#Lotus Theory 1 Concept

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Lotus Theory 1 Concept, 2024. The first example of The Lotus Theory, a new design manifesto that will form the foundation for all future Lotus cars. The car's wedge design clearly references Giugiaro's original Esprit concept from 1972 but has a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain that produces a total of 986hp. Inside the Theory 1 features 3 seats abreast and a central driving position with haptic feedback through the seats and steering wheel for a more visceral driving experience

[raayllum]

ALRIGHT, time to talk about the poster in lovely HD.

First things first, I want to talk about these two ladies (?). The upper one closer to the moon looks more like an elf, and is gazing down at the second, closer woman. I've seen people speculate Ziard due to the hair, but none of this usual clothing appendages are there, so I lean towards a new character, and possibly being the human Aaravos had a special connection to. We see what looks like the arches of the Moon Nexus framed behind them, which was the case both when Rayla went through the portal in TTM and when Lujanne used historia viventum to show Callum the way things looked before. Souls of hate and love, maybe?

We see other Moon symbols throughout the posture sure as archangel lunarises, which seek out Moon magic (1x01) and can be used in illusion spells (2x03, 3x09). We also see the enchanted lotuses from 3x03, though for what purpose is unclear (more on that later).

Moving down, we have a fully celestial, quite happy Aaravos. He's in full flourish and clearly using Moon magic for someone, as begetting the moon behind him, though whether he's constructing lotuses or channeling energy into his Key (perhaps making it able to sense Moon magic) is unknown. While the lotuses in 3x03 were occasionally different colours, the deep purple here makes me think of dark magic. If he is channeling his cube, perhaps he's taking moon energy from the lotuses (or moths) surrounding him to put inside.

I don't think I need to scream much further than I already have about the Moon rune glowing on his Key and having it displayed with his usual star symbol (rune cube foreshadowing symbolism my beloved). This bodes well for theories in which 1) Callum goes too far and does something knowingly risky to free the Moon fam for Rayla's sake or 2) does something risky to help Aaravos to protect Rayla's life, each subsequently to being possessed and/or playing into Aaravos' hands. Thank you goodnight.

Then we have the book, which is deeply fascinating. It seems like a very Moon book, the fragments framing it similar to the ones we see on the lotuses and possibly evoking one of the archangel lunaris' flying around. It wouldn't surprise me if the book contains a variant of Deep moon magic of some kind, whatever that would look like. The crescent curved moon is also similar to the symbol we see on Aaravos' poem page for the Midnight Star in show (2x08). I do wonder why each side of the book looks so different though, with no actual visible moon in sight besides the tiny gemstones and the crescent moon, the other side being entirely dark (which, to be fair, is pretty moon-y).

We also sort of but don't quite see Aaravos' famous chest piece, though it is a-glowing. Whether it glowed all the time pre-Fall we just don't know, as the only time we've seen it glow/be filled in is 2x09 when he's channeling magic through Viren, but who knows. It does mean that the cube is even older than his banishment and that if it does hold his chest piece, it was placed after (if it's tangible at all, which has always been one of the biggest questions).

This is perhaps the weirdest thing that I am the most interested in, as alongside his crown and bangles, this is the biggest design difference between Aaravos in-show and out. In show, both in his mirror and even 'pre-Fall' (aka the timeline for the 1x01 shot is probably a lie anyway), Aaravos' hip thingy is a lot more simplistic.

However, Aaravos does have all his flowery (and I mean that literally, it looks like petals) adornment in his concept art.

The fact they have a lotus flower flair to them always felt interesting but ultimately like a coincidence, but perhaps not. Either way as pictured below, it seems like he's either constructing or dismantling the lotuses, which is Eyes Emoji either way.

The most... surely metaphorical / abstract portion of the poster, though, is I'd imagine the very bottom. I hesitate to read into things too literally (one of the S5 posters had Finnegrin's ship being blasted with lightning and Domina watching the waves, and while she featured in the season and played a role in Finnegrin's aims, the scene itself as portrayed did not come fully to fruition) so I'm gonna go with a more symbolic read, just as as disclaimer.

Lastly we have these two figures. I'm assuming the one in white is an elf and betting on young Aaravos or Leola, though it could be someone else connected to the Moon arcanum (the elven daughter who vouched for exiling rather than eliminating humanity?). The red and black shadow figure feels far more sinister (blood and stardust, anyone) but if you lighten the shadows, you get something even more... interesting, shall we say.

Rather than standing up straight, this figure almost seems to swoop down with a draconic like claw and a face that reminds me the most of Sir Sparklepuff's features, honestly, perhaps boasting a similar kind of blood (Viren's) and star (Aaravos) and dark magic (the staff?). It is also clearly moving toward the more humanoid figure on the bottom right, which gives a "corruption is reaching / coming for / offering things to you" sort of vibe.

[cormorant-red]

I played 999 recently at @xivu-arath's recommendation, and I had so much fun that (inspired by that one polygon video) I illustrated my liveblog about it!

If you haven't played 999 and you are even a little bit intrigued by a puzzle/mystery visual novel with multiple timelines that all guide you towards wild plot twists...probably don't read the text! 999 is the kind of story that is best experienced with no knowledge besides the basic premise.

Transcript below the cut:

Cormorant: characters in this game really just say shit like "have you heard the story about the crystallization of glycerin?"

as a matter of fact i haven't, june, please enlighten me

Storm: "I know we're stuck in a freezer but. let's talk about weird mythical science!"

Cormorant: it's also killing me that junpei is dressed like marty mcfly and isn't sharing any of his jackets

-----

Cormorant: this game is leading me to arrive at mathematical concepts on my own. what the heck

Storm: kshgushhsg

I take it you're having a good time then

Cormorant: trying to check lotus's work and it turns out that no matter what group i arrange to take through a door, the people left behind will always have the same digital root

so to get through door 7 with snake missing, i could either send a group with sum 16 (junpei, ace, clover, and june) or with sum 25 (clover, june, seven, and lotus), but it doesn't matter because the remainder always have root 9 and can't get through doors 3 or 8! wild!

Storm: yeah the numbers and which doors end up barred to you is so cleverly deliberate

-----

Cormorant: i'm glad i finally checked what novel mode meant, because this is way more fun

Santa cocked his head to one side, like an inquisitive bird, and looked at them.

After several long moments, during which it became apparent that Santa had no idea what the cards meant, June took pity on him.

i'll have to go back and redo the beginning after i get to the first ending

Storm: oh yeah! as I recall that was done differently when it was originally a dual screen game... but it's much better when in novel style. gimme all the descriptions

-----

Cormorant: I had a long day of sitting though presentations and so I entertained myself by calculating digital roots

I discovered that adding 9 or any multiple of 9 to a number has no effect on the digital root, which is awfully interesting bc I got to the part where snake gets killed. Assuming door 3 was opened with 12 and not 21, the options are 7+3 (motive?), 6+4 (they’d both have to be REALLY good actors), or 9+1. And if bracelets work without a body attached, and if ace picked it up in door 5…

That would be a really useful tool to get around the 3-person minimum without altering the digital root

I’m also very intrigued by the theory that zero is also in the game but I don’t know what to do with that yet

Storm: forlornly having to keep myself from saying literally anything

Cormorant: Understandable, please don’t give me any hints! I’m just calling shots for the joy of being wrong

-----

Cormorant: and how do you know that, my traitorous friend?

Santa: “The RED doesn’t need a person, you know.”

Santa: “All I need is the bracelet.”

-----

Cormorant: y’know what i think he’s bluffing. he does need June specifically and that’s why he refused to consider leaving her when they first found door 9. if all he needed was a hostage, he could have grabbed junpei and forced ace to come along, and then he would be dealing with two people under duress instead of three

i peeked at a guide and apparently i found the ending adjacent to the true ending(?) first, oh well. time to see the others!

santa: i said i don't want to leave seven alone

me: bud you can't do a heroic sacrifice too, it'll mess up all the math

reader, he was not doing a heroic sacrifice

-----

Storm: got any character opinions or theories to share so far?

Cormorant: hmm I’ve got soft spots for santa and lotus maybe just because they were in the first group I went with. I like that the game makes a point of showing that lotus is quick with the math/technical knowledge. I warmed up to clover and seven more than I expected to! I have no evidence to mistrust ace….but I don’t trust him

Snake died before I before I could say two words to him

Or…didn’t. Forgot clover said he didn’t

I got info about the previous experiments from clover and I wonder if we’re like…reenacting the past somehow? Experiencing morphogenetic resonance with the last voyage?

Again no evidence i just wonder where the pseudoscience is going

Storm: santa was so my type as soon as I started playing that I just picked all rooms with him on my first run skugrhsghu

Cormorant: AHAHA that makes me feel better about going “yeahhh door 4 I like the cut of this guy’s jib”

-----

Cormorant: “the bracelet comes off when your heart rate reaches zero” interesting then that we’ve brought up cryostasis

-----

Cormorant: i simply don't trust him not to have a spare bracelet in his pocket!!!

They climbed into the elevator and Junpei listened to it creak and rattle its way to the bottom deck. Only Junpei, Ace, and Lotus were left.

As the elevator rumbled out of sight, Ace spoke.

Ace: “Lotus, would you be so kind as to go with me?”

Cormorant: “bad end” YEAH I’LL SAY

Storm: lkksghr yeah there's a few of those!

Cormorant: santa was really quick to declare that he, june, and seven needed to go with clover. waht's his game

june and ace could have done it just as easily

Storm: they could have! good catch

maybe he just thinks seven is cooler than ace,

Cormorant: i'm imagining clover taking all her grisly trophies to the door only to find it already engaged, because lotus needed no persuading,

and regarding the true ending requirements, it's also funny that santa's like "i hate this bookmark! get it out of my sight!" and this is a huge help in junpei befriending the girl who's otherwise about to snap

Storm: load bearing bookmark

Cormorant: good thing you threw that tantrum bud or you would have been killed with an axe

-----

Cormorant: in my suspicions i forgot a critical detail, which is that he didn't actually go into the door with the body this time

of course seven has been propping doors open, so it really could have been anybody

-----

Cormorant: "where have these 16 boys and girls disappeared to?" eight for each game and then an experimenter? again with the idea that zero might be in the game...

-----

Cormorant: bad endings complete! on to the normal ending, which hopefully has less of junpei getting stabbed to death

puzzling over who could have done all those murders, especially in the sub ending...or did everyone get killed? clover thinks that snake's death was faked. or did snake do all the murders, since he was the only one unaccounted for?...and then i remember what kind of game i'm playing. can't discount the ice mummy as a suspect.

Storm: you truly cannot ignore the possibility of the ice mummy

-----

Cormorant: ah no, so santa's sister was the kid that died...

i can't figure out the connection between events! why did the last games have the veneer of a science experiment, while this one has no context given? why was it all kids last time, and a random mix of ages this time, with some repeat subjects?

-----

Cormorant: called it!!!!

Junpei: “Ace, Guy X, and the 9th Man’s bracelet.”

Junpei: “That was all you needed to open door [3].”

Cormorant: called it before i even got to an ending ehehe

what i’ve been saying!!

Ace: “(9) is a potent ally in the Nonary Game.”

Ace: “Adding (9) to any set of numbers won’t alter the digital root.”

Ace: “As you can see, (9) is a very useful number here.”

Ace: “With it, one can go anywhere, with anyone.”

Ace: “It is, I suppose you could say, a game changer.”

-----

Cormorant: okay, normal ending finished! junpei did not get stabbed but we also didn’t resolve much…I’m now thinking that ace with his pocket drugs could have easily played dead in the sub ending

glad to see that snake is okay and hopefully can stay okay in the true ending. where did clover get that riddle, and will she still have it?

0=6. how much do I read into this

still don’t understand how we get from here to santa hostage situation. he’s been so consistent about not even considering betraying or abandoning people, so either he’s a better actor than ace…or it’s staged. are he and june in cahoots

Storm: augh so close now!! soon I can actually say things

-----

Cormorant: O FUCK

Seven: “Santa’s always in the room with her. That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?”

Snake: “Yes, that’s right.”

Clover: “What about it…?”

Snake: “That’s quite simple, really.”

Snake: “You told me that the first time you came to this room…”

Snake: “…Santa was the first to refuse to leave June behind.”

Snake: “Now, doesn’t that beg the question “why?” Why would Santa do such a thing?”

Snake: “The answer is easy.”

Storm: B)

Cormorant: i've been thinking of them as a pair because it makes the math easier! if you've got 3 + 6 + 8, just cross out the ones that make 9 and don't even bother with the addition, your root is 8

Storm: B) B) B)

Cormorant: but god!! they are a pair, do not separate (or the jig is up)

Storm: they hid it soooo well

-----

Cormorant: was wondering when we would see the last cradle guy and oh duh, he was guy X

i did think it was odd that santa phrased it as "i need to leave two of you behind" rather than "i need three of you to come with me," but if he was responsible for everything (most things?), he knew that snake was there, and he was setting up a group that could follow him. excited to see where this is going!

[dreamy sigh] this game is so elegant. what a little puzzle box

Storm: yeah it is, it's just so wonderfully crafted. so little is wasted!

-----

Cormorant: oh boy [akane vision label]

"through the morphic fieldset we were resonant, and we were as one" i don't think i've mentioned it before but i'm constantly pleasantly surprised by the narration in this game. it's not flashy but it's evocative in a way that's really working for me

Storm: this is where the port falls short a bit of the original version... the ds really worked well with this aspect

-----

Cormorant: the number of times i thought "this will be totally wrong but i'll say it to storm anyway"

hello??? [arrow pointing back to the message “I wonder if we’re like…reenacting the past somehow? Experiencing morphogenetic resonance with the last voyage?”]

Storm: Y E A H

Cormorant: laser-guided spitballing

-----

Cormorant: man i said that 4+6 would have to be really good actors if they were the ones that opened door 3...and while they didn't kill snake, i sure underestimated our queen of the stage akane kurashiki

the baseline was NOT where i thought it was

Storm: no one does it like her

[quitealotofsodapop]

Updating Masterlist of "The Monkey King and the Infant" au posts;

Official Fanfic (ao3): "The Monkey King and the Infant"

Outline/Concepts:

"#The Monkey King and the Infant" Au Tag Original Post (may be outdated) Spotify Playlist (may contain spoilers for story) + with a general outlin of pre and current story events Details: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Assorted answered details

Shadowpeach being parents/mortal:

●"#shadowpeach being parents" - for all posts shadowpeach being parents. ●"#freenoodles being parents" - whether by themselves or co-parenting with shadowpeach. ●"#spicynoodles being parents" - ideas for future spicynoodles family stuff. ●"#sandy being the best uncle" - Sandy is just the Best Uncle. ●"#shadowpeach parental debuff" - posts relating to or explaining why these two are stuck on earth. ↳A (hopefully) clear outline of how the "Soul Energy Transfer" works. + Mortal Debuff ●"#dad bod sun wukong" + "#mom bod macaque" - posts about these two and their mortal bodies. Includes unrelated fanart I adore. ●"#pregnancy tw" - for all things preggers related cus I know some people ain't about that. ↳"childbirth tw" tag - you know why. Why Xiaotian? Macaque is the LMK world's version of Nicole Waterson + Fanart! "Qi Sun Wukong/Qi Wu" & "Qi Liu'er Mihou/Qi Mihou" + Now with Fanart! MORE FANART!!! Mortality/Aging Crisis + Now with really sweet edits that made me cry

Other Characters:

"#lmk character ideas" - more so for characters from chinese mythos/Journey to the West that have yet to appear in LMK. ●"#lmk bai he" - my version of Bai He/The Lady Bone Demon's Host ●"#lmk liu chenxiang" - for my version of Sun Wukong's student from The Lotus Lantern fairytale. ●"#lmk eclipse twins" - tag for Rumble & Savage, Macaque's little shadowclones in the au. ●"#lmk yuebei xing" & "#lmk lunar nodelets" tags - for my version of Yuebei Xing, and Jidu & Luohou from the non-canonical 1580-1590s "Journey the South" book. ●"#lmk sun luzhen" & "#sun luzhen" - for my versions of Sun Luzhen, Wukong's mini-me/biggest fan from the 17th century book "Later Journey to the West". ●"#lmk the four stalwarts" - for my version of the Monkey King's closest compatriots; Ma, Ba, Beng, and Liu. ●"#lmk guanyin" - for my version of Guanyin. ●"#lmk xiwangmu" - for my version of The Queen Mother of the West/Xiwangmu. ●"#lmk fan children" + "jttw inspo fan children" - for fan children of different pairings Princess Jade Face aka Auntie Jade Star Lord of Fire of the South aka SWK's Lawyer Spindrax aka the team's mean biker Mozhi the Ink Demon Babs and Gibs: The Other Celestial Primates

Events in Au/Story (may be unorganised):

●"#lmk tmkati au story events" - tag for straight forward story events in the au. Some older posts may be outdated. How does MK happen? (a little outdated but has the basic details) McCaque :3 aka "Why nobody tell me that food is amazing now!?" "A Hero is Born" changes, "A Hero is Born" changes Part 2 + Now with fanart!! What happens when you possess someone with a living debuff Diyu had two free babies The Wedding + the Proposal + Wedding Vows Azure Lion is trying to do the math here?

World Details/Non-Story Specific:

●"#lmk backstory hcs" - for backstory headcanons not particular to any aus. ●"#lmk character hcs" - character headcanons not particular to aus but may intersect. ●"#jttw inspo character ideas" - for ideas for Jttw characters who don't appear in certain other Jttw-inspired media (ex; a version of Six Eared Macaque in Smash Legends to contrast their Wukong). ●"#jttw inspo ocs" - for new characters made for my Jttw-inspired media ideas. Ie; Xiaoshi for my Netflix Monkey King idea, or the Fruit Babies in my Reborn idea. ●"#lmk gender hcs" - includes personal hcs. ●"#lmk theories" + "#jttw theories"- for theories. ●"#monkey facts" - monkey facts :)

Other Aus/Theories:

●"#Celestial NATO" - goofy idea where the LMK cast interact with other pantheon gods. ● "#wukongverse" - crossover ideas between different JttW inspired characters. ↳Different verses SWK and LEM Nicknames ↳Different verses SWK/LEM ship names/tags +Look at this amazing Smash Legends! Six Earred Macaque art ●"#born grown stone monkeys" - based on the idea that Sun Wukong and Macaque were both born "fully formed" as adults, but were mentally still kids pre-Journey. ●"#Reincarnated!lbd au" - a collection of mini-aus where after her defeat, the Lady Bone Demon's soul split off to reincarnate immediately. In the main version it splits four ways into different fan children (including a version of Yuebei Xing). ●"#lmk penumbra au" - Before Macaque got canonically ded'd, he left behind a pair of shadow clones to "watch the fort" at FFM. Wukong can't bring himself to destroy them, and donates his life energy/dao to the shadows to keep them around. The shadows decide to transform into Rumble & Savage after a few centuries of this, and now Wukong is a proud dad/mom to a pair of chirpy Macaque-looking babies. Macaque is confused when he gets back. ●"#stone egg talk" - ideas about Stone Monkeys being able to reproduce asexually under desperate means through a form of very-risky Parthenogenesis that creates a slow-cooking Stone Egg in their body. Sun Luzhen is created this way in some aus + in the main TMKATI au. ● ↳"#century stone egg au" aka "#SWK is MK's stone egg dad theory au" - exactly what it says on the tin. SWK inducing the process out of loneliness/desire to be a parent = MK's egg. The modern gang hangs out on the island with him once he gets unburied. Has vibes of a flipped TMKATI au. ●↳"#jttw stone egged au" - Turns out being trapped under Five Point Mountain is the perfect trigger conditions for SWK's body to create a Stone Egg. He spends the Journey pregnant and very pissed off. ●+↳"#slow boiled stone egg au" - an Au of an Au. In which Wukong's stone egg-pregnancy during the Journey is extended by many years from him deciding to isolate himself after the Samadhi Fire incident + the death of Macaque. By the time of the canon LMK series, SWK has been pregnant for many, many years, and still is. MK is very confused and horrified. ●+↳"#soft boiled stone egg au" - Au of Slow Boiled in which Yuebei XIng is born during the events of the Samadhi Fire Ritual. Wukong retreats from the public eye after the Journey to settle down and raise his daughter. Yuebei has spent most of her life recieving treatments and learning on Guanyin's island, and at the time of LMK has finally hit her rebelious teen phase. ●++↳"#marbled stone egg au" - au of an au of an au; Slow Boiled but Wukong keeps MK when he gets dumped on him. Gets a bunch of friends within the Noodle Gang early.

Memes & Misc Addons:

●"#memes" - main memes tag. ●Love Dodecahedron Chart (spoilers) ●POV: You just said you were hungry within 10 miles of Pigsy ●Nezha: Ultimate Babysitter

Be sure to send in asks about any details that may be unclear, I've only just gotten back into fic-writing, and it's my first time dedicating some blog time to one.

Update: May create a new pinned post for a general overview of my blog, rather than solely LMK works.

[beifong-brainrot]

Hey, it’s the same anon about Amon from the other day. I appreciate your long post, def agree with a lot of what you said. I actually do like Amon’s storyline in that it’s not about the politics but rather his Severe Daddy Issues. Yakone attempted to control Republic City as a gang leader, then abused his sons and inspired them to take up his project through alternate channels: politics for Tarrlok, a revolution/coup for Noatak. Ultimately book 1 for me is about their issues from their repressive childhood and their struggle to attain power in adulthood (which obviously is similar to Korra’s story as we follow her empowering herself/asserting her place in RC). Tarrlok killing them both (and Amon accepting it) is them ending this abusive cycle. I don’t think it has to be any more political than that — the politics fall flat bc it’s actually a highly individual story.

You're very right, Amon Anon (Amonon? 🤔)

I'll actually note that Amon and Tarrlok are quite unique as villains due to how character driven their storylines are, a habit that I liked but then ended up fizzling out. Neither Unalaq nor the Red Lotus have this individual based aspect to them, even if they do have their momenta. Kuvira is... all over the place, and she's also cheating by having a comic and being an awkwardly placed prop for Korra's arc.

I think that perhaps due to the other three villain storylines not having much meat on their bones, Amon gets grouped in there too, even though he doesn't deserve it.

I think your point about Amon, Tarrlok and Korra being connected by the theme of coming into your own and establish themselves after their shitty childhoods is very astute. All three of them have been under a lot of pressure to excel and fulfil the legacies left to them.

And all are trying to asert themselves in society. Hell, Tarrlok even calls that similarity out.

Tarrlok: Isn't that what you came here to do? Intimidate me into releasing your friends. See, that's what I admire about you, Korra. Your willingness to go to extremes in order to get what you want. It is a quality we both share.

Korra: You and I are nothing alike!

Amon and Korra paralel each other by longing for something else and actively defying their elders/superiors, and both escaped to Republic City...

And it is my personal theory that at the end of the book, Korra was, like Tarrlok, considering suicide.

Which, since they both lost their bending, and are weighed down by a legacy they can no longer uphold. They both feel that there is no saving them.

To be honest, Amon and Tarrlok can make great foils for all the members of the Krew.

They could also good foils to Asami too, due to the whole sins of the father concept. And a father who pressures you to fulfil his ideals and gets violent if you don't... etc...

And the similarities between them and Mako and Bolin are so glaring I don't believe they weren't intentional.

This cannot be a coinkidink I refuse to believe it

Now I also wish the writers had come up with Suyin's existence earlier because good god the comparison between the Blood bending bros and the Beifong sisters would be just agonising in a good way

Also pretty sure genetics do not work like that but I think its pretty cool how Amon looks more like Yakone pre plastic surgery, while Tarrlok looks more like Yakone post surgery.

There's gotta be some symbolism there that I cannot be arsed to figure out at the moment it is past my bedtime 😴

Goodnight and god bless have a smiley Zorro bcs we got into some heavy themes.

He's smiling like that bcs he's high on painkillers

[siren-of-fire]

(this theory is me either cooking or getting cooked :D)

So this has been question that has been bothering me for a while now which Bad himself pointed out during one of the ghostie following EGGS.

Significance of us holding the sugarcane?

So I tried to fine the answers in mythology as always (I hate mythology digging but when your streamer is a demon both in lore and irl what can you do *sigh*)

So after tons of researching till my eyes go square I got some answers in Hindu Mythology or atleast found a refrence to sugarcane in that one.

So there is an important event in Hindu mythology called Samudra Manthan or Churning Of The Ocean.

The Samudra Manthan, also known as the Churning of the Ocean, is a famous episode from Hindu mythology that appears in the Vishnu Purana, Mahabharata, and other texts. In this mythological event, the gods and demons join forces to churn the cosmic ocean in order to obtain the nectar of immortality .To churn the ocean, the gods and demons use Mount Mandara as the churning rod and the serpent Vasuki as the rope. As they churn, various treasures and beings emerge from the ocean.

So one of the things that came out of the churning was Kalpavriksha (tree of life or w divine fulfilling tree)

The Kalpavriksha, or Kalpataru, is a mythical tree that is believed to grant wishes and fulfill desires. In Hindu mythology, the Kalpavriksha is often associated with the churning of the ocean and is said to have emerged from it. The Kalpavriksha symbolizes abundance, prosperity, and the fulfillment of wishes. Its branches are believed to bear fruit that grants whatever one desires, similar to the concept of the Tree of Life or the Tree of Knowledge found in other mythologies.

The event of churning the ocean itself was a symbol of the eternal struggle between good and evil, the quest for immortality, and the cyclical nature of creation and destruction.

So in short the symbol of sugarcane according to this+

1) abundance of blessings and the sweetness of life that the divine bestows upon devotee

2) symbolizes the fulfillment of desires and the granting of wishes by the divine

3) believed to offer spiritual nourishment to the soul, uplifting and purifying the devotee's consciousness

4) Sugarcane is a fast-growing crop that regenerates quickly after being harvested. In this sense, it symbolizes renewal, regeneration, and the cyclical nature of life and creation. It reminds devotees of the eternal cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in Hindu cosmology.

Now I don't know how deep does the lore significance of the sugarcane in hand go. But what I do know is that sugarcane has very less representations in mythology (almost close to none tbf) and Hindu mythology is the only one I could possibly find.

Another sugarcane representation in Hindu mythology is about Goddess Laxmi, who also was one of the three goddess that emerged from churning of the ocean event.

Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, prosperity, and fortune, is often depicted sitting on a lotus flower holding sugarcane stalks in her hands. Sugarcane symbolizes the sweetness and abundance of blessings that Lakshmi brings to her devotees.

[kyokosasagawa]

conspiracy theory

katekyo hitman reborn is inspired by buddhism in the same way houseki no kuni is and the ending is a cop out, sure, but its a inspired one.

(disclaimer: im not a buddhist)

we already know about mukuros bullshit. we're going to ignore him. throw him to the curb for now. we'll get back to him.

no, specifically i'm talking about the tri-ni-sette.

we know that seven is a significant number in KHR. I think it's not just because of the rainbow having seven colors in it.

i think its because of the lotus sutra.

in buddhism, there's a scripture called the lotus sutra. in the lotus sutra, there's seven treasures mentioned. they're gold, silver, lapis lazuli, seashell, agate, pearl, and carnelian.

its in black and white and looks like generic gemstones, but then you notice the fucking pearl. and we all know who the the seashell is---we don't even have to mention it.

"aight so you think the gemstones correlate to some buddhist gemstones. what else?"

I think all of serious!khr is inspired by the lotus sutra, actually!

specifically starting in the kokuyo arc, we're introduced to the six paths of reincarnation. mukuro introduces the concept of buddhism into the KHR world, to the possibility that its real.

"The Six Paths[1] in Buddhist cosmology[2] are the six worlds where sentient beings are reincarnated based on their karma, "

but more importantly, there's more to this!

in the lotus sutra they talk about something very funny!

"From the depths of the Avīci Hell Up to the summit of existence, The ray of light from between his eyebrows Illuminates the eighteen thousand worlds, Which shimmer like gold, And, throughout all these worlds, The births and deaths of the living beings Of the six transmigratory states of existence, And the good and bad deeds, Through which they have received Good and bad consequences, Are all to be seen from here."

it talks about the ray of light from between his eyebrows, which shimmer like gold

it talks about the six transmigratory states of existence

Notice the concept of "being reborn up or down the scale"

it talks about consequence, which we see constantly in the KHR-verse. especially with the Shimon family, including Enma, who is named after the King of Hell---including the Avīci Hell.

"The buddhas, the Sage Lord (Narendrasiṃhā), Who teach the subtle and supreme sutra Are also seen. Uttering soft sounds With their pure voices, They teach innumerable myriads Of koṭis of bodhisattvas. With their voices, deep and enticing Like the sounds of Brahma They make the people eager to hear them.

O Mañjuśrī, Heir of the Buddhas! We entreat you to rid us of our confusion! The fourfold assembly is joyfully Looking up at you and me. Why did the Bhagavat emit this ray of light? O Heir of the Buddhas, now answer! Resolve our confusion and gladden us! Why is he emitting this ray of light?

"Will the Buddha teach us the True Dharma That he obtained while he sat On the terrace of enlightenment (bodhimaṇḍa)? Will he predict enlightenment to us? It is not for a trifling reason That all the buddha lands, ornamented With various jewels, And all the buddhas have been made visible. O Mañjuśrī! You should know that the fourfold assembly, Nāgas, and devas, Look forward to hearing What you shall reveal.”

with that, peace out and chaossu.

[crowbawt]

Quantum Physics and Warframe Pt. 1: The Quantum Handshake

Warning: Massive spoilers for all released content

With my "I have no credentials I just like Warframe" disclaimer out of the way, let's talk quantum physics. When I first played The New War, a particular visual immediately stood out to me: the handshake. Handshakes are repeated throughout the quest: there's the initial Warframe to Operator to Lotus desperation grab, The Man in the Wall "deal," and the Drifter Operator synchronicity handshake. A visual of a handshake is even the UI icon for switching between Operator and Drifter during gameplay. Beyond being a common visual shorthand for making deals, I strongly believe this meant to directly invoke the concept referred to as a "quantum handshake." What is a quantum handshake? Here's my attempt at a simplified explanation:

Quantum physics deals with probability and uncertainty. The most famous thought experiment is that of Schrödinger's cat, which is referenced in The New War as one of the pop quiz questions:

"Lintana's parents have been captured, but she has a choice. The button that opens her mother's cell door will flood her father's cell with deadly radiation, and vice versa. She presses one of the buttons. Under Eternalism, which of the following statements is universally true?"

Correct answer: "Her parents will survive. Her parents will die."

This is a variation of the classic scenario, in which Schrödinger asks us to imagine a cat inside of a box that onlookers are unable to see the interior of and containing a flask of poison. The poison has a release trigger dependent on whether a specific subatomic particle decays or not, which can be considered as random chance. The experiment posits that, until the box is opened and the outcome seen by an "observer," the cat exists in a state that is both dead and alive. This state of uncertainty between multiple possible outcomes is known as quantum superposition. When the box is opened and the cat is observed as dead or alive, the result is locked into that particular outcome, at which point the superposition collapses.

This concept of superposition, as far as modern science has determined, is a very real thing, although only on extremely small scale, (not anything as complex as the life as a cat) and there's still a lot of questions we don't have answers to about the exact mechanism, where superposition stops and ends, or even what counts as an "observer." (The most practical idea is that observation = any other particle interacting with the one in question, the most philosophical abstract interpretations involve the necessity of consciousness.)

One of the biggest questions left by Schrödinger's scenario is: where in time does the superposition actually collapse? This part is a little harder for me to explain, but I'll try: You open the box, you see that the cat is dead. Because the cat is dead, you know that at some point while in the box the subatomic particle decayed and released the poison. However, the experiment necessitates that the cat was in a state of dead/alive superposition up until the point you opened the box and observed it... but you also know that the cat died at some point in time prior to you opening the box... but until you opened the box, the cat wasn't locked into being dead, but now that you have, you know the cat did die at some point before you opened it, and so on and so on. This is considered one of the classic paradoxes of quantum theory, and we know how much Warframe loves the term paradox. Anyway, this conundrum is what finally leads us to the idea of the quantum handshake, which is an attempt to figure out an actual mechanism to explain how superposition collapse happens through time. The simplest explanation is as follows:

You open the box. You see the cat is dead. The superposition collapses into a single known outcome: dead cat. This result ripples backwards in time to interact with the point where the atom decayed and released the poison, the previous indeterminate state and the observed outcome "catching up" with each other, aligning so that the cat had always been dead in the box, as a retroactive consequence of the box being opened. This synchronization of outcome through time is what's known as a quantum handshake. This is, as far as I could tell, one of the more esoteric theories in quantum physics, and far from proven science, but it is a legitimate part of the ongoing debate.

So, how does this apply to Warframe and its story? Well for one, this idea is also called the "transactional" interpretation of quantum physics... and a transaction is a pretty good descriptor of our deal with Wally, isn't it? His offer to "save all of them" is a transaction, one to be sealed with a handshake. On the Zariman, Quinn alludes to this, saying: "This is a place where great and terrible bargains were struck."

What I believe is even more telling is what happens directly after we accept Wally's outstretched hand: we see multiple representations of our operator collapsing one by one until settling on a single version of ourselves, hands clasped with the Drifter. Remember that a quantum superposition resolving down to a single outcome is called a "collapse." I believe showing us various Operators falling down is meant to be a literal visual, and upon making the deal with Wally, all other possible fates of our Operator collapse down into one single truth: We said yes to his transaction. The box is opened, the Operator survived, the quantum handshake ripples through time and aligns all other outcomes to a single result.

Remember that Ordis asks the Drifter how they lost their "Tenno magic" and Drifter replies: "I didn't. More like... I don't have it yet." The quantum handshake has yet to reach them, but it inevitably will. I don't think it is a coincidence that our Operator channels their Void energy through their hand either, as their hand was their point of contact (contract) with Wally. It's also worth noting that the reliquary drive that allows Void travel contains a finger from one of Wally's hands, severed when his attempted handshake with Albrecht was interrupted. The theme of a handshake is present in Duviri as well, with the Lotus' severed hand forcibly attaching itself to Drifter's and this giving them the power to cause change in a world that was previously stagnant. I've seen people speculating that when Wally extends his hand on the Zariman for the Operator to shake, he is actually extending the severed hand of the Lotus. Looking at screenshots, it's a bit hard to tell for certain due to the Void sfx overlay, but the shape does seem to match up. I could certainly see this as on purpose as it ties into the theme quite well.

There's hints that the Lotus has been affected by Wally in some of her dialogue, and after the ending scene where the Big Freaky Wall appears with Wally atop it wearing her hat, she stops and stares at her own smoking hand before collapsing.

This would possibly explain why her "handshake" with the Drifter in Duviri grants them abilities like Transference. Exactly what this means for the Lotus hasn't been revealed yet, but I do believe the Lotus is now somehow caught up in our deal with Wally.

[sonycartv]

All-New Lotus Theory 1: The 986bhp HYPER EV | (3-Seater Car)

Lotus has once again pushed the boundaries of automotive design and technology with the unveiling of its latest concept car, the Theory 1. This all-electric supercar showcases the brand's unwavering commitment to high-performance sports cars, even as it expands into the electric vehicle and SUV markets.

[motorandkern]

Lotus unveils Theory 1 concept car as "design manifesto" for the future

[photos-car]

Lotus Theory-1 Concept 2024

[dasupercarblog]

Lotus Theory 1 concept previews future supercar design

Lotus has revealed a new electric supercar concept called Theory 1. It will form the foundation for all future Lotus cars. The Theory 1 supercar is based on a carbon fibre tub and features composite and polycarbonate bodywork. It measures 4490 mm in length and has a wheelbase of 2650 mm. Lotus claims an overall weight of under 1600 kg. At the heart of the Theory 1 concept is a 70 kWh battery…

[camcat1320]

Thank you for your input 😁 In my fanfic, I'm making Ozai a combination of Amon and the Dark Avatar.

My meta/irl theory: I believe Bryke took the character that was planned for ATLA Book 4 and split him into multiple villains. TLOK was only initially approved for 1 season so they had to focus on one villain. Then they were approved for a 2nd and they used another aspect of Ozai for the villain. Then they were approved to do both a 3rd and 4th season so they drew from other planned villains such as Zaheer (Combustion Man expanded?), the Red Lotus (the Red Serpent [see June's tattoo]), and Kuvira (King/Emperor Kuei).

Back on topic- Ozai uses the alias Amon to grow his cult. Being that this is secretly a destructive cult, his end goals would be to take the power of the avatar for himself. But to do that, he has to siphon off every one of his followers firebending for himself. That way he can fight Aang again.

Now as for Vaatu, I'm not putting him in the tree of time like they did in TLOK. In Taoist philosophy, every yin has a yang and vice versa. Life is in a constant cycle of death and rebirth. Having Vaatu in a tree in the spirit world while Raava gets to be embodied in an Avatar? Sounds more like the Abrahamic concept of God and the Devil rather than Yin and Yang.

In my fanfic, there's a secret 2nd avatar. But the depiction of Vaatu in TLOK is just straight evil for no reason. It doesn't mesh with my yin and yang theme. Vaatu is going to be like Shiva. When Shiva stopped doing his duties, the world was stagnant. There was no autumn, no death, no progress, no creation. You can't have light without the dark, sound without silence, order without chaos. You can't create something new without first dismantling the old. Now this person would always be dancing around in circles with the Avatar for the last 10,000 years, pushing and pulling.

Sozin would be an incarnation of this 2nd secret Avatar. Now Vaatu is going to be the spirit of silence and chaos. This is why he is the secret 2nd Avatar. There is no record of these Avatars, no hall of statues, no writings about them. This 2nd Avatar is only activated when the Avatar is ever in trouble or needs to be put in check. The secret 2nd Avatar also does not follow any pattern of reincarnation such as water, earth, fire, and air in that order. It hops around to where ever it needs to be.

Sozin and Roku would have driven a wedge between them, causing them to become imbalanced. What spurred this? A love triangle initially then their broken friendship- amongst other things.

Now if Aang is the Avatar of Raava, who is the Avatar of Vaatu? One that has been dancing around Aang in circles. Someone that will dismantle the world to make room for progress. Someone who isn't for conservatism and pushes for change- Zuko.

Also, Raava in my fanfic isn't the embodiment of goodness. Yin and yang have the seed of the other inside of them which can grow and change them. See Zuko's redemption arc.

The deal with the 1st Avatar was that he only wanted to borrow the spirit's powers to restore peace to the world. The spirit gives him 10,000 years to fulfill this. However, as with life, there is no way you can have all light without darkness. We will forever have this cycle of death and rebirth, destruction and creation.

With Harmonic Convergence, Aang and Zuko must choose to either continue being the Avatars for another 10,000 years or they relinquish them. Through their journey, they learn that no matter what, we can't stop the wheel from turning. If we all worked collectively in tune with nature rather than against it, life will be all the better for it.

This is why the show is called "the last airbender" not because Aang is the last of the airbenders but because he is the last airbender Avatar.

Ozai was supposed to be Amon

My meta theory about TLOK is that the entire show is just ATLA Book 4 chopped up, diluted, and repackaged. I wholeheartedly believe Amon was supposed to be Ozai in disguise.

Remember that scene in TLOK when Amon's mask flew off and he revealed that he was a bender?

With the tension rising, the animation and music, you would think it would've revealed a previous big bad that the characters have dealt with before that had returned to power. But no. As I watched it years ago, I felt like I hit a brick wall, wondering "who the fuck is that?" It didn't stick the landing for me.

I believe this scene was supposed to be the finale of ATLA Book 4 and the reveal was supposed to be Ozai. From a writing perspective, that would make more sense for a masked villain reveal.

I did not care for the use of bloodbending to lock or take away someone's bending. It doesn't make sense in the magic system of the Avatar universe. But having Ozai learn to energy bend, reverse engineering what Aang did to him, that makes sense.

But wait, isn't the Avatar the only one that can energy bend? Not necessarily.

As the lion turtle said, "Before the age of the Avatar, we bent not the elements but the energy within ourselves. To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable, or you will be corrupted and destroyed."

If ancient people did this before the Avatar even existed, it stands to reason that energy bending is not an exclusive power only the Avatar can do. An important thing about energy is that it is all around us and within us. Also, energy cannot be destroyed nor created, it can only transform.

Aaron Ehasz had stated in an interview that his ideas for Book 4 was supposed to include the negative consequences of taking Ozai's firebending. Since energy cannot be destroyed, Ozai's firebending had to go somewhere. Aang took in Ozai's firebending into himself and he would have to deal with the personal consequences of that.

On a wider scope, bringing back the ancient art of energy bending to the collective consciousness should have negative consequences as well. The whole show is about yin and yang ideas, light and dark, 2 sides of the same coin. What if something that was used for good was also used for evil?

Now I think Aang was naively incorrect about Ozai. Aang states that he took away his firebending so he could not hurt anyone else ever again. But for someone such as Ozai, his firebending wasn't the only source of power he wielded. Ozai was the leader of a fascist imperialist regime, he would have skills in manipulation of the masses and bending people to his will. He doesn't necessarily require firebending to do so.

So what does one do after they've been dethroned and crave revenge? Start a cult.

Amon has hints of being a cult leader, especially when he says that the spirits had given him the power to take people's bending away. Cult leader 101, make it seem like you have an exclusive, God-given superpower.

The TLOK writers tried to go for an oppression narrative where the nonbenders were suppressed by bender gangs. I think this was grasping at straws to replace the narrative that was meant for ATLA.

Imagine, Ozai wanting to start a cult so that people would willingly give up their firebending so that he may take it for himself, growing in power the more he takes. He would take advantage of the down and lost people of the Fire Nation. The people are disappointed in the loss of the Hundred Year War and the economic downturn that resulted shortly after and are disgruntled by Zuko's leadership thus far. Ozai would tell the people what they want to hear, feeding into their anxieties and fears, spinning webs of lies. He would propose to tear down the government then replace it with something new, a new world order, something with him at the center of it. And Ozai would do this with the assistance of the Fire Sages and high ranking government officials who have all sworn their loyalty to him.

Now THAT sounds like better villain motivation!

[desertsongpdf]

VIDEO ESSAYS 2 (PT. 1)

The Adorkable Misogyny of The Big Bang Theory what happens to youtubers after they “expire?” the problem with aesthetics QUEERING THE SLASHER: SCREAM why you hate learning Heterofatalism: WHY straight women aren’t okay. How David Fincher Uses Pop Music Dunkirk - The Art Of Fear THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (2015): Style Vs. Substance Homosexuality Is Not Moral And Here’s Why Alternative self help is brainwashing you. How To Harm Your Audience - Wonder Woman 1984 Dark Academia: The Corruptive Allure of Aesthetic Beauty TW: trigger warnings aren’t helping you How CAGE THE ELEPHANT Overcame Their Fear of Music Netflix’s Decisions are a Very Funny Joke What Makes Disney Villains so Gay? Succession Deserves the Hype the problem with teen dramas Miss Congeniality’s Mixed Messages | Good & Bad Takeaways The Lotus Blossom Stereotype - Dangers of the Asian Fetish How To Do A Fight Scene Why the Media NEEDED Joker to Fail you’re not s3xually liberated, you’re 16 Why You Should Stop Using Times New Roman Why a movie like Who Framed Roger Rabbit will NEVER be made again The Babadook: The New Physicality of Ghosts in Horror Get Out — A New Perspective in Horror Why The Shining is Terrifying The Importance of Horror (Why Horror Movies Don’t Suck) Vaping: A Lesson in Irony I don’t have a dream job: self-help scam or revolutionary concept? How To Do A Plot Twist Hunger Games clones and how they work Why The End of Jenna Marbles Is The End of Authenticity This Angel YA romance killed my ability to feel joy or love tiktok is kind of bad for fashion The Problem with Museums Is TikTok Hurting the Music Industry? I HATE “Guilty Pleasure” Music (A Rant) our obsession with glowing up Triumph of the Will and the Cinematic Language of Propaganda Talent Belongs to the Beautiful - How Media Manipulates your Tastes Edgar Wright - How to Do Visual Comedy NIETZSCHE: THE MAN WHO VIBE CHECKED GOD KANYE EXPLAINED: A Guide To Bipolar Disorder & Creativity Sleep is Just Death Being Shy This Is NOT How People Talk Men In Black International — How to Build a Toxic Hero How Spielberg Shoots A Film At 3 Budget Levels