#Success stories in achieving Goal 6

[communistchilchuck]

Sujood has reached out to me to boost she and Sanaa’s fundraiser. They’re urgently trying to evacuate their family from Gaza and seek asylum in Belgium. Their previous campaign was suspended, so they have started a new GFM and currently have £1,642 out of their £50,000 goal! Please share if you can’t donate!

From their GFM page:

Dear friends,

We are reaching out to you with a heartfelt plea for help. Our names are Sanaa and Sujood, and we find ourselves in an incredibly challenging and dangerous situation.

Unfortunately, our previous attempt to receive donations was unsuccessful due to restrictions on transactions to Gaza. However, the urgency of our circumstances compels us to reach out again, this time with new procedures in place to ensure the secure delivery of your generous contributions. We are launching a new campaign because we cannot afford to wait for a long time for the restrictions on the bank account to be lifted it’s already being two months now. We are unsure if we will be able to access the funds or if they will be returned to the donors. In any case, here in Gaza, we are fighting against time. Every day poses a threat to our safety, and we cannot afford to wait. If, after some time, we are able to retrieve the previous amount, we will use it to rebuild our lives and continue the education of my siblings.

The situation in Gaza has become increasingly unbearable, and we have been left with no choice but to seek assistance from compassionate individuals like you. Your donations can make a significant difference in our lives and help us escape the dire circumstances we currently face.

This is ours story:

I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits.

My name is Sanaa Odeh, currently in Gaza, occupied Palestine. I am writing this as a plea for survival, for a future for my family and myself.

Our lives are in immediate danger, with non stop explosions everyday and every night, tanks and guns all around us, and fear as a constant companion. It is a non-stop nightmare, every minute of every day, for 6 months. Everyday is a struggle for survival. Lack of food and clean water creating a crisis of death by starvation and dehydration.

Despite the endless nightmare, we are a resilient and strong family. My beautiful parents gave everything to raise us as successful daughters and we are so proud of what we have achieved.

I work as a graphic designer and my sisters: a nurse/educator, small business owner, a medical student, and a field coordinator. Despite being on the path to rich and promising futures, it can all be taken away in any moment. We have already lost several family members, including my uncles and their entire family. There is little hope that the situation will end soon, all of us waiting for our turn next.

We are looking to seek asylum in Belgium. This campaign will help support us in covering the costs to do so, specifically in covering the evacuation costs per person. Your donation will provide us with the chance to escape the endless horror we’ve been facing for the last 6 months and give us a chance to return to a safe, normal life again, where we can once again contribute positively to society.

I understand that this is a challenging time for everyone right now, but please do not underestimate what even £5 can contribute to especially when it all adds up. It really does make a huge difference. No matter how small the contribution it can still change our entire lives.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story, your support means the world to us. Whether it is simply sharing our campaign or donating, it makes all the difference in the world to us. Your act of kindness can bring light to our darkest days and help us build a better future.

Thank you once again for all your support and kindness

With heartfelt gratitude,

Sanaa and Sujood

[writingdotcoffee]

The "Alt" NaNoWriMo Challenge

I'm a big fan of NaNoWriMo and the energy the event breathes into the writing community. Hundreds of thousands of people start working on their novels at the same time. Lots of people share their progress and cheer each other on. Several now-famous authors have started their best-selling novels during NaNo over the years.

That said, it's not for everyone. Writing 50,000 words per month is a serious commitment. Doing it alongside school or work is no joke. In fact, most people who sign up don't finish. According to these stats, only 1-2 out of every 10 participants complete the challenge.

I've never joined NaNoWriMo myself. I'm a slow writer, and I know that I would burn out. Instead, I set a different writing-related challenge for myself every November.

In 2018, I started reading one short story every day. It turned into a regular habit, and I ended up reading hundreds of short stories over the following few months.

Last year, I wanted to build a 30-day writing streak. In the end, I wrote for 232 days in a row. 2023 became the most productive year of my writing life by far with over 250,000 words written.

This year, I will be doing something similar, and I want to invite you to come along for the ride.

The Idea of "AltNaNo"

The idea of finishing a novel in a month seems outrageous to most people. That's what makes it so compelling. It's like standing at the foot of a snowcapped mountain with a rope and a couple of ice picks. The challenge itself is inspiring.

The AltNaNo challenge is the exact opposite. The goal is as small as possible on purpose. The focus isn't to achieve this massive feat but to squash all excuses and merely start writing.

You may not be able to write 50,000 words in a month. But almost everyone can find 15 minutes to write every day.

The Challenge

The goal is simple: Write for at least 15 minutes every day in November.

Writing 100 words and calling it a day after 15 minutes is a success.

Spending longer and writing 500 words is a success.

Wrestling with a difficult scene for 15 minutes and writing only a single sentence is a success.

Spending 15 minutes trying to write after a long day and not producing a single word is a success, too.

Be a tortoise. We all know how the story goes.

How to Join

I've set up daily challenges for the first week in Writing Analytics, if you wanted to join us there:

Day 1/30 ✅

Day 2/30 ✅

Day 3/30 ✅

Day 4/30 ✅

Day 5/30 ✅

Day 6/30 ✅

Day 7/30 ✅

I'll be posting daily updates on the blog as well.

PS: If you'd like to learn more about developing a writing habit, check out this free course I launched a few weeks ago.

[elicathebunny]

Self-doubt or self-sabotage?

Conquering the fear of being seen so you can achieve your dreams.

Historically, humans lived in small, close-knit groups or tribes, typically consisting of about 150 individuals, known as Dunbar's number. This limited number of social connections was manageable for our brains, allowing us to form meaningful relationships and navigate social hierarchies effectively. Today, we are constantly exposed to a vast number of people through social media, where we can have hundreds or even thousands of connections. This can overwhelm our brain's capacity to manage social relationships. Early human survival depended heavily on being part of a group. Being accepted by the tribe meant safety, resources, and cooperation. Rejection could lead to isolation and danger. In modern settings, being authentic in front of many people, such as on social media or in public speaking, can feel like facing a large, judgmental audience. This can trigger anxiety as our brains interpret this as a potential threat to our social standing. Authenticity often involves expressing opinions, emotions, and personal stories. The fear of negative reactions, criticism, or misunderstanding can make us feel exposed and vulnerable.

Here are some common examples of self-doubt:

- Impostor Syndrome - Fear of Failure - Comparison to Others - Negative Self-Talk - Perfectionism - Limiting Beliefs - Seeking External Validation - Setting Unrealistic Expectations - Fear of Rejection or Criticism

How to overcome self-doubt:

1. Recognise and Acknowledge Your Feelings

Start by acknowledging and accepting your self-doubt and fear of being seen. Understand that these feelings are common and normal, but they don't define you.

2. Challenge Negative Thoughts

Challenge negative thoughts and beliefs about yourself by examining the evidence that supports them. Question the validity of these thoughts and replace them with more realistic and supportive ones.

3. Self-Compassion

Treat yourself with kindness and understanding, especially when facing self-doubt or fear. Practice self-compassion by speaking to yourself in a gentle and encouraging manner, as you would to a friend in need.

4. Embrace Imperfection

Accept that it's okay to be imperfect and that making mistakes is a natural part of growth and learning. Embrace your flaws and vulnerabilities, as they make you human and relatable.

5. Set Realistic Goals

Set realistic and achievable goals for yourself, taking into account your abilities and limitations. Break larger goals into smaller, more manageable steps, and celebrate each accomplishment along the way.

6. Focus on Your Strengths

Identify your strengths and talents, and focus on nurturing and developing them. Remind yourself of past successes and achievements to boost your confidence and self-belief.

7. Exposure Therapy

Gradually expose yourself to situations that trigger self-doubt or fear of being seen. Start with small, manageable steps and gradually increase the level of exposure over time. Each successful exposure will build your confidence and resilience.

8. Seek Support

Reach out to supportive friends, family members, or a therapist for guidance and encouragement. Share your feelings and experiences with someone you trust, and allow them to offer perspective and support.

9. Visualise Success

Visualise yourself overcoming self-doubt and fear, and imagine yourself succeeding in situations that challenge you. Visualisation can help boost your confidence and reinforce positive beliefs about yourself.

10. Take Action Despite Fear

Take action despite feeling afraid or uncertain. Recognise that courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to act despite it. Step out of your comfort zone and embrace new opportunities for growth and self-discovery.

11. Practice Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques

Practice mindfulness meditation, deep breathing, or other relaxation techniques to calm your mind and reduce feelings of anxiety and self-doubt. These practices can help you stay grounded and present in the moment.

12. Celebrate Your Progress

Celebrate your progress and achievements, no matter how small. Acknowledge your efforts and accomplishments, and recognize the courage it takes to face your fears and self-doubt head-on.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

Conquering the Writing Slump: Reignite Your Creativity and Motivation

Every writer experiences it at some point: the dreaded writing slump. It's that sinking feeling when your creativity seems to have gone into hibernation, leaving you staring at a blank page. But fear not! In this blog post, I'll help you explore unique and effective strategies to help you break free from the writing slump and reignite your motivation to write. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, these carefully crafted steps will guide you back to your creative flow.

Step 1: Reconnect with Your Writing Purpose

Take a moment to reconnect with your writing purpose. What drove you to start writing in the first place? Was it the desire to tell captivating stories, impart knowledge, or share your unique perspective? Reflect on your initial motivations and remind yourself of the passion that ignited your writing journey. This reconnection will serve as a powerful source of inspiration to propel you forward.

Step 2: Embrace the Power of Mindset

Your mindset plays a crucial role in overcoming a writing slump. Instead of viewing it as an insurmountable obstacle, shift your perspective and see it as an opportunity for growth. Embrace the belief that challenges are stepping stones to success. Cultivate a positive mindset, affirming your ability to overcome the slump and rediscover your writing mojo.

Step 3: Rediscover Your Writing Identity

Sometimes, a writing slump occurs when you feel disconnected from your writing identity. Take the time to rediscover who you are as a writer. Reflect on your unique writing style, voice, and the themes that resonate with you. Reconnecting with your writing identity will reignite the spark of creativity and motivate you to put pen to paper once again.

Step 4: Set Realistic Writing Goals

Setting realistic goals is essential in reclaiming your motivation. Break down your larger writing projects into smaller, achievable milestones. By doing so, you'll experience a sense of accomplishment as you complete each task, fueling your motivation to tackle the next one. Remember, progress, no matter how small, is still progress.

Step 5: Cultivate a Writing Ritual

Establishing a writing ritual can work wonders in overcoming a slump. Designate a specific time and place for your writing practice. Create a personalized ritual that helps you transition into a focused and creative mindset. It could be lighting a scented candle, playing calming music, or even performing a short meditation. The familiarity of your ritual will signal to your brain that it's time to unleash your creativity.

Step 6: Experiment with Writing Prompts

Writing prompts serve as catalysts for fresh ideas and inspiration. Seek out unique writing prompts that resonate with your interests and writing style. They can be found in books, online websites, or even through random word generators. Embrace the challenge of writing within given constraints, and witness how it sparks your creativity and motivates you to write again.

Step 7: Engage in Stream-of-Consciousness Writing

Stream-of-consciousness writing is a powerful technique to bypass your inner critic and tap into your subconscious mind. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and write whatever comes to mind without censorship or judgment. Allow your thoughts to flow freely, even if they seem disjointed or nonsensical. This exercise can unlock hidden ideas and awaken your creative energy.

Step 8: Seek Inspiration from Other Creative Outlets

Sometimes, finding inspiration outside of writing can reignite your creative fire. Engage in other artistic outlets such as painting, photography, or music. Immerse yourself in nature, visit art galleries, or attend live performances. These experiences will stimulate your senses, refresh your perspective, and infuse your writing with newfound inspiration.

Step 9: Collaborate with Fellow Writers

Collaboration can be a powerful motivator. Seek out fellow writers and engage in collaborative projects, writing circles, or workshops. Sharing ideas, receiving constructive feedback, and discussing challenges with like-minded individuals will invigorate your creative spirit. Embrace the sense of camaraderie and support that comes from being part of a writing community.

Step 10: Embrace Self-Care and Recharge

Self-care is vital for overcoming a writing slump. Take care of your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Engage in activities that recharge your creativity, such as practicing mindfulness, exercising, or immersing yourself in a favorite hobby. Prioritize self-care to create a balanced and nurturing environment for your writing to flourish.

Defeating the writing slump requires a combination of self-reflection, mindset shifts, and proactive steps. By reconnecting with your writing purpose, embracing a positive mindset, exploring new writing techniques, seeking inspiration from various sources, and nurturing your well-being, you will reignite your motivation to write and unleash your full creative potential. Remember, every writer encounters temporary setbacks, but it's your resilience and determination that will guide you back to the page. So, embrace these unique steps, trust in your abilities, and let your words flow once again. Happy writing!

[oceane4loveu]

wonyoung:don't compare yourself to others ♡

wonyoung's mindset emphasizes self-acceptance and confidence in one's own abilities. She knows her values ​​and does not compare herself to others. How to have the same state of mind as her?

1-become aware of your value: remember that your value does not depend on your appearance, your success or the validation of others. each of us has our own qualities and talents that make us unique and special. take the time to remind yourself of everything you have accomplished so far, your strengths and everything that makes you unique and special.

2-avoid the pitfalls of social networks: social media can be a source of comparison and insecurity. but remember that the images and stories shared on the networks only represent a fragment of reality. Start to limit your time on the networks and keep in mind that each represents this best versions online.

3-love yourself: learn to love yourself and accept who you are. Compliment yourself, repeat positive affirmations to yourself in front of the mirror and fall in love with yourself. work on your self-esteem and try to do better than you were yesterday. Also surround yourself with positive people and start activities that strengthen your self-confidence and your self-love.

4-practice gratitude: focus on what you have rather than what you don't have. Get in the habit of writing down a few things you are grateful for. This will help you develop a possible attitude and appreciate your own journey without comparing yourself to others.

5-practice self-comparison: develop a caring attitude towards yourself by granting yourself kindness and compassion. replace criticism and judgment with understanding your imperfections and your errors.

6-focus on your personal goals: define your own goals based on your passions and desires then make a realistic action plan to achieve your goals. measure your success based on your personal projects rather than comparing it to that of others.

7-Avoid constant comparisons: It’s easy to get caught up in a cycle of comparison by looking at what others have or do. Focus on your own path and distance yourself from influences that fuel constant comparisons.

8-you are you, I am me: this expression from wonyoung simply means that each individual is unique and that it is important to concentrate on your own personal path. this implies not comparing yourself to others and not trying to imitate or follow the same path as others. wonyoung encourages self-acceptance and valuing one's own talents, qualities...she also emphasizes not being influenced by the opinions or expectations of others.

[voidarchivefiles]

Yoga Nidra for void

In my previous post, I covered information gathered from research on yoga nidra and its links to turiya (the void). I want to highlight some parts of that research.

By means of Yoga Nidra, skilled practitioners seek to access Turiya. Yoga Nidra is a powerful practice that guides us beyond mind and in fact turns mind upon itself where its obscuring nature is dissolved to reveal the inner Light that is perennially Bright, with eyes closed or open. When we experience the state of yoga nidra, we have entered the portal to turiya. Entering the state of turiya requires inner silence. It can be achieved when the mind is free of mental blocks and bondages with time and space. The goal of yoga and meditation is to achieve turiya, where oneness is felt with the universe.

So basically yoga nidra (if done correctly), can bring you to a state right before the void which explains why there are so many success stories that used yoga nidra. I did a quick analysis on these and these are the ones that were used (there were also some other yoga nidra successes where they didn't reference any particular meditation):

Jason Stephenson's 61 points yoga nidra: 10 successes

Lizzy Hill's yoga nidra: 6 successes

RosalieYoga's yoga nidra for astral projection: 2 successes

Ally Boothroyd's yoga nidra for sleep: 1 success

Don't let the length of the audio put you off, the meditation for most of these is about 15 minutes with the rest being gentle soft music to extend the yoga nidra state (although the Ally one I think has talking for the entire 2 hours so I don't really recommend using that one but it might be good to keep you from falling asleep)

[writingquestionsanswered]

How Much World Building is Too Much?

Anonymous asked: This question is on behalf of my cousin who came to me for advice. When he has an idea, he writes the most detailed worldbuilding EVER, designs the characters and has a general idea of how the story will go, but then when he starts writing he does maybe 2 chapters and it dies. I, on the other hand, do ZERO worldbuilding ahead of time (I don't need much) and end up finishing 80% of what I start out to write. How do you know how much worldbuilding is enough? How do you keep from spending so much time planning that by the time you get to writing, you don't know where you're going with the actual story? I want to help him but our styles are so different, I don't know where to start.💔

(Ask edited for length...)

I identify with your cousin a lot, because this is often how my stories go. I'm first inspired by a place, or the idea of a place, and everything sort of grows out from there. In my early days, I would also pour everything into world building and character creation, only to find myself falling flat with the story. And a big part of that, I learned, was that I didn't really understand how stories worked. It was easy to build a world and set up characters, but since I didn't understand story structure, I didn't understand how to flesh out the nugget of a story idea I had to go with that setting.

So, one thing you might do is try to get a feel for where your cousin is in that respect. You can start by asking pointed questions about the potential plot, and if he doesn't have answers already, it will help guide him in that direction. Some questions I would ask:

1 - Who is your protagonist? What is their "normal world" life like before things are turned upside down with the inciting incident?

2 - Who and what is important to your protagonist? (Stakes)

3 - What past experiences have led to them being who they are now?

4 - What needs to change about your protagonist's life, beliefs, or values?

5 - What happens to turn your protagonist's world upside down? (Inciting incident) Who (or what) causes this to happen? (Antagonistic force)

6 - How does this affect your protagonist specifically, and what goal do they decide to pursue in order to resolve the problem?

7 - What steps does your protagonist plan to take in order to reach their goal? What knowledge, skills, resources, or help must they acquire in order to achieve their goal?

8 - What obstacles does the antagonistic force create that the protagonist must overcome on their way to the goal?

9 - How do the events of the story help to change your protagonist's life circumstances, beliefs, or values for better or worse? How will they change by the end of the story?

10 - How does your protagonist face off against the antagonistic force, attempting to defeat them once and for all in order to reach their goal? Are they successful? What is the aftermath and how is the character's world/life changed--for better or worse--as a result of these events?

If your cousin can answer these questions, they'll have a reasonably well fleshed out plot that should help carry them through the story. How little or much planning of the plot ahead of time they need is something they'll need to discover over time, but if the above isn't enough to help them get through the story, they might want to go back and flesh out the specific plot points. You can point them in the direction of my post Creating a Detailed Story Outline, which suggest several different story structure templates they can look at to help them coax out the specific plot points of their story. And, bear in mind that story structure templates do not have to be followed exactly. They're just a guide to help you flesh out the story. Many writers like to combine different elements of different plot structures as a loose guide as they write their stories.

I hope this helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[theresattrpgforthat]

Hello! I’m sorry if you’ve answered this already, but do you have any recs (or anything you want to say for fun) about games with multiple GMs?

Theme: Multiple GMs

Hello friend, I may have recommended games similar to this but I don't know if I've actually fulfilled this prompt before! I'll do my best to show you some interesting games, and you can check out previous posts at the bottom in case there's something there that fits your tastes more.

Questlandia: Second Edition, by Turtlebun.

In Questlandia, you and your friends will invent a world from scratch. It might be fantastic or bizarre, from a remembered past or imagined future.You’ll paint a picture of your society and its people, their laws and customs, how they live and how they dream.

But your society is failing. As you play, your characters will attempt to find beauty and purpose amidst the chaos of a changing world.

Questlandia is a tabletop roleplaying game that creates fantastical worlds in states of change. It may be medieval fantasy in a ghost-haunted kingdom, neo-noir in a roboticized undercity, or microscopic slipstream suburbia in a puddle. The possible settings are boundless, but will always come from the interests of those at the table. Bring in real-world themes that intrigue you, references that inspire you, worldbuilding that follows your curiosity.

Questlandia uses dice and cards to help you create a society, as well as your character’s role in that society. I think this is a good example of a game where every person is a character, but every player is also a GM. You’ll roll against each-other to determine whether or not your society will be able to overcome their troubles. Overall, I think Questlandia is great for telling a story that spans a number of factions or nations.

Pantheon, by harpoon_gun.

4-6 GMs, who are distant Gods with their own desires and needs, and up to 3 players, champions of the Gods who are being forced to do their chores. Take turns toying with the champions, screwing over the other Gods, and building relationships of both the positive and negative variety. 

All I know about this game is what I can divine from the description, but I would hazard a guess that much of this gameplay is going to feel a little bit like PvP. The gods that your GMs are embodying will have conflicting goals and desires, so expect to run into a lot of backbiting and backstabbing. The game itself was designed for the Bad TTRPGS Jam, which encouraged designers to fuck around with rules and see where it got them. So no guarantees for a balanced game here - but maybe an interesting experiment!

Fool’s Errand, by Myles Wirth.

You are a group of questants, pledged to a seemingly-impossible task. You must set out alone into the world, each following your own path by which the quest might be fulfilled. They will be long and difficult journeys, with no guarantee of success.

Inspired by legends and travelogues, Fool's Errand is a single-page tabletop game about perseverance in the face of uncertainty and the joy of worldbuilding together. It is prepless, gm-less, setting-agnostic, and can be played on its own or as a setup or interlude for another game. Rather than flattening Player-GM distinctions entirely, it inverts the traditional balance of a ttrpg table; players take turns as "seekers", individual characters traversing the world in search of an impossible goal, while the rest of the table forms the "Chorus", building and refining the world around the seeker as they explore it.

Fools’ Errand asks you to make some travellers and give them a quest that they cannot achieve. The game occurs over a series of turns; on your turn you’ll control your Seeker and declare what you want to do. The rest of the table becomes the Chorus, and build the Location that Seeker is in. The Seeker may then attempt to convince the Chorus that the way in which they will attempt to solve the problem is something they would be good at; and then rolls 3d6. Your result may grant you a Boon or a Burden, which may draw you closer to or pull you farther from your character’s goal. Your characters also have a Resolve pool, which will diminish over the course of play.

I think success is still technically possible in this game, but it’s highly unlikely. What is more likely is that characters will slowly give up on their quest, and join the Chorus in telling the story of who remains.

Bleak Spirit, by potatocubed.

Bleak Spirit is a storytelling game where you and your friends create a brooding, cryptic tale about a stranger in a strange land. Everything is falling apart, crumbling, corrupted, and the wanderer carries the potential for a return to past glories – or the power to sweep away all that remains.

Everyone contributes to the tale, sharing the sense of mystery that comes from no-one knowing the entire truth of what's going on. Everyone takes turns being the world for a scene, introducing lore which hints at the history of the setting. After every scene everyone leaps to conclusions based on the lore which has been revealed – and these conclusions affect the sorts of lore they will introduce when it's their turn to be the world.

Bleak Spirit is meant to replicate the narrative beats of Dark Souls, Hollow Knight, and Bloodborne. It gives everyone at the table a chance to play the Wanderer, a chance to play the World - and a chance to sit as part of the Chorus. The game is very structured, which I think helps the table keep on track, since everyone is going to have a chance to contribute to the story. The Wanderer dictates the character’s actions, but never their internal thought or feelings. The World creates Areas and Locations that the Wanderer will visit. The Chorus will introduce themes, descriptions, and motifs that are meant to make the world full of grandeur, mystique and decay.

This is a game that you might be interested if you like melancholic tones, large gaps in historical knowledge, and collaborative world building. The creator has also created a Cat version of this game, called Cat Spirit!

Two Weeks One Summer, by Rick Cockram.

In Two Weeks One Summer the players take the role of a family visiting a rambling old house in the woods during a summer holiday. The game focusses on the activities of the children of the family as they explore the house, it's grounds and the surrounding woodland. It is a game about finding things to do, creating your own excitement and exploring an unfamiliar environment.

This game divides the participants into two roles: the Children and the Grown-Ups. Over the course of the game, each of these roles will contribute different things to the description of the house, and the events that happen as you stay here. I think this works well for a slice-of life game, but it also might be an interesting source of inspiration for telling stories that are more dramatic or fantastical.

I'd Also Recommend Checking Out...

Co-Optional Games Rec Post

Unique Player Responsibilities / Rotating GMs

Asymmetrical Games Rec Post

[geekgirles]

So we've officially reached that point in the webtoon where we're expected to doubt whether Yugo's poisoning was the Osamodas' doing or someone else's, most likely Sadidas that don't approve of having the Eliatropes with them.

And here I must point out, who's to say it's not both?

While the webtoon has been more focused on the succession arc of the story, it has also peppered its pages with little hints of there being traitors in Amalia's court who're more than willing to get rid of the Eliatropes by whatever means necessary.

More specifically these three, who debuted by calling Amalia "Lady Amalia", instead of, you know, "Queen Amalia", "My Queen", "Her Majesty...", and who wanted to talk to her about something serious we have yet to find out about.

While I don't have the screenshots for it, there's also the fact that their whole demeanour could be summarised by saying they appear uneasy, at best, or judgemental, at worst. As such is how they acted during the wedding banquet.

Given their behaviour and the rising tensions within the kingdom, as well as Amalia's peeved reaction at seeing them in chaper 1, it wouldn't be far-fetched to believe they represent the faction of the Sadidas who want the Eliatropes gone, and their conversation with Amalia would centre around either stating said grievances or urging their queen to get rid of the outsiders.

Then, there's the fact that chapter 10 will seemingly bring back the waitress that handed Yugo his drink (and who was shrouded in ominous shadows as she looked back at him before leaving). Judging from how things are going, this can only mean two things:

Either she will be brought back to be questioned about the drink and its origins.

Or she will actually meet up with the person who told her to serve the poison to Yugo, thus revealing who's behind it.

And my money is on the Osamodas, most likely the Osamodas King.

The reason behind my reasoning is simple: everything Aurora's father said in chapter 6 hints at him being willing to do whatever it takes to ensure his daughter becomes queen and he gets to rule through her. And I fully believe he is in cahoots with Amalia's advisors (or whatever those three guys are) to get rid of the Eliatropes. Not only because he said they need to make the Sadidas hate Yugo as he is their biggest obstacle in achieving their goal, but because of what he told Aurora when she found out about the wedding and was about to throw a tantrum over not having been informed:

They knew about the wedding for weeks but he chose not to tell her as to not make her anxious during her pregnancy.

Now, how could the Osamodas have known for so long when in-universe they have only been back for less than a day?

Simple, there's a mole in Amalia and Yugo's court that's been keeping tabs on everything and reporting it back to the Osamodas royal family.

If I were to be right, this would mean that while the Osamodas are the masterminds behind everything, they're receiving help from the Sadidas who disapprove of Amalia's decision to unite both hers and Yugo's people.

As for what this might mean for Aurora's character in particular, there's only two ways for her to go from here: either it's revealed she was aware of the plan all along and she increasingly spirals down into full-fledged villainy, or she was actually kept in the dark about the plan and becomes horrified upon finding out the lengths her father is willing to go just for power, which might open the gate for her to redemption or to at least do the right thing and step aside.

Only time will tell how this will all play out.

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

Wilbert's Worst

Right, so I really was open to having my mind changed on The Worst One but nobody’s argument has budged me.

I was going to write a complete, balanced essay on The Worst W. Awdry Book, but I’m a) mired in the research phase (hey if anyone knows someone with an encyclopedic knowledge of Tom and Jerry hit me up, for real) and b) right now I wanna talk about the characters and their Beloved Dynamics instead. 

So I'm just gonna get this out of the way so I can post the poll and move on to answering fun asks and watching Tom and Jerry in peace. Behold: a salty and unbalanced review.

Wilbert’s biggest failure of a children’s storybook? 

Henry the Green Engine 

Ohhh… because of the, uh, ra —?

Because of the racism, yes!

Oh. You do know that since 1972 they’ve republished it without the n-slur? 

Good for them. Two things: 

1. I know it used to be there, I’m never able to read it without knowing it was there in the first edition.

2. I consistently try, when ranking the books, to consider them in the context in which they came out. Because of this, I don’t like using “things that happened later” (like a new character never being properly used again or whatever) against the book. This helps me evaluate the author’s successes and failures against what they were trying to achieve when they wrote it vs what I would most want (blorbo content). It helps me not bring to bear the whole weight of fanon and fandom on a text that should be able to stand or fall on its own. Tl;dr I try to read the books like a guy who picked it up in 1951, or whatever. 

And yeah, if I’d bought this when it came out it would have had the slur. I’m going to judge it accordingly. 

Look, racism is bad, no argument, but does that mean the book as a whole must be condemned? 

Yeah, I think the slur and the “aaaand suddenly, blackface! heeheehee” bullshit fuck over the entire book, game over. Go directly to jail, do not collect $200. 

The Railway Series is not a work of high art or deep thorny complex literature. The books are meant for children — small children, at that. Children small enough to get bedtime stories read to them. The main goal of each book (especially this early on — you do have to manage secondary priorities like “pleasing the long-time fanbase” the longer you go, but right now we’re only 6 books into the series) is to create a happy imaginary world to enhance childhoods and family lives… to impart to other parents and kids a similar cosy happiness to that the author and his own kids enjoyed when he was workshopping/drafting the stories for them. When we say “children’s book” we really do mean little’uns — these average 1.25 full-color illustrations per page!

And these books sold in large numbers. This means it’s a certainty that somewhere in 1951 there was a Black family who owned the whole series, who went out to the shops, whose kid was like “ooh! Henry gets a book, neat…,” who like everyone else enjoyed the wild ride of Henry’s inspection and coal and wreck and rebuild… only to get verbally spat on one page from the end. 

Real mood-killer there. Epic fail, as the cool kids used to say in my youth. 

All right, fine, cool kids never said that. Anyway, statistically speaking there was certainly even more than one family that got that experience. Not to mention the non-Black families who even in 1951 were like “... wtf? i’d smack my kid if they ever said a word like that around me, geez. no.” Just a lot of people who had the light the book was kindling in them snuffed out all at once. 

You can actually be totally racist and your book not commit creative suicide on the penultimate page! Awdry flubbed his job of 'bestselling books-for-six-year-olds' here. Creative failure. Unforced error. Automatic zero. 

But times were different then, you have to consider it in the context of the time. 

1951 U.K. was not the nadir of multiracial equality or Black power, but jfc. I can assure you that over 99% of children’s books published that year in the Anglosphere managed to not use the n-slur. 

All right, all right. That was bad. But this feels off-topic. If you had never known about what used to be “Henry’s Sneeze,” would you still rank the entire book as dead last in the Wilbert Awdry corpus? 

Not dead last, but it is not a strong book. “Coal” and “The Flying Kipper” are super-interesting as material for Henry, but after that the book kind of falls off a cliff; the intrigue drops dramatically. The railway incidents chosen to make stories of are all solid choices, but it was not only “Sneeze” where Awdry’s handling of the material feels clumsy and weird. (And I’m not even talking here of the “heehee blackface — ain’t i a stinker?” gag in “Sneeze.”) 

But… “The Flying Kipper”? C’mon. It’s a superb story and no book that contains it can be the absolute worst in the series. 

“TFK” remains easily the best single TVS episode ever – but a lot of that is down to Britt and David’s artistry and judgment. 

Don’t get me wrong, a full-on railway wreck makes interesting material. But I don’t think the book does nearly as much with it as it could (and I’m trying sooooo hard here to forget about the amazing TVS adaptation, as I think it REALLY shows Awdry up. Even so, the storytelling here is surprisingly tepid and low-stakes). I get that Awdry probably wanted to lean into the comic angle and not make Henry’s condition afterwards seem too grave, in order to ensure the material wasn’t too dark for his young audience? (*mutters* again, a level of tender consideration for his readers’ youth that went right out the window when it came to small Black kids, evidently coz he couldn’t imagine that they read) Understandable, laudable — but if he outright refuses* to make the wreck too dramatic or scary then, well, then the wreck isn’t real scary or dramatic. And it can’t save the rest of the book from its flaws. 

*For all I know it could have been the publishers who insisted that the wreck be made preschooler-safe, that’s possible (although it’s also consistent with Awdry’s brand of humor and his overall low degree of emotionalism in his writing). Either way, though, the end result book is what it is and it will be judged accordingly. 

In addition to not being as exciting as many remember... @trainsupessandhuntresses asked me once if I thought some of Awdry's stories were "mean-spirited." I had to assent vigorously. And a surprisingly high proportion of those "mean" moments are in Henry the Green Engine? For some reason? It’s not just the racism. Awdry was not in the game to give Henry a deserved happy ending, he’d wanted to kill him off (the fuck?) and when his publishers prevented him (I don’t say this often, especially since I love how salty the Awdrys get about their publishers, but this in case good job, publishers!!) he wrote “TFK” with the primary motivation of giving Henry a new engine basis. Any soft or hearty emotions we get out of the deal are a side-effect — the only emotion that was fueling Awdry as he wrote this was spite, spite and a weird resentment towards his poor, long-suffering, invaluable illustrator. (I don’t blame Awdry for being frustrated that the engine illustrations were continually inaccurate or confusing, but I do think it’s weird to read all this great Henry material knowing that it was written with such poor grace.) 

So his ‘happy Henry’ stuff feels perfunctory; his Percy interlude is just brutal (why did you have to drag Percy into Henry’s book purely to give him a fuck-up, a scolding, and a messy dunce cap?); Gordon’s savaging of Henry for being too happy after recovering from a near-death experience is such an incredibly low point for Gordon that it’s hard for me to accept it as canon (there’s being proud, boastful, and self-absorbed, and then there’s being the straight-up raccoon dumpster fire Gordon is in that scene). Oh, and I think “call the police [local constabulary, doesn’t bear firearms]” woulda probably a less reckless way of dealing with the rock-throwing youths than the sneeze of hot locomotive ashes, which of course the Fat Controller doesn’t like, that shit coulda been real dangerous! Mind, there are small rays of kindness throughout that do get me (the interactions between Henry and his crew feeling to me the least perfunctory and most heartfelt), but this is overall such a mean-spirited book. God. It starts off with such a gentle story (almost a non-story, if you’re in it purely for the “railway incidents” game and not character drama), but in short order the vibes just sorta suck. At least in other RWS books, when the vibes are off, they’re usually off near the beginning and then improve by the end. This one gets worse as it goes on. Oof. Don’t like that. 

Also, the last page is sooooo lame. I suspect the publisher strong-armed Awdry into writing most of it so that at least the slur wasn’t on the last page of the book... and if Awdry had any idea of how much he’d just empowered Henry and all his fans in this book he shouldn’t have found it hard to find 50 extra words to sum things up. As it was, he’s just filling space and running out the clock, lol. Lame wrap-up. Boring. As usual when it comes to every little thing about this book, Britt and David closed this up better (mind, their closer – “He had taught Gordon and silly boys a lesson, with a whistle and a sneeze” – also sucked. But at least it was blessedly short.)

Didn’t you once list HtGE on a list of your favorite Wilbert Awdry books? 

I did list it as one of the books that “at one time or another” have been my favorite in the series. Unfortunately in the case of HtGE, that was back when I really couldn’t read a story that I knew from the TVS without mentally substituting the adaptation into my brain as I read… largely overriding the actual text. Plus, everything I knew from TVS as a kid kind of automatically got a halo effect. Plus, I was super into Henry’s arc. 

The first time I read HtGE after calming down and actually reading all the books as books... massive disappointment. There is such a gap there between what I'd thought the book said (all our incredible fanon work overanalyzing and headcanoning Henry and building this beautiful fantasy arc about disability!) vs. what it actually said (limp and careless writing, mean vibes, airbrushed n-slur, bad aftertaste). 

I do think there is some stuff about the development of Awdry’s storytelling technique here that is interesting (again, Tom and Jerry superfans reading this, please shoot me a message!) but it doesn’t counteract everything else. 

At least we’re over the racism stuff? 

Nah, I’m not over it, actually. 

[help-rawan-muhammad]

🇵🇸 PLEASE DO NOT SCROLL! 🇵🇸

Below is a written piece by Rawan Muhammad, a Palestinian woman who needs our help. Please read her writing and donate to her GoFundMe. We have not even made 1% of our $50,000 goal. Please help us! If you cannot donate, please, please, please share her words and her donation link!

WRITING FROM 6/10/24

Peace be upon you. I will tell you part of my story, which began on the seventh of October. The morning came and it was six o’clock in the morning. It was the first day of a new university for me. I was very excited to go after the summer vacation period. I did not reach the top of the street to secure myself transportation to take me to the university because that It was something we always suffered from, as we were on the border in front of this usurping occupier, with only a few meters separating us, until I found myself as if it was a great day that the heavens and earth could not overcome. I was very happy at that time, which... 

It's happening in front of me. This did not come out of nowhere. Indeed, this was implanted in the blood of every Gazan from the day of his birth in order to liberate his occupied land and his violated sanctities. For him to do that is a great honor. I contemplated and did not know what was happening at that time, but I understood at that moment that this was a great honor on our part. I returned home and was proud of what had happened. He was healed. The people of Gaza have been released for 70 years, and we have been under a permanent siege. There are no crossings or corridors. Everything is violated. We have our situation. We are not like the people of the world, who own everything with complete freedom. We are not like us, restricted by a usurping entity. I collected some of my things and we were displaced immediately, as we were directly in front of the border, and we know what will happen then. The great event that defeated the strongest army in the Middle East, despite its dangerous security system, in exchange for an organization with little equipment and equipment. He went relying on God only, but achieved a victory that amazed the world and created an unforgettable event that will forever be written in history.

The entity's terrorist system began to regain its strength at that time, and the afternoon of that day had not yet arrived, and we found ourselves as if we were on the Day of Judgment. Successive belts of fire measured in tons of internationally banned explosives. No one escaped from them. They burned the body and cut it into pieces, and from its horror, it descended what it destroyed deep into the earth over a distance of up to several meters. Meters away, no trace of the rubble remains, even despite its horror.

Night came then, and for the first time in my entire life, my body was shaking in this way from the horror of what I hear and see, and how they are going to annihilate us all. I sat in the corner of the living room of the house in which we were displaced, which is only a few meters away, and the fiery belts began to appear around us, as if it were a literal earthquake. I waited my turn then, contemplating whether... We will become pieces. This is how the idea took root in my brain. Then everyone went to sleep and I was left alone thinking about how all these high floors above me would fall on ourselves and destroy us and cut us into pieces. This was all my thinking. I went to my prayer and as soon as I prostrated, another belt of fire began. I stopped my heart while I was prostrating. I stayed for a while and I could not. Imagine what is happening, and I cannot get up from prostration. I say, “Whose turn is this until it is over?” I thanked my Lord for saving me then, and I remained in the corner of the house, seeing everyone sleeping in front of me. He wakes up only to the horror of the missiles, then returns to me, and I think until the morning comes. Everyone was laughing at me, but this was not in my control. My mother would check on me then, whether I had fallen asleep or not, and she would find me in the same place. Day would come and night would come, and I could not eat. Even then, I remained like this for two consecutive months without a single hour of sleep.

I remember, on my birthday, the entire Internet was shut down in the Gaza Strip on October 14. A week had passed since the war, until news came to me in the evening that made me collapse in tears. It was the martyrdom of my teacher, dear to my heart, for expressing only the word of truth. May God have mercy on her. My friend and her entire family were studying human medicine in the third year, and the sounds of the fire belts began throughout the night with the illumination of the lanterns. It was not until morning that the news came of my other friend with her family and my doctor at the university. Then I said that we will not stay in this life at all. Our turn will definitely come. It is all their fault that they are civilians in Gaza only.

The events began to increase and they did not know what they were using to annihilate us. They did not leave an internationally banned weapon until they tried it on us. The annihilation continued until the largest massacre occurred on 10/17. The first massacre took place in the Baptist Hospital near us. Half of my family was there, may God have mercy on them all. Then I heard the explosions and their sound was strange. As usual, it was in the form of a complete fire. My friend sent me that the number of victims had reached 500 martyrs. I collapsed in my corner and could not move, and we all started crying and trembling. Then we got up to pray and our tears fell and we prayed until she sent me again that the number of martyrs of the massacre had reached 800. Then I did not wake up from the shock. I said that it was inevitable. We will not survive, and we will become pieces like them, who are displaced civilians, since it is a hospital that has international protection, and that our turn will come. We continued praying, and our hearts were definitely trembling from hearing that. We did not sleep that day, we were all from the severity of the situation, waiting for our turn. 

Until the morning came and the fire belts began to surround us again. My mother, my little sister, and my brother were just going out to get a meal from the nearby groceries. At that time, no one could go out and move from his place and area to another place. Whoever went out was immediately killed by their damned planes, until a fire belt happened in... The area around our residence was destroyed. An entire residential square. Fragments of the belt and rubble began to fall on us everywhere. I did not care about that. I remembered that my mother had just left that place. I ran quickly in my prayer clothes, without which I could not sleep for 9 months. I found myself moving on body parts, dismembered bodies, and dark dust that I could not see. From it and wounded women and children coming out with their blood. Then I completely collapsed and said that my mother and those with her were martyred until the dust of the rubble disappeared a little. I found my mother hugging my sister who was not more than 3 years old in front of that horrific massacre at a neighbor’s door. She was stained with dust and rubble. I hugged her and prayed to my Lord so much that she was alive. Life, and I was crying even when I returned. I could not control myself. Everyone in this square was gone, except for one young man who was no more than 20 years old. His father had taken him out against his will to the grocery store on the other street. As if he knew their fate, he kept crying and imploring his Lord to take him with them and not feel sorry for them. This is how he told himself. A lot because he left at that moment for a few minutes that changed his life and took all of his family 💔😭 I returned home and I could not talk to anyone. Then I stayed in my corner awake and prayed for peace for my family and the martyrdom was not off my tongue for a single second because I knew that my turn would truly come with them.

Every night we were miraculously saved from God until one day they threatened our entire square. We started running, looking for the street number. Are we within this square or not? We sat thinking and writing what the threatened street numbers were. We found out that our street number was near those threatened, but it was not among them. We thank God. Until night came and we found ourselves inevitably between death, surrounded by successive tanks, fires, and bombardments. We all became those who were in the entire building, in the corner of the house at the bottom, from the horror of what was happening. Shrapnel was hitting everywhere, and quadcopters were hitting anyone who left or just looked out the window or door of the house. Until the morning came, we thanked God that we were still alive after everything we had lived through that night. We began to collect our things and decided to go out to the southern region, as this accursed occupation was claiming, that it was a safe area. We went out until we said to ourselves, “Death for once,” and when God’s decree comes, let us die in Our house and we do not leave it. In fact, we returned that day and the battle became more and more intense. We were alone. The ground war surrounded us with tanks and planes. They prevented us from getting even a drop of water. They withheld fuel and electricity. They shut off fresh water and closed the crossing. Since the first day, nothing had entered. We could barely get some water to drink and a little water. The sea is very salty for ablution, not for anything else. From that day on, we began to cook over the fire, wash on our hands, and wash the dishes without taps, only in a clean bowl. We were not able to fill the barrels of water and use them as before, due to the scarcity of water. We were satisfied with all of this, as it is God’s command and will. Every one’s destiny is written with God.

Until the day of the massacre of the shelter school for the displaced, where we had displaced my family on April 12, that day will never go away from my memory. My mother and I woke up and wanted to go to my grandmother and uncles to check on them because there was no transmission at that time. We continued on our way until I found myself directly in front of the tank. I did not know what was happening. My mother and I moved away directly and returned. We do not yet know how. We changed our route by which we came and did not cross our path until we heard the sounds of violent explosions. I began to look behind me to see what was happening. I found it happening in the school in front of me, and I on the other side cried. Then I wanted to check on who belonged to me there. Until I saw my uncle running to us and saying, “My grandmother was cut into pieces, and no one survived.” I held myself together because I was on the road and did not know what was really happening. We waited for hours, was this news true or not? He did not see them. He only escaped from under the tanks alone until we found my grandmother barefoot, covered in blood. The martyrs on earth were unable to walk at the time. That child said, “What is her fault for being like this?” She did not know that this child was dearest to her heart, and whom she had promised moments before her martyrdom to rejoice her on her birthday. She did not know that the date of her birth would also be the date of her death, and she was searching for her children and grandchildren. On the way, we calmed her down and said that everyone is fine, and we do not know what is happening in front of us. It is all in front of us, and we cannot move. We found the girl’s father, covered in blood, and she said, “My daughter was martyred in my hands. I could not save her, and she collapsed due to her helplessness. We could not control the news, and we calmed her down a little and did not.” She did not know that her daughter was injured, alone, hugging her little brother so that she could save him. She went to treat herself alone in the clinic next to them until she saw my other uncle’s bus carrying the martyred and injured people on it. She searched among them and kept looking at them to see her family. She found her little sister, hugged her, shrouded her, and placed her in front of the clinic’s door, and my father quickly went to get her. And her brother was among the tanks and snipers with my brothers. He brought her at night and also went in the morning to bury and honor her sister. They were sitting with us the day before in the school corridor and I was joking with her and talking to her. I did not know that it was the last time I would be able to see her, may God have mercy on her. It hurt our hearts.

We took the family and they were very sad and we took them to my grandfather’s house. As soon as they arrived, a massacre occurred next to us, killing 300 martyrs. From its horror, the windows of the entire house fell on us and some of the walls fell. I went out to look until I found pieces of children’s body parts at the door of the house. I could not control myself and quickly returned and went out to the roof of the house. I saw and saw a person, may God have mercy on him. The wounded were being transported first, quickly. The street became stained with blood. Everyone was running with their own wounded to rescue them, until they came to Bakara, the one transporting the donkeys, and they started dragging the martyrs on it, which consisted of chopped up, burnt body parts that you could not distinguish. And all the women were alone at that time in prayer clothes, all of them covered. This is the condition of all the women of Gaza, cannot sleep even in their prayer clothes for fear of being martyred while they are not covered. I and my family, who are sad for their daughter, began to cry intensely as we looked at ourselves at how we had survived. As soon as the night came, I was sitting waiting for the morning because of my intense hatred for the night and what happens at night, until I found glass on myself and my mother. And on my little sister and my aunt, we did not care about that. We bandaged the wounds and looked at where that massacre had taken place until we found it in the house of my brother’s friend in front of us, hours before he became a martyr. He was talking to them and promising them that if he came out in the morning and there was no martyr, he would distribute to them the lollipops that he had bought. He was working on. He spent two full months in the Civil Defense, and he survived every time without his friends, but his turn came and he knew it, may God have mercy on him.

This is part of the story that I will continue later in a more tragic way than that. Every second we have a story and miraculously survived, so how did we endure for 9 months? God is the one who gives patience to our hearts, and this is His will and judgment. There is no objection to His judgment.

[welldonekhushi]

Vasili in Black Ops 6

For Black Ops: Gulf War, Bell's allegiance to the campaign might hold much significance in framing Adler as the traitor. Under a heavy price.. and here's the story.

After the events of Cold War, Vasili who was said to be "dead" had actually survived the bullet, that almost reached his heart but through successful surgery, he had recovered. As we're talking about a clandestine force which framed Frank's team as traitors, Vasili might take that very opportunity to enact revenge on Adler who ruined his very life.

On the other hand, Vasili didn't have his hands clean either. While Adler was targeted by the CIA, Vasili was targeted by the KGB — the very organisation he used to work with, turned against him. Because following the events of the previous game, General Anton Charkov was murdered and all of the blame shifted to Vasili, whose claims suggested that he did this because Charkov kicked him out of the KGB. When the truth was.. Dimitri Belikov was the culprit.

Vasili would be spending days inside of his new safehouse, with Dimitri by his side. Dimitri Belikov was actually Vasili's old friend, who worked with him along in the KGB, as well. Little to Vasya's knowledge, Dimitri sure kept him safe from the CIA, but he was also keeping him safe for the KGB, who gave him an order to keep an eye on Vasili Sokolov. Dimitri was on a tight rope, either to stay truthful and loyal to his best friend, or do whatever the KGB says.

Vasili had some contact with the unknown force who was behind framing Adler's team as traitors, and passed onto some secrets that Adler performed illegally for his own needs. Though, he didn't want to fully work with them, thanks to the reality check given by Perseus and Adler at the cost of working underneath them.

Vasili only had one goal. To see Adler fall. To pay for what he's done. But, it's a disappointment that Vasili never got to realise that someone else was also waiting behind to backstab him. And let out a painful truth, that always reminded Vasili that he was never supposed to achieve justice in the first place.

When the truth came out, that Dimitri was working as a mole for the CIA, and he pushed the blame to Vasili in the fear that he would be called a traitor too, shattered Vasili to the core. Dima was ashamed. He felt guilty that he could do such a thing, much to the ex-KGB agent's dismay and anger of betraying him, as well.

No one was good at this point. Everyone did worse things behind each other's backs, but it seems like Vasili had his breaking point — that very moment which made him feel completely alone.

Surrounded by the KGB agents, who had an order to capture "Crow" or kill him off if he escapes. But, Dimitri couldn't hold onto it anymore, and also turned his back against the KGB, getting into a fight. Vasili defended himself and was also fending off with the rest, but he saw Dimitri getting shot on every part of his body, and passed out. Vasili got out of his hiding spot to hold onto Dimitri's body, as the wounded man asks for forgiveness.. for what he did to his beloved friend.

Dimitri wanted to pay for his actions too, for being a traitor, and with that, he deserved all of this. Vasili broke down, seeing his friend die but Dima couldn't hold it any longer, and died in his arms.

Vasili stared at his friend's dead body, and saw the agents had surrounded him. A burning rage grew inside Vasili, as if he had enough. At this point, he'd burn the whole world.

And with that.. he'll get to Adler. No matter what.

[starlightandetherealshadows]

stat and appearance and vices refresh for Memento Mori, oh my! 𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒

Hi lovebugs!

I wanted to introduce the changes I'll be making to the Stat page, a peak into some of the vices I'll be adding, and the additional appearance options I'll be giving MC!

Now that I'm more comfortable coding in Twine, I feel like I can implement these changes that many have been requesting!

This refresh won't be implemented until I post Chapter 2 and the updates to Chapter 1 and the prologue. But! That doesn't mean I can't show y'all what I've cooked up!

I wanted to 1) simplify the stats so I can have an easier time writing flavor texts depending on different MC's 2) have a stat dedicated to the MC's emotional arc.

So, stat changes?

There will now be two additional stats. The SANITY stat, and the HEALTH stat. Both are on a scale from 0-100. The HEALTH stat is pretty self explanatory. The more banged-up your MC gets, the lower the stat goes. Don't let it get to 0...we only have one doctor around here.

The SANITY stat is MC's attunement to their emotions, the quality of their coping mechanisms, the emotional wear and tear they've encountered, and their reactions to these events. This singular stat will replace the traits section. A higher SANITY will mean that MC is more merciful, level-headed, emotionally mature, and optimistic about their future. They think with their head, and can set their emotions aside when it comes down to difficult decisions. A lower SANITY will mean MC has a tendency to be violent, impulsive, selfish, and cynical. They are much more volatile and prone to explosive outbursts. This MC is more likely to let their emotions influence their decisions, for better and for worse.

You begin the Prologue with a SANITY stat of 80. Those dreams....

If we're being real, this SANITY stat will have a great impact on the kinds of decisions your MC makes under high stress. Oh, you thought you as a reader would be able to have your low SANITY MC react logically when they're in a life or death situation? Think again, my friend. When tensions are high and emotions boil over, I will be using SANITY stat checks to determine how a MC reacts, and how successful they are achieving their goal. So, keep an eye on that SANITY stat. The choices you make throughout the story can be the difference between life or death when it matters most.

That isn't to say that higher SANITY MC's will always make good decisions. You might think that you've considered every variable and the logical answer is the best one. That isn't always the case. You might lose the people you care about, in more ways than one. You can't always live cautiously. To live a fulfilling life, you must take risks and put your heart on the line. No choice can be worse than the wrong choice.

In addition to these two stats, there will still be the Personality stat section and the skills section. These are mostly unchanged, save for some wording.

Personality

Stoic or Friendly

Intimidating or Charming

Stubborn or Compliant

Insincere or Genuine

Skills

Combat

Science/Technology

Charisma/People

Deduction/Perception

Medical

Alien Knowledge

There are many flavor texts I'm adding, as well as changes to dialogue or character interactions depending on your MC's skillset or personality!

There will also be some fun "hidden" dialogues or interactions for those of you that max out on a skill. Fortune favors the bold!

For MC appearance updates, what's tea?

Firstly, please note that not all of these changes will be set one after the other. I will do my best to integrate them as seamlessly as possible into the chapters. Having multiple customization choices back to back feels clunky to me while I'm writing. So if some choices don't show up immediately, don't worry!

I'll be adding 6 clothing options in total and letting MC be super fly so fresh so clean if they want to be (3 more masculine outfits, 3 more feminine although clothing is genderless you know the vibes)

Along with the already-present eye color and hair color, MC will also be able to set their skin color.

Tattoos, piercings, and details such as freckles, dimples, stretch marks, and the presence/absence of glasses.

Top surgery scars will be available!

MC can set their body types/physique. (and how they feel about it)

Determine whether MC wears makeup or not, and which style of makeup.

Now, these vices...sit down let's discuss

Taking from my own experiences as well as research, MC will be able to partake in drug use, alcohol use, and sexual activity as a way of coping with the trauma they've experienced. They will not start indulging in this vice before chapter 1, so we can see the slow progression/descent and get the full range of repercussions.

If any of you have any suggestions to any of the three sections above, I'm all ears! I cannot promise I can accommodate any or all of the recommendations, but I will note them down! Just please be respectful, or the ask will be deleted ✧˖° (i'm putting a lil cute emoji here but y'all please do not piss me awfffff)

Anyways, I hope y'all like the changes I'll be implementing! I'm happy that I'm getting used to the different coding and variations; now I get to add more customization!

Happy Sunday, everyone!! Be sure to laugh today!!

[molsno]

delta is such a good villain because he's simultaneously the origin and the culmination of the entire story of the zero escape series. even if he wasn't planned during 999 he's still central to it. he IS what hongou wanted - what he created the first nonary game to produce. he can access the morphogenetic field and control people. in doing so, he can alter the entire course of human history with minimal effort. in a way, hongou was successful! because he created the nonary game, akane enacted her revenge against cradle pharmaceutical, which was essentially another arm of free the soul. because of that, she dedicated her life to preventing the radical-6 outbreak caused by free the soul with the ab project. because of the ab project, sigma met diana at d-com, and participated in the decision game with her. because sigma and diana were stranded alone in the shelter following the conclusion of the decision game, diana gave birth to phi and delta. with delta, the goal of the original nonary game finally culminated in someone who could use the morphogenetic field to control people, and control people he did.

delta is no different from akane. his motives, like hers, were complex. he needed to create a history where his life could be assured so that he could achieve his goals. his goals, however, took over 100 years to achieve. he likely had his hands in every single event that lead up to his own birth. sure, perhaps he didn't have anything to do with the sinking of the titanic at the young age of 8. maybe he did, or maybe it was just a random tragedy, just like the death of his brother, left. a probability that forever changed the course of his life. whatever the case may be, it set him on a trajectory to manipulate dashiell gordan, who in turn spurred hongou to run the nonary game. and throughout his life, random tragedies continued to happen. he set out to manipulate the course of history because he observed that there are moments when a single snail can make the whole world go extinct.

life is simply unfair, don't you think?

[another-goblin]

2.0 SPOILERS and random thoughts

So the hotel building was a prison, right? It sort of makes sense, hotels and prisons have similar layouts. But imagine, the place of concentrated suffering of hundreds of thousands of prisoners, or maybe more (look how big it is), now turned into a weird supernatural hotel - what could possibly go wrong? (what if they kept prisoners in dreams too, and the dreamworld is a former prison dreamworld. And they were fed Soulglad to keep them docile). These cells were quite spacious though.

The way Sunday talked to somebody in the end reminded me of Cocolia. Is it possible a stellaron is involved here too?

The dead characters - no way Robin and Firefly will stay dead. They look playable, and you don't kill characters before they become playable (unless it's Qiqi or Blade)

I have a theory based on nothing, that Robin is alive and is actually behind whatever is going on. (Maybe her plan is for all these disruptive guests to kill each other in the name of harmony) She's in cahoots with Sparkle who pretended to be the body.

Sparkle - with her ability to shapeshift, aren't we supposed to be constantly paranoid? Anybody can be Sparkle. But also, seeing how vicious and unhinged she is, she feels like she should be the main antagonist in her own story arc, not just an extra. I mean even Sampo seems apprehensive of her.

I understand people who were enamored with Firefly and saddened with her death, but I personally weren't, because for me her part has the outward appearance of a romantic story, but inside it's just two hours of lies and tutorials. I also saw theories about her different identity and If it's true I hope the writers know what they are doing. Also why is our character so sure she's dead? Don't people who die in a dream just wake up in real world?

If Duke Inferno is dead, and stays dead, and his cool gang is never mentioned again, it's going to be the funniest thing in this game yet.

BTW how did Acheron allegedly enter the hotel using Duke invitation? Aventurine knows that we know that it's very hard (he witnessed our problems with DH's invitation). Make it make sense.

Gallagher - either he's up to something or he's extremely incompetent. He let go an actual stawaway and the huy who fits the description he just provided (Caelus - a guy with grey hair). Also it was him personally who stole confiscated Aventurine's stuff.

Speaking of which. I think Aventurine mentioned "cornerstones", plural. So it's not just his aventurine, but others too? Ratio implied that these things are crucial for their success and that Aventurine might be in danger from IPC without his rock, I wonder what's that about, and why Aventurine is so dismissive about losing them.

Anyways I'm still curious why IPC sent these two. It looks like they decided to achieve their goals on Penacony in a more or less peaceful way (unlike their military invasion on Jario-6). So why did they send Dr. Ratio, notorious for having the social grace of a nuclear bomb, and Aventurine, who isn't doing that great either.

I wonder how the game expects us to see Aventurine. The game probably expects us to see him as slimy but charming and dangerous. And yeah, he somehow (conveniently behind the scenes) managed to come to some agreement with Black Swan, but otherwise he fails miserably in most of his interactions.

When we first meet him, he pretends that he has the power to help us with our invitation problem, awkwardly compliments Robin and Sunday, tries to buy our friendship with a ridiculously small sum (well it was probably all the money he had left). Then he tries to intimidate us but gets spooked by Acheron. Ratio leaves in the middle of their conversation, Sparkle catches him stalking her and roasts him, and so on.

So my current VERY subjective impression is that he's quite desperate at this point. He constantly fails but tries to save face. He lost his confidence after his stuff was confiscated, he can't count on buying people's loyalty with giant bribes as he probably used to.

He obviously had a difficult childhood, he had to claw his way up, and IPC doesn't seem like a place that nurtures one's appreciation for genuine human connections. He probably learned to see genuine feelings as liability. As the result, he only sees people as assets, and "friends" as tools. He talks a lot about friends and trust, but never even pretends that he wants to achieve genuine trust or friendship with anybody. (I can continue but this post is long enough and it'll probably become obsolete with the next update anyway)

And I know it's probably too much to hope for, but maybe he'll get some character development, making him more open to the idea of genuine human interaction.

I already have seen a lot of interesting theories about what's going on, and I really hope the game won't just ignore all these hints and details it gave us, and all these things are actually important.

[areumisgarden]

Destined To Meet You.

Part 1.

POC Fem!Reader x Bangchan

WC: 1674 words

Genre: Fluff, Romance, Heartwarming, any additional tags will be added along the way!

Summary: Y/n works at Aurora's Art Haven, collecting money to pay for her main hobby, cosmetics. She always had a thing for creativity, in all fields like music, art, and her favorite, fashion and makeup. She works in this Art store as a fun hobby, discounts for her paints and to save up enough to help her apply to her dream job, a stylist at JYPE. Makeup is not a cheap hobby to indulge in, so while she saves for high quality products, she meets a few people along the way. Some staying by her side, some being a distant memory. Will she meet them again ? Will they help her pursue her dream, or will it all be lost in sorrow memories.

Authors Note: I havent been writing these days lately and ive fell out of it, but now I have the urge and motivation to express myself through my writing in so many ways instead of bottling my feelings. Today, I bring to you a series I made, I hope you enjoy it and if youd like, my ask boxs are open for any personal story requests! I do more groups then straykids btw. cough.

Blazing golden light streamed through the thin curtains adorning your window. Being a deep sleeper, such things never bothered you; in fact, you relished in it, soaking up the warmth that followed the golden rays and listening to the melodic chirping of birds perched outside your room. This morning felt perfect, especially since you managed to wake up on time without the usual cacophony of your alarm blaring twenty times in succession. Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you allowed your brain and eyes to focus before reaching for your phone. After unplugging it from the charger, you checked the time: 5:45 AM.

As you swiped through your phone, perusing blogs you followed on Instagram and Twitter, thoughts of becoming a stylist filled your mind. You admired how stylists curated looks and themes, dreaming of becoming one of the renowned figures in the industry—someone others looked up to for inspiration and innovation. Your determination to achieve this goal burned brightly.

Exiting the apps, you opened your messages to find one from your closest friend who also worked at Aurora's, your favorite workplace. The store's calm, cozy atmosphere, endless aisles of art supplies, and neutral tones of paint against the walls made it a haven for you. Not everyone saw it the same way, but occasionally meeting someone who appreciated it as much as you did warmed your heart and fueled your passion even more.

5:55 AM  

"Y/n, you coming to Aurora's today, right?"

5:57 AM  

"Ermm, yeah ofc? Wouldn't miss my shift for the world."

"Why?"

"Because I wanna know if I have a shift with you today or not, I miss you :("

"Oh and, new art supplies shipped in, they're so cute!"

"I love this concept they did with it, I think you'd like it a lot."

"Miss you too Soo-Yun."

"I haven't seen the new concept yet, don't spoil!!!"

"I've been avoiding the concepts all week, I'm so excited."

"Knowing you, you'd love it. You're so childish, you'd like this type of thing a lot Y/n."

"That's all I'm saying about it."

"A crap, manager Kim is here, gtg help open up."

"Lol, okay, cya in a bit!"

Read at 6:03 AM.

"Damn, it's already 6:03..." You shut off your phone, slowly slid out of bed, and stretched your body out, relishing the freedom to be overdramatic and extra in your own apartment. While not wealthy, you had a decent job that afforded you a comfortable two-room, two-bath apartment in Seoul, with enough left over to enjoy hobbies and save. You were thankful for your cozy life and always remained grateful.

Heading to the bathroom, you removed your bonnet, revealing a curly mess on your head. As a person of color in Korea, finding hair products friendly to your needs was challenging, so you often ordered them online. It had been nearly a week and a half since your last wash day, but surprisingly, it wasn't too apparent yet—just a bit unruly. You shrugged and continued with your morning routine, which involved brushing your teeth and tongue before taking your face washes into the shower to save time.

After a refreshing shower that included shaving, exfoliating, and a soothing face wash, you emerged feeling rejuvenated. Drying off and slathering cocoa butter over your body, your brown complexion took on a smooth, glowing appearance. You dressed in the clothes you had neatly folded the night before, adding perfume and returning to the bathroom to decide on a hairstyle. After applying oils and creams and combing your hair, you tied it up into a high puff, reminiscing about your mother's struggles with your hair in your younger days. You chuckled at the memory while wrapping a scarf around your head for a stylish touch, then topped it off with medium-sized gold hoops.

Your style was ever-changing, and though your current outfit didn't quite fit the norm, you didn't mind—you knew you looked good.

You grabbed your bag and headed out to the living room once more, greeted by your cat, who was cozily curled up on the couch. You called him Kiwi, despite his dissimilarity to the fruit; he simply exuded a vibe that suited the name—sweet yet sometimes a bit moody. Kiwi was your only pet for now, a recent addition to your home just last week. He was still small, a dark brown furball with an orange star-shaped spot on his back that you adored. Kiwi was your little star, and you had no qualms about spoiling him. Soon, he would have a companion, as you had recently acquired another kitten who would join him in about two weeks, once old enough to leave its mother. You couldn't wait for them to become fast friends.

Walking over to Kiwi's food bowl, you refilled it quietly, mindful not to disturb his peaceful slumber. Swirling the keys around your fingers, you made your way down the apartment hallway, opting for the stairs instead of the painfully slow elevator to save time.

You had been driving for a bit, finally pulling into a cafe parking lot. Deciding to grab a drink for yourself and Soo-Yun to kickstart the bright morning, you extracted the key from the ignition and entered the building, immediately engulfed in another universe. The place smelled divine—a blend of rich coffee and buttery pastries wafted through the air, tempting your senses. Joining the line, you stood behind a guy with brown hair, fairly slender but not overly so. His outfit caught your eye, perfectly suited and effortlessly cool. Awkwardly smiling to yourself, you slipped your phone out, alternating between the same three apps, trying to appear occupied.

Thankfully, your privacy screen protector shielded your activities. You were grateful for that; otherwise, it would have been awkward if people saw you scrolling through weather updates, Instagram, and the same tweets repeatedly. As the guy ahead took an eternity to order, you wondered who needed so many Americanos and croissants. Just as you were pondering this, it dawned on you—this guy was none other than Stray Kids' Kim Seungmin. Perhaps he had lost a bet or was treating his team, but it seemed he could use some help. Feeling awkward but empathetic, you tentatively offered, "Um, do you need any help carrying those?"

"Oh—yes, please, if you could," he responded with a grateful smile, then hesitated. "Wait, but you haven't ordered yet..."

"It's alright, I can wait," you shrugged, glancing at the time on your phone. You had a bit of spare time before your shift, though it would be tight if traffic held you up; you could end up being just 20 minutes late. Seungmin checked his watch and shook his head. "Here, I've got time. You go ahead and order; I'll pay for you."

Your mouth fell slightly agape, and you protested animatedly, "I couldn't let you do that! I'll pay for mine!" Hurrying to the cashier, you placed your order quickly but clearly. Fishing out your card from your bag, you prepared to pay, but before you could, you heard a beep. Glancing up, you saw the card reader read 'Approved,' and Seungmin smirked while putting his card away.

"You really didn't have to," you pouted slightly, feeling a mix of discomfort and gratitude. It was too late now, so you grabbed your drinks in one hand and helped him carry the rest. He led you to a large van with tinted windows, and you paused, letting the realization sink in that this could be Stray Kids' transport. As Seungmin knocked on the door, it slid open to reveal three other members inside. They glanced at you curiously as you examined their faces.

"Thanks for helping with the drinks," Seungmin said appreciatively. "Sorry for the sudden request. If you don't mind, try not to freak out or make a big scene about what happened today. Judging by your reaction, I'm sure you know who we are..."

The three men leaned closer, and the one with longer black hair, Hwang Hyunjin, spoke up, "Are you a STAY?"

You mentally paused, feeling a bit starstruck. "Kind of..."

"Kind of? What does that mean?" the smaller one, Seo Changbin, chimed in, tilting his head in confusion.

"You guys work at my dream company. I've listened to a few songs, but I don't keep up regularly," you admitted, nervously fiddling with the drink carriers, feeling intimidated by their presence.

"Ahh, so you want to be a trainee?" Han Jisung asked, his demeanor as squirrel-like as you'd seen in videos and pictures. You shook your head, correcting them with a smile, "A stylist. I want to be a stylist."

They nodded in approval, making sounds of understanding before smiling warmly and settling back into their seats. Seungmin chuckled and said his thanks again. "Alright, well, thanks for the chat and for the help."

You nodded, passing the drinks to Hyunjin, who was nearest the door. He bowed gratefully before asking, "If you make it into JYPE, I'll give you an autograph and vouch for you. Maybe we'll work together in the future. Thanks again...?" He trailed off, clearly prompting for your name.

"Y/n. My name's Y/n L/N," you replied. Hyunjin nodded in approval. "Thanks again, Y/n."

Seungmin playfully grumbled, "I don't know why you guys are thanking her when you did nothing but sit and look pretty while I struggled..." He climbed into the van with the drinks. Hyunjin chuckled at his mock annoyance, and Changbin giggled along. "Not our fault you lost rock-paper-scissors. Plus, the last time you paid for us was like... 4 months ago, in Jeju," Changbin teased, giggling softly.

"Exactly, 4 months ago. So, be grateful," Han added, sipping his Americano peacefully. Hyunjin turned back to you with a smile.

Watching them drive off, bickering playfully, warmed your heart. But as reality hit and you checked your watch, realizing time was slipping away, you turned and hurried away, a silly grin on your face from the joy of the encounter..