#curse of dimensionality

[sunburstsandmoonshadows]

hi question about painting!ford-- does he like,, inhabit any paper lying around basically? or just any flat surface?

bc like ford chilling on a notebook page ranting about something and stan just closing the book to shut him up just popped into my head and made me chuckle

mabel would draw him little scenes and shit to hang out in (also that begs the question-- if he is on a surface with art already on it, can he interact with it? like picking a shittily doodled flower for example)

I've been imaging that a cursed handcrafted Ford would be the same size as his normal self and wouldn't really change from that, so maybe not hanging in notebooks exactly. He could hang out on the wall to complain, or make himself into Stan's painted shadow on the floor if he liked, though.

His movement depends on where in space he is.

Painting: He started out in a framed painting when first cursed. Probably just a recreation of his study or lab. He can move around this space like it's real and he exists in 3d space within it. Other paintings don't quite work like that for him.

Surfaces: he can get out of the painting and move along flat surfaces like he's been painted onto them. You know Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds? That, basically. This does mean he can get literally anywhere if he wants, since even a small crack in a wall or in a doorframe means he can slide into places.

Paper: Soon after he got cursed and got out of the painting, Mabel struck upon the idea of him Flat-Stanleying (Flat-Stanfording) around if she cut out a piece of paper for him to exist on. It turned out a success, and he can exist on a 3d plane like that, though breezes topple him pretty easily. They probably started out with printer paper and ended up giving him a card-stock base to exist on later.

Yes, he could move things that are painted near him! This is hard to describe, but I imagine he couldn't take a painted object and move it forwards or backwards in perspective, just up, down, left, or right. Like moving an image around on your computer screen. He could do something like write with a drawn marker Mabel doodles for him, though. He promptly starts writing down notes on his curse on the walls of the Shack and Stan gives him hell for it.

Here is a real and very earnest and totally not a joke concept sketch:

[notllorstel]

Hi, hope im not bothering you too badly over an oc you made years ago lol, but divorced from the demonic guardian au, how did pi mo meet stand and what’s their relationship? Is she still related to bill?

Pi mo found Stan barely conscious collapsed in the snow. More details later if I find my notes🤞

they are besties your honour /hj

Nope.

Though due to a technicality… (but that’s an idea to play with after going through BOB).

Oh while in search of the notes also found a comic in my drafts of the Pine twins asking her the last question of yours, and hours later of discussions and the use of all the post n notes in the house and even after that they don’t get quite a straight answer from her so just settle with “Gruntie” for their sanity. is it accurate? Maybe not. But it sure messes with Bill (attached below the final panels of the comic)

[changeling-rin]

Just re - read DL, and read a bunch of fics on Ao3 crossing them over with Linked Universe and I forgot how much I love these boys. <3 And seeing how different the Linked Universe is from DL. . .if they boys were given one swear, who would get it, why, and in what context? And how would Shadow and/or Lore try to say it first?

Hmm.

One single swear for the whole group... obviously Shadow tries to claim it. Keyword being tries, because Lore, Blue, and Mask all end up working together to interrupt him before he can get it out. Lore because he wants to use it on the Windfish, Blue because think of the children's ears beyond the Walls, and Mask because think of Ocarina's ears.

Ironically, Mask is then the one who uses it, in a burst of frustration against Shadow.

Everyone is scandalized. Everyone.

[aroaessidhe]

2025 reads / storygraph

The End Crowns All

sapphic YA reimagining of the fall of troy, from Cassandra & Helen’s POVs

Cassandra is offered the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but backs out on sleeping with him, and he curses her so that nobody believes her visions

Hera came to Troy for love, bringing a war in her wake, and while they initially hate each other, slowly a friendship and romance develops

as the war and political situation gets worse, they desperately try and save their city through the strands of fate they have access to, despite the fact that Troy is destined to fall

ace lesbian & bi MCs

[aran-morinorea]

Who is aware of the time loop? 👀

“Hey, Iris?”

“Yes, Clotho?”

“Would you do me a favor and tell Zeus that if he triggers the end of another loop, I’m going to come up to Olympus and shove my spindle up his ass? We need time to work.”

“...Do I have to say it exactly like that?”

“I would appreciate it if you did, yes.”

[batz]

always think abt being able to commission ppl regularly one day like its my Big Dream. i occasionally commission ppl when i have th money . i have a Massive list of plush makers saved tht i dream of commissioning one day

[analyzingadventure]

You know I actually never realized this before-- so you remember how tri. retconned Original Chosen fighting and defeating Apocalymon into them fighting the Dark Masters instead? (To be fair it is possible they could've ALSO fought Apocalymon afterwards but that isn't the Epic Final Showdown tri. decided to depict so it's borderline a retcon)

If the Original 5 Chosen fought and defeated the Dark Masters once in the distant past, doesn't that mean that

A) They survived and hid for just a few thousand years until they came back for a Round 2 at conquering the world

B) They died, were reborn, and THEN went for the Round 2

You know I've just DYING with curiosity, desperately wanting to know if any of the villians in Adventure would ever be reborn after Adventure, right. Because according to the lore they should, right (unless their data was like somehow absorbed by Apocalymon and destroyed along with him (though that would still leave Piemon as an exception (and Vamdemon but we all know what happened to him) and the sole survivor))

And what tri. has essentially done is confirm that most of them should, in fact, be reborn sooner or later

But that just raises the question of if Apocalymon was lowkey driving the Dark Masters nuts (as suggested by the novels), and if tri. was kind of about destroying the last remnants of Apocalymon's data (within Meicoomon), if they were reborn this time would they be free of Apocalymon's influence

If so, would their third (?) lives then turn out different? Would they still try to take over the world all over again for funsies (this time just without Apocalymon giving them power etc), or were they just the same as Ken was in Zero Two? I mean Apocalymon was supposed to be a spawn of Milleniummon and Ken was infected with Mille's malice directly, so while it may have been a bit filtered it was still the same source of malice and corruption, right

And like regardless of how their next lives would turn out, shouldn't the kids (OR AT THE VERY FUCKING LEAST GENNAI) like realize that this is going to happen eventually and like. Go and see if they can find them (either as their pre-Ultimate forms or even when they're still in their Eggs) and try to figure out what to do BEFORE shit hits the fan

I JUST

[luckyagain]

Referring to Louis and Harry as a dagger and rose besides just not making sense (why would they tattoo themselves on themselves? if anything, they would have gotten each other's tattoos) is also just reductionist and insulting to both of them. You view them as one-dimensional characters where Harry is soft & feminine and Louis is harsh & masculine. If you can watch Louis doing the gender reveal and think he was acting like a dagger, you weren't paying attention.

louis was out here looking like THIS last night and you want to talk about fucking emojis??? 🌹🗡️

[choices-and-voices]

I Continue To Adore Him Them Both, part 3 of 5

[h-a-unted]

Yesterday, I read someone miss the mark so bad on But.cher's character, I exploded lmao.

[you-are-not-real]

I try to fuck the klein bottle but can't get my penis inside it

a klein bottle

[multiverseofmisfits]

✨ ✨

send in a '✨' and I'll write out a character that inspired my oc / muse interpretation!

I may have to alter this a bit and straight up explain the inspiration lol

Charles was obviously based from Carl and was intended to be some sort of Carl's alter ego when I made this OC. But after so many alterations, Charles became his own character that he has his own lore that includes the other (Impure) Celestials.

Then there's Taro, whose appearance (and maybe name) is similar to Tanjiro with extra features lol. He was also intended to be Charles' opposite before the other Impure Celestial OCs were added.

[missladybirdhill]

RIP to a legend! I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about John Redcorn as a character, but I’ve always loved him, especially the complexity about his relationship with the Gribble family and his deeply terrible rock music. The writers took their time, but John Redcorn ended up as a three dimensional character, not just an indigenous stereotype or Nancy’s sexy Lothario, and I think Jonathan Joss’ performance helped facilitate that transition. Even though it seems like his acting career had slowed in the past few years, he was only 59 and it’s a tragedy for his end to come from such senseless violence. 

I’d also like to take a moment to remember Victor Aaron, the original voice actor for John Redcorn, who tragically lost his life in a car accident in 1996 at only 39 years old. He only had the opportunity to appear in two episodes, but the character was roughly based on him. I don’t really believe in curses, but it’s definitely a sad coincidence both our John Redcorns died so young and so suddenly.

[shimmershifts]

an open letter to those who have not yet shifted.

i don't know how many of you will see this, let alone how many will read it entirely. this letter is for those who have been trying to shift for two years, five years, more. those who cannot give up, and those who will not give up, and maybe even those who already have. to preface, this letter will not rehash everything you already know. you've scrolled every forum, you've seen every method, you've read every tip. you've trialed, and errored, and persevered... but you're still here. law of assumption, manifestation, belief, intention. but you're still here. you've been told all about shifting... right? you already know what shifting is... right? you should already know how to shift... right? but you're still here.

this letter is not intended to debase or invalidate those who do already believe in those things and who are satisfied with that. this is for those who have been trying that way for 2 years, 5 years, and more, and still haven't shifted. this is for those who might want an alternative perspective.

what you've been told

in my personal opinion, the online shifting community as it currently stands is very... rigid. narrow. there are a few dominant views, and then the many who drown out any possible dissent or disagreement. i do understand why this happens. reality shifting is already a marginal belief, hounded by anti-shifters and disbelieved and debunked on all sides, so it makes sense that people feel the instinct to close ranks at any sign of an outsider. unfortunately, this has led to a community that raises its hackles at even other reality shifters who simply don't believe the exact same way that you do. law of assumption. manifestation. intent. (and dare i say it, the multiverse.)

i don't believe in any of that, in the context of shifting.

now, wait! don't go yet, stay with me. it's okay if you do. i'm not intending to change the minds of those who already believe in these things. i'm not going to go at anyone and say "i'm right, you're wrong, and you must change your mind to agree with me!" that would be silly, and counterproductive. let's lower our guards, and extend an olive branch, please. if you feel these things serve your journey, then carry on. you're allowed to disagree with me, i won't be upset. you're allowed to think i'm wrong, if you want. literally no worries at all.

but i am a little tired frankly of certain ideas being treated as the only options, and often in a rude or hostile manner. if you are someone who has spent five years trying to shift, and you see yet another post that boils down to "all you have to do is want it hard enough" does that not hurt your soul? the following sections of this post are for those who these ideas have not been working for. for those who have not yet shifted. it's been two years. five years. more. and you're still here. are you open to another possibility?

what is reality shifting?

i've told you what i don't believe, but what about what i do? i'll try to keep this as concise as possible for the sake of brevity and comprehension, knowing i could potentially clarify in future posts. but please continue with the understanding that im a chronic overexplainer, and my curse is the fact that the extra words don't always actually increase understanding. bear with me.

reality shifting: broadly speaking, this refers to shifting your linear experience of reality from one, to another. this has been known by many other names in the past, across continents and cultures, even in pre-agriculture societies. i'd include ideas like persistent realms, quantum jumping, focus 21, etc. language is subjective, and people may describe or understand the same experience in different ways.

i believe reality shifting is a haphazard side effect of our limited ability to perceive and comprehend reality. let me explain. space, as we understand it, is three dimensional. but reality isn't. it's our bodies and minds limiting our perception and understanding that makes all of reality seem that way to us at surface level.

1D: let's consider a hypothetical one dimensional existence. everything would a straight line, and the only way to perceive anything else would be as a single point directly in front or directly behind you. forwards and backward. the 2D and 3D are beyond your limited ability to physically sense or feel, let alone to comprehend. Forget about the 4D (time). due to your lack of comprehension, you cannot move at will in two dimensional planes, let alone three dimensional space or even time. you are static, a single point.

2D: let's consider a hypothetical two dimensional existence. it would be a flat, infinite planar expanse. you might be a square, or a circle. you can move freely in two dimensional directions (forward, backwards, side to side), but not in the 3D. No up, no down. If you tried to perceive a three dimensional object, you would only be able to comprehend it as linear, a line on the horizon where it intersects your 2 dimensional plane. you would perceive the 3D as moving around or within you on its own, without the ability to direct it. the 4D, or time, if you could perceive it, would be static, a singular point at a time.

3D: what about our three dimensional existence? congratulations, you now are a form, such as a sphere, or a cube. you can move freely in a voluminous, infinite three dimensional space. Forward, backwards, side to side, up, and down. if you *try* to perceive the fourth dimension (time), you can only comprehend it as linear, a line where it intersects your 3 dimensional space. You perceive it as moving around or within you on its own, without the ability to direct it yourself. any dimensions higher than that, if you could perceive it, would be static, a singular point at a time.

quick 4D sidebar: clearing this one up now because this will confuse some of you who are involved in other communities. in many law of assumption and manifestation communities, "4D" has been used to refer to your imagination, inner world, a bridge to "higher vibrational states", etc. i don't use it that way. i use it in the sense of the mathematical concept, or linking three-dimensional space with time. 4D=time.

4D and 5D: so, time is the fourth dimension. that means it is four dimensional, yet due to our limitations as 3D creatures, we can only perceive it as linear. we perceive it as moving around us, without our direction, forwards, (or backwards in some cultures). what about the 5th dimension? the static one? the one we can only perceive one point of at a time? let's call this 5th dimension... reality. due to our limited perception, it may not seem like it, but time and reality are just like space in that all of it exists at once. if you were a 5th dimensional creature, you wouldn't see a bunch of different realities, you'd just see one the way we just see one 3D universe around us right now.

tip: think of it this way, if a three dimensional creature moving through time is only able to perceive it linearly, it may think that each point of time exists separately, passing by in chronological order. this would be like a character in a book, the character experiences each page one at a time as we turn the page. but we know that actually, the entire book exists all at the same time, and already did exist before we picked it up and started reading it, and continues to exist even when we set it down. the same is true of time, and reality. even if we perceive it as linear, or a point, all of it actually exists simultaneously, like space.

still, we can only perceive one point of reality at a time. i believe when we reality shift, we are by some freak of nature (or nurture) finding a way to trigger a "movement" in this "5th dimension," and therefor shifting our linear experience of time and our singular perceptual experience of one reality to another. ("movement" is a bit of an abstraction here, as movement generally refers to 3D space. you're not actually moving anywhere, you're already there, you just... can't see it at the same time as this.)

ok, so how the heavens do i shift?

if you read through all of the above, i assume that's what you're asking by now. "get to the point shimmer! how do i shift?" if you don't need intention, belief, assumption, manifestation, three gallons of water, crystals, or anything else then what do you need to shift?

if we boil shifting down to its absolute core, all you need to do in order to shift is to shift. (put down the pitch forks, and the flaming feathers and tar. i'll elaborate.)

shifting involves finding a way for us 3 dimensional creatures to trigger a shift in a dimensional direction that we do not have the capacity to perceive. so what i mean by "all you have to do to shift, is to shift" is that there is no physical movement, or secret password we can whisper that makes us shift, not inherently. it's sort of like being told to find your invisible and non corporeal primordial tail, and then swish it in a direction that doesn't spatially exist. find your "move in the 5D button", and then press it. except, there is no button.

so how do we "move" from one point of reality to the other? well, the first clue to this is in noticing what part of us is actually doing the "moving".

you don't make it happen with your three dimensional form. there is no body part or mass or motor function in your 3D body that triggers a shift. there's nothing that allows a three dimensional form to move in five dimensional directions... you just can't. your body stays here. that's good news actually, in my opinion. there is no need to force yourself into strange bodily positions, or chug water, or whatever else. your 3D body is irrelevant, because it's not going anywhere. you don't have to do anything with your body to shift. some people can shift awake, asleep, in the shower, walking around, etc.

you also don't necessarily do it with the fourth dimension, time. there is no specific amount of time that you'll shift after. it might seem you've spent a lot of time trying to shift, but the actual shift itself is instantaneous. some people shift their first try, and some of you might be on your second decade of attempts. again, the time factor being irrelevant is good news because this means it doesn't have to take time.

i also don't think we do it with just intent or belief. the intention word gets used so much it basically means nothing, but the general idea is that intent is the driving force that manifests your desired outcome. in the context of shifting, people use it like "set your intention to shift, and you will" or "intent makes you shift." or the dreaded "you just have to believe harder." personally, i don't think that's true. i don't think intention makes you shift. if it did, you all would have shifted by now, right? i think looking anyone who's been trying to shift for 4 years dead in the eye and telling them they just haven't intended to shift yet is honestly a bit cruel and unusual. some people who intend to shift will shift, but in my opinion, its a case of correlation, and not causation. there are also people who shift without intending to, or who intend to shift but don't.

it's also not really our thoughts that shift. or our mind as a concept, or our entire self. we know this because you don't turn into a comatose vegetable when you shift to a different reality. your thoughts, mind, and self here are unaffected by your awareness shifting away from it. if you successfully "permashifted" to hogwarts tonight, your self here would still wake up in the morning and go to work.

so what does shift? only our linear experience of our own awareness. so in order to reality shift, we just need to find a way to trigger our awareness to shift from one point of reality to another in a non linear fashion, and then integrate that into our linear experience. aha! you think. great! now how do i do that...? unfortunately, this is not an exact science (yet.) once you begin shifting regularly, i think it gets "easier" in some regards because you get a sense for how your awareness "feels" and what works for you. for those who haven't shifted, i can't say "take three deep breaths and recite the secret words, and then you'll shift." there is nothing specific you can physically do that will for certain make you shift. there's no secret passwords.

there is no key to shifting. the good news is, this means there is also no lock.

what we can do is get ourselves primed, into a state that increases the chances our awareness is triggered to shift. ie, find the "move in the 5D" button, (you know, the one that doesn't exist) and learn how to press it. and because it is our awareness that shifts, my "methods" have to do with priming your awareness for shifting. you don't need to believe, which is a good thing because it means doubts won't hold you back. you don't necessarily need to intend, which is a good thing because it means there are no secret blockages in your way. no "subconscious", no "reprogramming", no "delusion is the solution." you don't need any of that. you also don't have to do anything specific with your body or space unless you feel like it and want to. you don't need a script, but you can make one if you want. it's whatever, it's irrelevant darling, it's non-consequential.

these three methods below basically encompass all shifting methods out there. i might expand on techniques for these methods later, but for now i'll go over the basics.

method one: pure awareness

it basically boils down to two steps. get into a state of pure awareness, and then shift.

the first step for this method is actually a simple one, sort of, but i think it's unkind to call it easy. it can be easy, if you just happen to have a perfect technique that works for you on your first try. if so, congrats! if not, don't despair. it comes more naturally to some than others, at first. you can probably build the skills and try different techniques necessary for you to get there.

but what is pure awareness? it's currently very often being called "the void state", but i'm not using that term for a few reasons. one, i think using the term "the void state" or calling it "the void" is making people think it's some sort of place that they're trying to go. it's not. it's not a physical place at all, and that's kind of the point. most of the time, your awareness is perceiving reality through the confines concept of 3D reality, because that's the data input it's receiving from your brain and body. that grounds you in this reality, and allows you to go about your day to day life. your goal with the pure awareness method is to focus on just your awareness, absent of all 3D distraction data and input. that way, your awareness is primed to be triggered to shift its focus to the 3D perception of a different point of reality when you come out of that state.

i might make a post about techniques for getting into the state of pure awareness, but this post is already long enough.

method two: destabilization of awareness

this method gets over complicated, but it basically boils down to two steps. destabilize your awareness, and then shift.

honestly, most shifting methods i see online are in some way doing this. lucid dreams, the hypnogogic state, SATS, self-hypnosis, "symptoms", and also all those iterations of the "raven method" the "staircase method" the "alice in wonderland method" etc are all basically ways to destabilize your awareness from the linear perception it is so used to in this point of reality, offering the opportunity of triggering a shift to a different one. they're all sort of either distracting or subverting your focus on the 3D here in this point of reality.

basically, you'll be trying to discombobulate yourself to the point your awareness is not focused on 3D reality, and trigger a shift.

method three: absence of awareness

sleep method gang, rise up. i'm serious. this method involves reducing your awareness to zero, or as close to it as possible, another potentially prime state to trigger a shift. (and by sleep method, i don't mean lucid dreamers or SATS, i mean simply going to sleep here, having a period of complete unawareness, like totally dreamless sleep, and then waking up in your DR.)

this absence of awareness during sleep is (in my experience) the most common cause of accidental or unintentional shifts, but you might be one of those who can trigger a shift to desired realities with this too.

sleeping is not the only way to get to the state of the lack of awareness. i'd say total distraction methods also count for this. you're not asleep, your body is awake, but you're so "zoned out" (or alternatively in a meditative state such that) you're absolutely not aware of the 3D experience of this point of reality anymore.

this is completely different from the state of pure awareness by the way, because in the state of pure awareness you are aware. like, in pure awareness you have a full train of thought and total control. the absence of awareness is the opposite. it feels sort of like a "blip" where reality time and space passed you by and you were not aware of it.

[milkymars]

Everything we know about Bill Cipher's past so far

His home was called Euclydia and it was entirely two dimensional. ("Flat minds in a flat world with flat dreams.")

Bill was unique among his people because he had a mutation that allowed him to see the third dimension. This can mean that either a) Euclideans don't have eyes and Bill is the only one who had one or b) if they did have eyes, he literally had a third eye.

Bill's parents were most likely named Scalene and Euclid. Entering either of their names into the computer gives the prompt LIFE FORM NOT FOUND. Bill is stated to only draw red and blue triangles in art therapy, so those were probably their appearances.

From the code JUSTFITIN, you get this colour-coded poem:

Rock a bye billy Please don’t you cry It’s not your fault You have that strange eye Stay safe with mommy You’ll never fall And we’ll always love you Sharp angles and all

Bill says that everyone in Euclydia loved him. However, it's more likely that he was feared because of his mutation and talk of a third dimension. Bill has said numerous times that love and fear are the same, and if you enter WELLWELLWELLBEING into the computer:

Bill's parents took him to a doctor to help suppress his vision of the third dimension. This has been discovered through the codes on the silly straw page:

Fussy eater, baby Billy / Wouldn't drink unless it's silly The doctor says three sips a day / Will make the visions go away Eye doctor of a different kind / Who wants to make his patient blind Twisted out of shape after the kill / The ghosts of his family are haunting him still

Bill is responsible for the Euclidean massacre. Reversed audio on the website says that "the sky is on fire", and when Bill talks about liberating his dimension, his eye shows a fiery landscape too. Though he claims to have liberated them both in Weirdmageddon and the transmission with Time Baby, he is regretful and misses home. If you type in EVENHISLIESARELIES, you get a transcript of one of his sessions in the theraprism.

And from the axolotl's poem in Curse of the Time Pirate's Treasure:

When he tells Ford about his home dimension, he says that it was destroyed by a monster. And when Ford says that he could seek out the monster and get revenge on it, Bill replies: "Sixer, it would eat you alive." Bill also says that if he tries to talk about the day Euclydia was destroyed, there's a loud buzzing in his ears and he blacks out for 30 seconds. Still, he tells others that he freed everyone and that they are grateful for it. Until he gets drunk and starts calling out for his mom, asking her where she went...

[bright-hope-spot-19]

You're telling me he still doesn't have one? He still hasn't used a tessen once in Boruto canon? I don't keep up with Boruto. The only arc I watched was a filler one years ago. It was the one where one of those Otsusuki guys named Urashiki appears, and he wants to kidnap Shukaku? So Shukaku is sealed in a tea kettle, and Kankuro, team Shinki, and Boruto are on a mission to get Shukaku to the Leaf, where it'll be safe with Naruto. At one point, Temari and Shikadai see themselves involved in this mission, and that's the only time I've seen Dai use his mom's fan onscreen. Apparently, Temari got injured protecting Shikadai from one of Urashiki's puppets (yeah, this guy uses them weird moon puppets). So, it's up to Shikadai and Boruto to defeat it. Idk, I didn't like how Temari was so easily one-shot. Yeah, she was protecting her son. She still shouldn't have gone down to only one hit, holy shit. In the previous chapter, we'd had Kankuro fighting 5 or 6 of the puppets? Completely alone, and he genuinely managed to iron maiden them within the first few minutes of the fight. It's just that one of the trapped puppets still managed to extend its arm and choke Kankuro, grabbing him by the neck. So, that's when he decided to make them explode. All of the puppets were destroyed, except for the 'leader' one, which would go on to give Temari so much trouble. Many people started thinking for a while that Kankuro was legit dead until it was revealed at the end that he'd protected himself from the explosion with Salamander. It's just such a pity that if it's true, that's the only instance of Dai using a tessen, it was 1- in a filler arc and 2- Temari had to be humiliated like that to give her son a chance to shine.

I love how catastrophically we all lose our shit when Shikadai uses Temari's fan. Like. Get that boy his own fan stat!! Can you imagine if he got his own design on it too? Like three green moons of better yet three green Nara clan symbols?! I can't draw for shit so you will just have to imagine it with me, but I think it would be sick.