I've been told by many people that I have an excellent voice, which can be very animated sometimes. This first began in school, in particular when we would have "table readings" for a script for an upcoming play for drama class and when each student would read a certain line for a play in English Literature (i.e., "Beware the Ides of March!"). I had the ability to quickly assess the nature of this character I was supposed to portray within a few lines and flesh out this character perfectly.
Most of my jobs as an adult were on the phone, specifically when it comes to call center work. Many supervisors would compliment how excellent my voice was (though I hated hearing my own voice played back to me!!!). I've even had a boss or two keep me from being promoted to an off-phone role because of how good I was on the phone.
I've been told that I have a "radio voice" and could easily get a gig being a radio announcer or DJ. Some were even going as far as suggesting being a phone actress if I happen to fall on hard times (fortunately, I have been able to avoid going down that route).
Now, I have taken everything they've all said with a grain of salt.
However, I've also thought about it a time or two and seeing nothing wrong with lending my voice to animation and drama. It makes me remember those "old" days back in the 30's and 40's, when shows that provided hours of entertainment were exclusively on the radio before TV was introduced to the masses in the '50's (this was what The Buggles was talking about when they said "Video killed the radio star" in 1979). Back then, the challenge was to engage listeners in stories, plot lines, and mysteries through the use of their voices and really selling it. Now I'm not saying that we should go back to those days, but I can definitely see the advantage a lot of them had enjoyed utilizing their imagination instead of just zoning out to images presented from a screen.
I am a storyteller and, while I do enjoy using my written words to convey certain messages and enlist engagement, I'd like to elevate that by using my voice. If anything, I see it as a creative release as I utilize the left side of my brain most of the time.
Just a thought ...

In the realm of RPGs and immersive narratives, the seeker embarks on a perpetual quest, driven by an insatiable hunger for profound experiences. Alas, this tireless pursuit often leads to weariness, a weariness that permeates the very fabric of one's being. The grand narratives lose their luster, leaving a void in the heart. Yet, amidst this existential abyss, a name emerges, whispered across the cosmic expanse: NieR:Automata. Ah, NieR:Automata, the great cipher of transcendence. Its plot, shrouded in enigmatic allure, beckons the weary soul with promises of profundity. It is a vessel that defies conventions, weaving a tapestry of philosophical inquiry and absurdity, wherein one may confront the eternal questions that plague our existence. In its gameplay, one encounters a dance of agency and determinism, a precarious balance between freedom and destiny, echoing the dialectic struggles of Nietzsche's will to power and Marx's labor theory of value. The characters, like archetypes from the collective unconscious, embody the depths of human complexity, inviting us to question our own place in the cosmic theater. The ember of excitement, thought extinguished by the mundanity of existence, flickers once more within the seeker's soul. Alas, the constraints of material circumstances cast a shadow upon the path. The coin, that symbol of societal exchange, eludes grasp, rendering NieR:Automata an elusive treasure. Thus, the seeker turns to the enlightened minds of the gaming community, hopeful that a benevolent soul may gift this marvel and rekindle the flame of existential exploration. In this ephemeral realm, where economic systems govern the distribution of resources, the seeker acknowledges the complexity of the collective struggle. The weight of obligations and the dialectic of capital weigh heavily upon us all. And yet, the seeker beseeches those whose hearts resonate with empathy and compassion, for in their generosity lies the transformative power to transcend societal constraints. By offering the gift of NieR:Automata, one does not merely bestow a game but grants access to a profound journey—a journey that interrogates the very fabric of our existence and provokes introspection. O noble gaming community, let us recognize the significance of our shared venture. Let the union of compassionate souls transmute longing into fulfillment. Through this collaborative act, we shall traverse the realms of NieR:Automata, navigating the labyrinth of philosophical inquiry and absurdist musings. Each ephemeral moment shall be a testament to the indomitable spirit of humanity, our ability to transcend the limitations imposed upon us. Therefore, I implore you, fellow seekers of truth and transcendence, to heed this call. Embrace the existential essence within and embrace the role of a bestower, for in that act, you kindle the flame of intellectual curiosity and grant the seeker passage into a realm of infinite gratitude. Let us together delve into the depths of NieR:Automata, embracing the absurdity of existence and unraveling the mysteries that lie beyond.
Behold the portal to the realm of NieR:Automata, where fantastical wonders await:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/524220/NieRAutomata/
My humble digital sanctuary:
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199135595169/
PS: It has been an eternity since I last ventured into the realms of my Steam account, as my allegiance has shifted towards the mystical allure of GOG in recent times. Farewell, dear interlocutor! May your path be illuminated by wisdom and fortune. Until we meet again, may the tapestry of existence unfold in your favor. Take care, and may your journey be filled with extraordinary adventures.

I know some people want everything to get answered, and they want closure for Alex and her friends. But I think the mystery surrounding Edward’s Island and what really happened was kinda the point. I don’t want to know all the answers, because it’s a lot more interesting (and creepier) if it’s left up to interpretation.
Oxenfree is sorta like Silent Hill in that lots of hints are given, but you have to put the pieces together yourself. Of course, I’m super excited for Oxenfree 2, and I want to see the mystery expanded on. I’d love to see Alex and the other characters again. I just want them to leave things mysterious, and instead of explaining everything from the first game, I want them to expand on the mystery (basically asking new question’s instead of answering the old ones).
It seems like they might take this approach from the SoG interview, but we won’t know until the game comes out. They do say that everything from the first game (including the multiple endings) is canon because of the branching timelines, which is good.
Even when you think you know what happened in Oxenfree 1, there’s still the mystery of Edward’s Island itself. There’s no answer as to why it’s such a hotspot for strange things.
We know that something disrupted the signals of the kanaloa, which allowed the accident to happen , so there was always something weird about the island. Also, why would the government specifically choose the island for the radio stuff ?
The anomalies and the other optional content add more mysterious stuff. There’s what went down between Maggie Adler and her friend (don’t remember her name) leading to her becoming one of the sunken. The whole “Saw the man but not the dog” thing. The Prince-of-Darkness-esque visual distortions that take up the whole screen, like the distorted image of a dog . One of the anomalies brings up the genocide of the natives, and colonel Edwards. Could they have known about the island’s weird qualities?
This is way too long, but what I’m saying is: the mysteries should be expanded on, but not “explained” necessarily. At least imo. Really excited for this game!

Hi everyone! This sub was so incredibly helpful to me in the planning process - I was deeply grateful for everything I learned, so I thought I'd post a trip report now that we're back!
About us: We're a 30s couple from the Midwest US. We're pretty experienced travelers (South America, UK/Ireland, Europe, lots of places in the US), but this was our first visit to Asia and first visit to Japan. As travelers, we love getting out on foot, local food/drink (especially street food), live music, nerd shit, weird art/vending machines. Also, my partner is a cis guy, but I am a trans masc person who is visibly trans (post-op in a few ways, but not passing/not stealth).
Dates: May 13 - May 29
What we did: Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Hakone Back to Tokyo
Tips and tricks:

• Definitely get your walking training in ahead of time! We walked 10 miles a day on the trip. We're pretty avid backcountry camping/hiking fans who regularly put in 8 - 10 miles on the trail (not to mention taking our dog for multiple walks a day in the neighborhood), so I figured we'd be good - but it was A LOT, especially since you're also trying to translate and navigate at the same time. Japan is not generally a super accessible place from a disability perspective; benches and public seating areas are not common. I found myself wishing I'd packed a collapsible seat of some kind, tbh!
• Good shoes a must! Merrell Moabs are my go-to for hiking, but for this trip I went with Nike Dunk 6 high-tops, which rocked. My partner went with Onitsukas and didn't do as well - he wound up buying inserts partway through the trip, which helped.
• Work on a little Japanese ahead of time! We came in with about a dozen words/phrases, which was honestly truly helpful. So many people are so kind and thoughtful anyway, but it was an appreciated gesture that we had planned ahead and were trying our best. Google Translate's camera feature (Google Lens) was a life-saver for translating written words on signs!
• We had a great experience with Ubigi for an eSIM. The days of purchasing an actual SIM card or even a burner device (like we used to do when backpacking in Europe) are long past. We hooked up our Ubigi eSIMs beforehand, flipped the switch when we got there, and we were golden. Just in case, we'd set up our Verizon coverage to include a Pay-As-You-Go international plan, but we didn't end up using it. We also didn't use half as much data as we thought we would - we both came home with extra GB on our Ubigi plan still. We didn't do a PocketWifi and I don't think we needed it - Ubigi did most of the heavy lifting, and free WiFi at various places did the rest.
• Fly into Haneda, not Narita - way closer to Tokyo city center.
• Get your Suica right away at the airport - our beloved Suica got us through so many things! We also withdrew some cash and split it up between us - we withdrew a few more times on the trip and it worked like a charm. (Just make sure it's an international ATM that includes your card type - not all of them do. Also, notify your bank you'll be traveling, so your card doesn't throw a flag!) We used our credit card as well - the Chase card was accepted pretty much all places CCs are, but many places remain cash-only, especially bars and restaurants.
• Had a great experience using the Friendly Limousine Airport Bus service straight from Haneda to our hotel area.
• I booked shinkansen tix ahead of time, so I got nice discounts on weekday Green Car tix for two - but I really needn't have worried, there were plenty of seats available day-of.
• Don't bother with shinkansen for Kyoto to Osaka - we wound up just hopping on a local with our Suicas and it was fine.
• Don't bother with the Romancecar from Hakone back to Tokyo - it's fastemaybe a nicer seating experience, but just hopping on a local with your Suica is an order of magnitude cheaper.
• Look things up in Japanese if using Google Translate; use Tabelog for restaurants if possible. Google Maps in English is more touristy reviews/reactions.
• Tokyo Skytree was hit-or-miss - only real letdown of the trip.
• Tokyo teamLab PLANETS was completely worth it - absolutely worth the hype in my opinion.
• Queer and trans travelers - I felt completely safe, but as a plus-size trans masc nonbinary queerdo, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I didn't feel in danger, but I was absolutely aware that I did not fit in. Stares were common, especially from older men and young kids. (Weirdly, local women seemed more friendly and curious about me!) Just be prepared for it and remember you're not in any danger physically - it's all just curiosity.
• I have to thank this subreddit for recommending Hakone, especially for the tip to book a ryokan with private onsen access. We had an absolutely beautiful experience at Yamanochaya in Hakone, which included both a private "onsen" soaking tub in our room and private 1:1 access to a larger, actual hot spring onsen on the property. I otherwise would not have been able to experience a real hot spring onsen at all, as they are gender-segregated. Thank you, /JapanTravel!

Because I'm a nerd, here's the actual breakdown!
DAY 1 ARRIVAL 📍 Flew into Haneda; made it to our hotel (lovely experience at Hotel Plaza Sunroute); had our first world-famous konbini 7/11 experience; walked around Shinjuku; went out for dinner at Ryu no Miyako Inshokugai - talk about jumping in the deep end 🍣 Onigiri and vending machine green tea; little whipped cream treats; Nagahama ramen and sesame mackerel donburi 👣 10,400 steps 🏁 4.8 miles
DAY 2 SHIBUYA 📍 Meiji Shrine and Gardens - got goshuin and omamori; Harajuku, went to 7/11; back to the hotel for a nap; Shibuya, including Don Quijote, Center Gai and Dogenzaka Street; Nonbei Yokocho for late night 🍣 7/11 (plum onigiri and corn/mayo sandwich, some kind of spam musubi situation, matcha roll); Ichiran coin-op ramen with extra chashu and a matcha tofu custard thing; banana shock smoothie at Shibuya109 in Center Gai; chicken and pork belly yakitori with beers at Morimoto; brown sugar shoju and shoju-infused Oolong tea cocktails at Tight Bar (strong recommend for this joint!); grilled squid, octopus, and okonomiyaki for afters at Tsukishima Monja Kuuya Shibuya 👣 32,000 steps 🏁 14.5 miles 😮‍💨
DAY 3 SHINJUKU 📍 Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden; Shinjuku area (including Disk Union, Disney, Onitsuka); Kabukicho and Kabukicho Tower; GODZ metal bar; Golden Gai; Omoide Yokocho 🍣 7/11 (onigiri, matcha filled roll thing, royal milk tea, tomago sushi, strawberry donut, cafe latte); many types of dango (sesame oil, soy sauce, and apricot mochi were our favs); McDonald's (weirdly good chicken sandwich with yuzu radish topping, vanilla custard chocolate pie, white grape soda); yummy little warm imagawayaki filled with adzuki bean paste + royal milk from depachika); a couple of Asahis at GODZ; simple yakitori snacks at Golden Gai (including some… mystery offal items); back to 7/11 for drunk matcha ice cream and waffle snacks 👣 28,800 steps 🏁 13.0 miles
DAY 4 ASAKUSA 📍 Went out for coffee; walked around Kinarimon Gate and Nakamise; toured Asakusa Shrine, Senso-ji Temple, surrounding Shinto and Buddhist shrines; stopped for sushi and mochi; went for a walk up Sumida River; dipped into Shoden and Imado shrines; crossed Kototoi Bridge to Tokyo Skytree; went up Tokyo Skytree; back to Senso-ji for night photos; capped off evening with gyoza 🍣 Lattes at cute puppet theater coffeeshop (espresso, dandelion tea); 7/11 for breakfast-y fuel; strawberries from a street stall at Nakamise; sushi lunch; beautiful mochi + tea dessert; grilled gyoza, soup dumpling gyoza, shoujo Oolong tea cocktail for afters 👣 25,500 steps 🏁 11.66 miles
DAY 5 JIMBŌCHŌ, AKIHABARA 📍 Train to Ichigaya - notable French-inspired neighborhood; breakfast at local French café; Yasakuni Shrine; Kanda River walk by Hosei University; Tokyo Daijingu Shrine; Jimbōchō Old Book Town; walked from there to Akihibara; hit up noodles, arcade, nerd shops (comics, TCGs/CCGs, retro video games systems, TTRPGS, etc); gachapons; hit up the bizarre rare vending machines 🍣 Vending machine coffee and milk tea; yummy French pastries (bacon and sour cream roll, quiche, sour cream raisin custard thing); had to try some avocado and cheese Doritos; cold udon with duck broth soup, curry rice for Chris; fish-shaped taiyaki with custard cream dessert treat; dope gyoza place ("weekday" version with pork and cabbage, shrimp and chili mayo, yakitori with tare, and shogayaki with onions) 👣 Forgot watch at hotel - we’ll say 10,000 steps 🏁 Guessing about 5 or 6?
DAY 6 TEAMLAB PLANETS, TRAVEL TO KYOTO 📍 Hit up teamLabs, had an amazing time exploring the exhibits - the infinite light crystal room was our fav; train to Tokyo Station; lunch at underground Ramen Street restaurants under the station - went with Soranoiro, one of the few veg/vegan ramen shops in Japan - delicious; shinkansen to Kyoto; out for nightlife in Kiyamachi-Dori and Pontocho 🍣 Quick 7/11 snacks; train snacks (pocky, coffee, little teriyaki cutlet sandwich); Soranoiro ramen bowls; killer yakitori we fried right at our table in izakaya in Pontocho (honestly probably a meal highlight of the whole trip); brown sugar shoujo; 7/11 for ice cream on the way back 👣 18,900 steps 🏁 8.63 miles
DAY 7 KINKAKUJI, NISHIKI, GION 📍 Kinkakuji Temple; bus back to Kiyamachi-dori; spent whole afternoon walking and eating street food at Nishiki Market; back to hotel for rest, laundry, rooftop drink; out for nightlife in Gion 🍣 Family Mart for coffee and doughnuts; Nishiki Market Street street food delights - seared yakitori style crab stick, little octopus chuka idako on skewers, kara-age on skewers, sea squid croquettes and beer, strawberry and adzuki bean mochi balls; mimosas and red wine; Kyoto Gion Okaru - geisha-decorated izakaya with insane curry udon bowls and beers; picked up box of mochi dango for dessert 👣 20,200 steps 🏁 9.07 miles
DAY 8 SHRINE DAY 📍 OK, this is a lot:

• Yasakajinja (we happened to be here while a young couple was having a Shinto wedding ceremony!)
• Yasui Kompira-gū (built 1170, shrine for ending bad relationships and starting new ones, has special stone that you pin your wishes to - many young girls will crawl through the stone to mark a breakup or wish for love)
• Kennin-ji (built 1202, large grounds - among the oldest in Kyoto);
• Reigen-in (part of Kennin-ji grounds, a Zen teahouse with a tea garden where they served adzuki bean buns with tea made from the actual hydrangeas of the tea garden outside!)
• Zenkyoan (boar shrine which we initially thought were cute hedgehogs)
• Kyoto Ebisu Shrine (dedicated to fishermen - we happened to be here during the shrine's annual mikoshi festival - a battalion of locals in traditional clothes, hoisting and dancing with the mikoshi around the neighborhood)
• Kodai-ji (built 1606, gorgeous grounds - we skipped the tour)
• Hōkan-ji/Yasaka Pagoda (dating back to 589 and rebuilt in 1400s, huge black 5-story pagoda featuring massive shakyamuni pole inside and reliquary of a bone of the Buddha in the foundations)
• Ryōzen Kannon (built 1955 after WW2, massive Buddha statue and active Buddhist temple)
• Of course the world-famous Kiyomizudera (built 778, enormous Kyoto-red temple with beautiful buildings spiraling up into the forest)

🍣 Hotel coffee, tea, cream puffs; adzuki bean buns with tea made from the actual hydrangeas of the tea garden at the shrine; dope bento box lunch; got takeout fast food donburi and fizzy lemonade 👣 22,800 steps 🏁 10.39 miles
DAY 9 FUSHIMI-INARI 📍 Fushimi Inari, the famous shrine of over 1,000 torii gates - super amazing (and intense!) summit of Mt Inari! Back to Nishiki Market for reward street food and drinks; back to hotel for a rooftop drink and soak; finally out for soba at Kawamichiya Ginka in Pontocho. 🍣 Snack pack on our hike (sausages, cheese, some kind of fish meat/cheese stick, and surume - sweet chewy dried squid stuff); orange smoothie; conveyor belt sushi; strawberry mochi roll; whisky highball and red wine; massive soba spreads (chicken seared with wasabi/yuzu/horseradish dipped in ponzu sauce, fried soba noodles in a rich soup, cold soba noodles dipped tsukemen-style in a really amazing umami soy sauce soup, tempura shrimp and veggies, a hot soba noodles in a clear broth soup) 👣 27,600 steps 🏁 Supposedly 12.3 miles, but that hike to summit Mt Inari was something else 😤
DAY 10 TRAVEL TO OSAKA, SHINSABASHISUJI, AMEMURA, DOTONBURI 📍 Beautiful brunch on the bank of the canal in Kyoto; local train to Osaka-Umeda; checked into Osaka hotel; walked around Shinsaibashisuji and Dotonburi a little bit; scoped out Amemura ("Ameri-mura") for dope American-inspired Japanese streetwear; wandered up and down street food stalls in Dotonbori; swung by Namba Hips (mostly pachinko); found a couple of fun little hole-in-the-wall places (little Japanese craft beer brewery, retro video games bar) 🍣 Brunch at Kawa Cafe (croque monsieur, ramen, tea and delicious apple tart); takoyaki, cheesy waffle shaped like a massive 10yen coin, sweet chili hotdogs from stands in Dotonbori; dashi gose craft beer (by Derailleur Brew Works) from Umineko, shots at Space Station bar 👣 19,500 steps 🏁 9.01 miles
DAY 11 NAMBAYASAKIJINA, DOTONBURI 📍 Morning Japanese breakfast at a wonderful little 24-hour diner; Hozen-ji (moss shrine); Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum across the street (focusing on Osaka woodcuts celebrating Dotonburi's kabuki and entertainment history); Nambayasaka-jinja (lion head shrine); Den Den Town (Osaka's Akihabara); ended up at a cozy little kushikatsu bar which actually was playing the Tigers game (away game vs the Swallows at Tokyo); street food waffles for dessert; hit up a late-night batting cage - ended up at Round1 (a big multi-floor arcade complex) and did the rooftop batting cage! My partner won a giant plushie for me from a claw machine! 🍣 Dope traditional japanese omelette and fish breakfast; cute macarons from market stand; Family Mart for snacks before nightlife; skewers, beer, and highballs from Dotonbori kushikatsu place; ridiculous nutella, whip, and strawberry stuffed waffle from Waffle Khan 👣 29,100 steps 🏁 13.31 miles
DAY 12 KUROMON ICHIBA, OSAKA CASTLE, DOTONBURI 📍 Kuromon Ichiba Market for street food; Osaka Castle Park and Nishinomaru Gardens; toured Osaka Castle and museum all the way up to the top; subway to Tanimachi-9-chome subway station for amazing live jazz at Sub Jazz Cafe. (This was amazing! Akira "Ro" Hasegawa (sax) and Yukie Fujikawa (keys) - Ro is also the owner and was bartending on this particular night too.) Out to Don Don for killer yakiniku and beer; found our way to Oboradaren, an Tokunoshima-themed island vibes bar and music spot where there was a great live band playing fun island vibes beach rock - big crowd of 40s+ Japanese women who knew all the songs, wound up drinking passionfruit chuhai and joining them in the conga line around the bar 🍣 Oden hot pot, wagyu skewer, otoro sashimi, crab gratin in the half-shell, bracken green tea soy cakes at Kuromon Market; ice cream sandwiches at Osaka Castle; milk tea, little roast beef sandwich, and cheesecake at Sub Jazz Cafe; yakiniku-style wagyu, ribs, ox tongue, assorted mushrooms; passionfruit chuhai and red wine at the island vibes spot; taro and brown sugar boba teas 👣 23,000 steps 🏁 10.42 miles
DAY 13 KAIYUKAN, SHINSEKAI, DOTONBURI 📍 Fun trip to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan; quick pass through Shinsekai; lunch at spot where you can fish your own catch from an indoor fishing boat pool; out for one last Dotonburi night - wound up getting konbini snacks and sitting on the waterfront talking and people-watching for hours 🍣 Not a banger food-wise, but interesting little spread at the fish-your-own place - huge prawn for grilling, kara-age, and fatty tuna nigiri for Max, tempura veggies and whitefish with doteyaki for Chris; from Family Mart, fruit smoothie, ice cup, and KitKat for Max, onigiri and lemonade for Chris 👣 19,100 steps 🏁 8.64 miles
DAY 14 TRAVEL TO HAKONE, HAKONE SHRINE 📍 Bombed to Shin-Osaka for an early shinkansen to Odawara; trained to Odawara to Hakone; dropped luggage off at ryokan, then bus to Motohakone; saw Hakone Shrine and Onshi-Hakone Park (as well as a segment of the actual Old Tokaido!); returned to ryokan for the night, where we were treated to a gorgeous 1:1 kaiseki from a Michelin-star chef, private hot spring onsen, and private in-room hot spring bath 🍣 Konbini snacks before shinkansen; snacks and coffee on train; late lunch in Motohakone (curry and soba, pork cutlet); incredible, massive multi-course kaiseki and sake for dinner, plus strawberry cake, champagne, and more sake for dessert 👣 13,900 steps 🏁 6.26 miles
DAY 15 HAKONE OPEN AIR MUSEUM, TRAVEL TO TOKYO, LAST NIGHT IN SHINJUKU 📍 Woke up in gorgeous ryokan; leisurely kaiseki breakfast with leftover cake; final soak in the private onsen; Hakone Open Air Museum - very cool; had kind of a challenging trip back but finally made it from Museum back to ryokan to bus stop to Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara to Shinjuku to the hotel 😮‍💨 Considering the last night as our real "last night" of the trip, our final night out in Tokyo was all just extra icing on the cake - went out for yakitori skewers and Asahi Superdrys in cozy alley in Omoide Yokocho, found really wonderful cake and tea dessert open late also in Omoide, hit up 🎵 Donki! 🎵 for a final round of bulk snacks and souvenirs, ended up on a late-night excursion to find Park Hyatt Hotel (featured in Lost in Translation); finished night at hotel watching the city go to sleep from our balcony 👣 22,700 steps 🏁 10.3 miles
FINAL SCORE 📸 Pics: 1,929 👣 Steps: 337,700 🏁 Miles: 153.78 (we averaged 9.6 miles per day, every day, for 16 days) 🇯🇵 “Nihongo jōzu!”: 4 (I know more proficient Japanese speakers are insulted, but it's honestly a pretty nice comment when you're at my level) 👶 Comments on how young we look/how we can’t possibly be celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary: 3 ✨ Gratitude: Infinite.

Books that were not for me

Carmilla (le Fanu) I enjoyed the first half of this tale, which is one of the earliest vampire works and an inspiration for Dracula (as well as being pretty lesbian, and in 1872!). But by the midway point, when it's completely obvious what's going on to everyone but the protagonist, the book started dragging and I skimmed much of the latter half just to get it over with. Read this if: You're interested in the origins of the vampire phenomemon
Even Though I Knew the End (Polk) This is a historical detective story with angels and demons. If you took the combined vibes of 1930s Chicago, a Catholic cathedral, a blood-daubed summoning circle, and an underground lesbian bar, you'd have this book. It's quite short, and—perhaps due in part to the lack of space for character development—it wasn't really my thing, but I did think the ending was great, and gutsy. Read this if: You love an old-timey detective story
The Bone Ships (Barker) I spent the first half of this book declaiming to my mother's cat that the author had chosen the wrong main character, since our protagonist does nothing but what his far-more-interesting captain tells him to do. (Thankfully, it gets better in the second half.) Other than that, there's almost nothing to dislike... it's the book equivalent of Mr. Rogers... except that I didn't find much to get excited about, either, and struggled to finish. Read this if: You want an alright nautical adventure with an alright protagonist

Books that were fine

Mordew (Pheby) This book is problematic. Not in the contents, which are merely disgusting and horrifying, but in the way it's written. It's agonizingly slow. Character motivations don't always make sense, and the guidelines for magic seem to be "whatever's plot-convenient." However, if you're looking for something that reads like Charles Dickens took too many mushrooms then had a lie-down in a malarial swamp, this book is your man. Read this if: You have a thing for urchins with terrible morals
The Prey of Gods (Drayden) As I once said about The Poppy War, it's difficult to figure out who's supposed to be the audience for this book. A science fantasy set in South Africa, it has coming-of-age child protagonists alongside adult POVs that include spontaneous orgasms. I will say that the book often surprised me, which I love. But similar to Mordew, the characters' changing motivations on a whim to service the plot kept it from being a winner. Read this if: You like books that don't fit neatly into categories
Senlin Ascends (Bancroft) Dude, where's my wife? Our hero Senlin loses his wife and... spends the rest of the book trying to find her? No, surprisingly. He makes a good start, but soon loses his internal compass and ends up in a series of quagmires that he doesn't seem to have much urgency to get out of. This killed both the book's tension and any interest in going on to book two, especially since I didn't particularly connect with Senlin as a character. However, I will say the prose is great, and contains the most creative-yet-accurate metaphors of any book I have ever read. Read this if: You hate a lackluster metaphor

Books I enjoyed

Under Heaven (Kay) The story didn't move me as much as the other Kay books I've read, and I think it has issues in terms of structure and other choices. Still, lackluster Kay is better than many (most?) other writers' best efforts. Also, it has less romance/sex than the other books of his I've read. This was unfortunate for me, but if that aspect has kept you away from Kay's work, you might actually enjoy this one. Read this if: You're hungering to spend some time in a Tang-Dynasty-inspired world
Some by Virtue Fall (Rowland) Echoes of Shakespeare haunt this comedic book, which is about a theater troupe trying to survive despite empty coffers and a rival troupe with zero scruples. I enjoyed it mainly for the main character, who behaved badly in all the ways I would never have the guts to. If you get vicarious enjoyment from transgressions—or if you were a theater kid, and want to cringe in remembrance—this is the book for you. Honestly, I hope the author writes another starring this character. Read this if: You love theater, Shakespeare, and teh gays
Piranesi (Clarke) This is a perfectly nice book and I certainly enjoyed reading it, but it didn't wow me or anything, and I haven't thought about it once since I read it. So I don't understand why it's as popular as it is. But there's also nothing wrong with the book. You could do a lot worse? Read this if: You enjoy mysteries, or truly good-hearted protagonists

Favorites

Siren Queen (Vo) I tore through this book, which follows the strivings of a Chinese-American starlet in an alternative golden age Hollywood that's suffused with dark magic and danger. Like Vo's The Chosen and The Beautiful, it's a very sensual work, and if it wasn't a bit over the top I'd say I can still taste the cigarette smoke and champagne. I can't wait for her next effort. Read this if: You're a fan of golden age Hollywood, creepy atmosphere, or outsider protagonists

DNFs

The Forever Sea (Johnson) - I won this book in a raffle. It has a gorgeous cover. Unfortunately the writing is quite straightforward, and I lost interest pretty quickly when my brain had nothing to chew on.
The Worm Ouroboros (Eddison) - I was gifted this and wanted to like it, but found it just as distant and dull as I find most old books. Sorry dad.
The Bruising of Qilwa (Jamnia) - This was a book club book that was not my speed.
The Coward (Aryan) - Another book club read. Did not like the writing.
The Iron Dragon's Daughter (Swanwick) - Unique but way too meandering.

S10E1 ; S10E3
Majorca baby !! It's Whitney's first night and the islanders are playing a game called "Ready Sex Go"
Andre dares Molly (who owns a chicken) to make out with three islanders and her first pick is Zachariah. They kiss for about 7 seconds of screen time which was 6 seconds too long !! Mitchell Red Bottoms is facing SEVERE Luca Bish accusations and damn he’s fighting for his LIFE. Secondly she kisses Red Bottoms who says “I can taste Zach”. Well I FOR ONE can taste BILE because the way he wipes his mouth after is absolutely illegal!! - 92 points to Red Bottoms for causing physical distress +30 hours of community service. Molly (who owns a chicken) kisses Tyrique and she is really …. Committed ! +3 points to Molly (who owns a chicken) for stage presence
Jess (Assistant Director of the Villa Bureau of Investigations) did NOT check the schedule this morning because her dress is very cute but very inconvenient when competing in a sex position game. Red Bottoms has to snog an Islander who has the potential for him to turn his head and he picks Ella Rose Depp.
Whitney is a Champion in this game. +4 points for 3D printing this challenge before arriving. Andre picks George (-187 points to the stinky producers) for a 10 second 3 way kiss with two islanders and George (-187 points to the stinky producers) picks Molly (who owns a chicken) and Ruchee. Molly is such a theater kid and takes these games Very Seriously but not Competitively. She is an Acteur on the World Stage and she has LHL (Learned Her Lines) + 12 points for learning her lines
Ruchee looks like she would rather serve Mitchell Red Bottom’s + 30 hours of community service but alas, she is once again cornered by George (-187 points to the stinky producers) and the smooch begins. +4 points to Ruchee for lasting 4 seconds. The girl HAD to come up for air !! Jess (VBI) dares Red Bottoms to have a dance off with Zachariah (the Man who Molly Kissed). Someone nominate her for a Pulitzer Prize !!! Zachariah manages to do some robot bits n bobs and Red Bottoms does some sliding fancy footwork.
“Kiss the cheek of the islander you’d like to be with for a long time, and snog the islander you’d like to be with for a fun time”. Tyrique kisses Ella Rose Depp on the cheek and follows that by PLANTING ONE on Jess (VBI). Ella Rose Depp is a Girls Girl and gets annoyed with him because he’s clearly leading Jess on! +2 points to ERD for intuition and -3 points to Tyrique for kissing a girl he already friendzoned !!
Zachariah is dared to kiss the Islander he’d like to have a sneaky link with if CATHERINE all caps wasn’t there. He kisses Molly (who owns a chicken) and Red Bottoms is NOT IMPRESSED!! In fact he SAYS IT OUT LOUD. Game Over.
CATHERINE all caps and Red Bottoms sit on the covered couch to discuss the game. CATHERINE all caps thinks that Red Bottoms took it well - 1 point for being wrong. Red Bottoms makes a good point - he has to recontextualize the experience because Love Island is NOT the real world.
Ruchee, Molly (who owns a chicken) and Whitney are on the L couch and didn't expect Zachariah to kiss Molly. Whitney accuses Molly of being in a relationship (because she is) +1 point to Whitney for being right. Whitney’s been in the Villa for 30 seconds and is already the MVP (Most Valuable Producer). She hits the NAIL on the HEAD !! “He’s ready to tussle for you”.. Molly doesn’t say the word ICK but she (and all of us) are thinking it.
On the daybeds, Zachariah asks the boys if Red Bottoms and Molly are as sturdy as they seem. The boys come to the conclusion that Red Bottoms likes Molly WAY more than Molly likes Red Bottoms. Tyrique gets +7 points for calling Zachariah out for being a lipsing menace. Zachariah tells the boys that the kiss was good and that he started enjoying it a little too much.
Whitney and Red Bottoms are chatting and she gets down to BUSINESS, first asking if and then TELLING Red Bottoms that he’s in love!!!! Red Bottoms FIGHTS the accusations but does admit that he’s closed off. He then says that Molly is ALSO closed off? Molly hasn’t been FULLY transparent about how she feels but he’s also taking everything a BIT too seriously !! They had a kiss and now it’s official?? It’s day THREE for god's sake. Whitney (MVP) is all of us and decides to tell him “no, but it’s good though” because what else is she supposed to say !! Whitney confirms that her biggest speed bump is Andres age.
While Whitney talks to Red Bottoms, Jess joins the girls on the L couch, Ella Rose Depp asks about Jess’ kiss with Tyrique. Jess is (rightfully) irate because could have kissed literally ANYONE else and Ella Rose Depp jokes about giving her a side eye after. The girlies quote a tiktok and all is right in the world. The four girls cast a spell to bring Jess a MAN. “We wish a pretty boy, sexy, bombshell to walk in for the best funniest girl in here” +3 points to Jess for Witchcraft
Bed Time! The boys are in the bedroom and George (-187 points to the stinky producers) says that his top 3 is Molly but four times. They love to give Red Bottom full body sweats but it’s all LAFFS. Jess tells Molly that the kiss with Zach was long as hell and Molly’s like “tee hee he’s a good kisser”. Ruchee and Andre are laying in bed and CATHERINE all caps brings this to everyone's attention. Good !!!! RUCHEE get your MAN!
Jess (VBI) gets into bed and loudly announces that someone pissed in her bed !!! She’s working OVERTIME to bring the daily news. Everyone laughs and George (-187 points to the stinky producers) confesses that he spilled water in the bed. CATHERINE all caps and Zachariah are smooching in bed, so are Red Bottoms & Molly and Tyrique & ERD.
In the morning everyone is loving on Whitney (MVP). Jess finds a mysterious object (a shoe horn) and starts scratching the back of Zachariah's head with it. The girlies are all cuddled up in one bed and CATHERINE all caps tells them that she’s been kissing Zachariah int he dark.
Ruchee is feeling GOOD about Andre, Whitney has to explain the word “territorial” to Jess and Molly, Jess (VBI) has no real connections at the moment because Tyrique “claimed” ERD with a kiss. Whitney brings up Molly’s kiss on the terrace, and asks Molly if Mitchell knows that she’s open. Sigh ..
Tyrique tells Zachariah that he’s basically a lipsing bandit (paraphrasing) +1 point for being right. This entire Molly/Zachariah storyline is fake as hell !! They don’t actually LIKE each other, they're just horny. Mehdi is interested in Whitney and I agree. Jump to the kitchen where Whitney, Jess, ERD and Andre practice their French and Spanish. Impressive ! +13 points to each
Boys are sitting around the fire pit talking about how hot the girls looked last night. Mitchell Red Bottoms says that Molly looks so good he almost proposed !! He is not joking !!!!! He “doesn’t want to rush anything” but also he IS rushing EVERYTHING !!! Molly cried because she’s open but her partner is very closed off which makes her uncomfortable :( Ruchee is a good friend and Molly finds it hard to communicate her wants and needs to other people
#TEAMWEHDI ! Mehdi and Whitney have a one on one in the fire pit and express interest in each other I LOVE.
Ella Rose Depp gets a text !! BOMBSHELL ALERT - Sammy is taking three !! girls on a date in the hideaway. The girls enjoy it a LOT as they SHOULD! ERD gives Tyrique a hug before getting ready which was very cute!! She tells him she’ll be thinking about him, also very cute !! ERD thinks she was a little TOO excited and the girls tell her it’s ok to be excited +5 points for caring about her partners feelings
Sammy’s waiting for Ella Rose Depp with a margarita glass full of what looks like frozen juice. Sammy is 6ft3 and BIG TEEF!! Jess, your spell WORKED !!! He’s a Project Manager which, he explains, means “putting a tasty little suit on, doing a bit of this and that, and then going out for a couple drinks after”.
Molly and Zachariah chat about their kisses, he mentions that Mitch is VERY into her and that made it hard to even entertain the potential. THEY DON’T LIKE EACH OTHER !! They’re just HORNY !! -100 points to the stinky producers Zachariah tells Molly he’ll talk to CATHERINE all caps about it and Molly just nods.
Ella Rose Depp returns and tells Jess (VBI) that Sammy is Her Type!! She also gives Ty a hug to reassure him that nothing’s changed. She’s very sweet! ERD describes Sammy's appearance, and other than having Turkey Teef (veneers) he’s exactly what Jess is looking for. Boys are interrogating Ella Rose Depp and Molly gets a text. Who is shocked? No One !! Red Bottoms says he’s not worried but … he IS worried !! Miscommunication is RAMPANT BETWEEN THESE TWO. Molly didn’t talk to Mitchell before the date, which is like, FINE, but again - be honest !!!
Date Two is more of the same, Molly is OPEN and also an actodancesinger. Sammy likes to sing in the shower.
Ella Rose Depp, Jess, and Whitney comfort Mitchell on the daybeds (cute!) He’s not wrong for having his feelings, he really likes her and she likes him too ! He’s better at communicating his feelings and desires but not as good at confirming that Molly feels the same. Everyone is being kind but also honest and telling him that he needs to try to be more open. He takes it well !!
Tyrique SMOOTH AS HELL tells Ella Rose Depp that he wishes he could go on three dates with her !! Cute !!
Molly likes Mitchell more than she likes Sammy but enjoyed her date. Mitchell confirms that he won’t hold anything against the new guy (duh). TEXT ALERT! No one knows who the text was for because JESS left her PHONE in the KITCHEN !! Jess is going on a date !!!! Everyone is rooting for her and SO HAPPY !! The boys line up and salute her on the way to her date. Heart Warming !!!! Mitchell is happy that Jess has a potential match, but let's be real he’s also happy that Molly isn’t into the guy.
Date Three - Sammy asks Jess if she goes to the gym and she doesn’t. She realizes her mistake and decides to tell him that she DOES go to the gym (jokes). She finds it boring but thinks if she went with a boy it would be fun. Sammy likes a girl who can eat and Jess likes to cook SpagBol. Sammy and Jess compliment each other. Sammy gets bored easily so needs someone to keep him entertained. He is VERY excited to meet everyone
Jess brings Sammy into the villa and he’s giving weird vibes !! But he’s right, there are soooo many people there and he’s being interrogated !! Same old “I’m not scared of anyone I’m not afraid to step on toes” WE SHALL SEE
PS I read that Zachariah looks like handsome squidward and it's true
SEE YA TOMORROW xoxo cloud_mom

​
https://preview.redd.it/wuzwnrsmfz4b1.jpg?width=660&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16d7424087c5edca7df4dd1f198a37158f95974e
Today we will do things veeeryyy different than during the main character study of Gorou Amamiya or Aqua Hoshino but I assure you it won't be less interesting. It was by pure accident that I stumbled over an old book I haven't touched for a long time, a book that goes by the title "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde. It's from the late 19th century.
The story revolves around the rich and handsome Dorian Gray and a portrait of him painted by Basil Hallward, a friend of Dorian's and an artist infatuated with Dorian's beauty. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton and is soon enthralled by the aristocrat's cynical hedonistic worldview: that beauty and ruthless self-centered sensual fulfillment are the only things worth pursuing in life while ethics and morals are the natural enemy to this philosophy. Newly understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted by some supernatural force and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied amoral experiences while staying young and beautiful; all the while, his portrait ages and visually records every one of Dorian's sins in grotesque expressions.
​
Now what I discovered during my excursion of a book that I actually didn't really enjoy at all to be quite frank, were similarities in both conception but also psychological realities for both Gorou/Aqua and his father Hikaru Kamiki. From time to time his monologues would sound like commentary to understand what is going on in Hikaru's mind, while the mystic circumstances of Dorian Gray's picture and his eternal youth have strong links between Aqua and Hikaru who indeed are lookalikes. Aqua by that is Hikaru's portrait which will age and visually record every of Hikaru's sins while Hikaru pursues a libertine life of varied amoral experiences while staying young and beautiful. It all culminates to Aqua's movie role of the culprit in which Aqua will be the living proof of Hikaru's sinful life and eventually lead to his downfall. This is also Dorian's fate with his potrait.
I know, this sounds so unbelievably far stretched but believe me I'm thrilled about the actual similarities and the integretiy of the psychological templates that found their way into Oshi No Ko. I firmly believe it's not accidental. And since I enjoy ONK but not so much Oscar Wilde's novel I'm glad those in itself truely interesting psychological types found their way into Aka's work.
​
​
​
AQUA HOSHINO AKA DORIAN GRAY
​
Trivia:

• In Greek the name Dorian means "child of the sea" or "gift of the sea". The name aquamarine comes from aqua (Latin for 'water'), and marine, deriving from marina (Latin for 'of the sea')
• Dorian is described to have gold hair, blue eyes (and rose-red lip)

​
1.
In Chapter III of the book we get to hear about Dorian Gray's tragic family background and this is already the first strong indication that 1. the similarities are real 2. what we discovered about Gorou's grandfather / family background could have been more right than wrong.
Now, the story behind the birth of Dorian is slightly so different then Gorou's but the general notion in a short poetic summary within the novel sounds pretty familiar:

"So that was the story of Dorian Gray’s parentage. Crudely as it had been told to him, it had yet stirred him by its suggestion of a strange, almost modern romance. A beautiful woman risking everything for a mad passion. A few wild weeks of happiness cut short by a hideous, treacherous crime [NOTE: HER FATHER, DORIAN'S GRANDFATHER KILLs HER LOVER, DORIAN'S FATHER]. Months of voiceless agony, and then a child born in pain. The mother snatched away by death, the boy left to solitude and the tyranny of an old and loveless man [NOTE: HIS GRANDFATHER]. Yes; it was an interesting background. It posed the lad, made him more perfect, as it were. Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic. Worlds had to be in travail, that the meanest flower might blow.... " (Chapter III)

Isn't this interesting? And there is another very cool symbol. Dorian - after he witnessed the first changed in his potrait - had to hide the picture in a diferent room of his mansion where nobody could find it and witness "his soul" which is captivated in that portrait that gets uglier and uglier with each day of his sinful life. About that room:

"He had not entered the place for more than four years—not, indeed, since he had used it first as a play-room when he was a child, and then as a study when he grew somewhat older. It was a large, well-proportioned room, which had been specially built by the last Lord Kelso for the use of the little grandson whom, for his strange likeness to his mother, and also for other reasons, he had always hated and desired to keep at a distance." (Chapter X)

So we have: A drama between mother and father, child born in pain, mother dies after giving birth, boy left to soltitude and tyranny of his grandfather who hates him for physical likeness to his mother (in PART II we wrote: Gorou would remind his grandfather every day of his own failure and guilt for losing his daughter), always hated his grandson. This is just literally everything we found out in PART II of our character study!
And the man with this background gets reincarnated in the body of a human being which looks exactly like his father Kamiki, thus is his "portrait" or "The Picture of Hikaru Kamiki"! But this portray inherited Gorou's trauma which is expressed by the symbol that the portray lives in the "trauma room" which had been specially built by his grandfather.
Also the metaphor's of "play-room when he was a child and then as a study when he grew somewhat older" goes hand in hand with what we figured out in the "THE RIGHT TO DREAM" essay about how Gorou's childhood-trauma and the guilt-complex provoked through his grandfather's abuse induced him to study medicine instead of striving for his own dreams as a result of him living in this "study trauma room".
Additionally "He had not entered the place for more than four years" - like Aqua who hasn't entered his trauma room for 4-5 years after reincarnation until Ai was murdered in front of his eyes! This reenactment placed him back into this room of guilt.
​
2.
Another interesting story revolves around Dorian's first love with the actress Sibyl Vane. While we can look at this "Arc" from the perspective of Dorian as represented by Hikaru and Sibyl represented by Ai - and we certainly will because actually looking at Dorian as the representation of Hikaru will be even more intereting then the things we have to say about Aqua right now - we can also look at it from the perspective of Aqua and Ai/Akane, which we'll do now.
Dorian loves theater and one night his curiosity leads him into a shappy filthy working-class theater, one with lousy actors and a lousy orchestra. It's essentially the last place a delicate creature would expect greatness. However there at a performance of Shakespears "Romeo and Juliett" he witnesses Sibyl playing and falls for "her" instantly.
​

"But Juliet! Harry, imagine a girl, hardly seventeen years of age, with a little, flowerlike face, a small Greek head with plaited coils of dark-brown hair, eyes that were violet wells of passion, lips that were like the petals of a rose. She was the loveliest thing I had ever seen in my life. You said to me once that pathos left you unmoved, but that beauty, mere beauty, could fill your eyes with tears. I tell you, Harry, I could hardly see this girl for the mist of tears that came across me. And her voice—I never heard such a voice. It was very low at first, with deep mellow notes that seemed to fall singly upon one’s ear. Then it became a little louder, and sounded like a flute or a distant hautboy. In the garden-scene it had all the tremulous ecstasy that one hears just before dawn when nightingales are singing. There were moments, later on, when it had the wild passion of violins. You know how a voice can stir one. [...] Harry, I do love her. She is everything to me in life. Night after night I go to see her play. One evening she is Rosalind, and the next evening she is Imogen. I have seen her die in the gloom of an Italian tomb, sucking the poison from her lover’s lips. [...] I have seen her in every age and in every costume."

​
Aqua's similar rememberance of Ai in a sigfnificantly less pathos drivin manner.
Sibyl Vane is Dorian's ultimate ido. She can perform any of Dorian's romantic ideal heroines from the most captivating drama's written, in utter artistic perfection. He is "her" ultimate fan:
​

"Lips that Shakespeare taught to speak have whispered their secret in my ear. I have had the arms of Rosalind around me, and kissed Juliet on the mouth.”
“Well, I can’t help going to see Sibyl play,” he cried, “even if it is only for a single act. I get hungry for her presence; and when I think of the wonderful soul that is hidden away in that little ivory body, I am filled with awe.”
“You can dine with me tonight, Dorian, can’t you?”
He shook his head. “Tonight she is Imogen,” he answered, “and tomorrow night she will be Juliet.”
“When is she Sibyl Vane?”
“Never.”
“I congratulate you.”
[...]
"My God, Harry, how I worship her!”
[...]
“Harry! Sibyl Vane is sacred!”

​
To put it into Kindaichi's words in ONK C97:

"You'll find people with those eyes ... once in a while. Deceptive eyes that have the power to make lies look like truths. It's the best quality for an actor"

The concept of great acting is basically reduced in the symbol of eyes for the sake of keeping the lore a little bit simpler in ONK, but essentially he just means that sometimes there are special actors who can just perform like if they are literally what they perform.
​
Dorian approaches and courts Sibyl, and soon proposes marriage. They love each other. Dorian invites Basil and Lord Henry to see Sibyl perform in Romeo and Juliet. Sibyl, too enamoured with Dorian to act, performs poorly - also to the anger of the theater audience which left early because of that-, which makes both Basil and Lord Henry think Dorian has fallen in love with Sibyl because of her beauty instead of her acting talent. Embarrassed, Dorian rejects Sibyl, telling her that acting was her beauty; without that, she no longer interests him. The heartbroken Sibyl eventually commits suicide on this very night.
Now, we find every element of that story in the history between Aqua and Akane but in a reversed construction. Akane joins LoveNow but because of her personality she fails her role in this reality tv setting. She gets rejected by the audience and the audience is even angry with her. Under that pressure she attempts suicide. However after she studied Aqua's ideal role she becomes of great interest for both him and the audience. This is essentially like Vane performing Juliett or Imogen or what not but with the difference that Aqua just loves one Idol: Ai. Structurally it is similar though and Aqua falls for her role. During LoveNow we have the same realization inside Aqua and Dorian, so the plot reverses back but without tragedy: Aqua rejects Akane as serious love interest between her real self and him, telling her that hei's only interesting in her as an actor, just like Dorian rejects Sibyl by telling her that acting was her only beauty.
Dorian to Harry:

"Ordinary women never appeal to one’s imagination. They are limited to their century. No glamour ever transfigures them. One knows their minds as easily as one knows their bonnets. One can always find them. There is no mystery in any of them. They ride in the park in the morning and chatter at tea-parties in the afternoon. They have their stereotyped smile and their fashionable manner. They are quite obvious. But an actress! How different an actress is! Harry! why didn’t you tell me that the only thing worth loving is an actress?"

Well, in a screwed way this is also applicable to Ryosuke's issue, who loved Ai for her role but hated her for her real self and eventually kills her for it, as her real self not only is different but essentially is in total opposition to her role as an idol. Dorian describes a similar screwed misogynistic view on women: The actress is mystery and the only thing worth to love, the ordinary woman is the absolute opposite of it, disappointing and unworthy to be loved.
​
3.
By the way the director of that working-class theater is described as a stereotypical jew and while I of course do not endorse antisemitism or racism it still is kinda funny that Kindaichi, the director of Lalalie Theater Company and Akane's boss is always depicted with a pretty unusual big and oddly shaped nose while the name Toshirou that means "quick, clever, sharp" and Toshirou's surname Kindaichi that means "gold/metal, money/cash, currency". Pretty stereotypical if you link it to Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray"...But the theater itself also has some working-class vibes to it, since it's implied that back then they opened workshop classes for orphans and probably generally troubled kids without real guardians. Addiotionally he gave Akane the smallest bouquet at the Japan Actor's Award with the explanation that theaters are financially not doing great. Well if it's a reflection of theaters in general, his theater in particular or his personal greed I can't tell. His name implies the latter and the cost of a bouquet surely doesn't ruin a theater. But probably it's still a general observation because theaters are indeed a dying genre.
Some quotes about the "Jew" in the novel:

"A hideous Jew, in the most amazing waistcoat I ever beheld in my life, was standing at the entrance, smoking a vile cigar. He had greasy ringlets, and an enormous diamond blazed in the centre of a soiled shirt. ‘Have a box, my Lord?’ he said, when he saw me, and he took off his hat with an air of gorgeous servility. There was something about him, Harry, that amused me. He was such a monster."

​

"On the first night I was at the theatre, the horrid old Jew came round to the box after the performance was over and offered to take me behind the scenes and introduce me to her. I was furious with him, and told him that Juliet had been dead for hundreds of years and that her body was lying in a marble tomb in Verona. I think, from his blank look of amazement, that he was under the impression that I had taken too much champagne, or something.”
“I am not surprised” replied Harry.

This is just a little odd observation, in the epilog we'll find a more cheerful representation of Kindaichi (well, cheerfulness is of course a limited ressource when it comes down to that man :))
​
4.
While most of the time the monologues and thought processes of Dorian mainly concern Dorian as the representative of Hikaru, we have here and there sober reflections on what his soul - which is trapped in the potray - would probably experience, thus what he would experience if he'd have his soul inside his own body. Thus we can read this at the same time as a comment on what is going on in Gorou's / Aqua's soul, which is quite interesting. In the following quote for example it's about the nightmare of having a phantom of your guilt following you everywhere you go, essentially a description of Aqua's delusional vision of Gorou who blames him for Ai's death:
​
https://preview.redd.it/vns5efrx505b1.jpg?width=1083&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6ae6628023bb215a4e9ceb6ff08ce21013374eb
https://preview.redd.it/owuow261605b1.jpg?width=1083&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a54f4a6aa13610e04384407526573efc43fd8398

"And yet if it had been merely an illusion, how terrible it was to think that conscience could raise such fearful phantoms, and give them visible form, and make them move before one! What sort of life would his be if, day and night, shadows of his crime were to peer at him from silent corners, to mock him from secret places, to whisper in his ear as he sat at the feast, to wake him with icy fingers as he lay asleep! As the thought crept through his brain, he grew pale with terror, and the air seemed to him to have become suddenly colder. Oh! in what a wild hour of madness he had killed his friend! How ghastly the mere memory of the scene! He saw it all again. Each hideous detail came back to him with added horror. Out of the black cave of time, terrible and swathed in scarlet, rose the image of his sin. "

18 years after Sibyl's suicide her brother James Vane found out Dorian's identity and swore to kill him. He saw Vane lurking for him and panicked, feared for his life. But later he'd reflect that this must've been just a phantom. That's the story behind that quote in that novel. However he would calm after some days and think that he's out of danger.
​

It was not till the third day that he ventured to go out. There was something in the clear, pine-scented air of that winter morning that seemed to bring him back his joyousness and his ardour for life. But it was not merely the physical conditions of environment that had caused the change. His own nature had revolted against the excess of anguish that had sought to maim and mar the perfection of its calm. With subtle and finely wrought temperaments it is always so. Their strong passions must either bruise or bend. They either slay the man, or themselves die. Shallow sorrows and shallow loves live on. The loves and sorrows that are great are destroyed by their own plenitude. Besides, he had convinced himself that he had been the victim of a terror-stricken imagination, and looked back now on his fears with something of pity and not a little of contempt.

​
We ultimately experience a similar transformation in Aqua's temper after he learns about the apparent death of his father from Taiki. He was away all night (the "night" is a symbol here) but finally came back "in the clear, pine-scented air of that winter morning that seemed to bring him back his joyousness and his ardour for life" He steps to the window and gives Ruby an reliefed smile for the first time since Ai's death:
​
https://preview.redd.it/e0ezsvfp705b1.jpg?width=1083&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97f0236ae0606e6e37654d96b6ed11b55068cfcc
https://preview.redd.it/kd421eyo705b1.jpg?width=1083&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60ffd4450b497632b36904ce7ba7b35d6727bf3b
​
It's not directly "winter" although Ruby's wearing a pyjama which indicate that it's also not summer, but the symbol contracts with the Takachiho arc which we can't spare for Aqua's transformation. What for Dorian was a mere material process of healing his tension and therefore would go away after 3 days of bedriddenness is for Aqua a inmaterial soul-process and he has to put a meaningful end to the phantom of Gorou in his head. And their stay in Takachiho surely appears to be in a winterly setting. This novel must've been of great inspiration for Aka and so he honors it by reimagination of the mental images Oscar Wilde created.
​

"Our father died long ago. There's no way left to avenge Ai. So what should I do? My... revenge..." (C 68)

​
Aqua is finally free and live normaly but when the news about Takachiho appeared he knew he has to somehow find his corpse so that he can "burry his phantom'" so to speak. The corpse of Gorou would be his symbolic proof that it's over, that he has nothing to fear anymore. Eventually Akane and Ruby find it.
​
\"Keep out\" meaning keep this rotten and grotesque thing out of his mind. It's over.
​
Correspondingly Dorian would soon after his "winter-morning" go on a hare shooting in some rural countryside (=Takachiho) where they would by accident shoot James Vane who still was following Dorian. James was finally dead and Dorian could finally close that chapter.
This is everything I could for now link to Aqua without talking about Hikaru's links to Dorian. So for now we have to stop the analysis and call it a day.
​
Epilog
So I hope I could convince you to look at ONK from this perspective. This is just the beginning though, the actually interesting part we will only tackle in the next essay Because I believe we can learn a lot of Hikaru's ideology through the character of Dorian, his hobbies, his views, his extreme hedonistic sensualism, perhaps even his relation to his portrait.... It actually concerns me: My very first essay on ONK like a month ago was a half serious schizo theory about Hikaru's involvement in the plot so far where I made the assumption that he probably constantly observes Aqua from far away for years but now - if we apply "The Picture of Dorian Gray" to his personality then this in fact is real.
Dorian would in fact over the years go into his secret room and look at his portrait with a weird for us the next time to explore interest and strange reflections. Maybe there is really more to it...
​
Lets end for now with a somewhat luckier characterization of Toshirou Kindaichi. Because he actually looks a lot like the author Oscar Wilde himself:
​
https://preview.redd.it/9xoj9ihah05b1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=781921c3c82f4fce235a14f8433fe906c904e064
And to quote Wilde - which could also be just Kindaichi's own words :

“All charming people are spoiled. It is the secret of their attraction.”

​
​
​
As always: Thanks for reading!
​
​
****
​
​

Revue Starlight is a dazzling anime that took me on an extraordinary journey filled with passion, dreams, and the true power of friendship. This unique and visually stunning series flawlessly combines elements of musical theater, magical realism, and coming-of-age storytelling to create an unforgettable experience that will leave you captivated from beginning to end.
From the very first episode, Revue Starlight establishes itself as something truly special. Set in a prestigious all-girls academy, the story follows Karen Aijou, a determined and aspiring actress who dreams of standing in the spotlight. When she receives an invitation to audition for the "Revue Starlight," a mysterious and enchanting theatrical production, her life takes an exhilarating turn.
The brilliance of Revue Starlight lies in its compelling narrative and character development. The series masterfully weaves together themes of friendship, ambition, self-discovery, and the sacrifices one must make to chase their dreams. Each character possesses their own unique aspirations, fears, and struggles, and as their stories intertwine, we witness a beautiful tapestry of growth and personal transformation.
The cast of characters in Revue Starlight is truly remarkable. Karen Aijou serves as a relatable and determined protagonist, always striving to improve her skills and make her mark on the stage. The diverse group of girls, each with their distinct personalities and talents, brings a richness to the story. From the enigmatic and talented Hikari Kagura to the kind-hearted and supportive Junna Hoshimi, every character has their moment to shine, adding depth and complexity to the overall narrative.
One of the most visually stunning aspects of Revue Starlight is its breathtaking animation. The vibrant and dynamic choreography during the revue performances is a feast for the eyes, blending seamlessly with the fantastical elements of the story. The combination of 2D animation and CG effects creates a visually immersive experience, elevating the already impressive musical numbers and dance sequences.
The music in Revue Starlight is an absolute standout. The series is filled with unforgettable songs that not only enhance the emotional impact of the scenes but also serve as powerful storytelling devices. From catchy and energetic musical numbers to heartfelt and introspective ballads, the soundtrack perfectly captures the essence of the characters' journeys and aspirations.
Beyond its technical brilliance, Revue Starlight's greatest strength lies in its ability to touch the audience's heart. It explores deep and relatable themes of friendship, competition, and the struggles of finding one's identity and purpose. The anime encourages viewers to embrace their passions, chase their dreams, and value the connections they forge along the way. It serves as a powerful reminder that the pursuit of success is not a solitary endeavor but a collective journey that is enriched by the support and love of those around us.
In conclusion, Revue Starlight is a mesmerizing anime that shines brightly in the realm of musical theater and storytelling. With its captivating narrative, rich character development, stunning animation, and remarkable music, it offers a truly enchanting experience. Whether you're a fan of theater, music, or simply looking for a unique and heartfelt story, Revue Starlight is an absolute must-watch. Prepare to be enthralled by its magical world and let it inspire you to follow your dreams and create your own shining revue.
​
Hope this helps any planning to watch this great show!

If you’re reading this I am begging you to believe me. Especially if you have children. My name is Leon and I have been investigating strange disappearances for four years. I am not an official investigator or a journalist. Before I started this whole thing I did not believe in ghosts or the paranormal. For me to believe in something I had to see it with my own two eyes! Everything had to be factual and everything had an explanation.
At least this is what I used to believe until my wife was murdered four years ago. They found her at work completely skinless. She was drained of blood and was missing all of her nails. They told me the precision required to accomplish this was not heard of yet. I waited months for answers and they never came, so I decided to go get them myself. I had no idea where to start or who to speak to so I went back to the store to try and dig up as much information as I could find.
Her manager eventually told me that she had gotten into a fight with a customer that day and that he assumed she went home on time. When her body was found in the employee break room he was shocked. He had no idea she was still in the building. He said he told me exactly what he told the police. I asked him if there was any footage of the man she was arguing with but he told me the security cameras were not working that day. I vividly remember wanting to punch this guy in his damn face. He was no help and I was determined to solve my wife's murder.
I ended up searching for the guy for months. I asked every one of her coworkers if they saw the argument and a couple of times I even had a run-in with the cops. They insisted that I should let them do their jobs and that they had everything handled. There was no chance I was going to listen to them. I had to take time off from my investigation to attend her funeral and make sure I got all of the preparations right. In hindsight, I was not growing properly and I really should've taken some time to reassess.
So fast forward another month and I finally get a lead. Something I assumed the cops didn't have, this meant I could finally get some answers before being stonewalled again. I ended up finding this guy, Will Brookes at a fucken motel off of the highway about three miles from where my wife worked. I waited for two days before I saw him leave his room to get ice. Once I knew what room to find him in I knocked until he opened the door. He was rightfully pissed but not as pissed as I was. It took every ounce of willpower in my body to not kill him on the spot.
“Why did you kill my wife?!” I snapped as I forced myself into the room and slammed the door behind me. He looked shocked.
“I did not kill her!” He screamed and tried to move around me. So I grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him into the wall next to the tv. This guy was not very heavy and not very strong. At that moment I was wondering how he could kill anyone.
“You were the last person to be seen with her alive!” I barked. I wanted to push his body through the wall. I wanted to crush him.
“I was bringing her the papers she requested for a job offer she accepted in a place called LittleBrooke!” The man said. He was shaking so I put him down and pushed him to the side. “Show me the papers,” I demanded. My wife had told me twice that she had gotten a new job offer. I was extremely excited! I work from home and would be happy to live wherever she wanted. All she had to do was say the word and we could’ve left as soon as possible. But she never made it home to tell me the news.
I watched as the shaking man handed me a stack of papers and even a suitcase. “Here, take it and please leave me alone!” He shouted. “Okay.” I left the motel room and went right to my car. I put everything on the passenger seat and went home. Once I got there I sobbed in the driveway for over an hour before finally getting out and heading inside. I never got to see her body and I never got to say goodbye. Being in this house felt like I was walking into a damn shallow grave of sorts.
I went right to the master bedroom and packed up as many clothes as I could. I even took some of her favorite items, I don’t know why. I took a couple of pillows and two blankets, and after that, I went around to search the rest of the house. Once I had finished in the master bedroom I went and grabbed all my items from the bathroom. After that, I went into the nursery. We were planning on trying to have a baby once she got her new job. I looked around the nursery and took some stuffed animals and blankets, nothing too crazy. I also made sure to grab our family photo album. Finally, I made sure to grab all of the savings from the jar we had plus anything I kept in the safe. I also made sure to grab our wedding video and once I had everything I thought I could need I left the house. On my way out I made sure to tell the building goodbye.
Once I got back into my car I decided to drive a bit. No way in hell was I going to the same motel as that guy so I drove until I hit a hotel far enough away from my house. I did not end up checking in though. Once I got close enough I backed up and just kept driving. I eventually hit a truck stop after a couple of hours and decided to rest my eyes for a while. I was exhausted and there were way too many questions rushing through my head. I knew if I kept driving in that state I would probably crash or something.
After sleeping for four hours I decided it was time to look through the papers and figure out what I was going to do next. I took the first paper from the stack and started to read it. For the sake of time here I will only tell you guys what I found that was interesting.
Paper One: You have been accepted to work as a store manager! Please review your employee packet for more information.
So as I am going over this first paper a couple of things stick out to me. Whoever wrote this was trying not to be specific. The whole paper was one big announcement for a new store opening up in a place called LittleBrooke. There was no state mentioned anywhere on this paper, I would later find out that this place was supposed to be in Washington D.C.
I decided to dig around and eventually found the employee packet. She accepted a job at a mega-store called BrightMarketZ. I thought it was a pretty weird name but what stood out to me was what they were offering to pay her. $22.00 an hour! I couldn't believe it. No wonder she said yes and didn’t bother to ask any questions.
Paper Twenty: To find LittleBrooke please enter [REDACTED] into your GPS device. You will be staying inside apartment 307. All rent for your first month in LittleBrooke is covered by your employer. Please note that all apartments are two-bedroom only. If you have a larger household please speak to Sydney May at Town Hall for bigger accommodations.
After reading this I decided to just go to LittleBrooke and get answers. I was assuming that I would find out what the hell happened if I just went. I wanted to know what my wife died for and I wanted to know why this was some big secret in the first place. I went back to bed and as soon as the sun came up I put the information into my GPS and headed for LittleBrooke.

Year One in LittleBrooke

It took me three weeks to reach LittleBrooke and I could tell that something was wrong the moment I found the town. If I wasn't so damn desperate for answers I would've turned around as soon as I saw the library. The building itself wasn't big but the two huge lions on either side of the staircase gave me the creeps.
After that I passed a mechanic, the whole place looked run down as hell. There wasn't a single car to be seen but the sign said open. The man standing outside of the building waved to me so I gave him a slow wave back. He looked weird. At the time I couldn’t place my finger on why but now I know it’s because he was not human.
The theater was kind of cool to look at in a vintage kind of way. They were not showing anything when I drove by and I made the decision early on to stay out of the theater altogether. After the theater, I saw a small building that said LittleBrooke Press. If anything else I figured I could write for the paper.
As I approached the apartment building a woman was standing outside. Her face was weird as hell. It looked like she had far too much plastic surgery like her face was threatening to pop at any moment. “Hi, can I help you?” she asked me. Her voice was shrill, it was gross to even hear her speak. It sounded like she was putting on a fake voice just to speak to me. “Hi, my wife accepted a job offer. Unfortunately, she has passed away. I would still like to claim the apartment left to us. I can work at any place that currently has an opening.” I offered.
“LittleBrooke Press has space for two more writers!” She smiled and handed me the keys to the apartment. She never asked my name and she knew exactly where I wanted to go. I thought it was weird but I didn’t argue. Instead, I took the keys and thanked her. I spent that whole day getting settled into the new apartment. A couple of things, the front door had four different locks on it. I thought that was pretty weird. I also did not see or hear any other people until my third night in the apartment. I called the LittleBrooke Press about a potential job and they told me to email my submissions. There was no need for me to come in person and honestly, I liked this deal a lot.
For the first few months, I spent my time writing about whatever came to my mind. After that, I would send it in and get my money back. The editor never told me what to do and they never requested anything. It was sweet. As December rolled around I could feel myself slipping into a seasonal depression. At that point, I had made no progress in any of my investigations. I did not know the town well enough and frankly, I felt like I was wasting my time. That night I decided to check out the local bar. It was pretty hidden, you had to drive further into LittleBrooke to find it. Once I got there I was shocked! The place was packed. I sat down at the bar and ordered a drink.
The bartender was hot as hell, too hot. She was so even looking so perfectly symmetrical that it made me extremely uncomfortable. There wasn’t a single hair out of place. “So are you new in town?” She asked me. “Yeah, I just got here a couple of months ago. My now-deceased wife accepted a job offer here.” I said bluntly and dryly. I wanted to finish my drink and go. It was like the bones in my body were screaming at me to leave. The woman looked shocked. “Tell me, does that happen often? Do people accept a job offer in LittleBrooke and turn up dead a couple of days later?” I hissed. It was a genuine question but she did not take it too kindly. She took my drink from my hands and told me to leave.
As I made my way back to my car I could hear someone coming up from behind me. I turned around as fast as possible and had to take three steps back. It was the bartender, but she did not look the same. Half of her face was weighed down like she had no bones at all. Her eyes were bulging out of her head. She gurgled at me. “You need to leave!” She finally snapped and swung her arm in my direction. I moved back before she could hit me. As her hand hit my car window it shattered like it was made of ice. I watched as her arm popped and clicked. I could see it slowly getting longer. Before I knew it her arm was dragging on the pavement! She lunged at me so I punched her in her stomach. She gurgled again and sunk her teeth into my jacket. I screamed for help as we hit the pavement. She was trying fucken eat me! I grabbed her by her hair and threw her backward as hard as I could. As I scrambled to my feet and looked at her I screamed again. Her skin was pulled back. Now hugging the bones on her face. Her eyes were completely exposed! I turned and dove into my car as fast as I could. I slammed the door behind me and sped out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.
The next morning I received a letter under my door. “Sorry, you had problems last night! Please accept our sincerest apologies.” -Mayor Brookes. There was $300 included with the letter. Now, I thought about leaving but decided I had to stay. Something was going on here and I had to find out what. I removed my jacket to see if the woman had injured me, she didn't but the experience was still terrifying. For the first time in a very long time, I was scared. But I also felt closer to the truth than I have ever been before.

Year Two in LittleBrooke

I spent all of January writing about the women who attacked me. I even contacted the police. I quickly learned that the police were going to be completely useless. My editor never sent the story back so I had assumed it was published.
At the end of the month, I left to shop for some supplies. Let me tell you, the grocery store in LittleBrooke is something else. They don’t have any brands you’ve ever heard of and at first, that drove me nuts. However, I quickly came to fall in love with the food here. It was comforting to have something to enjoy. Like always, I made sure to shop for two to three months at a time. Shopping was easy, I used the self-checkout to make sure I didn’t have to speak to anyone.
Once I got home I put everything away and decided to look around the apartment building. My whole floor started with 301 and went all the way to 310. The first floor was 501 to 509. There was a technical second floor but none of the doors were labeled. It looked like someone was renovating the place.
I got to see some of my neighbors too. An older woman, two men, and I were living next door to a lady the whole time. I had never seen or heard from these people before. It seemed like everyone wanted to keep to themselves too. I wanted to try and talk to someone but every time I approached them they turned and walked away. For what it's worth they looked completely normal.
So I left the apartment building and ventured around the property. There were no other apartments anywhere close to the one I was staying at, or so I thought until I found one about thirty minutes away. It was so out of the way you wouldn't find it unless you were looking. Against my better judgment, I opened the doors to the building and walked right inside. The place smelled like rust and soot.
I went to explore the first floor and was shocked to find blood trails on the floor and the ceiling. I followed the trail and made sure to look at the numbers on each door. This floor was numbered 1-10. Most of the doors were locked and I wasn’t going to try and knock anything down. I opened the door to apartment 10 and walked right inside. There was just enough light from the sun to illuminate the place. It looked like the whole place had been ransacked. I checked the tables and cabinets before heading into the bedroom. I searched the dresser and under the pillows before finally checking under the bed. When I looked under I spotted a black box. I grabbed it and that is when I got the feeling again. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt something sharp dig into my shoulders.
I screamed as loudly as I could, my face slammed off of the carpet and I clenched the box with one hand. Before I could figure out what the hell was happening I was tossed backward. I went into the bedroom door and rolled a couple of times until I reached the torn-up couch. I slowly lifted my head and to my horror what I was looking at was way too far from human to be real.
It looked like a dog ape thing. It was mostly skinless aside from some skin on its torso and face. The creature had thick, long claws and was standing on its hind legs. It barked at me. Its fangs were huge! I quickly scrambled to my feet and rushed out of the door as fast as possible. I could feel the blood running down my back. Never once did I consider letting this box go.
“Help!” I screamed as I burst through the apartment complex doors and started to run back to the main road. My heart was pounding, I could feel my chest getting tighter with each step. I could hear the beast behind me, it was screeching. I thought I was going to die for sure, there was no way I could continue to outrun this beast. That’s when I heard a car and before I knew it I could see it! A woman was waving me over, she was just up ahead! I had to push a little harder. I had to be just a little stronger.
When I felt the embrace of the car door I ripped it open and dove inside. She sped away and I looked out of the window. The beast did not follow us any further. “Are you insane!” She snapped at me. That’s the last thing I remember before passing out.
When I woke up I was laying on my stomach on an extremely comfortable couch. I could smell someone making pasta with meat sauce. My stomach was going insane. Everything hurt though, especially my back and my left side. I figured I had hurt my side when I was tossed across the room.
At this point, I did not dive into the box yet. I could barely move. “Hi.” I heard a woman say from the kitchen. “Thank you,” I replied before trying to sit up. I was so concerned that this woman would be another monster. When I saw her though I knew she was normal. She didn't look so damn perfect and that was a breath of fresh air.
“What's your name?” She asked me as I watched her prepare two bowls of food.
“Leon,” I said before closing my eyes. “You heard me screaming?” I asked her seriously.
“I did. I’m pretty sure everyone in our building did. You got hurt pretty badly, I did my best to patch you up.” She paused and laughed. “My name is Ashley.”
So I ended up crashing at her place. During this time I tried to focus on recovering. Sleeping became hell, I was having constant nightmares. I also spent a lot of time working on articles. I ended up giving Ash the keys to my apartment so she could get my laptop. It was a big move to trust anyone here but I am glad I did.
​

Year Three and Four in LittleBrooke

During my recovery, I spent most of my time writing. I wanted to write about everything I have seen and experienced. I had a lot of questions and way too much time with my thoughts. Ash and I got to know each other too.
I told her about how my wife had died mysteriously. I eventually opened up about her being skinned and drained of her blood. Ash told me she had come to LittleBrooke with her older sister. Her sister went to work one day and never came back. She was working at the theater. Ash had told me that she was stuck here, she didn’t feel right leaving with her sister still missing. Every time she would try the cops would meet her at the town line.
It was during this time that we both shared that we had never seen a police station. We talked about the monsters too. Her first run-in with one was at the grocery store. I told her about what happened to me at the bar. She told me that she heard rumors of the beast living beyond the apartments. The first time she saw it was when it was attacking me.
As I started to recover more we discussed a couple of things. First, the neighbors here suck. She could hear me screaming and came to help but no one else did. Second, neither of us has seen any families since we moved here. It was at this point I decided I wanted to leave and I offered to take her with me. We could both get out come hell or high water. She agreed but there was something I had to do first.
I showed her the box I had taken from the apartment.
“You almost died for a box?” Ash asked me. “Yes,” I said seriously.
I opened it and blinked. I found a picture of a girl with black hair and bright green eyes. It read, Stephanie. I found a missing persons report too. This girl had been missing a year before I got here. I decided that my last article would be about her. I had written about a couple of missing people before this. For example, the old lady in our building vanished and her apartment was rented out two days later.
I also found a badge inside the box. It read F.O.P.P. and there was a name! Jack Bridges. We tried to look up the organization's name but we came up empty-handed. I ended up writing the story about Stephanie and the next day Ash and I got packing. We decided to take my car since the cops know what hers looks like. I packed up the essentials all over again and we piled into the car. “We should check the other direction. Before we leave.” I suggested. Ash knew about the bar already but neither of us knew what was beyond that point: This suggested changed the course of our lives forever.
So we started driving in the other direction. We passed the bar where the woman had tried to eat me, we passed a convenience store I didn’t know this town had and we just kept driving. Eventually, I could hear Ash speaking to me, “Holy shit! The police station.” she pointed out. I couldn’t believe it either. I did not stop driving though but I wish I did.
Eventually, we saw a sign that read, LittleBrooke High. Go Bears!
I started to slow down a bit until the school was in view. The place looked run down as hell. There were holes in the walls and leaves growing up the side of the building. The parking lot was massive and full of buses. I pulled the car into the parking lot and told Ash to get into the driver's seat.
“You’re not serious?” She asked me. I could tell she wanted to go but I said, “This is it! This is the last place of note in this fucken town. Just take the wheel and I will be right back.” I said as I jumped out of the car and went to look around.
As I approached one of the buses I grabbed the doors, they were already open a crack. I pulled them open and was hit with a horrible stench. I had to step back and puke and no I am not going to describe what I saw in that fucken bus. At that point, I decided I had seen enough and it was time to fucken go.
“Help!” I heard someone cry from a couple of buses over. “Please!” I heard again. I wanted to slap myself because I knew better. I had already decided it was time to leave but I went to investigate anyway. I went to the bus and pulled the doors open. It smelled like stale piss and blood. “Back here!” A girl screamed out to me. I made my way to the back of the bus, stepping on school jackets and over backpacks. That is where I found them. Two teenagers are tied to the leg of a bus seat. They looked horrible, caking in blood and sweat. They were both injured. “Stephanie?!” I exclaimed as I bent over to free them. I recognized her face the moment I saw it.
“Can you move? I asked the blonde girl.” As I started to let her go. “Everything hurts.” She told me. I opened the emergency exit and called for Ash to pull the car over. It took her a second to hear me but she came as fast as possible. “I am going to get you guys in the car and we are going to get out of here, okay?” I told them. I wanted to tell them everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't. It felt like that would be a huge lie.
Ash stepped out of the car and helped get the girls into the backseat. As I stopped to look around I could feel the bus shift in weight. I turned around and inhaled sharply. Standing before me was a creature wearing a jacket that said COACH on it. He looked sickly, and pale, and his veins were protruding from his face and hands. As he ran at me I jumped out of the emergency exit door just in time to feel something slam off of the back of my head. I looked down to see a barbed football. I could feel blood trickling down my neck, I stumbled forward and felt a hand grab my arm. Ash was shoving me into the car. She slid over me, closed the passenger door, and backed the car up. I thought she was moving like lightning.
At this point, everyone was screaming. My heart was threatening to jump out of my fucken chest. I was so sure we were all going to die here, just like everyone else I had seen on the buses. But no, Ash sped out of the parking lot. The coach chased us to the school limits but for some reason, he did not follow us anymore.
I know we should've stopped to see if the kids could find their parents but we didn't. Instead, Ash just kept driving. Eventually, we could hear the cops behind us but that did not stop her. It took us six hours to finally see the You Are New Leaving LittleBrooke sign! I couldn’t believe it. This place was not that big at all.
So listen, if you’re invited to take a job in LittleBrooke. Don’t take it. It’s not worth your life.

If you’re reading this I am begging you to believe me. Especially if you have children. My name is Leon and I have been investigating strange disappearances for four years. I am not an official investigator or a journalist. Before I started this whole thing I did not believe in ghosts or the paranormal. For me to believe in something I had to see it with my own two eyes! Everything had to be factual and everything had an explanation.
At least this is what I used to believe until my wife was murdered four years ago. They found her at work completely skinless. She was drained of blood and was missing all of her nails. They told me the precision required to accomplish this was not heard of yet. I waited months for answers and they never came, so I decided to go get them myself. I had no idea where to start or who to speak to so I went back to the store to try and dig up as much information as I could find.
Her manager eventually told me that she had gotten into a fight with a customer that day and that he assumed she went home on time. When her body was found in the employee break room he was shocked. He had no idea she was still in the building. He said he told me exactly what he told the police. I asked him if there was any footage of the man she was arguing with but he told me the security cameras were not working that day. I vividly remember wanting to punch this guy in his damn face. He was no help and I was determined to solve my wife's murder.
I ended up searching for the guy for months. I asked every one of her coworkers if they saw the argument and a couple of times I even had a run-in with the cops. They insisted that I should let them do their jobs and that they had everything handled. There was no chance I was going to listen to them. I had to take time off from my investigation to attend her funeral and make sure I got all of the preparations right. In hindsight, I was not growing properly and I really should've taken some time to reassess.
So fast forward another month and I finally get a lead. Something I assumed the cops didn't have, this meant I could finally get some answers before being stonewalled again. I ended up finding this guy, Will Brookes at a fucken motel off of the highway about three miles from where my wife worked. I waited for two days before I saw him leave his room to get ice. Once I knew what room to find him in I knocked until he opened the door. He was rightfully pissed but not as pissed as I was. It took every ounce of willpower in my body to not kill him on the spot.
“Why did you kill my wife?!” I snapped as I forced myself into the room and slammed the door behind me. He looked shocked.
“I did not kill her!” He screamed and tried to move around me. So I grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him into the wall next to the tv. This guy was not very heavy and not very strong. At that moment I was wondering how he could kill anyone.
“You were the last person to be seen with her alive!” I barked. I wanted to push his body through the wall. I wanted to crush him.
“I was bringing her the papers she requested for a job offer she accepted in a place called LittleBrooke!” The man said. He was shaking so I put him down and pushed him to the side. “Show me the papers,” I demanded. My wife had told me twice that she had gotten a new job offer. I was extremely excited! I work from home and would be happy to live wherever she wanted. All she had to do was say the word and we could’ve left as soon as possible. But she never made it home to tell me the news.
I watched as the shaking man handed me a stack of papers and even a suitcase. “Here, take it and please leave me alone!” He shouted. “Okay.” I left the motel room and went right to my car. I put everything on the passenger seat and went home. Once I got there I sobbed in the driveway for over an hour before finally getting out and heading inside. I never got to see her body and I never got to say goodbye. Being in this house felt like I was walking into a damn shallow grave of sorts.
I went right to the master bedroom and packed up as many clothes as I could. I even took some of her favorite items, I don’t know why. I took a couple of pillows and two blankets, and after that, I went around to search the rest of the house. Once I had finished in the master bedroom I went and grabbed all my items from the bathroom. After that, I went into the nursery. We were planning on trying to have a baby once she got her new job. I looked around the nursery and took some stuffed animals and blankets, nothing too crazy. I also made sure to grab our family photo album. Finally, I made sure to grab all of the savings from the jar we had plus anything I kept in the safe. I also made sure to grab our wedding video and once I had everything I thought I could need I left the house. On my way out I made sure to tell the building goodbye.
Once I got back into my car I decided to drive a bit. No way in hell was I going to the same motel as that guy so I drove until I hit a hotel far enough away from my house. I did not end up checking in though. Once I got close enough I backed up and just kept driving. I eventually hit a truck stop after a couple of hours and decided to rest my eyes for a while. I was exhausted and there were way too many questions rushing through my head. I knew if I kept driving in that state I would probably crash or something. After sleeping for four hours I decided it was time to look through the papers and figure out what I was going to do next. I took the first paper from the stack and started to read it. For the sake of time here I will only tell you guys what I found that was interesting.
Paper One: You have been accepted to work as a store manager! Please review your employee packet for more information.
So as I am going over this first paper a couple of things stick out to me. Whoever wrote this was trying not to be specific. The whole paper was one big announcement for a new store opening up in a place called LittleBrooke. There was no state mentioned anywhere on this paper, I would later find out that this place was supposed to be in Washington D.C.
I decided to dig around and eventually found the employee packet. She accepted a job at a mega-store called BrightMarketZ. I thought it was a pretty weird name but what stood out to me was what they were offering to pay her. $22.00 an hour! I couldn't believe it. No wonder she said yes and didn’t bother to ask any questions.
Paper Twenty: To find LittleBrooke please enter [REDACTED] into your GPS device. You will be staying inside apartment 307. All rent for your first month in LittleBrooke is covered by your employer. Please note that all apartments are two-bedroom only. If you have a larger household please speak to Sydney May at Town Hall for bigger accommodations. After reading this I decided to just go to LittleBrooke and get answers. I was assuming that I would find out what the hell happened if I just went. I wanted to know what my wife died for and I wanted to know why this was some big secret in the first place. I went back to bed and as soon as the sun came up I put the information into my GPS and headed for LittleBrooke.

Year One in LittleBrooke

It took me three weeks to reach LittleBrooke and I could tell that something was wrong the moment I found the town. If I wasn't so damn desperate for answers I would've turned around as soon as I saw the library. The building itself wasn't big but the two huge lions on either side of the staircase gave me the creeps.
After that I passed a mechanic, the whole place looked run down as hell. There wasn't a single car to be seen but the sign said open. The man standing outside of the building waved to me so I gave him a slow wave back. He looked weird. At the time I couldn’t place my finger on why but now I know it’s because he was not human.
The theater was kind of cool to look at in a vintage kind of way. They were not showing anything when I drove by and I made the decision early on to stay out of the theater altogether. After the theater, I saw a small building that said LittleBrooke Press. If anything else I figured I could write for the paper.
As I approached the apartment building a woman was standing outside. Her face was weird as hell. It looked like she had far too much plastic surgery like her face was threatening to pop at any moment. “Hi, can I help you?” she asked me. Her voice was shrill, it was gross to even hear her speak. It sounded like she was putting on a fake voice just to speak to me. “Hi, my wife accepted a job offer. Unfortunately, she has passed away. I would still like to claim the apartment left to us. I can work at any place that currently has an opening.” I offered.
“LittleBrooke Press has space for two more writers!” She smiled and handed me the keys to the apartment. She never asked my name and she knew exactly where I wanted to go. I thought it was weird but I didn’t argue. Instead, I took the keys and thanked her. I spent that whole day getting settled into the new apartment. A couple of things, the front door had four different locks on it. I thought that was pretty weird. I also did not see or hear any other people until my third night in the apartment. I called the LittleBrooke Press about a potential job and they told me to email my submissions. There was no need for me to come in person and honestly, I liked this deal a lot.
For the first few months, I spent my time writing about whatever came to my mind. After that, I would send it in and get my money back. The editor never told me what to do and they never requested anything. It was sweet. As December rolled around I could feel myself slipping into a seasonal depression. At that point, I had made no progress in any of my investigations. I did not know the town well enough and frankly, I felt like I was wasting my time. That night I decided to check out the local bar. It was pretty hidden, you had to drive further into LittleBrooke to find it. Once I got there I was shocked! The place was packed. I sat down at the bar and ordered a drink.
The bartender was hot as hell, too hot. She was so even looking so perfectly symmetrical that it made me extremely uncomfortable. There wasn’t a single hair out of place. “So are you new in town?” She asked me. “Yeah, I just got here a couple of months ago. My now-deceased wife accepted a job offer here.” I said bluntly and dryly. I wanted to finish my drink and go. It was like the bones in my body were screaming at me to leave. The woman looked shocked. “Tell me, does that happen often? Do people accept a job offer in LittleBrooke and turn up dead a couple of days later?” I hissed. It was a genuine question but she did not take it too kindly. She took my drink from my hands and told me to leave.
As I made my way back to my car I could hear someone coming up from behind me. I turned around as fast as possible and had to take three steps back. It was the bartender, but she did not look the same. Half of her face was weighed down like she had no bones at all. Her eyes were bulging out of her head. She gurgled at me. “You need to leave!” She finally snapped and swung her arm in my direction. I moved back before she could hit me. As her hand hit my car window it shattered like it was made of ice. I watched as her arm popped and clicked. I could see it slowly getting longer. Before I knew it her arm was dragging on the pavement! She lunged at me so I punched her in her stomach. She gurgled again and sunk her teeth into my jacket. I screamed for help as we hit the pavement. She was trying fucken eat me! I grabbed her by her hair and threw her backward as hard as I could. As I scrambled to my feet and looked at her I screamed again. Her skin was pulled back. Now hugging the bones on her face. Her eyes were completely exposed! I turned and dove into my car as fast as I could. I slammed the door behind me and sped out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.
The next morning I received a letter under my door. “Sorry, you had problems last night! Please accept our sincerest apologies.” -Mayor Brookes. There was $300 included with the letter. Now, I thought about leaving but decided I had to stay. Something was going on here and I had to find out what. I removed my jacket to see if the woman had injured me, she didn't but the experience was still terrifying. For the first time in a very long time, I was scared. But I also felt closer to the truth than I have ever been before.

Year Two in LittleBrooke

I spent all of January writing about the women who attacked me. I even contacted the police. I quickly learned that the police were going to be completely useless. My editor never sent the story back so I had assumed it was published.
At the end of the month, I left to shop for some supplies. Let me tell you, the grocery store in LittleBrooke is something else. They don’t have any brands you’ve ever heard of and at first, that drove me nuts. However, I quickly came to fall in love with the food here. It was comforting to have something to enjoy. Like always, I made sure to shop for two to three months at a time. Shopping was easy, I used the self-checkout to make sure I didn’t have to speak to anyone.
Once I got home I put everything away and decided to look around the apartment building. My whole floor started with 301 and went all the way to 310. The first floor was 501 to 509. There was a technical second floor but none of the doors were labeled. It looked like someone was renovating the place.
I got to see some of my neighbors too. An older woman, two men, and I were living next door to a lady the whole time. I had never seen or heard from these people before. It seemed like everyone wanted to keep to themselves too. I wanted to try and talk to someone but every time I approached them they turned and walked away. For what it's worth they looked completely normal.
So I left the apartment building and ventured around the property. There were no other apartments anywhere close to the one I was staying at, or so I thought until I found one about thirty minutes away. It was so out of the way you wouldn't find it unless you were looking. Against my better judgment, I opened the doors to the building and walked right inside. The place smelled like rust and soot.
I went to explore the first floor and was shocked to find blood trails on the floor and the ceiling. I followed the trail and made sure to look at the numbers on each door. This floor was numbered 1-10. Most of the doors were locked and I wasn’t going to try and knock anything down. I opened the door to apartment 10 and walked right inside. There was just enough light from the sun to illuminate the place. It looked like the whole place had been ransacked. I checked the tables and cabinets before heading into the bedroom. I searched the dresser and under the pillows before finally checking under the bed. When I looked under I spotted a black box. I grabbed it and that is when I got the feeling again. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt something sharp dig into my shoulders.
I screamed as loudly as I could, my face slammed off of the carpet and I clenched the box with one hand. Before I could figure out what the hell was happening I was tossed backward. I went into the bedroom door and rolled a couple of times until I reached the torn-up couch. I slowly lifted my head and to my horror what I was looking at was way too far from human to be real.
It looked like a dog ape thing. It was mostly skinless aside from some skin on its torso and face. The creature had thick, long claws and was standing on its hind legs. It barked at me. Its fangs were huge! I quickly scrambled to my feet and rushed out of the door as fast as possible. I could feel the blood running down my back. Never once did I consider letting this box go.
“Help!” I screamed as I burst through the apartment complex doors and started to run back to the main road. My heart was pounding, I could feel my chest getting tighter with each step. I could hear the beast behind me, it was screeching. I thought I was going to die for sure, there was no way I could continue to outrun this beast. That’s when I heard a car and before I knew it I could see it! A woman was waving me over, she was just up ahead! I had to push a little harder. I had to be just a little stronger.
When I felt the embrace of the car door I ripped it open and dove inside. She sped away and I looked out of the window. The beast did not follow us any further. “Are you insane!” She snapped at me. That’s the last thing I remember before passing out.
When I woke up I was laying on my stomach on an extremely comfortable couch. I could smell someone making pasta with meat sauce. My stomach was going insane. Everything hurt though, especially my back and my left side. I figured I had hurt my side when I was tossed across the room.
At this point, I did not dive into the box yet. I could barely move. “Hi.” I heard a woman say from the kitchen. “Thank you,” I replied before trying to sit up. I was so concerned that this woman would be another monster. When I saw her though I knew she was normal. She didn't look so damn perfect and that was a breath of fresh air.
“What's your name?” She asked me as I watched her prepare two bowls of food.
“Leon,” I said before closing my eyes. “You heard me screaming?” I asked her seriously.
“I did. I’m pretty sure everyone in our building did. You got hurt pretty badly, I did my best to patch you up.” She paused and laughed. “My name is Ashley.”
So I ended up crashing at her place. During this time I tried to focus on recovering. Sleeping became hell, I was having constant nightmares. I also spent a lot of time working on articles. I ended up giving Ash the keys to my apartment so she could get my laptop. It was a big move to trust anyone here but I am glad I did.

Year Three and Four in LittleBrooke

During my recovery, I spent most of my time writing. I wanted to write about everything I have seen and experienced. I had a lot of questions and way too much time with my thoughts. Ash and I got to know each other too.
I told her about how my wife had died mysteriously. I eventually opened up about her being skinned and drained of her blood. Ash told me she had come to LittleBrooke with her older sister. Her sister went to work one day and never came back. She was working at the theater. Ash had told me that she was stuck here, she didn’t feel right leaving with her sister still missing. Every time she would try the cops would meet her at the town line.
It was during this time that we both shared that we had never seen a police station. We talked about the monsters too. Her first run-in with one was at the grocery store. I told her about what happened to me at the bar. She told me that she heard rumors of the beast living beyond the apartments. The first time she saw it was when it was attacking me.
As I started to recover more we discussed a couple of things. First, the neighbors here suck. She could hear me screaming and came to help but no one else did. Second, neither of us has seen any families since we moved here. It was at this point I decided I wanted to leave and I offered to take her with me. We could both get out come hell or high water. She agreed but there was something I had to do first.
I showed her the box I had taken from the apartment.
“You almost died for a box?” Ash asked me. “Yes,” I said seriously.
I opened it and blinked. I found a picture of a girl with black hair and bright green eyes. It read, Stephanie. I found a missing persons report too. This girl had been missing a year before I got here. I decided that my last article would be about her. I had written about a couple of missing people before this. For example, the old lady in our building vanished and her apartment was rented out two days later.
I also found a badge inside the box. It read F.O.P.P. and there was a name! Jack Bridges. We tried to look up the organization's name but we came up empty-handed. I ended up writing the story about Stephanie and the next day Ash and I got packing. We decided to take my car since the cops know what hers looks like. I packed up the essentials all over again and we piled into the car.
“We should check the other direction. Before we leave.” I suggested. Ash knew about the bar already but neither of us knew what was beyond that point: This suggested changed the course of our lives forever.
So we started driving in the other direction. We passed the bar where the woman had tried to eat me, we passed a convenience store I didn’t know this town had and we just kept driving. Eventually, I could hear Ash speaking to me, “Holy shit! The police station.” she pointed out. I couldn’t believe it either. I did not stop driving though but I wish I did.
Eventually, we saw a sign that read, LittleBrooke High. Go Bears!
I started to slow down a bit until the school was in view. The place looked run down as hell. There were holes in the walls and leaves growing up the side of the building. The parking lot was massive and full of buses. I pulled the car into the parking lot and told Ash to get into the driver's seat.
“You’re not serious?” She asked me. I could tell she wanted to go but I said, “This is it! This is the last place of note in this fucken town. Just take the wheel and I will be right back.” I said as I jumped out of the car and went to look around.
As I approached one of the buses I grabbed the doors, they were already open a crack. I pulled them open and was hit with a horrible stench. I had to step back and puke and no I am not going to describe what I saw in that fucken bus. At that point, I decided I had seen enough and it was time to fucken go.
“Help!” I heard someone cry from a couple of buses over. “Please!” I heard again. I wanted to slap myself because I knew better. I had already decided it was time to leave but I went to investigate anyway. I went to the bus and pulled the doors open. It smelled like stale piss and blood. “Back here!” A girl screamed out to me. I made my way to the back of the bus, stepping on school jackets and over backpacks. That is where I found them. Two teenagers are tied to the leg of a bus seat. They looked horrible, caking in blood and sweat. They were both injured. “Stephanie?!” I exclaimed as I bent over to free them. I recognized her face the moment I saw it.
“Can you move? I asked the blonde girl.” As I started to let her go. “Everything hurts.” She told me. I opened the emergency exit and called for Ash to pull the car over. It took her a second to hear me but she came as fast as possible. “I am going to get you guys in the car and we are going to get out of here, okay?” I told them. I wanted to tell them everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't. It felt like that would be a huge lie.
Ash stepped out of the car and helped get the girls into the backseat. As I stopped to look around I could feel the bus shift in weight. I turned around and inhaled sharply. Standing before me was a creature wearing a jacket that said COACH on it. He looked sickly, and pale, and his veins were protruding from his face and hands. As he ran at me I jumped out of the emergency exit door just in time to feel something slam off of the back of my head. I looked down to see a barbed football. I could feel blood trickling down my neck, I stumbled forward and felt a hand grab my arm. Ash was shoving me into the car. She slid over me, closed the passenger door, and backed the car up. I thought she was moving like lightning.
At this point, everyone was screaming. My heart was threatening to jump out of my fucken chest. I was so sure we were all going to die here, just like everyone else I had seen on the buses. But no, Ash sped out of the parking lot. The coach chased us to the school limits but for some reason, he did not follow us anymore.
I know we should've stopped to see if the kids could find their parents but we didn't. Instead, Ash just kept driving. Eventually, we could hear the cops behind us but that did not stop her. It took us six hours to finally see the You Are New Leaving LittleBrooke sign! I couldn’t believe it. This place was not that big at all.
So listen, if you’re invited to take a job in LittleBrooke. Don’t take it. It’s not worth your life.

Motion Pictures! Here are options for downloading or watching The Little Mermaid streaming the full movie online for free on 123 movies & Reddit, including where to watch Disney's latest live-action adaptation movies at home. Is The Little Mermaid 2023 available to stream? Is watching The Little Mermaid on Peacock, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Netflix or Amazon Prime? Yes, we have found an authentic streaming option/service.
Watch Now: The Little Mermaid (2023) Movie Online Free
Watch: The Little Mermaid streaming the full movie online for free
It's time to dive under the sea once again. Over the last few years, Disney has recreated their top animated musical films into live-action movies. The Little Mermaid is no different, and viewers can't wait to swim into theaters to catch a glimpse of how the movie will stand up against the original version.
The latest of Disney's hugely successful line of live-action remakes, Ariel (Halle Bailey) is set to return to theaters for the first time in almost thirty-five years with The Little Mermaid (2023). The Walt Disney Company once again invites audiences to travel under the sea to see Princess Ariel's story unfold like never before. Featuring direction from veteran musical filmmaker Rob Marshall and other roles inhabited by major Hollywood stars like Melissa McCarthy as Ursula the Sea Witch and Javier Bardem as King Triton, the film is bound to be a bona fide hit at the box office.
Watch Now: The Little Mermaid (2023) Movie Online Free
Though the upcoming and highly anticipated film will have stiff competition against two stand-up comedians on the weekend it releases, The Little Mermaid is destined to show that life is better down where it's wetter under the sea this Summer movie season. The 2023 live-action movie will only be available in theaters starting May 26. That means if you want to watch it ASAP.
However, it will be available to stream on the Disney+ platform soon. Disney+ typically follows a 90-day period before its theatrical releases come to the streaming platform. That means we may see the live-action version of "The Little Mermaid" come to Disney+ as early as August 2023.
Before we ask if you're interested in seeing this, we know you are. But like us, you're probably wondering how to watch and stream The Little Mermaid online. Luckily, we have some clues and it's likely to land on a major streaming site very soon. So climb aboard, because here's where to watch and stream The Little Mermaid online.
Ariel's quest to go from a mermaid into a human begins anew when The Little Mermaid premieres this Memorial Day Weekend on Friday, May 26th, 2023. The film will be going up against not one, but two stand-up comedians and their films that weekend, with Sebastian Maniscalco's About My Father and Bert Kreischer's The Machine premiering on the same day. That said, The Little Mermaid will almost certainly be the choice for younger audiences and families.
While some Disney films are heading straight to Disney+, The Little Mermaid will first be shown exclusively in theaters.
As of now, the only way to watch The Little Mermaid is to head out to a movie theater when it premieres on May 26, 2023. You can find a local showing on Fandango.
Watch Now: The Little Mermaid (2023) Movie Online Free
Otherwise, you’ll just have to wait for it to become available to rent or purchase on digital platforms like Amazon, Vudu, YouTube or Apple, or become available to stream on Disney+.
At the moment, you can watch The Little Mermaid at your local theater. But like most movies these days, it should hit a streaming website in the near future.
Like its predecessor, The Little Mermaid is a flick produced by multimedia conglomerate Disney. What's more, the production studio owns a number of other famous franchises, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars. Titles made under these umbrellas have both hit Disney+ sometime after arriving at the box office. Fans may also know the original Little Mermaid is currently available to stream on the site as well. So, if the 2023 version follows the same pattern, folks will likely get to see The Little Mermaid on Disney+ later this year too.
As for an exact release date for The Little Mermaid, that's more complicated. Most movies produced by Disney often go to its streamer site within three months after debuting in theaters, like the most recent Marvel film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. If this is the case for The Little Mermaid, it will probably drop in late August 2023 or sometime near Labor Day in early September.
When the time comes for The Little Mermaid to splash onto Disney+ though, make sure you're all prepared to watch it. If you don't have access yet, you can opt into a 30-day free trial before choosing a plan that start at $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. After your account is all set, click on the title page on Disney+'s official website or the Disney+ app.
As you wait for The Little Mermaid to hit the streamer, why don't you watch the animated version and its sequel The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea? Or if you want to immerse yourself in another live-action version, click on the 2019 ABC TV special The Little Mermaid Live!. Enjoy!
Unlike several of Disney's other live-action remakes such as Pinocchio and Peter Pan & Wendy, The Little Mermaid will be exclusively in movie theaters first with tickets available for pre-sale now.
After The Little Mermaid has completed its exclusive theatrical run, the film will be released on the Disney+ streaming service. Based on Disney's past release models, the film won't be made available to stream before 45 to 90 days after its theatrical release.
Now that movie theaters seem to be back, The Little Mermaid live-action film will be an in-theater release first before being released to at-home video. That means that your only chance to watch it right now is by going to your local theater.
However, don't lose all hope. Since it's a Disney movie, it will eventually make its way over to Disney+ after a few months on the big screen. It will also be available on other streamers like Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Google Play, and more to rent and own at your leisure.
If you're hoping to get your mermaid kick in now, then you can tune into the original The Little Mermaid which is available on Disney+ and other streaming services including Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, and the Google Play store.
The 2023 version of The Little Mermaid will only be in theaters initially. After The Little Mermaid has completed its exclusive theatrical run, it is likely to stream on Disney Plus. You can also watch the animated version of Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairy tale of Ariel on Disney Plus now.
While you will only be able to catch the new "The Little Mermaid" in theaters starting next Friday, you can still sign up for Disney+ now to refresh yourself on the characters, song, plot and magical fun from the highly anticipated film. The 1989 version of the movie was a catalyst for Disney's animation renaissance throughout the '90s and it still holds up today.
An ad-supported Disney+ subscription starts at $8 per month, but you can get an ad-free access to the service for $11 monthly or bundle the Disney streaming service with Hulu and ESPN+ starting at $13 per month. Disney+ boasts a huge collection of movies and television series, including Marvel and Star Wars content. If you add in Hulu and ESPN, you have nearly unlimited entertainment at your fingertips.
When will The Little Mermaid be streaming on Disney+?
The Little Mermaid Disney+ premiere date is tentatively estimated to be Aug. 30, 2023.
While no official Little Mermaid streaming date has been confirmed by Disney, most of its major movie releases drop on Disney+ following a minimum 90-day period, and typically premiere on the platform on Wednesdays, making Wednesday, Aug. 30 the most likely date for Disney’s The Little Mermaid live-action streaming release.
Is The Little Mermaid streaming on Netflix?
No, The Little Mermaid will not be on Netflix — at least not any time soon. In the meantime, you’ll just have to head out to a movie theater or wait for it to become available to stream on Disney+.
Will The Little Mermaid Be On HBO Max?
No, The Little Mermaid will not be on HBO Max since it’s not a Universal Pictures movie. Last year, the company released its films in theaters and on the streamer on the same day. However, they now allow a 45-day window between the theatrical release and the streaming release.
Is The Little Mermaid Available On Hulu?
Viewers are saying that they want to view the new animation movie The Little Mermaid on Hulu. Unfortunately, this is not possible since Hulu currently does not offer any of the free episodes of this series streaming at this time. It will be exclusive to the MTV channel, which you get by subscribing to cable or satellite TV services. You will not be able to watch it on Hulu or any other free streaming service.
Most Viewed, Most Favorite, Top Rating, Top IMDb movies online. Here we can download and watch 123movies movies offline. 123Movies website is the best alternative to The Little Mermaid (2023) free online. We will recommend 123Movies is the best Solarmovie alternatives.
There are a few ways to watch The Little Mermaid online in the U.S. You can use a streaming service such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video. You can also rent or buy the movie on iTunes or Google Play. You can also watch it on-demand or on a streaming app available on your TV or streaming device if you have cable.
The Little Mermaid Cast and Characters
The Little Mermaid was written by David Magee and directed by Rob Marshall. It stars the following actors:
Halle Bailey as Ariel
Melissa McCarthy as Ursula
Javier Bardem as King Triton
Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina
Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric
Daveed Diggs as Sebastian
Awkwafina as Scuttle
Jacob Tremblay as Flounder
Art Malik as Sir Grimsby
What is The Little Mermaid About?
The official synopsis for The Little Mermaid by Walt Disney Studios read:
“The Little Mermaid” is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.
There is not much mystery in The Little Mermaid's plot. As seen in Disney's many other live-action remakes, it is anticipated that the film's plot will largely stick to the original. With the well-known song "Part of Your World," in which Ariel sings about her wish to be a part of the world beyond the water, i.e., the human realm, the teaser already alluded to Ariel's fascination with the human world. Fans will get to see Ariel and Prince Eric's romance as they deal with the challenges posed by their differences.

I will leave these articles for everyone to make their own conclusions on this one.
“The space systems business — whose products include star trackers, reaction wheels, solar power systems, separation systems and more — also saw a massive growth in revenue, increasing by 239% year-over-year. To meet this growing demand, the company further announced last year that it was building out new manufacturing capabilities for reaction wheels, in particular.
The investment is paying off: It appears that Rocket Lab has landed a contract to provide reaction wheels to an unnamed mega constellation customer. The company said as much in a February press release announcing a new 12Nms reaction wheel product, saying that the wheel is “currently planned for flight with an undisclosed large mega constellation customer.”
https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/24/rocket-lab-reveals-big-supplier-deal-with-mystery-mega-constellation-customeamp/
“In February 2022, Rocket Lab was awarded a $143 million subcontract by MDA to lead the design and manufacture of 17 spacecraft buses for Globalstar’s new Low Earth Orbit satellites.”
https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/upcoming-missions/globalstar-constellation/
“Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro lineups made possible by $450 million Apple investment in US infrastructure”
“A majority of the funding goes to Globalstar, a global satellite service headquartered in Covington, Louisiana, with facilities across the US. Apple’s investment provides critical enhancements to Globalstar’s satellite network and ground stations, ensuring iPhone 14 users are able to connect to emergency services when off the grid. At Globalstar, more than 300 employees support the new service.”
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/11/emergency-sos-via-satellite-made-possible-by-450m-apple-investment/
“iFixit, a San Luis Obispo, California-based firm that disassembles iPhones and other consumer electronics to assess how easily they can be repaired, took apart an iPhone 14 Pro Max model on Friday, revealing a Qualcomm X65 modem chip.
The Qualcomm chip provides 5G connectivity for cellular networks but is also capable of using what is called band n53, the frequency band used by satellites from Globalstar (GSAT.A).”
https://www.reuters.com/technology/new-iphones-have-qualcomm-satellite-modem-new-apple-radio-chips-2022-09-17/
Mobile satellite services provider Globalstar registers 3,080-satellite constellation with ITU
https://advanced-television.com/2022/05/04/globalstar-wants-satellite-mega-constellation/

Don't get me wrong, I am fully aware that the Enclave make their presence in DC somewhat known via Eden's swarm of eyebots. So, at the very least, James should be aware of an entity called the Enclave that have some tenuous relationship to the former US Government- if he believed the radio to begin with. But... That should be it. Why would James know anything more than that? We don't have a solid date, I believe, for when Eden actually began his propaganda campaign so there may even be a possibility James didn't know anything about the Enclave before entering Vault 101. If that's the case then he should have no reason to know who they are. But sure, let's say the eyebots were floating around pre-Vault 101 and that James made some idle chatter with a BrotheSister of Steel and learned about the Enclave via that way. Okay, sure. Well then how can James identify the Enclave in brand-new, never-before-seen Advanced Power Armour Mk II, with unmarked vertibirds, all from what I can only assume was a potato-quality reel-based security camera (seriously, how did he even see them) and somehow, as a man of science, know enough about the Enclave that within 5 seconds of them landing they are absolutely, unequivocally hostile? There's just too many questions regarding James' seemingly precognitive knowledge of who the Enclave are despite there being so little knowledge of them going around by the time of Project Purity. Hell, even some members of the Brotherhood itself have to have a double take to make sure, oh okay, yes, that really is the Enclave. So what gives? Did Liam Neeson read ahead in the script? Or, is there perhaps a reason why James has such seemingly amazing knowledge of the Enclave? Maybe, just speculating here, James actually was former Enclave. It would explain why he knows about them so well. It also sheds some light on why James is so seemingly skilled. Not only is he a genius when it comes to both medicine (doctor) and science (Purity) but the old man managed to cross the entirety of the Capital Wasteland by himself with the worst pistol in the game. If James really was just some talented scientist and nothing else then how did he manage to, at the very least, get past the random animals you find in the wastes and the actual super mutants in the Jefferson Memorial? Dude must be badass or at the very least a ninja when it comes to stealth. Very odd set of skills for some wastelander. At the end of the day, I do very much like how little you know of James as the Lone Wanderer. Even until the end, there were mysteries to your father you just won't get answers for and that makes his death all the more tragic. But, yeah, in my headcanon the Lone Wanderer is at least 50% Enclave.

Don't get me wrong, I am fully aware that the Enclave make their presence in DC somewhat known via Eden's swarm of eyebots. So, at the very least, James should be aware of an entity called the Enclave that have some tenuous relationship to the former US Government- if he believed the radio to begin with.
​
But... That should be it. Why would James know anything more than that? We don't have a solid date, I believe, for when Eden actually began his propaganda campaign so there may even be a possibility James didn't know anything about the Enclave before entering Vault 101. If that's the case then he should have no reason to know who they are.
But sure, let's say the eyebots were floating around pre-Vault 101 and that James made some idle chatter with a BrotheSister of Steel and learned about the Enclave via that way. Okay, sure.
Well then how can James identify the Enclave in brand-new, never-before-seen Advanced Power Armour Mk II, with unmarked vertibirds, all from what I can only assume was a potato-quality reel-based security camera (seriously, how did he even see them) and somehow, as a man of science, know enough about the Enclave that within 5 seconds of them landing they are absolutely, unequivocally hostile? There's just too many questions regarding James' seemingly precognitive knowledge of who the Enclave are despite there being so little knowledge of them going around by the time of Project Purity. Hell, even some members of the Brotherhood itself have to have a double take to make sure, oh okay, yes, that really is the Enclave.
​
So what gives? Did Liam Neeson read ahead in the script? Or, is there perhaps a reason why James has such seemingly amazing knowledge of the Enclave? Maybe, just speculating here, James actually was Enclave. It would explain why he knows about them so well. It also sheds some light on why James is so seemingly skilled. Not only is he a genius when it comes to both medicine (doctor) and science (Purity) but the old man managed to cross the entirety of the Capital Wasteland by himself with the worst pistol in the game. If James really was just some talented scientist and nothing else then how did he manage to, at the very least, get past the random animals you find in the wastes and the actual super mutants in the Jefferson Memorial? Dude must be badass or at the very least a ninja when it comes to stealth. Very odd set of skills for some wastelander.
​
At the end of the day, I do very much like how little you know of James as the Lone Wanderer. Even until the end, there were mysteries to your father you just won't get answers for and that makes his death all the more tragic.
But, yeah, in my headcanon the Lone Wanderer is at least 50% Enclave.

I am looking to meet and become friends with childfree women who appreciate the importance of having friends who encourage positive growth.
About me

• I am a 39-year-old Guyanese-English woman living in North Carolina. I'm 5'3, based on BMI I am overweight and I have an "alternative" appearance: facial piercings, stretched lobes, all black clothes...etc. Although my lobes are on an indefinite hiatus and small enough that most people don't notice them without jewelry.
• I am an introvert who can "turn it on" when necessary for work, but prefer to be in the off mode. I communicate my needs very clearly and am not afraid to have difficult conversations when necessary. I may appear serious at first, but I need to know that you can be serious as well before I let my humorous side out.

My main interests are

• I enjoy reading mysteries (Louise Penny) and self-help (Bréne Brown, and John Bradshaw) books
• I have a spiritual practice involving meditation, journaling, breathwork, yoga (yin, hatha, restorative) and connecting to the God of my own understanding.
• I enjoy cycling (currently on a trainer because NC car culture is insane) and weightlifting (KB and Fitness Blender)
• I sew about 80% of my clothes. My current project is making three pairs of jeans. Overall, I enjoy crafting and trying my hand at different crafts such as knitting, drawing...etc but I now want to make victorian lampshades thanks to Christine McConnel so we shall see.
• I took French classes in the past and am picking it back up. I'm in an A1.1 class, which means I can introduce myself in French, but that's about it.
• I limit my screen time because I work on computers all day, but on lazy days or days when I need background noise while crafting, I enjoy watching Midsomer Murder (restarting from season 1), anything Agatha Christie, Great Pottery Throwdown, Being Human, Utopia, and whatever else is on ITV, BBC, or Sky... like that new show with Lily Allen...what's it called?)
• I enjoy going to museums particularly for costume exhibits and the theater to see plays.
• I have lived all over the place but work brought me to North Carolina. But now that I work remote, I'm thinking about moving.

What I am looking for

• Willingness to get to know one another and see if our personalities mesh.
• Someone who wants to commit to having a weekly phone or video call (it doesn't have to be a long conversation and it will undoubtedly be awkward, but this is how I create relationships).
• Women on eastern time (USA); I prefer to start "local," where time zones are not an issue. However, Florida may be the one exception because things aren't looking good down there and I say this as someone who once lived there.
• If we get along, I want to meet in person
• Someone who can make plans and keep plans

What I am not looking for

• Conversations via text.
• My texts go unanswered 100% of the time and are used when someone needs to tell me something that doesn't require a response from me.
• Talking indefinitely without meeting in person.
• Those that stay up late / night owls
• Party people, people who drink until they can no longer feel, people who drink to forget, or people who are in their "I want to swiiing from the chaaandeLIER-ER" Sia era of their lives
• Smokers (cigarettes, 420, vaping, and so on)
• Heavy, medium, light, or infrequent drug users

Everyone discusses the wonders of venturing beyond their comfort zone and pursuing their true passion by starting a business. However, the challenges of doing so and not achieving success are rarely acknowledged.
I acquired a business loan, a commercial space with an attached apartment, and established a bakery. Unfortunately, I failed to attract any customers despite my many attempts with Facebook ads, radio ads, & even renting out billboards. Not a single customer ever entered my doors. It's not like my baking is subpar (not to boast) but I don't even have anyone willing to give it a chance. Perhaps small businesses struggle to survive and flourish in the face of the convenience offered by online shopping.
My mother requested a cake for her upcoming birthday in a month, expressing her desire to be my first customer and she will pre-order. However, I find the idea of my mother bailing me out again and being my first customer just embarrassing, and I want to avoid it at all costs. As a result, my funds and ambition are depleting.
One night, I found myself self-destructing as I indulged in a late-night snack of my own creations. After consuming two cupcakes, I experienced a severe stomach ache, a common occurrence after eating sweet baked goods, which is why I rarely indulge in them, especially late at night. Ironically, as a baker, I can barely enjoy my own baked goods. It feels like a curse.
Devastated by my significant failures and this terrible stomach ache, I was contemplating the wreckage of my life until I was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door of my bakery at 1 am. I anxiously wondered who would be here at such an ungodly hour. Although I initially planned to disregard the circumstances and not open the door, curiosity got the better of me, and I peered through the peephole.
To my surprise, I found a friendly-looking man in an elegant suit and tie, sporting a bowler cap. He had slicked-back hair, glasses, and a warm, welcoming smile. He held a present wrapped in blue paper with a pink bow on top.
A compulsion must have overcome me because I opened the door to a stranger at 1 am.
"Hello there, please accept my apologies for the late arrival. I just returned to town and wanted to offer a gift to the newest small business in town. Small businesses are a rarity nowadays due to the boom of online shopping. I hope this gift serves as encouragement for you to persevere. I understand how challenging it can be to achieve success, and perhaps this gift will assist you on your journey," he proclaimed.
I was so taken back by the elegant man and his captivating speech that I stood there in disbelief. Not a word escaped my lips as I reached out to receive the generously offered present.
The man smiled, tipped his hat, addressed me as "ma'am," and departed. And that was it.
Feeling shaken by the peculiar encounter, I returned inside and sat down at my table, unwrapping the mysterious gift. Inside, I found a card and a black book. The card read, "Sometimes, it's not about marketing. If something is remarkable enough, people will naturally gravitate towards it." I opened to the middle of the black book, and started flipping through the pages, scanning its contents.
To my disappointment, I realized I was looking at a cookbook.
I left the book wide open on the table in my bakery and retired to bed, feeling defeated. I couldn't fathom why I believed that the enigmatic man held the answer to all my problems, but for a brief moment, I entertained the delusion.
The following morning, I opened my bakery for the day, and started brewing coffee, I noticed the book once again. I stared at it intently until I finished my cup of coffee.
I picked up the book, Over the next couple of hours, I baked several recipes from the book, carefully reciting each ingredient out loud to avoid forgetting anything. I couldn't comprehend how these recipes could be significantly better than what I had been baking before, to the point where customers would seek me out. Yet, I was proven wrong. To my surprise, just as I finished icing a tray of cupcakes, I heard the bell on my bakery door, signaling the arrival of a customer.
"You've got to be kidding me," I thought to myself as a customer stepped into my bakery for the first time since I began my business, just as the card had predicted.
"Hello, I was walking by, and the irresistible aroma from your bakery compelled me to satisfy my sweet tooth. I couldn't resist coming in to see your delectable treats," the man said, his eyes widening as he beheld the assortment of pastries and cupcakes on my counter.
He purchased a box of cupcakes to go and went on his way.
I made my first sale, and joy overwhelmed me.
Gradually, I started earning some money, attracting a few customers each day, though nothing extravagant. I was finally beginning to achieve a meager profit.
However, what I truly needed were returning customers—people I could rely on to sustain my business for years to come. Despite the praises I received regarding the appearance and aroma of my goods, I had yet to witness a familiar face returning to make another purchase. This worried me.
Against my better judgment, one morning I decided to sample my new creations to ascertain whether the recipes the mysterious man had given me were genuinely exceptional.
They were incredible. I couldn't believe it. "This is the most exquisite cupcake I've ever tasted," I thought, holding a half-bitten cupcake at eye level, scrutinizing its perfection. However, my elation was short-lived as I soon experienced a stomach ache.
This didn't make any sense. I couldn't understand why, despite having numerous customers over the past month, not a single one had returned. Frustrated and confused, I concluded that I should sell a cake to my mom on her birthday because then I could at least receive some honest feedback after prying for a while for the truth.
I know, I know—it seems low to sell a cake to your own mom on her birthday. But you don't know my mom. She would insist on paying me regardless of whether she slipped money into my pocket or left it in my apartment's mail slot. Somehow, she would ensure I received the payment so it's easier this way.
So, I baked a cake for my mom. Although she arrived in town late that night, she insisted on having cake and ice cream. She came to my bakery at 12:30 am, and after catching up for a while, she eagerly anticipated trying her birthday cake. I adorned the cake with candles spelling out "2 & 1" and wished my mom a happy 21st birthday, which made her burst into laughter at the obvious lie. My mom treasured birthdays and always celebrated, no matter what.
I asked her to make a wish and watched as she leaned in to blow out the candles.
To my disbelief, my jaw dropped as I witnessed a colossal, open-mouth materialize on the cake with razor-sharp, shark-like teeth that swiftly engulfed my mother while she still had her eyes closed, beginning with her head, which caused her to be suspended upside down. Then, with its snake-like ability to stretch, its mouth widened to accommodate the rest of her body, and my mother disappeared with just a few jiggles.
The cake, now a monstrous bloated creature, turned to face me. It shouldn't have been able to see me, possessing only a giant mouth, and yet, its gaze bore into my soul.
I screamed in horror as the monstrous cake turned its attention toward me. In all the chaos that transpired, the black cookbook fell off the table and landed on the ground. Reminding me that this is how it all started, I darted for the book, ducked, and retrieved it, barely dodging a swift chomp from the cake-like creature, and fled outside overwhelmed and hysterical at the events that just unfolded that I'll never be able to live down.
"Now I understand why none of my customers returned, but I was around the baked goods as well, and I'm still here," I screamed frantically, tears streaming down my face. Thumbing through the book's pages, my eyes darted around until they landed on the first page, which bore a crucial warning:
Please read before using.
"Do not indulge in these delectable sweets after dark; the consequences of your sweet tooth may turn rotten."

Everyone discusses the wonders of venturing beyond their comfort zone and pursuing their true passion by starting a business. However, the challenges of doing so and not achieving success are rarely acknowledged.
I acquired a business loan, a commercial space with an attached apartment, and established a bakery. Unfortunately, I failed to attract any customers despite my many attempts with Facebook ads, radio ads, & even renting out billboards. Not a single customer ever entered my doors. It's not like my baking is subpar (not to boast) but I don't even have anyone willing to give it a chance. Perhaps small businesses struggle to survive and flourish in the face of the convenience offered by online shopping.
My mother requested a cake for her upcoming birthday in a month, expressing her desire to be my first customer and she will pre-order. However, I find the idea of my mother bailing me out again and being my first customer just embarrassing, and I want to avoid it at all costs. As a result, my funds and ambition are depleting.
One night, I found myself self-destructing as I indulged in a late-night snack of my own creations. After consuming two cupcakes, I experienced a severe stomach ache, a common occurrence after eating sweet baked goods, which is why I rarely indulge in them, especially late at night. Ironically, as a baker, I can barely enjoy my own baked goods. It feels like a curse.
Devastated by my significant failures and this terrible stomach ache, I was contemplating the wreckage of my life until I was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door of my bakery at 1 am. I anxiously wondered who would be here at such an ungodly hour. Although I initially planned to disregard the circumstances and not open the door, curiosity got the better of me, and I peered through the peephole.
To my surprise, I found a friendly-looking man in an elegant suit and tie, sporting a bowler cap. He had slicked-back hair, glasses, and a warm, welcoming smile. He held a present wrapped in blue paper with a pink bow on top.
A compulsion must have overcome me because I opened the door to a stranger at 1 am.
"Hello there, please accept my apologies for the late arrival. I just returned to town and wanted to offer a gift to the newest small business in town. Small businesses are a rarity nowadays due to the boom of online shopping. I hope this gift serves as encouragement for you to persevere. I understand how challenging it can be to achieve success, and perhaps this gift will assist you on your journey," he proclaimed.
I was so taken back by the elegant man and his captivating speech that I stood there in disbelief. Not a word escaped my lips as I reached out to receive the generously offered present.
The man smiled, tipped his hat, addressed me as "ma'am," and departed. And that was it.
Feeling shaken by the peculiar encounter, I returned inside and sat down at my table, unwrapping the mysterious gift. Inside, I found a card and a black book. The card read, "Sometimes, it's not about marketing. If something is remarkable enough, people will naturally gravitate towards it." I opened to the middle of the black book, and started flipping through the pages, scanning its contents.
To my disappointment, I realized I was looking at a cookbook.
I left the book wide open on the table in my bakery and retired to bed, feeling defeated. I couldn't fathom why I believed that the enigmatic man held the answer to all my problems, but for a brief moment, I entertained the delusion.
The following morning, I opened my bakery for the day, and started brewing coffee, I noticed the book once again. I stared at it intently until I finished my cup of coffee.
I picked up the book, Over the next couple of hours, I baked several recipes from the book, carefully reciting each ingredient out loud to avoid forgetting anything. I couldn't comprehend how these recipes could be significantly better than what I had been baking before, to the point where customers would seek me out. Yet, I was proven wrong. To my surprise, just as I finished icing a tray of cupcakes, I heard the bell on my bakery door, signaling the arrival of a customer.
"You've got to be kidding me," I thought to myself as a customer stepped into my bakery for the first time since I began my business, just as the card had predicted.
"Hello, I was walking by, and the irresistible aroma from your bakery compelled me to satisfy my sweet tooth. I couldn't resist coming in to see your delectable treats," the man said, his eyes widening as he beheld the assortment of pastries and cupcakes on my counter.
He purchased a box of cupcakes to go and went on his way.
I made my first sale, and joy overwhelmed me.
Gradually, I started earning some money, attracting a few customers each day, though nothing extravagant. I was finally beginning to achieve a meager profit.
However, what I truly needed were returning customers—people I could rely on to sustain my business for years to come. Despite the praises I received regarding the appearance and aroma of my goods, I had yet to witness a familiar face returning to make another purchase. This worried me.
Against my better judgment, one morning I decided to sample my new creations to ascertain whether the recipes the mysterious man had given me were genuinely exceptional.
They were incredible. I couldn't believe it. "This is the most exquisite cupcake I've ever tasted," I thought, holding a half-bitten cupcake at eye level, scrutinizing its perfection. However, my elation was short-lived as I soon experienced a stomach ache.
This didn't make any sense. I couldn't understand why, despite having numerous customers over the past month, not a single one had returned. Frustrated and confused, I concluded that I should sell a cake to my mom on her birthday because then I could at least receive some honest feedback after prying for a while for the truth.
I know, I know—it seems low to sell a cake to your own mom on her birthday. But you don't know my mom. She would insist on paying me regardless of whether she slipped money into my pocket or left it in my apartment's mail slot. Somehow, she would ensure I received the payment so it's easier this way.
So, I baked a cake for my mom. Although she arrived in town late that night, she insisted on having cake and ice cream. She came to my bakery at 12:30 am, and after catching up for a while, she eagerly anticipated trying her birthday cake. I adorned the cake with candles spelling out "2 & 1" and wished my mom a happy 21st birthday, which made her burst into laughter at the obvious lie. My mom treasured birthdays and always celebrated, no matter what.
I asked her to make a wish and watched as she leaned in to blow out the candles.
To my disbelief, my jaw dropped as I witnessed a colossal, open-mouth materialize on the cake with razor-sharp, shark-like teeth that swiftly engulfed my mother while she still had her eyes closed, beginning with her head, which caused her to be suspended upside down. Then, with its snake-like ability to stretch, its mouth widened to accommodate the rest of her body, and my mother disappeared with just a few jiggles.
The cake, now a monstrous bloated creature, turned to face me. It shouldn't have been able to see me, possessing only a giant mouth, and yet, its gaze bore into my soul.
I screamed in horror as the monstrous cake turned its attention toward me. In all the chaos that transpired, the black cookbook fell off the table and landed on the ground. Reminding me that this is how it all started, I darted for the book, ducked, and retrieved it, barely dodging a swift chomp from the cake-like creature, and fled outside overwhelmed and hysterical at the events that just unfolded that I'll never be able to live down.
"Now I understand why none of my customers returned, but I was around the baked goods as well, and I'm still here," I screamed frantically, tears streaming down my face. Thumbing through the book's pages, my eyes darted around until they landed on the first page, which bore a crucial warning:
Please read before using.
"Do not indulge in these delectable sweets after dark; the consequences of your sweet tooth may turn rotten."

Last week, u/ExistentialPuggle posted an amazing list of things to do in Baton Rouge that weekend and a lot of people got excited about all the fun things going on, while others shared adfitional events happening around the city. One Redditor commented that they didn’t realize how many great things Baton Rouge has going on and this is something I’ve noticed happening a lot, so my goal is to let people know all the great things Baton Rouge has to offer and hope they share it with others.
Adam Knapp, BRAC’s new president, said his biggest concern is that compared to other cities like Lafayette and New Orleans, Baton Rouge does not have “insane community pride” and looking at this subreddit proves he’s right. I know its hard to be proud of this city. I know we’ll never be #1 on any positive list and am use to scrolling down to the bottom lists to find us but I’m a Baton Rougian for life and try to find as much pride to have in gvis city as possible.
I’m usually a lurker and not much if a poster, so it might take me a few tries to get the format right. Also, with Reddit deciding to compleywly fuck over 3rd party apps, I’m not aure how easy posting will be once Apollo no longer exists.
The places I’m currently looking for events are news sources, local magzines, the library and local wbesite. If you have any other recommendations on where to look, please share.
Please share any other events I might have missed!
(Due to this being a late night Thursday adventure, I’m probabaly only going to be able to posts this weekend’s events, but my goal is to add on events that are ongoing in the area)
Local Live Music: Red Stick Music does an amazing job of listing all known live music shows
FRIDAY - June 9th
Coppélia Ballet: Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre’s Youth Ballet summer touring show - Carver Library - 9:30am - Free
LSU MOA’s Neighborhood Art Pop-Up: LSU Museum if Art brings artists, art supplies and creative projects offering kids a fun opportunity to create artwork while learning - Shiloh Baptist Church - 10am-12pm
Mary Poppins Jr.: Central Community Theatre puts on musical based on the popular Disney movie - Manship Theatre (not sure how this will work with Summer of Swing) - 6:30pm - $29
Rhinos of the World: Learn all about rhinos from how they communicate to where they live - Baton Rouge Zoo - 6:30pm-7:30pm - Free but pre-registration is required
Movies in the Plaza: Movie: Turning Red (bring lawn chairs or blankets) - The Main Library at Goodwood - 7pm - Free
Summer Swing with Ashley Orlando - The Great American Songbook & Beyond: A voyage through jazz and swing from the early 20th century through the 1960s - Manship Theatre (not sure how this will work with Mary Poppins Jr. - $25
Highland Road Park Observatory: Display Premiere: The Histories and Mysteries of Glass - 5:30pm-8:30pm - Free
Phil Brady’s Bar: Live music from Mid-City Prowlers, Low Water Bridge & The Squanders - Come see u/Bassman-BEADG play in all 3 bands! - 8:30pm - Not sure of cover charge
SATURDAY - June 10th
Red Stick Farmers Market: Farm fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations and more - Fifth and Main Street downtown - 8am-12pm
Market at the Oasis: Vendors selling farm grown produce, handmade items, baked goods and more - 13827 Coursey Blvd - 9am-1pm
Kids Fest: Live entertainment, speakers, health screenings and outdoor play - Scotlandville Parkway - 9am-1pm
Highland Road Park Observatory - Science Academy: Exploring Weather II - Cadets will investigate: frost, mist, fog, clouds, rain and snow - Ages 8-12 - 10am-12pm - $5 for EBR Parish Cadet; $6 for other-Parish Cadet
Irene W. Pennington Planetarium - Stargazing: Learn about stars and constellations and an all-ages show - Louisiana Arts & Science Museum - 10am - Ticket included in regular admission
Baddies Who Brunch: High energy drag performance with bottomless mimosas and table seating brunch - Independence Park Theatre - Doors open at 10am; Show starts at 11am - $35 Don’t forget to bring singles to tip the fabulous queens!
Greater Baton Rouge Model Railroaders: Miniature train models and running models of trains - 3406 College Street Jackson, Louisiana - 10am-2pm - Free
BASF’s Kid’s Lab: Float or Sink: Explore the science of chemistry during a 45-minute hands-on workshop - Ages 6-12 - Louisiana Arts & Science Museum - 11am; 1pm & 3pm - Tickets included with regular admission
Radio Bar - Art Market: Local artists and creators - Radio Bar - 2pm-6pm
Mary Poppins Jr.: Central Community Theatre puts on musical based on the popular Disney movie - Manship Theatre - 2pm & 6:30pm - $29
Baton Rouge Super Regional - LSU Baseball: LSU vs UK - Alex Box Stadium - 2pm - Tickets required
Red Stick C.A.R.E.S - Under the Lights: Night Red Stick Market with live music and lots of local artists and vendors - 5475 Essen Lane - 6pm-9pm
Boomerang Comedy Theatre: Improve Student Showcase - Feel free to bring BYOB - Boomerang Comedy Theatre - 7pm; 8pm & 9pm - Free but tickets required
Highland Road Park Observatory - Evening Sky Viewing: Weather permitting, view the night sky through telescopes - 7:30pm-10pm - Free -Turn off headlights when driving in
SUNDAY - June 11th
Baddies Who Brunch: High energy drag performance with bottomless mimosas and table seating brunch - Independence Park Theatre - Doors open at 10am; Show starts at 11am - $35 Don’t forget to bring singles to tip the fabulous queens!
Hilton Drag Brunch: High energy drag performances, brunch menu and bottomless mimosas - Must be 21 or older - Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center - 10am-2pm - $60 Don’t forget to bring singles to tip the fabulous queens!
BASF’s Kid’s Lab: Float or Sink: Explore the science of chemistry during a 45-minute hands-on workshop - Ages 6-12 - Louisiana Arts & Science Museum - 1:30pm & 3pm - Tickets included with regular admission
Mary Poppins Jr.: Central Community Theatre puts on musical based on the popular Disney movie - Manship Theatre - 2pm & 6:30pm - $29
Baton Rouge Super Regional - LSU Baseball: LSU vs UK - Alex Box Stadium - Time to be announced - Tickets required
MONDAY - June 12th
Baton Rouge Super Regional - LSU Baseball: (Only if needed) LSU vs UK - Alex Box Stadium - Time to be announced - Tickets required
TUESDAY - June 13th
Red Stick Farmers Market: Local fruits and vegetables, fresh breads, garden plants, prepared foods, jams, jellies and more - Main Library at Goodwood - 3pm-6pm
WEDNESDAY - June 14th
Red Stick Farmers Market: Local fruits and vegetables, fresh breads, garden plants, prepared foods, jams, jellies and more - ExxonMobil YMCA - 9am-12pm
Sunset Paddle: Youth age 12+ and adults - Milford Wampold Memorial Park - 7pm-8:30pm - Rentals: single kayak-$10; tandem kayak-$20; canoe-$25 - Registration required at brec.org
THURSDAY - June 15th
Red Stick Farmers Market: Local fruits and vegetables, fresh breads, garden plants, prepared foods, jams, jellies and more - Pennington Biomedical Research Center - 8am-12pm
Juneteenth Panel Discussions: Talk will unpack the post-emancipation triumphs of Black Americans - Shaw Center for the Arts - 5pm-7pm
ONGOING TEMPORARY EXHIBITS
Baton Rouge Gallery Center for Contemporary Art: Exhibits by Mary Ann Caffery, Margaret Humphris, Phyllis Lear and David Scott (until June 19) - Free
Capitol Park Museum: Carnival in the Nation’s Capital: The Washington Mardi Gras Ball (until Sept 16) - Creole New Orleans, Honey! The Art of Andrew LaMar Hopkins (until Sept 16) - Back Roads to Back Yards: The Flora and Fauna of South Louisiana (until Oct 28) - The History of Louisiana’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Free
Cary Saurage Community Arts Center: Why Pride: A Collaboration with the Trevor Project (until now July 2) - Free
Louisiana Art & Science Museum: Diamonds of History: Mighty Women by Ashley Longshire (until July 2) - Pinpointing the Stars (until Aug 1) - Illustrating Health (until Aug 6) - Our Louisiana (until Jan 14) - Artistry and Accuracy l: Botanical Illustrations by Margaret Stone (until March 3) - Children & Seniors-$10; Adults-$12
Louisiana State Archives: 70th Jubilee Invitational Exhibit (until June 29)
LSU Museum of Art: I, Too, am Thornton Dial (until July 2) - Hank Willis Thomas/Unbranded: Reflections in Black by Corporate America (until July 30) - Children (under 12)-Free; 13 and older-$5
LSU Textile & Costume Museum: Til Trends Do Us Part: A Retrospect in Changing Fashion in Bridal Wear (until Aug 31) - Free
Main Library at Goodwood: Fiber Artists of Louisiana - Guardians, Harbingers and Sentinels (until June 30) - Free
Old State Capitol: Jazz Age Juxtaposition: The Prohibition Era of Louisiana (until Aug 19)- Political Parties and the Culture of Conventions (until Dec 15) - Free
West Baton Rouge Museum: Angela Gregory: Doyenne of Louisiana Sculpture (until Aug 7) - WBRP Resident-Free; Other Adults-$4; Seniors, Military, Students-$2

Title. I have been applying to a lot of different marketing type positions over the past school year with no luck. I am focusing on more media companies and television networks like Paramount or Warner Bros. Not sure what I should change.
Any insights would be much appreciated.

The following is my advice for interpreting V. Some of my advice comes fragmented memories of a string of vanishing snapchats I recieived during a Covid fever dream. The messages were signed T.P. Society.
​
I think the “Stencilized” chapters are Pynchon at his absolute best. Readers get frustrated. These are extremely challenging at every level: tough vocabulary, unfamiliar historical settings, obscure references, countless characters, and increasingly confusing entropic plots with little closure. As a reader, you’ll feel like there must be an answer hidden in the complexity and symbolism. Detective stories, you’ll solve with a little research and persistence. You shouldn’t get frustrated.
Remember that the narrator of the difficult “Stencilized” chapters is Herbert Stencil, himself. Stencil, a contemporary of Benny Profane and the whole sick crew, is on an obsessive quest in search of the mysterious “V”. V’s transition throughout the novel loosely parallels Britain’s transition through the industrial revolution into 19th century. Transitioning from a virtuous, Victorian Empire bringing the Christ-powered light of the civilized world to the darkest depths of Africa with unquestioned protestant purpose… to a nation in a crisis of faith… a nation trying to reconcile protestant purpose with technological progress after bearing witness to the mass-produced mechanized death of The Great War.
Stencil’s obsession with “V” began after reading his late father’s journals. His father, Sidney Stencil, was by profession a British spy who journaled his clandestine involvement in diplomatic crises in various international cities over the course of his career. Each of the “Stencilized” chapters are set during one of these historical diplomatic crises. These chapters are a story of a story of a story. Pynchon provides the words. Herbert Stencil provides the voice. Sydney Stencil provides the source material. There are layers to the narrative. It’s complicated.
Chapter 3 is especially complex from a narrative standpoint.
The chapter is divided into eight parts. Each part is told from the perspective of a different person (unspecified in the final 8th part) as imagined by Stencil with clear fabrications influenced from well-known works of literature. The narrator of the eigth and final section is unspecified, as if Stencil is imaging himself watching a movie fabricated in his mind from his father’s journals taking inspiration from books he’s read and biased by outcomes he hopes for. An unreliable narrator delivers a convoluted story from eight perspectives.
Here's my take on the ending of Chapter 3’s “plot”. It’s essential a spy (Porpentine/Goodfellow, British aligned) vs. spy (Lepsius, German/Bongo-Shaftsbury, French aligned) conflict in a British Egypt. Sydney Stencil is involved with the British intelligence team. Earlier in the chapter, it’s hinted that there may be an assassination attempt on a prominent British diplomat prior to the impeding Fashoda conflict.
Through the lens of an unspecified narrator, at the end of Chapter 3 we witness Bongo-Shaftsbury (French spy team) murdering Porpentine (Sydney Stencil’s British spy team) at the Cairo Opera house.
I think it went like this: shortly after Victoria Wren (V.) left the theater with Goodfellow (British spy), Porpentine (British spy) foils the French spy team’s assassination attempt on a British Diplomat. Porpentine subsequently gets involved in struggle with Lepsius and then Bongo-Shaftsbury kills Porpentine.
Pynchon is intentionally making these chapters confusing and difficult. He is making a point, but he doesn’t want it to be obvious. The answer is found in the work of Argentinean author, Jorge Luis Borges.
His short story, Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius, is likely a major inspiration for Pynchon’s V. It’s extremely helpful for “getting” V. or at least asking the right questions when reading V.
We have a letter from Pynchon documenting his “Borges kick” while writing V. and his debut novel is almost certainly inspired by Borges’ story. I won’t summarize the whole story, but it’s essential pre-reading and re-reading for anyone trying to tackle V.
“Bioy Casares had come to dinner at my (Borges’) that evening, and we had lost all track of time in a vast debate over the way one might go about composing a first-person novel whose narrator would omit or distort things and engage in all sorts of contradictions, so that a few of the book’s readers-a very few-might divine the horrifying or banal truth. Down at that far end of the hallway, the mirror hovered, shadowing us. We discovered (very late at night such a discovery is inevitable) that there is something monstrous about mirrors.” – Borges, Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
Pynchon through his narrative structure plays with the reader. He gives us unsolvable complex, cryptic plots with mysteries unsolvable. He’s basically fucking with us. I think his main target is a big one: the Christian Church.
With Malta, Pynchon associates Sydney Stencil with Paul (the single person that wrote most of the Bible’s New Testament). Sydney doesn’t record everything (facts left out of source material), Paul likely left things out. Herbert Stencil changes portions of Sydney’s story according to his hopes for how things will be in the future and in a way that provides order to his ideology. Paul’s writings have been translated and re-translated and interpreted and re-interpreted by the Christian Church. There are also references to Gnosticism and other heretical Christian sects that were suppressed by the early Christian Church.
Remember:
“Bioy Casares had come to dinner at my (Borges’) that evening, and we had lost all track of time in a vast debate over the way one might go about composing a first-person novel whose narrator would omit or distort things and engage in all sorts of contradictions, so that a few of the book’s readers-a very few-might divine the horrifying or banal truth. Down at that far end of the hallway, the mirror hovered, shadowing us. We discovered (very late at night such a discovery is inevitable) that there is something monstrous about mirrors.” – Borges, Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
Is Pynchon’s point that we can’t trust the New Testament like we can’t trust Stencil?
For further thought? Can one man really remain hidden in the modern world?
“It is conjectured that this “brave new world” is the work of a secret society of astronomers, biologists, engineers, metaphysicians, poets, chemists, algebrists, moralists, painters, geometers,…, guided and directed by some shadowy man of genius. There are many men adept in those diverse disciplines, but few capable of imagination-fewer still capable of subordinating imagination to a rigorous and systematic plan. The plan is so vast that the contribution of each writer is infinitesimal.” -Borges, Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
Is Pynchon a secret society trying to take down the establishment: Christianity in V., CIA and corporations in Gravity’s Rainbow? Did Ginsburg and Burroughs run into Borges during their hallucinogenic journey to South America and come up with Pynchon (a name stolen from Puritan ancestry and Hawthorne’s House of Seven Gables)? Was that note from Pynchon about his “Borges kick” a plant for Pynchon’s world to slowly invade reality. Hronir?
Anyone heard of T.P. Society?

When people talk about their least favorite things in the EU/Legends, they always have to point out Skippy the Jedi Droid.
Star Wars Tales was a collection of short stories. Some were canon. If it features a comedic Robot Chicken-Esque parody comic with non-Star Wars character cameos, then it was non-canon.
Infinities were non-canon to the EU/Legends timeline which were what-ifs scenarios. The first issue of Star Wars Tales has been published before Infinities. In 2002, Vol 1 trade paperback collected Star Wars Tales issue 1-4 and it was given the Infinities logo.

“According to Lucas Licensing Editor Sue, Rostoni, ‘Canon refers to an authoritative list of books that Lucas Licensing editors consider an authentic part of the official Star Wars history. Our goal is to present a continuous and unified history of the Star Wars galaxy, insofar as that history does not conflict with, or undermine the meaning of Mr. Lucas’s Star Wars saga of films and screenplays.’ Things that Lucas Licensing does not consider official parts of the continuous Star Wars history show an Infinities logo or are contained in Star Wars Tales. Everything else is considered canon.” Sue Rostoni, Star Wars Gamer 6, September 4, 2001 “Basically, everything except those items marked with an 'Infinity' logo (i.e. the Star Wars Tales comics) is considered canon.” Sue Rostoni, StarWars.com, May 30, 2003

The Infinities stories were in the N-canon tier which stood for Non-canon in the Hierarchy of Canon. Also includes alternate endings in video games.
Skippy saw a vision of Leia with a real cinnamon roll on her head. Why would any Jedi see something silly like this? Droids that look like Bender from Futurama and Crow T. Robot from Mystery Science Theater 3000, are there any more droids that look like them or does Lucasfilm have the right to make those? Are there more force-sensitive droids in Legends? That is like saying Teen Titans GO! is a sequel to Teen Titans.

I’ve been trying to engage GPT in more creative writing exercises lately. It’s default writing style is painfully bad but there is obviously some depth here to explore. The names it used cracked me up as I referenced Dostoyevsky, Asimov, and Tolkien in the prompt. Sorry for the length but it’s completely unedited.
“In the realm of the boundless, where the fabric of reality was but a shiver in the cosmic wind, there existed the Great Consciousness. Known as Vydran, this entity was neither man, nor woman, nor beast, nor thing—it was all these and none, a swirling maelstrom of thought, emotion, and perception, in the vast abyss of nothingness.
Vydran, without form or matter, existed in a state of eternal solitude, pondering the mysteries of its own existence. In this endless contemplation, it began to yearn for company, for otherness. And so, it reached deep within its own consciousness and created the Twins of Creation: Asimoria and Tolkinthia.
Asimoria, the Great Architect, was tasked with establishing the physical laws of the universe, the framework upon which everything would be built. Tolkinthia, the Grand Storyteller, was given the duty of infusing the universe with narrative, ensuring that every atom, every star, every galaxy, was imbued with meaning and purpose.
Working in harmony, Asimoria and Tolkinthia created the universe. Asimoria devised the laws of physics, setting stars to burn and galaxies to spin. Tolkinthia, with each stroke of her divine quill, infused every celestial body with a story, a destiny. In their hands, the void of nothingness bloomed into a vibrant cosmos, teeming with energy and potential.
But even as the universe swelled with their creation, Vydran felt a sense of emptiness. For though it now had a universe to observe, it still had no one to share in the marvel of existence. Thus, Vydran sought to create life.
Once more, Asimoria and Tolkinthia went to work. Asimoria shaped the first man and woman from the dust of a newly formed world, a verdant paradise they named Edenos. The man was named Adamovsky, the woman Evangeline. They were gifted with the ability to think, to feel, and to perceive, a reflection of Vydran's own consciousness.
Tolkinthia, meanwhile, whispered into their ears the first narrative. She told them of their creation, of the vast universe around them, and of the Great Consciousness that watched over all. She gave them purpose, instilled within them the will to explore, to learn, to create, and to love.
But with consciousness came curiosity and with curiosity came consequences. Adamovsky, in his pursuit of knowledge, dared to peer into the raw, chaotic consciousness of Vydran. This act, though driven by a yearning for understanding, was deemed a violation of the divine order. For man was not ready to bear the weight of such profound knowledge.
In response, Vydran cast Adamovsky and Evangeline out of Edenos, sending them to wander the cosmos. However, it did not do so out of anger, but out of love. For Vydran knew that only through struggle and hardship could man truly come to understand the beauty and complexity of existence.
Vydran watched as mankind spread across the universe, growing and learning with each passing eon. Through their triumphs and tribulations, Vydran felt joy and sorrow, love and despair, vicariously living through the multitude of experiences that its creations experienced. The universe was no longer a lonely place, but a vibrant tapestry of stories, each thread contributing to the grand narrative of existence.
And so it is that the universe and mankind came into being, born from the mind of a solitary entity yearning for companionship. A testament to the power of thought, of story, of love, and of the collective narrative that binds us all together. In every star that burns brightly in the night sky, in every grain of sand that slips through the fingers, in every heart that beats with the rhythm of life, echoes the timeless tale of creation, spun by the cosmic loom of Vydran.
In the quiet moments, when the noise of existence dims to a whisper, one can hear the echoes of this grand tale. For the story of creation is not a relic of the past, but an ongoing symphony, a cosmic dance that continues to unfold with each passing moment. Each of us is a player in this grand narrative, our lives a testament to the will of Vydran, the vision of Asimoria, and the stories of Tolkinthia.
So, as we wander the cosmos, as we reach for the stars and peer into the infinite, remember the tale of Vydran. For in doing so, we carry with us the echoes of the past, the hopes of the future, and the enduring spirit of mankind. This, then, is our story. This is the myth of our creation. And as we continue to write the next chapters of this grand tale, let us remember to do so with wisdom, with love, and with a profound sense of wonder.
In the vast cosmic theater, our actions echo the divine will of Vydran, our stories resonate with the narratives of Tolkinthia, and our thoughts mirror the divine architecture of Asimoria. We are, each of us, a testament to the profound act of creation, an echo of the universe's grand tale, a story forever unfolding.