#explorations

[larapaulussen]

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

Summary: The invitation to join the quest—or hunt or whatever—in the Ghost Zone was only the start of it, but with Sam and Tucker by his side, Danny figured everything would be fine—especially when the ghosts were obligated to play nice. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the Ghost Zone itself is harmless….

Author: @ladylynse

[random-xpressions]

No, that's not how you do it. You can't bring in your light to know her dark, her dark would simply vanish and disappear at the sight of your light. You must bring in your darkness to explore her dark. That's how you do it!

Random Xpressions

[d-the-designer]

by asking my custom GPT for pics from my sci fi story, in the style of different public domain 19th century authors and artists, I end up with this terrifying story of a lovecraftian horror encountered at sea who drives everyone mad that sees it

[s-creations]

26 Ways to Feel Mortal - C: Certainty

26 Chapters based around experiences that newly arrived Geno experiences while trying to find the Star Pieces.

Fandom: Super Mario & Releated Fandoms, Super Mario RPG Rating: Teen and UP Audiences Relationship: Mario/Geno (Nintendo), Mario/Princess Peach (Nintendo) Additional Tags: Rating for Teen needed for later chapters, but shouldn't be to worrisome, I'll have warnings if I'm worried, Poly relations!, Main characters will always be named, Minor characters will arrive as needed, the chapters are not in a specific order, just meets the needs of the given word, please be aware of spoilers.

Certainty: (noun) Firm conviction that something is the case. A person or thing that may be relied on. 

“Why would you do that!”

“Geno-”

“You had no right!”

“Just listen-”

“How could you just hand the Star Piece over like that?”

.

.

.

Seaside Town was throwing a large celebration. Not only for their freedom and Yaridovich and his men being chased off. But for also the team being able to collect another Star Piece. The townsfolk create a large bonfire in the town’s square. Creating every dish they could to set up a large buffet-style for all to eat from when needed. All laughing and cheering while they ate and danced with full abandonment. 

Bowser had staked his claim by the buffet. No one seemed fearful with how close the Koopa king was, more than happy to fulfill his favorite dishes. Mario and Mallow happily danced with a few of the children, who were just rushing around the two heroes. Peach spoke with the Mayor to see if the Mushroom Kingdom could offer some form of help to rebuild.

All were enjoying themselves.

All taking in the warmth and companionship.

All…but one puppet.

Just outside the circle of warmth, sitting alone on a fallen tree, Geno sat with his back to the celebration. Eyes focused on the cerulean Star Piece resting calmly in his hands. 

He really should let it go.

The cries of joy and happiness he heard were nothing more than an uncomfortable buzz.

A nagging reminder of how separated he felt at that moment. 

.

.

.

“You need to trust me-”

“Trust? You? After what you just did!”

.

.

.

His inside felt so cold. A horrible sensation weighing heavily, somehow resting simultaneously in his chest and stomach. It felt as if someone was squeezing his throat. Each time he swallowed in an attempt to alleviate the feeling it seemed to make it worse. 

He’d meant well…hadn’t he? 

That’s why he held that defense all those hours ago. 

He had…

He just couldn’t understand…

.

.

.

“Geno, enough of this.”

“Oi, calm down Twinkle Toes.”

“Shut up! Why did none of you stop him? You just…You just let this happen!”

.

.

.

He’d never felt like this before. It was a different kind of pain. One that wasn’t being healed by Mushrooms (goodness knows he tried). 

He felt exhausted, but not tired.

He felt angry, but not like before.

He felt…disgusting…

.

.

.

“Geno… Y-You’re scaring me…”

.

.

.

“Geno?”

Jerking away from the hand on his shoulder, Geno quickly turned to find Peach. The princess looked back in concern.

“Oh, P-Peach,” Geno shifted to quickly collect himself, “What are you doing over here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” was the simple reply as Peach sat next to the puppet.

“...I’m not feeling well enough to…to party.”

“Were you hurt from the battle?” 

“I’ve already tried Mushroom. I’m still affected by whatever this is…”

.

.

.

“Why would you hide this from me!”

.

.

.

“I was going to replace them,” Geno said quickly. Peach jumped away slightly from the sudden change in the puppet’s demeanor. Going from solemn to frantic in a second. “I mean, I was going to tell you…and replace them. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. I just…I was going to tell you…”

“You’re okay, you don’t have to explain.” Peach said calmly.

.

.

.

“Of course I trust Mario. He always has a surprise in mind, even if I can’t see the ending that he does.”

“The shrimp always had an idea cooking. Don’t feel offended, he’s more of an action person instead of a talking kind of guy. Don’t I know it.”

“Mario’s been a hero for a while… I just…I just know he knew what he was doing…”

.

.

.

“Is there something I’m missing?” Geno asked, his voice very small.

“What do you mean?”

“Mario didn’t tell you, tell any of you, what he was thinking. Yet, when he handed over the Star Piece, you just trusted him. Like you knew it was all going to be fine. How…How did you know?”

Peach smiled softly and placed a hand gently back onto Geno’s shoulder. “It is a form of trust that we have, but we’ve built it for years. It’s understandable as to why you wouldn’t feel the same way.”

“But Mallow trusts Mario, and he’s known the other for only a few more days more than I have. So…So why can’t I trust like that?

“Because you’ve never had to experience something like this before.”

“I’m so confused… I thought I had trust in Mario, and I do, I think? You make this all look so easy and everyday feels like I’m learning so much yet too much and I just have to deal with it because what else am I supposed to do!”

Geno jerked weakly when something wet splattered against his leg. Looking down as golden liquid slid off and hit the ground. Before he could wrap his head around what was happening, more the same golden liquid appeared. Reaching a hand up, Geno gently touched his cheek. The same liquid appeared on his shaky fingers.

“W-What is this? What’s happening?”

The question brought forth the realization that his ‘breathing’ felt strange, choking. Coming out in sporadic hiccups and short bursts. Geno felt like he was drowning without being in water.

Peach wrapped her arms around Geno. Pulling the puppet close so her breathing could be felt by the distressed being.

“You’re okay Geno, you’re okay. Can you feel my breathing? I need you to match my breathing.”

“I-I-I d-don’t-”

“Just breathe with me, okay? In and out… In and out… In…and out… Keep going, in…and out… You’re doing great…”

It took a few minutes for the overwhelming feeling to alleviate slightly. Geno felt further exhausted by the entire event. The hiccups were smaller now. But were replaced with small whines and heavy gasps that caused his entire form to shake.

“Shh…you’re okay. Just keep breathing…” Peach continued to be a steady force as Geno fell apart. 

He wasn’t sure how long they were like that. With the same golden liquid continually falling from his eyes, vision becoming blurry. The uneven breathing eventually slowing down to small sniffles and heavy breathes. The exhaustion seeming to weigh him down further. 

“Geno,” Peach whispered softly, “do Stars get… Have you felt angry before?”

“No…”

“Have you felt sadness?”

“Not like this…”

She smiled softly, “Emotions are heavy things to carry.”

“I-I didn’t mean what said,” the puppet whined softly, “I just…”

“I know, you’re okay. I think after a good night's sleep, you’ll feel better.”

Letting out one final, heavy sigh, Geno allowed himself to sink into sleep. Peach easily holding him and the Star Piece up. She barely looked up as Mario quietly joined her. Eyes on Geno’s sleeping form, filled with worry.

“How is he?” Mario whispered.

“I think someone was experiencing heavy emotions for the first time.” Peach replied softly.

“Suppose it was a little overwhelming today…”

“I think we’ll need to have a serious talk tomorrow about what happened today. All of it.”

Mario shrank slightly at that. “You know I would never just give something up like that.”

“Yes, I do. But that’s because I can trust whatever you’re planning, even if you don’t tell me.”

“I thought that…I thought I had his trust.”

“And you broke whatever you built up with that action.” 

Peach sighed softly as Mario shrank further back, “I’m not mad. But Geno… We need to communicate with him better. Everything is black and white for him, but today offered a gray area that he has no idea how to navigate. Be mindful of the fact that he’s not mortal, or at least not born mortal.”

“You’re right, I’ll…I’ll try.”

“We both will.”

[post-singletd]

L'ivresse des Ombres - Brillances nocturnes (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/1478102391-l%27ivresse-des-ombres-brillances-nocturnes?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=Post_Singlet Un poème qui explore la relation ambivalente entre l'alcool et les émotions, où l'enivrement alimente à la fois la douleur et l'évasion. Une réflexion sur les relations toxiques et le pouvoir destructeur du désir.

[amandamakesgood]

some lost figma explorations for a recent proj

[septembergold]

"His thesis centred on the lack of compelling evidence..."

Just because there is a lack of proof to be found does not mean that the hypothesis cannot be true. Especially if written artefacts are difficult to preserve over time.

[dandruffaromatics]

Interesting topic of the day

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on this topic, I read stuff and try to present it in accurate ways. The information I report likely lacks nuance, it's here to stimulate your curiosity, refer to the further reading to learn more.

Third man factor and bicameral mind

Ernest Shackleton, head of the antartic expedition of 1914-1917, which became stranded for two years over the icey wasteland, wrote:

"I know that during that long and racking march of thirty-six hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers of South Georgia it seemed to me often that we were four, not three.  I said nothing to my companions on the point, but afterwards Worsley said to me, “Boss, I had a curious feeling on the march that there was another person with us.” "

Others have recounted similar experiences. Frank Smythe, one of the first to attempt the Everest climb, says he continued to feel like he had a companion long after the others had given up and returned to base camp. At some point he offered a slice of cake to this invisible presence, while being aware that he was alone.

Joe Simpson, another climber, says he survived his terrible injury on the Andes thanks to a voice guiding him and encouraging back to the camp. The polar explorer Ann Bancroft experienced something similar as her group became lost on a glacier in the Arctic. So did the microbiologist Stephanie Schwabe on a particularly harsh solo dive, or Ron di Francesco, as the United Airlines flight crashed into the south tower on 9/11/2001, only a few floors below where he was standing.

So. How does this work? Why and how does our brain create a guardian angel for itself? Well, we do not really know. But the most common idea is this.

As panic rises, our brain becomes increasingly unable to be fully conscious. Most of us are not capable, when our life is at risk, to override the panic with the logic side of our brain. So we make up a new person, whose life is not at risk, and who can think, imagine, project, and plan for us, while we are busy just surviving. The ultimate survival instict is to delegate. Our right brain (not exactly the right half, it is more complex than this, but as a manner of speaking) will communicate with the left side through auditory and sometimes visual hallucinations.

And here's the fun part. According to some scholars (highlights *some*) this was the natural state of the human brain until about 3000 years ago.

This idea, pioneered in 1976 by the psychologist Julian Jaynes, stands on the analysis of ancient narrations, such ad the Iliad or the oldest parts of the Old Testament. In these works, introspection (as in the ability for metareflection, for thinking that you are thinking) seems to be not fully formed. Emotions, memories, thoughts, dreams, desires are often described as externalities, sent by spirits or deities. Achille's anger for Patroclo's death, Ettore's desire to fight in front of the city walls, are inspired by the gods and impossible to resist. According to Jaynes, this is how early humans perceived the world, the right side of the mind communicating, through something similar to hallucinations, to the left side.

In the brains of modern humans, the language centers sit on the left side. But, in people suffering from schizophrenia, those zones in the right side of the brain which are symmetric to the language centers on the left side, show increased activity while the subject perceives auditory hallucinations.

According to Jaynes, in early humans the internal monologue used the right side more than the left, so that it was perceived as an externality. As the orders of a god.

From the Bronze Age Collapse (around late 2nd millenium BC), and the mass migrations that followed, this gradually began to change. Increasingly often, humans had to communicate with strangers from different cultures and languages. It became necessary to communicate your thoughts in more complex ways. To explain yourself to others. Gradually through narration, through storytelling, through attempts at communication beyond language barriers, humans became conscious. Quite literally, according to Jaynes, the human brain can introspect, because we can narrate.

If this sounds fascinating but far fetched it's because it is. Several others have criticised this theory as standing on slim evidence. The way feelings and thoughts are described in the Iliad could also just be the result of the literary genre. The Epich of Gilgamesh, a poem from ancient Mesopotamia dating to the late 2nd millenium BC (so in pre-consciousness times according to Jaynes), shows several instances of introspection, though it's hard to say which part of the poem are the true original ones, as it was rewritten through the ages.

Nonetheless, Jaynes' theory is beautiful and fascinating, even if not all of it is necessarily accurate.

Sources and further reading

1. The Third Man factor: Surviving the Impossible, by John Geiger

2. South, by Ernest Shackleton

3. The Origin of Consciousness and the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, by Julian Jaynes

4. Reflections on the Dawn of Consciousness: Julian Jaynes's bicameral mind theory revisited, by Marcel Kuijsten

5. The "bicameral mind" 30 years on: a critical reappraisal of Julian Jaynes' hypothesis, by Andrea Eugenio Cavanna

[d-the-designer]

do you spot the trope we don’t use anymore?

This is an exploration into the latent space adjacent to 1950s pulp sci fi.

I am using a GPT custom trained on “The Green Odyssey” by Philip Jose Farmer.

now, there are other particulars about this pic - for example, I’ve discovered via this and my other trained GPTs that if you don’t specify what a character is wearing, the GPT will default to generating them in period clothes. Hence Alan Green in the story is rendered as (erroneously, but interestingly) a traveling salesman.

Did you spot the trope we no longer use?

it’s the repurposing of visible cultural settings and artifacts as “alien.” As well as the repurposing of human culture.

This was very common to older works; it’s the direct lineage that Star Trek is part of.

Over time, though, this practice became less and less on-the-nose. You see fewer space sultans with space harems, space bazaars, and space pagodas over time; at the very minimum the visible cultural references will have the serial numbers filed off.

We have the cultural appropriation discourse now, however even before this started to be a troublesome trope, it was already starting to go out of fashion a bit for a combination of reasons. One of the most obvious is that - in TV and film - we had massive leaps in VFX and makeup, and no longer had to repurpose costumes and old set pieces of various non-American locales.

I suspect that with the greater visibility via tv, National Geographic, Life magazine, etc pagodas and crowded bazaars simply stopped passing as alien.

but also, the world just got a lot smaller.

[s-creations]

26 Ways to Feel Mortal - B: Bust

26 Chapters based around experiences that newly arrived Geno experiences while trying to find the Star Pieces.

Fandom: Super Mario & Releated Fandoms, Super Mario RPG Rating: Teen and UP Audiences Relationship: Mario/Geno (Nintendo), Mario/Princess Peach (Nintendo) Additional Tags: Rating for Teen needed for later chapters, but shouldn't be to worrisome, I'll have warnings if I'm worried, Poly relations!, Main characters will always be named, Minor characters will arrive as needed, the chapters are not in a specific order, just meets the needs of the given word, please be aware of spoilers.

Bust: (verb) Come apart or split open. Cause to collapse;defeat. 

Stars were never tired. They would work endlessly to categorize the numerous wishes that were created and fulfill them to the best of their ability. Night and day didn’t exist. It was just a sky filled with their kin. Both senate and those of just blinding lights of energy.

It was the second night away from Rose Town that Geno felt exhaustion for the first time. 

Jerking away when something touched his arm. Blinking quickly to try and clear up the fogginess. Realization dawned on him that it was just Mario. 

“Hey, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. You okay?”

“Oh…I-I think so? I’m sorry, I’m feeling strange…”

“Strange? Are you sick?” Mallow asked worriedly, “Can Stars get sick?”

“No, I very much doubt so.”

Mario shifted closer. “Do you think you could describe what’s happening?”

“I feel…heavy. More than what I’m used to. My movements feel sluggish, I have a hard time keeping my eyes open, it’s hard to think…” Geno felt a strange sensation bloom in his chest when Mario placed a hand against the puppet’s cheek.

“I would say you don’t feel warm. But you’re wood, so I’m not sure if I’d really be able to tell- whoa!” Mario quickly reached out to hold Geno close. The puppet started to fall forward, eyes barely open. “Whoa, okay… When was the last time you slept?”

“Stars don’t sleep…” Geno replied weakly.

“Maybe they do when they have a physical body. I think right now that’s a different story. Come on, we’re turning in early.”

Mallow whined softly at that, but didn’t further complain as he and Mario laid out the sleeping equipment. Geno eventually brought over to a large blanket. Laid down on his back with his head resting on a contained cloud.

“How’d you get a cloud in here?” Geno asked, voice coming out in a gravel tone. He heard Mario give a small chuckle. 

“It’s not a cloud. Just some fluff, it’s a pillow.”

Geno let out a small hum, rolling onto his side to nuzzle into said pillow.

That’s the last he remembered before he fell into a blissful darkness. 

______________________

Stars never had a reason to eat. Sustenance was something only viewed as an interesting topic of conversation between them while they worked. 

What do you think certain items taste like? 

What do you think it feels like to swallow?

Is it as slimy as it looks?

Is it cold? 

Warm?

It was an interesting way to pass the time. 

Geno couldn’t help but let out another whine as his midsection cramped once more. Arms tightly wrapped around himself in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Mallow paced nervously nearby as Mario quickly dug through their bags. 

“Hold on,” Mario replied to Geno’s noise, “Hold on, I almost- got it!”

He pulled out a glass container filled with something Geno did not recognize. Thin strands of something limp covered with a red, chunky liquid. 

“W-What is that? Are t-those worms?” The puppet asked nervously.

“No, it’s pasta. Specifically spaghetti,” Mario laughed softly, “It’s better warmed up. But I don’t think you’ll be able to last that long. Come on, let’s get you sat up.”

Geno was not pleased when he was forced to move. Hating how weak he felt, his body even shaking as he leaned against Mario. Watching with barely open eyes as the human easily twirled the fork around said noodles. Bringing up a decent sized bite to Geno’s mouth.

“Open up. I promise, this won’t hurt you.”

Still giving the forkful a concerned look, Geno did as asked. 

While the cold feeling was not the best first impression, it was quickly forgotten when Geno fully tasted the flavor from said bite. Eyes widening slightly as he tried to swallow it down. Only for his throat to fight the wad of food bight. The puppet coughing weakly, quickly leaving over and spitting the food back out. 

“Eww…” Mallow weakly commented as noodles splattered onto the ground.

“It’s okay, you’re okay,” Mario spoke softly as he rubbed Geno’s back, “How about we chew this time, yeah? Don’t swallow it right away. Use your teeth to turn it into mush. Then you can swallow. It’s better than it sounds, promise.”

Steadying himself once more, Geno gave a small nod. The second bite was handled much easier. The pair in his stomach slowly disappeared with each mouthful he took.

“Guess you need to add ‘eating’ to your daily list of normal activities.” Mario teased while Geno rolled his eyes. 

______________________

Stars don’t feel pain.

They don’t really feel anything. 

Gain and loss. Neither of those feelings, these emotions, are felt by Stars. 

Emphasis on the negative sensations. 

The worst they’d ever had to worry about was the worry over an unfulfilled wish. 

Geno hadn’t been paying attention. Honestly, with how normal it had become with daily fighting, he felt at ease. To at ease. Meaning he was unaware of how far his defenses had lowered. 

The attack landed squarely on his back. His body seemed to spasm before becoming unresponsive. For some reason, the other members of the party were watching on fearfully.

Geno couldn’t understand why.

He was fine.

Why wouldn’t he?

…Right?

Geno fell to his knees. 

Nothing was responding.

Why couldn’t he move?

Why did everything feel…numb?

He saw tears pouring down Mallow’s face.

Was it raining? 

Why couldn’t he feel it?

As Geno started to fall forward, Mario moved his direction. Moving slower than what the puppet remembered.

Oh…he felt the pain now.

The world fell black.

“A-Are you sure he’s going to be o-okay?”

“Of course. You saw the items do their job to heal up his wounds. Plus, Geno’s tough.”

“B-But he fell so h-hard. A-And he hasn’t moved for l-like hours. A-And he l-looks dead. A-And-”

Mallow, I need you to take a few deep breaths for me. Okay? Everything’s going to be okay. If needed, we’re near a town and we’ll just take Geno to a doctor.”

“O-Okay…”

Geno’s borrowed body felt heavy. The entire form seemed to pulse with muted pain. Not fully hurt, but he did feel extremely sore. 

A low groan emitted from his mouth. Attempting to open his eyes, the process being helped that he was met with the darkened night sky. The sun would have hurt far too much. 

Furious footsteps announced the puppet that Mallow was rushing over. Geno letting out a grunt of slight pain as the other wrapped his arms around the puppet.

“You’re okay!” the cloud child cried, “You’re alive!”

“H-Hey Mallow.” Geno attempted a weak reply while shakily patting Mallow’s back.

“Mallow, hey, how about you get a few Mushrooms from my bag. Yeah? I’m sure Geno would like something to help with the pain.” said Mario, joining the other two.

Mallow, smiling behind the tears, sniffed and nodded. Rushing out of Geno’s line of sight with Mario appearing next. With how calm the human sounded, his current state said that he was not feeling as confident as his words sounded. Skin a sickly pale. Shrunken pupils. Geno could even feel Mario’s hand shaking as he helped the puppet sit up.

“How are you feeling?” Mario asked, voice low.

“Okay…I guess? What happened?”

“You were… You took the full force of a pretty strong attack. The annoying…little thing snuck up. I wasn’t paying attention and…” The human let out a slow shaky sigh, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Mario…”

“...You just dropped like a rock. I thought…can you die? I never thought I would have to ask a…a Star this. But, I mean, can you?”

“I don’t know? I always assumed I would just be knocked out of this form. It’s borrowed, right? It’s not really mine. So I would just be launched out and I would wait until the toy was fixed.”

“Did that happen now?”

“No… No, I…fell asleep? I mean, I was in a lot of pain and then I remember nothing…”

“Sounds like you passed out. It’s what happens if your body can’t handle the stress put on it.”

“But, it’s not my body. It shouldn’t work like that.” Geno closed his eyes in comfort as Mario’s hands gently massaged his arm. 

“This is your body. I think we need a shift in our mind about you. What we need to be aware of and what to keep an eye on. Play it safer, yeah? Be a little more aware. Try and avoid a situation like this as best as possible.”

Geno nodded slowly. “Yeah… Yeah, that sounds good.”

[sixofclovers]

hecate

[lanndscape]

[mindboogling]

I love making a gag character for D&D, forgetting they’re just a gag character, and then take a step back to look at the original ref

[homuraham]

Hamster Escapes the Most Dangerous Prison Maze 🐹