#Prism Brain Mapping | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

heiseidominantation · 2 years

Text

Heisei Dominantation 02 Chapter II "To the Sanctuary"

Two days had passed since the tragedy with Dominant.

At the breakfast meeting in the Heisei Snipers' 〔Base Camp〕, Haku tried to unify her opinions with her colleagues about their future course of action.

"We must find Rei."

Remembering everything Fuyuto had told them last night, Sakuhi and Rei were the same person who came from the 〔Reverse World〕and they seemed to play the role of a 〔vessel〕 that stored magic — The world would be on the verge of collapse when that magic released. Fuyuto had crossed the 〔Gate〕 to warn the 〔Surface World〕, but lost his memory in the process and was protected by Haku and the others. But last night's fight finally brought back his memories, and he told Haku and the others that he would continue to cooperate with them to stop Sakuhi=Rei's attempt.

"Yes, and as soon as possible."

Akari took over while agreeing with Haku.

"But the city's pretty large to be looking for someone. It's highly likely that our efforts will be in vain if we just go around looking for him at random."

Kyou chimed in with an opinion that everyone was probably thinking.

"Right. We'll have to be careful because even salt looks like sugar."

Liz uttered a subtle metaphor. Sana, who was serious, tilted his head, but Haku, who had known Liz for a long time, understood it somehow.

"It's hard to find Rei among tens of thousands of people in this city. That's what you mean, right, Liz?"

"Yes, that!"

Liz clasped her hands together.

"As I thought, Haku and I have a heart-to-heart relationship~"

Liz laughed happily with her eyes down. She hadn't made an expression like that in a long time. Since yesterday, she looked dark for some reason. As expected, a smile suited Liz much more. That's what Haku had noticed earlier.

"Perhaps he's lying down somewhere, but it's hard without a clue. I wish we could at least get a hold of him…"

"True. Then let's think about it a little more."

Akari called out to Liz, who had finished eating.

"I'm sorry, but could you put away the dishes?"

After Liz cleaned the table, Akari spread a map over it. It was a map of the city that was made before 〔White Noise〕 had occurred. It was yellowed over the years, and it was torn here and there, but it was still useful enough.

"Our 〔Base Camp〕 is here."

Akari pointed to the edge of the map. A red X was now written on a point of contour printed by lost technology.

"I met Sakuhi, um... Around here?"

Haku traced the neighborhood marked "Sky Tower". She found Fuyuto on the tower's observation deck and was attacked while on her way back to the 〔Base Camp〕.

"So they'd be hidden around here, right? Then why don't we just go and catch them?"

Akari shook her head calmly, as opposed to Liz, who was gaining momentum.

"It's not that easy to make a decision. She could have been there just to ambush us, and it's still a fairly populated area. I think it's hard to think of a place like that as their hiding place."

"Eh, then what are we going to do? It's meaningless to just spread out the map!"

"I wish there was some other approach we could do for this…"

As Liz puffed her cheeks against Haku's reply, a thought arose in Akari's mind as she pushed up the prism of her glasses.

Akari was the Heisei Snipers' strategist recognized by all the members, and it was an unspoken understanding that one would not interfere with her thoughts at times like this because she was the brain of the group.

Liz watched with her breath, cuddling up to Haku. Then, as expected, Akari seemed to have come up with something.

"Hey, Fuyuto-kun. Rei is the same person as Sakuhi, right? Do you have any information about Sakuhi?"

"Information about Sakuhi… You ask?"

"It's no wonder you didn't before since you had lost your memory, but wouldn't you remember her now?"

Fuyuto began to think with a straight face, wondering if there was anything he could feel in Akari's serious eyes. He thought he was somewhat stronger than when he first met them because had recovered his memory and accomplished his mission.

"Well…"

"It doesn't matter how little it is. Since you're both residents of the 〔Reverse World〕, have you ever heard of her?"

"...Come to think of it."

Fuyuto looked up to see if Akari's hard-working support worked.

"Did you remember anything!?"

Haku leaned forward reflexively. Liz also grabbed the sleeve of her clothes.

"I've never met Sakuhi in person, but just before I went through the 〔Gate〕, the chief priest of the Church said, "Sakuhi is planning the destruction of the world in the 〔Sanctuary〕. We must stop it!"".

"The 〔Sanctuary〕? What's that?"

Haku looked at Akari without thinking. Akari, however, was also leaning her head.

If she thought about it, it was only natural. Akari couldn't have been familiar with the 〔Reverse World〕 situation.

"The 〔Sanctuary〕 is a prayer facility that was once managed by the Church."

Fuyuto, of course, answered on her behalf.

"But it left the church and was devastated, and we don't know why, but at some point, there were a lot of Magic Beasts coming in. It seemed like after Sakuhi appeared, the priest who was stationed there fled... and then we don't know what happened after that."

Fuyuto bowed apologetically.

"I see, but that's in the 〔Reverse World〕, isn't it? It's meaningless to know the location of the 〔Sanctuary〕 if we can't reach it…"

When Haku was about to sigh, Akari suddenly knocked on the table.

"I see!"

"W-What's wrong!?"

Akari raked up her hair excitedly, paying no mind to Kyou's voice.

"Why didn't I notice it sooner?"

Akari muttered, and then, with a quick voice, asked Fuyuto a question.

"First I'd like to confirm that the 〔Surface World〕 and the 〔Reverse World〕 overlap each other, don't they?"

"Yes, that's right."

Fuyuto nodded clearly.

"If that's the case, is it correct to assume that the same place as this city exists in the 〔Reverse World〕?"

"Um... Yes. That's about right."

"Then that's easy to talk about. The coordinates of the 〔Sanctuary〕should be the same in the 〔Surface World〕. Please tell me the location of the 〔Sanctuary〕 on this map."

"Eh!?"

Fuyuto seemed to have been surprised. He looked stunned, but as soon as he tightened his expression, he put his hands on the table and began to stare intently at the map.

"But would that really work so well?"

"Sana. We have no choice but to watch in silence."

Sana and Kyou whispered to each other, and there was silence. Fuyuto muttered before long.

"Certainly, the course of this river is very similar to that of the First Parish... It also marks the location of the tower I had been transferred to and the Church in the 〔Reverse World〕. If that's the case…"

While following several landmarks, Fuyuto's fingers traced the map. Haku and the others watched his movements breathlessly. Fuyuto's index finger stopped. Then he struck hard with his fingertips.

"Here. There's no mistake!"

"Meow!"

The cat meowed as if he were right. Everyone's eyes focused on one point.

"This is…"

Haku read out the hazy letters with her eyes fixed.

"〔Mechanical Life Laboratory〕…?"

It was a name she had never heard of.

"Do any of you know what that is?"

She looked at her friends' faces in turn, but no one responded.

"It's a map from before 〔White Noise〕, so it's no wonder we don't know."

"I guess that's true."

The word "Mechanical Life" sounded ominous.

Fuyuto pointed to an area on the opposite side of the 〔Base Camp〕where Haku and the others had never set foot.

"Is Rei really here?"

Liz bit her index finger. It's not that she doubted Fuyuto, but she was worried about going to an unknown place.

"It'll be alright, Liz. We'll all be together."

When Haku called out to her, Liz smiled back with relief.

"You're right. Thank you, Haku."

"Anyway, if we go, we'll find out. It's no use talking here."

"I agree with Sana's opinion."

Haku also raised her hand and agreed. Since this map was made a long time ago, they wouldn't be able to see the local scene until they actually went there. Such a laboratory may no longer exist, or another facility may have been built.

"But that's a pain. It's a great place to be ambushed."

After reading the surrounding terrain, Kyou growled.

"The only route is through the forest. Moreover, the laboratory is built on a small hill, so you can see who's coming up."

"Originally, it was set up as a place to pray to God in the 〔Reverse World〕. That's why it's open to the sky and isolated from its surroundings."

When Fuyuto explained the situation, Akari's glasses glittered with interest.

"If the situation in the 〔Reverse World〕 affects the buildings in the 〔Surface World〕... then does the same go the other way around as well?"

"Yes, the tower I was transferred to in the 〔Surface World〕 is the tallest building in the city. The church in the same place in the 〔Reverse World〕 also has the tallest spire in the parish. Even if we don't recognize each other's worlds, we may be influenced by each other naturally."

"Is it limited to buildings?"

"I wonder about that. Maybe there's someone who looks just like me in the 〔Surface World〕."

The conversation heated up, and for some reason Fuyuto's casual remark struck Akari's heart.

"But if someone who looked just like Fuyuto... was possible... then everyone else…"

"Geez, enough of this difficult conversation. I'm starting to have a headache!"

Liz forcefully stopped her from talking. The sleeve of her clothes was pulled by Liz, and Akari blinked as if she had come to her senses.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I started talking about something irrelevant."

A small cough brought back the flow of the conversation.

"Then, shall we go to the place right away?"

"I'm fine whenever."

Sana hit the scabbard of his sacred sword Izanagi. Kyou and Fuyuto nodded with determined faces.

"If we're going, then let's head out soon. I want to get there before the sun sets."

Kyou's opinion was reasonable. From here, it would take half a day to get to the laboratory, no matter how fast they went. It would be terrible to be ambushed in the dark if Sakuhi=Rei was really there.

"Are you all ready?"

When Haku was about to stand up, Liz raised her hand in a flustered manner.

"Oh, wait a minute!"

"Why? After she put her heart into that buildup…"

Kyou murmured, but Liz ran into the kitchen without worrying about it.

The rest of them wondered what was going on before she came back with a large plate. There was an apple pie on the plate, the sweet smell of appetizing apples wafting in the air.

"Let's eat together before we leave."

"But we just had a meal."

"What, does Kyou not want to eat my grilled apple pie or something? Then you can just stand there with your finger in your mouth!"

"I-I didn't say that!"

Kyou fired back with sweat on his forehead. He was usually cool, but when he dealt with Liz, he lost his power and was always overwhelmed.

"Amazing, it looks so delicious! I'm getting hungry all of a sudden! Yeah!"

Akari shrugged at Kyou's desperate follow-up.

"What do you want to do, Haku?"

"It's impossible to choose not to eat Liz's apple pie."

Haku's answer was fixed. Akari's face fluttered as she seemed to have the same opinion inside.

Eating apple pie here wouldn't be a waste of time. On the contrary, it should have the effect of strengthening team solidarity.

"Thanks for treating us, Liz."

When Haku sat back in her chair, Liz cut through the apple pie beautifully.

"I'll give this to Nyanneko-kun."

Liz offered a plate of milk to Nyanneko sitting at Fuyuto's feet.

When they all spread out at the table, they clapped their hands and chanted at Haku's signal.

"Thank you for the meal!"

When Haku took a spoonful of it, the rich apple flavor and soft pie dough melted on her tongue.

"Mmm!"

Haku put her hand on her cheek, closing her eyes as she was intoxicated by the exquisite apple pie. The tea Liz made for her was also the best.

"It's super delicious, Liz!"

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it!"

When they all clapped their hands, Liz proudly stretched out her chest, her cheeks dyed pink.

"Liz-san, will you teach me how to make this next time?"

The flat-cheeked Fuyuto looked at the empty plate with a sad look as he asked.

"There was no such delicious food in the 〔Reverse World〕. Thank you very much!"

"Oh, you. You really know how to pile on the praise!"

With all the praise, Liz nudged Fuyuto's shoulder with her elbow, humbly but not too humbly.

"No, no. Liz-san's food is really good. I want to learn to cook something like this too."

"I see. Then I'll tell you when we get back."

Liz patted Fuyuto on the head, acting as an older sister. Seeing this, Haku felt it was nice to have friends.

Akari sipped her tea gracefully and Sana ate the apple pie silently. Both of them didn't say anything, but Haku could feel that they praised Liz's homemade food very much.

Liz, Akari, Kyou, Sana, and Fuyuto. The Heisei Snipers have the best members.

"Then, let's go."

After she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, Haku quickly left her seat.

"But there's still a slice left."

Kyou wistfully turned to the apple pie left on the platter, but Liz shook her head with her hand on her waist.

"No, no. This is all we have left. So let's all eat it together when we get back."

"I see... That's true."

Kyou was quite convinced. Then he smiled invincibly.

"Well, then let's do what we need to do and come back. And tonight we'll of course have a feast of Liz's home cooking!"

"What's with that? Well... I don't mind."

"Um, please let me help you, too!"

"Thank you. Fuyuto is a good kid."

Sana almost loosened his lips, perhaps because the conversation between the three was interesting, but immediately cleared his throat and glossed over it.

"Ahem. Ah, it's a good thing we're all close."

"It truly is."

Haku nodded with conviction. And as Kyou had said, she decided to finish what she had to do and come back as soon as possible.

Saving the world was important, but a moment of relaxation with friends was just as important.

※

The journey to the laboratory was tougher than they had imagined. The map showed a road, but maybe because it had been a long time since the map was in use, the asphalt was covered with grass and was no different from an animal trail. Furthermore, the trees in the forest, which covered both sides of the road, increased the psychological pressure.

"Don't get stiff. Keep your distance."

Haku called out to her friends. If they were attacked by mages in such a place where there was nowhere to escape, they would have to leave as much space as possible.

"Dammit, it's hot!"

The leading Kyou wiped the sweat off his forehead with the sleeves of his clothes.

Inversely proportional to the continuing uphill climb, dense air entwined their bodies and the temperature rose.

Many of the trees around them were creepily shaped in ways they had never seen before. There were some trees, like hand-shaped vines, swaying as if they were coming closer, and other trees had knots all over their trunks that resembled eyeballs.

"It's a creepy place."

Sana, behind Kyou, and right in front of Haku, was walking with his slender Izanagi in hand. He seemed to intend to fight with Izanagi as soon as he felt threatened.

"These plants are very similar to the ones in the 〔Reverse World〕."

Behind Haku, Fuyuto and Akari were talking.

"I wonder if the appearance of the plants over here proves that these are the two most overlapping places in the world."

"That's possible. That means this is the place where magic is most likely to be invoked. It's because magic power that's flowing into the atmosphere of the 〔Reverse World〕 is flowing in here."

"Then it's more and more suspicious that Sakuhi… Rei is up to something here."

"Like I keep saying, I don't understand any of this."

Liz in the back seemed dissatisfied, but to put it bluntly, they could maximize their magical powers around the laboratory. Haku simply interpreted it that way, and that was enough for now.

They were on alert. As they had expected, the sun had already begun to tilt from the southern sky to the western sky. They wanted to get there while it was still light.

Then suddenly they heard a gunshot in front of them. Haku immediately bent down.

"What was that!?"

In spite of the urge to run, Haku called on the spot, and Kyou was watching the scene hiding behind an old tree.

"Somebody tried to shoot at me. Be careful!"

Kyou pulled his Kill Sniper out of the air. When Kyou carefully peeped his face from the back of the trunk, a Flamegia was fired immediately. If he had been delayed for a moment, he would have had a burnt mark engraved between his eyebrows.

"Everyone, stay vigilant!"

Shouting, Haku herself leaped into the forest. She magically produced a pistol without noticing the wet soil clinging to her skin.

"Kyou, do you know where the shot came from?"

"From the roof of the laboratory. I saw a white building in front of my right hand, and then they took aim."

Haku glanced after hearing Kyou's words. However, it was impossible to see with the trees growing from this location because they got in the way.

"Eat this!"

Leaning out of the shade of a tree, Kyou shot two Kill Snipers in a row and immediately returned to the blind spot. Soon after, ice bullets flew in succession. The tree's trunk was dug out by a sharp ice blade, and the area around Kyou was covered with white fog.

"Dammit, I can't move!"

If they showed up, he would be hit back immediately, so he couldn't aim at them properly. This time there was a wind-cutting sound, and the branches above Kyou were cut off. Kyou jumped back in a hurry and escaped from the difficulty.

"Cutting Winds…?"

"How many enemies are there? Isn't it just Sakuhi?"

Sana, hiding in front of him, was quizzically alone and couldn't use magic, so his opponent's varied attack seemed unexpected. Haku agreed with that.

Each person had their own type of magic. There was no way one person could use different types of magic.

"Isn't it Dominant by any chance?"

Akari whispered, approaching from behind. Surely it was more natural to think like that. However, Kyou's reply was different.

"No, it seems that it's only one person shooting."

"What do you mean?"

Do Sakuhi and Rei have more special abilities that we don't know of?

Haku looked at Akari.

"This situation might be a little bad."

We know nothing about Sakuhi or Rei except for the information we got from Fuyuto.

Maybe we should have looked into this better before we came here.

Such regrets glanced over Haku's mind, but it was only for a moment.

"We've come all the way here, so that won't stop us!"

When Haku shook her head, she focused all her attention on the battle taking place in front of her. Kyou was glued to the spot without taking an inch forward. If things went on like this, the deadlock would continue and night would come. That was the one thing they wanted to avoid. Thus they had no choice but to take positive action.

"Sana, will you come with me?"

"What are we going to do?"

"We'll go through this forest to the laboratory. Everyone else is fighting hard so that we don't get caught, so we have to continue on."

"That's too dangerous. According to Fuyuto, there might be a monster called a Magic Beast in the forest!"

"I'm prepared for a certain level of danger. Now that we've come this far, I can't afford to worry about my safety."

Akari objected, but Haku overcame her opinion.

"There's no time to lose. We have to hurry up and save Kyou!"

Kyou, who stood at the front lines, was continuing a bad gunfight. Haku knew exactly where Kyou was, but she couldn't aim as much as she wanted because the opponent's location was ambiguous. In the first place, Kyou's Kill Sniper was used for sniping purposes, so it wasn't suitable for gun battles that consumed a lot of magic bullets. The more he shot, the more exhausted he became. As proof, the back of Kyou's clothes were wet with sweat.

"...I understand."

Maybe Akari felt she couldn't leave Kyou alone, but she finally agreed. She took Sana's hand and stared him in the eyes.

"I'm leaving Haku with you."

"Understood."

A short confirmation. For Haku, that was more than enough. Sana's words were heavy and his promises were no different.

"Let's go!"

After she talked to Sana, Haku moved out of the way and went into the forest. The undergrowth covering the ground was entwined with sticky leaves and pawed at every step. Still, she walked the shortest distance to the laboratory, checking the position of the sun rising from the forest branches. On the way, she was blocked by a thicket of needle-like spines, but Sana waved his Izanagi to cut the way.

Surprised by the sound and the unexpected intruders, a lurking lizard wriggled away. Its scales were brightly graded, and its eyes were bright.

"...This must be a creature from the 〔Reverse World〕."

"I'm glad it's palm-sized."

Haku and Sana looked at each other. The other beasts were probably many times bigger than that one. As they really didn't want to run into those, they decided to proceed more carefully. The two of them naturally became silent.

As they stepped further into the depressing forest, they could no longer see the sunlight. They began to lose their sense of direction, and more things continued to pop out at them that weren't going their way. Suddenly, swamps appeared and they were forced to take a detour, and unclimbable cliffs stood up. They spent more time than they thought.

Still, it was thanks to the intermittent sound of gunfire that kept them from getting lost.

For whenever they heard the sound of Kyou's Kill Sniper, they corrected their steps in that direction and managed to get out of the forest.

"..."

Then the sight took Haku's breath away. Their objective building stood in the open space, as if it had been hollowed out with a cork through a deep forest. It was surrounded by gray walls, and in the courtyard beyond it stood a number of spires with delicate sculptures. And behind it stood a gothic structure. It seemed more like an inviolable temple than a laboratory.

Sana gave Haku a pat on the shoulder and she came back to her senses.

"Look, there's someone on the roof."

On the other side of the slanted roof was indeed a person with a gun in their hand. It was a mage fighting with Kyou. The opponent pointed their gun toward Kyou and fired a series of Flamegias.

"As Kyou said, there seems to be only one person. We have to do something about them as soon as possible."

Once they returned to the forest unnoticed, Haku exchanged opinions with Sana.

"How do we get in?"

"It seems to me that the gate is only in the front. We should climb over the wall, and ambush the enemy."

"Right. I think so, too."

"It's important to get as close as we can before the opponent notices us. If we enter the building, they'll be surprised, and we'll have enough of a chance to win."

Haku and Sana joined forces and jumped out of the forest at the same time. As soon as Sana bent down next to the wall, Haku put her feet on his back and jumped into the property.

Two turns, three turns. After bouncing like a ball, Haku hid behind a nearby spire at once. Then, she checked the roof again.

"—They're not here!"

Haku doubted her eyes.

There was definitely someone there just ten seconds ago! You're kidding, right!?

Shiver.

The unexpected warm wind licked Haku's neck and gave her the clear smell of "death", which gave her goosebumps on her upper arm.

"Sana, be careful!"

Holding a pistol, Haku called for caution. But Sana had not yet overcome the wall. With his hands on the edge of the wall, she could only see his head. There was no point in being targeted there.

There was a scornful voice over the impatient Haku's head.

"You're the one who has to be careful."

"What!?"

She looked up and saw a silhouette standing at the top of the spire against the backdrop of the westerly sun. They put their hands on their hips while their pigtails fluttered in the wind.

"Sakuhi!"

She doesn't have a gun, so we still have a chance to win.

Haku held up her pistol, but Sakuhi moved faster.

"You're too slow, stu—pid!"

Haku's Flamegia missed its aim and only destroyed the statue of a fallen angel carved on the spire. Meanwhile, Sakuhi flew down. She landed lightly, as if she had invisible wings on her back, and her hair jumped at Haku without interruption.

"You'll die like that!"

Sakuhi's red right eye shone strangely, and her right arm stretched out to Haku's chest.

Haku was about to brush it away, but Sakuhi grabbed her by the left chest a moment later.

"Spirit Wall!"

Ba-dump.

Haku's whole hair stood on end and she was shocked as if her heart had burst. She was blown backward with her lungs compressed and unable to breathe.

It might have been good fortune for Haku to be struck from the back by another spire. The shock caused her heart to start beating again and she barely regained consciousness.

"Ggh…!"

Still, she couldn't breathe well. Gastric fluid flowed back from the back of her throat.

Damn it, what was I thinking…?

Holding her chest, Haku cursed her carelessness.

Sakuhi could manipulate magic without a pistol, Haku knew that when she first met her. But the gunfight with Kyou was so intense that she had forgotten about it. The cost was the pain in her heart and spine.

The pistol that Haku held had disappeared when she couldn't concentrate. It was necessary to calm down in order to summon a gun again, but it was impossible in this state of constant pain and difficulty breathing. If she had one more minute, she might have been able to do something about it, but Sakuhi wouldn't have waited silently. Sana was the only one Haku could rely on, but Sakuhi naturally thought ahead.

When Sana finally got over the wall, she looked coldly at him and her palm turned to Haku.

"If you move one step further, I'll kill Haku.", She warned.

"Don't worry about me. We have to defeat Sakuhi…"

Haku wrung out her voice desperately, but only her bronchus trembled. When Sana saw that, he pulled out Izanagi, but still seemed hesitant to move.

"Sakuhi can't kill me anyway. Do it, Sana!"

"You sure have a positive outlook on things, don't you? I won't be beaten by a man who can't use magic, understand?"

Sakuhi turned to Sana, perhaps because she saw that Haku couldn't move. A black sphere appeared in the palm of her hand. It swirled round and round and expanded every second. The whirlpool in the sky, which appeared to be a black hole, was by far the most dangerous magic of Sakuhi's.

Sana's expression quickly changed and he walked away from Sakuhi.

"What, are you running away? How boring."

Sakuhi yawned boredly and raised her arms into the sky, the black whirlpool had now expanded to the size of a soccer ball.

"Which one shall I choose?"

After licking her tongue and alternating lines between Haku and Sana, Sakuhi determined her prey.

"I'll go with this one, after all!"

It was Sana who was targeted.

"Dark Vortex!"

When Sakuhi threw her arm down, a spiral separated from the tip of her finger and slid like a frisbee across the ground toward Sana. On the ground where the black thick hole passed, there was a trace of a straight line that seemed to have been hollowed out by a deep nail. And yet the ground that had been gouged out remained nowhere to be seen. The magic that Sakuhi unleashed drew the material in her path into emptiness.

"Run away, Sana!"

Haku shuddered, but she could only pray.

Sana, who had been watching the situation for a while, was concentrating on avoiding it with all his might as soon as he realized the power of the black whirlpool. He dashed sideways away from Sakuhi's line. It was fortunate that the black whirlpool could only move in a straight line. The wall was gouged into a circle, and then disappeared into the depths of the forest.

"My my. Did you avoid it?"

Sakuhi clapped her hands merrily. She didn't look angry, but rather amused.

"But what about this next one?"

Once again, a black sphere appeared in the palm of Sakuhi's hand. Even though she used such powerful magic, there wasn't a trace of mental exhaustion.

What on earth is with her?

Sakuhi's bottomless magical powers were beyond Haku's imagination. Fuyuto's warning that she had the power to destroy the world wasn't an exaggeration at all.

"Now, let's go!"

When Sakuhi exclaimed, her movement suddenly froze. Her spectacularly bright eyes clouded like glass beads, and her hands moved awkwardly to scratch her throat.

What?

Before Haku could wonder, Sakuhi crouched down on her knees. A voice, not Sakuhi's, came out of her mouth, which had fallen out of sight.

"...Please, stop now…"

It was a boy's voice. An unfamiliar, painful voice.

Despite the sudden change of Sakuhi, Haku finally succeeded in breathing. Although her spine hurt, it wasn't unbearable.

I'll give a signal to Sana and keep a good distance while watching Sakuhi.

"Let's not do this... Don't destroy the world."

"Don't be stupid!"

She could hear Sakuhi's voice this time. Two voices were heard from one person, like a ventriloquist doll.

"It's too late for you to play the good guy now. We must fulfill the duty given to us by KIKI-sama!"

KIKI? Who are you talking about?

Haku engraved the name she was hearing for the first time in her memory.

She summoned her pistol. Sakuhi was obviously strange, and Haku had to turn her attention to all the signs, for she didn't know what would happen.

"No, we mustn't. I refuse it!"

"You still don't understand, do you!? It's useless to resist!"

Their argument went on. And then—

"Ugh…"

A moan broke out, and yet another change occurred in the crouching Sakuhi, whose white pigtails were dyed black, and her physique changed from a girl to a boy.

"What…"

Haku spoke out in spite of herself. The boy looked up and looked just like Sakuhi, but his eyes were different in color. Sakuhi's left eye was blue and her right eye was red, but the boy was the opposite.

"Who are you?"

Haku asked in a strong tone, pointing the muzzle at him. Sana also crept behind the boy and was ready to slash.

"I…"

The boy spoke with a tearful face.

"I'm… Rei."

"—Ah!!"

With a heart-stopping shock, the meaning of Fuyuto's words, "Sakuhi and Rei are the same person," was finally conveyed as a reality.

"You're Rei... In other words, you're Mikage's younger brother…"

Haku's murmur didn't seem to reach Rei's ears. Instead he put his hands together and prayed.

"Please… I beg you. Please kill me."

A second shock hit Haku.

What is Rei talking about? Isn't he trying to destroy the world? That's why we came all the way here to prevent it.

Then why is he saying something like that so desperately? I don't understand at all.

Confused, Haku checked Sana's expression over Rei. Sana was as calm as usual. His hand holding Izanagi wasn't wavering, and he was as calm as water.

"If things go on like this, the world will be destroyed... So please... I'm begging you."

Rei's voice was getting weaker and weaker. Occasionally he put his hand painfully on his throat, and desperately pressed his wrist with the other hand. It was clear to Haku that Rei was fighting hard against something invisible.

"We're running out of time... Hurry!"

Rei screamed in a bloody voice. Sana shook Izanagi as if he were responding to it.

Sana would cut Rei down with Haku's signal. She clenched her teeth tightly.

It's time to make a decision as the leader of the Heisei Snipers.

Haku told herself in her heart.

It's our justice to protect the world. So it's only right to kill Rei here.

Cut him down. Just cut him down now.

All you have to do is nod lightly. Then Sana will take care of all the burdens without you having to get your hands dirty.

"Please kill me."

Rei said with a feeble voice.

"Leave it to me."

Sana said with his eyes.

Oh, but... but after all…

"No, I can't!"

Haku held her head, shaking it and screaming.

"I can't kill someone with such clear eyes! Rei isn't a bad guy. I know that!"

The next moment Rei broke down in tears, rubbing his forehead against the ground.

"Why... When I'm asking you with all I have... Why!?"

He cried to the point his throat gave out.

Sana, on the other hand, silently lowered Izanagi. However, his attitude remained intact.

"Ahhh… Ahhhh…"

Soon Rei's cries calmed down. Instead, his shoulders began to tremble. Haku thought he was sick, but he wasn't. He was holding back his laughter.

"Kukuku… Ahahaha…!"

His tone returned to that of Sakuhi. Haku jumped away reflexively.

"Bzzt, too bad. Time's up!"

Sakuhi laughed as Rei.

"You're gonna wish you killed him. You'll never have this chance again, you know."

"...Sakuhi. Where did Rei go?"

"Who knows? I don't know. Isn't he around here somewhere?"

Sakuhi pressed her index finger against her temple.

"It's no longer my turn, after all. So I'm using Rei's body."

"What do you mean?"

"Not telling. Then it won't be a secret any more!"

After winking in a theatrical manner, Sakuhi=Rei leaped to the roof of the laboratory.

"If you want to go after me, you can do whatever you want. You can't do anything, but you're free to look around!"

Sakuhi said with a flutter of her right hand and quickly disappeared. Only Haku and Sana were left in the courtyard.

After a long silence, Haku finally wrung out her words.

"Was my choice a mistake?"

"..."

Sana put his hand on Haku's shoulder, saying nothing.

At that time, Rei's life and death depended on Haku's will. Rei himself wanted to die, and Sana probably would have let him. As the Heisei Snipers were fighting for justice, the others would have come to the same conclusion.

But Haku hesitated. She knew that Rei was the one who ruined the world, but she didn't think he was evil.

Can justice be enforced on those who aren't evil?

It wasn't easy to reach a conclusion on a proposition that had never been considered before.

"Then we must move on."

The final decision must be made once again in the laboratory where Sakuhi=Rei was waiting.

Akari and the others finally caught up to Haku, looking up at the jet-black building with their fists clenched.

#heisei dominantation 02 #heisei project #heipro

1 note · View note

enhansenperformancesblog · 7 months

Text

Unlock Your Potential with Enhansen Performance Leadership Coaching Solutions

Are you ready to elevate your leadership skills and unleash your full potential? Look no further than Enhansen Performance, your trusted partner in achieving personal and professional growth. With our tailored leadership coaching solutions, backed by cutting-edge methodologies such as neuroleadership and Prism Brain Mapping, we empower individuals to thrive in today’s dynamic and challenging business environment.

Leadership Coaching Solutions

Neuroleadership Institute Australia

One of the key pillars of our approach is the integration of neuroleadership principles into our coaching programs. Neuroleadership, pioneered by the NeuroLeadership Institute Australia, explores the intersection of neuroscience and leadership to uncover the science behind effective leadership behaviors. By leveraging insights from neuroscience, we help our clients understand how their brains work in the context of leadership, enabling them to make informed decisions, manage stress, and cultivate resilience.

Prism Brain Mapping

In addition to neuroleadership, we also utilize advanced tools such as Prism Brain Mapping to provide deep insights into individuals’ cognitive preferences and behavioral tendencies. This powerful assessment tool allows us to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for development, enabling us to tailor our coaching approach to each individual’s unique needs. By gaining a better understanding of their cognitive and behavioral patterns, our clients can maximize their potential and achieve greater success in their personal and professional lives.

Psychological Safety for self

But our commitment to your growth doesn’t stop there. At Enhansen Performance, we recognize the importance of psychological safety in fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment. That’s why we offer specialized coaching and training programs focused on building psychological safety for self and your team. By creating an environment where individuals feel valued, respected, and free to express themselves, we help unlock creativity, innovation, and high performance within organizations.

Resilience Training Sydney

Our resilience training Sydney, are another cornerstone of our offering. In today’s fast-paced world, resilience is essential for thriving in the face of adversity and uncertainty. Our resilience training equips individuals with the tools and techniques they need to bounce back from setbacks, adapt to change, and thrive in challenging situations. From stress management strategies to mindfulness practices, we provide practical skills that empower individuals to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.

At Enhansen Performance, we believe that leadership is not just about achieving results; it’s about inspiring and empowering others to reach their full potential. That’s why our coaching programs focus not only on developing individual leadership skills but also on fostering a culture of collaboration, trust, and accountability within teams. By cultivating a growth mindset and promoting continuous learning and development, we help organizations build resilient, high-performing teams that drive sustainable success.

In conclusion, Enhansen Performance is your trusted partner in unlocking your leadership potential and achieving lasting personal and professional growth. With our innovative coaching solutions, backed by neuroscience and advanced assessment tools, we empower individuals to become the leaders they aspire to be. From enhancing cognitive agility to fostering psychological safety and resilience, we provide the support and guidance you need to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. Contact us today to take the first step towards realizing your full potential with Enhansen Performance.

#Leadership coaching Solutions #neuroleadership institute australia #Psychological Safety for self #Prism Brain Mapping #resilience training sydney

0 notes

astonishinglegends · 4 years

Text

Ep 196: The Christmas Monolith and the Warminster Thing

"The air was brazenly filled with a menacing sound. Sudden vibrations came overhead, chilling in intensity. They tore the quiet atmosphere to raucous rags and descended upon her savagely. Shockwaves pounded at her head, neck and shoulders."

– Descriptions of the “Thing” by Arthur Shuttlewood, as reported in his book, The Warminster Mystery

Description:

In a rare dual-subject episode for us, we take a look at two somewhat Christmas-themed stories, the mysterious yet not-so-mysterious "Utah Monolith" and the Warminster "Thing." In the first part of the show, we discuss the recent discovery of a 9.8-foot-tall metal triangular prism-shaped pillar we've dubbed "The Christmas Monolith." This story made the rounds after state biologists from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources spotted the out-of-place-artifact while conducting a survey of bighorn sheep by helicopter over San Juan County in southeastern Utah on November 18, 2020. Two days later, the Utah Department of Public Safety posted a photo of the monolith on Instagram, with more pictures and videos of the puzzling pillar to follow. The internet and media outlets were soon abuzz with speculation about who, human, alien, or otherwise, would've illegally planted the iconic looking structure in such a remote red sandstone slot canyon in the middle of nowhere and why. Other metal columns have appeared in Romania and California, prompting the question, are these pranks, artworks, a message, or perhaps all three? The second part of our show tonight examines a freakish "flap" of High Strangeness that's so fantastic in its details and so widely experienced at the time that it's baffling why the story has mostly become forgotten. Generally considered to have gotten its start in the early hours of Christmas morning in 1964, this saga of shocking incidents in hindsight seems to have only publically peaked on December 25th and continued well into the following year, and only gradually declined in the decade to follow. The holiday literally started with a bang for the residents of the town of Warminster in Wiltshire County in southwestern England. Numerous citizens and British soldiers training nearby awoke to a medley of piercing, thundering, clattering, metallic noises in the sky and on their rooftops, the nature of which nearly defies description. The strange and untraceable sounds would continue to accost the townsfolk, with some reporting these sonic attacks were so violent it threw them to the ground and sickened their pets. As 1965 wore on, the unearthly rackets would eventually coincide with sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena and craft so unique they sound unusual even for a UFO wave. And what bouillabaisse of the bizarre would be complete without cattle disappearances, freaky interstellar messengers, and tall, humanoid-alien visitors? Warminster had it all. All told, this series of strangeness was so beyond comprehension, and with no vocabulary to satisfactorily describe it, the phenomena became simply known as the Warminster "Thing."

Location:

The former site of the “Utah Monolith” a.k.a. “The Christmas Monolith.” The 9.8-foot tall metal prism-shaped triangular pillar was discovered on November 18, 2020, in a red sandstone slot canyon in the former Lockhart Basin in northern San Juan County, Utah. The structure was spotted by state biologists from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources while conducting a survey of bighorn sheep by helicopter. The monolith was seen being removed by four unknown men on November 27, 2020. If you zoom in all the way on the above map you can see its shadow.

Location:

The town of Warminster in the western part of Wiltshire county in southwestern England. Warminster sits on the western edge of Salisbury Plain, famous for the standing stones of Stonehenge and Avebury as well as other ancient landmarks, and known as “crop circle country.” Wiltshire is also home to training facilities for the British military.

Reference Links:

The “Utah Monolith” on Wikipedia

“The Warminster ‘Thing’: UFOs and Supernatural Disturbances in ‘Small Town England’” by “MirageMan” on AboveTopSecret.com

The UFO-Warminster website

The timeline of events on the UFO-Warminster website

“The mystery of Warminster's 'UFO'“ By Kevin Goodman on the BBC News website

“UFO called “The Thing” celebrates 50th anniversary in Warminster” on OpenMinds.tv

“BBC Documentary on the Warminster UFO Flap” on AboveTopSecret.com

“1964, United Kingdom, The Warminster Thing (UFO)” on UFOCasebook.com

Warminster, a town in southwestern England

Wiltshire County, England

“10 Unsolved Christmastime Mysteries” by Robin Warder on Listverse.com

SPECIAL OFFERS FROM OUR SPECIAL SPONSORS:

FIND OTHER GREAT DEALS FROM OUR SHOW’S SPONSORS BY CLICKING HERE!

The Great Courses Plus – There are so many benefits to lifelong learning, which is why we love The Great Courses Plus! Learn about virtually anything, now with over 11,000 lectures on almost any subject you can think of – from history and science to learning a new language, how to play an instrument, learn magic tricks, train your dog, or explore topics like food, the arts, travel, business, and self-improvement. And all taught by world-leading professors and experts in their field. Their app lets you download and listen to only the audio from the courses or watch the videos, just like a podcast. Switch between all your devices and pick up right where you left off. Available for iOS and Android. Take it from us, a subscription to The Great Courses Plus is a fantastic holiday gift idea for everyone on your list this year! So no matter who’s on your list, you can’t go wrong with The Great Courses Plus. Learn more about gift subscriptions by visiting our special URL today: TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/LEGENDS. And while you’re there, start your own journey with a 14-day FREE TRIAL!

Skylight – The holidays are just around the corner. Are you looking for a way to stay connected with loved ones during the holidays? Many of us are separated from extended family members these days, especially the older ones. But now there’s a great way for all of us to feel connected and loved, and that’s with a Skylight Frame. Skylight Frame is a digital photo frame that you can update instantly by email from anywhere. It’s a great way to feel close to those you love even when you’re separated. It sets up effortlessly in under 60 seconds! Just plug it in, use the touch screen to connect to your wireless network, and enjoy! Sending photos to Skylight is effortless – any chosen family member or friend can just email them to a personal Skylight email address, and they’ll pop up in seconds, so it’s a great way to keep large networks feeling in touch and less lonely. Skylight comes in a black frame and white matte, and with a gorgeous 10” touch screen, it’s a beautiful touch to any home. You can swipe through photos with your finger and even tap to thank the person who sent a photo. It’s 100% satisfaction guaranteed and if you don’t love your Skylight, they’ll offer you a FULL refund. You can pre-load it with your favorite photos for a personalized gift! And right now, as a special offer, you can get $10 OFF your purchase of a Skylight Frame when you go to SkylightFrame.com and enter the Promo Code “Legends”

FightCamp – Most workouts are not that exciting. But there really is nothing more exciting and engaging than learning boxing and kickboxing. And that’s exactly why people are saying that FightCamp is the only workout they’ve stuck with. FightCamp provides boxing and kickboxing workouts and tutorials that keep you engaged, learning, excited, and motivated… a program that’s never boring, and always challenging! FightCamp brings the boxing gym to your living room with a tech twist! They provide all the gear, top trainers, and a new technology that tracks your punches – everything you need to get great workouts in! The boxing workout has always been ranked as one of the best ways to get in shape and it's honestly one of the most fun ways to combine cardio and strength training. They provide everything to start boxing from home, which means amazing at-home boxing equipment along with new boxing and bodyweight workouts released every week. It’s the perfect at-home workout for anyone. For men, women, even families, and great for all fitness levels. You’ll love it! And with the FightCamp punch tracking tech, you can see your progress, work on your technique and compete with others or more importantly your past self. It’s also a great holiday gift! FightCamp allows you to pay over time, with Affirm financing you can get your FightCamp set up right away, make easy monthly payments over 24 months, and it’s yours to keep at the end! Plus, you save on commute time and gas, if your gym is even open these days. And since you can have up to five accounts per household, you can get a full boxing gym for the whole house to use! FightCamp offers flexible financing for as low as zero percent APR and zero dollars down! And right now as a limited-time holiday offer, get FREE SHIPPING and a gift valued up to $109 with every FightCamp package. Just go to JoinFightCamp.com/LEGENDS.

Best Fiends – If you’re looking for a fun way to pass the time while engaging your brain and enjoying breathtaking visuals and a gripping story, your answer is Best Fiends! Best Fiends is a casual, matching puzzle game that the whole family can play, but really made for adults, and you don’t need to be a gamer to be great at it! You can also play it the way YOU want to, wherever you want, and as much or as little as you want! Collect cute and funny cryptid-like insect creatures while battling silly slugs as you advance through stages in the Best Fiends world. Connect with friends and family through Social Media and challenge them to beat your levels or help them along. This unique puzzle game doesn’t require the internet, so it’s great to play offline while traveling or commuting, and Best Fiends has thousands of levels already, with new levels, events, and characters added every month – it’s hours of fun right at your fingertips and it never gets old! With over 100 million downloads and tons of five-star reviews, Best Fiends is a must-play! Download for free on the Apple App Store or Google Play. That’s FRIENDS without the “R,” Best Fiends!

Miller High Life – When we realize how crazy the world can get, it’s the simple joys in life and “every day wins” that call for a celebration. Just safely getting together with friends and family to enjoy each other’s company should be a moment to cherish; to relax, to have a beer, and some laughs. Miller High Life was created over 100 years ago so that everyone could enjoy the good life, the “High Life,” with a high-quality, unpretentious beer that was within everyone’s reach. With a crisp, refreshing taste and tiny bubbles, it’s been known as “The Champagne of Beers” from its start on New Years’ Eve in 1903. It’s been faithfully brewed the same way ever since, and this summer, Miller High Life will help you raise a toast to celebrate life’s simple, special moments with their limited-edition champagne cans, in stores now. Miller High Life, The Champagne of Beers. A quality beer within everyone’s reach. *Celebrate Responsibly, Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, WI.

Credits:

Episode 196: The Christmas Monolith and the Warminster Thing. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel. Sound Design by Ryan McCullough; Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher; Research Support from the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2020 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

7 notes · View notes

queerpontmercy · 3 years

Note

7, 9, we know the answer but i wanna hear you say it: 17, 33, 35 because i know youre choir folk, 38

thank you and bless you, my holyboy brain worms are incurable

7. how would leucien react to eating something that was spicier than he expected it to be?

oh, this terminally curious high-int lower-wis dumbass?

He would take another bite real quick to confirm his findings, that it was indeed too spicy. Maybe a third bite, just to be safe.

And then he would delicately but very deliberately scrub every trace of it from his mouth, face, and hands, drink some milk if he had it, and fill his plate with other food that already passed the vibe check.

9. if someone gave leucien flowers, what would he do with them?

Oh, like a bouquet? Leu would treasure them as long as he possibly could, till the leaves were brown and curling under each other-- if he were staying somewhere consistently, he’d keep it somewhere nice he could see it as much as possible, and if he were given flowers while traveling he’d carry them in his hands till they wilted.

And then I think it’s a tossup. He might press a few blossoms in his journal if he was feeling ambitious, but he’s just as likely to put them into a pouch or something, even if it means they’re gonna crumble into a mess. I’m not sure he can bear to let such a sweet memento go completely.

17. does leucien fidget? how and/or with what?

Of course, not even a question. Boy fidgets with everything and there are different patterns to it, nervous fidgeting vs. focused fidgeting. He tends to twirl quills and tools, mess with the edges of paper, pick at any sort of tassel or loose thread or button on his clothing, and of course he’s channeled lots of fidgety anxious energy into tinkering with his focus, a golden prism made from metal he got while [redacted, wouldn’t you like to know ;)]. He’s really trained himself out of absently fidgeting with that though because he’s kinda scared something bad will happen

At some point, inevitably, you’re gonna find him wrapping the golden chain that’s fused to his focus (with the little Aerum medallion on it) around and around his fingers, maybe even doing a little cat’s cradle with it, and that’ll be a great sign in terms of accepting himself and his fate, because at that time it’ll be natural enough to him that he can’t help but mess with it.

33. where is leucien in a group hug? (dead center, outside, etc)

He tries to be polite and stay around the outskirts, but gets scooped up easily because he’s baby and winds up near the center by the end of the whole business.

35. Does leucien sing with his head voice or his chest voice?

You’re right i AM choir folk and I was thinking about this very recently as a little bird discussed music and the Circle of Ashes with me. B)

Head voice for sure, he’s got a nice clear little tenor voice, perfect for plainchant and hymns. He actually really adores music and is proud of being able to carry/lead a tune. He’s not the most dramatic/unique singer but his voice is pleasant and soothing.

38. does leucien bother to clean ink/chalk/gunpowder/etc off of his fingers? is he likely to forget it’s there and smudge his nose?

Pfffff it’s not only his fingers that’ll suffer, but the sides of his hands, and it smudges everywhere.

Actually now I’m imagining his old wizard friend Azaphine offering him some kind of special quill she enchanted, ink that vanishes if it doesn’t make it to the page, saying you need this actually, you have an actual problem and you’re gonna ruin this map of Prelia I worked on, and Leucien being like….all but offended?

Ink marks and chalk stains are a badge of honor...they show you’ve been up to something....Aza don’t interact....

#leucien #dnd asks

2 notes · View notes

blackjackkent · 10 months

Text

I had to briefly pull Astarion out of camp to bust one of the locks in the southwest corner of Moonrise, which was chilling with a 30DC. Even with his significant bonuses, this was a major challenge (and we need to make a merchant circuit to buy more lockpicks), but it did get us an inspiration from Karlach titled "Never Liked Stairs" for breaking into a restricted area in Moonrise from an outer balcony.

All of this was very worth it, of course, because there is an UNDEAD PUPPY in this room!

Narrator: Even stripped of flesh, the war-hound is formidable. Spectral eyes meet yours as it growls a challenge. And then it hesitates, gleaming muzzle sampling your scent as if in...recognition?

Pardon me while I pack bond with this creature instantly.

I had to blow all my inspirations to get Hector to pass this animal handling check, but we did it!

[ANIMAL HANDLING] Lower your eyes - you're no threat.

Narrator: The hound relaxes, clearly accustomed to this show of deference within its master's chamber. It turns away and utterly ignores you, as it would any lowly foot soldier.

OK, not quite the show of friendship I thought I might get, but we can pet it at least!

Gently reach out to pet the hound.

Narrator: Warily it watches you approach. There's no flesh or fur to scratch at, only bone and cold metal...but it seems the touch is enough, and for a moment the undead beast is just another dog happily wagging its tail.

Aw. :D

This will probably go down as the only marginally pleasant thing to happen to Hector anywhere inside this tower, and well worth the ten lockpicks I had to spend to get in here.

There's also a number of interesting documents to read in this room, which seems like it might be Ketheric's office. Interesting bits include:

Gortash - the asshole who sold Karlach to the Hells, among other things - is in communication with Ketheric about the hunt for the Astral Prism. His attitude seems to indicate that he might be higher ranked in the cult than Ketheric, too, although I'm not sure.

A number of maps with invasion plans for various major cities.

An Absolutists uniform that we could use for a camp outfit (but probably won't).

In a locked chest, a very loving letter from Ketheric's wife, apparently written soon before she died. (Hector and Gale both got inspiration for this, and Hector commented, "A letter from Ketheric's wife. It sounds like she loved him very much." Hector is turning into a romantic. ;) )

A book titled "Elder Brain Domination" hidden under a floorboard, which...seems BIG MAJOR.

This latter, the book, is very concerning actually. It is a transcribed dictation by Ketheric, and describes "Gortash's plan to enslave an illithid elder brain and make it our marionette under control of the Crown of Karsus." Is that what the Absolute is? An enslaved Elder Brain?

It goes on to say the plan "has proceeded almost without flaw, barring the slight delay while our Bhaalist allies sorted out their leadership conflict."

???????? WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT ??????????

Oh man it goes on....

"The weak point must surely be the sharing of the Netherstones - it was necessary to secure my engagement and that of the murder cult, but eventually it's certain to fracture our fragile alliance. Clearly, all three Netherstones must be controlled by a single leader - me, by preference - but not until after all the stakeholders have made their essential contribution. Gortash fears that, energized by the dark energies of the Crown, the brain we now call the Absolute will eventually metamorphose into something new and more difficult to control."

asjdf;lajks;dlfjka;sldfjka;lsjkdf;lajsdf;lajsd what the fuck ahhhhhhhh

#bjk plays baldur's gate 3 #hector carlisle #oh man major plot thickening whaaaaaat

9 notes · View notes

definegodliness · 5 years

Text

Age of reenchantment

About a hundred years ago the term disenchantment was first-time coined, a theory predicting the corrosion and end of superstition, mystification, and religion by virtue of scientific enlightenment. However, on the scale of time, knowledge has always come at curves and dips, and travels onward upward in wavelike motions. After all: the more you learn, the less you know. It's like painting on an ever-expanding canvas, and the paint used to initially outline the bigger picture just won't stick on a couple of crucial areas where we, mankind as a whole, would like to see some detail. Then, the more we use the same paint to continue painting, the more gaps will appear on the canvas.

The more gaps scientists let appear on the canvas, the more dire the need becomes for more lenient out-of-the-box thinkers; philosophers and dreamers, who just slather all kinds of materials on the painting to see if something sticks. These are the new-age magicians, alchemists, and oracles. They slather whatever at their leisure. Yet, in that lies their strength. After all, some of the greatest epiphanies have been sparked upon the middle ground between free and empirical thinking. When both worlds collide we see the universe unfiltered. Then, the ever-expanding canvas in our metaphorical museum makes more sense, and we can all dab around with that brand new paint. What a joyous prospect this is.

However, until this happens once more, I do believe it's safe to say our latest age of disenchantment must come to an end. It is time for an age of brand-new reenchantments! Let's see where that takes us.

I'll lead the way.

We're leaving the ever-expanding museum which contains the ever-expanding canvas which depicts the ever-expanding painting behind us, and find ourselves on the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn? Yes, the Matterhorn, the Swiss Alps' most famous mountain. We're here because I'm doing field research regarding the Holy Triangle, or whatchamacallit. You know, that prism shaped thingy encompassing The One. Colloquially and affectionately called the Toblerone. See, I've found a hidden map on one of the Toblerone’s classic yellow packages, and, I kid you not, it clearly depicts the peak of Mount Matterhorn.

Before we continue, I might have to illustrate my relationship with the Toblerone, which I will do by sharing the tanka I wrote, overcome, and first-time swirling in the overwhelming euphoria of its chocolate gooeyness:

Come the day I die It won't matter if I'll go Surrounded by love Or abandoned and alone I will go out with a smile For I've tasted Toblerone

As you can read, it was a devotional experience. And seeing as we now live in an age of brand-new reenchantments, I decided to do my part and lay my life in the hands of the Toblerone. Embarking on a quest for higher truth, which I was convinced I would find there, at the summit of the Matterhorn.

I came well prepared, having tediously studied the sacred text 'Insanus Est Qui Legit', wherein an author whose name has sadly been lost to time, meticulously describes the preconditions needed for a spiritual revelation. Such, so it appeared to me, is a thing of complete sacrifice and surrender to the suspected higher power, in my case the Toblerone.

So, before my ascension of the Matterhorn, I made sure my body was cleansed of all impure fuel-sources. Fasting, and surviving on my brand new chewy chocolatey savior alone for the greater part of two months.

Lastly, I roughly estimated the energy input needed to reach the Matterhorn's peak, and divided it by the sacred number 9, which is the exact amount of Holy Triangles one can find in the yellow prism shaped box. On set intervals, I would eat one piece of the 9, until I would reach the summit. There, on that snowy peak so far above the world; with milk chocolate, honey, and almond nougat running through my veins, I would undoubtedly receive my revelation. Makes sense, doesn't it? Like I said, I came well prepared.

And as I came so well prepared, the journey went smoothly. So smoothly I even decided to shed my earthen clothes and do the last bit of my ascension butt-naked. I was confident. Warmed by an unearthly glow, welling inside me. And my heart filled with a childlike sense of joy when I looked up and saw the Matterhorn's proud peak mere meters away. The final stretch. The final piece. I grabbed the yellow prism shaped box and solemnly shook it above my left hand's open palm.

Nothing.

I shook it again, this time harder, yet, again, nothing. Panic struck. And I pressed the bottom end of the box hard, clearly feeling the last piece of Toblerone inside. But it would not give way. It was stuck entirely. I shouted for help, but none could hear me. I was alone on the top of the world. My energy reserves almost entirely depleted. The unearthly glow I had felt made way for a vicious attack of the cold. A thousand daggers stabbed my skin. My breath halted. My blood froze. And I knew I would soon die, there, naked, at the top of the Matterhorn. I faltered. The shivering stopped. And upon my consciousness plucked the sweet temptation of the deathly sleep. My eyelids felt heavy.

In this, what was my death struggle, I experienced one last peculiar rush of hot blood coursing through my veins. And though experts would say it was a sugar rush, I will claim it was the lightning bolt of divine intervention that struck me. In any case, my faith in the Toblerone then doubled.

Moaning and groaning I used my stiff and numb fingers to frantically shake its yellow prism shaped box. The last Toblerone. The unearthly glow. My only hope. Then, in my darkest hour, right before I gave in to total despair, the world spiraled into a blur, and echoing through the mountain chain, resonating through my brain, I heard the soothing singing voice of Sir Paul McCartney:

When I find myself in times of trouble Miley Cyrus comes to me Speaking words of wisdom

"Let it be."

Another voice. Not echoing, but soft and crystal clear. I mustered all my strength to raise my upper body, and turned my head toward its angelical sound. Peeping through my eyelashes, I saw the brightest of lights. A flashing and sparkling orb of shimmering white and shining silver hoveringly approached me. And from within the blinding orb stepped a female figure, wearing naught but a cloak of the most vivid royal blue.

Gracefully, she placed one bare foot in front of the other toward me. Never sinking in the snow. Ever closer. Then, the light dimmed and I could make out her face. Her smile was comforting. And I stretched both my arms out to her in helpless surrender. She approached. The Virgin Miley.

Was I saved?

Was she a mere apparition?

No, I felt so as she straddled me, placing herself on my hip bones, right above my pelvis. So sharing her body's warmth.

Then, she gently took my freezing hands in hers, and forthwith all the pain, sorrow, and fear left my body. I turned mellow and limp. Letting the box of Toblerone slide out of my once clutching fingers.

Again, that comforting smile. The Virgin Miley seemed pleased, caressing my forehead. I felt safe. At peace, yet simultaneously overwhelmed by the sensation of an ever growing glowing originating from within my chest. Words fall short and I can only describe my emotional experience at that time as the birthing of the deepest rooted love. It was grand. It was unconditional. And I felt it so deeply I found myself wondering: is this what the ecclesiastics called agape love?

However, though grand it was, the sentiment swiftly fleeted when The Virgin Miley took my yellow prism-shaped box, and placed it beside me in the snow. Then, all I could think of was that last piece of Toblerone, still stuck at the bottom of its prism shaped package. It was at the very moment of my thinking that I heard that soft and soothing voice resound again:

"Let it be."

"No. Miley. I will not let it be.”

I snapped at her. Clutching the box again and frantically trying to shake it empty.

The Virgin Miley shook her head, looking at me with an expression that exposed both a slight disgruntlement, yet far more devastatingly, her deep disappointment. A pang of shame washed over me, flustering my cheeks, and in a stammering mutter I begged her forgiveness. Once more, she shook her head, but in doing so her face turned kind again. Then, in a slow gesticulation, she placed her index finger on my lips.

"Shhh... it's all right. You do not understand. Yet you are only human. You gaze at the world through a magnifying lens, and all that evades the marginal boundaries of its focus eludes you."

She repositioned herself upon me, grabbing my face with both her hands and bringing hers within whispering distance.

"There is much I could teach you, if you'd let me."

I nodded. In awe. Rendered voiceless. The Virgin Miley grinned self-assuredly, apparently satisfied by my permission, and I felt the warmth of her svelte hand flowing down my throat, and further down, until she placed it on my chest, directly above my heart. And as she as such repositioned herself again, I all of the sudden felt a vehemently pulsating incandescence traveling throughout the whole of my body. My every atom, titillating. Pulsating. Bursting. By her virtue, I felt swaddled in what I can only suppose was the universe's purest energy.

She sighed. Yet even in that slightest escaping of air from her lips, the Matterhorn trembled. Her eyes locked with mine and all else around me started to fade to a whirring blur. Those eyes. For a moment they were all that existed. Blue fire. The highest truths flared from them and I could not look away as her thoughts invaded my brain. Her voice resounded without her moving her lips. So near, yet at the same time so very distant, as if her message had traveled throughout the all-time to finally fulfill the purpose of meeting my ears. Here, on top of the Matterhorn, Miley Cyrus came to me, speaking words of wisdom:

"You wanted to usher in an age of brand new reenchantment, but unlike the philosophers and dreamers you identify with; you, in your vain quest for glory, have failed to remain an out-of-the-box thinker.”

She paused for a second, making sure I comprehended the error of my ways, then continued:

“Now, let me show you all there is to know when you drop your lens of truth and just... see."

With that last word, The Virgin Miley used her entire weight to roughly bolt down upon me, clutching my shoulders and tightly pressing her limbs and body against mine, wrapping us both in her velvety royal blue cloak at the same time.

"We are one entity now."

And so, I felt the very building blocks of my corporeality dissipate and my consciousness expand to exist far from the bounds of earthen and fleshly temporality. From the very core of our connected being swelled that very same flashing and sparkling orb of shimmering white and shining silver I had seen upon her initial arrival. Soon, I was wholly consumed by light. Blinded, but only for a short while. And when I regained my vision The Virgin Miley and I shot through space in a pulsingly radiating conjoined astral projection. Going against the known flow of time and space in what seemed to be an infinite rising in expansion.

I watched the birth of our time, the Big Bang in the omnipresent void. Yet as we rose and rose in ascension and expansion, the dark of nothingness swiftly turned to a nightly sky illumined with spattering fireworks, some so grand they reduced our own Big Bang to the 'piff' of a cheap childproof firecracker. And I know we could have gone on and on, ever further, but in hindsight I recognize the only matter of importance in this joint endeavor was the annulling of my every conception of measurable space. Of time's linear flow. Of perceivable and cognizant colored existence. My mind was blasted completely open. This, once more, pleased The Virgin Miley.

"Let me show you all there is to learn, experience, and behold when you take the universe's back door."

Again, a jolt. Like a sudden thud. As if someone had suddenly slammed on the brakes of a speeding car. It indicated the reversal of our astral travel, we were now heading in the exact opposite direction. Collapsing into ourselves. Shrinking. Infinitely shrinking. Past the size of atoms and subatomic particles, of protons and neutrons and quarks, even smaller. The slightest speck of stardust could burn with the power of a million suns, and all around us life was abundant. Life, that would always be invisible to our human senses and limited tools of perception. The Virgin Miley had dipped me into her pool of infinite wisdom. And I wept tears of joy, of bliss, and intellectual euphoria.

She picked up the pace. One last trick to blow my mind from here into ever-after. The black hole. Where the relatively vast and infinitely small coexisted, simultaneously being much larger and far smaller than the other, both affected, and unaffected by time, which flow had turned chaotic. All that existed, existed always, and at the same time it might as well have never existed.

All flashed me by in the electrification of infinite knowledge, not sparking within my brain, but washing over the whole of me in ever accelerating undulating waves of electromagnetic heat. It was pure ecstasy. Sheer elation. And as I finally ejaculated inside The Virgin Miley's butt-hole, I let out a violent roar. Losing consciousness immediately after. All was dark, yet in the dreamlike state I found myself in, I heard her giggle. Crystal tinkles. Then, I heard her voice rapidly fade in one last message. Softly echoing.

"Think outside of the box, Mark."

My eyes burst open. I was back on the Matterhorn, lying naked in the snow, the prism shaped box held firmly to my chest. Blast. I had been so preoccupied with the conventional ways of obtaining my prize, solely utilizing the predestined path to its acquisition as designed and described by the manufacturer on the package, that I had turned completely oblivious to the easy solution. 'Think outside of the box, Mark.' I thought. 'See things from the other side.'

With that I turned the prism shaped box around, and opened its bottom side. The last piece of Toblerone let go of its lodged position, and promptly fell into my opened hand. I looked at it for a moment. That Holy Triangle. All the madness it had brought into being. I chuckled. Then, turning solemn, I placed it in the snow before my feet. Mere meters under the Matterhorn’s peak. One lonely piece. The last of the Toblerone. I no longer had need for it.

Lucky for me the Swiss Mountain Rescue operation then came to save me. Otherwise I wouldn’t have lived to tell this story.

58 notes · View notes

cruddyborderlandstheories · 5 years

Text

THAT MAP

i didn’t die

also spoilers. like. major spoilers. im serious.

dont click that read more unless you’re totally okay with spoilers cause i talk about some endgame stuff too <3

CELESTICA ERIDIA

THAT ERIDIAN RIFT HUHHHHHHH ITS RIGHT NEXT TO PANDORA

WE’RE ENTERING THE FLORPUS

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE’S A WAY TO TRIANGULATE/OPEN THE WORMHOLE OR SOMETHING???

alright LOOK

each planet (Eden-6, Promethea, Pandora) they’re all circled and when their lines cross it leads to SOMETHING

and looking at the grid that’s obviously what looks to be a wormhole

so we’ve also got the lines

“elpis - not what it seems. is elpis a lens? or a conduit. or both?”

A CONDUIT/LENS?? FOR W H A T??

ARE WE BEAMING SOMETHING OUT OF PANDORA? BECAUSE IF THESE TEMPLES ARE ALL SIMILAR PYRAMID-LIKE STRUCTURES TO THE ONE ON ATHENAS THEN THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE

this is DEFINITELY on pandora (you see elpis up there) so it’s possible something is going to hit elpis and it’s going to beam to this vault-thing and open up a gateway to the Eridian Rift??? OR

we open this Vault and it beams something up to elpis and elpis helps open up part of the Eridian rift

i’d guess we’d need all 3 (?) active to open it?? Eden-6, Pandora, and Promethea

so something SEEMS to be getting beamed either from elpis to pandora or from pandora to elpis

but im going to get elpis to pandora given the way it’s being thrown out? like it hits elpis straight on and then defracts over pandora like a prism

im guessing it’s such a broad spread bc it’s trying to hit the vault-temple-thing we see above (still... not quite convinced those are vaults like we’ve been seeing them in the past games (with lots of big loot inside). again something like teleporters makes way more sense to me)

they also bring this up, that athenas and promethea have a draw to one another, which makes sense since part of the promethean vault key is on Athenas

“Although Athenas is not in the Promethean System, there is a strong pull detectable through use of [eridian resonator (customized) which I have discovered here (seen in purple)]” i have no idea if any of the bracketed stuff is right“

more importantly it looks like one piece of Promethea’s asteroid belt is ‘highlighted’ which i imagine is that giant space laser

which ngl surprises me because

this doesn’t really look eridian to me at all. like, okay, the laser part IS purple but... the actual tech doesn’t look Eridian at all. it looks VERY human. maybe maliwan/atlas discovered it and changed it somehow? that’s pretty much the only reason i can give. like they made it so it would only hit a certain area (concentrated) instead of the entire planet (like we see Elpis doing)

also if we look at Eden-6

eden-6 seems to be 1 of 6 (or more) planets surrounding the gas giant (?) named Eden (which is such a cool fucking detail). or maybe that’s just a solar system named eden. either way. AWESOME.

my question is:

is Eden going to act similarly to Elpis? to the Asteroid Belt of Promethea?? because if that’s the case OH MAN MORE GIANT SPACE LASERS. maybe this is why ships keep on crashing to Eden-6. We know the planet is basically a ship graveyard, maybe there’s some Eridian interference that’s causing this to happen???

Also, when they say “Vaults lead to other Vaults” do y’all think this is tied into in any way the “Vault of Vaults” or whatever “It” is???

because THE VAULT OF VAULTS??? APPARENTLY WE WERE NAUGHTY AS FUCK FOR OPENING IT (the overseer says so when you accept the quest for the proving grounds)

AND THE MASTERS (whoever the FUCK they are!) ARE NOT HAPPY BOYS

ALSO “UNIVERSE DESTROYING POWER” AS CLAIMED ON THE WEBSITE

UHHH IM GONNA GUESS THAT RIFT IS ABOUT TO KILL EVERYONE AND/OR LET OUT A BIG OL SPACE DEMON COUGH THE DESTROYER COUGH

ALSO WE PROBABLY ARE CONFIRMED THERE ARE TEMPLES ON EACH OF THE PLANETS WITH THAT DIAMOND SHAPE

THEY MATCH UP WITH THE SYMBOL WE’VE SEEN EVERYWHERE

(also we now can guess this takes place after Athenas..?)

‘Vault... Key?’ i mean... think about it. we know the symbol for Vault is the circle with the arch. but this is different. this is diamond with, yes, with a vault shape in it. but... there’s obviously more to it than just the vault symbol

plus tannis is using it on pedestals dedicated to Vault Keys so i mean. you know.

and if this IS the symbol for Vault Key than oh man oh me oh my

that would mean opening up the ‘mini vaults’ on Pandora/Promethea/Eden-6 would lead to that big Eridian rift opening, whatever it is

which could explain this line: “the Vaults lead to other Vaults” “Smart, Leda!”

looks like Typhon met someone who writes in blue. who’s name is Leda.

calling it now typhon totally banged a Siren named Leda and had 2 twin kids (it runs in the family) the twins take after their parents: one red, one blue. possibly inherit the Cloth Map and learn about the purpose of the Vaults through it. i got nothing on the cage thing but tbh i wouldn’t be surprised if Typhon or Leda ended up going crazy at some point and/or having kids inside of a Vault for some ungodly reason. spewing random shit about ‘bandits this, bandits that’ to keep them from leaving. maybe they knew their adventures were going to (eventually) lead to the destruction of the universe so they wanted to keep their kids safe without having to admit they’ve doomed everyone outside this has no proof at all, im just spitballing lol i mean look at these love-sick FOOLS lmao

look they both left messages (that i can’t read) with hearts at the end of them

“Genius! [gibberish i can’t make out] <3″ “you know it! <3″

we don’t know what the Vaults really are for, huh Tyreen?? NOW WE DO. NOW. WE DO.

“ERIDIAN GLYPHS ARE CYHPERS!” (sic???)

“by overlaying various found glyphs patterns emerge which are then...” ASDFGSHJ i CANT READ THIS “What is the machine?” “We’ll figure it out together!” MACHINE????????

i NEED it

“Mapping in progress: the key-glyph [something] is an Eridian cypher hiding coordinates to some kind of cyber (????) structure” this perhaps???

also the proving grounds. let’s talk about those. we know they’re eridian, we know there’s 6 of them, we know there’s 1 at least on both Athenas and Eden-6.

we know those Eridian Ruins/Cyphers lead to the proving grounds. we know this much. so is it definitely confirmed the proving grounds hold a higher place in the story than they’re saying? i mean let me pull up my other draft talking about these in-depth and copy paste because there’s only 36 minutes until the NEXT endgame content stream

“Later in the campaign, you may be worthy of taking part in the Proving Grounds: themed gauntlets watched over by a Guardian known as the Overseer who wishes to test your mettle on behalf of the mysterious ‘Masters’.”

so it sounds like at least one is going to take place during the main campaign of the game.

as for uhh who the Masters are... I don’t know. I imagine they’re Eridian in some way/shape/form. to be honest, considering the Overseer is a Guardian (confirmed), I imagine these ‘Masters’ are just literally Eridians. some sort of council, perhaps. i mean “the masters will determine who is at fault” for “naughty humans opened the vault of vaults”. so i imagine they’re like a council.

Let’s start listing stuff we know about the Proving Grounds:

1. you get them by translating (we apparently get a translator later on in the story) Eridian texts (ciphers) left behind, which tell us where (?) these proving grounds are. why we’re not just using tannis... i dunno. something better not have happened to Tannis, gearbox

We’ve seen these texts in the Eden-6 gameplay, so it looks like maybe we won’t need the eridian doritos stabby thing to break any crystals. damn youuu

“Ohhh good. Nonsense.”

i make jokes with my friend that soon i’ll be able to read Eridian given how much i stare at these tablets. it’s only a matter of time...

2. there’s apparently 6 of them, and at least 1 on each planet. We’ve seen the Athenas (Survival) and Eden-6 (Instinct) versions, which does make me wonder if there’s any tie between 6 of these trials and the 6 Sirens...

Also, given there’s supposedly 6 trials and only 5 planets (as the community has gotten devs to tell us), it makes me wonder a) if there’s actually 6 planets or b) why there’s only 1 planet with 2 per planet. i guess if that’s the eridian homeworld then it’d make sense if they have 2.

(Also Varnell did originally say 7 trials at first, but he gets a pass because he was live on stage and i would’ve made that mistake too knowing my dumb brain lol)

3. Apparently during the narrative of the game, at some point, we will unlock at least 1 trial.

“[proving grounds are] encased in the narrative of the game. a combat challenge the Eridians have left for the player to kinda prove themselves worthy for... things i won’t completely spoil right now, but uhhh prove themselves worthy to the ancient, lost, Eridians.”

so... YEAH. big news, gamers.

does this take place at the end of the game? its possible. its likely considering this is considered endgame content. it might not. it could be both, like sort of a repeatable thing. im not really certain.

What I am certain about tho, is that this takes place after a huge story event.

So, maybe the BL3 story ends on a cliffhanger. Tbh i would upset if that happened, but THAT SAID, if the game does end on such a huge cliffhanger that this is AWFUL and the end of the universe is coming, I don’t think we’d be getting 4 story DLCs that completely ignore this problem.

The devs had said the entire story will be contained within bl3 (no splitting it up between dlcs), and it seems the games like to keep the timeline intact in the real world, so if imminent death is on its way, we can’t exactly wait 5 years irl and in-universe for borderlands 4.

So, if this is a cliffhanger ending, I don’t think whatever happens is... that big of a deal. Sort of the level of finding the Vault Map at the end of BL2. It’s big news! but it’s not going to end the universe. The story marches on. We figure out the new goalposts of this universe and keep doing stuff outside it.

Now that we know that, let’s take note of what the Overseer says at the start and end of this mission:

“Vault Hunter... I thought you might show up sooner or later. So naughty your species, so curious. The Vault of Vaults has been opened and it has been released. Prove your worth and I will reveal why the Masters made me wait for you”.

“Naughty humans opened the Vault of Vaults, but the Masters will determine who is at fault. Until next time, Warrior.”

so that’s some pretty fucking loaded dialogue, isn’t it?

im vvvvvvvvvv curious about who this ‘it’ character is... something the Eridians didn’t want out- well, that’s bad, because we (or the twins, or maliwan, or both I guess) just let it free. and the fact the Overseer won’t even reference the thing by name... that’s probably bad. If this is an actual entity, then that is mostly why I believe this particular Proving Ground takes place during the main story.

that said, ‘it’ could literally be anything. Knowledge, hope, whatever. the potion you brew to become a Siren. you know. anything. She called whatever was released ‘it’ and it doesn’t seem like we’re in a RUSH or anything. Just hanging out doing proving grounds. and apparently this is because we’ve been naughty humans. not evil, just naughty. like she’s giving us (or the cult) a slap on the wrist.

The Overseer doesn’t seem too affected by us opening the Vault of Vaults herself. The Masters apparently are trying to determine ‘who’s at fault here’, like it isn’t exactly clear. was it the humans for opening it? was it the eridians for making them openable?

it would be interesting if this isn’t even talking about something that happens in game, but instead like... she’s referencing Typhon and Leda. the Vault of Vaults had been opened (by Typhon and Leda) and IT has been released... whatever it is... maybe the reason Typhon and Leda locked their kids in a vault? ... i mean if we’re going by the eridium/slag causes psychos, then maybe that? we definitely find eridium on planets other than pandora...

also speaking of stuff taking place during the game, lets remember what was discussed in that interview: “[proving grounds are] encased in the narrative of the game... a combat challenge the Eridians have left for the player to kinda prove themselves worthy for... things i won’t completely spoil right now, but uhhh prove themselves worthy to the ancient, lost, Eridians.”

worthy of what, exactly?

I’m still of the belief that it’s for the title of Vault Guardian (and, yes, by proxy, i want to say Siren, but y’all won’t take me too seriously if i keep advocating for this crack theory lol... implying you took me seriously in the first place 🤡) because of the Guardian Rank

the fact we’re killing Fallen Guardians means, technically, a position HAS opened up... plus I don’t think the Watcher would have come in contact with Lilith if she didn’t think the Eridians needed us

that said, if this isn’t for just becoming Vault Guardians, then... idk. If this is strictly endgame stuff, i don’t even know what we’re trying to prove our worth for.

I guess worthy of not being thrown into alien prison is probably a good one. magic space prison is probably hard to get out of. like, ‘200 years an opening’ hard to get out of. and ur roommate is the destroyer 😨

i mean... maybe worthy of entering the Eridian Rift? i mean... it’s possible this rift leads to the eridian homeworld... there would have to be one HELL of huge Vault Monster to keep people from getting through :o

anyway, we’ve got 20 minutes until the new endgame content, i’ll be sure to add onto here if we learn anything new and/or i think of anything else. im vibrating over this shit, it’s awesome. i LOVE this map. might have to pick one up on ebay or smth.

#borderlands spoilers #spoilers #borderlands #bl3 #borderlands 3

59 notes · View notes

atoddsinthe4sphere · 5 years

Text

On: Pseudo Knowledge

So, every once in a while I come across concepts that occupy a ‘fuzzy’ place in my mind. For example, I was in lecture the other day and my prof asks us: “what’s a diplomat?”. In my mind, my intuition is that I KNOW what a diplomat IS, but I was unable to answer. The class was dead silent for an uncomfortably long time, before someone finally was able to provide a good definition. A diplomat is like, some guy/gal in a suit right? Someone who like, stands up and talks before a group of important looking people? Is it something to do with nations and government or something? I was kinda right, the precise definition is: “an official representing a nation/country abroad”.

...I realize there isn’t much of a great point to this post, other than our brains often will stow away words under the ‘know’ category even when they’re pretty ‘fuzzy’. I realize that I unfortunately do this often with maths concepts as well, which isn’t good. An example of this is: *drumroll* Chain Homotopic Maps. God, what on earth does it mean for things to be chain homotopic. This concept first popped up in Allen Hatcher’s proof that homotopic maps induce identical maps on homology groups, so:

$\textbf{Theorem:}$ If $f:X\rightarrow{Y}$ is homotopic to $g:X\rightarrow{Y}$, then $f_{c}=g_{c}:H_{n}(X)\rightarrow{H_{n}(Y)}$

...where $f_{c}$ stands for the induced maps (I would use Hatcher’s notation but Tumblr LaTeX fucks up. This result is pretty basic, but I’ve never understood the damned proof. I vaguely know what chain homotopic maps are; it something to do with the prism operator right? Chain maps obeying some property involving the differentials? ... The shitty thing here is it takes a bit of work to stop being ignorant about it. I have to actually read through the proof bit by bit. I can’t just google the words and understand them. I’ll do it. Eventually. But for tonight I’m gonna leave it fuzzy.

...I just realized LaTeX probably only reads on my actual blog’s page huh.

...It’s day 2 of quarantine for me. Family already making me crazy-ish. Wish I could see boyfriend.

#alcohol #garbage #hi #blog #math

3 notes · View notes

dumbthinmint · 5 years

Note

That’s what I’m doing :) finished a painting today actually that’s meant for my mom and step-dad. I’d show you but I can’t without revealing who I am 😞😞 I’m actually kinda a proud of it. It’s not the best thing but I like it :) basically it’s two wolves howling in front of a snowy hill and the aurora borealis in the background that takes the shape of a wolf. Do you paint or want to paint? I find it really relaxing though it actually takes a lot out of me lmao -SS

Hi secret santa!!!

That’s so cool! Don’t worry; you can show me at the end of the month :D

I do enjoy painting, but I rarely have the spoons to handle all of the setup and cleanup that painting requires, especially because right now I’m living in a university apartment.

Sometimes I’ll use digital apps to paint on my computer and that’s very fun. Most recently I painted my tumblr icon on my phone, which was a first.

I agree that it’s very relaxing, and arguably less infuriating than it is to try to draw with pencil, but I guess it’s just one of those things where it’s just like, “I enjoy it, but not enough to prioritize doing it over other stuff.”

The vast majority of my art is pencil and colored pencil stuff I’ve done for The Watch AU, most recently these outposts:

Most of the stuff I draw is maps though. There’s a running joke about my tendency to make maps because I was hyperfocusing on one during the community fires of last year’s ONW anniversary (here) and QTGTW (here). For a while, we were saying that Anti specifically waited until I was making a map to take over Sean’s channel. Though after almost a full year of continuing to make maps (mainly better versions of the same map), he hasn’t done anything since then, sooo......

I mean, this one took me literal MONTHS and he didn’t pull anything during that, so I think we’re good. Although I will still have all of my wits about me on the 15th and 16th this year XD

I 100% understand the whole “relaxing but takes a lot out of me” for these though. Especially the ones of the outposts. It starts out so nice and “la de da look at the progress look at the drawing this is so nice” and ends with “GOD DAMMIT IF I HAVE TO DRAW ONE MORE TREE OR RECTANGULAR PRISM MY HANDS AND BRAIN WILL BOTH EXPLODE!” XD

#secret santa

2 notes · View notes

skyhunter95 · 6 years

Text

Fixing Krystal

Despite her popularity, Krystal is easily the most divisive, most controversial character in StarFox. She is worthy of criticism, as the adaption of her character is a far cry from perfect, but I think she gets more scrutiny than she’s earned. The issues with her character I think are easy fixes, and I also want to talk about how the better parts of her character can be adapted to work better. I will be going into depth so this will be quite…long… Her contribution to the World/Setting: What we have: Adventures brought in weird magic, and shows Krystal dressed in rather primitive garb. However, doesn’t necessarily mean she herself is primitive. We know nothing about Cerenia, (Put lots of pins in that). Krystal having powers? That isn’t that out of nowhere in StarFox, in fact: weird Fantasy or Paranormal elements have been in StarFox long before Krystal showed up. Examples: In SNES, (Route 3, Meteo 2) there is a weird bird-like creature that appears in the asteroids and sends you into a warp that abruptly ends the game. In Adventures, it’s similar to when the warpstone sends Fox through a warp. Warping in StarFox has always seemed to involve a strange surreal otherworldly dimension. There are also strange static-shaded objects that attack the player in SF64 during warps (Sectors X, Z, and Meteo) . James Mccloud appears as a ghost in SF64, and guides Fox out to escape Andross’s subterranean base as it explodes. In terms of powers; across his appearances, Andross has insanely powerful telekinetic powers, can shoot lasers out of his eyes, can shoot lightning from his fingers etc. Krystal having to use a staff to shoot fire, ice, and project shields isn’t that much of a stretch. How it can be better: Whether this is done through a sequel or a reboot, adapting Cerenia, and some Dinosaur Planet lore to fit the StarFox universe isn’t hard. There are ruins all over on Titania and Venom in SF64 (and later Assault), maybe they relate to Krazoa Palace, and the Cerenians, there are dozens of ways to write some interesting ancient space-civilization stuff in there. I think the most obvious way to fit Krystal in the universe, in a way that benefits her character, and Andross as a villain, is establishing that Cerenia was destroyed by Andross. It was vaguely implied in a cutscene in Adventures where Krystal seems to recognize Andross’s spirit shortly before he trapped her in that crystal prism. (Put a pin in that). Role on the team: What we have: I think the Telepath role in Assault works, it was something that Krystal could do since the original Dinosaur Planet after all. The ability is something that she can do that no one else can, it’s just that it was severely underdeveloped and underutilized. Occasionally Krystal points out obvious weak points to bosses, dialogue: “I can feel it, the weak point is at the top!” against the first Aparoid boss on Fortuna, “The weak point is at the top!” on Katina’s boss, or against the Aparoid Queen: “Fox, blast that red section!”. Other times where her telepathy is used; She senses an enemy squadron waiting for them on the other side of a door on Fortuna, senses targets within the base interior on Katina, and “Senses faint brain patterns” when the team sees abandoned Wolfens adrift on Mission 5 Meteo. The big time her telepathy is used, is during the cutscene right after Mission 5. She interrupts everyone while they were talking to General Pepper, to tell them that she was sensing a distress signal from planet Sauria. It had her totally shifting the entire scene from celebration of success, to a sudden rise of more danger. It would have been great if there was a lot more of that with Krystal. How it can be better: Krystal’s use of telepathy in-gameplay has minimal effect, it is essentially the same thing as what Peppy does, only Peppy uses intuition to examine a situation rather than having powers to examine something. Many people didn’t like that Krystal essentially hijacked Peppy’s role, having her in an Arwing while Peppy was on the Great Fox didn’t help. I think there are ways to have them both knee deep in the action, the word “replaced” should be avoided. Nobody’s replacing Peppy, she’s just a new asset for the team. Say in a game similar to StarFox 2 (The kind I’m hoping for), it would be cool if the player is allowed to pick 4 pilots from an expanded team of roughly 8: Fox, Falco, Slippy, Peppy, Miyu, Fay, Fara and Krystal. (going into detail on the others is a post for another day), Krystal’s special; is that she can tell the player when and where enemies will show up ahead of time, perhaps a blue glow appears as the outline of the enemy type at the location on the map where they are likely to appear. Essentially, Krystal can telepathically sense thoughts from across space, this might be a bit of a stretch. We can probably also keep Krystal giving Fox obvious warnings on bosses or enemies ahead, probably swap around with Peppy doing similar. Remember when I mentioned Cerenia? We know nothing about what it looks like, we can easily assume it was a technologically advanced civilization similar to Corneria, but their technology is almost more mystical. We already know Krystal’s staff is powered by crystals that the player has to gather, so it uses a fuel source. Perhaps this is the basis of most of their technology. On top of that, perhaps Cerenians’ use of telepathy goes hand in hand with their technology, ESP basically. Krystal being the last of her kind would be a huge boon to the team if that were the case, especially if Venomians were after it. (Something I’ll bring up later). Her plot, her mannerisms, dynamic with the team and character interactions: What we have: Cerenia was literally only mentioned in the manual, most of Krystal’s backstory being raised by Randorn, and her quest to save Dinosaur Planet (now called Sauria) was utterly cut. It was mentioned she was looking for her PARENTS, only for all of that to be utterly abandoned the moment Krystal is trapped, and it is never brought up again, ever. As I mentioned earlier, Krystal adds tiny tiny bits to the plot using her telepathy, other than the one shift to danger leading into mission 6 in Assault, other than that, she sorta takes a backseat sadly. In terms of her interactions, in Adventures, we see her as friendly and kind, speaking to a fallen Earthwalker, and being more than willing to help. She defiantly tells-off Scales the moment she met him, and also declares “We will never kneel to you!” When Andross is re-awakened, although it wasn’t revealed to be him quite yet, at least not to Fox, AKA, the Player. Later in Assault, she retains being fairly sugary sweet, and becomes almost of a mommy figure. She softly scolds Slippy or Falco. “This happens because you’re reckless, be more careful!”. She is at least able to disagree with Fox, when he was going down to the surface on Katina to investigate the mystery on Katina-base, she says “By yourself? It’s too dangerous, I’m going too..” sadly, he tells her that he wants them in Arwings as cover, and she doesn’t have anything left to say. She became very passive compared to Adventures, where she promptly snatches her staff away from Fox to fire wildly at Andross. Although, she did seem proud of her combat abilities on foot, like dialogue: “I’m becoming an expert marksman, aren’t I?”, “I won’t be beaten by the likes of these things.” Krystal can be sweet and friendly, but she needs to have some feistiness to her too. She does retain some of this whenever Panther hits on her, she either ignores him, or sarcastically blows him out of the water. Even saying “As long as I’m covering Fox..” in an angry tone. A nice case of her defiance, and her loyalty to Fox, but that leads us to another problem, I’ll get to that in a sec… We never learn anything about what really motivates her, only that she seems to care about the team, care about others, and Sauria. Some more dialogue: “We WILL save Sauria, just you watch and see!!” “Poor beautiful Sauria, they won’t get away with this.” “All we can do is hope for their safety!”. Of course, most of her screen time is taken up by her practically throwing herself at Fox. She is obsessively romantic over him and it overshadows the entire rest of her character by a pretty wide margin. Although, the best part of that downfall to her character, is that she does reject Panther a bit, she even convinced him to tell them where Pigma was… the idea was good, but we could have gotten much more dialogue banter that leads her to tricking Panther’s one-track-mind into helping them. How it can be better: Adapting her backstory with Randorn (as brief off-screen events) could do her wonders, her homeworld was utterly destroyed by Andross; the big villain of the universe. Andross wanted to research their unique psionic powers, and upon finding a way to gain this power, he had them wiped out to keep them from aiding Corneria in the coming Lylat War. Krystal, once aware of this, knows that she is all alone and has nowhere to go or be. Fox is the first person she meets (Adventures timeline), and is perhaps the only person she trusts at first. He introduces her to the StarFox team, and she suddenly now has friends and family. Krystal shouldn’t mommy the team members, but she should be sensitive to when they are in danger, and desire for their safety. I’m not against her romance with Fox, but her romantic implications with Fox should either be drastically reduced or ousted altogether. The fans can take care of that… She can still be defiant and headstrong in the face of villainy. Krystal could become very important whenever Cerenian technology or cosmological phenomenon come into play. Cerenian technology could have refined warping or shielding technology. For example, if a shield protecting Corneria fails, the team, and their other friends could find a way to make a shield from Cerenian tech. Krystal alone has access to it. Remember that Crystal that turned her into an infamous damsel in distress in Adventures? Imagine if those were some kind of interface for Cerenian technology; one that puts users in suspended animation and can be dangerous and painful for untrained users. Perhaps Krystal uses that very thing to create a shield and project it over the planet, similar to what her staff can do. The overview here, is that elements of Dinosaur Planet can be adapted to fit the StarFox Universe, and keep Krystal from appearing out-of-place. Using some of those elements, and what was done well in Assault to better justify her presence, give Krystal something to do, and a doorway through which she can affect the plot, or gameplay much more than she did. Treating her backstory, and the fact she is last-of-her-kind should be integral to her motivation, and interactions with other characters.

#Krystal #starfox #Star Fox #writing #characters

26 notes · View notes