#Single-Acting Cylinder

[pddparthi]

The Power of Hydraulics: A Comprehensive Guide to Hydraulic Cylinders, Linear Actuators, and Their Applications

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[zenithhydromatic]

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[carnalcrows]

russian roulette

genre: smut

pairing: salesman x male!reader

CW: unprotected sex, cum as lube, gunplay, slight-dubcon, blowjobs (reader receiving), anal, creampie, breeding, the salesman is a warning of his own, the term [y/n] is not used

word count: 1.6k

The dim light of the underground room cast long, jagged shadows across the walls. The metallic scent of oil and gunpowder clung to the air, mingling with the faint coppery tang of fear. You sat tied to a chair, your wrists bound tightly behind your back. The sharp edges of the ropes bite into your skin each time you so much as shifted.

Across from you, the Salesman leaned casually against the table, his signature smirk firmly in place. He toyed with the revolver in his hand, spinning the cylinder with a flick of his wrist. His eyes—dark, calculating, and endlessly amused—never left you.

“You know,” he said, his voice as smooth as silk, “most people wouldn’t agree to this game. It’s dangerous. Final. But then again...” He stepped closer, the gun dangling loosely from his fingers. “You’re not like most people, are you?”

“Guess I just enjoy living on the edge,” you shot back, refusing to let the tremor in your voice betray you.

He chuckled, a low sound that sent a shiver down your spine. “Oh, you’re more than just that. You’re reckless. Stubborn. And,” he tilted his head, his smirk deepening, “you’re very, very intriguing.”

The gun clicked as he opened the cylinder, slipping a single bullet into one of the chambers. The sound echoed through the room, sharp and deliberate. He snapped it shut with a flourish, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

“Let’s see how lucky you are today,” he murmured, stepping into your personal space.

You tensed as he crouched in front of you, the revolver resting loosely in his grip. His free hand reached out, brushing against your jaw to tilt your face upward. The touch was deceptively gentle, his thumb lingering for just a moment too long.

“Do you always get this close to people you’re threatening?” you asked, your voice laced with defiance.

“Only the ones worth the effort.” His smirk widened, but his eyes were sharp, dissecting you as though trying to unravel the very core of who you were.

He straightened, spinning the cylinder once more before pressing the cold barrel of the revolver against your temple. The pressure was light, almost playful, but the weight of what it symbolized made your heart pound.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, leaning down so that his lips were just inches from your ear. “Not so fearless now?”

You swallowed hard, meeting his gaze head-on. “Maybe I just don’t feel like giving you the satisfaction.”

His laugh was quiet, almost a hum. “Oh, you’ve already done that.” He pulled back slightly, shifting the revolver to your lips. His thumb brushed over your bottom lip as he tilted your head back further, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Open.”

The command sent a wave of heat through you, not from fear, but from something darker, more visceral. You parted your lips, the cold metal slipping inside, heavy against your tongue. The intimate nature of the act was suffocating, his hand steady as he watched you, unblinking.

“There it is,” he said softly, almost to himself. “That spark. That fire. You don’t want to lose, do you?” Click. The gun doesn’t go off.

You glared at him, your breath shallow around the barrel. His smirk softened into something more unreadable as he removed the gun, his thumb tracing the line of your jaw once more.

“No,” he murmured, his voice quieter now. “You’re not afraid of death. You’re afraid of me.”

You clenched your fists behind your back, the ropes biting into your skin. “What do you want from me?”

He tilted his head, considering you for a moment. Then, with deliberate slowness, he lowered the revolver and crouched again, his face level with yours.

“Maybe I just like watching you squirm,” he said, though the words carried a weight that contradicted his playful tone. His hand came up to your face again, his fingers brushing a strand of hair from your forehead. “Or maybe... I just like you.”

The confession, if it could be called that, hung in the air between you, heavy and charged. He stood abruptly, spinning the revolver one last time before slipping it into the holster at his hip.

“Lucky for you,” he said, his smirk returning. But instead of stepping away, he lingered, his sharp gaze raking over you like a predator sizing up its prey.

The tension in the room thickened, the charged atmosphere pressing against your skin. You wanted to say something—maybe challenge him, maybe break the silence—but the words caught in your throat when he leaned down again, his gloved hand brushing against your cheek.

“You look like you have something to say,” he murmured, his tone low and laced with amusement.

“I was just wondering,” you began, voice steady despite the heat building between you, “if this is what you consider being generous.”

He chuckled, a dark, velvety sound that made your pulse spike. “Oh, you think I’m playing rough now?” His fingers trailed from your cheek to your jaw, the leather cool against your skin. “You don’t even know half of it.”

You swallowed hard, meeting his eyes even as your breath quickened. “Then why don’t you show me?”

The smirk on his lips faltered, replaced by something deeper, darker. For a moment, the mask of playful arrogance slipped, and you glimpsed the man beneath—the one who thrived on control, who relished in watching others unravel.

His hand moved lower, the tips of his fingers brushing against your neck. He tilted your head back, exposing your throat as his thumb pressed lightly against your pulse. “You’re bold,” he murmured, his voice a whisper against the shell of your ear. “I like that.”

His proximity was intoxicating, the scent of leather and faint cologne filling your senses. The room felt smaller, the air heavier, as he leaned in closer. His gloved hand slid to the back of your neck, his grip firm but not painful.

“I could make you beg,” he said, his words a dangerous promise. “But I think I’d enjoy hearing you defy me more.”

You met his gaze, the challenge clear in your eyes. “Maybe you should try.”

For a moment, the world held its breath. His smirk returned, slow and deliberate, as he leaned in, his lips brushing against the corner of your mouth—not quite a kiss, but enough to make your heart race. His voice dropped to a near-growl.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he said, his breath warm against your skin.

“Good thing I like danger,” you shot back, your voice barely above a whisper.

His laugh was low and dark, sending a shiver down your spine. “Then let’s see how far you’re willing to go.”

He hooks his finger through the hem of your pants and slides it down slowly, along with your boxers. Your cock hardens with the sudden rush of cool air. He stares at it momentarily, before kneeling down to – put it in his mouth?

That was not what you had expected, but it wasn't like you were complaining. He slowly licked a stripe from the base to the hand, while his other hand brought out his gun from the holster at his hip. 

“S-stop teasing,” you whimpered, and before you could say another word, he had taken your cock till the hilt. You let out a strangled moan, head falling back.

He slowly bobbed his head on your length, while his other hand had placed the gun on the floor and was now trying to free his own cock from the constraint of his pants.

Soon enough, you were at your climax, but he pulled off, and finished with his hands. You came with a groan, all over the man’s face. He seemed to be enjoying it though.

As your breathing slows down, he lifts your legs up (while you are still tied to the chair). Before you can say anything, a cold object presses to the rim of your ass. When you look down, you realize that its the revolver.

Click

It doesn’t go off.

“Today might just be your lucky day,” the salesman chuckles, before slowly inserting the tip of the revolver into your ass before you could protest, using your own release as lube. The feeling on the cold revolver has you seeing stars, it’s a perfect mix of pleasure and pain.

As the gun keeps going in and out of you, the salesman utters what you think to be a mix of praise and degradation. 

“Such a pretty little whore for me, that’s it… Do you get off to this? Having a gun up your ass?” Before you could respond, he gets up, takes the gun out and slides his cock in its place. He doesn’t even wait for a moment, and takes you all the way to the hilt.

He rocks in and out of you slowly, pressing the gun to your temple. “Such a good boy f’me,” he says as he drags the gun down to your neck.

One particular hard thrust hits your sweet spot, sending your eyes rolling to the back of your head. Seeing this, he loses all form of self control, and stashes the gun, taking both of his hands to you hips before fucking into you like a wild animal.

“Fuck.. I’m gonna–,” he interrupts himself when he releases into you with a loud groan, throwing his head back. You too reach your second climax, painting both your stomachs pearly white.

After a few minutes, the man pulls out, cleans himself up takes his brief case and leaves with you still tied to the chair.

“Are you kidding me–”

© carnalcrows on tumblr. Please do not steal my work as I spend time and and I take genuine effort to do them.

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt for qwertynerd97 behind the cut; “Kara gets to Earth on time and the Kents get a two-for-one special on free kids”. tw: panic attack, past trauma. (( chrono || non-chrono ))

Kara hears the heavy hatch doors slam shut behind them and collapses at the pitch-black bottom of the stairs with a despairing keen, and they’re all alone again, they’re alone, everyone’s left them, everyone will always leave them, always send them away, never let them stay even if it means– 

And then there’s the quietest little click, and artificial light blooms from the single glass vial that’s hanging from the ceiling, and Kara realizes–Ma’s standing under the vial of light, holding a beaded metal string attached to it, and Pa’s crouching down behind her and Kal to lay a hand on her back, making those hissing noises again and again, and the crashing . . . 

She can still hear the crashing, but . . . but it’s not so . . . it’s muffled, now, and more distant, and . . . and . . . 

It’s–a room. There’s . . . a pair of chairs, and no windows or doors besides the hatch behind them, just smooth liquid-stone floors and walls, and shelves full of . . . provisions, it looks like, and some rolled-up blankets wrapped in the odd clear material that looks like glass but isn’t, and two more one-lensed metal cylinders like the one Ma had inside, along with more boxes of those fat white wax cylinders and other things that look like they might be . . . emergency supplies, maybe, and . . . 

And Ma and Pa are here. 

Ma and Pa didn’t leave them. 

Kara bursts into tears all over again and curls down in on herself; wraps herself around Kal completely, and he cries into her chest where the crest of El doesn’t sit anymore, and she cries all over him. The crashing keeps going, but not loud enough to be too painful or disorienting anymore, and she can only barely hear the wind and rain except for where it’s hitting the heavy metal doors of the hatch. 

“Et-suh aw-rite, dee-eer,” Ma says softly, coming over and leaning down to hold her hands out to her, and Kara cries even harder. Ma’s voice is just as flat as ever, even with the quiet echo of it against the liquid-stone walls, but she’s never been so grateful to hear it. 

She throws the arm that isn’t holding Kal around Ma’s back before she can stop herself, before she can hold herself back from such an embarrassment of a display, and Ma just sinks down to her knees right in front of her and wraps her own arms around her and Kal in return, and so does Pa. 

“Thuh-air thuh-air, Ka-Lair,” Pa says, low and soothing, or at least Kara thinks “soothing” is what that tone means, from the aliens. “Jes thunn-darr, bay-bee gurr. Dunn bee scuh air-duh. Wurr suh ay-fuh dhow eer, yuh?”

Kara doesn’t know what he’s saying–“thunn-darr” was a word she remembers he’d said before, when this was still starting, though she still doesn’t know what it means, and . . . and maybe this is how weather is normally scheduled on this planet? Or at least in this area? Because of . . . the farms, maybe, or . . . ?  

And Kara–Kara realizes . . . Ma and Pa . . . Ma and Pa weren’t acting like it hurt when they heard the crashing. And all these supplies–they had all these same supplies set out in the kitchen all ready to be used right there, and seemed in no rush to leave the house or anything like that at all. They were already 

. . . did they only bring them down here because of her and Kal, not . . . ? 

Is it–do they have some sort of a neural implant to filter out the volume, maybe? Or some genetic modification or adaptation? Or maybe the crashing just doesn't sound so loud to ears that are used to flat alien voices? Maybe the crashing is–maybe it is something normal, here. Maybe it just–maybe whatever it is just happens, sometimes. Maybe the aliens’ weather modulators are less sophisticated than Krypton’s were and just make sounds like that, same as all the aliens’ transport vehicles are so noisy and shuddery. 

Ma and Pa only look worried about them, is the thing. Just them. Nothing else. They're only hugging them; not at all concerned with checking on each other, and clearly not worried about anything in the room or even themselves personally. Whatever's happening outside, they're used to it and don't think it's dangerous at all. 

That is . . . so embarrassing, Kara thinks, trying not to cringe as she shifts back out of Ma's arms and sniffs wetly; scrubs a rough fist across her eyes as Kal fusses unhappily in her lap. It’s shameful and indecent and pathetic, to cry and shriek and panic like that in front of anyone. It’d be shameful to act like that in front of a member of their family register, even. Ma and Pa have been so kind, so much kinder than they ever needed to be, and she's repaying that by getting scared of some perfectly normal thing they're both used to and not even concerned about as a threat? 

That's so–she doesn't even know how she'll show her face in front of their pretty little yellow sun when it comes back, after doubting it like that. After thinking it could've abandoned them like that. She hopes it’ll understand, but she still feels like an idiot; still feels like an embarrassment. 

What would her parents think of her, panicking over nothing and shaming their house and only upsetting Kal worse when she was supposed to be protecting him? What would their family think of her? 

Ma and Pa must think she’s being ridiculous. Must think she’s useless. Must think–

[cissa-calls]

Rewatching Crimson Peak & Things of Focus and Notice:

As a child at her mothers funeral, Edith wears butterfly/moth earrings

Is the pen her father gifts her the one she later uses to stab Lucille? He describes the importance of having “The right tool for the job,” is that foreshadowing for gifting her the tool to begin her escape from Crimson Peak?

Is Edith wearing a butterfly hair clip when she dances the waltz with Thomas?

Lucille’s iconic crimson red gown is so detailed, so beautiful. It represents the skeletal ghosts with its spinal column along the back, crimson peak itself in color, the carapace of a bug on the sleeves and structure, and the upper bodice has trim that blooms outward (present similarly in her blue gown) but is bisected by buttons…creating a familiar shape…a moth?

The candle they hold during the waltz is held at the same level Edith holds her iconic candelabra, a subtle parallel

The trim on the collar of Lucille’s black dress references the spikes and trims of gothic architecture - which is very heavily featured in Allerdale Hall

Lucille says that: “At home we only have Black moths, formidable creatures but they lack beauty.” Knowing the parallel between her and moths, it implies that she sees herself as a survivor and powerful, but something no longer beautiful because of it

Lucille places the butterfly she holds directly into the ants, an action that’s brutal but quick. Is it foreshadowing to her execution of Edith’s death? Something quick for such a beautiful thing, done by her hand?

The LOOK Lucille gives Thomas when they realize Edith’s father knows their past. THE LOOK (JESSICA CHASTAIN YOUR ACTING)

“You seem the more collected one my dear” Lucille is called this. She always holds the mission undetered in her mind, as opposed to Thomas who seems more easily swayed by emotions

When Thomas breaks Edith’s heart by ripping apart her book. He says: “What do you dream of? A kind man? A pure soul to be redeemed? A wounded bird to be nourished?” He is telling her exactly what he is. None of those things, none of the dreams she has built of him in her mind. Not with a past and life such as his.

The significance of gramophones and wax cylinders: it is what plays when Edith’s father is murdered, it is also what saves her from meeting the same fate

I want to know more about Lucille!! Her character is so rich, so so complex, she needs more screen time!!

Need a prop replica of the ring NOW

[the house] “is a privilege we were born into, one we can never relinquish” METAPHOR ALERT METAPHOR ALERT metaphor for the cycles of abuse and trauma they could not break

HOW THE FRICK did I MISS the fact that Thomas’ workshop is in the attic when that was where him and Lucille were locked up as children. SO MANY IMPORTANT SCENES HAPPEN THERE. So many significant to their past we never see, so many ghosts not visible but are so real and present to have caused this

The trail of smoke like red essence that emanates from the ghosts as they walk, like they are still bleeding

Lucille’s hair looks black in darker lighting, but a dark brunette in others. It’s provides a black, dark shroud when she’s in America, and catches more light when she’s in Allerdale Hall

“I like to think she can see us from up there. I don’t want her to miss a single thing we do.” UM MA’AM

“…in time, everything will be right” LUCILLE QUEEN OF FINAL OMINOUS STATEMENTS IN SCENES

The amount I WISH to explore this set. To pry apart each detail and pick apart each piece, so much of it had to be handcrafted pieces for the movie or vintage pieces sourced for it. LET ME IN

THE LIGHTING MUAH

The ghost in the hallway has a rope dragging behind her…is this a gory detail, or an allusion to how she may have died (if not by poison)?

The ghost in Edith’s dream is pointing, though it is never shown to what. Is it to the exit, her warning to leave as all the other ghosts try to do?

The children’s laughter after the presumed scream of their mother’s ghost as she is stabbed, is it just for creepy effect, or did Lucille and Thomas actually laugh after they murdered her?

The scar on Lucille’s lip? Never noticed it before!

Not the first time I’ve noticed it, but the act of her clutching hot steaming food with her bare hands is chilling every single time

Were the bodies of Thomas’s wives left in the vats of clay? I don’t know HOW I didn’t make that connection before, originally i thought it was merely for creepy effect.

Many people villainize Lucille and try to make Thomas out to be solely a victim. But as stated in the wax cylinder, he was fueled by his desire to pay for and make his machine. Him and Lucille are both complacent in using their victims money for their own gain

We need to bring Chatelaine’s back into fashion. That is all.

The scrape of the spoon over the porcelain cup, it screeches and is a subtle way that shows Lucille act of caring has a harshness to it, an unpleasant sound resulting from an otherwise pleasant action: tending to Edith

Such an interesting camera choice to have the camera focus in a circular inwards and outwards

also also Lucille has a temple scar on her forehead?

The small amount of glee Lucille takes saying Edith “thought [she] was a writer” as she throws the pages to her novel in the fire.

The absolute deadpan, matter-of-fact-ness Lucille has to Edith when she signs the papers “you have nothing to live for” & “mercy killings.” This is a familiar repeated cycle

“Sign your name! Sign your bloody name!” Bloody is not just for emphasis. Edith’s name is soon to be nothing but blood

Lucille’s night gown sleeves as she flies down the stairs in pursuit - like a moths wings fluttering towards its prey

Lucille and Edith fought each other with bare feet on the stone and in the snow

Lucille is the only one of the two who knows how to start Thomas’s machine, because she was the one who witnessed it working

It is only the stab wound on Thomas’ face that bleeds and smokes when he is a ghost, perhaps because it is the wound that bears his betrayal by Lucille, reminiscent of tears of his lingering pain

Edith now has a facial scar, gifted to her by Lucille, who bore ones of her own. It is a passage, a continuing of the cycle, but it is its finale. It is Edith’s souvenir from Lucille, who took her own souvenir (her hair) from the other like a prize

[whirligig-girl]

Commission for @pikablob of the steam locomotive Featherfoot from her Underrail fantasy setting (which can be found here)

Finally, on the nearest occupied track, close enough that she could hear some component within chunking back and forth with quiet mechanical regularity, was an engine painted in brilliant scarlet. Its boiler seemed to be in the dominant Freehold-style, with a tall funnel, two great domes, and exposed pipework, backing into a large cab topped with a little clerestory bump; but its wheels and mechanics were mostly hidden by heavy frame-plates, save for exposed cranks between the three driving axles.

Featherfoot is sapient, with a "Coal Heart" in her firebox which acts as the mind and main power source for the loco (though she still consumes coal). She is a one-off 4-6-0 Constitution-type built by E. Towan & Co. Jushi Works, using a boiler built by Cortopassi Locomotive Works.

More background and alternate image versions below the cut:

Featherfoot is based on a Illinois Central Railroad ten wheeler of the type that was involved in Casey Jones' infamous train collision, but below the frames it more resembles an outside-frame inside-cylinder Great Western Railway 4-4-0--a City or a Duke class. Its tender is based on a GNR tender similar to what the Stirling Single carried.

There are four holders for marker lamps or flags--three along the pilot beam and one on the smokebox, intended to be used with UK-style headcodes but with US-style marker lamps.

The livery is based on the fictionalized GWR Duke class seen in Assasin's Creed Syndicate.

Here's some WIP images: 1:25 PM to 2:37 PM

While waiting for the client to get back to me on some questions, I doodled this:

Eaurp Guz! What are you doing on a miniaturized fantasy train!? Ah who am I kidding this is super in-character for her.

After a break and a little back and forth with the client (moved and replaced the whistle, replaced the oil headlamp with an electric one, added a dynamo), I completed the sketch.

I also tweaked some of the proportions a little. Note that when I am doing a "sketch" commission as opposed to "clean line art" i usually clean the sketch up a little more than I did here.

I then moved on to line art, which also gave me a chance to get the proportions on the wheels and frames right. I also totally re-thought the appliances and piping visible on the boiler.

By 10:31, the line art was complete. It had taken about an hour and thirty minutes, i don't have an exact timestamp.

Various other details were also added here--rivets, brake pipe, detailed coupler, detailed air compressor, snifters, wheel spokes, cut levers, the two builder's plates.

Here's the loco with full color. This is more or less how I left the loco off at the end of last night, at around 11:30 PM.

This morning at about 10:30 AM, I started working on rendering--and at 12:30 PM I finished the drawing.

The rest of these alt. versions are not chronological, and were created by removing certain layers:

The engine, cold.

The engine, solid color (but finished).

Solid color, but brightened to look better in a white background.

Transparent version with and without full rendering, steam, and lights.

I was shocked to find that with the line art removed, it didn't look half bad. It does look way messier, but I really need to go and try to tackle a fully lineless drawing in this style some time.

[emby-m]

Highway Cavalier and Dulcinea

Fifth in the “Putting Alice into Nort’s Skin Lines” project

They would tell tales of thee, if they knew thee, my Dulcinea. Instead, I, thy humble vassal, thy cavalier of the highway, tell tales of thee. A lady of grace and poise, riding astride your piebald hackney, hair of gold plaited back, eyes like suns beneath your goggles, hands like ivory steering your noble steed – any beam of the sun of thy beauty that reached my eyes would have given light to my reason and strength to my heart, so that I could be unmatched and unequaled in wisdom and valor. Thou hast strayed away from El Toboso, and yet I cannot seek thee.

Design and backstory under the cut:

Setting/text notes:

Highway Cavalier obviously based on Don Quixote with ‘the Cavalier’ and ��Rocinante’, so Alice was a natural fit for a Dulcinea, a remote and far off lover who the cavalier acts for.

I imagine Alice died prior to the events of the story but maybe she’s just far far away…

Part of the text is directly lifted from Chapter 8 of Volume 2, in the Ormsby translation.

Thee and thou for ~intimacy~

Imagine this as an old-timey black and white photograph Norton keeps in his glovebox…

Norton’s design:

Agh agh agh so much to change so little time agh agh agh

Ok so the typical motorcycle jacket we think of wasn’t in production until at least the 20s but I figured a short riding coat would make sense. We do have motorcycle riding in this period (motor corps in World War I!) plus riding gear is consistent between that and horses.

The pants with the knee-reinforcements are normal, so I kept them but they’re not… jeans. His undershirt is a regular stand-up collar shirt – protective, but not whatever he’s got for padding there.

Alice’s design:

So women also had a motorcycle corps in World War I which is pretty cool. Their coats tended to be longer and somewhat fuller, with most of the shaping coming from the belting and some very heavy pleats in the waist. These were, quite spiffily, worn with a shirtwaist and tie. Pants/ jodhpurs were common (split skirts were too, the point being you NEED to ride astride on a motorcycle.)

The motorcycle they’re leaning on is hers, which is a contemporary Phelon & Moore 500cc single cylinder motorcycle. 

This is the age of no helmets. So. No helmets.

[mynameisonionhaha]

Matthew Patel Analysis

I would like to say first off, I am not Indian. I am a Mexican kid who just really likes learning about different cultures. If anything in this is incorrect, offensive, or just overall dumb, I would really like to be corrected and would REALLY like to be able to fix it.

I’ve been trying to decipher what the markings on the demon girl’s and Matthew’s foreheads are. The main assumption would be that they are bindis, but that doesn’t sit entirely right with me when you think about what they represent in Indian culture.

For the demon girls, you COULD say that the markings are bindis, and that they are supposed to represent something “marital”, which would then imply that their binding to Matthew is more complicated, but I personally disagree with this for multiple reasons.

Then of course, for Matthew that would be a bit more complicated. Married women aren’t the only ones who use bindi markings of course as they also can have other uses and meanings, such as representing the third eye. Given Matthew’s powers, this would make sense, but it still doesn’t fully fit correctly in my beautiful mind.

The biggest thing that perplexes me is their colors and shape. They aren’t exactly round--they actually seem to be more elongated, like a very thin teardrop. This made me wonder if they were actually supposed to be tilaks instead, which makes slightly more sense to my big brain. This has to do with two main reasons: 1, both men and women can wear it. 2, Shiva and Shakti.

Let’s start with Shakta.

“Shaktas (worshippers of Devi — the feminine manifestation of the Divine) use kumkum to either draw a single red vertical line, or place a red dot, as a symbol of her divine energy and power.”  Source: https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/5-things-to-know-about-tilak

Shakta is the consort of Shiva, the goddess who is often personified as “Devi”, who acts as the divine feminine to Shiva’s divine masculinity.

“Yoni, (Sanskrit: “abode,” “source,” “womb,” or “vagina”) in Hinduism, the symbol of the goddess Shakti, the feminine generative power and, as a goddess, the consort of Shiva. In Shaivism, the branch of Hinduism devoted to worship of the god Shiva, the yoni is often associated with the lingam, which is Shiva’s symbol. In sculpture and paintings, the lingam is depicted as resting in the yoni as a cylinder in a spouted dish. The two symbols together represent the eternal process of creation and regeneration, the union of the male and female principles, and the totality of all existence. In a myth narrated in several Puranas, the body of Sati, an avatar of Shakti, is dismembered and scattered throughout India. Her yoni falls, and remains, in Assam, regarded as the home of Tantra (esoteric practices).” Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/yoni 

These statements already clear up the shape, color, and meaning behind the girl’s markings. They are the feminine consorts to Matthew Patel and his escapades. Personally I really like this for multiple reasons, the biggest being that it makes their dynamic significantly more wholesome. This article, https://hridaya-yoga.com/blog/yoni-puja/, talks about the yoni tantras and overall adoration and respect for women. While Matthew and his girls don’t interact together much in terms of actual conversation, the general case seems to be that they are protective, uplifting, and devoted to him, while in return we see that they are treated with respect and not once does he ever see them as lesser or treat them as such. (This could be countered with the fact that they do get put in harm's way a lot, but given that they seem to be able to respawn just fine it probably isn’t an issue and something they are willing to do for him anyways.)

With that, let’s talk about Shiva.

“Shiva meaning “The Auspicious One” is one of the three major deities of Hinduism. He is worshiped as the Supreme God within Shaivism, one of the three most influential denominations in contemporary Hinduism and is also called “the Transformer and the Destroyer”.” Source: https://www.templepurohit.com/shiva-worshipped-form-linga-lingam/#google_vignette 

Matthew and Shiva have lots of things going on, which personally I find really freaking cool. He literally summons what appears to be the trishul, which is Shiva’s trident. How dope is that?? 

“The Trishul, also known as the trident, is the primary weapon of Lord Shiva. It is characterized by three sharp blades connected by a long handle. The three blades always point in the upward direction. Shiva is always found to be holding the handle of the Trishul when he is depicted in the saguna linga form. The three blades have various representations in Hindu mythology.” Source: https://servdharm.com/blogs/post/significance-of-shivas-trishul#:~:text=The%20Trishul%2C%20also%20known%20as,in%20the%20saguna%20linga%20form.

When it comes to the actual symbol on his forehead however, that becomes more difficult. I wondered if he was Shaiva (Shaiva meaning “follower of Shiva”), and that was what the symbol meant, but I couldn’t find anything regarding his specifically.

“Shaivites (worshippers of Shiva), for example, smear their foreheads with three horizontal lines of vibhuti, a sacred white ash that acts as a reminder of the temporary nature of the material world. Made of the burnt dried wood from Hindu fire rituals, the three lines of vibhuti are called tripundra, and represent Shiva’s threefold powers of will, knowledge, and action. Tripudra is also frequently worn with a dot made of kumkum (a powdered red turmeric) in the center, symbolizing the creative and energetic force of the Divine known as the Goddess Shakti.” Source: https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/5-things-to-know-about-tilak 

Interestingly enough, the tripundra does share the teardrop shape that Matthew has. What confuddles me is the lack of the three lines, and the color. I am unsure as to whether or not this has meaning, was on purpose, or was just what they decided to go with.

I did however come to the conclusion that the color might be related to bhasma (calcine ash), more specifically, “Pushpa Kasisa, which is crystalline with bluish green color.” Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3530270/ 

“Bhasma is a Sanskrit word that means “bone ash,” “cinder” or “disintegration.” It comes from the root bha, meaning “delusion,” “appearance” or “likeness,” and sma, meaning “ever” or “always.” In Hinduism and yoga, bhasma is sacred ash. In some traditions, it is thought to contain the energy of Shiva.” 

“In the spiritual context, bhasma symbolizes burning the ego to ashes in order to unite with the higher Self or the divine. It represents liberation from the limitations of mortal life and freedom from the cycle of reincarnation. It is also a reminder of the temporary nature of the physical body, which will one day return to ashes.

Also called vibhooti, bhasma is the sacred ash from the fire of a yogi or saint or from the sacrificial fire known as yajna in which special wood, herbs, grains, ghee and other items are offered as part of a worship ritual. Bhasma is thought to destroy sin and consume evil.” Source: https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5934/bhasma#:~:text=In%20the%20spiritual%20context%2C%20bhasma,from%20the%20cycle%20of%20reincarnation. 

Overall it appears that bhasma is applied to protect its wearer from physical harm/illness as well as serving its spiritual purposes which works really well given that it appeared during a fight where Matthew was in fact, getting harmed.

(I do want to mention though that I do think that it is not actual bhasma as that really wouldn’t make sense, but the similarities and “coincidences” are really cool to me.)

Okay, how does this relate to Matthew’s powers?

“According to yogic texts, there exist seven major chakras (discs of subtle concentrated energy) that run along the center of the body, each of which relate to some aspect of a person’s physical, emotional, and psychological make-up. Tilak is placed on the forehead between the eyebrows where the ajna chakra is located. As ajna means to “perceive” or “command,” the ajna chakra is considered to be the “eye of intuition,” through which a person can discern information that cannot otherwise be seen with one’s physical eyes. This “third eye” is a spiritually potent part of one’s being that helps one to focus inward on the Divine. Tilak, therefore, is placed on the ajna chakra to invoke this divine energy, as well as act as a reminder of the ultimate life goal.” Source: https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/5-things-to-know-about-tilak 

If Matthew is invoking the power of Shiva to aid him through the third eye, or the ajna chakra, this would make the most sense (and would explain why we hadn’t seen it before, probably). I also think it explains his fireballs pretty well, as I’ve noticed a lot of fire and burning practices and metaphors throughout my search for answers.

Oh, also, this: “Shiva's tapas generated so much heat that his body transformed into a pillar of fire - a blazing lingam that threatened to destroy the whole world. The gods did not know how to control Shiva's fire.”

In fact, the whole summary article thingy is really cool to me, so i’ll put it all here.

“Shiva saw no sense in the transitory pleasures of life, so he rejected samsara, smeared his body with ash, closed his eyes and performed austerities.

Shiva's tapas generated so much heat that his body transformed into a pillar of fire - a blazing lingam that threatened to destroy the whole world. The gods did not know how to control Shiva's fire.

Suddenly there appeared a yoni - the divine vessel of the mother-goddess. It caught the fiery lingam and contained its heat, thus saving the cosmos from untimely destruction.

Shiva is often pictured in a pacific mood with his consort Parvati, as the cosmic dancer Nataraja, as a naked ascetic, as a mendicant beggar, as a yogi Dhakshinamurthy, and as the androgynous union of Shiva and Parvati in one body (Ardhanarisvara).

Shiva also takes the form of Ardhanari, his androgynous form. The right side of the sculpture is Shiva and the left side is Parvati. The attributes of each are split directly down the middle.

Another example of Shiva's apparent synthesis of male and female attributes is seen in his earrings. He often wears one earring in the style of a man and the other as a female.” Source: https://www.lotussculpture.com/shiva-hindu-god-lord-destruction-meaning-symbolism.html#:~:text=Shiva's%20tapas%20generated%20so%20much,how%20to%20control%20Shiva's%20fire. 

So yeah, there you have it. Here is every single source I used:

Shiva

https://servdharm.com/blogs/post/significance-of-shivas-trishul#:~:text=The%20Trishul%2C%20also%20known%20as,in%20the%20saguna%20linga%20form. 

https://www.lotussculpture.com/shiva-hindu-god-lord-destruction-meaning-symbolism.html#:~:text=Shiva's%20tapas%20generated%20so%20much,how%20to%20control%20Shiva's%20fire. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trishula 

https://www.templepurohit.com/shiva-worshipped-form-linga-lingam/#google_vignette 

Shakti/Yoni

https://www.britannica.com/topic/yoni 

https://hridaya-yoga.com/blog/yoni-puja/ 

https://kripalu.org/resources/shakti-power-within-you#:~:text=Shakti%20means%20power%2C%20energy%2C%20or,the%20divine%20masculine%20god%20Shiva. 

Tilak

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tilak-ancient-practice-significance-neeta-singhal 

https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/5-things-to-know-about-tilak 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/tilak 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilaka 

Bindi

https://exametc.com/magazine/details.php?id=900 

https://www.sanskritimagazine.com/bindi-meaning-and-significance-of-the-dot-on-forehead/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bindi_(decoration) 

Bhasma

https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5934/bhasma#:~:text=In%20the%20spiritual%20context%2C%20bhasma,from%20the%20cycle%20of%20reincarnation. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24696811/#:~:text=There%20are%20various%20importance%20of,heavy%20metals%20in%20the%20body. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3530270/ 

Third Eye

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_eye 

[they-lived]

The Veilguard Post

I have a lot of thoughts about the new Dragon Age game.

Spoilers for all games and critical analysis below (and I do mean critical I have some nice things to say and some really not nice things to say) if you’re not here for that kind of content then keep scrolling….

Alright now that we’re alone, my beloved, I have some big thoughts about this game.

First, let me introduce myself as a Dragon Age player. Years ago I started trying to play Inquisition because I wanted to play my first real big kid game (I was like… 15 I think) but I was very lost so I went to my brother who gave me Origins and his copy of DA2 and told me to ask him if I had any questions.

I played over 500 hours of Origins - I played every origin, romanced every companion, played every angle and got every single stinking achievement the game had on offer INCLUDING all of the DLC achievements. I loved the hell out of that game and honestly still believe it is one of the best games I’ve ever played. It taught me how to mod! I love modding my games now and she’s the reason!

I didn’t love DA2 nearly as much but I still enjoyed parts of it. Honestly, if the game had ended after Act 2 I would have probably loved it just as much, I just feel like it doesn’t hold its drama very well at the end and truly if the Anders confrontation had more gravitas to it I would have enjoyed it a lot more. For context, I’ve only played her three times but I did help my sister play through all three games in their entirety. So to be clear I have played through romances for Fenris, Sebastian, and Isabela, and my sister romanced Anders (yes I did watch Merril’s romance so I do know what happens in that one as well).

Inquisition was my pandemic game, I played the hell out of her. I have easily clocked close to a thousand hours in that game between all five playthroughs because I was mentally unwell during the pandemic lol, but I digress. I played that game as much as I could, modded it to high heaven and unplayability frankly. I romanced Cullen, Dorian, Cassandra, Bull, and Solas (if I go back and do another playthrough which is likely at this point, frankly, I’m open to doing Josephine or Blackwall). Trespasser is an all-timer for me, one of the best DLC expansions I have ever seen, I was gagged, gooped, dead and deceased on the FLOOR.

All of this to say, my love for these games runs deep (I have a whole world in mind that I may one day bring myself to fully write but alas… Idk man shit’s hard). I wrote fan fic for this world and I cherish it deeply.

So… Veilguard… honestly, I was expecting it to be worse, I was expecting to hate it. I went in knowing it had been stuck in production hell for 10 years, had cycled through writers and layoffs, you name it, they suffered through it. But while what we got was not terrible… it was not great either.

I will say, I enjoyed some quests and some ideas in there. Here’s a short list:

The siege at Weisshaupt was a treasure, it even made me briefly enjoy gameplay! (I universally play on easy mode but this one felt smart)

Solas being inside of your head when you’re trying to get to Elgar’nan’s arch demon was dope as hell

All of Emmrich’s quest was exceptional, especially the ending was firing on all cylinders. Truly a great quest

When I got Lucanis romance it was pretty stellar (just lacking in content which we’ll get to)

Honestly, having my romanced inquisitor ending was satisfying for me. Really, I was getting the flutters in my heart watching it.

Ok so… now lets get into why you’re really here, the disappointments. In ten parts because I have too much to say apparently.

Let’s start with the art: I know some people love what they did with the art style and I will say I appreciate that they stuck with the style throughout and made the game feel cohesive… I still felt like it was too fortnite cartoon-y for what I prefer in a Dragon Age game.

Second: The companions… I feel like… I feel like this was ‘therap-ize your friends’ the game at times. The amount of times I only responded with ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘you’re allowed to feel that way’ or ‘this is hard’ was so often I genuinely wondered at times if it was the same sound bite being played every time.

I heard someone say that you can’t even be mean in this game and I-... they’re right… you can’t really be mean in this game. I can’t unsee it. And this is coming from someone who played a full evil campaign of Baulder’s Gate 3 and had to play a sixth time to cleanse my soul after being a meanie and feeling dirty about it… I believe being evil and cruel (or at least being a dick) is kind of essential in an RPG and I personally feel like you should be able to disagree with your companions and make them hate you.

I don’t recruit Sera anymore because she bothers me, I don’t love Merril or Fenris and I straight up hate Morrigan (more on this later) and Oghren, and the games before allowed me to be a bitch to them if I wanted to.

In this game I vaguely like my companions but they all feel like ideas and not people. I didn’t like Sera but she felt like a person, so did Merril and Morrigan - they’re people and I don’t like every person. My least favorite companion in this game is Neve and she’s not offensively bad, just a vague idea of a cynical detective who fights the man and doesn’t take anyone’s shit… but beyond that… nothing.

We spend a lot of the companion quests just kind of… walking around and talking to them… but I feel like I don’t actually learn about them. I think that half of my companions avoid this - Davrin, Harding, and Emmrich feel like fully realized characters with passions and history. Their walk and talk quests felt more immersive and like I was genuinely learning about a new friend and I enjoyed it but too few of my companions sucked me in this way.

Bellara constantly talks about how hard things are and how much she misses her brother (and also her romance serials which are my favorite interactions with her). Taash’s mother is the most interesting part about them and their arc is just not very compelling (or tied to basically anything else happening in the game beyond the Dragon King is working with the evanuris but I digress). And Lucanis… dear sweet Lucanis you had so much potential but they stuck you in a predictable story and gave Spite no actual substance. Also apparently Spite is a spirit of determination which I had to find out from Solas at the end of the game… like huh? What? Excuse me? Why wasn’t that explored more? That's a fascinating concept.

Who are these people? They’re just kind of… vaguely awkward, supposedly good at their jobs, and wasted potential.

I think that’s what it comes down to for me. There’s so much potential to have really interesting characters here. If you want me to do a deep dive on how I would re-write these characters let me know maybe I’ll do it lol. This post is already long enough.

Third: Romance full disclosure, I fall into the category of - I want my RPG to also be a dating sim - so this one I get is not everyone’s cup of tea… that having been said the romances in this game are really lacking. Not only are they flat or uninteresting there is practically no content!

I romanced Lucanis and I genuinely mean this - when I did get romantic scenes with him I loved them. They were sweet and tender but so few and far between it didn’t feel earned. I loved the scene after being pulled out of the Fade prison - I replayed it like six times. I felt like it was so sweet and so well executed and I craved more of that.

Watching the other romances it’s clear that this game lacks content for the romances, full stop. Everyone gets a grand total of about half an hour of content for their romance start to finish. And like… huh? Why? Dragon Age is known for its romances! Even the more surface level romances in other games have more going for them!

Sebastian’s romance is easily the weakest romance in any DA game and I think that his romance somehow still has more content that’s actually romantic than any of Veilgaurd’s… and listen I know I’m the rare Sebastian defender but his rival-mance (the superior option imo) requires you to challenge him and his faith. It’s interesting, it’s got substance and grit and is thought provoking… Veilgaurd doesn’t offer that.

I’ve watched all the romances at this point and it seems that - once again - Emmrich has the most content. Davrin and Harding are close behind, but all of them still lack true romance. Half the time the flirtatious option just reads as being nice and there’s so little pay off that arguing these romances are slow burn is dead on arrival in my opinion.

Not to mention that most of the romantic scenes are interrupted by something goofy or awkward. Lucanis, Neve, and Emmrich all have kisses that are interrupted for one reason or another and frankly I didn’t care for it. It felt like padding and I want my romances to be more present.

Fourth: And this one is big for me. Your choices basically don’t matter… like at all.

I need it to be known that my friends and I regularly call big choices in our DnD games ‘Dragon Age choices’ these games are hugely influential in how we run our DnD games. We love a morally gray, ambiguous, ‘things will never be perfect make the choice you can live with’ type of stakes. And this game frankly has none.

There are three big choices in this game - by my count - and none of them have weight or substance. The only companion that has one even remotely close to the other games is Emmrich’s - which I will admit took me all the way the fuck out and I genuinely couldn’t decide if we should resurrect Manfred or let Emmrich become immortal. I was floored by his quest in general.

Anyway, big ‘choices’ in this game are as follows:

Save Minrathous or Treviso

Punch the First Warden or talk him down

Let Harding or Davrin Live

So following my first playthrough I knew I wanted to romance Lucanis so I saved Treviso and I was initially taken aback by how fucked things were in Minrathous… except they’re not really that fucked to be honest. Yes the venatori took over… and yes the Shadow Dragons go into hiding… but you still have access to the dragons and the Viper - even infected with blight - lives throughout the rest of the damn game.

Like… huh? I thought this would be pivotal. In Origins once you leave Lothering you literally cannot return because the blight is beyond devastating. It’s horrific, blight sickness is so horrible that in DA2 you have to kill Aveline’s husband and one of your siblings either dies or becomes a warden, it’s so bad that nothing can be done about it. But the Viper just casually sticks around for the rest of the game and the Shadow Dragons can still help you in the end. Not to mention that either Bellara or Neve can be cured of the blight at the end of the game for some reason…

Can you imagine in Inquisition if you still got to hang out with the Templars after Samson absolutely decimates them? Like… that would simply not happen and I like that each game gets a different minor villain and ending based on your choices, it’s juicy, it’s diabolical, it’s interesting. It inspires further investigation and playthroughs.

I understand that not every choice can matter in a video game because then a game would just be impossible to play and that’s what DnD is for… but BG3 did just fine and they have dozens of choices that really matter (note I have clocked 700 hours in BG3 over 7 playthroughs including evil playthroughs). Within the franchise you have dozens of choices that really matter. Hell in Origins the Redcliff quest has about four different endings at least, depending on how and when you do it. We’re not asking for a lot, we’re asking for what is honestly, at this point, an industry standard for an RPG.

Punching the First Warden or not is such a minor decision all things considered that like… it genuinely baffles me that it’s even a choice at all because even when you knock his ass out cold he still staggers back to the fight and gets pulled into the abyss. Sure, you’ll see him later in Davrin’s quest and he can react differently to you based on this choice but there’s just… no weight to it. The Wardens still help you, you cannot lock yourself out of any of the factions, you can please everyone. Which I love doing in a DA game don’t get me wrong - but it’s much more satisfying when I have to work for a good ending where everyone’s happy.

I think of Redcliff in Origins or Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts in Inquisition, these quests have choices that matter and you have to work to make sure you get the ending you want. Saving Isolde and Connor in Redcliff takes work; getting the exact right combo of rulers in Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, takes work. It’s not easily handed to you, you have to pursue it by interacting with the world around you and understanding what’s actually going on.

The Harding vs. Davrin choice is so cheap and I really have no other way to describe it. First, we have no reason to believe that this choice will lead to the death of our companion, especially since we’ve spent all this time making sure we level them up and follow their quest lines to their end. But that doesn’t matter, it feels like it was done for shock value more than a story reason. It’s not even really brought up again except for brief mentions in the Lighthouse before the final march. They’re also the only ones who get locked into this type of ending which makes it feel even cheaper!

Neve and Bellara can be saved even after being infected with the blight and no I’m not over it! It’s just a real slap in the face that Davrin or Harding - two of the best characters in the game imo - are sent to their death for what feels like no reason except that… checks notes… their idea was better in your opinion? They don’t even die on their side mission, they die WITH YOU IN A CUT SCENE. It doesn’t matter what you do, one of them will die and I wouldn’t mind that except… no one else is ever put into this kind of peril.

It also feels like no other choice I made up until that point matters. It doesn’t matter that Davrin and I chose to release the Griffons to forge a new path, it doesn’t matter that Harding chose forgiveness instead of being consumed by the rage of her ancestors. It doesn’t matter that we helped the gray wardens or that I asked Harding about the inquisition or that I took them on any number of side quests, it doesn’t matter if you romance them.

You just pick which of them you don’t mind finishing the game without and that’s that. It’s grinding my gears the more I think about it so let's move on.

Fifth: The Morrigan of it all… Okay, full disclosure, I’m a Morrigan hater. I find her romance in Origins gross, I think it’s stupid she became an advisor to the Orlesian Empress in Inquisition (homegirl was raised in a swamp, what do you MEAN she’s an advisor to the Empress!?!?), and I hate that her solution to your problems is trust me intrinsically and also let me have sex with someone who expressly does not want to. BUT I truly did enjoy the Mythal lore and Morrigan becoming Mythal is interesting.

Just one itsy-bitsy problem is that I just spent three whole games spanning in-game decades trying to make sure this didn’t fucking happen. And yet, here we are, with this… happening. Ooooo Bioware when I catch you it’s on SIGHT. Not only does this make everything else you did with her feel like a colossal waste of time… it ultimately feels like nothing mattered. Who cares if I spent two in game decades handing Morrigan her own autonomy on a silver platter? Who cares that I did everything in my power to make sure she could do what she wanted instead of bending to the whims of her abusive mother?

Ignoring the fact that apparently Morrigan and Isabela (who are both easily in their 50s at this point, remember how Wynne was barely cresting 50 and the game treated her like she was a granny?) haven’t aged a day cause I guess women can’t age… did anything I do matter? We get a weird vague line from Isabela about family and Morrigan seems to think she and the inquisitor are besties… which they are reluctant allies at best in most playthroughs I’ve seen and played. And oh by the way, that kid she maybe had, that could be an elder god? Yeah he either doesn’t exist or she’s an absent parent whoopsie.

Sixth: The lore… I understand this game is trying to take the world in a new direction but this was not the way to do it. We could have gotten a better shot at a DA2 type of game. A smaller, more contained story but they went scorched earth with so much that it feels… like a huge let down.

Not to mention that as a recovering catholic I loved the lore of the Chantry. I loved dissecting the intricacies of a huge religious institution that has good people but a rotten core. Examining faith and how sinister it is when institutions get a hold of something that imbues so much meaning into people's daily lives was genuinely cathartic for me. And this game basically tells you that the chantry is wrong and to go fuck yourself because it doesn’t matter and it never did. It takes away so much nuance and realism within its own lore (not to mention they just hand wave it off when Harding rightfully brings this up as an earth shattering moment for her. What a weird thing to ignore). The answer is Elves, if you have a question the answer is elves, and I’m sorry I don’t love that answer. I’d rather have no answer, I’d rather be able to draw my own conclusions.

I love how nuanced and messy the lore of Thedas is, personally. I loved learning about how twisted the Qun is and how fucked Antiva is and that Ferelden is no better. I found it so fascinating no one place is good and just. They really did some revisionist history with Tevinter and especially the Crows (this game had one too many freedom fighter groups for my liking but I digress). All interest, morally gray intrigue, and nuance was sapped out of the world. All the bad guys are venatori or antaam, all the answers are Elves did it, and it feels so… devoid of intrigue. It was such a let down.

At no time did I ever feel conflicted about what I was doing, at no time did things ever make me question if I was doing the right thing. I never even really had to think very hard about what I was doing because most choices were pretty benign, like I could do no wrong, like I was being spoonfed my heroism. I didn’t have to think, for the most part, and that makes me sad.

Seventh: Varric… oh Varric… my sweet beloved child they did that to you didn’t they? I don’t inherently have a problem with Varric dying, honestly I don’t. The execution, however (pun intended), was garbage. I echo what others have said… why is Varric the one chasing after Solas? Varric was close to everyone in the inquisition, sure, but I’m not sure he and Solas were besties.

If Cole were the one going after Solas I’d get it. If it were Bull going after Solas to beat the shit out of him, I’d get it. If it was Dorian going after him because he’s the closest in proximity I’d get it… but Varric being the one to try talking him down ‘because he’s my friend!’ is frankly, bad writing. I feel like the team wanted to send him off but this was not it fam. Varric does love his friends this deeply… but for Solas it feels wrong and weird and (dare I say it?) out of character.

Honestly, if they had him actually be alive in the Lighthouse and being that mentor figure I would have much preferred it. I could have overlooked the narrative wonky-ness if Varric had lived… but him being dead pissed me off. I can't even lie about it. It felt like shock value for shock value’s sake and I hated it.

It feels like we should have been with the Inquisitor tracking Solas down or at least hired by them… but instead we get dead Varric and no substance… awesome.

Eighth: The God’s Prison… of all the weird retconn-y odd narrative choices that were made this one irks me the most… just… the very concept of Solas and the other gods not being able to get themselves out of the Fade prison but you can is so… just dumb honestly. I think, in theory, the idea that you have to work through your regrets to release yourself from that prison is actually really interesting… but here’s the problem with that:

Solas did work through his regrets and he has been able to let go at least somewhat. He knows what he did was wrong and he wants to change… He’s just the king of over correction lol. I just find it laughable that you can get out of this supposedly impenetrable prison but no elven god can because they’re too proud. Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain I can buy, but Solas I simply don’t buy it. It’s just… I don’t know, truly laughable is the only word I can use to describe it.

You’re telling me that Solas - who learned about the power of friendship and individual autonomy all throughout Inquisition - hasn’t learned to navigate his regret? Solas who can look romanced quizzie dead in the eye and tell her ‘I love you, you taught me so much about this world and I am still learning. I’m going to end this. I’m going to fix my mistakes. I’m going to make the world better.’ hasn’t had to grapple with what he’s done? Are y’all for real Bioware?

Ninth: Solas… Solas, Solas, Solas, my sweet summer child, you are the biggest case study of missed opportunity that I see in this game. I think he was severely underutilized, talking to him, his memories, and just having him around was genuinely the best part of this game for me. I love him fighting with Elgar’nan in my head, I love him being saucy with me in my dreams, and the romanced quizzy ending is cannon to me. But he just wasn’t present enough! He felt like a vague threat but I also… I also don’t really think this game did enough to make him a threat.

In Trespasser I genuinely feared this man, I thought ‘oh fuck we aren’t going to be able to stop him easily’ but then he is just… so easily taken out it’s laughable.

I think this game’s biggest flaw is that we get no build up to Solas as Rook. This game relies on the fact that you know Solas from Inquisition but then we don’t even really get that Solas (see bad ending where he calls himself a god oh Bioware I am in your YARD he would never say that). If we spent the whole game trying to find him, gathering allies, looking for clues only to meet him at the end and triumph by sealing him away… only to find out we released the evanuris into the world (obvious sequel bait is obvious but hey games do what they must) that would have been dope as hell!

I feel like the writers of this game felt like they had to deliver a sequel when honest to goodness I think it would have been much better if they didn’t. I think if this game had been divorced from the main series and truly had an independent story it could have been great. I keep saying if this game was a precursor to the ‘let’s take down Solas’ game it would have been epic. If this game introduced us to Rook and co, then at the end we meet the inquisitor and they’re like, “Hey losers do you wanna save the world!?” That would have been so cool.

But at the end of the day it IS a sequel and it’s a bad sequel. I truly like this game when it’s not trying to follow up Inquisition, but as a sequel it fails at every hurdle. Solas is a fascinating villain, he is a character I adore and really find interesting, compelling, tragic, and downright terrifying. And they didn’t use him to his fullest extent at all.

In theory - Rook is Solas’s foil. We get to accomplish what he couldn’t, saving the world and all that… but Rook and Solas are not actually parallels, their life experiences and their goals are nowhere near aligned enough to make this argument. If Solas were really watching us become him or if we saw ourselves becoming Solas that would have been interesting. Instead, Solas points out our similarities ‘you’re willing to do whatever it takes’ or ‘you’ve got fire and passion to do the right thing’ or ‘you do what’s right and say fuck the man when you need to’ but our reasons feel achingly hollow compared to his. We are not the same. So him thanking us at the end of the game feels out of place. He should be thanking the inquisitor for coming back to him - because really she is the one who saves him. Her love saves him, Rook just bought her time to get to him.

What sucks is that Solas is so endlessly interesting to me. This is a character that created this world and he regrets it. Can you imagine a god that regrets their creation? That idea has me physically unwell and they squandered it.

Tenth: The thesis of this game. Now let me start off by saying, not all games NEED a thesis. But some of them have them regardless and the Dragon Age games like having something to say. So bear with me while I opine about a very watered down thesis for each game. And it could be argued these games have multiple or different ones than I present but this is my hear me out post, get your own, lol.

Origins poses the question ‘how far will you go to save the world?’ We are constantly asked to do morally dubious things to save the world. Do we recruit slave labor from the Golems for a better army? Do we save the Circle mages or do we let the templars slaughter them? Do we recruit Loghain as a gray warden knowing the crimes he has committed? Do we let Morrigan conceive a god baby to save our own life? These questions are answered by our choices and it makes this game interesting. It makes each Hero of Ferelden different and it makes our choices matter, people we meet and grow to care for live or die by our decisions and it makes the player feel important.

DA2’s thesis is ‘we are the product of our circumstances’. DA2 is, at its heart, a tragedy, people are victims of their circumstances, including Hawke. No matter what we do, we lose our siblings and our mother to circumstances beyond our control, with or without our heroism. No matter what we do the qunari will rampage through the city. No matter what we do the chantry is destroyed and we must side with the templars or mages. Yet, in spite of the horror, Hawke can choose how they respond to their situation. We get to choose to be kind or brutal, we can choose to seek justice or be pulled through it kicking and screaming. We are dealt a shit hand at every turn, what we choose to do with it matters.

Inquisition’s thesis is ‘how do we forgive in the face of corruption?’ Every organization we meet in Inquisition is corrupt as fuck. They are terrible, they treat others without dignity or care, they spit in the face of decency but WE can change that. We as the player can step in and be the change we want to see in the world, literally. We can beat back corruption and evil with compassion and understanding… or you know, we can make them worse, because Inquisition gives you the option to be a dick if you want. We are tasked with saving the world and we can either be selfish about it like every other organization we encounter or we can be the altruistic light in the darkness - the dawn in an otherwise bleak future.

It feels like the thesis of Veilguard is ‘you can’t do anything alone’ when it should have been ‘what are you willing to sacrifice for the greater good’ or even better ‘it is easy to become the very thing you fought against’.

We spend the whole game watching how Solas made the hard choices in a losing fight, that he became something he never wanted to be because all he saw was the end result and not what was being lost along the way. Solas was a good leader, Solas had people fighting with him, and Solas was not afraid to make sacrifices for the greater good. Which would have been fascinating if we - Rook - had any hard choices to make at all and could relate to that.

We tread dangerously close to something great in this vein, the idea that we can be good leaders, get the job done, and do minimal harm - but it is done in such a way that it is made seriously unrealistic and uninteresting. We get through mostly unscathed with minimal losses that we care about beyond the vague answer of ‘normal people died/got hurt’ but we never really see that (don’t get me started on the mourning scene in the final battle, I was surrounded by sheets? I can only assume if your friends died you’d see their faces but mine didn’t soooooo). We are a better leader than Solas by virtue of our situations being significantly different. We are facing a known foe, with a clear cut way to beat them, allies who help us with minimal persuasion, and no insurmountable problems. He didn’t have any of that, he led a grassroots rebellion with basically only slaves and spirits to help him against people who were doing things he’d never seen before. The difference is just… they’re incomparable.

Can you imagine if we really had to face the idea that we are becoming the very thing we sought to destroy? Can you imagine the slow, creeping realization that we are just like Solas. If we had to sacrifice one or two or even more of our faction alliances to proceed through the game? If there were actual STAKES!?! If Solas saw us as his equal or another incarnation of himself? If he saw us going down the same path he did and it sparks empathy in him? If he wanted us to actually succeed because he has learned to see the good in this messy creation of his?

The DA games are - at their core - about sacrifice, what you are willing to give up for the greater good? In these games, the goal is to save the world, so how will you fight for it? We have nothing to fight for here because it’s not really a fight at all.

This idea that you can’t do anything alone is nice… but being alone is never an option for us. Solas puts himself in exile, Solas is alone but Rook never is. It’s not an option not to recruit your companions, you have to. It’s not an option to turn any of them away or to have them leave your party, and they’ll always love you if you do the bare minimum for their quests. The only time they ‘leave you’ is if they die but that’s not until the very absolute end, and even then they die in service of you - you are not ever alone in this fight.

If this game wanted to say something about how our people make us better we should have been met with a point in the game where we are alone. Fade prison doesn’t count because really nothing happens there; it's all cerebral internalized shit and you’re pulled out of it relatively quickly. We should have been hit with the idea that without our people - the bonds we choose and those we love - we are nothing and we were never faced with that potential reality.

In addition… Solas had people. He had Mythal and Felassan and he trusted them so intrinsically it became a part of his downfall. If he was your friend or lover in Inquisition he is a ride or die, he cares deeply for you and your team - so much so, he leaves because he sees himself as a danger to you. He’s only alone now because he chose to be alone… should we not also parallel this? Should we not also feel more bound to Solas because we see ourselves in him? We keep saying we’ll do ‘whatever it takes’ but it only takes the minimum to get the damn job done. We get to take the path of least resistance constantly, we get to be a hero with little to no losses that we see or care about - and perhaps this is because I did completionist this game and worked for it… but I didn’t ever feel like I had to work particularly hard.

This game ultimately fails because what it’s trying to say has no weight, what it’s trying to dictate to us is just said and never shown. We are not treated as an active participant in this narrative, we are just a consumer and I find it offensive that it was touted as an RPG when there’s minimal roleplay in the game.

In conclusion, your honor, this game is not a disappointment because I wanted Inquisition 2 - this game is a disappointment because it doesn’t say anything worthwhile. It presents ideas that, on their face, are good but never delves into them, it saps nuance out of an otherwise lively incredibly lore rich world, and it ultimately takes power away from the player to service a story that no longer wants to affiliate itself with its predecessors. Which is a damn shame because what came before it has so many interesting and thought provoking ideas this world could have built itself upon and chose to disregard.

If they wanted a relaunch, that’s fine… divorce yourself from ALL the games if that’s the case. Tell a smaller story, go back in the timeline before any other game, do anything else.

I will still probably play future Dragon Age games (because the track record is now the odd numbered games are good, the even numbered games are less good). I can find the good in these games despite my disappointment. But this game is still just that to me, a disappointment, end rant.

[rebeccalouisaferguson]

REVIEW ROUND UP OF SILO SEASON 2

"Ferguson’s ability to express and create relatability through subtle shifts of emotion draws us in while being notably striking in scenes where Juliette is forced to confront the stark reality she’s in." - https://collider.com/silo-season-2-review/

"Ferguson -- who also serves as an executive producer -- spends a lot of her screen time exploring and reacting. Juliette's more of a vessel for Solo's backstory, working as the audience's eyes. But Ferguson takes these tasks and makes them earth-shattering. In the first season...played Juliette as crafty and defiant. This time around, she keenly makes Juliette frightened and unsure of herself, aligning with her discomfort in a brand-new environment. There are many scenes where she doesn't speak a word -- including in the first episode -- but her expressive fear adds a life-or-death element that gives her journey higher stakes." - https://www.cbr.com/silo-apple-tv-season2-review/

"...The Mission: Impossible star is more than up to the task of acting determined and showing physical strength when her character enters a silo that’s seen better days. Here, Ferguson puts her action skills to use, from swinging on ropes to plummeting to watery depths...Ferguson commands the screen regardless. She doesn’t need pages of dialogue to reflect Juliette’s resourcefulness, fear, or even hope...Rebecca Ferguson is more than up to the task of the physically demanding role, all the while conveying Juliette’s fear and determination in new surroundings.  - https://www.ign.com/articles/silo-season-2-review-rebecca-ferguson-apple-tv-plus

"The performances are outstanding, including Ferguson’s portrayal of Juliette, which brings vulnerability and determination few can match on the small screen. She single-handedly carried the first season, but possibly due to scheduling, she is apart from the rest of the cast this season. Still, her scenes with Zahn demonstrate internal struggles that feel authentic and relatable." - https://fandomwire.com/silo-season-2-review-rebecca-ferguson-is-riviting-in-a-gripping-science-fiction-adventure-series-firing-on-all-cylinders/

"Ferguson once again gives a stunning performance, not least in the first episodes of the season which see her faced with unimaginable horrors - but it's her dynamic with Zahn that takes the cake as the most intriguing element of the season." - https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/silo-season-2-review-apple/

"As ever, this is Rebecca Ferguson's show, and she's as hypnotic as ever. Juliette's intensity is matched only by her desire to know and fix things, and it's a tremendous joy to see such a capable and driven character on screen. Her frustrations are palpable, and at every turn I wanted for her to succeed." - https://toisto.net/silo-season-2-review-apple-tv-plus/

"Ferguson again shines in the role, embracing its intense physical and emotional demands." -  https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/silo-season-2/

"Even if she's not front-and-centre on an episode by episode basis, Rebecca Ferguson's shadow still looms of the entire production, and she's a great protagonist, tough as nails but still not invincibly invulnerable, and a compelling lead to take us through the more treacherous survival sci-fi moments." - https://www.avforums.com/reviews/silo-season-2-review-2024-apple-tv-tv-show.22221/

"Juliette, under Ferguson’s carefully controlled performance, has morphed from an unassuming citizen to a leader intent on learning the truth." - https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/silo-season-2-review-apple-tv-plus

"The best part, however, of the series, as always, is its performance. Rebecca Ferguson takes a backseat this season, out on a dangerous new adventure that brings her close to some shocking truths and a few interesting people. Most of her time is spent fixing things around but she is still great in her scenes." - https://www.leisurebyte.com/silo-season-2-review/

"A commanding performance from Rebecca Ferguson makes it a dystopian future worth staying in" - https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-shows/silo-season-2-review-a-commanding-performance-from-rebecca-ferguson-makes-it-a-dystopian-future-worth-staying-in/

"Packed with great turns from Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Robbins, Common, and the entire cast, this sophomore season of Silo is a solid continuation." - https://www.joblo.com/silo-season-2-tv-review-rebellion-is-brewing-in-the-dystopian-dramas-sophomore-run/

[blue-jacket-blues]

I'm writing headcanons about that awful robot again. This one got out of hand and is now extremely long but I imagine at least one of you might be interested in reading it.

In which I discuss Hux's living situation aboard the now-decommissioned Caracas III and some of the stuff he gets up to in his spare time. 👇 go here

Hux gets extremely bored extremely quickly. He's the new owner of a superpowered brain, and with an expanded consciousness comes a desire to test the limits of his physical and mental abilities. However he is now trapped in a realm where his ability to move and act freely is very limited, which frustrates him.

The Entity will not allow him to prey upon other killers, and trials offer him only limited time to study and extract organic material from survivors. His evolution has come to a screeching halt. It goes without saying that he does not like being restricted in this way, but he cannot change the circumstances he's now living under, so he's forced to occupy his free time with other things before he completely shuts down from boredom.

Most of that free time is spent on Dvarka. As much as he despises the Caracas III and everything the ship represents, the launcher contains all of the materials and equipment Hux needs to keep himself functional and alive, so he can't leave it permanently. He's gutted a big portion of the old crew dormitory to serve as his home base, and this is where he can typically be found if he's not out patrolling the exterior of the landing site. It's a gigantic room on the lower deck of the ship with most of the crew berthing infrastructure ripped out and repurposed for his own needs.

One wall is covered floor-to-ceiling in computer terminals that allow him to survey the entire realm at a single glance. About a third of the room is dedicated to this setup and all of the associated wiring and equipment required to actually power it. He has permanent biopods set up in very specific areas around Dvarka: the outside of the launcher (one by each staircase to cover every potential entryway), the inside of the launcher, the vehicle crash site, the exit gates, and most importantly, the alien ruins.

He's trying to rig a live CCTV feed elsewhere in the Fog so he can spy on the other killers, but this has proved to be difficult since it requires more power and concentration than he's typically capable of. Splitting his consciousness between himself and a biopod is second-nature at this point, but trying to split his consciousness between himself, his existing biopods, and other tech from around the realm is incredibly difficult. He hopes to improve his design at some point to allow for greater control over external technology, but it's been slow going.

The next third of the room resembles a laboratory; big storage cases filled with specimen jars and materials taken from the cargo bay, long tables with a fume hood (not that he needs it), Erlenmyer flasks and graduated cylinders, and operation manuals for all of the equipment he's found and repurposed. In lieu of the fully-functional cloning hub, which was partially destroyed during the construction of his "perfect body", this area is Hux's experiment station, kind of like this area depicted in his tome reward cutscene thing.

Like I said, the Caracas III is only partly functional now. This, like many things, is Hux's fault. The construction of his "perfect body" strained the cloning hub's resources to the point of malfunction, and he can no longer use the hub to its fullest extent. No matter what commands he tries to give the hub's computer, it will only print that purple biopod-meat substance, which will flood the hub's processing chamber until manual override is initiated to shut the whole project down. This is part of the reason why the top floor of the launcher is such a mess, since he's tried over and over again to get the hub back online, and each attempt has only further contributed to the problem he's trying to solve.

He'd like to have the cloning hub working again, but he lacks the dexterity to repair its more delicate components. That's what you get for replacing your hands with a big stupid scythe and a grasping claw/fleshlight thing, you so-called superior organism. Do not point that claw at me

Anyway. Hux's lab is limited in size but not in scale. He's collected samples of every potentially useful organic substance for future use in his design, preserving them in Sarah's old scientific sampling jars. If/when he manages to fix the cloning hub, he plans on extracting matter from his preferred array of samples to reconstruct his damaged body and improve his design. That day has not yet come, so instead he sits and broods over his collection like a magpie with a nest full of stolen shiny objects.

The vast majority of Hux's samples were taken from Dvarka's environment. He's got little bits of virtually every living thing he's been able to find, from leaf cuttings to pinned insects to tufts of fur left behind by the large nocturnal predators that lurk in the Deepwood. He's also taken it upon himself to try and extract as many of the alien crystals as he can find, preserving these in large climate-controlled specimen cases for future study.

The most gruesome artifacts in his collection are the samples he's taken from the Caracas III's crew, and most recently, from the few survivors whose bodies he's managed to process during trials. A liver there, an eyeball here, a skin sample there, a sliver of brain here, and so on. These organs have been cryogenically preserved just in case his existing body begins to fail, though if he manages to fix the cloning hub, he'd like to start incorporating these new genes into his existing design.

This area is also where he keeps generic day-to-day maintenance items, including the remaining stores of nutrient slurry, diagnostic tools and nanomachine equipment, and jars of frictionless cryogel (excellent for lubricating his joints and dried-out skin. And for other purposes. I shant say).

The last third of his home base contains the closest thing Hux has to an actual room. Only in the sense that this area contains his equivalent of a bed. This portion of the room is comprised of a modified charging station, which looks like a nest of cables coiled up on top of a large rubber pad. Cable-charging is pretty straightforward, but it's time consuming, and he typically doesn't bother with it if there are alternative sources of power he can draw from.

However, Hux is now partially organic, and organics need sleep to function. He doesn't need quite as much sleep as a human being (5-6 hours of sleep every 24-30 hours will suffice), but if he doesn't adhere to this schedule, his stolen brain matter will begin to shut down. He hates this fact and sees it as a weakness, but there's nothing he can do about it.

The charging pad is where he's chosen to kill two birds with one stone. Every couple of days, he'll plug the primary charging cable into the back of his head, check his cameras one final time for potential intruders, hunker down in the center of the cable nest, and go to sleep.

He's not a particularly heavy sleeper and will wake back up immediately if he's disturbed in any way, typically emerging from sleep mode by slashing wildly at any threat before him (real or perceived). Otherwise he wakes up gradually after his charging cycle is complete. Hux is particularly groggy for the first few minutes after waking as his mechanical brain recouples with his organic brain and typically tries not to stand up immediately unless he has to respond to a threat. He will lose his balance and immediately fall down if his brain hasn't fully reactivated yet. During his waking state he's both at his most powerful and his most vulnerable, and he's very much aware of this fact.

This usually isn't a problem, since the entire floor is only accessible to those with Huxlee's security clearance code. Access is granted via keycard, biometric data, or manual code input as a last resort should the previous two clearance options fail. This authorization was only given to the Caracas III's human crew and A7 units, so the chance of someone sneaking up on Hux during one of his power naps is extremely slim.

But never zero.

[transgenderer]

i know enough electromagnetics to mostly understand clever electrical stuff but little enough that it still has the magic charm

Mechanically, the cavity magnetron consists of a large, solid cylinder of metal with a hole drilled through the centre of the circular face. A wire acting as the cathode is run down the center of this hole, and the metal block itself forms the anode. Around this hole, known as the "interaction space", are a number of similar holes ("resonators") drilled parallel to the interaction space, connected to the interaction space by a short channel. The resulting block looks something like the cylinder on a revolver, with a somewhat larger central hole. Early models were cut using Colt pistol jigs.[11] Remembering that in an AC circuit the electrons travel along the surface, not the core, of the conductor, the parallel sides of the slot act as a capacitor while the round holes form an inductor: an LC circuit made of solid copper, with the resonant frequency defined entirely by its dimensions.

The magnetic field is set to a value well below the critical, so the electrons follow curved paths towards the anode. When they strike the anode, they cause it to become negatively charged in that region. As this process is random, some areas will become more or less charged than the areas around them. The anode is constructed of a highly conductive material, almost always copper, so these differences in voltage cause currents to appear to even them out. Since the current has to flow around the outside of the cavity, this process takes time. During that time additional electrons will avoid the hot spots and be deposited further along the anode, as the additional current flowing around it arrives too. This causes an oscillating current to form as the current tries to equalize one spot, then another.[12]

The oscillating currents flowing around the cavities, and their effect on the electron flow within the tube, cause large amounts of microwave radiofrequency energy to be generated in the cavities. The cavities are open on one end, so the entire mechanism forms a single, larger, microwave oscillator. A "tap", normally a wire formed into a loop, extracts microwave energy from one of the cavities. In some systems the tap wire is replaced by an open hole, which allows the microwaves to flow into a waveguide.

Cause of skin effect. A main current I flowing through a conductor induces a magnetic field H. If the current increases, as in this figure, the resulting increase in H induces separate, circulating eddy currents IW which partially cancel the current flow in the center and reinforce it near the skin.

Twin lead (in the specific sense of ribbon cable) is a form of parallel wire balanced transmission line. The separation between the two wires in twin-lead is small compared to the wavelength of the radio frequency (RF) signal carried on the wire.[2](p 24⸗1) The RFcurrent in one wire is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the RF current in the other wire. Therefore, in the far field region far from the transmission line, the radio waves radiated by one wire are equal in magnitude but opposite in phase (180° out of phase) to the waves radiated by the other wire, so the overlapping opposite waves cancel each other out.[2](pp 24⸗16–24⸗17) The result is that almost no net radio energy is radiated by the line.

twin leads especially are sort of obvious but also sort of magical. like. where does the energy go. i mean, back into the wire i guess. but what pushes the energy back...

[atopvisenyashill]

cutting nettles is racism period. rhaena can't serve the same role in the narrative just bc she's black, they're totally different characters.

oh yeah full stop, like i definitely get wanting to change up nettles a hair because there's so many questions surrounding her identity and her relationship with Daemon, and transfering that to the screen might be a challenge, so while I feel that leaving her out of the red sowing wasn't a bad idea, full on cutting her and then giving her dragon to Rhaena is this hellish mix of classism, racism, and misogyny and it's super obnoxious.

It also really gets into how sloppily they racebent the Velaryons. Again, I don't think wanting to racebend the Velaryons is inherently a bad thing; I think you can draw an interesting parallel here between the Velaryons and the Martells as a noble family that gets to marry into the Targaryens semi regularly and yet they're not Valyrian Enough, they don't get to be Hot Shit the way they clearly want to be, and eventually are completely cut out of the power structure by the Targaryens once they double down on acting insular instead of attempting to branch out and actually make connections with the people they're ruling. HOWEVER. They did it so stupidly lol, especially when we don't have mothers for Corlys OR his father so there's no reason Corlys couldn't have had like 3 black grandparents and been played by Steve Toussaint and not break the in world canon where only white Velaryons marry into the Targaryen family for some fucking reason. But no, they just kind of racebent the entire Velaryon family in weird ways, then cut down Laena's character until she's like, absolutely nothing, don't give Baela or Rhaena any goddamn screentime in season 1, and then combine their racebent Rhaena with Nettles? It's so fucking weird and stupid and racist and it boggles my mind that not a single writer went "you don't think it's weird to cut Nettles and give Rhaena her story line simply because they're both Black?" but then again, this is from the mind of the man who liked the Sansa Bolton story line, from the same people who had Ellaria, a queer woc, murder-make out with white angelic Myrcella and then get tortured to death by Cersei. So. ya know. They're not in general firing on all cylinders here.

[khruschevshoe]

Doctor Who: Boom Town Is Underrated, I Swear To God

On my rewatch of underrated Nine episodes and I don't understand why people don't like Boom Town. Yes, it's between two of the best two-parters of the RTD era, but it's such a good, solid piece of quiet contemplation, this amazing mix of comedy and drama, this amazing piece of comedy/joy/shenanigans in the front half balanced out with some of the best acting in the entirety of Doctor Who in the back half. Now that I'm writing, I kind of understand why some people aren't here for the more quiet vibe of the dual-date section of the episode, but the concept hits and hits so hard and is so integral to Nine's character development/the Bad Wolf arc and Blon is a fascinating villain and it shows off the dynamic of Rose, the Doctor, and Jack so well (as well as providing some decent Mickey moments, some of the best he gets until the Cyberman arc). Like, it's such a solid piece of television and shows off every character so well AND sets up the power of the heart of the TARDIS and yes, the ending is cheesy, but I don't know why it's so low down on so many people's lists of best episodes of the show.

(Also, Christopher Eccleston does not have a single bad moment of acting as the Doctor and I am constantly in awe of how he's firing on all cylinders in every single moment.)

[dinocanid]

Our System Overview

(Preface: our system is highly metaphysical, in every single aspect, so that's the context everything's written in)

I've gotten a few requests over the months to write out how our system works, but I could never get around to it since it's hard to articulate. I'm attempting to do that today, but I'm encouraging you (the reader) to send asks if something is confusing since I acknowledge that some things might not be clear still. And of course, this is all our personal experience! Everything is different for everyone.

Members (and visitors)

One thing you'll probably see a lot in the rest of the post is "members" and "visitors". Everyone that's considered a member lives in the system; while they can venture out, they are bound to the system and for one reason or another can't just walk out forever to live somewhere else. Everyone that's a visitor doesn't live in the system, they exist elsewhere in whatever universe they came from and can leave whenever they please. Regardless, they're all under the "headmate" umbrella.

Our members (besides myself) include:

Amorphous (Ammy)

Drom

Gaster

And all of or visitors include:

Sans (from our timeline, not the canon one)

Several of his AU selves (there's a reason for this, it's just. A whole thing we're trying to get sorted)

Coincidentally, all of our members are spirits/dead in some sense of the word, while all of the visitors are still alive in their respective places.

Headmates That Are Also Kintypes (IE: the case with Ammy and Drom)

Often times when I'm talking about experiences relating to my dragon or dromaeosaurus kintypes, I'm using "the plural I". The reason for this is because due to some reincarnation shenanigans we are both each other and separate at the same time. They're both my past lives, and so one example is that when I was a dragon I was Amorphous (I'm not a "piece" of her or anything like that). When I'm feeling dragon-y that's not because of her doing anything, it's because my behavior and whatnot from the time I was a dragon is popping up. Duplication may or may not be the right word.

A good way to think about it is that both her and Drom are like "snapshots" of those lives, and each snapshot stacked with the next one. So Ammy was following Drom around as a headmate, and now they're both following me around.

How We Operate

At the time of writing, everyone both has their own individuality and are able to function independent from myself. There is no single thread of thought, everyone is doing their own thing at all times. How does my brain keep track of all that? It doesn't. Everyone is able to autonomously think and act in the headspace even if I'm not paying attention to them, but even so, I do have to say that it takes up a lot of processing power. Unless I'm asleep, my brain is regularly firing all cylinders like a laptop trying to run a heavily modded copy of The Sims. It's not uncommon for me to get headaches from system-related things. If someone new enters the system (visitors included) then I will get a headache even attempting to communicate with them. It usually takes a couple weeks for my brain to get used to it and for that effect to stop happening every time.

While I'm the main one seeing through the perspective of the body's eyes, everyone else not in front is capable of having multiple perspective. They can either have the view through the eyes psychically beamed into their heads (what happens by default), or they can go to the fronting room and see through the screen in there. They're also aware of all the other senses like smell, touch, and taste. These are all things they can opt in and out of at any time if they choose to. We don't all have access to the same thoughts though. Everyone can tell what I'm thinking (they have to since that's how we communicate), but I don't know what they're thinking about at any point in time unless they tell me (much like a separate-bodied person).

Although we aren't currently able to switch, we are currently practicing and most guides are hard to follow since it assumes that all of what's described above is not the case. Rather than there being "the body (who is the host) + everyone else", for us it's "the body + the host + everyone else". So a guide that details how to change a stream of consciousness (often described as "the I") is a bit hard to follow when we each have our own individual stream. And guides that describe "becoming the host" don't help either because the host isn't the body in our case. I'm the host because I'm the original occupant of the body, but I metaphysically exist independent of it with another form entirely. So reading guides on switching is a huge mess of "ok what do you mean because that is not how we work, what are we supposed to do exactly?".

The Headspace

Our default headspace is the void, which is a whole bunch of black nothing aside from the couch, lamp, and coffee table (and those are relatively new additions). If you've seen this post, that's basically the entirety of all that's in there. Even though it's virtually endless in all directions, the best way to think about it is that it's metaphorically in a bubble. In a very convoluted way, Gaster is a part of the void in a literal sense, so he has decent control over it (he could just meld down and be a disembodied voice if he really wanted to, less energy). He can keep our system's "bubble" of the void closed to prevent visitors from coming in, and can temporarily make "rooms" that's like being in a void on your own.

The void headspace also has the fronting room, which does look like an actual room but doesn't function for what it was made for. So as of right now it is a room you can stand in if you don't want to stand somewhere else, and that's about it (Drom likes to paint in there lol). It's unclear if the fronting room is connected to the void or its own thing. The door that goes out of the room leads into the void, but how you get to the fronting room from the void is a bit fuzzy. Sometimes the room is just freestanding in the distance and sometimes it isn't. My only guess is that it "loads/unloads" based on if someone is entering or exiting the room, so if someone's not currently going through the door then after a few moments it'll just poof if you're outside of it.

Another completely separate headspace we use regularly is a canyon area that has things like Drom's fishing pond, a forest, and a house. Unlike the void though, it cannot sustain itself and I have to actively "manifest" it so-to-speak, which takes a lot of mental energy and can result in headaches if done for too long. When I stop manifesting it the headspace reverts to the default void, so using another headspace is an event we usually have to plan for a specific block of time.

[laurelaicoop]

Since Audi have a purely oral language, physical record keeping wasn't a large concern until relatively recently in their history. While Audi have impeccable memories, and oral histories and traditions have been ongoing for innumerable generations, issues arose when Audi realized one cannot simply be present for every single recital request on demand. Thus arose their first audio 'recording' device.

These devices are still enjoyed by Audi to this day, though they more as a performance piece then used as anything practical.

Acting similarly to music boxes, with raised bumps rotating on a brass cylinder and hitting specific keys, the first audio 'recording' device went a step further in replicating every sound possible in the Audi language. This results in over 100 unique keys made of a variety of materials to match the same mouth sounds, syllable by syllable, from soft labial 'pʲ's to trilling 'r's and everything in between.

The lines and bumps on the cylinder acting as early written language is a topic debated by modern scholars, with some saying it serves as physical symbols while others argue it's simple phonetic mimicry that only works with the accompaniment of sound.

While not a perfect system, and its upkeep incredibly time consuming and complicated (and some more complex cylinder systems being as large as steam rollers), the device is viewed as a work of art done by the hands of dedicated masters who found value in preserving even the simplest things, from daily diary entries to family recipes.