#alone for the fact that they might have different standards. different goals

[identitty-dickruption]

I really appreciate ur vocal stance about harm reduction. If u have a moment, could u perhaps link to, or talk about how harm reduction works with alcohol?

Thank you, an I hope u have a good day:)

of course! while I’m now completely sober, I wouldn’t have been able to get here without harm reduction, so it’s a very personal thing to me. that being said, to be clear I also see harm reduction as an objective good, even (especially!) if it never leads to sobriety

the thing about alcohol is that a lot of it is tightly regulated on account of it being a) legal, and b) easily accessible. so you don’t necessarily have the same safety concerns as you’d have with other drugs. it’s pretty easy to keep track of how much you’ve had, because most countries have some form of “standard drink”, which legally has to be printed on labels etc

other than that, harm reduction is fairly similar with alcohol as with other drugs. the way I was taught about it was to break harm reduction into three parts: mindset, context, and substance. before you can work on setting harm reduction goals, you need to understand the facts of when, where, and why you drink, and it can be helpful to work within those categories

mindset (how you feel)

what thoughts and feelings usually lead up to drinking?

are there thoughts and feelings that are likely to lead to a worse experience when drinking?

what are some other ways you cope with those same feelings?

harm reduction in this category usually means practicing self-awareness around this stuff. if you know you’re more likely to have a bad time if you drink while angry, you can set yourself some goals around not drinking while angry (or drinking less when angry). it also can help to set up some safety barriers so that drinking is less likely to hurt yourself or others

context (social + built environment)

where do you usually drink the most? how safe are these places?

are there people you drink more around or who encourage unsafe drinking behaviours?

what environments make you feel safest when drinking?

this is where most of the harm reduction work happens with respect to drinking. not drinking with people who encourage unsafe drinking can make a major difference. as can having an accountability partner, not drinking when alone, or otherwise planning ahead to keep you as safe as possible

substance (facts of what you’re using)

how much do you usually drink?

how much is safe for you to drink? at which point do you usually start to feel unwell?

what is the best way for you to track how much you’re drinking?

what other substances might be involved? how will they interact with alcohol? (including prescription medication!!)

this also includes knowing what overdose looks like, and having a plan for what you will do in case of overdose. being aware of what a certain amount of alcohol is likely to do to your body can also make it easier to drink safely

IN GENERAL: it’s important to be realistic with yourself. setting goals you know you can’t meet right now is a fast train to burnout, shame, and disappointment. even doing ONE thing to make yourself safer is GOOD. the safer you are the better, and whatever that looks like is good

I hope this has been helpful! feel free to ask any other questions about this either way :)

[fulgursmediaanalysisdrama]

Nihilism is a positive, life affirming philosophy. Something my christian mother couldn't, or didn't want to, understand

And Schoppenhauer is interesting but only worth anything when you conclude he is wrong

Berserk as a Nietzschean Tragedy — Art, Morality, Affirmation by Jonas Čeika

[aureutr]

Glass Onion and COVID masks as character shorthand

I wanted to talk real quick about the scene where Benoit and our suspects first meet on the dock. The mask shorthand is not necessarily needed, we’ve been introduced to almost everyone already and can get a good idea of who’s an outright asshole and who might have more layers (ha). But I still appreciated it.

This is what I think about the scene in general, if you have a different interpretation I’d be interested to read it!

Benoit - Patterned cloth mask. This was not uncommon to see in late 2020 and beyond, but this is only May 2020. He (or his husband) likely sewed it himself. This is a conscientious, yet stylish, man who pays attention to what’s happening and adjusts his behavior accordingly.

Lionel - Black cloth mask. This mask does not provide adequate protection for others because he is wearing it over substantial facial hair. He’s a man of science who cares... but perhaps only so long as he does not have to make any personal sacrifices for it. In this case, it would be shaving his beard or finding a masking solution that forms a better seal. In other cases....? :)

Claire - Ill-fitting beige mask. Her nose is hanging out through half of the scene (also is that a tampon hanging out of it when she gets out of the car?). Similar to Lionel, she has values that she supposedly stands for. But she is either ignorant of the full picture or is willing to set those values aside when she thinks she needs to.

Birdie - Golden mesh “mask”. Birdie has already been shown as uncaring about COVID earlier in the film with her party (”it’s okay, they’re in my pod” my ass). Here she flaunts the fact that she is aware of what she should be doing, but is choosing not to. There is also an underlying thread of her general ignorance, as she foregoes anyone’s safety (even her own) for style and glamour.

Peg - Standard surgical mask, perfectly fitted, complete with twisted ear loops. She is meant to be bland and in the background, at least in-universe. Peg is imminently practical, and while she might like finer things (later in the movie she is visibly disappointed to be given a Solo cup when others receive personalized glasses), she is willing to forego them to achieve her goals. There is not much more that can be gleaned from her mask alone.

Duke and Whiskey - No masks at all. Duke is a far-right asshole with no regard for the safety of others, and little regard for his own. Whiskey does as he says, even though she later mentions that she doesn’t want her politics completely defined by his. She might not want that, but her actions speak louder. There is nothing subtle about Duke and little about Whiskey, they are as they appear.

Andi - No mask. But I’m willing to forgive this one in the name of movie magic, given that the shot is meant to be lingering and mysterious. At this point we don’t know anything about this character, but it seems unlikely that she’s in the same camp as Duke. Or, perhaps given that all of the other characters are masked (or not) in meaningful ways, her lack of mask is a subtle misdirection about Ms. Brand.

Under the cut find another quick note about the mysterious “puff gun”.This does contain spoilers for the end of the movie, so tread carefully

We learn at the end of the movie (though it’s not exactly subtle from the get-go) that Miles Bron is an utter moron. Explicitly, anything good he does is not his idea and many things he does on his own are idiot mistakes that others go with because of his power and influence (and money). Whatever this mysterious “you’re good” puff was, I seriously doubt it was a COVID cure of any sort.

My headcanon is that everyone who left “Pieceshite” Island alive dealt tested positive for COVID a few days later.

Also, I called her “Andi” and not “Helen” so as to not spoiler anyone. ;)

EDIT: Several people have pointed out that Lionel actually has a KN95 mask, not a regular cloth one. My bad! Thank you for correcting me. I still think my take otherwise works since his beard breaks the seal.

[velvet-vox]

The russian worker drones family; murder drone's greatest small scale tragedy.

As long as I can recall there has never been in my mind a story quite as painful and heartbreaking and yet quite as engaging as the tragedy of Doll, Yeva, and her husband, who's lack of a clear name doesn't detract from the impact of this story or the death of the other two.

The last time such an emotional impact was left in my brain was with Noximilliem Coxen the Watchmaker from Wakfu, who I will assuredly make a comparison post with Doll, as they both hit extremely similar themes and ideas while still having such different execution and story beats that it almost makes you question why would you even compare them in the first place.

Tragedy is deceptively hard to write right and make meaningful, as just crippling your characters won't do, because at that point it just becomes drama porn and as boring as a low effort pre-schoolers program. Seemingly unfeasible in a show such as Murder Drones; an horror/comedy/romance where an abused child repaired and made friends with a robot only for said robot to cause the destruction of her planet and... something else.

Buckle up cause these robots emotions might not even be considered real inside the fictional setting but our pain allows what would otherwise be a pretty standard horror scenario to transcend into the bane of my existence as we take a look at the small, inconsequential tale of the russian worker drones family.

Yeva

Starting off with Yeva as the oldest member of our family in terms of chronological relevance, we get our first peek into the way this story plays out due to Yeva being seemingly mute by choice or programming, which retroactively sets up the storytelling method used; Yeva doesn't speak a single word in this scene or the one that precedes it, but we still get a clear rendition of her character by her standoffish behaviour juxtaposed with her caring and nurturing nature, it's debatable whether or not her and Nori are sisters, but you wouldn't be blamed for thinking that judging by the way Yeva tends to Nori after the banishment of the solver, being chained up and experimented upon didn't stop her from staying positive in the midst of adversity and could theoretically be the reason why she was the only correctly patched drone in the facility.

During the V attack she sacrificed her own life in order to protect Doll. An act that, in the long run, ended up being whortless, but that cemented Yeva has an unyielding positive influence in a world stormed by negativity and death.

The father

We know jack s##t about this man but that won't stop us from analysing him. The most interesting things about him are his relationship with Yeva and the fact that the picture of V seen in episode 2 was made by him. He's, admittedly, a white canvas for head cannons, but thematically he keeps a recurring motif that this post will touch upon in his final entry:

Doll

And now, for the crown jewel of this family. The protagonist's dark reflection. Not many people can claim to have been messed up as hard as Doll was. Sure, death is still death, but with it comes a certain sense of finality and rest. Instead, by contrast Doll's death is so brutal and devastating because although it's something that she has been calling upon herself since she started to consume other drones for her goals, it's just so heartbreaking because she managed to achieve absolutely nothing despite being one step forward everyone else in the story; she never got better, never reademned herself, made their parents sacrifice worthless, died almost entirely off camera completely alone and scared, and as her last compensation act she managed to give Uzi a barely useful warning before having her probably still alive consciousness eaten by an eldritch atrocity. At the end of the day, she was deemed worthless by the main antagonist and quickly brushed aside.

And we go back to a certain reoccurring theme regarding this family: Yeva never speaks. Her husband is never given a name. Doll is literally a toy name. Their story plays out in the shadow of the main plot. Every single aspect regarding them paints their existence as worthless and inconsequential (classic eldritch horror), yet are given enough spotlight to leave an impact on us, to have their presence felt, and to give us the impression that, despite their bad luck, if they only took certain decisions in certain key moments, maybe they would have survived and received a much better ending than the one they got.

[tobiasdrake]

FUN FACT: Did you know that Vegeta wasn't blowing smoke on Namek when he claimed to have become a Super Saiyan?

Well. Not entirely, anyway.

And also the process of becoming a Super Saiyan is kind of complicated, and Goku is an enlightened martial arts master.

The process of becoming a Super Saiyan is complicated. The English dub got a bit confused on this point while they were frantically erasing as much spirituality and also martial arts and general power levels talk as they could from the series.

The dub was bad. I don't think that's a surprise to anyone. It was a 90's anime dub. It scrubbed the source material of a lot of stuff.

But specifically here, the dub confused matters when it said that to become a Super Saiyan, you have to be pure of heart. This confused matters, because being purehearted is a thing in Dragon Ball. You have to be purehearted to ride the Nimbus.

This concept of pureheartedness exists in Dragon Ball. But it has nothing to do with the Super Saiyan.

This isn't the same as that. To become a Super Saiyan, you need something else. Notably, the Viz manga also translates this idea as "pure of heart"....

But the idea being translated here is more along the lines of tranquility than innocent goodness.

Becoming a Super Saiyan is a bit of a process. To understand the Super Saiyan, we need to talk about limit-breaking. This is a concept that's expressed repeatedly throughout Dragon Ball. In order to become Dragon Ball Powerful, you have to break your limits. You hit a ceiling and that's as far as you can go, until you find some new way to push through and break that ceiling. The series is big on this idea.

As an example, Mr. Satan is an incredibly formidable martial artist. He is peak. Top-tier fighter. ...within human limits. But he doesn't hold a candle to Krillin because Krillin broke the human limit in childhood.

Mr. Satan is basically Panput from the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai.

Saiyans are in a different league from humans, and they have different set limits. Different norms, different standards, and different potentials. But, like humans, there's a ceiling. The first step to becoming a Super Saiyan is breaking the Saiyan limit.

Goku, as a low-class Saiyan trained on Earth in martial arts, was able to break through the Saiyan limit during his gravity training in space. This wasn't the goal of his training, mind; Goku had a particular goal in mind. He was subjecting himself to intense gravity so that he could acclimate his body to withstanding higher levels of Kaioken.

Not even realizing that was what he was doing, Goku was the first to shatter his Saiyan boundary and take the first step to becoming a Super Saiyan.

That Goku has transcended Saiyan abilities isn't lost on either Vegeta or Captain Ginyu, both of whom peg him as a Super Saiyan... before walking it back because Goku lacks the overwhelming bloodthirst and battle hunger that characterizes the legend.

Poor Goku has no idea what any of these people are on about. He might as well be listening to Game of Thrones fans infodump about the Lannisters.

But he wasn't alone. During his fight with Jeice following his third Zenkai of the arc, Vegeta finds himself trashing Jeice. Vegeta's as surprised as Jeice is, to be honest. Even with a Zenkai, he should not be doing this well.

Vegeta's last Zenkai wasn't just a Zenkai. It pushed him through the Saiyan limit.

You see, something happens to a Saiyan as they cross that boundary. Their ki begins to swell astronomically in preparation for becoming a Super Saiyan. Both Goku and Vegeta at this point have entered a sort of proto-Super Saiyan state. Their powers are passively being inflated.

Goku, too, eventually realizes that his power is growing at an astronomical rate that cannot be explained by his training or his Zenkai boosts or any phenomenon he's aware of. He's just. Swelling with power for reasons he can't fathom.

Neither of them are Super Saiyans yet. They still need the right spark to ignite it - and, despite knowing more about the Super Saiyan legend than Goku, Vegeta has no idea what that spark is. But they're both inflating like balloons in preparation for ignition.

Vegeta brings up the proto-Super Saiyan again in his first showdown with Frieza.

He recognizes that he is not yet the Super Saiyan. But he is a proto-Super Saiyan. He still feels it, still feels his power inflating within himself. He just. Needs. That. Spark.

But he won't find it. He said it himself: He doesn't think Goku and his "soft heart" can become the Super Saiyan. The Super Saiyan is supposed to be filled with rage and battle hunger.

But breaking the Saiyan limit isn't enough. You need the spark: A tranquil heart awakened by rage.

There are two pieces to that. The first is a tranquil heart. What does that mean? It means tranquility. Stillness. Peace. Becoming one with yourself and the cosmic universe.

During his training in space, with nothing to concern himself with and no distractions, Goku found tranquility. Alone in the void of space with only his beloved art, he achieved a measure of serenity and peace that he's never known before.

When Goku steps off that ship, he's different. He's entirely focused on the task at hand. He doesn't even want to fight the Ginyus, which is a stark departure for his character. He has no interest in the joy of battle; Only in doing what he came for and going home.

Goku asks the Ginyu Force multiple times to just go away. He does not care about this. He is thoroughly disinterested in fighting.

He's not even mad. They beat up his son and his best friend, and Goku does not care. Also, he can read minds now. Because he is the Heavenly Buddha, I guess.

This is a super weird moment, but its main purpose is to demonstrate that Goku has become... something else. He's not just "Goku but stronger"; he's changed on a fundamental level.

Goku is no longer a rash, impulsive student. He has become a master of his art. Do you see that kanji on his back? Kaio presented Goku with this new dogi after he got out of the hospital... uh... somehow.

You. Uh. You gonna elaborate on where the fuck that came from, Goku? No? Okay, man. You do you.

In any case, Goku's new dogi is distinctive because it erases the sigils of both the Kame school and Kaio. Originally, he would wear the Kame sigils on both front and back to reflect his status as a student of Kame-senryu.

Even if he did only technically study Kame-senryu for less than a year. It's fine; the Muten-Roshi filled him with a lot of philosophy that's guided him over the years so it still counts.

After he trained under Kaio, the sigil on his back was replaced with Kaio's sigil, to reflect that he is Kaio's student now as much as he is the Muten-Roshi's. Though he left the Kame-senryu sigil on Goku's front, because he is a student of both.

But from the moment Goku steps off that ship, both Kaio and the Kame sigils have been replaced by this new one.

This new sigil serves two purposes. First is that it's the first kanji of Goku's name. Both of his masters are now gone from Goku's expression, replaced by Goku himself; This symbolizes that Goku has, himself, become the master. His art is now fully his own.

Goku is at the peak of his journey. There is nothing more for him to learn. It falls to him now to cultivate, develop, and evolve his art for himself, using the knowledge and mastery he's acquired. And, as we'll see in the next arc, to ultimately pass it on to the next generation to come.

But, bringing this back to the tranquil heart thing: The kanji for 'Go' also represents enlightenment. Goku has found peace with himself and his place in the cosmic universe. That is why he, and not Vegeta, is ready to have his spark ignited.

He's broken the Saiyan limit. He has a tranquil heart. All he needs now is to snap, and have his tranquil heart awakened by rage.

But Vegeta still has a ways to go. Because his heart is far from tranquil.

The best he can come up with is "I Zenkai'd into this, I can Zenkai out of it!" Vegeta is very fettered, especially in conflict with Frieza. He is not one with the cosmic universe. He is a nervous wreck of emotions and wants and distractions. He was so close, but he could never have ignited here. Not under these circumstances.

No, Vegeta would only find his tranquility after becoming stranded on Earth. (No, anime, Vegeta did not have a spare spaceship on hand to leave immediately.)

Three years, living at Capsule Corp until he moved out and got his own place. Free from the yoke of Frieza and able to pursue nothing more than his own self-improvement. Driven by a desire to surpass Goku but in a low-stress environment...

...and apparently hanging out with Bulma in his downtime.

That's where Vegeta found his tranquility. And the spark of rage that ignited his tranquil heart? His own inadequacies, of course.

Never change, Vegeta. XD

[distortedmoondisc]

Do you ever think about the parallels between Rinne and Aira

Not only they have a shared interest in protecting Hiiro and ensuring his well-being/growth as a person, (and it's extra interesting given how Aira sort of dislikes Rinne for how he dealt with Hiiro in general—by leaving him alone at their hometown and disowning him in the summer of the MDM—, so even though they have the same interests and goals regarding Hiiro, they aren't exactly friends nor like each other — though this is mostly from Aira's part, because Rinne does like Aira and even acknowledges him as someone important to Hiiro that he must keep in his life), but Aira kinda is what Rinne used to be, before his dreams of becoming an idol we're crushed by the new rules of ES.

!! Main Story, Episode 171, "Revolution"

I've seen many people talk about how Rinne and Aira would get along because they're both idol otakus, but I believe that's a common misunderstanding of Rinne's character, because Rinne isn't an idol otaku (at least not anymore). He doesn't like the current idol system and the way Ensemble Square is running the industry. That's why he tried to change it by force in the !! Main Story by acting out. This is different from Aira, who loves the idols born from this system, and is a participant in the ES system that is going to hurt the industry in the long run (because ES is mass producing idols like a factory, stripping them from their own individuality and what makes idols especial in the first place — which is why Aira likes idols to begin with! Because they're different from ordinary people!)

!! Main Story, episode 220, "Despair"

Aira is aware that the idol industry isn't perfect, in episode 171 he even acknowledges that the mass production of idols similar to items of consumption made in a factory is wrong and it strips idols from their beauty and value, but he doesn't have the insight and first hand experience with heartbreak as Rinne had, so he doesn't have the motivation to protest or change the way ES is running the industry. They both love idols and dreamed of becoming one, but Rinne isn't an idol otaku, because he can't be a fan of idols mass produced by the current system.

What Rinne does instead, is support underground idols that would otherwise be trampled or forced to disappear by ES because they don't fit their sets of standards (and because ES has monopoly in the idol industry, they can easily do this without much repercussions or public outcry) and gives them his protection. This is explained throughout the course of the story of Night Club.

Nigh Club, Epilogue 2

Aira tries to impersonate an ideal idol persona, as the ones he watched when he was younger. He wants to embody a model idol and inspire others as idols inspired him in the past. Rinne used to be similar, but ES arbitrarily destroyed his solo career making him lose that dream, and that's why he embodies the wild and rebellious persona he portrays on stage, which is a complete opposite to how a traditional idol should act (and this is a constant point of conflict between him and other idols, such as Himeru; Himeru tends to scold Rinne for being so wild and doing whatever he wants because it goes against what is expected of an idol, but in Night Club he comes to understand that this is Rinne's soft way to protest against ES, despite having lost to them in the first part of the !! Main Story).

(Sometimes, I wonder if Rinne is happy being the wild and playful self he is with Crazy:B, or if he would prefer to be on stage as an ideal idol like he used to do years ago....)

However, despite their differences and the dislike/intimidation Aira might feel towards Rinne, he admits he understands his feelings and where he comes from, and that he can't help but to relate to him due to the fact that they both love idols. Aira scolds Rinne in episode 220 "Despair" to make him stop his pity party, but later in episode 224 "Flutter" he comforts and encourages him instead—telling him that he should not give up being an idol, because he recognizes that Rinne loves idols as much as he does, and that he still has a reason to live because he has fans of himself and of Crazy:B waiting for him among the crowd, meaning that he is still loved and accepted by someone, despite all the wreckage he had caused.

(And if I'm allowed to get personal for a moment, I just need to make emphasis in how important Aira is to the development of the Amagi brothers in the last arc of the !! main story, and this scene is a perfect example of that. Aira is the one who encourages Rinne to join the others on stage and sing, and after that it is Hiiro that pushes Rinne to give that step which finally leads them to perform on stage together 🥹)

So as we can see, Rinne and Aira have a lot of similarities, but they act in completely different ways due to their circumstances. They have similar backgrounds as idol lovers but they have different views and feelings about the industry and the profession, (however, they seem to share the same ideals as to what an idol should be, and love the same type of ideal idol inside their hearts). Adding to that their shared most beloved person, Hiiro, and how the two of them want what's best for him but they have a point of contention due to Rinne's bad actions in the !! Main Story, and their relationship becomes x10 more interesting, and I wish we talked about it more!

And we know Happyele hasn't forgotten about them, because Aira appeared in Rinne's recent relationship chart, just below Hiiro.

(also, a little unrelated, bu i think it's funny that despite having a heart to heart at the ending of the main story, their relationship is still "want to tease him" and "he's a little scary" ahdks Aira, who scolded Rinne in front of hundreds of people in the MDM, regressed to feeling intimidated and troubled by him. A couple of friends commented that it was probably because Aira had a burst of courage in the MDM because of the severity of the situation, so he had the determination to call out Rinne, a senior that he particularly feels intimidated by, publicly without second thought. It is canon that after the fact, Aira admitted that looking back on the MDM he felt embarrassed for doing such a bold thing. Idk, it's just something i find very interesting and fun about their dynamic www)

So this leads me to believe that they haven't forgotten about the history these two had in the main story, and all I can do is just wait for them to expand on their relationship and dynamic more eventually in some future event.

[blonditarot]

How Enhypen members see Jay?

Heeseung

All major arcanas

I’m hearing an unstoppable force. Jay wants it he goes and gets it. He’s very passionate about his job, always ready to take action. I don’t know there’s also something about how Jay moves his body. Heeseung might thinks he’s a great dancer. He is also somehow restricted. As if Jay didn’t see what he is doing. He belittles himself. Heeseung might think Jay is a bit toxic. He refuse to see some things that are obvious to him (I got a 4 of cups rev to clarify this). Heeseung thinks Jay should accept that he’s not perfect (I feel that Jay might be working hard to make everything he does on stage to look perfect and he’s very ambitious, he never stops improving himself, he always want more, let’s say he has a tank with 10 fish that he worked hard to get, once he gets it he’s not happy with it because he could always have 12 fish, he’s never content) and just be happy with where he is.

Jake

That’s all I got from him. He might think Jay lack some harmony in his life, that he is unbalanced and did some bad choices. I can dive deeper because I’m getting a headache. I’m also picking up Jay might be in a bad place right now and tries to purposefully pick up fights

Sunghoon

A hardworking star. Jay knows his purpose. He works very hard to achieve his goals and when he is focused on something there’s no way he’ll get distracted by anything. He is disciplined. Sunghoon thinks he is diligent in his work. He tends to do everything the same (in a good way) he holds a certain standard on stage that he always manages to meet. However he can be cold and emotionally unbalanced. He’s way too focused on the material side of his life and ignores his emotions (and quite often other people’s feelings as well)

Sunoo

Sunoo thinks Jay is a page. He holds his coin with admiration and passion. Always tries something new, learning something new, he wants to obtain as many skills as possible. He always wants to learn (somebody that will forever remain a student because of Jay’s choice) but Sunoo thinks he should take a break. He needs to pause with his ambitions and try to look at his life from a different perspective because he might miss something. „Slow down and have some fun”

Jungwon

He doesn’t listen to others. He’s stuck in his ways, very traditional and obedient. He doesn’t like to break the rules (by that I mean social norms). He doesn’t acknowledge the fact somebody might have different beliefs than him. If you will try to talk him out of something it’s gonna be talking to a wall. But he always planning his future, checking every road ahead of him to carefully choose the best one. But that hanged man says Jungwoon thinks Jay should try to see the world from other people’s perspective. He should include others opinions in making decisions instead of standing alone with a world in his hand „because the world belongs to all of us”

Ni-ki

Why are the cards repeated?

Srsly. His thoughts are the same as all of the members above. Hardworking, diligent, ambitious, should go on vacation to reevaluate his plans for the future.

And now I also got the king of cups rev. What is this? I’m not gonna write for 6th time that he doesn’t understand what emotions are

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

Re: your post about JohnandPaul. If you do wish to share them, I'd love to know your headcanons about John and Paul's feelings for each other. ( I do get your discomfort about sharing though and yeah, I also miss the long discussions and metas from back when Get Back came out. It feels like, except you and some others, most of my favorite blogs have moved on from the fandom)

I've been sitting on this ask for several days now.

First of all I hear you, re:blogs moving on. It's understandable, but it's also sad when my brain does not want to give this stuff up any time soon lol.

In my post I talked about having specific headcanons about their feelings for each other, but the truth is, it's more like I imagine hundreds of very specific somewhat plausible scenarios, while not actually fully buying into any of them.

I always struggle with how sure people are of some definite timeline of McLennon because I just don't see how it's in any way clear: the most compelling evidence that at least John had Those Feelings™ for Paul is stuff he said after the fact (compiled with the stronger case for John being attracted to men in general) – so, if I choose to interpret his words in that way, I'm still not very close to knowing when he developed this attraction. Let alone concluding anything substantial about Paul's feelings.

(And no, I really don't find the two of them saying the other looked good when they met particularly compelling. Appearance plays a huge role in first impressions, regardless of attraction.)

So I guess, it's more that I have open questions I return to again and again, for which I try to construct hypothetical answers that make sense to me. Aside from that bigger timeline question, here's a few more specific ones:

From what I've gathered researching the topic, listening to psychonauts speak about their trips, the acid mindset very much romanticizes all forms of human connection (among other things). I think that's probably what was going on during those "I know."–"I know." sessions John and Paul had on LSD. With that in mind, how might that have mixed in with John trying to understand how he felt about Paul? Could it have confused him? Opened him up to the idea? "Appeased" him for a while? (and again, the answer here would depend on the timeline of feelings in the end)

I still lean towards "Paul is not meaningfully attracted to men" (or at least "Paul valued other aspects of his relationship with John much more than physical attraction") – with that in mind I do kind of ask myself what Paul thought his relationship with John was exactly. Like, I don't pretend it was a standard, run-of-the-mill friendship, so I wonder a lot what his end-goal was, how he saw both of them continuing into later stages of life. The way he talks about the breakup, equating John choosing Yoko with John leaving Paul, speaks to something somewhat true about most couples that marry – but why did he not anticipate that before? What was different? Also, for $20 don't copout with "hurr hurr cause Cyn didn't matter"

Paul's various takes on The John Question continue to puzzle me. On the one hand, it sort of seems to me like Paul would have had enough context clues at the time to get that John was attracted to men, because some of our evidence for it is evidence he would have had access to – he also indicated at least once that John was in fact kind of openly bicurious??? (note: that rant keeps me up at night. Could write a whole thesis on it and also it's so fucking funny) On the other, Paul is pretty insistent that the rumours are Not True and he's not actually the only person to shoot them down like that. (May Pang, Julia Baird, Tony Bramwell, Hunter Davies off the top of my head) It shouldn't be a stretch of the imagination that a man born in the 1940s might have trouble rearranging the image he's made of his dead best friend so drastically (or in a way that might feel drastic to him). So what is it? Is Paul obfuscating the question to protect John's reputation/because he thinks the curiosity is in poor taste or does he genuinely not buy into it? I'm not actually sure whether he's weighed in on this since Yoko's "John Was BI!!!!" reveal. Has this stance developed over the years? And if I assume Paul does know about John's sexuality: does he in fact think John had feelings for him? I do think this is a thing he would never talk about if he did so it feels like there would be no way of knowing either way. But it also makes me wonder about the barriers he might have set up in his head to avoid that very question – because the truth is that if John had Those Feelings™ for Paul and Paul never knew, that's sort of the second-worst case scenario from Paul's perspective, right after John having never liked him in the first place.

AND THEN THERE'S JOHN. Because just because Paul may not have picked up on it, doesn't mean John wasn't putting anything down. But he could also very much have been sending mixed signals from his own end, right? And again, acid mindset + mid 60s Free Love shit: in that culture, how much could John making advances be perhaps taken as Flowery Friendship? Did he justify it to himself that way? Or was John actually violently shoving all of that down? Was he truly capable of that?

It really never ends – I'm not certain of ANYTHING, but give me a proposal (ie. "In My Life is about Paul") and I'll talk myself into circles exploring the ins and outs of that hypothetical.

[misscarnivalofcarnage]

☠︎ Cɾҽҽρყραʂƚα: MBTI ҽԃιƚισɳ ☠︎

Mbti's are cool as fuck so here we go

-♱ ♱ ♱—♱ ♱ ♱—♱ ♱ ♱—♱ ♱ ♱—♱ ♱ ♱—♱ ♱ ♱-

,,In personality typology, the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator is an introspective self-report questionnaire indicating differing psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions“

———————————————————————

JEFF(REY) "THE KILLER" C. HODEK

(ISTJ / Logistician)

,,The ISTJ personality type is Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging, which means they are energized by quiet, independent work; pragmatic and detail oriented; logical; and skilled in organization and time-management. This combination of personality preferences produces people who value order, predictability, and routine. They are rule-followers who love the security that comes with knowing their place in the world. ISTJs are hard workers who are reliable, productive, and persistent. They appreciate the value of teamwork, but can be stubborn and struggle with change.“

In Sesseur's version of his character, Jeff presents himself as a very stubborn and single-minded man. He appears to have a tendency to be overcritical and a lack of sensitivity, which is crystallized in the course of his story and his way of treating people.

He spares no effort (or bodies) to pursue the goal he has dedicated himself to by ridding the world of those who lie, judge and are fundamentally bad in his eyes. Hypocritically, he misjudges and suspects people of being dishonest or weak himself, usually for the simple fact that they might not meet his standards.

Beyond that, Jeff demonstrates a sense of loyalty and responsibility to his family by being willing to do anything to ensure their safety.

Strengths: Endurance And Persistence, Loyalty, Protectiveness, Adherence To Personal Code, Strong Work Ethic, Focus, Determination, Reliability, Responsibility

Weaknesses: Overemphasis On Past Experiences, Resistance To Emotional Expression, Tendency To Be Overly Critical, Reluctance To Seek Help

———————————————————————

BEN DROWNED

(ENTP / Debater)

,,The ENTP personality type is Extraverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving, which means they are energized by working with others, focused on understanding people and problems, creative and systematic thinkers, and comfortable with frequent, fast-paced change. This combination of personality preferences produces people who love taking on challenges deemed impossible by others. Quick-witted, confident, and charming, they are visionaries with infectious enthusiasm. ENTPs trust their instincts, are not bound by convention, and are rarely judgmental; however they can be impatient and impractical.“

Ben exhibits several signs of the ENTP personality type. His manipulative and deceptive nature, as well as his indulgence in psychological games, reflect the ENTP's inclination for intellectual dominance and mind games. Ben's relentless pursuit of chaos and disruption, as well as his indifference to the well-being of others, show the unhealthy manifestation of an ENTP's desire for intellectual stimulation and pushing boundaries.

Overall, Ben represents the negative aspects of an ENTP to an extreme and unhealthy level, emphasizing manipulation, disregard for consequence, and a warped sense of reality.

Strengths: Creativity, Strategic Thinking, Inventivness, Persuasiveness, Charisma, Versatility, Experimental Nature, Communication

Weaknesses: Insensitivity, Manipulative, Overconfidence, Lack Of Emotional Expression, Provocative, Disregard For Consequences

———————————————————————

EYELESS JACK

(INTP / The Logician)

,,The INTP personality type is Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving, which means they are energized by time alone in deep thought, focused on understanding the theories behind ideas and concepts, led by logic and reason, and unencumbered by tradition. This combination of personality preferences produces people who generally do not buy into conventional thinking, but instead seek to break apart widely accepted ideas to look at them from different angles. Though INTPs do not value small talk, they are passionate and articulate when exploring different complex systems and analyzing bigger universal concepts.“

Jack displays several traits related to his personality type. Both his Analytical nature and his curiosity to understand the human body and surgical procedures reflect the INTP's thirst for knowledge and their inclinations towards logical exploration.

Jack has a preference for solitude, introspection and introverted tendencies. In addition, he has difficulty expressing deep emotions and a rather detached demeanor.

Overall, Jack's intellectual depth, analytic mindset and introverted disposition suggests an INTP personality type.

Strengths: Analytic Thinking, Intellectual Depth, Independence, Attention to Detail, Objective and Impartial Thinking, Inquisitive Nature, Unconventional thinking

Weaknesses: Emotional Detachment, Overthinking, Perfectionism, Impatience with Redundancy, Lack of Practically, Lack of Assertiveness

———————————————————————

JANE "THE KILLER" RICHARDSON

(INFP / The Mediator)

,,The INFP personality type is Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving, which means they are energized by time alone, focused on big picture ideas and concepts, led by their values and feelings, and spontaneous and flexible. This combination of personality preferences produces people who are open minded, creative, and deeply committed to authenticity. INFPs do not conform easily to others’ expectations, yet they work towards the personal growth of themselves and others. An INFP is sympathetic, gentle, and encouraging to their friends and loved ones.“

Jane exhibits several traits common for an INFP, such as her deep sense of individuality, a desire for authenticity, as well as a strong moral compass and compassion for others. She seeks to protect innocent individuals from danger, especially from people who have hurt her in the past.

Her emotional depth and introspection are also consistent in an INFP's tendency to explore her inner world and express her emotions creatively.

Overall, Jane implies an INFP personality type due to her unique perspective, empathic nature, and pursuit of authenticity.

Strengths: Strong Values and Ethics, Empathy and Compassion, Idealism, Vision, Deep Emotional Connection, Intuitive Insights, Authenticity and Individuality

Weaknesses: Idealism and Disappointment, Difficulty Setting Boundaries, Overwhelm by Emotion, Sensitivity to Critism

———————————————————————

NATALIE "CLOCKWORK" OULLETTE

( ESTP / The Entrepreneur)

,,The ESTP personality type is Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Perceiving, which means they are energized by playful time with others, perceptive and able to improvise, motivated to solve logical problems, and focused on immediate results over long-term goals. This combination of traits produces people who are excellent in emergency situations; they are able to think on their feet, adjusting and responding reflexively. Gregarious and self-assured, ESTPs have a great sense of humor and a wide circle of friends, but may have difficulty connecting on a deeper emotional level. Because ESTPs are so focused on the present, they are able to be bold and adventurous, but they can also struggle with thinking ahead and following through.“

 Clockwork's impulsive and thrill-seeking behavior align with the ESTP penchant for excitement and immediate gratification.

Her unhealthy manifestation is evident in her extreme violence and lack of empathy towards her victims and the disregard of consequences for her actions.

Clockwork's Manipulative tendencies for ignoring rules and authority further speak to the type, as she engages in dangerous and sadistic behavior without remorse.

She has a lack of long-term planning, the disregard for the safety of others, and a tendency to impulsive, implying her to be an ESTP.

Strenghts: Adventurous Spirit, Quick Thinking, Charisma, Practical Problem-Solving, Boldness and Fearless, Ressourcefulness, Pragmatism, Action-Oriented

Weaknesses: Impulsiveness, Insensitivity, Reckless, Difficulty with Long-Term-Planning, Impatience, Difficulty with Emotional Intimacy

———————————————————————

NINA "THE KILLER" HOPKINS

( ENFP / The Campaigner)

,,The ENFP personality type is Extraverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving, which means they are energized by time with others, motivated to deeply understand the human experience, drawn to authentic emotional intensity, and easily bored by the mundane. This combination of personality preferences produces people who place great value on personal freedom and happiness, both for themselves and for others. ENFPs are excellent communicators who enjoy bringing out the best in others, though they can lack focus and overlook key details in favor of the bigger, more imaginative picture.“

Nina exhibits traits that suggest she embodies an unhealthy ENFP personality type. Her obsession with Jeff the Killer and her desire to emulate him reflects an ENFP's tendency to become very passionate and idealistic about their interests.

However, Nina's unhealthy behavior is evident in her intense fixation, which leads her to engage in violent and destructive behavior without regarding for the well-being of others.

Her distorted perception of love and her willingness to harm anything in the name of her obsession is another indication of an unhealthy ENFP potential of losing touch with reality and disregarding ethical boundaries.

Additionally, Nina‘s erratic emotions and impulsive actions indicate a lack of emotional stability and a struggle to find healthy outlets for her intense feelings.

Overall, Nina‘s character emphasizes on the negative aspects of an ENFP personality taken to an extreme and unhealthy level, showcasing obsession, distorted values and emotional volatility.

Strengths: Passion, Creativity, Idealism, Vision, Infectious Enthusiasm, Charisma, Open-Mindedness, Loyalty, Unconventional Thinking,

Weaknesses: Obsession, Distorted Perception of Reality, Emotional Instability, Lack of Boundaries, Difficulty Coping With Criticism, Lack of Long-Term Planning

(credits for the mbti-description: https://www.truity.com/blog/author/truity)

[dailycharacteroption]

Retrograde Revisions 2: Oath Against Corruption (Oathbound Paladin Oath)

(art by Adam Kanovsky on Artstation)

And we’re finishing off this week with the first of many oathbound paladin oaths!

The oathbound paladin was the first time I decided to break my previously established formula of two weeks because it made sense to do so, and also because detailing every single oath in one entry would have felt like far too much even back then when I was still writing these entries with brevity in mind out of my own anxieties, let alone my much longer entries in the modern day.

In any case, the oathbound paladin! While technically a single archetype, it’s more accurate to say that it is a collection of related archetypes, one that a normal paladin can slip in an out of much easier than one might retrain into and out of in games that allow that, all because of the nature of the archetype.

To put is simply, an oathbound paladin is exactly that: a paladin that has taken a special vow, and allowed the divinity they follow to reshape their powers to better achieve that goal.

As such, when either they or their deity believe that oath is fulfilled, they can choose to end it, returning to baseline paladin or perhaps taking a different oath. Note that this should not be done lightly nor as a way to shift power sets on the fly. This is an oath, not some “dial a hero” powerset.

In any case, the oath against corruption is an oath against abberations in particular. While not as overtly evil as fiends, evil dragons, or the undead, such creatures are numerous, insidious in their manipulations, and sometimes outright unnatural even in their native environment, if they even can be consider native anywhere.

Due to the horrific, maddening appearance of most aberrations, and how some tend to infiltrate and manipulate mortal society for their own twisted ends, these paladins often work in secret to avoid causing a panic. However, even with this uncharacteristic secrecy from the class, there are few who fight as stanchly against such otherworldly beings.

Rather than protect against fear, the aura of these holy warriors provides blanket protection against the abilities of aberrant foes. While strong, this is not true immunity though. Naturally, their nearby allies gain a measure of this as well.

With an expenditure of smiting power, they can engulf their weapon in shimmering divine flame, the blue light dealing no damage, but striking fear into their unnatural foes, causing them to hesitate in their attacks, while the paladin’s allies are emboldened and protected by it.

The most powerful among them are able to potentially banish aberrant foes back to whatever darkness they crawled or fell from, ridding their world of that particular horror for at least 100 years, useful for when an aberrant foe is beyond even such an exemplar. Furthermore, their healing touch becomes impeccable.

The spells this oath grants improves their accuracy and senses, as well as weakens the minds of their foes in a fitting turning of the tables, and even provides them with some measure of protection from magic.

Interestingly, this oath does not grant any abilities that improve their power to damage aberrant foes, but it does provide some specialized protection to both themselves and their allies. I suppose there’s something to be said about the oath being one of purity first, protecting themselves and others from being compromised by the alien powers and magics of such entities. In any case, taking this oath can be an appropriate choice if you know that aberrant foes are coming up, likely setting the boss monster of such a dungeon or arc as their goal. However, I’d leave room to return to standard paladin later unless the aberrations just keep on coming, as the spells are the only thing that aren’t outright useless against other creature types.

One thing not mentioned by this oath is how they view non-evil aberrations like flumphs. In fact, I can imagine that in some settings, flumphs might actually have been the origination of this oath, what with their lawful tendencies and desire to warn terrestrial species about the dangers of the darkness between stars. Then again, others may not be so understanding.

Those who take the oath against corruption suffer no aberration to harm the sentient races, or run free. This often means killing every aberration they encounter, no matter its disposition. When a flumph begs the party for aid, the paladins that had been hunting it mistake the party for cultists of the “foul invader.”

Vernus Caulderbran has fallen, his oath not enough to save him from the mind-warping power of the elder god Clmei Clmei. Now an antipaladin, the foul deity has warped his mind and oath, creating a foul warrior which aids the cult with  his new ability to defend abberations from the spells of mortals, as well as his other twisted abilites.

Deep beneath the solitary peak of Mount Apsod, an ancient evil is stirring, its fowl spawn vomiting forth into the surrounding countryside. Our heroes must contend with the tide of gibbering mouthers and far worse things, as well as the bravado of a platoon of corruption-oath paladins who seem dangerously focused on their personal glory, rather than the threat at hand.

[lightandfellowship]

Two highly suspicious oddities with the upper classmen that the finale never directly answered

The tl;dr if you don’t want to read the whole thing:

Odin tells the lower classmen that the upper classmen traveled alone on their trip, despite flashbacks to Enchanted Dominion making it clear that they were traveling together.

Baldr tells Eraqus that Hoder implied to him that the upper classmen’s trip was going to be dangerous and they may not make it back alive, Baldr goes on to say that this trip doesn’t sound like what they were taught about in school, and finally Baldr speculates that maybe the upper classmen’s trip was actually a mission.

Oddity #1:

“Each left on their own”, huh? Weird, then, that all seven of them were together in Enchanted Dominion.

While it IS possible that the upper classmen just conveniently happened to visit the exact same world at the exact same time, I don’t think that’s very probable. Which means that they likely embarked on their trip together, as a group. Or in the very least, were compelled to meet up at certain intervals for some unknown reason. (Hmm, what other group of students do we know of who sometimes have to split up and then meet back up again? And what was the nature of their journey?). Either way, this suggests that some external factor was altering the parameters of their trip; if this truly was just a trip about broadening their horizons in preparation for their exam, they should be traveling ALONE (we know this because that’s exactly what Xehanort and Eraqus do for theirs, and as far as I can tell, they never rendezvous mid-trip like the upper classmen do).

Which would ALSO mean that Odin is, once again, lying to the lower classmen. But to what end? Why lie about the circumstances of the upper classmen’s departure? Did he, perhaps, want to hide the fact that their trip wasn’t being handled the typical way? But why was their trip being handled differently in the first place? Well, Baldr might have the answer to that.

Oddity #2:

Sure, maybe Baldr is simply mistaken when he speculates about the true nature of the upper classmen’s trip, but I can’t imagine that this detail was included in the story for no reason, especially given all the strangeness surrounding Odin, the upper classmen, and their trip. Even Eraqus, a blueblood who’s probably pretty familiar with the keyblade training traditions of Scala, doesn’t try to correct Baldr when he claims that the upper classmen’s trip doesn’t sound very standard at all. Which makes me want to believe Baldr when he says that the trip might have actually been a mission instead. Between the heightened danger of the trip that could potentially result in none of the upper classmen making it back, and the fact that the upper classmen were traveling as a group (as if in order to work together towards some goal or watch each other’s backs), wouldn’t it just make sense for Baldr to be correct here?

The question then becomes: if the upper classmen were assigned a mission in the guise of a trip to broaden their horizons, what kind of mission was it? Was this mission assigned to all of the upper classmen, or just a few of them (such as Vidar or Hoder?). Why do none of the upper classmen ever reveal that they were on a mission during the course of the game? Were they keeping the mission a secret? Were they not even aware that their trip was a mission?

I’m still tossing around potential theories in my head, but I’d be curious to hear other people’s thoughts on this. What do you guys think is going on here?

[girlwholovesturtles]

Family Business

I can't even remember where I left off last time, my brain has gone full scrambled egg.

Okay, they do in fact have a book that lets you speak with the dead, apparently?

Oh, hello Gerard nice to meet you... can a ghost even smoke? ... Apparently not.

"Good." Did he not- oh, no, she was just fighter I guess?

"I'm a book." Dude... fair I guess... oh, my man just wants to really die, fair enough. Actually, the way he's talking about it, it reminds me of the computer episode. Where the guy stored his brain in a digital format and basically exists in agony, which I imagine is probably what it might be like for Gerard.

I wonder if it actually hurt to be removed from the book like that... goddammit Gerard! Oh, okay, that's actually kinda useful.

"Gertrude didn't make jokes." Yeah, that tracks.

Jon likes using his power. That actually is kind of interesting. I can't help but wonder if it's just getting the information out of people or if there's some sort of satisfaction that comes with being able to force people to do what he wants them to do.

Hmm, this is more devolving into small talk then getting any actual info but I imagine it must be cathartic to talk to someone about all this baggage he's got going on... Jon, shush...

Wait, the Lukas family worship the power of loneliness. That actually tracks so well. The first story we heard about the Lukas family was the woman was going to marry into the family before her fiance died. They weren't really somber, just closed off and uninterested in this new woman being part of their lives. And then in the Boatswain's Call, everyone on the boat was isolated and quiet. Or the actor who chose to be alone, the spider guy who was spiraling and clearly felt like no one cared, and it's not hard to connect the dots with the fact that Peter Lukas appeared before Martin the same way he did the spider dude. I see you story, I know where this is going.

Wait, how did his dad quit the Archive?

This poor guy... why are all the maternal figures in this story so sucky?

Oh... I remember this part of the story. Oh, it worked? That sounds absurd! Good lord, this man had a very bad time. He didn't just burn the book out right?

Yeah, I can't believe Gertrude brought him back and then just left the book behind. That's messed up lady.

Okay, so I actually was thinking about this! Before when I listened to Michael's statement about how Michael Shelley became one with the Spiral, I assumed that the Becoming was specifically the ritual they were enacting but I completely missed that it had called it the "Great Twisting" or something to that effect. So it stands to reason that all the different entities share one goal in mind, to Become and to force the rest of the world to mirror their image. Which makes a lot more sense why Gertrude was trying so hard to stop these things from happening.

That said, it stands to reason that the Eye may also very well have it own ritual in mind and that's why Elias wants Jon to stop the Unknowing.

I'm sorry? These entities are just fear?! Actually, that kinda makes sense?

The thing about fears changing and being cultural does make sense but a lot of these are pretty base like. Fire/destruction, being buried or tight spaces, the dark, loneliness, being watched, death, insects in general, lose of sanity, the unknown. Those all are pretty standard and it's not surprising that these things still thrive.

There are 14 of them? Like, only 14? Okay then. What are they?

"Like your colors but if colors hated me." This line is so funny to me.

No gods of hope, tragic but predictable.

Oh, are we getting list?! You're saying a lot, I just want to make a list!

The list, hopefully, simplified. (For literally no one else but me!)

Eye, being watched. Spiral, madness. The End, death. Stranger, the unknown. The Lonely, isolation. Desolation, destruction. The Slaughter, violence, particularly senseless violence. The Vast, too much space. The Buried, not enough space. The Dark, obviously. Corruption, rot or sickness. Web, spiders and control. The Flesh, being eaten, oh may god, animals count in this too? The Hunt, being hunted, also an animal fear.

This is weird...

I knew it! I knew the Eye would have one!

Fair well Gerry, you were short lived but I quite liked you. And now I can look at you're fanart and have proper context, hopefully.

I... wouldn't accept any drink from these two... okay, I guess it's fine... at least your going home next episode?

Good lord, that was so much lore. Normally a lore dump like this would bore me but I'm into it. It helps that the characters and the concepts are actually interesting to listen to.

[aressida]

My entry: "I see that people are judging the hypocrisies." - Aressida. 7.11.23.

The irony lies in the fact that it appears as though they hold the belief that Christians ought to be faultless.

No, we know hypocrisy is a common sin among us all, not just the Christians. Consequently, Christians wage war against sin. All it proves is that we are sinners and must be washed clean by the blood of Jesus. Every single one of us.

Our goal is not to inflict torment upon someone for their mistake. Sin is not something that Christians do or should do. And the world needs someone who lived a sinless life. The only one who can fulfill that is Jesus Christ. Not by you. Not by me. Not one individual. Jesus Christ.

Remember, the interpretation of biblical prophecies and eschatological perspectives differ amongst Christian types and individuals.

The only people who can legitimately call themselves Christians are those who choose to accept and follow Christ's teachings alone, never challenging or undervaluing any of His more challenging lessons. To spend eternity with Him in heaven, all we need to do is believe and turn from our sins. This is how we are to use Bible verses and scriptures to guide God’s holiness. 

Our purpose in life is to emulate Jesus. For this reason, the world needs more positive role models.

Although you are supposed to learn to submit to God's righteousness, you are denying him by your conduct. And you who hold others accountable for your transgressions while remaining silent about your own. It is similar to engaging in name-calling and subsequently embodying hypocrisy.

The censure is awful.

What kind of Christian are you if you do not defend the innocent?

You run the risk of being a hypocrite if you use someone else as your standard for self-evaluation, because you were too preoccupied with other people's opinions to live up to your own beliefs. Is it really your belief that if you have the attributes of a god but minimize its power with an ungodly, haughty, inconsiderate, and selfish personality, you will be spared God's wrath?

Although these people pretend to honor God, their hearts are far from Him.

Assessing someone based solely on how they act might be contradictory. It is not always appropriate to call someone a hypocrite because, let's face it, you are probably a hypocrite yourself—all the more so if you judge someone else for being one. Someone who pretends to be someone they are not is a hypocrite.

It is unsettling how far we have fallen from glory and grace.

Nevertheless, it is not hypocritical to bring it up. First, show mercy, forgiveness and grace.

So, why am I not surprised?

[catboyaesthetic]

The Wandering Feast of Steel

The Wandering Feast of Steel exists as a sporting event for mercenaries which exists at an in-house level, a local level, a regional level, a national level, and ultimately a global level which culminates in The Steel Festival every five years in Sunspire’s Mercenary Quarter. The Wandering Feast was set up by Helga Wallbreaker, legendary captain of the Red Towers. Helga wanted to raise up the image people had of the mercenary. A visionary and idealist, she wanted to make a true profession out of what so many considered only a cheap and easy way to make money. Helga was well-known for the way she ran her company, and many who have served under or against her knew and dreaded her meticulous nature. Her standards were high, but her wages were just as high to reward those who met them. The equipment of her company never failed, her logistics were so well-organized, it not only made sure she never lacked anything in provisions but ensured the small luxuries that make campaign life almost more home than home were guaranteed. Naturally this meant that her administration needed to be impeccable, which it was. As a result of such great care, Helga’s fighters were always the last to break and run. For who wants to fail a woman so generous? A shining example in a pool of mud and death, Helga was made of the stuff of legend.

Not content with being a warlord known for her meticulous professionalism and many feats of arms, she wanted to motivate the people she saw as her colleagues to keep up the same standards and thereby raise the quality of fighting men and women for hire. Something which in turn would help her ultimate goal of helping the sellsword be seen as a legitimate profession done by honorable people. Few people in her line of work have ever thought like Helga, but the opportunity to win prestige for one’s company - and more importantly, win fat pockets of gold for themselves - was enough to motivate any sellsword. So people began to train and compete. Originally, the Wandering Feast was held only in places in Helga’s direct influence. The rankings first only applied to her own company, the Red Towers. But being a mercenary has a habit of leading you to different places, and the Wandering Feast began to spread not only amongst her colleagues, but also amongst locals who would aspire to martial prowess. Thus, Helga came up with the only true restriction placed on being formally ranked in the Wandering Feast: Being registered and contracted to an officially recognized and sanctioned mercenary company. This to ensure one never solely fights for individual glory, but always wins or loses on behalf of their company as well. For a person never truly fights alone, and as such should not train or compete alone either.

The goal is simple: Beat the other person in the mutually agreed upon competition by whatever means necessary, bar a few exceptions. One cannot kill their opponent. One cannot attempt to permanently impair or disfigure their opponent. The guiding principle of competing in the Wandering Feast is that one should be able to launch into battle proper, should it arise mid-competition. After victory or defeat, they remain your colleagues, and you should be able to fight alongside them after the fact, both physically and mentally. The intent of the Wandering Feast is to elevate oneself and one another through friendly competition. Defeat is not meant to be destruction.

The nature of the Wandering Feast is such that it is intentionally devoid of formalities that might impede competition, such as a set battleground, and thus competition can be had anywhere. One can engage any other mercenary in a willing competition whenever and wherever. For the Wandering Feast of Steel follows and is meant to celebrate the arts that make up the mercenary life, so one should be ready and able to perform any of these feats at any time. When any mercenary company meets another mercenary company outside of “typical labour conditions” such as in by happenstance in a tavern, or after learning they are staying in the same city, there will be typically be a few bouts of competition of martial arts between willing contestants. These friendly matches will be recorded and sent to the resident mercenary offices, who will see to it these are ultimately sent to the central administrative office of the Red Towers in Sunspire.

Arts in which one can compete include identical weapon duel, mixed weapon duel, marksmanship with a ranged weapon of choice, unarmed combat, tests of physical fitness. But the mercenary life includes more than just combat and war, and so outside of the martial, the more creative arts in which a mercenary can compete include banter, rhetoric, storytelling, negotiation, diplomacy, drinking and poetry. For a warrior who cannot appreciate poetry is no warrior at all. This latter category is judged by three previously agreed upon and impartial witnesses. Many other feats exists or may be thought up on the spot. So long as they are mutually agreed upon by the competitors and have witnesses to their competition, pretty much anything can be made into a formal competition within the Wandering Feast. The only exception being that any of these feats performed in an official capacity for an employer i.e. fighting in a pitched battle do not count towards your rankings.  

[leftkidpalaceplaid]

Multiplayer Online Games: Group Fun, Group Adventure

Gaming aficionados without a doubt probably caught wind of the most recent frenzy throughout the last ten years - multiplayer internet games. Since the fame of RPG's and MMORPG arrived at the top, there is by all accounts generally a major event appearing consistently. It seems to be the opposition among the creators of multiplayer games is getting furious to have a greater piece of the market. That's what to do, they generally think of especially intriguing titles to tempt gaming enthusiasts.

Multiplayer web based games are the sort of games that permit anyone to play with different players or against them. Contingent upon the configuration of the game and its standards, there is typically a mission that you need to satisfy or an objective to finish to progress to a higher level. In the event that you are playing against one more player or a gathering of players, they might hold you back from accomplishing your objective. They do that since they need to arrive first or in light of the fact that your gathering is likewise becoming prevention to their objectives. To settle things, you need to rival them and ensure that you beat them or you would be the game's bad sport.

Notwithstanding, it is additionally conceivable to have different players working for you. This is called making a union and consolidate powers to construct areas of strength for an and accomplish a solitary objective. You help each other in beating the adversaries and every other person that could present a hindrance on your goals. In fact talking, this is the manner by which multiplayer web based games work and playing them can truly be a major experience. Attempt it today and perceive how you will toll against different players of fluctuating aptitude level.

There are various kinds of multiplayer internet games accessible. The most well known ones are the activity and pretending games which incorporate specific battling techniques and that's what stuff like. Military-themed multiplayer games are very well known as well, as in CounterStrike, DOTA, WarCraft, and others. Be that as it may, there are a great deal of straightforward ones accessible too, without the need of downloading anything by any stretch of the imagination.

Multiplayer web based games require procedure to succeed in it. You will not have the option to be a specialist on these games in only one day. On the off chance that you are hoping to play this kind of games, you better set yourself up for a long experience ahead. Furthermore, attempt to make companions as you learn. You will likewise require the assistance of different players to accomplish your objectives.

Assuming there are numerous multiplayer internet games for guys, female players additionally have some made particularly for them. Genuine models are Farmville and Cityville as the two of them are presented by the interpersonal interaction goliath Facebook. Attempt to sign in to your record and play them to have a vibe of it. Here, you can welcome your companions to join and play with you. Multiplayer internet games are for sure more tomfoolery and energizing than playing alone or against the PC. Certainly, nothing beats a decent game imparted to companions.

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