#to the enlightened mind magic and science are the same

[kaileymacwrites]

Thor, while Jane watches on astounded: You call it science, my ancestors called it magic. I come from a place where they are one and the same.

Fucked up how humanity discovered electricity and radiation and made machines and learned to make airplanes and cured diseases and our takeaway isnt that "Some Magic Is Real And Here's Why", but that magic is fake this is big boy science and it's totally not magical

[angelofthemornings]

Nobody on this damn website knows the difference between low fantasy, urban fantasy, magical realism, and fabulism

To enlighten you:

Low fantasy is about the inclusion of fantastical elements in a story set in the real world, like Twilight or something. High fantasy like A Song of Ice and Fire takes place in its own world. You'll also see this used for fantasy that's grimdark or whatever, but that's far more subjective - like, I don't think of The Poppy Wars as being particularly dark and gritty but some people do - and therefore this definition is useless as a literary category.

Urban fantasy is a subgenre of low fantasy. It's about how sexy and cool New York City is and how it would be even sexier and more cool with vampires. The defining feature of an urban fantasy is that tonally it's sort of a love letter to an urban lifestyle. (So Anne Rice and her fascination with New Orleans is a good example of the genre.) It doesn't intentionally have to comment on cities politically or anything, although it can, but if you grew up in the middle of nowhere this affinity towards city life REALLY sticks out as distinct. It *can* be darker and edgier, especially depending on the writer's culture - for instance, if they're American they probably think of city dwellers as being tougher and edgier than people who live in the suburbs and that'll inform their fiction. Dark and edgy isn't a necessity, though. Also, you could probably make an argument here that it doesn't have to take place in the real world and for the inclusion of something like Perdido Street Station, which is also a love letter to urban living to the extent that I think China Mieville might die if he was forced to spend an hour on a farm or something.

Magical realism: This is literary fiction that uses a fantasy tint to comment on contemporary and historical social elements in Latin America and its diaspora. This is Gabriel Garcia Marquez, not "the werewolves are really realistic in this one." Generally the fantasy elements are subtle and go uncommented on, instead of the book setting up a magic system or expositing about gnome tax exemptions or whatever. Therefore, something like Tender is the Flesh, which is literary fiction commenting on masculinity in Argentina, is sort of a borderline case because it also does a lot of worldbuilding and the reader is likely going to be interested primarily in the SFF premise. (Honestly that's more like science fiction, though. There are different rules there.)

Fabulism: Same as magical realism but you're white or Asian or whatever. Salman Rushdie is a good example. I would say the difference between low fantasy and fabulism or magic realism is that in the latter, fantastical elements are a tool, and in the former, they're more about the fantasy elements. For instance, The House in the Cerulean Sea (low fantasy, specifically cozy fantasy) has a premise of "what if there was a foster care system for fantastical youth" and the premise of Midnight's Children is "hold still, let's talk about postcolonialism in India for 500 pages." So if you're thinking pretty hard about how magic works in your universe, or what kind of jobs mermaids have, and are interested in how to blend magical elements with the real world, you're probably writing low fantasy. If you're Native and want to write a story about a mind-reading boy growing up on a reservation and being exposed far too soon to the emotional intricacies of adults with alcohol problems or the inner logic of racists, as a way of protesting how the world fails to honor and protect Native children, and you don't care at all why he has mind-reading powers, He Just Does, you're probably writing fabulism. (And if you want to write same but you DO care about where his powers come from, and you spend time exploring what they do, and they become important to the plot, you've looped back around to low fantasy, just low fantasy with a strong political agenda.)

[freezerbnuuy]

Act 6:3- Age of Enlightenment (Page 2)

LORE | CHARACTERS | ABOUT / WARNINGS | CHAPTERS

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��ine

"I see. Well, never mind, then. What are you reading about?"

"My mother wrote stories in this grimoire as well as spells that she would tell me when I was younger. She tends to write spells in a very cryptic manner. It's taken me years to try and decipher some of their meanings."

Owen gives me a light nod. "Alchemy is similar. They didn't want the prying eyes of witchfinders or people who wanted to steal their ideas. I assume it was the same with your mother."

"The story I can't stop thinking about is one about traversing other worlds. I used to dream of doing such things as a child, and now... I can't let go of the idea that this story may actually be a spell."

Owen gives me a confused look, something almost akin to a glare.

"I know it sounds preposterous, but most magic does until you realise it can be done. Just imagine, Owen - if it were possible, we could all be safe and sound and live our lives away from those who want us dead. We could raise our children to be adults. Doesn't that sound incredible?"

As I walk over to him, his judging eyes don't leave mine. What's his problem?

"Áine, I'm no alienist, but I do think all of this time to yourself isn't doing your mind any favours. You know as well as I do that there is no world outside of this one. There is no world above, and none below. The Jacobans merely use those stories as a scare tactic, just as your mother used that story to give you an escape from the tribulations of growing up with magic in your blood."

I ball my fists to contain my anger. Even being a man of magic himself, he can't think outside of the confines of known science.

"I'm not a madwoman, Owen! I'm trying to be hopeful for something better than what we have - is that so terrible?"

"We have a community of people here who support us and look after us, and we have quite possibly the first magical educational establishment in the country - maybe even the continent. We already have something better."

"And not everyone has a mansion and a gryphon back home to protect them," I explain. "You will always have everything you could ever want or need, Owen, but the same doesn't go for everyone else. You know as well as I do that whatever we try to build, the witchfinders and now the Jacobans will do whatever they can to try to take it from us. As much as I'd like to believe the magic school is permanent, you know nothing is permanent for a witch."

"And do you really think they have what it takes to take anything else from us?"

"I don't know, and I'm not willing to find out. I've worked my entire life to create a safer world for those with magic in their blood...and if I have to be more literal in that line of thinking, then that is what I will do."

"I apologise if I've said something out of turn. Perhaps a little stroll outside might calm the situation a little. You wanted to learn the Fulguris spell, didn't you?"

Owen

Áine's plan for some kind of world outside of our own is beyond bizarre, yet it seems fixed in her mind that the story in her grimoire is more than just a fairy tale. True witches realise many things are more than what they appear - that many of the universe's rules can be broken - but sometimes, they don't realise that doesn't mean every single one of the universe's rules can be broken. In most situations, science and reason will prevail.

It's been some time since I've used this wand. My students' help with casting magic during alchemy classes meant I haven't had to, and I ought to not entirely neglect spellcasting for the fear of making myself unwell. I doubt never casting it again will make matters any better.

"I must ask, Áine - I expected a true witch would know Fulguris like the back of her hand. Is there a reason you are unfamiliar with it?"

[healingdryad]

Can we talk about how heart transplants are faked? And how we are moving to this conclusion as a wider discovery by saying noninvasive procedures are best? Can you at least try to do noninvasive surgery instead? Basically, you need to make a false surgery, and only cut the skin. Can doctors get behind that?

And how about we don't do brain surgery? Please?

Medblrs, can you be enlightened or enlighten me?

Basically, I just realized assassins do the same to kill us, so I think we shouldn't stab the inner organs. And cutting is considered self harm so...

Does anyone share my concerns?

Also, what do we do if our ethics class teaches us to consider killing the patient? I thought it was just to exercise our minds, until my baby was murdered.

Does anyone want to partner with me and change the world? I'll be your friend.

I'm also the one who organized medblr Santa (secret Santa for medblrs) way back in the 2010s. So I support the field, I just think there are many inefficiencies in it, and that maybe our education could be better. We could teach health over treatment, for example, or have check ins to monitor social cohesiveness and things that benefit society and change the role of the doctor into one that benefit the patient more than the caretaker. Not everyone gets to be a caretaker, but we all will be patients. And it's what is ethical.

Please talk to me if you're interested in social change.

I also want to become famous, to become the President one day, and to live forever because people love me. So pray for me. I have a set of prayer time set aside for those who pray for me. You should too, it's literally explainable as your quantum energy going into the Universe and working.

Let's see.... If I post research on ghosts here will you help change its classification into a phenomenum and not a psychosis? That's the most outlandish thing, but I have read one study on it, and there are channels in Spanish with shows dedicated to ghost hunting. And it's common as a near death phenomena, but I think that isn't taught as often as it should.

Can we at least agree that it's neurological if it's not a real ghost?

I didn't believe in it until I experienced it after praying for it, so maybe you can if you pray for it. It's heartwarming.

And if you're Christian, you literally believe in it, and should.

It's a belief-based physics though, because that affects the particles of ghosts, which are similar to electrons and are responsible for your consciousness.

Who wants to try to experiment on that with me? You just have to be someone without a diagnosis. Completely healthy. We will both pray that you get a supernatural experience. And we will see if it happens to you after three years.

Or we can ignore that, and just work on not cutting out the heart. But it's an interesting science.

So.... Does anyone else know that transplants are faked? Essentially, it creates an emergency by disrupting your ABC's. Your blood vessels aren't magically going to piece themselves together that way... At best they could clot. Be honest, doc.

[raubtierfuetterung]

Howl‘s Moving Castle the Book is even better than Howl‘s Moving Castle the Anime. I have been enchanted. It’s wise and magical and witty and I fully believe in it as a true story. (I don’t mind if I get branded mad, I think those who understand what I’m on about are the ones who truly matter!) The book has been written with blood from my wrung out heart I feel. It’s like it’s been a part of me even before I read it.

It has all the good stuff I liked in the anime and none of the unironic kitschiness. It forms a Holy trinity with Harry Potter and Krabat. And maybe Alice in Wonderland too. OH AND FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD!!! But I think Howl’s my favourite 😭😭 I want to become a great wizard more than anything. And I will! (Mental Asylum calling, I know I know, but do I care….? I want to be a weird uncle like Howl…) (yes, I know that the Psychologists call this schizotypy, I do see that to the average prosaic surface level mind I present just a girl prone to insanity. But you do realise that science is just inventing names and vague descriptions of empirical evidence? Whilst magic is the transgression of the Laws of Nature, breaking free from the physical form and human nature? Magic is the deconstruction of everything that has been witnessed by science. Wizardry, the transgression of organic matter, is the only freedom there is. Scientific work, with all it’s microscopes, engines, spacecrafts, power lines and explosives, is like vermins constructing their burrows. (Most people don’t think that a vermin has free will. But miraculously they do think that an enlightened homo sapiens sapiens lab scientist does. They are dumbly proud that they are a bunch of dull, unfree vermins IN OUTER SPACE. How great, this is so shameful ) It might be considered beautiful and kind of cute and it might come in handy for the species doing it. But it is not magical. It is caged in itself. It is slaves of the flesh admiring their own chains as a wondrous, mystical exhibit. Meticulously describing the way they drag across the paved-to-death-street. Giving names to the metal components it’s made of in Latin. And religion is the same. All about the flesh. Science and religion are both so far from magic - truth and freedom that is. The being of everything possible that is. Creation just for the beauty, just for the mind that is. Borderless, shapeless One-ness. Pure intellect, none of the flesh. I really wonder how science has ever been associated with coldness, intellect and magic when it is so obviously about the flesh, about carnality…when they build explosives and drive cars, develop medical equipment and artificial fabrics to satisfying their lust for revenge, their disdain and desire for the flesh, penetrating only their greed and human emotional-bodily needs, when they employ science to kill their enemies in the masses and save their dirty pathetic worthless human vermin lives. I think a life is not worth a dime. And a dime is not worth anything. Worth is not a category to think in! Political power is carnal and lowly. Emotions are the primitive rage of the flesh. And science serves it’s primitive madness, it serves the fear for life and the hate of the enemy equally. It serves primitive violence and hunger for power and want for domination. A vain, power-hungry and cruelly arrogant seeking of knowledge on matter. Seeking to answer the question: How can we kill this [thing]? And when will [thing] kill us?

Oh oh oh I’d rather be eaten by lions than be hit by a car, I’d rather be eaten by the lions. The arrogance of the human species ashames me, because oh there is only ever arrogance paired with violently primitive ignorance. Fear of death makes us despicable )

The most magical thing there is is death. Death is the most magical and beautiful thing there is. Dying, and being pleased to die: this is the most significant act of wizardry. The hour of my death will mark the threshold of my journey to wizardry, freedom!

I think I shall be one of the few who truly grow to love death. I shall know and befriend death, the withering and the tides, the winds and the dunes, the shooting stars and the continental plates

[xasha777]

In the cosmic expanse where the shimmering Tail of Andromeda brushes against the Milky Way's spiral arm, there thrived a minuscule, yet extraordinary planet known as Felidae Sparkle. On this planet, the laws of physics were governed not by relativity or quantum mechanics, but by the whims of its inhabitants—sentient, star-faring felines with fur made of galactic dust and eyes reflecting the universe's vastness.

The most curious of them all was a kitten named Nova Whisker. Unlike the elder astral cats, who could leap across light-years and dance on the rings of Saturn, Nova's powers were just beginning to flicker, as unpredictable as the cosmic rays that streaked across her homeworld's sky.

One fateful eventide, as Nova gazed upon the nebulous canvas above, she caught sight of a peculiar anomaly—a star that twinkled with an unusual spectrum of colors. It was the legendary Prism Star, a celestial body said to grant immense knowledge and power to any feline that could reach its core.

With a heart full of dreams and whiskers charged with cosmic energy, Nova made a wish upon the Prism Star. To her astonishment, the star responded, sending down a sparkling comet, tail ablaze with rainbow fire. It struck the ground before Nova, fracturing into a myriad of glittering shards that swirled around her, lifting her into the ether.

Nova found herself enveloped in a cosmic cyclone, a vortex of stardust that propelled her beyond the speed of light. The galaxies blurred into streams of chromatic brilliance as she rode the comet's tail, diving into the heart of the Prism Star.

Inside the star, time bent and reality warped. Nova's eyes widened in awe as the secrets of the cosmos unfolded before her. She learned the songs of supernovas, the whispers of dark matter, and the poetry of pulsars. With each revelation, Nova's fur grew brighter, her tail longer, and her powers stronger.

Armed with her newfound abilities, Nova Whisker emerged from the Prism Star, no longer a mere kitten, but a cosmic voyager. She could now weave nebulae with a flick of her tail and conjure miniature black holes with a mere purr. Each step she took left a trail of stardust, a testament to her journey's marvel.

But with great power came a great longing. Nova yearned to share her knowledge with her fellow felines, to enlighten them with the wonders she had witnessed. So she traversed the universe, leaving a path of enlightenment for other space-bound kittens to follow.

Legends tell that to this day, if a kitten on the cusp of discovering its cosmic potential looks up at the sky with a heart full of wonder, Nova Whisker might just whisk them away on a sparkling adventure across the universe. For in the vast, starry wilderness, magic and science are but two sides of the same coin, flipped endlessly by the paws of feline explorers.

[thequietmanno1]

Thelreads, MHA 287, Replies Part 1

1) “Alright, no excuses today, we have an objective, and by god, are we gonna see it through. It’s time for our liveblog of course, time to get some answers after… that last chapter… jesus there’s a lot that we need to know, and I’m afraid of the possibility of not getting to know it. “- To be fair, not even AFO truly seems to get the full logistics of this weird inner world, despite all the years alive he’s spent studying it and its effects. His dialogue indicates a lot of guesswork and speculation about why things happen they way they do inside the place, and it’s implied a good deal of his partnership with Garaki is born from his need for a mad scientist to try and help dissect this semi-magical effect. He’s got a lot more insight than Izuku and the rest, who only recently developed this ability, but at the same time, not even he truly knows if this is something unique to their Quirks in particular, or if their shared ability uniquely allows them to interact with this aspect of Quirks. That said, his understanding is more than sufficient to proceed with his plan… 2) “YEAH EXACTLY WHERE WE LAST LEFT

GHOST NANA READY TO THROW HANDS WITH AFO, WHILE MIDORIYA AND SHIGARAKI JUST WATCH

THIS IS GONNA BE BRUTAL, I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE IT”- Well, more like “Throwing Feelings”, but yeah. Physical attacks don’t exactly compute well in a world of souls, but attacks made of pure emotion are a different matter. The more potent the emotion, the more powerful the attack…. 3) “Now I do wonder where all that wind is coming from, Midoriya did you forgot a window open in your soul or something”- AFO the Quirk and the person is a metaphorical black hole, sucking in everything towards it to be consumed and assimilated. Even if he wasn’t mid-absorption attempt on Izuku’s body outside, I’m pretty sure the all-consuming darkness would be a prevalent theme throughout AFO’s own mental world. 4) “Oh ho ho, here we go… And I always am baffled by the idea that Shigaraki really just doesn’t give a shit that everything that bad that happened to his family can be traced back to the fact AfO killed his grandmother.

…

I once again can’t remember if he does know about that fact or not. Well I suppose that if he doesn’t, he’s about to find out.”-  Tomura knows for sure, but by this point, as much as he’s “evolved” into a being of higher power, he’s mentally “devolved” as well – his mentality becoming reduced and focused on his simplest and purest desire, focused only upon that and blotting out any excess thoughts or feelings that might distract him from it. To this end, even knowing the truth of his family’s past tragedy doesn’t change a thing- he’s still so focused on his pain and hate as fuel to destroy and make himself feel better in the now that his attitude towards her doesn’t change- or his attitude towards AFO for that matter. They’re both on the shit list, alongside the rest of existence besides the League and his followers. It’s a catch 22 situation, wherein even if some part of him is sympathetic and should be redeemed, the rest of him has been so groomed into a monster of pure destructive Id that he dismisses this and any attempts to potentially emphasise with him as unwanted pity, being little less than a purified ball of emotional destruction….because AO always planned on his mind being the one in the pilot’s seat guiding that emotion.   5) “Oh sorry potatoman I interrupted your explanation, please enlighten us in the ways of quirk science and how you’re a soul stealer”- AFO consumes everything about a person when he steal their Quirk. Their hopes, their dreams, their futures, and now, he even steals a piece of their soul. Combined with the fact he somehow survived being dead and all the framing of him being this thing that’s leeching off Tomura and literally consuming him, can we even say that AFO counts as a human anymore? Or has his endless parasitism of others devolved him into something less than humanity, as much as it feeds off it to survive? 6) “okay so it is kinda like that, but I was wrong in calling it a piece of their soul. It’s more like it’s a copy of their entire soul, stored into their DNA.”- “Quirk” was actually a lucky translation by the English translators. The original Japanese uses the term “Individuality”, and here we see that one;s Quirk literally becomes a reflection of the wielder, shaped by their individuality into a copy of themselves. 7) “HOLY SHIT YEAH EXACTLY THAT

HE REMEMBER IT

OH MY GOD

HERE WE GO, TIME FOR THE HEEL-FACE TURN TO GET ITS FIRST SPARK”- Yeeeeah…..nope, sorry. Horikoshi putting the nail In that coffin. It’ll take more than realising that his Grandma was technically trying to save her family from his master’s manipulations to convince Tomura to stop being a villain. As much as it would be nice to see good wining out over evil, Tomura’s a fascinating example of how far you can take a person before they reach the point of becoming truly irredeemable, like AFO. He’s not as bad as his master, but at the same time, he has no intentions of choosing a different path now, because that would just invalidate all that he and his allies have been through. 8) “There’s that thing I also talked about their quirks being similar, but in opposite directions. AfO steal people’s souls and drag them to do his bidding, OfA invites them to join him in their journey.”- AFO is parasitic. OFA is symbiotic, and thus, once true cooperation is achieved, stronger than even AFO’s monopolisation of unwilling accumulated powers. 9) “Well, we would, but unfortunately you never seem to shut up. God, someone there likes the sound of their own voice.”- The one true power of AFO’s that actually seems to be his own and not stolen from another is the ability to trash-talk his opponents to the breaking point, no matter what the circumstances or who they are. He’s a fun character to read, because every word out of his mouth builds the urge to punch him in the face more. 10) “Yeah okay it seems like he hasn’t connected the dots. Give him some time, hopefully he’ll realize it.”- Oh, he connected all the dots. It’s just, he doesn’t care. To him, the past means nothing anymore, only the future, and the future is nothing but destruction that will be delivered unto everybody for the suffering he’s endured in the past. It’s contradictory, but Tomura is now a walking contradiction, a boy who both does and does not want to be saved from his torment. 11) “AND SO THE BATTLE IN THE MINDSCAPE BEGINS IT SEEMS

I DO HOPE THIS IS NOT LIKE, LITERALLY INSIDE MIDORIYA’S SOUL, OTHERWISE A GOOD CHUNK OF IT IS ABOUT TO TURN INTO DUST”- This raises the disturbing question of what would happen to Izuku if they actually succeeded in absorbing OFA. AFO just wants the part of the Quirk that houses his brother, so would Izuku’s very soul be destroyed as collateral when it was sucked in?

12) “Yeah Midoriya, it sure is. Hopefully you didn’t need that part right there of your soul, where you stored your memories of your father. They aren’t that useful after all.”- It’s fine, OFA has 9 different people’s worth of soul RAM space to work with, it can afford to lose a little in this clash. 13) “OH HOLY SHIT, SHIGARAKI IS STRONG ENOUGH TO OVERPOWER MIDORIYA’S WILL AND DAMAGE THIS MINDREALM 

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT MEANS THAT HE COULD THEORETICALLY STEAL THIS QUIRK, BECAUSE BEING HONEST, HE SEEMS OP ENOUGH TO DO IT”- And so the scope of AFO’s plans becomes clear. Manipulate Tomura into becoming nothing less than a near-mindless, relentlessly-driven container of pure hatred, tricking him into accepting his Quirk and the dangerous surgeries needed to fully contain its immense powers all at once immediately, whilst neglecting to tell him that his own will and individuality will be carried along with said Quirk, and can then jump in once Tomura’s done all the hard work to reap the benefits, especially including the strength needed to steal OFA at last. Tomura’s not his successor, he’s his Vessel. (MHA ch 274) 14) “Oh no, seems like there`s someone else sitting in the co-pilot seat, and he seems to be set in a single purpose… Which is a bit weird, because AfO know that he can`t steal OfA”- As it turns out, He can’t. But Tomura, on the other hand, now he’s an entirely different matter… (MHA ch 274) 15) “Okaaaay… You know, I just realized something. We already saw that pulsating thought inside of Shigaraki once before”- The words of AFO’s commands that Tomura is being compelled to follow, sitting in the centre of his bubbling hatred for everything, like a twisted parasite that’s monopolising it for its own gain. AFO needs Tomura’s hatred to succeed in his goals, and this panel now shows how he’s taken root within his very soul – All According to Plan. (MHA ch 275) 16) “Bait boy and his sidekick, explosi-boom-man, are on the scene again, trying to lure The Walking Death himself away from the civilians, and as we know, the plan is going to work, which means we`ll reduce the number of victims from a few hundreds to just a few kids.”- AFO’s utter obsession with OFA is so much, that he actually winds up helping the heroes here. He induces Tomura to steal it before anything else, even killing the heroes attacking him, and that in turn allows Tomura’s rampage to be corralled and somewhat predictable, unlike the omnipresent force of destruction he wants to be. (MHA ch 276) 17) “Well, I mean, he can`t, we know that much. The only way he could ever get it was if Midoriya gave it to him, and I don`t know if he can handle the kickback from it all, even with his upgrades.”-Turns out that was a supposition based on the ability to resist AFO’s willpower that drives the absorption. OFA’s main power is that it gives the unique ability to resist the absorption, but that’s based on being able to utilise your own willpower as a foundation to prevent the Quirk being stolen. Theoretically, if other Quirks had the same trait, they could likewise resist it too. AFO’s counter to this is simply applying the same tactic in reverse, using a strong will to increase his absorption and overcome their resistance when he himself can’t do it alone… albeit, the method he chose is a fittingly twisted variant on getting Tomura’s “aid” in stealing OFA. (MHA ch 277) 18) “Okay Shigaraki, but then what?

You have AfO in there, you should know that his quirk cannot be stolen, and I really doubt you can convince him to give him to you

It would be easier to just kill him and eliminate the one thing that can oppose you, because other than that, grabbing him won’t accomplish much”-  Thing is, Tomura totally agrees with you. That isn’t his dialogue that’s being spoken, it’s AFO’s thoughts bleeding into his head, his desire for OFA overriding Tomura’s attempts to focus on the fight and just kill everybody, including Izuku. If Tomura had a say in thing, he would just kill Izuku here and now, but his master doesn’t want that. He wants OFA first and foremost, no compromises, even at the expense of pragmatically killing his most dangerous adversary.

(MHA ch 277)

19) “Yeah, but again, how are you planning that?

I think you misread the title of the chapter Shigaraki, we’re supposed to be dealing with the who, not the how”-  Ironically, the “how” is answered by the “who”. AFO could never steal OFA, that was a given, but Tomura’s an entirely unknown variable in the decades-long power struggle, one strong enough to tip the balance in AFO’s favour all on his own, even matched against the willpower of 9 other holders at once.

(MHA ch 285) 20) “I think you mean the other way around Bakugo, Shigaraki can’t still his quirk if he is turned to dust, he needs to do that after stealing it, and even though I was painfully reminded of the fact I completely misinterpreted it, I still believe that AfO can’t steal OfA.”- Well, that’s only half true, as it turns out. AFO the person can’t steal OFA, but with Tomura as a living hate battery, that defence is no longer an option against AFO the Quirk. Tomura’s been moulded for this purpose since he first met AFO, and as we see here, it wasn’t a wasted effort.

21) “Oh ho ho, there he is, the first one, the founder.

And as usual, remarkably similar to Shigaraki in looks.”- So, to clarify, AFO’s plan to defeat OFA boils down to grooming Tomura into becoming both hateful enough to steal the Quirk whilst also being moulded in his brother’s image, intending to body-jack him at the same time he’s stealing the Quirk with the attached piece of his brother’s soul, effectively becoming his brother in body and soul together in order to “make him his”….I might be wrong, but I’m getting the sneaking suspicion that AFO has some severe attachment issues. @thelreads

[thegreylingparlor742]

Black Magic

Magic is defined as a supposed natural prowess of making the impossible seem possible. It can give a person the power to control someone else.

In ancient times, a person who possessed the skills to perform magic tricks also used it for healing purposes. It was also used to keep away bad spirits, to seek the truth when injustice occurs and lastly, used to seek revenge.

‘In Black & White’

There are several types of magic but basically, it is subdivided in two categories: black and white magic.

You have seen a lot of movies which depict the good triumphing over evil. This is the same scenario between white and black magic.

White magic is done or performed on the “good” side. It is supposed to be used for the greater good and kindly or harmless methods are employed with this type of magic.

Black magic, on the other hand, is immediately associated with evil purposes. It is said that the evil spirits are called upon when a magician performs black magic.

‘Sorcery & Witchcraft’

Because of the shady or not-so-good reputation of black magic, it is often referred to as sorcery. It is also known as witchcraft, though most of the individuals practicing black magic are actually harmless and they do not have evil intentions.

‘Modern Black Magic’

Nowadays, supposedly there are several procedures and skills that one can learn through the art of black magic.

1. predicting the past and seeing the future through fortune telling

2. searching for a person’s innermost secrets through divination

3. casting a spell on a person by invocations

4. seeking revenge for an enemy through curses

5. having a spirit appear through evocations

6. creating procedures to sharpen one’s wit and further enhance concentration

7. using black magic to heal diseases and end ailments

8. ceremonies and seals to call, evoke, command, or reward spirits

Modern witchcraft or black magic has a major misconception of being performed for evil purposes.

By learning about the history and development of black magic from the ancient era to modern times, one will eventually see that it is not something to be afraid of.

Believing in magic can leave you with a sense of wonder about the intricacies of black magic or modern witchcraft and finally put an end the ancient misconception that it is no different from Satanism.

Modern black magic actually teaches about love of nature and harmony between opposite genders and love of nature and one’s self.

At the same time, it still leaves us wondering about ceremonials, spells and curses, which make us further appreciate the mysteries of the art of magic.

 Second Topic

Mystical Or Mind Over Matter The Truth About Magic Spells:

Civilizations all over the world have always relied on their faith in spiritual or mystical powers to accomplish truly amazing feats. Long before modern medicine came on the scene, most health concerns were traditionally handled by applying a dose of spirituality, voodoo, witchcraft, astrology, or psychic power from any number of paranormal sources. Hundreds of years ago, one simply couldn’t get through the day without help from the “unseen” world. Of course, that was in the “dark ages” before we were enlightened by the miracles of modern science. But is it wise for people today to scoff at all that seemed to work for so many people, for so long?

In a world where mainstream religion is often mocked, it’s easy to laugh at those believe in the powers of the paranormal, occult, magic, psychic or new age remedies. We often label them as misguided kooks or blind followers of today’s trendy Hollywood scene and counter-culture. But as humans, it is built into our composition to search for truth, and solutions to the many problems we face. And let’s face it, today’s world is filled with day-to-day problems that we strive to overcome… issues dealing with love, money, health, just to name a few. Life is a difficult struggle for millions of people worldwide who seek relief, and solutions to their problems by turning to magic spells. Just go to Ebay and do search on love spells or magic spells. You’ll find an endless potpourri of psychics and spell casters who can make your problems disappear, or bring you amazing results for just a few dollars. Think that’s funny? It gets better. When asked, most people who buy these spells will tell you that they really work… and they do.

So how can a love spell performed by a psychic actually attract a soulmate to a lonely person seeking a love partner? Did that money spell really make that struggling secretary get a job promotion and a salary raise? And what about that healing spell that cured my neighbor’s back pain? The unbelievers will likely point to coincidence, some sort of logical explanation, or attribute the results to simply “mind over matter.” But those who believe in psychic powers and the paranormal world think otherwise – there must be a spiritual or metaphysical helping hand involved.

As a self-professed psychic and paranormal expert, who has studied spirituality, psychic phenomena, and the art of spell casting, I personally believe that there is much more to this than meets the eye. Most mainstream religions accept the power of prayer as a way to receive blessings, protection and goodness from spiritual sources. Even medical professionals are now recognizing that an individual’s faith and beliefs can play a major role in improving quality of life and health. However, while many doctors will admit that there is some benefit to holistic and alternative medicines, you’ll be pressed to find any who will publicly encourage seeking answers from a psychic or magic spell.

There has always been a stigma in going to a fortune teller, psychic or spell caster, which keeps people from easily accepting their virtues. As an industry, the psychic business has brought on much of this skepticism itself. Shoddy late night television infomercials for psychic readings, con artists or carnival fortune tellers are the images that come to mind for many, when they think of psychics. Just look at how astrology and other psychic-related ads have that tiny disclaimer at the bottom that says “for entertainment purposes only.” It’s about as phony as pro wrestling, right? Well, don’t be too quick to agree.

There are more people than you think who use money or love spells on a regular basis, in an attempt to restore a bad relationship, or gain financial freedom. And these are folks from all walks or life, professions, income levels, religious affiliations and nationalities. Sure, some may rely too much on seeking guidance and help from the psychic world, but most of them are die-hard believers of the occult and would not have it any other way. They will tell you that these spells work for them, their lives have been enriched, and you are the foolish one who doesn’t know what you’re missing.

People always ask me, “Are these spells real? I mean, can they actually make things happen that I can’t do on my own?” If spells can do what they claim they can do (improve love life, attract more money, better luck at gambling) then the answer has to be “Yes.” A spell that does what it is supposed to do has got to be real. Of course, it helps if you have a positive outlook, and believe that the spell can truly help you. But if the spell delivers results, then it has to be real. Believers will tell you that those who refuse to open their minds to the possibilities of magic spells and spiritual solutions will never know what they are missing. Perhaps it is the unbelievers who are experiencing “mind over matter,” only their mindset is narrowly fixed on the opposite end of the belief scale.

Why limit your world to just the few things you can see and touch? After all, what you see isn’t always what you get.

[paragonrobits]

so one thing I’ve come to realize after watching a fair number of reactions to Hunter the Parenting by people who specifically not old school fans of the World of Darkness setting, or have only been introduced to it THROUGh HtP, is that every single fucking things Big D says and does is a MASSIVE flag that he is something extremely weird even by the standards of the setting

but

in order to actually know this, you need to have some fairly in-depth knowledge of the setting.

so I’m watching these reactions growing continuously baffled at how people don’t react that much to, say, Big D talking about how time is an odious concept, or randomly screaming that Louis Pasteur was a fascist, or that him knowing WHY werewolves are vulnerable to silver is actually a huge deal, and it took me a while to realize: Big D is always rambling and saying weird things, so to these viewers a lot of what he does and says is comedic non sequiters.

But here’s the thing; a lot of the stuff he says MIGHT be non sequiters, or him being accidentally correct about something he doesn’t know shit about... but the thing about it is that he sounds like someone who knows the horrible secrets in the world of darkness that you DON’T know, that you CAN’T know, unless you’re one of the strange things in the dark, or have done the impossible task of learning all about them and actually have accurate information.

So, for some context on my examples:

When Big D says time is a concept, he’s not speaking metaphorically. This is BIG TIME, EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, REALITY-DEFINING MIND BREAKING SECRETS OF ALL COSMOS HERE. In the World of Darkness, reality is not objective. The laws of physics don’t really exist; reality is whatever the majority of people THINK exists, and the laws of science only apply specifically because scientific worldview is the norm among most of the world; because so many people believe that up is up, down is down, gravity keeps you on the ground and so on, that’s how it all works. BELIEF defines reality. Consequently, every aspect of existence is a concept, and when Big D says time is an odious concept, he’s not speaking metaphorically. This is an actual, inarguable truth of the setting.

In the same way, Louis Pasteur is likely a reference to the Technocracy, a secretive conspiracy founded by a number of mage guilds from Europe that banded together to further thier vision of an Enlightened world, but whom gradually succumbed to the evils of colonization, Eurocentric perspectives, abuse of power, and obsessively wanting to control all humantiy for its own good; through their work scientific reason has become the primary paradigm. In a lot of ways the mundane evils of the setting are at least implicitly their fault, and a lot of big names and historical figures are named as being part of the Technocracy; thus its not hard to assume Pasteur is thought to be one of these. (He was actually a vampire. He made himself a vampire with serums. It’s complicated, but the Technocracy assumption lines up with what Big D believes.) This also accounts for his apparent phobia of computers; while it MIGHT be him just being superstitious and weird, it also lines up extremely well with someone who knows the origin of advanced electronics as being literal magic.

And finally, werewolves. Everyone knows werewolves are vulnerable to silver, but not everyone knows why. Big D does; he outright tells Kitten it is because they have a compact with the moon. Put simply, THIS IS NOT COMMON KNOWLEDGE. AT ALL. Werewolves in general are tremendously secretive, though not as murderous about it as vampires are, and preventing humans from learning about them is important enough to be in their solemn oaths. To know about the nature of their bond with the moon requires you to ALSO know about the spirit world; that spirits are real, that werewolves are very heavily linked to the spirits, and THAT is why werewolves are vulnerable to silver. Again, this is not common knowledge, not even among those who are learned in the supernatural. (At least, I don’t think it is.)

So while Big D sounds like he’s yelling in gibberish, almost every single thing he says is massively loaded with context to the greater world of darkness, and it might be him being right on accident... or that he knows more than he’s telling, or IS something more than he seems to be.

[mr-president]

i think one of my favorite o’saa character moments (other than the confession booth scene ofc) is the bookstore scene bc there it becomes incredibly apparent how close-minded someone supposedly seeking enlightenment can be, especially regarding emotion/compassion

i say this bc it a) shows just how much of an sad pretentious bitch he actually is (karin LITERALLY calls him a “sad man”) and b) it serves as criticism to those in academia/scholarship in an “apply your politics/philosophies to people sort of way”

like, he criticizes a fucking bookstore as a method of “escapism,” as if the fictional world writers create is completely removed from reality, when in fact fiction and stories have always been a tool to help people understand their reality better. fiction can be raw escapism but it often helps us understand our emotions, other people/cultures, and what’s wrong with a little escapism if it even helps you a little bit? that’s not to say he’s wrong—if you want to understand the world then perhaps it is best to see it for yourself—but o’saa doesn’t consider how not everyone had the same options he did, has his willingness to abandon everything in pursuit of a greater goal.

o’saa wants so desperately to understand the world better than anyone else that he completely forgoes the fact that emotions are just as much a guiding factor in the world as any “magic”/science he studies to further his understanding of it. what he views as “reality” is just one aspect of it; yes, gods do in fact control the world and influence it, but that’s only on the most macro scale. but the mundane, arguably, affects peoples lives even more, and isn’t it worthy to understand that as well?

the confession booth scene shows that he’s capable of understanding the emotions of others, but the bookstore scene reveals that there’s a level of elitism to his beliefs and philosophy.

in other words, though he’s a genius, o’saa lacks compassion.

this can be said for a lotta the enlightened souls that we’ve seen actually—nas’hrah’s a complete bastard, valtei can suck my balls, and enki’s a bitch. only nosramus is quite friendly, and he’s also the only one to figure out true enlightenment on his own.

anyway back to o’saa and the bookstore. all of the other playable characters call him out on his bullshit because stories have the power to help people, change them, or even save them. o’saa, in his mad quest for enlightenment, hasn’t really changed as a person, has he? he himself says in his intro that ever since he left home, he hasn’t felt a genuine emotion. that allows him to see how religion manipulates masses of people, to relentlessly pursue enlightenment without worldly ties—

but the bookstore scene shows that you kinda need “worldly ties” to achieve enlightenment because as nosramus said, the world is constantly changing and enlightenment is not one sudden change. rather, it is continuous, and you have to consider everything.

and i like to think that in that moment, getting shat on by his party members about his shitty literary opinions, he maybe realized something like that.

he doesn’t have a nosramus to anchor his pretentiousness like enki did, but i think a lotta the themes of funter (fear & hunger: termina) is how relationships formulate and change people.

o’saa didn’t need nas’hrah, he needed someone to tell him that he’s a stupid pretentious little shit and to stop drawing himself as a mary sue. and then be his friend anyway and listen to his batshit insane conspiracy theories (that are true).

tldr; he’s like me when i was 11 basically.

[beileil]

OPPAI Calling Card - Final

So it occurs to me that I never actually posted a calling card for OPM Bingo once the Monster Arc was officially over...which was what, two months ago? Whatever, here it is now.

The bingo cards came out on June 20th, so this covers everything from Chapter 165 on. That's not a lot of chapters to work with, so we're going to be uh...a little liberal on some of these so that you can cross off more spaces. I'd still be kinda surprised if anyone got a bingo. (But please let me know if you did! And please post your final cards if you like!)

Thanks again to @scary-senpai and everyone who submitted suggestions! This was a ton of fun!

Canon

Yet another character ends up naked

Tsundere Garou

A Really Gay Moment™ (a couple SaiGenos and one of Tanktop Al Dente looking respectfully at Zombieman, as pointed out by @no1monstersimp)

Something BAD™ happens to Genos' core or skull (WHO SUGGESTED THIS ONE. I'm not mad. I just want to know.)

Garou's physical body collapses because he's exceeded the Recommended Daily Amount of Enlightenment (gotta be honest, wasn't expecting to be able to cross this one off!)

Metal Bat vouches for Garou

God takes Garou's power away and Garou fucking DIES

Blast and the Interdimensional Justice League show up

Zombiedad being protective of Isamu

Black Sperm is up to no good. Again. *

Pig God uses a Special Attack *

Rover lends an unexpected assist * (Rover also lends an unexpected assist to my mental health with these panels)

*Happened in the aftermath of the MA Arc in Chapter 171 or 172, not in the arc itself, but screw it, we need a win.

Arguably Canon

BDSM if you squint (I didn't know which panel to link here. I just feel in my heart of hearts that a lot of the Saitama and Garou fight gave off vibes. But if you prefer, here's a shot of Strange Binding Shell hiding out by Bomb. Surely his entire existence counts as BDSM!)

Saitama does/says something controversial yet again (Take your pick.)

Tank Toppers band together to do a special Tank Top Attack

Metal Knight shows up, takes some data, leaves. (Didn't say he couldn't take everyone with him!)

Someone shows up with a magic radiation cure (bonus: it’s bananas) (Science is magic, right?)

Amai Mask tries to kill Manako again (It's not a proper attempt, but he would have if Flashy hadn't stepped in)

It's a stretch, but whatever

Amai Mask spotted in Monster Mode (same panel as the last. do the neck veins count as "Monster Mode"?)

“Are you there, God? It’s me, [Blorbo].” (Probably not the original intention of whoever suggested this one, but here's Bang screaming at God to give Garou back.)

King says/does something clever that buys the heroes some time

???

God rage quits the arc

God takes Garou's power away and Garou survives because he's just That Cool (God did take Garou's power away, and Garou did survive, but it certainly was not because he was cool!)

Psykos shows back up and everyone admits they completely forgot about her

Look, you can't prove it's not canon

King has the power of God (no ID) and anime on his side

Jossed

Yet another character loses an arm (Zombieman doesn't count)

Iaian gets his face stomped on

A single panel of Watchdog Man minding his own business in City Q

BDSM if you *don't* squint

Murata breaks the fourth wall to explain the re-draws

Sonic comes out of the bathroom

Garou kicks Genos (just because)

Psykos tries to take a hostage

God (no ID) takes something Psykos can't afford to lose

Metal Bat and Tareo have a moment

Mizuki pole vaults over something

Flashy Flash uses the Sun Blade

Saitama offers Garou a banana

Bang advertises his dojo

Garou gets a hug

Somebody speaks to God's manager

Garou copies The King Engine

Mumen Rider attacks Garou…with forgiveness! (And definitely not his bike.)

Sekingar calls his wife and/or she shows up to the battlefield

Kama and Bushidrill flirt again, Iaian deadpans in the corner

Tank Top Master and Mumen Rider pine for one another

Badd tells Zenko that it was just a really long bathroom break and she hits him again

The Blizzard Group protects Tatsumaki

Atomic Samurai's disciples protect him

Someone uses an impractical household object as a weapon

Fubuki + Psykos = Lesbians

Charanko shows up late

[nostalgebraist]

Welcome back!

For my newer followers -- this is Josh Fredman, a writer I've known for many years.

To quote a bit from his recent "(re)introduction" post:

As an author I mostly write stories about "power" and "beauty." I'll have more to say about my specific stories over the next couple days when I do corresponding (re)introduction posts for The Curious Tale and Galaxy Federal, but the bottom line is that I am very interested in human potential, both at the individual and collective levels, and in the beauty of being alive and experiencing "the world," i.e. our material reality and our own headspaces within it. Other topics that interest me and frequently show up in my writing include justice, creation (both the acts and products of creating), civilization, Illumination (what many would call wisdom or "enlightenment"), ambition and desire, animism, and the poignance of the fleeting nature of all things. I am fascinated by liminality and subliminality; boundaries; vast indoor spaces; megastructures; mysteriousness; "the magical"; surrealism; absurdism; nostalgia; pathos; journeys that do not involve backtracking; and other such things as generally might describe a vast world with hazy horizons lit in twilight. I also strive in my writing (less successfully, I fear) to convey a sense of mystery and wonder. At the same time, I am also fascinated by human emotionality and subjective experience; personal relationships; the human condition and the human psyche; and narrative life arcs. Some who know me through my nonfiction or by talking to me in person have been surprised to see how passionate and emotional my fiction is. My writing style tends to be long-winded and self-indulgent; deliberate and precise; esoteric and bespoke.

I'll add only that Josh's work is more accessible than the above might make it sound. It's big, colorful, imaginative fantasy and science fiction, with lively and immediately engaging characters.

Indeed, I'd describe it as almost deceptively accessible -- though not in a malicious sense, obviously. And not as some sort of mind-screwy narrative fake-out, either.

Josh has been working over these stories -- living inside them, or alongside them -- for most of his life. And so everything in them is the product of careful deliberation and reflection. This goes for even the most "ordinary" details, that might seem casually chosen or tossed-off.

Careful deliberation and reflection, and ... also something else.

I often view my own stories as "real things" that already exist, in some sense, before I commit the words to paper, and which I am simply doing my best to imperfectly transcribe.

Josh's stories give me the same feeling, more so than most things do. Even the ones he hasn't written down yet feel like they exist, somewhere/somehow, already as real as you and me (if not more so).

If this catches your interest, you can read his work at curioustale.org.

In particular, I recommend Prelude to After the Hero, a full-length novel that introduces his largest and oldest story / series / world / "really existing thing".

I am going to try to write here actively again. ("Again," heh; I know I was only active here for an extremely short period many years ago.) To be completely transparent with you, let me explain where I am coming from and what some of my personal limitations and challenges are:

This space will be for discussing both my fantasy story The Curious Tale and my sci-fi Galaxy Federal story, both of which have a novel in active development. Both of these novels are well underway, and my progress in recent years and recent months has been very encouraging. Increasingly, I have given more time to working on them even when I am not inspired, i.e. I have been grinding a lot more (a good thing, in this instance). But at the same time, each novel is well under half-finished in word count. I am fully committed to both endeavors; they are "inevitable" insofar as their completion is only a matter of time (and so the caveat that I may die before they finish always applies, lol). But it is likely to be several more years before the first of these two novels is finished (and I don't know which one that will be).

My reason for splitting my efforts between two novels instead of one is that each world scratches different creative itches for me, and together they provide an outlet for over 90 percent of my creative self-expression needs, whereas if I were to work on them one at a time I would often be plagued with creative needs that have no outlet, which would frustrate my efforts toward whichever one I was working on. For some time I had put The Curious Tale on hold to work on Galaxy Federal, my reasoning being that the latter would be a lighter, smaller affair and would finish quickly. However, that ended up not being the case—at least in terms of the timescale of writing the book—and I realized a couple of years ago that I was committing a folly, and so began working on either novel at my discretion.

What I have to be smart about, and very careful about, in trying to build an active presence on here, is that I have a couple of serious restrictions that I have to work around: First, I can't reveal too much about what's actually in these stories, at least not until much closer to publication. When I was young I was a pretty open book, but in the 2010s I came around to the idea that this was a bad move and that audiences would almost universally enjoy the story more if I didn't slowly trickle out its secrets ahead of publication. So I've played my cards close to the vest these past few years, and I've said very little indeed about the Galaxy Federal novel in particular. This restriction on revealing story details makes it hard for me to find topics to write about in a setting like this. Second, I have to be careful not to put too much time and effort into any posts that I do make here. Due to mental health challenges and my extremely limited mental bandwidth / spoons, I've operated for the past several years under the successful rule of "Don't write about the story when you can just be writing the story itself," which I deem successful because it has corresponded to fewer distractions and more available creative energy for manuscript writing.

So, between these two major restrictions, I need for my posts here to be relatively brief and I also need to find interesting things to talk about that aren't just story giveaways. I've found in my weekly Patreon essays that whenever I do attempt to brush up against discussing the story I often end up stopping just short in a way that I feel has to be pretty unsatisfying for readers. So I am definitely open to suggestions for topics of discussion!

The reason I am choosing this old Tumblr account for this effort is because I know I have at least a handful of people here who are interested in at least one of these two novels, and who use Tumblr on a regular basis. The day will come when I need to start "building my platform" again in order to make these works visible to the public ahead of their publication. I think this is a good starting point because even though Tumblr seems to be in decline, by coming here I would know that I am not talking to an empty room. In the future, however, I may move to a different venue. I really don't know; I'm just saying that I'm not promising that this will be THE place to go forever, ya know?

In the meantime, I will not be doing any social media crossposting, or creating different content for different venues. Other than my weekly Patreon essays, and the occasional indulgent musing on my personal journal, this Tumblr page will be the only place where I talk publicly about either story—at least for the time being. If it goes well here, I will probably try reactivating one of my other old social media channels and doing some crossposting.

I will try to post here at least three times a week, with no fixed calendar, and ideally I will post something almost every day. I will commit to running this trial at minimum till the Autumn Equinox in a little over six weeks, and I will reevaluate then.

Please, if you do have any interest in this, don't be shy chiming in with comments or asks or reblogs. On one level I am here for myself, doing the whole "platform-building" thing, but in another sense I am here because I would like for more people than just me to be excited about these works. Two different sides of the same coin, I suppose, but, given that one of my chief struggles in life is alienation and the search for belonging, it's hard for me to see myself sticking with this if no one ever engages with me. Tell me what you'd like me to talk about, and I will aim to please!

[nathanielbuildsatesseract]

Ended up taking a bit of an accidental Tumblr hiatus because I wanted to keep up the tradition of doing a big post upon hitting a big round number, and was too busy/preoccupied with work and more interesting hobbies to get around to it. The result was enlightening. I had suspected lots of other people I liked left Tumblr (and other social media sites) because they got lives, and now that I’m finally getting some vague semblance of a life, I find myself doing the same. Underrated experience, honestly.

I’m still wasting a large amount of time online (mostly on Twitter, though if current trends continue it’ll finally die and we’ll be free of that particular source of inanity), but the dopamine hit addiction cycle seems to be breaking down a bit. Not fast enough for my liking, mind you, but it is happening. Having work I can do is a very different dynamic than being in school or a job I dislike. Making a few meatspace friends and having coworkers who talk also changes things. A big factor in my social media usage (and that of plenty of others) is trying to get the benefits of socialization without the costs we’ve incurred before. I don’t think this is an effective strategy anymore. It worked once, but died for me around the time everything else started going to hell (i.e., Q3 2016). I’d do better to focus on other avenues.

Some of this is just the passage of time. I’m not getting any younger. I suspect a great many of our social pathologies stem simply from the fact that human lives are so damn short. If we can slay the dragon, maybe we’ll get over our collective trauma from it, but it’ll be a slow process. Maybe I should write a science fiction story about it. Immortality would actually be very nice, but in the meantime, we have to content with the conditionality of our existence. If a strategy isn’t working, it’s time to drop it and try something else.

No, I’m not going anywhere. I still get value from this site. There’s fandom content and interesting discussions and friends I want to keep in touch with. But having basically dropped it for a fortnight with very little internal resistance, it seems much easier to just...not log in, for days at a time. I find I enjoy the site better that way, anyway. Coming back after a hiatus, or using it in moderation while accomplishing things elsewhere, has reliably proven itself the most rewarding strategy.

In related news, I’m making strides editing my 2021 NaNoWriMo story and finally got unstuck on my thesis. That’s on top of getting trained up at work, where I’m finally making the engineering contributions I’ve dreamed of making for literally two decades now. This year I learned that I’m just not cut out to be an astronaut (the APD is enough to effectively disqualify me), but designing spacecraft is more fun to me than operating them. Someday, probably soon, more regular people than supermen will be going to space. I’m contributing to that, in my own small way, and that makes me happy.

Getting out of bed in the morning is still a challenge—I do hate the experience of waking up—but I’m no longer totally fighting against facing the day. I guess the story here is about incremental recovery from depression. It’s been a long nine years. I don’t have a magic solution, and the mechanistic solutions that worked for me would have worked a hell of a lot sooner if our culture was more rational. But if the sanity waterline were high, I probably never would have fallen into depression in the first place.

Ad astra per aspera. We’ll get there eventually, one step at a time, as long as we don’t destroy ourselves first. I’m worried about that, worried as hell, but there’s not much I can do besides more of the same. Spread truth and virtue, create a better world, and squeeze very drop of potential and joy from these hairless apes. It’s not necessarily easy, but it’s far more pleasant than the alternatives.

[lovelyteng]

NSR: My Headcanon of Neon J.

- He's the only member of NSR who doesn’t have power because it’s secret. After Music Revolution as every night as everyone’s asleep, he went outside to secret base as he shown his power an secret.

- He was sneaky and mischievously for his friends’ private and secret while they’re gone. As he records it while he feeling funny as he knows.

- He was very worried about his secret talent due to Social and Sexual Anxiety, Self-Image, Stage Fright as Glossophobia (Fear of Speaking in Public), and losing of Self-Control as triggered PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) while he was alone. As he lies around stuff in paranoid as he is always hiding it from everyone else…

- He’s very uncomfortable about something’s not right, he tries to warn his friends about what he says, then shows what Neon J said about what happened. Also, he officially doesn’t like his male friends acting weird and no reason even Zuke and DJ Zam’s Valley Redemption. 

- Secretly, Neon J was highly skilled in chemistry, technology, music, art, and time as highly intelligent of all subjects, mostly mathematical and languages. Also, he created the instruments, even Zuke’s drumsticks.

- Neon J’s true powers were Elemental-Power Manipulation and Mixture, Elemental-Power Manipulation as the same as NSR Artists’ Power but mixture. Water-Space Manipulation (Purl-Hew’s Water Manipulation and DJ Subatomic Supernova’s Space Manipulation) Nature-Reality Manipulation (Eloni’s Nature Manipulation and Sayu’s Reality Manipulation) Electricity-Soul Manipulation (Haym’s Electricity Manipulation and Yinu’s Soul Manipulation) Fire-Mind Manipulation (Zimelu’s Fire Manipulation and Eve’s Mind Manipulation) Cold-Time Manipulation (Rin’s Cold Manipulation and Tatiana’s Time Manipulation)

- His food obsession was Coleslaw, Green Sauce, Gummy Candy, and 5 Colored Food.

- His powers were made of light science and dark magic which same of his parents as his father was power of dark and science while his mother was of light and magic.

- Neon J acting normal as he’s knows himself for not soldier, then he acting soldier due to have PTSD as trigger even he heard broke Yinu’s Piano as started trigger.

- He can see and hear everything as controlling 1010 but sometimes he controls their vision and hearing but poor level.

- His music weapon was Communication Baton which Neon J’s weapon used to conduct to instruments as control as filled in magic from Neon J’s Magic Manipulation. Signal Microphone which Neon J’s weapon used to transducer as speak/vocal to people as control as filled in science from Neon J’s Science Manipulation.

- Neon J’s redemption is that music was passion and family was important while he was fixing 1010. For different reason was some do it for change themselves, they change the world.

- Reason of Neon J rapping was rather than singing, he can’t control his singing voice.

- He was an outside extrovert and inside introvert while outside order and inside chaos.

- His voice was changed like 1010 when he sometimes stronger of emotions.

- He got 1010′s Loyalty, Empathetic, Communication, Chaos, and Sometimes Disobedience as Rin’s Gentlemanly, Zimelu’s Aggravate, Purl-Hew’s Enlightenment, Haym’s Dynamic, and Eloni’s Possibility.

[justaleksey]

Caution, a long Ender Lilies and Hollow Knight rant ahead with a lot of spoilers! Proceed at your own risk

I have some of EL music stuck in my head and I'm thinking about HK characters so here you go: some of area/background music from Ender Lilies applied to Hollow Knight!

1. Hornet + Awakening/Harmonious/North

Hornet is a tragic character with a traumatizing story. Sometimes the past of her kingdom, the suffering of her people, her own actions and duties weigh on her too much, the same as Awakening. This song shows us the sheer pain, the darkness, the tragedy. I feel like @/dooblebugs 's portrayal of Hornet is really focused on her grief and pain, and that song would play in her mind 24/7.

Harmonious displays the sadness she feels, the loneliness she might feel, being by herself almost all the time, but that grief is kind of a bit more lighthearted than the one in Awakening. There's a tiny glimmer of hope now, it's still sad, but the sadness doesn't consume her. Maybe she doesn't move on (if it's even possibly to move on from that), but she starts to accept the fact that grief isn't all she has.

Hornet's character is not all about suffering and pain. I believe she still has the ability to laugh, to feel joy, to hope, even after everything that's happened. Harmonious is like a hint to that trait of her, but North is when it starts to awaken. Maybe the second part of that track doesn't suit her that much (maybe when she gets like super-emotional and shares her feelings about future or something), but we see that part of her sometimes. She laughs during our battle with her, she shows that she still hopes for the better, maybe she tries communicating with survivors in Dirtmouth. I really like seeing that in her, so for me Harmonious and North suit a more close to canon version of Hornet and @/arty-cakes 's version. The one that is still hurt and traumatized, but starts healing.

2. Pale King + A Nocturne for All

A Nocturne for All is probably my favourite song in the OST, and PK is probably my favourite character in the game lore. I really don't see him as a villain in that story. He is a higher being which decided to settle down, to give creatures the divine gift of mind. He may not be the greatest, but he has my respect for his decision to bring himself closer to the ones he wished to enlighten, as it could be, I suppose, a very meaningful sacrifice. But then the Infection came. The King of Hallownest does terrible things in order to protect his people, his kingdom, his legacy. And in his last moments he probably has already realised that his actions, his sacrifices were worthless. In the end, he didn't save anyone, not even himself. A Nocturne for All is filled with his endless grief. It is a lament of all of his worshippers, all of his doings, all of his children.

Also I can't not notice the similarities between him and Faden, the one the song plays for. Both lost something dear to them, both tried to fix it with science, both failed to prevent the inevitable, both created something horrible in an attempt to do so, both only worsened the circumstances with their actions, even if they had good intentions. Just look at Faden in this scene:

That is the exact pose I imagine PK standing in at least at some point.

3. Quirrel + The Witch's Breath

Before Quirrel learns about Monomon, his past and his connection to Hallownest, he's all about exploring and finding and learning. He's amazed, he's mesmerised by the beauty of this dead yet admirable kingdom.

"Tragedy erased... I see only wonders..."

The same thing with The Witch's Breath. It's like Greenpath/Queen's Gardens/Fog Canyon theme, but much more magical. And it also tells us that this place, despite being devoid of sentient life is insanely beautiful, full of mysteries, rich with nature. Fit for explores like Quirrel.

4. Ghost + Prologue/Main Theme/The White Witch

Do I even need to explain? The main character, Ghost, enters the dead kingdom in Prologue, thinking, they are the Hollow Knight, the one and only, the Chosen One (or, at least, the Player thinks so). They are a bit lost, but they are ready to jump in an important adventure ahead of them. And then, of course, we get some more variations of the main theme, the everlasting leitmotif. However...

5. Hollow + Lily

I think it just fits the vibe here. The Main Menu in both games kind of plays the True Main Theme of the Game, and similarly, we find out later on that the one who this theme belongs to really was all along the Chosen One, they were imprisoned a long time ago and now we have to search the dead kingdom in order to replace them.

In conclusion, I know that EL and HK are very similar to each other, but their music is different, their imagery is different, and I kinda liked to apply one thing to another in a way.

All of this is just my opinions, theories and headcanons, you don't have to agree with me, but if you've read the whole thing and maybe discovered/opened something new for yourself, it's great!

P.S.:

@fire-bay @rukafais @skelement Thought you guys might like it

[makingspiritualityreal]

Numerology Life Path 9 - Your Birth Card and its Ruling Planet

Numerology Life Path Numbers and their assigned Tarot Card Meaning Series

This is a post in my new astrology/numerology/tarot series, that only concerns you, if you are a Life Path 9. Posts on consecutive Life Path Numbers will follow. Originally, I wanted to do them all in one post, but my writing turned out to be so long, I decided to split the post and seperate the Life Path Numbers. The introduction part of the post will be the same for all Life Path Numbers, in case you only read a post about your own Life Path Number, and nothing else.

Introduction The concept of a Birth Card links Tarot and Numerology together, in order to deepen our understanding of a vibration of a Life Path Number we are born with. The Birth Card, or rather Birth Cards, are Major Arcana Tarot Cards with assigned numbers, which correlate with Life Path Numbers. Understanding the meaning of tarot cards, mixed with the knowledge of Numerology Vibrations, helps create a more unique vision of your life experience. A person with any given Life Path Number, having several Major Arcana energies present in their lives, usually struggles with one of the energies more than the other. As a result, life will probably force them to focus on mastering one of these energies. In general, however, any Life Path describes both your biggest downfall and ultimate triumph - just like with an Astrology Chart, the highlighted numbers/astrology houses point to your biggest strengths and weaknesses. For a better understanding of this concept, visit my article “Natal Chart - A map of your issues?” Remember, that everyone, besides their Life Path Number and Birth Card also has a unique astrology chart. Thus, for some people embracing the higher expression of their energy is easier, for others it’s harder and it takes more time to master, and some energies become easier to deal with than others. Most human beings are somewhere in between, working on their path and having some achievements while struggling with difficulties at the same time. In the spiritual community, there are differences in opinion on linking Astrological Planets and positions to specific numerology numbers energies. My take is a result of my own personal experience, conversations with other people in my field and research, in order to give you the widest possible spectrum of ideas and increase the understanding of every Life Path Number. If you are a Master Number 11, 22 or 33, there will be a seperate post on how the Birth Cards apply to you as well. Even If you have only a basic understanding of Astrology, Tarot or Numerology, this post will still be helpful to you, because it describes the unique vibrational mix that comes from the expression of both these spiritual sciences mixed together. To calculate which Tarot Cards and what Life Path correspond to your birthday, click here.

Life Path 9 - The Hermit and The Moon

The energies of a Life Path 9 are ruled by the dynamic energy of Mars. This Life Path's main objective in this incarnation is to find a cause to devote themselves too. This cause is what sets them apart from the crowd, but also holds them together. Without that cause, or at least being on the way to finding that cause, they feel lost and unmotivated and are very prone to getting dejected with the world around them.

The reason for why this Life Path can fall into such lows when they are not moving forward with their goals is that they gain all their wisdom, understanding and depth from taking action and being "in the field". A Life Path 9 is someone, who can get illuminated by the process of a repetitive performance of a task on the way to their goal, making them a very "hands on" learner. They possess the power to find magic and depth in the mundane. However, to access that, they must immerse themselves in finding their path first. They need the material world for contrast to start the unique alchemical process, that they have a gift for. That's why this Life Path has such a knack for social causes. They know how to upgrade the energetic vibration of a group through physical processes. That is extremely powerful in the 21st century, when we have worldwide access to international communities. A Life Path 9 in their element could be an inspiring writer or a creator, whose work moves people on a larger scale. However, to access that power, this Life Path needs to find their right direction first. That is achieved most often through trial and error. A Life Path 9 is born with a crystallised, internal idea of the energy that they want to change the world with, but they need practice to find the most optimal way to externalise their gifts and express them from an authentic place. That can also involve building a specific skill, based on their intuitive gifts, which will make them learn that skill faster than anyone in their profession, for the sake of realising a larger vision.

The shadow aspect of a Life Path 9 is in the energy of being scattered, confused, misguided, lacking illumination of their purpose or true understanding of the depth of life. This can result in feeling unmotivated even further, which then leads to various coping mechanisms, such as procrastination, distraction, escapism and unfunded expectation for the world to fix their problems for them, and when that fails, blaming the world for not giving them a helping hand from the outside. In reality, this bitterness is a reflection of their desire to manifest their own path in the world, and when they are not actively doing it, the vision of the changes they themselves could be making in the world haunts and frustrates them. Many Life Path 9s are not even aware of that process, and they experience it subconsciously, which makes them even more prone to various subliminal escapism tactics.

The other characteristic vibrational trait of the 9 is its single-minded nature. While they care about community causes and things on a grander scale, and once they find a worthy goal they take it seriously, they are inherently stubborn. That works both in their advantage and to their detriment. When they have their eye on a prize, no one can stop them from achieving their goal, but if they are stuck on an idea that is working against them, or if they have gotten themselves buried in idleness, only they can truly realign themselves back on the right path. Other people's advice won't matter much to them, and even if they are outwardly polite, they will subconsciously resist anyone's guidance but their own. They may need an external forceful pressure to consider changing their course at all.

The associated Tarot Cards help us find solutions to efficiently use the energy of this Life Path Number.

The Hermit - Related to the internally solitary nature of this Life Path, the Hermit isolates himself from the whole world in order to find his truth and deepen his connection to the Source, the Universe Itself. This points out, that when in doubt the tactic for a Life Path 9 is to find answers in solitude, by using a spiritual practice that reconnects them to the voice within, mixed with trial and error. The Hermit is also a wise, old figure, which shows that for a Life Path 9 a lot of time, patience and mental effort is often necessary to be able to find their path. At its peak, this Tarot card shows a mature energy of a Life Path 9 becoming a beacon of wisdom for others, who come to them to seek counsel in times of trial, just like those seeking enlightenment look for the Hermit in his abode.

The Moon - Points to both the natural instinct, that this Life Path is so strong in, but also the element of confusion and the overwhelming sensations that can feel like a maze with no exit. However, opposites attract, and a Life Path 9 is the one capable of harnessing the energy of the Moon Tarot card by seeing a straight, clear path through the murky waters. This Tarot card points to this Life Path's ability to find the light in the deepest darkness.

The Key Word for a Life Path 9 is Direction. This Life Path's destiny is to apply direction and wisdom (The Hermit) through uncertainty and overwhelming confusion of life (Moon) by finding a path in the darkness. A Life Path 9 in a higher state of evolution knows exactly where they are going, and what is their purpose for choosing this specific path to follow. This approach is applied in all areas of life, relationships, choice of work field, time management in their daily life. Once they are in the flow, a Life Path 9 knows how to follow their objective like nobody else, if they have genuine passion for it, set their mind on it and stay on course. This Life Path illuminates the way of the true Spiritual Warrior, always walking ahead, passionate and forever faithful to his calling.