“Hope you’re a harvest god,” Arepo said, and set up an altar and burnt two stalks of wheat. “It’d be nice, you know.” He looked down at the ash smeared on the stone, the rocks all laid askew, and coughed and scratched his head. “I know it’s not much,” he said, his straw hat in his hands. “But - I’ll do what I can. It’d be nice to think there’s a god looking after me.”

The next day he left a pair of figs, the day after that he spent ten minutes of his morning seated by the temple in prayer. On the third day, the god spoke up.

“You should go to a temple in the city,” the god said. Its voice was like the rustling of the wheat, like the squeaks of fieldmice running through the grass. “A real temple. A good one. Get some real gods to bless you. I’m no one much myself, but I might be able to put in a good word?” It plucked a leaf from a tree and sighed. “I mean, not to be rude. I like this temple. It’s cozy enough. The worship’s been nice. But you can’t honestly believe that any of this is going to bring you anything.”

“This is more than I was expecting when I built it,” Arepo said, laying down his scythe and lowering himself to the ground. “Tell me, what sort of god are you anyway?”

“I’m of the fallen leaves,” it said. “The worms that churn beneath the earth. The boundary of forest and of field. The first hint of frost before the first snow falls. The skin of an apple as it yields beneath your teeth. I’m a god of a dozen different nothings, scraps that lead to rot, momentary glimpses. A change in the air, and then it’s gone.”

The god heaved another sigh. “There’s no point in worship in that, not like War, or the Harvest, or the Storm. Save your prayers for the things beyond your control, good farmer. You’re so tiny in the world. So vulnerable. Best to pray to a greater thing than me.”

Arepo plucked a stalk of wheat and flattened it between his teeth. “I like this sort of worship fine,” he said. “So if you don’t mind, I think I’ll continue.”

“Do what you will,” said the god, and withdrew deeper into the stones. “But don’t say I never warned you otherwise.”

Arepo would say a prayer before the morning’s work, and he and the god contemplated the trees in silence. Days passed like that, and weeks, and then the Storm rolled in, black and bold and blustering. It flooded Arepo’s fields, shook the tiles from his roof, smote his olive tree and set it to cinder. The next day, Arepo and his sons walked among the wheat, salvaging what they could. The little temple had been strewn across the field, and so when the work was done for the day, Arepo gathered the stones and pieced them back together.

“Useless work,” the god whispered, but came creeping back inside the temple regardless. “There wasn’t a thing I could do to spare you this.”

“We’ll be fine,” Arepo said. “The storm’s blown over. We’ll rebuild. Don’t have much of an offering for today,” he said, and laid down some ruined wheat, “but I think I’ll shore up this thing’s foundations tomorrow, how about that?” 

The god rattled around in the temple and sighed.

A year passed, and then another. The temple had layered walls of stones, a roof of woven twigs. Arepo’s neighbors chuckled as they passed it. Some of their children left fruit and flowers. And then the Harvest failed, the gods withdrew their bounty. In Arepo’s field the wheat sprouted thin and brittle. People wailed and tore their robes, slaughtered lambs and spilled their blood, looked upon the ground with haunted eyes and went to bed hungry. Arepo came and sat by the temple, the flowers wilted now, the fruit shriveled nubs, Arepo’s ribs showing through his chest, his hands still shaking, and murmured out a prayer. 

“There is nothing here for you,” said the god, hudding in the dark. “There is nothing I can do. There is nothing to be done.” It shivered, and spat out its words. “What is this temple but another burden to you?”

“We -” Arepo said, and his voice wavered. “So it’s a lean year,” he said. “We’ve gone through this before, we’ll get through this again. So we’re hungry,” he said. “We’ve still got each other, don’t we? And a lot of people prayed to other gods, but it didn’t protect them from this. No,” he said, and shook his head, and laid down some shriveled weeds on the altar. “No, I think I like our arrangement fine.”

“There will come worse,” said the god, from the hollows of the stone. “And there will be nothing I can do to save you.”

The years passed. Arepo rested a wrinkled hand upon the temple of stone and some days spent an hour there, lost in contemplation with the god.

And one fateful day, from across the wine-dark seas, came War.

Arepo came stumbling to his temple now, his hand pressed against his gut, anointing the holy site with his blood. Behind him, his wheat fields burned, and the bones burned black in them. He came crawling on his knees to a temple of hewed stone, and the god rushed out to meet him.

“I could not save them,” said the god, its voice a low wail. “I am sorry. I am sorry. I am so so sorry.” The leaves fell burning from the trees, a soft slow rain of ash. “I have done nothing! All these years, and I have done nothing for you!”

“Shush,” Arepo said, tasting his own blood, his vision blurring. He propped himself up against the temple, forehead pressed against the stone in prayer. “Tell me,” he mumbled. “Tell me again. What sort of god are you?”

“I -” said the god, and reached out, cradling Arepo’s head, and closed its eyes and spoke.

“I’m of the fallen leaves,” it said, and conjured up the image of them. “The worms that churn beneath the earth. The boundary of forest and of field. The first hint of frost before the first snow falls. The skin of an apple as it yields beneath your teeth.” Arepo’s lips parted in a smile.

“I am the god of a dozen different nothings,” it said. “The petals in bloom that lead to rot, the momentary glimpses. A change in the air -” Its voice broke, and it wept. “Before it’s gone.”

“Beautiful,” Arepo said, his blood staining the stones, seeping into the earth. “All of them. They were all so beautiful.”

“Oh, poor god,” she said, “With no-one to bury your last priest.” Then she paused, because she was from far away. “Or is this how the dead are honored here?” The god roused from its contemplation.

“His name was Arepo,” it said, “He was a sower.”

Sora startled, a little, because she had never before heard the voice of a god. “How can I honor him?” She asked.

“Bury him,” the god said, “Beneath my altar.”

“All right,” Sora said, and went to fetch her shovel.

“Wait,” the god said when she got back and began collecting the bones from among the broken twigs and fallen leaves. She laid them out on a roll of undyed wool, the only cloth she had. “Wait,” the god said, “I cannot do anything for you. I am not a god of anything useful.”

Sora sat back on her heels and looked at the altar to listen to the god.

“When the Storm came and destroyed his wheat, I could not save it,” the god said, “When the Harvest failed and he was hungry, I could not feed him. When War came,” the god’s voice faltered. “When War came, I could not protect him. He came bleeding from the battle to die in my arms.” Sora looked down again at the bones.

“I think you are the god of something very useful,” she said.

“What?” the god asked.

The god sat in his peaceful home, staring out at the distant road, to pedestrians, workhorses, and carriages, raining leaves that swirled around bustling feet. How long had it been? The world had progressed without him, for he knew there was no help to be given. The world must be a cruel place, that even the useful gods have abandoned, if farms can flood, harvests can run barren, and homes can burn, he thought.

He had come to understand that humans are senseless creatures, who would pray to a god that cannot grant wishes or bless upon them good fortune. Who would maintain a temple and bring offerings with nothing in return. Who would share their company and meditate with such a fruitless deity. Who would bury a stranger without the hope for profit. What bizarre, futile kindness they had wasted on him. What wonderful, foolish, virtuous, hopeless creatures, humans were.

So he painted the sunset with yellow leaves, enticed the worms to dance in their soil, flourished the boundary between forest and field with blossoms and berries, christened the air with a biting cold before winter came, ripened the apples with crisp, red freckles to break under sinking teeth, and a dozen other nothings, in memory of the man who once praised the god’s work on his dying breath.

“Hello, God of Every Humble Beauty in the World,” called a familiar voice.

The squinting corners of the god’s eyes wept down onto curled lips. “Arepo,” he whispered, for his voice was hoarse from its hundred-year mutism.

“I am the god of devotion, of small kindnesses, of unbreakable bonds. I am the god of selfless, unconditional love, of everlasting friendships, and trust,” Arepo avowed, soothing the other with every word.

“That’s wonderful, Arepo,” he responded between tears, “I’m so happy for you—such a powerful figure will certainly need a grand temple. Will you leave to the city to gather more worshippers? You’ll be adored by all.”

“No,” Arepo smiled.

“Farther than that, to the capitol, then? Thank you for visiting here before your departure.”

“No, I will not go there, either,” Arepo shook his head and chuckled.

“Farther still? What ambitious goals, you must have. There is no doubt in my mind that you will succeed, though,” the elder god continued.

“Actually,” interrupted Arepo, “I’d like to stay here, if you’ll have me.”

The other god was struck speechless. “…. Why would you want to live here?”

K-Pop Spotlight: Stray Kids

Masks off everyone—Stray Kids’ newest mini-album ODDINARY is finally out and it’s time to embrace the maniac within. To celebrate the new release and their upcoming fourth anniversary, we caught up with the group to talk about their new album and single, MANIAC, and the challenges and fulfillment that come with accepting your most authentic self. As a little bonus, we also asked the members to design their own Tumblr blogs (just in case you needed some inspiration). Check out our full interview below!

Tell us about your new mini-album ODDINARY in three words or less, but there’s a catch—you can’t use the words odd or ordinary. 

Bang Chan: MANIACS ARE BACK!

Lee Know: Cool.

Changbin: Inner side, volcano, control.

Hyunjin: Super Power song.

HAN: Abnormal, freaky, potential are the three words that I think describe it best. We tried to describe the energy that explodes from our music in a different way this time, by slowly showing control over this energy. 

Felix: Maniac, unique, and dark.

Seungmin: Interesting, fascinating, capturing hearts.

I.N: Mania, abnormal, conceptual. 

Stray Kids’ music and concepts often encourage young people to be their most authentic selves regardless of other people’s opinions. How does ODDINARY fit into that narrative, and what do you hope your fans take away from it? 

Bang Chan: This might not apply to everyone, but I feel like many people have experienced moments where they’re told to act normal (yep, I’ve been through that). We wanted to emphasize that “standards” don’t matter and that you have the authority to let out the “oddness” that’s been sealed inside you all this time.

Changbin: ODDINARY is a compound word that combines “ordinary” and “odd,” meaning that everyone has a normal and slightly weird side. Listeners will be able to experience the everlasting honesty and truthfulness that Stray Kids’ music has always displayed, with the more crazy side that Stray Kids have. 

HAN: I hope that STAY and all listeners will be able to follow their hearts, rather than being confined by the judgment of others. I hope everyone also looks forward to the upgraded version of us. 

Seungmin: Whatever situation may come, I hope that everyone is able to live in their most honest, unique way with versatility while never forgetting who they truly are. I hope our music can become a small strength. 

Lightning round! You’re customizing your own Tumblr blog. Pick an aesthetic and a personal tag!

Bang Chan: Ooft… it’s hard to pick just one because my preferred aesthetics change depending on my mood. But if I had to pick one, it would be cyberpunk. The lights got me, and I’m a fanatic for futuristic stuff.

Lee Know: I want to decorate it using a clean, white tone.

Changbin: I want to use the tags #straykids, #stay, #stage, #music, which all mean a lot to Stray Kids.

Hyunjin: Vintage Tumblr, with #lovestay

HAN: I would like to decorate it like #black #chic to show a lot of calm yet cool atmosphere! I want to use the tags #black #chic #skz #loveyou #STAY.

Felix: #행복이 #felix 🐈‍⬛💛

Seungmin: #Seungtage. I really like vintage furniture and aesthetics, so I would like to decorate it using an organized brown tone.

I.N: I’m into vintage aesthetics these days, so I think I’ll go with vintage.

Greetings new Human-Owners! Thank you for choosing our services when adopting a human! The following information should be carefully read before finalizing the adoption to ensure your human lives the happiest life they can!

WARNING: Humans can be remarkably intelligent for a New-System Organism (NSO), the average human is about as intelligent as a third-cycle child. Their anatomy can make them physically dangerous if they escape their enclosure or their restraints are removed, so if their behavior turns violent immediately take safety measures.

A part of our company’s adoption services includes pre-planned “scenarios” that each human at our centers is instilled with. These “scenarios” are fabricated events that explain to the human why they are here and why they may be relocated to another environment. Many humans from our centers share scenarios, so socializing your human with another will not cause any issues. When choosing a human, carefully read their personal “scenario” and determine if you are willing to play the necessary role that will keep them in the dark about their status as a pet. (NOTE: telling a human they are a pet will result in immediate and long-term consequences to be discussed at the end of this manual.)

Your human’s health is very important to both you and us, for that reason, human medical centers have been established as sub-divisions of our company. As your human matures (if they are not already), they will be given the option to set up their own medical check-ups, though some humans have a hesitancy to take this responsibility.  Our facilities are staffed not only by us, but by humans and other NSO’s so that your human may feel comfortable during their time at the medical centers. Raising your human in a healthy manner also extends to their mental well being, if they have a reluctance to participate in normal human behaviors or participate in abnormal behaviors, this may be a sign of an illness of the mental/emotional variety and should be taken to one of our medical facility immediately to get a doctor’s opinion.  (NOTE: humans who discover they are a pet will not be allowed to schedule their own appointments and must be accompanied by a guardian to ensure the staff’s safety.)

Even among other NSO’s and advanced species on the Galactic Council, humans are remarkably social creatures. Depriving your human opportunities of being in the presence of other living organisms would be detrimental to your human’s health. It is this very dependence on socializing that makes humans superb pets, as they will give unprompted displays of affection such as initiating conversations, physical touch, verbal affirmations and potentially other forms of affection we have yet to study fully. Though they are social by nature, there may be times when your human does not desire to interact and could be a sign of various emotional states but is not constitute a mental injury as mentioned previously. (NOTE: As they reach adolescence and beyond, they may also exhibit courtship behaviors towards their owners, which should be discouraged in a careful manner as to preserve your pet-owner relationship. Allowing a human to court you will result in losing ownership of your human as per the Galactic Council’s law on interspecies relationships between NSOs and advanced organisms.) 

A human’s diet is highly versatile due to their omnivorous nature. We supply a variety of food products that are healthy for your human as well as enjoyable. Their preferences are likely to change as they age and each human has food opinions, so make sure to buy a variety of food products. Like most NSO’s, the human digestive system is inefficient and they will need a place to remove wasted food material. They will desire privacy during this activity and human-owners who grow curious and attempt to watch this process will greatly disturb your human and is not recommended. (NOTE: some human foods can be highly dangerous not only to us but to individual humans while others are unaffected. See our company’s report on your adopted human eating habits before feeding.)

Humans have varying opinions on exercise, an activity that most organisms from their home planet must engage in to keep their body from deteriorating. Even if your human does not enjoy exercise, they should be prompted to do so or even tricked into doing exercising if need be. While it may be odd, many human-owners find watching their human run, jump, lift, pull and vigorously move enjoyable, if not a little humorous. (NOTE: Humans who know they are pets may use this exercise as a way to metamorphosize their body into one that is highly physically dangerous. Exercise disobedient humans with caution.)

During exercise, you human may grow uncomfortable with themself in ways unnoticeable to us. Humans have an organ system a body structure that allows them to perceive compounds in the air that come from most materials. A human may not like the compound coming off of themself and desire to remove the substance from their skin. They may also grow uncomfortable even if they do not exercise and desire to cleanse themself regardless. This cleansing is remarkably thorough and will extend to every exposed part of their body as well as some parts that are not immediately exposed like within the feeding hole, sound channels and even the feature that allows them to perceive airborne compounds. (Denying this hygiene will not eliminate their strange perception abilities.) They will desire things of certain qualities in airborne compounds and apply to themselves. The compounds humans do and do not like are unknown. (NOTE: your human may dislike certain compounds that exist in your dwelling and will avoid it. Remove the substance if this behavior is undesirable.) 

Finally, humans require a substantial amount of time in a state of lowered awareness. They are not dead despite appearances. High-energy NSO’s like humans need time to recover physically and enter a state called “sleep,” where their organs greatly slow to minimize energy consumption while simultaneously maximizing energy restoration. Human-owners humorously refer to this activity as “temporary death.” Some human-owners will make the mistake of trying to keep their human in an aware state for too long, leading to health issues.  Inversely, human-owners sometimes make the mistake of allowing their human to fall grievously ill or even die by mistaking health issues as simply sleep. If your human sleeps for more than one revolution continuously, see a doctor. (NOTE: Your human may experience “dreams” while they are unconscious due to brain activity that simulates reality in confusing and occasionally impossible ways. Their visions are not prophetic like other species, so pay no mind to what they say they experienced.)

And that is the basic information a new human-owner needs to properly care for human! Owning a human is a highly rewarding experience but requires a great deal of responsibility. We will help you through this journey the best we can to ensure the highest levels of enjoyment are achieved.

WARNING: Allowing a human to know it is a pet will result in the termination of the human and the imprisonment of the owner. Despite their status as a NSO, organized humans can be lethal to entire societies. Due to the Galactic Council’s hypothesized inability to dismantle all human governmental structures, the human main colony has been allowed to persist as a faux member of the Galactic Council. Human manageability relies on their belief that humans are equals with the rest of the Council Members and as such, leisure activities such as human ownership is closely monitored by extant governmental bodies. If you are unwilling to be subjected to a thorough background check, personal evaluation and occasional observation, then the adoption of a human will not be permitted.

FURTHER HUMAN READING RESOURCES:

Human Body Language and Learning to Read Their Minds

The Complex World of Human Social Dynamics

My Human Wants to Court Me, What Should I Do?

What to Expect from Human Adolescence

Human Humor: The Logic of the Illogical

Home Planet Earth: History of Humans

In a city, like the pic above, they represent rebellion, and efficiency. The messiness of humanity. We like to imagine we're oh so logical and neat so we design our cities to be logical and neat an then real humans literally trample on that idea. The ego required to think you can design something perfect that checks every box. Life is all about compromise and patching stuff when some new problem arises. Though people have certainly tried! Ohio state univeristy let students carve their desire paths, and then paved them over. It looks pretty artsy.

Some people will try to discourage desire paths, but this is almost always going to fail.

Eventually, people just have to accept them. Humans are too dang stubborn.

Certain desire paths are just adorable. A 0.5 second time saver. You just can't design for maximum efficiency, humans will always find shortcuts!

Though on occasion a desire path can actually be the least efficient way...especially if you're superstitious.

In a wilder area, such as below, they show us the curiosity of humans. A desire path somewhere natural often tells you there's something interesting just ahead. (Though remember some ecosystems are fragile and will suffer if trampled! Stick to paths in these sorts of areas)

And how about desire stairs? I always think these look so cool. We get see humans determination to climb, to traverse every kind of terrain.

And for something really crazy...a desire path used for centuries will create a 'holloway'

Day 44/548 of Taemin’s enlistment (210531 - 221130)