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charmedreincarnation · 10 months

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Success story (not the void)

Maya, as I promised you, I'm writing you my success story. It's quite a wild one, so please bear with me.

My journey started during the Angel era, when I was struggling with the void state. I tried everything I could think of to get out of it - every method, every meditation technique, affirming, intention, lucid dreaming, and even coaching from various LoA experts, including those not so well-known. I was desperate for a breakthrough, a key to unlock the life I deserved. I would have done anything, even ate dirt if that was what it took.

At that time, my family was going through a rough patch. My abusive father, a police officer, divorced my mother and left us with nothing. We were homeless, living out of our car, while my dad was living a comfortable life. He had a new girlfriend, a younger woman, and continued to be respected in his job. Meanwhile, my mom, who was a victim of his abuse, was labeled a liar and lost everything. I was filled with rage, towards him, towards the world, towards the jury that declared him innocent. I wasn’t safe in this world especially being homeless, women and children are the most vulnerable to sexual and physical assault. I was scared, unsafe, and had nothing aside my mother and siblings.

I wanted to enter the void, not just for myself, but to give my family a better life and to bring justice to those who had wronged us. I was at a point where I was harming myself, but I couldn't give up because my family needed me. I remember messaging you, Maya, pouring out my story, begging you to help me enter the void. Despite your initial hesitation, you responded with kindness, sharing some personal experiences, and reassuring me that I wasn't alone.

Your words gave me hope. You made me realize that many people who find the law have gone through, or are still going through difficulties. If they could overcome their struggles, so could I.

So, I decided to let go of the void. Not because I didn't believe in it, but because I had elevated it to a status akin to a genie that would magically solve all my problems. When non-dualism and other loa concepts were introduced, everything finally clicked. I realized I didn't have to be angry, or try to be someone manifesting master, or do all these fake methods. I have always known that my family and I were meant to be happy.

For a month, I went through a process of shedding my ego. It was uncomfortable, and there were times I found myself fighting my own thoughts, telling them to shut up. I was separating my ego from myself. You, Maya, had once said that this process was similar to withdrawal symptoms of someone quitting drugs. This thought comforted me. I was becoming someone new, my old thoughts weren't there anymore.

Living in my car, I began to see it as my mansion. My mom's crying turned into laughter, my siblings' whine for food turned into jokes. We pretended that we were living our dream life, and after a while, my siblings joined me in this game. We would come "home" from school and yell at each other, pretending that the house was so big that we needed walkie-talkies to communicate.whenever I needed to steal food it was because we owned the place and can take whatever we want, not because I had to.

One day, we parked at a field, and I started imagining my life. I tried to become the clouds by thinking I am and accepting that my consciousness could be whatever it wanted. I got my siblings to do the same. We became the flowers, then the sun, then the stars at night. Even though physically I was still in the car, mentally and emotionally, I was living my dream life.

When I woke up, I was in a large room. It was decorated to perfection. I heard my siblings running around, throwing toys, and my mother laughing with a man, who's laugh alone sounded like gold. I explored the house, and it was beautiful. There was no yelling, no violence, only laughter and love. My mom introduced me to her boyfriend, and he was holding a newspaper that read that my father had been arrested for domestic crimes and fraud. He was losing everything.

At that moment, I realized that I had done it. My mom was happy, beautiful, and loved. My siblings had plenty of toys and clothes, and our house was filled with love. My family and I were finally living our dream life.

I have been living my life for about a month and now, and it has been blissful to say the least. I go to a well known private school and I am the top student. I am apart of many clubs, and also spend a lot of time volunteering at domestic shelters, and speaking to victims of intrapersonal abuse. I have made friends of people who volunteer with me, so it’s nice to have people who care about the same thing I do.

I am also apart of my writing club, and found comfort in reading and writing and have decided I want to be an author once I graduate. I have always wanted to be a writer but they don’t make enough money often. But now not only do I know I will be successful but my family has enough money to last us multiple generations plus some more. My Bio father had gotten much to what is coming to him and he will be going to jail. I hope he drops the soap but I have let go of my anger with that barbaric fool. So has my mother who has also recently gotten engaged and I get to be her maid of honor. She has a friend group of mothers from school and I have never seen her happier. My now father treats her like a goddess and treats everyone like that. He spoils my mom and us with gifts and luxurious trips. He also spoils the help such as the maids and cooks and never treats them below us. He does not expect anything from my mother except for her to be happy and spend time with us. He is kind selfless loving and respectful. the real definition of a man. I adore him so much and I’m so happy to call him my father.

I find great joy in the little stuff. I love cleaning my room. My bio dad was a hoarder and the house was always a mess because my mom was the sole provider though my “bio dad” made much more. He instead used it on hookers, alcohol, and drugs. Pathetic excuse for a man I know. I love going shopping, as I don’t have to look at the price tag. It feels normal, there was no shift. This is just life constantly changing. I have 5 pets and spend great time with all of them, and they are all so loving and adore me. I love school, and doing my homework, taking tests, assemblies etc. i love talking to my teacher about my ideas and how I can improve. They’re always so encouraging and kind, and I have never experienced that. I also loveeeee having crushes hehe. I never had time nor the “looks” for that prior to these past few months, but I receive a good amount of attention from a lot of sweet man and the “what if” aspect of having crushes is fun. I just love being a teenage girl, something I was not always able to say. I love the world and the people in it, the creations I bring and make, and all I did to make it what it is. I never worry what happened to my old self or life. It died, it doesn’t exist I am here right now with them and the old story is gone. Like an author erasing a part of a story she doesn’t like and never producing it, I did the same. My one true reality and I am so blessed.

Also big thanks to bloggers like @awarenessis @starbursts777 @consciousnessbaddie for introducing this concepts to Tumblr in a simple and kind way. Love to everyone in this devoted app.

Congratulations on your astounding success story 🥹 Your journey is a testament to the power of the human spirit, and it's an honor to hear about your transformation. This is beautiful wild tale, but it's your reality, and it's absolutely beautiful.

Your story is a powerful reminder that we have the power to shape our reality, no matter how dire our circumstances may be. It's a testament to the power of belief, determination, and the human spirit. I'm incredibly proud of you and wish you and your family all the happiness in the world.

#law of assumption #manifesation #manifesting #void state #my asks

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etheries1015 · 4 months

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AYYE EITHERIES YOU'RE BACK

You're on the stan Lilia path I see? You are a person of culture as well. I was reading about myths and realized that the non-human immortals in Yuu's world is totally different from the faes aka the only non-human immortals in TWST because most of them either love or lust for humans. For example, I have heard that nine-tailed foxes seduce humans to drain their life force, youkais falling for humans, and in my country there are tons of stories where genies fell in love with humans. On the other hand, twst faes are like EWWW humans. Total opposites despite both having magic powers lmao.

Imagine the anti-human faes like general era Lilia, Sebek, and Baul with you, their close friend who's a powerful non-human immortal thing. You have great powers but what pisses them off IS THAT YOU ARE A HUMANSEXUAL 🤯👹😠🤬 Out of all fine faes you decided to flirt with HUMANS

Remember the distracted boyfriend meme years ago? The one where the guy is distracted and admiring the girl in red clothing while his gf is angry right next to him? That sums up your friendship dynamic with the anti-human fae.

I'M BAACKK yesss I am slowly turning into..like..A Lilia stan blog...BUAHAHA. I'm about ready to drop an ungodly amount of money for Lilia merch to fill my hyper fixation. Someone needs to shoot me and drag my corpse outside to touch some grass, or before I make some seriously problematic financial decisions.

I LIKE THAT HAHAHA Reader being a Yokai or succubus of somesort (because i'm hrny 24/7) and so infatuated with humans, being friends with Faes that have no interest in them is very interesting to you. Like. They are so cute when they wriggle around on their two legs with very little going on in their brains...it's less of love for humans, but more of...infatuation? Interest? Kind of like someone who enjoys reading mythology and going down a rabbit hole of mythical creatures they find fascinating.

Lilia- y/n. For a being incredibly talented in many aspects of martial arts and magical properties, I must say I am incredibly disappointed in your choice of whom you bring home at night.

Y/n - I have told you this time and time again, they are useful for replenishing my energy, Lilia! I don't understand what is with the fae of your world that hate humans so much. Aren't they cute? how they crawl around kind of like ants?

Lilia- That's...hmm. I do not agree with your stance, however...your analogy is kind of funny...

Baul, annoyed- I feel that this war should make it fairly obvious why we have such distaste for humans. Why don't you try another species? Beastmen, perhaps? Or even Fae? They have ample amount of magical energy you can also obtain from.

Y/n- that's like telling a meat eater to substitute chicken for chicken-flavored soy products. It just isn't the same! You two will never understand.

Baul, folding his arms- you're lucky you are aiding us in the war. Albiet at the price the shitty humans you like to mingle with despite your martial prowess.

Lilia- and that time you stopped mid battle simply to ask a human if they'd like to sleep with you.

Y/n, shrugging- don't knock it til' you try it

Lilia- ...i'll pass. Go shower, you smell like human stench.

Right to left;

Lilia, immortal/magic being Yuu, humans

HAHAHA thank you for this, it made me cackle

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland headcannons #baul twst #Lilia vanrouge #twst headcannons

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pencilofawesomeness · 1 year

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What is Twisted Wonderland and how would you sell someone on it?

Ohoho. Ohohohoho. Anon. You have activated my trap card >:D

(I'm about to be soooo annoying/unhinged and I'm sorry. I'm not.)

Alright, so:

Twisted Wonderland is a Disney mobile game made in Japan and co-produced by Aniplex. (Yes, that Aniplex.) I'm not here to sell you on the game, so much as the story, but it is a sort of story-book rpg with turned based fights and rhythm games, where you build character units from a gacha pull. As far as gameplay goes, it's very simple, and most of the emphasis lies on the characters and the story. And it's wonderful.

The on-the-box description of this game doesn't do it justice, per se, but that might be because Disney has a little bit of influence on it and they suck at knowing who their target audience is. It is about a high school based on classic Disney villains—but no, not in the way you're thinking, because I once made that mistake too. It is not a villain school. Rather, the world of Twisted Wonderland is its own entity, with characters built as sort of nods or foils to classic Disney characters. The world itself is somewhat built with these films as its past, and history has become so twisted (ha) that modern society views some of these classic villains as the heroes or supporting characters of their stories, and respect them as The Great Seven. (The seven in question being the Queen of Hearts, Scar, Ursula, Jafar, the Evil/Raven Queen, Hades, and Maleficent. None of them are remembered by name, though.)

The game takes place in the modern era, a society with both technology and magic. Specifically, it takes place in a magic high school called Night Raven College, an all-boys dormitory prep school where the only requirement to get in is a magic mirror that peers into your soul and determines whether or not you can a) do magic and b) kin the Great Seven. And, of course, the player character is a regular-ass human who gets isekai'd in and gets stuck with a talking magic cat direbeast named Grim.

Now. That is the general synopsis. I, on the other hand, affectionately call this the Mental Breakdown game.

See, here's the kicker. The magic system is pretty nifty; while it's functions as a standard magic-is-magic sort of soft system, it has ✨consequences✨

Magic has this byproduct called blot. It's this icky stuff that builds up when you a) use too much magic and/or b) are emotionally distressed. But less so in a "I'm panicked right now" sort of way and more so in a "I have chronic depression and/or anxiety" sort of way. And, when a mage is powerful enough, and sad boi enough, and then goes and uses way too much magic and sad boi juice in one sitting, this amazing phenomenon occurs called "overblot"—which is pretty much a super-powered evil form that turns the mage into the darkest form of themselves and then uses magic until they die.

Naturally, this happens in the game. A lot. The formula is pretty much that each "book" of the story, there is an overblot. One for each of the seven dorms, which are based off of the seven villains/the movies they come from. (And "based on" is pretty loose. Yes you can see the similarities, but these are dumb teenage boys with their own hopes and aspirations, and, sometimes, the game completely lies to you about what character they emulate the most. The guy who's Jafar? Well yes but he's actually just a really stressed out Genie stand in. The Hades guy? Whoops that's Meg. Is that a card soldier or the White Rabbit? Doesn't matter, he's got problems.)

The characters are so well written. I could gush about them forever, and they are the driving points of this plot and it means everything to me. They are some of the most traumatized and messed up individuals, but also, they are dumb teenage boys who do dumb teenage boys things. It is all incredibly well balanced and startlingly realistic for a game that amounts to beating the emotional constipation around people. Mostly because it cannot be beat out of them. The blot can, but they have to deal with their emotions with their own two hands, with varying levels of success.

And the shenanigans!!!! Oh, the shenanigans. I call this the Emotional Trauma game but I have once laughed so hard someone heard me through the floor. It's not all doom and gloom for sure. Sometimes you're watching your friend fall apart because his toxic mother instilled debilitating perfectionism and slowly start making enemies of everyone and sometimes you're sending three of the most gremlin students plus one cinnamon roll to infiltrate a gala that a bunch of weather fairies are throwing in the greenhouse because they stole your temperature regulating magestone to be shiny jewelry and you want it to stop snowing inside your dorm room. And sometimes you can have the exact same character who experienced losing his little brother right in front of him gush about a magical girl sledding anime and all of his gacha games. It is the best of both worlds.

And, that's not all! No, no. We get amazing character interactions. Not just pre-determined friend group interactions, but also random interactions. Yana Toboso (the writer/artist) really likes to stick names in a jar sometimes and make them interact and it is the best thing ever. Every single one of these characters I hold in my hands. Every single one of them gets to have their moment to shine. You can emotionally invest in all of them and be rewarded for it.

The game itself is free and pretty easy to get into. There's not really a bad power creep so you can get through it with what you got. Of course the fun part of collecting cards is that there are stories attached to them that you can watch, and those are also sources of joy. (And it's well documented, so you can find things online pretty easily to catch up and see more.)

I just think it's neat. (Read: I accidentally became wholly obsessed with this game and its characters and they are all blorbos to me.)

You should definitely fall into this rabbit hole with me :))) It's so worth it :)))

#twisted wonderland #ask #anon #I could gush about the characters individually but #we would be here all day #anyway I love them all #and this game does a surprisingly good job with mental illness and neurodivergency #despite never naming any of it #it's pretty obvious though #even if not to the character themselves all the time #also this game is absolutely gut wrenching in the most positive way #it accidentally made me reconsider my entire life and well being #when I saw a little too much of myself in one of the characters overblotting #like WHOOPS I see the issue #but that's a me thing #anyway its very good and I can easily be enabled into blabbing about it more #this is just a very general overview really #and if that's not enough then know that in the first book #I character once says “no I am not going to put down the shovel I am still DIGGING”#and that's when I knew this was going to be fun #and then the end of the book I hear the VA of Tanjiro have a full cry and I knew this was going to consume me #is a very good story and a fun lil game

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delawaredetroit · 2 months

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This...certainly is a selective retelling of their society's history.

Because from the little we've seen from the Dawn of Quirks era, it was less about "no weaponized quirks" initially and more like "the metahumans are unclean and should be shunned/eliminated". There probably weren't any out quirked people in the police force when this decision was made in the first place. This no violent use of quirks concept feels like a justification made after the fact.

And it's more likely that there were groups of vigilantes that gained public support first which forced the powers that be to accommodate them, and not the other way around (see the entire plot of the Vigilantes manga for an example of this even in their current hero society).

As heroes started out as vigilantes, it's more like they began outside the law and then the law changed to incorporate the ones it found to be the most useful to try to regain stability after their society realized the genie couldn't be put back in the bottle on the quirk situation.

On another note, it sure was an interesting choice to have a heteromorph character be the one to explain hero society's current spin on the history

#bnha reread #bnha 56 #bnha #hero society #what's unclear is how much of this history is actively censored vs the powers that be just trying to drown out every other message #bc looking at mha alone i'd say more censorship but with the context of vigilantes and especially makoto...#it might just be good propaganda and the reality of the situation is relegated to academia (see tsukauchi makoto)

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the-empress-7 · 2 months

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When she does reappear in public, I am prepared for "it's not her it's a clone", "look at all the work she had done", "so sad that her husband beats her but she can't leave the marriage" and so on type of bullshit.

Yeah, I don't think this particular genie is going back in the box. There'll be a significant part of the global population that will, from now on, think of her as an abused housewife, a clone, a robot, etcetera. They'll just think it in passing, oh yes robo-Kate the cyborg, what is she wearing.

No cute jokes about Banksy or the Princess Protection Program are going to defuse this. It's done, it has reached critical mass, and broke containment, and KP will have to deal with it going forward. I hope they are prepared.

I agree. We are back in the Princess Diana frenzy era, except a lot worse as social media is a monster that cannot be contained. What used to work in the past, isn't going to work moving forward.

I don't know what the answer is, but I do know that some things have to change. If nothing else, at least for Catherine's sake, she deserves better.

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spade-riddles · 14 days

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So I had some thoughts about an old message

One step forward

1 2, 3 4 steps back

For the first twelve albums of her career, and the first 34 years of her life, Taylor has had to take four steps back for every one step forward. Whether it's a step out of the closet or an attempt to push forward musically, or to progress her image - she always had to appease others first, and make compromises. Like the bearding.

As windows glow through darkness

Like candles on a snack

The windows represent home and hope. Something Taylor is keeping in her view as she moves forward through the dark.

"Candles on a snack" seems like a reference to a birthday though. The end point of all of this is a birthday? Possibly. We've all noticed how Taylor keeps referencing Karlie's birthday. 8 and 3 everywhere you look. It could just be a silent way to express her love, like the daisy motif. Or maybe it's something we should be keeping an eye on?

Another possibility is that the windows are the hope Taylor is giving Kaylor fans, by offering us "windows" into the truth. Windows like the polaroids at Drake's 30th birthday party, or like all the birthday cakes we suspect were Karlie's doing. The Milk Bar cakes everywhere you look, or the cake with the cats and red roses for Taylor's own thirtieth, that just felt so much like a cake Karlie commissioned for her.

Cap the lamp, put the goat back

Frivolous, tenfold, 3 desires

And until the clock strikes midnight

Light the ground with fires

"Cap the lamp" - extinguish the flame. Put out the light. Taylor is back under cover of darkness?

"Put the goat back" - This could have any number of meanings. GOAT as in "greatest of all time". Goat as in "scapegoat". Goat as in "Judas goat" (a goat that unsuspecting animals follow into the slaughterhouse). All we can really say with this is that some important part of the plan got put back. Not time. Not yet.

Alternatively! It's possible this whole portion of the riddle references Disney's Aladdin.

"Cap the lamp" - the genie in the movie is imprisoned within the lamp by this mechanism.

"Put the goat back" - the genie transforms into a goat at one point in the movie. (So the goat here is the genie.) The genie wants to be freed from the prison of the lamp. He grants wishes and performs illusions for others, but is imprisoned back in the lamp when not fulfilling this purpose.

"Frivolous" - the genie is a comedy character but his enslavement within the golden lamp is a darker existence than people realize.

"Tenfold" - there is a saying that the things you do "will come back on you tenfold". It's probably the most common use of the word these days, and relates to the concept of karma. Anon wanted us to take note of this word in particular.

"3 desires" - the genie in Aladdin had the power to grant three wishes to the person who let him out of the lamp. Aladdin's wishes were: to be a prince, to be saved from drowning, and finally, to set the genie free. If these correspond to Taylor's three big wishes in her life, then "be a prince" might translate as "find fame"; "be saved from drowning" might translate to "hold onto love" ("I'd hold you as the water rushes in" / "Help me hold onto you"); and finally . . . "free the genie" is freedom. For both herself and Karlie. No more performing for everyone else while kept in a gilded cage. No more making a lark of the misery.

And until the clock strikes midnight

Light the ground with fires

"Midnight" here could mean album number twelve. The album Midnights invited us to meet her at. Until then, she's setting fires. The imagery of burning the Lover house has appeared all through the Eras Tour, but setting fires also creates smoke. Smoke can shield you and create a diversion, allowing you to move unnoticed through the haze. Or it can create attention. As in the saying "there's no smoke without fire" - or, some truth in every rumor. A lot of little fires can end up creating a big cloud of smoke, that is hard to ignore.

Be as clever as a god

Translating seeds of hope

There's purpose in confusion

Slowly untangling the many ropes

The Greek goddess of wisdom and war = Athena.

The translating is being done by us, as we decipher Taylor's hints to find the seeds of hope in them. She's telling us the confusion is purposeful and in service to a bigger plan, and asking us to be patient.

Just some thoughts I had while rereading old riddles! The Aladdin thing especially struck me. I haven't seen anyone else interpret the lamp and the three desires this way

Interesting read! Here is the 🫚 poem:

#🫚

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bloomingdayswithyou · 9 months

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OMG THAT IS PERFECT! Because hands down Lucas owned MAW era the whole concept and MAU itself was a amazing and they were clearly going for a genie in the lamp, Arabian Nights, Aladdin theme and one of Lucas' outfits just screams ALADDIN to me and so I was gonna ask if I could request for an Alddin AU with Lucas as Aladdin and the male reader as Jasmine and for a fun twist Jackson Wang is gonna be the genie (if you don't write for Jackson you can surprise me with who you prefer the genie to be or which ever character and idol you wanna add I just love Jackson and Lucas duo lol ;)) I love Aladdin both the 1992 animated version and the 2019 live action adaptation so I wanna be surprised with what you can come up with, take us to A Whole New World and have fun! Thanks in advance!🧞‍♂️✨️🌌🌙🐒🩵🐅

A Whole New World

Pairing: Aladdin!Lucas x Jasmine!Male!Reader (feat. Genie!Jackson)

Word count: 609

Warnings: none

Author’s note: I’m a bit more familiar with Aladdin but still it’s been a while since I’ve watched it!! I tried my best

In the bustling city of Agrabah, Lucas and m/n had become inseparable. Their love had flourished and taken root, weaving a tapestry of passion and devotion that seemed to defy the constraints of time. Their secret meetings in the palace gardens had now become cherished traditions, a sacred place where they could share their dreams and fears without the judgment of the outside world.

One evening, as they strolled through the moonlit gardens, Lucas playfully plucked a flower from a nearby bush and tucked it behind the m/n's ear. "You look even more enchanting with this," he said, his eyes sparkling with affection. The m/n chuckled, his heart warmed by Lucas's charm. "And you look like a prince out of a fairy tale," he replied, admiration shining in his eyes.

Lucas smiled, his heart swelling with happiness. "You know, sometimes I feel like this is all a dream. That I'm just a street rat who stumbled upon a palace and found the most incredible person in the world," he confessed, his voice filled with sincerity. The m/n took Lucas's hand in his own, squeezing it gently. "You are so much more than that, Lucas. You are my world," he said, his voice soft and tender.

In that moment, they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. Panic washed over them as they realized they were no longer alone. Quickly, they pulled away from each other, trying to compose themselves. To their surprise, it was the genie, Jackson, who had appeared before them, a knowing smile on his face. "Ah, young love. It's a beautiful sight to behold," he said, his voice warm and teasing.

Lucas felt a blush creep up his cheeks, but he couldn't deny the happiness that filled his heart. "You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" he asked, trying to sound playful despite his nerves. Jackson laughed, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Fear not, my dear master. Your secret is safe with me. I am here to grant your wishes, not to meddle in your love affairs," he replied, waving his hand theatrically.

M/n chuckled, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. "Thank you, Jackson. We appreciate your discretion," he said, his gaze lingering on Lucas, who smiled back at him. "Oh, it's my pleasure! You two make quite the enchanting pair," Jackson said, his tone sincere. "Now, if there's anything else you desire, just give me a shout. I'll be off, then!" With a theatrical bow, he disappeared into a puff of smoke.

As they watched the genie vanish, Lucas and m/n couldn't help but laugh. "He's something else, isn't he?" Lucas remarked, shaking his head in amusement. "He certainly is," m/n agreed, his heart filled with gratitude for the magical friend who had brought them together.

In the days that followed, Lucas and m/n continued to explore the depths of their love, finding joy in the simple moments they shared. They reveled in each other's presence, discovering new facets of their personalities with each passing day. Their love remained a secret, known only to the stars that watched over them and the genie who had inadvertently played a part in their love story.

Yet, as much as they cherished their stolen moments, they longed for a day when they could openly express their love for each other without fear of judgment or repercussions. In their hearts, they knew that their love was worth fighting for, that the world deserved to witness the magic they had found in each other's arms.

And so, they held onto hope, knowing that someday, they would be able to dance through the streets of Agrabah hand in hand, with the entire world celebrating their love. For now, though, they found solace in the quiet intimacy of their secret love, knowing that they had a love that was as vast as the desert sands, as bright as the stars in the night sky, and as enduring as a tale passed down through generations.

#kpop x reader #kpop x male reader #nct #kpop #nct x reader #nct x male reader #wayv #wayv x reader #wayv x male reader #superm #lucas #nct Lucas #wayv lucas #lucas x reader #lucas x male reader

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artist-issues · 1 year

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It occurs to me that some people have a warped view of Shadow the Hedgehog.

There’s like two versions of him.

There’s the impression people (including some SEGA creators) have of Shadow the Hedgehog, which started somewhere on or after 2005, which I will be referring to as

1. Shadow’s shadow

He’s dark but it’s cringey because he’s trying so hard to be dark, and you get the impression that only 10 year old boys and 14 year old girls think he’s actually dark. He has a gun, just to prove to monkey-brain children used to fun Sonic ring-collecting that he’s bad. He cusses because cussing is edgy. He never does anything good unless it’s to prove he’s a better hero than Sonic. He’s over-the-top cruel or emo because that’s all he represents, and picks fights to defend his own pride like a bad version of Season 1 Zuko.

The problem with this version of the character is that somewhere down the line, even SEGA thought that Shadow’s shadow was all the Shadow the Hedgehog that everyone wanted to see. Or they just forgot that none of the above character traits have anything to do with the original character, at all. And so they started putting him in the new games like that. But that’s not the real Shadow. That’s just Shadow’s Shadow, a lame guess at who the character is based on his black and red design and snippets of things which people who never played SA2 heard about the character.

The real version of the character, which sparked the original popularity, is

2. Shadow the Hedgehog

The original Shadow the Hedgehog was popular because he was the new character in a game that brought emotional Lore to the Sonic games. He debuted in Sonic Adventure 2, and he wasn’t even the only new character in that game, which is kind of one of the things that was awesome about him: he wasn’t supposed to be The Cool One™ in the franchise.

He was supposed to be a one-off character. Think about that: not a character that just hit every out-of-proportion-fanservice trait, not a character that they kept bringing back over and over to entice weary fans.

He was just a new story element, presenting interesting themes that worked as a great foil for Sonic himself, then dying in an emotionally impactful way, making the SA2 game interesting and memorable for it’s story.

That is what was originally so popular about Shadow. Yes, he was really cool, and he did check all the “Dark Version of Your Beloved Main Character Trope” boxes, but he was ALSO a really well-rounded character that didn’t feel like he was just a hook to get fans interested. He had depth.

In fact, it could be argued that he brought depth of story to the series in a way that hadn’t been done since...well, Knuckles the Echidna. Sonic’s first-ever “rival” (who was not a robot.)

And Shadow brought depth of story MORE than Knuckles, because Shadow came around in the era of Cutscenes and Dialogue which provided a medium for this little thing called Flashbacks. Yeah, Knuckles’ first, pixel-y appearance brought in story elements like The Master Emerald and visuals that hinted at lore, like a Shrine.

But Shadow?

Shadow the Hedgehog appeared and was instantly the audience’s window to look through and see things that had never been seen before, which fleshed out Sonic’s whole canon and world. Things like:

The Government (woah, the Sonic world has a President and a unique military organization?)

Eggman’s family (woah, they’re actually going to tell us something about where Eggman came from?)

Chaos Powers (woah, the Chaos Emeralds actually do something besides just turning characters “super?”)

A story structure like this, where a new character also served as a way to examine deeper parts of Sonic Lore, had been used in the game’s predecessor, Sonic Adventure 1. But that new character, Chaos, was just presented as a mindless, silent villain with a blank face who turned out to have feelings right before he disappeared forever. Shadow is not like that at all in his first appearance.

He starts the game acting kind of like a genie who’s been let out of the bottle, offering to grant Eggman wishes. He offers Eggman a mysterious bargain. He seems totally evil and in possession of power over the Chaos Emeralds that allow him to rival Sonic. But during the story, there start to be hints at something underneath it all.

He keeps flashing back to a scary/sad combo of scenes involving a little girl. He mentions that he’s after revenge. He talks like a Shakespeare character when he villainously monologues, but he also ends most of his levels with “I’m the coolest!” and smugly talks smack with Sonic during their fight scenes. He seems totally focused on his mission one minute, then, any time he encounters Sonic, appears to get completely distracted and eager to compete, like a 18 year-old athlete.

All this contrast between a lofty, broody villain personality with a hidden fun, competitive showboating personality made the audience DESPERATE to know where this Shadow guy came from and what made him tick. It helped that other characters, like the government spy and Eggman himself, were teasing at a mystery in his past, too.

Then when you DO find out the why behind everything Shadow does, there’s been such a buildup that it’s satisfying.

I mean, it sounds really weird to hear that Shadow the Hedgehog is an artificial creature created by Eggman’s genius grandfather on a space station to bring hope to the Earth below, but was warped by a desire for revenge when the Government tried to kill him and wound up shooting the little girl who was his only friend and sealing him away for 50 years, instead. But it ONLY sounds that weird if you didn’t play the SA2 game and get to know Shadow as he was intended, bit by bit, reveal by reveal.

Because SA2 Shadow had reasons for being broody and angsty.

And he wasn’t ALWAYS broody and angsty. In fact, he was a master manipulator! When he was around Eggman, he was confident, smooth, and articulate, like a Shakespearean villain. When he was around Rouge, whom he did not trust, he was silent, firm, and to-the-point. Only by himself was he angsty--and it never lasted long.

And when he was around Sonic?

Oh boy. That is my FAVORITE thing about Shadow. Because when he was around Sonic, it’s like I said. He would stop being focused on his revenge-mission and stop being focused on whatever he was doing with Eggman and he would just turn into this competitive, flashy guy. I mean, yes, it would’ve been hard for him to stay focused on the mission because Sonic was actively trying to get in his way--but the thing is

Shadow starts to be his real SELF around Sonic. Even while they’re fighting. Because you get the sense, as the player/audience, that if this big trauma had not happened in Shadow’s past, he would have been Sonic. In personality. Sonic and Shadow are both highly competitive, love thrills, and love a challenge. They are also both heroic. Even while Shadow is a villain, he winds up saving Rouge the Bat from death by explosion, just because it seems like he can’t help himself. And remember, he was created to be a savior of the world anyway.

So combine Heroism with Competitiveness and you have someone who is very close to our fun-loving, cool blue hedgehog protagonist. But then the human race he was sworn to protect destroyed his home, murdered his best friend right in front of him, and locked him away as a dangerous weapon for 50 years.

Shadow is not what you get if you take Hot Topic and throw it on top of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Shadow is what you get if you took a bunch of Flickies murdering Tails the Fox right in front of Sonic while Green Hill Zone burned in the background.

And then, at the very end of Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow realizes that he didn’t promise Maria (his best friend who was murdered) revenge. He promised her that he would protect everyone on Earth. So very much like Ben Solo (RIP) you get a quick snippet of who Shadow the Hedgehog really is when he’s not burdened by all the Baggage.

In a handful of cutscenes and well-performed in-game dialogue, you hear that his voice is a little lighter. He physically transforms from black to white.

He’s focused on destroying the evil threatening the planet, but he also says kind little things like, “Sonic, you need rest! Let me give it a try!” and “How are you doing, Sonic?” and

AND

in one in-game clip of dialogue, he even says that he thinks SONIC might be the Ultimate Life Form.

Shadow’s Shadow, the lame ironic tropey interpretation of Shadow, would never say something like that. He’d cuss in a low-voiced rasp and dramatically try to blow the head off of anyone who even joked about it. But the thing is, at this point in the story, you are seeing Shadow as he is: a lab-created being who’s probably only lived around a year, consciously, and was still figuring out what he even is before going under. The only reason he was ever anything but a good-natured, gold-hearted hero was because of the trauma and revenge-induced worldview. When all of that is stripped away and he starts seeing his purpose and his whole history clearly, he is this slightly naive, open-hearted, mission-driven, contemplative foil to Sonic.

Then he sacrifices his life and dies. And the end of the game is all of the characters, good and bad, united for a scene where they each contemplate who they are and what is right and wrong.

And that’s the effect he had on players, too. He was such a deep, interesting character who was not edgy (even though his backstory was more violent and dark than any other character’s) that they loved him desperately. And SEGA brought him back.

Of course, they brought him back with amnesia, and that probably would’ve been fine, except it spiraled into the Shadow’s Shadow version of the character that got his own video game and worsened everything.

But that’s besides the point.

The original Shadow the Hedgehog, the true, real version of the character, was absolutely the best part of the franchise at the time. And basically, in conclusion, SA2 Shadow is the BEST Shadow.

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hit-song-showdown · 11 months

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Year-End Poll #50: 1999

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Cher, TLC, Monica, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Sixpence None the Richer, Christina Aguilera, Sugar Ray, Deborah Cox, Ricky Martin. End description]

More information about this blog here

As to be expected with a year marking the end of a millennium, a lot has happened this year. With Believe, Cher has become one of the few artists to have hits in four different decades. The song is also notable for its use of Auto-Tune. While the software had been used before to stealthily edit vocal performances, Believe cranked up the effect to give Cher's vocals a futuristic, almost otherworldly sound reminiscent of the vocoder.

Speaking of technology, 1999 also marks the release of a little website whose effects on the music industry are still felt today: Napster. With the leak of the MP3 format to the public, sites like Napster made it easy for people to share and download music for free. Maybe this could have been prevented if the record industry was able to use the MP3 themselves, but it's understandable why many were hesitant. The MP3 heavily compressed the sound and traded audio quality for file space. Some people assumed that the general public wouldn't want to sacrifice audio quality in order to get free music.

But there's another reason why the MP3 might have failed to catch on in an industry-approved way. By the late 90's, CD sales were at an all-time high and so were the record industry's profits. The TRL era was in full effect stirring up the teenage fanbases (and anti-fanbases). With artists like Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys (to be featured later), the Max Martin production style could be heard all over the pop charts.

1999 also came with heightened anxiety over the Y2K Bug, the fear that computers wouldn't be able to process dates containing the new year. Obviously the world didn't end at the dawn of the new millennium, but that was due to the efforts of people working behind the scenes to prevent these errors. Because of their efforts, life would be able to continue on in the year 2000.

But maybe not for the record industry.

#billboard poll #billboard music #tumblr poll #1990s #90s music #1999 #cher #tlc #monica #whitney houston #faith evans #kelly price #britney spears #sixpence none the richer #christina aguilera #sugar ray #deborah cox #ricky martin

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hui-data · 4 months

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#pentagon #hui #photo: fantaken #era: genie us #the simple things #190322

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7-dreamers · 11 months

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[GENIE] Behind 8th Mini Album [Apocalypse : From us] Jacket Filming

#dreamcatcher #jiu #230524 #era: a from us #p: genie #p: bts #bts bonvoyage

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okmcintyre · 2 months

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#the 100 #pollskt #choose a spinoff! 📺#(but what does a happy ending have to do with anything?)#(it probably doesn't but also it's important to me so here we are! ✨🤣)#(everyone lived happily ever after and now we are excited for a continuing show)

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dailycharacteroption · 27 days

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Jistkan Magistrate (Warpriest Archetype)

(art by Phi-MD on DeviantArt)

And we’re back with another Jistka-themed archetype, this one focused on another form of magic the Imperium was known for.

Before they bound golems en masse, the Jistka has great understanding of elemental magics and of binding and negotiating with genies of all stripes, chief among them being the magistrates who used their mastery of contract law and divine magic to draft airtight contracts and channel elemental forces.

While Jistka is long gone, there are those that seek to emulate the mastery of these magistrates, whether they have a birthright to those secrets or not.

While they don’t have any civic authority on their own, those that take the title of Jiskan magistrate in the modern era combine the martial divine skills of the warpriest with elemental mastery, making them quite powerful in their own right in addition to their elemental allies.

As one might expect, these warpriests are associated with gods that rule over one or more elements, and they only gain one blessing, which must be elemental in nature. They also pick up elemental languages with ease.

In addition to traditional divine spontaneous casting of curative or wounding magics, these warpriests can also sacrifice other spells to summon elementals of their chosen element.

Additionally, they learn not just how to harm and heal elementals with their channeled energies, but also how to channel raw elemental power into destructive shockwaves, though they lack the ability to heal or harm the undead as a result whether they use positive or negative energy.

A simple archetype, but one that works best with a build focused on summoning and calling elemental creatures, including genies! I personally recommend a support and combat build that summons and bolsters elemental allies.

In the context of the Lost Omens setting, this archetype is an interesting way to show characters honoring and learning from past civilizations as an alternative to such secrets being lost forever. However, outside of it, the practice may be more modern, representing divine warriors that act as marshals for powerful elemental armies.

Most consider elementals to be simple brutes compared to other denizens of their home plane, but Kavagas the Tree-Splitter is an exception. The might lightning elemental has long served as a loyal advisor and warrior for the followers of the Sky-Splitting God, who commands his followers to strike like lightning and rush over foes like a storm front in battle.

More in tune with elemental forces than demonic ones, the gargoyles of Skyreach Mountain are divided into two clans, those which revere the sky, and those that value the earth. This has only led to new conflicts as the clans sometimes go to war, supported by summoned elementals.

Normally the followers of the Great Conflux prefer to stay out of such petty matters as war, but with the rise of new philosophies regarding the elements of wood and metal, and these philosophies have aligned themselves with different sides of a struggle between nations, leading to an upswing of young priests choosing the path of war on either side as war nears.

#pathfinder #archetype #warpriest #jistkan magistrate #lightning elemental #gargoyle #Blood of the Ancients

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