#Death Spiral

[dozydawn]

Ludmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov perform a death spiral, 1965. Photographed by Dave Buresh.

[netscapenavigator-official]

Twitter’s rebrand is proof that Silicon Valley is in a minimalism death spiral and that not a single cryptobro has ever had a creatively appealing thought in their entire life.

[liberalsarecool]

Twitter will wither and die. Meta is a bust.

Not because of employees, but because their CEOs are mediocre white men with no shame.

[miyamiwu]

Essential Elements of an Unlimited/Infinite Flow Story

As someone attempting to write my own Unli Flow, I thought I’d take note of the different elements so I can have a guide I can always refer back to.

I’ve explained what Unli Flow means many times before, but in case you missed it: Unlimited/Infinite Flow is a genre in Chinese web novels that feature characters entering multiple “instances” where they have to complete a challenge and/or solve a mystery. Failure in doing so would lead to consequences, most often death.

There’s also this definition by AshuraYami from the NovelUpdates Forum:

Unlimited Flow/Infinite Flow is a genre originating from the CN novel Terror Infinity. The genre mainly revolves on world hopping involving fictional works (anime, comics, movies, games and novels) and/or original worlds created by the author. Infinite Flow, as it’s ‘infinite’ namesake suggests, can accommodate all other genres, be it fantasy, sci-fi, horror, romance, etc. Representative works are Terror Infinity (origin of genre), Reincarnation Paradise (most chapters and word count), The Ultimate Evolution (promoter of data flow, an infinite flow derivative that is more game-like litRPG) and Thriller Paradise (most famous horror infinite flow).

With the definition out of the way, let’s goooo

[This post will also serve as a rec list of sorts, since I’ll be giving examples of each element from different danmei novels.]

----------

1. The Authority

The entity/system in charge of the Unlimited Flow system as a whole. Most stories just chalk it up to the Unli Flow being some kind of otherworldly being/extremely advanced AI that just likes to mess with people.

Examples of The Authority

(based on what I remember, at least… Also, beware of spoilers)

The Earth is Online: The Universe

Mist: I forgot what it’s called, but that high tech system in charge of all the Time Traveling stuff...

High Energy QR Code: That black and white cube thing

Surprise! The Supposed Talent Show was Actually—?!: … The TV station...

From left to right: Tang Mo from The Earth is Online and Wu Jin and Wei Shi from Surprise! The Supposed Talent Show was Actually—?!

[Spoilers End]

From having read numerous Unli Flow stories, I conclude that crucial to a great, not just good, Unli Flow story is a well-defined Authority. The explanation behind the Authority’s existence and motives is the foundation to the entire story.

You can have a very fancy building (cool instances, well-developed characters, an exciting enemies to lovers couple, etc.), but if the foundation is flimsy, the building’s value would plummet in your eyes. You can still appreciate the building, of course, but you will never be content with it.

Examples of some novels that are good in almost everything else except The Authority (in my opinion): [spoilery]

Supernatural Movie Actor App: It was too profound with not enough groundwork laid for it, resulting in The Authority feeling detached from the main story.

I Upended Yet Another Campus Urban Legend: The Authority was not exactly bad; it was just inadequate. The justification of the Unli Flow existing became unconvincing because of this.

Escape the Infinite Chamber: THE AUTHORITY IS SO FUCKING RIDICULOUS THAT IT’S ABYSMAL. And the entire thing was explained in just one scene and from one extra??? SO MUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING AND THAT’S THE ONLY EXPLANATION WE GET??? HORRENDOUS!

[Spoilers End]

From left to right: Book covers of I Upended Yet Another Campus Urban Legend and Supernatural Movie Actor App

2. Instances

Also known as “copy.” The other world/dimension where players have to face the different challenges.

The Authority may be the foundation, but the Instances are the defining aspect of the Unlimited Flow.

A lot of novels, however, are quite perfunctory when it comes to instances, just using it to further the main couple or as a mere stepping stone to the overarching plot. Or, if they’re not being perfunctory, then the Instances are just plain boring.

The first instance, especially, tend to be the most boring. Authors often use this to dump all the information about how their unli flow works. This usually gets better by the time the 2nd or 3rd instance comes around....

Upon successful completion of an Instance, players will then be rewarded with either points, special abilities, magic items, etc.

Examples of novels with GREAT instances (based on logic, thrill, horror, etc. Again, all in my own opinion):

I Became a God in a Horror Game: The horror is present all throughout. I can still remember the fear I felt while reading about the statues in the first Instance. Each instance/arc also emotionally impacts you, an effect that most Unli Flow writers don’t really aim for or just generally tend to fail at. (This is also my favorite unli flow novel at the moment~)

The Earth is Online: (same author as Fourth Perspective, which I’ve posted a lot about before) What I love about Mo Chen Huan, the author, is how they write intelligent MC’s but without making them seem too OP. And this is because she actually shows us the MC’s thought process, inviting us to think along with them and figure out how to solve the challenge, and not just make her characters say “aha!” This is what makes the Instances in TEIO great and memorable.

High Energy QR Code: The story could make use of more showing than telling, but I actually love the Instances in this novel. You know how good stories are often described as a well-made tapestry in that every little thread contributes to the big beautiful picture? That’s how each Instance reads in this novel. (Absolutely love the Instance about the town where everybody lies.)

Fu Wendou, the male lead of The Earth is Online

3. NPCs

A gaming term which stands for “Non-Player Character.” Refers to characters who live within Instances and act in such ways that further the plot or challenge presented by the Instance. They may go against players or assist them. May or may not have a will of their own.

Examples of NPCs:

Xu Beijin, the protagonist of Being an Extra Actor in an Escape Game

Lu Chu, the protagonist of Insider.

The iconic Mosaic from The Earth is Online

The male leads from Escape the Infinite Chamber, I Became a God in a Horror Game, Killing God with Junk Cards, etc. (Most danmei ML are special!NPCs 😩)

From left to right: Book covers of Being an Extra Actor in an Escape Game and Killing God with Junk Cards

4. Player Hall

A space outside of instances where different players can gather and exchange information. Most of the time, this is in a space still separate from the real world. Players are often prohibited from using their powers in this space.

In some novels, Players have no choice but to live here, completely cutting them off from the real world. In this case, accommodation quality will depend on the Player’s level or points.

5. Personal System

The Personal System issues challenges to the player and keeps track of their current attributes, physical and mental states, etc.. It also calculates rewards and punishments for the player. First and foremost in service to The Authority. (If they aren’t, then they’re most likely the Love Interest in disguise. If not, the Player had somehow swayed it to their side).

6. System Store

The points earned from the different Instances serve as the Players’ currency, and they can use it to buy things from the System Store. The Store may sell weapons, medicine, magical items, or even special abilities. Basically, any item that can help the Player during Instances. Of course, it may also sell non-magical items, like food and everyday items, at a much lower price than special items.

7. Player’s Goal/Wish

In some novels, the Goal is simply to clear all the Instances and leave the Unli Flow for good. But in others, the Unli Flow allows Players to exchange their points for a Wish. The more difficult the Wish, the more points are needed, and the more Instances are needed to be cleared.

Examples of a Goal/Wish:

Supernatural Movie Actor App: Xie Chi wants to give his second personality a body of his own.

I Became a God in a Horror Game: If I’m remembering it correctly… Bai Liu just wants to have lots of money.

I Upended Yet Another Campus Urban Legend: Lin Yi wants to learn the truth about his parents.

Thriller Tour Group: Wei Xun wants to find the truth about his family’s disappearance… and his Wish is to uhh… feel pain?

After the Little Crybaby Enters the Nightmare Cycle: Chi Nan’s Wish is to regain his vision, stop crying and get his memories back.

Death Spiral: To uhh… figure out what the voice in the Elevator is trying to tell them? To regain their memories? [The actual Wish is a big spoiler, so I won’t mention it here.]

From left to right: Book covers of After the Little Crybaby Enters the Nightmare Cycle, Thriller Tour Group, and Death Spiral

Aaaand there you have it! I was hoping to list 10 elements, but I can only think up to 7 😔

Although I said this post is a rec list of sorts, the quality of the novels I mentioned actually varies. I’m just listing whatever novel would be good as an example (and also what I can remember and have more or less completed, since many of the Unli Flow novels I’m reading are currently on-hold).

[mxpvtrx]

Wyvern Death Dance

I randomly got reminded of the phenomenom of the eagle death spiral, and couldn't get the idea of a dragon death spiral out of my mind. (I may have been watching a bit too much high fantasy lately)

So, I started this... Had a breakdown, Bon Appétit!

[sarahcarapace]

Some art and pages from Death Spiral ~ my Body-Horror Diesel Punk Cannibal Lesbian ttrpg setting for Dungeon Bitches It's 1 part Art Book and 2 Parts horrible sandbox! The book is around 100 pages (37,000+ works and depending on how you count it has between 37 – 53 bits of art in it (I tend to group the smaller bits of spot art together) and is filled to the brim with psychotic dykes, bug babes, blood and guts, horror and maybe some romance??? The Book is currently out in PDF format on DTRPG >>> LINK TO BOOK

[drunkenskunk]

Meanwhile, back at the Day Job...

[yuexuan]

[Review]死亡回旋

Title: 死亡回旋 Death Spiral

Author: 深海手术刀

Length: 212 chapters + 2 extras

Rating:  M

Tag: Infinite flow, rebirth, supernatural, horror

Summary [taken from novel updates]:

I shall die and die again to know that life is inexhaustible.

Rabindranath Tagore [Stray Birds].

[Nth+1 Event Log] Detected [Core Player]’s death.

-> Reset world

The ghost monsters are resetting…. The world is resetting… Resurrecting all the players… Other than [Core Player], all other player’s memories are erased… Relationship meter is erased…

! Warning ! Detected [Player X]’s memory is still partially retained.

Resetting player again.

! Warning ! [Player X]’s memory imprint is too deep to be erased.

Deleting the player.

! Warning ! [Player X] is an important character and cannot be deleted.

…..

Override the bug, reset the world to the beginning.

***After completing the Nth+1 time of resetting***

**Instance is restarting**

! Warning ! [Player X] has made contact with [Core Player].

! Warning ! [Player X]’s feelings towards [Core Player] has exceeded the maximum threshold.

! Warning ! [Player X] and [Core Player] are commencing indescribable actions.

! Warning! The following content cannot be displayed according to the relevant rules and regulations.

Novel | Novel [translated]

Comments **contains spoilers**:

One day, Xu Rendong (MC) was returning home from work when he was almost hit by a truck. But right when he was about to be hit, an elevator appeared, sending him into another world. To live, he has to find the elevator and elevator button within the world that would enable him to escape. The problem was, the world was filled with deadly monsters. Fortunately, he was able to restart the world every time he died.

Similar to Kaleidoscope of Death, characters who were about to die were sent into different worlds - those that survived and found the elevator and its button can take the elevator back to their own world, whereupon they would extend their lifespan. Those that didn’t would also die in the real world. Also in a way I find similar to KOD, the ML (Lian Qiao) was someone who carried a mystery and was introduced as being not-too-serious at the start. Here, ML was a streamer who was also a puppy dog that gets worked up by the gory scenes. However, he was able to deal with the monsters more effectively than MC using his gamer knowledge/instinct, plus a dangerous hidden personality that surfaces occasionally.

Highlights:

What makes this novel unique is that MC was able to restart the world again when he dies, allowing him to accumulate experience and survive through trial-and-error. What this also means is that MC is portrayed as a normal person. Unlike other infinite flow novels where the main pairing has a ton of luck or where they are OP, the main pairing in this novel are mostly normal people (minus ML’s hidden side who comes out from time to time) who constantly fail and have to re-do things again. Through the novel, we can see that the MC is sometimes scarred from his previous ‘cycle’, which affects his behavior in the next cycle of rebirth. Sometimes, it even prevents him from moving forward because he is so mentally and emotionally worn out.

I love the times when the characters or the narration would make a statement that jumped the fourth wall (e.g. character making the comment: “if you say anymore, the novel would be locked!”. They just make for such fun mental double-takes.

All the worlds are very interesting and the concept of having a key player in the world is exciting. It definitely amps up the stake when the MC or one of the side characters I like become a key player. Depending on how many worlds the key player survived, their presence could drastically increase the difficulty of the world. For example, there was a player called Shi Jianchuan who was in his last world. His presence alone increased the difficulty of the world so much so that 80+ players were pulled into that world (more players = higher the difficulty of the world) and only one person could survive (although MC and ML used special means to survive).

The mysteries surrounding MC’s constant resets and ML’s hidden personality also kept the story going. We are constantly teased by other more experienced characters about ML’s dark side, so there is an urge to continue reading just to figure out what is going on. Similarly, every time they survived a world, pieces of clues were given to MC regarding the cause of his resets.

Shortcomings:

The mechanics regarding the difficulty of the worlds are still a bit confusing to me. It doesn’t seem quite fair if a new player is pulled into another player’s last world, they would basically become fodder. The last explanation about how MC resets himself, while already hinted at, does seem to come as a surprise - we weren’t told about the wish mechanic or about the rooms of gears and boxes, so it does read as a bit forceful where the author attempts to tie all the clues together.

[constant-humorliation]

ant comic :3

a bit long but im proud of it

i really really like this one ngl i just drew and wrote what i liked

[s-n-arly]

Tumblr Status

So Tumblr is either once again experiencing growing pains, or the site is finally on its downward spiral. I'm leaning toward the latter. Here's my supporting information (which will also be sent as feedback to the Tumblr machine).

I'm personally checking in and posting less often because the newer interface is harder to use, there's clearly a drop in traffic, and what I'm seeing is less interesting. I used to pop in to Tumblr 2-3 times a day on average and the activity number (indicating posts from people/blogs I follow) would usually be at the max of 99+ every time I checked in. I currently check in 0-1 time a day and the activity number is rarely above 75.

I used to get a few legit new follows on any of my accounts in a given week. I think I've had two in the last two weeks, but I get an increasing number of daily follows from empty bot/spam accounts.

What are other people experiencing on Tumblr these days? Is this just me?

[dozydawn]

“A Canadian Invention. That's the death spiral; introduced to figure skating by Barbara Wagner and Bob Paul; who won four world pairs titles for Canada. Here's a death spiral by Anna Forder and Richard Stephens; who hope to start on the Wagner-Paul trail by winning the Canadian title at Maple Leaf Gardens.”

Photo by Bob Olsen, 1969.

[chaoticblade5]

God I love Dungeon Bitches. I know I ran it kind of shit. But damn the system is a resilient little thing. It oozes atmosphere that we had so much fun with it, I'll become exceptionally powerful when I become an expert at it.

[your-best-american-babygirl]

//bug hurt

I think we should reblog things constantly between our tumblr friend circles like those spirals of ants that keep following each other's scents

[choogotjokes]

Chaos magic

[corporateintel]

Sniff for Myth

The mantra of modern business decision-making is often tied to the basic concept of data-driven reasoning. If you hold a leadership position within an organization, you know that understanding data is a mandate. Data is the foundation for supporting a thesis, building consensus around a point of view, or building an argument for change. Data won’t tell us everything we need to know, and data can…

[jsvjbmh]

Death Spiral [Infinite Flow]

I finished this one as well ^^. I finished both (this one and the one from the precious post) last week, or was it 2 weeks ago... I'm a bit late/lazy with writing about it. I did enjoy this one, but I'm a sucker for these kind of stories, so I am not sure how trustworthy my opinion is :'). I am also just a simple minded person. I don't think too deep if everything makes sense or not.

The last instance left me with some questions. But I am a little bit lazy to explain it well... I just wanna know if the Monk survived or not. I only know about Little Apple, but the rest of the persons that were also in that instance? I don't know.. Maybe I missed something?

Anyways, I have some novels to catch up on and some that I can/need to finish as well, so I'm not sure when I'll start a new one.. I also kinda want to write posts for danmei's that I've already finished before starting this blog. But brain... I need to see if I can remember the stories of those xd.

Oh I never mentioned the amount of chapters, did I? 212 chapters and 2 extras ^^.