#mirage / eras / rebirth

[mirageofficial]

— WELCOME TO THE UPSIDE ! !

with a total of 22 shows and 16 stops across eight countries, MIRAGE finally takes center stage at their very first headlining concert series: ENTER THE UPSIDE! the setlist is an attempt at performing the group’s staple hits (and solos) while feeding fans with the most beloved b-sides since debut—it also features the unreleased songs monster + shooting stars (their latest english song). the live songs will share a glimpse of MIRAGE’s lore, friendship, and lessons learned in real time. the members were able to promote their english hits at broadcasting stations and festivals throughout the many countries they visited.

tickets were in high demand before the presale period opened, especially due to the fact that the majority of booked venues were smaller-scale arenas (minus south korea, japan, united kingdom, and indonesia’s stadiums). VIP, meet & greet, and standard tickets sold out within hours overall—some instantly in certain countries— and it’s reflected MIRAGE’s overlooked global popularity beyond south korea. since the announcement of the tour, netizens have been discussing whether or not KQ ENTERTAINMENT, their small label, has the strength (and money) to continue managing/supporting MIRAGE as they continue to climb to the top of the charts… or would a different label ruin the group’s strategies?

( full setlist ! )

( opening VHS ) intro: end of the world

act i the jinx

i + opening roll the dice

ii ( mashup ) black mamba + illusion

iii bewitched

iv breathe

v addicted

vi + act i finale secret story of the swan

act ii changes

interlude ( visuals ) natural

vii interlude: illusions

viii changes

ix relapse

x the happiest girl

xi + act ii finale rainbow spectrum

act iii maknae unit + elder line's solos

xii + extended intro monster ( xepher, nako, & arin )

xiii halfway ( nari )

xiv + act iii finale queen of the night ( eunae )

act iv vivace

interlude + VHS WE ARE THE PIXIES

xv starlight

xvi greedy

xvii ( mashup ) alive + outro: vivace

xviii ( mashup ) a little different [eng. version] + not a stereotype

xix + act iv finale shootings stars ( unreleased eng. song )

act v our promise

xx wanna:be

xxi + special VHS for PROMISE domino

xxii chillin' with you

( finale ) our promise

( encore ) mago

DID YOUR FAVORITE SONG MAKE IT TO THE SETLIST?

between the first two opening nights in seoul and the first half of tour, many kpop stars came out to see MIRAGE in action! which guests do you think caused the most commotion/drama on stan twitter?

ATEEZ

TOMORROW X TOGETHER

NCT ( taeyong, mark, jungwoo )

WAYV ( winwin, kun, hendery, xiaojun )

THE ROMANTICS ( rue )

MANIA! ( byeol )

UNIVERSE-4 ( jihun, marley, sakura, AJ )

FROMIS_9 ( saerom, jiheon )

SEVENTEEN ( seungkwan, DK )

THE BOYZ ( kevin, sunwoo, new )

PENTAGON ( jinho, kino, shinwon )

NOAH ( @qtnoaly )

AESPA ( qiao @darkestlovers )

TAGLIST | @qtnoaly @neocityocs @alixnsuperstxr @darkestlovers

JOIN THE TAGLIST HERE

[gohjuo]

GOJO'S DEEP CONNECTION TO BUDDHISM

      SIX ELEMENTS 

to first understand gojo's deep connection to buddhism, it's important to talk about esoteric buddhism and the six elements. very similar to china's five elements esoteric buddhism has the five elements as: earth, water, fire, air/wind, space/void. however, esoteric buddhism as one additional element the mind. gojo's powers involve space ( his manipulation of space itself and his domain expansion being called unlimited void ). gojo's journey to becoming the strongest was not complete until he opened his mind. as stated, by adding the sixth element the mind, it creates a unity between all five elements. if one lacks the sixth element, ordinary eyes see only the differientated forms/appearances.

          this ties in with the fact that gojo's eyes allow him to see things most people cannot see ( people's souls in colors, reading the flow of cursed energy, viewing of his opponent's cursed technique, object dection with or without cursed energy, & being able to see kilometers away ). it can also be said that being born as the six eyes user brought balance, a connection to how the mind element creates unity.

          SATORI

      in zen buddhism, this is the term for awakening in japanese zen buddhism. it means comprehension, understanding. the word is derived from the japanese verb satoru, who's first name is satoru? gojo's. to put it further, satori refers to an awakening or apprehension of the true nature of reality. it's used to describe an experience that can't be expressed via words. gojo goes through his enlightenment, his death, and never does he really talk about what he went through. he talks about an indescribable feeling, feelng the whole world, this connection to it and to feel everything happening, but if anyone were to ask him how he felt touching the core of cursed energy he would not be able to explain it properly. it is an experience he will never fully properly explain. 

    another way this ties into gojo is that his confrontation with toji, is something of an antagonistic one. in the way, that after the second fight he truly dislikes having a lack of control, he doesn't want to feel hepless, or be helpless with all the immense power that he has. gojo is forced to face the reality of defeat, the reality of having little control at all, and the fact that he didn't fully realize the capabilities of his powers. in the modern era of jujutsu, gojo is the standard.

          ALLUSIONS TO OTHER FIGURES IN BUDDHISM

VAIROCANA         part of the five great buddhas or the five tathāgatas, they are seen as the five representations of the adi-buddha ( aka the first buddha). vairocana is associated with the color white ( gojo's hair is white ), vairocana represents the element of space, which coincides with gojo's technique and ability manipulate space itself. the cardinal direction vairocana represents is the center and the season they represent is a transition. gojo could be considered a big transition in the way the jujutsu world operated as, again his birth balanced out the jujutsu world. it is also a big transition in being dubbed the strongest sorcerer of his era.

MARICI

       a goddess associated with the light and sun. alternatively, in japan she is also associated with light or mirage and was invoked to escape enemies. she has several depictions and in some she carries the lotus with her. in gojo's dream/death sequence, there is a drawing of a lotus flower. the lotus flower in buddhism represents purity, spiritual awakening, and faiththfulness. it also symbolizes rebirth ( which will be furthered tied down to another section ) and the implications of nanami and gojo's conversation hints at a rebirth of some sort.

        THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FOUR DIRECTIONS

    in buddhism, there is great importance in north, east, south, and west. for this particular post i will be focusing on the two directions of north and south.

     "I ONCE ASKED MEI-SAN ABOUT WHERE I SHOULD LIVE. SHE SAID IF YOU'D LIKE TO BECOME SOMEONE NEW. GO NORTH."

        the north is considered a symbol of stability, a fixed goal that never wavers. it also represents unshakeable conviction. when your will is strong, you are under the protection of the guide of the north. when you become unstable, the grace of god pulls you in the right direction. it should be noted that gojo does say i see, gives a wave. in my opinion, it implicates that gojo has determined to go north. gojo is also the type of person who has a strong conviction, his will to ensure that the future of jujutsu sorcery can be on his level, to be strong enough to compete with himself, so that they never have to endure what he/geto went through. gojo is someone who will always aim higher to break the ceiling even if he is the ceiling. 

       alternatively, there is another direction that is mentioned in said chapter:

"IF YOU'D LIKE TO RETURN TO WHO YOU WERE, GO SOUTH." 

        the south is associated with death. it offers complete rest. when the body can no longer lead us down our path, the protector of the south, yama raja, lord of death, ensures we get rid of our vehicle ( the body )  and gives us a new one. the catch is that in general, we form attachments to our body, mind, and senses and we have a hard time of letting go. however, once someone does they will find that 'long sleep' is a restful. this line goes in hand with nanami who doesn't hesitate to go south, stuck in the past since he still had attachments to haibara, and in a sense yuji. but at the end of it he was able to let go.

[stealthisplanet]

New Mutants vol. 4 #18 – Homecoming

The imperative of a mutant community

Vita Ayala (Writer), Rod Reis (Artist), Travis Lanham (Letterer)

Let’s begin with first principles.

The two foundational, definitional characteristics of the New Mutants are the closeness of their bonds, lines between platonic and romantic almost permanently blurred, and their trauma, both individual and shared. The New Mutants’ mission on Krakoa, explored so beautifully in this issue, is to foster a community strong enough that it can guide and support each of its individuals to unburden themselves of the trauma of the past and flourish in the future.

The New Mutants begin their utopian journey in this fashion by creating a support system for younger mutants, no longer constrained by human frameworks and ideologies. This is symbolised by their new home the Sextant, which is itself a metaphor for charting a new course towards a future with limitless possibilities. When Vita Ayala takes over writing responsibilities from Jonathan Hickman from issue 13, they more closely interrogate how this idealism plays out in practice. As the shadow of the past begins to encroach on the Akademos Habitat in the form of Amahl Farouk, the young students are attracted to the allure of easy solutions to their problems. The teachers also perceive Krakoa as an opportunity to release the trauma they’ve held onto for many years but know that this victory must be hard fought. Enter Dani Moonstar aka Mirage to guide them through.

After Magik becomes a War Captain and de facto combat leader of the team, Dani remains the team’s spiritual and emotional leader, as well as the lead educator for the Lost Club, the island’s youngest mutants. While Mirage doesn’t have a story dedicated to her throughout the run, she remains active rather than passive, supporting the team through the period of introspection and reflection that the safety of Krakoa has afforded them.

Ayala uses Mirage to great effect throughout their run, using her innate skill of empathy to de-emphasis the distinction between individual and shared trauma. Ayala’s approach to this feels so realistic, as Dani does not always get this right, avoiding a trap that writers fall into with the character being so morally upstanding that her judgement is beyond reproach. While issue #18 is a wonderful testament to Dani’s strength as a leader and the nature of her bond with Karma, there’s only so much that a community leader can do for her people without wider structural support.  Wolfsbane and Cosmar are examples of attentions become spread too thinly, which is a catalyst for calamity and guilt that later issues must resolve. All of Dani’s attention is on Karma’s battle to reclaim her identity by separating her from her ‘evil’ brother Tran, who she has stored in her soul for almost her entire life to protect the world around her. In a society that promises amnesty and support for its former villains, New Mutants #18 examines the precarious moral balance of self-actualisation and community protection through one of the Krakoa era’s most controversial plot devices: the Crucible.

The healing rock

The issue begins with Karma and Mirage sat on a rock by a waterfall, hands held in meditation as Dani facilitates a conversation between Xuân and Tran on the astral plane. This is the same rock that Karma finds Wolfsbane sat on in the opening scene to issue 1 and offers her guidance about capitalising on the potential of her rebirth and finding new purpose. It is a space that symbolises the spiritual connections between the team, and the importance of quiet introspection as a way of resolving problems and challenges. It’s representative of Ayala’s approach to the series, which is to buck the superhero comic trend and resolve issues through philosophical debate rather than physical conflict. That’s not to say that action isn’t core to this issue because it is, but the resolution to the problem is arrived at here on this rock which then plays out in the crucible itself.

Rod Reis’ use of pastel tones and inking to differentiate between the corporal and astral figures and between past and present tense is both economical and visually stunning. The washed out tone clearly demarcates the past tense, while the flare ups of Karma’s pink power signature emphasises Karma’s intense frustration and despair at the lack of success of previous attempts to separate her from her brother. Floating ink lines resembling restraints circle Tran’s body loosely throughout the scene, suggesting Xuân’s reluctance to incarcerate him. At the scene’s conclusion, the inks have become thinner, symbolising the loosening of the bonds and his imminent freedom.

“Tôi đã có bạn - I’ve Got You”

So why is the ritual of the Crucible so crucial to Karma’s story? First of all, it demands conviction. It demands that Xuân reckon with the conundrum of whether her full spiritual independence is worth the risk her brother poses to the community around her. And yes, it demands brutality because the foundational principle of the Crucible is rooted in violence, the premise that paradise should never come easily, even to those who deserve it, because it is simply worth so much.

In the Crucible scenes, Ayala and Reis combine to great effect to simultaneously create a violent intensity and gentle intimacy to the fight. The pacing ebbs and flows as Xuân’s creeping doubts are answered with Dani’s violence before the scene breaks away for Karma to “waver here, in this moment between breathes” as her memories of Tran as an innocent child and as a damaged man as the narrative caption boxes pose the question “who is Tran?”. The fluid, sketched panelling gives way to thick bordering on the bottom panel of the page as the reader sees Karma, sword in hand, resolved in her decision: ultimately, it is not for her to choose. Tran must be given the grace to find his own path.

The scene then ramps up to a frenetic yet almost silent crescendo as Dani stabs her with an arrow. Throughout this scene, when the narrative is from the two central figures’ perspectives, the background is dark pink, symbolising Karma’s internality, while everyone else is faded out. It’s just the two of them together, dancing to a song of violence written with pure love. The issue’s closing scene is a moving testament to the love between them, with Karma flirting with Dani as they stare into each other’s eyes in a way that brings us back to first principles: friendship and romance are fluid among the New Mutants, but what is clear is their deep affection for one another.

Other than the potential romantic elements, Ayala’s decision to have Dani be Xuân’s partner is a smart one in that Dani is probably the most self-actualised of the New Mutants. In the original New Mutants series, she was the first to lose her powers, the first to succumb to her trauma in the form of the Demon Bear and therefore the first to be saved by the found family around her. The passing on of care from one community to member to another is contrasted in later issues where the New Mutants talk to the Shadow King about breaking the cycle of trauma and replacing it with something more productive. By separating herself from the pain of her past, symbolised by the influence of her brother, she finally has complete autonomy: freedom to be who she wants but also to pay the kindness forward to others, which she is able to do with Cosmar in a later issue.

So when Karma is resurrected with her prosthetic leg still in place, accompanied by the narrative caption box of “Welcome Home”, the message is loud and clear: mutant paradise is being the version of yourself that you most love and identify with, and the Crucible is the hard road to travel to get there.

The Lost  Club

What is striking on a re-read is how much of this issue is dedicated to the Lost Club and the debate between Gabby Kinney and Cosmar about the efficacy of the Shadow King’s promise to restore the mutants to their idealised self. The scenes are very dialogue heavy, which weigh down the issue slightly, but they are important and completely on theme.

The Lost Club, and Cosmar in particular, present an alternative viewpoint on the theme of self-acceptance. If Karma’s decision to resurrect herself with her prosthesis still in place is a strong message of rejecting disability as something to be fixed, Cosmar’s experience is perhaps an allegory for body dysmorphia or more specifically gender dysphoria. The pop philosophy of self-acceptance generally argues that a person should accept themselves for who they are, which implies a rigidity of identity shaped by a patriarchal view of gender. The point that the children with visible mutations like Cosmar, Anole and Rain Boy make to Gabby is that what if what you see in the mirror prevents you from expressing who you are? How can one accept a version of oneself that is false?

Ayala is challenging a generally held belief in X-Men continuity, perpetuated by the Krakoa era, that possessing a mutant power is necessarily a gift. In the past this notion has generally been challenged by mutants whose powers are destructive, like Rogue or an even more extreme case like Glow Worm, but this comic explicitly is not interested in that. This is about the person behind the powers, and not just whether or not they look “different” from others. This comic is interrogating ways in which people look different from how they perceive themselves, and in that way is an interesting examination of body dysmorphia at the very least.

So while the Crucible scene is a beautiful example of how a community can support the individual, the Lost Club plot is about what happens when a community fails its citizens. The Shadow King, although characterised fairly sympathetically in this run, represents the systems that exploit those left vulnerable by lack of community care. Without spoiling what happens in future issues the seeds of this plot’s central argument are laid here: while they don’t always get it right, the New Mutants have their fellow citizens best interests at heart, and are a positive example of an inclusive and accepting community.

However, the point made by Magik in her letter to the Quiet Council gets to the root of the issue: local communities need the support of central government to best serve its citizens. In an economic and political climate in which vital funding and protective legislation for communities and their vulnerable citizens are being gutted to fund genocide and war, the idealism of Krakoa was always fated to be just another utopia.

[chronicangelca]

The Sun

Written: April 2, 2024

I.

I have this tendency to turn the people I love into the sun.

Symbolically, there is no school of thought that does not place the sun at its center.

In ancient alchemy, the sun represented the perfection of all matter the golden purification of the mind, body, and soul.

It is the source of life and the conscious mind, held in direct contrast to the moon which represents a sort of mass human subconsciousness.

II.

In most pantheistic religions, the sun god is also a, if not the, god of creation, the lifebringer.

In Ancient Egypt, there was king of the gods Amun, finisher of the world Atum, Ra, perhaps the best known of them all, and the women, Bast, Hathor, Sekhmet.

What is interesting about Ancient Egypt is that, unlike most religions, the sun is not only a bringer of life, a symbol of rebirth and the new day, but also, often, a symbol of death.

When the sun sets in the evening sky, red waves shining over the sand of the desert, tricking weary travelers with mirages and those first gusts of cool night air, then it is a symbol of the end of the day, of the end of the journey, death. But also, relief.

III.

In Western society, if we learn about mythology at all, we tend to learn about Ancient Greece, or at least what we believe Ancient Greece might have been like based on the poems and statues and legal documents they left behind. The truth is that when a society is gone, when it has shifted and evolved into something so new even the people who still live on that land don’t remember where they came from, it may be impossible to know what it was like, even if we all looked at the same sun in the same sky.

Across the various cults and eras in Ancient Greece there were actually five gods and goddesses associated with the sun: Helios, he who pulls the sun across the sky in his chariot, who never rests, Apollo, he who shines and shines, who is called Radiant, who never shuts up, Eos, she who represents the dawn, who serves as one of the many great Greek whores, Hemera, she who can never be in the same place as her sister, who may have birthed the sky, and Electryone, she whose name you have never heard, who represented the waking sense of man, who was abandoned by the Romans and the Greeks before them and the gods before them, who died a virgin and was honored as a heroine for reasons no one bothered to write down.

IV.

In astrology, the sun represents your true nature, who you are at your core. Of course, it has to compete for this title with the moon, which speaks of your emotional nature, of the person you feel you are, of the person you are in your relationships, and really, arguably, these things are more important, but when you ask someone, “What is your sign?” the sun is the only thing they know. They do not even know to ask about the rest.

My own sun sign is Taurus. We are hardworking, loyal, stubborn, hedonistic, that’s what I’ve been told. We know what we want and we’ll work hard to get it, and when that work is done we’ll enjoy our time off just as well. My entire life, I have been teased for being lazy, yet at the same time teased for never taking a moment off. It is enough to make a person want to crawl into a dark hole and never come out of it again, having your being constantly under scrutiny. It is enough to make a person want to blot out the sun.

I once made love to a Taurus. I remember the strength of his tongue in my mouth, the way he managed to squeeze it into every crack and ridge, occupying every part of me with him, and I was so eager to be swallowed up, to be wanted at all. But he was gentle, too, his fingers featherlight on my skin, breathing questions into my hair and my neck and my chest and always waiting for answers. He was so warm so solid against me. He would have made an amazing center of the universe.

V.

Similarly, though not really similarly at all, Nicolaus Copernicus published his astronomical model of heliocentrism in 1543. For those keeping count, that was nearly 500 years ago. For 500 years, we as a society have agreed that the sun is the center of the universe, although I’m sure we’ll see a movement questioning even that soon enough. And why not question it? Why not challenge the notion that if the universe is always infinitely expanding, if the universe is everything and everywhere and there are no concrete boundaries, then somehow, this one yellow dwarf might not be at the very, very center of it all?

Still, it is an undeniable fact that the Earth, and our moon, and every other celestial body of any significance in our solar system, does revolve around the sun, and relies on its gravitational pull not to drift off into space. We need the sun as a stabilizing force to ensure that we do not get lost in a vast and unknown cosmic void surrounded by the glowing husks of dead and dying giants who may once have dreamed of having their own systems, their own dependents, their own sense of power in a chaotic universe which often leaves us feeling powerless. It is difficult not to think that the stars, too, must feel so small.

The moon, though, has an even more unique relationship with the sun. For one, though this is not unique to our moon, a moon of many names, she who is called Luna, Selene, Cynthia, though more often than anything simply The Moon, capital T capital M, somehow a name belonging only to our moon unless there is, indeed, some alien society out among those dead and dying giants, who happens to call their rocks the same things we call ours-- for one, the moon does not only revolve around the sun, but around us, too.

In this eternal cosmic power struggle, where each year the moon inches slightly further from us, where we are slowly losing our grip on one of the only things in the universe that is certain, is it any wonder that we are trying to conquer the sun? Mostly in small ways, in going outside without putting any sunscreen on, neglecting both the immediate pain and the long-term risk, and in staring at an eclipse with no sunglasses on because we want to believe that we are that important and that our beloved moon is that important. Surely, if it is so vital to us, it must be able to overshadow the sun for more than just a fleeting moment. There are some large ways, though. Some less everyday. In 2021, after 60 years of trying, we were able to touch the sun.

VI.

I have never known how to be entirely my own. I was always independent in the sense that I was introverted, that I was intuitively smart, that I couldn’t quite crack what made kids my age so boring, but I have always withered without sunlight-- sunlight in the form of attention and praise and good grades and the belief that there were people in the world who cared about me. I told a friend earlier this year that the main reason I wanted to kill myself, the reason that I almost stuffed myself with the sort of poison that shuts down your brain and its ability to interpret stimuli outside of the body including sunlight and warmth and everything good was because I didn’t think it would make a difference to anyone. They say that if the sun died, we would not know for 8 minutes and 20 seconds. I think I could outlast it.

The thing about love is that it fills you with warmth. Much like the sun, it shines light on your darkest moments, making things seem, even if only for a fleeting moment, a little bit brighter. The sun can trick you into believing that everything is going to be okay. The world will keep on spinning, gravity will keep on working, none of these tiny moments will mean anything in the grand scheme of things. There is a comfort in that. There is a comfort in waking up to the same shining face every morning, hanging above all else, assuring you that no matter what, no matter how much of the planet you burn down or how much you lock yourself in your bedroom, it will be there, keeping you safe and warm. There is a comfort in playing pretend.

The truth is I turn the people I love into the sun because it is easier. It is easier to make the people I love the center of my universe, to spend every moment basking in their presence, to let them hurt me over and over and over again and never take any precaution that might shut any part of them out, to let them eclipse every part of myself I hate and every part of myself I love as few and far between as they’ve grown. If they weren’t there, if I was just this solitary rock floating through space, perhaps even one of those dead and dying giants, then I would have to think about myself. I would have to find my own orbit, or else find a way to be okay with simply drifting along. I would have to learn to be by myself, care for myself, love myself. I could no longer look up at the sky and ignore my own significance and just how empty this all feels.

VII.

The dominant theory for how our moon came into being is that billions of years ago a planet roughly the size of Mars, who, in case you forgot, was the god of war, crashed into the Earth, and the resultant debris compressed into the moon. This means that our moon, this beloved child we are constantly fighting to keep from the sun, is really one huge battlescar. When a sun forms, a giant cloud of gas and dust collapses into itself due to the force of gravity. Half a billion years before our planet even formed, the sun became the center of our whole universe, the lifebringer. But the moon-- we fought for that.

The moon does not create its own light. Instead, it reflects light from the sun on one half of its body, portions of which we are able to catch glimpses of based on our relative angle to it. But half of the moon is always dark, even when we cannot see it because it is hidden from us. The sun cannot reach the moon and fully envelop it. And perhaps more importantly, one day, unlike the moon, the sun will die. This is what stars do. And when it does, its light will fade and all that will remain will be two dull rocks in the sky.

VIII.

In astrology, each sign is associated with a planet. My sun sign, Taurus, is associated with Venus, the Roman goddess of sex and love and beauty and femininity, encapsulating the need for human connection that thing which fundamentally drives all of us. When a sign is “at home” in its planet, if my Venus were in Taurus, it means that it is a dominant influence within the chart. My chart would be ruled with love and beauty, human connections. For once in my life, I might think with my heart instead of my head. My Venus is in Gemini, a stone’s throw away. For the purposes of astrology, the sun and moon are planets, too.

The sun is associated with Leo. I fell in love with a Leo once. To me, the freckles on her cheeks were an entire galaxy which more than qualified her to be the center of my universe. And like the sun, she was full of fire, passionate about things I couldn’t begin to wrap my head around, but she loved to tell me and I loved to listen to her voice. Taurus and Leo are supposed to be incompatible signs. They both have too much dominant energy, too much of a stubborn streak, too much reluctance to admit when they’re wrong or compromise. I liked that back and forth, that gravitational pull, that risk of being burned.

My moon is in Cancer, which just so happens to be the sign it is associated with. A dominating influence. People with the moon in Cancer are said to be empathetic, nurturing, sensitive. Because so much of our personalities are centered around this emotional need to be surrounded by people we love and care for, we tend to be self-sacrificing in nature, not much helped by the tendency of other people to gravitate toward us for emotional support. How could I a child of the moon by birth have ever stood a chance in a universe like this?

IX.

Do you ever think about the story of Icarus? It’s told to us as a cautionary tale about hubris. Don’t try to fly too high or the sun will melt your wings. They are made of wax, after all, and the sun, the sun we all worship, the sun we pretend cannot hurt us, the sun we all desperately want to touch, to outshine and overshadow, to stare directly at and know it cannot look back, is so very warm.

But Icarus is a child, and moreso, Icarus exists within a conceptual mythology where there are no fewer than five gods responsible for the sun. What if Helios had stopped his carriage? What if Apollo, for just one moment, had stopped being the golden boy? What if Eos, mother of the four winds, bid her children to protect him? What if Hemera retreated to the underworld and let her sister watch over him instead? What if Electryone was a heroine not for some mysterious act no one ever recorded but for protecting this boy and his joy at touching the sky? What if the sun, any part of it, acted as the protector we all believe it to be?

Apollo is the only of these sun gods who is an Olympian. The twelve Olympians serve as the ruling class of the gods, those figures most central to the Ancient Greek religion. Alongside Apollo is his twin sister Artemis, a goddess of nature, hunting, childbirth, healing, virginity, and the moon. She was a protector of women and children who once famously challenged Hera, queen of the gods, to battle to protect a young princess. I can’t help but wonder, would she have let that boy fall?

X.

The Egyptian god Horus was believed to have the moon in his left eye and the sun in his right. Depicted as a falcon, the Egyptians believed that when he spread his wings from the clouds to the stars the day changed to night. In this mythology, much like our own, the moon is a battlescar, its light dulled by a fight for Egypt with the god Seth.

Another god of the moon, Thoth, who was also associated with knowledge, wisdom, writing, and magic, was a protector and servant of the sun god Ra. He traveled with Ra on his great solar barque, a ship which carried him from the underworld each night back to the skies each day. The only other being to share this privilege is the goddess of justice, law, and truth, Ma’at. It is the only myth I know of where the moon protects the sun.

XI.

The primary goals of alchemy were threefold: to discover the philosopher’s stone, which contrary to popular belief had nothing to do with living forever but was in fact a symbol of knowledge, to create a medium of eternal youth, and to transmute metals from other materials, most pressingly, gold. In all of the texts about alchemy we know of, the sun represents gold.

It is the natural desire of all beings to be wealthy, at least in any society that invents the concept of wealth. Thus, in a world where the sun is ever-present, shining on all indiscriminately with no care for who is good or kind or worthy, it is the intuitive symbol for gold.

However, I cannot help but think of the moon arguably even more ever-present than the sun. After all, if you look up at the sky at night, you will see many stars, even the planets in the distance, but not the sun. Not the living core of the universe as we know it.

The moon, however, is visible, shining dully against the blue sky, even during the day. Only once a month does she hide herself from us.

Much like gold, we value the sun not because it is always there but because of how different the world is when it is not. We value the sun because of the night.

If the moon were to disappear tomorrow, not to drift away but to simply go dark, few would notice her absence immediately. Those who saw the black mark in the sky would brush it off as a new moon.

If the sun died, it would take 8 minutes and 20 seconds for us to notice, and we would be robbed of the chance to see the moon one last time.

XII.

I have this tendency to turn the people I love into the sun, (bright and warm and necessary and wanted)

and I, the moon.

[itshop7]

Instant Cash, Free Pickup: Dubai's Easiest Way to Sell Your Used Phone!

Do you have a smartphone collecting dust in a drawer, a forgotten relic of its glory days? Is its cracked screen a constant reminder of a bygone era? Fear not, Dubai residents! Your tech relic's journey doesn't have to end there. In the bustling heart, an oasis of instant cash and hassle-free pickups awaits you at Sell Phone Dubai!

Forget the days of endless online listings and haggling with buyers. We offer a refreshingly simple solution: turn your pre-loved phone into cold, hard cash, on the spot! No waiting, no drama, just instant gratification for your tech decluttering.

Why Choose Sell Phone Dubai?

Instant Cash in Your Hand: We don't believe in making you wait. Upon evaluation, you'll receive your payment immediately, right into your wallet. Think of it as a desert mirage of dirhams materializing before your eyes, minus the scorching sand.

Free Pickup, Anywhere in Dubai: Don't worry about schlepping your old phone across town. We offer free pickup, right from your doorstep! Just imagine, kicking back with a Karak chai while our friendly team whisks away your tech burden.

Any Condition Accepted: Scratches, cracks, even a questionable encounter with the swimming pool? No problem! We buy phones in any condition, even if they're just a collection of spare parts held together by hope and duct tape. We have a soft spot for underdogs.

Fast and Transparent: Our evaluation process is quick and straightforward. No hidden fees, no shady deals. We believe in honesty, just like your phone once believed it could survive that epic waterslide incident.

Environmentally Friendly: By selling your phone to us, you're not just decluttering your home, you're doing your part for the planet. We responsibly recycle or refurbish used phones, reducing e-waste and giving precious resources a second chance. Think of it as karma for all those times your phone mysteriously died right before taking that perfect Burj Khalifa selfie.

Selling Your Phone is Easier Than Saying "Abracadabra"!

Get a Quote: Visit our website to used phones in dubai or download our app. Select your phone model, enter its condition, and voila! You'll instantly receive an estimated quote.

Schedule a Pickup: Choose a convenient time and location for our friendly pickup team to visit you. Grab your favorite Arabic coffee, put on some Khaleeji tunes, and reminisce about the good old days of Snake on your Nokia.

Get Paid: Once we've evaluated your phone, you'll receive your instant cash payment on the spot. No paperwork, no fuss, just dirhams clinking in your palm.

The Rebirth of Your Phone: From Drawer Dweller to Shining Star

Depending on its condition, your phone will embark on one of these exciting journeys:

Refurbished: Phones in good condition get a spa treatment, a software upgrade, and a new lease on life. They then find loving homes with budget-conscious buyers, spreading joy and selfies across the UAE.

Recycled: Phones beyond repair are ethically dismantled and their components are recycled. From circuit boards to precious metals, nothing goes to waste. We give your phone's innards a chance to shine in new gadgets, like maybe a smartwatch that won't judge you for dropping it in your hummus again.

So, don't let your old phone gather dust! Give it a chance to write a new chapter in its story. Sell it to Sell Phone and watch it go from a forgotten drawer dweller to a shining star (or at least a reliable paperweight in someone else's home). Visit our website to Sell phones in Dubai or download our app today and unlock the potential of your pre-loved phone!

Let's turn old phones into instant cash, one dirham at a time!

We also buy tablets, Sell laptops, and other gadgets! So, if you're on a decluttering spree, bring them along too! We're always happy to give your tech treasures a second chance.

[northoftheroad]

I just had a long argument with someone on twitter. They kept saying Dick is unfaithful (freaking ooc annual), can't keep it in his pants, been with so many women, has a lot of one night stands. Keeps cheating on Babs and Kory.... I'm tired. Thoughts ?

Honestly, I wouldn't have the energy to bother. I'm in fandoms to enjoy myself, not to build up negative energy. Haters are gonna hate, I guess. Characters I don't like are somebody else's favourites and comfort characters, why should I waste time badmouthing them? And people who choose to do exactly that with their time, why shouldn't I simply ignore them?

Still, if I were to talk about it, I would, of course, say that If Dick was written as treating Barbara and Kory badly in the NW Annual, they have both been written as treating him poorly, too.

Take Kory. In the 1980s New Teen Titans, she saw no problem with being married to someone on Tamaran and be with Dick on Earth. She had a very relaxed and open mind when it came to love. How is it reasonable to think that she would blame Dick for that he slept with Mirage, who was posing as Kory – that is, he was being raped? I'm prepared to see this as out of character for her. But if you want to make a case of it – victim blaming for rape is not okay. And Barbara. She woke him to turn him out when he had come to her place in despair after the Haly circus was burned down; he had lost his first home and, quite probable, people he knew. Is that a way to treat an old and close friend, regardless if they're also your ex? I'm pretty sure she has blamed Dick for other women assaulting him, too, but I can't remember where, so I'm open to stand corrected there.

See, I'm not a card-carrying member of either the anti-Kory or anti-Babs association. I'm fine with saying they might have been written out of character, or that I want to ignore that particular issue, or that I can understand why they were written like that even if I don't enjoy the storyline – but I can still appreciate the characters. And I'm okay with both pairings, as long as it's written well.

Also, Dick has not had a lot of one night stands or relationships – certainly a lot less than Bruce Wayne (see the list here) who never gets badmouthed for that – and is on record as saying he's not comfortable with casual sex. When he had one with Helena/Huntress, he wanted to talk about a relationship just because of that. When he (fake) married a girl to try to expose her as a murderer, he still avoided to sleep with her, and then he offered to stay with her when the case was closed, because he felt bad for deceiving her.

Action comics weekly # 613. By Marv Wolfman, art Chuck Patton and Tom Poston.

Nightwing/Huntress # 4. By Devin Grayson, art Greg Land and Bill Sienkiewicz. 

Nightwing vol 2 Annual # 1. By Devin Grayson, art Greg Land and Bob McLeod.

This doesn't mean some writers haven't chosen to write up his sex appeal, especially after Flashpoint. But outside that blasted annual, I don't know of any time he was written as (knowingly) having sex with someone while he's in a relationship with another. Girls tend to break up with him, not the other way around. Sometimes they regret it and come back, as Shawn in Rebirth, but Dick was seeing Helena by then (for a few issues, until she broke up, calling him a "poor darling sweet boy."). I'm sure other people have different analysis, and it can vary between writers and eras, but I think you can read Dick as someone who likes to be in a relationship, to be intimate to someone – but who's not into casual sex.

Anyway, the bottom line is: Fictional characters don't have agency. Go get mad at a writer if you're unhappy about what happens in a comic.

[thecoldremembers]

//I’ve moved before, many times.

This time feels different.

It feels like the death of an old life and the start of a new one.

Maybe it’s because we’re selling off this old house. It’s been in the family for three generations-- no, four, since my great-grandmother lived out her twilight years in this place too. I grew up playing on these floors with the vintage toys my grandmother kept, sitting at the little table that used to be in the kitchen while she made peanut butter sandwiches and poured glasses of milk. I sat down to holiday meals in the old dining room. She would dig up paper and pencils for me to draw or write with, or books for me to read.

The house looks a lot different now, but it’s still the same old house.

Dealing with my immediate family-- my parents-- has always been immensely stressful to me. Our utter clash of values, of what we feel is good and right and what we consider to be immoral and predatory, of what we consider to be human rights, are so fundamentally opposite that it’s a wonder we can cohabitate at all. My grandmother, when she was alive, when she still had her mind, was always a lot more tolerant, more compassionate, more open to other perspectives, though she was from a different era. She wasn’t perfect, but she was good.

I don’t even know what I’m trying to say with all this. I guess I’m just rambling. 

In all of this, this move, this change feels like a rebirth of a sort. But with it comes the death of the old, and that kind of thing is always painful. However, something in me, maybe something stubbornly clinging to hope, is looking ahead and seeing a glimmer, a hint of what might be opportunity to make things better. I don’t quite know what form that opportunity might take. And I hope it’s not just a mirage. But if it’s there, I promise you I will find it.

[mirageofficial]

'REBIRTH' CONCEPT + MOOD SAMPLER — TEMPTATION

COMEBACK MASTERLIST

TAGLIST / @thestealerzz @i9noah

JOIN THE TAGLIST HERE

[mirageofficial]

𖤐 ⤸ ₊ ִ ˚ ࣪ ˖ REBIRTH IS THE LATEST COMEBACK & FIFTH MINI ALBUM RELEASED ON FEBRUARY 23, 2023 BY THE FICTIONAL SOUTH KOREAN GIRL GROUP, MIRAGE, UNDER KQ ENTERTAINMENT. THE ALBUM IS A JOURNEY INTO THE DARK SIDE OF THE GROUP’S LORE, WHERE THE MEMBERS FINALLY CAVE INTO TEMPTATION.

𖤐 ⤸ ₊ ִ ˚ ࣪ ˖ TRACKLIST

01. ╱ BEWITCHED [03:25]

02. ╱ ROLL THE DICE [02:46]

03. ╱ RAINBOW SPECTRUM [02:50]

04. ╱ NATURAL [03:25]

05. ╱ BREATHE [03:00]

06. ╱ SWAN SONG [03:25]

07. ╱ BEWITCHED (english version) [03:25]

08. ╱ BEWITCHED (instrumental) [03:25]

𖤐 ⤸ ₊ ִ ˚ ࣪ ˖ ALBUM INSIGHT

VERSION A — "BRAVERY" ( pre-rebirth, light vers. )

VERSION B — "TEMPTATION" ( post-rebirth, dark vers. )

VERSION C — "WITH MY WINGS" ( pre-order, elegant vers. )

𖤐 ⤸ ₊ ִ ˚ ࣪ ˖ STYLING (OLDEST-YOUNGEST)

𖤐 ⤸ ₊ ִ ˚ ࣪ ˖ ERA INSIGHT

this is the first release where the girls finally step out of their rookie years, establishing themselves as a well-rounded & permanent group.

the lyricist line of mirage began writing lyrics for bewitched & breathe on the same, and it was a pure coincidence that both wound up being on the album.

the "reborn into darkness" concept was planned since the debut of mirage, intending to show the ups and downs of a heroes’ battle.

since their previous release, mirage has begun to share their own mental health struggles through lyrics in songs like changes, there for you, natural, breathe, and rainbow spectrum. they hope that perhaps they aren’t the only ones feeling the portrayed emotions in these songs, and that idols are human.

xepher and nari produced every track except for natural, which was produced by nako entirely.

after releasing a bright summer songs like vivace, mago, and secret story, fans were shocked to hear mirage promote a pop-rock track — which gained a lot of attention from the media, as many are starting to realize the pattern in their discography.

eunae was originally going to have a solo song on the album, but it was held off as a treat for fans during tour.

thanks to swan song, the general public got one more reason to fall in love with arin: her deep-toned rap verses became the most replayed parts on youtube.

per usual, the girls treated international fans with an english song on the album.

mirage got to promote at the same time as their company partner, noah! (@i9noah) the girls were very excited to see their good friend in action since her debut at the end of last year, and expressed eagerness towards a potential project.

once again, mirage will bring spice to the sbs music show lineups with high energy choreography and live vocals — the girls wore knee pads on days that they performed bewitched.

the girls were incredibly excited to take a break from the vibrant pop side of their discography and return to their girl crush theme once more.

swan song is the promotional track of this era, the girls also performed bewitched and rainbow spectrum at several music shows.

want to have your idol(s) meet/interact with mirage during promotions? let’s chat! <3

TAGLIST / @i9noah @i4bree @thestealerzz

JOIN THE TAGLIST HERE

COMEBACK MASTERLIST

reblogs are always appreciated! <3

[mirageofficial]

'REBIRTH' ALBUM + 1ST MV SAMPLER — ALL TRACKS [FLASH WARNING]

WHAT TRACK ARE YOU CLAIMING?

COMEBACK MASTERLIST

TAGLIST / @thestealerzz @i9noah

JOIN THE TAGLIST HERE

[mirageofficial]

TITLE TRACK REVEAL (POLL RESULTS)

𖤐 ⤸ ₊ ִ ˚ ࣪ ˖ REBIRTH is the upcoming fifth mini album released by the kpop quintet, MIRAGE. it was announced on 02.02.2023 through social media and is scheduled to be released on 02.23.2023. the group approached the project in a unique way by letting fans vote for the title track with four contenders in real-time, the poll ended after a week with the following results . . .

1. SWAN SONG — 37%

2. BEWITCHED — 33%

3. ROLL THE DICE — 20%

4. BREATHE — 10%

with SWAN SONG taking first place along with being named the official title track of this era, fans will get to experience MIRAGE in a brand new light. the song contrasts heavily from their title tracks from the previous three records, but is still refreshing and fitting for the group’s ever changing concept. with group members XEPHER, NARI, and NAKO in the song’s credits per usual, SWAN SONG carries many rock elements while telling the story of MIRAGE succumbing to their dark side and the devil — much like the bad ending of a fairytale in which turned terribly wrong.

after the release of the concept & tracklist samplers, there have been no other hints as to what path the group is following in their lore until today. the official digital album cover was posted to social media with the following on it . . .

“in the midst of many fakes, we must live each day carefully. but do not forget, / i will always walk with you wherever you roam. we gotta keep moving blindly / towards the other side. you’re the only one who has ever told me the truth, / they’ve all made a fool out of me. but this exact moment is where i’ll be reborn. / this is where we wave goodbye to the heroes.” — REBIRTH

please look forward to MIRAGE’s first comeback since august with SWAN SONG, arriving in less than a week!

TAGLIST / @i9noah @thestealerzz @i4bree

COMEBACK MASTERLIST

JOIN THE TAGLIST HERE

[mirageofficial]

MIRAGE FIFTH MINI ALBUM : REBIRTH

concept photo 3 "LET ME SPREAD MY WINGS — MIRAGE"

ALBUM RELEASE 2023 . 02 . 23 12PM EST

COMEBACK MASTERLIST

TAGLIST / @i9noah @thestealerzz

JOIN THE TAGLIST HERE

[mirageofficial]

𖤐 ⤸ ₊ ִ ˚ ࣪ ˖ REBIRTH is the upcoming fifth mini album & seventh comeback from the fictional girl group, MIRAGE. the album was announced on JANUARY 31, 2023 by KQ ENTERTAINMENT through revealing the album cover & tracklist aesthetic on social media. with a push-and-pull theme of temptation, alter egos, and hopelessness, MIRAGE steps away from fantastically vibrant & colorful sounds to show that sometimes heroes don’t get a happy ending after all. REBIRTH will be released on FEBRUARY 23, 2023 at 12AM EST with eight tracks and is approximately 25 minutes long.

COMEBACK MASTERLIST

TAGLIST / @thestealerzz @i9noa

JOIN THE TAGLIST HERE

[mirageofficial]

MIRAGE FIFTH MINI ALBUM : REBIRTH

concept photo 2 "I'M BEWITCHED IN YOUR HUNGER / TAKE ME INTO YOUR LIES — XEPHER"

ALBUM RELEASE 2023 . 02 . 23 12PM EST

COMEBACK MASTERLIST

TAGLIST / @i9noah @thestealerzz

JOIN THE TAGLIST HERE

[mirageofficial]

STARTING IN APRIL 2023, MIRAGE WILL BE EMBARKING ON THEIR FIRST WORLD TOUR AS A GROUP. THE SETLIST WILL TELL THE STORY OF MIRAGE THROUGH THEIR MUSIC, CONNECTING LIVE WITH FANS AT LONG LAST.

this was announced at 12AM EST on the group’s debut anniversary: february 7, 2023 — the members are incredibly excited (especially those that will be visiting their home countries) & hope to see you soon!

TAGLIST / @i9noah @thestealerzz

JOIN THE TAGLIST

[mirageofficial]

MIRAGE FIFTH MINI ALBUM : REBIRTH

concept photo 2 "I'M BEWITCHED IN YOUR HUNGER / TAKE ME INTO YOUR LIES — NARI"

ALBUM RELEASE 2023 . 02 . 23 12PM EST

COMEBACK MASTERLIST

TAGLIST / @i9noah @thestealerzz

JOIN THE TAGLIST HERE