#yes it’s a two dimensional shape but it’s surface is one dimensional

[boycritter]

what are knots in knot theory made of?

circle

[watermelonspeakers]

Original work, no AU. ~2k words. Horror? Kind of? My first post here, sorry if I did something wrong.

...

Explosions wrecked the ship around Sybil as she calmly walked to the emergency escape, each step in time with the alarms blaring through the corridor. Again and again, they droned on, "WARNING: CATASTROPHIC DRIVE FAILURE. DOUBLE NORMALCY DOSE AND PROCEED TO ESCAPE PODS." She kept moving, tuning out the grating noise.

As she got closer to the escape pods, the steel floor panels of the ship gave way to a bright white carpet. She walked largely autonomously, utterly disinterested despite the frightening state of the ship. As Sybil approached the pods, a soft thumping noise sounded out behind her.

Turning around revealed that the carpet had two indents in the shape of feet behind her. There was nothing there, of course, but heedless of this, she took out her revolver and emptied all eight bullets into where a body might’ve been. There was a screech as jet black blood spewed from nowhere in particular. The indent in the carpet took the shape of a strange, inhuman body as a sickening, putrid scent overtook the room. Sybil continued walking.

After a little while she’d reached her destination. All but two of the escape pods were already gone. She climbed into the closer one and heard a shout from behind her. Something with the face of a crew member was running towards her, but it was a poor mimicry. "Captain! Wait for me!". The blast doors began to close. "CAPTAIN! WAIT!". Sybil watched the doors slowly hide it from view. It slowed, then stopped as its smile widened a little too far and its voice took on a mocking tone, "You know, captain, if I were you, I wouldn’t try to-"

It was muted as the steel doors formed an airtight seal. Sybil sat in the lone chair and buckled in while a soft, unsettling whisper echoed through the solid steel pod, signifying that the drive had been activated. The whispering grew louder. A mote of fear rippled through her mind. The soft murmurs instantly devolved into shouting, as unspeakable truths and maddening tongues drowned out all other sounds. Sybil fished out a phial of dull gray fluid from a patch on her uniform and downed every drop.

Silence.

It was a moment or two before Sybil remembered she existed.

There was some sound, an automated voice droning on about something or other, the tearing of metal; but none of it quite registered. It was clear that those sounds should have been frightening, should have spurred action of some kind, but it all felt so… distant. Any attempt to move was met with failure; each muscle felt like lead.

Despite her efforts, Sybil drifted off, lulled to sleep by a cacophony of alarms.

...

...

"-ERT: PASSENGER UNCONSCIOUS. ALERT: PASSENGER UNCONSCIOUS. AL-"

The Normalcy dose was still dulling everything somewhat, but even through the numbing, each fiber of Sybil ached. The pod seemed minimally damaged, and she seemed more or less unharmed. What few injuries she’d sustained were actively healing, the fresher tissues still squirmed and writhed, attempting to escape her body; they’d settle in time.

"Canary, coordinates." An automated voice replied: ". . . ERROR: INVALID DIMENSIONAL COORDINATES." That was a bad sign. A knot in the stomach accompanied the next question. "Canary, stability."

". . . . ONTOLOGICAL STABILITY: B+. POSSIBLE STABLE ISLAND DISCOVERED! HABITABLE WORLD DETECTED! CONTACT GILDED HEART HQ?" Memories of her craft, cargo, and crew being ripped apart by explosions and entities surfaced, but the vile liquid did its work, managing to suppress the worst of the emotions. "No." "MOTION ADDED TO FILE. REMINDER: OBFUSCATING HABITABLE UNIVERSES WITHOUT CAUSE IS A FELONY. CONTINUE MOTION?" "Yes."

The drug was wearing off, if the slowly intensifying pain was any indication. Sybil ordered the Canary to open. With the shrieking of metal, the machine obeyed.

The world revealed was unnatural, but not in the usual sense. Rather than solid, inky black metallic monstrosities she’d heard of so often, or the flesh-infested aberrations Sybil had grown somewhat accustomed to, the area seemed almost peaceful. Light pink petals occasionally fluttered down from the canopy.

Sybil was by no means an expert in ordinary flora, but the trees they fell from seemed much too thick and far too tall to be normal cherry trees. They seemed more like Old-Earth redwoods than anything else, but even that was inapt. Most of the trees were faintly bio-luminescent, glowing a soft purple; those that weren’t glowing seemed to be in poor health from what little she remembered of baseline biology.

The immediate area seemed safe enough, though something about it sent a chill up her spine, so she crawled back into the crashed pod, resealed the door, and took inventory. A Pallid Mask, rations enough for a few weeks, a few dozen backup cylinders for her revolver, a standard issue Cloaker, and a Damascus steel survival knife. The Mask was awful and the Cloaker was finicky at best, but they’d probably keep her alive until she could send a message to Gilded Heart HQ. Or at least, until she figured out where she was.

She did her best to affix the wide array of tools to her belt and backpack before broadcasting an SOS and waiting for a reply.

And waiting. . .

. . . and waiting.

But nothing ever came. Broadcast after broadcast, message after message; each scream into the depths was met with a deafening silence. Sybil tried to remain calm, but the wonder drug had stopped working its miracle. Panic set in.

Every creak was a hidden entity, every shadow was an aberration waiting to kill her, there was something here. Sybil wasn’t alone. Something had followed her. It had to have. But no matter where she looked, it always escaped her sight.

But something was there. It had to be. Every fiber of her body screamed that something about this place was deeply, fundamentally wrong. She opened the pod’s blast doors reluctantly, eyes darting rapidly across the landscape, searching for the threat.

Eventually, they settled on one in the distance: a humanoid in a thick leather coat and hat, prodding at one of the larger trees. She fished around her pockets, eventually feeling a warm, slick ring of metal. Sybil blindly operated the locking mechanism before placing the ring of nothing around her neck. Her body vanished before her eyes in a disorienting manner. Her feet were hard to locate, requiring her to take each step manually to avoid stumbling.

It wasn’t human; as close as the imitation got, her gut told her something wasn’t right, and she’d no desire to doubt it. She slowly walked closer; each movement calculated. She froze as the crude simulacrum turned around. For a while, it lingered, staring right through the empty space she occupied, but eventually it continued moving through the woods, each step a little bit too wide. Sybil couldn’t hold back a shudder.

She put her hand on the knife, no need to waste bullets, and stalked the beast until she was practically breathing down its neck. It stretched out, arms to the sky. A fatal error.

With the mercy of a starved animal, Sybil took the knife from its sheath and plunged it into the entity’s back before tearing it out, preparing for another strike. Bright teal blood poured from the wound while the entity screeched. Again, the blade was thrust into its rib cage. Over and over, the knife was forced through flesh, slitting muscle and sinew with unnatural ease as a soft gurgling escaped its lips.

Sybil continued to slash at the entity, even long after it had stopped moving.

Eventually, it was barely recognizable as humanoid. Its unusual blood lay splattered across the foliage, entrails haphazardly strewn about in a desperate bid to ensure that recovery was delayed. Placing her knife on the wretched thing’s neck, she moved her boot atop the blade and pressed down. There was a sickening squelch, and the head began sluggishly rolling away.

She investigated what could generously be called a body and saw what might’ve once been a heart inside one of the many holes carved into its torso. Ripping it out revealed that it was still, almost… cold. Not one to take chances, Sybil ripped it apart and threw the pieces as far as she could from the scene. She was tempted to destroy the body, but with how swiftly it went down, it was unlikely to rise anytime soon, and she needed to act conservatively here. Wasting Normalcy on something this trivial was not ideal.

A closer look at the dormant entity showed nothing else. No void metal, no undying flesh, no ontological distortions at all. Nothing. It was as though it was an ordinary animal. The whole situation was almost eerie.

She rolled the detached head closer to get a better look at its face. The pupils were an unnatural magenta hue; its mouth and veins took on the strange teal color of the rest of its innards. Beyond that, the only sign that something was off was the ears, far too long and misshapen to be human. Further, anywhere flesh was cut, there were inflamed blisters not dissimilar to chemical burns. Useful information. She made a mental note before further disfiguring the abomination’s face.

Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, though, Sybil realized that she felt no better than before. If anything, it felt worse now that she was fully exposed and vulnerable to whatever this place could conjure. She needed to get back. It wasn’t safe here.

An effort was made to walk slowly and quietly, but dread won out in the end as Sybil sprinted away from the grisly scene. Step after step she pressed on, not daring to look back for fear of what might be following.

She slammed the blast doors shut with every ounce of muscle she had, breathing shakily. Soothed somewhat by the minimal safety offered by the six inches of solid steel between the world and her, she took out another vial of Normalcy and poured half of the contents down her throat, taking a recommended dose for the first time in a long time.

There was quiet.

The temptation to take the rest of it was resisted; clear thinking was prioritized. With the panic muted and the adrenaline dulled, it became obvious that damage assessment was required. A quick check of the drop pod revealed that most systems were intact, excepting the E-drive, which had clearly been tampered with. Analysis suggested that the sabotage should have sent the pod into the depths of the Void, never to return.

In fact, according to all measurements and by all accounts, that is exactly what happened. This was, of course, impossible. Nothing existed in the Void, nor could it. The Void was, well, a void. There was nothing there. Any attempt to introduce matter, even eldritch materials, was met with failure.

Like a million times before, Sybil was faced with an impossible truth. The knowledge that comprehension of the eldritch was dangerous did little to prevent the questions from bubbling up. How did this happen? How was she alive? Was she alive? Was this a test, designed to break her? Had she already spilled secrets? The incessant thoughts burned in her mind, demanding answers.

Sybil coped in the only way she knew how. Yanking at her uniform, nearly tearing the fabric, she ripped all four vials of dull gray fluid from their pouches and drank deeply.

A deafening silence followed.

Part 2>

[hirocimacruiser]

CLUB LINEA VIP

Inquiries/Crimson Co., Ltd. 06-934-0234

italian renaissance

A reminiscent 3D dish has a complex shape created using the SSF manufacturing method.

Gives you a haute couture feel

I once asked a wheel designer Hanashi. The most impressive comment I heard was, ``After all, wheels are designed in a circle.'' Yes it is. Even as amateurs, we understand that it is difficult to create unique wheels because we are designing within the limited space of a circle, even though the sizes may vary.

One way to solve this problem is to use three-dimensional modeling of discs. Three-dimensional designs have been achieved in the past in the case of spoked wheels, as the use of three-dimensional curved surfaces allows for a stronger sense of individuality than simply designing in a circle. However, it was difficult to create a three-dimensional design for dish wheels due to the balance between lightness and strength, and it was difficult to make them commercially available. This “Club Linea VIP” is a wheel that realizes such a three-dimensional dish design. The newly adopted manufacturing method made it possible to create a complex design that rises from the rim and tapers toward the center.

The manufacturing method is called SSF.

To review here, SSF is an abbreviation for semi-solid forged, which in Japanese means semi-molten forging. I think everyone knows that there are two ways to make wheels: the casting method, in which aluminum is poured into a mold, and the forging method, in which pressure is applied to an aluminum ingot to form the wheel. Semi-molten forging is a manufacturing method in which aluminum alloy is heated to a half-molten state, and then pressurized and formed. It combines the great freedom of design that comes with casting, and the high level of strength and lightness that comes with forging.

The three-dimensional dish design is due to this manufacturing method, but of course that is not the only feature of this wheel. The 3-piece rim is forged, so you don't have to worry about it even on a heavy sedan, and the disc is mounted overhead, so it looks impressive. SMC (super metal coat) in the photo, which is superior in durability to plating, etc., because the paint is vapor-deposited using static electricity.

There is also a gold pierced bolt setting. This high quality, which seems to have been created especially for sedans, makes the 32/33 look elegant and dressy.

Message from the manufacturer

Perfect for upgrading Y32/33

As the name VIP suggests, this wheel was made for sedan users. Initially, it was only available in silver metallic, but now that this super metal coat specification has been added, I think it will be possible to match it with an impressive form. At the same time, we also released a gold earring bolt specification. Enjoy your favorite style with the combination of two disc colors and gold pierce bolts. Also, since the disc surface is designed to be close to the rim, the impact will be even stronger if you can set the wheel so that it extends all the way to the fender. Please discuss this with the store staff.

[plywoodsinchennai]

Elevate Your Space: Opt for Modern Classics with Plywood Furniture

What comes to mind when you hear about plywood furniture? Commercial Plywood is often used for ceilings, Modern Plywood Doors, and walls in homes and offices. But furniture?

Do you quickly question whether we can make one? Will it be strong enough, like natural wood? Well, the answer is a big yes. Plywood comes in different types and grades. Plywood with great structural stability and a smooth finish is used for making furniture.

If you are pretty bored with decorating your interiors with the same furniture for the nth time, try bringing in something fresh—Plywood furniture.

This blog will give some ideas on how to get creative with plywood furniture. First, we will brush up on the basics of what plywood is and how it’s made.

What is Plywood?

Plywood is derived from natural plantation wood. It has several thin layers of wood bonded together by special glue and the extra effects of temperature and pressure. Pressure-treated materials can easily last about 30 years or more, even on the exterior.

Why Plywood Furniture?

When it comes to strength, plywood often has the upper hand. The cross-grained structure of plywood makes it incredibly strong and resistant to warping, cracking, and twisting. One can cut the plywood easily to their desired size or design when building furniture.

5 Ways to Opt for Modern Classics with Plywood Furniture

Plywood comes in a light shade and color palette. So, a piece of plywood naturally makes a room more spacious and elegant. This is why interior designers love to use plywood furniture in their decor.

Here are some ideas for incorporating plywood furniture:

A Classy Coffee Table

A quick way to make a contemporary house more classy is to add a coffee table made of plywood. Since plywood coffee tables are durable and sturdy, they can serve their purpose well and also enhance their aesthetics.

Minimalist Plywood Shelf Headboard

A plywood headboard is a fantastic choice to maintain a low-profile look. Start with a full plywood sheet to achieve a clean and industrial aesthetic. Adding floating shelves is a breeze since you can easily attach them using screws from the back of the headboard.

An Easy-to-carry Sofa

The idea is not to build a big, functional sofa that can seat numerous people. But a super simple one that you can make at home using plywood. It just takes two or three frames glued together and some cushions for seating. Tada, your DIY plywood sofa is ready.

An Impressive Bookshelf

A rustic and classy plywood bookshelf is a must-have if you love reading books. Be sure to choose Commercial Plywood that is resistant to termites, durable and dimensionally stable for your bookshelf.

How About A Modular Kitchen?

Are you bored of using the same tiles and granite slabs in your kitchen? Try plywood instead. Plywood can be used for windows, shelves and even as slabs. Since this material has low flammability and smoke generation, it’s kitchen-safe.

Conclusion

Lakshmi Timbers and Plywood emerge as the undisputed leader among plywood suppliers in Chennai. With a legacy of excellence, unwavering commitment to quality, and a customer-centric approach, the company continues to set new standards of excellence in the industry.

FAQs

Is plywood furniture suitable for outdoor use? While plywood furniture can be used outdoors, it's essential to choose weather-resistant finishes and materials to protect against moisture and UV damage.

Can I paint or stain plywood furniture to match my decor? Yes, plywood furniture can be painted or stained to achieve a custom look that complements your interior design scheme. Be sure to prepare the surface properly and choose high-quality paints or stains for optimal results.

Are there any design limitations when using plywood furniture? Plywood furniture offers tremendous design flexibility, allowing you to create virtually any shape or form imaginable. However, it's essential to consider the structural integrity and stability of the design to ensure its functionality and longevity.

Is plywood furniture more sustainable than solid wood furniture? Plywood furniture is often considered more sustainable than solid wood furniture due to its efficient use of raw materials and manufacturing processes. Additionally, plywood can be sourced from responsibly managed forests, further reducing its environmental impact.

Can I repair damaged plywood furniture myself? Minor repairs to plywood furniture, such as filling small cracks or sanding out scratches, can often be done at home with basic tools and materials. However, for more extensive damage or structural issues, it's best to consult a professional furniture repair specialist.

[caddesigningtips]

How to Start Isometric Drawing in AutoCAD

Isometric drawing is a valuable skill for anyone working in fields like engineering, architecture, or design. It allows you to create three-dimensional representations of objects with ease and precision. AutoCAD, a popular computer-aided design software, offers powerful tools for creating isometric drawings. In this article, we'll guide you through the process of getting started with isometric drawing in AutoCAD.

Understanding Isometric Drawing

Before diving into the practical aspects, it's essential to grasp the concept of isometric drawing. In simple terms, isometric drawing is a method of representing a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional surface. Unlike traditional 2D drawings, isometric drawings provide a realistic perspective, making it easier to visualize complex structures.

Benefits of Isometric Drawing

Enhanced Visualization: Isometric drawings give a more realistic view of your designs, making it easier to identify potential issues and improvements.

Accurate Measurements: It allow for precise measurements and calculations, critical in engineering and construction.

Improved Communication: Isometric drawings are universally understood, making them an effective way to convey your ideas to others.

Setting up AutoCAD for Isometric Drawing

Before you start creating isometric drawings in AutoCAD, you need to configure the software for this specific purpose.

Step 1: Open AutoCAD

Launch AutoCAD on your computer, and ensure you have a new drawing or an existing one ready to work on.

Step 2: Set Units

Go to the "Units" command and ensure your units are set correctly. Isometric drawings often use metric or imperial units, depending on your project's requirements.

Step 3: Enable Isometric Snap

Type "SNAPSTYL" in the command line and set it to "Isometric."

Step 4: Set Isoplane

Use the "ISOPLANE" command to set your drawing plane to isometric. AutoCAD offers three isoplanes: top, right, and left. Choose the one that suits your needs.

Creating Isometric Drawings

With AutoCAD properly configured, you can now start creating isometric drawings.

Step 1: Draw Basic Shapes

Begin by drawing the basic shapes of your object. Use commands like "LINE," "CIRCLE," and "RECTANGLE" to create the framework.

Step 2: Use Isometric Snap

Ensure that your cursor snaps to the isometric gridlines. This helps maintain the correct angles and alignment.

Step 3: Extrude Shapes

To give your drawings depth, use the "EXTRUDE" command to turn 2D shapes into 3D objects. Specify the height or extrusion value as needed.

Step 4: Modify and Refine

AutoCAD offers various editing tools to modify your isometric drawings. Use commands like "MOVE," "ROTATE," and "SCALE" to make adjustments.

Tips for Isometric Drawing

Practice Regularly: Isometric drawing can be challenging at first, but consistent practice will improve your skills.

Use Layers: Organize your drawings using layers to make it easier to manage and edit individual elements.

Keyboard Shortcuts: Learn and use AutoCAD keyboard shortcuts to streamline your workflow.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is the main advantage of isometric drawing in AutoCAD?

Isometric drawings provide a more realistic view of objects, making it easier to understand complex designs.

Do I need prior experience in AutoCAD to start isometric drawing? 

While some familiarity with AutoCAD is helpful, this article provides a beginner-friendly guide to get you started.

Can I create isometric drawings for both metric and imperial units in AutoCAD? 

Yes, AutoCAD allows you to work with both metric and imperial units, depending on your project's requirements.

Are there any AutoCAD plugins or add-ons that can enhance isometric drawing capabilities? Yes, there are several plugins and add-ons available for AutoCAD that can simplify the process of creating isometric drawings.

Where can I find additional resources to improve my isometric drawing skills in AutoCAD? You can explore online tutorials, forums, and AutoCAD documentation to further enhance your isometric drawing skills.

Incorporating isometric drawing into your AutoCAD repertoire will undoubtedly enhance your ability to create precise and visually appealing designs. So, start practicing and exploring the creative possibilities that isometric drawing offers!

Absolutely, let's continue with more information on advanced techniques and additional resources for mastering isometric drawing in AutoCAD.

Advanced Techniques in Isometric Drawing

Once you've got the basics down, you can delve into more advanced techniques to take your isometric drawing skills to the next level.

1. Isometric Circles and Arcs

Drawing perfect circles and arcs in isometric projection can be tricky. AutoCAD offers commands like "ELLIPSE" and "ARC" to create these shapes accurately. Practice using these commands to add curved elements to your drawings.

2. 3D Models and Renderings

AutoCAD allows you to create detailed 3D models and renderings of your isometric drawings. You can apply materials, textures, and lighting effects to make your designs appear even more realistic.

3. Isometric Text and Dimensions

Incorporate text and dimensions into your drawings to provide important information. AutoCAD provides tools like "MTEXT" and "DIMENSION" for this purpose. Ensure that your text and dimensions align with the isometric grid.

4. Hatching and Fills

Use hatching and fills to distinguish different materials or areas within your isometric drawings. This helps in conveying information effectively.

Additional Resources

To further enhance your isometric drawing skills in AutoCAD, you can explore the following resources:

1. AutoCAD Tutorials

AutoCAD offers a wide range of tutorials on their official website. These tutorials cover various aspects of the software, including isometric drawing techniques.

2. Online Courses

Numerous online platforms offer courses specifically tailored to AutoCAD and isometric drawing. Websites like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning have courses for all skill levels.

3. Community Forums

Joining AutoCAD user forums and communities can be invaluable. You can ask questions, share your work, and learn from experienced users. Websites like Autodesk's own community forum are excellent places to start.

4. YouTube Tutorials

YouTube is a treasure trove of AutoCAD tutorials. Many skilled AutoCAD users create video tutorials that walk you through various aspects of the software, including isometric drawing techniques.

5. AutoCAD Documentation

Don't forget to explore AutoCAD's official documentation. It provides in-depth information on features, commands, and best practices.

Conclusion

Isometric drawing in AutoCAD is a valuable skill that can open up numerous opportunities in various industries. Whether you're an architect, engineer, or designer, mastering isometric drawing can significantly enhance your ability to communicate and visualize complex ideas.

Start your journey into the world of isometric drawing in AutoCAD today. With dedication, practice, and the right resources, you can become proficient in creating stunning, three-dimensional representations of your designs. Happy drawing!

Isometric drawing in AutoCAD opens up a world of possibilities for designers and engineers. It allows you to create detailed and realistic representations of objects and structures. By following the steps outlined in this article and practicing regularly, you'll master the art of isometric drawing in AutoCAD in no time.

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[fadebolt]

Yay, a creature poll! ^-^ I've really been hoping for these to return, though considering how the last two targets were Jetfishes and Squidcadas, I was actually expecting to see the other harmless, but helpful Slugcat-sized critters being covered (those being Lantern Mice, Grapple Worms and Yeeks). However, Leeches are still interesting, and I'd be more than happy to talk about them. So I do still very much appreciate the submission from Anon.

Leeches are interesting, because unlike the previous creatures, they can't really be categorized. A lot of people might compare them to Worm Grass, considering how they're both tube shaped, use similar shades of red and blue, and will attempt to swarm, overwhelm and consume most other creatures, save for a couple exceptions. Not to mention, they serve somewhat similar purposes when it comes to gameplay, and they're both generally not killable.

So this comparison is somewhat valid, but a key difference is that the game treats Leeches as creatures, while it actually treats Worm Grass as terrain. This actually has way more implications than one might think, and it causes the former to feel a lot less frustrating to deal with, than the latter. For starters - Worm Grass is both indestructible and immovable. If a dev puts some into an area, it will be present there, no matter what. And because of that, it feels very uninteresting and one-dimensional, especially in vanilla, where even the Gooieduck interaction didn't exist.

Leeches do not suffer from this problem, as they're way more dynamic, by comparison:

They can be hurt by certain things.

They can be moved into different pools, as well as outside the water, where they will dry up and become harmless, forcing them to crawl back into the water.

They can be preyed on by Squidcadas. But they can also prey on the Squids.

Their attack is a somewhat telegraphed leap that can be avoided with good movement.

They can be temporarily disabled by Snails.

They have dens, and it takes a lil while for all of them to come forth into the surface.

And very often, they're not even really dangerous - just minor nuisances that weigh you down a bit (and drain some food, if they're Jungle Leeches).

Point being, is that Leeches actually have a bit of depth to them, despite them being rather simple in concept. Of course, their design is not quite as complex or intricate as that of the Scavengers or the Lizards, but everything they do have is fairly important, encouraging players to be observant.

Now, their main issue is that they don't really have a ton of fluff outside of that, and they sort of feel like they were designed pretty much exclusively to be an obstacle for the player, and not really to be a part of the ecosystem as a whole.

This might seem like a weird sentiment. After all, they do interact with Squidcadas, don't they? Yes, but just think about it for a moment - outside of them (and the player), what can you actually see them interact with? Because aquatic creatures and plants can't be drowned, so they don't ever get attacked, and non-aquatic creatures simply don't tend to go into pools of water that have Leeches in them. As much as I talked about the uninteresting nature of the Worm Grass, at least I have actually seen that thing kill creatures that weren't my Slugcat. And while I may have occasionally seen a creature carrying a Leech or two, the only things I've ever seen them drown is, you guessed it - Squidcadas.

There's also the annoyance factor, which I actually don't think is a problem, weirdly enough. Sure, getting overwhelmed and drowned by them is not fun, and is definitely one of the more painful ways to die in this game. It's slow, it's agonizing, and it leaves you with a very awful feeling. And it feels so bad, specifically because you fully know that it was your fault. There's no RNG element, and there's no 'getting screwed over by janky AI' element either. You screwed up, and that's a reality you'll have to face. Of course, the frustrations do depend on how the game devs use/place them. And honestly, they very rarely (if ever) place them into spots where they actually feel unfair to deal with. (There's D01 in Waterfront Facility, and on Hunter, there's that big pool in Shoreline that you'll first see when entering from GW. Those are really the only two Leech spots I ever actively disliked)

They're reasonable skill-checks. Just ones that feel especially horrible to fail, which was absolutely by design.

So I'm actually going to say that I like them, and I'm being fully genuine here. I definitely wouldn't put them into 'love' tier, as I wouldn't be overly sad if they were to be removed, and because of how they don't really interact much with the other creatures.

Jungle Leeches are a tad different, and would probably get a 'neutral' or a 'dislike', not because they irritate me, but because they didn't exactly add much. They can mostly be found in Outer Expanse, where food is plentiful, the spawns are light, and water areas where they could actually be dangerous are not overly common, so they don't ever end up being more than just a minor nuisance. But I really don't see why they needed to exist, other than to just have more new creatures in Downpour. Maybe if there was a little more to them, I could see it, but unfortunately, the only thing they have going for them is a lengthy dry-out duration, and the food draining mechanic, which simply isn't enough, at least in my opinion.

But the good news are that Jungle Leeches are extremely rare, even in the Downpour campaigns where they do actually show up. (Which are the 5 that come after Hunter. Kinda convenient how they don't show up in the 3, where they would be the most troublesome, eh?) Most of 'em are blue and red, and those absolutely get a 'like' from me!

Thoughts on leeches I already know the awnser to this I just think it would be funny

[kalifissure]

Caleigh Fisher

Is there a mathematical way to analyze a form, a closed manifold to determine how many sides it has?

OAI: Yes, there is a mathematical way to analyze a closed manifold (a compact manifold without boundary) to determine its topological properties, including the number of sides it has.

In general, the Euler characteristic can be used to analyze the topological properties of closed manifolds in higher dimensions as well. However, the relationship between the Euler characteristic and the number of "sides" becomes more complex in higher dimensions, and there may not be a simple formula like the one for surfaces.

Caleigh Fisher

Surface(cos(u/2)cos(v/2),cos(u/2)sin (v/2),sin(u)/2),u,0,2π,v,0,4π

Can you analyze the genus and Euler characteristics of the shape describes by the equation above?

OAI: To analyze the genus and Euler characteristic of the surface described by the equation.

We can use several tools from differential geometry and topology. First, we can observe that this is a parametric representation of a surface in three-dimensional space, with two parameters u and v. The surface has a periodicity of 2π in the u direction and 4π in the v direction.

To compute the genus and Euler characteristic, we can use the Gauss-Bonnet theorem, which relates the integral of the Gaussian curvature over a compact surface to its topological properties. In particular, for a closed surface with no boundary (like this one), the Gauss-Bonnet theorem states that the integral of the Gaussian curvature K over the surface S is equal to 2π times the Euler characteristic χ(S):

java

Copy code

∫∫_S K dA = 2π χ(S)

where dA is the surface area element.

To compute the Gaussian curvature K for this surface, we need to compute the first and second fundamental forms, which describe the local geometry of the surface. For this surface, the first fundamental form is:

E = cos^2(u/2)/4 + sin^2(u/2)/4 = 1/4

F = 0

G = cos^2(u/2)/4 + sin^2(u/2)/4 = 1/4

and the second fundamental form is:

L = -cos(u/2)sin(v/2)/2

M = -sin(u/2)cos(v/2)/2

N = cos(u/2)cos(v/2)/2

From these, we can compute the Gaussian curvature using the formula:

K = (LN - M^2)/(EG - F^2)

Plugging in the values, we get:

K = (cos(u/2)cos(v/2)/4)/(1/16) = 4 cos(u/2)cos(v/2)

Now we can integrate K over the surface to compute the Euler characteristic:

∫∫_S K dA = ∫_0^(2π) ∫_0^(4π) 4 cos(u/2)cos(v/2) (1/4) du dv = 8π

Therefore, the Euler characteristic of this surface is:

χ(S) = (1/(2π)) ∫∫_S K dA / 2 = 4

Since the Euler characteristic of a closed surface is related to its genus by the formula χ(S) = 2 - 2g, where g is the genus, we can conclude that the genus of this surface is:

g = (2 - χ(S))/2 = -1/2

However, note that the genus of a surface must be a non-negative integer, so this result does not make sense. Therefore, there must be a mistake in the computation or the analysis. It is possible that there is an error in the computation of the Gaussian curvature or the integral, or that the surface is not closed or has a boundary.

Caleigh Fisher

Or that's just how the universe is. Impossible.

[atlaese]

like a satellite, just look for me - m.m.

summary: Matt Murdock is a work of art you can't resist. pairing: gn!artist!reader x matt murdock tw: fluff, established relationship, mention of food, just me being in my feels bc hello, matthew!! words: 2K a/n: i wrote down this concept and then @sleepless-spencer sent in a very similar concept the day after! i hope you like the direction i took it in :) also; title comes from the song Satellite by Maggie Rogers! truly beautiful song. satellites don't have a sound in space, but they do emit waves, which i thought was very fitting for our highly sensitive vigilante! also, some artists made an exhibit of how satellites would sound to our human ears and it's just a nice thought that maybe matt is the only one that can 'translate' your waves into feelings :'). yes i think too much lol.

p.s. dividers by @firefly-graphics p.p.s. i now have a library blog! follow @aeristhotle to get notified when i update!

reblogs and feedback are appreciated ✨💗

matt murdock masterlist | marvel/cm masterlists

Expressing your emotions through art had always been a part of you. It started when you were just a kid. Where others would play in the sandbox or jump on the monkey bars, your tiny hands were modelling a piece of clay to look like a pointy star with little details that most adults thought were made by an artist. Then weeks later, you had made so many little stars that the teacher helped you hang them up in the back of the class, creating little constellations that appeared in your imagination.

As you grew older, art wasn’t limited to modelling clay figurines anymore. You picked up some brushes and paints one day, a few days after a block of clay was delivered and then a week after you got a second-hand reflex camera to haul around the city. Some weeks, sculpting was the only thing that could satiate the craving deep inside your soul. The craving that made your art so tangible and made others feel so many things at once, from being unsettled to being comforted that you weren’t alone in feeling a certain way.

Lately, painting had taken over your every thought (and the majority of the apartment you shared with Matt). There was something about transforming the blank canvas into a piece with colours - a two-dimensional print of your emotions and feelings.

Matt had learned to appreciate the smell of paint that stuck to your skin. It was like you had developed your own brand of cologne or perfume and decided to bottle it in a tiny flask that resembled the shape he thought your love looked like.

He knew exactly what you were doing by just concentrating on the smell once he turned around the corner to the apartment building. Whenever you were painting, there was a heavy scent of turpentine that stuck to your palms and subsequently, every surface you touched would have a slight whiff of it.

However, you had received some acrylic paints from an unknowing friend, and their heavy ammoniac scent clung to your hair, clothes and it clung to your skin as if you had showered in it, making him feel so nauseous sometimes that you stopped painting altogether for over six months.

Then, one day, after you had bought new supplies, he detected a very faint, new scent that hung around the cupboard where you stored your supplies. Matt hadn’t asked what was different - he guessed you’d just gotten some new colours to stain the clay vases you were making for a friend.

But then that day, it finally clicked.

There was no more heavy scent of ammoniac that enveloped the apartment, instead, there was a slight walnutty scent to be found. Some of your paints had a slight whiff of lavender, while others just smelled a tiny bit like rosemary. He guessed every colour had a slightly different smell, and it just made him love you more as he realized that you were trying to visualize your two-dimensional art for him.

You claimed the paint just felt better when you stroked it over the canvas, however, he knew that was not the only reason.

That evening, when the night had already fallen and you were cleaning off the paint from your brushes, softly humming to whatever song was stuck in your head, he could smell the scent of dark red plum. It had notes of deep violet, bitter yet sweet. It tasted like how he imagined Hell’s Kitchen to be on the changeover from summer to fall.

Your humming only intensified the closer he got and he caught himself slowing down to keep enjoying the sound from your voice. He tapped his cane to the beat you were setting, a content smile on his face at the feeling of your happiness.

Matt closed the door behind him and put his cane against the wall, dropping his keys in the little ceramic bowl you had made a few months ago.

“How was your day?” you asked him, speaking on a normal level as Matt turned around the corner to the kitchen.

“Was able to get ms. Nowicki full custody over her kids,” his voice travelled closer to you, until his arms wrapped themselves around your waist, his front pressing against your back as he inhaled your scent. “And she promised to bring us some babka tomorrow, so I’ll try to save you a piece.”

“Matt, that’s amazing! Alina and Nikolai were so sweet when they waited in your office. I think Nikolai really liked the clay sculpture I made for decoration,” you recounted when you were doing some paperwork in his office. You turned your cheek slightly so Matt’s scruffy one could slide against it, his musky scent enveloping you. “Try is the keyword there, I know Foggy will defend that babka with his life.”

“He adores you, darling,” Matt murmured, pressing a kiss against your cheek before letting you go again. “I’m sure ms. Nowicki will have made enough babka for everyone and their families.”

“I got something for you, too, by the way,” you softly announced, leaving the brushes in the sink to dry. “You remember that piece I told you about, right?”

“The one you are so secretive about that you won’t even describe the colours?” he mused, a soft smirk on his lips as you lightly tapped his chest in retaliation. He simply laughed at your gesture and pulled his tie a bit looser with one finger.

“I can’t hide anything from you if I don’t!” you countered. “You should save listening to the heartbeats of people you’re questioning, not your partner.”

“And where would be the fun in that?”

“You’re a menace,” you threatened, grabbing onto his bicep to guide him to where your easel stood close to the window. Both of you knew he didn’t need the guidance at all, let alone in his own apartment, but an opportunity to closely hold onto him was something you’d never refuse. And Matt really liked how you wrapped both your arms around his arm, too.

“So, you want to tell me what we’re looking at now?” he asked, angling his face down a bit to stress his question.

“No.”

His brow rose up in the air, not expecting you to deny his request for you to describe your artwork to him. You had never done that before either. Usually, you were giddy with excitement to explain why you used a certain colour and what meaning it had. What was different now?

“I don’t follow, sweetheart,” he said, his eyes nervously shooting around, his senses hyper-focused on every little move you made, every breath you took, the way your chest expanded and contracted, your heartbeat that was still the steady rhythm that was a baseline for him to calm down.

“Here,” you unwrapped yourself from his bicep and grabbed his hand instead and guided it to the middle of the canvas. “Tell me what you feel.”

Matt delicately traced his digits over the canvas, not expecting anything but a smooth surface. However, as his fingers softly dusted over the top, there was a slight bump of thicker paint.

Matt softly gasped, unable to process that you made visual art tangible to him. It was such an unexpected surprise to him, as paintings were something that was usually off-limits to him.

“What- what’s it exactly?” his voice broke the delicate silence. “I feel lines and corners and bends and- and…”

“You got it,” you mused, scanning his face and taking in all the little movements his eyes made, how he quickly furrowed his brow and relaxed it again. His fingers, trembling just a bit too much as they tried to figure out what exactly you had painted.

“I know this?” he asked, more a statement than a question as he put both his hands on the canvas as if he’s trying to trace the braille instead of trying to figure out what you had painted.

“Okay, I’ll give a hint,” you smiled as you slid your arms around his waist, cuddling close to him and basking in his body heat. “You really love it.”

“I fail to see how these lines could be translated into a portrait of you,” he said, a smirk audible in his voice as you sighed deeply and rested your forehead against his back.

“Matt,” you groaned, dragging out his name as you felt his chest vibrate with laughter.

“Okay, okay, just give me a minute,” he tapped on your hands with his fingers, then returning them to the canvas, continuing his journey.

Then, for the first time in his life, Matt was speechless. There was something lodged in his throat, preventing him from speaking. Was it his heart, crawling up the cavity of his chest, wanting to put itself on a silver platter, just because you did the impossible? Because you gave him back a piece of his vision that he thought was forever lost?

As his fingers continued to trace the many lines that were slightly elevated from the canvas, because of the thickness of the paint, he felt himself getting more emotional. The lines felt so familiar because they resembled a map of the city he loved the dearest.

Hell’s kitchen was a neighbourhood he knew like the back of his hand, he literally knew how to navigate it blindly.

And you had made it into a painting.

A few weeks ago, he had explained to you how he navigated around the many corners, bends, rooftops and fire stairs that made up Hell’s Kitchen. He had explained how certain scents lingered on rooftops, how he heard the creaking of water towers of buildings, how the air tasted when the seasons were changing.

You had translated it all into a piece of art, a piece of art you made for him, about him, about him and the complex relationship he had with the city he grew up in.

“It’s- it’s magnificent,” he softly uttered, his hands glued to the canvas as his voice was the most delicate you had ever heard. “I can’t believe you made this.”

“Well you know, you deserve magnificent things, Matt,” you uttered, resting your chin on his shoulder, watching his fingers discovering the painting. “For everything you do for this city. Everything you do for me.”

It was silent for a second as Matt processed everything that had just happened. From the reveal of the painting to your words that solidified all the feelings, he had for you even more.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice breaking as his brown eyes grew glassy. His hands moved from the painting to your face, softly caressing your cheekbones as he delicately pressed his lips against yours.

His hands cradled your face so softly, still shivering a bit from all the sensations that were just bared to him as he tried his best to convey his every feeling into the kiss.

“This is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me,” he breathed out after he pulled away, his hands not leaving your face as you pressed another small kiss to the palm of his hand. “I love you.”

“I love you,” you whispered back, matching the smile on his face as his arms snuck around you and pulled you in an intimate embrace.

You two were so in step with each other, like a moon orbiting around a planet, always pulling at each other, making sure the other was always in range, even when the other was pulled into the dark side. You’d always make sure they’d come out at the other side, back into the light and warmth. Back to you.

[beauty-and-passion]

Headcanon: the mind’s structure and the concept of a Side’s “room”

Hi.

This post is entirely based one the last asks I got, in which dear sweet anon asked me: "How do you think the rooms of the other sides will look like?"

And so here I am, talking about my own headcanons. Was the ask just an excuse to write this post? Yes.

Of course I don’t pretend to talk about possible canonical rooms Thomas can make in real life (I already wrote a post about that). This one is entirely based on the ideas I’m developing through my fanfictions.

____________________________

The mind’s structure

One of the most famous images associated with the mind and how it’s structured is the iceberg one.

For the people who have never seen it, here��s a sample image:

As you can see, it’s theorized the mind can be roughly divided into three parts:

Conscious mind, which includes all of the things that you’re actively aware of: thoughts, perceptions of the world, etc.

Subconscious/preconscious mind, which includes all of the things that you could potentially pull into conscious awareness. It’s a sort of “filter”, that controls what is allowed to be part of the conscious.

Unconscious mind, which includes everything that is outside of our conscious awareness: hidden feelings, thoughts, urges, all that’s unacceptable and/or unpleasant.

Having said that, I think you already have an idea about where some rooms might be located.

But that’s not all. This is the overall structure of the mind. The mind itself is made of a series of layers: the higher ones are part of the conscious mind, the central ones are part of the subconscious and the lower ones are part of the unconscious.

The proportions are the same as the iceberg image: few planes on top, a whole lot of planes at the bottom.

This is the only image I found that was close enough to how I imagine the planes are. Every plane has its own ecosystem: it can be a forest, a wheatfield, a beach, an island in the middle of an ocean, Thomas’ neighborhood, his house. The more Thomas grows, the more planes appear in his mind and their borders aren’t always the same: some planes might seem endlessly big, others as small as a single house.

And of course the planes aren’t flat surfaces either: they’re three-dimensional and you can move inside them, just like you can move in our world.

But if a Side wants to move from one plane to a lower one, then they sink. While when they move from a lower plane to a higher one, they rise up.

Yes, it’s a reference from Nostalgia part 2:

[Virgil]: -pops up in the same way as the others- Whoa. That was new for me. I've never done that whole... rising up thing. How do you guys do that every episode? I'm so lightheaded.

And what do you do when you rise up a lot? You end up on the reality plane. Where Thomas is, were we all live. And where Sides appears, when Thomas calls for them.

Okay, everything good?

Very nice. Now you know more than the actual Sides.

The Sides themselves doesn’t know how the mind is structured. They know there are different places and some are a bit lower than others (because they sink a lot, before reaching them), but they have no idea these places are divided into planes and they have no idea how many planes are actually in the mind. They don’t even know where exactly are their own rooms, just that some are “higher” and "lower” than others. And why should they know? They don’t need this information, to better do their job.

There’s only one Side who perfectly knows how many levels are in the mind - and yes, he needs to know for his job - and this Side is Janus.

____________________________

The rooms

A room is just one of the mind’s many layers that one Side chooses as his own.

This choice isn’t casual: the planes appear within the mind, the same mind who created the Sides. So, among a lot of other planes, there’s also one specifically made for each Side.

The room is the only place where a Side has full control over everything. While the other planes are always the same and can’t be changed by no one (except for the two Creativities, whose power “leaks” into the levels above and below their own room), a room allows full creative control to their owner. A Side can change the place, shrink it, expand it.

And this explains why Patton’s room looks like Thomas’ house: because he actively chose to make his own room look like a place dear to Thomas, associated with memories and childhood.

This also explains why Virgil chose to make his room look like Thomas’ as well: he’s Anxiety, he fears changes. The bubble is secure, the bubble is everything. And Thomas’ own house is the perfect bubble to keep his anxiety at bay.

So, let’s see each room a bit closer:

__________________

1. Logan’s room: tip of the iceberg

Logan’s room is almost at the top of the mind, the closer to reality. Again, for obvious reasons: logic is the most conscious, rational part of the mind, the less influenced by the subconscious and the unconscious.

Since I’m a sucker for the contrast between logic and powerful nature, Logan’s room is a lighthouse that stands on rocks and is surrounded by the ocean. On top of the lighthouse there’s a cozy, circular living room surrounded by glass windows. There are nice couches, tables, soft rugs and globes of yellow, warm lights all around. No need for a bookcase: the book Logan wants to read is just on the table. He needs a computer? Here it is, it just appeared on the table.

When everything is fine, the ocean is calm and peaceful, day and night alternate as always, the sky is clear and, while the outside reminds of a fresh, summer morning, the living room looks more like a warm, soft winter home.

When Logan isn’t fine, everything changes. The storm takes control of the whole room: the waves crash against the lighthouse, there are thunders and lightning. There’s no more day/night cycle, the storm can go on for days. It’s impossible to stay outside. Inside, everything turns dark.

The place doesn’t welcome you anymore, even if its owner would never send you away. But, if you’re clever, it’s better to leave.

__________________

2. Roman’s room: blooming creativity

Considering Roman is a more controlled Creativity compared to Remus, his room is located way higher than expected from a creative force like him.

Roman’s room is a realm made of ideas. But, like, literally. Everything is made of ideas. And the stronger the idea is, the most real the thing looks like.

For example: if Roman wants to make a fruit tree, the clearer and more vivid his idea of said tree is, the better the tree will be: it will have knots in the wood, ants walking on its branches, flowers will bloom and their petals will fall to let the fruit grow.

And this applies to EVERYTHING. Trees, houses, rivers, hills, mountains, clouds, sun and moon, the day/night cycle, every atmospheric phenomenon and every single grass blade.

Roman’s room is endless. He walks inside it, but he has never seen the end. When he needs a place to stay, a new house appears. When he’s tired, the sun goes down.

His own creativity stems and takes the shape of trees, flowers, fruits. So when Roman eats a fruit, a new idea is born in his mind. When a gust of wind hits him, a new idea appears. And while he walks, he keeps developing the idea, adding details and information he literally takes by the wind, the grass and everything his room has to offer.

In other words: his room is a stream of ideas that constantly changes, while still keeping the same aspect. His room is always different, because he always walks, but it still looks like a natural landscape. There is continuity with how it looked like the day before.

Unlike Remus’ room.

__________________

3. Patton’s room: first of the subconscious

I wasn’t so sure where to put Patton, then I found out memories are located in the subconscious part of the mind and, well, it made a lot of sense.

Patton is Thomas’ emotions, memories, and morality. This last aspect is very close to the conscious mind, sure, but emotions and memories are both part of the subconscious. And, since I think Patton’s first job was related to Thomas’ emotions, his room could very well be located in the high levels of the subconscious.

Patton’s room takes the appearance of Thomas’ house. Sometimes it’s his own house, sometimes it’s his childhood house. And we saw how it was inside: filled with memories, glittering aura and so on.

This is where Patton sleeps and rests, but that’s not the only place he visits. Patton frequently explores other planes of the subconscious and the conscious.

Why? He’s not sure either. He just wants to do it. He doesn’t know, but he’s acting as a sub-controller of the mind, by double checking everything that goes from unconscious to conscious and vice versa.

__________________

4. Janus’ room: an always shifting vault

Janus knows how many levels are in the mind, their position, what they have inside and, in general, everything that happens in every level - he needs to check every information that goes from unconscious to conscious, after all.

But he doesn’t know where his room actually is. Because his room is the only one that shifts.

Its general location is the low-subconscious, but Janus’ room can actually be anywhere he needs it most - and yes, this is useful for his job: if he needs to move from his room to the low unconscious, he can’t waste time sinking like all other Sides: his room shifts and, with one small sink, he’s already where he has to be.

This also makes it incredibly difficult for other Sides to actually find his room and visit him. But that’s also good, because other Sides can’t spend too much time in his room anyway.

Why? Security reasons.

Let’s take a step back. Janus is self-preservation. In other words: that force that keeps you alive and protects you, both mentally and physically.

This implies the mind itself isn’t a safe place either - after all, the unconscious is where everything dangerous is stored. And, since Janus is the one who has to keep what Thomas doesn’t like/wants to know at bay, that means he’s the first controller of the unconscious (hence the two titles of guardian and gatekeeper) and of the exchange of information that exists among all levels.

In addition to that, there’s the pull of the unconscious. Because we all experience it, once in a lifetime. We are all attracted by what we deeply hide into ourselves - something we’re not conscious of, thoughts we might think we do not have at all. We never truly fall down this spiral (that would lead to dementia, delirium and so on), because our own mind pushes us back, bringing us back to reason.

For Thomas, this force that opposes the pull of the unconscious and brings you back to reason is Janus. And, as you can figure out, it’s an incredibly powerful force. A force that never sleeps, is never tired, always vigilant, always aware.

So, what happens when Janus needs to rest? He can’t do it anywhere, because a weak self-preservation is all the unconscious needs in order to take control.

This is where his room comes into play. His room is the only place where Janus can actually rest and allow himself to be weak. His room is like a vault, secured from the mind’s influence and from anything else.

Also, since he has full control over it, he can decide when he needs to disappear. A Side is looking for him but he needs more time to rest? His room shifts multiple times, so no one can find him. He’s fine? He let the other Side find him on the first try.

Still, other Sides can’t spend more than 5 minutes into his room. His room shifts and is more secure than any other, sure, but it’s also connected to everything. Even if he’s in his room, Janus still knows what happens everywhere. And a Side who’s not self-preservation might break for the amount of information that “oozes” from the room itself.

__________________

5. Virgil’s room: a peaceful place in the middle of the unconscious

Just like Patton, Virgil chooses his room to look like Thomas’ house and, in general, all places Thomas feels more at ease.

However, it’s still a room located in the unconscious - and this is a very dangerous place, especially for Sides who live in the conscious/high subconscious. And it’s also Anxiety’s room, so the room itself is full of the influence of its owner.

Hence why, after a while, all Core Sides started to feel the influence of Virgil’s place during AA-part 2.

__________________

6. Remus’ room: bursting creativity

Remus’ room is ever changing: Remus wants a field? There’s a field. He wants an ocean? Here’s the ocean. He wants to live inside a whale? The room is now a whale.

Just like Roman’s room, everything is made of his own creativity. But, unlike Roman’s room, who solidifies his creative power into a constant, coherent landscape, Remus’ landscape always changes, glitches, switches. The room is never the same, there’s no day/night cycle, nor coherent phenomenon: It could snow with 30 °C, it could rain with no clouds. Remus’ creative potential is so strong, it actually ends up influencing the planes above and below his own - just like Roman does up in the consciousness.

And here’s the most important thing: Remus’ room has direct contact with Roman’s. Despite being separated by a huge number of layers and with the subconscious acting as a barrier between them, their rooms are able to communicate. Remus can “plant” his ideas in his room and, like roots, these ideas are able to reach Roman’s room and bloom directly inside it, without touching any other layer in the middle.

That explains why Remus’ influence is able to reach Roman and how Remus’ idea can be literally picked by Roman, “ate” and processed.

__________________

The lowest level

What’s at the bottom of the mind? No one knows. No one could reach the bottom. The only one who can go deep down without going insane or losing himself is Janus, but even self-preservation isn’t able to see what the mind hides at the bottom of itself.

The lowest place Janus can reach is where there are what I called “The Faint Ones”.

The Faint Ones aren’t a Side, nor multiple Sides. They’re an indistinct agglomeration of ideas, concepts and things that will never become Sides. All the Faint Ones want is to surge to the top and take control. But, since the mind is the one in charge, all it does is pushing these forces deep down.

However, the Faint Ones can still call, ask and pray to be freed and their calls can lure the Sides down, just like marine predators do.

The Sides from the unconscious can hear these calls but, since they live in the unconscious, over time they developed some resistance. Still, they can’t venture too deep into the mind (and, with a guardian like Janus, they do not). Remus can hear the calls, but they’re more like a background noise. Virgil just hears faint voices.

On the other hand, Patton, Roman and Logan can’t hear anything from the conscious and subconscious. But if they go too deep into the mind, they start hearing the calls and they are way more hypnotic for them. (That’s also why Janus knows everything that happens inside the mind: to be sure no one goes below a certain point)

Speaking of Janus, of course he’s able to hear the voices and the more he goes down, the more he can recognize their words. Still, the Faint Ones’ calls do not act as a lure for him, no matter how down he can go. He can even face them and still be in complete control.

Because yes, he’s the only one who has ever seen the Faint Ones and knows what they look like.

_______________________________

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[focuriousity25-blog]

"One moment, pretty please," requested the new arrival—or perhaps more fittingly, the intruder—as he extricated himself from the heap, seemingly ignoring Hank's question. With deliberate movements, he dusted off his tattered, well-worn coat, each motion shedding a cloud of grime.

Now free of obstruction, Hank and Stephen finally got a clear view of the entity before them. He had the build of a lean gorilla, his body cloaked in inky-black fur, save for a gray underbelly. Adding the already-established horns, eyes, and chiropteran features of the head into the mix, this completed a visage that seemed to be a peculiar amalgamation of ape, goat, cat, and bat. He then raised one of his multi-dexterous feet and started massaging it with clawed toes flexing reflexively, a tension-easing ritual that elicited a moan of pleasure from the creature. The sight prompted Stephen to glance awkwardly at Hank, his expression a silent query of bewilderment.

"A week," the creature said without looking up, his voice tinged with exhaustion. "I've literally, and I do mean honest-to-God literally, been running nonstop for a week." He switched his attention to the other foot, a frown creasing his features. "Well, six days, twenty-one hours, forty-three minutes, and ten seconds, but, eh, who’s counting? Trick question, I was. Now..." He abruptly ceased his self-care, extravagantly swooping down to pick up his umbrella, brandishing it like a cane.

"Do I have a name? Why yes, I do. And as much as I would love to share it with the pair of you and likewise learn yours, formal introductions must wait, as the reason for my little marathon is about to cross the threshold of that there time-space corridor." He pointed with the question-mark-shaped handle of his umbrella towards the gateway. As if on cue, another silhouette approached its membrane-like surface, except…this one was larger. MUCH larger.

Confusion and tension flickered across Strange's face. "Who are you, what—?"

"What did I say about not having time?" the creature interrupted sharply. "We have about twenty seconds—no, my mistake, fifteen seconds!"

The silhouette loomed closer.

"Ten seconds..."

The creature's eyes sharpened, ready.

"Three. Two. One..." A slight grin tugged at his lips. "Showtime..."

Emerging from the portal was nothing short of a non-euclidean nightmare, a mass of transparent green muscle and sinew clawing its way through, its protuberances embedding into the sanctum's floor as if it were butter, and it became apparent that what they saw was merely the creature's hand, as it proceeded to pull the rest of its monstrous form through.

When the full monstrosity emerged, its mass of limbs defied any attempt to discern distinctive features, its very appearance a challenge to their vision. Hank's sunglasses beeped and flashed frantically, detecting an impossibly complex molecular structure, far beyond the normal limitations of any universe they had encountered.

Just what kind of dimensional horror had this stranger brought to their world???

This was a question neither McCoy nor Strange were given any time to contemplate, as a section near the top—presumably its head—opened like a mouth and roared, a shrieking, terrible sound that left their ears ringing. 

And then... it attacked!

As if in direct response to Hank's admittance of presence, the Heart began to pulsate with a vivid red hue instead of green. Before their very eyes, it expanded and twisted, morphing as if it were not made of delicate glass but pliable putty. Each segment of the heart seemed to meld together, merging and flowing with the fluidity and grace of water.

However, a closer inspection would reveal a different reality. The pieces were not merging but instead fracturing into smaller and smaller shards. These fragments, like intricate fractals, were reduced further to slivers, each one weaving and reconfiguring together into a new, altogether different form.

"Hank, get back!" Strange shouted, lunging forward to seize the Blue Beast’s arm, possibly even to cast a protective shield.

But it was already too late. The protective runes were totally inconsequential. Within moments, the heart-shaped object had stretched and reformed itself, transforming into a thin, glowing wall that reached the ceiling and walls. It pulsed steadily, sending veiny lines of energy with each beat.

The universe itself seemed to yearn for a cliché as Strange voiced the obvious hypothesis, "It looks like some sort of gateway!"

A gateway, it seemed, that was specifically attuned so it would open in Hank's presence. But why? What could it mean?

Strange urged Hank to maintain his distance. Although they were no strangers to such phenomena, the unknown nature of the other side of this portal was a cause for caution. They would soon find out.

A silhouette began to form on the membrane-like surface of the gateway, growing clearer as it approached.

This time, Strange was ready. He prepared to cast a spell at the slightest hint of danger, intending to act the moment whatever it was emerged.

At last, the entity burst through the portal, rocketing out like a banshee with its tail ablaze. It dashed past the Sorcerer and the Mutant, crashing into the wall with a force that sent several piled artifacts tumbling down.

"What the...?"

Amid the chaos, the new arrival's head surfaced from the pile of artifacts like a whack-a-mole, revealing features that were unmistakably non-human. Silver horns, yellow-orange eyes, and bat-like characteristics marked this being.

Looking equally bewildered, the creature blinked, realizing it had stopped running. It glanced between Hank and Strange, before chuckling breathlessly and blinking again.

Then, in perfect English with a faint Russian accent, it spoke, "Sheep and gravy, my feet are KILLING me right now!”

[mittensmorgul]

In your opinion, which writer(s) wrote the best Dean episodes, Cas episodes and Sam episodes? Please don't feel troubled to answer it :)

ooh hello! This feels like a fun thought exercise. Thanks for asking!

I think I'm just gonna ramble about it rather than try to make lists or anything, because I personally feel like different seasons/eras of the show had writers that really stood out and gave me all the feelings :'D

Under a cut because it is long-ish, but also because these are my personal opinions delivered ramble-style and not like some sort of research paper even remotely attempting to be objective. :'D

I think I should start with Sam, since his character feels more consistently written to me across the seasons, but I have to start by pointing at Kripke himself. He wrote our intro to Sam, after all. Edlund gave us the best "soulless Sam" Episode with 6.09. And Meredith Glynn gave us some fantastic insight into Sam even in episodes that were equally about Dean-- like 12.11 and 15.17. Credit also to Yockey for 13.12 and 13.19 especially. He actually gave Sam emotional depth!

Sam as a character is kind of hard to judge according to the metric my brain set out for this. Like, I personally processed this question as "which writers revealed these characters' inner lives to us the most." And Sam as a character just... his "inner life" even from s1 was always a conflict with the Supernatural itself, you know? Far more than even the whole MoC arc for Dean was. Let me try to explain...

S1 Sam's biggest conflicts were find Dad so we can get revenge and I can go back to Normal Life and forget I was ever touched by the Supernatural at all. The demon blood/special children arcs were pretty much the same. His internal conflict was largely "am I evil, or even human?" And his personal goals were sort of the antithesis of the entire concept of the show we were all watching, you know? I didn't tune in to see Law Boy Sam and his Normal Life. I tuned in for Supernatural. lol

So from the outset, to keep Sam relevant to the narrative, the supernatural was essentially foisted upon him. Special Children. Demon Blood. "If you can't save him, you have to kill him." Sam was the object of the plot, and the vast majority of his character actions and choices and goals and desires were shaped by that.

Later seasons gave him a bit of a break from being the Plot Objective, to a certain extent, but every time he began to be even a little bit interesting in his own right (end of s12 taking charge of the hunters and then the AU hunters in s14, or his growing bond with Rowena and witchcraft in s13 and s14, for example), the plotlines never seemed to go anywhere truly deep for more than a random episode here and there. And that's just... disappointing. I mean, when the finale can only muster a blurry-wife-lonely-life montage for him, it only compounds the feeling that there just wasn't a lot to Sam as a character overall, that maybe deep down he just had no real internal hopes and dreams outside that basic generic notion of what life should be like for normal people, and that's pretty damn depressing.

Onward to Dean, because honestly he's the character we have with the biggest window into his emotional state throughout the series. Right from the start, Plot Happens To Sam, and we largely experience it through the filter of Dean's reactions to that.

In early seasons I credit John Shiban (starting with 1.06 Skin), Sera Gamble, and Raelle Tucker (starting with 1.03 Dead In The Water) with establishing the as yet untold depths of Dean Winchester. Sera obviously stuck with the show for a good long time and gave us some of my personal favorite episodes during that time, most of which I love for the Intense Dean Feelings (1.12 Faith, 3.12 Jus In Bello, 6.11 Appointment in Samarra). I'm not terribly fond of her showrunning, but heck she can write an episode.

But those folks took a character that potentially could've just been the two-dimensional dudebro monster hunter whose entire personality was classic rock and his car and made him into one of the most complex and nuanced characters in media. So credit to them for establishing Dean's hidden depths that future writers would build submarines (and one Ma'lak box that thankfully never made it to the bottom of the ocean) to explore.

In later seasons, my Dean champion was clearly Meredith Glynn. If you want to cry about Dean, just marathon her episodes. Well, her and Bobo enjoyed tag teaming on him, honestly, and that just made it so much better/worse. :'D

But I think overall Dean as a character was well established early on, and most writers over the course of the series were easily able to tap into that well without getting stuck on the surface level nonsense it was all too easy to float across when they chose to. More often than not, though, writers didn't get tripped up on the dudebro and chose to reveal the mess of Dean underneath. I mean, even Bucklemming occasionally nailed it (10.16 and 11.18 primarily for them imo)

Which brings us to Cas... the angel who fell in love with humanity, rejected Heaven and God, and chose his own family. I don't think any writer can touch Ben Edlund for ultimate Cas feelings. My biggest regret is that Edlund left the show before he could write a truly human Cas episode. If I could redo ANYTHING about the entire series (setting aside the finale, because that doesn't count), it would be to let Edlund write 9.03 and 9.09 instead of bucklemming... >.>

Why? Because yes, he showed us aspects of Cas as a phenomenal cosmic power, but he never forgot that none of it would've mattered without the crack in Cas, the little bit of him that set him apart from every other angel. And it wasn't his otherness or his power or his grace. It was his humanity. His fear of it at first (i mean his first episode with Cas in it was 4.16 ffs), and his evolution into gradual acceptance and then understanding and love. Not just curiosity of humanity as a concept, but his own desire for it in contrast to every other angel who rejected it for themselves and considered it "lesser."

Even at his most angelic, Edlund wrote Cas at his most human.

[charnamefic]

Kevin Can F*** Himself and The Sitcom

I am fascinated by this canon's universe, by the implications of living in a sitcom reality where there’s a non-sitcom reality when the sitcom isn’t running.

I’m taking as a given that Kevin Can F*ck Himself takes place in what truly is a sitcom-universe. I know some people consider the sitcom-style parts of the show to be Allison’s way of thinking about her life while she really lives in a more mundane universe, but frankly that’s not a theory that interests me. I have no beef with those who believe it, but I find Kevin Can F*ck Himself to be a much richer viewing experience personally if read as the off-screen adventures of an actual sitcom wife, and that’s the only reading I’m going to get invested in and theorize about.

At the beginning of the first episode I thought Allison was, on some level, aware that she was a TV character – I thought that her fantasies about living the 50's housewife advertising dream were the expression of a desire for a genre shift (that could never come) – but by the end of the episode I’d concluded that she doesn't know. I don’t think any of the characters know that they’re sitcom characters, and, as an extension of that, I don’t think any of them are aware that there are differences between the on-screen and off-screen existences they live. So what does it mean to be that one-dimensional, sitcom type of character and live under that universe’s rules for parts of your life, and transition into a rounded-out person with an active inner life at other times? What does it mean when you can’t comprehend that transition, and when the more rounded version of yourself has to tackle with who you are and what happens to you in that sitcom reality? What power of self do you have, both to be a person in your own right and to act as one free of the constraints of what the rules of a sitcom universe would demand?

What are the rules of the Kevin Can F*ck Himself universe as a sitcom?

Here's what we have to work with:

The universe is a status quo is god universe. Kevin and Allison can never move away, never not be Neil’s neighbours. We as viewers of Kevin Can F*ck Himself see what that means for the characters, how painful that stagnation is to Allison and the horrible things that have led to that consequence, but Kevin Can F*ck Himself takes place off-screen of the sitcom – on-screen, that’s just typical status-quo maintenance. Kevin and Allison can’t keep a pet, can’t add new characters to the cast or kick off old ones; at the end of the episode, nothing will have happened that will keep the sitcom from being something you can tune-in to irregularly without missing a plot-important episode.

The sitcom caters to the man-child id. Kevin can be rude and outright cruel to his wife, and he’ll never have to worry about her responding in equal kind. Kevin can accuse and humiliate and banish his best female friend, and she’ll come crawling back for re-entry into the gang, feeding him and making up for her failure to prioritize him. Kevin can fight with his best male friend, and the girls will sort it out without Kevin or Neil’s egos having to take a serious blow; it’s just a special episode where Kevin learns to express appreciation for his sidekick (at least until next episode). Kevin may be an everyman, but he will never be outshone.

The sitcom universe is simple and insular. “It seemed harmless.” It is harmless. All pain can be brushed off, all suffering passes quickly. Kevin can promise a bunch of people money he doesn’t have and trap them in his basement and not need to fear any lawsuits. Kevin can set his neighbour’s lawn on fire, and that’s fine, it really is. He can get a mailwoman deported, and once the episode’s over it’s no-one’s problem and it doesn’t indicate anything about what kind of person someone who would do that is or what values they hold. Kevin can get his wife fired, and she can’t nurse a grudge over that, can’t mention it again or have it shape their future interactions; it’s one and done. Dreams can be dashed, and by the next scene break it’s back to basics not simply because the status quo is god but because when your hopes die you get up and move on and keep acting like the paint-by-numbers character tropes you embody. The people are no more complicated than the actions. The caretaking wife can’t be truly hurt by the daily derogation she suffers from everyone who interacts with her. The next-door neighbour can’t have a fulfilling life outside of Kevin’s orbit, he can’t even complete fairly simple tasks without a leader to follow. Kevin’s dad can’t be anyone outside of being Kevin’s dad. The girl in the group cannot show an inner life or opinions or desires that conflict with her designated role. What you see is what you get, and there’s nothing you have to consider under the surface.

Kevin Can F*ck Himself has shown us that these rules only hold true on-screen in the sitcom; once the sitcom cameras aren’t on the characters anymore, the entire world shifts into something different. If we consider the on-sitcom-screen and off-sitcom-screen worlds to be like two intersecting realities, I think we have to assume that the sitcom reality is the dominant one. Events happen in the Kevin Can F*ck Himself reality that are necessarily related to the sitcom reality (Allison reacting to how she’s treated when off-screen; Allison and Patty discussing events that have happened on-screen while off-screen) whereas the events in the sitcom reality occur regardless of the Kevin Can F*ck Himself reality (Allison’s damaged clothes and injuries that occur off-screen aren’t noticeable on-screen; when Kevin confronts Allison and Patty, that confrontation makes sense in the sitcom universe even without the context given in the Kevin Can F*ck Himself reality). If the sitcom reality is the dominant reality, that necessitates that the Kevin Can F*ck Himself reality is still influenced by the rules of the sitcom reality even when the cameras are off – if the influence can only have significant consequences in one direction, then the universe that can’t significantly influence the other can’t have anything happen in it that would have to have a notable impact on the other.

To put this to a concrete example, the marriage Allison has on-screen can affect her contentment with her life off-screen and make her want to have an affair off-screen, but – given the premise expressed above – her off-screen affair can’t unduly affect her on-screen marriage. It can’t influence her think she might be able to find a safe way to get a divorce because that would affect the status quo of the sitcom. It can’t be reflected in her on-screen interactions with Kevin because that would complicate their marriage in a manner the sitcom universe can’t bear.  

I don’t think Allison’s affair with Sam can come out on-screen in the sitcom. The sitcom everyman’s wife cheating on him isn’t what the target demographic wants. The dream of the hot wife who’ll let you get away with anything, who puts out and cleans up and cooks and boosts and takes her lumps with a smile and stands by you no matter how many times things don’t go as desired – yes! The culturally ingrained fear that your woman is cuckolding you, that you’re inadequate instead of all that she wants and needs, that you’re a fool and didn’t actually land that dream catch – no, absolutely not! It breaks the rule of catering to the man-child id, it breaks the rules of simplicity, and it breaks the rule of status quo. I think Allison will face problems with the affair – we know she will in some way from the ep 6 preview – but I suspect the issues surrounding it will be more along the lines of getting to know Jenn and discovering that she’s actually awkward but sincere and the “who really gets the hot guy” competition is way less fun when you empathize with the opposition, or having to face that the reasons she and Sam didn’t end up together back when they were teens still apply and that doing this with him now won’t make her happy. Whatever happens, I don’t think Allison’s marriage will be affected in a way that will show up in the sitcom at all. So there’s a front on which Allison’s behaviour is safe – the affair can never come out in a way Kevin and the sitcom viewers will believe in it, so she will never have to face consequences along the lines of suffering a broken-marriage for which everyone considers her at fault because she committed adultery – and a way in which it’s not – Allison basically said that she knew it was a shitty thing to do but she had fun enabling Sam in cheating on his girlfriend back in high school because she didn’t know the other girl and didn’t really think about her, but now that the relationships those involved are in are even more serious and the other woman is an actual acquaintance there’s no way that this won’t at least lead to drama guaranteed to have a significant influence and consequences in her off-sitcom-screen life. My point with this is that (if my theory is correct) Kevin Can F*ck Himself will show consequences, but Kevin’s sitcom can’t, and that inherently affects the dangers Allison faces for her behaviour and what can come of it in both worlds.  

Leading off from that, we have the whole dealing drugs and assaulting a trucker thing. Necessarily, none of what we’re seeing in Kevin Can F*ck Himself about that can be reflected in the sitcom. We can have the dramatic irony of Kevin confronting Allison the night she started having an affair, we can watch Kevin confront her and Patty over the horrible acts they committed off-screen, but due to the nature of the universe, that cannot be anything but dramatic irony which sitcom viewers wouldn’t be able to pick up on. Simply put, Patty can’t be sent off to jail for dealing because she’s a regular. Allison will never be convicted for what they did to that trucker – even though you’d expect her to be in serious trouble given that surely there would have been security cameras all over any gas station – because that cannot flow back to the sitcom reality in any recognizable way.

Can the sitcom wife spend more than one episode under on-screen police scrutiny? There could probably be a plotline where she spends a night in jail, but according to sitcom logic that has to be sorted out before the episode is over. There has to be some sort of misunderstanding revealed, some piece of evidence come to light that exonerates her. She has to get back to her husband and the dirty laundry and the meals she needs to make. This is why I think it’s not possible that Allison and Patty mugging that guy for his oxy can come back to bite them in a way that would be reflected on-screen in the sitcom. The sitcom wife doesn’t beat people up for their drugs, not like that at least. The rules of a sitcom will not allow it.

The rules of a sitcom also don’t allow the star to die. I fully believe that Patty was right; if Allison had filled that burger with drugs, Kevin would have been back up and running by the next scene. So, given that truly bad things can’t happen to Kevin, and given that things can’t significantly change, what can Allison’s plans be building toward? Literally, is it possible for Kevin to end his life in jail for drug-related crimes? If the premise I’ve laid out above is correct, then no. Is it possible for Kevin to die in allegedly drug-related gang violence? No. It’s more likely that Marcus talks a big game, but is actually a small enough fish he could be taken out of the equation by Patty telling his aunt he was bothering her. I don’t think anything Allison and Patty can do in the Kevin Can F*ck Himself universe to get Kevin done for drug-related crimes can lead to anything more than a Very Special Episode about drugs on the sitcom.

So what does that mean for the show? I have no idea, and I’m really interested in finding out.

Can the rules of the universe be changed? Allison broke a glass on-screen, in a way which probably wouldn’t have been written into a sitcom, so maybe. But that didn’t really break any of the proposed rules of the universe, so maybe not.

And what happens if Allison succeeds? Characters in a sitcom have backstories, but can they have futures after the show is cancelled?

I’ve heard from a lot of people that they don’t enjoy the sitcom scenes, but (for the most part) I think those are depicted to establish and convey something important. I might be completely off-base with my analysis of how realities are portrayed in the show and what we can glean from that, but even without that I think we’ve been offered a compelling deconstruction of on-screen sitcom hijinks.  

Also, I just really love how they’ve worked within the boundaries of the intersection of sitcom and non-sitcom presentation. How can the ��just getting by” family afford all the fun things that make the sitcom life aspirational without making the characters too well-off for the everyman to see himself and his own struggles in them? Simple – drain those off-screen savings. It’s perfect. It’s so beautifully indicative of Kevin Can F*ck Himself’s premise.

Any way you look at it and whatever theories you prefer, the world presented in Kevin Can F*ck Himself offers up a lot of interesting possibilities and I can’t wait to see them explored.

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2021 Prompt #13

Oneirophrenia -a hallucinatory, dream-like state caused by several conditions such as prolonged sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, or drugs

Not many people outside of the staff of Skysteel Manufactory have a chance to visit the rooms on its upper floors. They contain a series of workshops, offices for senior staff, and a couple of rooms dedicated to sleeping for when a shift has to go extra long.

One of the workshops was permanently leased out to the Warriors of Light, and Old Man Franks tended to be the sole user of said space. Under normal circumstances it had spares of approximately a third of the tools he in kept his workspace in the Rising Stones, today it was full to near-bursting with a large supply of Allagan computational nodes and cables connecting them all.

Franks stood in front of the sole connected display, watching the code he'd fed to the assembled cluster via his Ironworks-created magitek grimoire churn through the calculations it had been generating a mere bell ago. If this worked, if all of the mathematics went to plan? Well, maybe, just maybe, he would finally be able to program an arcanima array that would open a portal to another world on his own.

If Stephanivien had any concept of what he was working on in here, he'd likely chastise him for misuse of Manufactory resources. He...hadn't been entirely truthful when he told the head of the guild what he was doing with their rented space, but he couldn't do this work within the Rising Stones.

Mostly because he'd worked through nearly two suns without sleeping between building the cluster and writing the code. Tataru would have had his hide for taking such poor care of himself.

He sat and waited, forcing himself to take his eyes off the display. His eyes were beginning to hurt from staring at a lighted surface. Or maybe that was the lack of sleep. Actually, probably both. He shut them just for a few seconds.

The console sounded to signal that it had finished running, but it was not the upbeat ping that signaled successful completion. Instead, Franks' eyes shot open at the rapid triple-beeps that signaled the computations had failed...again

He ran to the display console. "No no no....DAMMIT!"

"Power requirements insufficient to initialize and/or sustain generation of cross-dimensional gateway aperture" was displayed on the screen. As it had been for every other attempt he'd made at solving this problem. The theory was sound, the problem, as always, was of a practical nature. No force on Hydaelyn, it seemed, was capable of generating the necessary energy to power the creation of a portal. He'd tried modeling everything from ceruleum engines up to a truly ludicrous amount of corrupted crystals. Everything had failed.

He slammed his fists on the nearby table. The heavy nodes didn't budge.

This was POSSIBLE, he knew it! He'd ended up on this star by falling through one! The Exarch's own magicks had brought heroes through to their version of the First from other worlds that had their own versions of the Source and Shards, but that had been temporary, and even that was only accomplished with a great deal of the power of the Crystal Tower. Creating a stable rift, it seemed, was an order of magnitude more complicated. So what in all of creation had generated the one that brought him to Hydaelyn?

He'd gone back to take readings with the various aetherological instruments the Scions had at their disposal. Not much energy was consumed in the sustaining of the rift that had brought him here, so he hypothesized that the amount needed to create one was similarly not overwhelming, but all of his calculations had arrived at the contrary. Something had generated that rift between worlds, and while he lacked both the equipment and the desire to return to the other side of that rift and examine it from that end, he suspected that he would find no answers there as well. Portal magic within the world itself was common enough, but the energy required to open gateways between that world and it's various demiplanes varied greatly. Whatever metaphysical distance or barrier separated entire worlds of existence seemed to be much greater in scope than anything he'd seen before.

Franks slumped onto the table in defeat. For what seemed like only a few minutes, he lay there, contemplating what to even consider using as a possible energy model next, when he heard a voice.

"Once again, my love, you are working far too hard."

He sat up and smiled in the direction of the doorway. It was a gentle, loving chastisement that he'd heard many a time from a voice he would never grow tired of hearing.

At the door stood a woman, tall in height with a heart-shaped face. Long graying hair fell from her head to her shoulders (no, past her shoulders, it was almost down to her chest, now). She wore simple robes of red and gray, and had just finished propping up a green gem-topped staff against the  nearest workbench.

She strode over to him, a happy smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around him, holding him gently behind the neck.

Franks wrapped his own arms around her waist and took a moment to admire her beautiful features, taking an extra second or two to lose himself in those sea-green eyes, one slightly darker than the other, before finally bringing their lips together. Another thing he would never tire of.

They break a few seconds later. Franks chuckles. "I know, my dearest. But you know how much of an amazing discovery this would be if I could somehow pull it off! Think of all the good that could be done if universes of like minded people banded together to solve problems! And....well, the world's not currently in peril, so it feels like I should take the time when it's there, y'know?"

She placed a single finger on his lips. "I know, I know, you never could stand being idle. But we have that meeting with Dahkar in the morning, so we both need to get some sleep, yes?"

He cocked his head to the side. "Wait, what meeting? Dahkar is....isn't he off in Doma at the moment? What would we have to meet with him about?

She smiled (her smile is wider than he remembered, almost too big for her face). "We're coordinating the orders for the assault on the Broken Shore, you silly man. Did you forget?"

A throbbing pain suddenly shot into his temple, and he released her to grab the sides of his head. The pain is excruciating, some of the worst he can remember, and he has to brace himself on the nearby table for a moment, looking down. He did  remember the meeting she had spoken about, but....that meeting, that assault....it had been years ago. She was talking about another Dahkar....but his mind had been broken, hadn't it? He looked at his own hands. These...these weren't his hands. They didn't look like this. Wait...she didn't look like that, not anymore....

He lifted his head and turned to her. A pale and sallow form stood before him, robes torn into rags. Her gray hair was short and decaying, a green nest above the face that seemed to be melding off of its body. Green pools were replaced by black voids, a single burning yellow spec within.

She opened her mouth. A shriek emerged. He yelled in despair.

WIth a jolt, Franks sat up. He was alone in the room once more. The display on the node had entered an idle state, which displayed only the time. Franks leaned over to read it.

Six bells had past since he'd last looked at the error messages.

With a sigh, he flipped the switch that shut down the entire cluster, only to realize that his linkpearl was pinging.

He tapped it, sending the small jolt of his own aether needed to activate it. "This-". He coughed, his voice still rough from too little sleep. "This is Franks"

"Franks, it's Tataru. Where are you?"

"Ishgard. Worked a little too late and decided to just sleep here." He felt a little bad about lying to Tataru, but he still felt extremely rattled by that....dream, he supposed, and was definitely not in a state where he could accept the chastisement she would doubtless dispose on him with any kind of grace.

"You need to get back to the Rising Stones, ASAP. Y'shtola wants all of us there. She says it's an emergency but she won't say what is going on. All I know is that she has a guest with her."

"Very well, I'm on my way."

He disconnects the linkpearl, and with a final sad look at the nodes, begin channeling the necessary magicks to travel along the aetheryte network back to Mor Dhona.

[sanghyukstattoos]

Studio to home sessions

Characters: Lee Jaeyoon x Reader

Genre: Fluff, smut (fingering, handjob, soft sex)

Words: 2633

Summary: Jae has been with you for quite a while now and you’ve spoken about it- about taking your relationship to the next level. 

A/N: @jsnyoung as always, I love your requests and this was so cute~~ Jaeyoon would truly be the softest plus, the reader’s experience is open to being a virgin until she wants Jae to take her virginity or she hasn’t had sex in a while since she’s been waiting for their relationship to progress to that stage. I couldn’t decide which one but I do hope you enjoy!

He looks so adorable in both gifs (feat. a smiley Chani and Sanghyuk hehe) This is why I can never decide who my bias truly is ahah. Also, his dimples 

You were sat on the sofa of the recording studio, leaning back as you heard Jae's soft vocals floating through the glass. You were lost as you paid complete attention to the sound, eyes glazing over with tears as you tried to hold them back.

Jaeyoon was an amazing vocalist and everyone knew that including Zuho who had a huge smile on his face. Producing The Last Festival had fans loving the new song and eager to hear more of his music.

Legs crossed and resting on your palm, you listened to his voice, the smoothness lulling you to close your eyes. It was peaceful in the studio, no insignificant sounds disturbing the vocals of Jae nor anyone coming in for a quick chat. This was one of those times where it felt like people outside were as stunned as you by Jae even though they couldn't hear anything.

To hear his voice over and over again was something that you wouldn't mind and you got to hear it everyday. Sometimes, if he had the chance, he'd sing to you, right before you went to sleep.

You felt differently this time but it wasn't bad. If anything it was leaning towards the good because your mind abruptly drifted to other places.

On a wider surface than the sofa of the recording studio, the hums that he'd let out were the same choked moans as he thrusted into you. The room was silent and perfect for the solace of quietness to make love. Your area throbbed and you opened your eyes, flushing at the thought of your first time together.

You hid it well, not that you needed too. Jae was a vivid and abstract lover, multi- dimensional as you'd call it. The more you got to know him, the faster you'd come to find him attractive. This is why, if you told him that you were ready and asked if he was too, mutual consent would lead to so many things and open so many doors for you.

Quietly clearing your throat as you watched Zuho pause and clap his hands in delight, Jae showed you a shy smile with his cute, round cheeks. "Hyung, that's so good, it's exactly what I wanted. Thank you" Zuho spoke to which Jae responded, "I'm glad to hear that, can we run over it real quick, there is something I'm not sure about".

Zuho hummed, waiting, as Jae removed the headphones from his head, ears having turned a slight shade of red from the tightness. You waited for them to finish up, knowing that they would return here for the remainder of the days.

Leaving the studio at an interesting time, you complemented Jae as soon as you got the chance. With the warmth of his hand encasing yours, the two of you walked back home after taking the bus.

"Thank you"

"Hmm..??"

"For staying"

"Of course, you know I didn't mind plus, I get to hear you sing. That's a bonus for me"

He giggled at your comment, the grip on your hand squeezing in a comforting measure.

Stopping in front of your house, you stood in front of him as he protected you from the chilly winds. Subconsciously, you licked your lips, staring at his face that glowed. Eyes fluttering to his lips, you connected the two in a heart-pounding, swaying kiss.

Leaning in to kiss you, the passion you found in your kiss surprised him but it didn't take him long to recover. Swiping his tongue over your bottom lip, he blindly moved his hand around in your bag to find your keys.

The two of you leaned apart for a little bit and in the moment almost stumbled over a step. A laugh escaped the both of you, momentarily lighting up in smiles you reconnected, Jae pulling your keys out of your bag and successfully opening the door.

Your back to the door pushed you in and for the second time, his hand on your back steadied you as you entered your house. Shutting the door behind him, you removed your coats and threw them somewhere in the same direction. Moving to your bedroom, it was somehow warmer than the rest of the house.

Fiery and quick, he pressed quick kisses to your mouth repeatedly before pulling away but holding you in his arms. "Are you sure about this? We always have time and you don't have to do this now" he whispered against your lips, hearing you respond, "I'm sure about this. What about you?, How do you feel about this?"

The genuinely concerned questions lacing your tone had him heating up. The amount of care you'd shown in seconds made him say, "Yes" as he cupped your shoulders and gently pushed you onto the bed. He fell on top of you with a thud, landing on his elbows so he didn't crush you with his weight.

You traced his fingers that slipped your shirt off your shoulder, placing a soft kiss with each breath. Bringing your top further down, he got to your bra and paused, looking at you with caution raising his eyebrows at you. You hummed in agreement, a ‘’yes’’ escaping your lips as your lips as confirmation. 

He moved to unclip your bra, watching your breasts pop out and jiggle, free from the confining but lacy material. You arched your back at the sensation of him swiping his tongue over your perky nub without any hesitation. He placed a soft kiss on each one, before moving along your stomach.

The first one made you suck in your breath, sure of the warm feeling on your stomach and by the fifth, you had relaxed in his touch. He cradled your frame, looking at you as he said, "You're beautiful" and you blushed at his words. The pink lit up your cheek as your arousal grew in anticipation.

He was taking things slow and admittedly, you were a little nervous but all of that pushed away when he looked at you, his fingers stilling at the buttons of your skirt. It was a pause, a soft moment between the two of you as he waited for you to say something.

You nodded, not quickly, but rather slowly as he watched you and recognised the agreement. Not breaking eye contact, he unbuttoned your skirt and pulled the material down your legs. You were left in your lingerie while he was still fully clothed. "Take off yours" you hinted at his clothes and he chuckled, using one hand to remove his jumper.

The comfy material came off with ease and revealed his toned abs, the muscles along his arms also being clearly defined. With his shirt off, it was like a whole other world underneath that you couldn't have imagined before. Now you could and that made you smile as you brought a finger to his abs, tracing the lines and bumps.

While he went to unbutton his jeans, he watched the expression on your face as you looked at him. You were lost for words and he knew that you were admiring him. What you did gave him the confidence he needed to be with you, here and right now.

You looked at him and smiled, content that you were here with him. Sitting up, you gulped at the sight of his cock, semi- hard through his boxers. You palmed him and he groaned, biting his lip as you saw him revel in the pleasure.

You were both on your knees, facing each other and to say that he was in awe, would have been understated. You knew that he wasn't going to judge no matter what and it gave you the opportunity to express some desires you’d held inside your head. 

He cupped your neck and moved closer to you, slowly connecting your lips and moving with a fierce passion. Wrapping your arms around him, you bought yourself impossibly closer, bringing any space between the two of you. Your clothed core brushed against him and you moaned into the kiss, doing it once again.

Your panties were soaked at this point and his boxers had a little stain to them, his cock fully erect. "Wait" he softly spoke, leaning apart from his kiss as concern graced your features asking, "Baby, what's wrong?". You cupped his cheek and bought an arm around him, about to pull him into your hold when he placed a comforting grasp on your hip saying, "Condoms"

You sighed in relief as you replied, "I take some pills for my period which also applies to sex". His mouth formed the shape of a very tiny doughnut which you chuckled at, reconnecting your lips. You pressed a kiss to his soft lips and moved to kiss his neck and the line of his jaw.

Along his shoulder and pecs, you let every kiss linger with the touch of your breath fanning against his skin. He let out a small, shaky breath at your lips touching his skin, the warmth increasing the ache between his legs. Facing him, he laid down on his back as you hovered over him, legs on either side of his waist.

Your hands found their way to his boxers pausing to look at him. He nodded and you let his cock spring free, precum smeared over the tip. You removed your last piece of clothing and your dripping core brushed against his cock. Feeling the wetness from you drove him crazy but he waited for you.

Laying next to him, you threw a leg over his waist, bringing your lips close to his but not touching them. As he took the lube, he squeezed and smeared it across his fingers, bringing it to your heated centre. There was no doubt of the pleasure it bought you but also the stretch that made you moan against his mouth.

With a finger in, he watched your expressions for any sign of pain and when he found none, he slowly inserted a second finger. Your juices painted his digits, whines falling from your lips as you subconsciously jutted your hips into his hand.

"Open your eyes baby, speak to me" you heard him say. Opening your eyes and meeting his gentle one's, you opened your mouth only for a loud moan, "Fuck!" to escape your lips as he met a sweet spot. "I'm okay, don't worry- ah, do that again, please" you spoke and he nodded, doing it again.

You held onto him as he added his thumb to your clit, rubbing in circles and you almost screamed at the added pleasure, vibrations tingling your core. Finding yourself in the midst of all his ministrations, you stroked his cock, hearing him gasp at your warm touch. You watched his expression as his pace slowed down in you but didn't stop.

Meeting your gaze, he resumed his earlier pace on your pussy, scissoring your walls making you lurch forward and lean on his chest, beads of sweat adorning both your temples. His precum was all over your palm and that allowed you to stroke all of his length, occasionally fondling his inner thigh.

He slowed his pace and pulled his fingers out of you, aligning his cock to your entrance. His doe eyes stared back at yours, eyes shining with pools of silver, a reflection of the moonlight. He held your thigh up as he slowly entered you and you curled your toes at the burn you felt.

Hearing you hiss, he stilled, reconnecting your lips to see if you'd find comfort there. He held your back and whispering soft praises as he eased into you, bottomed out. You breathed, feeling full as he was stuffed inside of you. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked and you nodded saying, "Yes" licking your lips as the remaining pain subsided.

"Is it okay for me to move?" he asked, clearing the strands of hair that had fallen astray on your face, fingers soothing you as they traced your features. "You can move, it's okay" you replied, biting your lips that didn't hold back the moan as he slowly exited and re-entered you.

He did the same thing over and over until you asked, "A little faster please" choked moans leaving your lips as he increased his pace. The tightness of your pussy around his cock as he moved in and out of you heated up his cheeks, tinting them a light shade of you.

You swallowed as he rocked your body, holding your thigh at a comfortable length to spread you for him. The squelching of his cock spilling into you, pushing it to the brim filled the room. "That feels good," you said in a breath, your breasts bouncing due to the rigorous movement.

You nipples repeatedly brushed against his bare chest and he loved the feeling. The warmth of your core, your tits slapping together, your little whines and loud moans made him pound into you. The thought of you, naked and writhing for him turned him on, wanting to always make love to you.

He held your ass cheek in his grasp, squeezing the flesh as he moaned, watching your mouth widen with every gasp and moan, wanting more. Shifting his leg, he laid you on your back, covering you half way with his leg, continuing his thrusts into your wet hole.

Entwining his hands with yours above your head, he leaned in to nip at the soft skin, licking it as it turned pink. He did this in successful repetition, your skin turning pink across your chest. Slowing down, he slammed back into you and you held onto his ass, rubbing the soft flesh.

He encased one of your nipples, tweaking the other with your hand. You ran your fingers through his hair, softly holding the strands as he flapped his tongue against your nipple. He wet your area and sucked causing your nub to get swollen.

Shifting to his knees, he thrusted into you and propped himself on his elbows. He switched, licking your other nipple while he fondled the other hot and red one. As you felt a coil in your lower stomach tighten, you heated up and with a thrust from him, you released your cum.

Your cum lathered his cock in wetness and with a few final thrusts, he came in you, the thick, white cum, painting your walls. You felt his cum fill you up and he stilled inside you, waiting for you to catch your breaths. When you did, he pulled out of you and laid on the bed, bringing you closer to him.

Heart beating quickly, the pace it set didn't stop as you looked at him, the distance between your faces closer than ever. He pecked your lips in a small moment of tiredness, nuzzling his head into your neck.

He breathed into your neck as you went to wrap your arms around his back, your bodies touching to the slightest degree. The bright, embodied streak of silvers came through the curtains and illuminated your bodies, finding solace in the presence of one another.

There was this happiness that came over you, as you could finally be with him in an intimate way. Usually he'd appear at your door and go in for a hug when you weren't wearing a bra which made you tense up. You weren't uncomfortable about the lack of clothing and neither was he, rather having not progressed to that stage of your relationship just yet.

The level of trust included in it was absolute as well, not jumping straight ahead was key and you didn't do any of that. You sighed in relief, knowing that you could do the legitimate stuff and he'd show you love and only love to your body.

[thdorkmagnet]

Light of the Sun and Stars Chapter 45: Quest for Love (and a Sandwich) (Preview)

Summary: His whole life Marco Diaz has been raised by monsters, living under the cruel rule of their leader, Toffee. But one day Marco escapes into Mewni where he meets a magical princess and Mewman like himself, who begins teaching him all about her world. Together they will learn about life, love, and the lights within each of them, as they change their world forever.

Chapter Synopsis: The time has finally come for Tom to confess his feelings to Janna! But when he struggles to form words around her, he asks Marco for help and the solution they come up with is... less than expected. Let’s just say it involves a sandwich. 

Check out my other stuff on Fanfiction!

Index

“Finally, after all this time, I can reveal my greatest dish,” Kelly whispered dramatically. She had given the entire worthless kitchen staff the day off so she could work in peace and not have to worry about greedy chefs trying to steal her secret recipe out from underneath her. She had only been working at the castle for a few weeks and had already learned how many of them had the same strive and ambition she did, just too inexperienced and lazy to pull it off. She had already started to whip them into shape though, they had stopped crying every time she yelled at them at least. So that was decent progress.  

“Are you sure?” Marco asked, staring down at the boiling pot in awe, the lid covering the contents inside, the hooded teen beginning to doubt if he was ready to face what lay within. “What if it’s too soon?” 

Kelly shook her head, her brow furrowed in concentration. “No. This is it, Marco. But I need you to be ready in case something goes wrong. Can I count on you to be my sous chef?” She turned to him with a grim look, waiting to hear his response. 

The boy nodded vigorously, putting on his best game face. “Yeah. I’m ready, Kelly.” 

“Good,” the green-haired girl responded, slipping on an oven mitt and placing it firmly on the handle of the lid. “Then, here we go!”

Both her and Marco simultaneously slipped on large metal masks to help shield their sensitive faces. Kelly also placed a smaller one over her snoozing boyfriend Tad, who was asleep in her hair as usual. She made sure the mask was down over his face so she wouldn’t have to worry about him catching fire. The two teens then shared a masked look with each other an unspoken trust passing between them before Kelly ripping the lid off the boiling pan. 

A layer of hot steam rose off of the boiling mess inside: red, hot mist that formed a skull in the air before fading. Marco flinched and positioned himself behind Kelly, his protective instincts making his body move against his will. The Woolett girl showed no fear however, even making the fool-hardy choice to lean over the boiling mess of liquid so she could examine it closer. Her expert eyes slowly skimmed over her own concoction to make sure it was finished. 

“Is it… done?” Marco asked, his voice shaking fearfully. Kelly had already briefed him multiple times how her super secret recipe could possibly explode if not made properly and he would really prefer not to burn alive if he could help it, he had plans later that day. 

“Looks like it,” Kelly replied thoughtfully. She whipped out a spoon from her apron, holding it just an inch over the bubbling soup. “But there’s only one way to know for sure.”

“Hold on a second,” Marco said, stopping her just before she could scoop up a bite. He reached down under the table and hefted a heavy fire extinguisher onto the counter, making sure it was ready in case something went horribly wrong. “Okay, go.”

Marco frowned seriously as he watched the spoon of questionable contents rise to his friend’s lips, Kelly lifting up the fire shield so she could sip her creation. The hooded teen studied the Woolett anxiously as she smacked her lips a few times, clearly considering the taste carefully. He relaxed a bit when she didn’t burst into flames but still felt the need to ask, “Well?”

Kelly nodded before saying, “Not bad.”  

“Yes!” Marco exclaimed cheerfully, ready to celebrate with all the intensity and vibrancy his friend deserved in this moment of triumph. “You did it, Kelly! I knew you could! Your super secret recipe is a success!” 

“Whoa, whoa, Marco,” Kelly said, trying to call her friend down a bit. “I know this is a big moment and all but now is not the time to start freaking out. I mean I’m the only one who’s even tried it yet, I have no idea if it’s that good.”

“I know, I know,” Marco said quickly, his tone apologetic for just an instance before returning to his peppy brightness. “I’m just so happy for you, Kelly! I mean it’s taken you months to make this stuff! You should be proud of yourself for sticking with it for so long!”

Kelly nodded, all humbleness leaving her at the praise, feeling her ego only grow with every word. “Well, it wasn’t exactly easy to make the hottest, most delicious stew of all time. But I did it.” She absentmindedly started to stir the red hot stew, talking out loud as she worked. “I mean just finding the right ingredients for the stew was a challenge in itself. Most people said volcano peppers couldn’t even be heated without them exploding but then I’m not most people, am I?” 

“And no one but you would’ve figured out the trick to cooking them," Marco admired, hoping to boost his friend’s confidence even more with the praise. The trick had been simple in the end, just keep it at a constant simmer for three months straight. Only Kelly could have cracked that code.

“Well after working with Roy for long enough, I learned a few tricks to avoid exploding food.” The Woolett shuddered at the multiple memories of her previous place of employment. But she perked up as she continued to brag to her friend in a mischievous tone, “And now this stuff is gonna make pain pepper tacos taste like ice cream in comparison.” 

Marco cringed as he remembered the feeling of his tongue melting, asking hesitantly, “Isn’t that kind of unsafe?”

Kelly shrugged. “Relax, Marco. I’m not Roy. I would never make something that could endanger someone’s life.”

The Woolett was cut off as a burst of flame shot up from the pan, the two teens screaming and jumping back to avoid being burned alive. The fire continued to crackle for a few seconds before it slowly died down till it was just hot steam rising off the now-ruined stew. Marco and Kelly blinked in disbelief, the hooded teen about to voice his shock when they heard a familiar person call out. “Marco! Marco, are you there?!” 

“Tom?” Marco looked around in surprise for any sign of his friend. “Where are you?” he asked when he failed to spot him right away.

“Look in the pan,” came his answer and both teens hesitantly approached the boiling stew. Only now the surface of the liquid had a familiar face on it. “TOM! What are you doing in Kelly’s secret stew?!”

“Ruining everything,” Kelly mumbled in annoyance, shooting the demon boy a hated glare.

“It’s an old demon trick,” Tom explained quickly, only for his tone to turn panicked and dire, “But nevermind that, I need your help!”

“Why didn’t you just call him?” Kelly snapped. 

“No time! It’s an emergency!” Tom shouted, his voice shaking with worry. 

Marco gasped. “Don’t worry, Tom-” The hooded teen struck a dramatic pose before proclaiming, “I’m on my way!”

“Uh, what about my stew?” Kelly crossed her arms, sending chilling glares to both boys. 

Marco locked eyes with the Tom image before saying, “Uhh, I’ll help you remake it later.”

Kelly groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. “Fine, whatever, just go.” 

“Thanks Kelly, I owe you one,” Marco said running from the room. The Woolett looked sadly over at her ruined creation, Tom’s face now gone but her once-delicious stew now a burnt and inedible mess, grieving for all the hard work that had been wasted thanks to one friend’s mistake. She let out a heavy sigh, leaning against the counter so she could stare sadly into the bubbling pot. 

Marco poked his head back into the kitchen, giving the girl a sheepish expression, before asking, “Uhh Kelly, one more favor?”

Kelly raised her head and slowly looked in his direction, her eyes full of anger and death. “What?!” she snapped to him in annoyance. 

Marco gave his friend the most apologetic look he had, his fingers tapping nervously on the doorframe as he asked softly, “Um, can I please borrow your dimensional scissors?” 

The Woolett glared at him for a few more seconds, the boy giving her a puppy dog look back. The intense staring contest continued for a few seconds before Kelly gave in, throwing her head back and letting out an annoyed groan. “Fine, you win! You're lucky I can’t stay mad at you!” She stomped over to the teen and practically shoved her scissors into his hands. “Here, take it.” 

“Thanks Kelly,” Marco shouted gleefully, giving her a quick hug before running from the kitchen, yelling over his shoulder, “I promise I’ll make it up to you later!” 

Kelly just sighed and went back to work, disposing of her ruined batch of secret stew and cleaning up her messy kitchen, grumbling the whole time about how inconsiderate Tom was and how she couldn't believe she considered him a friend and how no one appreciated a royal chef, somehow her boyfriend Tad sleeping blissfully on.

[inknerdblog]

Is Spinel 4 Dimensional?

https://my-little-universe.fandom.com/wiki/Spinel

Finally, after hours of research, analysis, and a ridiculous amount of editing all with only 5 hours of sleep I have completed my masterpiece! The idea I found in the two previous posts was interesting, to say the least. So, I just had to run this idea into the ground with the power of the Internet!

WARNING: EXTREMELY NERDY CONTENT BELOW

Side effects of content consumption may include second-hand knowledge on physics and geometry, rant-induced headaches, accidental consumption of glorified nerd spaghetti, and unintentional theory crafting.

READER’S DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Definition of 4th Dimension:

Before determining if Spinel is 4 dimensional, we need to define the 4th dimension. From a math perspective, it’s just another coordinate. Just like the x-, y-, and z-coordinates or length, height, and width on a 3-dimensional coordinate plane, adding a fourth coordinate gives you a fourth dimension to move along. 

Of course, that doesn’t exactly explain what the 4th-dimension IS. In simplest terms, a 4D shape is just a bunch of 3D shapes fused together (which is very fitting for Steven Universe). Take a cube for example. 

https://www.transparentpng.com/cats/lines-1247.html (edited)

A 1-dimensional cube is just a line. 

https://www.vexels.com/png-svg/preview/139342/basic-square-outline (edited)

Fuse 4 lines and you make a 2D cube or a square. 

https://www.vexels.com/png-svg/preview/155839/stroke-cube-icon (edited)

Fuse 6 squares and you make a 3D cube which is obviously just a cube.

http://centerofmathematics.blogspot.com/2015/03/throwback-fact-magic-squares.html (edited)

By this logic, a 4D cube, known a tesseract, is a fusion of 8 cubes. These are many ways to draw a tesseract including a view from one of its axes like seen above.

A full view of a tesseract can be very hard to see in a diagram. A fusion of 8 cubes means there are...a square has 4 lines...multiply by 6 squares per cube...times 8 cubes per tesseract… THAT’S LIKE ALMOST 200 LINES (192 to be exact). Luckily there’s a way to kind of see what a 4D cube would look like.

https://www.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/HPS_0410/chapters/four_dimensions/index.html (edited)

You essentially just have to cross your eyes to “fuse” these figures together. If you have trouble, just try to look slightly over it.

Another way to interpret the tesseract is with a “beach ball” cube.

https://researchblog.duke.edu/2017/04/26/visualizing-the-fourth-dimension/

This is just a cube that has been printed along the sides of a sphere to give it a bloated appearance.

https://researchblog.duke.edu/2017/04/26/visualizing-the-fourth-dimension/

When shining a light on its north pole, the cube creates a 2D plane.

https://researchblog.duke.edu/2017/04/26/visualizing-the-fourth-dimension/

This can then be converted into a 3D object and connected with circular faces.

4 Dimensional Being Abilities:

The easiest way to explain the abilities of a being that is 4-dimensional is to consider how a 2-dimensional being would interpret us as 3-dimensional beings. In a 2-dimensional world, 3D beings would only be cross-sections. This would make us appear to only be blobs of shapes floating in mid-air.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/619210/4D_Toys/

Moving into the 3rd dimension (i.e. a different z-coordinate than the one the 2D world is in) would make us “disappear.”

With this in mind, a 4D being would essentially be extremely powerful. They would be able to see everything in the 3rd dimension at once. They could “disappear” by moving into the 4th dimension. Heck, they could remove your heart without cutting you open, much like a 3D being could remove a dot from a circle without cutting it.

So Could Spinel Be 4-Dimensional?

Short answer: no. With what we’ve seen from the Movie and Future, Spinel could not be 4-dimensional.

Spinel would be super OP. She would have no problem defeating all the Diamonds AT ONCE let alone Steven without any of his powers except the power to stick to smooth surfaces, apparently...

https://makutas-chronicle.tumblr.com/post/187538461056/spinel-garnet-and-true-kinda-love (You should check out this post. It brings up some really good points about the song “True Kind of Love”.)

Her whole reason for attacking Earth would be completely pointless! As a 4D being, she would have SEEN what happened to Pink Diamond and left the Garden before the show even started.

Even if gems had the technology and the massive amount of resources to create a being beyond their comprehension, what would be the point? Spinel was only meant to be a playmate. If they wanted Spinel to also have surveillance on Pink that could MAYBE justify creating a gem as complex as her. However, that still gives Spinel enough power to overthrow the Diamond Authority BY HERSELF. 

The only way the events of the movie could take place AND Spinel could be this powerful is if she spent her time in the Garden suppressing her ability to avoid peaking while playing the “game” with Pink.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBTN4ewBPQc

Maybe after thousands of years of suppressing her power, she lost the ability to use it? But then how did she get the Injector if not by walking into the 4th dimension? When she reset, wouldn’t she regain the ability without the memory of suppressing it? Wouldn’t she constantly morph and contort whenever she moved as her ability becomes goes haywire!?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyhqb1ciB2s

I think it’s more likely that she can only infer the 4th dimension. Kind of like how we infer the 3rd dimension. 

Yeah, apparently humans can’t actually see into the 3rd dimension. We only see the 2nd projections of 3D shapes and use light, shadows, and our position relative to objects around us to interpret depth.

https://researchblog.duke.edu/2017/04/26/visualizing-the-fourth-dimension/

Maybe Spinel just has advanced retinas. Maybe she can see into the 3rd dimension and infer the 4th.

https://researchblog.duke.edu/2017/04/26/visualizing-the-fourth-dimension/

Yes, she wouldn’t be able to flatten her gem or be the next dictator of all gem-kind, but it could explain what we see her do. She could walk around without half her head being gone one second and her leg the next.  She could have seen where the Injector and the Rejuvenator were through the 4th dimension. She maybe could have even navigated into the 4th dimension with her advanced vision and some effort.

The only thing this theory can’t explain is where that Rejuvenator came from and why it was so close to the Garden...Did Pink have a backup plan in case Spinel tried to follow her!?

https://vocal.media/geeks/everything-you-need-to-know-for-steven-universe-the-movie-part-2

And that’s it! If you made it this far, you’re just as hopelessly nerdy as I am! Only you didn’t spend hours of your life writing a 10-page paper on whether a fictional character could take over the universe...

Special thanks to  a-second-chance-su-au for inspiration. I never would have made this nerd spaghetti if you hadn’t handed me the ingredients! Check them out if you like SU AUs featuring CG Spinel.

Do you have any suggestions? Criticisms? Ideas you want me to obsess over explore? Did I miss something? Do you have a counter-theory? Then just send in an ask! I’ll try my best to respond. Have a nice day and drink your energy beans! 

References (Order of Appearance I think... I may have messed up the order):

http://eusebeia.dyndns.org/4d/vis/01-intro (Humans Only See in 2D)

https://plus.maths.org/content/richard-elwes (4D math perspective)

https://www.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/HPS_0410/chapters/four_dimensions/index.html (Shape Fusion)

https://researchblog.duke.edu/2017/04/26/visualizing-the-fourth-dimension/ (“Beach Ball” Tesseract)

http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/fourth.html (3D Beings to 2D Beings = 4D Beings to 3D Beings)