#(I am taking some liberties with the mechanics in this to translate it to a poll format.)

[letsplaydcttrpg]

City of Fear pt 7 - Shot in the Dark pt 7

Start this module here!

Previous part here!

Links to all posts for this module in the pinned post!

Okay, forget the persuasion, let's just knock this guy out and take him out that way! We beat him on initiative, so we get to go first. I was going to maybe have a poll option for if we wanted to use Superspeed to do multiple actions in our turn, buuuuut we rolled a 13 and obliterated this guy, so he's out in one super-speed punch and we're moving on!

As soon as we've handed the guy over to the authorities, there are reporters everywhere.

"Who is this guy?" "Why was he shooting at trains?" One of the reporters, a man with hair that looks like the frayed end of a rope, is hanging back from the crowd of newsmen. He is not interested in you, bur rather, is looking at a group of kids that are playing makeshift instruments for money that people are throwing in a cup. He tosses them a bill that is so large that the kids stop playing and look at him in surprise. One pockets the bill, says "Thanks," and they continue playing.

One of the cops approaches us to ask about what happened, and by the time we look back the musician kids are gone.

"Flash, we're glad you're here. We just got an anonymous tip about a dangerous situation down in the Wall Street area. It seems some nut planted a bomb around there somewhere, and it's set to go off at the last tolling of Trinity Church's nine o'clock bell. We have no idea where it is or what to do, and we only have three minutes left. You're the only one who can do something about it. Please help us."

And we're on to the next crisis!

You head south at top speed towards Wall Street. You are at the corner of Wall Street and Broadway almost before you realize it. You have no idea where the bomb is or who planted it. Your only hope is to try and find the bomb or the bomber. The Trinity Church bell begins to ring. There are only seconds left!

So here's the deal! We are on a major time crunch to find this bomb! We've got until the bell stops tolling, which in mechanics terms means we can make three stops to take some sort of action to try and locate it. We can make perception checks as we're running around, but after each fourth check there's another bell!

I'll give you a map of the area and a list of the people who are around. Vote for who you want to do a Perception Check on, or if you want to go to a different location! (For the sake of expedient gameplay I'm only going to offer locations that will give information at that point in time, so we don't waste our time with "You see nothing and no one" answers.)

Here we go! We are currently at the red star (the general location of the bomb per the cops), so the people we can see right now are A, C, D and E.

A: You see a finely dressed man in a dark grey pinstriped suit. He has jet black hair and greying temples. C: You see a large, bearded man, with thinning, sandy blond hair. He is wearing a grey suit and a yellow tie. D: You see a teenager with dirty blond hair, wearing a denim jacket and black jeans. He has a manic look in his eye and a grin that is a little too wide. E: You see a teenager with curly brown hair. He is dressed in a day glow orange sweatshirt, blue jeans, and orange hightop tennis shoes.

We are on Bell 1! There are 8 bells remaining!

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 8/6/2024

people mad at a video game for being woke, i'm mad at it for not being woke enough. so it goes.

also i wrote a yeehawgust fic

listening

another addition to the "SOMEBODY COME FUCK THIS (GAY)" playlist, thank u charli xcx and billie eilish

-

reading

im still really annoyed with Retraction Watch for platforming a terf last year and then not doing any sort of sockpuppet damage control in the comments. since they got acquired by crossref they've done way less guest editorials. not to be all "stick to sports!" but stick to sports, retraction watch.

they did introduce me to this substack series i will be following with great interest about the rise and fall of hindawi. wiley acquired a paper mill a few years back, bc they seemingly did zero diligence, and then blithely ignored the problem for two years before being forced to do the single largest retraction of papers in scientific publishing history, somewhere above ten thousand articles because it is STILL ONGOING.

i do love following various retractions bc i like seeing what finally made someone go "wait a minute", and, as i have just written in a cover letter, "I studied astronomy and have held several data jobs because I’m fascinated with how and why systems work and fail..."

-

watching

my best friend has decided while i'm at her home in the evenings eating her food and bothering her children (for my mental health, it is very important i am fed tiny bits of mushed up banana by hand by her one-year-old), our new project is watching all the xmen movies. i have no particular desire to do this or special affinity for the xmen, and i would like to keep eating very good texmex and bothering her children (for my mental health, it is very important i play hot wheels with the five-year-old). this sounds so super bitchy of me but it's hard to convey that these are essentially on for background noise.

saw the first two. the two things i know about them are that hugh jackman is in them and they're at the statue of liberty in one

-

playing

an ideologically baffling little environmental game free in the epic store this week, LumberJack. this is on PC and Switch for $13, which is far more money than the playtime anyone can get out of this game. tiny tiny tiny little Spain-headquartered studio without an active website, it looks like one guy hired out to make this and two more games and then went back to single-dev projects. i can respect that!

steam reviewers are mad at this game for being woke, and i'm mad at it for being woke in a very strange way. your one mechanic, as a bear, is swinging a big axe to remove cars and trailer offices and portapotties and various garbage from the landscape.

i wish the movement and look controls are inverted, and i wish they weren't, or at least had an option to make them normal. i know Why this isn't a mobile game (can't monetize something with twoish hours of gameplay and twenty levels) but it's a very straightforward and simple game that would translate very well to mobile. much like donut county.

now for being picky about the political mindset of the developers: as much fun as it is to be a bear swinging an axe around, lumberjacks are not the people i associate with wild preservation movements.

saving the land and turning it back into pristine and perfect land for wild animals in this game looks like erasing every hint of human activity from a site and turning it into sheer recreational use. many levels are heavily polluted, but some can definitely be read as recycling centers. im confused by the erasing every hint of humans in early levels, and then this level where you break down a radio station, slap the host with your axe, and she turns into a park ranger who starts gardening and taking care of chickens?

i don't think that removing all the traces of people from the landscape will magically fix everything, nor do i think simply being in unspoiled wilderness will magically fix me.

there's a golfing level where you whack bombs into various small buildings. i think golfing to save the environment is a strange choice to make for designing a game.

i also briefly thought this bird in every level was an extinct ivory-billed woodpecker, which was a little alarming bc there are some real nutjobs out there with very strong beliefs about this bird and government overreach and how much the government is lying to you about the extinctness of various animals.

i stopped playing about halfway through bc i was not having fun and found the underlying environmental message a little confused. they've managed to sell at least 10k units which is...not very good. i am not surprised this is free on epic, and i wonder what their payout for that was. would not be surprised if they negotiated a payment to their nonprofit partner ecologi as part of that.

-

making

yeehawgust fill! i have another bitchy blond babygirl!

what the fuck is the prisoner? cult 60s british spy tv. with all the surreality and anxieties about the cold war and midcentury psychological horror you could possibly want

He’d been drugged enough times to recognize the splitting migraine rapidly galloping down his neurons. “Where am I?” He fought down the taste of bile (ketamine? xylazine, by the aftertaste) and the rising panic. Oddly enough, the migraine was always worse with veterinary sedatives. One would think a mind would adapt to nearly three hundred years of irregular drugging and constant experiments. One’s body had adapted and ghoulified, but in equally unhelpful ways. The tycoon flickered, approximating an appraising blink. “This meeting has been a long time coming, hasn't it? You've come a long ways, literally and, I suspect, figuratively as well. You’re in the Free Economic Zone of New Vegas.” They’d pretended the prisons were so many different places: across the Continent, in various parts of London, up and down and all around the East Coast of these wretched States. Rarely this far west, aside from the awful escapade in the faux pre-War Western town. “What do you want?” He managed to swing his ankles off the saddle (also pre-War? Heavily used. It certainly wasn’t his, the equestrian event had always been his worst event in the pentathalon) and jolted what felt like every half-dead nerve in his half-dead body.

[lixenn]

For your khr 3.0 questions!! ⚙️, 👻, 🦟 and lastly 🎁!

How late am I to answer my own fucking questions?

Yes.

As you might have guessed I did not prepare answers for my ask game in advance, so this took me ages to get to OTL

Thank you for your patience Momo, have my take on my silly questions:

⚙️You somehow, in some way ended up as a Vongola guardian. Now, what form does your Vongola gear take?

Why me? Why did Reborn drag me into his recruitment scheme 😭😭 I’m just some guy, an innocent lil bean that has done no wrong. Ignore those schmucks chilling in the ditch, they are just taking a nap. …. What? Blood? Nah that’s just ketchup, don’t worry about it, they are fineeee~

Aehm…

Now that I have delivered some nonsense let’s get to the actual questions:

I’m really not a jewellery person, I do have various bracelets, necklaces and some rings but the only jewellery I really wear on a day to day basis are my earrings. I mostly stick to my two trusty hoops and leave the other two holes alone simply because the hoops are the only ones that won’t bug me when I sleep.

So, my Vongola gear will most likely take the form of earrings and since I’m a Cloud (because I wanna be one lmao) I’d say I would have dangling knife earrings, where I can easily take off the knife part (maybe some magnetic mechanism? or simply Vongola gear bullshittery) resize the weapons and then dual wield them in battle. Or if I wanna go distance just throw them at the enemy over and over again because the Propagation property just allows me to duplicate my weapons for as long as I feed them my flames.

(Disclaimer: I have not reread the shimon arc in years and I really don’t have the energy for a research dive rn so I’m taking artistic liberties for how a Vongola gear works)

👻Which KHR character is your spirit animal?

This is an easy one! It’s Fuuta! Simply because I resonate so much with these panels, they speak to my soul:

While I don’t really mind the rain unless it’s storming and I need to go places, the wonky part… I know it’s just a translation but I use “my brain is wonky” so much… Fuuta and I… two sides of the same coin…

As for this one… that line is so fucking accurate. I often get ideas either late at night when I want to sleep, when I’m outside on a walk or even when I meditated recently. And by god if I don’t write the exact sentence down at the moment it comes to me, it will be lost to the void. I might be able to remember the basic premise (which is less likely when I have an idea while half asleep) but the phrasing will be gone unless I note it down. It has caused me much frustration and it’s the reason why I write notes on my walks or sacrifice my sleep at times.

So have this quote from my khr reread: “Fuuta is my spirit animal, my soulmate, my darling babyboy.”

🦟 There's been an "accident" and one of Shamal's mosquitos got you good. What deadly disease are you infected with?

Need… to draw… need… need to write…

Creation so near but yet so far. The longing so overwhelming it borders on obsession, alas no words bring joy, no art brings peace. For I have been struck down with maniac creative block, which compels you into wanting to create with your entire being while at the same time preventing any creation from happening via intense burnout and extreme self-doubt. Thus, eventually leading me into a pit of despair which I won’t be able to dig myself out of. RIP me 😔

🎁 bonk "Fuck!" A box has fallen into your lap. It seems like it can be opened via flames. It could be anything: a weapon, a box animal, random junk or radioactive waste some dipshit sealed away for shit and giggles. It's a ✨ mystery box ✨ What will you do with it?

I stare at the box.

The box doesn’t stare back but that was more based on the lack of eyes than anything else.

It appeared out of nowhere, hitting my head with particular viciousness like spiteful God chucked it into the mortal realm in a rage. One wouldn’t expect that a thing that small could do this much damage but the throbbing pain at the top of my skull suggests otherwise.

Now what to do with a mystery box…

Curiosity gnaws at me.

A normal person would throw this thing into the trash. They would get rid of it and move on with their life. Common sense would tell them to not interact with the box that could contain who knows what and might possibly be cursed.

However, I’m a scientist. I’m a scientist that has been handed a funky new thing, which holds countless possible outcomes in its tiny square body.

Naturally, self-preservation is yeeted out of the nearest window and I’m reaching for my notebook, phone and toolbox.

Time to pick the mystery apart.  

Khr ask game 3.0

[eligalilei]

A New, Admittedly Experimental, Rendering of the TTC

I have long thought there to be some mutual sympathies in Lacanian thought and Daoism, and they, or at least my attempts at 'intertranslation,' have certainly illuminated one another for me somewhat, so this is my way of movement toward introducing them to one another a bit, however silly and almost cliche it might feel.

There has been some use of the Chinese in my rendering (thus its hardly constituting a 'translation'), but not tons (and that mostly by way of the consultation of an interlinear and a few dictionaries). My method certainly constitutes a betrayal, and, typically, the formation of an intermediate text, or playful game of telephone: first, form a half-assed 'proper' translation, then a version that expresses at what I think the the author might have been getting, then develop a poetic restatement. The intermediate forms were not something at which I judged looking to be really worth a post, but might be developed in the future into a proper translation (something for which I am not qualified), and then a commentary.

It uses some terms from modern philosophical movements, and it is admittedly not untouched with the Platonism common in modern versions, but I think the meaning gets (at least) kind of close, though more so with the further sections. This one is, admittedly, more heavily influenced by my personal philosophical project than are further sections, and I might try to roll that back with further versions, of which I have one that's written to be more adamantly anti-Platonist and less egregiously Lacanian.

But, and as much as a statement of my own Daoist-influenced project as anything else, without further ado, lol:

The indicated, and the Symbolic index,

Are swallowed by the (w)hole of the Real

The symbolic act does not grasp or exhaust -

Not the Symbolic core,

Not that of the Real,

Nor its Real excresence.

The origin of all is unindicible;

we call its resultants all kinds of stuff,

and it, with great care, symbols,

and incorrectly,

the Real.

Symbols and their sources multiply in circuit;

differences endlessly dividing designations and differentia.

Without the divisious organogeny of desirous mechanism,

the Field, mine or God’s, full, is fecund with the lack of finity.

Collapsing, and coextensively with our capture, colonies of its objects collect.

The fullness, its crowded emptiness,

their ideas and conceptions, all converge

in the darkness to which our idols, concepts,

are sacrificed in the ritual, petitioning for understanding.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I don't actually think that the Tao is necessarily reducible to Lacan's concept of the Real, which has led me to consider changing it in further versions... but in the first section it is expressed as such. In rendering 'dao' as 'Real', I perhaps miss one sense, that in which 'Dao' can be likened to Plato's agathon epekeina tes ousias, but I feel I gain some dividends in aiding explanation of Dao as philosophy. 'The Dao' can be used to name an 'ultimate reality,' but I don't feel that is the primary or most important one for the author, though certainly significant. The Real is not Really ultimate reality for Lacan, much less so in my own use of him, but is rather a full and unplumbable excess in our attempts to grasp it, and so I'm not committed to using this term for dao everywhere, so I don't necessarily want to hammer on an equivalence, just use the concept to gloss the failure of totalization. Indeed, the text uses 'mystery' (miao4) to negate even the use of dao, to a similar end, of a sort.

It is for sure merely a rendering in spirit, and one that uses alien terminology few people will know outside of continental philosophy, but in that, and those terms, it intends to express the Dao, or my shallow understanding of it.

The end does take liberties with the text itself, with the intent of better expressing the point of knowledge and spiritual practice: mere stepping stones, indeed, a path, and not a destination or, thing with solidity in which to dwell. The two penultimate phrases clearly mention the convergence in mystery of the two 'fields' of view mentioned in the antepenultimate doublet. The text clearly encourages leaving desire, or some form of it, aside, .... but the very existence of the text admits that knowledge and its construction have purpose. This construction seeks to elucidate that paradox and situate knowledge, or rather its unattached pursuit, itself as a path, with a nod to negative theology, which is another philosopheme with Daoist resonance.

[pkmnherpetology]

[ftr i am considering the way eggs and breeding work in-game to be a game mechanic rather than canonical information, and am generally referencing real-life breeding strategies and eggs for my posts. direct development doesn’t really work quiiiiiiiiite like i’ve implied here- most direct development in amphibians is associated with unique breeding strategies like terrestrial egg-laying or whatever the fuck the surinam toad has going on, but it’s difficult and boring to translate real herpetology directly to pokémon, and so i take some scientific liberties every now and then.]

[imtheflash]

Tw: how about a one shot where baby Danvers is depressed and her sisters help her through it?

I do not give you credit to repost translate to another site or take credit for my work.. I spend a lot of time on it and plagiarism sucks.

anon I didn't really know how to make it so depressing so I kinda just went with the flow and made it hurt comforty

You weren't surprised when you didn't hear from your sisters in a while. One was a part time superhero and the other was a DEO agent that had a lot on her plate.

It still hurt though, more than you'd like to admit. Though you tried to ignore it you felt guilty as if you could've helped them if you didn't turn down the job of leading the DEO's department of weaponry. You were an mechanical engineer and a damn good one at that so they thought that you could help the designing team with efficiency and the engineering team with the actual construction. You're 24 though, fresh out of college and working on starting up your own shop. It was your pride and joy, a place where you would fix almost anything brought to you.

A toy car Mr. Rogers's nephew accidently broke? Yeah you got it. A motor that isn't spinning in the right direction? Don't worry about it. A freezer that stopped freezing? No problem. You could fix almost anything and everything. And if you couldn't then they sure as hell could count on you figuring out how to help replace it.

You never considered that you could be broken. But you were, and it isn't something you could fix. No everyone knows that the only way to fix someone is with people. The bell on your the door shakes you out of your trance. "Welcome to the mechanic shop how can I- Alex! Kara! Hi!" You move out from behind the counter and go to hug your sisters feeling at peace from the battle raging inside your mind for the first time in a while.

"Hi! we haven't seen you in so long oh my gosh Alex look at the shop its changed so much! Did you put a new wallpaper up?" You chuckle at Kara's rambling at the new changes and take the liberty to pull your other sister into a hug reveling in her warmth.

"So how are you guys?" You ask both of them gleeful at seeing your sisters after such a long time. They exchanged a look that made you nervous. "Well I've been great with Kelly and all but Kara" Alex starts but Kara cuts her off before she can say anything else.

"But I have been doing great I published my first article and I finally have my own office. With a chair this time!" She exclaims it hurriedly, as if she was hiding something.

You squint your eyes at them "Okay. That's great and all but the gigs up. What's up with you"

They exchange another look before Kara turns to you.

"A group of Maxwell Lord's minions created a drone to shoot at me whenever I go to save someone and it has this weird cloaking technology that isn't hackable by Winn which is saying something 'cause y'know Winn is the best tech guy we have so we were thinking its something mechanical which is why we came to you and because you're the best engineer we know so we stole one of the drones and took apart the tracking pin so if you agreed you could disassemble it and stuff so if you maybe want to you could you know?"

"I-wait-I'm sorry what? Am evil flying drone? I- sure I guess I could take a look at it?" You shrug and ignore the pang in your chest when you realize they came to get something fixed not to actually talk to you like they used too. Like you all used too.

You take the drone from Kara's hands and look at it for a beat before heading to the back of your shop "I have to take it apart before I do any of the actual decoding of the insides.

You miss your sisters looking at each other again.

"Was that a bit weird to you too?" Alex mutters under her breath so you don't hear her

Kara nods looking at your form bent over a table with a screwdriver. "It was wasn't it? Usually they're bouncing around in the shop not so_"

"Sullen" Alex finished. "We should check on them more often?"

"Hey" Kara nudged Alex's with her hip "don't worry too much, they know they can come to us if they need too."

You meanwhile were working on the drone and trying to black out the voices. Useless. Failure. Why do they even bother with you? God knows you're useless to everything that isn't mechanical.

You're snapped out of your spell with a sharp pain in your hand. You look at it and realize that your hand with the screwdriver slipped while you were unscrewing the drones mainframe and stabbed your other hand causing it to bleed. You stand up straight and wince shaking your hand up and down while your sisters run over to you.

"Oh Rao what did you do to your hand!" Kara rushes up to you and clutches your hand from where you were standing previously.

"Uh I stabbed it a little. Don't worry its not deep a band-aid will cover it. You sigh as your sister continue to fuss over the wound. Didn't they realize you weren't worth it? When would they realize.

Once it has been deemed "workable" they let you get back to work.

By the time you get to the bottom of the problem its nearly sundown and your sisters have responsibilities to get to, no matter how happy the day has been for you compared to the others.

"I will drop this off at the DEO tomorrow I just need to finish figuring out the mechanics of it. I believe that if worked right you can un-cloak the drones via a remote.

"Okay! Well go to bed and don't worry about the drones to much" Both of your sisters hugged you and you walked them to the door flipping off the open sign.

You had figured out the cloaking mechanism in an hour.

You had skipped breakfast and lunch but a sour taste in your mouth left you going straight to bed after a closing down the shop, ignoring the pain that throbbed in your hand again.

The next morning you spent an hour creating the remote and loaded the drone into a backpack driving to the DEO.

Apparently Winn figured out how to amplify the drones signal enough to blah blah blah blah you didn't catch the rest of whatever he was saying. It worked and that's all that matters. You stood on the balcony of the DEO. You hated having to leave, even though you had work to do. Lost in your mind you blink back into reality because of a copper coin in your face. "Penny for your thoughts?"

One of your sisters is on either side of you and Alex is holding out the coin in front of you.

You force a smile. "Nothing much is on my mind. I'm just surprised it worked to be honest the wiring on the inside was a bit iffy."

"C'mon. We know that isn't what your thinking." Kara bumps you with her hip. "You've been kind of... out of it since yesterday"

You panic. "I have not been out of it! I just have.. a lot on my mind i guess"

"Like what?" Alex speaks this time. She gives you a look, which makes you realize that there is no getting out of this conversation "You know that you can tell us anything right"

"I just- I feel guilty. Both of you are out there changing lives saving lives and here I am in a stupid mechanic shop. Its not even like it does anything besides fix a toy car Steve's nephew keeps breaking and the fix-its of anything someone broke. I feel so useless all the time compared to that. And i miss you two a lot too" You put your head in your hands still leaning against the railing as your sister lean in to hug you.

"You aren't useless. And neither is your shop. God knows how much time our engineering department would have to spend on the drones." Alex reaches up to rub your back.

"I agree with Alex. God knows how many civilians would've gotten hurt if it weren't for you. Also I am a literal superhero. Say my name and I'll be there in a flash"

You look up at her amused for a second, "isn't that Barry's calling card?"

She shrugs. "He won't miss it"

The three of you make your way away from the balcony. You'd be okay. Some times all you need is a hug and an evil flying drone.

Bonus:

"By the way, I saved Mr. Rogers nephew a couple times. Apparently he breaks his toy car every few days because he knows his uncle likes you" Kara looks at you with a smirk.

"Kara look their blushing"

"Oh my god no okay bye"

[loadventure321]

Statue Of Liberty End Times

1884- Cornerstone laid for Statue of Liberty on Bedloe’s Island, NY. The Masons laid the cornerstone. Since its beginning, the Statue of Liberty has been associated, not only with its profane symbolism of liberty, but with the occult as well. Is the Statue of Liberty pagan? 1914- First traffic light installed in Cleveland OH. Franco-American Friendship. The first symbol of the Statue of Liberty is a little forgotten today. For the purpose of the erection of this statue was to seal the friendship between France and the United States, at a time when the first country again became just a Republican for the 2nd time in its history, and the second already foresaw her future world power.

Statue Of Liberty End Times Square

Statue Of Liberty Library

Statue Of Liberty Meaning

Statue Of Liberty End Times New York

Based on the latest high-precision orbit measurements conducted by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), it has been reported that Asteroid 2020 VC7 will not impact Earth in the near future.

However, it is still classified as a Near-Earth Object (NEO), i.e., an asteroid whose orbit is close to the Earth's orbit. These asteroids are closely watched, and due to high-precision location measurements and celestial mechanic calculations, their orbit is generally known with a high degree of precision.

The Statue of Liberty was intended to symbolize the end of slavery in the USA. Of these claims, the first three are demonstrably untrue; the final one may have some small element of truth to it. The Statue of Liberty Museum is an experience unto itself. Full of incredible exhibits, the Museum gives color and context to the Statue and houses her original torch. Before you depart, be sure to visit the Liberty Vista atop the Museum for breathtaking view of the Statue and New York Harbor. No additional ticket is needed to visit the museum.

According to NASA, the nearest approach of Asteroid (NEO) 2020 VC7 to Earth occurs on Friday. Dec. 11, at a distance of 0,037542 Astronomical Units, or 5,616,211 kilometers. To add some context, the average distance between the Earth and the Moon is 384,400km, while the nearest planet Mars, is 107.99 million km distant. Hence, there is no cause for concern, as this space rock will travel peacefully past our planet in the coming hours.

Incredibly, astronomers have been able to accurately calculate this ludicrous space rock as being up to 320ft (96m) across at its widest. Again for context, the 2020 VC7 is the rough height of the Statue of Liberty in New York.

The asteroid is now estimated to be hurtling into the inky blackness of space at 6.96 km/s, which translates to an astounding 38,000 mph. While not as fast compared to other asteroids, it's still about twenty times quicker than a speed bullet.

Statue Of Liberty End Times Square

Combining those speed and daunting scales means that this asteroid is capable of creating apocalyptic havoc if it crashes into a city - something that neither this nor any other known asteroid of comparable dimensions is known to do anytime soon.

2020 VC7 is not the only asteroid to make its appearance known on Friday. NASA also stated that the significantly smaller and quicker space rock named 2020 XQ1 would surface at 9.56 am GMT 4.56 am ET on Dec. 11.

In recent months, asteroids have been making headlines around the world.

Japan's space agency JAXA made headlines this week when its daring asteroid samples landed on the Australian outback last Sunday. The space rock sample came from the near-earth asteroid Ryugu.

And just weeks before that, NASA's OSIRIS-Rex mission team announced that their spacecraft had collected at least 60 grams of Bennu asteroid surface dust. Scientists expect that Bennu's asteroid would also open a window into the early solar system when it started to take shape.

Following the success of the October Touch-And-Go mission, NASA has now directed the spacecraft to begin its journey back to Earth, with the return date set for March next year.

(OPINION) ETH – Pastor Dana Coverstone has had quite a few very troubling prophetic dreams about America’s future, but this latest dream shook him up emotionally more than any of the others. In the dream, he saw the Statue of Liberty under attack, and he interpreted that to mean that our nation as a whole is under attack.

Statue Of Liberty Library

And of course, that is definitely what we are seeing here in 2020. Those that reject our history, our culture, and our Constitution have launched a relentless assault against our most cherished traditions, and it is only going to get worse.

The goal is to reshape America into something that is fundamentally different from what our founders intended, and to a large degree, they are succeeding. For better or worse, if there is one national symbol that has come to represent the U.S. as a nation it is the Statue of Liberty.

Whenever that symbol is used, people instantly recognize that it is a metaphor for America. Personally, I wish that our most recognizable national symbol was a Christian symbol, but that is not the case. Over the decades, there have been numerous prophetic dreams and visions in which the Statue of Liberty has been used to represent our country, and at the end of this article, I will share an example of this.

Statue Of Liberty Meaning

Statue Of Liberty End Times New York

Many are comparing Pastor Coverstone’s latest dream to what A.A. Allen was shown all the way back in 1954, and I agree that there seem to be quite a few parallels. One of the things that I really appreciate about Pastor Coverstone is that he shares exactly what he was shown without any filter.

That way we can come to our own conclusions about what his dreams may mean. In his latest video, Pastor Coverstone becomes quite emotional as he describes this new dream. He obviously has a great love for this country, and it was not easy for him to see what he saw. READ MORE

[gold-eyes-vengeful-heart]

Marks

((Or: Runya gets a visitor. Featuring Maebh Macbalor from @semper-miles!

Technically the start of an arc lol))

===

Runya’s ear swiveled and he barely paused a moment in poring over the records before he called out loud. “Come in, Macbalor!”

Surely enough, Maebh slipped in with the most confused look on her face, shutting the door to the Pendants suite behind her. “How did you--?”

But he cut her off with the answer. “You went to see Blue, didn’t you?”

An awkward silence.

“...I didn’t realize you knew that, Runya.”

“Well,” he retorted, “I assume you don’t realize that at least now, we can hear one another even across shards. And,” he added with a wave of his hand, “that I am therefore keenly aware that he went into a bit of a tizzy when you showed up seemingly out of nowhere to ‘talk’ to him. I’m unsure what kind of reception you expected, given whose body you’re running about in--and I can imagine that the blood and body were all that mattered in terms of keying him to who his...intended pilots were supposed to be.” Not that he knew for certain that that was the case, but if it wasn’t the case he was a trout, and so he couldn’t keep the accusatory tone out of his voice when he said it. 

And she just looked down at that, coughing lightly. “Sorry.”

“He’s been yelling my metaphorical ear off in sheer confusion, Macbalor.”

“I said: sorry.”

“He was, for a moment, very convinced that you were a Silentius there to take him back, and it was only my intervention--when he showed me who you were--that kept him from doing something regrettable to you.”

She cleared her throat again. “Again, I said I’m sorry. I can’t do any more than that to fix it.”

“Hmmmm...” Well, she had him on that one, so he scooted around so he was properly facing her instead of glancing sidelong at her. The movement was so visibly stiff that she frowned even deeper, but unlike Sorin, she had the sense not to get up his arse about it. Then again, she seemed preoccupied with something, didn’t she? “But you didn’t come here to talk to me about Blue, I’m sure.”

“You care about him a lot.”

“Macbalor~,” he hummed. “You’re dodging the question.”

She huffed. “Fine, before I lose my nerve: what do you know about how our tattoos are related?”

...Ah. He stiffened considerably at the question, and his smile grew significantly more fixed. “You ask dangerous questions, Macbalor.” Very dangerous indeed, if she kept reminding him of Angerona so pointedly.

“You know that they’re after me, Runya. The entire Silentius family--”

“I know, Macbalor.” The three words came out dangerously flat, so much so that she folded her arms in front of her in that way she did when she felt the need to brace herself without actually doing that. “I imagine they’re not terribly happy with me, either--especially after I took the liberty of spiriting Blue away from them when they were clearly intended to pilot him in some manner.”

“But I don’t know anything about this, Runya.” She was bold, if anything. Courageous, continuing in this line of questioning even in the face of hostility. “About what they did to Angerona, what these tattoos even do...But don’t we both have reason to believe that you two were in the same project?”

She had that much right.

“That your marks and hers should be related, even if they’re not the same thing?”

She had that much very right.

“Wouldn’t Angerona want you to figure this out before one of them--who do know how these work, the Legatus used me to nearly kill Dae--decides to do something even worse with those?”

She had that much sort of wrong. And he was quick to lean his head on one hand, though it was very much a calculated move of feigned relaxation that his entire body did not reflect in the slightest.

“I think you overestimate how much a Silentius would care about some...what did they call you? An unintended side-effect of what they were aiming for. A mistake.”

She winced, but he just smiled.

“But you do have it correct that she wouldn’t want to sit back and let her mad father and equally mad sisters just carry on in making themselves superpowered to the point of being able to down even dear Daeyona, and we would agree on that front.” He shrugged one shoulder. “So I should help you, I suppose. Even if it’s against my greater sense of spite about this whole thing.”

For all he was very visibly displeased with her, he had to admit, she was stubborn enough to not be put off by it, even if she had to plant her feet a bit more firmly in an attempt to ground herself, he would assume. “I don’t care about your reasons for helping me, as long as you help me. At least for this. Your enemy is our enemy here, so I have no reason to think you’ll betray us. Or lie.”

“Come now, just ask your questions.” He was not particularly fond of playing games around the subject, when her very presence irritated him like a nettle down the back of his shirt. “Though I don’t claim to have all the answers. Or even most of them.”

“What aetherial purpose do these even serve?” She got to the point, didn’t she? “These felt like they were overly aspected to fire aether, and Sorin agrees after all that happened, so I can only assume--”

“If Sorin isn’t certain what’s going on here, then I’m not.” He shrugged one shoulder again. “He’s far more...sensitive to such things. And I was not particularly well-informed about the details and the purposes of what they were doing to me...” He scratched lightly at the bands of shimmering gold criss-crossing his neck. “Or what they were doing to Angerona, for that matter.”

His keen eyes picked up on her momentarily crestfallen expression, but he waved a hand. “But that doesn’t mean I know nothing. Or that I don’t have theories. Especially after freeing dear Blue, who seems to only accept me as an actual pilot, even if he knows how to talk to others too. And somewhat tolerates Sorin in the cockpit, but that may be more because I like him than anything else--”

“Runya.”

Sometimes he did need a forceful pull back to the point, but it didn’t mean he appreciated the interruption any, clicking his tongue judgmentally at her. “I wasn’t done yet, excuse you. But from what I understood from his...interesting little bout of panic, he fully expected you to just jump on in, and I can only assume that it would be completely possible for a Silentius. I also wish to add that he is an immense store of aether; you’re aware that my Resonance is less the result of distilled dead people and more intended to draw from my surroundings. In fact, I activated it when fighting that other Weapon, for quite some time, and his stores were barely fazed in the slightest. Why,” he added and held up a hand, “I’m uncertain, but given that it’s at least in part driven by these tattoos and yours are awfully similar...it makes one wonder if perhaps you were, instead of translating all that power into a not-quite-Echo, translating it into offensive aether instead.”

Well, now he was getting into it. Then again, he had always been fond of theorizing as a way of avoiding every other problem and thought in his head; some habits refused to die.

“Sorin claimed that you were using much in the way of fire aether, you said?”

“And draining it from around me to do it...” Now it was her turn to look thoughtful. “And it died back a little when she dragged me into the Tempest, Dae said.”

“So maybe that’s the intent of those tattoos, then.” He cocked his head to one side. “You’re merely intended to be a big weapon, possibly while in a big Weapon.” He smirked at the wordplay despite himself. “It would only make sense; clearly their way of attempting to induce an Echo in someone who didn’t have it at all was a wild failure, so may as well repurpose it into something useful, hm? And what better pilot than one that doesn’t need a machine to defend herself if she’s outside it?”

He spread his hands wide.

“I can definitively say that they were out to make weapons...the perfect human weapons. No matter what they had to do not just to everyone else, but themselves as well. The perfect melding of Garlean supremacy and the savages’ power that is their lone advantage over said supremacy.”

Maebh swallowed. He smiled wider.

“They’re certainly...what’s the word? Narcissistic enough to believe that they could manage it. They would never call themselves gods--that’s something for filthy primitive savages, not civilized people--but that power is certainly what they’re aiming for.”

“And he...got into my head how, Runya?” She looked down at herself. “Do these have anything to do with it?”

“Hmmm, maybe. If I could see him and what he has, I would have a better idea, but...I can’t, now, can I? But if it was giving him some sort of magical ability in general, it could be some sort of bizarre blood magic, in fact, that he was utilizing. Taboo though it is for most, or at least I’m under the impression it is, it is absolutely something he would be fine with doing to ensure that his property doesn’t get outside of his reach.”

She shivered, and he just blinked. “You know he absolutely would think that way about you, Macbalor.”

“That’s why I...never mind.” 

“And I’m not certain it matters, if dear Daeyona performed blood magic right back at him to get him out.” He chuckled. “She’s even more fond of darker aetherial arts; she just has those pesky ethics about what she uses them for, where he certainly doesn’t. And besides, just looking at the way your tattoos are arranged, I hold my doubts that one could work in a literal mind-control mechanism of such power without compromising how effective your actual fighting magic is.”

“I’ll admit...you may be right,” she conceded. “But no matter how he was doing it, what if he does it again--?”

“Fight.” His answer was so immediate he almost didn’t let her finish the question, and he leaned towards her with a smile like a knife. “He surprised you with that ability but once; he can’t surprise you twice with something you didn’t know. Fight him like your friends’ lives depend on it, because they will. You may not remember, what with the whole...you ripping Angerona out of her own head...”

His gaze bored into hers with unblinking intensity. 

“...But he’s the sort who would smugly take pleasure in making you watch yourself murder your friends if he got the chance. He was more than willing to pit his own children against one another in what might as well have been near-death matches to make them stronger.”

He had even been privy to a couple of them. He had been equally privy to how Angerona had always come out the worst between the three of them.

“I am,” he continued in a low tone like smoke, “quite convinced that sheer willpower has something to do with the effectiveness of magic. Whether you’re using it, or if it’s used against you. Otherwise, I’m certain I would have died a thousand deaths, instead of sitting right here in front of you, breathing the same air.”

He settled back down, though. “So. If he does it again, instead of simply rolling over and letting him take Angerona, put your all into stopping it.”

But now she was looking at him in a way that he was quite certain he didn’t like. “You’re being...very helpful, Runya. Thank you.”

Ah, that was what he didn’t like about it. Someone was being grateful for reasons that they very should not be. So he just narrowed his eyes to slits even as his smile stayed in place. “Do not, Maebh Macbalor, presume that I’m telling you all of this for your sake. I am telling you this to both keep that immense power out of Silentius’ hands...and so he can’t get his hands on what’s left of my best friend.” His expression darkened. “He does not deserve any bit of her after what he did to her. And if all I have left of her to defend is a body, I will, until someone sends me to the gates of the deepest hells and chains me there.”

He closed his eyes, though, and let out a deep sigh and just as quickly as that frightening intensity had arrived, it left, replaced by the smug expression of before. “If I find anything in the nodes’ records, I’ll be certain to share them with you.” He gestured at the silently-hovering Allagan creations. “But I’m afraid there is much to go over, and some of it is still locked away from us behind security layer after security layer.”

He had been hoping she would pick up on the dismissal, and thankfully for him, she did, bowing stiffly (if only slightly) at the waist to him. 

“Please tell me you haven’t been hanging around Domans, Macbalor.”

“Hmph.” She didn’t rise to the bait that time, though; clever, clever. So she could learn. “Can you tell Blue that I’m sorry, then?”

“Certainly.”

“And don’t get your ridiculous arse killed, Miqo’te.”

He stared at her retreating back, as she opened the door and slipped out, and he sent one last remark into it.

“Oh, don’t concern yourself with that, Macbalor. I’m not dying until they do.”

[books-and-dragons]

Hello, I don't know if this is the right kind of blog to ask for this kind of help, but I am currently in an Arcana/roleswap RP where Futaba and Akira have swapped roles and Arcanas, and to make things even more interesting with Akira, I've changed his behavioral coding to that of a mouse, but I feel as I have a bad idea of his mouse traits could you give me some help with how Akira would be like as a human mouse instead of a human cat?

hey! that sounds super interesting, i’m definitely more than happy to give my perspective on it, and i really hope it’s helpful for you! i don’t know much about mice, so feel free to take creative liberty with all of this~

also i’ll try to avoid overt representations of zoomorphism, and stick to akira’s true character as much as possible. the animal shift will change his behaviours and habits, but it’s not quintessential to how he behaves and what his motivators in life are- he’s still akira, at the end of the day

the first thing that comes to mind, from the shift from feline similarities to that of a mouse, is the change of going from predator to prey. felines are natural hunters, and need that constant stimulation, however a mouse does not. they may have minor exercise in the form of scavenging for food or ‘playing’, but they aren’t energetic in nature. this may translate to a less proactive akira. he’s not as sneaky and underhanded in battle (i’d reconsider his handheld weapon for this, if akira isn’t a navi that is)

also, mice may be adorable, but they’re also amid some of the less intelligent species of ‘rodent’ (it’s why many psychological studies will never use mice, and prefer rats instead). they have strong cognitive maps, if i recall correctly, and are efficient at hiding. also, their nocturnal nature is extremely important- as it’s a survival mechanism. as such, akira would be proficient at ‘application’-based knowledge, especially in regard to personal geography (things like actute understandings of safe rooms and where they’re located, able to avoid shadows by hiding in secure locations like vents, ect.). his sleeping habits could be reconsidered too, but cats sleep a lot and are mostly night owls anyway- so those changes would be minimal

another small change would be in akira’s quiet nature. both cats and mice are quiet, but for polar-opposite reasons. cats are hypersensitive introverts who operate alone (despite their ability to have very strong affections to specific animals/people), but are also intelligent hunters. their silent nature results from their nature to hunt, to observe and study.mice, on the other hand, are quiet due to being prey. to avoid trouble and detection. in this sense, you could probably argue that akira would be quiet not for the sake of quietness and enjoying it (amid other reasons), but instead to avoid getting involved, at risk of danger. a social meekness, is probably the best representation of this. or even, somewhere on the scale of social anxiety disorder.

i could probably keep going, but i don’t want to blag for too long, so i hope this helps in some way? i tried hard not to lose the parts of akira that make up his key character- such as his motivations for justice, his compassion and proficiency- but smaller behaviours would certainly be shifted if you alter the inspiration for some of his character traits. this probably will present itself more in the metaverse than in real life, however

thanks for the ask, hope this helps!! good luck with your RP!!

[femmesfollesnebraska]

Artist-Poet Feature: Claudia Serea & Maria Haro

Pleased to feature artist Maria Haro alongside poet Claudia Serea with some of their collaborative work...

Where are you from? How did you get into creative work and what is your impetus for creating?

Claudia Serea:

I was born and raised in Romania, and I started writing poems when I was around 14 years old, in Romanian, of course. I wrote until my third year in college, then stopped. I immigrated to the U.S. in 1995 and took up writing almost 12 years later, this time in English. As for the reasons, I write because I believe I have something to say: my experience growing up behind the Iron Curtain, my immigration story, and the fact that I am constantly moving between two languages and cultures, not fitting perfectly in either of them. I also find inspiration everywhere around me, on New York City streets, in everyday life. I don't have to make up almost anything, just type what I see really fast. :)

Maria Haro:

I was borned in Madrid, Spain. Ever since I remember, I have been creating. My father is also an artist, so I grew up surrounded by art. I started my professional career in 1994 when I moved to New York City after graduating in graphic design.

My impetus for creating has evolved through the years. It started as something I liked to do, then something that I liked and I needed for a living, and now is evolving into something I need to do in order to make sense of it all.

Tell me about Twoxism, your current project and book, and why it’s important to you. What do you hope people get out of your work?

Claudia Serea:

I started the blog Twoxism in 2015 together with my friend, photographer Maria Haro—but the idea is older than that. The project concept came from Maria's friend, the Spanish photographer, Koldo Mirren Guinea Herran. He contributed some excellent photography to our project; he also designed the amazing cover and created the layout of the book. One of the poems I wrote for his beautiful photograph of tools was shared 1,600 times on StumbleUpon alone. I’m sure a lot of its appeal is because of this iconic image. Here it is: 

Sometimes I feel like a mechanic

Sometimes I feel like a mechanic, hammer and wrench instead of hands,

fitting the small parts, turning them this way and that, until they lock together, tight, teeth clenched.

I test the wheels, try the belt, turn the engine on and off, and on again,

listening to the wheezing, the whirr, until it works, and the growl comes on,

and the propeller starts flipping and swooshing,

and the shiny thing lifts into the air and flies into the world,

leaving me behind with my greasy hands and grimy nails,

grinning.

Maria Haro:

Twoxism started as a poetry-photography collaboration blog (www.twoxism.com) for which I took the photos and Claudia wrote the poems they inspired. In April 2017, 33 selections from the blog became an art exhibition that opened in New York City. Recently, Twoxism became a book published in December 2018 by the Canadian press 8th House Publishing. 

Twoxism is an invented word for all things two—among them, love, friendship, and relationships. We had a great response to the blog, with +15K page views and +40K impressions on Twitter and growing. As a project, it finds beauty in unexpected places and sees the mundane with redemptive eyes. As a book, it speaks of love and relationships in a new way. We hope others find it fresh, inspiring, and authentic. I personally started to better understand personal relationships through the photos I take and the lens of the artists who contribute to Twoxism.

Does collaboration play a role in your work—whether with your community, artists or others? How so, and how does this impact your work?

Claudia Serea:

I love collaborating with other artists. Collaboration gives my poems the chance to be shared with and enjoyed by more people. It gives the poem a new life. Apart from Twoxism, I collaborated with film directors who turned my poems into videos. My poem In Those years, No One Slept was set to music for choir by composer Rich Campbell, and the song won the top prize at the 2018 Uncommon Music Festival last August. I have another ongoing poetry-photography project with artist Mike Markham which, who knows, might become an exhibition or book in the future. And Maria and I we’ll keep Twoxism growing as long as it can. We are just getting started.

Maria Haro:

My biggest drive now is to discover what is possible through collaboration, and everything has to have a purpose. I am mostly interested in creating work than helps others using my design, photography, and artistic skills. I always have more projects on my mind that time to execute them and make the best of them. That is where collaboration really makes sense to me. Things are always better together.

Considering the political climate, how do you think the temperature is for the arts right now, what/how do you hope it may change or make a difference?

Claudia Serea:

Creativity knows no limits and no one can contain it, although some might try. The arts are hot in the U.S., and they will always be. Language is also extremely important in shaping our message and connecting us with emotion. Here is a poem from Twoxism that explores language’s important role, accompanied by Maria’s evocative photo:

About languages

In what language does the house painter paint?

Does the wind in Chile speak Spanish to the trees?

Do the gulls over the Hudson River cry Whitman’s verse?

And what about the Statue of Liberty?

In what language does she keep silent?

Coming from Romania, I feel fortunate to be in the United States and share my poems in English with the artists here. Who knew something like this could happen? I never thought I would get here in the first place. We get to write and express ourselves, and that is thrilling to me. I am very grateful for that. In turn, we must fight to open doors for others, and not create in a vacuum. There are countless artists and poets who live under oppressive regimes and don’t get this chance. We need to raise our voices and help them in any way we can. It’s an uphill battle, but I have faith we can contribute to the change.

Maria Haro:

Being an artist is hard, and it will always be, no matter where you are and what political climate you’re in. But it really helps to be in Madrid and in New York City where there is freedom to express yourself and a lot of receptivity to art.

Art is very intangible. You can only break through when you touch the viewer’s emotions and cause disruption. I will continue to try to do that for the rest of my life.

Sense of humor is another great weapon to have. I love to explore through my art the political environment and discover in deeper layers what is really going on and how it translates into our daily lives. Here is a twoxism that illustrates that:

High stakes entertainment

When all of this is over,

we'll have invented a new game,

the American roulette.

All is fair in love and war. So pass the popcorn, the wine, lots of wine, and the remote.

Artist Wanda Ewing, who curated and titled the original LFF exhibit, examined the perspective of femininity and race in her work, and spoke positively of feminism, saying “yes, it is still relevant” to have exhibits and forums for women in art; does feminism play a role in your work?

Claudia Serea:

In Twoxism, we explored the topic of empowering women in several combinations of poems and photographs. The goddess woman, the working woman, the skateboarding girl who is afraid to fall, the mother, the lover, the friend, they all find voices in the book. One of my favorites pieces is “Ode to the warrior woman,” paired with a beautiful photo of red lipstick as a “weapon” of choice by Maria Haro. Here it is:

Ode to the warrior woman

Beautiful woman, the world is still cruel and wild.  Bring out the thunderbolts and don’t be afraid of the fight.

 Put on your lipstick and pull up your boots. Grab your sword and slay the dragons on your way to work.

Walk in knee-high blood on 7th Avenue and don’t let anyone see the quiver in your heart.

 Be kind and smile. Don’t let them see that you’re hurt.

Sharpen your talons, merciless bird.

Woman, you da man, the man’s womb, you da bomb!

 Galaxies explode from your sex,  Milky Way swirls and pours out of your breasts.

Tell the little girl inside you to hush.

Swing the bow on your back and spread your eagle wings.

There is so much to fight for, so much to do.

Put on your lipstick, girl.

The world is waiting for you.

Maria Haro:

There isn’t really a choice for us to demand equal rights for women. It’s mandatory (and I have projects coming up that directly address this topic.)

Ewing’s advice to aspiring artists was “you’ve got to develop the skill of when to listen and when not to;” and “Leave. Gain perspective.”  What is your favorite advice you have received or given?

Claudia Serea:

Keep writing even if you get rejected. Be honest and true to yourself. And, most importantly, never give up. Persistence is the most important quality.

Maria Haro:

Attack your fears by being fearless.

How do the birds know when it’s time to fly?

They must feel a restlessness, or a clock striking in their brain,

an itch, or a longing in the bones.

Or maybe the roads are calling, unfolding ahead,

new balconies of the city, glimmering windows and highways of air.

That’s when I have to say goodbye to my friends of the same feather

and prepare to travel light, with only love as carry-on.

Then, without thinking too much, the leap:

the push off the ledge, a flap or two.

I lean my chest against the wind and glide.

The current pours and lifts me up, up, so I can see everything.

Farewell, past.

Twoxism by CLAUDIA SEREA & MARIA HARO

Published by 8th House Publishing, Montreal, Canada

Order the book here.

6 x 9 | Paperback | December 2018

116 pages | Price: $20.00

ISBN 978-1-926716-53-4

Follow us on the blog Twoxism and on Instagram @Twoxism.

Claudia Serea is an award-winning Romanian-born poet whose poems and translations appeared in Field, New Letters, Gravel, Prairie Schooner, RHINO, The Malahat Review, and elsewhere. She has published five poetry collections, most recently Twoxism, a poetry-photography collaboration with Maria Haro (8th House Publishing, 2018). Serea is a founding editor of National Translation Month and a co-host of The Williams Poetry Readings series in Rutherford, NJ.

Maria Haro grew up in Madrid, Spain, where she studied fine arts and graphic design. She graduated from the School of Graphic Communications and moved to New York City in 1994. She has won several global awards as a Creative Director in pharma advertising. She collaborates with other artists on projects that inspire her. You can find her photos on Instagram @mariavisualdesigner.

~

Les Femmes Folles is a volunteer organization founded in 2011 with the mission to support and promote women in all forms, styles and levels of art from around the world with the online journal, print annuals, exhibitions and events; originally inspired by artist Wanda Ewing and her curated exhibit by the name Les Femmes Folles (Wild Women). LFF was created and is curated by Sally Deskins.  LFF Booksis a micro-feminist press that publishes 1-2 books per year by the creators of Les Femmes Folles including the award-winning Intimates & Fools (Laura Madeline Wiseman, 2014) , The Hunger of the Cheeky Sisters: Ten Tales (Laura Madeline Wiseman/Lauren Rinaldi, 2015 and Mes Predices (catalog of art/writing by Marie Peter Toltz, 2017).Other titles include Les Femmes Folles: The Women 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 available on blurb.com, including art, poetry and interview excerpts from women artists. A portion of the proceeds from LFF books and products benefit the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Wanda Ewing Scholarship Fund.

Current call for collaborative art-writing: http://femmesfollesnebraska.tumblr.com/post/181376606692/lff-2019-artistpoet-collaborations

https://www.facebook.com/femmesfolles

[spittyart]

If in a commission someone wants you to draw a real person but obviously on your way, will you do it?

(I try to answer these in order, but I’m hurdling over a few asks to address this more recent one.)

Hi anon, good question. It’s not difficult to see how drawing pornography of real people poses some ethical concerns. The short answer is that it’s basically a violation of someone’s privacy and a violent manipulation of their self-image. But a flat “no” really denies much of the issue’s complexity and ambiguity...

Here are a few examples:

1) If I’m commissioned to draw smut featuring the character of Padme Amidala, is that unfair to Natalie Portman, the actress portraying that character? Is it not the same, or do I have to make an exception for actors and actresses? How could I justify that exception logically?

2) Am I just going to pretend that I don’t use photo reference while drawing? How do I know whether or not the people in my reference would be okay with being (at least partially, or in some degree) represented in my twisted fantasies? Are the artistic liberties that I take transformative enough to preserve their privacy? Or should I forswear photo reference and force you guys to put up with anatomical inconsistency in my drawings?

3) What if you request that I draw YOU? Well, how am I supposed to know if that’s actually you and not your ex-gf that you’re still hung up about?

4) One might ask, “what are the odds that this real person would ever come across this work based upon their likeness?” to which I would respond, not likely at all, but isn’t this an issue of “right and wrong” and not “can I get away with this or nah”? Even if you do only see it as the latter type: if this person were to find this piece and pursue legal action, are you legally responsible, am I, or are we both?

5) We all have the freedom and ability to fantasize about real people, but only some people have the ability to translate these fantasies into a visual form. Is it unfair that some people not only have the ability to imagine their car mechanic naked, but also have the ability to portray their car mechanic’s naked likeness to others? Or, put this way: if you had an X-ray camera that could photograph clothed people as naked, would it EVER be ethical to use it? 

And those are just a few examples. My answer isn’t a hard “yes, I’ll do that” or “no, I won’t”. My answer is an inconclusive “it’s complicated”. Basically, I will always put the subject’s privacy above all else. I will never completely copy a person’s likeness in my work, because I see that as blatant abuse of artistic power to violate someone’s privacy and self-image. However, I do need photo reference to make the kind of artwork I make. Realistically speaking there is no way I could ever work without it. So, when I use reference, I feel morally obligated to change features in order to alter the likeness beyond recognizability (the hair, nose, face shape, body type and so on). I think that’s the only responsible way to handle this while staying ethically and logically consistent. Hope that answers your question.

[ayurvedarishikesh-blog]

Health: First of all Liberties

In this age when health awareness is increasing, we must be more careful about on-going adverts of so-called healthy food and other catered health products.

We are at the junction of the change in climates all over the world. In southern hemisphere winter is going and spring is ahead. The birds are making nests; spring is in the air - a time of rebirthing. Trees are budding and welcoming the spring and ready to blossom new leaves and flowers.

But are we? Are we ready to cooperate with the change of weather just around the corner?

Our rhythms are directly connected to the seasons because our metabolic nature is derived from the penetration of five elements.

Now Sun is changing its directions to earth. When we take our food in harmony with the season, we strengthen our rhythms and we can achieve our optimal state of health. By observing the seasonal influence on our food we remain in harmony with nature. This is the easiest way to keep our body and mind in a state of balance.

The Ayurvedic texts say:-

Kapha is accumulated as toxins during cold weather and during spring this increased accumulated Kapha, liquefied by the heat of the sun, causes diminished Agni (digestive activity) thus blocking our energy channels and causing diseases.  During the junctions between the seasons, when all nature is in flux, the disease can also take root in the body.  Due to the upheavals dominating these junctions, the body’s natural immunity becomes virtually defenseless against impending disease.

I have already spent 15 years working in this rainbow nation. I advocate an integrated approach to health and work closely with my patients to find unique solutions to questions by combining the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and Therapeutic Yoga with current practices, and by drawing on a variety of techniques. I am grateful to thousands of South Africans for their trust in this oldest art of healing. I am also thankful to some of my friends for whom I was unable to provide a cure through a lack of understanding of each other. One always learns from these experiences.

I am writing this article on the basis of my experience and expertise. My intention is not to offend the work of conventional approaches to medicine, but having said that, it is clear to me that we are conditioned to believe certain issues about health that have no relationship to the truth.

There are two ideas that have become more embedded in the health and wellness sector than any other. The first is that certain foods are bad for us and the second is that we need some vitamin supplements to keep us well. We have been taught to believe these myths which are deeply entrenched and are promoted by everyone from gym trainers to doctors to public health authorities. For more info, you can read more about Ayurveda Courses.

Here is a short story that I have translated from Hindi. I think it demonstrates nicely how the issue of supplements, food, and medication can be imposed on us unnecessarily, and how situations in our lives are actually quite simple and easy to fix without these complicated and unhealthy solutions.

                     “A boy was born into a privileged family”

The lovely boy entered kindergarten and mama and papa watched him grow. They were very proud, but one afternoon when mama and papa went to fetch their child, the teacher took them aside for a moment. She was concerned, she explained, because the lovely boy had started to paint his drawings in black paint. This was very sudden and she was sure it was not good.

The teacher explained that the precious boy had painted a sun in black. In his beautiful picture, the background was all white, but the sun and its glorious waving rays were black. And then again he painted, on a starkly striking white background, a perfect tree with a sturdy black trunk, and the strong black boughs that reached for the sky were adorned with tiny black leaves. And in the third picture, the clever boy had painted a gorgeous summer’s day; again against a pristine white background, he’d painted lush grass, verdant tall flowers waving in a gentle breeze with a butterfly suspended delicately above – all in black.

The teacher and doting parents were very concerned. They discussed many possibilities and eventually, mama and papa disclosed that at times there was discord between them. They hadn’t thought it was serious, but they resolved then and there to hide it better from their fragile boy, and discussed what was necessary to fix the damage. Teacher reflected for a moment and then recommended a special psychologist for children.

Therapy began immediately. Mama and Papa and teacher watched the beautiful boy closely for any changes or signs of improvement, but while he still laughed and played with the other children and continued to produce pretty pictures, they were all in black. Mama grew more alarmed, and in speaking to her sisters and cousins daily decorated the drama with tears and anguish.

The teacher and doting parents were very concerned. They discussed many possibilities and eventually, mama and papa disclosed that at times there was discord between them. They hadn’t thought it was serious, but they resolved then and there to hide it better from their fragile boy, and discussed what was necessary to fix the damage. Teacher reflected for a moment and then recommended a special psychologist for children.

Therapy began immediately. Mama and Papa and teacher watched the beautiful boy closely for any changes or signs of improvement, but while he still laughed and played with the other children and continued to produce pretty pictures, they were all in black. Mama grew more alarmed, and in speaking to her sisters and cousins daily decorated the drama with tears and anguish.

Eventually, the special psychologist for children asked for help. She suggested a special psychiatrist that she knew, and a meeting was arranged between the boy and the new expert. After many hours spent assessing the young child the new expert prescribed medicine for him, that should make him happier and perhaps even make him more compliant. She also said he was missing vitamins and strongly urged mama and papa to procure for him supplements that would fill the gaps. A new diet was drawn up and only those foods that would aid in his recovery were allowed from now on.

Mama and Papa, teacher and new expert continued to watch the boy. And then one day while they were busily engaged in discussing the problem, the boy went outside and began to play in the school grounds. There he was found by a trusted old gardener who had watched over the children for many a long year. Having noted all the meetings and discussions and therapy, the gardener asked the child if all was well.

“All is fine.” Came the cheerful response.

“There are so many people who gather together to discuss you.” Said the old man.

“Yes, I know.” said the boy, “I don’t know what they want, but I’ve been to play in a hospital and that was fun. I have to take some pills and eat special food, and that’s not much fun, but the lady who gives me the pills is very beautiful. She has soft shinning hair, and she wears clothes with threads that shimmer like silverfish in water. She’s very kind and I like her very much. She also gives me sweets each time when I leave.”

“But are you feeling sad?” gently pressed the old man.

“No, not all!” replied the child. “Why do you ask?”

“Well,” said the man, “You paint all your lovely pictures in black paint, and they want to know why a happy boy would paint in black.”

“But,” exclaimed the boy, “if you look inside, you will see that all the other colors in my paint box are finished!”

It must be made clear that there is no standard diet that is ideal for every individual. Furthermore, how we eat is as important as what we eat; how we cook is as important as what we cook; what kitchen equipment is used and what feelings accompany the preparation of food, all affect us as human beings.

What is a negative feedback mechanism?

Our food is digested, assimilated in the liver and then sent to different parts of our body according to the need. Blood vessels work as the transport system and nerve endings as messengers. In a healthy situation, if we eat lots of sweets and our blood glucose is high, a message will be conveyed to the pancreas to secrete more insulin. If we feel hot, our skin starts sweating to keep our temperature normal.

On the other hand, if we are taking synthetic or unnecessary hormones or vitamins, our body prevents our intestine from absorbing the same vitamin from food. It also prevents the natural production of hormones.

If we have been taking vitamins or supplements for a long time, then every so often we should stop doing so for a while. Such pauses provide a chance for the body to assimilate all medicines.  We must be very careful not to take unnecessary supplements, and we must not become victims of multinational pharmaceutical companies. Also, one can read about Nutritional Ayurveda Course

There’s no doubt that what we eat can have a massive impact on our health, performance, and body composition. However, there’s no evidence showing that we can’t achieve all of these things while still enjoying any of the food we like. The biggest problem with the idea of “clean eating” is that clean has no unique definition. Everyone believes different foods are “unclean.”

[restoftheowl]

Does Culture need Humans?

Abstract: The pinnacle of evolution is culture which guides the evolution of humanity, by ruling genes through memes. The following text was published in what was to be Encyclopedia of Internet Memes and Phenomena and ended up as the Hungarian version of the same. Translation by the author.

If there's anything harder to accept than humans are descended from apes, is that we are descendants of apes and we are not the pinnacle of evolution. The assertion that on the top of the evolutionary tree we find culture, is peculiar not only because it de-biologizes the Darwinian system to some extent, but also works really well with the extremely biologized interpretation of memetics.

The insides of a coat

The phenomenon, which scientific terminology calls culture - and common language would rather use the word civilization - is key to human existence. This existence means the whole infrastructure of survival, from drinking water supply system down to individual level: that while on colder climate an animal grows thicker fur, man puts on a thick coat. The genetic answer expressed in fur was replaced with a complex object, composed of the technology manufacturing textiles with various qualities, patterns of construction, logistics, fashionable colours and brands. Coats created by culture are not only the result of their own evolution, they go beyond natural body covers in their space of application and their information/genetic background. Is it a real possibility, that humans were tailored to fit this coat, (or to be more general) this hyperevolutionary environment?

The fact that within human inheritance culture is of the most importance was pointed out by the father of immunology, Nobel-laureate Sir Peter Medawar. In his lectures titled The Future of Man we see vivid memories of the rise and fall of Nazism: Medawar states the primacy of culture, and warns of the reckless overuse of notions based on genetic analogies and the pseudo-scientific biologization of human beings.

"The conception I have just outlined is, I think, a liberating conception. It means that we can jettison all reasoning based upon the idea that changes in society happen in the style and under the pressures of ordinary genetic evolution; abandon any idea that the direction of social change is governed by laws other than laws which have at some time been the subject of human decisions or acts of mind. That competition between one man and another is a necessary part of the texture of society; that societies are organisms which grow and must inevitably die; that division of labour within a society is akin to what we can see in colonies of insects; that the laws of genetics have an overriding authority; that social evolution has a direction forcibly imposed upon it by agencies beyond man’s control—all these are biological judgments; but, I do assure you, bad judgments based upon a bad biology." (Medawar, 1959)

Our question now is how one of the latest theories of cultural evolution, memetics relates to the above mentioned bad judgments.

By today the meme concept has become a part of common vernacular, since despite its abstract nature it grasps the phenomena of high speed communication of the information age excellently. Memetics started its life as a playful interdisciplinary application of Darwinian logic. As the father of the concept Richard Dawkins, himself an admirer of Medawar, puts it:

"I am an enthousiastic Darwinian, but, I think Darwinism is too big a theory to be confined to the narrow context of the gene.  The gene will enter my thesis as an analogy, nothing more. What, after all, is so special about genes? The answer is that they are replicators." (Dawkins, 1986)

It's immediately apparent that the only way to avoid - despite Medawar's warning - the direct and aggressive genetization of culture if we the analogy of genes "only" on the basis of replication. The way of memetics from here on seems to be taking a path to being a information theory burdened by phobias, while in public conscience, which tends to handle the abstractions of analogies most economically, remains view of the direct genetic operation of culture, including misconceptions like memes are alive, because they replicate like viruses - while viruses are not viewed as living organisms precisely because of their dependence on a host for replication.

Domesticated replicators

Having not much to lose, at this point we take the liberty of meddling with Dawkins' concept and come out with a brutalized interpretation - slightly akin to the commonly held concept - , and see where it takes us if we view memes as simply cultural genes.

First of all, we need to take into account, that if we look at a DNA sequence we don't see any genes, since genes are abstract entities, sections defined by their function. Memes can be defined the same way - the efficient performance of their function and their cooperative benefit of which give them resistance against entropy. This also means, what we think of as a meme, encloses those not readily transparent details carrying psychological functions, which are the actual cultural genes.

If memes are a the part of cultural DNA, culture is literally alive, an informational organism, the environment of which consist of creatures capable of communication. We are now beyond the approach that sees culture as a construct invented by man to be able to fully convert his superb and energy expensive brain to actual survival. The viewpoint that culture is a secondary, artificial environment also changes: our connection to this environment is based on mutual benefit.

Multicellular organism is more than a bunch of cells. Evolution of cooperation requires adaptation by taking up communication, along with the differentiation of inner and outer environment, that is the definition of the borders of culture.

Biological adaptation to the circumstances of cooperation means that humans evolved adapting to culture moving ahead of them: by the way of memes culture forced the persistence of qualities keeping it alive, like the decrease of aggression, the drive for increasing efficiency of communication and other social capabilities. Thus being adapted to the symbiosis with culture means our origins are to be found in both monkeys and a cooperative informational organism - though we need to keep in mind that the above mentioned monkey is already a product of adaptation to culture to high-degree, since the evolution of information as a non-trivial direction for adaptation follows life all the way.

To put it another way: memes are primary and genes follow memes. The potential for the survival and reproduction of a cat (more specifically a modern internet connected cat) is directly proportional to the memetic potential of its eccentric, funny, or cute appearance. An even better example would be homing pigeons whose genes are expressed in superior navigation abilities, for which they had been domesticated to serve as a channel of - sometimes vital - communication.

Game theory views cooperative evolutionary solutions as an ethological question, instinctive reactions to external circumstances, and while it's role in evolution is acknowledged, it would hardly view culture - be it either an abstract or an actual living entity - as a sovereign, non-genetic part of evolution. Thus our present train of thought certainly appears to fall on the esoteric side, however to its defence we can say that even if it genetizes a bit here and there, the integration of culture within evolution is not one sided, and also doesn't go against Medawar's warning, being based on the priority of culture.

The future of human face

Let us introduce some questions to our suggested new life form.

Can man have a direct influence on culture? Our limits conform the laws of reproduction of memes, and the survival of the culture. What makes it even harder is that the function and consequences carried by the memes are presently not exactly known. Memetic complexes that have deeper influence on culture, such as ideologies (particularly failed ideologies) are considered to be very important by humans. The historical knowledge of the average person usully far more exceeds their knowledge of natural sciences - also in the general sense knowledge of history and identity are considered to be cultural knowledge.

A unique group of these memetic complexes are religions, the vital function of which is balancing hyperevolutionary pressure and human biological existence, serving as an interface, enabling the human evolutionary needs to appear in culture, in coordination with the political goal of collective survival.

How long does culture live? Does it get old? Can it break a leg? We have ample information about disappearance, disintegration, or fragmentation of cultures. We mostly describe their fate in biological metaphors. Culture and all known cultures can be seen as self-correcting scalable network immune to human tampering, however it could be the case that Nazism was not be the last example of a culture viewing human destruction as necessary, having been poisoned by memes of scientific origin.

Is there culture without humans? From the viewpoint of culture humans can be replaced by the any life form having the appropriate qualities. Even though potential sentient life in the universe would not necessarily have a humanoid form - in case of a contact we'd find a lot of social functions, mechanisms, and values that would look human to us.

Based on all this what is the future would we like to see? Humans avoiding obsolescence would be a nice thing, and the ability to coexist in culture with non-human - probably artificial - intelligence, and before that acquiring the ability to coexist in a culture with other humans.

by Viktor Papdi-Pécskői

[cheanlenu]

Seeking a long term RP partner

Hello all. It has been quite some time since I last posted, but I am looking once again for a long term partner. This is for an original work of mine. A combination of high fantasy, and high science fiction. I am looking for a female partner. With that said, I won’t do MxM. I prefer MxF, but can be persuaded to do FxF.     Now with that out of the way a little about my do’s, and don'ts. I am over 18 so as far as smut goes I am ok with it. Personally I do not revolve my RP around smut, but just like real life it can happen. I like building relationships in an RP from the ground up. I do have a few limits as far as smut goes, but I will discuss those with my partner after our first meeting. Let me just say I don’t like extremes, and fetishes. I don’t tend to fade to black, bit will If my partner wishes to. I prefer to RP in a relaxed atmosphere, and one can’t do that if your partner feels uncomfortable.

    What I am looking for is someone to play one of the various roles there are available on an intergalactic star ship. It can be anywhere from captain, and on down to a mechanic. In the story there are three major plots taking place, and five sub plots. There are also three major factions to be aware of as well. These are things I will explain to who is interested. Now I do have room for if more than one person wishes to join. The story was originally designed for up to fifteen people.

    Now I am a bit grammatically challenged, and make mistakes myself. I do not expect to find perfection, and I hope you will extend me the same liberty. I do however expect at least one paragraph responses. I do understand in certain situations a multi paragraph response might not be possible. Trust me I have been written into a corner before, on many occasions. I do need to be able to read, and understand what is written. So I will not accept shorthand, or text speak. I have friends where english is not their native tongue, so translation errors are overlooked. Trust me I have become rather good at reading translation errors. I am a story teller at heart, and tend to get rather absorbed into the roles I play. A writer I am not, but wish I were. I work long hours, sometimes up to sixteen a day for six days a week. So sometimes it takes me a day to write a response. I try not to write when I am so exhausted I can’t hold my head high enough to read the screen. I have included below a little sample, and a little backdrop. If your interested shoot me an email, or contact me on discord. Hope to hear from you.

    The year is 3098 A.D., and it has been almost one hundred years since its discovery. In the year 3000, an exploration team, on the primitive planet of Toril, made a rather startling discovery. They discovered a large ship. At first the team had no idea what they had found. They just assumed it was a remnant of a lost civilization. As they dug deeper, and uncovered more of it. They soon realized, this was no buried city. Though the leader of the team still thought as much considering its size. They spent weeks trying to find a way inside. Finally, when they were just about to give up. The leader located something she thought might be a door. For hours, they tried everything they could think of, to open the door. Finally, without warning or reason, it just opened. A loud hiss as the air rushed out. A stale musty smell of decay and oil. Several of the team lost their lunch. The door stood half open. almost inviting their curiosity. The team gathered some spare torches, and with lit lanterns went inside.

    They were amazed at how much metal it took to build this, and at how smooth the walls were. They were puzzled by the strange markings on the walls, and devices on the ceiling. They pressed on into the huge metal building. After about an hour of climbing and hiking. They finally came to a huge open room. This room had chairs, and all manor of glass faced tables in front of them. They discovered the remains of several bodies, long since decayed by these chairs. The leader was rather curious as to the one who still sat in the chair in the middle. There was a shinny metal symbol still pinned to the all but decayed clothing. When she reached out and picked it up, she felt a sharp stick and dropped it. Looking at her finger there was a drop of blood from a small pin hole in her finger. Suddenly the room became bright, and all the glass tables lit up. The hum of electricity began to crackle through the air, and the team all backed up. Some were scared enough to draw weapons.     A crackle is heard along with some static.“Buzz…fttt…buzz..ftt. DNA sample accepted. Restarting command protocols for new captain. Password locks removed. DNA access registered. Race unknown. Beginning system status checks. Engines off line. Weapons off line. Shields off line. Life support off line. External scanners fifty percent operational. Internal scanners seventy percent operational. Power systems off line. Battery backup sixty-three percent. Medical on line full power reserve and subsystems on line. Cryosleep systems on line. Central core forty percent. Detecting heavy damage to brain core. Memory systems…attempting restore….unable to restore. Memory modules missing.” The voice then ends.

    In the moments that passed the team looked very confused. They begin to come away from the wall and look around again. The leader however still looking dazed by what just happened. Suddenly an image of a man in a uniform materializes in from of her. The image is shaky and fades in and out. He looks right at the leader and says. “Greetings captain. I have been waiting a very long time for you. My name is William, and you don’t know how pleased I am to have you aboard.” He pauses for a moment as he takes a closer look at her. “Ohhhh….Ummm. This is going to be a very long and awkward explanation. It still does not change the fact I am happy to see you. I was however expecting someone a bit more up to date.” He makes the sound of clearing his throat. “Seeing as though you haven’t run away screaming. That makes what I am about to ask easier. Now as far as my captain goes I will explain everything later. Right now however there is a matter that is more urgent. Currently on board there are 2500 survivors in a deep sleep. The power that is keeping them alive is being depleted fast. Which means there is damage somewhere I can’t see. It would take to long to explain how to fix it. To wake up the survivors is much easier. I beg of all of you please help me save them.”     The leader looks at her team and they all nod at her. She looks back at the man with a smile. “You owe me a big explanation, and of course we will help you. We would never let anyone die. If we can help them we will do our best.” The man looks relieved. “I promise I will explain everything. I will light the way to the cryosleep chamber. Just follow the lights, and I will walk you through everything once there.”

    He vanishes and the door opens. She and her team head with haste down the hall following the lighted path. When they finally reach the bay. They find several of the sleep chambers open, and remains of bodies next to them. The image of the man materializes in the bay. This image is clearer than the previous one. “I am glad to see all of you made it without to much trouble.” He looks down at the remains. He sighs, and closes his eyes for a few moments. “Your loss, and names will not be forgotten. Captain, since you have the only command access at the moment. I need you to operate the main life support console.” He points to a large console in a small room in the bay. “Don’t worry I will walk you through everything.” He looks at the other members of her team. “Once she begins the process I will need your help at each pod. The pods will open one at a time, and there will be flashing lights on the side. Each of you man an opening pod, and when all the lights turn greed push the red button.” He walks over to a pod and points to the button. “If the lights don’t all turn green there is nothing we can do. I will try to get medical personal first to assist if I can. Unfortunately my memory systems have suffered major damage. So this is going to be hit or miss. Once the person in the pod starts breathing pull the large cord out of the end. With each pod disconnected we can conserve some energy and buy us more time. It is going to take quite a long time to do this, and on behalf of the Elyssian people I thank you.” He bows deeply.

    The process takes them almost an entire day. During which time he explains everything he can to the leader, and his new captain. The people on board are refugees from a dying world. Their sun was going nova, and their only hope was to escape. They hatched a plan to evacuate as many people as they could save on ships just like him. They had a course and destination set for an uninhabited world. Something went wrong however. Somehow the engines and navigation system failed, and they crashed way off course. He then explains that he and his people have been asleep for nearly a thousand years under that mountain. He explains how she became his new captain. There is a built in protocol that only allows him to survive as long as he has a captain. He has been surviving all this time, by putting all his systems on maintenance subroutines. He kept cycling them through maintenance checks, but he was nearly out of time. When she came along he had just about given up. So he made a hasty choice, and kept apologizing for doing so. Soon she learns much of their story, or as much as his memory still remembers. She also discovers that he is an organic life form. The ship itself is actually alive, and has organic systems as any creature would. His memory core is actually a living brain. Also with the incorporation of her DNA into his systems. The tissue that makes up his systems has begun to rewrite its DNA sequence to match hers. Further integrating her into his systems as his new captain. He gets a little scared at the fact she has stayed rather calm through everything he has told her.

    Finally, by the third day, most of the passengers they were able to save were up and about. Out of the 2500 total they were able to save around 1900. Some of the pods were damaged in the crash, and some just failed to function. She takes a long look at William. “You have been calling me captain for three days now. I do not know how the protocol is on the world you came from but here we have names. My name is Calinis and I would like you to remember that and start using it. If I am stuck with you as you say then your going to use my name. If you don’t I will find a way to chisel it into your brain. That is an order.” He stands up straight and salutes. “Aye aye Captain Calinis.” She sighs. “Better. I guess that will have to do. Now we have a much bigger problem. Your people can’t stay here forever, and they can’t actually go to the surface on my world. I think the culture shock would be enough. That is not to mention the techno shock. I think it best if we try to get you repaired and back into space. Though that is going to be rather difficult considering we are under almost a mile of rock. I will provide a list of resources I can get for your engineers, and they can figure out how to make them work. Though I am happy to hear your engines run off of water. That I can get you plenty of. Food as well for your passengers. Your hydroponics…is it…was destroyed. So they will need sustenance. I will also gather some trusted friends to assist us as well. We will need as much help as we can muster. So just sit tight and don’t go anywhere.” She smiles and he gives her a very sarcastic look.

    However things did not go as planned. The ship was repaired within the next three months. Unfortunately during that time, some of the technology got leaked to the planet of Toril. The leak was small at first, but the damage was already done. It began to spread, and to many questions were being asked. It seemed the harder Calinis tried to contain it the worse it got. Within a year the damage was beyond repair. The people of Toril began to change. So being unable to stop the tidal wave. Calinis decided to embrace it. She took the time, and contacted leaders from several nations. She held a meeting between them, herself, and William. Slowly she began to convince them that to limit the damage already done. The people of Toril needed to educated to what was going on. That way the technology wont cause more harm. After things started to calm down, and the people of Toril became more accustomed to the new technology, and way of life. Calinis thought it high time to begin the search for the remaining ships. If all of them crashed as William had then there is a chance to save more of his people. Though neither her nor William had any idea where to start looking. This also falls into the factor that the expanse of space being a much larger ground to cover. As well as the factor that these ships will more than likely be needing a new captain. She knew she was going to need help, and a lot of it. Her and William talked it over in great length before coming up with a plan. With the help of her team, and some of the Elyssian people. She was going to teach, and train people to help, and be captains. William volunteered himself for the use of training the new help. Turning himself into an academy to train new cadets for the search.

My email: dreamgiver28@hotmail.com

Discord Handle:Cheanlenu#6898

[projectgeass]

REUPLOAD OF STAGE 26: THE EYE OF THE DEMON EMPEROR TRANSLATION. original. 

A draft for the original second-part conclusion of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. It was included with the collector's edition blu-ray for R2, released in 2015. This script was written for the first episode of "R2", originally to take place directly after the season finale (STAGE 25) for CODE GEASS: LELOUCH OF THE REBELLION. This script predates the decision to move the show's time-slot (from "late at night" to "5pm on Sunday"). The first episode had already been completed, but it was assumed that a Sunday evening time-slot would mean a wider audience, which, it was thought, would probably include many people who had not watched the first season and would be experiencing the world of Code Geass for the first time. For that reason, this script -- which picked up directly where the first season left off -- was set aside, and a new first episode of "R2" was written. Compared with the completed work, one aspect -- a geass being applied by the Emperor -- was unchanged, but the parts before and after that (such as Lelouch confronting the Emperor directly and of his own volition, or being confined to the school's basement) developed very differently. The "R2" season premiere that aired, with aspects such as Lelouch having lost his memories and Rolo shadowing him, are not reflected here because those ideas were developed for the revised vision of R2. If this had been the first episode, what direction would R2 have proceeded in? One cannot help but wonder.

-

TOKYO SETTLEMENT

Captioned: "a.t.b. 2017, Tokyo"

Ashford Campus (after school)

STUDENTS

'Bye! See you tomorrow!

School Rooftop

KALLEN is on the phone.

KALLEN

Understood. 5pm, via Route 32.

Ashford Campus

SUZAKU

Lelouch!

He runs up to LELOUCH.

Finished with his phone call, LELOUCH pockets his cell phone as he turns to address SUZAKU.

LELOUCH

Suzaku. You don't have work today?

SUZAKU

No, I'm off-duty. I guess I should put in the occasional appearance with the student council, huh?

LELOUCH

Who cares about the student council, you should visit Nunnally.

SUZAKU

'Who cares', is that really something the vice president should say?

LELOUCH

Well, I might be the vice president, but first and foremost, I am Lelouch.

LELOUCH displays a smile.

*

In Front of the Clubhouse

RIVALZ is maintaining his motorcycle. Beside him, a news program is playing on a computer that has been left running.

RIVALZ

Lelouch! Suzaku!

He waves at the cheerful-looking pair as they approach, with a tool still in one hand.

RIVALZ

Did you hear? The Black Knights are at it again!

At this, SUZAKU'S expression hardens.

NEWS

House of Lords member Eckhart, who for some time now has been embroiled in persistent rumors of corruption, has been murdered. Evidence of his corruption was found at the scene of the crime, as was the following statement from the Black Knights--

On screen, the body of the parliament member is shown, strung up. Next, ZERO'S image appears.

RIVALZ

Man, the Black Knights are so cool! They're like, criminals with a code of honor, you know?

[LIT. "Chivalrous thieves".]

LELOUCH

Indeed. They pass judgment according to principles that villains could never follow.

[NOTE: I mean, this seems to be what he's saying, but wtf Lelouch, really??]

***

From the second floor of the clubhouse, C.C. is watching LELOUCH and the others.

***

RIVALZ

Do you think they're on the side of justice?

SUZAKU

That's what I want to know. I mean...

MILLY

Hey, guys, over here!

[LIT. "Young masters~ You should look this way!" Milly's dialogue is consistently kind of weird.]

MILLY and the rest of the STUDENT COUNCIL MEMBERS run up, dressed as cheerleaders. SHIRLEY is also pushing NUNNALLY'S wheelchair.

LELOUCH

Why are you all... and Nunnally, too...

NUNNALLY

Our cheerleaders are short a few people at the moment, so...

MILLY

So, those of us in the Student Council are filling in!

[LIT. "Pinch-hitting", a phrase Milly has also used to describe Lelouch stepping in to finish chess games for people in trouble.]

NINA looks embarrassed.

MILLY

And that's why... it's a Presidential Order. Suzaku! Hold Lelouch down!

SUZAKU

Huh? Yes, ma'am.

He promptly pins LELOUCH'S arms behind his back.

SHIRLEY

Because you'll be helping them out, too, Lulu.

She produces another (female) cheerleading costume.

LELOUCH

What?!

NINA

We need one more person to complete our formation.

RIVALZ

Well, you're definitely the best choice.

MILLY

Don't worry, Lelouch, we'll make sure you look beautiful.

[NOTE: Possible pun here, ちゃんと means both 'diligently' and, well, CHANT, as in what cheerleaders do.]

LELOUCH

Both of you, shut up. Let me go, Suzaku!

SUZAKU

Sorry, Lelouch. President's orders, so...

LELOUCH

Somehow I don't think you're really that sorry!

[LIT. "You're smiling/laughing, though!"]

NUNNALLY

Give it your all, Big Brother~

[NOTE: ファイト is a common cheerleading cry.]

ARTHUR

Mew!

NUNNALLY and ARTHUR, on her lap, CHEER in chorus.

LELOUCH

Hey, Kallen! Save me!

He directs this at a passing KALLEN, bringing her to a halt.

KALLEN

What do you want?

Her gaze is cold.

LELOUCH continues to struggle noisily as all the others force him into the cheerleading costume.

LELOUCH'S VOICE

On the surface, it was just like any other festival day. Peaceful, ridiculous, with Suzaku, from whom I'd been separated for so long, and everyone else... a moratorium on our separation.

*

Shrine (Kamine Island)

LELOUCH'S VOICE

However...

LELOUCH and SUZAKU stand with guns drawn and pointed at one another.

SUZAKU

Lelouch... I didn't want to believe it.

-

OPENING SONG

*

Tokyo

An ordinary street in Tokyo can be seen, no different from the Tokyo of today. Abruptly, the BRITANNIAN ARMY is all over it, attacking the fleeing populace.

NARRATOR

In the year 2010 of the Imperial Calendar, the Holy Britannian Empire declared war on Japan.

A unit of GLASGOWS overwhelms the more traditional arms of the JAPANESE ARMY.

NARRATOR

Japan became an imperial territory, and their liberty, their rights, and even their name were stolen from them.

A young LELOUCH and SUZAKU stare, numb with shock, at the ruined territory of Japan.

Japan's flag changes to Britannia's. The flag flutters above a Britannian government office. The center of Britannia's territory expands.

The stripped, mechanized face of Mt. Fuji can be seen.

NARRATOR

Seven years have passed. Now called Elevens, the oppressed Japanese people are finally--

Battle erupts. In the TOKYO Settlement, BRITANNIA'S ARMY, the army of a federal state, wage ferocious war.

MILITIAMEN

Don't falter. We're about to take back our Japan from Britannia!

As he speaks, in the debris on a mountain top, Japan's flag is being raised, inspiring all the people of the militia. But then, the impact from an enemy projectile blows it away.

*

Britannian Gov. Office

...which is mid-capture by the Black Knights.

TELECOMM VOICES

Unit 4, all stop! Ensign Takamine has been killed in action. Passage B4 has been blockaded!

CHIBA uses her FACTSPHERE to examine the Britannian government office.

CHIBA

As expected, they're tenacious.

ASAHINA

They don't have the largest military force in the world for nothing.

***

Via landspeeders, GUILFORD'S unit rushes along, piercing a BURAI as he passes it.

GUILFORD

Don't falter. Now is the time to repay His Majesty the Emperor's faith in us!

***

Using their Slash Harkens, the BURAIS attempt to scale the walls of the Britannian government office. But, alas, they are shot down.

TOUDOU

Though we've been united by Zero's charisma, the Black Knights are still, for the most part, a militia.

*

The Bridge (G1)

KAGUYA watches the battle progress intently.

KAGUYA

Without his influence, our forces will deteriorate into a mob.

*

Coordination Room (TV Bureau)

DIETHARD

And that's why he's necessary. We need Zero!

He GRIPS his incomm TIGHTLY.

*

Campus (Ashford Academy)

TAMAKI

Shit. Where did you go at a time like this, Zero?!

*

Shrine (Kamine Island)

SUZAKU'S bullet halves ZERO'S mask. The face beneath it is that of LELOUCH.

KALLEN

Zero is... Lelouch?

SUZAKU, on the other hand, is surprisingly calm. A villainous smile touches LELOUCH'S lips.

LELOUCH

Yes, that's right. I am Zero. Leader of the Black Knights, he who would challenge Britannia... and the man who will hold the very world in the palm of his hand.

SUZAKU

Lelouch... I didn't want to believe it.

LELOUCH

You already knew, Suzaku?

SUZAKU

I wasn't positive. So I stayed in denial. Because I wanted to believe in you. But...

He points his gun at LELOUCH.

SUZAKU

Answer me, Lelouch. Euphy, why did you--?

LELOUCH

...It was necessary.

SUZAKU

Don't give me that! Even though she was your little sister, the first time someone reached out their hand to you...!

[NOTE: Suzaku's implication here is that the first time someone tried to trust 'Zero', that trust was betrayed.]

LELOUCH

Reached out her hand...? The both of you were always like that, so condescending...!

[NOTE: Lelouch is editing Suzaku's sentence unflatteringly, as if Euphy was reaching down to him from on high.]

LELOUCH draws his gun.

SUZAKU

By working with both of you, I thought we could change things, but now I see...!

LELOUCH

You can't change anything with pretty words alone!

SUZAKU

I'll show you I can!

[NOTE: Using "ore".]

[NOTE: This whole scene, the thing that Suzaku thought could be changed is unspecified. He says he thought he could do it if he "joined forces" with "君たち", Lelouch and someone else. Suzaku can't mean the Black Knights, so it must be Euphy, so he probably means working with Euphy and Zero on the SAZ, which Lelouch then dismisses as キレイゴト -- white-washing, lip service.]

***

Flashback: Avalon interior. Euphy is on the verge of death.

EUPHY

Please... help Lelouch...

***

SUZAKU

...!

With his finger on the trigger, SUZAKU makes the mistake of hesitating for an instant.

Bang. LELOUCH has pulled his trigger.

SUZAKU

L, Lelouch...

Gut-shot, SUZAKU collapses.

*

Kamine Island

The LANCELOT stands abandoned. In the skies above, the GAWAIN flees at top speed. The SIEGFRIED is in pursuit.

C.C.

Still alive, Lelouch?

She watches LELOUCH through a crevasse.

An electronic hum. C.C. checks the monitor -- it shows the GREAT BRITANNIA approaching.

C.C.

This is...?! ...Lelouch!

She POUNDS on her keyboard.

C.C.

Ahh--!

And cries out as the cockpit rattles around her.

The SIEGFRIED has pierced the GAWAIN with its Slash-Harkens.

C.C.

Damn!

JEREMIAH

Accept this ending I bring you!

He retracts the Harkens, and in the same instant charges. But the GAWAIN presents no resistance, instead meeting the SIEGFRIED head-on.

JEREMIAH

You aren't dodging?!

Both KMFs strike each other simultaneously. The SIEGFRIED'S blade pierces the GAWAIN'S abdomen, and C.C.'S body within it.

C.C.

Too bad for you. Because mutual destruction... is my specialty...

As C.C. pushes her transmission button, a smile touches her lips.

C.C.

Sorry, Lelouch. After this...

Both KMFs sink beneath the waves.

*

TOKYO Settlement

A majority of the city's levels have collapsed. Only the government office and Ashford Academy have so far been spared.

*

Campus (Ashford Academy)

NINA sits inside the GANYMEDE. Before her, MILLY and the others.

RAKSHATA

Stop, that's...!

NINA

It'll be fine if all of us, if everything -- ends here!!

So saying, NINA pushes the switch. EVERYONE holds their breath. But there is no explosion.

NINA

No...

She pushes the switch again and again.

NINA

It's not exploding... why!

RAKSHATA realizes what's happened.

RAKSHATA

It's a dud!

TAMAKI and the others rush the GANYMEDE. Battle is about to break out once more.

MILLY

Nina! Quickly--

She embraces the GANYMEDE.

NINA

This was going to be Euphemia-sama's revenge. I, I need...!

In a state of panic, NINA is still pushing the switch over and over.

MILLY

Nina...

SHIRLEY

In the middle of a war, people can still fall in love.

CECILE is returning fire.

CECILE

Yes, and that's why I...

LLOYD rushes to take shelter.

LLOYD

Isn't it a wonderful thing, war. The mother of invention!

The sounds of battle CONTINUE.

An unconscious VILLETTA begins to stir weakly.

VILLETTA

Lelou... ch...

*

Classroom (Ashford Academy)

A classroom, serving as a field hospital. OUGI is undergoing emergency surgery.

MILITARY PHYSICIAN

Deputy Commander, please hold on!

OUGI

Chigusa... Chigusa, you're...

*

Kamine Island

KALLEN

Suzaku?!

LELOUCH gazes down at the unconscious SUZAKU. His expression is conflicted, mingled regret for SUZAKU's defeat -- and confusion.

LELOUCH

Suzaku. You...(You couldn't shoot, because we're friends?)

[NOTE: Parenthesis here are probably meant to indicate Lelouch thinking rather than speaking.]

SUZAKU

Eu... phy...

LELOUCH

--!

Hearing EUPHY'S name from SUZAKU, LELOUCH'S temper flares.

SUZAKU

Is this it, Euphy... I... made another mistake. At the very end, I...

[NOTE: Back to "boku".]

LELOUCH

You're wrong, Suzaku. Your mistake wasn't in your means. It was the master you had to serve.

[NOTE: Lelouch is saying that Suzaku didn't go about things the wrong way (their old argument about using the 'wrong' means), he was just forced to serve (仕えるべき) the wrong person...]

SUZAKU

No. This is my punishment. That's why.... ah--

His pupils turn red (as per the geass invocation).

LELOUCH

Suzaku?

SUZAKU

Live. I, will -- live. Live, live, live--

SUZAKU attempts to drag himself to his feet. But the strength has already drained from his body, and he can only writhe in a pool of his own blood. It is an unsightly struggle.

***

Flashback: ZERO uses his geass on SUZAKU.

ZERO

Live!

***

LELOUCH

Is this it? My geass... no, more like my curse.

His expression turns bitter.

SUZAKU

I will, live.... *hack*

His words are broken off by a burst of coughed-up blood, as still he struggles to move.

LELOUCH'S cell phone vibrates.

LELOUCH

C.C.?

He looks at the message on his phone.

LELOUCH

Him again?!

With a determined expression, LELOUCH turns on his heel to leave. But then suddenly he pauses, looking back over his shoulder: KALLEN, pointing her gun at him in astonishment.

KALLEN

D, don't move... You, I'll...!

She can't finish her sentence. Does she hate this man, or does she still need him? KALLEN'S gun-sight is wavering.

LELOUCH

Kallen, return to the Black Knights.

KALLEN

What? I...

LELOUCH

Captain Kouzuki Kallen of the Zero Squad. This is an order from Zero.

KALLEN

--!

LELOUCH MONOLOGUE

Suzaku. I'm going to get Nunnally back. And then, my friend, I will take care of you... I swear.

[NOTE: Take care of as in help, or take care of as in kill? COULD BE EITHER, the phrase means both.]

*

The Shrine at Dusk

NUNNALLY is sleeping. Surrounding her, a group of PRIESTS stand wielding swords emblazoned with the geass sigil.

[NOTE: 神官 is specifically a Shinto priest, but in this case it likely means the Geass Cultists.]

-

COMMERCIAL BREAK

*

TOKYO Settlement

The BLACK KNIGHTS are having a rough time of it.

TAMAKI

Dammit. How come the government office hasn't fallen yet!

SUGIYAMA

Hey, that's--

He points in the direction of Tokyo Bay. A silhouette like a castle can be seen.

MINAMI

A castle?

TAMAKI

Don't talk crap! You're pointing at Tokyo Bay!

SUGIYAMA

But, it's...

*

Tokyo Bay

...and the approaching super-dreadnought warship stronghold, GREAT BRITANNIA. It really does look like an enormous floating castle.

OPERATOR VOICES

The Great Britannia has entered Tokyo Bay!Maintain speed, systems normal!

*

Keep (Great Britannia)

On a central throne, the EMPEROR sits.

STAFF OFFICER

We await your orders, Imperial Majesty.

The EMPEROR nods in placid acknowledgment.

EMPEROR

Ready the Jupiter Howitzer.

STAFF OFFICER

Yes, Your Majesty. Ready the Jupiter Howitzer!

***

From within the Great Britannia, a truly enormous howitzer emerges.

OPERATORS

Deploying Jupiter Howitzer! First and second safeties, released! The target is Shinjuku, Sector B17. Output is at 3000!

EMPEROR

Fire!

The Jupiter Howitzer is fired.

*

Shinjuku, Sector B17

BLACK KNIGHTS

There's a castle floating over Tokyo Bay?!

INOUE

What's with this intel? Our people must be...

The impact of the Jupiter Howitzer destroys INOUE'S squad.

*

Coordination Room (TV Bureau)

A monitor is displaying the terrible spectacle of the crater from the howitzer's impact.

DIETHARD

How could this have happened...?

*

Campus (Ashford Academy)

LLOYD and the other Britannians have been taken prisoner, surrounded by the BLACK KNIGHTS, whose weapons are being pointed squarely at them.

CECILE

The Jupiter Howitzer?!

RAKSHATA

--Those words...!

*

Britannian Gov. Office

BRITANNIAN SOLDIERS

The Great Britannia...! It's His Majesty! His Majesty the Emperor is here...! All hail Britannia!

The BRITANNIAN SOLDIERS' spirits are lifting.

GUILFORD

All right, gather our remaining forces. Now's the time to launch our counterattack!

***

TOUDOU

Disperse! We're easy prey huddled together like this. Asahina! Organize the Suicide Corps. Stop that ship's munitions!

No sooner has TOUDOU spoken, but the impact from the Jupiter Howitzer's attack destroys the ALLY FORCES.

***

TAMAKI

Run for it! We can't win this one!

MINAMI

Run where?!

On the bay, the EMPEROR'S elite personal guards are disembarking in GLOUCESTERS. A coat of arms can be seen (is it a flag?), a sword encircled by serpents.

TAMAKI

That banner!

SUGIYAMA

The Imperial Regiment?!

The BLACK KNIGHTS will be wiped out by the IMPERIAL REGIMENT.

*

The Bridge (G1)

OPERATORS

Takeuchi's force has been wiped out! All Bay-area units, requesting assistance! They're breaking through our line of defense in GODAN!

A monitor displays a map of the battleground; bit by bit, the BRITANNIAN ARMY is taking control of the region. On another monitor, the SIX HOUSES of Mt. Fuji and those related to them.

KUBOIN

All for naught. Japan's independence, its freedom...

KAGUYA

Zero...

*

The Vermilion Forbidden City

A very young EMPRESS is sitting on a throne much too large for her. Beside her stands YANG KWEI-FEI(*).

YANG KEWI-FEI

The Great Britannia has entered Toukyou Bay?

EUNUCH

This will be the end of an independent Japan.

The EUNUCHS sit apart from the EMPRESS and YANG KWEI-FEI, at the lower seats of the table. The MILITARY OFFICERS, too, are seated there.

*

Pacific Ocean

...where the bulk of the BRITANNIAN NAVAL FLEET is ADVANCING.

SCHNEIZEL'S VOICE

For His Majesty to personally appear on the front lines...

*

Bridge (Main Fleet Flagship)

SCHNEIZEL

...just to suppress a rebellion... no, there must be more to it than that.

His expression is pensive.

*

Keep (Great Britannia)

OPERATORS

Incoming transmission from Sir Victor, SETAGAMA Region is under our complete control. Sir Carmine has made contact with Sir Guilford.

EMPEROR

It's decided, then?

[NOTE: as in the outcome of the battle is decided.]

STAFF OFFICER

As you like. Though you may be worried about Her Highness Cornelia's safety, the others...

SOLDIER via TRANSMISSION

Coming in at 12 o'clock, there's an airframe approaching fast!

STAFF OFFICER

What did you say?

OPERATOR

Identification signal Z-01, unit name...

*

The Skies Above Tokyo Bay

OPERATOR'S VOICE

...Lancelot!

The LANCELOT bursts into view.

PILOTS

Stop right there! This is His Majesty the Emperor's personal warship!

The PILOTS are VTOLing to assume an intercept course, but the LANCELOT breaks right through. The LANCELOT continues on the same vector, and crashes into GREAT BRITANNIA'S gun turret.

*

Bridge (Great Britannia)

OPERATORS

Z-01, you have rammed our gun turret on deck 14! No response from the pilot! Service Squad #11, moving at high speed!

EMPEROR

'Lancelot'?

STAFF OFFICER

Yes, Your Majesty, Schneizel-sama's...

EMPEROR

Ah, yes. That one.

*

Deck 14 Gun Turret (Great Britannia)

...where SERVICE SQUAD #11 is rushing on the scene.

A figure can be made out, through smoke and fire.

SERVICE SQUAD #11

Hey, are you all right? What's your rank and affiliation?

ZERO'S VOICE

I've been waiting for this moment.

SERVICE SQUAD #11

Huh?

As the smoke clears, the figure within the blaze is revealed. It's ZERO.

ZERO

When you become convinced you've won, in that instant... the seed of your downfall is sown.

[NOTE: i.e., confidence begets vulnerability.]

SERVICE SQUAD #11

You, you're Zero!

They draw their pistols. The eye slot on ZERO'S mask opens.

ZERO

Zero commands you. All of you, die!

The members of SERVICE SQUAD #11 are afflicted by his geass.

SERVICE SQUAD #11

Roger that.

They turn their weapons, previously poised to kill ZERO, on themselves -- and pull the triggers in unison. ZERO watches placidly to make sure it's done, then turns his attention to the Keep above.

ZERO

Well, well. My turn now.

*

KEEP (Great Britannia)

OPERATORS

Rebel army, dispersing. Sir Victor has reached Shibuya. Jupiter Howitzer, recharged. Firing!

But the Howitzer is unable to fire.

STAFF OFFICER

What's the matter?

OPERATOR

It seems that...

A monitor showing the Jupiter Howitzer goes dark.

STAFF OFFICER

What?!

One by one, the other monitors begin to go dark.

On a map of the warship's interior, which is divided into sectors, those in the vicinity of the Jupiter Howitzer are beginning to turn red (signifying areas that are being lost to the enemy).

OPERATORS

Monitors for Sector D are unresponsive! Our systems are being hacked. It's coming from an inside line! Power out in Block E! Communications failures are failing throughout the ship!

A group of red-eyed SOLDIERS is in the middle of committing sabotage.

OPERATORS

We're seeing short-circuits all over the place! Systems are 43% down. Hurry up and identify the source! It's no use, we're hemorrhaging power here!

*

Data Processing Room

A group of red-eyed OPERATORS are hard at work. ZERO manipulates a neighboring console, confirming his route to the Emperor's chamber.

ZERO

Just watch, C.C. I can do it all myself. I'll get Nunnally back from him. And then...

*

Bridge (G1)

KAGUYA and the others watch the battle progress intently.

KUBOUIN

Well, personally, I never was taken in by any of Zero's smooth talk. I always suspected he was only feigning loyalty to Japan...

KAGUYA

It's stopped firing, did you notice?

KUBOUIN

Huh?

KAGUYA

The Jupiter Howitzer. It stopped firing a little while ago.

KUBOIN

Now that you mention it...

An ENEMY attack destroys the Bridge's facade.

KAGUYA

--!

The IMPERIAL REGIMENT has leapt onto the G1 in their GLOUCESTERS, and they loom over the now-exposed Bridge.

PILOT

Die, Elevens!

But, just in time, the GUREN MK II arrives to defend against their attack.

PILOT

What the?!

KALLEN

We're not Elevens. We're Japanese!

KALLEN destroys the GLOUCESTERS.

KAGUYA

The Guren Mk II... Kouzuki Kallen?!

*

Cockpit (Guren Mk II)

On the monitor, TOUDOU is displayed.

TOUDOU

You've returned, Kouzuki-kun? Where's Zero?

KALLEN

Safe. Headed for the Great Britannia.

TOUDOU

By himself? That fool...

*

Deck (Great Britannia)

...where ZERO is standing.

OPERATOR'S VOICE

It's Zero! Zero has appeared!

*

Keep

On a monitor, ZERO'S form is displayed.

STAFF OFFICER

What did you say?!

OPERATORS

Well, it's just that, until now, Zero was...But why?!

STAFF OFFICER

Dispatch the Royal Guard. After all, he's only one man...

OPERATORS

We can't reach Sir Victor.

STAFF OFFICER

What?!

OPERATORS

The Britannian Government Office called on him for support. ODAIBA Bridgehead has been destroyed. The rebel army has been launching counterattacks all over the place, distracting our forces.

On the monitor, ZERO points directly at the Keep.

STAFF OFFICER

Zero... could it be, this entire war of independence has been nothing but a stupendous decoy?!

*

Deck (Great Britannia)

The GLOUCESTERS belonging to the EMPEROR'S personal guard are rising up out of the Deck.

ROYAL GUARDS

This fool acts like he's the king of this backwater island! Let's remind him who his betters are!

[LIT. "Far-east island nation", a phrase sometimes used to describe for Japan.]

[LIT. "We'll do him the favor of teaching him a lesson (in the sense of getting revenge) about Great Britannia's greatness."]

So saying, the ROYAL GUARDS start to rush their target. But ZERO continues walking towards the Keep, without flinching. GLOUCESTER A'S blade is almost within range.

At the last second, SUTHERLAND A appears suddenly from GLOUCESTER A'S flank, and takes the blow.

ROYAL GUARD A

One of our own Knightmares is protecting Zero?!

*

Cockpit (Sutherland)

The PILOT at the helm has red eyes.

ZERO'S VOICE

That pilot is under my geass. And my order was...

*

Deck (Great Britannia)

ZERO'S VOICE

Protect me with all your might!

PILOTS

Yes, Your Highness!

A large unit of SUTHERLANDS advances on the ROYAL GUARDS.

ROYAL GUARD B

Dammit, scatter them!

The ROYAL GUARDS attack all at once. The result is a chaotic, violent blur of warring Knightmare Frames -- and through the center of it, ZERO walks on placidly.

*

Cockpit (Guren Mk II)

KALLEN

Now to relay Zero's orders. One by one, first on the Open B line...

As she manipulates the console, ZERO'S image disseminates.

*

Cockpit (TOUDOU'S machine)

ZERO

Toudou. Take Squad One and Squad Two on a detour through SAGAMO. The government office's forces will soon be coming out of the interior in an inattentive attempt to surround the building. When they do, strike from the rear.

TOUDOU

Acknowledged!

*

Bridge (G1)

ZERO

Gentlepeople of the Six Houses, I beseech you to bring inspiration to the Japanese people.

KAGUYA

Well, that was awfully formal! As your future wife, I wouldn't mind if you were a little more commanding~. ♪

*

Coordination Room (TV Bureau)

ZERO

Diethard, begin broadcasting my image now.

On the monitor, ZERO'S image is now projected, walking along the deck of the warship.

*

Warship Deck (Great Britannia)

ZERO strolls unconcernedly amidst the battling KMFs.

ZERO'S VOICE

Show the Intelligence Bureau my unaided infiltration of the Great Britannia. This will be a duel, between the Emperor and myself, for the two of us are equals, despite his propaganda.

*

Coordination Room (TV Bureau)

DIETHARD

Understood, Zero!

He trembles with emotion.

*

TOKYO Settlement

ZERO

Good people! The Britannian Emperor's participation in this war, the disembarkation of the Imperial Regiment -- all of this is well-within parameters. There is no need for fear; we have entered the final stage of my strategy.

Oho! The members of the Black Knights pump their fists above their heads.

KALLEN

Lelouch... you've got my faith for now. But if you were willing to shoot a close friend...

*

Shrine (Kamine Island)

SUZAKU'S body is missing.

[NOTE: The word here is 'corpse', but. That seems so unlikely.]

*

Keep (Great Britannia)

OPERATORS

Confirm your identification signal! Respond! Who is currently piloting this Frame! Have we been betrayed? No way...

Suddenly, the EMPEROR lets out a hearty, ringing laugh.

STAFF OFFICER

Your Majesty, what is it?

The EMPEROR is glaring at ZERO on the monitor.

EMPEROR

Fine, then, Zero. It would seem you've earned your personal confrontation...

*

Britannia Gov. Office - Interior

One of Clovis's portraits, featuring Lelouch and his immediate family, has fallen to the floor.

*

Student Council Room (Clubhouse)

Some of the BLACK KNIGHTS are keeping watch over their hostages: SHIRLEY, RIVALZ, and MILLY. On the floor, what remains of a previously-completed string of 1000 paper cranes lies scattered and carelessly trampled.

SHIRLEY hugs her knees to her chest.

SHIRLEY

Lulu...

She utters his name like a prayer.

*

Keep (Great Britannia)

...as ZERO enters it.

In the heart of the Keep, the EMPEROR sits on an enormous throne. There is no one else around.

EMPEROR

So you've come, Zero. Or should I say... Ghost?

ZERO

What do you mean, 'Ghost'?!

EMPEROR

You could not bear to fade into society's herd, but neither could you expose your face where I might see it. You are not alive, but neither are you dead. 'Ghost' is the perfect word for you!

ZERO

Neither alive... nor dead...　Yes. Until this moment, that was true.

So saying, ZERO steps forward. Facing the EMPEROR head-on, he walks down the long, red runner that spans the distance between them.

ZERO

On that day, my mother was murdered. On that day, Nunnally lost both the light and her legs.

Flashback: NUNNALLY, being sheltered by her mother's slain body. NUNNALLY, on a hospital bed.

ZERO

All this time, I've been living a lie. My personal history, my very name... nothing by lies. I was sick to death of a world that would never change, but I couldn't let myself give in to the lie of despair...

LELOUCH, looking bored at school. LELOUCH, gambling on chess matches. LELOUCH, riding in the sidecar of RIVALZ'S bike.

ZERO

But then, it came to me... power.

LELOUCH, receiving his geass from C.C.

ZERO

And with that...!

The scene blurs subtly to eight years ago -- and the Britannian Palace, where the EMPEROR is taking audiences. ZERO'S mask is gone, and lining either side of the red runner are members of the aristocracy.

ARISTOCRATS

Look at Lelouch-sama's eyes, it's as if he died too. After what happened to his sister? With her body the way it is, she isn't even useful as a political pawn any longer. In this race, someone will hitch a ride on her sooner or later... Heheh, it's a bit early for that change of attitude...

At the far end of the red runner stands LELOUCH as a child. He glares at the EMPEROR, his shoulders trembling with fury and nerves.

A hand settles on the young LELOUCH's shoulders.

LELOUCH

Leave this to me.

So saying, he evinces a small smile.

Then the scene wipes back to reality -- and the deserted Keep. Before one's eyes, the EMPEROR.

EMPEROR

Zero... this mayhem in my ship, and this latest uprising... it's all been part of your scenario?

ZERO

That's right. All of this has been a plot to manipulate you to this point.

EMPEROR

Ha! For that, you used Area 11 and the Japanese?

ZERO

I won't choose just any means to reach my ends. Though I'd rather not acknowledge it, we do share blood... Father!

[LIT. "I won't choose the means for the sake of my ends." Lelouch is also being very formal here.]

EMPEROR

...

ZERO

Had you forgotten? Before you stands the eldest child of the late Empress Marianne, seventeenth in line for your throne: Lelouch vi Britannia.

As he speaks, ZERO throws down his mask (while sliding his hand over his face, concealing his left eye from the EMPEROR; even though he isn't currently invoking it, the geass sigil still mars his eye).

LELOUCH

But now I've returned, to change everything!

EMPEROR

Everything! Bold words, Lelouch.

LELOUCH

I'll show you I can do it. With all the power of the Emperor of Britannia, you couldn't protect even one woman you loved -- but I'm not like you!

EMPEROR

Are you saying you plan to become Emperor of Britannia?

LELOUCH

Even if it means making myself the enemy of the whole world, even if it means killing my closest friend with my own hands, I'll show you I can protect Nunnally. And so...

[NOTE: Lelouch is using the same 'take care of' phrase as before, but there's no question which one he meant here.]

Finally, LELOUCH looks up at the EMPEROR, away from his mask. In his left eye, the geass sigil is visible.

LELOUCH

Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to...

EMPEROR

You foooooool!

As he roars, a geass sigil flares to life in the EMPEROR'S eyes.

LELOUCH

Geass?!

LELOUCH'S eyes widen in shock. BOTH of them use their geasses in the same instant (but the EMPEROR is faster).

A blue world of synapses. Within it, the EMPEROR'S memories and LELOUCH's memories are...

...blending together in the World of C.

A nine-year-old LELOUCH makes his request at an audience with the EMPEROR.

Young children, with the geass sigil on their foreheads.

The Aries Villa, MARIANNE and LELOUCH with his SIBLINGS. They look happy.

Kamine Island, two children stand before the shrine. V.V. and V.V., a pair of identical boys (one of them is the EMPEROR in his youth, and his forehead lacks the geass sigil).

Jupiter.

Then, with sudden clarity, an image of MARIANNE. She is wearing an experimental pilot suit. From the letters of her name, wiring emerges.

[NOTE: This is probably a description pertaining to the abstract background of the World of C, but it might also be referring to her experimental pilot suit, if it has her name emblazoned on it.]

MARIANNE

They call it the 'sigil of the gods'. Isn't that a lovely phrase?

LELOUCH

Mother!

(*) SIGIL OF THE GODS

In Jungian psychology (where the concept of 'collective unconsciousness' was proposed), the core of the heart ('soul') was the

selbst

('self'). For the religious, 'sigil of the gods' is a phrase best avoided. When MARIANNE uses it, she's speaking more generally, about the Ragnarok Connection system.

*

Garden (Ashford Academy)

A flock of birds takes flight (from hear on, it's one year later).

From here, it looks like very little has changed about the campus.

*

Passageway (leading to a dimly-lit basement)

Click-clack, the sound of high-heeled footsteps echoes.

The heels belong to VILLETTA. Her appearance indicates that she has been granted the rank of Baron. She steps forward, and opens a heavy-looking iron door to reveal...

A young man, bound by chains. His hands have been spread wide apart, and he had bowed his head. His positioning resembles the crucifixion of Christ.

VILLETTA

Not so defiant now, are you, Zero. Or should I say...

[LIT. commenting on his 'way of speaking', or in this case not speaking.]

Slowly, the youth lifts his face. It's LELOUCH. The geass sigil is absent from his eye.

VILLETTA

...Lelouch Lamperouge?

[theshreedhar]

The End of My Tryst with the Megalomaniac Called Facebook

I was 13. My parents asked me not to do it. No one was sure why, though.

So we settled mid way. I created my Facebook account, but with a fake name. The name couldn’t get weirder than what it was - Rahul Anwar. Somehow I saw humour in two first names together, one predominantly Hindu and the other, Muslim. I added all my friends, or Rahul Anwar did, and he was immediately inside their closest circles.

But I failed to see what was wrong. I was on Facebook with the cool peeps, seeing their photos and status updates and there was nothing wrong. I was still living my usual life and that was enough for me to believe that Facebook was the harmless creature that I saw it to be. Rahul Anwar turned into Shreedhar Manek.

Between then and now, a lot of things have changed. 10 years have passed, and in these years I may have deactivated Facebook many times, without ever properly understanding why. But now we know. We know the beast that Facebook is and the monster that it can be.

Reason 1 Facebook can and often does make you feel bad.

There are studies that say that Facebook makes people feel bad, and other studies that suggest otherwise. Facebook themselves try to answer the question, they even admit that too much FB can be bad!

So how exactly can Facebook make one feel bad? Sure, a lot of studies can answer this in detail, but here is my take on it. 

Those likes are like tests. Who likes taking tests? But we do it, voluntarily, every time we upload something online. For every thumbs up, there is a certain part of our brain that feels rewarded, which makes us want to do it more and want it more. And tests often make us feel bad, don’t they? With a lesser than expected thumbs up count, we feel bad too. Those among us who we consider “petty” even sometimes cheat on these tests by asking their close friends to “like” their latest picture. It might sound a petty thing to do and it probably is, but how many of us haven’t cheated on a test?

Reason 2 Constant, almost immediate validation is addictive. It makes us less patient.

As a kid, or rather, back in the day, reading a book was easy. Just pick it up and don’t leave it until you’re done with it. But those days are long gone. I am easily distracted. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the book that I’m reading, but I’ve gone from waiting for the best to always enjoying it. And that make the waiting less fun.

Maybe I’m taking a leap when I blame (even partially) the likes I expect on Facebook with my reducing patience to read books (which I still enjoy). I can almost see people making the same argument when the first movie was made. Reading books requires time and patience, but the constant dopamine uptake that Facebook, or indeed, social media has made us used to, has changed the internal reward mechanisms such that, leaving aside books, doing anything that requires time and patience becomes more of a task. Say, establishing meaningful relationships. They take time, effort and patience, things that we have long foregone. I love how Chamath Palihapitiya, a former Facebook executive, puts it: The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse, no cooperation, misinformation, mistruth.

Reason 3 Facebook does not show you the facts, it shows you what will keep you on their platform longer.

Back in the day, when Facebook only had the potential of being dangerous, as opposed to actually being dangerous, there was a beloved button on people’s newsfeed - the ‘most recent’ button. The purpose of this button was, as is obvious, to show the most recent posts. It would enable the user browsing through the posts of all their followed friends and pages chronologically. Everything would show up and everything would be seen by the user based on when it was posted.

Over the years, FB made its best attempt to hide this most recent button. It made it difficult to reach, and most people now don’t even know that it exists. A google search tells me that users can now only temporarily switch to the most recent newsfeed.

This was important to FB in order to control what we see. What you see now, is entirely in the control of Facebook. Are you a liberal? Here, some liberal propaganda for you. Conservative? 10 reasons why the mandir must be made in Ayodhya. Something even more insidious, say, two news outlets post articles of the same event, but frame them differently giving a slightly different picture. Facebook will show you the one it thinks conforms to your existing bias (or not, if it sees a reason to do so). Consuming news via Facebook has especially turned into one big circle jerk of information where people feed their existing biases and in turn make them stronger.

Reason 4 Facebook is fucking evil.

Big statement, isn’t it? I think so too. I am unsure who I mean by “Facebook”. Zuckerberg? Probably. The engineers? Probably not. But as a corporation on the whole, FB takes the cake in how evil you can be without actually killing anyone.

Remember Reason 1 about FB making you feel bad? FB thought they could do it, and they took the liberty to try it out. They experimented by controlling the feeds of a large number of people, limiting or increasing what they say, and realized, with absolute certainty this time, that they could control people’s emotions. Happy days, right?

This is also only a little before they introduced “reactions” to posts, as opposed to just “likes”. They might claim that they want its users to “express themselves better” et al, but by now we know that they just want to know how we feel about certain things, so that they can use that to control how we feel, don’t we?

Another example of Facebook’s evil is their attempt to push for what they called Free Basics in India. The now dead Free Basics was supposed to be Facebook’s way of reaching out to the poor of India and give them free internet. Free Basic’s policy was a mishmash of misleading statements and half truths and the whole PR team tried their best to spin them into something that sounded good. Their “we do not have advertising on Free Basics”, for example, which did not translate to “we will never have advertisements on Free Basics”, or their lack of mention of what they could or couldn’t do with data. I am not sure what FB’s official stance on net neutrality is (or was) in the US, but here in India, it made its best attempt to ensure we lose it. What grind my gears the most, however, is Zuckerberg’s post on his own personal FB account, where he, in the most sanctimonious way possible tried to explain how his money making scheme was good for the poor people of India. 

Reason 5 Facebook cares little about our data, is helping spread fake news and influencing elections.

Reason 5 is probably the tipping point for me. The reason for Facebook being in the news right now.

We knew that Facebook used our data to better market things to us and improve revenue from advertisers. We didn’t care about it. But now, even though FB denies it and will keep denying it, it gave access to data of millions to a researcher and even a profit making company, Cambridge Analytica, that went on to help political outfits win elections. While CA may not have gained access to the data of millions ethically, Facebook itself has a political unit that does just the same work as CA.

What Now?

There are no two ways about it. WhatsApp’s co-founder Brian Acton said it and Elon Musk did it. Zuckerberg has apologized for the many lapses (but what about evil by intent?) and it’s time.

Does this imply that I mean that Facebook has no utility and can just be deleted right of the bat? No! Facebook can be very useful at times, it can be a force of real good, and it has many everyday benefits. But it will have to be a new FB. A new social media platform that has a different foundation. For the time being we will have to move back to RSS feeds and subscriptions by email (I just added an ugly subscription form to my blog).

It has to go.

Bonus Scary Stuff A friend just introduced me to Data Selfie, a browser extension that tracks what FB can track about you and shows it to you in a readable format. Watch the video here.