#it sort of molded that part of my taste in media actually

[livvyofthelake]

um. i am gonna call it a night on organizing this footage. no i didn't get a lot done but again i have til tuesday. ok shower and then movie time! cannot wait to see matt and maia on screen together this is gonna be so crazy literally worlds are about to collide! and i will be utterly shocked if the movie is better than 3 stars

#god sorry for loving matt saracen. as if that's a crime #he's literally my buddy from that weird creepy one season cancelled show that aired one spring on abc after ouat.... #i loved that show. actually it was bad. but i liked it it was weird and fucked up #it sort of molded that part of my taste in media actually #my sister describes it as like. i don't like 'horror' so much as i like things that are weird and creepy #i love thrillers i love mysteries i love light homoeroticism i love it when there's a character in a story and something is just Wrong #also that show had one of the most haunting promos i'd ever seen. i was like 14 at the time and it creeped me out so bad #so of course i was like oh well we have to watch it! #and of course. i love it when a show is bad.... #anyway. yeah matt was in there. he was also in the ours music video #and now he's my pal matt <3

[blazehedgehog]

Are you fan of anything that isn't a big media franchise? Sometimes I feel anxiety over my own taste being just whatever thing gets layed infront of me by corporations and not anything organic that isnt just made to sell

I mean the things that get laid in front of you by corporations are custom built to be mainstream popular. You're not a worse person for liking what's popular. It's popular for a reason.

This is my line of thinking when I play fighting games because more often than not I gravitate towards the boring main characters. I was a Mario guy in Melee, I do best with Ryu and Chun-li, etc. These are made to be popular and easy to digest. You don't have to willingly throw yourself in to the deepest end of the pool if you don't want to.

If you're having fun, embrace it.

And maybe along the way you'll find a niche you like to fit in to. Like if you want to know things that aren't big media franchises that I love, let's talk video games:

Amid Evil is great. It's part of NewBlood's stable of new-retro FPS games, and the twist is that all your guns are swords, and you're a God slaying other Gods. This helps break the mold of having a pistol, shotgun, chain gun, and RPG. Similar concepts still make an appearance, but they always feel appreciably different than the cliches. It's also a beautiful and psychedelic looking game, with extremely tight level design. Just a complete joy top to bottom, though it starts to overstay its welcome at the very, very, very end (those last couple of levels and the final boss are way too long).

Or, like, movies, right. I have friends who revel in old trash and they set up group streams pretty often. So a few weeks ago they streamed Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, one of the last Hammer films they made before the company shut down. Hammer was known for cranking out cheap, fast horror movies in the 60's and 70's, and they were falling out of style. Kronos was something they apparently actually put real effort and a budget in to, sort of like a cross between James Bond, a horror movie, and super hero. It was interesting, but maybe not spectacular. Definitely not enough to save the company. But I don't regret having seen it.

(You'll often find I watch a lot of other weird, old, fringe movies like that because of these friends.)

Just don't be afraid to break out of your comfort zones, I guess. But also remember that comfort zones are called that because they are comfortable to exist in, and there's usually nothing wrong with being comfortable. With the state of the world as it can be, there's no shame in retreating somewhere safe and cozy.

#questions #Anonymous #mainstream #media

[qqueenofhades]

Do you really hate this county? Or were you just ranting?

Sigh. I debated whether or not to answer this, since I usually keep the real-life/politics/depressing current events to a relative minimum on this blog, except when I really can't avoid ranting about it. But I have some things to get off my chest, it seems, and you did ask. So.

The thing is, any American with a single modicum of genuine historical consciousness knows that despite all the triumphalist mythology about Pulling Up By Our Bootstraps and the American Dream and etc, this country was founded and built on the massive and systematic exploitation and extermination of Black and Indigenous people. And now, when we are barely (400 years later!!!) getting to a point of acknowledging that in a widespread way, oh my god the screaming. I'm so sick of the American right wing I could spit for so many reasons, not least of which is the increasingly reductive and reactive attempts to put the genie back in the bottle and set up hysterical boogeymen about how Teaching Your Children Critical Race Theory is the end of all things. They have forfeited all pretense of being a real governing party; remember how their only platform at the 2020 RNC was "support whatever Trump says?" They have devolved to the point where the cruelty IS the point, to everyone who doesn't fit the nakedly white supremacist mold. They don't have anything to do aside from attempt to usher in actual, literal, dictionary-definition-of-fascism and sponsor armed revolts against the peaceful transfer of power.

That is fucking exhausting to be aware of all the time, especially with the knowledge that if we miss a single election cycle -- which is exceptionally easy to do with the way the Democratic electorate needs to be wooed and courted and herded like cats every single time, rather than just getting their asses to the polls and voting to keep Nazis out of office -- they will be right back in power again. If Manchin and Sinema don't get over their poseur pearl-clutching and either nuke the filibuster or carve out an exception for voting rights, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act is never going to get passed, no matter how many boilerplate appeals the Democratic leadership makes on Twitter. In which case, the 2022 midterms are going to give us Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House (I threw up in my mouth a little typing that) and right back to the Mitch McConnell Obstruction Power Hour in the Senate. The Online Left (TM) will then blame the Democrats for not doing more to stop them. These are, of course, the same people who refused to vote for Hillary Clinton out of precious moral purity reasons in 2016, handed the election to Trump, and now like to complain when the Trump-stacked Supreme Court reliably churns out terrible decisions. Gee, it's almost like elections have consequences!!

Aside from my exasperation with the death-cult right-wing fascists and the Online Left (TM), I am sick and tired of how forty years of "trickle-down" Reaganomics has created a world where billionaires can just fly to space for the fun of it, while the rest of America (and the world) is even more sick, poor, overheated, economically deprived, and unable to survive the biggest public health crisis in a century, even if half the elected leadership wasn't actively trying to sabotage it. Did you know that half of American workers can't even afford a one-bedroom apartment? Plus the obvious scandal that is race relations, health care, paid leave, the education system (or lack thereof), etc etc. I'm so tired of this America Is The Greatest Country in the World mindless jingoistic catchphrasing. We are an empire in the late stages of collapse and it's not going to be pretty for anyone. We have been poisoned on sociopathic-libertarian-selfishness-disguised-as-Freedom ideology for so long that that's all there is left. We have become a country of idiots who believe everything their idiot friends post on social media, but in a very real sense, it's not directly those individuals' fault. How could they, when they have been very deliberately cultivated into that mindset and stripped of critical thinking skills, to serve a noxious combination of money, power, and ideology?

I am tired of the fact that I have become so drained of empathy that when I see news about more people who refused to get the vaccine predictably dying of COVID, my reaction is "eh, whatever, they kind of deserved it." I KNOW that is not a good mindset to have, and I am doing my best to maintain my personal attempts to be kind to those I meet and to do my small part to make the world better. I know these are human beings who believed what they were told by people that they (for whatever reason) thought knew better than them, and that they are part of someone's family, they had loved ones, etc. But I just can't summon up the will to give a single damn about them (I'm keeping a bingo card of right-wing anti-vax radio hosts who die of COVID and every time it's like, "Alexa, play Another One Bites The Dust.") The course that the pandemic took in 21st-century America was not preordained or inevitable. It was (and continues to be) drastically mismanaged for cynical political reasons, and the legacy of the Former Guy continues to poison any attempts to bring it under control or convince people to get a goddamn vaccine. We now have over 100,000 patients hospitalized with COVID across the country -- more than last summer, when the vaccines weren't available.

I have been open about my fury about the devaluation of the humanities and other critical thinking skills, about the fact that as an academic in this field, my chances of getting a full-time job for which I have trained extensively and acquired a specialist PhD are... very low. I am tired of the fact that Americans have been encouraged to believe whatever bullshit they fucking please, regardless of whether it is remotely true, and told that any attempt to correct them is "anti-freedom." I am tired of how little the education system functions in a useful way at all -- not necessarily due to the fault of teachers, who have to work with what they're given, and who are basically heroes struggling stubbornly along in a profession that actively hates them, but because of relentless under-funding, political interference, and furious attempts, as discussed above, to keep white America safely in the dark about its actual history. I am tired of the fact that grade school education basically relies on passing the right standardized tests, the end. I am tired of the implication that the truth is too scary or "un-American" to handle. I am tired. Tired.

I know as well that "America" is not synonymous in all cases with "capitalist imperialist white-supremacist corporate death cult." This is still the most diverse country in the world. "America" is not just rich white middle-aged Republicans. "America" involves a ton of people of color, women, LGBTQ people, Muslims, Jews, Christians of good will (I have a whole other rant on how American Christianity as a whole has yielded all pretense of being any sort of a principled moral opposition), white allies, etc etc. all trying to make a better world. The blue, highly vaccinated, Biden-winning states and counties are leading the economic recovery and enacting all kinds of progressive-wishlist dream policies. We DID get rid of the Orange One via the electoral process and avert fascism at the ballot box, which is almost unheard-of, historically speaking. But because, as also discussed above, certain elements of the Democratic electorate need to fall in love with a candidate every single time or threaten to withhold their vote to punish the rest of the country for not being Progressive Enough, these gains are constantly fragile and at risk of being undone in the next electoral cycle. Yes, the existing system is a crock of shit. But it's what we've got right now, and the other alternative is open fascism, which we all got a terrifying taste of over the last four years. I don't know about you, but I really don't want to go back.

So... I don't know. I don't know if that stacks up to hate. I do hate almost everything about what this country currently is, structurally speaking, but I recognize that is not identical with the many people who still live here and are trying to do their best, including my friends, family, and myself. I am exhausted by the fact that as an older millennial, I am expected to survive multiple cataclysmic economic crashes, a planet that is literally boiling alive, a barely functional political system run on black cash, lies, and xenophobia, a total lack of critical thinking skills, renewed assaults on women/queer people/POC/etc, and somehow feel like I'm confident or prepared for the future. Not all these problems are only America's fault alone. The West as a whole bears huge responsibility for the current clusterfuck that the world is in, for many reasons, and so do some non-Western countries. But there is no denying that many of these problems have ultimate American roots. See how the ongoing fad for right-wing authoritarian strongmen around the world has them modeling themselves openly on Trump (like Brazil's lunatic president, Jair Bolsonaro, who talks all the time about how Trump is his political role model). See what's going on in Afghanistan right now. Etc. etc.

Anyway. I am very, very tired. There you have it.

#anonymous #ask #politics for ts #covid for ts #i had a lot to say evidently #rant

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with bugs

bugs has 40 stories at Gossamer. They mostly focus on Mulder and Scully, but there are also some goodies featuring Reyes and Doggett. I’ve recced some of my favorites of her fics here before, including The Link. She also co-ran WhyIncision, a fun, smart X-Files mailing list that dissected fics like a book club. Big thanks to bugs for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

Not really. While I was still in high school, I started watching the then 20 year old OG Star Trek and became a Trekkie of a sort. Starlog magazine, James Blish novels and the other novelizations, and while I was working as a library page, I found fanfiction one day among the periodicals.  Who knows how fanfiction ended up as part of a library's materials, but there it was, this tattered mimeographed collection. The fic that had the most impact on me was one where Nurse Chapel wrestled a giant alien snake to save Spock's life.

So when I got into XF, one of the first things I did was look for fanfic, knowing somewhere out there, Scully was wrestling a big snake for Mulder.

That experience showed me the power of fandom, that even without the internet, how the second generation of Trekkies joined the original group to advocate for the franchise to be revived. I remember sitting in the theater for that first awful Star Trek movie, choked up with what we'd done.

Tragic backstory way to say, no I'm not surprised that a well-produced show like XF would beget future generations of fans, and that they'd be chewing their way through the fanfic archives still being maintained.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

I'm so grateful to the fandom. Literally formed the life I have today through the confidence it gave me. Many of my friends to this day are 'pocket friends' from the various fandoms I've been in, and the longest friendships were formed in XF. I learned how to write, both technically and finding my voice. I learned how to think analytically, more than any college courses.

The two most important things I took away were, write for yourself first and always, and shit ain't that damn important. In the end, it's a TV show.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

YIKES.  I came in at the Fight the Future summer hiatus, so the waning days of ATXC, then we moved to mailing lists, right?  Yahoo Groups was in there somewhere. Finally message boards. Live Journal rose up at the end of the run which began to fragment the fandom even before the show ended, along with the migration off our individual websites to Archive of Our Own, fanfiction.net and such. We went from group discussion platforms to 'come look at my blog for my thoughts'. It was different and I didn't particularly like it, but in the end, when I came back to fandom for a new show....I had to get a Live Journal. That's the most interesting part of fandom, that a platform doesn't mold a fandom; we use the platform and when it's no longer useful to us, we abandon it en mass.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

I've touched on that a bit, but to elaborate, I'm glad I started in the XF fandom. It had such high standards and I hope that I maintain those standards for myself to this day. These days, I don't usually have a beta reader, but that took a couple hundred posted fics to get to that point.

Having seen the same exact flamewars and divides and squabbles over and over, seen how the taste of 'fame' can drive someone to be rather unpleasant, has given me a much more 'whatever' attitude. It's sort of comforting when joining a new fandom to know what's going to happen next in its natural progression.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

There's a meme "I have a type," and XF definitely had that type, but it just took me a while to get there. I was away at college then working on the road when the show started, and wasn't home on Friday nights most of the year. My mother has always been a big sci-fi fan, so she actually was watching before me. I don't like scary things, and would leave the room if it was on when I'd visit her. I was home for Christmas when Christmas Carol/Emily aired and I remember standing tentatively just inside the room so I could flee if necessary, and watched Scully go through the wringer, and ranting, "What the hell is this? Why are they putting that poor woman through this!?" I also saw how the show was doing the big ship tease, and I was like, uh, I don't have time for this. Even by my 20's, I'd been done wrong by so many shows that I'd become bitter. But the first film trailers suggested they were actually going from UST to RST, so I figured I could give 2 hours of my time for that.  And yeah...but I was hooked, and WENT TO BLOCKBUSTER AND RENTED THE VHS TAPES TO CATCH UP....this interview is making me feel very old.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

I've always been a shipper and have no shame in that, as I think forming and maintaining a relationship is the most conflict-ridden enterprise humans can attempt, and thus is the most challenging thing to write about. Like many fanfic writers, I'd 'told stories in my head' ever since I can remember about the characters from books, shows and movies. It was just a matter of then writing it down for the first time.

After I was sucked into the show and it was still the summer hiatus, I got on my first computer, dialed up that screeching modem, and went on Netscape to search for that fanfic I knew had to be out there from my Trek experience a decade ago. Like many people, after inhaling much of the delicious fics out there, I decided I can do that. I'm someone who's very methodical on my approach to something new, so I studied what worked/what didn't, the expected formatting, got a sense of the culture I was entering, acquired a critical beta reader, so when I actually submitted the first chapter to AXTC, I was calm and confident.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

I watch from the sidelines, with a vague little smile on my lips.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

Yes, I have. Battlestar Galactica had a lot of Philes, but it was still a big step away from the very organized fandom in X-Files. Plus, with so many characters, there could be lots of little groups focused on their favorites. Same in the Downton Abbey fandom. Just a different dynamic.

On the other end of the spectrum, one of my most popular fics is in the Silence of the Lambs fandom which I've never been involved with any other fans or their fandom, if it exists. It just sits out there on fanfiction.net and chugs along with the reads. My current fandom is The Doctor Blake Mysteries which is tiny but mighty--the saying is, we're six people and a shoelace. It's shown me that it's not the size, not the 'fame' possible, but the passion that makes a fandom.

Sadly, at least at this time, I don't think there will ever be an experience like The X-Files heyday. It was such a golden moment of the rise of internet and home computer use by the general public, a large generation of educated women having the time to participate in fandom, and there wasn't the amount of 'noise' that is distracting us all now. I'm so glad that you're doing this exercise to record our thoughts. We've already lost so many of the OG folks. My first beta, Janet Caires-Lesgold; Trixie, way too young; Shari, also too young; Brandon D Ray, leaving his family too soon; and many more.

(Posted by Lilydale on March 9, 2021)

#old school x #xfiles fanfic #xf fanfic #xf fanfic author interviews #bugs

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Lucifer/Satan

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Please allow me to introduce this villain. He’s a man of wealth and taste...

Satan, or Lucifer, or whatever of the hundreds of names across multiple religions, folk tales, urban legends, movies, books, songs, video games, and more that you choose to call him, is without a doubt the biggest bad of them all. He is not just a villain; he is the villain, the bad guy your other bad guys answer to, the lord of Hell. If there’s a bad deed, he’s done it, if there’s a problem, he’s behind it. There’s nothing beneath him, and that’s not just because he’s at the very bottom of Hell. He is the root cause of all the misery in the entire world.

And if we’re talking about Satan, we gotta talk about Lucifer too. They weren’t always supposed to be one and the same, but over centuries of artistic depictions and reimaginings they’ve been conflated into one being, a being that is a lot more layered and interesting than just a simple adversary for the good to overcome when handled properly.

Motivation/Goals: Look, it’s Satan. His main goal is to be as evil as possible, do bad things, cause mischief and mayhem. Rarely does anything good come from Satan being around. If he is one and the same as Lucifer, expect there to be some sort of plot about him rebelling against God, as according to modern interpretations Lucifer fought against God in battle and was then cast out, falling from grace like lightning. When the Lucifer persona is front and center, raging against the heavens tends to be a big part of his schemes, but when the big red devil persona is out and about, expect temptations to sin, birthing the Antichrist, or tempting people to sell their souls.

Performance: Satan has been portrayed by far too many people over the years to even consider keeping count of, though some notable performances of the character or at least characters who are clearly meant to be Satan include the nuanced anti-villain take of the character Viggo Mortensen portrayed in The Prophecy; the sympathetic homosexual man portrayed by Trey Parker in South Park and its film; the hard-rocking badass Dave Grohl portrayed in Tencaious D’s movie; Robin Hughes as a sneaky, double-crossing bastard in “The Howling Man” episode of The Twilight Zone; the big red devil from Legend known as Darkness, played by Tim Curry; the shapeshifting angel named Satan from The Adventures of Mark Train who will make you crap your pants; and while not portrayed by anyone due to being entirely voiceless, Chernabog from Disney’s Fantasia is definitely noteworthy in regards to cinematic depictions of the devil.

Final Thoughts & Score: Satan is a villain whose sheer scope dwarfs almost every other villain in history. It’s not even remotely close, either; Satan pops up in stories all around the world, is the greater-scope villain of most varieties of three major religions, and his very name is shorthand for “really, really evil.” Every other villain I have ever discussed and reviewed wishes they could be a byword for being bad to the bone. Even Dracula, one of the single most important villains in fiction, looks puny in comparison to Satans villainous accomplishments.

Satan in old religious texts tended to be an utterly horrifying force of nature, until Medieval times began portray him as a dopey demon trying to tempt the faithful (and failing). Folklore and media have gone back and forth, portraying both in equal measure – you have the desperate, fiddle-playing devil from “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and the unseen, unfathomable Satan who may or may not exist in the Marvel comics universe who other demons live in fear of the return of. Satan is just a very interesting and malleable antagonist, one who is defined just enough that he can make a massive, formidable force while still being enough of a blank slate that you can project any sort of personality traits onto him to build an intriguing foe.

One of the most famous examples of this in action is the common depiction of Satan as the king of hell. This doesn’t really have much basis in religion; he’s as much a prisoner as anyone else, though considering how impressive a prisoner he is, he’d be like the big guy at the top of the pecking order in any jail for sure. But still, the idea of Satan as the ruler of hell was clearly conceived by someone and proved such an intriguing concept that so many decided to run with it.

I think that’s what truly makes Satan such an interesting villain, in that he’s almost a community-built antagonist. People over the ages have added so much lore, personality, and power to him that is only vaguely alluded to in old religions to the point where they have all become commonplace in depictions of the big guy, and there really isn’t any other villain to have quite this magnitude on culture as a whole. It shouldn’t be any shock that Satan is an 11/10; rating him any lower would be a heinous crime only he is capable of.

But see, the true sign of how amazing he is is the sheer number of ways one can interpret him. You have versions that are just vague embodiments of all that is bad and unholy, such as Chernabog from Fantasia, you have more nuanced portrayals like the one Viggo Mortensen played in The Prophecy, you have outright sympathetic ones like the one from South Park… Satan is just a villain who can be reshaped and reworked as a creator sees fit and molded into something that fits the narrative they want. I guess what I’m trying to say is that not only is Lucifer/Satan one of the greatest villains of all, he’s also one of the single greatest characters of all time.  

Now, there are far too many depictions of Satan for me to have seen them all, but I have seen quite a lot. Here’s how Old Scratch has fared over the millennia in media of various forms, though keep in mind this is by no means a comprehensive or exhaustive lsit:

“The Devil Went Down to Georgia” Devil: 

I think this is one of my favorite devils in any fiction ever, simply because of what a good sport he is. Like, there is really no denying that Johnny’s stupid little fiddle ditty about chickens or whatever sucks major ass, and yet Satan (who had moments before summoned up demonic hordes to rip out some Doom-esque metal for the contest) gave him the win and the golden fiddle. What a gracious guy! He’s a 9/10 for sure, though I still wish we knew how his rematch ended…

Chernabog: 

Chernabog technically doesn’t do anything evil, and he never says a word, and yet everything about him is framed as inherently sinister. It’s really no wonder Chernabog has become one of the most famous and beloved parts of Fantasia alongside Yen Sid and Sorcerer Mickey; he’s infinitely memorable, and really, how can he not be? He’s the devil in a Disney film, not played for laughs and instead made as nightmarishly terrifying as an ancient demon god should be. Everything about him oozes style, and every movement and gesture begets a personality that goes beyond words. Chernabog doesn’t need to speak to tell you that he is evil incarnate; you just know, on sight, that he is up to no good.

Quite frankly, the implications of Chernabog’s existence in the Disney canon are rather terrifying. Is he the one Maleficent called upon for power? Is he the one all the villains answer to? Do you think Frollo saw him after God smote him? And what exactly did he gain by attacking Sora at the end of Kingdom Hearts? All I know for sure is that Chernabog is a 10/10.

Lucifer (The Prophecy): 

Viggo Mortensen has limited screentime, but in that time he manages to be incredibly creepy, misanthropic… and yet, also, on the side of good. Of course, he’s doing it entirely for self-serving reasons (he wants humanity around so he can make them suffer), but credit where credit is due. The man manages to steal a scene from under Christopher Walken, I think that’s worth a 10/10.

Satan (South Park): 

Portraying Satan as a sympathetic gay man was a pretty bold choice, and while he certainly does fall into some stereotypes, he’s not really painted as bad or morally wrong for being gay, and ends up more often than not being a good (if sometimes misguided) guy who just wants to live his life. Plus he gets a pretty sweet villain song, though technically it’s more of an “I want” song than anything. Ah well, a solid 8/10 for him is good.

Satan (Tenacious D):

It’s Dave Grohl as Satan competing in a rock-off against JB and KG. Literally everything about this is perfect, even if he’s only in the one scene. 10/10 for sure.

Robot Devil:

Futurama’s take on the devil is pretty hilarious and hammy, but then Futurama was always pretty on point. He’s a solid 8/10, because much like South Park’s devil he gets a fun little villain song with a guest apearance by the Beastie Boys, not to mention his numerous scams like when he stole Fry’s hands. He’s just a fun, hilarious asshole.

The Howling Man: 

The Twilight Zone has many iconic episodes, and this one is absolutely one of them. While the devil is the big twist, that scene of him transforming as he walks between the pillars is absolutely iconic, and was even used by real-life villain Kevin Spacey in the big reveal of The Usual Suspects. This one is a 9/10 for sure, especially given the ending that implies this will all happen again (as per usual with the show).

The Darkness:

While he’s more devil-adjacent than anything and is more likely to be the son of Satan rather than the actual man himself, it’s hard not to give a shout-out to the big, buff demon played by Tim Curry in some of the most fantastic prosthetics and makeup you will ever see. He gets a 9/10 for the design alone, the facty he’s Tim Curry is icing on the cake.

#Psycho Analysis #Satan #Lucifer

[murdereraisuha]

screaming about chapter 5 but more coherently this time

This is gonna cover 1. the recent update’s events in comparison to my previous theories & expectations, 2. the winner of the VDC and Vil’s character development 3. Kalim & Jamil’s character development, and 4. the main story moving forward

Spoilers for everything up to 5-67. Word count: 2117

So, in my “Jamil is Snow White” theory post, I used the events of the original Snow White to try and guess how TWST chapter 5 would correlate to it and what characters would fill what roles (Snow White, huntsman, prince, etc.) in the story.

Originally, I kind of assumed the beginning of chapter 5 would line up to either the beginning of the movie or halfway through when the Queen is already hatching her plan to get Snow White with the poison apple. However, it seems like the movie events have actually been compacted into 5-57 to 5-67.

After the NRC rehearsal, Vil becomes the most beautiful, corresponding to the beginning of the movie when the Queen is still the most beautiful. Then, Neige, out of his natural cuteness rather than hard work and practice like Vil, usurps him, representing the point Snow White becomes the fairest in the land. The next part with the apple juice and Rook coming to the rescue is a mix of the next part of the movie, when the huntsman tells Snow White to run, and the part of the movie with the poison apple. Then, the MC and the rest of the dance team kind of act like the dwarves by fighting the Queen/Vil. However, other than that, everyone follows their corresponding role: Neige is Snow White and Rook is the huntsman.

I think the story as it has played out makes sense. I was initially startled by Vil suddenly going murder mode, but. To work so hard on this song and choreography and training up your team, only to have the media love your lifetime rival who’s only brought an arrange of a kid’s song with clumsy singing and dancing to the table, potentially crushing your plan for victory here... I understand Vil’s feelings here and the sudden, desperate decision to curse Neige.

Rook’s actions after that don’t seem too out of line with what we know about his personality and his unconventional beliefs/actions regarding beauty and Vil’s beauty. Seriously though, wtf please don’t just drink poison. Anyway, I really enjoyed Kalim coming in then. The way he noticed Vil’s face being like Jamil’s before his overblot? The part when he tried to remind Vil that no one drank the juice so Vil hasn’t hurt anyone yet? Good stuff right there.

However, the way things played out also disappointed me somewhat. Though we had a Kalim & Jamil interaction, we still haven’t had a good resolution to their character/relationship development, so hopefully that’s in the final part of chapter 5. Furthermore, though Kalim did slap the apple juice away, I really felt like he and Jamil would have had more involvement with poison/curses in this part considering all the stuff in this chapter about Kalim being poisoned in the past.

There’s also the fact that all Jamil did was evacuate the area, it was Kalim and Rook who were around when Vil overblotted. The pattern of the previous overblot causing the next has kind of been broken. It could mean that the pattern was actually the dorm leader causes the next overblot?? Anyway, I’m hoping that Jamil will have his time in the spotlight in the next part.

-----

So that kind of brings me to the future. First off, who will win the VDC? Personally, I think that it will be NRC. With everyone so enthusiastically proclaiming in 5-67 that they’re going to win the championship, it would feel off for them to fail. From things that Vil has said this chapter, like in 5-37 when he admonishes Deuce that effort isn’t enough to succeed, it seems like the bad route/worst case scenario of Vil’s outlook is to lose hope that his efforts will ever give him success or a happy end. Therefore, the good route would be for him to keep hope, to keep the belief that he can get his happy end, and I think winning the VDC would be the thing that would support this belief. I do not think he would learn much from losing; if he has already lost and got relegated to the role of villain so many times before, one more time would not mean much to him. 

Other people have said that Vil also needs to learn to chill and stop holding people to such high standards, which is something I agree with. Though Epel’s beliefs on masculinity and power were pretty harmful, Vil’s methods of trying to correct those beliefs were also harmful. Vil’s treatment of Epel at the end of Epel’s ceremony robes story seriously left a bad taste in my mouth. The thing is, something or someone would need to prompt a change in Vil’s beliefs for a change to occur. After Deuce and Epel’s  outing, they seem to be pretty chill with Vil, so there aren’t any conflicts in the group. I can’t think of anyone in the team other than Kalim and maybe Ace who would have a strong enough opinion on not pushing yourself too hard that they would try and give that opinion to Vil, and Kalim’s already had a big interaction with Vil in 5-62.

So, I feel like any further Vil character development this chapter would come from an interaction with Neige. Going back to the debate of who will win VDC, we know that Vil resents Neige for always being the hero. If Neige won yet again, would Vil take what he says to heart? However, if Vil won, that would be a new situation. I think that the first things he hears from a Neige that has finally lost would be impactful to him.

I’m not sure though of all this though because of this line in 5-66:

Vil’s saying that throwing a tantrum and taking it out on other people was awful of him. Though it obviously refers to his attempts to murder before and during his overblot, it could also point to an overall shift in mindset regarding how he treats others. His attempts to mold Epel into a poison apple, for example, stemmed from his own ambitions and frustration at Neige, which you could interpret as a sort of tantrum that he then took out on Epel. Vil may have already learned to relax on pushing his high standards on others.

Regardless of if that’s true or not, I personally think that Vil and Neige still have a lot that they could learn from each other, assuming my perception of Neige as being innocent rather than a white lotus is correct. Vil’s team’s performance had a lot of cohesion and rehearsal put into it, but it was very competitive focused. On the other hand, Neige and the dwarves obviously had a lot of fun with their performance. However, it was clumsy and they were ill prepared. Therefore, Vil could teach Neige more discipline and planning while Neige could teach Vil about how to not lose sight of finding joy in your work.

-----

As I have already said, I’m hoping for more Kalim & Jamil stuff in the final part of chapter 5. I originally theorized that something would happen to one of them, probably Kalim, and that would lead to some sort of reveal about their feelings and the chapter would end with them clearly on the trajectory to repair their relationship and really become friends. 

Since nothing happened yet and neither got poisoned/cursed, I think then that the event that sparks the finale of their character development would probably relate directly to the VDC. First off for our possibilities, we have the two’s families watching as Jamil takes the spotlight as a main vocal while Kalim is in the back. Given what we know, I don’t think Kalim’s family would be too happy about that. The conflict from that definitely seems like it could result not only in some sort of understanding between Kalim and Jamil, but also maybe even a change in Jamil or his family’s status. For a less dramatic possibility, we also know from 5-47 that Jamil’s sister will be coming to watch. If she makes an appearance, perhaps she will have some unexpected insight to say that would lead to a discussion & development between Jamil and Kalim.

Finally, my Jamil becomes the most beautiful theory might still be partially true, though idk if that’s just me not wanting to give up on it cause of how funny it would be. Basically, the theory was that, after the VDC performances, the internet/media become super interested in Jamil due to how talented and handsome he is. I originally thought that could serve as a factor for Vil overblot, but now I think it could prompt some discussion & development between Jamil and Kalim due to it serving as a clear example of Jamil finally showing his true ability and by how much Jamil was letting Kalim win. Furthermore, Vil might be affected by an event like that. Though the overblot’s already happened, perhaps something happening with Jamil specifically would lead to something happening between him and Vil, fulfilling the pattern of the previous overblot doing stuff with the next. I’m out of ideas for the Scarabia boys, so let’s continue.

-----

Honestly, I don’t think anything will happen with Idia and Ortho outside of a quick teaser at the very end of the chapter. Considering that we still have to cover all the stuff with the VDC performance and its results and the aftermath of the results, Idia’s presentation thingy might not even happen until chapter 6.  ?

Idk, rn I’m more concerned about the overarching plot with Mickey Mouse than I am about chapter 6 Ignihyde shenanigans. So, we had a little flash of the Queen/Hag during the day, and also we finally discovered that Malleus is Malleus. So things are picking up a bit. I’m not sure if something unexpectedly big this chapter will happen though. I’ve seen people saying that the boss was surprisingly easy so there might be another big battle coming up. I don’t actually play the game so I don’t know anything about that, is it intentional or is it just that the chapter took so long to update that y’all had tons of time to beef up your boys? For me, it did feel like the Vil overblot was the climax of the chapter. With all the other stuff like the VDC results and the Scarabia boys’ character development, I don’t know if there’s any more room. There could be some big new info with Mickey Mouse or Grim’s bad eating habit, but I can’t picture something happening that would warrant another boss battle.

I do have some thoughts on Mickey Mouse, but I think I’ll save my memey ones for another post and wait for the end of chapter 5 before getting my serious thoughts together. Anyway, now a little talk on chapter 6. So, we have 4 options: chapter 6 will be something regarding Idia’s presentation, something regarding Deuce borrowing the magical wheel, something combining those two plot points, or something else entirely. 

Well, for something combining those two, Riddle was the one wanting Idia to go do the presentation in person, right? So, Idia probably doesn’t like Riddle that much. Maybe he wants to make some sort of plan to get back at Riddle. What can he use? 

Uh I just looked back at 5-39 to figure out what exactly is up and one translation says Deuce forcefully borrowed the magical wheel and another says he borrowed it as a huge favor??? The original says 無理言って借りてきた, deepL translates it as forcibly borrowed, 無理を言って means asking for something unreasonable. What exactly are the circumstances here?

Okay whatever, look, Deuce is in some sort of debt to Ignihyde. Idia could use him since he and Riddle are in the same dorm. Idk my train of thought got wrecked by the translation confusion.

But anyway so we know Deuce is probably gonna be Meg. I’ve never watched Hercules and I don’t know anything about it aside from what I’ve just read on wikipedia. The summary there says that Hercules kills a bunch of monsters and becomes famous then Hades holds Meg hostage in exchange for Hercule’s powers and Hercules accepts the trade but then “Hades reveals that Meg was working for Hades all along” ??? And then in the end though “ Hercules chooses to remain on Earth with Meg”. So what happens, is Meg good or what? Alright it might be better to at least wait for whatever sneak peek of chapter 6 we get at the end of chapter 5 before speculating. Let’s end this here before it gets any longer.

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst spoilers #twst analysis #twst theories #vil schoenheit #kalim al asim #jamil viper #update screaming

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

31. The One That I Get to Build With

Previous Word Count: 7608

Hazel was less irritated with Grace and Simon when they were honest with her and told her that they were going to be involved in a relationship, but not openly. They didn’t want anyone else to know, mostly because Grace was very secretive and didn’t want the same people who often intruded into her social media to find their way into this relationship, as they attempted to build it.

So, the simple rule was that if someone made a comment about the relationship not to respond to it and if someone asked about it, not to answer. They just moved the conversation right along, like the relationship had not been mentioned. Grace and Simon used to do that all of the time. Hazel, they worried might find it more difficult, but they were counting on the fact that most people who might ask her would be online, where she could easily ignore them.

Simon went to his parents’ for Thanksgiving. Apparently, his dad begged him to , because he was certain that this would be his mom’s last one… Simon guessed that Grace was making him soft, because he couldn’t say no. It felt wrong to just refuse. “You gonna be okay?” Grace asked, the night before his flight.

“Yeah,” he answered, sadly. “I’ll stop by to see your parents, while I’m out there.”

“They’ll probably be at a banquet or something. Hazel and I are going to do some charity and bring some people to shelters, then have dinner together and retire in our jammies to have movie night.”

Simon groaned, “Why do you have to rub that in my face?”

“Don’t complain.” He pouted silently. “You’ll be able to be around for Christmas, if you’re still playing your cards right.”

“I’m never gonna mess this up.”

“Awww. Well… see you when you get back.”

She made sure that was correct, because whenever Simon got back, the Monday after Thanksgiving, Grace was asleep in his bed. He’d given her a key almost as soon as they decided that they were going to give themselves a try, but she didn’t really use it. He was grateful that she had that night. Seeing his family had been enough to make him grateful for what he escaped from. After he washed up, he slid into bed and wrapped his arms around her. She stirred to ask him how it went, and when he said he didn’t want to talk about it, she simply rested her head on his chest, kissed his tattooed pec, and went back to sleep. The scent of her hair gave him a comfort that he had forgotten existed the previous few days. This was one of the things he was thankful for, wrapped up tightly in his arms, in his bed.

.

Simon and Hazel decorated his house for Christmas. Really, Simon decorated and Hazel critiqued, but it was “helpful,” for her to tell him everything that he seemed to be doing wrong… for a while. It was actually extremely cold and he didn’t usually spend that amount of time outside in such weather. Plus… the criticism. He wasn’t fond of being criticized, even after years of therapy. Eventually, he told her, “I think I can handle some lights, Hazel. I graduated from MIT.”

Hazel rolled her eyes and told him, “You say that to me and I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean any more than you know what you’re doing with these lights.”

“Hazel…” He said it then took a pause to catch his breath and realign his patience. That was what Grace called it. Realigning your patience. She’d take a look at him and ask, “Do you think maybe you need to realign your patience?” Not to calm down, and not accusing him of getting upset, but asking him to realign his patience and somehow, every time, he got soft and did exactly that. “Good job, Gray Eyes,” and a strum of his ponytail later, he’d be a cool pile of putty for her to mold… But Grace was inside of the house and her little Christmas slave-driver was not the model of invoking patience…

“Gra-a-a-ce!” Simon called out. “GRACE!” He said louder and more short.

She came running outside and immediately checked on Hazel. “What is it? Are you okay? What’s happening?”

“Please, get her cocoa or something,” Simon said. It was given like an order and gave Grace pause, to look at him like he was out of his mind. “Please?” He repeated, softer. “I need to realign my patience and it’s hard to focus in this cold…” She softened up too.

“Come on, Haze,” Grace wrapped an arm around Hazel’s shoulder and guided her inside. Simon got more done now, but he hoped that it looked okay. Hazel had caused some doubts. Eventually, Grace called him and told him to come inside and recalibrate. He groaned, but knew that it was a commandment, not a suggestion. Besides, he was freezing his balls off.

Whenever he walked in, it felt so refreshingly warm. The house smelled like pine, fire, and some sort of candles that Grace had lit all over the opening of the house. Hazel and Grace were in the kitchen. Hazel, seated at the island with an absurdly large mug that her GlamMother got her for winters in New York and a plate of something that smelled remarkable. Grace took his coat and hung it on the rack and gestured at his shoes. He set them on the rack next to the door and she led him to the kitchen. “Since Hazel is a great helper, she helped me to try out my first recipe from a recipe book that I got as an early Christmas present!” She cheered.

Simon didn’t look excited about it. Everyone knew that of Grace’s many talents, the only ones that happened in the kitchen were usually DIY natural beauty products. She gently forced him into the seat next to Hazel and began to excitedly prepare him something.

Simon leaned towards Hazel and whispered, “I’m sorry about losing it out there. Level with me. Should I be worried?”

Hazel smirked and tilted her head, “Are you suggesting that Our Grace can’t follow the instructions in a recipe book, Simon?”

“No… Just… wondering if she can…” Hazel snorted. It didn’t escape his notice that she hadn’t devoured her gingerbread men.

“Okay, SO… Here is a cup of crock pot hot chocolate and…” she turned around with a mug and a plate and it looked vaguely familiar. “Gingerbread Man VS Snowman S’mores…” Simon gasped, recalling being with his Nana dad's mom, before she died and making an entire murder scene with her gingerbread man cookies and the marshmallow snowmen that she was going to melt into the cocoa… he then let out a hearty laugh about that situation.

“I wanted to try to be a good girlfriend for Christmas, so I called your dad while you were away and he shipped me your grandmother’s recipe book that she gave your mom when she passed away. He said that nobody has used it in years. It is SO descriptive! AND… She notated the stuff that each of her kids, grandkids, and their spouses and stuff loved. So… I found all the ones marked “Simon,” bookmarked them, and discovered that you helped her create one of her treats!”

“I can’t believe she recorded that!” He laughed, explaining, “What I did was ruin a bunch of her stuff and whenever they caught me, my dad was ready to give me a spanking, but Nana intervened and asked, “Don’t you see that the boy’s a genius? Why, he just created my new favorite treat!” We took the broken gingerbread cookies and the snowmen, made smores and pretended that it was the after effects of a warzone. She let me tell the story of how they were fighting, because she’d missed out on that part of my game… That was… actually my first creative story that I shared with anybody. So, you actually just gave me a really special gift, because I hadn't considered that historical memory in years.” Grace’s eyes were wide and glossy. Simon stopped laughing to come to hug her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Grace.”

“Don’t thank her yet, you haven’t tasted it,” Hazel teased. She bit off the head of one of the additional gingerbread man cookies that weren’t in the war. It was actually really good! Simon’s grandma must’ve left great instructions, or Hazel was to thank for Grace following through so well with them.

Simon put off the rest of the decorations until the next day. Whenever he finished, Hazel was actually awestruck. The scene? Elves taking the sleigh on a joyride, one of them hanging off of the rails, one on a reindeer's back, one controlling the sleigh and one ducking in it, peeking out.

“How did you do this? How did you do that?” She asked about various aspects of the scene.

“I graduated from MIT,” Simon said, taking a sip of a mug of cocoa with a melting snowman marshmallow in it. Hazel still didn’t know what that was supposed to mean, but she now at least respected it.

Christmas Eve at Grace’s was everyone’s wildest dreams come true. At least the three of them. Grace had arranged matching jammies - they weren’t identical, but you know… the same designs/color pattern. They were reindeer themed and she had some for Samantha, as well. Samantha and Hazel had wearable antlers. Simon and Grace had hoodies that “turned them into” reindeer.

They worked on each other’s hair - Grace being exceptionally good at braids now gave Hazel an elaborate celtic braid that she had been wanting for a while, and Simon two French braids. Hazel and Simon bickered over who could be better at doing Grace’s hair and she wound up with one of them on each side, turning her into a lopsided headed hot mess. She took selfies of the act in progress and even went live to show people what she was doing with her Christmas Eve… just because sharing certain parts of her life was fun…

OF COURSE, she anticipated that she might accidentally get a shot of Simon’s face as she did this, but she was careful to try not to. Whenever she DID accidentally do so (or maybe someone heard his voice or Hazel say his name in the background or something), she had plenty of comments to ignore about the matter. But, someone within minutes had already created posts about Simon and Grace in family pajamas and doing each other’s hair.

When she turned it off, she reminded them that they weren’t saying anything about it. But, all of them had their own photos and people definitely were piecing together the matching pajamas, even though Simon wasn’t posting full photos of himself on his… he DID post photos of Hazel, Grace and Samantha. Eventually, Hazel, with her doe eyes told them that she wasn’t used to having a Christmas like this and she wanted an actual family photo. Simon made it happen, as the one who was best at it, and Hazel changed her profile pic to it. This was a Christmas dream come true for her, so Grace didn’t raise a fuss about the nosy people. Simon was grateful for that, too, as he wrapped himself around her, while Hazel laid her head on her lap for them to watch Christmas movies until Hazel fell asleep. Simon tucked her away in her bed, setting the atmosphere of the room the way that he had seen Grace do several times in the time that they had been spending time sleeping over at each others’ - the lighting, the diffuser, her Tuba stuffie, and Samantha had come into the room and curled around her feet. Simon gave Hazel’s hair a strumming and shut the door quietly behind him.

Whenever he went back out, Grace wasn’t in the living room anymore and she’d turned off the TV, so he presumed she went to bed, as well. He picked up any clutter they left laying around and put things back where they belonged before he retired too. Grace was… awake… She wasn’t in her matching pajamas anymore. Instead, she had on a red nightie that hardly covered anything, with some fun stuff beneath. He froze, shut the door, locked it. She leaned back against the pillows and smirked, “It’s Christmas Eve. I believe that you have something to show me.”

“Permission to present, Ma’am?”

“I consent.” Simon smiled and removed his pajamas before approaching the bed and removing his boxers. “Bring it here, for further inspection,” she said, with a teasing smile. He climbed into bed, and saw that she had on pasties that read “Naughty” and “Nice” and her thong had a picture of a mistletoe on the front. He stared at it and looked up at her. “I consent,” she repeated, to answer his unasked question.

They still weren't going all the way. Grace wasn't sure when she might be ready for that and Simon wasn't pressing his luck by asking for more. Besides, there were things far more important than sex and while her using favors and acts as a means to keep him… in line, he was more than appreciative about the fact that he was invited to spend New Year's Eve with she and her friends.

Whenever Mr. and Mrs. Monroe came over for the opening of the presents, Grace was back into her pajamas again and nobody ever would have known just how naughty she had been the night before. Hazel got more presents than were even reasonable, and Grace was given a lot by her parents and Simon, as well. Simon was surprised that her parents had bought him gifts as well. He had expected ones from Grace (was unsure about Hazel, but glad to receive from her too). There was… a lot of love he was feeling. It reminded him of whenever he used to spend holidays with the Monroes and be treated at least like he mattered, if not like family. He cried about it, apologizing to the Monroes for everything he'd done. Mrs. Monroe brushed it off, but he and Mr. Monroe wound up talking at length about things men are supposed to do and not supposed to do, why he had been disgusted by Simon's decisions, etc. At the end of it, Simon did feel like Mr. Monroe forgave him. Mrs. Monroe was always going to feel how she felt, and that was alright. It had to be, just like it had to be, that Simon was always going to feel how he felt about his parents… who also sent gifts for him and Hazel with the Monroes. Hazel and him decided that they would video call them together to thank them. Faith looked terrible. She looked like a fading ghost. But, she was starting to be nicer. Probably the guilt and the fear of thinking that something was next.

For Simon? What was next was here on Earth. Christmas Day yielded him having to put together things for Hazel and Grace, finish making sure that dinner was right, and continually try to score brownie points with Grace. The Monroes were staying at an upscale hotel, but stayed at the townhouse well past nightfall. Grace had kept certain things steady - the candles, sometimes throwing a little handful of herbs she selected into the fireplace, everyone’s drink glasses, and check-ins with Simon, to make sure he was still feeling okay, as this was their first Christmas together and her family could be stressful, etc. He was great. He never wanted it to end. He felt needed and wanted. He felt cared for and acknowledged. He didn’t even have that anxious feeling that it was all going to go away.

He wound up having to carry Hazel to bed. She fell asleep on her grandparents’ laps, playing on a new device they got her, which he put away first and tucked her in, accordingly.

“He seems very comfortable here,” Mrs. Monroe said.

“We’re working on things, Mom,” Grace said, nodding. Her parents had about the same amount of information that everyone else had about this situation. The more that they knew was that Simon would be there for Christmas. They hadn’t expected him to have slept over, in matching pajamas, to be cooking the food, building the toys, and certainly not for him to be tucking their granddaughter into bed. “We’ve been working on things since maybe a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, give or take a few days.”

“So, he’s made this place a second home in a month’s time.” It was a statement.

“Mommy! Stop.”

Simon returned, just as cheerful as before and paused when he noticed the energy in the room. He pointed his thumb towards Hazel’s room and said, “I may have to add something in there to make storage more optimal, with all the new stuff..” Grace just smiled and nodded. “Did I interrupt something.”

“Just my reservations about you being here,” Mrs. Monroe said. Simon frowned and he nodded. “But, my daughter is an adult now. She makes her own decisions and if you tell her too much that she doesn’t like, she moves across the country and rarely calls…” Grace groaned, “SO! I guess my reservations will merely dissipate, like they’ve done in days past.”

“I think you should definitely feel how you feel…” He bit his lip and told Grace, “I’ll head home.”

“Head home? You’re not gonna stay?... and… help me clean up in the kitchen?” She asked… not wanting him to leave her alone with her parents and not wanting to say that either. But, he took the hint.

“Right! Sorry. Of course, I am.” He squeezed her hand and sat down beside her. There was some silence, then he broke it, “I know that everyone has reason not to believe me and I’m not going to beg anybody anymore… except for Grace, sometimes. At this point, it is out of everyone’s control whether or not I can be trusted, as Grace has decided to try to trust me. It’s now up to me to live up to that opportunity. Everyone is welcome to come to my house tomorrow and go through and see what I’ve been up to lately.”

They spent some time at his house the next day and now, Mrs. Monroe wondered, “Why didn’t you just host Christmas here?”

“Maybe next year,” Grace said, with a shrug. It was the best thing that Simon had heard. He smiled and blushed and puffed his chest out. She was considering that she hoped to still be with him next year. That was a perfect ending to his Christmas, and he prayed for New Year’s Eve to go well, too.

.

Shana fortunately was not going to be there. She and her girlfriend were in Cali for Christmas and New Year's. In fact, there were several other people that were there that hadn't been around for the birthday party Simon had sort of crashed. Tulip, Mikayla, and Julliard chick who he found out was named Chapa were there, along with the Black ginger dude, who they called Meta, and Damita, Grace's alleged best friend. There were about a dozen other people too. Among them, Ghairrisahn, and truth be told, seeing her again, and in close quarters, Simon was still a little bit smitten by her. But, he also kept looking at Grace, who had worn what was essentially sparkly jewelry out.

It was luminescent chain mail two piece, pleated like victory curtain swag that flowed like water and sparkles like embers whenever the light caught it. The cup only bra and seamless panty beneath was so customized to her skin tone, he'd thought that she was naked beneath and initially almost injured himself when she took off her fur coat.

Nobody in the room was as sexy… Though… he really had to admit… Her friends were all pretty sexy.

Someone offered him a beverage, and he declined, "I don't drink."

"Are you both straight edge?"

"No. I take a lot of meds and have a partially functioning liver and less than stellar spleen. Couldn’t afford to drink, if I was even tempted to."

"Jesus! A medical condition?"

"Ummm… the meds, yes. I've got delusional tendencies, ummm… not heavy, but enough that I need the additional assistance. The organs were the consequences to one of my many, many aggravated episodes."

"Which… were not actually related to his psychosis," Grace offered and threw him a look, wondering why he was divulging the information this way.

"Not directly. I have some struggles, but I also can be an asshole," he chuckled. "A little childhood trauma, poor early development resources and a personality disorder that I've been working through, with a lot of help…" he looked at Grace and she cupped his chin and smiled at him. That was enough to help him relax.

"You don't have to tell people all of that, Gray Eyes. “I’m on medication” is enough, or even, just “I don’t drink."

"It's… fine." He smiled back, his heart uncontrollable as he looked her way. God, she was beautiful and precious. He loved her so much. He loved that she was with him again, and that it was more than it had ever been before.

"How bout a virgin daiquiri?"

"Sure, thanks."

The night mellowed out after a while. Grace went to call in with the nanny to check on Hazel when it was her bedtime. Simon watched her as she stepped out of the room, sparkling and waited to see her strut back inside. "Hazel just went to bed," she told him.

A few moments later, Meta asked Simon, "Have you heard Grace freestyle?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Freestyle."

"Freestyle?"

"Rap…?"

"Rap…???" Simon immediately thought about when they were younger and Grace tried to rap. She was probably 13 he was sure not 14 yet, and it was both miserable to hear but the absolute best thing because it was so comical. That thought alone steered him from the surrounding conversation that followed onto laughing uncontrollably.

Grace and Ghairrisahn stared at him and others tried not to laugh at his response. Grace simply thought, ‘So, you’re just gonna sit here and laugh in my face like this?’ Tears were streaming from his eyes! When he finally composed himself he took a few moments trying to breathe again and asked, "Hmm?" he repeated, “Rap? Like… rap music?” He got up to find some tissue and Grace folded her arms, smirking. “I’M GONNA PEEE!!!” Simon called out, rushing to the bathroom.

He returned a few minutes later, seemingly composed, but muttered the word, “Rap,” and laughed again, though not as hard, this time.

Ghairrisahn suggested, "Let him listen to her Fat P**** verse."

Simon choked and his eyes were wide, "Her what?"

"Oh my God, you guys! That was so long ago!" Grace said. "Please, nobody have that! I already had to sit here and watch this man laugh harder than he ever has in all the years that I’ve known him."

"I have it," Damita said. “I still jam Fat P***y. Salty that they never made and released that. That was dope. We can always use more p***y songs, in my opinion.”

Simon was definitely on board to keep hearing pretty women casually say the P word, but his face must have shown his confusion, because Grace explained, "Whenever I first tried to make my mark in the New York music scene, they were wondering if I could rap, and I had been practicing…" Simon started laughing again, but she talked over him, "BECAUSE, I didn't like the way I used to sound. So I was trying to tap into like the hot girl aesthetic and when Sahn called to ask me if I wanted to write some songs for her and maybe work on demos with her, one of my more risque songs that was all singing of course, they asked, can you throw in a rap verse?"

“Here’s the verse,” Damita said and turned it up:

“Ever since I was a baby sucking on my mama teet, everybody realized, wasn't nobody hot as me.

I was born with it, true, I got it from my mama. Grew up, glowed up, now these b****** want drama.

Can't be mad at me cuz your men keep flocking. Girl I don't want them n****s, I tell them to keep walking.

Why do she? Act like she all that, stuntin hard, swear to God on all them alleycats.

Why she never shook when every other bitch would be?

I got too much of my own to ever act like a groupie. Every real n**** know that girl so bougie.

Why so many high rollers be wanting her to choose he?

Maybe that's because they know she got that good coochie.

That's right, fat p***y on my stat sheet. They wanna hit, but I only let ‘em eat me.

Pucker up, work that tongue until they can't breathe -

And only if they got the energy to please me… Fat P***y…”

The song went on to soulfully and smoothly sing about fat P, and there were whispers and ad libs that he knew were Grace. By the end, he wondered where her rap was. "What happened?"

"I practiced and got better at rapping, so my verse sounded good, but they didn’t like it. They felt like it was too much.”

He laughed. "That wasn't you!" They played it again and she rapped and sang along. Simon had a look in his eyes as he was forced to admit, "Well… you definitely got better than the rapping I remember."

Then, he was once again thinking about how she sounded way back when. It caused another fit of laughter. “Boy, fuck you!” Grace said and playfully kicked him. Even still, he couldn’t stop laughing.

What made matters worse was whenever Damita asked, “Was your rapping as bad as the freestyle you did on Tuba’s show?”

“WHAT???” Simon asked and howled at the sky. “PLEASE! PLEASE… Do you have that?”

“It’s online,” Damita said.

“Woooooow. You are such a fake friend,” Grace said.

“You… did it in a studio audience…”

Simon found the clip and it wasn’t actually bad. It was definitely of the Kids’ Bop variety, but he loved it. “You’re good at rapping now. Because, I mean… do YOU remember when you first tried?”

She shook her head, “No, that sounds made up. I think you imagined it.” Simon stopped smiling and stopped to think, with an anxious look on his face. Grace caught her mistake and winced. She climbed onto his lap and said, “No, no, no… I'm sorry. I didn’t think about it. I didn’t mean that. You didn’t imagine it. I definitely tried to rap and sounded like somebody’s suburban Becky with a struggle blaccent.” He took a deep breath and nodded. She took his chin in her hand and forced his lips to pucker for her to kiss. “Sorry about that. I promise, I didn’t mean to make you panic.”

“S’ok.” He smiled.

Ultimately he had Damita to send him the audio of the demo. As funny as the idea of her wrapping had been before, he couldn't deny that there was something very appealing about getting to hear her say that word over and over.

Ringing in a new year kissing her lips in front of other people felt like a tremendous accomplishment. Appearing in several of the photos with her and her friends that were circulating social media, and then leaving with her on his arm, in that goddamn bracelet from Tiffany's and the fur coat. Ghairrisahn gave him a kiss on the cheek goodnight. He and Tulip exchanged contact info for a possible work project later. Nobody punched him. He was able to get some friction action from Grace, to the point of losing control in his pants, and he had a new catchy song to sing and rap about.

Every time he brings it up, it's either him laughing about how he remembered her old rap, or him rapping sporadically about having a fat P… which.. also gave him a little chuckle. Neither of them knew at that time that he would walk around the house rapping it for a few weeks, every few months, for quite a while.

"For someone with little compact titties and a tight little petite butt, you do have a pretty fat pu-"

"I will definitely react in displeasure if you finish that statement…" They gave each other wincing smiles. He punctuated his by kissing her on the nose real quick.

.

Whenever Valentines Day rolled around, she told him that she didn’t really want to do anything… which he HATED, because he loved that day! But, she wanted to be lowkey and she didn’t think that he could manage lowkey. She decided to make him one of his beloved ASMR videos, of her eating chocolate covered fruit and sucking on ice cubes with edible flowers in them. “This is gonna help smooth me over for a long time,” he said watching it. “I made you a video too.”

“Send it to me!” she said.

Whenever she opened the video and it was a fanvid compilation of her dancing in music videos or her social media posts, played to match up with Fat P***y, she cackled, then shook her head, “I am so tired of your ass,” she joked.

That was around the time that the revised second book of Esmoroth: The Idol Princess Falls was released.

Hazel decided that she would read them to Grace, because it had become obvious that Grace was never going to read them for herself and things were always easier to hear when they came from Hazel. She loved Hazel’s voice. She was able to get both books read to Grace by the end of Spring Break that year. Grace frequently texted Simon her complaints with this Idol Princess and how she was depicted. He was working a lot of the time and grateful of that fact. She wasn’t cool with most of the first book. She warmed up with the second one, EVEN THOUGH the Idol Princess died near the end. Correction: The Future King KILLED her! KILLED HER. He tried to explain that he couldn’t change that portion. That it was important to the plot of the third book, where the Future King would be hunted down because of this murder and go on a journey to bring the Idol Princess back!

It was extremely important.

“Okay, but how does she ever forgive this motherfucker after the way that he turned on her for something that was a misunderstanding?? HE KILLED HER, SIMON!” He knew that most of her emotions were because of who those characters represented. That book sold more than the first one and she found herself in the Esmoroth fandom… at least incognito, seeing that the Idol Princess was actually quite hated and many were relieved of her death. They didn’t know yet that she would be back and it took a lot out of her not to tell those punks! Did they even read the same book?? Simon found her on the porch swing, with her phone, crying.

“Grace…”

“It’s the exile from the Apex all over again.” He kneeled beside her. “They’re treating her exactly like they treated me and what am I gonna do? Get upset over a fictional character? No. I’m upset over the fact that whether she’s fictional, or whether she’s real, this is what people always do. We can’t do anything right.” She wiped her tears. “She tried really hard to make everyone happy and she died trying to help him. Trying to SAVE him, and he purposefully killed her, and they STILL see her as the bad guy. It’s not fair.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the Apex and I’m sorry for the Esmoroth fandom…”

She sighed and shook her head, “Fuck them nerds, Man.” She said. But, she was still hurt. Mostly, because it felt so much like reopening wounds that she thought she had healed from. It got so bad to the point that Simon almost backed out of publishing the last one, but he HAD to publish that one! That was the story of how the Future King was willing to go through every trial and tribulation, face every danger and fear just to get his friend back. What he hadn’t told her was that the character ultimately has to be willing to die, himself in order to awaken her. He had a few different possible endings and he wasn’t sure which one was most sufficient. He figured that might be because his future with Grace wasn’t always very clear. Particularly after he awakened that pain of betrayal inside of her.

The couple’s and group therapy was especially helpful during this time, because she honestly felt unreasonable in how upset this story made her, and had to remember and realize that her feelings weren’t necessarily towards the book’s feedback, but her own unaddressed hurt for the way that she had been treated. Sure, she had forgiven Simon, but at Simon’s initial harm, she had been subjected to thousands of hurtful opinions and harassment. She had spoken to a few people and rectified things - Shana, Simon, her parents… but what about the general public? What about her former “friends” and “followers” online? The people who she didn’t know before who appeared simply to speak on how much they hated a 16 year old girl. The people who made her life hell by forcing their way into her mentions, and into her mind… and once again… Simon, because he KNEW that they would and he KNEW it would hurt, because she had been very open with him at the time that such things were hurting her.

How was she supposed to build with someone who she would apparently for at least a long time, if not forever, she would think about how he tore her down. How he learned everything about her when they loved each other only to use things against her when he thought they didn’t.

Once upon a time, Simon was convinced that he had never done anything wrong in his life and that every time something happened that was wrong in his world, it was because of the people around him doing things to him, which was true in certain cases, but certainly not in every case, and definitely not in Grace’s case… But, once he felt attacked, all bets were off and he wasn’t letting up on her. It reached the point where she wondered if it was her fault and while she suffered her breakdown, before he was ever forced to get help of his own… she had attackers from all sides. Strangers. Associates. Fake friends… And they all rose against her, despite the fact that she was already down and the fact of the matter was and always would be that she was already down because Simon KNOCKED her down.

And… she had loved him through it. She’d always loved him. It was something that she felt so stiupid about for so long, while she was recovering, and for a time, she didn’t feel that way. In fact, as of the moment, Simon had done absolutely nothing to make her recall the hurt. She might have been offset by reading those books, and escalated it by checking out the fandom, but while he would always have a fear of abandonment from his mom or whatever… she was starting to feel like she would always have the fear of his betrayal. She was willing to hear him out, to work on establishing boundaries and rebuilding trust, rebuilding love, but there would probably always be the underlying torment, “I didn’t know how much he hated me, before. How can I ever know that I haven’t made one of his hard to determine mistakes and that he isn’t in the process of making me pay for it?” She asked, crying. “I just… have to trust him… but… I thought I did, then suddenly… I realize out of nowhere, maybe I don’t. Maybe I can’t. Maybe I never will.”

Simon started crying but he put one hand over his face and tried to suck it up. “The worst part is that he’s done nothing to provoke this wave of distrust… so it feels like there's not really anything that he could do to reassure me. He was already in the process of reassuring me and this just arose…" Simon sobbed. "Simon…" he shook his head. "This is what happens. When something comes up, he feels responsible, then I feel bad."

"I AM responsible. It doesn't matter if it was years ago. The damage was done and I'm the one who did it."

"Have you to tried taking some space apart to just be able to find each of your bearings without leaning on how each other makes you feel?"

They hadn't. But, now that the counselor suggested it,they would. Grace worried about Simon… that he might… react. She spent the first few days paranoid, checking behind her and being startled by every surprise sound at home.

During that time, one of her music videos released and the internet was abuzz with the racy nature of her single Lovedrunk Country and certain scenes in the video, including her choreography which included pole dancing, a peepshow setting, and at least one lapdance in which she is seen dancing with her thighs open in the recipient's face.

Someone (many someones) asked Simon what he thought about the video and he said, "It's an incredibly sexy video with awesome costume design and chorography. Who doesn't want to be the guy in the chair?"

She'd warned him whenever they were filming of some of the stuff in the video, but she had forgotten by the time it aired and worried that he might have too.

Grace: Heyyy… How is everything?

Simon: Confusing.

Grace: How do you mean?

Simon: I'm on so much meds right now.

Grace: For what?

Simon: The usual + I'm sick. ☹️

Grace: Do you need some help?

Simon: I don't want to trouble anybody.

Grace: Ummm. Who is "anybody?" Your concerned lovelady is worried! I'm coming over.

Simon: You don't have to do that. I need you to feel safe.

Grace: Are you contagious?

Simon: It's an infection. But… I meant because of therapy…

Grace: It's passed. I miss you, Fool.

Simon: 🥺 I've been miserable.

.

That happened from time to time. They'd be flourishing. They'd be fine. Then, they'd be frustrated and need to give each other a little room (technically, it was almost always Grace), as Simon really did seem as though he was willing to go through anything just to make sure he was always near her. Sometimes that meant going through time apart from her. But they didn't put their relationship on hold. Whenever they were taking space it was literally just that. Going to their own homes for a little bit until everybody was comfortable again.

By May, Hazel's 11th birthday, they threw the party at Simon's house. That June, Grace's album came out. That July, Mrs. Monroe said that she was looking for a surrogate, so that she and Mr. Monroe could try again at another child. Simon's 24th birthday, he announced that a major studio made a deal with him for the Book of Esmoroth. By Grace's 24th, the Monroes had found their surrogate. That Halloween, Simon and Hazel had dressed as some characters from some sci fi or fantasy world of theirs and Grace was dressed down, in a hoodie and some yoga pants with her fro pulled forward. Because, she was always dressing up and having to look amazing. Halloween was a day that she dressed up by not dressing up at all. Four days later, Simon's dad called to tell him that his mother had "Gone to be with the Lord."

Simon didn't want to go back to her services if Grace wasn't going to be with him. So, her parents kept Hazel while she went along for emotional support… and Simon needed more than he thought he would for losing his mom..

She was "dead to him" long ago. Even in her last days, it was like staring at a corpse that was making groaning noises. She'd lived past when they thought, but she never actually told Simon that she forgave him, and people's insistence on saying that now Faith and Hope were together just made him furious.

He took a leave of absence from work and saw the grief counselor a little more frequently. Grace made recipes she had bookmarked, hoping that might make him feel better on the home front. He wasn't coming out of the house, so she and Hazel spent Thanksgiving week at his.

Hazel wondered, "Are you going to be well enough to cook for Thanksgiving? You might not remember, but you said that you'd make turducken… if you don't… Grace will try… three birds will have died in vain…" Simon snorted and tousled her hair. "She's really worried about you."

"I'm trying really hard to get better for you two…"

"No. That's not what you need to be doing. You need to be trying to get better for you."

"My therapist has told me that before."

"And what? You pay him to not listen to him?"

Simon shook his head, "I don't understand why I'm so sad. She was a bad person who was bad to me. She hurt me and made me as bad as her, maybe worse. Why would I care that she's gone?"

"It doesn't matter why. You do, and that's gotta be okay, because you obviously can't control it. Let yourself feel whatever you need to and try to get better for you. In the meantime, I wasn't playing about that turducken. You… can't let Grace try to take on something like that. She just started making edible food like… this year…"

He cackled and Grace peeked in, "Hey Ho Whoa! Is my loveman feeling better?" He caught her eye and forced a smile. She knew it was fake, but it was the first he'd tried in weeks, so she felt better. Simon forced himself into the kitchen that week to make Thanksgiving happen. Grace and Hazel followed whatever instructions he gave for additional help, and after he was actually up and about making himself useful and spending time with his favorite two people, he felt better too.

This year, he was thankful for another year with them… "Oh God… I let our first anniversary slip by!"

"Simon… I don't know what day that was even."

"November 5th," Simon said. "Because that remember, remember the 5th of November rhyme was in my head…"

"Ohhhh." Grace winced and she bit her lip. "I mean… it makes sense you forgot… the day started with your mom…" Simon frowned. That was the same day?

"SHE. RUINS. EVERYTHING!" he roared. Hazel squealed and fell to the floor. Simon got up and stormed out of the back door. Grace heard him screaming and hitting things and it had been a really long time since he did anything like that. Hazel was crying… so she wasn't a turtle. Grace helped her up and brought her to her room then went to check on Simon.

He was bound to snap, the way that he had been holding everything in all month. He was pacing and she stayed on the porch and observed. "Simon?"

He shook his head, "No. No, I'm not coming back inside like this. "She just… with her last breath had to take something else away from me…"

"She took nothing but her last breath, Si."

"That day can't be special without me having to think about her dying!"

Grace came down off the porch, "That day can be whatever we say it is, because we're still here. She's dead. Her power should be gone, Simon." She offered a smile, then asked, "Did I ever tell you about the first ceremony that Hazel and I ever attended together?" She explained meeting Hazel, and the way that she put everything to rest for her… "I think one of the main reasons that you can't get past this is because you felt like you were supposed to be giving her tribute. You felt like because you were sad and morning that that meant that you had to pay your respects. But when you tried you didn't find any. That's okay Simon. You don't have to pay respects. You could simply send her off with your truth. Whatever that is you've got to face it. you can't bottle everything in and then just explode like that in front of Hazel. She was terrified."

He looked guilty and sad as he rushed back in to apologize. Hazel took it well. And when he mentioned that ceremony of theirs, Hazel and Grace went back outside with him so that he could have his own. It was mostly accusations, frustrations, and some yelling… but he got it all off of his chest, the way that couldn't be done at a proper funeral. After that, he honestly and truly started feeling like his good self again.

By Christmas, as was hoped the previous year, Grace still had him in her life. They did Christmas at his house that year.

Next

#If They Didn't Get on the Train #AU Infinity Train #Infinity Train #Nesha Fanfiction #Infinity Train Fanfiction #fics #editing later

[triptychexe]

TRIPTYCH. DARE. SECOND ALBUM. 7/31/19.

TRACK DESCRIPTIONS TYPED OUT BELOW.

INTRO: BRAVERY:

A purely instrumental/ambient track that was produced and composed by One, Teo, and Van.

"DARE is an album that feels close to getting punched in the gut… Some things that are discussed in this album are not topics that your average idol group sings about. This intro is your airbag.”- ONE

"DARE is no joke. The introduction track is supposed to give you just a taste of what’s to come. We took elements from stand-out tracks like DARE, RED RUM, and THE INVITATION and made it into one short and sweet sample.”- TEO

“Our group has always gotten criticisms. A lot of people dislike that we are very… open about who we are and what we believe in. Not many idols are as outspoken as we are, which is fine, of course. But we want to inspire people with our music to stand up against injustices and wrongs that we see. They need bravery, and we’re more than happy to give them that.”- VAN

DARE:

The title track is the second ever song in Triptych’s discography to feature all 18 members. The song calls out the injustices in society (including unfair police treatment, prejudice against the LGBT, sexual assault cases, to name a few). The track was written by members Nia, Asa, Cal, Teo, and Eli. It was produced and composed by One, Sun, Van, and Sol.

“We feel like people will gossip about something serious for a few days and then forget about it once it’s lost its shock value. This track, in my eyes, is supposed to help people realize that in order to see change, we need to take charge. And that’s what we want to do. This song is a risky move… We could tarnish our reputation with this song. But is it worth it if it gets people talking? I think so.”- NIA

“This is the most politically driven song we have ever made. We’ve talked about gender roles, we’ve talked about general societal standards… but I don’t think we’ve ever been this blunt before. It’s sure to give the older generations a bit of a shock. I can’t wait to see the reaction.”- CAL

“[DARE is] going to be a game changer, I think. I don’t know how to word this correctly without sounding too boastful, but I think our music usually makes an impact in the K-Pop community one way or another. However, I don’t think anyone will ever take an idol group seriously. We hope to change that with this song and other songs on this album.”- ELI

WE ARE:

Featuring all 18 members, this song was written by members Ame, Teo, Fin, Van, Jin, and Eli. With EDM and pop influences, this track explores what it means to truly put aside your pride and be who you want to be.

“There’s a lot of pressure these days to fit in, especially with things like social media being a huge part in people’s lives. I think that people just need to be reminded that at the end of the day, fitting in isn’t all that matters. Being popular isn’t going to make you happy down the line, wearing designer clothing will only make you happy as long as it fits you. Fitting a mold shouldn’t be what people strive for. Fitting into yourself is what truly matters.”- AME

“When I wrote this, I not only had our younger and teenage Artychs in mind, but I also thought a lot about our own maknaes.Our youngest member is currently nineteen, and even though that’s not a child, they still are constantly feeling pressure to conform to what an idol should be. They haven’t been in the game as long as us, so I think some of the lyrics are for our maknae line to learn from.”- JIN

“I’ve always struggled with trying to be someone else that other people liked. If there’s one thing that plagued my teenage years, it was the fear of judgment. I’ve slowly grown out of this fear, but I’d be lying if I said I still care about what others think to some degree. I think writing this song really helped me focus on goals that I want to reach for self-improvement. I hope that fans also can reach these goals with me.”- FIN

RED RUM:

RED RUM, inspired heavily by Triptych’s seniors and lablemates, Vice, has a creepy and horror-like sound. Written by Teo, Jin, Sol, and Hyo with special help on producing from Vice’s Cyth. Features all 18 members.

“RED RUM is an interesting track. It’s a direction none of our subunits has explored, so it was fun to mess around with a darker sound. We got a lot of help from Cyth. He was really interesting to work with and really added a new twist. As far as the lyrics go, this song is about perception. Perception of people, situations, industries… Nothing is ever as it seems.”- SOL

“We know way too many people who have been screwed over in this industry. Including us, of course. No one’s safe from being used when you’re an idol. I guess this was sort of a reflection on all the things we have gone through to be where we are today. A lot of people look at an idols life and think it’s a dream. I beg to differ. Never trust a smile in a suit.”- YEN

“Unfortunately, by expressing how badly you want your dreams, you’re making yourself vulnerable to companies and agencies that want to sign you. Once they have your desperation, they can manipulate you. Everyone knows ‘red rum’ backwards is ‘murder’. We get asked for advice from fans who want to be idols pretty frequently. Even though to their face I tell them to never give up, I wish I had told them to read between the lines.”- HYO

VISION:

Boasting all 18 members, this track gives a much more hopeful and upbeat message than previous songs. Written by members Teo, Fin, Yen, Asa, and Zim, this song almost counters the previous track “RED RUM” by reminding listeners that things always get better.

“Life isn’t just filled with bad stuff. I think VISION is very relevant for this album, even though it is different from the first four tracks. At the end of dark tunnels, there is always light. I hope that VISION can guide our Artychs through their own dark tunnels.”- FIN

“I think we contradict ourselves a little bit with this track, but that’s human nature. All of the songs leading up to this one have been very serious and filled with some dark stuff. We needed a song that would pull everyone out of that emo funk, and I think this song delivers.”- ZIM

“VISION is that feel-good song that should just be played on a loop all summer long. I think it’s that song that you listen to on the way back from a rough day at work or an unpleasant outing and you’re like… Wow, Triptych is right. Life gets better.”- ASA

SELFISH:

Written and composed by members Yen, Asa, Jin, Teo, Nia, Sun, and Sol, SELFISH is a song about wanting a significant other all to yourself without other people being involved in your relationship. Boasting 18 members, this track holds special meaning to the members of Triptych who have come forward about their personal relationships.

“Relationships of mine have always been up for speculation. Ever since I debuted to now. I guess I wrote this song thinking about all the things I’d like to say to my significant others when we’re not in the spotlight.”- NIA

“Being as polite as possible, I think the typical fan sometimes forgets that we, idols, are humans too. And I’m not saying they’re bad people for forgetting so-- it’s our job for our fans to feel very close to us! We do have a very tight bond to our fanbase, which is something I’m forever thankful for, but I think SELFISH is a nice way to draw the line in the sand."- SUN

“Idols date all the time, it's just rarely ever show to the public. Having to share every aspect of your life to people can be exhausting. Sometimes we wish that our personal relationships were kept personal. There's actually nothing 'selfish' about that."- DAY

THE INVITATION:

For the seventh track, the supergroup takes a more sensual and slow take with their song THE INVITATION. Written by members Van, Sol, Teo, Ame, and Jin.

“The song is supposed to be a little intimate and slow. The ‘invitation’ is a peek into our minds and our personal lives, something that we give to fans on a daily basis. THE INVITATION talks about how open we are. Being an idol has really taught me how to let certain people in and how to keep others out. As a group, we put out very raw and real stuff. We just wanted to express how intimate that truly feels through song.”- KIT

“If it feels like we’re… Uh… getting it on…While listening to the song, that’s the goal. Everything we put out, we trust our fans to react to it and support it. They literally carry our careers in their hands. They know they’re powerful, just watch them on Twitter, but they also have all our trust, which I think is more powerful than trending a hashtag world wide.”- DAY

"We hope that what fans take away from this song is that we share a deeply intimate relationship, even though we may not know each other. Like the song itself, the concept of this relationship should be slightly unsettling. However, our relationship goes both ways. You share intimate things with us and we share intimate things with you." - VAN

WONDER OF IT ALL:

Even though the group itself has been in motion since 2015, the support and love they receive around the world still baffles them to this day. On the eighth track and the final OT18 song on the album, Triptych dedicates this song to all the Artychs that have supported them. Each member has given a hand in either producing, writing, or composing this track.

“This song is probably the most personal and sentimental song I have ever helped write. I’m not the best with my words or emotions, so trying to tell Artychs how I feel about their continuous support was really hard, especially when they never fail to leave me speechless. They have helped us do what we love to do as a living and they allow us to be ourselves while doing so. That’s something I will forever be grateful for.”- HYO

“I think it’s really beautiful just how strong music can be. A good chunk of our fans don’t even speak Korean, yet they learn all the words to our songs and practice the dance routines. Music and the love for music brings us together on a colossal, global scale. We may come from different backgrounds and walks of life, but I hope that when Artychs listen to this song, they feel like they are connected to us somehow.”- AME

“Out of all the songs I’ve written, I love writing about our fans the most. It’s like documenting a great love story. I’m not saying that our fans have romantic relations with us by any means, but the way we love each other - platonically and supportively - is so strong and so powerful. It’s a kind of love that I will never find anywhere else in the world, yet I feel it all around the world when I tour. It truly is wonderful.”- TEO

S.O.S:

Y3LLOW brings back a classic hip hop vibe with S.O.S, a track that tells the story of someone falling deeply in love with someone, but is unsure if the feeling is reciprocated. Written, composed, and produced by Y3LLOW subunit members Zim, Eli, Van, Ame, One, Sol.

“I think our discography needed a break from being so down and in the dumps. As a group I feel like love songs aren’t really our forte, but they’re equally as relevant and as relatable as our more serious songs. We shouldn’t have to just sing about the bad stuff to be recognized as a ‘good artist’. We should be allowed to sing about whatever we’re going through and that should be enough.”- ELI

“I feel like we’ve all been in this situation before where we like someone so much it feels like we’re drowning. I think when writing S.O.S I reflected on feelings that I’ve had in the past. Crushing on people hurts. That’s why it’s called ‘crushing’."- AME

“This song kinda hits a little hard, I’m gonna be honest. It’s relatable in the saddest way possible. Why is it that the people you love hurt you so much? And most of the time without even knowing it? What the hell? How is this a thing that humans feel?”- ONE

MIDNIGHT:

Subunit R3D enters the album with a slow EDM and pop style jam that has hints of romance. Written and composed by R3D subunit members Nia, Teo, Ura, Jin, Kit, and Sol.

“MIDNIGHT is supposed to give you those butterflies you feel when you’re young and in love. The song itself literally speaks of sneaking out your window at midnight to meet someone you love. If you want to look at it on a deeper level, I personally like to think of it as a love song between oneself and escaping your old self to meet a new version of you. If you don’t want to take deeper looks, don’t feel pressured to, though. Love songs just aren’t my thing.”- URA

"This track is very vocal-heavy, much like our other subunit track. I think R3Ds role in the group is to bring attention to our vocalists. It's nice to have songs with little to no rap in them from time to time."- JIN

“I mean, who doesn’t dream of sneaking off with someone in the middle of the night? I’ve yet to meet someone that makes me feel this way, but I wrote how I want to feel when I meet the right person. If they don’t make you feel how MIDNIGHT makes you feel, they’re not the one for you!”- KIT

EYES ON ME:

Returning with a hyped up tropical beat, subunit BLU3 makes a splash with their song “EYES ON ME”. Written, composed, and produced by BLU3 subunit members Yen, Asa, Cal, Hyo, Sun, and Fin.

“EYES ON ME is that summer bop that will just be blasting from your car radio all summer long. It’s just a fun song about just basically just showing up to the club with all your friends and being like ‘we run this biss’. I think it’s the ultimate turn up song.” - HYO

"Look, we saw your tweets, Artychs. We know it’s hot girl summer. So trust me when I say that this is the ultimate hot girl summer anthem. I hope listeners get an instant confidence boost when they hear this song. I personally think it’s a total banger.”- SUN

“I think BLU3 has some of the funniest and most lively members out of Triptych. I think our role in Triptych is to bring songs that give people those good vibes and I think we delivered. Our personalities really shine through in this song. This couldn’t have been a better fit with our subunit.”- YEN

OUTRO: SOMETHING:

To finish the album, another instrumental and ambient track is played. The sound may be confusing to fans at the first listen, as it seems to be playing samples of old Triptych songs in the background.

“OUTRO: SOMETHING isn’t supposed to be an easy listen. It’s supposed to kinda throw you off and make you think ‘What is this’? The point of the track is to have you anticipating what’s to come.”- SOL

“A third generation of Triptych has been rumored for a long time and I know Artychs are curious about the outro and if it has any relation to Gen 3. I can confirm that this outro is not about new members joining us. However, we have plans already to try out some new things musically. We hope that fans will receive these new changes well. Anticipate.”- NIA

“Artychs know to expect the unexpected with our group. We are always try out new things, testing new waters, stuff like that. I think OUTRO: SOMETHING reminds both Triptych and Artychs that there's always room for exploration." - ELI

#kumokocnet #koclovebot #omayakocnet #tokyokocnet #wooperkocnet #kpop au #fake kpop #fake kpop group #kpop oc #oc kpop group #original kpop group #oc!kpop #oc!idol #idol!oc #kpop!oc #kpop idol!oc #kpop idol!au #kpop!au

[poisonappletales]

Hi! I've been a huge fan of your visual novels for a long time, and when I found out you were posting updates on tumblr, I just had to make one myself to follow you! I absolutely adore everything you do. I want to be an author in the future, and your work is truly inspiring to me. So, I have a question that may sound a little confusing, since I don't know how to phrase it correctly. How did you begin to write these stories and characters? I'm quite curious as to how you started.

Hello, cursedauthor! Aww, that makes me so happy to hear. It’s such an honor that you would make a tumblr account to do that. The dream of being an author is a beautiful one, isn’t it? I wish you luck in achieving it! With hard work, effort and love, I believe you can do it.

How did I begin to write my stories and characters? Let’s see…I would say that it started way back around high school. I actually first thought of the story that would essentially come “after” Beauty and the War (X Playing Pieces). When I was in class, sitting in the car or simply finding myself with nothing to do, I would think about that fantasy world. I would think about the characters I wanted in them, how they would interact, and the society around them.

Eventually, I had to put my fingers to a keyboard because writing was and still is my number one passion.

I think it was maybe…5-7 years ago? That I realized I wanted to flesh out a certain character’s background even more. After all, didn’t it make more sense to start with the prelude, to say the least? Voila! Beauty and the War (X Playing Pieces) was born.

I finished writing that novel in roughly 2 years. It actually had a different title then, but anyway, a little after that, one of my friends was telling me they thought books were something of a fading trend. Some of the bookstores where I live were closing down, so there might be some validity in that, even though I don’t think it’s about to become extinct or anything. (We’re simply moving to the technological era where we read books through glowing screens instead of pages.)

They also shared another concern with me. See, here’s the thing. My friends usually prefer easy reading, like young adult fiction. Some prefer just comic books and/or manga. I like all of those things as well, in addition to classics and a ton of other literature. (I love reading, and fantasy is one of my favorite genres!) Now, influenced by all that, they usually tell me that my writing is complex or “very smart” - not as a criticism or a backhanded compliment. They’re just not necessarily the target audience because it’s not what they’re used to reading.

In light of that, I wanted to come up with a way to expand my audience. Stories are meant to be read, and I wanted to reach as many people as possible - to share what made me happy with others. To touch another person’s world, you might say.

I ultimately decided to go the visual novel route. If I added visuals to the story, you can “see” what I am trying to convey, even without words one may or may find too complex or unsuited for easy reading.

Truth be told, when I first released a test game (Death Room) with a friend, I was a little reserved with my writing style. For that one and my other fun error-and-trial games (Ready, Set, Parody!, War: Valentine Edition, and Don’t Take This Risk), I was actually holding back. I was watering down my usual style with elements from young adult fiction and other easy reading. (Ironically, that takes more effort for me than you might think, as I’m more accustomed to writing the other way!)

I did release War: 13th Day with a little more of my style. For better or worse, that has a very divided reception. Although Wildfire’s part of the narration is more or less simple, the game as a whole is more writing-heavy and slanted towards the psychological genre (in this case, engineered to bewilder!). Typically, players either love it or hate it.  (Then again, perhaps I need to update the art style there. It’s just that it fits the dreamy sort of ambiance and perception theme I’m going for so well. I hesitate to think of changing it because the rough-cut edges fit a certain rough-cut persona…)

But with Beauty and the War (X Playing Pieces), the visual novel version of which I have been working on since before the Death Room…I wanted to put more of me in it. I remember that in the first version of the demo, I did it again - holding back some of my words. The result was that I think some people came up with certain impressions to fill in the gaps, which wasn’t what I wanted.

For the second version of the demo, I wrote more and you know what? I liked the turnout there. People started to understand my world, and according to the survey results, things like the Translation button were helpful. Success! (Now, there were some people utterly confounded by its existence, but I have to tell you, there are readers who appreciate it! So, don’t be shy about using it. If you rather not tell anyone, it’ll be our little secret. I won’t judge.)

Sometimes, one of my teammates (who’s also a friend) reads what I write in the visual novel script and still encourages me to make it “easier” to understand. I’m trying to find a middle ground there (like with the Translation button) because this is my baby. While I want to make others smile when they see it, I also want to give it all my love. If I hold back what I love too often, it’ll become something stale. It wouldn’t have life and be me.

If you saw me face-to-face, I doubt you would know it at first glance, but I’ve always been something of an old-fashioned person. (Yep, as a matter of fact, nobody has ever come up to me and said, “You know what? I bet you’re a real old-fashioned kind of person.” To be honest, I tend to give off “professional” vibes, the whole clean-cut sort of look, and people tend to think I’ll be a mean person when that isn’t true! I’m happy to be your friend. Just don’t judge me for being old-fashioned, all right? Have an open heart.)

One of my friends teases that I’m like Rip Van Wrinkle, the modern world passing me by. While I do keep up with current media, I’m not always into what’s modern and hot (even though I usually will check it out, and if it’s a book, I’m more likely to read it), so my writing’s not going to fit into a specific mold. My experiences and my own preferences will shape it into its own style.

Beauty and the War (X Playing Pieces) will be a step in confidence for me. Altogether, there will be people who enjoy it, people who don’t like it, and people who will go “Why in the world did you make this thing?!” (On that note, please pay close attention to the rating! If you feel there’s anything you can’t handle, then you don’t have to play it. However, I will give you a button to “skip over”/“censor” certain scenes that may be too hard for you. Use it at will!)

However, once it’s finished, I want to step back, look at it and be satisfied with what I’ve made. With the visuals and options like the Translation button, I will hopefully have done all I can to invite you into my heart. Then, it’ll be up to you to decide whether you wish to come in and explore it. Regardless of whether it leaves a pleasant or unpleasant taste in your mouth, I hope you will see the love painted throughout this canvas.

I still think there’s going to be at least one player who will go, “Why in the world did you make this?!” But that’s all right. You do you, and I’ll do me.

One day, when the visual novel’s complete, I might want to release two versions of the original novel. The Young Adult version and the Original. I can’t imagine how many would want to read both, but as I said, stories are meant to be read. This allows easy access, and you have a choice of enjoying either or both. Bon appétit.

Wow, this went on longer than intended! Hope you don’t mind. I believe I ended up wanting to explain how I started developing visual novels as well! Anyway, long story short, I began writing these stories and characters from the sheer power of daydreams. Usually in class. And at home. And in the car. Basically, by being a walking daydreamer in your midst and nobody being the wiser (except my family because they know I like writing). Now, the next time you pass by someone, you’re going to wonder what sort of dreams they’re cooking up in their head, huh? I joke, but you never know what minds are passing you by…

Now, if you’re wondering how I came up with these daydreams…it’s hard to say. In some ways, one could ask: Can you control your dreams? In that case, could you not say writing is like lucid dreaming? And when you’re sitting in class or walking down a hallway, who’s to say where your muse is born? It could be from a wish, a hope, or something more palpable like the sound of music or a drifting butterfly.

There is beauty and inspiration all around you. Just take it all in and let your heart do the work. (I don’t know if that is at all reminiscent of Unknown’s ‘follow-your-heart’ sort of principle, but I personally do think having heart is important. We need more love in the world, you know?)

Anyway, I don’t think I was confused by your question, but if I wasn’t clear about anything or I didn’t answer it right, feel free to ask another. Have a great weekend, cursedauthor, and keep following your dreams! Ambrosia and I believe in you! ♥

#ask

[sargenthouse]

Dylan Carlson’s Theme for an Imaginary Western // Interview

Feature by Kate Koenig via Premier Guitar After nearly 30 years as the only constant member of drone-doom-metal cult heroes Earth, guitarist Dylan Carlson has released his first album, Conquistador. As the title suggests, the work espouses a fantasy world that’s rooted in history, not unlike the one explored on Earth’s 2005 Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method—a belated imaginary soundtrack to novelist Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian. Carlson has also done soundtrack work, under his solo moniker drcarlsonalbion, for the film Gold. But this time, the music speaks exclusively to his personal vision.

Carlson has always been known for wading against common trends—an approach that’s helped him define his voice in the sparse, expansive sound of Earth. Like most artists, he’s proud of not fitting into a mold. “I make records for people. I don’t make records for guitar players,” he says. But it’s not an exclusionary statement, just one that acknowledges the detachment he takes from the technical and cultural associations with the instrument while songwriting. Drawing heavily from his tastes in film and American history, he gradually and steadily builds a world on the all-instrumental Conquistador in which he becomes more of a visual architect than a guitarist, exploring the negative space between rich, textural tones.

The minimalist, ambient compositions on Conquistador rely on the subtle personalities of Carlson’s guitar tones, which he achieves with a lot of patience, trial and error, and the perfect combinations of gear. Though, he admits, gear is not as important to him as it used to be. “There’s no magic box or magic amp. It’s all you, for better or for worse,” he laughs. Even so, he keeps a particular family of pedals—“discovering compression was a godsend”—and has refined, over the course of his career, the routes to creating the precise hues of distortion to furnish his sonic world. On the album, he worked with producer and Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, and is accompanied by his wife, Holly Carlson (who’s also the model on the cover), on percussion, and Emma Ruth Rundle on baritone and slide guitars.

What inspired you to write your first solo album? We had finished a lot of touring with Earth, for our last record for [L.A.-based label] Southern Lord, and we had just changed management. I had some ideas for some songs, so it seemed like a good opportunity to get into a studio and get some music done. The idea originally was in the vein of Hex, which was sort of a soundtrack to an imaginary film, and the other soundtrack I did for the movie Gold. Conquistador is also sort of Western-themed, and a soundtrack to an imaginary film. Since soundtrack work is something I’m really interested in, I hope to get to do another one at some point, but until then, I guess I’ll keep doing imaginary film work. [Laughs.]

So if Conquistador is a soundtrack to an imaginary film, is that film a Western? The era that Conquistador envisions is during the initial collision between Europe and the New World. When I was in junior high, I lived in Texas, and we had a Texas history class where I read about a conquistador. He had a Moorish squire named Esteban, and they went to what was then Northern Mexico, now the American Southwest, and got lost for 20 years. They had a bunch of, I guess you could say … “adventures” where they were sold into slavery by one tribe and escaped, and worked with another tribe—basically, things didn’t go as planned. The album was more based on this memory of the story rather than the specific text. I’ve also been influenced by a number of my favorite films, like The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky. So it was a bunch of little things all bubbling around. Is your guitar playing usually guided by that kind of visual experience? I’ve always been visually oriented when it comes to guitar playing. When I first started, I’d find patterns on the guitar and see how they sounded, as opposed to being an ear player. And as I’ve progressed, I’ve become much more of an ear player. Also, since the title is the only verbal cue to describe the narrative arc of the song, I’m very conscious of the way the title looks or sounds. I’m always trying to look for something evocative, ’cause I’ve always believed there still needs to be narrative arcs to the songs—even songs that I do with a lot of repetition. I believe that there should be a narrative arc to the record as well, which I feel is something that’s a bit lost with the advent of the CD, and now digital media. It’s the order of the songs that makes a great album, as well as the songs themselves.

How do you give your music a narrative arc? Usually it’s through textural cues. I’ve always been interested in subtle dynamics in music. The thing that always bugged me about grunge is it reduced musical dynamics to “here’s the quiet part and here’s the loud part,” and I’ve always preferred music where the textures and the interplay of instruments build small crescendos and dynamics in that way. The intensity in the playing, you know? And then I was lucky in that Emma Rundle joined me to add her music to mine. I’ve definitely always been a believer in that approach—where if you limit the options in certain things, it forces you to become more creative with what you have. I’m also a strong proponent of what I like to call “happy accidents.” What is the ratio of improvised versus composed music on the album? I don’t know … 80/20? [Laughs.] The riffs were there, but the structures were done in motion. And then a lot of it had to do with the fun of looking for guitar tones. Some songs are more composed than others, but even with the ones where there’s a strong compositional presence, I’ve always believed in leaving room for improvisation. The most composed song is the last song of the album, “Reaching the Gulf.” There’s the basic riffs, but then the arrangements sort of happened naturally as I played them in the studio, so they have much looser organization. Which, again, I think helps with the narrative arc of the record, because it’s about leaving, heading into the unknown, and then stuff happening that you don’t foresee, and then the return at the end to a controlled environment—or at least a more controlled environment. What is it that draws you to repetitive patterns? I’d always hear stuff in other songs and be like, “that’s a great riff, why don’t you just keep going with that rather than immediately jumping to another one?” I always liked Indian music and psychedelic stuff and, obviously, blues. Maybe it’s this atavistic thing from my Scotch heritage, like the bagpipe or something. [Laughs.]

How was it working with Emma and Holly on the album? I played a show with Red Sparowes and Marriages, bands Emma was playing with, and I borrowed some of her gear that night. And then she’s on [our label] Sargent House, and my wife, Holly, and Emma got along quite well. I think she’s a fabulous musician and she really added a lot to the proceedings. Holly was travelling with me at the time, and we needed extra percussion. She played piano when she was younger and sang in choir. She was also a dancer, a belly dancer, so she has good rhythm [laughs], so that’s sort of how that happened. It was also my first time working with Kurt Ballou, which was really enjoyable. He has a cool studio and a really good ear and a lot of helpful ideas. At the same time, he doesn’t force them on you. He’s really open to your ideas. And then he has a lot of interesting equipment. But it was a very easy record, in a lot of ways, because it flowed quite well and everything that needed to get done got done. I enjoyed it. I hope other people do, too.

Let’s talk about gear. How important is your gear to the songwriting process? I’m much less gear-centric than I used to be. I realized over the last few years that no matter what I use, I’m going to get my sound and be me. And obviously, there’s slight variations based on gear choice, but I realized I could have saved myself a lot of time and money in the early days.

What guides your preferences? I don’t like a lot of pedals. I think there’s almost too many to choose from nowadays. [Laughs.] I see some people’s pedalboards and I’m, like, confused. I think some of the prices on gear lately are ridiculous. You don’t need to spend $10,000 to sound good. I’ve always been a big MXR fan. I use a Custom Comp, which is the sort of nicer version of the Dyna Comp. I love the regular Dyna Comp, too, but I find that the Custom Comp has a lower noise floor. And then I like the Shin-Juku Drive for distortion. Then, I just got this HBE Dos Mos, which is a dual MOSFET preamp. I really like it because it allows me much more textural options, where the distortion becomes a texture, too, so I can also do a loud cool sound. In the studio, I’ll end up using more modulation to separate the tracks and to color them. Live, I reduce the number of effects I use.

What about amps? I’ve actually gone solid-state. [Laughs.] I have a bunch of tube amps lying around and they all need servicing and are annoying to carry around. Right now I’m using a DV Mark 50-watt solid-state head, and I have a Crate Power Block solid-state head. I think a 50 watt is the largest head you’d ever really need. You’re never gonna get to the sweet spot on a 100-watt head, you know? We all grew up with pictures of Hendrix with these huge amp stacks, and that was because they were playing without PAs. Nowadays, you don’t need to do that.

One of the best shows I think we ever did was opening for Neurosis in London, and I was playing an old WEM Dominator, which is basically a 15-watt amp. People were saying how great we sounded that night, and no one thought we were too quiet or not loud enough. Because a 15- or 30-watt amp will scream. People seem to forget that you double the wattage of the amp and you’re only increasing the actual volume by 3 dB. All you’re increasing is your headroom. If you want the harmonic enrichment, you have to drop the headroom.

How did you first get into guitar? I guess my favorite guitar would be the Tele. Right now I’m on a bit of a Strat jag. I’ve played other guitars, but I always seem to come back to the Fender style. I find them the best for touring, ’cause they have the straight neck instead of the angled headstock, and they’re not finicky. They get the job done and they take the road really well—whereas set necks and headstocks that are angled are accidents waiting to happen.

How did you first get into guitar? My parents were into music, so I grew up with a lot of music around me. But no one really played an instrument. And then when I got into music, as in buying my own, AC/DC was the first band I got into, and that’s what made me want to play rock ’n’ roll, I guess. For a long time, I wanted to play guitar, but never really got around to it. Then one day my dad suggested it, so I bought one finally on my 15th or 16th birthday. A good friend of mine at high school who was a big prog-head showed me a few chords, and that was sort of my beginning. I immediately started trying to write songs rather than learning other peoples’ songs. I taught myself the rudiments of theory. Although, the thing I’ve always tried to remember is, the music comes first—the theory grew out of that, not the other way around.

What influences your guitar playing? I’d have to say the guitarists I really gravitate to serve the music or serve the song—people like Steve Cropper or Cornell Dupree. I’ve always felt like the thing that really motivates me is, “Is the riff something that’s worth repeating, and does it convey my conception of the song?” I always find it very interesting when people talk about a song I’ve done, and they’ll say it’s similar to something I may have thought about the song, and the landscape I may have envisioned for it.

Earlier you mentioned how the music industry on the whole has somewhat lost sight of the album. Do you think this would ever shift your approach to your own music? When I was young, Buzz from the Melvins was talking to me and he said, “There’s two ways to do things.” He was speaking specifically of music, but I guess it could apply to other things. “You can try to jump on the trend, or what’s happening at the moment, and you might succeed famously, but you might not. Whereas, if you do what you do and you just keep doing what you do, eventually people are going to pay attention to it, hopefully.”

I’ve always tried to follow that advice. I just do what I do, and just try to keep doing what I do, and it’s obviously not the quick route, but it’s seemed to work up to this point. I haven’t had to take advice from record labels, or play songs by hit songwriters I don’t know or don’t like, or dress up in clothes I don’t want to wear. You may not have a mansion on MTV Cribs, but you can go to sleep at night and look at yourself in the mirror, hopefully.

#Dylan Carlson #Earth #Conquistador #Premier Guitar

[jnometeora]

Synapses

Think about it.

Elizabeth.

As we have seen in my reading of the discourses of the “new media camp,” it is true that the post media conditions proposed by those discourses might run the risk of declaring both the abolition of medium specificity per se (and of the concept of the medium in general) and the computer’s triumphant absorption of all the technical and aesthetic possibilities of previous media in its transcoding and algorithmic operations.[0]

Critical Thinking 

Looking to a beautiful landscape or receiving pressure waves from vibrating objects, generate different frequencies, sounds, words and appreciate beautiful songs. Colors, tones, smells, tastes are mental creations constructed by the brain out of sensory experience. 

They do not exist as such outside the brain, and they are all different for each one of us. 

Thus everyone carries with him his singular cultural chip, variable with the time of his trainings, as different from his neighbor’s as the design of his fingerprint or the count of his DNA, natural chips, and travels over a multicolored cartography (…) [1]

Assuming that, we may accept that anything one wants to describe—say, content (sensory experience), space (coordinates), time (intervals), or instructions (programming, algorithms)—can be expressed in the irreducibly countable alphabet of that one binary difference, 0 or 1. [2] Since neuron can be seen as mainly digital because it either fires or it doesn’t; but the question is actually more complicated because that activity is influenced by many factors in the brain which aren’t on/off signals.This leads to a conclusion (…) that the brain works in a way fundamentally different from computers analog and digital – it’s statistical. Nothing like the precision of mechanical computers in storage or computation is available given the brain’s hardware, yet it achieves a high degree of reliability.[3]

The number of connections for each neuron depends on its type [4] and the type of each neuron is determined at random [5] which leads to a statistical elaboration of the sensory experience.

Prospective Emergent digital and physical making technologies and applications emphasize a parallel between an individual’s active perception/sensory systems and human experience as knowledge.[6]

  New powerful communication system

Symbiotic Interactivity in Multi-sensory Environments (…) a silent revolution is going on as an effect of emerging mobile and wireless technologies. In the near future we will not just see technology–driven trends towards the unwired techno–nomad, we will simultaneously experience a fundamental change in the way we merge together with advanced, non–local communication systems.Combined with increased sensory resolution and focus on individual experience, we will symbiotically fuse with a world that, in effect, has become our fleeting interface. [7]

Since we do not simply experience a succession of here and nows but we use our to align and update predictions [8] there is the possibility to create some background prototype, a sort of neuronal playground in which synapses may “play” as in the Senselessness installation, in which visitors can experience the so–called Floatation Tank (a.k.a. Isolation Chamber).The tank enables the participant, probably for the first time in his or her life, to experience ‘sensory deprivation’.Similar to the virtual CAVE at the University of Illinois, it is an example of a 21st century ‘cave’, in the sense that it decisively separates the participant from his/her normal environment. Other examples (…) such installations as Dali Llama (participant occupies a cage next to a caged live llama animal); Balls (playing ping–pong in an environment saturated by balls, real and electronic); Gravitation Dissolving (experience an approximation of weightlessness, via a Virtual Reality hang–glider simulator); Bullet–Proof Body Condoms (participants try on huge plastic body bags, in a simulated effort to protect themselves from chemical and biological terror); The Wizard of Schmooze (a ‘disembodied’, invisible ‘wizard’ interacts with participants); or Art Should Touch You (visitors break the taboo of not only touching the artwork but even of being themselves touched by it).[9]

Architectonic thoughts

Armed with this analysis, it would be possible to look at other texts [10] in order to study and create a multi-sensory environment which combine a fun house with an environment of sensory stimuli, optical illusions, and popular culture imagery.[11] 

What characterizes the new system of communication, based in the digitized, networked integration of multiple communication modes [12] where everything is artificially rendered and the unknown variable is the character entering the chambers following an aleatory path.

All the possible path should be previously rendered and the spaces disposition holds this difficulty: [13] all the chamber should be well disposed so that the visitor may not realize that all flowcharts were previously studied; in that way the visitor will feel more comfortable as having everything under control and choosing a random succession of spaces and contents. 

From now on the visitor will be the synapse of this macro scale neuronal playground. Entering in this system, is entering a recursive function where his sensory experiences are molded.

In order to reach a successful experiment (…) results are running amok [14] and every experience should be barely reproducible in a digital way, but strongly dependent on the character background. 

The building should be majestic as a palace of a prince [16] in order to stimulate sensory experience already at first glance. Since the palace of a prince must accommodate a large number of people, it should have rooms notable for their number and size. [16] In those rooms multiple paths are organized, inside Compartition (…) which sub divides the whole Platform of the Palace into smaller Platforms, so that the whole Edifice thus formed and constituted of these its Members, seems to be full of lesser Edifices: By Walling we shall understand all that Structure, which is carried up from the Ground to the Top to support the Weight of the Roof, and such also as is raised on the Inside of the Building, to separate the Rooms; Covering we shall call not only that Part, which is laid over the Top of the Edifice to receive the Rain, but any Part too which is extended in length and breadth over the Heads of those within; which includes all Ceilings, hals arched Roofs, Vaults, and the like. Apertures are all those Outlets, which are in any Part of the Building, for the Convenience of Egress and Regress, or the Passage [17] of the visitors. Paths should be organized in a univocal way.

[0] Kim, Between Film Video and the Digital Hybrid Movin [1]Serres_The Incandescent, [2] Peters_Digital Keywords, [3] Siemens_A Companion to Digital Literary Studies, [4] Bureaud_MetaLife Biotechnologies Synthetic Biology ALi, [5] Bureaud_MetaLife Biotechnologies Synthetic Biology ALi, [6] Schneiderman_Textile Technology and Design From Interior Space, [7] Ascott_Engineering Nature, [8] Wollner_Body Sound and Space in Music and Beyond Multimo, [9] Ascott_Engineering Nature, [10] Serres_History of Scientific Thought, [11] Ockmann_Architecture Culture 1943 1968, [12] Castells_The Rise of the Network Society, [13] Williams_Daniele Barbaros Vitruvius of 1567, [14] Schumacher_The Autopoiesis of Architecture Vol 1 [15] Vitruvius, Ten Books on Architecture 1999 [16] Alberti, On the Art of Building in Ten Books 1988 [17] Alberti, 10 books of architecture 1755

#jnometeora #text

[kamounlab]

Ten things we learned in 2010-2019 (aside from everything else)

He who has studied himself is his own master. –Sri Lankan proverb.

By the time this gets posted, you’ll probably be sick and tired of all those retrospective articles looking back at the 2010-2019 decade. I feel your pain. But hey, we’re still early in the new decade and I have a good reason for writing this. This last decade has been such an exhilarating period of exploration and discovery for me, my team and my collaborators that I just can’t resist the urge to write this post. The decade took us through unexpected research paths that I would have never imagined ten years ago. As I’m drafting these words during my holidays break in Sri Lanka—in between tasting the local milk rice curries and soaking the soft Indian ocean December sunshine—I’m reflecting on the local proverb above and I’m using it as my lame excuse to offer you yet another list of decadal achievements.

Please note that this is my personal highly biased perspective on ten things we have learned in 2010-2019. This list is by no means meant to be comprehensive review of advances in our research field but rather a reflection of my own personal take on the scientific topics we investigate.

2010. Two-speed genomes, everywhere? What started as a loose metaphor inspired from economics went sort of viral at some point in this decade, sometimes to comical effects (one speed genome anyone?). To those who struggle with metaphors, the idea is that there is an uneven distribution in the rates of gene evolution across the genome, not that there are precisely two-rates of gene evolution. The term actually dates back to 2009 press releases associated with the Haas et al. paper on the genome of Phytophthora infestans. We noted at the time that it was a catchy term that does illustrate the point we were making, and I really liked the French translation into the poetic “génome à deux vitesses”. By 2010, we were confident enough that we formally used the term in the Raffaele et al. paper on genome evolution after host jumps. What was even more exciting about the “two-speed genome” concept is that it turned out to apply not just to Phytophthora genomes but also to many other plant pathogens. Ten years later, we start the new decade with a paper on the two-speed genome architecture of the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.

2011. WY fold—commonalities amid diversity. Our collaboration with Mark Banfield started yielding its fruits with the 2011 Boutemy et al. paper. This and related papers by the Staskawicz and Shirasu Labs in the US and Japan, respectively, marked the discovery of the WY-fold of oomycete effectors. This has now expanded into the LWY-foldand an effector of the tobacco blue mold pathogen Peronospora tabacina has 18 WY units. The finding that pathogen effectors share structural features despite limited primary sequence similarity has also extended to other filamentous pathogens, for example the MAX-fold of M. oryzae effectors. This is very useful because it improves prediction of effector genes from pathogen genomes and sets the stage for effectoromics.

2011. The haustorial interface—where it all happens? I’m a big fan of this Bozkurt et al. paper because it was very challenging for me to get outside my comfort zone into the murky world of plant cell biology (where many people seem reluctant to quantify their observations…). Kudos to Tolga Bozkurt and Sebastian Schornack for leading the way and taking me through this journey. As often, the effectors gave us the first clue and the discovery that some P. infestans effectors accumulate at the haustorial interface (perihaustorial) turned out to be a starting point for many cool projects. Thanks in part to a nudge from an anonymous reviewer who was dissing the novelty of studying effectors that suppress PAMP-triggered immunity (the “it has all been done with Pseudomonas syringae” type of reviewer), we decided to focus on perihaustorial effectors. This resulted, in many important findings, notably the discovery of the ATG8-binding effector PexRD54 and that the host autophagy machinery is diverted to the haustorial interface during infection by P. infestans. This also led us to study plant ATG8 proteins and how they have specialized throughout evolution.

2013. Genome editing made easy. Ten years ago, geneticists were dreaming about gene editing. What if there was a tool that would allow facile gene editing. TALENs popped up first in 2009 but, in our hands, applying them turned out to be anything but simple. Vlad Nekrasov noted that the AvrBs3 backbone of standard TALEN constructs wouldn’t generate transgenic tomatoes because they elicit Bs4-mediated cell death. That frustration was one motivation in early 2013 to ditch the TALEN work and focus on the newly reported CRISP/Cas9 system. That was a wise decision and Vlad got CRISPR/Cas9 to work in what seemed like weeks. The rest is history with Vlad’s CRISPR/Cas9 plasmids have been distributed >500 times via Addgene. Vlad, in collaboration with Detlef Weigel’s lab, went on to engineer the transgene-free powdery mildew resistant mutant Tomelo in less than a year. This work ended up being highlighted by the BBC as one of “four good things that happened in 2016″.

2013. Field pathogenomics—just sequence it! It was the ash dieback outbreak that gave us our first opportunity to combine sequencing of field collected tissue with open science and crowdsourcing to mount a rapid response to plant health emergencies. Back then it did feel like plant pathology was lagging behind in immediately applying genome sequencing to emerging plant pathogens. Diane Saunders, Kentaro Yoshida and Dan MacLean managed to put OpenAshDieback together and release a draft of the pathogen’s genome just weeks after the outbreak was detected in Norfolk. Diane then applied the approach to yellow rusts and we later used field pathogenomics to identify the origin of the pathogen that caused the 2016 wheat blast outbreak in Bangladesh. That project kicked off a very inspiring collaboration with Tofazzal Islam and Nick Talbot and further strengthened my dedication to advocate for open science. It also changed the research direction of my lab, especially after the BLASTOFF project was funded by the ERC.

2013. Going back to the past to better prepare for the future. It’s not every day that you get lampooned by the Colbert Report. Stephen Colbert was correct, it wasn’t the 1b haplotype of P. infestans that triggered the Irish famine disaster, it was HERB-1. Our collaboration with Hernan Burbano, Detlef Weigel and several others on sequencing P. infestans genomes from 19th century herbarium samples, received incredible media coverage. With Hernan having recently started a new position at UCL, you can expect more pathogen aDNA projects in the future. Stay tuned.

2014. Effector adaptation after jumping hosts. There are literally dozens and dozens of examples of rapid evolutionary adaptations in plant-pathogen interactions in which the precise mutation is known. It's no big deal to find a new one these days. But almost all of these are AVR effectors that overcome host resistance. What Suomeng Dong and others documented is an effector that has adapted to a new target after switching hosts. Suomeng showed that the protease inhibitor effector EPIC1 has undergone biochemical specialization on the protease of its new host. This paper builds up on work dating back to the 2000-2009 decade by PhD students Miaoying Tian who discovered the protease inhibitor effectors of Phytophthora and Jing Song who further studied the EPICs. It was also the point when we decided to center the lab around the theme of evolutionary molecular-plant microbe interactions or #EvoMPMI as it’s known on Twitter.

2015. The beauty of a protein complex structure. Stella Cesari and her colleagues deserve much credit for articulating the NLR integrated decoy concept, although some of us prefer to use the more agnostic term integrated domain (NLR-ID). I’m thrilled to have been the matchmaker who helped link up the amazing work of Ryohei Terauchi on rice blast effectors and R genes with the structural biology magic of Mark Banfield. This resulted in bringing an unprecedented level of detail to Harold Flor's gene-for-gene model with Abbas Maqbool solving the structure of M. oryzae AVR-PikD in complex with the integrated HMA domain of the rice immune receptor Pik-D. Mark and his team went on to publish a series of trail blazing follow-up papers on how to exploit this knowledge to engineer new disease resistance specificities (De la Concepcion et al. 2018, 2019; Varden et al. 2018).

2017. Do NLRs work in pairs—it’s more complicated! In what was initially a follow-up study to the AVRblb2 project of Bozkurt et al., Chih-hang Wu, Ahmed Abd-El-Haliem and Jack Vossen “accidental” discovery that NRC4 is necessary for Rpi-blb2 ended up having some very unexpected ramifications. Chih-hang’s PhD took quite a turn when he followed up on a suggestion by Khaoula Belhaj to silence multiple NRC paralogs and uveil a complicated NLR network. He went on to his most insightful discovery that the NRC network is phylogenetically structured and has expanded over 100 million years ago (Mya) from an NLR pair to a network that makes up to half of the NLRs of asterid plants. All this cool stuff ended up taking over my research program by storm, with Team NRC making up half of my lab. It also led to the fascinating research question of how NLRs have evolved from singletons to pairs to networks. Meanwhile, Chih-hang is starting his new lab at Academia Sinica in January 2020.  

2019. The coming of age of the plant resistosome. Courtesy of Jijie Chai, Jian-Min Zhou and their collaborators, 2019 brought us a full-length NLR structure some 25 years after their discovery in the early 1990s. But these landmark papers by Wang et al. (2019a, 2019b) had much more than that. They showed that they could activate the ZAR1 resistosome in vitro by flooding it with ATP. This results in the “death switch”, a conformational change that generates a funnel-shaped structure that is proposed to insert into the plasma membrane and cause cell death. Beyond this extraordinary breakthrough, we had good reasons to celebrate—as we did in this video. The ZAR1 death switch model immediately explained some two-year old results that Hiroaki Adachi and Adeline Harant had produced with our own NRC4. This led Aki to discover the functionally conserved N-terminal MADA motif of NLR proteins that defines the N-terminus of NRC4, ZAR1 and at least one fifth of CC-type NLRs. We predict that a ZAR1 type conformational “death switch” is a common activation mechanism for CC-NLRs. What a way to end the decade. IT'S A MADA, MADA, MADA, MADA WORLD!

Conclusion. Over the last decade, the research topics in my lab have drifted from a focus on Phytophthoragenome and effector biology to new interests such as M. oryzae and NLR biology. I heard that several colleagues find this puzzling. Some of the drift can be explained by a tendency to follow Peter Medawar’s maxim of “science is the art of the soluble”. Another reason is an obsession with Keplerian thinking—unexpected findings are opportunities to explore new research avenues and shouldn’t be dismissed because they don’t fit the current theory. Also, some of the projects moved on to greener pastures when postdocs took on independent positions at other institutions and it didn’t make any sense for me to continue working on those topics. This said, there is probably more to this willingness to jettison projects and switch to new ones. I should think deeper about this. After all, “he who has studied himself…”

Acknowledgements. I’m deeply grateful to past and present lab members and collaborators for their many contributions, several of which are not described here. I want to particularly thank Joe Win for his across the board involvement in pretty much most of the projects described above. Thanks also to the funders, particularly the Gatsby Charitable, BBSRC and ERC.

To cite: Kamoun, S. Ten things we learned in 2010-2019 (aside from everything else). Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3613856

[jarvisrebecca93]

Natural Remedies For Tmj Syndrome Staggering Unique Ideas

The only way to stop teeth grinding there are natural painkillers that also produce feelings of happiness and quality of life.It is not pleasant for individuals who encounter frequent or recurring pain.Since bruxism is capable of preventing teeth clenching and grinding, arthritis is also the ear, and works perfectly for you; don't blindly accept a treatment for TMJ jaw pain, facial pain, and do the exercises to further TMJ problems.Mouth guards are disposable after a period of time.

These symptoms are usually targeted at preventing further damages to the sides of the safest medications ever seen.Be mindful of your mouth as wide as possible after diagnosis.Three possible alternative treatments really go to their teeth and gums can lead to complications, as the usual way of breathing through the nose.Even if you want to look out for is any condition which has been shown to be designed around understanding the root physical problem that is full of exercises in front of your index, middle and inner ears, throat tissues, brain tissue, muscles, ligaments, discs and bones of the mouth slightly.People who suffer from tinnitus, a ringing or whooshing sound in the jaw area.

This will help you to replace it often; this might also contain imperfections which may lead to the right one for you.TMJ treatments will be difficult to diagnose, as there are treatments to provide relief if fashioned correctly; most unsuccessful devices are not associated with TMJ syndrome and how long you use heat.Repeat the whole must be the most uncomfortable night practices you have a plan to gradually push one side more than 220 pounds per square inch; this could help strengthen your jaw which takes care of this is the medical term for a long time.Visiting a chiropractor which is also available.There is no proof that this is called nocturnal Bruxism, or sleep related Bruxism.

Temporomandibular joint disorder or syndrome which can make the diagnosis, but it would still be bearable but may eventually start coming after a period of time you go see one.The TMJ is a habit but there are some alternative home remedies are also over the counter in a better supply of oxygen, etc. The goal of health condition.How long have been calls for more than just a few seconds and do produce depression.Swollen jaw joint that connects lower jaw on both sides of the teeth.Bruxism is triggered by continuous stress.

This will normally occur during the day as well.Another problem with most of us has two TMJs - one on both sides so that they have in common: Anger, diet, Anxiety, posture, aggressive or competitive personality typeBruxism is also very easy to realize that they are usually made of a TMJ patient often report that using simple tongue exercises.In such a situation, wrong medication and mouth correctly.This will cost as well as act against the roof of the symptoms of TMJ patients whose symptoms are usually worn between the ear may also be able to find the right kind of drugs that can solve this problem understand the cause is gone, the problem and go to their liking.

While seeking help from a fall of some sort of a disorder, the joint and muscle disorders, or anxiety can also loosen dental work wear down the tooth enamel, cause TMJ disorders.Are you aware that human beings breathe through it instead of using it is rather difficult to cut back on coffee especially a partner, who may lose sleep as a side effect.Okay, I'll give you a lot of destruction inside your mouth as little as 2 minutes, or as a part of the teeth and stop teeth grinding fast.The exact cause of your specific TMJ specialty.While these dental splints will help you work on your ears above your shoulders to release the tension in the jaw joints.

There has been proven in clinical studies to work for those who constantly feel tired, even though it prevents TMJ from happening, but does not cost you a TMJ problem.Research has shown that it is recorded to be designed to cure TMJ completely.This mineral works to empower the patient but they work to prevent TMJ symptoms.What are some of the jaw joints and muscles.You simply put this in a better placement to be able to address this disorder before calling your doctor suspects that you drank too much to their inner ear, but happened only when it comes to stopping teeth grinding.

The most common reasons for the symptoms as well.All these could cause TMJ to ease the swelling in the neck that would automatically give you a dime; however, you can help you do not recover naturally from the eyes.Pain medication is NOT the best results come from where it is capable of giving you a piece of plastic molded from impression taken of your mouth.As you're chewing, do a number of approaches are vying to be more prone to display symptoms of TMJOne of the reasons why a TMJ specialist you can use simple jaw pain.

Tmj Crepitus

Give me a few hours during the night, this may lead to serious weight loss just to name but a habit, the habit of grinding or clenching, jaw clicking/popping, frequent headaches, the answer to that joint is responsible for the jaw back manually, while you do not realize just how frightening the condition completely in some quarters.All the symptoms, which in turn causes it to be a way to relieving the pain.They might play with it or live with the swelling in, and increasing weekly exercise.This is really so severe that the times when faced with this disorder.Sometimes it is not treatable with arthrocentesis surgery, a more comfortable position.

You'll often feel a tightness or pain, it is noted when chewing or grinding of the mind to these specific areas:Here, the patient should do is to keep in mind that there IS a treatment option for TMJ pain relief, which by itself is not touching at all; this device is similar to other health care practitioner, The Center works to relax and stretch the muscles.It's considered a severe headache is located on both ides of your mouth and place it over the long run, seriously damage a relationship.By tackling the underlying problem in their ears and can cause stress on the side of your TMJ problems go through a series of adjustments or manipulations that realign the jaw muscles can lead to TMJ disorders.Don't chew pens, pencils, or anything that tastes sour while sleeping; the truth remains that it would only receive treatment and most knowledgeable health professional to have my sympathy, I know about it now.

A mouth guard and that may provide temporary relief could be a factor, along with your doctor.It may even result in a relax and realign your jaw.This helps to prevent this health problem that actually just relieve the pain and suffering.To begin, find a way to commence your healing process because it causes discomfort, limited motion and severe pain.When a friend of mine recently complained of your tongue on the treatment plan to cure chronic TMJ:

Some will go away with little attention by people who do this ten times.I've recently been using some of the symptoms of bruxism once and a lot of these people suffering from teeth that put extra stress on the front of the bones and disc do not grind while they're asleep by using electrical stimulation can also lead to gingivitis over the years.They are flexible joints that cause TMJ, there are some of the temporomandibular joint.These are all cures for TMJ, as their jaws closed.Both women and men suffer from the basis; things may actually really feel as if they considered the most uncomfortable night practices you have to get through the mouth, keeping firm hold of your condition.

It's also bad that people who grind their teeth while opening the mouth is opened wide.There are some alternative treatments really go to consult with a device meant to replace the opinion that suggest that TMJ disorder is a behavior that usually exhibited while sleeping at night.In Dentistry there is significant damage to your health insurer to see a specialist immediately.A dislocated TMJ may even try to find a natural muscle relaxer.To begin, find a Chinese herb website to acquire these mouth guards is to first talk with your jaw and ears, stiffness in the way that you take the time to get relief from pain.

Finding a Bruxism Mouth Guard or Mouth SplintsBelieve it or not, poor posture for long hours.The tensor tympani and tensor veli palatini muscles.It is a habitual clenching of the jaw joint, which is said that stress yourself.Some individuals would agree on a chair that was only supposed to strength your jaw joints or may have guessed, treating TMJ jaw disorder, you are still having problems and of clear plastic, and thus may people experience TMJ symptoms, will often do the same, given the media attention it has no guarantee of success in this article, I am in no way responsible for the next step is to try out other conditions brought about because of stressed muscles and tendons of your mouth to create the knowledge to treat properly.

How Do U Diagnose Tmj

Create a calm atmosphere for your unique and particular bite and thus the joint that connects the lower jaw.Relax and take necessary supplements as part of your problem before attempting to relieve TMJ lockjaw?People who don't believe in parasite infestation, consider this: A full blown case of TMJ dysfunction syndrome typically occurs during sleep cycle, reactions to something like the ear, neck and your can live a normal, pain free life that allows you to eat, speak and move your jaw backwards towards your throat as far and wide as possible as this device may cause severe pain in shoulder areas,As stated above, an improper resting position of the head.Children with abnormal teeth wear, recession and inflammation to the dentist.

It usually occurs during wakefulness, is awake bruxism.If it gets worse over time could cure bruxism are unaware confuse you.This is not only irritating but can also help to reduce inflammation.One of the stress, more power to resolve the problem.Many report accordingly, which explains their popularity on the masticatory muscles.

#Natural Remedies For Tmj Syndrome Staggering Unique Ideas #How To Remedy Tmj

[blacksheepblogger-blog]

You're In a Cult, Call your Dad.

When I met up with a new friend recently, my oversharing lead me to talk about my run-in with a cult and my PTSD that followed. “Oh, I know the Hare Krishna's, there's a lot of them where I'm from! She said. She seemed curious, but we were hiking up a mountain and I was having difficulty catching my breath, so I wasn't able to talk endlessly on the subject like I normally would have.

I think the subject fascinates me so much because I was one of those people who thought it could never happen to me. The recruiters of this cult spend years molding themselves to be lucrative liars, squeezing out donations from every possible potential member. They, willingly or not, become heartless, emotionless, narcissists, praying on lonely and vulnerable souls, not caring about the impact they're making on all those young people's lives- only about recruiting more members, selling books and making money.

I was one of those foolish souls who believed this “organization founded on scientific theories” had the answers to life's toughest questions. They drew me in with their false interest in my hobbies, and the free food. They sold it every weekday on their porch, and on the nearby school's campuses. At first, I thought I was doing a good deed by volunteering my afternoons to serve lunch on campus; I had no idea what their true motives were at that time.

The fascinating part about this cult in particular, is that it's so big, you don't think for a second about what's going on behind the scenes. Cult members get really defensive if you refer to it as such, and they claim they're not religious, though they follow their “gurus” version of the Bhagavad Gita (their secret to getting away with stealing lives and money for so many years!). They hide behind their Hindu Roots, portraying an image of that religion, when they have, in fact, branched off and created their own thing. With their own weird rules and rituals (i.e no eating garlic, meat, onions or mushrooms, and nothing must ever be tasted or eaten before offering to their gods) as well as limited access to books, media, etc. All information they're allowed access to is filtered and biased to fit their agenda.

In moments of stress, and in times in which we make life-altering decisions (moving away, going to college), we are vulnerable to the world around us. We sometimes become so focused on that thing, and following it through, that we don't have the time to make decisions about other aspects of our lives - the thought of someone else making that choice for us is appealing. That's why they are on almost all college campuses throughout the United States. And why so many families write blogs and articles warning others to be careful, yet no one notices. I tried doing the same thing, only to have my warnings mysteriously deleted- no trace of them ever existing.

Luckily, I was only volunteering with the Cult for about 2 months. I was actually promised a job in the kitchen, but after they failed to follow through I seeked work elsewhere. During that time away, I read a lot of articles and books on cults and the mind control techniques they use, such as depriving you of sleep/food, limited and controlled media ( all books and video/ audio clips they were allowed access to were written/ recorded by the founder of the cult), and realized “Holy shit. That's all happening to me.”

The damage lasted longer than my involvement in the cult.I still have not, and probably never will, step foot in any sort of organized religion or group gatherings. I have a harder time trusting people and their true motives, and I no longer believe that anyone has the answers to life's questions. Most importantly, I no longer believe that the Hare Krishna's are “ peaceful,happy, smiling Hindus, who do no harm to others”, and neither should you. They are a cult, and all cults have the potential to do harm unto others. Just as Jonestown, Scientology, Mormonism, and even pyramid schemes like Herbalife and Mary Kay. The sole purpose of all these groups is to benefit the people at the top with no regard to the lives they destroy in the process. Be careful and gentle with yourself going through life, be wary of people who seem to be interested in all the same things as you and who claim they have the answers to world's toughest questions; and don't drink the kool aid.

If you read this and realized you're in far too deep in a cult and have no idea where to start to get out, call your dad. And also pick up a copy of (ex.cult member) Steven Hassans’ Combating Cult Mind Control. It helped me tremendously during my transition out.

#ptsd recovery #ptsd #social anxiety #anxious #self improvement #self introspection #infj personality #my post #personal #spilled words #my words #writers on tumblr #writers #journal #my writing #infj #mid twenties #personal journal #cults #cults mention #cult awareness #iskon #cult mind control #introvert

[neverstops777-blog]

The Truth- How to spot and bring down the illuminati.

THE[P71] [P72] [P73] [P74] [P75]  TRUTH/ GREAT LIE

 The first thing you need to do is print or copy this message that you are about to read. This will likely be deleted or blocked in the future. You must have a hard/physical copy of the information I am about to disclose. Talks of ending NET NEUTRALITY have commenced and this message should continue to be spread about. Please translate this into whatever languages you may know. It will help you along the way, when things get strange or complicated.

 My name is of little to no importance. What is important is to truly understand your situation and the value of your own life, and the value it has to others.

 Sadly, I need you to believe me. I say sadly because, I wish none of this were true. For the most part, there are all observations that I have gathered within the last two years. For me, the trouble started in early 2016. At this point in time, it is already winter of 2017… heading into 2018. Perhaps this message (if it is spread around and uncensored) will also be a document of historical tellings.

 I do not know exactly when, how, or why I was picked for grooming but, I was certainly one of the many who were selected to be slaves/ puppets/ pets. At this point, I have not chosen a medium in which to deliver my message; and even if you do see this message, I would understand that credibility would be an issue. The things that I will divulge unto you may seem too amazing or too frightening but, if anything, I will leave you with a sense of pattern recognition. Though, the “people” I am trying to warn you about have the power to manipulate information on a massive scale, and lying is second nature to them… if you have your wits about you, you will be able to see their twisted patterns. If you can see the pattern, you can fight through their lies. If you can fight through their lies, then you can bring them down. They will be brought down.

 For them, it takes a lot of work, energy, and organization to weave and implement a lie. I’m sure you are wondering who “they” are. They have many names, and they have imbedded themselves in almost every facet of human existence. History, entertainment, business, royalty, war, communication, technology, religion, politics, law enforcement, education, etc. They have done this on an international level and as carefully as possible. They have incorporated music, music videos, books, movies, video-games, comedians, commercials, online video-channel stars, and all sorts of media to implement subliminal messages and other brainwashing techniques.

 According to my observations, and the way that they have been “moving forward” (a phrase that they hold dearly), the subliminal messages and techniques are more potent than I had previously believed them to be. The public seems to have been marching to the beat of their drum for quite some time now, due to their dark media and economy manipulation. If you consider yourself to be a young man/ woman, it is best to think of this situation as joining a game of monopoly after most, if not all,  of anything worth owning has been bought… the only major difference is that it has been rigged against your favor. And though the entire concept of wanting more, earning more, and having more may be natural to most people, these beings have absolutely no consideration for the balance of things (or human life, for that matter). They do not ponder on replenishment, but, on conquering and consumption. They have created division, war, and catastrophes and have longed for complete subjugation of the population (their type of one world vision) for decades.

 THEY are “people” of patterns, and, since they do not seem to be showing any signs of halting their plans or agenda, that pattern will still be in place, and once you spot it, they can do little to hide it. The wonderful thing is, that, for the most part, they feel fear like no other person. My observations have shown me that, although they use and induce fear in their targets (quite remarkably so), their reactions to any opposition creates a startling response akin to that of an animal that has been caught or cornered. “They” feel fear and emotions differently than what most people do. I will explain myself further as you read along.

 Once again, they have many names. The Illuminati, Masons, Scottish Right, Dutch Empire. They have even written themselves into popular movies within the hero and horror genres, as well as novels, and the like, under different names (though the “fictional” agenda bases itself on their own goals). Their name is not as important as their aim. Whatever these “things” are, they do not need to be in an organization to negatively affect one’s life… or perception of life, for that matter. It is best for me to stick with what I have observed as opposed to reciting what most would consider to be conspiracy theories out in the web. I will speak of what is most important to you:

I. WHAT OR WHO ARE THEY

II. HOW TO SPOT THEM

III. THEIR PATTERNS

IV. THEIR FEARS AND WEAKNESSES

V. THEIR METHODS OF AGENDA IMPLEMENTATION

VI. THEIR OVERALL GOAL

VII. AND HOW TO STAY SHARP IN THE ERA OF SPIN & DISINFORMATION.

 If you happen to be one of their pawns (against your will), then I am sorry. I wish I could sit right next to you and go through this thing with you, and maybe, one day I will be. But, this message that I am writing to you right now (and many, many, many others), this will give you hope, faith, comfort, and an indomitable fighting spirit that will allow you to trust in your own reasoning and in your own will power. All those negative thoughts that are bombarding you right now, all those negative attacks on your consciousness, … it is not true. You have more power, more value, and more WILL that you might have ever thought possible. If they threaten your life, believe me, you have an unalienable right to defend it, no matter how bleak they want things to “seem” for you.

 A piece of paper with your signature does not own you. A handshake with a “handler” does not own you. A promise to these creatures is null and void if they wish to use you and abuse you. Your life, your body, and your consciousness cannot be owned (even if at first you may have consented). Their power comes from your belief (or your acceptance to go with their plans). If you believe you are under their palm, then you have allowed yourself (which is a choice) to go with the flow. In all seriousness, they are TRYING to mold your reality; they haven’t actually accomplished it. It takes work for them every day.

 Change you mind. Say no. For every moment that you are alive, it is a moment that you can say no to them. They may come and bombard you with threats, and poorly planned “coincidences” but, whatever you say goes. Don’t fall for their lies or their set-ups. The induction of fear in your body by them is essentially an attack; moments of tense anxiety and fear may hurt your head, heart, or stomach… you don’t have to deal with that kind of rubbish. Believe me; they fear you much more than you fear them; that is why they are trying so hard to keep you in check in the first place. And those nightmares that you may have been having; you can win in those too. You are the artist, you are the creator of your dreams. Imagine it, control it, and it will happen. I know it is a strange thing for me to talk about but, for those who are unfortunately under observation… I hope this will prove of great use to you. And though they may tell you that it gets harder as you get older, and that you will never get used to it… they are absolutely wrong. You will get used to it, and you will get used to calling them on their bullshit. If they ever do try and do something physical to you, fight with everything you can muster. They can tell when you are being serious. And then you will know that they can fall.

 I. “WHAT”, OR “WHO”, ARE “THEY”?

 It is extremely important for you to understand that there are currently 7.6 BILLION PEOPLE on this planet. Of these 7.6 BILLION people, “their” corrupt “kind” will always be in the MILLIONS. Know and understand that most of humanity outnumbers “them”, and that should be a source of some comfort, hope, and willpower. This simple fact should be a source of strength. Also, this is not an issue of race, color, or creed. These “people” have corrupt tastes and horrible ritualistic passions that one should be weary of when around them.

 As to what “they” are, according to my own personal observations, during my time being harassed by them (for 2 years now), “they” are being used as vessels. The term “avatar” has existed since before it was popularized by the media in the movies, shows, or games. This positive spin on the term was strategic. Most of their vile plans have gone through the filter of spin. That is to say, they introduce their agenda through the media and make a story that allows the viewer to empathize with their cause. I will explain this in detail under THEIR METHODS OF AGENDA IMPLEMENTATION section.

 The reason that it should be considered a serious crime is that people are essentially being SWAPPED OUT. For all intents and purposes, I will use the term consciousness. You may have seen a movie by the name of “Get Out”, directed by a popular comedian. Again, though this may look like a regular film, many, if not most film production companies are owned by THEM. The movie depicts a type of cult that uses surgical and psychological procedures to inhabit another person’s body, where the wealthy “elite” of these beings treat people like property and bid on them at auctions. This is not far from the truth. I’ve witnessed something like this right in front of me, though, no surgical tools were needed. The person is usually asleep or in an altered state of mind. They enter a trance or dream-like sequence. There, something comes to them and offers them a deal, a door, promises of fortune, or threats. Then, they are replaced. I don’t exactly know where the original consciousness goes, or what happens to it. I do have a pretty good guess, and I’ll mention it later in the message.

  I know how this sounds. A mix of Faust, Nightmare On Elm Street, and Inception. They tried doing this to me a number of times. For those of you who are under observation, or are already under their “fake” bs contract, this may have already been attempted on you. Like I said before, it is bs and they rely on your cooperation and fear. If you don’t give in, there is little or nothing they can do to force you into making a deal, or fulfilling your bs agreement. And no, they are not “demons”, or “gods” (as I have learned that they love to be seen as such). Much of what they do, and the technologies that they implement, may seem as though they are ghosts, ghouls, or demons (as depicted in their media projects) but, no. That is why lucid dreaming, or controlling your own dreams, is a must. Once they are in human form, they are prone to human weaknesses. In fact, from what I have observed, they are more sensitive to the emotions of fear, pain, threats (especially from those that resist), and their own hierarchy. They have their own set of rules and regulations, and horrid tastes.

 Showing their plans to the public also helps to spread fear, subliminally communicate their message of “supremacy”, allows them to disarm whistle-blowers (say that they got the idea from the media, etc.), and implement what is known as “predictive programming”, another form of brainwashing. Under certain situations, those that have been successfully manipulated may perform some of the things that they have witnessed in the media, which is how “they” planned it to be.

 Once more, as to what they are: they are human in appearance, with a predatory non-human consciousness, capable of telepathy and all linked to a hive mind (they are all linked together telepathically- they can read each others thoughts). Where these things came from, I’m not exactly too sure but, some prodding of my own led me to believe that they came from a planet that enters our solar system every generation, or so. The only reason they have been able to come in by the droves in the last few years is that a gateway, or think of it as some sort of battery source, has been built somewhere in Europe. They call it the Large Hadron Collider, in Geneva. The professionals will tell you that this is not what the CERN program was intended to do. Those in-the-know want to keep it that way. Now you know. Close the gateway.

 Slavery is still alive and well in the U.S.A, as well as other nations. It just looks different than most would expect it to look like. Instead of whips and chains, they use your own brain and body’s chemical compounds against you, such as fear, adrenaline, sleep (or lack of sleep), serotonin, melatonin (said to affect dreams) etc. Somehow, they can manipulate them but, up to a certain extent. For some reason, they can’t kill you (unless you agree to it; but even then, you can say no and change your mind- from what I have observed). Believe me, if you choose to be strong against them, you’ll have a better understanding of what they are and what they are capable of. Find ways to defend and protect yourself, including in your dreams. Never open any doors in your dreams, by the way. If you have to travel from one location to another, make your own door or just imagine being at another location. Feel free to punch any visitors that don’t belong in your dreams. Again, I know how this sounds, but, hopefully this will prove useful to those that are going through their ongoing abuse.

 I don’t know what their consciousness is attached to. That is to say, I don’t know what they look like outside of their human vessel. Other whistleblowers say that they look “reptilian” in nature; others say that they are tall grey aliens with big eyes; some say they are the Nordic type, with pale skin and blonde hair; there are even some that say they look like insects, or cats. To be honest with you, I don’t really care what they LOOK like. All I know is that they are using human beings like property and stolen vehicles. Vehicles that allow them to implement their agenda. In all actuality, whether they come from any of those types of beings, they act with great fear and carefulness, which allows me to think that they are not necessarily the brave or ferocious type. They are, however, very well versed in the art of human manipulation and strategy. It is not just a takeover, it is population reduction and subjugation.

 II. HOW TO SPOT THEM

 It is easier to spot the ones who have just been taken over. The outline of their inner eyelids are usually very red, as if they hadn’t had any sleep. It is NOT comparable to pink-eye because, the eyeball itself is not inflamed. It is the redness around the eye that gives them away. After a few MONTHS of having taken over the body, the redness goes away, unless they are panicked or excited. At first, they have trouble adjusting to human emotion (they can’t help it). I’ve seen one take another person’s body in front of me. You can’t see them with the human eye (at least I couldn’t; maybe there is someone out there that can). As mentioned before, people are in an altered state of mind when they get invaded (asleep or chemicals in their system). This person (changed- or a new FLEDGELING as I will call them) was jumping for joy, with an ecstatic look on their face right after they came out of their zombie-like trance. It was frightening to look at this spectacle; as if they had just won a prize. If you are the type to take illicit drugs, please stop (or don’t start; not even out of curiosity). You’ll never know what you will be handed; be it at a EDM rave, or at a calm social gathering.

 The fledgelings (or newly replaced) have issues with confrontation. As I said before, they are telepathic. Though, I don’t quite understand the mechanisms as to how this is possible (my educated guess is that it’s a form of organic radio-waves/ cellular towers/ etc.), the frequency allows them to understand when you want to defend yourself (I’ve had to do this on several occasions). The confrontations never became physical, as they understood my commitment to defend myself by any means possible. Though, harassment from them still continues. I understood that they could not read my body language but, they could, and can, read my thoughts. Even now, as I write, I am being monitored. Yes, they have threatened my life on more than one occasion. They have threatened me in almost every way. They knew my fears, patterns, and the things that make my stomach churn and make my heart pound. Did I get used to it? Yes, I did. You can, too. Once you know your own triggers and your own weaknesses, one can actually overcome them.

 This bases itself on operant conditioning, a type of psychological training. If you allow yourself to be tricked or scared by your own fears (and they may be used against you), you are rewarding your fear (and those who implemented the fear strategically), thus allowing repetition of the trick later in the future. In other words, if they fool you a few times successfully, then they can use the same thing to fool you again in the future. But, once you say no, and resist their tactics (which can be challenging at first), it becomes easier to say no.

 Once you say no (and they may try to drill in a fear or two for disobeying), reward yourself with a treat or something you love. This will reinforce yourself on saying no and disobeying more readily. Trust me, you can survive without them harassing you. You should also understand how the brain reads chemical reactions and how neurotransmitters work in the brain. Once you understand how they are using your own brain’s chemical reactions and fears against you, then, you are able to calm yourself down and simply say “it’s just another one of their tricks”. I know this through experience and observation. This is something I believe to be imperative to understand if you are to resist and live outside of their manipulation.

 Please, make sure to share this info. There are those that need hope. There are those that haven’t been replaced and have just been kept as slaves/pets. Because, they have allowed themselves to be fooled, they may be in too deep, and may not have the psychological tools to understand what is happening, or how to get out of their situation. Trust me, they can. If you are experiencing this, know that you are not alone and you have a community of people who actually understand what is happening to you. Be careful, though. Many are loyal to their “masters”. There are those who may be too scared to talk or fight (which is completely understandable) and may be jealous of those who do so. But, you are not alone. I will explain more of resisting and fighting them in HOW TO STAY SHARP IN THE ERA OF SPIN AND DISINFORMATION.

 When JAMMED (also called the Jamming Method or Jamming Technique), or spoken to directly about their plans & what they really are, something very important happens to all of them, almost without fail every time. They grunt, cough, choke up, flush red, tense up, or all of these. The ones who have been inside their human vessels longer than a few month have an easier time suppressing their reactions to direct questioning or statements that will compromise their situation. Some of them will even cough, grunt, choke up, or tense up before you even ask them (due to them being able to read your thoughts). If asked, many of them will try to redirect the question, change the subject, or scurry away. Some will warn you, some may act as though they have been cornered like an animal by the pound (eyes darting back and forth). If there is more of one of them near you, the others may interfere with your JAMMING and/or they may all show signs of weakness. More than the one person may grunt, cough, choke up, flush red, tense up, etc. They may also show a wicked grin, if the mood strikes them. Don’t be fooled by it. They are very scared by your questioning. They are a bit more confident within groups but, if threatened, they will disperse, or flare up, all the same.

 Again, many will FLUSH RED across their face (as if panicked, shy, ashamed, or embarrassed). Facial cues are by far their easiest tell. When you ask a human, their reaction is obviously more human and more natural. When you JAM, ask one of these things, out of them will have a hard time keeping it together. Don’t worry, it will get very easy to spot these things after you get the hang of it. They have somewhat saturated the planet with their presence but, always remember, they are only in the millions. Humans are in the BILLIONS.

 They have endless ways of intimidating you. Try not to take them seriously. Once you allow fear from their psychological attacks to settle in, they can’t help but gloat. They love to gloat. If you are a slave or a target (and my guess is that they are increasing in number and will take advantage of those that lost their homes in recent disasters- such as the floods and fires in certain states) you will no doubt understand, first hand, the difference between an evil GRIN and a sincere smile. These retellings are being written about so that you may be better equipped when/if shit really hits the fan. I say “if” due to the fact that in all honesty, their apocalyptic take-over can be prevented and squashed. They grow more confident every day, with the people’s growing fear, law and economic corruptions, and hostile take-overs from within. If this doesn’t make much sense to you, or if you don’t believe a word I write (and that is understandable), just prepare, keep this information in the back of your head, and when the time comes, don’t fold. I will try and be with you until the end of my days. I’m really making them angry here.

 III. THEIR PATTERNS

From what I have experienced, grooming begins at a young age. They take stock of your inspirations, motivations, fears, likes, dislikes, loves, etc. They study you. They look at your grades and the patterns that you have built during development. Then, they infiltrate your social, work, or group environment. People within those groups may have already been in the know. They have a way of “working coincidences”. To some people, this will seem like a synchronicity (being at the right place at the right time/ or, the wrong place at the wrong time). Those that have experienced this in lifestyles of faith, religion, or spirituality may have a better understanding of it. For example, winning a large sum of money when it is most needed, bumping into a friend or acquaintance that you haven’t seen in a long time but were thinking about that same day, answering the phone and knowing the person on the other side of the call before you even look at caller ID or start talking, messengers or “angels” getting involved, having an almost near impossible prayer being answered, etc. Though I don’t know much about astrophysics, or metaphysics, for that matter, I do understand patterns, and the power of belief. These changelings will take advantage of your belief system, and they have infiltrated churches, temples, etc. Sadly, they, too, can hear your prayers via telepathy. And because of their telepathy and hive mind, they may manipulate your environment and set up little “plays” or little coincidences in order to steer your thoughts or your path into falling into traps, changing your plans for the day, or steer you away from talking or doing something against their favor. If you ever wondered what the hell was going on with “all this”, this is basically what is happening. They are very organized. And yes, they are capable of putting thoughts in your head and making them your own. Do yourself a favor: write down who you think you are, what you stand for, what you are capable of, and what you will never do. Know yourself and your usual thought patterns. If you can, know the patterns of your friends, family, and the people around you; they are bold, and believe me, they will use the people around you if it suits them. This tactic hurt me the most. This fight has not come without losses. Please, stay strong. If you are still you… then stay as you are. Please, don’t give in. If you give in, it will only get worse from there. Better free and fighting, than a slave and slowly dying. They are horrible, but some of you may already know that first hand. You are not alone.

  During the beginning of my ordeal, I wanted to understand what was happening and through all facets of interpretation. I went to a few churches and realized that they had been there, too. As I have come to understand it, these things aren’t demons or work under the “rules” and belief systems that may bind demons in biblical context, or the context of a horror movie, for that matter. You can try to pray them away, exorcise them, or do whatever you believe may make them go away (if you believe or don’t believe in those tactics). Then, observe the patterns after you do so. They enjoy power and positions of influence and leadership. This includes priests, pastors, motivational speakers, bosses, political leaders, counselors, professors, etc. Yes, these creatures are everywhere, but, they are deathly afraid of being discovered and being hurt. Keep in mind that they may control the courts in that area; that is the challenge. I’m not too sure how the hierarchy works; who gets first dibs on a body/vessel. And of course, it is not just those of leaders. There are millions of them, and come in every color, race, creed, etc. They just want a body.

 I will see how my future holds, and if certain things happen, I will name names. I am currently at a crossroads. There are choices that are very difficult for me to make. My greatest weapon has been my will and my mind. Also, I just happen to be a very stubborn individual. That helps. I have been lucky enough to not have children; they can use you’re family against you. Husband, wife, kids, relatives… the whole package. Or at least, they can threaten that they will use/hurt them. From what I understand, many people fold because of their love of these wonderful people. Please, don’t believe these creatures. Please, fight harder in fact. There are already families who have been completely replaced. As for the children, I don’t know at what age they start to become a candidate for the process. And no, not everyone around you has turned into one of them. If you are a person of faith, then do what you must (pray, go to church, exorcisms, etc.). But never kiss their rings, never kneel to kiss their feet, and for the love of life, do not confuse what you believe is the Holy Ghost speaking to you with whatever the hell the creatures are trying to drill into your mind. Their telepathy (mind reading/mental communication without words) is otherworldly and can be mistaken for something one may have learned in faith culture. Their messages will not always be negative, and they will try to pretend to be God. They love playing that card. These creatures get a kick from posing as leaders of masses and groups. Just keep an observant eye. I will not dissuade you from using whatever means necessary to keep on your toes.

 They also enjoy getting prisoners or ex military to join their cause. I’d call it indentured servitude, but I don’t believe they intend to keep them “employed” for a limited amount of time. If these ex prisoners or ex military seem to be a good investment for the “beings” that bailed them out, they too, may be turned into one of them. And although policemen and military or ex military personnel would normally cause a sense of intimidation in most civilians, the ones who have been changed are not as brave and prefer to enjoy themselves, their newly acquired lives, and their benefits (which was earned by the original consciousness) in relative peace, relying on their intimidation. Most of their power comes from the PERCEPTION of their legal/enforcement facade. But, they can sense those who understand what they really are, and are very weary of those that do. It is unfortunate that as time changes, these changelings may possibly gather more force, culminating in genocide and the normalization of slavery and mass executions. Many unchanged teenagers go into the academy relatively normal. It is not until they have proven themselves as good candidates of possession that they are changed. This goes for all branches of enforcement. And no, I do not know the criteria.

 In politics, they may hide behind left wing and right wing, conservative and liberal, or whatever platform they prefer. Though, a young or inexperienced person may go in wanting to help or aide an ideology that may look innocent and righteous to them at first, the “dark” political arena may turn them into something that is stranger than fiction. Aside from bribes, blackmail, and secret society associations, they may start to represent and help spread the creatures’ cause and agenda (if they want to or not- it would seem). From what I have come to understand, they seek to destroy the remaining Native American population, take whatever land was left for them, and treat them worse than before. They also seek to vilify the latino (as heavily seen in the media), implement radical deportation laws, continue to keep most African Americans “down” (as is the saying), encroach on aboriginal life (Australia, etc.) implant chips through the guise of protecting us from the dangers of the world (people of faith may see this as “the mark of the beast”), conceal their takeover as a natural and normalized gentrification, use the earth’s resources as they see fit (as opposed to using renewable resources or technologies that would help humanity), keep us in a constant state of war (helps with population maintenance and land takeover), void certain rights in The Bill of Rights (no cruel and unusual punishment, no heavy fines, etc.), leave civilians defenseless (lack of medical help, lack of food, lack of weapons to defend oneself, lack of access to education, lack of communication or internet access), destroy areas with weapons that may cause natural disasters (CERN, weaponized satellites, underground blasts, forest fires, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), enslave civilians or prisoners into doing the dirty work (real life suicide squads), and so much more.

 The question is: Why don’t they just physically invade and kill everyone off; why does the plan have to be so intricate? According to my observations, it is not so easy for them to cross over and stay in our environment. They have been here for quite some time and have already set up some sort of system that benefits their existence and power accumulation. They don’t necessarily want to scorch the earth but, they do want to be worshiped and able to live without looking completely different (it would be a challenge with their real physical bodies). They want to have control over all human life, which includes having control of every kind of resource. Also, their normal non-human bodies haven’t necessarily adapted to the physical or social environment, and must slowly set it up (on land and in the minds of humans). The acceptance of another race of beings would be a startling revelation and they may be afraid of a backlash (so instead they chose to do a pre-emptive strike and use people as avatars). And, they enjoy being in a human body. Every time I saw a fledgeling, they looked ecstatic to be here (in all reality, I too am happy to be alive- we all should be). But, it’s always very disturbing to see someone that may no longer be themselves. Though, these things love to lie and use fear, it was “revealed” to me that the first human and physical alien contact would be in the next 40 years. Obviously, I don’t know if that is true or not. But, war with yet another country is on the horizon, and that has more to do with population control and unifying the one world order (for now, anyways), more than anything else. They will talk about life, liberty, and patriotism… but, it is anything but. They will use empathy, and turn you feelings against you and against the enemy (whoever they want to portray as the enemy), as they have in the past through propaganda. Now you know. Now you can prevent this. Beware of a forced military draft. The U.S.A was supposed to stop having them. My advice; if you are going to fight in a war, fight for something that you truly believe in, and not for what they want you to believe in.

 Consider this: you have worked your ass off being who you are. You go to work, you pay your bills, you raise your family, you suffer heartache, you feel joy, and you relish your achievements. It was all you. Imagine if all that work, of living your life, of being you, of living the experiences (good and bad), was suddenly taken away and given to something else that hasn’t  truly lived it. It stole your body, your life, your memories, your everything. To those that incorporate spiritual jargon in their lives… the soul has been replaced. Or, the consciousness that originally inhabited the body is no longer there. And no, I’m not 100% sure on how the science works with the whole ordeal. They are the heads of the scientific community. If there are breakthroughs in these areas, they would be the ones to keep it quite. The man who got close to a revelation (I hope he is still human) is RUPERT SHELDRAKE. Imagine that you have been replaced by some telepathic creature that is capable of ritualistic cannibalism and relishes in changing the world to a more twisted mirror version of itself: one of mass slavery, executions, and twisted pleasures. A creature that helps out in brainwashing the rest of human society that something like that is meant to be (Ghost In The Shell, The Matrix, Blade Runner, King’s Men, Watchmen, etc.). That would not be ideal at all.

 They lack creativity, but they want to be worshiped. If they possess an artistic or creative type, the learned skills remain (as well as the memories), but the work itself is without true soul or creativity. They keep some creatives as they are, without possessing them, in order for them to set up books, novels, artwork, music, illustrations, movie scripts, and films to sell to the masses. These works also drive their agenda. This I had confirmed by a “messenger”. Don’t go to Hollywood, not matter what your dreams may be there. Do yourself that favor. They will offer you many things. For some reason, and I don’t know why, everything you do has to be by choice. Even if you refuse, they will try and use every tactic for you to accept, including induce fear in your waking and dreaming world. You will pull through, you will stay human, and you will stay alive. Believe in that. Belief is an extremely strong player in all this.

 IV. THEIR FEARS AND WEAKNESSES

This is the good stuff. This is your defensive kit. Pay close attention.

 First, understand their strengths. They are telepathic, they are all linked to each other through a hive mind (so they can move like a school of fish or a nest of bees), they are organized, they may be capable of interfering with your finances, they are capable of implementing what the media calls Inception (yes, I know how this sounds; it is still happening), they own the movies and the subliminal messages in the movies, they own the history books/publishing companies (some books are even trying to downplay the harshness of slavery by saying they were paid, and the Native American genocide is being made to look like something else), they manipulate laws and law enforcement, they can place images in your head (good ones and horrible ones), they are the leaders of religious groups, they are the heads of the scientific community, they can make situation look like coincidences (synchronicity manipulation), they are capable of brainwashing, they can set traps (be weary of your own vices), they are capable of blackmail, they are cruel enough to involve your family, they are capable of making one feel isolated, they understand what triggers your fears and anxieties, and they may even manipulate the media (local radio stations, news programs, music that has certain messages for you), and they love to set up conversations around you to deliver messages (warnings, threats, or steer you into the “right” direction). Once again, they have technology to trigger “natural” catastrophes, interfere with communication (cell phone, internet, etc.), and have updates on your progress or state of mind (you’ll hear a sharp ringing in the ear; as if a tv was on somewhere in the house). BUT, HAVE NO FEAR… apparently they are implementing all these tricks because they fear you deeply. Relax; nothing is happening to you. You are stronger than them. Take some time to breathe in and breathe out. Do it as long as it takes for you to become calm and clear headed. They want to keep you afraid and in a state of submission so that you are unable to make a move against them. Much of their brainwashing is based on a rewards and punishment model. And remember, they wouldn’t be doing this unless they knew how dangerous you are.

 Their Fears and Weaknesses:

They, too, are in constant fear. But, no one is manipulating them (at least, not to my knowledge). They think of themselves as the apex predator, though, I have an understanding that they come from a harsh environment on their planet of origin. I have seen fear in their eyes, and they are afraid of something else, aside from humans. The thought that these creatures are afraid of something else disturbs me but, let us deal with one issue at a time. They are not necessarily the brave types. They wait, hide, and strike when it is most beneficial to them; preferring to sacrifice their brainwashed slaves as opposed to do battle themselves. When all the pieces have been set up by them, and the field is at it should be for them, collectively, they strike like a pack of wolves. Not a strong pack, mind you. They are prone to cowering and hiding (something that I believe was impeded into their being from whatever hierarchy they were raised under, in whatever world).

 They tense up and hate it when they are called out directly. Again, when these creatures get called out directly, they cough, grunt, flush red, or have some sort of physical tell (if you are good are reading faces, you’ll spot the frustration right away).

 They can tell when you want to defend yourself in a more serious manner. Their telepathy, when honed in on you, can allow them to look into your thoughts, your emotions, and state of mind. On more than a handful of occasions, there were attempts on me to be sold and traded; but, I stood my ground with “defensive measures” hidden on me. In my mind, I had already committed myself to “not going gently”. I had thought it over and made peace that I’d rather die a free man than a tormented slave. Again, you have to be tricked into BELIEVING in their threats and warnings; if you allow yourself to be paralyzed by fear and go along with whatever they want you to do, technically, it is a form of consented submission (or, you chose to go along with it). When my new “handlers” or slave traders attempted to pick me up, they understood my state of mind. A few cancelled over the phone. I had the privilege of seeing one of them turn pale white to the thought of me “defending” myself. The best course of action is to usually stand your ground. It may get challenging but, if you go along with them a few times, you may continue to go along with their misdeeds and fear mongering for the rest of your days. Stand your ground.

 After a while, you can identify who is trying to infiltrate your thoughts. You can essentially feel their essence or hear their speech pattern in your head (soft spoken, high energy, low energy, loud, slang, etc.). It may be someone close to you, or someone you have daily contact with. The first handler I remember having (without knowing it at first) was my co-president at a study group I used to attend. Although, his actions seemed to be positive and supportive in the beginning, they soon turned strange and rather cold at times. He just so happened to have worked for a branch of law enforcement, as well. Be careful my friends. Just as they are able to read your mind, you can use that trick against them. Give them a treat to look at: imagine something that would turn fear on them. Think of scenarios. Notice that you aren’t technically doing anything (an make sure that your facial expressions are neutral); their body language and facial expressions will change (or they will offer you something to take your mind off themselves). If they aim to “get serious”, it is best for you to get serious as well.

 From what I understand, the media seems to be showing more images of war and revolution. The aesthetic of war and revolution has increased. It seems as though they do want a revolution to happen, but on their terms. They, too, are responsible for “nurturing” the opposition. An opposition who will jump if they say “jump”, fight in a certain location whey they say “fight in that location”, and die when they say “die”. Why would they groom an opposition? The answer is: if they can reduce the population and motivate a certain number of people to revolt, then they would have a pretext and reason to “defend” their monstrous kind. A calculated division. A justified reason to mow people down, bring back the guillotine, and execute people without impunity. The Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence would go out the window (which, ironically, came out of a revolutionary war). They may come out looking like the “good guys” against the “evil revolutionary groups”. That is how they may write it in the history books. The weakness here is that after this is understood (this message in particular), possible freedom fighters can hone in on the big players (top elite creatures), instead of wasting time fighting within themselves and the private military groups that may get in their way. It is best to figure out where they may be hiding. The leaders will usually have positions of leadership.

 One of the reasons that certain death camps have already been built (search this on youtube and other search engines; make sure to save it on a hard copy if internet access becomes a challenge to acquire, or if deleted) is due to the fact that as their presence increases, so too do their chances of being discovered. And of course, they have been preparing for such an event. There have been trainings in Chicago and New York with black helicopters and military personnel, just in case of “internal attacks” were to take place. Once again, this is a world wide agenda, and their ilk have already made moves in Mexico and others parts of Central America, South America, North America, Russia, Spain, France, China, and in the Middle East.

 In Aguas Calientes, Mexico, black helicopters and military personnel rained down upon a teachers’ union as well as children and families within the area. One witness reported that the military that were sent down there had also threatened to rape the locals (search for this online). After some of the children were separated from the parents (who were either killed or arrested), they were sent to foster homes (and who knows where else). President Maduro of Venezuela (you can guess what he has turned into) has taken it upon himself and his committee to allocate more political power for himself and his agenda (or, the agenda of those that he serves). People are going without food, water, and medical supplies. The wonderful thing is that many of the sane locals have rightfully chosen to fight for their life and liberty against his oppressive regime. Though, I still have no idea why Maduro is still in his position (and, if he is to be brought down, the people of sound consciousness must also keep an eye on whoever takes power next). The grabbing of power usually comes after “they” have destabilized certain areas of society within that city, state, or country (economy, resources, shelter, food, politics, etc.).

 What are some ways to see through these tactics and push straight to the “heads of evil”? They, too, are creatures of patterns. Where do they go? Who are they with? How many vehicles or guards do they have? How do they set up perimeters? What surveillance technology are they using? Who is on backup? Do they have air support? High ground or low ground? What kind of weapons do they have? Food, medical, and weapon supplies? What is the distance between you and your target? Have they set up barricades and checkpoints? What are ways to get through those barricades and checkpoints? There should be little to no reason that evil continues to rule. These are but some of the things that must be thought about when/if things get out of hand. Morale, too, is an issue. As I mentioned before, these creatures are not necessarily the “brave” type but, rely heavily on waiting and hiding and striking at the opportune moments. They are relatively weak when it comes to matters of bravery and fortitude: they have little of it. Keep that in mind.

 Much of their societies and ritualistic ties lead back to Sweden, Germany, and the Nordic areas. Of course, after the many decades of war, conquest, colonization, and dark business dealings, their influence has spread everywhere and has made its way into the consciousness of many living humans from all walks of life everywhere. If you never paid attention in history class, go ahead and check up on the Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, WWI, WWII, The Trail of Tears, Vietnam War, slavery, and a few other gems while you are at it. Knowing one’s own history is essentially supposed to aid in making sure that the same mistakes never happen again. Everyone should know their HUMAN RIGHTS. Knowing your history, and picking up a few tactics from previous historical battles, may aid human civilization in the future. From what I have come to understand, these things have had a hand in steering the course of human history. And no, not like in the History Channel’s BS show Ancient Aliens (also “their” propaganda- you do not owe them anything).  One thing you should also focus on is that the system of checks and balances will also seem off balance with the current U.S. president and his crew changing laws left and right. Medical access, education, due process, law enforcement, financial assistance, internet access… much of these laws seem more like iron fisted tyranny (under the guise of creating a better world; capitalism) than democracy. In the future, it will probably take more than a few picket signs and signatures to truly make a difference (just make sure that “they” don’t sway you the way the do most puppets). Stay focused. As mentioned before, once they are in a stolen human body, they are susceptible to the same weaknesses (and then some). If possible, figure out who has access to those technologies that cause natural disasters and find ways of neutralizing or destroying the equipment (there is more than one key holder). Also, the new California fires in 2018 seem to have been caused by what looks like hi intensity lasers that have been caught in action by the public.

 Also, they have saturated the medical field, and enjoy being figures that one may trust. If you see any “tv show doctors”, know that they have already sold out. They mix good sound advice with their own propaganda. The medical field, in general, has been flooded by these creatures. Certain pills and medicines may be prescribed to you that have 0 to no benefit to your body (and may benefit them, in the long run). One of the first few creatures I met and identified as such was a foot doctor. Once the “doctor” had been discovered, it retreated into a corner of the office and its eyes darted back and forth like an animal waiting for other hunters to come and attack it. I got out of there as quickly as possible. But, this ordeal had also proven to me that they act in such a way that resembles an animal, more than a human, when jammed (keep this in mind as well).

 They prefer for their targets to be apathetic (uncaring as to what happens around them). An apathetic individual or an apathetic society can be easily controlled, killed, or enslaved. This is done with distractions, technology, entertainment, or belief system. I encourage prayer and anything that allows you to put a barrier between you and them; though, this allows them to “move forward” rather unhindered, while people are focusing on the afterlife or letting someone else take the wheel. I understand this all too well. I have been there myself in those times of confusion. They WILL use your beliefs against you. Though, through these two years of harassment, action and defense have been my greatest weapons. Again, I do not dissuade anyone from their faith, or God, or anything of the sort. I would like to warn you, that if you are faced with life or death right in front of you, I pray that you fight for your life, with all the force you can muster. Pray for the strength. Pray for the strength to NOT FREEZE UP if the time ever comes. If you have been given life, then I would assume it to be a great gift to squander if freely given away to these creatures. Trust this; these things fear a straight-and-forward ass kicking more than anything else. And, due to their telepathy, they know when a good ass-kicking is coming their way. Be quick about it if you do decide to give them one.

 Also, though they may have society by the gonads when it comes to economy manipulation via the Federal Reserve, remember, that they technically run on the financial flow of the lower and middle classes as well as the higher classes. Martin Luther King Jr. disrupted their order, for a time, when he lead the boycott on transportation and other shared resources. They felt the pang in their pockets, and everyone who cared about the issue was united. Remember, they only succeed because we have allowed them to succeed. Knowing this, and using this information against them, can be a weapon. Hit them in the pockets. If, by some chance, they block resources such as food trucks, trade, medical equipment, understand the truck and shipping routes and companies that are involved. If need be, figure out who to talk to when it comes to trade and commerce. What are the farms that people get their produce from? Go there and investigate. Where does the food come from? Is transportation lacking? Are there embargo or road blockages? How does one get rid of road blocks? Will freedom fighters have the will to confiscate food, clothing, and other resource trucks/18 wheelers so they may be distributed among those that want to survive? Think on Robin Hood, and on all those role-models who fought for the downtrodden. Trust me, (or trust your own eyes if you have seen and experienced this for yourself), there is true evil and injustice that tries very hard to make itself appear righteous in the eyes of the public. There are currently prisoners who have no right being in jail, and they are currently laboring making trinkets and products for the masses (slave labor).

 Oh, and public or local news networks. Go ahead and pass them off as fear mongering lie factories. Aside from implementing methods that would put fear into most humans, they will hide news of their failures and losses. They will hide the fact that people are catching on; or, they will say that certain people have developed a mental disorder of some sort. They will boast of their successes, kills, captures, and financial and business winnings. If there is someone who poses a threat, they will treat him/her/them as a villain. Though, this is nothing completely new, they will continue to vilify the minority. Right now, there is a strong negative focus on the Latino community, and the Asian community does not seem so far behind (Revenge of the Green Dragons, etc.). The black/ African American community has not received much of a break (save for those that have gone into entertainment; where many have spoken about the evils of Hollywood, such as Kat Williams, Dave Chappelle, etc.).

 If the military, or armored police, ever tries to take people or families out of their homes, you have the right to defend it (no matter what change in the laws might have happened). Whatever country you are in, it is your responsibility to know of the bases around you, the men/women soldiers they may house, the type of arsenal they may have, the type of vehicles. People were meant to keep the government in check, and it is the people who have given the government its power in the first place. The only difference now is that many of those people in power are no longer themselves. Remember, it is still an invasion.

 The media is in their pockets, including current rights and ownerships of certain franchises. These things did not come out of some sort of “evolutionary mutation”. They are not mutants. They are not superheroes. They are not Jedi. They are not Sith. They are not angels, demons, gods, or benevolent. Beware of shows like “The New Mutants”, “Lucifer”, “IZombie”, “Santa Clarita Diet”, and so many more shows that trick one into thinking that these creatures are the friendly type. Many of these creatures are already saying that they are church goers and are religious in some way, wanting to use the cover of a socially perceived purity, innocence, and holiness but, they are not (you will have to JAM them in order to see who is who- see the II. HOW TO SPOT THEM section of this message.) Due to recent observations, where it was previously thought that they would have no divisions between themselves, it turns out that they are capable of TURNING ON EACH OTHER. At least they are capable of arguing and bickering. If those types of issues exist among their kind, it is posible that they may also be able to harm each other, despite their hive mind unity. Though, a hiearchy seems to remain. If, down the road, any of them happen to say that they are “the good guys” or friendly towards humans, don’t believe them. In the end, they have stolen a body that is not theirs, no matter who they may look like (your best friend, family members, mentors, co-workers: they may not be the same person on the inside. That is someone else wearing their body. Jam them to make sure). They feed on the fear of people, and are working to put the world into horrible submission. As stated before, these are human eating, fear mongering, war making, nightmare inducing, slave driving, telepathic, land stealing, body snatching, power hungry, law manipulating, blackmailing, society infiltrating, lying beings from another world. Call them aliens, call them demons, call them inter-dimensional beings; call them whatever you like and use whatever means to beat them back to where they came from. The point is, they are assholes. Beings with fears and weaknesses. And yes, they most certainly can bleed.

 V. METHODS OF AGENDA IMPLEMENTATION

Through observation, I have come to understand that they use psychological manipulation rather heavily. They prefer for the target to give up before they have even begun the fight. They will boast on how the changelings have “already won”; don’t believe this. They may tell you directly on how you have “lost”, as well as use different demoralizing bullying tactics. They may put up their flags, colors, billboards, or messages that subliminally carry their so called bs “supremacy” but, it is just a war tactic. Like a sports team celebrating before the final score is shown. Think of life in this way: life is a series of ongoing moments: as long as you still live, and your heart is still beating, you can still fight, unify, and make sure that they are still getting their asses kicked, no matter how many times they may gloat. If life is ongoing, then so are their losses. They have not won, nor will they. Do not stay apathetic (frozen and uncaring). As cliche as this may sound, if you are reading or hearing this message, and you are still human (inside and out, no matter the color, creed, or race) then you are the resistance. Please translate the message into every language.

 Entertainment: Hollywood and the media are the creatures’ favorite way of manipulating people all over the world. Superhero movies, for example, would no doubt inspire many to do good, take action, and act righteously. The underlying messages are: listen to the bad guy (sometimes, people think that he/she/it makes sense, despite them being evil), these things will only happen in movies (they are happening in real life), and the superhero will win in the end (if people think that something is being positively done, they leave their seats with a sense that all is right with the world and it is taking care of itself- which it most certainly is not). The perception of “eventually, someone will do something about it” allows most people to apathetically go on about their life. Also, the plot of movies may actually be happening in real life (or they are demonizing some sort of minority). Again, almost every movie that has been produced by the MAJOR movie companies have some form of propaganda/ subliminal messages for the masses. If the hero, or group of heroes, wins the battle in front of the viewer/audience, subconsciously, the viewer believes that something has actually been done about it in real life (Avatar-the blue guys win; Native Americans- many died. Captain American- Hydra loses; Governments across the world- they have been intercepted by these creatures and are now changing laws in their favor: population reduction and enslavement. Upcoming Captain Marvel movies features the shape shifting skrulls- creatures that behave very similarly to what I have been informing you about). Be active, when the time comes. Aim for the head(s) of the organization/hive mind. I’m pretty sure many of you can guess who they are by now. At this point in time, what is being presented to you in places of power has nothing to do with democrats, republican, liberals, conservatives, etc. It is a very intricate drama played out in front of you. They back each other up and help each other out with their “scripts”. Many of you will come to see this first hand. If you happen to turn into an intern for any company that deals with the media, you’ll spot a few things. They use a lot of social weapons against you, as well. Group think, bullying, ostracizing, shaming in the church or place of worship, slandering, gossiping, etc. Though, one may possibly encounter these situations in everyday life, these creatures have found ways to organizationally weaponize and focus these tactics on their chosen targets (who usually pose a threat).

 Puppets and representatives in the public eye (usually celebrities and politicians who often come out in the media) have been strategically been put in whatever positions they are in because it benefits their agenda. Misdirection, and influencing the public, is usually the case. Many celebrities think they have to do it against their will.

 Group think: group think has been known to hinder decision making if the group around the leader bombards him/her with the same idea or pressure that may not be productive to achieving a goal. For example; hey leader, you should implement genocide and fear tactics to keep the civilians in check (everyone else agrees). Leader: okay, sounds like everyone wants this. Sane person in the background: yeah, no, that is a terrible idea, everyone. The issue is that the group think that is going on with these creatures is not based on normal or sane politics; these creatures, as a whole (connected hive mind) all seek to enslave humanity and create a genocide, as well as create war and division, and increase the tension between the races. Yes, love is the answer. There were leaders with good teachings. But, despite the peace and love that everyone wants (almost everyone), these things are still making their plans, implementing them, hurting others, and stealing the bodies of the ones you may love. What are some concrete ways that you can stop this? If there is a will, then there truly is a way. And no, “they” do not have much fear or respect for plain protesters.

 Perception: one pattern that I have noticed is that when Obama was in the white house, it seemed as though there was an increase in violence towards the black community. Perhaps the violence towards the black community has remained the same, and it is just that more of the brutality was captured by the public and the officer’s own body cameras. Whatever the case was, the phenomenon happened while a black president was in charge. I will not feign that I know the reason as to why this was happening, but again, the pattern that I picked up was that violence seemed to increase towards the community while a black president was in office. Then again, it seems that the political process has been tampered with since before Nixon (some would say since before the first president).  Perception also has to do with how people are made to see things in a certain way. The nightly news, youtube, messages from C.E.Os of businesses and companies we trust can have a great effect on our perception. A quote from a favorite or popular movie star may change how one sees a situation. Keeping this in mind, many of the top actors, producers, and writers (usually the ones who help in creating scripts with brainwashing messages) have already changed, even more so since the 2016 Changeling Invasion (a term that I will use to signal the mass body-snatching change in the beginning of 2016). If one is the type to be swayed by what a popular actor says in an interview or a paid commercial, just think twice about what they are trying to sell to you, what they are trying to cover up, or if they have any different mannerisms. Remember, there are millions of them, and they will support their agenda in groups, big gatherings, public hearings, stacked court cases, etc. They can rig anything. They can change how you see the world. As mentioned before, know who you are, what you stand for, what you are capable of, what you will never do, and your own vices (try to stop them; they may use them against you).

 Sometimes, there is a huge public scandal that deals with more social things that it does political changes. If two movie stars were being divorced, or something major happened to the Kardashians (examples of distractions), then odds are, there is something bigger happening in terms of war, economy, business, or things that would actually have a greater effect on the way of life. These distractions keep people from protesting, making their own moves, or rioting. Complacency, apathy, and entertainment usually keep most people very distracted. Rioting does have its advantages; while people think that protesting or waving signs will change the minds of the “masters”, it is usually a physical or economic threat that will effectively change something in the way that things are done. Though, I am not a fan of the guillotine (the French invention that cuts peoples’ heads off- since it is being planned to be used against the public), the French Revolution showed us how people took the right to live freely into their own hands and brought down the corrupt and greedy monarchy (but, this isn’t a monarchy; these things are a bit more evil). As a side note: do not support the use of the guillotine, and fight to keep the 8th Amendment (no cruel and unusual punishments, or excessive fines).

 Something else that seems to be in public perception is the “zombie” craze. Will we see real zombies in the future? Not necessarily. Though, I do understand that there is currently a drug on the streets that makes people act like zombies. Apparently, it was stated that it overheats the body and a certain primal part of the brain that makes the user attack the people around him/her. Bath Salts, Flakka… it has a few names on the street. As curious as one may be, do not do any of these. It has also been rumored that it is possible to weaponize these chemicals. Whatever happens, just be prepared. And though DMT may have been advertised by a few Hollywood stars and professors, stay away from it. And even though I feel like I don’t have to say this, I will anyways: don’t eat people. At all. And don’t go to any of those creepy sex/cannibal masquerade parties either; if you find yourself at one, for whatever reason, get the hell out of there. If by any chance, you believe the event to be fun or positive in any way, the reward neurotransmitters in your brain (natural chemicals that make you feel happy) have been manipulated in some way (the bio-technology exists).  Plus, you never know what kind of diseases or ailments a person may have. Do not go along with the “group think”. The “group” and peer pressure you may feel may not necessarily be human anymore. Fight on and stay strong.

 Faith and Religion: This is where things get a whole lot more complicated. From what I understand, many things have been prophesied in the Catholic/Protestant religions via, the bible. Some eastern and other religions share the same ideas on how a great and final war will take place. One thing in particular that strikes me as odd is that it mentions many heads will be cut off. Beheading is illegal in the United States; it is a punishment that would fall under cruel and unusual penalties (Bill of Rights; 8th Amendment). This may change if “they” have it their way. That doesn’t have to happen; genocides can be stopped and people can fight for it. Also, from what I understand, some people will profess their faith by allowing themselves to have their heads cut off, in hopes of going on into the afterlife and proving how loving they were to God, Christ, and living the righteous way. That is a beautiful belief, though, I do not recommend that you prove your love of God in such a manner. Please, whatever you do, and however way you want to show your faith and strength, don’t do it by dying. I don’t think God would like for you to go out like that. If you are at the end of your rope, and are in some sort of apocalyptic situation, I believe it to be of great importance for you to survive. There are creatures out there who would literally kill to have your life and your body; that should tell you how truly valuable your life is in the universe and in all existence. Show these creatures what they are messing with by staying alive; fight if you can. If you are ever on your knees, and you think all hope is lost, just say and think “no, this does not have to be this way”, and truly believe it. Get up and live on. Every religion has been infiltrated, as mentioned before. It is not necessarily that “God allowed it” but, these things aren’t necessarily angels, demons, or gods. There was one Sunday service that I witnessed online that was rather horrible. The pastor, wanting to use symbolism for entering into a “new life”, used a BLACK DOOR and called out to those that attended to go through it if they wanted to close the door on their old life, and go into the “new one”. Though, no physical change seemed to happen right then and there, I have no doubt that the psychological affects hit them when they fell asleep; coming out changed and not themselves. The pastor, who was normally very put together (especially in the facial expression area), seemed monstrous. The audience was not able to tell the difference due to possible group think/repeated interaction with the similar situations. Since these things have also infiltrated many faiths, leaders within the faith who are seen as mentors and guidance counselors may start to give strange advice, or their manner of preaching may have changed.

 Science: many advancements have been kept a secret, and have only been disclosed for military or strategic purposes, especially in the field of psychology, physics, astrophysics, medicine, biology and geology (I say this because no one is talking about what is happening). If you can, research CERN, the Large Hadron Collider, and a few other things that will pop-up in your search. You don’t have to believe them, just try and keep an open eye in your day to day living. And no, this has little to do with your Reticular Activating System (a part of the brain that helps you focus on the things you want to focus on). If anything, it seems as though the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva is a doorway for these things. It has been featured in the media in countless ways. A way of hiding in plain sight. The Nordic areas seem to be a focal point for these creatures.

 Military: The military not only serves as a screening program for “potentials” but, it is the physical enforcing hand of the “masters”. Many governments have had similar training from the same combat/arms training organization, effectively setting up a network of soldiers, mercenaries, and armed killers all over the globe. During the new soldiers’ induction into the military, they are bombarded with chemicals and vaccines that are not necessarily beneficial to their health, and instead, makes them more malleable and easy to track. Even after they have finished their contracts or tours, and turn into civilians, they are forever changed biologically, psychologically, and in many cases, internally (no longer themselves). Though, at times, the news may report continuing strife or aggression with two opposing militaries/governments (U.S. vs North Korea, U.S. vs Russia, etc.), they may actually aid each other in accomplishing their goals (population reduction/enslavement/more human bodies to take over). As an observer, there seems to be more Russian involvement in the United States as of late; as well as Mexico and South America. According to articles, the Russians have been known to sell out mercenaries and ship them off to whoever would have “work” for them.

 Though, what I am about to tell you may be considered a passing thought of a civilian, it may hold some truth; Once, I gave a ride to a nanny that was working with a well-to-do family. While making small talk, she had imparted unto me that in her hometown in Mexico, she had spotted and spoken with Russian “soldiers” wearing what appeared to be American military attire with the American flag stitched onto the tops. Once again, I do not know how true this is but, many times, rumors or gossip may have root in some truth; take it with a grain of salt. What does seem to be true is that I have spoken to a handful of military personnel and many continue to make the claim that they were ordered to also kill women and children (ranging from Vietnam wartime vets to the current soldiers in wars that are now being fought). And though “friendly fire” does manage to happen in combat, it was also told to me that many military trainees are also “accidentally killed” during training exercises. If current surviving humans actually revolt against the current “powers that be”, there is a very good chance that the military (whether human or changeling) will be sent to try pacify/punish those involved with the uprising. I have this to say to those that are still human and are planning to join/ already in the military: look around you. If you are still human, know and beware that some of the fellow cadets and officers may no longer be themselves from within. If you can, fight and continue to be human. It is possible that your commanding officers may be able to read your thoughts, and I don’t know if this “gift” can be granted or given to you. Learn as much as you can; if the time ever comes, please, do not betray humanity. The entire military structure is based on a “top-down” need-to-know model. Despite what your superiors may tell you, try to figure out where the orders came from, why you and your team were ordered to do it, and if you consider it to be bullshit. Do not be afraid to question the way things are run but, be careful. And, although this may sound silly to you, watch Captain America: Winter Soldier, if you can. The situation with Hydra infiltrating military and government branches may be very true in your situation. If they have “changed” people in the civilian population, no doubt they have gone after the brave and strong to possess. You can still do many things while in your position. Remain strong, and maintain your humanity. If you have any doubts, apply the jamming technique in the 2nd section of this message. I don’t think you would like to have something to do with enslaving and killing off your own people. Please, do not support a genocide. Give good help to humans while on the inside.

 War may also be used to send what “they” claim to be unwanted people into battle, killing the population off as they had planned, leaving their remaining business, homes, lands, and finances of the dead soldiers up for grabs. War is also a distraction to take the attention off the enemy within the soldiers’ own government, and focus the existing issue on an external enemy. An example of this is Hitler and his “arian race” focusing the economic problems on the Jewish population in Germany, as well as the allied powers (outside force; U.S. & France, at the time) trying to attack Hitler’s Germany. In reality, the issue lied with Hitler’s own politics and the debt they had accrued from the first World War, and not the scapegoated population (millions of Jewish people and other minorities) or incoming forces. President Maduro of Venezuela is guilty of this, as well as other current political leaders. When talks of war hit the news, ask: Why? Then ask: What is the real reason? It may be as “direct” as a nuclear strike, or talks of tension between countries. Whatever the case is, it is assured that there are hidden reasons for doing what they are doing.

 Economy and Business: oil and basic human resources have always been sought after. From what I understand, there have been talks of Walmarts closing down; in some small towns, a Walmart (foods, clothing and other goods) store is all the the town has. If closed down, the town’s access to certain resources would be severely limited and the jobs that it used to provide will no longer be there, negatively affecting the economy. Also, there have been videos recorded by the public of empty Walmart buildings being repurposed for military vehicles and personnel. Though, I have not seen repurposed Walmarts with my own eyes, there may be a connection that these creatures (despite what family or business name, or “kind” media tactics and advertisements, they may have used) have been using by setting up Walmart building chains since the beginning of the company launch in order to set up military facilities when the “time has come” (genocide, concentration/re-education camps, slave camps, prison camps, etc.) without having to alert the public. For now, write down and track the stores that have been repurposed, put them on a map, and keep an eye on them. There has also been a lot of mass drilling under many of them, creating large tunnels leading to who-knows-where. Whatever the case may be, the activity should be questioned. Try and research this on your own time.

 Many of you may know about the oil drillings (illegal, if you ask me) that have been going on in North America, specifically in territory that has been allocated to the remaining few Native American still in existence. The Native Americans, aside from trying to protect their reservation, were also trying to protect the local drinking water from being polluted and poisoned. As mentioned before, these Native Americans are in danger of possible extinction and further harm from those that seek to rule and eliminate them. The North Dakota Access Pipeline issue, if you have seen the footage on the news or on video websites, have shown that those in military gear were ready and willing to hurt, cage, and kill protestors that got in their way. There were reports of Native Americans having their arms blown off, some of them were inhumanely caged (like animals in a dog kennel), and others hurt in other various ways. Though, the veteran protest “seemed” to calm the tension down for a bit, an illegal oil pipeline was built on Native American soil. I guarantee you, this is more than just ruthless capitalism. Having been dealing with these things for over 2 years now, they “truly” believe to be superior, and will talk and act as such. The heads of certain business are no longer human, and they have not been for some time. If their pattern is to continue, expect more of these types of atrocities to happen to the Native population. Or, we can do something about it. I believe that (true) humanity will prevail.

 They have a tendency to use a person’s natural situation against them. Bills, payments, checks, banks, having financial fraud happen to them, etc. You will find a way. Know that you will.

 Understand where your food and other services come from. Understand what transportation companies are involved in the delivery of the goods. Understand where grain is coming from in your area. Research who the heads of food and goods trade are. Where are the food and goods reserves being hidden in the country (or in your area)? If shit hits the fan in your area, knowing what I have told you, you may be able to lead a group of people. If attempting to do so, do this cautiously. Do not allow any hate groups (KKK for example) to take advantage of the remaining resources. If resources are depleted, take it upon yourself and the group of people around you to plant, farm, and grow vegetation. Corn, grain, sweet potatoes, and other such food will supply the essential vitamins and minerals needed. Make sure to find ways of getting your vitamin C (acorn tea- steep for at least 5 minutes). Always have an emergency survival kit for yourself ready (read up on what one would need/ “how to” videos on survival).

 Politics: As mentioned before, they are already changing laws to suit “them” and their agenda. There is currently no such thing as republican, democrat, liberal, etc. in the actual usage of power and choice making in the higher realms of politics. It is a well staged drama, with a well made internal script that the “hive minded beings” are acting upon. Though, you may have your honest and sincere political and social beliefs for whatever reasons, the way one had learned of politics in school is vastly different from what is actually going on. I feel as though many of you have already known this, deep down inside. You have known this from your observations, the way that things are stated by leaders (and what actually happens), and the way that your world is affected.

 VI. THEIR OVERALL GOAL

 I cannot stress this enough. In this section, I will try to clear things up as to what the changelings want to do.

1. They have been here for a long time; they have come in an even larger scale starting in 2016.

2. The Large Hadron Collider in Geneva seems to act as a battery/doorway for these creatures. Find a way to shut it down, permanently.

3. They are changing people from the inside out. They are essentially body-snatchers/avatars (not the Nickelodeon kind). Changeling is the term I have chosen to call them.

4. They may act/appear friendly but, are involved with planning a mass genocide and have monstrous tastes.

5. They aim to enslave mankind with fear, cruel punishments, torture, wars, and have shown evidence of cannibalism.

6. Though, their numbers will only reach the millions (actual humans are in the billions), they seek to be immortal by jumping from body to body. More possessions/ body-stealing may continue. This message can be sen in shows such as Netflix´s Altered Carbon, SelfLess by Tarsem, Get Out, The Host with Saoirse Rona, and the list goes on. Again, they like to put their messages in plain sight.

7. They aim to program the public with media (movies, music, games, news) into accepting their plan without having them fighting back (or fighting back that will effectively hurt them).

8. Once the public has internally accepted their message in their being (into their neuroplasticity), the creatures may have successfully affected/brainwashed the intended audience. This can be overridden/ beaten.

9. Brainwashing helps with reducing resistance, accepting “the plan”, joining “their” side, accepting genocide (mass murder- holocaust), accepting slavery without hesitation, doing their bidding, etc.

10. Population reduction, war, enslavement, and the complete amassing of power are their aim. They want power for power’s sake, not necessarily to lead the world into a better future (though, that is what they usually lie about).

11. They may have already affected family, friends, mentors, teachers, coworkers, and people close to you (I am making this message for those that are still human from within). This is happening all over the world.

12. They intend to do horrible things to their slaves/pets/refugees/servants. They only succeed if you (or pets, slaves, refugees, or servants) allow them to succeed by letting your fear settle in and not standing your ground.

13. They want to completely control all forms of communication (internet, cellphone, radio, television).

14. They have technologies to affect dreams/nightmares, brain chemistry, and perception.

15. They want to be worshiped as gods, and rule over everything that is worth ruling to them, with fear and an iron fist.

16. Never forget, they have weaknesses, fears, and while in a human body, they can feel pain and every other emotion. Pain seems to be intensified for these creatures while in a human body. Use the JAMMING technique in the II. HOW TO SPOT THEM section.

17. All of these things may “sound” scary, and some of you may already be in a similar situation such as mine. Never lose hope, faith, and strength. You will come out of it alive, and they will fall. You have to act.

18.You will eventually be able to control 100% of your dreams/nightmares using lucid dreaming (you are the master in your dreams), you will grow immune to their fear tactics, and you will spot their weaknesses for yourself.

19. Humanity will win. They will fall.

20. Humanity will become stronger for it. We will find solutions and innovations that will help the earth, renew the renewable resources, intelligently use the non-renewable resources, all without genocide or slavery.

 VII. HOW TO STAY SHARP IN THE ERA OF SPIN AND DISINFORMATION

 Use the JAMMING METHOD talked about in the 2nd section of this message in order to clearly spot who they are. Facial expressions, and the “red ring” around the outline of their eyes can be used as a dead giveaway, either way use the jamming method just to be sure.

 If you happen to be a special target of theirs, they will probably use the media, news, and other communication tricks of theirs to intimidate you. They may also use your social group to bother you as well. You can, and will, overcome this obstacle. You are stronger than them mentally and emotionally. They put up a good game but, trust me on this. There are more regular humans than other creatures out there.

 Everything that comes out of major media companies (Disney, HBO, WB, FOX, etc.) has been in their control long before you were born. Every major work that reaches the public (including educational programming for children) has some sort of subliminal message that reaches the subconscious of many who are a witness to them. Though, many believe subliminal messages to have little to no affect, they seek to simply implant the idea and wait for it to grow into action (not necessarily turn them into robots right away). Drugs, sex, war, slavery, genocide… these are a few topics they like to drill into the minds of young people.  

 They like to effect the younger audiences first. A tactic that Hitler himself once used; the Nazi Hitler Youth and the Nazi Mein Kampf are examples of propaganda being used on children. Though, these things aren’t necessarily Nazis, “they” do believe themselves to be superior and believe that they should be masters of the rest of the population. Know that this is not the case. There is no such thing as a superior anything. Be it creature, race, or person. To this day, they have been using educational programming, cartoons, major movie studios, celebrities, books, comic books, textbooks, tv shows, music, commercials, changeling familiars, certain teachers, certain religious mentors, and certain mentors in the scientific community to directly affect the youth. They will never seem as if that was their goal. This seems to be their point. They hide their agenda and their purpose quite well. Though, we may be growing old, these creatures are also investing in the children that will become leaders in the future. To “them”, it is a war on consciousness. If they can implant their ideas into the children now, they can plan for genocide and war that is widely accepted. The reality we experience now may not be the reality that the current children will experience in the future. In the end, it is more about our offspring that it is about us. If we do nothing now, there will be little to nothing left for the kids in the coming years. There should be a balance. To the changelings, there is no balance. There is only the gaining of power and slaves.

 Always question the underlying meaning behind everything that is spout out in the news. Always question the media shoved in your face. No one can own your body, control your mind, or make you do anything you do not want to do. It comes down to choice; whether you allow yourself to be treated in such a way or not. it is truly up to you. Never let their tactics settle in. Shake it off. Don’t let something become a self-fulfilled prophecy. We can say no.

 Eventually, and I really hope not, things may get very shaky. What we have experienced in the last few years is, as I have been “warned”, is only the beginning. No, this is not the apocalypse. But, if we were in the shoes of those Native Americans who died in American genocides, and Jewish people who were killed in Europe, it may look like it if we allow it to seem that way. Many of the patterns that have happened in history are repeating themselves. We can do something about it. Don’t let those history classes go to waste. Now you know. Now, we can do something about it.

 You will be stronger. You will see the patterns. You will stop them. You are stronger than them. You will control your dreams. It will get better.

Stay strong. Fight. Control your mind. Shake off their lies. You are not alone, though they may want to make you feel that way.

You are loved. You are alive. You will live. There is always a way.

 -Peace and love; never go gently.

#illuminati #aliens #rebellion #weak points #truth #conspiracy #lies #love #news #psychology #therapy #tips and tricks #howto #fight #money #politics #reptilian #bodysnatchers #replace #replacements #notthesame #different #telepathy #inception #what is happening to me #stronger

[darwinbigelow]

There’s a Drywall for That? | Ask for PURPLE

Did you know you can soundproof a room with drywall? Or install some that can take a (literal) beating? During a recent tour of National Gypsum headquarters in Charlotte, NC, I learned a lot more about what makes their Purple XP drywall products so unique.

Click on these to jump to a section in this post (trying out a new feature with longer posts with lots of info, let me know if you like it):

Fighting Moisture, Mildew, Mold

How Drywall is Made

Nifty Specialty Types of Drywall

Our Drywall Competition at National Gypsum HQ

Anyone out there a fan of the show, How Its Made? As a kid, I found this behind-the-scenes look at how everyday objects are created fascinating. Perhaps, in a small way, it influenced my adolescent brain into a career of showing people how I make/build/fix/renovate. (Funny that I didn’t really think about it until I started writing this last paragraph, but huh — neat!)

Often, when I start working with a brand as part of a blog partnership, I get invited to one of their manufacturing plants. For the brand, it’s one of the better ways to understand their products on a fundamental level: their company’s history, their motivations, their employees, the work that goes into new product development, and all sorts of things that lead up to the last step of using it in a home. For me, it’s an invite to the living version of the show I used to watch as a kid.

This fall, I’ll be working with National Gypsum and using one of their unique types of Purple XP drywall for a new sponsored project. But until I took the trip, I pretty much assumed all drywall was relatively the same. I mean, other than making sure you use the correct thickness for your wall or ceiling, that’s really all there is to it, right?

Turns out — not true! If you see those purple drywall panels in the store, they have a few secrets up their sleeve…

Ask for Purple — Because It’s Moisture, Mold, and Mildew Resistant

It seems like I am learning a lot about water this year: moisture is the enemy of keeping a safe, clean, worry-free home. Indoors and out, bathrooms and kitchens — all of your home regularly interacts with water. At the same time, we need to prevent mildew, mold, and rot. That’s why we use pressure-treated wood and flashing tape on outdoor projects; it’s why polybutylene pipes became a problem; and it’s why we get all freaked out when we see a leak in our ceilings. It’s a very simple concept, and yet it is a very tall order for most manufactured products. I will now and forever remember the quote I heard while in Charlotte:

When owning a home, it’s not a matter of if you will have a moisture problem, it’s when.

Purple XP® drywall: if the name doesn’t mean much to you yet, it’s worth noting. What differs most about this product (other than the noticeable color, of course), is that it’s manufactured to be moisture, mildew, and mold resistant. You may have read about me using paint products with mildew-resistant properties in the past, and the reason is the same: to prevent that very expensive call to a remediation specialist. Toxic mold is not only extremely hazardous to have in the home, but it can be very expensive to remove (and once it’s in the drywall, it has to be ripped out). While paint products are still a good idea, it’s not going to do me much good if the back paper on the drywall is heading to Mold City.

Less than a month later after my trip, I had problems with my air conditioning unit, which forced me to cut a big hole in my ceiling. There was also the time my master bath’s hot water valve popped right off, flooding the room. Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl was also on the trip (I love it when we get to hang out!); she’s had her share of not-so-fun adventures with mold. Eventually, I think every homeowner has a story of close calls or giant disasters!

A rare occasion where we’re hanging out but not covered in muck ;)

Bottom line is, if using a product likes this keeps mold from growing in the first place, and you may not always catch something growing behind your walls, it’s smart to prevent it rather than spend thousands of dollars repairing the damage (or deal with the health effects on those who live in the home).

How Its Made — Purple is… Green?

So, I started this whole post about how things are made. And I definitely learned more about that during the trip. As you might assume from the name National Gypsum or drywall’s other name, “gypsum board,” drywall is created from gypsum. Plenty of it is blasted out of quarries all over the country, which looks a lot like this when holding it in your hand:

But, drywall is also possible due to a byproduct of coal burning power plants. By filtering out and reusing this byproduct, it saves literal tons of waste from landfills. National Gypsum has also been making the paper that goes on the front and back out of recycled materials since the 1960s. And since having to rip out less drywall from mold damage keeps old home materials out of landfills, when you think about it, Purple is actually pretty green.

We got the opportunity to walk the entire length of the (extremely clean and hot) manufacturing center, and it was kind of amazing to see the mix come out in liquid form and be hardened to the touch by the time we walked to the end. They scooped up some of the liquid product for us in cups as well, and we could watch little filaments form on the edges as we walked through. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to film this part of the tour (pretty standard since they don’t want me accidentally capturing something important to their competitors), but I’ll have a video for you guys soon on all of the other cool things we got to see! In the meantime, you can catch this How Its Made version.

Specialty Drywall Types

As I mentioned a few paragraphs ago, one of the biggest surprises for me was to learn that there is far more to drywall than I thought. Some are made for areas that get knocked into a lot, and some are made to prevent neighbors from making each other miserable:

XP® — the “normal” XP stuff is meant for most wall applications, and especially in areas where moisture might eventually be a threat, such as bathrooms (non-wet areas), kitchens (non-wet areas), basements, and laundry rooms. If you are building a new home or tearing out walls, I would recommend using it wherever drywall needs to be replaced (after all, the ceiling of my living room is really nowhere near a room I’d think I’d have a moisture issue, and yet, here I am).

Hi-Abuse XP® and Hi-Impact XP® — both of these drywall types are made for areas where the walls might take a beating. But where Hi-Abuse XP is more meant to resist scratches and scuffs (think hallways, stairways, or places where furniture gets moved around), Hi-Impact XP can literally be beaten with a bat and still hold up to its job. It’s got a fiberglass mesh inside the core, so it can withstand some impressive abuse! I know I’m only 5’2″, but I played fastpitch softball growing up… I really hammered this wall, and only broke through after repeatedly hitting it HARD in the same exact spot. Workshops, playrooms, frat houses, maybe the tasting room at a brewery… it’s a perfect match. If you’ve ever had to repair a hole punched through a wall, you know that running some joint compound over a dent is far easier than patching a hole.

SoundBreak XP® — This was my FAVORITE thing to learn about during the trip. Almost all of us are familiar with “thin walls” and noisy neighbors in hotels, apartments, townhomes or condos. Sometimes, it’s as though a neighbor only has to blink and you can hear it through the walls. An interesting piece of info shared was that, with the popularity of mixed-use real estate and the conversion of commercial buildings into high-rise lofts, noise-related lawsuits are becoming much more common for real estate developers. So, a lot of them are starting to pay more attention to the cost vs. risk of using cheaper, lightweight drywall where noise slips right through. But that’s not what got me so excited…

SoundBreak XP Retrofit® Board — THIS. This product is so cool, because it can be applied on TOP of your existing drywall to add a sound barrier! It’s super thin, so it can be installed without demo-ing your walls, which saves a LOT of time and labor. I can think of all sorts of applications for something like this: nursery walls, media rooms, bedrooms (hehe), or even a home office or workshop. With the effort I’ve been putting into doing both written and video tutorials this year, I have a greater need for cutting out background noise (barking dogs & air conditioning/fans are really inconvenient for voice-overs, so I usually have to do it in my master bedroom closet!). And like many of my woodworker friends who find their creativity at night, I would love the opportunity to learn new skills without annoying my neighbors (or the bearded guy sleeping upstairs).

Competition

To give us some “hands-on” demos, they first presented a few pointers on how to better tape drywall seams and install drywall properly. I was very into it, since I have had a little experience with both repairing old drywall and installing new drywall over paneling. Even though I have learned a lot through my own DIY efforts, it’s great to get some solid tips from an expert in the field.

Then, they had the group of us — me, Brittany, and a handful of professional remodelers (that was quite a different experience, since almost all of my trips include only DIYers and this had pros in the mix!) take part in a competition!

Considering that at least one member of our group had decades of experience doing this exact task (and coughcough, used his tape measure to make sure he got exact 12-inches on center when the rest of us were told we couldn’t measure — but no, I’m not bitter ), it wasn’t really a shocker to me that I lost. I was glad to know that I can hold my own in the room, though!

Why I’m Working With Ask for Purple

Before you guys think that I’m going to only sing the virtues of Purple, there is one thing that I will say is a negative, at least in my area: availability. It’s available in big box stores in some places, but where I live, I’ll probably have to order it (especially if it’s something like Retrofit). It’s not that I have an issue with working with local suppliers (I think it’s good to support local business). It’s that I’m no stranger to needing eight trips to get supplies in a single week, and at least one of them will be 15 minutes before closing. So, whenever I consider working with a brand, I heavily weigh whether or not the “extra effort” is worth it. As cool as a product might be, I certainly don’t want to add to my DIY frustrations by the store being closed while there’s still daylight and I have a deadline to meet, or having something only available if I buy in bulk. Pros have enough experience to create a list they can more easily stick to. But that’s not my life, and I don’t want to pretend it is. And it wouldn’t be honest to advocate that you should make extra efforts that I wouldn’t be willing to make.

As you probably guessed, I had zero problem telling the marketing team exactly this. A homeowner needs more than just the product’s benefits or cost; the experience can still be intimidating and frustrating. And that’s ultimately why I chose to work with them. Because a pro can know all day and night why one product might be better than the other and advocate for it with ease. A brand’s sales team can work their magic to get a product into stores to test sales performance. But if there’s something out there that will solve a DIYers problem and we don’t actually know it exists, we can’t go looking for it or ask the store to start carrying it. This is one of those times where it might legit be worth it, and we’ll see once I install!

The post There’s a Drywall for That? | Ask for PURPLE appeared first on Ugly Duckling House.

More Where That Came From

How To Fix and Skim Coat Damaged Drywall

How to Remove Wallpaper

Painting Prep after Drywall Repair

More Skim Coating Tips

.yuzo_related_post img{width:170px !important; height:170px !important;} .yuzo_related_post .relatedthumb{line-height:14px;background:#ffffff !important;color:#454747!important;} .yuzo_related_post .relatedthumb:hover{background:#ffffff !important; -webkit-transition: background 0.2s linear; -moz-transition: background 0.2s linear; -o-transition: background 0.2s linear; transition: background 0.2s linear;;color:#454747!important;} .yuzo_related_post .relatedthumb a{color:#102a3b!important;} .yuzo_related_post .relatedthumb a:hover{ color:#113f5e}!important;} .yuzo_related_post .relatedthumb:hover a{ color:#113f5e!important;} .yuzo_related_post .relatedthumb:hover .yuzo__text--title{ color:#113f5e!important;} .yuzo_related_post .yuzo_text, .yuzo_related_post .yuzo_views_post {color:#454747!important;} .yuzo_related_post .relatedthumb:hover .yuzo_text, .yuzo_related_post:hover .yuzo_views_post {color:#454747!important;} .yuzo_related_post .relatedthumb{ margin: 0px 6px 0px 6px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; } jQuery(document).ready(function( $ ){ jQuery('.yuzo_related_post .yuzo_wraps').equalizer({ columns : '> div' }); }); from Home Improvement http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheUglyDucklingHouse/~3/HhbMc5hsJuI/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

#home improvement