Internal Section (Positron / Square - PS1 - 1999)
“Often described as a twisted fusion between Tempest and S.T.U.N. Runner, this Positron game was released exclusively in Japan in 1999, at a time when the PlayStation games catalogue was already vast and varied. Dynamic and irreverent, Internal Section is essentially a complex ‘tube shooter’, an unusual angle that can be considered a welcome addition at a time when horizontal and vertical scrolling shooters were predominant. The mere sight of the initial presentation, or the bizarre imagery printed on the bizarre game manual, tells Internal Section apart from a common shooter. Instead of acquiescing to the adolescent anime characters and pseudo-plots, it evokes the same mature, impersonal and hi-tech ambience of the demoscene computer art subculture.
Each of eight levels is divided into four sub stages (A, B, C, D and Boss Fight). When the level guardians are reached, game scheme switches from its tubular form to that of a circular rail drawn around the enemy, where greater shot precision is often required. Internal Section‘s gameplay is utterly unique, allowing the player to instantly choose between twelve different shot types, each of them based on a Chinese zodiac sign: apart from dodging bullets and other obstacles, the key to success lies in the use of the appropriate sign for each situation. Far from a hardcore shooting game experience, Internal Section is all about the experience and aesthetics – rather than superhuman skills – with scattered checkpoints and infinite continues that make it a short, albeit extremely enjoyable video game.
The first impact created by Internal Section originates from the awkward graphic style. Their lack of texture mapping is properly compensated with the addition of smooth and lustrous shading, drawn in vivid colors and wonderful contrasts. Flat polygons pervade the screen as each level displays a predominant color, and each sub-stage exhibits a rich and artful array of pictorial themes. Due to its spartan aesthetics, this uncanny Squaresoft release is bound to be compared with Rez, released by SEGA two years later.
iS also aspires to a perfectly balanced blend of audiovisual and gameplay, including a carefully selected techno music playlist. While not as memorable as the licensed soundtrack from games such as WipeOut, the disk includes 16 original themes that help bring some strong sense of rhythm into the game experience. Similar to Ridge Racer, it also lets the player swap the game disk for an audio CD, essentially giving it a customizable soundtrack. Customizations also include the selection of different ambiences for the levels, a factor that dramatically increases the game’s appeal and replay value.
If carefully observed today, in light of modern shoot’em up revivalisms, iS has achieved a certain state of grace, having risen to a level that only a handful of its counterparts were able to attain. Its flat polygon graphics running smoothly on the television screen and its responsive controls prevent the game from looking or feeling obsolete. In fact, everything about iS contemplates innovation, as well as a very strong desire to evade the usual patterns that have long infected this stagnant genre. Its status as a rare and unpublicized title coming from a major company has contributed, undoubtedly, to the consecration of Internal Section as one of the most engaging and sought after titles from the recent past.“
[article source]
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"Monsters, no matter what form they took, could be distinguished from ordinary animals by a few features: the faint iridescence of their physicality, the way their bodies disintegrated when killed, and their immediate and ferocious instinct for violence. The unicorn had been no different."
featuring my oc finnelyn roselorre and the unicorn he miraculously convinced not to kill him
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The more I learn about Civil War politics, the more I'm convinced that Lincoln's most impressive and useful leadership trait was that he never let his pride get in the way of doing his job.
Other people in Lincoln's position would have come to Washington with something to prove. They'd have resented the insults and tried to disprove them. They'd have tried to seize power and credit, rejected help, spent a lot of time trying to reach a certain level of respect.
Lincoln's response to, "You're just a backwoods lawyer with no executive experience who makes too many dumb jokes," was pretty much always, "Yeah. And?" He had no interest in petty personal power plays. He had a country to run. There was a war on. It didn't matter what people thought of him so long as the job got done.
He was aware of his personal shortcomings and was always willing to accept advice and help from people who had more knowledge and experience in certain areas. He presided over a chaotic Cabinet full of abrasive personalities who thought they were better and smarter than him, but he kept working with them because they could get the job done. For example: Stanton was absolutely horrible to him when they were both working as lawyers. Just incredibly mean on a personal level. But when Lincoln needed someone to replace Cameron, he swallowed his pride and appointed Stanton as Secretary of War, where Stanton proceeded to be mean to everyone in the world, but he whipped that department into shape and kept it running efficiently through a very chaotic war. Pretty much no one except Lincoln would have been able to put up with that. He could put up with people who were personally difficult if they could do the job he needed them to do--which he was only able to do because his own ego didn't get in the way.
Lincoln's example is a prime demonstration of how humility isn't underrating yourself--it's being so secure in your own abilities and identity that you don't need to attack anyone or defend yourself to prove your worth. He knew his shortcomings, but he also knew his strengths. He was willing to give other people credit for successes and take blame upon himself for failures if it kept things running smoothly. He was secure enough in his own power that he could deal generously--but firmly--with people who tried to undermine him. In a city full of huge egos, in a profession that rewards puffed-up pride, that levelheaded humility is an extremely rare trait--which is what made it so impressive and effective.
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iS: Internal Section (Square - PS1 - 1999)
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One of the most frustrating parts of writing for me is working on a scene for hours if not days and being like "this is way too long, people are going to lose interest. I need to cut this down and move things along." And then I scroll back to the beginning and everything I've written isn't even one full page.
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Cultural References: Samovars
Samovars are traditional Russian and Middle Eastern tea urns or kettles. They are typically made of metal, often brass or copper, and have a distinctive shape with a central chimney for holding burning charcoal or other solid fuel. The design allows the water in the surrounding chamber to heat up, keeping it hot for extended periods. Samovars are used to boil water for making tea, and they are an integral part of tea culture in these regions. Traditionally, tea concentrate (zavarka) is prepared in a small teapot, and hot water from the samovar is added to dilute it to the desired strength before serving.
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My remaining long metas - Retraumatization vs. Self-Soothing (Part 2), another called Holding the Space, and the one where I interpret stuff more loosely than usual to explore Belos's impact on Luz and Hunter's experiences with mental illness - they're taking a while to do up.
But here's a treat in the meantime: one of the two main modalities I use with my clients (called Internal Family Systems, or IFS), used as a framework to understand Hunter's inner world. Modalities help therapists to make sense of clients' issues.
The first pic shows the parts of Hunter that are wounded or pushed to extremes: organized into three categories called Managers, Firefighters and Exiles.
Exiles are suppressed and pushed aside because they are viewed as threats to the whole system. Any emotion in the Manager category prepares for difficulties in life (often over-preparing), Firefighter emotions are quick and reactive, showing up to try and soothe Exiles to try and rebalance the whole system, but are at risk of causing harm.
The second pic shows his Self, which can be said to be any person's true self and is restorative and positive. In therapy, using this framework is to 1. get Manager and Firefighter parts to stop suppressing the Exiles, 2. encourage Exile parts of a person to feel safe and express themselves, and 3. draw out the person's naturally restorative Self to lead the wounded/extreme parts of them towards feeling peace.
A therapist doesn't necessarily have to help every wounded part unless the client wants them to. Sometimes it's a bit tricky to tell the various parts apart, e.g. the line between Hunter's caretaker side (a Manager) and his natural compassion (Self) is a fine one. What to look out for is if he is taking care of others to avoid feeling worthless (an Exile).
Usually once the Self is engaged, positive transformation can happen fairly quickly.
Anyway, don't mind my
-ing. Something for your minds to chew on while I work on the other metas.
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Update, 31/12/2023:
Whoopsie, I'll only finish and upload "Holding the Space" for perhaps the Watching and Dreaming anniversary in 2024. I was working on it very slowly but it simply wasn't flowing.
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