Create your own character rpg
CreateYourOwn
2023.02.11 10:23 AlanRainbow CreateYourOwn
ئەو سابە بۆ کەسانێکە کە دەیانەوێت هاوبەشی بکەن لە داهێنانەکانیاندا. کەسانێک کە هێزی داهێنانیان بەرزە و هەمیشە بیر لە شتێکی نوێ دەکەنەوە. بە ئومێدی دنیایەکی نوێ. This community is for the ones that are *Creative* and powerful in creating something new. you can share the conlang you've made, the world you've built, the code you've created and your drawings. in hope for a new world.
2014.03.09 21:37 porkypenguin CYOC/Nation Creation
This is a subreddit based off of the old forum games Create Your Own Country and Nation Creation.
2011.09.04 17:36 Video game RPG news, reviews, discussions, and updates
RPG_Gamers is a subreddit for fans of all video game RPGs from JRPGs (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest), Western RPGs (Fallout, Baldur's Gate), action games with RPG elements (Diablo, League of Legends), and discussions related to them. Subreddit in general revolves around discussion of RPG videogames, recommendations for new games to try, news of upcoming RPGs, and reviews of recently released RPGs. Memes and other related filler content is not presently allowed.
2024.05.16 20:30 Wild_Cellist9861 Gamers Break Away [GBA]
My fellow gamers, for too long has our community suffered the indignation of an intolerable culture that has denigrated, besmirched, exploited, and has outright demonized our culture of unique individuals with a genuine love of a hobby that they see as profitable and progressive. They have taken beloved IP’s (Intellectual Properties) and twisted them into their own personal ideological crusade of undermining and humiliating the core aspects of characters they deemed as “Toxic” or “White Supremacy”. Through the guise and protection of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity) & ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) they have used our influence in the entertainment industry to push their narratives and agendas that have stigmatized our culture with numerous anti-consumer practices that they call “being progressive”. But the truth of the matter is they were never really looking to be a part of our community, they simply wanted to use our community as a tool of activism and propaganda in the entertainment industry as it was extremely profitable, and they wanted inclusion in that division. Ever since GamerGate & Female Frequency, we have had to endure the incursion of forced ideologies, xenophobic behaviors and inferior overpriced products that have never been in our best interest and have been flat out disgraceful towards foreign media.
Before Gaming had become a major source of entertainment, we were often categorized as anti-social or societies rejects where because we found more enjoyment in playing fictional characters and not spending as much time out and about, we never fully assimilated in society (which is a good thing if you ask me). From 1998 to 2007, at the height of innovation, creativity and production, Gaming had reached a golden age in which it had revolutionized society. Hollywood Execs who had ruined the movie industry turned their attention to video games as a source of income since video games had outperformed movies in terms of profit. No one was concerned about gaming, much less diversity or inclusivity until it became profitable. This makes people like SBI look extremely disingenuous as they were not interested in gamers as a community with its own culture. They simply wanted to use it as another weapon in identity politics.
Microtransactions; the hidden enemy to gamer progress and inducer to mental laziness of our community. Microtransactions have been around for a long time; however, it has never been more potent and apparent than in recent years. It has aided in the dismantling and segregation of players on the ideology of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and has created another sub-culture of gamers who have no real drive to be better outside of how much money they put into the game. This has degraded our culture as well as we have become “fat” off transactional gaming but at the same time we have been “starved” of purposeful gaming where our achievements were our sustenance. I am not saying that microtransactions are bad, but when they are exploitative and predatorial like they have been and don’t give gamers room to grow, we become lethargic and unwilling to improve ourselves as gamers. Oversaturated microtransactional games are one of the many reasons why we have become complacent and unwilling to fight against the exploitative tactics used by big brand game companies such EA, Ubisoft, ActivisionBlizzard, NaughtyDog and so many other western business model companies. Western style games were not like this in the past, they had much more depth and actual effort put into them with the gamer in mind. This has not been the case for over a decade and our connection to western developers has been whittled down to just being transactional. That is one of the reasons why you see so many remasters and remakes in today’s gamer community. They have lost their willingness to improve as developers of games and simply accept corporate/share holder rules.
Game journalists also do not have any real integrity or purpose outside of being funded for their involvement in promoting IPG (Identity Political Games) in a positive light to the public whether it’s positively received or not. They are not interested in what we have to say, they all support the same agenda and that is why they are a dying breed. Within the next couple of years, they will be out of the job and more than likely they will not be able to stay in the industry giving how they have responded to past articles that have clearly been scripted on the premise of diversity and racism. Not only that, but most of them are also extremely hostile to the community as they stereotype and defame the individuals that are a part of the community they are supposed to serve. We have been mentally liberated from their lies and coercive tactics as we tend to laugh at their obvious attempt at virtue signaling while hiding their misdoings so that they can play the victim.
My gamer brothers & sisters, I would not suggest the following action that we must take now without good cause. I have weighed our options and the best option for us now is this…...CULTURAL SECESSION. Naturally this is a form of segregation where they would more than likely claim they are being segregated by the dominant culture of the gaming community but that is incorrect. For years now we have been the ones who are often marginalized and ostracized for the smaller portion of our community. And when we aren’t, we’re exploited for more funds so that these companies can stay in business only to subject us to low quality products that coincide with the “WOKE Agenda” that are often huge expenses to these big brands i.e. AAA/AAAA games that will eventually flop for its obvious forced diversity and bug infested product which will undoubtedly piss off the consumer to the point of wanting a refund. Losing copious amounts of capital and stock in the process, not to mention their reputation is permanently marred.
We must separate on every cultural level in terms of entertainment and ideology. We must reject everything from the west that promotes toxic western beliefs, practices, and exclusion from other cultures (i.e. Southeastern Countries such as Japan and Korea). Japan & Korea have been the targets of unjust discrimination from Western Developers, Western Journalists, Western Localizers (The Wokelizers) and Western Society Prejudice regarding their sense of aesthetics as Westerners hate the aesthetic sense of these countries. The reason why they resort to such base tactics isn’t just because it weaponizes the ideal female form but it’s also because they have deep-seated insecurities about their own looks so when they see attractive female characters, they use terms such as “unrealistic” or “hypersexualized” to establish the moral high ground. But the truth is, they want to feel superior to that which is ideal, so they insult and dehumanize this figure that portrays natural female beauty because they see it as an insult to their own social superiority in what they believe is a hierarchy of them being at the top of all other women. Because of this and so many contributing factors, their movies flop harder than the Fat Chocobo landing on a group of enemies and their games seismically fail just as much if not more. We must sever our connection to Western Developers, Publishers, and ALL Western-Centric Entertainment for they seek to mentally enslave us to their Xenophobic ideology.
Let’s define Western Culture and its traits. Western Culture/Society is composed of more than several different ideologies that work in unison with one another to facilitate dominance over multiple aspects of society. Business, Social, Political, Technological, and sometimes even Global Affairs are affected by these ideologies that portray a specific mindset of Western beliefs. What are those ideologies you ask?
https://youtu.be/Iq86DnmX2xY
https://youtu.be/1HbrTkqQFuM
https://youtu.be/to5Uciy_yeg
@EndymionTv
https://youtu.be/7TPTR8-qmbk
https://youtu.be/bPIPSKruYRo
These traits are so nefarious and unconscionable that I have a hard time believing that anyone could harbor them. However, given the social, political, and economic climate that we are in, those in power who use their influence on controlling society most definitely possess these insidious traits. Everything that they do is all about control and since video games are the biggest market in the world, they want control over it and the communities built around it to accrue more wealth and to use that wealth to subjugate other cultures. Mainstream media is a tool as well as mainstream organizations and sites to help accomplish this goal.
The government recently announced its intentions towards what they believe is “GamerGate 2.0” and now even the ADL has made an official appearance, referring to gamers as “extremist’s”. We know EXACTLY what they are doing, and they aren’t even trying to hide it anymore because they don’t think we are aware of their motives. This is just a pretext for them to exert even more control and we know why, it’s because they want the influence we as a community have to must serve them. So here is what we do my fellow gamers-
“In light of recent events and years of mainstream stigma, we the members of the Global Gaming Community [GGC] must officially renounce ALL TIES to the corporate western video game market. We have been financially exploited through predatorial monetization schemes, pelted with numerous articles of disdain and intentional misrepresentation from game journalists, news outlets regarding us as dangerous individuals and, even subjected to inferior products not only riddled with bugs but also products meant to push political agendas. For the preservation of our community and its unique culture, apart from a few select game development studios we officially sever all connections to western owned video game companies & their mainstream affiliates. From this point onward, we will no longer support western corporate developers, journalists and publishers that do not coincide with the goals of our community.”
Naturally this is completely optional. If you are okay with the state of the gaming community as it is, feel free to ignore this. But if you wish for real change and a break away from oversaturated monetization in the games you play and the push for radical ideological reform, then you are in the right place. Lets sever these rotted miasmic ties once and for all so that our community can be preserved and made better for future gamers. If you agree with this, share it with whoever you think might be interested. The more gamers who get involved, the easier it will be for us to finally break free from mainstream game companies and their associates.
submitted by Wild_Cellist9861 to United_Gamer_Front [link] [comments]
Before Gaming had become a major source of entertainment, we were often categorized as anti-social or societies rejects where because we found more enjoyment in playing fictional characters and not spending as much time out and about, we never fully assimilated in society (which is a good thing if you ask me). From 1998 to 2007, at the height of innovation, creativity and production, Gaming had reached a golden age in which it had revolutionized society. Hollywood Execs who had ruined the movie industry turned their attention to video games as a source of income since video games had outperformed movies in terms of profit. No one was concerned about gaming, much less diversity or inclusivity until it became profitable. This makes people like SBI look extremely disingenuous as they were not interested in gamers as a community with its own culture. They simply wanted to use it as another weapon in identity politics.
Microtransactions; the hidden enemy to gamer progress and inducer to mental laziness of our community. Microtransactions have been around for a long time; however, it has never been more potent and apparent than in recent years. It has aided in the dismantling and segregation of players on the ideology of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and has created another sub-culture of gamers who have no real drive to be better outside of how much money they put into the game. This has degraded our culture as well as we have become “fat” off transactional gaming but at the same time we have been “starved” of purposeful gaming where our achievements were our sustenance. I am not saying that microtransactions are bad, but when they are exploitative and predatorial like they have been and don’t give gamers room to grow, we become lethargic and unwilling to improve ourselves as gamers. Oversaturated microtransactional games are one of the many reasons why we have become complacent and unwilling to fight against the exploitative tactics used by big brand game companies such EA, Ubisoft, ActivisionBlizzard, NaughtyDog and so many other western business model companies. Western style games were not like this in the past, they had much more depth and actual effort put into them with the gamer in mind. This has not been the case for over a decade and our connection to western developers has been whittled down to just being transactional. That is one of the reasons why you see so many remasters and remakes in today’s gamer community. They have lost their willingness to improve as developers of games and simply accept corporate/share holder rules.
Game journalists also do not have any real integrity or purpose outside of being funded for their involvement in promoting IPG (Identity Political Games) in a positive light to the public whether it’s positively received or not. They are not interested in what we have to say, they all support the same agenda and that is why they are a dying breed. Within the next couple of years, they will be out of the job and more than likely they will not be able to stay in the industry giving how they have responded to past articles that have clearly been scripted on the premise of diversity and racism. Not only that, but most of them are also extremely hostile to the community as they stereotype and defame the individuals that are a part of the community they are supposed to serve. We have been mentally liberated from their lies and coercive tactics as we tend to laugh at their obvious attempt at virtue signaling while hiding their misdoings so that they can play the victim.
My gamer brothers & sisters, I would not suggest the following action that we must take now without good cause. I have weighed our options and the best option for us now is this…...CULTURAL SECESSION. Naturally this is a form of segregation where they would more than likely claim they are being segregated by the dominant culture of the gaming community but that is incorrect. For years now we have been the ones who are often marginalized and ostracized for the smaller portion of our community. And when we aren’t, we’re exploited for more funds so that these companies can stay in business only to subject us to low quality products that coincide with the “WOKE Agenda” that are often huge expenses to these big brands i.e. AAA/AAAA games that will eventually flop for its obvious forced diversity and bug infested product which will undoubtedly piss off the consumer to the point of wanting a refund. Losing copious amounts of capital and stock in the process, not to mention their reputation is permanently marred.
We must separate on every cultural level in terms of entertainment and ideology. We must reject everything from the west that promotes toxic western beliefs, practices, and exclusion from other cultures (i.e. Southeastern Countries such as Japan and Korea). Japan & Korea have been the targets of unjust discrimination from Western Developers, Western Journalists, Western Localizers (The Wokelizers) and Western Society Prejudice regarding their sense of aesthetics as Westerners hate the aesthetic sense of these countries. The reason why they resort to such base tactics isn’t just because it weaponizes the ideal female form but it’s also because they have deep-seated insecurities about their own looks so when they see attractive female characters, they use terms such as “unrealistic” or “hypersexualized” to establish the moral high ground. But the truth is, they want to feel superior to that which is ideal, so they insult and dehumanize this figure that portrays natural female beauty because they see it as an insult to their own social superiority in what they believe is a hierarchy of them being at the top of all other women. Because of this and so many contributing factors, their movies flop harder than the Fat Chocobo landing on a group of enemies and their games seismically fail just as much if not more. We must sever our connection to Western Developers, Publishers, and ALL Western-Centric Entertainment for they seek to mentally enslave us to their Xenophobic ideology.
Let’s define Western Culture and its traits. Western Culture/Society is composed of more than several different ideologies that work in unison with one another to facilitate dominance over multiple aspects of society. Business, Social, Political, Technological, and sometimes even Global Affairs are affected by these ideologies that portray a specific mindset of Western beliefs. What are those ideologies you ask?
- Perpetual Victimhood: By weaponizing the fact that they are marginalized and of a small portion of western society, they can push their agenda to absurd standards that ultimately ostracize the main demographic. And when companies don’t capitulate, they are labeled as anti-progressive/misogynist’s or cohorts of White Supremacy. They use this to cancel their targets and silence them through societal defamation to keep the public on their side. They also use this mindset to justify their own lack of self-agency as they tend to throw companies who do adhere to their demands but miserably fail to turn a profit under the bus so that they can maintain face in front of the public while denying their actual involvement. They will never accept “Sense of Agency” when it’s negative but will gladly accept it when a positive outcome shines on them as if they are entitled to it.
- Societal Terrorism: This is another form of ideology weaponization that they use in order to make companies “toe-the-line” with their agenda. By weaponizing cancel culture, they exert dominance over these companies but in exchange they also reimburse those companies with DEI & ESG funds that raise their credit score as well as having social status with the marginalized demographic. However; cancel culture has not succeeded in years and developers and publishers probably only want the money and the DEI ESG rating. But they have to maintain the image of having social economic power so that they can continue to strong-arm other developers into compliance and promoting financial benefits of DEI & ESG. In other words, if you are not for sale, they discredit and stigmatize you in the industry.
https://youtu.be/Iq86DnmX2xY
- “Its not us, its you who’s wrong” Mentality: This mentality is especially annoying as they tend to use it to hide their incompetence. They often look down upon gamers who are not in the industry to hide their obvious lack of knowledge on game development thinking that their job title grants them special status that they believe gives them the right to be condescending. But the truth they never wanted revealed has already strangled their careers of all credibility. They were never GAMERS, they were INVADERS. Community Colonists that seek to indoctrinate next generational gamers into their hive-mind and brand previous generations of gamers as villains.
https://youtu.be/1HbrTkqQFuM
- Double-standard Enforcement: By labeling something as “unrealistic” or “hypersexualized”, they can claim this is morally wrong if it promotes traditional dynamics between men and women. Heterosexual relationships are condemned while at the same time Same-sex relationships are praised. Additionally, heterosexual relationships with main white male characters turn antagonistic and spotlight stealing. This is deliberate as to promote the “Girl Boss” ideology to indoctrinate women into the Feminazi state of mind. While at the same time, should a male character also adopt the “I don’t need male/female” ideology its seen as Toxic Masculinity which isn’t even a real thing. The idea of a strong male character is taboo while enforcing strong female characters is the ideal.
https://youtu.be/to5Uciy_yeg
@EndymionTv
https://youtu.be/7TPTR8-qmbk
- Dehumanization/Demonization: This is something that most military branches use in order to remove conscious inhibitions such as mass slaughter is wrong or categorization. By enforcing ideologies to denounce humanity in certain targets, it deactivates your conscience by saying this is not human therefore its ethically okay to treat this target without compassion and deny the fact it has sentience. We gamers fall under this category for journalists, developers, companies and society at large. This is a tactic we are familiar with to an extent as it implies that we are not normal when we do not do what everybody else is doing. “Geeks are the worse” or “Nerds need to fall into a pit of lava” are verbal dehumanization forms that most people in society say and we as Gamers tend to be relegated to those categories. This is their way of imposing the social hierarchy on us by establishing superiority. We know this as Gamers as we see it very often in the games that we play and some times experience it in real life.
- Deflection/Projection: This is basic psychology 101. By redirecting the conversation away from their mistakes and back on to the opposing view to avert blame and justify their innocence they can avoid criticism. However; deflection is a CONSCIOUS decision, meaning they have no real argument to justify their incompetence. If you can consciously process the situation, you have self-agency which means you don’t have a legitimate excuse. Projection is something else entirely. Most times, Projection doesn’t work on conscious decisions rather it is automatically deployed when feeling threatened, anxious or both. Instead of accepting accountability for feelings or actions that are deemed socially unacceptable they accuse others of committing that unacceptable behavior thereby exonerating themselves and proving that those feelings and/or actions are not their own.
https://youtu.be/bPIPSKruYRo
These traits are so nefarious and unconscionable that I have a hard time believing that anyone could harbor them. However, given the social, political, and economic climate that we are in, those in power who use their influence on controlling society most definitely possess these insidious traits. Everything that they do is all about control and since video games are the biggest market in the world, they want control over it and the communities built around it to accrue more wealth and to use that wealth to subjugate other cultures. Mainstream media is a tool as well as mainstream organizations and sites to help accomplish this goal.
The government recently announced its intentions towards what they believe is “GamerGate 2.0” and now even the ADL has made an official appearance, referring to gamers as “extremist’s”. We know EXACTLY what they are doing, and they aren’t even trying to hide it anymore because they don’t think we are aware of their motives. This is just a pretext for them to exert even more control and we know why, it’s because they want the influence we as a community have to must serve them. So here is what we do my fellow gamers-
“In light of recent events and years of mainstream stigma, we the members of the Global Gaming Community [GGC] must officially renounce ALL TIES to the corporate western video game market. We have been financially exploited through predatorial monetization schemes, pelted with numerous articles of disdain and intentional misrepresentation from game journalists, news outlets regarding us as dangerous individuals and, even subjected to inferior products not only riddled with bugs but also products meant to push political agendas. For the preservation of our community and its unique culture, apart from a few select game development studios we officially sever all connections to western owned video game companies & their mainstream affiliates. From this point onward, we will no longer support western corporate developers, journalists and publishers that do not coincide with the goals of our community.”
Naturally this is completely optional. If you are okay with the state of the gaming community as it is, feel free to ignore this. But if you wish for real change and a break away from oversaturated monetization in the games you play and the push for radical ideological reform, then you are in the right place. Lets sever these rotted miasmic ties once and for all so that our community can be preserved and made better for future gamers. If you agree with this, share it with whoever you think might be interested. The more gamers who get involved, the easier it will be for us to finally break free from mainstream game companies and their associates.
2024.05.16 20:27 Embarrassed-Can-5297 Am I the only one who feels all the characters in the SP series have one of two personalities?
So, when I was a kid, I stumbled on the SP series and LOVED it. I read all the available novels and went out to get all the others that followed on the very day of their release. Even now, as an adult, when I don’t have time to read (or do anything else outside work), I still find time for a new SP novel. That’s how much I love the world Derek Landy created.
That said, the writing, to me, has always been very simplistic (which I usually have no problems with). Example, I’m rereading Until the End, and I once again came across this part:
“He [Dex] left, and she [Val] went back to drinking her coffee until Skulduggery appeared in the doorway, and she knocked over her chair as she sprinted into his arms. She cried and he patted her head as he hugged her, and she muttered into his shirt.”
SP and Val hadn’t seen each other in a while, during which time Val had been arrested and tortured, and all her feelings in this moment were reduced to “She cried.” Nothing more, no insight on her feelings/emotions, nothing to make you understand why she would react this way save for deductive reasoning. Which, I guess, is fine because I’ve aged out of the target audience, so I shouldn’t expect any complex characterisation and character development.
But what really, really bothers me (and has bothered me for more than a decade now) is that literally ALL the characters fall in one of two personalities.
The important characters are INTELLIGENT, CONFIDENT (overly so sometimes), and WITTY (though the witty banter tends to continue for longer than necessary sometimes). Most other characters, especially the villains, are AMAZINGLY STUPID, UNSURE OF THEMSELVES and easily swayed. The only character who’s been fleshed out and has his own personality is Omen Darkly, and he started out STUPID.
I still love the series, and unlike many people I’ve came across on the internet, I like that we got more stories than initially planned, but I’ve always wondered if I was the only one that noticed what I pointed out.
What are your thoughts?
submitted by Embarrassed-Can-5297 to skulduggerypleasant [link] [comments]
That said, the writing, to me, has always been very simplistic (which I usually have no problems with). Example, I’m rereading Until the End, and I once again came across this part:
“He [Dex] left, and she [Val] went back to drinking her coffee until Skulduggery appeared in the doorway, and she knocked over her chair as she sprinted into his arms. She cried and he patted her head as he hugged her, and she muttered into his shirt.”
SP and Val hadn’t seen each other in a while, during which time Val had been arrested and tortured, and all her feelings in this moment were reduced to “She cried.” Nothing more, no insight on her feelings/emotions, nothing to make you understand why she would react this way save for deductive reasoning. Which, I guess, is fine because I’ve aged out of the target audience, so I shouldn’t expect any complex characterisation and character development.
But what really, really bothers me (and has bothered me for more than a decade now) is that literally ALL the characters fall in one of two personalities.
The important characters are INTELLIGENT, CONFIDENT (overly so sometimes), and WITTY (though the witty banter tends to continue for longer than necessary sometimes). Most other characters, especially the villains, are AMAZINGLY STUPID, UNSURE OF THEMSELVES and easily swayed. The only character who’s been fleshed out and has his own personality is Omen Darkly, and he started out STUPID.
I still love the series, and unlike many people I’ve came across on the internet, I like that we got more stories than initially planned, but I’ve always wondered if I was the only one that noticed what I pointed out.
What are your thoughts?
2024.05.16 19:41 Sweet-Count2557 Best Babymoon Destinations In December 2023
 | Best Babymoon Destinations In December 2023 submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] Looking for the perfect babymoon destination to celebrate your pregnancy in December? Look no further! We have compiled a list of the best places for you to escape, relax, and enjoy some quality time before your little one arrives. Whether you're dreaming of pristine beaches, snowy mountains, or exotic cultural experiences, we've got you covered. In Maui, Hawaii, you can bask in the warm sun and dip your toes in crystal-clear waters. Aspen, Colorado offers a cozy winter wonderland with its charming ski resorts and breathtaking mountain scenery. For those seeking a mix of relaxation and adventure, Cancun, Mexico is the place to be with its luxurious resorts and vibrant nightlife. If you're looking for a more romantic and picturesque setting, Santorini, Greece will steal your heart with its iconic white-washed buildings overlooking the sparkling Aegean Sea. And finally, Bali, Indonesia invites you to immerse yourself in its lush landscapes, ancient temples, and tranquil yoga retreats. No matter which destination you choose from our carefully curated list of best babymoon destinations in December 2021, rest assured that it will be a memorable experience filled with love and joy as you prepare to welcome your bundle of joy into the world. Key Takeaways Maui, Hawaii offers pristine beaches, warm sun, crystal clear waters, and the opportunity to visit Haleakala National Park. Aspen, Colorado provides a cozy winter wonderland with ski resorts, breathtaking mountain scenery, sleigh rides, and ice skating. Cancun, Mexico offers warm sun, turquoise waters, Mayan ruins, relaxing beaches, natural beauty, and luxurious accommodations. Santorini, Greece showcases breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea, charming villages, unique architecture, and delicious Greek cuisine. Bali, Indonesia boasts lush landscapes, ancient temples, and tranquil yoga retreats. Maui, Hawaii Maui, Hawaii is the perfect babymoon destination to relax and soak up the sun in December. With its stunning beaches, lush landscapes, and warm weather year-round, Maui offers a blissful retreat for expectant parents looking to unwind before their little one arrives. One of the main attractions in Maui is its breathtaking natural beauty. Whether you're taking a romantic stroll along the golden sands of Kaanapali Beach or exploring the rugged coastline of Hana, you'll be surrounded by picturesque views at every turn. Don't miss out on visiting Haleakala National Park, where you can witness a magical sunrise above the clouds from its volcanic summit. In addition to its natural wonders, Maui also offers a wide range of activities for babymooners. Take advantage of your time here by snorkeling with sea turtles in Molokini Crater or embarking on a scenic helicopter tour to see the island's impressive waterfalls and hidden valleys. For those seeking relaxation, indulge in a couples' massage at one of Maui's luxurious spas or simply laze by the pool while sipping on refreshing tropical drinks. No matter how you choose to spend your babymoon in Maui, this enchanting island will provide an unforgettable experience that will leave you feeling rejuvenated and ready for parenthood. So pack your swimsuit and sunscreen and get ready to create lasting memories in this tropical paradise! Aspen, Colorado Ironically, Aspen, Colorado in December offers more than just gorgeous snow-covered mountains. This iconic winter wonderland is a perfect destination for a babymoon getaway. With world-class ski resorts and an array of winter activities, Aspen ensures that you and your partner have an unforgettable experience. Aspen is renowned for its top-notch ski resorts. Whether you're a seasoned skier or a beginner, there are slopes to suit every skill level. The Aspen Mountain Resort boasts over 3000 acres of skiable terrain with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. Snowmass Ski Area offers expansive slopes and diverse terrain, perfect for exploring together. Apart from skiing, Aspen offers a myriad of other winter activities to enjoy during your babymoon. Take a romantic sleigh ride through picturesque landscapes or go ice skating hand-in-hand at the Silver Circle Ice Rink. For a unique adventure, try dog sledding and feel the thrill as you glide through the snow-covered trails. After a day filled with outdoor adventures, indulge in some much-needed relaxation at one of Aspen's luxurious spas. Treat yourself to a prenatal massage or unwind in the soothing hot tubs while surrounded by stunning mountain views. Aspen is an excellent choice for your babymoon in December. From world-class ski resorts to thrilling winter activities and serene spa experiences, this charming town has it all to make your trip truly magical. Cancun, Mexico When planning your December getaway, imagine yourself basking in the warm sun and turquoise waters of Cancun, Mexico. This vibrant destination offers the perfect babymoon experience with its stunning Caribbean beaches and rich cultural heritage. Here are four reasons why exploring Mayan ruins and enjoying the breathtaking coastline make Cancun an ideal babymoon destination: Discover Ancient History: Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of the Mayan civilization by visiting iconic sites such as Chichen Itza and Tulum. These ancient ruins will transport you back in time, allowing you to marvel at their architectural brilliance while learning about their intriguing history. Indulge in Relaxation: Picture yourself lounging on powdery white sands, feeling the gentle ocean breeze caress your skin as you soak up the sun's warmth. Cancun's pristine beaches offer a tranquil setting for expectant parents to unwind and reconnect before welcoming their little one. Unparalleled Natural Beauty: The crystal-clear waters of Cancun are renowned for their mesmerizing shades of blue. Snorkel alongside colorful tropical fish, or take a leisurely swim in one of the many cenotes (natural sinkholes) that dot this coastal paradise. Luxurious Accommodations: From all-inclusive resorts to boutique hotels, Cancun offers an array of accommodations tailored to pamper expecting couples. Enjoy spacious rooms with breathtaking views, rejuvenating spa treatments, and delectable cuisine that caters to your pregnancy cravings. Whether you're seeking adventure or simply craving relaxation, Cancun provides the perfect blend of natural beauty, cultural exploration, and luxurious indulgence for an unforgettable babymoon experience. Santorini, Greece When you visit Santorini, Greece, get ready to be mesmerized by the breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea. From the moment you arrive on this picturesque island, you'll be greeted by stunning vistas of turquoise waters and dramatic cliffs. As you explore the charming villages and unique architecture that dot the landscape, every turn will reveal a new postcard-worthy scene. And don't forget to indulge in the delicious Greek cuisine and wine - from fresh seafood to mouthwatering moussaka, your taste buds are in for a treat. Admire the Breathtaking Views of the Aegean Sea Get ready to be amazed as you take in the stunning vistas of the Aegean Sea during your babymoon in December. Santorini, Greece offers breathtaking sunsets that'll leave you and your partner in awe. Imagine standing on a cliffside, hand in hand, as the sky turns shades of pink and orange, creating a picture-perfect backdrop for your romantic getaway. To make the most of this incredible experience, consider staying at one of the luxury resorts overlooking the Aegean Sea. These resorts offer not only lavish accommodations but also private balconies or terraces where you can enjoy uninterrupted views of the sea and feel completely immersed in nature's beauty. During your babymoon on Santorini island, don't miss out on exploring the charming villages perched on cliffs. Wander through narrow streets lined with traditional white houses adorned with vibrant blue accents, creating a picturesque scene against the azure waters below. In summary: Breathtaking sunsets: Witness nature's artwork unfold before your eyes. Luxury resorts: Indulge in opulent accommodations with stunning sea views. Charming villages: Immerse yourself in Greek culture while admiring scenic landscapes. Discover Charming Villages and Unique Architecture Immerse yourself in the rich Greek culture and architectural wonders as you explore the charming villages with their unique white houses and vibrant blue accents. Embark on captivating tours of these charming villages, where every corner reveals a new architectural wonder. Wander through narrow cobblestone streets that wind their way between traditional houses adorned with colorful flowers. Admire the intricate details of the whitewashed walls and wooden shutters that create a picturesque backdrop against the striking blue sky. These villages offer a glimpse into Greece's history and traditions, with each village showcasing its own distinct charm and character. Whether it's the quaint taverns serving delicious local cuisine or the cozy cafes inviting you to sit back and relax, these villages are sure to leave a lasting impression on your babymoon getaway. Don't miss out on this opportunity to discover Greece's charming villages and their remarkable architecture. Savor Delicious Greek Cuisine and Wine Indulge in the mouthwatering flavors of Greek cuisine and sip on exquisite local wines, immersing yourself in a culinary experience that will leave you craving for more. Did you know that Greece is home to over 300 indigenous grape varieties, making it one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world? Here are four reasons why savoring Greek food and wine should be at the top of your babymoon itinerary: Authentic Mediterranean Flavors: From creamy tzatziki and tender souvlaki to savory moussaka and flaky baklava, Greek cuisine offers a delightful array of dishes bursting with fresh ingredients like olive oil, feta cheese, and aromatic herbs. Unique Regional Specialties: Each Greek island or mainland region has its own culinary specialties. Sample Santorini's famous cherry tomatoes, Crete's succulent lamb dishes, or Thessaloniki's delectable seafood. Wine Tasting Adventures: Embark on wine tours through picturesque vineyards where you can taste unique varietals like Assyrtiko or Xinomavro. The combination of volcanic soil and Mediterranean climate creates exceptional conditions for cultivating grapes. Cooking Classes & Food Tours: Engage in hands-on cooking classes where skilled chefs will guide you through preparing traditional Greek dishes like spanakopita or dolmades. Alternatively, join food tours to explore bustling markets brimming with vibrant produce and local delicacies. Prepare to embark on a gastronomic journey that celebrates the rich history and diverse flavors of Greek cuisine. Bali, Indonesia Explore the enchanting beauty of Bali, where you can relax on stunning beaches, indulge in delicious cuisine, and experience the vibrant culture firsthand. Bali is renowned for its breathtaking beaches that offer a perfect setting for sunbathing, swimming, and even surfing. The island boasts an array of picturesque shores such as Kuta Beach with its golden sand and crystal-clear waters. Imagine yourself lounging under the warm tropical sun while sipping a refreshing cocktail. Bali's allure extends beyond its beaches; it is also deeply rooted in traditional Balinese culture. Immerse yourself in the rich heritage by visiting ancient temples like Pura Besakih or attending captivating traditional dance performances. Witnessing these cultural traditions will transport you to another world filled with grace and beauty. To give you a glimpse of what awaits you in Bali, here's a table highlighting some of the most popular beach destinations and cultural experiences: Beach DestinationsTraditional Balinese CultureKuta BeachTemple VisitsNusa DuaTraditional Dance PerformancesSeminyakBalinese Cooking ClassesJimbaran BayBatik Workshops Whether you're seeking relaxation or adventure, Bali has something for everyone. Its harmonious blend of natural beauty and cultural heritage creates an unforgettable babymoon destination that will leave you feeling rejuvenated and inspired. Frequently Asked Questions What are the visa requirements for traveling to Bali, Indonesia? When it comes to traveling to Bali, Indonesia, you'll need to meet certain visa requirements and adhere to travel regulations. Imagine a gate that stands between you and your dream destination. To pass through, make sure you have a valid passport with at least six months of validity left. For most countries, Bali offers visa-free entry for up to 30 days. However, if you plan on staying longer or have specific purposes for your visit, check the official Indonesian immigration website for detailed visa requirements and regulations. Are there any specific safety precautions to consider when visiting Santorini, Greece? When visiting Santorini, Greece, it's important to take a few safety precautions. Be cautious when walking along the steep cliffs and wear sturdy shoes. Avoid overcrowded areas during peak tourist season and be mindful of pickpockets in crowded places. When it comes to babymoon activities, enjoy a relaxing sunset cruise or indulge in a couples' spa treatment. Take advantage of the breathtaking views and savor the local cuisine for an unforgettable experience. Can you recommend any family-friendly activities or attractions in Aspen, Colorado? Aspen, Colorado offers a plethora of family-friendly activities and outdoor adventures. Start your day by exploring the Maroon Bells, two majestic peaks surrounded by picturesque scenery. Take the kids to the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, where they can learn about local wildlife and ecosystems. For some adrenaline-pumping fun, go skiing or snowboarding at one of the world-class resorts in town. Don't miss out on ice skating at Snowmass Village or sledding at Smuggler Mountain Park. There's something for everyone in Aspen! What are the average temperatures and weather conditions in Cancun, Mexico, during the month of December? In December, Cancun, Mexico experiences average temperatures ranging from the mid-70s to the low 80s Fahrenheit. It's the perfect time to visit Cancun as you can enjoy warm and pleasant weather while escaping the winter chill. The sunny days are accompanied by a gentle breeze, making it ideal for relaxing on the beautiful beaches or exploring ancient Mayan ruins nearby. So pack your swimsuit and get ready for a delightful vacation in Cancun this December! Are there any special cultural or traditional events taking place in Maui, Hawaii, during December? Looking to immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of Maui, Hawaii, during December? You're in luck! This tropical paradise offers a magnificent array of cultural events that will leave you spellbound. From the mesmerizing Festival of Lights, where twinkling lights transform the town into a winter wonderland, to the lively Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival, where soulful melodies fill the air like gentle ocean waves. December is truly the best time to visit Maui for an unforgettable cultural experience. Conclusion So, there you have it - the best babymoon destinations in December! Whether you're craving a tropical paradise or a snowy retreat, these destinations offer the perfect getaway for expecting parents. And here's an interesting statistic: did you know that Santorini in Greece is known for its stunning sunsets? Imagine strolling hand-in-hand with your partner, watching the sky burst into a kaleidoscope of colors as the sun dips below the horizon. It's moments like these that make babymoon vacations truly unforgettable. So go ahead, take some time to relax and enjoy each other's company before your little one arrives. |
2024.05.16 19:34 Nitros629 My Physical Version of Queen's Blood
 | This is a physical version of Queen's Blood that I've been working on since Rebirth came out. submitted by Nitros629 to FinalFantasyVII [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/fhyby586nt0d1.png?width=1928&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd7f668e12b1f4e39db1ca64196d065c32728760 Before starting this project I knew there were several things I wanted to change. #1, the theme. Final Fantasy characters are great, but I knew several others would attempt to make versions of this using art from FF7 Rebirth so I wanted to do something different. #2, rotating the game. When players play Queen's Blood in FF7: Rebirh, they are always on the left and the opponent is always on the right (except for one Gold Saucer challenge). This works fine for a video game with computer opponents but translating this to tabletop would not work so well. I envisioned a version where opponents would face each other across the table instead of sitting next to each other, so I rotated the grids of every card 90 degrees counter clockwise. This can be shown on this "Ifrit" card when compared to this "Ultra Instinct Goku" card. Since my version is made with this rotation in mind, these are still functionally the same card. Image credit to PowerPyx.com https://preview.redd.it/14ujoadpmt0d1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=735e72820cb681ed003ccbdf6796bd93bff89f95 #3, the text. The card text on Queen's Blood cards is written fairly poorly. The cards are always written as if they affect multiple tiles even when they don't. The text is also backwards from what I'd expect having conditions written last instead of first. So my version has revised the text to account for this, as seen on Mu and Jaco. These are still functionally the same card, Jaco just has clearer text that makes sense. Image credit to PowerPyx.com https://preview.redd.it/n0a0ukfymt0d1.jpg?width=2363&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1753d429da2a3bf6ebc8e7e37aa71be5727234f8 #4, the Extra Deck. There are several Queen's Blood cards that add cards to a player's hand or play cards onto the field from outside of the game. To translate this to a physical version, I changed those cards to use an Extra Deck this can be shown with Amalgam and Bardock. These are still functionally the same card, but the Bardock card specifies where the new card comes from. My rules for this game also state that you can only include cards in your Extra Deck which have a matching number to a card in your main deck, although it doesn't really matter if you have all the Extra Deck cards in your Extra Deck at once. Cards that originate from the Extra Deck have a white outer border and an EX in their number. Image credit to Gamer Heroes https://preview.redd.it/kb07cbtxnt0d1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96f34874f4c362cc461fa2bccd50c40fd3c64331 #5, two sets of cards. This is unavoidable. Two sets of cards must exist, one for each player. I have orange cards and blue cards for my sets, each with their own Dragon Ball symbol. Also, the blue tile pattern is a mirror of the orange pattern. Each set of cards also have their own card back, since they cannot be combined whatsoever. This is shown in Tarble, which is also functionally identical to Levrikon. Image credit to PowerPyx.com https://preview.redd.it/64fvrda1ot0d1.jpg?width=3866&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f08718dfdc233b21c672323b4357fd8ea430a87 #6, the field. Queen's Blood is normally played on a 5x3 field for 15 total tiles. Instead of creating a playmat, I opted to create 9 filler cards which when used with the initial 6 rank cards creates the field. The rank cards are double sided, one side for each color so they can easily be flipped when control of that tile shifts to the opponent. I wanted to avoid having to move and manage several pawns or dice, especially when dice are important in tracking power buffs and debuffs. Admittedly, the clunkiest part of my execution is when tiles increase in rank. The previous rank card must be returned to the stack and replaced by the next rank. My set contains 12 rank 1 cards, 10 rank 2 cards, and 8 rank 3 cards. https://preview.redd.it/q0pz8lzdot0d1.png?width=956&format=png&auto=webp&s=805a0c6e061bcc0001934563d07be476c25bc085 In addition to the core 145 cards and any corresponding Extra Deck cards, I have also created the cards from some of the challenges in Costa Del Sol and the Gold Saucer. These cards all have gray borders to show they do not belong in a standard deck. I also remade the various box/Polygonal cards used from the Survival challenges as characters or locations from the Dragon Ball Universe. I also remade the various Cactuar cards as Supreme Kai and remade Chadley and MAI as Kami and Mr. Popo. https://preview.redd.it/ltm25cuiot0d1.jpg?width=4030&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d8c8d538d72349c95517fe8fcafcbb6080baf9b Lastly, I painstaking played against the Shadowblood Queen over and over again trying to recreate her cards to make her deck. These red framed cards can be played against either blue or orange, as long as the Shadowblood Queen player uses the appropriate "Omega Shenron" card, which is functionally identical to the Shadowblood Queen card. https://preview.redd.it/5y3en2erot0d1.jpg?width=3541&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c08eb72527323c579f1023650216f32c71b1fba3 https://preview.redd.it/mht55y0rpt0d1.jpg?width=2552&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c90ee595d385ed904e2a0936192ca0156bf34c0 There is one card that might not be an EXACTLY functional recreation from Queen's Blood due to the translation to tabletop: my version of the J-Squad and the Hype Johnny cards. It's not stated in game but the Hype Johnny number played is determined by the rank of the position it's being played on. To streamline this I remade "J-Squad" as "Meta-Cooler Core", and made the "Hype Johnny" cards all Meta-Cooler with different ranks. Technically, the "Hype Johnny" cards do not have a rank and my "Meta-Cooler" cards do, but considering these are always played directly their rank should not matter. https://preview.redd.it/6zghed7not0d1.jpg?width=3070&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67e65a1be6152a69ca8149aee3479ca7ade0bcb3 Here are the card backs: blue, orange and red are for those cards respectively and gray is for some of the bonus cards that start in play. https://preview.redd.it/swhcoax9qt0d1.jpg?width=2724&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b07bba2f8779aa81266a62c1486ccfbaf3a3b9dc This has been a cool project to work on, and I wanted to show off my changes and execution. I can share other pictures or answer any questions people may have. Hopefully my explanations spark others to adapt some of my changes into their own physical versions of Queen's Blood. |
2024.05.16 19:21 ProfessionalCaptain4 What villains can we see in the Sonic cinematic universe?
The Sonic franchise had a large gallery of villains, both the original saga and the Archie Comics and IDW comics, there are many to choose from to adapt them in the movies or series of the Sonic cinematographic universe.
Let's talk about what villains I could or would like to see in the future of SCU
One of my favorite things about the Archie and Idw comics is their excellent variety of villains outside of Eggman.
in Archie: we have warlords, wizards, dark gods, alternate universe doppelgangers, aliens, a corporate mastermind, and then some.
IDW: we have two traumatized cyborgs and a group of criminals
Scourge :I love because, well, could anyone resist taking such an inherently good character, and turning him evil? I love the dynamic he and Sonic shared, being able to get into each other's heads, but ultimately staying themselves. It is true that it would be super repetitive to have a hedgehog that is an evil counterpart to Sonic, let's go (let's have Shadow) of course it can make Scourge see that unlike Sonic, he was not afraid, even so he used his powers to obtain power and control in his planet it would be perfect to see more hedgehogs than just being limited to sonic, amy, shaodw and silver
dr Finitevus :I always loved him; he wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, although he had unique abilities and intelligence. It was his knowledge of the world that allowed him to pit the world against the heroes or the heroes against each other. When he didn't need to be somewhere, he just wasn't there. He fought proxy wars by recruiting other characters to, knowingly or unknowingly, carry out his orders. It was a refreshing change of pace from Sonic's usual bad boy.
It will be an excellent way to get more out of the echidna lore, what a bad taste the knuckles spinoff left in our mouths, this tribute already deserves to adapt its entire arc in the comics to the SCU since it would be great to see more echidnas and give it a try. the treatment you deserve
Enerjak: a character full of energy and creativity with a cool and creative design, I always liked this character and he generated some pretty good plots and conflicts. It would be another option along with finitrevus to be a personal threat to Knuckles and the others on how Knuckles should confront one of his species and prevent him from following the steps of going astray.
Mammoth Mogul:I like his powers, his suit and his elegant way of speaking. But I don't think he has much personality. and he is conceited, he keeps escaping from justice and causes problems for Sonic, a mafia lord would be perfect in a detective plot either with the chaotix or with sonic it is also related to the chaos emerald of course they could change this that He looks for them because they are a legend
metal sonic :Its design needs no explanation.When he is in control, he can be as smart as Eggman and as terrifying as one of Sonic's god-level villains.
His rivalry with Sonic has a lot of depth. Thematically they are natural rivals of the franchise, nature versus machine, but also in terms of characters, one is a free soul and the other is in a prison of multiple things.
Metal has very personal problems derived from his rivalry with Sonic. His identity is built around the idea that he is the best version of Sonic, he is the real Sonic, but every loss shows him otherwise and all he can do is face it and try to say that Sonic is the copy and Metal is the real one. . But no matter how strong he is, how fast he is, even if those traits are more than what Sonic is capable of, he loses. That's the tragedy of him, he's in a cycle of not accepting reality and he's punished for it and so far we've gotten great ways to show that character. We got healthy parts of his character, scary parts, interesting parts and sad parts.And the good thing is that, unlike other rivals, he is a villain, not an antihero or a redeemed character, a villain who can be explored without being the good guy.He's also had some amazing boss fights over the years.This would be a perfect character to take on Eggman's legacy and use it for your own benefit.
Dr. Starline: Amazing villain that you love to hate, he played his role to perfection and left lasting effects long after his death in the form of the equally good Surge and Kit. What I like most is that he could have easily been like everyone the other sidekicks and try to one-up Eggman, but instead he still idolized him and was ultimately used to cement how good Eggman is as a villain.
He would be another perfect candidate to take Eggman's place and he is a thousand times better than Agent Stone or any generic Eggman assistant who only exists to provide a moment of comedy that is not funny.
The metarex and the dark oak (sonic x)
I think the writers did a great job creating a new arc for sonic x
It's a fun sci-fi take on Sonic that gives us a galaxy-spanning adventure. You still have individual episodes that are reminiscent of your weekly episodes of Star Trek or whatever that have their own independent stories on individual planets, but also the overall story of the season is still moving forward. I feel like this is the best way to do episodic television.
I love the idea that we have a planet full of animals, but in Sonic's universe there are also plants.
The plot twist of Metarex being formerly plant people (Seedrians, if I remember correctly) turns them from this vague threat into a completely personal threat, as we've had plenty of time up to that point to see Cosmo become part of the Team Sonic. .
It's always good to have that underlying message that plants and animals can get along despite their differences. In today's world, many people have yet to discover the real-life equivalent.
Plus, you have the entire Tails and Cosmo arc and the culmination at the end. Don't lie, you always cry too!
prefect official as the final boss of the sonic franchise
Merlina :Merlina doesn't understand that death is a natural part of life, which is why she is afraid of it. This is a real fear called thanatophobia, but it is a fairly extreme case. Anyway, after defeating her, Sonic consoles her by telling her to make life worth living with the time she has, thus resolving her internal conflict and also ending her character arc. This type of deep writing is something that Sonic Adventure to Black Knight excel at.
Well, that was all, write in the comments which villain from the Sonic franchise you would like to see adapted into SCU in the future. Leave your opinions in the comments. I would love to read them.
submitted by ProfessionalCaptain4 to SonicTheMovie [link] [comments]
Let's talk about what villains I could or would like to see in the future of SCU
One of my favorite things about the Archie and Idw comics is their excellent variety of villains outside of Eggman.
in Archie: we have warlords, wizards, dark gods, alternate universe doppelgangers, aliens, a corporate mastermind, and then some.
IDW: we have two traumatized cyborgs and a group of criminals
Scourge :I love because, well, could anyone resist taking such an inherently good character, and turning him evil? I love the dynamic he and Sonic shared, being able to get into each other's heads, but ultimately staying themselves. It is true that it would be super repetitive to have a hedgehog that is an evil counterpart to Sonic, let's go (let's have Shadow) of course it can make Scourge see that unlike Sonic, he was not afraid, even so he used his powers to obtain power and control in his planet it would be perfect to see more hedgehogs than just being limited to sonic, amy, shaodw and silver
dr Finitevus :I always loved him; he wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, although he had unique abilities and intelligence. It was his knowledge of the world that allowed him to pit the world against the heroes or the heroes against each other. When he didn't need to be somewhere, he just wasn't there. He fought proxy wars by recruiting other characters to, knowingly or unknowingly, carry out his orders. It was a refreshing change of pace from Sonic's usual bad boy.
It will be an excellent way to get more out of the echidna lore, what a bad taste the knuckles spinoff left in our mouths, this tribute already deserves to adapt its entire arc in the comics to the SCU since it would be great to see more echidnas and give it a try. the treatment you deserve
Enerjak: a character full of energy and creativity with a cool and creative design, I always liked this character and he generated some pretty good plots and conflicts. It would be another option along with finitrevus to be a personal threat to Knuckles and the others on how Knuckles should confront one of his species and prevent him from following the steps of going astray.
Mammoth Mogul:I like his powers, his suit and his elegant way of speaking. But I don't think he has much personality. and he is conceited, he keeps escaping from justice and causes problems for Sonic, a mafia lord would be perfect in a detective plot either with the chaotix or with sonic it is also related to the chaos emerald of course they could change this that He looks for them because they are a legend
metal sonic :Its design needs no explanation.When he is in control, he can be as smart as Eggman and as terrifying as one of Sonic's god-level villains.
His rivalry with Sonic has a lot of depth. Thematically they are natural rivals of the franchise, nature versus machine, but also in terms of characters, one is a free soul and the other is in a prison of multiple things.
Metal has very personal problems derived from his rivalry with Sonic. His identity is built around the idea that he is the best version of Sonic, he is the real Sonic, but every loss shows him otherwise and all he can do is face it and try to say that Sonic is the copy and Metal is the real one. . But no matter how strong he is, how fast he is, even if those traits are more than what Sonic is capable of, he loses. That's the tragedy of him, he's in a cycle of not accepting reality and he's punished for it and so far we've gotten great ways to show that character. We got healthy parts of his character, scary parts, interesting parts and sad parts.And the good thing is that, unlike other rivals, he is a villain, not an antihero or a redeemed character, a villain who can be explored without being the good guy.He's also had some amazing boss fights over the years.This would be a perfect character to take on Eggman's legacy and use it for your own benefit.
Dr. Starline: Amazing villain that you love to hate, he played his role to perfection and left lasting effects long after his death in the form of the equally good Surge and Kit. What I like most is that he could have easily been like everyone the other sidekicks and try to one-up Eggman, but instead he still idolized him and was ultimately used to cement how good Eggman is as a villain.
He would be another perfect candidate to take Eggman's place and he is a thousand times better than Agent Stone or any generic Eggman assistant who only exists to provide a moment of comedy that is not funny.
The metarex and the dark oak (sonic x)
I think the writers did a great job creating a new arc for sonic x
It's a fun sci-fi take on Sonic that gives us a galaxy-spanning adventure. You still have individual episodes that are reminiscent of your weekly episodes of Star Trek or whatever that have their own independent stories on individual planets, but also the overall story of the season is still moving forward. I feel like this is the best way to do episodic television.
I love the idea that we have a planet full of animals, but in Sonic's universe there are also plants.
The plot twist of Metarex being formerly plant people (Seedrians, if I remember correctly) turns them from this vague threat into a completely personal threat, as we've had plenty of time up to that point to see Cosmo become part of the Team Sonic. .
It's always good to have that underlying message that plants and animals can get along despite their differences. In today's world, many people have yet to discover the real-life equivalent.
Plus, you have the entire Tails and Cosmo arc and the culmination at the end. Don't lie, you always cry too!
prefect official as the final boss of the sonic franchise
Merlina :Merlina doesn't understand that death is a natural part of life, which is why she is afraid of it. This is a real fear called thanatophobia, but it is a fairly extreme case. Anyway, after defeating her, Sonic consoles her by telling her to make life worth living with the time she has, thus resolving her internal conflict and also ending her character arc. This type of deep writing is something that Sonic Adventure to Black Knight excel at.
Well, that was all, write in the comments which villain from the Sonic franchise you would like to see adapted into SCU in the future. Leave your opinions in the comments. I would love to read them.
2024.05.16 18:55 Mayafoe [Spoiler discussion] All things Hayt, before and after - can't say more - can't put spoilers in the titles! :)
[Edit...obviously SPOILERS here....read at your peril! :) ]
I feel like I should meditate before writing this....
I audiobook GEOD before I sleep each night. I was listening to the ritual of 'Siaynoq', the sharing, the adoration of the GE....and a whole lot struck me about Duncan Idaho (well, that ghola of that time, and all the others before him). He is very much the witness of the scene....witnessing the awesome power of Leto's creation, an utterly fanatical, worshipful, Universe-wide female army of Fishspeakers.....and I realised how integral Duncan Idaho is to this Universe.
I'm not sure I can put this all into words:
Leto continues having a Duncan Idaho in his millennias-long life for so many reasons, some obvious and explicit (his breeding program, companionship, a 'connection to the past')....but, taking Leto's prescience into account there are a few more:
Leto knows that somehow a Duncan Idaho is integral to his own death....but...because all the gholas form a kind of continuum, he can't tell which one will do it......AND HE STILL CONTINUES HAVING THEM PRODUCED BECAUSE BEING KILLED (A SURPRISE!) IS PART OF HIS PLAN!
He still loves his Duncans, every one, delighting every time in encouraging their mind of awakening to what he is trying to do, to bring their minds to the necessity of his predation on a free society and the lesson that predation will teach when it ends through the right Duncan's efforts.
Mindblowing! That Leto knows a Duncan will help kill him is even more incredible when also, as a reader, realising that Leto makes each Duncan, by far, the 2nd most powerful person in the universe every time he brings one into existence.
During the feast of Siaynoq what is happening is Leto is creating a bind between the Fishspeakers and Idaho so that the billions and billions of Fishspeakers renew their loyalty to Duncan even as he pledges loyalty to Emperor Leto. "WE SHARE! WE SHARE!"
Why?
Because....Leto knows that when he dies the Fishspeakers will always have a leader to follow. "Male armies are only answerable to themselves.......but female armies attach to a leader"
and he always makes sure they have two leaders, Himself, who has been there for 3000 years and a Duncan, who in a way is also always there, someone who will always be ready to fully lead them, for them to follow unwaveringly when Leto, as he knows he will, passes on.
The God Emperor's vision is so vast....but by his own admission, not infinite!
As a personal aside recently there was a post about 'who is your favourite Dune character' and I'd like to take this moment to say I most identify with Duncan Idaho (though Leto II is my favourite character, how could he not be?), though I certainly don't connect with him due to any inherent talent with the ladies......
I identify with Idaho because he has been killed and reborn so many times, each time in a state of confusion....so many lives lived....his experience smeared and mixed and, dare I say it, distilled and improved....
I loved in Children of Dune when we see the true power of a mentat's mind through his eyes.....and was so moved when those metal eyes are brought to tears at the loss of his love, Alya, taken by possession. Herbert's use of tears in this water-crucial story is exceptional. When Leto sheds tears of love to Hwi they burn his skin, but he is grateful for the pain, grateful he is still human enough to cry.
We all die many times in life, and are reborn. Where is the child we once were? Where is that person who suffered a trauma and survived it? Where is that old home where we once lived? Who are we? How did we arrive here? What do I do now, not quite ever knowing the answers to those questions?
submitted by Mayafoe to dune [link] [comments]
I feel like I should meditate before writing this....
I audiobook GEOD before I sleep each night. I was listening to the ritual of 'Siaynoq', the sharing, the adoration of the GE....and a whole lot struck me about Duncan Idaho (well, that ghola of that time, and all the others before him). He is very much the witness of the scene....witnessing the awesome power of Leto's creation, an utterly fanatical, worshipful, Universe-wide female army of Fishspeakers.....and I realised how integral Duncan Idaho is to this Universe.
I'm not sure I can put this all into words:
Leto continues having a Duncan Idaho in his millennias-long life for so many reasons, some obvious and explicit (his breeding program, companionship, a 'connection to the past')....but, taking Leto's prescience into account there are a few more:
Leto knows that somehow a Duncan Idaho is integral to his own death....but...because all the gholas form a kind of continuum, he can't tell which one will do it......AND HE STILL CONTINUES HAVING THEM PRODUCED BECAUSE BEING KILLED (A SURPRISE!) IS PART OF HIS PLAN!
He still loves his Duncans, every one, delighting every time in encouraging their mind of awakening to what he is trying to do, to bring their minds to the necessity of his predation on a free society and the lesson that predation will teach when it ends through the right Duncan's efforts.
Mindblowing! That Leto knows a Duncan will help kill him is even more incredible when also, as a reader, realising that Leto makes each Duncan, by far, the 2nd most powerful person in the universe every time he brings one into existence.
During the feast of Siaynoq what is happening is Leto is creating a bind between the Fishspeakers and Idaho so that the billions and billions of Fishspeakers renew their loyalty to Duncan even as he pledges loyalty to Emperor Leto. "WE SHARE! WE SHARE!"
Why?
Because....Leto knows that when he dies the Fishspeakers will always have a leader to follow. "Male armies are only answerable to themselves.......but female armies attach to a leader"
and he always makes sure they have two leaders, Himself, who has been there for 3000 years and a Duncan, who in a way is also always there, someone who will always be ready to fully lead them, for them to follow unwaveringly when Leto, as he knows he will, passes on.
The God Emperor's vision is so vast....but by his own admission, not infinite!
I identify with Idaho because he has been killed and reborn so many times, each time in a state of confusion....so many lives lived....his experience smeared and mixed and, dare I say it, distilled and improved....
I loved in Children of Dune when we see the true power of a mentat's mind through his eyes.....and was so moved when those metal eyes are brought to tears at the loss of his love, Alya, taken by possession. Herbert's use of tears in this water-crucial story is exceptional. When Leto sheds tears of love to Hwi they burn his skin, but he is grateful for the pain, grateful he is still human enough to cry.
We all die many times in life, and are reborn. Where is the child we once were? Where is that person who suffered a trauma and survived it? Where is that old home where we once lived? Who are we? How did we arrive here? What do I do now, not quite ever knowing the answers to those questions?
2024.05.16 18:43 The-Unseen-1 The awakening of the heart
Part 16: The awakening of the heart
.
.
As the Mysterious Stranger and the Seeker leave the old castle behind, they continue on the snow-covered path. A path appears on the right side, following parallel to their own. The two paths merge into one, which leads towards a volcano. As they progress, another parallel path from the left side merges as well with the current one.
.
In the distance, the Seeker spots a building, where the path tilts uphill. A sign points at a crossroad. An intersection, between realms. The crossroads, where all timelines meet up: Where the westward and the eastward paths meets the northern road.
Where the paths meet, stands a tavern. The lights are on. The chimney is smoking. A sign shows its name:
'The Red Ditch Inn'
.
.
“Wanna get something to drink,” asks the Stranger the Seeker.
“Sure, why not,” accepts the Seeker.
.
.
Before he opens the door knob, the Stranger hesitates and speaks to the Seeker:
“This is the bar, where the timelines of our souls meet up. This is the crossing of our life-paths, the intersection of fate. Be prepared, for what happens next.”
The Seeker and the Stranger walk into the building. As they open the door, they are started by the loud conversations. The inn is full. Many tables with different animals of all species.
.
.
The table in the center of the bar, has a label saying: 'Spirituality'
Around that table sit all kinds of different birds and animals. Pigeons, squirrels, Reptiles, cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, crows, mice, sloths. They are mostly talking about crystals and past lives.
.
.
There was a table, which said: 'astralprojection'. There sat an old bear, who carries many scars, wounded by countless battles, teaching young bear cups, who attentively listen to their elders. Some are making notes.
.
.
Next to it, is a table with a label saying: 'Enlightenment'
There sit some parrots all repeating the same mantra in unison:
“BEFORE ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER, AFTER ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER.”
.
.
There is another table, called: 'Awakened'
There sit a caterpillar, a spider, a scorpion and an eagle.
“You have an Ego,” shouts the caterpillar at the spider, pointing his finger.
“No, you have an Ego,” shouts the spider back at the caterpillar.
“You both have an Ego,” accuses the scorpion both the caterpillar and the spider.
“Hey,” shouts the bird. “I am the eagle here!”
.
.
Next to it, is the table of 'nonduality'. The chairs are completely empty. There is no one here.
.
.
On the other side there is another table with many different birds and mammals, some more exotic animals from all around the world. The label says 'Soulnexus'. There is someone constantly screaming at the top of their lungs:
“I AM A PROFFESIONAL PSYCHIC READER WITH 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!”
.
.
One table next to it is called 'starseeds'. The people sitting there do not look like animals, but like strange aliens. Some small and green beings, others big and gray, some with fur, some with scales, some humanoid. They were mostly talking about the past, exchanging some old memories. Among them is a chicken, who wears an alien costume.
.
As one of the Grey beings stands up to go to the toilet, the chicken whispers to the others:
“Psst guys, I think Fred may not be an actual Starseed.”
The other beings around the table start mumbling.
.
.
There is one more table called 'psychonauts'. The Stranger walks towards their table.
“Jo, wazzup Shawty,” greets the Stranger an old friend at the psychonaut-table, with a fist bump. “Long time no see.”
.
“Whoa, it's YOU,” responds the Tiger at the table, with red eyes, smoking his bong. “Last time I've seen you, I was like in DMT realm.”
.
“Is Burt anywhere around?” asks the Stranger.
.
.
“He is sitting there in the corner,” responds Shawty. The tiger points at a traumatized racoon sitting in the dark corner.
“I have seen too much,” mumbles the Burt the Racoon with eyes wide open, like a scratched record.
“I have traveled too far... I have seen, what lies within the emptiness. Never again... I will never do shrooms again...”
.
.
Suddenly the waiter taps the racoons shoulder, ripping him out of his thought loop.
“Sir... Do you wanna order anything?”
.
“Do you have McKennaii?”
“Yes,” responds the waiter.
“Then I'll have 7 grams,” orders the racoon.
.
.
The Seeker has a sudden thought and looks at the Stranger.
“What does the ' slash' on the tables, stand for?”
.
“I don't know...,” shrugs the Stranger. “ It's probably to reserve the table at this inn.”
.
.
.
The Stranger looks at all the tables, they are all talking and talking. Some are playing poker, others are playing dart, some drunks fight each other. Others talk about their identity or their favorite dogma. Some are showing off, how enlightened they are.
As they stand at the crossroads, they can either go Westwards, Eastwards and Northwards. Many have taken the western route, many have went eastwards, but they always ended back at the 'Red Ditch Inn' again.
The newbies, were unsure, whether to go west or east. The experienced ones, knew it doesn't make a difference, they would end up at the bar again anyway. Some were stuck in the bar since many decades, they had given up hope to ever find a way out. But few of them ever dared to walk northwards.
The Stranger sighs, as he looks around. His eyes flame up, he inhales deeply and climbs on a chair. With a raised voice he speaks:
.
.
.
.
“When did we lose our heart?
We lost our heart collectively.
Did we lose it, when we were still cavemen? When we had to survive the cold winters of the ice age? When we hunted down the last Homo Neanderthalensis? Or later on, when the first tribes waged war against each other? Did we lose our heart, when we enslaved each other? Did we lose our hearts, when we dropped atom bombs, or when we caused our first mass extinctions...The crimes, that Humans do in wars... All of us carry the sins of our forefathers on our shoulders.
.
.
We lost our hearts individually.
For the person it starts pretty early in their childhood. We lose our trust, when we are lied to. Almost everyone tastes the pain of Betrayal at least once in life. We are deeply wounded from childhood on. We learn early on, that humans hurt us and thus we become suspicious of humans. We learn not to trust each other. Because we are afraid of being hurt again. And so we close off our heart to protect it.
.
.
What is the heart?
I am not talking about the physical organ. I talk about this part in your 'soul', if I may call it that. It's like the core of our 'soul', of our 'astral body'. The centre of our 'energy' or chakras. We are afraid to open it, because it's very vulnerable. That's why we protect it. We are afraid to open it, because we don't trust each other.
But unless your heart is open, you can never experience unconditional love. Its flame must be activated.
The heart is your connection to everything. The heart is what connects you to 'source', if that's the word, you'd like to use. The heart is from where our love flows.
We have cut off the connection and became separated from the ALL. We made love conditional. We split hating from loving, dislike from like and created duality. We became attached. We let ourselves be corrupted by the Ego.
Now that we have closed the heart, what have we done to the world?
.
.
We turned the world into a place, that almost no one likes. We created a society, that keeps us in narrow boxes. We made the world a lonely place, for everyone to be in. Even in groups, we often feel lonely. We allowed money to rule over us. We allowed ideologies to split us and dogmas to control us.
We have so many different issues, that we just can't seem to overcome. Climate change. Wars. Corrupt politicians. Poverty. Starvation. Meaninglessness. Nihilism.
Where should we start with all that mess?
.
.
With ourselves. That is the place, where the transformation needs to start. We need to evolve. One person at a time. Only then, can the collective transform as well.
We need to open the mind and the heart. To see and to feel. To be aware and to love. We need to find harmony within ourselves. End the inner conflict and find peace within.
Find your own truest path.
Let go of any limiting beliefs. Let go of any attachments. Forgive whoever needs forgiveness and apologize to clear your regrets. Find Love.
Find your light within. See your light in all people. Love your enemies.
Recognize the Ego, be aware of what makes it grow. Become aware of any negative thought patterns. Be disciplined.
Clear your own shadows. Face your Trauma. Heal your inner child.
Get free from all bodily addictions. Be free of fear. Be free of suffering.
See the beauty of all things. Find joy in every moment.
Surrender yourself. Follow the heart. Be proud and courageous. Accept your life and your story. Embrace your story, without being attached to it.
Find your purpose. End the Seeking.
Be your authentic Self. Express Love through your character.
Become Love.
.
.
.
This is a possible path. And I just gave you the map. It can be walked. It was walked before. But it is a path into unknown territory. Only the bravest of you can walk this path. It's not for the faintest of heart.
You see, you all either follow the path of the left and go westwards or you follow the path on the right and go eastwards... But no matter how far you go, you'll always end up at the crossroads again. You never make any real progress.
What if there is another path? What if there's another way? What if I say, 'let us go north?!'”
.
.
.
Some of the crowd are in shock. Some are laughing. Others are mumbling.
“You can't walk north,” says a crow from the projectors. “It's impossible.”
“Everyone knows, that the northern road is a dead-end,” says an awakened Caterpillar. “It's a waste of time going up there. You can't go further, than the volcano.”
A psychonaut horse laughs. “That will be fun. Can't wait to see their disappointed faces, when they walk all the way back down.”
.
.
.
.
.
The Stranger continues undeterred:
.
“Why are you walking the spiritual path?
You felt called to do it, didn't you? You felt something within you. Something made click. You understood, that there is a deeper truth, that you must find. There was this deep longing within you. So you started walking.
What were the first things, that you were seeking?
You were seeking answers.
What were your first questions? You were asking, 'What is my purpose?' You were asking 'Why am I here'?
And you have searched in so many places. But no matter which answer you got, you were never fully satisfied. Because it wasn't your answer. Because it was someone else's answer.
So you stopped seeking. Either you were content with some unfulfilling answers or you just simply gave up. When did you stop finding your own answers?
Dogma or tradition give us easy answers. When we are attached to them, when we build an identity around them, we become unable to find our own answers. But you can't end Seeking with someone elses answers. Only when you have claimed the answer for yourself, can the Seeker transform into something different. Into something new.
Just ending the Seeker, like cutting off a limb, won't do it. The Seeker needs to find their answer to the question 'What is my purpose?' Not one, they read from textbooks. Not an answer, that someone else can give them. When ONE has found their own unique purpose in life, then instead of 'seeking', there is only 'expressing'.”
.
.
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“I see that you are advanced,” speaks an enlightened owl. “However you are blinded by idealism. When you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss will stare back at you.”
.
“My friend,” says the Stranger. “I have not only stared into the abyss, I went to hell and back again to find my answer.”
.
.
.
Everyone falls silent, the Stranger continues:
“It was always here on earth. Heaven. It was always within us. Take a look around you. There is beauty in all things. If you search for it, you can find joy in every moment. Look for love in the world and you shall find love everywhere. Meet Life with gratitude and wonder. Face your experience, like an adventurer faces his challenge. Express unconditional love through your very being. Because this is how we heal Humanities greatest wound: The scar of nihilism.
It has all become so meaningless to us, hasn't it?
Memorizing knowledge at school or college, that you'll never need in real life. This feeling of being stuck in life. Day to day, going to a dead-end job for minimum wage. Living an unfulfilled life. The shattering of broken dreams. The tears of our suffering.
You know, why everything has become so meaningless?
We let our hearts get cold. After falling, we stopped getting back up again. We stopped facing our challenges.
You see, after every defeat, Humanity always got back up again. No matter how tough the challenge may seemed, Humanity never gave up.
We have forgotten, who we are.
All of us are Humanity. You, Me, everyone. We are all humanity. You, the individual human are HUMANITY. You are the Rest of mankind. Because we are all the same in our essence. When you open your heart, then this is your name: 'HUMANITY'
Because you see yourself in every other human. This is the name of the divine spark that sits within all of us. It is the fire, that burns in our eyes. This is Humanity: An archetype of victory and an idea of unity.
Let me ask you a very direct question. If we all came together to do our part, do you think that we could actually clean up the mess we have created? Do you think we have a chance of not only to survive but even to evolve as a species? And perhaps write even greater stories, than ever before?”
.
.
.
.
.
The entire crowd is silent. Most of them avoid eye contact. People start mumbling.
Then the crowd slowly gets louder again and the conversations on each table, continue as if nothing ever happened.
As the Stranger steps down from the chair, a monkey gets up from one of the tables, points his finger and screams:
“Look guys, this dude has ketchup on his outfit.”
.
.
While the crowd laughs at him, the Stranger goes to the bar and orders two beer. While he waits, he rubs off the ketchup stain from his clothes with his fingernails.
People are looking at him and the Seeker. The Seeker can't bear standing next to the Stranger and leaves the tavern. The Stranger pays for two beers. 140 Pesos. He then follows the Seeker outside.
.
.
“Wanna go already?” asks the Stranger while sipping from his beer.
“Those guys hate you now,” sighs the Seeker.
“Who cares?” shrugs the Stranger, while gulping down the beer in a single go.
.
.
.
A couple of animals exit the bar. All the animals, that had no place to fit in. All the animals that didn't belong. A rabbit, a cat, a goldfish, a squirrel, a bear, a fox, a goat, a pigeon, an eagle, a chicken in an alien costume and a dog.
.
“I will also follow my destiny,” speaks the eagle with determination. His heart is also activated.
.
.
“Alright,” says a bear with burning eyes. “Let's try going north... Perhaps this is how we'll finally get to Axis Mundi.”
.
“Going north... that sounds fun,” says the smiling fox. “Let's see how far, we'll come.”
.
“We are all gonna die anyway,” sighs the pessimistic goat.
.
“I never tried going north before,” contemplates the curious pigeon.
.
“10 bucks, that I am first at the top of the volcano,” bets the black cat, while looking at her claws.
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“Deal,” agrees the dog, while hunting his own tail.
.
The rabbit thinks about the taste of carrots. She is hungry.
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The squirrel is simply happy and excited for the new adventure. She can't stop dancing.
.
The goldfish has no idea, what he's actually doing. He just rolls around in a plastic bag.
“I... I will also walk my path,” speaks up the brave chicken in an alien costume. For the first time, the chickens eyes start burning.
.
.
.
Together, the new group of friends are traveling the northern road. Towards the volcano. As the sunset illuminates their backs, the animals start singing a new song. A song of excitement, of wonder and of bravery. A song, that goes something like: “We have found a way.”
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TO BE CONTINUED
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for more content visit: We_Are_Humanity
Find previous part Here
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cg7yqg/what_it_means_to_walk_togethe
Find next part Here:
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START JOURNEY HERE: https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/17zwf78/the_seeker_and_the_mysterious_stranger_part_1_of_7/
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Checkpoint 4
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cbhoml/turning_shit_into_gold/
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Special Bonus Chapters:
THE ONE TRUE SEEKER AND THE QUESTION OF FREE WILL
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cnaanw/special_bonus_chapter_the_one_true_seeker_and_the/
submitted by The-Unseen-1 to awakened [link] [comments]
.
.
As the Mysterious Stranger and the Seeker leave the old castle behind, they continue on the snow-covered path. A path appears on the right side, following parallel to their own. The two paths merge into one, which leads towards a volcano. As they progress, another parallel path from the left side merges as well with the current one.
.
In the distance, the Seeker spots a building, where the path tilts uphill. A sign points at a crossroad. An intersection, between realms. The crossroads, where all timelines meet up: Where the westward and the eastward paths meets the northern road.
Where the paths meet, stands a tavern. The lights are on. The chimney is smoking. A sign shows its name:
'The Red Ditch Inn'
.
.
“Wanna get something to drink,” asks the Stranger the Seeker.
“Sure, why not,” accepts the Seeker.
.
.
Before he opens the door knob, the Stranger hesitates and speaks to the Seeker:
“This is the bar, where the timelines of our souls meet up. This is the crossing of our life-paths, the intersection of fate. Be prepared, for what happens next.”
The Seeker and the Stranger walk into the building. As they open the door, they are started by the loud conversations. The inn is full. Many tables with different animals of all species.
.
.
The table in the center of the bar, has a label saying: 'Spirituality'
Around that table sit all kinds of different birds and animals. Pigeons, squirrels, Reptiles, cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, crows, mice, sloths. They are mostly talking about crystals and past lives.
.
.
There was a table, which said: 'astralprojection'. There sat an old bear, who carries many scars, wounded by countless battles, teaching young bear cups, who attentively listen to their elders. Some are making notes.
.
.
Next to it, is a table with a label saying: 'Enlightenment'
There sit some parrots all repeating the same mantra in unison:
“BEFORE ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER, AFTER ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER.”
.
.
There is another table, called: 'Awakened'
There sit a caterpillar, a spider, a scorpion and an eagle.
“You have an Ego,” shouts the caterpillar at the spider, pointing his finger.
“No, you have an Ego,” shouts the spider back at the caterpillar.
“You both have an Ego,” accuses the scorpion both the caterpillar and the spider.
“Hey,” shouts the bird. “I am the eagle here!”
.
.
Next to it, is the table of 'nonduality'. The chairs are completely empty. There is no one here.
.
.
On the other side there is another table with many different birds and mammals, some more exotic animals from all around the world. The label says 'Soulnexus'. There is someone constantly screaming at the top of their lungs:
“I AM A PROFFESIONAL PSYCHIC READER WITH 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!”
.
.
One table next to it is called 'starseeds'. The people sitting there do not look like animals, but like strange aliens. Some small and green beings, others big and gray, some with fur, some with scales, some humanoid. They were mostly talking about the past, exchanging some old memories. Among them is a chicken, who wears an alien costume.
.
As one of the Grey beings stands up to go to the toilet, the chicken whispers to the others:
“Psst guys, I think Fred may not be an actual Starseed.”
The other beings around the table start mumbling.
.
.
There is one more table called 'psychonauts'. The Stranger walks towards their table.
“Jo, wazzup Shawty,” greets the Stranger an old friend at the psychonaut-table, with a fist bump. “Long time no see.”
.
“Whoa, it's YOU,” responds the Tiger at the table, with red eyes, smoking his bong. “Last time I've seen you, I was like in DMT realm.”
.
“Is Burt anywhere around?” asks the Stranger.
.
.
“He is sitting there in the corner,” responds Shawty. The tiger points at a traumatized racoon sitting in the dark corner.
“I have seen too much,” mumbles the Burt the Racoon with eyes wide open, like a scratched record.
“I have traveled too far... I have seen, what lies within the emptiness. Never again... I will never do shrooms again...”
.
.
Suddenly the waiter taps the racoons shoulder, ripping him out of his thought loop.
“Sir... Do you wanna order anything?”
.
“Do you have McKennaii?”
“Yes,” responds the waiter.
“Then I'll have 7 grams,” orders the racoon.
.
.
The Seeker has a sudden thought and looks at the Stranger.
“What does the ' slash' on the tables, stand for?”
.
“I don't know...,” shrugs the Stranger. “ It's probably to reserve the table at this inn.”
.
.
.
The Stranger looks at all the tables, they are all talking and talking. Some are playing poker, others are playing dart, some drunks fight each other. Others talk about their identity or their favorite dogma. Some are showing off, how enlightened they are.
As they stand at the crossroads, they can either go Westwards, Eastwards and Northwards. Many have taken the western route, many have went eastwards, but they always ended back at the 'Red Ditch Inn' again.
The newbies, were unsure, whether to go west or east. The experienced ones, knew it doesn't make a difference, they would end up at the bar again anyway. Some were stuck in the bar since many decades, they had given up hope to ever find a way out. But few of them ever dared to walk northwards.
The Stranger sighs, as he looks around. His eyes flame up, he inhales deeply and climbs on a chair. With a raised voice he speaks:
.
.
.
.
“When did we lose our heart?
We lost our heart collectively.
Did we lose it, when we were still cavemen? When we had to survive the cold winters of the ice age? When we hunted down the last Homo Neanderthalensis? Or later on, when the first tribes waged war against each other? Did we lose our heart, when we enslaved each other? Did we lose our hearts, when we dropped atom bombs, or when we caused our first mass extinctions...The crimes, that Humans do in wars... All of us carry the sins of our forefathers on our shoulders.
.
.
We lost our hearts individually.
For the person it starts pretty early in their childhood. We lose our trust, when we are lied to. Almost everyone tastes the pain of Betrayal at least once in life. We are deeply wounded from childhood on. We learn early on, that humans hurt us and thus we become suspicious of humans. We learn not to trust each other. Because we are afraid of being hurt again. And so we close off our heart to protect it.
.
.
What is the heart?
I am not talking about the physical organ. I talk about this part in your 'soul', if I may call it that. It's like the core of our 'soul', of our 'astral body'. The centre of our 'energy' or chakras. We are afraid to open it, because it's very vulnerable. That's why we protect it. We are afraid to open it, because we don't trust each other.
But unless your heart is open, you can never experience unconditional love. Its flame must be activated.
The heart is your connection to everything. The heart is what connects you to 'source', if that's the word, you'd like to use. The heart is from where our love flows.
We have cut off the connection and became separated from the ALL. We made love conditional. We split hating from loving, dislike from like and created duality. We became attached. We let ourselves be corrupted by the Ego.
Now that we have closed the heart, what have we done to the world?
.
.
We turned the world into a place, that almost no one likes. We created a society, that keeps us in narrow boxes. We made the world a lonely place, for everyone to be in. Even in groups, we often feel lonely. We allowed money to rule over us. We allowed ideologies to split us and dogmas to control us.
We have so many different issues, that we just can't seem to overcome. Climate change. Wars. Corrupt politicians. Poverty. Starvation. Meaninglessness. Nihilism.
Where should we start with all that mess?
.
.
With ourselves. That is the place, where the transformation needs to start. We need to evolve. One person at a time. Only then, can the collective transform as well.
We need to open the mind and the heart. To see and to feel. To be aware and to love. We need to find harmony within ourselves. End the inner conflict and find peace within.
Find your own truest path.
Let go of any limiting beliefs. Let go of any attachments. Forgive whoever needs forgiveness and apologize to clear your regrets. Find Love.
Find your light within. See your light in all people. Love your enemies.
Recognize the Ego, be aware of what makes it grow. Become aware of any negative thought patterns. Be disciplined.
Clear your own shadows. Face your Trauma. Heal your inner child.
Get free from all bodily addictions. Be free of fear. Be free of suffering.
See the beauty of all things. Find joy in every moment.
Surrender yourself. Follow the heart. Be proud and courageous. Accept your life and your story. Embrace your story, without being attached to it.
Find your purpose. End the Seeking.
Be your authentic Self. Express Love through your character.
Become Love.
.
.
.
This is a possible path. And I just gave you the map. It can be walked. It was walked before. But it is a path into unknown territory. Only the bravest of you can walk this path. It's not for the faintest of heart.
You see, you all either follow the path of the left and go westwards or you follow the path on the right and go eastwards... But no matter how far you go, you'll always end up at the crossroads again. You never make any real progress.
What if there is another path? What if there's another way? What if I say, 'let us go north?!'”
.
.
.
Some of the crowd are in shock. Some are laughing. Others are mumbling.
“You can't walk north,” says a crow from the projectors. “It's impossible.”
“Everyone knows, that the northern road is a dead-end,” says an awakened Caterpillar. “It's a waste of time going up there. You can't go further, than the volcano.”
A psychonaut horse laughs. “That will be fun. Can't wait to see their disappointed faces, when they walk all the way back down.”
.
.
.
.
.
The Stranger continues undeterred:
.
“Why are you walking the spiritual path?
You felt called to do it, didn't you? You felt something within you. Something made click. You understood, that there is a deeper truth, that you must find. There was this deep longing within you. So you started walking.
What were the first things, that you were seeking?
You were seeking answers.
What were your first questions? You were asking, 'What is my purpose?' You were asking 'Why am I here'?
And you have searched in so many places. But no matter which answer you got, you were never fully satisfied. Because it wasn't your answer. Because it was someone else's answer.
So you stopped seeking. Either you were content with some unfulfilling answers or you just simply gave up. When did you stop finding your own answers?
Dogma or tradition give us easy answers. When we are attached to them, when we build an identity around them, we become unable to find our own answers. But you can't end Seeking with someone elses answers. Only when you have claimed the answer for yourself, can the Seeker transform into something different. Into something new.
Just ending the Seeker, like cutting off a limb, won't do it. The Seeker needs to find their answer to the question 'What is my purpose?' Not one, they read from textbooks. Not an answer, that someone else can give them. When ONE has found their own unique purpose in life, then instead of 'seeking', there is only 'expressing'.”
.
.
.
“I see that you are advanced,” speaks an enlightened owl. “However you are blinded by idealism. When you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss will stare back at you.”
.
“My friend,” says the Stranger. “I have not only stared into the abyss, I went to hell and back again to find my answer.”
.
.
.
Everyone falls silent, the Stranger continues:
“It was always here on earth. Heaven. It was always within us. Take a look around you. There is beauty in all things. If you search for it, you can find joy in every moment. Look for love in the world and you shall find love everywhere. Meet Life with gratitude and wonder. Face your experience, like an adventurer faces his challenge. Express unconditional love through your very being. Because this is how we heal Humanities greatest wound: The scar of nihilism.
It has all become so meaningless to us, hasn't it?
Memorizing knowledge at school or college, that you'll never need in real life. This feeling of being stuck in life. Day to day, going to a dead-end job for minimum wage. Living an unfulfilled life. The shattering of broken dreams. The tears of our suffering.
You know, why everything has become so meaningless?
We let our hearts get cold. After falling, we stopped getting back up again. We stopped facing our challenges.
You see, after every defeat, Humanity always got back up again. No matter how tough the challenge may seemed, Humanity never gave up.
We have forgotten, who we are.
All of us are Humanity. You, Me, everyone. We are all humanity. You, the individual human are HUMANITY. You are the Rest of mankind. Because we are all the same in our essence. When you open your heart, then this is your name: 'HUMANITY'
Because you see yourself in every other human. This is the name of the divine spark that sits within all of us. It is the fire, that burns in our eyes. This is Humanity: An archetype of victory and an idea of unity.
Let me ask you a very direct question. If we all came together to do our part, do you think that we could actually clean up the mess we have created? Do you think we have a chance of not only to survive but even to evolve as a species? And perhaps write even greater stories, than ever before?”
.
.
.
.
.
The entire crowd is silent. Most of them avoid eye contact. People start mumbling.
Then the crowd slowly gets louder again and the conversations on each table, continue as if nothing ever happened.
As the Stranger steps down from the chair, a monkey gets up from one of the tables, points his finger and screams:
“Look guys, this dude has ketchup on his outfit.”
.
.
While the crowd laughs at him, the Stranger goes to the bar and orders two beer. While he waits, he rubs off the ketchup stain from his clothes with his fingernails.
People are looking at him and the Seeker. The Seeker can't bear standing next to the Stranger and leaves the tavern. The Stranger pays for two beers. 140 Pesos. He then follows the Seeker outside.
.
.
“Wanna go already?” asks the Stranger while sipping from his beer.
“Those guys hate you now,” sighs the Seeker.
“Who cares?” shrugs the Stranger, while gulping down the beer in a single go.
.
.
.
A couple of animals exit the bar. All the animals, that had no place to fit in. All the animals that didn't belong. A rabbit, a cat, a goldfish, a squirrel, a bear, a fox, a goat, a pigeon, an eagle, a chicken in an alien costume and a dog.
.
“I will also follow my destiny,” speaks the eagle with determination. His heart is also activated.
.
.
“Alright,” says a bear with burning eyes. “Let's try going north... Perhaps this is how we'll finally get to Axis Mundi.”
.
“Going north... that sounds fun,” says the smiling fox. “Let's see how far, we'll come.”
.
“We are all gonna die anyway,” sighs the pessimistic goat.
.
“I never tried going north before,” contemplates the curious pigeon.
.
“10 bucks, that I am first at the top of the volcano,” bets the black cat, while looking at her claws.
.
“Deal,” agrees the dog, while hunting his own tail.
.
The rabbit thinks about the taste of carrots. She is hungry.
.
The squirrel is simply happy and excited for the new adventure. She can't stop dancing.
.
The goldfish has no idea, what he's actually doing. He just rolls around in a plastic bag.
“I... I will also walk my path,” speaks up the brave chicken in an alien costume. For the first time, the chickens eyes start burning.
.
.
.
Together, the new group of friends are traveling the northern road. Towards the volcano. As the sunset illuminates their backs, the animals start singing a new song. A song of excitement, of wonder and of bravery. A song, that goes something like: “We have found a way.”
.
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
.
.
.
for more content visit: We_Are_Humanity
Find previous part Here
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cg7yqg/what_it_means_to_walk_togethe
Find next part Here:
.
.
START JOURNEY HERE: https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/17zwf78/the_seeker_and_the_mysterious_stranger_part_1_of_7/
.
Checkpoint 4
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cbhoml/turning_shit_into_gold/
.
Special Bonus Chapters:
THE ONE TRUE SEEKER AND THE QUESTION OF FREE WILL
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cnaanw/special_bonus_chapter_the_one_true_seeker_and_the/
2024.05.16 18:42 The-Unseen-1 The awakening of the heart
Part 16: The awakening of the heart
.
.
As the Mysterious Stranger and the Seeker leave the old castle behind, they continue on the snow-covered path. A path appears on the right side, following parallel to their own. The two paths merge into one, which leads towards a volcano. As they progress, another parallel path from the left side merges as well with the current one.
.
In the distance, the Seeker spots a building, where the path tilts uphill. A sign points at a crossroad. An intersection, between realms. The crossroads, where all timelines meet up: Where the westward and the eastward paths meets the northern road.
Where the paths meet, stands a tavern. The lights are on. The chimney is smoking. A sign shows its name:
'The Red Ditch Inn'
.
.
“Wanna get something to drink,” asks the Stranger the Seeker.
“Sure, why not,” accepts the Seeker.
.
.
Before he opens the door knob, the Stranger hesitates and speaks to the Seeker:
“This is the bar, where the timelines of our souls meet up. This is the crossing of our life-paths, the intersection of fate. Be prepared, for what happens next.”
The Seeker and the Stranger walk into the building. As they open the door, they are started by the loud conversations. The inn is full. Many tables with different animals of all species.
.
.
The table in the center of the bar, has a label saying: 'Spirituality'
Around that table sit all kinds of different birds and animals. Pigeons, squirrels, Reptiles, cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, crows, mice, sloths. They are mostly talking about crystals and past lives.
.
.
There was a table, which said: 'astralprojection'. There sat an old bear, who carries many scars, wounded by countless battles, teaching young bear cups, who attentively listen to their elders. Some are making notes.
.
.
Next to it, is a table with a label saying: 'Enlightenment'
There sit some parrots all repeating the same mantra in unison:
“BEFORE ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER, AFTER ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER.”
.
.
There is another table, called: 'Awakened'
There sit a caterpillar, a spider, a scorpion and an eagle.
“You have an Ego,” shouts the caterpillar at the spider, pointing his finger.
“No, you have an Ego,” shouts the spider back at the caterpillar.
“You both have an Ego,” accuses the scorpion both the caterpillar and the spider.
“Hey,” shouts the bird. “I am the eagle here!”
.
.
Next to it, is the table of 'nonduality'. The chairs are completely empty. There is no one here.
.
.
On the other side there is another table with many different birds and mammals, some more exotic animals from all around the world. The label says 'Soulnexus'. There is someone constantly screaming at the top of their lungs:
“I AM A PROFFESIONAL PSYCHIC READER WITH 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!”
.
.
One table next to it is called 'starseeds'. The people sitting there do not look like animals, but like strange aliens. Some small and green beings, others big and gray, some with fur, some with scales, some humanoid. They were mostly talking about the past, exchanging some old memories. Among them is a chicken, who wears an alien costume.
.
As one of the Grey beings stands up to go to the toilet, the chicken whispers to the others:
“Psst guys, I think Fred may not be an actual Starseed.”
The other beings around the table start mumbling.
.
.
There is one more table called 'psychonauts'. The Stranger walks towards their table.
“Jo, wazzup Shawty,” greets the Stranger an old friend at the psychonaut-table, with a fist bump. “Long time no see.”
.
“Whoa, it's YOU,” responds the Tiger at the table, with red eyes, smoking his bong. “Last time I've seen you, I was like in DMT realm.”
.
“Is Burt anywhere around?” asks the Stranger.
.
.
“He is sitting there in the corner,” responds Shawty. The tiger points at a traumatized racoon sitting in the dark corner.
“I have seen too much,” mumbles the Burt the Racoon with eyes wide open, like a scratched record.
“I have traveled too far... I have seen, what lies within the emptiness. Never again... I will never do shrooms again...”
.
.
Suddenly the waiter taps the racoons shoulder, ripping him out of his thought loop.
“Sir... Do you wanna order anything?”
.
“Do you have McKennaii?”
“Yes,” responds the waiter.
“Then I'll have 7 grams,” orders the racoon.
.
.
The Seeker has a sudden thought and looks at the Stranger.
“What does the ' slash' on the tables, stand for?”
.
“I don't know...,” shrugs the Stranger. “ It's probably to reserve the table at this inn.”
.
.
.
The Stranger looks at all the tables, they are all talking and talking. Some are playing poker, others are playing dart, some drunks fight each other. Others talk about their identity or their favorite dogma. Some are showing off, how enlightened they are.
As they stand at the crossroads, they can either go Westwards, Eastwards and Northwards. Many have taken the western route, many have went eastwards, but they always ended back at the 'Red Ditch Inn' again.
The newbies, were unsure, whether to go west or east. The experienced ones, knew it doesn't make a difference, they would end up at the bar again anyway. Some were stuck in the bar since many decades, they had given up hope to ever find a way out. But few of them ever dared to walk northwards.
The Stranger sighs, as he looks around. His eyes flame up, he inhales deeply and climbs on a chair. With a raised voice he speaks:
.
.
.
.
“When did we lose our heart?
We lost our heart collectively.
Did we lose it, when we were still cavemen? When we had to survive the cold winters of the ice age? When we hunted down the last Homo Neanderthalensis? Or later on, when the first tribes waged war against each other? Did we lose our heart, when we enslaved each other? Did we lose our hearts, when we dropped atom bombs, or when we caused our first mass extinctions...The crimes, that Humans do in wars... All of us carry the sins of our forefathers on our shoulders.
.
.
We lost our hearts individually.
For the person it starts pretty early in their childhood. We lose our trust, when we are lied to. Almost everyone tastes the pain of Betrayal at least once in life. We are deeply wounded from childhood on. We learn early on, that humans hurt us and thus we become suspicious of humans. We learn not to trust each other. Because we are afraid of being hurt again. And so we close off our heart to protect it.
.
.
What is the heart?
I am not talking about the physical organ. I talk about this part in your 'soul', if I may call it that. It's like the core of our 'soul', of our 'astral body'. The centre of our 'energy' or chakras. We are afraid to open it, because it's very vulnerable. That's why we protect it. We are afraid to open it, because we don't trust each other.
But unless your heart is open, you can never experience unconditional love. Its flame must be activated.
The heart is your connection to everything. The heart is what connects you to 'source', if that's the word, you'd like to use. The heart is from where our love flows.
We have cut off the connection and became separated from the ALL. We made love conditional. We split hating from loving, dislike from like and created duality. We became attached. We let ourselves be corrupted by the Ego.
Now that we have closed the heart, what have we done to the world?
.
.
We turned the world into a place, that almost no one likes. We created a society, that keeps us in narrow boxes. We made the world a lonely place, for everyone to be in. Even in groups, we often feel lonely. We allowed money to rule over us. We allowed ideologies to split us and dogmas to control us.
We have so many different issues, that we just can't seem to overcome. Climate change. Wars. Corrupt politicians. Poverty. Starvation. Meaninglessness. Nihilism.
Where should we start with all that mess?
.
.
With ourselves. That is the place, where the transformation needs to start. We need to evolve. One person at a time. Only then, can the collective transform as well.
We need to open the mind and the heart. To see and to feel. To be aware and to love. We need to find harmony within ourselves. End the inner conflict and find peace within.
Find your own truest path.
Let go of any limiting beliefs. Let go of any attachments. Forgive whoever needs forgiveness and apologize to clear your regrets. Find Love.
Find your light within. See your light in all people. Love your enemies.
Recognize the Ego, be aware of what makes it grow. Become aware of any negative thought patterns. Be disciplined.
Clear your own shadows. Face your Trauma. Heal your inner child.
Get free from all bodily addictions. Be free of fear. Be free of suffering.
See the beauty of all things. Find joy in every moment.
Surrender yourself. Follow the heart. Be proud and courageous. Accept your life and your story. Embrace your story, without being attached to it.
Find your purpose. End the Seeking.
Be your authentic Self. Express Love through your character.
Become Love.
.
.
.
This is a possible path. And I just gave you the map. It can be walked. It was walked before. But it is a path into unknown territory. Only the bravest of you can walk this path. It's not for the faintest of heart.
You see, you all either follow the path of the left and go westwards or you follow the path on the right and go eastwards... But no matter how far you go, you'll always end up at the crossroads again. You never make any real progress.
What if there is another path? What if there's another way? What if I say, 'let us go north?!'”
.
.
.
Some of the crowd are in shock. Some are laughing. Others are mumbling.
“You can't walk north,” says a crow from the projectors. “It's impossible.”
“Everyone knows, that the northern road is a dead-end,” says an awakened Caterpillar. “It's a waste of time going up there. You can't go further, than the volcano.”
A psychonaut horse laughs. “That will be fun. Can't wait to see their disappointed faces, when they walk all the way back down.”
.
.
.
.
.
The Stranger continues undeterred:
.
“Why are you walking the spiritual path?
You felt called to do it, didn't you? You felt something within you. Something made click. You understood, that there is a deeper truth, that you must find. There was this deep longing within you. So you started walking.
What were the first things, that you were seeking?
You were seeking answers.
What were your first questions? You were asking, 'What is my purpose?' You were asking 'Why am I here'?
And you have searched in so many places. But no matter which answer you got, you were never fully satisfied. Because it wasn't your answer. Because it was someone else's answer.
So you stopped seeking. Either you were content with some unfulfilling answers or you just simply gave up. When did you stop finding your own answers?
Dogma or tradition give us easy answers. When we are attached to them, when we build an identity around them, we become unable to find our own answers. But you can't end Seeking with someone elses answers. Only when you have claimed the answer for yourself, can the Seeker transform into something different. Into something new.
Just ending the Seeker, like cutting off a limb, won't do it. The Seeker needs to find their answer to the question 'What is my purpose?' Not one, they read from textbooks. Not an answer, that someone else can give them. When ONE has found their own unique purpose in life, then instead of 'seeking', there is only 'expressing'.”
.
.
.
“I see that you are advanced,” speaks an enlightened owl. “However you are blinded by idealism. When you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss will stare back at you.”
.
“My friend,” says the Stranger. “I have not only stared into the abyss, I went to hell and back again to find my answer.”
.
.
.
Everyone falls silent, the Stranger continues:
“It was always here on earth. Heaven. It was always within us. Take a look around you. There is beauty in all things. If you search for it, you can find joy in every moment. Look for love in the world and you shall find love everywhere. Meet Life with gratitude and wonder. Face your experience, like an adventurer faces his challenge. Express unconditional love through your very being. Because this is how we heal Humanities greatest wound: The scar of nihilism.
It has all become so meaningless to us, hasn't it?
Memorizing knowledge at school or college, that you'll never need in real life. This feeling of being stuck in life. Day to day, going to a dead-end job for minimum wage. Living an unfulfilled life. The shattering of broken dreams. The tears of our suffering.
You know, why everything has become so meaningless?
We let our hearts get cold. After falling, we stopped getting back up again. We stopped facing our challenges.
You see, after every defeat, Humanity always got back up again. No matter how tough the challenge may seemed, Humanity never gave up.
We have forgotten, who we are.
All of us are Humanity. You, Me, everyone. We are all humanity. You, the individual human are HUMANITY. You are the Rest of mankind. Because we are all the same in our essence. When you open your heart, then this is your name: 'HUMANITY'
Because you see yourself in every other human. This is the name of the divine spark that sits within all of us. It is the fire, that burns in our eyes. This is Humanity: An archetype of victory and an idea of unity.
Let me ask you a very direct question. If we all came together to do our part, do you think that we could actually clean up the mess we have created? Do you think we have a chance of not only to survive but even to evolve as a species? And perhaps write even greater stories, than ever before?”
.
.
.
.
.
The entire crowd is silent. Most of them avoid eye contact. People start mumbling.
Then the crowd slowly gets louder again and the conversations on each table, continue as if nothing ever happened.
As the Stranger steps down from the chair, a monkey gets up from one of the tables, points his finger and screams:
“Look guys, this dude has ketchup on his outfit.”
.
.
While the crowd laughs at him, the Stranger goes to the bar and orders two beer. While he waits, he rubs off the ketchup stain from his clothes with his fingernails.
People are looking at him and the Seeker. The Seeker can't bear standing next to the Stranger and leaves the tavern. The Stranger pays for two beers. 140 Pesos. He then follows the Seeker outside.
.
.
“Wanna go already?” asks the Stranger while sipping from his beer.
“Those guys hate you now,” sighs the Seeker.
“Who cares?” shrugs the Stranger, while gulping down the beer in a single go.
.
.
.
A couple of animals exit the bar. All the animals, that had no place to fit in. All the animals that didn't belong. A rabbit, a cat, a goldfish, a squirrel, a bear, a fox, a goat, a pigeon, an eagle, a chicken in an alien costume and a dog.
.
“I will also follow my destiny,” speaks the eagle with determination. His heart is also activated.
.
.
“Alright,” says a bear with burning eyes. “Let's try going north... Perhaps this is how we'll finally get to Axis Mundi.”
.
“Going north... that sounds fun,” says the smiling fox. “Let's see how far, we'll come.”
.
“We are all gonna die anyway,” sighs the pessimistic goat.
.
“I never tried going north before,” contemplates the curious pigeon.
.
“10 bucks, that I am first at the top of the volcano,” bets the black cat, while looking at her claws.
.
“Deal,” agrees the dog, while hunting his own tail.
.
The rabbit thinks about the taste of carrots. She is hungry.
.
The squirrel is simply happy and excited for the new adventure. She can't stop dancing.
.
The goldfish has no idea, what he's actually doing. He just rolls around in a plastic bag.
“I... I will also walk my path,” speaks up the brave chicken in an alien costume. For the first time, the chickens eyes start burning.
.
.
.
Together, the new group of friends are traveling the northern road. Towards the volcano. As the sunset illuminates their backs, the animals start singing a new song. A song of excitement, of wonder and of bravery. A song, that goes something like: “We have found a way.”
.
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
.
.
.
for more content visit: We_Are_Humanity
Find previous part Here
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cg7yqg/what_it_means_to_walk_togethe
Find next part Here:
.
.
START JOURNEY HERE: https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/17zwf78/the_seeker_and_the_mysterious_stranger_part_1_of_7/
.
Checkpoint 4
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cbhoml/turning_shit_into_gold/
.
Special Bonus Chapters:
THE ONE TRUE SEEKER AND THE QUESTION OF FREE WILL
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cnaanw/special_bonus_chapter_the_one_true_seeker_and_the/
submitted by The-Unseen-1 to spirituality [link] [comments]
.
.
As the Mysterious Stranger and the Seeker leave the old castle behind, they continue on the snow-covered path. A path appears on the right side, following parallel to their own. The two paths merge into one, which leads towards a volcano. As they progress, another parallel path from the left side merges as well with the current one.
.
In the distance, the Seeker spots a building, where the path tilts uphill. A sign points at a crossroad. An intersection, between realms. The crossroads, where all timelines meet up: Where the westward and the eastward paths meets the northern road.
Where the paths meet, stands a tavern. The lights are on. The chimney is smoking. A sign shows its name:
'The Red Ditch Inn'
.
.
“Wanna get something to drink,” asks the Stranger the Seeker.
“Sure, why not,” accepts the Seeker.
.
.
Before he opens the door knob, the Stranger hesitates and speaks to the Seeker:
“This is the bar, where the timelines of our souls meet up. This is the crossing of our life-paths, the intersection of fate. Be prepared, for what happens next.”
The Seeker and the Stranger walk into the building. As they open the door, they are started by the loud conversations. The inn is full. Many tables with different animals of all species.
.
.
The table in the center of the bar, has a label saying: 'Spirituality'
Around that table sit all kinds of different birds and animals. Pigeons, squirrels, Reptiles, cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, crows, mice, sloths. They are mostly talking about crystals and past lives.
.
.
There was a table, which said: 'astralprojection'. There sat an old bear, who carries many scars, wounded by countless battles, teaching young bear cups, who attentively listen to their elders. Some are making notes.
.
.
Next to it, is a table with a label saying: 'Enlightenment'
There sit some parrots all repeating the same mantra in unison:
“BEFORE ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER, AFTER ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER.”
.
.
There is another table, called: 'Awakened'
There sit a caterpillar, a spider, a scorpion and an eagle.
“You have an Ego,” shouts the caterpillar at the spider, pointing his finger.
“No, you have an Ego,” shouts the spider back at the caterpillar.
“You both have an Ego,” accuses the scorpion both the caterpillar and the spider.
“Hey,” shouts the bird. “I am the eagle here!”
.
.
Next to it, is the table of 'nonduality'. The chairs are completely empty. There is no one here.
.
.
On the other side there is another table with many different birds and mammals, some more exotic animals from all around the world. The label says 'Soulnexus'. There is someone constantly screaming at the top of their lungs:
“I AM A PROFFESIONAL PSYCHIC READER WITH 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!”
.
.
One table next to it is called 'starseeds'. The people sitting there do not look like animals, but like strange aliens. Some small and green beings, others big and gray, some with fur, some with scales, some humanoid. They were mostly talking about the past, exchanging some old memories. Among them is a chicken, who wears an alien costume.
.
As one of the Grey beings stands up to go to the toilet, the chicken whispers to the others:
“Psst guys, I think Fred may not be an actual Starseed.”
The other beings around the table start mumbling.
.
.
There is one more table called 'psychonauts'. The Stranger walks towards their table.
“Jo, wazzup Shawty,” greets the Stranger an old friend at the psychonaut-table, with a fist bump. “Long time no see.”
.
“Whoa, it's YOU,” responds the Tiger at the table, with red eyes, smoking his bong. “Last time I've seen you, I was like in DMT realm.”
.
“Is Burt anywhere around?” asks the Stranger.
.
.
“He is sitting there in the corner,” responds Shawty. The tiger points at a traumatized racoon sitting in the dark corner.
“I have seen too much,” mumbles the Burt the Racoon with eyes wide open, like a scratched record.
“I have traveled too far... I have seen, what lies within the emptiness. Never again... I will never do shrooms again...”
.
.
Suddenly the waiter taps the racoons shoulder, ripping him out of his thought loop.
“Sir... Do you wanna order anything?”
.
“Do you have McKennaii?”
“Yes,” responds the waiter.
“Then I'll have 7 grams,” orders the racoon.
.
.
The Seeker has a sudden thought and looks at the Stranger.
“What does the ' slash' on the tables, stand for?”
.
“I don't know...,” shrugs the Stranger. “ It's probably to reserve the table at this inn.”
.
.
.
The Stranger looks at all the tables, they are all talking and talking. Some are playing poker, others are playing dart, some drunks fight each other. Others talk about their identity or their favorite dogma. Some are showing off, how enlightened they are.
As they stand at the crossroads, they can either go Westwards, Eastwards and Northwards. Many have taken the western route, many have went eastwards, but they always ended back at the 'Red Ditch Inn' again.
The newbies, were unsure, whether to go west or east. The experienced ones, knew it doesn't make a difference, they would end up at the bar again anyway. Some were stuck in the bar since many decades, they had given up hope to ever find a way out. But few of them ever dared to walk northwards.
The Stranger sighs, as he looks around. His eyes flame up, he inhales deeply and climbs on a chair. With a raised voice he speaks:
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“When did we lose our heart?
We lost our heart collectively.
Did we lose it, when we were still cavemen? When we had to survive the cold winters of the ice age? When we hunted down the last Homo Neanderthalensis? Or later on, when the first tribes waged war against each other? Did we lose our heart, when we enslaved each other? Did we lose our hearts, when we dropped atom bombs, or when we caused our first mass extinctions...The crimes, that Humans do in wars... All of us carry the sins of our forefathers on our shoulders.
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We lost our hearts individually.
For the person it starts pretty early in their childhood. We lose our trust, when we are lied to. Almost everyone tastes the pain of Betrayal at least once in life. We are deeply wounded from childhood on. We learn early on, that humans hurt us and thus we become suspicious of humans. We learn not to trust each other. Because we are afraid of being hurt again. And so we close off our heart to protect it.
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What is the heart?
I am not talking about the physical organ. I talk about this part in your 'soul', if I may call it that. It's like the core of our 'soul', of our 'astral body'. The centre of our 'energy' or chakras. We are afraid to open it, because it's very vulnerable. That's why we protect it. We are afraid to open it, because we don't trust each other.
But unless your heart is open, you can never experience unconditional love. Its flame must be activated.
The heart is your connection to everything. The heart is what connects you to 'source', if that's the word, you'd like to use. The heart is from where our love flows.
We have cut off the connection and became separated from the ALL. We made love conditional. We split hating from loving, dislike from like and created duality. We became attached. We let ourselves be corrupted by the Ego.
Now that we have closed the heart, what have we done to the world?
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We turned the world into a place, that almost no one likes. We created a society, that keeps us in narrow boxes. We made the world a lonely place, for everyone to be in. Even in groups, we often feel lonely. We allowed money to rule over us. We allowed ideologies to split us and dogmas to control us.
We have so many different issues, that we just can't seem to overcome. Climate change. Wars. Corrupt politicians. Poverty. Starvation. Meaninglessness. Nihilism.
Where should we start with all that mess?
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With ourselves. That is the place, where the transformation needs to start. We need to evolve. One person at a time. Only then, can the collective transform as well.
We need to open the mind and the heart. To see and to feel. To be aware and to love. We need to find harmony within ourselves. End the inner conflict and find peace within.
Find your own truest path.
Let go of any limiting beliefs. Let go of any attachments. Forgive whoever needs forgiveness and apologize to clear your regrets. Find Love.
Find your light within. See your light in all people. Love your enemies.
Recognize the Ego, be aware of what makes it grow. Become aware of any negative thought patterns. Be disciplined.
Clear your own shadows. Face your Trauma. Heal your inner child.
Get free from all bodily addictions. Be free of fear. Be free of suffering.
See the beauty of all things. Find joy in every moment.
Surrender yourself. Follow the heart. Be proud and courageous. Accept your life and your story. Embrace your story, without being attached to it.
Find your purpose. End the Seeking.
Be your authentic Self. Express Love through your character.
Become Love.
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This is a possible path. And I just gave you the map. It can be walked. It was walked before. But it is a path into unknown territory. Only the bravest of you can walk this path. It's not for the faintest of heart.
You see, you all either follow the path of the left and go westwards or you follow the path on the right and go eastwards... But no matter how far you go, you'll always end up at the crossroads again. You never make any real progress.
What if there is another path? What if there's another way? What if I say, 'let us go north?!'”
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Some of the crowd are in shock. Some are laughing. Others are mumbling.
“You can't walk north,” says a crow from the projectors. “It's impossible.”
“Everyone knows, that the northern road is a dead-end,” says an awakened Caterpillar. “It's a waste of time going up there. You can't go further, than the volcano.”
A psychonaut horse laughs. “That will be fun. Can't wait to see their disappointed faces, when they walk all the way back down.”
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The Stranger continues undeterred:
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“Why are you walking the spiritual path?
You felt called to do it, didn't you? You felt something within you. Something made click. You understood, that there is a deeper truth, that you must find. There was this deep longing within you. So you started walking.
What were the first things, that you were seeking?
You were seeking answers.
What were your first questions? You were asking, 'What is my purpose?' You were asking 'Why am I here'?
And you have searched in so many places. But no matter which answer you got, you were never fully satisfied. Because it wasn't your answer. Because it was someone else's answer.
So you stopped seeking. Either you were content with some unfulfilling answers or you just simply gave up. When did you stop finding your own answers?
Dogma or tradition give us easy answers. When we are attached to them, when we build an identity around them, we become unable to find our own answers. But you can't end Seeking with someone elses answers. Only when you have claimed the answer for yourself, can the Seeker transform into something different. Into something new.
Just ending the Seeker, like cutting off a limb, won't do it. The Seeker needs to find their answer to the question 'What is my purpose?' Not one, they read from textbooks. Not an answer, that someone else can give them. When ONE has found their own unique purpose in life, then instead of 'seeking', there is only 'expressing'.”
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“I see that you are advanced,” speaks an enlightened owl. “However you are blinded by idealism. When you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss will stare back at you.”
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“My friend,” says the Stranger. “I have not only stared into the abyss, I went to hell and back again to find my answer.”
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Everyone falls silent, the Stranger continues:
“It was always here on earth. Heaven. It was always within us. Take a look around you. There is beauty in all things. If you search for it, you can find joy in every moment. Look for love in the world and you shall find love everywhere. Meet Life with gratitude and wonder. Face your experience, like an adventurer faces his challenge. Express unconditional love through your very being. Because this is how we heal Humanities greatest wound: The scar of nihilism.
It has all become so meaningless to us, hasn't it?
Memorizing knowledge at school or college, that you'll never need in real life. This feeling of being stuck in life. Day to day, going to a dead-end job for minimum wage. Living an unfulfilled life. The shattering of broken dreams. The tears of our suffering.
You know, why everything has become so meaningless?
We let our hearts get cold. After falling, we stopped getting back up again. We stopped facing our challenges.
You see, after every defeat, Humanity always got back up again. No matter how tough the challenge may seemed, Humanity never gave up.
We have forgotten, who we are.
All of us are Humanity. You, Me, everyone. We are all humanity. You, the individual human are HUMANITY. You are the Rest of mankind. Because we are all the same in our essence. When you open your heart, then this is your name: 'HUMANITY'
Because you see yourself in every other human. This is the name of the divine spark that sits within all of us. It is the fire, that burns in our eyes. This is Humanity: An archetype of victory and an idea of unity.
Let me ask you a very direct question. If we all came together to do our part, do you think that we could actually clean up the mess we have created? Do you think we have a chance of not only to survive but even to evolve as a species? And perhaps write even greater stories, than ever before?”
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The entire crowd is silent. Most of them avoid eye contact. People start mumbling.
Then the crowd slowly gets louder again and the conversations on each table, continue as if nothing ever happened.
As the Stranger steps down from the chair, a monkey gets up from one of the tables, points his finger and screams:
“Look guys, this dude has ketchup on his outfit.”
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While the crowd laughs at him, the Stranger goes to the bar and orders two beer. While he waits, he rubs off the ketchup stain from his clothes with his fingernails.
People are looking at him and the Seeker. The Seeker can't bear standing next to the Stranger and leaves the tavern. The Stranger pays for two beers. 140 Pesos. He then follows the Seeker outside.
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“Wanna go already?” asks the Stranger while sipping from his beer.
“Those guys hate you now,” sighs the Seeker.
“Who cares?” shrugs the Stranger, while gulping down the beer in a single go.
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A couple of animals exit the bar. All the animals, that had no place to fit in. All the animals that didn't belong. A rabbit, a cat, a goldfish, a squirrel, a bear, a fox, a goat, a pigeon, an eagle, a chicken in an alien costume and a dog.
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“I will also follow my destiny,” speaks the eagle with determination. His heart is also activated.
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“Alright,” says a bear with burning eyes. “Let's try going north... Perhaps this is how we'll finally get to Axis Mundi.”
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“Going north... that sounds fun,” says the smiling fox. “Let's see how far, we'll come.”
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“We are all gonna die anyway,” sighs the pessimistic goat.
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“I never tried going north before,” contemplates the curious pigeon.
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“10 bucks, that I am first at the top of the volcano,” bets the black cat, while looking at her claws.
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“Deal,” agrees the dog, while hunting his own tail.
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The rabbit thinks about the taste of carrots. She is hungry.
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The squirrel is simply happy and excited for the new adventure. She can't stop dancing.
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The goldfish has no idea, what he's actually doing. He just rolls around in a plastic bag.
“I... I will also walk my path,” speaks up the brave chicken in an alien costume. For the first time, the chickens eyes start burning.
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Together, the new group of friends are traveling the northern road. Towards the volcano. As the sunset illuminates their backs, the animals start singing a new song. A song of excitement, of wonder and of bravery. A song, that goes something like: “We have found a way.”
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TO BE CONTINUED
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for more content visit: We_Are_Humanity
Find previous part Here
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cg7yqg/what_it_means_to_walk_togethe
Find next part Here:
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START JOURNEY HERE: https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/17zwf78/the_seeker_and_the_mysterious_stranger_part_1_of_7/
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Checkpoint 4
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cbhoml/turning_shit_into_gold/
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Special Bonus Chapters:
THE ONE TRUE SEEKER AND THE QUESTION OF FREE WILL
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cnaanw/special_bonus_chapter_the_one_true_seeker_and_the/
2024.05.16 18:41 Sweet-Count2557 15 Fun Things to Do With Kids in the Phoenix Area
 | 15 Fun Things to Do With Kids in the Phoenix Area As we were strolling through the vibrant streets of Phoenix, a thought suddenly struck us: what are some fun activities we could do with our kids in this bustling city? Well, buckle up because we've got you covered!In this article, we'll take you on a journey through the top 15 fun things to do with your little ones in the Phoenix area.So, whether you're looking for indoor attractions, outdoor adventures, educational experiences, or unique destinations, keep reading to discover the best ways to create unforgettable memories with your family in the Valley of the Sun.Key TakeawaysPhoenix offers a wide range of indoor attractions for kids, including LEGOLAND Discovery Center Arizona, SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium, and the Arizona Science Center.Families can enjoy unique experiences in Phoenix, such as visiting the Heard Museum, trying indoor skydiving at iFly, or exploring the Crayola Experience.Outdoor activities in Phoenix include hiking Camelback Mountain, exploring historical sites like the Pioneer Living History Museum, and watching Cactus League Baseball games.Families can also enjoy educational attractions like the Musical Instrument Museum, the Desert Botanical Garden, and the Pueblo Grande Museum, which offer opportunities for learning and exploring nature.Indoor AttractionsWhen it comes to indoor attractions in the Phoenix area, there are plenty of exciting options for families to enjoy together. From interactive museums to thrilling puppet shows, there's something for everyone.One of the top indoor attractions for kids in Phoenix is the Arizona Science Center. This museum offers hands-on exhibits and interactive demonstrations that make learning about science fun and engaging.Another must-visit is the Great Arizona Puppet Theater, where families can watch delightful puppet shows that will captivate both children and adults.For a unique experience, families can visit the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM). This museum houses a vast collection of musical instruments from around the world, and visitors can even try playing some of them. It's a great way to introduce children to different cultures and the beauty of music.Another option is the Children's Museum of Phoenix, which offers a wide range of interactive exhibits that encourage creativity and imagination.When it comes to the best family-friendly museums in Phoenix, the Hall of Flame Fire Museum is a must-visit. Here, families can learn about the history of firefighting and see antique fire trucks up close. It's a fascinating and educational experience for kids of all ages.Unique ExperiencesAfter immersing ourselves in the fascinating world of indoor attractions in Phoenix, it's time to embark on a journey of unique experiences that will leave the whole family enthralled.One of these experiences is the iFly indoor skydiving adventure. Imagine the thrill of floating on a cushion of air, defying gravity as you soar through the sky. It's an adrenaline-pumping activity that will make you feel like a superhero. Whether you're an experienced skydiver or a first-timer, iFly offers a safe and exhilarating experience that's suitable for all ages.Another unique experience that shouldn't be missed is the Mirror Maze adventure. Step into a world of illusion and confusion as you navigate your way through a maze of mirrors. It's a mind-bending experience that will challenge your perception and leave you wondering which way is up. Get lost in the infinite reflections and see if you can find your way out. It's a fun and interactive activity that will keep the whole family entertained.These unique experiences offer a break from the ordinary and provide an opportunity for the whole family to create lasting memories. Whether you choose to defy gravity at iFly or get lost in the Mirror Maze, you're sure to have a thrilling and unforgettable time.Water ActivitiesLet's dive into the refreshing world of water activities in the Phoenix area and make a splash with endless fun and excitement. The Phoenix area offers a variety of options for cooling off and having a great time in the water.Here are three exhilarating water activities that your family will love:Splash Pads: Beat the heat at one of the many splash pads scattered throughout the Phoenix area. These interactive water play areas are perfect for kids of all ages. Watch as your little ones squeal with delight as they run through spraying water, dodge waterfalls, and explore the colorful water features. With numerous splash pads to choose from, you'll never run out of options for a splashing good time.Water Parks: For a day full of thrilling water slides, wave pools, and lazy rivers, head to one of the water parks in the Phoenix area. Hurricane Harbor Phoenix is a popular choice, offering an array of adrenaline-pumping slides and attractions. From high-speed water slides to relaxing floating experiences, there's something for everyone in the family. Get ready to make a big splash and create unforgettable memories.SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium: Dive into an underwater adventure at SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium. Explore the wonders of the ocean and get up close to fascinating marine creatures. Watch as your kids marvel at the colorful fish, graceful rays, and majestic sharks. With interactive exhibits and educational presentations, the aquarium provides a unique and immersive water experience for the whole family.Whether you choose to cool off at a splash pad, slide down thrilling water slides at a water park, or discover the magic of the underwater world at SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium, the Phoenix area offers a wide range of water activities that will leave your family feeling refreshed and exhilarated. So grab your swimsuits and get ready to make a splash in the desert oasis.Educational AttractionsAs we continue our exploration of the exciting attractions in the Phoenix area, let's now turn our attention to the educational offerings that are sure to captivate and enlighten both children and adults alike. From interactive exhibits to hands-on learning experiences, these educational attractions provide a unique opportunity for families to engage in fun and educational activities.One of the most popular educational attractions in Phoenix is the Arizona Science Center. With its interactive exhibits and engaging programs, the Science Center offers a hands-on learning experience that sparks curiosity and fosters a love for science. From exploring the wonders of the human body to discovering the mysteries of outer space, there's something for everyone at this educational hotspot.Another must-visit educational attraction is the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM). This one-of-a-kind museum showcases a collection of over 7,000 musical instruments from around the world. Visitors can't only see and learn about these instruments but also have the opportunity to play them in the interactive exhibits. It's a truly immersive experience that brings the joy of music to life.For a glimpse into the rich history and culture of Phoenix, the Pueblo Grande Museum is a must-visit. This archaeological site and museum offers a fascinating look into the ancient Hohokam civilization through exhibits, artifacts, and hands-on activities. Visitors can learn about the daily life, art, and architecture of the Hohokam people while exploring the ruins of their ancient village.To experience the beauty of the desert and learn about its unique ecosystem, the Desert Botanical Garden is the perfect destination. With its stunning collection of desert plants and informative exhibits, the garden provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about the importance of conservation and sustainability.These educational attractions in the Phoenix area offer a blend of entertainment and learning, making them the perfect choice for families looking for a fun and educational experience. Whether it's exploring the wonders of science, playing musical instruments from around the world, delving into the history of ancient civilizations, or discovering the beauty of the desert, these attractions provide a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experiences that will leave both children and adults inspired and enlightened.Children's EntertainmentWe couldn't wait to dive into the world of children's entertainment in the Phoenix area, where a plethora of exciting activities and attractions awaited our little ones. From interactive shows to creative workshops, there was something for everyone to enjoy.Here are three of our favorite children's entertainment options in the Phoenix area:LEGOLAND Discovery Center Arizona: This indoor attraction is a dream come true for LEGO enthusiasts. Kids can explore the LEGO-themed rides, build and race their own LEGO cars, and even learn from master builders in interactive workshops. It's a place where imagination and creativity take center stage.Great Arizona Puppet Theater: Step into a world of enchantment and wonder at the Great Arizona Puppet Theater. With captivating puppet shows that bring stories to life, children can immerse themselves in the magic of puppetry. From classic tales to original productions, every performance is a delight for young and old alike.Childsplay: If your child has a flair for the dramatic, Childsplay is the perfect place to nurture their love for the performing arts. They offer a variety of theater classes and workshops where kids can learn acting, singing, and dancing from professional instructors. It's a wonderful opportunity for them to express themselves and develop their talents.These are just a few examples of the incredible children's entertainment options in the Phoenix area. Whether your little ones are into LEGO, puppetry, or the performing arts, there's something for every child's interest and imagination to thrive.Outdoor ActivitiesAfter immersing ourselves in the world of children's entertainment, we were ready to venture outdoors and explore the exciting activities and attractions that the Phoenix area has to offer. The region is known for its stunning natural beauty and abundant sunshine, making it the perfect destination for outdoor adventures with kids.One of the top outdoor activities in Phoenix is hiking. With its picturesque landscapes and numerous hiking trails, there's something for everyone. Camelback Mountain is a popular choice, offering breathtaking views of the city from its summit.Families can also visit the Pioneer Living History Museum, where they can step back in time and experience what life was like in the Old West.For those who crave a bit more excitement, there are several outdoor adventure parks to choose from. Castles N Coasters is a thrilling amusement park with rides and attractions for all ages. Jakes Unlimited offers a variety of activities including go-karts, mini-golf, and arcade games. And for those who want to beat the heat, Enchanted Island Amusement Park is a water park with slides and splash pads.MuseumsWhen exploring the vibrant city of Phoenix, don't miss out on the opportunity to visit its fascinating museums. Phoenix is home to a variety of museums that offer engaging and educational experiences for both kids and adults. Here are three must-visit museums in Phoenix:Arizona Science Center: This museum is a hub of interactive exhibits that will spark curiosity and inspire young minds. From exploring the wonders of space in the planetarium to getting hands-on with the latest technology in the Maker Space, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Kids can learn about science, technology, engineering, and math through fun and engaging exhibits.Musical Instrument Museum (MIM): At MIM, you can embark on a musical journey around the world. This unique museum showcases a vast collection of musical instruments from different cultures and time periods. Kids can listen to music from different regions, play instruments, and even participate in interactive performances. It's a great opportunity to introduce them to the beauty of music from around the globe.Heard Museum: Immerse yourself in the rich history and culture of Native American tribes at the Heard Museum. This museum houses a remarkable collection of historical artifacts, including pottery, jewelry, and textiles. Kids can learn about the traditions, art, and stories of Native American communities through exhibits and interactive displays.Animal AttractionsIf you're looking for a wild and exciting adventure in Phoenix, be sure to check out the animal attractions that will leave your kids in awe.Phoenix is home to some of the best zoos in the area, where your little ones can get up close and personal with a wide variety of animals. The Phoenix Zoo is a must-visit, with over 1,400 animals and 125 acres of land to explore. Your kids will love seeing giraffes, elephants, and even Komodo dragons. The zoo also offers animal encounters, where your children can meet and learn about their favorite creatures.But the fun doesn't stop there! Butterfly Wonderland is another animal attraction that your kids will love. This indoor rainforest is home to thousands of colorful butterflies, as well as other insects and reptiles. Your children can even participate in the Butterfly Encounter, where they can hold and release butterflies.For an underwater adventure, SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium is the place to go. This interactive aquarium allows kids to get up close and personal with marine life, including sharks, stingrays, and seahorses. They can even touch starfish and sea anemones in the interactive touch pool.Art and CreativityLet's dive into the vibrant world of art and creativity in Phoenix, where imagination knows no bounds. Whether your little ones are budding Picassos or simply love getting their hands dirty, there are plenty of opportunities for them to explore their artistic side in the Phoenix area.Here are three exciting options that will unleash their creativity:Pottery Painting Classes: Let your kids unleash their inner artists at pottery painting classes. They can choose from a wide range of ceramic pieces, from mugs to figurines, and then let their imaginations run wild as they paint and decorate their creations. Not only will they've a blast, but they'll also take home a unique piece of art to cherish.Creative Art Workshops: Encourage your children to think outside the box and express their creativity through innovative art workshops. These workshops often focus on different artistic techniques and mediums, such as painting, drawing, sculpture, and mixed media. With the guidance of experienced instructors, your little artists will have the opportunity to experiment with various materials and create one-of-a-kind masterpieces.Interactive Art Exhibits: Take your kids to interactive art exhibits that engage all their senses. These exhibits allow children to become part of the artwork, encouraging them to touch, explore, and even contribute to the creative process. From immersive installations to interactive digital displays, these exhibits will spark their imagination and leave a lasting impression.Amusement ParksGet ready for a thrilling adventure at the amusement parks in Phoenix, where excitement and fun await visitors of all ages. If you're a thrill seeker looking for an adrenaline rush, you won't be disappointed. Phoenix is home to some of the best amusement parks that cater to your need for speed and excitement. Whether you're a daredevil or just looking for a fun family outing, these parks have something for everyone.One of the top amusement parks for thrill seekers in Phoenix is Castles N Coasters. This park offers a variety of exhilarating rides, including roller coasters, bumper cars, and a log flume ride. With its thrilling attractions and exciting atmosphere, Castles N Coasters is sure to get your heart racing.For families looking for the best family-friendly attractions, Enchanted Island Amusement Park is a must-visit. This park is perfect for kids of all ages, with a wide range of rides and attractions that are both fun and safe. From gentle carousel rides to exciting mini roller coasters, there's something for everyone at Enchanted Island.Jakes Unlimited is another great option for families. This indoor amusement park offers a mix of arcade games, bumper cars, mini golf, and even a zip line. With so many activities to choose from, your family will have a blast exploring all that Jakes Unlimited has to offer.When it comes to amusement parks in Phoenix, there's no shortage of fun and excitement. Whether you're a thrill seeker or looking for family-friendly attractions, these parks have it all. So grab your family and get ready for a day of adventure and fun at the amusement parks in Phoenix.Historical and Cultural SitesWhen exploring the vibrant city of Phoenix, don't miss the opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich history and diverse culture found at the historical and cultural sites throughout the area. Phoenix isn't just a modern metropolis; it's also home to fascinating sites that offer a glimpse into the past and the unique cultures that have shaped this region.Here are three must-visit historical and cultural sites that will captivate both kids and adults:Pioneer Living History Museum: Step back in time and experience what life was like in the Old West at the Pioneer Living History Museum. This immersive outdoor museum showcases authentic 19th-century buildings and artifacts, and offers interactive activities such as gold panning and blacksmith demonstrations. Kids will love dressing up in period costumes and exploring the restored schoolhouse, saloon, and other historic structures.Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve: Embark on a journey of discovery at the Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve. This archaeological site is home to over 1,500 petroglyphs created by the ancient Hohokam people. Take a guided tour to learn about the significance of these rock carvings and gain insight into the Hohokam culture. Kids will be fascinated by the intricate designs and the stories they tell.Heard Museum: Delve into Native American art, history, and culture at the Heard Museum. This renowned institution showcases a vast collection of traditional and contemporary art, including pottery, jewelry, textiles, and sculptures. Kids can participate in hands-on activities, such as weaving and pottery making, and learn about the rich traditions and contributions of Native American tribes.These historical and cultural sites offer a chance to explore the past and gain a deeper appreciation for the diverse cultures that have shaped Phoenix. So, grab your family and embark on an adventure of discovery at the Pioneer Living History Museum and the Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve, and don't forget to visit the Heard Museum for a truly immersive cultural experience.Water ParksWater parks in the Phoenix area offer a refreshing and thrilling escape from the desert heat, providing endless fun and excitement for the whole family. When it comes to water parks, Phoenix has some of the best in the country. Let's take a look at the top water parks in Phoenix and the best water park attractions for kids.One of the top water parks in Phoenix is Hurricane Harbor Phoenix. This park boasts a variety of attractions that are sure to keep kids entertained all day long. From thrilling water slides to relaxing lazy rivers, there's something for everyone at Hurricane Harbor. The little ones can splash around in the children's play areas, while older kids can brave the giant water slides.Another great water park in Phoenix is SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium. While not a traditional water park, it offers an underwater adventure like no other. Kids can explore the wonders of the ocean through interactive exhibits and even touch some of the marine life. It's a great way to combine learning and fun in one.For a more laid-back water park experience, splash pads are a popular choice. These water playgrounds are scattered throughout the city and offer a safe and fun environment for kids to cool off. They feature fountains, sprays, and other interactive elements that are sure to keep kids entertained for hours.SportsNow let's dive into the exciting world of sports in the Phoenix area, where there's no shortage of thrilling activities and events to keep both kids and adults entertained.Here are three sports events and activities in Phoenix that are perfect for kids:Cactus League Baseball: Phoenix is home to several Major League Baseball teams that participate in the Cactus League during spring training. Taking your kids to a baseball game is a fantastic way to introduce them to the sport and create lasting memories. They can cheer for their favorite teams, enjoy ballpark food, and experience the excitement of America's pastime.Other Sports: Phoenix offers a wide range of sports options for kids to get involved in. From soccer and basketball to swimming and golf, there are countless opportunities for children to explore different sports and find their passion. Local community centers, sports clubs, and recreational facilities often offer youth leagues and programs that cater to different age groups and skill levels.How to get kids involved in sports in the Phoenix area: Getting kids involved in sports isn't only a great way to keep them active but also helps develop important skills like teamwork, discipline, and perseverance. Encourage your children to try different sports and find something they enjoy. Attend local sports clinics or camps where they can receive professional coaching and guidance. And most importantly, be their biggest cheerleader and support them in their sports endeavors.Gardens and NatureExploring the gardens and nature in the Phoenix area offers a captivating experience that immerses both kids and adults in the beauty and tranquility of the natural world. From botanical gardens to wildlife sanctuaries, there are plenty of opportunities to connect with nature and create lasting memories.One of the must-visit destinations for nature enthusiasts is the Desert Botanical Garden. This stunning botanical garden showcases a wide variety of desert plants and offers a unique opportunity to learn about the diverse ecosystems found in the region. Kids will love exploring the garden's trails and discovering the fascinating plants and wildlife that call the desert home.For those seeking outdoor adventure, Phoenix is home to several outdoor adventure parks and nature trails. These parks offer a range of activities such as hiking, biking, and even zip-lining, providing endless opportunities for families to get active and enjoy the great outdoors. Whether you're looking for a leisurely stroll through a scenic nature trail or an adrenaline-pumping adventure, there's something for everyone.In addition to the botanical gardens and adventure parks, Phoenix is also home to wildlife sanctuaries where kids can get up close and personal with animals. These sanctuaries provide educational experiences and allow children to learn about different species and their habitats. It's a wonderful way to teach kids about the importance of conservation and the need to protect our natural world.Exploring the gardens and nature in the Phoenix area isn't only a fun way to spend time with your kids, but it also offers valuable learning experiences. It allows children to appreciate the beauty of the natural world and develop a deeper understanding and respect for the environment. So, grab your sunscreen and get ready for an unforgettable adventure in the gardens and nature of Phoenix!Phoenix LandmarksWhen visiting Phoenix, be sure to explore the iconic landmarks that make the city truly unique. Here are three must-see Phoenix landmarks that will captivate both kids and adults:Great Arizona Puppet Theater: Step into a world of imagination and wonder at the Great Arizona Puppet Theater. Watch in awe as the talented puppeteers bring characters to life through their skillful performances. From classic fairy tales to original stories, the puppet shows here are a delight for all ages. Let your children's imaginations run wild as they're transported to magical worlds filled with adventure and laughter.Hall of Flame Fire Museum: Delve into the fascinating history of firefighting at the Hall of Flame Fire Museum. Learn about the brave men and women who risk their lives to protect our communities. Explore the impressive collection of vintage fire engines and equipment. Kids will love the interactive exhibits where they can try on firefighter gear and even ride on a mini fire truck. This museum isn't only educational but also a great way to show appreciation for our local heroes.Musical Instrument Museum (MIM): Immerse yourself in the world of music at the Musical Instrument Museum. Discover instruments from across the globe and learn about different musical cultures. Kids can participate in hands-on activities like playing instruments from around the world or creating their own melodies in the interactive exhibits. The MIM also offers live performances and concerts, providing a truly immersive and enriching experience for the whole family.Explore these Phoenix landmarks and create unforgettable memories with your kids. Whether it's the magic of puppet shows, the history of firefighting, or the universal language of music, these attractions will leave a lasting impression on everyone who visits.Frequently Asked QuestionsAre There Any Outdoor Activities Suitable for Kids in the Phoenix Area?There are plenty of outdoor activities suitable for kids in the Phoenix area. Outdoor playgrounds offer endless fun and adventure, while hiking trails provide opportunities for exploration and discovery.With the beautiful weather and stunning landscapes, kids can enjoy playing outside and connecting with nature. Whether it's climbing rocks, running through grassy fields, or spotting wildlife, there's something for every child to enjoy in the great outdoors of Phoenix.What Are Some Popular Historical and Cultural Sites to Visit With Kids in Phoenix?Popular historical sites in Phoenix suitable for kids include:The Heard MuseumPueblo Grande MuseumPioneer Living History MuseumDeer Valley Petroglyph PreserveThese sites offer a fascinating glimpse into the rich history and culture of the region.Fun cultural sites in Phoenix for children include:The Great Arizona Puppet Theater, where kids can enjoy captivating puppet showsThe Musical Instrument Museum, which showcases a wide variety of musical instruments from around the worldThese sites provide a unique and educational experience for kids of all ages.Are There Any Water Parks in the Phoenix Area That Are Suitable for Young Children?There are some great water parks for toddlers in the Phoenix area! In addition to traditional water parks, there are also splash pads scattered throughout the city.These splash pads are perfect for little ones to cool off and have fun in the water. They typically have shallow pools and interactive water features that are safe and enjoyable for young children.Are There Any Sports Activities or Events Specifically Catered Towards Kids in Phoenix?There are several sports activities and events in Phoenix that are specifically catered towards kids. Kids-only sports leagues provide a great opportunity for young athletes to learn and grow in their chosen sport.Additionally, there are fun sports tournaments that allow kids to showcase their skills and compete against other young athletes. These activities not only promote physical fitness but also teach important values like teamwork and sportsmanship.Engaging in sports can be a fun and rewarding experience for kids in Phoenix.Can You Recommend Any Gardens or Nature Parks in Phoenix That Are Kid-Friendly?When it comes to kid-friendly gardens in Phoenix, one place that comes to mind is the Desert Botanical Garden. With its vibrant array of desert plants and beautiful walking trails, it's a perfect spot for families to explore and learn about the unique flora of the region.Another family-friendly nature park is the Phoenix Zoo, where kids can't only see a variety of animals but also enjoy interactive exhibits and educational programs.These destinations offer a fun and educational experience for the whole family to enjoy.ConclusionIn conclusion, Phoenix offers a wide range of exciting and memorable experiences for families with kids. Whether you prefer indoor attractions, outdoor adventures, educational activities, or water parks, there's something for everyone.While some may argue that visiting multiple attractions can be expensive, the memories created and the quality time spent with your children are priceless. So, seize the opportunity to explore Phoenix and create cherished memories that will last a lifetime. submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] |
2024.05.16 18:35 The-Unseen-1 The awakening of the heart
 | Walking the Path together (Part 16)https://preview.redd.it/q2t74w3cft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6285733a5de61d31cb31e1e4599c5952d230021dPart 16: The awakening of the heart . . As the Mysterious Stranger and the Seeker leave the old castle behind, they continue on the snow-covered path. A path appears on the right side, following parallel to their own. The two paths merge into one, which leads towards a volcano. As they progress, another parallel path from the left side merges as well with the current one. . In the distance, the Seeker spots a building, where the path tilts uphill. A sign points at a crossroad. An intersection, between realms. The crossroads, where all timelines meet up: Where the westward and the eastward paths meets the northern road. https://preview.redd.it/ickg0u2dft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b5fa4ecd9260473fd86ed9628198e80deec072d Where the paths meet, stands a tavern. The lights are on. The chimney is smoking. A sign shows its name: 'The Red Ditch Inn' https://preview.redd.it/otfmxareft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2760ab4c688b32d48af5f0cbea7366d959f7e78e . . “Wanna get something to drink,” asks the Stranger the Seeker. “Sure, why not,” accepts the Seeker. . . Before he opens the door knob, the Stranger hesitates and speaks to the Seeker: “This is the bar, where the timelines of our souls meet up. This is the crossing of our life-paths, the intersection of fate. Be prepared, for what happens next.” The Seeker and the Stranger walk into the building. As they open the door, they are started by the loud conversations. The inn is full. Many tables with different animals of all species. . . The table in the center of the bar, has a label saying: '' Around that table sit all kinds of different birds and animals. Pigeons, squirrels, Reptiles, cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, crows, mice, sloths. They are mostly talking about crystals and past lives. https://preview.redd.it/zqdv1ocgft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c1694d005d7da80fd8b1fc276df1a1ad769cfec . . There was a table, which said: ''. There sat an old bear, who carries many scars, wounded by countless battles, teaching young bear cups, who attentively listen to their elders. Some are making notes. https://preview.redd.it/va2u53fift0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=121c7846772401ef62d3eb891d316b117e5e2a95 Next to it, is a table with a label saying: 'Enlightenment' There sit some parrots all repeating the same mantra in unison: “BEFORE ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER, AFTER ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER.” https://preview.redd.it/s8t5nhtjft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b85904c62c3eaff4933e26776c32e54d396ca79 . . There is another table, called: 'Awakened' There sit a caterpillar, a spider, a scorpion and an eagle. “You have an Ego,” shouts the caterpillar at the spider, pointing his finger. “No, you have an Ego,” shouts the spider back at the caterpillar. “You both have an Ego,” accuses the scorpion both the caterpillar and the spider. “Hey,” shouts the bird. “I am the eagle here!” https://preview.redd.it/azxybwwkft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da0ba38b819bb49ed950234d0ecc7b4557241ca5 . . Next to it, is the table of ''. The chairs are completely empty. There is no one here. https://preview.redd.it/5dtudmnmft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95cda16a7f7bdcde14e1c6acca920861fdb7bc0a . . On the other side there is another table with many different birds and mammals, some more exotic animals from all around the world. The label says ''. There is someone constantly screaming at the top of their lungs: “I AM A PROFFESIONAL PSYCHIC READER WITH 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!” https://preview.redd.it/htlx7t4oft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58c13f3390548abf946c42949897a24f749a805f . . One table next to it is called ''. The people sitting there do not look like animals, but like strange aliens. Some small and green beings, others big and gray, some with fur, some with scales, some humanoid. They were mostly talking about the past, exchanging some old memories. Among them is a chicken, who wears an alien costume. . As one of the Grey beings stands up to go to the toilet, the chicken whispers to the others: “Psst guys, I think Fred may not be an actual Starseed.” https://preview.redd.it/x4onlblpft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e87edf7926dd1266a4cda563d8e80566d457440 The other beings around the table start mumbling. https://preview.redd.it/fo0eew2rft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97bbefc05e0cc815df9b76543844a973b48bc4e0 . . There is one more table called ''. The Stranger walks towards their table. “Jo, wazzup Shawty,” greets the Stranger an old friend at the psychonaut-table, with a fist bump. “Long time no see.” . “Whoa, it's YOU,” responds the Tiger at the table, with red eyes, smoking his bong. “Last time I've seen you, I was like in DMT realm.” . “Is Burt anywhere around?” asks the Stranger. . . “He is sitting there in the corner,” responds Shawty. The tiger points at a traumatized racoon sitting in the dark corner. “I have seen too much,” mumbles the Burt the Racoon with eyes wide open, like a scratched record. “I have traveled too far... I have seen, what lies within the emptiness. Never again... I will never do shrooms again...” . . Suddenly the waiter taps the racoons shoulder, ripping him out of his thought loop. “Sir... Do you wanna order anything?” . “Do you have McKennaii?” “Yes,” responds the waiter. “Then I'll have 7 grams,” orders the racoon. https://preview.redd.it/x822pqvsft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc69a2b4b402b194f34ec41a34863f4328acf375 . . The Seeker has a sudden thought and looks at the Stranger. “What does the ' slash' on the tables, stand for?” . “I don't know...,” shrugs the Stranger. “ It's probably to reserve the table at this inn.” . . . The Stranger looks at all the tables, they are all talking and talking. Some are playing poker, others are playing dart, some drunks fight each other. Others talk about their identity or their favorite dogma. Some are showing off, how enlightened they are. As they stand at the crossroads, they can either go Westwards, Eastwards and Northwards. Many have taken the western route, many have went eastwards, but they always ended back at the 'Red Ditch Inn' again. The newbies, were unsure, whether to go west or east. The experienced ones, knew it doesn't make a difference, they would end up at the bar again anyway. Some were stuck in the bar since many decades, they had given up hope to ever find a way out. But few of them ever dared to walk northwards. https://preview.redd.it/zzrinpkuft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d651c126cb4ae30f944140c6da14421ebc94f2d The Stranger sighs, as he looks around. His eyes flame up, he inhales deeply and climbs on a chair. With a raised voice he speaks: . . . . “When did we lose our heart? We lost our heart collectively. Did we lose it, when we were still cavemen? When we had to survive the cold winters of the ice age? When we hunted down the last Homo Neanderthalensis? Or later on, when the first tribes waged war against each other? Did we lose our heart, when we enslaved each other? Did we lose our hearts, when we dropped atom bombs, or when we caused our first mass extinctions...The crimes, that Humans do in wars... All of us carry the sins of our forefathers on our shoulders. . . We lost our hearts individually. For the person it starts pretty early in their childhood. We lose our trust, when we are lied to. Almost everyone tastes the pain of Betrayal at least once in life. We are deeply wounded from childhood on. We learn early on, that humans hurt us and thus we become suspicious of humans. We learn not to trust each other. Because we are afraid of being hurt again. And so we close off our heart to protect it. . . What is the heart? I am not talking about the physical organ. I talk about this part in your 'soul', if I may call it that. It's like the core of our 'soul', of our 'astral body'. The centre of our 'energy' or chakras. We are afraid to open it, because it's very vulnerable. That's why we protect it. We are afraid to open it, because we don't trust each other. But unless your heart is open, you can never experience unconditional love. Its flame must be activated. The heart is your connection to everything. The heart is what connects you to 'source', if that's the word, you'd like to use. The heart is from where our love flows. We have cut off the connection and became separated from the ALL. We made love conditional. We split hating from loving, dislike from like and created duality. We became attached. We let ourselves be corrupted by the Ego. Now that we have closed the heart, what have we done to the world? . . We turned the world into a place, that almost no one likes. We created a society, that keeps us in narrow boxes. We made the world a lonely place, for everyone to be in. Even in groups, we often feel lonely. We allowed money to rule over us. We allowed ideologies to split us and dogmas to control us. We have so many different issues, that we just can't seem to overcome. Climate change. Wars. Corrupt politicians. Poverty. Starvation. Meaninglessness. Nihilism. Where should we start with all that mess? . . With ourselves. That is the place, where the transformation needs to start. We need to evolve. One person at a time. Only then, can the collective transform as well. We need to open the mind and the heart. To see and to feel. To be aware and to love. We need to find harmony within ourselves. End the inner conflict and find peace within. Find your own truest path. Let go of any limiting beliefs. Let go of any attachments. Forgive whoever needs forgiveness and apologize to clear your regrets. Find Love. Find your light within. See your light in all people. Love your enemies. Recognize the Ego, be aware of what makes it grow. Become aware of any negative thought patterns. Be disciplined. Clear your own shadows. Face your Trauma. Heal your inner child. Get free from all bodily addictions. Be free of fear. Be free of suffering. See the beauty of all things. Find joy in every moment. Surrender yourself. Follow the heart. Be proud and courageous. Accept your life and your story. Embrace your story, without being attached to it. Find your purpose. End the Seeking. Be your authentic Self. Express Love through your character. Become Love. . . . This is a possible path. And I just gave you the map. It can be walked. It was walked before. But it is a path into unknown territory. Only the bravest of you can walk this path. It's not for the faintest of heart. You see, you all either follow the path of the left and go westwards or you follow the path on the right and go eastwards... But no matter how far you go, you'll always end up at the crossroads again. You never make any real progress. What if there is another path? What if there's another way? What if I say, 'let us go north?!'” . . . Some of the crowd are in shock. Some are laughing. Others are mumbling. “You can't walk north,” says a crow from the projectors. “It's impossible.” “Everyone knows, that the northern road is a dead-end,” says an awakened Caterpillar. “It's a waste of time going up there. You can't go further, than the volcano.” https://preview.redd.it/xos6zkewft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c34f29fe33c8e1687f58d780097aa96018acdf2 A psychonaut horse laughs. “That will be fun. Can't wait to see their disappointed faces, when they walk all the way back down.” . . . . . The Stranger continues undeterred: . “Why are you walking the spiritual path? You felt called to do it, didn't you? You felt something within you. Something made click. You understood, that there is a deeper truth, that you must find. There was this deep longing within you. So you started walking. What were the first things, that you were seeking? You were seeking answers. What were your first questions? You were asking, 'What is my purpose?' You were asking 'Why am I here'? And you have searched in so many places. But no matter which answer you got, you were never fully satisfied. Because it wasn't your answer. Because it was someone else's answer. So you stopped seeking. Either you were content with some unfulfilling answers or you just simply gave up. When did you stop finding your own answers? Dogma or tradition give us easy answers. When we are attached to them, when we build an identity around them, we become unable to find our own answers. But you can't end Seeking with someone elses answers. Only when you have claimed the answer for yourself, can the Seeker transform into something different. Into something new. Just ending the Seeker, like cutting off a limb, won't do it. The Seeker needs to find their answer to the question 'What is my purpose?' Not one, they read from textbooks. Not an answer, that someone else can give them. When ONE has found their own unique purpose in life, then instead of 'seeking', there is only 'expressing'.” . . . “I see that you are advanced,” speaks an enlightened owl. “However you are blinded by idealism. When you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss will stare back at you.” https://preview.redd.it/dwfw2exxft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4a01cae5bb2c1d82c68ecbe3154896f35642262 “My friend,” says the Stranger. “I have not only stared into the abyss, I went to hell and back again to find my answer.” . . . Everyone falls silent, the Stranger continues: “It was always here on earth. Heaven. It was always within us. Take a look around you. There is beauty in all things. If you search for it, you can find joy in every moment. Look for love in the world and you shall find love everywhere. Meet Life with gratitude and wonder. Face your experience, like an adventurer faces his challenge. Express unconditional love through your very being. Because this is how we heal Humanities greatest wound: The scar of nihilism. It has all become so meaningless to us, hasn't it? Memorizing knowledge at school or college, that you'll never need in real life. This feeling of being stuck in life. Day to day, going to a dead-end job for minimum wage. Living an unfulfilled life. The shattering of broken dreams. The tears of our suffering. You know, why everything has become so meaningless? We let our hearts get cold. After falling, we stopped getting back up again. We stopped facing our challenges. You see, after every defeat, Humanity always got back up again. No matter how tough the challenge may seemed, Humanity never gave up. We have forgotten, who we are. All of us are Humanity. You, Me, everyone. We are all humanity. You, the individual human are HUMANITY. You are the Rest of mankind. Because we are all the same in our essence. When you open your heart, then this is your name: 'HUMANITY' Because you see yourself in every other human. This is the name of the divine spark that sits within all of us. It is the fire, that burns in our eyes. This is Humanity: An archetype of victory and an idea of unity. Let me ask you a very direct question. If we all came together to do our part, do you think that we could actually clean up the mess we have created? Do you think we have a chance of not only to survive but even to evolve as a species? And perhaps write even greater stories, than ever before?” . . . . . The entire crowd is silent. Most of them avoid eye contact. People start mumbling. Then the crowd slowly gets louder again and the conversations on each table, continue as if nothing ever happened. As the Stranger steps down from the chair, a monkey gets up from one of the tables, points his finger and screams: “Look guys, this dude has ketchup on his outfit.” . . While the crowd laughs at him, the Stranger goes to the bar and orders two beer. While he waits, he rubs off the ketchup stain from his clothes with his fingernails. People are looking at him and the Seeker. The Seeker can't bear standing next to the Stranger and leaves the tavern. The Stranger pays for two beers. 140 Pesos. He then follows the Seeker outside. https://preview.redd.it/j2e9vnjzft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ecea680fc0e94cb3124a13ac41477df1d39b2197 “Wanna go already?” asks the Stranger while sipping from his beer. “Those guys hate you now,” sighs the Seeker. “Who cares?” shrugs the Stranger, while gulping down the beer in a single go. . . . A couple of animals exit the bar. All the animals, that had no place to fit in. All the animals that didn't belong. A rabbit, a cat, a goldfish, a squirrel, a bear, a fox, a goat, a pigeon, an eagle, a chicken in an alien costume and a dog. . “I will also follow my destiny,” speaks the eagle with determination. His heart is also activated. . https://preview.redd.it/a3aiy8i1gt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e26ee09ac0142c51c2bb2a6de3f99ae7a5c2e20 . “Alright,” says a bear with burning eyes. “Let's try going north... Perhaps this is how we'll finally get to Axis Mundi.” . “Going north... that sounds fun,” says the smiling fox. “Let's see how far, we'll come.” https://preview.redd.it/ynk5op93gt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=830f2ce5b0177352d9431948069c2d110c9981ea . “We are all gonna die anyway,” sighs the pessimistic goat. . “I never tried going north before,” contemplates the curious pigeon. . “10 bucks, that I am first at the top of the volcano,” bets the black cat, while looking at her claws. . “Deal,” agrees the dog, while hunting his own tail. . The rabbit thinks about the taste of carrots. She is hungry. . The squirrel is simply happy and excited for the new adventure. She can't stop dancing. . The goldfish has no idea, what he's actually doing. He just rolls around in a plastic bag. https://preview.redd.it/0r3gt6v4gt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9c1f6f434ed6470394072cf8c8a56e2b43697ea “I... I will also walk my path,” speaks up the brave chicken in an alien costume. For the first time, the chickens eyes start burning. . . . Together, the new group of friends are traveling the northern road. Towards the volcano. As the sunset illuminates their backs, the animals start singing a new song. A song of excitement, of wonder and of bravery. A song, that goes something like: “We have found a way.” https://preview.redd.it/ejn0g3h6gt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b31e59f6fb6de3444b9c412470103e144e4cc71 . . . TO BE CONTINUED . . . for more content visit: We_Are_Humanity Find previous part Here https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cg7yqg/what_it_means_to_walk_togethe Find next part Here: . . START JOURNEY HERE: https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/17zwf78/the_seeker_and_the_mysterious_stranger_part_1_of_7/ . Checkpoint 4 https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cbhoml/turning_shit_into_gold/ . Special Bonus Chapters: THE ONE TRUE SEEKER AND THE QUESTION OF FREE WILL https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cnaanw/special_bonus_chapter_the_one_true_seeker_and_the/ |
2024.05.16 18:29 The-Unseen-1 The awakening of the heart
 | Walking the Path together (Part 16)https://preview.redd.it/36m5xcr8et0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d97005daa7716d0e65ced4d55743902fe84023d5Part 16: The awakening of the heart . . As the Mysterious Stranger and the Seeker leave the old castle behind, they continue on the snow-covered path. A path appears on the right side, following parallel to their own. The two paths merge into one, which leads towards a volcano. As they progress, another parallel path from the left side merges as well with the current one. . In the distance, the Seeker spots a building, where the path tilts uphill. A sign points at a crossroad. An intersection, between realms. The crossroads, where all timelines meet up: Where the westward and the eastward paths meets the northern road. https://preview.redd.it/ae3bpd7aet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7383de2130451de3bc882a01237679c2e6b3ca8 Where the paths meet, stands a tavern. The lights are on. The chimney is smoking. A sign shows its name: 'The Red Ditch Inn' https://preview.redd.it/utwx6sobet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=afa48df63def6221a828aedec030794d433df4cd . . “Wanna get something to drink,” asks the Stranger the Seeker. “Sure, why not,” accepts the Seeker. . . Before he opens the door knob, the Stranger hesitates and speaks to the Seeker: “This is the bar, where the timelines of our souls meet up. This is the crossing of our life-paths, the intersection of fate. Be prepared, for what happens next.” The Seeker and the Stranger walk into the building. As they open the door, they are started by the loud conversations. The inn is full. Many tables with different animals of all species. . . The table in the center of the bar, has a label saying: '' Around that table sit all kinds of different birds and animals. Pigeons, squirrels, Reptiles, cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, crows, mice, sloths. They are mostly talking about crystals and past lives. https://preview.redd.it/zmvove7det0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9dab1fd03ee1b1616365dc794c714677f86e05ff . . There was a table, which said: 'astralprojection'. There sat an old bear, who carries many scars, wounded by countless battles, teaching young bear cups, who attentively listen to their elders. Some are making notes. https://preview.redd.it/wtt9eroeet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a473392f1c62cb54093c895fd5bbab87c7753a5 . . Next to it, is a table with a label saying: '' There sit some parrots all repeating the same mantra in unison: “BEFORE ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER, AFTER ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER.” https://preview.redd.it/dnf8l2oget0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5c032c1525ace3626dae0f01ad7655e1a1766768 . . There is another table, called: '' There sit a caterpillar, a spider, a scorpion and an eagle. “You have an Ego,” shouts the caterpillar at the spider, pointing his finger. “No, you have an Ego,” shouts the spider back at the caterpillar. “You both have an Ego,” accuses the scorpion both the caterpillar and the spider. “Hey,” shouts the bird. “I am the eagle here!” https://preview.redd.it/6hyqvluiet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e06ec88af5a0cca9adbea00e0e78fe02865d0195 . . Next to it, is the table of ''. The chairs are completely empty. There is no one here. https://preview.redd.it/dmbnmtnjet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60cd7cb8c584b7dc02ee186f83b06374ac2fae34 . . On the other side there is another table with many different birds and mammals, some more exotic animals from all around the world. The label says 'Soulnexus'. There is someone constantly screaming at the top of their lungs: “I AM A PROFFESIONAL PSYCHIC READER WITH 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!” https://preview.redd.it/u3p6dn5let0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=174ae07fb9867589d8e7dbba3703f0bf10ab2876 . . One table next to it is called ''. The people sitting there do not look like animals, but like strange aliens. Some small and green beings, others big and gray, some with fur, some with scales, some humanoid. They were mostly talking about the past, exchanging some old memories. Among them is a chicken, who wears an alien costume. . As one of the Grey beings stands up to go to the toilet, the chicken whispers to the others: “Psst guys, I think Fred may not be an actual Starseed.” https://preview.redd.it/7qsogjimet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=227c3cefc81563bc663f33be2f2f863f6b5f2823 The other beings around the table start mumbling. https://preview.redd.it/s8u7nxnnet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7941053bac2ec5769e94771a008d5de425c947c1 . . There is one more table called ''. The Stranger walks towards their table. “Jo, wazzup Shawty,” greets the Stranger an old friend at the psychonaut-table, with a fist bump. “Long time no see.” . “Whoa, it's YOU,” responds the Tiger at the table, with red eyes, smoking his bong. “Last time I've seen you, I was like in DMT realm.” . “Is Burt anywhere around?” asks the Stranger. . . “He is sitting there in the corner,” responds Shawty. The tiger points at a traumatized racoon sitting in the dark corner. “I have seen too much,” mumbles the Burt the Racoon with eyes wide open, like a scratched record. “I have traveled too far... I have seen, what lies within the emptiness. Never again... I will never do shrooms again...” . . Suddenly the waiter taps the racoons shoulder, ripping him out of his thought loop. “Sir... Do you wanna order anything?” . “Do you have McKennaii?” “Yes,” responds the waiter. “Then I'll have 7 grams,” orders the racoon. https://preview.redd.it/cn0ri6kpet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=653078bbe16a081d3c6f668c28ae78e62d9a4e62 . . The Seeker has a sudden thought and looks at the Stranger. “What does the ' slash' on the tables, stand for?” . “I don't know...,” shrugs the Stranger. “ It's probably to reserve the table at this inn.” . . . The Stranger looks at all the tables, they are all talking and talking. Some are playing poker, others are playing dart, some drunks fight each other. Others talk about their identity or their favorite dogma. Some are showing off, how enlightened they are. As they stand at the crossroads, they can either go Westwards, Eastwards and Northwards. Many have taken the western route, many have went eastwards, but they always ended back at the 'Red Ditch Inn' again. The newbies, were unsure, whether to go west or east. The experienced ones, knew it doesn't make a difference, they would end up at the bar again anyway. Some were stuck in the bar since many decades, they had given up hope to ever find a way out. But few of them ever dared to walk northwards. https://preview.redd.it/2l9zdpiret0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d741000fa96374bee3e27ee27685d83826390e0 The Stranger sighs, as he looks around. His eyes flame up, he inhales deeply and climbs on a chair. With a raised voice he speaks: . . . . “When did we lose our heart? We lost our heart collectively. Did we lose it, when we were still cavemen? When we had to survive the cold winters of the ice age? When we hunted down the last Homo Neanderthalensis? Or later on, when the first tribes waged war against each other? Did we lose our heart, when we enslaved each other? Did we lose our hearts, when we dropped atom bombs, or when we caused our first mass extinctions...The crimes, that Humans do in wars... All of us carry the sins of our forefathers on our shoulders. . . We lost our hearts individually. For the person it starts pretty early in their childhood. We lose our trust, when we are lied to. Almost everyone tastes the pain of Betrayal at least once in life. We are deeply wounded from childhood on. We learn early on, that humans hurt us and thus we become suspicious of humans. We learn not to trust each other. Because we are afraid of being hurt again. And so we close off our heart to protect it. . . What is the heart? I am not talking about the physical organ. I talk about this part in your 'soul', if I may call it that. It's like the core of our 'soul', of our 'astral body'. The centre of our 'energy' or chakras. We are afraid to open it, because it's very vulnerable. That's why we protect it. We are afraid to open it, because we don't trust each other. But unless your heart is open, you can never experience unconditional love. Its flame must be activated. The heart is your connection to everything. The heart is what connects you to 'source', if that's the word, you'd like to use. The heart is from where our love flows. We have cut off the connection and became separated from the ALL. We made love conditional. We split hating from loving, dislike from like and created duality. We became attached. We let ourselves be corrupted by the Ego. Now that we have closed the heart, what have we done to the world? . . We turned the world into a place, that almost no one likes. We created a society, that keeps us in narrow boxes. We made the world a lonely place, for everyone to be in. Even in groups, we often feel lonely. We allowed money to rule over us. We allowed ideologies to split us and dogmas to control us. We have so many different issues, that we just can't seem to overcome. Climate change. Wars. Corrupt politicians. Poverty. Starvation. Meaninglessness. Nihilism. Where should we start with all that mess? . . With ourselves. That is the place, where the transformation needs to start. We need to evolve. One person at a time. Only then, can the collective transform as well. We need to open the mind and the heart. To see and to feel. To be aware and to love. We need to find harmony within ourselves. End the inner conflict and find peace within. Find your own truest path. Let go of any limiting beliefs. Let go of any attachments. Forgive whoever needs forgiveness and apologize to clear your regrets. Find Love. Find your light within. See your light in all people. Love your enemies. Recognize the Ego, be aware of what makes it grow. Become aware of any negative thought patterns. Be disciplined. Clear your own shadows. Face your Trauma. Heal your inner child. Get free from all bodily addictions. Be free of fear. Be free of suffering. See the beauty of all things. Find joy in every moment. Surrender yourself. Follow the heart. Be proud and courageous. Accept your life and your story. Embrace your story, without being attached to it. Find your purpose. End the Seeking. Be your authentic Self. Express Love through your character. Become Love. . . . This is a possible path. And I just gave you the map. It can be walked. It was walked before. But it is a path into unknown territory. Only the bravest of you can walk this path. It's not for the faintest of heart. You see, you all either follow the path of the left and go westwards or you follow the path on the right and go eastwards... But no matter how far you go, you'll always end up at the crossroads again. You never make any real progress. What if there is another path? What if there's another way? What if I say, 'let us go north?!'” . . . Some of the crowd are in shock. Some are laughing. Others are mumbling. “You can't walk north,” says a crow from the projectors. “It's impossible.” “Everyone knows, that the northern road is a dead-end,” says an awakened Caterpillar. “It's a waste of time going up there. You can't go further, than the volcano.” https://preview.redd.it/256tkbmtet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c491cad6167b0c76d89912acb982896680c5c25 A psychonaut horse laughs. “That will be fun. Can't wait to see their disappointed faces, when they walk all the way back down.” . . . . . The Stranger continues undeterred: . “Why are you walking the spiritual path? You felt called to do it, didn't you? You felt something within you. Something made click. You understood, that there is a deeper truth, that you must find. There was this deep longing within you. So you started walking. What were the first things, that you were seeking? You were seeking answers. What were your first questions? You were asking, 'What is my purpose?' You were asking 'Why am I here'? And you have searched in so many places. But no matter which answer you got, you were never fully satisfied. Because it wasn't your answer. Because it was someone else's answer. So you stopped seeking. Either you were content with some unfulfilling answers or you just simply gave up. When did you stop finding your own answers? Dogma or tradition give us easy answers. When we are attached to them, when we build an identity around them, we become unable to find our own answers. But you can't end Seeking with someone elses answers. Only when you have claimed the answer for yourself, can the Seeker transform into something different. Into something new. Just ending the Seeker, like cutting off a limb, won't do it. The Seeker needs to find their answer to the question 'What is my purpose?' Not one, they read from textbooks. Not an answer, that someone else can give them. When ONE has found their own unique purpose in life, then instead of 'seeking', there is only 'expressing'.” . . . “I see that you are advanced,” speaks an enlightened owl. “However you are blinded by idealism. When you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss will stare back at you.” https://preview.redd.it/h7tuoxyuet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9860a1898e152494702f1ceb66b4775a704e5b2e “My friend,” says the Stranger. “I have not only stared into the abyss, I went to hell and back again to find my answer.” . . . Everyone falls silent, the Stranger continues: “It was always here on earth. Heaven. It was always within us. Take a look around you. There is beauty in all things. If you search for it, you can find joy in every moment. Look for love in the world and you shall find love everywhere. Meet Life with gratitude and wonder. Face your experience, like an adventurer faces his challenge. Express unconditional love through your very being. Because this is how we heal Humanities greatest wound: The scar of nihilism. It has all become so meaningless to us, hasn't it? Memorizing knowledge at school or college, that you'll never need in real life. This feeling of being stuck in life. Day to day, going to a dead-end job for minimum wage. Living an unfulfilled life. The shattering of broken dreams. The tears of our suffering. You know, why everything has become so meaningless? We let our hearts get cold. After falling, we stopped getting back up again. We stopped facing our challenges. You see, after every defeat, Humanity always got back up again. No matter how tough the challenge may seemed, Humanity never gave up. We have forgotten, who we are. All of us are Humanity. You, Me, everyone. We are all humanity. You, the individual human are HUMANITY. You are the Rest of mankind. Because we are all the same in our essence. When you open your heart, then this is your name: 'HUMANITY' Because you see yourself in every other human. This is the name of the divine spark that sits within all of us. It is the fire, that burns in our eyes. This is Humanity: An archetype of victory and an idea of unity. Let me ask you a very direct question. If we all came together to do our part, do you think that we could actually clean up the mess we have created? Do you think we have a chance of not only to survive but even to evolve as a species? And perhaps write even greater stories, than ever before?” . . . . . The entire crowd is silent. Most of them avoid eye contact. People start mumbling. Then the crowd slowly gets louder again and the conversations on each table, continue as if nothing ever happened. As the Stranger steps down from the chair, a monkey gets up from one of the tables, points his finger and screams: “Look guys, this dude has ketchup on his outfit.” . . While the crowd laughs at him, the Stranger goes to the bar and orders two beer. While he waits, he rubs off the ketchup stain from his clothes with his fingernails. People are looking at him and the Seeker. The Seeker can't bear standing next to the Stranger and leaves the tavern. The Stranger pays for two beers. 140 Pesos. He then follows the Seeker outside. https://preview.redd.it/pakf4h8xet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3bf47486101804a5e86c15339ea5467d46b967c9 “Wanna go already?” asks the Stranger while sipping from his beer. “Those guys hate you now,” sighs the Seeker. “Who cares?” shrugs the Stranger, while gulping down the beer in a single go. . . . A couple of animals exit the bar. All the animals, that had no place to fit in. All the animals that didn't belong. A rabbit, a cat, a goldfish, a squirrel, a bear, a fox, a goat, a pigeon, an eagle, a chicken in an alien costume and a dog. . “I will also follow my destiny,” speaks the eagle with determination. His heart is also activated. . https://preview.redd.it/8m8ulzeyet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1980e430d5438bfff06a6e02d6825d4af6901021 . “Alright,” says a bear with burning eyes. “Let's try going north... Perhaps this is how we'll finally get to Axis Mundi.” . “Going north... that sounds fun,” says the smiling fox. “Let's see how far, we'll come.” https://preview.redd.it/f8n3reqzet0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87f0b62adf34c6a685f9462cfe3571d96ef77453 . “We are all gonna die anyway,” sighs the pessimistic goat. . “I never tried going north before,” contemplates the curious pigeon. . “10 bucks, that I am first at the top of the volcano,” bets the black cat, while looking at her claws. . “Deal,” agrees the dog, while hunting his own tail. . The rabbit thinks about the taste of carrots. She is hungry. . The squirrel is simply happy and excited for the new adventure. She can't stop dancing. . The goldfish has no idea, what he's actually doing. He just rolls around in a plastic bag. https://preview.redd.it/uh28v451ft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a5c5830ecbb9334b89c7ece128434cea4c431c91 “I... I will also walk my path,” speaks up the brave chicken in an alien costume. For the first time, the chickens eyes start burning. . . . Together, the new group of friends are traveling the northern road. Towards the volcano. As the sunset illuminates their backs, the animals start singing a new song. A song of excitement, of wonder and of bravery. A song, that goes something like: “We have found a way.” https://preview.redd.it/z06e03f2ft0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e619531d92864ce25c2bed4a30ec3a71930878f . . . TO BE CONTINUED . . . for more content visit: We_Are_Humanity Find previous part Here https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cg7yqg/what_it_means_to_walk_togethe . . START JOURNEY HERE: https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/17zwf78/the_seeker_and_the_mysterious_stranger_part_1_of_7/ . Checkpoint 4 https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cbhoml/turning_shit_into_gold/ . Special Bonus Chapters: THE ONE TRUE SEEKER AND THE QUESTION OF FREE WILL https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cnaanw/special_bonus_chapter_the_one_true_seeker_and_the/ |
2024.05.16 18:22 The-Unseen-1 The awakening of the heart
Walking the Path together (Part 16)
https://preview.redd.it/xkks1c25dt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16a8c2bf518cff73d42e5f3c1d27b6b1b8a60f1fPart 16: The awakening of the heart
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As the Mysterious Stranger and the Seeker leave the old castle behind, they continue on the snow-covered path. A path appears on the right side, following parallel to their own. The two paths merge into one, which leads towards a volcano. As they progress, another parallel path from the left side merges as well with the current one.
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In the distance, the Seeker spots a building, where the path tilts uphill. A sign points at a crossroad. An intersection, between realms. The crossroads, where all timelines meet up: Where the westward and the eastward paths meets the northern road.
https://preview.redd.it/oqc06uf6dt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cbaf67402c9e8a329d687c02cf702e80e04efecf
Where the paths meet, stands a tavern. The lights are on. The chimney is smoking. A sign shows its name:
'The Red Ditch Inn'
https://preview.redd.it/6whs3tj7dt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=820ac22a874776c86e754d0382bde5f5735ccaec
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“Wanna get something to drink,” asks the Stranger the Seeker.
“Sure, why not,” accepts the Seeker.
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Before he opens the door knob, the Stranger hesitates and speaks to the Seeker:
“This is the bar, where the timelines of our souls meet up. This is the crossing of our life-paths, the intersection of fate. Be prepared, for what happens next.”
The Seeker and the Stranger walk into the building. As they open the door, they are started by the loud conversations. The inn is full. Many tables with different animals of all species.
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The table in the center of the bar, has a label saying: ''
Around that table sit all kinds of different birds and animals. Pigeons, squirrels, Reptiles, cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, crows, mice, sloths. They are mostly talking about crystals and past lives.
https://preview.redd.it/1gczavj8dt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a043fd5f0a8e19b6741d4142e627a9ff04c61a40
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There was a table, which said: ''. There sat an old bear, who carries many scars, wounded by countless battles, teaching young bear cups, who attentively listen to their elders. Some are making notes.
https://preview.redd.it/cs1bnyw9dt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0dc23c517d3228eb12105a714957e7e640ecdb5
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Next to it, is a table with a label saying: ''
There sit some parrots all repeating the same mantra in unison:
“BEFORE ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER, AFTER ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER.”
https://preview.redd.it/gpm5171cdt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51e94aa82f38d74ca688e52ac6b6353a9bf0a20f
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There is another table, called: ''
There sit a caterpillar, a spider, a scorpion and an eagle.
“You have an Ego,” shouts the caterpillar at the spider, pointing his finger.
“No, you have an Ego,” shouts the spider back at the caterpillar.
“You both have an Ego,” accuses the scorpion both the caterpillar and the spider.
“Hey,” shouts the bird. “I am the eagle here!”
https://preview.redd.it/t6ih4otddt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f43ad75ac85304530493f99c0040fcfca8e4e828
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Next to it, is the table of ''. The chairs are completely empty. There is no one here.
https://preview.redd.it/02lskmefdt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7bb62a9d0282b31fac7592ed1f5318a75a59b05a
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On the other side there is another table with many different birds and mammals, some more exotic animals from all around the world. The label says ''. There is someone constantly screaming at the top of their lungs:
“I AM A PROFFESIONAL PSYCHIC READER WITH 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!”
https://preview.redd.it/yeejn1zgdt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bf306e303a289eef68cdcd5c89a14d65dbe7124f
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One table next to it is called ''. The people sitting there do not look like animals, but like strange aliens. Some small and green beings, others big and gray, some with fur, some with scales, some humanoid. They were mostly talking about the past, exchanging some old memories. Among them is a chicken, who wears an alien costume.
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As one of the Grey beings stands up to go to the toilet, the chicken whispers to the others:
“Psst guys, I think Fred may not be an actual Starseed.”
https://preview.redd.it/plzy2mdidt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23a73f0d3635320c724975ff37a2dd717b219902
The other beings around the table start mumbling.
https://preview.redd.it/h74bdlxjdt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31c40fdefcabe13b0196d4be804aa33f2d75403f
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There is one more table called ''. The Stranger walks towards their table.
“Jo, wazzup Shawty,” greets the Stranger an old friend at the psychonaut-table, with a fist bump. “Long time no see.”
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“Whoa, it's YOU,” responds the Tiger at the table, with red eyes, smoking his bong. “Last time I've seen you, I was like in DMT realm.”
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“Is Burt anywhere around?” asks the Stranger.
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“He is sitting there in the corner,” responds Shawty. The tiger points at a traumatized racoon sitting in the dark corner.
“I have seen too much,” mumbles the Burt the Racoon with eyes wide open, like a scratched record.
“I have traveled too far... I have seen, what lies within the emptiness. Never again... I will never do shrooms again...”
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Suddenly the waiter taps the racoons shoulder, ripping him out of his thought loop.
“Sir... Do you wanna order anything?”
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“Do you have McKennaii?”
“Yes,” responds the waiter.
“Then I'll have 7 grams,” orders the racoon.
https://preview.redd.it/7kb6gugmdt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3133e498511f679e6c66914a1e53c925fdd2b8e4
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The Seeker has a sudden thought and looks at the Stranger.
“What does the ' slash' on the tables, stand for?”
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“I don't know...,” shrugs the Stranger. “ It's probably to reserve the table at this inn.”
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The Stranger looks at all the tables, they are all talking and talking. Some are playing poker, others are playing dart, some drunks fight each other. Others talk about their identity or their favorite dogma. Some are showing off, how enlightened they are.
As they stand at the crossroads, they can either go Westwards, Eastwards and Northwards. Many have taken the western route, many have went eastwards, but they always ended back at the 'Red Ditch Inn' again.
The newbies, were unsure, whether to go west or east. The experienced ones, knew it doesn't make a difference, they would end up at the bar again anyway. Some were stuck in the bar since many decades, they had given up hope to ever find a way out. But few of them ever dared to walk northwards.
https://preview.redd.it/yci1amwndt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3fefe9cb65d9069f01463512c3bc70d42fd4ff66
The Stranger sighs, as he looks around. His eyes flame up, he inhales deeply and climbs on a chair. With a raised voice he speaks:
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“When did we lose our heart?
We lost our heart collectively.
Did we lose it, when we were still cavemen? When we had to survive the cold winters of the ice age? When we hunted down the last Homo Neanderthalensis? Or later on, when the first tribes waged war against each other? Did we lose our heart, when we enslaved each other? Did we lose our hearts, when we dropped atom bombs, or when we caused our first mass extinctions...The crimes, that Humans do in wars... All of us carry the sins of our forefathers on our shoulders.
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We lost our hearts individually.
For the person it starts pretty early in their childhood. We lose our trust, when we are lied to. Almost everyone tastes the pain of Betrayal at least once in life. We are deeply wounded from childhood on. We learn early on, that humans hurt us and thus we become suspicious of humans. We learn not to trust each other. Because we are afraid of being hurt again. And so we close off our heart to protect it.
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What is the heart?
I am not talking about the physical organ. I talk about this part in your 'soul', if I may call it that. It's like the core of our 'soul', of our 'astral body'. The centre of our 'energy' or chakras. We are afraid to open it, because it's very vulnerable. That's why we protect it. We are afraid to open it, because we don't trust each other.
But unless your heart is open, you can never experience unconditional love. Its flame must be activated.
The heart is your connection to everything. The heart is what connects you to 'source', if that's the word, you'd like to use. The heart is from where our love flows.
We have cut off the connection and became separated from the ALL. We made love conditional. We split hating from loving, dislike from like and created duality. We became attached. We let ourselves be corrupted by the Ego.
Now that we have closed the heart, what have we done to the world?
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We turned the world into a place, that almost no one likes. We created a society, that keeps us in narrow boxes. We made the world a lonely place, for everyone to be in. Even in groups, we often feel lonely. We allowed money to rule over us. We allowed ideologies to split us and dogmas to control us.
We have so many different issues, that we just can't seem to overcome. Climate change. Wars. Corrupt politicians. Poverty. Starvation. Meaninglessness. Nihilism.
Where should we start with all that mess?
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With ourselves. That is the place, where the transformation needs to start. We need to evolve. One person at a time. Only then, can the collective transform as well.
We need to open the mind and the heart. To see and to feel. To be aware and to love. We need to find harmony within ourselves. End the inner conflict and find peace within.
Find your own truest path.
Let go of any limiting beliefs. Let go of any attachments. Forgive whoever needs forgiveness and apologize to clear your regrets. Find Love.
Find your light within. See your light in all people. Love your enemies.
Recognize the Ego, be aware of what makes it grow. Become aware of any negative thought patterns. Be disciplined.
Clear your own shadows. Face your Trauma. Heal your inner child.
Get free from all bodily addictions. Be free of fear. Be free of suffering.
See the beauty of all things. Find joy in every moment.
Surrender yourself. Follow the heart. Be proud and courageous. Accept your life and your story. Embrace your story, without being attached to it.
Find your purpose. End the Seeking.
Be your authentic Self. Express Love through your character.
Become Love.
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This is a possible path. And I just gave you the map. It can be walked. It was walked before. But it is a path into unknown territory. Only the bravest of you can walk this path. It's not for the faintest of heart.
You see, you all either follow the path of the left and go westwards or you follow the path on the right and go eastwards... But no matter how far you go, you'll always end up at the crossroads again. You never make any real progress.
What if there is another path? What if there's another way? What if I say, 'let us go north?!'”
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Some of the crowd are in shock. Some are laughing. Others are mumbling.
“You can't walk north,” says a crow from the projectors. “It's impossible.”
“Everyone knows, that the northern road is a dead-end,” says an awakened Caterpillar. “It's a waste of time going up there. You can't go further, than the volcano.”
https://preview.redd.it/qxebl22qdt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af079c143695042c772c4b0e11f8b191a921805d
A psychonaut horse laughs. “That will be fun. Can't wait to see their disappointed faces, when they walk all the way back down.”
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The Stranger continues undeterred:
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“Why are you walking the spiritual path?
You felt called to do it, didn't you? You felt something within you. Something made click. You understood, that there is a deeper truth, that you must find. There was this deep longing within you. So you started walking.
What were the first things, that you were seeking?
You were seeking answers.
What were your first questions? You were asking, 'What is my purpose?' You were asking 'Why am I here'?
And you have searched in so many places. But no matter which answer you got, you were never fully satisfied. Because it wasn't your answer. Because it was someone else's answer.
So you stopped seeking. Either you were content with some unfulfilling answers or you just simply gave up. When did you stop finding your own answers?
Dogma or tradition give us easy answers. When we are attached to them, when we build an identity around them, we become unable to find our own answers. But you can't end Seeking with someone elses answers. Only when you have claimed the answer for yourself, can the Seeker transform into something different. Into something new.
Just ending the Seeker, like cutting off a limb, won't do it. The Seeker needs to find their answer to the question 'What is my purpose?' Not one, they read from textbooks. Not an answer, that someone else can give them. When ONE has found their own unique purpose in life, then instead of 'seeking', there is only 'expressing'.”
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“I see that you are advanced,” speaks an enlightened owl. “However you are blinded by idealism. When you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss will stare back at you.”
https://preview.redd.it/6p2spbhrdt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7eb32e311ddb89ca6cdf07c1b2dd9f0bc30a466
“My friend,” says the Stranger. “I have not only stared into the abyss, I went to hell and back again to find my answer.”
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Everyone falls silent, the Stranger continues:
“It was always here on earth. Heaven. It was always within us. Take a look around you. There is beauty in all things. If you search for it, you can find joy in every moment. Look for love in the world and you shall find love everywhere. Meet Life with gratitude and wonder. Face your experience, like an adventurer faces his challenge. Express unconditional love through your very being. Because this is how we heal Humanities greatest wound: The scar of nihilism.
It has all become so meaningless to us, hasn't it?
Memorizing knowledge at school or college, that you'll never need in real life. This feeling of being stuck in life. Day to day, going to a dead-end job for minimum wage. Living an unfulfilled life. The shattering of broken dreams. The tears of our suffering.
You know, why everything has become so meaningless?
We let our hearts get cold. After falling, we stopped getting back up again. We stopped facing our challenges.
You see, after every defeat, Humanity always got back up again. No matter how tough the challenge may seemed, Humanity never gave up.
We have forgotten, who we are.
All of us are Humanity. You, Me, everyone. We are all humanity. You, the individual human are HUMANITY. You are the Rest of mankind. Because we are all the same in our essence. When you open your heart, then this is your name: 'HUMANITY'
Because you see yourself in every other human. This is the name of the divine spark that sits within all of us. It is the fire, that burns in our eyes. This is Humanity: An archetype of victory and an idea of unity.
Let me ask you a very direct question. If we all came together to do our part, do you think that we could actually clean up the mess we have created? Do you think we have a chance of not only to survive but even to evolve as a species? And perhaps write even greater stories, than ever before?”
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The entire crowd is silent. Most of them avoid eye contact. People start mumbling.
Then the crowd slowly gets louder again and the conversations on each table, continue as if nothing ever happened.
As the Stranger steps down from the chair, a monkey gets up from one of the tables, points his finger and screams:
“Look guys, this dude has ketchup on his outfit.”
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While the crowd laughs at him, the Stranger goes to the bar and orders two beer. While he waits, he rubs off the ketchup stain from his clothes with his fingernails.
People are looking at him and the Seeker. The Seeker can't bear standing next to the Stranger and leaves the tavern. The Stranger pays for two beers. 140 Pesos. He then follows the Seeker outside.
https://preview.redd.it/dnbnlkbtdt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7fec72a92d808274036204143603af3c8ade16eb
“Wanna go already?” asks the Stranger while sipping from his beer.
“Those guys hate you now,” sighs the Seeker.
“Who cares?” shrugs the Stranger, while gulping down the beer in a single go.
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A couple of animals exit the bar. All the animals, that had no place to fit in. All the animals that didn't belong. A rabbit, a cat, a goldfish, a squirrel, a bear, a fox, a goat, a pigeon, an eagle, a chicken in an alien costume and a dog.
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“I will also follow my destiny,” speaks the eagle with determination. His heart is also activated.
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https://preview.redd.it/nd50axqudt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da24a566897e8e118e53ee4609db53cc3efa5cdb
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“Alright,” says a bear with burning eyes. “Let's try going north... Perhaps this is how we'll finally get to Axis Mundi.”
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“Going north... that sounds fun,” says the smiling fox. “Let's see how far, we'll come.”
https://preview.redd.it/le9j6pbwdt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=068cf7b88e3dd326f4225dfa75436adb6d904d01
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“We are all gonna die anyway,” sighs the pessimistic goat.
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“I never tried going north before,” contemplates the curious pigeon.
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“10 bucks, that I am first at the top of the volcano,” bets the black cat, while looking at her claws.
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“Deal,” agrees the dog, while hunting his own tail.
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The rabbit thinks about the taste of carrots. She is hungry.
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The squirrel is simply happy and excited for the new adventure. She can't stop dancing.
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The goldfish has no idea, what he's actually doing. He just rolls around in a plastic bag.
https://preview.redd.it/kfe69coxdt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=21ad2e953dac510efa9a38e287616b6c4ee4bb57
“I... I will also walk my path,” speaks up the brave chicken in an alien costume. For the first time, the chickens eyes start burning.
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Together, the new group of friends are traveling the northern road. Towards the volcano. As the sunset illuminates their backs, the animals start singing a new song. A song of excitement, of wonder and of bravery. A song, that goes something like: “We have found a way.”
https://preview.redd.it/htgexyhzdt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f8e7e4b2b91d523553ec1c57390fd935710e5ff
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TO BE CONTINUED
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for more content visit: We_Are_Humanity
Find previous part Here
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cg7yqg/what_it_means_to_walk_togethe
Find next part Here:
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START JOURNEY HERE: https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/17zwf78/the_seeker_and_the_mysterious_stranger_part_1_of_7/
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Checkpoint 4
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cbhoml/turning_shit_into_gold/
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Special Bonus Chapters:
THE ONE TRUE SEEKER AND THE QUESTION OF FREE WILL
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cnaanw/special_bonus_chapter_the_one_true_seeker_and_the/
2024.05.16 18:19 Reality_Thief2000 Advent's Amazing Advice: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Fully Prepped for New and Busy DM's (The Complete Collection) Resource
Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes fully fleshed-out notes, music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, is a level 1-3 Adventure, the most recent Starter Set, and successor to The Lost Mine of Phandelver released by WoTC. In it, your players will sail to Stormwreck Isle, an island shaped by an age of conflict between Chromatic and Metallic Dragons. They'll be able to befriend kobolds, explore fungal grottos, fight those twisted by Orcus, and perhaps save the very island itself!
Have your players create their own characters or jump right in using the Pre-Gens that are built with backstories integrated into the plot!
If you've used my previous notes, you'll know that I take Adventures such as these and do all the difficult and time-consuming book-to-session conversions, so you don't have to! I do my best to include Ambiance for every scene, custom battle maps, handouts when needed, spell sheets, encounter sheets, and more!
This may all sound familiar, but seeing as this is a Starter Set, I think it's important to reiterate:
Index & FAQ:
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle:
As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!
Cheers, Advent
submitted by Reality_Thief2000 to DMAcademy [link] [comments]
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, is a level 1-3 Adventure, the most recent Starter Set, and successor to The Lost Mine of Phandelver released by WoTC. In it, your players will sail to Stormwreck Isle, an island shaped by an age of conflict between Chromatic and Metallic Dragons. They'll be able to befriend kobolds, explore fungal grottos, fight those twisted by Orcus, and perhaps save the very island itself!
Have your players create their own characters or jump right in using the Pre-Gens that are built with backstories integrated into the plot!
If you've used my previous notes, you'll know that I take Adventures such as these and do all the difficult and time-consuming book-to-session conversions, so you don't have to! I do my best to include Ambiance for every scene, custom battle maps, handouts when needed, spell sheets, encounter sheets, and more!
This may all sound familiar, but seeing as this is a Starter Set, I think it's important to reiterate:
- Read the Adventure: I know surprising, but it can be extremely confusing when you don't know where everything leads to.
- Consider the needs of your group: As you've heard or are about to hear a million times, every table is different. If you plan on combining this with a campaign, you'll have to make tweaks here and there.
- These notes aren't meant to be the end-all-be-all: Tweak to your heart's content, and don't consider any of what's written to be set in stone. For me having notes like this helps give me the confidence to go off the rails and follow along with what my players want. It helps me understand where things are meant to go and why. Having that understanding allows me to guide the players and create other new and interesting stories. These are all things that will come with experience, though, so don't freak out and enjoy the journey!
Index & FAQ:
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle:
- Part 1 - Dragon's Rest
- Part 2 - Seagrow Cave
- Part 3 - Cursed Shipwreck
- Part 4 - Clifftop Observatory
As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!
Cheers, Advent
2024.05.16 18:17 The-Unseen-1 The awakening of the heart
 | Walking the Path together (Part 16)https://preview.redd.it/gv32hf51ct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=864da1cf306284690c455923b9de936c49ad821ePart 16: The awakening of the heart . . As the Mysterious Stranger and the Seeker leave the old castle behind, they continue on the snow-covered path. A path appears on the right side, following parallel to their own. The two paths merge into one, which leads towards a volcano. As they progress, another parallel path from the left side merges as well with the current one. . In the distance, the Seeker spots a building, where the path tilts uphill. A sign points at a crossroad. An intersection, between realms. The crossroads, where all timelines meet up: Where the westward and the eastward paths meets the northern road. https://preview.redd.it/85kn0ny1ct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=678f88d2406df9b49c88f2a3ba64634c2cf5bb41 Where the paths meet, stands a tavern. The lights are on. The chimney is smoking. A sign shows its name: 'The Red Ditch Inn' https://preview.redd.it/tpv8jlg3ct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=05933876c9ccff79b1712bbe3acdc879b1fe2f51 . . “Wanna get something to drink,” asks the Stranger the Seeker. “Sure, why not,” accepts the Seeker. . . Before he opens the door knob, the Stranger hesitates and speaks to the Seeker: “This is the bar, where the timelines of our souls meet up. This is the crossing of our life-paths, the intersection of fate. Be prepared, for what happens next.” The Seeker and the Stranger walk into the building. As they open the door, they are started by the loud conversations. The inn is full. Many tables with different animals of all species. . . The table in the center of the bar, has a label saying: 'Spirituality' Around that table sit all kinds of different birds and animals. Pigeons, squirrels, Reptiles, cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, crows, mice, sloths. They are mostly talking about crystals and past lives. https://preview.redd.it/ghvsmir4ct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cdad2e4f786c596b58093d3c4cb7f72510a57520 . . There was a table, which said: ''. There sat an old bear, who carries many scars, wounded by countless battles, teaching young bear cups, who attentively listen to their elders. Some are making notes. https://preview.redd.it/e2s92fn6ct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=09dc56b1b7b1703613d465aeabf5fe26a34b2899 Next to it, is a table with a label saying: '' There sit some parrots all repeating the same mantra in unison: “BEFORE ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER, AFTER ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER.” https://preview.redd.it/muwxyup8ct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a99ce19a2ee2f213449c992f55f274f3576716e2 . . There is another table, called: '' There sit a caterpillar, a spider, a scorpion and an eagle. “You have an Ego,” shouts the caterpillar at the spider, pointing his finger. “No, you have an Ego,” shouts the spider back at the caterpillar. “You both have an Ego,” accuses the scorpion both the caterpillar and the spider. “Hey,” shouts the bird. “I am the eagle here!” https://preview.redd.it/cws8x8dact0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=703f91e5838aea4c1b9624fcf03075e746bf49d7 . . Next to it, is the table of ''. The chairs are completely empty. There is no one here. https://preview.redd.it/4j5c4onbct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1db36ca79b08c1f82a3e932c4877579fcc936e9e . . On the other side there is another table with many different birds and mammals, some more exotic animals from all around the world. The label says ''. There is someone constantly screaming at the top of their lungs: “I AM A PROFFESIONAL PSYCHIC READER WITH 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!” https://preview.redd.it/48tgcz0dct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55ea028e1ef98f771254429f18b804fdbd50262b . . One table next to it is called ''. The people sitting there do not look like animals, but like strange aliens. Some small and green beings, others big and gray, some with fur, some with scales, some humanoid. They were mostly talking about the past, exchanging some old memories. Among them is a chicken, who wears an alien costume. . As one of the Grey beings stands up to go to the toilet, the chicken whispers to the others: “Psst guys, I think Fred may not be an actual Starseed.” https://preview.redd.it/s975khnect0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea9005020ccd170d4690c9b41f7869349dbeb577 The other beings around the table start mumbling. https://preview.redd.it/9lu9txyfct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5724237e3aa5080d13f9534a272b94fccdaa1d62 . . There is one more table called ''. The Stranger walks towards their table. “Jo, wazzup Shawty,” greets the Stranger an old friend at the psychonaut-table, with a fist bump. “Long time no see.” . “Whoa, it's YOU,” responds the Tiger at the table, with red eyes, smoking his bong. “Last time I've seen you, I was like in DMT realm.” . “Is Burt anywhere around?” asks the Stranger. . . “He is sitting there in the corner,” responds Shawty. The tiger points at a traumatized racoon sitting in the dark corner. “I have seen too much,” mumbles the Burt the Racoon with eyes wide open, like a scratched record. “I have traveled too far... I have seen, what lies within the emptiness. Never again... I will never do shrooms again...” . . Suddenly the waiter taps the racoons shoulder, ripping him out of his thought loop. “Sir... Do you wanna order anything?” . “Do you have McKennaii?” “Yes,” responds the waiter. “Then I'll have 7 grams,” orders the racoon. https://preview.redd.it/72nw6nwhct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a153488d9e923a0c7e081641e572a866b07df3ca . . The Seeker has a sudden thought and looks at the Stranger. “What does the ' slash' on the tables, stand for?” . “I don't know...,” shrugs the Stranger. “ It's probably to reserve the table at this inn.” . . . The Stranger looks at all the tables, they are all talking and talking. Some are playing poker, others are playing dart, some drunks fight each other. Others talk about their identity or their favorite dogma. Some are showing off, how enlightened they are. As they stand at the crossroads, they can either go Westwards, Eastwards and Northwards. Many have taken the western route, many have went eastwards, but they always ended back at the 'Red Ditch Inn' again. The newbies, were unsure, whether to go west or east. The experienced ones, knew it doesn't make a difference, they would end up at the bar again anyway. Some were stuck in the bar since many decades, they had given up hope to ever find a way out. But few of them ever dared to walk northwards. https://preview.redd.it/49ytl6hjct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dac9d5eda545fd4d7cd074e5ca2cc853d45f10cd The Stranger sighs, as he looks around. His eyes flame up, he inhales deeply and climbs on a chair. With a raised voice he speaks: . . . . “When did we lose our heart? We lost our heart collectively. Did we lose it, when we were still cavemen? When we had to survive the cold winters of the ice age? When we hunted down the last Homo Neanderthalensis? Or later on, when the first tribes waged war against each other? Did we lose our heart, when we enslaved each other? Did we lose our hearts, when we dropped atom bombs, or when we caused our first mass extinctions...The crimes, that Humans do in wars... All of us carry the sins of our forefathers on our shoulders. . . We lost our hearts individually. For the person it starts pretty early in their childhood. We lose our trust, when we are lied to. Almost everyone tastes the pain of Betrayal at least once in life. We are deeply wounded from childhood on. We learn early on, that humans hurt us and thus we become suspicious of humans. We learn not to trust each other. Because we are afraid of being hurt again. And so we close off our heart to protect it. . . What is the heart? I am not talking about the physical organ. I talk about this part in your 'soul', if I may call it that. It's like the core of our 'soul', of our 'astral body'. The centre of our 'energy' or chakras. We are afraid to open it, because it's very vulnerable. That's why we protect it. We are afraid to open it, because we don't trust each other. But unless your heart is open, you can never experience unconditional love. Its flame must be activated. The heart is your connection to everything. The heart is what connects you to 'source', if that's the word, you'd like to use. The heart is from where our love flows. We have cut off the connection and became separated from the ALL. We made love conditional. We split hating from loving, dislike from like and created duality. We became attached. We let ourselves be corrupted by the Ego. Now that we have closed the heart, what have we done to the world? . . We turned the world into a place, that almost no one likes. We created a society, that keeps us in narrow boxes. We made the world a lonely place, for everyone to be in. Even in groups, we often feel lonely. We allowed money to rule over us. We allowed ideologies to split us and dogmas to control us. We have so many different issues, that we just can't seem to overcome. Climate change. Wars. Corrupt politicians. Poverty. Starvation. Meaninglessness. Nihilism. Where should we start with all that mess? . . With ourselves. That is the place, where the transformation needs to start. We need to evolve. One person at a time. Only then, can the collective transform as well. We need to open the mind and the heart. To see and to feel. To be aware and to love. We need to find harmony within ourselves. End the inner conflict and find peace within. Find your own truest path. Let go of any limiting beliefs. Let go of any attachments. Forgive whoever needs forgiveness and apologize to clear your regrets. Find Love. Find your light within. See your light in all people. Love your enemies. Recognize the Ego, be aware of what makes it grow. Become aware of any negative thought patterns. Be disciplined. Clear your own shadows. Face your Trauma. Heal your inner child. Get free from all bodily addictions. Be free of fear. Be free of suffering. See the beauty of all things. Find joy in every moment. Surrender yourself. Follow the heart. Be proud and courageous. Accept your life and your story. Embrace your story, without being attached to it. Find your purpose. End the Seeking. Be your authentic Self. Express Love through your character. Become Love. . . . This is a possible path. And I just gave you the map. It can be walked. It was walked before. But it is a path into unknown territory. Only the bravest of you can walk this path. It's not for the faintest of heart. You see, you all either follow the path of the left and go westwards or you follow the path on the right and go eastwards... But no matter how far you go, you'll always end up at the crossroads again. You never make any real progress. What if there is another path? What if there's another way? What if I say, 'let us go north?!'” . . . Some of the crowd are in shock. Some are laughing. Others are mumbling. “You can't walk north,” says a crow from the projectors. “It's impossible.” “Everyone knows, that the northern road is a dead-end,” says an awakened Caterpillar. “It's a waste of time going up there. You can't go further, than the volcano.” https://preview.redd.it/kikzyrglct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8fc290de7d1c300a7b6277af6c427755063ba59a A psychonaut horse laughs. “That will be fun. Can't wait to see their disappointed faces, when they walk all the way back down.” . . . . . The Stranger continues undeterred: . “Why are you walking the spiritual path? You felt called to do it, didn't you? You felt something within you. Something made click. You understood, that there is a deeper truth, that you must find. There was this deep longing within you. So you started walking. What were the first things, that you were seeking? You were seeking answers. What were your first questions? You were asking, 'What is my purpose?' You were asking 'Why am I here'? And you have searched in so many places. But no matter which answer you got, you were never fully satisfied. Because it wasn't your answer. Because it was someone else's answer. So you stopped seeking. Either you were content with some unfulfilling answers or you just simply gave up. When did you stop finding your own answers? Dogma or tradition give us easy answers. When we are attached to them, when we build an identity around them, we become unable to find our own answers. But you can't end Seeking with someone elses answers. Only when you have claimed the answer for yourself, can the Seeker transform into something different. Into something new. Just ending the Seeker, like cutting off a limb, won't do it. The Seeker needs to find their answer to the question 'What is my purpose?' Not one, they read from textbooks. Not an answer, that someone else can give them. When ONE has found their own unique purpose in life, then instead of 'seeking', there is only 'expressing'.” . . . “I see that you are advanced,” speaks an enlightened owl. “However you are blinded by idealism. When you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss will stare back at you.” https://preview.redd.it/j6nigg2nct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a987f7a64e3a44f599ff19b5e2cd88d7de0df23b “My friend,” says the Stranger. “I have not only stared into the abyss, I went to hell and back again to find my answer.” . . . Everyone falls silent, the Stranger continues: “It was always here on earth. Heaven. It was always within us. Take a look around you. There is beauty in all things. If you search for it, you can find joy in every moment. Look for love in the world and you shall find love everywhere. Meet Life with gratitude and wonder. Face your experience, like an adventurer faces his challenge. Express unconditional love through your very being. Because this is how we heal Humanities greatest wound: The scar of nihilism. It has all become so meaningless to us, hasn't it? Memorizing knowledge at school or college, that you'll never need in real life. This feeling of being stuck in life. Day to day, going to a dead-end job for minimum wage. Living an unfulfilled life. The shattering of broken dreams. The tears of our suffering. You know, why everything has become so meaningless? We let our hearts get cold. After falling, we stopped getting back up again. We stopped facing our challenges. You see, after every defeat, Humanity always got back up again. No matter how tough the challenge may seemed, Humanity never gave up. We have forgotten, who we are. All of us are Humanity. You, Me, everyone. We are all humanity. You, the individual human are HUMANITY. You are the Rest of mankind. Because we are all the same in our essence. When you open your heart, then this is your name: 'HUMANITY' Because you see yourself in every other human. This is the name of the divine spark that sits within all of us. It is the fire, that burns in our eyes. This is Humanity: An archetype of victory and an idea of unity. Let me ask you a very direct question. If we all came together to do our part, do you think that we could actually clean up the mess we have created? Do you think we have a chance of not only to survive but even to evolve as a species? And perhaps write even greater stories, than ever before?” . . . . . The entire crowd is silent. Most of them avoid eye contact. People start mumbling. Then the crowd slowly gets louder again and the conversations on each table, continue as if nothing ever happened. As the Stranger steps down from the chair, a monkey gets up from one of the tables, points his finger and screams: “Look guys, this dude has ketchup on his outfit.” . . While the crowd laughs at him, the Stranger goes to the bar and orders two beer. While he waits, he rubs off the ketchup stain from his clothes with his fingernails. People are looking at him and the Seeker. The Seeker can't bear standing next to the Stranger and leaves the tavern. The Stranger pays for two beers. 140 Pesos. He then follows the Seeker outside. https://preview.redd.it/ca6otqooct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83ae7ba6ebc8def4ed3b1e1eed6f3e8f38fbfc62 “Wanna go already?” asks the Stranger while sipping from his beer. “Those guys hate you now,” sighs the Seeker. “Who cares?” shrugs the Stranger, while gulping down the beer in a single go. . . . A couple of animals exit the bar. All the animals, that had no place to fit in. All the animals that didn't belong. A rabbit, a cat, a goldfish, a squirrel, a bear, a fox, a goat, a pigeon, an eagle, a chicken in an alien costume and a dog. . “I will also follow my destiny,” speaks the eagle with determination. His heart is also activated. . https://preview.redd.it/24fobxgqct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30b86f8381e8a6d448a1aa596814663e96c5b391 . “Alright,” says a bear with burning eyes. “Let's try going north... Perhaps this is how we'll finally get to Axis Mundi.” . “Going north... that sounds fun,” says the smiling fox. “Let's see how far, we'll come.” https://preview.redd.it/39uth9trct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=013d614d86d060158edb0121a84fa325fee2845d . “We are all gonna die anyway,” sighs the pessimistic goat. . “I never tried going north before,” contemplates the curious pigeon. . “10 bucks, that I am first at the top of the volcano,” bets the black cat, while looking at her claws. . “Deal,” agrees the dog, while hunting his own tail. . The rabbit thinks about the taste of carrots. She is hungry. . The squirrel is simply happy and excited for the new adventure. She can't stop dancing. . The goldfish has no idea, what he's actually doing. He just rolls around in a plastic bag. https://preview.redd.it/8ns40optct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8aac5c5252f80b175ff40436a91482f08b0bdcf7 “I... I will also walk my path,” speaks up the brave chicken in an alien costume. For the first time, the chickens eyes start burning. . . . Together, the new group of friends are traveling the northern road. Towards the volcano. As the sunset illuminates their backs, the animals start singing a new song. A song of excitement, of wonder and of bravery. A song, that goes something like: “We have found a way.” https://preview.redd.it/dcssxq5vct0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16e105c5fd7bc2b114d13b1797dfaa3f656168d6 . . . TO BE CONTINUED . . . for more content visit: We_Are_Humanity Find previous part Here https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cg7yqg/what_it_means_to_walk_togethe Find next part Here: . . START JOURNEY HERE: https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/17zwf78/the_seeker_and_the_mysterious_stranger_part_1_of_7/ . Checkpoint 4 https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cbhoml/turning_shit_into_gold/ . Special Bonus Chapters: THE ONE TRUE SEEKER AND THE QUESTION OF FREE WILL https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cnaanw/special_bonus_chapter_the_one_true_seeker_and_the/ |
2024.05.16 18:09 The-Unseen-1 The awakening of the heart
Walking the Path together (Part 16)
https://preview.redd.it/euotxrvlat0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ebeaad69db8e6faa501d1f1a4f37ff88be1466d5Part 16: The awakening of the heart
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As the Mysterious Stranger and the Seeker leave the old castle behind, they continue on the snow-covered path. A path appears on the right side, following parallel to their own. The two paths merge into one, which leads towards a volcano. As they progress, another parallel path from the left side merges as well with the current one.
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In the distance, the Seeker spots a building, where the path tilts uphill. A sign points at a crossroad. An intersection, between realms. The crossroads, where all timelines meet up: Where the westward and the eastward paths meets the northern road.
https://preview.redd.it/y91yf0hnat0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f6aa56566d958d949b60ffc9a25d7acf648ae88
Where the paths meet, stands a tavern. The lights are on. The chimney is smoking. A sign shows its name:
'The Red Ditch Inn'
https://preview.redd.it/juftmsbpat0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce590d32986f652979736d6e4a0f7a718953d8b0
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“Wanna get something to drink,” asks the Stranger the Seeker.
“Sure, why not,” accepts the Seeker.
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Before he opens the door knob, the Stranger hesitates and speaks to the Seeker:
“This is the bar, where the timelines of our souls meet up. This is the crossing of our life-paths, the intersection of fate. Be prepared, for what happens next.”
The Seeker and the Stranger walk into the building. As they open the door, they are started by the loud conversations. The inn is full. Many tables with different animals of all species.
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The table in the center of the bar, has a label saying: ''
Around that table sit all kinds of different birds and animals. Pigeons, squirrels, Reptiles, cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, crows, mice, sloths. They are mostly talking about crystals and past lives.
https://preview.redd.it/51hygx7rat0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f7e21f854aa849d0e1647c73551cf69886802857
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There was a table, which said: ''. There sat an old bear, who carries many scars, wounded by countless battles, teaching young bear cups, who attentively listen to their elders. Some are making notes.
https://preview.redd.it/jhdust7tat0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6c6edefe29376b1664a6e5a1496f50cba530e53
Next to it, is a table with a label saying: ''
There sit some parrots all repeating the same mantra in unison:
“BEFORE ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER, AFTER ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER.”
https://preview.redd.it/k4mn0ouuat0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e6f44ee5f2604a334a3db3beda9b470510f2072
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There is another table, called: ''
There sit a caterpillar, a spider, a scorpion and an eagle.
“You have an Ego,” shouts the caterpillar at the spider, pointing his finger.
“No, you have an Ego,” shouts the spider back at the caterpillar.
“You both have an Ego,” accuses the scorpion both the caterpillar and the spider.
“Hey,” shouts the bird. “I am the eagle here!”
https://preview.redd.it/qssf2ykwat0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=419021543f18a7ea9479a3baed8dab11591b4800
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Next to it, is the table of 'nonduality'. The chairs are completely empty. There is no one here.
https://preview.redd.it/wroiy1fyat0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac3c6674cd8f4e6417659dd75428b2288d49ceab
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On the other side there is another table with many different birds and mammals, some more exotic animals from all around the world. The label says 'Soulnexus'. There is someone constantly screaming at the top of their lungs:
“I AM A PROFFESIONAL PSYCHIC READER WITH 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!”
https://preview.redd.it/h0us9l00bt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=849553e6990e3e929cb4a9a260dff7f5eeec2822
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One table next to it is called ''. The people sitting there do not look like animals, but like strange aliens. Some small and green beings, others big and gray, some with fur, some with scales, some humanoid. They were mostly talking about the past, exchanging some old memories. Among them is a chicken, who wears an alien costume.
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As one of the Grey beings stands up to go to the toilet, the chicken whispers to the others:
“Psst guys, I think Fred may not be an actual Starseed.”
https://preview.redd.it/rm7q76p1bt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3ecfe01dab9efac7c5e72bfbfe33bb8cc7767af7
The other beings around the table start mumbling.
https://preview.redd.it/yt1k1ye3bt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=227247bb01d8a3e55609027f8ab174d6ae73d22a
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There is one more table called ''. The Stranger walks towards their table.
“Jo, wazzup Shawty,” greets the Stranger an old friend at the psychonaut-table, with a fist bump. “Long time no see.”
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“Whoa, it's YOU,” responds the Tiger at the table, with red eyes, smoking his bong. “Last time I've seen you, I was like in DMT realm.”
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“Is Burt anywhere around?” asks the Stranger.
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“He is sitting there in the corner,” responds Shawty. The tiger points at a traumatized racoon sitting in the dark corner.
“I have seen too much,” mumbles the Burt the Racoon with eyes wide open, like a scratched record.
“I have traveled too far... I have seen, what lies within the emptiness. Never again... I will never do shrooms again...”
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Suddenly the waiter taps the racoons shoulder, ripping him out of his thought loop.
“Sir... Do you wanna order anything?”
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“Do you have McKennaii?”
“Yes,” responds the waiter.
“Then I'll have 7 grams,” orders the racoon.
https://preview.redd.it/0ietwc55bt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b9743c7ce4a41d96bdd79eca2e3a94a25f39aeb8
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The Seeker has a sudden thought and looks at the Stranger.
“What does the ' slash' on the tables, stand for?”
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“I don't know...,” shrugs the Stranger. “ It's probably to reserve the table at this inn.”
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The Stranger looks at all the tables, they are all talking and talking. Some are playing poker, others are playing dart, some drunks fight each other. Others talk about their identity or their favorite dogma. Some are showing off, how enlightened they are.
As they stand at the crossroads, they can either go Westwards, Eastwards and Northwards. Many have taken the western route, many have went eastwards, but they always ended back at the 'Red Ditch Inn' again.
The newbies, were unsure, whether to go west or east. The experienced ones, knew it doesn't make a difference, they would end up at the bar again anyway. Some were stuck in the bar since many decades, they had given up hope to ever find a way out. But few of them ever dared to walk northwards.
https://preview.redd.it/5q5msvr6bt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a38f7d94b60f2b9e4d6c434c0e5dba42e3eb42e0
The Stranger sighs, as he looks around. His eyes flame up, he inhales deeply and climbs on a chair. With a raised voice he speaks:
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“When did we lose our heart?
We lost our heart collectively.
Did we lose it, when we were still cavemen? When we had to survive the cold winters of the ice age? When we hunted down the last Homo Neanderthalensis? Or later on, when the first tribes waged war against each other? Did we lose our heart, when we enslaved each other? Did we lose our hearts, when we dropped atom bombs, or when we caused our first mass extinctions...The crimes, that Humans do in wars... All of us carry the sins of our forefathers on our shoulders.
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We lost our hearts individually.
For the person it starts pretty early in their childhood. We lose our trust, when we are lied to. Almost everyone tastes the pain of Betrayal at least once in life. We are deeply wounded from childhood on. We learn early on, that humans hurt us and thus we become suspicious of humans. We learn not to trust each other. Because we are afraid of being hurt again. And so we close off our heart to protect it.
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What is the heart?
I am not talking about the physical organ. I talk about this part in your 'soul', if I may call it that. It's like the core of our 'soul', of our 'astral body'. The centre of our 'energy' or chakras. We are afraid to open it, because it's very vulnerable. That's why we protect it. We are afraid to open it, because we don't trust each other.
But unless your heart is open, you can never experience unconditional love. Its flame must be activated.
The heart is your connection to everything. The heart is what connects you to 'source', if that's the word, you'd like to use. The heart is from where our love flows.
We have cut off the connection and became separated from the ALL. We made love conditional. We split hating from loving, dislike from like and created duality. We became attached. We let ourselves be corrupted by the Ego.
Now that we have closed the heart, what have we done to the world?
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We turned the world into a place, that almost no one likes. We created a society, that keeps us in narrow boxes. We made the world a lonely place, for everyone to be in. Even in groups, we often feel lonely. We allowed money to rule over us. We allowed ideologies to split us and dogmas to control us.
We have so many different issues, that we just can't seem to overcome. Climate change. Wars. Corrupt politicians. Poverty. Starvation. Meaninglessness. Nihilism.
Where should we start with all that mess?
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With ourselves. That is the place, where the transformation needs to start. We need to evolve. One person at a time. Only then, can the collective transform as well.
We need to open the mind and the heart. To see and to feel. To be aware and to love. We need to find harmony within ourselves. End the inner conflict and find peace within.
Find your own truest path.
Let go of any limiting beliefs. Let go of any attachments. Forgive whoever needs forgiveness and apologize to clear your regrets. Find Love.
Find your light within. See your light in all people. Love your enemies.
Recognize the Ego, be aware of what makes it grow. Become aware of any negative thought patterns. Be disciplined.
Clear your own shadows. Face your Trauma. Heal your inner child.
Get free from all bodily addictions. Be free of fear. Be free of suffering.
See the beauty of all things. Find joy in every moment.
Surrender yourself. Follow the heart. Be proud and courageous. Accept your life and your story. Embrace your story, without being attached to it.
Find your purpose. End the Seeking.
Be your authentic Self. Express Love through your character.
Become Love.
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This is a possible path. And I just gave you the map. It can be walked. It was walked before. But it is a path into unknown territory. Only the bravest of you can walk this path. It's not for the faintest of heart.
You see, you all either follow the path of the left and go westwards or you follow the path on the right and go eastwards... But no matter how far you go, you'll always end up at the crossroads again. You never make any real progress.
What if there is another path? What if there's another way? What if I say, 'let us go north?!'”
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Some of the crowd are in shock. Some are laughing. Others are mumbling.
“You can't walk north,” says a crow from the projectors. “It's impossible.”
“Everyone knows, that the northern road is a dead-end,” says an awakened Caterpillar. “It's a waste of time going up there. You can't go further, than the volcano.”
https://preview.redd.it/unxwjos8bt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a39000508c04db0ea2e8b8c73af3b0484e893f5
A psychonaut horse laughs. “That will be fun. Can't wait to see their disappointed faces, when they walk all the way back down.”
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The Stranger continues undeterred:
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“Why are you walking the spiritual path?
You felt called to do it, didn't you? You felt something within you. Something made click. You understood, that there is a deeper truth, that you must find. There was this deep longing within you. So you started walking.
What were the first things, that you were seeking?
You were seeking answers.
What were your first questions? You were asking, 'What is my purpose?' You were asking 'Why am I here'?
And you have searched in so many places. But no matter which answer you got, you were never fully satisfied. Because it wasn't your answer. Because it was someone else's answer.
So you stopped seeking. Either you were content with some unfulfilling answers or you just simply gave up. When did you stop finding your own answers?
Dogma or tradition give us easy answers. When we are attached to them, when we build an identity around them, we become unable to find our own answers. But you can't end Seeking with someone elses answers. Only when you have claimed the answer for yourself, can the Seeker transform into something different. Into something new.
Just ending the Seeker, like cutting off a limb, won't do it. The Seeker needs to find their answer to the question 'What is my purpose?' Not one, they read from textbooks. Not an answer, that someone else can give them. When ONE has found their own unique purpose in life, then instead of 'seeking', there is only 'expressing'.”
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“I see that you are advanced,” speaks an enlightened owl. “However you are blinded by idealism. When you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss will stare back at you.”
https://preview.redd.it/wzo56e2bbt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf49158aa39d115cfe22cd60a4b5c1502d11e246
“My friend,” says the Stranger. “I have not only stared into the abyss, I went to hell and back again to find my answer.”
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Everyone falls silent, the Stranger continues:
“It was always here on earth. Heaven. It was always within us. Take a look around you. There is beauty in all things. If you search for it, you can find joy in every moment. Look for love in the world and you shall find love everywhere. Meet Life with gratitude and wonder. Face your experience, like an adventurer faces his challenge. Express unconditional love through your very being. Because this is how we heal Humanities greatest wound: The scar of nihilism.
It has all become so meaningless to us, hasn't it?
Memorizing knowledge at school or college, that you'll never need in real life. This feeling of being stuck in life. Day to day, going to a dead-end job for minimum wage. Living an unfulfilled life. The shattering of broken dreams. The tears of our suffering.
You know, why everything has become so meaningless?
We let our hearts get cold. After falling, we stopped getting back up again. We stopped facing our challenges.
You see, after every defeat, Humanity always got back up again. No matter how tough the challenge may seemed, Humanity never gave up.
We have forgotten, who we are.
All of us are Humanity. You, Me, everyone. We are all humanity. You, the individual human are HUMANITY. You are the Rest of mankind. Because we are all the same in our essence. When you open your heart, then this is your name: 'HUMANITY'
Because you see yourself in every other human. This is the name of the divine spark that sits within all of us. It is the fire, that burns in our eyes. This is Humanity: An archetype of victory and an idea of unity.
Let me ask you a very direct question. If we all came together to do our part, do you think that we could actually clean up the mess we have created? Do you think we have a chance of not only to survive but even to evolve as a species? And perhaps write even greater stories, than ever before?”
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The entire crowd is silent. Most of them avoid eye contact. People start mumbling.
Then the crowd slowly gets louder again and the conversations on each table, continue as if nothing ever happened.
As the Stranger steps down from the chair, a monkey gets up from one of the tables, points his finger and screams:
“Look guys, this dude has ketchup on his outfit.”
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While the crowd laughs at him, the Stranger goes to the bar and orders two beer. While he waits, he rubs off the ketchup stain from his clothes with his fingernails.
People are looking at him and the Seeker. The Seeker can't bear standing next to the Stranger and leaves the tavern. The Stranger pays for two beers. 140 Pesos. He then follows the Seeker outside.
https://preview.redd.it/e6z1vs8dbt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87abe2474b38b4db1520beec2fc576fa2f8aead4
“Wanna go already?” asks the Stranger while sipping from his beer.
“Those guys hate you now,” sighs the Seeker.
“Who cares?” shrugs the Stranger, while gulping down the beer in a single go.
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A couple of animals exit the bar. All the animals, that had no place to fit in. All the animals that didn't belong. A rabbit, a cat, a goldfish, a squirrel, a bear, a fox, a goat, a pigeon, an eagle, a chicken in an alien costume and a dog.
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“I will also follow my destiny,” speaks the eagle with determination. His heart is also activated.
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https://preview.redd.it/e7mfutlebt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=54b88c6a4710f71cabdd77897773f51be8b247ec
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“Alright,” says a bear with burning eyes. “Let's try going north... Perhaps this is how we'll finally get to Axis Mundi.”
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“Going north... that sounds fun,” says the smiling fox. “Let's see how far, we'll come.”
https://preview.redd.it/4ewd3xegbt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b37bff14424cd6f0f95cd988c32595de8f3f454
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“We are all gonna die anyway,” sighs the pessimistic goat.
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“I never tried going north before,” contemplates the curious pigeon.
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“10 bucks, that I am first at the top of the volcano,” bets the black cat, while looking at her claws.
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“Deal,” agrees the dog, while hunting his own tail.
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The rabbit thinks about the taste of carrots. She is hungry.
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The squirrel is simply happy and excited for the new adventure. She can't stop dancing.
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The goldfish has no idea, what he's actually doing. He just rolls around in a plastic bag.
https://preview.redd.it/tl493tdibt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8c3a131d0e3dab7174ef2bc7b7ea0b5d26ba1aa
“I... I will also walk my path,” speaks up the brave chicken in an alien costume. For the first time, the chickens eyes start burning.
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Together, the new group of friends are traveling the northern road. Towards the volcano. As the sunset illuminates their backs, the animals start singing a new song. A song of excitement, of wonder and of bravery. A song, that goes something like: “We have found a way.”
https://preview.redd.it/kxv5lc2kbt0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7066bbeff6bd269542a87c52a66b953209fbd023
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TO BE CONTINUED
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for more content visit: We_Are_Humanity
Find previous part Here
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cg7yqg/what_it_means_to_walk_togethe
Find next part Here:
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START JOURNEY HERE: https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/17zwf78/the_seeker_and_the_mysterious_stranger_part_1_of_7/
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Checkpoint 4
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cbhoml/turning_shit_into_gold/
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Special Bonus Chapters:
THE ONE TRUE SEEKER AND THE QUESTION OF FREE WILL
https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cnaanw/special_bonus_chapter_the_one_true_seeker_and_the/
2024.05.16 17:58 The-Unseen-1 The awakening of the heart
 | Walking the Path together (Part 16)https://preview.redd.it/u6wtaco55t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f5cb1d2af03896dc80a1cef190995ff5ea73d66Part 16: The awakening of the heart . . As the Mysterious Stranger and the Seeker leave the old castle behind, they continue on the snow-covered path. A path appears on the right side, following parallel to their own. The two paths merge into one, which leads towards a volcano. As they progress, another parallel path from the left side merges as well with the current one. . In the distance, the Seeker spots a building, where the path tilts uphill. A sign points at a crossroad. An intersection, between realms. The crossroads, where all timelines meet up: Where the westward and the eastward paths meets the northern road. https://preview.redd.it/6mvg5my85t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f4819fab52baca96b2ae9dc79b5c1ccf9ea7dd9 Where the paths meet, stands a tavern. The lights are on. The chimney is smoking. A sign shows its name: 'The Red Ditch Inn' https://preview.redd.it/f9g0wmx95t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1648534743e52a83d24e137c6d88b57c24a89a1 . . “Wanna get something to drink,” asks the Stranger the Seeker. “Sure, why not,” accepts the Seeker. . . Before he opens the door knob, the Stranger hesitates and speaks to the Seeker: “This is the bar, where the timelines of our souls meet up. This is the crossing of our life-paths, the intersection of fate. Be prepared, for what happens next.” The Seeker and the Stranger walk into the building. As they open the door, they are started by the loud conversations. The inn is full. Many tables with different animals of all species. . . The table in the center of the bar, has a label saying: 'Spirituality' Around that table sit all kinds of different birds and animals. Pigeons, squirrels, Reptiles, cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, crows, mice, sloths. They are mostly talking about crystals and past lives. https://preview.redd.it/y8fnhq406t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c646cb09f82c0fccb5dbc52b0516ad04c3959bd . . There was a table, which said: 'astralprojection'. There sat an old bear, who carries many scars, wounded by countless battles, teaching young bear cups, who attentively listen to their elders. Some are making notes. https://preview.redd.it/u39auly16t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8a12d3b6456683101a8c19b70ed5b533886db56e Next to it, is a table with a label saying: 'Enlightenment' There sit some parrots all repeating the same mantra in unison: “BEFORE ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER, AFTER ENLIGHTENMENT CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER.” https://preview.redd.it/446l8xo46t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9845893e91cb4f74ff0a7cd322d12fe5b90162d4 . . There is another table, called: 'Awakened' There sit a caterpillar, a spider, a scorpion and an eagle. “You have an Ego,” shouts the caterpillar at the spider, pointing his finger. “No, you have an Ego,” shouts the spider back at the caterpillar. “You both have an Ego,” accuses the scorpion both the caterpillar and the spider. “Hey,” shouts the bird. “I am the eagle here!” https://preview.redd.it/h7lqop986t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1918922e7e405c0101c29dadd36921bc2aa8d9e . . Next to it, is the table of 'nonduality'. The chairs are completely empty. There is no one here. https://preview.redd.it/m6g30mv96t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=62fc58adf8f16905982b6b082f352e62f0b9bd93 . . On the other side there is another table with many different birds and mammals, some more exotic animals from all around the world. The label says 'Soulnexus'. There is someone constantly screaming at the top of their lungs: “I AM A PROFFESIONAL PSYCHIC READER WITH 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!” https://preview.redd.it/ua8so87d6t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3934b0f88aeb2ed43206eb782083978beb83c93d . . One table next to it is called 'starseeds'. The people sitting there do not look like animals, but like strange aliens. Some small and green beings, others big and gray, some with fur, some with scales, some humanoid. They were mostly talking about the past, exchanging some old memories. Among them is a chicken, who wears an alien costume. . As one of the Grey beings stands up to go to the toilet, the chicken whispers to the others: “Psst guys, I think Fred may not be an actual Starseed.” https://preview.redd.it/yf5mxkin6t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c5cd079ef9a9717d77077bc10fae0086c87ba446 The other beings around the table start mumbling. https://preview.redd.it/mpr2xh9o6t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f84d4bbe5d838ce742b7d76ca16986f07f61a19 . . There is one more table called 'psychonauts'. The Stranger walks towards their table. “Jo, wazzup Shawty,” greets the Stranger an old friend at the psychonaut-table, with a fist bump. “Long time no see.” . “Whoa, it's YOU,” responds the Tiger at the table, with red eyes, smoking his bong. “Last time I've seen you, I was like in DMT realm.” . “Is Burt anywhere around?” asks the Stranger. . . “He is sitting there in the corner,” responds Shawty. The tiger points at a traumatized racoon sitting in the dark corner. “I have seen too much,” mumbles the Burt the Racoon with eyes wide open, like a scratched record. “I have traveled too far... I have seen, what lies within the emptiness. Never again... I will never do shrooms again...” . . Suddenly the waiter taps the racoons shoulder, ripping him out of his thought loop. “Sir... Do you wanna order anything?” . “Do you have McKennaii?” “Yes,” responds the waiter. “Then I'll have 7 grams,” orders the racoon. https://preview.redd.it/cby20wa67t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5822fdf6571cb03e2137629ac88f258294c0d59f . . The Seeker has a sudden thought and looks at the Stranger. “What does the ' slash' on the tables, stand for?” . “I don't know...,” shrugs the Stranger. “ It's probably to reserve the table at this inn.” . . . The Stranger looks at all the tables, they are all talking and talking. Some are playing poker, others are playing dart, some drunks fight each other. Others talk about their identity or their favorite dogma. Some are showing off, how enlightened they are. As they stand at the crossroads, they can either go Westwards, Eastwards and Northwards. Many have taken the western route, many have went eastwards, but they always ended back at the 'Red Ditch Inn' again. The newbies, were unsure, whether to go west or east. The experienced ones, knew it doesn't make a difference, they would end up at the bar again anyway. Some were stuck in the bar since many decades, they had given up hope to ever find a way out. But few of them ever dared to walk northwards. https://preview.redd.it/xnc7yukk7t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3bf81669e821e6674aa1d5b0dc6f9484dcd63c03 The Stranger sighs, as he looks around. His eyes flame up, he inhales deeply and climbs on a chair. With a raised voice he speaks: . . . . “When did we lose our heart? We lost our heart collectively. Did we lose it, when we were still cavemen? When we had to survive the cold winters of the ice age? When we hunted down the last Homo Neanderthalensis? Or later on, when the first tribes waged war against each other? Did we lose our heart, when we enslaved each other? Did we lose our hearts, when we dropped atom bombs, or when we caused our first mass extinctions...The crimes, that Humans do in wars... All of us carry the sins of our forefathers on our shoulders. . . We lost our hearts individually. For the person it starts pretty early in their childhood. We lose our trust, when we are lied to. Almost everyone tastes the pain of Betrayal at least once in life. We are deeply wounded from childhood on. We learn early on, that humans hurt us and thus we become suspicious of humans. We learn not to trust each other. Because we are afraid of being hurt again. And so we close off our heart to protect it. . . What is the heart? I am not talking about the physical organ. I talk about this part in your 'soul', if I may call it that. It's like the core of our 'soul', of our 'astral body'. The centre of our 'energy' or chakras. We are afraid to open it, because it's very vulnerable. That's why we protect it. We are afraid to open it, because we don't trust each other. But unless your heart is open, you can never experience unconditional love. Its flame must be activated. The heart is your connection to everything. The heart is what connects you to 'source', if that's the word, you'd like to use. The heart is from where our love flows. We have cut off the connection and became separated from the ALL. We made love conditional. We split hating from loving, dislike from like and created duality. We became attached. We let ourselves be corrupted by the Ego. Now that we have closed the heart, what have we done to the world? . . We turned the world into a place, that almost no one likes. We created a society, that keeps us in narrow boxes. We made the world a lonely place, for everyone to be in. Even in groups, we often feel lonely. We allowed money to rule over us. We allowed ideologies to split us and dogmas to control us. We have so many different issues, that we just can't seem to overcome. Climate change. Wars. Corrupt politicians. Poverty. Starvation. Meaninglessness. Nihilism. Where should we start with all that mess? . . With ourselves. That is the place, where the transformation needs to start. We need to evolve. One person at a time. Only then, can the collective transform as well. We need to open the mind and the heart. To see and to feel. To be aware and to love. We need to find harmony within ourselves. End the inner conflict and find peace within. Find your own truest path. Let go of any limiting beliefs. Let go of any attachments. Forgive whoever needs forgiveness and apologize to clear your regrets. Find Love. Find your light within. See your light in all people. Love your enemies. Recognize the Ego, be aware of what makes it grow. Become aware of any negative thought patterns. Be disciplined. Clear your own shadows. Face your Trauma. Heal your inner child. Get free from all bodily addictions. Be free of fear. Be free of suffering. See the beauty of all things. Find joy in every moment. Surrender yourself. Follow the heart. Be proud and courageous. Accept your life and your story. Embrace your story, without being attached to it. Find your purpose. End the Seeking. Be your authentic Self. Express Love through your character. Become Love. . . . This is a possible path. And I just gave you the map. It can be walked. It was walked before. But it is a path into unknown territory. Only the bravest of you can walk this path. It's not for the faintest of heart. You see, you all either follow the path of the left and go westwards or you follow the path on the right and go eastwards... But no matter how far you go, you'll always end up at the crossroads again. You never make any real progress. What if there is another path? What if there's another way? What if I say, 'let us go north?!'” . . . Some of the crowd are in shock. Some are laughing. Others are mumbling. “You can't walk north,” says a crow from the projectors. “It's impossible.” “Everyone knows, that the northern road is a dead-end,” says an awakened Caterpillar. “It's a waste of time going up there. You can't go further, than the volcano.” https://preview.redd.it/r40gfkx28t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f2431635af381f0a9bee525d4e661ce6e45a0b9 A psychonaut horse laughs. “That will be fun. Can't wait to see their disappointed faces, when they walk all the way back down.” . . . . . The Stranger continues undeterred: . “Why are you walking the spiritual path? You felt called to do it, didn't you? You felt something within you. Something made click. You understood, that there is a deeper truth, that you must find. There was this deep longing within you. So you started walking. What were the first things, that you were seeking? You were seeking answers. What were your first questions? You were asking, 'What is my purpose?' You were asking 'Why am I here'? And you have searched in so many places. But no matter which answer you got, you were never fully satisfied. Because it wasn't your answer. Because it was someone else's answer. So you stopped seeking. Either you were content with some unfulfilling answers or you just simply gave up. When did you stop finding your own answers? Dogma or tradition give us easy answers. When we are attached to them, when we build an identity around them, we become unable to find our own answers. But you can't end Seeking with someone elses answers. Only when you have claimed the answer for yourself, can the Seeker transform into something different. Into something new. Just ending the Seeker, like cutting off a limb, won't do it. The Seeker needs to find their answer to the question 'What is my purpose?' Not one, they read from textbooks. Not an answer, that someone else can give them. When ONE has found their own unique purpose in life, then instead of 'seeking', there is only 'expressing'.” . . . “I see that you are advanced,” speaks an enlightened owl. “However you are blinded by idealism. When you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss will stare back at you.” https://preview.redd.it/tyhax8ca8t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=11df4212c1a8ea72fa5d000234c33710bffc7c3c “My friend,” says the Stranger. “I have not only stared into the abyss, I went to hell and back again to find my answer.” . . . Everyone falls silent, the Stranger continues: “It was always here on earth. Heaven. It was always within us. Take a look around you. There is beauty in all things. If you search for it, you can find joy in every moment. Look for love in the world and you shall find love everywhere. Meet Life with gratitude and wonder. Face your experience, like an adventurer faces his challenge. Express unconditional love through your very being. Because this is how we heal Humanities greatest wound: The scar of nihilism. It has all become so meaningless to us, hasn't it? Memorizing knowledge at school or college, that you'll never need in real life. This feeling of being stuck in life. Day to day, going to a dead-end job for minimum wage. Living an unfulfilled life. The shattering of broken dreams. The tears of our suffering. You know, why everything has become so meaningless? We let our hearts get cold. After falling, we stopped getting back up again. We stopped facing our challenges. You see, after every defeat, Humanity always got back up again. No matter how tough the challenge may seemed, Humanity never gave up. We have forgotten, who we are. All of us are Humanity. You, Me, everyone. We are all humanity. You, the individual human are HUMANITY. You are the Rest of mankind. Because we are all the same in our essence. When you open your heart, then this is your name: 'HUMANITY' Because you see yourself in every other human. This is the name of the divine spark that sits within all of us. It is the fire, that burns in our eyes. This is Humanity: An archetype of victory and an idea of unity. Let me ask you a very direct question. If we all came together to do our part, do you think that we could actually clean up the mess we have created? Do you think we have a chance of not only to survive but even to evolve as a species? And perhaps write even greater stories, than ever before?” . . . . . The entire crowd is silent. Most of them avoid eye contact. People start mumbling. Then the crowd slowly gets louder again and the conversations on each table, continue as if nothing ever happened. As the Stranger steps down from the chair, a monkey gets up from one of the tables, points his finger and screams: “Look guys, this dude has ketchup on his outfit.” . . While the crowd laughs at him, the Stranger goes to the bar and orders two beer. While he waits, he rubs off the ketchup stain from his clothes with his fingernails. People are looking at him and the Seeker. The Seeker can't bear standing next to the Stranger and leaves the tavern. The Stranger pays for two beers. 140 Pesos. He then follows the Seeker outside. https://preview.redd.it/7ph64bps8t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2492025ebf3dd76f7fce33da83fefe761f4deca “Wanna go already?” asks the Stranger while sipping from his beer. “Those guys hate you now,” sighs the Seeker. “Who cares?” shrugs the Stranger, while gulping down the beer in a single go. . . . A couple of animals exit the bar. All the animals, that had no place to fit in. All the animals that didn't belong. A rabbit, a cat, a goldfish, a squirrel, a bear, a fox, a goat, a pigeon, an eagle, a chicken in an alien costume and a dog. . “I will also follow my destiny,” speaks the eagle with determination. His heart is also activated. . https://preview.redd.it/7lcknwky8t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fc53b343d407311dd59f50cb23c910754a357ff . “Alright,” says a bear with burning eyes. “Let's try going north... Perhaps this is how we'll finally get to Axis Mundi.” . “Going north... that sounds fun,” says the smiling fox. “Let's see how far, we'll come.” https://preview.redd.it/pxzr6rr39t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=508c5a3cb8dbb8ad29887001e9f986ea52d509cd . “We are all gonna die anyway,” sighs the pessimistic goat. . “I never tried going north before,” contemplates the curious pigeon. . “10 bucks, that I am first at the top of the volcano,” bets the black cat, while looking at her claws. . “Deal,” agrees the dog, while hunting his own tail. . The rabbit thinks about the taste of carrots. She is hungry. . The squirrel is simply happy and excited for the new adventure. She can't stop dancing. . The goldfish has no idea, what he's actually doing. He just rolls around in a plastic bag. https://preview.redd.it/z0u1b1de9t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=efc55fa42a8393145afc72cf7fcb2717c949d9f5 “I... I will also walk my path,” speaks up the brave chicken in an alien costume. For the first time, the chickens eyes start burning. . . . Together, the new group of friends are traveling the northern road. Towards the volcano. As the sunset illuminates their backs, the animals start singing a new song. A song of excitement, of wonder and of bravery. A song, that goes something like: “We have found a way.” https://preview.redd.it/y2z4ctni9t0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc9d65d8b99cb576034852f18251b216720690ed . . . TO BE CONTINUED . . . for more content visit: We_Are_Humanity Find previous part Here https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cg7yqg/what_it_means_to_walk_togethe Find next part Here: . . START JOURNEY HERE: https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/17zwf78/the_seeker_and_the_mysterious_stranger_part_1_of_7/ . Checkpoint 4 https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cbhoml/turning_shit_into_gold/ . Special Bonus Chapters: THE ONE TRUE SEEKER AND THE QUESTION OF FREE WILL https://www.reddit.com/We_Are_Humanity/comments/1cnaanw/special_bonus_chapter_the_one_true_seeker_and_the/ |
2024.05.16 17:48 FromTheInkpot Tessario of Lys, Keyholder of the Pearl Bank, Heir to the Blood of Altaerys [+AC]
PC
Reddit Account: FromTheInkpot
Discord Tag: jayonline
Name and House: Tessario of Lys
Age: 28
Cultural Group: Valyrian
Appearance: Taller than the average man, with slender and effeminate features. His skin is pale, his hair consists of curled white locks and his eyes are a vivid lilac. He favours black leathers with silver accents, and often adds coloured silks as sashes, belts, or capes. On the middle finger of his left hand he wears a signet ring of black steel and gold, used to seal letters from the Pearl Bank.
Trait: Marketer
Skill(s): Avaricious (e), Merchantman (e), Broker
Talent(s): Linguistics, Arithmetic, Reading People
Negative Trait(s): Sociopath (non-mechanical)
Starting Title(s): Keyholder of the Pearl Bank, Heir to the blood of Altaerys (secret)
Starting Location: Opening Event
Alternate Characters: N/A
Bio:
Born in the year 4BC, Tessario was the son of a Lyseni courtesan and a nobleman of the Old Blood who had left for the Black Walls of Volantis before he even knew of the child.
Growing up in Lys, Tessario was raised by his mother in a small manse where she would teach him lessons learnt from the courts of the free city.
Since his mother first spoke to him tales of Valyria and dragon riders, Tessario was enthralled.
His bloodline was of the forty families, from one of the few dragonlords on Lys during the 'Night of Tears', when the dragonlords had been poisoned and their dragons slain by their very hosts - the magisters. That the dragon rider had been his ancestor was his family's deepest secret and one that could have seen them killed in generations past.
The knowledge that the dragon riders of old were his very ancestors was almost too much for the young boy to keep secret. Especially now, when dragons had waged conquest on Westeros' shores so recently. But while the Targaryen's were said to wed brother to sister to keep their bond with the dragons strong, his family had not had a dragon rider in five generations. Since then his family's bloodline - the house of Altaerys, thought lost in the Doom of Valyria and the Century of Blood since, had become clouded with the Old Blood of Volantis during their occupation of Lys. And before that, diluted among the courts of Lys the Lovely, where none truly knew or at least none spoke of how much dragon blood they had. It was clear most of Lys had some. The features of silver-blond or white hair and the eyes of pale blue or shades of purple were all too common. The city was truly Valyrian. Who knew how many dragonlords' legacies his blood carried now?
Tessario, with his pure Valyrian blood and features to match, had the fiery will of his ancestors but an uncommonly pragmatic mind. As he grew, so did his keen mind, picking up his numbers and letters faster than other boys his age.
Raised in the turbulence of a city still reeling from the uprising against Volantis, Tessario learnt how violent people could be at a young age. Surrounded by the cruelties of slavery, he grew up numbed to the hardships of others.
By nine name-days he would begin visiting the Temple of Trade where he and other boys would talk with the magisters and tradesmen who congregated there. From among these wealthy and noble men of the city, he and a lucky few others, would gain apprenticeships; a position that was highly coveted in the city of Lys, where trade was considered a profession more honorable than arms.
Tessario shadowed his sponsor for three years, learning the inner workings of trade negotiations, currency exchange, and contract creation. He met several other apprentices who like him hungered for more, as well as making friends among the less prominent families of Lys all too keen to climb the social ladder. So, when his apprenticeship was over they formed a merchantile group of ambitious youths. Tessario and the others began with insurance cons and profitable arbitrage that filled their pockets and funded bigger schemes.
The war in the Stepstones came as a wondrous opportunity for the newly founded group. The members invested heavily, with some overseeing the battles themselves. Luckily the Lysene forces met up with not only those of Tyrosh, but also ships from Dorne and the Stormlands. Tessario wore armour for the first time as he sailed sellswords to the fighting, though did no more than watch in actuality. War made them rich and for the first time in his life Tessario knew what it was to wield true power. The power to make others die for your ends.
The pirate threat crumbled easily, but the true prizes were had after the fighting. Contracts for trade opened up and new ports to invest in saw the merchantile group grow faster than ever before. They hired lingering hedge knights and sellswords to protect their assets and even convinced some of the former pirate vessels to become corsairs under them.
As the Stepstones begin to flourish, the group started to look further afield for other trade routes. In 18AC, just as Dorne began to invest heavily in Sunstone, Tessario sailed to Driftmark as one of three emissaries of their group tasked with finding new avenues for profit. It was while on this mission that Tessario first met Valarr Velaryon, Lord of the Tides. Seeking a base of operations outside of Lys, Tessario negotiated plans for a bank to be built in Spicetown, profiting from the flow of trade.
Tessario broached the concept to the group telling them of the pearls found by fishermen in the pools of the island's coves and a contract for the Pearl Bank was drawn up. Tessario, as one of the two-and-twenty key holders, was now responsible for much.
Construction began in late 19AC with a main building that was reinforced with strong stone and deep vaults. Pearl farms under the control of the bank were also created, with construction of the entire project finishing before the end of 24AC. During this time the bank engaged in numerous amounts of trade, amassing a full vault, as well as funding loans to the many growing businesses of Spicetown, merchants of the free cities, and other Houses of Westeros. This includes House Massey of Stonedance, House Celtigar of Claw Isle, and many other minor houses.
Timeline:
https://familyecho.com/?p=START&c=izpgpsokcmwmhxa6&f=478495015333730745
AC
Name and House: Somovo Saan
Age: 21
Cultural Group: Valyrian
Appearance: Piercing blue eyes shine out from dark features. Somovo has a lean build and freckled face from years of sailing the Narrow and Summer Seas. Her skin is dark and her hair falls in long brown curls down past her shoulders, the occasional braid holding beads of copper. She often wears loose shirts and wide breeches that allow her skin to breathe the salty air of the sea, while sticking to practical leather boots for moving about the deck.
She has a slender black cat named Sȳndor 'shadow' that lives on deck and prowls the bank offices while on shore.
Trait: Reaver
Skill(s): Raider, Fence, Tactician
Talent(s): Winning at Tiles, Tying knots, Swimming
Negative Trait(s): N/A
Starting Title(s): Captain of the Spice Runner
Starting Location: Opening Event
Alternate Characters: N/A
Timeline:
Morio (30) - Cutthroat
Every man of ambition needs a ruthless and silent right hand.
Ser Thomas Storm (27) - Warrior
Knighted by Ser Edwell Celtigar in the Stepstones and knowing he would gain no further gold or glory, he joined the merchantile group from Lys to train their retainers and act as Captain of the Guard to Tessario.
Since then he notably won the joust at the Tourney at Aegon's Rest in 21AC.
submitted by FromTheInkpot to ITRPCommunity [link] [comments]
Reddit Account: FromTheInkpot
Discord Tag: jayonline
Name and House: Tessario of Lys
Age: 28
Cultural Group: Valyrian
Appearance: Taller than the average man, with slender and effeminate features. His skin is pale, his hair consists of curled white locks and his eyes are a vivid lilac. He favours black leathers with silver accents, and often adds coloured silks as sashes, belts, or capes. On the middle finger of his left hand he wears a signet ring of black steel and gold, used to seal letters from the Pearl Bank.
Trait: Marketer
Skill(s): Avaricious (e), Merchantman (e), Broker
Talent(s): Linguistics, Arithmetic, Reading People
Negative Trait(s): Sociopath (non-mechanical)
Starting Title(s): Keyholder of the Pearl Bank, Heir to the blood of Altaerys (secret)
Starting Location: Opening Event
Alternate Characters: N/A
Bio:
Born in the year 4BC, Tessario was the son of a Lyseni courtesan and a nobleman of the Old Blood who had left for the Black Walls of Volantis before he even knew of the child.
Growing up in Lys, Tessario was raised by his mother in a small manse where she would teach him lessons learnt from the courts of the free city.
Since his mother first spoke to him tales of Valyria and dragon riders, Tessario was enthralled.
His bloodline was of the forty families, from one of the few dragonlords on Lys during the 'Night of Tears', when the dragonlords had been poisoned and their dragons slain by their very hosts - the magisters. That the dragon rider had been his ancestor was his family's deepest secret and one that could have seen them killed in generations past.
The knowledge that the dragon riders of old were his very ancestors was almost too much for the young boy to keep secret. Especially now, when dragons had waged conquest on Westeros' shores so recently. But while the Targaryen's were said to wed brother to sister to keep their bond with the dragons strong, his family had not had a dragon rider in five generations. Since then his family's bloodline - the house of Altaerys, thought lost in the Doom of Valyria and the Century of Blood since, had become clouded with the Old Blood of Volantis during their occupation of Lys. And before that, diluted among the courts of Lys the Lovely, where none truly knew or at least none spoke of how much dragon blood they had. It was clear most of Lys had some. The features of silver-blond or white hair and the eyes of pale blue or shades of purple were all too common. The city was truly Valyrian. Who knew how many dragonlords' legacies his blood carried now?
Tessario, with his pure Valyrian blood and features to match, had the fiery will of his ancestors but an uncommonly pragmatic mind. As he grew, so did his keen mind, picking up his numbers and letters faster than other boys his age.
Raised in the turbulence of a city still reeling from the uprising against Volantis, Tessario learnt how violent people could be at a young age. Surrounded by the cruelties of slavery, he grew up numbed to the hardships of others.
By nine name-days he would begin visiting the Temple of Trade where he and other boys would talk with the magisters and tradesmen who congregated there. From among these wealthy and noble men of the city, he and a lucky few others, would gain apprenticeships; a position that was highly coveted in the city of Lys, where trade was considered a profession more honorable than arms.
Tessario shadowed his sponsor for three years, learning the inner workings of trade negotiations, currency exchange, and contract creation. He met several other apprentices who like him hungered for more, as well as making friends among the less prominent families of Lys all too keen to climb the social ladder. So, when his apprenticeship was over they formed a merchantile group of ambitious youths. Tessario and the others began with insurance cons and profitable arbitrage that filled their pockets and funded bigger schemes.
The war in the Stepstones came as a wondrous opportunity for the newly founded group. The members invested heavily, with some overseeing the battles themselves. Luckily the Lysene forces met up with not only those of Tyrosh, but also ships from Dorne and the Stormlands. Tessario wore armour for the first time as he sailed sellswords to the fighting, though did no more than watch in actuality. War made them rich and for the first time in his life Tessario knew what it was to wield true power. The power to make others die for your ends.
The pirate threat crumbled easily, but the true prizes were had after the fighting. Contracts for trade opened up and new ports to invest in saw the merchantile group grow faster than ever before. They hired lingering hedge knights and sellswords to protect their assets and even convinced some of the former pirate vessels to become corsairs under them.
As the Stepstones begin to flourish, the group started to look further afield for other trade routes. In 18AC, just as Dorne began to invest heavily in Sunstone, Tessario sailed to Driftmark as one of three emissaries of their group tasked with finding new avenues for profit. It was while on this mission that Tessario first met Valarr Velaryon, Lord of the Tides. Seeking a base of operations outside of Lys, Tessario negotiated plans for a bank to be built in Spicetown, profiting from the flow of trade.
Tessario broached the concept to the group telling them of the pearls found by fishermen in the pools of the island's coves and a contract for the Pearl Bank was drawn up. Tessario, as one of the two-and-twenty key holders, was now responsible for much.
Construction began in late 19AC with a main building that was reinforced with strong stone and deep vaults. Pearl farms under the control of the bank were also created, with construction of the entire project finishing before the end of 24AC. During this time the bank engaged in numerous amounts of trade, amassing a full vault, as well as funding loans to the many growing businesses of Spicetown, merchants of the free cities, and other Houses of Westeros. This includes House Massey of Stonedance, House Celtigar of Claw Isle, and many other minor houses.
Timeline:
- 4BC - Tessario is born in a Lysene manse.
- 6AC - Begins a trade apprenticeship for three years.
- 9AC - Forms a merchantile group in Lys.
- 12AC - Funds the war in the Stepstones.
- 13AC - War in the Stepstones ends.
- 18AC - Visits Driftmark as an emissary, meeting Valarr Velaryon.
- 19AC - The Pearl Bank begins construction.
- 24AC - Construction is completed.
- 25AC - Current day.
https://familyecho.com/?p=START&c=izpgpsokcmwmhxa6&f=478495015333730745
AC
Name and House: Somovo Saan
Age: 21
Cultural Group: Valyrian
Appearance: Piercing blue eyes shine out from dark features. Somovo has a lean build and freckled face from years of sailing the Narrow and Summer Seas. Her skin is dark and her hair falls in long brown curls down past her shoulders, the occasional braid holding beads of copper. She often wears loose shirts and wide breeches that allow her skin to breathe the salty air of the sea, while sticking to practical leather boots for moving about the deck.
She has a slender black cat named Sȳndor 'shadow' that lives on deck and prowls the bank offices while on shore.
Trait: Reaver
Skill(s): Raider, Fence, Tactician
Talent(s): Winning at Tiles, Tying knots, Swimming
Negative Trait(s): N/A
Starting Title(s): Captain of the Spice Runner
Starting Location: Opening Event
Alternate Characters: N/A
Timeline:
- 4AC - Somovo Saan is born in Lys.
- 9AC - Somovo's father, Sarthos Saan, takes her on her first voyage to Tyrosh.
- 12AC - Her father leaves to fight for the pirates in the Stepstones war.
- 13AC - After the pirates defeat in the Steptones, her father is hired by a group of merchants from Lys. Somovo meets Tessario, one of the groups founders.
- 18AC - Meets the sellsail Captain Laurei of Myr who becomes an inspiration for her to become a Captain of her own ship.
- 19AC - When the Pearl Bank begins construction on Driftmark, Somovo is on deck with her father and they patrol the Narrow Sea together, guarding trading vessels and seeking opportunities for their new employer.
- 21AC - Somovo is given command of her own ship and crew, becoming Captain of The Spice Runner, named after Spicetown.
- 22AC - Her father's ship is lost at sea during a storm near Volantis. The corsairs previously under Sarthos turn to her for leadership by virtue of her blood.
- 24AC - Construction of The Pearl Bank is completed on Driftmark.
- 25AC - Current day.
Morio (30) - Cutthroat
Every man of ambition needs a ruthless and silent right hand.
Ser Thomas Storm (27) - Warrior
Knighted by Ser Edwell Celtigar in the Stepstones and knowing he would gain no further gold or glory, he joined the merchantile group from Lys to train their retainers and act as Captain of the Guard to Tessario.
Since then he notably won the joust at the Tourney at Aegon's Rest in 21AC.
2024.05.16 17:22 haygurlhay123 “This Time, I Will Never Let You Go”: Cloud’s Mission and the Hidden Purpose of the Remake Trilogy - Literary and Musical Analysis of FFVII - Part 6
(continuation of part 5)
Post-OG Cloud ruminates on what he could have done to save Aerith. Had he not been so lost in his own mind —distracted by Sephiroth and Jenova, consumed by his need to fulfill the emptiness at the core of his identity—, would he have paid more attention to Aerith’s sadness and anticipated her plan to go to the Forgotten Capital alone? Could she have survived if not for his obsession with what tormented him at the time? Could he have figured it out and kept her by his side? He’s angry with himself in retrospect, drowning in guilt, just like in Advent Children.
Here are the choruses, which usually contain the thesis main message of a song:
VI. e) ii. “No Promises to Keep” Lyrics
This is quite obvious. Aerith is resigned to her fate, but still harbors hope that she will meet Cloud again in a permanent reunion:
The last point I want to hit on is the concept of reunion. In OG, this theme was pretty much dominated by the Jenova Reunion. To an OG fan back in 1997, “reunion” meant “Sephiroth and Jenova’s evil plan”. However, in the Remake trilogy, the theme is expanded into something more. The first time Cloud meets Aerith in Remake, she gives him a flower and tells him something she didn’t in OG:
Many moments exclusive to the Remake trilogy serve the same purpose: linking the theme of reunion to Aerith. This expansion of the theme is highly significant. Our theory is that the Remake trilogy exists to reunite Cloud and Aerith, so the fact that the trilogy would implement so many Clerith-centric references to reunion is great support for our theory.
VI. g) i. The Leslie-Cloud Parallel
Let’s consider another instance involving the reunion flower in Remake, more precisely, the chapter 14 subplot surrounding Leslie’s lost lover. In case you need a refresher, Leslie is one of Corneo’s lackeys, although he secretly plans to betray him. He once had a fiancée and things were looking up until she was selected as one of Corneo’s brides. The day before she disappeared (presumably taken by Corneo), his fiancée broke up with him with no explanation. It was confusing and left Leslie perplex. As she broke up with him, she returned a necklace to him, one with a flower pendant. Of course, that flower is the very same reunion flower Aerith gives Cloud in chapter 2.
Evidently, Leslie and Cloud are going through parallel situations. At this point in time, Aerith was just kidnapped by Shinra, and Cloud is on his way to get her back. Both their loved ones have been taken by tyrant rulers, one being slumlord Corneo and the other being the Shinra government. In fact, even Leslie and Cloud’s attitudes share similar disillusioned, cold and stoic qualities. Leslie’s fiancée would evidently be paralleled by Aerith.
The most obvious proof of the Leslie-Cloud parallel is written plainly on the list of Remake’s chapter 14 main scenario objectives. Objective 7, called “For the Reunion”, consists of receiving the grappling guns needed to reach topside and save Aerith. The description of the objective reads as follows:
All this is simple and apparent enough. Just the fact that the theme of reunion is linked to Clerith in this way is proof enough, but there’s another layer to the Leslie-Cloud parallel. Not only does Leslie’s situation reinforce the concept of a Clerith reunion, it also mirrors the specifics of our theory: namely that Cloud will save Aerith from specifically Sephiroth (represented in Leslie’s scenario by Corneo) and that Cloud will take the initiative to accomplish this reunion. These two specific aspects of our theory are reflected by Leslie’s circumstances, meaning the Leslie-Cloud parallel not only pushes the theme of reunion, but also supports our specific theory.
VI. g) i. 1) The Separators: Corneo and Sephiroth
I’ll first prove that Leslie’s scenario is not meant to echo Cloud’s separation from Aerith at the hands of Shinra —or at least not exclusively—, but rather Cloud’s separation from Aerith at the hands of Sephiroth. Corneo would therefore be paralleled by Sephiroth rather than the tyrannical Shinra government.
The first piece of proof for the Corneo-Seohiroth parallel lies within the way in which Leslie’s fiancée broke things off: by lying. Aerith also lies to Cloud to create distance between them, but not pertaining to her kidnapping— rather, pertaining to her fated death. Since Sephiroth is Aerith’s killer and not Shinra, Corneo’s role in the Leslie-Cloud parallel is analogous to Sephiroth’s rather than Shinra’s.
There are two pieces of evidence that the Corneo-Sephiroth comparison makes more sense than the Corneo-Shinra one. The first lies in the fact that Leslie’s breakup resembles Cloud’s resolution scene: the topic of Cloud’s resolution scene is Aerith’s fate at the hands of Sephiroth rather than her kidnapping by Shinra, meaning Corneo and Sephiroth are the antagonists of both heartbreaks.
Let’s examine Leslie’s breakup. Here is how his fiancée broke things off, taken from the English script of Remake’s chapter 14, with tone indicators added by me in bold:
If you’re finding this familiar, then you might be ahead of me. Let’s take a look at what Aerith says to Cloud in his resolution scene, also in the English script of Remake’s chapter 14, with tone indicators added by me in bold:
In both cases, the women know something about their fate that the men don’t and are hiding this impending tragedy from them. Just like Leslie’s fiancée, Aerith uses well-intentioned deception to protect her loved one from the pain that will come from her fate— the lie, of course, is that their love isn’t real. Both women are hopeless, and both men are initially clueless. Aerith’s resolution can’t be about her kidnapping, because Aerith thinks her rescue is anything but hopeless— she’s sure Cloud will come save her from Shinra. She says so herself in OG’s disk 1, chapter 8:
The second piece of evidence supporting my belief that Corneo mirrors Sephiroth and not Shinra in the Leslie-Cloud parallel is the inclusion of the theme of revenge that crops up in the following piece of dialogue:
Additionally, it looks like Leslie’s obsession with revenge as a means to closure is the reason he didn’t bother trying to understand the message his fiancée left him with: he’s focused on his hate rather than his love, and it’s hindering him. He doesn’t succeed in killing Corneo either: his focus and energy are misplaced. Cloud’s desire for vengeance against Sephiroth is also depicted as an obstacle to accomplishing his goals (see how in section “III. c)” of my previous literary analysis). Once more, the Corneo-Sephiroth parallel fits far better than a Corneo-Shinra perspective.
VI. g) i. 2) The Reunion Seekers: Leslie and Cloud
The other aspect of the Leslie-Cloud parallel that supports our theory is that in both scenarios, they both take charge of the situation and decide to actively seek reunion with their respective lovers. The following dialogue excerpt, supplemented by the VA script notes, shows Leslie’s initiative:
VI. g) i. 3) Delayed Realizations
Interestingly, not only does Leslie’s determination mirror Cloud’s, but both men are depicted as realizing the truth too late. Just like Leslie only began searching for his fiancée six months after her disappearance, Cloud only realizes he loves Aerith in OG once she’s died. It took him this long to actually get somewhere in his mission to reunite with her— “somewhere” being the Remake trilogy.
Even Barret’s words highlight the lovers’ delay: “Can never be sure how much someone means to ya till they're gone”. Barret would know: he lost his wife Myrna, whom he loved dearly. The devs have Barret comment on the situation as a man whose lover died, mirroring Cloud’s situation in OG. Just as Barret says, Cloud only truly realized the strength of how he felt for Aerith in OG once she was gone. The gunman’s words apply to both Leslie and Cloud’s tardy initiatives. Regardless of this delay, both men are now determined to see their respective reunions through.
The degree to which the Leslie-Cloud parallel fits our theory is a great sign of its validity: even the details are lining up!
VI. g) ii. Reunion in the Theme Songs
Too easy: in our analysis of the lyrics of the theme songs, we covered how both texts include the theme of reunion. “No Promises to Keep” is especially relevant (see section “VI. e) ii.”), as the entire song is Aerith hoping against fate for a reunion with Cloud (even if you believe the song is about all her companions, that still includes Cloud).
On top of these reunion-themed lyrics, during Aerith’s in-game performance of “No Promises to Keep” at the Gold Saucer production of Loveless, her yellow blossoms signifying reunion bloom all around her as Cloud watches her, captivated.
Another great sign for our theory: the highly significant theme songs are on our side!
VI. g) iii. Waking Up Reunited
The thing I want to juxtapose to our theory is a small yet special moment in chapter 2 of Rebirth that stuck out to me like a sore thumb and got me really excited about sharing it with you. This moment occurs after the battle against the Midgardsormr. We’ll be comparing it to two other clips, describing all three in chronological order, and making deductions based on their similarities.
The first clip I want to address occurs in chapter 8 of Remake (1:32-2:12). There are a couple of things I want to point out in this scene. First, Aerith wakes Cloud from unconsciousness with a cute call of “Hello~?”. Second, despite pretending that he doesn’t, he immediately recognizes her. The VA script notes prove it:
Now onto the Rebirth chapter 2 scene that stuck out to me. After Cloud is saved from the Midgardsormr by Sephiroth, Cloud wakes from an unconsciousness spell with Aerith calling for him (7:20-7:34).
Once more, Aerith wakes him with a cute call (this time, it’s “Wakey, wakey!”), and Cloud recognizes her. In this Midgardsormr clip, unlike their reunion in the church, Cloud verbalizes that he remembers her. This time, there’s more: next, Aerith tells Cloud “おかえり, クラウド”, or “okaeri, Cloud”, which translates to “welcome back, Cloud”. “Okaeri” is what you say in Japanese when someone has returned home. In the third clip we will analyze, Aerith says “okaeri” to Cloud once more. But first, let’s break down this second clip.
I don’t know about you, but this cutscene felt extremely weird to me when I first encountered it. That is, it would have been, if not for the theory I’d begun formulating at that time.
You see, the devs could have chosen for Aerith to ask Cloud if he remembers his own name or where they are, if he’s okay, or check if he responds to his own name. In fact, asking someone who’s been hit on the head to say their own name is a much more common reaction to them finally waking up than asking them if they remember you. Even stranger is Cloud’s reaction: he could have answered “Yeah, you’re Aerith,” or “I remember everything, I’m fine”. Instead, he says her name with this airy and wonderstruck tone. He sounds like he’s opening his eyes to something mystic rather than his comrade leaning over him, like he’s seeing someone unexpectedly for the first time in a while… or rather like he’s waking from a trance of some kind— a trance in which he did not remember Aerith, and now he does. You may see where I’m going with this.
Let’s examine the third clip, wherein Aerith tells Cloud “okaeri” again. More specifically, in chapter 14, Aerith welcomes Cloud back when he snaps out of his zombified, Sephiroth-controlled state and runs toward her. Of course, it’s the sight of her and his memories of meeting her in chapter 2 of Remake that shake him awake (2:17:43-2:18:02).
For a third time, Aerith wakes Cloud. This time, she’s pulling him out of a trance and back to himself. And for a third time, Cloud remembers her. In fact, it’s remembering her that wakes him up. Cloud calls her name and Aerith says “okaeri” in both the post-Midgardsormr cutscene and this third clip. And in both scenes, not only does Cloud return to himself the way someone returns home (recall that “okaeri” is used to welcome someone back home), but he’s also returning to her, recognizing her as his home.
Now we’ve got three scenes lined up: the church reunion scene (both in OG and Remake), the Midgardsormr scene and the hand-reach scene. All three of these recognition scenes feature Cloud being woken up by Aerith and remembering who she is. The main difference is that, in the scenes among these three that are exclusive to Rebirth, Cloud’s return to Aerith is far more meaningful, as he already knows her name, and knows more about who she is to him. Evidently, in the OG church reunion scene, Cloud only remembers being sold a flower by this girl. In the Remake version, he remembers the same thing, plus the attack of the whispers. So there’s something much more weighty about the Rebirth recognition scenes: he remembers more, and he remembers deeper. These aren’t just recognition scenes, they’re also mini-reunions. Of course, as we’ve already analyzed pertaining to the hand-reaching scene, Cloud remembering Aerith is followed by him being the one to take action and run toward her, eager to save her, because she means the world to him. When you place the Midgardsormr scene between the church reunion scene and the hand-reach scene, an evolution of Cloud waking up and remembering Aerith is formed. Each mini-reunion scene adds a piece to the story: the church scene informs us that Cloud and Aerith are meeting again, the Midgardsormr scene tips us off that something mystic is going on from Cloud’s tone when he says Aerith’s name, and the hand reach scene tells us that as a consequence of remembering who Aerith is, Cloud saves her from falling to her death and saving her. “Meeting again”, “mystic”, and “saving Aerith”: these are the keywords of the mini-reunion scenes. They are also the keywords of our theory on Cloud’s mission to save Aerith. This time around Cloud knows more and is more conscious about how he feels for Aerith, just like he feels more when in the hand-reach scene in Rebirth compared to the church reunion scene in Remake. From the latter scene to the former, Cloud gradually wakes up and remembers his love for and loss of Aerith in the OG more and more. Each mini-reunion brings him closer to saving her when he blocks the masamune. This is why I am certain that in part 3, whether Cloud comes to his full senses or not, whether he remembers the events of OG or not, he will save Aerith this time. The Remake trilogy is centered around Aerith, after all. In fact, don’t take it from me, take it from Nojima:
VI. h) Zooming In
In fact, this zooming-in method of directing players’ attention to important narrative beats is far from new.
VI. h) i. Changing Fate
Let’s divert our attention to Nanaki’s Skywheel date (2:28-3:30). The dialogue goes like this: Nanaki brings us the Whispers and suggests the party might eventually forget about their existence, and Cloud says that frankly, if it’s impossible for them to change fate either way, then it would be better for them to forget to Whispers altogether.
This is a very clear message from the devs: “There would be no point in including the Whispers in the Remaketrilogy if we did not make use of their defeat”. They’re telling us through Cloud’s dialogue that they know it would be foul play and bad writing to introduce the theme of defying fate if it didn’t eventually pay off.
As if it weren’t clear enough what the devs are referring to, Nanaki brings up Aerith’s death directly after Cloud delivers the devs’ message to us. He actually makes Cloud promise to save her. This is pretty on the nose. By promising Nanaki he will protect Aerith, the devs are promising us the same. I’m certain that part 3 will deliver on this promise.
If you still aren’t sold, I’d like to direct your attention to the framing of the shot where Cloud says “If we can’t change [fate]” (2:49-2:51). There’s a zoom-in on his mouth, which is a visual cue that translates to “what this character is saying right now is important to the plot”. It’s very indiscreet in theory: the camera literally hones in on the invisible words as though the script has them highlighted, italicized triple-underlined and in bold.
VI. h) ii. Aerith’s Knowledge
We’ve seen the Remake trilogy use this camera framing at least twice so far. The first time occurs in Remake’s chapter 8, before it becomes clear that Aerith knows things from the OG game that she wouldn’t normally know if this were just a remastered version of the same 1997 plot. I’ll let Remake Ultimania‘s description of this moment speak for itself:
The framing of this shot indicates to us that what Aerith says provides an important hint as to the plot’s direction. Sure enough, with hindsight, it’s easy to see that’s true.
VI. h) iii. Tifa’s Question
Another time this framing is used is in chapter 1 of Rebirth, after Cloud recounts the Nibelheim incident. Tifa asks the group why Sephiroth is choosing to come back now, after five years (37:55-37:58).
Once more, we are being signaled that the reason Sephiroth chose to return at the moment he did is significant to the plot, but cannot be revealed explicitly yet. The reason why Sephiroth took five years to return is because that’s how long it took for Cloud to get back on his feet after the Nibelheim incident: Sephiroth wants and/or needs to manipulate Cloud in particular rather than all the other people with Jenova cells in them. It took five years for Cloud to not only go through Hojo’s experiments but also escape Shinra and make his way to Seventh Heaven, where Tifa nursed him back to health— therefore, it took five years until Sephiroth’s favorite pawn was available to be used. There are a few reasons why Cloud is the one Sephiroth wants to use, and all of them would be spoilers at this point in Rebirth to players who don’t know the OG plot. The devs can’t reveal any of them yet, but they do indicate via a close-up shot of Tifa’s mouth that her question is important.
VI. h) iv. The Takeaway
As you can see, this framing of characters’ mouths when they speak signals a plot-significant piece of dialogue. This means Cloud’s words on his gondola date with Nanaki can’t be brushed off as a red herring or an unimportant or throwaway line: it has narrative weight.
VII. a) Shifting Themes
Good storytellers don’t introduce themes as a way to pull the rug from under audiences’ feet by later rendering them completely irrelevant to the plot.
In other words, the devs would not have introduced the notion of fate as an antagonistic force in Remake, nor allowed the players to defeat it in chapter 18, had they planned for these themes not to pay off at all. Think of how good FFVII OG and FF stories in general are, how strong the writing is from a narrative point of view. Nothing is included for no reason or for a cheap reaction— especially not a central theme of a story. Fate and defeating it is a huge point of Remake, and not for no reason.
I mean, think about a storyline all about defying fate ending with a shrug and a “Oh well, we tried.” It would be ridiculous! The devs are better than that.
VII. b) What the Devs Want
The devs are well aware that fans of FFVII have been begging for Aerith’s resurrection since 1997. All those petitions, all those myths of a revival hack… SE knows about them all too well. They were even referenced by FF’s 30th anniversary expo, which partly promoted Remake:
The devs know how well-loved both Clerith and Aerith are. And in fact, they love Aerith at least as much as we do:
I think a lot of people have it in their heads that the devs don’t want anything to change from the OG story, but there’s a lot of evidence that says otherwise. Codirector Toriyama spoke on this, stating the following about the production process of Remake:
(conclusion in
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Post-OG Cloud ruminates on what he could have done to save Aerith. Had he not been so lost in his own mind —distracted by Sephiroth and Jenova, consumed by his need to fulfill the emptiness at the core of his identity—, would he have paid more attention to Aerith’s sadness and anticipated her plan to go to the Forgotten Capital alone? Could she have survived if not for his obsession with what tormented him at the time? Could he have figured it out and kept her by his side? He’s angry with himself in retrospect, drowning in guilt, just like in Advent Children.
Here are the choruses, which usually contain the thesis main message of a song:
“Shine bright once more&
Guide me to you
Smile bright once more
This time I will never let you go”
“Hear me once moreIn these choruses, Cloud asserts that he will get it right this time (“this time” referring to the second chance that is the Remake trilogy). He will make sure he saves Aerith and never lets her go. He knows she’s gone, but he will fight against time to get her back. He longs for her smile and her light again, and he cannot bear the guilt: so he doesn’t. Post-OG Cloud embarks on a new adventure: ”I want to go to a place where everything is new,” said Cloud to Wol and Echo in Eclipse Contact before facing his past and being launched into Remake. “Hollow” makes far more sense now, doesn’t it? It’s a song not only about Cloud’s loss, but also about his determination to save Aerith this time. Given that it’s the theme song of Remake, the fact that “Hollow” fits with our theory perfectly is a very good sign: a theme song is meant to reflect the main plot of a story, indicating as our theory states that Remake is principally, albeit secretly, about Cloud saving Aerith. Because of this hope being set up, I’m confident that they will be together in the end, reunited for good. My dear Clerith friends, this is the hidden purpose of the Remake trilogy. Cloud and Aerith will be reunited.
Show me your smile
This time for sure
I'll see the truth hidden inside your tears
But I, I know
That you're long gone
But I, I will
Go on, howling and hollow”
VI. e) ii. “No Promises to Keep” Lyrics
This is quite obvious. Aerith is resigned to her fate, but still harbors hope that she will meet Cloud again in a permanent reunion:
“Till the day that we meet againVI. f) The Theme of Reunion Explained?
Where or when?
I wish I could say
But believe, know that you'll find me
[…]
Till the day that we meet again
On our street, I want to believe
[…]
Till the day that we meet again
At our place, just let me believe
In the chance that you'll come
Take my hand and never let me go
Take my hand
And believe
We can be
Together evermore
[…]
Still I hope someday you'll come and find me
Still I know someday you'll come and find me”.
The last point I want to hit on is the concept of reunion. In OG, this theme was pretty much dominated by the Jenova Reunion. To an OG fan back in 1997, “reunion” meant “Sephiroth and Jenova’s evil plan”. However, in the Remake trilogy, the theme is expanded into something more. The first time Cloud meets Aerith in Remake, she gives him a flower and tells him something she didn’t in OG:
“Lovers used to give these when they were reunited...”In addition, we’ve already talked about how part 5 of “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” from the Remake OST tells the story of Cloud and Aerith’s reunion (see section “V. b) ii. 2)”).
Many moments exclusive to the Remake trilogy serve the same purpose: linking the theme of reunion to Aerith. This expansion of the theme is highly significant. Our theory is that the Remake trilogy exists to reunite Cloud and Aerith, so the fact that the trilogy would implement so many Clerith-centric references to reunion is great support for our theory.
VI. g) i. The Leslie-Cloud Parallel
Let’s consider another instance involving the reunion flower in Remake, more precisely, the chapter 14 subplot surrounding Leslie’s lost lover. In case you need a refresher, Leslie is one of Corneo’s lackeys, although he secretly plans to betray him. He once had a fiancée and things were looking up until she was selected as one of Corneo’s brides. The day before she disappeared (presumably taken by Corneo), his fiancée broke up with him with no explanation. It was confusing and left Leslie perplex. As she broke up with him, she returned a necklace to him, one with a flower pendant. Of course, that flower is the very same reunion flower Aerith gives Cloud in chapter 2.
Evidently, Leslie and Cloud are going through parallel situations. At this point in time, Aerith was just kidnapped by Shinra, and Cloud is on his way to get her back. Both their loved ones have been taken by tyrant rulers, one being slumlord Corneo and the other being the Shinra government. In fact, even Leslie and Cloud’s attitudes share similar disillusioned, cold and stoic qualities. Leslie’s fiancée would evidently be paralleled by Aerith.
The most obvious proof of the Leslie-Cloud parallel is written plainly on the list of Remake’s chapter 14 main scenario objectives. Objective 7, called “For the Reunion”, consists of receiving the grappling guns needed to reach topside and save Aerith. The description of the objective reads as follows:
“Leslie gives them grappling guns, and they wish each other luck in reuniting with their respective loved ones. Leslie walks off, and the three prepare to climb the wall.”The grappling guns are “For the Reunion”, because evidently, the loved one Cloud wants to reunite with is Aerith.
All this is simple and apparent enough. Just the fact that the theme of reunion is linked to Clerith in this way is proof enough, but there’s another layer to the Leslie-Cloud parallel. Not only does Leslie’s situation reinforce the concept of a Clerith reunion, it also mirrors the specifics of our theory: namely that Cloud will save Aerith from specifically Sephiroth (represented in Leslie’s scenario by Corneo) and that Cloud will take the initiative to accomplish this reunion. These two specific aspects of our theory are reflected by Leslie’s circumstances, meaning the Leslie-Cloud parallel not only pushes the theme of reunion, but also supports our specific theory.
VI. g) i. 1) The Separators: Corneo and Sephiroth
I’ll first prove that Leslie’s scenario is not meant to echo Cloud’s separation from Aerith at the hands of Shinra —or at least not exclusively—, but rather Cloud’s separation from Aerith at the hands of Sephiroth. Corneo would therefore be paralleled by Sephiroth rather than the tyrannical Shinra government.
The first piece of proof for the Corneo-Seohiroth parallel lies within the way in which Leslie’s fiancée broke things off: by lying. Aerith also lies to Cloud to create distance between them, but not pertaining to her kidnapping— rather, pertaining to her fated death. Since Sephiroth is Aerith’s killer and not Shinra, Corneo’s role in the Leslie-Cloud parallel is analogous to Sephiroth’s rather than Shinra’s.
There are two pieces of evidence that the Corneo-Sephiroth comparison makes more sense than the Corneo-Shinra one. The first lies in the fact that Leslie’s breakup resembles Cloud’s resolution scene: the topic of Cloud’s resolution scene is Aerith’s fate at the hands of Sephiroth rather than her kidnapping by Shinra, meaning Corneo and Sephiroth are the antagonists of both heartbreaks.
Let’s examine Leslie’s breakup. Here is how his fiancée broke things off, taken from the English script of Remake’s chapter 14, with tone indicators added by me in bold:
“Fiancée: It was all just a dream, wasn't it[?]Now, here is a more literal translation of this quote from the original Japanese (verified by me via DeepL), with tone indicators added by me in bold:
Fiancée: (Hopefully) But one day…
(She trails off, then shakes her head and stops herself.)
Fiancée: (Sadly, hopelessly) — no. Time to wake up. And forget.
(She walks away.)”
“Fiancée: It was only just a dream we had / We were only dreaming...Leslie’s fiancée is clearly breaking up with him to spare him the pain of blaming himself for not being able to protect her from Corneo, as she knows it’s too late for her to escape from the slumlord’s clutches. We know this because we understand that the pendant she gave back to him symbolizes a reunion (especially between lovers, as Aerith told Cloud in chapter 2). In fact, the Japanese version of the script reveals that the fiancée was about to reveal the meaning of the flower, perhaps in the hopes that they would find each other once more, but she lost her nerve at the last second. Notice that she tells Leslie two specific things. One: their love or their future together was only a dream, meaning that it wasn’t real. Two: he should forget about her, because the dream is over now and it’s time to wake up from it.
Fiancée: (Hopefully, as though as a hail Mary) In the language of the flowers...
(She trails off, then shakes her head and stops herself.)
Fiancée: (Sadly, hopelessly) — no. You should forget about me.
(She walks away.)”
If you’re finding this familiar, then you might be ahead of me. Let’s take a look at what Aerith says to Cloud in his resolution scene, also in the English script of Remake’s chapter 14, with tone indicators added by me in bold:
“Aerith: […] you can’t fall in love with me. [It]’s not real […]. (With a sigh, as though from sadness or difficulty, but resolutely) It’s almost morning. Time to go.”Now, here is a more literal translation of this quote from the original Japanese (verified by me via DeepL), with tone indicators added by me in bold:
“Aerith: You can’t let yourself fall in love with me. [It]’s only your imagination […]. (With a sigh, as though from sadness or difficulty, but resolutely) Looks like it’s already morning. Time for me to go.”Just like Leslie’s fiancée, Aerith is rejecting or denying Cloud’s love for her in order to spare him from the pain of not having been able to be with her before her death, as she believes it is inevitable. Just like the fiancée, Aerith also tells Cloud two things. One: their love is imaginary or isn’t real. Two: it’s morning, and she has to go (she says this right before Cloud wakes from the pseudo-dream).
In both cases, the women know something about their fate that the men don’t and are hiding this impending tragedy from them. Just like Leslie’s fiancée, Aerith uses well-intentioned deception to protect her loved one from the pain that will come from her fate— the lie, of course, is that their love isn’t real. Both women are hopeless, and both men are initially clueless. Aerith’s resolution can’t be about her kidnapping, because Aerith thinks her rescue is anything but hopeless— she’s sure Cloud will come save her from Shinra. She says so herself in OG’s disk 1, chapter 8:
“Cloud: Aeris!? You safe?What Aerith is so resigned about in Cloud’s resolution scene isn’t her kidnapping, but instead her fated death at the hands of Sephiroth. Nojima hints at this in FFVII Remake Ultimania:
Aeris: Yeah, I'm all right. I knew that [you] would come for me.”
“If you know Aerith’s fate, then this line would really pull at your heart strings […]” (section 08 “Secrets”, “Development Staff Interviews, Part 2: Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, Yoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima”, page 744).Here is what codirector Toriyama had to say on Aerith’s words:
“[While] these words are intended for Cloud, I think Aerith is partly speaking them to herself. The contents of her request may be at odds with how she truly feels inside” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA Script Notes, “A Dream Shown by Aerith”, “Scenario Staff Q&A - Answered by Motomu Toriyama”).These two quotes by the devs show that Aerith is trying to protect Cloud from her death. Therefore, the Corneo-Sephiroth parallel is far more apt than the Corneo-Shinra parallel.
The second piece of evidence supporting my belief that Corneo mirrors Sephiroth and not Shinra in the Leslie-Cloud parallel is the inclusion of the theme of revenge that crops up in the following piece of dialogue:
“Tifa: Why did you wanna come down here?Leslie’s sentiment toward Corneo resembles Cloud’s feelings toward Sephiroth after Aerith’s death. Revenge links Cloud to Sephiroth, not to Shinra. Corneo and Sephiroth reflect each other in that, as a consequence of their actions toward a woman, the man who loves her desires revenge.
Leslie: Revenge. I know I need to let go, but I can't. I need closure, 'cause without it... I'll never be able to move on” (Remake, chapter 14).
Additionally, it looks like Leslie’s obsession with revenge as a means to closure is the reason he didn’t bother trying to understand the message his fiancée left him with: he’s focused on his hate rather than his love, and it’s hindering him. He doesn’t succeed in killing Corneo either: his focus and energy are misplaced. Cloud’s desire for vengeance against Sephiroth is also depicted as an obstacle to accomplishing his goals (see how in section “III. c)” of my previous literary analysis). Once more, the Corneo-Sephiroth parallel fits far better than a Corneo-Shinra perspective.
VI. g) i. 2) The Reunion Seekers: Leslie and Cloud
The other aspect of the Leslie-Cloud parallel that supports our theory is that in both scenarios, they both take charge of the situation and decide to actively seek reunion with their respective lovers. The following dialogue excerpt, supplemented by the VA script notes, shows Leslie’s initiative:
“Tifa: [Your fiancée] could still be out there.Take note of Leslie’s final response and the determination with which he speaks: “Then I guess I’ll just have to find her first”. Remember that we’re searching for evidence that Cloud is going to be the one reaching out to Aerith in the Remake trilogy, and that it’s his turn to take his future into his hands. He must be more attentive, more active this time. And Leslie’s words of determination reflect this perfectly. Leslie must find his fiancée first, just like Cloud has to be the one to offer his hand to Aerith in the Remake trilogy and fight for her. This is exactly what our theory is all about.
Barret: Can never be sure how much someone means to ya till they're gone. Don't give up on her yet.
Leslie: (Looks at the flower pendant, [recalling his lover’s words) A message in the language of flowers… I wonder what she meant by it.
[…]
Tifa: Reunion.
Leslie: Huh?
Tifa: In the language of flowers, it means ‘reunion.’
(Leslie shifts his gaze from Tifa to the pendant and stares at it for some time. At last he understands the words his lover left him. With that, as if his mind has been made up, he clutches the pendant and hangs it around his neck.)
Leslie: Then I guess I’ll just have to find her first” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA Script Notes, “Other Notable Stage Directions - Chapters 14-16”).
VI. g) i. 3) Delayed Realizations
Interestingly, not only does Leslie’s determination mirror Cloud’s, but both men are depicted as realizing the truth too late. Just like Leslie only began searching for his fiancée six months after her disappearance, Cloud only realizes he loves Aerith in OG once she’s died. It took him this long to actually get somewhere in his mission to reunite with her— “somewhere” being the Remake trilogy.
Even Barret’s words highlight the lovers’ delay: “Can never be sure how much someone means to ya till they're gone”. Barret would know: he lost his wife Myrna, whom he loved dearly. The devs have Barret comment on the situation as a man whose lover died, mirroring Cloud’s situation in OG. Just as Barret says, Cloud only truly realized the strength of how he felt for Aerith in OG once she was gone. The gunman’s words apply to both Leslie and Cloud’s tardy initiatives. Regardless of this delay, both men are now determined to see their respective reunions through.
The degree to which the Leslie-Cloud parallel fits our theory is a great sign of its validity: even the details are lining up!
VI. g) ii. Reunion in the Theme Songs
Too easy: in our analysis of the lyrics of the theme songs, we covered how both texts include the theme of reunion. “No Promises to Keep” is especially relevant (see section “VI. e) ii.”), as the entire song is Aerith hoping against fate for a reunion with Cloud (even if you believe the song is about all her companions, that still includes Cloud).
On top of these reunion-themed lyrics, during Aerith’s in-game performance of “No Promises to Keep” at the Gold Saucer production of Loveless, her yellow blossoms signifying reunion bloom all around her as Cloud watches her, captivated.
Another great sign for our theory: the highly significant theme songs are on our side!
VI. g) iii. Waking Up Reunited
The thing I want to juxtapose to our theory is a small yet special moment in chapter 2 of Rebirth that stuck out to me like a sore thumb and got me really excited about sharing it with you. This moment occurs after the battle against the Midgardsormr. We’ll be comparing it to two other clips, describing all three in chronological order, and making deductions based on their similarities.
The first clip I want to address occurs in chapter 8 of Remake (1:32-2:12). There are a couple of things I want to point out in this scene. First, Aerith wakes Cloud from unconsciousness with a cute call of “Hello~?”. Second, despite pretending that he doesn’t, he immediately recognizes her. The VA script notes prove it:
“Aerith: Nice to meet you again.So: she wakes him with a cute call, and he recognizes her. Also note that these two elements also apply to the OG church reunion scene.
Cloud actually remembers Aerith, but he pretends not to, perhaps wishing to make himself look cool.
Cloud: Again, huh?
Aerith: What? You don’t remember? How about…the flowers?
Cloud looks at the flowers at his feet and pretends as if he’s only just remembered.
Cloud: Oh, the flower seller” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “Reuniting with Aerith”).
Now onto the Rebirth chapter 2 scene that stuck out to me. After Cloud is saved from the Midgardsormr by Sephiroth, Cloud wakes from an unconsciousness spell with Aerith calling for him (7:20-7:34).
Once more, Aerith wakes him with a cute call (this time, it’s “Wakey, wakey!”), and Cloud recognizes her. In this Midgardsormr clip, unlike their reunion in the church, Cloud verbalizes that he remembers her. This time, there’s more: next, Aerith tells Cloud “おかえり, クラウド”, or “okaeri, Cloud”, which translates to “welcome back, Cloud”. “Okaeri” is what you say in Japanese when someone has returned home. In the third clip we will analyze, Aerith says “okaeri” to Cloud once more. But first, let’s break down this second clip.
I don’t know about you, but this cutscene felt extremely weird to me when I first encountered it. That is, it would have been, if not for the theory I’d begun formulating at that time.
You see, the devs could have chosen for Aerith to ask Cloud if he remembers his own name or where they are, if he’s okay, or check if he responds to his own name. In fact, asking someone who’s been hit on the head to say their own name is a much more common reaction to them finally waking up than asking them if they remember you. Even stranger is Cloud’s reaction: he could have answered “Yeah, you’re Aerith,” or “I remember everything, I’m fine”. Instead, he says her name with this airy and wonderstruck tone. He sounds like he’s opening his eyes to something mystic rather than his comrade leaning over him, like he’s seeing someone unexpectedly for the first time in a while… or rather like he’s waking from a trance of some kind— a trance in which he did not remember Aerith, and now he does. You may see where I’m going with this.
Let’s examine the third clip, wherein Aerith tells Cloud “okaeri” again. More specifically, in chapter 14, Aerith welcomes Cloud back when he snaps out of his zombified, Sephiroth-controlled state and runs toward her. Of course, it’s the sight of her and his memories of meeting her in chapter 2 of Remake that shake him awake (2:17:43-2:18:02).
For a third time, Aerith wakes Cloud. This time, she’s pulling him out of a trance and back to himself. And for a third time, Cloud remembers her. In fact, it’s remembering her that wakes him up. Cloud calls her name and Aerith says “okaeri” in both the post-Midgardsormr cutscene and this third clip. And in both scenes, not only does Cloud return to himself the way someone returns home (recall that “okaeri” is used to welcome someone back home), but he’s also returning to her, recognizing her as his home.
Now we’ve got three scenes lined up: the church reunion scene (both in OG and Remake), the Midgardsormr scene and the hand-reach scene. All three of these recognition scenes feature Cloud being woken up by Aerith and remembering who she is. The main difference is that, in the scenes among these three that are exclusive to Rebirth, Cloud’s return to Aerith is far more meaningful, as he already knows her name, and knows more about who she is to him. Evidently, in the OG church reunion scene, Cloud only remembers being sold a flower by this girl. In the Remake version, he remembers the same thing, plus the attack of the whispers. So there’s something much more weighty about the Rebirth recognition scenes: he remembers more, and he remembers deeper. These aren’t just recognition scenes, they’re also mini-reunions. Of course, as we’ve already analyzed pertaining to the hand-reaching scene, Cloud remembering Aerith is followed by him being the one to take action and run toward her, eager to save her, because she means the world to him. When you place the Midgardsormr scene between the church reunion scene and the hand-reach scene, an evolution of Cloud waking up and remembering Aerith is formed. Each mini-reunion scene adds a piece to the story: the church scene informs us that Cloud and Aerith are meeting again, the Midgardsormr scene tips us off that something mystic is going on from Cloud’s tone when he says Aerith’s name, and the hand reach scene tells us that as a consequence of remembering who Aerith is, Cloud saves her from falling to her death and saving her. “Meeting again”, “mystic”, and “saving Aerith”: these are the keywords of the mini-reunion scenes. They are also the keywords of our theory on Cloud’s mission to save Aerith. This time around Cloud knows more and is more conscious about how he feels for Aerith, just like he feels more when in the hand-reach scene in Rebirth compared to the church reunion scene in Remake. From the latter scene to the former, Cloud gradually wakes up and remembers his love for and loss of Aerith in the OG more and more. Each mini-reunion brings him closer to saving her when he blocks the masamune. This is why I am certain that in part 3, whether Cloud comes to his full senses or not, whether he remembers the events of OG or not, he will save Aerith this time. The Remake trilogy is centered around Aerith, after all. In fact, don’t take it from me, take it from Nojima:
“Aerith's the most important character in the remake so we paid special attention to her lines” (FFVII Remake Ultimania, section 08 “Secrets”, “Development Staff Interviews, Part 2: Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima”, page 744).I have full confidence in this fact: one way or another, these two will have a happy ending. This is Cloud’s second chance, and as he swore in “Hollow”, he is not losing her again. That is why I don’t think you should fret, and that our Clerith hearts will be very happy to see these two together again for good in part 3.
VI. h) Zooming In
In fact, this zooming-in method of directing players’ attention to important narrative beats is far from new.
VI. h) i. Changing Fate
Let’s divert our attention to Nanaki’s Skywheel date (2:28-3:30). The dialogue goes like this: Nanaki brings us the Whispers and suggests the party might eventually forget about their existence, and Cloud says that frankly, if it’s impossible for them to change fate either way, then it would be better for them to forget to Whispers altogether.
This is a very clear message from the devs: “There would be no point in including the Whispers in the Remaketrilogy if we did not make use of their defeat”. They’re telling us through Cloud’s dialogue that they know it would be foul play and bad writing to introduce the theme of defying fate if it didn’t eventually pay off.
As if it weren’t clear enough what the devs are referring to, Nanaki brings up Aerith’s death directly after Cloud delivers the devs’ message to us. He actually makes Cloud promise to save her. This is pretty on the nose. By promising Nanaki he will protect Aerith, the devs are promising us the same. I’m certain that part 3 will deliver on this promise.
If you still aren’t sold, I’d like to direct your attention to the framing of the shot where Cloud says “If we can’t change [fate]” (2:49-2:51). There’s a zoom-in on his mouth, which is a visual cue that translates to “what this character is saying right now is important to the plot”. It’s very indiscreet in theory: the camera literally hones in on the invisible words as though the script has them highlighted, italicized triple-underlined and in bold.
VI. h) ii. Aerith’s Knowledge
We’ve seen the Remake trilogy use this camera framing at least twice so far. The first time occurs in Remake’s chapter 8, before it becomes clear that Aerith knows things from the OG game that she wouldn’t normally know if this were just a remastered version of the same 1997 plot. I’ll let Remake Ultimania‘s description of this moment speak for itself:
“When Cloud and Aerith return the rescued children to Oates, the man in the tattered black cloak shows up again at the hideout. The moment the man grasps Cloud’s arm, he’s overcome by another violent headache and sees a vision of Sephiroth. Cloud wonders if this man who supposedly died five years ago could possibly still be alive. When he says as much to Aerith, she gives him a vague reply” (FFVII Remake Ultimania, section 04: “Scenario”, “Chapter 8 Main Story Digest”, page 256).Aerith’s “vague reply” is accentuated by a very deliberate zoom-in on her mouth (1:18:05-1:18:09), and therefore her words.
The framing of this shot indicates to us that what Aerith says provides an important hint as to the plot’s direction. Sure enough, with hindsight, it’s easy to see that’s true.
VI. h) iii. Tifa’s Question
Another time this framing is used is in chapter 1 of Rebirth, after Cloud recounts the Nibelheim incident. Tifa asks the group why Sephiroth is choosing to come back now, after five years (37:55-37:58).
Once more, we are being signaled that the reason Sephiroth chose to return at the moment he did is significant to the plot, but cannot be revealed explicitly yet. The reason why Sephiroth took five years to return is because that’s how long it took for Cloud to get back on his feet after the Nibelheim incident: Sephiroth wants and/or needs to manipulate Cloud in particular rather than all the other people with Jenova cells in them. It took five years for Cloud to not only go through Hojo’s experiments but also escape Shinra and make his way to Seventh Heaven, where Tifa nursed him back to health— therefore, it took five years until Sephiroth’s favorite pawn was available to be used. There are a few reasons why Cloud is the one Sephiroth wants to use, and all of them would be spoilers at this point in Rebirth to players who don’t know the OG plot. The devs can’t reveal any of them yet, but they do indicate via a close-up shot of Tifa’s mouth that her question is important.
VI. h) iv. The Takeaway
As you can see, this framing of characters’ mouths when they speak signals a plot-significant piece of dialogue. This means Cloud’s words on his gondola date with Nanaki can’t be brushed off as a red herring or an unimportant or throwaway line: it has narrative weight.
VII. The Devs
I think it’s important to remember the devs and their commitment to the world of FFVII. They know best for this story, and they’ve proven it to be true many times over. There are many things about the devs’ intentions that the fandom don’t seem to know that I think would give you confidence to find out.VII. a) Shifting Themes
Good storytellers don’t introduce themes as a way to pull the rug from under audiences’ feet by later rendering them completely irrelevant to the plot.
In other words, the devs would not have introduced the notion of fate as an antagonistic force in Remake, nor allowed the players to defeat it in chapter 18, had they planned for these themes not to pay off at all. Think of how good FFVII OG and FF stories in general are, how strong the writing is from a narrative point of view. Nothing is included for no reason or for a cheap reaction— especially not a central theme of a story. Fate and defeating it is a huge point of Remake, and not for no reason.
I mean, think about a storyline all about defying fate ending with a shrug and a “Oh well, we tried.” It would be ridiculous! The devs are better than that.
VII. b) What the Devs Want
The devs are well aware that fans of FFVII have been begging for Aerith’s resurrection since 1997. All those petitions, all those myths of a revival hack… SE knows about them all too well. They were even referenced by FF’s 30th anniversary expo, which partly promoted Remake:
“No one expected [Aerith’s death] in the middle of the story. Rumors of a secret way to revive Aerith spread, and it was clear players were having a hard time saying goodbye to her too. Even now, twenty years later, it still feels like a shocking turn of events” (Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Exposition Pamphlet, page 36).Hamaguchi, codirector of the Remake project, commented on these rumors:
“Interviewer: Do you have a favorite fake rumor about the original FFVII?The devs are also aware of how beloved Clerith is to the FFVII fandom, especially in Japan— in fact, the only FFVII ship name that is an official iOS search term on the Japanese Apple Store is Clerith’s (“クラエア” or “kuraea” in Japanese). Aerith herself is a widely beloved character, particularly, once more, in Japan. For instance, Famitsu and NHK’s recent polls on the best FF heroine and on the best FF character in general both resulted in Aerith ranking number 3, beaten only in the latter poll by Cloud at number 1 and FFX’s Yuna at number 2.
Hamaguchi: I hear a lot about Aerith coming back to life and that's something that's very interesting to hear” (Hamaguchi interview: “129 Rapid-Fire Questions Answered About Final Fantasy VII Rebirth”, by Game Informer).
The devs know how well-loved both Clerith and Aerith are. And in fact, they love Aerith at least as much as we do:
“Cloud's feelings [of guilt] cannot be resolved by anyone other than Aerith. I tried to convey [that Aerith is saying to Cloud] ‘I'm still here for you’” (FFVII Reunion Files, Nojima’s note on Aerith’s character file, page 58).&
“When I saw the finished product of [Aerith’s face in] CG, I thought, "Oh, isn’t she so cute?” (FFVII Reunion Files, Nomura’s note on Aerith’s character file, page 58).&
"The idea of having Aeris die during the story had a great impact on all the dev staff," Toriyama explained, "and personally I decided to dedicate my efforts to depicting Aeris in as appealing a way as possible, so that she would become an irreplaceable character to the player in preparation for that moment" (Toriyama interview “Final Fantasy anniversary interview: Toriyama speaks” by VG247).The devs care about Aerith, and they’re fully aware we do too.
I think a lot of people have it in their heads that the devs don’t want anything to change from the OG story, but there’s a lot of evidence that says otherwise. Codirector Toriyama spoke on this, stating the following about the production process of Remake:
“[…] there were times the original version became a hindrance. Specifically, staff members with a strong attachment to Final Fantasy VII would often hold themselves back for fear of deviating too much from the original. When we created the original game, we obviously didn’t feel bound in that way. We were passionate about creating a brand new Final Fantasy title, and so we dove in and embraced whatever seemed most interesting to us. We wanted to take that approach this time as well, so we made a special effort to liberate ourselves whenever we held back, remembering that it was okay to do the things we wanted to do” (FFVII Remake Ultimania, section 08 “Secrets”, “Development Staff Interviews, Part 1: Motomu Toriyama, Naoki Hamaguchi, Teruki Endo”, page 737).Codirector Nomura said the following:
“When I asked Nojima if he’d write the scenario, I was clear about my demands up front. I said, ‘If we're going to remake Final Fantasy VII, I want it to be done like this.’ At that point, I was intent on making something more than just a remake. [Similarly to how] the battle system this time incorporates elements of the original game’s ATB mechanics [while] also been reborn using a real-time approach […], I wanted to make a story that players would feel is fundamentally Final Fantasy VII but also something new” (FFVII Remake Ultimania, section 08 “Secrets”, “Development Staff Interviews, Part 2: Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima”, page 745).Clearly, the devs don’t want to be bogged down by the OG, and are making efforts to do things the way they want to rather than the way they were previously done. The newer generation of developers such as codirector Hamaguchi is also involved in these story changes:
“Interviewer: There are also drastically more scenes with Sephiroth than there were in the original game.Kitase, the producer of the Remake trilogy, even says that after working on this project for so long, and after spending almost 30 years on the FFVII project and getting to know the characters, he has realized that:
Nojima: We weren't planning on having him appear so much at first— the idea was only to hint at his presence. But we changed our approach partway through and became more proactive with having him appear, after which the number of scenes he features in rapidly increased.
Nomura: Hamaguchi [codirector Naoki Hamaguchi] came up to me one day and said in a mysterious tone, ‘I'd like to talk to you about something.’ He asked me about having there be a battle with Sephiroth in Midgar. In the original game, Sephiroth’s true body is located elsewhere, so he didn’t think I'd give in to the idea so easily. I think he even prepared materials to persuade me. But in the end I agreed readily [laughs]” (FFVII Remake Ultimania, section 08 “Secrets”, “Development Staff Interviews, Part 2: Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima”, page 746).
“The more [he works] on it, the more [he wants] to make all these characters happy. [He wants] to give them a happy ending. The rest of the team’s opinions [obviously] also have to be taken into consideration, so it won't be all happiness and rainbows. But [he] just [wants] to make [the characters of FFVII] happy” (Kitase and Hamaguchi’s interview “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s Producer Just Wants 'the Characters to End Up Happy'”, by Vandal, translated by me).Kitase is indeed only one developer, but he’s the producer of this project: that’s the very top position. He oversees everything and nothing goes without his approval. That counts for something. Of course, Kitase is fair and values the input of all the devs, so of course it won’t be “all happiness and rainbows”— but I sincerely believe there’s a big chance that Cloud and Aerith are heading toward their happy ending. Even if this theory is completely bogus, I want to have faith that the devs would not sacrifice good storytelling for nostalgia and a conservative attitude toward preserving the OG story, as that would be cheap of them, and we have not known them to be cheap. This game truly matters to them, so I think they deserve our faith.
(conclusion in
2024.05.16 16:52 No_Direction4777 The Hermes Drama and Beyond - Perspective from a Greek Player
Good morning my witches and wizards.
I'd like to inject some very niche nuance into the discussion surrounding Supergiant's presentation of the Greek Gods in Hades 1 and 2. This will post will be a little long, but I believe context will be helpful when explaining my argument. If you need to get back to kicking [REDACTED]'s ass ASAP, there's a TLDR at the bottom.
I will preface this by saying Hades 2 may be my favorite game of all time, beating out the first by a wide margin (despite me logging over a hundred hours in the original). I've followed Supergiant since the original release of Bastion, played each of their games extensively, and I think I have a passable understanding of the studio's vision. As a result, I view their design choices in good faith.
That being said, I have a few very minor concerns. While they are nowhere near enough to sour the experience for me, I would like to express the thoughts that have been banging around in my head. Spoilers below.
Table of Contents
For example, a common theme in ancient Greek mythology is that of a god secretly traveling on earth, being offered hospitality by unsuspecting mortals, and then rewarding them for their generosity. This is represented in modern culture by the term "philoxenia" which represents our value of being friendly towards strangers. Relationships like these represent the fact that we still value our ancient culture, albeit through modern representation of its ideas. I see many moral, theological, and literary threads that connect the time of the pantheon with the time of modern christianity. As a result, I am passionate about how our ancient culture is represented. In many small ways, it is still a part of me.
However, despite the fact that the characters in Hades visually represent the variety of people who engaged with the pantheon, I sometimes feel that their traits and voices don't represent Greekness. To put it in other words, the gods are fantastic at giving off the aura of Greek mythology, but less so at giving off the aura of Greek culture.
Hephaestus in the sequel looks exactly like my immigrant uncle in real life. However, every time he speaks, I'm left wondering why he sounds Scottish. Judy Alice Lee did an amazing job voicing Melinoe, but when she speaks Greek (ie. Kataskion Aski) during her incantations, it sounds more like a British classics student practicing her Greek lines. Greek-speakers are a vast minority of the player base, and I get that this is something only someone in my position can notice and complain about. However, it feels like voices were chosen based on what Americans think sounds "regal and godly" as opposed to what characters would sound like in the context of the culture.
I don't think this was done intentionally, and there are definitely limitations when casting voices that don't come in common accents. However, I do think it is a missed opportunity to create a work of art that represents our culture far more deeply than other media has in the past.
Another small example is the use of Roman numerals when marking the doors in Tartatus and Chronos' clock attacks. In the context of the story, these symbols are being used a few centuries too early. Why not use Greek letters as the numerical system, counting down doors through ε, δ, γ, β ,α until the end? It may be confusing on the first run, but people learn quickly - they may even walk away understanding more about the Greek alphabet. I'm sure the creative minds at Supergiant could come up with other ways to represent "time" in a way that fits the cultural context.
Ν'αστε καλά. Θάνατοσ στο Χρόνοσ.
TLDR: The discourse around Supergiant's presentation of Hades characters has been bipolar - either "It's Perfect" or "It's Horrible". I think it is much closer to perfect than not, but as a Greek myself, I find myself begrudgingly accepting some very minor details (such as dubbing and pronunciation) that could have been executed a tad more thoughtfully. That being said, I think Supergiant did their best considering the resources available to them.
submitted by No_Direction4777 to HadesTheGame [link] [comments]
I'd like to inject some very niche nuance into the discussion surrounding Supergiant's presentation of the Greek Gods in Hades 1 and 2. This will post will be a little long, but I believe context will be helpful when explaining my argument. If you need to get back to kicking [REDACTED]'s ass ASAP, there's a TLDR at the bottom.
I will preface this by saying Hades 2 may be my favorite game of all time, beating out the first by a wide margin (despite me logging over a hundred hours in the original). I've followed Supergiant since the original release of Bastion, played each of their games extensively, and I think I have a passable understanding of the studio's vision. As a result, I view their design choices in good faith.
That being said, I have a few very minor concerns. While they are nowhere near enough to sour the experience for me, I would like to express the thoughts that have been banging around in my head. Spoilers below.
Table of Contents
- Why do you care?
- What's your problem?
- What does your smelly uncle have to do with this?
- Giving props for the small details.
1 - Why do you care?
For context, I am a Greek man who was the first generation born and raised in the United States. Greek was my first language, I was raised by a Greek community, and I've been heavily involved in our customs since birth. While many people think ancient culture is completely disconnected from modern Greek beliefs, this is inaccurate. No, I don't pray to a shrine of Poseidon when I go fishing. However, many of the stories, beliefs, and morals that were described by the ancient Greek pantheon remained key parts of our culture throughout the transition into modernity.For example, a common theme in ancient Greek mythology is that of a god secretly traveling on earth, being offered hospitality by unsuspecting mortals, and then rewarding them for their generosity. This is represented in modern culture by the term "philoxenia" which represents our value of being friendly towards strangers. Relationships like these represent the fact that we still value our ancient culture, albeit through modern representation of its ideas. I see many moral, theological, and literary threads that connect the time of the pantheon with the time of modern christianity. As a result, I am passionate about how our ancient culture is represented. In many small ways, it is still a part of me.
2 - Whats your problem?
I started thinking deeply after a recent post on the subreddit (rightfully) condemning racist remarks towards the characterization of Hermes. I think the general consensus of correct - the design of the gods are amazing, and they do a great job representing how many different cultures were involved in worshiping the Pantheon in ancient times. Ancient Greeks traded with others, spread their beliefs far and wide, and often praised the virtues of other cultures (such as Ethiopia) through art and literature. This is represented well by diverse design in-game.However, despite the fact that the characters in Hades visually represent the variety of people who engaged with the pantheon, I sometimes feel that their traits and voices don't represent Greekness. To put it in other words, the gods are fantastic at giving off the aura of Greek mythology, but less so at giving off the aura of Greek culture.
3 - What does you smelly uncle have to do with this?
My primary complaint is Supergiant's approach when choosing character voices. To preface - THE VOICE ACTING IS AMAZING! There's not a single character whose voice doesn't fit their design and personality. I'm still amazed that Darren Korb managed to nail both Skelly and Zag. However, what interferes with my immersion the most is the choice not to use Greek accents at all.Hephaestus in the sequel looks exactly like my immigrant uncle in real life. However, every time he speaks, I'm left wondering why he sounds Scottish. Judy Alice Lee did an amazing job voicing Melinoe, but when she speaks Greek (ie. Kataskion Aski) during her incantations, it sounds more like a British classics student practicing her Greek lines. Greek-speakers are a vast minority of the player base, and I get that this is something only someone in my position can notice and complain about. However, it feels like voices were chosen based on what Americans think sounds "regal and godly" as opposed to what characters would sound like in the context of the culture.
I don't think this was done intentionally, and there are definitely limitations when casting voices that don't come in common accents. However, I do think it is a missed opportunity to create a work of art that represents our culture far more deeply than other media has in the past.
Another small example is the use of Roman numerals when marking the doors in Tartatus and Chronos' clock attacks. In the context of the story, these symbols are being used a few centuries too early. Why not use Greek letters as the numerical system, counting down doors through ε, δ, γ, β ,α until the end? It may be confusing on the first run, but people learn quickly - they may even walk away understanding more about the Greek alphabet. I'm sure the creative minds at Supergiant could come up with other ways to represent "time" in a way that fits the cultural context.
4 - Props for the small details
I'd like to give props to some of the amazing tiny details that did make me feel represented in-game.- Frinos and Toula are incredible names for familiars - if I don't get a dog named Osto next, I'll riot.
- The music, as usual, is magically done. Darren's use of culturally relevant instruments alongside his own flair proves that he is among the most thoughtful and skilled in the entire industry.
- Polyphemus' design is so Greek. The chest hair, the evil eye, his desire to eat and sleep, all of it.
- While pronunciation and accents can be bizzare, including Greek phrases when Melinoe is doing her incantations is an incredible touch. I would love to see more spoken Greek included in future updates.
Ν'αστε καλά. Θάνατοσ στο Χρόνοσ.
TLDR: The discourse around Supergiant's presentation of Hades characters has been bipolar - either "It's Perfect" or "It's Horrible". I think it is much closer to perfect than not, but as a Greek myself, I find myself begrudgingly accepting some very minor details (such as dubbing and pronunciation) that could have been executed a tad more thoughtfully. That being said, I think Supergiant did their best considering the resources available to them.
2024.05.16 16:46 GracelessHawk Old World Order [Online] [5e]
After The Uprising, Astulia was left in shatters. Apocalyptic damage had been done to most of the continent, families and lineages either wiped out or torn apart. It's estimated by those with the ability to survey that over 90% of the population was slain, whether by the dead, the ensuing wars, the conflict between deities, or the otherworldly forces that tore the souls out of many who remained to fuel their ascension. By the end of it all, nothing would remain the same, as those who survived were gifted the spirit of legends, and subsequently changing forever.
It's been fifty years since The Uprising, yet Astulia has not fully healed. Adventurers are active, now more than ever since the previous era had begun, as the continent still must be reclaimed, and the powers that remain wish to restore the orders of the old world. It is within one such group of adventurers that you find yourself within. Why did you elect to join forces with others, those who likely possess different philosophies, cultures, and goals beyond yourself? For what purpose does your own group rise to begin with? Why do they journey across the lands, and how do they intend on etching their names into the hall of legends.
Old World Order is a high-fantasy, melodramatic, adventure-focused PBP D&D 5e campaign, taking place on Fridays at 11 PM EST (Sessions likely to last for ~4 hours), intended for a medium-sized group of individuals to partake in, with each character involved in an organization together within the land of Astulia, which itself is heavily derived from Toril. This is using a HEAVILY MODIFIED, HOMEBREWED variant of D&D 5e, created to allow for limitless customization and freedom when creating and designing a character, and for much more exciting action and player agency within the world itself.
This game is 18+ only, as it will contain and feature mature subjects. Those under the appropriate age, or those who want to avoid such subjects, should not apply for this game.
Those interested in joining can apply by filling out the following form, and those who are likely to be a good fit will be further contacted by the GM (Me. Hi, hi, hello!)
https://forms.gle/yhfjfV2PJ6S5kEG6A
submitted by GracelessHawk to lfg [link] [comments]
It's been fifty years since The Uprising, yet Astulia has not fully healed. Adventurers are active, now more than ever since the previous era had begun, as the continent still must be reclaimed, and the powers that remain wish to restore the orders of the old world. It is within one such group of adventurers that you find yourself within. Why did you elect to join forces with others, those who likely possess different philosophies, cultures, and goals beyond yourself? For what purpose does your own group rise to begin with? Why do they journey across the lands, and how do they intend on etching their names into the hall of legends.
Old World Order is a high-fantasy, melodramatic, adventure-focused PBP D&D 5e campaign, taking place on Fridays at 11 PM EST (Sessions likely to last for ~4 hours), intended for a medium-sized group of individuals to partake in, with each character involved in an organization together within the land of Astulia, which itself is heavily derived from Toril. This is using a HEAVILY MODIFIED, HOMEBREWED variant of D&D 5e, created to allow for limitless customization and freedom when creating and designing a character, and for much more exciting action and player agency within the world itself.
This game is 18+ only, as it will contain and feature mature subjects. Those under the appropriate age, or those who want to avoid such subjects, should not apply for this game.
Those interested in joining can apply by filling out the following form, and those who are likely to be a good fit will be further contacted by the GM (Me. Hi, hi, hello!)
https://forms.gle/yhfjfV2PJ6S5kEG6A
2024.05.16 16:41 Hollownerox Seeing that CA somehow made the Lore of Hags work, how do you think other obscure Lores of Magic could be adapted into Total War (Lore of Athel Loren, Lore of the Dark Master, etc.)
Lore of Athel Loren
The Lore of Athel Loren is a bit of a weird one to adapt, since some stuff straight up doesn't work in Total War. But the same could have been said about Lore of Ice, and they handled that pretty well. Also there's a bunch of additional spells from the Roleplay game that could also be adapted, but since I don't own that book (and I don't trust the wiki) I'm sticking with the 6th edition spell lore.- Tree Singing: Would either move tree terrain or do damage to units in forest on TT. Which is way too situational in Total War. I think it could be interesting to have a spell that turns an area into forest (since visually Lore of the Hags kind of does that), but it would be pretty useless unless they MASSIVELY buff the bonus welves get in forest terrain. Most likely just be made a damage spell, and maybe it has increased damage if the enemy unit is in a forest or something.
- Fury of the Forest: Would be a pretty straightfoward direct damage spell
- The Hidden Path: This is an interesting one. On TT you used it on a unit and it treated all terrain as open ground (so Strider basically), but it also couldn't be hit by an non-magical missile weapons. I'm not sure exactly how they could implement this, but it would be a neat to have a spell that makes a unit temporarily invulnerable to non-magical ranged fire. Or maybe it could be a variant of missile mirror, except you cast on a friendly unit instead of an enemy? Except maybe balance it out by not doing the projectile reflection, only negation of it? I think this is the most unique one for sure.
- The Twilight Host: Kind of neat one, it gives a friendly unit Fear if it doesn't have it, but if it already has Fear, then it bumps up to Terror instead. I think in addition to this, in Total War maybe if it is a unit that causes Terror, then it further bumps it up to also remove Immune to Psychology?
- Ariel's Blessing: A pretty strong healing spell, but the flavor text also mentions "restoring life to those who have fallen" so could be interpreted as restoring lost models too? Also gave a unit regeneration temporarily afterwards.
- The Call of the Hunt: A spell that buffed up attack and made a unit charge towards the closest enemy near it. Other than attack and charge bonuses in Total War, I'm honestly not sure how to adapt this properly. I think things like this are usually interpreted as Rampage in Total War, but that's not really fun. So maybe it would grant Devastating Flanker temporarily or something? Maybe Glorious Charge?
Lore of the Dark Master
Be'lakor's unique lore of magic from 6th edition. He was later changed to be a Lore of Shadows caster, and Total War went with this direction. But I think it's a real missed opportunity to not include these spells in some fashion in his campaign. Making a unique lore of magic useable by only one character might not be worth the investment, so maybe instead interpret it as Bound abilities, or maybe a spell lore option for the Undivided Daemon Princes. Dark Emissaries would also use them if they are ever added as a generic lord/hero option.- Bolt of Dark Light: Magic missile, not much else to it except hitting pretty hard
- Betrayal in Death: Idea of this spell is that the spell is cast on an enemy unit, and when they die they would strike their own allies in a zombie-like manner (not actually turning undead). Easiest way to interpret this is maybe a Morghur-like ability where you use it on a low health enemy unit, and they are replaced with a unit of your own. BUT I think it would be more interesting if you cast it on an enemy unit, regardless of model count, and when one of their models dies it causes damage to it's own unit. Kind of like how the Phoenix Guard RoR has models explode on death, but it is self-harming.
- Curse of the Dark Master: So this was kind of a crazy spell. On tabletop it could be cast on any unit on the battlefield, and they suffered -1 tot their ranged and melee attack rolls. With it being permanent and the debuff remained active until the opponent dispelled it, the player who cast it chose to end it, or the wizard casts another spell or is killed. In terms of Total War I think it would probably just be a straightforward Hex spell that reduces attack and weapon strength stats. BUT I think it would be interesting to actually implement it like Tabletop. Maybe instead of it using up Winds of Magic on cast, it instead has no duration but slowly drains the WoM until either disabled by the player, the caster is killed, or the caster uses a different spell. It would be a neat option that could differentiate the "normal" debuff spells from ones that are meant to be kind of crazy.
- Fog of Death: Another kind of crazy spell on TT. It literally affected the entire battlefield, and you had to roll for damage on enemy units and roll to see if your own units would take damage as well. I think this would probably be best just as a normal stationary vortex honestly.
- Nightmare: Pretty classic leadership debuff, forced a unit to take a panic test. I think in Total War terms it would probably just inflict Terror on any unit that didn't have Immune to Psychology.
- Coils of the Serpent: An instant kill on a model if it failed a toughness test. In Total War terms this would probably be interpreted similar to Yuan Bo's executioner ability. Maybe an instant kill depending on HP thresholds again? Since it's a reusable spell and not a bound ability, it would either need a crazy high cost to balance it out, or a different requirement for the instant kill.
Lore of the Lichemaster
Kemmler's unique Lore of Magic from White Dwarf #310. It's not actually a unique lore of magic, more like enhanced versions of the Lore of Vampires, meant to represent how Kemmler is one of the most powerful Necromancers around despite only being human. I think this would actually be a way of making Kemmler stand out more than just the resident Krell summoner (who really should be a separate Hero now instead). Especially since they gave Ghorst a Grave Guard summon instead of the guy who was THE Grave Guard guy.He is THE original Warhammer named character after-all, so he really deserves it imo. I'm not going to really go in-depth here since you can basically interpret these as charged up versions of the standard Lore of Vampire spells.
- Invocation of the Lichemaster
- Desiccating Grasp
- Eternal Vigour
- Withering Gaze
- Kemmler's Danse Macabre
- Curse of Eternities
Lore of Change
So this is kind of a thing and kind of not? Tzeentch's magic has gained and lost a lot from edition to edition. The one we have in-game is the 8th edition version of the lore which HARD focuses on damage. But Tzeentch had a lot of more spells that had more variety in uses in prior editions. I could see them doing what they did with Lore of Ice, by splitting these "leftover" spells into a separate spell lore.Some of these are from the Roleplay supplements, specifically the Tome of Corruption, while others are from Storm of Magic. Which was an 8th edition supplement so those ones have a higher chance of being added.
- Invisbile Fire of Tzeentch: Magic Missile from Storm of Magic. Was pretty damn strong, but the other option Daemonfire Vortex was more of a Cataclysm spell.
- Dispel Mortal: Yeets a person into the Realm of Chaos. I don't think it is likely, but I think it would be hilarious to reuse the Blue Scribes death animation, where Tzeentch grabs them and pulls them into a portal for this. Maybe an instant kill that has an animation on humanoid characters to drag them in? Pipe dream material here, but fun to think about.
- Gift of Tzeentch: From the Realm of Sorcery RPG book. Basically gives a mage a spell they normally wouldn't have. I think this could be implemented similar to the Blue Scribes gimmick, except only for one spell slot. Like you press it, and it swaps itself out for one random spell before swapping back.
- Transformation of Tzeentch: Could be interpreted as a Morghur-like ability that turns units into Chaos Spawn of Tzeentch. Specifically doesn't work on Undead, and probably wouldn't work on Constructs/Elementals either.
- Destroy Magic***:*** Would be very interesting to have a Tzeentch spell that negates magical attacks or silences spell casting by the enemy. Tzeentch not only emphasizing his own strong magic, but shutting down other's magic makes a lot of sense. We have the former with things like the Lammasu's passive aura, and the latter has been implemented with things like the Jet Lion's contact effect. So it could work as a spell too.
- Tzeentch's Blessing: From the RPG, and it was just to gain a random mutation. But I think it would be fun to have it give random buffs. There's a lack of fun RNG in these games, so the idea of maybe randomly making your unit have stalk, or a random chance of regen for a short time would be neat.
Misc. spells from existing Lores that aren't in-game
There's a TON of spells from various supplements over the years that aren't part of their respective spell lores in game. So I'm not listing them all here, but things like the Tomb Kings had some interesting Incantations prior to the Lore of Nehekara being made, and there is a TON of stuff in supplements like Storm of Magic we could possibly include in-game.Anyways those are my thoughts on some potential spells that can be added in the future? Any other obscure stuff I missed? Any interesting spells for Lore of Athel Loren from the RPG book that could be added instead? Would love to brainstorm more on this with y'all.
2024.05.16 16:35 Emln-Idera Secure OCR and Biometrics Integration in Angular
OCR data extraction involves extracting text from scanned documents and text images. These include financial documents, ID cards, passports, medical records, and more. Since these documents contain personally identifiable information (PII), securing OCR data extraction is imperative. Moreover, depending on the country you’re operating in, you may be bound by regulations like GDPR or CCPA to ensure data security. This is where biometrics identification can be beneficial.
Biometrics identification involves confirming the identity of a person through fingerprints, facial recognition or iris scanning. It can serve as a powerful technology to secure OCR-based data extraction security.
If you’re an Angular developer looking to secure your OCR data extraction functionality, this guide is for you. In this guide, we’ll explore how integrating biometric identification with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) can create a powerful system for robust security.
For example, the healthcare industry utilizes OCR to extract extra data from patient records and automate data entry. This digitization of patients’ documents helps improve patient care and streamline administrative processes. By integrating biometric identification, healthcare institutions can ensure the security of sensitive medical information.
For instance, the combination has strengthened the security process at airports. OCR is used to accurately extract information from documents like passports, visas, or ID cards. This data can include the traveler’s name, date of birth, passport number, and ID number. This information helps verify a person’s identity. Moreover, biometrics is used to confirm the identity of a person through their fingerprints or facial detection.
Thus, by combining OCR with facial recognition, airport security systems implement a multi-layered authentication process. This process significantly enhances security and reduces the risk of fraudulent activities, such as identity theft or document forgery.
Similarly, the banking/finance sector can utilize biometrics and OCR to prevent fraud. For instance, a fraudster can get access to a genuine customer’s checkbook and forge their signature. While the OCR will extract the person’s signature accurately, biometric authentication can prevent unauthorized transactions by confirming the identity through fingerprints or facial detection. This means even if OCR successfully extracts accurate data from forged or stolen documents, biometric authentication helps detect and prevent fraudulent activities.
Users can quickly authenticate themselves using biometrics, while OCR extracts relevant information from documents in real time.
Take, for example, a personal finance management app. Users can scan their receipts using OCR. They can then authenticate transactions using fingerprint or facial recognition. This automation reduces the need for manual data entry and verification. Thus, it saves time and enhances the user experience.
Tesseract.js is easy to integrate into JavaScript/Angular apps. Moreover, it utilizes the Tesseract OCR engine, which is widely recognized for its high accuracy.
Here are the key features of Crossmatch DigitalPersona SDK
Filestack’s OCR is powered by advanced machine learning models and neural networks to recognize and extract text with high accuracy. It has an advanced digital image analysis system, and it accurately detects features character by character. Additionally, Filestack OCR leverages sophisticated document detection and pre-processing solutions. This enables it to detect complex documents, including rotated, folded, and wrinkled documents.
The illustration below shows how Filestack OCR works:
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/0*2C0Kl7hsR_k3fm8X align="left")
Install Filestack SDK:
xml npm install filestack-js npm install @filestack/angular
Include FilestackModule in app.module.ts:
```xml import { BrowserModule } from '@angulaplatform-browser';
import { NgModule } from '@angulacore'; import { AppComponent } from './app.component'; import { FilestackModule } from '@filestack/angular'; @NgModule({ declarations: [ AppComponent ], imports: [ BrowserModule, FilestackModule.forRoot({ apikey: YOUR_APIKEY, options: ClientConfig }) ], bootstrap: [AppComponent] }) export class AppModule {} ```
Use in .html file:
xml
You can then perform OCR on uploaded images using the following CDN URL:
xml https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/security=p:,s:/oc
You can also integrate an OCR library with a biometric module within an Angular component.
Here is an example of how Filestack OCR data extraction works:
Input image:
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/0*mZjcg9V9zmfdwVO6.png align="left")
Output:
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:754/0*ulGoNGaxFzXQvB9o.png align="left")
Sign up for Filestack and leverage its OCR today for your business!
submitted by Emln-Idera to fileuploaders [link] [comments]
Biometrics identification involves confirming the identity of a person through fingerprints, facial recognition or iris scanning. It can serve as a powerful technology to secure OCR-based data extraction security.
If you’re an Angular developer looking to secure your OCR data extraction functionality, this guide is for you. In this guide, we’ll explore how integrating biometric identification with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) can create a powerful system for robust security.
Enhancing OCR with biometric identification in Angular applications
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/0*gK5dLN9dWcEWf4U8.png align="left")Security enhancement
Integrating biometric identification with OCR-based data extraction adds an extra layer of security. This integration in Angular apps can significantly enhance access control, identity verification, and authentication processes.For example, the healthcare industry utilizes OCR to extract extra data from patient records and automate data entry. This digitization of patients’ documents helps improve patient care and streamline administrative processes. By integrating biometric identification, healthcare institutions can ensure the security of sensitive medical information.
Improved verification processes
Integrating biometrics with OCR has significantly enhanced the verification processes in various sectors. These include healthcare, finance, government services, etc.For instance, the combination has strengthened the security process at airports. OCR is used to accurately extract information from documents like passports, visas, or ID cards. This data can include the traveler’s name, date of birth, passport number, and ID number. This information helps verify a person’s identity. Moreover, biometrics is used to confirm the identity of a person through their fingerprints or facial detection.
Thus, by combining OCR with facial recognition, airport security systems implement a multi-layered authentication process. This process significantly enhances security and reduces the risk of fraudulent activities, such as identity theft or document forgery.
Similarly, the banking/finance sector can utilize biometrics and OCR to prevent fraud. For instance, a fraudster can get access to a genuine customer’s checkbook and forge their signature. While the OCR will extract the person’s signature accurately, biometric authentication can prevent unauthorized transactions by confirming the identity through fingerprints or facial detection. This means even if OCR successfully extracts accurate data from forged or stolen documents, biometric authentication helps detect and prevent fraudulent activities.
Automation and efficiency
Another benefit of integrating OCR with biometric identification is that it automates and speeds up the authentication process. The manual verification process is time-consuming and prone to human error. This results in delays and inefficiencies.Users can quickly authenticate themselves using biometrics, while OCR extracts relevant information from documents in real time.
Take, for example, a personal finance management app. Users can scan their receipts using OCR. They can then authenticate transactions using fingerprint or facial recognition. This automation reduces the need for manual data entry and verification. Thus, it saves time and enhances the user experience.
Choosing OCR and biometric solutions
When choosing an OCR software solution and a biometric solution for your Angular app, consider the following factors can help:- Assess the OCR solution’s ability to extract data with high accuracy. Consider factors like algorithms used by the OCR engine (such as ML-based feature detection), its ability to handle a diverse range of fonts and complex documents efficiently, etc.
- Assess the processing speed of the OCR engine.
- Choose a scalable OCR solution.
- Assess the accuracy of the biometric solution.
- Check whether the biometrics solution supports the features you need. These can include fingerprints or facial detection.
- Evaluate the security of the OCR and biometric solutions.
Popular OCR and biometrics technologies for Angular
OCR solutions for Angular
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/0*T-KidbL7LTU0rBcS.png align="left")Tesseract.js
Tesseract.js is one of the most popular options when it comes to OCR for Angular. It is an open-source OCR library for JavaScript to perform data extraction from text images or documents. Essentially, Tesseract.js supports functionalities to process images and recognize text content. It provides the extracted text in a machine-readable format.Tesseract.js is easy to integrate into JavaScript/Angular apps. Moreover, it utilizes the Tesseract OCR engine, which is widely recognized for its high accuracy.
AWS Textract
AWS Textract is a fully managed OCR service by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It leverages machine learning algorithms to extract text and data automatically from:- Scanned documents
- PDFs
- Scanned images
Biometric solutions
Crossmatch DigitalPersona SDK
Crossmatch DigitalPersona provides a U.are.U SDK. The SDK enables developers to add fingerprint capture and recognition capabilities to their apps. Crossmatch also offers a JavaScript API to integrate fingerprint identification into web apps. Apps can get fingerprint data from a compatible fingerprint reader connected to the user’s device.Here are the key features of Crossmatch DigitalPersona SDK
- Supports automatic 1-to-many fingerprint identification
- Support various data formats, including an ISO fingerprint
Microsoft Azure Face API
Microsoft Azure Face API is a cloud-based facial detection and recognition service provided by Microsoft Azure. It allows you to detect, identify, and compare faces in images or videos, enabling biometric authentication based on facial features.Filestack: A cloud-based solution
You can also utilize a cloud-based solution like Filestack to streamline your file management, delivery, image processing, and OCR processes. Filestack offers a diverse range of powerful tools and APIs for:- File uploads
- File delivery through CDN
- Image processing and transformation
- OCR, facial detection, object recognition, and more.
Filestack OCR
Filestack offers robust OCR capabilities as a part of its intelligence services. You can use the OCR via Filestack processing API.Filestack’s OCR is powered by advanced machine learning models and neural networks to recognize and extract text with high accuracy. It has an advanced digital image analysis system, and it accurately detects features character by character. Additionally, Filestack OCR leverages sophisticated document detection and pre-processing solutions. This enables it to detect complex documents, including rotated, folded, and wrinkled documents.
The illustration below shows how Filestack OCR works:
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/0*2C0Kl7hsR_k3fm8X align="left")
Advanced image processing
Filestack supports a wide range of advanced image processing and enhancement techniques. These include:- Image transformation, such as cropping, rotating, resizing, compression, and more.
- Various image filters and enhancements
- Facial recognition can be used as the foundation for building your own biometric verification systems.
Filestack Security
Filestack implements robust security mechanisms to ensure your data is always secure and protected. Here are Filestack’s key security features:- Filestack implements end-to-end encryption to encrypt data throughout its entire lifecycle.
- It adheres to GDPR.
- Filestack employs powerful authentication and authorization mechanisms for API calls. This ensures secure access to its services.
- Filestack employs “signature” and “policy” to enhance OCR security.
- It implements HTTPS encryption for its processing API.
Integrating OCR and biometrics into Angular applications
- Integrate an OCR library or API such as Tesseract.js or Filestack OCR into your Angular app.
- Configure the OCR library to pre-process images and extract required text from specified regions of interest.
- Implement core logic to extract text from images using the OCR library.
- Handle text extraction errors or inconsistencies efficiently. Provide feedback to users if text recognition fails.
- Integrate biometric functionality into your Angular app using a biometric API or library.
- data, such as fingerprints or facial images, from users.
- If you’re creating biometric functionality from scratch, implement biometric matching algorithms to compare captured biometric data (fingerprints or facial detection) against stored biometric templates.
Code snippets
Here, we’ll show you how to integrate Filestack File uploader in Angular apps and use Filestack OCR.Install Filestack SDK:
xml npm install filestack-js npm install @filestack/angular
Include FilestackModule in app.module.ts:
```xml import { BrowserModule } from '@angulaplatform-browser';
import { NgModule } from '@angulacore'; import { AppComponent } from './app.component'; import { FilestackModule } from '@filestack/angular'; @NgModule({ declarations: [ AppComponent ], imports: [ BrowserModule, FilestackModule.forRoot({ apikey: YOUR_APIKEY, options: ClientConfig }) ], bootstrap: [AppComponent] }) export class AppModule {} ```
Use in .html file:
xml
You can then perform OCR on uploaded images using the following CDN URL:
xml https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/security=p:
You can also integrate an OCR library with a biometric module within an Angular component.
Here is an example of how Filestack OCR data extraction works:
Input image:
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/0*mZjcg9V9zmfdwVO6.png align="left")
Output:
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:754/0*ulGoNGaxFzXQvB9o.png align="left")
Building scalable and secure applications with Angular
- Leverage Angular’s component-based architecture to create modular and reusable components for image and document processing, OCR, and biometrics tasks.
- Implement lazy loading to load Angular modules and components dynamically as needed.
- Manage the app state efficiently. This is especially important for complex workflows and high-volume data processing tasks. You can utilize state management libraries like NgRx or Akita for efficient state management.
- Implement security best practices to safeguard sensitive data. These can include HTTPS for secure communication, data encryption, and proper authentication and authorization mechanisms for access control. This is especially crucial for OCR and biometric workflows as they deal with personally identifiable information.
- Implement robust error handling mechanisms to handle errors efficiently.
Conclusion
OCR data extraction involves extracting textual information or structured data from documents, such as financial documents, ID cards, and passports. This extracted data is often used for identification verification. However, this process can be at risk from fraudulent activities like forged documents or stolen identities. Fortunately, we can enhance the security of OCR data extraction with biometrics integration. This will ensure that even if OCR extracts information from stolen or forged documents accurately, biometric authentication will detect and prevent fraudulent activities.Sign up for Filestack and leverage its OCR today for your business!