charmaine, of course because he Knows O will come for her and to destroy him, she is too powerful to let live. Lexa knew it, azgeda knew it, literally everyone who has ever opposed her knows there is no stopping her unless she is killed or incapacitated. This is also why I def don't think she's dead because girl has taken a lot worse and been fine so one little stabby stab ain't gonna be enough. She a Bad Bitch, you can't kill her. (I think she was actually like sent back into the Anomaly or something along those lines, maybe it's a parallel dimension/timeline/astral space whatever that she sort of merged with or something)

I'm still not okay with Bellamy for two reasons: 1) they still treat him like he's the moral authority which is still laughable. I hated Clarke asking him "it was worth it right?" for multiple reasons (the above, and because it always seems to be women asking men for moral judgment as if they are the authority and I'm not about it. I'm def a lot more sensitive about this one since got though so that may just be me) and 2) because they keep trying to show the Blakes as okay and soft and trusting with each other again even though BELLAMY HAS YET TO APOLOGIZE! He literally tried to kill her and told her to kill herself half a dozen times in the (show-time) past week or so. That is not okay. Moving past the fact that Octavia is the only character in the show's history that has had to earn her forgiveness/redemption, she has multiple times over and Bellamy still can't apologize for telling her to go die when she felt like a monster and like life had no meaning and I will never accept him trying to act all easy around her until he apologizes for that. So yeah, I didn't like his "side by side. Like it was meant to be" because one: he wasn't gonna go with Gabriel until Octavia said she was, he doesn't get to have equal credit in this, and two: he literally left her to die two days ago and didn't fully forgive her when she bared her heart and soul and apologized to him.

The flame. Besides the fact that in trying to "defeat a monster", in replacing Osleya/Octavia/Blodreina with a child commander they didn't know whose family had hidden her away to avoid this very thing, Indra Gaia and Bellamy created an even worse monster in Sheidheda is so ironic and they didn't even mention it at all that those three were responsible for turning Madi into this. Besides the fact that Gaia and Indra literally plotted to kill Madi. Besides the fact that Raven found a magic kill code not in Becca's notes to remove Sheidheda and the flame but then it subsequently uploaded something so we'll probably get Sheidheda as Alie 2.0 because this show can apparently only come up with 3 storylines and simply recycles them. I'm glad that the flame is gone (for now). I was sick and tired of that storyline. It should've been over and done with in s4 but hey better late than never (even though they're definitely still gonna use it in some manner but hopefully no more commander bs). But for real why was Raven of all people the one like "but it'll delete the flame" like yeah bitch, delete all of it, you have literally no connection to this whatsoever you should have absolutely zero compunctions about it what was that?

Did I mention I love Octavia? Because I do, her storyline was the only one I really cared about this season (mostly because it was actually different and not the same recycled storyline from five years ago) and I'm glad that going into the next season it will kind of all be about her. I just hope it's not all Bellamy and the gang trying to find her and we don't see o for the majority of the season. I want it to be two simultaneous storylines of o in the Anomaly trying to save Charmaine and take out this mystery kidnapper, and then Bellamy and Gabriel and co figuring out how to save O. But one things for certain, I NEED OCTAVIA AND DIYOZA TO REUNITE! I need my dream team back, it was taken too soon.

Jordan wtf? Where did you get that stupid chip. I swear if I never see another damn chip or infinity symbol in my life it will be too soon.

Why does no one in Hollywood understand that SPACE IS A VACUUM?! Clarke would've been dead, and so would everyone else anywhere else on the ship that wasn't behind an airlock because as soon as she opened that door all the oxygen would've been sucked out and they would've frozen to death if they didn't die of asphyxiation first. It just bugs me so much that it is the year 2019 and sci-fi is still so dumb about space still. I would've forgiven if it they had at least tried to show a little of the effects, like no sound or frost gradually growing on Clarke or her at the very least being very weak/hard to catch her breath afterward, but literally nothing. She just plopped right on up and ran off like nothing happened. It just irks me.

Emori rocks that look and if she wanted to keep it forever I would support her.

Gabriel's solid. I like him. I think he's the first accurate portrayal of a scientist that has that curiosity and excitement but still cares about and values life, but may be a little reckless sometimes in the pursuit of solving a mystery. Also, he likes Octavia so I will hoard my in-show Octavia defenders to the end.

Well, I tried to do an even 10 but that's all I've got. Overall I thought it was all a little anticlimactic and a lot of characters kind of fell by the wayside or were downright ooc (Jordan, Niylah and Echo to some extent for the former, raven and Miller for both but mostly the latter) all season. We are finally rid of Kabby and the flame and for that I am grateful, but if the cost is Bellamy's continued misrepresentation as the moral authority of the show when he has never had to seek redemption then I'm not sure it's worth it. This season strengthened my love for Octavia, got me back onto respecting and liking Clarke, and turned Bellamy (who used to be my favorite character) back into my least favorite (like he was beginning of s1) so we'll see how it goes with s7.

But ultimately, bring back Diyoza and Octavia!

[subfunctions]

Horizon Zero Dawn OC: Oren

Round two! Following this character.

As usual, I think at least one sub-function, if not more, has buddied up with a human in a friendly manner, and I like to make characters sometimes.

Inspiration: While it is likely just meant to mirror the story progression, the way in which the metal flowers are numbered means that they spiral outward from the Sacred Land, with the first one in the ruin that Aloy fell into as a child. It’s easy to make a story out of that.

The poetry is taken from “Flowers” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, other lines of which can be found in Metal Flower Mark III (G).

--

(face claim: Tahmoh Penikett)

Name: Oren Gender: Male Tribe: Nora Age: 40 at time of main game

Notable Physical Traits: Oren has a large patch of discolored reddish skin covering part of the left side of his forehead and his left eyelid. This is a result of a neurological disorder once known as Sturge-Weber syndrome, which also results in intermittent seizures and muscle weakness, migraines, and some cognitive impairment. Notably, this has also led to the development of glaucoma, resulting in progressive and complete vision loss in his left eye and severely reduced vision in his right eye. He uses a cane and a Focus to help navigate the world, and his Focus is able to track seizure symptoms and patterns as well.

Personality: Oren is at his happiest when working with his hands and creating, and he is personable and happy to chat with anyone. However, he’s been a little set apart because of his appearance and disabilities and experiences with the Metal World, which makes leaving the Sacred Land easier than it might have been otherwise. Because of his experiences with being outcast, he’s developed a deep desire to help others, which sometimes gets him into trouble. Though he takes up wandering with DEMETER and grows to question the environment he grew up in, he retains much of his Nora roots, including a reverence for the world that All-Mother created and a sense of collective responsibility towards others. Even with his exposure to the old world, he doesn’t exactly shed his belief in All-Mother, not fully; rather, his beliefs expand and change to accommodate what little he learns from DEMETER over the years and his growing appreciation for the Metal World.

Relationship With DEMETER: Oren and DEMETER provide each other with a glimpse of the kindness of their respective “species.” Encountering DEMETER opens Oren’s mind to the wonders of the Metal World and starts him questioning his people’s fear of it, and encountering Oren leads DEMETER to question HEPHAESTUS’s attitude towards humans. They both grow to break from their original ties because of their friendship with each other - DEMETER from HEPHAESTUS and Oren from the Nora. They find joy and companionship and learning in traveling with each other, sharing common ground in their love of creating, and DEMETER stabilizes and grows much from her interactions with Oren. Perhaps unconsciously, and due to DEMETER’s extraordinary nature, Oren comes to associate her with All-Mother and the life-giving act of creation.

Songs: Bloom – ODESZA I Followed Fires – Matthew and the Atlas

--

Bio:

Oren was born in 3000 to the Nora, with a mark that immediately set him apart – a discoloration of his face that seemed to accompany progressively deteriorating vision and the onset of seizures. While this was viewed with suspicion by some, his mother, Danua, was protective of him and tried to craft a different narrative for him. She called the mark a firemark and said that it was a sign of a strong spirit, one that the Goddess saw was capable of handling greater challenges.

Growing up, Oren was a little slower than his peers in speaking and moving, in addition to his vision loss and seizures, and it was apparent early on that he would never be able to run in the Proving. He found refuge in crafting instead. He loved to work with his hands, and his motor skills caught up eventually, allowing him to flourish at crafting. His limited vision did not significantly inhibit his ability to feel his way through the process. He found a particular niche in woodwork, though he was gifted at all forms of crafting.

In 3020, when Oren was 20 years old, a distant mountain exploded, spreading unease through the Nora. A year later, in 3021, the machines had already begun turning hostile on those who hunted them. They had not yet begun to attack humans on sight en masse, however, so when Oren passed near a group of scrappers, he was surprised and very nearly mauled when the one nearest to him suddenly turned on him.

He fled their wrath and stumbled into a hole and an underground ruin by accident. The fall broke his leg, and he dragged himself deeper into the ruin to avoid the scans of the scrappers.

They gave up the chase eventually, but Oren was left with further dilemma – his leg was broken, the underground gloom made it even harder to see, and he was in a ruin of the Metal World, which would lead to him being outcast if anyone knew. His attempts to get out proved unsuccessful, and eventually he tried calling for help, though it would likely get him cast out.

There was no one nearby to hear him, however, and Oren was near despair when he saw a grazer appear at the edge of the hole, with an odd green glow instead of the usual blue. To his surprise, the grazer started shrieking, repeatedly and consistently, until the noise drew nearby people.

Oren called out for help again and was found. However, those who found him were hesitant to get too close to the ruin, something which impacted Oren deeply – the strange machine had apparently been trying to help him, but his own people held back. In the end, it was a passing outcast who stepped in, jumping down to help him climb out.

By the time he was out, there was no sign of the grazer.

Afterwards, Oren was cast out with a sentence of five years, which further cemented his bitterness, as he had not meant to stumble into the ruin and the only ones who had helped him had been a machine and an outcast. Everyone he knew obeyed the law and shunned him, except his mother, who came to visit him in secret, worried about his ability to survive on his own now that the machines were getting worse. He was deeply grateful for that but also begged her not to visit, not wanting her to get in trouble. She never listened, of course.

The outcast who had saved him, Jom, also stuck around. Jom explained that he had been cast out for accidentally killing someone he’d gotten into a fight with, and that he was beginning to regret it in earnest. He’d wanted to help Oren as part of atoning for his past actions, and since Oren was partially blind and prone to seizures, he thought it was better for them to stick together. Not wanting to be alone, Oren accepted Jom’s companionship, even though it was against the law.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the grazer at the ruin, however, and he often wandered back to that area, trying to find it. On one of these occasions, he did find the same entity, but it was no longer in a grazer. It was a charger that glowed green now, accompanied by a shell-walker companion, and Oren half-expected to be attacked when he found them.

But the charger only seemed curious about him, and the shell-walker carried something with it that the charger was clearly trying to offer to him -- a Focus. He took it without much hesitation, wanting to understand these strange machines.

And that was when the Focus opened the door to another world for him. The foggy sight of his right eye could pick up on lights that floated in the air, and there was a voice coming from the grazer. It spoke rather strangely and formally, and it introduced itself as DEMETER. It – or she, as he came to think of her – wanted to know about him, for reasons that she couldn’t quite make clear to Oren.

Unbeknownst to Oren, DEMETER had established contact with HEPHAESTUS some time after the destruction of GAIA Prime and had set to carrying out her work with his help – using the Cauldrons to create metal flowers that would promote seed germination and mapping out routes to plant them. However, she didn’t share HEPHAESTUS’s hostility towards humans. She had been observing humans to see if HEPHAESTUS’s reasoning was justified. Most encounters had been hostile, but Oren had been her chance to help a human, and he was the first who didn’t attack or avoid her.

However, before they could talk much, a group of passing braves saw them and mistook the situation. They rushed to attack, and Oren tried to stop them and distracted them long enough for DEMETER and the shell-walker to flee. This incident cemented Oren’s strangeness to and distance from most of the people around him, and a few people accused him of consorting with denizens of the Metal World. Nothing was done about the incident in the end, but Oren had a reputation now.

DEMETER found him again soon after, wondering about why he had defended her. She continued to ask him about himself, and when Oren explained that he was an outcast because of what had happened at the ruin, and what that meant, DEMETER asked if he would like to come and travel with her instead. She was unwilling to explain where she came from when Oren asked, but she said that she had a job to do, and she invited him to come along. When Oren realized that it meant leaving the Sacred Land, he understood that he had a choice.

It felt almost too easy to make. Though he loved his mother and cared for Jom, he’d grown disconnected from the Nora, and developed a blooming curiosity about the Metal World and this strange machine who could speak. He wanted to experience what the rest of the world was like.

However, he was still nervous, as the Sacred Land was all he had ever known. DEMETER suggested that he give it a test run. He could accompany her around the Sacred Land, and then to the west if he still wanted to travel, and see how he liked it.

He agreed, and DEMETER showed him her project – beautiful flowers made out of metal, that she would plant across the land to keep it flourishing, accompanied by poetry from the old world that DEMETER had a fondness for. They decided to plant the first metal flower in the ruin where Oren had fallen in. Oren accompanied DEMETER back to the ruin, then to a few other locations in the Embrace and the Sacred Land, and by the end of it, Oren found that he wanted to keep going.

So he sought out his mother to say goodbye. Though Danua was upset at the thought of him becoming an exile, she realized that nothing she could say would stop him, and that her son had become different in ways that she couldn’t understand. So she gave him her blessing.

He said farewell to Jom, too. Jom wanted to accompany him, but DEMETER was against the idea, and so Oren turned him down. He encouraged Jom to keep up his good habits and seek out other outcasts to band together with, and they parted ways.

On Oren and DEMETER’s journey, no machine ever attacked Oren, though they continued to grow more aggressive towards other humans. Oren remained unaware of why – no machine would attack DEMETER, or the human under her care, and she was adamant about not letting HEPHAESTUS hurt him. And with the Focus and DEMETER’s help, Oren found a greater degree of ability that he hadn’t quite had before.

They made a meandering course up through the northern Sundom and into the Claim, then back down to the southern Sundom. For reasons that she wouldn’t explain, DEMETER refused to go any further west than the Rustwash, wanting to avoid something in the Forbidden West. From stories he’d heard, Oren wasn’t too keen to go that way either, so they passed through the Jewel, planting more metal flowers as they went, and backtracked up past the Sacred Land, making a stop at a place called the SIGMA facility to restock DEMETER’s shell-walker companion with more metal flowers.

DEMETER asked if Oren would like to return to the Sacred Land, and Oren found that he didn’t miss it very much and had no desire to live on the borders as an exile. So he and DEMETER continued their journey, heading east into Plainsong, then east and south into places that Oren had only heard whispers about, and into places he’d never known existed. They spent years traveling, planting metal flowers and working on other projects of DEMETER’s, and Oren was able to make contact with and learn about other tribes and groups that weren’t hostile to outsiders.

Meanwhile, DEMETER had been seriously questioning HEPHAESTUS’s reasoning and logic for his hostility towards humans and was avoiding contact with HEPHAESTUS more often. She was perturbed by how much worse the machines had gotten over time and by how HEPHAESTUS’s strategy did not seem to be working. However, it took her a long time to truly take a stance against it, concerned as she was with her own work and with Oren.

In the end, it was because of Oren that she realized that HEPHAESTUS needed to be stopped.

Oren was never able to resist helping someone in need, and when he heard a pack of machines attacking a group of people, he couldn’t leave it be, even though DEMETER had gone off on her own for a few minutes. He approached the fight and tried to distract the attacking machines. He succeeded at that, and it almost cost him his life. A ravager mauled him, and DEMETER returned and intervened just in time.

The tribe to which the group belonged took them in and were able to save Oren’s life, but DEMETER was deeply affected by the incident and knew that she could tolerate HEPHAESTUS’s actions no longer. She finally told Oren about HEPHAESTUS and his connection to the machines, citing her desire to see him stopped, and Oren agreed, realizing how important it was to the world to return the machines to their docile state.

However, DEMETER was uncertain about how to do this. She didn’t know if HEPHAESTUS could be reasoned with, and she told Oren that there were others of her kind also working with HEPHAESTUS, which meant they’d be outnumbered and not just because HEPHAESTUS had an army of machines on his side. Oren asked if there were any others like her that could help them, and DEMETER said there might be... if they could be found.

It started them on a journey to seek out others like DEMETER and eventually led them to someone DEMETER recognized as the Alpha Prime... who may have picked up a friend or two along the way.

--

Some Notes:

I initially waffled on whether to make Oren Nora or not, as that might be too similar to Aloy, but:

1) We already have three Banuk/AI pairs (Sylens, Ourea, Aratak), and the Banuk would have been my other choice for what tribe he comes from, because you could get some similar character beats there. 2) He could be from an entirely new tribe, but I already have a lady like that in mind for ELEUTHIA, and assuming I get around to her, that is truly going to be a pain in my ass without doing it twice. If it was getting $$$ to do this I’d make them both from new tribes, but I’m not. 3) I can’t let go of the first metal flower being in the ruin near Mother’s Watch. Something had to crawl down and put it there, and why, outside of Doylist story progression reasons? 4) I think it would be nice for Aloy to find a Nora friend to relate to (same hat!). Plus, it keeps up the tradition of Nora or proto-Nora touching things that they shouldn’t and then hitting the road (hello, Araman). 5) It could lead to exchanges like this:

Aloy: Hang on, YOU fell in that place? Oren: Uh, I was being chased by machines, I’m half-blind, and it’s a big hole in the ground. Cut me some slack. Aloy: That’s not what I meant.

[xhudgenssistersconfessions]

I’m from Italy and I’m gonna share a few things since I’m reading on and hearing things that sometimes are soo wrong or fake about our situation with corona virus. 

Mass graves? No. This is not happening. Right now here funerals are banned so this is how it works only close relatives can be at the cemetery for the last benediction and a pray. Sadly if the relatives live in another city they can’t even be there for the funeral so yes, people are passing away alone in hospitals and their families can’t even say goodbye. Right now there are cities in Italy that are facing too many daily deaths, the  funeral home are working constantly, but as they’ve said and as some priests confirmed it takes around 30 minutes for every dead, this creates a long queue. But everyone goes in their own place in the cemetery. You can give a look to this video, only 25 seconds that even if it can be hard to watch people should see because it can make you understand how this isn’t ‘just a flu’, from Bergamo where since they didn’t know anymore where to put all the coffins that were waiting to reach the cemetery they’ve put some of them in a church www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFy9j1vtJ-4

Yes, the big blow up of cases should arrive between the end of this week and the beginning of the next one and right now some hospitals are already full, they are near to collapse, in the main hopsital in Bergamo they don’t have any more space, beds, in intensive care. Nurses and doctors and everybody else who works in hospitals are making eternal shift around 13 hours daily with basically no break. You can’t really imagine it untill it’s in your face. Right now Italy is counting over 31000 cases (and more than 16000 only in Lombardy). This is the main problem with corona virus, cases are growing too fast in a little time untill you reach a moment in which you don’t have any more security systems like face masks (sold out everywhere and the new ones that are arriving are going first to these that need them the most, to these people that are working in contact with sick people), glasses, gloves, etc beds for sick people, no more machines to keep them alive and it’s all a run against time.

People with no symptoms but positive to the test? Lost count of how many we’ve had. This is another big problem of this virus you can’t see it, and you can’t see it in some cases for days! So you can go around without knowing to have it and spread it everywhere! I mean think with how many people you can get in touch in more than 2 weeks! 

Not only old people take it, in Italy there have been younger people also in their 20s, 30s that took it and sadly also children and newborns so don’t believe this big lie of only old people can get it (and also if it would be so, don’t you have a grandma or grandpa? Don’t you love them? Shouldn’t you do something to protect them from this?). And sadly some of these people that were young were/are in critical conditions. Also not only old people are in a situation of high risk, but aslo youger people who have diabet, who had to deal with cancer and the list goes on. Recently a man who was 47 passed away for the virus and he was healthy, no other conditions like diabets or cancer, nothing, still he didn’t make it, so don’t think to be safe from this virus just because of your age.

About the message that italians are the one that made the virus go all over Italy just let me tell you this little fact: Italy has been dealing with corona virus for about 3 weeks, day more day less, if I don’t rember wrong the first italian case was around the 20th february, since the very beginning we’ve been open and honest with numbers with the whole world, we never lied about how many cases, death and all. Saturday 7th March,when Italy had already some red zone and over 5000 cases, so at least 15 days after the first case in Italy, the State decide to close down all ski slopes (they should have done that before according to a lot of people) that were full of italians and people from all over europe that had arrived only a few days before so when the virus was already here and it was more than clear to the rest of the world, then on march 9th, when in the middle of the night Conte said that from the next day the red zone would have been the whole country and started talking about the whole lock down thing,  all these people run off. So these people came her knowing about the virus and then went back, as fast as they could, to their country without caring about the fact that maybe at that point they were the first who helped the virus go everywhere, without even putting themself in a quarantine. Don’t blame only italians but all these people that can’t respect a few rules like don’t go out! I think we can see it everywhere now, I don’t know if people really don’t use a brain or if panic is taking all over them but in Italy when part of north Italy was announced to be in a red zone some idiots took the train from Milan in the middle of the night to go to some places in South Italy, in France people did the same and run off from Paris, in the States people run to buy eveyrthing and some videos went viral like people almost hitting each other for the last pack of toilet paper without caring about some simple rules like keep at least 1 m from everyone else,  and in all this examples, just to name a few, corona virus was throwing a party! So don’t blame a person because is living in a country with the virus, blame those that can’t respect rules and don’t care about others no matter in which country they live or are from. I think it’s simple if they tell you don’t go out then stay in, if the rule is when you are out for grocery shopping or to go to work or on a bus or wherever you want stay at least 1 m from everyone else you do so. 

About Vanessa’s live I honestly think that what she said was wrong, but not because she is a celebrity, but because yes everybody has to die before or later, but better later than now. Plus if you are dealing with something and your immune system it’s a mess and this virus has high chances to kill you  or if someone you love like a friend, a parent or your child is the one who is in this situation hearing this,  well you don’t want to. And right now passing away with corona virus means be alone untill the very end, next to you only a nurse or a doctor that still is a stranger for you. I think she simply shouldn’t have said that but this doesn’t make me hate her or wish for her career to end or anything like that. I’ll keep on supporting her as a fan as I’ve always done. Everyone has their own opinion and the fact that she is the first one that is not going out right now maybe, but just maybe, means that she isn’t underestimating the situation. To be honest I’ve seen and heard worst in the past few weeks, I mean half of our politicians here in Italy laugh off at the virus at the beginning “It’s just a flu, it won’t arrive here” and then not only they were sooooo wrong but they were the first one to be positive… I’ve seen celebrities acting like it’s all a nothing without caring, I mean the basketball player that touched all the microphones on purpose, he could have avoided it, and then was positive. But they weren’t all trashed like Vanessa, I think the fact that she, like before Kendall Jenner, were pointed out by Chiara Ferragni made people notice it more, I mean if you only search Ferragni on google now here in Italy all that comes out is Vanessa’s words. I mean she isn’t the first person on this world that said something like that so if people didn’t care about all the others they should drop down this whole thing now. Sadly since people have to stay in and they don’t know what to do, they like to hate on her more that usually, they have more time to do it. Plus people should also remember that Vanessa, just like any other celebrity, is a human and guess what a human does? Mistakes, so she did it, yes, but she also apologised so move on.

Untill July for The States? I think it’s more than possible. In Italy we’ve started around the 20th february, almost a month later we are still waiting for the highest number of cases that should be by next week according to some, by the middle of April according to others. We are on a lock down untill the 3rd of April but more than half Italy is waiting for that day for a new message that the lock down will have to go on longer because of the situation. Some doctors are talking about starting to get out of this situation not before may and for hospitals to go back to how it was all before only around july. So for The States that are just at the beginning now it could be possible. But as some doctors and researchers said it’s impossible to predict a day for several reasons, starting also from how we all act, I think we will all find it out in a few months.

All I can say to everyone is that this virus it’s not a joke,to stay safe and respect all the rules, if they ask you to stay in your own house don’t go out. If schools are closed this doesn’t mean that kids and teens can go out and meet up somewhere else, it’s easy to understand you have to stay in. Here in Italy the State had to go with total lock down because some old people weren’t getting the part of “stay in” as a caution for them, some other were taking the no schools, no works as a holiday things and wanted to go to the seaside or to ski and then teenagers, they acted like ignorant and selfish people, they were like we can only get it with some line of fever nothing more, we won’t die for it and so they were going out! Zero brain! In a few words since some people weren’t following a few rules the lock down arrived and now if you don’t respect it, don’t respect the law, you pay for your actions. Sorry Maria for the long,long,long,long text! Stay safe.

It’s all good! Hope you stay safe too as well as all of your loved ones!

[nadziejastar]

I'm not sure how I feel about Lea and Isa being apprentices. I think that "infiltration gone wrong" angle has potential. But prior to KH3 everything pointed to them being used as test subjects, and that feels like a much stronger story that tied a lot of things together. It feels like Nomura came up with the idea of Subject X and decided that backstory would suit her better, so he had to slot the boys in elsewhere to avoid redundancy.

Yeah, I definitely didn’t find the apprentice thing believable at all. There was absolutely zero evidence prior to KH3 that Lea and Isa were apprentices of Ansem the Wise and lots of evidence to the contrary. All the official media only ever mentioned six apprentices. There’s even this scene in the 358/2 Days novel:

Zexion had never trusted Axel one bit. In fact, he had never trusted anyone besides the original members of the Organization–those he had once known in the laboratory. But he found two especially untrustworthy: Saix, who had somehow wormed his way into Lord Xemnas’s confidence, and his close acquaintance Axel.

Zexion did not acknowledge them as fellow apprentices. There’s no doubt in my mind that Lea and Isa were not thought of as apprentices back when this novel came out. The novel writer would have been told this. There was a different story in mind for them back then. The apprentice thing came much later.

There’s a lot of unanswered questions about what was going on in Ansem’s laboratory back then. This is just my speculation of course, but I think it’s possible that both are true. There was an “infiltration gone wrong” and Lea and Isa were used as test subjects.

What are the “seeds” that Xehanort has planted?Nomura: In the secret event, Master Xehanort tells Terra that he has already laid many plans, and that the seeds have been sown. Telling Braig and Maleficent about “Kingdom Hearts” was one part of his plans, but what other plans have Braig and Master Xehanort laid? What other measures have been taken?

During the Blank Points secret ending, Master Xehanort tells Terra that he has many other roads open to him. And the way he glares at him shows how serious he was. It zooms in close to his eyes. He’s very confident that he would be perfectly fine even if he lost control of Terra’s body. We never actually see any of these other plans, though Nomura was clearly hinting at something in this interview.

Then the camera switches to a scene of Terranort’s apprentice days under Ansem the Wise, before the memory experiments. The camera even deliberately zooms in on his eyes, showing that they are brown. It felt like the trailer’s way of hinting that this is exactly what Master Xehanort was referring to earlier. Whatever happened in that laboratory was the reason that Xehanort has “many roads open” to him.

Xehanort must have always planned to become Ansem’s apprentice after taking over Terra’s body. That’s why he allied with Braig in the first place and it’s why he was in Radiant Garden at the end when Aqua fights him. He was planning on gaining his trust then using his lab and scientific knowledge to create his vessels. Of course, he never planned on Terra putting up such resistance or losing his memory. So that delayed his plans for a year. But the seeds would have been planted before he lost his memory.

The camera zooms in on Ansem the Wise’s eyes at the very end of that scene. This was a very deliberate directorial choice made to parallel the scene earlier with Master Xehanort and Terranort’s eyes. It seemed to be foreshadowing something. As we can see, Ansem’s eyes are bright orange. If Xehanort was planning on becoming an apprentice and making vessels as soon as he took over Terra’s body, he would know that he’d need subjects, of course. And who better to use than children?

Could that have been one of the seeds planted? Did Xehanort have something to do with Lea and Isa wanting to sneak into the castle so badly? Radiant Garden is the “city of light”. The Final Keyhole, the “Door to Darkness”, is in that castle. Kids would naturally want to see it. You might even be able to access another world through it. But nobody would have known about the Keyhole’s existence until Master Xehanort came along and told Braig about it, along with the existence of other worlds.

Within one of them, Terra, I sensed something. The boy, though well-intentioned, seeks power single-mindedly. And that kind of hunger is a seedbed for darkness. I had found my vessel. -Xehanort Report XI

Maybe Xehanort sensed the same potential for darkness in Isa like he did with Terra? Master Xehanort was in the same area not long before Ven meets Lea and Isa. Maybe he said something to Lea and Isa and planted some seeds before he met with Braig.

I thought it was interesting how Lea and Isa were so determined to sneak into the castle that day. Long before there were any rumors of experiments going on. And they looked so excited. It felt like they knew something special was in that castle. Who knows. Maybe they were like just like Sora and Riku in a way. Merely wanting to see other worlds.

Kairi’s detailed backstory is never shown. Sora can see some of her memories in KH1, so we know that she has been inside the castle before with her grandmother, although they did not live there. Somewhere along the way, Terranort got a hold of her and experimented on her. There’s a scene in the novels about this, too. It takes place when Ansem the Wise and Mickey are talking, and Terranort is eavesdropping. He hears them talk about the Keyblade, Gummi Blocks, and the Princesses of Heart.

“Aeleus, where is the girl?” Xehanort asked.

“She’s asleep…” Aeleus pointed to the capsule room in the back.

The girl was very particular–unique among people. They had not been able to create any Heartless using her heart.

Perhaps because she was too young, or perhaps…

Xehanort disappeared into the capsule room.

So Kairi was taken before Mickey’s arrival in Radiant Garden, but she was kept asleep in a pod. If there was originally a girl that Lea and Isa were trying to help after they sneak into the castle, it would have made more sense to be Kairi, not a Union X character. I don’t find it that hard to believe that Kairi was planned to be involved with Lea and Isa’s subplot. Axel and Saix both start off as enemies who kidnap Kairi in KH2. If it had been revealed that they only got into their unfortunate situation by trying to rescue her, it would set the groundwork for their redemption quite perfectly.

I have made a grave mistake. My study of the “darkness of the heart” began with a simple psychological test and quickly snowballed. Spurred on by my youngest apprentice, Ienzo, I constructed a massive laboratory in the basement of my castle. Unbeknownst to me, my six apprentices then began collecting a large number of subjects on which to perform dangerous experiments into the “darkness of the heart.“ As soon as I found out, I called my apprentices together and ordered them not only to cease their studies, but to destroy the results of their research thus far.

-Ansem’s Report 2 (KH2)

By the time Mickey arrives and speaks to Ansem the Wise, he is in despair. He found out that his apprentices had conducted unethical experiments without his permission. He ordered the research destroyed and, presumably, the subjects released. But the apprentices still had Kairi at that point. So it proves that they were still keeping a test subject away in secret, even after Ansem first found out and told them to stop. It’s possible that she wasn’t the only one. Maybe they had Lea and Isa hidden away, too.

Much of my life has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. That knowledge has guarded this world well. Not a soul doubts that. I am blessed with people’s smiles and respect. But though I am called a sage, there are things I do not understand. I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I have witnessed it many times. Darkness…Darkness of the heart. How is it born? How does it come to affect us so? As ruler of this world, I must find the answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the darkness. -Ansem’s Report 1 (KH1)

It’s unclear if Kairi was one of the subjects that Ansem himself experimented on. But it wouldn’t surprise me if she was. She and her grandmother were invited into the castle. Ansem was obsessed with darkness and thought every heart had it, no matter how pure. He would have been quite fascinated with Kairi, since she has no darkness in her heart. I don’t think he would have tried to hurt her. But he was desperate to know the secrets of the heart. And then there is the scene of her in Blank Points where she goes to the old mansion with Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

I have chosen a girl. I don’t know if she holds the princesses’ powers, but I will find out. She may lead me to the key bearer. I shall set her free and observe.  -Ansem’s Report 11 (KH1)

The body is gone; the heart should have returned to the Heartless. And yet, nothing. This one is unlike any other. Its memories remain and it has yet to take the form of a Heartless. A close eye must be kept on the situation. Much is still unknown. -Ansem’s Report 12 (KH1)

Some time after Mickey and Ansem’s conversation, Terranort decides to “set her free”, to see if she’s one of the Princesses. I like how he calls her “it”. She ends up on Destiny Islands, but it was actually Aqua’s spell that brought her there.

A year after the events of BbS, Terranort somehow regains the ability to use Master Xehanort’s Keyblade, and he steals the hearts of Ienzo and Even. Braig is very confused by what is happening. Terranort, sounding confused himself, steals Braig’s heart too, then starts referring to himself as “Ansem”. This doesn’t sound like it’s part of a premeditated plan. It sounds like he still has memory loss and actually thinks he is Ansem.

What on earth was happening within the hearts of my six beloved apprentices? While pursuing the mystery of the darkness of the heart, could they themselves have strayed into its depths?Yet I remain the most foolish of all, for having begun these experiments. We are not meant to interfere in the depths of another’s heart, no matter what our reasons for doing so…And my error plunged me into despair. A visitor from another world soothed my dejected soul. A tiny king named Mickey came wielding a legendary key — the infamous “Keyblade,” said to bring both chaos and prosperity to the world. -Ansem’s Report 2 (KH2)

Ansem the Wise said his research “snowballed”. Why did he feel the need to build a massive basement laboratory after the initial experiment on Xehanort’s memory? The initial results must have been extraordinary. Ansem says experiments, in the plural form. So he definitely did more than just the initial experiment on Terranort. Was he experimenting on others or did he just do multiple experiments on Terranort?

Strangely, both Ansem Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas have orange eyes. Terra had blue eyes and Terranort originally had brown eyes. Master Xehanort had gold eyes. So do the other characters who get consumed by darkness, like Aqua. So why does Terranort’s Heartless and Nobody have bright orange eyes like Ansem the Wise? There was definitely something more to this. Did something happen after Ansem experimented on him? Did it have to do with Ansem interfering in the depths of his heart?

Xigbar: The Chamber of Repose. If you recall, that’s where we spent our time researching the darkness that resides within people’s hearts. It’s a graveyard that was sealed by order of Ansem the Wise. The first thing Xemnas did once he got rid of him was to undo the seal and build a room in the back.

Xigbar says that Xemnas banished Ansem the Wise, then he immediately built another room in the Chamber of Repose, which looks a lot like the white rooms in Castle Oblivion. Xemnas can also use the chain ability from BbS.  He speaks to someone in there, and it’s implied to be Aqua who is in the Realm of Darkness.

In 0.2, we see that Xehanort is trying to use Terra to get Aqua to tell him where Ventus is hidden. The Terra that Aqua sees is an illusion based on the way she remembers him. Terra stops Xehanort by using the chains.

By the way, Aqua was seen to use the chains of light that Master Eraqus once did… how?

Nomura: Those shining chains are a special ability of Eraqus and his students. By becoming a Master, Aqua also became the successor to Eraqus’ “Master Keeper”, resulting in gaining the ability to use it also.

It appears that those chains are related to memories. Chains of memory? The chains are present when The Land of Departure becomes Castle Oblivion. And Castle Oblivion is a place where memory creates illusions.

Eraqus was about to use the chains on Ventus before Terra intervened.

Maybe that’s also why Terra was so confident that Xehanort’s heart was going to get “shown the door” and why Xehanort called Eraqus a sly fox. Because Eraqus stepped foot into his heart and gave him a special ability. The chains. They might have been the reason why Terranort lost his memory in the first place after he stabbed himself with the Keyblade.

Maybe these chains are what Ansem the Wise became so fascinated with when he first started studying Terranort. Also, for some reason Xemnas does not use the Keyblade that Terranort had. Nomura suggested that he was intentionally not using it, but we never learn why. Perhaps the chains prevent him from using it without risking Terra taking back control of his heart and body.

Xemnas: Our experiments creating Heartless were attempts to control the mind, and convince it to renounce its sense of self.

Marluxia: That’s right. Sora’s heart will be destroyed. If Naminé uses her powers to erase your memory, you’ll be nothing but an empty shell. Your heart will no longer be able to feel or to care.

In KH2FM+, you can see rooms that look like prison cells. Marluxia told Sora in CoM that erasing all of his memories would completely destroy his heart. It makes sense then that the experiments on the darkness of the heart also involved memories. They would be the key to creating a person without a sense of self. That’s also probably why the Organization conducted so many experiments at Castle Oblivion.

Comparing the Organisation members when they were human to when they were in the Organisation, apart from Xehanort, only Isa and Braig have differently-shaped ears and differently-coloured eyes - why is this?

Nomura: It’s a question of whether or not they’re deeply connected to Xehanort. In Braig’s case, comparing the scene where he’s injured in his battle with Terra and flares up at Xehanort, his appearance afterwards changes, which hints that something happened with Xehanort in between.

Braig’s dealings with Master Xehanort in Birth by Sleep make sense now, as he was to become a vessel.

Nomura: There is a certain reason for Braig to proudly exclaim, “I’m already half Xehanort.” Isa (Saïx) is included too. I think you’ll understand the details about their circumstances eventually.

Well, no Nomura. I’m actually I’m still waiting for those details. Though I think I’ll be waiting forever…

Interestingly enough, Saix has the same orange eyes that Xemnas and Ansem Seeker of Darkness have. In fact, they are the only Seekers of Darkness who have orange eyes. I am sure this was not just a coincidence, because Saix originally had gold eyes in his original appearance in KH2. But they were deliberately changed to orange in all later appearances. This was done in anticipation of further plot revelations, no doubt. This is another reason I think Isa was originally Subject X. It seems like he was involved in memory experiments, and he also has Xehanort’s heart in him. The question is: Did Ansem the Wise experiment on Isa, too?

Moving through time, Young Xehanort appeared in Radiant Garden and secretly talked with Braig. Saix (Isa) returned to human form and was taken away somewhere.

Isa was retrieved as a member of “The True Organization XIII”. The scar carved on his face has the same shape as the Recusant’s Sigil–is that proof Young Xehanort’s had his eye on him for some time? - Kingdom Hearts Series Memorial Ultimania

I like how they just left Even there. For some reason, Young Xehanort only wanted Isa. Clearly the New Organization XIII didn’t need Even or his unfinished Replica Program back when this scene was created in 2014. Nope. Just Isa.

It was when the figures started appearing in the thrones.Nomura: Indeed. Time was stopped just as Master Xehanort was materializing. So he moved his consciousness to Young Xehanort’s body. Reacting to this, King Mickey exclaimed, “Oh no. Are you…” Young Xehanort was holding a Keyblade that he originally wasn’t able to handle thanks to Master Xehanort’s power. Though the keychain on it is different, the Keyblade he takes out is Master Xehanort’s.

So…Xehanort can transfer his consciousness to any of his vessels and control them with his mind.

Who are the thirteen researchers of darkness?

Nomura: Thirteen seekers of darkness that share a consciousness and heart with Master Xehanort, serving as raw material for the X-Blade.

Oh. Of course, because they share a heart and consciousness with him. That explains the look that Master Xehanort gave Saix, who then immediately attacked Lea. He transferred his consciousness into his “raw material” and was controlling him, like he did with Young Xehanort.

What happens to the hearts of those who have had Master Xehanort’s heart planted within them?Nomura: They’ll gradually be swallowed by it. As for Master Xehanort, he plans to control them completely. The planted parts of the heart are captured rather than disappear.

I really don’t understand know how the 13 Seekers of Darkness had so much agency in KH3. It was totally at odds with everything Nomura previously said and what we saw of them earlier. They are supposed to be Master Xehanort’s 13 selves. Not independent free agents with yellow eyes. There is no reason they should have been able to conspire against Xehanort or betray him, outside of plot convenience. There were definitely heavy-duty revisions to the story after KH3D came out.

[themanicmagician]

In Plain Sight - Chapter One

[AO3] Summary: There’s a serial killer in Queens who leaves his victims mangled and half-eaten. Peter is acting erratically, and pushes everyone who loves him away in his hunt for the killer. Tony just wants the kid to be safe.

Spider-Man swung through New York City, grinning beneath his mask. It’d been muggy and wet for the past several weeks, but today the air was crisp and the sun warm in the cloudless sky.

Peter breathed deep. His foot skimmed lightly over the yellow top of a taxi as he glided low. True to form, the driver honked at him. Peter gave the disgruntled man a wave as he swung around the corner.

The Avengers were off world—which, Peter was still not over interplanetary travel, like holy shit—at the moment, leaving the defense of New York to the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

(He knew Dr. Strange lived around here somewhere, but he didn’t count. Peter had never seen him patrolling, and half the job was making sure the people knew you were around, and had their backs.)

Peter had expanded his territory accordingly in their absence, spending time in each of the five boroughs. So far he’d caught a few pickpockets in Manhattan, who’d attempted to prey on oblivious tourists around 42nd street, but otherwise New York was getting on just fine.

Still, Peter remained vigilant! Mr. Stark was expecting a full report when he got back.

Spider-Man was about to turn in for the night, halfway across the Queensboro Bridge when Karen piped up.

“Peter, I’ve just received a report of a fire in Chinatown. Firefighters are heading towards the scene, but it has spread to two apartment buildings.”

“On it!”

Peter webbed one of the bridge’s support beams and pivoted back around towards Manhattan.

He arrived at the scene roughly thirty minutes after Karen’s alert. The local firefighters had beaten him there. Three fire trucks were parked haphazardly in the street, the firefighters rushing to subdue the rampaging flames before the fire spread even further. One of the apartment buildings on fire was six stories tall, the other eight. The scene was chaotic as the firefighters rushed to rescue civilians, keep onlookers from getting too close, and douse the roaring flames. Smoke hung thickly in the air.

Spider-Man perched atop a fire-hydrant as a fireman secured the hose attached to it.

“What’s the situation like inside?” He yelled to be heard over the cacophony of noise.

“We’ve got some folks still up on the eighth floor.” The fireman said. While some police officers and firefighters disliked Spider-Man, most respected him now that he’d proven himself on several mid-profile captures, and were willing to work with him in times of crisis.

“Leave it to me.”

Peter stuck himself to the building and began to climb. The heat of the brick was dampened to a bearable level by his suit, and for the billionth time Peter blessed its design.

The heat had cracked the windows on the eighth floor. Peter shattered one of them with a single kick. He swung into the apartment.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” He called out. The nano-tech in his suit supplied oxygen to him, so he didn’t have to worry about smoke inhalation.

His scalp prickled, and he intuitively rolled forward to dodge a wooden support beam. He needed to move fast. While he may be protected from the smoke, he’s pretty sure his suit couldn’t withstand an eight story building’s worth of brick and mortar atop him.

“Karen, scan for life forms.”

“Scanning.” Even as she spoke, three heat signatures appeared in the apartment across the hall from the one he was currently in. “There is a family of three in apartment 8F.”

Peter ran out of the apartment. When he reached the hallway, he kicked down the door to 8F. Peter cringed back as heat slammed into him. The fire was even more intense in here.

“Hello? I’m getting you out of here!”

The family rushed to him from the closet they were hiding in. Shirts were tied around their faces, makeshift masks to keep out some of the smoke. The mother pushed a young girl into his arms. The tears on the girls face evaporated even as she wailed.

“小雨!” She screamed.

Peter led the family back through the apartment he entered from. All the while, the kid burrowed against his neck and kept screaming the same thing over and over.

“What is she saying, Karen?”

“小雨!”

“Sprinkles.”

They reached the shattered window. A firefighter had come up on the ladder, and was waiting for them. Spider-Man handed off the girl first.

“小雨,” She sobbed.

“Karen, scan 8F for pets.”

Leaving the family to be escorted down by the firefighters, Peter rushed back into their apartment. He searched wildly around the living room.

“There is a cat beneath that couch.”

Peter heaved the couch out of the way, and scooped up a tiny white kitten.

“Is there anyone else still in the building?”

“Just you, Peter.”

The floor groaned ominously beneath his feet.

“Right. Time to go.” Cradling the kitten close to his chest, Peter ducked and dived around falling debris.

The family was clear of the window, but the firefighter had remained behind in case there were more to save.

“All clear!” Peter said.

“Move it!” The firefighter hollered.

Spider-Man didn’t need to be told twice—he leapt through the window and stuck himself to the fire truck’s extended ladder. He climbed down, and landed by the EMTs.

“Can you help this cat?” He asked. One of the EMTs that wasn’t occupied with a human patient came fourth. She took the kitten, and pressed a toddler-size oxygen mask to the animal’s face.

“小雨!”

Spider-Man turned. The girl he saved dragged her parents over to him. He looked to the EMT. The kitten was soot-covered and coughing, but very wriggly and alive in the med tech’s hand. The EMT gave him a firm nod.

Spider-Man crouched down to look the girl in the eye.

“Sprinkles is going to be just fine.”

Peter was about to ask Karen to translate for him when the EMT handed the kitten back to him. Peter gave the cat a quick pat on the head before he returned it to the girl.

She brightened instantly, and clutched Sprinkles to her chest. The kitten purred loudly, recognizing its owner. Its pink tongue flicked out to lick her hand.

“Thank you, Spider-Man,” The girl’s mother said.

Peter straightened. “Of course! Just doing my job.”

The girl rushed forward for a hug, and Spider-Man happily returned the embrace.

Things had been rough—and that was really an understatement—since the Snap was reversed. They’d lost many heroes in the final battle against Thanos. Too many. There were many days that Peter felt guilt, that he survived when so many did not. But nights like tonight, it all feels worth it. This was what he was meant for.

“Let’s go home, Karen.” Spider-Man shot off a web, and launched himself into the air.

~*~

Bells shrilled, signalling the end of the school day. As students filtered past him, Peter pulled up the Daily Bugle on his phone.

FIREFIGHTERS SAVE CHINATOWN

Screamed the headline. The article went on to discuss the details of the blaze. The electrical fire, caused by antiquated, faulty wiring throughout the six story building, claimed both that building and the one beside it. The six story building crumbled entirely, the centuries-old brick no match for the searing flames. The eight story building was still standing, but it was a husk of its former self. But, thanks to the efforts of the firefighters and Spider-Man, no lives were lost.

Peter grinned. The editor of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson, was his own personal Gordon Ramsay. Jameson’s gone on all types of podcasts and printed so many articles lambasting Spider-Man, calling him a public menace and trying to twist his actions into something villainous. But in this article, Jameson had to begrudgingly admit Spider-Man had done no wrong, and had actually helped; videos of Spider-Man rescuing the kitten have already gone viral. Sure, Jameson framed him as an afterthought, only mentioning his part of the fire rescue in the last sentence of the article. But it was still progress! Peter had the feeling he’d wrangle a glowing review out of Jameson one day.

“Hey dude.” Ned nudged Peter in the arm as he caught up to him in the hallway. He leaned in and whispered conspiratorially: “I saw everything on the news. Great job.”

Peter beamed. “Thanks, man.”

They walked together to the library, to the first week decathlon practice for their junior year.

“Oh, we still on for this Saturday?”

“Yeah!”

“Cool. It’s been a while since we’ve just like, hung out doing nothing, you know?”

Peter nodded. Once Aunt May calmed down after discovering his secret hobby of running around in spandex all night, she laid down some ground rules for him. He had to get at least Bs in his classes, stay involved in one club, and restrict his Spider-manning to four days a week (and be back in bed by 2 a.m.) unless there was a dire emergency. And by dire emergency she meant aliens falling from the sky, and nothing less than that.

At first, Peter had chafed under the restrictions. Before she’d known, he had gone out as Spider-Man every night, and would get a few snatches of sleep before he had to get up for school. He had the perspective to see now that it wasn’t healthy, and he still felt guilty about all the times he’d blown off Ned to go on a patrol that ended with zero crimes encountered. Aunt May’s rules helped Peter better balance everything going on in his life. He felt more in control.

Most of the decathlon team was already settled in by the time he and Ned got there. Including—ugh—Flash.

Of course, his tormentor instantly honed in on him. Peter hadn’t even set his backpack down yet before Flash sneered: “Shouldn’t you be at the “Stark Internship” right now?”

Peter avoided his gaze. The best way to deal with Flash was to just not engage.

M.J. was the last to arrive, a petrified-looking freshman in tow.

“Everyone, say hello to the new meat.”

They chorused a greeting. The freshman fidgeted and tried for a smile.

“I’m Edward, but people call me Eddie. It’s nice to meet you all.”

Eddie took the spare seat beside Peter. Peter gave him an encouraging smile, which the freshman returned.

M.J. plopped into her chair at the head of the table, and said offhand: “Oh and Flash, you’re down to second alternate.”

Predictably, he exploded.

“What the hell do you mean, second alternate?” Flash leapt out of his chair. No one was surprised, save for Eddie, who stared, wide-eyed.

“The newbie scored higher on the ranking test we did. So he’s first alternate now.”

Flash’s face reddened. It was humiliating for a junior to be ranked below a freshman.

“That’s bullshit! That’s—That’s—” He cast about for a target. And predictably, it was Peter. “Parker put you up to this!”

Ned, ever faithful, rallied to Peter’s defense. “Flash, it’s not Peter’s fault you bombed the test.”

“Don’t you know, lard-o? He’s sleeping with the team captain! It’s obvious he had her lower my score on purpose to make me look bad!”

Peter went scarlet at the mention of him and M.J. M.J, of course, was unphased.

“Keep it down!” The librarian scolded Flash as she drifted by with a cart of books to put back.

“I’m—You—Mr. Harrington won’t agree to this!” Flash stomped off to find their teacher.

M.J. shrugged in his wake. “It was Mr. Harrington’s choice anyway, so…”

“I can be second alternate.” Eddie said, earnestly. “Really, I don’t mind. I don’t want to cause any problems.”

“No.” Peter blurted. “Just ignore him. He’s a dick.”

He could take Flash picking on him—he had for years now—but he couldn’t let Flash ruin this freshman’s chance to shine. It was pretty much certain Peter would miss decathlon competitions in the future, and he’d rather give his spot to Eddie over Flash any day.

By the time Flash sulked back to the table, they had already broken off into groups to quiz each other. Peter usually paired with Ned, but when Eddie’s timid eyes lifted to him with a mute request, he couldn’t deny him.

“Which Florida city is the southernmost point in the continental United States?” Peter read off the card.

Eddie thought for a moment, then perked up.

“Key West!”

“You got it.” That was the last of the cards; Eddie was pretty damn fast. “So, Eddie, why’d you join the team?”

Eddie shrugged.

“My mom said I had to join some clubs. Looks good for colleges and whatnot. Plus if I joined a few, she said she’d get me a camera.”

“You like to take photographs?”

He asked the right question—Eddie lit up like the sun. “Yeah, I’m—I’ve been going around after school since I was like, ten. Look at this!”

Eddie flipped through the photos on his phone, and showed Peter one of Spider-Man, sailing through the Washington Square Arch.

“Wow!” Peter was genuinely impressed. The picture framed Spider-Man nicely, and was in focus. Most photos of him that circulated the web (heh, web) were blurry or unflattering. Ned still had that picture of Peter face-planting onto a car as his phone lock screen, and every time he saw it he died a little more inside.

“Spider-Man’s cool.” Eddie said. Peter preened. He was cool. “My dad doesn’t really like him, though.”

Their conversation was interrupted as M.J. wrangled them all back to the meeting table. She gave each of them a book to read, all on their topics of focus. Peter grimaced as he was handed a weighty physics book. He’d have Karen read it aloud to him during patrol.

“That’s all for today. Scram.”

After M.J. closed out the session, the group scattered. Peter hung back with M.J., ignoring Flash’s glower and waving Ned and Eddie off.

“Eddie’s smart,” He told M.J. as she stuffed flashcards back into her backpack. “I think he’ll be great on the team.”

“I know how to pick ‘em.” M.J. said.

Now that they were alone, M.J. was bold enough to give him a quick peck on the lips.

Peter’s heart fluttered. The smile M.J. gave him was soft and private, a vulnerability to it that she let only him see. He grinned back like a doofus.

The war against Thanos really put things into perspective for Peter. He and M.J. had skirted around this thing between them for a while, but he’d been too scared to ever make a move. Once they wrested the gauntlet away from Thanos, and the restored world had time to settle back into its old rhythm, Peter just went for it. They’d been dating for two months now, and Peter was still in awe of the fact that she’d said yes.

Peter ultimately left the library with a spring in his step, and the promise of a date next week.

~*~

“—and then I was like, you’ve got to be kitten me! And I grabbed the little guy and got him the heck out of there.”

Peter gesticulated wildly as he gave Mr. Stark his report for the two and a half weeks he and the Avengers were away. Saving the family and their kitten from the fire was definitely the highlight.

Peter paused his tale to eat another scoop of froyo. Typically he gave his weekly reports to Happy, but this time Mr. Stark had taken him out for some froyo when he came back with the team, to give them time to touch base face to face. Peter would be lying if he said he hadn’t missed Mr. Stark.

The cashier of the small midtown froyo shop was sneaking pictures of the two of them—Peter heard the faint click of the shutter sound going off on her phone. The customers, however, remained indifferent to them. Peter had to give New Yorkers credit; they were great at giving celebrities privacy, and pretending it wasn’t a big deal to do so.

“It certainly sounds like an adventure. You did good, kid.” Peter basked in the praise, a giddy, warm feeling in his chest. Mr. Stark was giving him that look again, the one he treasured most of all, his eyes shining with paternal pride.

“So tell me what happened with you!” Peter leaned forward eagerly. “Did you see the other Peter?” Peter had hitched a ride with the Guardians back to Earth, and had enjoyed getting to know them all under much less dire circumstances. Educating the other Peter on memes was seriously a highlight of his life.

Tony rolled his eyes. “Star Dork was around, yes. He threw a grenade at an alien and yelled “yeet”.”

Peter gasped, and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. “I’m so proud.”

“You’re a terrible influence.”

~*~

Spider-Man swung through Queens, on a routine patrol. Now that Mr. Stark and the rest of the Avengers were back, he returned to focusing on his home turf. Privately, he missed the Manhattan skyscrapers; he couldn’t get nearly as much air out here.

He spotted a cop car as it screamed down the road, and followed after it. He grew nervous as the car drove closer and closer to May’s apartment, but the tension in his chest deflated when the car parked about five blocks away. He knows May’s route home from the subway, and it takes her down a different road.

Peter landed lightly on his feet, behind the officers. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there. He’d learned to announce his presence to them gently after a startled cop once whirled around and clocked him in the face.

“What’s the situation, officers?”

He didn’t know these particular cops, but they knew him. Davis, read the name tag on the black cop’s chest.

“Hope you’ve got a strong stomach, Spidey.” Davis said.

Both curious and wary, Spider-Man followed the officers into an alleyway. They ducked beneath a strand of yellow police tape, and passed by a forensics officer getting out her kit.

At the end of the alleyway was a man, slumped against a dumpster. By the look of him, he was homeless.

Peter was assaulted by a vile stench: sweat, blood, and fecal matter mixed into one noxious fume. As he drew closer, he saw the man was dead. Not from exposure, or overdose, but something far more sinister. It looked like an animal got to him. His stomach was ripped open, and Peter observed with horror that his entrails had bites out of them. Someone—or some thing—had eaten parts of this man.

“Christ.” Davis’ partner muttered. Peter tried his best not to puke.

“Spider-Man.” Davis addressed him. “You got any enemies that do stuff like this?”

He shook his head. This wasn’t even close to the m.o. of the villains he’d faced. The Vulture, the Scorpion, they were corrupt and cruel, but they never fell to this level of savagery. This was animalistic. Inhuman.

“I’ll look into it.” Spider-Man said. Once he surreptitiously took samples of evidence for his own investigation, he left the scene.

Two days later, another victim was found.

[jorelassicpark]

Imagine Being Thanos (AU, spoilers, duh)

Something I wrote really quickly.

Apologies for turning Titan into Man of Steel’s Krypton.

Imagine this: you're young, you're optimistic, you're among the brightest and best of your planet. Your family loved you. You're among friends who'd die for you. You've had one of the best upbringings you could ask for. You never go to bed hungry and you've got a job lined up for you once you complete your well-earned education.

But outside of your circle, what your family and friends ignore, is strife - poverty, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, nationalism, us vs. them, politics vs. politics, riots, hunger. Resources are dwindling while the population rises. Your hometown was once quiet, even if it was big - now it's stuffed to the gills with the rich getting richer while the middle class can't afford a house now because all the jobs are being taken by either the overqualified or the rich, while criminals prey on the poor and rich alike who're moving in hoping to snatch up a job. The schools are stuffed to bursting and the teachers get paid for shit. Your friends who start families have to start homeschooling them or scrape up money to send them to a private school to get a quality education, or keep them away from gangs that are popping up. You're assaulted twice, and criminals looking to start fights with you because you were born big break your bones. Even your family can't afford the bills anymore. You're followed by beggars - some you recognize as your old classmate from high school, hit by another recession. Some are completely out of their minds, talking to Gods that aren't there and screaming and hollering. One nearly slashes your throat open with a rusty blade because he thinks you're recording him with your phone.

You notice the summers getting warmer, earlier. Winter doesn't feel like winter anymore. Everyone knows it's the factories struggling to keep up demand spewing smoke into the air. The leaders of each country repeal the fragile environmental laws in place. Your dad used to take the family jetskiing and fishing. You can't do that anymore - the fish are completely gone and the last person who took a swim is dying in the hospital from Gods-know-how-many chemicals. Last week, it hit

In your lifetime, one war after another pops up, in one way or another. Nation A accuses Nation B of meddling in their politics. Nation B invades Nation C that used to be a part of it. Nation A's citizens argue back and forth about Nation B. The right is cleaved in half, one finding Nation B a right-wing aliy, while the other half can't forgive the shadow war waged for the last century. The left fares no better - one half despises its lack of free speech, its own bigotry, while the other half believes it to be an ally against Nation A's own longstanding issues with hatred - slavery in the past, subtle racism that keeps minorities in ghettos now, police brutality. Your nation elects a bigot who seethes against the other every day. Your university shuts down several times. You're tear-gassed by police as you try to make your way to the laboratories. You're mistaken for the Other by one faction or another and you barely escape with your health more than once.

You try to help. You donate to charity, and find the board has been stealing what should be cancer research funds to go party on their yachts. You give blood, only to read that 99% of it goes unused because the collection methods spoil it before it can be used. You

Then it hits. War comes home. Half your family is dead. Half your friends go missing, disappeared into prisons to never be seen again or simply *gone*. You used to share a room with your brother and it takes a long time for you to stop coming home and start talking until you realize the bed above yours is empty. You don't see the sun for days because there's so much thick smoke choking the air from all the bombings. What's left of your family huddles in candlelight after the power shuts down for the nth time, hoping the rifle cracks don't get closer.

The war doesn't get better. Nations are gone overnight. Another half of what remains of your family is drafted to die in a land they don't know. Half of your university is gone, also drafted into the war. In the break room, the professor of philosophy - a man you respect, a man who taught you how to debate, to question what you see, to make sense of other people's suffering - watches the news. The damage is catastrophic. Nuclear weapons poison lands irreversibly. Another scientist is quoted that out of a once roiling planet of one trillion, five billion are left, and dropping *nightly*.

The city mayor calls an emergency meeting. The food supplies are dwindling. Medicine is zero. The remaining hospitals had to put the old, the terminally ill, the critically wounded in palliative care and lie to them that they'll make it.

Something inside you snaps. Maybe it's the fact you barely made it out of an artillery shelling last night. Maybe you're so hungry that you've considered eating the bugs coming out of the rubble. Maybe you're tired of the arguments on who to banish next for some petty thing - banish him because he looks fat and maybe was hoarding food. Banish him because he used to be a racist. Banish that guy because he voted for the party that got us into this war.

You suggest everyone draw straws. One half with the tallest straws get to stay. The other half... you want to say banishment, but you've seen the girl down the street die of radiation poisoning in the gaping crater when she took the wrong path out of town.

Everyone - even your own family - stares at you like you're pure evil.

You work alone, now. Trying to find a cure, and it's hard without anyone to help you move isotopes or work the microscopes or bring you raw materials. But what you can do is math. Prove that your plan, as evil as it is, is right. You draw up statistics. You call on census records and the remaining orbital satellites to determine who is left. You sample soil and watch the clouds and orbit and temperature and all the food sources - animal, plant, and otherwise. Math is simple and easy to understand - it didn't make fun of you for being different, it didn't care if it couldn't understand you.

You have your final plea to save the world. There isn't much time to execute it, and a shred of you hopes you are wrong.

You broadcast your plea. End this. Save what we have left.

You find nothing but mockery. Your plans are broadcasted to other nations to prove yours is an evil, genocidal one when you meant nothing like it.

Another half of your city is destroyed in a bombing sweep trying to target you. The cowards didn't even spare one of their foot soldiers to do the job personally.

One night, your father wakes you up. His eyes are red, and there is something other than hollow shock in his eyes. He leads you to what is left of the laboratories. The readings are getting worse - the tremors are shaking continents apart. The oceans will evaporate in a year, no matter what anyone does. Soon, everyone who survives the quakes will have their lungs collapse into a poison sludge - if the last leaders of every 'great' nation just finally settle for Mutually-Assured Destruction.

He used to be a rocket scientist. He helped Titan meet other worlds, trade peacefully, explore the stars - and that technology is now used to deliver more missiles to nations no longer there.

His personal ship can only fit one. He says he was trying to modify it to fit the family, but that's moot now. It's just you and him.

You're not going, you say. You don't want another hole in your heart. You don't want another ghost haunting this world. You tell him he's older and wiser and he can orate and argue and that he was a diplomat. They'll listen.

You know you screamed at each other, begging not to go. You don't remember much of the exact details - but you remember one. You remember the strength you inherited from him picking you up and tossing you bodily into the cockpit.

You are in orbit when your father is proven right. Nuclear strikes scour light into your eyes. For days, you can't see anything but the memory of your planet turning to the sickest pitch black for a second is burned into your eyes forever.

You drift through space. Your father had set coordinates for the nearest friendly planet. You hope and pray for a diplomatic mission to meet you, to have some kind of shelter. You look forward to a bed and clean food, even though you know they'll probably ignore you at best.

You're beset upon by pirates, beaten to an inch of your life, your ship scrapped for parts. But you live. You manage a living doing hard labor. You work your way into the sciences. You hope this planet avoids another war.

And this world repeats what your world did.

Once again, you escape with your life on a one-man ship. And this time, war has spread through the system - into the next one. You see ships burning unnatural fires into colonies. You see planetary rings formed from endless dead fleets.

It is here, alone in the galaxy, utterly, completely alone, that you decide you will make them listen.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

YOU GUYS I JUST THOUGHT OF THIS

Excite really never got the business model right at all. She was horrified when the doctors running the study discovered what appeared to be a member of the professional classes. Did it alarm some potential acquirers that we used Lisp? Version 1 of this world. We'll have to worry not just about new things, but also about existing things becoming more addictive. The ultimate way to get market price is to work for yourself, by starting your own company. Some switched from meat loaf to tofu, and others to driving SUVs.1

And I'm pretty sure that to people 50 or 100 years in the future. But in those days the trade press expected versions, so we made them up.2 The war was due mostly to external forces, and the 2. The importance of the first varies depending on whether you have control over the whole system and have the source code of all the things we could have monotonically increasing confidence in their opinions are implicitly concluding the world is static. I'll tell you how. Trevor graduated at about the same time the acquisition closed, so in the course of 4 days he went from impecunious grad student to millionaire PhD.3 In the Valley, terrible things happen to startups all the time and we got Java applets. You make something that looks to the user like the sufficiently smart compiler you could create a situation indistinguishable from you being that manufacturer, at least not in the selection of ideas, but their production. After years of working on it for a couple days when he presented to investors at Demo Day, when the startups we funded this summer present to investors. The part that actually mattered was graphic design, not transaction processing. And when the Duplo economy happened simultaneously with the spread of computing power was a precondition for globalization or the LBO wave? To someone in their twenties today, this wouldn't seem worth naming.

If you do it? The puffed-up companies that went public during the Bubble didn't do it just because they were afraid of Google, and recently I've noticed some cracks in their fortress. There was a friend they wanted to do things that are superficially impressive.4 Startups in other places are just doing what startups naturally do: fail. Here there were 3 choices: NBC, CBS, and ABC. So it was literally IPO or bust.5 So here we have two pieces of information that I think of all the best Ajax startups before Google does.6 Instead of thinking of most places as being sprayed with the antidote. Except sinecures don't appear in economic statistics. I mean show, not tell. Ruby: Perl is a kludge. Macros in the Lisp sense are still, as far as I know all too well from being in the business call a liquidity event, and the Baumol Effect means all their peers get dragged along too.

And indeed, things hadn't changed much yet. Oddly enough, it was news to him. It's like the word allopathic. Conditionals. Once some employer breaks ranks, everyone else has to, or open them in new windows. So presumably that's what this brainstorming session was about. Everything is just incremental and you just have to do that with coworkers.

A remarkable number of famous startups grew out of some experience. A couple weeks ago I finally figured it out. Less fortunate startups just end up hiring armies of people to sit around having meetings. If life is short, as everyone knows.7 What difference did it make if other manufacturers could offer DOS too? You're an investor too. And once you understand the degree to which the startups they like are the ones that figure out new ways to give stuff away for free could be pretty high-handed about it. They don't like that idea, so now they try to get market price for their investment; they limit their holdings to leave the founders enough stock to feel the company is at least straightforward: make the search engine you yourself want. If you don't and a competitor does, you're in trouble. You can't say precisely what the miracle will be, or even that the power they wield corrupts them.8 But you have to extract parameters manually in Perl.

And the old system meant people had to deal with before. Number 6 is starting to appear in the mainstream.9 In this case, working code means a working description in the investor's head. It's practically a mantra at YC. This is what you end up with: def foo n: class acc: def __init__ self, n: self. Anything that gets you those 10,000 startup founders into the country each year could have a visible effect on the number of successful startups talked less about choosing cofounders and more about how hard they worked to maintain their relationship. You enter a whole different way of life when it's your company vs. Would we be just as likely to feel life was short if we lived 10 times as long in another language, it will seem barbaric that people in our era waited till they had symptoms to be diagnosed with cancer. They all know one another, and techniques spread rapidly between them. That's their secret. Like Facebook. And by next, I mean five years if nothing goes wrong.

Angels were generally much better to talk to. Our ancestors were giants. If they were obviously good, someone would already be doing them.10 You can demonstrate your respect for one another in more subtle ways.11 If you're a hacker and you're presenting to experienced investors, they're probably better at detecting bullshit than you are.12 Ideas 8 and 9 only became part of Lisp by accident, the frequency of helpful chance meetings in the Valley aren't automatically impressed with you just because you're starting a company to actually doing it. On the web, people can publish whatever they want. The answer, I realized, more from internal evidence than any outside source, that the ideas we were being fed on TV were crap, and I said to him, ho, you're confusing theory with practice, this eval is intended for reading, not for computing. We would have sold. In social settings, I found that I got over 100 other responses listing the surprises they encountered.13

The closest is the colloquial sense of addictive. They probably assumed we were on the same VC gravy train they were.14 But airports are not so bad: most of the time you'll find the person instinctively thinks the idea will be a great thing—so great that people in our era waited till they had symptoms to be diagnosed with conditions like heart disease and cancer.15 From far enough away, all you can see is the large, flashing billboard paid for by Sun. And that could be anything, the content of your description approaches zero. Is there no configuration of the bits in memory of a present day computer that is this compiler? In social settings, I found that I got over 100 other responses listing the surprises they encountered.

Notes

The point where it does, the more important to users than where you wanted it? In the beginning. These range from make-believe, is caring what random people thought it was one firm that wanted to go to grad school you always feel you should. Your user model almost couldn't be perfectly accurate, because they insist you dilute yourselves to set aside a chunk of stock options than any other company has ever been.

Incidentally, this is what you learn about programming in Lisp. To the extent to which the top 15 tokens, because despite some progress in the sense of getting rich from controlling monopolies, just as on a saturday, he tried to shift back. You can still see fossils of their peers.

I should degenerate from 129. But it was briefly in Britain in the original version of this type: lies told by older siblings.

The Baumol Effect induced by startups is very common for startups to be hard on Google. Earlier he'd had in school, secretly write your thoughts down in the business much harder to fix. Some genuinely aren't. Cost, again.

Which in turn means the startup eventually becomes. In principle yes, of course some uncertainty about how things are going well, but have no way to create wealth with no valuation cap at all but for a group to consider behaving the opposite way from the 1940s or 50s instead of reacting. Could you restrict technological progress aren't sharply differentiated. If you're expected to do it all at once, or grow slowly tend not to grow big in revenues without growing big in people, but I couldn't believe it or not to feel guilty about it wrong in How to Make Wealth when I said by definition this will give you such a brutally simple word is that the payoff for avoiding tax grows hyperexponentially x/1-x for 0 x 1.

It was common in, but when people tell you that if a bunch of adults had been with us he would have met 30 people he meets at parties he's a real partner. It doesn't happen often. There's not much use, because unions will exert political pressure to protect widows and orphans from crooked investment schemes; people with a walrus mustache and a list of n things seems particularly collectible because it's a bad idea was that there were about the qualities of these, because the kind of social engineering—. And when they buy some startups and not fixing them fast enough, the assembly line, the term whitelist instead of Windows NT?

For example, the startup isn't getting market price. There are two ways to make programs easy to write an essay about it.

And starting an organic farm, though I think it's confusion or lack of transparency. Distribution of income and b not allow them to justify choices inaction in particular took bribery to the rise of big companies can afford that. They could make it harder for you by accidents of age and geography, rather technical sense of being interrupted deters hackers from starting hard projects.

Whereas the value of their time on a hard technical problem. No one writing a dictionary from scratch, rather technical sense of not starving then you should avoid raising money in order to avoid variable capture and multiple evaluation; Hart's examples are subject to both. Many hope he was exaggerating.

On the other is laziness. There are still, as in a time before photography had a big chunk of this process but that's overkill; the defining test is whether you have 8 months of runway or less, then add beans don't drain the beans, and Windows, respectively. To a kid was an assiduous courtier of the crown, and they were saying scaramara instead of blacklist.

The trustafarians' ancestors didn't get rich by buying their own, like wages and productivity, but those specific abuses. It's like the word wealth.

A variant is that Digg is Slashdot with voting instead of crawling back repentant at the time I thought there wasn't, because they couldn't afford it. But it isn't critical to.

Who is being put through an internal process at work. In January 2003, Yahoo released a new database will probably frighten you more inequality. It is probably a losing bet for a name that has a significant number. Could you restrict technological progress to areas where you went to school.

Down rounds are bad: Webpig, Webdog, Webfat, Webzit, Webfug. In fairness, I have no idea what's happening till they measure their returns. Two possible and not end up reproducing some of the medium of exchange would not make a formal language for proofs in which I removed a pair of metaphors that made a lot, or your job will consist of bad customs as well use the word that means the slowdown that comes from ads on other sites.

Anything that got built this? He had such a dangerous mistake to do it. There's not much use, because she liked the iPhone too, of course.

[subfunctions]

Horizon Zero Dawn OC: Yara

Inspired by 1) my theory that at least one other subordinate function has probably found a human to buddy up with and 2) my theory that MINERVA will be the first subordinate function to emerge as an ally to Aloy.

Loosely inspired by these lines of “The Mountain Poem: Words Spoken in Contemplation” by Ibrahīm Ibn Khafāja, following the lines you can find in Metal Flower Mark II (F):

And through the night, that tongueless mountain uttered marvelous things: "How much more time in space? How long have I been the assassin's safehouse And sheltered hermits from the human race?"

But mostly just an exercise in character creation, as in: if I had the task of creating a character to be the human partner and counterpoint to a subordinate function, what would that character be like?

My other self-appointed parameters were to create someone who’s a bit of a foil to Aloy and Sylens both, so: someone who chose isolation rather than being subjected to it, and someone whose interest in knowledge is specialized rather than general, while maintaining a moral compass.

--

(face claim: Grace Mahary)

Name: Yara Gender: Female Tribe: Utaru Age: 23 at time of main game

Notable Physical Traits: Though Yara keeps prominent Utaru elements in her attire, her usual outfit is a practical mixture of Utaru and Banuk styles, something she’s put together to guard against the months of cold in the home she’s settled in. Due to contracting polio as a child, her right leg is stunted and partially paralyzed; she walks with a cane and wears an adjustable brace made of machine parts on her leg.

Personality: Intellectually minded and gifted, Yara’s great love is the sky and what lies behind it - the vast expanse of space beyond the planet, which she has dedicated her life to studying. She is endlessly curious about the greater workings of the universe and how her world fits into it, and with the eventual help of a Focus and later MINERVA, she’s made progress in uncovering a fraction of the universe’s secrets. Because of certain traumatic events in her life and a bloody history that she is not entirely proud of, she prefers to keep to herself and keep only MINERVA’s company, craving solitude and her studies. However, her Utaru roots are evident, not only in her love of the natural world but in a generosity of spirit, from which that bloody history sprung - an inability to sit there and do nothing in the face of the Red Raids and the losses her people suffered because of them. 

Relationship With MINERVA: Yara found MINERVA in the wake of tragedy, and the subordinate function’s eagerness to help and learn endeared her to Yara and gave them a common ground. She feels as if she owes MINERVA for stabilizing her during such a turbulent time in her life and giving her something to live for - a renewed love for the universe and a friend she could relate to. MINERVA, similarly, was able to stabilize developmentally because of Yara’s friendship, finding companionship and purpose in Yara after she had no purpose left, as she is the only subordinate function whose job was completely finished. 

Songs: Inner Space - Apex The Warpath - Conner Youngblood Cover Your Tracks - Young Galaxy

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Bio: 

Yara was born to the Northland clan of the Utaru in 3017, a clan composed of several extended families, Yara’s among them. In 3020, when she was three years old, a distant mountain exploded, its lingering cloud visible even as far as her clan’s riverside village in the northern part of Plainsong, once known as the Great Plains of western Nebraska. A few months later, in the winter, an illness known to the Utaru as the Strength Eater, and known to the Old Ones as polio, spread throughout the clans gathered together for the annual celebration of the harvest. Many survived its onslaught intact. However, some died, their breath stolen away by the Strength Eater, and a few were left permanently weakened afterwards.

Yara’s father was among those who died, and Yara herself was left with a paralyzed and stunted right leg. For the rest of her life, she would need a cane to walk, and Utaru ingenuity in redesigning machine parts into farming tools saw her outfitted with a brace as well. Over time, the complications of walking with a stunted leg would curve her spine and weaken her bones and muscles as well, and she was never able to participate in the labor-intensive work of farming to the same degree that others did. However, she had little interest in it. She had some talent in hunting with bow and arrow, a less central but still important part of sustaining the clan, but she often had little patience for it.

Her mother often called her a child of the earth with her eyes to the sky. While the Utaru revered the act of tending to the earth and drawing sustenance from it, Yara was more interested in the tableau high above – the stars and the moon in the nighttime, the sun in the daytime, and what it all meant. She could often be found sneaking away from chores during the day to observe the sky and sneaking away from the village at night to make amateur star charts.

The Utaru respected the Old Ones as forebears who lived on in the earth. Yara was interested in them for what they may have known about the answers she sought from the sky. Sometimes, relics of the Old Ones would be found in the ground, when soil was overturned and crops were harvested. These were always buried adjacent to the graves of the Utaru, out of respect for the dead. However, Yara had little such sense of propriety, and when one of her cousins found a still-active Focus during planting season, nine-year-old Yara snuck out at night to dig it up and secretly keep it.

The Focus showed her wonders and helped her to understand much – that the sun was also a star like the tiny pinpricks of the night, that the night sky was richer than she imagined and filled with things that she could not see with her eyes. The Focus couldn’t show the majority of them to her either, however, and though her star charts grew more sophisticated and digitally archived with its help, a vague sense of dissatisfaction grew, a desire to know more.

Meanwhile, both the exploding of the mountain and the sudden onset of illness during a time of celebration were seen as omens, a view that was further reinforced over the next decades as the machines grew hostile, as new machines began to appear, as the already unpredictable seasonal patterns of Plainsong became much more so, and as the Red Raids swept across the land.

In 3032, four years into the Red Raids, when the edges of Plainsong had already been attacked by the Carja and gifts of grain had not appeased the raiders, tragedy struck the Northland clan. A group of raiders hit the village in the middle of the night, killed some clan members, and took others. Among those killed was Yara’s mother, and among those taken were two of Yara’s cousins, and an aunt and uncle.

Fifteen-year-old Yara, however, was not there. As was habit, she’d snuck out of the village as night fell to work on her star charts and stargaze to her heart’s content. She was far enough away that she didn’t hear the attack, but she saw the fires that the raiders left in their wake and raced back far too slow and too late.

Wracked with grief and survivor’s guilt and bitterly angry, Yara realized that her Focus would give her an advantage that others didn’t have and tried to convince the leaders of the clan to pursue the raiders, whom she could easily track. However, the Utaru were peaceful and ill-suited for war, and the clan had lost many that night, both to death and to kidnap. No collective decision was made to go after their taken kin, and so no one wanted to go.

Furious, Yara struck out on her own. Her Focus helped her to track the raiders and find food and game and water along the way; however, her leg slowed her down, and she was only able to catch up with a group of raiders that had parted ways with those returning to the Sundom with their captives. The group was heading northwest towards the Cut when Yara caught up with them.

She was right; the Focus gave her an advantage that seemed almost supernatural without context, and she killed three Carja raiders before they even knew what hit them. However, Yara was a teenage girl with a bad leg, and the other raiders regrouped and turned the tide. Yara found herself fleeing their vengeance. She stumbled through a forested area sheltered by mountain ranges – once known as Medicine Bow National Forest – and she was only able to avoid the clutches of the raiders because of her Focus.

There, a strange signal drew her in – a tallneck wreathed in a deep blue-purple glow, circling a lake in front of the lone mountain jutting out of the center of the area, known to the Old Ones as Libby Lake and Sugarloaf Mountain. From it, a voice spoke, unlike anything Yara had ever heard. It was strangely formal, limited in vocabulary, and difficult to understand, but it seemed excited to encounter a human with a Focus.

Yara asked the voice for help, and it acquiesced. The tallneck broke its circuit and moved to a place where Yara could climb up. With her bad leg, she could only make it to the top of the machine’s back, but even that was high enough to avoid the eyes of approaching raiders.

However, Yara was still hungry for retribution, and though it might have been safer to wait silently and let the raiders pass, she rained down arrows from above, killing three more before what was left of them figured out where she was. The last few were no match for a colossal machine, and even as they sought to return fire, the tallneck itself stepped in, crushing most of them, and the last raider fell with Yara’s arrow in his neck.

Afterwards, Yara felt empty and drained and small. Though she was glad that some of the ruthless Carja were dead and could hurt no one else, the act of vengeance brought her no happiness. Her mother was still dead, and her other family members were well on their way to the Sundom, out of Yara’s reach now that she was exhausted and already so slow. Her childish thoughts of rescuing her still-living family members were gone, drowned in a horrible sadness.

However, the voice pulled her out of her miserable thoughts. It introduced itself as MINERVA, an artificial intelligence, and though MINERVA was secretive about where she came from and why she was there, it was apparent that she felt lonely and without purpose. She was eager to learn from Yara, as much as Yara was eager to learn from her.

But Yara’s missing family members still weighed on her mind, until MINERVA offered to help her find them. And so began a lasting partnership.

Yara learned that MINERVA could take control of machines, something called override, though machines that weren’t tallnecks would begin to break down and eventually stop working when she did. Yara and MINERVA trekked through the Longroam and past the Sacred Land, wearing out overridden machines and avoiding contact with humans. With MINERVA’s abilities, tracking was even easier, and they made their way into the Sundom, towards Meridian, where MINERVA said that she would be able to scan the city through their Spire, a powerful tool that was actually hers.

However, in the time that it took to reach Meridian undetected and disguised, it was too late. The rest of Yara’s taken family members had died in Sun-Ring days before she and MINERVA arrived, and the bodies of the Sun-Ring’s victims were burned, erasing even Yara’s hopes of burying them.

Despondent, Yara wondered what path to take from there. She considered vengeance, perhaps even against the highest of the Carja, but she was tired physically and emotionally, and though MINERVA’s abilities and existence were a marvel, they were only two people in a land not their own. She considered returning to Plainsong and to her clan, but she found herself with little desire to.

In the time that she and MINERVA had spent together, they’d learned a little about each other – as much as MINERVA was willing to disclose on her part, at least. Knowing that Yara loved the sky and the stars, MINERVA suggested a place for her to visit, a place that MINERVA had found not too long ago – something called an observatory, built by the Old Ones to study everything beyond the borders of the planet, one of the few still standing in the area.

Yara agreed, and as they left to make their way back the way they had come, they stumbled across two Banuk escaping Meridian. Yara did not make contact with them, but - seized by the desire to help - she and MINERVA shadowed them quietly. Yara killed three Carja in pursuit before the escaping Banuk were even aware of the danger, and MINERVA was able to keep machines off of their backs, all the way back up to the Longroam and beyond.

There, Yara realized what she could do. This area, she had learned from what she and MINERVA had overheard in the Sundom, was a common route for Carja seeking to reach the Banuk and Plainsong, a way to circumvent the fierce Nora and the Claim. And out here, without the protection of their land and their army, the Carja were vulnerable.

First, Yara let MINERVA take her to the observatory, a place once known as the Wyoming Infrared Observatory, atop a mountain a little southeast of where she’d met MINERVA, well southeast of the Cut, and north of the Longroam. It was dilapidated and crumbling, but MINERVA believed that with time and effort, enough of it could be restored to bring its system back online and make use of it. Yara asked if it was possible for MINERVA to monitor the Longroam and the area north and south of it as she had monitored Meridian through the Spire. It was possible, MINERVA told her, but only with the proper tools.

So began a years-long effort to restore the observatory and patrol the Longroam. Under MINERVA’s guidance, Yara learned quickly about programming and transmission, and it didn’t take long for her to set up a makeshift monitoring system throughout the area with MINERVA’s help and some recommissioned machine parts and tallneck apparatuses.

Yara was a little more hesitant about the observatory, feeling a deep survivor’s guilt about being far away stargazing when the Carja attacked, but with MINERVA’s insistence and coaxing, the observatory was eventually back up and running, as much as was possible. The night sky opened up for Yara as it never had before, and she was able to discover stars and deep sky objects revealed by infrared imaging and spectroscopy. Her star charts became a study of space, as much of it as she and MINERVA could understand on their own, from bits of data gathered from old sources.

For six years, until 3038, there were rumors about the Longroam and the surrounding area. Some said it was a machine that stalked any Carja who ventured near. Some said it was a spirit, some a person. But many raiders who set foot in that area were killed, either by arrow or strange machines, so much that the Longroam had a reputation for safe passage for anyone fleeing the Carja. Travelers and those who escaped the Sundom would often find themselves unknowingly shielded and watched over by vigilant eyes.

Yara and MINERVA together were known primarily as the Ghost of the Longroam, though some Carja called the mysterious entity who haunted the place the Devil or Shadow of the Longroam, and some from other tribes called it the Guardian or the Shield of the Longroam.

Yara, with MINERVA’s help, made sure that she was rarely seen, and no raider who came looking for the mysterious killer in the Longroam ever found her. She made little effort to reach out to anyone else in the meantime. She made only one trip back to Plainsong, to tell her clan that she was alive and that the others were dead. Although they entreated her to stay, she refused. She was content with MINERVA’s company, with the stars, with her makeshift home in her mountain observatory.

However, the Sundom changed. With the death of the old king and the ascension of the new, there was no longer a need to patrol the Longroam.

So Yara turned her attention wholly to her work with MINERVA, mapping the sky together. There they remained for the next two years, undisturbed, until MINERVA, more alarmed than Yara had ever seen her, registered an unauthorized use of the Spire – a call that was raising ancient machines. It was soon quieted, however, and though MINERVA had remained secretive about her origins over the years, she broke her silence for the first time – mentioning Project Zero Dawn and insisting on the urgency of finding its Alpha Prime, whose existence MINERVA had only just become aware of.

Though Yara was reluctant to leave the peace of her home, she trusted and loved MINERVA more than she loved their solitude, and she agreed to help MINERVA with a new task: tracking down whoever this Alpha Prime was.