#from the harmony: zero in activity behind 3

[primordialsoundmeditation]

This week’s astrology forecast: December 11th to 17th

Message for the week:

A high powered, positive, and productive week is in store with the New Moon in enthusiastic Sagittarius conjunct motivational Mars occurring on Tuesday—a time for new beginnings with an optimistic eye on growth and expansion. Sagittarius says yes to life first and then thinks about it later. Eternally optimistic Sagittarius is the time to lighten up and look for possibilities. Sagittarius, the “truth seeker and truth speaker”, calls for movement—physical and mental, to propel you beyond existing boundaries and expand your beliefs about the possibilities in life.

The New Moon does form a challenging square to nebulous Neptune, creating vulnerability to dogmatic teachings and teachers. Trust the mystery of how great spirit unfolds and be suspicious of those who profess to know the truth. From The Tao Te Ching: “Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.”

Mercury turns retrograde late Tuesday until January 1st which normally suggests caution, but Mercury is in trine to Jupiter and in sextile to Venus and can be a positive boon for helping sift through the non-essentials to zero in on that which can enhance productivity. This is also an excellent period for reconnecting with old friends and family and reminiscing over shared memories.

Monday: The Moon enters enthusiastic Sagittarius at the start of day, but immediately squares restrictive Saturn—you may feel daunted by looming responsibilities. Later, a smooth and upbeat day unfolds. Mercury in Capricorn is sextile to Venus, enhancing cooperative projects and bringing greater focus on what you most value.

Tuesday: Mercury turns retrograde for the next three weeks, with the typical advice of double-checking appointment times, etc. However, being in Capricorn, this is also excellent for letting go of non-essential thinking to prioritize that which can useful. The New Moon in optimistic Sagittarius occurs at 3:32 PM PST, lifting spirits and is the time to set your sights on the future and get going. The Moon squares imaginary Neptune late tonight—excellent for an escapist movie to leave the world behind.

Wednesday: This is a good day for getting organized for high powered and smooth productivity, with the Moon entering “get ‘er done” Capricorn, in creative harmony to focused Saturn. A flowing trine to expansive Jupiter this afternoon adds optimism and confidence to pursuing goals, while the Moon conjunct Mercury tonight is good for planning and making lists.

Thursday: Another good day for getting things done and working with others with the Moon in productive Capricorn in a stimulating sextile to Venus (relationships). The high-powered productivity continues throughout the day and is enhanced by a flowing trine to innovative Uranus this evening. Trust your intuition and ability to see the big picture to aid in problem solving.

Friday: You may wake up with a gripping drive to get things wrapped up before the weekend, with the Moon in productive Capricorn conjunct compelling Pluto. The Moon moves into independent Aquarius mid-morning, fueling the drive to break free of responsibilities and do things your own way. A square to excessive Jupiter this evening is excellent for getting together with friends and blowing off a bit of steam.

Saturday: You may have to be patient to accommodate the needs of others this morning, with the Moon in individualistic Aquarius in an irritating square to Venus (relationships). However, a smooth and exciting day unfolds with the Moon in a stimulating sextile to dynamic Mars—excellent for winter sports and physical activity. A bit of a whacky evening might be in store, with a square to unpredictable Uranus, and the Sun in a debilitating square to nebulous Neptune—enjoy the world of make-believe, but don’t believe everything you hear.

Sunday: You may feel like getting up and getting going early today, with the Moon in socially aware Aquarius in a stimulating sextile to the energizing Sun. The energy shifts midday with the Moon entering introspective Pisces joining serious Saturn. Perhaps an afternoon nap to rest up for an active evening, with the Moon moving into stimulating sextiles to both adventuristic Jupiter and mentally active Mercury.

May the stars be with you!

Donations: Although these weekly updates are free, if you would like to support the newsletter with a donation, go to my website and click the “Donate” button on the menu. You can donate in increments of $5. You can also donate through Venmo: David-Pond-17 If you would like to send a check, contact us for our mailing address. Thanks for your support!

Consultations: I am available for consultations if you would like to see how your astrology chart can help you connect with your true self, explore your life’s purpose, better understand relationships, find your right vocation, or to align with current astrological influences. Contact us by email, phone, or through the “Services” tab on our website, to set up a session.

Email: Dpond11@gmail.com

Website: Davidpond.com

Phone: 360-918-8411

[plamleaf]

What Sets Green Sapling’s Sustainable Dinnerware Apart from Other Eco-Friendly Options

Introduction

As environmental concerns continue to shape consumer choices, eco-friendly dinnerware has surged in popularity. Many brands offer biodegradable and compostable options, but not all are created equal. Green Sapling stands out from the competition by combining sustainability, durability, and innovative design to provide a superior alternative to traditional and eco-friendly dinnerware alike.

Sustainable Sourcing

One of the defining features of Green Sapling’s dinnerware is its commitment to responsible sourcing. Unlike some eco-friendly options that rely on monoculture farming or excessive resource use, Green Sapling prioritizes:

Rapidly Renewable Materials: Their products are crafted from bamboo, palm leaves, and other fast-growing, sustainable resources.

Ethical Harvesting Practices: By working with responsible farmers and adhering to ethical sourcing policies, Green Sapling ensures minimal environmental impact.

Zero Deforestation: Unlike some paper-based alternatives, Green Sapling does not contribute to deforestation, preserving natural ecosystems.

Durability & Functionality

Many sustainable dinnerware options sacrifice durability for biodegradability. Green Sapling addresses this concern with products designed to withstand daily use while remaining environmentally friendly. Their dinnerware offers:

Heat and Moisture Resistance: Unlike some biodegradable plates that weaken with heat or liquids, Green Sapling’s products maintain their integrity.

Microwave and Dishwasher Safe Options: Certain product lines are designed for reuse, providing convenience alongside sustainability.

Stylish and Versatile Designs: With elegant aesthetics and modern finishes, Green Sapling’s dinnerware is perfect for casual meals, special events, and restaurant use.

True Biodegradability & Compostability

While many brands claim to be biodegradable, some require industrial composting facilities or leave behind microplastics. Green Sapling ensures:

100% Natural Decomposition: Their products break down completely without harmful residues.

Home Compostable Solutions: Many of their items can decompose in backyard compost bins, unlike some alternatives that need specialized treatment.

No Toxic Chemicals: Green Sapling avoids synthetic coatings and bleaches, making their products safer for the environment and consumers alike.

Carbon Footprint Reduction

Green Sapling takes sustainability a step further by implementing eco-conscious production and distribution practices. Their initiatives include:

Minimal Waste Manufacturing: By optimizing raw material use, they reduce production waste.

Eco-Friendly Packaging: Using recyclable and biodegradable packaging materials, they minimize plastic waste.

Carbon-Neutral Shipping: Green Sapling partners with carbon offset programs to balance emissions from transportation.

Consumer & Community Impact

Sustainability isn’t just about materials—it’s about creating lasting change. Green Sapling actively engages in environmental and social initiatives, including:

Fair Trade Practices: Supporting artisans and workers with fair wages and ethical labor conditions.

Reforestation Efforts: A portion of profits goes towards tree-planting projects worldwide.

Educational Initiatives: Raising awareness about sustainable living through partnerships with schools and organizations.

Conclusion

Green Sapling’s sustainable dinnerware goes beyond the basics of eco-friendliness. With responsible sourcing, superior durability, true biodegradability, and a commitment to reducing carbon footprints, it offers a well-rounded solution for environmentally conscious consumers. Choosing Green Sapling means investing in a future where sustainability and practicality coexist harmoniously.

FAQ

1. How long does Green Sapling’s dinnerware take to biodegrade? Depending on environmental conditions, most products decompose within 3-6 months in home composting and even faster in industrial composting facilities.

2. Is Green Sapling’s dinnerware safe for hot foods and liquids? Yes! Their dinnerware is designed to withstand heat and moisture, making it suitable for soups, hot beverages, and oily foods.

3. Can I reuse Green Sapling’s dinnerware? Many products are designed for multiple uses and are dishwasher safe, while others are intended for single-use compostability.

4. Does Green Sapling offer bulk or wholesale options? Yes, they provide bulk purchasing options for restaurants, caterers, and event planners looking to make sustainable choices.

5. Where can I purchase Green Sapling dinnerware? Green Sapling’s products are available online through their website and select eco-friendly retailers.

By choosing Green Sapling, consumers can enjoy stylish, functional, and truly sustainable dinnerware while making a positive impact on the planet.

[secret-code]

⭐

[linkspooky]

Ten Favorite Female Characters

I was tagged by @midnight-in-town​, so now I have to show them how much I love my favorite women. 

Name your favorite female characters from 10 different Fandoms and tag 10/or the amount you wish people

Tagging: @hamliet​ @amonmahboi​ @inumaqi​ @thyandrawrites​ @kaibutsushidousha​  @harostar​.. yeah, I don’t know ten people. 

Enoshima Junko 

“Hope is harmony. A just heart, moving toward the light. That is all. Despair is hope's polar opposite. It is messy and confusing. It swallows up love, hatred, and everything else.”

Junko wishes she was a psychopath. She’s spent her entire life pretending to be a crazy psychopath, because living that life is just so much more interesting than the one she’s stuck in. Enoshima Junko is just too smart for the world, and everything is too easy for her, and rather than try to dumb herself down a little bit she’s decided to knock everything else down. She’s a girl kicking down sandcastles because building them out of sand all alone is no longer doing it for her. 

Junko’s interesting because of the weird logic and loops she runs her brain into. There’s a complex character behind the whole “I exist only to spread despair” thing. She’s perfectly capable of forming emotional attachments to people, and genuinely caring. But the people she likes are generally far worse off than the ones she doesn’t care about. 

Junko wants so badly to, just not be human. She does the most inhuman things possible to prove that she’s not human. What really made me love her is the lengths she’s willing to go, to the point in Dangan Ronpa Zero where she basically took a screw to her own brain and started acting like a normal girl only when all of her memories were removed. 

Junkos relationship with Matsuda shows two conflicting sides of her character. How much she's humanized by her love of him,  and also how much she wants to completely destroy that part of herself. It's like she physically can't be a normal girl. Or rather she doesn’t want to be to such extremes she’ll break everything and then herself. 

And if she can’t be normal than Junko decided that self destruction is her next best bet. There’s just nothing that will satisfy Junko, and it’s interesting to watch someone that empty decide the world is going to end, or she’s going to end herself and she doesn’t really care which. 

Ajimu Najimi

“Call to me with affection, Anshin’in-san. Well, I don’t really care what manga characters call me.” 

Hey, I put Junko on this list twice. Both Ajimu and Junko live in a world that is too easy for them, and therefore they have no reason to get emotionally invested in others or try to attach themselves to anything. Which is why it’s fun to see Ajimu attempt the same thing as Junko to kill herself in style and eventually get saved from herself.

Medaka Box is such a meaningful manga to me because they take the weirdest characters and no matter how deranged they are they find the parts of them that are relatable and go, well guess what you’re human too. Ajimu literally calls herself a non-human and she���s just as human as all the rest in the end. 

The best part is it’s not her good points that make her human, it’s all her flaws. It’s easy to feel like the world isn’t real, that nothing in the world is worth living for, to feel no emotional attachment. Those are all human emotions. Not because they’re good and shining, but because they’re petty and terrible. Ajimu is this brilliant character, but she’s also kind of just a petty little girl using a ‘fiction is reality’ lens to cope. She’s not that special actually, she’s just suicidal, and kind of awful in general. It’s nice to see that human side behind the mastermind character. 

Azula

“My own mother thought I was a monster. She was right of course but it still hurts.” 

Azula is someone thoroughly dehumanized by everyone even the “good” members of her family (Uncle Iroh, Zuko, her Mother). I like how Azula in some part seems to be aware that both her brother, and mother seem to kind of consider her the “bad sibling” and she just decides to embrace it. Like it’s... not emotionally healthy in any way and it’s terribly tragic but there’s something about characters who actively make the decision to be a monster that gets me. 

There’s something about Azula’s writing that makes me uncomfortable, and it makes me sad that Zuko like... continually associates her with his father’s abuse, and demonizes her like she wasn’t also a kid going through the exact same situation, but Azula getting increasingly unstable is at least an appropriate response to that. 

Even if her brother, her mother, or her father won’t see her as her own person and they all see her as an extension of her father’s abuse on her, Azula is just so determined to be her own person even if it means burning the world, or herself A common theme I guess, but a lot of these characters have narratives about not being allowed to be their own person or shown any kind of humanity or normalcy. 

Morrigan

“Well, well, well what do we have here?”

Morrigan is mean, and nasty, and grumpy and bitchy and witchy. She’s allowed to be unlikable, because Morrigan never bends to anyone. Her survival, and freedom will become first before anything else. 

It feels like Morrigan is the main character in her own story, and you just happen to be a part of it for a short while. You may even be an important character to her, she may be attached, but ultimately you’ll never be more than support to her. 

Morrigan is such an ambitious an singular entity that her character development is letting you be a part of her life and not the other way around. She'll always survive on her own.  Morrigan is irrevocably shaped by her environemnt, and yet she craves freedom in that too because she doesn’t want to be bound by her past or shaped by her mother. So much of herself is dedicated to being better than the environment that she was raised in that she defeats her mother not by killing her, or freeing herself, but rather by being a better mother than her. 

Raven / Rachel Roth

“Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos...” 

Raven is fun, because a bunch of monks thought the best way to teach her to handle her emotions was to never allow her to feel any emotion ever. So, Raven is eternally running on a zero. She’s terrified even a small amount of happiness will end the world. She’s not allowed to be her own person, neither her bastard father, nor the monks treat her like one.

Raven is so gentle, and selfless, and emotionally perceptive and sensitive to others needs but she can’t ever display almost any of these good traits because she’s internalized the idea that she’s such a bad person. She always believes all the time that she exists to hurt others and that makes it so difficult for her to connect to others. 

Which is why her true friends bond with the Teen Titans is so meaningful, because Rachel found a family in spite of all of that. She has friends who think she’s a good person unconditionally despite the fact that Raven continually tells herself she isn’t. There are people in the world willing to navigate the maze of walls that Raven has built around herself, and that her environment forced her to build and closed up, and she’s so happy to have them. 

Midna

“Some call our realm a world of shadows, but that makes it sound so unpleasant... The twilight there holds a serene beauty... You have seen it yourself as the sun sets on this world. Bathed in that light, all the people were pure and gentle...” 

Midna just steals the show. Her story now. The game’s not called Legend of Zelda anymore now it’s Legend of Midna. Not only is she the most important character in the game she appears in, but she’s also in character someone so selfish she’ll always prioritize herself over everyone else. However, only because she feels that she can’t exist as anything other than the princess of the twilight and has to prioritize her survival for the sake of her people. Midna even says so at the start of the game, she can’t be kind because she wasn’t spoiled like princess Zelda in the bountiful kingdom of the light. 

Midna is so selfish and yet doesn’t really have her own wants and needs as a person outside of the role she has to play for her people, which is why she’s so terribly lost without it and just because this terrible selfish little gremlin. Link and Zelda affect Midna so much because they humanize her. They both sacrifice themselves to save Midna the person and she doesn’t get why. She doesn’t get why two people would help someone who has been so unkind to them and who has failed them this much so far. 

That act of selflessness moves her, and also freaks her out. She even says she didn’t want to be saved by either of them. Which is what makes her redemption in the second half of the game so interesting, because Midna really improves herself so she can become someone worth their kindness. She doesn’t want the selflessness of people like Zelda and Link to go to waste, and because of that begins to care about things outside of her kingdom and her role as princess 

Vriska Serket

“After all of this is over. Do you want to go on a d8?”

Unfortunately one of my top 3 favorite characters of all time comes from a really terrible source material. Vriska is everything I like in a character.  She's a mess. She's really hard to swallow. She's a character that's not meant to be liked.

Nobody really likes Vriska and it's all her fault for being such a horrible person, nobody wants her damage. Which is so interesting because usually main characters get forgiven over and over again. Everyone leaves and if they don't Vriska will burn those bridges herself. No character better embodies what it's like to be stuck in a self harming cycle

Authors are always so obsessed with making characters look good or showing what a good person they are few characters are allowed to be just plain unlikely in ugly ways. It’s what lets Vriskas genuine desire to be better actually seem like a struggle. 

Kocho Shinobu

“Are you angry? Yes, I’m angry Tanjiro. I’ve always been angry.” 

Shinobu is just all pleasantries on the surface, but so full of negative emotions in ways women aren't allowed to be. I love the medicine / poison dynamic to her character and how it rots her to the core. Too much medicine is a poison, while poison can be a medicine when applied to the right situation.

Shinobu is, two faced. She’s beautiful and kind, and full of ugly emotions and empty. She nurses people back from the dead, she sees no point in living herself and purposefully throws herself into a suicide in her plan against Doma. There’s just such a destructive dance between extremes for her because Shinobu is such a unique individual, trying to deal with all of these emotions she just can’t deal with. She can’t be noble, or better than her trauma, she just pretends to be a good person while she slowly rots away inside.  

Shinobu can put on smiles all day -

But she can't be like her sister.  She can't love people like her sister can. Maybe she could once but all that's left now is anger. Bitter, unpleasant, and completely in denial of it and still masquerading as a good person. The most beautiful kind of poison of all.

She’s not her sister, but she’s also not really her own person. She doesn’t know who Shinobu is, doesn’t know who Kocho Shinobu lives for. She just doesn’t imagine herself living past her revenge, and even though she’s surrounded by love she’s just so cracked it all pours out of her and absolutely nothing could be worth prolonging her life after everything she’s lost. 

Toga Himiko

“What exactly is a normal life? I also live a normal life, you know.” 

Himiko Toga is a girl who lives entirely on her own terms. Which is just so rare for a female character, you know? It’s so genuinely subversive to know that Himiko was once a nice girl, who always smiled, always put other people’s feelings first, and that sort of ‘good girl’ behavior drove her completely insane.

Toga deciding to be true to herself is an act of rebellion against the world. 

For Himiko everything is flipped. What others regard as psycho behavior is her normal. She doesn’t let other people define her story as a tragedy, and even murders the one person who tries to control her story. In a story where female characters constantly downplay their own importance to support the male characters Himiko is the only character important enough to be the center of her own story. Himiko’s story is so subversive as well, both of how society treats her, and how the story treats characters like her. 

Himiko is such an excellent yandere, all yanderes wish they were himiko. She comes off as this batshit stabby girl,  but then you find out that shes actually emotionally perceptive. She first comes off selfish, bratty, and self-centered but she turns into one of the most sensitive characters in the manga. She eschews the ideals of being a good girl that was forced down her throat, but that doesn’t mean she’s not empathic, or that she’s not capable of goodness. She’s good to twice. She’s good to the people who accept her. 

Himiko no matter what will always be a deviant. Always be an outsider. Instead of trying to make room for her her parents forced her to lie and wear a mask until her identity became completely shattered. I like Toga because under the knife wielding psycho she's a normal girl. Then under that normal girl there’s also a knife wielding psycho ready to fight back, and both of them are the real her. 

Ihei Hairu

“I saw the reaper, he was very beautiful.” 

Every character from the garden is just fundamentally broken.  Hairu and Rize are interesting foils, because if you think of about it a loveless childhood turned them both into ruthless killers. It’s just they decided to live for different things, Rize lived rejecting love and Hairu lived chasing after love. However, fundamentally they are the same. They are children starved for any kind of love or nurturing.  Hairu is so desperate she devotes her entire life to the first person who acknowledged her. However, the same sort of desperation to live, that tragic need to make the most out of the few short years they have exists in all garden children.

Hairu wants so badly to be a person, but she’s not a person. She’s half ghoul. 

There's just something about a girl who was never meant to be born and never meant to live, still trying.  There's a dark side to her character, she's violent and inhuman exactly like the environment she was raised in but she was also still a child at heart seeking love.

Which is why though her narrative is a thoroughly unhappy one, it does make me happy that there was someone who loved her in the form of Koori Ui. There is someone who wanted her to live longer. Her life was short, but she did live, and it’s that struggle to connect to others that made her truly alive. 

[theaterkid821]

Gather ‘round peeps. It’s story time. (Spoilers for changes so don’t read if you’re seeing it soon in the future)

Pre-show

So the first thing I feel like I need to say is that if you are a purist for what they call BMC 1.0, you may not like this. There were a lot of changes to lyrics and lines. It was the same show we all love, but it was different. I loved most of the changes but I can see why some people wouldn’t. 

In Will Roland’s bio, he says “actor/singer/human.” That’s not important to the show, but it was important to me that you know that. 

Also something for my fellow plus size people, the seats are not the most accommodating. Hopefully that isn’t a deterrent, but it is something you should probably know. 

They have a thing called squiptheline.com where you can preorder your merch and pick them up. I got poster, sticker pack, and lip balm (they are mountain dew and mountain dew red)

And then it begins...

They had the SQUIP do the intro and it was beautifully hysterical. 

They lit up the dot on the “i” (which was a little pill) on the curtain-thing 

The shelves behind Jeremy’s bed were full of nerd shit and it was beautiful. 

Jeremy has glasses. Nerd level even higher

Jeremy’s dad comes on with unwashed bowls of cereal, old pizza boxes, and cartoons on. Really adds to his depressed aesthetic. 

When he’s leaving, you see the mailbox full of mail.

He comes back on as the bus driver so quickly.... how?

During the dance bit, he runs into everyone and shouts “girls!” and then shouts “boys!”

Instead of “so Jenna Roland... I mean slutty” dialogue, they change it to “What are you staring at.... I’ve never even noticed him.”

Signup comes from up above. It’s awesome. 

Christine comes on to catch her Eos chapstick (as someone who uses Eos chapstick, I can tell you this is 100% accurate) and then dramatic application

After second verse, before Michael’s entrance, they have Chloe talk dodge a question about her and Jake’s breakup and then Jenna says she saw him with someone. To which Chloe responded, “tell me everything” and then exited. 

George Salazar is amazing and I love him. 

Even from the beginning, with Michael you weren’t sure on the LGBTQ+ spectrum he was, but he DEFINITELY wasn’t straight. 

(Headcannon #1 they used; Michael’s has 2 moms); when seeing the infamous “boyf” “riends,” he took out his phone to take a selfie and said “my mothers would be thrilled!”

Play thing came down from the sky again and Christine lay on the floor for a little bit so you could see her face underneath until it covered her

She did the chorus line dance!

The awkwardness of the scene before I Love Play Rehearsal. 10/10. 

The popular kids knocked Christine and Jeremy off the chairs (my poor babies!)

Slightly after Jake impressing Christine: “Why are you guys doing the play anyways” “Brooke’s doing it because of Chloe, Chloe’s doing it because of me, and Rich is doing it because he’s my boy” “and why are you doing it” “well i’m doing it because of you”

Bathroom scene even had the florescent lights come down.

Rich flushes Jeremy’s head down the urinal (poor child I wanted to hug him)

They whispered “so its like... drugs?” “it’s better than drugs Jeremy”

ITS FROM JAPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN. ‘Nough said

The projection behind the backup was TERRIFYING. They projected people all in white behind them doing the movements.

The rolled the bed on stage for 2 Player Game

Screaming “The cafetorium!” and then having the quieter music as they sit and play the game, emotionless was beautiful. 

“You’re like this bottle of Crystal Pepsi that expired in 1996″ “Is that safe for human consumption?” “Gets better with age”

They had a projection of the game in the background at the end.

They had fog in the shoebox as well as a blue light

“to activate take with mountain dew... not sure why.... and this is important, to deactivate-we’re sold out!”

And then never ended that thought...

“how do you feel?” “like...” singing to add to the dramatic moment and then... “a chump.”

“this guy is hooking me up with a case of ecto-something (i forget). It’s the ghostbusters drink they discontinued in the 90s!” “What does it taste like?” *whispered* “Ghosts!”

(Headcannon #2 they used; Jeremy being a furry); “my default mode you can also set me for... sexy anime female in cat suit with tail.”

They added an intro to Be More Chill

They cut out “i’m a super computer Jeremy, I’m made of math”

The SQUIP was sitting on the clothing rack for the clothing store part

Chloe broke a hanger after hearing he went with Madeline

For Do You Want a Ride, it started with Brooke began by slowly dragging the straw in and out of her soda can ;)

For the Reprise of Be More Chill, they had both the old lady in the track suit, and a lady in the scooter

her license plate said “bingo queen”

SQUIP comes back on in this weird jacket

New song here! Synched Up!

The SQUIP fixes his vision and he doesn’t need the glasses

It’s hard to describe the song, but it’s about friends being “synched” and how everyone is hiding something underneath.

You hear Michael a couple times, but you don’t see him

Talking about Mr. Reyes “his dreams are dead. That’s why he eats so many hot pockets” (hot pockets is sing-song)

When Jeremy says he was doing performance art, Christine has her own idea for a performance art piece. You don’t hear anything about the idea until then end when she’s squatting and shouts “and then I give birth to the bowling ball!”

You don’t hear it because the SQUIP is talking to Jeremy saying she’s unusual because she doesn’t seem to care what anyone else thinks. 

During play rehearsal: “bring me patient zero!” “cough!” (she says cough). Then Brooke says her line in stressed iambic pentameter.

They had little hearts for Guy I’d Kinda Be Into

The SQUIP was all ready to point to Jeremy at the end and then was like “wtf” when she said Jake

They had bleachers for the football field for the scene before and during Upgrade

“She wants to make out with you” “Ive never made out with anyone in my life”

End of Brooke’s solo in the beginning, they changed. “So kiiiiiiiiiiiiss meeeeeeee.” *giant pause and then repeated melody* “like noooooooooooooooow” 

They added dialogue after Jake and Christine which lead to this layering thing of them all singing “I’m tired of being the person that everyone thinks that I am”

Loser Geek Whatever is so much more emotional than even when i saw it off broadway.

The SQUIP came back out in a very elaborate dress/jacket thing. It was cool

They played a jazzy version of the Pants Song during intermission

Christine dressed as a sexy princess 

They added more harmonies to Halloween

Chloe was wasted for Do You Wanna Hang

The SQUIP fell onto the bed after going into factory setting

They took out the 

Michael In the Bathroom... if you have a chance to see George Salazar perform this live, I highly recommend

Christine and Jeremy communicating through sounds is beautiful and just... a mood. 

There was a sparkly red bra behind them

Rich takes a pumpkin and sets the house on fire. 

For Smartphone hour, the changed the first verse of the chorus to “Rich set a fire and he burned down Jake’s house” which helps me immensely (fun fact, someone once thought I was crazy because my friend once texted me “did Rich set his own house on fire, or Jake’s house?” and they saw it and thought my friends were arsonists. I mean, I am somewhat insane, but... not for that reason)

Michael and the dad’s female characters came down from the ceiling.

Michael had shark slippers, Rich had unicorn slippers, and Jeremy’s dad was in a onesie that said “naughty”

I have said this before and I will say this again, it takes real courage to be on stage in front of a few hundred people and sing whilst in your boxers

Michael was wearing weed socks and was smoking of course

Jeremy’s dad thought he was burning incense lol

Christine: “Everyone is hurting and I don’t know how to help. So I guess I’ll just do theatre.” got such a laugh

They basically rewrote all the lyrics for Pitiful Children

Robotic kick-line

Christine knows what a SQUIP is because someone in her theatre camp took one and is now in a mental hospital... coincidence?

The SQUIP comes down from the sky and his chest lights up

Michael breaks through the paper scenery for “MICHAEL MAKES AN ENTRANCE!”

Everyone in zombie costumes for the fight scene makes the parallels to the game so much better

Rich has the lisp!

(Headcannon #3 they use; Rich and Michael); “anti-social headphones kid... is he single?” *sees him* “oh hiiiiii.” “Hi Rich,” *very awkwardly* “Bye Rich!” If you don’t want it, you don’t have to see it. But if you do ship it... oh my god.

He puts on his glasses again!

(Headcannon #4 they use; calling the group the squad); they rewrote the verse for Chloe, Jake, Brooke, and Jenna. they say to Jeremy “we’re your squad” not exactly the SQUIP squad, but still

When asked what her SQUIP looked like, Christine said RBG

For the date, Jeremy suggests the performance art she said she wanted to do.

At the end, there’s a projection of the SQUIP in the background

I’m tagging people who liked the previous post or commented so... Tag list: @molly-wonder-queer @72748-blog @simranthefangirl

[nilim]

My Mythodea Adventure - Part 2

Day 2!

During the first in-game night it rained and a thunderstorm passed over, waking us up in the middle of the night -- but luckily everything stayed dry inside our tent. The next morning we were woken up at an early hour by a woman who was running through the camp ringing a loud bell, yelling that the fighters had to get up and get prepared as we would soon be under attack from the Black Ice. 

Conquest is a continuous in-time LARP, although there is generally less activity from the NPCs between 3 and 8 AM. This also means that getting woken up at 8 by your camp being under attack is part of the in-game life, and although it can be annoying it is also very immersive. 

As we were not fighters, and had no armour to put on, we stayed in our beds a little longer before having a quick breakfast and finishing our translations of the documents. 

The first document was about a garden, and it talked about how different kinds of ‘creatures’ or people lived there, and what they liked, and how they lived in harmony. It read very much as a ‘garden of life’ story, like a scripture describing the origin of the different tribes and people of Mythodea. 

The second document continued that story, but specifically talked about a Forbidden District within the garden that was protected by a wall of thorns. If you went through the wall with the intention of getting into the Forbidden District, the thorns would  poison you, and mark your ‘Kahat’ and cause a slow death. It also talked about the birds that lived in the wall of thorns that were immune to the poison. 

We theorized about what this Forbidden District could contain, how we could get through the wall, and where this garden could be located, before setting out to visit the different temples. 

At the temple of Terra, which was close to our campsite, we asked the druids how we could help out. One of them told us that the temple was also a place of death, and that we could set out in the world and collect stories and songs about death, or we could bring people there who were close to dying, or even go there if one of us were to die (yikes). We promised her we would do our best and return with stories and songs. 

We continued towards Trost, and passed by the Temple of Fire. It had a big fighting pit next to it, surrounded by pillars and chains. There was a line of people to speak to the priestess, and there was a big fire pit, than contained dozens of smaller glass candle holders. We were informed we could complete an offering for this temple by picking one of the candles and taking it to the priestess. The priestess flipped it over, and looked on the other side of the candle, which contained a number. She looked up the number in a big book, and then removed the candle from circulation -- therefore, every single quest someone picked was unique to them. 

Our quest turned out to be one where we had to confess a ‘sin’, and then atone for it. If we had finished our quest, we should return and receive a blessing. 

We continued to the Atelier, to see if we could find any additional info on this ‘garden’ in the archives. 

Our healer, Cerriel, is the eldest sister, and she is somewhat bossy but the most ‘do good’ person in our group. She immediately settled on going through the history section. 

The two youngest sisters are Kenna and Nova, who play twins. Nova is the diplomat, who is a little shady in that she had a knack for magic spells that are borderline dubious, like the ‘forget’ spell. In the game, I am closest to Nova, as she is not as ‘good’ as the other two, and has still supported me throughout my bad life choices. The very first thing she did was descend back on the Dark Studies section. 

Kenna is the bard, and is very happy go lucky. She immediately got sucked into a conversation with a bunch of other bards, who invited her to come sing songs with her, which she immediately did - sitting on the grass in the middle of the atelier. 

I, on the other hand, zeroed in on Radavan, as I wanted to ask him about himself and find out more about him, the Atelier, and what kind of favour we could expect from him. I told him we had translated the document, but that it was hard to know what to ask for as I didn’t know what he could offer, so I asked him to tell me about himself. He was very amused at this, and told me about his house, and his goals, which were mostly about making his house stronger. From what he told me I gathered he was kind of like a spider in a web of people, making sure that every person in his house was in the best position to be the most effective. He was the one that made sure everyone got what they needed. 

I listened to Kenna sing, and we told the bards we wanted to learn songs about death, and they taught one to Kenna. When they finished singing, one of the GMs threw a white pearl at the bards, and one of the other bards proclaimed that as Kenna was the one who had learned a new song, it must be awarded to her, as clearly the atelier had given them a blessing. 

Soon after, smoke started filling the small stone circle next to the Atelier, and a ‘projection’ started. We discovered that the Atelier had several ‘projections’ every day, which were these visions of what the enemy was up to. It was very cool, as they brought out the actual NPC enemies, who would play out scenes and would stand still for us to study them. 

They projected the servant of the Queen of Bones and a vision of her working together with the Black Ice. They also projected the Queen of Dragonflies, who was a leader of the Black Ice and a merger between the Black Ice and Pestilence. A lot of plot stuff went on here, but I won’t get into it because it’s way too much and way too confusing - save to say, it was a very cool mechanic. 

At this point we also met those we lovingly referred to as the ‘Frenchies’, which was a group of French players who also hung out in both the battlefields and at the Atelier all the time. 

They also were scholars, with very cool outfits, and zero weapons. They were composing an encyclopedia of everything that went on in the world of Mythodea. They had a girl who had a huge wooden drawing board in front of her, and would draw all the important NPCs she saw. The guy with the leather hat had a contraption on his back that could fold out into a table with the encyclopedia and additional. There guy in the blue shirt and straw hat was the plant guy and gathered info on herbs and plants. The last guy was also into flora and fauna. 

We talked to them a bunch to ask about the garden, and also other info they had. They showed us the encyclopedia. We had actually seen them run around in the battle the day previously, and they joked that if we saw the girl (whose name I forgot) on the battlefield we should grab her and run the other way because she would get into trouble by getting too close to the enemies all the time, because she wanted to draw them. 

We kind of became friends over the next few days as we kept running into them all the time, and we had similar interests. They showed us a map of the area, with different temples, and told us all the temples were corrupted and feeding into the central ‘temple’, which also contained underground tunnels. You could earn these elemental pearls at all the temples by completing quests, and you could donate them at the temples to strengthen them, or spent them at the middle temple in order to get into the dungeons. 

The bards Kenna had hung out with discovered that she called herself a ‘bard’ but wasn’t a member of the Bards Guild. They seemed a little agitated, and tried to convince her to join the Bards guild, which all sounded nice up until their sales pitch included the fact that they were very nice people who rarely broke people’s legs or fingers. And I was like… ehh, why would you ever break people’s fingers? And they said, well, because in the Bard’s guild every bard gets assigned a tavern to sing at, so if you sing for coin at places you are not assigned… they might break some fingers. And we nervously laughed until we realized they were serious. 

One of the bards took us to the Bards guild was we nervously deliberated behind him, because this all sounded very Bad. 

Before we could get into the Bard’s guild we were actually checked at the gate, and had to show are hands and arms, and the back of our neck, and that is how we learned that the forsaken elements had actually send spies out among the settlers after infecting them - and they could be recognized by marks on their bodies. We were let in, and Kenna deliberated with them, but in the end decided not to join. Every time she sang after that, we were nervous we were gonna get in trouble with the Bard’s guild, haha!

We swung by the water temple in another district. You could fish out a shell from the waters, and the shell contained symbols. By showing the shell to one of the priestesses, she would look up the shell in her book, and then set you a task. We all fished out a shell, and got different tasks. There were two women in front of us, and when they were told their task, one of them burst out into hysterical laughter - like full out, a couple of minutes, tear laughter, as the other one just glared at her. We found out the one who was glaring had been instructed to not speak for 2 hours, and it was just a hilarious situation. 

My task turned out to find a traveler and ask them about the fiercest beast they had ever encountered. I was then to draw/paint that beast. Cerriel got tasked to write down a secret and slip it into three people’s pockets unnoticed. Kenna had to ask five people about their dreams, and draw dream symbols and their meanings. Nova had to come back and announce to the temple the most beautiful dream she had ever had. 

After this, we wanted to swing by the Atelier again, and we passed by the temple of fire -- where the Queen of Dragonflies was sitting in the throne, speaking to a whole bunch of people sitting in front of her! 

With no context, we were curious if this was another projection, or what was going on. As me and Nova got closer, a GM immediately walked up to us and whispered in our ears that we felt a sudden incredible, motherly love from the Queen of Dragonflies, and that we were attracted to her. So we sat down with the other players and listened to her speech. She talked about the love she had for us, and that we should go out and tell others that she loves us and that we should fight for us. She passed through the crowd and hugged and caressed people and as she passed us she caressed our faces and called us beautiful. 

This was not part of our plan, but we were now under the spell of the Queen of Dragonflies, and tasked with spreading her message. We went to the Atelier to draw pamphlets which we left in the archives. We then went back to our tent to eat dinner.

While close to our tent, I stumbled upon another one of those scroll cases, which we immediately stole again. It was another letter in code, but this time it had also a drawing of a plant. We set to translating the info, as we ate dinner. Suddenly, one of our neighbours swung by our tent and he told us we had saved him in the battle the day before. He asked for my sword, and he blessed it with a potion -- it would now put to sleep the first person I hit with it. Score!

After dinner, we made tea, and continued translating. The new document contained info about a mushroom that could strengthen potions of healing, and also told how through alchemical processing one could use it. It also told that on hills where these mushrooms grew, one could find materials that could be used for the forging of artefacts. As we made tea above our fire pit, the neighbours across from us asked us if we wanted some of their rice pudding they had made. We gladly accepted, and they came to bring us food as we offered them tea. They sat down with us, and we started talking. 

One of them was a scribe for the banner council, and all day he wrote down what everyone had done and new info. We shared the info we had found in our documents, and also told him about the Queen of Dragonflies, although we carefully left out the info where we had been enchanted by her. Everything was new info to him, so he got up and ran to get his book from the council chambers so he could write stuff down. We gave him some of our documents to copy, and he told us we could pick it up at the council the next day. After talking for a while, we said our goodbyes and headed for bed. For our help and company, they left us with a bottle of mead. 

[finn0]

All the houses I’ve lived in

1. 94 Queens Rd, New Lambton, NSW

My parents current house since 1989 and the house I’ve had sex with the most people in. A regular two storey house opposite bush on a nice street with neighbours that don’t talk to you (perfect). 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms with air con, a big fireplace, pool and massive garage. Lovely, but I don’t expect to inherit it so the attachment must remain minimal.

2. 11 Cobb Ct, Annandale, QLD

Okay formative toddler years were spent here. A tropical style bungalow with the lowest ceilings you’ve ever seen and even lower hanging ceiling fans (take off your shirt with caution). A massive pool constantly populated with cane toads year round that saturated the yard with chlorine every time a cyclone blew through. More floor space than is necessary for anyone. Horrible, angry neighbours that hated children. Short walk to shops, no air con despite Townsville being the armpit of the country. I spent almost all of time sitting on a Big Bird beanbag watching Sesame Street and screaming in abject terror every time there was a toad sitting in the toilet bowl (which was worryingly frequent).

3. 27 Woodrose Cres, Sinnamon Park, QLD

Literally the ugliest house I’ve ever seen in my life. Gaudy, over-tiled, far too big for any family, nothing but white tiles everywhere and not a tree, nor plant, nor weed in the backyard, just grass the colour of hay. Who in Brisbane requires an attic? Who requires THAT many bedrooms? What the FUCK is that suburb name? This house we thankfully lived in for no more than 7 months but good God what a relief.

4. 45 Clarence Rd, Waratah, NSW

My grandmother Bessie’s house. We lived there for a year while I was in pre-school and while my parents house was being renovated. Absolutely fascinating house that each grandchild loved to visit. The most bizarre things were to be found there. First of all it was a regular 2 bedroom home with gaudy wallpaper and a 1950′s kitchen and bathroom, plenty of living space etc. BUT the bizarre flat that was downstairs under the house that was built for my great-grandmother to inhabit was like stepping a 1950′s motel room. Pea green bathroom, pink kitchen, rising damp, mouldy wallpaper, dust upon dust upon bugs upon discarded venetian blinds. Oh my goodness it was amazing down there. It smelled like a nursing home. PLUS under the house was this enormous space all covered in dirt and other crap and trinkets and sheets. ZERO light penetrated this space and therefore was the best place to crawl around and get spooked. The laundry, also under the house, had high ceilings that were stained a Jackson Pollock amount of colours from years of laundry and rising damp and rain leaks AND leading from under the cupboards in the kitchen upstairs was a laundry chute that led all the way down to the laundry WHICH smaller grandchildren could actually fit into and snake their way down to avoid the prying eyes of older cousins during games of hide and seek. Until you were too big to fit. Like I found out one day. Not an easy search and rescue mission, I’ll tell you that. OH AND the back bedroom had some creepy as shit naked dolls with no hair and meth eyes that rolled back in their head along with like strange 60′s childrens paraphenalia and tiny trinkets that I later found out were things like ACTUAL jewels from Scotland and vintage broken Rolex watches. Also I remember sleeping in that room in my mothers childhood single bed while she slept next to me in another, while my father slept next to my grandmother in a separate single bed in her room (why??). Later after she died, new owners bought the place and my mother met them after a few years and asked if they thought the place was haunted to which they replied an unequivocal “YES”, my mother then asked if they left dishes out in the sink of a night, to which they replied “.....yes” and Mum was like “Well that’s the culprit, my mother would NEVER allow that” and the look of understanding coupled with genuine fear cements the fact that my grandmother was and is a motherfucking force to be reckoned with, alive or dead.

5. 7/58 High St, Randwick, NSW

I moved to Sydney! Why? I don’t know! My partner was doing a degree at UNSW and I went with him because I was 21 and couldn’t stand my parents any longer so I buggered off. Now. This apartment was a second floor walk-up in a WW1 era building opposite a hospital and BEHIND a Coles loading dock. Plus there was a screaming autistic Arabian child downstairs and the loudest dog you’ve ever heard next door. Serene. Peaceful. Damaging to the psyche. We lived with my partners brother which was fine, but that place not only had no heating nor ceiling fans it also had no flyscreens. I didn’t even have my own set of keys. I shared ONE set of keys with my partner for two years. Fucking ridiculous. Yes, the food nearby was good. Yes, I commuted back to Newcastle most weekends to keep my casual job. Yes the neighbours were fascinating, ranging from the American guy across the way who never ever closed his bathroom window and gave me many shows of his frankly monstrous penis, to the chainsmoking nurse below who had a permanent frown despite living across the street from her work, to the Koreans downstairs who constantly cooked delicious barbecue while pretending to not speak English, to the gorgeous gay couple who lived above us who could add a new synonym to the dictionary to define “unfriendly”. We got out just before the new light rail was to begin construction right outside our building, but regardless, because of all the noise that surrounded that place before that, I now can sleep through the sound of a fucking jet engine roaring right next to my face.

6. 145 Wilson St, Carrington, NSW

Back to Newy! Okay so this was the first house we even Googled when looking for a new place back in Newcastle, and weirdly, we got it!. It was a tiny cottage in a harbourside suburb that was across the the street from wheat silos that are literally the size of Windsor castle. The day we moved in, a representative of the Port Authority knocked on our door and told us that if we ever heard a particular siren, that it meant the silos were on fire and an explosion was imminent and that we would have about 10 minutes to evacuate before half the city was Hiroshima-ed. Lovely welcome. We heard that siren (or a siren at least) about 50 times in the 2 years we were there. Pretty alarming, as it were. Anyway, the house was literally 3 rooms and a kitchen, 2 tiny cubicle afterthought bathrooms, and a nice big back deck. Now I was happy there, it had everything I needed, it was pleasant. I had a good garden going and I really learned to cook there. Carrington is where my family is originally from, and it was easy to walk everywhere and I loved the history of it. However, our landlord was a Chinese lady called Winnie who could not have misunderstood the concept of landlord responsibilities less. Any repairs or things we needed, she was not just unavailable but actively apathetic. It was like pulling teeth to get her to even communicate to the property manager in even basic English in regards to anything we required. Our neighbours on one side were a lovely couple with 2 babies but they had a dog called Trippi that would bark whenever someone in the opposite hemisphere coughed, and on the other side were a couple in their 70′s who were both suffering dementia, constantly screaming at each other and who also had two elderly dogs that would bark whenever someone nearby inhaled. For two years I heard literally nothing except Matt’s piano, Trippi barking, the other dogs barking, the neighbours angrily SCREAMING at one another, wheat silo alarms, screeching train tracks and coal tankers blasting their horns as they entered the harbour. Again, seasoned professional, can sleep through anything.

7. 46 Garden Grove Pde, Adamstown Heights, NSW

Alright, so two friends of mine, also a couple, were living in a tiny half house situation and also wanted out of their place, so we decided to all move in together, into a place that was much larger and that we could all collectively afford. So we found this lovely large house with 4+ bedrooms so that we could all have our own space and get on rather well. And it worked out! My partner and I had a great big bedroom, Matt had his own study, we had a library, a music room, and my friends had an enormous bedroom downstairs plus a huge bathroom/laundry AND there was 3 tiers of yard that we grew all sorts of vegetables in, plus it had a driveway that looped around (I would call it a plantation driveway?) so heaps of space for everyone. It was great, plenty of space for guests which we had a lot of, plenty of outdoor areas for entertaining, it was wonderful. But unfortunately my friends relationship ended and an old friend took one of their places for a year (also fine) but eventually it turned out that the place was getting sold and after literally months of surprise inspections and open houses we’d all had enough and decided to move out separately. Now this so far has been my favourite place. It was 10 minutes to work, everyone had their own space and we lived, I think, pretty well harmoniously together. But nothing good lasts so now...!\

8. *** Kings Rd, New Lambton, NSW

From Queens Rd to Kings Rd! We found a gorgeous house right near a train station that I am currently in and pretty happy with. For the first time I have ceiling fans again plus air con and FOUR bedrooms that I barely know what to do with. Currently I’m sitting in my study surrounded by all my books with the fan on typing this out and it feels good to have my own space for a change and actually have trouble furnishing a house as opposed to making concessions about what I keep and what I can’t. I’ve planted a veggie garden, I have my kitchen the way I want, and the house has been renovated, re-carpeted, painted and made livable for a modern couple. We have spare space for guests (or a spare room for me when I don’t want to wake up Matt when I go to bed at 3am, but that’s the sleep pattern of a shift worker) and overall I feel good about it. Finally. I’ve been looking for a good home to just COME HOME to for ages and for a long time I haven’t really felt that. My last home was lovely, but honestly 3 tiers of gardens to maintain and roommates (though they remain dear friends) are just not what I want to deal with anymore. Actually not even that, I’d be fine with roommates, but it’s just nice to feel like I have MY house and it’s mine to come home to.

Anyway, apologies for this long post, and I know barely anyone will read it, but I started this blog TEN years ago so and I don’t have a print journal to write all of this stuff in, so I might as well talk here. HOUSES! If they’re not haunted, then where’s the drama we so desperately crave?

[thyird]

STRIKE OUT .

FULL NAME: Honda Saburo

ALIAS: Homerun Hero

HERO NAME: Strike-Out

BIRTHDATE: July 4

AGE: 16

NATIONALITY: Japanese

GENDER: Male

ORIENTATION: closeted bi / demiromantic.

SPOKEN LANGUAGE: Japanese , (Limited, but fluent enough) Spanish & Italian .

OCCUPATION: U . A . Student , Class 1 - L . *Currently on Probation.

PARENTS: Honda “Shrimp” Ebi, Honda “K-O-ko” Kinouko 

SIBLINGS: Honda Ichirou , Honda Nijiro, Honda Shiro, Honda Gorou

EYE COLOUR: green.

HAIR COLOUR: strawberry blonde with a pinker tint .

HEIGHT: 176 cm

BODY BUILD: Visibly toned, slightly muscular .

NOTABLE PHYSICAL TRAITS: piercing on right eyebrow , bandage on left eyebrow , bandage on lower left jaw , two small ear piercings . Almost always scowling -- Resting bitch face . Usually seen wearing a baseball helmet .

desc .

With a deep care for his friends and family , Saburo is someone who takes his duties and relationships very seriously . Despite the hardened look he puts out , and a violent quirk to match , he is actually surprisingly soft in conversation . He is extremely smart and perceptive , having been the top of his class in grades prior to imprisonment . He is reliable and never goes back on his word . He enjoys working out, playing baseball, and secretly covering vocaloid songs in his freetime/karaoke. He also has a massive hero - crush on Pop Step since middle school .

ZODIAC: Cancer

STATS.

POWER: 5/5

SPEED: 3/5 

TECHNIQUE: 2/5

INTELLIGENCE: 4/5

COOPERATIVENESS: 3/5

QUIRK .

Mantis Shrimp -- yes , it’s exactly how it sounds . Saburo’s quirk is an adapted mutation of his parents , and is essentially the power of a mantis shrimp . A quirk with high modification in powerful close - ranged combat . It’s no one - for - all , naturally .. But it sure holds its own weight . As a result of his baseball extracurricular, He is capable of switching between the two main combat styles that mantis shrimp can employ (Smasher or Spear), but not both at the same time . So i’m not resorted to plagiarising wikipedia , read the Claw section of this article for the more ‘detailed’ explanation of his quirk . When used underwater , his quirk creates sonoluminescence just like mantis shrimps , but it is short lived and reported as a flash at most . His quirk is capable of transfering the kinetic force to objects he uses through the velocity it produces ( for example , swinging a baseball bat with his quirk -- ) draw backs : However , despite it’s strength , Saburo’s quirk has a self destructive factor . Just as scientific laws and the capabilities of the body would have it , his fists are still just flesh and cartilage .. therefore , depending on how intense he uses his quirk as well as the mass of the target/object , Saburo runs the risk of completely breaking his hand, or even shattering his entire arm if the kinetic force pushes back enough . For this reason , correct technique , supremely padded gloves (although this buffers his ability), and intense strengthening training are required to minimize the risk . Because mantis shrimps are an aquatic animal , his quirk thrives safest in an underwater environment -- however , he cannot breathe underwater -- nor use this ability if he is occupied with swimming . Since his quirk relies on wind up capability , if he pushes the tension beyond its stretch point , he can snap his arm . in summary -- he may be able to hole - punch an object , but the kinetic force applied always comes right back , and will definitely break his entire arm if it’s too much .

How Saburo uses his quirk . In order to activate his ability , Saburo winds up or draws back his arm of choice like a baseball pitcher preparing to throw a ball . The tension in his appendages collects , to an intensity of his choosing , and is then released in a “blinding quickness” upon an opponent . In water , this creates cavitation bubbles that strike his target like S waves after the initial P wave (his punch). 

Quirk Class : Accumulation

STORY . ( tw : grooming , violence , assault )

The middle son of the Honda family had it’s perks ; you had older siblings to look up to , and younger siblings to look up to you . He was born into a higher - middle class family , and while the pressure was on to perform to your very best at all turns , Saburos family was very loving and functional . They all worked as a pack , and supported one another in their high - achieving endeavors . His mother is a famous boxer while his father is a stats analyst , her cheerleader , and her manager . Considered the most harmonious mashup of his parents quirks , Saburo was often brought to the boxing gym with hope to spark his interest in it . It was the very first place he activated his quirk for the first time at (before being brought there regularly), and ultimately broke his hand . As he got older , he enjoys it as a hobby , but knocking people out wasn’t really a future he was looking into .

In third grade , Saburo discovered his love for baseball by happening upon a group of kids playing the game in a huge lot over summer break . It was mesmerizing ; the first time he had ever loved a sport so much -- and it was a place where his quirk really shined . Their team was exceptional already , but the more familiar he became with them and the game , Saburo quickly grew into their star - player . It was a match made in heaven . 

 His siblings and parents would even come to watch his games , although saddened he didn’t pick boxing , the adults were still proud he found his own path and supported him irregardless . His younger sister and brother would often practice with him , and he too would help them out with their own sport activities -- swimming and fencing (for his younger brother and sister respectively).

Splitting his time between baseball , school , and family , Saburo had a very busy yet happy childhood . Eventually he earned his spot on the school baseball team , and along with his exceptional grades and family reputation , put him in a rather popular spot at school .. But being focused at the dear age of 12 or 13 , he wasn’t very interested in girls or gifts or social interactions outside of his three life treasures . He was on track to go to the big leagues , preparing to really knock it all out of the park in highschool .

Except those days never came . Saburo was staying up late to complete homework on the family computer when an IM popped up . Shiro , his little sister , was using the computer last , and had already gone to bed .. looking more exhausted than normal . Not planning to wake her , Saburo supposed his little sister forgot to log out of her accounts , and like the decent big brother he was , decided to log her out so their parents or other siblings wouldn’t nosily invade her and her friends’ privacy ... only to his surprise that whoever messaged her , wasn’t a friend at all . Or a ‘kid’ for that matter . 

To his disgust , Saburo was immediately bombarded with unsolicited , unintelligent , and entirely revolting pictures , disgusting messages , and an inexplicably disturbed feeling in his stomach . Throwing the whole ‘not to be nosy’ idea out the window , it didn’t matter to him whether his sister would be upset by this discovery or not . The more he read , the more he felt as through she wouldn’t mind his intervention either . Although the pictures were something that popped up only now during Saburo’s computer use , the disgusting , carefully crafted , grooming behavior was long time present . With rage , he began to type back in response , hoping to find out more about whatever sick mind decided to toy with a 10 year old girl . 

  Spending the rest of his night in attempts to garner information , it unfortunately hadn’t resulted in much ... and worse , resulted in the first ever unfinished , zero assignment Saburo was incapable of turning in . Needless to say , his parents were furious . Even while a simple explanation would clear up everything , the 14 year old felt trapped -- unsure of whether to share the real reason behind the whole thing ( after all , if they found out , she would never be allowed on the computer ever again -- and probably the rest of the kids too . And you could be sure that he wouldn’t escape unscathed for not telling them immediately .. but the latter , the punishment to him , was irrelevant .) His sister’s safety from both sides were at stake . So simply , he didn’t say a word .

  Skipping out on baseball practice and family time to manage his schoolwork and ‘fishing’ activities , Saburo had changed the access to his sisters account so she wouldn’t be able to log in elsewhere , while still keeping the account itself relatively the same . If he were going to catch this guy , it would be easiest to continue under the guise of his sister -- as sick as it made him feel . Ultimately , she had asked him about it , being the last one to use the computer lately , but Saburo simply told her the website put a weird virus on their computer , and to try not to use it anymore -- but everything would be OK -- he’s handling it . Fortunately for him , 10 year olds are likely to buy the words of their trusted older siblings . 

    A week had passed , and it was a Friday ; a day typically when his elder siblings and parents were out the majority of the day on their work or school business -- as Fridays are the most popular for social events and activities . Saburo was the eldest in the house now , the only day of the week where he was to watch over his two youngers with utmost care . In the past , they would spend it playing board games , practicing ballet routines , tea parties -- simple kid stuff .. But now , Saburo had already devoted the free hours of his days to this unknown creep . Today he planned to do no different . He was obsessed ; the fuel of pure anger and anxiety driving him to unmask this shameless man . As he was preparing to log in for the evening , the house phone started to ring .

   Being in charge , he was naturally the one to filter all incoming calls . With a grunt , he got up , moving over enough to pull it off the rack .

  It was a familiar voice -- a family friend who owns the famous boxing gym their parents frequent . At first it was just pleasantries , and Saburo explained that his parents werent home , that they were probably heading over there , so whatever message he had for them it was probably best to hold off . He agreed , thanking him for the advice , and the two hung up . 

  Online was surprisingly quiet for the day , so Saburo managed to have a couple hours of playtime with his siblings . They danced , played karaoke .. and swam around in the training pool in their backyard . As it approached night time , Saburo and Goro got out , heading into the kitchen to prepare dinner for the three as Shiro stayed in the pool . When Saburo placed their dinner in the oven , a scream rang from outside . He immediately turned to look , seeing a giant man shrouded in blending darkness chase his sister around the pool . Without letting another second waste , the boy jetted out there , attempting to intercept the intruder -- but was quickly matched at the jaw by the sharp strike of a quirk . It felt familiar to him somehow , but the heightened nerves of the situation made him not read into it . Simultaneously , his sister , running for her life , had slipped and fell .. the shock of watching her line of defense getting stuck so heavily caused her to absently watch her footwork .. Resulting in a slip , a knock on her head with the pavement , and a dive into the pool . As the intruder made his escape under this cover , Saburo forced himself to refocus and train his efforts to getting Shiro , having no choice but to let the man escape . Attempting first aid as Goro called 119 , the two worked together to aid their sister .

Very fortunate , the results came out being that she would be OK . Had she fallen differently , it would have been a different story -- but to an extreme stroke of luck , there was no internal damage . She would have to stay in the hospital for a week for insurance purposes , as she was out like a light , but everything was said to be fine . 

 Despite the fantastic news , Saburo was quiet . He could help but feel as though he had failed ; here his sister was , in the hospital , a result of his negligence and lack of supervision .. He thought that , since the kitchen was just a slider door away , it would be ok .. but ..

It all ate at him ; as he lay in bed , numerous thoughts swam through his brain . As if sensing this , the backlight of his phone and soft buzz on the nightstand started up and caught his attention . He picked it up , checking the notification .

“ I heard everything. It was on the news ; poor girl -- I’ll visit you, in the hospital . ”

He did not sleep that night .

The next two days , Saburo didn’t even show up to school -- breaking his perfect attendance . He sat in his sisters hospital room , hiding in the closet once visitor hours were over , simply waiting . He forced himself awake , refusing to take his eyes away from the situation for another moment . Such a mistake costed her to end up here ... He didn’t want to think what could happen if he were to do so again . Petrified , traumatized , Saburo sat there .. a ghost . She did have visitors , no one particularly out of the ordinary -- their parents and siblings (to which he especially hid himself from , having skipped school . Naturally , they were worried about him -- unsure of where he was -- but he refused to show his face until he redeemed himself. he couldn’t bear to watch his parents cry for a mistake he felt he made). Her school friends visited , leaving generous gifts , even Saburo’s baseball teammates -- though they were the only ones who knew he was there , and the only ones who kept his secret . They were helping out on the sidelines , bringing him food and other necessities , while keeping an eye on Goro for him . They even helped out around the house in his absence -- but they were resolute in not disclosing where he was , playing a good role of “i don’t know.” And finally , people from the boxing gym , to pay their respects and give her gifts that any kid would like . Her room had become a perfect hiding place in itself -- there were so many giant stuffed animals , boxes of sweets , gifts , you name it .. But Saburo still stuck with the closet . 

Upon the second night , the owner of the boxing gym rolled in , setting down similar items . Saburo was so exhausted by this point , he could barely keep his eyes open -- and almost thought he was imagining things when this man seemed to be leaning ... over ... too close . that was too close . With barely a board fitting between his sister and this man , Saburo’s eyes practically shot open , a surge of adrenaline filling his veins as the boy busted out of the closet , vaulting himself toward the man . Shocked by his presence , he hadn’t moved , but quickly threw him off -- causing a large crash . Panicked , the man pressed the “help” button , wanting to be the first person on the situation -- as they always do -- to avoid suspicion . 

The nurses restrained the feral child , his shouts and thrashing causing a commotion in the entire hospital . The police quickly tased him , attempting to detain him so that they could pull him into custody . “Oh no , don’t press charges .“ the man said .  “He was just looking out for his sister, there’s no crime against that.“

That night , after a long scolding , hugs of relief that their son was OK after all , and a much needed nap , Saburo found his sleep pattern completely out of wack . He was awake at 3 AM , when his cellphone started to ring . Still tired , he picked it up without a thought , and answered -- but it wasn’t as pleasant as he was expecting . From what his exhausted brain could gather , it was blackmail . Bribery that if he said anything about what happened in the hospital , not only would no one believe him , but his mother’s hard work and career would be history . Guess it would be Another sleepless night .

    Saburo was speechless at school . He was speechless at baseball practice , and he said nothing at family dinner . His eyes were dark with bags -- he was weak . He felt weak . The stress , the fear , the threats -- it was all eating him alive . And worst of all , he couldn’t be at his sisters side anymore ; he was banned from the hospital after the whole fiasco . The thought that that man .. That trash could walk in any time without a suspicion , and he couldn’t do anything about it .. It just about snapped him . He had to do something .

And so , he created a new online persona -- “one of Shiro’s [fake] school friends” -- to lure in this bastard . Coming across as a big fan of his , Saburo talked the man into a one-on-one tour of boxing gym -- just the two of them , after hours when ‘swim club was out for the day’. Disgustingly , the man agreed , but as revolted as he was , Saburo couldnt help but feel excited . For the first time in a few days , he had solid sleep .

Skipping school that day to prepare , his teammates and him devised a plan to execute . They would hide outside , incase something went wrong , while Saburo insisted on going inside by himself .

As it reached the hour , the gym was low - lit and empty . The man did his final rounds , ensuring everything was perfect . Saburo , who had stolen a key from his mother , had slipped inside . 

Approaching the man , he wound up his quirk , the tension of his arms adding to his anxiety as he waited for the target to turn -- and surprise him with a full - forced wallop to the face . Unrelenting , the boy went off on him in a way he never knew he could , practically beating him into a bloody pulp . Unfortunately , one of the regulars who trained there had went back after forgetting their gloves -- quickly coming to the aid of the man on the floor by taking out Saburo .

The next time Saburo came to , he was in prison .

      CLASS 1-L / CONVICT . after being arrested for aggravated assault , breaking - and - entering , quirk use , and cat - fishing . Saburo was looking at some long time in jail . He had left the man paralyzed , and as a result fired and spread rumors around about his mother out of pure bitterness . Needless to say , her parents lost their fame and jobs quickly -- and they were no longer sought after for contracts . Ichiro and Nijiro were able to keep them afloat with their high paying jobs -- keeping them well until something can turn around for this family . They tried to get their brother out on bail , but his crimes were considered too hefty ; there was no way they were letting him out to walk freely . Ontop of everything , the man attempted to sue -- as if they weren’t stripped of financial support enough . His teammates , trying to help out any way they could , told everyone who would listen about what happened . Fortunately , someone eventually did , and a few days later the Honda’s got a letter in the mail to discuss solutions . Their parents refused to accept the idea that Saburo would do this without a reason . The idea that he was a bad kid was expired food they refused to swallow . Without any hesitation , they accepted any help they could get .. thanks to his mothers remaining connections , that was when DSCAR was put on the table .

   For anyone unfamiliar with class 1 - L , here’s information about it ! ( x ) or you can read about it under the DSCAR tab in Towa’s bio ( x ) .

extras . One of the reasons Saburo wears a helmet constantly , is because after his sisters head trauma , for the following few months she would have to wear a bulky helmet for stability . It made her feel out of place , so Saburo decided to wear one all the time with her to make her feel less abnormal .

Goro performs ballet as a hobby , and Saburo often helps him or practices routines with him .

He has a good relationship with his family , but because he wants to be someone they can depend on as well , he often takes too much on for himself. as a “gifted child,” he feels he shouldn’t ask for help .

[yotsutama]

Twelve Fantasia Tour in Fukuoka

Idolish Seven PSVita Twelve Fantasia main story

Chapter 5 – Two Duo Groups

Tamaki: Whoaa! Fukuoka Dome is soo huge--!!

Sougo: Yeah. It’s exciting to think that this dome will be filled with our fans.

Sougo: We will be performing as MEZZO” as well, let’s work hard to not disappoint the fans.

Tamaki: Here he goes again! Geez, Sou-chan is so stiff. If we work too hard, the fans can’t enjoy it, right? We should do it like we always do, and it’ll be fine.

Sougo: You are right. But, I think ‘doing it like always’ is the hardest thing to do. We should make it a live that won’t embarrass IDOLiSH7 and MEZZO”.

Tamaki: You don’t have to worry about that. Your moves were perfect. You did it like you always do.

Sougo: Really!? Uum, Tamaki-kun’s dance was cool and stands out too.

Tamaki: What’s that? You praised me just because I praised you, didn’t you? Sou-chan is always like that. Well, I don’t mind anymore. We practiced well, so can we end today’s rehearsal already?

Sougo: E-Eh!? …… But there’s still plenty of time.

Tamaki: Why? We were perfect already.

Sougo: ‘Why,’ you ask… The staff is still with us, and……

Momo: The staff and back-up dancers, good work--!

Tamaki: Ah. It’s Momorin and Yukirin. What are they doing?

Sougo: Hm? … It is them. Re:vale-san are giving the staff and back-up dancers water.

Tour Staff: Momo-san, thank you very much! Can we drink it?

Momo: Go ahead, go ahead! By the way, this has been bothering me since our rehearsal, can you make the lighting go one tempo slower?

Momo: That way, Yuki and I can match our movements with it more easily!

Tour Staff: I understand. Then, let’s try it one more time later!

Sougo: …… Momo-san can instruct the staff that smoothly, amazing……

Yuki: The dancers’ formation wasn’t in order, right? If the choreography wasn’t clear, I can give advice.

Back-up dancer: Thank you very much! Um, the moves when SILVER SKY’s verse starts……

Yuki: I see. For that part, you move your leg like this first----

Momo: Oh right! Yuki, can I ask something?

Yuki: Hm? What is it Momo?

Sougo: Amazing… They share their opinions not only with their member, but also with the staff and dancers too……

Sougo: They are improving the stage that way. We should learn from them.

Tamaki: Then, you should say what you think, right? You always hold back every time.

Sougo: Yeah. But it’s difficult to say what I think as naturally as Re:vale-san. Thinking about how the others would react, and then losing the chance to say it…

Tamaki: I think if you kept it all to yourself, you couldn’t perform as well as you want. There’s a lot of things you want to do, right?

Sougo: Re:vale has more experience and they’ve known them for so long that they can share their opinions with ease.

Sougo: I hope we can be like that, doing activities together and talking a lot with everyone.

Tamaki: You think that, but you’re not saying it Sou-chan. They won’t understand if you don’t say it out loud.

Tamaki: Let’s try doing it now? I won’t be mad.

Sougo: Really? You promise you won’t be mad?

Tamaki: You’re so stubborn! It’s fine. I can endure it.

Sougo: Then… Just now, you should’ve made your movements narrower to match mine, but your steps became larger all of sudden.

Sougo: You’ve read the explanation about the strong choreography to match the melody, right? Honestly, if you do that suddenly without telling me, it’s quite troubling……

Tamaki: S-Sou-chan? Wait……

Sougo: It messed up the dancer’s formation and confused the staff’s lighting.

Sougo: Besides, they have given us a good choreography just for this stage, so considering our unity……

Tamaki: Wait… Wait wait!

Sougo: Despite all of that, you said we were perfect and tried to leave. We still have time, so we should bow our heads to the dancers and practice again from the beginning…… Tamaki-kun?

Tamaki: That’s too much… you’ve said too much! Besides, your praise to me earlier was a lie, huh!?

Tamaki: Aah~ My motivation is gone! Thanks to Sou-chan my motivation has ENDED.

Sougo: I wasn’t lying about your dance being cool and standing out! But, you should’ve tried to hold back a little and match the harmony……

Tamaki: I’m done! I’m not doing this anymore--!

Sougo: No way… you are being selfish! It was Tamaki-kun who told me to express my thoughts honestly! You said it was fine, you promised me you wouldn’t get mad!

Yuki: Momo. Look, they’re enjoying their youth.

Momo: You’re right Yuki. The youngster’s friendship makes me smile!

Yuki: Us, too… Did we have those moments too…?

Momo: Yuki… You’ve forgotten? Even though I promised I wouldn’t forget those days even if the world should end……

Yuki: Momo……

Momo: Yuki……

Sougo: Re:vale-san!? Have you been watching us from the start?

Momo: Sorry, sorry. We wanted to stop you but we lost the chance.

Tamaki: Momorin… you heard us? Sou-chan was the one at fault, right!?

Momo: Hahaha. Sougo’s way of saying it was a little bad, indeed.

Tamaki: You hear that? It’s Sou-chan who was wrong.

Momo: That’s not it Tamaki. Sougo just gathered his courage and tried to tell you what he thought. At the time, Tamaki should have said, “You did well!” and embrace him! (1)

Yuki: Sougo-kun said those things because he wanted to do it together, it was good.

Yuki: But, after giving advice, you must observe how he reacts, and convey your thoughts that fit his so he will understand it. No one will listen if you give advice while pointing a knife at them.

Sougo: I wonder if we can do it like Re:vale-san… Watching the both of you makes me understand how important it is to talk with friends and comrades.

Momo: Ahaha, that makes me blush~.

Tamaki: I don’t really get how friendship works, but I want to know more about Sou-chan.

Tamaki: That’s why, I want him to talk to me normally. I want to continue MEZZO” for 5 years, or even 10 years from now on.

Sougo: Tamaki-kun……

Momo: I’m sure if it’s Tamaki and Sougo, you can certainly be better partners from here on out too.

Yuki: We didn’t become Re:vale all of a sudden either. We grew little by little.

  [Dressing room]

Momo: Good work, guys! Let’s all go eat Motsunabe! (2)

Momo: I’ve visited Fukuoka many times so I know a good place!

Yuki: The salads there are delicious too. I will hold a cabbage party, does anyone want to join in?

Mitsuki: Are you treating us!?

Momo: Well, if it’s for our cute kouhais, it can be our treat once in a while!

Riku: Yay--! Thank you very much!

Yuki: The Managers can join too. Don’t hold back.

Tsumugi: Okay! We will gladly join. Thank you very much!

Yuki: If I remember correctly, President Takanashi and Ban came to Fukuoka too, right? We want to invite those two as well, could you call them?

Tsumugi: I understand!

  [Restaurant]

All: Cheers--!!

Mitsuki: Nii-chan will share his food with Iori! Eat lots~!

Iori: …… He is drunk… Nii-san, I can’t eat that much…

Iori: Here, Nanase-san. I will share with you as well.

Riku: You’re giving away your food again Mitsuki!? Thanks! But it’s already the fifth time! I can’t eat anymore!

Nagi: OH… So, this is Mentaiko… The rice is going down my throat at a high speed!

Ryuunosuke: The Motsunabe is delicious. What kind of fish is the broth made of?

Yamato: I heard it’s made of flying fish, it’s called ‘Agodashi.’ It’s even more delicious if you add Yuzu pepper in. (3)

Anesagi Kaoru: Oh Gaku, Tenn, don’t hold back, eat a lot! Motsunabe is good for your health and skin too!

Gaku: I’m already eating.

Tenn: Health aside, I think it’s only Manager who cares about their skin?

Tamaki: This Motsunabe is so delicious! It’s so soft!

Sougo: Tamaki-kun, calm down. Let’s join Yuki-san’s cabbage party.

Okazaki Rinto: I’m glad they’re enjoying their meals.

Momo: Yeah. Good thing we invited them here to improve our teamwork! It’s more delicious when we eat with everyone.

Yuki: Right. Although, they won’t join our cabbage party over here.

Momo: Ban-san, thank you for coming today!

Ogami Banri: I’m happy you invited me as well. I can only meet Momo-kun rarely too.

Yuki: We were always together, to think that our relationship would turn out like this……

Ogami Banri: Hahaha. It’s obvious though. Both of you are performers and I work behind the scenes; our agencies are different too. We are rivals now.

Momo: Ban-san as a rival……

Yuki: We are competing to be the last performers in Zero Arena, right? Ban, who are you cheering for, IDOLiSH7 or Re:vale?

Ogami Banri: Of course, I’m cheering for IDOLiSH7. We will beat Re:vale.

Takanashi Otoharu: Banri-kun, are those your real feelings?

Ogami Banri: President……

Takanashi Otoharu: You must cheer for either IDOLiSH7 or your friends. Don’t forget it.

Takanashi Otoharu: Just like Re:vale who cares for their friends, Banri-kun should be honest too.

Ogami Banri: ……………….

Ogami Banri: No, I’m Re:vale’s fan, but I’m working for Takanashi Agency. I wish for IDOLiSH7’s growth.

Ogami Banri: But I’m also cheering for Re:vale, as one of their fans. Ever since that day… Forever.

Momo: Ban-san……

Yuki: Ban… Thanks. But you’d be sad if we won against IDOLiSH7 and become the last performers, right?

Ogami Banri: Well, that’s complicated. I want IDOLiSH7 to be the last performers, but I also want to see Re:vale as the last performers as well.

Yuki: I knew you’d say that. Okay I get it. If we win, we will take Ban on a trip together. Will you go?

Momo: Oh, great idea! As expected of Yuki! His proposal is ikemen…! I feel bad for the IDOLiSH7 kids, but I will go all out to go on a trip with Ban-san!

Ogami Banri: Eh, what? Yeah. Well, please take care of me if that happens.

Momo: Yay! A trip with Ban-san and Yuki will be exciting!

Momo: Okarin should go with us too!

Okazaki Rinto: Yes, thank you very much. Both of us work to support idols, I want to drink and talk with Ogami-san sometime.

Ogami Banri: Wait, wait! That’s only if Re:vale won. IDOLiSH7 won’t lose.

Takanashi Otoharu: Now that it has come to this, I will have Banri-kun work hard for this tour.

Ogami Banri: Yes, gladly!

Yuki: Ahaha. You can relax and drink all you want for today though.

Ogami Banri: I will. Thanks, Yuki.

T/N?

Proofread by Sophia @ousama-pudding as always!

First of all, forgive me for start translating from chapter 5 not 1 haha. I translated Fukuoka part aka chapter 5-9 bc it’s centered around Re:vale (+MEZZO” a little). FYI trigger (+pythag trio) is in Nagano, and i7 (+iori riku) in Osaka. For now I only did Fukuoka, but I might do the rest as well if I feel like it? if it’s not already done somewhere. motivation where motivation

Second, I didn’t buy the game, I plan to buy it but for now I watched a ゲーム実況 play-through by my favorite youtuber here. You can see the clear videos here but it’s not completed. 

Ok for proper t/n:

(1) Momo literally said 抱きしめてやらなきゃ! I CHOKED

(2) Motsunabe = Japanese hotpot

(3) Yuzu pepper = condiment paste made from yuzu zest and chili peppers

I love how cool and mature Banri is around re:vale but sometimes changes to a cute puppy waving its tail in front of Shachou

Thanks for reading!!

[bitcofun]

The $1 million bounty was insufficient to persuade the hacker to return the funds. Key Takeaways The Harmony hacker is presently sending out a few of their taken ETH through Tornado Cash. Already $12 million have actually been routed through the privacy-enabling procedure; the hacker is presently sending out 100 ETH every 6 minutes. About $100 million were taken from Harmony's Horizon bridge recently by the aggressor. The Harmony assaulter is sending out 100 ETH to the Tornado Cash router every 6 minutes and has actually currently blended more than $12 million through the procedure.100 ETH Every Six Minutes The Harmony aggressor is beginning to send their tokens through Tornado Cash. As revealed by Etherscan, the wallet accountable for recently's Harmony make use of sent out a bit more than 18,036 ETH (an amount worth north of $21 million at today's rates) to a secondary wallet. That secondary wallet then equally divided the amount in between 3 tertiary wallets; at the time of composing, 2 of these tertiaries have sent out ETH to a Tornado Cash router. Harmony's Horizon bridge was made use of recently for more than $100 million in different tokens consisting of FRAX, FXS, wETH, wBTC, AAVE, SUSHI, USDT, and BUSD; these were all switched on Uniswap for ETH. That amount is now being routed through Tornado Cash in installations of 100 ETH. At the time of composing 10,409 ETH (more than $12 million) had actually currently been blended in the privacy-enabling procedure. New 100 ETH deals are occurring roughly every 6 minutes. Tornado Cash is an Ethereum procedure that leverages zero-knowledge innovation to enable users to break the links in their on-chain activity. If utilized properly, the procedure makes it difficult to locate deals from one wallet to another. The procedure has actually been utilized by hackers in the past to capitalize their ill-acquired gains. Information from Nansen suggests that the Harmony exploiter, while having actually just sent out about 12% of their loot to Tornado Cash, is currently the fifth-biggest harmful user of the procedure (behind the Ronin, Fei, Beanstalk, and Parity exploiters). Two days ago Harmony had used the Horizon bridge hacker a $1 million bounty for returning the taken funds, with the guarantee of not promoting for criminal charges if they selected to work together. Other procedures have actually paid even higher bounties in the past, with Aurora just recently gratifying a white-hat hacker $6 million for spotting a possible make use of and alerting the group about it. Disclosure: At the time of composing, the author of this piece owned ETH and a number of other cryptocurrencies. The details on or accessed through this site is gotten from independent sources our company believe to be precise and trusted, however Decentral Media, Inc. makes no representation or service warranty regarding the timeliness, efficiency, or precision of any info on or accessed through this site. Decentral Media, Inc. is not a financial investment consultant. We do not offer tailored financial investment suggestions or other monetary guidance. The details on this site goes through alter without notification. Some or all of the details on this site might end up being out-of-date, or it might be or end up being insufficient or unreliable. We may, however are not obliged to, upgrade any out-of-date, insufficient, or unreliable details. You ought to never ever make a financial investment choice on an ICO, IEO, or other financial investment based upon the details on this site, and you must never ever analyze or otherwise count on any of the info on this site as financial investment suggestions. We highly advise that you seek advice from a certified financial investment consultant or other competent monetary expert if you are looking for financial investment guidance on an ICO, IEO, or other financial investment. We do decline settlement in any kind for examining or reporting on any ICO, IEO, cryptocurrency, currency, tokenized sales, securities, or products.

See complete terms Harmony's Cross-Chain Bridge Exploited for $100 M The Harmony group has actually verified the Horizon bridge has actually been made use of for around $100 million in different tokens. Consistency Bridge Hit for $100 M Harmony, an EVM-compatible Proof-of-Stake blockchain, has actually had ... DeFi Project Spotlight: Tornado Cash, Ethereum's Top Privacy Tool Tornado Cash is a decentralized, non-custodial personal privacy option for Ethereum and other wise contract-enabled blockchains based upon ZK-SNARK innovation. It lets users break the links in their on-chain activity to ... Ethereum Mixer Tornado Cash Is Blocking Sanctioned Users The approved addresses will not have the ability to engage with Tornado Cash's frontend, however that does not stop them from connecting with the clever agreement. Twister Cash Confirms Compliance Tornado Cash ... Read More

[farinzdickinson-grad701]

Post-Auckland Art Gallery Activity

Prior to visiting the Auckland Art Gallery, we were given a worksheet, which asked us to select at least one artist (or artwork) that we could draw inspiration from.

1) Inside exhibition Toi Tū Toi Ora, select at least one artist (or artwork) that you can draw inspiration from. You can select it by the aesthetics, technique, ideas, presentation or any other element that inspires you in any way.

Artwork (left to right): Ripeka Kōwhai, Ripeka Kahurangi, Ripeka Whero

Artist’s name: Robert Jahnke

Explain/reflect the thinking behind the work:

Māori creation narratives, with imagery which is accurately predicting/reflecting the future

The blue display (Ripeka Kahurangi) explores the creation of Te Kore; the great nothingness

The red display (Ripeka Whero) explores ideas regarding Te Pō; the great darkness

The yellow display (Ripeka Kōwhai) explores ideas regarding Te Ao Mārama; the world of light and life

Such narratives for Māori allow us to timelessly orientate ourselves in the world, realising the order for which are located and existing

There is a connection with the chain of genealogy/whakapapa, the mirroring presentation connotative of the continuous nature for this concept

Analyse the success of a technique, idea, aesthetic, presentation or composition: 

I believe that one of the most successful elements for this series is the use of minimalist, well executed elements in promoting interest and meaning. The outcome relies heavily on the use of mirrors to develop a sense of depth and repetition. A seemly complex and engaging outcome is able to be created through such a simple concept/design. Despite this stunning outcome, there is still an adherent respect being paid to the basic principles of balance, contrast, and rhythm, maintaining the ultimate success of the outcome. There is also an attractive sense of control and structure as achieved through clear geometric shapes and lines, further amplified with it’s bright and exciting colour palette.

Discuss why have you selected this piece or artist:

*You may ask: why were you curious about this work/artist? What’s your positioning in relation to the ideas discussed in the work?

I was instantly attracted to the dramatic contrast for this work amongst its surroundings with a use of clear colour and LED lights to amplify its existence

I really enjoyed positioning myself in front of three very clear outcomes, each representing/exploring the narratives for which we can ground ourselves in the world; nothingness, darkness, and light/life. It's a concept/narrative we can all connect with as individuals and I just found it inspiring how simply Jahnke was able to convey these ideas to his audience in order to provide a clear and engaging visual experience.

Explain how this piece or artist may influence future or present work:

*The work may inspire your studio project (or personal project) for this semester. You may also explain why a different approach may also be suitable.

It aims to convey a number of stories, narratives, or moods through the use of geometric shapes, lines, and colours. This ultimately develops directions, connections, and connotations/emotions, which is basically the basis upon which this Transport project will be built.

2) Take notes and some photos (if permitted) to document you visit.

Please refer to my other, previous, blog posts.

3) You can later search for more information about your selection, including other works from the same artist.

This work was created in 2015 with the mediums of wood, paint, neon, one way glass, mirror, and electricity.

Dimensions: 1470 x 1470 x 140 mm

I conducted research into other works of Robert Jahnke (see below). Many of his works utilise the same mediums, engaging heavily with that of light, glass, and mirror to create depth and repetition in addition to neon and colour to emphasise contrast and clarify ideas and focal elements.

His work is highly interactive, focusing mainly on the audiences experience, heavily utilising materials of metal, mirror, and neon. As a New Zealand artist, he also takes a lot of inspiration from Māori culture and identity.

KAOKAO, 2018

Materials: steel, aluminium, mirror, neon

“references tukutuku patterning, the haka stance, and the commonly-used double-x signatures on on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. As an inclusion of Installation Contemporary, it partakes in the dialogue with the upcoming 250th anniversary of Cook's landfalls in New Zealand and Australia. It is a challenge (haka), an agreement (XX), and presents a mirror for us to view ourselves against the backdrop of 250 years.”

Reference: https://www.paulnache.com/ata

Ground Zero, 2019

Materials: corten steel plate, aluminium, glass, neon

“Ground Zero, alternatively known as ‘surface zero’, is a parody of a term most often associated with the epicentre of intense activity or change. It is also used in relation to natural disasters and epidemics to mark the locus of destruction and damage. It is used in this instance to mark a centre of change where land that was once owned by Māori is no longer under Māori ownership.”

Reference: https://sotg.nz/2019-event/2019-exhibiting-artists/robert-jahnke/

4) You will prescribe a reflection piece in your blog

The handout we were provided with included a list of suggested terminology as well as prompts for beginning to reflect and annotate upon any piece of work (see below):

Consequently, I have collated my above answers/reflection into a more formalised reflection piece:

In this piece Robert Jahnke has explored the timeless Māori creation narratives exploring the great nothingness; Te Kore, the great darkness; Te Pō, and the world of light and life; Te Ao Mārama.

He has used the materials of wood, paint, neon, one way glass, mirror, and electricity to construct three simple geometric displays.

This piece contains characteristics of developed depth and repetition; with a seemly complex outcome created through such a simple concept/design, utilising mirrors and light to create an illusion of continuation. There is an adherent respect also being paid to the basic principles of balance, contrast, and rhythm, ensuring the ultimate success of the outcome. There is also an attractive sense of control and structure achieved through clear geometric shapes and lines. These are further amplified with bright and exciting colour.

Here, they have shown harmony in the style of negative/positive space, developing three bold outcomes and clear focal points.

The artists portrayal of narrative through the use of geometric shapes, lines, and colour may influence my design by further realising the success for these approaches in developing direction, connection, and connotation. There is an ultimate strength found in minimalism.

I was inspired by the success of these three simple outcomes in grabbing attention and developing ideas/emotions.

[linkspooky]

Top 10 Danganronpa characters

Normally my motto is “No Heroes, Only Villains.” In general I tend to dislike main characters because a lot of authors take short cuts to have the main character feel important, and end up bending the story around them. Whereas while villains are darker characters overall, because the narrative always frames their actions as bad they are usually far more complex characters with deeper, darker, struggles driving them udnerneath the surface. 

The one exception to my rule is Uchikoshi’s Zero Escape series, and Kodaka’s Dangan Ronpa series where I usually end up stanning the protagonist. Due to the fact that the objective of Dangan Ronpa is to inflict as much despair on the protagonist as possible, I can kind of see why this series is the one exception to my rule. 

1. Mukuro Ikusaba - “I’m so sorry, Junko. I never really understood what despair was. But it’s going to be all right now. I finally understand. So… I’ll make sure I make you happy, Junko. I’ll make sure I fill you with despair. I’ll save Makoto… I’ll make sure the others don’t die. I’ll let them escape from this place…”

Most of the entries on this list are going to be characters I think have a solid narrative in their game/source material, rather than just picking characters I like. For example I like Tanaka, Mikan, a lot of the characters that fill up the killing game cast are faves however I want to judge them for their arc as a whole. Ikusaba Mukuro is my one exception because she is my absolute favorite character in Dangan Ronpa and she’s one of the most wasted narrative potentials. This likely comes as a result of Dangan Ronpa the original being the worst written game of the three, which lets a lot of its characters including Mukuro go to waste. 

Mukuro is a child soldier who’s been trained her entire life. She’s also a victim of sibling abuse, from her only genuine family and the one who loves her. What complicates this is Mukuro is also a bad person, she’s a terrorist who works for despair not because she believes it, but instead to make her sister happy. Mukuro’s lived her entire life to make her sister happy, and her sister loves nothing more than misery despair. You can see where the conflict arises. 

Narita’s rendition of Mukuro makes her one of the best characters in Dangan Ronpa. She’s a heartless murderer, but that’s because she has no one in her life except Junko. Of course life is worthless to her she’s never even been shown how to live. When Mukuro is introduced to ideas like love, she’s actually terrified. She’s so scared of other people she considers just talking to people to be worse than taking a shotgun blast to the face. Mukuro’s just so bad at being herself it’s easier to be the doll that Junko plays with. Which is why her turning from despair to hope because of the connections she made with Class 78, and Makoto still believing in her even after she chose to betray them and start the killing game is one of the coolest narrative ideas in Dangan Ronpa. Too bad it only happens in a Ryoga Narita short story. 

2. Matsuda Yauske - “Who are you going to report me to? The National Japanese Ugly People Association? That kind of organization would be guilty of discrimination just by existing.”

Matsuda is also a character that could have had greater importance to the series as a whole, but I do think Dangan Ronpa Zero enough to tell his story. Matsuda is an almost perfect protagonist of a tragedy, his heroic qualities are what drag him underneath the surface of the water and cause him to drown. He’s just a kid who wants to protect his childhood friend no matter what the cost. After losing his mother, he made a promise that the two of them were going to spend the rest of their lives taking care of each other and Matsuda does his best to fulfill his end of that promise. 

Oh, also that childhood friend is a terrorist trying to destroy the school he is currently attending, and also killing several innocent people and forcing him to hide the bodies. Matsuda is deep down a very good person, but he hides it under his apathetic attitude and his harsh tongue. It shows that good people are perfectly capable of doing bad things. Matsuda knows exactly how wrong his actions are, but he takes them anyway out of desperation. We see him agonize over what he has to do, and then never forgive himself when he does. The rapid deterioration of his mental state because he a doctor, is hurting people, and even hurting the one he loves by protecting her is so compelling. Junko’s claws are already dug so deep into his skin, but he doesn’t want to escape because even with her arms wrapped around her neck at least Junko is still holding onto him. 

Matsuda’s a character whose both selfless to an unhealthy extent, and also self-motivated. Junko points this out (helpfully) and his complexity comes from the fact he’s not either or, but both at once. Yes, he’s trying to fix what happened to his mother by fixing Junko’s brain. Yes, he wants to protect Junko because that gives him a place to belong. However, at the same time he is doing all of this because he does genuinely love Junko, and that’s his despair. You can tell despite Ryoko being a Junko who does not care about despair, who is happy go lucky and completely dependant on him like he wants, she chafes him. He can’t stand Ryoko deep down, because he knows Ryoko is not Junko. Matsuda defines him entirely by his use to others and he fell in love with the girl who only knows how to use and manipulate others. It’s a match made in hell. 

3.  Enoshima Junko - Hope is harmony. A just heart, moving toward the light. That is all. Despair is hope’s polar opposite. It is messy and confusing.

The most hardworking character in any story is the villain. Junko defines Danganronpa, Junko practically is Dangan Ronpa. That being said while her appearances in the main games are fun to read, she really shines as a fave of mine in Dangan Ronpa Zero. This is the few times we get a peek at what’s going on inside of Junko’s head instead of having to view from what she decides to show us on the outside. 

Junko’s so fascinating because she’s just too smart for the world around her. Her brain’s not broken, it works a little bit too well. She sees no point in making relationships because everybody around her acts so predictably they might as well be playing roles on a stage. Everyone is reading off of a script without even knowing it. 

You get the sense that Junko this amazingly talented girl, idolized, worshipped, loved by all, always in the center of the spotlight, just wants any life that’s not hers. Despite having been handed everything she can’t enjoy a single part of life. She has a very “I’m taking my ball and going home attitude” towards hope, if Junko can’t see the appeal of hope, if she can’t enjoy her school life then no one should be able to. 

There’s something viscerally pleasing to read in her desire to break the world around her. If everybody is reading from a script then burn the script. If everyone fits too easily into a box then she should destroy all the boxes. Junko herself is more of a personified Jungian Shadow, meant to drudge up the worst parts of society from the bottom of the ocean and make it float and burn on the surface of the water like long buried oil. However, I also find her character to be unique and compelling, not because she’s a psychopath but rather because she isn’t. Junko is capable of loving people, but she’s so bored that you’re guranteed to be worse off if she likes you, because you’re going to be disected while still alive just to prove you’re a living person and not a doll. 

4. Saihara Shuichi - “The only time I can use my detective talent is after someone dies… A detective…can’t save anyone. I’m only useful after it’s already too late.”

Welcome to the I-Like-Dangan-Ronpa protagonists list. Shuichi is my favorite protagonist for a main sereis game, because he’s really the only one who has a strong arc through all six chapters. Makoto is the original danganronpa protagonist, but he’s much more interesting when he’s deconstructed by the other characters around him. 

Shuichi’s so interesting as a protagonist because he doesn’t always keep on hoping. In fact he gets scared, he runs away, he lies in his bed for days doing absolutely nothing. Shuichi is just as sensitive of a boy as Makoto is, but that emotinoal sensitivity is a flaw because it makes him fragile. Makoto would never give into despair, but Shuichi does which makes him all the more strong for pulling out of it. 

He’s timid, easily gets pushed around by others, what makes Shuichi so appealing is because he’s a terrible main character. The game even highlights this in the protaognist swap, Kaede was too strong, and Shuichi too weak to be a lead. There’s even hatemail in the game that’s like Shuichi sucks bring Kaede back and it’s hilarious. He has none of the strength of normal main characters. In fact he’s a walking bundle of nerves and weaknesses. Despite being a detective he’s not even as great as investigating as Kirigiri, and definitely not as cool. Yet, Shuichi struggles so much for every single step in the way. Most of the Dangan Ronpa games end with We’ll keep on hoping, which is a fine message but also pretty generic. DRV3 has the strongest themes of the series and it ends with Shuichi saying I don’t give a damn about hope, I’m going back to my real life. Which is all the stronger because you find out that Shuichi isn’t special, nor was he even that great of a person, he’s just kind of an creepy anti-social kid that sucked. His improvement feels so great because we’ve seen him accept that past self, but at the same time leave it behind. 

5. Akamatsu Kaede “..And that's why we need to expose the mastermind and end this dumb killing game! So we can smile with everyone else!”

Kaede is also another comnentary on Makoto, but instead of passive she’s active. I’ve always called her an aggressive optimist. Makoto will just be very tolerant of other people, be patient with them, listen to them, whereas Kaede wants to be friends and she will beat your tragic backstory out of you if she needs to. 

This is once again a case of a great Dangan Ronpa character going to waste, but the protagonist switch gave us Shuichi so while I’m disappointed I can still live with the choice. What I love about Kaede and Shuichi as dual protagonists is how well they compliment one another. Kaede is friendly and social but she’s not necessarily nice or empathic. Shuichi is nice and empathic, but he’s anti-social and too timid to go out and make friends. I like deconstructions of empathy because Shuichi is kind of too empathic, he’s always so concerned with how others feel he lets his own heart get trampled over. Kaede’s the exact opposite, she’ll trample over other people trying to make them happy because she’s just too headstrong. 

She’s a version of Makoto where her relentless optimism, her ability to make friends, both of these things are flaws because Kaede doesn’t really understand other people’s struggles the same way Shuichi does. Which is why both of them shine the best when they’re together because as a duo they really don’t get along that much underneath the surface. Kaede is all about trusting everyone, but in the end she takes everything into her own hands. Shuichi acts like he wants everyone to rely on him but at the same time his self esteem is so low that he wants someone else to come and take the responsibility away from him. Which is why their relationship which seems to be perfectly complementary on the surface falls apart. Another thing I love about the two of them is most of the Dangan Ronpa guy/girl investigation duos are basically the girl just giving hints and being perfectly helpful to the guy the entire time, whereas Shuichi and Kaede both lie to each other while pretending they’re each other’s most trusted person. 

It’s a really great arc even if I wish Kaede had lived to see the consequences of the two of them falling apart and failing to trust each other rather than dying. 

6. Hinata Hajime / Izuru Kamukura  “I’m not interested.”

Hinata Hajime is a boring rehash of Naegi Makoto whose only major difference is being slightly more anxious for the first five chapters, and then he becomes one of the most amazing characters in Dangan Ronpa. If you reread SDR2 knowing the Izuru Twist, Hinata’s character becomes a lot more distinct. 

The best way I’ve ever heard Hinata described is “Like Makoto, but not genuine about it.” Makoto is just a friendly guy who really likes everyone and really wants to help everyone, he’s kind of simple. Whereas, Hinata wants to be that person really desperately but he can’t. Because Hinata wants to be important. When he helps someone he wants to be relied on. When he makes a friend, he wants them to be an important friend. He wants to be selfless, but he can’t stop thinking about himself for one minute because he’s an anxious mess. 

DR3 is bad, but one of the few things it got right was Reserve Course Hinata’s genuine attitude. He seems angry and confrontational, but that’s only because he hates the idea of other people looking down on him. He’s always worried about what other people think of him, so being so confrontational helps him be avoidant. Nobody looks too close if he pretends to have a strong personality. 

Hinata is just someone so intensely disatisfied with himself he decided to get a surgery to take his brain out of his head and let him become someone else. Except Hinata can’t escape himself because Koameda is walking around as a walking callout post for him. This is what you look like. This is how you act. This is what you became in your desperation to become special, Komaeda just doesn’t hide it. 

7. Fukawa Toko “My theory is that happy people can only write happy, shallow novels.“

Everybody told me to wait until UDG before I judged anything about Toko, but she was one of the few Non-Junko characters that I loved from the first game. What I like about Toko is how ugly, and miserable she is at all times. Toko’s like so unlikable that people generally get along with her split-personality better than her, because even though Jack is a serial killer she’s less difficult to deal with. 

Toko’s actually pretty low empathy. She doesn’t feel that much guilt over Jack being a serial killer. She doesn’t see herself in people suffering in front of her, even when they’re literal children who turned to murder because their parents were abusing them so badly she’s like nope, nope, nothing to see here. However that’s the appeal, Toko’s literally had the empathy beaten out of her. The reason she doesn’t feel those things is because she can’t. 

Toko’s so obviously broken, she’s a bundle of inferiority complexes and trauma just trying desperately to hide herself together. She’s an obvious victim of bullying, and yet she’ll bully people the second they get close to her. She’s not soft, or nice at all, and will say things to hurt you. Toko responds to ugliness with ugliness. She responds to hatred with hatred. She’s cinderella but she wasn’t able to remain kind when her wicked stepmothers abused her, os she became a serial killer instead. There’s something so raw about a girl cut apart with scissors desperately trying to piece herself back together. 

8. Shingetsu Nagisa  "D-Don't be stupid! That's not true! I'll be a kid until I die! I would rather die right now than become an adult! Don't you believe me?"

I love all the kids from Ultra Despair girls, but once again Nagisa is my favorite because he has the most developed arc out of all of them. Nagisa is continually acting burdened by everyone around him. He’s always way in over his head, up to his neck in blood and has no idea what to do. He’s also the only one who seems to be consciously aware that they’re doing something bad and trying to justify it to himself. 

Nagisa is always overburdening himself, but much like Matsuda he does this because it’s the only way he knows how to function. If he wasn’t useful to everyone around him he would be thrown out. Nagisa continually pushes himself into unhealthier and unhealthier situations. 

And the best part about his arc is we get to see him crumble. He has this narrative where everyone always has expectations for him, and being told that nobody expects anything from him is his breaking point. He’s begging people to use him. He descends into a screaming fit and you realize this is a kid who has been used his entire life and thinks being loved is having someone who needs you. 

9. “I am not like you. I believe in power. No matter how many I make into victims, even if it means my death, I shall destroy despair. That is my resolve!”

It’s hard to describe why I like Munakata. His confrontation with Makoto is one of my favorite scenes in the series, but out of context Dangan Ronpa dialogue always sounds so ridiculous. Munakata, no we need to kill the concept of despair, we need to kill everyone whose ever even felt sadness. If you disregard how the hope vs despair conflict kind of got ridiculous in DR3, there’s a lot of interesting parts about Munakata’s character.

He’s like a version of Makoto’s character who grew up into someone really unpleasant. He’s trying so hard to be the symbol of hope that Makoto just kind of is on accident. He’s one of the few characters who is a strict idealist that I like, because it shows how much Munakata cares about ideas over justice or hope over people to the point where he ends up being the reason that the people he loved dies. 

I like Munakata because he’s a bad person even though he’s fighting for objectively good reasons. He’s such a strict utilitarian he always uses people and has to be in control. He’s terrible to his own close friends. You get the sense that he never really knew either of them. That’s why it’s fun to see him destroy everything with his own hands, and realize after the fact that even when he was nothing left to fight for he has to keep going. Kodaka originally said he was going to die, but he realized making him live at the end with no reason to live was the better option and I agree it was the best possible conclusion to his character. 

10. “Because you know I...things like murder, these kinds of abnormal crimes, from the bottom of my heart... LOVE THEM MORE THAN ANYTHING.” 

Takumi is a big weirdo and I love him. He’s a unique vigilante killer who kills other serial killers not because of any sense of justice, but rather because he thinks they’re all way too lame and he wants to find a really cool killer that lives up to his standards. Takumi is all about the spectacle of killing.

His brain is so weird that to him the feeling of watching his classmates cut apart with a knife is similiar to the feeling of falling in love. He’s a copycat killer but only because the killers he meet are so incompetent and unmotivated that he has to show them how to do it better. 

You get the sense that some part of Takumi is dead inside, because when he’s not killing people he’s lounging around acting like a NEET. He likes murder because the knowledge that death is so close is the only thing that makes him truly feel alive and life worth living to him. Ironically, he’s searching for a way to live in his grim fascination with death. There’s just so many tropes turned on their head and inverted for Takumi to the point where black becomes white and white becomes black that it makes his whole story so fun. 

[fmm85]

SINGAPORE, Feb 26, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Today, staking of Centrality’s native token, CENNZ, is officially available on Moonstake’s Web Wallet. CENNZ is the native token of Centrality, our strategic partner. Moonstake became the first staking provider in the world to launch staking services for CENNZ.

Now Moonstake’s wallet users can hold, send and receive CENNZ and are able to stake through the Moonstake wallet and receive CPAY as staking rewards with one simple click with the best user experience. After Cosmos, IRISnet, Ontology, Harmony, Tezos, Cardano, Qtum, Polkadot, Quras and Centrality became the 10th available staking coin on Moonstake Wallet.

Moonstake wallet provides 3 CENNZ staking validator options for users with an average commission fee of 5%. To celebrate our milestone as the world’s first wallet to support staking of CENNZ, one of the 3 validators will offer zero-staking fee for the first 3 months from today until 31st of May so that CENNZ holders can enjoy free staking on Moonstake wallet.

Moonstake started in the staking business last year with the aim to create the largest staking network in Asia. Since then, Moonstake has developed the most user-friendly wallets for both Web Wallet and Mobile Wallet (iOS/Android) that are compatible with over 2000 cryptocurrencies. After a full-scale operation launched in August 2020, Moonstake’s total staking assets have grown rapidly to reach USD 600 Million in staked assets in 6 months.

Moonstake and Centrality entered into a strategic partnership in August last year. Aaron McDonald, CEO of Centrality has joined Moonstake as an advisor and both parties are actively developing for the implementation of CENNZ (Centrality’s token) through Moonstake staking platform. During a joint webinar last year, both parties shared details about the progress of the partnership and product development, including an announcement regarding the launch of CENNZ staking on Moonstake. Based on joint marketing and technical collaboration, Moonstake Wallet achieved another milestone as a world’s first wallet to support CENNZ and CPAY enabling users to send, receive, and hold ERC-20 based CENNZ and CPAY tokens and the world’s first wallet to support staking for CENNZ.

How to stake CENNZ on MS Wallet

Here’s a simple 4-step process to stake CENNZ with Moonstake Wallet:

1. Register your Moonstake Web wallet (https://ift.tt/2MMdBNB) 2. Deposit 10,000 CENNZ and an appropriate amount of CPAY to your Moonstake wallet. (10,000 CENNZ is the minimum amount required to stake) 3. From the wallet screen, select CENNZ and click the “Stake Now” button. *If CENNZ and CPAY are not displayed, click on the + button on the right to add them. 4. Confirm the staking information, then click the “Staking” button and enter your wallet password. *Once the staking operation is completed, the amount of CENNZ will be displayed in the column Staking.

How CENNZ Staking Works

A minimum threshold amount of 10,000 CENNZ needs to be locked in and stake for both nominators or validators. To stake CENNZ with Moonstake wallet, you need to be a “Nominator” and select a “Validator”. Up to 16 or more validators can be selected. If the chosen Validator is elected and performs their duties correctly, Nominators receive a portion of their resulting CPAY reward.

*Nominators are CENNZ token holders who stake a portion of their CENNZ behind a Validator. *Validators are node operators who each store a copy of the blockchain and must perform certain functions to keep the system secure.

How to get Rewards of CENNZ staking

The APY (Staking Reward Rate) BASE rate for CENNZ will initially start at a minimum of 8-10% APY in CPAY. This can increase based on network activity. You will receive a staking reward approximately every 24 hours.

For example, if you stake 10,000 CENNZ, you will receive 800 – 1,000 CENNZ worth of CPAY per year, which will be divided and distributed as a reward.

How CENNZ unstaking works

There is an unbonding period when you unstake CENNZ, which serves as a cooldown. This period will take 28 days on CENNZnet and your CENNZ will be locked. After 28 days, you can redeem your CENNZ and start to use or transfer them. During the unbonding period, you will not receive any staking rewards.

Mitsuru Tezuka, Founder at Moonstake says: “Moonstake is pleased to be the world’s first wallet to support staking of CENNZ and the first validator for CENNZnet. We completed API connection for CENNZ staking to provide extensive support for the CENNZ community. With this collaboration, Moonstake and Centrality will continue to accelerate the strong growth of the staking ecosystem while providing the best staking service for CENNZ.”

Aaron McDonald, CEO at Centrality says: “Centrality is on a mission to bring decentralised technology to consumer mass markets and Moonstake will help us do just that. E-wallet is the most convenient and friendly solution for modern day money management, in both the real world and the crypto world. Making the crypto usage experience seamless while still fully secure to mass consumers is what Moonstake excels at and we’re happy to bring about CENNZ staking on this leading staking platform.”

The global staking market capitalization has grown exponentially over the last year from $10 billion to $133 billion. During this period, Moonstake has also become part of the top 10 staking providers in the world in terms of total staking value and is continuing to expand non-stop. Through CENNZ’s staking, we are committed to providing more people in the world with valuable staking opportunities at their convenience and contributing to the development of the blockchain industry.

About Moonstake

Moonstake was recently established to develop a staking pool protocol to satisfy increasing demands in regional and global blockchain markets. Moonstake develops a staking pool protocol and provides business services through partners and companies.

Moonstake aims to be the largest staking pool network in Asia by providing an active environment for crypto asset holders. Establishing a clear partnership roadmap with Moonstake represents another significant milestone for continuing to strengthen ties with leading platforms across Asia’s burgeoning Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ecosystem. Partnership has been announced with Emurgo, Ontology and NEO to boost staking adoption, Binarystar, Japan’s biggest blockchain hub, OIO Holdings Limited (SGX: OIO), a Singapore Catalist-Listed company. Industry’s reputed advisors, such as Lisk and Lawrence Lim of RAMP DEFI support Moonstake’s innovative journey.

With a full-scale operation launched in August 2020, we expanded our business and as of now, our total staking assets exceeded over USD 600 Million. https://ift.tt/3gMgp6u

About Centrality

Centrality is the world’s leading fintech venture platform based in New Zealand. They have received a research grant from the New Zealand government and are working with the New Zealand government to build a decentralized system through the public-private integrated organization “Digital Identity NZ” together with NZ Tech and Singlesource. https://centrality.ai/

Topic: Press release summary Sectors: FX & Digital Currencies

https://ift.tt/1fx7Yvd From the Asia Corporate News Network

Copyright © 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Asia Corporate News Network.

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[ibuiltdesigns]

3 Ways to Reflect Work Culture with Office Design

To establish a profitable climate, you need to make your working environment all the more captivating and useful. Today, it is fundamental for work environments to adjust their office plan with their image and culture as twenty to thirty year olds are rapidly supplanting people born after WW2 representatives. 

Business office repair can empower participation inside an office space and make a culture essential for progress. In a culture of collaboration, laborers get the occasion to connect and impart thoughts to each other as they search for arrangements together. 

While there are different techniques for advancing profitability and proficiency, you can accomplish it with a simple mix of the actual working environment. Numerous organizations are uninformed of the noteworthiness of patching up the workplace configuration as per the goals of the business. By planning an office space not in a state of harmony with the organization culture, an organization is passing up an occasion to advance energy in the representatives. 

Here are a few techniques that you can propose to an office configuration organization while updating your working environment. 

Present shared conditions 

Given the importance of commitment and cooperation, your main goal should be to advance a communitarian climate in the working environment. Moreover, organizations are presently zeroing in on variety. In the event that you have a workplace that underpins coordinated effort and encourages cooperation, you're at the triumphant end. 

The customary work areas are counterproductive as they wind up disengaging people who are working as groups. The advanced technique for planning an office Interior Design Sydney space includes the making of units to support the division of groups. 

You can allot customers to each unit as the administrator answerable for taking care of the cases can make arrangements around the requirements of the customers. This permits the organization to fabricate a compatibility, which is unimaginable with a dull office space. The way of life of making cases empowers you to sew the workplace into a lithe group that has the self-governance and the power to assume responsibility for the dynamic cycle. 

You wind up making preventions for your representatives when you compartmentalize them in work areas. Representatives working in a gathering, notwithstanding, can turn out help for each other and guarantee the smooth working of the group. Your customers will feel the impact of compartmentalisation, which will be reflected in their correspondence and coordination. 

Brand your space 

It is fundamental to make a climate that is welcoming for individuals strolling into the workplace space. For this to occur, you should mark your office space. A business Office Fit Out Sydney repair should give the customers and workers a sign of the qualities and standards of the organization. 

You should paint the dividers of the workplace space in shading plans that mirror the brand. Moreover, you should choose articles and divider craftsmanship that helps in developing the way of life you need. Finally, the plan decisions should be reliable with the qualities you follow. For instance, a tech organization should hope to fuse innovation in Best Office Fit Out Sydney  plans. 

Prior to consolidating the brand esteems and motivation behind the organization in the workplace plan, you ought to think about the general design. Educate the workplace configuration organization about the topics you need to seek after and search for ways that you can actualize them. 

On the off chance that your organization is a majority rule one and energizes representative cooperation, at that point you should cultivate having simple to get to office spaces for the higher-ups. Additionally, a working environment that makes computer game rooms and shared spaces demonstrates that the organization flourishes with inventiveness. In some cases, organizations wind up after the most recent patterns when planning their office spaces. It is anything but difficult to fall into the snare of doing as such, as organizations wind up sitting around and assets in making an office by  space in opposition to the beliefs they have set for themselves. A law office for instant Best Commercial Fit-Out Company in Sydney ce needn't bother with a computer game room, as it doesn't coordinate the idea of work done by the organization. You additionally don't have to follow what different organizations are doing, it is basic to remain consistent with yourself when planning the workplace space as per the beliefs of the business. 

Approach your representatives for recommendations 

In the event that your organization energizes laborer interest and qualities the assessments of the workers, at that point approaching them for configuration is a decent system of getting thoughts for redesigns. 

Workers can concoct inventive arrangements and counsel. Empowering support and looking for guidance from representatives over something as essential as planning an Commercial Fit-Out Company in Sydney permits you to fabricate the inspiration levels of the workers. You can make an email or arrange a gathering after work hours or during break to talk about the system. 

It is the administration's duty to channel the reactions and follow a thought that appears to be sensible. While the activity will help you in getting some solid recommendations, you don't have to fail to remember that the principal reason for existing is to collaborate with the workers and make them inviting. A little well disposed chatter with respect to the plan of the workplace will cause them to feel comfortable and invited to the work environment. 

Their thoughts will make the occupation significantly simpler as you will create highlights and plan the zone as per their requirements and requests. Set up a gathering or email them a study and get some answers concerning the manners in which they need to shape their office spaces with Best Commercial Fit-Out Company in Sydney .The more comprehensive the workplace climate is, the better the outcomes you will get. 

[dipulb3]

2021 Genesis GV80 first drive review: Splashy, sumptuous and special SUV

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2021 Genesis GV80 first drive review: Splashy, sumptuous and special SUV

Have you ever come across one of those fantastical news stories of somebody who randomly wakes up with the ability to play piano? You know, a person whose fingers suddenly and magically master classical sonatas, having never so much as stumbled through Chopsticks previously? I’ve always been suspicious of those accounts, but this 2021 Genesis GV80 is making me reconsider. Why? Because with exactly zero experience building true luxury SUVs, this Korean upstart seems to have nailed the brief right out of the box. This is a harmonious, fully realized midsize crossover with its own appeal — one ready to rub shoulders with Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz at the front of the pack.

Admittedly, the Genesis isn’t an overnight sensation, let alone some sort of unknown startup. The brand is built on Hyundai’s considerable shoulders, and Hyundai has been fielding convincing Genesis sedans for years, as well as some awfully good mass-market sport utilities. But this GV80 isn’t just Genesis’ first SUV, it’s the parent company’s first unibody crossover built on rear-wheel-drive architecture, too. But just because Genesis is belatedly arriving to the ball doesn’t mean it’s content to be a wallflower.

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On the contrary, all you need to do is take one look at the GV80’s massive, Superman-shield-shaped grille or its distinctive double-hashmark lighting to know that this SUV isn’t looking to slip in the side door and mingle unnoticed. The top-shelf Prestige trim seen here rides on massive 22-inch Michelin Primacy Tour all-season rubber, and the rest of the vehicle’s details and proportions really suit being fitted with oversized wheels. Even lesser trims start out on still-large 19 inchers. For better or for worse, the 2021 Genesis GV80 is a seriously unsubtle piece of design, and even if it’s not your thing, there’s little doubt that it looks expensive and that it has serious curb presence.

Whether you use the traditional fob or the available digital, sharable phone key to open the door, you’ll find that the GV80’s gravitas carries over to its cabin. The cockpit is swathed in all manner of upscale materials and finishes, including substantial planks of matte-finish wood and knurled switchgear that looks and feels premium. Prestige trims like this one ladle on lots of extra niceties, including a suede-like headliner and very trick 3D-effect all-digital gauge cluster (the latter is an industry first).

Then there’s the 14.5-inch widescreen infotainment system with its high resolution and sparkling graphics. It’s perched atop the dash like a billboard, but thanks to its ultra-long span and the gentle curvature of the gauge binnacle, this display doesn’t look like a tacked-on afterthought. Manipulated via touchscreen or a large jog wheel with integrated directional click ring (not unlike iPods of yore) and a center handwriting recognition pad, the GV80’s infotainment system is new and powerful, yet it’s surprisingly easy to get accustomed to its tile-based layout. 

Thankfully, there’s plenty of room inside, too. The 194.7-inch-long GV80 rides atop a 116.3-inch wheelbase, which affords ample head-, shoulder- and legroom in both the first and (slidable and reclinable) second row. Yes, a power-folding third row is available, but only on a single upper-midrange trim with the larger engine. With the way this plus-two setup eats into cargo space while only offering tight seating accommodations, I’d recommend sticking with a two-row model. 

For those keeping track, cargo space behind the optional third row is a modest 11.6 cubic feet. Space behind the second row is a more substantial 33.9 cubes, and if you fold all the seats behind the front row, you’re looking at 84 cubic feet, a figure that edges out the Mercedes GLE-Class and trounces the BMW X5.

The cabin is a special place with its own sense of style and lo tech. That two-spoke rugby-ball wheel is controversial, though.

Chris Paukert/Roadshow

If you’re looking for another good reason to skip the third row, try this: You can’t get my pick of the GV80’s range, the Prestige model. I seldom recommend splurging on a top trim, but it’s worth doing here for the added creature comforts, including Genesis’ novel Ergo Motion massaging front seats that can measure occupants to make posture recommendations. The latter are clad in higher-quality, quilted Nappa leather and are comfy enough that you might decide to lounge in your driveway, just to get the chance to listen to the high-fidelity, 21-speaker Lexicon surround-sound audio. What’s more, select highline models are also treated to an adaptive multilink suspension front and rear that includes a road-reading camera to optimize the dampers for any surface in advance — with those heavy 22-inch steamrollers at each corner, you’ll want whatever tech assistance you can get to smooth out the ride.

Pro tip: When ordered in more unusual color combinations like Maroon Brown with Smokey Green leather, the GV80’s cabin feels premium and often more luxurious than what’s offered by comparable German and Japanese rivals such as the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Mercedes GLE and Lexus RX. In fact, this Genesis compares well against less-popular class picks like the Lincoln Aviator and Volvo XC90, both of which are perhaps better known for their stunning interiors than they are for anything else.

All of this is to say that not only is the GV80 luxurious and precisely assembled, it looks and feels both original and special, as well as appreciably high-tech. If there are any false notes, they’re small crimes of omission — Apple CarPlay and Android Auto aren’t offered wirelessly, and you can’t get a Wi-Fi hotspot or rear-seat entertainment. That two-spoke rugby-ball steering wheel is a bit of an odd throwback, too, but at least it’s distinct.

The GV80’s 14.5-inch infotainment system is snappy and feature rich, with both touchscreen and jog-dial interfaces.

Chris Paukert/Roadshow

If you’re looking for a fire-breathing sport utility with more of an emphasis on the former than the latter, the GV80 is not your ride — at least not right now. At launch, there will be two engines available: a turbocharged, 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6, both yoked to an obedient eight-speed automatic transmission. The I4 is available in both rear- and all-wheel-drive formats, and it puts out 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. While my brief drive time in the I4 suggests it’s up to the job, it’s the V6 powertrain I’ve spent the most time with, so it’s the combination I’m going to focus on for this review. 

That’s just as well, because with a vehicle that’s as bold and brash as this, choosing the burliest powertrain only seems fitting. Plus, the GV80 is no lightweight — a base RWD 2.5T is over 4,500 pounds, and an all-mod-cons 3.5T with mandatory AWD like this one tips the scales at around 5,000 pounds. The V6 has 375 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque, enough to sling this sled to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. 

That time won’t throw a scare into a BMW X5 sDrive40i owner, let alone an X5 M pilot, but that’s just fine. The GV80 handles sharply and the suspension setup is on the firm side regardless of drive mode setting, but this Genesis isn’t a hot-rod wagon on stilts like a Mercedes-AMG GLE63. The GV80 feels powerful, but it’s still a coddle-me-first, thrill-me-second proposition. From its muted growl at full throttle to its supple, direct steering and easy-to-modulate brakes, the GV80 is a zen cocoon. This is a vehicle that knows and embraces its mission for balanced, total luxury, and it’s unexpectedly excellent for exactly that reason.

The GV80 offers a third row, but this SUV is at its best in a five-seat configuration.

Chris Paukert/Roadshow

None of this is to say that GV80’s big six feels lazy. Yes, it’s super quiet on the inside owing to active road-noise cancellation tech, laminated glass and all kinds of sound-deadening materials. But the V6 sounds better on the outside, and more importantly, it’s got the power to underscore those looks. In fact, it’s worth noting that while both powertrains are rated to tow 6,000 pounds, the twin-turbo setup helps the 3.5-liter’s torque peak kick in earlier and hang around longer (1,300 to 4,500 rpm) than the less-expensive four-cylinder (1,650 to 4,000 rpm), which should help be an even more effective towing partner. For my money, it’d be great if Genesis were eventually to offer an even-more-powerful V8 or hybrid model to match the Germans — the chassis is up to it.

That said, if there’s an Achilles heel with the GV80’s performance, it’s fuel economy. Of course, that’s a problem shared by every model in this class — at least those without hybrid assist. An entry-level RWD 2.5T rings up at 25 miles per gallon city, 21 highway and 23 combined. A loaded AWD 3.5T like this Prestige is rated at 23 mpg city, 18 highway and 20 combined. These are unimpressive figures — especially on premium fuel — but they’re wholly competitive for this class.

If you’re looking for more pleasing numbers, I’d suggest checking out pricing. The GV80 range starts at under $50,000 delivered for a 2.5T RWD — picking up right where Hyundai’s excellent Palisade Calligraphy SUV leaves off. Yes, the Lexus RX is slightly cheaper for starters, but it’s also smaller, less powerful and less luxurious. The Germans? They’re all more expensive. Just over $60K will get you into a base 3.5T AWD.

At around $72,000, the loaded GV80 Prestige isn’t cheap, but this Korean-built SUV is both a strong value and excellent overall.

Chris Paukert/Roadshow

At the other end of the range, my pick, the loaded-up Prestige with all-wheel drive and the big engine rings up just shy of $72,000 (including $1,025 delivery). To be sure, that’s a lot of money, but it’s far, far cheaper than a comparable European. Besides, I think I even prefer the way the GV80 feels overall.

No matter which trim you opt for, there’s a full suite of advanced driver assist systems in the mix. Forward collision with auto-brake, lane-departure warning and blind-spot assist are standard, as is a driver monitor. The Prestige trim comes bundled with with Highway Driving Assist II, which includes lane centering, sign recognition and even automated lane changes, as well as Remote Smart Park Assist, which allows drivers to park in tight spots while standing outside their vehicle. These features are also available as part of two driving assistance packages on lesser models.

It’s 100% true that Hyundai miscalculated where the market was going when it chose to launch its new premium Genesis brand with three sedans, just as consumers were jumping the passenger-car ship in favor of SUVs. But at least Genesis was smart enough to realize that if you’re gonna be late to the utility-vehicle party, you’ve got to come hard with swag and substance. The automaker’s first stab at the genre has both, and while it’s far from an overnight sensation, this 2021 Genesis GV80 has the goods to shock luxury buyers — and more than a few car companies — with its all-around excellence.

[whichstiel]

Fandom: Supernatural Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester Characters: Castiel (Supernatural), Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Jack Kline Additional Tags: Dreams, Longing, Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, spn 13x02, episode coda, Season/Series 13, Episode: s13e02 The Rising Son Series: Part 3 of Season 13 Codas

On my bed at night I sought him

whom my soul loves-

I sought him but I did not find him.

The spice shop was redolent with the scent of sweet clove, warm apple cider, and the tangy fog of dried leaves. It smelled heavenly - the kind of place that brought on fantasies of yellow curries and sweetly spiced apple pie cooling on countertops. It was also haunted. Dean gripped the shotgun a little tighter, shaking himself back to full awareness. According to the owner, the shop was sabotaged nightly. She arrived every morning to broken jars throughout the store and ectoplasm streaked across the picture window like tears, like someone pressed their face against it nightly and wept. Until a customer had been injured “and blabbed to the press” - she’d told them, lips pursed - she’d simply endured the attacks.

So far, with Dean, Sam, and Jack prowling the store, everything was quiet. Calm. Sam and Jack were checking in the back, trying to find any remnant or evidence of a false wall or floorboard that might be harboring remains. Dean ran his tongue over his teeth and winced at the fuzz. He’d insisted on heading straight into the hunt as soon as they’d made contact with the owner earlier in the day. Maybe afterwards he could find a truck stop with showers and a little privacy, and take a little time to feel human again. Dean and Jack could sleep in the car the rest of the night and they could press onward to investigate some possible ghoul activity the next state over. He picked up a glass jar labeled “Grains of Paradise” and rattled it. The contents jangled pleasingly and he smiled a little at it and shifted the shotgun to the crook of his arm so he could untwist the cap and take a quick sniff. Of course, that’s when it struck.

Glass shattered around him as Dean went down in between the shelves. He immediately rolled to his back and caught a glimpse of a specter darting away through the shelves. “Sam!” he yelled, scrambling to his feet. The shelves of the shop were low, barely five feet, and Dean raised his shotgun and fired one clean shot at the ghost making its way through the store. The ghost flung out its hands with a wail and disappeared in a flash of white.

Sam stumbled in from the back, Jack close on his heels. “Dean?” Sam said, looking around wildly. “Where?”

Dean shook his head grimly. “Headed for that wall,” he said, loading another bullet into the chamber. Together they stalked the shelves towards a kitschy collection of knick knacks nailed to the far wall. The entire back end of the shop was plastered in tacked on mid-century tinwork and dusty black frames. Dean scanned it rapidly before zeroing in on the culprit. “Yahtzee,” he said grimly, pointing at a photo mounted above a faded Coca-Cola sign. Hanging on the wall was a photo of a young man, mouth drawn into a sly half smile. A lock of hair was tied with a delicate piece of embroidery floss and plastered between the photo and the glass. Dean reached for the picture frame.

The ghost howled again with all the rage of a hurricane and Dean watched Sam and Jack get hurtled across the room, smashing rotund glass jars and decorative crystal work as they went. Dean grabbed for the photo, dropping his shotgun so he could use both hands to pry up the photo from the wall while the ghost was occupied with Sam and Jack. Sam hit the wall hard, and fell with a sharp thud onto the floor. He lay crumpled, still, and Dean grimaced. Jack had promised not to use his powers. Even so, he stood between Sam and the ghost. Although his eyes didn’t glow, his face was drawn in a grim expression akin to hate. He held Sam’s shotgun in his hands. Blam . The ghost disappeared.

Dean pressed his boot into the wall and tightened his grip on the frame, working it off the solid pegs spearing it to the wall. The frame burst free just as the ghost attacked again and the picture flew out of his hands and crashed to the floor below. The ghost tossed him towards the ceiling before he could protect himself and hot, white sparks jumped into his vision. Dean soon found himself tossed right on top of it by the ghost’s angry push and he shuffled his bloody hands around him until his fingers met the dusty thick paper. He slid it out and fumbled for the lock of hair, then fished a shell from his pocket. He broke open the shell and scattered salt before him so that it bounced out like hail across the tiled floor. Then he pulled out his lighter, squinted up at the inhuman face rushing towards him, and lit the remnants on fire. The ghost burned through one last scream and then the shop fell quiet.

Dean groaned and let his forehead fall to the floor where it crunched against glass. “Sam?” he called.

“He’s okay,” Jack said from across the store. “He’ll be fine.”

“‘Kay.” Dean closed his eyes for a moment - just a moment - and inhaled slowly to chase the sparks from his head. Even with his face pressed to tile, the shop’s sweet perfume permeated his senses. The floor smelled like spice and dust, heated by his breath. He wondered in his addled haze if this was what Castiel had described to him, long ago.

When Castiel had wings he used to travel for unusual ingredients in the blink of an eye or the space of an hour. He’d spoken of a market once, sweet with the scent of fresh fruit and the dust kicked up by people perusing the open air stalls. The town had smelled like mountain - minerals and pine - but once he was in the market the only thing he noticed was the thick cloud of harmonious spices. He’d spoken of this phenomenon with a crooked half smile, his eyes alight as though the concept of an edible symphony were entirely new to him.

Blood tinged spit pooled on Dean’s lower lip brought him back to the shop. He spat, then pushed himself up. Dean grabbed his shotgun and went to check on Sam. And Jack.

His and Sam’s head injuries meant that they were stuck with a hotel room. They limped their way to a nearby motel and after short, cursory showers, collapsed for the night.

Once the lights were out, pain pulled at Dean’s temple and he leaned against his bed with a groan. Jack and Sam had passed out fairly quickly. Jack, as it turned out, snored loudly and his chainsaw rattle filled the corner by the couch. Sam lay insensible under a pile of blankets, dead to Jack’s unwitting symphony. Dean reached for the bottle by the bed and took a long swig before dropping the condensation-wet glass to his pant leg. Another hunt down. Another day gone. Dean drank, and willed his mind to emptiness.

When he finally fell asleep, he dreamed. He was walking in a bazaar fringed by deep green pines and gray-blue mountains. The stalls were brightly painted with cloth-clad canopies flapping in the stiff alpine breeze. Dean looked around. It was a small village, as far as he could tell. Just a collection of sparse cabins and temporary stalls lining a wide dirt path that cut through it all. Still, the market was thick with people. They milled from stall to stall, their conversational haggling capped at a muffled buzz. Many of them wore furs or brightly cut clothing dusted white at the hems. Something white caught Dean’s eye.

A crisp white shirt and wide shoulders wove through the crowd and was eclipsed a moment later by a raucous man carrying a basket of melons on his head. “Cas?” Dean croaked. A white-clad arm appeared and then the tousle-haired man crossed the market to a stall on the other side, where he disappeared yet again. Dean pushed his way around a gaggle of men crowded around a dice game and shoved his way past two women with swords strapped high on their shoulders.

Just ahead of him Castiel’s hand slipped over sunny squashes lined up in a neat row. His fingers brushed along petals from a stand of cut flowers and then he disappeared again, this time behind a crowd of school children portaging wooden boxes over their heads.

Dean ran towards the stall where he’d last seen Castiel and an old man popped out from behind the flowers. He pushed a small glass cup under Dean’s nose, brown eyes steely. “Drink,” he ordered. Dean bit his lip and craned his head around. He’d lost Castiel again.

Irritably, Dean snatched the cup and drank it down quickly, like taking a shot. The liquid lingered on his lips, sweet but bitter, and his tongue darted out to taste it even after he’d shoved the cup back at the old man and pushed past him. Pomegranate juice, he thought. A drop of it clung jewel-bright on his lip and he caught sight of Castiel again. This time he stood across the bazaar, his nose buried in an uncapped basket, a look of bliss painting his face rosy.

“Cas!” Dean called out again. This time, a woman blocked his way. She thrust a crystal vial at him. An ornate golden air pump capped the top of it and he looked at the perfume bottle, puzzled. “What’s this for?”

“So you can keep his name,” she said.

He bit his lip again. Castiel was already moving on. Dean nodded curtly and snatched the bottle from her, sweeping around her side. She grabbed him swiftly, fingers cutting into the crook of his arm like talons.

“Don’t lose him this time,” she hissed.

See! He is standing behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattices.

Castiel stood at the window as lightning illuminated his rain drenched face. He looked hangdog, worn down. It was the sweetest sight Dean had ever seen. Dean sprang up out of bed and ran to the motel window, pressing his hands against the glass. Slowly, his expression unchanging, Castiel faded away into the black night beyond.

In his sleep, Dean twitched then turned over.

The orchard filled the sky overhead. Sweeping bows of apple-heavy branches blotted out the egg-blue sky, casting the ground beneath the trees in soft gray shadow. Dean held a gun in his hand. The old god was behind one of these trees. Gun oil cut into the sweet apple-scented air and the stench of woodsmoke clung to Dean’s clothing. His lip curled.

Then the gun disappeared and his hand closed on air. Something wet touched his palm and he peered at it. A single golden drop of honey, bright as the sun, glimmered on the end of one fingertip. Dean stared at it dumbly for several seconds and then carefully he extended the finger all the way and closed the rest of his fingers into his palm. He paced carefully through the ankle-tangling grass, balancing the bead of honey as he went.

His dark head bowed, Castiel sat under an apple tree, legs folded beneath him. He looked up when Dean approached and grinned so widely that Dean nearly stumbled with rib-splitting relief. Bees circled Castiel like electrons around a nucleus. “Do you have it?” he asked, voice soft and rough and perfect.

Dean held out his finger and bent his knees, so that his hand drew level with Castiel. Castiel’s mouth dropped open and he leaned forward to meet Dean, then closed his lips around Dean’s first knuckle. His tongue cradled the underside of Dean’s finger as he sucked the honey from his hand. When he finished, Castiel’s tongue pushed against his skin and he pulled back with a sound almost like a kiss.

“It’s not enough,” he whispered. His face fell into sorrowful lines and Dean hung his head in despair.

Dean woke up with a pounding headache. He padded into the bunker kitchen, flicked on the lights, and barreled straight for the refrigerator. Beer populated a third of the fridge and he shot out his hand to grab one, changed his mind and shifted his hand to the handle of a six pack, before he dropped his hand again. A loose bag of apples sat on the bottom shelf. Dean hesitated, then reached for one of the red globes. He pulled it out and cradled it to him, curling his palm inwards as though protecting the apple with his wrist. He grabbed the six pack then, and retreated back to his room.

The watchmen found me,

as they made their rounds in the city;

They beat me, they wounded me,

they tore off my mantle,

the watchmen of the walls.

The angels accosted them at a gas station in one of the lonelier stretches of Nevada highway. Dean had already dispatched one. Off by the store, Sam fought off two others, whirling like a sand storm, his hand a blur of flesh and steel. An angel tackled Jack and angled her blade towards him with a pleased grin. Although Dean knew the blade would do nothing he stabbed his own blade through the angel who had tried to pin him against the Impala, then rolled towards Jack. He lunged for the angel blade, knocked away the attacking angel’s hand and used his momentum to drag the angel off to the side to fight him instead.

This close, the angel’s breath fell hot across his face and Dean ground his teeth and tightened his sweat-slick fingers around the hilt. He levered his arm to thrust the blade into the angel’s side when the woman reached out and caught at it. She grinned at him, blood dripping from a slash on her cheek onto Dean’s lips. He spat, then grinned back and knocked the blade a fraction of an inch, dislodging her sure grasp. The blade drove into her, and she dissolved into light.

Later, the bar near the hotel served them shots - Sam’s treat. Dean lifted the glass to his cut lip and let the liquid splash inside. He winced. Pomegranate. “It’s not enough,” he growled, and lifted his fingers to signal for more.

Set me as a seal upon your heart,

as a seal upon your arm;

For Love is strong as Death,

longing is fierce as Sheol.

Its arrows are arrows of fire,

flames of the divine.

Castiel was back. One minute he was dead and the next - he was back. Dean leaned his hip against the map table, arms crossed in a faux casual repose, and struggled to lift the numb fog from his brain. Sam and Castiel stood over the library table, a great sheet spread across it. Castiel was scribbling Enochian glyphs over it, Sam nodding over his work with a pleased expression on his face. Jack lingered in the background, his eyes still saucer wide and fixed upon Castiel.

It was almost like he’d never left.

Sam and Castiel worked together, a seamless team, hashing out a new defense strategy to protect Jack from the constant depredations of angels and demons. Dean’s mind swam with the effort of reconciling this image. This.

It was only the sight of Castiel, weaving away from him through the pillars and past the shelves that hot fire jolted through Dean. He was struck with the sudden conviction that if he lost sight of Castiel now he would wake up in sweat-soaked bedclothes, alone. “Cas,” he burst out and Castiel stopped and turned, instantly. His head cocked to one side, brow furrowed.

“Dean?”

“Can we talk? For just a second.” Dean’s heart pounded heavily as though he stood atop a twelve thousand foot mountain peak and he could feel his lungs struggle for air. Tantalizingly, he thought for just a moment that he could smell a whiff of pine on the air. He cleared his throat and gestured towards the kitchen.

“Of course.” Castiel dipped his head to Sam and Jack and followed Dean down the hallway to the small kitchen.

Dean swung open the refrigerator door and pulled out two beers, tilting the butt of one bottle towards Castiel. “Beer?”

Castiel took it silently and flipped the cap off with his thumb as though flicking off a speck of dust. He settled on the bench and set the bottle on the table before leaning forward. “Dean,” he asked in a grave, puzzled tone. “What’s going on?”

Dean slipped off his own bottlecap and took a long swig. “Needed a break,” he said with a gasp between gulps. He set the bottle down, lining it up across from Castiel’s. He drummed his knuckles on the tabletop. “Seriously, man. How are you holdin’ up? Resurrection’s a tricky business and--”

Castiel held up his hand, a gentle smile fixed on his cheek and his eyes stern and calm. “I fought my own way out of The Empty, Dean,” he said. “I assure you, nothing followed me. I made no deals. We’re safe.” He folded his hands on the table and glanced down at Dean’s tension-white knuckles. “I’m safe.”

Dean blew out a breath. “Yeah. Yeah. Of course.”

Castiel leaned forward. “Dean. Are you alright? You look…” He lifted a hand and gestured towards Dean’s face and the night black circles that had taken up permanent residence under Dean’s eyes.

Dean took another long drink of his beer before he said, to the wall, “I dreamed about you while you were...gone.”

Castiel’s voice was soft when he said, “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” Dean tried to grin, and turn the reply into something light, but his mouth refused and his voice broke. “I missed you,” he whispered to the stack of napkins against the wall.

Fingers brushed his jaw and nudged his chin to the side until his eyes met Castiel’s. “I missed you, too,” Castiel said. “More than you might ever know.”

Dean sat frozen for a moment, Castiel’s warm fingertips pressed spots of sunshine into his jaw. Then he lifted his hand and wrapped his own fingers around Castiel’s palm. He dipped his head so that his nose grazed along Castiel’s knuckles. His skin smelled like rich black loam overlaid with something floral, like sweet honeysuckle. The kitchen was utterly silent, Sam and Jack’s voices only dull echoes through the bunker’s thick walls.

Castiel’s fingers wrapped around Dean’s hand, fingertips pressing against Dean’s skin and brushing the top of his lip in tiny, almost imperceptible brushstrokes. It was only a fraction of an inch to move and, bolstered by the quiet bubble of unreality he’d been engulfed in most of the day, Dean raised his chin just a little more. His lips caught at Castiel’s first knuckle and he pressed them there, flicking his eyes up to catch Castiel’s expression.

Castiel watched him with widened eyes, a rose flush skimming his cheeks. “Dean,” he mouthed, barely loud enough to qualify as a whisper. Castiel watched him, but he didn’t pull away. If anything, he seemed to press the lines of his finger further into the cushion of Dean’s lips and Dean returned the pressure.

They stared across the table at one another.

When Dean finally pulled his head back, Castiel’s hand remained in his. Dean quirked a smile at him and lifted one shoulder in a fraction of a shrug. “I missed you,” he said again.

When Castiel grinned, it was like the sun coming out. “I’m beginning to understand that,” he said and leaned all the way across the table, so their lips could meet at last.

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