#eb route reviews

[letsquestjess]

My Symphony - Part 1 (Tech x GN!Reader)

Summary: After Tech hears you playing music, he can't help but listen, slowly falling for the musician tugging on his heartstrings.

Word count: 2.7K

Warnings: Putting an 18+ / MDNI on this one since there is a slightly heated bit in the middle. Mentions of injury and death. Set pre-order 66.

A/N: This one has been quite long in the making but I finally got it finished. Enjoy!

Part 2

-- -- -- -- --

Mumbling quietly to himself as he reviewed his daily schedule, Tech made his way down the blinding white corridor, scratching absently at the itch on his chin. His brothers had already fallen behind on their duties, so he reorganised the items to accommodate any contingencies.

Wrecker usually spends an extra twenty minutes in the mess hall around this time of week, he contemplated, analysing the pattern of delays from previous weeks. And Crosshair and Hunter are still occupied by their disagreement over the bunk situation. Deep ridges settled between his brows and he clicked his tongue. 

The end room emitted a delicate melody, tender notes muffled by the room’s sound insulation. He paused by the partially open door and stole a glimpse of what was inside. Rooms in this section of the city were mostly abandoned, but a staff member sat at the Pantoran spinet, pressing at the instrument and mollifying a lullaby in a tempered arrangement of tones and pitches.

Music ebbed and flowed in perfect rhythm, and Tech lowered his datapad. As you focused your attention on creating that blissful sound, your eyes danced from key to key, and a serene smile formed on your lips. Mellow harmonies merged to create a soothing theme that eased his worries and allayed his brilliant, yet always racing, mind. 

A set of footsteps approached, and springing into motion, he darted away from the soft sounds and headed for the simulation centre to wait for his brothers. 

But the harmony never left him. In the weeks that followed, he still felt the vibrations in his chest and often found himself humming your tune as he tinkered with his latest project. Your music had built a home in his mind, haunting him in the most welcomed way possible, and he purposely began taking the same route to linger outside whenever you played. At first, he wondered if the instrument’s frequency had hypnotic qualities, but after conducting some thorough research into the matter, he concluded that it simply had a pacifying effect on him. 

Finding some free time after lunch, he made his usual trek to the training facility and slowed at the euphoric vibration filling the vacant corridor. Rather than checking through the door as he normally did, he opted to sit on the floor outside and let the music wash over him, eyes fluttering shut as he tilted his head against the wall. Every shift and lull caressed him, whispering sweet words and-

“Tech?”

He bolted upright as soon as he saw Hunter looming over him with folded arms and a lifted eyebrow. 

“What are you doing?” his brother asked, amused. 

“I was… I was merely…” Tech prepared to fire his excuses, but the rich melody behind him continued to play, continued to turn every rational thought to mush. As it stopped and the door slid open, he was saved from one embarrassing situation and launched into another, whirling round and coming face to face with the musician he’d been admiring for weeks. He shoved his goggles up to the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat. 

You smiled apologetically at the two clones and scanned the deserted corridor outside. “I wasn’t playing too loud, was I? Didn’t think many people came this way.” 

“No, of course not, we were…” Seeking to ignore the knowing smirk his brother aimed at him, Tech stood up straight. “I overheard you several weeks ago. You are exceptionally skilled.”

A breath snagged at the compliment, and ignoring the flush of heat rising, you stepped aside, inviting them into the hushed hum. “If you have some time, you’re both more than welcome to come in and listen.”

“I have places to be,” Hunter stated, “but I’m sure Tech would love to take you up on that offer.”

The clone in question nodded, his jaw clenching against the urge to reprimand his brother for his behaviour. He made a mental note to have a stern conversation with him about it later. 

As Hunter strolled away with a tickled grin plastered on his face, you prompted Tech into the room and encouraged him towards the array of chairs. Introducing yourself, you slid onto the cushioned bench behind the spinet. “I didn’t realise anybody came here anymore,” you said. “I thought this part of the city was mostly used for storage.” 

“It is, but I discovered a route that gets me to the training facility three minutes quicker,” Tech replied. 

“And it leads you right past here?”

“Precisely.” He chose the seat closest to you and scanned over the assortment of badges on your left sleeve. “You work in the data department.” 

“Mostly archives,” you sighed, arranging the sheet music and selecting one from the middle. “It can get pretty boring in there but occasionally something interesting shows up.” 

With a slight shrug, you began to play, hands floating up and down, and back again to inspire the instrument to sing. The song started peacefully, affectionately, like a friendly explorer coaxing a frightened animal out of hiding. An impassioned lilt of treble notes soared and Tech hung onto every alteration in sound, eyebrows lifting of their own volition as though to follow the stirring rise. 

You suppressed a grin at the reverie in his gaze. It had been a while since you’d had an audience, and never one as enraptured as this.  

* * *

After your initial meeting, Tech became a regular visitor, often finding reasons to stop by and listen while you played. He conducted his research while in your melodious company, and you quickly found a sense of ease in his presence, admiring his directness and his curiosity. 

“Would you like to sit with me?” you asked one rainy afternoon, the elements battering on the ceiling. His eyes flicked up from his datapad and the amber speckles glistened at the proposition. 

“I assumed you would need adequate space in order to play comfortably,” he said. 

“There’s plenty of room for you, me and the music,” you jested, tapping the vacant spot next to you on the bench. 

He approached with a hint of hesitation, but seeing that you could still perform unhindered by his closeness, he relaxed and observed in fascination. Up close, he distinguished each keystroke and the length of the notes as you held them in place, assisting them to shine just a little longer. He was accustomed to the cacophony of war, to blaster fire and the shrieks of the fleeing and dying, but your music sounded like pure starlight and the notion warmed him. 

“If you want, I can teach you a few basics,” you said, pausing your pleasing tune. He responded with a keen nod, and you helped him position his gloved digits over the lower level of keys, encouraging him to apply a gentle pressure. “Now, go up a set. That’s it. And up again.” Step by step, you instructed him from one end of the spinet to the other in a series of precise scales and the odd false note. “Okay, keep that going.” 

A graceful composition sparked from your fingertips as they glided effortlessly across the top level to harmonise with his rhythm. Concentration occupied his expression, but you picked up on the hint of a grin at your united effort. 

As you finished your song on the lower set of keys, his thumb grazed yours, light and controlled. No longer focused on the music, his reverent gaze fixed onto you. 

Instinct drove his movements, shaky hands abandoning the musical instrument to find the curve of your waist and cradle your cheek. Seconds ticked by endlessly in a palpable silence. As though a switch had flipped, he abruptly retreated. Alarmed, his demeanour coiled in on itself and his leg bounced. 

“I apologise, I am not sure what came over me,” he said, embarrassment blossoming pink on the tips of his ears. 

“It’s okay, Tech.” You guided him to your waist and your cheek again, and he melted into your touch. “I’ve been thinking the same. Wanting the same.” His guard slowly eased, but you sensed the vulnerability in his movement. “You can tell me what you want.” Noting him struggling to form a sound, you leaned a little closer to whisper in his ear, “Or you could show me if that’s easier.” 

An endearing furrow scrunched at his eyebrows, and you almost saw the thoughts circulating, calculating his next step. He gradually raised his eyes and held them steady, determined not to look away this time. The scent of standard issue shampoo welcomed you into his space and you set a tender kiss on his cheek, letting him adapt to the experience. Like a tightly wound coil snapping, he was on you. 

Hesitancy vanished as he surrendered wholeheartedly to his desire to feel you. Eyes squeezed shut, he studied every fluctuation of your lips as though it was his only purpose, to chart the gradual developments, the tender, the passionate, the clambering, urgent need to be part of each other. 

The datapad on the sheet music stand beeped and Tech detangled himself from your comforting embrace with a grumble, shooting the infernal device a cursory glance. “A briefing has been called.”

From the way he pursed his lips, you gathered he wasn’t thrilled about going, but you didn’t want to risk him getting into trouble. Certainly not on your behalf. “Go,” you told him. “I will meet you here after dinner. Might even play you some more songs, if you’re lucky.” 

“Already am lucky,” he said in his love-drunk haze, squeezing you close to him and only releasing his grip once you insisted he get going. Gathering his belongings, he gave you one last kiss and headed out into the silent corridor. 

Tech didn’t meet you after dinner. You paced between the instruments and listened to the persistent click of your steps until exhaustion finally led you to your quarters. After sending him a quick message, you tried to settle down for the night, but the quiet was deafening and sleep only came when you were too drained to do anything but rest. 

You woke with a start to the sound of your shrieking alarm, and your heart raced as you fumbled for your datapad, searching for any messages. Inbox empty, you got yourself up and prepared for the day ahead. 

The weeks seemed to blend together in a monotonous blur of loneliness and worry until you received news of Clone Force 99’s disappearance during a covert mission. Upon discovering the reports, you made a beeline for the music room and settled at the spinet in silence. Unable to touch a single key, to hear a note without your fear boiling over, you clamped a hand over your mouth and bawled. Your tears dribbled through your fingers and onto the old instrument, salty droplets mixing with the dust on the peeling redwood. 

After a while, it all became a distant memory, and you stopped visiting altogether. The kiss was vivid in your mind, and you couldn’t help but think about what might have been if you had asked him to stay with you. But wondering about it now would accomplish nothing. What was done was done, and all you could do was wait. 

Bleary-eyed and still half-asleep after another restless night, you traipsed towards the archives and passed a group of clones congregated outside the mess hall, deep in discussion. 

“Yeah, it was definitely Clone Force 99,” a clone said to his brothers. “By the sounds of it, they almost got caught by Seppies. Nasty stuff. Couple were brought back on stretchers. Don’t think they’ll be out of the med bay soon.” 

Your thumping heart drowned out the rest. Everything you had endured over the past month shattered, crashed, burned, hurt more than you could handle, and you hurried along inconspicuously.

It couldn’t be true. Tipoca city was always abuzz with rumours, and this was merely another. But in the recesses of your mind, in the house of all your dread, you saw Tech lying lifeless on a stretcher, transported home through blankets of rain and howling winds. 

You took a diligent breath and straightened your clothes, forcing yourself to slow your flurried steps as you made your way to the medical facility. Beyond the doors, the clone on duty signalled for you to retreat. 

“We have active surgeries going on here,” he said. “Unless you’re hurt or there is an emergency, I can’t help.” 

“No, I…” You could tell he wasn’t going to let you see Tech, and you glimpsed the badges on your sleeve reflecting in the mirror behind his desk. “I work with data management,” you told the medic. “There were some reports about Clone Force 99, but they were scrambled. I was sent to talk to one of them to clarify a few things.” 

“Afraid not,” the clone replied. “Two are in surgery and the other two are getting checked over. I’ll send someone to your department as soon as I can.” 

You refrained from asking for more information about who was in the operating theatre. Instead, you nodded your thanks and departed to the one place you knew held some solace. Darkness hid the instruments and the benches until you switched the lights on. It seemed odd returning after weeks of avoiding it. 

The spinet, untouched since you’d last played it, beckoned you, promised sanctuary and shelter from your pain. As you wriggled to get relaxed on the bench, the smooth discoloured keys tickled your fingertips, cold and forgotten. 

You ran through the practice scales and drove headstrong into the melody that had been haunting you: the tune you’d played almost six months ago when you had found Tech in the hallway and invited him in. Fateful notes mounted and swelled like a gushing river, tearing out of you to expand in the current of song placed earnestly by your hands. Every atom of your soul poured into the music as you rocked forward and your fingers ached from the obstinate pressure. 

“If you keep pressing the keys in that manner, it will wear them down considerably.”

Abruptly halting mid-press, the reverberations deteriorated, and you shot from your seat. Tech’s weary eyes met yours as he braced himself on the door frame. The blotchy red and violet smudges beneath his lower lashes crinkled, and he grappled to keep himself upright.

Without a word, you offered him your arms to lean on and he stumbled into you. You noted the bruises and cuts, the bandage wrapped around his bicep, and the way he limped and leaned to the left. 

In measured movements, you eased him onto the bench and let out a surprised yelp when he tugged you down. “You had me worried,” you said, mindful of his injuries as you nestled into his lap. “I thought… I didn’t know if…” 

Nose nuzzling your neck and arms caging you closer, he gave you a murmured, “I’m sorry.” 

Those whispered words wrenched at your heart and you shook your head at him. “Don’t apologise. It wasn’t your fault, and I am just glad you’re okay.” His usually bright eyes stared at you sluggishly and you traced your thumbs along his unscathed jawline. “Are your brothers all right? When I went to the med bay, the medic told me two were in surgery.” 

“Hunter sustained multiple shots to the chest and Wrecker got caught in an explosion,” Tech explained. “I have been assured that they will both recover, but it is going to be a slow process.” 

“And Crosshair?”

“Minor injuries like mine.” 

You wanted to ask more, but all you could think about was his body close to yours, alive and warm. The two of you were together, and that was all that mattered. “You should have gone to your barracks and got some rest.”

“I did not know what to do,” he said, so small and fragile, and unlike him it plucked at your composure. “The medics would not let me stay once they were certain I would be all right, so I came here.” The corners of his lips rose gingerly in a tired but determined smile to be brave for you. “I came here to my symphony.” 

As you shifted cautiously and sat down next to him on the bench, you gently guided him to lie down and rest his head in your lap. He adjusted his position until he found a comfortable spot and his breathing evened out.

“Perhaps this will help,” you said, playing a slow lullaby. Sweet notes drifting between you both, you stroked your hand through his hair to soothe him with your touch and the music you hoped would bring him some peace. 

TAGLIST (Message if you’d like to be added, 18+ only)

@freesia-writes @the-hexfiles @theeyesofasoldier @savebytheodoresnonjosestuff @skellymom

[deletedg1rl]

3rd July 2024

Goals:

Watch all Andrej Karpathy's videos

Watch AWS Dump videos

Watch 11-hour NLP video

Complete Microsoft GenAI course

GitHub practice

Topics:

1. Andrej Karpathy's Videos

Deep Learning Basics: Understanding neural networks, backpropagation, and optimization.

Advanced Neural Networks: Convolutional neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), and LSTMs.

Training Techniques: Tips and tricks for training deep learning models effectively.

Applications: Real-world applications of deep learning in various domains.

2. AWS Dump Videos

AWS Fundamentals: Overview of AWS services and architecture.

Compute Services: EC2, Lambda, and auto-scaling.

Storage Services: S3, EBS, and Glacier.

Networking: VPC, Route 53, and CloudFront.

Security and Identity: IAM, KMS, and security best practices.

3. 11-hour NLP Video

NLP Basics: Introduction to natural language processing, text preprocessing, and tokenization.

Word Embeddings: Word2Vec, GloVe, and fastText.

Sequence Models: RNNs, LSTMs, and GRUs for text data.

Transformers: Introduction to the transformer architecture and BERT.

Applications: Sentiment analysis, text classification, and named entity recognition.

4. Microsoft GenAI Course

Generative AI Fundamentals: Basics of generative AI and its applications.

Model Architectures: Overview of GANs, VAEs, and other generative models.

Training Generative Models: Techniques and challenges in training generative models.

Applications: Real-world use cases such as image generation, text generation, and more.

5. GitHub Practice

Version Control Basics: Introduction to Git, repositories, and version control principles.

GitHub Workflow: Creating and managing repositories, branches, and pull requests.

Collaboration: Forking repositories, submitting pull requests, and collaborating with others.

Advanced Features: GitHub Actions, managing issues, and project boards.

Detailed Schedule:

Wednesday:

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Andrej Karpathy's videos

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Break/Dinner

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Andrej Karpathy's videos

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: GitHub practice

Thursday:

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM: AWS Dump videos

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Break/Lunch

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: AWS Dump videos

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Break

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: 11-hour NLP video

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Dinner

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: GitHub practice

Friday:

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Microsoft GenAI course

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Break/Lunch

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Microsoft GenAI course

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Break

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: 11-hour NLP video

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Dinner

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: GitHub practice

Saturday:

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Andrej Karpathy's videos

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Break/Lunch

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: 11-hour NLP video

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Break

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: AWS Dump videos

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Dinner

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: GitHub practice

Sunday:

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Complete Microsoft GenAI course

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: Break/Lunch

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Finish any remaining content from Andrej Karpathy's videos or AWS Dump videos

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Break

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Wrap up remaining 11-hour NLP video

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Dinner

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Final GitHub practice and review

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 28 of 2023

Title: Naked in Da Nang Authors: Mike Jackson & Tara Dixon Engel & Frank Borman ISBN: 9781616737467 Tags: Aviation, B-52 Stratofortress, CSAR, EB-66 Destroyer, FAC, From LAPL, LAO Laos, LAO Laotian Civil War (1959-1975), LAO USAF Steve Canyon Program - Ravens FAC (Laotian Civil War), O-2 Skymaster, OV-10 Bronco, PHL Philippines, PHL US USAF Clark Air Force Base, SAM, T-33 Shooting Star, T-37 Tweet, T-38 Talon, T-41 Mescalero, US USA 101st Airborne Division - 1st Brigade, US USA 101st Airborne Division - 2nd Brigade, US USA 101st Airborne Division - 3rd Brigade, US USA 101st Airborne Division - Screaming Eagles, US USA 17th Cavalry Regiment, US USA 17th Cavalry Regiment - 2/17, US USA 5th Cavalry Regiment, US USA 5th Cavalry Regiment - 3/5, US USA 7th Cavalry Regiment, US USA 8th Cavalry, US USA 8th Cavalry - F Troop - Blueghosts, US USA United States Army, US USAF 20th TASS - Bilk FAC, US USAF 20th TASS - Covey FAC, US USAF 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service (ARRS), US USAF 37th ARRS Sqd, US USAF 504th TASG, US USAF 68th TASG, US USAF 704th TASS, US USAF 7th Air Force, US USAF 7th/13th Air Force, US USAF Cannon Air Force Base NM, US USAF Fairchild AFB - SERE School, US USAF Fairchild Air Force Base WA, US USAF Hurlburt Field FL, US USAF JEST Jungle Environment Survival Training, US USAF Lackland Air Force Base TX, US USAF Laughlin Air Force Base NV, US USAF LCol Iceal Hambleton, US USAF Shaw Air Force Base SC, US USAF United States Air Force, VNM 1972 Easter Offensive (1972) (Vietnam War), VNM A Shau Valley, VNM Camp Eagle (Vietnam War), VNM CSAR for Bat 21B (Vietnam War), VNM Da Nang, VNM Da Nang - DOOM Club, VNM DMZ Demilitarized Zone - 17th Parallel (Vietnam War), VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM FSB Bastogne (Vietnam War), VNM Ho Chi Minh Trail (Vietnam War), VNM Hue Phu Bai, VNM I Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Arc Light (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Phu Bai, VNM Quang Tri, VNM Rao Trana, VNM Route 1, VNM Route 547, VNM RVN ARVN 3rd ID, VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN SVNAF Da Nang Airbase, VNM RVN SVNAF General Nguyen Kao Ki, VNM RVN SVNAF South Vietnamese Air Force, VNM Song Ho, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base, VNM US USMC/USA Phu Bai Combat Base (Vietnam War), VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975) Rating: ★★★ (3 Stars) Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Aviation.USAF.FAC Description: FACs (forward air controllers) in Vietnam flew low and slow, searching for signs of an elusive enemy. Often they trolled themselves as bait for the NVA troops to try to shoot down. When a friendly unit made contact, having a FAC overhead made their day, because the FACs controlled the bomb-, rocket-, and napalm-laden fast movers, fighter jets, and attack aircraft whose ordnance often made the difference between life and death. They were regarded by many of their air force and naval aviator brethren as insane, suicidal, or both. In addition to the perils of enemy fire which ranged from lucky AK-47 shots to .51 caliber machine guns and SA-7 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, they had to watch out to keep from being blown up in a B-52 Arc-Light strike or knocked down by friendly artillery.

Review: Meh

[quantumresidency]

Apply for EB-5 Visa in 2024: Complete Process and Requirements

The EB-5 Visa allows foreign investors the opportunity for U.S. residency on account of a qualified investment in the U.S. economy. Obviously, as one of the fastest routes to getting an immigrant visa for the applicant and his or her immediate family, the program has drawn much attention worldwide. To apply for EB-5 Visa 2024, you should be aware of the current process, the different requirements that one needs to meet, and the scale of investment needed.

What Is the EB-5 Visa?

The U.S. Immigrant Investor Program, established by Congress in 1990, energized the U.S. economy through the EB-5 Visa, which is the Employment-Based Fifth Preference Visa. This program allows foreign nationals, after investing in a US business that creates or preserves at least 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers, to apply for EB-5 Visa. If approved, investors and their immediate relatives-the spouse and any unmarried children under 21-will be granted U.S. Green Cards.

The program still remains an attractive entrance to acquiring U.S. residency, but there are certain requirements and updated guidelines that investors seeking this residential opportunity should take note of in their applications for the EB-5 Visa by 2024.

Updated EB-5 Visa Investment Requirements for 2024

Investors planning to file for apply for EB-5 Visa in 2024 must take into account the following new investment requirements.

Standard Investment: At least $1.05 million in a new commercial enterprise.

Targeted Employment Area (TEA) Investment: The investment reduces to $800,000 in a TEA. TEAs consist of rural areas or ones with a high rate of unemployment and are always hot destinations for investors.

Another important requirement is that the investor’s capital be derived from legal sources, like income, business profits, or gifts. You should maintain a clear record when applying for the EB-5 Visa.

Job Creation Requirements

One of the most critical requirements of the EB-5 Visa program is the job creation requirement. Your investment qualifies if, during a two-year period after the investor’s receipt of the conditional Green Card, it either directly creates or preserves a minimum of 10 full-time jobs for qualified U.S. workers.

There are two primary routes that can achieve this goal of job creation:

Direct Investment: The investor establishes a new business or buys an existing business, and has at least 10 U.S. workers directly.

Regional Center Investment: All those funds are invested with other investors through a government-designated Regional Center under which all the projects and employment creation will be managed.

The choice of route depends on how much you want to actively participate with the business. Many investors use the Regional Center route because they avoid the direct management burden.

Step-by-Step Guide to Apply for EB-5 Visa in 2024

1. Identify an appropriate EB-5 investment project

Choose a qualified investment project — Once you have made your selection, you can either invest directly or through a Regional Center. To apply for an EB-5 Visa,.

Direct Investment shall be construed to include any action by which you establish a new enterprise, or acquire an existing one, in the United States. In each of these instances, you would be assuming direct responsibility for the employment generation requirement.

The Regional Centers are pre-approved by the government regarding managing investment projects and job creation, so you could be more of a passive investor.

2. Validate if the Source of Funds is legal

One of the most rudimental requirements in applying for an EB-5 Visa is that your investment capital should come from a clean source. This will involve documentation, such as bank statements, tax returns, business records, and so on, where the U.S. government will review to ensure everything takes place within the confines of the law.

3. File Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor

Once you have invested, you’ll need to file a form called I-526 with the USCIC. This petition will demonstrate that your investment meets all the requirements of the EB-5 program, such as the requirements for job creation.

You are expected to give supporting documents, such as a business plan, records of investment, and proof that any funds being used lawfully, for your application.

4. Conditional Green Card

Once your Form I-526 is approved by the immigration service, you and your spouse and any unmarried children under 21 will be eligible to apply for conditional Green Card. The card enables you to remain in the U.S. and work while you meet the employment creation requirements for two years.

If you are in the U.S., you will need to change status; if out of the U.S., you apply for an immigrant visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate in your home country.

5. Met the requirements of employment creation

A conditional two-year residency will require your investment to generate or maintain the requisite 10 jobs. It is thus imperative to follow the performance of your investment, whether directly managed by you or through a Regional Center.

6. Form I-829: Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions

After two years, you will submit Form I-829, with proof that you have met the jobs created and investments made. Successfully clearing it, you, along with your family, will receive permanent Green Cards and be granted long-term residency in the U.S.

This step is most important to obtain your permanent residence status. Failure to satisfy the program’s requirements may result in a denial of your I-829.

Common Problems in Applying for EB-5 Visa

Paperwork Source of Funds: This is arguably one of the more difficult requirements for obtaining a visa to seek the EB-5 Visa-that is, showing that your source of investment capital is coming from legitimate sources of funds. You have to hire financial and legal experts to ensure your paper work is complete.

Employment Creation Requirements: While much more important than before to meet the employment creation requirement within the time required, the due diligence work of regional center investment handles most of the job creation and compliance.

Application Processing Delays: USCIS processing times are often slow, and some take much more time than expected. Your immigration advisors should check the status of your application regularly.

Conclusion: Apply with confidence in 2024 for the EB-5 Visa.

This is one very complicated procedure to apply for EB-5 Visa in 2024, but it does form a definite and safe route to U.S. residency if fitted with the right kind of investment and proper preparation. If you are considering direct investment or through a Regional Center project, knowing all the newly updated requirements and going about the processes will also help to make this a painless application process.

So by investing wisely and meeting the requirements for job creation, you and your family can come and get U.S. Green Cards and enjoy all benefits of coming and working in the United States. Work with Immigration Investment Advisors so that the process can be even easier and, of course, maximizes the chances of getting it through.

FAQs About Applying for EB-5 Visa

Q1: Can family members be included when I apply for EB-5 Visa? Yes, when you apply for EB-5 Visa, your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can also receive conditional Green Cards.

Q2: How long does it take to get an EB-5 Visa? The entire process to apply for EB-5 Visa can take anywhere from 2 to 5 years, depending on factors like the investment type and USCIS processing times.

Q3: What happens if the job creation requirement isn’t met? Failure to meet the job creation requirement can result in the denial of your Form I-829 petition, meaning the conditions on your Green Card won’t be removed.

[markwatsonsbooks]

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03) Exam Guide by SK Singh

Unlock the potential of your AWS expertise with the "AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam Guide." This comprehensive book prepares you for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate exam, ensuring you have the knowledge and skills to succeed.

Chapter 1 covers the evolution from traditional IT infrastructure to cloud computing, highlighting key features, benefits, deployment models, and cloud economics. Chapter 2 introduces AWS services and account setup, teaching access through the Management Console, CLI, SDK, IDE, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC).

In Chapter 3, master AWS Budgets, Cost Explorer, and Billing, along with cost allocation tags, multi-account billing, and cost-optimized architectures. Chapter 4 explores AWS Regions and Availability Zones, their importance, and how to select the right AWS Region, including AWS Outposts and Wavelength Zones.

Chapter 5 delves into IAM, covering users, groups, policies, roles, and best practices. Chapter 6 focuses on EC2, detailing instance types, features, use cases, security, and management exercises.

Chapter 7 explores S3 fundamentals, including buckets, objects, versioning, and security, with practical exercises. Chapter 8 covers advanced EC2 topics, such as instance types, purchasing options, and auto-scaling. Chapter 9 provides insights into scalability, high availability, load balancing, and auto-scaling strategies. Chapter 10 covers S3 storage classes, lifecycle policies, and cost-optimization strategies.

Chapter 11 explains DNS concepts and Route 53 features, including CloudFront and edge locations. Chapter 12 explores EFS, EBS, FSx, and other storage options. Chapter 13 covers CloudWatch, CloudTrail, AWS Config, and monitoring best practices. Chapter 14 dives into Amazon RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, ElastiCache, and other database services.

Chapter 15 covers serverless computing with AWS Lambda and AWS Batch, and related topics like API Gateway and microservices. Chapter 16 explores Amazon SQS, SNS, AppSync, and other messaging services. Chapter 17 introduces Docker and container management on AWS, ECS, EKS, Fargate, and container orchestration. Chapter 18 covers AWS data analytics services like Athena, EMR, Glue, and Redshift.

Chapter 19 explores AWS AI/ML services such as SageMaker, Rekognition, and Comprehend. Chapter 20 covers AWS security practices, compliance requirements, and encryption techniques. Chapter 21 explains VPC, subnetting, routing, network security, VPN, and Direct Connect. Chapter 22 covers data backup, retention policies, and disaster recovery strategies.

Chapter 23 delves into cloud adoption strategies and AWS migration tools, including database migration and data transfer services. Chapter 24 explores AWS Amplify, AppSync, Device Farm, frontend services, and media services. Finally, Chapter 25 covers the AWS Well-Architected Framework and its pillars, teaching you to use the Well-Architected Tool to improve cloud architectures.

This guide includes practical exercises, review questions, and YouTube URLs for further learning. It is the ultimate resource for anyone aiming to get certified as AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate.

Order YOUR Copy NOW: https://amzn.to/3WQWU53 via @amazon

[sophiamerlin]

Preparing for Success: A Comprehensive Approach to the AWS Certified Developer Associate Exam

The AWS Certified Developer Associate Exam is a crucial step in establishing your expertise in developing applications on the AWS platform.

If you want to advance your career at the AWS Course in Pune, you need to take a systematic approach and join up for a course that best suits your interests and will greatly expand your learning path.

Aims to provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to pass the exam successfully.

Some Steps to Increase Your Chances of Achieving the Certification:

Understand the Exam Blueprint: To start your preparation, familiarize yourself with the official AWS Certified Developer Associate Exam Guide. This document outlines the exam domains, subtopics, and their weightage. It serves as a roadmap for your study plan, enabling you to focus on the key areas that will be assessed.

Gain Hands-on Experience: Practical experience is paramount for success in the exam. Create an AWS Free Tier account and immerse yourself in working with various AWS services. Build and deploy applications using services such as EC2, S3, Lambda, DynamoDB, and API Gateway. The more hands-on experience you gain, the better you’ll understand the services and their integration.

Study Relevant AWS Services: The exam will test your knowledge of various AWS services. Develop a strong understanding of their features, use cases, and best practices. Some of the key services to focus on include EC2, ECS, Lambda, S3, EBS, RDS, DynamoDB, VPC, Route 53, CloudFront, SNS, SQS, Step Functions, EventBridge, CloudFormation, and the AWS SDKs. Dive into the AWS documentation, whitepapers, and FAQs to deepen your knowledge.

Review AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): IAM is a critical aspect of AWS security and access management. Understand IAM roles, policies, users, groups, and permissions. Learn how to grant appropriate access to AWS resources while adhering to the principle of least privilege.

Familiarize Yourself with AWS SDKs and Developer Tools: Gain knowledge of the AWS SDKs available for various programming languages. Understand how to use them to interact with AWS services programmatically. Additionally, explore developer tools like AWS CLI, AWS SAM, and Cloud Formation for infrastructure-as-code deployment.

Practice with Sample Questions and Practice Exams: Utilize official AWS sample questions and practice exams to assess your knowledge and identify areas that require further study. This exercise will also help you become familiar with the exam format and improve time management skills.

If you want to learn more about AWS Certification Online, you contact best institute because they offer certifications and job placement opportunities. Experienced teachers can help you learn better. You can find these services both online and offline. Take things step by step and consider enrolling in a course if you’re interested.

7. Explore the AWS Well-Architected Framework: The AWS Well-Architected Framework provides architectural best . for building reliable, secure, efficient, and cost-effective AWS applications. Understand the five pillars of the framework (Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, and Cost Optimization) and how they apply to AWS services.

8. Enroll in Online Courses and Training: Consider enrolling in online courses specifically designed for the AWS Certified Developer Associate Exam. Platforms like Udemy, A Cloud Guru, and Linux Academy offer comprehensive courses taught by experienced instructors. These courses can provide structured learning and help you grasp complex concepts effectively.

9.Join Study Groups and Discussion Forums: Connect with fellow exam takers and AWS professionals in study groups or online forums. Engaging in discussions, sharing resources, and learning from each other’s experiences can significantly enhance your understanding and provide valuable insights.

10. Review Exam Readiness Resources: Before the exam, review the official exam readiness resources provided by AWS. These resources include exam guides, whitepapers, and FAQs related to the exam topics. Ensure you are aware of any updates or changes to the exam content.

Passing the AWS Certified Developer Associate Exam requires a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical skills. By following this comprehensive guide, dedicating sufficient time for preparation, and staying updated with the latest AWS services and best practices, you can increase your chances of success.

Remember to practice regularly, seek support from study groups, and leverage the available resources.

Good luck on your journey to becoming an AWS Certified Developer Associate!

[automateinvoice]

Oracle Automated Invoice Processing

Using oracle automated invoice processing can free up the time that your accounts payable team spends on manual tasks. That means that you’ll be able to complete the whole invoice approval process faster, so that you can qualify for early-payment discounts and make your payments on time. It can also cut down on the costs associated with shuffling paper and paying for postage, and it will help your team work smarter by allowing them to focus on more value-add activities.

Invoice automation is possible by using software that can automatically extract all of the information on your supplier invoices. That means that it can take a much shorter time for them to be uploaded into your ERP and ready for review. It can then automatically check to see if they match with any existing purchase orders and then can use customized business rules to decide which ones should be routed for approval. It can even allow for tolerance levels to be set for invoice values that are slightly higher than the purchase order amount, so that invoices are still able to be approved if they have only minor differences.

Oracle Payables, whether deployed as EBS or via Oracle Fusion, offers a great deal of AP functionality that can be fully leveraged with the addition of a cloud-based or on-premises invoice automation solution. This will not only reduce the number of errors in your AP system, but it can enable early-payment discounts and reduce your operating costs as well.

SITES WE SUPPORT

Automate Invoice – Wix

[impracticaldemon]

Interesting take and analysis! Does that mean you’re an active shipper now or you just found a new respect for the ship (Okichi)? I’d also like to get your rankings on the ships (I see this thrown out a lot before so thought I’d ask)!

Thank you, Anon!  I appreciate the encouragement.

I’m still not an active OkiChi shipper, but I’m far less ambivalent about it – it feels more real and more plausible to me now.  I’m finally satisfied that I understand how Souji and Chizuru ended up where they did, both physically and emotionally. I know that a lot of the story was there before, but it’s as if some of the gaps have been filled in now. 

I think I’ve always been put off by Souji’s style of put downs, many of which I perceive as too harsh to be called “teasing” when aimed at Chizuru (who was frightened and had no hope of fighting back). I’m just not attracted by that type of character.  KW reduced some of the harshness, and put a little more emphasis on Souji’s interactions with Chizuru; EB put the late-game personal, romantic and sexual aspects of the ship solidly on the map for me. I admire the intensity.  

I feel that OkiChi was unfairly blessed with romantic CGs in EB, but I am pleased on behalf of the many OkiChi shippers I know! (Just envious…)

Ships & Ranking

An acquaintance on Steam (the PC gaming site) commented that she understood where I was coming from with my character/route preferences, but asked “don’t you find them kind of boring?”  I thought it was a legitimate question, in the sense that it highlighted how personal preference and experience can shape your views.

My favourite characters, from a strictly “who is attractive to me” and “which ships strike a chord with me” pov, are Saito, then Harada / Hijikata / Yamazaki (order not clear), then Souma (I’m still thinking about where Souma fits into this).  I find these characters soothing to my jangled hyper-awareness, and I perceive them as a good fit for Chizuru as I perceive Chizuru.  Whether or not that means I’m looking for “boring” is a matter of perspective – but I understand the question!

I’m capable of significant objectivity, but I don’t believe an unbiased ranking is possible for anyone.  Personal attraction or dislike, romantic or otherwise, will always influence your decisions, and we’re all attracted to different things (some more common than others).  So I’m going to rank my favourite ships, and say why, and hope that everyone will take it all with a grain of salt. This is about my perceptions, and doesn’t invalidate anyone else’s.

SaiChi:  My OTP (in the literal sense of the expression).  Saito is calmly protective of Chizuru from the beginning.  He would have killed her under orders, but I’m strongly of the opinion that he didn’t expect Hijikata to give that order.  Saito generally seems to disapprove of making Chizuru any more uncomfortable, embarrassed, or frightened than she already is.  He also tends to treat her as a person, not as “a girl” or “an annoyance”.  He answers her questions, and doesn’t mock or undermine her efforts, although he is blunt when she makes mistakes.  Saito’s direct intervention with Sannan (about Chizuru not being a burden) is one of my favourite scenes. Saito may be reserved to the point of being cold (debatable, especially in KW), but his actions are almost uniformly kind, right from the start.  

There are indications of him caring about Chizuru’s well-being from very early on.  The scenes where he drinks Chizuru’s blood are the only ones in Hakuouki that are both sexy and rather cuddly (and frankly, this says a lot about how he feels).  He also fusses less over the whole thing, despite being apologetic, which I think Chizuru would prefer.

Saito and Chizuru actually talk more than it might seem (especially given that Saito doesn’t talk much in general), and Saito seriously considers and values Chizuru’s input.  I love that EB brought in some of my all-time favourite scenes from Stories of the Shinsengumi. I don’t care if it’s a rather shy, awkward relationship at times, it’s the ultimate slow-burn fic of Hakuouki, for me.

… Okay, better stop before I write (more of) an essay on this topic.  Or a 90-chapter story.

HaraChi / HijiChi / YamaChi / SouChi – Ships I ship

HaraChi:  His very earliest treatment of Chizuru is oddly uneven (a little less so in KW), but my headcanon is that he knows he’s prone to caring too much, and is trying too hard to guard against it.  His route always felt realistic to me, given the time period and Chizuru’s background.  Sano is flawed, but I find him very human, and I think Chizuru finds him both kind and comforting.  Plus, somebody needed to say this:

I’m immensely grateful that EB significantly changed the first part of the HaraChi interactions in Edo. It works SO much better now.  Sano’s a sweetheart, and he makes Chizuru his priority more than most of the others.  This is the route and character that I never expected to love as much as I did (originally); now I love it more. (And he has such awesome banter with Shiranui, and snark for Kazama. ♥)

HijiChi:  Hijikata should never have left Chizuru behind when he went to Ezo. Now that that’s off my chest… I like the ship because it feels realistic given Chizuru’s overall personality. Chizuru’s crush on Hijikata (from the beginning) makes sense to me, and I can see how his charisma, devotion to the Shinsengumi, and obvious disregard for his own needs eventually converts a crush into love.  He’s a difficult man not to admire, if you value the fiercely responsible type (which I do).  I don’t know if EB added as much to this route as to some others, but I definitely enjoyed seeing Hijikata with Souma and Nomura, and I liked the extra historical details.  The main flaw to this ship is Hijikata’s refusal to concede the validity of Chizuru’s feelings and wishes until he is driven to it.  I do appreciate the fact that he didn’t “fall for” Chizuru right away (there’s a big difference between 16 and 28!); on the other hand, he clearly came to care about her from early on.

YamaChi:  I think I enjoyed the KW portion of this story better than the EB portion; something about Yamazaki’s EB route was not quite as satisfying for me – but I’ll be playing the route again for a second impression.  I like the fact that EB established Yamazaki as a superb warrior as well as a caring medic.  The affection in this ship was endearing, and they seemed like a natural fit.  I thought the ending was solid, and the whole demonstrated a deep, ongoing commitment to each other.  It doesn’t hurt that Yamazaki is one of my favourite Hakuouki characters.

SouChi:  Chizuru getting to be a senpai was great.  If you want the wildest roller-coaster of feels and angst from start to finish, this is the route. I think I like this ship because of the honest respect for Chizuru and what she does, and Souma’s commitment to the Shinsengumi.  I’ll save my comments about the route itself for another time (there were aspects of the EB route that I was so-so on).  SouChi, like YamaChi feels like a solid, believable relationship with clear affection and respect on both sides, and the attraction resonates for me.  Also, I adore the Souma / Nomura friendship.  KW & EB did a terrific job with Nomura as a character. [And I can’t get over the way they brought so many of the others into this route – aaaaahhhhhh!!!! so cool!]

Random screencap of some cuties.  (Yes, okay, I put Saito in there – he did give Souma excellent advice, however.  Also, as stern as he was, he took the guys seriously, unlike pretty much everyone else they ran into.)

ShinChi / HeiChi / OkiChi / IbaChi Good points, but I don’t really ship them

ShinChi:  I liked the route concept for EB – Shinpachi having to deal with having been made into a fury, but not wanting to make Chizuru feel awful either.  I felt like poor Shin could have used a friend like Sano around even just to yell at, or drink with, or something. I really liked the idea of trying to fight his final battles without resorting to fury form, and I liked the watchful presence of the Oni.  And Shin finally got properly recognized for being a top-notch swordsman!  Problem is, I’m kind of neutral on the ship.  I never quite got past the brother/sister feel to it.  On the other hand, the epilogue was sweet and I’m glad they got there, so a replay is definitely in order (on Steam, since I’ve played it on my Vita).  I might change my mind on this one.

HeiChi:  I’m “positive-neutral” on HeiChi and always have been.  I don’t find the ship compelling, despite the reasonable argument that it can be seen as healthy and more “equal”. To be honest, I got a strong sense from the beginning of Hakuouki that Chizuru liked Heisuke, and appreciated his cheerfulness, but was *attracted* to Hijikata and the others.  The ship’s probably fine, objectively, although Heisuke does leave Chizuru behind to follow his aspirations with Itou, which always troubled me.  Heisuke’s a sweetie, but I don’t “feel” the romantic ship.  I sympathize with Heisuke, always trying and trying to come into his own, and make the decisions that are right for him, but there’s a sense of immaturity-despite-best-efforts that doesn’t work for me.  I leave HeiChi in the competent hands of those who love it! (And hope that my HeiChi stories make up a little bit for my personal ambivalence.)

OkiChi:  … I’ve said enough about OkiChi.  I leave it to those who love it best and write really cool fanfiction about it.  It’s a big change for me to move OkiChi up this far on my list (partly Shinkai, partly having friends who’ve been working on me with OkiChi!).

IbaChi:  Not a bad ship, or route, but left me neutral.  Having gone down the path with the Demon Arm, and the way it and Iba and then Chizuru were intertwined, I felt like there could have been a bit more to it.  I would have preferred Takeda to be a more well-rounded villain.  I didn’t feel a strong Iba-Chizuru connection in KW; I felt like Iba was pushing Chizuru to feel and remember things.  I kept wanting Iba to be a little more honest and a lot more direct.  There were upsides and downsides to both this ship and this route, and I’m in the middle.  The ending was good, and I liked that final CG (Iba looked really good).  This is another ship I’m going to leave to those who really love Iba as a character – I know you’ll do great with it! :)

KazaChi / SanChi /SakaChi*I don’t ship them, but I can see the possibilities, to a point* except SakaChi which I just don’t ship

KazaChi:  Maybe.  I still can’t wrap my head around the arrogance.  Smug doesn’t work for me, especially when it’s all one-way – it’s part of why I still struggle with OkiChi.  I’ve come to the conclusion that I do better with modern AUs for both OkiChi and KazaChi.  KW and EB provided some good KazaChi moments, and I really, truly feel for Kazama toward the end of EB (which is much more like Movie 2 than the original game or the anime).  @hidetheremote et al, this one’s yours, and I will continue to do my best to contribute from time to time!  I actually do have a soft spot for KazaChi in its end-state – Kazama does start to respect and care about Chizuru for herself, eventually (when is a matter of opinion).  I don’t think loving another person will ever come easy for him, but I have the feeling he’ll try, and he’s a very competent man (Oni).

SanChi:  This is another one where I think I preferred KW to EB, but it requires another play-through.  The route itself was rather fascinating, although I think it over-complicated itself toward the end.  Sannan and Kaoru (and Kodo) in a dismal castle full of furies – this is some serious Gothick.  The atmosphere was very well done.  Sannan as a ship with Chizuru – hard to get my head around.  And yet.  I couldn’t help but feel that tug on my heartstrings that said “Sannan is truly a tragic figure and deserves some happiness.”  Plus, he’s a damn good tactician and devoted to his cause.  Don’t ship SanChi, but still want Sannan to be loved and appreciated.  Hmmm.

SakaChi:  I can’t bring myself to like this ship or find it believable (though definitely more so in EB than in KW).  Everyone has their types, and Sakamoto is the exact opposite of mine.  He set my teeth on edge from (literally) the first time I saw him on-screen.  I know my opinion of this ship is biased, but there are just so many reasons I don’t ship SakaChi.  If you love Sakamoto / SakaChi, then I’m kind of glad, because I like every character to have their fans.  However, there’s probably no point reading my comments below unless you’re honestly curious about my perspective. I’m trying to outline my issues with the ship, not convince others that they’re wrong.  (I mean this – don’t let me upset you.  If you like something, despite seeing some of the flaws, and you respect other people’s preferences without hate, then stick with what you like!)

CG:  one of the scenes that I did like a lot

First, I found the entire development of SakaChi in KW totally unbelievable, and Sakamoto was disrespectful of Chizuru’s personal space to an extent that I’d call harassment.  He made Harada look tame, as far as flirting goes, and I’m firmly of the belief that Harada treated her personal preferences with more respect.  As a specific example (albeit from EB), Sakamoto asked to “borrow” Chizuru’s lap.  When she was taken aback, he settled in anyway, then said “oh come on, it’s not like I’m violating you.”  Just… no.  This excuse is used way too much in the real world for me not to flinch here.  I’ve seen too many women have to deal with this, and I don’t like it.

Second, Chizuru’s loyalty to the Shinsengumi is part of what makes up her character, for me.  So I struggled to understand why she got so involved with Sakamoto in the first place, given his total and complete disdain for the Shinsengumi (not unjustified disdain, but not likely to appeal to Chizuru coming from a guy who’s pretty much a stranger).  Chizuru also seemed too quick to let go of the fact that Sakamoto was a gun smuggler and general arms’ dealer whose weapons killed an awful lot of her friends (although at least she wasn’t altogether happy about it).  

** Must admit that I did better with Sakamoto as a character / person once I went and learned a lot more about him and the situation in Tosa.  I already had some background knowledge, but I definitely improved on it.  Sakamoto’s balancing act between powerful Satsuma and powerful Choshu, while working around Tosa’s locally powerful / abusive daimyo, was fascinating.

Third, although I found Sakamoto much improved in EB, lines like this were a complete “ugh” for me:

Look, buddy, she just told you that she wasn’t ready to sleep with you.  Complaining to her that it would suck if she made you wait until the wedding is not my idea of a good relationship.

What did Sakamoto / Sakamoto’s route do well?  The route presented a good story, told from the opposite side, that didn’t just repeat the basics of the rest of the routes.  Sakamoto is an interesting guy.  If you’re into the brash, self-confident, pirate types (Han Solo comes to mind, although I preferred Han), then Sakamoto’s a good fit for you. Sakamoto does, without question, rock the western look.  Despite my belief in the importance of Chizuru having some agency and self-determination, I think Sakamoto’s absolute refusal to let her go rescue Kondo was both right and appropriate (that’s the CG I picked, above).  To be honest, stern Sakamoto appeals to me far, far more than smarmy smiley Sakamoto, (another clear result of my personal preferences).  The scene out by the dock was good, and I had to appreciate Sakamoto’s directness, in that instance.

Okay, so despite my best efforts, I ended up putting a lot of my route review thoughts into my personal ship ranking list.  AND it’s all way too long again.

I hope that there’s something here of interest.  And – one more time – ship what works for you.  Canon (game-based) ships, “non-canon” ships, semi-canon ships, m/f, f/f, m/m, whatever.  We don’t have to agree for me to respect your preferences.  Otome games are all about so-called “problematic” ships; my preferences tend to be on the “serious and thoughtful”, or at least “responsible and honest”, side (or “boring” depending on perspective!).

~ ImpracticalOni

[avissapiens]

Avis' Subject Symposium

A Crash Course in Trance Pt 1: Files.

(Art by Acro @sodalite96/https://twitter.com/sodalite96 Used with their permission. Go check them out!)

So often new subjects come to me and they don’t know the first thing about trance. None of its mechanics or methods, and so it can be very daunting for them; to step into such a wide abyss without knowing what to expect and what is expected of you. Many of them, even experienced subjects, expect that 100% of the work is and should be done by the Hypnotist. In truth both parties, the hypnotist and the subject, must be willing and able. But while it’s more readily apparent what must be done in order for a tist to be successful in their endeavors, many subjects/potential subjects can have a hard time understanding what it takes to get the most out of their trance, both from pre-recorded files, and from live sessions with a hypnotist. So, I’m here to give you what is in my opinion, the essential Crash Course to Trance, starting first with trancing to files.

Location

Find yourself somewhere nice, darkened and quiet, where you know you won’t be disturbed. This is already a hard task for a lot of subjects, living with other people always increases the chance that one might barge in on you, eyes glazed over, drooling all over yourself. Or that someone’s reckless pounding from above might shake the abyss so thoroughly that it takes you out of trance. But here is the thing I will stress. While physical quiet is a good idea as it allows you to focus on the words and suggestions streaming into your head. What matters so much more is internal peace and quiet. A location where you can feel at ease and safe and secure in yourself. A locked bedroom surrounded by mountains of pillows. Your favorite plush armchair that threatens to swallow you almost as well as the Abyss of Trance. The peaceful morning route on the train whose path you know so well that you can be lulled into trance just by the rumbling vibrations of the tracks beneath your seat. Wherever you can be comfortable.

The ideal location for trance I'm sure does exist in some government facility or therapists office somewhere, where you can be dropped into an isolation tank and be brainwashed clean. But most of us will never encounter that. So what matters then is the ideal mindset for trance, which is one of peace, safety, trust and assurance.

Equipment

This is one of the reasons so many love using files. Because its barrier to entry is so low. All you really need is something to play the file on and a place to listen. This is in contrast to working directly with a tist where you need, at the very least, A good internet connection, maybe a camera, Another person who you trust and who might be wildly inconsistent. Or working in person which probably will require a whole location and time-table to get set up. No, Files are relatively simple and they are no better or worse than live sessions for certain purposes. However, like all simple things, they can be elevated by improving its ingredients. A box cake from the store and a home-made chiffon are functionally the same, but their difference comes in the ingredients and technique.

So for trance I recommend spoiling yourself a little, at the very least buy yourself some decent quality over-ear headphones. Many file-makers (myself included) add frequencies and binaural beats underneath the main track. These serve the purpose of training your own brain’s waveforms to a certain frequency, thus more easily taking you into trance. But they can only be detected and properly registered with some good headphones. Additionally, The encapsulation of headphones provides a more immersive experience, isolating you and transporting you through the trance experience like you are in your own little world. Trust me. $600 studio headphones aren’t needed, But a good quality wired $40 headset goes a long way and is multi-purpose. A decent quality chair or mattress also will serve you well, not just in trance but in life.

Focus

Trance is a very tricky state that, like all things, requires practice and patience to master. Staying in trance is like a tightrope walk, teetering gently between the realm of consciousness and awareness, and the oblivion of total subconscious and sleep. It is the liminal space between the two, that subconscious space that makes trance and hypnosis possible. It is the state where your mind is most open to total suggestion and where magical things can happen. So how does one walk the line between these two modes of being? The answer is focus. Or rather Half-focus. Focusing without focusing. With descriptions like that it can sound like some kind of Zen riddle, but that is often what it feels like sometimes. Now this is not a laser focus like you would expect in a classroom setting, no one is being tested here. It's a more gentle and subtle focus. Like focusing on the world around you. Focusing on the wind on your face, the rise and fall of your lungs; On the way your body just goes loose and slumps over. The trick is to go in and to follow along, to listen and pay attention and try to comply with the suggestions given at first. Suspend your disbelief and engage with it unironically and without pretense. If you notice yourself drifting, don’t try to force it back to focus. Simply let it explore where it wants and to carry on organically. Nothing in trance needs to be forced. Simply focused on and allowed to happen.

Many subs oscillate in trance, their minds ebbing and flowing like a Sine wave; wavering in and out of trance, one minute aware, the next minute completely blank and asleep, and then for a brief moment in bliss. But it averages out to trance at the end of it. One must also not fear dropping out of trance. Focusing too much on that eventuality makes it a self fulfilling prophecy. Just Focus-not-focus-half-focus and enjoy yourself.

Apprehension

So many subjects look at files and their mind begins to spin with endless questions and anxieties. Worries about “losing themselves” or “changing too much” or “doing things they don’t want to do.” It’s a valid set of concerns for a new subject, uninitiated in the true mechanics of trance and only knowing of hypnosis what is shown in the media. Evil villains and monsters brainwashing our heroes to do horribly enticing and arousing things. So ingrained is this idea that it even crossed over into the allure of hypnosis files. And while I won’t say it's impossible for that to happen, I have 3 comments on it to ease your mind. First, with Files, one of the best things about it is that the subject gets to control practically every single aspect of the experience. When you do it, how many times you listen, and whether you listen at all to begin with. While all files should be clearly labelled with Content and trigger warnings and given an explicit summary of what they are and what they do, we know that is not the case. The amount of “Mystery files” I've seen on various forums irks me to no end. But it appeals to some people. However, for those who are not particularly fond of surprises you have the absolute power to review the file before you trance to it. You can give it a fully aware walk through, or just jump through segments to look for anything that doesn’t suit your taste.

Once you’ve done that however you might still be conflicted about some content. Not openly averse to it, but unsure. Dumbing down and IQ reduction are probably number one on this list. People are so terrified of somehow losing everything when they learn to stop overthinking things. For these concerns my second point suggests Introspection. Ask yourself “Why do I/Don’t I want this?” “Is it really as bad as my anxiety is making it out to be?” Because if you like something a lot, and really want it, then why should you deny yourself it out of fear? Even aside from dumbing, many desires are tinged with this air of guilt or fear. Terrified to acknowledge or grab hold of what we truly want and own up to it. In my estimation Hypnosis can be one of the best ways of dabbling with those desires because in trance there is no shame or judgement. Finally, my 3rd point says you don’t have to worry. If you really don’t like a suggestion you can always leave it behind. Your mind has built in fail-safes to reject suggestions you haven’t agreed to. A file cannot make you do something unless you want it, at least subconsciously. The old cliche goes “All Hypnosis is Self-Hypnosis” and what that fundamentally means is that as a subject you are the one who decides what happens. You consent and go along with things and allow them to happen to you. It is your desire, your focus, your arousal and your own subconscious that allows hypnosis to work. Subjects have more power than they know. I really hope it assists some people in vibing better with trance and files. I’ll be putting out another version for Live hypnotists later this month.

Thanks again to Acro for letting me use their Art, definitely go and support them on twitter. And If you want to support the creation of more hypnotic experiences that might help you practice that balance of focus then you can do so by subscribing to my Patreon, or to my Youtube channel. And if you want to interact more closely with me and my supportive community you can join my Discord server.

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[grim-faux]

3 _ 1 _ An Echo Rebounds Through the Silent City

First -  Insanity and Its Many Forms

 An unknown amount of whatever time was not displaced, persisted in between the episodic spans where he chose to give pause and review course along with directions. These small wedges of vacant ambition he spent in silent contemplation, or idly browsing over discarded literature – with no intent of unearthing anything remarkable, but all the same he reserved a pause for that slither of boredom persisting.

 During a prowl through a sequence of rooms connected by narrow and lopsided corridors, he dallied on and off to poke through a near endless flow of books. However, none of the material provided much, aside from excessive decay and mildew, and junk topics. If he had to speculate, the perpetual rain beyond the structures impervious walls had for the time ebbed. The floors and walls suggested clear drowning, but of the current span he couldn't discern a stretch of liquid or where the leakage might've originated. This subterranean pocket could then be buried deep in the obelisk following its collapse – been buried under a collapse – and the whittling waters redirected by impassable obstruction.

 This section of unknown interior was not reached through a door or window, nor even a ruined space of the wall or ceiling. His entrance was through a television, and as such, it had been some time since he’d seen the rains or the weather. Despite intolerance for the dreary scenery, disconnection from the outside realm unsettled him. Giving the feel and state of the ruined walls, the muggy air, the void absence of noise that was not his clicking steps. He could conclude no window glaring into the sky would be forthcoming.

 While poking through a waterlogged calendar bunched up beside a wall, he reflected on the satisfaction it might bring to simply take a direct route to the Tower. If that were possible. With the proper conduit the televisions could dip directly into the Tower's space, at least, the hall and the door buried deep within the bowels of that horrid place. A cautionary tale he kept in the forefront of his thoughts, was the inclusion of the boy.

 For one, the child had become reluctant to approach the screens without his stern instruction. Since the child had a habit of blowing out the device – and the price of a functioning television was high – he couldn’t have the kid assassinating each unit without mercy, As such, he bypassed all dispute and hauled the boy through each time, no bickering. The other concern, being that given the child’s resistance to the Tower, it could be… dangerous, to simply throw him to the mercy of the omnipotent occupant. Any number of events might incur – retaliation, terror, panic, combat – none of which had a definitive or clean outcome.

 Aside from all seeing observer, the Tower had minimal interference without the Broadcaster’s retaliate influence. All that could change once it held him in its grasp, and willingly.

 The tomes remained solid enough he could pick apart layers and read titles, but that was the most he could garner. With a crackly rasp, the Thin Man abandoned the corridor, and traveled down a steep incline into the next parcel of interwoven catacombs.

 Catacombs was an apt description, but crypt was much more accurate. In areas, the walls eroded out forming sprawling pockets, and what ‘walls’ remained had been reshaped by a cave-in. Intermixed with wood and plaster, a body of a Viewer, or some other nameless creature. All expired, with only the chittering insects for company.

 For a brief spell the Thin Man stalled, preening through the wreckage for a whisper of a trace. The embedded layers held dense, giving him hesitance to teleporting through the floor to the next level. He continued with his casual stride, occasionally bypassing intolerable breaks in the grounds or barriers built in narrow slots with a glitchy skip. Without much thought, he took a left in a branched corridor and flashed quickly through the twisted pathway.

 At current, the child’s location was a near mystery. A new mystery, in that the boy was not underfoot as he usually was.

 The door unlatched and opened against his grasp, and the Thin Man bowed into the next room. This was a much more together area, decorated by the expected decay, but not eviscerated entirely. He cast his gaze over furniture, the broken gap in the floor – no window. A second door led into a stairwell, ascending and twisting sharply. The click of his shoes rebounded, in time with his dulled heartbeat.

 He was never concerned as he once was, when the boy went scarce. It was a constant recurrence in the child’s slotted habits, to wander off and get misplaced somewhere. However, as proven time and time again, he and the child remained inexorably drawn to the other. Call it destiny, or inevitability. A self-fulfilling prophecy he didn’t care to usurp nor challenge. When he was a much smaller person, he always imagined it was the bad guys role to fight the inevitability of his fate. The man in the hat wasn’t a bad guy, he was a victim of his circumstances. The child would—

 While walking alongside a banister, a door on the floor below burst inward. The Thin Man paid it no mind, supplying only a sigh. That did startle him, but he wouldn’t admit it.

 Since he had been more forefront about his project, the boy became a smidgen easier to manage. Of course, he glossed over certain details. If he kept the child preoccupied, then he wasn’t in danger of disclosing certain liberties. Perhaps by the end the boy would aimlessly tottered after him, but only if he—

 A creaking gargle erupted at his back. The Thin Man twisted around, hat tilted sharply. It was the Viewer, the one that crashed from the doorway. A stairway must have been nearby, though he hadn’t noted one. As for the creature itself, it now was placed on the upper landing with him. The smaller adult creaked and groaned, boney arms reaching out as it closed the distance with mindless devotion.

 Without a thought, the Thin Man swept out a long arm and knocked the creature right off its crooked legs. The Viewers were not stable, or least of all sturdy creatures, and the thing blasted through the rail and plunged to the floor below. When its body impacted the panels, the wood creaked. He knelt and watched, pensive as the twisted Denizen of the Signal fumbled to recover. One leg flopped awkwardly as it wrenched sideways, body mangled at awful angles. All this floundering amounted to nothing when the splintered paneling swallowed up the entire shape, a good portion of the floor sank into nothingness, allowing only a dusty sigh to escape.

 The encounter did not leave him optimistic, regardless of his advantage to the brain rotted drones. When televisions became scarce, the Denizens of the Signal sought their next fixation.

 The Thin Man rose from his perch and tucked a cigarette between his lips. It was not an issue he regarded, given televisions would always be easier to chase down than he or the child. He brought a hand to his face and sighed. It was more likely the building collapse was recent and that incapacitated the units, rather than the child was out straight up murdering televisions. Who could say? He could only envision the Tower snarking in the back of his mind, but he never actually heard it.

 Dismissing the event, the Thin Man resumed exploration of the building. Or the areas which afforded interesting venues and detours. No space or area was inaccessible to him, the layout of hidden gaps was felt through the static coursing within solid walls and empty space. If his tall-tall shape could fit, he would arrive.

 In his endless quest, he came into an occurrence of sections that appeared the more acceptable in terms of ‘hospitality’ of the ruined rooms. Some of the walls lay twisted, the floors bent or buckled, but the rooms he meandered through remained mostly whole – if the particular eye could ignore a slopped ceiling and slanted floor panels. Regardless the threats by the wailing walls, he would not let the structure collapse during his occupancy.

 Through a cracked window in some room, he could at last discern the state of the weather. A dense fog hovered in the room, invited by the toothy maw of the broken frame, beads of condensation speckled the remaining bits of teeth and a thick layer of slime clung to the window sill.

 So lost in thought he was, he missed the tracing twinge of the transmission. Up until the source plowed against his ankle and clawed at his slacks. He let loose a smoked up sigh, fully set on not addressing the persistent grappling. Tugging. Pinching (biting?). Clinging.

 Far out beyond the thick walls of gray air, he could perceive the piercing glare of the Signal beacon burning forth. All enticing and full of promises.

 He moved from the room and into another corridor, ever cautious with his steps. As much caution as he could scrounge up, with a child deliberately trying to get under his sole. The boy couldn’t just pipe up with a greeting, a murmur at least. No, he had to wrap himself around his ankles and try tripping him. Maybe he did intend to trick him, but in an unexpected way. An inefficient way.

 Unable to deal with this for any longer, he stopped at the end of a corridor and peered down. The child clung to his pant leg standing between his shoes gaping up at him from beneath the rim of his ratty hat.

 “What is it? What do you need?” No response was given. The boy stared on and on. “Danger? Has something frightened you?” The only response was the child pressing against his shin. “Boy, I am asking you questions. I expect a response, at the bare minimum a coherent answer.” The breath huffed against his slacks. “Did I not make myself clear? I want you to speek up.”

 At last, the boy uncoiled from his leg, but maintained that unfaltering stare. “Sure.”

 He sighed and bit the end of his cigarette. Whatever. He nudged the child with his shoe, scooting him aside enough so he could kneel. The dark patch on the child’s shoulder does not surprise him, it only annoyed him. With his fingers he snared the boy’s collar and took him up in his other hand, inspecting him over. The color soaked rich into the shoulder, but darkened to brown. No other wounds lay bare upon a glance.

 The kitchen had to be somewhere, but that frequently available space appeared to have been eviscerated from all existence in this dwelling(?). A bathroom, any room with available water, would suffice. This one space which would proffer all needs, was entirely incapacitated by the bent wall and no faucets visible, save the twisted pipes where a toilet might fit.

 Fed up with the doomed ordeal, he stopped in the first room that held together without the demand of his focus. An unremarkable and bland room, with no furniture to set up shop. He crouched and pinned the boy to the knee, braced against the ratty carpet. With ease he undid the coat and set it aside. The child sat in place, head titled far back until his hat all but abandoned his head.

 The shoulder of the boy's undershirt lay tattered, and the rags already supplied to cover the wound hung loose and wet. It was a simple matter to undo the scraps and gather the full damage. He muttered to himself, a few lacerations but they didn’t appear deep nor hindering. In fact, the healing looked to have begun; aside from the ongoing seeping. The skin was blotchy, but without proper cleaning he couldn't discern if it was bruising or staining.

 All he could do was redress the injury. From an obscure pile beside a wall, he stole a scrap of cloth and worked to refashion that into something manageable. This required two hands, but the child did not seem intent on tearing away or struggling. He kept sharp observation while he worked, but the child was already settled to curl up against his knee. The eyes remained ever watchful.

 This made the rest of this affair a simple practice of cover the wound, and replace the coat. Refitting the boy into his very essential armor was made impractical, given how the child refused to uncoil himself. The Thin Man managed all the same. Later, something more could be done with that coat. Odd, the coat did not... went undamaged.

 The more pressing issue now, the dreadful little thing was latched to his thigh. And biting. And… glaring?

 “Why do you insist?” He tapped the boy on his hat, eliciting an amusing snarl. “The staring. What is it you are so enamored with?” He puffed at the cigarette, expecting no utterance aside from the usual animalistic snorting. “Do you even know? I suspect, you enjoy exasperating me. Don’t you?” He set his hand on the boy’s back and rubbed at his spine, cautious of the fresh wound.

 “Keep.” The boy nuzzled against his leg and sighed.

 “Of course. I have you.” He brushed his finger across the child’s hairline, knocking off the hat. The child didn’t care, he clung tighter like a safety pin. “Nothing will take you from me. I will never allow that. Never.” The boy’s shoulders shook and his breathing came in shuddering breaks. “That is what you want. Is it not?”

 The child hummed. “Mm. Have.”

 It began to concern him, this sudden fit. He pried the boy back from his slacks, enough to see the face. No tears, no redness; only the blank gaze to match his stare. The child never cried and was not fazed by anything in this world. He released the boy and let him solder himself back to his knee. Sigh.

 Once the cigarette was at last spent, he flicked it away, then used that arm to push off the withered floor panels. It had been long enough for this episode. The child in question staggered backwards, holding his ever present and unshakable stare. Ignoring that, the Thin Man cut through the bland room and to the only available door. There was no barrier nor lock in the whole of the Pale City which barred his path.

 None, save for….

 Occasionally, he did spare a glance for the child in pursuit. The hat was resettled where it belonged, typical. The boy diverted focus from him at last, and became engrossed with the obstacles that needed precise navigation – the broken steps of a stairway, a gap in the floor, the upward or downward stacked layers crumbling within the shattered stories of the building. Some complications in the terrain required more skill, such as climbing an elaborate course of woven bedsheets, or balancing on a tilted plank of wood, then falling a distance to the remains of a decayed floor. The boy’s unyielding persistence and skill knew no limits.

 The Thin Man idled at times, to observe all this play out. He shook his head. “You will never hone your skills if you are reluctant to use them.”

 The child stopped beside his shoe and gawked up at him. No noise. He didn’t expect a hum or anything. The child adopted his mute vow when beyond a safe environment. What constituted safe for this child? That too mystified the tall thin man.

 When he first entered the Tower, all his childish fears had been shed. Nothing could touch him, the boy he had been would not allow it. The world twisted and lurched within his grip, the city itself revolved on its axis, the buildings swayed – many crumbled – he dragged the Signal Tower to his toes.

 And the door opened wide. Greeting him. A welcome home, a warm embrace. Everything he wanted demanded as a scorned and rejected child.

 While crouched by a wall, in a posture very reminiscent to the child he one time had been, something bounced off the side of his knee. Broken from his ruminations, he turned his attention to the small sphere rolling away.

 The culprit of the assault hastened over and stole up the ball. With a hard wrench, the ball smacked against his shoulder, with the brutality of a sniffle.

 Before the child could reclaim the toy, the Thin Man scooped it up and tossed it toward one of the vacant halls, dark and ominous. The child stood watching the projectile, head tilted and shoulders sagging. This endured for a minute, before the boy raced away in a silent gust.

 The Thin Man wheezed and set his face in one hand. The other fumbled at his jacket for a cigarette.

 Thump.

 Redirecting his focus, the ball was there on the floor. The boy padded over and grabbed it up in his arms and gave it another ‘toss’, where the thing flew a few inches before plopping to the floorboards. It seemed assaulting the Thin Man had lost its appeal, and the boy was now content to heft the ball skyward and let it plop.

 Thump. Thump. Thump.

 The Thin Man snapped up the sphere and chucked it. He observed the child, as the boy traced the curve of the toy sailing back into the dim hall across the room. This pause was for him to collect himself, gather his wits on the following direction. He could sense the Signal Tower, though he tried not to….

 Getting shoved does surprise him. However miniscule it was. The child charged full force and slammed his palms against his hip. When no reaction was awarded, he lunged again tackling with his shoulder. And crumpled to the floor.

 The Thin Man bent his arm and poked the boy between the shoulder blades. An intense, but hushed rumble burbled in the brittle chest. It was safe to rate that a growl. He plucked up the collar and set the child back on his feet. All that achieved was the child wandering off. The boy made a beeline for the gloomy silhouette, to where the toy was banished. He huffed and breathed on the smoke filling the airspace around his hat.

 Sometimes in the quiet spans, he could feel a stronger connection to the memories from the time during when He had been… Mono. The intently single-minded youth, clawing his way beneath floorboards and broken patches of the walls, through the buildings which dwarfed all children. It had been forever ago, lifetimes by child standards. Many-many lifetimes, by iterations of the tall thin man in the hat standards. Some few scraps remained, burning forth more intensely than others; scalding his emotions, and leaving an eternal ache with no solace.

 The dream haunts never faltered in their intensity. He never truly departed that place – perhaps physically, he was free. But he remembered too well. The grass and trees of the forest spanned forever. Somehow he found his way, weaving among the dry blades, the toothy saws snagged over his arms; parched bushes clawed at his paper bag, and never ceased to snag at his coat. It was the first time in… in all the time he could recall, wherein he saw some semblance of actual, natural light. The tempered rays leaking through the canopy was arguably sharper, more painful to his eyes, than the saw grass lapping off his blood.

 Through the traps and overpowering reek of rot, one element bound his focus. The distant but sharp warble of the sing, crooning through the fields and knotted trees. It had to be the girl, how he knew he never questioned his rigid certainty. That child – Mono – was simple, and never thought through nor second guessed his intuition. He knew. He only knew.

 He looked over when the ball smacked against his leg once more. The child scurried around his shoes to intercept the rolling, somewhat lopsided toy. Rather grab the object, the boy pinned it under him and tried to… balance on top of it, using his shins.

 The Thin Man pursed his lips when the ball tipped, and the child smashed headfirst into the floor. The boy lay, while the ball marched away triumphant.

 “Child….” He poked at the stomach, prompting the boy to roll over.

 “Aye’um Mono,” he hissed.

 “Are you now?” The child went for the ball, but needed to reverse his steps and grab his hat first. After putting himself back together, he chased down the toy and then threw it. The child gawked at him, as the ball ricocheted off his knee.

 “Mm-hmm.”

 The Thin Man stretched an arm out and snared the toy before the child could resume his intolerable behavior. When the boy dashed across the room toward the shadowed corridor, the Thin Man simply set the ball free to roll aside. Upon realizing the sphere was not a projectile, the child searched around the dim room – first looking to him, and his hands (empty) – then roving his eyes across the walls. It took some time for the boy to pinpoint where the toy wandered.

 After reclaiming the ball – all but pouncing on it – the Thin Man prepared to catch it this time. Instead, the child crouched on his knees and pushed the ball off. At the distance from him, the child gave it a good heave. The nerfed assault required no effort to halt, and on reflex he scooted the ball back to the child. A little off course….

 The boy scrambled to intercept, and huddled under his coat as he shoved the toy off. The Thin Man halted the ball and sent it off, repeating the cycle between them. Over and over, rebounding. Occasionally, he purposefully made the boy uncoil and chase down the toy, but not by much. In between the languid rebounds, he lit a fresh cigarette and adjusted his posture, to sit more comfortably. He ceased forcing the boy to scramble after the ball.

 This went on for however long the child withstood concentration on a listless task of zilch productivity. During one of the toys returns, the child hoisted it up in his arms and padded over to the Thin Man’s side. He pushed the toy against his hip, but the Thin Man dismissed the mute demand. When the boy began tugging at his jacket, he concluded it was the time to continue onto… elsewhere. The Place, to ‘quote’ the child.

 He did pluck up the ball before rising off the floor in a glittery flash. As he tapped across the room to the mysterious corridor, he flicked the ball high in the air, spinning it. Its presence might buy the child’s focus, for a short while. In that regard, the boy was much like him. Nothing fascinated the child for long.

 The corridor slopped downward to an open landing, then a bent stairwell descending into a expansive chamber. The floor tipped sharply to the side, around bent and buckled pillars fighting to support slumped ceiling/upper story. No somber glow found its way into these depths, wherever they might be. To the side, a cord stretched to the collapsed patch of floor and from the strained tether hung a shattered backside of a television.

 In a glitched fade he shifted to the lower floor, rather search out the steps. With a flash of his wrist the ball spun midair, but slowly. Behind him, the only indication of the child’s presence came as a muffled cough.

 It was raining, as much of a shock as that was. The door was not latched and barely hung on its hinges when he forced it off, with more force than necessary. Droplets beat against his hat and suit as he stepped out onto the leaning rooftop, the racing rivers buffeted his shoes, streaking to the leveled surface. By this late hour, the sky shed much of its intensity for the sheltered cloak of dark hours. The crowding skyrises veiled within layers of murk, became nonexistent if not for the shimmering pockets of haunting light behind the vibrations of rain.

 Further into the distance and deliberate in its presence, hung the ever present glean of the Signal Tower’s piercing glower. No matter if a hurricane thrust itself across the city, if the air was choked by fog, or the light(er) hours – perhaps only because the storm drew its power from the Pale City’s life support – the light beamed forth upon the spires point. A guide to all those seeking escapism in the absence of a conduit.

 The Thin Man spun the ball in the air and snatched it casually, as he matched pointed glares with the looming spike. A literal thorn thrust through the heart of this territory, and syphoning out the energy, thoughts, Flesh, of all those that buckled to its indomitable glare.

 Further up the incline of the roof and perched at the edge, huddled the child bundled in his cap and coat. The Thin Man flashed over to the boy, and upon inspecting his focus, turned his attention down to a low and distant patch of roof, disconnected from the crumbling building they currently occupied.

 And grimaced.

 Denizens of the Signal stood, faces arched back and gawking. The two figures – one lay crumpled between the two – did not hold fascination for the looming behemoth piercing the miles of rain lashing. The garish beings gaped upward, pointedly focused on him. No mistake on what held their captivation.

 Then they rushed forward, uncaring of the raised boarder of the roof, nor the gaping chasm disconnecting their platform from the wall of the building below. The Thin Man still winced, when the two went sailing into the heavy mist below.

 Ḃ̶̢̖̺͈̥͖̦̍̆Ȓ̴͓̍̇O̶̬͖͉͖̠̥̳̾̎̀̽Ḁ̶̭̻̋̐͜Ḓ̵͛̓̆̍̋C̸̡̪͌A̸͎̒S̸̯̙͎͌̊̕T̷̗̬̬̮̩̃̐ͅE̷̩͑̊̊Ř̶̤̰̐̒͌͘͜

̷̯̤̯̬͇̖̄

C̴͎͈͇̲͍̥̘̓̽ͅƠ̵̮̮̔̈́̽̊͂́̕͠M̵͙̠̞͇͂̍͌̌̓̅Ẽ̷̡̲̺͉̪̤̋͛

̵͚̯͇̄͊̂̔͐̏͝

̶̮̅̋

̶̷̛̳̙̙̯̗̥͔̣̱͖̏̆̈́̂̐̓̑̀̓͗ͅ

̷͖͖̱̖̥͕͆̑̏̇͂͠W̴̡̧̛̠̖͉̄̑̋͠E̴̯̿̎͒͐

̶͎̙̳̩͖̭̚

̷̧̜͖̺̳̅̇̿̄M̵̭͓͉̯͓̹̹̎̐I̶͓͖̪͍͔̓̈́̕S̴̯͔̭͐̄S̴͈̟͔̅͝

̵̧̦͕̜̳͇̘̈́̓͒͘͠

̶̯̬͘

̴͇̖̯̑̔͛̄Ḇ̵̳͔̭͕̱̣̮̂͝Ă̴̞̜̝͎̹͎͉͊̇̔̋͐͆̕͠͝C̸̩͓͖͇̙͌́̇̅̑̆̈́͜͝K̷̙͎̳̳̬̥̮̜̩͋͆́̽̆̐̕

̷̣̜͎̓̍͊̏̂

̸̭͛̆̂̏̑̈́Y̵̟͓̞̌͘ͅŎ̴͇̺̼̩̹Ų̶̱͛͆̒̽

  Turning his attention to the child, he found the boy focused on collecting rain in his overturned hat. And drinking it.

 The Thin Man let a trail of smoke sweep around the brim of his hat, as he wound back an arm and then flung the ball out across the labyrinth of roads twisting below. The gale skittered around his hat, scattering the lacy traces of vapor from the cigarette. A forceful tug heaved at his leg, and he diverted his vacant eyes from the dying city, and onto the child leaning against his leg.

 “Hmm.”

 “Hmm,” he echoed, albeit scratchier. He stepped away from the edge and knelt. The child shuffled back but didn’t dart away. There came no clawing or snarling, or other intolerable violence when he brought the child up to his collar. The boy hung like a soggy shirt, discarded to the weather. “Nothing stops you, does it?” The child yawned. Actually yawned.

 That was… endearing. If he was honest.

 He set the child down and gave his hat a pat. Then, the Thin Man stood and resumed scaling the steep slope of the broken rooftop. The soggy slap of feet pursued, as always, as ever. Until the end of time. The boy initiated this, and inevitably concluded the chase.

 He and the child would never end. They were perpetual and ever present, just as the invisible shackle to the Tower endured to drag at the chain fastening them to the unyielding cycle. Certain truths he had come to accept, since there existed no rationalizing out of the inevitables. Prisoners to a destiny. But he could do better.

 At length, he broke the steady drumming of the rain against the static, with a question. “Would you like a story?” The boy mumbled something he didn’t quite grasp. He searched for the boy, though he was not far.

 “Mmm… mm’hmm.” The boy nibbled on his fingers, not watching him for once.

 The Thin Man pondered, and cast his eyes around the glistening roof for inspiration. He racked through and among his experiences, and the literature he combed through aimlessly, for a spark to a different beginning than the one he was directed in. Despite his capacity and history upon the perpetuated cycle, he finds himself at a loss.

 “There was a box,” he began, slow and careful. “Inside the box, lived a boy. Hidden far away and deep inside, from ever watchful, creeping eyes. Safe was the box, as time ticked by… displaced from a world made complacent but unkind.” He paused, rifling through his memories for something more pleasant. And likewise, ignoring the blistering glow of the Signal Tower at his backside.

 “Hm’n t’box,” the child murmured, tugging at his ankle. “Was okay.”

 The man in the hat regarded the tilted head. “The boy was safe.” The child pulled harder at his shin.

 “Not,” he rasped. “S’kay? Him happy.”

 Sighing through the smoke, the Thin Man cast his eyes aside. “One day, he realized he could be nothing but very happy.”

 “Very happy,” the child hummed.

 “Indeed. Safe and happy.” The man in the hat turned a fraction, only enough to catch a glimmer from the prying shine of the beacon light. The downpour diminished by degrees, as if an intruder swept aside the layered curtains to peer forth upon its quarry. He narrowed his eyes against the thickened haze intermixing with the rising static.

 It felt reminiscent of… that time, and all the mistake he made. All the errors and faults he could never undo, the lost time, the discarded everything. Everything that he was. Who he once was.

 Do this right. That was what he had. However, the right and the wrong methods were subjective to an outcome. The only one to inherit the outcome, would be the child. All this would not come but until much-MUCH later, wherein the child would begin to grasp the significance of the man in the hat’s judgment.

 The Thin Man resumed his story, as he crossed to the edge of the rooftop and sought safe passage to the alley flayed below. The boy followed. Always.

 What has been, shall persist without hitch or fracture.

Next

[musetta3]

for the hurt/comfort list! “Can you please come and get me?”

Hi @5lazarus! I present to you a FenHawke prompt. I wrote it so Hawke could be whichever Hawke you choose. Hope you enjoy!! <3 

This…wasn’t the way home? Fenris peered down the shadowy alley, trepidation setting in. He’d followed the directions Hawke had given him—they were right there, in the Notes of his phone. Left out the door, pass three intersections, a left, and then a right. He used those directions every day, and had memorized them. Fenris knew what was he was doing, why did the street look so different tonight? He stuffed the panic down.

“Alright,” he said, looking down the street, “let’s be rational. Retrace your steps.” He turned around and headed back the way he came. “If I turned right, then I should turn left, and then—” He stopped on some street, eyes wide. Despite his best efforts, everything got jumbled; even after looking at the directions in his Notes app, he was confused. Venhedis, he did this every day, why was this so hard?

‘You’re going mad,’ the voice in his head hissed, ‘the lyrium’s leaching; won’t be long until you forget everything, and Hawke will leave you—’ the brands flickered through his leather jacket, blue light weak against the brickwork.

“Stop,” he said, breath shallowing. “S-Stop it, I’m not listening.” 

There was truth to those words, he knew, an ugly truth. The brands were leaching, albeit slowly, the doctors said. They were doing all they could, going from specialist to specialist—Fenris’s pill boxes were filled from all the medications they prescribed for lyrium poisoning—but if they couldn’t find some way to stop the leaching soon, he’d end up in a retirement home for Templars… Those homes where the Chantry sent the useless, witless ones to eke out an existence before they forgot everything and death finally took them. And Fenris would join them. Fenris Hawke: thirty-something years old, author still in his prime, forgetting who he was and how to eat or drink. The thought terrified him.

‘You weren’t this bad before, you know. It’s getting worse,’ the voice said. ‘Only a matter of time—’

“Shut up!” Fenris held his head in his hands, his shout bouncing off the walls. An apartment window flew open above, a stream of expletives and demands for quiet floating down to him. A police siren wailed in the distance; Fenris looked around, heart pounding so hard, it made his head clench, took his breath away. He fumbled with his iPhone, trembling hands pressing the home button repeatedly in his panic. Siri pinged into existence, waiting for a request.

“C-Call Hawke,” he said, voice cracking.

“Do you mean ‘Colin Dock?’” she asked, once again not understanding his accent. Fenris bit back his frustration; he hated voice recognition software with a passion; it never worked for him.

 “Hawke. Call Hawke,” he said, voice going sharp. He huddled against a wrought iron fence, wondering where in the Void he was. The autumn wind blew right through his jacket; he shivered, and not just from the cold.

“Sorry, I don’t understand ‘colic’—”

“Fasta vass, you piece of kaffas,” he exclaimed. The world went blurry; Fenris wiped his eyes and raked his hand through his hair. A sob escaped; he slid down the fence to the sidewalk below. The concrete sucked the heat out of him, leaving him cold and hollow. He felt even more desolate. 

“Come on, get a hold of yourself,” he whispered, “one step at a time.” He tapped the Notes app, scrolling through entries “It’s here, I know it’s here…” He pulled up the document with the directions home and tapped the phone number. He was beyond grateful when he heard the dial tone. “Pick up,” he whispered. “Please, please, please, please—”

“Hullo?” Much to his dismay, the tears started again from sheer relief.

“Fenris? Fenris, are you alright?” Hawke asked, voice alarmed. “...Are you crying?”

“I—” How could he even voice his shame, that he was no better than a child? “C-Can you please come and get me?” he asked. “Hawke? H-Hawke, please—” There was a faint jingle on the other end, from what he assumed were keys.

“On my way. Where are you?” There it was, The very question he would’ve given anything for an answer to. Fenris’s breath hitched.

“I don’t know. I-I don’t know where I am—” His voice pitched, words tripping over themselves on the way out.

“Fenris, can you do something for me? Go to the nearest intersection and tell me the street names.” Solutions, Fenris liked those. He brushed himself off and jumped to his feet, hurrying towards the end of the block. The street names swayed on the traffic light wires; Fenris stared, letters scrambling into nonsensical lines and patterns before him.

“I can’t read this,” he said. “I-I can’t, Hawke. It’s not Tevene, I can’t do this—”

“Darling, remember what I said at the night school, hmm? When you’d just arrived in Kirkwall, and were learning to read Common?”

“‘One letter at a time,’” he whispered.

“That’s right. You can do this.” Fenris took a deep breath and concentrated.

“‘H-A-R-L-M?’”

“Harimann. Harimann and what?” Upon closer investigation, they determined he was on the corner of Harimann and DuPris, not too far removed from his route home. 

“Tell me about your day at work,” Hawke said, no doubt to distract him. “Was the paper busy?” The panic still scrabbled for purchase inside Fenris; it clawed at him before eventually ebbing away, leaving him exhausted.

“I-I wrote an article on Dwarven lichen bread today,” Fenris replied, sheltering against the wind in a doorway. “They brought some in for us to review. New flavor or something.”

“Ooh, from the TV commercial! ‘Fine dwarven crafts, direct from Orzammar: from our noble kitchens to yours, find us in your local bread aisle.’” Fenris laughed, wiping his tearstained face; Hawke always made the best impersonations of cheesy TV commercials. It was almost uncanny, how spot-on they were.

“That’s the one. Cinnamon swirl flavor,” he said, shivering.

“How was it? I’ve been curious.”

“Lichen-y.”

Hawke scoffed. “‘Lichen-y.’ Varric Tethras must have been desperate to hire the likes of you.” Hawke’s voice seemed louder, clearer. Fenris poked his head around the corner. He saw no one approaching in either direction.

“Behind you,” Hawke said with a laugh, “your escort has arrived, messere.” Fenris turned around, disconnecting the call. Hawke stood before him, coat over flannel pajamas and hair tied in a messy bun. Utterly glorious, in Fenris’s eyes. He held Hawke in the fiercest embrace he could muster.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “T-Thank you so much.” Hawke patted him on the back.

“One friendly neighborhood Hawke, at your service. I’ll send you my bill, at the end of the month.” Hawke grinned. “Come on, I need to get my husband home.”

‘Husband’ was still such a new, beautiful term, one Fenris never tired from hearing. It made his heart smile in the most joyful manner imaginable. He linked his arm in Hawke’s and walked home to their apartment, where Toby the Mabari greeted him with many ‘aroos’ and tail wags.

“Go wash up,” Hawke said, “dinner’s in the Crockpot.”

Fenris must have been colder than he realized, if the water burned and made his limbs ache. He changed into the warmest pajamas he owned and slid into his seat at the table. A bowl of mutton stew appeared before him. It was good, he decided. Not the curries he was used to from Minrathous, but warm and comforting, all the same. Between the warm food and the soothing cadence of Hawke’s voice, he melted into his chair.

“Fen,” Hawke called, “go to bed.” The spoon clattered out of Fenris’s hand, his head snapped back.

“But I haven’t seen you all day,” he protested, eyes unable to stay open.

 “You’re not seeing much except the inside of your eyelids, messere, go on.” Fenris grumbled, pecking his beloved on the cheek before crawling into bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Sometime during the night—he wasn’t sure when without his glasses—he felt the mattress dip as Hawke laid down beside him. Fenris smiled into his pillow, pretending to be asleep.

“I won’t give up, Fen,” Hawke whispered. “I’ll find a specialist that can remove the brands, so you’ll never be afraid like that again. I swear it. I don’t care if I have to fly someone in from Tevinter and sell a kidney to pay for the surgery; I won’t give up on you.” 

Fenris cherished those words and held them close in his heart. Even if the future was uncertain, at least he had someone to meet it with. Words failed to express just how grateful he was for that.

[krys-loves-otome]

Butts Touched Master List

Completed Games 

Games that I have completed from the start from finish, all possible routes opened, all endings achieved, good, normal and bad, and completion bonuses, if applicable.

Collar x Malice (PSVita)  *Bae in Review Master List

Bad Apple Wars (PSVita)  *Bae in Review Master List 

Code: Realize, Guardian of Rebirth (PSVita/PS4)

In-Progress Games 

Games I am currently playing, but have not completed some aspect of the game just yet. Order of Characters listed are intended play order, but some are subject to change.

Ikemen Sengoku: Romances Across Time (iOS|Android /Free to Play) Friend Code: P6D8AUH3R MC Name: Aria *Nobunaga Oda (Romantic, Dramatic, and Eternal Love Ending Complete! Act 2 shenanigans coming Summer 2020 in Japanese) *Hideyoshi Toyotomi (Both Endings Complete) *Masamune Date (Both Endings Complete, Eternal Love Ending Available in Japanese!) *Ieyasu Tokugawa (Both Endings Complete) *Yukimura Sanada (Route In Progress, Eternal Love Ending Coming Soon in Japanese) *Shingen Takeda *Kenshin Uesugi (Dramatic Ending Completed) *Mitsunari Ishida (Both Endings Completed) *Sasuke Sarutobi (Romantic Route Completed) *Mitsuhide Akechi (Route Coming Soon in English!) *Kennyo (Available now in Japanese!) *Motonari Mouri (Act 2 shenanigans start Summer 2020 in Japanese) 

Ikemen Revolution: Love and Magic in Wonderland (iOS|Android / Free to Play) Friend Code: P7N84V5YY MC Name: Aria *Ray Blackwell (Romantic Ending Complete) *Lancelot Kingsley *Jonah Clemence *Fenrir Godspeed *Edgar Bright *Sirius Oswald (Romantic Ending Complete) *Loki Genetta (Route Dropped, will pick up again at a later date) *Kyle Ash (Route Dropped, will pick up again at a later date) *Luka Clemence  *Zero (Route in Progress!) *Oliver Knight (Available in Japanese!) *Harr Silver (Now Available in Japanese!) *Seth Hyde (Coming soon in Japanese!)

Midnight Cinderella: Ikemen Royal Romances (iOS|Android /Free to Play) Friend Code: SNUkM22C MC Name: Aria *Byron Wagner (Secret Ending Completed. Sugar Ending in Progress) *Alyn Crawford (Sugar Ending and Secret Ending Completed. Need Honey Ending and Ever After Endings) *Louis Howard *Leo Crawford *Giles Christophe *Nico Meier *Sid (Lloyd Grandier) *Robert Branche *Albert Burckhardt *Rayvis Harneit

Ikemen Vampire: Temptations in the Dark (iOS|Android/Free to Play) Friend Code: P7AND99U7 MC Name: Aria *Leonardo Da Vinci (Romantic Route Complete) *Napoleon Bonaparte (Dramatic End Complete!) *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart *Arthur Conan Doyle *Vincent van Gogh (Route in Progress!) *Theo van Gogh (Not Available in English) *Issac Newton (Not Available in English) *William Shakespeare (Not Available in English) *Comte de Saint Germain (Now Available in Japanese!)

Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms (PSVita/PC) (Note: I have watched the majority of the original 6 routes via youtube from Demon of the Fleeting Blossom, so I know the gist of the original six routes, just not the newer routes, unless noted below.) 

Sanosuke Harada

KW: Good Ending, Tragic Love Ending, Bad Ending

EB: Good Ending

Ryoma Sakamoto 

KW: Good Ending

EB: Good Ending

Shinpachi Nagakura 

KW: Good Ending

EB: Good Ending

Chikage Kazama

KW: Good Ending, Tragic Love Ending, Bad Ending

EB: Good Ending 

Kazue Souma 

KW: Good Ending

EB: Good Ending

Heisuke Toudou

KW: Good Ending, Tragic Love Ending, Bad Ending

EB: In Progress

Keisuke San'nan

KW: Good Ending, Tragic Love Ending, Bad Ending

EB: Haven’t Started Yet

Hachiro Iba

KW: Good Ending, Tragic Love Ending, Bad Ending

EB: Haven’t Started Yet

Susumu Yamazaki

KW: Good Ending, Tragic Love Ending, Bad Ending

EB: Haven’t Started Yet

Hajime Saito Souji Okita Toshizo Hijikata

Shall We Date: Wizardess Heart, Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy (iOS|Android /Free to Play) 

Friend Code: KuNMVaRicn MC Name: Aria Game Dropped, might pick up again at a later date

Cinderella Phenomenon (PC/Free to Play) Rod (Good and Bad Ending Completed) Karma (Good and Bad Ending Completed) Rumple (Good Ending Completed, Bad Ending in Progress) Fritz (Good Ending Completed) Waltz (Good Ending Completed)

Mystic Messenger (iOS/Android/Free to Play) *Yoosung Kim (All Endings, After Ending, and all DLCs complete as of Dec 2018) *Jaehee Kang (All Endings, After Ending, and all DLCs complete as of Dec 2018) *Zen/Hyun Ryu (All Endings, After Ending, and all DLCs complete as of Dec 2018) *Jumin Han (Good Ending, After Ending, and all DLCS as of Dec 2018 completed. Normal Ending, All Bad Endings, and All Bad Relationship Endings in Progress) *707/Luciel Choi/Saeyoung Choi (Good Ending, Normal Ending, After Ending, Bad End #1, Bad Relationship End #1, and all DLCs as of Dec 2018 Completed. Need Bad End #2 and #3 and Bad End Relationship #2) *V/Jihyun Kim (Need all Endings) *Saeran Choi/Ray/Unknown (Need all Endings) *Secret End #1 and #2, Prologue Bad End, Casual Story Bad End, Deep Story Bad End, and After Story Prologue Bad End Obtained.

Dandelion: Wishes Brought to You (PC) (Note: I have seen LPs of this game previously on Youtube and have since purchased the game to play on my own. I have seen all of the good endings, but none of the bad endings or the DLC) *Jiyeon (In Progress) *Jihae *Jiwoo *Jisoo *Jieun *The Good Wizard

Nameless: The One Thing You Must Recall (PC) (Note: I have played this game previously, three years ago at the very least, and have changed laptops since then, meaning that all save data has been erased, so this game will require a complete restart) *Lance (In Progress) *Yeon-ho *Yuri *Tei *Red *Secret Ending *Need All Bad Endings *Need Christmas DLC

Hustle Cat (PC) (Note: I have seen Finley’s and Mason’s routes via Youtube, and have since purchased the game myself and am going through the other routes completely blind). *Landry (Good Ending Complete) *Finley (In Progress) *Mason *Hayes *Reese *Graves *Need all Bad Endings and Secret Endings

Seduce Me the Otome and Seduce Me 2: The Demon War (PC) (Note: Have seen the majority of the good endings via Youtube and have purchased the sequel since then. And, like Nameless, I had this one on my previous laptop, but have lost save data since switching to a new one, thus starting over from the beginning.) *Damien Anderson/Izroul *Matthew Anderson/Zecaeru *Sam Anderson/Aomaris *Erik Anderson/Uzaeris *James Anderson/Raestrao (James’s Proposal) *Suzu Cappini *Naomi Patterson *Andrew Lewis *Diana/Ezaeur

Code: Realize, Future Blessings/Bouquet of Rainbows (PSVita/PS4) *Saint Germain (White Rose Ending) *Victor Frankenstein (White Rose Ending) *Impey Barbicane (White Rose Ending) *Abraham Van Helsing (White Rose Ending) *Arsene Lupin (White Rose Ending) *Finis’s Extra Story (Complete) *Lupin Gang Side Story (In Progress) *Herlock Sholmes Extra Story

Game Looking Forward in Time 

Games that I have purchased previously and just haven’t had a chance to play, or games that are coming out in the near future

Amnesia: Memories (PC) Bought it dirt cheap through a Steam sale. Have seen a few Youtube walkthroughs, so somewhat familiar with it.

Sweet Fuse: At Your Side (PSP) Bought it on my Vita’s Playstation Store. May eventually purchase a physical copy for my collection.

Hatoful Boyfriend (PC) Had it on a previous laptop, but lost all save data once I switched to a new one.

OZMAFIA (PC) Bought it on a Steam Sale, but haven’t played it yet

Psychedelia of the Black Butterfly/Psychedelia of the Ashen Hawk (PSVita) Want to play both of them, but just haven’t gotten around to purchasing physical copies

Seven Kingdoms: A Princess Problem (PC) Still in its demo stage. Will purchase the full version once it becomes available!

Nusantara, Legend of the Winged Ones (PC) Downloaded it from itch.io on the recommendation from my tumblr followers. Enjoyed what I’ve played so far!

Code: Realize, Wintertide Miracles (PSVita/PS4) Available now!

London Detective Mysteria (PSVita/PC) Want to play it. Just need to get around to purchasing it >>

The Bells Chime for Gold (PC) Bought the game during a Steam sale. Like what I’ve played thus far.

Collar x Malice: Unlimited (Switch) Coming 2020!

[kaedeichinose]

hi janelle, do i remember right that you like otome games? please help me out i have an abundance of free time and im feeling so lonely i just need fictional characters to say they love me. what are the best ones you'd recommend?

hell yeah i do. ok so as a general rule, if you’re taking a chance go for something thats out on a real console (psp, vita, ps3/4) basically because theres a lot more random garbage on the mobile and steam fronts, and it’s not like there arent good ones but obviously the rate of trash to good is higher 

so heres a few of my most highly recommended:

Hakuoki: this is the most popular otome franchise in the west by far (even the non otome spinoff action game got localized. imagine) the most recent edition of the games in on vita (maybe steam? i havent checked) and its the combo of kyoto winds and edo blossoms. the reason theres two of them is because the game has SO MUCH CONTENT there was no way they could localize it as it was and possibly make a profit, so they ended up splitting it. Some people dislike the protag bc shes a little too yamato nadeshiko for their tastes but it never bugged me. it’s got a lot of action, historical intrigue, theres like? 13? romance candidates as of kw/eb so you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck. plus, since so many version of hakuoki got localized the older versions tend to go on sale whenever aksys’ stuff is on sale so you can get one of the older version for real cheap if you wanna dip your toes.

Code Realize: this is probably my favorite otome game and one of my favorite vns in general. the art is gorgeous, the characters are so fleshed out and well developed (even the side characters), all the narratives whirl together with intrigue and drama and the protagonist has a lot of personality. Theres not a single character i dislike here. i think the ps4 version comes in a dual pack with future blessings, which is a direct sequel focusing on lovey-dovey marriage stuff with some more serious stories too. 

norn9: norn9 is really unique because it has three entirely different protags to play as, and each one has three different boys to pursue. this affords for them to have a lot of love interests while still keeping the MC’s arcs feeling fresh. theres one route i dont like but 8/9 aint bad! nice art, good writing, intriguing world building. fully recommend. 

anniversary no kuni no alice: so this ones pretty different in that its a doujin game that was never officially localized (ok, there was a mobile port that got released in the west but calling that a translation...... is generous) but the fantranslation finally got finished like? last year? recentlyish. despite its humble routes it made a huge splash in japan and is definitely genre defining. it also isnt as tender and sweet as some of the other games i listed, it fully embodies the charm of alice in wonderland where nearly everyone is an oddball whackjob/asshole (and dont worry, the protagonist can throw a punch) and has an old fashioned affection point and date system which make it feel really old school. its not an eroge but these characters absolutely fuck, which is nice if you want some self indulgent steamy stuff. that said i fully recommend opening up the debug menu and just slapping max affection on your chosen boy bc the low budget, slightly dated mechanics can be kind of a slog. theres also like a shit load of secret events that you need to monitor flags for so you might as well just save yourself the trouble and fudge the numbers a bit. and since the company that made it is fucking dead its 100% free! rad.

collarxmalice: this one is a bit weird bc im more recommending it for the story bc the romance elements didnt really do it for me? like full disclaimer this is a me problem, and even though the romance elements didnt click with me the routes are all still very well written (except.... for one.... who i was expecting to like the most..... aaaaaaaaaaaaa) . the heroine is a cop so shes very action focused and the game even forces you to do your own crime solving, and its easy but its still more immersive than a lot of other games try to be. it has a very strong story and aesthetic and even though it bounced off me im still looking forward to the fandisc releasing on switch so i still really enjoyed it. it was met with rave reviews and was even an office favorite of the translators working on it.

if youre still unsure i suggest just checking out which game has a cast you find appealing, theyre the main reason your here afterall 

[reggiedomme]

Personal Academic Journal

At some point in our lives, we would all like to get out of the house or our country and see the world with our two eyes. This idea made me decide to travel for my master’s course elsewhere. I sought for a country that is conducive and accommodating, where I can live and study peacefully continue my educational ladder. Even though there were a lot of hurdles in my journey, I have been able to make it to my destination. I am persuaded that traveling can make people grow because of the experiences I had. After all, it is our nature to aspire to become a better version of ourselves and we strive to satisfy this. 

I started my journal today September 24, 2019 because I arrived in Canada late for the course. I am eager to learn as much as I can from this course. Deeming the oratory that people with no goals, go nowhere. Therefore, with such a great journey ahead, I should like any stranger traveling, prepare myself by laying out a road-map with a planned route, anticipate the need to nourish myself with new ideas, pack the possibility of getting lost (due to construction, of course), and leave beyond the fear of failure. I am reading “Gilthrow” to make up for the classes I missed. In chapter one, the writer introduces genre by different perspectives and in different situations. Each of these has it’s style of utterances from the circumstances it arises, and from the settings it takes place. I understood that genre depends on different situations and can be enacted from culture, education, social, political and the others which suits the occasion. I need to use different wordings for every discipline and take note of the level of education in my essay writing.

In chapter two, I learned about summary citation and authority. In summary, the writer made it clear that the summary might look like a peripheral formality, but it is not a check to see if students have done assigned readings or its roles in exams to see if readings were understood. It touches the salient points. 

25 September, 2019

Audience and Discourse Communities

I had my first class on Academic writing before I had my class I read about “audience” in the book of Gilthrow chapter 4. What I gathered was when I am writing, I must not let my individuality and resistance make me lose sight of my listener’s but,  put them into consideration. My daily activities and interaction with people can make me know what to write to facilitate communication. It was quite long so I couldn't finish reading to the end. I now realize I am a total stranger in a dynamic community. I need to have in-depth knowledge by doing a lot of reading in order to write. To be a successful member I need to be developed by other community members to be acquainted with the dynamism, norms and it’s culturing over time. I am referred to  APA citation, over and over again. Hugh! It is not easy to be trained.

2nd October, 2019

Coloring Epistemology

 I read Gilthrow chapter 3. I read Patti Lather’s writing on Paradigm Proliferation but couldn't synthesis it well with all the diagrams. In our lecture, it was discussed that she explored the shitload of stories and perspective on paradigms and how knowledge is in the academy. She brought in different ideologies on history, colonialism, power, writings, readings, racism and other educational angles to be materialized to make learning useful. In our groups we discussed what we read in Gilthrow Chapter 3, thus anticipating my audience objection and refuting them in my writing, can help me to make a better argument.

9th October, 2019

Scholarly Styles  and Discursive ‘I’

 The scholarly style of writing is based on specific goals and classified vocabulary.  The syntactic well-formed sentences and ambiguity of strings of diction by Patti Lather challenged me cognitively. Patti Lather’s book “Paradigm Proliferation”, and some chapters of Gilthrow and other articles I read before classes make me lose track of what I am reading by looking up words in the dictionary. Again, I need to learn how to integrate a summary of writers and bind together parts of the argument. (Mitchel will say; connecting the dots).  Another style I need not be perturbed to use is ‘I’. At the end of my research, I need to elaborate on my perspective and assumption based on my findings. My identity and subjectivity would not be relevant without the use of the discursive ‘I’. I don’t know much about politics here but the question; “What would you like to say to the leaders of Canada’s political parties?” was to make my harness on the use of ‘I’.

16th October, 2019

Rhetorical Techniques

I must admit; this is the most fascinating article that I enjoyed reading before class. Eubanks & Schaeffer, “ A kind word for bullshit”(2008). This scholarly style depicts how academic writers use ethos, pathos, and logos to build a strong argument. “Never tell a lie when you can bullshit your way through.” ( Eubanks & Schaeffer, 2008 pp. 380) , is my favorite quote. I need to be able to use these rhetoric techniques to tell lies for my readers to believe spiel.

  My habit of not acknowledging writers when quote them is one of my idiosyncrasies. This character makes it difficult for me when it comes to citation. I was taught how to cite to make a strong point and need to apply it to my “critical response” review. In spite of this, APA citation is too difficult for me. If I had been a little girl in the family, I would have asked my father; “Daddy why are we using APA to write? It is so difficult. All the same, I am working on it.

23rd October, 2019

A Critique

Reading the work of Roxane Gay gave me chunks of ideas of how to criticize someone’s work. Gay’s panning of the works of some writers was touching on every aspect of the writings. The perception was, “the end of men is the rise of women and the end of women is the rise of men,” which is not the fact. In learning how to criticize, I need to be fair in my writing, and not to think in a vacuum, but to maneuver to communicate.

Furthermore, I also learned that at the end of my research, I need to check what others have also accomplished on the same topic I have researched on to combine, summarize, and analyze my work. I need to synthesize to tell a story.

Critical Response Paper

My critical response paper made me learn how to explain myself logically. Going through this guise, however, has greatly opened my mind. My thoughts are now complex because I have learned how to sustain a logical argument in an organized manner. Furthermore, writing on my peers’ critical response paper has significantly widened the scope of my writing. My writing is more superior than it used to be. When it was mentioned that we were going to review our peer’s paper I soliloquized; “what do I know to criticize someone’s work?” I was quite shy and reluctant to do it. I must be frank with this, my peers’ paper was better than mine. It was difficult to identify gaps in her writing at that time, only because I felt like I had not learned so much. I felt that I had not largely expanded my literary analysis and writing skills, but I needed to be prepared to review the work which required an eagle eye. Going through an academic writing course has taught me how to organize my thoughts and support it with the works of others. I learned that as everyone had their own point of view, many different ideas could be produced and I found the energy of group participation made me feel more energetic about contributing something. Writing had always been one of my strengths, but it was challenging to take that initial step to write in a master’s course.

 Hmmmmm,  few moments reflection seemed like an eternity as I feel my consciousness ebbing away, and my thoughts, as clear and concise as they were mere moments ago, we're coming to an end. My eyes grow heavy from the strenuous effects of excessive agitation of my mental faculty.

                               References

Eubank, P. & Schaeffer J. D. (2008). A Kind Word  For Bulshit. (pp. 380).

[calliecat93]

RvB17 Episode 11 Review: Omphalos

This is normally the part of the review where I write an intro. But honestly, last week hit me so hard in the chest that I am too filled with dread to come up with anything. So fuck it, let’s dive right in! Second to last episode folks. It’s gonna be intense!

Overview

Our heroes are trapped within the depths of The Labyrinth, as Chrovos explains to Donut. At first, Donut isn’t concerned as that means they’re near him so he just has to wait. But Chrovos explains that, well… it isn’t that simple. The Labyrinth, as explained last season is home to demons, monsters, and ‘the ghosts of the past’. But not in the physical sense. The Labyrinth essentially runs on irony. It takes those trapped within to a negative place. This is demonstrated as we see Tucker alone, Wash seeing everyone die under his command, and Carolina faced with her Freelancer self. So yeah… it’s essentially Santa’s Warrior Test, but even darker.

Donut wants to go in, but Chrovos doesn’t have the power. Donut offers to give back the fragment that she gave him, but it won’t be enough. At this point, Genkins joins them and gives some more explanation. You see, the ultimate end goal of The Labyrinth is to drive the victim to despair. It can do this in various ways, by giving someone what they think they want or just putting them back in an uncomfortable place. We see this with Sarge being in civilian life, wanting to be on the battlefield… which he promptly gets and take sit back. Grif is sent back to… high school? College? Basic training? IDK. Regardless, he has an utterly insane gym teacher who pretty much tortures him via a fucked up obstacle course straight out of Wipeout.

So what’s the final result of all of this? We get to see with Lopez, who in his scenario is… human. He can talk English and the Reds instead have a robot named Gustavo… which great joke there. This breaks Lopez and in the real world, we see him walk off the ledge, supposedly to his death; You see, The Labyrinth doesn't harm you directly, it drives you to harm yourself. Genkins goes to continue his fun, telling DOnut that he’ll be joining them soon enough. The Everwhen goes with him. With no way to get into The Labyrinth and Chrovos utterly powerless, it looks bleak. We do learn that The Labyrinth itself is an AI, but it’s very dangerous and just seeing its Avatar is enough to put you in danger.

But just as all looks bleak, there is one more person there: Doc. Yeah, he was sent there along with Donut… which makes no sense because he should still be blown up, but whatever. Anyways, with a second Shisno there, if Chrovos takes back power form him AND Donut, it’ll eb enough to send the two into The Labyrinth. The episode ends, and with it the finale draws ever closer.

Review

Okay, so… got some mixed feelings here. Before I get into it though, I really enjoyed the episode. The Labyrinth is probably one of, if not the most horrifying concept that the show has introduced. It’s just an area that fills you more and more with negativity. It takes you to your worst moments, your worst fears, gives you what you think you want but in reality, it just makes you depressed.  It doesn't physically harm you, it drives you to harm yourself. Essentially, the end goal is to make you commit suicide, as we saw with Lopez. Now whether he really died or not IDK… but that is really fucked up. No wonder no one ever came back out of the few that went before. It’s dark and angsty, and I fucking LOVE it!

What could have been better, though, is some of the visions. Now most of them were really good. Wash leading the team against the monsters of the Labyrinth, only to watch them all die with him losing control of everything. Carolina faced with her competitive, driven self in Freelancer, trying to tell her off and tell herself about how her efforts will mean nothing. Only for her past self to brush it off and mock her on everything that she currently believes. Even Sarge’s was pretty fucked up. In short, Sarge cannot handle civilian life… but he can’t handle war life either. It makes sense. He never really had a civilian life, let alone remember one, so an office job would be boring. But he was also an ODST and was in a war and that clearly fucked him up. Most of his behavior is a facade and always has been, but he doens[t know how else to live. It’s really depressing when you think about it and not what I was expecting for him. I gotta give kudos.

What I cannot excuse though is Grif’s scenario. Lopez’s I can live with. Because going off everything before… yeah being a human would be his worst nightmare. But Grif… I mean don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate what we got. If this was to explain how Grif started hating effort, it’s effective. The coach is Sarge, but a million times more crazy and sadistic. He nearly got Grif blown up, shot, crushed, and it sounds like Grif was coughing up blood at one point. Like… fuck man. If this IS a high school, what kind of fucking school allows that?! It certianly helps explain why Grif would hate putting in any form of effort and why he hated Blood Gulch so much if Sarge brought those feelings back. Heck, it can explain hating army life in general since he likely had to be yelled at/pushed to his limit all the time. So yeah, I can get what they’re going for and I was overall okay with it. Jaosn’s voice acting at least was fun~

The issue is… well, kind of one I’ve had all season regarding the writing for Grif. In S16, Grif went through a ton of development. He appreciated and dedicated himself to his friends more. He started to resolve his issues with the constant adventures. He started to put in more effort and was willing to try and do whatever it took to end things. He was actually hesitant about the paradox and even tried to stop it once he realized it was Genkins plan. He formed this friendship with Huggins, something I’m very annoyed just got ignored after her return...though really I have issues with how Huggins was done this season that I’ll reserve for the season review. I’m gonna have words about the character writing, not just Grif either.

My point is Grif had so much development and buildup from last season and S15… and this season has completely and utterly ignored it. The first half, it was understandable since memory erasure and he was at least the most willing to listen to Donut. Now? No. There is no excuse. While Grif is still doing the job without complaint, all his development has more or less been ignored. He seems to harbor no guilt or anything about the S16 finale. He has had no resolution with Huggins or tried to patch things up. His scenario here had a TON of potential. If they don’t want to go the backstory route, we have his time on Iris and the S16 finale to play off of. What do we get? Him being bullied by a nasty drill sergeant. While I didn’t hate it, it was… underwhelming and just kind of insulting because of how much promise with him these past two seasons have had. Considering Jason was a co-writer and wrote some of those scenes (Episode 6 and 8 for example) and Joe still made the story here, the fact that they utterly ignored this is bizarre.. I’ll go into it more in the season review, but… yeah, I didn’t hate it, but I’m not pleased either.

Okay, so moving on to the ending. Still have no idea how Doc is there because there was no way for him to be there. But whatever, he and Donut are going into The Labryinth. It’s hard to say if Chrovos is going to betray them or not, we’ll see. But my concern is… well, IIRC DOnut was brought back to life because of the fragment Chrovos gave him. So if she removed that to power herself back up, not only does Donut and Doc lose their protection against Genkins… but won’t that kill Donut? IDK, maybe I’m not understanding it fully. Regardless… we have one more episode, and so much to do still. How they’re going to wrap this up in one IDK, I guess we’ll see soon enough.

Final Thoughts

Good episode. While I am annoyed with how Grif was handled, everything else was really fun. It was certianly a rollercoaster of emotion that I wa snot ready for. Our stage for the end is set my friends, and I have no idea what the fuck is going to happen. But I’ve made it this far, and I ain’t dropping out now. So onward to the finale!