Updates 3/3/2019
We’ve fixed a bunch of bugs and made a few other quality-of-life improvements. If any of these bugs don’t seem fixed, or you know of any others that remain unfixed, please let us know in the comments below.
Performance Improvement: Stream
Some optimizations have been made to improve the stream (home screen) loading time. In most cases, it was taking far too long to load posts from authors you follow.
UI Improvement: Message/Block Buttons
New message/block buttons have been added to user profiles. These buttons appear both on desktop and mobile versions of the website in the upper right, near the profile picture.
Improvement: Challenge Browsing
We removed the filter that, when browsing challenges, hid most challenges by authors you do not follow. You will now see all challenges when browsing. This is experimental. If it ends up swamping you with challenges, let us know and we'll revert the change.
Bug Fix: User Swapping
A bug that previously caused profile pictures, comments, posts, messages, and other things to appear as though they were created by the wrong user has been fixed. This bug was particularly common when posting new comments and sending new messages.
Bug Fix: Liking/Reposting
A bug preventing likes and reposts from registering properly has been fixed. This affected posts that were part of a concluded challenges. Affected posts have been modified to reflect the correct like/repost counts.
Bug Fix: Challenge Resolutions
A bug that prevented challenges from properly resolving upon reaching their deadline has been fixed. This prevented winners from being notified when their post was selected, and challenge creators from being notified when it was time to pick a winner. Both issues have been fixed.
Bug Fix: Usernames with Hyphens
Hyphens were never intended to be allowed in usernames. All usernames that previously included a hyphen have had that hyphen replaced with an underscore. New usernames will not allow hyphens.
Bug Fix: Autoscrolling in Messages
A bug that prevented the message window from scrolling to the bottom when opening a conversation has been fixed. The window should now properly scroll to the bottom of a conversation when a message window is opened.
Bug Fix: Attach Portal
The “Attach Portal” button is now properly greyed out when editing a post. In the future, we will likely allow for posts without portals to be retroactively added to a portal.
A Glimpse of Dark Tides
The traffic roars behind me
Headlights rushing past
Shining brightly in the corners of my eyes
For brief seconds
Before disappearing into nothingness
The distant city lights
Hover over the gently rolling tides
Illuminating the blackness
Like sweet innocent fairies
Drowning in a sea of darkness
Still alive but with little hopes of survival
The black waves try to swallow the lights whole
But every time the lights dart away
At the last moment
Fluttering against the water
The moon glimmers brightly tonight
Full and awake
A big glaring eye judging the world from amongst the clouds
I lean against the bridge’s railing weakly
Feeling the cool midnight breeze kiss my ragged cheeks
My body quivers from the soft touch of the wind
Recoiling away like a demon from the light
Oh God, I feel so tired and exhausted tonight!
My mind feels murky
My vision blurs
Too many thoughts racing through my head
All at once
A bullet train with no station
Endlessly charging down the tracks
Rest my head against my hand
Close my eyes
Desperately try to bear the emotions
That relentlessly torture my poor heart
Smell the awful sent of alcohol on my leather jacket
It’s so strong it’s suffocating
It makes me want to vomit
And oh, how much my stomach burns!
Tipsy,
Breaths come out heavy
Leaning so far onto my hand
That eventually it surrenders to gravity
Head smashes against the railing
Too exhausted to move
Stare mindlessly into the abyss of rolling darkness below
The waves dance slowly
Back and forth
Keeping in time with the rhythm of the universe
This awful, filthy reality
Laughter escapes my lips
Maniacal and bitter
Disgusting as it pierces through the calm air
A hideous melody
Awful
Terrible
…Just like me…
Laughter turns to laments
Harsh tears burn my cheeks
Cutting my face
Dropping into the bottomless pit below
Which engulfs the teardrops whole
The thoughts slowly rise up
Fighting against my will power
They grow and grow and grow
Restless like a caged animal
The detonation blows
And my sanity shatters to pieces
…Terrible…
…Hideous…
…Hopeless…
…Meaningless…
…Monster…
Random words
Shouting in the emptiness of my mind
Painting the blank slate black
Random words
Tearing apart the jigsaw puzzle
Rationality loses to chaos
Random words
Anarchy
Self-destruction
A bloody war
Sanity dies
Evil reigns
…I can’t do this anymore…
The abyss of darkness calls to me
Inviting
A long-awaited lover
Arms outstretched
I lean forward
So close
So close
So close…
Brush my lover’s soft fingertips
In the dying lamplight
Almost there
Just a little more
So close
So close
So close…
Body surrenders to gravity
Eternally falling
A hideous monster
Disappearing from the light
Nowhere to be found
As the waves reach to devour me
Gone
Gone
Gone forever…
And no one will ever remember…
I thought, until a powerful grip
Grabs hold of my sleeve
I hang from the bridge
Swaying with the midnight breeze
As it breathes into the world
I gaze up through my strands of hair
At the young man holding my forearm
Large muscles tensed
His eyes shine bright
Face struggling as he pulls me up
Over the railing and onto the sidewalk
I collapse, hands over chest
Tears sting my cheeks
Jacket lopsided
Hair tossled and unkempt
"Why, kid?! Why?!"
I breath through clenched teeth.
"Why save a monster like me?"
He gave me a forgiving smile
Sweet and innocent
Carefree as adolescents are
"'Cause every one deserves a second chance
Even monsters, as you say you are.
How do you know
That time won't erode the darkness
Of a monster's soul?
Come now, dear human brother
Let us go have some dinner together."
When Spring Comes
Spring brings with it a certain lilt, a harmonious sense of purpose and wonderment. Spring brings back life in the flowers ever delicate with their rosey reds, deep purples, ever brighter yellows, and the softness of pink.
There floats around us a certain air, a vibrant scent of life returning back to the fold. And just when you are first amazed at this life-transition of nature, it takes on another look, perhaps only a vision behind the mind’s eye, perhaps that quiet decadence, when sunlight spreads its warmth and comfort to each place where beauty returns.
A field of poppies and daffodils, a rose garden, trees repopulate their green shaded leaves, or even the hint of a spring lake rising up to breathe in; nature at her finest brings new resolve to us all, giving purpose for the long-awaited season that beckons us to till our soil and plant new beauty.
Spring is and always has been, a sensual journey into the colors that surround our lives.
Come, walk with me and breathe in what nature gives us. It doesn’t get any better than this.
The Empty Mind
It was dawn, the usual crimson sky now gave a dark despair. Violent streams of memories clenched Vanir’s mind. He could hear hordes of men roaring within his mind, with utmost vengeance.
Vanir took a heavy gasp.
“How long has it been, Richard”
“Almost an year, young sir. Almost an year” , the old butler revered.
As they both stood on the Castle’s balcony, staring down at it’s massive backyard leading
to the forest.
It was almost an year since Vanir fell asleep, being his dearest Richard took care of
Vanir’s mortal vessel until this present day.
Vanir sat down on his study and is trying to recollect what’s left of his memory.
“Ah, what day is this Richard?”
“It’s Monday sir, 25th August 1997, time 06:23.”
“It’s been almost 30 minutes, and your tea has gone cold sir. Should i have it boiled again
for you, sir.”
Vanir stared at Richard for a brief moment. Richard was paralyzed in an instant, as if a
thousand blades had struck his feeble heart.
Seconds passed...
With a smile as that of an heavenly light set to free one’s burden, “It would be fine, old
friend. I’d like to have my tea cold for now.”
“Take your leave now, and be back in an hour Richard. I’d like to have some deep roasted
bacon, a couple of omelettes, a tender loaf of bread and a pint of our old red wine for
breakfast.”
“I’ll have them served to you in an hour, sir. Served in the most elegant of manner...”
“Leave, Richard”
“Right away, young sir, humbly i shall”
Richard took slow steps out of the room, trying to hear the words between Vanir’s silence and his ulterior motives.
Vanir took the tea right away.
Reviving the Unhearkened Reminiscence
Left undisturbed Vanir emptied his awareness, gathered all his past memories. Fragments of his memories were projected unto his mind’s eye. Wavering through his memories, Vanir took a brief pause and grasped all he could with utmost focus.
September 26th, 1996, The Lunar Eclipse
It was almost midnight, Vanir’s Knights of five set onto the castle’s backyard. The Knights were all cousins of Vanir, men of his age group.
A set of 5 circles were made inwardly with a protective pentagram as its centre. The
outermost circle was of 40 metre, and 10 metre less for each successive circle drawn inwards. Ancient unknown symbols were inscribed on the inner curve of the final circle. The five knights took stand on 5 cardinal points of the pentagam. The entire ritual scheme was setup under Vanir’s command.
The midnight bell toll, the five wore their robes which too was marked with unknown
symbolism.
Their incantations began.
“Un wa tere mak yaruvigaan jreyuvaka karyath”
They stopped upon the sight of the moon’s penumbra, the crew took their athame(a ritual
dagger of some sort) and slit their palms and trickled their blood upon their chalices, as
they laid it in front of them.
The piercing light of the penumbra struck the chalices, energizing the ritual.
“The physical work has been done, it’s time for the internal work”
“Through our blood, we shall open the gates through us.” Vanir commanded.
It was by then, the local populace from the village came to end this menace. Vanir and the
knights were too obsessed to even notice the thundering noise of the mass.
Vanir and his knights worked their way out through the soul plane, and upon the guidance of the four gate -keepers of all four directions, the gates were finally opened.
Vanir took the first step through the gat, and was floating upon the infinite pools of clusters of floating energy clumps of bright blue and green luminous.
At his sight, a powerful stream of endless energy, it was large and long, with Vanir not
even able to see nor the starting or ending of it.
Bedazzled at what Vanir saw, he could see himself eradicating all his worldly attachments.
All the strings cut, all the burdens gone, all the wounds healed and all scars faded.
“This Vanir, runs beneath all existence, beneath all realms. Beneath all that is alive.”
“This is the river of life, immensify yourself in its essence and be unbounded as the universe that you are”
“This is as far as i can bring you, young one. The rest of the steps are yours to make.”
a powerful voice murmured.
Vanir floated across to dive into this immense stream of life.
“AAAAAAAAARRRRGH, VANIR”
“RUN AWAY”
“NOW” “SAVE US”
The two worlds collided. Vanir now, could see both the worlds at the same time.
The raging crowd slayed all his knights. Vanir outside the bounds of sanity reached for the stream, regardless of his Knights death. He could see both the river and a blood tainted blade infront of him. As he reached for the river, the blade reached for him. The more he thrusted his will to reach the river, the more longer it took for the blade to slash him through.
With his hands almost set onto making the final touch, time stopped and endless torrents of energy flooded through Vanir’s soul and body into the physical world slashing through all forms of life, annihilating even the tiniest forms of existence.
It lasted only an half of a second, before he floated away.
With the entire populace decimated, blood drenched all the five circles.
Vanir returned to his vessel, unable to bear such extremity, he hit the ground unconscious.
UNTIL NOW, THE PRESENT 25TH AUGUST 1997, TIME 07:30
A gentle knock on the door,
“May i get in, sir”
“Please come in, Richard”
“Aww, my breakfast. Take a seat, we shall eat together”
Both of them had a quality time. Despite the evil that Vanir caused, Richard still loved him.
“Tell me, Richard Falter. The last son of the butler family of Falter’s.”
“Why was my tea poisoned?”
“I mean you did have almost an year of time, you could easily killed me. But why, now?”
A brief silence echoed through the walls.
“Master Vanir, you are the last heir of this family. I loved you as much this life let me. But, I've... I never wanted you to die, young one. But I cannot live with myself, not knowing what more evil that you would cause.”
“But then, why did you take the poison yourself, my eyes can see your life withering away”
“There’s not much choice left for me, i cannot live with you being alive as much as you are dead. Henceth it’s best for this old soul to depart alongside you, Vanir. My services are for you, be it life or death.”
“I shall carry out your cremation myself. You shall have a respected depart, Richard”
“I too love you”
“What do you mean?” ... Richard gasped.
“That day, Richard. I died that day. Now, i’m beyond the bounds of life and death. You should not have taken the poison, you never asked me anything when you make decisions, you always have made decisions purely out of love and emotions. when i chose to walk the path of practicality.”
“You’ve suffered enough, old friend. Even though it pains me to see you leave, i’m content that you are free atlast.”
They hugged each other with immense love and respect. With little advices of the path of the righteous Richard bid goodbye.
The story of the old man ended.
Vanir was left with an empty mind.
#challengeofthemonthfebruary
#evil
#darkritual
#life
#horror
#spirituality