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EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR SATURDAY JULY 8, 2023 Villainous Vilnius NATO Summit Spiritually Preempted by Schiller Institute Conference in Europe

July 7, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)While the July 11-12 Vilnius NATO conference will, in all probability, constitute a self-blinding exercise in arrogance, incompetence and hubriscontinuing what historian Barbara Tuchman called the march of Folly into the jaws of an unthinkable thermonuclear Helltodays Schiller Institute Conference in Europe offers a form of Promethean forethoughtan alternative to that self-destructive path. The world need not be tragic; neither wealth, nor power, nor force of arms, nor murder need triumph over those that believe in the unalienable rights of humanity. Ideas, indeed, when embodied by individuals in touch with the immortality of humanity, are more powerful than weaponsincluding thermonuclear weapons.

The foolish, fatal choices being offered in the upcoming discussion, such as the de-militarization of Russia, putting nuclear weapons into Ukraine, or a joint European Defense Initiative to make Ukraine a top production site for weapons (in a country where people are now protesting the lack of graveyard space), managed by the financial ghouls of BlackRock, are each more insane than the other. In reporting these options to the July 7 weekly meeting of the International Peace Coalition, Schiller Institute founder and leader Helga Zepp-LaRouche said, So, I think that if you look at all of these things, it becomes very clear that our task is to make the International Peace Coalition grow, and make it grow also in all the areas which are affected, which is essentially the whole world. It is extremely urgent, in order to get to the point where confrontation is being replaced by cooperation....

Between now and the August 6th 78th anniversary of the nuclear destruction of the city of Hiroshima, a Metanoia must be experienced in the trans-Atlantic worldan uncomfortable, perhaps painful recognition, not of past crimes, but of the fact that today, now, it is only our inaction that will destroy, through thermonuclear folly, all the historical work of humanity, and even the very noosphere in which humanity exists. How do we bring this about? Educator Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536) offered this biting exercise in Metanoia. He used the true nature of war, especially religious war, to brutally inform all those who would dare to see themselves as God might see them, of the hypocritical character of their exercise of prayer, and of the truly profane nature of their religious fakery. In honor of Vilnius, we include it here:

The Lords Prayer on the Field of Battle

Let us now, says Erasmus, imagine we hear a soldier among these fighting Christians saying the Lords Prayer.

Our Father, says he.

Oh, hardened wretch! Can you call Him Father, when you are just going to cut your brothers throat?

Hallowed be Thy name.

How can the name of God be more impiously unhallowed, than by mutual bloody murder among you his sons?

Thy kingdom come.

Do you pray for the coming of His kingdom, while you are endeavoring to establish an earthly despotism, by the spilling of the blood of Gods sons and subjects ?

Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

His will in Heaven is for peace, but you are now meditating war.

Dare you say to your Father in Heaven, Give us this day our daily bread, when you are going the next minute to burn your brothers cornfields, and had rather lose the benefits of them yourself than suffer him to enjoy them unmolested?

With what face can you say, Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us, when, so far from forgiving your brother, you are going, with all the haste you can, to murder him in cold blood for an alleged trespass, which, after all, is but imaginary?

Do you presume to deprecate the danger of temptation, who, not without great danger to yourselves, are doing all you can to force your brother into danger?

Do you deserve to be delivered from evil, that is, the evil being by whose spirit you are guided, in contriving the greatest possible evil to your brother?

Yet there are persons who, while they pass over altogether the impiety and unchristian character of war itself, are horrified at a battle being fought on a Sunday!

War, especially total war, is something that the human race must now outgrow, or be killed bypossibly in the next weeks or months. Decades ago, economist and statesman Lyndon LaRouche discussed the significance of Erasmus, and his truth-yielding, intelligence-increasing method of biting irony, in a short pamphlet titled: What Really Are The Labor Committees? The Lessons of Erasmus and Franklin. One idea-dense paragraph from that document states:

It should be emphasized that the poor fellow who insists that the basic struggle today is between socialist and capitalist factions thereby exhibits the fact that he is ignorant of both the entirety of modern history, and of present-day realities. The struggle within European and European-related civilization since the A.D. 1266 defeat of the heirs of Frederick Barbarosa, and the death of Alfonso the Wise of Castile in A.D. 1284 has been and remains a life-and-death struggle between humanism and nominalism, a struggle of humanists to save humanity from the hell to which nominalism (for example, empiricism, positivism, linguistics) has repeatedly degraded societies, the hell into whose radioactive embrace modern nominalism (for example, monetarism, neo-Fabianism) is impelling humanity at this juncture.

An example of a world-destroying, radioactive nominalism, that has become very popular and will be repeated all over Vilnius, is the formulation: We are engaged in a war between the democracies and the autocracies. These terms, especially the term democracy, are today wielded as psy-war weapons against hapless citizenries. The United States, for example, was explicitly not founded as a democracy, but as a democratically representative republic. In such a republic, the deliberations of a single individual, in dialogue with colleagues, and even adversaries, have the power to change the direction of the entire government, and under certain circumstances, even humanity.

Indeed, that is exactly what a powerless Lyndon LaRouche did in the 1980s, vis--vis President Ronald Reagan, with his policy of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Citizen mobilization of the Presidency on matters of policy, was also done by Martin Luther King vis--vis JFK/RFK, and was done by Frederick Douglass with Abraham Lincoln 100 years earlier. Conversely, in the above-cited passage on Erasmus, the term humanism is used by LaRouche in its proper meaning, as opposed to its modern, atheistic misuse. It is the opposite of a nominalism. We explain.

St. Joan of Arc, Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Charles de Gaulle, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mahatma Gandhi, and the John F. Kennedy of the American University Peace Speech are each very different human beings. They represent different times; they hail from very different origins; they each encountered very different circumstances. What do they have in common? They each show that when the cause of humanity is interiorized by an individual, over and above their individual station in life, they implicitly bend toward the arc of the moral universe, and the arc of the moral universe, in turn, bends toward them. This is a simultaneous action. It appears from the outside as though the designated individual possesses some great, unique personal power, but they are merely, momentarily, for the duration of their mortal existence, what the poet Shelley called the awful Shadow of some unseen Power which floats, though unseen, among us.

This power to access the arcthe directionof the moral universe, is unique to humanity, but is available to all. Accessing it requires that the individual see humanity, not as an aggregate, but as physically primary, as a One. That is what is properly meant by the term humanism. This connection to the moral universe (for which there is another namewhat Vladimir Vernadsky identified by the term nosphere) is accessible to every individual as an unalienable right, but only as that individual regards her/his life, liberty (freedom) and pursuit of Happiness as identical to the life, liberty and Happiness of humanity as a whole. It is as much an unalienable obligation, as it is an unalienable right. The science of Physical Economy is the ongoing, durable realization of this immortal mission for humanity. That was the occupation and specialty of Lyndon LaRouche, a field that is not only unrelated, but opposed to monetarism, that is, the majority of what passes for economics studies in America today, a set of unspeakable practices inimical to the founding of the nation.

Helga Zepp-LaRouches Ten Principles of a New International Security and Development Architecture, starting from the standpoint of happily proclaiming that man is fundamentally good and capable to infinitely perfect the creativity of his mind and the beauty of his soul; and being the most advanced geological force in the universe, ... proves that the lawfulness of the mind and that of the physical universe are in correspondence and cohesion, and that all evil is the result of a lack of development, and therefore can be overcome.

So, rather than the shadow of doom that already slouches over Vilnius before it commences, humanity can choose the narrow but clear path to human progress that the Schiller Institute has outlined for nearly 40 years, and that now, today, in Europe, refutes the trans-Atlantic and world tragedy that need not happen.

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EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR SATURDAY JULY 8, 2023 - Executive Intelligence Review (EIR)

Theres something about mythical fantasy Korean dramas that really appeal to me maybe its the way the characters are woven seamlessly into the storyline.

We all love K-dramas because they take us into a fantasy world. But, unlike your usual crime and romance dramas, these six mythical fantasy K-dramas will take you on a fairytale journey through their impressive plot, quirky characters, and awesome production.

This show needs no introduction, and any real k-drama fan would have seen Goblin before. The series stars heartthrob Gong Yoo as a military general, Kim Shin, during the Goryeo dynasty who was reincarnated as Dokkaebi (Goblin) with an immortal life sounds like a blessing? Well, not when youre a 900-year-old guardian of souls.

While the Dokkaebi tries to find the human bride to end his immortality, he crosses paths with the Grim Reaper (Lee Dong Wook) and Ji Eun-Tak a high school senior whose mother was saved by Kim Shin many years ago.

One day, Ji Eun-Tak tells Kim Shin that she knows he is the Goblin and that she is his bride. Is this high school senior really the true goblin bride? And does she have the power to end Kim Shins misery?

Available on Netflix.

Most people would visit pochamacha (or korean street dining) for its snacks and drink some soju. But in Mystic pop up bar, you get more than just a unique dining experience. The mysterious pop-up bar run by Wol-Ju (Hwang Jang-Eun) only operates at night as do most pochas and is frequented by two groups of people; regular folks like you and me, and the dead.

Fun fact: Wol-Ju herself has a pretty sad backstory and she is actually a 500-year-old ghost who has been reincarnated to help the people on earth. Together with her team, Wol-Ju will visit her customers in their dreams and help them resolve their grudges.

If youre looking for something heartwarming yet packed with comical scenes, this drama is certainly one to add to your watch list.

Available on Netflix.

You might have seen this new Twilight-esque mythical fantasy k-drama flooding your TikTok feed. This said drama is Heartbeat and it stars the charismatic Vincenzo actor and 2PM member, Ok Taec-yeon. Taec-yeon plays the half-human half-vampire Sun Woo-hyeol who wants to ditch his vampire self and be a real human man. If he wants to become a man, he has to lie in a special coffin for 100 days. But, as life would have it, his 100 days rest quickly gets interrupted.

The person who interrupted Woo-hyeol is none other than Joo In-hae (Won Ji-an), who is known by those around her to be a very cold-hearted person. Funnily enough, she ends up being the reason why Woo-hyeol wants to become a human.

The show follows Joo In-hae as she goes from becoming the sole-inheritor of Sun Woo-hyeols mansion to being Woo-hyeols love interest. Will this love story be a tragedy or romance? Only one way to find out! All I will say is Im only one episode in but Im already hooked.

Available on Prime.

This is hands down my favourite drama that stars IU and is probably the first drama that comes to mind when you ask about mythical fantasy k-dramas is complete without this mention. In Hotel del Luna, IU plays Jang Man-Wol, a greedy and suspicious soul who has spent thousands of years (unwillingly) acting as the CEO of a hotel. But this isnt your ordinary hotel. Dressed behind an old and run-down building located in the heart of Seoul, the hotel transforms into a luxurious hotel for both the alive and the unalive.

Man-Wol is bound to this hotel so that she wont go berserk and act on her hatred and thirst for revenge. Until she can manage her emotions, she is bound to this odd establishment forever. But things slowly take an interesting turn when Goo Chan Sung (Yeo Jin-Goo) shows up. His frugal nature might just be what Man-Wol and the hotel needs.

Available on Netflix.

Echoing similar vibes to Goblin is Doom at Your Service. But from the get-go, the show sets out to tell a much different story. The series follows Dong-kyung who is about to die from a terminal illness. One day in a drunken stupor, she makes a wish for the world to end. Her wish catches the attention of the deity of doom, Myulk Mang (Seo In Guk). He strikes a deal with her: that they have to live together for 100 days before he grants her her wish.

But of course, its not as simple as it seems and its not a true Korean drama if there isnt some element of love involved. Upon meeting Dong Kyung, he finds her delightful and is fascinated by how her wish wasnt to get her life back because thats what most of us would wish for.

This mythical fantasy k-drama will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside, while also embracing the little joys of life.

The Uncanny Encounter is actually based off a pretty popular webtoon Amazing Rumour by Jang Yi and a bit like ghostbusters or X-Men. The series follows a team of counters or people with extraordinary powers who have the abilities to sense and fight evil spirits. These evil spirits take on the form of regular folk and they gain power each time they kill someone.

Its nice to see a superhero series set in a country outside of America and it seems only fitting that the series is set in the land of K-drama. This whacky mythical fantasy k-drama definitely breaks away from the regular mould of K-dramas although there is your typical romance plot but if theres one thing for sure, you can certainly expect a ton of action in this series.As far as mythical fantasy k-dramas go, this one certainly checks all the right boxes.

Available on Netflix.

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These 6 mythical fantasy dramas will bring your fairytale fantasies to life with characters like zombies, v... - Confirm Good

Naruto created by Masashi Kishimoto is a smash hit in Japan and worldwide. Naruto Uzumaki, a teenage ninja with the spirit of the Nine-Tails Fox imprisoned within him, is the protagonist of this series, which takes place in a fictional world populated by ninjas.The first half of the series follows Naruto as a young boy, while the second half, titledNaruto: Shippuden, jumps ahead to show him as a teenager. The Akatsuki play an essential role in the series, particularly inNaruto: Shippuden. The Akatsuki are a group of some of the fiercest rogue ninjas.

Each Akatsuki member is a feared criminal, and their crimes frequently include murder and acts of terrorism. Initially, The Akatsuki was established in the Hidden Rain Village by Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato to establish world peace. However, after Yahikos death, a disillusioned Nagato (also known as Pain) gained control of the group and shifted its focus to enforcing peace through fear and control. Under Nagatos leadership, the Akatsukis primary goal became to capture all Nine-Tailed Beasts, powerful monsters imprisoned within select individuals known as Jinchuriki.

The Akatsuki want to capture these monsters so they might wield their incredible power and take over the world. Since Naruto is a Jinchuriki himself (and thus a host for the Nine-Tails), he is a frequent target for the Akatsuki. Akatsukis involvement in theNarutoseries sparks numerous storylines and conflicts. They are the main bad guys, always lurking in the background and setting the stage for many fights and story arcs inNaruto: Shippuden.Considering each members abilities and feats shown in the series, here is a tentative list of Akatsuki members ranked by strength.

Although Zetsu isnt necessarily one of Akatsukis most powerful fighters, he poses a serious threat because of his unique skills. Zetsu is essentially two entities in one: Black Zetsu and White Zetsu. White Zetsus ability to blend in with the environment makes him an invaluable surveillance and intelligence-gathering resource. He can also convincingly take on another persons look, making him ideal for covert operations. Moreover, he can imitate their chakra signature, making it difficult to tell him apart from the original. The ability to heal people is another of White Zetsus specialties, which can be crucial in combat.

On the other hand, Black Zetsu possesses a whole new set of abilities. Created by Kaguya tsutsuki, he has extensive knowledge of the shinobi worlds history and secrets, making him a valuable strategic tool. Most crucially, by connecting himself to his hosts, Black Zetsu can influence their activities to some level. This skill makes him extremely dangerous, especially given his ultimate objective of resurrecting Kaguya, the progenitor of the chakra and perhaps the most powerful character in the entire series.

Hidans immortality is his greatest asset. He may not have a wide variety of skills, but his unique brand of immortality, toughness, and the destructive nature of his curse ritual make him a challenging foe to defeat. Hidans ability is linked to the Jashinism that governs his life. Through a curse ritual, he can become practically indestructible by collecting and consuming his opponents blood.

After performing this ritual, Hidans opponent will take double the damage done to him no matter where they are. Hidans opponent would suffer an identical wound if he were to stab himself. Because of his immortality, Hidan may deal lethal blows to himself (and, by extension, his opponent) yet emerge unscathed. However, Hidans immortality has limitations. While he can survive fatal injuries, he can also become paralyzed. Amputation of his limbs, for instance, would leave him conscious but defenseless.

One of the most vital members of the Akatsuki is Kakuzu, a rogue ninja from Takigakure with an S-rank who stands out thanks to his exceptional skills and extensive experience in battle. Because of the way Earth Grudge Fear has shaped his body, he may use it as an offensive and defensive weapon. Using this method, he can detach, reattach, or even replace any portion of his body by manipulating a web of invisible black threads.

Kakuzu may gain the lives of his defeated adversaries by stealing their hearts and incorporating them into his body. These auxiliary hearts can keep him alive even after being struck repeatedly with lethal blows. The stolen hearts also grant Kakuzu mastery over the ninjutsu of the wind, fire, water, Earth, and lightning elements. Because of his proficiency with so many different elements, he can tailor his strategy to counter any opponent. His power and the resilience of his threadlike body make him a formidable opponent who can take a lot of punishment without going down.

Despite being the only woman in the Akatsuki, Konan has always proven to be a formidable opponent. Konan received extensive training in the ways of the shinobi world from Jiraiya one of the famous Sannin enhancing her physical prowess and tactical understanding. Paper Ninjutsu, which she uses significantly thanks to her ability to channel chakra into paper, sets her apart as an adversary. She can shred her body into thousands of paper sheets for attack, defense, or surveillance.

Her fight with Tobi in which she nearly defeated him by turning a whole lake into paper explosives is evidence of her ferocity. Konan co-founded the Akatsuki and played a crucial role as a strategist in the groups operations. Although Konan lacks the overwhelming destructive talents of some of her Akatsuki companions, she is one of the most vital members of the Akatsuki, thanks to her unique abilities, strategic intelligence, and leadership.

Sasori also known as Sasori of the Red Sand is a powerful puppet master and poison user, making him a fearsome Akatsuki member. Sasori, a talented puppeteer from Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand, turned his body into a puppet and became immortal. His many human puppets have kept their real-life skills and are his principal offensive tools.

The Third Kazekage, often considered the most potent Kazekage in history, is just one of Sasoris approximately 298 puppets at his disposal. Sasori isnt just a strong guy; hes also a poison expert. He developed a lethal poison to lace nearly all his puppets weapons. His strikes are so powerful that even the most minor scratch might be lethal.

One of the most influential members of the Akatsuki, Deidara is a former shinobi from Iwagakure, the Village Hidden in the Stones, known for his spectacular artistic ability and unconventional fighting style. Deidara, an artist at heart, sculpts numerous explosive constructions from clay and explosive chakra to utilize in combat. The mouths in his hands and chest allow him to shape the clay into various flying munitions, from small, quick birds to enormous dragons.

Because of his unconventional combat technique, he can adapt quickly to any situation. He can fight from a safe distance while delivering powerful assaults on his foes. The C4 technique is Deidaras crowning achievement; he used it to make a gigantic clay figure that, when detonated, disperses minuscule bombs into the atmosphere that may cause cellular devastation. To counter this tactic, you need either specialized knowledge or lightning-fast awareness. Deidara is also a cunning strategist who frequently employs the arts of deceit and misdirection to trick his foes into falling into his traps.

Kisame Hoshigaki a native of Kirigakure is feared for his monstrous strength and enormous chakra reserves, which are on par with that of a Tailed Beast. These things, plus his lethal weapon Samehada (Shark Skin), make him a terrifying foe. Kisames already remarkable reserves are bolstered by Samehadas ability to absorb chakra from opponents, allowing him to fight for extended periods without tiring.

Furthermore, the swords devotion to Kisames chakra makes it impossible for anybody else to utilize it without risking rejection and injury. Kisame is particularly unique because of his mastery of water jutsu. He can conjure up vast pools of water and use them to drown his foes or launch devastating blows. He has a distinct home-field advantage thanks to his signature technique, Water Prison Shark Dance Jutsu, which can flood an entire battlefield.

Former Konohagakure ninja Itachi Uchiha is an influential Akatsuki member thanks to his exceptional genjutsu skills, brilliant strategy, and mastery of the Sharingan and Mangekyou Sharingan. Amaterasu an inextinguishable black flame that he can direct at will, and Tsukuyomi an extreme form of ninjutsu that can manipulate the perception of time and cause immense psychological trauma, are two of the most dangerous abilities in the Naruto universe that Itachi has access to thanks to his Mangekyou Sharingan.

In addition to the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror, he also owns the Susanoo, a gigantic warrior avatar with nearly perfect defense. Itachi is a superhuman fighter and a fantastic strategist and thinker. Hes so wise that he can see through the guise of his enemies strategies to counter them with his own. He can maintain his composure in the face of grave peril thanks to his keen ability to draw logical conclusions and steady demeanor.

Nagato, commonly known as Pain, is one of the most vital members of the Akatsuki and serves as the groups de facto leader. His ability to use the Rinnegan, the most prestigious eye technique inNarutohistory, is the primary source of his strength. With the help of the Rinnegan, Nagato can employ the Six Paths of Pain, a technique in which he assumes control of six different bodies each with its own unique set of skills.

This provides him access to a wide variety of powerful tools, including the capacity to attract and repulse items (Deva Path), the manipulation of souls (Naraka Path), the summoning of a wide variety of creatures (Animal Path), and more. They can battle without fear or fatigue since Nagato controls their bodies from a distance. By himself, Nagato is a strong opponent as seen by his defeat of the powerful shinobi Hanzo and the destruction of most of the Konoha village.

Under his codename Tobi, Uchiha Obito is one of Akatsukis most formidable members. He is powerful because of his Uchiha heritage, the Rinnegan he possesses, and the Sharingan located in his right eye which gives him access to the ability to manipulate dimensions. The Kamui, a powerful Mangekyou Sharingan technique, resides in this eye, allowing him to turn invisible and teleport himself or others to another world. Because of this, when his Kamui is active, he is virtually immune to physical harm.

Once Obito controls the Rinnegan, he can wield the Six Paths of Pain, allowing him a wide range of destructive powers, such as manipulating gravity and bringing the dead back to life. In addition to his impressive strength, Obito has mastered the Ten-Tails, making him their Jinchuriki and giving him immense new abilities. Obito isnt just incredibly talented and a master manipulator and strategist. While remaining largely unseen he exercises complete authority over the Akatsuki and uses them to advance his ambitions.

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The 10 Strongest Akatsuki Members, Ranked by Strength in 'Naruto' - We Got This Covered

The Cybermen first entered the world of Doctor Who all the way back in 1966. Instantly recognizable in their various designs by the distinctive handles on their heads, circular eyes and expressionless faces, these cyborg menaces have always chilled audiences through with their own particular brand of body horror. It is neither their sheer power nor their coldhearted ruthlessness that makes the Cybermen so terrifying. Rather, it is the fact that they were once human and now seek to turn all other humans into Cybermen, carving away any trace of real humanity in the process.

In their original incarnation, the Cybermen were the inhabitants of Earth's twin planet, Mondas, but modern Doctor Who reimagined this classic nemesis. Season 2's "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel" saw the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler falling into a parallel Earth, where the inventor and CEO of Cybus Industries, John Lumic, had created the Cybermen. The modern series' new approach to the classic foe courted some controversy among classic series fans. Ultimately though, Lumic's twisted motivations and the means he utilized to start converting humanity into Cybermen made this iteration of the Doctor's old enemy their most terrifying form yet.

RELATED: Doctor Who: How Has the Daleks' Armor Evolved Over Time?

When William Hartnell's First Doctor originally encountered the Cybermen in the serial "The Tenth Planet," they had come from a species identical to humanity that existed on Mondas, which initially shared an orbit with Earth. After their home world had been pushed out into space by the formation of Earth's moon, the planet became increasingly inhospitable. The Mondasians began to modify themselves with cybernetics to survive these conditions, replacing flesh with metal and plastic, and removing their emotions, which they had come to see as a source of weakness.

By contrast, Lumic's Cybermen on the parallel Earth visited by the Tenth Doctor were created not out of a need for basic survival, but out of Lumic's own narcissism. Lumic himself was terminally ill, rendered reliant upon a wheelchair with a built-in life-support system. He saw the Cybermen as a means of gaining immortality, with little consideration for what was being lost to gain that prize. Chillingly, Lumic's Cybermen had their emotions removed not because they viewed emotionality as weakness, but because existence as a Cyberman was so traumatic that the brain would not be able to cope with it otherwise.

Lumic's willingness to overlook the pain his upgrade program inflicted on those subjected to the procedure spoke again to his narcissism and twisted worldview, which developed into a dangerous ideology that was borderline fascistic. Having decided he knew what was best for humanity, Lumic took it upon himself to start forcibly upgrading the population of Britain into Cybermen, removing their humanity to reshape the world as he alone saw fit.

RELATED: Doctor Who: Did Sacha Dhawan's Master Actually Come Before Missy?

When Doctor Who brought back the Cybermen, it did so through a look at the landscape of modern technology. In order to enforce mandatory upgrades, Lumic made use of technology Cybus Industries had already released to the public. The EarPods manufactured by Cybus were worn by practically everyone, enjoying the same ubiquity as real-world smartphones. As well as serving as phones, the EarPods allowed people to receive a daily news download from the Cybus network, straight to their brains. Through the EarPods, Lumic was able to control people's minds, compelling them to walk straight into the Cyber-conversion factories.

While the original Cybermen had been inspired by advances in human prosthetics and "spare-part" surgery, modern Doctor Who's new version of the Cybermen drew instead more heavily on advances in everyday technology. These Cybermen were essentially an extension of the various devices that are becoming endlessly more prevalent in the real world, and of people's desire to endlessly increase the integration of those devices into their lives. As time has gone on, advances in such technologies and the companies behind them have only made the Cybus Cybermen more relevant and more terrifying.

It's hard not to see the parallels between the Cybus EarPods and technology that is emerging today. This includes the growing interest in commercial neurotechnology and in the constant drive to improve compatibility between smartphones and similar devices. All of these technological advances aim to build a world where humans and technology are more heavily integrated with one another. Alongside these developments, of course, is an increasing focus on the billionaires of the tech world whose push for progress can often appear to be at odds with the interests of the people for whom they are supposedly developing such products. It's hard to look at such figures and not see a glint of John Lumic.

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Doctor Who's Season 2 Cybermen Remain the Most Terrifying Villains - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Honkai: Star Rail takes up the cherished tradition that Mass Effect and other space-faring games pioneered. As a member of the Trailblazers, players are teased of countless worlds with alien creatures, cultures, and geography. Theyre teased of civilizations in various life stages, as seen in the almost desolate Jarilo-VI, and the Xianzhou Alliances roaming planets on their flagships.

RELATED: Memory Bubble Location & How To Touch It (Sensory Socialization Achievement)

Players know for a fact that other, more unusual worlds and species exist because of in-game lore. Memory Bubbles are chief sources of these extraterrestrial realities and exposition on known concepts. Each Memory Bubble has a twist to it that makes even the most relatable setting a neat piece of speculative work.

Who knows what Pompom is? Is the Immortal in a Vase just a soul or a shapeshifter? In Honkai: Star Rail, strange creatures populate the universe and even the players party.

AI supercomputer Pronto Expert System & Mecha No. 16 are advanced machine lifeforms presented in Memory Bubbles. Both are shown to have very human reactions to uncomfortable scenarios, despite either being completely or partially artificial.

Pronto has advanced senses that made a run-of-the-mill press conference a sensory overload. Because their team is wary and nervous about its capabilities as an advanced AI, it understood that it needed to mask its reaction to appear normal and, above all, loyal.

Mecha No. 16 was also overwhelmed, although in a different manner. Its deliberately made unclear if the being inhabiting No. 16 is a sapient being or a partner AI, or if they can move their own body or are entirely reliant on Leah. Aside from its Sapphic undertones, No. 16s story is interesting for its implications on artificial sapience, mind transference, and what stars are in this universe.

These Bubbles introduce terrifying creatures that can wipe out civilizations and entire worlds. Not only are they incapable of understanding sapient beings and morality, but they are also driven solely by their hunger or biological drive.

Both the world-eating youngest member of the Amoeba Slime Mold tribe and the humanoid fungi that evaporates all life operates on instinct. And yet the humanoid fungi have some form of reason, as they worship an unnamed god likely to be Oroboros, the Aeon of Voracity. The Fluffies share this capacity for base reasoning as they could disguise their bloodlust to lure victims in.

Aeons or God of the Stars are mortal beings elevated into immortality and near omnipotence. They do not adhere to human perceptions of morality. Instead, they act and judge according to their ideals.

These ideals are embodied by The Paths or wellspring of Imaginary energy bound by an Aeons principles which, in turn, confine Aeons to it. The same beliefs bind an Aeons followers as well, oftentimes to a fanatical, destructive fervor.

The researcher who led a rebellion against a society inspired by the Aeon of Beauty, Idrila, was subject to this fanaticism. Idrila or Anne Durays principles drove Harlow-VIs citizens to murderous devotion even after her disappearance. Its similar to the living legacy left by the dead Aeon of The Propagation, Tayzzyronth.

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Except in Tayzzyronths case, his Swarm actively carries out their will of self-duplication and propagation at the cost of wanton destruction and consumption. Theres no leeway in The Path of Propagation, unlike The Path of Beauty.

Whereas Harlow-VIs citizens aim to preserve what they believe of Idrila, the Mirror Holders aim to revive the Aeon of Beauty. They do so by finding her fragments or mirrors, which they hope to reunite. These mirrors reflect what one believes is beautiful, as seen when a being from a primitive civilization beholds one fragment.

Honkai logs, books, and characters reference historical events frequently. These Memories are not direct accounts, but they tell of encounters that occurred at the height of these events.

One tells of a royal family sundered by followers of the Aeon of Destruction Nanook and the other Emperor Rubert I, whose actions indirectly caused the ascension of Nanook. The Destruction is the first Path the player character has access to, while the being that led a rebellion against Rubert I, Screwllum, is a lead developer of the Simulated Universe.

Compared to the previous two Bubbles, these are light-hearted. Even the political intrigue and espionage of Family have lower stakes than the others. Pure Faith and Family offer glimpses of how the followers of Aeon of Finality Terminus and Aeon of Harmony Xipe operate. The latter is a little more interesting, as the Astral Express was supposed to dock at a world inhabited by Xipes followers before redirecting to the Xianzhou Luofu.

One of Honkai: Star Rails strongest aspects is its world-building. Near-incomprehensible geographies and events play with whats familiar to make Star Rails universe feel more lived in and feel like its scale.

Calcification and The Atonement show the consequences borne by intergalactic travelers ignoring warnings for their discoveries. In terms of settings, they establish worlds in which ancient horrors remain alive and lethal.

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Alive and lethal are also apt descriptions for the creature in which Digestion takes place. Having an industrial civilization spring forth inside a giant mammal is an exciting prospect. If the second world players have access to is on a spaceship, then its not implausible to have the next world inside a gigantic creature.

All three Bubbles depict aliens in alien worlds in everyday scenarios. They do important work in depicting alien worlds and beings as having normal, everyday lives. Not every setting or world needs to be elevated, and moments contribute a lot to world-building.

New Londinium also appears to be a cosmopolitan city with a good mix of alien races with an Interastral Peace Corporation presence. Meanwhile, Voyeurisms world of synthetics appears to have a vastly different structure than a world for organics. With no definite road map, its not inconceivable for Honkai to dip into worlds with non-humanoid aliens like these.

Splendid Planet takes place after a civilization-wiping disaster, while Unable to Communicate occurs before one. Players are walked through how intelligent life was and would be, destroyed in a darkly comedic manner.

Splendid is more of a bottle episode that carries Honkais modern fantasy tone. Its unsettling, mixes small events with grander concepts, and ends with a twist. Communicate delivers on the small moments that answer unasked questions about the IPC, and how it interacts with astral citizens.

Honkai: Star Rail is available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, iOS, and Android.

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Honkai: Star Rail: Aeons, Worlds, & Creatures In Memory Bubbles - GameRant