#Enriched Understanding

[turiyatitta]

The Unending Ascent

Embracing Continuous Learning and Growth Amidst Peaks of Consciousness In the intricate tapestry of spiritual exploration, there exists a profound truth that often goes unspoken: the journey does not culminate at the peaks of consciousness but continues to weave through the valleys of continuous learning and growth. During my dialogue with Steve James on Guru Viking, I delved into this aspect,…

[castielsprostate]

i, too, wouldve had a psychotic break like jensen ackles and trauma bond with dean winchester after having been buried alive, having to jump through real glass, be locked in an attic with 60k live bees, accidentally stab my co-star with a real knife prop, get lube thrown on me every other episode and be in a house that's actually on fire just to film a silly little tv show

[hanseelie]

every once and awhile i have to put him in an Outfit

[cringefailvox]

vees + alastor polycule but vox has to be very careful about leaving alastor alone with valentino and velvette for too long because alastor WILL start plotting a coup d'etat to oust vox from both the relationship and the company. and val & vel are spineless traitors

[mcytegg]

okay so i lied abt being done talking abt ro. cause the thing is i dont doubt that he has people who care for him, im not saying that nobody cares— if he asked his team, zam, mapicc, or like derap to play the server w him theyd do it. if he were banned, zam would revive him bc i dont think jumper or rek have the materials to do so. but i still consider him alone bc whenever he is able to login its just him. which is the entire issue, i think.

and i actually. think thats smt mapicc understands abt him, and i dont know if anyone else does. cause ro doesnt LIKE being alone, he doesnt like playing the server alone, he likes following his friends around and doing things w them for the sake of being around them— which is why him being w rek and jumper is a bit difficult for someone like him imo. theyre very independent teammates and enjoy doing their own projects, but ro likes doing projects WITH people and spending time together, which is why he seems so isolated from even his own teammates to me. and i think thats what mapicc meant when he was defending ro by pointing out that rek and jumper arent active, even though theyre considerably more active than ro himself is.

like i know im yapping a lot abt such a small piece of dialogue, but i thought of all of this bc of mapicc saying "Where is his team, y'know? // Yeah but where?"

the entire reason im talking sm is bc people (on the server at least) seem to think he does so much with/for mapicc in s5 and s6 simply bc its mapicc and no other reason at all— and while yes, its true that ro is very attached to him— i also think part of it is bc in both s5 and s6 his teams were there. but they also werent. not in the way ro needed them to be.

they werent there in the way ro needed them to be bc they dont know how he works or what exactly it is he wants/needs in a team like mapicc seems to. ro being so willing to turn his back on seemingly anyone for mapicc isnt JUST bc of bias even if thats a large part of it— its bc mapicc understands how he works in a way others just dont seem to be able to, and he knows how to make sure ro has the most fun in a team yk? like he understands that ro likes to do things together for the fun of it, for the sake of spending time together regardless of the outcome bc a big thing for mapicc is spending time together as well.

its why i think ro immediately went to mapicc abt pentar wanting him, and offered to help in the war despite having very little he CAN do w how poor he is on the server. it was finally something he could do w other people (people he already knows he has fun w, at that!!) even if it was a war he realistically knew very little abt and had like no stakes in. bc he likes being involved and working w other people a lot, but theres nobody he really has to do that with yet this season bc his teammates are busy, his friends have other people, and hes too busy to be able to play enough to find new people he could work on things with.

[coffeegnomee]

Zam being so not impressed with the tunnel rats is so funny. Of course he would think it's dumb. He's always kinda hated the whimsy and silliness on lifesteal.

He only likes the whimsy of being chased down, blood pumping in the ears, fear in the throat, the thrill of escape. Or the whimsy of chasing his enemy down, the thrill of the hunt, the test of skill, the fear of failure, the possibility of success.

Other lifestealers get joyous and giggly when invited to the tunnel rats and think it's so cool. Zam gets joyous and giggly with being chased down. And here's a place where you're not meant to fight at all.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

I have greatly enjoyed your comics ever since i saw them and have been quietly Iurking as ya do- thought youd want to know that i played hollow knight based on how enthusiastic u were and how fuckin cool youre art of hk/mdzs is. OH and watched dungeon meshi. Your influence is vast and i have been enriched. Keep on keepin on 🫡

You have bestowed the highest honour upon me.

[sainteclectic]

(*stares with big metaphorical eyes*) (heart and mind thoughts? Please?)

( @heartemis-real )

they're ALSO codependent, just in a differently insufferable way. they love each other, they hate each other, they want to be free of each other, they complete each other...

fundamentally, they see each other as equals. heart sees mind as an equal and gets pissed that his "other half" acts so unaffected. he tries to drag mind down to his level, to even a playing field that should be level. to him, mind should be equal, but he's acting like they're not. heart tries to hurt him, and what does he do? he fucking laughs! like heart is a joke instead of his equal! not ever once did he fall to his knees!!

mind, on the other hand, sees heart as someone equal to him, and that's exactly why he's so disappointed in heart. if heart is meant to be his equal, why is he so emotional and petty? why doesn't he agree with mind, who's obviously right? heart should be better because mind is better. he puts heart under the same scrutiny he puts himself under, and since he has incredibly high standards for himself, he projects his need for perfection on heart.

but heart never asked for those expectations. but mind isn't truly unaffected like heart thinks. they see each other as equals, as their "other half," and that's why they're so mad at each other. because in seeing the other as half of them, they expect the same things they expect of themselves.

there's a fundamental lack of understanding. mind doesn't understand why heart is so mad at what he sees as objectively correct when heart's supposed to be as good as him, heart doesn't understand why mind never listens and seems so unaffected by everything that hurts heart so much. so mind assumes heart is emotional and manipulative. so heart assumes mind is emotionless and cruel. their equality grows into an imbalance. it festers until it boils over.

they hate each other so much, yes, but only because they care about each other so much too. just like heart and mind themselves: two sides of the same coin.

[the-dragon-hearted]

I just want to say:

Everyone who comments on fics, everyone who's ever drawn fanart of fics, anyone who's ever gushed about fics to the author - You're someone's hero.

You are the light in this creative world and inspired someone to keep going. Your seven heart emojis made someone smile for thirty minutes. Your fanart has someone gushing over it to this day. Someone posted a chapter and grinned when they saw your comment - someone LOOKED FORWARD to seeing you in their inbox. Your paragraph rant on the final chapter is still being re-read five years later and still brings a smile to someone's face.

Just wanted to say. In case you doubt it: You are seen, you are valued, and your actions have a profound impact. Thank you <3

[npdkondraki]

will never understand ppl who enjoy being only kids sorry. i love walking downstairs, seeing our sibling, and immediately beating the shit out of eachother

[pendulouspuppyudders]

if a girl sees her struggles reoccurring when she learns history and when she brings that up you "correct" her by insisting she and her society are too different from these historical stories for that connection to be valid you've just shut down her ability to learn from her history... and what was that thing about being doomed again?

[mystxmomo]

Warm up sketch I finally got around to coloring.

[witchtwig]

I don't have a complete thought for this yet, but it is interesting that in episode 5 before she says that ghosts have unfinished business, Lilia states that "emotion ties them to this plane"--

Agatha died during an incredibly emotional moment, crying as she kissed the woman she had been fleeing from for years. Agatha who has so many unpacked, unprocessed emotions as she's avoided really sitting with them for years. She hid behind the Darkhold to be invulnerable.

I really think that's like an interesting thread to explore with her as a ghost for a potential season 2. Not just mentoring Billy and fulfilling that part of her that has always wanted to raise a protege in a way she never was. But also maybe unlike this first season where in a lot of ways it was Agatha's Avoidant All Along, we actually get to see her unpack some things (which I would imagine largely revolve around Nicky and even moreso Rio (given she began to process a little bit around Nicky in the first season)).

[starpros-sunshine]

Eichi gives away the mask so easily because it was never meant to be an "engagement ring" like you delulu wataeis imagined it to be lmao. It was wataru saying that he will continue playing tsumugi clown role in fine and won't leave it for hokuto's mother troupe after graduation. Do you dumb fucks even read the stories? Eichi didn't even understand tf that mask meant when wataru gave it to him and wataru referenced fucking tsumugi in his "proporsal". I dunno why the f you think it's ok to lie about "! EnDiNG wItH wAtAeI EnGaGeMEnT" when the chapter it happened wasn't even close to the end of ep:link. Cope

PS: how do you live with the fact that Eichi clearly admitted to never being in love in his life and Wataru said that even though Eichi likes him, he still can easily discard him for the sake of his objectives?

I love you anon thank you for giving me a nice reason to ramble again beautiful ask 10/10 I'm sorry this is probably not how you hoped this would go but this is such a funny block of text delightful really thank you for the enrichment please marry me

But okay yes now to get down to the actual ask just to disclaim I am solely relying on translations seeing as I do not speak japanese well enough to understant the original text so if anyone has anything to add to this or to correct me on please feel free to do so.

Now to get started I'm not sure if one could say Eichi gave away the mask "So easily" seeing as he claimed that it was "a hard choice to make"? Which, as one might know, implies unease with an idea and pondering and debating and a general amount of thinking behind a decision so? I know this isn't really the main focus of this ask but I'm just a tad miffed with the semantics of it is all. And in either case giving the mask back to Wataru while expecting it back still shows a certain degree of trust in their relationship it wouldn't have been such a big deal for him (as it apparently was) if the mask didn't have a lot of sentimental value to him (the both of them really if we look at the whole exchange).

Now to the claim that the mask was "only" Watarus promise to stay with fine and "continue playing Tsumugis clown role". This is not entirely incorrect. Regarding the acting troupe and staying with fine bit at least.

I'm assuming this bit in EP:Link Deadend/7 is what you are referencing, and I see where you're coming from. But the bluebird line

from literally three dialogue lines further down, which references this line of dialogue (notorious Eichi line everyone should be familiar with)

kind of somewhat really recontextualises that? Because you see this is a reference to a fairytale about a pair of siblings and they get sent out by a nice fairy to find the bluebird of happiness for her sad daughter to make her happy again so they both go on an adventure and travel far and search and search but they can not find the bluebird of happiness and then when they return home again, disappointed because they couldn't find the blue bird, they realise only one night has actually passed and the journey was probably just a dream. But then their eyes fall upon their pet dove in it's cage which appears blue all of a sudden and so they gift it to the fairies sad daughter which becomes happy again and sets the bird free. The real bluebird of happiness is a dove. At least in the version of the story I'm familiar with but I mean everyone sees the symbolism right? It's. very hard to miss.

And then dropping this?

I'm not sure how to say this properly but in the overall context this makes it pretty clear that Tsumugi has nothing to do with this anymore this is Fully between Wataru and Eichi. And I am the last person to dismiss Tsumugis significance in the course of Wataeis relationship as characters I will be among the first to protest when someone dismisses the importance of Tsumugis and Eichis relationship in favour of some image they have of Wataei but he has nothing to do with this one.

Yes Tsumugi gets namedropped but - again - I don't really see how that would lessen the sentiment Wataru is triying to convey here? Because. Yes. Why wouldn't he mention Tsumugi?

The entire conversation pretty much boils down to "Yes I was initially only in this because I thought I could replace Tsumugis role in your life and then I wanted to leave but we have spent so much time together that I realised that that is definitely not working out because I really do love you. I love you as a teammate; I love you as a friend; I love you as a person and I am very angry at myself for not managing to get that into your head. So please allow me to stay with you for as long as you'll have me." And then also Eichi not understanding because he has the emotional self awareness of a very emotionally unaware loaf of bread and also because he hates himself that is a very big thing about his character huge part of his character arc actually that he. you know? Hates himself? And feels guitly for his actions during the war? And doesn't think he deserves love and companionship? Which is why Wataru wanting to stay with him for him and not for some twisted form of revenge is such an alien concept to him? Because he is projecting his insecurities onto Wataru? As one is wont to do when they hate themself? "EiChi Didn'T eVen UnDErStanD WhAt tf ThAT Mask MEAnt" Yeah. That's. That's the point? So he can think about it and come to that conclusion himself which works as a keymoment in his characters journey from hating life and himself to enjoying being alive and wanting to live on because of the people he's surrounded with? He literally explains why he didn't immediately understand the mask during the EP:Link Epilogue/4

And to get back to the "I dunno why the f you think it's ok to lie about "! EnDiNG wItH wAtAeI EnGaGeMEnT" about which I have two things to say:

"Lying" implies further intent and an effort. Neither of which exist in this case.

He literally went down on one knee while making a big proclamation of offering himself to Eichi with a very personal item that works as a symbol for their commitment to each other on a starlit rooftop. The comparison writes itself.

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joke

And then I expected there to be a proper reason given and instead you proceed to follow that up with "when the chapter it happened wasn't even close to the end of ep:link". I know the shame is on me for expecting something sensical from an ask which has been near constant in it's lack of correct statements but such is human nature I suppose. And you are not wrong. Deadend/7 isn't very close to the end of EP:Link. That is true.

But do you know what Is very close to the end of EP:Link? The Epilogue Chapters 3-5.

Do you know what the content of those chapters is? I do. Very well actually :)

(Eichi literally explains why he didn't get it)

So if this answers your "Do you dumb fucks even read the stories?" questions, Yes. And I think I'm a lot better at it than you. So I'd say I'm coping quite well over here :p

PS: Regarding your PS, I take the "I've never been in love before so I wouldn't know" comment with a lot of humour actually as an aroace person who's emotional self awareness also ends at "good" and "Not good" I think it's very funny all things considered especially because he mentioned the loving Wataru thing several times before that and I'm generally of the belief that actions speak louder than words and also am in a happy long term relationship with the concept of "Reading Subtext". So please excuse me for not breaking down in tears everytime someone reminds me of that one singuar line of text in one of my favourite all time enstars stories that came out three years ago which also brought us the single best card set in the entire game

as well as absolute banger dialogue such as

Among others <33

And there are soooooo many other examples of wataei dialogue that simply make me swoon but I have already had to take out so many of the one's I wish I could put here so this wouldn't get "Do you love the colour of the sky" long

And also, regarding your "Wataru said that even though Eichi likes him, he still can easily discard him for the sake of his objectives" I'll just say that no he absolutely could not. I mean he'd say that and if pull comes to shove and he has no other option then he might seriously consider it but may I mention that Wataru was gone for a few days at most but really not that long of a time during Sanctuary and Eichi stopped considering being a normal rational person that doesn't leave helpless 17 year olds in the midst of a construction site. Very different situation but I feel like it's worth mentioninh here. Another example is Eichis almost not being able to go through with the war because of Wataru. Wataru had to actively come and tell Eichi to go through with it. Wataru isn't the reason Eichi started the war, that is wrong, but he is the reason Eichi almost didn't finish it. and during the war era that was his Main objective. Again I'm part of the fraction "actions speak louder than words" Show don't tell and all that, but even the words are pushing it.

And that concludes my essay :)

[goodlouse]

[THE LAST OF US HATERISM BENEATH THIS LINE!!!]

ok i used to like tlou when i was a teen (enough so that it was primarily the reason i deluded myself into training as a 3d game artist) but oml all of my good will towards the series has been evaporating towards it since the second game.

i remember being REALLY disappointed with the trans narrative but letting it go cos i knew it'd be a comfort to someone - the first trans character i saw in a vg was FAR from perfect (miranda from watchdogs 2) but it went a long way to comfort me in just seeing that. I also think the story was doodoo but I was like ok whatever its clearly not for me anymore. i ALSO ALSO think that the shows story revisions were stinky and it makes me feel like such a contrarian that nobody else really talked abt that

but I've found out since that neil druckmann has been pretty open abt the fact that a lot of the themes in both games were inspired by his experience w the israeli-palestinian conflict and with that knowledge its pretty hard to hang on to a charitable read of the "both sides bad, end the cycle of violence by walking away" narrative that happens between ellie & abbie AND the wlf and scars. cos if you're trying to hint that its commentary and critique on real world ongoing conflict, its kind of ignoring the fact that in real life this CANT be boiled down to the cycle of violence, israel is committing genocide against palestinians

ik that me complaining wont rlly like.. make any tangible change to the world but its annoying as hell that i have to see billboards around again for a game/show with such a deeply unsympathetic view to real world suffering.

also neil druckmann said this which i think is lame as hellllll

[luckyashes-art]

i just spent time looking through ur monster au tags and to say im obsessed.... but i wanna jump onto this leoni train because i just had this thought of like, i don't know how to word it, but how similar ichika and honami are i guess, what with both having experience of being the "odd one out" (for lack of better word) in their friendship group, with obviously honami being the only monster when they were younger and with ichika being the only human in the current time. it could be something they confide in each other with - the struggle and disconnect they felt with their friends, the things they had to avoid as to not hurt or worry the others, how they can improve their relationships so noone feels left out or forgotten.

in a similar vein, saki and shiho both form a deeper bond in their shared experience of being human-turned-monsters. they probably lament about their time as a human - what they miss, what they wish they could go back too - but also think about the excitement(?) and slight worry of being a monster - what they are capable of now. also the way they could act as like a bridge between the monster and human worlds in both leonid and society in general as they can both still partially relate with ichika and the struggles and the enjoyments of being human (though maybe those experiences start to fade slowly from their memory - after all they both turned fairly young, they'll spend more of their life as monsters than they ever did as humans) as well as being able to understand the like isolation, fear, and problems honami faced with being a monster.

slightly off-topic side note, i don't know if it's something that would exist but thinking about ichika trying to research about any specific forms of monster first aid/medicine so if the others (maybe less-so saki because... yea) get injured or sick she could look after them.

man ngl yall out here thinking of relationship connections that i myself havent pondered/realized yet 😭😭 which honestly, im always amazed to how i make these lil things without fully realizing it

but im glad 🙌🙌 pjsk monster au brainworms be upon ye :3