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2024.06.02 10:45 AgentCast [Online] [5e] [LGBTQ+ only] [Fridays / Saturdays 6 pm - 10 pm CEST] [2/3 Players wanted] Call for the Many (Steven Universe Campaign) [OPEN]
I've been a bit hessitant to post this here simply because I'm really anxious about everything! But I thought, if 4 people liked this idea enough to play it with us, it can't be that bad.
So hello! My name's Cast (any pronouns), I'm going to be the DM of this campaign, alongside a coDm who will be helping me with some background stuff.
I've been a DM for about 4 years, and I've played (as a player) a couple of incomplete campaigns. I'm a bit anxious, but usually get more comfortable with people when I DM and we chat for a while.
We currently have 2 confirmed players who we'll introduce in session 0, and we're looking to make a party of 5 (though we may increase it to 6 if possible and needed)
I know what you're thinking, a Steven universe campaign in 2024?
And yeah! It's honestly a show that's meant a lot to a ton of us, with great unexplored lore that keeps me interested in writing about it and making plans with my players!
Dnd 5e official lore can get repetitive and boring at times, after you've read and played all the campaigns about bad drows and funny goblins. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy the classics, Curse of strahd is my favourite campaign ever, but what about trying something different that we've all grown loving? Why not make your cringe 2013 cringe gemsona real?
Some notes before I go into explaining what the campaign will be about:
* This is a queer only campaign for a simple reason, it's gonna have heavy queer themes that are mostly going to connect with queer folk! And coincidentally, all the already invited players and DMs ended up being trans, so we just feel it's fitting.
* Newbie players are more than welcome, though we do need someone who knows and is passionate about Steven Universe. If you join a game as a newbie for a game full of lore you don't like or understand, it's not gonna be enjoyable for you!
THE CAMPAIGN
The campaign is going to be a re telling / re skin version of the Call of the Netherdeep campaign. I will of course ask you to have not played nor dmed this campaign, and to not look anything up about it. It's more fun if you don't know what you're going to encounter! And I heavily improvise and homebrew a lot of stuff, so it won't even match up with it most of the time
So, what's it about?
Call for the Many is a setting based on the unexplored and alien world of Steven Universe. It takes place before the told story and we'll not be adding any of its main characters other than the necessary (Diamonds are a must, and some videogame cameos may occur)
Some of the canon aspects will be ignored or changed to fit a narrative that fits DnD 5e and allows more customization for the players.
The campaign starts in the planet of Ananke, in the Emerald Meadows. A festival is being celebrated by none other than Pink Diamond herself. Small groups of gems will be able to participate in the name of their diamond to earn points, and by the end of the festival, they'll encounter something, or rather someone, that will change the course of their actions for the rest of their adventures.
It is a 1-12 lvl campaign with aspects of war and dictatorship and its consequences, corruption and redemption, mental health depictions, underwater exploration and body horror.
It's still a dnd game, and it's still a Steven universe inspired game, so it'll have it's fair share of silly stuff of course!
*Also, please take note that anything I say here is not canon and may change when session 0 happens depending on the players triggers and preferences!
What will I be able to play?
Any gem, really!
We've separated gems into caste categories that you'll choose according to the type of gem you want to play. You may choose an existing gem, or make a new one that's not seen in the canon before.
We're also allowing pebbles, as well as humans and permafusions.
Here's a handy document made mostly by my lovely CoDM to explain the different choices you have.
[Link]
Classes will stay the same, it's still dnd 5e after all! All official classes and subclasses are permitted, as well as any expansion book other than Unearthed Arcana (UA)
What homebrew rules will you be using?
Not many, honestly! I'm not a dm who follows the rules strictly as stated, but one of the things I love most about dnd is powerscaling stuff, making it a challenge for my players, and that cannot happen without a strict set of rules.
However, I do have a couple changes; some personal, some relevant to the campaign
I can't tell you exactly when it'll start, but I can estimate that I'll have it semi prepared in a month or so, but I prefer doing session 0 and characters beforehand so I can tie the campaign around you and not the other way around!
We'll play either Fridays or Saturdays from 6 pm to 9/10 pm CEST.
We'll have a couple or sessions to level up your characters from 1 to 3 before the main story, but this will also be a good time to test if we're truly a match. You don't like how I dm, or a ruling Im strict about? You're not into the story? You suddenly realize youre not free anymore? It's okay! We'll be sad to let you go, but we all understand, and I wouldn't want to jump directly into a campaign without knowing if we're comfortable with eachother.
I'd love to have 4 sessions a month, but I cannot promise that since I have a job, and I do need to eat. The minimum will be 2 a month! Hopefully more!
What do I need to do to apply?
First of all, are you a match?
WE NEED:
* someone 17 or older. Most of us are (considered) adults, and I rather keep it consistent!
* Know about SU lore, and be interested in it
* Have the same passion for DnD as us. I know we all don't have the time to include this into our routine, but prepping and DMing take a lot of time, we need someone who won't bail on us every Friday because they can't make it.
* Queer!
* Newbies, forever DMs, experienced players, they're all allowed. But please note, join because you like dnd 5e too, not just the universe !
Are you a match? Then feel free to complete this survey!
[Link]
They're just a couple of quick questions to know you a bit better before I send you a message. I have an awful memory, so having a place where all the info is stored and named makes my job easier and more enjoyable!
It's also less anxiety inducing to answer to some pre written questions than to contact me directly, I imagine.
Any questions? Am I a bit dumb and have forgotten to answer some obvious thing I should've said?
Please feel free to ask in the comments, shoot me a DM or leave it somewhere in the attached form.
submitted by AgentCast to lfg [link] [comments]
So hello! My name's Cast (any pronouns), I'm going to be the DM of this campaign, alongside a coDm who will be helping me with some background stuff.
I've been a DM for about 4 years, and I've played (as a player) a couple of incomplete campaigns. I'm a bit anxious, but usually get more comfortable with people when I DM and we chat for a while.
We currently have 2 confirmed players who we'll introduce in session 0, and we're looking to make a party of 5 (though we may increase it to 6 if possible and needed)
I know what you're thinking, a Steven universe campaign in 2024?
And yeah! It's honestly a show that's meant a lot to a ton of us, with great unexplored lore that keeps me interested in writing about it and making plans with my players!
Dnd 5e official lore can get repetitive and boring at times, after you've read and played all the campaigns about bad drows and funny goblins. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy the classics, Curse of strahd is my favourite campaign ever, but what about trying something different that we've all grown loving? Why not make your cringe 2013 cringe gemsona real?
Some notes before I go into explaining what the campaign will be about:
* This is a queer only campaign for a simple reason, it's gonna have heavy queer themes that are mostly going to connect with queer folk! And coincidentally, all the already invited players and DMs ended up being trans, so we just feel it's fitting.
* Newbie players are more than welcome, though we do need someone who knows and is passionate about Steven Universe. If you join a game as a newbie for a game full of lore you don't like or understand, it's not gonna be enjoyable for you!
THE CAMPAIGN
The campaign is going to be a re telling / re skin version of the Call of the Netherdeep campaign. I will of course ask you to have not played nor dmed this campaign, and to not look anything up about it. It's more fun if you don't know what you're going to encounter! And I heavily improvise and homebrew a lot of stuff, so it won't even match up with it most of the time
So, what's it about?
Call for the Many is a setting based on the unexplored and alien world of Steven Universe. It takes place before the told story and we'll not be adding any of its main characters other than the necessary (Diamonds are a must, and some videogame cameos may occur)
Some of the canon aspects will be ignored or changed to fit a narrative that fits DnD 5e and allows more customization for the players.
The campaign starts in the planet of Ananke, in the Emerald Meadows. A festival is being celebrated by none other than Pink Diamond herself. Small groups of gems will be able to participate in the name of their diamond to earn points, and by the end of the festival, they'll encounter something, or rather someone, that will change the course of their actions for the rest of their adventures.
It is a 1-12 lvl campaign with aspects of war and dictatorship and its consequences, corruption and redemption, mental health depictions, underwater exploration and body horror.
It's still a dnd game, and it's still a Steven universe inspired game, so it'll have it's fair share of silly stuff of course!
*Also, please take note that anything I say here is not canon and may change when session 0 happens depending on the players triggers and preferences!
What will I be able to play?
Any gem, really!
We've separated gems into caste categories that you'll choose according to the type of gem you want to play. You may choose an existing gem, or make a new one that's not seen in the canon before.
We're also allowing pebbles, as well as humans and permafusions.
Here's a handy document made mostly by my lovely CoDM to explain the different choices you have.
[Link]
Classes will stay the same, it's still dnd 5e after all! All official classes and subclasses are permitted, as well as any expansion book other than Unearthed Arcana (UA)
What homebrew rules will you be using?
Not many, honestly! I'm not a dm who follows the rules strictly as stated, but one of the things I love most about dnd is powerscaling stuff, making it a challenge for my players, and that cannot happen without a strict set of rules.
However, I do have a couple changes; some personal, some relevant to the campaign
- Healing potions as a bonus action. Pretty common rule, most people use it.
- Inspiration points can be used to re roll any of your OR your companions checks, if both parties agree
- All backgrounds will be custom made, but we'll make em with you, so don't worry!
- Exhaustion. Not exactly a rule change, just a clarification. This campaign uses the exhaustion mechanic, and we will be using the dnd 5e rule. Sorry y'all, I know it sucks!
- The help action for skill checks require proficiency in said skill. If you don't have it, don't worry! You can still help! You'll need to roll said check, and if it's a 10 or up, they get advantage.
- Death saves are private. I just feel it makes them scarier!
- You tell me what you want to do, I'll tell you what to roll! Just makes it a bit easier for me to know what you're looking for.
- You're free to play any weird combo you wanna play, just know it'll raise their cr as well as yours. This doesn't mean I'm okay with players actively trying to break the game, I'm just okay with people enjoying min maxing as long as it doesn't cause a problem with any of the other players. If it causes them to get bored because you're doing all the killing, well need to change something! Everyone wants to play
I can't tell you exactly when it'll start, but I can estimate that I'll have it semi prepared in a month or so, but I prefer doing session 0 and characters beforehand so I can tie the campaign around you and not the other way around!
We'll play either Fridays or Saturdays from 6 pm to 9/10 pm CEST.
We'll have a couple or sessions to level up your characters from 1 to 3 before the main story, but this will also be a good time to test if we're truly a match. You don't like how I dm, or a ruling Im strict about? You're not into the story? You suddenly realize youre not free anymore? It's okay! We'll be sad to let you go, but we all understand, and I wouldn't want to jump directly into a campaign without knowing if we're comfortable with eachother.
I'd love to have 4 sessions a month, but I cannot promise that since I have a job, and I do need to eat. The minimum will be 2 a month! Hopefully more!
What do I need to do to apply?
First of all, are you a match?
WE NEED:
* someone 17 or older. Most of us are (considered) adults, and I rather keep it consistent!
* Know about SU lore, and be interested in it
* Have the same passion for DnD as us. I know we all don't have the time to include this into our routine, but prepping and DMing take a lot of time, we need someone who won't bail on us every Friday because they can't make it.
* Queer!
* Newbies, forever DMs, experienced players, they're all allowed. But please note, join because you like dnd 5e too, not just the universe !
Are you a match? Then feel free to complete this survey!
[Link]
They're just a couple of quick questions to know you a bit better before I send you a message. I have an awful memory, so having a place where all the info is stored and named makes my job easier and more enjoyable!
It's also less anxiety inducing to answer to some pre written questions than to contact me directly, I imagine.
Any questions? Am I a bit dumb and have forgotten to answer some obvious thing I should've said?
Please feel free to ask in the comments, shoot me a DM or leave it somewhere in the attached form.
2024.06.02 10:18 Serious-Pen-5908 🎉 Welcome to Grow your business - AS VISION! 🎉
We're thrilled to have you join our community of passionate entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals committed to taking their businesses to new heights. Whether you're just starting out or looking to expand your existing enterprise, you've come to the right place!
Here in Grow your business - AS VISION, we believe in the power of collaboration, innovation, and support. This group is designed to be a hub for sharing valuable insights, practical advice, and inspiring stories to help each member succeed.
👉 Here’s how you can make the most of this group:
Once again, welcome to Grow your business - AS VISION. Here’s to your success! 🚀
submitted by Serious-Pen-5908 to GrowyourbusinessAS [link] [comments]
Here in Grow your business - AS VISION, we believe in the power of collaboration, innovation, and support. This group is designed to be a hub for sharing valuable insights, practical advice, and inspiring stories to help each member succeed.
👉 Here’s how you can make the most of this group:
- Introduce Yourself: Tell us about your business, what you do, and what you hope to achieve. We love getting to know our members!
- Ask Questions: No question is too big or too small. Our community is here to help with advice, feedback, and solutions.
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Once again, welcome to Grow your business - AS VISION. Here’s to your success! 🚀
2024.06.02 10:18 dawnstrata1996 Feedback needed on Wilderness Five - a 100,000 word space opera novel about accelerated evolution. Style inspired by James S. A. Corey, Iain Banks, and Alastair Reynolds. I need your feedback - free copy download linked in the post.
About me: I'm a planetary scientist and newly self-published author seeking advice and feedback. I work at the University of Cambridge and ETH Zurich, hunting for life beyond Earth. Critique wanted for the world building, writing style, and overall pacing/plot of my novel: Wilderness Five. I am also particularly keen to know if the characters grow on you throughout.
Blurb:
Manifold technology promises to save humanity from itself: transforming rocky wastelands into verdant new ecosystems. Bryn of Marineris promises to save humanity from the Manifold.
Years ago, when Wilderness Five - the farthest from the Sun of the great ring worlds - was almost completely consumed by a singularity, Bryn promised the System that such a disaster would never happen again. When Bryn discovers that a trillionaire is conducting manifold alteration of pre-humans on Wilderness Five, he is drawn back to the scene of the original crime.
What he uncovers will change everything. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance. After all, nothing lasts forever.
Free EPUB download link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/81dnojsck2km3hin00lx7/W5.epub?rlkey=67vf9j8uqqa77ufrb7tawrdvt&st=lbvuw9pp&dl=0
If you have feedback, let me know on here or just email me: crw59@cam.ac.uk
My inspirations: Alastair Reynolds, James S. A. Corey, Iain Banks
The cover
https://preview.redd.it/o2hww2l8944d1.jpg?width=2421&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a88bea5f5b46c2019d650c896a88fdac3f987a0
submitted by dawnstrata1996 to scifiwriting [link] [comments]
Blurb:
Manifold technology promises to save humanity from itself: transforming rocky wastelands into verdant new ecosystems. Bryn of Marineris promises to save humanity from the Manifold.
Years ago, when Wilderness Five - the farthest from the Sun of the great ring worlds - was almost completely consumed by a singularity, Bryn promised the System that such a disaster would never happen again. When Bryn discovers that a trillionaire is conducting manifold alteration of pre-humans on Wilderness Five, he is drawn back to the scene of the original crime.
What he uncovers will change everything. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance. After all, nothing lasts forever.
Free EPUB download link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/81dnojsck2km3hin00lx7/W5.epub?rlkey=67vf9j8uqqa77ufrb7tawrdvt&st=lbvuw9pp&dl=0
If you have feedback, let me know on here or just email me: crw59@cam.ac.uk
My inspirations: Alastair Reynolds, James S. A. Corey, Iain Banks
The cover
https://preview.redd.it/o2hww2l8944d1.jpg?width=2421&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a88bea5f5b46c2019d650c896a88fdac3f987a0
2024.06.02 10:12 Sweet-Count2557 Best Brunch in Galveston Tx
 | Best Brunch in Galveston Tx Looking for the best brunch spots in Galveston, TX? We've got you covered!In this vibrant seaside city, you'll find a wide range of mouthwatering options to satisfy every brunch lover. From seafood-based entrees to Mexican flavors and Southern comfort food, Galveston has it all.Get ready to dive into the top brunch spots that offer unique ambiance, live entertainment, cozy atmospheres, and homemade comfort food.Whether you're a seafood aficionado, a lover of comfort food, or a fan of Mexican cuisine, Galveston has the perfect brunch spot for you.Let's explore the best brunch options this city has to offer!Key TakeawaysGalveston, TX offers a variety of restaurants with diverse brunch options.Each restaurant has its own unique ambiance and decor, providing a different experience for brunch-goers.The brunch menus in Galveston feature a combination of classic dishes with unique twists.Seafood-based dishes are prominent in many of the brunch menus, reflecting the coastal location of Galveston.Top Seafood Brunch Spots in Galveston TxBased on our knowledge, there are several top seafood brunch spots in Galveston, TX. These include BLVD Seafood, KritiKos Grill, Marios Seawall Italian Restaurant, Millers Seawall Grill, and Riondos Ristorante. Each of these restaurants offers a unique dining experience with a variety of dishes prepared from fresh ingredients.BLVD Seafood is known for its elegant ambiance and specializes in seafood-based entrees.KritiKos Grill offers a fusion of Mediterranean and American cuisine, with a focus on fresh seafood options.Marios Seawall Italian Restaurant serves up delicious Italian dishes with a seafood twist.Millers Seawall Grill offers a casual dining experience with a menu that features a variety of seafood and meat options.Riondos Ristorante is a charming Italian restaurant that serves up delectable seafood dishes.These seafood brunch spots in Galveston are perfect for those looking to enjoy a satisfying meal while taking in the coastal atmosphere. Whether you're a seafood lover or looking to try something new, these restaurants are sure to leave you satisfied.Must-Try International Brunch Restaurants in Galveston TxLet's explore the top three must-try international brunch restaurants in Galveston, TX. When it comes to international flavors, BLVD Seafood, KritiKos Grill, and Marios Seawall Italian Restaurant are the go-to places.BLVD Seafood offers a sophisticated dining experience with their fresh seafood dishes and unique ambiance.KritiKos Grill, on the other hand, specializes in Greek cuisine, serving mouthwatering Mediterranean dishes that will transport you to the streets of Athens.Marios Seawall Italian Restaurant is known for its authentic Italian flavors, offering a wide range of pasta and pizza options that will satisfy any craving.At BLVD Seafood, you can indulge in their signature seafood-based entrees, while KritiKos Grill will delight you with their traditional Greek dishes like moussaka and souvlaki. Marios Seawall Italian Restaurant, on the other hand, offers classic Italian brunch items like eggs benedict with a twist of Italian flavors.Now that we've explored the international options, let's move on to the cozy cafes and bakeries for brunch in Galveston, TX.Cozy Cafes and Bakeries for Brunch in Galveston TxWe've found five cozy cafes and bakeries in Galveston, TX that are perfect for brunch. These establishments offer a delightful combination of delicious food, charming ambiance, and friendly service.First on our list is ShyKatz Deli & Bakery, known for its homemade comfort food. Located just minutes away from the beachfront, this cozy spot offers a range of brunch items, including classic dishes with a unique twist.Next, we've Mosquito Cafe, situated in a historic building from the 1870s. This American dining establishment focuses on using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Their brunch menu is diverse, offering something for everyone.Farley Girls Cafe is another must-visit place for brunch. Renowned for its homemade comfort food, this cafe provides a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Whether you're in the mood for a hearty breakfast or a light brunch, Farley Girls Cafe has got you covered.Gypsy Joynt, a family-owned dining establishment, offers a vibrant and eclectic atmosphere. Located along Stewart Road, this cafe serves up a variety of brunch options, including vegetarian and gluten-free choices.Lastly, we've The Rooftop Bar, a refined dining establishment located at The Tremont House. This luxurious 4-star hotel provides a breathtaking view of Galveston and offers a delectable brunch menu.Overall, these cozy cafes and bakeries in Galveston, TX are perfect for brunch lovers seeking a combination of great food and a charming atmosphere.Southern Comfort Brunches in Galveston TxI think we should try the Southern comfort brunches in Galveston, TX; they're known for their delicious and hearty dishes that will satisfy any brunch craving.Galveston is home to a variety of restaurants that offer Southern comfort food with a unique twist. Here are two options to consider:The Gumbo Diner: This restaurant specializes in Southern comfort food with a Cajun twist. Located along Seawall Boulevard, The Gumbo Diner has been serving up mouthwatering dishes since 1997. From fluffy biscuits and gravy to savory shrimp and grits, their brunch menu is sure to please. Don't forget to try their signature gumbo for a taste of authentic Southern cuisine.ShyKatZ Deli & Bakery: If you're in the mood for homemade comfort food, ShyKatZ is the place to go. Just a few minutes away from the beachfront, this renowned breakfast joint and deli offers a cozy atmosphere and a menu filled with Southern favorites. Indulge in their fluffy pancakes, hearty chicken and waffles, or their famous biscuits and gravy.Whether you choose The Gumbo Diner or ShyKatZ Deli & Bakery, you can expect a brunch experience that's full of flavor and Southern charm. So, gather your friends and family, and get ready to enjoy a satisfying and comforting brunch in Galveston, TX.Unique Brunch Experiences in Galveston TxThere are several options for unique brunch experiences in Galveston, TX, such as BLVD Seafood, KritiKos Grill, and Marios Seawall Italian Restaurant. BLVD Seafood offers a sophisticated atmosphere with a focus on seafood-based entrees and other meat options. KritiKos Grill provides a taste of Mediterranean cuisine with its fresh ingredients and unique flavors. Marios Seawall Italian Restaurant combines traditional Italian dishes with a seaside twist, offering a delightful brunch experience. Each of these restaurants has its own ambiance and decor, providing a distinct atmosphere for brunch-goers.For those looking for a different brunch experience, Galveston also offers a variety of other options. Yagas Cafe, Hearsay On The Strand, and Sunflower Bakery & Cafe are popular choices. Yagas Cafe not only serves delicious food but also offers live entertainment on selected nights. Sunflower Bakery & Cafe provides a cozy atmosphere and caters to vegetarian and gluten-free preferences. Mosquito Cafe, ShyKatz Deli & Bakery, and Farley Girls Cafe are known for their homemade comfort food and unique twists on classic brunch dishes. The Gumbo Diner, The Original Mexican Cafe, and Fisherman's Wharf specialize in Southern comfort food, authentic Mexican flavors, and fresh seafood, respectively.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat Are the Gluten-Free Options Available at the Top Seafood Brunch Spots in Galveston, Tx?At the top seafood brunch spots in Galveston, TX, there are several gluten-free options available. Some restaurants offer dishes like the Texas Omelet with mixed greens, smoked brisket, jalapenos, fried potato hash, cheddar, Pico de gallo, and avocados.Another option is the Chicken Chilaquiles Verdes, a Mexican-style dish made with corn chips, avocados, spicy roasted tomatillo salsa, queso fresco, a fried egg, pickled onions, cilantro, and crema.These brunch spots cater to various dietary needs while still providing delicious seafood options.Are There Any Vegetarian or Vegan Options at the Must-Try International Brunch Restaurants in Galveston, Tx?There are several must-try international brunch restaurants in Galveston, TX.We haven't discussed whether they offer vegetarian or vegan options. However, based on our knowledge of these establishments, it's likely that some of them do provide such options.For instance, Sunflower Bakery & Cafe is known to offer vegetarian and gluten-free dishes.Additionally, Olympia Grill at Pier 21 specializes in Greek and Mediterranean cuisine, which often includes vegetarian options.It would be advisable to check with each restaurant directly for specific details.Do the Cozy Cafes and Bakeries for Brunch in Galveston, TX Offer Any Specialty or Seasonal Brunch Dishes?The cozy cafes and bakeries in Galveston, TX offer a variety of specialty and seasonal brunch dishes. From Sunflower Bakery & Cafe's vegetarian and gluten-free options to ShyKatz Deli & Bakery and Farley Girls Cafe's homemade comfort food, there's something for everyone.Mosquito Cafe focuses on using fresh, locally sourced ingredients in their brunch creations. Each restaurant puts their own unique twist on classic brunch dishes, making for a delightful and satisfying meal.Are There Any Brunch Spots in Galveston, TX That Offer a Southern-Style Vegan or Vegetarian Brunch?There may be some brunch spots in Galveston, TX that offer a southern-style vegan or vegetarian brunch. However, without the context of 'Best Brunch in Galveston Tx,' it's difficult to specifically identify them.We can provide information about the various restaurants in Galveston that offer a variety of dishes, including vegetarian and gluten-free options. Some of these restaurants may have southern-style brunch options that cater to vegan or vegetarian preferences.What Unique Brunch Experiences Can Be Found in Galveston, TX, Such as Themed Brunch Events or Interactive Dining Experiences?When it comes to unique brunch experiences in Galveston, TX, you can find a variety of options to suit your taste. From themed brunch events to interactive dining experiences, there's something for everyone.Whether you're looking for a Southern-style vegan or vegetarian brunch, or perhaps a New Orleans-inspired brunch with a Cajun twist, Galveston has it all.ConclusionAs the sun sets over the sparkling waters of Galveston, the city comes alive with the aroma of mouthwatering brunch options.Whether you're indulging in fresh seafood, exploring international flavors, cozying up in a quaint cafe, savoring Southern comfort food, or seeking a unique brunch experience, Galveston has it all.Let your taste buds be your guide as you embark on a culinary journey through this vibrant seaside city.Your brunch adventure awaits in Galveston, where every bite is a symbol of the city's rich and diverse culinary scene. submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] |
2024.06.02 06:51 chocolatecauldrons Part II: The Anthology - An Analysis of Each Track
Thank you guys for all your nice comments on my previous post! Here's my followup post walking through the anthology - I apologize for the delay, but I wanted to sit with this half of the album a bit longer. This analysis will be slightly different: first I’ll go through themes present throughout the anthology, and then walk through each song individually, since it’s not as consecutive of a story as the first album. As with my first analysis, I tend to also stay away from literal details as proof that a song is about a certain subject or muse – to me, it’s easier to understand the album when you think first about what the song’s overarching meaning is, rather than getting caught up in literal details (and I think Taylor often throws these in as red herrings). Moreover, it’s important to note that it’s likely that the literal detail she’s thrown in is one that only she and the muse will understand (i.e. her referencing a lilac skirt in imgonnagetyouback is unlikely to be one we’ve ever seen her wearing in public, so it’s useless to paternity test based on that detail!).
Firstly, the word anthology means a collection of assorted literary works. As a result, I think there are more themes scattered through this album, and it’s meant to be a little harder to parse than the first one. I think this album is what TTPD would have been before it crystallized into a tighter theme – similar to the 3 AM tracks for Midnights, the majority of which were written prior to the standard edition’s tracks.
There are a few themes throughout this album. From a romantic context, to me, this album is primarily about Joe. I’ll walk through why I believe that, but this album feels less muddled to me in terms of its muses, and I think that is in part due to the fact that her self-described mania from the standard edition is not a theme on the anthology. This work also covers her own relationship to celebrity and fame, and how that affects her romantic relationships and her personal life in general. And finally, I think the final theme throughout this collection is the idea of childhood, of formative experiences, and how our author goes about processing events that happen to her.
The Black Dog
What happens when you intimately know someone, when you share every aspect of your life with someone, and then it's over? Six weeks after their breakup, she’s barely holding it together (“I move through the world with the heartbroken”). She even tried to rebound her pain away (“I took the miracle move on drug, the effects were temporary”), and wasn’t able to succeed. Meanwhile, she sees him go to a bar, and she has the sudden realization that he may be able to do what she failed to do – he might be able to move on, with someone new. Reckoning with that realization is horrifying. If he is able to pull it off, what does that mean about the love they shared? When he had told her for years that he was who he was for her, and her alone?
You said I needed a bravе man
Then proceeded to play him
Until I believed it too
And it kills me
How could they go from being so intimate that they shower together, that she’s aware of his every move, to being so distant from each other that she wonders if making her fall in love with him was a hazing? And the cruelest part of it is – she doesn’t want either one of them to be able to move on, and give validity to the fact that they weren’t right for each other, even though she knows they have to. Moreover, she’s already *tried* to move on at this point, and failed – she tried to manufacture a counterfeit version of their intimacy, but what if he’s able to perfectly replicate it? And to really drive in the knife, what if it’s with someone younger than her?
And you jump up, but she's too young to know this song
That was intertwined in the magic fabric of our dreaming
Given that a theme throughout the first album was her feeling like she’d given him so much of her youth, so much of her childbearing years, with nothing to show for it, what does it feel like to know that he can essentially reset time, by being with a younger woman, but she’ll never be able to get that time back?
imgonnagetyouback
We know that her and Joe took a break or two while they were together (see: Hits Different, The Great War, in addition to PR articles). To me, this song is about when you do take that break from your partner, and you’re trying to make a point to them that they’re not going to find anyone better than you (I can tell when somebody still wants me, come clean) – the two of you are too intimately intertwined to find a suitable replacement. You know what to wear, what to say, what to do to bring them back to you:
I, I hear thе whispers in your eyes
I'll make you wanna think twice
You'll find that you were never not mine
This song also has a lot of similarities to So Long, London, which is why I attribute it to Joe. To me, it provides a deeper story to some of the lines she touches on in So Long, London:
I didn't opt in to be your odd man out
I founded the club she's heard great things about
And to some of the lines in Hits Different:
I washed my hands of us at the club
You made a mess of me
I pictured you with other girls in love
Then threw up on the street
//
Bet I could still melt your world
Argumentative, antithetical dream girl
imgonnagetyouback is a story of one-upmanship – of trying to out-jealous your partner, of proving to them that nobody knows them better than you do. And maybe this time when they’re both playing this game, it works:
Push the reset button, we're becomin' something new
Say you got somebody, I'll say I got someone too
Even if it's handcuffed, I'm leavin' here with you
//
We broke all the pieces, but still wanna play the game (Oh)
Told my friends I hate you, but I love you just the same
Pick your poison, babe, I'm poison either way
The spacing to me is a deliberate red herring (the 1975 very famously made a song called fallingforyou), and a way to illustrate that the subject of the song wants space from her – but she’s not going to give it to him. This is another theme that calls back to Joe – in So Long, London, she describes him as constantly pulling away (Pulled him in tighter each time he was driftin' away). Matty didn’t pull away – he was all in for two weeks, until he chose to ghost her, and leave abruptly. There was no slow death, no push and pull to her relationship with Matty – it was a meteoric rise and fall.
The Albatross
This song feels like a sister song to “peace” – she describes what it’s like to love her. It’s a little more twisted, however, as she describes her love for her partner as both a danger, and a rescue from the danger she’s imposing on him by being involved with him:
Wise men once said
"Wild winds are death to the candle"
A rose by any other name is a scandal
Cautions issued, he stood
Shooting the messengers
They tried to warn him about her
She’s described herself as wind and liquor in her relationship with Joe previously, in Mastermind:
I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails
And the liquor in our cocktails
She has empathy for the narrator, but disdain for herself. There’s also acceptance though: she knows that she tried to prevent it, and tried to warn him about the danger she posed. In the end though, he chose this life with her, and he chose the danger – there’s only so much she can protect him from.
The devil that you know
Looks now more like an angel
I'm the life you chose
And all this terrible danger
Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus
This song feels like another sister song to The Black Dog – how does she cope with the idea that her long-time partner might move on? How does she cope with the fact that if she chooses to leave, she also chooses the future in which they both move on? A future in which they don’t know each other? It also touches on her wondering if she should move on with Matty, and how feasible it would be to know someone else instead of her partner:
If you want to tear my world apart
Just say you've always wondered
This song, more than anything else, illustrates that moving on with Matty was nothing but a way to move past Joe – what she really wants, more than anything, is a response greater than indifference from Joe:
As the decade would play us for fools
And you saw my bones out with somebody new
Who seemed like he would've bullied you in school
And you just watched it happen
There’s also the realization that Joe may never love who she is now – who she was at the beginning of their relationship will always be who he prefers:
If you want to break my cold, cold heart
Just say, 'I loved you the way that you were'
She’s trying desperately to find some way to make up for the fact that she had to leave Joe, that there was nothing she could do to stay – she tried changing everything about herself, but still, the need to leave him eventually caught up with her:
I changed into goddesses, villains and fools
Changed plans and lovers and outfits and rules
All to outrun my desertion of you
And you just watched it
And she wonders whether despite his indifference, and the distance between them, she should still stay:
Could it be enough to just float in your orbit
Can we watch our phantoms like watching wild horses
Cooler in theory but not if you force it
To be, it just didn't happen
But now, they are merely ghosts of who they once were – it’s not possible to force the relationship anymore.
How Did It End?
When a long-term relationship ends, you can point to the factors that led to its demise: a difference of opinions on money, on marriage, on children, and so forth. It is easy to determine the “what” and the “why” of an ending. But what is harder to diagnose is how you both became the versions of yourselves that weren’t on the same page, that were unable to discuss these topics, that couldn’t move past these dilemmas. That is much, much harder to pinpoint, and this is the question Taylor asks in this song. She knows what killed them:
We hereby conduct this post-mortem
He was a hot house flower to my outdoorsman
//
We were blind to unforeseen circumstances
We learn the right steps to different dances (ohh)
And fell victim to interlopers' glances
Lost the game of chance, what are the chances?
But what she still doesn't know is how it happened – how did it end? She also finds the empathy from the media and from the public to be false and selfish – they only want to know what happened to feverishly spread the news like wildfire.
Come one, come all
It's happenin' again
The empathetic hunger descends
We'll tell no one
Except all of our friends
We must know
How did it end?
//
Soon they'll go home to their husbands
Smug 'cause they know they can trust him
Then feverishly calling their cousins (ohh)
//
Say it once again with feeling
What the feeding frenzy wants more than anything is gossip, and they don’t care that she is utterly lost – lost as to why this happened, and lost physically and mentally:
Guess who we ran into at the shops?
Walking in circles like she was lost
How does she give an answer to quell the empathetic hunger, when she herself doesn’t understand exactly how it happened?
So High School
In an album that touches so much on feeling like she’s running out of time to have the future that she wants, and running out of youth to give the various men who come into her life, it is interesting and heartwarming that the song about Travis on the anthology is one that describes being with him as regaining her youth:
The brink of a wrinkle in time
Bittersweet sixteen suddenly
Moreover, another detail to note in this song is the difference in how she describes alcohol and drugs – in nearly every other song on TTPD, alcohol is a vice she uses in her moments of despair, and drugs are what her previous partners turn to in their moments of strife (she also describes the influence of drugs on her partners as something she detests – “sinking in stoned oblivion” and “you needed me but you needed drugs more”). With Travis, she’s not imbibing in any substances – instead, his thoughts and jokes are enough for her:
I'll drink what you think, and I'm high
From smoking your jokes all damn night
Travis is giving her back her youth, making sober promises, and the impression that we get is that they’re building this dreamlike reality together – it’s wholesome, all-American, and high-school-inspired, yet still grounded in something tangible, unlike the promise of fate and destiny, which powered her relationship with Joe and her entanglement with Matty.
I Hate It Here
More than anything, I think this song illustrates how Taylor sometimes uses escapism and maladaptive daydreaming to ignore the reality of the situation she’s dealing with. She recognizes that it’s not possible to stay where she is, locked inside this prison of stagnation and boredom:
If comfort is a construct
I don't believe in good luck
Now that I know what's what
She recognizes that this isn’t what she used to be, and that she never intended to choose this life of secrecy, perhaps alluding to all those years she spent “locked inside her house”:
You see I was a debutante in another life but
Now I seem to be scared to go outside
She describes herself as finding hope in the places her mind creates (seemingly alluding to her creation of characters and places for folklore and evermore):
I hate it here so I will go to
secret gardens in my mind
People need a key to get to
The only one is mine
I read about it in a book when I was a precocious child
And her escapism into her past, and imaginings of what could have been:
I hate it here so I will go to
Lunar valleys in my mind
When they found a better planet
Only the gentle survived
I dreamed about it in the dark
The night I felt like I might die
All throughout the song, there’s recognition that she doesn’t want to be here – she doesn’t want to feel as if the only place she can be free is in these imaginary worlds she creates. But there’s also concession – is she perhaps only destined for an eternal consolation prize? For loneliness? For imagined romanticism? For the fantasy of how she imagined her life and her love to be?
I'm lonely but I'm good
I'm bitter but I swear I'm fine
I'll save all my romanticism for my inner life and I'll get lost on
purpose
This place made me feel worthless
Lucid dreams like electricity, the current flies through me,
and in my fantasies I rise above it
And way up there, I actually love it
thanK you aIMee
This song, along with a few others in the latter half of the anthology, discusses the loss of innocence she felt in key moments of her life. This one quite obviously alludes to Kim Kardashian, and their infamous feud. I will make a separate post on this, but I think people describing this song as petty may not remember the depth of the hate aimed at Taylor in 2016. Kim and Kanye organized a revenge porn music video for Famous, and held a museum exhibit so that people could take pictures with the naked dolls. The night the snapchat videos were released, every Kardashian family member descended upon social media to gleefully celebrate the #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty. The amount of hate Taylor got was so unprecedented that Instagram actually built their comment filtration system because of this incident. It really was that bad.
And every baby step Taylor took (for example, even just posting that she had a good 2017 was met with immediate media backlash) was quite literally mocked across the internet. People thought the reputation era was cringey, that she was over, and that she deserved everyone’s ire because she was “proven” to be a liar. She describes this in the song:
Each time that Aimee stomped across my grave
And then she wrote headlines in the local paper
Laughing at each baby step I'd take
And it was always the same searing pain
But the whole time, despite the pain and blood, she was dreaming of the day that she would heal, and dreaming of the day that she would climb her way back to to the mountaintop:
And our town, it looks so small from way up here
//
So I pushed each boulder up that hill
Your words were still just ringing in my head, ringing in my head
What still irks her though, is that this bully who created this entire hate train and organized her downfall will pretend as if it never happened – she will undoubtedly reframe things to make our subject seem overdramatic, petty, and unable to move past the incidents of years ago. Taylor, however, has always been clear about one thing: sometimes, no amount of time can heal you from something that deeply traumatized you.
I Look in People’s Windows
This song to me feels like a sister song to The Black Dog, but a few months after the official end of a relationship. A sub theme that runs through Taylor’s songs about the Joe breakup is the loss of being understood – when you are no longer with a long-term partner, how do you cope with the fact that you move the world knowing everything about this person, but at the same time, not knowing them anymore? Would you peek into their windows just to get a glimpse of what their life looks like now? As anyone who has gone through a breakup knows, the hardest part is often not being privy to the mundane details of that person’s world – their dinner parties, their wine, their friends, and so on.
I look in people's windows
Transfixed by rose golden glows
They have their friends over to drink nice wine
I look in people's windows
In case you're at their table
What if your eyes looked up and met mine
One more time
The Prophecy
The prophecy is devastating. More so than any other song Taylor has ever written, it is full of desperation and longing. All she asks for is to be known, to be understood – to not be perceived as an idea of a woman, or a starlet with no humanity:
Please
I've been on my knees
Change the prophecy
Don't want money
Just someone who wants my company
Let it once be me
Who do I have to speak to
About if they can redo
The prophecy?
It’s striking especially considering how much she laments that leaving Joe means she’s giving up being known – it’s also striking given the fact that in the epilogue poem, she states that neither Joe or Matty ever truly knew her:
He never even scratched the surface
of me.
None of them did.
What she desires beyond fame, beyond notoriety, beyond money, is to be loved and to be known. The song also alludes to her being in therapy, and to finding some sort of consolation that she will find someone to share her life with:
I'm so afraid I sealed my fate
No sign of soulmates
I'm just a paperweight
In shades of greige
Spending my last coin so someone will tell me
It'll be ok
Cassandra
This track is a sister song to thanK you aIMee, and continues exploring the theme of fraught public womanhood we see in Clara Bow and Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me. In this song, Taylor discusses how the validation of women is never publicized in the way that the crucifixion of them is:
When the first stone's thrown, there's screaming
In the streets, there's a raging riot
When it's "Burn the bitch, " they're shrieking
When the truth comes out, it's quiet
Moreover, when women speak up about an issue, they’re often viewed as overdramatic, and unserious. Cassandra, in Greek mythology, was cursed by Apollo to always predict the future accurately, but never be believed. We see this happen every day to women in politics, in the media, and in pop culture:
So, they killed Cassandra first 'cause she feared the worst
And tried to tell the town
So, they set my life in flames, I regret to say
Do you believe me now?
And for Taylor, it’s reminiscent of all the times she’s been the first to speak out about something in the industry – for example, against Scooter Braun and his well-established pattern of bullying, or of the exploitation of artists on streaming services – but never been supported broadly by her peers. They believe her later, but at that point, very few people give her the credit for speaking up in the first place. It’s reminiscent of the Kimye scandal. When the news broke originally, the hatred she received was widespread. But when she was acquitted by the long-form video that leaked, it didn’t receive anywhere near the level of coverage that the original scandal received.
Peter
Peter is another song that touches on both the male muses for this album, and in turn, on the promises various men have given her over her life (we’ll circle back to this in The Manuscript!). It also touches on the theme of waiting that’s seen throughout this album, especially on her songs about Joe – how much time is enough time to give?
Both Matty and Joe were 25 when they met her, and it’s abundantly clear that both men made promises to her: promises of marriage, of children, and of a future. But how long can she wait for these promises to be fulfilled? To Joe, she gives six years of her life and youth, and to Matty, she gives him a chance to prove that he was reformed from the time she knew him last: both men eventually fail. Neither man is ready to give up their childish whims, and she has no choice but to lose hope that either of them ever will.
And you said you'd come and get me but you were 25
And the shelf life of those fantasies has expired
Lost to the lost boys chapter of your life
Forgive me Peter, please know that I tried
To hold onto the days when you were mine
But the woman who sits by the window has turned out the light
Another thing to note is the interesting double meaning of the song title. To peter also means to diminish gradually – much like her faith in both men’s promises.
The Bolter
A lot of the songs Taylor has written about Joe in this album deal with the question of “when is the right time to leave?” When you know that things are stagnant, and you know that you’ve given everything you have to a relationship, you know that you have to leave – but it’s easy to convince yourself if you have a history of “leaving before you get left” that you should ride out this wave, and that this pain might just be temporary.
The Bolter, to me, reflects on Taylor’s history – it seems like she prided herself on being able to see the warning signs, and being able to get out in time.
She's been many places with
Men of many faces
First, they're off to the races
And she's laughing drawin' aces
But, none of it is changin'
That the chariot is waitin'
Hearts are hers for the breakin'
There's an escape in escaping
It’s relevant to TTPD, because likely, she saw not bolting as a sign of growth and maturity. You know that you’ve grown as a person when you don’t abandon ship at the first sign of trouble, but what if there are so many signs of trouble that the truly mature thing to do would be to leave?
Robin
Robin leads into this theme of childhood and innocence that we see further in The Manuscript. The track name is also the name of Aaron Dessner’s child. She ponders how beautiful and sweet it is that we work so hard to protect childhood naivete:
Strings tied to levers,
slowed down clocks tethered,
all this showmanship
To keep it, for you,
In sweetness
And there’s an element of wistfulness to it – don’t we sometimes wish that we could also be protected from the worst the world has to offer?
You have no room in your dreams for regrets
You have no idea
The time will arrive for the cruel and the mean
You'll learn to bounce back just like your trampoline
But now we'll curtail your curiosity
The Manuscript
This song is perhaps the most climactic song on the album. It covers her romantic history up until that point, and starts at the moment she feels everything went awry – and it predates Joe and Matty. Instead, it calls back to the first time she experienced a proper heartbreak, and the first time she lost her childlike innocence in the world – her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal (a time she described as her transition from childhood to womanhood). She describes how they compared licenses, and how he told her that if they had sex, and it was as good as the conversation was, then they would get married, and have a family. He was the first man to make her these promises:
He said that if the sex was half as good as the conversation was
Soon they'd be pushin' strollers
But soon it was over
He tells her that it’s ok that they have an age gap, because she’s so advanced for her age:
She thought about how he said since she was so wise beyond her years
Everything had been above board
She wasn't sure
While dating him, she desperately wants to be older, and starts emulating his behavior:
In the age of him, she wished she was thirty
And made coffee every morning in a French press
And when it’s over, she regresses, and turns back into a child – unable to sleep alone without the comfort of her mother, and unable to eat anything substantial besides the sugary cereal of her youth:
Afterwards she only ate kids' cereal
And couldn't sleep unless it was in her mother's bed
She forces herself to date boys her own age, to not rely on the maturity of an older man to guide her through adulthood, but she can’t help but feel disappointed in their youth:
Then she dated boys who were her own age
With dart boards on the backs of their doors
Finally, as she creates the All Too Well short film, she recognizes the damage he did to her, and how the consequences of that affair have shaped her life since:
And the years passed
Like scenes of a show
The Professor said to write what you know
Lookin' backwards
Might be the only way to move forward
Then the actors
Were hitting their marks
And the slow dance
Was alight with the sparks
And the tears fell
In synchronicity with the score
And at last
She knew what the agony had been for
Everything calls back to this first man, and these original promises – everything she’s been chasing since is reminiscent of this first scar. And just like how releasing All Too Well transformed and healed her, she hopes that by releasing this additional manuscript into the world, it will heal her again. As she describes in the epilogue poem, she is entering all her thoughts, emotions, and pain into evidence – she now asks the audience to process it with her, and thus conclude this process of healing.
The only thing that's left is the manuscript
One last souvenir from my trip to your shores
Now and then I reread the manuscript
But the story isn't mine anymore
If you read all of this - thank you! I enjoyed writing it, and I'm excited to discuss with you all in the replies :)
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Firstly, the word anthology means a collection of assorted literary works. As a result, I think there are more themes scattered through this album, and it’s meant to be a little harder to parse than the first one. I think this album is what TTPD would have been before it crystallized into a tighter theme – similar to the 3 AM tracks for Midnights, the majority of which were written prior to the standard edition’s tracks.
There are a few themes throughout this album. From a romantic context, to me, this album is primarily about Joe. I’ll walk through why I believe that, but this album feels less muddled to me in terms of its muses, and I think that is in part due to the fact that her self-described mania from the standard edition is not a theme on the anthology. This work also covers her own relationship to celebrity and fame, and how that affects her romantic relationships and her personal life in general. And finally, I think the final theme throughout this collection is the idea of childhood, of formative experiences, and how our author goes about processing events that happen to her.
The Black Dog
What happens when you intimately know someone, when you share every aspect of your life with someone, and then it's over? Six weeks after their breakup, she’s barely holding it together (“I move through the world with the heartbroken”). She even tried to rebound her pain away (“I took the miracle move on drug, the effects were temporary”), and wasn’t able to succeed. Meanwhile, she sees him go to a bar, and she has the sudden realization that he may be able to do what she failed to do – he might be able to move on, with someone new. Reckoning with that realization is horrifying. If he is able to pull it off, what does that mean about the love they shared? When he had told her for years that he was who he was for her, and her alone?
You said I needed a bravе man
Then proceeded to play him
Until I believed it too
And it kills me
How could they go from being so intimate that they shower together, that she’s aware of his every move, to being so distant from each other that she wonders if making her fall in love with him was a hazing? And the cruelest part of it is – she doesn’t want either one of them to be able to move on, and give validity to the fact that they weren’t right for each other, even though she knows they have to. Moreover, she’s already *tried* to move on at this point, and failed – she tried to manufacture a counterfeit version of their intimacy, but what if he’s able to perfectly replicate it? And to really drive in the knife, what if it’s with someone younger than her?
And you jump up, but she's too young to know this song
That was intertwined in the magic fabric of our dreaming
Given that a theme throughout the first album was her feeling like she’d given him so much of her youth, so much of her childbearing years, with nothing to show for it, what does it feel like to know that he can essentially reset time, by being with a younger woman, but she’ll never be able to get that time back?
imgonnagetyouback
We know that her and Joe took a break or two while they were together (see: Hits Different, The Great War, in addition to PR articles). To me, this song is about when you do take that break from your partner, and you’re trying to make a point to them that they’re not going to find anyone better than you (I can tell when somebody still wants me, come clean) – the two of you are too intimately intertwined to find a suitable replacement. You know what to wear, what to say, what to do to bring them back to you:
I, I hear thе whispers in your eyes
I'll make you wanna think twice
You'll find that you were never not mine
This song also has a lot of similarities to So Long, London, which is why I attribute it to Joe. To me, it provides a deeper story to some of the lines she touches on in So Long, London:
I didn't opt in to be your odd man out
I founded the club she's heard great things about
And to some of the lines in Hits Different:
I washed my hands of us at the club
You made a mess of me
I pictured you with other girls in love
Then threw up on the street
//
Bet I could still melt your world
Argumentative, antithetical dream girl
imgonnagetyouback is a story of one-upmanship – of trying to out-jealous your partner, of proving to them that nobody knows them better than you do. And maybe this time when they’re both playing this game, it works:
Push the reset button, we're becomin' something new
Say you got somebody, I'll say I got someone too
Even if it's handcuffed, I'm leavin' here with you
//
We broke all the pieces, but still wanna play the game (Oh)
Told my friends I hate you, but I love you just the same
Pick your poison, babe, I'm poison either way
The spacing to me is a deliberate red herring (the 1975 very famously made a song called fallingforyou), and a way to illustrate that the subject of the song wants space from her – but she’s not going to give it to him. This is another theme that calls back to Joe – in So Long, London, she describes him as constantly pulling away (Pulled him in tighter each time he was driftin' away). Matty didn’t pull away – he was all in for two weeks, until he chose to ghost her, and leave abruptly. There was no slow death, no push and pull to her relationship with Matty – it was a meteoric rise and fall.
The Albatross
This song feels like a sister song to “peace” – she describes what it’s like to love her. It’s a little more twisted, however, as she describes her love for her partner as both a danger, and a rescue from the danger she’s imposing on him by being involved with him:
Wise men once said
"Wild winds are death to the candle"
A rose by any other name is a scandal
Cautions issued, he stood
Shooting the messengers
They tried to warn him about her
She’s described herself as wind and liquor in her relationship with Joe previously, in Mastermind:
I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails
And the liquor in our cocktails
She has empathy for the narrator, but disdain for herself. There’s also acceptance though: she knows that she tried to prevent it, and tried to warn him about the danger she posed. In the end though, he chose this life with her, and he chose the danger – there’s only so much she can protect him from.
The devil that you know
Looks now more like an angel
I'm the life you chose
And all this terrible danger
Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus
This song feels like another sister song to The Black Dog – how does she cope with the idea that her long-time partner might move on? How does she cope with the fact that if she chooses to leave, she also chooses the future in which they both move on? A future in which they don’t know each other? It also touches on her wondering if she should move on with Matty, and how feasible it would be to know someone else instead of her partner:
If you want to tear my world apart
Just say you've always wondered
This song, more than anything else, illustrates that moving on with Matty was nothing but a way to move past Joe – what she really wants, more than anything, is a response greater than indifference from Joe:
As the decade would play us for fools
And you saw my bones out with somebody new
Who seemed like he would've bullied you in school
And you just watched it happen
There’s also the realization that Joe may never love who she is now – who she was at the beginning of their relationship will always be who he prefers:
If you want to break my cold, cold heart
Just say, 'I loved you the way that you were'
She’s trying desperately to find some way to make up for the fact that she had to leave Joe, that there was nothing she could do to stay – she tried changing everything about herself, but still, the need to leave him eventually caught up with her:
I changed into goddesses, villains and fools
Changed plans and lovers and outfits and rules
All to outrun my desertion of you
And you just watched it
And she wonders whether despite his indifference, and the distance between them, she should still stay:
Could it be enough to just float in your orbit
Can we watch our phantoms like watching wild horses
Cooler in theory but not if you force it
To be, it just didn't happen
But now, they are merely ghosts of who they once were – it’s not possible to force the relationship anymore.
How Did It End?
When a long-term relationship ends, you can point to the factors that led to its demise: a difference of opinions on money, on marriage, on children, and so forth. It is easy to determine the “what” and the “why” of an ending. But what is harder to diagnose is how you both became the versions of yourselves that weren’t on the same page, that were unable to discuss these topics, that couldn’t move past these dilemmas. That is much, much harder to pinpoint, and this is the question Taylor asks in this song. She knows what killed them:
We hereby conduct this post-mortem
He was a hot house flower to my outdoorsman
//
We were blind to unforeseen circumstances
We learn the right steps to different dances (ohh)
And fell victim to interlopers' glances
Lost the game of chance, what are the chances?
But what she still doesn't know is how it happened – how did it end? She also finds the empathy from the media and from the public to be false and selfish – they only want to know what happened to feverishly spread the news like wildfire.
Come one, come all
It's happenin' again
The empathetic hunger descends
We'll tell no one
Except all of our friends
We must know
How did it end?
//
Soon they'll go home to their husbands
Smug 'cause they know they can trust him
Then feverishly calling their cousins (ohh)
//
Say it once again with feeling
What the feeding frenzy wants more than anything is gossip, and they don’t care that she is utterly lost – lost as to why this happened, and lost physically and mentally:
Guess who we ran into at the shops?
Walking in circles like she was lost
How does she give an answer to quell the empathetic hunger, when she herself doesn’t understand exactly how it happened?
So High School
In an album that touches so much on feeling like she’s running out of time to have the future that she wants, and running out of youth to give the various men who come into her life, it is interesting and heartwarming that the song about Travis on the anthology is one that describes being with him as regaining her youth:
The brink of a wrinkle in time
Bittersweet sixteen suddenly
Moreover, another detail to note in this song is the difference in how she describes alcohol and drugs – in nearly every other song on TTPD, alcohol is a vice she uses in her moments of despair, and drugs are what her previous partners turn to in their moments of strife (she also describes the influence of drugs on her partners as something she detests – “sinking in stoned oblivion” and “you needed me but you needed drugs more”). With Travis, she’s not imbibing in any substances – instead, his thoughts and jokes are enough for her:
I'll drink what you think, and I'm high
From smoking your jokes all damn night
Travis is giving her back her youth, making sober promises, and the impression that we get is that they’re building this dreamlike reality together – it’s wholesome, all-American, and high-school-inspired, yet still grounded in something tangible, unlike the promise of fate and destiny, which powered her relationship with Joe and her entanglement with Matty.
I Hate It Here
More than anything, I think this song illustrates how Taylor sometimes uses escapism and maladaptive daydreaming to ignore the reality of the situation she’s dealing with. She recognizes that it’s not possible to stay where she is, locked inside this prison of stagnation and boredom:
If comfort is a construct
I don't believe in good luck
Now that I know what's what
She recognizes that this isn’t what she used to be, and that she never intended to choose this life of secrecy, perhaps alluding to all those years she spent “locked inside her house”:
You see I was a debutante in another life but
Now I seem to be scared to go outside
She describes herself as finding hope in the places her mind creates (seemingly alluding to her creation of characters and places for folklore and evermore):
I hate it here so I will go to
secret gardens in my mind
People need a key to get to
The only one is mine
I read about it in a book when I was a precocious child
And her escapism into her past, and imaginings of what could have been:
I hate it here so I will go to
Lunar valleys in my mind
When they found a better planet
Only the gentle survived
I dreamed about it in the dark
The night I felt like I might die
All throughout the song, there’s recognition that she doesn’t want to be here – she doesn’t want to feel as if the only place she can be free is in these imaginary worlds she creates. But there’s also concession – is she perhaps only destined for an eternal consolation prize? For loneliness? For imagined romanticism? For the fantasy of how she imagined her life and her love to be?
I'm lonely but I'm good
I'm bitter but I swear I'm fine
I'll save all my romanticism for my inner life and I'll get lost on
purpose
This place made me feel worthless
Lucid dreams like electricity, the current flies through me,
and in my fantasies I rise above it
And way up there, I actually love it
thanK you aIMee
This song, along with a few others in the latter half of the anthology, discusses the loss of innocence she felt in key moments of her life. This one quite obviously alludes to Kim Kardashian, and their infamous feud. I will make a separate post on this, but I think people describing this song as petty may not remember the depth of the hate aimed at Taylor in 2016. Kim and Kanye organized a revenge porn music video for Famous, and held a museum exhibit so that people could take pictures with the naked dolls. The night the snapchat videos were released, every Kardashian family member descended upon social media to gleefully celebrate the #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty. The amount of hate Taylor got was so unprecedented that Instagram actually built their comment filtration system because of this incident. It really was that bad.
And every baby step Taylor took (for example, even just posting that she had a good 2017 was met with immediate media backlash) was quite literally mocked across the internet. People thought the reputation era was cringey, that she was over, and that she deserved everyone’s ire because she was “proven” to be a liar. She describes this in the song:
Each time that Aimee stomped across my grave
And then she wrote headlines in the local paper
Laughing at each baby step I'd take
And it was always the same searing pain
But the whole time, despite the pain and blood, she was dreaming of the day that she would heal, and dreaming of the day that she would climb her way back to to the mountaintop:
And our town, it looks so small from way up here
//
So I pushed each boulder up that hill
Your words were still just ringing in my head, ringing in my head
What still irks her though, is that this bully who created this entire hate train and organized her downfall will pretend as if it never happened – she will undoubtedly reframe things to make our subject seem overdramatic, petty, and unable to move past the incidents of years ago. Taylor, however, has always been clear about one thing: sometimes, no amount of time can heal you from something that deeply traumatized you.
I Look in People’s Windows
This song to me feels like a sister song to The Black Dog, but a few months after the official end of a relationship. A sub theme that runs through Taylor’s songs about the Joe breakup is the loss of being understood – when you are no longer with a long-term partner, how do you cope with the fact that you move the world knowing everything about this person, but at the same time, not knowing them anymore? Would you peek into their windows just to get a glimpse of what their life looks like now? As anyone who has gone through a breakup knows, the hardest part is often not being privy to the mundane details of that person’s world – their dinner parties, their wine, their friends, and so on.
I look in people's windows
Transfixed by rose golden glows
They have their friends over to drink nice wine
I look in people's windows
In case you're at their table
What if your eyes looked up and met mine
One more time
The Prophecy
The prophecy is devastating. More so than any other song Taylor has ever written, it is full of desperation and longing. All she asks for is to be known, to be understood – to not be perceived as an idea of a woman, or a starlet with no humanity:
Please
I've been on my knees
Change the prophecy
Don't want money
Just someone who wants my company
Let it once be me
Who do I have to speak to
About if they can redo
The prophecy?
It’s striking especially considering how much she laments that leaving Joe means she’s giving up being known – it’s also striking given the fact that in the epilogue poem, she states that neither Joe or Matty ever truly knew her:
He never even scratched the surface
of me.
None of them did.
What she desires beyond fame, beyond notoriety, beyond money, is to be loved and to be known. The song also alludes to her being in therapy, and to finding some sort of consolation that she will find someone to share her life with:
I'm so afraid I sealed my fate
No sign of soulmates
I'm just a paperweight
In shades of greige
Spending my last coin so someone will tell me
It'll be ok
Cassandra
This track is a sister song to thanK you aIMee, and continues exploring the theme of fraught public womanhood we see in Clara Bow and Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me. In this song, Taylor discusses how the validation of women is never publicized in the way that the crucifixion of them is:
When the first stone's thrown, there's screaming
In the streets, there's a raging riot
When it's "Burn the bitch, " they're shrieking
When the truth comes out, it's quiet
Moreover, when women speak up about an issue, they’re often viewed as overdramatic, and unserious. Cassandra, in Greek mythology, was cursed by Apollo to always predict the future accurately, but never be believed. We see this happen every day to women in politics, in the media, and in pop culture:
So, they killed Cassandra first 'cause she feared the worst
And tried to tell the town
So, they set my life in flames, I regret to say
Do you believe me now?
And for Taylor, it’s reminiscent of all the times she’s been the first to speak out about something in the industry – for example, against Scooter Braun and his well-established pattern of bullying, or of the exploitation of artists on streaming services – but never been supported broadly by her peers. They believe her later, but at that point, very few people give her the credit for speaking up in the first place. It’s reminiscent of the Kimye scandal. When the news broke originally, the hatred she received was widespread. But when she was acquitted by the long-form video that leaked, it didn’t receive anywhere near the level of coverage that the original scandal received.
Peter
Peter is another song that touches on both the male muses for this album, and in turn, on the promises various men have given her over her life (we’ll circle back to this in The Manuscript!). It also touches on the theme of waiting that’s seen throughout this album, especially on her songs about Joe – how much time is enough time to give?
Both Matty and Joe were 25 when they met her, and it’s abundantly clear that both men made promises to her: promises of marriage, of children, and of a future. But how long can she wait for these promises to be fulfilled? To Joe, she gives six years of her life and youth, and to Matty, she gives him a chance to prove that he was reformed from the time she knew him last: both men eventually fail. Neither man is ready to give up their childish whims, and she has no choice but to lose hope that either of them ever will.
And you said you'd come and get me but you were 25
And the shelf life of those fantasies has expired
Lost to the lost boys chapter of your life
Forgive me Peter, please know that I tried
To hold onto the days when you were mine
But the woman who sits by the window has turned out the light
Another thing to note is the interesting double meaning of the song title. To peter also means to diminish gradually – much like her faith in both men’s promises.
The Bolter
A lot of the songs Taylor has written about Joe in this album deal with the question of “when is the right time to leave?” When you know that things are stagnant, and you know that you’ve given everything you have to a relationship, you know that you have to leave – but it’s easy to convince yourself if you have a history of “leaving before you get left” that you should ride out this wave, and that this pain might just be temporary.
The Bolter, to me, reflects on Taylor’s history – it seems like she prided herself on being able to see the warning signs, and being able to get out in time.
She's been many places with
Men of many faces
First, they're off to the races
And she's laughing drawin' aces
But, none of it is changin'
That the chariot is waitin'
Hearts are hers for the breakin'
There's an escape in escaping
It’s relevant to TTPD, because likely, she saw not bolting as a sign of growth and maturity. You know that you’ve grown as a person when you don’t abandon ship at the first sign of trouble, but what if there are so many signs of trouble that the truly mature thing to do would be to leave?
Robin
Robin leads into this theme of childhood and innocence that we see further in The Manuscript. The track name is also the name of Aaron Dessner’s child. She ponders how beautiful and sweet it is that we work so hard to protect childhood naivete:
Strings tied to levers,
slowed down clocks tethered,
all this showmanship
To keep it, for you,
In sweetness
And there’s an element of wistfulness to it – don’t we sometimes wish that we could also be protected from the worst the world has to offer?
You have no room in your dreams for regrets
You have no idea
The time will arrive for the cruel and the mean
You'll learn to bounce back just like your trampoline
But now we'll curtail your curiosity
The Manuscript
This song is perhaps the most climactic song on the album. It covers her romantic history up until that point, and starts at the moment she feels everything went awry – and it predates Joe and Matty. Instead, it calls back to the first time she experienced a proper heartbreak, and the first time she lost her childlike innocence in the world – her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal (a time she described as her transition from childhood to womanhood). She describes how they compared licenses, and how he told her that if they had sex, and it was as good as the conversation was, then they would get married, and have a family. He was the first man to make her these promises:
He said that if the sex was half as good as the conversation was
Soon they'd be pushin' strollers
But soon it was over
He tells her that it’s ok that they have an age gap, because she’s so advanced for her age:
She thought about how he said since she was so wise beyond her years
Everything had been above board
She wasn't sure
While dating him, she desperately wants to be older, and starts emulating his behavior:
In the age of him, she wished she was thirty
And made coffee every morning in a French press
And when it’s over, she regresses, and turns back into a child – unable to sleep alone without the comfort of her mother, and unable to eat anything substantial besides the sugary cereal of her youth:
Afterwards she only ate kids' cereal
And couldn't sleep unless it was in her mother's bed
She forces herself to date boys her own age, to not rely on the maturity of an older man to guide her through adulthood, but she can’t help but feel disappointed in their youth:
Then she dated boys who were her own age
With dart boards on the backs of their doors
Finally, as she creates the All Too Well short film, she recognizes the damage he did to her, and how the consequences of that affair have shaped her life since:
And the years passed
Like scenes of a show
The Professor said to write what you know
Lookin' backwards
Might be the only way to move forward
Then the actors
Were hitting their marks
And the slow dance
Was alight with the sparks
And the tears fell
In synchronicity with the score
And at last
She knew what the agony had been for
Everything calls back to this first man, and these original promises – everything she’s been chasing since is reminiscent of this first scar. And just like how releasing All Too Well transformed and healed her, she hopes that by releasing this additional manuscript into the world, it will heal her again. As she describes in the epilogue poem, she is entering all her thoughts, emotions, and pain into evidence – she now asks the audience to process it with her, and thus conclude this process of healing.
The only thing that's left is the manuscript
One last souvenir from my trip to your shores
Now and then I reread the manuscript
But the story isn't mine anymore
If you read all of this - thank you! I enjoyed writing it, and I'm excited to discuss with you all in the replies :)
2024.06.02 06:51 futurebannedacct Choices
 | Hello, everyone. I'm out of my hibernation with another important message for you all and I know that just makes you so fucking happy and excited. submitted by futurebannedacct to CoronavirusCirclejerk [link] [comments] I wanted to remind everyone to check out my blog, which is one of the last bastions of free speech that is left in this god-forsaken place. Alright, now that I have officially tongued my own asshole to the point where pleasure turns to dysphoria, allow me to present to you: total bullshit! ... and some other things. Let's talk about choices. We make them everyday; life is all about them. This is a somewhat true statement - because life is really all about making sure you don't wake up - and choices play a significant role in this operation. Probably not so big a role as language, however, because language is the most deceptive tool in the arsenal of the ones with the power, so it is important that we choose our words wisely. For example, I keep hearing the phrase "forced vaccinations" or "mandatory vaccinations" being thrown around conspiracy forums, and this phrase, in itself, is an example of the deceptive power of words. We need to be honest with ourselves - because through honesty the truth is exposed - and the truth is the most well hidden part of this experience because the ones in power work to keep the truth hidden at all costs... because the truth will "set you free". But I digress. No one was forced to get vaccinated - not yet, anyway - so let's be honest about this: you might have chosen to take the jab, in order to keep your job, or you might have chosen to take the jab, in order to participate in society. This is a choice that you are making. Perhaps the stakes are high and you had a lot to lose if you chose not to take the jab; but until they are breaking down your door, holding you down, and sticking that needle in your arm - until that time - you are giving your consent to take the jab. This distinction is an important one to discern because we should be paying attention to the parts in life that are forced upon us and the parts in life that we are choosing to consent to. For example, no one forced us to wear masks for an entire year, but we all (for the most part) consented to doing so, in order to participate in society. We all chose to stand on the circles on the floor, in every checkout line, of every store. We made this choice for many different reasons - but in this community - many of us simply did this for other peoples "perceived well being". In other words, we were catering to the people that make up the majority and aren't as far along in the process of "waking up" as we are... although, many people seem to be choosing to remain asleep - for many different reasons - far from the most insignificant being "fear based programming". Allow me to share my perspective: for an entire year, we all wore masks in public: an action which is gradually weakening our immune system. Also in public, we practiced "social-distancing": an action that is also gradually weakening our immune systems. Many people - the drooling masses - took this social-distancing b.s. very seriously, for their own "perceived well being" (while virtue-signaling online that they were doing it for everyone else). So, the government asked us to all make a choice: to wear masks and social-distance for a year and - oh - almost forgot! Hand sanitizer - all over, suddenly - some so strong that it seems to be pure rubbing alcohol - killing all germs - and, well... gradually weakening our immune systems! The government had us all compromising our immune systems and overall health, in preparation to get vaccinated with something that sounds... frankly, batshit insane. Do you think this was all an accident? An innocent faux-pas on the part of our dear leaders? I think this was done intentionally. I've also prepared this meme, to help illustrate the conspiracy in question: The inspiration for this actually came from a post in that was written by someone who is, by no means, an anti-vaxxer, and overall still happy to be vaccinated... because the debilitating side-effects, self-replicating spike proteins is nothing compared to the constant onslaught of fear-based programming. "Trust the science". That's the last thing I think I'll do; thank you very much. Science is a bullshit factory specializing in limiting beliefs, which uses language to support any point of view that it chooses to support... and of course the point of view we are inundated with, in excess, is that of the ones in power. So please know that if you choose to educate me in the comments, about why the science behind social distancing, face masks and hand sanitizer is to our benefit then I'm either going to think you are being intentionally deceitful, or I will feel sorry for you because you have sincerely become this invested in the wrong direction of practices that are to your benefit. The moral of the story is that the words we use need to be chosen carefully, because when we choose words such as "forced" and "mandated", we are only working to deceive ourselves further away from the truth. The truth is that we are consistently bombarded with propaganda and manipulation, from the many resources available to the power structure, with the goal of getting our consent. The internet has been a great resource for the power structure to use for minimizing the power of consent. We must constantly "agree" to the terms and conditions that are made to be intentionally agonizing to read and understand. We are being trained to believe that consent is of little value or importance - consent is nothing more than a single click - in order to get to the prize on the other side. The truth may be that our consent is far more valuable than we realize: our consent is one of our most valuable assets. We need to pay attention to the effect that our consent has on our shared reality - because if there is one thing I learned, after experiencing psychosis - it's that the greatest sin is often committed by very kind people: the kind of people who are timid, helpful, and generous to a point where others take advantage of their kind, benevolent nature. Everyone knows someone who is in a relationship with a manipulative, controlling narcissist that walks all over them. Everyone knows someone who is kind, meek, and respectful of others... because they have no backbone. Someone who has lived a life of avoiding any and all conflict, at all costs, and chooses instead to allow others to take advantage of them. When you habitually allow others to walk all over you, this is your consent that "it's ok for others to do this to me". You are a worse person that the one who is violating you, because you think that it is ok for this to happen to you. Alright - that was just to set the mood for the actual post - which will begin..... ........ ......... now. CHOICES: PATRIOTIC EDITION In the spirit of (shudder) "the most free country on Earth" we're going to (I had a bad reaction to typing that just now, I find the idea to be suffocating and repulsive) talk about choices in red, white and blue. To be perfectly honest, I don't know that much about topics like "color programming", or the exact science and reasoning behind it; I just know that this color palette is used with enough frequency and in a way where there is likely some intent behind it. Perhaps it's as simple as feeling patriotic about democracy, constitutional rights, and other deceptive concepts that are total bullshit - or maybe - the meaning behind it goes far deeper, into the psychological manipulation that is induced by this particular color palette. When I saw that the magnet shared the same red/blue color palette, I realized that these colors are likely being used in order to put each individual into a state of polarization. CHOICE # 1 Games are fun. Games are based in conflict. Manufacturing reality by making conflict the biggest source for entertainment. Being alive involves the near constant activity of making choices. We are indoctrinated with the idea that having more choices is desirable. The power construct that is manufacturing reality has recently gone into overdrive in the manufacturing of choices. As the information age progresses through time, the amount of choices is becoming an ever increasing burden on the collective consciousness. The choices are presented using many different angles. A popular example is beliefs, which are currently being exploited by the manufacturers of choices more than any other time in the collective memory*...* which is always followed closely by the collective amnesia. Choices are deeply rooted in the DIVIDE AND CONQUER strategy, an all time favorite of the power construct. Choices are now being utilized in another favorite strategy for maintaining control: ORDER OUT OF CHAOS. Choices have an important role in the MANUFACTURING OF CONSENT, which is highly valued by the power construct. Consent is the oil that keeps the reality machine running smoothly, which is why so much effort is put into the illusion that consent has very little value. This illusion is concealed very well within the fabric of the intangible idea of reality that is overlaying the physical, material reality and has been so successful that consent is given almost instantaneously and without a second thought. Meanwhile, the illusion of value that has been given to currency is as strong as ever: remaining in its long-held position as one of the "pillars of control", which supports and maintains the power construct. The other pillar of control: the illusion of legitimacy, which several institutions within the power construct rely on, has been under maintenance, as a new version is being installed. While the anticipation for this new update slowly builds, the grand master illusion behind the power construct: FEAR BASED PROGRAMMING, - that's it - I'm giving up on this now. They're fucking plastic robots that hit each other until one of their heads... pops a boner? CHOICE # 2 A theme that seems to always accompany color-based choices emerges: everyone on the outside, looking in, sees an absolutely pointless rivalry. These dudes are victims of mind control. Well, after choice # 1 resulted in a train wreck of disjointed abstractions trying way too hard to be deep, meaningful observations, I am troubled by the thought of how many readers have probably given up on this. I want everyone that is still with me to know that, due to irrational fears about what anonymous online profiles might think about me, I will now focus primarily on "fitting in" and being likeable, by employing a strategy of trying very hard to not express any more ideas that might be considered "out there". Obviously, this is just the result of growing up poor and uneducated in the ghetto. I mean, who is crazy enough to actually believe that this is somehow connected to other rivalry's that use... very similar hues of red and blue. I mean, they are two of the most popular colors out there - both primary - and... realistically, there aren't that many colors; especially that complement each other like red and blue... ahh, blue and red: the colors of rivalry. There's no deep conspiracy here. Obviously, these guys wear these colors so they know who their enemies are... because, otherwise, there is no reason to kill each other. This is all about the colors. It would be completely pointless otherwise and these guys would probably get on well and hang out in each other's back yards... and then the cops would have nothing to do, which would be a waste of tax payer dollars. Can't have cops just standing around eatin' donuts and getting fat. CHOICE # 3 Coke & Pepsi. A classic rivalry that makes me proud to live in a free country, where great ideas like capitalism can flourish. I know that they are made by the same company, but I don't really think that matters, ya know? We are presented with choices. Our choices shape our opinions. So, if I choose red - I mean - Coke, then I will get along with others who choose Coke and we will agree that we chose correctly and that the people that prefer blue - I mean - Pepsi, chose incorrectly. Well, the people that chose blue think they chose correctly and that it is, in fact, the red people that chose incorrectly. This is a conflict of interests, and conflicts create division. People who are divided require a non-biased mediator so that order can be maintained and, because this mediator cares about the safety of both the red and the blue groups, it only makes sense that they should be given the authority to decide what is ok and is not ok for both groups. This is the most rational and logical option because the authority isn't biased towards red or blue, which means they will know what's best for everyone's interests. The police are there to make sure that all red and all blue people are all following all of the all-inclusive rules, mandated by the mediator, and all this is done for the greater good of society. I - I'm gonna get all choked up over here, just thinking about how nice the government is to do all that it does for us. They protect us from those fucking freaks that drink Pepsi. God I fucking hate those sub-human blue-tards! Red people generally have more money and are more successful, which means they are smarter. What started as a small neighborhood feud between Coke and Pepsi is actually how the gang warfare between the Bloods & Crips originated. That's right, they got the colors from Coke and Pepsi, which obviously is a lot more likely than a vast conspiracy involving powerful people manipulating reality in order to maintain control and power over the uninitiated masses. Fuck poor people. Oh, and how about those people that make their preference for Coke or Pepsi an aspect of their personality? They don't seem to understand that the color of the can is the only fucking difference. That's why I stick with Tab Cola, for those unmistakable metallic flavors and the uncomfortable, sticky feeling all over my body the next day. CHOICE # 4 They're the exact same store except for the fact that one is red and one is blue... and yet, you have a preference for one over the other. You made up some reasons for why they are different in your head, because you are under an immense amount of mind control. Ahh... consumerism**:** the arena of pointless choices. Why does only one company manufacture all the different brands of eyeglasses? Perhaps... to have control over the market? No - to have control over you, stupid - and no: this isn't a joke. It's a desperate plea, urging you to wake up and see this shit for what it really is, while you have this opportunity - this window - into the illusion. You see, they are getting desperate - and lately, the world seems like it has gone mad - which is part of their strategy, which is preventing you from seeing it. Why do you think there are suddenly twenty new M&M's flavor combinations? All these new Reese's Peanut Butter Cup's with minor alterations of essentially the same fucking thing? Let me guess: they're just having fun... right? Trying to stir up interest in candy bars? Or maybe for profit... right? This is just a business strategy to get your money... right? No... no... I'm afraid you're thinking way too small... with your logic and reason and all the other LIMITING BELIEFS that you have been - and are being - indoctrinated with: every fucking day! These are all pointless choices (brought to you by consumerism) that are trying to keep you distracted. Trying to keep your mind occupied. Why is Netflix trying to induce option paralysis? Why are the high-tech gadgets we use for entertainment purposes bombarding us with a constant onslaught of ads, new articles, stories, and a maddening amount of pointless bullshit?!?!?! They want you to be overwhelmed*;* they want you to freeze. They want you to have no sense of identity. They want life to overwhelm you with an endless list of pointless shit that has to get done in order to maintain... in order to maintain... to maintain what? THE ILLUSION, IDIOT. Ok: that was uncalled for. I don't think you're an idiot. I think that you know, in the bottom of your cold, gray heart , that the crazy shit I am saying sounds right (for some reason). They are manipulating reality in order to keep you under their power and control. I don't exactly know why, but I do know that they care a lot more about you being distracted than they care about worthless green paper. You know what? I bet the 1% doesn't give a shit about money: they simply have all of it just to piss you off. Why is all this corruption in the news all the time? The next fucking scandal that everyone can talk about? WHY is the news telling us to wear masks, get vaccinated and then, the following week, admitting COVID-19 is a bio-weapon? TO KEEP YOU DISTRACTED. THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO THEM. Oh, and Walmart and Target's LOGOS both contain some occult symbolism. Yep: Target's logo is the astrological symbol for the sun and Walmart's logo is the Star of David... with the hexagon in the middle. The hexagon is symbolic of the cube. Once you understand that you can't not see the cube*.* It's fucking weird - but also a conversation for another time - when we can discuss why all of these well-known corporate LOGOs are symbolic of Saturn: https://preview.redd.it/vsv8fcvh834d1.jpg?width=511&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d9a14f0b398633824a2768e3128268aa6628c689 CHOICE # 5 You know what? I think I should devote a large portion of my life to watching a bunch of overpaid, mentally compromised, grown-ass men chase a ball around. I also think I should be passionate about the team that is closest to me in geographical proximity. This is not mind control, but as a conspiracy realist, I do like to point out that MK Ultra really did happen, and the CIA really did experiment with mind control back in the 1950's, but the program ended decades ago. I like to go on online conspiracy forums, and help people understand the reality of conspiracy theories, so they don't get sucked into lies like Q-anon or lizard people or THIS POST, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY THE WORK OF A MENTALLY UNSTABLE INDIVIDUAL. Watching sports makes me feel safe, and comfortable, because it distracts me from all the bullshit of everyday life. It's good to have a nice distraction - and fill my mind with useless sports stats - or talk endlessly with the bro's about individual players strength's and weaknesses - in a boring, monotonous tone of voice - while I sip domestic piss-water beer. I don't want to think too deeply about things because it starts to make me really uncomfortable when I have to confront reality. I'd rather just not worry about it and see what happens. Who am I but a lowly speck of insignificant, worthless dog shit in this giant, scary universe, where I am completely powerless to do anything but take whatever beating the world feels like dishing out to me that day? I dunno. Maybe Jesus will come back and good will win out in the end. Good always wins in the end - that's just the way it works - so I don't really have to worry about anything. God is good. My little brother doesn't like sports at all. He likes to put on girls makeup, and is always depressed and confused and obsessing about some dumb shit. We're lucky to live in the modern age, with advancements in science that will allow my brother to medically transition into the woman that he always should have been - and always truly was - on the inside. Some assholes don't think that trans women are women. They just don't understand how science works, and don't care to learn. They are just misogynistic, transphobic assholes. That's right: if you don't think that you can be born a man and then change into a woman that means you are transphobic. You hate trans people because you don't want to believe that a man can change into a woman. Anyway - that's my brother -not me. I like guy shit... because I'm normal. CHOICE # 666 The choice of the beast Oh NO! Everyone hates politics - which is why I hid it at the end - because I know nobody is still reading this. I've alienated myself from the audience, with all the confusing switching between dialogues of seemingly different people and JUST BECAUSE I BET there will be some DIP-CLIP that says "voting is how we get things done around here." HA! Nice try, but this isn't about politics; this is a meta-analysis of WHY it's NO POLITICS. The short answer is that participating in this is as pointless as those people above, participating in gang warfare against their fellow man. "THOSE PEOPLE?" What do you mean, those people? Black people? THIS GUYS RACIST. No, even worse: HE'S INTOLERANT. The human race has become far too soft, weak and emasculated by the pesticides and environmental toxins that get dumped all over us, every day! GET VACCINATED for other people, you SELFISH CONSPIRACY THEORIST. This is why we aren't going to reach herd immunity and we will have to deal with COVID-19 for years to come: because of people like you. WHY WOULD I trust a RANDOM, intolerant asshole on Reddit, who watched a YouTube video about lizard people, over EXPERTS who WENT TO SCHOOL for years to become indoctrinated, believe everything the MSM tells them, and completely LACK the ability to critically think?! All my life I heard that I "need to go to college", and today I couldn't be happier that I am not of a "higher education" because, from what I've gathered, they are some of the most CLOSE-MINDED people on the planet. LIMITING BELIEFS. That's what trendy these days. I'm not done yet! Yes, I'm gonna talk about the donkey and the elephant: not only are politics bullshit; those who participate in politics are participating in a terrible, evil practice. Why would you affiliate with a political party and tell people what you think they can and cannot do? Can't you see that's the crux of the problem? I know things are fucked when the majority of people are of the opinion that we need to FIX the government (change it, drain the swamp, bureaucracy, etc.) They don't get it - we don't need to change the government - we need to END the government. Government is the single biggest threat to humanity. "But they protect us from the BAD people." Guess what? "The bad people" are there because of the government. The government needs the bad people to be there, in order to maintain their "illusion of legitimacy" (credit - Jim@EOI) and make themselves seem needed. THE BAD PEOPLE are the people who protect us. The sooner you understand that, the better off you are. And people are still talking about election fraud because they think that Trump is GOOD. Can't you see the mind control? How are these people this BLIND to reality? Manipulation of reality. Look... it's the superpowers. The greatest countries in the world! But why do they have the exact same color scheme as all the pointless choices? How can they be united? This is the divided states and the divided kingdom, and they have conquered. DIVIDE & CONQUER. Oh, wait... some patriots went off to find a new home and fight for freedom from the oppression of the taxation of the royal bloody palace? Only to go and make a new country even more oppressive and with higher taxes, some two-hundred odd years later? Are you SURE that it wasn't actually to commit GENOCIDE against all the indigenous BROWN PEOPLE, whose genetic makeup allowed them to have a far deeper understanding of spirituality? CoUlDn't bE Th*@*T.... I'M DRAWING A LINE IN THE SAND I am so sick of the average Redditor - who thinks they're smart because they're an atheist who understands science - arguing with me, using all their SUPER-BELIEVABLE LIMITING BELIEFS. I know on Reddit it's hard to tell who is real and who ... isn't real - but these people are seemingly the majority now - and they're fucked. They don't even actually understand what science is. Science isn't chopping off your dick to be a woman. Let's talk about the actual scientist who performed many series of actual scientific experiments to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that people are able to control material reality with only the use of their minds. Why doesn't anyone ever want to talk about THAT science? What it seems is that every thing in this world - every institution, religion, and academic study - has been corrupted to keep us under control. The people that are in control of this world have access to esoteric knowledge that they have hidden from the masses to keep for themselves. This knowledge involves the ability to manipulate reality, which they use for power and keeping the rest of us down and powerless. From what I can tell, the thing they don't want us to know is that we are powerful beings, with capabilities that have been hidden and unused. Every person needs to understand that they are a powerful being that doesn't need any help or anyone to save them. WE have the power to control our own destiny. If the majority would start believing in their power and themselves, we would have a chance at ending this shitty reality manipulation and living as non-dual beings of love - as the true source of creation made us - powerful, independent beings with everything we need, and no need to evolve or learn shitty lessons about suffering. Unfortunately, it seems like most people would prefer to keep their creature comforts, believe that this isn't as bad as I am making it sound, and remain here, in the safety of familiarity... away from the fear of the unknown. And that makes me so fucking sad that it brings tears to my eyes. |
2024.06.02 06:01 AutoModerator Monthly Merchandise Megathread #39!
Monthly Merchandise Megathread #39!
Please read the following information carefully and trade safely!
Rules
- Sellers must abide by our 90/10 Advertising Rule:
Some Neopets-related promotional posts/comments are allowed if you are an active member of the subreddit. A maximum of 10% of your contributions can be promotional; the other 90% should be meaningful and active engagement in other conversations here.
- Please do NOT advertise a sales post in private messages/chats, thread comments, or in a new post. Don't treat the Neopets community as your own personal cash cow.
- If you are selling NC Cards, please follow and adhere to the 90/10 rule as outlined above.
- NC Cards/Merch/Codes are NOT to be traded with NP/NC items as that is against site rules.
- Art, craft, and coding commissions are NOT allowed due to the legal complications involved. (We are waiting to re-evaluate this once the Neopets Fan Art program fully releases.) Additionally, we do not condone DMing random people to sell merch either.
- Moderators have no liability with respect to any conducted transactions.
- Moderators are not liable for lost funds or time. We cannot help you get your money back/your merch. It is YOUR responsibility to uphold your end and choose partners wisely. Caveat Emptor.
- Moderators will step in if we receive multiple reports that a user is abusing the marketplace via not delivering works, not paying or any other breach of trust.
General
- This thread is in CONTEST MODE This is to discourage downvoting in order to increase everyone's visibility and make it fairer for participants arriving throughout the day. All posts are randomized!
- Please observe all rules as outlined in our community and discussion guidelines! (Check out the nifty sidebar!)
- The plan is to have a mega thread every first Saturday of the month.
- Reminder: NEVER mention Reddit (or any variations thereof like Read It, Arr! Neopets, Blue Aliens, “that other site”, etc) or this thread on Neopets itself! We are not an officially affiliated fansite and doing so can put your account—or the ones of others—at risk of getting frozen!
Courtesy
- If you do gift, gift at your own discretion.
- Exercise caution when it comes to new Reddit/Neopets accounts posting on the thread.
- Please don’t be rude and steal other people’s sales if they are not intended for you.
- There is to be no begging or harassment of any kind.
- Report any suspicious individuals to the mods! This thread is a free-for-all chaotic mess most of the time and not micro-managed in any manner.
FAQ
Is Selling NC Cards/Merch/Codes Neo-Legal?
- See Neopian Times, Issue 529 (tl;dr: Yes, but no exchanging on-site NP/NC for IRL Merch)
Hi, TNT. While I was browsing through eBay, I found Neopets trading cards for sale. There are so many, and I was interested in buying some, but wouldn't that be against the rules? I don't really think it would be, but I'd rather ask than risk my account. I'm not 100% sure, but can't you redeem codes from the cards in the packs and get items? Would that then be considered buying items? ~i_luv_cows12345
No, physical merchandise produced or officially licensed by us is just fine to buy, sell, or trade online. This includes stuff like real life plushies, action figures, TCG cards, etc. Codes are considered a legitimate part of these items. Items you cannot buy or sell online are virtual items, Neopoints, Neopets, or accounts.
- See Neopian Times, Issue 610 (tl;dr: Yes, but no exchanging on-site NP/NC for IRL Merch)
Hi, TNT! I have an odd question for you.... about commissions. Now, I know taking them in exchange for anything on Neopets is against the rules, as is doing commissions with Neopets characters. However... what about real-life merchandise? I'm the sort that's willing to take trades, and I was wondering: could someone pay me in Neopets plushies? What about rare item codes, or Neocash? (the cards, not actual on-site NC items) I mean, people sell the item codes on eBay all the time, so wouldn't that be okay? As far as NC cards go, if I'm just going to buy them anyway, why not save a step? Would these be against the Terms & Conditions because they give things on the site itself? I mean, obviously, it still wouldn't be okay to do a commission OF Neopets, but in exchange for merchandise, where do you guys stand? (please remove my username) ~username removed
As you said, as long as you aren't taking commissions of Neopets intellectual property, you're welcome to trade or sell your real-world merchandise however you'd like. According to Lawyerbot: "Trading plushies, rare item codes, NC cards, etc. for real-life merchandise is fine. I once traded my brother's turtle to a friend for a Shadow Uni Plushie.
Can I just send the Space Faerie Code, but keep the items?
- See Neopian Times, Issue 651 (tl;dr: Yes)
Hi, TNT! So, I had a question about gifting rare item codes, Space Faerie codes, site theme codes (like Puzzle Adventure), etc. I know it is against the rules to ask for anything like "tips" or compensation in return for gifting a code, as well as selling codes. However, is it against the rules to ask someone to return the item that they got from the code itself? Say someone receives a plushie from redeeming a code. Is it okay to ask that they return the plushie, or would it be better to say something like, "I would greatly appreciate if you return the item, but it's not required" since non-requested thank you gifts are allowed? I just wanted to be sure. Thank you for your time! Also, a side note: I LOVE YOU, TNT. I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 9+ YEARS NOW AND NEOPETS IS AWESOME. spreads love Please remove my username. ~username removed
If the receiver is kind enough to return the item from the code, we wouldn't consider it any sort of "tip" due to the nature of Rate Item Codes. That said, once you give away the code, it is up to the codebearer to decide what to do with the item. You can ask them as you phrased the example above, but code gifting is an unsupported transaction and we will likely be unable to assist if the person chooses to keep the item.
Where can I redeem codes?
- Redeem most codes at the Grundo Warehouse.
- Redeem Neocash Cards codes here.
- Redeem TCG codes at the Neopets TCG Prize Code Redemption.
What Neopets Merchandise gives out the Space Faerie challenger?
Products that can reward the Space Faerie challenger are:- Old Neocash Mystery Capsules Codes
- Fun Pak Codes
- Comic-Con Codes
- Newer Merch Codes (Geekify, What’s Your Passion, etc.), etc.
- TCG, Current Neocash, and Promotional Rare Item Codes do not reward the Space Faerie challenger.
Neopets Official Merch
- Neopets Shop
- What’s Your Passion
- Geekify
- More here: Merch Partners
Neopets Fan Art Program
- Calling All Creative Neopians! (Jan 10, 2024)
- The Neopets Fan Art Program will be a platform to showcase trusted and approved sellers who create quality Neopets-inspired artwork. This means approved sellers can legitimately sell digital Neopets products and commissions for real-world currency, with support directly from Neopets. Approved sellers will be featured on a dedicated page directly on Neopets.com, with an opportunity to share your work and build connections with potential clients and customers! There, Neopets will be able to link visitors to your store to purchase directly, meaning you won’t have to worry about any fees from Neopets! Your earnings will be 100% your own. This will also protect you and give you confidence in providing your services without risk of copyright infringement or rule violations on your Neopets account.
2024.06.02 06:01 adulting4kids December 2nd Prompts and Character Profile Template
This post will repeat weekly through the month of December. Please repost or cross post as a way to promote this subreddit. Or ignore this one and check out our others! I apologize if it's cramping your style, but when I work hard on certain posts I want to be sure they are useful! I also am working on making these shorter so they don't get lost in the madness....
Scroll down for the Character Questions and create a thoughtful and empathetic profile of your main characters for your projects!
As always please use these as sparks to create and feel free to post your responses and ideas in comments or separate post! This is YOUR subreddit so go ahead and post away!
Prompt: Imagine a dystopian world where an oppressive government has successfully erased all forms of personal identity and history. In this society, individuals are assigned generic roles and are forbidden from expressing their unique thoughts, emotions, or experiences. Write a short story or reflective essay exploring the life of a character who discovers a hidden underground community that encourages self-expression and reignites the importance of personal narratives.
In your response, consider the following:
Prompt 1 - Post-Apocalyptic Community Building:
Protagonist Character Profile:
submitted by adulting4kids to writingthruit [link] [comments]
Scroll down for the Character Questions and create a thoughtful and empathetic profile of your main characters for your projects!
As always please use these as sparks to create and feel free to post your responses and ideas in comments or separate post! This is YOUR subreddit so go ahead and post away!
Prompt: Imagine a dystopian world where an oppressive government has successfully erased all forms of personal identity and history. In this society, individuals are assigned generic roles and are forbidden from expressing their unique thoughts, emotions, or experiences. Write a short story or reflective essay exploring the life of a character who discovers a hidden underground community that encourages self-expression and reignites the importance of personal narratives.
In your response, consider the following:
- Character and World Building:
- Describe the protagonist's background, their assigned role, and their initial perception of the oppressive world they inhabit.
- Develop the hidden underground community, including its purpose, structure, and the means through which it safeguards personal stories.
- Create a contrast between the protagonist's initial world and the underground community, highlighting the impact of personal narratives on shaping identity and resisting oppression.
- Plot Analysis:
- Outline the protagonist's journey of discovery, including their initial skepticism, the influential encounters they have within the underground community, and the personal sacrifices they make to preserve their identity.
- Explore the challenges and conflicts faced by the protagonist, both externally (e.g., encounters with government authorities) and internally (e.g., the struggle to confront their identity).
- Deep Introspection:
- Prompt the protagonist to reflect deeply on the uncomfortable subjects that the government's erasure of personal narratives seeks to suppress. These could include topics such as individuality, memory, trauma, and the power of storytelling as a tool for empathy and resistance.
- Encourage the protagonist to evolve their thoughts and perceptions throughout the narrative, considering the consequences of silence and the potential for personal growth through self-expression and sharing.
- Requirements for Responses:
- Conduct research to explore real-world examples of societies that suppress personal narratives or attempt to erase collective memory.
- Prompt: In a post-apocalyptic world, a devastating pandemic has wiped out most of humanity. The survivors are forced to live in isolated communities, each with its own set of strict rules and customs. Write a short story or reflective essay exploring the life of a character who questions the existing order and embarks on a journey to unite these fragmented communities. Consider the role of unity, diversity, and collaboration in rebuilding a shattered world.
- Prompt: Set in a future where advanced AI technology has permeated every aspect of society, write a story or reflective essay following a protagonist who begins to question the boundaries between human and machine. Delve into the ethical implications of human-AI relationships, the erosion of human emotions, and the potential consequences of blurring the line between artificial and genuine experiences.
- Prompt: Imagine a world where climate change and environmental degradation have irreversibly altered the planet. Write a story or reflective essay from the perspective of a character who is part of a group striving to restore balance and heal the damaged Earth. Explore the connections between personal responsibility, collective action, and the intersections of social and environmental justice.
- Prompt: Transport yourself to a society where strict social hierarchies are based on a person's genetic makeup. Write a short story or reflective essay following a character who challenges this system and advocates for equality and inclusivity. Examine the role of genetic determinism, discrimination, and the power of individual agency in reshaping social structures.
- Prompt: Imagine a world where art and creativity are considered illegal, seen as tools of subversion and chaos. Write a story or reflective essay from the perspective of an artist who risks everything to defy this oppressive regime and reclaim the power of artistic expression. Analyze the significance of art as a form of resistance, its ability to inspire change, and its impact on personal and societal transformation.
Prompt 1 - Post-Apocalyptic Community Building:
- Consider the unique customs, rules, and societal structures of each isolated community.
- Explore the protagonist's motivation for questioning the existing order and their vision for uniting the communities.
- Analyze the challenges and conflicts faced in the journey of uniting fragmented communities and the potential benefits and drawbacks of unity.
- Reflect on the protagonist's personal experiences and interactions with AI, including the blurring of boundaries between human and machine.
- Explore the ethical dilemmas and consequences of advancing AI technology.
- Analyze the impact of human emotions, genuine experiences, and the potential loss or transformation of human qualities in a society heavily influenced by AI.
- Consider the protagonist's role in the restoration of the damaged Earth and their motivations for taking action.
- Explore the intersections of social justice and the environment, including the disproportionate impacts of climate change on marginalized communities.
- Analyze the challenges of collective action, personal responsibility, and the potential for transformative change in healing the planet and addressing social inequalities.
- Reflect on the protagonist's experience within the rigid social hierarchy based on genetics.
- Analyze the implications of genetic determinism and discrimination in shaping social structures.
- Explore the role of individual agency, activism, and the potential strategies for challenging and reshaping the genetic-based hierarchy.
- Consider the protagonist's personal experiences as an artist within an oppressive regime.
- Reflect on the significance of artistic expression as a form of resistance and its power to inspire change and challenge societal norms.
- Analyze the risks, sacrifices, and potential outcomes associated with defying an oppressive regime through art.
- Chick Lit: Write a chick lit novel or short story following a relatable protagonist navigating the challenges of love, career, and self-discovery. Explore themes of friendship, personal growth, and finding balance in a fast-paced, modern world.
- Young Readers' Adventure: Imagine a group of young friends who stumble upon a hidden portal to another realm. Write an adventure novel or short story as they embark on a quest to save a magical world from darkness. Delve into themes of friendship, bravery, and the power of imagination.
- Historical Fiction: Set in a time of significant historical events, write a novel or short story highlighting a lesser-known figure or group of people. Research the historical context meticulously and emphasize the character's resilience, struggles, and contributions during that tumultuous period.
- Fantasy: Create a fantastical world filled with mythical creatures, magic, and ancient prophecies. Write a novel or short story following a young protagonist who discovers their extraordinary abilities and must navigate a treacherous journey to fulfill their destiny. Explore themes of self-discovery, heroism, and the blurred lines between good and evil.
- Mystery/Thriller: Write a gripping mystery or thriller novel following a seasoned detective or amateur sleuth investigating a perplexing crime. Develop complex characters, suspenseful plot twists, and an intricate web of clues and red herrings that keep readers guessing until the very end.
- Science Fiction: Set in a future where technological advancements have transformed society, write a novel or short story exploring the ethical and societal implications of groundbreaking inventions. Examine themes such as artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, or virtual reality and their impact on humanity's future.
- Romance: Craft a heartwarming romance novel or short story centered around two individuals from different backgrounds or opposing sides. Explore themes of love, forgiveness, and the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
- Coming-of-Age: Write a coming-of-age novel or short story following a young protagonist's journey of self-discovery, identity formation, and navigating the complexities of adolescence. Explore themes of friendship, personal growth, and the challenges of transitioning into adulthood.
- Psychological Thriller: Create a psychological thriller novel or short story that delves into the intricacies of the human mind. Focus on a protagonist who becomes entangled in a web of deception, manipulation, and paranoia. Explore themes of trust, perception, and the blurred lines between reality and illusion.
- Family Drama: Write a novel or short story exploring the dynamics and complexities within a multi-generational family. Include themes of love, secrets, and conflicts that arise as family members navigate their relationships, face past traumas, and strive for reconciliation.
- Genre-specific elements: Ensure your story incorporates the defining characteristics and tropes of the chosen genre, such as the tone, pacing, and narrative conventions.
- Character development: Develop dynamic and relatable characters who undergo significant growth or transformation throughout the story.
- Plot structure: Create a compelling plot that introduces conflict, builds tension, and resolves in a satisfying manner, adhering to the common structure of the chosen genre.
- Themes and messages: Select themes that resonate with the genre and explore them through the characters' experiences and narrative development.
- Reader engagement: Craft a story that captivates the intended audience, keeping them invested in the characters and eager to uncover what happens next.
- Historical Romance: Write a one-page historical romance set in a lavish ballroom during the Victorian era. Focus on the forbidden love between a spirited debutante and a mysterious gentleman from a different social class.
- Science Fiction Comedy: Craft a one-page comedic story set in a futuristic space station. Follow the misadventures of a clumsy maintenance technician who unwittingly saves the day against all odds.
- Paranormal Mystery: Pen a one-page mystery story set in a haunted mansion. Introduce a skeptical paranormal investigator who must solve the mystery of a ghostly apparition that has been terrorizing the inhabitants.
- Literary Fiction: Write a one-page literary fiction piece centered around a character's contemplation of the fleeting nature of life and the importance of cherishing the present moment.
- Action Adventure: Craft a one-page action-packed adventure story set in the jungles of an unexplored island. Follow a daring archaeologist's quest for a hidden treasure while battling against treacherous obstacles and rival adventurers.
- Psychological Drama: Create a one-page psychological drama following the internal struggles of a troubled artist as they grapple with their inner demons and seek redemption.
- Magical Realism: Write a one-page magical realism story set in a sleepy coastal town. Explore the extraordinary occurrences that happen when an enigmatic mermaid washes ashore and disrupts the mundane lives of the townsfolk.
- Thriller: Craft a one-page thriller story involving a race against time. Follow a determined protagonist as they try to decipher cryptic clues and prevent a citywide disaster.
- Fantasy Adventure: Pen a one-page fantasy adventure story set in a whimsical realm. Follow a young hero's quest to retrieve a stolen artifact and restore balance to the land, encountering fantastical creatures and overcoming obstacles along the way.
- Historical Fiction Mystery: Write a one-page historical fiction mystery set during the Roaring Twenties. Follow a quick-witted detective as they unravel a web of deceit and intrigue surrounding a glamorous underground speakeasy in the heart of the city.
- Engaging Beginning: Choose a compelling starting point that grabs the reader's attention and hooks them into the story from the very first sentence.
- Concise Plot: Craft a tightly woven plot that can be fully developed within one page, with an introduction, rising action, climax, and resolution.
- Strong Characterization: Develop distinct and memorable characters, even within the limited space, by providing key details that bring them to life and make them relatable to the reader.
- Descriptive Language: Use vivid and sensory language to paint a clear picture of the setting, engage the reader's imagination, and create an immersive reading experience.
- Resolution or Twist: Provide a satisfying resolution to the story or introduce an unexpected twist that leaves the reader intrigued and wanting more.
- Name:
- Age:
- Gender:
- Physical appearance:
- Background:
- Personality traits (list at least five):
- Core values and beliefs:
- Motivations and goals:
- Biggest fear:
- Internal conflicts:
- External conflicts:
- Strengths:
- Weaknesses:
- Childhood experiences and their impact:
- Education and professional background:
- Relationship status and dynamics:
- Quirks or peculiar habits:
- Psychological disorders, if any:
- Familial relationships and dynamics:
- Support system (friends, mentors, etc.):
- Traumatic experiences and their effects:
- Coping mechanisms:
- Emotional vulnerabilities:
- Resilience and determination:
- Personal growth throughout the story:
- What drives the protagonist to take action and pursue their goals?
- How does the protagonist's childhood shape their behaviors and choices?
- What values does the protagonist hold dear, and how do they influence their decision-making process?
- What inner conflicts does the protagonist face, and how do they attempt to reconcile them?
- How does the protagonist's education and professional background contribute to their strengths and weaknesses?
- What traumatic experiences has the protagonist overcome, and how have these experiences shaped their worldview?
- How does the protagonist cope with stress or adversity?
- What relationships and dynamics are most significant to the protagonist, and how do these relationships evolve throughout the story?
- In what ways does the protagonist exhibit resilience and determination in the face of challenges?
- How does the protagonist approach personal growth and self-improvement?
- What psychological disorders, if any, does the protagonist struggle with, and how do these disorders impact their thoughts and actions?
- How does the protagonist's physical appearance contribute to their self-perception and interactions with others?
- What unique quirks or habits does the protagonist possess that make them stand out?
- What are the protagonist's primary desires and aspirations?
- How does the protagonist's internalized fear drive or hinder their actions?
- How does the protagonist navigate and resolve external conflicts?
- What coping mechanisms does the protagonist rely on during times of stress or emotional turmoil?
- How do familial relationships and dynamics influence the protagonist's actions and decisions?
- What significant life choices or dilemmas does the protagonist face throughout the story, and how do they respond?
- In what ways does the protagonist's support system impact their growth and resilience?
- How does the protagonist's personal development and self-discovery contribute to the overall narrative arc?
- How does the protagonist's background and experiences shape their perception of the world?
- What are the protagonist's core beliefs and values, and how do these impact their interactions with others?
- How does the protagonist handle setbacks or failures, and what lessons do they learn from these experiences?
- What external influences or societal pressures affect the protagonist's decision-making process?
- Name:
- Age:
- Gender:
- Physical appearance:
- Background:
- Personality traits (list at least five):
- Core values and beliefs:
- Motivations and goals:
- Biggest fear:
- Internal conflicts:
- External conflicts:
- Strengths:
- Weaknesses:
- Childhood experiences and their impact $ Go on
Antagonist Character Questions:
- Education and professional background: 16. Relationship status and dynamics: 17. Quirks or peculiar habits: 18. Psychological disorders, if any: 19. Familial relationships and dynamics: 20. Support system (friends, mentors, etc.): 21. Traumatic experiences and their effects: 22. Coping mechanisms: 23. Emotional vulnerabilities: 24. Strategies for achieving their goals: 25. Methods they employ to antagonize the protagonist:
- What drives the antagonist to oppose the protagonist and act as an obstacle in their journey?
- How does the antagonist's background and upbringing contribute to their negative behaviors and motivations?
- What core values and beliefs does the antagonist hold that align with their antagonistic actions?
- What personal goals or desires does the antagonist seek to fulfill?
- What is the biggest fear or insecurity that drives the antagonist's actions?
- How does the antagonist's internal conflicts manifest and impact their decisions?
- What external conflicts arise as a result of the antagonist's actions, and how do they handle these conflicts?
- In what ways does the antagonist exhibit strength and power, and how do these traits affect their interactions with others?
- What are the antagonist's weaknesses or vulnerabilities that can be exploited by the protagonist?
- How have childhood experiences shaped the antagonist's worldview and motivations?
- How does the antagonist's education and professional background contribute to their methods and strategies?
- What familial relationships or dynamics influence the antagonist's actions and choices?
- What unique quirks or habits does the antagonist possess that make them distinct or memorable?
- Are there any psychological disorders or conditions that contribute to the antagonist's behavior?
- How does the antagonist cope with stress or emotional turmoil?
- What strategies or tactics does the antagonist employ to achieve their goals and antagonize the protagonist?
- How do the antagonist's actions impact their relationships and interactions with other characters in the story?
- What external influences or societal pressures contribute to the antagonist's motivations or actions?
- How does the antagonist's physical appearance contribute to their demeanor and portrayal in the story?
- What significant life choices or dilemmas has the antagonist faced, and how have these shaped their character?
- What is the antagonist's reaction to setbacks or failures, and how do they adapt their strategies?
- How does the antagonist's support system or lack thereof impact their actions and decisions?
- What past traumatic experiences or events have influenced the antagonist's worldview and behaviors?
- How does the antagonist's emotional state or emotional vulnerabilities influence their actions and interactions with others?
2024.06.02 05:45 Negative-Anything-95 Different Uses of Heymusic AI: Various Music Types You Can Generate
In this post, we'll explore the diverse applications of HeyMusic.ai . Feel free to share your insights in the comments—what unique ways have you used this tool?
1. Social Media Music Creation
Please share your experiences, ask questions, and let’s discuss the innovative ways AI is transforming music creation!
submitted by Negative-Anything-95 to HeyMusic [link] [comments]
1. Social Media Music Creation
According to our surveys, more than half of our users have utilized our platform to generate music specifically for their social media content, highlighting the tool's effectiveness in enhancing online engagement.
- Videos and Streams: Use HeyMusic.ai to create unique, royalty-free background music for your YouTube videos, Instagram storie, TikTok videos or Twitch streams. Tailor the music to fit the theme and mood of your content to increase viewer engagement.
- Wedding Music: Generate custom, memorable songs for weddings that capture the personal story of the couple.
- Corporate Music: Create motivational and thematic music for corporate events, aligning perfectly with the event's goals and corporate brand values.
- Anniversary Music: Generate bespoke songs for both personal and corporate anniversaries, capturing the significance and spirit of important milestones.
- Retail Music: Use custom music to improve the shopping experience, aligning the atmosphere with your brand’s aesthetic and values.
- Seasonal Event Music: Produce tailored music for holidays and seasonal events, adding a festive touch that complements the theme of the celebration.
- Charity Event Music: Craft inspiring music that amplifies the impact of charity events and galas, encouraging engagement and generosity from attendees.
- Advertising Campaigns: Employ our AI to produce distinctive tracks that can enhance your marketing materials, ensuring your adverts stand out.
- Product Launches: Use specific themes to create impactful music that resonates with your product’s message.
- Classroom Settings: Teachers can utilize HeyMusic.ai to create music that aids in setting a conducive learning environment or to make lessons more engaging for students.
- AI Music Generator for Kids: Introduce children to music creation in a fun and interactive way, helping them learn about music and creativity through technology.
- Personal Playlists: Craft your own music reflecting your current mood or life themes.
- Custom Gifts: Create unique 'Birthday Gift Music' or 'Music to Express Love' tailored for personal celebrations like birthdays, anniversaries, or romantic occasions. These personalized songs make each event unforgettable, perfectly capturing the emotions and memories of special moments.
Please share your experiences, ask questions, and let’s discuss the innovative ways AI is transforming music creation!
2024.06.02 05:26 Negative-Anything-95 Different Song Creation Modes in HeyMusic AI
 | Hey everyone! submitted by Negative-Anything-95 to HeyMusic [link] [comments] Last time I introduced you to HeyMusic.ai, and this time I want to dive deeper into the different song creation modes we offer. Whether you're a casual user or a serious music creator, these modes are designed to make your music creation process as easy and enjoyable as possible. 1. I Feel Lucky Mode https://heymusic.ai/dashboard/new?mode=lucky This mode is super straightforward. You give us a sentence, any sentence, and our AI turns it into a song. It's perfect for when you're feeling spontaneous or just want to see what the AI comes up with without much input. For example： Style-Based: "Create a lively pop song about summer fun."sentences to music 2. Compose Mode https://heymusic.ai/dashboard/new?mode=compose For those who want more control over their music, the Compose mode is your go-to. Here, you can customize the lyrics fully. You provide the words, and our AI crafts a song around them. This mode is great if you have specific lyrics in mind and want the music to match the mood and tone of your words. customize your music at compose mode 3. Template Mode https://heymusic.ai/dashboard/new?mode=template If you're looking for some inspiration or a starting point, the Template mode offers a variety of pre-made music templates. These are designed to fit different themes and moods. You can choose a template that resonates with your creative vision and tweak it to make it your own. You can create music at templates page or in the dashboard. different templates for you to choose Each mode has its own charm and serves different needs, but all are designed to make music creation accessible and fun. Whether you're making music for a project, as a hobby, or professionally, there's something here for everyone. Feel free to ask any questions or share your experiences with music creation |
2024.06.02 04:42 Sweet-Count2557 49th Ragamuffin Parade
 | 49th Ragamuffin Parade As we gather here to discuss the upcoming 49th Ragamuffin Parade, it's impossible not to be reminded of the incredible sense of community that this event fosters.Year after year, families and friends come together to celebrate the creativity and spirit of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.But what is it about this parade that continues to captivate and inspire us all? Well, let's take a closer look at the history, the traditions, and the unique experiences that make the Ragamuffin Parade a cherished event for both young and old alike.Key TakeawaysThe 49th Ragamuffin Parade is an annual event held in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.The parade route spans from 76th to 92nd Streets on Third Avenue.Prizes are awarded in categories such as Best Costume, Most Creative Group, and Cutest Little Muffin.The parade is a rain or shine event, with organizers having contingency plans and monitoring weather forecasts.Parade DetailsThe 49th Ragamuffin Parade is an annual event held in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, featuring a parade route from 76th to 92nd Streets on Third Avenue.The parade logistics are as follows: the assembly location is on 76th Street between 3rd & 4th Avenues/3rd & Ridge Boulevard, and the registration for the parade takes place at Holy Angels Catholic Academy/OLA school yard on 74th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues.Participants should note that judging will take place from 11:30am to 12:30pm, and the prize distribution location is at the HSBC parking lot on 3rd Avenue and 92nd Street.It's important to mention that every registered child who marches the whole route in costume will receive a gift, making it an exciting opportunity for children to participate.The parade is a rain or shine event, so participants should come prepared for any weather conditions. It's recommended to verify the activity dates and times on the official website, as they're subject to change.For more information and updates, interested individuals can visit the Mommy Poppins website, a trusted resource for family activities in the area. Mommy Poppins offers free newsletters and provides quick links to activities, providers, and family travel. Contact information is available on their website for any inquiries or to submit an activity to be listed.It's important to note that all rights are reserved by Mommy Poppins, and their privacy policy, cookie policy, and terms of use are available for review.Route and Assembly LocationMoving on to the next aspect of the Ragamuffin Parade, let's now focus on the route and assembly location for this annual event in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.The parade route spans from 76th to 92nd Streets on Third Avenue, providing a vibrant and exciting showcase for the participants and spectators alike.As for the assembly location, it can be found on 76th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues, as well as 3rd and Ridge Boulevard. This strategic placement allows for efficient logistics and easy access for all participants.On the day of the parade, registration takes place at Holy Angels Catholic Academy/OLA school yard on 74th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues. It's important to note that every registered child who marches the entire route in costume will receive a special gift, adding to the excitement and motivation to participate.The judging of the parade entries will occur between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm, providing an opportunity for participants to showcase their creativity and effort. The prize distribution location can be found at the HSBC parking lot on 3rd Avenue and 92nd Street.It is worth mentioning that the Ragamuffin Parade is a rain or shine event, so participants and spectators should come prepared for any weather conditions. As with any event, it's advisable to verify the activity dates and times on the official website to ensure accuracy and avoid any potential changes.Judging and Prize DistributionTo evaluate the participants and distribute prizes, judging for the Ragamuffin Parade takes place between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm at the HSBC parking lot on 3rd Avenue and 92nd Street. As the parade comes to a close, the judges carefully assess each participant's costume, creativity, and overall presentation. Based on these evaluations, prizes are awarded in various categories to recognize the outstanding efforts of the participants.The prize categories for the Ragamuffin Parade include:Best Costume: This category recognizes the participant with the most impressive and well-executed costume. Whether it's a spooky monster, a dazzling princess, or a cleverly crafted superhero, the judges look for creativity, attention to detail, and the ability to bring the character to life.Most Creative Group: This category celebrates the collaborative efforts of a group of participants. Whether it's a group of friends, classmates, or family members, the judges look for originality, teamwork, and the ability to work together to create a cohesive and imaginative theme.Cutest Little Muffin: This category highlights the adorable participants who steal the hearts of onlookers with their adorable costumes and endearing presence. The judges consider factors such as charm, cuteness, and the ability to capture the essence of childhood.Once the judging process is complete, the prize distribution takes place. Every registered child who marches the whole route in costume will receive a gift as a token of appreciation for their participation and effort. This ensures that every child feels valued and recognized for their contribution to the parade.The Ragamuffin Parade's gift distribution process aims to create a joyful and inclusive experience for all participants. It's a celebration of creativity, community, and the freedom to express oneself through costumes and imagination.Rain or Shine EventNow let's shift our focus to the subtopic of the Ragamuffin Parade being a rain or shine event. This means that the parade will take place regardless of the weather conditions. The organizers understand that unpredictable weather can be a part of any outdoor event, so they have made preparations to ensure that the parade goes on smoothly, rain or shine.To give you an idea of how the parade is able to continue in any kind of weather, here is a table outlining the weather preparations that are in place:Weather PreparationsImportance of CostumesParade organizers have contingency plans in case of rain, such as providing rain ponchos for participants.Costumes play a crucial role in the Ragamuffin Parade as they help create a festive atmosphere and showcase the creativity of the children.The parade route is designed to have some areas with cover, such as buildings and trees, where participants can seek shelter if needed.Participants put a lot of effort into designing and creating their costumes, and they take pride in showcasing their unique outfits to the crowd.The parade organizers are constantly monitoring weather forecasts to make any necessary adjustments to the event schedule.Costumes also allow children to fully immerse themselves in the spirit of the parade and embrace the fun and excitement of the day.In the event of severe weather conditions, the parade may be delayed or shortened to ensure the safety of participants.The variety of costumes adds to the visual appeal of the parade, making it a vibrant and lively event for everyone to enjoy.As you can see, the Ragamuffin Parade is well-prepared to handle any weather conditions. The importance of costumes cannot be overstated, as they not only contribute to the overall atmosphere of the parade but also allow the participants to express their creativity and enthusiasm. So, rain or shine, the Ragamuffin Parade will continue to be a memorable and enjoyable experience for all.Mommy Poppins - Family Activity WebsiteMommy Poppins is a popular family activity website that helps parents and caregivers find fun and engaging activities to do with their kids. Here are three key features that make Mommy Poppins a go-to resource for families:Newsletter Subscription: Mommy Poppins offers free newsletters that keep subscribers updated on the latest activities and events in their area. By subscribing, parents can receive regular updates and recommendations right in their inbox, making it easy to plan exciting outings with their children.Activity Listings: One of the main attractions of Mommy Poppins is its extensive collection of activity listings. From museums and parks to festivals and workshops, the website provides a comprehensive directory of family-friendly activities. With just a few clicks, parents can search for activities based on location, age range, and interests, ensuring that they find the perfect outing for their kids.Quick Links and Contact Information: Mommy Poppins understands the importance of convenience and accessibility. The website offers quick links to activities, providers, and family travel resources, making it effortless for parents to navigate and find what they need. Additionally, contact information is readily available, allowing users to reach out with any inquiries or submit activities to be listed on the website.Contact and About Mommy PoppinsContact information and background details about Mommy Poppins can be found on their website. Mommy Poppins is a family activity website that helps people find things to do with kids. They offer free newsletters and provide quick links to activities, providers, and family travel. If you want to stay updated on the latest family-friendly events and activities, you can subscribe to their newsletter. This way, you'll receive regular updates and recommendations straight to your inbox.If you have any inquiries or want to learn more about Mommy Poppins, you can easily contact them through their website. They've a contact form where you can submit your questions or comments, and they'll get back to you as soon as possible. Additionally, if you have an activity that you'd like to be listed on the website, you can submit it through their submission form. This way, you can share your event or activity with a wider audience and attract more participants.Mommy Poppins also provides a platform for businesses to list their services. If you own a business that caters to families and children, listing it on Mommy Poppins can help you reach a targeted audience. By listing your business, you can increase your visibility and attract more customers who are actively seeking family-friendly services and activities.Policies and DisclaimersAre you curious about the policies and disclaimers of Mommy Poppins? We understand the importance of transparency and want to ensure that our users have a clear understanding of how we handle their data and protect their privacy.Here are a few key points to know about our policies and disclaimers:Privacy Policy: At Mommy Poppins, we value your privacy and are committed to keeping your personal information secure. Our Privacy Policy outlines the types of data we collect, how we use it, and the measures we take to protect it. We make sure to comply with all applicable privacy laws and regulations to provide you with a safe and enjoyable experience on our website.Data Collection Technologies: We utilize various data collection technologies, such as cookies, to enhance your browsing experience and personalize the content we offer. These technologies help us understand your preferences and tailor our recommendations to better suit your needs. Rest assured that any data collected is used solely for improving our services and isn't shared with third parties without your consent.Advertise with Mommy Poppins: If you're interested in advertising your business or services on Mommy Poppins, we offer advertising opportunities that can help you reach our growing audience of families and caregivers. Get in touch with us to learn more about our advertising options and how we can help promote your offerings.For more detailed information on our policies and disclaimers, including our cookie policy and terms of use, please visit our website. We strive to maintain a transparent and trustworthy relationship with our users, and we're always open to feedback and inquiries. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat Is the History and Significance of the Ragamuffin Parade?The history and significance of the Ragamuffin Parade are important to understand. The parade has a long-standing tradition in Brooklyn, bringing joy and excitement to the community.It showcases the creativity and imagination of children, who march the route in elaborate costumes. The parade is a celebration of childhood and a way for families to come together and have fun.It holds a special place in the hearts of those who participate and attend, creating lasting memories for all.Are There Any Age Restrictions for Participating in the Parade?There are no age restrictions for participating in the parade. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun and showcase their costumes.The Ragamuffin Parade is a celebration of creativity and community, where people of all ages come together to enjoy the festivities. Whether you're a child or an adult, you can march the whole route in costume and receive a gift.Can Adults Also Participate in the Parade?Yes, adults can also participate in the parade. The Ragamuffin Parade welcomes participants of all ages to join in the festivities.However, it's important to follow the costume guidelines provided by the organizers. These guidelines ensure that everyone's costumes are appropriate and in line with the spirit of the event.Are There Any Specific Guidelines or Restrictions for Costumes?When it comes to costume regulations for the Ragamuffin Parade, there are some guidelines to keep in mind. While there's no specific theme, participants are encouraged to draw inspiration from their favorite characters, superheroes, or any creative idea they've in mind.The only restriction is that costumes should be age-appropriate and respectful.Are There Any Special Accommodations or Services Available for Individuals With Disabilities During the Parade?There are special needs accommodations and accessibility services available during the parade. We strive to make the event inclusive for individuals with disabilities.There will be designated areas along the parade route for wheelchair accessibility, and volunteers will be present to assist those who may require additional support.We encourage participants with special needs to reach out to us in advance so that we can make necessary arrangements to ensure a positive experience for everyone.ConclusionSo come one, come all and join us for the 55th Annual Ragamuffin Parade in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. This beloved event is a true celebration of community spirit and creativity.Rain or shine, the parade promises to be a highlight of the year, with judging, prizes, and gifts for all registered participants.Don't miss out on this memorable experience - mark your calendars and get ready to enjoy the festivities of the Ragamuffin Parade! submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] |
2024.06.02 04:17 ChaosBeing Factorio Community Map - June-July 2024
What is this?
The idea behind the monthly community map is to share a map exchange string at the beginning of every month, and get as many people as we can to start a new world with it. Then at the end of the month (or even periodically if you'd prefer!) we share screenshots and saves of our factories so that we can see how different people approach the same spawn; how they set up their base, how they deal with aliens, and how they arrange their science, power, and everything else.
I hope it can highlight how many different ways there are to do things, inspire some new designs, and maybe seeing how veteran Factorio players tackle problems will help out new players facing the exact same problems. (Of course, there's also the fact that it'll be interesting to see all of the different possible factories - the good, the bad, and the ugly.)
Last Month's Results
May 2024 Results
The Community Map
I mentioned this in the results thread, but I'm very interested to see how this style of gameplay shakes out. I'm going in blind, with nothing more than what I could gleam from the description and ~5 minutes of gameplay to ensure everything was working properly, and I can safely say I don't think I've ever seen a mod do something quite like this before.
Oh that's right, I still haven't actually mentioned what mod I'm talking about - let me show you!
Required Mods:
AAI Loaders
Krastorio 2 Assets
Ultracube: Age of Cube
The Exchange String:
Mod Sync: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KfAPq66c2WKClG_Vlp4XBH1wq4yya4Qd
I'd recommend looking at the description for Ultracube before hopping in to the game, but hey, what do I know? Maybe you'd prefer to go in blind. Either way, if you haven't gotten comfortable with how the circuit network in Factorio works by now, there's never been a better time to learn! (And it basically just boils down to connecting two things with a wire and setting a value, so don't let it intimidate you!)
Let's get this cube moving!
Exchange String Help
If anyone isn't sure how to use an exchange string, just go to new game like you're going to generate a new world, and at the bottom there's a button just above play labelled "Import map exchange string" - the icon looks like a little arrow going into a tray/bucket. Just copy the exchange string above and paste it into the box that comes up when you press that button. Press confirm, and that's it! You're good to go. Just generate the world and come back in a month to show us how your factory turned out!
If you run into any issues check to make sure that you copied the whole string, including the three greater than/lesser than signs at the beginning and end, and make sure that your Factorio is up to date with the most recent version installed. (As of the time of this post, the most recent version of Factorio is 1.1.108, but this exchange string will also work with the current stable release, 1.1.107.)
Having Issues With The Sync File?
If you're uncertain how to use the sync file I provided above, here are step by step instructions:
1) First, of course, is to download the file. Make sure you know where this file is so you can move it later. (It will be in your browser's default download folder unless you've changed it.) 2) Locate where Factorio's save folder is on your computer. If you've installed Factorio at its default location (C:\Program Files\Factorio) then there will be a shortcut to your saves folder there called "saves". Double-click it to go to the saves folder. 3) Take the file you downloaded and move it into this folder.
That should be it! Now just launch Factorio and make sure you sync your mods to this save before playing. If you'd like to play on this save specifically (for example, if this month has some per-map settings you don't feel like messing with) then you'll notice when you load the map normally your player will be named "ChaosBeing" (since I'm the one who started the save, of course). To get around this, you can host it as a local multiplayer game and then save. You should now appear as your own character when you load the map from now on!
If you have any issues, feel free to ask in the comments below, or in the monthly map's channel on the official Factorio Discord.
Want To Play With Others?
If you have an open public server, let me know in the comments below or send me a PM and I'll add your server here!
Feel Like Watching Someone Else?
If you are a streamer or let's player who will be recording yourself building a new factory on a community map, I'd be happy to add a link to your channel here!
About Mods
Since mods can affect how a world spawns and ores are distributed, as well as add or change items and functionality, it's important to make sure that we're all playing the same game by the same rules. For example, if one person's playing vanilla and someone else is playing with Bob's mods, even if they use the same seed and map settings you still couldn't very well say they were playing the same game, and the way they'd play would differ enormously.
On the other hand, Quality of Life (QoL) mods should be perfectly fine. What do I consider a QoL mod? Any mod that doesn't A) add new items, B) change terrain, or C) make significant gameplay changes, like modifying recipes or enemies. Any mod that fits this definition should allow everyone to play the same game even when some people are playing with them and some people are not.
Even Distribution is a great example of a mod that, while very useful, does not inherently change the way the game is played. Then there are also mods like RadarPlus for RSO that do add new items, but still don't meaningfully change the way the game is played.
Below I've put together a short list of examples that I think are ok to use on any map. It's made up of a handful of optional mods that might seem ambiguous in how well they fit the definition above, so they're just here to act as guidance on what should be ok. Another good resource for Quality of Life mods is available on the Factorio Discord - check out Xorimuth's pinned post.
Optional Mod Examples
Note: I can't imagine any situation where this could be an issue, but if you're the author of one of the mods listed here (and can offer me some proof of this) and for whatever reason would like me to remove your mod from this post, I'd be happy to comply.
It's entirely possible some of these mods either don't work with the current version of Factorio, conflict with each other, or in some manner just don't work. I can't test them all, let alone every configuration of them, so you might want to back up your world before adding one of these.
Ammo Alerts
Atomic Artillery
Color Coding
fCPU
LTN - Logistics Train Network
Nixie Tubes
RadarPlus For RSO
Reactor Interface
Shortwave
Text Plates
Updated Construction Drones
Previous Threads
-- 2023 --
May-June 2023 - Results
July 2023 - Results
August-September 2023 - Results
October 2023 - Results
November 2023 - Results
December 2023 - Results
-- 2024 --
January-February 2024 - Results
March 2024 - Results
April 2024 - Results
May 2024 - Results
submitted by ChaosBeing to factorio [link] [comments]
The idea behind the monthly community map is to share a map exchange string at the beginning of every month, and get as many people as we can to start a new world with it. Then at the end of the month (or even periodically if you'd prefer!) we share screenshots and saves of our factories so that we can see how different people approach the same spawn; how they set up their base, how they deal with aliens, and how they arrange their science, power, and everything else.
I hope it can highlight how many different ways there are to do things, inspire some new designs, and maybe seeing how veteran Factorio players tackle problems will help out new players facing the exact same problems. (Of course, there's also the fact that it'll be interesting to see all of the different possible factories - the good, the bad, and the ugly.)
Last Month's Results
May 2024 Results
The Community Map
I mentioned this in the results thread, but I'm very interested to see how this style of gameplay shakes out. I'm going in blind, with nothing more than what I could gleam from the description and ~5 minutes of gameplay to ensure everything was working properly, and I can safely say I don't think I've ever seen a mod do something quite like this before.
Oh that's right, I still haven't actually mentioned what mod I'm talking about - let me show you!
Required Mods:
AAI Loaders
Krastorio 2 Assets
Ultracube: Age of Cube
The Exchange String:
>>>eNp1Us1rE1EQn2lYWhQkYC6CrTn0uqXG+kGQvKcgIqJ/g8nmRRY3 u3X3raA9mEOPihcverFXI/TmwVtA8AMUih5E8FDxIqISUfQixJm3+5I ltgMz+3vzmzdfbxEQroARKR71+8LZ76Ut5baVWnW9KFbuNeWHTHAAwE CUDR83ieoq3QwSgJ4hWJ1ER6GahPeEo2OlEvZk3p7Ym8bN0E+7LmW3P hONH74QXl8wOroJ1dGIldA2tccK2DPRSL5cZua9KNRxFLiJ0toPL9e7 kZ/oNFb1lt9M5paXakeXSdxdwzqxupqq0Lte76aB9lcDX8V07RjLccc L/E4HoHoKYHiaiktEXKtsnv14467ArIUlmYNh7hm0rOecBRflrtSiBS uFPEeM/CyArKimEnnUnJyAjFxnEvH2t8cbf55tNfDvwx9vLrQuCTx8p vJ9WNtsEDnLW5wZm/v3WJ7YUcDm3BY59V7g61csXwU6fKPCRp4gMzhf AizvI7Rxi0z1INjWGjZNRWLHyG87yScL3orpOWgRJzn5ApsXbEzBcWe YQXlHojxk2QOTELpfg2IP7cmEL23Zp4X6U438/xDFOaY8i3KHZ9jDBd tj87k07ob2uTVrT/KBxBIDjvpFvuzEjE2VfcvSrNuy2b8Bz/vvVv4BO ajDcA==<<<What your starting area should look like: https://i.imgur.com/BsSfx74.jpeg
Mod Sync: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KfAPq66c2WKClG_Vlp4XBH1wq4yya4Qd
I'd recommend looking at the description for Ultracube before hopping in to the game, but hey, what do I know? Maybe you'd prefer to go in blind. Either way, if you haven't gotten comfortable with how the circuit network in Factorio works by now, there's never been a better time to learn! (And it basically just boils down to connecting two things with a wire and setting a value, so don't let it intimidate you!)
Let's get this cube moving!
Exchange String Help
If anyone isn't sure how to use an exchange string, just go to new game like you're going to generate a new world, and at the bottom there's a button just above play labelled "Import map exchange string" - the icon looks like a little arrow going into a tray/bucket. Just copy the exchange string above and paste it into the box that comes up when you press that button. Press confirm, and that's it! You're good to go. Just generate the world and come back in a month to show us how your factory turned out!
If you run into any issues check to make sure that you copied the whole string, including the three greater than/lesser than signs at the beginning and end, and make sure that your Factorio is up to date with the most recent version installed. (As of the time of this post, the most recent version of Factorio is 1.1.108, but this exchange string will also work with the current stable release, 1.1.107.)
Having Issues With The Sync File?
If you're uncertain how to use the sync file I provided above, here are step by step instructions:
1) First, of course, is to download the file. Make sure you know where this file is so you can move it later. (It will be in your browser's default download folder unless you've changed it.) 2) Locate where Factorio's save folder is on your computer. If you've installed Factorio at its default location (C:\Program Files\Factorio) then there will be a shortcut to your saves folder there called "saves". Double-click it to go to the saves folder. 3) Take the file you downloaded and move it into this folder.
That should be it! Now just launch Factorio and make sure you sync your mods to this save before playing. If you'd like to play on this save specifically (for example, if this month has some per-map settings you don't feel like messing with) then you'll notice when you load the map normally your player will be named "ChaosBeing" (since I'm the one who started the save, of course). To get around this, you can host it as a local multiplayer game and then save. You should now appear as your own character when you load the map from now on!
If you have any issues, feel free to ask in the comments below, or in the monthly map's channel on the official Factorio Discord.
Want To Play With Others?
If you have an open public server, let me know in the comments below or send me a PM and I'll add your server here!
Feel Like Watching Someone Else?
If you are a streamer or let's player who will be recording yourself building a new factory on a community map, I'd be happy to add a link to your channel here!
About Mods
Since mods can affect how a world spawns and ores are distributed, as well as add or change items and functionality, it's important to make sure that we're all playing the same game by the same rules. For example, if one person's playing vanilla and someone else is playing with Bob's mods, even if they use the same seed and map settings you still couldn't very well say they were playing the same game, and the way they'd play would differ enormously.
On the other hand, Quality of Life (QoL) mods should be perfectly fine. What do I consider a QoL mod? Any mod that doesn't A) add new items, B) change terrain, or C) make significant gameplay changes, like modifying recipes or enemies. Any mod that fits this definition should allow everyone to play the same game even when some people are playing with them and some people are not.
Even Distribution is a great example of a mod that, while very useful, does not inherently change the way the game is played. Then there are also mods like RadarPlus for RSO that do add new items, but still don't meaningfully change the way the game is played.
Below I've put together a short list of examples that I think are ok to use on any map. It's made up of a handful of optional mods that might seem ambiguous in how well they fit the definition above, so they're just here to act as guidance on what should be ok. Another good resource for Quality of Life mods is available on the Factorio Discord - check out Xorimuth's pinned post.
Optional Mod Examples
Note: I can't imagine any situation where this could be an issue, but if you're the author of one of the mods listed here (and can offer me some proof of this) and for whatever reason would like me to remove your mod from this post, I'd be happy to comply.
It's entirely possible some of these mods either don't work with the current version of Factorio, conflict with each other, or in some manner just don't work. I can't test them all, let alone every configuration of them, so you might want to back up your world before adding one of these.
Ammo Alerts
Atomic Artillery
Color Coding
fCPU
LTN - Logistics Train Network
Nixie Tubes
RadarPlus For RSO
Reactor Interface
Shortwave
Text Plates
Updated Construction Drones
Previous Threads
-- 2023 --
May-June 2023 - Results
July 2023 - Results
August-September 2023 - Results
October 2023 - Results
November 2023 - Results
December 2023 - Results
-- 2024 --
January-February 2024 - Results
March 2024 - Results
April 2024 - Results
May 2024 - Results
2024.06.02 04:11 FrenchStephy Kamen Rider Gotchard E38 Producer Blog Summary
Houtarou really made an egg dish to an egg while inside of an egg.
List of the Chemy Ride Cards currently owned by the characters as of Episode 38
Screenplay: Uchida Hiroki
Director: Yamaguchi Kyohei
submitted by FrenchStephy to KamenRider [link] [comments]
List of the Chemy Ride Cards currently owned by the characters as of Episode 38
- For producer Minato, it was a very Gotchard-like, bright final power-up debut episode: Houtarou was able to forget the despair of having killed his friend for the sake of someone hungry in front of him. When asked why he fights (even though it's scary and hurts both him and the Chemies), he only replied "Even if you say all that...". Because the answer was inside him from the beginning. We should all work together to overcome any scary things, and not get stuck and give up on what we've lost but do whatever it takes to get it back. That little something that goes beyond logic is the driving force behind the power-up that surpasses existing values.
- Like stated in last week's blog, while Kamen Rider Gotchard's main theme is "Bright! Fun!", it is true that the show had turned a blind eye to what makes a Kamen Rider show Kamen Rider-like. But that was also in part because of the production team's desire to go beyond the predisposed flow of "if we do something like ◯◯, it will end up being Kamen Rider-like, right?". And so, when finally faced with those "Kamen Rider-like" aspects that they had been avoiding, they felt that their wish had been fulfilled as Houtarou easily overcame them. So, from here on, it's time to follow the story of Houtarou Ichinose aka someone who went beyond Kamen Rider. This is the story of Houtarou, an unfinished high school student who is nobody, becoming something that no one has ever seen before.
- You might have noticed but Ichinose Houtarou is a little bit… strange compared to a normal high school student. That wasn’t planned. Even though they tried their best to make him as normal as possible (though he was mentally younger than the average 17-year-old), the individuality of his actor Junsei Motojima and the accumulation of the different directions for the character created by the various directors who worked on Gotchard created this somewhat weird high school boy. And because of all that, Houtarou going beyond existing values resulted in the birth of Nijigon. So, for now on, the bright and fun Kamen Rider Gotchard will go on while also showcasing the growth of this second Houtarou named Nijigon.
- Next week, we'll finally get the full collection of the 101 Chemies, and we'll be able to discover Rainbow Gotchard's unique ability: Gotcha Brothers.
- Tamagon (as named by Houtarou because tamago = egg in japanese) was embedded in the Gotchadriver when Fuuga created it, and that is why it was able to see the world through the driver. And after fighting side by side for so long, it has become attached to Houtarou himself, and is an inseparable part of him.
- The images that Houtarou saw in his head when he first transformed into Gotchard and when he received the Exgotchaliber from UFO-X were probably a manifestation of Tamagon's power.
- Tamagon said to Houtarou that he could stay inside of the egg forever, that he's done enough and that the outside world is scary anyway so he (Tamagon) himself didn't want to be born either. He didn't have any special talent in alchemy or anything, he just happened to receive the driver, got hurt with his friends many times, and even lost his previous partner. Houtarou could have given up. He could have stood up, while despairing about still not knowing how to fix the situation. But Houtarou chose the third option, as expected from him. And he was even able to bring up Nijigon's Gotcha (wanting to see the outside world) by... feeding an egg to another egg. Really Houtarou-like(?).
- By the way, Tamagon's character and attitude were also things that were debated until the very end. In fact, they were even considering a scenario where Tamagon would have instead said "Houtarou, hurry up, I want to be born soon!!!".
- While inside of the egg, Houtarou's stomach growled at the perfect time. Producer Minato said something about this during the meeting that was very memorable to assistant producer Harashima: "even at times like these, he gets hungry". It made her realize that it's the food his mother makes that really gets him going at times like these. So, they had to include Tamami's gentle smile at some point. She is the one who understands Houtarou the best, and even though she doesn't say much, she always gives him hints on how to overcome obstacles.
- Rinne, too, became overcome with fear that she might lose her precious partner. But Big Sis Renge was there to give her a scolding. Renge has been watching Rinne closely, and has fought alongside her even after she become a Kamen Rider, so only she could say those harsh words: "Enough is enough! You're a Kamen Rider, aren't-ya?!".
- Spanner has also learned of his bond with Gigist: the black flames that Gigist possesses are the same flames that Spanner has. It seems that Gigist has a lot of respect for Spanner, since he went as far as inviting him to his side.
- Vanfenrir, one of the 5 Chemies used to create this episode's Malgam, was voiced by Kanon Miyahara, who plays Clotho.
- Producer Minato insisted from the very beginning on having rain pouring down for the entire episode until Houtarou comes back with the rainbow.
- This episode was filmed in early April. But it was still cold so the cast members had to endure not only the cold but also wet clothes while acting.
- As usual, the lettering for the alchemy spell was handled by designer Tajima from Ishimori Pro.
- Tamagon's personality changed a bit when becoming Nijigon (niji = rainbow in japanese), and that's because he was born after being inspired by Houtarou. Nijigon himself became a bit Houtarou-like.
- The theme of Rainbow Gotchard is: rainbow and arrow. In a sense, we get a return to origins with the rainbow, reminiscent of the rainbow glow from the original Gotchadriver. Also, Gotchard is the Arrow Rider, so of course that trademark is the main motif of the suit. The helmet was designed to be as sharp as possible so that it looks like a giant arrow when viewed from either side.
- While making the omurice in the egg mind world, Houtarou grasped the true essence of alchemy: just like cooking, alchemy uses tiny ingredients, but by "gotchanko" them together, the mix can produce great power. Rainbow Gotchard brings a huge change in Houtarou's fighting style: he will fight using alchemy with his own free-spirited ideas, and that's just... really Houtarou-like.
- Thanks to the power of the rainbow from Rainbow Gotchard, the Chemies that had turned completely white were restored to their original forms. The secret behind why the Chemies were able to return to normal will be revealed next time.
Episode 39: Gotcha Complete! Climax 101!
Air Date: June 9, 2024Screenplay: Uchida Hiroki
Director: Yamaguchi Kyohei
Finally time to "gotcha" all the Chemies?!
After having finally "gotcha" the phantom rainbow Chemy Nijigon, there are only two Chemies left to complete the full collection of 101 Chemies!
The group comes up with their own unique strategies to "gotcha" the last two: Ojilacanth and Pakuraptor.
But the Abysallis King could not just stand by and watch it happen and launches a serious onslaught against the threat of Nijigon!?
When all 101 Chemies are collected, the true power of Rainbow Gotchard will be unleashed!
2024.06.02 04:08 corintianojovemdesp 16,000 Woodworking Plans Pdf Free Download. Teds Woodworking Free. Teds Woodworking Plans Download.
 | Unlock Your Carpentry Potential with Teds Woodworking Plans submitted by corintianojovemdesp to ImportantPDFsupdate [link] [comments] If you’re passionate about woodworking or just starting to explore this rewarding hobby, Teds Woodworking Plans offers an unmatched treasure trove of resources. With a staggering 16,000 plans available in a single, comprehensive PDF, this collection is a must-have for any woodworker. This review delves into the depths of what makes Teds Woodworking Plans an invaluable tool for both beginners and seasoned craftsmen. Start your woodworking journey today by downloading the complete collection for free via the code below! https://preview.redd.it/hmzrvnwog24d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=d769f047de8afc127d7cb7e6cef5486bcc315440 An Abundance of Plans to Inspire Creativity Teds Woodworking Plans is not just a collection; it’s a gateway to endless creativity and productivity. This extensive PDF is meticulously organized to provide you with a vast array of projects, from simple birdhouses to complex furniture designs. Here’s a closer look at what you can expect: Diverse Project Categories: Whether you’re interested in small decorative items, outdoor structures, or intricate furniture, Teds Woodworking Plans cover it all. The variety ensures that you’ll always find something new and exciting to build, no matter your skill level. Detailed Instructions: Each plan is accompanied by comprehensive instructions that are easy to follow. Clear step-by-step guidelines, complete with diagrams and measurements, ensure that even the most complex projects can be tackled with confidence. High-Quality Illustrations: Visual learners will appreciate the detailed illustrations and schematics included with each plan. These visuals help to clarify the construction process, making it easier to understand and execute each step accurately. Material and Tool Lists: Proper preparation is crucial in woodworking, and Teds Woodworking Plans don’t leave you guessing. Each project includes a detailed list of materials and tools required, allowing you to gather everything you need before starting. The Teds Woodworking Review What sets Teds Woodworking Plans apart from other woodworking resources is the sheer volume and quality of the plans provided. Ted McGrath, the mastermind behind this compilation, has put together an incredible resource that caters to all levels of woodworking enthusiasts. Here’s why this collection stands out: Comprehensive Coverage: With 16,000 plans, there’s no shortage of inspiration. You can work on a different project every day for years, continually honing your skills and expanding your woodworking repertoire. User-Friendly Organization: Despite the vast number of plans, the PDF is well-organized, making it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for. Categories and subcategories help you navigate through the projects efficiently. Adaptability: Whether you want to follow the plans to the letter or modify them to suit your needs, Teds Woodworking free provide a solid foundation for customization. The detailed instructions and illustrations make it easy to adapt projects to your preferences. Cost-Effective: Considering the extensive content and the quality of the plans, this collection offers exceptional value. Instead of purchasing individual plans, you get access to a lifetime of projects in one convenient download. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary opportunity. Download the entire collection for free by scanning the code below! https://preview.redd.it/5f4etiawg24d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=ed4b41e3bbed825b7861a0c380081ac8da61d982 Conclusion: A Carpenter’s Dream Come True In conclusion, Teds Woodworking Plans download is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in woodworking. Whether you’re a hobbyist looking for weekend projects or a professional seeking new challenges, this collection provides an endless supply of high-quality plans. The detailed instructions, clear illustrations, and comprehensive coverage make it an essential tool for success in any woodworking endeavor. Take the first step towards mastering woodworking today. Scan the code below to download the complete PDF for free and start building your dream projects! https://preview.redd.it/x98crovzg24d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=994def67f0bb792f6628cff782e948796b2b0d6c |
2024.06.02 04:02 Aggravating-Pack-913 Welcome to "The Philosophy of Dress" Subreddit! 🎉🎥👗
Hey there, kids! 👋
We're thrilled to announce the official subreddit for our upcoming independent film, "The Philosophy of Dress"! 🎉 This dark satire, set in the heart of New York's Dimes Square fashion scene, promises to be a wild ride full of creativity, obsession, and betrayal. 😈
We want this subreddit to be a freewheeling hub for anything and everything related to the movie! 🎥💬 Whether you're curious about the star-studded cast (hello, Sydney Lemmon and Eric Roberts! 🌟), eager to discuss the themes of ambition and friendship, or just want to geek out over the incredible fashion, this is the place to be! 👗👢💄
But we're not just here to talk shop – we want to hear from YOU! 🗣️ Share your thoughts, theories, and excitement about the film. Got any burning questions for the cast and crew? Fire away! 🔥 Want to show off your own fashion designs inspired by the movie? We're all eyes! 👀
As we gear up for post-production and festivals in 2025, we'll be sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes content, sneak peeks, and opportunities to support the film through our Indiegogo campaign. 💰 Stay tuned for the first trailer drop on June 14th! 🎬
So, let's make this subreddit a vibrant, engaging space for all things "The Philosophy of Dress"! 🎨 Feel free to introduce yourself, share your excitement, and let's dive into the fabulous and cutthroat world of fashion together. 🌎👗
Thanks for joining us on this wild ride! 🙌 Let the fashion-filled discussions begin! 😄
submitted by Aggravating-Pack-913 to philosophyofdress [link] [comments]
We're thrilled to announce the official subreddit for our upcoming independent film, "The Philosophy of Dress"! 🎉 This dark satire, set in the heart of New York's Dimes Square fashion scene, promises to be a wild ride full of creativity, obsession, and betrayal. 😈
We want this subreddit to be a freewheeling hub for anything and everything related to the movie! 🎥💬 Whether you're curious about the star-studded cast (hello, Sydney Lemmon and Eric Roberts! 🌟), eager to discuss the themes of ambition and friendship, or just want to geek out over the incredible fashion, this is the place to be! 👗👢💄
But we're not just here to talk shop – we want to hear from YOU! 🗣️ Share your thoughts, theories, and excitement about the film. Got any burning questions for the cast and crew? Fire away! 🔥 Want to show off your own fashion designs inspired by the movie? We're all eyes! 👀
As we gear up for post-production and festivals in 2025, we'll be sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes content, sneak peeks, and opportunities to support the film through our Indiegogo campaign. 💰 Stay tuned for the first trailer drop on June 14th! 🎬
So, let's make this subreddit a vibrant, engaging space for all things "The Philosophy of Dress"! 🎨 Feel free to introduce yourself, share your excitement, and let's dive into the fabulous and cutthroat world of fashion together. 🌎👗
Thanks for joining us on this wild ride! 🙌 Let the fashion-filled discussions begin! 😄
PhilosophyOfDress #IndependentFilm #FashionInFilm #DimesSquare
2024.06.02 02:04 Akashito_Rayuzaku ORV Analysis: What lies behind the 4th Wall
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. It's a fitting name for a story about stories that tackles into layers of Meta. From start to finish, there are many kinds of Meta aspects already involved, especially the 4th wall that separates fiction from reality, the central theme of protagonist Kim Dokja and his relationship with the real and fictional characters around him. Now what if we try to break that 4th wall for a moment and see a glimpse of the other side of the spectrum, more specifically, the reality.
This is a little Essay I cooked up about my thoughts and analysis on the meaning behind the representation of the Meta Aspects of ORV in an attempt to solve the puzzle behind the real story beyond the surface of the book.
Do note that I will only be considering the original ORV story in this essay since I am not far into the Side Stories yet and have no idea how much it impacted the story.
Now to start things off, this analysis will be focusing on what I believe to be the central theme of ORV and that us the relationship between Author and Reader, Han Sooyoung and Kim Dokja respectively. Other characters definitely have their own role and representation within the story, especially the characters who weren't in the original TWAS such as Yoo Sangah, Lee Gilyoung and Jung Heewon but I'll probably save those three for a different analysis.
Author's Notes:
Now why don't we start from the very beginning. We already know about 15 year old Kim Dokja, abusive father murdered by his mother, she then released an essay conveying the story of an abused mother leading to the murder of the abuser. It was this story that ruined his life and although it was meant to hide the true story of the incident, leading to Kim Dokja misremembering thus minimising his psychological damage and reputation, it doesn't save him from the cruel reality of society, eventually leading to his first fall from life, leading to the creation of the first Oldest Dream.
On the other hand exists 13 year old Han Sooyoung, living a life that's basically the opposite of Kim Dokja's. It was revealed in Epilogue 3 that little Han Sooyoung had a rather wealthy lifestyle, her mother an Actress, her father a.....I actually forgot but they're filthy rich basically. But in exchange for such fortune is a type of loneliness that only she would understand as a child that's seemingly treated like an accident that her parents couldn't simply throw away and had to keep around for the sake of their reputation. This probably probably lead to Han Sooyoung developing a yearning for attention in order to ease her loneliness, it's classic psychological impact on a neglected child.
Now at this point, I would like to talk about what happened in Epilogue 3 and the nature behind 13 year old Han Sooyoung's split personality with 1863rd Han Sooyoung. She did mention that the reason she gets sleepy allot in school is due to her alter ego waking up within her but if I am to look pass the Meta aspect of this, I could interpret it as simply her living two separate lives, one with a mask and one without. Daytime Han Sooyoung is probably a well behaved girl who lives a life befitting her reputation, but at Night exists Han Sooyoung who lives a completely different life, an aspring author whose also a rebellious little gremlin sneaking out of her room to find inspiration and break free from her lonely life, the same Han Sooyoung she would later grow up into which leads to her 1863rd and 1864th version. The meaning behind her travel to the past is her connection with her night time personality that she would grow up to become, her true self that she would slowly show ever since she revealed her talent for writing.
Epilogue 3's plot proceeded with Han Sooyoung and the Dokkaebi King searching for Kim Dokja who they thought was tls123. The Dokkaebi King eventually found him comatose in a hospital with the reason being due to a suicide attempt leading to Han Sooyoung's creation of TWAS in order to save him.
Who is the Dokkaebi king? The only reasonable thought would be that he's young Han Sooyoung's personal body guard which would eventually become her editor.
How did they meet Kim Dokja? Well some stories start with a simple coincidence and this is one of them. Han Sooyoung being the rebellious little gremlin she is would go to her usual night adventures or simply felt like she'd go out for a stroll to take some inspirations for her writing which leads to her coincidental encounter with Kim Dokja(Don't ask why she went to the hospital, let's just say she did). It was then that 13 year old Han Sooyoung would take a curious glance at the miserable 15 year old Kim Dokja, she would hear the details of his state and the reason from the Dokkaebi King. This is when Fiction and Reality starts to overlap as both little Sooyoung and her 1863rd interpretation have the one desire to save this miserable child.
It was a child's naive thoughts probably stemming from her own guilty conscience considering her own struggles or due to it affecting her own ego essentially asking questions starting with "Why?", we should take note that this is most likely Sooyoung's first direct encounter with the concept of attempted suicide, basically entering a situation she has yet to understand and is childishly refuting in order to try and do so. Though I am no psychologist and there's probably a better reason for her decision but whatever it was, she wanted to save the stranger that she just met, but alas they are just strangers and she is nothing more but a 13 year old girl so she could only do what she does best, leading to the creation of tls123 and Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World.
A story created at the spur of the moment with whatever creative Idea she could think of all for the sake of saving one person. The rest of this section most likely occured the same way as the original, the Dokkaebi King showed Kim Dokja the story and he would begin to read it, kickstarting the 13 year long relationship between Author and Reader through the messages of a wall of texts that separates the two.
Unfortunately as this story is a tragedy, Han Sooyoung never would have guessed that the same story that she made to save Kim Dokja would be the one to cause his eventual death.
Life and Fulfillment:
For the next 13 years, Kim Dokja would grow to love TWAS to the point of needing it to get on with his life. I believe that this is the part when reality and fiction begins to overlap as the original story is an exaggerated or fantasised reflection of thee struggles in Kim Dokja's life and how TWAS saves him.
It is mentioned multiple times in the story how Kim Dokja contemplated suicide in multiple instances in his life, this is actually reflected in his bad habit of sacrificing himself throughout the whole story. This goes to show how he finds his life so insignificant and his mindset full of pessimism, but due to his own delusional fantasies, he also views it as a justifiable sacrifice that would make the world a better place like the Demon King of Salvation that he is, basically translating it to "I am doing this world a favor". Yet he keeps coming back anyways because of TWAS, the sole motivation he has to keep living especially with the protagonist Yoo Joonghyuk.
Just like in Epilogue 5, Yoo Joonghyuk's role within this story is to become a messenger between the Author and the Reader. Han Sooyoung, also growing up with Kim Dokja, would keep on writing her story. She may grow out of her former childish mind but she'll grow fond of the company of her dear Reader, still a figment of her desire for attention as she may still be a neglected child throughout these points in her life and even with her own circle of friends, she probably found her relationship with her Reader quite special. A special kind of communication between two strangers. This is reflected in Jang Hayoung and the wall of Impossible Communication as his creation was probably the two's first proper conversation with each other which would later strengthen their relationship from here on out.
And so, she would keep on sending her message through the struggles and indomitable determination of Yoo Joonghyuk. His ups and downs, his near endless victory and suffering, all but a twisted and exaggerated reflection of a very simple message that can be summarised in a single word, "Live".
And so he did, just as how he struggled in his fantasies, he would too in reality. The whole story of ORV from the first episode up to the 99th episode reflects his own real struggles throughout the 13 years he's lived through and how TWAS helped him through it. His own journey through self improvement, slowly opening his heart to the people around him. There would even be a point in time where he would settle his issue with his mother, learn the truth and finally let go.
The Oldest Dream taken by the Secretive Plotter and the 999th companions reflects Kim Dokja's enlightenment and finally recognising the value of life, basically letting go of his childhood trauma off to a place where it could finally rest in peace. In a sense, Han Sooyoung did fulfill her desire, whether it was for her own self satisfaction or if she genuinely wished to help, she did help Kim Dokja live on with his life, and with her desire fulfilled, she can finally end the novel.
49/51:
ORV started and ended in the same setting, the subway, the start and end of all tragedies, so what's the deal with this peculiar setting? Well...
Kim Dokja died within that subway, the 51% who loved TWAS. I see it as a simple accident, the story did start off with the subway malfunctioning prior to the start of the scenarios so if you look at it as a metaphor, Kim Dokja got himself into an accident just when he finally got his life back on track. A representation of memory loss, 51% Kim Dokja is stuck within the subway that he haunts while the 49% miraculously survived, The 49% who achieved enlightenment in life and gathered the confidence to keep on living, but in exchange, he lost the memories of his favourite novel, the one that allowed him to achieve that enlightenment. It's the reason why Han Sooyoung of 1863rd started disappearing the closer she gets to the incident for along with losing the memories of TWAS, Kim Dokja would also lose the memories of tls123. And the next time they meet, they would once again be strangers to each other.
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint:
Now what is Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint? The way I interpret is that it's a recollection, an exaggerated retelling of a story. It was only a matter of time before Han Sooyoung discovers the accident just as she had her suspicions in Epilogue 1 which leads to her confronting him, but in this case, it's simply her meeting the person she saved after his memories of her disappeared. It was already made pretty clear by 1863rd Han Sooyoung that she really wanted to see Kim Dokja again but was too late to do so. She may succeeded in saving his life as she intended but the fact that he had completely forgotten who and what saved him came out as unacceptable to her, her naivety and selfish desires that she had since the first time they met, cursing whatever divine intervention lead to the loss of her 13 years of hard work. Thus commencing operation save the squid, the retelling of Kim Dokja's life and the birth of the story known as Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, Han Sooyoung's desperate attempt to regain Kim Dokja's remaining 51%, the him who remembered TWAS and, to an extent, her.
But again, for one last time, this story is a tragedy, and just like what the Dokkaebi King said, they should have been satisfied with the 49% Kim Dokja. Both the 51% and 49% eventually scattered out into the cosmos due to Han Sooyoung's unsatisfaction of the latter. Her confronting the 49% in the story which lead to his coma may reflect her triggering a memorial issue with Kim Dokja leading to the same result with the difference being that it really is a coma that he will never wake up from. It's as Han Sooyoung says, the operation was a complete utter failure.
The Eternity and Epilogue:
In my interpretation, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint is the story of a dying Reader and an Author who wished for him to live, not knowing that her selfish desires is what eventually lead to losing him. And the story that we read is the Epilogue that she wished to show her dear Reader, her message of gratitude and, at the same time, her apology, and finally, a commemoration for the first and last person she ever loved, in hopes that he will be remembered and still live even in a different form.
Through Yoo Joonghyuk she would send her story to us, leaving the story's conclusion and Kim Dokja's resurrection to our thoughts and understanding of the character, acting as the fragments that would rebuild him back together, granting the salvation and forgiveness that the Author seeks, allowing them to rest in peace.
Now that's about all for this little essay of mine. There are definitely allot more hidden details and implications of the real events of ORV throughout the story that I haven't mentioned here so do feel free to share your own thoughts and interpretation and perhaps you can point out some details or mistakes that I have missed.
After all, we are fragments of the Oldest Dream who dreamed of this beautiful story.
submitted by Akashito_Rayuzaku to OmniscientReader [link] [comments]
This is a little Essay I cooked up about my thoughts and analysis on the meaning behind the representation of the Meta Aspects of ORV in an attempt to solve the puzzle behind the real story beyond the surface of the book.
Do note that I will only be considering the original ORV story in this essay since I am not far into the Side Stories yet and have no idea how much it impacted the story.
Now to start things off, this analysis will be focusing on what I believe to be the central theme of ORV and that us the relationship between Author and Reader, Han Sooyoung and Kim Dokja respectively. Other characters definitely have their own role and representation within the story, especially the characters who weren't in the original TWAS such as Yoo Sangah, Lee Gilyoung and Jung Heewon but I'll probably save those three for a different analysis.
Author's Notes:
Now why don't we start from the very beginning. We already know about 15 year old Kim Dokja, abusive father murdered by his mother, she then released an essay conveying the story of an abused mother leading to the murder of the abuser. It was this story that ruined his life and although it was meant to hide the true story of the incident, leading to Kim Dokja misremembering thus minimising his psychological damage and reputation, it doesn't save him from the cruel reality of society, eventually leading to his first fall from life, leading to the creation of the first Oldest Dream.
On the other hand exists 13 year old Han Sooyoung, living a life that's basically the opposite of Kim Dokja's. It was revealed in Epilogue 3 that little Han Sooyoung had a rather wealthy lifestyle, her mother an Actress, her father a.....I actually forgot but they're filthy rich basically. But in exchange for such fortune is a type of loneliness that only she would understand as a child that's seemingly treated like an accident that her parents couldn't simply throw away and had to keep around for the sake of their reputation. This probably probably lead to Han Sooyoung developing a yearning for attention in order to ease her loneliness, it's classic psychological impact on a neglected child.
Now at this point, I would like to talk about what happened in Epilogue 3 and the nature behind 13 year old Han Sooyoung's split personality with 1863rd Han Sooyoung. She did mention that the reason she gets sleepy allot in school is due to her alter ego waking up within her but if I am to look pass the Meta aspect of this, I could interpret it as simply her living two separate lives, one with a mask and one without. Daytime Han Sooyoung is probably a well behaved girl who lives a life befitting her reputation, but at Night exists Han Sooyoung who lives a completely different life, an aspring author whose also a rebellious little gremlin sneaking out of her room to find inspiration and break free from her lonely life, the same Han Sooyoung she would later grow up into which leads to her 1863rd and 1864th version. The meaning behind her travel to the past is her connection with her night time personality that she would grow up to become, her true self that she would slowly show ever since she revealed her talent for writing.
Epilogue 3's plot proceeded with Han Sooyoung and the Dokkaebi King searching for Kim Dokja who they thought was tls123. The Dokkaebi King eventually found him comatose in a hospital with the reason being due to a suicide attempt leading to Han Sooyoung's creation of TWAS in order to save him.
Who is the Dokkaebi king? The only reasonable thought would be that he's young Han Sooyoung's personal body guard which would eventually become her editor.
How did they meet Kim Dokja? Well some stories start with a simple coincidence and this is one of them. Han Sooyoung being the rebellious little gremlin she is would go to her usual night adventures or simply felt like she'd go out for a stroll to take some inspirations for her writing which leads to her coincidental encounter with Kim Dokja(Don't ask why she went to the hospital, let's just say she did). It was then that 13 year old Han Sooyoung would take a curious glance at the miserable 15 year old Kim Dokja, she would hear the details of his state and the reason from the Dokkaebi King. This is when Fiction and Reality starts to overlap as both little Sooyoung and her 1863rd interpretation have the one desire to save this miserable child.
It was a child's naive thoughts probably stemming from her own guilty conscience considering her own struggles or due to it affecting her own ego essentially asking questions starting with "Why?", we should take note that this is most likely Sooyoung's first direct encounter with the concept of attempted suicide, basically entering a situation she has yet to understand and is childishly refuting in order to try and do so. Though I am no psychologist and there's probably a better reason for her decision but whatever it was, she wanted to save the stranger that she just met, but alas they are just strangers and she is nothing more but a 13 year old girl so she could only do what she does best, leading to the creation of tls123 and Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World.
A story created at the spur of the moment with whatever creative Idea she could think of all for the sake of saving one person. The rest of this section most likely occured the same way as the original, the Dokkaebi King showed Kim Dokja the story and he would begin to read it, kickstarting the 13 year long relationship between Author and Reader through the messages of a wall of texts that separates the two.
Unfortunately as this story is a tragedy, Han Sooyoung never would have guessed that the same story that she made to save Kim Dokja would be the one to cause his eventual death.
Life and Fulfillment:
For the next 13 years, Kim Dokja would grow to love TWAS to the point of needing it to get on with his life. I believe that this is the part when reality and fiction begins to overlap as the original story is an exaggerated or fantasised reflection of thee struggles in Kim Dokja's life and how TWAS saves him.
It is mentioned multiple times in the story how Kim Dokja contemplated suicide in multiple instances in his life, this is actually reflected in his bad habit of sacrificing himself throughout the whole story. This goes to show how he finds his life so insignificant and his mindset full of pessimism, but due to his own delusional fantasies, he also views it as a justifiable sacrifice that would make the world a better place like the Demon King of Salvation that he is, basically translating it to "I am doing this world a favor". Yet he keeps coming back anyways because of TWAS, the sole motivation he has to keep living especially with the protagonist Yoo Joonghyuk.
Just like in Epilogue 5, Yoo Joonghyuk's role within this story is to become a messenger between the Author and the Reader. Han Sooyoung, also growing up with Kim Dokja, would keep on writing her story. She may grow out of her former childish mind but she'll grow fond of the company of her dear Reader, still a figment of her desire for attention as she may still be a neglected child throughout these points in her life and even with her own circle of friends, she probably found her relationship with her Reader quite special. A special kind of communication between two strangers. This is reflected in Jang Hayoung and the wall of Impossible Communication as his creation was probably the two's first proper conversation with each other which would later strengthen their relationship from here on out.
And so, she would keep on sending her message through the struggles and indomitable determination of Yoo Joonghyuk. His ups and downs, his near endless victory and suffering, all but a twisted and exaggerated reflection of a very simple message that can be summarised in a single word, "Live".
And so he did, just as how he struggled in his fantasies, he would too in reality. The whole story of ORV from the first episode up to the 99th episode reflects his own real struggles throughout the 13 years he's lived through and how TWAS helped him through it. His own journey through self improvement, slowly opening his heart to the people around him. There would even be a point in time where he would settle his issue with his mother, learn the truth and finally let go.
The Oldest Dream taken by the Secretive Plotter and the 999th companions reflects Kim Dokja's enlightenment and finally recognising the value of life, basically letting go of his childhood trauma off to a place where it could finally rest in peace. In a sense, Han Sooyoung did fulfill her desire, whether it was for her own self satisfaction or if she genuinely wished to help, she did help Kim Dokja live on with his life, and with her desire fulfilled, she can finally end the novel.
49/51:
ORV started and ended in the same setting, the subway, the start and end of all tragedies, so what's the deal with this peculiar setting? Well...
Kim Dokja died within that subway, the 51% who loved TWAS. I see it as a simple accident, the story did start off with the subway malfunctioning prior to the start of the scenarios so if you look at it as a metaphor, Kim Dokja got himself into an accident just when he finally got his life back on track. A representation of memory loss, 51% Kim Dokja is stuck within the subway that he haunts while the 49% miraculously survived, The 49% who achieved enlightenment in life and gathered the confidence to keep on living, but in exchange, he lost the memories of his favourite novel, the one that allowed him to achieve that enlightenment. It's the reason why Han Sooyoung of 1863rd started disappearing the closer she gets to the incident for along with losing the memories of TWAS, Kim Dokja would also lose the memories of tls123. And the next time they meet, they would once again be strangers to each other.
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint:
Now what is Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint? The way I interpret is that it's a recollection, an exaggerated retelling of a story. It was only a matter of time before Han Sooyoung discovers the accident just as she had her suspicions in Epilogue 1 which leads to her confronting him, but in this case, it's simply her meeting the person she saved after his memories of her disappeared. It was already made pretty clear by 1863rd Han Sooyoung that she really wanted to see Kim Dokja again but was too late to do so. She may succeeded in saving his life as she intended but the fact that he had completely forgotten who and what saved him came out as unacceptable to her, her naivety and selfish desires that she had since the first time they met, cursing whatever divine intervention lead to the loss of her 13 years of hard work. Thus commencing operation save the squid, the retelling of Kim Dokja's life and the birth of the story known as Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, Han Sooyoung's desperate attempt to regain Kim Dokja's remaining 51%, the him who remembered TWAS and, to an extent, her.
But again, for one last time, this story is a tragedy, and just like what the Dokkaebi King said, they should have been satisfied with the 49% Kim Dokja. Both the 51% and 49% eventually scattered out into the cosmos due to Han Sooyoung's unsatisfaction of the latter. Her confronting the 49% in the story which lead to his coma may reflect her triggering a memorial issue with Kim Dokja leading to the same result with the difference being that it really is a coma that he will never wake up from. It's as Han Sooyoung says, the operation was a complete utter failure.
The Eternity and Epilogue:
In my interpretation, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint is the story of a dying Reader and an Author who wished for him to live, not knowing that her selfish desires is what eventually lead to losing him. And the story that we read is the Epilogue that she wished to show her dear Reader, her message of gratitude and, at the same time, her apology, and finally, a commemoration for the first and last person she ever loved, in hopes that he will be remembered and still live even in a different form.
Through Yoo Joonghyuk she would send her story to us, leaving the story's conclusion and Kim Dokja's resurrection to our thoughts and understanding of the character, acting as the fragments that would rebuild him back together, granting the salvation and forgiveness that the Author seeks, allowing them to rest in peace.
Now that's about all for this little essay of mine. There are definitely allot more hidden details and implications of the real events of ORV throughout the story that I haven't mentioned here so do feel free to share your own thoughts and interpretation and perhaps you can point out some details or mistakes that I have missed.
After all, we are fragments of the Oldest Dream who dreamed of this beautiful story.
2024.06.02 01:48 qwert7661 Even the best fall down sometimes
For thousands of years, philosophers have grappled with the complexities of human existence, striving to decipher the intricacies of society and morality. Among them, Ayn Rand stands as a towering figure, renowned for her brilliant insights into individualism, rational self-interest, and the role of government. However, what truly sets Rand apart as the most brilliant philosopher is her unexpected support for Section 8 Housing, grounded in her advocacy for government-mandated fun and cooperation, as well as her enthusiastic endorsement of the musical stylings of Lizzo and Howie Day.
At first glance, Rand's advocacy for Section 8 Housing might seem incongruent with her staunch defense of laissez-faire capitalism and minimal government intervention. However, delving deeper into her philosophy reveals a nuanced perspective that challenges traditional notions of individualism. Rand understood that true freedom does not solely reside in the absence of government coercion but also in the ability of individuals to pursue their values and happiness without undue hindrance. In her view, Section 8 Housing, when implemented effectively, can provide individuals with the opportunity to thrive by ensuring access to affordable housing, thereby freeing them from the shackles of poverty and allowing them to pursue their aspirations unencumbered.
Moreover, Rand's support for Section 8 Housing is underpinned by her belief in the importance of government-mandated fun and cooperation. Contrary to popular perception, Rand did not advocate for a society devoid of social bonds or communal activities. Instead, she recognized that genuine human flourishing necessitates a balance between individual autonomy and collective engagement. By promoting policies such as Section 8 Housing, Rand sought to foster a sense of solidarity and mutual support within society, thereby enriching the lives of all individuals, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Furthermore, Rand's endorsement of the musical stylings of Lizzo exemplifies her appreciation for the diversity of human expression and the celebration of individual talent. Lizzo's music, characterized by its empowering lyrics and infectious energy, embodies the spirit of self-confidence and unapologetic self-expression championed by Rand. By embracing Lizzo's music, Rand not only reaffirms her commitment to individualism but also acknowledges the transformative power of art in inspiring positive change and uplifting the human spirit.
In addition to her admiration for Lizzo's music, Ayn Rand's eclectic taste in music extends to the hit song "Collide" by Howie Day. This heartfelt ballad, with its poignant lyrics and emotive melody, resonates deeply with Rand's philosophy of individualism and personal agency.
"Collide" speaks to the universal human experience of facing adversity and striving to overcome obstacles in pursuit of one's dreams. For Rand, who championed the power of the individual to shape their own destiny through rational thought and self-determination, the message of resilience and perseverance embodied in the song strikes a chord.
Moreover, "Collide" encapsulates Rand's belief in the inherent beauty and complexity of human relationships. The lyrics explore the themes of connection, vulnerability, and the transformative power of love, echoing Rand's emphasis on the importance of authentic, voluntary interactions between individuals.
By embracing "Collide," Ayn Rand demonstrates her appreciation for music that speaks to the triumph of the human spirit and celebrates the indomitable will of individuals to carve out their own path in a world full of challenges and possibilities. Through her affinity for this song, Rand's intellectual legacy continues to resonate with audiences across generations, reminding us of the enduring relevance of her ideas in our quest for meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.
In conclusion, we live in a world of contrasts. Ayn Rand, often celebrated for her advocacy of unfettered capitalism and rugged individualism, surprises us with her support for Section 8 Housing and her admiration for the musical genius of Lizzo and the vastly more talented Howie Day. Yet, it is precisely this ability to transcend conventional boundaries and embrace unexpected ideas that makes Rand the most brilliant living philosopher of our time. Through her profound insights and unyielding commitment to the principles of reason, individualism, and human potential, Rand continues to challenge and inspire us to envision a future guided by liberty, prosperity, and the pursuit of happiness for all.
submitted by qwert7661 to badphilosophy [link] [comments]
At first glance, Rand's advocacy for Section 8 Housing might seem incongruent with her staunch defense of laissez-faire capitalism and minimal government intervention. However, delving deeper into her philosophy reveals a nuanced perspective that challenges traditional notions of individualism. Rand understood that true freedom does not solely reside in the absence of government coercion but also in the ability of individuals to pursue their values and happiness without undue hindrance. In her view, Section 8 Housing, when implemented effectively, can provide individuals with the opportunity to thrive by ensuring access to affordable housing, thereby freeing them from the shackles of poverty and allowing them to pursue their aspirations unencumbered.
Moreover, Rand's support for Section 8 Housing is underpinned by her belief in the importance of government-mandated fun and cooperation. Contrary to popular perception, Rand did not advocate for a society devoid of social bonds or communal activities. Instead, she recognized that genuine human flourishing necessitates a balance between individual autonomy and collective engagement. By promoting policies such as Section 8 Housing, Rand sought to foster a sense of solidarity and mutual support within society, thereby enriching the lives of all individuals, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Furthermore, Rand's endorsement of the musical stylings of Lizzo exemplifies her appreciation for the diversity of human expression and the celebration of individual talent. Lizzo's music, characterized by its empowering lyrics and infectious energy, embodies the spirit of self-confidence and unapologetic self-expression championed by Rand. By embracing Lizzo's music, Rand not only reaffirms her commitment to individualism but also acknowledges the transformative power of art in inspiring positive change and uplifting the human spirit.
In addition to her admiration for Lizzo's music, Ayn Rand's eclectic taste in music extends to the hit song "Collide" by Howie Day. This heartfelt ballad, with its poignant lyrics and emotive melody, resonates deeply with Rand's philosophy of individualism and personal agency.
"Collide" speaks to the universal human experience of facing adversity and striving to overcome obstacles in pursuit of one's dreams. For Rand, who championed the power of the individual to shape their own destiny through rational thought and self-determination, the message of resilience and perseverance embodied in the song strikes a chord.
Moreover, "Collide" encapsulates Rand's belief in the inherent beauty and complexity of human relationships. The lyrics explore the themes of connection, vulnerability, and the transformative power of love, echoing Rand's emphasis on the importance of authentic, voluntary interactions between individuals.
By embracing "Collide," Ayn Rand demonstrates her appreciation for music that speaks to the triumph of the human spirit and celebrates the indomitable will of individuals to carve out their own path in a world full of challenges and possibilities. Through her affinity for this song, Rand's intellectual legacy continues to resonate with audiences across generations, reminding us of the enduring relevance of her ideas in our quest for meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.
In conclusion, we live in a world of contrasts. Ayn Rand, often celebrated for her advocacy of unfettered capitalism and rugged individualism, surprises us with her support for Section 8 Housing and her admiration for the musical genius of Lizzo and the vastly more talented Howie Day. Yet, it is precisely this ability to transcend conventional boundaries and embrace unexpected ideas that makes Rand the most brilliant living philosopher of our time. Through her profound insights and unyielding commitment to the principles of reason, individualism, and human potential, Rand continues to challenge and inspire us to envision a future guided by liberty, prosperity, and the pursuit of happiness for all.
2024.06.02 01:23 Phamility Jujutsu Kaisen (JJK) Mod
Hello! I've made a Jujutsu Kaisen inspired theme mod for Terraria on 1.4.4.9 called Jujutsu Terraria ! It is a medium sized mod providing the necessary tools to do a full run through from start to finish with JJK Themed items. There is a new class, the Shaman class, which revolves around burning through cursed energy, landing black flashes, utilizing restrictions and exchanges, and juggling buffs to maximize damage!
Although I wasn't able to fully flesh out some ideas, if you'd like to give it a try, feel free to do so!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3258675288
submitted by Phamility to Terraria [link] [comments]
Although I wasn't able to fully flesh out some ideas, if you'd like to give it a try, feel free to do so!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3258675288
2024.06.02 00:21 xiadmabsax Released my very first game and I am proud of it!
 | Hello everyone! submitted by xiadmabsax to IndieDev [link] [comments] I am not a game developer but always had the idea of creating one on the back of my head. Seeing the Steam game "Chessformer" was the catalyst and so I have been working on a project heavily inspired by it in the past two months! Because I have no prior knowledge in this (other than web development), any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Quick information
Goal of the game First levels are aimed of showing the very basics of the game, so you will pick it up pretty quickly. The general idea is:
Video from development stages to showcase the basics Other twists The twists don't end there, because there are so many other blocks, mechanics and even pieces to add variety! The first one is introduced at Level 25 and every 15-ish levels following that. I aimed so that there is a balance between familiarity and novelty. Some mechanics include:
Well, there are 133 now, which introduced a new mechanic that is not in these screenshots! Community I am grateful for everyone who has been supporting the development process. They have been quite active on Discord, giving me lots of feedback.
They are still at the top as we speak Sounds like your thing? Then give it a try! Thanks in advance for checking it out and for reading this far! Once again, even though I can safely say the game is "released" now, there is likely a lot of things I am doing incorrectly. If you have any tips, suggestions or feedback then please let me know! |
2024.06.02 00:05 The_Sunhunter The Mythology of the Eikons #9: Leviathan
Leviathan, the Eikon of Water concept art
Leviathan, the lost Eikon of Water, has finally been found! After months of waiting, the Rising Tide downloadable content (DLC) has been released and with it, I am once again rambling about the mythological, religious, and cultural inspirations behind the Eikons of Final Fantasy XVI. If you would like to check out any of my previous posts on the subject of Eikons, you can find them here:
The sea serpent Leviathan, like most of the Eikons, has been a staple of the Final Fantasy series since its introduction as one of the original summons#Summon_Magic) from 1990’s Final Fantasy III. While modern usage of the terms “leviathan” and “behemoth” are often used to denote something large and imposing, these words actually originate as the names of two creatures from the Tanakh (or Hebrew Bible). According to the verses 40:15-41:34 in the Book of Job, Leviathan and Behemoth are two gigantic and nigh indestructible animals born around the same time as the creation of the first two humans Adam and Eve, with Behemoth residing over the wilderness east of the Garden of Eden called Duidain and Leviathan bound to the watery Abyss) as stated in verses 60:7-10 in the apocryphal Book of Enoch. While the term abyss may bring to mind the idea of a bottomless hole or even an underworld such as the Greek Hades, Hebrew Sheol, or Christian Hell; the Septuagint, the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, often uses the term abyss to instead refer to deep bodies of water. In fact, Abyss is the translated noun for the Hebrew Tehom, or the “deep” primordial waters from which the god Yahweh formed the world after the creation of light as stated by the verses 1:2-10 in the Book of Genesis; which is but one example of the cosmic ocean motif, whereby existence is conceptualized as originating from a watery void. I find it very interesting then that the Abyss is referenced several times in the Rising Tide DLC, such as in the name of Leviathan’s Eikonic ability Abyssal Tear; the Motes of Water adage “Know that even should you walk Abyss, our hands will guide you home” from the Minwu Arm Ring description; or the description of the Radiant Tidestrike weapon that says “Surge did the tide, the water rising as if it were some mighty whale stranding itself upon the shore. Behold, the Devourer of Worlds. The beast within whose foul belly our hopes are carried unto the Abyss. - Eikonomachy - Book of Currents 15:40-41”.
From the aforementioned verses of the diegetic Book of Currents, as well as one of the Active Time Lore Entries for Leviathan that states “Old writings clearly speak of Dominants past summoning great whale-like creatures capable of swallowing entire cities…”; we can possibly see a reference to Leviathan) swallowing the protagonist Firion and his allies on their way to the Mysidian Tower in Final Fantasy II. However, I would suggest that these quotes go further than mere references to past games and are actually an allusion to the parable of Jonah surviving in the belly of a whale from the eponymous Book of Jonah. For those unfamiliar with the story, the Hebrew prophet Jonah was tasked by God to preach on His behalf to the citizenry of Nineveh in the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Jonah instead refuses the call, and attempts to sail across the sea to Tarshish. On the journey, Jonah and the sailors he is accompanied by are caught in a huge storm, and believing that Jonah’s dismissal of God is the cause, the sailors thus throw him overboard. God then sends a whale to swallow Jonah, with the intention of preventing the Israelite from drowning. Miraculously surviving in the whale’s stomach for 3 days, Jonah vows to do God’s bidding and is thus safely returned to shore, whereby he travels to Nineveh and beseeches the citizens to renounce their wicked ways, lest they be visited by calamity. This story is meant to illustrate that Yahweh is a merciful god who allows for second chances, giving not only Jonah, but also the Ninevites the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and redirect their course of actions.
With this parable in mind, I would like to mention that in 1949, literary professor Joseph Campbell published “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”; a work of comparative mythology in which he proposed his idea of the Monomyth (later called the Hero’s Journey). Campbell’s theory of the Monomyth posits that while most narratives involving a heroic protagonist may have differing contents, these stories also typically follow a similar pattern; that being a three-act structure comprised of 17 subset stages. One such stage in Campbell’s model is the Belly of the Whale (sometimes also referred to as the Abyss), one of the literally or figuratively lowest points in the story for the protagonist in which the hero must engage in introspection and commence a process of self-transformation if they are to be equipped to finish their journey. This stage acts as a symbolic death and rebirth for the protagonist, with some Christians even interpreting Jonah’s story as actually being an allegory for Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection.
A prime example of this stage can be seen in Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio”, whereby the eponymous puppet Pinocchio and his creator Geppetto are swallowed by the Terrible Dogfish; with the typically irresponsible and selfish Pinocchio instead performing a self-sacrificial act in order to save his “father”, which he is thus rewarded for by being brought back to life as a human by the Fairy with Turquoise Hair. Viewing the Pinnochio narrative as an example of a more modern mythical epic, Thomas J. Morrissey and Richard Wunderlich state in “Death and Rebirth in Pinocchio”; “Gods can die and be reborn, or rise from the dead. Such mythological events probably imitate the annual cycle of vegetative birth, death, and renascence, and they often serve as paradigms for the frequent symbolic deaths and rebirths encountered in literature. Two such symbolic renderings are most prominent: re-emergence from a journey to hell and rebirth through metamorphosis. Journeys to the underworld [Katabasis] are a common feature of Eurasian literary epics: Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Aeneas, and Dante all benefit from the knowledge and power they put on after such descents. Rebirth through metamorphosis, on the other hand, is a motif generally consigned to fantasy or speculative literature… These two figurative manifestations of the death-rebirth trope are rarely combined; however, Carlo Collodi’s great fantasy-epic, The Adventures of Pinocchio, is a work in which a hero experiences symbolic death and rebirth through both infernal descent and metamorphosis”. We as the player also experience this Belly of the Whale stage in Final Fantasy XVI, when our heroes Clive Rosfield and Jill Warwick confront the Dominant of Darkness Barnabas Tharmr on the seafloor of the sundered Naldia Narrow, appropriately labeled as the Abyss, whereby Clive is soundly defeated by Barnabas for a second time. Fleeing their assailant, Clive and Jill consummate their love for one another on the shore of Ash, with Clive acquiring a portion of the Eikon Shiva’s powers from Jill so that he may finally triumph over Barnabas in a battle of physical prowess and ideals; proving to the false prophet and his God that compassion and the desire for freedom will always overcome any adversity.
With all this talk of whales, I should mention that from the descriptions as given in the Book of Job, Behemoth sounds to resemble that of a large ox or hippopotamus, while Leviathan is suggested as being similar to that of the tanninim) or “great whales” mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. In fact, Islamic folklore has its own variant of this terrestrial and aquatic duo, that being the large bull Kujata and the even larger whale Bahamut; as outlined by the medieval cosmographer Zakariya al-Qazwini in his seminal work “The Wonders of Creation”. Even though I am going to hazard a guess that the name of the Kuza Beast), a variant of the Behemoth enemy in several Final Fantasy games, is named after Kujata; it is quite obvious on the other hand that the draconic Eikon Bahamut borrows its name from the Islamic whale of the same name as well as the dragon god Bahamut) from the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. While the Book of Job describes Leviathan as being a whale or even a crocodile as suggested by a footnote in the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, verse 27:1 in the Book of Isaiah instead equates Leviathan to a sea serpent or dragon, with the Book of Job description also making it a point to mention Leviathan’s fearsome fiery breath. Given its status as a tutelary god for the Japanese-inspired nation of Wutai in Final Fantasy VII, it could be argued that Leviathan in the Final Fantasy series also shares similarities with Eastern dragons, such as the Chinese Lóng or Japanese Ryū; beneficent, serpentine deities of water and rain.
It is presumed that the figure and name of Leviathan actually originates from the older Canaanite sea monster Lôtān, whose name in the Ugaritic language meant “coiled” and was given the epithets “the fugitive serpent” or “the wriggling serpent”. In the first two tablets of the fragmentary Ugaritic Baal Cycle text, the storm god Baal (Lord) Hadad engages in a feud with the deification of the sea Yammu) to succeed their father El) as the ruler of the gods. At some point in this first chapter of the Baal Cycle, Hadad strikes down the seven-headed serpent Lôtān, who given the missing pieces of the text, could either be a servant of or another name for Yammu, with it also being believed that the monster was a zoomorphic representation of the Lebanese Litani River. Why I bring this up is to illustrate that Hadad’s defeat of Lôtān is but one example of the Chaoskampf mytheme, a pattern found in numerous Indo-European mythologies whereby a younger storm god or culture hero representing order and human civilization slays an ancient serpent or dragon associated with water that represents primordial chaos); perhaps a sentiment held by early agricultural riverine civilizations wishing to triumph over the constant and often devastating threat of floods.
One of the oldest examples of this mytheme is that of the Mesopotamian god Marduk’s dismemberment of Tiamat. According to the Babylonian Enūma Eliš, in the beginning there existed only Tiamat, the female personification of salt water; and Abzu, the male personification of fresh water. From the union of the two primeval waters sprang forth the first generation of gods called the Anunnaki. One such god, Enki (or Ea) would capture and kill Abzu after he plotted to kill his children due to the commotion they were causing. Enraged by Enki’s actions, Tiamat gave birth to eleven monstrous children to wage war against the gods along with her new consort Kingu, who possessed the Tablet of Destinies); the mark of divine rule. Marduk, the son of Enki, challenged Tiamat and her monsters, eventually slaying his opponents with lightning and storm winds. Defeated, Tiamat’s body was sliced in twain, with the two halves becoming the sky and earth. From an earlier promise made with the Anunnaki and the Igigi (lesser gods) as well as the acquisition of the Tablet of Destinies from the beaten Kingu, Marduk was made king of the gods; later mixing the blood of Kingu with clay to also become the creator of mankind.
Through the lens of the Chaoskampf mytheme, we can start to see connections between Tiamat’s dismemberment, the defeat of the multi-headed Lôtān, and Leviathan form. The non-canonical Book of Enoch actually specifies that the land-dwelling Behemoth is male, while the aquatic Leviathan is female; possibly creating an inadvertent association between Leviathan and the sea goddess and mother of monsters Tiamat. This may also be why Leviathan’s Chronolith Trial is named the Hand of Tethys. While still following the moons of Saturn naming convention, it is very fitting that the trial is also named after the Greek Tethys); wife of the world-encompassing river Oceanus and mother to the male river gods and female water nymphs called the Potamoi and Oceanids, respectively. Furthering the connections to Tiamat and Lôtān, several accounts in the Hebrew Bible describe Yawheh triumphing over the forces of the sea, such as in Isaiah 51:9-10 “Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab) to pieces, who pierced that monster through? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed may cross over?” and Job 26:12-13 “By his power he churned up the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces. By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent”. It is believed that Rahab, while occasionally used as a flowery term for Egypt or arrogance, was also a sea serpent either comparable to or synonymous with Leviathan. While Leviathan’s death at the hands of Yahweh in Isaiah 27:1 is viewed as a metaphor for the enemies of Israel who will submit to the Hebrew God, the Chaoskampf and the connection with the Canaanite Lôtān is further shown in verse 74:14 from the Book of Psalms, which says “Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness”; which is where the name of the trophy for beating Leviathan on Final Fantasy mode, Thou Brakest the Head, comes from.
Along with the account of Leviathan’s death in Psalms 74:12, several other Jewish sources, such as the Second Book of Esdras 6:47-52, the Apocalypse of Baruch 29:4, and the Bava Batra tractate in the Talmud state that Yahweh will slay Leviathan and Behemoth so that their flesh shall be given as food and shelter to the righteous during the End of Days and the Messianic Age. This may explain why the Behemoth King in FFXVI has several attacks referencing Christian eschatology from the Book of Revelation, such as the Four Horsemen; personifications of War, Conquest, Famine, and Death that herald the Last Judgment; and the Apocalypse, another term for a revelation which has since become synonymous with a cataclysmic end-time event, like the battle at Armageddon for instance. Leviathan and Behemoth’s statuses as eventual sacrifices is very similar to the role that Leviathan and its Dominant unfortunately play in Final Fantasy XVI.
Both DLCs, the Echoes of the Fallen and the Rising Tide, deal with themes of rectifying the sins of the past; whereby the Fallen and the Motes of Water engaged in questionable behavior in an attempt to create their own Mothercrystals to disastrous effect. The Motes of Water, a central focus of the Rising Tide, are a tribe originating from the southern coast of the continent of Ash and hosts to the Dominants of the Eikon Leviathan. After the loss of their Mothercrystal Drake’s Horn, the tribe migrated across the twin continent of Storm; where they were mercilessly persecuted by several groups, particularly the Greagorian faithful of the burgeoning Holy Empire of Sanbreque, causing the tribe and their Eikon to become “lost” to history. Due to their nomadic nature as well as Sanbreque’s similarities with the Roman and Holy Roman Empires, one could say that the Motes of Water mirror the Jewish Diaspora (exile) and transformation of the faith after the Roman Empire’s siege on Jerusalem) and the destruction of the Second Temple during the First Jewish-Roman War; or perhaps one could say the tribe is treated in a similar fashion to the oft demonized itinerant Romani people of eastern Europe. Either way, the Motes of Water are meant to represent the “Other”; ostracized outsiders to the customs of Storm who hid themselves away from the rest of the world to avoid further religious persecution.
After finding sanctuary in the northern territory of Mysidia, the Motes of Water tried to create for themselves a new Mothercrystal to replace the Northern Territories’ own shattered Mothercrystal called Drake’s Eye. The story of the Motes of Water is one of loss and a constant fight to carve out a place in the world to call their own, so it is no surprise then that they wished to regain something taken away from them so many years ago. However, the tribe would engage in a terrible act, enraging their Eikon Leviathan that laid dormant within the infant Dominant Waljas, and freeze both the baby and the Eikon in time to essentially act as an aether battery. Unsuccessful in turning Waljas into the heart of a Mothercrystal, all the tribe achieved was robbing the poor baby of its life and autonomy, imprisoning the Dominant and the tidal wave it summoned in that moment where the tribe’s greatest sin occurred for 80 years.
This frozen tsunami, dubbed the Surge, is not only a monument to the tribe’s greatest shame, but is also a constant looming threat over the tribe’s village of Haven; a reminder to never again engage in such a transgression, lest they be met with watery doom. This mirrors not only Jonah preaching to the Ninevites to change their ways, but also God’s warnings against individuals sacrificing children to Moloch in the Book of Leviticus 20:2-5. In fact, as ProfNoctis suggests in his video “Final Fantasy XVI Lecture Stream: The Mythos of Leviathan Part 2”; Leviathan and the Surge are symbols of human and divine regret, with Ultima, the creator of mankind and the Mothercrystals, referring to Leviathan as its “most profaned fragment”; due to the Eikon being rested from its creator’s control and the act of creating a man-made Mothercrystal being a repeat of the Fallen’s blasphemous attempts at attaining godhood during the War of the Magi and the Sins of Dzemekys, flagrant displays of mankind’s development of free will which is anathema to Ultima’s collective identity.
As a symbol of divine regret, the Surge could be seen as a parallel to the Flood from the Book of Genesis. Deluge or flood myths are motifs that can often be found amongst cultures residing near the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and Persian Gulf such as Egypt, Greece, and Israel; with these stories usually recounting a tale in which a deity or deities summon a world-wide flood as a form of divine retribution. One of the earliest examples is the Mesopotamian Epic of Atra-Hasis, in which mankind was created by the gods to act as servants and laborers. However, due to overpopulation, the storm god Enlil seeks to reduce their numbers by bringing forth a great flood. Enki, seen as a benefactor of mankind, warns the human Atra-Hasis about the flood, telling him to build a boat to protect himself, his family, and his livestock from the deluge. After seven days, the waters recede and Enki and Enlil agree on other means of maintaining the human population. This story is also thought to have been later adapted in Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh, where the survivor of the flood is renamed Utnapishtim; though both the Atra-Hasis and Gilgamesh flood accounts seem to originate from an even older source called the Eridu Genesis. Similarly, the Greeks also had a deluge myth, as outlined in the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses, where Deucalion, the human son of the divine Prometheus, is warned by his father to build a chest for himself and his wife Pyrrha to escape a gigantic flood that the storm god Zeus plans to bring forth as a response to the insufficient offering given to him by Lycaon), the king of Arcadia); with the pair washing up on Mount Parnassus nine days after the storm.
There are several theories, such as the Black Sea Deluge Hypothesis, that propose that the ancient Middle East did indeed experience a large flood at some point in the very distant past. Given that flood myths are thus believed to have originated from Mesopotamia, it should come as no surprise that the Hebrew flood narrative bears similarities to the previously discussed deluge myths as well. According to chapters 6-9 in the Book of Genesis, God grows increasingly distraught over the wicked nature of the humans descended from Adam and Eve and their inadvertent creation of sin, and so decides to reset creation to a state of watery chaos. God warns one of the few moral men, the Antediluvian patriarch named Noah, about His plan to flood the world and instructs him to build an ark to house himself, his family, and two of each animal to be the first creatures to inhabit the new world. After the firmament breaks forth and floods the world for 40 days, Noah’s Ark washes up on Mount Ararat. Noah then builds an altar, with God forming a covenant with Noah whereby He declares to never again summon a flood to devastate the world. As Genesis 9:9-17 states, this promise between Noah and God is commemorated by the rainbow, a symbol of peace; which as ProfNoctis points out, also appears once Clive saves Waljas.
Through a certain perspective, the Flood could be seen as a sort of baptism, a spiritual cleansing of the world through physical water. Baptism is considered one of the 7 sacraments of the Christian Catholic denomination; a rite of initiation whereby the individual joining the faith is either submerged in or sprinkled with water three times, representing the purification of sin and the grace given by the Holy Trinity. This is not unlike the Rite of Immersion that the infant Waljas is granted at the conclusion of the Rising Tide DLC; a ceremony for all babies born into the Motes of Water in which the initiate is sprinkled with mountainous rain water from Maiden’s March, river water from Riversmeet, and sea water from Tailwind Bay. The water used in this rite is used as a metaphor for life’s journey, likened by the tribe to that of a river, with this revealing that the Motes of Water hold a very cyclical view of life in a similar fashion to the Buddhist beliefs in reincarnation or the Lifestream from Final Fantasy VII. As the descriptions for the 3 kinds of water used in the ceremony state; “The rain that falls upon the mountains of Mysidia emerges in the springs of Maiden’s March. Thus the water collected from said springs represents birth-the fountainhead from which the river of life begins”, “In the Riversmeet valley, several tributaries merge into a single stream, where clear currents and roiling eddies swim side by side. Its water represents life-a course complete with myriad meanderings, yet one that runs inexorably from source to sea”, and “The Mysidian river empties into the ocean amid the shallows of Tailwind Bay, and thus its water represents death-the stillness that lies beyond the end of the river of life, and from whence the raindrops are born anew”. In fact, the symbol for the village of Haven is meant to be the combination of Leviathan’s scales and the river called the Ceaseless Rill, “...the circle of life that has neither beginning nor end”, not unlike the serpentine symbol of the Ouroboros. I would thus argue that not only does Leviathan represent regret and retribution, but also the chaotic journey of life.
If it’s not already apparent, I find Leviathan to be very interesting. I want to thank you all for sticking around and reading the whole thing, as I know this was a lot. If you would like to check out some more information about Leviathan, I would recommend checking out the videos “Leviathan of Final Fantasy VS the Leviathan of the Bible - FF16 The Rising Tide” by Country Kratos and “A Brief History of Final Fantasy Summons Final Fantasy Lore” by Alleyway Jack.
With the conclusion of both DLCs, Clive and by extension the player, is granted one additional Eikonic power. As such, I am actually going to do one more essay, which I will post next week. I hope you look forward to it and thank you again for reading this. Have a fantastic day!
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Leviathan, the lost Eikon of Water, has finally been found! After months of waiting, the Rising Tide downloadable content (DLC) has been released and with it, I am once again rambling about the mythological, religious, and cultural inspirations behind the Eikons of Final Fantasy XVI. If you would like to check out any of my previous posts on the subject of Eikons, you can find them here:
1.) Phoenix
2.) Ifrit
3.) Shiva
4.) Ramuh
5.) Garuda
6.) Titan
7.) Bahamut
8.) Odin
As I’ve said in the past, if you feel that I may have said something wrong, or if you would like to add to what information I have provided; by all means please do so. I absolutely welcome the discussion.The sea serpent Leviathan, like most of the Eikons, has been a staple of the Final Fantasy series since its introduction as one of the original summons#Summon_Magic) from 1990’s Final Fantasy III. While modern usage of the terms “leviathan” and “behemoth” are often used to denote something large and imposing, these words actually originate as the names of two creatures from the Tanakh (or Hebrew Bible). According to the verses 40:15-41:34 in the Book of Job, Leviathan and Behemoth are two gigantic and nigh indestructible animals born around the same time as the creation of the first two humans Adam and Eve, with Behemoth residing over the wilderness east of the Garden of Eden called Duidain and Leviathan bound to the watery Abyss) as stated in verses 60:7-10 in the apocryphal Book of Enoch. While the term abyss may bring to mind the idea of a bottomless hole or even an underworld such as the Greek Hades, Hebrew Sheol, or Christian Hell; the Septuagint, the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, often uses the term abyss to instead refer to deep bodies of water. In fact, Abyss is the translated noun for the Hebrew Tehom, or the “deep” primordial waters from which the god Yahweh formed the world after the creation of light as stated by the verses 1:2-10 in the Book of Genesis; which is but one example of the cosmic ocean motif, whereby existence is conceptualized as originating from a watery void. I find it very interesting then that the Abyss is referenced several times in the Rising Tide DLC, such as in the name of Leviathan’s Eikonic ability Abyssal Tear; the Motes of Water adage “Know that even should you walk Abyss, our hands will guide you home” from the Minwu Arm Ring description; or the description of the Radiant Tidestrike weapon that says “Surge did the tide, the water rising as if it were some mighty whale stranding itself upon the shore. Behold, the Devourer of Worlds. The beast within whose foul belly our hopes are carried unto the Abyss. - Eikonomachy - Book of Currents 15:40-41”.
From the aforementioned verses of the diegetic Book of Currents, as well as one of the Active Time Lore Entries for Leviathan that states “Old writings clearly speak of Dominants past summoning great whale-like creatures capable of swallowing entire cities…”; we can possibly see a reference to Leviathan) swallowing the protagonist Firion and his allies on their way to the Mysidian Tower in Final Fantasy II. However, I would suggest that these quotes go further than mere references to past games and are actually an allusion to the parable of Jonah surviving in the belly of a whale from the eponymous Book of Jonah. For those unfamiliar with the story, the Hebrew prophet Jonah was tasked by God to preach on His behalf to the citizenry of Nineveh in the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Jonah instead refuses the call, and attempts to sail across the sea to Tarshish. On the journey, Jonah and the sailors he is accompanied by are caught in a huge storm, and believing that Jonah’s dismissal of God is the cause, the sailors thus throw him overboard. God then sends a whale to swallow Jonah, with the intention of preventing the Israelite from drowning. Miraculously surviving in the whale’s stomach for 3 days, Jonah vows to do God’s bidding and is thus safely returned to shore, whereby he travels to Nineveh and beseeches the citizens to renounce their wicked ways, lest they be visited by calamity. This story is meant to illustrate that Yahweh is a merciful god who allows for second chances, giving not only Jonah, but also the Ninevites the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and redirect their course of actions.
With this parable in mind, I would like to mention that in 1949, literary professor Joseph Campbell published “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”; a work of comparative mythology in which he proposed his idea of the Monomyth (later called the Hero’s Journey). Campbell’s theory of the Monomyth posits that while most narratives involving a heroic protagonist may have differing contents, these stories also typically follow a similar pattern; that being a three-act structure comprised of 17 subset stages. One such stage in Campbell’s model is the Belly of the Whale (sometimes also referred to as the Abyss), one of the literally or figuratively lowest points in the story for the protagonist in which the hero must engage in introspection and commence a process of self-transformation if they are to be equipped to finish their journey. This stage acts as a symbolic death and rebirth for the protagonist, with some Christians even interpreting Jonah’s story as actually being an allegory for Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection.
A prime example of this stage can be seen in Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio”, whereby the eponymous puppet Pinocchio and his creator Geppetto are swallowed by the Terrible Dogfish; with the typically irresponsible and selfish Pinocchio instead performing a self-sacrificial act in order to save his “father”, which he is thus rewarded for by being brought back to life as a human by the Fairy with Turquoise Hair. Viewing the Pinnochio narrative as an example of a more modern mythical epic, Thomas J. Morrissey and Richard Wunderlich state in “Death and Rebirth in Pinocchio”; “Gods can die and be reborn, or rise from the dead. Such mythological events probably imitate the annual cycle of vegetative birth, death, and renascence, and they often serve as paradigms for the frequent symbolic deaths and rebirths encountered in literature. Two such symbolic renderings are most prominent: re-emergence from a journey to hell and rebirth through metamorphosis. Journeys to the underworld [Katabasis] are a common feature of Eurasian literary epics: Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Aeneas, and Dante all benefit from the knowledge and power they put on after such descents. Rebirth through metamorphosis, on the other hand, is a motif generally consigned to fantasy or speculative literature… These two figurative manifestations of the death-rebirth trope are rarely combined; however, Carlo Collodi’s great fantasy-epic, The Adventures of Pinocchio, is a work in which a hero experiences symbolic death and rebirth through both infernal descent and metamorphosis”. We as the player also experience this Belly of the Whale stage in Final Fantasy XVI, when our heroes Clive Rosfield and Jill Warwick confront the Dominant of Darkness Barnabas Tharmr on the seafloor of the sundered Naldia Narrow, appropriately labeled as the Abyss, whereby Clive is soundly defeated by Barnabas for a second time. Fleeing their assailant, Clive and Jill consummate their love for one another on the shore of Ash, with Clive acquiring a portion of the Eikon Shiva’s powers from Jill so that he may finally triumph over Barnabas in a battle of physical prowess and ideals; proving to the false prophet and his God that compassion and the desire for freedom will always overcome any adversity.
With all this talk of whales, I should mention that from the descriptions as given in the Book of Job, Behemoth sounds to resemble that of a large ox or hippopotamus, while Leviathan is suggested as being similar to that of the tanninim) or “great whales” mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. In fact, Islamic folklore has its own variant of this terrestrial and aquatic duo, that being the large bull Kujata and the even larger whale Bahamut; as outlined by the medieval cosmographer Zakariya al-Qazwini in his seminal work “The Wonders of Creation”. Even though I am going to hazard a guess that the name of the Kuza Beast), a variant of the Behemoth enemy in several Final Fantasy games, is named after Kujata; it is quite obvious on the other hand that the draconic Eikon Bahamut borrows its name from the Islamic whale of the same name as well as the dragon god Bahamut) from the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. While the Book of Job describes Leviathan as being a whale or even a crocodile as suggested by a footnote in the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, verse 27:1 in the Book of Isaiah instead equates Leviathan to a sea serpent or dragon, with the Book of Job description also making it a point to mention Leviathan’s fearsome fiery breath. Given its status as a tutelary god for the Japanese-inspired nation of Wutai in Final Fantasy VII, it could be argued that Leviathan in the Final Fantasy series also shares similarities with Eastern dragons, such as the Chinese Lóng or Japanese Ryū; beneficent, serpentine deities of water and rain.
It is presumed that the figure and name of Leviathan actually originates from the older Canaanite sea monster Lôtān, whose name in the Ugaritic language meant “coiled” and was given the epithets “the fugitive serpent” or “the wriggling serpent”. In the first two tablets of the fragmentary Ugaritic Baal Cycle text, the storm god Baal (Lord) Hadad engages in a feud with the deification of the sea Yammu) to succeed their father El) as the ruler of the gods. At some point in this first chapter of the Baal Cycle, Hadad strikes down the seven-headed serpent Lôtān, who given the missing pieces of the text, could either be a servant of or another name for Yammu, with it also being believed that the monster was a zoomorphic representation of the Lebanese Litani River. Why I bring this up is to illustrate that Hadad’s defeat of Lôtān is but one example of the Chaoskampf mytheme, a pattern found in numerous Indo-European mythologies whereby a younger storm god or culture hero representing order and human civilization slays an ancient serpent or dragon associated with water that represents primordial chaos); perhaps a sentiment held by early agricultural riverine civilizations wishing to triumph over the constant and often devastating threat of floods.
One of the oldest examples of this mytheme is that of the Mesopotamian god Marduk’s dismemberment of Tiamat. According to the Babylonian Enūma Eliš, in the beginning there existed only Tiamat, the female personification of salt water; and Abzu, the male personification of fresh water. From the union of the two primeval waters sprang forth the first generation of gods called the Anunnaki. One such god, Enki (or Ea) would capture and kill Abzu after he plotted to kill his children due to the commotion they were causing. Enraged by Enki’s actions, Tiamat gave birth to eleven monstrous children to wage war against the gods along with her new consort Kingu, who possessed the Tablet of Destinies); the mark of divine rule. Marduk, the son of Enki, challenged Tiamat and her monsters, eventually slaying his opponents with lightning and storm winds. Defeated, Tiamat’s body was sliced in twain, with the two halves becoming the sky and earth. From an earlier promise made with the Anunnaki and the Igigi (lesser gods) as well as the acquisition of the Tablet of Destinies from the beaten Kingu, Marduk was made king of the gods; later mixing the blood of Kingu with clay to also become the creator of mankind.
Through the lens of the Chaoskampf mytheme, we can start to see connections between Tiamat’s dismemberment, the defeat of the multi-headed Lôtān, and Leviathan form. The non-canonical Book of Enoch actually specifies that the land-dwelling Behemoth is male, while the aquatic Leviathan is female; possibly creating an inadvertent association between Leviathan and the sea goddess and mother of monsters Tiamat. This may also be why Leviathan’s Chronolith Trial is named the Hand of Tethys. While still following the moons of Saturn naming convention, it is very fitting that the trial is also named after the Greek Tethys); wife of the world-encompassing river Oceanus and mother to the male river gods and female water nymphs called the Potamoi and Oceanids, respectively. Furthering the connections to Tiamat and Lôtān, several accounts in the Hebrew Bible describe Yawheh triumphing over the forces of the sea, such as in Isaiah 51:9-10 “Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab) to pieces, who pierced that monster through? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed may cross over?” and Job 26:12-13 “By his power he churned up the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces. By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent”. It is believed that Rahab, while occasionally used as a flowery term for Egypt or arrogance, was also a sea serpent either comparable to or synonymous with Leviathan. While Leviathan’s death at the hands of Yahweh in Isaiah 27:1 is viewed as a metaphor for the enemies of Israel who will submit to the Hebrew God, the Chaoskampf and the connection with the Canaanite Lôtān is further shown in verse 74:14 from the Book of Psalms, which says “Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness”; which is where the name of the trophy for beating Leviathan on Final Fantasy mode, Thou Brakest the Head, comes from.
Along with the account of Leviathan’s death in Psalms 74:12, several other Jewish sources, such as the Second Book of Esdras 6:47-52, the Apocalypse of Baruch 29:4, and the Bava Batra tractate in the Talmud state that Yahweh will slay Leviathan and Behemoth so that their flesh shall be given as food and shelter to the righteous during the End of Days and the Messianic Age. This may explain why the Behemoth King in FFXVI has several attacks referencing Christian eschatology from the Book of Revelation, such as the Four Horsemen; personifications of War, Conquest, Famine, and Death that herald the Last Judgment; and the Apocalypse, another term for a revelation which has since become synonymous with a cataclysmic end-time event, like the battle at Armageddon for instance. Leviathan and Behemoth’s statuses as eventual sacrifices is very similar to the role that Leviathan and its Dominant unfortunately play in Final Fantasy XVI.
Both DLCs, the Echoes of the Fallen and the Rising Tide, deal with themes of rectifying the sins of the past; whereby the Fallen and the Motes of Water engaged in questionable behavior in an attempt to create their own Mothercrystals to disastrous effect. The Motes of Water, a central focus of the Rising Tide, are a tribe originating from the southern coast of the continent of Ash and hosts to the Dominants of the Eikon Leviathan. After the loss of their Mothercrystal Drake’s Horn, the tribe migrated across the twin continent of Storm; where they were mercilessly persecuted by several groups, particularly the Greagorian faithful of the burgeoning Holy Empire of Sanbreque, causing the tribe and their Eikon to become “lost” to history. Due to their nomadic nature as well as Sanbreque’s similarities with the Roman and Holy Roman Empires, one could say that the Motes of Water mirror the Jewish Diaspora (exile) and transformation of the faith after the Roman Empire’s siege on Jerusalem) and the destruction of the Second Temple during the First Jewish-Roman War; or perhaps one could say the tribe is treated in a similar fashion to the oft demonized itinerant Romani people of eastern Europe. Either way, the Motes of Water are meant to represent the “Other”; ostracized outsiders to the customs of Storm who hid themselves away from the rest of the world to avoid further religious persecution.
After finding sanctuary in the northern territory of Mysidia, the Motes of Water tried to create for themselves a new Mothercrystal to replace the Northern Territories’ own shattered Mothercrystal called Drake’s Eye. The story of the Motes of Water is one of loss and a constant fight to carve out a place in the world to call their own, so it is no surprise then that they wished to regain something taken away from them so many years ago. However, the tribe would engage in a terrible act, enraging their Eikon Leviathan that laid dormant within the infant Dominant Waljas, and freeze both the baby and the Eikon in time to essentially act as an aether battery. Unsuccessful in turning Waljas into the heart of a Mothercrystal, all the tribe achieved was robbing the poor baby of its life and autonomy, imprisoning the Dominant and the tidal wave it summoned in that moment where the tribe’s greatest sin occurred for 80 years.
This frozen tsunami, dubbed the Surge, is not only a monument to the tribe’s greatest shame, but is also a constant looming threat over the tribe’s village of Haven; a reminder to never again engage in such a transgression, lest they be met with watery doom. This mirrors not only Jonah preaching to the Ninevites to change their ways, but also God’s warnings against individuals sacrificing children to Moloch in the Book of Leviticus 20:2-5. In fact, as ProfNoctis suggests in his video “Final Fantasy XVI Lecture Stream: The Mythos of Leviathan Part 2”; Leviathan and the Surge are symbols of human and divine regret, with Ultima, the creator of mankind and the Mothercrystals, referring to Leviathan as its “most profaned fragment”; due to the Eikon being rested from its creator’s control and the act of creating a man-made Mothercrystal being a repeat of the Fallen’s blasphemous attempts at attaining godhood during the War of the Magi and the Sins of Dzemekys, flagrant displays of mankind’s development of free will which is anathema to Ultima’s collective identity.
As a symbol of divine regret, the Surge could be seen as a parallel to the Flood from the Book of Genesis. Deluge or flood myths are motifs that can often be found amongst cultures residing near the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and Persian Gulf such as Egypt, Greece, and Israel; with these stories usually recounting a tale in which a deity or deities summon a world-wide flood as a form of divine retribution. One of the earliest examples is the Mesopotamian Epic of Atra-Hasis, in which mankind was created by the gods to act as servants and laborers. However, due to overpopulation, the storm god Enlil seeks to reduce their numbers by bringing forth a great flood. Enki, seen as a benefactor of mankind, warns the human Atra-Hasis about the flood, telling him to build a boat to protect himself, his family, and his livestock from the deluge. After seven days, the waters recede and Enki and Enlil agree on other means of maintaining the human population. This story is also thought to have been later adapted in Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh, where the survivor of the flood is renamed Utnapishtim; though both the Atra-Hasis and Gilgamesh flood accounts seem to originate from an even older source called the Eridu Genesis. Similarly, the Greeks also had a deluge myth, as outlined in the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses, where Deucalion, the human son of the divine Prometheus, is warned by his father to build a chest for himself and his wife Pyrrha to escape a gigantic flood that the storm god Zeus plans to bring forth as a response to the insufficient offering given to him by Lycaon), the king of Arcadia); with the pair washing up on Mount Parnassus nine days after the storm.
There are several theories, such as the Black Sea Deluge Hypothesis, that propose that the ancient Middle East did indeed experience a large flood at some point in the very distant past. Given that flood myths are thus believed to have originated from Mesopotamia, it should come as no surprise that the Hebrew flood narrative bears similarities to the previously discussed deluge myths as well. According to chapters 6-9 in the Book of Genesis, God grows increasingly distraught over the wicked nature of the humans descended from Adam and Eve and their inadvertent creation of sin, and so decides to reset creation to a state of watery chaos. God warns one of the few moral men, the Antediluvian patriarch named Noah, about His plan to flood the world and instructs him to build an ark to house himself, his family, and two of each animal to be the first creatures to inhabit the new world. After the firmament breaks forth and floods the world for 40 days, Noah’s Ark washes up on Mount Ararat. Noah then builds an altar, with God forming a covenant with Noah whereby He declares to never again summon a flood to devastate the world. As Genesis 9:9-17 states, this promise between Noah and God is commemorated by the rainbow, a symbol of peace; which as ProfNoctis points out, also appears once Clive saves Waljas.
Through a certain perspective, the Flood could be seen as a sort of baptism, a spiritual cleansing of the world through physical water. Baptism is considered one of the 7 sacraments of the Christian Catholic denomination; a rite of initiation whereby the individual joining the faith is either submerged in or sprinkled with water three times, representing the purification of sin and the grace given by the Holy Trinity. This is not unlike the Rite of Immersion that the infant Waljas is granted at the conclusion of the Rising Tide DLC; a ceremony for all babies born into the Motes of Water in which the initiate is sprinkled with mountainous rain water from Maiden’s March, river water from Riversmeet, and sea water from Tailwind Bay. The water used in this rite is used as a metaphor for life’s journey, likened by the tribe to that of a river, with this revealing that the Motes of Water hold a very cyclical view of life in a similar fashion to the Buddhist beliefs in reincarnation or the Lifestream from Final Fantasy VII. As the descriptions for the 3 kinds of water used in the ceremony state; “The rain that falls upon the mountains of Mysidia emerges in the springs of Maiden’s March. Thus the water collected from said springs represents birth-the fountainhead from which the river of life begins”, “In the Riversmeet valley, several tributaries merge into a single stream, where clear currents and roiling eddies swim side by side. Its water represents life-a course complete with myriad meanderings, yet one that runs inexorably from source to sea”, and “The Mysidian river empties into the ocean amid the shallows of Tailwind Bay, and thus its water represents death-the stillness that lies beyond the end of the river of life, and from whence the raindrops are born anew”. In fact, the symbol for the village of Haven is meant to be the combination of Leviathan’s scales and the river called the Ceaseless Rill, “...the circle of life that has neither beginning nor end”, not unlike the serpentine symbol of the Ouroboros. I would thus argue that not only does Leviathan represent regret and retribution, but also the chaotic journey of life.
If it’s not already apparent, I find Leviathan to be very interesting. I want to thank you all for sticking around and reading the whole thing, as I know this was a lot. If you would like to check out some more information about Leviathan, I would recommend checking out the videos “Leviathan of Final Fantasy VS the Leviathan of the Bible - FF16 The Rising Tide” by Country Kratos and “A Brief History of Final Fantasy Summons Final Fantasy Lore” by Alleyway Jack.
With the conclusion of both DLCs, Clive and by extension the player, is granted one additional Eikonic power. As such, I am actually going to do one more essay, which I will post next week. I hope you look forward to it and thank you again for reading this. Have a fantastic day!
2024.06.01 21:06 tonyyummy4 Wild by Cheryl Strayed Free Audiobook and Review
"Wild" by Cheryl Strayed is a memoir recounting the author's solo journey along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) following a period of personal turmoil. After experiencing the death of her mother, the dissolution of her marriage, and struggles with addiction, Strayed embarks on a transformative 1,100-mile hike from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State. Along the trail, she confronts physical challenges, encounters wildlife, and reflects on her past, ultimately finding healing and self-discovery in the solitude of nature.
Strayed's writing is raw, honest, and introspective, capturing both the beauty and brutality of the wilderness and her own emotional journey. Through vivid descriptions and candid reflections, she offers readers a glimpse into her innermost thoughts and feelings, as well as the lessons learned from her experiences on the trail.
Overall, "Wild" is a compelling and inspiring memoir that explores themes of loss, redemption, and resilience. Strayed's storytelling is both gripping and poignant, making it a captivating read for anyone seeking adventure, self-discovery, or simply a well-written memoir.
Listen for free at link in sidebar
submitted by tonyyummy4 to Audiobookzzz [link] [comments]
Strayed's writing is raw, honest, and introspective, capturing both the beauty and brutality of the wilderness and her own emotional journey. Through vivid descriptions and candid reflections, she offers readers a glimpse into her innermost thoughts and feelings, as well as the lessons learned from her experiences on the trail.
Overall, "Wild" is a compelling and inspiring memoir that explores themes of loss, redemption, and resilience. Strayed's storytelling is both gripping and poignant, making it a captivating read for anyone seeking adventure, self-discovery, or simply a well-written memoir.
Listen for free at link in sidebar
2024.06.01 21:02 Zomborg182 Cheddlatron Selfbot Mac and Linux
Mac and Linux are officially released!
After a long wait, a lot of testing, and a lot of bullshit from compiling, we now have fully working MacOS and Linux builds which contain all the same features as Windows.
With Updaters for each OS to follow suit with a little public testing needed, Cheddlatron will be and will remain fully functional on each of the three OS versions, so that all users can enjoy the premium features of Cheddlatron, completely free.
Officially downloadable from https://cheddlatron.com/ just click on the download button and you'll be taken to the download for each Version.
As well as our Discord Server for Community Channels, Custom Scripts, Themes, and Support!
Thanks to everyone on the subreddit who has already given us so much support with the bot!
submitted by Zomborg182 to Discord_selfbots [link] [comments]
After a long wait, a lot of testing, and a lot of bullshit from compiling, we now have fully working MacOS and Linux builds which contain all the same features as Windows.
With Updaters for each OS to follow suit with a little public testing needed, Cheddlatron will be and will remain fully functional on each of the three OS versions, so that all users can enjoy the premium features of Cheddlatron, completely free.
Officially downloadable from https://cheddlatron.com/ just click on the download button and you'll be taken to the download for each Version.
As well as our Discord Server for Community Channels, Custom Scripts, Themes, and Support!
Thanks to everyone on the subreddit who has already given us so much support with the bot!