#sorry this response is a bit brief/mostly just me linking to older posts on this subject

[theneighborhoodwatch]

i was thinking a bit about how even in illustrated material, wally is always smiling, but his neighbors all have varied expressions aside from their puppets…maybe since he’s likely the only one who truly sees himself as a puppet, he can’t really break through the confines of his puppet’s mechanics (aside from widening his eyes, i guess)? my thoughts were maybe everyone else seeing the world through the lens of being People means they can express More? i’m not sure i explained this right

oh anon. i could kiss you right now (or hug you, or shake your hand, or whatever form of affection conveying the general message of "holy shit that's exactly what i've been trying to say this entire TIME i'm so glad someone else sees it too" that you would be comfortable with.)

i do mean The Entire Time, too - most explicitly here, but it also comes up here and here, and i consider it to be a sort of Background Noise in many of the speculation posts i make. they are puppets. they are people. i do not think these facts are mutually exclusive.

the idea that either you understand your own existence to be solely that of a puppet, but still feel Everything a person feels without having the tools to process any of it OR you understand your existence to be that of a person, but are in an environment that disagrees and reacts accordingly, and that eventually these two perspectives converge - there's no way they can't, when they exist in such close proximity to one another, always bearing witness to one another.... i'm not sure what to say about how it makes me feel other than i think it's The Absolute Most. i don't think my feelings have changed much since i wrote those posts i linked.

(also +1 points for the theory that wally's abilities are defined/limited by his own understanding of reality, ex. the whole "you eat with your eyes first" thing, the fact that the only thing that keeps him from sleeping is that he doesn't understand sleep itself, etc.)

[xuenstrugglestoblog]

Did somebody say blogs R DEAD??

Since the pandemic, we've all been watching TikTok's short videos to cure our boredom, but it's 2024 now and there's Reels on Instagram and Facebook, YouTube now has Shorts. Well we can safely say that our attention span is now shorter than the time it takes for the stock market to crash.

This got a question that some of the older generation (anything before Gen Z) wondering : Is blogging still relevant in the age of TikTok and Instagram? SPOILER ALERT : Yes. Most definitely is and let me break it down for you.

Hehe kidding, hope you like to see Mario break dancing, but in all seriousness, here's why blogging will survive like the rats who live under Paris' sewers : 1. The Long-Form Content King

I mentioned earlier that people these days have peanuts for their attention span (sorry not sorry, I'm one of them anyways). This is all thanks to TikToks, IG Reels, YouTube Shorts for feeding us these short, less than a minute videos that are used for quick consumption. Quick consumption means surface level engagement and that can be translated to : the videos provide very little information and it tends to go over your head so you'll forget it in a couple of days. However, blogs allow brands to explore topics in detail, provide in-depth opinions and value that can't be conveyed through short videos. Blogging is more intimate where it provides in-depth, authoritative content that builds a connection with the readers. Space (2024) shared that blogs offer an unmatched resource when it comes to sharing expertise and comprehensive response to questions that users might not get from just a TikTok. Even with Instagram posts, there is a word limit and we'll most probably be directed to the Linktree in their bio "for more information". Thus, blogs can explore a topic in full detail, breakdown complex ideas and even provide sources to strengthen claims. This is a lot of information to just fit into a video. This is why blogging will strengthen a brand's authority and provide a lasting value for readers.

2. Blogging and SEO : One True Pair

Blogging's relevance in 2024 continues on with its power to drive organic traffic through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). TikTok and IG are mostly dependent on in-app searches and those sneaky algorithms that cater to your viewing feed, but blogs play the long game by being indexed on search engines. Lyon (2024) has stressed that blogs are critical for boosting visibility through organic search. Why? Simple enough : search engines will prioritize websites that consistently publish quality content (keyword here is quality). Blogs, in this case, will regularly update with new, relevant information; and not to mention, a well-written blog with the optimized keywords will land a spot in the first few suggestions of Google's search results, driving traffic to a brand's website for years to come. Unlike IG captions or TikTok descriptions, blogs definitely offer more opportunities for relevant keywords, which adds metadata and links to other relevant pages - all the essentials ingredients for a recipe to improve a website's SEO. Last bit of information : blogs enable content to be repurposed across multiple platforms, such as extracting tips from a long, boring article to create a series of TikTok videos or IG posts to make things brief-er and more interesting.

3. Establishing Authority and Building Trust <3

The current 2024 digital landscape is getting increasingly competitive, so trust and authority will go hand-in-hand to become key differentiators for brands and content creators. Blogging allows for a more personal, more transparent... just... more DETAILED exploration of ideas that readers can rely on for accuracy and depth. According to Yvette, blogging in 2024 is more important than ever because brands can leverage blogs to establish thought leadership and build trust with the consumers. Yes, TikTok and IG are excellent at creating buzz and getting direct, immediate, interactions, but do they foster the same level of trust as a well-researched, well-written blog post like this one? Well, I don't think so. Blogging allows businesses to answer those specific questions, address issues and share their expertise in a way that consumers may revisit over time. Plus, blogs serve as an evergreen resource, providing that value readers love long after the initial publication date.

4. Blogging and Social Media are #BFFs4lyfe

You heard that right, blogging and social media will forever complement each other in powerful ways. First, you see this video on TikTok or Instagram. It grabs your attention. You go "huh.. that's pretty interesting..." You want more information. Where do you go? That's right. You head over to a blog to read more about whatever that just snagged your attention. Short-form content acts as an excellent hook to grab attention and generate interest, but the blogs take over for the deeper dive into the topic. Lyon (2024) further suggests that bloggers who incorporate video content, social media links, and multimedia within their posts will create a more engaging experience that can satisfy both types of content consumers. Additionally, blogs can be shared on social media platforms to drive the traffic back to a website, going back to the point where it helps to foster that relationship between a brand and audience #betterthanyourrelationship

Don't hate me for that, I'm just as single. Going back on topic though, businesses can maximize that reach and engagement of their content while delivering the in-depth information that the audience craves. So yes, social media trends fluctuate and change ever so frequently, but a well-maintained blog remains a stable, reliable foundation for long-term brand growth. #blogswillcontinueonforever #bloggingliveson

It's 2024, the world is dominated by Instagram and TikTok. Blogging may seem like this relic from a different time period, but hey. I hope this blog post changed your mind about it. Blogging clearly still holds immense value, especially when it comes down to provide deep, contextual, content, improving SEO and establishing authority. As Space (2024) and Yvette (2024) suggests, blogging serves a different, BUT complementary purpose, to short-form content. The balance of both snappy social media posts and detailed blog articles can help a brand cater to the diverse needs of their audience.

So NO, BLOGGING ISN'T DEAD (I'm blogging as you read this) and it is still as relevant as ever. It can, however, continue to evolve but there will still be a place for long-form, thoughtful writing.

References

Lyon, C. (2024). Is blogging dead? No, and here’s why. Lyon Content Agency. Retrieved from https://lyoncontentagency.com/is-blogging-dead-no-and-heres-why/

Yvette. (2024). Why blogging in 2024 is more important than ever. Lemonade Design Co. Retrieved from https://lemonadedesign.co/why-blogging-in-2024-is-more-important-than-ever/

Li, Y. (2022). Identity construction in social media: A study on blogging continuance. Behaviour & Information Technology, 41(8), 1671–1688. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2021.1895319

Space, M. (2024). Why blogging still matters. Manson Space. Retrieved from https://manson.space/blog/why-blogging-still-matters/

[darkestangel1326]

Prologue - This was real life. Right?

Hey lovelies. So I know it is likely no one is going to read this but me but I just had to write this anyway. For me. Posting for the same reason! Fic under the “Keep reading” cut, but here’s how I got here: 

This all started when I wondered what would happen if MC was a scientist. Or a science grad student. But then I thought, what would be enough to compel a scientist or science grad student to stop their sciencing realistically for any amount of time? Because as my previous PI says, every scientist becomes a mad scientist at least in one point in their careers for their research - this is especially true for grad students. 

Then, I just never understood the whole returning a phone excuse Unknown gave MC to lure her into Rika’s apartment. Like MC, with her own phone, is gonna return a phone she doesn’t even have, just because Unknown was persistent? He even says he’s a student in the States who will eventually return home so what was with the urgency to go to find the owner? If he really wanted to return the phone, he could’ve mailed it since he has the address right? We know he does because he sends MC there. It just always bothered me.

Finally, I wanted to slightly self-insert to make the MC (Emme C.) a bit more human so that it even if you couldn’t change her choices, it would still be entertaining. I heavily relied on second person, to help give it the mystic messenger vibe though I’m not sure it works.

This prologue is some character building for Emme C. (Actual name: Emme Cee), brief OC appearances and, for my sanity, this is all taking place in the US. TBH I’m not even sure how deep I want to go with this story. I just know I needed to write it. 

 So without further ado!

“My biggest fear and why? Hmmm,” you mulled it over and took another sip of your beer, after your lab mates glared at you for an answer. 

Or former labmates - you were leaving for grad school in a few weeks so this was kind of your farewell social. Even with your general distaste of beer, even you had to admit this one was really good. 

You closed your eyes and sheepishly rubbed your neck. “This is gonna sound weird but a time loop,” you answered hesitantly.  “It just makes me uneasy to be stuck in never-ending cycle, replaying the same scenario over and over again with no end in sight.”

“True but we are in academic research!” Marie answered, a teasing lilt to her voice that transformed into a chuckle. 

“Yeah you might have to deal with it during your Masters program, especially the thesis stage.” Whitney continued, joining in with a laugh.

“Don’t remind me,” you giggled as you took another sip - a longer sip - of your beer. “But that’s not exactly what I mean either” you persisted, a bit more seriously. 

I’m afraid of replaying the same day, the same events, the same interactions over and over again, not knowing why or how to stop it,” you finished more seriously. You took another sip of the fizzy drink and felt your equilibrium teeter a bit. 

“You mean like that movie Groundhog Day?” Aurora quietly inserted.

“I haven’t seen that movie but if it’s like what I said, then yes, that’s it,” you answered, your fizzy drink now gone. 

“Sorry wait. Why are you afraid of time loops? I think I missed that part. Wouldn’t replaying the same day and seeing how your choices change events be a good thing?” Sally asked. Technically, she was completely right - repeatability was one of the sacred ideals of science after all. Plus, If you really thought about it, you hadn’t actually said why you’re afraid of time loops, just that you are.

“I’m afraid of never moving forward - of never progressing, no matter how hard I try or work. A time loop means, yes, I’ll know what my choices would entail, but not how to escape or what the triggering event for my release could be. I could replay the time period of the same few weeks but for years without knowing how to escape and move on. And, I guess, since it took me so long to even start my Master’s and I felt like I might never be able to, this fear was just born,” you admitted, pouring more beer for yourself. 

I mean an actual time loop where every single thing happens the exact same way, down to the underlying rhythm of conversation. And where you can’t escape until you figure out the common problem then fix it. How would you escape it? And what if you mess up, in different ways, forever? Who would want that?!

—————————————————————————

You awoke with a sigh, realizing you had that dream again. Or was it a flashback since this happened a few weeks ago? You shrugged your shoulders and got to work sorting boxes. You were set to start on-campus work in a few weeks so you were just trying to do the bare minimum research wise. Plus, you wanted to really focus on decorating your new apartment and get acquainted with the town since you’d be living there for the next few years. 

After a few hours of scrambling and organizing, you sat on the floor (you were still in the process of buying furniture), and looked at your emails. 

One in particular caught your attention, so much so that you took off your glasses and rubbed your eyes, almost laughing at such a cartoony response. The subject line of this email was what confused you. It read “missing research paper - need citation”. It was an unfamiliar email, moreover, it was sent to your previous college email, which was linked to your past research publications.

Curious, you bit the inside of your cheek and read the email. 

“Dear Emme, 

Hope this email finds you well. I am a student from XXX University and have been working on a research project concerning XXX. Your research was one of the most recent and prominent examples as to why this area needs further study, however, I have not been able to access the paper I saved as a bookmark in my web browser. After extensive searching, I have been unable to find the original paper or even one of the articles that referenced it - almost as if the article has completely disappeared from existence! Is there a reason the research article is gone? If not, could you provide me with an idea of where it is and the proper citation for my research article?”

what. whAT. WHAT!?

Your research couldn’t be gone! This didn’t make any sense! Yes it was a few years old, but it couldn’t be gone from the web! There are research papers from the 1960s that are archived and accessible online for goodness sake!

You had to calm down. Take deep breaths. You continued trying to breathe as you pulled out your research flash drive. You looked for the paper on your there and found it, sighing in relief. It grounded you, reminding you that your work did exist. Just as you were set to attach the file and corresponding citation to the email, your internet stopped. 

Scratch that, your entire laptop stopped. 

You groaned. Yes, this was an older, refurbished model, but it’s been working fine. The screen distorted for a second, as if the extra pixel boxes emphasized the frozen nature of your screen. Before you even had time to process it, your laptop unfroze and you breathed a sigh of relief. 

Thank heavens. You had just moved and weren’t sure you could realistically afford a new laptop anytime soon. As you look over your screen, however, your relief shifts to panic. 

omg. oMG. OMG!

It’s gone. Your research files. The ones on your laptop and on your flash drive. The email is gone. Before you can refresh the page you get logged out. You can’t even log into your old email account - Error 404 Not Found. 

Your heart races. Then, it aches. You worked so hard on those projects. They were part of your scientific fabric and now both were just gone. Your years of work, gone in seconds. 

You felt like crying. But you decide not to, at least not until you’re in the shower where the tears can blend in with the cascading liquid as you sing emo music. 

For now, you decide a quick walk and some fresh air are what you need, so you grab your keys and head for the mailbox. You’ve only lived in this apartment for a week but you check the mail constantly in an effort to get in the habit rather than because you expect something. 

But today, you did get something. A small parcel with no return address. Curious, you take that and the grocery flyers to your apartment and open the package there. 

A phone? It’s from the same company as yours, just a slightly older model.

You blink at it, almost telepathically asking it what it’s doing in your mailbox. You decide to turn it in to the mail service and are about to put it back in its envelope when you notice a note. 

“Charge me” 

“What the hell is going on today?” You mutter as you pull out your charger and plug it into the phone.

You sit on the floor with this new phone in hand and sigh. “Why am I even taking orders from a mysterious note for anyway?”

Just then the screen lights up. There’s no passcode so opening the phone was super easy. The phone’s screen and minimal app selection almost made you think it was new, but the lack of setting it up told you that wasn’t the case. Who would buy this phone and not use it? And why did they send it to you? 

There is one app that calls to you, mostly because you’ve never seen it before. And because it was unlike the rest of the default apps on the screen.

RFA? What’s that?

Just then, the screen turns dark and green characters zoom up through the screen. You sucked with all tech but even you knew this reaction was abnormal. You swore you didn’t press the app but seeing the phone continue reacting, you become less confident. 

“Hello?” 

You stare at the screen. ‘Unknown’ was messaging you. 

You respond. Stupidly. Naively. And without thinking about the consequences. 

Because this was real life. Right?

What’s the worse that could happen?

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

I’m debating taking this next part a few routes...we’ll see what I decide...

If you, by any chance made it all the way down here, can you drop a reblog or something with your thoughts? Was Emme Cee likable? Did the flow make sense? Do you like where this is going? Let me know! 

[docfuture]

Interlude: The Book

    [This vignette occurs just after Chapter 45 of The Maker’s Ark.  The latest chapter of The Maker’s Ark is here, and links to some of my other work are here.  Updates are posted irregularly–theoretically every two weeks, a schedule I still aspire to return to someday.]

      Insomnia wasn't something Flicker usually thought about, or even noticed; when she was growing up, it was the default, and she formed her habits accordingly.  What was still new to her was considering how it might affect someone else sharing her bed.  She'd moved to the next compartment to read in order to avoid disturbing Journeyman.       The rumble of the main drive of the Learning Is About To Occur kept her company on the couch as she skimmed a translated Grs'thnk survey article on the effects of non-standard communication modes on social development.  Learning had inquired politely if she wished conversation, and she had politely declined.  The only other person on the ship who had context for what she wanted to talk about was asleep, and she wasn't going to--       The hatch opened, revealing Journeyman, in the t-shirt and shorts he'd worn to bed--his habits were shaped by the occasional need for an abrupt port.  His hat was in the form of a nightcap, which she thought was a nice touch.       "Figured," he said.  "How bad?"       "I'm okay," said Flicker.  "Didn't want to wake you just to ramble at you."       "Flicker, you can always--"       She shook her head.  "Listening is an effort right now.  And one-sided conversations are rude, especially when you're short of sleep too."       Journeyman was a pattern magician, and he had a skilled actor's mastery of gesture and nuance.  He adjusted the brim of the cap, which morphed into a beach hat.  His t-shirt shifted to a colorful Aloha shirt, a snap of his fingers made an iced drink appear in his hand, and he sat down on the couch beside her.  He stretched out one leg to rest a now-sandaled foot on the table, waved expansively with his free hand, and raised an eyebrow at her with a smile, a picture of comfortable relaxation.       He could give an eloquent speech with exactly zero words.       Flicker blinked and turned off her handcomp.  "Okay," she said.  "When I came back down from the translation session, I said I'd want to talk later.  It's later.  There are some old memories that I've wanted to share for a while, but--well, I'll explain."       "Go ahead," he said.       "Did you ever notice the old lockbox in my bedroom?"       "Yeah.  Wasn't going to ask.  Magicians know better."       "There's a keepsake in it.  I'd have told you before, but...  When I started recovering some of my childhood memories, it connected to some dark stuff, even though the other memories I have of it are good.  But it's still my most emotionally important possession."       "Keepsakes can be like that."       "Yeah."  Flicker paused.  "When Gumshoe and the Volunteer got me out of that orphanage, it was an effort for me to understand speech.  But when I realized the Volunteer was going to take me somewhere else, I wouldn't go with him until I went and got something.  He couldn't keep up with me--that's what made it obvious that my power was speed.  Also, I destroyed some doors, and was clutching it protectively when I came back, so everyone figured out right away that it was a good idea to let me keep it.  And I couldn't talk yet, but I could read, and even write a little."       "You said someone tried to teach you," said Journeyman.       "Yeah.  I'm not sure how old I was... it wasn't the last place I was in, it was the one before it, the one that burned down.  So maybe four or five?  I don't remember any details.  They might have stopped because they thought I was deaf.  My hearing was very hit or miss--that was before I figured out how to control my internal speed to make it reliable.  Every time I sped up to think, I'd stop hearing, and that chopped up sounds into bits too brief to reassemble.       "Or they might have stopped because I didn't get that pictures and words could go together.  Or maybe they were told to stop.  I don't know.  Anyway, whoever tried didn't get far.  That's not how I learned to read.  But it was enough to plant the idea that patterns on paper could mean something important.  I didn't have anything to connect them to, though.  Then, quite a while later, I found something."       Flicker smiled.  "There wasn't much written or printed material that I could get at.  A few old magazines and some scraps of newspaper.  They didn't really help.  The only thing I learned from them was that turning pages was tricky, and I needed to be careful if I didn't want to destroy them.  And then one day--I don't remember how, there are still a lot of gaps--I found myself outside.  I could move around if I really wanted.  I just didn't, mostly.  Nowhere to go, I wasn't very coordinated yet, and I was discouraged from trying for...  well, pretty good reasons if you were a nearby human.       "It was sunny out, and there was another building nearby, with a big open door, so I went in.  I didn't recognize most of what I saw, but I remember the smell.  It was distinctive--grease, oil, metal, and dust.  Old workshop or small machine shop, one that hadn't been used much in a while.  I poked around a bit.  I remember a big workbench with scattered tools and a vice clamped to one end, a chain hoist, and a metal cabinet with shelves.  And on one of the shelves was a book."       Flicker closed her eyes, remembering.  "I was very lucky.  When I opened it, and carefully turned a few pages, I knew I had found something important, something amazing.  It was full of printing, writing, that I didn't understand yet, but I sensed that I could learn.  Understanding was possible.  I picked it up, went back outside where the light was better, and started.  I don't remember anything of my surroundings after that.  At some point they found me and herded me back inside, but I didn't mind, I took the book with me.  I don't think they were ever stupid enough to try to take it away.  I know I was easier to deal with when I had my book, so they didn't have reason."       "I taught myself to read using that book.  And once I could puzzle some of it out, I realized just how wonderful it was."  She opened her eyes again.  "It was the best book in the world.  What I read... fit, with a part of my mind I hadn't even realized I had.  It was precious.  I kept it wrapped up when I wasn't reading it, and slept with it under my pillow.  The Trickster never tried to take it away, though I was afraid he might.  I don't think he understood it."       "The only time anything bad happened, was when I woke up one night and there were these bugs.  There were always bugs around, and I usually ignored them.  But these bugs were trying to eat my book.  I got really scared and mad.  I killed the bugs, then looked where they were coming from and pulled it open and there were more, so I killed them too, and..."  Flicker looked down.  "I wasn't careful.  I got rid of the bugs.  But I got rid of the building too.  That was the fire."       "Ah," said Journeyman.  "Was-- wait, never mind, stupid question.  Go on."       "What?  Go ahead, now I'm curious."       "Gah.  Okay.  That mission back when we were first working together.  I said 'You don't burn down your house to kill the bugs.'  You got upset but couldn't explain why."       "Yeah," said Flicker.  "I didn't have the memory back yet, but I still had some reactions from around it.  And there are records of people dying in that fire.  That's the worst part.  Doc thought--I thought--the fire was part of a cover-up, that the people were already dead.  But they'd have to plan that, and they didn't.  I caused it."       "Not... necessarily."       Flicker frowned.  "What do you mean?  Too much damage, too much heat transfer--boom, fire.  That was me."       "Yeah, but the Trickster was your real jailer.  Getting other people to take the fall for things he planned was his specialty.  If he wanted, he could send in the bugs with a pretty good idea of what would happen.  And even if he didn't, the scuzzy humans running the place wouldn't need any prodding to use a fire of unknown origin to explain otherwise suspicious deaths.  Their other options would be worse--fires attract attention."       Flicker thought for a bit, and blinked a few times.  "Mike, you're really good at making me feel better.  And I love you for it.  But you can't know that."       "No.  But you can't know it's all your fault either.  Accepting responsibility is one thing, but you don't have to hoard it like a miser."       "Okay.  That's... reasonable.  Sorry."  Flicker wiped her eyes.       "You said there were good memories, too?"       "Oh yeah," said Flicker.  "My book kept me occupied, and grounded.  I read and reread it for years."       "I did that with a couple of spellbooks for a while." said Journeyman, smiling.  "They were reference works, but I used them as comfort reading."       "The best kind.  What I figured out last night was what made it click so well.  That came back when I was tearing through that new Floater data dump looking for translation cues."       "Was that why you were so happy when you slowed back down?  I thought it was from the progress you made."       "That, too.  I kept jumping ahead of where Learning, DASI, and Three were consolidating.  Because the Floaters included a bunch of older scientific reference texts as jumping off points, and I already had a Rosetta Stone for that sort of thing memorized.  I know how to use formats and table descriptions and a whole bunch of other clues to learn an alien language, because I did it before.  That's how I learned English--using all the data and tables from my book and comparing with the formats and some leftover data from Skybreaker's memory.  She had non-volatile memory specifically for local physical constants and stuff, because she was created for inter-universal travel, so that's where I stored the data from the book.  That's why I never lose it from my high speed memory when I sleep.  And what made it fit, what made me sure it was important.  It was like... a guide to where I was.  Common math and purpose guided me when I read my book.  I just had to build up meanings for the symbols and puzzle out the axioms."       Flicker smiled again.  "And it was the base I used to come back to myself, after Donner's song of unbinding.  My book still helps me, even though I've updated a lot of the data.  So can you see why I'm sentimental about it?"       Journeyman stared into the distance for a bit before speaking, hesitantly.  "So.  I can guess what kind of book it was.  Are you comfortable sharing the title?"       Flicker felt herself blush.  "Oh!  Yeah.  It's the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, the 44th edition for 1962 and 1963.  3,604 pages.  I read every printed page, all the tiny writing, all the numbers and tables, all the graphs and charts and equations and footnotes.  It gave me a taste of how much knowledge there was out there, organized and beautiful, even if I didn't understand what it was all about yet.  And the first time I visited Doc's lab, and he gave me a high speed interface to his Database--I realized it was kind of like a living version of my book, bigger and faster and more up to date.  That's when I knew I was home.  That Earth was home."       Journeyman smiled.  "That's what I would call a pretty good book."       "My book.  Best book.  I'll show it to you when we get back to Earth."  Flicker yawned.  "Sorry to blather for so long.  But I think I'll be able to sleep now."       "Not blather.  We share when we can."  Journeyman stood and stretched, and they moved back to the bedroom.       This time, sleep came easy.

[evanescent-red-light]

Hi ^^ What do you think about the new monster ladies from TEW2 demo? Since We can see a lady in red before the to many heads lady appears, do you think is possible that Lily Castellanos somehow get to know Laura? I was thinking that in case that yes maybe in her steam she splitted Laura's personality in two different ladies, the many heads one and the humming lady who is searching for someone, something like reborn Laura, and the Laura of the easter egg from TEW. Have a nice day ♥

((Oh god, this has been sitting in my drafts for ages. Tbh I thought I already posted this. Sorry about that. I have quite a few theories about it but I’ll put them under a cut so it won’t take up people’s dashes. Also beware of slight spoilers from gameplay footage and trailers shown. I’ve tried keeping it to a minimum, but it’s better to give a heads up just in case. Thanks for the ask and hope you have a nice day as well! ♥))

I really do think Laura is in the new STEM. All of the variations of the “Laura” monsters, like Guardian, are too uncanny to be coincidence. I will point out that, since this is a Japanese game, long black haired monster ladies are common. I understand that. But... damn. Here are a few of my theories:

1) Laura has still been in a vegetative state after the fire. As to why she would be connected to STEM and, more importantly, how Ruvik had zero idea about her being involved is still unclear. Then again, it is MOBIUS we’re talking about. They might have thought that she would have the same neurowave link, maybe? Thought that there might be a genetic pattern to get around Ruvik’s little latch on the whole system? But not enough to put her as the Core. Hmm... Same as Leslie then? Plug her in to see if she can withstand it, but since she’s not responsive they wouldn’t risk her as the Core?

2) Laura might have been in contact with Stefano prior to the events of STEM. I’m actually kinda leaning towards this one a bit for several reasons. Guardian has an uncanny resemblance to Reborn Laura. (Not to mention the brief appearance of an older looking Laura who I hope isn’t a red herring.) Plus it’s been confirmed that she is one of Stefano’s creations. So why the similarities? We know that Stefano mostly targeted fashion models due to his profession, so that would explain why Guardian is an amalgamation of body parts. But why do all of them look like Laura? Maybe they were in a relationship in some form or another? Quite a number of his creations focus on the female form; Obscura, Guardian, various photos/paintings etc. Obscura in particular seems very sexual in nature, with her form and the way she moans. But one thing I noticed in particular is his fascination with ballet dancers. Obscura’s feet are that of a ballerinas. I also remember seeing a painting of a ballerina holding two balances, and a photo of a sliced ballerina’s ankle. (And this, admittedly, is bordering on headcanon territory but bear with me.) Laura always seemed like the type who would be into dancing, especially ballet. While Ruben’s interests were purely scientific, Laura focused more on the arts. Perhaps she and Stefano held a common interest?

 3) She’s a remnant of Seb’s trauma from surviving the original STEM. I mentioned before that you can actually see Reborn Laura in the trailers, despite only appearing for a sliver of a second. We know that Seb has really fallen off the wagon since the last game, and the devs have pretty much said that his psyche is extremely fragile. Reborn Laura really freaked him (and us) the most in the previous game. So it would make sense for her to start manifesting in Union.

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!

4) Laura is Myra. In all honesty, I wasn’t too keen on this theory at first. I heard it first from @jazitupart and, while she made a convincing argument, I wasn’t swayed... until recently. I think what is most striking to me is her eyes. They’re the exact same. It’s... eerily similar. Another massive indicator would be their age. Laura would be well into her 40′s at this stage, and Myra would easily be the same. Since Seb just entered his 40′s I imagine Myra would be the roughly same. However there are still a lot of gaps with this theory.