#there are many dimensions to it and i'm not an expert on any of them

[clouds-of-wings]

Kinda relevant for tumblr people to know I guess since the future of our beloved hellsite is also tied to the future of Automattic, unless they eventually wise up and sell tumblr to the Yakuza after all.

The saga that burst into public view in September featured the normally mild-mannered Mullenweg as its central character in a battle with WP Engine, one of the leading providers of WordPress hosting. Silicon Valley private equity firm Silver Lake bought a majority stake in WP Engine in 2018, investing $250 million and obtaining three board seats. “I’ve been doing WordPress for 21 years, I have good relationships with every other company in the world,” Mullenweg said in an interview this week with CNBC. WP Engine’s offense, according to Mullenweg and a cease-and-desist letter his attorneys sent to the company on Sept. 23, revolves around years of trademark violations and WP Engine’s claim that it’s bringing “WordPress to the masses.” “We at Automattic have been attempting to make a licensing deal with them for a very long time, and all they have done is string us along,” Mullenweg wrote in a Sept. 26 post on his personal website, ma.tt. “Finally, I drew a line in the sand, which they have now leapt over.”

And:

In Mullenweg’s telling of the brouhaha, the battle has been years in the making. He’s been actively trying to strike a deal since January and finally got fed up, he said. But to the outside world, it all felt very sudden. Mullenweg first referenced the matter in public on Sept. 17, in a blog post ahead of WordCamp, the largest annual gathering in the U.S. of WordPress users. The four-day event took place in Portland, Oregon, beginning on Sept. 17. In the post, Mullenweg criticized WP Engine for not contributing enough back to the WordPress ecosystem. He said that Automattic contributed 3,786 hours per week to WordPress.org, (“not even counting me!”) compared to 47 hours for WP Engine. WP Engine says in its lawsuit that those numbers are incorrect and that its contributions back to WordPress were far higher, including through events, conference sponsorships and developing educational resources. For businesses and developers considering who they want to support, Mullenweg had this message: “Silver Lake doesn’t give a dang about your Open Source ideals. It just wants a return on capital.”

I don't think it's absurd to tell commercial entities that benefit off the work of volunteers that they need to give something back. Sure, it's open source, it's free to use, but people who make something free for everyone generally don't think "Oh wow I hope some big investment firm swoops in and makes a billion off of it!" It's usually made with collaboration, mutual learning and the empowerment of other individuals in mind.

And I mean, we know what happens when big investors get involved in communities that weren't overly commercialized before. It sucks. I think everyone has seen this happen somewhere.

[burst-of-iridescent]

South Asian and Hindu Influences in ATLA (Part 1)

disclaimer: i was raised culturally and religiously hindu, and though i've tried to do my research for this post and pair it with my own cultural knowledge, i'm not an expert on hinduism by any means. should i mess up, please let me know.

please also be aware that many of the concepts discussed in this post overlap heavily with religions such as buddhism and jainism, which might have different interpretations and representations. as i'm not from those religions or cultures, i don't want to speak on them, but if anyone with that knowledge wishes to add on, please feel free.

it's well-known that atla draws from indigenous, east and southeast asian influences, but something i rarely see discussed in the fandom is the influences the show takes from hinduism and south asia, and there are actually far more than i think people are aware of.

so here's a (non-exhaustive list) of the main inspirations atla drew from south asian culture and hinduism, starting with...

The Avatar

the title of the show itself is taken from the ancient language of sanskrit, often considered the sacred tongue of the hindu religion. in sanskrit, the word "avatar" means to "descend" or "alight".

the concept of the avatar is a very old one, referring to the physical incarnation of a powerful deity or spirit. the idea of the avatar is most often linked to the god Vishnu, one of three supreme hindu gods collectively called the trimurti, or trinity. the avatar is said to manifest upon earth primarily in times of great need, when balance must be maintained between the forces of good and evil.

atla borrows heavily from this idea in having aang be the incarnation of a divine spirit who returns to the world during a time of immense strife, and is tasked with defeating a great evil to bring balance back to the world. and though i don't know if it was an intentional reference, it's interesting to note that Krishna, the most famous incarnation of Vishnu was also reborn amidst a fierce storm and carried through a raging sea to a new home where he would be protected from the king who sought to kill him. sounds a little familiar, doesn't it?

Agni Kai and the Philosophy of Firebending

the word "agni" derives from the sanskrit name Agni, the god of fire, though it can also generally mean "fire".

the concepts of lightning bending and the sun being the source of firebending are likely also taken from the idea of Agni, since he's said to exist simultaneously in three different forms on three different dimensions: as fire on earth, as lightning in the atmosphere, and as the sun in the sky.

Agni is a significant aspect of many rituals, including marriage rites, death rites, and the festivals of holi and diwali. the concept of Agni is one of duality: life and death, rebirth and destruction. hindu rituals accept and celebrate both aspects, revolving around the idea that destruction is not separate from creation, but rather necessary to facilitate it. the cremation of the dead, for instance, is seen as purification, not destruction: burning away the physical form so the soul is unencumbered, set free to continue the reincarnation cycle.

this influence can be seen in the firebending masters episode, which discusses the idea of fire being vital to life. the sun warriors safeguarding the original fire and demanding that zuko and aang bring fire to the dragons as a sacrifice could also reference the ritual of Agnihotra - the ritual of keeping a fire at the home hearth and making offerings to it. the purpose of this ritual differs depending on which text you refer to, but it is generally believed to purify the person and atmosphere in which it is performed, similar to how zuko and aang must make offerings to ran and shaw and survive their fire before being deemed worthy and pure.

Agnihotra is said to serve as a symbolic reminder of the vitality and importance of fire as the driving force of life, a lesson that zuko and aang also internalize from their encounter with the dragons.

Bumi

bumi's name is taken from the sanskrit word "bhumi", which means "earth". it's also the name of the hindu goddess of the earth, bumi or bhudevi.

one of the things the original animation didn't do and which i really enjoyed about the live action was that they made bumi indian and added desi inspiration to omashu. it makes perfect sense for a king whose name is as hindu-inspired as they come.

NWT Royal Palace

chief arnook's palace in the northern water tribe takes inspiration from the gopurams of hindu temples, massive pyramidal structures that served as entrance towers to the temple.

gopurams were built tall enough to be seen for miles around, beacons to signal tired or weary travellers who wished for a place to rest that a temple was nearby. it's a nice touch that the chief's palace is located in front of the spirit oasis, a similarly symbolic entryway to a sanctuary housing otherworldly deities.

Betrothal Necklaces

to preface: i doubt this was an intentional reference, and this great post talks about other cultures that could have inspired the water tribe betrothal necklaces. given the desi influence in the nwt architecture however, i figured it was worth mentioning.

the idea of betrothal necklaces being given to women by their male partners is similar to the thaali, a necklace given to hindu wives by their husbands. during hindu weddings, grooms tie the thaali around their brides' necks to symbolize their marriage. once given, wives are expected to wear their thaali till the day they die, as doing so is believed to bring good luck, health and prosperity to their husbands.

Chi-Blocking

though chi-blocking takes primary inspiration from the art of Dim Mak, it is also influenced by the south indian martial arts forms of adimurai and kalaripayattu, both of which include techniques of striking vital points in the body to disable or kill an opponent.

kalaripayattu also shares parallels with firebending, being a very physically demanding, aggressive martial art that emphasises the importance of discipline and mental fortitude. control of the mind is essential to control of the body, a philosophy similar to that espoused by iroh across the show.

Wan Shi Tong's Library

the library draws inspiration partly from the taj mahal, the famous mausoleum constructed by shah jahan during the mughal empire as a monument to his beloved wife, mumtaz mahal.

i'll end this post here since it's getting too long as it is, and the following section will be even longer. for while atla treated the concepts in this post with respect, the same unfortunately cannot be said for its depiction of guru pathik and combustion man - both of which we'll be discussing next.

[tofupixel]

Thank you for getting me to finally try pixel art! I‘ve always wanted to get into pixel art but I never knew what to start with and always ended up procrastinating. Your blog and the post you made on learning pixel art were what finally pushed me to give it a go. It was really helpful and I managed this little animation in Libresprite.

I definitely want to improve and your art is like the ultimate goal lol. Do you have any tips or instructions for how to get better or on what to focus on in the future? I‘d appreciate any kind of criticism/input you are willing to give! How do you manage to make such gigantic and beautiful landscapes?

thank you!! and i'm so happy you decided to give it a real go, you're doing great already!! the rendering on the body and the pink shading is really nice.

i can help a little with animation stuff but i'm not an expert, ill write something out about backgrounds at the end

i hope you don't mind but i edited the sprite a little, just to illustrate some stuff

🤺Animation stuff

i added an extra frame near the top of the arc so it slows down. this is called ease or slow in/out and usually happens at the beginning and end of movements. u can do even more slow but this is just a quick version

i also removed the middle frame (where the tail is straight down) to make the swing appear a bit more powerful. this could be the principle of timing in the same video. you can exaggerate smears if you do this, its up to you!! lately i tend to exaggerate stuff a lot, things arent super noticable in motion

i also got a good bit of advice from nickwoz that helped me, basically when you begin to animate, it really puts the rest of the sprite being still into focus. try to think of how you could animate other parts of the body, even subtly. and sometimes if individual pixels stay still they can catch the eye in an unintended way as well, just keep it in mind!!

if you want to learn animation more, you could take a look at duelyst sprites, they have incredible idle and ability animations, i study them a lot

heres one i downloaded a long time ago. i recommend just downloading stuff you like and looking at it!! i have a huge collection of pixel inspo. slowing animations down can really help you understand whats going on. its just a bunch of simple elements put together that makes it look so good.

IF U WANT MORE RESOURCES/ARTISTS I REOCMMEND TO GO AND STUDY LMK!!! IM LIKE A WIKIPEDIA, I AM A BIG FAN of pixel art and love to share

🌿 OK lets talk about landscape stuff

it looks like you have art experience already, but im gonna talk as if youre a complete noob cos it might help some other people who read this!! ur doing great 👍

❓ how to learn: study (and practise a lot)

what i mean by study: draw it, copy it, try to understand it. you can try to change characteristics about it. changing the angle or lighting can help u understand how something works in 3 dimensions.

sometimes it takes time, dont worry, you will figure out your own style through doing studies, its all a process

❓ how to draw landscape details?

study pixel artists and how they do it recommendations: fool, slym, jubilee, deceiver

also please look at real world references!! you got to build that visual library

❓ how to learn composition?

study traditional artists or animation. i did a ton of studies of ghibli backgrounds which i think helped my growth a lot recommendations: arcane, studio ghibli, traditional painters

im gonna break down a piece as well and maybe that will help. this is one from 2022 but its still one of my most popular and its pretty simple too!!

if we remove all the fancy stuff what we have is actually really simple. just a few large, overlapping shapes that all point towards our focal point. it's the brightest area with the most contrast and many edges point into it.

go to pinterest or google and just search "pretty landscape" or "mountains" or something and you can see what i'm doing is nothing special or unique!! break it down into bigger shapes to begin with, its just different areas of material mostly.

and heres how you can make any landscape from any colours. purple sky or mountain? orange grass? ok !! it all works, it doesnt matter. i just blend the colours.

when parts of the landscape are in the distance they become closer to the sky colour as there is more "sky" in between you and it. its called atmospheric perspective. so if the sky was red, the clouds would fade towards red.

OKKK i dont know what else to say so i hope that helps!! honestly 90% of what i do is intuitive and hard for me to really explain, so you dont have to know The Rules, you just kind of pick up stuff as you go.

GL and thanks so much for showing me your art!! please keep going!! 💕💕💕💕

[thezombieprostitute]

Tech Tuesday: Walter Marshall

Summary: Your work friend oversteps in his attempts to help you.

Warnings: Size discrimination. Please let me know if I missed any!

A/N: Reader is short, female. No other physical descriptors used.

A/N2: This chapter is written for @the-slumberparty's December Daze Challenge. Prompt: extreme weather leads to forced proximity

Previous

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Your mom practically threw a fit when you told her you'd be visiting Christmas Day and not spending the night beforehand. She said it was bad enough you hadn't shown up on Thanksgiving but to miss out on Christmas Eve family time, even though you had no say in your work schedule, was the biggest personal insult to her. You're glad she couldn't see you roll your eyes over the phone. She really never understood how draining it could be. The human mind craves stimulation and working security at an empty building does not provide! You know, from experience, that you're going to be drained on so many levels that driving out to her place would likely result in you driving into a ditch.

But, of course there's just no pleasing some people. At least Dad understood and he promised he'd talk to her. You made sure to thank him and promised to bring an extra box of donuts in the morning. If the weather held.

The tedium of the job did nothing for your growing anxiety over the weather reports. Being able to look outside only made it worse. You could barely see the parking lot through the snowfall and the winds are only supposed to get worse. Your height added another dimension of difficulty with the whole thing. You weren't looking forward to having to dig your way through the snow to get to your car.

During one of your breaks you mentioned this to Walter who offered to wait to leave with you. You raise an eyebrow at the insinuation and he's quick to add, "two bodies are likely to have an easier time of it than one."

"That's fair," you sigh. "But don't you have places to be?"

"No," he shakes his head. "Faye is at her mother's. It's one of the reasons I volunteered to come into work today at all."

"One of?"

"Jake and his little family are another 4 reasons," he chuckles. "I swear that bastard has a photo of his twins' sad puppy dog eyes just to remind us of what happens if he can't be with them for the important holidays." You laugh at the absolutely believable idea. "Still, I can't say I blame him," Walter says thoughtfully. "Maybe it's something I should've done for Faye."

"Hey, I can't even imagine the pain of being divorced let alone divorced with a kid, but I'm pretty sure missing one holiday evening or two wouldn't have saved things." He nods. "Now if you weren't such a grump all the time, maybe that would've fixed things, but would you still be you if you weren't constantly upset about things?"

He gives you playful glare that makes you smirk. "I'm not that grumpy."

"Yes, you are," you playfully jab back. "And I'm on good terms with the G's so I should know."

He huffs, "I suppose you do interact with more people than I do."

"Yup. So I'm definitely more of an expert on who's a grump and who isn't."

"I will respect your professional opinion then and, admit, I can be grumpy."

"Thank you."

Just then the power flickers and you both look at each other before running back to your respective departments. Walter needs to make sure the servers are still going and you need to check the emergency warnings for the area. If there are power outages, people need to go home as best they're able.

Back at the IT department Pine, Rose, Random and the Double G's are all moving. Walter ignores them all to get to the server room. He breathes a sigh of relief that the safeties put in place are still working. He does a quick triple check of everything before reporting to Pine.

Pine nods, relieved at the news. "I've received an update from the facilities manager that, for our safety, we should all go home. CEO Levinson has approved. You will all still receive full day's pay plus the holiday extra, as agreed upon. Please travel as safely as you are able!"

Everyone goes to close out their workstations and head home but Walter waits for you in the security area. You come out from the security office with the other two people working with you today.

"Bob, you take floors 1 through 3. I got 4 through 6. Terry you take 7 and 8."

"Why do I get the top two floors? That's a lot of stairs."

"Because you're the fastest at climbing, now move," you order. Terry grumbles but complies.

"What's going on?" Walter asks you before you can get to the stairs.

"Standard security stuff," you answer. "We're going to do a floor-by-floor sweep, making sure people know they need to go home and looking for any stragglers."

"Is it ok for me to wait here until you're done?"

"You should just go home. We're gonna have to do this at least twice."

"I promised to leave with you and I will keep it."

You give him a smile, "you're gonna regret that."

He just smiles back and you set to on your sweep.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

It takes you longer than Walter expected but he remains steadfast in his desire to wait for you. He keeps looking at his phone to track the weather, silently cursing everyone who wished for a white Christmas. It was gonna be a rough drive, even with his truck. He has even less faith in your VW Bug.

"Hey, big guy? You there?" Your questions cuts through his thoughts.

He steadies himself for what he knows he has to ask. "Would you be willing to let me drive you home?"

You raise an eyebrow, "first you doubt my ability to walk through snow and now you think I can't drive through it?"

"I trust you," Walter argues. "It's your car I don't trust. My truck is much safer."

Seeing his sincerity helps you calm down. "Problem is, I gotta get going first thing in the morning for family Christmas. I need my car for that."

"I'll drive back to give you a ride so you can pick up your car."

You scoff. "You'll be on the road all night. You live well outside the city lines."

He drops his head, "I just...I know that car isn't safe."

"Tell you what, you can spend the night at my place." He lifts his face at that. "We're both adults and we're friends," you continue. "You will have to sleep on the floor, though."

"I...I don't... Are you..."

"Listen, I'll agree by little bug isn't likely to get me far, at least not as far as your truck. But my place is much closer. You can stay the night and drop me off here to get my bug before you go home, ok? And yes, I have enough food for the both of us, even someone with a stomach your size."

"You make a persuasive argument," he nods.

"Damn right. Now bundle up, we've got a ton of snow to dig through."

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

By the time you get to your studio apartment your beyond grateful Walter insisted on driving you home. Even the truck felt a little wobbly in the wind. Walter's knuckles were white from how tightly he was holding the steering wheel.

"You go sit on the couch and I'll whip us up some food."

Walter is too tired from the drive to argue. He's beyond grateful that you insisted he stay the night. Driving out to his house in this would be too much. As he sits on the couch, he's just happy he can sit still and calm down.

I'm the kitchen you're practically a blur with how quick you're putting things together. Sitting in the truck, unable to help, scared to talk, left you agitated. Thankfully cooking up some good food is a helpful way to let you calm down.

You're not too worried by the power flickers in the apartment. You've got a gas stove and enough blankets to keep you warm. You pause for a moment as the thought of sharing those blankets with Walter. You bet he'd be and to keep you very nice and warm. You shake your head to clear it of those thoughts. Now is not the time.

Walter has significantly calmed by now and is looking around. The two of you have hung out several times but never at your place. You've complained it's too small for the both of and he kinda has to agree. The place is tiny, about the size of his bedroom, but you've definitely made good use of the space. How else could you get both a bed and a couch to fit?

Wait, he thinks. Where's the bed? That's when it hits him, the couch, that's obviously not a pullout, is the bed. As he thinks about helping you get a proper bed his thoughts turn to being with you in that bed. He has to stop himself quick. It's not the first time his thoughts have turned that way but you've never given him any indication you're interested in a physical or romantic relationship with him. He shakes his head to try to get his brain back under control.

"Hope you don't mind brinner," you say, suddenly feeling shy as you hand Walter his food.

"Brinner?" he questions before looking at the bowl. It's a simple breakfast hash of scrambled eggs, slices sausage links, and tater tots, all covered with a light later of gravy and cheese. He smiles, "it looks damn delicious."

You smirk back at him, "well then get to eating!"

You playfully smack his arm before sitting down next to him. Unfortunately the couch, unused to the weight, starts to dip, gently pushing the two of you together. The two of you stay together like that, neither wanting to break the contact, neither wanting to be the first to speak up.

"Um...did any of your food spill?" you ask, hoping for an easy way out.

"No. Yours?"

"No."

A few more beats of silence.

"Ok," you say, deciding to take charge. "You and I are going to have a talk about what's going on here after we've gotten far enough apart we can look at each other and we've eaten. Can't have serious relationship discussions on an empty stomach."

"Of course," Walter sighs, relieved.

Both of you know you're in for a long night.

Next

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Tagging: @alicedopey; @changenameno; @delicatebarness; @ellethespaceunicorn; @icefrozendeadlyqueen;

@jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory; @kingliam2019; @late-to-the-party-81; @lokislady82; @ronearoundblindly

[baphomimi]

CHAPTER ONE – DUTY

PROLOGUE / CHAP 1.1 / CHAP 1.2 / CHAP 1.3

CHAP 2.1 / CHAP 2.2 / CHAP 2.3

Our ancestors were closely bonded to The Absence– we know this from the clear evidence of human sacrifice across many different cultures throughout history. But modern convenience has severed this connection, to the point that most fear The Absence so greatly that they can no longer even tolerate Its presence.

Our duty as Worthy is to find more of us- people strong enough to embrace Its presence, as our ancestors once did.

Those who reject The Absence we call the Unworthy. Our secondary duty is to purge these poor, deprived souls from this plane, so that It may take their place.

They're talking about his family on the news again, but really that's no surprise. They dig up the details of the fire for every anniversary; first, second, fifth and now tenth.

Trent pretends not to be listening– focuses on the stubborn congealment of crumbs and grease that have formed as a gelatinous layer at the bottom of the hotdog warmer. He goes at it with the edge of an old name badge– for lack of a more appropriate tool– that belonged to the manager who quit three days after Trent started working here. That was some good five years ago, and they still haven't replaced her. But with their staggering three customers a day, that's really no surprise either.

Over his incessant scraping sounds, he still hears the reporter on the TV going on.

"Eli Rothschild was declared missing, presumed dead, but his actions helped lead police to the cult's base of operations:  a prospective hotel resort whose development was abandoned in 1987. It appears that this is where The Worthy of Absence carried out their work: kidnapping civilians seemingly at random, and forcing them to endure trials of self-mutilation in the name of a deity they called The Absence.

The raid that followed took place ten years ago today, but The Worthy of Absence were prepared. As police entered the building, all 51 members of the cult set themselves alight, in what experts believe was intended as one final, grand sacrifice. The fire also seemed to destroy any evidence that may have been left behind, but police did manage to recover a single manifesto, which is still being studied by sociologists and religious specialists to this day.

The question we are asking viewers this morning is this: are any members of The Worthy of Absence still out there? And if so, will they ever resume their sick torture rituals? Officials say no, but we want to know what you think."

Trent pulls his head out of the display case, and stands up straight. The AC is bust again, and the stickiness of the air has drained him of all patience.

"Will you turn that shit off, dude? It's kinda bumming me out."

His coworker is sat behind the register, hunched over the counter to get as close as physically possible to the TV mounted on the opposite wall.

"Aw, no, c'mon,” Chris whines in his usual, sunny southern drawl, “They're gonna get some callers on soon– what if a Worthy calls in? Or what if Eli calls in? Like, I'm still alive motherfuckers! Catch me if you can!"

"Mm, yeah. Somehow I doubt it."

Chris turns towards him, searching for some glimmer of enthusiasm in Trent's tired, sullen expression that maybe he can work with. His coworker is almost a perfect opposite in both appearance and manner; an infinite well of enthusiasm with blond, gently curled hair and a perfect smile. He's unusually bulky too, built like he picked up a sport in high school and kept eating the same once he stopped. He might as well have been born wearing a varsity jacket.

Trent– with his limp black hair, perpetual insomnia, and the dimensions of someone who was never not sick as a child– feels like a shadow threatened by the encroachment of the sun, whenever the two of them share a shift. Which, god help him, is fucking always.

The first caller is announced on the TV.

"Those people got what was coming to them,” she says, muffled by the phone line, “They did so much damage to countless communities, so many victims still coming forward to this day...why would you even suggest that they're still out there? Don't you think that's just going to encourage copycat killers?"

The news reporter, an older woman with her hair set in a neat bob, expertly brushes off the critical remark, and they move onto the next caller.

"Hey, yeah, I gotta say– ain't no way that Eli guy’s still out there. These people kept their whole operation under wraps for decades, all these victims poppin' up and the cops couldn't get a grip on it ‘til that fella's rampage got them all caught. What I'm sayin' is, ain't no way they let him live after that. If he was still kickin’ he woulda been found by now.

And y'know, while I’m on, I saw prett-y compelling evidence that this whatchamacallit, this Absence of theirs? It's actually a rogue body of ancient aliens, and those cult folks were helping 'em to experiment on us, in exchange for immortality and telekinesis powers and–"

A few tones beep to indicate that the call has been cut off abruptly.

"Well, it looks like we've lost caller number two, sorry about that!" This lady really is a professional.

Chris shakes his head, laughs. "Aliens– can you believe that? Like The Absence could be explained away by somethin’ so simple."

Trent bites back the usual fury that rises in his throat, whenever Chris starts talking like this. It may have been ten years since it all fell apart, but to hear an Unchosen speak with such authority on The Absence makes him wish he could do something about it. He's seen Chris's type a thousand times before: all talk, but when it comes down to it, would probably faint at the first sight of blood. And god, he would love to see it.

"So what do you think, Trent? Think any of ‘em could really still be out there?"

"I don't care."

Him and Lena. They’re the only ones who got out of that place. He knows there are other groups in other states– maybe even in other countries– he’s heard names in passing once or twice. But it seems that his cousins have largely all gone dormant, or at least are working discreet enough for it to stay out of the news. He's thought about going out to find them a few times, making something new with them, but no one else knows how to fix the register here when it breaks, and Chris would probably end up setting the place alight if he left.

The ding of the door sensor draws Trent back into the present. An over-tanned old man in khakis smiles at them, making a snail's-pace crawl towards the counter. Just here paying for gas, like everyone else. No one would drive out to the middle of nowhere here for any other sensible reason.

"I know they're still out there," Chris never seems to pick up on his coworker's extremely obvious disinterest in the subject, or at least doesn't let it deter him. "I don't know why, call it a hunch." He sounds far too excited over that fact, if true.

"You better be careful tempting fate like that. You could end up as their next victim." 

Trent can’t help himself. It’s like this every shift– if it’s not the news, it’s some survivor’s auto-biography or a drama miniseries about various Judgements. It’s all the same shit; all of it a mockery of what should have been his life’s work. He can’t count the number of times he’s almost exposed himself out of pure frustration.

Trent glances up to see if his vague threat has made any impact at all, but there’s a sparkle in Chris’s eye as he rings up the old man, so if anything it’s just encouraged him.

“Now wouldn’t that be somethin’?” He sighs, gives the old man a little wave as he leaves. 

“Hey, that reminds me,” Chris goes on, as the door sensor dings again, “You didn’t happen to watch my latest video, did ya?”

Slumped over the counter, Trent sighs, “I told you a million times already, dude. I don’t wanna watch your shitty videos.”

“Aw c’mooon, you dunno they’re shitty ‘til you watch ‘em! I actually went through that new series– Top Five Goriest Judgements– and explained how I would pass each one.” Chris spins idly on his stool, “To be honest, heh heh… it’s really starting to make the rounds online. Going viral, I guess you could say.”

“Wait, for real?” Trent can’t quite place why that worries him so much, suddenly. Media attention is obviously nothing new, but this guy is too close to him.

“Seriously, dude! If it keeps blowing up like it is, I’m gonna be the face of the Worthy of Worthy!”

Trent is helpless to conceal the disgusted scrunch of his nose. “The what?”

“Oh, sorry. That’s what we call fans of the Worthy of Absence. We have a forum– oh, but it’s invite only, on the deep web. ‘Cuz the public site kept gettin’ shut down for glorifying violence, somethin’ like that.” Chris rolls his eyes and scoffs.

Trent shakes his head, as if physically trying to discard the information from his mind. The way Chris’s face is lit up, the guy clearly has no idea how insulting this all is. Like he has even half a clue of how hard Trent worked, how hard his family worked, the suffering they inflicted and absorbed back in turn. It’s no wonder Lena calls these kinds of fanatics ‘freaks’.

“And so this video, what– you’re saying you could cut off your leg or something, like no problem?”

What Trent fails to realise is that in asking that, he’s making it seem like he’s taken a genuine interest in Chris’s work. His coworker shifts to one side on the stool, immediately starts digging into his pocket for his phone.

“Yeah, exactly! Here, lemme show you,” A few taps, and then he turns his phone screen towards Trent. The screen displays a thumbnail that includes a cut-out image of Chris’s face with his eyes shut and tongue poked out to one side– a pantomime depiction of death. Bold block text in red reads: HOW TO BEAT THE 5 MOST F****D UP WOA JUDGMENTS!!

Trent’s expression remains stock still. “WOA?”

“Oh, that’s just how we shorten the Worthy of Absence. Gets annoying typing it over and over, otherwise. Now, this video is 57 minutes long– but hey– not like we got anything better to do, right?”

Hearing that, Trent immediately nudges the phone away with a knuckle. “No no no, you’re not doing this to me. God no.”

“It’s fine I promise, it’s not scary!” Instead of getting the hint, Chris just starts trying to dodge Trent’s hand, keeping the phone in front of him. “Ain’t no pictures or nothin’, they don’t let you show real gore on–”

“Alright man, look,” Clearly being an outright asshole to this guy just isn’t going to penetrate whatever the fuck inorganic substance his skull is made of. Trent turns properly, so that they’re standing face to face. Chris would have a good few inches on him, if he wasn’t sitting down.

“I’m happy you’re blowing up or whatever, I really am. I’m sure The Absence is very pleased with you. But if you make me watch this video right now I think there’s a very real chance that it might actually break me. Like you’ll have to take me out back and put me down, kinda broken.”

The blond opens his mouth, but Trent doesn’t let him speak.

“Chris, I am so serious about this.”

He watches Chris process the rejection in real time; his face falls and he silently sets his phone down on the counter. It’s hard not to feel a little guilty when faced with such an earnest display of disappointment. 

“Right. Yeah! My bad.”

“But hey, hey, look–” Trent quickly follows up, chasing his gaze when Chris looks away. “Maybe I’ll watch it tonight, when I’m home.”

Chris’s face lightens a little. “Yeah?”

“Uh, well. Like I said: maybe.” 

It’ll be like a kind of digital reconnaissance, so Trent knows exactly how fucked he’ll be if this video ends up plastered over every corner of the web. That’s what he tells himself– Chris’s happiness has nothing to do with it.

“Alright buddy, I’ll hold ya to that.” Chris starts tapping through his phone again, “But I do have shorter videos too, so if you want I can show one of those?”

Realising that there will never be a true end to these negotiations, Trent takes a step back.  “You know what? I’d love that. I really would. But I think I'll go fix the AC for the hundredth fucking time instead. ”

“Ah,” the blond swivels in his chair, watching as Trent makes his escape through the doorway behind the counter, the one that leads to the storeroom. “Yeah, good idea. And I’ll stay out here, in case we get any more customers.”

So he can keep watching the news, more like. Trent almost leaves it at that, but he pauses just as the other man is out of sight, peers around the doorframe.

“Don’t call into that show while you’re meant to be working, by the way. I’ll kick your ass, I swear.”

“Oh shit, think I could still get on?”

“No, I–” Trent cuts himself off, sighs through his nose, then grumbles a “fuckin’ whatever man,” before disappearing back into the storeroom.

[otts-the-verminqueen]

SBG Headcanons!

I'm making this because it'll put some context into the first snippet fic that I'm going to be putting on here later today. These are all very random. There is no linear thought process to any of these. Lol.

~~~

Ashlyn

Prefers hot coffee over iced coffee.

If someone scares her while she's asleep, she will kick them. (Pay attention to this one. Lol.)

Favorite fruit is apples. Mainly because they're easy to eat on the go. (She runs late a lot.)

She has accidentally shut her own braids in doors on multiple occasions, and each time she does, she thinks about cutting them off.

Aiden

He was always a night owl, even before the Savannah trip, but the trip and the phantom dimension have only worsened his already terrible sleeping habits.

He either hugs something in his sleep, or tosses and turns a lot. Has accidentally smacked and kicked people in his sleep before.

Has broken/sprained his legs/ankles multiple times in the past doing risky tricks, and despite this irritating Ben to no end, he still manages to convince Ben to carry him around so he doesn't have to use crutches.

He once tried to slide down the stairs in his house on his mattress. It did not end well.

Ben

Often drums his fingers/pen/pencil against whatever surface he can while he's listening to music.

When he's unsure of what to do in certain situations, he'll copy whatever Aiden does (as long as it isn't something risky).

Once hit Aiden in the face with a pillow so hard that he made Aiden's nose bleed. (Aiden drew on his face with a marker while he was asleep.)

He sleeps like a log and will not move once he's asleep. He once scared his aunt into thinking he was dead when he first started staying with them.

Logan

He has an interest in gene splicing, especially in plants and bugs.

He knows many different herbal remedies. And if given the chance, he will go on for hours about the best plants for herbal remedies of various sorts.

He loves hot tea, and is practically an expert at steeping the best hot tea.

He has no fear of spiders. He will go and pick them up and let them crawl on him, and he knows which types of spiders to avoid and which ones are okay to mess with. (He has saved spiders from Tyler, who tries to kill them on sight.)

Taylor

Loves tea, hot or cold, though drinks more iced tea because her brother doesn't like hot tea.

Hugs whatever is within reach when she sleeps.

Terrified of spiders. She screams if she sees one, and she has fainted when one touched her once.

She used to do a lot of birdwatching, and even has old notebooks that were full of notes on different birds she liked. She doesn't go birdwatching as often anymore.

Tyler

Similar to his sister, hugs whatever is closest when sleeping.

Hates hot tea, will only drink iced sweet tea.

Kills spiders on sight because of his sister's fear of them. (How dare they scare his sister?)

Doesn't mind snakes, and has even caught a few random wild snakes in the past. (Taylor does not like snakes very much and refuses to touch them.)

~~~

And that's all I've got for now. I may come back and do a ship headcanons post for my favorite ships eventually. For now, this is all there is.

[kyoshitargaryen]

until dawn, the butterfly effect, and infinite realities explained

for those who like to think about the science behind shifting and infinite realities, or need a little help understanding it

note !! : this is just my personal way of understanding how infinite realities are possible, and it's the way shifting clicks for me. this does not mean that you have to agree with me, and it certainly does not mean that anything related to spirituality or shifting has to make logical sense -- some things just are what they are, and that's okay! this post is just for fun! it's difficult for the human brain to comprehend something like infinity -- so this is just my way of making infinite possibilities make sense.

this post also relies on believing in the multiverse and infinite realities as a whole, so please keep that in mind before proceeding. I am not an expert in astral projections, alternate dimensions, or vibrational work.

there is a theory that the universe is made of math -- every bit, from you, to me, from the animate to the inanimate. this is called the mathematical universe hypothesis. it seems that human beings are constantly looking for ways to understand the environment around them, and more often than not we turn to math.

this will be no different. in truth, this is a concept I made as a way to explain reality shifting to my mother. she is very spiritual herself, but she struggled to understand the concept of infinite realities, and she struggled to differentiate shifting from astral projection.

above is an example of a 3D graph. you may already be familiar with the y- and x- axes, but perhaps not the z-axis.

if you have been involved in the spiritual community for any amount of time, you've absolutely heard of higher and lower dimensions, as well as higher and lower vibrations. you may already know that the plane that we live on is the 3D. this is the physical reality you inhabit. let's say the 3D corresponds to the x-axis. the physical reality will be our baseline.

the y-axis corresponds to higher states of consciousness -- the 4D, the 5D, etc. I'm going to include altered states of consciousness in the y-axis as well, such as meditation, altered consciousness due to external factors such as substance use, dreaming, lucid dreaming, minishifts, general out of body experiences, and astral projection. just like there are infinite numbers between 0 and 1, there are infinite possibility points of altered or higher consciousness, so don't be discouraged if something you personally have experienced is not listed here by me.

the origin point (coordinate 0,0) of this graph represents your current / original reality -- your home base, essentially. Going straight up the y-axis represents the various levels of consciousness I mentioned before, all while remaining aware of this physical reality.

each point on the x-axis represents each of your DRs. for example, if (0,0) is my CR, then (1,0) would be my Hogwarts DR. the infinite points in between (0,0) and (1,0) would be realities where one or many things overlap between the realities, with few overlapping things being closer to (0,0) and many overlapping things being closer to (1,0).

alternate view : you can absolutely look at each point on the x-axis as being the canon of wherever you're shifting to, with the points in between determining how close that reality is to a CRDR versus pure canon

but what would the z-axis represent? they would be alternate realities of each x-reality. While those specifically on the (x,0) axis would be the realities you consciously live in, the realities on the z-axis would be realities where you made a different decision, a la the butterfly effect.

even the smallest of actions can be the difference between the reality you consciously inhabit, and the realities where you did or said something differently. essentially; everything has a consequence, big or small. these are the realities you exist in, but are not consciously aware of.

if you want an easy example, let's look at Hogwarts houses. Let's use the reason that (x,y,z) stands for the coordinates of the reality. Hogwarts would be my first DR and in it I am a Slytherin. That would mean that reality would be (1,0,0). Due to the laws of the infinite multiverse, there is also a reality like my DR where I am instead a Hufflepuff, even though I'm not choosing to shift there. That would be (1,0,1), and so on for the other houses.

If I were to do anything that would give an altered state of consciousness in that Hufflepuff reality, it would be (1,1,1) and so on, depending on my level of consciousness.

you might be asking, what would the negative numbers be in this? remember, the points of the axes stretch on into infinity -- in both directions.

if you're into astral projection or manifestation, you've heard that your experience in the astral plane or in manifesting is dependent on your vibrations.

low vibrations : negative feelings; guilt, shame, fear, anxiety, etc

high vibrations : positive feelings; love, gratitude, genuine happiness, feeling protected

if you are aligning yourself with low vibrations, you will encounter low vibrational beings or experiences. this is the area of toxicity. negative entities thrive here on the astral realm.

the x-axis is not only the baseline for our physical realities, it is also a mirror for the positive and the negative. as above, so below. the negative y's would be functioning on a low-vibrational level on a conscious level (as in, not fulfilling your highest self, leaning into fear or shame, astral projecting in to a low-vibrational plane, having a nightmare), negative x's would be more toxic or negative realities -- these are the realities where the worst can and will happen. don't worry, you obviously won't be shifting there! negative z's would be realities where you choose the wrong path, the more toxic path, where you let yourself be petty and mean.

don't worry -- just because these negative realities exist does not mean you will experience them. you can ignore the negative planes entirely, and your journey and your drs will not be changed. remember, you will always be on the x-axis (x,0) when you are consciously inhabiting your body. the only time you will experience the y-axis (0,y) would be when you are dreaming, meditating, astral projecting, or in between realities like minishifting. and you won't encounter the z-axis at all, unless you choose to rescript your DRs, and even then that would become your new x-axis reality.

in summary : the x-axis is where you are aware, the physical reality you experience. the y-axis is your level of consciousness and vibration. the z-axis is the butterfly effect in practice.

note : do not think that feeling guilt, shame, or fear means you will always be on the negative planes. you can absolutely shift positively even when you are depressed, or angry, or afraid. it's the difference between staying in wet clothes after the rain or changing into something warm and cozy. even if you get a cold from the rain, or your day was ruined by it, changing your clothes means you're taking care of yourself. as long as you're giving yourself grace, the help and self-care you need, it'll work out!

that's all for now! I hope it makes sense! please let me know your thoughts, I'm very curious to see how you all react to this. please be kind, as this is my first post and my first time explaining this so publicly.

yoshi !!

[pbear]

I was thinking of finally making one of these without a D20 show, but I wanted to see it fight Critical Role. Opinions on each below the cut. There may be spoilers for any of them, especially since most of these are shows where I'm watching the newest season.

Sasaki and Miyano: Put this one on hold, not because it’s bad but if you are familiar with some of the other entries in this poll, I think you can understand. Very cute and they use the shoujo filter a lot.

The Legend of Vox Machina: I knew Percy wouldn’t stay dead (since he appears in a later campaign), but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Good stuff in the most recent season. I honestly thought they were bringing the show to a close with everyone heading separate ways, but there was foreshadowing so I guess there's more (I haven't seen the actually DnD campaign so I don't know where things end). Most of the characters got some development except Grog, and I think Pike could have gotten more. (Grog got quite a bit in the second season so I think it evens out at least)

Blue Lock: Hahaha this is a very underwhelming second season and that is due to the animation. I’m no expert in animation but once it was pointed out, I couldn’t ignore it. (Watching the Haikyuu movie also made me remember good animation). The CG was already pretty bad and now it's just yikes.

Heaven Official's Blessing: In comparison to the previous entry, this is so pretty. Watching the English dub because I wanted to see Howard Wang as Xie Lian. Nothing too eventful has happened yet, but I like it a lot.

Dimension 20: A Crown of Candy: I knew this was an intense campaign going in and it really is. The stakes are set up very early and only get higher and higher. I'm currently at the fight in the cathedral and I know it ends badly already but I'm still scared of what's going to happen.

Arcane: WOO NEW ARCANE SEASON. As of posting this, only the first three episodes are out, but it's wild. Animation is fire as always. So many interesting things have been set up. Jinx's activities in the Underworld. Vi being forced to choose whether to side with Piltover or Zaun. Viktor with the Hexcore seemingly inside him. Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger learning more about the Arcane. Ambessa settling in Piltover's affairs. And Caitlyn!!! I honestly think she's the most interesting with how her mother's death has affected her. I'm so excited to see the rest of it.

Outer Banks: I watch this show because my sister's into it and yet I'm ahead of her in terms of watching it. I don't know how necessary a season 4 was, but it's not been too bad so far. I hate Rafe though. And JJ's been making some decisions that annoyed me even though he is my favorite.

[nerditudes]

@maykrisms c

"WOAH BUDDY-- LANGUAGE. YOU KISS YOUR MOM WITH THAT MOUTH?" Honestly Bill has no room too talk, he's already creating obscenities that don't exist yet. He's the one who gets babies to say fuck as their first word.

"LET'S GET INTRODUCTIONS OUT OF THE WAY. I'M BILL. YOUR GUIDE TO HUMANITY. I CAN TEACH YOU SO MUCH STUFF ABOUT BEING A HUMAN. I'M AN EXPERT ON THEM! GO ON, ASK ME ANY QUESTION ABOUT HUMANS." Was Bill an expert? Technically-- he'd turned many humans inside out and backwards in his time. All he needed was a way into this dimension and he could truly make it shine.

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #15

Guys pretend this post isn't slightly late I've had a reeeally long week making those fashion drawings and renovating my entire bedroom. Anyways it's time for PKNA #11: Urk everyone say Hi Urk cause we're gonna see him in a second!

(extra long and image heavy post warning)

I'm gonna be so fr I have a huge headache right now and there's a big crew of people redoing the carpet in my house and making really loud banging sounds. I can't take a nap because my entire bed has been deconstructed and my mattress is standing up against a wall. I'm hiding in the room we shoved all our things into and I have like 4 feet of living space total right now. I'm saying this as a disclaimer because I'm probably gonna be even less coherent than usual (somehow) but hopefully hearing the insane ramblings of a tired Puffy will only enhance the experience.

And here in the horrors of the duck universe we have a regular human man sitting next to a flesh-colored dog-nosed creature. Guys seriously why are all the dog people in the duckverse always skin colored like would it kill them to put in some variety... like some different dog breeds... nevermind the fact that 99% of the ducks are all pekins. I'M JUST SAYING. As a furry I think we need to ask for better. And by better I mean just make a poodle character or something idk change it up a bit

Ok not to immediately drag on with the same topic but this might be one of the scariest designs I've ever seen idk what it is about this weirdly big-armed dog man but I'm so viscerally uncomfortable looking at him. Like it's not just me right. He's scary.

Why is donald just flashing his ass at uno in this panel. mf YOU do something??

Bro is really just pointing to the tree like :0

Gay ass look. Why did they exchange glances like this.

Haha don't worry Donald we put the Raider away in jail and he totally can't escape now. Not like he did the first time anyways.

Hi Urk. No other commentary I just like this panel.

HE FUCKING KILLED LYLAAAAAwhy is her hand flesh colored in the last panel

I like that Lyla hitting the ground makes a TLANG sound cause she's made of metal

idk why it's so amusing to me but Urk just calling PK a "total buzz kill" is so like. like to me it's the equivalent of "get lost DUDE you're harshing my vibe MAN" do you get me

Alright. Listen. We're gonna have to address the elephant in the room here (or the elephant-sized duck anyways). Urk is a Native American, specifically meant to be a member of the real life Iroquois tribe. I am not Native American, nor am I particularly knowledgeable on the culture of any specific tribes, so I'm not going to pretend to be an expert here, but just so we're clear: referring to any member of America's native population as being "red" is generally a big no-no.

Urk is meant to come from a dimension with an alternative form of history, one where North America was never colonized and continued to develop under the rule of the many native tribes that once dotted the landscape (one that also got super advanced because of aliens or something but that bit is honestly not that important). Could this concept of an alternate history be an interesting one to explore in a DIFFERENT piece of media? Perhaps. Does this Italian-made Donald Duck comic do a particularly good job of handling the cultural representations here?... eh.

Again, this was made overseas, it's the 90s, representation in media wasn't exactly great back then. I've certainly seen a lot worse *cough* Darkwing Duck *wheeze* but I think there are aspects surrounding Urk's lore that could certainly be better as well. Like I said, I'm not a Native American, I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert on this topic, nor am I going to say anything in here is downright offensive (I don't think I have the right to do so) but I think it's a point that's worth bringing up because it's kind of hard to ignore when reading Urk-related stories (which there are a few of because he sticks around after this comic).

ANYWAYS with all that said. Back to saying stupid shit

UMMM I DUNNO ABOUT THAT ONE BRO

First of all, haha oops the Raider accidentally pulled this poor random guy into our dimension. SECOND OF ALL, I've seen multiple pieces of media now insist that the Raider is some kind of "predatory bird" like a hawk or an eagle but I REFUSE to believe this information. SORRY but he is a rooster and I am always going to see him as a rooster, I DON'T CARE WHAT CANON MEDIA SAYS!!! MF SAID "BUKHAWHAW" IN THE OFFICIAL ENGLISH DON'T THINK I FORGOT THAT!!! THAT'S A CHICKEN!!!!!

Lyla looks cute here hi Lyla

OK SHOUTOUT TO URK JUST SMASHING A WHOLE CAR WITH HIS BIG FUCKING FISTS. HOW DID HE DO THAT

Billy ain't ever gonna forget this for the rest of his life dawg 💀 have fun unpacking this one in therapy

how did the fucking creature develop racism oh my god

WHAT DID LYLA EVEN DO WRONG THIS TIME?? FUCK YOU TIME POLICE free my girl

Everyone say "Hi Urk" again because we're stuck with Urk now

Kinda thought PK was flipping a middle finger here for a split second

Ok Fangus Tales now. Say it with me "we love Fangus Tales" yayyy

what the fuck

yeah actually you know what of COURSE Angus hates dogs. he actually sucks so bad you guys

let him fallll I mean WOAH who said that

YEAH OK OF COURSE ANGUS PARTICIPATES IN ILLEGAL DOG RACING

Dog you have very poor taste in people I'm begging you to like anyone other than Angus Fangus

Ok that's it see you next week and by next week I mean probably within the next 24 hours because I really like the next comic

[eldritch-nightmare]

I honestly don’t k ow anything about dbd so colour me surprised when I found out ghostface is in there??? Is it like a game where the mc gets transported to a hell like dimension and do a bunch of trails conducted by people like ghsotfsce to survive?

Also k have my accounting exam today and I’m super nervous. It’s the highest course in my study field that has the highest failure/ dropout rate, which now I understand

omg im wishing you luck on your exam!!

but yeah i mean... technically?? that's definitely one way to describe it. and i'll try my best to explain what it is because it overtakes my every waking thought these days.

so like. there is this thing right. she's known as the entity. she's essentially the main antagonist of the whole game, and she drags people into something known as the fog, a place that no one has been able to escape. once you're in the fog, you're not leaving.

so you have one group of people known as survivors. this includes original characters like meg, yunjin, sable, dwight, etc etc. and then licensed characters such as leon kennedy, nick cage, alan wake, ellen ripley, etc etc.

then you have the second group, the killers. this includes original killers like the trickster, skull merchant, the trapper, the artist, etc etec. and then licensed characters like michael myers, pinhead, demogorgon, amanda young, and so on. then there's ghostface. he's only half-licensed, so he's not from any of this movies, he's only canon to dbd. his name is danny.

the lore of this game is not something i'm an expert at. i only know the lore for like... 5 characters. but the gist is that you get dragged into the fog (or willingly enter, if you're quirky like sable) and are forever stuck there, cursed to either continuously get killed over and over again or cursed to continuously murder over and over again.

each trial is a 1v4. one killer, four survivors. the survivors have to repair generators to power up the exit gates in order to escape, and the killer has to hunt them down and sacrifice them to the entity by hooking them 3 times. 2, if you bring a mori or if they get left on hook until their second hook state.

and each survivor and killer comes with their own set of perks, like little skills essentially, that you can use to help yourself out in trials. like uhhh...

some examples being the perks i put on my survivors: adrenaline, a meg perk, instantly heals you a health state and gives you a haste boost once gates are powered. background player, a renato perk, that gives you a massive speed boost when the killer picks up a downed survivor. unbreakable, a bill perk, that lets you pick yourself up if you've been downed. and soul guard, a cheryl perk, that grants you endurance for a period of time once you've been healed from a downed state.

and then some killer perks: no way out, a trickster perk, that calls the entity to block exit gates when someone tries opening them. the time depends on how many survivors you hooked that match. rancor, a spirit perk, that lets you immediately down and mori your obsession once gates are powered no matter how many times you've hooked them. nurse's calling, a nurse perk, that lets you see the aura of survivors healing within a certain range. blood warden, a nightmare perk, that blocks off the exit for 60 seconds after hooking a survivor once either gate has been opened.

i don't think i'm doing the best job at explaining the game tbh. the best way to learn about it is to either watch someone play it or play it yourself, bc that's how i learned. and i'm still new to the game man, 4 months, 420 hours.

it's an online game, so there's always bound to be toxic people on both sides, but it's also a really fun game and like.

there have been moments in this game, lil interactions w other survivors and killers, that have genuinely made my day.

there's also outfits!! for the killers and survivors!! some of them aren't good, but some of them are. really just depends on your taste in fashion, i guess. and lil charms that you can put on your survivors, and on your hooks.

sorry for the long and messy explanation i will take literally any chance given to me to talk about this game :thumbs up:

[thatscarletflycatcher]

On one hand: the mere idea of such a death like this should upset anyone's stomach on a visceral way. We think torture is inhumane and disgusting for very similar reasons: it's cruel.

That said:

It is also true that rich people often do this sort of thing because they are thrill seekers. It's the same mentality that makes a person go climb Mount Everest. They are used to safety and pampering and do this sort of thing because they are bored and because of all that are very very bad at realizing the true dimension of the risk. It's not "I'm doing this because the risks are worth what I will see and learn", it's "I will do a deadly thing for the thrill and the bragging rights."

It is also true that rich people tend to get away with this sort of thing because they can bribe and coerce, so the mere existence of laws wouldn't necessarily stop them.

It is also true that the law AS LAW is limited in what it can do. The Titanic, unlike, say Macchu Picchu, is squarely in no-man's-land. The Peruvian government can make a law prohibiting people from visiting the place, and can put police or rangers around it to enforce that. You cannot really do that in any conceivably easy way in International Waters. I mean, you know what is a super common sea problem that affects many economies for a bunch of people? Illegal pirate fishing. We get ships sailing under, for example, Korean flags, that show up in our own national waters to steal fish, and most of them get away with it because by the time you start chasing, they are already too far to reach. Basically, to regulate this sort of thing, you'd need some sort of international UN treatise cosigned by most countries and enforced then by ?????? all (at the cost it implies) so that... mature, uncoerced adults with the power of flaunting national law don't get into death traps in the open seas.

So I really really don't like this idea that lawmaking negligence is somehow the main or one of the main culprits here. Like, even supposing this is an American company (I think it is?) what is the law supposed to regulate? The only thing you could specifically do is forbid the construction of private submarines. Which wouldn't do much because then the company can get them made wherever else they want. Or you could create a regulatory unit of... submarine experts? to create a whole administrative corpus to inspect this sort of venture? All that expense so that a handful of millionaires don't get killed while doing something both unnecessary and extremely risky? I feel like a lot of people think regulating things is like wishing to a Genie. That's not how it works.

man call me crazy or whatever but i'm not very thrilled with the fact that the takeaway that all of y'all are getting from the titanic submarine crisis happening right now is

"People able to spend exorbitantly for some tourist trip thing deserve to die a horrific and torturous death via suffocation after spending 96 hours in mounting dread and awareness of that oncoming reality, all inside a 20 foot long windowless iron casket lost at sea"

and how it isn't

"There is no way in fucking hell that it should be legal to take people into such high-risk environments with zero regulations and shoddy work which almost certainly factored if not is the cause of this crisis to begin with, and the problem isn't that people will spend lots of money on dumb shit, it's that there are companies allowed to prey on that with no oversight"

[sonicasura]

I know I'm being weird here Sonic, but why are you replacing on of the i's with a 'a' in Aimi's name? There is no a at the end in her name. I know you just said that your search engine sucks, but you need to a check as Aimi's name is writen as is. And a legit name to use too.

Anyhow, my spider yokai ain't the only friendly oc I've made.

Meet Jonh, a demon from western hell who was transferred to Japan's hell due to some odd circumstances and there to assist in a few matters for some decades. He has since made a home in the human world and in Japan itself. He a typical red demon with goat legs and a pointed tail, horns and a grind that makes sharks envy.

He is however shockingly chill and lazy for a demon, not all that into possession or causing as much harm and chaos as other demons. Though he can get very obsessed if something takes his interest. He is one of the few demons that occasionally visit Kafka for updates or to get whichever sinner thats finally getting their proper punishment. He takes his work seriously though and never lets his prey slip him if he can help it.

He and Kafka has a odd friendship that was accidently made over the years the two has gotten to know each other. Jonh is also a absolute gossip girl and always has the latest news from hell on hand. Sometimes literally. He also supplies Kafka with very special ingredients that only grows in hell and that the himbo uses for very special rituals when it comes to strong curses and hexs. Along with making cures for either too.

He is also the one to blame Kafka's love for burgers, as thats the demon's favorite food to eat on the daily. He's an expert in all kinds of burgers though thanks his demonic nature never gets fat from it. And makes sure to work out the extra calories when he has the willpower to do so.

As for what he does in the human world? He owns a special shop that allows other yokai merchant to sell their wares in relative peace with humans. You need a special pass though to access where the yokai merchants are at since that place is in another dimension connected to the store's front. Otherwise you just go into a general store that sells the most basic stuff found avable in Japan. He has to get a human wage to pay for the place somehow. The prices are pretty fair too and popular with many teens as his store has a good deal of snacks and drinks to pick from. And good selection on various popular magazines too. Some of which are not legal, but none of the humans needs to know that bit.

Jonh actually helps Reno and the other rookies a lot in this world. As he has special deals for officers and books for them to read about magic and various other subjects as long as they have the money for it. Or the right stuff to trade for. He also gives out tasks that often benefits whomever takes them as much as it benefits him too, as it is part of his job to make sure the humans notice odd activities when it comes to demotic matters and escaped sinners.

That don't mean he don't do things demons do though. Different from other demons of his kind he might be, but he is still a demon through and through. And demons fight dirty and unfairly. He will wreak you if given the chance, the fact that he don't means he is not weak at all. And like any demon he is cunning and have dealt quite a few nasty deals over the decades since he became a permanent resident in Japan.

He also has a demonic parrot pet that loves to watch pirate movies and swearing up swears like their going out of fashion. Just don't say 'Polly wants a cracker' bit, thats gonna cost you a finger or three.

Whoops! I think my eyesight is failing me as the 'i' looked like an 'a' for a hot second. Gonna go correct that.

Jonh definitely sounds like quite the character. Kind/Nice doesn't always equate to doormat, especially with demons. Also I bit someone has been dumb to say that to his parrot.

[inkintheinternet]

Mind and Genetics

By Arjuwan Lakkdawala

Ink in the Internet

There are some famous quotes that have very powerful observations and wisdom in them. They are eloquent, skillfully crafted communication with the world, and a window to the psyche of the author.

I have chosen the first quote as an example of the human mind's ability to examine the variables in a situation and conclude what are the requirements of a solution, and know that there is a higher level of understanding. The second quote I chose to demonstrate how the mind can think into the future by studying present trends and developments. Both quotes articulate elequenty these very astute mental analysis.

The quote by Albert Einstein:

"No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."

If I were to try and give a human intellect explanation of this quote it could be infinite in its derivatives. So I will to simplify it give a mechanical example:

The engineer has a higher level of consciousness than the machine that has only specific functions it can understand.

Another quote which I think is visionary is from science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke:

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

This quote explains itself in this era of advancing technology.

(Side note: I don't agree with the complete views of the authors of each quote. But I do agree that we humans could be experts and knowledgeable at somethings and not at others.)

Intelligence and the vast expanse of the human mind is infinitely complex, with multiple dimensions of time, layers of understanding and meaning. Human cognition is certainly on levels, to understand each mind the recipient of the output has to be just as skilled intellectually as the source of the communication, otherwise the wisdom is lost and the words are not understood in their true context.

What is the innovative power of the human psyche, to have visions for the future, to have imagination, to be able to express oneself in a multitude of meanings. A sentence could be written to be nuanced. These are precisely the abilities that have and always will make artificial intelligence nowhere near a competition to the human mind.

In this era which I like to refer to as the New World (year 2000 to present day), there has never been such an interaction of minds. It is the first time in our recorded history.

If having a slightly indepth understanding of psychology was never a relevant thing in the past, unless you were in the profession. I would say it is in the New World.

Mentalities world-wide are on display, and we now get exposed to millions of thoughts our ancestors did not have to deal with. Those thoughts unlike books or movies, are actual humans in real time posting their ideas, propaganda, activism, whatever we can think of. It's all there on the internet by living people. So there are consequences and effects of our online interactions. And from the news we can see that those communications are most of the time not of friendly nature, and neither do they yield progressive results. So what this says to us is that ignorant and primitive minds, who are not thinkers are the majority online as it is open access.

I sometimes feel its like watching the zombie apocalypse unravelling. This aspect of the Internet - namely social media is extremely disturbing.

I feel like I'm writing entries in my diary at the end of the world times.

So it should be no surprise that mental illness is on the rise (as I stated in my previous article.) It is an alarming issue, and I recently read that IQ scores have gotten low in the US.

Could it be that the delusional narrative on the internet has caused mass psychosis. The medical definition of psychosis is "levels of detachment from reality. The more detatched the more severe the psychosis." We can see this very clearly in this era as men pretend to be women, or adults who think they are animals,. We are in fact seeing many different manifestations of what can be objectively described as psychosis.

Anarchy, a form of criminal mentality is also on the rise. The crime rate around the world is going through the roof. Senseless killings, violence, and hateful aggressive attitudes.

I think holding on to sanity could be the greatest challenge of this era. And it is paramount to understand psychology, as we are when online in a battlefield of psychological warfare. This is not actual war of course, however, the traps and pitfalls of its negative impact on our mental health or that of our children makes it a serious threat.

Why are there humans inclined towards criminal and aggressive behavior and others are not. There are several questions like this in psychology, is it the environment and society that influences good or criminal inclinations or is it genetics.

If you are interested in the subject of stupidity in itself, I recently read an article by Professor Brian Klaas about it. "The Evolution of Stupidity (and Octopus Intelligence).

What causes genuise and what causes stupidity. How does the genuise mind work, and what about a "dumb" mind does it work at all.

What about "Mind over Matter" or in the case of AI "Machine over Mind" there is no denying artificial intelligence is changing our reliability on memory and thinking. Information is now stored on a memory card, if we want directions there is Google and the same for searches. Unlike before when we had to think back on bits of information stored in our memory to answer a question, as it was easier and faster then to search the yellow pages, or find an expert to ask.

For me to have a higher level of understanding of any subject, I must go to the roots or the very start of it. In the case of psychology I cannot imagine that man was ever like an ape - un-thinking. From the cave paintings to the very first writings that we have records of. It all indicates that man is a born thinker.

According to records the oldest system of recording knowledge is the cuneiform - developed in Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq.) At around the same time writing was independently also developed in ancient Egypt and ancient China, with the Mesopotamian tablets being the oldest.

A fascinating new discovery on a decoded Mesopotamian Tablet narrates a story very similar to Noah's Ark, and says that a type of fossil was used in building the ship. This tablet is a 1000 years before the Bible, and it had a dramatic effect on understanding ancient history. It also raises the question of "fossils" how can it be so early in the history of the world. This is unanswered and not explained yet.

Archealogists and linguists have many theories of what motivated ancient writing. The primary theory is economics and that symbols of numbers were in use before words.

In present day there is ongoing studies of the effects of genetics and environment on a person's psychology. Scientists have so far established that genetics and environment interect - that is genetics could be a factor in how a certain person reacts to trauma from a different reaction of another person. Overall, studies at this time state that genetics are not the main driving force of psychological behavior.

Mind over matter: we have to here discuss the Placebo Effect. It's a psychological phenomena that has been observed for a millennia and is still not properly understood. A few things that have been concluded that a placebo does cause the brain to release feel good hormones like endorphins and dopamine, and this has pain and stress relieving effects.

What do neurons do. The brain explores thoughts and sends signals to the body through electrical impulses generated by neurons.

"In short, our nervous systems detect what is going on around us and inside of us; they decide how we should act, alter the state of internal organs (heart rate changes, for instance), and allows us to think about and remember what is going on. To do this, it relies on a sophisticated. - network — neurons." Medical News Today.

Arjuwan Lakkdawala is an author and independent science researcher.

X/Twitter: Spellrainia Email: arjuwan.writer@gmail.com

Copyright ©️ Arjuwan Lakkdawala 2024

Sources:

Harvard Health Publishing - The power of the placebo effect

Medical News Today - All you need to know about neurons

Medically reviewed by Seunggu Han, M.D. — By Tim Newman — Updated on July 18, 2023

Language Insight - A short history of writing

World History Encyclopedia - Cuneiform - Definition

by Joshua J. Mark

published on 17 November 2022

Study.com - Writing History, Invention & Evolution

Contributors: Sasha Blakeley, Kevin Newton

[wingedpatrolperson]

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[forthesanityofstorytellers]

It's storyday! Aside from the general tropes like found family, chosen one, rebelling against society, etc. what are some very specific tropes present in your wip(s)? You don't have to know the names, just describe them. I'm very interested in specific tropes.

It's still storyday to me because I have lost all sense of time. Time? What is time, anyway.

At any rate.

-Good with kids, bad with everyone else.

-Can't trust them even if they're telling the absolute truth because they weave truth and lies with expert skill and no one can tell the difference, sometimes not even them

-Character has mastered many skills in many areas to an insane degree but existing in the modern world is not one of them

-Angry one pushes everyone away except This One. This One they will die for and if you make them so much as cry Angry One will make you eat your eyeballs

-Clones/shadowclones/dream clones/copies in one way or another

-Dreams are gateways. To the soul, to other dimensions, to other realms, to power, to inner self, etc.

-"Did that just talk?"