#THIS and they will take a greek myth and proceed to change everything about it

[yyawnjun]

AMORE E PSICHE

seungkwan x reader ; enemies to lovers ; 1k wc ; drabble!! my fav boy w my fav trope !! ; fluff ; they're just cold at some point but they're okay!! ; HE FELL FIRST♡ ; @kflixnet ; no proofread, I'm sleepy ,,

The art lesson was about to conclude when the teacher began to form pairs for a project in which you were to present an artistic piece from the neoclassical-historical period you were studying at the time.

When the teacher asked who wanted to talk about :Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss" by the Italian sculptor Canova, you didn't hesitate to raise your hand. You loved Greek mythology and knew a lot about that myth, and you liked the sculpture, so you were happy to share it with the class.

But you weren't the only one who raised your hand; Boo Seungkwan, the one you couldn't stand in front of the entire class, had also raised his hand to deal with that sculpture…

Why would he want to work with you? Since when did he know cared about art project?

Anyway, it was because he raised his hand that the teacher paired you two for the assignment of presenting that work.

"I can only study if I'm outside. Meet me in the park near the school where there are also benches," he said as soon as the bell rang to signal the end of class.

"Oh, and know that I know nothing about that myth," he added before exiting the classroom.

Why on earth would you work on a presentation with him? Seungkwan, who had always thrown irritating comments at you, who rarely spoke to you, and whom you occasionally caught glancing at you with a dazed look?

You never understood him, and despite how much the mystery fascinated you, you chosed to ignore him.

So why did he want to come to the presentation with you?

But the next day, all of the above questions were answered.

When you were sitting on a park bench reading the story of Cupid and Psyche, he observed you silently with his eyes focused on you and your words, and the more you immersed yourself in the reading, the more he drowned into your story.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself from becoming distracted. And you served as his distraction.

Your lips moving quickly, your expressions changing, your eyes following the words, your hair swaying slightly in the wind, and your enthusiasm in your voice. He couldn't concentrate on anything else.

He tried to close his eyes to minimize distractions, but you stopped confused at his bizarre action.

You asked him if everything was okay, and when he opened his eyes again, your gazes met, but he couldn't hold it for long. He turned red and shifted his gaze, nodding and asking you to proceed.

You'd seen that the boy wasn't paying attention to the story, but as much as this annoyed you, you found his look charming, almost comforting.

You decided to put him to tease him anyway, repeating the same line or even skipping pages…but he was becoming gradually lost in your eyes.

He thought the park would help him control his feelings for you, but in the end, he had done nothing but reveal them.

"Am I that boring?"

"No! Absolutely Not. I enjoy your reading and your passion for it."

"Sure…Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes."

You decided to take advantage of the situation by getting closer to him as if to see if he was lying through his eyes.

"I'm not lying," he smirked as he moved closer to you. As if it were a challenge.

"Come on, you can read a little now," you said, handing him your book.

"Sure, now listen to me, the greatest orator!"

And now you're the one who's charmed by him, his voice, his passion…

You found yourself thinking that he was a goodlooking guy, good at reading, and mostly important that that myth seemed better when told by him.

You could see vividly Cupid and Psyche when Seungkwan talked about their beauty.

But also the story had become more enjoyable thanks to the funny comments he occasionally made.

As you were involved in his words and he read that myth, the time around you had shifted.

There were no more children in the park, the sky had darkened, and a cool breeze had blown in.

You both started shivering from the cold, but you didn't want to go without finishing the book.

He was getting close to the end when he began to sneeze frequently. He didn't appear to want to stop, so you gently handed him the scarf you had in your backpack.

"We can share it…if that's okay with you," he replied as he saw you hand over your scarf to him as you were also freezing to death.

"How?"

"Please tell me if it's okay," he asked as he set the book down and approached you.

You nodded instinctively, and he wrapped one end of the scarf over your neck and the other around his.

Fortunately, the scarf was quite long and properly fit the two of you; nonetheless, you had to come closer to each other to avoid hurting yourselves.

As the story came to a close, you were back to back.

Cupid had saved Psyche from the Underworld, and the two of them were now about to get married.

It wasn't until Seungwak stopped talking that you realized he was done, and you two were standing alone in a park, back to back, with a single streetlamp shining on you, your head resting against his and your eyes half-closed.

Even if you couldn't see it, his heart was racing, and his cheeks were flushed - not from the cold.

"We should do it again, don't you think?" and said yes to those barely whispered words from him.

And for a few more seconds before saying goodbye, you two stayed in that position, back to back, wrapped up in the same scarf, your hands now touching, your heartbeats quickening, and your eyes half-closed while smiling...

[yinyangswings]

Astoria: Fate’s Kiss and Love & Legends AU

Thought this would be an interesting idea if the two stories were connected somehow.

There is more under the Read More sign.

General

MC and Astoria Fate’s kiss (AFK) MC are canonically the same age. Depending on the situation, they have met prior. 

MC wanted to see what other cities were like, so left New York. She still visits New York when she can, but prefers Chicago

MC family members can sense her aura so they aren’t worried that she’s not in the same city. That changes when all of a sudden her aura is gone from Chicago. 

The WQ’s soul fragment changed how they look, hence why MC looks the way she does in comparison to some of her family members. Some of them don’t worry about it as much.

They are all really surprised, but delighted when finding out that those in the Fantasy Realm have never heard of the Greek Gods/Monsters.

August Falke 

MC is the baby sister to Cerberus, Nemean, and Orthus.

Her mother had extreme animosity towards her due to her being a woman. If she was ever the one in trouble, even Cerberus couldn’t sway their mother. 

She is close to Hades like her brothers are. 

Her aura is a phoenix and contained in a red feathered earring that she wears. While her aura protects her, it will burn up and take her awhile to restore it if she uses it too long. In dire circumstances she becomes the phoenix and is literally on fire, though thankfully she’s not harmed by it. She also looks like she’s on fire when using the aura

August is not amused when this happens.

Due to her mother, when she meets Asta she becomes a lot quieter than normal, much to August’s confusion. Asta kind of figures it out when MC flinches involuntarily while helping Asta out.

Asta is a lot gentler to her and when he mentions how strange she’s being, informs August that while she might be strong, MC has vulnerabilities just like every human, and some vulnerabilities are far more damaging even after years of healing.

Even when she moves to Chicago, they still are close and regularly call each other. When she is sent to the fantasy land, she worries over them, because they can’t visit her all at once and she knows they’re bound to notice when she doesn’t call them.

And they do, and they worry. A lot.

She is very frazzled when she enters the Fantasy Realm, because she can’t sense her brothers and just knows she’s not in the same place as them.

She talks about her brothers but doesn’t talk about her mother, actively refuses to talk about her.

Returning to Chicago puts MC in shock and she just wanders back to her apartment. She no sooner opens it than she’s pulled into a hug by a very worried Cerberus, who after not hearing from her for a week, and Sophie saying MC hadn’t been seen, had gotten AFK MC to go with him to Chicago to look for her. He’s incredibly confused as to why his sister is dressed in medieval armor. They’re GREEK myths.

She essentially breaks down into a sobbing mess in his arms because she doesn’t know what’s happened to August and she doesn’t know how to get back. And everything is just so stressful and too much.

When she finally calms down, she explains everything to Cerberus, AFK MC, and Sophie. Sophie reveals who she is, backing up MC.

Cerberus is really reluctant at first, because...this is his baby sister. He hasn’t even met this...August Falke, and his baby sister is in love with the guy?? AFK MC smooths it over with him and he dives headfirst into looking for solutions so she can get back.

He gives her the biggest hug when she leaves.

MC’s aura helps lessen the pain of the curse, but only just.

They are all really surprised when she returns with August and are overjoyed to see her, creating a literal dogpile.

They are less pleased when they find out about the curse. 

Initially they are all for making her stay, but when she makes it very, very clear she’s not leaving August, they decide to help them try and find a way to break the curse.

They all pretty much interrogate August while they’re looking for the Aisetha, making sure that this man would be good enough for their baby sister. August is a bit intimidated, but nonetheless they manage to like him and gain their approval.

They more or less welcome him to the ‘pack’. They made August promise to look after her, which wasn’t a difficult promise for him to agree to.

MC gets a surprise at the wedding when a portal appears and her brothers, as well as AFK’s MC arrive. Cerberus says it was all because of Hades and they wouldn’t be good big brothers if they missed her wedding would they?

They don’t tell her how they know she’s getting married, and she’s too happy to ask.

Talking about children is entertaining, and he asks if their children might be able to get auras. She says it’s possible, but only time would tell. 

Saerys 

MC is the youngest sister to Medusa. She never got involved in the gangs like her sisters did. She helped Medusa get back on her feet after Perseus took her aura.

When she meets the AFK MC, she immediately likes her. Plus AFK MC bakes some awesome sweets.

Her aura is a jellyfish and is contained within a necklace.

Like her sisters, she can freeze people to stone. Unlike her sisters, it causes strain to her eyes.

She doesn’t tell anyone what she is or what she’s capable of due to the fact that they already are nervous about her. She doesn’t need to give them legit reason to be frightened of her.

MC actually thinks that when the villagers are calling Saerys a monster, they’re referring to her for other reasons. She’s been called that before.

When she tells him that she’s been called a monster, he doesn’t understand who could see her as a monster.

When she reveals her aura to the others when Saerys goes turbo mode for the first time they understand why she kept her abilities a secret.

She nearly kills Lennox with her ability, but a soldier gets in the way. They retreat at that point and MC is pretty disoriented because of it.

She does tell them she won’t use the ability unless it’s a final resort. Saerys is perfectly alright with that, granted he’s more concerned about her hurting herself than freezing people to stone.

When she ‘dies’ and Saerys gives her a part of his soul her aura vanishes. It feels strange and she wonders how Medusa managed to do this when she lost hers by herself. 

Saerys and her bond over being the only one of their kind in the Fantasy Realm. Even back in Chicago, MC is considered the only ‘gorgon’ in that city. 

Speaking of returning to Chicago. When she gets back, she gets pretty much tackled by Medusa, who feared that someone, either their other sisters, their mother, or just some enemy from the past had attacked her as retaliation. Heck, she thought Perseus had been involved for a little while.

That apparently was a very...loud argument at H.E.R.A that everyone in the building heard.

Medusa is not pleased when her sister comes back with a strange man in tow. Even more when she senses that her sister's aura is no longer...there.

Finding out she died and Saerys saved her by implanting a part of his soul in her has two reactions. Her desire to maim/murder WQ rising and then hugging the crap out of Saerys, who is pretty sure she broke several of his ribs.

When Saerys regains his ability to go into turbo mode, she regains her connection to her aura.

The demon souls actually really like her and her monsterous abilities. Saerys nor MC are thrilled by this declaration by the souls. 

MC is nervous because she doesn’t know what future children would be like. Saerys is quick to tell them they would be lovely, no matter what. 

Altea Bellerose 

MC is the daughter of Hades. No one knows who her mother was other than Hades.

While he’s a workaholic he does care for her. She helps him out along with her cousin Persephone to at least try and get him away from work, with little success.

Her aura appears as a screech owl. She has it hidden in a ring. 

Hades is alerted almost immediately that MC is missing. He looks around Chicago with AFK MC, then asks Cerberus and his brothers if she has gone through the gates. He then, very reluctantly, looks at the roster of newly deceased individuals in case he missed MC’s name. Thankfully she doesn’t appear on it.

The relief is short lived, because that means he doesn’t know where she is.

She actually reveals her aura early on when Helena tries to attack Altea. It’s...very startling to say the least, and she has a lot of explaining to do.

She keeps her parentage very, very vague. She’s pretty sure that saying ‘hey I’m the daughter of the God of the Underworld’ won’t go over well.

This does lead to an argument down the road when MC finds out about Altea’s parentage.

‘You didn’t tell me about your family either!’ ‘My father is the God of the Underworld, Altea! Because that wouldn’t scream wannabe goth in any shape or manner and wouldn’t have made you all think I’ve lost my marbles!’

MC getting back to Chicago with Altea is entertaining because Hades, Persephone, and AFK MC are there and Altea proceeds to see MC getting lectured for vanishing and all of them asking where she went and what happened.

Altea low-key gets a crush on Persephone. MC is not surprised.

They meet Altea. It’s...intimidating for the wizard. Especially meeting Hades. MC is a little worried, but thankfully Hades likes Altea.

Altea’s parents are...overjoyed? They learn their daughter is in love with the child of a god. MC is amused, while Altea is annoyed. Lional is so excited when she reveals her aura.

Hades does eventually tell MC her history and family line. Altea is right there with her and letting her process the information. 

Hades as well as AFK MC come for the wedding. MC has to keep her laughter down because Hades looks so out of place. 

Her dress is a little more greek looking than her canon dress.

Reiner Wolfson 

MC is the daughter Aphrodite, and the baby half-sister to Alex and Eros.

She became fast friends with the AFK’s MC when they met as they are the same age. 

MC’s aura appears as wolves and she it’s contained in a necklace.

Yes Alex teases her when they find out her lover’s last name is Wolfson, and yes she realizes the irony.

Initially Alex thought they were losing it, or they’re tired from overworking when MC’s aura just vanishes from their radar. That all changes when Aphrodite comes down from Olympus absolutely frantic as she can’t sense it either.

AFK MC and Alex head over to Chicago, trying to find clues about where she went to no avail.

Meanwhile MC is struggling to keep the fact she’s a demigod a secret. She figures that it won’t go well for her to show she’s a demigoddess when everyone thinks she’s someone called the Witch Queen. 

She reveals who or rather what she is when Reiner comes to rescue her and she summons her aura to protect Reiner from Magnus.

She explains who she is and what her life is like as a demigoddess.

She muses that Reiner’s family story is similar to a Greek tragedy, and regrets the thought when Aldric returns. 

She’s actually more open to marrying. She’s the daughter of Aphrodite so it’s really not that much of a surprise. 

Her aura fights within her when she and WQ are struggling for control. It’s painful and draining and the first night she scratches her arms raw.

Reiner is not a happy man when he sees that and it makes him worry for her even more.

When the WQ is partially possessing her, she gives Reiner the necklace that houses the aura. While it won’t activate for him, she’s sure it will remain safe with him and will protect him in some way.

She doesn’t realize how much that is true until they’re both sent to Chicago and she can sense half of the aura gone

When she returns to Chicago, she barely manages to get into her apartment before she’s pulled in with a big hug and starts being scolded by Alex.

And she just breaks down, much to their confusion. 

She explains what happened and where she had been. That she needs to find Reiner because he’s somewhere in this world and the realm she had been in needs him. And she needs him too.

At first Alex is a little reluctant to believe her, but she points out that they’re the children of a goddess, the idea of a different realm should not be that much of a stretch. They can’t really find an argument to that.

Finally Alex agrees and along with AFK MC they begin to search for him.

Thankfully Alex likes Reiner when they meet him. They can tell he’s a good man.

Getting married in Las Vegas is...interesting. She’s sure her mother probably wouldn’t approve, but they really don’t have time for a full blown Greek wedding.

Along with Sophie, Alex and AFK MC are there as witnesses

Just seconds after they’re married and the spell is broken, in comes Aphrodite. And oh boy, is MC in trouble.

“What do you mean you’re married?!?” “Um...I’m just following your ideals on love?” “AND I WASN’T INVITED!?!’

Reiner may or may not fear for his life as the Goddess of Love stares up at him, taking in her new son-in-law. She may be shorter than him, but that doesn’t stop the panic at the possible smiting he might have incurred. Thankfully she smiles after a moment and welcomes him into the family.

Being a demigoddess did prepare her to be cordial and dealing with the council and nobles. She may not like it, but it still works in her favor.

The nobles try once, ONCE, to say MC isn’t worthy to be married to Reiner. Then Aphrodite appears looking very godly, very angry and very displeased about them calling her daughter a commoner

The nobles shit their collective pants and MC just wants to sink into the ground. Reiner finds it hilarious.

MC is low-key terrified about when she has a kid what her family is going to be like and senses that there will be many impromptu visits from them.

Iseul Idreis 

MC is the baby sister to Chimera and Eagle. 

Her aura appears as a lion and eagle, representing the Mesopotomian monster Anzû. It’s kept in an armlet.

Both of her brothers tease her about the fact that she has an aura that’s almost a part of each of their own. While she acts annoyed, she actually loves the fact her aura parts somewhat represent her brothers.

They are particularly protective of her and did not want her moving to Chicago, but she’s as stubborn as they are. 

She initially played middleman between Chimera and Eagle in conversation, even after she moved to Chicago. After the events in Season One of Chimera’s route, she doesn’t have to play middleman and just enjoys chatting to the two of them.

They usually keep in contact with her and she does visit from time to time, getting to know AFK MC.

‘Seriously, he’s an idiot. A cute idiot, but an idiot. How did he snag you??’ ‘Hey!!’ 

It becomes worrying for both men when they don’t hear from her for a little while and they head to Chicago to find out what is going on. Cue them finding out she hasn’t been seen in over a week.

Meanwhile she’s having to contend with hiding what she is...well...a monster to the Fantasy Realm and keeping her aura hidden.

It is discovered that the WQ had been in contact with Typhon and that is how MC was created. Typhon then implanted memories in Chimera and Eagle about her.

It does make her hesitant to reach out to them initially, worried they’ll not see her as family. 

Imagine her surprise when they literally barge into her apartment and then surprise hug her, both yelling at her, asking where she’s been and if she’s okay, as well as just saying how relieved that she’s back.

She finds out that Typhon told Chimera and Eagle when they went to him to see if he had done something to her. They still consider her their sister, even if she’s only actually been ‘alive’ for a few years.

MC introducing them to Iseul is hilarious. Eagle goes ‘older brother’ on him, making sure Iseul is good enough for his sister. Chimera is trying to not crack up laughing while still trying to be intimidating.

Magnus is very much afraid of them, as he should be. He vaguely questions his Queen’s mindset when choosing Typhon to look after her vessel.

They aren’t exactly pleased with MC going back, but feel like she should finish what’s been started.

However, they’re...very much surprised when MC comes back and ‘surprise you’re both going to be uncles’. Eagle looks like he’s aged a decade and Chimera doesn’t want to think about the fact that his sister did...that.

“Chimera, we started having sex way before-” “LALALALALALALA! CAN’T HEAR YOU!!” 

They wind up being protective of her during the pregnancy, even deciding to come along when MC returns to the Fantasy Realm with AFK MC. That has both its advantages and disadvantages.

Guess who is panicking along with Isuel when MC is kidnapped? Nothing says fun like two monsters arguing on how the best way to get their sister is. MC saving herself and then giving them grief over it is a very humorous sight.

Both of them compete on who is the best uncle for Iris. Thankfully Iseul doesn’t have any brothers so there isn’t a worry in that department on the Idreis side. 

Helena Klein 

MC was the daughter of Zeus, but was cast away from Olympus.

Hercules took her aura when she was cast out and she’s bitter about it. She moves to Chicago to get away from Olympus, H.E.R.A., and everything else. She does not talk to any of her family members.

She happens to be visiting New York when she hears about Astraeus and the Titans fighting against the Gods, and goes further into hiding so her family can’t try to contact her for help. They didn’t help her, why should she help them?

She meets Astraeus, and surprises him by not intervening in his quest. AFK MC talks to her and they strike up a friendship but MC keeps to herself.

Being sent to the Fantasy Realm is almost a blessing, even if she is confused as to why she’s here.

She thinks for a very brief moment, this is something due to her father and is really, really ticked off. 

She’s really protective of Helena, especially when she discovers all the pain Helena had gone through.

They’re relationship is a bit of a slower burn, as MC is still worried about her family and Helena doesn’t know what to make of her.

Both of them bond over being casted out from their homes for things that they had little control over. For MC it makes her fall for Helena even more because she understands her.

She tries to not be controlling, as she doesn’t want to be like her father. It throws Helena for a loop.

When she tells Helena about her family, Helena is at first stunned, but then very angry that she’s been subjected to that. And by a god no less.

She swears that MC’s family will not get close to her.

When they return to Chicago and Helena has no memories, she’s at a loss, because she would have usually gone to the gods for help, but isn’t about to do that, even if she can.

When Helena remembers, MC is so relieved because she was getting close to trying and contacting the gods if any still remain.

When they return to Chicago for the final time, MC says that eventually they’ll go to New York to visit, but only after everything quiets down there. They’re happy to remain in Chicago.

Alain Richter 

MC is the baby sister of Hydra

Her aura is Cerastes and is hidden in an anklet. 

Hydra is pretty cold towards her initially, making her think he didn’t like her. It’s later revealed that his attitude to her stems from his need to protect her so she wouldn’t be used against him by Hercules or the other gods.

While it kills him, he lets her go to Chicago, thinking she’s safer there. 

MC is quite stunned for Hydra to be at her doorstep in the events of Season 2 of Astoria: Lost Kisses. Just as much as the fact that Hydra has a girlfriend.

To be fair AFK MC is just as surprised to see MC as well as Hydra kept his baby sister a secret.

After the events in that Season, they reconcile and keep in contact. When she suddenly just drops off the face of the earth, Hydra notices and becomes concerned and goes to investigate.

Meanwhile MC is attempting to keep the fact that she’s a monster a secret from everyone, especially Alain. While she realizes that she is indeed the past WQ before she went evil, she also realizes that becoming Cerastes has changed her.

She unleashes an icy version of the snake when her ice powers come to surface. She then very reluctantly tells Alain who...or rather what she is considered in Chicago. She also show Alain what the Cerastes aura looks like originally

Alain is stunned, but states that it doesn’t change his feelings for her.

The snake protects both of them when WQ returns and aids in freeing them.

She nearly passes out when she uses it too much when they are fighting with Reiner and the retainers.

As she relieves the memories of her and Alain’s past, a part of her wonders if she would have become like the WQ  had she and Hydra never reconciled and the feeling of loneliness continued.

While the WQ is able to use the ice-serpent shape, she is unable to use the Cerastes aura in its entirety, and that’s what aids MC for revealing that the WQ was impersonating her.

Returning to Chicago is...stressful. When Alain breaks up with her, she just wanders around. She barely gets down a block before Hydra finds her and is frantically checking her, his aura checking on hers. She’s dazed but then breaks down, which does not help with Hydra’s panic.

He doesn’t believe her at first when she explains what happened and where she’s been, because even for a Greek monster, that seems far-fetched.

Eventually though she convinces him she’s not making this up, especially when she shows him the armor, and he can tell that that’s not of Earth or even Godly origin.

Initially Hydra thinks that Alain is attempting to kidnap her when they get back together. He attacks Alain and it’s only her summoning her aura that makes him stop. 

He does not like Alain any more either when he finds out that Alain is MC’s lover.

Because this bastard touched his sister.

MC has to go back to defeat the WQ, and Hydra is not thrilled by this. He kept her away from him so she wasn’t involved in fighting, and now she’s been thrown into a fight.

AFK MC manages to convince him to let her go.

MC promises to visit him, and she finds a way to do so.

The whole Umbra thing is such a quest and she’s so annoyed with it, even if she does realize she needs to complete it so both worlds and all realities are safe.

She manages to make a portal so she can visit her brother. Hydra still hates Alain, but he’ll humor him or her sake.

[deathvsthemaiden]

10 Favorite Characters Meme, tagged by @lissar (ty!) to list 10 of my favorite fictional characters and tag 10 ppl.

1. Jane “not your English Celine Varens” “Provoking puppet” “little bungler” “mocking changeling” “mustard seed” “Janet” Eyre of Jane Eyre I cant put it in words I just love her 🐦 <3

2. Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek. I wanna be HER when I grow up 🤩 (I’m kidding) I love her hyperbolic speech (it reminds me of how I text) and her tendency to wordlessly scREAM her feelings no shame no consequences. Her confidence is one of the best parts of the show ansbdjsnns 🌹

3. “Yes indeed, a mythological murder case...Obviously I’d appear!” (FGO)

Sherlock Holmes! 🔍💙🔎 gonna cheat and sandwich 3 separate versions of the same dude into one bullet point because they’re all endearing jokers whom I love for basically all the same reasons. The Fate Grand Order, original (Arthur Conan Doyle) and Granada editions of Sherlock Holmes are my all time favorites I’ve seen so far. Grand Order took him by the collar from 221B and quietly placed him in a universe where All Myth Is Real and was like “what if the mystery this time is to find out who ended all of humanity?” LOVE that for him. ACD canon is just cozy and fun and the fact that Doyle grew sick of Holmes just makes the books even better to me 🤭 And Brett’s passion for Holmes and accuracy are obvious while watching Granada. And it definitely doesn’t hurt that FGO seems to have taken inspiration from the show for their own Holmes.

4. “Did I hate him then? Indeed, I believe so. A love like that can grow to be nine-tenths hatred and still call itself love.”

Orual from Till We Have Faces. priorities! She has them. Star of one of my all time favorite Greek myth retellings ever. I’ll admit I don’t remember the book perfectly well but I understood her anger so well back when I was reading the book and I remember rooting for her the whole time.

5. Albert Honig the mc of Telling the Bees by Peggy Hesketh. I have a fondness for kindly old men narrators and bees. And murder mysteries. Guess what this book has? 🐝🍯🔪

6. Inho Baek of Cheese In The Trap. Long suffering piano-prodigy-delinquent-man I knowwww your story is done being translated I’m just Afraid To Look. Soon! I will revisit you soon...in the meantime stay safe and protect your hands sweet prince 😬🎹🧀

7. Adamant “this is a kind child” “crying is a defect” “I love you all” Sensei of Houseki no Kuni (he’s the strongest bc he’s LOVE INCARNATE!!) 💎🥺♟💖 Despite all common sense I maintain the hope that he will never bite the dust (unintentional and morbid pun if u know anything abt Hnk)

8. Evi Kholin from The Stormlight Archive. miss I cant think too hard about you without tearing up I have so many spoilerific teary thoughts to share but for the sake of brevity I’ll just say: everything that happened to her hit too close to home and was also just. Massively unfair. I wouldn’t change it though bc it hurts so good and had appropriate levels of nuance and complexity and whatnot. The mysteries surrounding her were worth waiting till Oathbringer (Bk #3) for. I do seriously wish jokes weren’t the thing that made up 90% of her tag though :/ maybe I’ll take pains to fix that myself one day. Perhaps. 🤕

9. Ellie Miller from Broadchurch! Another one of many altruistic fictional detectives I love.

10. Eton the Mad Prince 👑 and would be canonical older brother of Raoden had Brandon Sanderson not scrapped him from Elantris altogether. I get why he did but the deleted scenes on his website....hysterical. He would have easily made it into my top 5 favorite cosmere characters of all time if he’d made it into a published work. I love (fictional) monarchs of dubious (in)sanity and the best part is how in the deleted scenes I linked there’s no one we see him messing with more than Hrathen who, being canon, really /is/ in my top 5 favorite cosmere characters of all time. Those deleted scenes are probably safe to read if you’ve never read Elantris and intend to btw, proceed with caution.

Tagging: @pinkafropuffs @kashilascorner @kandraswithhats @makruh @iwaizuml @fruit6at @sjouno @ayuumaku @elfenana @xviicprc @howaboutswords and anyone else who wants to do this should! Tag me if you do 📚

[gotatext]

 hello, its nora (she/her, gmt) n this is the ethereal but spoiled alma olive putnam (she goes by all 3 names cos she’s pretentious as fuck). raised in a farmhouse in vermont, big horse girl energy. very hungry for everything life has to offer. wakes up and smells the success in her blood. luvs the smell of libraries and listening to french music from a tinny record player in knee socks. here is pinterest. bio is below the cut, like this post to be bombarded with plotting messages but i might forget tho so pls message me x

application template.

『ELLE FANNING ❙ CIS-FEMALE』 ⟿ looks like ALMA OLIVE PUTNAM is here for HER JUNIOR year as a CLASSICS student. SHE is 21 years old & known to be RESILIENT, MAGNETIC, CALLOUS & PROUD. They’re living in PERKINS, so if you’re there, watch out for them. ⬳ NORA. 24. GMT. SHE/HER.

aesthetics.

a red beret nestled on top of bright platimum locks, neck scarves tied around your throat the way they do it in french new wave films, running barefoot through the woods in feckless hedonism, china dolls with porcelain faces lined against the walls of your room, the mona lisa smile, knee-socks tugged over the hockey grazes on your knees, a forged botticelli drying on your easel, ophelia floating in the middle of a lake. 

proceed w caution, tw for death, drugs, alcohol, violence

the short form.

— studying classics cos she thinks it makes her sound smart, but actually hates fuckin latin and just loves learning about feckless hedonism and the festivals of bacchus and writing about how all women in myth are literally forgotten. was expelled from princeton in her first year so her parents basically paid her way into radcliffe but she made an impression.... like... super fast and in her sophomore year she was upgraded to perkins accomodation n a paid scholarship bcos i think the governors kind of expect to see her in the supreme court one day or.

—  born in vermont in a big old farmhouse. her great-great-grandfather moved to america as an immigrant and worked on a plantation, made his way up cos he could speak a lot of languages and therefore win more people over. for the last two generations, putnam men have owned the farm and do little of the dirty work. big in the meat industry.

— both her parents had large personalities, so alma’s never really been shy around adults, even as a kid she’d speak to them in a forthright, confident manner, and because she was always surrounded by adults, she’s always seemed a bit wise beyond her years.

— very much a consolidation of every character in the secret history. has a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs. obsessed with w.h. auden and the beat poets. — ”aestheticism is the only thing worth pursuing and even that is pointless” — is majoring in classical civilisation. can read ancient greek and latin. also speaks french.

— studies hard and plays hard. she gets top marks but it’s because academia is literally her life, she loves the smell of libraries, the ancient smoke of learning, of feeling like old wine in a new bottle reincarnated from the bones of some old, dead witchy woman who invented a cure for cowpox or somethin.

— isn’t a foward-planner, however. alma prefers to leave her options open, play the field, live in a spontaneous manner so her study style is mostly cramming a few days before a test, or staying up all night writing an essay on a massive adrenaline boost powered by red bull or probably adderall, scribbling (or typing) furiously into the night.

— pretentious motherfucker. loves poetry, especially the romantics, loves morbid ones too, edgar allen poe, sylvia plath, allen ginsberg, she just loves them all. can’t get enough. her favourite films are like…. wanky artfilm independent european cinema. especially french new wave. “what do you think of goddard’s work??” while snorting a line off someone’s sink at 5am on a school night, but you can bet she’ll make it to that 9am class. — very intelligent and beautiful and knows both of those facts. plays devil’s advocate. humanitarian, vegan. — judgemental but takes great care not to appear so. petty and vindictive

— obsessively devours mystery and thriller novels. she herself is a gillian flynn book waiting to happen. — tries to be an enigma. wants to be mysterious and unreadable because that’s what books have taught her makes women desirable and interesting and cool. very amy dunne in the way she expertly reinvents herself to suit her audience, when she wants to impress

— act like the flower but be the serpent under it. is a user. manipulative. leads people on. will throw another student under the bus to demonstrate her own intelligence and integrity — heavily involved in the theatre society. loves attention. — has an addictive personality. seems unable to do anything in a small dose, she has to let it utterly consume her. with sports, she’s fiercely competitive, runs track, played lacrosse at school, now is a cheerleader probably. with alcohol, it’s never a shot, it’s a whole bottle – wine or whiskey – she’ll be table dancing before the night’s up and making out with someone she’ll regret in the morning.

— her clothing style is like…. vintage thrift store but make it preppy. berets and cute hats, neck scarves, large fluffy cardigans or like those leathery jackets with big suede fringes on them, mini skirts (very 70s), and knee-high socks or boots. quite often she’ll be in sports kit, maybe a cute tennis skirt, n when she’s feeling casual she’ll wear like, a talking heads tshirt with a pair of mom jeans and converse, but otherwise, the library is her catwalk. — relates to ophelia from hamlet and sibyl vane in dorian gray. weirdly obsessed with women who commit suicide. loves jackson pollock paintings and abstract art. – likes old things. old books, old music, old houses, it reminds her of happier times like when she wasn’t alive. buys all her music on vinyl and has a gramophone because “the sound quality is better” kfdsjj.

plots.

here are some generic wanted plots but by all means message me so we can flesh them out more if any strike ur interest:

study buddies !! someone who is equally unprepared and so spends all night in the library with alma before a big deadline, maybe they even met in the library

if they’re from new england or vermont, then cousins . second cousins / extended family / family friends –  probably spat volavons on your character once as children, omg childhood friends !

people who live in perkins n feel like they r constantly competing with one another to keep their place as one of the #elite only know each other from brief interactions in the lift or the canteen

honestly someone who is fully in love with her or crushing on her that she can just break would be sweet :/ or on the other hand someone she unexpectedly gets feelings for and actually wants to guage her own  eyeballs out bc of it

frinds !! unlikely friends !! toxic friends !! former best friends separated by sporting or academic rivalries !

hockey / cheer friends who are on other teams but who she absolutely loves playin against!!!

fellow academics who like meeting up to discuss latin and greek ! gimme a secret society bonding by their love of ancient learning

i reckon she’s in a lot of societies, definitely the film club, maybe works as a projectionist at the uni cinema if they have one so give me ppl affiliated with that, give me fellow wanky pretentious art-lovers and poets and historians who will go to museums and galleries with her and listen to the velvet underground on vinyl

people she gets mortally fucked off her tits with at parties

people who think she is throwing her academic potential away by caving to hedonistic impulse

A SECRET SOCIETY !!! honestly i would die for a slug club esque thing in which the children of notable families are invited to dinners OR alma’s also an art forger, so maybe like a club of students set up to basically forge paintings and documents from the university special collections

people she has drunkenly made out with, hooked up with, or regularly sleeps with casually, maybe even a friend w benefits she is repressing feelings for, i love angst,

people she used to date or unrequitedly likes, but to them it’s just a physical thing, give me all the thirsty angst plots, and maybe some softness too, i need some religion in this girls life, she is a roman catholic after all

full biography.

alma olive putnam.

intro.

         the girl is a knife. razor-sharp, double-edged, the bright shine of a two-faced, lovely thing. silver like the secrets you magpie thief from other heads. you’re a scavenger of knowledge, of tidbits, of gossip to lock away for later use and late-night re-inspection. a mind is like a clock if you get to learn the pieces. bit by bit, you dismantle the inner workings of the brains that tick around you – how easy it is to change it’s path, how words and their meanings can make a person laugh or cry in an instant. to have the power to control that is to be a god. it’s the power trip you crave wielding pom-poms in your hands; a possessive need for control that a younger you, small and weak, never had as a child. small lips, smaller smile, a doll clutched in your too-hungry fingers, hard enough to shatter the bones of a real infant. you cut your hair with your mother’s kitchen scissors before the autumn falls, rendering you out of season, unfit for the cold weather that beats against the nape of your neck, where a stick-and-poke marks the star you were born under ; the bull. “mama, when will i be a queen?” as soon as they find a crown small enough not to slip from your head.

biography.

         if you get hungry enough, they say, you start eating your own heart. hands red, stained by pomegranate seeds, the empty pulp of its shell splattered on your thighs you find yourself wondering – what would it be like to want? in the beginning, you never knew hunger. twins, born under the same star, you first, him second – a nuclear family. never a sister to compete with, you were always the cherry pie of your parents’ hearts. white-haired, blue-eyed, beautiful baby of mine. the townhouse in vermont and the summer house in lyon, you wanted for nought, showered with attention, saddled with gifts - hardly a wonder you came to rely on such affection as a confirmation of your own worth.

         at eight years old you first met death, blood on a gingham-print dress, a smear of it over your cheekbone and the pulp of a mangled animal at your feet murdered by the hands of a stable boy. “alma, my precious baby, you get away from that filth,” your mama would cry from the upstairs balcony – cigar in one hand and a bloody mary in the other – though whether the filth she referred to was the dead pig or the boy with a kernel of corn in his mouth, you never did find out.

         your family earned their keeps in farming, great-grandfather wolfgang hildegarde a german immigrant, great-grandmother maura lisbon a prairie girl. they fell hopelessly in love between troughs and pig-shit, working for three dollars a day at a farm their descendants would later own, trade deals with the indians, vacations to calcutta, your father todd putnam in the kind of sheepskin coat his father’s father could only dream of owning. he worked hard so that you’d never have to. your mama once asked – you heard it through the window, rounding cartwheels across the picket-fenced lawn – could he not find a respectable career rather than selling shrink-wrapped pork for a dime a dozen? that blood money had no business raising a child. you look far back enough, edie, your father had said in his low, strong voice that could bring a civil war to silence, and i think you’ll find that all money is blood money.

         language was never fickle on your tongue, french dinner time talk by the time you were out of your hush puppy shoes, your mama fixing the au pair a smile as she fixed herself another martini. you learned the clarinet at four and how to dance with the grace of a swansong at six, ethereal under a spotlight, an audience captive in the palm of your hand. by eight you knew that you’d always been destined to be loved. loved so hard they would want to taste you, bite into the soft plump of your cheek and eat you alive. that was how magnetic you wanted to feel. but mother hamsters eat their own young when penned in together too long, and soon you became too wild, too restless, another package on your father’s delivery invoice, box-shipped out to english boarding school.

         fitting in had never been something you had to concern yourself with. you were always the shiny new toy the other girls wanted to play with, bright like a dropped coin from a magpie’s beak. wherever you went, you seemed to leave a trail of awe, pig-tailed harriet’s adoring you, imitating you, teachers forgiving your class-time chatter for the sake of your wild heart and the restless spirit you possessed. tell us what it’s like in the states, alma. they’d coo, enamoured by your hollywood drawl. does your father own a gun? you hardly knew. barely even knew the colour of his hair, for the scarce amount of times he’d stoop to kiss your cheek, though you’d tell silver-tongued tales if it’d guaranteed you an audience. when you learned how to smile at the right times, and that flattery would get you everywhere, it soon became apparent that charm would pave the yellow brick road to success even when your lack of drive couldn’t.

         the road you followed – gum-snapping, roller-blading, friendship bands all up your arm – eventually led you to radcliffe. bright-eyed and gingham skirted, you’d always known you were more. there was a hunger in you to be something extraordinary, a want so adamant to be imagined and desired that it was almost savage. in leather-bound volumes and a circle of stones, you were helen of troy, the girl for whom they’d launch a thousand ships. but there’s so much rage within you, collecting like sawdust in cavernous parts. hockey helped. there was something grounding about the feeling of a stick clasped in your hands. sweat. stiff knuckles. feet pounding the earth. the smash of wood against flesh in the scram of a game, passed off as mere enthusiasm. “slipped, sorry.” hockey is the one thing you had that was yours alone – a feral instinct that motivates you to play; something primitive within you that sparks an energy like no other. on the pitch, you feel alive. you feel like a god.

[cosmic-elementalist]

I. The Magus

The Juggler

The Lord of Illusion

The Wisdom, the Will, the Word, the Logos by whom the worlds were created.

Being the unexpected, he unsettles any established idea.

Being creative, he has no conscience.

Archetypes:

Unconscious Will

Messenger of the Gods

Law of Necessity or Chance

Fluidic Basis of All Transmission of Activity

Continuous Creation

Action in All Forms and Phases

Interpretation is the root of misinterpretation

Fulfillment of Potential

Duality

Symbols:

Tree of Life: Mercury is the Path leading from Kether (the Crown) to Binah (Understanding), thus he is the messenger of the gods, the Word of creation whose speech is Silence.

Second emanation from the Crown; adult form of the Fool, the Unity. It is the nature of these ideas to flow one into another.

The Will: The Son, the manifestation in act of the idea of the Father

The Word: Gospel of st. John: in the beginning was the word; and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The law of reason or of necessity or chance, which is the secret meaning of the Word (the factors, seemingly out of our control - be they subconscious or external - which influence action and come before logical decision)

Medieval Deck: 'Le Bâtleur', the Bearer of the Baton (energy sent forth)

One arm points up, the other down. As above, so below.

Wand with a knob at both ends reflecting dual polarity of electricity, but also the hallowed wand of Prometheus which brings down fire from Heaven.

"With the Wand createth He.

With the Cup preserveth He.

With the Daggee destroyeth He.

With the Coin redreemeth He."

Liber Magi vv. 7-10

Duality: truth and falsehood, wisdom and folly

Hanuman: flying monkey god of Hindu mythology.

Some stories tell him as an incarnation of Shiva, others his son.

Son of the wind.

Prankster as a child

Epitome of wisdom.

Rama's messenger.

Hanuman Chalisa (translated): monkey god and devotee of Rama, grant us the power of higher life-force (prana) that elevates the mind and increases our devotion.

Tahuti or Thoth: Head of the ibis; concentration (meditative spirit, possibly reference to the secret of the Aeon of Osiris; that male intervention is necessary for having children)

Bears a phoenix wand (resurrection through the generative process; multiple incarnations) and Ankh (breath of life)

Alternatively: Style and Papyrus (transmits words of the gods and records their acts)

It was seen from very early times that the use of speech or writing meant the introduction of ambiguity at best, and falsehood at worst; Thoth was therefore followed by an Ape (Cynocephalus, a sacred Egyptian baboon with the face of a dog) whose business was to distort the Word of God; to mock, to simulate, and to decieve.

Other myths suggest that Thoth created himself through the power of language.

Shapeshifter: could turn into a babboon.

The Ogdoad were created from his song.

Thought to have invented writing, medicine, magic, and the Egyptian's civil and religious practices (shared music with Hathor)

Recorded the verdict of the dead; He Who Balances

Voice of Ra

Author of Every Work on Every Branch of Knowledge, Both Human and Divine

The One Who Made Calculations Concerning the Heavens, the Stars, and the Earth.

Linked to creation of calendar

Said to be the husband or father of Seshat, an ancient goddess of wisdom. He absorbed most of Seshat's roles, and became seen as his female aspect (not in Hermopolis)

Overcame the curse of Ra, allowing Nut to give birth to her five children (a myth regarding a change of calendar), with his skill at games.

Astrological Mercury: Planet of connections; everything that links and conveys; synchronicity; the magical crossroads at which the observer stands to see the similarity of meaning in the converging strands of various causes and effects.

Meeting place of Mind and Matter; logic, wit, and reason are brought into play.

The ancestor of every action is thought, and how we say something is often more important than why we say it.

Words trigger attitudes and set up resonances up resonances of their own, continuing to do their work even when the attention is elsewhere.

Bridge between the self and the world.

Shows how one can 'hijack' people, places, and situations to our best advantage - the way one can go about getting their way.

Hermes: Messenger for Zeus, and his son by Maia of the Pleiadies, and guide to the underworld.

Trickster Child.

God of language, writing, travellers, thieves and cunning, herdsmen, teaching, athletics, astrology and astronomy.

Carried herald's wand Greek 'kerykeion', Latin 'caduceus'

Hermes Trismegistus: composite of Thoth and Hermes.

Origin of Hermetic texts

Inventor of language, guide of the dead, son and messenger of God.

Said to have written the book of Thoth, 'Hermetic' text relating to sacred knowledge of the gods.

Caduceus: contains a complete symbol of the Gnosis.

Winged sun (phallus) = joy of life on all planes from the lowest to the highest.

Serpents = active and passive = Eagle and Lion

Unites Microcosm and Macrocosm, and the symbol of the Magical operation which accomplishes this.

Life itself, and is of universal application.

Wings added in 2nd century CE, but did not become popular until 15th century.

Not to be confused with staff of Asklepios (one snake on a wooden staff), which is a symbol of healers.

Loki: Originally a chaotic neutral symbol, was changed to an evil chaotic one by Christian invaders.

Shapeshifter. Androgyne (takes on both male and female forms/roles). Magician.

Trickster; beyond concepts of “good” and “evil”. Works his will at all costs.

Pre-viking myths point to an earlier version of Loki as a creator god. The Poetic Edda also references Odin, Lodur (associated with Loki), and Hoenir as those who gave life to the first humans, with Lodur providing them with Life Fire. 

Eleggua: (an article on misinterpretations of this diety) God of the roads and of liminal spaces.

In Santeria, is the most important of the Orisha. Without his blessing, nothing can proceed. Allows prayers to reach the Orisha. Facilitates divination.

The first to test our integrity and our word. “Because of this quality many followers of Santeria consider Elegba to be a trickster or a troublemaker. At our church we prefer to think of him as the great experimenter, always testing humanity to see what will happen next.”

In the Vision of the Universal Mercury, Hermes is seen descending upon the sea, which refers to Mary. (The path of Beth on the Tree of Life shows him descending from Kether, the Crown, upon Binah, the Great Sea)

To continue the identification, compare Christ's descent into hell with the function of Hermes as guide of the dead.

It may be noted here that Mercury and Venus are the planets between us and the Sun, as if the son and mother were mediators between the Earth and the father.

3 days for Mercury to become visible after separating from the orb of the sun, compared to Christ's resurrection after 3 days

The Lord of Illusion: Vi Veri Vniversum Vivus Vici = By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe

Universal Solvent: water & blood. sperm & amniotic fluid & menstrual blood

Alkahest: hypothetical universal solvent. Paracelcius' philosophers's Stone. Dissolve anything into it's elements.

Sal alkali: caustic potash in alcohol. Caustic lime, alcohol, and carbonate of potash.

Azoth: started as hypothetical universal solvent, later became term for element Mercury.

Symbol was caduceus

Name is medieval Latin, an alteration of Azoc, derived from Arabic al-zā'būq, "the mercury"

As the Universal Life Force, the Azoth is the animating energy of the body and the inspiration and enthusiasm that move the mind.

"light of nature", or "mind of God"

Philosopher's Stone: Ignis et Azoth fibi sufficiunt

Azoth is related to Ain Soph

“Azoth, or Universal Medicine, is, for the soul, supreme reason and absolute justice; for the mind, it is mathematical and practical truth; for the body it´s the quintessence, which is a combination of gold and light. In the spiritual world, it is the First Matter of the Great Work, the source of the enthusiasm and activity of the alchemist. In the mental world, it is intelligence and industry. In the material world, it is physical labor.

Sulfur, Murcury, and Salt, which, volatized and fixed alternatively, compose the Azoth of the sages. Sulfur corresponds to Fire, Mercury to Air and Water, Salt to Earth.” - Eliphas Levi, Transcendental Magic

Believed by Aleister Crowley to represent a unity of beginnings and endings by tying together the first and last letters of ancient alphabets (A, Aleph & Alpha) (Z, final in Latin) (O, final in Greek) (Th, final in Hebrew). Universal synthesis of opposites as a ´cancellation’ (i.e. solvent) or cohesion (i.e. medicine)

Schamayin: “(hebrew for ‘heaven’) who is Androgyne, who is Divine Fiery Water, the first outflow of the Word of God, the flaming river pouring from the presence of the eternal mind.

Universal Mercury or Azoth - the measureless spirit of life.

This original spiritual fiery water comes through Edem (”vapor” in Hebrew) and pours itself into the four main rivers of the four Elements.

In this Edem (vaporous essence or mist) is the first, or spiritual Earth, the incomprehensible and intangible dust out of which God formed Afam Kadmom, the spiritual body of man” - Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages

Divinatory Interpretations:

Skill, wisdom, adroitness, elasticity, craft, cunning, deceit, theft.

Sometimes occult wisdom or power, sometimes a quick impulse, a “brain-wave”.

It may imply messages, business transactions, the interference of learning or intelligence with the matter in hand.

[ratvoyage6]

Cognitive Behavior Modification Strategies Demystified

Cbt For Stress And Anxiety

Content

What Should I Get Out Of A Cbt Session?

When Cognitive Behavior Modification Does Not Function.

Stating No Can Be An Act Of Love: 6 Of The Most Effective Lessons Individuals Picked Up From Therapy.

Mindfulness.

Research study has revealed that certain patterns of believing are connected with a wide range of psychological as well as mental troubles. These negative or extreme idea patterns have actually regularly come to be so regular that they are experienced as automatic and go undetected by the individual. Psychological and also psychological distress occurs when people view the globe as harmful. When this occurs perceptions and also analyses of occasions come to be very discerning, egocentric, as well as inflexible, leading to people making systematic mistakes in thinking, called 'cognitive distortions'. ver 2000 years ago the Greek Calm philosopher Epictetus said that individuals are interrupted not by points but by the sights they take of them. When your therapist has actually learnt more about you as well as your experiences detailed, they will start to supply you with pointers and also methods to help you handle or battle your mental health concerns.

DD receives appointment fee from the Albert Ellis Institute and also editorial fee from the Springer. All 3 authors are CBT experienced researchers, energetic promoters, and also factors to evidence-based psychotherapy. The editor as well as customers' associations are the most recent offered on their Loophole study accounts as well as may not mirror their situation at the time of evaluation. This area has lots of info, suggestions as well as features to help during this time around. Prior to you total attain your goal bear in mind to bear in mind to prepare for your next objective. The natural arousal power of objective implementation will decrease on completion and also to continue to keep inspired as well as goal focused its valuable to have your following goal in mind ready to begin the steps again. Make a WISE goal that is necessary to you i.e. select something that you truly want, is substantial or interests you.

What Should I Get Out Of A Cbt Session?

Some registered nurses, physicians, occupational therapists and also medical psycho therapists operating in CMHTs might likewise supply CBT. With experience you can get senior high strength therapist roles by undertaking additional duties entailing supervision, management, job leadership, training, specialism and also education. Conversely, you can develop expert study skills and expertise via getting a professional doctoral research fellowship and also finishing a PhD. Whichever path you select, proficiency beyond the core high strength therapist function is needed and also you'll require to carry out pertinent training. Setups can consist of area psychological health groups, GP surgical treatments, health and wellness centres and also healthcare facilities, or social services. Proof of long-lasting volunteering is additionally handy as it shows that you're emotionally strong as well as committed to dealing with individuals with psychological wellness problems. These sorts of vacancies can be located in the not-for-profit and health and wellness field.

You should feel ready to proactively change your ideas as well as behaviour for it to be effective. direct therapy - Things You Must Learn About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy might discover it hard to concentrate and stay motivated in the beginning, particularly if you've been feeling low. But the best therapist will put you at ease and also see to it you take the sessions at the right speed for you It is very important that your therapist is educated as well as certified to use CBT.

When Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Doesn't Function.

Element C is typically the longest session as it involves practical knowing and exercises. It is this section where prospects need to reveal they have standard equilibrium and control abilities in order to proceed. Element C takes around 2 hrs yet may be prolonged relying on prospect abilities. Component B takes around 30 to 40 mins and also introduces you to the motorbike, the controls, safely checks plus pressing and wheeling your maker. Depending on the severity of your psychological health and wellness problem, CBT can additionally be used along with antidepressant drug, which can help make therapy sessions much more efficient as symptoms of depression are decreased. While sessions of CBT can continue for weeks or months prior to symptoms of anxiety or anxiety begin to alleviate, it is typically pointed out as one of the most effective type of talking therapy, otherwise referred to as psychiatric therapy, which currently exists.

I signed up for online therapy to see if it actually works - Haaretz

I signed up for online therapy to see if it actually works.

Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]

At this moment you're probably mosting likely to be really feeling rather excellent on the bike; as well as getting made use of to how it all works to ensure that you prepare to improve these standard abilities when traveling. When you have actually efficiently completed a CBT, you can ride a motorcycle up to 125cc if you more than 17, or a moped if you are over 16, when driving with L plates for as much as 2 years before taking your motorcycle licence examination. Common Myths About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy involves a theory element on bike equipment and road security, an on-site practical to make certain you know how to run your bike or moped, and a two-hour block of real-life riding. You do not require to have actually passed your theory examination in order to do the CBT course. If you are taking into consideration acquiring a full bike permit at some point, then don't miss this opportunity to ask your teacher to evaluate the number of days of training they think you will require. There is an optimum proportion of 4 pupils to one teacher except for element E, when the optimum ratio is two pupils to one instructor. If there are 4 pupils on the training course after that the teacher will certainly execute 2 road rides, each lasting for 2 hrs.

Saying No Can Be An Act Of Love: 6 Of The Very Best Lessons Individuals Gained From Therapy.

While it's important to enlighten on your own and also reviewing an introduction of the most usual sorts of online therapy can provide you a concept of what would benefit you, eventually, it's the therapist who will make a decision which strategy to follow. It is necessary to maintain an open mind because sometimes their options may appear unusual initially. Bear in mind, as the client, you can request for clarification, and your therapist can clarify what a type of therapy involves. Any individual who intends to attempt 'appropriate' therapy yet doesn't have the time or capacity to take a trip for sessions, and also any individual that's in some way gone and obtained themselves disallowed from every counsellor in town. Well, if the future of mental healthcare is everything about IMs, FaceTime as well as 'OMG, which neuroses R U?

CBT is used in many conditions, so it isn't possible to note them all right here. We will check out choices to the most typical issues - anxiousness and anxiety.

Mindfulness.

Direct exposure therapy intends to break this way of thinking by subjecting you to the things you fear in a risk-free setup. Numerous research studies have actually recorded CBT's efficiency to deal with problems like OCD, PTSD and also Anxieties.

Mostly it was great, it truly was, however the very first couple of minutes were a teensy bit knuckle-bitey.

Discover the self, what it means to be clashed as well as the effects this has on an individual's health.

I assist trainees suffering from a variety of psychological health and wellness conditions, students that are feeling reduced, and also arrange interventions in between children.

My technique to therapy is integrated, meaning that I can collaborate with a combination of concepts, Person Centred coaching underpins all of my work, specifically when working on an emotional degree with my customers.

If these thoughts are considered impractical, you will certainly learn skills that aid you change your reasoning patterns so they are extra accurate with respect to a given situation. Once your point of view is more sensible, the therapist can aid you identify a suitable strategy.

[mst3kproject]

1108: The Loves of Hercules

I kinda miss the shorts and the black and white films in the new series, but I was happy to see a Hercules movie in the lineup! It feels like MST3K getting back to its roots.  This is a particularly awful Hercules movie, too, short on feats of strength and long on romantic melodrama – and never once does Herc bend prison bars or pretend to drink a love potion!  Get with the program, movie.  Along with napping, those are his defining acts!

An encampment of some sort is attacked by the Ecalian army, who proceed to slaughter everybody there including Hercules' wife Megara.  Hercules naturally goes looking to have a few words with the King of Ecalia about this, but when he arrives at the city he learns that the man is already dead.  If he wants vengeance, it will have to be against the king's daughter, Deianira.  Obviously Herc's not gonna take revenge against a girl for something she didn't even do – instead, he immediately falls in love with her, only to learn a few days later that she's already promised to a man named Achillo.

Herc leaves Ecalia in a huff, and after slaying a hydra even cheaper than the dragon in The Magic Sword, he arrives in the land of the Amazons.  Their queen, Hippolyta, drinks a potion that makes her look like Deianira in order to win Hercules' heart.  He is surprisingly okay with this, and fully prepared to stay with her until she gets sick of him and turns him into a tree... but then he learns that the real Deianira is about to be forced to marry her father's killer.

Meanwhile, I'm sitting here going, “Megara?  The redhead who died in the opening scene?  Remember her?  Anybody?”  Apparently not.

When a female character is killed off so that her death can spur a male character to action, this is colloquially known as 'fridging', after the time Alexandra DeWitt was killed and stuffed into a fridge just to piss off her boyfriend, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner.  Among non-hack writers it is generally frowned upon as both sexist (implying that women's lives are important only insofar as they matter to men) and lazy (there are better, less cliché ways to motivate your character).  This movie's treatment of Megara is one of the purest examples I've ever seen.  She is introduced only so that she can be killed, and killed only to make Hercules go to Ecalia, where he promptly forgets all about her when he meets Deianira.  Megara has served her entire purpose in the first couple of minutes, and is never mentioned again.  One wonders why they bothered paying an actress to play the part.  If she's gonna be that irrelevant, why even show her on screen?

This movie claims be be about The Loves of Hercules, but the fact that it forgets about Megara the moment Hercules meets Deianira makes it seem doubtful that he actually loves either of them. If Megara were so dear to him, surely he would grieve for her a while, rather than immediately wanting to run off with her killer's daughter.  And if he didn't love Megara, to whom he had apparently been married for some time, why should we believe he loves Deianira? He barely knows Deianira... it seems like there's a lot more lust going on there than love, especially when he's so willing to accept Deianira's double in Hippolyta.  We get a Hercules who seems to blunder from woman to woman without a lasting attachment to any of them.

This is the biggest problem with The Loves of Hercules, but it's a long way from the only one.  There's also Mickey Hargitay. I've seen Mickey Hargitay in a couple of films before – besides this one, he was the detective in Lady Frankenstein and Anderson in Bloody Pit of Horror (god, I've seen a lot of terrible movies).  I kind of want to say he was better in those, but now that I think about it I'm pretty sure he was dubbed in both so it's actually quite hard to gague his performance. It's better than in the non-MST3K Loves of Hercules I watched, which was a re-dub in which all the characters were stoic and British.  He does a lot of Dull Surprise™ and postures like he's in a silent film.  His 'feats of strength' do not communicate impressive power – he just looks like a guy struggling to balance a prop tree.

Nor does it help that in comparison with Steve Reeves and Alan Steele, he makes for a relatively skinny and baby-faced Hercules.  Hargitay was 1955's Mr. Universe, and he's certainly in admirable shape, but he's just not up to 'demigod' levels.  He looks like the Hercules Ryan Gosling would have grown up into.  Apparently Hargitay got the role because the studio wanted Jayne Mansfield, and she would only agree to be in the movie if Hargitay, her husband, played Hercules.

Then there's the monsters.  Amusingly crummy monsters are stock-in-trade for a Hercules movie, usually realized by people in ridiculous costumes.  The Loves of Hercules is rather ambitious here.  Rather than giving us a distinctly un-threatening lion or a guy in a lizard-man suit who clearly can't see anything, we get a full-scale three-headed dragon standing in for the Lernaean Hydra!  It is significantly uglier and less mobile than its Russian cousin in The Sword and the Dragon, and looks kind of like one of the animatronics from Disney's Jungle Cruise ride.  It's laugh-out-loud obvious how careful the actors are being not to damage it.

These movies are never very faithful to the source material, so it shouldn't bother me that their 'hydra' bears only the faintest resemblance to its mythological inspiration... but it does.  The hydra is my favourite of Hercules' twelve labors – it's some kind of reptilian monster that Hercules tried to defeat by cutting off its head, only to find that multiple (usually three) heads grew back from each stump.  This makes it an excellent metaphor for a problem that needs to be addressed at its source rather than just having its symptoms brushed under the rug, but it also serves to make a point that most of these movies ignore: Hercules isn't stupid.

The hydra was a monster Hercules could not defeat by brute strength alone – he had to use his strength in a smart way.  In the myth, he burned the neck stumps so that they couldn't heal, then dipped his arrows in the hydra's venom to make them extra-deadly to all the monsters he'd have to fight later.  The Disney version actually kept the spirit of this idea even as they changed the ending.  Without a torch on hand, Hercules instead brings down a cliff on top of the hydra, trapping it under tons of rock that he can escape from, but it can't.  This is sort of the inverse of my point from a few reviews back about brains and hands: brains aren't much good without strength to do the work, but strength also isn't much good without a brain to direct it.  By making the hydra a creature Hercules can just stab to death, the episode loses all its meaning.

A lot is also lost from our impression of Hercules' intelligence, which wasn't exactly riding high anyway after he seems unable to remember more than one woman at a time.

Finally, of course, there's The Loves of Hercules' other monster and supreme What The Fuck moment, the Totally Random Sasquatch.  It was only on the second viewing that I realized this was supposed to be the 'monster Alcyone' the peasants mentioned rustling their cattle.  When describing him to Hercules and Deianira before the stampede, they call Alcyone a thief before they call him a monster, and use the word 'monster' in such a way that it seems like a metaphorical description of a human thug, rather than a literal one of Bigfoot.  With the cattle stampede and everything that follows to distract me, I'd forgotten all about Alcyone by the time we actually met him, and the sudden arrival of an ape-man seemed to come completely out of the blue.

In fact, even after realizing the connection, this is a weird, weird moment.  What is Alcyone even supposed to be?  The closest thing I can come up with to Bigfoot in standard Greek mythology is a satyr, but Alcyone is even less satyr-like than Torgo.  The writer Hanno the Navigator referred to a tribe of savage ape-men who supposedly lived around Sierra Leone, which he says the natives called gorillai (yes, this is where we get the word), but that's a long way from Greece and the story is fairly obscure.  As far as I can tell, Alcyone is exactly what Jonah and the bots first took him for: a totally random Sasquatch.  Between him, Cry Wilderness, Om the Caveman, and Gulfax the Poodle-Wookiee, I think we can officially dub Season 11 the Bigfoot Season.

As long as I'm here, 'Alcyone' is a girl's name in Greek.  It refers to a type of bird.

The Loves of Hercules is pretty competently made in most respects.  Even with some of the shortcomings in the casting, acting, and effects, it could have fallen into the 'hokey but charming' category, if only it hadn't forgotten about Megara.  The way she simply ceases to exist, as if women are like shirts and you can just pick a new one when you lose the old (or something similar if the one you originally wanted is no longer available), gives a very poor impression of both Hercules and the writers and makes it difficult to really get into the romances that follow.  In a film about the loves of Hercules, that's a fatal mistake.

[aj22writes]

Chapter thirteen...

...marks my return to this story after my unannounced one week break. There was no reason for the unload gap, except that I was having a hard time deciding exactly how to phrase a lot of the exposition in this chapter.

In this chapter, Wilson tells the Dueling Hearts what he knows about the Sol Takers organization, revealing a bit of their history, some deets on Their Leader, and even expands the history of Sol. I hope y’all like it, because I changed it many times trying to get it just right.

Chapter Thirteen

The History of Sol

Jo and Sara filed together into Wilson’s. Memories of the night before had been coming back to them since their brief conversation back at the house. The stages of each of their fights that had led to the two of them being defeated flashed into their minds again and again, and the sisters, with their characteristic stubbornness, were crushed. They couldn’t meet each other's eyes, and once they were inside the building, they drifted to opposite corners of the main room and stood in silence. So far, they were the only people there. Even Wilson himself seemed to be absent.

It wasn’t long, however, before the two girls were joined by the first of their friends. Tucker walked through the door, slowly, with his head down. His hands were placed firmly in the pockets of his baggy sweats, and there was some slight spotting on his white shirt where the wound no his side had continued to bleed a bit, even in spite of Wilson’s efforts the night before. Tucker met Jo’s eyes, and then the two of them looked away from each other. They didn’t speak. Jo knew full well that Tucker didn’t mind losing, even if he lost badly, but this loss was different. It had hit all of them harder, and cut all of them deeper, than any defeat before. Tucker didn’t know where to go from here. He didn’t know what to say, and he knew that Jo wouldn’t want to say anything. So Tucker simply didn’t say anything either.

Another few minutes later, Jen arrived as well. She scanned the room, and after just one glance, she understood what every one of her friends was feeling. Their body language and their silence gave it all away. Jen was, thankfully, above such things. She didn’t allow things like this to get the best of her. To draw her emotions to the surface where they could override her logic. Since returning home the night before, she had been going over the exchange with the Sol Takers in her head, trying to piece together as much as she could about them, and even deduce weaknesses in the fighting style of her and Tucker’s opponent, should she have to face him again. She didn’t have anything concrete to go on yet, but she was confident that she would soon.

With all four Dueling Hearts present, Jo found that she couldn’t ignore the situation anymore. She felt responsible for what had happened to them. She felt like she needed to say something, but before she could, Wilson beat her to it. So suddenly that not one of the Dueling Hearts noticed, Wilson appeared in the doorway to his office, dressed, strangely enough, in a pressed shirt, a sweater vest, slacks, and a tie. He adjusted said tie, and began.

“I’m glad that all four of you came,” Wilson said. “I had half expected one or more of you to ignore my invitation.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Jen told him, “you promised to explain things, and all four of us want to know what the hell is going on here.”

Wilson didn’t answer. Instead, it was Sara who spoke. “I almost didn’t come,” she said, almost too quietly for the others to hear. Suddenly all eyes were on her, but she didn’t acknowledge their gaze, and she didn’t volunteer any more information.

“What the four of you went through,” Wilson said sympathetically, “is something that should never be experienced by anyone. The people you fought do things with Sol that are, frankly, immoral and reprehensible.”

“Which is actually the first question that I’d like you to answer,” Jo interjected. “How did you know who they were?”

“I didn’t,” Wilson answered, “at least not specifically. I was simply able to deduce who it was that they were with.”

“How?” Tucker asked. “You’re old, and those three were not. So unless they’re, like, fifty years younger than anyone else in their organization, it can’t be that old either.”

“The Sol Takers is an old organization,” Wilson explained, “but this particular incarnation, it would seem, is not.”

Wilson stepped the rest of the way into the room with the Dueling Hearts, and he began to pace. The four young fighters could see on his face that he was trying to decide how to proceed with his explanation, and they were surprised by his choice. Suddenly, he stopped walking, held his hands behind his back, and without looking at them again, he asked, “How much do the four of you know about the history of Sol?”

The Dueling Hearts looked at each other questioningly. They were Sol fighters They all knew the history of Sol. Why would Wilson ask them such a ridiculous question? He had to be joking, and yet he said nothing else, waiting patiently for an answer. It was Jen who gave him one.

“We know as much as anyone,” Jen told him.

“More,” Jo added, “since there are things that Mom knows that most people don’t.”

Wilson met Jo’s eyes. Between her still-arching body, and the fact that, even now, her brain was still processing the events of the night before, it took her a few seconds to realize that Wilson wanted Jo to actually recount what Shannon had taught her.

“Sol appeared thirty years ago,” Jo explained, “and changed the world when people learned how to use it, but if you look at history, it’s pretty clear that Sol existed in ancient times, too. All of the old myths and stories of magic and mysticism can be explained by Sol.”

Wilson nodded, “That’s true. Sol has existed since ancient times. The few thousand years leading up to the resurgence thirty years ago was the odd exception. That means that Sol, the power that we wield today, is the same power wielded by men and women long dead. And I mean that literally. It is the exact same power.”

“What does that mean?” Jen asked. All eyes were firmly on Wilson now.

“There is reason to believe,” Wilson said, turning to face the four Dueling Hearts, “that Sol, like other forms of energy, cannot be created or destroyed, and so the Sol that people possess now must draw from the same well of Sol energy that those ancient people also drew upon. The Sol that we all bear today existed those thousands of years ago. It hasn’t changed.”

“That makes sense,” Jen remarked. “It’s like when you burn something. You’re not actually creating new energy. You’re just releasing the chemical energy stored in whatever you’re burning. Energy which has been recycled since the big bang. But what does any of this have to do with the guys who attacked us?”

“If Sol is so ancient,” Wilson continued, “and ancient myths are actually stories of people with strong Sols, then that would mean that the ancient gods of those myths were real people with unique Sols so strong that mortal men could not compare.”

“You’re saying,” Sara chimed in, “that, like, the ancient Greek and Egyptian gods were real? That’s where you’re going with this?”

“Exactly,” Wilson replied, and then moved on immediately, without giving the Dueling Hearts even a moment’s pause to let this new information sink in.

“For lack of any better term,” Wilson explained, pacing again, “I’ve been calling Sols like these Divine Sols. They are incredibly rare, and they do not come about when a person’s Sol awakens, like a natural or an unnatural Sol. Someone is born with a Divine Sol, and then it awakens just like any other, becoming either a Divine Natural Sol, or a Divine Unnatural Sol.

“As far as I can tell from what little research I have been able to do,” Wilson continued, his words coming faster and faster now, “there is only one person alive today to have been born with one of these unique kinds of Sols, and that’s the leader of the Sol Takers. Divine Sols have broader powers that most other Sols can never grow to match, and Their Leader has one of the deadliest Divine Sols of all. He can draw the Sol from the bodies of others and add that Sol to his own. If the rumors are true, he can even take some of victim’s knowledge into himself at the same time, stealing some of their abilities. And from what those three were saying, he has the ability the pass that power to his follows now, as well.”

“This-this is a lot to take in,” Tucker stammered. He walked over to a chair against the far wall and sat down, touching his injured side gingerly.

“I suppose it must be,” Wilson agreed, nodded, “but unfortunately we simply don’t have time for me to ease all of you into this slowly. I realize that this information changes everything, but we don’t have any choice but for the four of you to internalize it quickly.”

“Okay,” Sara said, “sure, I’m internalizing. But I still don’t understand a few things. If this guy had such a dangerous Sol, why did he disappear for thirty years? And what does any of this have to do with us?”

Wilson stopped pacing and looked to each of the Dueling Hearts in turn, “Thirty years ago, a small group of brave warriors stood up to the leader of the Sol Takers. They were naturally talented in the use of Sol, but working together they managed to injure their foe, damaging his Sol itself. He was left with no way to repair that damage and regain his old abilities. Until now, at least. Back around the time that Sol faded from the world for the first time, another man with a Divine Sol met a similar fate.

“He lost a battle, and his Sol was broken into pieces and scattered to the wind. However, it was foretold that the pieces of his Sol would be reborn one day in a select group of special warriors with natural talent and a drive great enough to one day grow those fragments into full Divine Sols once again. The leader of the Sol Takers seeks those warriors so that he can take their Sol energy and use it to heal his own Sol.”

“But the Sol Takers were after us,” Jo replied. Wilson met her eyes, and she ran through all that he had said again, and it clicked. “You mean,” she said, “that the four of us are those special warriors?”

“Some of them, yes,” Wilson answered.

“Who are the others?” Sara asked, with a dazed look in her eyes.

“I don’t know,” Wilson told her.

“How can someone’s Sol be injured,” Jen asked curiously, “and how can someone else’s Sol heal it?”

“That one is difficult to explain,” Wilson replied, “as I don’t understand it fully myself, but from what I can tell, Divine Sols are more tangible than regular Sols. And since their raw energy is only a perfect match for other Divine Sols, only the energy of other Divine Sols can serve as a bandage to repair them. He might be able to use the Sol energy of other, regular Sol fighters to stop the wound from getting worse, but he will never fully recover in that way, because the Sol of regular Sol fighters is more metaphysical.”

“And if there were someone, other than the warriors you were talking about,” Jo asked, still speaking as if she were having trouble counting herself among those warriors, “who was known to have one of these Divine Sols, Their Leader would be going after them too?”

“That’s right,” Wilson answered. “In fact, it is likely that he would have given up hope by now, if not for the old story that I mentioned that spoke of the Divine Sol Fragments being reborn in modern fighters. It is only because of that story that he even knows that you exist.”

“So do we have, like, special powers?” Sara asked. She sounded skeptical, rather than excited, and she looked like she was desperate for the answer.

“Not automatically,” Wilson told her, and the other Dueling Hearts. “You have the potential to become stronger than most people with regular Sols. You also have the power to grow during combat, if you fight fiercely enough, but your Sols are still yours to develop however you choose to. You have the potential for greatness, but just like everyone, it is up to you to reach that potential.”

He stood there, silent, as if waiting to take more questions. Jo felt like she should have more to ask, but nothing actually came to mind, so she didn’t say anything. It was Tucker who spoke next. He’d had enough time now to process what Wilson had said, and he’d come to one conclusion. “This is crazy,” he announced.

“Would you care to elaborate regarding what exactly you find crazy, Mr. Tucker?” Wilson asked, in a tone that sounded kindly, but purposefully so.

“All of it,” Tucker ranted, hopping up from his chair and pacing back and forth. “Everything that you said. It’s all nuts.”

“And is it also ‘nuts’, Mr. Tucker,” Wilson asked, speaking deliberately, and giving Tucker a look very much like the one that he had given the Sol Takers the night before, “that a group of three might appear in town, with training in Sol that goes beyond anything that any of you four have seen, and target the four of you specifically?”

Tucker glared at Wilson, but his expression wasn’t as harsh as he wanted it to be. Jo could already see the beginnings of acceptance behind his fiery gaze.

“Because that happened, Mr. Tucker,” Wilson continued, taking a slow step toward Tucker, and then another, “and they intend to return in only two short week, or rather thirteen days if you don’t count today, and if you aren’t ready to face them when they arrive, they will take your Sol from you.”

Tucker looked away from Wilson submissively, but he was far from admitting out loud that he was beginning to believe Wilson’s story.

“Wait,” Sara said, “Tucker was right, at least kinda. This is crazy. It’s crazy that you expect us to fight those guys again.”

“Yeah,” Jo agreed. “Wil, those guys seemed to know you, and they were afraid of you. Can’t you do something about them?”

“They did not know me,” Wilson replied, a tinge of sadness in his tone of voice, “they were merely able to use Sol to gauge my potential. In their tired state, my full strength might have been enough to drive them off, but even fighting at my full potential for that long might have been enough to finish this frail body of mine. If I were to fight them at their best, even going all out with every technique that I know, I would lose instantly.”

Jo didn’t know what to say. She’d hoped that her master were somehow some sort of superhuman, like Roshi, from Dragon Ball, who could just handle the problem of the Sol Takers for her and the Dueling Hearts, but powerful or not, he was an old man. She thought about suggesting that the Dueling Hearts fight with him, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. What if he were overestimating himself, and any amount of serious combat would kill him? Jo couldn’t risk that.

“That’s actually not what I meant,” Sara said, interrupting Jo’s thoughts. “It’s crazy that you expect us to fight those guys again, when we could run away. They’re coming back here. All we have to do is get out of town until they leave.”

“I could get behind that plan,” Tucker agreed, his hand shooting up over his head.

Wilson looked like he was about to say something, but Jen beat him to it, “No, that’s stupid.”

Sara glared at her, and Jen said, “Sorry, I don’t mean that you’re stupid. I just mean that I don’t think you guys are quite grasping how impossible that would be. If these Sol Takers are really so numerous that they are able to organize on a global scale, which they would have to to seek out a few special Sols among billions of people, then to escape them, we’d have to disappear forever. And even then, we’d still be at risk of them finding us by accident. That’s why witness protection is so tricky.”

Jen looked to each other member of the Dueling Hearts in turn, “I think Wilson’s right. The only way to end this is to get strong enough to fight these guys ourselves.”

The Dueling Hearts looked to Jo. It took her a second to notice, but once she did, she realized that they was expecting her to decide what they would do. She was technically the leader of their team, but this was far from what she’d signed up for. These were the kinds of decisions that she had never even imagined having to make, and yet she found herself ready to make this one, if only so that none of her friends would have to. She considered their options for a few moments. She found herself once again thinking about Karen, and how she had moved during their fight, and, strangely enough, about her smile. That was enough to snap Jo out of her reverie, and finally she asked, “Wil, do you really think that you can train us to beat those guys in two weeks?”

Wilson grinned confidently, and nodded, “I do.”

“Then we stay,” Jo announced, “and we fight.”

The Dueling Hearts didn’t seem exactly happy about Jo’s decision, but they did seem accepting of it. No one so much as looked like they might argue, which was something that Jo found strange. However, she didn’t have time to think that for long.

“In that case,” Wilson announced, noting the same looks of acceptance on the faces of his newest students, “the first lesson begins right now.”

Onward to Chapter Fourteen

[maryanntorreson]

10 Tips To Learn Any Language From An Expert

Matthew Youlden speaks nine languages fluently and understands over a dozen more. He’s constantly switching from language to language like a chameleon changing colors. If he didn’t tell you, you probably wouldn’t know he was British, because he always sounds different. As it turns out, Matthew has some great tips for anyone struggling to learn a new language. If you currently think that you could never become bilingual, get ready to take some notes. Here are Matthew’s best language-learning tips, along with additional insights from a life of multilingual mastery.

The 10 Best Language-Learning Tips

1. Know Your Motivation

This first of Matthew’s language-learning tips might sound obvious, but if you don’t have a good reason to learn a language, you are less likely to stay motivated in the long-run. Wanting to impress English-speakers with your French isn’t the best reason — wanting to get to know a French person in their own language is a more noble one. But no matter your motivation, once you’ve decided on a language, it’s crucial to commit.

Matthew says this means sitting down and thinking, “OK, I want to learn this and I’m therefore going to do as much as I can in this language, with this language and for this language.”

2. Find A Partner

Matthew learned several languages together with his twin brother, Michael. They tackled their first foreign language, Greek, when they were only eight years old! Matthew and Michael, or the Super Polyglot Bros. as we like to call to them, gained their superpowers from a good old sibling rivalry.

“We were very motivated, and we still are,” Matthew said. “We push each other to really go for it. So if he realizes that I’m doing more than he is, he’ll get a bit jealous and then try and outdo me (maybe because he’s my twin) — and the other way round.”

Even if you can’t get a sibling to join you on your language adventure, finding some kind of partner will push both of you to try just a little bit harder.

“I think it’s a really great way of actually going about it. You have someone with whom you can speak, and that’s the idea behind learning a new language.”

3. Talk To Yourself

If the previous suggestion on our list of language-learning tips isn’t doable because you have no one else to speak to, there’s nothing wrong with talking to yourself in a foreign language.

“It might sound really weird, but actually speaking to yourself in a language is a great way to practice if you’re not able to use it all the time.”

If you don’t know how to go about learning a new language, this can keep new words and phrases fresh in your mind. It also helps build up your confidence for the next time you speak with someone else.

4. Keep It Relevant

If you make conversation a goal from the beginning, you’re less likely to get lost in textbooks. Talking to people is one of the best ways to learn a language because it keeps the learning process relevant to you.

“You’re learning a language to be able to use it. You’re not going to speak it only to yourself. The creative side is really being able to put the language that you’re learning into a more useful, general, everyday setting — be that through writing songs, generally wanting to speak to people or using it when you go abroad.”

5. Have Fun With It

Using your new language in any way is a creative act. The Super Polyglot Bros. practiced Greek by writing and recording songs. Think of some fun ways to practice your new language: make a radio play with a friend, draw a comic strip, write a poem or simply talk to whomever you can. If you can’t find a way to have fun with a new language, chances are you aren’t following step four!

6. Act Like A Child

With this language-learning tip, we don’t mean throwing tantrums, but rather trying to learn the way kids do. The direct link between age and the ability to learn is tenuous, with some studies dispelling the myth that children are inherently better learners than adults. The key to learning as quickly as a child may be simply to take on certain childlike attitudes: a lack of self-consciousness, a desire to play in the language and a willingness to make mistakes. Plus, it helps to come in with fewer preconceived notions about what a language is and can be.

Humans learn by making mistakes. As kids, we are expected to make mistakes, but as adults, mistakes are taboo. Think how an adult is more likely to say “I can’t” rather than “I haven’t learned that yet.” To be seen failing (or merely struggling) is a social taboo that doesn’t burden children as much. When it comes to learning a language, admitting that you don’t know everything is the key to growth and freedom. Let go of your grown-up inhibitions!

7. Leave Your Comfort Zone

Willingness to make mistakes means being ready to put yourself in potentially embarrassing situations. This can be scary, but it’s the only way to develop and improve. No matter how much you learn, you won’t ever speak a language without putting yourself out there: talk to strangers in the language, ask for directions, order food, try to tell a joke. The more often you do this, the bigger your comfort zone becomes and the more at ease you’ll be in new situations.

“At the beginning, you’re going to encounter difficulties: maybe the pronunciation, maybe the grammar, the syntax or you don’t really get the sayings,” Matthew said. “But I think the most important thing is to always develop this feel. Every native speaker has a feel for their own language, and that’s basically what makes a native speaker — whether you can make the language your own.”

8. Listen

Out of all our language-learning tips, this one might be the most straightforward. But really, it can’t be emphasized enough: You need to learn to listen before you can learn to speak. Every language sounds strange the first time you hear it. The more you expose yourself to it, though, the more familiar it becomes, making it easier to speak and comprehend.

“We’re able to pronounce anything, it’s just we’re not used to doing it. For example, the rolled r doesn’t exist in my form of English,” Matthew said. “When I was learning Spanish, there were words with the hard R in them, like perro and reunión. For me, the best way to go about mastering that is actually to hear it constantly, to listen to it and to kind of visualize or imagine how that is supposed to be pronounced, because for every sound there is a specific part of the mouth or throat that we use in order to achieve that sound.”

9. Watch Others Talk

Different languages make different demands on your tongue, lips and throat. Pronunciation is just as much physical as it is mental.

“One way — it might sound a bit strange — is to really look at someone while they’re saying words that use that sound, and then to try to imitate that sound as much as possible,” Matthew said. “Believe me, it might be difficult at the beginning, but you will master it. It’s something that is actually quite easily done; you just need to practice.”

If you can’t watch and imitate a native-speaker in person, watching foreign-language films and TV is a good learning substitute.

10. Dive In

So you’ve made the pledge. How to proceed? Is there a proper way to go about language learning? Matthew recommends the 360° maximalist approach: no matter which learning tools you use, it’s crucial to immerse yourself and practice your new language every single day.

“I tend to want to absorb as much as possible right from the start,” Matthew said. “So if I learn something, I really, really go for it and try to use it throughout the day. As the week progresses I try to think in it, try to write in it, try to speak to myself even in that language. For me, it’s about actually putting what you’re learning into practice — be that writing an email, speaking to yourself, listening to music, listening to the radio. Surrounding yourself, submerging yourself in the new language culture is extremely important.”

We have one more language-learning tip before we go. Remember that the best possible outcome of speaking a language is communicating with others. Being able to have a simple conversation is a huge reward in itself. Reaching milestones like that early on will make it easier to stay motivated and keep practicing. And don’t worry about your current speaking ability! If you begin any interaction with, “I’m learning and I’d like to practice…” most people will be patient, encouraging and happy to oblige.

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[topfygad]

Voyage to a White Mars

The mythologies of Antarctica mimic those of outer space.

  Being aboard a vessel in Antarctica is full of potentialities. One never knows when a gentoo penguin, or a large colony of them, might come into view. For the writer, travelling with Irish wildlife guide and ornithologist, Jim Wilson, meant understanding the continent in all its surprises and complexities. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

A lenticular cloud loomed. The wind swirled its stillness into the shape of a UFO, like a potter pinching, pressing, pulling her clay. Below, an iceberg emerged out of the blue. The wind chaffed its creviced sides, causing an infinitesimal inclination. At first, it wavered, then insisted on itself, tipping back in place.

A 105 years after Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole, I set sail from Ushuaia in Argentina, towards Antarctica on the Drake Passage, known colloquially as the Drake Shake or Drake Lake, depending on the state of the seas.

Watching the sea and the sky, I thought about the myth of the North, of Njörðr, the Norse god of ships and seafaring, and the fur-clad female warriors that came riding through the sky. But the South did not so easily yield such stories. In the absence of human life beyond the boat, I was left imagining the superstitions of the early explorers, whose journal entries began with scientific logs and ended with ruminations on being.

The ocean was infinite, vanishing points everywhere with no object in sight to give perspective or scale, save the occasional albatross or petrel swerving above. The waves lashed, 37 feet high and perpetual. For several days, life on our 450-foot ship was led at a 60º angle. It was laughable, till we adjusted to it. We sought balance without denying the tilt.

  Routine Surprises

In the starkness of Antarctica, a Zodiac raft stops in awe and passengers in their yellow jackets realise their scale against the breathing, blue ice. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

On the bridge, the ship’s control room where silence was mandatory, the stoic Romanian captain charted the wind, which was sinuous. Signals criss-crossed, buttons beeped, screens blinked, maps were uncreased, and binoculars lay on hand. The captain looked out with attention but let out a whisper a notch louder than was allowed. He had spotted a fin whale. Even after a decade of Antarctic travel, he could still surprise himself.

Then, the sun burned through the mist. Mountains rose from the ocean’s helm. When the first iceberg, almost a kilometre high from base to tip, emerged, I gasped. This would only be the overture. For the next 10 days, every iceberg seemed more spectacular than the last. I began to reckon with the history of the search for the continent from 300 B.C. when Aristotle hypothesised that a mythic southern continent must exist, based simply in the rationale of equilibrium. Antarctica was named by Aristotle, from Greek anti and arks, meaning ‘opposite the bear’, the name for the constellation under which the Arctic lay. Time here exists at scales that far transcend those we can grasp. The older, denser bits of ice were a piercing sapphire. I understood the captain’s joy: Even after 10 years of navigating the Antarctic, its stark intensity could not become customary.

And yet, life on the ship assumed a routine. Daylight dimmed and our clocks trudged on. After breakfast, we would head to the mud room, where our boots and jackets hung, and proceed to undertake the painstaking routine of covering our bodies—head to toe—in layers of warm clothing. My skin had become parched. We looked absurd, brushing against fleeces, scrambling for camera bags and yanking at the straps of our life vests. We would vacuum our clothes of any invasive particles and disembark onto Zodiacs (inflatable rafts) in groups of eight to explore a corner of the continent.

Once we stopped to see a seal eating another seal; another time we were suddenly surrounded by colonies of gentoo penguins. We spotted a shipwreck lodged in rock, and imagined the self-contained life of those posted at research stations pre-war. Everything was surreal, ungraspable, cosmic. On one landing, we saw a patch of green—Antarctic lichen—and it reminded us that we were on Earth. We hadn’t seen green in days.

  Disturbances at a distance

The writer at Deception Island, amid the remains of buildings and whaling equipment. Whaling began here since the early 1900s and continued till circa 1931. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

Later, when I visited my library to scour maps of Antarctica, the index read: “The World; Africa, Asia, Middle East, E. Asia, Europe, U.S.A., Pacific; Moon, Mars and Antarctica.” The continent has been called a “White Mars” and this is not an exaggeration: it is notoriously the coldest, driest, windiest landmass, 98 per cent of which is covered in ice. Even in the summer, the average temperature is -27°C. Its extremes manifest in its fauna as well: the largest terrestrial animal is a midge, a wingless insect that has the tiniest genome ever sequenced. There are no indigenous people, and therefore no government, culture, history or art.

In fact, the geopolitics of the continent are not dissimilar to outer space, its laws bound only to an indeterminate Antarctic treaty—the first arms control established during the Cold War—banning activity that causes “harmful interferences” and promoting “peaceful exploration.” At Concordia Station, doctor and researcher Alexander Kumar noted that, “We are completely alone and isolated here from February to November. The French refer to people who over-winter here as Hivernauts, but unlike astronauts, we have no ‘mission control’.”

It’s far away, it’s cold, it’s uninhabitable. So why do we care? For one, because the poles function as a thermostat: the Earth retains heat at the Equator and loses it at the poles. The Arctic and the Antarctic regulate the temperature of the entire planet. It is also the container of about 70 per cent of the world’s fresh water, while in the rest of the world, one person in eight does not have access to this resource. And also because its sublime beauty may be unlike anywhere else on Earth.

Like the realm of outer space, Antarctica is still being discovered. Its exploration is, in large part, funded by vested private interests looking for potential mines of diminishing natural resources. Climate change is causing a loss of land and sea ice, which will reveal new sources of oil, gas, minerals and arable land. Fishing for commercial purposes as well as for polar microbes that may be used in pharmaceuticals has begun. The acidification of the ocean threatens many species, including the stunning sea butterfly.

   Metaphor in motion

The Ocean Endevour ploughs through the Antarctic ice, with the occasional humpback whale gliding along the waves for company. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

Witnessing this fragile beauty under threat remains inaccessible to many travellers since it requires heavy resources and a will to leave only the lightest trace. When the treaty is renegotiated in 2048, Antarctica may depend entirely on the stories of a small handful of people: from the musings of the explorers’ logs and the measurements of a few scientists to the poet’s imagination.

One of those scientists was William Wales, an astronomer on James Cook’s Resolution, which crossed the Antarctic Circle three times in 1773. Wales later taught mathematics at Christ’s School in London, where the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a pupil. It is perhaps no coincidence that Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, set in the Antarctic seas, speculates about this mysterious, seemingly supernatural place. A rime is both a crust of ice, and an archaic spelling of rhyme—a play on words that points to the artist’s search for the clarity of meaning, emerging out of the fog of language.

And through the drifts the snowy clifts

Did send a dismal sheen:

Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken—

The ice was all between

Antarctica is a place where the scientific gives way to the metaphysical and beauty blurs with terror.

Perhaps it is like a poem: tipping reality ever so slightly, then the symmetry, then again.

ORIENTATION

The Drake Passage is the ocean between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula. The Antarctic Peninsula is the northern tip of the Antarctic continent, which contains the South Pole.

GETTING THERE

British Airways has daily flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Buenos Aires, with a stopover in a European gateway city like London or Madrid. No transit visa is required if the traveller holds a U.S. visa.

From Buenos Aires, there are three daily flights to the southernmost city of Argentina, Ushuaia. A morning flight is preferred, so that you can purchase last minute gear items in Ushuaia before boarding the ship at the harbour to set sail late afternoon.

VISA

Indians can apply for visa at the Embassy of Argentina in Delhi (eindi.cancilleria.gov.ar/en) or the consulate office in Mumbai (https://ift.tt/2L8uyx0). The visa application form can be downloaded from eindi.mrecic.gov.ar/en. The application must be submitted in person, and an interview is mandatory. The visa is free for Indian tourists but the process takes about 21 working days.

STAY

Buenos Aires has a few small hotels in vibrant neighbourhoods and a few more business-ready five star hotels. Usually, the ship offers a package that includes the latter, but if you prefer something quaint at your own cost, head to The Clubhouse (clubhouseba.com) in the young, hip Palermo or the home (https://ift.tt/2MxkvVz), a French-Scandanavian inspired boutique hotel.

Seals find an unlikely resting spot amid the remains at Deception Island. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

NEED TO KNOW

– The writer travelled to Antarctica with Ibex Expeditions (www.ibexexpeditions.com; 10-day expedition from $6,000/Rs3,90,390).

-The ship provides the vital outer shell—a thick water- and wind-proof jacket—and waterproof boots. Base and mid layers are for you to arrange. A good sun cream and polarised sunglasses are essential.

– Travelling in Nov-Dec is recommended for the lovely night skies, and Jan-March is a good time to see the whales.

– You cannot take luggage heavier than 15 kg each plus a handbag aboard, but you can leave a bag in Buenos Aires and consolidate.

– Natural soaps are recommended as the expedition is 100% Leave No Trace.

– Acupuncture sea bands and homeopathy is highly recommended for sea-sickness.

READ

Antarctica: Secrets of the Southern Continent, edited by David McGonigal is a large, coffee-table book so you can’t take it with you, but it covers everything from the place’s history to its current status and details of penguins, glaciers, and albatross.

We Mammals in Hospitable Times has some surreal poems that are a result of the six weeks Jynne Dilling Martin spent in Antarctica.

The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, the youngest member of Scott’s expedition to the South Pole is a first-hand account of the ill-fated expedition. It’s lyrical, foreboding and written with an attention to storytelling.

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing recounts the most famous Antarctic explorer, Ernest Shackleton’s fatal journey to the South Pole.

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source http://cheaprtravels.com/voyage-to-a-white-mars/

[mlhcwfinalortfolio]

Greek Mythology With Emphasis On Goddesses And Necessary Backstory

Marti Horein Creative Nonfiction 1

  You know, it’s really interesting to think about creation myths Every culture has a story that opens with the words “In the beginning”. People strive to come up with explanations for everything in an attempt to bring order to the madness of existence. I’ve seen several mythologies refer to the beginning as an ocean. A lot of times, the ocean in question refers to the chaos of non-existence. But the Greeks, while they may have metaphors for everything else under the sun, decided that they didn’t need a metaphor for primordial chaos. In fact, the exact words “Primordial chaos” are used in every single version of the Greek creation myth that I have encountered, followed shortly by the creation of Gaea and Ouranos, the earth and sky. The Greeks had style.

  Of course, they also had murder, rape, and incest. Sometimes, all at once. In fact, many stories credit Ouranos, the sky, as being both son and husband of Gaea, the earth. They are the first two beings in all of existence, and most stories tells it as incest. Later, we see the murder part when Gaea tells their children, the titans, to hold him down and chop him up, throwing him into the ocean. But it was only because he locked them in Tartarus, deep within Gaea.

  Speaking of Tartarus, nobody is really credited with the creation of Tartarus. Most stories refer to Tartarus as a he, and he is known as the father of monsters. Literally. I mean, the Hydra and Chimera didn’t just appear out of nowhere, I guess. How he has children when he is physically just an abyss within the earth, I do not know. The most famous story involving Tartarus is when Zeus, son of Kronos and Rhea (a brother/sister pair of titans) chops his father up and throws him into the abyss. There’s a lot of chopping in Greek Mythology.

  That leaves us with Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades split up the earth. Zeus gets the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld. Hades was banished from Olympus after taking control of the underworld because the other gods didn’t trust a god of death. Although, many storied indicate that Hades was tricked into taking the underworld. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades are often referred to as The Big Three, and all three have committed rape at least once. Zeus has the biggest track record for it, and actually tricked Hera into marrying him, though he proceeds to be unfaithful to her. As king of the gods, he has set the rules so that he can’t be directly punished for it, and Hera takes out her anger on everyone else.

  Hestia is one of the least known gods, but is extremely important. As the goddess of home and hearth, she receives a portion of every sacrifice made to the gods. She doesn’t show up in the myths much, because they run on conflict, which Hestia actively avoids. She gave up her seat on the Olympian council to Dionysus, a son of Zeus, to avoid conflict. Many gods wished to court her, but she stated that she wished to be a maiden forever. She is well protected, even in the midst of all the lethal drama that the other Olympian gods get up to.

  Demeter is often a goddess of milder connotations, being the goddess of grain and harvest, but she has a harsh streak. She has been known to go on rampages if her sacred groves are disturbed, and almost everyone knows the story of her abandonment of her duties after her daughter was taken to the underworld. Of course, many are sympathetic in regards to the last one, but many forget that when she found out where her daughter was, she continued letting the crops wilt as a threat to have her returned. All in all, Demeter’s desperation to have her daughter returned caused the suffering and death of many mortals and, justified or not, was definitely not the actions of a mild and soft spoken goddess of cereal.

  Athena is known as goddess of wisdom and battle strategy, but she also invented weaving, as well as several other crafts, and the olive tree. Her origin story is strange more than anything else. Some stories say she had no mother. Others said that her mother was Zeus’ first wife, Metis, whom he swallowed, and somehow came to be a fruit fly inside his head. Either way, one day Zeus got a splitting headache, and it was Hephaestus’ bright idea to actually make it splitting. He took an ax to Zeus’ head, and out popped Athena.

  Artemis is the twin to Apollo, and though she is a maiden goddess, she is also the goddess of childbirth, as she helped to deliver her twin brother. She shares archery with Apollo, and is the goddess of hunting. She decides when enough is enough in regards to hunting, and will not hesitate to punish those who go too far. She is the protector of the young in animals as well.

Her followers are women who have pledged to remain maidens forever, and they do not age. They can, however, be killed in battle. They hunt with her, and if a maiden chooses to leave the hunters and pursue a man, she may do so. However, if a woman does not leave the hunters prior to partaking in the pursuit of man, the punishment if fierce.

  Aphrodite was born from the sea foam, and if the story you read even gave a reason as to why that was, it was probably something to do with Ouranos’ remains simmering in the ocean for centuries. She is known first and foremost as goddess of love and beauty, but it’s so much more than that. She is a goddess of passion, in many different forms. Once, she was angry at a young man, and when he was locked in an argument with his father, she increased their passion so greatly that the father killed his son in a fit of rage.

  Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter in most stories, but a few depict her as the daughter of Zeus and Styx. She is goddess of springtime, and seen as a delicate flower by most. She is not. She is described as formidable. She is the one carrying into effect the punishments upon sinners. Though she may have been brought to the underworld against her will, she has made it her own. Above ground, she is no more than Demeter’s daughter. Down below, she is queen, and even those who insist that she was a victim won’t deny that her place there is on a throne.

  I’ve always believed that gods and goddesses are real through people’s belief in them, in a way. They were created by humans to serve as something to give us reassurance that there is purpose to our suffering. Or, perhaps we just wanted someone to blame. Either way, the world is always changing, and changes bigger than most are coming our way. With those changes come new perspectives on the old gods and goddesses. The stories are being rewritten, but you can’t go somewhere new if you don’t know where you’ve been.

[topfygad]

Voyage to a White Mars

The mythologies of Antarctica mimic those of outer space.

  Being aboard a vessel in Antarctica is full of potentialities. One never knows when a gentoo penguin, or a large colony of them, might come into view. For the writer, travelling with Irish wildlife guide and ornithologist, Jim Wilson, meant understanding the continent in all its surprises and complexities. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

A lenticular cloud loomed. The wind swirled its stillness into the shape of a UFO, like a potter pinching, pressing, pulling her clay. Below, an iceberg emerged out of the blue. The wind chaffed its creviced sides, causing an infinitesimal inclination. At first, it wavered, then insisted on itself, tipping back in place.

A 105 years after Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole, I set sail from Ushuaia in Argentina, towards Antarctica on the Drake Passage, known colloquially as the Drake Shake or Drake Lake, depending on the state of the seas.

Watching the sea and the sky, I thought about the myth of the North, of Njörðr, the Norse god of ships and seafaring, and the fur-clad female warriors that came riding through the sky. But the South did not so easily yield such stories. In the absence of human life beyond the boat, I was left imagining the superstitions of the early explorers, whose journal entries began with scientific logs and ended with ruminations on being.

The ocean was infinite, vanishing points everywhere with no object in sight to give perspective or scale, save the occasional albatross or petrel swerving above. The waves lashed, 37 feet high and perpetual. For several days, life on our 450-foot ship was led at a 60º angle. It was laughable, till we adjusted to it. We sought balance without denying the tilt.

  Routine Surprises

In the starkness of Antarctica, a Zodiac raft stops in awe and passengers in their yellow jackets realise their scale against the breathing, blue ice. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

On the bridge, the ship’s control room where silence was mandatory, the stoic Romanian captain charted the wind, which was sinuous. Signals criss-crossed, buttons beeped, screens blinked, maps were uncreased, and binoculars lay on hand. The captain looked out with attention but let out a whisper a notch louder than was allowed. He had spotted a fin whale. Even after a decade of Antarctic travel, he could still surprise himself.

Then, the sun burned through the mist. Mountains rose from the ocean’s helm. When the first iceberg, almost a kilometre high from base to tip, emerged, I gasped. This would only be the overture. For the next 10 days, every iceberg seemed more spectacular than the last. I began to reckon with the history of the search for the continent from 300 B.C. when Aristotle hypothesised that a mythic southern continent must exist, based simply in the rationale of equilibrium. Antarctica was named by Aristotle, from Greek anti and arks, meaning ‘opposite the bear’, the name for the constellation under which the Arctic lay. Time here exists at scales that far transcend those we can grasp. The older, denser bits of ice were a piercing sapphire. I understood the captain’s joy: Even after 10 years of navigating the Antarctic, its stark intensity could not become customary.

And yet, life on the ship assumed a routine. Daylight dimmed and our clocks trudged on. After breakfast, we would head to the mud room, where our boots and jackets hung, and proceed to undertake the painstaking routine of covering our bodies—head to toe—in layers of warm clothing. My skin had become parched. We looked absurd, brushing against fleeces, scrambling for camera bags and yanking at the straps of our life vests. We would vacuum our clothes of any invasive particles and disembark onto Zodiacs (inflatable rafts) in groups of eight to explore a corner of the continent.

Once we stopped to see a seal eating another seal; another time we were suddenly surrounded by colonies of gentoo penguins. We spotted a shipwreck lodged in rock, and imagined the self-contained life of those posted at research stations pre-war. Everything was surreal, ungraspable, cosmic. On one landing, we saw a patch of green—Antarctic lichen—and it reminded us that we were on Earth. We hadn’t seen green in days.

  Disturbances at a distance

The writer at Deception Island, amid the remains of buildings and whaling equipment. Whaling began here since the early 1900s and continued till circa 1931. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

Later, when I visited my library to scour maps of Antarctica, the index read: “The World; Africa, Asia, Middle East, E. Asia, Europe, U.S.A., Pacific; Moon, Mars and Antarctica.” The continent has been called a “White Mars” and this is not an exaggeration: it is notoriously the coldest, driest, windiest landmass, 98 per cent of which is covered in ice. Even in the summer, the average temperature is -27°C. Its extremes manifest in its fauna as well: the largest terrestrial animal is a midge, a wingless insect that has the tiniest genome ever sequenced. There are no indigenous people, and therefore no government, culture, history or art.

In fact, the geopolitics of the continent are not dissimilar to outer space, its laws bound only to an indeterminate Antarctic treaty—the first arms control established during the Cold War—banning activity that causes “harmful interferences” and promoting “peaceful exploration.” At Concordia Station, doctor and researcher Alexander Kumar noted that, “We are completely alone and isolated here from February to November. The French refer to people who over-winter here as Hivernauts, but unlike astronauts, we have no ‘mission control’.”

It’s far away, it’s cold, it’s uninhabitable. So why do we care? For one, because the poles function as a thermostat: the Earth retains heat at the Equator and loses it at the poles. The Arctic and the Antarctic regulate the temperature of the entire planet. It is also the container of about 70 per cent of the world’s fresh water, while in the rest of the world, one person in eight does not have access to this resource. And also because its sublime beauty may be unlike anywhere else on Earth.

Like the realm of outer space, Antarctica is still being discovered. Its exploration is, in large part, funded by vested private interests looking for potential mines of diminishing natural resources. Climate change is causing a loss of land and sea ice, which will reveal new sources of oil, gas, minerals and arable land. Fishing for commercial purposes as well as for polar microbes that may be used in pharmaceuticals has begun. The acidification of the ocean threatens many species, including the stunning sea butterfly.

   Metaphor in motion

The Ocean Endevour ploughs through the Antarctic ice, with the occasional humpback whale gliding along the waves for company. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

Witnessing this fragile beauty under threat remains inaccessible to many travellers since it requires heavy resources and a will to leave only the lightest trace. When the treaty is renegotiated in 2048, Antarctica may depend entirely on the stories of a small handful of people: from the musings of the explorers’ logs and the measurements of a few scientists to the poet’s imagination.

One of those scientists was William Wales, an astronomer on James Cook’s Resolution, which crossed the Antarctic Circle three times in 1773. Wales later taught mathematics at Christ’s School in London, where the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a pupil. It is perhaps no coincidence that Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, set in the Antarctic seas, speculates about this mysterious, seemingly supernatural place. A rime is both a crust of ice, and an archaic spelling of rhyme—a play on words that points to the artist’s search for the clarity of meaning, emerging out of the fog of language.

And through the drifts the snowy clifts

Did send a dismal sheen:

Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken—

The ice was all between

Antarctica is a place where the scientific gives way to the metaphysical and beauty blurs with terror.

Perhaps it is like a poem: tipping reality ever so slightly, then the symmetry, then again.

ORIENTATION

The Drake Passage is the ocean between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula. The Antarctic Peninsula is the northern tip of the Antarctic continent, which contains the South Pole.

GETTING THERE

British Airways has daily flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Buenos Aires, with a stopover in a European gateway city like London or Madrid. No transit visa is required if the traveller holds a U.S. visa.

From Buenos Aires, there are three daily flights to the southernmost city of Argentina, Ushuaia. A morning flight is preferred, so that you can purchase last minute gear items in Ushuaia before boarding the ship at the harbour to set sail late afternoon.

VISA

Indians can apply for visa at the Embassy of Argentina in Delhi (eindi.cancilleria.gov.ar/en) or the consulate office in Mumbai (https://ift.tt/2L8uyx0). The visa application form can be downloaded from eindi.mrecic.gov.ar/en. The application must be submitted in person, and an interview is mandatory. The visa is free for Indian tourists but the process takes about 21 working days.

STAY

Buenos Aires has a few small hotels in vibrant neighbourhoods and a few more business-ready five star hotels. Usually, the ship offers a package that includes the latter, but if you prefer something quaint at your own cost, head to The Clubhouse (clubhouseba.com) in the young, hip Palermo or the home (https://ift.tt/2MxkvVz), a French-Scandanavian inspired boutique hotel.

Seals find an unlikely resting spot amid the remains at Deception Island. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

NEED TO KNOW

– The writer travelled to Antarctica with Ibex Expeditions (www.ibexexpeditions.com; 10-day expedition from $6,000/Rs3,90,390).

-The ship provides the vital outer shell—a thick water- and wind-proof jacket—and waterproof boots. Base and mid layers are for you to arrange. A good sun cream and polarised sunglasses are essential.

– Travelling in Nov-Dec is recommended for the lovely night skies, and Jan-March is a good time to see the whales.

– You cannot take luggage heavier than 15 kg each plus a handbag aboard, but you can leave a bag in Buenos Aires and consolidate.

– Natural soaps are recommended as the expedition is 100% Leave No Trace.

– Acupuncture sea bands and homeopathy is highly recommended for sea-sickness.

READ

Antarctica: Secrets of the Southern Continent, edited by David McGonigal is a large, coffee-table book so you can’t take it with you, but it covers everything from the place’s history to its current status and details of penguins, glaciers, and albatross.

We Mammals in Hospitable Times has some surreal poems that are a result of the six weeks Jynne Dilling Martin spent in Antarctica.

The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, the youngest member of Scott’s expedition to the South Pole is a first-hand account of the ill-fated expedition. It’s lyrical, foreboding and written with an attention to storytelling.

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing recounts the most famous Antarctic explorer, Ernest Shackleton’s fatal journey to the South Pole.

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from Cheapr Travels https://ift.tt/2L1Cal3 via https://ift.tt/2NIqXKN

[topfygad]

Voyage to a White Mars

The mythologies of Antarctica mimic those of outer space.

  Being aboard a vessel in Antarctica is full of potentialities. One never knows when a gentoo penguin, or a large colony of them, might come into view. For the writer, travelling with Irish wildlife guide and ornithologist, Jim Wilson, meant understanding the continent in all its surprises and complexities. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

A lenticular cloud loomed. The wind swirled its stillness into the shape of a UFO, like a potter pinching, pressing, pulling her clay. Below, an iceberg emerged out of the blue. The wind chaffed its creviced sides, causing an infinitesimal inclination. At first, it wavered, then insisted on itself, tipping back in place.

A 105 years after Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole, I set sail from Ushuaia in Argentina, towards Antarctica on the Drake Passage, known colloquially as the Drake Shake or Drake Lake, depending on the state of the seas.

Watching the sea and the sky, I thought about the myth of the North, of Njörðr, the Norse god of ships and seafaring, and the fur-clad female warriors that came riding through the sky. But the South did not so easily yield such stories. In the absence of human life beyond the boat, I was left imagining the superstitions of the early explorers, whose journal entries began with scientific logs and ended with ruminations on being.

The ocean was infinite, vanishing points everywhere with no object in sight to give perspective or scale, save the occasional albatross or petrel swerving above. The waves lashed, 37 feet high and perpetual. For several days, life on our 450-foot ship was led at a 60º angle. It was laughable, till we adjusted to it. We sought balance without denying the tilt.

  Routine Surprises

In the starkness of Antarctica, a Zodiac raft stops in awe and passengers in their yellow jackets realise their scale against the breathing, blue ice. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

On the bridge, the ship’s control room where silence was mandatory, the stoic Romanian captain charted the wind, which was sinuous. Signals criss-crossed, buttons beeped, screens blinked, maps were uncreased, and binoculars lay on hand. The captain looked out with attention but let out a whisper a notch louder than was allowed. He had spotted a fin whale. Even after a decade of Antarctic travel, he could still surprise himself.

Then, the sun burned through the mist. Mountains rose from the ocean’s helm. When the first iceberg, almost a kilometre high from base to tip, emerged, I gasped. This would only be the overture. For the next 10 days, every iceberg seemed more spectacular than the last. I began to reckon with the history of the search for the continent from 300 B.C. when Aristotle hypothesised that a mythic southern continent must exist, based simply in the rationale of equilibrium. Antarctica was named by Aristotle, from Greek anti and arks, meaning ‘opposite the bear’, the name for the constellation under which the Arctic lay. Time here exists at scales that far transcend those we can grasp. The older, denser bits of ice were a piercing sapphire. I understood the captain’s joy: Even after 10 years of navigating the Antarctic, its stark intensity could not become customary.

And yet, life on the ship assumed a routine. Daylight dimmed and our clocks trudged on. After breakfast, we would head to the mud room, where our boots and jackets hung, and proceed to undertake the painstaking routine of covering our bodies—head to toe—in layers of warm clothing. My skin had become parched. We looked absurd, brushing against fleeces, scrambling for camera bags and yanking at the straps of our life vests. We would vacuum our clothes of any invasive particles and disembark onto Zodiacs (inflatable rafts) in groups of eight to explore a corner of the continent.

Once we stopped to see a seal eating another seal; another time we were suddenly surrounded by colonies of gentoo penguins. We spotted a shipwreck lodged in rock, and imagined the self-contained life of those posted at research stations pre-war. Everything was surreal, ungraspable, cosmic. On one landing, we saw a patch of green—Antarctic lichen—and it reminded us that we were on Earth. We hadn’t seen green in days.

  Disturbances at a distance

The writer at Deception Island, amid the remains of buildings and whaling equipment. Whaling began here since the early 1900s and continued till circa 1931. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

Later, when I visited my library to scour maps of Antarctica, the index read: “The World; Africa, Asia, Middle East, E. Asia, Europe, U.S.A., Pacific; Moon, Mars and Antarctica.” The continent has been called a “White Mars” and this is not an exaggeration: it is notoriously the coldest, driest, windiest landmass, 98 per cent of which is covered in ice. Even in the summer, the average temperature is -27°C. Its extremes manifest in its fauna as well: the largest terrestrial animal is a midge, a wingless insect that has the tiniest genome ever sequenced. There are no indigenous people, and therefore no government, culture, history or art.

In fact, the geopolitics of the continent are not dissimilar to outer space, its laws bound only to an indeterminate Antarctic treaty—the first arms control established during the Cold War—banning activity that causes “harmful interferences” and promoting “peaceful exploration.” At Concordia Station, doctor and researcher Alexander Kumar noted that, “We are completely alone and isolated here from February to November. The French refer to people who over-winter here as Hivernauts, but unlike astronauts, we have no ‘mission control’.”

It’s far away, it’s cold, it’s uninhabitable. So why do we care? For one, because the poles function as a thermostat: the Earth retains heat at the Equator and loses it at the poles. The Arctic and the Antarctic regulate the temperature of the entire planet. It is also the container of about 70 per cent of the world’s fresh water, while in the rest of the world, one person in eight does not have access to this resource. And also because its sublime beauty may be unlike anywhere else on Earth.

Like the realm of outer space, Antarctica is still being discovered. Its exploration is, in large part, funded by vested private interests looking for potential mines of diminishing natural resources. Climate change is causing a loss of land and sea ice, which will reveal new sources of oil, gas, minerals and arable land. Fishing for commercial purposes as well as for polar microbes that may be used in pharmaceuticals has begun. The acidification of the ocean threatens many species, including the stunning sea butterfly.

   Metaphor in motion

The Ocean Endevour ploughs through the Antarctic ice, with the occasional humpback whale gliding along the waves for company. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

Witnessing this fragile beauty under threat remains inaccessible to many travellers since it requires heavy resources and a will to leave only the lightest trace. When the treaty is renegotiated in 2048, Antarctica may depend entirely on the stories of a small handful of people: from the musings of the explorers’ logs and the measurements of a few scientists to the poet’s imagination.

One of those scientists was William Wales, an astronomer on James Cook’s Resolution, which crossed the Antarctic Circle three times in 1773. Wales later taught mathematics at Christ’s School in London, where the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a pupil. It is perhaps no coincidence that Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, set in the Antarctic seas, speculates about this mysterious, seemingly supernatural place. A rime is both a crust of ice, and an archaic spelling of rhyme—a play on words that points to the artist’s search for the clarity of meaning, emerging out of the fog of language.

And through the drifts the snowy clifts

Did send a dismal sheen:

Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken—

The ice was all between

Antarctica is a place where the scientific gives way to the metaphysical and beauty blurs with terror.

Perhaps it is like a poem: tipping reality ever so slightly, then the symmetry, then again.

ORIENTATION

The Drake Passage is the ocean between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula. The Antarctic Peninsula is the northern tip of the Antarctic continent, which contains the South Pole.

GETTING THERE

British Airways has daily flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Buenos Aires, with a stopover in a European gateway city like London or Madrid. No transit visa is required if the traveller holds a U.S. visa.

From Buenos Aires, there are three daily flights to the southernmost city of Argentina, Ushuaia. A morning flight is preferred, so that you can purchase last minute gear items in Ushuaia before boarding the ship at the harbour to set sail late afternoon.

VISA

Indians can apply for visa at the Embassy of Argentina in Delhi (eindi.cancilleria.gov.ar/en) or the consulate office in Mumbai (https://ift.tt/2L8uyx0). The visa application form can be downloaded from eindi.mrecic.gov.ar/en. The application must be submitted in person, and an interview is mandatory. The visa is free for Indian tourists but the process takes about 21 working days.

STAY

Buenos Aires has a few small hotels in vibrant neighbourhoods and a few more business-ready five star hotels. Usually, the ship offers a package that includes the latter, but if you prefer something quaint at your own cost, head to The Clubhouse (clubhouseba.com) in the young, hip Palermo or the home (https://ift.tt/2MxkvVz), a French-Scandanavian inspired boutique hotel.

Seals find an unlikely resting spot amid the remains at Deception Island. Photo by Himali Singh Soin.

NEED TO KNOW

– The writer travelled to Antarctica with Ibex Expeditions (www.ibexexpeditions.com; 10-day expedition from $6,000/Rs3,90,390).

-The ship provides the vital outer shell—a thick water- and wind-proof jacket—and waterproof boots. Base and mid layers are for you to arrange. A good sun cream and polarised sunglasses are essential.

– Travelling in Nov-Dec is recommended for the lovely night skies, and Jan-March is a good time to see the whales.

– You cannot take luggage heavier than 15 kg each plus a handbag aboard, but you can leave a bag in Buenos Aires and consolidate.

– Natural soaps are recommended as the expedition is 100% Leave No Trace.

– Acupuncture sea bands and homeopathy is highly recommended for sea-sickness.

READ

Antarctica: Secrets of the Southern Continent, edited by David McGonigal is a large, coffee-table book so you can’t take it with you, but it covers everything from the place’s history to its current status and details of penguins, glaciers, and albatross.

We Mammals in Hospitable Times has some surreal poems that are a result of the six weeks Jynne Dilling Martin spent in Antarctica.

The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, the youngest member of Scott’s expedition to the South Pole is a first-hand account of the ill-fated expedition. It’s lyrical, foreboding and written with an attention to storytelling.

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing recounts the most famous Antarctic explorer, Ernest Shackleton’s fatal journey to the South Pole.

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