#this is why transition regret data is messy

[harrypotterfuryroad]

that part in the jenny nicholson star wars hotel video where she explains that people who were vocal about planning to go to the hotel got locked into a situation where they felt like they had to be really loud about how they enjoyed it even after it became apparent how hollow the whole thing was because they wanted to avoid the told-you-so's from everyone about wasting thousands of dollars

[baereaved]

Rogue Interview

hey lads! this interview was ripped directly from “the world of cyberpunk 2077″, the book. has a lot of great content in it and i wanted to share this.

Interviewer: Hi, Rogue. It's a real honor to meet you in person. Twenty-four hours ago I'd never have thought I'd be talking with you in old-school, face-to-face style.

Rogue: Hi... Josh, yes? I have to admit that you showed guts when you asked for that interview. I'm almost impressed, and I'm curious about how it'll come out. To be honest, if not for some... decisions I've made recently, I wouldn't have agreed to it. I have little time for journalists in my line of work. I guess it's your lucky day.

Interviewer: Thanks all the more for your time.

Rogue: Cut to the chase. You mentioned that you want to talk about my cyberpunk past. Why?

Interviewer: We're making material about the comeback of the cyberpunk style, so we thought it would be awesome if we could talk with you about that—how it was fifty years ago, what it was like being a cyberpunk back then, and how it's different from being one now.

Rogue: You've been using the word "cyberpunk" quite a lot, but you must be aware that almost no one uses that term these days, right? Even back then "merc" or "edgerunner" were more popular terms—but okay, let's talk about "being a cyberpunk". Your move, stringer.

Interviewer: Still, you're one of the icons of the cyberpunk era. That's a fact.

Rogue: Cyberpunk is a term from a different time. It's an out-of-date description of a street rebel who's fighting with some omnipotent, oppressive system. Even if I'd had such sympathies back then, I have to disappoint you. I'm not a "cyberpunk" anymore, if I ever was one.

Interviewer: But you were a cyberpunk fifty years ago, right? What was it like to be one back then in 2020?

Rogue: The same as it is to be someone on the street today. It was about your attitude, your personal style, and living your life on the edge. You had to be the coolest-looking, most dangerous guy on the street. You had to have the newest, most advanced cyberware and weapons, and you had to always look like you were ready to use them. It may sound like a cliché, but those were the basics of street reputation. Attitude was everything. It still is. If you think like a whiny asshole, you are a whiny asshole. If you think dangerous, you are dangerous. Simple laws of the street.

Interviewer: And "style over substance"?

Rogue: A catchphrase that was pushed a lot around 2020, at the height of new style. It was named "kitsch", and it was quickly adopted by cyberpunks and all other sorts of rebels. It was the street philosophy that your unique look and personal style should be your trademark. To put it simply, it doesn't matter how good you are at doing something as long as you look awesome doing it. It didn't matter if you had a cyberarm covered with expensive RealSkinn. It was your new chrome cyberarm that made you stand out from the crowd. If you can take out an entire Arasaka strike team all by yourself, you're really good—but doing it armed with a custom-made pistol while only wearing a leather armor jacket, acid-washed jeans, and mirror shades? That was something that earned you a reputation.

Interviewer: How do you feel about the return of the cyberpunk style?

Rogue: Those pink mohawks and synth-leather clothes the kids are wearing nowadays... It's mostly just imitation. Sure, back then it was about rebelling, but rebelling with a cause. It was about standing up against a corporate-dictated order, about defying authority and playing it out with style. To live on the edge, with a capital E. You wanted to be where the action was—to be the action. To do something big and never play it too safe. Youngsters today lack the vision and guts to do really big things.

Interviewer: Like the attack on the Arasaka Towers in 2023? Is it true that you were part of it?

Rogue: [brief pause] Nice try, kiddo. You're not the first newshound to ask me that question, and you won't be the first to get an answer. [laughs]

Interviewer: Sorry, I had to try. So, to rephrase the old slogan, you think that the "real" cyberpunk is dead?

Rogue: The rebel part of it? I think so, yes. Back then in 2020 it was a global movement aimed against megacorporations, but megacorporations have lost a lot of their power in the past fifty years—except for in the free cities like Night City, of course. On second thought, if cyberpunk has a chance to reconnect to its roots, it would be in a place like Night City. Maybe there's hope for second-wave cyberpunks after all.

Interviewer: So, what would be your advice for all those people aspiring to be a cyberpunk?

Rogue: Grow a spine; stop waiting for opportunity and go looking for it.

Interviewer: Touché. Speaking of opportunity, I'd like to ask you a few quick questions about your personal experience as a cyberpunk—or edgerunner, if you prefer that term.

Rogue: We can stay with cyberpunk. It suits you. And I think we have a few minutes left. Hit it.

Interviewer: So, a cyberpunk's gun: a trademark or a tool?

Rogue: It's a matter of personal taste and philosophy. Yes, the weapon can be your trademark. In this business you'll develop personal preferences, so in time you should get the gun that fits you. I have customized pistols myself based on the Tsunami Nue. We went through a lot together. On the other hand, if you want to be a top-tier merc, you have to be as effective with your favorite toy as you are without it. Again, "style over substance". You look cool when you're wasting some boostergang guys with your custom-made Malorian Arms pistol, but wasting them using any weapon that happens to be around is a style in itself. Nowadays, when everyone relies on their favorite guns, improvisation is a forgotten art.

Interviewer: How much does one need to modify themselves to be in the top tier?

Rogue: That's something that everyone needs to determine for themselves, but for me quality is key. No one will hire you for a serious job if you lack proper modifications, and to be a step ahead you need the best cyberimplants you can get. To be a cyberpunk is to chase all the newest enhancements—be they cyber or bioengineered—to get the edge over your enemies and your peers. The choice of enhancements is only limited by your contacts on the street and the size of your wallet, but it should fit your personal taste. Juggernaut, ninja, or ghost approach—it doesn't matter, as long as you're efficient with it and get the job done. But if you can't plan, and you can't execute a job properly, no amount of cyberware will help you get to the top tier.

Interviewer: How much does one need to sell out to the corpos to get to the top tier?

Rogue: [longer pause] Dealing with the corporations has always been akin to bargaining with the devil... Most cyberpunks and edgerunners won't even be aware that they've taken a job from a fixer who's under corporate contract. Those jobs could be anything at all that the corpos want to avoid a direct connection with—like planting a bug, or stealing some data, or assassinating a seemingly unassuming guy, or organizing a heist on an armed convoy. If you're good enough, they'll contact you again via fixer to hire you for more lucrative assignments. That's the tricky part. The money is really good and they can grant you access to really top-notch, restricted cyberware, but if you go for it... they own you. Moreover, if you learn too many corporate secrets, you're in for life—and that could be a very short time if someone in the corporation decides that their list of freelancers needs to be purged for "security reasons".

Interviewer: Do you need friends in this kind of business?

Rogue: Sure. It's good to have someone to cover your back during a firefight, but never go on an assignment with someone that you don't trust, unless the stakes are worth it—or you're ready to take them out if you have to. Even if you trust someone, you have to keep in mind that every partnership ends sooner or later, one way or another. They get killed, go cyberpsychotic, or maybe you just go different ways. True camaraderie is a rare thing in this kind of work. Too many strong personalities and divergent goals. Too much rivalry. Friendship... has its price. It can be a burden. Doing pals favors for old times' sake can lead to messy situations.

Interviewer: Sounds like you know something about it.

Rogue: You can bet on that.

Interviewer: Do you have someone specific in mind?

Rogue: No comment.

Interviewer: Why did you become a fixer?

Rogue: It was kind of a natural transition for me. It's like becoming a coach after ending your career as a ball player. You don't have to compete with younger and more aggressive contenders, and you can still use your expertise and your reputation to make money and stay in touch with the mercenary community. 

Interviewer: There were some rumors that your shifting sectors had something to do with you disassembling the Atlantis Group. Can you confirm or deny that?

Rogue: Old story, mostly untrue. It seems to me that some of the guys from Atlantis Bar couldn't bear that times had changed and I had to move on. We all had to. You can't rebel all your life. Yes, I had access to some juicy contracts, and I was willing to share them with some of my friends from the Atlantis Group mercenary branch. Yes, some of us made good money on them, and a few guys decided to retire. If that means I "disassembled" a group of ex-rebels, then I'm guilty as charged.

Interviewer: And finally: do you miss your mercenary days?

Rogue: Sometimes I miss the action, and the thrill of a good challenge. But I am damn good at what I do now, so I regret nothing.

Interviewer: And that's an excellent wrap-up. Thanks for the interview, Rogue.

Rogue: Thanks, Josh. Despite my initial doubts, that was quite an... interesting conversation. Be sure to publish this as it is. Or I'll find out where you live. [laughs]

[wordpress-blaze-223640688]

Thou shalt have no other Gods before me includes Jesus

Jesus would be completely disappointed to discover that his modern base of followers decided to worship him instead his actual instructions to revere, worship and praise our father and source which is the greater universe which we are all part of. Our father not being an abstract concept but something we can see with our own eyes by simply looking above.

Other potential let downs include:

Praying to Jesus instead of tapping into Holy Spirit, the very real cosmic force that exists on a cosmic and celestial level, permeating the entire universe and binding us all together. Something that studyers of quantum physics and quantum mechanics will eventually confirm as the omnipresent quantum field of the universe, that we all have had access to and utilized at one point or another. Those innate feelings of intuition are derived from this cosmic force that is not limited to human concepts of time, it knows the past present and future which all collapses into the infinite present moment once you surrender to its guidance rather than your ego. Such a force can be trusted with absolutely everything since it knows the best possible path for you and hence those moments of intuition that we've all felt at some point or another. You can choose to either inadvertently access it or voluntarily access it. Jesus taught us to rely on it completely rather than our egos which can only speculate about the future but never know it with the confidence that the Holy Spirit of the universe knows. Our egos also have a habit of self sabotaging us, throwing us in the worst possible path because it seemed like a good idea at the time. The Holy Spirit of the universe on the other hand has our best interest at heart and the best road to take. If you possess a broken GPS that only works sometimes and one that takes you on the best possible route, why wouldn't you choose the latter?

Very few churches emphasize the act of forgiving as much as possible. Any mild or major bruising of our egos needs to be forgiven as soon as they happen. This need to be practiced until you reach a point where nothing can phase you. A true follower of Jesus' teachings has impenetrable armor and everything rolls off their back. This not only means forgiving minor jabs at your ego like someone not saying thank you or holding the door for you, but also major things like a spouse cheating on you. For those major ones, in the interest of restoring overall peace in the universe, don't be shy about reaching out to them to forgive them. If you have bad blood or unresolved conflicts with someone, settle them. Send them your blessings and love. The natural order of the universe is peace and love, and your contribution towards restoring that on a global and universal level goes a lot father than you think. It puts you back in harmony with the greater universe as well.

Make it a habit not to judge others, in a real day to day application of this teaching. That means when you see a homeless person on the street, an overweight person on the street, someone whose life has devolved into a drug addiction, someone you find unattractive, someone dressed scantily clad on the street, a group of cigarette smokers on the street, anyone who has made poor regrettable decisions in their life that led them on the wrong path, etc. Whenever you catch yourself doing this, stop immediately. Instead reaffirm to yourself that they are your brothers and sisters, united and one as children and products of the greater universe which we are all part of. Declare in your consciousness that we are not separate from each other, we are all one. Judgment, no matter how minor is a result of our egos trying to elevate ourselves above others, essentially breaking the unity that is necessary to experience a spiritual awakening.

Helping out any panhandlers, suffering homeless people on the street puts you back in the ultimate harmony with the universe in addition to declaring a release of any attachment to money.

Buy them a sandwich if you're able. They will be thrilled. This is an understated instruction from Jesus and it puts you back in alignment and harmony with the greater universe, pushing it closer towards total happiness and peace by helping others. Declare in your consciousness that the welfare of your brothers and sisters is more important than the money in your pocket.

Declare that the money and things you own does not belong to you but it belongs to the greater universe and to ask for guidance on how to use it.

"In peace, I release all attachments to money and all material things I own. Use it as you will father. The most important thing is unlocking and activating the spiritual bliss present within me Jesus referred to as heaven. Guide my words, steps, actions towards this end during my life. I also release all attachments to this body, this identity and this life. This body is not who I am, I am a reflection of you, and I ask to be guided by your spirit on the path you have determined for me. I surrender completely to your will and your plan for me. I recognize that there is no death, we are eternal beings, so I release all fear of death, as death is not real. It is a temporary passing of our egos and bodies but we start anew upon completion of this particular journey. I release all fear during my life as I know the Holy Spirit is guiding me on the best possible path while also keeping us out of the way of any potential harm.

In summary

The truth is, many Christians today are not experiencing spiritual awakening or enlightenment because they’ve strayed from the core of Jesus’ message. Rather than directing their praise and devotion to our greater Source, the divine intelligence Jesus referred to as our Father, they have redirected that worship onto Jesus himself. In doing so, they are inadvertently doing the very opposite of what he taught.

This misalignment is further compounded by the widespread neglect of his actual instructions. Few churches emphasize the daily practices Jesus called for, such as radical forgiveness, surrender to the Holy Spirit, or love for all without judgment. Instead, many have adopted the belief that simply declaring faith in Jesus is enough, without embodying the path he laid out.

While some of his teachings have been referenced earlier in this article, many more are explored throughout the other writings on this blog for those who wish to deepen their understanding.

A true understanding of his teachings not only triggers a spiritual awakening and enlightenment, it helps us recognize that we too, not just Jesus, are one with what he called our father, the greater universe above us which we are all a part of and products of.

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Source: Thou shalt have no other Gods before me includes Jesus

[storiesofwildfire]

@thisforgottenlore​ Bruce said to Fandral: Bruce wanted to hate Fandral, sure, he even went out of his way to do it but the fight was hard on all of them and Fandral is out cold against Loki when he goes to them with some results. Both of them working their ass off to find an answer. It's almost cute, enough to have him fighting a faint smile. Hes careful as he steps over, drags one of Hulks massive blankets over to wrap it about both of them. Let them rest, just once he thinks, carding his fingers through messy hair. Idiots never did.

random asks -- status; always accepting

♔—- As much as Fandral and Loki both shared a free spirit that loved to take a dip in fun and/or leisurely activities, they both also shared a wild determination to get a job done once they’d set out on one. One either of them got going on something that needed to be sorted, they rarely rested until the job was done or until they were literally collapsing from exhaustion. Unfortunately, when they worked on anything together, they were twice as bad, because they each encouraged the other’s unhealthy habits by keeping one another awake and poking their brains for thoughts when they were too delirious to think straight at all.

Portals had been opening up all over the globe for the better stretch of a month. Sometimes a single sorcerer slipped through, other times, small militia groups or even small armies of otherworldly beings passed through to scout for resources and intel. The strangest thing about each of these occurrences, though, was that there didn’t seem to be a common relation between any of them besides the portals they used to travel. Whoever or whatever was casting them, they came from the exact same source, but the people who bled through?

They were from all over Yggdrasil and some even came from beyond Yggdrasil’s reach. There were no familial ties, nor did there seem to be any strong connections between the individuals and their homeworlds. Why were they together? What was their purpose on Earth? And why were they willing to cut down mortals who got too close or got in their way?

Today had been the fourth group of invaders they’d taken over the stretch of two weeks. They were growing stronger and larger with each passing group and the worst part was? They couldn’t be reasoned with. Loki tried. Fandral tried. Numerous members of the Avengers tried. None of these invaders seemed willing to talk and when questioned or even approached, they quickly turned hostile. Dangerous due to the wide range of skills the odd hodge-podge groups possessed and having an element of surprise because they often didn’t know what to expect from each new arrival, it made dealing with them especially stressful.

And, of course, after the fight, Loki gathered as much data as they could. Well, the entire team did, but Loki was especially sensitive to the magical signatures that lingered about the battlefield and they hoped they could use a combination of their magic and Stark’s tech to at least figure out how the portals were being created and if they were lucky, who was opening them.

Fandral assisted Loki as best he could. While he was not particularly gifted in the ways of magic, he’d dealt with enough magic users over the course of his life to offer a decent outside perspective. He bounced ideas off of Loki and even pointed out tidbits of information that Loki overlooked or hadn’t given much mind to, but the hours stretched long into the night and neither of them had even managed to get all of their armor off.

Loki nursed their sixth cup of coffee as they sat next to a hologram projected image of the portals that lingered overhead where they fought earlier that day. The coffee, Fandral knew, wasn’t actually doing anything to keep Loki awake. Caffeine had little impact on Aesir. At least, human-grade caffeine didn’t.

Sighing, Fandral carefully unclasped the last few pieces of leather that clung to Loki’s form and draped a robe over him instead. “We might as well make ourselves comfortable,” he murmured into the shell of Loki’s ear and even gave it a gentle kiss. “We’re going to be here for a while longer, I think.”

Fandral gave out first. He’d been sitting beside Loki, but his eyes grew tired and his lids became too heavy to keep open. Leaning against the prince, Fandral’s head rested against Loki’s shoulder, and Loki hadn’t been able to fight the exhaustion much longer. They only moved enough to transition over to a cot that Tony snuck into the lab at some point. With how often Tony fell asleep while working, it was probably a good investment.

Fandral grumbled at being disturbed but moved enough to lie down on the cot. The second his head hit the pillow, though, he was out like a light and Loki quickly curled up beside him, their head resting on the swordsman’s chest. One of Fandral’s arms snaked around Loki’s hips loosely, protecting holding his prince despite being completely unaware of it. Had he been conscious, he would have done much the same, but it seemed more like instinct or reflex than anything else.

He didn’t wake again until something weighed and warm draped across him and Loki. Well, it wasn’t really the massive, fluffy blanket that woke him. In fact, that only made the cot that much cozier and easier to burrow into to get a decent night’s rest. As much as could be expected from sleeping in someone else’s lap on a relatively small cot, anyway.

It was, in fact, the gentle fingers carding through his hair that stirred him.

At first, he thought it must have been Loki, but the touch didn’t feel right. Loki’s hands were always rather cool to the touch, with slender, elegant fingers, and soft, smooth skin that was clearly well cared for. This hand was broader, rougher in texture, and warmer than Loki’s, though they applied the same gentle tenderness to the gesture that Loki would have.

“Mmm?” he grumbled, a single azure eye cracking open. At some point, the lights had been dimmed. Likely Jarvis realizing that the occupants of the lab had decided to rest for a bit and turned off most of the lights to create a better atmosphere to rest in. Even in the minimal lighting, though, Fandral could make out the basic outline of Bruce Banner.

Hulk, he assumed, wearing Bruce’s face. Fandral had been with Hulk plenty of times when Hulk wasn’t massive and green. Bruce’s body was still Hulk’s body, though the green eyes were a usual tip-off that the kinder of the two had come forward. 

Fandral didn’t know what it was that made Bruce dislike him so much, but it was a difficult thing for him to process. Everyone loved him. He was kind, fun to be around, loyal to a fault, and a hard and efficient worker. He was charming and yes, he did have something of a reputation for getting around, but he always treated the people he bedded with respect and never led them on if there was nothing more than sex. In fact, Fandral was nothing but respectful and kind to... literally everyone and for some reason, Bruce just... Did. Not. Like. That.

The swordsman didn’t understand it, but it made his perception of Bruce rather negative. The scientist treated him rather harshly, abrasively without any real cause or need for it, and Fandral would have honestly pegged Bruce as being extremely unkind. An asshole, really, was the best term for what he thought of Bruce, even though he knew Bruce had a softer center. He saw it with the way Bruce interacted with Tony all the time. Gods, he even acted that way with Loki.

So why... why did he hate him so much?

And more importantly, why was he carding his fingers through his hair while he slept now? At first glance, he thought it must have been Hulk. Unlike Bruce, Hulk was kind, gentle, and always putting others first. Hel, Hulk didn’t just like Fandral, he was straight up infatuated with him! And the feeling was extremely mutual, but this was not Hulk with Bruce’s face. This was definitely Bruce. Everything in his expression read as Bruce and, most importantly, his eyes were very much brown.

It might have been easy to pass off Bruce’s kindness as caring for Loki and having to care for Fandral too because Loki was literally on top of Fandral, but Bruce stopped to run his fingers through somewhat short, messy blond curls, not Loki’s long, silky ebony locks. 

Blinking a few times to clear the sleep from his eyes, Fandral still squinted in the dim lighting, but he did offer a little grin. “I knew you didn’t hate me nearly as much as you were acting like you did,” he murmured softly, so as not to wake Loki with his mumbling or moving his chest too much. “You’re just a big softie under all that attitude, huh?”

Yeah, he’d probably regret saying that later, but he needed to take the opportunity while he had it.

“You could join us if you want. Pretty small cot, but we can make room.”