JINGLES TALK THREAD! COME DISCUSS WITH MEH!

[Malignant-Librarian]

HOW ARE YOU ALL THIS MORNING?

I WANT TO KNOW. (Btw, caps-lock is cruise-control for 'cool'! Didn't you know..?) So tell me please; what's happening in your life. Tell me about your day, your week, your year! Recite your whole life's story if you want, I'll listen so hard my ears'll bleed.

~squints and waits for a bite -- which shouldn't be long, considering we are werewolves, here~

[If you can't think of where to start, just answer me this; if you had to choose just one single song to represent yourself -- what would it be? Link me to a Youtube or something, let's get to know each other!]

[outwarddoodles]

I got a plant yesterday! I feel so inordinantly giddy and excited over it, and I've been trying to show it off as much as I can. My room is in the basement, and has no windows, thus I always feel caged off from the natural world -- and I was also always convinced I'd never be able to grow anything in there. BUT, apparently, the plant I received (a form of holly) is nearly impossible to kill. So we'll put that to the test....

There, I got THAT off my chest now.



*strokes her new plant*

[Malignant-Librarian]

@Outwarddoodles: Yay! That's awesome, a sprinkle of nature in your life must be nice. What kind of plant is it? Like, a pet holly plant? (I know you can get ornamental pepper plants as 'pet plants'/indoor plants. I had one in my dorm! It's name was Chim.)

Does it have a name? Where'd you get it?

[outwarddoodles]

Hahaha. It's a "Nephthytis," which is just one form of holly. I was thinking about naming it "Nephy" is it's masculine, and "Holly" if it's feminine....but I figured I need to know my new plant a little bit more before I give it a name it doesn't want.


I actually just found it on my desk -- apparently my Stepmom snuck it into my room and placed it there. It's around 8" tall.

Yeah, I'm a lot more happier about this plant than I should be.

[Wingman]

Well, my day's been going pretty good. Woke up early, ate a delicious and unhealthy breakfast, and now I'm listening to the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain while I overhaul my werewolves. And I mean a complete overhaul, to the point where they won't resemble any werewolf I've ever heard of. Let me know if you actually care to hear about it, since most of the changes are going to be mechanical in nature(numbers, and how they do it, rather than what they do).

Hmm, I suppose this will have to do. All revved up with no place to go, by Meatloaf. Or Bat out of hell, if I actually get around to doing something.

[Noir-Okami]

Um... Fine?

Kinda tired, but happy, because there's a Monk marathon.

[Vagrant]

My life hasn't been that interesting of late, but I've been moving up the rungs of my ladder of interest, and stopping by various places on the Internet as I explore those interests. The Pack is probably the first place I'm really inclined to stay at, of all of 'em.

I don't know if you're familiar with the concept of a Walkabout, but it's been kind of like that, both in life and online. A declaration of being sick of the World, not allowing anything to restrict oneself or one's nature, just being oneself, celebrating that, and fully understanding and embracing it.

This is something I've been going all out on. Recently, I've been spending a lot of time in the Pack's IRC, it's a wonderful place, filled with amazing and beautiful people whom I respect, admire, and adore. You should stop by there, Jingles, at some point. The information's in my sig, if you're curious.

(Oh, and if you're not sure of which IRC client to use, pick Pidgin! I created a smiley theme for Pidgin using Goldenwolf's and Fig's avatars, it's really great having them in IMs, IRC, and stuff!)

Aside from that, I've been passing the time with reading RedEye's story (he passed a bit on to me) and I have no words to describe how much I love it, his concept of White-Coats is something I've become enamoured with, you'll see why when you get to read his tale, but it's a must buy for me.

I've also gotten back into practising various forms of self-hypnosis, just for the intrigue of it all, one never knows what I might get out of that. Phantom shifts if I'm lucky. I'm almost tempted to start experimenting with lucid dreaming again too, but that never seems to actually work out for me.

So... there you have it!

Oh and if I had to pick a song/album to represent myself, it'd probably be something Ayreon did. Maybe thhe Human Equation.

[Malignant-Librarian]

@Outwarddoodles: And why not? Sharing our space with other living things -- be it humans, animals, or plants, is always a strangely good feeling! Lol @ your stepmom sneaking a plant into your room. XD

@Wingman: Aaaah, I love the one by Meatloaf. XD The other one is pretty awesome (describes how I feel some mornings, too).

And of course I want to hear about the changes in your weres. Mechanical in nature? Like, dice-rolling and tabletop gaming style? Or biological?

@Noir-Okami: Ahaha, I need to see that show. Why are you tired? ^o^

@Vagrant: Ooh. I haven't ever heard of a Walkabout before, but it sounds pretty freeing. Oooh, I haven't read RedEye's story -- what are the White-Coats? ~sparkle~ It's prolly something I'll have to read to understand.

Oh, cool. How does self-hypnosis work? Out of curiosity. Is it like meditation? (I indulge in that once in a while.) Also, a phantom shift? I could look these things up on Google, I think, but I'd rather hear it from you. As for lucid dreams -- those are, like... WHOA. /eloquence

Ayreon... hmm. ~goes off to look for it~

[Vagrant]

The concept of a Walkabout is an interesting thing, and to be honest, I doubt I could cover it more eloquently than this article does.

It applies to me in a similar way; everyday life is simply following preset patterns that most Humans follow, a chained existence. The Walkabout is simply dropping the chains and going off to randomly wander about, usually learning something about oneself, one's past, and the World around them in the process.

As for the White-Coats, they're the Priests of his Wulfen religion, he could explain it better. Basically, they're healers, of both mind and body. They exude calm, and they seem to represent the best of the Wulfen.

I'd say that self-hypnosis is a very tricky topic; someone knowledgeable in the field would tell you that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, and the best hypnotist is but a guide, so anyone can do it by themselves if they're used to it enough. It really is just a form of deep relaxation, but it can also provide for very mild behavioural tweaking, it can make for some fantastic guided imgary when under, and some say it can lead to altered perceptions. I still haven't experienced the latter myself, yet.

A phantom shift is basically having convinced oneself that yes, I have "Werewolf bits", like a tail, for example. Just trick the brain into thinking that it has a tail long enough, and it starts to simulate the experience. Akin to the way an amputee can still occasionally feel their arm, it's a similar process to that. It's part memory, and part something the mind is doing because it's been told so often that it should be.

I'm determined that I'll bring about a phantom shift, one of these days, but I've had no luck yet. I have been told though it's all down to time, patience, and simply persevering.

The concept of a lucid dream is that if one experiences a really vivid dream, and were they able to recognise the dream state, they'd be able to take control and submit suggestions into the dream-scape. For example, if one could train oneself to catch certain stimuli to realise one is in such a state, one could then take control. Outcome: Lots of fun Werewolf dreams. <.<

There are even devices which can monitor the sleeper for the point where they enter into this state, and play a quiet sound not designed to wake the sleeper, but simply to provide them with a cue that they can recognise. They hear that, and they know they're sleeping.

As I said, I've not achieved it yet... but that would have to be so trippy.

[Noir-Okami]

Stayed up 'till one. No drinking though.

[outwarddoodles]

Vagrant: I'll have to respond more indepth to your post later, as I'm working on my English Project now (New Years Resolutions, ahoy!), but I'm incredibly interested in lucid dreaming, and dreams in general. Might I suggest trying a WILD? Wake induced lucid dreaming is the primary technique I can use to intentionally cause a lucid dream.

Jingles: That's exactly why I'm so excited over my plant. For once I'll get to share my room with another living creature -- it's not as lifeless as it was now. = P

[Vagrant]

outward: (Ooh, I like the bold style.) Actually, I have tried a WILD. And you're probably going to be laughing by the time I've finished, I cannot blame you, I would not. In fact, I'm going to have trouble relating this.

First of all, I had no idea it was called a WILD, I didn't know that major research into it had been done, really, and my method is very different.

<.<

My method involves an office chair, soft music, and relaxation techniques. I tend to rotate in the chair to remove all sharp external stimuli, to dull my senses, and I just relax. It doesn't usually take me long to sink deep inside my own mind, and this can happen so vividly sometimes that I feel as though I'm taking part in whichever tale unfolds, and I pretty much guide it along.

In fact, it can be that real and vivid that when I'm jarred out of it I can end up thinking "Oh, I'm back here again." It's how I get my inspiration for stories quite often, I just let it take me and I go with it, it's quite amazing. I never really knew what to call it, it was just something that I did. -shrugs.- It did help to do it after I'd slept too, with a fresh mindset, for whatever that's worth.

The office chair works because it's like sensory deprivation, it just makes everything a bit of a mess, to all the senses, and that helps. With nothing to focus on, it's easy to get into that kind of state.

I have fallen asleep a number of times whilst doing this as well, and I've had some particularly wonderful dreams.

The reason I never thought of it as lucid dreaming is because I guide it so completely, I just consider it as diving into my mindscape, it was just something I did. Usually I considered lucid dreaming to be an existing dream that I'd take over, not a dream that I'd create. Does that make any sense?

So yes... to a degree, I dare say that I have tried WILDs, and now I know what to call them. <.<

And yes, you can laugh at my terrible methods, now. >.> /cough

Anyway, as I said, I thought lucid dreaming would be a bit different to that, but the more I think about it... the more I realise I may have been doing it--that way--for years without even having ever realised it. Because I can think of nothing else that is so vivid and real to me.

Hm.

[outwarddoodles]

Vagrant: I'm soo, soo sorry. I DID laugh. But it's clever, really.

I've never been capable of just 'diving' into my mindscape -- at least, not with as much detail, stimuli, and perception I'm capable of receiving in my dreams. As I see it, it's still 'dreaming' (although definitely without as much mental rejuvenation, so I only try to lucid dream on weekends) because you're opening the connection between interaction with your conscious and unconscious mind. In fact, dreaming is more like I'm in my unconscious -- and it still feels that way with lucid dreaming. My unconscious is in control, not the other way around, I don't have complete control over what occurs in my lucid dream.

By the way, what music do you listen to during this? I've tried various "New Age Ambient Calming Technique blah blah" before -- doesn't quite work out for me. I'm considering trying binaural beats.

(Bah, yeah, English project. Talk more later.)

[Vagrant]

Oh, don't worry about it. I'm a naturally eccentric person, and eccentricity is almost always funny. What I get up to and the things I say... I do tend to have people cracking up. This is no exception.

The thing is though, it really does work, and it's so real. I use it to explore possible story outcomes and things, and to subject my characters to various ... ... scenarios (that was ominous, wasn't it?). I can do it with the same kind of detail as if I were watching something on telly, but it would -feel- real, I'd get atmospheric feedback, things would feel cold or warm, sometimes I'd pick up smells... and none of these would really be there.

It's pretty nifty I suppose, but ... I just never considered as anything special because I've been doing it for years upon years, in fact, I'm so accustomed to it now that I can do it easily. Sometimes if I'm just sitting still, a little relaxation, perhaps guiding myself down with an induction--and it happens, it simply happens. It used to be much harder, these days it's more like a switch.

And I spend a lot of time in there. You should know that being inside your own mind is an incredible experience, and it's hard to want to leave, and to be honest... I wouldn't, but I can only do it for an hour or two at a time. Usually, when I snap out of it I'm totally exhausted and I have no idea why, but I could just fall on my bed and sleep, I just feel really drained. One thing I'd love is to be able to prolong them.

And I've used binaural beats, I used them early on when I was practicing with hypnosis. These days, anything can work. I've found that a purely instrumental metal track works amazingly well...

Do I know why? No, not really. I just happen to find that relaxing.

But I digress.

This is certainly a fun conversation, innit?

[Moss27]

2009... What's to say about it? Well... It's been kind of a slow morning. New Year's Eve wasn't at all that exciting as last year's, so I'm feeling a little bored. I didn't celebrate with familiar friends or family, just my parents and our "newish" neighbors down the street. And I didn't get to blow up a Cobra, or any type of illegal-in-the-U.S. fireworks. The closest thing to a "bang" were those party poppers. XD Oh, and the countdown fireworks? The fireworks at Seattle only lasted for 7 minutes. That kind of sucked.

So yeah... the morning is slow. I'm sure that I'll be happy tomorrow.

[Malignant-Librarian]

@Vagrant: Oh, you little Aborigine, you! This conversation thread isn't about me, so I'll be brief, but I'm an animist. I don't know why I felt the need to tell you that, but for some weird reason I thought you might get a kick out of it.

I have GOT to try that phantom shift thing. Is it possible to have a phantom shift without entering a deep semi-comatose state? Sometimes when I'm really hyper I'll feel a tail or snout of some kind (hell, could be a beak) on me, and it freaks me out enough to screech to a spark-grinding halt. If so, maybe that's the explanation for that weird feeling.

...And yeah, that would be so trippy. But awesome. When you get to that point please write it down and then tell me about it.

About the WILD: ... The first part sounds like it would make me throw-up -- because of the swaying motion in the chair. XD You must be more patient than I. ~spins chair rapidly and chants something about it hurrying up~ Your method doesn't seem so dumb. Kinda cool. I daydream all the time -- most of the time, unfortunately, when I'm driving. Which leads to sorta retarded swerving on the road and people behind me staying WAY clear!

"I've found that a purely instrumental metal track works amazingly well..."

YES.

@Noir-Okami: Oh, lawd! I know the feeling. Good for you for not drinking -- did you have to drive anywhere last night? That would be pretty scary, the people on the road were all, "WHOO-HOO, NEW YEARS! hic!"

@Outwarddoodles: ~glomp~ Kudos to you for responding to another person's post; yay opening the boundaries! Also, good for you for following up on a New Year's resolution! What were your other ones?

"New Age Ambient Calming Technique blah blah" LOL.

@Moss27; Aww. What happened last New Year's Eve that made it better than this one? Oooh, a Cobra... that sounds deadly. But party poppers are a good alternative. (One time my sister snapped one so enthusiastically that the innards went flying right into our clam chowder. Mom was NOT happy about the clam chowder turning rainbow.) I like snappers-- the little ones you fling like pebbles onto the ground, that pop and spark on impact.

[Howlitzer]

Lately with me?

Not much, and I'm glad to say that. College has been great thus far, the first two terms fried my brains to a crisp (though it was worth it, I got 1 B and all A's in the rest of my classes). So understandably, I'm glad to be off on winter break for a bit.... I don't have to think about anything academic until the middle of this month.

Christmas was pretty good...it lasted for about 4 days in my case, since we had relatives visiting every day and exchanging gifts.

As for the rest of the time, nothing groundbreaking. Mostly I've been doing some just-for-fun projects, trying to relax, working on some art, mostly the book cover for RedEye's "Wulfen Honor", and trying to save up a bit of money... I've also been contemplating doing some limited commissions and opening up a DA prints account, since the little bit of extra money it might lead to would certainly help... though nothing is certain yet, my available time is inconsistent and I'm skiddish about taking commissions and such. :/

[lycanthropeful]

Well, Jingles, you want to know what's happening in my life. This should go in the Venting Room.

My parents and I have always been close, but I swear my mom went psychotic tonight and must've flipped out on some lady at a store at which we were returning stuff. My dad said she got way out of hand, and he was siding with the clerk. So my mom flipped out on HIM, complaining about how "he never sticks up for her," when finally we all got back in the car and I screamed at both of them so loud to shut the f*** up that I thought the glass might shatter.

So then we all sat there sulking and I listened to my parents cuss each other out, and we went into Wal-Mart to get a battery for my watch. Well then, it was just great. The lady in the jewelry department legitimately BROKE MY WATCH because it has a special face. I did get to take a band and a new watch for free, which was great, but my mom bought me that watch and it was very special to me. It also means that I now can't use the other adjustable bands and faces that came with it all because that woman screwed up the pin and the watch face.

We all fought on the ride home, as well, and I was trying not to involve myself. My mom always thinks my dad and I team up against her - which is partially true - but she gets so paranoid! Then she just gets irrational! I started to cry and scream again at her, trying to make herself listen to the crap she was saying, and then I thought about what my problem was, since I get emotionally weak in moments of confrontation. I was thinking about this thread, actually, and forms of meditation, so I silently thought to myself, "If you were a werewolf, you wouldn't be crying right now," and the tears stopped. Then I stormed in the house and came up here to avoid the battlegrounds downstairs.

The end. Please don't pity me. It just felt good to get it out. But that's what's happening.

[MoonKit]

Hahaha. It's a "Nephthytis," which is just one form of holly. I was thinking about naming it "Nephy" is it's masculine, and "Holly" if it's feminine....but I figured I need to know my new plant a little bit more before I give it a name it doesn't want.


I actually just found it on my desk -- apparently my Stepmom snuck it into my room and placed it there. It's around 8" tall.

Yeah, I'm a lot more happier about this plant than I should be.

Im glad Im not the only one who names plants. My family thinks Im weird. Right now we have Thomas the Snake Plant and Henry the Cactus. Henry used to have a crown of little pink flowers when I bought him (which is why I chose him! He looked vaguely pagan.) but I suck at taking care of plants and there's no more flowers.

[Malignant-Librarian]

@Howlitzer: I got 1 B and all A's in the rest of my classes) HOLY COW. HIGH FIVE MAN HIGH FIVE. THAT'S AWESOME.

But seriously, just in case someone else hasn't already said it, great job. You earned those A's!

Oh, you should totally open up commissions, and if it's free to set one up, I'd totally do a print account. Your work'll be sexy printed, with all the details on it. <3 Why are you skittish about taking commissions? (Maybe you're like me and can only take checks sent via snail-mail? I can understand the paranoia.)

@Lycanthropeful: Oh my god. That must have been terrible. So your mom just blew up at the clerk..? (Sounds like your dad was being the fairer one, with a clear head.)

As for the watch thing... girlie I'M SO SORRY. D: That's the pits. The woman really ought to be better trained than that, to be able to handle unique watches without breaking them... I'm sorry your special watch from your mom got broken. :<

Your mom is being paranoid, it sounds like. And girl, I don't pity you -- that would imply I view you as less than equal to me, which isn't the case. ~huggle~ I empathize, however, and very strongly. Let's talk more on AIM!

@Moonkit: What is a Snake Plant? XD And why did you name them Thomas and Henry? Did it just feel right?

[Midnight]

.

[vrikasatma]

[vrikasatma]

I have GOT to try that phantom shift thing. Is it possible to have a phantom shift without entering a deep semi-comatose state?

I've done a phantom shift once. It happened at the first Crash Worship I went to. The drums, fire and wild dancing got to me, I clicked into my Totem space and raced through the club on all fours. I had a powerful vision of my joints bending, muzzle extruding and a tail-that-wasn't-there giving me balance so I could bound and run on all fours. I was wearing black boots and sarong and that's how I got my Crash name, "Wolfinblack."

[outwarddoodles]

Moonkit: I've had a couple different plants previously of whom I assigned names. But, so, so unfortunately, I seem to be cursed with the opposite of a green thumb -- I kill everything I touch. Nephthytis is supposed to be a very resilient and hardy plant, so hopefully it'll stick around for me! (I really don't want to have to start growing rock gardens, after all.)

Howlitzer: I would totally commission you. In fact, on that note, there are other members here who I'd love to commission now that I have some cash...

Jingles: Ooooooh, Animism! I'm very ambient about my own personal beliefs, but the concept of animisn especially enthralls me. We appear to have some interesting people floating around these forums.

Vagrant: Is there any paticular reason behind your desire to experience shapeshifting? Therianthropic, shamanistic, or just curiosity?

Also, I'm starting to understand what you mean by being capable of just 'flicking a switch into your mind.' I've essentially taught myself how to achieve a trance/meditative state in a matter of moments through the past couple of years, so I suppose the difference here is my lack of experience.

[MoonKit]

@Moonkit: What is a Snake Plant? XD And why did you name them Thomas and Henry? Did it just feel right?

Snake Plant:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... _plant.jpg

@Outwarddoodles:
We both need those Aqua Globe plant waterers they sell on TV I guess. And good luck with your new plant.


@ Everybody:
This thread is so random and so oddly awesome!