Large santa cartoon

Memorable, disproportionately large and often shimmering eyes.

2016.06.19 10:19 DonnoDoes Memorable, disproportionately large and often shimmering eyes.

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2018.06.23 09:41 sc412 Takashi Murakami

All things Takashi Murakami
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2018.01.05 11:35 VilePug Lads that you’re in awe at the size of.

Absolute Unit : an Animal or Public Figure, who is larger than we should normally expect.
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2024.05.21 21:06 CampingWorld What Are The Best RV Trips for Beginners?

There’s a lot to learn when you’re new to RVing. After purchasing your RV and equipping it with the right gear, the last thing you want is to feel overwhelmed trying to select where to camp. So we asked the question: what are the best RV trips for beginners?
Of course, we have our own opinions, but we wanted to see what the RV community felt. We asked experienced RVers which destinations or campgrounds they would recommend for beginners. With over 150 replies, here are the top five answers:
  1. Somewhere close to home
  2. State parks
  3. Good Sam Campgrounds
  4. Your backyard
  5. National parks
(Runner-up: Wal-Mart parking lot).

Why Stay Close to Home on Your First RV Trip as a Beginner?

The overwhelming majority of experienced RVers recommended sticking to somewhere close to home as a beginner. Their reasons were practical:
Boondocking in your backyard is a great way to learn about your RV and its systems. Just remember: Depending on your RV, you’ll need potable water, a way to empty your holding tanks, and a proper power supply – 30 or 50 amps.

Which Locations Make For The Best RV Trips for Beginners?

We collected specific recommendations for those who want to venture out while staying close to home. These came directly from experienced RVers nationwide who were willing to share their favorite destinations for RV newbies.
Because we don’t know where home is for you, we organized this list of the best RV trips for beginners and organized them by region.

The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Northeast

Bayley’s Camping Resort – Scarborough, Maine

Park Features:
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Kennebec River Campground – The Forks, Maine

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Gettysburg Battlefield RV Resort – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Park Features:
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Quechee / Pine Valley – Hartford, Vermont

Park Features:
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Cherrystone Campground – Cape Charles, Virginia

Park Features:
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Holiday Trav-L-Park – Virginia Beach, Virginia

Why They Recommended: “The place is pretty big (but tight, please know HOW to drive). It has seven pools, a bar, a restaurant, laundry, concerts, and a little trolley that will take you to the beach for even more entertainment.”
Park Features:
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Virginia Beach Holiday – Virginia Beach, Virginia

Why They Recommended: “They just put in a lazy river and a brand new pool. It’s state-of-the-art!”
Park Features:
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New River Gorge Campground – Lansing, West Virginia

Park Features:
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The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Southeast

Wind Creek State Park – Alexander City, Alabama

Park Features:
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Everglades Isle – Everglades City, Florida

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Orlando / Kissimmee – Kissimmee, Florida

Why They Recommended: “Orlando has the best prices all year round! It’s in close proximity to Universal Studios, Disney, Disney Springs, lots of attractions, several grocery stores, and restaurants. Target even ships deliveries there.”
Park Features:
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Fisheating Creek Outpost – Palmdale, Florida

Why They Recommended: “The lots have much more space than most parks. You are not three feet from your neighbor.”
Park Features:
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Big Lagoon State Park – Pensacola, Florida

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Jetty Park Campground – Port Canaveral, Florida

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Smith Ridge Campground – Campbellsville, Kentucky

Park Features:
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Mountain Stream RV Park – Marion, North Carolina

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North Myrtle Beach RV Resort – Little River, South Carolina

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Myrtle Beach State Park – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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PirateLand Family Camping Resort – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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Ocean Lakes Family Campground – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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Anchor Down RV Resort – Dandridge, Tennessee

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Cherokee Dam Campground – Jefferson City, Tennessee

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Melton Hill Dam Campground – Lenoir City, Tennessee

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Camp Margaritaville RV Resort and Lodge – Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

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Little Arrow Outdoor Resort – Townsend, Tennessee

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The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Midwest

Sycamore Springs Park – English, Indiana

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Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort – Santa Claus, Indiana

Park Features:
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Grand Haven State Park – Grand Haven, Michigan

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Otsego Lake State Park – Gaylord, Michigan

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Itasca State Park – Park Rapids, Minnesota

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Silver Dollar City Campground – Branson, Missouri

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Lake Mcconaughy State Recreation Area – Brule, Nebraska

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Mt. Gilead Holiday – Mt. Gilead, Ohio

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The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the South

The Woodlands RV Resort – Heber Springs, Arkansas

Park Features:
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Sarah’s Seaside RV Oasis – Grand Isle, Louisiana

Why They Recommended: It’s the most laid back!
Park Features:
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The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Southwest

Mather Campground – Grand Canyon Village, Arizona

Park Features:
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Tucson Lazydays – Tucson, Arizona

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Caballo Lake State Park – Caballo, New Mexico

Park Features:
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The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Northwest

Coloma Resort – Coloma, California

Park Features:
Pro Tip: You must cross the Mt. Murphy Bridge to reach this campground. Here are the height and weight restrictions for that bridge:
Learn more or Book now.

Arrowhead RV Park – Cascade, Idaho

Park Features:
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St. Mary / East Glacier – St. Mary, Montana

Why They Recommended: “Beautiful views right from the park!”
Park Features:
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Cape Blanco State Park – Port Orford, Oregon

Park Features:
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Seven Feathers RV Resort – Canyonville, Oregon

Park Features:
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Want to add your advice to our poll? Click below to join the conversation!
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=776034604566862&id=100064809877965&mibextid=WC7FNe
Which destinations would you recommend for first-time RVers? Share your tips in the comments below.
submitted by CampingWorld to campingworld [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 20:44 anndrei299 [TOMT][MOVIE][LATE 90s EARLY-MID 00s]

I'm trying to cope with my upcoming exams so I decided to relive my childhood by watching mainly 2d animated movies (cartoon films). I already rewatched the most popular ones (Disney main entries, Scooby-Doo movies, Batman movies - those are the first ones that came to mind as I was mainly watching series while growing up, wasn't so interested in movies back then). I recently rewatched Atlantis The Lost Empire. It reminded me how wonderful my childhood was (or how wonderful nostalgia makes it look). Anyway, it also reminded me of the late 90s early 00s graphic style and with that I wondered down on memory lane.
As a child, I remember watching a cartoon movie on my crappy CRT TV. I don't remember if it was broadcasted on FOX, Jetix, DIsney or Minimax but I vividly remember one frame from above the city; it was a large city with tall buildings (although I think the opening scene was perhaps happening in the suburbs...really don't know...)
The graphic style was simillar to Atlantis The Lost Empire as far as characters go (only a little less detailed) but the general graphic style of the movie was more simillar to Scooby-Doo! and the Cyber Chase. Imagine if those two had a child; then that was it. It's easier to visualize in my head than it is to explain.
The plot I can barely remember. It was probably something in the lines of: we're going on vacation (car full of things; even on the roof). You get the gist.
Another refference could be Animaniacs: Wakko’s Wish. Although a bit more "cartoonish"/goofy it has the same cross-century vibe to me. It might as well be a TV Series. It might even have animals instead of humans. I'm sorry that I don't remember much of it.
So to say, I'm looking for a 2D animated movie / cartoon film (however you want to call it) from late 90s early-mid 00s with a simillar graphic style to both Atlantis The Lost Empire and Scooby-Doo! and the Cyber Chase. Actions starts in a city but I'm pretty sure they go on vacation somewhere else (maybe another city?). It surely was at the cross of the century as the city resembled a today's metropole.
I've already searched for this type of movies but aside from the main Disney entries and some other random movies that don't even come close I had no luck.
My memory could be wrong so take everything that I said (albeit not much) with a grain of salt. I know it's not much, but maybe if you give me a few movies I could pin-point which one of them resembles it most. Thanks in advance.
submitted by anndrei299 to tipofmytongue [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 18:56 CapnMrly [US-IL] [H] BttF Time machine, IDEAS Typewriter, GWP, Bricktober figs [W] PayPal

For offer I have 2 large NISB sets and a number of GWPs from the last few years. All are factory sealed. Prices are from current BL averages, but feel free to make an offer!
I'll update things here as they sell with strikethrough.
Shipped anywhere in the lower 48 - $15 shipping charge for a box, $5 for a bubble mailer (I'll cover PayPal fees).
Proof
Item Name Asking Price
10300 BttF Time Machine $200
21327 Typewriter $250
30603 Mr. Freeze Polybag $10
40145 LEGO store $30
40178 Iconic VIP $15
40290 60yrs of the LEGO Brick $30
40335 Space Rocket Ride $24
40370 LEGO Trains 40th $34
40407 Death Star II Battle $28
40448 Vintage Car $23
40450 Amelia Earhart Tribute $23
40451 Tatooine Homestead $26
40483 Luke's Lightsaber $120
40484 Santa's Front Yard $17
40485 FC Barcelona Celebration $35
40487 Sailboat Adventure $27
40490 Ninjago 10yr Brickheadz $29
40530 Jane Goodall Tribute $20
40532 Vintage Taxi $30
40533 Cosmic Cardboard Adventures $21
40563 Tribute to LEGO House $21
40566 Ray the Castaway $24
40581 BIONICLE Tahu and Takua $21
40582 4x4 Off-Road Ambulance Rescue $14
40586 Moving Truck $28
40597 Scary Pirate Island (2 copies) $17
40601 Majosto's Magical Workshop $34
40683 Flower Trellis Display $23
40684 Fruit Store $32
40687 Alien Space Diner $27
75317 Mando and the Child $16
5004915 Master Wu Keychain $4
5005255 Jurassic World Minifig Collection $21
5005256 Marvel Super Heroes Minifig Collection $76
5005257 NINJAGO Minifig Collection $81
6346105 Roman Chariot $60
6373621 Swing Ship Ride $15
submitted by CapnMrly to Legomarket [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 17:22 Fun-Yogurtcloset521 The Locust Man

PART 1:
 Every town has their own version of “The Boogeyman”. A monster, cryptid, phantom, whatever you want to call it, it’s all essentially the same thing- just a scary story they tell kids in an attempt to get them to behave. An urban legend is just a life lesson disguised as a horror story after all. For us folk living up in the tiny and once prosperous gold-mining town of Trillium, ours was known simply as The Locust Man. Now, let me start by saying, I realize how ridiculous that name must sound to you. “The Locust Man”?? Pftt…What’s he do, besides get stuck in the grill of someone’s pick-up truck. Destroy some crops? Oooh, he sounds real scary... yeah, I know. But yet, as I sit here today 20 years after the fact - a grown woman who’s wiser, stronger, and even more grounded in reality than she was at 12, I still hesitate to even write down that name.
As a young child I had always thought it to be a little weird that our town was called Trillium, considering I had never seen a single one growing there. If you don’t know, a trillium is a small flower, usually white but they come in other color varieties as well, with three pedals and a bright yellow center. They sort of look like if you took a lily and tore off every other pedal playing “He loves me, he loves me not”. In school, about 2nd grade or so, we were taught everything about this elusive flower I’d never seen in real life, and told how proud our town was to be named after it. Trillium, Colorado was established in 1922 - A new town born in the wake of a great tragedy which befell the town that had previously sat in the same location. For us, and those that came before us, the trillium was supposed to be a symbol of hope. Knowing all that I know now, that sentiment almost makes me want to laugh - in a morbid way. 
 Growing up in a small, mostly isolated town, there really wasn’t much for a kid to do. You’d have to drive 45 minutes to get to the closest mall and movie theater. The high school kids would usually all hang out at the roller rink downtown or at the old run-down burger joint called Slim’s that sat across it. But at that age, I wasn’t allowed to go hang out there by myself yet and for me, going with my parents tagging along wasn’t an option I was open to. My neighborhood was on a long dead end road leading up to a large patch of woods that separated the main part of town from the abandoned mine. The old trail the miners used was still accessible up until a point, and so me and the other kids from my street would hang out in those woods all the time. We had a “secret spot” which was, what we thought at the time, about half way through the woods, 10 steps away from a small shallow creek that pretty much ran the length of the area. Rain Creek, we called it. There was a small clearing there, and we had created our own little clubhouse using old milk crates as supports, half- broken wooden pallets as walls, along with some old lawn chairs one of the neighbors was throwing out one day. I made my contribution by bringing a tarp we had in our basement that served as the roof of our establishment. Our parents didn’t love the idea of five 10 to 12 year olds running around in the woods by ourselves, but as long as we stayed within earshot and made it back before the streetlights came on, they probably figured it was safer than us being across town galavanting unsupervised.
It was me, Lacey, Devin, Mikey and Michelle. We were all best friends - pretty much inseparable, except the boys weren’t invited to the girls’ sleepovers and vise versa. Everyday after school, we’d get dropped off by the bus at the very beginning of our road, and it was a running joke between the Rain Street Gang (as we liked to call ourselves) for all of us to try and run off the bus as quickly as possible, while me, Lacey and Devin would all yell in unison ‘Last two home are some rotten eggs!!’, as Mikey and Michelle tried to push past us to get a head start. The aforementioned two were siblings, and lived in the very last house on our row right next to the woods, so they’d always get home last, regardless of their efforts. Although, the year that Mikey got a pair of Heelys for Christmas he finally got his edge over the rest of us, leaving Michelle to be the lone “rotten egg” until the next summer when one of his wheels broke off. The whole point of it all was just to get home and get our chores and homework done as fast as possible, so we could meet up at Mikey and Michelle’s house with enough daylight left to make our trek into the woods and back - together as a group. All five of us had made a pact to never visit the clubhouse without all members present, although us girls always had a sneaking suspicion that the boys thought themselves exempt from that rule. They, after all, were the ones that had discovered the spot in the first place, and not to mention, did most of the physical labor of dragging our provisions out there. Me and Lacey initially only heard about the spot a day after the boys found it; Michelle had walked into Mikey’s room in the middle of him and Devin talking about it, and immediately relayed the message to us. Michelle wasn’t necessarily more loyal to the girls than the boys, she was just the youngest among us and honestly couldn’t resist blurting out any mildly relevant information she thought she might have, in an effort to be included. But in that regard, if the boys had ever gone out there on their own, they would’ve had to be extremely sneaky about it, because Michelle’s number one objective in life was to gather any piece of intel she could. It was a seemingly normal Saturday morning when we learned our suspicions about the boys may have been warranted.
I had slept over at Lacey’s house the night before. We had just woken up and were still sitting on her bed discussing our possible plans for the day, when Michelle busted through the door with a look on her face that immediately told us she had finally gotten a hold of some juicy information, before she could even open her mouth to stutter out, “You-you-you guyssss, guess w-w-what!?!” Lacey gestured the nail file that was in her hand toward her, raising her eyebrows bluntly as Michelle tried to catch her breath. “So… Devin came to sleep over last night, annnnnd I was pretending to go to the bathroom so I could spy on them. Seeeeee, I was supposed to be sleeping but I -“ “Ughh come on Michelle, get to it! What’d you hear?” Lacey snapped “Ughh okay okay. So, I heard the boys talking, anddddd…. they’re planning to go explore the old mine today!!” “Alright Michelle! Good spying!” I chuckled, trying to encourage her after Lacey’s impatience. Lacey rolls her eyes, then immediately stands up. She takes the scrunchie off her wrist, ties her long blonde hair into a messy bun, and simply said, “Let’s go.” “Lacey..” I said “What??” She responds as if she hadn’t registered the tone of my voice at all. As I opened my mouth to begin explaining all the logical and practical reasons why even if the boys were stupid enough to go play around somewhere dangerous, we shouldn’t be, Michelle exclaims, “That’s where the Locust Man lives!!” I close my mouth in defeat, as I know Lacey will take this nonsense as a challenge, and because of that, no amount of my warnings concerning actual dangers would have any effect on her decision. Lacey dismisses her comment as she attempts to shove her foot into one of her new pink sneakers that she refuses to admit are too small for her. “Pshhh, don’t be such a baby Michelle, he’s not real, you do know that right?” Michelle crinkled her face and yelled back, “Yes he is Lacey! He is!! And th-th- that’s where he lives, and he eats kids that go there!” Lacey laughs at her and says “Oh yeah? You still believe in Santa clause too? What about the tooth fairy?” Michelle looked down at her shoes, and although she could admittedly be annoying, I found myself feeling bad for her. “Come on Lacey, she’s just scared.” Lacey shot me a look like she was expecting me to burst into laughter, but I just gave her a smirk and a shrug, and she rolled her eyes and said “Get dressed.”
 We walked in silence toward the end of the road, though the reasons for all three differed drastically. Lacey’s was determination and resolve, mine was comtemptousness and defeat, and Michelle’s was just fear. I found myself half-way hoping the boys had left already, but as we approached the driveway we caught them just as they were about to step off the porch.
“Hey!!” Lacey yelled, in her trademark cheerleader cadence. “Where do you boys think you’re going without us?”. Mikey let a groan and rolled his eyes, while Devin said through a coy smile, “Well, we were actually just heading out to go to find you girls.” “Liar.” Lacey snapped, quickly wiping the grin off Devin’s face. “Michelle already blabbed- we know where you two are going and we’re coming too.” The boys looked at each other, then Mikey shot Michelle an angry look as she tried to shrink herself behind me, and said, “Fine, whatever, but no cry baby snitches allowed!!” Michelle then proceeded to prove both of his accusations correct by yelling back, “I am not a cry baby!! I’m telling mom if you don’t let me come with you!!” At that point I finally spoke up. “Alright, listen.” I said sternly, then once I had their attention I lowered my voice a bit to say, “Just for the record, I think us going to that grody old mine is a dumb idea and a big waste of time, but if one of us goes, we all go. That’s the deal, so make your decisions.” Lacey folded her arms in solidarity beside me, and with that we all had an unspoken understanding. So, with the boys out ahead leading the way, we headed toward the tree line. 
 As we entered the woods, I felt a sense of dread wash over me - but to be fair, as a preteen emo kid who had already reached an adult level of cynicism, I felt a certain level of dread towards almost everything in life. So take my premonition with a grain of salt, but for some reason, this felt… different. I remember the woods being abnormally quiet that day. It took some time for me to even notice, but as soon as I did, I interrupted the mindless chatter going on to say,
“Where are all the freakin’ birds?” Everyone turned to look at me as if I’d completely lost my mind. “Uhhh… What are you talking about?” Devin asked me. I pointed up toward the treetops. “Listen…. ” They all looked up, then looked around at each other in confusion. “Every time we’ve ever been in these woods, there’s always birds chirping back and forth. We’ve been walking almost 5 minutes now and I haven’t heard a single bird, have you guys?” “Damn, yeah, that is weird.” Mikey agreed. “They probably all just migrated!!” Devin goofily offered. “That’s stupid Devin, it’s spring. If anything, there should be more birds here, not less you moron.” Lacie argued. Devin flipped Lacie off, which was the best rebuttal he could usually come up with, and then turned toward me and said, “Okay whatever, what’s your point exactly?” “Just that - “ I looked over to Mikey, then back at Devin. “It’s weird.” I didn’t want to say what I was actually thinking. That the woods being too quiet was never a good thing. That when birds aren’t chirping, it could mean there’s a predator nearby. Besides, I was pretty confident that the boys, having both been in the scouts, knew what I knew, so saying it out loud would only serve to annoy Lacie and further frighten Michelle. Mikey broke his gaze that had been fixed on me, and while scanning our surroundings he said, “Let’s stop by the clubhouse on the way.” With a nod from me, we continued. When we arrived at our pit stop, Lacey hobbled over to the closest lawn chair and plopped herself down in it. “Ughhh, my feet are killing me!!” “I wonder why.” I mutter under my breath. “Excuse me, what was that?” “Just saying. Those shoes are gonna be the death of you Lace, you can barely walk in them.” “Pshhh, shut up. They just need to be broken-in okay? You’re just jealous cuz you’re still wearing your dirty old Vans from last year.” “Oooh yeah, you got me there. I am so sad I don’t have a pair of ugly pink Sketchers that don’t fit me.” She stuck her tongue out at me and we both laughed. I was just about the only person who could go toe to toe with Lacey’s sass. It’s part of the reason we ended up being best friends, besides being neighbors. In regard to style, personality and interests, we were almost polar opposites. But when it came to humor we were equals. And more importantly, we both had a mutual understanding when it came to our differences- I was me and she was her, and neither of us felt the need to try and make the other one be more like us. Besides, I was the only person who had ever really stood up to Lacey and didn’t take any of her crap, so I think she respected that. While that exchange had been going on, Michelle had started picking tiny pink flowers, and the boys were rummaging in the clubhouse for something. I yelled in their direction, “Hey! Big Mike and Dirty D!!” Me and Lacey giggled and she mouthed the word “big” with air quotation marks. They didn’t respond, so I walked over to the entryway and looked in. They were standing with their backs to me while looking down at an open metal box, and Mikey was reaching to grab whatever was in it. As he stood back up, I could see what it was. “What the fuck Mikey, seriously?” Hearing me cuss, Lacey and Michelle crowded in behind me. “Chill, it’s just a BB gun.” “I know it’s a BB gun Michael, what are you doing with it, and why is it here?” I was livid at the thought that he might be coming out here and shooting at animals just to be a shithead. I expected something like that from a goober like Devin, but not Mikey. Michelle butted in, “I’m telling mom!!!” “Nice try, dad knows I have it.” He looked at me and softened his tone. “It’s for protection, just in case we come across a black bear, or some weirdo creep out here. Seriously… it’s just to scare off something, not hurt it.” He knew how I felt about killing animals, especially for no good reason. A lot of people out here are poor and hunt for food, which I could accept as a reality. But hurting animals just for fun is psycho behavior, so I was relieved to hear him dispel my fear; I really didn’t want to have to hate him. “Do you even know how to shoot that thing?” Lacey asked. “Yeah, my dad showed me.” Devin clapped his hands together, making us all jump and himself laugh. “Well alright then, let’s get going!” I turned to Michelle, still holding the flowers. “You okay?” She nodded. “If you want me to walk back with you, I can.” I was slightly hoping she’d say yes so I’d have an excuse to get out of this excursion, but she just shook her head and forced a smile. I knew she was scared, but she was just too curious. Maybe I was too. 
 We walked for what felt like half an hour. The trees had gotten more dense and the path narrowed from the overgrowth. Still no birdsong. I kept scanning the area in search of any sign of life other than us. Looking for movement of creatures scurrying away, listening for the sound of rustling as we passed, hoping for a squirrel, a lizard, even a bug. Nothing.
“How much further is this damn thing?” Lacey groaned. Mikey answered without even turning around. “We should be coming up on it any time now.” “You said that like 10 minutes ago.” “Yeah, and now we’re like 10 minutes closer to it. And hey guess what, you insisted on inviting yourself - so suck it up buttercup.” “Hahahaha!” Devin laughed like a maniac at Mikey’s quip, while Lacey folded her arms and for once in her life didn’t have a snappy comeback. This time however, I did. “Well we really only came along to make sure you idiots didn’t kill yourselves.” “Oh, so you girls came out here with us to be our protectors, huh?” Devin laughed. “Ehh, more like babysitters.” Needless to say, I was flipped off for that statement. We rounded the next bend and suddenly all came to an abrupt stop one after another, starting with Mikey. Devin positioned himself beside him and let out a disappointed groan. “Shit Mikey!” A huge tree had fallen and was blocking the trail completely. There was no way we could climb over it because of all the leaves and branches - we’d have to go around it, which meant leaving the safety of the trail and crossing Rain Creek twice to get back to it. “Seriously???” Lacey exclaimed. “Maybe it’s a sign that we shouldn’t be going.” I shrugged. Mikey didn’t seem fazed by the obstruction at all. In fact, he seemed more confident. More calm. More sure of his intended mission. “It’s fine, we’ll just go around.” Michelle, who had been mostly quiet this whole time, finally broke her fear induced silence. “We are NOT supposed to leave the tr-tr-trail Michael! We could get lost!” “We aren’t gonna get lost Michelle, I have a compass. Plus, it’s literally just a few paces that way, then we cross the creek and circle back once we pass the tree and we’re right back on the trail.” “Oh you have got to be kidding me” Lacey said, “I’m not treading through that nasty water!” “Yeah Mikey, what about Lacey’s brand new shoes??” I laughed, and she playfully slapped me in the arm. Mikey’s patience was wearing thin with us. “Look, we already walked this far - if we turn back now, we’ve wasted the whole day for nothing. If you girls wanna be lame and turn around, then go for it - but me and Dev are going.” That’s all Lacey needed. A challenge to accept; someone to prove wrong. “I’ll show you lame.” She pushed past the boys and lead the way into the thick brush towards Rain Creek. It wasn’t very wide across, and there were lots of fallen limbs and large rocks spread throughout it. The current was barely that of a trickle, and the depth was no more than knee deep for us. It was definitely doable - just an inconvenience. And of course, one more ominous obstacle lying directly in our path. Another hint from the universe telling us to turn around. We didn’t listen. Lacey placed one foot on the closest limb and pushed down a few times to test its sturdiness. “I got this.” She stepped out onto it with both feet, then shimmied sideways until she was close enough to the large exposed rock in the middle of the creek, and hopped onto it. She turned around with a full grin and said, “Coming?” Mikey made his way across the limb as Lacey hopped onto a different limb which led her to the other side of the creek. Devin followed, then me, and then it was Michelle’s turn. “I’m scared to fall in!” Of course she is, I should have made her go before me. “It’s okay Michelle, it’s easy!” I reassured her. She didn’t look convinced in the slightest. “Come on Chelle, we’re leaving you!” Mikey yelled, already walking away. “Nooo!! I’m coming! Wait!” She made it across, but instead of just walking like everyone else did, she got down on her hands and knees and gripped the limb as if it were the only thing in between her and a 50 foot drop to the ground, which was funny to see but prolonged the whole process further. After all, we were about to have to do all of this again. Next go round went a lot smoother. The creek was more shallow here, and there were a whole lot more stepping rocks and debris built up. Having just crossed successfully a few minutes ago, we were all more confident in our abilities, including Michelle - who this time we made go first. “Just walk across like it’s a bridge! You got this!!”, we all cheered for her, and then clapped when she made it to the other side. Before we knew it we were back on the trail, and it wasn’t long after that we finally arrived at our intended destination.
 We all stopped and stared at it for a minute, carefully examining the dilapidated exterior of the place that had brought both prosperity and destruction upon our town. Mikey bent down, picked up a rock and threw it into the entrance. We heard it bounce a few times before it stopped.
“Just to make sure nothing’s in there.” he turned around to clarify. “Did anyone think to bring a flashlight?” I asked. “It’s dark as hell in there.” I was hoping for just one more reason not to go. Devin reached into his cargo shorts pocket and pulled out a small keychain-sized flashlight, smiling with the satisfaction of finally being useful. “Okay, Mikey’ll hold the gun, I’ll shine the light and you girls follow behind us. Let’s go.” Mikey shifted the BB gun from its position of resting on his shoulder, to holding the barrel in his left hand and the butt in his right; trying his best to emulate a soldier’s stance. Something his dad had taught him I’m sure. We ducked down a bit to enter. “How far in we going?” Lacey asked. “Until we see something cool.” Mikey answered. I turned around to check on Michelle, still hovering in the doorway. “You coming?” I could see in her eyes that fear had finally gotten the better of her, and curiosity had taken a backseat. With wide eyes she shook her head. “The-the Locust Man lives in there.”, she tried to whisper. “I knew you were gonna be a baby about this!” Mikey yelled. I crouched down and put my hand on her shoulder. Against my better judgment, I say “How bout you just wait here for us and pick some more flowers. We won’t be long, there’s nothing in there, I promise. Just.. don’t move from this spot and we’ll be right back, okay?” I could feel her unease, but she seemed to accept my reassurance nonetheless. “Okay.” I smiled, then stood up and looked down at my watch to check the time. 12:46 PM. I turned and headed into the darkness, trying to catch up with everyone else. I didn’t feel good about leaving Michelle, but I didn’t feel good about letting the rest of them go in there alone either. And if I’m being honest, maybe a little part of me wanted to see what was in there too. When I caught up to Lacey she asked, “Where’s Michelle?” “Stayed behind at the entrance, she was too scared. I told her to pick flowers and wait there for us.” “Pshh, figures.” “Yeah. How’s your feet?” “At this point, numb actually.” It was so dark in there that even Devin’s rinky dink flashlight was illuminating the area enough for me to start taking a closer look at my surroundings. I looked around at the rock walls, they were covered in what looked like orange mold and green algae. There was a slight breeze coming in from the entrance, but the whole place just had a staleness to it. The boys stopped and turned around as we arrived at the first curve. “So ladies, what do you think? Cool huh?” Devin asked excitedly. “Smells like a fart in here.” I said. 
 The most dangerous thing about exploring an old mine wasn’t getting lost in the maze of tunnels, or tripping on the rusted tracks and slamming your head against the wall - it was something simply referred to as bad air. Pockets of still air that have dangerously low levels of oxygen, the old men in town would call it “black damp”. There was also something produced from the old chemicals they once used called “stink damp”, which smelled like rotten eggs. Both were lethal.
“I wonder if there’s dead bodies in here!” “Uh, Dev… we’re gonna be the dead bodies in here if we go in too far. I wasn’t just making a joke, you know that rotten egg smell can mean bad air.” Mikey interjected. “The entrance isn’t far behind us, there’s still enough fresh air coming in. We won’t go in too far, let’s just get to the end of this tunnel where it splits off and look around a bit, then we’ll turn around.” The fork in the tunnel really wasn’t that much further, and even though I knew once we rounded this curve I wouldn’t be able to see the entrance behind me anymore, I decided what the hell. Maybe a hundred more steps, then we can finally turn around and this whole dumb situation would be closer to being over with. When we got there, we looked down the length of the connecting tunnels each way. Everything looked unusually identical in its deterioration. I could see how someone could easily get disoriented and lost down here. “Hellooooo…” Mikey yelled to the left, his voice echoing through the corridor. Devin turned to the opposite direction and called out, “Hey yo, Locust Man!! You in here?” We all giggled, which made me think about Michelle, still waiting at the entrance for us, alone in the woods. I looked down at my watch. 12:46 PM. “Hey what the f-“ My cuss word was interrupted by a loud bang that came from the passageway Devin had just been hollering into. We all froze. I didn’t have time to process that my watch had stopped right as we entered the tunnel, or that Michelle had been left alone for who knows how long now, or that we had just heard what sounded like a support beam crashing to the ground, because next came a horrifying screeching buzzing sound. It sounded distant at first, but was quickly increasing in volume. We silently looked around at each other and backed away stunned at what we were hearing. Mikey never took his eyes off the tunnel though, and slowly he began to raise the BB gun to firing position. Without even thinking, I grabbed the barrel and pushed it downward. He quickly tore his eyes away from his target to look at me. I shook my head and managed to barely choke out the word, “Explosion.” He nodded and I let go. I looked down at the gun in his hands, and seeing his finger had already been on the trigger, I realized how lucky it was that I didn’t make him shoot himself in the foot. All of a sudden, the noise stopped. “What the hell was that?” Lacey asked. “I don’t know, nothing good.” I said. “Let’s just get the fuck out of here before this whole place caves in on us or something.” Another loud bang erupted from the right, extremely close to us. “Shit!!!” We all turned around and ran as fast as we could back toward the entrance. Devin tried to push past me, but as he did my elbow knocked the flashlight out of his hand. “My flashlight!!!” “Leave it!” Mikey shouted “The turn is right here, we won’t need it!” We rounded the corner, and using what little light there was illuminating from the entrance to guide us back, we ran like our lives depended on it. And they may have- none of us dared to look back, not like we would have been able to see anything anyway. When we finally made it out, we were all completely out of breath. I felt like I was going to throw up. I have to admit though, once we had made it back to safety I felt a rush of adrenaline like I had just had a near death experience. That feeling quickly faded into sheer panic when I looked around and realized Michelle was nowhere to be seen. “Uh, where’s Michelle?” Mikey asked me. “I told her to stay right here, she can’t be very far… Michelle!!!!” We all called her name, as loud as we could. No answer, no sign of her anywhere. “Alright look, she probably went off a little further looking for flowers to pick.” I tried to rationalize. “Let’s just split off in 4 directions and walk in a straight line while calling for her. She’s bound to hear one of us.” Everyone agreed, and even though I appeared outwardly as the level-headed calm person you need to take control in an emergency, inside I was petrified that something had happened to her, and that it would be my fault. I took the east, and headed out. It didn’t take too long before I passed a large tree and saw her sitting down behind it, looking at something on the ground. “Michelle! Oh thank god!! Didn’t you hear us calling for you??” She didn’t answer me, or even turn around. “Michelle, didn’t I tell you to stay by the entrance and not move?!?” My relief was quickly turning into annoyance as she continued to ignore me. I walked up closer to see what she was looking at, and my mouth dropped in awe of what she had found. It was a single white trillium. 
 They say it takes 8 years for a trillium plant to produce a flower, and conditions have to be just right for it to bloom. That’s what makes them so special and rare. I stared down at it almost in a trance, like I was seeing a mythical creature. Michelle slowly reached out her hand towards it and I snapped out of it.
“No!!” I grabbed her by the arm and she finally turned around to look at me. “If you pick the flower, the plant will die.” She ripped her arm away from my grasp and whined, “But I want to show my mom!” We heard Mikey calling from the north and I cupped my hands over my mouth to yell back, “I found her, she’s over here!!” I looked back at her. “No Michelle, come on, you can just tell her about it when we get back home.” I had enough, I was beyond ready to go and we still had at least another 45 minutes of walking to even get back to the clubhouse; an hour if Michelle kept up her crap. I grabbed her arm again and pulled her up to a standing position, looking back at the trillium as I walked her away. Mikey caught up to us, breathless but trying to hide his concern. “You little shit, we should have left you out here! What the hell were you doing?” I let go of her arm and she walked toward Mikey. “She was trying to pick a flower over there.” “It was a trillium!!” Michelle said, with the biggest smile on her face. “Wait, really?” He looked at me in disbelief. Before I could respond, a blood curdling scream echoed through the forest, coming from the west. It was Lacey. My heart dropped into my stomach and once again, every molecule in my body went into full blown panic mode. This time, I couldn’t contain my composure. “Laceyyyyyy!!!!!” A panicked shriek erupted from my lungs and I took off running. Mikey grabbed Michelle and sprinted after us. The trees became a blur; I didn’t even feel all the scratches and scrapes. Had she come across a coyote? A mountain lion? A bear? I didn’t even stop to think about the danger I might be about to come in contact with, I just ran. And then I found her. She was lying on the ground, holding her left foot. “Lacey!!” I said, trying to choke back the tears that were building up. “I think I twisted my ankle!!” “Oh god damn it, you bitch.” I struggled to catch my breath. “I thought you were dead.” “I might as well be, I have cheerleading practice on Monday!” Mikey and Michelle caught up to us. “What happened?” He asked “She’s being a drama queen, she just rolled her ankle.” I was angry. “Can you get up?” He asked her. She was able to stand, but as soon as she tried to put any pressure on her foot at all, she screamed in pain. We spotted Devin running over from the south as he was yelling out, “Hey yo, everyone alive and accounted for?” “Yeah, Lacey hurt her ankle.” Mikey yelled back. As he approached he looked concerned. “Can you walk on it?” He asked her. “No.” Without hesitation he replied, “Well alright then, looks like you’re gonna have to piggyback it all the way back home.” He lowered himself enough to where she could hop up onto his back, and we headed back toward the trail. Even though my nerves had begun to settle a bit, I knew we were still far from being out of the woods, in more ways than one.

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2024.05.21 17:18 EmperorsShadow [PC][2000s] A super Unique video board game with Card Combat.

I have been searching for this game for the past 10 years, I simply have no way to find it. I recall it being one of the best games I have ever played. I played a Chinese Version of it but maybe it was a Japanese game? I remember it being in anime/cartoon style. The game is single player. You control a chibi character on a game board, and every turn you roll dice, and your character moves along a large board with different squares. There are Event squares, combat squares, Job change squares etc etc. Every time you come to an intersection you can choose the direction the character goes in. The character builds up stats, and can battle monsters for rewards. There are also special squares like Job Change squares that let your character change jobs based on you meeting stat requirements. I remember Superman as a job that is very overpowered but require a lot of strength.
I don't have high hopes of ever finding this game but I would be super grateful if anyone has any leads! Thank you so much!
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2024.05.21 17:12 UnityAssets_new_bot Funny, clean cartoon GU / UI kit - over 180 PNG files! : Contains graphics for: Windows: • Menu • Settings • Shop • Inventory • Quests • Levels • Chat • Messages • Log in, exit 80 Unique items & icons in 4 sizes: 32x32px, 64x64px, 128x128px, 256x256px Buttons: • Large buttons (in

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2024.05.21 16:34 crakshot H: ll3 leaders godrolls W: plans listed

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2024.05.21 14:52 youspiritually The Anaerobic Potential of the Human Body

Greetings!
We would like to continue with energy work.
In todays session, we are desirous of speaking about the vertical dimension of your body or that which would be understood as the anaerobic or 'without oxygen.'
Firstly, we ask the rhetorical: Why did the Monks and Yogi's live in the mountains?
We of J believe the monks and yogi's lived in the mountains to live in crisp, oxygen depleted air. We also believe they lived in mountains due to how prana moves through mountainous environments.
The closest low-land air ever comes to being crisp would be in your harsh winters where temperatures are below freezing.
Within an environment that has a severe lack of oxygen, breathing is something you do entirely manually to keep yourself from constantly fainting or tripping, each breath in-fact is a trip through the anaerobic system. Monks spend years learning how to not space out in a most literal sense lest they die of carbon dioxide poisoning.
Each breath, however small or large, supplies the monk with aerobic potential which he utilizes to keep himself awake and aware of what is happening in the world - this builds a positive charge.
To be willing to partake in the world of the living, requires typically more positive energy than negative, which many may understand as work ethic in your culture.
Breathing exercises for working monks revolved around washing dishes, cleaning and tidying, praying and a variety of other physical labors that went from as intensive as running around everywhere and chopping trees, to as relaxing as learning how to see different colours or floating in the air (levitation).
With aerobic potential or positive charge, we of J think anything as fantastical as your movie and cartoon depictions of super-powers is possible. However, harnessing aerobic breathing is very difficult because in the low-lands, oxygen is usually so abundant that one does not realize how each breath vitalizes the body and in which areas.
Anaerobic Potential:
However, we of J believe there is an entirely different side to the body that does not rely on oxygen at all. We also believe many confuse this energy system as the array of pains and pleasures they feel going through life, such as breaking an arm, going through a break up, fulfillment or even profound states of satori.
We of J believe that much of human experience in-fact is centered around the anaerobic side of your mind/body.
When oxygen is not required, things that would make you look as alike a superhero with oxygen would then seem childish when done without oxygen.
We of J believe that most spiritual work asks one to focus on anaerobic contractions of focus and in bolstering the strength of this muscle, one can navigate your planet with great freedom.
The anaerobic system works within deeper structures of the central nervous system, it is hard to feel but without being unconscious, yet if one can experience this nervous system entirely with will power alone through dedicated meditative practice, that same entity will be able to traverse the empty space not only within themselves but the Universe itself.
For many, the anaerobic nervous system and its corresponding contractions are 'autonomic.' Meditators train for many years but usually in good environmental conditions, to gain mastery over the centers of the body that do not require oxygen to manipulate. In doing so, it becomes possible to create whichever hormone one so desires merely by stimulating the gland directly.
In yoga, beginners must learn a set of muscular contractions, learning all these muscular contractions would take some many years, but students of yoga plan on living hundreds of years so they usually do not mind.
The first muscular contraction is to liberate or free sexual energy which is the pelvic floor lift which we explained a few sessions back. This lift prepares the anaerobic system for blood-flow.
The final muscular contraction is to find the Dao in thinking hard and softly to move consciousness into hyperspace, this works the entire throat chakra which humans would understand as the default mode network.
All the contractions in the middle are what entities would term their life story or most vivid experiences of life, which settle automatically between the lower and upper spine.
In mastering all anaerobic contractions to generate higher experience, the Yogi may undergo death and rebirth to continue his training in a newer, fitter body that can handle large quantities of life-force.
In doing these exercises for hundreds of years more, one realizes that all is Thought, and balancing thinking and energy (relaxation) is the aim of the Simulation.
The Dao of Thinking:
Thinking is a balancing act, humans swing in a variety of different ways, but it is always a back and forth of the left and right hemisphere. To find the Dao or Middle, is to find the point where one is both thinking in a relaxed form and in a tense form such that one feels a sense of rising or lifting.
This is done correctly when one feels their head vibrating or 'tensing.'
As one familiarizes themselves with this contraction, a sense of yawning may come over you, it is important to not waste the energy, so it is better to hold the yawn in and use it for something more profound.
One will then contract all their thinking potential at the same time, which you may have done at a young age when you had a deep sense of doom come over you or felt profoundly excited and time started moving very slowly.
By contracting thinking potential all at once but with the anaerobic system, we can effect the pineal gland piezoelectrically and begin to sync with the magnetic environment around us.
Drugs and the Anaerobic Nervous System:
We of J believe this nervous-system is very hard to feel in your world due to environmental issues which include wifi among other things.
Boomers, as your world terms them, are quite familiar with this nervous-system and very much struggle using your technology because it was simply not necessary to think so deeply about life such that it required dexterous hands and a quick left and right hemisphere.
Losing feeling of this nervous-system completely causes suicidal thoughts and depression we believe, gaining feeling of this nervous-system awakens you to pains that you have equally been ignoring.
We of J hope that the drugs of your world may soon help the common man or woman make contact with their inner world.
For those who are very interested in this nervous system, we of J are currently working with our instrument such that he may explain how you can awaken it with will-power predominantly.
If you have any questions about the 'anaerobic nervous system' as we are calling it, please do ask.
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2024.05.21 14:42 Professional-Map-762 Let's Analyze the Inmendham vs Vegan Gains Debate: whether Value-realism is True (How 2 best argue defending it, going forward?)

How can we stop going around in circles with these corrupted nihilists? (basically an extreme religious-nut but in reverse; no meaning, no value, no good/bad, nothing matters) I've compiled some of my thoughts/comments.

But first If you are not caught up yet:
1 Re: Vegan Gains ...The Militant Vegan Raffaela Interview - (May 12, 2024)
2 Vegan Gains is a sub-Jerkivest [5/11/24]
3 Moral Realism Debate w/ Inmendham - (May 16, 2024)
4 WTF #899: The vegan gains debate ... Value realism - (May 19, 2024)
5 Vegan Gains ...Denialism is the only nihilism [5/19/24]
also saw this Controversial Topics with Vegan Gains (Horse Riding, Bivalves, Depression, and much more!) - (May 11, 2024) ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ (he thinks in terms of some dogmatic religious brain-rot morality source of right/wrong, but a kind of reversed/opposite conclusion of it's absence, nihilism)
the very reason religion was invented in the first place was because humans by nature had a value-engine driving them & NEED for meaning, that's the irony. value gave rise to religion, religion never needed to grant value. The fact people can't grasp this. 🤦 ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

Now onto the various arguments, sorry how long and out of order it is But the idea is to provoke you coming up with better ideas/arguments, and if you can critic and strenghen my and ultimately inmendham's arguments. The GOAL should be to Create a formal argument AKA a syllogism, modus ponens. Something clear and concise that can't be taken out of context or misinterpreted, as happened with the debate...

On the subject of Efilism, tread lightly, the philosophy and argument extends beyond merely focusing on suffering; it also includes the critical issue of consent violation. Its proponent and creator, Inmendham, argues for value realism, which contrasts starkly with the notion of subjective morality which I find illogical. While objective morality is full of baggage... often linked to outdated religious doctrine so on face value it's not fun or easy subject to broach... many contemporary non-religious ethicists ground it in realism. Personally me, inmendham and others see no use for the term "morality" as it's tainted. value-realism is the subject. Is it a value-laden universe or not?
it is not necessary to call TRUE/REAL right or wrong Objective, because if objective is defined as mind-independent than without minds there's nothing right/wrong to happen to, therefore THE discussion should be just regarding what is TRUE or NOT, subjective doesn't necessarily mean mere contrived opinion or preference but can be logical conclusion, e.g. you can conclude 2 + 2 = 4 as we understand these concepts of numbers to model reality but can you call it objective or mind-independent 2 + 2 = 4, or that math exists? Not really. As you require a modeler to model reality, an observer to make the observation, a mind to come to such accurate conclusions. To me, claiming there is no real right or wrong is akin to asserting that moral standards and ultimately the subject of Ethics is as fictitious as religion or Santa Claus, you just believe it cause you want to or have preference to. Why maintain this pretense if it's all a mere fabrication / contrivance?
Regarding subjective judgments such as determining "What's the tastiest potato chip or the most beautiful painting?", these are not factual assessments about the things themselves, The question itself is misleading, because the thing itself has none of those qualities objectively, Instead, such qualities are OUTPUTs generated by the interaction of our bodies and minds with these INPUT items, the input is quite arbitrary/irrelevant, unlike the highly meaningful & distinct output generated of positive or negative experiences. You might get off more on certain female body part than another, it doesn't matter, the output positives & negatives is more or less same among individuals and that's what's relevant... not what specific fun or hobby gets you or them off or pushes their buttons.
It can be TRUE that a certain food item is the tastiest to that personal individual, or gross to another, and we can talk about intersubjective truths with averages overall. But one's experience of what is tastiest for them doesn't contradict another's, they can both be true for them individually, as you are likely not even sharing the same exact experiences to judge differently. And one's very perception or framing of the experience changes the experience itself, no way around this truth. Some people find bricks tasty or edible, just how their brain is wired.
It's important to recognize that differing opinions of personal taste do not inherently conflict in the way ethical contradictions do. With ethical matters, asserting that two diametrically opposed views are equally valid is problematic, either one is right and the other wrong, or both might be based on flawed reasoning. Pretending 2 opposing ethical views can be both equally right/true/correct is utter contradictory mush, either one of them must be right / wrong, or both are contrived meaningless nothing opinions, just made up. you wouldn't say whether one believes in god or not IS mere personal opinion/preference and such 2 opposing views can be equally right at same time, that's utter contradictory nonsense, by saying 2 opinions that gRAPE is both good & bad at same time are equally right opinons, right loses all meaning and you might as well say neither is right and both are wrong, they each have their own contrived fairytale delusion.
Now with Ethics of right / wrong, it does not depend on one single individual's preference or opinion, but taken as the whole, if you violate one without consent you still have to account for that since you are seemingly putting the weight on the preference otherwise preferences are utterly meaningless and irrelevant.
ALSO, Do you call whatever you prefer what's right, or do you prefer to try to do what is right?
Do you prefer to seek out what is the right most accurate conclusion given all the facts of reality, or contrive right to be what's in your preference/interest or personal gain?
I don't think VG or most these talking heads understand value-realism (problematic events within subjectivity/a non-physical but REAL reality of the mind). Obviously there's no objective divine or otherwise prime-directive moral-rules we must follow. Unfortunately Religion has poisened the conversation so much with archaic ideas and mushy terms like 'Morality'. Understand there is no 'moral truth', let alone an objective one, ofc if you pigeon-hole me or all realists into defending such nonsense it's easy to refute them. What I'm interested in is subject of Ethics, and to start whether or not value/problematic events exist or do not exist.
Here's a silly question by nihilists: "why is suffering bad?"
Response: How do you identify suffering? Based on the fact that it feels bad. (Yes subjectively) Just as we can subjectively understand 2+2 = 4
Or this: "prove suffering bad, objectively"
Also question-begging, obviously it is subjective. If such badness cannot exist mind-independently by definition.
"Prove suffering is bad, objectively"
is begging the question, because...
It strawmans / assumes the badness must be bad mind-independently, it isn't therefore, it isn't bad.
Answer this, evolutionarily do animals PERCEIVE being tortured skinned alive nail in the eye as BAD, or does it impose torture which we RECOGNIZE and define as Bad by definition?
If true PAIN/torture isn't bad then why does it exist evolutionarily? Answer: (problem -> solution) mechanism which functions as ability to learn & improved survival, this mechanism was reinforced over time as it worked.
inmendham & realists like myself argue: it is the case Descriptively, Objectively evolution IMPOSED Prescriptive-value-judgements onto animals which function as a learning/problem solving mechanism. Fact is, the invention of 'PROBLEM' is something I/we/animals had nothing to do with... (no-free-will-choice) but are simply byproduct in observation of this fact.
If real PROBLEM(s) didn't truly exist then Arguably the word and conceptual understanding it points 👉 to wouldn't exist either. As if beings could be truly blind never seeing colors/vision yet pulling the idea out of thin air and conceiving of such a thing, how preposterous, that'd be giving human creativity/imagination way too much credit. The only nihilist argument then is that by evolution we & all feeling organisms are somehow ultimately deluded or have illusion of problem where there is none, which I find deeply implausible. Run the torture study/experiment a million times putting people's arm in the fire "yep still bad". Filtering out people who lack ability to feel pain of course.
As evolutionary biologists even states pain is a message to the animal "don't do that again". Can't get descriptively prescriptive more than that.
Are You Getting It?
The Ought is literally baked in as an IS. The is-ought gap to be bridged is a complete Red-Herring, yes you can't derive an Ought from an IS, because if you oughtn't do something, then it can never be BAD... problematic/BAD/torture can't mean anything if it doesn't scream OUGHT-not.
All you have to agree to is due to evolution it created torture which is decidedly negative/ inherently BAD, by definition. Otherwise it wouldn't feel bad or be torturous at all... THEN ask yourself, how can something be BAD yet it's not BAD to create that BAD?
This is Checkmate. These are irrefutable Facts & Logical deductions.
So much for it all being false-perception, the very fact placebo patients perceive an otherwise harmless laser as BAD/painful makes it so. It's the TRUE reality in their mind and you can't deny that fact. It's also a fact believing a pain isn't really all that bad can make it so, but this doesn't make these value-laden experiences NOT real/true.
As per evolution, your body/brain's mechanisms must generate & impose a prescriptive-value-judgement / problematic event within your mind,
It's nagging, complaining, telling you keeping your hand on the hot stove is a mistake/problematic/bad. (not in itself but as a consequence)
I believe this brain making me write all this... is making an accurate assessment when it observe certain events to be problematic/bad where it's happening which is within subjectivity, where's your evidence my perceptions are fooling me or I'm somehow deluded? I witnessed the crime take place and you were nowhere near the crime scene yet you have the authority to claim otherwise as fact? (You are not simply agnostic to my problem suffering but a De-nihilist)
Once one accepts this evolutionary fact we can move on to more complicated questions regarding ethics, like how do weigh the good & the bad, conflicting preferences, etc. Otherwise, it's all pointless & futile, like arguing bivalves or wild-suffering with a non-vegan. They're just not on that level yet and it's a waste of time.
revised version of my other comment: I believe that many discussions around morality miss a crucial point about value-realism, which acknowledges problematic events within subjectivity, a non-physical but real reality of the mind. It is evident that there are no objective, divine, or prime-directive moral rules we must follow. Unfortunately, religion has muddied the conversation with archaic ideas and terms like 'morality'.
There is no 'moral truth,' especially not an objective one. If critics pigeonhole realists into defending such notions, it becomes easy to refute them. My interest lies in ethics and whether value/problematic events exist.
Consider this question by nihilists: "Why is suffering bad?"
Response: Suffering is identified because it feels bad, subjectively. Just as we subjectively understand 2+2=4, we can recognize suffering through its unpleasant experience.
When asked to "prove suffering is bad, objectively," this is question-begging, as the question assumes that the badness must exist independently of minds, which it does not by definition. This question straw-mans the issue by requiring mind-independent badness, ignoring the subjective nature of suffering. As if the quality of it being BAD must be granted by something outside the experience itself.
Evolutionary Perspective: Animals perceive and react to torture (e.g., being skinned alive) as bad because evolution has imposed mechanisms that signal harm. Pain serves as a problem-solving mechanism, reinforcing behaviors that enhance survival. If pain and suffering weren't inherently problematic, they wouldn’t exist in the form they do.
Realists like myself argue that evolution has objectively imposed prescriptive-value judgments on animals. The concept of 'problem' or 'bad' arises from these evolutionary mechanisms, not from free will. The existence of these concepts indicates the reality of these problematic experiences.
If real problems didn’t exist, neither would the concepts describing them. This is akin to how beings blind from birth wouldn’t conceive of color. Suggesting that evolutionary processes have universally deluded all feeling organisms into perceiving problems where there are none is implausible.
As evolutionary biologists state, pain signals to the animal, "don't do that again," which is descriptively prescriptive. The 'ought' is embedded within the 'is.' Thus, the is-ought gap is a red herring because prescriptive judgments are evolutionarily ingrained.
Again, How do you identify suffering? Based on the fact that it feels bad. (Yes subjectively) Just as we can subjectively understand 2+2 = 4
All you have to agree to is due to evolution it created torture which is decidedly negative/ inherently BAD, by definition. Otherwise it wouldn't feel bad or be torturous at all... THEN ask yourself, how can something be BAD yet it's not BAD to create that BAD?
Conclusion: By acknowledging that evolution created inherently negative experiences like torture, we accept that these experiences are bad by definition. Denying the badness of creating bad experiences is contradictory. Therefore, once recognizing the true reality of subjective experiences, only then we can move on to complex ethical questions about weighing good and bad and addressing conflicting preferences.
playing devil's advocate let's try Steelman their position and then arrive at the logical conclusions of it and then perhaps refute it. If they say: "veganism = right" realize there is no contradiction IF by 'right' they just mean it's literally nothing but their preference...
There's no goal to prefer to know/do what's right, RATHER what's right is whatever matches our personal preferences, so unlike flat earther vs round earth beliefs/CLAIMs which can contradict/conflict with each other since either 1 is right or both are wrong. Individual tastes don't.
Whereas if VG says 9 people gRAPE the 1 kid for fun is WRONG because he's a threshold-deontologist but Also RIGHT to a hedonistic utilitarian, Those views only contradict/conflict if they are making VALUE-claims or recognizing a problematic event take place. However, with VG apparently he would have to say he's not claiming or labelling anything as TRULY problematic at all but merely describing his preferences like flavor of ice cream...
Now, of course, as the realist, I find such a view more deplorable/worse than if they were merely agnostic on right/wrong. Cause it's one thing to say there's a right answer to questions of Ethics but we have no objective scientific basis to determine it yet or lack knowledge VS saying they have knowledge there is absolutely no right or wrong.
Under Anti-realism nihilism, what they mean by wrong/right, is just their preference, if I understand correctly (which I'm quite sure) Anti-realism nihilism reduces the Subject of Ethics down to nothing but you or someone else pontificating/opining (i.e "me no like torture") . It defends some sort of expressivism, emotivism, normative, prescriptive reduction of Ethics. Which I find lubricious and has to be a mistake,
I don't see anyone playing any different game even the nihilists invest their money and plan ahead for self-interest, no one truly signs up for torture for fun like it's no problem, and runs away from pleasure happiness as bad. Further, it stands to reason... since we can recognize objectively evolution created a punishment mechanism to enforce learning and survival, BAD/PROBLEM as a concept is something I/WE/Animals had nothing to do with. We didn't invent it, we recognize it and respond accordingly. Even evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins stated that pain is a message to the organism 'don't do that again!'
We must address further the flawed logic of VG and other nihilists reducing Ethics down to mere arbitrary preferences like potato chip flavor, or how much salt you prefer in the soup. As it is completely disanalogous & dishonest upon reflection. QUOTE: "There's no arguing against Efilism, it's just personal opinion. Like arguing what tastes better... ice-cream or potato chips?"
Say if you believe that the mona-lisa is beautiful, and I personally find it ugly, this conflicts/contradicts nothing because it claims nothing in terms about that object or reality outside of our own minds.
such qualities are OUTPUTs generated by body/mind from these INPUTs, the input is quite arbitrary/irrelevant, unlike the highly meaningful & distinct output generated of positive or negative experiences.
it doesn't matter what specific fun or hobby gets them off or pushes their buttons in order for it MATTER, those differences don't make it any less real OR all mere subjective opinion. the output positives & negatives is more or less same among individuals and that's what's relevant...
It can be TRUE that a certain food item is the tastiest to some personal individual, or gross to another, one's experience of what is tastiest for them doesn't contradict another's, they can both be true for them individually because it is the reality in their mind, Some people find bricks tasty or edible, just how their brain is wired.
while one person may find a certain food delicious, another may find it repulsive, without invalidating each other's experiences because they are true for them individually. both experiences are valid/correct.
However, actions that disregard another's negative experience invalidate their reality. if you find being boiled alive problematic and I do it anyway believing it's ok, I am invalidating your experience as either not real, relevant, doesn't matter, or my preferences are more important (carry more weight) than yours. Or simply believe it's ALL equal or arbitrary and I just prefer to exploit you so I do that.
Positive or negative experiences are largely consistent among people, making them relevant, regardless of the specific stimuli. Individual truths about taste or preference coexist without contradiction, reflecting each person's value-generated reality.
This cannot honestly be applied to one's mere opinion it's fine to boil kids alive, as you are invalidating the fact that it matters to those victims. You saying it doesn't matter or your gain of pleasure outweighs their loss of pain, is a claim about the reality of events going on in their mind, so there is room for conflict/contradiction. They can't both be right/wrong at the exact same time.
A strong non-intuition argument/claim & facts presented render value-nihilism implausible:
It is Descriptively the case, that Evolution IMPOSED Prescriptive-ought statements... of 'PROBLEMATIC sensation/event' on organisms which functioned as a learning mechanism and improved survival.
Therefore, BAD/PROBLEM isn't mere subjective opinion but something I/we/animals had nothing to do with and are mere by-product reacting to an observation.
This is pretty much the only base-axiom needed to ground my own torture as mattering as the original actual value-currency at stake. That paired with the fact I sampled consciousness and know it matters to me whether or not I am tortured, the fact that I personally observe it as problematic makes it the true reality for my own mind...
...AND it's not mere opinion/proclamation / or idea humans creatively invented out of thin air... as if like everyone could be truly blind yet conceptualizing colovision, makes no sense. plus that's giving humanity way too much credit of imagination.
Can't really have thoughts about information that you don't have. The concept of bad/problem arguably wouldn't even exist if it never was so.
Yes, I agree very semantics. I am attempting to shed clarity on this topic. Looking at the word "BAD" purely in a descriptive sense (e.g., that which can be categorically applied to extreme suffering) it loses all meaning if it's not truly consequential (i.e., it matters whether one experiences bad or not). If it doesn't actually matter ("no problemo") then it can't be bad, only an illusion/delusion of it, yet it's an effective one evolution imposed on organisms as a learning/problem-solving mechanism. The value-realists like myself have every reason to believe evolution created the real thing, not some contrived pseudo-problem organisms feel compelled/obligated to solve.
One only requires the axiom of a Descriptive Bad to ground Ethics. Why? Because it can be argued that a descriptive statement of BAD/problem is prescriptive by it's very nature in the meaning the of word/language.(otherwise its psuedo-bad/fake langauge, redefines bad as aversion/mere preference against) Otherwise, it can't mean anything to be bad, torturously obnoxious, unwanted experiential events couldn't mean anything. Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins even state pain is a punishment signal/message to the animal: "Don't do that again!" If those aren't prescriptions imposed, then I don't know what is. The animal doesn't simply decide/prefer to avoid the event and finds it bad, it's told/finds it bad and so prefers to avoid the event/problem. If god or there were some logically or physically possible way it were to be invented how else would it exist?, or what you think evolution's reward & punishment mechanism accomplished? If it didn't synthesize problematic sensations to force organisms to solve?
Evolution prescribes Needs/wants, at the same time imposes a PAIN/PROBLEM of starvation/hunger which by it's very nature is a prescription for solution (i.e. sustenance/relief/comfort.)
By the very nature of "PROBLEM" it prescribes -> "SOLUTION" not merely a contrived or trivial-like on paper math problem, but the origin of why the word even exists: the problem of pain, a true whip/punishment mechanism, real currency to play with, real loss. Idk how you can describe something categorically as a PROBLEM in the true sense of the word if it doesn't come with it a necessary prescription for its solution. Because if there is no NEED for a solution, then it turns into no longer a problem again...
I don't see how it could be any other way because if there's no real game to be playing with value baked into it, then money would be worthless/not even exist, animals wouldn't bother evade standing in the fire, etc.
Saying It is Descriptively the case, that Evolution IMPOSED Prescriptive-ought statements... of 'PROBLEMATIC sensation/event' on organisms which functioned as a learning mechanism and improved survival.
Is the same as saying Evolution IMPOSED torture/BAD, as that's what torture/bad is... a prescribed need for solution to a problem which is some form of relief/comfort.
The prescription arises as a result of accepting step 1. (which nihilists reject/deny) problem solution. The latter does not follow/exist without the former. basic 2+2 = 4 logic. There's no point figuring out the answer to the math equation, if we don't agree first and foremost a problem exists. Nor how to solve a disease, if we don't first and foremost recognize a disease exists. And so, Any debate with nihilists on step 2: of determining what is the most likely solution / right answer becomes irrelevent and a waste of time. Arguing about whether x or y IS the right answer to fixing/preventing diabetes is pointless when they don't even agree the really disease exists. They don't believe an actual real BAD / Problem exists.
VG reduces it down to mere preferences, his reasonings that even if universally sentience prefers not suffebe tortured... Well, just because it is the case descriptively we prefer to avoid suffering doesn't mean we ought/should prevent suffering. He hasn't bridged the IS-OUGHT gap. But he got it backwards,
the claim/argument... ISN'T that because descriptively, sentience universally has a preference to avoid suffering, it is therefore bad,
the claim/argument... IS that it's descriptively bad/problematic, therefore universally there's a deductively logically assigned preference to avoid it,
Again you can't classify/label something as a problem if it's inconsequential whether it is solved or not. The word loses all meaning. If something NEEDs solving/fixing it means there's a problem, if there's a problem it means there's something NEED solving/fixing. Evolution manufactures these needy problems in organisms to manipulate and control them.
Merely what our preferences are IS NOT relevant, preference "frustration" arguably IS. (if preferences couldn't be frustrated "i.e., no value" than it wouldn't matter which way things turned out)
You can have a preference for some art style over another, if we were just programmed non-feeling robots that preferred to avoid standing in the fire, but there was no real kernel of value/bad, then it wouldn't matter.
Let's imagine something was Objectively PROBLEMATIC, an IS statement. What would a real problem look like? something in NEED of a solution. Again, why? because If it doesn't matter whether or not it exists or is Solved or not, it could never be a problem in the first place. So either this problem exists or it doesn't. (NOTE: it doesn't need to be an objective problem to be REAL, "i.e mind-independent")
Next, if ASI or sentient beings were to sample this "problem", would it not be the case they would logically deduce it's in need of a solution? And assign their preferences accordingly to solving it? Cause again otherwise then you just see it as "no-problemo" again.
"If Inmendham's argument is that sentient beings create value, and that the universe has no value without the presence of a sentient being generating it, would it not follow that the ought is inherently built into sensation?" yes but the way VG unfairly reframes it is that we subjectively place value on it, THAT it's entirely subjective, like you prefer salty or sweet, or certain ice cream flavor. emphasizing that it's entirely subjective opinion. Take a look at his unfair silly example: "we can't say pineapple on pizza is objectively tasty or not..." this shows a complete ineptitude in grasping the subject and misrepresenting the argument like crazy, no one is arguing whether Mona Lisa is objectively beautiful or some such thing.
What is being argued: the positive or negative mind-dependent event produced in response to the sensual or perceptual stimuli, the input (object) is irrelevant, only the output (experience) matters and what the value-engine (BRAIN) produced. What pushes your buttons so to speak, blue jelly beans or green jelly beans, could differ between 2 individuals but the shared experience is the same more or less. Whether you wired to find pineapple on pizza tasty or gross is irrelevant, some people find bricks edible.
Main issue is they talking past each other: what inmendham is arguing for was either not expressed as best it could be, and/or VG does not quite comprehend what is being argued... inmendham claims/argues evolution created the real bad/PROBLEM and we respond in recognition of this fact/truth with preferences that follow accordingly, Logic cannot be escaped, once you know 2+2 = 4, you can't will or believe it to be 79. If you know the right answer "torture be Bad M'kay?" obviously you won't act or behave otherwise and say you love it. What could it mean to have a preference against experiencing torture... does such a statement even make any sense? All that is required is a real BAD to exist... and then the preference to avoid it logically follows, an inescapable truth. Unless he thinks I also choose or prefer to believe 2+2 = 4 ?
Essentially VG keeps counter-arguing that: "yes we want to avoid torture, but that's just your preference... just cause universally sentience has a preference against torture (a Descriptive / IS statement) doesn't logically follow some Normative/Prescriptive claim/statement. That just because something IS the case it doesn't follow that we OUGHT / should do X, like help others, prevent suffering, etc. That's a non-sequitur he says. Ultimately it's just a preference." sure but...
His argument only applies/counters a strawman position in his head: Because of this I and other realists can account for / side-step it completely, we aren't attempting to derive an OUGHT from an IS. e.g strawman: "we ALL have preference against torture, Therefore it's BAD." Or "we ALL have preference against torture, Therefore we OUGHT prevent it"
The actual argument is that it's Truly Bad/Problematic by the very nature of the word, Therefore first-hand observation follows universally a deductively logically assigned preference to avoid it. Not the other way around.
"If the only thing that can have meaning in the universe is the experience of a sentient being, ought we not maximize its value just by nature of its experience being the only thing that can matter?" yes the ought is a further logical extension of recognizing it to be a problem, which denotes/demands a solution, otherwise if it doesn't matter to solve it or not then you've turned it into a non-problem again. So it can only be categorically one or the other.
Issue of semantics, different terminology and definitions: as long as VG defines objective as "mind-independent" and sets the goal-post to the realist to find a mind-independent "wrong/bad" as if somehow we need some divine-command or absolute rule in the universe that declares it so... then there is no fruit to the discussion. suffering/bad takes place in the mind/experience, so of course it's unfair to ask one to present a mind-independent suffering/bad in the universe, it is begging the question. To be fair inmendham uses the term objective and could have done better job with defining/pushing his terms "e.g. objective as truth/real/fact" and not let VG impose in his own. However, I don't ascribe a requirement to demonstrate an Objective BAD to ground a BAD as real, valid, and true; it can be entirely based on Subjectivist grounds/axiomatic foundations.
Just because the BAD takes place within subjectivity doesn't make it any less real (non-physical/immaterial sure... but not unreal). VG and nihilists can't understand this. 2+2 = 4 is subjective as is all science ultimately as a root axiomatic-fact... as an observation requires an observer. This doesn't mean realism can't be proven/grounded, it can just like we can know 2+2=4 and the moon exists. If anti-realism is gonna deny subjective truths because it's subjective, then one can't know much of anything and reduces to solipsism. I am more certain I exist and the reality of "perceived" BAD I experience is actually a real BAD... THAN that the moon even exists or any other scientific empirical claim.
PROBLEM is something I/we/animals had Nothing to do with, we didn't invent it.
If Anti-realism nihilism was True and Real "PROBLEMS" didn't exist the word wouldn't exist. It is like being born never knowing or seeing or experiencing vision & color, it's impossible to contrive or imagine it. Some knowledge & information is only accessible through experience.
Even Richard Dawkins stated, "pain is a message to the animal Don't do that again!"
If the ought exists within subjectivity, as preferences, why would them being Subjective vs Objective determine whether or not their violation matters? If one experiences disgust looking at something AND another finds beauty... both are true realities for them, they don't conflict or contradict like empirical or fact claims, but instead both are correct and relevant, not one or the other, BECAUSE when someone says the mona Lisa is beautiful they are just saying it arises in them a sense of beauty, the thing/input is irrelevant whereas the output in mind is what is relevant and true for their reality.
Subjective =/= not true, I don't understand the dichotomy between objective vs subjective ethics, as if there isn't facts to glean about subjectivity.
There's also definition or semantic problems:
objective (mind-independent) vs subjective (mind-dependent)
Under such definition does it make sense to say Objectively evolution created feeling experiencing organisms having sense of taste, smell, sound, hunger, pain, to survive. So can we apply word objective to mind-dependent experiences or not?
And of course under such definition there is no objective mind-independent ethics as without minds there is no feeling subject of concern to even talk about in first place. So how silly...
Yet they take objective to mean True & Subjective made up or mere contrived opinion.
For me these are semantic word games that distract, I just care about what's fact/true. What many don't get is Even science, math is subjective invention, byproduct of subjective tool of language, doesn't mean we can't create an accurate model and picture of reality.
I believe the Is-Ought gap is a red-herring, sure it's true you can't contrive an Ought from just what IS, but with evolution the OUGHT statement is built-in, it's descriptively a prescriptive value statement imposed on me, I/we/animals literally have nothing to do with it, I'm just by-product an observer. This is key understanding.
There exists no objective or divine commandment "you OUGHT do X" written into the fabric of reality, and therefore if you don't that's Bad, No. That's nonsense/impossible logically.
Rather an Descriptive IS statement of X is a real bad/PROBLEM, denotes/demands a solution by it's very nature of the word, otherwise if it doesn't need solving then it becomes into a non-problem again, so either x categorically IS a PROBLEM or it's not.
The claim/argument... Is that it's Descriptively BAD/Problematic, therefore universally there's a deductively logically assigned preference to avoid it. Not the other way around. Our personal preference against torture forever doesn't make it therefore bad. The prescription is built in, forced onto us.
It's like "STOP!" & "GO" What do you say to a dog? "BAD dog!" This is saying it should or shouldn't do something. basically = "No!" "Stop!" That's a prescriptive statement/signal/conveyed message.
Or simply, alls required is Descriptively diagnose Torture as Problematic. Which implies Problem Solution Without necessity of solution there is no problem at all, likewise without problem solution means nothing.
​So you essentially boiled my position down to: "Evolution programmed preference to avoid torture." or "we evolved preference to avoid torture" Does that sound incoherent or what... as if I would make such a silly claim. Keep straw-manning.
Do you think animals have PREFERENCE by default to avoid being tortured burned alive and have sex, or logically preferences are born out of observing problematic negative / positive assigned accordingly through punishment & reward mechanisms aka prescriptions, think long and hard about this one...
This is why value or ethical nihilism is incoherent to me. IF torture be bad, how can it be NOT-bad/neutral to create BAD?
It either is truly BAD or it isn't. It's either real or it's an illusion/delusion and false perception.
Their position must reduce to there is no MEANINGFUL difference between Torture & Bliss. And evolution didn't create any problematic sensation or true punishment whatsoever. Instead, were somehow deluded to view being boiling alive as problematic sensation/BAD, and relief as good, we can't tell the difference or label which is which...
Vegan Gains or any anti-realist needs to substantiate these anti-realist nihilist claims & concede if he agrees with the statements below:
"The value-laden problematic BAD experience of being tortured boiled alive in a vat of acid indefinitely... isn't really bad, evolution didn't successfully impose a real negative punishment mechanism on animals, torture isn't something I/we/animals had nothing to do with and are just byproduct observing the imposition, NO! Instead our opinion has everything to do with it... what's problematic torture, one is merely subjectively interpreting/inventing/proclaiming it to be so! Evolution failed!"
"Animals run from fire cause they irrationally unreasonably subjectively interpret it to be bad/problematic sensation or experience, not cause DNA molecule made it so objectively for evolutionary reasons"
"It is all subjective preference like flavor of potato chips, problematic torturous experience isn't bad you just think it's bad or have preference against it."
"You don't logically recognize intrinsic problematic torturous experience then logically assign solution to problem which is preference to avoid that experience, No, you merely have subjective delusional preference against a nail in your eye and there is no logic to it"
"Good is Bad, and Bad is Good depending on opinion, no right or wrong, all subjective tho"
value anti-realism nihilism. INSANE! WORSE than a flat-earth theory!
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2024.05.21 06:05 Henryphillips29 Up all night a smiling critters fan fiction

Up all night a smiling critters fan fiction
Link: https://www.tumblr.com/knife-filled-plushies/742233075017302016/i-love-the-smiling-critters-as-a-cartoon-concept
It’s an excellent night for a sleepover all of the critters assembled at catnaps house playing silly board games together. Everyone has so much energy tonight at this hour it’s amazing nobody feels tired yet, except for one critter of corse.
Catnap: okay guys goodnight I’m going to bed it’s getting late
Dogday: Aww come on catnap stay up with us
Kickin: yeah it can be allot of fun stick around
Catnap: no way last time I did that I was a cranky and stressed out mess
Dogday: but-
Catnap: and besides who knows what will happen if all of you stay up for so long
Bubba: he’s right lack of sleep is very unhealthy
Hoppy: hold on Bubba your not gonna wimp out on us like catnap is are you
Catnap walks out of the living room and goes upstairs into his bedroom locking his bedroom door
Bubba: that’s not what I’m saying I-
Hoppy: come on guys chant with me bubba is a whimp
Everyone starts chanting but bubba facepalms himself and looks very annoyed
Bubba: okay fine I’ll stay up
Bobby: this is so exciting I’ve never stayed up late before this should be allot of fun
Crafty: are you sure this is a good idea what about what catnap and bubba just said?
Hoppy: oh crafty there is no need to worry, we’ll be fine besides what harm can staying up a few extra hours gonna do anyways?
Picky: enters the room with snacks and soda okay since we are all in agreement let’s get this all nighter started
The critters simultaneously said yeah loudly altogether. As the hours go by the sun comes up and shines through the curtains in catnap’s bedroom. The calm purple cat sits up and stretches cracking a couple of bones and scratching his butt. He walks into the bathroom and finished using it after he flushed the toilet. He walks downstairs into the kitchen and poors himself a cup of coffee, when he walks into the living room to say good morning to all his friends they are all acting like they are not themselves
Bubba: why is my nose so long, and my ears are so big. How can I grab things when I don’t have thumbs?
Kickin: I can’t see anything rubs eyes and blinks allot
Hoppy: tries to stand up uh oh collapses ow
Picky: holds a trash can my stomach hurts so much hiccups and burps
Crafty: giggling and scribbling so pretty
Bobby: holds and clings to Kickin crying why can’t you see me Kickin I love you so much cries
Dogday: yawns good morning catnap, did you sleep well last night?
Catnap: I did but it looks like none of you got any sleep at all
Kickin: catnap is that you stands up dragging bobby
Bobby: crying where are you going don’t leave me
Kickin crashes into a wall and falls onto the floor but luckily Bobby got out of the way
Catnap: oh boy all of you are a mess. Not to worry I can help all of you out I know just the thing he smiles
Bubba: why is my name bubba, why is my last name bubbaphant, why not Eddie, Eddie Elephant
Catnap: don’t move guys ok, I’ll be right back just wait here
Hoppy: some of us can’t even move already
Picky: burps oh gosh somebody please put me out of my misery
Catnap goes into the kitchen and brews up something in a large pot. He check up o each of the critters just to make sure they didn’t do anything they aren’t supposed to.
Catnap: okay guys as much as I enjoy having you all around it’s time that I sent you all home so you can go to bed and get some sleep
All the critters simultaneously say okay except for crafty who is still giggling.
Catnap: bubba let’s take you home picks up a small bottle of liquid
Bubba: I’m going home, I have a home?
Catnap: yes you have a home let’s go walks out with bubba
Catnap and bubba make it back to bubba’s house and catnap makes bubba sit and lay on his bed
Catnap: okay bubba drink this it’ll help yu fall asleep
Bubba: is this a drug?
Catnap: hardly it’s a very safe portion, just drink the whole thing and you’ll be just fine
Bubba drinks the tiny bottle until it was completely empty
Bubba: nothing is happening, I thought you- passes out and starts snoring
Catnap covers bubba in his bedsheets and returns back to his house seeing everyone still not asleep except picky wasn’t around
Catnap: dogday do you know where picky is?
Bobby: picky no she was my best friend and I loved her starts crying
Dogday: yawns I saw her go outside into the backyard where your garden is
Catnap: no no no no come on rushes outside picky
Picky: what stands by a tree looking like she was gonna puke
Catnap: come on let’s get you home right now
Picky: do I get to bring a barf bag with me?
Catnap: how many times did you….nevermind
Picky: nothing yet, just burps that this whole time
Catnap: grabs another tiny bottle come on
Picky came home with catnap by her side constantly holding her belly groaning in pain burping and gagging more but she didn’t once spit up the entire time.
Catnap: here you go picky gives her the little bottle
Picky: gags I’m not drinking that
Catnap: it’ll help you fall asleep
Picky: I can’t let that into my stomach, what if it comes back up?
Catnap: sigh I’m sorry I have to do this
Picky: sorry about wha-
Catnap kicks picky’s shin really hard causing her to almost scream in pain with her mouth wide open. Catnap shoves the bottle into picky’s mouth and leaves it there until it’s empty
Catnap: there you go
Picky: catnap you jerk that hurt I’m gonna- passes out and drools on her pillow
Catnap covered picky with her bedsheet and returns back home and walks over to crafty
Catnap: crafty let’s go
The entire time catnap walked with crafty back to her place she kept giggling and saying pretty over and over thinking se was doodling. When she got back to her house she sat down on her bd giggling more
Catnap: drink this crafty
Crafty: pretty?
Catnap: yes pretty, drink it like this he demonstrates now do that
Crafty does exactly what catnap showed her except she forgot to take the remove the cork. Catnap removed the cork and crafty drank the whole thing passing out. Catnap covere crafty in her bedsheet and pushed her hair out of her face. He returns home and decides to bring Kickin home next
Catnap: come on Kickin do you want to go home?
Bobby: no, first Bubba, than picky, then crafty and now Kickin to? cries more
Catnap: it’s okay bobby you’ll see the again sooner than you think
Bobby: but I want them to stay I want all of them to stay
Catnap forces Bobby off of Kickin and helps guide him back home considering he can’t see right now.
Catnap: ow looks under his foot wait a second Kickin I stepped on a stone
As soon as catnap removes the stone off of his foot he sees Kickin walk into a tree and collapses. Catnap facepalms himself and helps Kickin get back up on his feet and return him home safe and sound. Catnap helps Kickin get onto his bed.
Catnap: I’ve got this little bottle here for you Kickin and what you are gonna do is simply drink it
Kickin: how much of it?
Catnap: all of it, the whole thing.
Kickin reaches his hands out trying to grab onto it. He finally takes it and removes the cork and chugs it down
Kickin: Blegh what the heck is this poison?
Catnap: no it’s a remedy I made that helps you fall asleep very-
Kickin: snoring
Catnap: Uhh quickly
Catnap covers Kickin with his bedsheets and returns back home and walks up to hoppy
Catnap: hoppy do you think you can stand up?
Hoppy: tries and fails nope any ideas?
Catnap: yeah I think I do have one
Catnap started walking back to Hoppy’s house as he carried her on his back the whole way over.
Hoppy: great now I’m relying on someone else to help me move
Catnap: don’t worry hoppy and besides I don’t think your heavy one bit
Hoppy: if your trying to flatter me forget it, I’m not that kind of girl
As catnap finally arrived to Hoppy’s house he piggybacked her all the way up to her room. As he stood in front of her bed her turns around so that the bed is behind him and hoppy can fall onto it.
Catnap: your bed is right behind you so yo can let go of me now hoppy
Hoppy: ok lets go wee crashes onto the bed and laughs
Catnap: drink this hoppy you’ll fall asleep quicker
Hoppy: okay if you say so drinks it and then passes out
Catnap covers hoppy with her bedsheets and returns home walking up to Bobby
Catnap: ok Bobby, let go of dogday it’s time for you to go home
Bobby: no I don’t want to leave dogday all by himself
Catnap: he will be fine let’s go
Bobby: please catnap don’t make me go cries
Catnap drags bobby home by force as she continues to cry begging to go back and stay with dogday
Catnap: come on Bobby get a hold of yourself your embarrassing me
Bobby: let me go, dogday needs me
After a slow and somewhat painful trip catnap finally returns bobby back to her house and helps her sit on her bed still crying and now she is begging catnap to stay with her
Bobby: clenches her hands together please catnap don’t go, I love you I love you so much I don’t want to be alone here cries more
Catnap: you won’t, just drink this and I’ll stay right here
Bobby: tears fall off her face promise?
Catnap: I promise
Bobby drinks the little bottle catnap gave her and then she passes out
Catnap: I know I promised to stay but I got to go covers Bobby and kisses the top of her head
Catnap returns to his house one more time and sees dogday sitting and yawning like he has been all day today and walks him back home
Dogday: yawns I’m sorry catnap
Catnap: sorry about what?
Dogday: making you go through all these things for us I mean you were right we should’ve went to bed last night but we had so much energy even me
Catnap: don’t worry about it dogday, as long as you’ve learned your lesson that’s all that matters Ned you should be fine
Dogday successfully made it back to his house thanks to catnap’s help. Dogday then take a seat on his bed
Catnap: okay dogday drink this for me and you’ll fall asleep
Dogday: how quickly is this stuff supposed to work? drinks the whole thing
Catnap: we’ll so far it’s worked almost instantly the moment y-
Dogday: sleeping and snoring
Catnap: never mind covers up dogday and scratches his head see you tomorrow buddy
As catnap walks home he yawns watching the sun set
Catnap: wow the day flew by so quickly. I guess that’s what happens when you help out your friends.
Catnap comes home to an empty and messy living room, sleeping mats and blankets were still on the floor as well as empty soda bottle, empty bags of ships. Not to mention the pot in the kitchen he used to made the sleeping medicine earlier today
Catnap: sigh I’ll clean it up tomorrow
As he walks upstairs ready to go to bed after a long day of walking back and fourth he noticed that one of the ingredient laying on the table was the wrong one
Catnap: uh oh…meh I’m sure they will be fine, it worked and they all fell asleep still
Catnap proceeds upstairs and then he yawns and stretches laying in his bed
Catnap: I bet all my friends are having sweet dreams right about now
Meanwhile all the other critters were tossing and turning in their sleep and we transition to the dream that they are all ironically having at the exact same time. In the dream dogday runs up to all of his friends.
Dogday: chuckles hey guys there you are I’ve been looking for you
Bobby: dogday we were getting worried about you
Hoppy: yeah It’s about hopping time
Picky: I hope you brought a snack with you I’m hungry
Kickin: picky I swear something is wrong with your stomach
Crafty: uhhh guys…something is wrong here
Bubba: what do you mean crafty, we’re all here
Crafty: catnap isn’t here and I don’t remember waking up this morning
Hoppy: huh you know what, now that you mention where is catnap
Bubba: really your not worried that you don’t remember waking up
Bobby: I don’t remember waking up either
Dogday: same
Picky: that goes for me to.
Catnap: hey guys what’s going on
The other critters look at catnap and then at eachother
Dogday: catnap did you wake up this morning?
Catnap: yeah I did, I made myself some coffee and I’m ready to go
Bobby: are you sure?
Bubba: yeah we’ve had a very strange morning so far
Catnap: oh don’t be silly come one let’s go play
The critters go to the park and hang out. Everyone was playing frisbee together. When dogday throws the frisbee he ended up throwing it way too far and it flies into the woods.
Catnap: I’ll get it
Catnap rushes into the woods to go and look for the frisbee, after a while the critters waited and then after searching for both catnap and the frisbee catnap found them first
Bobby: oh catnap there you are
Crafty: you had us worried there for a moment
Bubba: yeah you should never wonder off too far
Catnap: don’t worry guys I’m fine nothing is gonna-
The world around them starts shaking, thunder clouds roll in and the wind picks up
Hoppy: what’s going on?
Kickin: is it the apocalypse
Crafty: I’m scared holds bobby
Bobby: me too hold crafty
Bubba: I don’t understand how is this all happening
Picky: what do we do?
Dogday: catnap come to us hurry
Catnap runs over to the other critters but then the ground splits open and catnap falls through
Dogday: CATNAP *looks over the edge
Catnap: holds a branch dogday help me
Dogday: guys help me
The other critters assembled ready to help dogday by holding onto him as the ground continues to shake aggressively
Dogday: reaches his hand out take my hand catnap
Catnap: I’m trying I can’t reach loosing his grip
Bubba: you can do it catnap
Bobby: hurry
Crafty: catnap
Hoppy: hang on
Kickin: oh no
Picky: come on
The branch breaks off and then catnap falls into the abyss and all the critters scream catnap’s name and wake up simultaneously in their beds. All of them rush out of their houses and run and then they bump into each other at the crossroads where they normally meet in the morning
Dogday: guys what are you doing here? You know what never mind I gotta get to catnap starts running again
Bobby: your going to catnap to so am I
Crafty: same here with me
Hoppy: that’s where I’m going
Kickin: me too
Picky: me three let’s go
Bubba: crazy, all of us going to see catnap at once
All the critters hurry to catnap’s house and bash on his front door aggressively. Meanwhile upstairs as catnap was trying to get some sleep he get up and rushed downstairs to answer the door he opens it and sees all his friends at the door
Catnap: guys what are you doing here, your suppo-
All the critters hug catnap tightly and break down into tears saying how glad they all were to see that he was okay, but maybe not for long considering the hugging was suffocating him.
Catnap: I can’t breath
Dogday: oh sorry come on guys let him go. Catnap I’m so relieved to see your alive
Catnap: of corse I am, guys what I’d happening what’s gotten into you
The critters walked into catnap’s house and explains what they had for a dream
Catnap: and then I fell into an abyss?
Bubba: yup it’s hard to believe but we all had the exact same dream
Hoppy: it’s crazy honestly but it all felt super real
Kickin: yeah I still got chills down my spine from that experience
Bobby: I was so scared, I felt even worst than I did before.
Crafty: me too it was horrible, we had to come over and see you in person
Picky: it made me loose my appetite and I still feel kinda nauseous from earlier today.
Catnap: guys I’m fine, it was only a dream
Hoppy: it hardly felt like one at that
Kickin: yeah dude what was that stuff you gave us anyways
Catnap: it’s just a type of formula that helps you fall faster to almost instantly. As soon as I got back home after walking all of you back to your houses I noticed one ingredient I used was wrong but it still worked
Bubba: do you have anymore of that stuff I want to examine it
Catnap: not tonight mister, look I’ll make more with the correct ingredient this time
Catnap begins cooking another batch for all the critters in a new and cleaner pot and this time he got all the ingredients correct. He pours a tiny bottle for each of his friends.
Catnap: now guys just remember to bring this stuff home with you and-
Catnap sees all the critters passed out snoring and sleeping soundly on the sleeping mats they never slept on last night, they didn’t hesitate to wait
Catnap: sigh why do I even bother covers them up with blankets and pulls out an extra sleeping mat goodnight my friends falls asleep
The next morning comes and dogday stands above catnap with a big grin on his face
Dogday: good morning moon beam chuckles*
Catnap: AAHH crawls out of the mat dogday don’t do that gently shoves dogday
Dogday: hahaha sorry
The other critters laughed watching it all unfold
Kickin: good one dude
Hoppy: yeah I’m glad I thought of it
Kickin: you?
Catnap: I see everyone is in high spirits today
Bubba: yup we all feel much better than we did yesterday now, I can think much more clearly
Kickin: I can see better again
Hoppy: I’m standing on my feet again
Bobby: hugs catnap I feel joy again
Picky: eats a sandwich I can eat normal again
Crafty: Uhh I can focus on my art again shows a drawing of her and all the critters sleeping in a circle with little smiles
Catnap: wow look at that crafty
Dogday: don’t forget about me I’m ready for anything that will come my way. so guys what do you say, let’s go out and find something to do
Catnap: I think that works for me
All of the critters say yeah simultaneously and leave catnap’s house altogether to go outside and play
THE END
epilouge
Catnap: look guys just promise me you won’t stay up all night again, I wasted a whole day dragging each of you back
Dogday: yeah we’ll try our hardest catnap
Bubba: I’m not gonna try I will go to bed on time
Kickin: I’m going to bed so early the sky will still have some light
Hoppy: oh I’ll do better I’ll go to bed so early the sun is still peeking out
Bobby: guys bed time isn’t a competition
Picky: yeah, you don’t want to miss dinner time before bed time
Crafty: I’m just gonna stay out of this
Dogday: hey catnap catch throws frisbee
The frisbee flys over catnap’s head and into the woods
Catnap: I’ll get it
The critters scream bo and they all tackle catnap
Catnap: ow guys
It looks like they haven’t recovered from their nightmare yet…oh well
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2024.05.21 05:22 Fluffy_fluffy_ Alternate ending updated • near the new part

/ Hayes’ pov /
When Solene’s large sable orbs locked on mine, time stopped, the past five years of pain fell away. Her supple rosy lips upturned and slightly parted- the same way they had before. The same lips I fell in love with. She was beautiful, the same stand out features and subtle curves.
It felt as if gravity was pulling me closer, each step unconscious. With our toes nearly touching, every nerve ending in my body urged me to touch her, to tuck a stray strand of hair away.
“Hi.” Her voice velvety and deep, slightly hoarse.
Unsure of what to say I began to speak, “H- wh- how are you?” The future of whatever could be depended on the next few moments, and I didn’t even know where to begin.
Solene felt the same way, it was evident in her tone, “I’m well, not much has changed, I’m slightly older…” she let out a weak laugh “and Izzy is a sophomore in college. He-“.
“That’s gre-“ I began. “Sorry you go ahead.” I could feel my cheeks pinken.
“I was just going to ask if you’d like to sit and chat, I have time before my client arrives and it would be nice to talk.” Her tone was unreadable, I’d hoped she’d wanted me to say yes.
With a nod of my head, she turned on her heels; her now chin length hair fanning out slightly.
————————————————————————————— Once we reach the offices, Tracy peeks her head out of her office and smirks “Ah hello Adonis.” The comment although to me is more geared toward Solene.
“Tracy, don’t you have some art to purchase or someone else’s awkward moment to make worse.” Solene rolls her eyes, the same mischievous sparkle apparent.
With a small smile, I duck into Solene’s office. Taking in the familiar-small- space, I smile, not much has changed. Photographs of Izzy through out the years, multiple paintings from artists all over the world, and even a few of us during the time we spent together on August Moon’s tour adorn her walls.
Leaving the door open slightly Solene sits on the small love seat she added to the room, its vintage, it suits her.
Taking a seat next to her I smile. She seems to be taking me in, inspecting closely how age and life have affected me. “How are you? I saw you on Jimmy Kimmel last week, are you enjoying the solo route?”.
“It’s been a journey of loss and gain. I didn’t know that with love comes pain, until that day five years ago. The music I’ve been writing is not just about infatuation but yearning for what was.” I realize I may be rambling and pause.
“It’s nice to see you passionate about music again, the same way it was when it was just you and your guitar.” Solene’s hand touches mine tenderly, “tell me more about it?”.
“Well, when we went our separate ways I began to see the road ahead was going to be the same as before if I let it. I could keep on as the British boy who messes about and lets everyone around him make decisions for him; or I could be who I am today. I’m finally involved in the process of my music from start to fi-“ a knock on the door brings me to a stop.
“Solene, Ms. Raphel is here. I know she’s a half an hour early, would you like me to tell her you’re in meeting?” Tracy looks pained as if she’s interrupted a super secret meeting- which she has, but it’s not the end of the world.
Solene’s eyes bounce between mine and Tracy’s “Fucking artists. They’re never on time, it’s always absurdly early or laughably late.”
Deciding for the both of us I stand up, “This is important Sol, I’ll be here as long as it takes. As long as your number is still the same, I would be more than happy to schedule something.” Tracy shuts the door slowly and leaves us alone again.
“Hayes, are you sure? I can tell her I’m in a meeting, I can’t expect you to move your busy schedule around because of my client’s inability to tell time.” Solene stands and begins shuffling papers on her desk, no matter what she says I know I’ll go to the ends of the earth for her.
Standing behind her I place my hand on her shoulder “I’ll be available whenever you are. Good luck with the new client.” I walk to the door before turning back “Oh and Solene, you’re still hot or whatever.” With those parting words I open the door leaving her blinking in shock. ————————————————————————————— As I sit on the sofa of my new flat, I’m like a teen boy again. Do I dare flirt with the girl? Keep it simple? I begin typing something only to delete it until I hit send on impulse.
-Hayes- I was wondering if you’d like to get some really fucking good sandwiches sometime? —————————————————————————————
It’s been two hours since I left the gallery, fifteen since I sent the text, and five minutes since Solene has read it. Patience and tranquility are two things I am fresh out of when it comes to waiting.
-Hayes- I know you’ve read it Sol, it’ll be just lunch.
This time she replies immediately
-Solene- I don’t know Hayes… it was always just lunch.
-Hayes- I’ll behave, or try to. Pls?
Knowing she won’t be able to say no, I prematurely do a little dance.
-Solene- I’ll think about it, maybe.
-Hayes- Go easy on my poor heart Sol. One sandwich. Not even drinks. Just bread. Yes?
At this point I may as well be on my knees, she still knows how to make me work for it.
Leaving well enough alone, I decide to go for a run. The waterside park in Santa Barbara has become my refuge-aside from my music- the waves and fresh, cool air keep me grounded.
————————————————————————————— After running for an hour I look at my messages to see a simple victory but a victory nonetheless.
-Solene- Fine you win. Lunch. I could go for a good sandwich.
• A wide toothy grin spreads across my face as I stare at the message. I almost forget I’m standing in the middle of the walking path when someone clears their throat, “Are you Hayes Campbell?”. The person- a woman who appears to be in her thirties- asks me. “I saw you on Kimmel, and I must say that you’re talented as hell. I cried when I heard your new song. Can I get a picture?”.
It isn’t as often as it used to be, but I do get recognized by fans when I’m out and about. I’m currently covered in a thin sheen of sweat and quite a mess, but I wouldn’t be me if I said no. Nodding my head I allow her to get closer and pose with a peace sign. She takes two photos before stepping back. My phone dings twice before she can speak.
-Solene- Does 12 tomorrow work for you? I have nothing scheduled for tomorrow.
The woman looks over at my screen which I’m stupidly, openly looking at. “Is that ‘the’ Solene? Oh my gosh! Everyone’s going to go crazy when they find out.” She seems to have forgotten composure.
“Ah it was nice to meet you, have a good day.” I mutter out briefly before jogging away. This is just absolutely fucking great, here’s to hoping there’s a divine being who will save my arse. ———————————————————————————
Once I reach my apartment I’m exhausted and my mind is filled with all the worst case scenarios that will result from my stupidity.
-Hayes- Sure. Does my new flat work? I’d love to make you a sandwich, return the favor or whatever.
(To be continued)
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2024.05.21 03:24 Ur_Anemone How the incels warped my research

…The manosphere claims its worldview is grounded in science, specifically the discipline of evolutionary psychology. That’s my discipline — I am an evolutionary psychologist and associate professor at UC Santa Barbara, the home of evolutionary psychology. In fact, it turns out incels have coopted some of my research to justify their ideology...
For example, incels maintain a wiki page of scientific citations they claim support their worldview — an annotated bibliography of misogyny. In one case, in a sort of Russian nesting doll of misrepresentation, the incel wiki quotes a paper citing a study of mine as demonstrating that women prefer dominant men — which they further twist into the incel notion that women actually prefer violent men as romantic partners.
Reading this entry, I thought, “That’s odd, I don’t remember ever publishing on dominance preferences — do the incels know my work better than I do?” No. I double-checked: That study didn’t even mention dominance preferences.
Curiously overlooked in this whole wiki section on women’s preferences is the fact that kindness is repeatedly found to be among the most desired qualities in large-scale, cross-cultural studies of mate preferences.
This is just one example. Peering into the manosphere has been like walking through a funhouse mirror version of my science. The manosphere view of evolutionary psychology is distorted, filtered, selective, and embellished…
At the end of the day, incels attempt to draw from evolutionary theory a power it does not have. Evolution is not destiny. It is a powerful tool for explaining how we came to be who we are today, but it cannot tell us who we should be today or who we can be tomorrow. In fact, we can leverage an understanding of our evolved psychology to create the world we want to live in. The manosphere interprets my science to mean that love is impossible — but a major focus of my lab is helping people form happy, enduring relationships...
If I could teach the young men flicking through passport bro videos anything about evolutionary psychology, it would be that believing evolution is important for explaining human behavior need not commit you to a regressive worldview. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling ideology, not science.
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2024.05.21 00:14 Junepero Story’s of panem 115 quinquenal quell twist reveal and pre games part 1

Good morning, tributes, and welcome back to stories of Panem. Before we begin, I would love to thank the splendid Christian Blanco, the original writer of Tales of the Hunger Games, and Lauren from Panem Reborn, to which these tales are inspired by. I hope you all are excited for our quinquennial quell we have today. So if you're ready, let's go.
3rd Quinquennial Quell: 151 Tribute Names
As the 115th Games, the 8th Quinquennial Quell, came into light, a plethora of excitement spread around the Capitol, even remembering the success of last year's games. President McCaine went live at noon on the Fourth of July, reading the twist. Modeling his crisp white suit and long blue hair, which flowed behind him like a "walking Tarzan" according to Nico Anderson, this year's commentator, with Camilla due to Silca recovering from a car accident she had got into. McCaine then read the twist out loud: “As a reminder to the districts that fairness never really existed, this year's tributes would be chosen via the mentors.” Curious sounds of intrigue sounded in Snow Square as President McCaine signed off, leaving the Capitol lights to discuss among themselves.
In District 14, Ezra Montario had to tase the girl Cleopatra’s older sister after she tackled Ezra to the ground. Even Felicity Breen, the mentor for District 11, had to stop Thalia, the girl from 11, from punching a laughing girl after Felicity chose her. In District 8, Amanda Mills looked forward at the district's population, with her wife talking to her to keep her mind at bay. Mayor Ravenski also talked with Amanda as the citizens were being ushered into the square. “You’ll be alright, right dear?” Amanda smiled and nodded before standing up from her seat. Watching Mayor Ravenski finish his speech, Amanda rose up to the microphone, looking at the sea of purple. Camilla remarked, “They’re showing hope; that’s rare.” “Don’t get mad if I choose you. There’s nothing I can do.”
One girl then shouted, “Isn’t that what you said when you got your supposed death sentence?” However, before Amanda could respond, a peacekeeper soon took this girl to the Falling Factory. As this girl screamed out, Silca then recounted, “Thank God it isn’t her going in.”
Amanda then walked down into the square, noticing the frightened young youths and solemn older youths. As such, the 19-year-old victor walked over to the ladies, fashioning a dress that looked like a “funeral garment,” according to Nico. She then walked her way to the middle-aged youths; many started sobbing uncontrollably, causing Amanda to wince. Calculating a plan in her mind like clockwork, she then walked to the older youths. She then saw one girl, a tall brown-haired girl with hazel eyes, fashioning a long purple dress. “Come, come.” The girl sighed before taking Amanda by the hand, as many of the nearby youths sighed as Amanda plopped the girl back up, asking, “What’s your name, hun?”
“Veilia Winagin.”
Camilla praised Veilia for her strong atmosphere and for “not throwing a scene like many other tributes did.” Amanda soon nodded before returning back to the square, walking to the male section. Again, many of these youths were looking away, many of them clinging on for dear life. Amanda softened, seeing one crying into his friend’s shoulder before she continued further on to the 17-year-old youths. Strong-minded and staring forward, their faces turning a further shade of white. Finally, Amanda walked, seeing one boy looking her way. Camilla asked if the boy knew her, causing Silca to shrug. Amanda then took this boy by the hand, a tall blonde boy with blue eyes and a smattering of brown freckles, to the stage. Nico recoiled, seeing this boy’s light purple hat and suit, with Camilla recounting that it only made him more of a purple mouse.
As Amanda returned to the stage, the boy introduced himself to be 18-year-old Jaxon Chaneli. As Jaxon shook Veilia’s hand, Amanda announced the pair as this year's tributes for District 8. Moderate applause followed as Jaxon and Veilia met with their families. Veilia was visited by a stony-faced older sister and frantic younger cousins and aunts and uncles. She gently removed herself from them before walking over to her sister. “Don’t anger Amanda. I did that back when we were kids. I want you to try to win.” Veilia rolled her eyes and nodded before asking, “The feud ended, why are you still harping on it?” However, before her elder sister could respond, she was yanked to the train station by impatient peacekeepers. As for Jaxon, only his elderly grandfather visited him. Jaxon embraced his grandfather in a tight hug before thanking him for taking care of him during the war. Mr. Chaneli smiled before embracing him, saying, “Just do whatever you can to make it back.” Jaxon sadly smiled before going with the peacekeepers that were taking Veilia and him to the train. When they entered, they saw their mentor straightening out her long black hair. Amanda turned back at her tributes before shrugging and inviting them to the table with a table of fabrics.
“Here, knit.”
Jaxon and Veilia shrugged again before twiddling away with the fabrics. However, as Veilia began frantically making a shawl, Amanda sighed before telling them to focus their attention on the screen. As Amanda turned on a tape of her own games, Veilia shouted before hurling her sewing needle toward Amanda. As she caught the needle between her fingers, Amanda said, “Enough.”
As Veilia screamed out in a psychiatric trance, a peacekeeper soon injected a sedative into Veilia’s arm, and she fell unconscious. “Put her in her room.” As the peacekeepers obliged, Amanda soon took out a barber’s cape. “Wanna haircut?” she asked. As Jaxon shrugged and nodded, he sat down before listening to Amanda talk about the upcoming week in the Capitol as she gave Jaxon a haircut. “I do these with all of my mentees; we are the district of fashion, after all.” Jaxon laughed before allowing Amanda to continue his haircut. Finally, Jaxon’s haircut was finished; he now fashioned a side cut, giving him more of a daring appearance. Even Amanda laughed, saying, “I think I made you too fierce.”
Jaxon smiled before continuing to watch Amanda’s games. As they were reaching the finale with Ezekiel and Mason, Jaxon turned to Amanda, saying, “If my arena is as humid as that one, I would rather hop off my podium early.” Amanda then looked at Jaxon with a bewildered look before Jaxon laughed, saying he was joking. Amanda smirked before inviting him to sit with her on the couch. The two then talked about their personal lives, with Jaxon becoming intrigued when Amanda talked about all of the fancy clothes people wore in the Capitol. However, as she finished her speech, the train from District 8 arrived in the Capitol.
Amanda warmly waved at her fans at the platform before bringing out a very tired Veilia and a fierce-looking Jaxon wandering into the audience. However, as Jaxon was trying to talk to many of the Capitol lights at the train station, he had been pushed behind by Veilia. As she sniggered, Amanda quickly rushed over and helped him up, joking, “My, my, a sedative can change anyone’s mind.” Jaxon sniggered before being helped up by Capitol teens his age, obtaining a successful reputation, with many appreciating his laid-back attitude and sociable demeanor. This intrigued many Capitol lights about some of his fashion designs, as he was a fashion designer's apprentice.
Veilia’s crowd she had obtained from before had vanished with the drop of a hat, as commentators put it, resulting in her stomping in a fit. After a brief delay, Amanda then thanked the audience for their time before walking Jaxon and Veilia to the limousine. Along the way to the 8th floor of the accommodation tower, Amanda scolded Veilia for acting like a “four-year-old,” which resulted in Jaxon joking, “I guess she’s an amnesiac now.” As the limo arrived at the apartments, Amanda sniggered before leading her tributes up to their apartment on the 8th floor. As they arrived, Jaxon asked where their stylist was, resulting in a middle-aged woman to pop out and say, “BOO.” As Veilia shrieked, Jaxon smirked as Lacey Berrick introduced herself to the two before showing them the designs she had in mind. Jaxon admired the designs of pure silk but was mortified when Veilia jumped on the table, ruining the designs. As Lacey remained calm, Jaxon sarcastically said, “You don’t want 8 to get another victor.” Veilia laughed as she vindictively smiled, saying, “No one will get out of the arena now.” However, before Jaxon could respond, Amanda put a gentle hand on his shoulder, saying, “She can make a new one.” As Lacey pinched the nerve on Veilia’s neck, temporarily knocking her out, Lacey gave Jaxon a pre-made outfit that resembled leisurely Capitol couture. Amanda said, “I’ll see if I can put a divider up between the two of you.”
Jaxon nodded before sitting on the couch, putting on Capitol TV. Amanda soon joined before asking, “Which district do you want to watch?” As Amanda turned to the reapings in 12, Jaxon laughed, seeing the comedic scuffle that occurred, then became intrigued, watching the reaping in District 3 occurring, before asking Amanda to tune into it. As she did this, they were about to hear the female tribute being announced.
Mayor Doe was concluding his speech. Albert Latier, the district's appointed mentor, looked onward into the sea of yellow youths watching ahead in turmoil. With a flip of his cape, Albert walked down the stairs. Even many sounds of laptops could be heard typing away in the furthest enclosure of the male and female youths, which made most of the Capitol citizens watching in the viewing square chortle loudly, with Camilla sarcastically saying, “My, my, someone’s at work typing away.” Albert trailed further down before finding one young lady with a short frizz of red hair and large black glasses with green eyes. As Albert tapped this lady on the shoulder, she sighed before allowing the peacekeepers to lead her to the stage before she was plopped up by Mayor Doe.
As he asked her what her name was, the girl responded, “Iris Plummer.” As the 18-year-old shyly smiled at the nearby camera, Nico recounted that he adored Iris’s long yellow gown, saying he “wanted it for his personal collection.” Albert shook Iris’s hand before he returned to the reaping pen, walking to the middle of the pen. He looked at one young lad with similar glasses and a smattering of brown curly hair. Albert tapped him on the shoulder. As the lad jumped up, he sighed before joining Iris on the stage. This lad was revealed to be 15-year-old Astral Vaughn. Astral shook Iris’s hand as Mayor Doe announced the pair as the tributes for the district, bringing the pair to their holding rooms to meet with their parents and friends. Iris was only visited by a few of her server room friends, MJ and Joey. Iris embraced the two of them in a tight hug, expressing her appreciation for their companionship. As MJ began to sob about potentially losing her friend to the games, Joey soon reminded her to “run for the perimeter” as soon as she could. As Iris began to ask how this would be important, Joey placed his finger over Iris’s mouth, saying, “You’ll thank me when you get there.” Before Iris could protest more, peacekeepers soon took her to the waiting dock for Astral. Astral was visited by his professor parents and younger brother. He embraced his family members in a tight hug before listening to his father rant about any electric currency/magnetic field in an arena that might attract any electrical matter. Astral sighed before saying he had “all the electrical mind information one could muster.” “That’s why you’re the smartest in the district.”
Astral laughed before saying he would do what he could to come back. After one final embrace, the pair from District 3 were brought onto the hovercraft, where they saw their mentor playing a game that was being displayed via a robot hologram. “Is that my hologram game device?” Albert was caught off guard before looking at the short lad, saying, “You made this.”
As Iris chimed in, Albert’s face turned to surprise, and he smiled before saying, “3 has some smart ones this year.” Iris and Astral walked to the dining carriage as Albert talked to the pair about the upcoming week. He appreciated his tributes’ attentiveness before showing the past reapings in the districts. However, Astral made Iris giggle by mimicking Albert’s strict teacher-like personality by showing goofy faces and expressions. Iris smirked before Albert tossed some metals and wires out for the pair. “Why do you want us to make a battery?”
As Albert still beckoned the pair to do as he asked, he giggled to himself as Iris’s battery gave her a light electric shock. Astral noticed this before helping the 18-year-old rewire the circuits on her own battery. Iris smiled before ruffling Astral’s curly brown hair with her hand, joking, “You remind me of my younger brother Anteno.” Albert’s face whitened as he recalled Anteno’s death in the 112th Games. However, to not upset his mentee, Albert remained quiet before commending them on their teamwork with the battery exercise. As the train arrived in the Capitol, Albert smartened his tributes before the train settled in McCaine station. As the pair disembarked, Astral was approached by many eager fans his age, asking him about his renewable lightbulbs that he had engineered back in his district that had gotten popular. Astral laughed before taking a few of those out of his pocket, causing many of them to cheer and fight over them, causing Iris to gently bring Astral to her crowd of citizens. As the pair from District 3 geeked out with the Capitol lights, Albert swooped them up before thanking the Capitol for their time, with both Astral and Iris waving at their fans.
“We have fans?” Astral said in a surprising manner.
Iris smiled before saying, “You’re a little genius who got some of your inventions in the Capitol. Damn right, we got fans.” Astral laughed as Albert commended the two on a job well done before keeping the pair entertained as a short TV descended from the limousine roof with Albert signing to the Avoxes to put on the reboot of “The Bunger Games.” This beloved cartoon show from the second incarnation had been rebooted after the 113th Games by Killian Phips (who would also become a head gamemaker in later games). Once the pair from District 3 arrived at their accommodation floor, Albert shouted, “Keep the noise down, Heath.” As the 2s’s commotion settled down, Albert made a call to the pair's stylist, Elesa Mauvile. Elesa then showed up, saying how “adorable the geeky pair looked.” As the two gave each other bewildered looks, they were surprised when Elesa asked if she could see Iris’s goggles.
As Elesa looked further into the goggles, she gasped with manic stylist delight before squealing, “Astrologists, astrologists.” As Elesa and her team began to work, Albert sighed before saying, “At least the girl has talent.” After a half-hour wait, Elesa and her team returned to the apartment, where Iris and Astral’s cleanly made, stylish galaxy/astrologist-themed outfits were revealed. Iris wore a long dress with light blue and purple. Astral complemented the outfit with a long flowing black cloak with a galaxy-themed suit and black top hat. These outfits caused Iris to squeak and say how beautiful it was. Elesa smiled as Astral admired the galaxy stars on his suit.
Albert and Elesa both brought the pair down to the parade, being greeted with a comedic scuffle occurring.
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2024.05.20 22:47 Ecstatic-Mall8535 The Mandela (Catalogue) Effect Theory

So I've had this theory on my mind for quite a while but I have become more rigid in my belief of it since not only Mandela Catalyst but the new channel ''GENESIS APOCRYPHON'' as well. I know you guys have probably read endless litanies of theories written on this subreddit, so perhaps this will fall through the cracks like the rest and understandably so. Perhaps my theory is just flagrantly wrong also but I think even if that happens to be the case perhaps I can get some aspect of the Mandela Catalogue correct within this. I will begin with an introduction to the theory, then I will bring forth my evidence which will be followed with speculation upon the piece of evidence in relation to the theory. Finally, I will end with a conclusion based on the introduction and evidence combined.
Introduction:
There has been two aspects of the Mandela Catalogue which have distracted me ever since the series began, these two aspects are things which I see seldom discussed within the various theory channels, forums and other mediums which have taken on the yolk of unpacking this anomaly of a horror series. They are as follows:
  1. Why was the name Mandela Catalogue chosen? Is it really just a random name that Alex came up with in reference to the fictional Mandela County?
  2. What is the true meaning of the US Department of Temporal Phenomena? Meaning, in what sense do their focus or actions relate to temporal operations?
These questions on their own may seem distantly connected or unrelated completely but with a bit of speculation one could see these two being completely intertwined. In regards to question one, what do we know about the term ''Mandela''? Well everyone has heard of the famous ''Mandela Effect'' where a large amount of people believe something to be true (usually relating to something in their childhood) but is not actually the case, the namesake being an example of this. A large proportion of people mistakenly believed Nelson Mandela to have passed away in prison during the 1980's, in actuality he died in 2013. Hence being the first popular example of this effect and thus obtaining the name of ''The Mandela Effect''.I am not here to argue the veracity of the Mandela Effect or any of the theories regarding it but I am here to focus in on this definition. So keep the definition of ''where a large amount of people believe something to be true (usually relating to something in their childhood) but is not actually the case'' in your mind going forward. Another point of note is the usage of ''Catalogue'' for the name. This implies a retroactive look at the events taking place in the series, someone is ''cataloguing'' the events taking place in Mandela county. This little titbit will come in to be very important in my theory.
In regards to question two, we need to properly define ''temporal'' which I have seen many wrongly define. Temporal does not simply refer to time but rather the perception of the linear progression of time from past to present to future. This perception is not universal in humanity and many cultures don't view time in this fashion. So we may be able to define ''Temporal Phenomena'' as psychological/sociological occurrences relating to the perception of linear time. Under this definition the Mandela Effect would be seen as a ''Temporal Phenomena''.
The theory I'm going to lay out before you requires these definitions to be cleared up and properly defined, for my theory directly relates to the theory and praxis of the alternates. I believe that the alternates are attempting to make humanity remember a different history, an alternate (badumtss) history which is not our own. However, what is history if you don't perceive time in a linear sense? If the alternates don't perceive time linearly or experience it temporally, then maybe history to them includes the present and future. If humanity begins to believe the alternate history which Gabriel and his flock are attempting to make us believe, then alternates will have total power over our world, I will explain why this is the case in the evidence section.
Evidence:
1A - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0EpOiu8YkI 1B - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1bYOi7lHJU 1C - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCl-M_l-Kv0
1A Evidence: Overthrone is essential to understanding what is going on within the Mandela Catalogue universe. We see here that a False Gabriel is taking the place of the biblical angel Gabriel in order to preaching a sort of prophecy or foretelling of what he will do, he will ''Fool the Shepherds'' he will ''Know their greatest fear'' before saying later to the shepherds ''I am your true saviour, I know everything about what makes you human. I know what you love. I know what you dread.'' and ultimately turning into the spooky Gabriel for lack of a better term. At the very end (Which I will not analyse fully for I don't believe the rest has much relevance to my theory) Gabriel says ''I deceived them, such weak minds''. So we know that there are shepherds (which seems to be distinct from THE Shepard) which may be followers or rather now former followers of the Shepard. We also see that he foretold his act of deceiving them to Joseph, perhaps to break Joseph down mentally before telling him to ''Wake Up'' which I will get into later.
1A Speculation: I think it would be a grave error to see Overthrone and all the subsequent alternate bible stories shown in the Mandela Catalogue as actual historical account in universe. What I mean by this is that the alternates are simply editing the cartoon to reflect what they want people to believe ergo Gabriel did not actually interact with these Biblical figures, the events shown in the cartoon did not actually happen (at least literally). I say this partially using an argument from silence admittedly, seeing as though we have no evidence that the events within the cartoons actually happened in universe but seeing as how alternates constantly corrupt videos to suit their needs I don't think this is a far out conclusion. However, I think there is ample evidence for this in 1B.
1B Evidence: The first upload of Alex's new and disturbing channel. I'm going to be a little cheeky here and include the whole channel in my analysis of 1B. Now we found out about this channel from the link shown on the tv when the news report was intercepted by the alternates. This may mean that the channel is in universe. The channels name is ''GENESIS APOCRYPHON'' which is incredibly groundbreaking in how we view the series and supports my speculation above. The Genesis Apocryphon is a real thing, it is one of the original seven dead sea scrolls and (According to Wikipedia :P) the Genesis Apocryphon lies within the "rewritten bible" category and is a retelling of the stories of the patriarchs. An Alternate Genesis. I believe this more than supports my speculation of 1A.From the banner of the channel we see Dave Lee's store with one of the signs saying ''Trade in your VHS'' and taking into account volume 4 we know that Dave Lee is in possession of a lot of the tapes we have seen previously on the main channel, if not all. Another thing to note is the @ for the Genesis Apocryphon channel, @ allocateundamage as if this channel may be perhaps allocating the undamaged tapes or tapes that are being repaired. Conveniently this segways us into the 1B video, it is the same video seen in overthrone but without the crazy alternate stuff going on. The most odd part of it is all the dialogue of Gabriel being cut out around half way through and the ending slowly going black and white. This is a damaged tape or a tape that was damaged being repaired, for example it may be an attempt at repairing the overthrone tape.
1B Speculation: I think that what we are seeing are David Lee's attempts at repairing the biblical cartoon tapes corrupted by the alternates and his collection of other damaged tapes. As we know from the end of Volume 4, these tapes are incredibly important to Gabriel for he said ''We have their prayers and their records''. I believe these records are the tapes of the corrupted bible cartoon tapes, this must have been why David Lee was an important target, if they lose those tapes then they lose their false account of history which they are trying to convince humanity of. However, David is already dead and this channel can be assumed to be in universe, so who's uploading these leftover tapes? Perhaps it's Thatcher, maybe he's copped on to what the alternates are trying to do.
1C Evidence: This video is most interesting, as it is a part of the biblical narrative that we've never seen before on the main channel; The Resurrection of Christ. The video starts off in the same relative normality established in the video prior but slowly goes on to reveal the usual dark elements that we see in the other corrupted Bible Cartoon tapes. It appears as though the longer the video goes on the worse it gets, as if there's parts which haven't been repaired yet. Ending with Gabriel in the tomb of Christ speaking to perhaps Mary Magdalene. Beyond that, there's not much hard evidence to be divulged in the case of my theory but there's a lot to speculate on.
1C Speculation: It appears as though all of these bible tapes may be representative or symbolic of what's presently going on in Mandela and the surrounding counties. With Mary Magdalene being a stand in for Evelin just how Adam and Eve seemed to be a stand in for Adam and Evelin in volume 4. Which could indicate that the alternates are trying to tell the story of what's going on currently in the Mandela Catalogue in order to have tangible events attached to the false history which they will preach to the world. Thus the present becomes the past and becomes the gospel.
2A - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUrCO_x3VHk&t=48s 2B - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8d12w6pMos&t=104s
2A/B Evidence: I should first note that I will not be analysing the M.A.D section of the video, I will instead analyse the standalone M.A.D video in another post about this theory maybe, nor will I be analysing the Toddler Stress Assessment section for I feel it holds no relevance to my theory. This video is the remake or restored edition of Volume 1, you will find out why I put this version of Volume 1 and the original Volume 1 as separate evidence entries in the speculation following. However, what I wish for you to notice now is the differences between the original and the restored version. Notice how many of the glitches, odd messages such as ''Kill yourself, there's not enough room for the two of us'' and the lack of the faceless alternate.
2A/B Speculation: This is not mere remastering of old videos on the part of Alex, the restored version is the version which has had all editing and falsities from the alternates removed. As much the same with Genesis Apocryphon, we are seeing the fruits of David and Thatcher's labour to restore the tapes and show the real history of what has been going on in Mandela county. We can assume that the alternates are not only using this as a form of rewriting history but also to implant themselves into the mind of the viewer as with Stanley.
In summary: The alternate history we see with the bible cartoons is not accurate history in universe, it is in fact a fake history being made up by the alternates perhaps to cement themselves in our collective psyche. It seems that David caught on to this which is why Gabriel had to get rid of him. Thatcher may soon discover this if he somehow gets a hold of David's tapes. The retold bible stories are representative of events that have been going on in Mandela county since the arrival of the alternates and these events may be an attempt to create a new gospel of sorts. They are targeting children specifically with this fake history since they will be more likely to forget the true history of the world, true history then becomes subject to the Mandela effect.
That's all I can muster to think of right now but I will consider making a part two to this theory as I think there is still a bunch more evidence to sift through. This post was more a proof of concept than anything.
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2024.05.20 22:36 meyouseek Expo Line 8 years ago today

Expo Line 8 years ago today
May 20, 2016 I walked to the Expo/Crenshaw station to grab the first public train to Downtown Santa Monica. After confirming with some rail enthusiasts on board that it was the first, we made our way west to find increasingly large crowds at each stop along the way. By the time we got to Sepulveda, the doors would open and we'd just wave to those waiting as the train was completely full.
Did anyone else catch the Expo to Santa Monica on its first day of service?
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2024.05.20 21:36 Corona2789 Chicken+Rice SilverLake/East Hollywood

Chicken+Rice SilverLake/East Hollywood
Hole in the wall joint on the corner of Santa Monica and Virgil. Exactly as advertised, a big bowl of fried chicken and rice. Chicken was good quality, very flavorful for being so simple. The workers were nice, food was ready in about 10 minutes. The bowl is pretty large and only $12, honestly probably one of the best deals in LA. 8/10, would recommend.
submitted by Corona2789 to FoodLosAngeles [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 15:49 BalQn ''The battle of Santa Clauses - »Excuse me, that's my chimney«'' - Dutch cartoon (''De Groene Amsterdammer'' magazine, artist: Leendert Jurriaan Jordaan) depicting Stalin and Truman as Santa Clauses in the context of the Berlin Blockade, December 1948

''The battle of Santa Clauses - »Excuse me, that's my chimney«'' - Dutch cartoon (''De Groene Amsterdammer'' magazine, artist: Leendert Jurriaan Jordaan) depicting Stalin and Truman as Santa Clauses in the context of the Berlin Blockade, December 1948 submitted by BalQn to PropagandaPosters [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 15:41 Martin_Steven Park Mobile App Doesn't Show Up on Play Store for Pixel 6a, Sideloading it Doesn't Help, It Crashes.

Park Mobile App Doesn't Show Up on Play Store for Pixel 6a, Sideloading it Doesn't Help, It Crashes.
Yesterday I was in Santa Cruz, CA. The parking meters don’t take credit or debit cards (even though they have a slot for them). You either have to use a large number of coins, or the Park Mobile app.
Oddly, I could not find the Park Mobile app on the Play Store for my Pixel 6a. It just was not there. So I parked in a parking lot with a pay station that took credit cards, paying way more per hour.
Later, at home, when I went to the app providers web site, https://parkmobile.io/, there’s a link to the app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sharewire.parkmobilev2). I figured I’d use the apkcombo.com site and download the APK, transfer it to the Pixel 6a, and sideload the app (on Reddit I saw other users with the same issue and this worked for them). But when I tried to do the download using apkcombo I got a message “This app has been removed by DMCA.”
Next, I installed the app on a different Android device, extracted the APK, uploaded it to Google Drive, downloaded it to the Pixel 6a, and installed it. However, while the app opens, it immediately crashes when you try to use it.
Apparently the Pixel 6a and 7a are the only Android devices where this app does not work. Even though the Park Mobile website says that it can't be pushed to the Pixel 7 Pro, on the Play Store the app shows up and the Pixel 7 Pro can install the app and it works fine.
https://preview.redd.it/pkle90bi4l1d1.png?width=1772&format=png&auto=webp&s=e3db89ef3299bd5dae340cdccf1ce4db9312ae19
submitted by Martin_Steven to pixel_phones [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 15:40 supernova-juice DAE have memories of cognitive development?

I'm not sure how else to word it. I'll try to explain, while providing context.
I'm 38 now and my memory is garbage, but for a long time it was excellent. My earliest memories are from around the age of 2.
I broke my arm when I was 2, which is a traumatic experience. I remember the experience not through stories about it, but through the lens of my own memory. I can tell you exactly what was going through my head when it happened.
My parents had this ugly mushroom stool, covered in orange shag carpet. I wanted to walk the edge of it. I recall my dad saying "don't do that, you'll get hurt" and me saying I wouldn't, and then lightning.
I remember not understanding object permanence. To cite a specific example, we had a vhs of Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. There's a scene in which Pooh and Christopher Robin run from a swarm of bees, leap into a mud puddle, and use their umbrella as a shield. In the cartoon, you can hear Pooh talking under the umbrella... but I distinctively recall being baffled and scared by the scene, especially since everyone was fine in the next scene.
My other earliest memory, which I don't know the age of, but around 2? Was of a rectal thermometer. I was screaming no and my parents were holding me down, and it's only one little flash of memory but it's there.
My theory is that early trauma - an invasive thing, a serious injury - solidifies those neural pathways faster. I have no evidence. But I can recall things like having a crib, the abject terror of meeting Santa Claus and kicking him right in the nose... a lot of the stuff I remember clearly is scary stuff. The first time I saw An American Werewolf in London, I was maybe 3 and begging my dad to turn it off. Today it's one of my top favorite films 😆.
I can't be the only one. Does anyone else have memories from a time before they understood basic things like object permanence?
Another thing is, I remember that surreal feeling of vividness. Seeing everything through innocent eyes, not understanding how anything worked and just feeling overwhelmed by the intensity of it all. Like... Christmas lights. In my experience, the closest I've ever come to grasping that feeling again is after a big cup of mushroom tea.
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2024.05.20 13:15 MirkWorks Excerpts from Beautiful Fighting Girls by Saito Tamaki (Chapter 6 The Emergence of the Phallic Girls) II

High Context
Expression takes many forms. In this book I have interpreted the word media in a broad sense and treated each form of expression that I have discussed as an independent medium. What, then, is the reason for the existence of multiple media like manga, anime, and film? Are these simply multiple forms for mediating the same reality? Not at all. Multiple media exist in order to support multiple fictions. We clearly perceive the form of a particular expression at the same time as we take in its content. The various media function as a kind of context, or a transparent and continuous totality that attaches meaning to content. In this instance the media themselves attain their own unique contextuality. For example, we are not in the least confused if a heroine who breaks down in tears in a television drama suddenly appears smiling in a commercial during the break. This is because it is very easy for us to shift instantaneously between the context of the drama and the commercial.
In an earlier work I referred to this idea of the unique contextuality of each medium as the “representation context,” in order to use it in a more limited sense. This is because it is possible to use the media form itself as a form of representation. As I explained in chapter 1, my use of the term context is based chiefly on a combination of the ideas of G. Bateson and E. T. Hall, which I Have also explained in greater detail elsewhere. For our purposes here, it is possible to understand the contexts contributing to expression as existing in hierarchical strata. In the case of manga, the first context level is that of the narrative that gives meaning to the characters’ actions. Above that is the genre of the narrative - the expressive context that determines whether it is to be taken seriously or as a gag. The representational context is one level above this. Or, if we order them from top down, the process by which we understand the content of a manga can be understood as a hierarchical series of stages beginning with the work’s representational context (manga), proceeding to its expressive context (genre), on to the narrative context, and finally to the comprehension of the content. Of course, in actual fact we have to admit that this sort of hierarchy is ultimately not valid. It goes without saying that content and context exist in a relationship based on simultaneous and mutual corroboration. Therefore I should emphasize that the notion of representation context serves only for convenience of description and is not in any sense an isolatable object.
It is possible, for example, to think of visual media in the order of their dependence on representational contextuality. Contextuality in this case refers to the degree to which the form of expression itself determines the context expressed. In order of descending contextuality, then, we have anime, manga, television, film, and photographs. The statement “I saw a photograph,” for example, conveys no meaning on its own. But the statement “I saw an anime” evokes a relatively concrete image in the listener’s mind. This is because the anime form restricts the range of content much more than does the photograph. In other words, anime has the highest level of contextuality and photography the lowest. Here I follow Hall in calling this the “high context” nature of anime. In general, we can say that more popular forms of expression tend to be higher context (as in the difference between classical and popular music). In visual media, the less information conveyed on the screen, the higher the context (this being the difference between television and film). Thus “cool” media (with low levels of detail) tend toward higher context.
Let us think more concretely about the high-context nature of anime and manga. We have already established that form and content are intricately connected in both. In the case of these expressive forms, we can easily makes guesses about the content and authorship even of works that we know nothing about. Even a single frame of the work will be enough to tell us the genre, the orientation of the content, and sometimes even the identity of the author. Moreover, the instantaneous switching between the “gag” and “serious” modes that would be unthinkable in film but forms part of the grammar of anime (its so-called yakusoku [conventions]) can be explained only on the basis of this high-context nature.
I think of high context as the sensibility that emerges when there is no sense of distance between the producer and the consumer of a given media form . Once we immerse ourselves in this high-context space, the meaning of all stimuli is grasped instantaneously. Inevitably, emotional codes are more easily transmitted here than verbal ones. This high-density transmissibility enables extremely high levels of concentration and absorption.
Intersubjective Mediation, or Media Theory
Based on what I have said above, we can identify the difference between film and anime or manga first in terms of contextuality.
Is this the place for us to move to a discussion of media theory? Is the desire for the beautiful fighting girls a sign of an internal transformation, an “implosion” and extension brought on by our contemporary media environment? In some senses this may be true, but in others it is certainly not.
The development of the media environment has in fact partly transformed the structure of our society. The development of the mass media industry itself is one manifestation of this transformation. Its influence on the economy and on education has, of course, been enormous. But to what extent does this transformation penetrate our inner worlds?
In clinical terms there has not been the slightest structural transformation. The structure of our neurotic subjectivity remains intact, just as Freud discovered it a century ago. If asked to prove this, most analysts would say that it is not their role to offer general proofs of anything. This, too, has not changed in a hundred years. Analysts can speak about the truth. But, or perhaps therefore, they cannot prove what is true. But, or perhaps therefore, they cannot prove what is true. To say that the structure of the subject is intact is to say that the structure of desire has been maintained. What needs to be emphasized here is that, in order for the structure of desire to be maintained, the object of desire must constantly change. If the object of our desire looks different than it did a hundred years ago, this is only a change in appearance that results from the continual maintenance that we as subjects have performed on the structure of that desire. Yes, the development of media has brought about an outward change, a superficial change in the objects of our desire.
From this we can derive at least two psychoanalytic hypotheses. If we use Lacan’s divisions, the stability of the subject denotes primarily the stability of the relationality between the Symbolic and the Real. Moreover, the internal transformation that Marshall McLuhan referred to as “implosion” can be considered mainly as having emerged as a change on the level of form in the Imaginary. Herein lies one of the thorniest difficulties of media theory. If voice and writing are themselves already forms of media, what exactly have modern media been able to add to the equation? The transformation of the subject in the Imaginary can always make it seem as if nothing has happened. As long as this is the case, the appearance of media theory will remain in the always-awaited future, and its conclusions will only continue to be deferred.
But perhaps there is something to be gained nonetheless by taking a detour here and considering the mutual operations of the media environment and the Imaginary. The development of media is clearly most striking in the visual realm. Already we are able in principle to see any sort of image whatsoever. If we so desire, we can also keep large numbers of images in our possession on a computer hard drive. There is no little significance in the fact that, as is so apparent in the case of the ever-increasing functionality of the personal computer, it has become very easy for us not just to preserve but to reproduce, manipulate, and transmit visual information about all sorts of experiences. Our imaginary has been dramatically expanded and accelerated by the media, or extended through “implosion.”
The diversification of methods of mediation has had a number of effects. One of these is the potential impoverishment of content and form. As was clear in the case of the beautiful fighting girls, the narratives in a diversified media environment are surprisingly similar to each other. As I pointed out in chapter 5, there are hundreds of examples of the beautiful fighting girl genre, but only thirteen story lines. From the 1990s on, no new story lines emerged, and new works were simply rearrangements of old ones. In this case at least, we can say that, while the diversification of media may contribute to the outward diversification of the works, we need to be aware of the possibility that it encourages the involution of the genre as a whole.
The more information is exchanged, the more redundancies there are and the more monotonous it becomes . For example, now that communication by personal computer has become the norm, people read and perhaps write enormous amounts of text every day . As a result, we see developing a common “computer style” of writing that is excellent for transmitting information but extremely limited in its capacity for description and definition. The impoverishment of visual information is most evident in the spread of anime-style images.
So what is this about? Increasing the level of detail or rendering movement more subtly in anime would take exponentially more money and time. But of course these luxuries are not always possible. On the other hand, too much abbreviation reduces the images to mere signs and makes for a very dreary representation (like the Saturday morning cartoons in the United States, where the only facial movements are blinking eyes and opening and closing mouths). The solution to the problem in Japan was, I believe, the introduction of the “big eyes and small mouth” that has become the tradition in Japanese anime.
The only parts of a manga that cannot be drawn by assistants are the face, and particularly the eyes, of the main characters. The author’s style appears in its most concentrated form in the facial expression and the eyes. The shortcut technique that resulted from this was to divide up the drawing of the background among assistants and make the characters like simple signs. This made possible the division of labor. Then, to avoid making the characters too much like mere signs, the facial expression, particularly the eyes, and the hands are drawn with great care. Among all the human organs, these occupy the position closest to the grammatical subject. Drawing the eyes and hands with special care has the same value as inserting text. Or, to put it the other way around, as long as the eyes and hands are carefully drawn, the rest can be abbreviated. Then one can add more facial expressions and make them more complex with manpu. This procedure enables the streamlining of the production process while also effectively communicating a wide variety of subtle emotional codes, making it easy for the viewer to identify emotionally. This is likely the origin of the too-large eyes and tiny mouth that Westerners so often point out in Japanese manga and anime. The anime image is the result of a sophisticated technique that enables a maximum of communication with a minimum of lines.
One noticeable trend in recent years, which may have to do mostly with keeping costs down, is that even as the images are drawn with greater and greater sophistication of design and coloration, they tend to move much less. The appearance of movement is skillfully produced by blurring the image, using flashes of lights, and bank sequences [19*. Bank sequences, or Bankukatto, are sequences of animation that can be used repeatedly, such as when a heroine is transforming or assuming a decisive pose.], but on closer inspection there is actually very little movement. The impact of “anime images” results from drawings so refined that this sort of thing no longer appears unnatural. Moreover, because there is no need for the drawings to be particularly intricate, they can be easily digitized, which makes it possible to transfer them into a computer game without altering them. This style of drawing, which is devoid of texture and consists only of fine lines and surfaces, helps smooth the flow of the so-called media mix as the images are transplanted from comics to anime to film, games, figurines, and toys.
The space of manga and anime has introduced easily shareable code systems into our Imaginary. This shareability, in turn, introduces elements of polymorphous perversion into that space. As a result, in the 1980s we first became aware of a very important fact, namely, that even the objects of our sexuality were shareable through the mediation of manga and anime. This realization led to the explosive growth of sexualized images in this space. Of course, the wholesome notion that manga and anime are basically for children exists even now. But even this constraint was converted into a useful technique. Depicting sex in a context that is for children almost inevitably produces undifferentiated, which to say polymorphously perverse, effects. <also, and a much darker scene between the protagonist Utena and the antagonist Akio in the episode The Prince Who Runs Through the Night, a friend pointed this out to me, in terms of what it’s depicting and how True it is. The disassociation and ambivalence that suffuses a traumatic event…>.
To create an autonomous object of desire within the fictional space of manga and anime: was this not the ultimate dream of the otaku? They sought to create fiction not as a stand-in for the “real” sexual object, but fiction that had no need to be secured by reality. For this to work, not even the most elaborately constructed fictional worlds would suffice. In order for fiction to attain its own autonomous reality, it would have to be desired for its own sake. Only then would reality bow down to fiction.
“Fiction” versus “Reality”
Earlier I referred rather casually to the contrast between “fiction” and “reality.” Of course, I do not accept this contrast naively. In fact, it is my belief that everyday reality is itself nothing more than a fiction (or fantasy) and that it is fundamentally impossible to draw a strict distinction between them. One reason that I raise the distinction nonetheless is in order to think once more about “Japan.” The art critic Sawaragi Noi has argued that Japan functions as what he calls a “bad place” and that any act of expression that attempts to escape from that place can only end up by making it worse and getting caught in a vicious circle. If such a place can be hypothesized, it is entirely possible that it could also subsume the place of manga and anime that I have been discussing here. For now I call that space “Japanese space” and contrast it with another unique representational space, which I call “Western space.”
As I pointed out earlier, in Japanese space the distinction between fiction and reality is not completely in effect. The distinction itself is in fact based on a Western idea . **In his theory of ideals Plato begins with a three-part distinction between the ideal, reality, and art, and places art at the bottom of the hierarchy because it is only an imitation of reality. In Plato’s system there is only a series of copies, with the copy of the ideal being reality and the copy of reality being art. Art must content itself with the lowly position of being a copy of a copy, an imitation of an imitation. Added to this is the influence of Judeo-Christian culture, which rejects idolatry. In “Western space,” even today “reality” is made to conform strictly to this ranking. In this context the notion of the “Reality of fiction” is already attenuated by being subjected to all sorts of constraints.
<"But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" Matthew 5:28.>
For example, in American popular culture the most privileged fiction form is film. To be made into a film is the ultimate proof of the success of any narrative, whether it originates as a novel or a play. Of course, there are any number of reasons for this, but one is surely the belief that live-action film is the most accurate imitation or reproduction of reality. The impact of live-action film is supported by the belief that what it portrays is a faithful reproduction of reality. In my opinion there is absolutely no difference between the fictionality of live-action film and animated ones; it is just that anime is considered more fictional because it is under the constraint of having to be drawn by someone. For this reason animated films have almost no chance of winning the Academy Award for Best Picture and will always remain a genre inferior to film.
Thinking about censorship practices makes this even clearer. Censors in Japanese space seem for the most part uninterested in the symbolic value of what they are censoring. As long as the genitals are not portrayed explicitly, they will allow even the most depraved images to be shown. In Western space, however, images are censored according to their symbolic value. The censors are not interested in the trivial question of whether or not the genitals are visible, but reserve their strictest scrutiny for obscenity and perverse content. A recent example is the cover for Marilyn Manson’s CD Mechanical Animals. In the composite photograph, Manson appears nude as he glares at the viewer, but with the smooth groin and small breasts of a young girl. This level of perversion does not cause the least problem in Japan. But in the United States it create quite a scandal, with several large music stores refusing the carry the album. One could list any number of similar examples of this difference in the way Japanese and Americans judge an image obscene. Of course, even in Japan this sort of taboo on images still lingers when it comes to the Imperial family, but even that is losing the force it once had. In fact, that taboo has become so weak that it would shock even Okuzaki Kenzo. We are now living in an age when it is possible to publish a manga depicting a bomb thrown at Princess Masako during a parade, and the romance between Princess Kiko and Prince Akishino has been made into an anime. In other words, we still do not have the slightest idea what it is that defines depravity.
One conclusion that we can draw from this comparison is that visual expression in Western space is symbolically castrated, while Japanese space there is only imaginary castration, at most. For example, in Western space any image that symbolizes the penis is censored, while in Japanese space as long as you do not portray the penis itself anything goes. In this ironic sense I would suggest that Japanese media enjoy the great freedom of expression. The problem arises with this freedom itself.
In Japanese space, fiction itself is recognized as having its own autonomous reality. As I mentioned earlier, in Western space reality is always in the superior position, and the fictional space is not allowed to encroach on it. Various prohibitions are introduced to establish and maintain this superiority. It is not permitted for example, to produce images depicting sexual perversion. This is because fiction must not be more real (riaru) than reality. Fiction must be carefully castrated so that it does not become too appealing. This is what I mean by symbolic castration.
It is often remarked that the heroines of Western comics and anime are for the most part not very cute. They often include beautiful women and naked bodies, but rarely do they directly represent characters as sexually attractive. This cannot be explained simply as a result of a discrepancy in technical skill or differing notions of beauty. In the case of an actual Hollywood actress, Japanese and American fans are likely to speak in similar ways about her sexual attractiveness. But the situation is very different when it comes to heroines who appear as drawn images. Betty Boop, for example, may be drawn in a sexy outfit (with a garter belt!), but she is more like a parody of a sexy actress. Her fans are not immediately captivated by Betty’s sexual charms.
To continue with our discussion of Western space, we might remember that 1957 saw the creation of the so-called Comics Code Authority that formulated self-regulatory codes for comics in the United States and effectively spelled the end of the golden age of American comics. At the time juvenile delinquency had become a hot-button issue, and comics were singled out as a contributing factor. Among comic fans the formation of the CCA is referred to as the “Total Disaster.” The list of restrictions is as absurdly detailed as the rules at a Japanese high school. A few items that stand out on the list are
  • “Divorce shall not be treated humorously nor represented as desirable.”
  • “If crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity.”
  • “In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished [sic] for his misdeeds.”
  • “Policemen, judges, government officials and respected institutions shall never be presented in such a way as to create disrespect for established authority.”
Under the category of “Marriage and Sex” the code states that “Nudity in any form is prohibited,” “Females shall be drawn realistically without exaggeration of any physical qualities,” “Illicit sex relations are neither to be hinted at nor portrayed,” “Seduction and rape shall never be shown or suggested,” and “Sex perversion or any inference to same is strictly forbidden.” Japanese manga as harmless as Sazae-san and Doraemon might run afoul of these rules. If regulations this strict were in force in Japan, virtually every manga magazine in print would have to be shut down.
It is thus quite possible to analyze the differences between Japan and the United States from the perspective of regulations. But what I want to stress here is that these rules show all the symptoms of an excessive defense reaction. No matter how popular comics had become by the 1950s, they could hardly compete with film. Nevertheless, they were much more severely regulated, to the point of destroying an entire genre of expression. Would it be too much to see in this an echo of what we might call the West’s iconographic taboo? The highly detailed and concrete restrictions on the depictions of sexuality are particularly remarkable. In these restrictions we can clearly see operating the obsessive idea that images themselves must not be sexually attractive.
Pornography must be considered as part of this discussion of the visual expression of sexuality. Pornography, needless to say, prizes images that are realistic and highly practical. In the decline of roman poruno and the rise of adult video, for example, one can see the pursuit of convenience and practicality. Pornographic images trend toward being more suitable for private consumption, reproduction and distribution gets easier, and pornographic expression gets more and more explicit. But in the Japanese space this leads to another contradiction: namely, the existence of “porno comics.” I want to stress once again that I am speaking of pornography in general here, not of “erotic expression.” It is perhaps only in Japan that pornography has taken the form of comic books and attained a certain popularity in doing so. Of course, there are porno comics that are meant to be used as masturbation aids in the West as well, but on a scale that does not even being to compare with that of Japan.
It seems absurd that such an enormous market would emerge for pornographic comics in a country where “hair nudes” are everywhere and people are somewhat bored even of adult videos. As I pointed out earlier, anime-style drawing has been hugely influential in this genre as well. In terms of their correspondence to everyday reality, there is no less realistic style of drawing. Despite this, however, these kinds of representation have been widely preferred as a medium for pornography. This would be entirely unimaginable in Europe or the United States, and the contrast points to a significant cultural difference.
Of course, there is a historical background to this as well. According to Timon Screech of the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, the so-called shunga that were produced in such huge quantities in the Edo period were used by the masses as masturbation aids.
If that is in fact the case, we should also be able to find the roots of manga and anime in the Edo period, in a culture in which sexual desire was both stimulated and satisfied by drawn images. The issue here, needless to say, has something to do with anything like the symbolic expression of eros. The problem that we have arrived at instead is that of the immediacy of the drawn image.
As I have already pointed out, there are many fans of anime and manga in the West. But they are virtually unanimous in their hatred for so-called tentacle porn. They believe that sexuality does not belong in animation. What do Japanese otaku think about this? If they were shown this sort of pornographic work they would either give a wry smile or launch into a lengthy discussion of the history of adult anime using works like Cream Lemon (Kuriimu remon) and Legend of the Overfiend (Urotsukidoji) as examples. I cannot help but see in this difference another huge contrast between Japanese and Western otaku.
Leaving aside the question of whether it is possible to read in this the traces of taboos and repression, for now let us reiterate the minimal facts of which we can be certain. In the Western space of popular culture, it is exceedingly rare to find drawn iconic images of cute little girls and erotic nudes. In that space there is an unconscious censorship of drawn images, and their reality is kept within certain limits. The type of caricatures so conspicuous in Disney’s animations can even be considered as a technique of exaggeration for the purpose of repression. Constant and meticulous efforts are made in this space to prevent drawn images from attaining their own autonomous reality. In other words, drawn images are always kept in the position of being substitutes for objects that exist in reality.
In Japanese space, on the other hand, it is permissible for all sorts of sites to have their own autonomous reality (riariti). In other words, real (riaru ) fictions do not necessarily require the security of reality (genjitsu). There is absolutely no need in this space for fiction to imitate reality. Fiction is able to clear a space around itself for its own reality (riariti ku kan). The appeal of drawn images of little girls, for example, is a crucial element in the production of this reality (riariti). Here, fiction must establish a logic of sexuality all its own. This is because, in Japanese space, sexuality is the most important factor upholding reality (riariti). Of course, this is not true only of anime. Why else, for example, did the artistic traditions of the past put so much emphasis on the depiction of women? Why do rakugo raconteurs spend so much time extolling the pleasures of womanizing? And why do manga instruction courses always begin with how to draw a boy-girl couple? All of these things, which are particular to Japan, suggest that in this space it is sexuality that upholds the reality of fiction (kyoko no riariti).
So let us accept the autonomy of fiction and put forward the thesis that this autonomy is a necessary precondition for the beautiful fighting girl to emerge. If this is the case, we cannot in any sense see in them the reflection of “everyday reality.” It would not be permissible, for example, to infer from the popularity of beautiful fighting girls that girls are being empowered in the real world. It is the stubborn habit of seeing fiction as an imitation of reality, which is hard even for the Japanese to resist, that is at the root of this misunderstanding. The misunderstanding may be logically consistent, but that same logical consistency is also precisely what renders it invalid.
Getting back to our discussion of the image in Japanese space, I repeat that representations in this space do not undergo symbolic castration. There are some gestures toward imaginary castration with regard to sexual codes, but these are barely functional, and in the end they actually come closer to initiating a drive toward the disavowal of castration. The disavowal of castration is of course the initial condition for sexual perversion, which is why this space exhibits such an affinity for perverted objects. All sorts of images come to occupy various positions within this ecosystem of autonomous reality, and the space begins to overflow with meanings rendered through sexual and other codes. In this place, so highly charged with meaning because of this sheer verbosity of codes, context is privileged over any single disarticulated code. Meaning is transmitted instantaneously here, but its provenance can never be traced back to a single code.
This sort of high-context representational space can sometimes lose some of its reality effect if it is circulated too widely and understood too easily. How might it resist this attenuation of reality? One way is, of course, through sexuality. As I have argued several times already, sex is a necessary component for a narrative to seem real. The various struggles and manipulations surrounding sexuality (i.e., “romance”) are what introduce a core of reality into a narrative.
The widespread transgression of sexual limits in Japanese representational culture can also be interpreted in light of the high-context nature of Japanese space. High-context expressive space is, by nature, incapable of making full use of the effects of structural and formal reality. Instead it is the intensities that emerge at moments of shifting and switching from one context to another that are used to create reality effects. In the highest context spaces of anime and manga, most important are those gestures capable of transcending the context of heterosexual desire. The various characteristics of the beautiful fighting girls, which include hermaphorditism, transformation (i.e., accelerated maturation), and the strange mixture of proactivity (i.e., fighting ability) and passivity (i.e., cuteness), all help facilitate the emergence of this transcendental reality. That all manner of perversions should be evoked in their presence is only natural.
[To be continued... The Phallic Girl as a Form of Hysteria]
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