#and also literally an umbrella medium. cause it has all these different ways it can be done

[mbat]

man yesterday i was complaining to my dad about how theres only like one or two categories for animated movies at the oscars and he was like 'there really isnt that many that come out for them to have more categories for' as if they dont also only focus on the same like 5-7 live action movies for every other category, or that animation could fit into those other categories/have their own versions of them just as easily. i dont really care about award shows cause its just famous people congratulating eachother, but like... i love art. and its unfair that one of the best forms of it is shoved aside like that idk

[phantomdecibel]

I keep seeing the “animation is not a genre it’s a medium” post and it’s like. whoo!! hell yeah love the animation-positive energy!!! I just can’t. bring myself to reblog it yet bc the urge add my unasked for possibly incorrect opinion to the post is overwhelming cause like guys. it’s definitely not a genre yeah, that’s the wrong word, but it’s not a medium either. in animation, and just art in general ‘medium’ refers to what the art is made with, and that applies to animation too; it is not ‘made with animation’, it is animated. medium is like, paint or clay or pencil on paper or ink or collage etc etc – all of which are forms of animation. stop motion (which is more of an umbrella for moving something little by little) can be done with sooooo many different mediums! you’ve got claymation which is probably the most well known type of stop motion animation, you’ve got sandmation, pixelation, ink on glass, paint on glass, and a hell of a lot of others I don’t know the technical names for, like animating with pastels or charcoal. and also scratch/paint on film, which isn’t stop motion really, but still a really neat form of animation. there could definitely be another definition for ‘medium’ that I just couldn’t find, but as far as I can tell that’s it. in art the word medium refers to the materials a piece was made with, and ‘animation’ is not a material. tbh I’m not quite sure how animation would be classified, in one succinct word, other than just like,, “a form of art✨✨”, which is why I didn’t want to add this directly to the original post (and also I was a tad afraid this has come off slightly passive aggressive which is not my goal in the slightest I just woke up literally ten minutes ago and am not a morning person). but just, to me, referring to the whole of animation as a medium kinda sorta has the same. vibes ig. as referring to it as a genre? just like. to me specifically, I’m definitely not speaking on behalf of all animators, but calling it a medium kinda. lumps it all together? everything unique and different about the different things you can do with animation and different mediums in animation, calling it one medium sorta takes away from some of that, to me. idk man maybe I’m harping on nothing, but it just rubs me the wrong way. like I guess ‘medium’ could be a. semi-accurate descriptor if you’re only referring to one form of animation like idk. digital, but even that has so many facets that count as different forms of animation – traditional 2D, 3D, tweening and different editing techniques, to name a few. Point Is: there’s a lot that can be done with animation, using different mediums, which is kinda the beauty of it and calling it one medium kinda takes away from it, to me. “animation” is an umbrella term for making an image move, and it contains a variety of different ways you can do that, as well as other umbrella terms. I mean, you wouldn’t call “art” a medium; it refers to a whole bunch of different things, like painting or writing or photography etc etc. hell – even painting and writing are umbrella terms, referring to the different types of those things! under painting you’ve got acrylic, watercolour, oil, etc, and writing you’ve got things like prose fiction, poetry, scriptwriting, biographies, etc etc. when you’re referring to an art piece’s medium, you tend to get a bit more specific than just calling it ‘an art thing I did using materials’. this is important to me bc it’s literally my major haha. thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[rainbowloliofjustice]

What do you think of the fifth estate’s documentary on pit bulls?

I haven’t seen it fully, but honestly it comes off as fear-mongering. 

Yes, pit bulls can do serious damage with their bite... any large dog can. 

Yet the bans are only focused on pit bulls. What about german shepherds? or rottweilers? Chows?

It doesn’t help that the media and documentaries often use “pit bull” as an umbrella term to cover around 5 different breeds of dogs and upwards of 50% of dogs in shelters that get labeled as pit bulls are just lookalikes. Given that pit bull can refer to the American pit bull terrier, Staffordshire pit bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, and American Bully. 

Are we going to end up banning any dog that can fall underneath what just gets labeled as a pit bull? When they’re banned, what are we going to do next? Start banning the next highest breed of dogs that cause bites?

Not to mention, pit bulls, like any dog, need to be trained to not be aggressive, need to be properly socialized, etc. just like any other dog. Of course, it isn’t helped by the fact that the media (and documentaries like this) only care about when it is a pit bull. 

Labs made up 13% of bites according to a 2008 study. pit bulls came in second at 8%. Yet people want to ban pit bulls but not labradors?

When it comes to personal injury claims of delivery workers, german shepherds, bull terriers, labs and border collies were among the most common to bite. Yet pit bulls are the only dangerous ones on the list?

And the documentary uses one man whose child was killed due to the babysitter leaving the child unattended with the dogs and that’s just like ??? that’s why you never leave children unattended with any dog that the dog is not familiar with. 

Not to mention, BSL only focuses on pit bull and pit bull-type dogs, but what about german shepherds and labs who make up a significant portion of bite statistics? Small dogs like chihuahuas that can exhibit high amounts of aggression if not properly socialized?

ya know how many times I’ve had someone’s lab growl at me and snarled despite the owners saying they were friendly? A lot

The documentary even shows dogs that are chained up and acknowledges that one person sees many pit bulls living in puppy mills and backyard breeders who sell them as status, guard, or fighting dogs... And mind you, dogfighting is illegal because it is animal abuse but then contrasts that with a woman who worked in/with a shelter that basically tried to sell dogs that they knew may not be good fits for certain homes or families. So when you have ill-bred and ill-trained dogs by people somehow the solution is to ban the breed rather than coming down hard on irresponsible owners?

And yet it’s the breed's fault and the breed should be banned for shelters deciding to lie and be deceptive about how well a dog may fit within another family? So because a shelter, run by a group of people, decided to lie about a dog’s history or past... that means it is the dog's fault and they should be banned? What logic does it make to ban a dog or dog breed when shelters and people decide to intentionally be deceptive about it in order to just rehome them? You basically have someone in the documentary who admits to being irresponsible and negligent yet... ????

Like, this lady admitted to working in a shelter that would be deceptive about a dog’s temperament, but then went on to blame the breed. 

It is only after someone dies or is bitten by a pit bull that people want to try to discuss BSL or banning them... but there was a woman, about 2 years ago, who got mauled by a pack of dachshunds yet there only concerns with pit bulls? people say one attack against people is too many yet... almost every dog breed in existence has attacked at least one person or animal. If you are banning breeds because they attack people, you’re going to be banning a lot more than pit bulls. If it is based on whether or not they are capable of killing someone, you’re going to be banning almost any medium to large size dog. 

It’s almost no secret that toy breeds are known to be very aggressive due to the way they’re often treated and pampered... Chihuahuas rank fourth in breeds that have bitten children and even though their bites aren’t comparable to pit bulls or larger breeds, if the issue is the severity of the bite then... any large breed dog should be banned because any large dog can produce a severe or fatal bite. 

Dogs are bred by people... if aggression is an issue, you can selectively breed that out the same way that certain dogs were selectively bred to be able to run or be as small as possible. If pit bulls get banned, what is going to be the next breed on the list? German Shepards? Dobermans? Chows?

Why are we coming down on breeds rather than irresponsible shelters that are deceptive about a dog’s temperament and backyard breeders that abuse and neglect dogs? Ofc when a dog comes from an abusive or neglectful situation, they’re going to have behavioral and temper issues... so that is somehow the fault of the breed itself?

The documentary ends by basically saying pit bulls are dangerous and it is a matter of public safety...By a surgeon that basically says no one will miss them after a while because there will be fewer fatalities even though other large dog breeds can cause fatalities, a woman who admitted to working for a shelter that would lie and intentionally be deceptive about a dog’s temperament in order to get them out the shelter, a father who lost his child and a baby sitter that was too irresponsible and let the child unattended with two large dogs who basically say “tell me which one is and isn’t going to attack” which can apply to literally any dog and then one pit bull lobbyist that they just portray as selfish and crazy.

Like if you show me two pictures of a chihuahua... I’m not going to know which is going to try to maul my hand. If you are banning pits, why not extend it to german shepherds, mastiffs, chows, etc.? They’re also large dogs that can cause fatal/severe bites. Why not ban chihuahuas, they’re the ones most likely to bite? is it only based on severity/fatality? If so then bye-bye to most large dog breeds. 

Yeah totally not a biased documentary at all. 

[veliseraptor]

@bereft-of-frogs​ tagged me in this one and it looked like fun so here goes

List your top three whump tropes and tag people.

Whoever gets tagged gets to say how they feel about your top three tropes.

After finishing that, they can list their top three tropes, and the tagging cycle goes on!

I’m going to start with the second one because then I get to close out by talking about my favorites and I love that.

1. delirious ramblings. I actually would put this one on my top three or at least adjacent to it (see below)! I love a good delirious ramble. it’s a great way to make a character who is normally closed off open up, but then there’s the shame and horror of it being unwilling, and also there’s the general confusion that can cause emotional suffering both for the subject and those around them...there’s just so many good possibilities that come along with good old fashioned delirium and I always have so much fun with it, both reading and writing.

2. restraints. I’m actually more of a ‘bondage’ girl than a ‘restraints in the context of whump’ girl. like, okay if they’re there, but they’re an accessory that’s a means to a different whump end rather than the focus in and of themselves. though I will say that in a visual medium they do...look very nice. like, okay, I’ll give them that as far as specifically a thing happening in a tv show or movie, but I think that’s, uh. something else there that’s not about the whump, exactly.

3. mind rape or equivalent. this feels very much like part of the broad umbrella one I thought about using which would just be ‘psychological torture’ - this is just a specific magical kind that’s invasive in a more violent and literal way than good old fashioned ordinary psychological torture that doesn’t involve getting into someone’s head. but yeah, definitely feel positively about this one, and again it��s one that’s especially juicy (as with the first one) when the character involved is someone who has very strong boundaries/doesn’t let people in generally. look, the thing about whump is that the harder you have to push to break a character the more fun it is.

yes I know what I sound like. I’ve given up on caring about it. depraved whump lover, etc. etc.

and now my top three tropes which...damn, that’s a tough one. there’s so many! so many that I love very much. I could cheat and go back and look what I’ve done for previous top five tropes questions which I think I’ve gotten but let’s see what comes out of my brain on this day, july eleventh 2021.

I wrote about most of these from a writing perspective but it goes for reading as well.

1. hallucinations. This is a perennial favorite and I like it because it can happen all kinds of ways. injuries! infections! sickness! some kind of magic! exhaustion/sleep deprivation! and all those things are things I like primarily because of this. similar to 1 and 3 above, it’s all about mucking around in a character’s subconscious and also making them suffer psychologically. it’s like...okay, stay with me here. writing a character going through hallucinations is sort of the psychological equivalent for me of flaying off the skin so you can see what’s under it.

again! I feel like a lot of the whump appeal for me is about the ways that cracking a character open can show something about them that’s otherwise mostly inaccessible. and hallucinations are one fun way to do that.

also I just personally find confusion and unreality/derealisation one of the most terrifying and upsetting things that I’ve experienced so. that’s nice too.

2. recapitulation of previous trauma. look, every character I love is traumatized, usually horribly, and some of my favorite whump will always be about a character in some way reliving or reiterating their past trauma. it can be literal, or more adjacent. this is the big appeal of time loop fics, for me because that makes it very particular and very literal, but it doesn’t have to involve time travel - it can just be a character coming into contact with a situation that is reminiscent of something horrifying that happened to them before.

or it can be induced! someone else could put them in that position. that version of it is fun too. whether it’s something that happens by horrible coincidence or on purpose, though the latter is particularly juicy, especially when there’s a good hero/villain dynamic involved.

3. field surgery. this one doesn’t really fit with the others! it’s less psychological, for one. I think here it’s just about the blood and suffering in a very physical way, and the strain, and the fact that there’s both an initial injury and then the fixing it is also horrible, so you get the hurt and then more hurt and (maybe) the comfort after. it can be delightfully gruesome and visceral (heh) and for some reason I’m into it.

honorable mention here to the perennial “what the hell is the deal with me and evisceration” question

I tag... @ameliarating, @portraitoftheoddity, @mostfacinorous, @curiosity-killed and @paradife-loft. tell me your whump-pinions. (if you want, obviously. but I found this one fun.)

[ranboo5]

whats 'the clip' and knifetrick?

Augh. Under the cut for shipping discourse and p/dophilia ment (nothing graphic or specific). Gets long bc I discuss my thoughts on DSMP shipping in general. You are setting me up fr anon

Some quick vocab -

intimacy here is used to refer to. Well. Any kind of intimacy between characters, of any sort, as an umbrella term /r, /p, and /qp here are used as shorteners to denote "romantic," "platonic," and "queerplatonic," both as adjectives And as verbs ("to /r" = "to portray romantically") shipping here is used to refer to any focused examination of intimacy between characters

And some clarity that Should follow from the essay next but may not - """anti-antis"""" and RPF writers delete forever

The Clip is from one of if not the? most recent Discord stage(s) Mr Live has done (which I missed when it was live RIP) wherein he issues a hard ban on shipping him ("do not ship me, in any way, with anyone!") which would less influence c!beeduo (which has been portrayed/stated to be romantic AND nonromantic both conflictingly for a while until being confirmed unconfirmed several months ago, that being the last was heard) without its direct invocation if he hadn't also cited for the reason as being underage ("'Cause, one, it's straight up pedophilia") which is! a) immediately applicable to At Least his DSMP character, Partially and b) while not Strictly True (should b obvious that portraying a relationship within the bounds of what it is in canon and in a nonsexual way is not That, and /r-ing c!beeduo etc was possible to do Appropriately again by remaining w/in the bounds of canon) is Clearly Indicative of the fact that baggage-wise it IS associated with people being fucking creeps

This Really complicates things bc like okay the apparent solution is "lol just don't /r it" but it's really like. A Worse issue than that bc like.

Okay the reason shipping in terms of fictional characters is a Different Bar is bc it's an examination of Intimacy and certain lines exist in certain dynamics of intimacy that Isn't Shown (which is the whole Within The Bounds Of Canon thing) which is important in a medium like DSMP because of the smaller gap + more personal relationship b/w character and streamer. Examining intimacy beyond th bounds of the consent that has been established in that regard is Weird at best and Violating And Creepy more often and, As Mentioned In Ranb's Stage, Literally Evil at worst

Which is why writing abt like. QPR or platonically intimate Techno and Philza (characters) is smth that is fine because that's smth that has been shown and repeatedly stated onscreen; it's in the bounds of canon n thus within th bounds of what the streamers've consented 2 be done with their characters. But writing T3chza making out or whatever is fucked up because it's smth that's beyond those consent barriers

And the thing is right

Slapping a /p on T3chza makeout doesn't. Make it less violating

Like what you CALL romantic is not the measure or whether it's past those barriers yk? And if it's indistinguishable, if it's in extrapolative territory that is Past The Bounds, it Does Not Matter how much you /p it EVEN IF IT IS TECHNICALLY PLATONIC y feel? Like at the end of the day placing a moratorium on some/all forms of shipping is placing a moratorium on certain examinings of intimacy

And okay 2 go back to Mr Live and his character. What it implies taken in context w/ older portrayals of c!beeduo and said by invoking smth that both evokes Really fucked up baggage (that does unfortunately exist btw I'm sorry if you didn't know that but People Really Do B Fucked Up Abt Beeduo) AND applies to his character is a revocation of consent to examining deep intimacies:tm: with his character, which is gonna apply regardless of the nature of that intimacy (even if nonromantic)

Like I don't /r c!beeduo myself, do not, never have, but I talk to people who have and have consumed content where they r background /r; I also don't think it matters. Like I don't Actively /r it and I don't Actively Not /r it because imho w/ the intimacy regarding c!beeduo that is plot relevant and character important whether that intimacy is /p /qp or /r doesn't really matter. I don't consider myself Less of a c!beeduo shipper than someone who /rs them because that would be dumb as hell and while none of the content I've made* is Intrinsically or Intentionally /r it certainly can be read tht way as much as it can be read /qp or /p. It's be dumb and hypocritical of me to like, dunk on ppl for /r-ing c!beeduo when I'm also invested in these two and my tonetags r not gonna suddenly Delete the picking apart I've done of the dynamic @ hand

Which Has Been. Within Bounds Of Canon. It's been what's been shown (sometimes to my great distress. There is a reason that the :canon_beeduo: emote looks the way it does) Directly Onscreen and in general keeping with the tone n intensity/directions of what they've Done With The Characters

HOWEVER

As mentioned up there. Revocation of consent

It makes. Full sense 2 me that Mr Live wants to place a moratorium or fullon ban on shipping his characters perhaps where he wouldn't have before because of the Unfortunately Very Extant trends of people being Fucking Weird about shipping his characters AND of using them as a Thinly Veiled Excuse to ship HIM, which. I should not have to explain why shipping real people is fucking abhorrent

THIS creates a problem which is a. Bit of a vacuum in interacting with what is a facet of c!Ranboo's arc, decision making, and character. Like you CAN have c!Ranboo w/o cbeeduo but you Can't Really have his plotline without examining c!beeduo. And as I mentioned earlier: even if your examination of c!beeduo is fully platonic, the significance of it To the plotline means that any examination of it and its relevance to the plotline and characters IS gonna be an examination of intimacy, which. Regardless of it's platonic, Is Still Shipping

Unless some HARD retconning happens it leaves this like. Hole in an aspect of c!Ranboo's arc and decisionmaking and it's very. Uncertain? God. Fucking months ago I was already kind of :huh. Does he know what the fuck he's doing: irt c!beeduo and desperately wishing for things to be cleared up and now it's only That Much Stronger

NOW. KNIFETRICK, FINALLY

Knifetrick (or, as it’s actually listed, Bishop’s Knife Trick) is a fic about "Ran and Jackie from The Pit TFTSMP" in a "canon-typical ambiguously romantic relationship." As you can tell from the scare quotes, especially if you've seen me vague, both of these are, to put it politely, Doubtful. I've read the fic; I will not be sharing my opinions because that would be neither productive nor responsible (I will just say I can't recommend it and leave it at that) but I WILL say the following that Is relevant to the conversation:

Ran's and Jackie's characterizations respectively have very little to do with characterizations from The Pit, and bear a dollar-store-version resemblance to tropes and personality motifs found in ESPECIALLY fanon c!beeduo, especially later in the fic. I would not go so far as to say they are Intentionally Literally Ranboo and Tubbo but they are transparent expies and were clearly written at LEAST unintentionally w/ c!beeduo in mind (esp since. Ran and Jackie barely interacted in The Pit), and for a readerbase that, as far as I can tell, is HUGELY dominated by /r c!beeduo shippers. Like. Sorry. This is off-brand c!beeduo.

The dynamic between the two is pretty unambiguously romantic, also; despite what the fic's white knights claim, romantic tropes and implications/motifs/imagery from at LEAST chapter two, and is very much explicitly romantic by the most recent chapter.

FROM CH1:

"And now, with raised eyebrows and a pursed lip, the newly named General Jackie observes Ran in such a way that makes the enderman’s skin crawl. Ran reminds himself that this kid, as short and harmless as he may look, is trained to kill. [...] Jackie narrows his eyes and tilts his head a little, as if he’s trying to read in between every one of Ran’s imperfect scales."

FROM CH2:

"It makes Ran’s skin itch with discomfort. [...] 'That actually doesn’t explain much of anything at all,' complains Jackie, and he pops a few croutons into his mouth with one hand. 'Tell me what you’re thinking, pretty-boy.'

"Ran feels his face flush, no doubt mildly glowing green.

"Yes, that was the other thing. The unnecessary compliments to his physical appearance.

"They don’t happen very often, and don’t seem to have very much meaning or intention behind them— Jackie often speaks like an unthinking kid— but when they do happen… they’re embarrassing. [...] It’s annoying how the rug is pulled out from under his feet in these moments when he’s 'embarrassed'. Like the conversation see-saw has temporarily shifted weight in the general’s favor."

I am not going to include excerpts from Chapter 6 because it's just the entire chapter.

I WILL SAY, HOWEVER, STEPPING ON THIS SCORPION BEFORE IT STINGS: they are not written in an RPFy manner and I don't think there's any grounds, including Vibes, of accusing Knifetrick of being like. Closet truthing or whatever. Also, while I think there's certainly Some Weirdness ESPECIALLY around the reaction, the romance itself is Not written in any way I'd call weird or problematic pre-clip; it's nothing inappropriate or like Weirdly Fetishy or whatever. Knifetrick is not #problematic or anything and I don't have beef with like the concept of liking it intrinsically; if I thought it was like. Abhorrent I wouldn't be sharing excerpts lmao dhjfnhdsbvdnfjh. Hence: if anyone uses this post or anyth like it to send harassment or bad faith ANYTHING to anyone involved with Knifetrick I will hunt you down in the fucking night even if it WAS #problematic that'd be the LITERAL OPPOSITE of productive and as it stands it's Literally Not. Essentially: Knifetrick is a (questionably-written /mean) fic using Ran and Jackie from The Pit as a vessel for a large chunk of the dynamics and headcanons of fanon /r c!beeduo in particular

And again, I would not call it problematic in any way (aside from the disingenuity of the insistence that it's TOTALLY UNRELATED TO BEEDUO and TOOOTALLY WASN'T INTENDED TO BE ROMANTIC GUYS like own your shit please)... IF it weren't for the advent of The Clip, which is calling in2 question the Entirety of the problem of /r-ing any variant of c!beeduo or any of Ranboo's characters at all

I really do not have an answer for this tbh. I genuinely wanna hear from the streamer on this more specifically because I like,,, I got no clue where 2 go from here? Do I just consider an arc retconned? Was it an issue of speaking abt a troubling subject kneejerk wise and I'm reading too much in2 it?

I just. I dunno

Tl;dr (AT LONG LAST)

- The Clip is a clip of a Discord stage where Ranboo (streamer) loudly explicitly decried shipping in a way that implicitly applies to characters he plays - This would be all well and good but is rendered complicated by the plot relevance of c!beeduo, which does not stop being shipping if it's /p'd due to it still necessarily being an examination of a particular intimacy in a way that is in canon hard to distinguish the /p, /qp, or /r nature of - Bishop's Knife Trick is an AO3 fic centered around using TFTSMP characters as /r c!beeduo expies which is not a bad thing in and of itself unless it also is covered under this moratorium - Things remain unclear until and unless we get clearer word from streamer, but considering Mr Live seems to be allergic to clarifying anything abt c!beeduo this is doubtful

*very little if any of the content I personally have made 4 c!beeduo has been posted publicly, for related reasons. You May have seen it if you're in servers w/ me, depending on Which Ones

[rina-writes]

Calm Waters Part 4

Part 3: x

A/N: I am v aware that there are probably like three people reading this haha However, I find it a joy to write because it’s a different style for me. (saying this for this specific part makes me feel a bit like a sociopath, but hopefully you understand that I enjoyed the experience of writing not the content itself)  So, the few of you going along for the ride as well, I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Grayson continues to spoil you after your date, but that night turns out to be an experiment day.  What you don’t know is that among the usual attendees, Ethan and Ryan are there as well hoping to expose your story.

Warnings:  Mentions of captivity, torture by electrocution, dehumanization (nothing graphic because I’m not the best writer, but still there)

When you were much younger, your mother told you about the story of water. It was your first time at the beach that you could vividly recall. Everything about that day was glorious to your six year old self: the squawking of the sea gulls, the deep, stench of the sea water, the salty taste of your dried lips from the sea spray and, of course, the cool ripple of water beneath your toes.

With her fingers raking through your hair, your mother hummed, her eyes locked on both of your feet. Her skin patched in a deep purple with flecks of silver, almost like amethyst. You found it to be much more attractive than your blue green speckles.

“Every body of water that has encountered life can tell a story.” Your mother told you. “A leaf falling in a pool to a dog jumping in a lake can all be traced in the ripples of water. Only we can listen and understand it.”

“Can you hear everything in the ocean?” You asked, staring out at the vast, deep blue waters. “Wouldn’t it be noisy?”

Your mother laughed. “It is very noisy. Not for your ears but for your skin. It’s like like tickles running up your arms and legs.” She tickled your arms making you giggle. “But those tickles tell the story of who was here, who is here and who has yet to come. Sometimes you have to block out the sounds and focus on something important.”

“Like sharks?” You asked, trembling.

As much as your mother explained that a bad shark was like a bad pit bull, a matter of circumstance and previous ownership (and also just bad PR), you were still afraid.

“Sure!” Your mother laughed. “Or a lovesick fisherman.”

Your mother gestured to your father who was behind you both setting up your spot for the day. He gave you a dorky smile and a wave before continuing to struggle with the beach umbrella.

“How do you learn to hear the water? Is it like signing?” You asked, signing as you spoke for emphasis.

“It’s a little different. It requires training, focus, and deep understanding of our culture.” Your mother smiled turning you around squatting to your eye level. “When you come of age, I’ll show you everything...”

For your “people” coming of age was 13, but that’s when your life literally went up in flames. It meant you never learned how to listen to water. Like your mother warned, it was always overwhelming, as if you were sitting in a room with a thousand people talking at once. At the same time, it was also strangely energizing. 

You realized this with Grayson the previous night. With your toes dipped in the water, your body trembled with the force of emotion coursing through your body.  It was like going to a live performance of an orchestra and hearing a classical symphony come to life before you. You could feel joy, regret, pain, there was a lot of pain, but also hope.  You wondered if the ocean was also capturing the affection that was swelling in your heart as Grayson kissed you as well.  You realized you loved the rowdiness of the sea’s voice because it showed you how much life was contained in the water outside of your cell.

Despite only getting a couple of hours of sleep, you felt the most wake and excited to start the day than you could ever remember.  As you slipped on your uniform, you smiled softly thinking about the clothes that Cameron lent you that were now in Grayson’s trunk.  You decided that hiding your toothbrush was hard enough without an entire outfit. Grayson had put it in a large reusable bag and packed it with care. He promised to fill it with all the clothes you would need for future dates. 

At first, your heart flipped with excitement before sinking to the pit of your stomach with dread.  While this was a dream come true, the stroke of midnight reminded you that it was a fantasy that was going to come to an end. You definitely couldn’t do this every day, and you hoped it wouldn’t disappoint Grayson when you rejected his next few date suggestions.  To not ruin your perfect night, you gave him a tight lipped smile and nodded. It seemed to be enough for him. Your last memory of Grayson of your first date was his lips pressed to yours and the soft whisper of “Good night.” in your ear.

Even thinking about it now, you wanted to jump for joy. You looked in the broken glass that you used as a mirror and tilted your head from side to side.  The scrunchie on your wrist was still soaking wet.  You thought about putting your hair up, but decided against it and put your hat on.  The fantasy was over, you were back to being the weird girl Aurora at Pete’s Ocean Land.

You walked past the dolphins tank,almost skipping with excitement  You swirled your hand in the water, something you only did when you really wanted their attention.  Doris head came up to receive a pet and you obliged.  You smiled at her squeaks of joy, reluctantly pulling your hand away to sign.  

As you moved your arms around in circles, you realized how limiting it was to speak in your sign language.  There were many words you didn’t know how to say, namely, “date”, “clothes” and “kiss”. However, Doris got the gist as she kept tapping her tail fin up and down.  It didn’t take much of a genius to figure out what Doris’ was signalling. You rolled your eyes, dolphins were such sexual creatures.  

You rubbed your stomach before tapping your chin and tracing a circle with your middle and index finger in the air.

I’ll bring you good food to eat next time.

Doris flipped on her back and turned in a circle. She flipped back over and spun counter clockwise.  You sputtered out a laugh beside yourself.

Bring me your pup next time.

You rolled your eyes at the sexual prowess of your dolphin friend, but also couldn’t hide your amusement. What a feeling it was to fall in love!

Your performance that day felt the best yet.  You knew it was because you felt confident and that made the dolphins in the show feel confident too. Even without the fancy clothes and makeup that Cameron had given you, you felt human again.  It was only made better when you saw a familiar lifeguard waiting for you after the arena area closed.  

Grayson waved at you, his white shirt looped around his neck so his metal whistle was hitting his bare chest.  He was wearing his bright red shorts that hung a bit lower on his waist than they should for a uniform. He had on dark sunglasses and the biggest grin as he folded his arms and leaned against the wall of the entrance. 

You found yourself running over to him like a little kid, but Grayson welcomed it.  Grayson leaned down to give you a kiss and your eyes darted from side to side.

“We’re at work...” You whispered.

“I don’t care...” Grayson whispered back with a smirk.  In one quick motion, he unfolded his arms and let his right hand grab the back of your neck at its base.  He massaged his lips into yours and you let out a sigh.  He took the opportunity to welcome his tongue into your mouth, deepening the kiss.

Without much thought, your hands were entangled in his hair and your body was pressed against his.  You both panted to get air without breaking the kiss, the sounds only arousing you more. Grayson broke the kiss almost reluctantly, pressing his forehead to yours.

“I have another date idea.” He said, his lips red and swollen. “I even got you something to wear.”

You blushed. “I don’t think I can go out so soon again.” You bit down on your lower lip nervously.

Grayson’s eyes locked on your lip and he used his thumb to release it from your teeth. He leaned in to kiss you again. As you tiptoed to push against him, he grabbed your chin and pulled you away. His eyes were intense as he looked at you, still keeping you close, but clearly trying to stop himself from getting distracted.

“Alright...” Grayson said, dejectedly. “At least let me give you the surprise.”

You frowned a bit.  Grayson took your hand and started to lead you out of the arena.  Once you were going into the open park, you let go of Grayson’s hand. He looked back at you a little hurt, but seeing the terrified look on your face discouraged him from protesting.  Grayson didn’t want to make anymore trouble for you that he already caused.

You arrived at your first destination: the staff locker room.  You never went inside as you didn’t have anything stored in there.  You waited outside and  it felt strangely invigorating.  After all, every employee stored their stuff there and you often saw people waiting outside for their friends or significant others.  For once, you were one of the cool kids waiting for someone.

Grayson emerged with a medium sized gift bag.  You blushed, realizing how conspicuous this was, but took it anyway.  Grayson led the way to your second destination: the “secret” eating spot above the cafeteria where you could open it without prying eyes.

The moment you sat down at one of the umbrella covered tables, you opened the bag. Your jaw dropped as you pulled out a black and white one piece swim suit.  It had a low scoop back with a print that was white on one side and black on the other.

“There’s more.” Grayson said, even more excited than you were.

There was a strapless, hot pink one piece that was cut quite high in the crotch.  You wondered if it would be uncomfortable.  You had seen a few girls wearing around the park, there were water rides on the other side, and so you knew it was quite trendy.  You just weren’t sure if you could pull it off.

Finally, the last item was a red bikini.  You remembered hearing string bikini in movies and tv shows, but this really lived up to the name. Still, it was quite a modest fit with round bra cups and a wider cut bikini bottom.

You stared at Grayson misty eyed. “Grayson, this is too much.”

“No, it isn’t!’ Grayson insisted.  “I hate thinking of you floating naked in that stupid tank.  While I can’t bust you out, I’m not going to let him treat you like an animal.”

‘But aren’t I?’ The bitter thought crept into your mind, but you did your best to silence. 

“Still...” You placed the last swimsuit back in the bag.  “If I were to wear this, he would know I had a contact with the outside. The ramifications of this...”

“Humor me...” Grayson practically begged.

He was leaning forward and stripes of sun brought out the gold specks in his eyes. It was unfair that he was so handsome in addition to be so kind. It made it difficult to say no to him.  You also knew deep down that when you couldn’t say no, it was because you didn’t want to say no to him. It was easy to blame him, but the fact of the matter was that you wanted to wear the clothes that he bought you.

“Alright...” You sighed. “I don’t have anywhere to hide all of these though...so I can only take one.  The rest will have to go in my clothing bag.”

Grayson grinned.  Most couples, if he was so bold as to call you two a couple, had a drawer at the other person’s place.  You had a bag in his trunk filled with outfits for your dates.  Yet, it gave him the same euphoria as having a drawer for you because in his mind it represented the same thing: that you were a part of his life.  

“Which one do you like the most?” Grayson asked, expectantly.

You dug into the bag and pulled out the black and white one. Grayson pouted teasingly.

“Of course you would choose the most conservative one.” Grayson complained, folding his arms. He leaned back in his chair, tossing his head toward the base of his neck.  “There goes my fantasies of you in a bikini.”

You blushed. “Grayson, you already saw topless.” 

Grayson’s eyes widened as he sat up suddenly, straight as an arrow. “I didn’t see anything, I swear!” He put his hands up in defense, shaking his head side to side. “Well, I saw your skin, but I didn’t look past your feet...or your arms...or your legs.”

You laughed. “You’re not really helping your case, you know?”

You watched as Grayson’s face turned red from his ears to his forehead, down the bridge of nose and fully on the apples of his cheeks. 

He reached out and grabbed your wrist, still avoiding your eyes until he pulled you out of your seat. His eyes looked almost completely gold in the direct silent and he stared at you with this sad, innocent look.  He continued to pull you toward him until the skin exposed by your shorts was touching his. You sat on his lap, something telling you that’s what he wanted.  He responded by cupping your chin and pulling you into the kiss.  Time was fleeting in that moment, the only thing breaking you apart was the sound of Grayson’s alarm going off to alert him he was already missing his shift.

~

When you got ready for “bed” that night, you were ecstatic. It reminded you of when you were younger and your mother would buy you new pajamas.  You would rush through your shower, halfheartedly go through your nightly routine, but take your time putting on your new sleep clothes.  

Today, you relished in the whole experience.  With a bit of daylight you were able to prep your hair and brush your teeth while staring in the shattered glass you used for a mirror.  In the corner of your “closet” you had tucked away your swimsuit to see if it would blend in.  There were a few cloths and towels used to keep the deck dry when the dolphins occasionally wet the top of the roof from splashing around.  If you placed your new clothing under it strategically, no one would notice. You hoped.

You put on the swimsuit slowly, relishing the smooth fabric.  You remembered hating swimsuit shopping as a teen.  It felt like a spotlight to all your friends: who was developing too fast and who wasn’t developing fast enough.  You only went once. Once your mother found out, you were banned from swimming trips for obvious reasons.  However, that one shopping experience made you grateful that for once your “condition” was working in your favor.

In contrast, this felt like a second skin.  You didn’t know much about swimsuits, but you could tell this was a decent quality.  You slipped your arm through the straps and adjusted the suit to your body.  Your turned to look at the scoop neck in the back.  It looked so good! It hugged you in the right places and made you feel like a model.  You smiled to yourself wondering if Cameron helped him to pick it out.

The sound of your cell closing snapped you to attention.  You jumped inside the tank as fast as you could, sinking to the bottom.  You hugged yourself on the way down, hoping to cover the white part of your swimsuit.  Your eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and you opened them to watch the top of your cell close completely.  The sun was still up higher than usual, but which made you a little worried.  When you didn’t hear any footsteps on the roof, your heart started to pound.

While the experiments thrived on the element of surprise, there were signs you picked up over the years.  There was going to be an experiment tonight and Pete was going to know that someone else knew your secret.

~

Ethan scratched the back of his head as he looked in the mirror.  He looked at Ryan with a quirked eyebrow before looking back at himself.

“Ryan, there is no way anyone is going to fall for this.” Ethan said, gesturing at the blonde wig on his head.  

Ethan spent the last ten minutes adjusting the wig, but it was hard to deny the unnatural part between his wispy bangs and the bowl cut that made his head look circular.  He was wearing a tan suit that clearly didn’t fit him because they got it at a thrift store. He was also still wearing his sneakers that were beat up from skating and biking everywhere.  The only thing that made him look a little better were his glasses and backpack.  Even with that, Ethan was sure he looked more like a gigolo than a lab assistant.

Ryan, who had his disguise tailor made from previous expose series, actually looked like a scientist.  He had a sleek dark haired wig that made him look like Dracula’s sunkissed cousin, in a good way. He was wearing a properly fitted gray suit with a white button down, opened at the top two buttons.

“You will be surprised.” Ryan grinned.  “Scientists don’t dress much better than this.”

“I feel like that was just rude to scientists everywhere.” Ethan shook his head.

“Perhaps.” Ryan agreed. “But they will thank us when we reveal this to the world.  A true scientist would never let whatever Pete is doing continue, even in the name of science.  This was a great catch, E.”

Ethan nodded, but he couldn’t speak.  The costume he was wearing distracted Ethan from what was really bothering him, the truth.  With a bit of digging, it wasn’t super hard to find an underground community of “intellectuals” that liked to find and view exotic animals in captivity.  Among the listings of tigers, bears, and rare snakes, there was a posting with an address nearby to Pete’s Ocean Land.   It advertised an exclusive viewing of a rare species you had to see to believe.  Up front, it cost $10,000 to view, a deterrent for most people on the site.  It shocked Ethan that Ryan easily coughed up $20,000 for their attendance.

“If this is what we think it is, we will get our return, ten fold.” Ryan explained with a shrug.

Still, that was as much as Ethan and Grayson had left to raise to get to Los Angeles. With Grayson splurging on swimsuits for you, even Ethan was starting to have dark thoughts on how to make money using your unique gifts.  He shook the thoughts out of his head.  Not only would exploiting you hurt you, but it would hurt both of his siblings who had taken a liking to you. There was, of course, the fact that Ethan himself enjoyed the fact that you made Grayson happy and he was certain he would be good friends with you too if he hadn’t been spending all his time trying to save you.

When Pete took the money and sent them the meeting location, Ethan wasn’t surprised. He was sure that Pete would have asked for more if he could reveal what the “exotic creature” was, but using the term “mermaid” would ruin all chances of keeping this under wraps.  

With their luck, Pete happened to have a showing planned that night.  It made Ethan grateful that you and Grayson had your date the night before.  Ethan worried what would have happened if Pete revealed his “monster” and you were nowhere to be found.  In his humiliation, Pete could do unthinkable things to you upon your return.

“You ready?” Ryan asked, adjusting his suit jacket more out of habit than necessity.

“Let’s go, boss.” Ethan said, trying to rehearse his character.

“It’s doctor, assistant.” Ryan corrected with a smirk.  “Now remember, the eye glasses are going to capture everything you see and maybe even better than you see it.  The pen in your lapel will capture audio as well.  I will also have the same equipment, so don’t worry if something malfunctions.  The tech is pretty advanced, so don’t feel like you have to move closer to capture anything better.  Act natural.”

“Got it, doctor.” Ethan said, teasingly.

Ryan nodded and they locked up the shop.  They got into a rental car they got for the occasion and drove to the meet up location, a cafe near to Pete’s Ocean Land.  Ethan could hear his heart thundering in his ears.  He debated telling Grayson what was going on, but he didn’t want to worry his twin without a guarantee of relief.  Keeping this secret from Grayson and keeping the truth from Ryan at the same time made Ethan’s head want to explode.  He steadied himself by holding his knees as they drove in the car.  In a few minutes, it would all be revealed.

~

You pressed your hands against the bottom of your cell.  The water felt extremely heavy today, like it was actually trying to crush you. You knew that you were actually feeling your own fear in the water.  It was surging out of you and stinging your nerves.  This was the life story of your water: pain, fear, coldness and...

His warmth

You felt it. It was a little tremor of softness in the water.  Almost every part of your body felt like it was being strangled, but right in the center of your chest was a softness.  It was the moment when you and he realized the other wasn’t a threat.  It was the warmth of happiness.

Just as the water started to lighten up, a bright light stung your eyes.  You didn’t scream, as that would have caused you to fill with water.  After all, you still had lungs, just a breathing capacity greater than the average human.  You laid still on the bottom of the tank, still under the pressure of the water.  You couldn’t see or hear anything.  You assumed it was for the better.  How disgusting would it be to hear how your uncle sold you to others as a monster?

You wondered if the person who brought you toothpaste was there. They figured out how to access the roof and would often leave it at the side of your tank.  They would whisper apologies to you that you never accepted, with words nor with your heart. After all, they were as much to blame as anyone else.

The hate in your heart made the water unbearable and it only caused the light to sting your head even more.  You did your best to keep your eyes shut. A happy place no longer existed during times like these. Instead you counted from 1 to 1000.  Like clockwork, the pain would start around 50.

~

Pete met Ethan and Ryan at the cafe looking nothing like himself.  He too was wearing a disguise, but Ethan found it foolish.   Pete looked ridiculous with a fake bald head cap, a prosthetic potbelly and a few false moles on his cheek and chin. Ethan resisted adjusting his glasses to ensure that the future audience got a better look. 

Pete looked at them before his face split in half with a smile. “You boys chose a great time to reach out.  These showings are usually varied for security reasons.”

“We understand.” Ryan confirmed, his voice sounding raspier than usual.  If you didn’t know it was Ryan, however, the voice sounded natural. “We know how difficult things in our business can be.”

“You said it best doctor!” Pete commended him.  “Now, what sorts of research are you interested in?”

“Oh, I am looking for unknown species.” Ryan said, a tip from Ethan who said that he believed whatever Pete was hiding was something no one had ever imagined.  “Or at least extremely rare.”

Even with the disguise, it was easy to see Pete’s face light up. He licked his lips as he started walking, gesturing for the two men to follow.

“Then you are in the right place Dr. Schwartz.” Pete said, using the undercover name Ryan chose with ease.

Ethan did his best to figure out his surroundings.  While it looked like they were going into a facility concealed by trees and protected by industrial fences, Ethan recognized it easily as the back of Pete’s Ocean Land.  It was far from where neighborhood kids would sneak in, and a lot more secure.  There were no gaps in fences and the actual entrance required a key to get in. When they entered through the large, opaque gray gate, they were immediately met with a back door.  More locks and typing into keypads ensued as Ethan and Ryan trailed Pete behind long hallways.

They finally saw a room with light at the end of the hall and walked into to see a few more people sitting in chairs.  Some were holding cups of water or coffee, while others seemed to be more preoccupied with their phone.  Ethan looked around, smiling softly to look friendly while also making sure to capture everyone’s faces. There were about six people including Ryan and Ethan that were at this viewing and Ethan didn’t recognize any of them.  He wondered how far people came to see this “mysterious, rare creature.”

“Thank you for coming here today, honored guests.” Pete said, jovially.  He was putting on an accent, but Ethan couldn’t place it.  It was like watching a terrible school play where the teacher takes on the lead role and butchers it.  “I will not bore you with semantics, but we have newcomers so I must tell you the rules.”

Pete walked to the center of the room where all eyes were on him.  In the lighting, his disguise looked every more fake, but so did everyone else.  It made sense.  If there were real scientists in here, no one would want to be associated with something like this.

“Number one, no pictures or video.  It ensures the safety of the animal during testing.”

‘Animal?’ Ethan thought, his stomach curdling.  He controlled his rage, trying to relax his eyebrows and jaw from their current tense state.  Under no circumstances would he ruin this operation before they saw their mission through.

“Number two, this is a closed community.  All leads to potential viewers must be put through me.” Pete gestured with open hands around the room. “Please don’t ruin this experience for your fellow enthusiasts by potentially letting in a mole.”

Ethan was glad there wasn’t a lie detector because even he was aware at how much he was sweating.  His throat was getting dry, but he dared not cough at such a terrible time.

“Number three, no speaking of this in writing on any forum outside of messages to me.  You may speak to each other, in person, but avoid phone calls.  Anything can be traced and will ruin the opportunity for future viewings.”

Pete clapped his hands together.  “I know the rules are boring, but are there any questions before we get started?”

“What about private viewings?” Someone from the back asked.

Pete’s smile morphed into something so twisted and evil that Ethan could only describe it as his face splitting in two.  Ethan knew that there was going to be very few things that could scare him more than the sick look on Pete’s face.

“Yes, those are available on request at $20,000 for half an hour.” Pete explained matter-of-factly.  

“Isn’t that quite steep?” Ryan asked, putting up his hand.

Pete gestured to Ryan with his thumb, looking at the rest of the group. “Newcomers, am I right?”

There was light laughter, but it was forced and most likely laced with guilt.  Without any other questions, Pete led the group down more twisting and turning hallways.  It looked so much like Pete’s Ocean Land to Ethan and, he was sure, anyone from his area would agree when the video came out.

Finally, the stopped at a dark tank. The anticipation was building.  For Ethan it was like coming into a movie theater and waiting for the previews to start.  Pete walked to the back and hit a switch. A light from the bottom of the tank, a gasp leaving both Ryan and Ethan’s lips simultaneously.

When Grayson told Ethan how you looked that night, Ethan wasn’t sure what to make of it. Now that he saw it in person, he understood why Grayson’s description was all over the place.  

How could someone describe something so beautiful? 

If Ethan were to attempt it, he would equate it to looking for gems in rocks.  He watched a few videos online of people searching canyons for amethyst.  They would feel the thickness of a rock and inspect closely.  Then with a hammer, the would hit and chip away at the thick gray block until in broke open.  The viewers’ eyes were instantly flooded by gorgeous, sparkling purple that dazzled the mind.  

That was the only way Ethan could describe your skin. 

In uneven patches, there were turquoise colored gem-like patches all over your body. Your hair looked dark blue in the lighting, swirling around as you remained in your tight, curled up position. In the darkness of the deep water, it was easy to imagine how you would blend in from above, however, under this harsh light there was nowhere to hide. 

“Our newcomers, I present to you a real life mermaid.” Pete announced with a chuckle.  “Very little is known about them.  How many there are, how they came to be, how dangerous..., but I can tell you what we know.”

Ethan glanced at Ryan who was stone cold.  Sure, it was obvious that the thing they were staring at did not look like anyone else in this room.  However, it was clear that it had legs and other human limbs.  It was a young girl, and the tightness in Ryan’s face showed that he knew that.

Pete continued as he walked to the side of the tank.  He squinted at the hunched over figure as if noticing something strange, but he didn’t address.  Instead, he stood in front of a control center. There were four levers, multiple buttons in different colors and absolutely no labels.

“What we do know is that, they have legs like us and when dry, they blend in with the rest of us.  However, in water, they are magnificent.  While we haven’t had the joy of cutting one open...”

Ethan quelled a gasp at that remark.

“...we do have reason to believe that they have lungs.  They grow the capacity to survive underwater.  The specimen you see here could only last underwater for eight hours without drowning when she was first rescued.  Now, she can go for as long as 27 hours.”

Tears stung Ethan’s eyes.  Rescued? What a load of bull.  He couldn’t help, but feel sorry for you.  How long were you trapped in there when you couldn’t breathe? Did you scream? Did he watch you suffer?

“They are also incredible swimmers.  We will see that in the next few tests.” Pete paused, as if he was getting ahead of himself.  “In fact, let me just show you now...”

tw: mentions of abuse, panic attacks, electrocution

Ethan could feel himself sweating again as the sound of his heartbeat became deafening. His head felt like it was going to split open at his forehead with a warm heat settling at the center of it.  He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking and he glanced around to see everyone else’s reactions.  It was stone cold.  It was like they were waiting for the bus or sitting through the intermission of their kids game. Ryan was the only one as terrified as Ethan, but Ethan knew that only he could tell.

Pete hit a button on his control panel, his eyes locked on the crowd. Behind him, your body twitched violently, almost involuntary.  You released yourself from your crunched position your legs flailing.  Your arms soon followed suit and you were rushing toward the top of the tank.

“If you come closer...” Pete said, gesturing with his hands for people to come forward, without looking back at you.  “You can see how it naturally glides through the water. Almost like flippers.”

“But those are feet...” Ryan asked, as he moved closer along with the rest of the group.  “Feet of a girl?”

Pete scoffed. “We try not to anthropomorphize the creature.”

Ethan’s eyes bulged out of his head.  Well, someone clearly swallowed a dictionary in an effort to justify his bigotry. What an asshole.

“Besides, a human can not do what I am about to show you.” Pete hit another button and Ethan watched in horror as you slowly started to fall to the bottom of your cell.

~

Hot. Hot. Hot.

That’s what it felt like, but all over your skin.  You assumed it was little bits of electricity, which was already damaging to anything in water.  However, for you those little bursts was like getting pricked with a thousand thorns.  Even at the lowest of voltages it was like getting pins and needles after your foot fell asleep. The pain came from the bottom of your cell, so you always swam upward to get some relief.  

This time, you were determined to free yourself. You were attempting to go through the crack at the top of your cell. Your fingers even felt a bit of the cool air.  Hope quelled in your heart as Grayson’s face flashed in your mind.

Then suddenly another large shock ripped through your cell.  

This one you could see.  It was a white flash that went diagonally across the opening of your cell. You could feel it, splitting your arm that was extended out toward your freedom.  You didn’t want to lose air, so you focused on holding your breath, falling down like leaf to the bottom of your cell, cradling you arm.

You couldn’t see anything with the bright lights flashing into your cell, but you could see your blood, a very dark red color mixing with the water. Through your squinted eyes, you could see your skin covering itself with it’s turquoise patterned scales, trying to rebuild.  It wasn’t something you could control and it only happened when you were in water. You shivered thinking about how you learned these two facts about yourself.  The knives jammed into your thighs and dragged down to your legs, while your screams were silenced with the help of a balled up towel shoved between your lips.  

As the memories of private experiments on the viewing table flooded your mind, you were almost grateful to be inside of your cell.  In comparison this stuff was a cake walk and the show had just begun.

~

“What human do you know that can heal like that?” Pete asked Ryan.  “That’s what I thought.” Pete didn’t leave Ryan any room to even respond before he added in that jab.

“Think about how many lives it could save...” Pete said to the rest of the crowd.  “Soldiers, burn victims, skin cancer survivors...the best technology we could ask for.”

Another button was pushed, another electric shock.  This one was so painful, your eyes opened wide as slashes appeared on your legs and upper arms.  Ethan closed his eyes, but didn’t turn away in an effort to allow the viewers to see the horror.  He would never be able to get your eyes out of his mind.  Under water, your eyeballs were a dark blue with no sign of pupils, with little streaks of gold striping through it.  It was almost like looking at a Greek statue where you couldn’t actually see the details of your eyes.

And yet, he could see so much pain.

tw end

The moment the “show” was over, Ethan was secretly texting Grayson on his phone.  It wasn’t easy. He was alternating from angling his body to different sides, using the shadows of the room to conceal his behavior.  

Ethan knew that if he were caught by Pete, this would ruin everything.  However, there was no time.  The last few tests left you unresponsive.  Ethan was sure that Pete was not done with you.  Pete had to see his guests off to prevent any wandering, but once people were gone, you were going to experience hell.  

With a final few taps, Ethan slipped his phone into his pocket as casually as he could.

“Can I ask you more about the private showing?” Ethan asked, and Pete smiled, greedily. 

“I’ll give you all the options and their prices...” Pete agreed.

~

This was the worst part. When the lights turned off and you realized you were all alone.  Your body was trying to rebuild itself while your mind did its best to keep you under water. It was hard to hold your breath when you were in so much pain, but you needed to heal in order to escape and you couldn’t heal if you were drowning.

The sound of the top of tank being slowly cranked open caused a gasp to rip from you, taking your last bits of oxygen.  As you swam to the top to get air, you realized that this would put you face-to-face with Pete, the first time in years since actually truly seen your uncle.  Everything was coming back to you: the pain, the torture, the abandonment, and it only made you angrier. 

You decided this was it.  You were going to finally fight back.

[thequirkdetective]

Investigation 3 (29/5/2020): Electrification – Denki Kaminari

For this investigation, I will be examining the quirk that has become rather notorious in the BNHA community – Denki Kaminari’s ‘Electrification’. This is mainly due to the quirk’s overuse temporarily inhibiting the user’s cognitive ability. The quirk itself allows Kaminari to create a voltage between different areas of his body or the ground, allowing him to electrically shock opponents via contact, proximity or through some conductive medium. Therefore, to explain this quirk we first need to understand electricity.

‘Electricity’ is simply the movement of charge. Most commonly this charge is the delocalised electrons in wires, but it can also be soluble ions, or any moveable charged particle. When a potential difference (most commonly called ‘voltage’) is induced between two points it creates forces that act upon the charges and, if the charges are delocalised, move them. If the charge is negative, then the charge will be forced away from the positive terminal and towards the negative, and vice versa.

To create a potential difference, one must separate differing charges. A common demonstration of this is rubbing a balloon on a jumper, where the action physically takes electrons from the jumper and adds them to the balloon. This creates a positive charge in the jumper, and a negative in the balloon. A wire with flowing current has a potential difference across it too. Potential differences can be visualised as slopes, where the charges roll from the top to the bottom. In the case of the metal wire, the negative end is the elevated end of the slope, and the negative electrons ‘roll’ down to the positive end. However, if there were flowing positive charges, those would ‘roll’ the other way.

Knowing this, we now need to understand how electricity is generated. The first port of call is power plants, where either burning fuel, or decaying radioactive isotopes boil water which drives a turbine. The turbine can also be driven by wind, flowing water, or even the movement of waves. The turbine is attached to a magnet, which spins inside a coil of wire, inducing a potential difference across the coil. The physics of this is rather complex for a blog post, so I won’t explain it here. The issue with this for Kaminari is that it requires both a magnet and wires to exist and be actively rotated within his body. However, not all electricity requires moving parts.

Alkaline batteries use a chemical reaction between two chemicals involving the loss of electrons from one chemical and the gain of electrons by the other. The chemicals are each connected to one terminal, and when they are connected with a wire, the electrons flow between the two, and the reaction occurs. The downside of this method for use by the quirk is twofold: 1, the process is irreversible, so only a certain amount of power can ever be generated by the quirk, and 2, the chemicals used are highly corrosive to organic tissue.

Rechargeable batteries operate on the same principle, but with a stronger and opposing potential difference the reaction reverses; the electrons are dragged from the negative ions back to the positive. These batteries do suffer the same drawback as disposable ones, however, regularly employing cadmium compounds in their reactions.

In principle, any redox reaction could be employed to generate voltage, reversible or not. Redox reaction is the umbrella term for any reaction involving the movement of electrons, from the words reduction, meaning the gaining of electrons, and oxidation, the loss of electrons. If Kaminari’s cells contained two reactants of a redox reaction, their connection through a conductive medium could create a voltage. Then, if the reaction were irreversible, the spent chemicals could be disposed of, and replaced via ingestion. If the reaction were reversible then it could be possible for Kaminari to literally recharge via a large DC current, such as the output of an AC to DC power converter. Sadly, sticking his fingers into a power outlet will not suffice, since all electricity supplies in Japan and most of the world are AC. The products can also be disposed of and renewed in the same manner of excretion and ingestion. Interestingly though, due to redox reactions being balanced, any electricity created in this way will ground back to Kaminari.

One possible candidate for the redox reaction is respiration. This reaction is the one that supplies cells with energy (or more specifically ATP) and allows them to carry out their functions. It’s an exothermic redox reaction, and so can be used to generate a potential difference, albeit with a few changes in biology. Firstly, in cells the electrons are carried by molecules called electron shuttles. These ‘pick up’ electrons from the glucose and deposit them into the oxygen, forming CO2 and H2O. If the electrons shuttles were replaced by a conductive medium, then they would flow through that medium, creating electricity. Since the reaction is exothermic, it will give off energy rather than require it, and so will cause a potential difference. The question now, is how much potential difference?

In season 1 of the anime, Denki uses a large discharge of electricity to stun and incapacitate surrounding villains[1], one of the largest uses of his quirk. The area of effect covers a sphere roughly 10m in diameter. The dielectric breakdown of air (how much electricity it takes to ionize it) is roughly 3 million volts per metre, so the voltage of this move is around 30 million volts, or a third of an average lightning bolt. Now, to work out the voltage given by the breakdown of one mole of glucose, we turn to the Nernst Equation, which gives the approximate voltage of any electrochemical cell. The equation is as follows: where is the voltage given, is the standard electrode potential () at room temperature, 1atm pressure, and 1mol/dm3 concentration, is the gas law constant; 8.314J/K/mol, is the temperature in Kelvin (assumed to be 298.15K), is the number of moles of electrons transferred in the reaction (every molecule of glucose transfers 12 electrons), and is Faraday’s constant, of 9.649×104C/mol. Unfortunately, it is impossible to calculate the value of   in this reaction, as no one seems to have published the reduction potential of glucose. However, we can estimate that a maximum voltage from one mole of glucose could be no more than around 10 volts. We could be out by a factor of 10 either side, but since we’re working with numbers in the millions this shouldn’t matter too much. Now, under this assumption Kaminari needs to react 3 million moles of glucose to generate the voltage seen. This is ~54050 tonnes of glucose, meaning Denki needs to eat, convert, and somehow simultaneously metabolise 55000 tonnes of sugar. Sadly, we have again reached the impasse of the human body’s limited use as an energy source, and must therefore conclude that the method of generating the energy the quirk harnesses are fantastical. However, once the energy is generated, it obeys the laws of physics perfectly.

This means that the quirk somehow creates 3o million volts of electricity, which somehow needs to find its way out of Denki’s body. As previously stated, the energy created here is equal to a third of the energy in a lightning bolt, and all of it passes through Denki. When someone is struck by lightning, they can be affected in many ways, including most commonly a large heart attack, but also include loss of consciousness, dizziness, confusion, memory loss, temporary paralysis, hearing loss, cataracts, and physical injuries from the force and temperature like burns, broken, fractured or dislocated bones, neck injuries, and lung damage. To work out how many of these apply to Kaminari, we have to find out what happens when he lets loose a full 30-million-volt blast. The air around him becomes immediately ionised – it heats up and expands, creating a large shockwave and loud bang in the same way lightning causes thunder. A lot of the charge is immediately grounded if Kaminari is standing on something earthed, but it spreads through the ground and shocks anyone standing nearby. The shockwave of ionised air spreads outwards, heated by the electricity. The force of the blast won’t be enough to knock someone over unless they are very close, but it may cause superficial burns to skin and clothing, as well as almost certainly bursting the eardrums of anyone in the near vicinity, causing pain, dizziness, and of course loss of hearing. Even those whose eardrums survive will likely gain some kind of hearing loss, the severity of which rises the closer they are to the epicentre. Kaminari suffers the maximum possible severity of all these effects since he is the epicentre. His hearing would be severely damaged, and prolonged, high voltage quirk use could cause permanent hearing loss. The force of the shockwave will also cause blunt trauma to different areas of his body, and the millions of volts that flow through his body will almost certainly cause a heart attack, and some kind of memory loss or brain damage (this is the only symptom shown in the anime). Interestingly enough, some people who have been struck by lightning had it flow around them, simply blowing their clothes off and leaving few signs of injury, though both a specially designed hero costume and the show’s age rating could help prevent this.

In conclusion, Denki Kaminari’s Electrification quirk somehow generates voltage in Kaminari’s body, up to around 30 million volts. A discharge such as this one creates a shockwave of ionized air, burning anyone immediately next to Kaminari, and causing hearing loss to anyone in the vicinity. The electricity mostly spreads through the ground, shocking anyone nearby and causing pain, convulsions, and possible heart attacks and mild brain damage. Kaminari is hit with the brunt of the shockwave, and he most probably gains broken or fractured bones, burst eardrums, memory loss, loss of consciousness, and more seriously, immediate cardiac arrest.

[1] Season 1 episode 11: “Game Over”

If you liked this investigation and want to have a say in the next one, then make sure to send a recommendation for which quirk I should investigate!

[kitsoa]

A list of KH theories that I have begun drafting in some form but can’t finish because they keep interconnecting and I don’t know which one to start with. 

Meta-catastrophe: Kingdom Hearts (the series) is becoming self aware of it’s status as a video game. The 4th Wall is slowly breaking and will completely shatter in future installments. This will not be funny. 

This ~Shibuya~ Sora is in is an incarnation of our reality. It’s not able to be the actual real world because it still exists within a form of fiction (the next video game installment). Which is why the building is still 104 and why Nomura calls it Shibuya in kana. But for all intents and purposes, it’s the real world. The world that hosts his fiction.

The Master of Masters is an authorial (Nomura’s) self-insert from this reality. He penned the KH fiction and has thus authored Destiny itself. He’s granted some level of autonomy to his characters and is playing the apathetic god (power trip?). The conflict of man vs destiny becomes a more literal man vs god. 

Kingdom Hearts (the object) is not a massive collection of hearts-- world’s hearts or hearts of men-- no it’s the collective heart of reality itself.

The Worlds in Kingdom Hearts are not isolated environments and settings, or even dimensions of progressed scenarios but literally manifestation of authored Stories. The actual Disney movie stories. They are physically limited to the stories they derive from, but by virtue of being connected to the greater collective story of KH they are capable of behaving like transformative works. 

Because Worlds are Stories, the Hearts of Worlds are actually the Hearts of the Stories they contain. We connect with people from the heart. We also connect with stories and characters in the same way. It doesn’t matter that they aren’t real. 

If Kingdom Hearts (the object) is the Heart of Reality, and the Heart of Worlds are actually the Hearts of Stories, and Kingdom Hearts (the game) is becoming self aware of its status as a work of fiction (A Story), then Kingdom Hearts is both the game and the in-universe object. 

The ‘Unchained Realm’ is actually more of the ‘Realm of Fiction’ where dreams and fictional fabrications become real, untethered to (KH) Reality.

The Realm of Sleep falls under this umbrella because dreams are fiction that don’t actually exist. 

There are two forms of fiction. Set and Continuous. Set stories are stories already written, with a beginning and an end, unable to be changed by virtue of their source material. Continuous Stories are stories currently being written, able to change and be manipulated. The kind of fiction depends on the type of medium and if there’s an active author. Books can’t change whats been physically written, AI driven simulations have some kind active author in the form of computer unless programmed otherwise. The dreams of worlds (stories) can’t actually expand past what’s already happened so they are set unless tethered to the land of the living (awoken). 

Worldlines as parallel timelines with minute differences, are within the Unchained Realm, untethered to the original (KH) Reality as they are fictional depictions of an alternative scenario in the original story. 

The Realm of Fiction is only traversable due to the objective definition empowering the select denizens of the (also fictional) Realm of KH Reality to traverse Stories tethered to their reality. Nothing is fake and nothing is real at the same time. 

The objective definition of ‘traversing worlds’ allowing to make real, actual elements of fiction in their universe, is the same obtuse exploitation used with the Power of Waking. “To wake something from slumber” is initially mundane until exploited against the concept that ‘sleep and death cross over.’ Thus you can wake someone up from the dead. 

Sora exploiting the objective definition of his Reality’s laws by sole nature of being a work of fiction caused him to weaken the fabric of said fiction. So he fell through into the Actual Real World. 

Master of Masters wanted this because Sora has the power to see a heart in everything and can even give the Real World a heart if he connects with it. That’s why he makes a Kingdom Hearts out of the Real Moon. It’s going to become a part of Kingdom Hearts(the game) and no longer be bound to the limits of Actual Reality. Actual godhood achieved.

I had to get this down. If you have questions or want elaboration drop me an ask. 

[the-citrus-scale]

Adapting Comics For The Screen

First appeared in the June 2019 issue of The Lemon Magazine, featuring The Umbrella Academy fandom. 

It’s always been a popular trend to take comics and make them into movies or television shows. This trend has surged in recent years, largely due to an increase in the quality of special effects. It’s easier than ever to make characters and events that were once only able to appear on a comic page come to life on the screen. The Umbrella Academy is the newest adaptation in this trend, and it’s quite different from its comic counterpart.

Changes are necessary when a story moves from one medium to another. Mediums have hallmark traits just like genres do, and those traits don’t always translate well. Comics, in particular, can be very campy, a little over the top, and even confusing. While these traits are perfectly acceptable for that medium, they’re not for movies and television shows. Viewers expect those genres to be much clearer in their plots and progressions, and only a certain level of camp will be tolerated. Can you imagine someone trying to make a live-action movie out of Batman fighting the Condiment King? No one would take it seriously, as fun as the comics he appears in might be. While it’s fine for this villain to be a joke in the LEGO Batman movie, if someone were going to really adapt that particular character for the screen, some intense changes would have to be made for it be acceptable to a large audience. The Umbrella Academy comics, as quirky and fun as they are, are quite confusing in their vagueness, and leave too many hanging plot points and unexplored characterization to be satisfying to audiences who are used to having everything laid out for them eventually. In addition, there has to be enough characterization to create an investment and make you care when bad or good things happen, otherwise the payout isn’t enough. Some comics certainly have that, but not all of them do, and it’s something that can’t be skipped over in other mediums.

One of the biggest changes we see in adapting comics specifically is the simplifying and streamlining of plotlines. Some comic storylines have been in progress for literal decades. They encompass multiple origin stories, time travel resulting in branched timelines, different incarnations of the same character, crossovers, alternate universe stories, and anything else that you can dream up. Comics can take years to reach the climax of a plot point, and they also often reveal information about published events that took place long ago in a series that change everything readers thought they knew. Because it is acceptable for comics to have convoluted plots and to take a long time to reach the zenith of that plot point, this isn’t considered a problem in that medium. But movies need to take place in roughly two hours, and most television shows won’t even air long enough to reach double digit seasons. Writers adapting comics for these other mediums know that they can’t wait that long. Even if fans grumble about these plot and pacing changes, they are a necessary evil to make these stories accessible to a larger audience, a certain portion of which will never be into reading comics or accepting of those trends.

Changing mediums also gives the opportunity to update content and characters to be more topical for the current time. Comics that have run long enough often do this as well. For example, Tony Stark’s origin story in the first Iron Man film is pretty much the same as his original one from the 1960s, only he’s fighting Middle Eastern terrorists instead of Communists. Seriously. Read Marvel comics from the 1960s, guys. So. Many. Communists. These changing political fears were reflected in the comics as well, but over a much longer period of time and through a variety of different events. Comic reboots and transfers to other mediums also allow for the updating of characters. As you can imagine, most comic characters were originally white and male. Females were few and far between, and even the most heroic among them received extremely sexist treatments, often being relegated to standing by while the male hero did all the work or being mostly involved in romantic plotlines. As society progresses, so do these characters. Klaus from The Umbrella Academy is a classic example. While Klaus’ sexuality was really never explored in the comics, in the show, he has become a LGBTQIA+ icon, and both the writers and Robert Sheehan, who plays Klaus, are excited to explore the messages this change can bring to the character, such as the idea that no one reacts badly to Klaus’ sexuality. It’s treated as perfectly normal, which is a message we’re all too short on these days. This also fits in perfectly with the character who already existed, so it’s not a leap to make this change. This is a critical point to take note of. Fans don’t want to see changes that make no sense. They want to see changes that are an homage to the source material, that they can enjoy, but still remind them of what they already know and love. Stray too far and the risk is alienation, as well as a story that is so far from the original that it may as well be a story of its own.

This also gives creators a chance to put a face on characters who may not be as developed in their source material. Comic characters often take a very long time to develop because comic stories tend to be shorter. The storylines also have longer to go on, so a character flaw that appears in a comic may take years to come to fruition, whereas in a television show, it might take only one or two episodes. Vanya from The Umbrella Academy displays this perfectly. Vanya, just like her siblings, is only vaguely explored in the comics. Her transformation to someone ready to cause the end of the world is abrupt and doesn’t leave the reader with much explanation or feeling either way. In the show, however, the explanation of how the children were treated growing up, and Vanya’s subsequent manipulation by Leonard, creates a very sympathetic character. When Vanya does go apocalyptic, we don’t feel like she’s the villain. We feel sorry for her, as is obviously intended, since it seems like the entirety of the second season of the show will be dedicated to saving her. We can’t exactly get invested in that if we think she’s just a jerk. In addition, likeable and talented actors and actresses put a face on characters that we can relate to because we already have an opinion about them. Who doesn’t love Ellen Page? It’s hard to hate Vanya when we see Ellen playing her on the screen, as much as we might want to during a few moments of the series.

There are a few caveats. We do happen to think that comics are better suited to television than movies. We just watched Marvel take ten years and one million movies to get to their first major plot point, really, and man, everyone is tired. The literal onslaught of Marvel content is exhausting, whereas a television show is delivered in larger segments with natural breaks so that we’re not oversaturated too quickly. We’re also tired of comic movies and television shows that have really obvious shots meant to sort of freeze and recreate comic panels. It’s a little too cheesy and campy to be fun anymore, guys. Their time is over. Thankfully, The Umbrella Academy isn’t guilty of this.

No matter what, adapting is a tricky business, even trickier than making up something of your own from scratch. Between honoring the source material and enhancing it with changes, to having to please existing fans while creating entirely new ones, it takes a big effort to bring these stories to life in a different way. Even if they get it wrong sometimes, we’re grateful that creators keep trying, because sometimes you get fantastic stories like The Umbrella Academy television series out of it.

[spiritchronicle]

Alchemy and Healing (Light code healing)

Alchemy and Healing (Light code healing)

Let’s begin by explaining what alchemy is. Alchemy is the process of transformation that traditionally and allegedly turned lead into gold. How I’ve come to understand alchemy in spiritual terms, is when we are able to use spiritual processes to turn our lower/negative thought forms into light elevated love thought forms.

Before we go any further let’s address the nature of thought forms. I will be using this term as an umbrella term, for the human soul. The basic nature of our existence is thought, we are the thought of the one infinite creator, as Ra explains in the Law of One series, and as A Course of Miracles also states “A thought never leaves its source” meaning that we as thought children of God, never left God. Because we are thought forms, and because the universe is a universe of inclusion, we will categorize ourselves with other like minded thought forms or individuals. This ALSO includes our subconscious or unconscious mind. We will therefore pair up with those who will either teach us a lesson to bring out our unconscious thought forms, and/or with those who will match our conscious self’s vibration. This is why we match with all kinds of people, those who are serving us to bring about transformation by triggering our unconscious negative thought forms to the surface, as well as those who make us feel at home and provide support for us.

If you paid attention, this pretty much sums up how alchemy and transformation are related to healing. The whole game is to transform those lower vibratory thought forms (unconscious), into light/love understood thought forms (superconscious), with our (conscious) mind forming the medium between the two, which is our job here on earth in these human body incarnations. So just to summarize, we need to bring the unconscious, to the conscious, in order to achieve the superconscious, which is oneness with the one infinite creator, God, or the universe, whatever you choose to call it. We won’t be getting into the nature of the unconscious at this time, but will mention different methods of how to transform or alchemize it into the superconscious.

Alchemy in general

As I have already mentioned, Alchemy is the transformational process of turning darkness into light. And not to mystify it here, this alchemical process is simple, it is obtainable by everyone, and we all can do it every day of our lives. Yes I have read and studied enough to know that there was in fact people that could turn physical metals into actual gold, but you see, this ability comes only to those enlightened beings who understand the holographic and illusory nature of this physical existence, so gold at that state pretty much has no significance anymore, it’s seen as part of the illusion and everything in it.

Back to the spiritual alchemy of which I’m talking about. . . there are many processes that can help us alchemize our lower vibratory thought forms. Some of them are outlined in the series “The One Being”, The Law of One, and A Course In Miracles. One such process is that in order to do this, the entire universe follows the same formula at every level. We begin spinning and vibrating at specific frequencies in order for the lighter thought forms to remain on the outside, and the dense and darkest thought forms to be forced into the core of the person or planet. Because of this, the darkness will leach out onto the surface, a little at a time, just enough to perhaps cause a trauma, or something bad to happen in a person’s life, but not enough to kill that person or planet.

When this happens, he have the opportunity to practice alchemy. We can take those events and lessons and learn from them, learn to accept and love those parts of ourselves that cause shame and pain in our psyche, those thought forms which we do not want to look at because it is to painful to do so.

I have learned to speak to those thought forms directly, telling them that everything is okay, that I am here no matter what is happening, and that I will be there for them always and forever, offering all they need and all I can provide at this time. As soon as I do this, I can literally feel that thought form integrate into the larger part of who I am. You should try this next time you are in pain or emotional distress, you can be your own inner guide and alchemist.

An just like that, you can alchemize any thought form into your true higher self. But like I said, there are many modalities and ways of performing this work. I will mention one more, which is light codes.

Light Codes

I once did a light code activation by this woman named Deborah Aerial Pietch. She has a video on youtube called “St. Germain the man, Alchemy, Pineal Gland Activation, I AM Presence” (I will leave the link in the description if you want to check it out). This was my first real experience with light codes, and light code activations. I sort of had this intuitive knowing that something big was going to happen, I watched all 2 hours of it, feeling a little nervous but excited. As the end of the video was getting closer, I paused the video, I stood up and walked to the kitchen because I had a runny nose and had to blow my nose. So I blew my nose, and closed my eyes, and when I opened them, something amazing happened. I had all of my clear quartz crystals charging in sunlight on the windowsill, and I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, but as I opened my eyes, these two basketball sized light orbs appeared, they moved in space from left to right rotating around each other as they moved, leaving behind them an intertwined trail of light. They were these beautiful green and blue hued white light orbs. They were only visible for a few seconds, and then they disappeared. My immediate thought after that was to doubt what I had just seen, I just stood there for like a minute, trying to figure out what had just happened. Now I def knew that something amazing was about to happen. So I went back into my room, pressed play on the video, and began the activation.

The activation itself was such an experience that it completely drove the light orbs out of my mind. As she began her activation, I began to feel everything she was saying, going up the dimensions, bring it down and then to the center of the earth, and back again into my body. I began to shake because of the intensity of the energy, and I started to sweat like if I had been working out for an hour. My eyes and hands were shaking very intensely. I intuitively knew that this was part of the process and that this activation was clearing out a lot of dense energy from me. Anyway, it ended and I sat there, on my bed, shocked to my core. I had experienced a lot of mind opening and spiritual experiences before, but nothing like this. I was speechless, I mean, wow. Eventually I got up, and had to go shower, since I was so sweaty from the experience, and I mean, literally my shirt was wet with sweat, not to gross you out or anything haha, but just to let you know that this was a real visceral, physical experience, just as a spiritual one.

Again, this was my first experience with light codes, and after this experience, I never doubted their efficacy. I have had friends do this activation before, to see what they would experience, and each of them had different experiences, but nothing like mine. I guess the universe will show you what you are ready for, when you are ready for it. Anyway, Deborah explains her light code activations as “working with the holographic field and channeling the light codes by being a conduit for this energy”. She does not claim to be a healer, but she does this work help in the ascension of mother earth and for the liberation of the planet. You can check out her work if you are interested.

Now, that was just an example of Deborah’s work, but I want to offer a different kind of light code therapy, that pretty much uses the same type of energy as well as working with the holographic field, to activate and transmute your encoded information, to lighter and more subtle light forms. I studied with a conduit for light codes in Mexico, she was guided to create a form where she could somehow encode this information into gold plates. Now, she actually uses copper to make it more accessible for people, but the effect is the same, it is the use of light code information, to work with your holographic field in order to alchemize your subtle emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies.

With this form of Alchemy, we bypass the traditional method of making things conscious in order to transmute them. With light codes, we can go in there, into your encoded information, and subconscious, and begin to transmute the information before it manifests into the physical.

This work can have some side effects, they will definitely not be as intense as mine, because that is what is so great about the form of therapy that I use now, you will only get what you need from it, as soon as it is done, your higher self will stop the energy from going any further.

And just to explain the process a little bit, I do not channel the energy, my only job as a practitioner, is to ask with a pendulum what light codes you need, to place them on you, and keep asking which are done and what other ones you need for the duration of the session. I can work at a distance by you allowing me to call forth your etheric bodies, and work from there. I only do this to be able to work on you, and I will only do it with your consent and the consent of your higher self. This is only to help you evolve and grow, never to do harm. Believe me, I don’t want to add to my Karma haha.

Like I mentioned, there are many forms of alchemy available to us at this time, and it’s your choice to choose what you want to engage with. I have personally found ACIM, light code therapy, meditation and working with crystals as well as having a direct connection to my guides, to be really really helpful in my spiritual journey. And If you are seeking your optimal method, don’t stop until you have found it. Remember that ultimately it comes down to doing that work at whatever level it shows up for you. Light codes are just a little help to get out in front of the game, but there are no judgements here for any modality. I believe we are all going the same way and will ultimately meet where the road ends as one.

Just to add a little more about these light codes. . .

They don’t work on your physical body, but it will have results there once the information in the higher bodies has been alchemized. Wether you contact Deb, or choose to get a light code therapy from me, or any other practitioner, this method is such a gift from the higher realms. It is here to help humanity and those who choose to engage with it, to not suffer through the changes and healing of the planet and of the self. This has turned into a daily practice for me, I ask very day what codes I need for the day. Everything from Karma, to Anxiety, to DNA activations, to developing psychic abilities has come up for me. And I def feel the difference, perhaps not as intensely as that first experience I had, but I have come to realize that these light codes can have such a big impact in people’s lives, that it still amazes me that I have this available. And I want to make this available for you too, I offer light code therapy on my website, SilverSoulCrystals.com for $40. If you choose to get a session you can use the discount code ALCHEMY for a 25% discount on a 30 or 60 minute session. I also do Tarot card readings, and there are some Crystal necklaces on there too. Bare with me, I just re-launched it and it’s still a work in progress haha. I will offer light codes as well, for you to purchase and use whenever you want. I will try to keep the prices as low as possible for you to be able to engage in this energy work. This is my service to humanity, along with this podcast and this work.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at silversoulcrystals@gmail.com, or go on the website to leave us a comment on the blog section. I will leave this episode in written form for your reference, or simply if you prefer to read it, than hear my annoying voice haha.

Again thank you all so much for your support and I hope you enjoy the website as well.

Thank you!

[perfectirishgifts]

Q&A: Lindsey Stirling On Bringing Christmas Home To Her Fans This Year

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/qa-lindsey-stirling-on-bringing-christmas-home-to-her-fans-this-year/

Q&A: Lindsey Stirling On Bringing Christmas Home To Her Fans This Year

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 23: Lindsey Stirling attends Spotify Hosts “Best New Artist” Party … [] at The Lot Studios on January 23, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Spotify)

This holiday season is a difficult one for so many people, who maybe can’t go home or have suffered losses this year. So for electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling, who is used to touring every year around the holidays, she knew she had to do something to brighten people’s spirits.

That was the inspiration for her Home For The Holidays virtual concert experience this Saturday (December 12). In advance of the special I spoke with Stirling about her 2020, some of the surprises she has in store for the show, lessons she has learned this year and more.

Steve Baltin: Can you give us a preview of the Christmas special?

Lindsey Stirling: We surprised several fans and went to their lawns and did choreographed Christmas routines right in front of their houses. We wore masks, we were basically on the driveway doing these full theatrical routines with like a band, dancers, props and really surprised them. It was really so magical and so fun. And the whole idea came from that memory of [caroling] as a kid.

Baltin: How many houses did you go to and was it like the choreography you did as a kid?

Stirling: (Laughs) Oh it’s nothing like when I was a kid. Now I’m blessed to be able to work with amazing choreographers and incredible dancers. It was nothing like the choreography, but the magical concept was the most important.

Baltin: And what song did you carol?

Stirling: We did “Let It Snow,” which is one of my favorite songs choreography wise to do in the show. It’s really cute, we have these little umbrellas that have snow inside of them so it snows under the umbrellas. It’s the opposite concept, the umbrella snows, rather than blocking the snow. So we did that on the people’s front lawns. I haven’t performed in front of fans in a year now. And so seeing a fan reaction, not only are they at a “show,” but  they were surprised and walk out into the yard and they’re like, “Oh my gosh, I think that’s Lindsey Stirling.” We made sure we found people who were actual fans so they weren’t like, “Get off my lawn! Who the heck are you?”

Baltin: That would have made for really funny footage though.

Stirling: We just ran out of time. We were going to try to get some footage of some people who were like, “Who’s this?” I’m all about the humor and leaning into being self aware that there’s a lot of people who have no idea who I am and they would probably be kind of freaked out (laughs).

Baltin: What was the impetus for the special?

Stirling: I had several goals with making a Christmas special and that’s why I was like, “I don’t care what anybody says, I have to do this.” One was that I knew this Christmas was gonna be really hard for a lot of people. And I wanted to have some way to cheer up my fans, my little corner of the internet. I felt like I could cheer some people up. Secondly it was not easy to tell my entire crew and my dancers and my band, “I’m so sorry, but we’re cancelling everything.” Obviously they understand, that’s the reality. But that’s not an easy thing to do as someone who employs people. And so I had been really brainstorming and thinking, “How can I brighten the spirits of my crew?” These people are like family to me at this point. We’ve toured together, some of us, for eight years. So it’s like, “I want my tour family to be safe and happy.” So wanting to give them an opportunity to be creative and dance and then also myself. I needed something to pour my heart into. It’s really hard as an artist when you feel you have nothing to create. So I was like, “We’re doing this.” I actually tried really hard at first to sell the show cause it was not cheap to make, to employ an entire crew of people for a given amount of time and everything that goes around it. But this is a very Lindsey Stirling thing about me, I couldn’t sell it. So I was like, “I don’t care, I’ll do it myself. I’ll fund it myself, I’ll produce it myself.” After literally working 16-hour days for almost three months straight it’s almost done.

Baltin: How is it being rolled out?

Stirling: It airs on the twelfth and there’s like a “show time,” one for Europe and one for this side of the world. So you can watch it at the show time if you want so you can feel like you’re part of the live event. But then you have a 48-hour rental of it. If you don’t want to watch it at the airtime you can watch it the next day or the next day.

Baltin: How did you approach this differently than a live show?

Stirling: There is nothing like being a live performance, that feeling you get, the energy. You cannot capture that on film no matter what you do. So I didn’t try to do like a live show. I decided I would really lean into the medium I had, which is film. And I had the ability to curate it so that you’re making it like this experience that is seen through something that is this big, a screen. That creates a very different type of energy. So yeah, rather than have it be, “It’s a live show and we’re gonna film it,” I was like, “No, we’re gonna do all kinds of things that I could never do on tour.” So I got to go back into all these old ideas that were shut down on previous tours. It was like, “Oh, Lindsey, those props are too big; those costumes will fall apart on a tour; oh, Lindsey, that will never be able to put up and down in one day.” All kinds of things like that that aren’t possible in the live show we did. And it makes so that this is something you could never see unless you were viewing it in this way. It makes it really special, it’s different than just a live show. And I think people are going to be quite shocked at some of the things we do. I did something I’ve never done before in the show. And again this is something I don’t think I could ever do on the tour. I spent two and a half months learning the art of hair hanging, which is where you actually learn how to braid your hair in a certain way so that you hang from it like an aerial artist. But instead of harnesses and straps you’re hanging by your hair. I practiced that for two months and I taught myself a routine, so in the show I do a full four-minute song hanging by my hair. I’m so excited for people to see it! Something I worked super hard on. Again, I just wanted to make this something unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. No one in the world has ever done that, played a violin and hung by their hair. It’s just lots of things I think people will be really shocked about.

Baltin: What are some of the lessons you’ve taken from doing this show on your own?

Stirling: In a way it gave me an extra mount of confidence. It reminded me I can do really hard things, which I think sometimes as humans we have to make ourselves uncomfortable. We have to stretch ourselves, especially in a time where I was kind of mentally when I started doing it. I was feeling like a lot had been taken from me and I felt a little bit out of control of a lot of things. And this gave me a sense even through hard things we can find a lot of beauty. I can do hard things cause I did that. And I worked on producing a little bit more, which is a much more practical skill than hanging by your hair. So there are quite a few things that have helped me be even more DIY and more self-sufficient that I will definitely take into writing and creating ideas for the future.

More from Arts in Perfectirishgifts

[allthebeautifulthings9828]

Literally allergic to the sun. My advice for photosensitive people.

I'm photosensitive. That means I'm allergic to certain kinds of rays coming from the sun - that hateful, gassy, orange ball in the sky. If you've seen The Others, starring Nicole Kidman, then you've seen her two children who have a very severe form of my condition (although I think Mummy was a hypochondriac and the allergy wasn't as bad as she made out).

Being photosensitive happened to me because I took way too many antibiotics for urinary tract and kidney infections over a decade ago and my sun allergy has gotten worse and worse every year. Too many antibiotics of a specific grouping have been known to cause a body's chemistry to change until the sun is no longer an option. Most people who are photosensitive due to antibiotics usually grow out of it after about seven years. Not me. My allergy has only gotten worse over the course of my adult life despite my reluctance to take more antibiotics. This condition is permanent for me.

So what happens if I go outside in daylight? I have about 20 - 30 minutes of luxurious freedom before my body starts the reaction process. It used to be a few hours of freedom outside but my window of opportunity has gotten smaller with each passing year. A few hours after sun exposure, I start to itch and big blotches of redness and swelling will appear on my body. It always goes to my face as a butterfly rash (common with Lupus but I don't have that) and it'll spread at random to different parts of my body. The photosensitive rash resembles a burn at first but it's not - it's an internal allergic reaction and can even spread to parts of your body that were not exposed to sunlight. You have to treat it like an allergy instead of a burn. Prolonged exposure will make my skin turn purple and I'll develop blisters as well, but that's a severe reaction I've only had a couple of times.

Here I am with a mild butterfly rash in 2007.

And here I am with a purple rash and swelling (there were intense blisters later that morning) in 2015.

What I call "the rash cycle" lasts anywhere from 7 to 10 days most of the time. The first couple of days, my skin just feels tight and itchy. Swelling is the worst in the first and second day usually. People tell me I feel hotter to the touch as well. Around the third day, the pain really kicks in, which feels like itching until I scratch it and then it feels roughly like I set myself on fire. I go on wanting to rip flesh from bone for a few more days until the affected skin actually dies pretty deep - deeper than a sunburn. A few dead flakes quickly turns into wondering if my flesh is really going to fall off like a zombie. My mother says it reminds her of a chemical burn or when Samantha got an acid peel on Sex and the City. The last couple of days, everything I killed by being audacious enough to go outside in daylight hours will come off my body. The worst of it for me is on my face, my legs, and my feet. And if you want a real good time, I'll tell you about the week the rash spread to my inner thighs, which didn't see sunlight at all! Fun times.

I have a few tips for you in no particular order if you are photosensitive too:

1.) Do NOT apply aloe from the tube at the store. Manufactured aloe has alcohol and chemicals in it that will prolong your suffering. Buy an aloe plant and use the pure stuff instead. My plant is named Frederick the Great and he lives on my kitchen windowsill.

2.) The rash cycle lasts (in me) 7-10 days from the appearance of symptoms. A rash may not appear for anywhere between 2 - 24 hours after exposure. The worst days are 3, 4, and 5. It's all like clockwork.

3.) No makeup, lotion, perfume, shaving, etc., on the rash sites until the skin has completely healed. My doctor told me it can cause infection because parts of your skin might open from blisters or dead skin coming off, exposing raw baby skin that might not be toughened up yet.

4.) Your skin will come off. A lot. For days. It's not big peeling pieces like a sunburn. The rash kills layers much deeper than a sunburn so the dead stuff might be thicker, yellowed, and it might scare you. Don't pick at it. You're far more susceptible to bleeding at this stage. Wash the area with a cool, wet, clean cloth a few times a day during this "I can't go out because children will scream" stage.

5.) There is no cure. Extra clothes, sunblock, and umbrellas are not going to help much. The UV rays we're allergic to are not the ones American sunscreen will block. I have to get special sunscreen from Canada or Australia. Even then all it does is buy me a little more time.

6.) Other fun, gross symptoms include skin "weeping" and fevers. I'm not sure if this is common for everyone but the first couple of days in my rash cycle seem to kick my entire body into fighting an illness. Along with a periodic low grade fever, I also experience congestion as if I have allergies or even a cold. If this happens to you, it's okay. You're not really "sick". Weeping skin is what happens in the medium to severe rashes. You'll notice your skin feeling wet or you might even notice clear fluid. It happens. I don't know why. Keep your skin clean with cool, wet washcloths.

7.) My doctor instructed me to take Benedryl as soon as possible after sun exposure. Benedryl helps with the initial itching and swelling. If you experience pain, you can take over the counter pain relievers. I like ibuprofen because it's an anti-inflammatory too. The midpoint of the rash cycle hurts the most because the top layers of my skin have all died but they haven't begun falling off, which makes you feel like you have a thick, dry crust on your body. If you stretch the skin too much, it can crack and bleed. That's the most painful thing besides blisters. Use Neosporin with the numbing stuff in it. That's the only way I survive. I also use ice packs wrapped in dish rags for pain and swelling too.

8.) Wear good sunglasses that block UV rays. My eyes have swelled shut from sun exposure before. Too much light hurts my eyes. It might happen to you too.

9.) During the rash cycle, avoid wearing denim or wool. Stick to lightweight loose fabrics that won't rub irritated skin.

10.) Do NOT expose yourself to sunlight again if you're already in a 7 - 10 day rash cycle. You'll prolong and worsen your symptoms. It can get severe enough to land you in the hospital if you're not careful.

There you have it. I hope my experiences help impart some wisdom for you. Please keep in mind that I am not a doctor and the tips I offered are only based on my personal symptoms. Consult your own doctors in all matters before you try them on yourselves.

[sherristockman]

How Metabolic Therapies Prevent and Treat Chronic Diseases Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola Cancer has become Americans' No. 1 health concern. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 1,600 people die every day from cancer in the U.S. That's over 600,000 people each year. When you include the entire world population that number climbs tenfold to over 7.6 million. Statistics suggest half of all men and 4 out of 10 women will develop cancer during their lifetimes. Alzheimer’s disease is another major health threat that has dramatically increased in recent years. Between 1999 and 2014, the death rate from Alzheimer’s increased by 55 percent. According to the latest statistics, Alzheimer’s claims the lives of more than half a million Americans each year, and unless there are radical changes, many experts project half of the population will eventually develop it. These are grim statistics, but there is hope. Mounting evidence shows both of these conditions — as well as many other top killers — are metabolic diseases. This is actually good news, because that means you can prevent, treat and recover from them like other metabolic conditions, such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Ketogenic Diet Shows Tremendous Promise as Tool Against Chronic Disease A number of experts and researchers are now convinced the answer to our burgeoning cancer and Alzheimer’s epidemics is a ketogenic diet and other metabolic support. Nutritional ketosis is the metabolic state associated with an increased production of ketones in your liver; i.e., the biological reflection of being able to burn fat, and is defined as having blood ketones in the range of 0.5 to 3.0 millimoles per liter. Personally, I believe metabolic therapy — starting with a ketogenic diet — is an absolutely crucial facet of dementia and cancer prevention and treatment, and hopefully some day it will be adopted as a first line of treatment by mainstream medicine. The two videos included in this article feature Dominic D’Agostino, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. He teaches courses in molecular pharmacology and physiology, and maintains involvement in several studies researching metabolic treatments for neurological disorders such as seizures, Alzheimer’s, ALS and cancer, all of which are metabolically linked. What Is Metabolic Therapy? Metabolic therapy is an umbrella term that includes nutrition (primarily in the form of a ketogenic diet), dietary supplements, drugs that have a therapeutic influence on energy metabolism, fasting, hyperthermia, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and more. The focus of D’Agostino’s talk is the biological effects of nutritional ketosis and ketone supplements. The first 15 minutes or so are spent explaining the background of how he got into looking at fasting as a therapeutic aid to improve brain metabolism. The second half of the video goes into practical applications of nutritional ketosis, and its anticancer effects. In my latest book, “Fat for Fuel,” I present a program called metabolic mitochondrial therapy (MMT), which is a form of metabolic therapy. MMT includes not only cyclical ketosis, but also a variety of other strategies to improve your mitochondria other than diet, such as cold thermogenesis, photobiology, detox, exercise and electromagnetic field (EMF) avoidance. As noted by D’Agostino, metabolic therapies have the ability to treat a broad range of pathologies, not just cancer, making it all the more valuable from a clinical standpoint. “In one way or another, most diseases, especially diseases of the brain — neurodegenerative diseases — are linked pathophysiologically to energy dysregulation,” D’Agostino says. “So, a metabolic therapy can often enhance brain energy metabolism in the face of these metabolic deficits.” What this means is that while you may be addressing a specific problem such as cancer, the therapy will enhance other aspects of your health as well, including your brain function. So, it’s a multiple-win situation. Ketones Fuel Your Body and Brain During Starvation As explained by D’Agostino, it had long been thought that the brain could only function on glucose, but studies looking at the effects of starvation showed otherwise. In fact, during starvation, such as a bout of fasting, your brain switches to using ketones derived from dietary fats, as its primary fuel, and ketones actually enhance brain function. If you eat a regular diet, which tends to be higher in net carbs than fats, your brain will almost exclusively use glucose as its primary fuel. D’Agostino cites a study in which overweight participants fasted for 40 days. After the first week, their ketones skyrocketed, overtaking glucose as the primary fuel source for the body (and brain). Studies have also shown that during fasting, at least two-thirds or more of the energy your body produces is derived from ketone bodies. “So, ketones function as an alternative fuel for the brain [when] glucose is not available,” D’Agostino explains. Now, putting your body into starvation mode through longer water fasts is not an attractive option for most people. The good news is a ketogenic diet mimics the effects of fasting in that it elevates ketones and lowers blood glucose. The key to nutritional ketosis is twofold: You need to dramatically reduce the amount of net carbohydrates you eat (total carbs minus fiber), and you need to eat a significant amount of healthy dietary fats. This combination is what elevates your ketone level and lowers your glucose and insulin. It also mobilizes stored energy in your fat cells, which is why a ketogenic diet typically results in significant weight loss. The Benefits of Ketone Supplementation Ketones made by your body are called endogenous. But you can also supply your body with exogenous ketone salts or esters or from ketone precursors such as medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, Coconut oil contains some MCTs, but straight MCT oil is a more concentrated source of the shorter chain fats that more easily convert to ketones. Most commercial brands of MCT oil contain just two of the fatty acids found in coconut oil: eight-carbon (C8) and 10-carbon (C10) fats. They usually contain close to a 50/50 combination of both chain lengths. I prefer taking straight C8 (also known as caprylic acid), as it converts to ketones far more rapidly than do C10 fats, and may be easier on your digestion. Coconut oil provides a mixture of all the medium-chain fats, including C6, C8, C10 and C12 fats, the latter of which is also known as lauric acid, which makes up over half of the fat in coconut oil. There are benefits to all of these fatty acids. However, MCT oil is more efficient at increasing ketone levels. MCTs are processed differently from the long-chain fats in your diet. Normally, a fat taken into your body must be mixed with bile released from your gallbladder and acted on by pancreatic enzymes to break it down in your digestive system. MCTs don’t need bile or pancreatic enzymes. Once they reach your intestine, they diffuse through your intestinal membrane into your bloodstream and are transported directly to your liver, which naturally converts the oil into ketones. Your liver then releases the ketones back into your bloodstream, where they are transported throughout your body. They can even pass your blood-brain barrier to supply your brain with energy. As noted by D’Agostino, research shows MCT oil can improve cognitive function in people with mild cognitive impairment. MCT oil will raise your ketone level even if you’re not on a ketogenic diet or fasting. The effect is not going to be as dramatic as when you’re fasting or eating a ketogenic diet, but it can mimic a mild ketogenic state. D’Agostino also reviews the use of ketone salts and synthetic ketone esters, which he uses in his own research. Tests reveal the administration of a single dose of the synthetic ketone acetoacetate causes a rapid elevation of ketone esters within 30 minutes and is sustained for over four hours. Some of D’Agostino’s research shows nutritional ketosis can be sustained for up to 12 hours using supplemental ketones. According to D’Agostino, “Therapeutic ketosis, up to 2.5 millimolar [per liter], is difficult to sustain, but with dietary ketone supplementation we found that it’s possible. So, we can deliver ketones within 15 to 30 minutes with administration of these synthetic ketogenic agents.” Ketone supplementation also causes a significant decrease in glucose within 30 to 60 minutes of administration. In fact, glucose is reduced to a greater degree than what can be achieved with anti-glycemic drugs like metformin. Ketogenic Diet Often Better Than Drugs for the Treatment of Epilepsy Epilepsy is a neurological disorder marked by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain that trigger seizures. The Epilepsy Foundation suggests epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological condition, with an estimated 65 million people worldwide affected by it.1 Some 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with epilepsy annually, with children and older adults experiencing the highest incidence rates.2 Nutritional ketosis has been shown to be a very effective treatment for many epileptics, especially children who do not respond well to the medications used. Research shows administration of synthetic ketone ester raises seizure resistance in rats by a whopping 575 percent, “which is above and beyond any anti-seizure medication that has been tried in this model,” D’Agostino notes. He then goes on to describe and explain the anticonvulsant and neuroprotective mechanism of ketones. In summary, both a ketogenic diet and synthetic ketone supplementation alters the ratio of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate in your brain. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter used to produce GABA, which has an inhibiting effect. The ratio between glutamate (excitatory) and GABA (inhibitory) determines the net excitability of the neurons in your brain. When you are in ketosis, the ratio of GABA to glutamate is higher than when you’re not in ketosis, which has a stabilizing and neuroprotective effect on your brain. As explained by D’Agostino, “Not only does it deliver more energy to your brain, it prevents the brain from being in a hyperexcitable state that could trigger a seizure.” Conditions and Diseases That Can Benefit From Ketones D’Agostino’s research also shows that ketones suppress the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), damaging free radicals, by enhancing mitochondrial function. He explains, “Mitochondria are the energy organelles within the cell. They’re also the site of free radical production. By enhancing mitochondrial efficiency — as oxygen goes through the mitochondria to produce energy — less of that oxygen becomes an oxygen free radical.” In other words, one of the neuroprotective mechanisms of ketones is their ability to reduce ROS. This also has direct implications for cancer development. ROS are mostly generated through the coenzyme Q couple in the electron transport chain. Both glucose and fatty acids produce FADH2, which can generate ROS. In contrast, fat-derived ketone bodies produce only NADH, which increases the redox span of the coenzyme Q couple and reduces production of ROS. Hence, ketone bodies are considered a “cleaner” fuel than glucose. Now, if you have less ROS being generated in the mitochondria, you end up with less mitochondrial damage and less DNA damage. So not only is switching the fuel you're feeding your body the key component of cancer treatment but, in my view, it's the primary way that you prevent cancer from occurring in the first place. Ketones — whether from nutritional ketosis or use of a ketone supplement — also enhance brain energy metabolism and increase the energy reserves in your brain. These therapeutic effects can be exploited for the benefit of many different conditions and diseases, including: Hypoxia (which can result from a stroke, space flight or even just exposure to high altitude) Glucose transporter deficiency syndrome (a genetic seizure disorder) Angelman’s syndrome (a seizure and motor dysfunction disorder) Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) Alzheimer’s disease Parkinson’s disease Epilepsy Traumatic brain injury Impaired wound healing Cancer Some of these syndromes, glucose transporter deficiency syndrome and Angleman’s syndrome specifically, require patients to remain on a very strict ketogenic diet to avoid seizures. D’Agostino’s research suggests supplemental ketones may be used, allowing these patients to be less strict with their diet, without forgoing the benefits of strict nutritional ketosis. In terms of wound healing, ketones have been shown to increase profusion of blood into the wounded area, thereby facilitating healing. How Ketones Affect Cancer Cells D’Agostino has shown that oxygen, at levels that are nontoxic to healthy cells, are toxic to cancer cells. In essence, cancer cells are more vulnerable to oxygen toxicity. His team has also demonstrated that ketones are toxic to cancer cells. When cancer cells are placed in a petri dish and fed only ketones, they simply die. Healthy cells, on the other hand, will thrive in the presence of ketones without glucose. What this and other research tells us is that healthy cells, including brain cells, have a very high degree of metabolic flexibility and are able to thrive on either glucose or ketones (obtained through your diet from carbohydrates and healthy fats respectively). Not so with cancer cells. Defects in their metabolism due to having damaged mitochondria prevent them from metabolizing ketones. For this reason, glucose is the predominant fuel that allow cancer cells to thrive. Research by Thomas Seyfried, Ph.D., professor of biology at Boston College and a leading expert and researcher in the field of cancer metabolism and nutritional ketosis, shows that tumor growth is tightly correlated with blood glucose levels. When glucose and glutamine levels are low, and ketone levels are high, very little tumor growth occurs, and as glucose levels rise, tumor growth increases right along with it. In fact, the fluorodeoxyglucose PET scan is a technology that shows glucose consumption in tissue, allowing you to identify and track the aggressiveness of cancer tumors. All Cancers Arise From Mitochondrial Dysfunction Regardless of the cancer, cancer cells have the same metabolic phenotype — they all suffer from glucose overconsumption, which is the result of mitochondrial dysfunction. Ketones are metabolized entirely within the mitochondrial membrane, so the mitochondria must be fully functional in order to make energy from the ketones, and this is the functionality that all cancer cells lack. Now, aside from a poor diet, your mitochondria can also be damaged from a number of chemical and environmental triggers, which is why it’s so important to eat organic whole food (to avoid pesticides and synthetic food additives) and avoid chemical exposures from household and personal care items used on a daily basis. Also, as explained by D’Agostino, your mitochondria become increasingly damaged and dysfunctional with advancing age, and, since the mitochondria produce at least 90 percent of the energy in your cells, as your mitochondrial function starts to decline, glucose metabolism is upregulated to make up for the decline in energy production. As mitochondrial function declines, you also get destabilization of the nuclear genome, which triggers the activation of oncogenes — genes that cause cancer. It can also inhibit tumor suppressor genes. With the activation of oncogenes, enzymatic activity of glycolysis is also increased, allowing increased generation of energy from sugar. As noted by D’Agostino, “If all cancer arises from mitochondrial dysfunction, then replacement of damaged mitochondria with normal mitochondria should prevent cancer. In other words, mitochondrial producing sufficient respiration, i.e., energy, should suppress tumor growth regardless of the numbers and types of mutations … present in the nucleus of cancer cells.” This, in a nutshell, is what metabolic therapies are all about, as healthy mitochondria act as an ultimate tumor suppressor. Research even shows healthy mitochondria suppress tumor growth even in the presence of an oncogene in the nucleus of a cell. As mentioned, mitochondrial function can be improved in a number of different ways, but when it comes to diet, a low-carb, high healthy-fat diet and/or fasting are the keys that unlock mitochondrial health. According to D’Agostino, in rats, the best results were obtained from a combination of ketogenic diet, ketone supplementation and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In summary, the rationale for using a ketogenic diet and other metabolic therapies is to address and repair the mitochondrial defects causing the condition or disease in the first place. Again, nutritional ketosis prevents and combats cancer by: Optimizing mitochondrial function, mitochondrial biogenesis and energy production Decreasing blood glucose, glycolysis and glucogenesis Decreasing your insulin level Increasing tissue oxygenation Decreasing ROS generation and secondary free radicals Downregulating oncogenes and upregulating tumor suppressor genes How to Assess the Health of Your Mitochondria So, how can you assess the health of your mitochondria? There are a couple of ways of doing this. Seyfried has published a paper on the glucose ketone index (GKI) calculator3 in an open access journal, which can be accessed by anyone. You can use that calculator to assess the health and vitality of your mitochondria. The GKI calculator looks at your glucose to ketone ratio. Ketones must be measured by blood, not urine, and your glucose must be entered in millimoles, not in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). If you have a glucose-to-ketone ratio of 1.0 or below, you know you have healthy mitochondria. Now, getting down to a 1.0 can be difficult. The last time I did a four-day fast, on the last day my glucose was 40 (2.2 mmol/l) and ketones were 8, giving me a ratio of 0.27, well below the 1.0 threshold. You will likely need to do a complete water fast like I did in order to get that low. However, you don’t need to remain in that ultra-low zone for very long. On the other hand, if you have cancer, you’ll want to hit that mark as much as possible. As explained by Seyfried in a previous interview,4 you can drive your blood sugar way down by doing a water fast for three to four days and then taking some exogenous ketones, such as MCT oil. Also, to prevent cancer, you don’t have to remain at this low level for longer than about five days every six months, as a general guide. If you already have cancer, you’ll want to remain at a low level longer. As explained by Seyfried: “We’ve done some interesting linear regression analysis on survivability of mice with cancer using the GKI … There definitely is statistical relationship on how long you can keep your GKI [and] how long you can survive with a very aggressive cancer. Clearly, it’s just one biomarker system that allows individuals to help battle their own cancer.” Helpful Resources for Implementing Metabolic Therapy If you end up being as convinced of the merits of this theory as I am, there are several really good resources out there that you can peruse to learn more about the practical implementation of various metabolic therapies. As mentioned, “Fat for Fuel” details my complete program aimed at optimizing mitochondrial function. I also offer an online course on MMT to go along with the book. The course consists of seven comprehensive lessons to teach you the keys to fighting chronic disease and optimizing your health and longevity. If you or someone you love has cancer, it will also augment any oncological treatment you might be undergoing. A key component that differentiates MMT from most other ketogenic eating plans is its emphasis on CYCLICAL ketosis. Once your body starts to burn fat for fuel, you need to switch to a cyclical ketogenic diet, as long-term continuous ketosis has some serious drawbacks that may actually undermine your health and longevity. The “metabolic magic” in the mitochondria actually occurs during the refeeding phase, not during the starvation phase. Alas, you cannot get to that magic unless you first go through the starvation phase. Other helpful resources include the following: DietaryTherapies.com: A resource provided by Miriam Kalamian, a nutritionist who has worked with Seyfried since the very beginning, and has counseled many cancer patients about the ketogenic diet he recommends. She also collaborated with me on the creation of my MMT course The Charlie Foundation for Ketogenic Therapies:5 Recommended by D’Agostino, the Charlie Foundation is aresource for people seeking help for a diverse array of conditions, including epilepsy, migraines, depression, neurological disorders and cancer MetabolicOptimization.com:6 A blog created by D’Agostino and Travis Christofferson, author of "Tripping Over the Truth: The Return of the Metabolic Theory of Cancer Illuminates a New and Hopeful Path to a Cure.” Here you can find interviews with scientists involved in ketogenic research and much more

[newstfionline]

To Understand ‘Brexit,’ Look to Britain’s Tabloids

By Katrin Bennhold, NY Times, May 2, 2017

LONDON--Tony Gallagher, editor of The Sun, one of Britain’s most raucous and influential tabloids, looks down on the government, literally. From the height of his 12th-floor newsroom, all glass and views, the Palace of Westminster seems like a toy castle, something to be played with or ignored at will.

Mr. Gallagher also looks down on the editor of the more measured Times of London, whose office is one floor below and who makes a point of keeping his blinds drawn. The hierarchy is not lost on either man.

In Britain after the so-called Brexit vote, the power of the tabloids is evident. Their circulations may be falling and their reputations tarnished by a series of phone-hacking scandals. But as the country prepares to cut ties with the European Union after a noisy and sometimes nasty campaign, top politicians court the tabloids and fear their wrath. Broadcasters follow where they lead, if not in tone then in topic.

Their readers, many of them over 50, working class and outside London, look strikingly like the voters who were crucial to the outcome of last year’s referendum on membership in the European Union. It is these citizens of Brexitland the tabloids purport to represent from the heart of enemy territory: Housed in palatial dwellings in some of London’s most expensive neighborhoods, they see themselves as Middle England’s embassies in London.

In the campaign leading up to a snap election on June 8, most tabloids can be counted on to act as the zealous guardians of Brexit and as a cheering section for the Conservative government of Prime Minister Theresa May--even though the city that houses them voted the other way.

Mr. Gallagher made his mark on three of Britain’s most stridently pro-Brexit newspapers. He was editor of The Daily Telegraph, a conservative broadsheet, and deputy editor of the more midmarket Daily Mail, one of The Sun’s main rivals, before Rupert Murdoch poached him 20 months ago. Together, these three titles are a central reason that print coverage of the referendum campaign was skewed 80 percent to 20 percent in favor of Brexit, according to research by Loughborough University.

The campaign was marked by a relentless drip of anti-immigration rhetoric and a couple of big lies that stuck: the 350 million pounds (about $450 million at current rates) that Britain paid to the European Union every week (false) and the prospect of millions of Turks’ making their way to Britain if it stayed in the union (Turkey is not joining the bloc). Two years ago, the United Nations urged Britain to deal with hate speech in its newspapers, specifically citing a column in The Sun that compared migrants to cockroaches and the norovirus.

The tabloids say they merely reflect the concerns and fears of their readers. But their critics say they poison the debate by playing to people’s worst instincts and prejudices, distorting facts and creating a propaganda ramp that mainstreams intolerance and shapes policy.

I had emailed Mr. Gallagher seeking an interview on March 29, the same day Britain delivered a letter to European Union leaders in Brussels formally initiating the two-year Brexit negotiations. I argued that it was difficult to understand Britain today without understanding the tabloids. He must have agreed.

The elevator rose past the offices of The Wall Street Journal, the Dow Jones news agency, The Sunday Times and The Times, all the way up to The Sun’s newsroom. Mr. Murdoch, proprietor of The Sun since 1969, sits right above.

At The Telegraph, Mr. Gallagher won respect for overseeing coverage of one of the biggest political scandals in recent British history: More than two dozen lawmakers resigned after the paper revealed widespread abuse of allowances and expenses that paid for, among other things, limed oak toilet seats and the clearing of a moat.

But he also has a reputation for losing his temper. “Mail Men,” a new book about The Daily Mail, where Mr. Gallagher spent much of his career, quotes former colleagues describing him as a “figure of death” who “put the fear of the devil into his reporters.”

A tall, lean figure, he guided me to a seat opposite a panoramic view of London. Throughout our conversation, he was cautious and mostly unsmiling, but polite. (He called the book’s depiction of him “mean.”)

Unprompted, he pointed to a staircase and explained that The Sun’s newsroom was the only one in the building with direct access to the management floor. (“They are up and down those stairs all the time,” a journalist said later. “They” are Mr. Murdoch, when he is in town, and his British chief, Rebekah Brooks, a former editor of The Sun and of the now-defunct News of the World who was charged with criminal offenses related to phone hacking but was cleared by a jury in 2014.)

Mr. Gallagher was still enjoying the aftermath of a recent showdown with the government. The Sun had printed bumper stickers and run an eight-page special report on how a rise in national insurance contributions for self-employed people would hurt “White Van Men,” shorthand for members of the working class, who, in The Sun’s view, were getting the shaft.

It was the first time the tabloids had turned on the nine-month-old government of Mrs. May, and she swiftly retreated. “It took them less than a week,” Mr. Gallagher recalled.

He recounted the fury of David Cameron--Mrs. May’s predecessor as prime minister, who called for the referendum and campaigned to stay in the European Union--when The Sun turned against him on Brexit with a blistering front-page attack.

It so happened that Mr. Gallagher had a prearranged meeting with Mr. Cameron that day--”Just a catch-up,” the editor recalled. Mr. Cameron was cursing “about the coverage that he was getting in the early stages of the referendum,” Mr. Gallagher said. “He was in a red-faced four-letter rage.”

“I put my pen in my mouth because I thought I was going to burst out laughing,” he added.

At their best, Britain’s irreverent tabloids report without fear or favor, aggressively holding the political elite to account. But they can be selective about whom they hound--and boastful. In 1992, when the Conservative Party unexpectedly beat Labour after a ferocious anti-Labour campaign in The Sun, the paper’s headline proclaimed, “It’s the Sun Wot Won It.”

And Brexit? Was it The Sun wot won it?

“We campaigned for Brexit,” Mr. Gallagher said carefully. “I don’t think we caused Brexit.”

In June, barely an hour after the referendum results were in, he struck a very different tone in a text message to a friend at The Guardian: “So much for the waning power of the print media.”

According to a recent analysis by the Media Reform Coalition, a pressure group, senior executives from Murdoch-owned companies met with the prime minister or the chancellor of the Exchequer 10 times in the year ended in September, when the study was completed--more than any other media organization in the country.

Yet The Sun sells only 1.6 million copies today (more than 80 percent of them outside London and the country’s wealthy southeast), down from a peak of 4.7 million in the mid-1990s. It lost more than £60 million, about $75 million, last year.

Why are politicians still so scared?

“It’s a fact that print newspapers, national newspapers, set the agenda here far more effectively than broadcasters, who are essentially a reactive medium,” said Mr. Gallagher, noting that newspapers can keep hitting certain issues.

“So if you as a newspaper are making much of the fact that all our laws are made in Europe, eventually that permeates the national consciousness,” he said.

Britain makes many of its own laws, of course. But it is an interesting choice of example. A more obvious one might have been immigration.

Research by a former Times journalist, Liz Gerard, showed that tabloids pounded the immigration issue, with at least 30 hostile front-page splashes in The Daily Mail in the six months leading up to the referendum, and 15 in The Sun. The headlines--”Britain’s Wide Open Borders” The Daily Mail shouted--often tended toward histrionic. The Sun insinuated that child refugees arriving in Britain were lying about their ages and should have dental X-rays.

“Tell Us the Tooth,” the headline read.

A week earlier, I had met Kelvin MacKenzie, a former Sun editor and a columnist who was subsequently suspended for referring to a mixed-race soccer star as a “gorilla.” He said that the paper still reflected the “beating heart of Britain,” and that Brexit was won on immigration “by a thousand miles.”

Mr. Gallagher was more nuanced.

“It was about a combination of migration, sovereignty under the broad umbrella of taking back control, and a sense that, as a country, we were no longer able to control our destiny,” he said.

The Sun, which recruits some employees straight out of high school, has an almost personal relationship with its readers, like that with a trusted friend down at the pub.

Other newspapers in Mr. Murdoch’s group supported remaining in the European Union, Mr. Gallagher noted, reflecting the views of their readers. Among that group was the Scottish edition of The Sun, which like Scottish voters backed Remain.

“It makes commercial sense,” said Mr. Gallagher. But he has also been a passionate euroskeptic for years.

“Undoubtedly, we fed people’s enthusiasm,” Mr. Gallagher said. But, he added, “the idea that we can somehow drag otherwise unwilling readers to a point of view that they don’t otherwise have is delusional.”

Roy Greenslade, a former features editor at The Sun, disagreed. In 1975, he said, the last time Britain held a referendum on membership in what was then the European Economic Community, and a time when polls suggested that most people wanted to leave, all papers (except the communist Morning Star) campaigned to stay. People voted to stay.

“Every populist editor will tell you, ‘We are merely reflecting and articulating the public views,’ “ said Mr. Greenslade, now a journalism professor at City University of London. “But they are publishing inaccuracies and distortions which help people to feel the way they’re feeling.”

It was 2:30 p.m., and Mr. Gallagher had already mocked up Pages 3-29 of the next day’s paper. He expected the front page to lead with the funeral of the police officer who had been killed in the recent Westminster terrorist attack. The officer’s widow and child would appear in public for the first time, which could make for “emotional” pictures, the editor said. But the decision would not be made until the daily 5 p.m. Page 1 conference.

Mr. Gallagher said he had once attended a news meeting at The New York Times. He was not impressed.

“I was shocked at how threadbare and how little actual discussion there was in the meeting,” he said. “There was no energy, there was no creativity. It could not have been more desultory and perfunctory, the discussion. It was awful.”

The Sun’s news meetings are much more “lively,” he said.

O.K., I said. Could I attend the Sun meeting that afternoon?

He stiffened. “No,” he said. “It’s an inner-sanctum meeting.”

A what?

“We have lawyers in the meeting,” he explained, adding, “We try our headlines there. It’s quite a creative meeting.”

Britain’s tabloids pride themselves on their “creativity.” Perhaps The Sun’s most brazen front-page claim last year was “Queen Backs Brexit,” a headline later ruled misleading by Britain’s press regulator.

The Sun’s unchallenged king of “creative” headlines is Mr. MacKenzie, once the paper’s editor. Some of the meeting rooms are named after his most memorable creations, like “Gotcha,” his take on the sinking of an Argentine warship during the Falklands War that killed more than 300 people, and “Up Yours Delors,” telling Jacques Delors, then the president of the European Commission, where to stick a proposed new European currency.

I had met Mr. MacKenzie a week earlier to ask about those headlines. “Your front pages were sometimes funny and sometimes outrageous,” I began, at which point he interrupted and said, “And sometimes untrue!”

Wow.

I asked what headline he would like to see in the paper were he still in charge.

“I think the fake news headline that would give this country the most joy,” he replied cheerfully, “would be ‘Jeremy Corbyn Knifed to Death by an Asylum Seeker.’”

Mr. Corbyn is the leader of the Labour Party. Mr. MacKenzie’s fake news headline inevitably brought to mind the murder of Jo Cox, a pro-Remain Labour lawmaker who was killed by a man with far-right leanings a week before the referendum. Her death prompted a lot of soul-searching over whether the tone of the campaign had encouraged hate crimes.

(The next morning, I got a text message from Mr. MacKenzie: “Hi Katrin, Can you change that perfect headline from ‘Jeremy Corbyn knifed to death by asylum seeker’ to ‘Jeremy Corbyn Defrauded by Asylum Seeker.’ In the light of Jo Cox murder mine is in tol poor taste.”)

Mr. Gallagher left for his “inner-sanctum meeting” but promised to brief me later. I wandered up to the canteen on the 14th floor.

The servers were all Southern European. An assistant chef strolling by said the kitchen staff was mostly foreign-born, too. He could not imagine how they would staff the kitchen after Brexit. “It will be chaos,” he said.

It was 5:40 p.m. The lineup for the next day’s front page had been decided. The photos of the police officer’s funeral were found “unsatisfactory” for a full-page splash. A soccer player, Ross Barkley, who had been beaten up in a nightclub and who would later become the subject of Mr. MacKenzie’s gorilla column, was the main story. The headline: “Barkley’s Spank.”

My time was up. Mr. Gallagher had kept his poker face all afternoon. The only time I thought he had shifted in his seat was when I asked about his children’s views on Brexit. Two were too young to vote, he said, but his oldest, who is 21, cast her ballot for Remain.

He accompanied me to the door. “Don’t stitch me up,” he said.