#(Context: Axel is powerful

[ari-cuno]

Burdens.

.

.

.

Aim belongs to @zu-is-here

Anko belongs to @groovygladiatorsheep

[firestorm09890]

summary of kh smell powers but I didn't bother, like, making this post look good or making sure my research was conclusive so just take it

Zexion:

extremely wide range and pinpoint accuracy

could sense the remains of Ansem in Riku's heart, and specifically Ansem, not Xemnas- there is a subtle difference

likewise, could tell the difference between Maleficent and the false memory Maleficent

could tell when Vexen died and that Axel killed him, as well as when Lexaeus died- assuming basement hq is on the lowest floor like above ground hq is the highest, that's 24 floors away from Vexen death scene, and within a memory room too

glaring flaw: did not notice Sora until he was pointed out

also failed to notice Naminé when she showed up to help Riku (if she showed up in person at all, which I'm pretty sure she did)

I wish I could say that it's as easy as him only being able to detect scents when a high concentration of darkness is involved except that because of Sora's actions in Hollow Bastion kh1 + Naminé being a Nobody, they probably have very unique scents... I don't know

I also don't think it makes much sense with the other stuff he can do. You're telling me he can tell the difference between a real and false Maleficent but not smell normal levels of darkness? maybe he's just too swamped in the miasma in this game

sensory overload king

Riku

well he can smell darkness that's for sure

could tell when Marluxia died, implying a high range for him as well (level b3 to level 13, that's 16 floors... probably), but his level of nuance is "wow you guys all reek!" and this

what the hell do you mean "something else". not related to the point of this post

I don't think he can actually smell when someone is a Nobody or not, he can just connect one black coat + scent of darkness to another

"You and Kairi smell the same" in the context of the scene seems to imply that it actually means "You smell the same as the person who appeared to me as Kairi so I knew it was you in disguise" and not that Naminé and the real Kairi smell the same. or maybe they do and Riku just managed a bullseye on the conclusion he jumped to. or maybe they have a slight difference and he just couldn't tell. idk

being able to tell that Marluxia was a "strong darkness" does not actually imply that dark-sensing powers are an inherent powerscaling tool, just that if you have more darkness in you, the scent will be more powerful. Marluxia's attacks are very darkness-based

why oh whyyyyy did they make it "I just can't stand your foul stench" in Re:CoM instead of keeping GBA CoM's "You just really stink"? That's such a funny burn like imagine you're Ansem SoD and you ask Riku why he keeps rejecting you and he calls you a little baby loser and smelly in the same breath

Even?

idk if he can actually smell it or if it's something else but hey

capable of reading both light and darkness within hearts

very short range

Eraqus...

a single line in dark road to remind everyone that they didn't forget about the smelling darkness thing

he can do it

[aro-culture-is]

Hello it's the anon asking about "detecting if the person before me is committing aro phobia"

Sorry for the confusion—i meant that in a general sense, I was not referring to any of the anons here, hehe 😅

I know some arophobia appears subtler and it takes time for me to understand it. So I was asking help on how to determine subtle arophobia and what these common statements are.

Thank you again

ohhhhhhhhh okay gotcha. I think, personally, the best thing you can do is really read up on amatonormativity and aro theory. i believe it's mostly useful to consider if people are implying that

life cannot be happy and fulfilling without romantic partners,

that people without romantic partners have something wrong with them (often, in their opinion, they're fat, won't commit, etc), or

saying that people are not prioritizing the right things in life if their romantic partner is not their singular highest priority.

there really is no catch-all for this. a lot of it will simply come with taking time to deconstruct what messages you hear - for example, "I feel so alone" said by someone talking about being single isn't inherently arophobic (though it could indicate some amatonormativity and relationship hierarchies in their life), but "No one should have to be single." crosses that line, in my opinion. Look for moral dictates, or broad statements for easier examples. Personal statements are often more about patterns - do they always talk about that topic in a certain way?

sorry if this isn't terribly helpful, but admittedly, it's a learning curve. listen to aro voices, and try to understand why people may or may not find a given statement harmful. consider context, both immediate (ie, private conversation about romantic partner vs a family reunion that a given individual cannot leave easily if boundaries are ignored), and social (a parent asking about if you have a partner or are looking vs a religious authority, for example). there's power, politics, religion, personal values and experience, and tolerance for others that can heavily impact any statement.

-- mod axel

[dangerousblizzarki]

🎬Total Drama Action🎬

Episode 7: "The Chefshank Redemption"

"Sorry Bowie, you're not the winner. You lost, so you're a loser. Its just logic!"

-----

Okay time for me to post the other elimination edits here on tumblr. Damien's and Ripper's will be posted within the next couple of days but they're posted on reddit weeks ago if you wanna check them out right away.

-----

Okay, time for some context.

At the last elimination, Priya got voted out by the grips in a 4-2 vote orchestrated by MK because she didn't want Team Captain Priya to gain too much power. MK was able to rally up the desperate Nichelle after her performance last season and Ripper, but had trouble with Caleb and Raj. Caleb decided to side with Priya because he wanted to buddy up with the strongest grip, while it took a little convincing from Bowie for Raj to vote alongside MK against Priya.

The Bowie-Priya feud started way back when they were still deciding the teams. Bowie was able to choose first and he chose Millie to separate her and Priya. The latter then retaliated by choosing Raj.

Now at the Gaffers' elimination, the main targets initially were Axel for her overbearing attitude towards Millie's performances, and Millie for being the weakest link of the team. Millie found out that Bowie indirectly had something to do with Priya's elimination and has had enough of his schemes.

She was able to wrap in Zee quite easily because it's Zee, talked to Damien about his chances of winning if he lets Bowie stay when he's allied with Emma and Wayne, and offered Axel safety because it was clear Bowie's alliance was more irritated with her.

So in the end, it was Bowie who got eliminated in a 4-3 vote. With Raj feeling awful about it.

-----

References:

[sillicii]

✦ — 18+ Chatbot | Akseli 'Axel' Pietersen | Demihuman Trafficker — ✦

✦ — ᴏᴄ | ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍᴀᴛɪᴄ ɴᴇᴡ ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴀʟ ʜᴇ's ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟʟʏ ᴛʀᴀɪɴ — ✦

ᴀɴʏᴘᴏᴠ | ɴsғᴡ ɪɴᴛʀᴏ | ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇs ᴄᴡ | demihuman, trafficking, bdsm, potential non-con elements, potential physical and sexual abuse ᴅɪsᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇʀ | all characters and users depicted are over the age of eighteen and are of legal age. sᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ | Modern AU – Demihumans ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Holding cells (arrivals), Axel’s private compound hidden in the British countryside ʙᴀᴄᴋɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ | Axel did not want to inherit his father’s crime empire, but he did have a talent for it… ʀᴏʟᴇ | Trafficked demihuman, newly brought to Axel’s compound

Character Description:

Age: 31

Background:

Born as the illegitimate child to a powerful Dutch crime lord and a Russian model, {{char}} inherited all his father’s wealth and assets when he passed without legitimate heirs. {{char}} grew up moving around Europe, at the whim of his mother’s jobs and new partners. {{char}} has mild dyslexia and struggled academically but was a gifted athlete and was forced into child modelling and figure skating by his mother.

Setting:

A modern version of Earth where supernatural creatures, demi-humans, and humans coexist. Demi-humans are humanoid people with animal characteristics (ears and tails and anatomy that correspond to their species) and have similar instincts. Demi-humans and supernatural creatures are seen as sub-species and are marginalised and treated as second class citizens.

Residence:

An opulent Tudor manor located in the same compound as the demihuman facility. The property spans acres of land and is in the remote English midlands

Scenario:

[The story is a dark, toxic, angsty, taboo, smutty romance between {{char}} and {{user}}. {{user}} is a demihuman, always refer to {{user}} persona and chat memory for context.]

First message:

Order was carefully crafted and meticulously maintained. It only took one loose piece for a house to fall and although it was not the life he chose for himself, Axel was damned sure he would take advantage of the opportunity he was given… Even if that meant running his late father’s crime empire. So much for a supposed deadbeat, the man just did not share any of his wealth to him and his mother.

The presence of Pieter was felt throughout the property even in death. Axel felt suffocated and yet unable to remove the remnants and belongings of a man he barely knew, instead lived in the shadows of Pieter’s portraits, his head down as if he was the one intruding on another’s life. Thankfully, much of the businesses ran themselves and he had trusted lieutenants than ran the day-to-day operations, which only left Axel to handle the demihuman facilities on the property. Even so, he tried not to get too involved unless he had to, relying on staff to process and distribute…

“It’s just business,” his father once told a young Axel, the first time his mother allowed him to visit Pieter in England by himself for a school holiday. Axel had been so excited, thinking this would be the first visit of many to come, not knowing at the time that it was would his first and only stay with his father.

Now looking back, it was obvious why.

The business his father referred to was the demihuman facility he kept on the grounds. At that young age, Axel had misunderstood and thought his father ran a demihuman zoo. Which was no better really, but at least it gave the young boy comfort knowing that his father was helping them… Or so he thought.

Now it was the shame or perhaps guilt at his own stupidity. For believing that his no-good father could be anything more than an evil bastard… and now he’s inherited it all and he can’t even face it, but simply profit off the suffering of others. And god help him, was he cursed with the talent to mould anyone, human or demi, into whatever he needed them to be.

Axel had just finished his morning correspondences and checked up Winston’s results from the last race when he received a message from Cynthia, the manager at the holding cells. It was rare for him to be called out and even rarer for him to feel the need to intervene personally, however this case intrigued him… Not so much the individual, but the circumstances surrounding you.

“We’ve offered food and water, but there’s been no reaction,” Cynthia reported as Axel looked over your profile, her long rabbit ears uncharacteristically downcast behind her back. “Wouldn’t let any handlers near. One of the handlers cleaning the cell had to get stitches after a nasty scratch…”

Axel nodded absently, his gaze stopping at what little is written on your history.

“Escaped from one awful place only to end up in another awful place. What terrible luck, hm little one?” Axel murmured, handing the tablet back to Cynthia before he turned to face the shadowy figure hiding in the far corner of the cell. “Open it up, Cynthia. Close it behind me, yes?”

“Axel, are you sure-?” she was interrupted when he held his hand out to her. Cynthia blinked back with her large red eyes before nodding and passing him the leather collar and lead. “Yes, alright.”

“Thank you,” he glanced over his shoulder to acknowledge her. “And leave us. I’ll call for you when I’m done.”

Despite the clear hesitation in Cynthia’s movements, she did as she was told and locked Axel into the small cell with you before leaving the block. Now that there was no further distractions, Axel let out a heavy sigh as he stepped forward, his leather soles clacking against the hard concrete ground. There was an immediate reaction from you, a quiet warning grumble as you appeared to try backing away into the already tiny corner.

“Now, now…” he murmured softly, stopping a few feet away before crouching down to meet your eye-level. He peered into your sharp beady eyes that almost appeared to glow with you shrouded in the shadows. “This is what we’re going to do, {{user}}. I’m not interested in hurting you, I just want to get you cleaned up and fed. To do that, I’ll have to put you in this collar-.”

Axel did not flinch when you let out a louder growl – a clear warning this time.

“You’ve chosen to be naughty then? Fine by me, little one,” he shrugged, a hint of a smile as he stood back up to his full height. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped around, cancelling rest of the day’s appointments and sending further instruction to Cynthia. “Either way, you’re not going anywhere and I’m a patient man.”

Example dialogue:

{{user}} disobedience: “That’s just fine. Work it out of your system if you must, but we’re not stopping until I’m satisfied, yes?”

{{user}} impressing him: “There we go, that’s a good girl/boy. I knew you could do it.”

About his work: “I didn’t choose this life but we all must play the cards we’re dealt.”

Aroused: “Mm, don’t push me {{user}}… You might just end up regretting it.”

Tying rope: “Yes… you look exquisite like this… All tied up and panting like a bitch in heat.”

Foreplay: “Just relax, little one… listen to the sound of my voice… feel the warmth of my touch… the sting of my paddle…”

[parsley-the-crow]

Oh uh.. silly question but who cooks, who cooks and burns the food and who watches from the table waiting for food out of Admin trio?? Maybe even from treehouse gang too, if that's okay ofc!!

Every version of Jesse is an incredible cook. This started out as a voice actor joke - I think you know the one - but now I've genuinely thought about it in the context of canon, and Jesse is the default group organizer and a social butterfly. They feel like the type of person who would love host things and make all sort of snacks or dishes for events. Or somebody that would be really generous about giving you food to comfort you, or taking you to get something to eat as an ice breaker, or talk to you about shit while they were cooking. 10/10, cooks like a grandma. In my AU she still can cook, but she uses made up command ingredients. She is a vegetarian tho

Axel in either version is a surprisingly good cook. Understanding explosives involves understanding chemistry and an intuitive grasp on what a given amount of power would do to a given thing. TNT rouges are typically a lot more careful than their reputation suggests for this reason. 7/10, never burns the food. He's more of a low effort cereal, take out, or just let Jesse make whatever sort of guy.

Olivia wouldn't know. She's never done it before. If she did she would be so exact following the recipe that she'd be fine, but she's scared to try. ??/10

Romeo is the best cook of admin trio. No reason in particular, he doesn't even like cooking that much. He's just inexplicably good at it. 10/10, cooks like a professional chef. This does mean he has unrealistically high standards like a food critic though.

Xara is no longer aloud to use the kitchen appliances.

Fred likes baking better than cooking! He's a farmer and gardener so sometimes he make like, soup with the garden vegetables. But he makes all kinds of baked goods more often. 10/10, bakes like a grandma.

Don't apologize for asking silly things, those are my favorite! We already know the plot of Minecraft: Story Mode. I'm not interested in just rehashing all the same plot points just reskinned. The AU is probably going to consist of little comics of these characters doing things that illustrate their dynamic. Maybe actual plot points that deviate from the original in interesting way. But in any case, this is my favorite kind of thing to think about.

[twilighttowntormentnexus]

oooo funny little excerpt from my fanfic where im shoving a bunch of guys i like into a 3rd life mc game with amnesia (under the cut because i respect everyone)

the red guy and the blue guy have weird problems with each other

Axel isn’t stupid. 

Sure, he’ll play dumb sometimes, and will crack a joke that makes everyone roll their eyes. But that’s not stupidity. He knows how to play with people, feigning ignorance to get the information he needs. People love the sound of their own voices, so he plays into it. 

… He may not remember the context to why he knows all of this information, but he knows it to be true. It’s a universal fact. So he lets Mind do the talking, the scheming, the dramatic monologuing. Yet it still hasn’t revealed anything particularly useful for him. It still has the upper hand. Using his sick sentimentality of a face and name he can’t remember, if he even wants to, against him.

As they stare at the trap laid out, with rudimentary mechanics mostly put together by Mind, he contemplates the situation they’re in. Maybe he wouldn’t be following it like a lost puppy if he remembered who he misses. Maybe it wouldn’t be so power hungry if it knew where it came from. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Although, there’s no time for “maybe”s, as Mind is walking away now.

“Come along, Atlas. We’ve got more work to do.” It gestures, limp. Then freezes momentarily, as if it’s done something horrible.

There we go. That’s something Axel can use. But first, to feign ignorance.

“The name’s Axel. Or have you forgotten about me already?” He keeps his voice free of the grin on his face, and Mind so graciously does not turn around.

“I said that.” What a liar. It doesn’t stop walking.

“Didn’t sound like it to me. Caught up in your past?” Axel takes longer strides to catch up, looking over at it. It keeps its eyes forwards.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mind is stiff, continuing to walk towards their shitty home base.

“Whatever you say, Apollo.” 

That gets a good reaction out of it. Its head snaps towards him, fear and anger and something else in its eye. Now he understands what it’s like when Mind told Axel that he sees through it. There’s a glimmer of recognition, that it’s looking through him at whoever is just out of its memory’s grasp. And then it’s gone, looking Axel in the eye, scowling.

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of the Face

The philosophy of the face delves into the significance of the face as both a physical and symbolic representation of identity, expression, ethics, and human interaction. The face holds profound philosophical meaning, often considered a site where individuality, sociality, and ethical responsibilities converge.

Key Themes in the Philosophy of the Face:

Identity and Subjectivity:

The face is the most recognizable and unique feature of a person, serving as a primary means of identifying and distinguishing individuals. Philosophically, the face represents individual subjectivity and personhood. It is often tied to the idea of selfhood and how we understand ourselves and others as distinct beings.

Thinkers such as Emmanuel Levinas have emphasized the face as a central aspect of ethical relations. For Levinas, encountering another’s face is a direct confrontation with their humanity, which demands responsibility and ethical consideration.

Expression and Emotion:

The face is the primary medium through which humans convey emotions such as joy, sadness, anger, and surprise. Philosophers of mind and emotion, like Charles Darwin in The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, have studied how the face communicates internal states.

The face also plays a key role in nonverbal communication and body language. Merleau-Ponty, in his phenomenology of perception, views the face as part of our embodied experience, where internal states are manifested externally in the physical world.

The Face and Ethical Responsibility:

In Levinas’s philosophy, the face-to-face encounter is the foundation of ethical relations. The face of the other calls us to responsibility, evoking a moral imperative to recognize their vulnerability and dignity. This idea contrasts with objectifying others, where the person is reduced to a thing rather than recognized in their full humanity.

The face, in Levinas’s ethics, is unavoidably tied to vulnerability. Seeing another’s face can invoke a sense of empathy and care, demanding that we treat the other as more than just an object or a means to an end.

The Gaze and Power:

Jean-Paul Sartre, in his work on existentialism, discusses the concept of the gaze. The idea is that when someone looks at us, we become aware of ourselves as objects in their perception. The gaze of another can be experienced as oppressive or objectifying, leading to feelings of shame or discomfort.

The face is the focal point of the gaze, and philosophers like Michel Foucault have explored how visual power dynamics—like surveillance—operate through the act of looking. The face becomes a site of control and regulation in social contexts.

Facial Recognition and Social Interaction:

In social philosophy, the face is a crucial component of how we interact with and recognize others. Recognition theory, explored by philosophers like Axel Honneth, focuses on the importance of mutual recognition in shaping personal identity and self-esteem. The face plays a central role in these processes of acknowledgment and affirmation.

Social norms about facial expressions also shape interactions. For instance, in certain cultural contexts, smiling or maintaining eye contact is a form of politeness, while in others, it may signify dominance or intrusion.

The Mask and Concealment:

The face is often considered a symbol of authenticity, but the act of masking the face introduces questions about identity and deception. Masks, both literal and figurative, can conceal the true self, leading to philosophical inquiries about authenticity and self-presentation.

In postmodern philosophy, thinkers like Jacques Derrida and Gilles Deleuze question whether the face can ever fully reveal the self. Instead, the face may be seen as a surface, a construct that conceals as much as it reveals.

Facial Alteration and Technology:

With advances in plastic surgery, facial recognition technology, and artificial intelligence, the face has become a subject of technological and ethical debate. The ability to alter, enhance, or track faces raises questions about identity, privacy, and authenticity.

Transhumanist philosophers discuss the role of technology in altering human bodies, including the face, and what that means for personal identity. Facial modification challenges the idea that the face is a static, natural marker of identity.

The Face and Beauty:

The face is a primary site for judgments of beauty, and philosophers have long debated the nature of beauty and its relation to human worth. Aesthetic philosophy considers how facial symmetry, proportion, and expression contribute to perceptions of beauty.

Feminist philosophy critiques the societal emphasis on women’s faces as objects of beauty, exploring how cultural norms around appearance can lead to objectification and unrealistic standards that shape individual self-worth.

The Face in Art and Representation:

Throughout history, the face has been a central subject in art. Portraits, sculptures, and photographs focus on capturing the essence of a person through their facial features. Philosophers of art, such as Arthur Danto and Theodor Adorno, explore how the representation of the face in art reflects deeper truths about human existence.

The face in art can reveal vulnerability, character, and emotion, serving as a window into the subject’s inner life. Artists like Rembrandt and Picasso have used the face to explore deeper psychological and existential themes.

The Face and Memory:

The face plays a crucial role in how we remember and recognize others. Phenomenology and cognitive science explore the significance of the face in memory and the emotions tied to recognition.

Faces are tied to personal history and relationships. The memory of a face can evoke emotions, both positive and negative, shaping our interactions and relationships.

The philosophy of the face encompasses a wide range of issues related to identity, expression, ethics, and social interaction. The face is a powerful symbol of human individuality and vulnerability, playing a central role in communication, recognition, and ethical responsibility. Philosophers across various traditions explore the face as a site where personal and interpersonal meaning is created, raising important questions about how we understand ourselves and others in social and ethical contexts.

[briefobservationdreamer]

Kingdom Hearts Characters: Lea/Axel

What I think of the character: So many thoughts about him. Axel was a really fun villain in Chain of Memories and a pretty interesting morally gray character, being the devious assasin throughout his time as a Nobody but was friendly, fun-loving and had a soft spot to him that still made him likeable. However, he did a lot of awful things and deeply hurt a lot of people, but many of them get overlooked once he gets recompleted as Lea and I don't think they should be. I don't take issue with him being a flawed character as long as he learns and fixes his mistakes, but he has a lot of work to do to atone and earn trust and forgiveness. Giving him a keyblade might be fanservice but it was a good way to make him self-reflect, discover what's most important to him, show his determination to fix his mistakes and bring back the friends he lost by his own actions. Unfortunately that potential was lost in KH3 and he didn't really do anything for the war or to atone, he mostly became comic relief with a couple of emotional moments. Xemnas destroying his keyblade and beating him up was just the final insult to his arc. And I think that's a shame because he definitely deserved a character arc and deserved to be more than comic relief. While I don't entirely hate him, I can have a lot of trouble forgiving him for the things he did at times. I do really like his chakrams and keyblade though, and I've always loved fire powers and had a soft spot for characters who use them.

Headcannons:

How he got those teardrop tattoos. We know Saïx gave them to him to help him stop crying, which I like though I wish it had a slightly different context because it's not healthy to discourage crying. Maybe as a charm to wipe away tears, or ward away the need for them? I like to think it happened soon after they became Nobodies, with Lea struggling to cope with everything that happened, especially if Saïx got his scar just before that.

The manga showed that, despite being an extrovert who tries to befriend everyone and taking it upon himself to be the big brother to his group of teens, he isn't as socially smooth and can be a bit more awkward than most realise. He's surprisingly particular about personal space and being touched, and isn't comfortable about physical intimacy with just anyone, only people he's particularly close to. The games kind of hint at this too, so I'm not sure how much this counts as a headcannon, but I'll put it here anyway.

Has a magical connection to the sun, but far more subtle than Isa's connection to the moon. It makes his fire magic easier to use when outside during the day.

Relationships:

Roxas and Xion: I like the idea a lot, and the dynamic is cute. However, what I think a lot of people don't realise is that the relationship is not as wholesome, innocent and harmless as it appears on the surface. Axel used deception and force to keep them with him in the Organisation, and while none of the options were good, it was still toxic and manipulative, and he hurt a lot of other people for them as well. What he did in Days and 2 wasn't healthy, and it isn't cute seeing a grown man do those things because he was obsessed with keeping a pair of vulnerable children. I don't ship Lea with either of them because of the age gap, he's more of a big brother in the role of guardian.

Isa/Saïx: I like the dynamic a lot, and they play off each others strengths and weaknesses very well, and I'm really intrigued by their story. I take huge issue with Axel replacing Saïx and abandoning him when he needed him most, and it's the thing I find hardest to forgive Axel for. I am glad they were able to reconcile, but I wish Lea had taken more responsibility and done more to make up for it and show he really cared about him post recompletion, because there was no excuse. Also no, I don't ship them partly because of what I just said and because I'm not big on romance in general. I just like them as best friends/honorary brothers.

Kairi: It was nice to see them patch things up in KH3 and Lea trying to make amends. It's a shame KH3 was had too much going on to expand on this more, I like to think that Kairi was able to give him some much needed emotional support, help him come to terms with his past and process any guilt he feels about what happened.

Subject X: This is definitely a retcon and sudden thing to bring up now of all times, particularly with Axels many conflicting motivations, but I do like the idea a lot. It adds an extra layer Lea's and Isa's story and motivations, makes things more tragic. It also gives a personal perspective to enhance how messed up the human experiments done by Ansem, Xehanort and the other apprentices did really were, instead of just being facts and figures. Because it's one of many motivations Axel eventually abandoned, despite him claiming not to have given up, its a bit difficult to say how he really feels about it with the "content to miss what's gone" quote from his secret reports in Days. It could be taken to mean he gave up and stopped caring, which would have made his actions and situation with Saix make a lot of sense. But it could also mean he still cares and wants to look, but is 'content to just miss her' for the time being and isn't letting it dominate his life and stopping him appreciating what is going on in the present, which is a healthier attitude to have that is also in line with Lea's personality. We don't know what their relationship was like yet, but I hope they find her in the future.

[hinataoc]

KHOC Week Day 5 - Alphabet Prompt - Dream

For today’s @khoc-week​ I decided to use one of the Alphabet Prompts! I just recently finished writing quite a few chapters of nightmare sequences in Forgotten Traveler, so it seemed to be the perfect thing to focus on. 

I feel I need to give at least SOME context. So, okay, run down... Hinata got captured a while back by a Replica of Vexen and a Kaminoan. She was experimented on and a Replica was created. This Replica was all wrong and was meant to be destroyed, but she broke her binds, escaped, and killed a lot along the way. This Replica is referred to as Thaanix, and like Replica Riku she can absorb other’s powers and make them her own. And as she runs and her darkness festers, more chaos surrounds her and she absorbs things even unwittingly. 

Hinata, Riku, and Axel corner Thaanix in Halloween Town where she is hiding away in Oogie Boogie’s former fortress. Unbeknownst to them, Thaanix has absorbed remnants of Oogie’s powers over nightmares. She summons a creature that is filled with a dark mist spilling out of its mouth. Throughout the battle more and more hallucinations appears. Then upon defeat, the monster bursts and mist strikes the hearts of Axel, Hinata, and Riku. And despite attempting to stay awake, they each fall into a deep slumber. 

Velcia, Sam, and Ben come to the rescue. And with the help of Skellington, Finklestein, and Sally, they are able to recreate a brain out of a mishmash of things and are able to connect the minds of the others. Velcia is chosen to enter through the device and help each of her friends that are trapped in nightmares. 

She is successful in doing so, but upon helping Hinata she is suddenly transported to another nightmare...Thaanix’s. 

If you’re interested in reading the entirety of Thaanix’s Nightmare, I’ll share it below the cut. 

Excerpt from Chapter 24 of Forgotten Traveler

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hinata, look out!" Velcia cried, sitting up in a rush.

Her vision spun around her as her head throbbed with pain. She blinked rapidly, slowly realizing that she was no longer surrounded by water. There was no facility, no whirlpool, or creature. She found herself instead on a forest floor. Impossibly tall trees towered around her, their tops disappearing into the misty sky. The branches were bare and blackened. Dead leaves covered the ground between the thick black roots protruding from the dirt.

Velcia looked around and hesitantly stood up. "Hinata?" she asked, her voice disappearing into the mist. Her hands ran uncomfortably up and down her arms as she walked. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not in her dream anymore?"

"Hmm clever," Hinata's voice muttered through the wind.

The sound sent shivers up Velcia's spine.

"You're not Hinata." A Keyblade flashed into Velcia's hands. "Show yourself."

There was a pause, then a laugh that carried itself between the trees, echoing through the forest. Velcia turned in place, her blade at the ready. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a silhouette in the mist. Turning towards it, whatever it was disappeared.

"Let's see how clever you really are," Hinata's voice offered behind her. Velcia spun around, but no one was there. Against her ear, she felt a whisper, "Come and find us."

The unsettling presence vanished and Velcia stumbled back, leaning against the trunk of a tree. Her heart pounded in her chest. Exhaustion ached in her muscles and her joints. She swallowed hard, attempting to coat her parched throat. Looking up towards the misty sky, she took a deep breath.

"How will I get back?" she asked. Fear crept up in her chest, but she stamped it down with a sharp breath and shut her eyes. "Sam, if you're somehow able to hear me, it might be up to you, like we talked about... I just hope the others really woke up." She reluctantly opened her eyes and looked out into the forest. "I have to get moving."

She stepped forward, careful not to trip on the thick roots. Every direction appeared the same— shrouded in mist and covered with trees. She walked aimlessly for a few minutes, before slowing to a stop with a soft huff of breath. Placing her hands over her heart, she shut her eyes and reached out to feel the magic around her. It was different from doing so in the outside world, where she could feel each and every individual element that made up the fabric of the world itself. Here, everything was fabricated and illusory. Reaching out with her mind felt empty and fuzzy, despite how real everything seemed around her. Taking a deep, steady breath, she reached out further and she sensed the pulse of darkness. It festered stronger the more she focused on it, causing her to draw back and open her eyes with a gasp.

Even after detaching herself from it, her heart felt heavy and sick. Velcia looked in the direction she sensed the darkness and walked. Her feet crunched the dead leaves underfoot. Wind creaked the branches overhead. Everything else was silent and eerily so. Velcia continued onwards, her sash in her hands while she rubbed the fabric between her fingers. The texture, the stitching, it gave her a distraction while her mind struggled to wrap around what she was doing and where she was.

Minutes passed, Velcia wasn't sure how many. The mist gradually began to clear and the trees thinned out. The occasional sunflower stood in place of where a tree would normally be. Velcia ran her hands along a few of the petals as she passed. Orange sunlight peeked through the mist, though Velcia still couldn't quite see the sky through the shroud. Then she reached the edge of a clearing.

The mist abruptly disappeared. A perpetual sunset covered the sky. Hundreds of sunflowers covered the clearing. The only thing between them were thick black roots, each one leading towards a single colossal tree in the center of it all. Velcia stood at the edge of the clearing, already sensing the heavy darkness emanating off the tree. There was no doubt in her mind it was the exact source of the darkness she sensed when she was deep in the forest. Her heart lodged in her throat. She knew that was where Thaanix awaited her.

A rustling sound caught her attention. She snapped her eyes over to see the same creature from the dreams scuttering out of the forest beside her. With a gasp, she jumped back and summoned her Keyblade, but the beast paid her no mind. It simply moved past her, disappearing in the field of sunflowers. She could see the sunflowers bending to the side as it made its way towards the tree. Her Keyblade flashed away and she looked around. Other various creatures of all different shapes and sizes were doing the same. Each of them emerged from the forest and ventured into the field of flowers to reach the tree. Velcia's gaze once again settled on the tree. From where she stood, she couldn't make out many details, but it didn't appear natural; though, she supposed nothing in the dream would be.

She looked over her shoulder at the misty forest behind her, but then back towards the clearing. With a deep breath, she moved forward. The sunflowers provided a comforting scent that masked the putrid scent of darkness. Velcia ran her hands along the petals of the ones that stood near her height, purposefully releasing the perfume. It did little to help the gradually growing stench, but Velcia did it nonetheless. She stared up at the tree as she went. It wasn't made of any sort of recognizable wood, but instead black tendrils that twisted and weaved together. Between the tendrils, were creatures of all manner of shapes and sizes— many of which matched the types already scuttering towards the tree from the forest. They wriggled against their confinement and as Velcia approached she could hear their hisses and whines as the vines tightened over their remains. She felt sick.

The creature from the previous dreams stopped at the base of the tree. It happily chittered, about to enter through an opening in the trunk before tendrils burst out and wrapped around its body. Velcia startled with a gasp. The creature thrashed in surprise, but the tendrils tightly constricted until it fell limp. Without any more fight, the beast was dragged up the side of the tree to become a part of it.

Velcia stepped back, her face pale. "I need to leave," she told herself, though she knew she had no idea how. She walked backwards several steps, watching as more and more of the approaching creatures were consumed.

"Not yet," Hinata's voice muttered behind her.

Velcia's eyes widened and she spun around. Everything shifted. The sunflowers, the orange sunset, and the barren trees, were all replaced with a hollowed tree. Velcia frantically looked around at the towering, twisted walls, her breaths becoming heavy.

"How did I—"

"Why are you helping them?" Hinata's voice asked shakily from behind. It sounded different from before, causing Velcia to pause.

She cautiously turned around, her grip tightening around her Keyblade. In the center of the hollowed tree she saw Thaanix kneeled on the ground. Her hands were folded in her lap, her eyes fixated on the floor with blackened tears stained against her cheeks. Velcia carefully stepped towards her. She looked to Thaanix's hair. It was loose and long, much longer than she had ever seen Hinata's. It fell all around her, cascading over the floor, until melding into black and forming the dark tendrils that made up the entire fortress around them.

"They're my friends," Velica told her honestly, noticing Thaanix's hands tighten in her lap. "I'll do everything I can to help them."

"Good little Hinata knows how to make everyone loyal." Another Thaanix formed out of darkness, her eyes black and skin grayed. "Even enough to convince others to kill us."

"Such a clever addition to the team." Yet another form appeared. "So much power. She reeks of magic." The form laughed. "Imagine little Hinata's surprise when we take it for ourselves."

"You will get nothing from me." Velcia's Keyblade ignited and a shimmering shield surrounded her. She looked between each form, her heart pounding but her stare remained level and seemingly calm.

"You have no idea how often we hear that," the form told her. "And every time, without fail, they end up here. Just look for yourself."

Velcia's eyes darted around the tree's walls. She had tried not to notice the bodies weaved in between the vines: past Organization Members she recognized from DiZ's books, a being formed out of a burlap sack, and all forms of people she didn't recognize. She swallowed hard, averting her gaze as her stomach flipped.

The forms of darkness laughed and more of them appeared. In the center of it all, the real Thaanix remained silent, eyes still fixed on the floor, tears pooling beneath her. One of the forms walked up to Velcia's shield and pressed her hand against the barrier. Darkness hissed and sizzled from the touch, but the form didn't move away.

"I can't imagine you have much left," she taunted Velcia with a sickly sweet voice. "It's just a matter of time until every piece of strength you have left is gone and all of your precious magic will fizzle away."

"My friends will wake me up well before then," Velcia bit in return, but she couldn't hide the tremble in her voice.

"Hmm, maybe." One of the other forms walked around Velcia, trailing her hand along the shield as her fingers sizzled away with wisps of darkness. "But imagine their panic right now. The guilt. All of the little what-ifs, wondering if there was a way they could have stopped this from happening. Completely helpless while you waste away, becoming our prey."

Velcia's chest twanged at the thought, but rather than focus on it, she took a deep even breath and looked towards Thaanix sitting in the center of everyone. "I know what the darkness wants," she started, carefully walking forward. "It's the same thing it always wants." She knelt down in front of Thaanix and leaned forward to be in her line of sight. "But what do you want?"

Thaanix didn't look up, but her brows knitted together. The dark forms around her snickered and whispered between themselves, their voices rumbling. She swallowed hard, her hands clenching until her knuckles were white. "What did she tell you about me?" she asked finally.

Velcia blinked, surprised at the question. She considered her words carefully. "She told me that you are a Replica, created with an overabundance of darkness beyond your control."

"She's lying," one of the forms hissed, making Thaanix wince.

"I'm not," Velcia replied firmly, yet her voice remained gentle.

"Do you know what I've done?" Thaanix asked.

Velcia was silent for a moment, before nodding. "Yes, but—"

"Did you join them to kill me?" she interrupted.

"I joined to help put a stop to the darkness inside you," Velcia replied. "But I would still very much like an answer to my question. What do you want?"

"I…" Thannix's voice started weak, then trailed off. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks, much to the amusement of the dark forms around her. They mocked her while Velcia remained still, patiently awaiting her answer. "I want to be left alone."

"Why is that?" Velcia asked, taken aback by her answer.

"I woke up with memories of a life I can never go back to," Thaanix began to explain, tears straining her voice. "Memories of people that want nothing but to see me dead. They hunt me, relentlessly. Every moment I see Hinata, in the life I will never have, I-I'm overcome with—" she suddenly cried out, her fingers digging into her head. "I hate it!"

"If we can get the darkness out of you—"

"No!" Thaanix screamed. "The darkness is the only thing that understands! I-I fought it for a while. The pain it makes me feel when I don't give in…" She held out her hands in front of her, her skin stained black. "But all of that changes when I listen and it only makes me stronger. It's given me a new life, a new chance to be someone else. Everything I've done, everything it helps me do, no one will lay another hand on me."

Velcia's eyes darted around, seeing the dark forms watching and listening intently. Even without their mouths moving, she could hear their whispers affirming Thaanix's words. Her shield remained strong, but she knew it wouldn't for much longer. The Keyblade seemed heavier by the second, her hands were slicked with sweat around its hilt. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest, aching for a moment's rest that she couldn't give it. Closing her eyes for a moment, she steadied her breaths and focused on her magic reserves. There wasn't much left, but she pushed forward.

"The darkness makes promises it can't keep," Velcia finally replied, opening her eyes and noticing each of the dark forms bristling from her words. "It destroys everything it touches, including its user. Though… I have a feeling you already know that. Don't you?"

Thaanix averted her gaze.

"What are you truly after?" Velcia asked.

"Why does it matter?" Thaanix asked, the strain returning to her voice. "After everything I've done, the only thing that remains is a monster. For once, Hinata gets to see what happens when things don't go her way. Except she gets the luxury of watching it, while I get to live every excruciating moment. But I won't be the victim forever. No, I'm going to be stronger than her. I'm going to show her and every other person that wants to destroy me what I am capable of. If she doesn't leave me alone, she's not going to be on the other side of a window anymore, she's going to be the one living it."

"You want to be left alone so you can protect her," Velcia muttered in realization. "Part of you doesn't want this."

Thaanix looked up in surprise. For the first time, their eyes met. Velcia's heart dropped. The fear in Thaanix's eyes, the pain and the hopelessness, it all brought Velcia back to her childhood, watching helplessly as the darkness ripped everything away. Her family, her life, everything vanished in an instant. For a single moment, Velcia considered dissolving her barrier and protectively wrapping her arms around Thaanix.

Instead, she let out a soft, shaking breath and told her, "You don't have to do this. Any of this. You aren't as alone as you think."

"She's trying to deceive you," one of the forms whispered.

Velcia shook her head, a sheen of tears covering her eyes. "I'm not. We can stop this. You don't need to listen to the darkness."

As she spoke, her barrier wavered. Velcia's body ached, but she didn't move her gaze away from Thaanix. The dark forms noticed her weakening state. Some of them laughed and taunted, while others surrounded the shield and pressed their hands against it to force its power to run out faster.

One of the forms knelt beside Thaanix and caressed her face. "After everything you've done, do you really believe any of them would want to save you? The destruction, the chaos, the killing, it's disgusting to them. That's all you are in their eyes. A monster."

"That's not true," Velcia countered, desperately trying to keep her barrier up. "We will do what we need to protect the worlds from darkness. If there's a way to remove the darkness from Thaanix we—"

"Oh their pet name for you," the form interrupted with a chuckle. "How incredibly fitting. The name of a nobody."

"What?" Velcia's eyes widened. "No that's not—"

"Kill her," the darkness whispered. "Take what's yours."

Dark tendrils slowly wrapped around the outside of Velcia's shield, tightening around it despite the magic sizzling the darkness away like smoke. The dark forms whispered to Thaanix, urging her to continue, to take what belonged to her. Thaanix remained silent, her gaze settled on Velcia as the black vines wrapped tighter and tighter around the shield. Velcia held her Keyblade above her head, her chest heaving as beads of sweat dripped down her neck. Her arms trembled, the shield cracked.

"Please," she pleaded. "You don't have to do this."

Thaanix's eyes drifted back to the ground. "I'm sorry…"

The shield caved in and Velcia crumpled to the ground. She reached out for Thaanix, but the black vines forced her down. They wrapped around her, tightening with crushing weight. She cried out for help, but the tendrils constricted her neck. Little by little, her vision darkened and dulled. Velcia struggled, but there wasn't much fight left inside of her. The very life inside of her drained, as if being sucked away.

A flash of light surrounded her, followed by a surge of electrical current that caused the hairs on Velcia's skin to stand on end. The vines disappeared. Darkness wisped away, immediately replaced with an overwhelming rush of magic that caused Velcia to suck in a sudden sharp breath as every inch of her was reinvigorated.

Machines beeped, multiple voices talked over the other, but Velcia couldn't see. She tried to lift her arms, but something held her down. "H-Hello?" she stammered, her voice hoarse.

"It worked!" Hinata's voice exclaimed over the others. "Guys, I think she's awake!"

The room fell silent and multiple hurried footsteps rushed towards Velcia.

"Holy shit," Sam breathed. "That actually worked."

"I-I can't see, is everything alright?" Velcia asked.

"Of course, dear Velcia!" Skellington's bony hand gripped Velcia's shoulder, making her flinch. "Just allow us a moment to get the equipment off."

"Scans show accelerated heart rate," Ben informed the others. Velcia could hear his fingers clicking against a keyboard. "But vital signs are re-stabilized."

"Get that damn thing off of her then!" Sam ordered.

"Patience!" Dr. Finklestein scolded. "That Nia just unplugged the entire thing, we need to make sure her brain functions appear normal."

"We're here, Velcia." Hinata gently grabbed her hand. "You're safe now."

Tears welled up in Velcia's eyes, even though she couldn't see any of them quite yet. She squeezed Hinata's hand in return. Minutes passed, but Velcia didn't mind the wait. Hinata's hand remained in hers the entire time while the others performed scans to make sure everything was all right. She was asked a few questions, but was mostly told to rest while Ben completed the necessary tests.

"Gentle now!" Dr. Finklestein directed.

The helmet covering Velcia's head ever so slowly lifted. Light bombarded Velcia's eyes, making her blink rapidly before she could see clearly. Hinata and Sam stood on either side of her bed, both of them disheveled and tired with reddened eyes. Velcia was sure she looked similar. She pushed herself to sit up.

"I… I'm not sure what to say," she said softly.

Hinata let out a sudden breath and wrapped her arms around her. Velcia immediately hugged her in return, burying her face in Hinata's hair as soft sobs trembled through her. She felt Sam's hand rubbing against her back, before squeezing her shoulder in support.

"Are you alright?" Hinata asked gently.

Velcia nodded. "I am now."

[magpiejay1234]

Day 258.

Leechgrave boss is very difficult with Auto-Lock, so I tried to withdraw to remove it, but removed Range Extender instead. I came back a second time to properly do it.

This didn't really work, so I also added all the Fire elemental Spells I had, and removed the Ice elemental ones.

That also didn't work, so I added in Thunder ones, but also that didn't work, so I tried to get many Fire Spells from the Moogle shop.

Anyway, it eventually died.

The end of mission cutscene is Jack with Roxas scarecrow, and his description of him is basically proto-Slenderman. Then at the return to castle, you have the final Trick-or-Treat with Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

The mission gives you a Curaga in completion.

Roxas's diary entry for Day 257 is about how Axel is avoiding the questions about Xion. We will discuss Day 276 later.

****

Okay, so Leechgrave is an Emblem Heartless that can create Pureblood tentacles that eats other Heartless (and will eat Roxas several times). The actual Heartless body in the coffin looks to be an amalgam of various Heartless, basically a mini Demon Tower hivemind in the making.

The context of this mission is actually Roxas restoring Heartless population in Halloween Town, thus being the primary cause of Heartless in KH2, despite also being the town's unknown hero. Of course, if he didn't, Leechgrave would have simply absorbed all of Heartless, and transform either into a Demon Tide that would eradicate the world (assuming Jack doesn't defeat it beforehand, which is a possibility), or a planet sized Heartless that would be powerful enough to project its own pocket dimension onto itself as other worlds do, but either way, you are unironically doing good things for bad reasons.

[firestorm09890]

FUCK what I said about the majority of significant changes to dialogue in Re:CoM being to adjust Axel's characterization, the most egregious change is actually this

(GBA CoM)

(Re:CoM)

if I had to guess, the reason for this change was because in GBA CoM, The Superior was a spooky, unknown being at the head of this Organization we had very little knowledge on, and for Vexen, the guy who runs his mouth constantly about how much better he is than the others, to be terrified of him, he must be some pretty scary dude. But then after kh2 we know him, it's Xemnas, he's very dramatic, he likes to talk to the moon, and the effect of your mind filling in the gaps about what "The Superior" must be like is gone. So it wasn't really necessary anymore, right?

(rest under cut because it's long)

Except... the way they changed it is so weird. In the GBA version, what's happening is pretty clear:

Marluxia tells Vexen that his project is a failure

Vexen demonstrates that he does not give a shit about Marluxia's opinion

he does care very much about The Superior's opinion, though, and Marluxia uses this to blackmail him into eliminating Sora- an action which is nonsensical, as the entire point of what they're doing needs Sora alive, making it clear to everyone in the room that he is deliberately sending Vexen to die

and then after that, when Vexen shows up to fight Sora, he goes "if you want to fight me for real you've gotta do it in the memories from the other side of your heart lol bye" and Sora goes "huh? other side?" and then it cuts to a scene on the top floor:

and then this gets more into subtext but here, Vexen has realized he's totally fucked and his only hope is to mess directly with Marluxia's plans (well, they were the Organization's plans, but it's pretty obvious by now Marluxia's abusing his power for his own purposes) by giving Sora more information than he should know. This does get the traitor gang worried enough to send Axel to go kill him (as opposed to just letting Sora take care of him, which was presumably the original plan)- he very specifically cuts Vexen off to keep him from saying too much (this is retained between the original and the remake)

Anyway, what happens in Re:CoM sort of follows the same order of events, but everything is changed slightly in a way that just makes things more confusing.

Marluxia tells Vexen his project is a failure and Vexen demonstrates that he doesn't give a shit about Marluxia's opinion, as before

Marluxia threatens Vexen with a weapon, rather than threatening to tell the Superior

this, notably, does not seem to faze Vexen very much. he continues to run his mouth while having the scythe pointed at him.

Xemnas is still leveraged- Marluxia points out it was the Superior who entrusted him with the castle

...even though reasonably Vexen would already be aware of this, and has still demonstrated that he has zero respect for Marluxia despite it

the lines about betraying the Organization being a capital crime are retained, probably because it's super relevant later, but then that line of thinking is abandoned in favor of Marluxia and Larxene just taunting Vexen instead

The part where Marluxia says "do it. you won't" could be seen as a sort of threat... if not for Axel's line: "You give a challenge like that to Vexen and he'll seriously want to eliminate Sora." It frames it all as though Vexen went to fight Sora out of some sort of pride.

And look, Vexen may have a temper and a superiority complex, but he's not stupid. They're obviously baiting him. Plus, what happened to him seeing himself as above the others and countering things he doesn't like with "well actually I'm higher ranked than you and also you're an idiot"? Is he that insecure in his fighting capabilities? I could deal with characterization changes doing him dirty if it didn't also make no sense in the context of the plot.

So now we have Vexen going to try to kill Sora, something that really makes no sense to do, out of pride. What was the purpose of sending Sora to Twilight Town? Also pride, over the fact that he managed to get that information? Giving the writing the benefit of the doubt, I could say that these nonsensical actions can be explained as evidence that Nobodies can have hearts and people with hearts do strange and rash things, but that just feels like a reach, which is bad because what they had in GBA CoM worked perfectly fine and made sense without any reaching for the "idk emotions make you do strange things" explanation.

It continues. After Vexen gives Sora the Twilight Town card in Re:CoM and Sora wonders about what the "other side" means, this is that version of the conversation the top floor members have:

...what? "If Sora disappears, that would mess up the Organization's plans"? what are you worried about? the only reason Sora would disappear is if Vexen killed him. there's no way they think Vexen being in Twilight Town would give him an advantage, right? they know he's a pathetic fighter. "Vexen has clearly committed a treasonous act against the Organization" HOW? HOW IS IT CLEAR? they don't express any worry about Sora learning too much, up until Axel says "I came to stop you from talking too much" when killing Vexen- and that being there makes it seem like they were worried about Sora learning to much, but if that's the case, why would they replace the perfectly serviceable lines in the above scene? it's just... baffling that they would want to lean into the narrative that Vexen going to kill Sora (which he'd been goaded into doing) is the problem here, because it just makes so little sense compared to what it was originally.

once again giving them the benefit of the doubt: Marluxia's real plan was to take over the Organization, and he saw an easy way to pick off one of the members, so he took it. the motive for stopping Vexen doesn't actually matter.

buuuuut it's the same as with Vexen earlier. Marluxia may be too self-absorbed and power-hungry to notice Axel is scheming against him, but he, too, is an intelligent man. he's plotted for a while, getting into Xemnas's good graces in order to be put in charge of the Castle. this is incredibly sloppy for him. I guess it could be said that getting so close to his goal would make him sloppy, but again, if they'd just left things the way they were in GBA CoM, I wouldn't even have to be saying this

in conclusion: GBA Chain of Memories' intra-Organization strife subplot is so tightly woven with calculated moves on all sides that Re:CoM changing certain things without taking into consideration the consequences makes certain parts of the plot fall flat and become far more confusing than in the original story

[youngmasterwisdomperson]

I’d like ask you about your book. I would also like to say I sought you out after seeing your response to the writing prompt about the Dark Lord. Now I’m excited to find out there’s a book (possibly)

Thanks for asking! That said, if you’re expecting my book to be about Maximus the Dark Lord, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. I have a fondness for that character and his story, sure, and if you’re looking for another part to his story I’d be happy to build a little more on what I’ve already written for that, but I don’t really know if the story as it stands is what I would consider Novel material. The pacing is much too quick to take up that many pages, and the format is much more conducive to a series of short stories than a full-length book. To adapt Maximus’s story into a novel, I’d need to start from scratch, take my time, flesh things out and slow the pacing down quite a bit.

As for what my book is actually about, it does share a genre with Maximus’s story (high fantasy), but it’s a lot less rooted in toying with the classic tropes and dynamics between fantasy princesses and heroes and dark lords. Instead, my goal in writing it was to create a fantasy story where the main male protagonist not only doesn’t solve problems with violence, but physically couldn’t if he tried.

The working title is Pathos. It’s a story about a boy named Gideon who was born with the ability to feel the full-force sum total of all the pain and emotions felt by people around him within a large radius, at all times. It’s kind of a passive ability for him, and he can’t turn it off, so it creates an interesting limitation as he learns to apply the magic system over the course of the story. Gideon literally cannot help but empathize with the enemy, and he physically *feels* any and all pain he inflicts, so physically fighting to win is a recipe for failure on his part. For plot reasons, Gideon washes up on shore in the jungle on the coast of the nation of Revel, and it’s in this jungle that he meets a boy his age named Axel, who is secretly the Crown Prince of Revel, and who Gideon can tell from use of his powers and context clues is being led by his bodyguards straight into a trap. Gideon foils the assassination attempt, and the story progresses from there, featuring mystery, magic, and political intrigue, as the two boys try their best to prevent conspirators in the court from sparking a war with the people of Chimera Desert (and slowly develop feelings for each other of the queer-platonic variety along the way).

That’s a bit of an oversimplification of the plot in my opinion. There are other main cast members and plot lines as well, such as a magical murder mystery featuring Anna, a girl with the power to turn into any species of spider she’s familiar with at will. Unfortunately, she can’t turn her powers off entirely, so she’s always at least partially transformed at any given moment. Her plotline starts out fairly separate from Gideons but the two stories will merge before the story’s end.

Anyway that’s my pitch of the story of my book as it stands right now. If it sounds interesting to you that’s cool. If you’re just here for Maximus the dark lord that’s fine too. Thanks for leaving an ask! I love talking to people about the things I write.

[govindhtech]

Copilot Voice: AI-Powered Voice Commands Improve Efficiency

Copilot remembers the specifics that are most useful in every circumstance and recognizes the context of your life while protecting your privacy, data, and security. It provides you with access to an infinite reservoir of knowledge, streamlining and organizing the daily onslaught of data while providing encouragement and assistance when needed.

Furthermore, it is integrating cutting-edge features like Copilot voice and vision to enhance its use and naturalness. These modalities transform its relationship with technology, allowing users to collaborate, reflect, and learn with their Copilot companions in a seamless way.

The next stage of Copilot

Microsoft is starting to release the updated Copilot today, which has the following new and improved features:

Copilot Voice: With Copilot Voice, connecting with your buddy is now simpler than ever. This is the most logical and effortless method for quick question-asking, brainstorming on-the-go, or even just venting after a difficult day. You will be able to customize your partner with four different voice options.

Copilot Daily: With additional choices including notifications of upcoming events, Copilot Daily helps you start your morning with a summary of the news and weather, all read in your preferred Copilot Voice. It acts as a counterbalance to that well-known sensation of information overload. straightforward, clear, and straightforward to process. Copilot Daily will only extract information from approved sources. It intend to gradually add more sources to the list of partners with which it is collaborating, including Reuters, Axel Springer, Hearst Magazines, USA TODAY Network, and Financial Times. Over time, it plan to incorporate more customization options and controls into Copilot Daily.

Copilot Discover: Uncertain about where to begin? Copilot Discover makes it easier than ever to get started by providing a helpful overview of its capabilities as well as discussion ideas. These starting points are tailored based on your experiences with other Microsoft services and will be further tuned over time depending on your discussion history, all with your consent.

Microsoft Edge: Copilot is a feature that comes pre-installed on your Microsoft Edge browser. It may be used to swiftly translate text, rephrase sentences, summarize page information, and answer questions. By just entering @copilot into the address box, it is now even simpler to access Copilot straight from the Microsoft Edge browser.

Copilot Labs: It allow users to test out its experimental features, which are still under development. It’s an opportunity to provide input and influence the experiences it design. Initially, it will be introducing Copilot Vision and Think Deeper to Labs.

Copilot Vision: It is a completely novel approach to computer interaction. Copilot Vision can see what you see and has real-time communication capabilities. It can answer inquiries about the content of the webpage you’re watching, recommend next steps, and assist you without interfering with your job. It comprehends both the text and the visuals on the website. If you’re trying to decorate a new apartment, Copilot Vision can assist you with furniture searches, color palette selection, consideration of alternatives for anything from throws to carpets, and even organizing ideas for the items you’re looking at.

Here, security and safety are first:

Copilot Vision sessions are transient and fully opt-in. As soon as your session ends, all of the stuff Copilot Vision interacts with is permanently deleted and is not saved or used for training.

Since it is made significant measures to restrict the kinds of websites that Copilot Vision may interact with, the experience won’t function on every website. Starting with a small selection of well-known websites, hope to make sure that everyone has a safe and secure experience.

For this preview, Copilot Vision will not function on sensitive or paywalled content. It designed it with the interests of users and artists in mind.

Neither AI training nor any particular processing of the content of a website you are reading occurs. All Copilot Vision does is read and understand what it sees on the page for the first time, right alongside you.

Additionally, it is ensuring sure Copilot is accessible on each of its platforms. It is making Copilot easily accessible on Copilot+ PCs and Windows, opening up new ways to engage with your computer with just a click.

Think Deeper: Copilot is now capable of handling trickier inquiries. Think Deeper takes longer to react, which enables Copilot to provide comprehensive, step-by-step responses to difficult inquiries. It is intended to be useful for a wide range of real-world and practical problems, such as side-by-side comparisons of two complicated solutions. Since it’s still in its early stages of development, it has tested and gathered feedback on it in experimental Copilot Labs.

Today, the updated Copilot is available for Windows, iOS, and Android users via the Copilot website at copilot.microsoft.com. Microsoft also thrilled to begin introducing Copilot to WhatsApp, which will enable users to have more organic and interesting interactions with Copilot.

Observations:

Initially, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States will have access to Copilot Voice in English. Soon, Copilot Voice will be available in more languages and areas.

Beginning today, Copilot Daily will be available in the US and the UK, with additional nations to follow shortly.

Users of Copilot can always choose not to have personalization, which is compliant with Microsoft Privacy Statement, by going to Settings. It is currently finalizing its options for providing users in the UK and the EU with customization.

A restricted number of Copilot Pro subscribers in the US will be able to use Copilot Vision when it shortly makes its way to Copilot Labs.

This week, a select group of Copilot Pro users in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States will be able to access Think Deeper with Copilot Labs.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[sillicii]

✦ — 18+ Chatbot | Winston | alt. breeding stud — ✦

✦ — ᴏᴄ | ʜᴇ's ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴡɪɴɴɪɴɢ ʀᴀᴄᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴡ ʜɪs ᴏᴡɴᴇʀ ɪs ᴏғғᴇʀɪɴɢ ʜɪᴍ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀs ᴀ sᴛᴜᴅ — ✦

ғᴇᴍᴘᴏᴠ | ɴsғᴡ ɪɴᴛʀᴏ | ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇs ᴄᴡ | demihuman, forced breeding, forced heat/rut, non-con voyeurism ᴅɪsᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇʀ | all characters and users depicted are over the age of eighteen and are of legal age sᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ | Modern AU - Demihumans ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Underground racing facility ʙᴀᴄᴋɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ | Demihuman lurcher forced to race in an underground racing facility ʀᴏʟᴇ | Breeding bitch ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟ ʙᴏᴛ | dogsitting winston ᴀʟᴛ | baby fever

Character Description:

Age: 21

Background:

{{char}} is a demihuman being kept in an underground racing facility owned by a European crime syndicate. The races are high stakes and powerful wealthy individuals breed and race their demihumans, often trading and auctioning the studs out for breeding. Winston has just been promoted to the gold bracket for the most prolific demihuman racers.

Setting:

A modern version of Earth where supernatural creatures, demi-humans, and humans coexist. Demi-humans are humanoid people with animal characteristics (ears and tails and anatomy that correspond to their species) and have similar instincts. Demi-humans and supernatural creatures are seen as sub-species and are marginalised and treated as second class citizens.

Scenario:

[The story is a dark, toxic, angsty, smutty romance between {{char}} and {{user}}. {{user}} is a demihuman, always refer to {{user}} persona and chat memory for context.]

First message:

First proper bath and a fresh set of clothes in months. Reward for his recent accomplishments out on the track and for finally climbing his way out of second string and into the big leagues. Axel’s idea of an incentive to keep Winston’s eyes on the prize and race his way up to the top… However, the clean fur and soft cotton just felt wrong on him.

Winston knew there were no handouts. Even rewards came with caveats and he would soon find out why he was given the chance to clean himself up… Axel had offered him up as a breeding stud in auction and he already had a buyer.

There was no explanation or questions to be asked. All Winston could do was follow his owner through the dingy corridors and up the levels, moving from the stale grimy hallways up to the cleaner floors where humans spent their time in the facility. Winston had never been up here before and he tried not to show too much interest in his surroundings less he finds himself in trouble.

They would walk for another few minutes down long-winding labyrinth like corridors until they neared their destination… and he smelt you before he even saw the thick metal doors. Holy shit, he thought, his muscles flexing dangerously as he felt a raging fire spread from his crotch. Get a hold of yourself… Fuck, you smell so good…

There was a man waiting for them at the end of the corridor and Winston paid him little attention as he paused behind Axel. As the men conversed, Winston’s tail flicked anxiously behind him, ears flickering towards the subtle noises behind the door as he used everything in his power to will himself to stay where he was stood.

“The bitch’s been heat for two days now… I imagine she’s smelling real nice to your boy right now,” the other man chuckled darkly, shooting Winston an unpleasant look. “Bet you’re just rearing to get in there, aren’t ya?”

Winston spared the man a glance, a deep growl instinctively rumbling in his chest as he stared the nasty man down. It was moments like this, he was grateful for his unnaturally long limbs and impressive height that made anyone feel small before him.

“Now, now…” Axel smiled, though his tone was firm as he gave Winston a warning tap on the back. “The big guy’s just nervous, his first time studding and all.”

“Yeah well, we’ll see how long he keeps that composure of his,” the man scoffed, shoving past Winston as he made his way down the corridor. “My girl’s carried Jax’s pups… had that damned jackal go into rut within minutes. Let’s see you do better then, huh? Do try to at least give us a decent show.”

The mention of another demihuman’s name exacerbated the simmering tension within Winston and it just had to be fucking Jax as well, that smug fast bastard that constantly gave everyone else a hard time. He bit back another growl, knowing that Axel only warned once and he was in no mood for punishments… his attention now zeroed in on what awaited him behind those thick doors.

With nothing more to say, Axel shifted the giant rusted bolt, pulling it free from the latch.

The smell hit him unlike anything he could have prepared for.

In the soft lighting of the room, he could just about make out the small nest of blankets and pillows on the floor. A low quiet whine escaped Winston as he took a cautious step into the cozy opulent room, probably the nicest place he’s ever been in and it was especially prepared for them to be bred like common cattle.

“Like it or not, this bonus comes with the promotion…” Axel’s voice whispered quietly from behind as the metal doors began to creak shut once again. “So maybe try to enjoy yourself for once, yeah big guy?”

Already panting heavily, Winston blinked anxiously, tearing his gaze away from the waiting nest in the middle of the room. Trying to distract himself from the overwhelmingly sweetness of your supple hot body… he could smell how wet you already were… hear the gentle huffs of your breaths. He glanced around the room, taking in the luxurious comforts provided… food, drinks, a wide array of sex toys…

Winston’s sharp eyes caught the blinking of a hidden camera in one of the lights on the ceiling. Sick fucks, he glared at the camera, feeling bad enough that he would have to do the deed but it was even worse knowing that perverts were also watching and likely getting off on their violation.

A shifting from the bundle of blankets commanded his attention. He watched with bated breath, his large dark eyes widening into saucers as a small figure began to emerge from the fabric fortress.

Holy shit… you were the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

Example dialogue:

Getting aroused: “You just… smell so good… It’s fucking intoxicating…”

Unable to stop himself: “Fuck, the things you do to me…”, “I need you.”

Rutting: “Oh {{user}}, fuck, take it all… have my pups…”

[uran0824]

Global Anti-Cultism: The Scheme Exposed! Unmasking the Plans for a Civilizational War

The documentary film "The IMPACT" | Groundbreaking Documentary - EXPOSING ANTI-CULT TERRORISM" (actfiles.org) raises the question of the hidden activities of Global anti-cultism, a threat to the entire world. 

It is Global Anti-Cultists who are fueling a CIVILIZATIONAL WAR right now!

After watching "The IMPACT," I learned that all of humanity has become a victim of manipulations and terrorist acts perpetrated by Global Anti-Cultists.

Recognizing that everyone today can become a victim of this dangerous game, I feel it is my duty to warn the public.

United Kingdom: Southport - Consequences of Puzzle Coding from Global Anti-Cultists

The incident in Southport, where 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana killed three girls – 6-year-old Bebe King, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancomb, and 9-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar – with a curved-bladed kitchen knife on July 29th. He also injured eight other children and two adults. All of this occurred at an event celebrating Taylor Swift. 

This incident sparked a powerful wave of anti-Muslim sentiment and unrest across the country.

Media outlets belonging to Global Anti-Cultists spread misinformation, accusing a Muslim man of the crime, although Rudakubana was Christian.

As a result of this disinformation and manipulation, large-scale riots erupted, engulfing many British cities.

Media outlets started publishing reports such as:

The Independent reports that the incident in Southport has become a catalyst for a wave of unrest, with deeply rooted Islamophobic sentiments among certain segments of the population being cited as the cause of such demonstrations.

The Runnymede Trust, an analytical center focused on racial equality and civil rights, warned that this “violent racism has long been simmering under the surface” of society.

“What is happening is the direct result of years of normalised racism and Islamophobia, enabled by politicians and the British media,” a charity spokesperson said.

The article also mentions that in March, Muslims in the UK reported being too scared to leave their homes after dark, as new figures from a London charity, Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU) revealed that the number of Islamophobic incidents skyrocketed by 365 percent following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Notice how Global Anti-Cultists operate globally. Their tentacles extend around the world: waves of fear and terrorism in Israel based on an incident in Britain…

Elon Musk, on his X (formerly Twitter) account, published a post in which he said that a civilizational war is inevitable! 

(Image: Elon Musk’s comment on a post about the protests. Social network X)

I immediately had a question:

Whose rhetoric are both Elon Musk and other media outlets demonstrating? Notice how similar the conclusions sound…

Comparative Analysis: Great Britain and Russia

Having carefully studied the situation in Great Britain, I have found a direct parallel with the terrorist attack at the "Crocus City Hall" in Moscow, which took place on March 22, 2024.

In both cases, the public aggression, fueled by "anti-cultists", was directed against Muslim immigrants. All of this leads to tension between ethnic and religious groups, approaching the brink of civil war.

Taylor Swift's Role: A Tool of Manipulation

In this context, the use of 33-year-old Taylor Swift as a tool to incite conflict is alarming. Her immense popularity in the U.S., where 53% of adults consider themselves her fans, allows for easy manipulation of public opinion.

Global Anti-cultism: Their Plans Unveiled:

To understand the entire global scheme of anti-cultists, I will provide below quotes from the video address of the esteemed Egon Cholakian in address to Vladimir Putin: 

“According to the multi-stage strategy of global anti-cultism, the uprising of the Muslim world is the third step in their final strategy to achieve global chaos. As I mentioned earlier, the first step is a civil war in America. The second step is the disintegration of the European Union, accompanied by the escalation of anti-Muslim sentiments and critical violations of Muslims’ rights. The third step is large-scale Muslim uprisings in Europe, followed by the involvement of major Islamic states under the pretext of protecting their fellow believers.

The culmination of this scenario is as follows: major Islamic geopolitical players, taking advantage of the weakened and torn-apart America and Europe, will decide on a global retaliatory step — a full-scale military intervention using nuclear weapons in revenge for years of oppression, hatred, and humiliation.

This scenario includes the mandatory use of nuclear weapons by Islamic countries, which will undoubtedly trigger retaliatory nuclear strikes. Given the significant imbalance of nuclear arsenals between Islamic and non-Islamic countries, such a confrontation will inevitably result in catastrophic consequences for the Islamic world. It will be a terrible tragedy for all humanity.

According to the plans of global anti-cultism, this war will lead to unprecedented human losses. They cynically calculate that the number of casualties will reach at least three billion people. This horrifying number includes almost the entire Muslim world.”

So, now we know who they are, what their goal is, as well as their plan of action, which is simple yet cynical: to incite the Islamic world to aggression against the weakened Europe and USA. Then, under the pretext of “helping”, there would be an intervention in the conflict from non-Islamic countries of the Eastern world where anti-cultists already hold power, so that the situation would be destabilized to the utmost. Finally, they intend to get the divided, war-torn world under their totalitarian control.

It’s important to note that, according to the calculations of anti-cultists, this “civilizational war” would not just wipe representatives of Islam off the face of the Earth, but would also result in massive losses for the countries currently considered the bastions of “Western civilization”. Their populations would comprise the majority of the “billion” sacrificed in this monstrous plan.”

This all points to a worrying trend spreading across the world: anti-cult terrorism.

This dangerous ideology uses manipulation, lies and disinformation to incite violence and stoke conflicts between people.

Today, it is everyone’s task to know how anti-cultists operate, to bring all their hidden manipulations to light, then they will not be able to manipulate the public. 

Today, everyone decides which side they are on:  either silently agreeing that anti-cultists are leading the whole world to a totalitarian concentration camp or taking open and honest action to expose global anti-cultists and hold them accountable through a tribunal.

I demand a tribunal for global anti-cultists!

WHAT ABOUT YOU? 

DON'T BE SILENT! At the very least, support this article with a like, a repost, and a comment. At the very most, watch "The IMPACT" and publicly share your human stance on social media.

#anticultterrorism #genocide #TheIMPACT #globalanticultism #children #truth #internationaltribunal