Hello all.
I need to start using SW for a manufacturing project. I have used all major CAD platforms, over the last 20 years.
What I am most interested in is mechanical simulation. I want to build a machine and test it before committing to manufacture, in terms of actuation, stress, stability etc.
Secondly, I want to standardise as much as possible, so a library of readily available components or assemblies is attractive, particularly including pneumatics.
In architectural design software you get libraries of components but they are so dismal you wouldn't dream of putting them in a design. Similarly with parametric elements that purport to detail walls or roofs. They bear no real resemblance to how a damp proof membrane (for example) is actually dressed in situ. So what I really want to avoid is building something in SW that gets laughed at when it comes to manufacture. That said, it's a different set of requirements so maybe I am overthinking it.
Anyway, I am looking at the professional version of SW, but could I just use the basic and import 3rd party components?
I have no need of photo real images or anything flashy. But I definitely want to know that a pneumatic ram will go where intended.
Any thoughts from experienced designets would be much appreciated.
Also open to offers for anyone who is interested in taking on the job. It's for a vending-machine sized device to handle liquid filing and corking.
Thanka in advamce.

Other tier 1 alums, please answer too if you feel the culture might be the same at your college and C. Before I begin I'd like to say sorry for anyone who gets angry reading these super annoying questions, I know I'm in a very privileged position and I'm overthinking things a lot but I cant stop. A lot of you might want to say, "You idiot, you've got this admit, just grow some balls and look forward to the future", and I've said that to myself many times over the past few days but my anxiety keeps getting the better of me, so please, I do apologise, this is in no way a brag post or anything, my thoughts are literally spiraling out of my control.
Gem fresher 9/7/7 1. I read some scary things about placecom culture in general and some posts about IIM C in particular too(quora and that intentionally hidden truth article). Is it still like that at IIMC ? Will I be singled out and humiliated in front of the whole batch because I have poor acads and on top of that 0 extra currics or Cv points ( yes genuinely 0 pts, I'm a very introvert and shy person from a tier 3 city schooling and tier 3 ug). Those conditions, combined with my nature ensured that I never participated in too many things, and didnt win even when I tried. And also, my mental health is already fucked up because of certain issues in my family (those problems arent going away anytime soon) so I dont know if I can handle any more toxicity or placecom abuses as such. How do I deal with that when inside the college, I can handle academic pressure or the lack of sleep as such, its the toxic abuse part that I cant anymore.

1. Following up on my profile again, I've already accepted that I wont get good summer shortlists, people tell me final placements wont be too much affected by that and will depend on my gpa at IIM C, how true is that, and again like I said, I cant do too much extra currics and stuff, so once inside is it better to just give my all in trying to get a good gpa ( rankers level, top 10,20) ? Or should I try to balance gpa and extra curricular activities and if so, how do I like bring about this change in my nature and participate more in these activities. I know its hard to relate to this question for extroverts/ normal people, but if any of your introvert friends inside IIMs have managed it, do let me know how they did it.
   
2. Again, stupid question, but is there a basic packing list, like I've read to carry 2 sets of formals, what else do people take generally, weird question but what kind of clothes do people wear in hostels because in my ug hostel half the people used to roam around in underwears and boxers. Obviously that wont be the case at IIMs but like then do people wear comfy clothers like pyjamas and t shirts or is it super professional pants and shirts even at hostels/library .
   
3. Lately I've been exploring these unstop competition, for ex nestle genesis and I couldnt even qualify round 1, and I saw future rounds require submitting your own ideas as a 2 minute pitch. Like is everybody that talented in these B schools that they have their own ideas about these multinational companies. I feel like a total idiot in front of these people. Most linkedin profile of others who have made it to C has IIT in it or has some 2-3 yeara of workex in it from a top company. As a fresher with gap year how the heck do I even compete or sit in the same classroom as these guys.
   
4. Should I do some coursera courses or stuff to gain CV pts ? Generally people have told me coursera courses dont matter too much specially in tier 1 b schools. So what else can I do to make my whole shitty profile even a little better in these 20 odd days. Plus how the heck will I earn cv pts even when I'm inside if I cant even clear round 1 of that comp and have 0 idea about how case comps and these things work.
   
5. Reporting dates are 8-9 June, should I go earlier to avoid rush (400 people reporting on same 2 days). Do people take their parents with them for these first few days, is it even allowed (what stupid fucking questions am I even asking, I know, I'm sorry but its eating me up)
   

Hello, I'm just getting started in robotics but have some experience with software engineering (Swift/Python/Java/JavaScript). Looking for pointers on how to approach the following task:

• I have a rectangular box partially filled with balls and a robotic arm mounted at the top and to the side.
• The arm is able to reach all inside corners of the box.
• Each ball is 30-60 grams, about 4-6cm in diameter.
• Balls are not the same size and are not perfect spheres. They have dings and deformities. These balls are also dusty and may be wet.
• I need to pick 5 balls out of the big box and place them into the smaller tray right next to the robotic arm.

My thinking was:

1. Pick up one ball at a time
2. Use soft silicone pneumatic grippers instead of suction cup to pick up the ball. Suction-based approach would likely quickly clog the line with dust/dirt and would also likely fail on non-smooth dented surfaces.
3. Mount a depth camera at the top of the box with balls
4. Train a model that recognizes each individual ball in the camera video stream (YOLO?)
5. Approach robotic arm control as a reinforcement learning problem to train the model rather than developing a heuristic-based algorithm.

Am I on the right track? What would you do? Any pointers to HW components or SW libraries I could leverage to prototype this? Thanks!

The Temptation of Allogenes (from the Nag Hammadi Library, Codex Tchacos, Tractate IV) is a fragmentary Gnostic text that depicts Jesus, called the Allogenes (a koine Greek word meaning stranger, since Jesus is a stranger to the cosmos), and his temptation in the wilderness from a Gnostic perspective. https://culminationofwisdom.org/2022/11/08/the-temptation-of-allogenes/
I will be commenting on arguably the most significant prayer in the text.
The Prayer:
“O Lord God,
you who are above all the great Aeons,
you who have no beginning and no end,
grant us a spirit of knowledge
for the revelation of your mysteries,
so that we may know ourselves, namely,
where we have come from,
where we are going,
and what we should do in order that we may live.”
​
O Lord God
The letter O (ὦ in the koine Greek) is used to demonstrate Jesus’s urgency and exasperation for guiding gnosis in his trial of the harsh desert. Just one letter shows to us that this is not a prayer of calm reflection or confidence, but of desperation of great spiritual importance. https://biblehub.com/greek/5599.htm
Lord (kurios in koine Greek) obviously means one who absolute ownership rights, an expression reverence that a servant gives to their master. While this word could just be a simple act of reverence to a greater power, there could be a deeper meaning behind it given the context.
The Gospel of Philip: “A slave seeks only to be free and does not seek the master’s estate. For a child it is not enough to be a child, but a child claims the father’s inheritance.” The line has been interpreted by scholars to mean the difference between a psychic Christian (the servant) and a Gnostic Christian (the child) who inherits the father’s inheritance (the mysteries of light).
The word “Lord” rather than the more intimate word “Father” implies this is a prayer of a servant to their master rather than a son to their father, of a psychic (someone who has only faith but is without gnosis, an average believer) rather than a pneumatic who through gnosis intimately knows the heavenly Father of light. This is Jesus trying to further strengthen his identity as the Son after his baptism.
“God” is obviously meant to make clear who Jesus is praying to, but given the previous word “Lord” that goes along in conjunction with it, “God” is used only as a somewhat inaccurate trace of the true identity of the One, said by one without gnosis of the One. The Apocryphon of John: “The One is the invisible spirit. We should not think of it as a god or like a god. For it is greater than a god, because it has nothing over it and no lord above it.” The reason why the highest principle has been called by Jesus has been shown by the rest of prayer.
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you who are above all the great Aeons
The One who is above and therefore greater (since in the religious context, whatever is above is superior in quality) than all the Aeons, and who is the source of their being. Due to his higher exalted level of divinity, even the aeons long to participate in the divine essence of the Father.
The Tripartite Tractate: “The entire system of the aeons has a love and a longing for the perfect, complete discovery of the Father and this is their unimpeded agreement. Though the Father reveals himself eternally, he did not wish that they should know him, since he grants that he be conceived of in such a way as to be sought for, while keeping to himself his unsearchable primordial being.”
The Tripartite Tractate: “The Father, in accordance with his exalted position over the Totalities, being an unknown and incomprehensible one, has such greatness and magnitude, that, if he had revealed himself suddenly, quickly, to all the exalted ones among the aeons who had come forth from him, they would have perished. Therefore, he withheld his power and his inexhaustibility within that in which he is. He is ineffable and unnameable and exalted above every mind and every word.”
This why Jesus prayed to the Father. He is the true source of all gnosis, goodness and divinity, whom the aeons continually taste as if the goodness was honey, dripping down because of the Father’s grace. Praying to the one of pure and unified simplicity, who is eternally undivided and forever gracious to those who seek him with all their hearts, with all their mind, and with all their strength.
The Apocryphon of John: “For the perfection is majestic. He is pure, immeasurable mind. He is an aeon-giving aeon. He is life-giving life. He is a blessedness-giving blessed one. He is knowledge-giving knowledge. He is goodness-giving goodness. He is mercy and redemption-giving mercy. He is grace-giving grace, not because he possesses it, but because he gives the immeasurable, incomprehensible light.”
​
you who have no beginning and no end,
This is the essential being of the One, this no other one (whether human, archon, or aeon) share this eternal being.
The Sophia of Jesus Christ: “Now he (the One) is eternal, having no birth; for everyone who has birth will perish. He is unbegotten, having no beginning; for everyone who has a beginning has an end. Since no one rules over him, he has no name; for whoever has a name is the creation of another."
This further highlights the One’s higher nature over all else including the aeons. The Aeons only participate in his eternal nature. Jesus, while in the perishing wilderness, prays to the One who could never perish, the One who has no end. Truly the One is the most reliable source for help due to his own unique being
Basilides puts the Father’s unique nature of eternity well: “There was when naught was: nay, even that "naught" was not aught of things that are. But nakedly, conjecture and mental quibbling apart, there was absolutely not even the one. And when I use the term "was" I do not mean to say that it was; but merely to give some suggestion of what I wish to indicate, I use the expression "there was absolutely naught". Naught was, neither matter, nor substance, nor voidness of substance, nor simplicity, nor impossibility of composition, nor inconceptibility, imperceptibility, neither man, nor angel, nor God; in fine, anything at all for which man has ever found a name, nor by any operation which falls within range of his perception or conception.”
As mentioned in the Tripartite Tractate, the One’s greatness and magnitude is so divine that aeons (and therefore any other being below the aeons) would of perished if he revealed himself directly in full, making an intercessor necessary, a spirit of knowledge.
​
grant us a spirit of knowledge
Obviously, this knowledge is gnosis. Stephan A. Hoeller: “Gnosis is the revelatory and salvific knowledge of who we were, of what we have become, of where we were, of wherein we have been thrown, of whereto we are hastening, of what we are being freed, of what birth really is, and of what rebirth really is.” But who is the spirit of knowledge. This spirit of knowledge has been mentioned in many other Gnostic texts, such as Zostrianos.
Zostrianos: “There stood before me the angel of the knowledge of eternal light, and he said to me, "Zostrianos, why have you gone mad as though you were ignorant of the great eternal beings who are above? And don't you know that you are a chosen person and therefore you were informed about what you shall do so that you might now be saved?””
Since gnosis is act of grace, not something we can attain without divine assistance, there needs to be being who bestows this grace. This angelic spirit of grace and knowledge is likely the Christ principle himself, not Jesus the man, but Christos Autogenes, the aeon sent to grant mankind gnosis. Gnostic Christians often made a distinction between Jesus the human being, and Christ the divine Logos. Hence in the prayer, Jesus is requesting to be granted further gnosis from the Christ principle in his time of trial. Christ as the spirit of gnosis and revelation appears in many Gnostic works, including The Apocryphon of John.
The Apocryphon of John: “At the moment I (John) was thinking about this, look, the heavens opened, all creation under heaven lit up, and the world shook. I was afraid, and look, I saw within the light a child standing by me… The figure said to me, John, John, why are you doubting? Why are you afraid? Are you not familiar with this figure? Then do not be fainthearted. I am with you always. I am the father, I am the mother, I am the child. I am the incorruptible and the undefiled one. Now I have come to teach you what is, what was, and what is to come, that you may understand what is invisible and what is visible; and to teach you about the unshakable race of perfect humankind.”
Even Valentinus reinforces this. Valentinus' Vision of the Word: “I saw a newborn child, and questioned it to find out who it was. And the child answered me saying, "I am the Word (Logos)"
​
for the revelation of your mysteries
Revelation n koine Greek is apokálypsis. HELPS Word-studies defines apokálypsis: “tropically, in N. T. and ecclesiastical language (see end), a. a disclosure of truth, instruction, concerning divine things before unknown — especially those relating to the Christian salvation — given to the soul by God himself, or by the ascended Christ, especially through the operation of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10), and so to be distinguished from other methods of instruction.”
Other forms of instruction include book reading, word of mouth etc. This revelation, also called gnosis, reveals the mysteries of the divine self, Christian salvation and the unknown secrets of existence (both physical and spiritual). These mysteries are usually illustrated to us in the sacraments (hence why sacraments are called mysteries), symbols and images. The Gospel of Philip informs us of this.
The Gospel of Philip: “The master [did] everything in a mystery: baptism, chrism, eucharist, redemption, and bridal chamber.”
The Gospel of Philip: “The mysteries of truth are made known in symbols and images.”
However, these are only illustrations of the mysteries of truth, not the truth itself. The revelation (which literally means uncovering or unveiling) of the mysteries reveals the unfiltered truth itself, letting us truly know the mysteries of our salvation, the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The central mystery that gnosis reveals to us is knowing ourselves.
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so that we may know ourselves, namely,
Knowing ourselves is the cornerstone of the Gnostic path.
The Gospel of Thomas Saying 3: “When you understand yourselves you will be understood. And you will realize that you are Sons of the living Father. If you do not know yourselves, then you exist in poverty and you are that poverty.”
The Gospel of Thomas Saying 67: “Jesus said: One who knows everything else but who does not know himself knows nothing.”
“Know thyself” is a philosophical prover inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. This is to make clear to be any passersby that the entry of philosophy is to know yourself. This has not only been employed by Gnostic thinkers, but also countless philosophers such as Plato and Immanuel Kant.
The self is the cornerstone of all our knowledge, because all we ever cold know enters through and by our consciousness. This was acknowledged by René Descartes (1596–1650) with his famous words "I think, therefore I am" as the first principle of all understanding of truth, by establishing the certainty of the existence of the self. From this foundation, he explored through human reasoning what other things would likely to be true in his Meditations (though later philosophers criticised some of his later reasoning). Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) in his Critique of Pure Reason uses a similar method, by acknowledging that understanding begins with the self and from this establishes the foundational truths of a priori concepts of space and time, since these two are intrinsic to the self’s understanding of itself and outside itself (through the senses).
Unlike all this, the Gnostic knows the self and therefore the all not through faulty human reasoning (though Gnostics do acknowledge reason has its place) but through the unchanging light of gnosis.
The Gospel of Philip “All those who have everything should know themselves, should they not? If some do not know themselves, they will not enjoy what they have, but those who know themselves will enjoy their possessions.”
By knowing ourselves through gnosis, we know where ourselves and everything came from, why we are trapped in the universe (through the demiurge) and what the universe is, and where we our true home is to which we shall return to.
​
where we have come from,
where we are going,
I’ve decided to include both these lines as they are fundamentally linked to each other. As Jesus demonstrates:
The Gospel of Thomas Saying 18: “The disciples asked Jesus: Tell us about our end. What will it be? Jesus replied: Have you found the beginning so that you now seek the end? The place of the beginning will be the place of the end. Blessed is anyone who will stand up in the beginning and thereby know the end and never die.”
The Gospel of Thomas Saying 49: “Jesus said: Blessed are the single ones and the chosen ones for you will find the Kingdom. Because you emerged from it you will return to it.”
This gnosis through granting us the knowledge of ourselves, gives us the knowledge of where we have come from (the Pleroma) and where we are going (the Pleroma). Since everything returns to its roots, the perishable to the perishable, the imperishable to the imperishable, we shall all return to our roots in the highest divine because our inner nature is divine. All good desires to find further good, and to find the highest good (the One), since it is in the intrinsic nature of good to seek good. Evil goes to further evil, and to the lowest evil which is nothingness (death). There is no death for the Gnostic, there is only returning back to life.
The Apocryphon of John: “Geradamas spoke and glorified and praised the invisible spirit by saying, “Because of you everything has come into being, and to you everything will return. “I shall praise and glorify you, and the self-conceived, and the eternal realms, the three—father, mother, child, the perfect power.””
​
and what we should do in order that we may live.”
The Exegesis on the Soul: “As long as the soul goes on running around everywhere sleeping with whomever she meets and defiling herself, she will suffer her deserved punishment. But when she perceives the troubles she is in, weeps before the father, and repents, then the father will pity her and make her womb turn from the external and turn inward again, and she will recover her proper character.”
“proper character” also known as the authentic self, is the main purpose of gnosis since if we know ourselves, we know the all as mentioned before. The knowledge of self informs us on what we truly will for and what is truly to our soul’s benefit. As an existentialist, this is more my point of view: There is no inherent goal to have or meaning in the cosmos or material life. This cosmos crafted by the demiurge does not have a grand purpose in itself and any meaning comes from what we add meaning to such as helping society, doing a particular job or following a religion.
However, we can live authentically (follow our true selves) by knowing ourselves and we can know ourselves through gnosis (knowledge of ourselves as divine sparks and knowledge of the higher divine), thus gaining a meaning and success in life that is authentic to ourselves.
This is the gift of gnosis, knowing our authentic selves.
The Gospel of Thomas Saying 6: “His disciples questioned him: "Should we fast? In what way should we pray? "Should we give to charity? From which foods should we abstain?" Jesus responded: "Do not lie. If there is something that you hate, do not do it, for everything is revealed beneath heaven. Nothing hidden will fail to be displayed. Nothing covered will remain undisclosed.” This saying of Jesus highlights the authenticity of the self required to truly live a holy life. As mentioned, following a religion is what many people find to be their meaning of life, including fasting, praying and giving to charity in the name of faith. But since some of them do not know their authentic selves, instead they follow these religious customs just because of traditions and/or religious authorities, these practices are usually unauthentic to themselves and not truly beneficial. This was the error of the Pharisees, whom Jesus harshly criticised for their lack of authentic religious fervour.
The Apocryphon of John “They brought gold, silver, gifts, copper, iron, metal, and all sorts of things. They brought great anxieties to the people who followed them, leading them astray with many deceptions. These people grew old without experiencing pleasure and died without finding truth or knowing the god of truth. In this way all creation was forever enslaved, from the beginning of the world until the present day.” Gnosis revealed to John the error of following this empty life, enslaved to the never-ending search for riches and fleeting success. Later showing him the path of truth is through Christ and doing divine will as his own will, since his authentic self is of divine nature.
Paul the Apostle illustrates this beautifully. Romans 7:21-23: So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me.”
​
Conclusion
With this prayer of knowledge and direction, in the Temptation of Allogenes, Jesus had been graced with the gnosis of himself and the all, the gnosis that he is a child of the divine rather than merely a servant, now ready to unveil the mysteries of light to the drunken world of darkness, ready to do the will of his authentic self, and laying down the narrow path for us all to follow in his footsteps towards the heavenly kingdom, our Pleromic home.

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Hello, to start off I want to apologize for being so godawfully stupid.
I have a project coming up for engineering. We (we as in my team and I) have been tasked to design a pneumatic form of the game chicken scream. We want to be able to start the game using a website or a link. We also want to be able to display the highscores there. So to start off I've tried to light up a led using the arduino iot cloud or whatever its called. And its not going great at all. Im not familiar with this at all. But I started off by connecting my mkr1010 wifi to the cloud which worked. I then wrote a little program ( see down here) and made the right circuit. I tried to upload to file but it has tons of errors. I feel like im doing a lot of things insanely wrong :) please help
https://pastebin.com/Q4adgW9M
error:
/uslocal/bin/arduino-cli compile --fqbn arduino:samd:mkrwifi1010 --build-cache-path /tmp --output-dir /tmp/3999985337/build --build-path /tmp/arduino-build-3EF26A7DD58C2B45A0E4D16E7767D9F9 /tmp/3999985337/Untitled_apr19a
In file included from /home/buildeArduino/libraries/arduino_connectionhandler_0_8_1/src/Arduino_ConnectionHandler.h:26:0,
from /home/buildeArduino/libraries/arduinoiotcloud_1_15_1/src/ArduinoIoTCloud.h:27,
from /tmp/3999985337/Untitled_apr19a/thingProperties.h:3,
from /tmp/3999985337/Untitled_apr19a/Untitled_apr19a.ino:7:
/home/buildeArduino/libraries/arduino_debugutils_1_4_0/src/Arduino_DebugUtils.h:32:1: error: expected initializer before 'static'
static int const DBG_NONE = -1;
^~~~~~
Multiple libraries were found for "ECCX08.h"
Used: /home/buildeopt/libraries/arduinoeccx08_1_3_8
Not used: /home/buildeopt/libraries/rak5814_atecc608a_1_0_0
Multiple libraries were found for "WiFiNINA.h"
Used: /home/buildeopt/libraries/wifinina_1_8_14
Not used: /home/buildeopt/libraries/betterwifinina_1_3_0
Not used: /home/buildeopt/libraries/vega_wifinina_1_0_1
Multiple libraries were found for "Wire.h"
Used: /home/builde.arduino15/packages/arduino/hardware/samd/1.8.13/libraries/Wire
Not used: /home/buildeopt/libraries/flexwire_1_2_0
Multiple libraries were found for "SPI.h"
Used: /home/builde.arduino15/packages/arduino/hardware/samd/1.8.13/libraries/SPI
Not used: /home/buildeopt/libraries/eventethernet_1_0_0
Error during build: exit status 1

this is going to be really long so if you dont have time TLDR dekhlo bottom me. you can check my old post for more info. kahin lage im lying then just skip the post, thanks.
Some info about me: I come from a similar situation like most of you all, middle class family. Na halat itni kharab na hi achi. Mummy housewife, Papaji software developer (khudki company, lekin itni successful nahi). Was good at academics till 10th and then all went downhill

• I remember I was 12 and opened up my laptop (curiosity), burnt my finger after touching some hot silicon, and never stopped thinking about tech since that day.
• Started copying my dad's code I stole from him and learning about it. He never liked that I was learning how to code because he wanted me to be a lawyer.
• By 15 I was already good at a few languages and made a lot of projects, even cracked a few certifications.
• I used to solve coding assignments for college kids for treats like panipuri.
• Corona hits, I'm playing games and coding all the day, online class tmkc. Academics going down badly but shit we making some hard shit.
• Corona beginning and dad lost his job (he used to work a main job and had his startup as a side hustle). Now we're paying 3 lakh a month in salaries (startup) and income is like 40-50 thousands. not to forget my and my brother's education.
• Can see his hairline recede, full stress me 24/7. I was like fuck it imma try earning. Created an account on upwork (wasn't even legal age) and after 4 days I got a gig. My first gig was about a Minecraft Spigot Plugin for $50. I was kinda scared to tell my dad I did all this without him knowing, especially since it was "MINECRAFT" (he hated games.
• I remember me in a rickshaw going to coaching. I called my Dad on my way and said "papa bank me paise transfer karwane hai aap apni details bhejdo" and then he asked me what it was and shit. Then I made a paypal account that day. And I could just see my dad trying to hide his smile so he doesn't inflate my ego.
• I went from $50 -> 125 -> 150 -> 300 -> 900 -> $15/hr and then for a long term role I was making 600-700 a week. While only working like 4 hours on a weekday and 5 on the weekend.
• Before this when I used to go shopping with my dad he would get me whatever I liked but look at the price tag when he got something for him. That aint fair. I never like to spend a lot on shoes but I remember him scrolling and searching about a shoe from Nike called "Pegasus". I bought 3 sets of those Pegasuses (different ones ofc).
• Went through my mom's instagram saved chat and saw a lot of rajasthani suits (I'm marwadi) and bangles and stuff. Got her that on her birthday (first birthday gifts my parents ever recieved). even a gold chain
• This is top 10 moments in my life. I made an ERP for management for my school. I asked them for 50% of what they were paying earlier. I was on good terms with the principle. I didn't tell my dad about this at all. The school called me to take my cheque of INR 1.5L. I told my dad "papa school fees bharne ka last day hai, can we go" (school is like 400 meters away from my house). When we reached there the principle called my dad, I told him i made a mistake and he got kinda mad. And then the principle told him everything. This is the best fucking prank I've ever done in my life.
• Life could'nt get better I thought but then in 11th I saw this girl in my coaching, i first saw her in 8th in school. Had a crush on her for the whole fucking year, she made me happy, a lot but didn't have time cause 12th.
• I made so much in 11th I am pretty sure that was the most my dad ever saw at once in his bank account. I tried writing all my major achievements on a page and ran out of space. I'm dying on the hill when I say I was proud of myself that year.
• 12th starts, 11th acads were trash. Got the rejection by her. Dad told me to stop working now and focus on studies (he wanted me to have a degree not the money I was making).
• Stopped everything, in the whole of 12th I went out 5 times with my friends. Thats it. I was doing nothing but studying and shit (even failing at that too). Greatest downfall to happen to a human.
• Now its like october and I am fucking dead inside. I've achieved so much in life and yet I feel worse than a homeless person.
• December I started going to a library to study, I found a girl there and I really started liking her. I used to study as long as she did but could never gather up the courage to talk to her. Her name is Khushi btw.
• January went the same way, wanted to talk to Khushi but never did, JEE attempt 1, kinda alright.
• I remember me soya nahi tha exam ke pehle. My friend said "hey library aana hai kya, i think khushi is here you can talk to her". Aankho me jitni bhi neend thi sab ud gayi and I ran to the library.
• February 2024, and I still was unable to talk to her. FINALLY, she took the first step, came up to me and asked me about myself
• I remember februrary 7th, 9:45 PM and even the seats where we sat at. She waved at me and asked me if she could sit next to me (the whole library was empty). I was like sure, and then we talked for a bit.
• Couldnt talk to her for a week after this.
• on 14th feb i met her again. this day we talked for an hour about our life and hobbies and stuff
• on 16th feb i gave her a chocolate, and a note. and then 4 days later i told her i love her and since then its all been going up. She has given me so much happiness in the past 2 months its unbelievable. I like her so much i can talk her about 24/7. I do that on my twitter all the time. She's geniunly the fucking best (no one will say "see you in gym soon" pls)
• Only had a few things missing from my life's bucket list. And she filled them too.
• Went to her house a few days ago and her mother complemented me and she likes me LFG BC.
• Got myself a Pulsar N160 a few weeks ago. I'm back on my job too. Life is really fucking good.
• As I write this aaj mene sax sux vi kar lia. Not with Alec daddy unfortunately but yes. Ab virgin toh nahi marunga bhenchod.

Don't know what to do in life other than just going on with whatever I am doing right now. My parents like my girlfriend too. Im just gonna keep on working, college ki zyada tension nahi le rha. Im gonna stay in Ahmedabad only.
Thanks for reading, i just wanted to share my little joy with you. I hope you succeed in life and achieve your goals.
TLDR: mene kabhi life enjoy nahi ki, pichle 6 mahine me sab change hogya, now im done with everything. when i was 13 mene ek list banai thi, usme har din kuch add karta tha. aaj wo list me se last cheez bhi tick kardi (v card lost)
I am logging out from reddit today. If in case you want to contact me, you can add me on discord (new acc) `chenz3n667`.

Sup guys!! 4ThWall here, I hope you guys are having as much fun as I am. I never really know what to say during these intro's. As always, if this is your first episode reading "The Black" WELCOME! feel free to start from the beginning! First, previous
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The Kawmari homeworld hung in the black, a wounded orb surrounded by a shimmering minefield of the dead and dying. Her orbit was not the only portion of the system marred by the clash. A jagged scar reached out from the planet to the jump location of the Vorath fleet. Enemy hulks mixed with Friendly in a slowly expanding cloud of debris that marked the running battle to drive the invasion fleet from the system. Captain Corellus Grarzia, Master under the void of the USN Olyvia sat in his captain’s chair. Olyvia had been patched up using supplies from the Texas, and she was back out at the edge of the system along with Protectorate. They were backed up by Ivar, Martina, Ja’Krin and Squadron-mates. Captain Alveretti and his squadron were largely intact, loosing only four of their fifteen ships. Howler himself had quadruple aced in the final battle, with Buzz and Woody both taking seventeen kills apiece. Both capital ships and fighters were strung out in a picket formation, serving as early warning in the aftermath of the battle. Their foe was driven from the system, but their total numbers were largely unknown.
“Captain, incoming transmission. Codes match” the report barely superseded a flash of a slipspace breach. A massive egg-shaped station broiled out of slipspace. It was a technique first used under the late Admiral Burgoyne. Five ships separated themselves from the GHO station, taking it under tow towards the beleaguered planet. The formation of station and her stewards were not alone. No less than 4 Delmar Cruisers, the newest breed of Delmar Hulled, hybrid armed warships, exited alongside, and took up their defensive positions. The final arrival would have been completely unnoticed, had it not been running all exterior lights and activated its Beacon.
*Olyvia, this is Concord. Request permission to dock and come aboard* Admiral Grarzia’s voice drew a raised eyebrow from Cory as well as a few mutters from his crew.
Cory pushed a button on his armrest, tapping directly into the frequency, “Of Course, Admiral. We’ve become quite practiced at accommodating starfighters at this point.”
*Thank you. Have the squadron and yourself pull back for now. Protectorate shall suffice as picket* Mac ordered, slipping Concord smoothly alongside Olyvia as the two turned toward the planet. Soon enough R’Cari, Sombra, and the rest of the fighters fell alongside for their journey back to Tharsis. Concord gave a wing wave to her fellows before slipping up to Olyvia and hooking up.
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Cory made it to the airlock just in time to see his sister Lyrian emerge through it, almost running to her brother to give him a very human hug. “Oof! Lyri! Its good to see you too.” Cory sputtered, completely failing to maintain any semblance of captainly bearing. Mac was more sedate in his entry into the ship. Snapping off a few salutes, and greeting a few friends with handshakes before offering one to Cory. “This is a bit of a surprise, both of you. What brings you two out here.”
Mac released Cory’s hand and smiled, “I had to congratulate my star Commander in person, and Lyri seems to have a thing about letting me go galavanting around active war zones alone. I’m also here to facilitate introductions. I’m sure you noticed a few familiar hulls towing the GHO platform.”
Cory nodded, “I did, I hadn’t realized they were ready. Do I know any of the captains?”
Mac only smiled, “That would be telling. Don’t worry, we will all be meeting aboard the Gally. I have it on good authority that Admiral Karmarin and Bill had quite the adventure in her.”
“Aye Sir. The Galveston fought well. Will she be your new flag, Sir?” Cory asked. The three of them were walking Olyvia’s corridors for her captain’s office. Cory activated the door, waving the two through before entering it himself.
“I’ve proposed that Harrison and Karmarin stay permanently paired aboard Galveston. The UGN is in dire straits, and having their high admiral able to both coordinate with us and traverse Unity space at speed appears to be a prudent option.” Mac stated just as the door chime rang.
Lyrian reached over and activated the door and Jackie Young stepped through with a pad in her hand. “Oh! Excuse me! I didn’t know we had company. Welcome aboard Admiral. Captain Grarzia I…” Jackie was startled to a stop as Lyrian stepped up in front of her.
“You’re Doctor Young.” She stated sternly, eyeing the Human woman with a severe gaze.
“I am… Mrs. Grarzia is it?” Jackie leveled a confused and annoyed gaze at Lyrian. “Is there a problem?” The two of them seemed to stare each other down before Lyrian broke into a wide smile and scooped the shorter Jackie into a not quite crushing hug.
“You save my brother, and my brother-in-law.” She paused, taking a discreet sniff before stepping back and looking into Jackies eyes, “and it appears a welcome to the family is in order.” She said before hugging her again. “I was wondering why Cory was always busy, now I know.” She nodded approvingly, turning back to see Mac and Cory staring at the two of them with amused expressions. “What?!”
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“Offload decks 17 and 19 first! We need to get the atmosphere stabilized first before we can begin on the topsoil!” Saurian Ambassador Ami watched as orders were given out. She was back where she belonged. Years ago now, Ami had graciously accepted the position as ambassador to the Sol Federation, and her duties kept her close to two of her closest friends in Gwen Trenton and Silu. Her life’s passion, however, lay in raining down life saving aid and rescue efforts upon traumatized worlds. She we not technically in command of this platform, and a point of pride swelled as she witnessed its well-organized operations. Her niece, the one she had apprenticed to test her metal, was embarking on her final test to become a fully accredited coordinator. The final GHO coordinator test was always the same. The aspirant, under the carful eye of a veteran coordinator, was to prove themselves among the stars. Her niece’s final exam was to provide aid to the war-torn world of Rawkir, but that was not why Ami felt the pride she did. No, her niece had expressly requested Ami as her Presider. To be requested by an aspirant was rare, and Ami was honored to preside over her niece’s final test.
“Double check the pressure canisters on deck 44. Engineering reported a power fluctuation in their containment power supplies.” The younger, and considerably sorter Saurian lumbered up to her Aunt. “Aunt Ami. How was your trip.”
“My dear, I am contented. Truth is, I’ve missed being on a platform; even with their more confining spaces.” Ami smiled down at her niece. Even as they talked, she was taking stock of different notifications as well as her immediate surroundings. “So, Turrasile. Explain to me the offload you have planned.”
Turrasile nodded, taking stock of her pad before responding, “The topsoil in the combat area is heavily degraded from the ordinance and contaminations of war, but the planet could heal that well enough. Our primary problem is with sabotage. The Vorath appear to know how to poison an eco-system, and they set fire to every manufactory in their possession as they retreated. That was Before their remnants released a cloud of improvised chemical poisons into the air. We are seeing a rapid cascade affect that could render the planet’s atmosphere unbreathable within the month if left unchecked.”
“Hmm, I concur.” Ami stated. As much as her job was to test her student, the GHO allowed for the Presider to ensure that the testee was not allowed to follow through on any mistakes, and Ami had full overruling authority as well as the right to take full control should she feel it warranted. “So, aerosolized counter agent?”
“Not this time, at least not the traditional kind. The area is too great. A standard pneumatic Aerosol would not have the desired affect quickly enough.” Turrasile stated, pulling up her pad, “The Human Delmar specialists were kind enough to analyze some of the particles, and I believe we can utilize a catalytic reaction to burn out the poisons before the damage becomes unrepairable. There are a few chemicals, harmless to the eco system as a hole, that can soak up the poisons and render both completely inert.”
“I… see your point. You wish to disperse an absorption agent; but I fail to see a dispersion method.” Ami looked at her student expectantly.
“I watched the records of the first Human engagements here. I believe we can use this…” Turrasile turned her pad to face Ami and played the simulation, stifling a giggle at her aunt’s flabbergasted expression.
“I… see, Its ingenious, and possibly even a little poetic. Do the Humans have enough of these?” Ami asked.
“I’ve already been in contact with Admiral Stevens. He has approved. It will take all of the rest of the SOARD’s on hand to do it, but it will be enough.” Turrasile smiled.
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Centarus sagged into his office chair. He had not slept in over a weak, and the doctor proscribed stimulants were quickly losing their effectiveness. The reports, however, were all finally published. The situation was grim. The majority of his fleet over Rawkir was gone. Less than a quarter of his men on the ground had made it out, and fewer still had been on one of the few surviving ships that hung about their hidden asteroid base. His options were limited, but they were still options. Many of the races recorded in the histories as weak were both proven to be so, yet still considered valuable after a fashion. The conquered worlds of the foothold would lend him a bounty to rebuild while he waited for the main fleet to arrive.
The Thermians were taking to the first stages of their ascension. Centarus had authorized the first of the genetic augmentations, just enough to give the lizards a taste, but not enough to create a threat for himself. Kar was proving to be an able tactician, having made quick work of the worlds he arrived at, but in the grand size of the Unity, progress at the speed of subspace was still slow. Still, thousands of worlds stood to provide him with the material, sustenance and raw material needed to hold his current territory and rebuild. To that end, the last of Centarus orders had been dispatched to his regional commanders. The instructions were simple. Squeeze. Drive hope from the worlds in Vorath grasp. Force them to mine, farm, harvest, and build for him. He would focus on the worlds with the most to give, consolidating his shows of strength to silence descent. It would be a tricky play. Keeping his ships on the move to terrorize sequential worlds into compliance would cost him fuel and time, but it would be done.
Centarus groaned in his seat, preparing to stand when a flashing message appeared on his screen. He annoyingly opened it, ready to respond to another sniveling commander begging for scraps..
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Correllus Grarzia stepped into the conference room aboard USN Galveston. Admiral Grarzia was already there, speaking to several of the captains. Cory noticed a few faces, Dozer gave him a smirk and a quick salute from over in the corner with another Human who boasted a defined drawl in his voice. Most of the other captains of the retrofitted troop transports turned privateers were unfamiliar to him, save for one. Cory’s eyes Widened as Hera, wearing a USN uniform with captains insignia, approached him with a wide smile before giving him a tight hug. A further surprise revealed itself when Jacob Irving saunter up behind her wearing the camoflag pattern adopted by the combined infantry divisions of Sol and Signar.
Cory raised an eyebrow in surprise at the two, “What’s going on? I thought you guys were on the homeworld!” he exclaimed.
“We saw what happened to Karmarin, and what was going on with Rawkir. Originally we were going to use Traveler, but one of the captains had to leave for Sol on a family situation. Hera reached out to Mac and here we are.” Jake explained, stepping up to take Hera’s hand. “Its not quite the honeymoon we planned but, I’m sure we’ll find plenty of interesting places, meet interesting people, and- OOF!” Jake was interrupted by an elbow driven into his side by a smirking Hera.
“Honeymoon… Your parents approved?” Cory smiled broadly, “Congratulations!” He was about to say more when Mac cleared his throat loudly, bringing all conversation to a halt.
The man who was possibly the sole being responsible for the current chance a defeating the Vorath slowly walked toward the central table. Admiral Grarzia slipped a stick into the controls, and quickly pulled up the grim map of Unity space. It was a grim reminder of the shattered state of things, and Mac let the image settle into their minds before beginning. “Ladies, Gentlemen, and yes. Marines.” There was an obtrusive snort from the corner of the room where Collins and Galanis stood. “We are all finally here, with completed ships. Thanks to Captain Grarzia, we now have an idea of just how effective these ships can be in the right hands.” Mac nodded to Cory and a few captain straightened, regarding him more seriously. “Our Mission, Captains, will be one of subterfuge, sabotage, and insurgency. From our records acquired in Operation Library, we know that the Vorath will enslave planest that are of value, and murder weak people to have their planets repurposed. Our goal, is to help those planets become a pain in the Voraths ass. We will be taking and sinking shipping, both military and otherwise. You will notice Captains Collins and Galanis are with us today. They will stand up two MACE teams that will floating amongst our ships as the mission dictates. Each vessel will have its own small complements of combined infantry. One of our goals, is to liberate enslaved and captured civilian shipping. We wish to cripple their ability to wage war, but we will be rescuing who we can, and facilitating the resistance of those who are willing to fight.” Mac typed again into the table’s controls. “You will be operating semi autonomously. Outside of regular check ins and an Area of Operations buffer system, you will be largely free to create, plan, and prosecute any missions you see fit. While limited, you will have backup should you need it, and give any lead time required before starting your mission. By now, all of you know of R’Cari, Sombra, and Concord. They will be acting as a rapid response, and stationed from a mobile flagship we will be using as a base. Any question.”
“Admiral,” It was Galanis, “Which boat will be you flag, and how much ass will she be capable of pulling out of the preverbal fire.”
“The second part of your answer is, a lot.” Mac smirked at the grizzled marine, “She will be Concord, R’Cari, and Sombra’s base of operations. These are not fighters as you have understood them. They will be acting in a more limited capacity, but still with the same mission as your own. All three are capable of long-term solitary operations, and will often be used as such. This is one of the reasons we will need lead time on any missions in which you foresee backup being required. The first part..” a satisfied smile told them they would find out soon enough.
“Admiral, what will be our rules of war?” Jacob asked carefully, “I just wish to know our limits.”
Mac smiled menacingly before turning serious, “None.” He stated flatly, “I have hand picked each and every one of you because of your experience, tenacity, and intelligence. The Vorath have asked for total war, and we will give it to them.” More than a few smiles flashed about the room. “There will be only one rule, Be the monster THEY fear, not the one you fear in yourself. Any more questions?” There were none, and Mac pulled up a final sequence of numbers, “We depart from these coordinates in twelve hours, Dismissed!” Every spine around the table straightened as Mac departed the Conference room.
The next twelve hours were a flurry of activity. A gigantic supply vessel, the DDS Tiny Tim was a freshly commissioned vessel. She was nearly half the size of the GHO response platform, and carried both supplies for the relief effort as well as a full rearming of every one of Mac’s fleet. His insurgency fleet did not have a name, and that was sure to solve itself in time. Cory and Jackie spent an afternoon meal with Jake and Hera before they departed for their vessels. Work continued through the night, and Cory was impressed by his acquired tolerance for human level’s of caffeine. Olyvia was as good as new when she arrived at the coordinates with a vast twenty minutes to spare. Over the next few minutes, each vessel pulled into position awaiting the flag ship. Exactly at twelve hours, Admiral Grarzia arrived aboard USN Wisconsin. The Titanic Battleship was not a ship of the line, But Mac had chosen her specifically because she was not. They would be fighting in quick, hit and run engagements. There would be no time to traditionally deploy and recover fighters, and the three vessels that could be called fighters in a pinch, were fully capable of jumping for themselves. Wisconsin’s singular shuttle bay had been retrofitted to service and house Concord, R’Cari, and Sombra, and she had received a fresh stealth coating after the conflict over Rawkir. She, not requiring the bulk need to house fighters, was better accelerating and nimbler in a fight than any Ship of the Line. She was every bit the perfect tool her namesake would be proud of.
Mac looked over to meet the eyes of her commander, Captain Thomas “Bull” Fuller. Thomas was a full head taller than Mac but weight very nearly the same as the Admiral. He had earned his moniker in the first battle of Ceres, where he turned port broadside on in front of three Martian cruisers and a carrier to bodily protect his outgunned escorts. Bull Fuller had closed to grips with the enemy, single handedly trading blows with those warships while his escorts, laden with civilians from Ceres, were able to escape. Wisconsin had come home heavily wounded that day, almost half her four-thousand-man crew critically injured and a third of them killed, but those four Martian warships did not come home at all.
“Board is green Admiral; all vessels are data linked and ready” Bull stated formally with just a hint of a Boston accent.
“Thank you, Captain. Take us out.” Mac stated, settling into an auxiliary chair next to the captain’s command chair.
The USN Wisconsin, flanked by a small flock of her cohorts, flashed into slip space, and made for enemy territory.
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He woke up. How long he had been in bio stasis was unknown. What was known, was the pain. His bones prominently creased his skin, frail emaciated flesh clung to him as he looked around slowly at his surroundings. He was among friends, on a bio bed. He as restrained, but that was standard for a situation such as his, and he opened his mouth to speak. A weak wrasp left his lips, but it was enough to draw the desired attention. A cup was brought to his lips, and he sipped cautiously all too aware of the dangers of becoming to greedy.
“Thank you.” He rasped.
“Do not speak. You will be restrained for at least another day. Your body as not prepared for its slumber, and you are in a precarious position.” The doctor stated, setting the cup down before examining the bed readings.
“Thank you..” he got out.
The Doctor only nodded a small formal bow, “An honor, no thanks are necessary. Welcome back Legarus.”
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For those of you who made it all the way down here, Thank you sincerely for the look. I have a Patreon that is kind of a catch all for the different project. Only if you feel ive earned it, feel free to consider it. It has non story arc shorts from this universe as well as early content for my other series. Just know that my promise still holds. The main storyline of The Black will never be anything other then completely free and live. Feel free to come say hi in the comments. Hell, come tell me what I did wrong. Everybody is welcome.
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With the ants finally back on track digging the main tunnel, albeit with a moderate detore, to the heart of the mountain and an idea for when they do finally make it to the kobold cave above the waterline, I turn my attention back to my sanctum. I know the kobolds probably won't cause trouble but something is unnerving about having an open doorway within spitting distance of my core.
I begin to form a door similar to the one at my entrance, however, I stop short after creating the frame as the ever present library of knowledge decides to impart something new on me. Generating a medallion and suspending it on small iron rods bisecting the frame vertically to center it in the doorway, I fill in the two halves of the door with a mesh of fine copper wires. Then encompass the medallion in a layer of iron before removing the coin entirely, cutting the form fitted medallion casing in half along its edge creating a form fitted mold of both sides. Turning them around to face back to back I fuse them and seat the inverted medallion in the metal rods. The door vibrates slightly after this and seats itself flush into the stone without me making it do so. Curious, I used Discern on the door to find out what exactly I had just done.
Medallion gate:
A magic barrier used to allow passage to those who have made contracts with a dungeon but restrict access to those without a singing medallion. A charged medallion must be placed in the receptacle with the proper orientation to match the molding inside the lock to unlock the barrier. Once placed a medallion gate cannot be removed or opened by a dungeon without the help of a willing medallion keeper. Medallion gates do not restrict the flow of mana regardless of location as long as the gate is within two rooms of the sanctum. Medallion gates can be brute forced to open with a strong enough magical blast or physical strike. Medallion gates will not open for dungeon bound creatures regardless of possession of a medallion for any reason as they are only intended for contracted individuals.
Well, I suppose that all makes sense, even if most of what I learned was inconvenient. Hopefully, Vesh can figure out how the door works if she comes by before I can explain it to her. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders though so I'm not particularly worried. Checking my mana I'm down to less than a quarter of my total capacity so I decide to take a break from making anything else for a while, and instead look inward to check my status
Level 16 Unnamed Rare Dungeon Core — Aspects: Terra II, Ignis II, Vitas III, Mors II, Aqua I, — Mana Volume: 19 of 100 Mana Density: 118 of 150 — Attribute Aether: 2 Attributes: Avatar Form III, Mana II, Metalworking II, Metallurgy I, Gem Crafting I, Alchemy I.— Mastery: Ignis, Vitas, Mors.— Bonded Creatures: 97, Named Creatures 3. Contracts1
“Finally!” I yell out in excitement to nobody in particular as I read my aspects, one of the kobold hatchlings must have had the water aspect, it may be biased but I'm tempted to go through and discern every single one of them to figure out which one and give it a name, the bane of my abilities to create has been, well maybe not conquered, but definitely diminished. I've also made level 16 which means I should have more options available for my avatar.
“Attributes.” I say, once again to nobody and my mind is shunted into the bluish gray sea of nothing, looking around as I orient myself as I view the gold and gray orbs around me. I only have two points to spend so I ignore everything else and head towards the choices for my avatar. The four new ones did become available at level 15, so I start my perusal. The first orbs image in the foggy mist was the IFAK on my hip. Pretty self explanatory, but I don't think it's something I'll need immediately. I continue on to the second orb, first the mist takes the shape of a human, then it morphs into what I assume is a kobold, and last it shifts into an ant, curiosity takes hold of me but I don't want to waste the point unnecessarily so I continue to the third orb.
The mist is clouded and unstable for a moment before it shows my trenching kit, an unwieldy roll of tools that clips onto the back of my webbing like a backpack complete with the massive pneumatic bolt cutters, a folding hand saw, a collapsible entrenching tool, bailing wire, and a very thick set of gloves for handling concertina wire, along with an assortment of pliers, hand drivers, and double sided wrenches. Everything a field engineer needs to build a fortified position with provided materials… and completely redundant in my current circumstances. Praying for something I might find useful I look to the fourth orb, the mist coalesces into the form of my ammo rig with one magazine topped off by a purple polymer shell and the spare shell loops have three of my custom brass shells in them.
Without hesitation I place my hand on the orb, channeling mana into it and watching as the orb slowly fills with golden light. One down, one to go. Looking back at the other three I walk past the trenching kit, and stop at the IFAK, but before I place my hand on it I take another look at the second orb, then back at the IFAK. Stepping away from the IFAK I plant a hand on the second orb, my curiosity having gotten the best of me.
As the orb begins to shift to gold, the other two unused options darken to a graphite gray-black, along with every orb connected beneath them, the black trails cascading to the bottom of the pyramid until a quarter of the total options are blacked out. Now turning to the IFAK orb once again I can't make out any shapes within, not even the swirling mana that used to be ever present and a sinking feeling hits me. It's like a closed end skill tree from a video game and I can't “mix” skills. If that's the case, then I likely just missed out on every other option connected to the trenching kit, such as industrial tools and construction materials, if I were to hazard a guess. And the IFAK, likely the rest of my old deployment kit… like my armor and miscellaneous supplies.
The ammo was a must so there's no regrets there, but I hope my curiosity didn't just bite me in the ass with whatever this is. I turn back to the orb and focus, this time on the label instead of the image. In hindsight, I probably should have read all the labels before making my decision.
"Polymorph." I mumble to myself out loud. I know I've heard that word before but for the life of me, I can't remember where from or what it means. I glance down at the rest of the pyramid, the zigzagging black orbs and their connected webs fill me with a small pang of worry, but I can't change it now so I focus on returning back to the real world. As the orbs start to fade out I expect the blue gray horizon to fade with them however it stays and soon I'm left in a field of nothing as a sense of deja vu strikes and a familiar voice sounds out from behind me.
“Hey-O boy-O, long time no see.” Anxiety grips my throat and I resist the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose and groan before turning around to see the unremarkable face of the mystery man, who for all intents and purposes, is likely one of the gods that presides over my new home.
“We’ve gotta stop meeting like this.” I say as I forcefully place as much humorous sarcasm into my voice as I can muster to hide the anxiety.
“I see you lost the knife and found a sense of humor, I knew I liked you.'' As he speaks his polite smile widens into an almost inhuman grin and I can't help but notice his teeth are not only perfectly white and aligned but every other tooth is pointed, a detail I somehow missed the first time we met. Suddenly we’re back in his cozy parlor with the swirling wood and crackling fire, and I am unable to move from the chair I was planted in.
“So, dazzle me with the names you came up with, I want to hear something extravagant, no, EXPLOSIVE, it needs to have a pop to it.” I just stared at him somewhat dumbfounded, as I had entirely forgotten to think up some names for the volatile crystal I had inadvertently created. As I stare at him he pulls a small notebook out of his vest pocket, along with a quill and inkwell, and after setting up his writing utensils on the small end table next to his chair he pulls a small pair of reading spectacles from the same pocket and places them at the end of his nose before flipping the notebook to its middle pages and looking up at me over his glasses.
“Well? I'm waiting.” In a panic, I blurb the first fantasy sounding material I can think of that comes to mind.
“Mythril.” He looks back down to his notebook and hundreds of pages flip by while the book still appears to be opened perfectly in the center pages.
“Taken.”
“Adamantium.” The process repeats.
“In use.”
“Quicksilver”
“Due to be discovered in around a hundred years at current rates.”
“Cinnabar.”
“same as the last one.” I can feel my eye twitch and jaw tighten at that however the being sitting to my left seems undeterred, pinning me in a considerate gaze over his reading glasses. Losing hope of ever leaving this parlor, I begin sticking parts from random words together that sound remotely like a name that can be used for a crystal or metal.
“Eskium.”
“Try again.”
“Voglium.”
“It's not taken but I don't like it, next.”
“Why not?”
“It just sounds ugly, ‘Voglium’ ugh, no thanks.”
“Dreorium.”
“It's a gas”
“Mesinite.”
“Nope.”
“Adrium.”
“Discovered last millennia by cavemen on a different planet. Next”
“What?”
“Next.”
“Hegrite.”
“Already taken. You aren't very good at this are you?”
“Upleysium.”
“Like the plant?”
“What plant?” I ask exasperated and starting to run out of coherent things to say.
“Next name.”
“Plaonium?” I say in a pleading tone.
“Was that a question or an answer?” Ignoring him I move on to the next name I can think of.
“Etheirium.”
“Hmm…” He muses to himself as the notebook flips frantically back and forth through hundreds upon hundreds of pages. “Not taken, and it has a nice ring to it. Etheirium… Etheirium… That works.” He says with a shrug, snatching up his quill and writing something into the notebook before dipping the quill once more and adding in some illustrative strokes that I imagine are his signature before snapping the notebook shut and dropping it back into the bottomless chasm of his vest pocket.
“No takebacksies.” I say in an exhausted tone, eliciting a deep chuckle from the being now standing across from me.
“I'm a god, I can 'takebacksies' whatever I want whenever I want, but no I think I've tormented you enough. For now at least.” Steeling my nerves and attempting not to upset him, I reply.
“Well even if you are a god I still haven't heard of you, or learned your name.” I say hoping to bait even the smallest bit of information out of him. To this, the god scoffs.
“Figures, nobody talks about the old gods anymore. I am Alzzar, God of misfortune, mischief, and trickery, and the forbearer of monsters and dungeons.” I ponder that for a moment before responding.
“Misfortune, mischief, and trickery I can see together, and maybe monsters but dungeons seems like a bit of a wild card in the deck, seeing how they are supposed to be um... helpful”
“Even the most carefree and aloof of us have to perform some notable duties to stay relevant. Otherwise, we fall into obscurity. But I think we've chatted enough for now. One last thing, as the patron saint of dungeons, I think I've got a nice little boon for you since you've played along with my games without any complaints, or at least not many, and you've managed to entertain me so far.”
“Oh?” I say while raising an eyebrow, not particularly excited for whatever may happen next.
“I name you Lance, Avatar of the Etheirium dungeon.” After his proclamation he struts up to me and places a familiar blue crystal in my hand which is so cold it burns slightly before it evaporates. Looking back up at the god standing over me he grins, his pointed teeth shining in the gentle light from the fireplace. He winks before suddenly, and violently, I am once again falling back to the planet from an obscene height.
After my mind-numbingly long fall, I hit my barrier and am transported into my sanctum where I heave and retch in my omnipotent form. Instead of vomit, however, a stream of orange mana leaves the approximation of where my mouth is and rolls over the ground like the mist from a fog machine before dissipating into nothing. “At least the cleanup is easy.” I muse to myself once I finish.
Still slightly queasy I manifest into my avatar but something was off. I was shorter, the air seemed thinner, not that it was harder to breathe, but sounds were louder and it felt like they bounced off the walls more than they had before, the gentle lights in my sanctum were also brighter, not painfully so but the lumen crystals lining the ceiling were more like powerful LEDs as opposed to well used fluorescent bulbs. Looking down at my figure I was in my familiar uniform except where my arms left my sleeves, the skin was gray and scaly and ended with clawed hands.
My pant legs were still bloused and boots were there however instead of my size 12’s I was looking at what I'd guess was a size 6, maybe 7 if I was being generous; I'm a kobold? I'M A KOBOLD? Immediately I revert to my ethereal form and then back to my avatar, which feels more like myself. And indeed, looking down I see tanned skin and arm hair. To ensure it wasn't just a hallucination due to stress I once again turn back into a ghostly apparition before summoning my avatar.
However, to my abstract confusion, and a small amount of horror, my frame is condensed even shorter than it had been the first time. My field of view was insanely large, so much so that trying to look at all of it at the same time was giving me a headache. I tried closing my eyes but I did not appear to have eyelids. Reaching a hand up to my face to give it a feel was greeted not by a hand, but a very familiar looking two clawed grasping appendage with small bristle-like hairs covering what could be considered my palm, or wrist maybe.
Realizing that this was indeed my “hand” I physically recoiled. Stepping backwards I felt not two, but five distinct footfalls. Dropping my “hand” I instinctively looked down to look at my feet but instead, I bashed a solid bone-like protrusion jutting out of my face into the stone floor, causing me to recoil again. Further backing myself against the wall, instead of simply bumping it some sort of natural reflex of this body braced my legs, err, my rear legs against the stone surface to begin pulling myself up and before I was able to orient myself properly I had backed up onto the wall, standing with my face now perpendicular to the floor.
“Okay, I'm an ant, don't panic, deep breaths.”
Lacking lungs in the sense I was used to, I instead began pulling in a wide array of information, such as pheromones designating what room I was in, who was in the room, the temperatures of said room, and its humidity. Right, ants don't breathe the way I do. I slowly began to step forward, the feeling of having three legs moving when I should only have one was odd but felt weirdly more stable than my previous two legged gait. Repositioning myself on the floor and beginning to become more curious than disturbed by my current state I started to feel out my body.
Opening my mouth opened the second set of inner jaws, using the muscles to smile and frown I could open and close my mandibles, which was something I'd have to adjust to over time. My eyebrow muscles twitched my antenna around, and probably the favorite of my findings so far was my shoulder blades which had a much greater range of motion and were connected to a massive set of wings. My new wings are orange, unsurprisingly, and seem to dimly glow in the same fashion my core does. Just as I was testing out how far I could stretch and twist them there was a frantic chittering from the doorway. Cardinal appeared and stood frozen as if she was unable to process what she was seeing. Immediately I could understand the chittering as “ancestors below”. I didn't say anything and before long Cardinal was trying to contact me through the bond. Instead of opening it, I opted to simply speak aloud, catching both of us off guard when a stream of Dire ant chitters spewed forth, I was immediately bombarded by a multitude of questions that didn't leave room for me to reply regardless of whether she wanted an answer for them. She had also run into the room and began circling me taking in every inch. Finally getting through to her with my own deep insectoid chattering, that sounded much like Onyx's she snaps out of her rapid fire questioning and circling, allowing me to explain my newest trick. And the events that led to her finding me.
“I sensed a very strong fear pheromone from your chambers and thought one of the workers had somehow ended up hurt in the sanctum, but being sufficiently surprised about something can give the same pheromone response.” She says as she explains her abrupt arrival to my quarters. “I certainly wasn't expecting… this.” She holds up a grasper in my direction, gesturing to all of me.
“Well… How do I look?” I say while spinning in place to once again allow her to look me over.
“You're obviously a male the thicker plates around your shoulders, back, and head speak to this along with the shape of your mandibles, but at a glance, your size would indicate that you're a female, I think you're larger than I am. And I was one of the largest out of my brood." As she says this she walks up next to me and I stop my slow spinning, she places herself next to me, shoulder to shoulder, and cants her head to the side to gauge our size difference. "As far as colors go, you're very similar to me, except your wings and eyes are darker, and you have some orange coloring to certain parts of your shell.” I ponder her description of me and wish I had installed a mirror in my sanctum. I'll have to add it to my ever-growing to-do list.
We chat for a moment longer before she decides it would be best to have me greet the colony in this form to get the general excitement and general pandemonium from the worker caste out of the way before anything important happens. and as we walk towards the exit I decide to take a glance at my Status, it should have been updated, and as long as I wasn't daydreaming and delirious, I think I've been named.
The Etheirium Dungeon: Level 16, Rare Dungeon Core — Aspects: Terra II, Ignis II, Vitas III, Mors II, Aqua I, — Mana Volume: 22 of 200 Mana Density: 140 of 200 — Attribute Aether: 0 Attributes: Avatar Form IV: Lance, Polymorph I, Mana II, Metalworking II, Metallurgy I, Gem Crafting I, Alchemy I.— Mastery: Ignis, Vitas, Mors.— Bonded Creatures: 97, Named Creatures 3. Contracts1
Well, it appears I am indeed now named, both the dungeon and my avatar. which I'm assuming is what gave me the absolutely massive boost to my mana reservoir and density. Unfortunately, I didn't receive any free attribute points, but I suppose it can't be too easy for me. Curiously Avatar form only increased by a single point, and Polymorph is its own separate Attribute. I'll have to look into that later, somehow. I return my attention to the inside of the dungeon just in time to see the veritable tidal wave of worker ants rushing towards me as Cardinal skitters out of the way, laughing at my misfortune as I am mobbed my underlings, and my senses are all but fried by the overwhelming excitement pheromones from the workers, which to my dismay brings in more from deeper in the dungeon.
Previous Chapter

Check my old post for my background. Zyada yapping nhi karunga. I come from a middle class family like most of you, I hope to motivate you through this glance at my past.
TLDR: I was 13 I made a list of things I'll do by the time I hit 30, I am almost 19 and today I checked the last thing off. Done with life. The next paras are just more details. I hope you reading this have a good day and a good career. Enjoy if you're bored and want to read about a random stranger.
12 saal ka tha, 6 saal hogye aaj shuru kie hue isliye ye likh rha hu. Shuru se hi technology ke maamle me acha acha. Papa mere software developer lekin zyada success nahi mila unhe. Wo chahte the beta lawyer bane, lekin nahi ji, bete ko pasand tha cheeze kholke dekhna. Yuhi ek din laptop khol dia. Tagdi cheez thi bc, first time ek ~70°C silicon chip se ungli jalake roya tha.
Yuhi karta gya, padhai me theek tha, better than average, gharwale khush. Chip chip ke coding seekhta tha, 14 saal ka tha aur kafi kuch seekh gya tha. College ke londo ke assignments karta tha kurkure aur chocolates ki treats ke lie.
Gujarat board se CBSE kar lia class 8th, academics fucked kyuki late join kia, waha shuru hogyi meri academic downfall. Moj masti nahi rukni chaiye, aur meri moj masti toh ye computers ke baare me seekhna tha. Kept on going. Papa theek thaak kama rahe the, so kabhi koi issue nahi rehne dia padhai me.
COVID aur 9th dono shuru hogye, 8th me to ache se padha nahi. 9th online, class ke naam pe minecraft aur coding karta tha. By this time papa ki job chutt gyi, but he being the great man he was had a good savings amount. He had a startup he worked on side by side.
They planned on launching a new product, I worked on it quite a lot too. But he miscalculated the time, aur esse 3 saal lag gye (launched a few days ago). Har mahine savings me se 1-2 lakh rupee ja rhe the in salaries and stuff.
Couldn't see him struggle to mene socha lemme start working, a week in aur mujhe ek 50$ ki gig mili. I remember me Allen ja rha tha aur mene papa ko call pe kaha tha papa bank account me paise kaise daalte hai mujhe dalwane hai. Almost the best day of my life. Us din jab coaching se Ghar aaya to laga damn mere baap ko merepe proud hai thoda sa hi sahi.
$50 -> $150 -> $100 -> $300 aur fir finally I started making more than my dad. 12th Tak I made enough to buy a house (50% loans tho). Got my dad 3 sets of shoes jo ki me khud marjata lekin khudke lie na leta (it was 45K inr). Mummy ko bhi shoping le gya ek din.
Only L I took in 11th was crush se "not ready for a relation" mil gya. Felt like a Fucking clown
12th shuru and my acads were bad, kabhi interest hi nahi tha is bakchodi me. Class me bhi leetcode ke hard wale questions solve karta tha. Coaching me lund dhyan dia, teachers chodd gye, aur mene Jana band kar dia. Papa ne kaha padhai pe dhyan de so kaam bhi secretly karta tha kyuki sirf unse itna manage nahi hota, me secretly paise daal deta tha wallet me.
Life was all fucked, itna sab karke bhi lagta tha kuch nahi Kiya, kabhi geniune happiness nahi dekhi. Ye next Jo mention karunga usne mujhe real human jaisa feel karaya hai.
November me library me Jaa kar padhne laga, ek ladki mili, kafi cute si. uspe crush aagya fuck. December yuhi nikal gya. January me mains dia, was mid NGL, but mene kabhi try hi nahi Kiya so koi fikar nahi.
February me us ladki se first time baat ki, and baat karne ke 5 din baad pata chala she used to like me. 3 din pehle usse first date pe le gya ek bookstore (she likes reading). Sab books ke lie mene pay kar dia, uski smile dekh ke jitni Khushi mili I've never felt that. She made me feel like I'm a real human, abhi usse baat karke Ghar aaya hu.
Is mahine ke end me I'll join my dream job. Im going to retire my dad aur unhe gaav bhejunga is mahine, his dream. Away from all this city rush, araam se zindagi jiyenge. Im making more then enough to handle my family alone.
Jo bhi chaiye tha life me I have it, job bhi hai. Koi college join kar lunga. Jis tarah se sab chal rha hai I'll be able to marry her in a few years, retire by I'm 35 or 40. Ma baap khush hai, bandi mil gyi, future ki koi tension nhi. Ab bas ek new goal dhundh rha hu.
My girlfriend hates it when I say this, lekin, kal agar mar jau to regret nahi hoga. I'm satisfied with life.
May y'all prosper in life.

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https://preview.redd.it/d7cfuumkotsc1.png?width=834&format=png&auto=webp&s=b28937a9b87b0f8b1919fe33f1c9412d7ac562ed
Any criticism is appreciated.

Now let's talk about the music. Can we talk about the music please? I've been going insane to talk about the music, okay? I love how well fit the soundtrack is to game, how it's like a puzzle that fits in every place, but also how it provides the explanation to what happens. I decided I won't be dividing it, because I prefer it to be in once place, so I would get lost, because I can get very easily get lost.
Also, English isn't my native language. If sentences sound weird, it's probably because they are, there might some grammar errors, which I could miss, but I tried my best. I am sorry and thank you for understanding.
I know everybody at this point knows about classical music put in the game, but I made this post to appreciate the soundtrack in a way that is presented in game, as well as what it bring in terms of feeling and vibes I took from it. I am not specialist on music, so most of this opinions are essentially "what I think is presented to us" thoughts. I will do it in the order I found on spotify, here. I hope nobody did it before, otherwise I will be very sad.
This is have become something more, than it was when I started writing about it. And while I still go through it track by track, there is now more than just analysing music. So, if you wish to listen me being obsessive, take a seat and enjoy. If I wasn't insane before, I soon will be.
Turned Around - the echo, the lone place, you enter the place you perhaps you are familiar with, but also feels alien. It is twisted, changed and filled with darkness, but also not dead. Something is there in the shadows, and there is something in its deeps. And it is your mission to find it.
Safe Room - you might be safe, it might be a place when you rest, hide your things and prepare for another fight. But also it sounds like warning, like it spoke "you know what's there", but in soft, hush voice.
Casual Loop - it's more cosy for me. "All that happened already" and it feels like falling asleep (dying) but then there is this tension on the end, like it send you "wake up, remember why you are here".
Double Back - it's continuation of Casual Loop, but even sadder somehow. The name is deceptive - we can't double back, and Elster would never. But now, we also know there is other person who wouldn't, Isa. They both understand why they do what they do, and can relate to each other. But also they seem to know, that it perhaps would never be possible. But again, they can't double back, they would never.
Pneumatic - industrial machine, endlessly working up and down. We hear steam's hiss, we hear when it goes up and makes this loud noise. It is eternal, it will never stop. Just like you, Elster, just like you.
Eternity in the Box - that's Ariane's theme. She is in the box, she is on the empty ship, you can hear the void around her, and lies there what it feels like eternity. The distortion are her bioresonance distorting the reality, as it feel like you would take something around and started to stretch it like rubber, and leave it morphed into something else.
Visions of Alina - this is less a music and more like signal. Broken (we can hear it even as it breaks in the music) and indecipherable. Elster thinks about her, remembers her, looks for her - but the signal is no longer valid, message is worn down and there is nobody to look for.
Incinerator - "things have learnt to walk that ought to crawl". The long sounds feels like flesh that now sag on Aras and moves with their skeleton, they arms and legs bang over steel and there is this feeling of chase - you can almost feel as their stretch their corrupted limbs towards you, to take you to their vents and... better not to know what they will do there. And also it's all cut the moment you leave. They stop to walk, and crawl back to their vents, like they ought.
Intensive Care - the nurse is here, and the only cure is death. Similar to Incinerator, you hear banging of their legs over steel as they walk, but they are less chaotic and more focused, less a chance a more like slow walk towards you. They want to care and cook, and you look like a fine piece of meat, so quickly they turn with their knifes to you. There is this sound, like choir, like they try to talk to you, beg you to let them it, which is cut off, as quick as you leave the room. But it doesn't stop. I can imagine them knocking over door, to follow you, the loneliness is too much for them, but that's for nothing - you left.
Train Raid - something actually relaxing. Melancholic, nostalgic - probably what Ariane feels, when she raided her train and thought about her home high in the mountains. Elster does not know who white-haired girl, but she feels important, she feels like somebody she should walk to, as so she do. White-haired girl disappears, like a dream that never was, but also, leaves us with a golden key - a literal clue, that we are on the right path and we should follow her.
Ritual - feels like continuation of Safe Room. Moment of rest. But also moment of revelation - we found door to progress. This is the moment of hope.
MNHR - gentle, cosy, even a soft flapping of a little bird. It feels like songbird, which is very fitting for their name, mynas. Perfect melody for gentle giantess.
Mynah - have you ever had a friend that is always calm? Like nothing can't tip them off? And do you also had this intense fear in the moment when this calm, chill friend gets angry? This is the music for it. They are still cool, but you feel they have changed. They are no longer calm, and hatred boils inside them. The short high-pitched notes feels either like needles, which Mynahs shots while loading their gun (also shooting itself in the game feels like it was made along side music), as well as sounds that triggered Mynahs make, but done in mechanical way. How heavy it sounds, you can feel it weigh and hardness before you, and that you rather should wait, that fight outright.
Adler - this one is very interesting. If I wouldn't know, I would say it's continuation of Safe Room. On the one hand, it works like a knife in the back, as we, and Elster, are betreyed. We expect to get a reward after beating mynah, while Elster thinks she met somebody who's rational and "the same type as her" - a loner replika. But on the other hand, it feels like metamorphosis. Adler works as catalyst - he takes Elster false memory of Alina, and push her down, not knowing that he actually helps us in achieving our goals. He makes her transform by force.
Dowsing - even in memories of different people we look for something, and it always ends up being Ariane. I feel that a lot of soft music hides how much depressed Araine had to be, growing around people who disliked you and found you weird. There is tension in it, showing that probably Ariane was afraid each day, if she will be bullied, or will they leave her alone. And makes me wonder - do we really see what Isa see, or do we see what Ariane wants us to see, or perhaps there is something else to it. No matter what, music feels like falling. We are deep in it, and we have no way to go back.
Bodies - nothing much to say, soft music of self-realisation. We see bodies of us who failed. We will be the same? Or will we succeed? It's like iceberg - the deeper we go, the more we discover and understand.
Hamstrung - it feels like mix of Pneumatic and Turn Around - corridors haunted by ghosts, twisted into endless machine. Elster is closer, but still sealed in the dark coffin. She's perpetuum mobile, endlessly moving between ghost of the past.
Riot Control - my personal favourite. The drums gives away the feeling of lines of Stars, beating their batons over shields. The order was"NO MERCY" and you will be begging for death. It has this cruel and brutal, as they will beat you into submission, break not only your body but also your soul and mind. They will beat you until there will be nothing to bury. And it doesn't stop, it gets better - they start a chase. Stars are the first replikas we meet that actually have military experience, and it feels. While the rest are kind of chaotic monsters who reacts on impulses, Stars are not. No, they are finally set free - you are not fighting with them, you are being hunted. Even the end, when we killed them off or left the room it doesn't feel like defeated them. It feels more like walking through battlefield - you didn't won, you survived.
Kolibri - sound of insanity. Their mind is consumed and like a chant they all sing. Sad, that we can't tell what they sing, or maybe pray, as all its a radio signal. Elster can only disturb them setting her radio and knock off their concentration. Their insanity reveals in their desire - to not be alone. They have great need to be surrounded by other Kolibri, and that's why they make their own copies. They sing a song, that the other Kolibri (the one that reminded sane in library, KLBR-S2302) wants to join them (the great hive mind, as all other KLBR has number S2301, meaning that their personalities mixed together when the first one pulled all of them down). The awful feeling of being left behind is so terrifying for her, that she considers that, perhaps, becoming insane might be better option. At least, she wouldn't be alone.
Eulenlieder - roughly Owl Song. A tragedy. The last thing that probably kept them sane against corruption was killed by sheer malice. Now, their dorm empty, and only broken cassette and stabbed audio player remains, informing of failed last stance. But somehow, it doesn't sound sad. The video noise gives makes it sound like waves on the beach, hinting that perhaps, it was more than just a music. Giving the fact that beach seems to be important for gestalt that was base for Elster, perhaps that's she doesn't see it as something bad. It almost feel like memory, perhaps it is a memory. Also, interesting is that in comparison to other ones, it has upbeat. Like there was more in it, something that we can't know, but probably gestalt Elster would know. It is for us to wonder, for her to know.
Orrery - this one is interesting. It's name is kinda what it connect to where we hear it. "An orrery is a mechanical model of the Solar System that illustrates or predicts the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons, usually according to the heliocentric model" from wikipedia. It's smoothing in a way that in against all odds, against Empire's and Nation's regimes, there might be a future, where on all planets are not longer inhabited by gestalts and replikas, but by people being people. A different kind of hope in a game where most is focused around Elster looking for Ariane, this one is more about things as they are now, in general. After all, we look above the solar system, even letting Elster comment on current political situation.
Ewige Wiederkunft - "Eternal return". Once again, similar in tone to Safe Room, but it isn't our safe room, but Adler's. A nostalgic and melancholic place, where he can rest and thinking, and where he normally would enjoy his new Fetish Object and ease his boredom. It feels like Adler's theme, which is very ftting - he is in the loop. He is returning to the same point, over and over again. He is responsible for the station, he was created to be responsible for the station. But he grows desperate as well as nihilistic. No matter what he does, nothing is solved, but even worse, everything gets more broken. Changed, twisted, added and removed. Everything will repeat the same way - Falke falls sick, units gets corrupted, gestalts dies, flesh grows, Elster enters Sierpinski and causes chaos. And he can't do anything - it gets reset and he starts again, from the same spot. Nothing that he does matters, nothing that doesn't do matters. A victim in endless loop, cursed to be a witness of Sierpinski's doom and not being able to do anything about it. He is like Greek tragic hero. He wasn't a villain, but antagonist - he also like Elster wanted to break the cycle. It just wan't his fate to do it.
Liminality - "is the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of a rite of passage, when participants no longer hold their pre-ritual status but have not yet begun the transition to the status they will hold when the rite is complete." Elster is almost there. She is in final stage of her search, perhaps the farthest she has ever been. But a lot is before her.
Kentucky Meat Shower - If I could ask author why, I would ask about this one - why this name. Why Meat, Why Shower, and why Kentucky. It connected with Alder falling into pit, down to Nowhere. It is probably first time, as he states that he done this already and I think he meant killing Isa. But... just why? Is that reference to something I am too stupid to get? ... oh it is. Huh. I guess it's raining Adlers, hallelujah. Perhaps this allusion about where we are about to go - into flesh. Music itself sounds very much something you would hear in slasher movie. Honestly, Kentucky Meat Shower does sounds like B-movie horror. But also, there is this role reversal where the hunter (Adler) is being defeated by the prey (Isa).
Haint Tales - we stand before ghosts' nest, we are at source, we are the gate to the place that Is-Not. Corrupted machines, deep breathing of rotting replikas and steel hitting steel like often we hear when corrupted replikas were noticing us and trying to get us. Once again, Elster must get deeper. But now, we enter to haints' (ghosts) domain. But what ghosts? Ghost of the... past?
Misremembered - Alina is gone, Elster. You are dead, Elster. You are not looking for Alina. You never did. Try to remember, try to really remember. I know it hurts, but you must let it go. You tried to find a place that is nowhere now, so you have arrived to Nowhere. Yes, I am being melodramatic, but I think capture well what it meant to be. Perhaps it's Ariane, or perhaps it something deep inside Elster memory that calls to her, a feeling that's something is off. The went to look for Alina, right? Then why it feels wrong? Like she was remember it wrong, like there was something calling. What does this book mean? Elster tries to remember, but it will long before she will be able to understand. The long noises similar to Liminality and Hamstrung reminds us that we are half-way, and can do only one thing - keep going.
Nue - Added and removed. Changed and twisted. Similar to the one in Japanese folklore, it is a beast made of many other animals, in that situation, two Storchs (honestly, there could be more, but two long pairs of legs are the only visible ones for me). It is a demon, which often connected to bringing bad omens and ills. Also, it nature is hinted to be unknown, but saying that something is unknown in Signalis is like saying nothing. Musically, it's similar to Mynah and Intensive Care, a slow walking while also we hear replikas hooves (are they hooves? They do look like) its over the steel tiles. But, there is some kind of difference - the catharsis. For the first time, he haven't have to do it alone, as Isa helped us. It felt like we are not alone. Isa grows more and more in character, to conquer her fear that she have always relay on others, and saves us.
Matryoshka - its mechanical sound, similar to Pneumatic. But this time, it's not Elster who's the machine, but our dear Mynahs. How's like to be imprisoned inside the machine, to be a unable to embrace people without fear that you might hurt them? Matryoshka is a Russian doll, which represents each generation of mothers - the biggest being often grandmothers, and the little ones inside being little kids or newborns. In game it's interesting as we don't put doll inside doll, but we kinda put layers on base doll. Mynahs are mother and protectors, gentle in their ways to others, as files states. But also, deeply inside them, they are like lost, traumatised child, who would want to hug others when they feel scared. Is their armour their 'skin'? Or is it just armour and they can put it away? I think the first one is true. They are prisoners of their own bodies they did not wish to have. No wonder Beo prefers to die, than gets fixed - she might say its because she doesn't want to be a burden, but I think deep inside, she also doesn't want to live in world where she can't be a mother, and where she is send to dangerous parts of mines. Perhaps that's why stuffed animals are so badly needed for her - she wants to hug something, and stuffed animals is something that you can't break, no matter how hard you hug it. Even here, in mechanical machine, she sacrifices herself to loneliness, so could Elster go forward. Like Mynahs do all the time for the other replikas.
Labyrinth - "things have learnt to walk that ought to crawl". It less primal and more dangerous sounding than Incinerator. We just need to walk carefully and grab what we need. But also, there are Aras chasing us, quickening our heartbeat. It's less a fight, and more a run.
Prison - distorted, ringing of metals bars over crates, video noises. It always makes me think, that Nowhere is memory of every replika about them being born. Like we, gestalts, don't remember moments of their birth, they also don't. But it's still there, deep in their consciousness. And in heartless Nation's regime, they are born in confusion. Prison is good name, considering how this place has no exit, and its filled with "wardens" (a just much more corrupted enemies, Sniffers - I don't remember what was their names, but you probably know what I mean). It seems that it's less about fighting, and more about surviving, like being sealed in the box. We can kill each other, but it won't change that we are imprisoned.
Coal Ash Slurry - another one of these mechanical ones. However, in the context of Nowhere, it feels very fitting. We have this ever present flesh contained by steel. And what are replikas, if not flesh (gestalt personality and memories) imprisoned inside steel (replikas metal body and its functions). Word slurry means "a thin mixture of an insoluble substance, as cement, clay, or coal, with a liquid, as water or oil" which feels like something in which replikas are made. A deep memories of birth, and moments before you learn of your function in tyrannical cast system made by Nation, you feel this dread of being born. You think, but have nothing to think about, you remember but you have nothing to remember about, you feel but you have no names for this feelings. You are like a golem made of clay, not sure what you should be doing, and what you are and what's your purpose. But soon, your 'masters' give you things to do and teaches you how to obey.
Sea Smoke - uff, we escape for a moment from transhumanism horror to... I'm not sure what. This sounds familiar to other more classical sounding parts of the soundtrack. It sounds similar to Double Back and Casual Loop, which a soft piano. We stand before the person that started all of this, somebody who seem to be important, but in context of replikas production was crucial - the Great Empress. What's she doing here? Why have you deiced to take us to stars? Why have you done nothing after you have been crowned? Who have you wed? And why you killed yourself? Perhaps the longest day was a cycle, similar to the one we are in now, and the wedding its ending. Perhaps there was a love story, of her loving somebody she shouldn't love? Or the one that broke her heart and she wanted them forever and ever, until she could wed them. Only to have them heart being broken again - perhaps there was no love, but only obedience. She couldn't take it no more, and saw herself as monster, pushing others to do what she wanted, even if they didn't want to. Her emotions pulled the Song of the Gods. However, who knows. We have little to base it on, and this interpretation already suffers from overthinking. In Sea Smoke there is longing for things that were, there this nostalgia. There is this faint choir or somebody speaking but its disturbed, like it was... in the past? A mourning perhaps over something or somebody.
Ritual (Nowhere) - same as Ritual before surgery room. Long notes sounds like wind coming from under door. We know what we have to do and we are close to the end... right? It has to be. After all, it is where must be Alina... right?
The Red Gate - We ought to crawl in Nowhere, and we have now learnt to walk to outside. We exit the hole, to which we entered in the beginning. It is like exiting Plato's cave - before we only have been siting memories and shadows, but now, we have exited to see the truth. And similarly to the beginning, must go through the Gate. But here is someone who's waiting for us. Makes me wonder, if he fell here, or perhaps he too had to go through Nowhere. However, he can't go through gate. Perhaps he's afraid that he will learn the truth, so he prefers to remain in the cave, where he can believe in whatever he was made to believe, without fear of founding out truth. Or perhaps he can't, as the only one who was invited was Elster. He reaches for it, but could he? He says he was here before, and that he never came back. And each time perhaps he dies from his wounds, like we see later Elster(s). He want to know what destroyed his Commander, his Falke. Sometimes I wonder, if he really admires her, or is it just a deep demanding feeling he was imprinted in him. But he noticed her changed, and he couldn't gain the same feeling like from before. Perhaps, there was also love between them? Maybe it wasn't just artificial one, but also something that Falke lost beyond the Gate was calling for him. We never hear Falke's thoughts before being 'poisoned' by whatever that lies beyond. I like to think they at least enjoyed each other company. But it also breaks my heart (again). The calm music hints that, perhaps, there is hope. We feel that we are closer.
Die Toteninsel (Emptiness) - Island of the Dead. We walk towards it. The ship in the sea of red sand, surrounded by black rocks. "It doesn't matter", for Elster it never mattered what she finds it there, finding truth was never a goal here. "[Ich] hab kaine angst" - "I have no feaI'm not afraid". The islands appears, a memory to which Elster can't connect - Alina never painted, Alina was with her on the war, Alina... Alina is gone. It still haunts her, but tries anyway. She has to try, she can't go back. But she can't escape it. Finally, Elster understands and breaks (literally). She was never looking for Alina. We learn that all of that was for nothing, that we have achieve nothing, cycle begins again. Elster is filled with her gestalt memories, on who she was, what she wanted and who she loved. But that person is dead, and Elster has to understand that. She has to move on. Music emphasise that, we have this soft piano, but also long notes that gives away us a empty feeling. That we are in vast space, in vast place and we are lost. She is lost... and it ends.
Memory - but who's she looking for? Doesn't matter, she has to ship to check. She wakes up and goes her list.
3000 cycles (I missed you) - "Do you remember now, Elster?" might ask Ariane. "I missed you". Ariane didn't missed some gestalt she found in LSTR's memories. Not a mix between a replika unit and gestalt. She missed her Elster, her Elster. She shows us the best memories, their kiss and their dance. The best thing she can give Elster - something to remember. Now they will play their favourite music and live with the moment... Until she is hit with once again, with familiar signal. It tells us to not be afraid that we failed. Failures are part of self-discovery. That there is somebody that waits for her, not her gestalt her, but her as who she is now. She's not a robot, she's not a replika, she is not a copy of somebody that is long dead - she is she, she is a person. And she made a promise. Our promise, she and Ariane. And now, she has to keep it.
Near Dark by the Pond - it's more a signal than a track. It's for Elster, so she could follow.
Lived in - She made a promise. She has to remember our promise. A long hunting voices sounds like screams, perhaps screams of pain that Ariane made when radiation was taking life from her one by one, teeth by teeth, hair by hair, while keeping her awake, so she could feel it all.
I can't stop now - heavy music, working on machine. While previously it suggested her being endlessly going machine, now it means being remade, reworked. She takes literally takes something from her past mistakes and fix it her. I like to think that Elster lying there is Elster from Memory. That somehow, we also create cycle, so that could next Elster succeed.
Rouge Wave - twisted and changed. We are back. The more intense music feels more like a action music, just before the main action is about to happen. We, and Elster know what has to be done. We no longer go around looking for clues. Now, we are on the mission.
You have changed - it feels cryptic, as we see yet another hole to jump into, but also more sincere. While previous times we might had been hesitate, now we know where to go. I wonder, if that hole was made for us by Ariane, as a way to give us shortcut through Sierpinski. And who has changed? We? Elster? Sierpinski? Adler? Falke? ...Ariane? I think they all could say this to each other.
Cigarette Wife - it feels like a chase music, which is creates interesting comparison to what what is just a elevator music. This is another one with interesting title, to which I have no idea what it connect to. Perhaps is another reference to something I am too stupid to find/see. However, the chase in the music fits great with "I wear no mask". Perhaps Adler finally went through the Gate in this cycle, and now understand why things changes. His losing his face indicates that he had enough of trying to keep it all as things were. They were rip apart and put back, in a way that doesn't match as it was (for him). A kiss he gives Falke leaves me wonder, if Ariane projected on him Elster emotions, and on Falke her? That perhaps they are both (Adler and Falke) caricatures of what Elster and Ariane are. Or perhaps he really had feeling, true feeling for Falke, and she did for him, and in that way, he hopes to wake her up, like a prince that came to princess. But nothing happens. Everything is whole again, and he hates it. He hates how everything was destroyed and rebuild, and in this world, there is no place for him and for Falke. Or perhaps, its about Falke, in which Ariane and Elster memories are stored. She was made whole, but it was gluing mismatched puzzles to each other. She's whole, and she hates it.
Rotfront (Moon) - it's transition. A transformation of Sierpinski into something else, something alien, but now familiar. Ariane helped remember something Elster forgot, now she wants Elster to help Ariane remember what was.
Dream Diary - a soft music on which we feel that we walk over surreal world. This is dream diary (which we later even find to solve a puzzle). We walk through place where Ariane grow up, learned her place in society, and to be more precise - that in society there was no place for her. Once again, music fills us with melancholic and phlegmatic vibes.
Blockwart - it similar to Riot Control but mixed with Kolibri. It is aggressive, hostile and feels dangerous. I have a feeling that it might come from the raid that was done on Itou bookstore. Perhaps the march of Storchs and Kolibris radio waves still haunts Ariane. The fact that she couldn't do anything about it. She didn't know about her abilities back then, and now when she knows about it, she regrets heavily she couldn't save her only friends.
Teeth - Isa... she couldn't go anymore. She couldn't find Erika, she lost any hope. Perhaps there never was Erika to find. Perhaps through vision of Isa, Ariane tried to save her friends. But she couldn't. She couldn't even tell them apart. Music has this very empty, somehow muffled feel to it, a hurtful past that couldn't be altered. That's why we see "Forgive me" - it's from Ariane to Isa and Erika.
Double Back (VHS Ver.) - a closing to the story, we once hear what we heard at the beginning, where there was still hope.
Home - interesting that home is seen by Ariane not the radio station she connected with happy memories, but one with her aunt's home. Their are only two beds, meaning her aunt was only thing she had back there. And her aunt wasn't, I think, bad, as she tried to take care of her. If not counting school, perhaps there were happy memories. From this track there is a feeling of safety and solitude, mixed with some dream-like vibe.
Ariane's Theme - Artefact Ending. I don't think we help her achieve godhood - Ariane never wanted power, nor she wanted to ascend. No, as it requires from us to finish game at least once, it requires from us use outside knowledge and finding hidden keys, this is for us. We jump to Ariane's point of view, missing how Elster beats Falke and we see that her nightmare of loneliness and being left alone ends, and finally, she can have one last dream - of her, Elster and their dance. And above them? Rotfront's eye, a symbol of home, a place where should would love to take Elster with her. And perhaps now, she can, as they both finally finds each other.
Falke's Theme - it is twisted vesrion of Ariane's Theme. Falke is filled with both of their memories, while also losing herself. She doesn't want to be whole, she want to be freed and be herself. I kinda wonder, what are her issues? Perhaps having feelings for someone? And who was donor? While their are modelled after the Great Revolutionary and her Daughter, they weren't the one to give away their neuron patterns.
Become Whole Again - Falke wants to die. She wants to let go of this forced memories. She knows she isn't the one that Ariane loves, but she has the same feelings for her as Elster. She knows she isn't wanted nor she should be, but it still hurts her. The music has the similar elements to other corrupted replikas, mainly the hitting on steel, like she had problem walking, even when she overs in air. It is a battle, but Falke doesn't want to. The Elster part of her personality doesn't allow her to let go Elster, as Elster doesn't want to kill Ariane. And when she fell, she feel like the memories that was kept in her mind leaves. She is whole again, she is herself, the same way Elster is whole her now.
The Promise - Adler awaits us, and while he tries to stop us, it doesn't matter. I think the thing that kept him uncorrupted was that this whole situation kept him invested. Adlers' units needs new Fetish Objects, new fascination to keep themselves invested and entertained. We can see that, that when he wanted a certain fountain pen, he could sacrifice anything to get it. Now, the desire to break the cycle was the one last Fetish Object that kept him sane, something that he couldn't get bored, as it became his obsession. But, when beaten, gives up, similarly to Isa. He can go no longer. And the moment he gives up, corruption gets hold of it, practically turning him on the spot, as reaction for his prolonged resistance. Elster doesn't care, she is here to keep promise.
Crepuscular - "of, relating to, or resembling twilight; dim; indistinct". This is it, all it could take is to go to her and... She can't. It's too much. She put herself to sleep. The cycle has ended, the night come close, she shall sleep, and soon, she will wake up, to try again. She tried to evade pain, so she couldn't now take it. She have Leave. But also, it's Memory. She doesn't remember her, as it's not her. She is still in between, in between being a replika and being her own person. But she made it. And Ariane sees it. It's not Araine who don't remember, it's Elster who lack her full memory.
Troublesome Creak - I... have no memory of it. Honest. But it's tense, and it feels like ending, but I don't remember it? Does somebody know? But it sounds like a dance, a grand ending, filled with emotions.
Warm Light - the cycle has ended. They can move out. They could never be together, not in this world. But also, music indicates hope and catharsis with it soft piano playing, that perhaps in place where they are going, they will be able to love each other, and dance one more time.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAnd this it the end.
Hey you, yes you. Thanks for reading it, if you did. If you didn't... well, I don't blame you! I wouldn't want to read it too haha. It was stuck in my head, and while I don't think I get all this thins right, I'm glad there is a place where I can drop it, even if probably nobody will read it.
There is not much conclusion on the end. What I wanted to say, I said already and I don't think there is much to add here. I saw so much different interpretations of what happens in the game, thoughts and theories, that I think adding my own 'big brain moments' won't change anybody opinion. And honestly, I love this game for that. It's like, perfection of art - it has it's own value, but also changes tone and shape depending not only the person that looks on it, but also what that person wants to find in it.
TL;DR; the author of this post wanted to listen to music and write short thoughts about it but end up overthinking about space lesbians in dystopian sci-fic. The author has nothing on his defence.

hi i feel that im lagging behind in acads and i have no motivation to study either. my schools studying atmosphere is non existent and i can’t find any like minded ppl to talk to and i feel left out as everyone has made friends alr???? i hope to find someone to study with in the library keep track of each others work,holding each other accountable. i take BCMe and would prefer someone who lives in upper thomson/bishan/amk/tpy/serangoon area as my parents don’t allow me to travel far. pls pm me if interested thanks:)))

eto sana tau if we vibe:
• ikaw na mahilig sa coffee shop mag aral but as a broke student me, nasa public library. ubos ang pera kaka-oreo cheesecake milk tea I LUV THAI TEAAA
• nag aayang mag aral or kung tinatamad sumbong mo sakin, pagalitan kita with walis 😤. wag sana tau sabay tamarin huhubelss.
• as a tamad mag reply, doesn't usually check socmeds AM SOWWYYY NA AGAD 🙈🥹. you can call me if u have chika and i will type my tuts cuz I'm not a fan of vc but I can adjust naman for uuuu.
• i can cheer u up if you're having a bad day, but pls expect me na i'm more a non-conversationalist, listener-type friend.
• we can binge watch k-drama, c-drama and anime/studio ghibli films if we have free time or done na mag aral or house chores. (currently watching: Queen of Tears and Hidden Love; long hiatus sa Moriarty the Patriot)
• sabay making kay inang Taylor, Paramore and Avril lavigne if bored or kinda have mixed emotions or share music taste natin.
• sana mahilig ka mang ayaaa (online lang po). pwede us mag voice call (defean, unmute, mute) para mag muni-muni, sleep call (maaga aq natutulog), watch movies (share screen), doing house chores, morning walks, makinig sa sea waves or ulan. video call if nasa labas ka, unwinding in nature or grocery shopping. any mundane activities. anueee pa baa??? wala na q maisip. i message mo na lang yung iba HAHHHAHA
• download ko ulit locket widget and add kitaaa.
• u can share memes, spill tea or chika galing fb, tiktok etc pero walang aq alam sa current trends kaya minsan I'm slow???
• I hope you're either two years younger or three years older than me
sawa na 'ko sa introduction huehue. eto na po, about me?
• ulyanin, introvert and tahimik • not chronically online • usad pagong mag reply • kabute kind of friend lol • i don't usually check socmeds apps, naka hide except sa messenger for acads & update sa fam. • a fan of rnb/krnb and soul • can speak bisaya, tagalog and english
if g ka, hmu and send something interesting!!
note: any messages not related to my post will not be entertained.