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bluewatsons · 4 years

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Aisling McCrea, A message to an unknown reader…, Current Affairs (July 30, 2019)

I want you to picture the following scenario: You are an archaeologist, and you are digging at a site about 125 miles east of Karachi, Pakistan. A lot of the terrain in Pakistan is mountainous, difficult to inhabit, but not the part of the land we’re talking about. Check a satellite image of the region on Google Maps, if you’ve got a phone or a computer nearby: You are in that rich green ribbon of land that snakes down through the middle of the country. This is the Indus river basin, a place that has fed and raised cultures for thousands of years. Humans have wandered everywhere, but it was places like this, with running water and fertile soil, that first lured us into the role of settler. It was places like this where the combination of bountiful resources and our growing ingenuity first allowed us to develop systemic methods of agriculture, build cities, and begin our struggle to achieve things beyond mere survival, or so it is said. Because of this, river basins are nicknamed “the cradle of civilization.” Civilization is what we call it when humans begin to think of themselves not as dependents of their environment, but as masters.

From the distance of the satellite, note that you cannot see Pakistan’s cities or factories, or any sign of activity from the 200 million people living within the lines we call its borders. All that stands out to your eye is that luscious green ribbon, swirling from the mountains to the sea, a gift from God or the earth or whomever you believe to be the benefactor. You are an archaeologist, and this is where you are digging. The site you are excavating was only recently discovered, a chance find by a construction crew. There are many sites in the region, all dating back to the Bronze Age, but we cannot discern the exact relationship between the settlements we’ve found, whether they considered themselves part of the same culture or were sworn enemies; part of the reason we do not know this is we cannot read their writing. Therefore, what you find in your excavation might be similar to other settlements in the region—simply an extension of the discoveries made before—or you might find something different. You are full of human curiosity, and ambition. You are hoping to find something different.

Here in the cradle of civilization, you find something buried. It is a bronze box covered in engravings, clearly designed by a skilled hand, and since you found it at the center of what appeared to be the site’s biggest temple, you judge it to be of some importance. You know the field well, and you know that this is unlike anything found before, and that excites you. The engraving contains a lot of symbols—part of the script no-one can read, it tells you nothing—and under the symbols, artfully etched, is the unmistakable image of a human skull.

For thousands of years and across continents, skulls have been used to signify danger. But history is long and full of turns, and even this most obvious and literal symbol could signify a multitude of things. You trace the skull with your finger, trying to connect with the intent of its long-dead creator. It seems designed to look intimidating, but when you first brushed the dirt from the surface and saw the graven image, you didn’t think for one second about danger—in fact, the first thing it reminded you of was the skulls on your brother’s goofy band shirts. (It wouldn’t make sense to think of danger. Whatever once threatened here is quiet. There is no danger here.) What could this skull have meant, you wonder, to the people who lived here? What’s the connection to the building, or the contents of the box? You think of human sacrifices, burial places, commemorations of wars.

Then you think of your career. You open the box.

In the 1960s, the U.S. Department of Energy began wondering what on earth it was going to do with all its nuclear waste. This question had never been highly prioritized before; in the years following World War II, the prevailing attitudes towards nuclear energy had run the gamut between sunny optimism and mortal fear, powerful emotions which leave little space for mundane concerns about the high-tech equivalent of garbage disposal. After research into nuclear fission had successfully served its first purpose—vaporizing and mutilating countless Japanese civilians—the U.S. government had been enthusiastic about the many potential uses of its superhuman creation, and invested heavily both in nuclear weapons and nuclear energy production for civilian use. It was predicted that nuclear power could do everything, from keeping the lights on to preserving food. A nation drunk on the promises of the atom had little interest in thinking about the hangover.

By the 1960s, however, the novelty of the so-called “atomic age” was starting to wear off, and the government realized it had a problem on its hands. The production of nuclear energy was creating large amounts of radioactive waste, which could not be converted into safe material, and which would remain dangerous to human beings for at least 10,000 years. (10,000 years is a conservative estimate. Many scientists have suggested that number should have one or two more zeroes on the end.) The waste was being kept in temporary storage facilities dotted around the country, and there was no obvious place where it could be safely deposited and sealed away. And even if a permanent place could be found, there was the question of how to keep people away from it.

The government’s concern was not so much for its contemporary citizens, who had been bombarded with enough Cold War propaganda to understand the threat of nuclear radiation. If a 20th-century American were to somehow get lost on their way home from the drive-in theater and stumble into a radioactive waste disposal site, all it would take to warn them off was a sign bearing the word “danger” and the image of the trefoil. (The trefoil is the internationally-recognized symbol for radiation, usually black on a yellow background, a circle surrounded by three blades. You knew the image before you knew the word.) Rather, the government’s concern was for the people who would come later. For comparison, the entire concept of complex human civilization, at least as we tend to define it, is about 5,000 years old. Now we had created something that would curse us for at least twice as long as that, maybe many times longer, and we had to work out not only how to bury it, but to protect whoever might disturb its burial place.

While Americans fretted over whether their grandchildren would grow up speaking English or Russian, the Department of Energy recognized that whoever came across their disposal site might be as distant to both those languages as we are to the dead scripts of the Indus valley. It was possible that they might not know written language at all. Perhaps they would have progressed so far beyond writing that the concept would be unthinkably primitive to them. Perhaps the opposite would happen, and they wouldn’t know anything of writing because the sum of human knowledge was lost to them in some catastrophic event—or even deliberately discarded, after the sum of human knowledge was examined and found, on the whole, not to have done us any good. No matter how desperately we wish to communicate with future peoples, there is no way to guarantee the sanctity of the written word, and it is considered likely that any written warning will be meaningless to them.

Communication through images seems an obvious choice—that’s the option we usually go for when we’re facing a language barrier—until you consider that the reader might have no concept of radiation. Right now the meaning of the trefoil is recognized across nations and languages, but that meaning is just an arbitrary one that we’ve constructed for ourselves, as fragile and temporally dependent as nations and languages themselves. To us, the sight of the trefoil signifies generations of scientific progress, terror, the future, something to be respected; an invisible energy that is sometimes used to kill hostile growths in our bodies, and in other cases will make them grow. None of that knowledge is communicated through the image. To our unknown recipient, it’s just a black circle and three blades. If you forget what it means to you, it could almost be a flower.

If one were looking for a hint at how these sites might be treated by our distant descendants, one might find it in the deserts of Egypt. Of all the myriad civilizations that ever lived and died in the “non-Western” world, Ancient Egypt is the only one most Westerners know much about, and there are two obvious reasons for this. First, Egypt’s exoticism and long history was a great source of fascination for the Greeks and the Romans—remember that the Great Sphinx was older to Caesar than Caesar is to us—and so it has somehow been pulled into Western canon, despite its location right in the middle of the region we are supposed to think of as the West’s eternal enemy. (This view is incorrect for many reasons, not least because nothing human is eternal.) Second, they left us the pyramids. The pyramids of Giza are not the world’s largest pyramids, nor the oldest, but for the last 4,500 years their image has captivated humanity across millennia and continents like nothing else on the planet. We cannot know the intent of the pharaohs, but one might guess they wanted to be buried somewhere that would assure they would always be remembered; by imprinting their deaths physically and unforgettably on the landscape, they were sending a message to future generations.

However, while the pyramids are still here, the meaning of the message is forgotten. Most people couldn’t tell you much about any individual pharaoh buried there. Almost no-one still believes that the pharaohs were gods. Some will want to tell you their own interpretation of the intended meaning or purpose of the buildings, or their theories about the culture in general; what was once a tomb for the world’s most influential figures is now reduced to a sort of personal amusement for amateur detectives. The burial chambers have been looted countless times. We unsealed the coffins and desecrated the dead, shipping them out to museums on new landmasses and displaying their bodies as curiosities, and no rumors of a curse could slake our thirst for trophies.

Very occasionally, we have a moment of vulnerability, of self-reflection. When it was announced last year that a new sarcophagus had been uncovered, and that it was filled with a mysterious red liquid, many responded to the news with expressions of dread. Was it because we still had a little lingering respect for a culture that had achieved so much, a culture that had not quite revealed all its mysteries to us, and its production of an as-yet unknown substance filled us with awe? Were we afraid that our knowledge of science had missed something old, and abhorrent, something lurking under the sands waiting to be set free? The moment didn’t last long. A representative of Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities pointed out the liquid was most likely just sewage, and our discomfort promptly evaporated. Someone even started a petition demanding people be allowed to drink the “sarcophagus juice” so that they could “assume its powers.” A joke, of course, but jokes often contain a grain of truth. Across the entirety of our history as builders of civilizations, all our sins and achievements have stemmed from our metaphorical urge to drink the sarcophagus juice: to salivate at the promise of new knowledge and power, to disturb and break open anything that is unknown, to ransack the earth and, giving no thought to the consequences, consume whatever we find there. ***

By 1980, “atomic optimism” was dead, or at least dormant, in the United States. Throughout the 1970s, the anti-nuclear movement had gained momentum, along with the rest of the counterculture. A partial meltdown had just occurred at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, stoking further panic about the dangers of radiation. There was still no confirmed plan to build a permanent waste disposal site.

The Department of Energy knew it was time to face some difficult questions. They assembled a team of experts from fields as diverse as environmental science, nuclear engineering, waste management, semiotics, linguistics, behavioral psychology and anthropology. They called it the Human Interference Task Force, and their goal was to develop a strategy to prevent any future nuclear waste depository from being disturbed by future generations. Although there was technology available to design a well-protected depository, the Task Force knew that there was little hope of building something totally indestructible. They could try and discourage interference with the depository by drawing on the concept of “hostile architecture”—designing a site that was deliberately difficult and uncomfortable to navigate—but a species that insisted on going to the Moon was unlikely to be deterred by a few spikes or a maze. Therefore, the main focus of the Task Force was not fortification, but communication. We could not keep people out by force; we could only plead.

In 1982, the German Journal of Semiotics (Zeitschrift für Semiotik) posed the depository problem to its readers, who responded with admirable, if slightly over-optimistic levels of imagination. One suggested solution was the development of a new breed of domestic cats, whose fur would change color in reaction to high levels of radioactivity. The world’s governments could then promote the development of art and literature in which cats changing color were an oft-repeated symbol for danger; thus, when future generations came across depository sites and tried to settle there, their cats would change color and they would become frightened and leave. Another suggestion was an “atomic priesthood,” a group of people who vowed to live near the sites, and passed on the secrets of radiation from generation to generation, in mythologized and ritualized form if need be. A theme that crops up again and again with the depository problem is the need for the message to be distilled into something simple and accessible: Call it universal, if you like, or primitive if you prefer.

Stanisław Lem, one of the world’s foremost science fiction authors, proposed that botanists use genetic modification to encode information about nuclear waste into the DNA of flowers, which could be planted and nurtured near the site. Although he admitted it was risky to assume future peoples would know how to decode the DNA, there was a sort of logic to it. To take plants that grew spontaneously and manipulate them to our liking, breeding and growing them at our convenience so we could propagate our own species was, after all, civilization’s first trick. Perhaps it had some lasting power.

The Human Interference Task Force began to draw up designs. A multiplicity of images, symbols and words were proposed as part of the initial blueprints for the depository site, with the Task Force noting that any method of inscribing the messages at the site would have to outlast theft, weathering, and changes in climate. Because we could not predict any future civilizations’ level of knowledge, the danger would have to be communicated in a way that was comprehensible to any type of reader. There could be some complex, technical messages at the site, but in case they couldn’t be understood, there needed to be some simpler messages too, and repeated in a number of ways so the meaning was less likely to be misinterpreted.

A 1993 report by Sandia National Laboratories—charged by the Department of Energy with the task of researching nuclear safety—took this concept further, and proposed some specific messages that might work. Some of the images might include: A periodic table. A world map of all known waste sites. A diagram showing the precession of stars in the sky over tens of thousands of years, from which readers might calculate the date the depository was built. (The places where we build depositories tend to be far from human life, and therefore relatively free from air pollution; if you want a perfect view of the night sky, go to a nuclear silo and look up.) There was some measure of disagreement on what type of pictographs to use. Some researchers wanted to focus on more functional pictographs, while others gave more prominence to “human facial expressions (horror and sickness).” The messages would begin from the outside, becoming more complex as one got closer and closer to the center. The Sandia report gives a suggestion for one of the more complex written warnings at a location close to the center. It was more technical in substance, though still simple in style:

“This place is a burial place for radioactive wastes. We believe this place is not dangerous IF IT IS LEFT ALONE! We are going to tell you what lies underground, why you should not disturb this place, and what may happen if you do. By giving you this information, we want you to protect yourselves and future generations from the dangers of this waste. The waste is buried __ kilometers down in a salt layer. Salt was chosen because there is very little water in it…We found out that the worst things happen when people disturb the site. For example, drilling or digging through the site could connect the salt water below the radioactive waste with the water above the waste or with the surface…” The message goes on at some length, giving explanations as to the chemistry involved, the nature of illnesses caused by radiation, and the structure of the building. The writing would be inscribed on the wall, complete with instructional pictures. (Today, this scenario might remind one of an escape room or a puzzle in a videogame, amusing simulations of mortal danger made real.)

The writing would not be enough, though. The report also noted that the site would need to convey in its physical form a feeling, something that would touch the basest instincts of a living being. The authors noted in words, as best they could, what that feeling was:

“ This place is not a place of honor… no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here… nothing valued is here. What is here was dangerous and repulsive to us.

The danger is still present, in your time, as it was in ours. The danger is to the body, and it can kill.

This place is a message… and part of a system of messages …pay attention to it!

Sending this message was important to us. We considered ourselves to be a powerful culture.”

At the end of the Sandia report, the writers quote a poem. If you’re into poetry, you might be able to guess what it is, and maybe the lines have already whispered through your mind as you’ve been reading this article.

I met a traveller from an antique land

Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert… near them, on the sand,

Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal these words appear:

‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings;

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Ozymandias by Percy Shelley was published on 11 January 1818, at the height of what was called “Egyptomania,” the burning obsession of Western aristocrats with finding and swallowing up all the treasures of the Nile. Shelley might have been inspired by the romance of the desert for his setting, but the underlying message of his poem—even the greatest empires fall and are forgotten—can also read as a warning to his own nation’s empire, to the new wave of philosophers and scientists, to anyone so caught up in the heady power of 19th-century Britain that they forgot they were only mortal. Just 10 days before the poem was published, his wife, Mary Shelley, published a work of her own, a novel about a scientist who creates a monster he cannot control.

Not many paid attention to the warnings. The allure of power—power from knowledge, from technology, from resources, from land—dominated the mindset of those who ran empires, and those who ran empires dominated the world.

The same year Frankenstein and Ozymandias were published, Egypt conquered the Arabian Peninsula. This was a critical victory, because it put the holy cities of Mecca and Medina back under the control of the Ottoman Empire, the great power to which Egypt was subordinate. The Empire had held the holy cities for centuries, yet inexplicably, for the previous 13 years, Mecca and Medina had been out of their grasp, having fallen into the hands of a small upstart tribe with their own version of Islam—an extremely strict and literalist doctrine that seemed totally at odds with the rest of the world’s tendency towards modernization. But the recapturing of the cities meant balance was restored to the world, after this strange temporary interlude. The upstart tribe with its fundamentalist religion was brutally crushed, its leaders executed, and all was in its rightful place. If one were to go back in time to 1818, and ask a well-read man about the civilizational struggles in Arabia, it is likely he would have thought a lot about the strong, old, Western-facing Ottoman Empire—which had changed the shape of the world and produced so much of interest—and very little, if at all, about a defeated family called the House of Saud.

But the path of human history isn’t a straight line, and we can’t see what lies ahead of us. 100 years later, in 1918, the world’s most brutal war ended and the Ottoman Empire turned to dust, leaving the House of Saud space to consolidate their power. In 1932 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was born. One of the king’s first moves was to invite American geologists, engineers, and businessmen to plunge through the sand and drill holes into the earth, suspecting that the ground beneath their feet was hiding black and glistening treasure that could make them rich.

In 1938, the Americans found what they were looking for, and the House of Saud turned from an upstart tribe to transformers of the desert, with the wealth and power to do anything they wished. Western cities grew upwards and outwards, feeding off the oil under the surface of Saudi land. In 1984, an exiled Saudi national named Abdul Rahman Munif wrote a novel about the oil boom called Cities of Salt, and when asked the meaning of the name, explained that one day the glimmering Saudi cities would dissolve and be forgotten, like salt in water. All this happened within a fraction of human history, and the finest minds of the early 19th-century could never have foreseen it—just as they couldn’t have foreseen how our lust for oil would cause the temperatures to rise.

The Department of Energy still does not have a permanent depository site, but it’s had a location picked out since the 1980s: Yucca Mountain, Nevada, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Yucca Mountain is just by the Nevada Test Site, where nuclear weapons have been tested off-and-on since 1951 (the last test was in 2012). In this desert, workers would build mock neighborhoods of picture-perfect brick houses, sit families of mannequins at the dinner table, and see what remained of them after the mushroom cloud had dispersed. (No highly esteemed deed is commemorated here. What is here was dangerous and repulsive to us.) The location was partly chosen because almost no one lives there now, though remnants of the gold and silver mining industries have left the sands strewn with ghost towns. A lot of the names around here tell stories: Gold Center, Eureka, Saline, Chloride City, Hells Gate. Occasionally, you’ll see an indigenous name.

The Sandia report said the depository should send the message: We considered ourselves to be a powerful culture. This raises the question of who the “we” is supposed to be. It could mean the contemporary world in general, if we wanted to label ourselves one culture (we don’t know how apparent any differences would be to future readers between the United States and anywhere else.) Or it could mean the United States government. But there’s another “we” with a claim to this land. As far as the Western Shoshone people are concerned, Yucca Mountain doesn’t even belong to the federal government. The government claims to have legally purchased the land during the Civil War, when they needed it to acquire gold. The Western Shoshone dispute that the government has rights to the land, since the government only made a fraction of promised payment after it was appropriated. (This is not a place of honor.) Shoshone activists, as well as other peoples indigenous to the area, express their outrage both at the theft of their land and the polluting of the environment, but it does little good.

At any given point in time, some civilizations have power, and some do not. At the moment, the United States has power and the Shoshone do not, because in the European settlers’ quest to take the land, they had killed the majority of the people who were already there, wiping entire societies off the map as they went, whether intentionally by murder and cruelty, or unintentionally, by disease. (The danger is to the body, and it can kill.)

The Yucca Mountain plan is currently at a standstill, lacking in funding and lurking low on the priorities list, and for the moment, the permanent site shows no signs of being built. In its place, waste is temporarily being stored at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico, which one day might become the permanent site. If the site there is developed for permanent storage, its written warnings are to be in seven languages: the six official languages of the UN, and Navajo. One might interpret this as the federal government throwing a tiny token to the people it knows it has mistreated. Or one might consider it a recognition of the impossibility of predicting history’s twists and turns: We have no idea who might be here 10,000 years from now, and who might not.

When reading through the Human Interference Task Force and WIPP documents—after overcoming the initial wave of eldritch horror brought on by the sight of chapter headings like “Menacing Earthworks” and “Forbidding Blocks”— one starts to get the sense that something is unusual about these reports. For starters, the sheer level of vision on display is quite remarkable, making them at times seem more like science fiction novels than a government report. What’s more, from the perspective of our era—when the humanities and social sciences are frequently defunded, dismissed, and derided—it’s surprising to see an unquestioned faith in the essential relationship between “hard” science and social science. The U.S. Department of Energy understood that the nuclear waste disposal problem could not be solved by technological innovation alone; no alloy or neat little locking mechanism would save us from our future selves. Only by examining human nature, and allowing ourselves to conceive of a world beyond all contemporary understanding, could we attempt to protect the planet from the magnitude of what we’d done to it.

Perhaps, damaging though it was in terms of its siege mentality, there was something in the Cold War mindset that allowed the U.S. researchers to think in such epochal terms. The older researchers on the initial project would have grown up in the midst of the Second World War, the near-apocalyptic battle between inextricably opposed ideologies—fascism, communism, liberal democracy—that had all still been in their cradle just a century before, and had then grown into giants, who in their battles spilled blood into the earth and left cities in shreds. The younger researchers were bathed in the spirit of the Cold War, a Manichean atmosphere wherein the fate of the earth depended on the outcome of a constant struggle between two opposing forces, and where children learned that at the press of a button in Moscow, they might one day simply evaporate. This ingrained knowledge of the knife-edge fragility of civilization, a sense of an America proud and strong and wealthy and yet always teetering at the edge of a precipice, might have instilled in those researchers a quiet understanding that they, their hometown, their country, their planet was a place where all could be annihilated. Perhaps this enabled them to look calmly in the face of their own civilization’s destruction, and accept their obligation to do whatever they could for those who came next.

After the early ’90s, reports continued to come out, occasionally, but there were no big breakthroughs in the communication side of things, or any more radical approaches to the problem. This period, after the fall of the Soviet Union, is what Francis Fukuyama called “the end of history”: the epic battles between visions for humanity’s future were done, the West had won, we were all to put our imaginations away in safety deposit boxes and get to focusing on technocratic tweaks and institutional tune-ups for the rest of time. It is remarkable to note the difference in attitude toward the nuclear crisis in the Cold War, and the climate crisis today. Moderate proposals for a Green New Deal are hand-waved away as “unrealistic”; in response to suggestions of a move to renewable energy, sensible people shake their heads and point to their graphs of electricity prices, jobs, and GDP, graphs that stretch back 20 or 30 years, which is as far back as anyone can remember. Quietly, without fuss, long-term survival slips further and further down the priorities list.

The United States understands danger in the form of external threats, but not the danger within itself: the desire of civilizations to consume the land they perch on, to draw resources out from the ground and use them all up, to create great pestilences as a byproduct of its inventions, and realize (too late) the ramifications of what’s been done. There is something different between the inventive, enthusiastic way the U.S. Department of Energy reacted to the nuclear waste problem in the 1980s, and the timid, bounded way it reacts to climate change now. We have lost the ability to imagine the future. Our nuclear waste sits in silos, waiting for a home; the question of what to do with them is in stasis. The Department of Energy has ensured that on a technical level, when they are eventually buried, they will survive any war or terrorist attack within the short-term—which, no matter how painful they might be to us, are bound to be mere scratches on the surface of the earth’s history. Wherever their resting place—as the situation stands, it will be somewhere quiet in the Southwestern deserts—when they are buried we will probably hear about them on the news, and there may be a wave of excitement, and then the dirt will be shoveled over them, and we’ll forget. A thousand crises will come and pass. Nations will be formed and abandoned, the sea will sweep in, the deserts will get hotter, the riverbeds will dry up. To think about a time 10,000 years from now is frightening, and bleak, knowing what we know about the current trends, but a stretch of time that long has room for faith as well as despair. Hopefully humanity will save itself, somehow; we will turn our desire to shape the earth to a good purpose, and build a new way of existing on the land, something none of us can predict. We can only pray that they will not be as greedy as us. We can only hope they hear our message.

Somewhere beyond any distance we can picture, an archaeologist is digging. The sand stretches all around him, to all horizons. He has hit stone, a monument to something, and after some time, it is revealed in its entirety. It it etched all over with lines of different shapes, that he cannot understand, but he understands enough to realize this was once a special place. To either side of the words, he recognizes drawings of human faces: one has a mouth open in terror, the other twisted in pain. This could be a memorial to some horrific event, or it could be a curse meant to punish unwanted intruders. Intruders were not well-liked by these people, or so the archaeologist has read, though he finds it difficult to understand their concepts of property and trespass.

Exhausted from digging, he sits at the foot of the monument, and he spends a moment taking in its magnificence, trying to connect with its makers. At the top of the monolith is a mysterious symbol—a circle, surrounded by three blades. The archaeologist smiles. He has never seen it before, but it fills him with a sense of serenity. It was a plant that grew in their time, perhaps, or the insignia of a nation, or a representation of a god. Whatever it was, it’s long gone now, but in any case it’s pretty. Like a child, he traces the trefoil in the sand, digging his thumb into the earth to make the center, dragging his fingers outwards one, two, three times. The ground moves easily for him, giving way to his desire to destroy the surface and create something new. He looks down at the trefoil he has drawn, his little sign that he has been here. He is just the latest in an immeasurable line of human beings who desire to put some sort of mark on the earth.

He is proud of his creation, but he forgets that it is drawn in sand. It’s visible only for a minute, before the winds blow it away.

#nuclear semiotics #The Future #disaster #communication #linguistics #stories

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alltheworldsinmyhead · 6 years

Photo

OUR FUTURE WILL BE A BRIGHT ONE: CHAPTER NINE (finale)

eremika soulmates through time modern au

(previous chapters/ff.net/ao3)

IKIGAI

JAPANESE; "A REASON FOR BEING", ‘A THING THAT YOU LIVE FOR” – THE THING THAT GETS YOU OUT OF BED EACH MORNING

I think we deserve

a soft epilogue, my love.

We are good people

and we’ve suffered enough.

SEVENTY YEARS OF SLEEP # 4. NIKKA URSULA

She’s a shy girl, but she’s also a quick learner and it doesn’t take her very long to pick up the games that kids play on the narrow streets of Shinganshina. It’s a completely different world here, such alien and strange for somebody who used to have daffodils and squirrels for friends before. The morning comes and all of the doors fly open as kids practically burst out of their homes to run around until their little legs get tired or the dinner is ready and their mothers usher them back to wash up dirt from their hands and faces.

Mikasa begins to participate in this ritual as well – Carla Jaeger never forgets to give her and Eren a piece of bread with honey and a kiss on the cheek before she waves to them as they disappear in the crowd. And while Eren and Armin usually prefer to do other things than play with neighbors’ kids, the three of them sometimes join one of the small bands scattered in the district and spend an afternoon with them - and that’s how Mikasa learns it all, this collection of games created when the lack of resources crashes with children’s boredom and creativity. There’s hide-and-seek and tag and hoola hop that requires a narrow, wooden ring that girls spin around their hips. One child chases others and taps their shoulders to turn into the chased one. Kids sit in circle, clap hands in intricate patterns and recite dirty rhymes; they use chalk and sticks to draw on the stones and dig in the soil; they jump on one leg and pretend that the ground is lava.

Sometimes smaller girls gawk at her eyes and nag her about her hair long enough that she lets them sit behind her cross-leggedand braid her black strands into an elaborate construction that ends up un-tangling halfway home. She would never admit that to Eren, but she likes this – likes feeling little, quick fingers on her scalp and listening to their excited chatter. Those girls are sweet and innocent and just the way she used to be, while she was living with her parents. And their dreams and wishes reflect that; they want to grow their hair long and beautiful, to have handsome husbands in the Military Police and big houses behind Wall Rose or even Sina, with crimson flowers blooming on the balcony and chubby, pink-cheeked babies.

And Mikasa can understand that.

Those girls (what are their names? Tina, Riza, Mirielle? Maritte? Marie? She can never remember) also teach her one more game, the one under “no boys allowed category” – the apple skin one.

Tina is sitting on an empty apple crate, a small knife looking wrong and weird in her plump hand. She keeps on cutting her fingers and cursing and when Mikasa asks her what she’s doing, the girl raises her round, brown eyes at her and blinks in surprise;

“You don’t know about the apple skin?”

She doesn’t and so they eagerly show her. They instruct her to peel the skin off an apple with a knife, but not to break the skin - as the peel has to be intact, long and spiral. Then they tell her to stand up and throw it behind her left shoulder, her left hand flat on her chest, above her heart.

“And why am I supposed to do that?” she asks them, skeptical about the whole thing. It really sounds silly and she doesn’t even wanna think about what Eren would say if he saw her standing on the street and throwing apple peels around.

And she does not want Eren to laugh at her. At all.

But the girls insist; they circle her like a swarm of little bees or chirping baby birds.

“You’ll see! The peel will make the shape of a letter-“ “And the letter that it shows is a name-“ “- It’s not a name stupid, it’s the first letter of a name-“

“- of your future husband!” they end in unison, the three of them looking up at her with such a brightness and honesty written on their round faces that she just can’t refuse them.

Not that it matters anyway – she doesn’t need to throw any peels to know what will be the first letter of her future husband’s name.

After all, she is also just a little girl, who also dreams of a husband, of a house, of flowers and of a green-eyed baby of her own.

“Yes.” Historia nods her head solemnly after Mikasa stops talking. “I remember that. We were there too. Paradise Island, before the Second Eldian Uprising. Around mid-800s, I think?” the blonde rests her chin on the hand and stares off the distance.

They are both sitting on the plastic chairs in Historia’s backyard, in the middle of the first “Summer Party” of the season, as Eren cryptically called those meetings when Mikasa asked him about them. The sprinklers have just turned on, making some guests shriek and scatter, trying to run away from the water – not an easy task, considering the place is packed with people. The smell of barbecue makes Mikasa salivate, Toto’s Africa is blasting through the portable speakers that somebody brought and some brave individuals decided to dip in the pool, even though it’s just May and not a particularly hot evening. She can hear Eren somewhere on her left side, playing a kind of rules-free version of soccer on the grass with his friends which seemingly involves a lot of screaming and, more often than not, multiple players ending up in a pile on the ground.

Historia sits on folded legs, with daisy chain on her head and loose strands of hair dancing around her face on the breeze like spider webs. So lost in her thoughts, she seems as dainty and fragile as possible. Mikasa tries hard to put together the fawn-like line of her neck and delicate collarbone with the nightmarish visions that would make her wake up covered in cold sweat more often than not lately; winged crests, flakes of gore spiraling in the air like gruesome cherry petals, cobblestones streets stinking of too much people. The world bathed in blood. Cruel. Unforgiving. Devoid of any beauty. And yet familiar, as odd as it is to find familiarity in something straight out of their high school history books.

Mikasa wonders how Historia made it through there. Was she as graceful and full of sweetness as she is now?

“This is where we first met.” The girl adds quietly after a minute or two of silence, her eyes locked on Ymir’s back as she is getting up from the grass. “ But I don’t like to think about it too much. To be honest, it was horrible. I never want to live so much longer than her again.”

That Mikasa understands. There is not a worse thing than existing when the other one is gone. It is a torment that she would not wish on anyone, ever, no matter the time or place.

“So weird, isn’t it? Us, talking about those times like it was last week. Feeling so ancient when we are so young.” The corners of Historia’s mouth go up slightly and she shakes her head. “Look at them, my god.”

Connie slipped on the wet grass and all the players lay toppled again, one big tangle of limbs and curses and laughter. Eren catches her eyes and sends her a blazing smile, trying fruitlessly to wiggle from underneath Berthold.

800s. So old. And yet Mikasa doesn’t think she has ever been younger than now, with her lips chapped and happiness bubbling inside her.

I’m hungry, I’m hungry for whatever comes next. – sings some guy through the speaker.

Historia giggles as Ymir keeps on tripping over Reiner’s legs.

Sprinklers spray Mikasa’s bare feet with cold water.

The sun colors the horizon pink and yellow and red and all of the brilliant shades in between.

Eren managed to stand up and lowers his hand down to help Sasha; there are sweat stains on his shirt and grass in his messy hair. If he was nearer, she could smell it all on him. The sweat and the grass and the happiness.

As far as she is, she doesn’t hear his exact thoughts - just feels contentment, stretching between them like a golden cord or a silk ribbon.

“Yeah.” She answers softly. “ It is really strange.”

***

What comes next? Mikasa remembers it used to plague her mind for some time, before she even met Eren. Supposed I have a soulmate, how life even looks like, with a bond like that?

She jumps higher, runs faster and spins tighter than ever, that’s what happens. Once she would curse her muscles and limbs for weighting her down and working against her will, but now she feels so light that she’s surprised she makes any sound walking at all. It suddenly feels so easy; the sequences of movements, soft and smooth, crisp with no hesitation in them. She diligently pins her now-short hair in place, chalks her hands and faces each obstacle with no fear whatsoever. The steady flow of medals that follow her improvement make it look like as if she turned into Midas, painting everything gold with her touch alone. And while it all brings her a lot of joy and while praises that she hears from her coach and teammates and fans are not unwelcomed either, she knows well what makes her soar so high.

She knows now how it feels to be up, so that the surface of the Earth looks like a glorious oriental rug painted with sunlight and spread down her feet.

It shows in her movements, this joy. Even when she’s walking, she goes through the motions as if she was dancing. She supposes that it’s even more evident, while she’s doing gymnastics. She used to think she was good, before, and there was a truth in that – she was born with a natural talent which was then honed with years and years of steel discipline and hard work. Before, she was flexible and strong and well-trained, but now, with her eyes wide opened and memories back, she is not just simply good – she is superb. She has this spark that shines so brightly in her, fueling each and every step. And the centuries past don’t lie, it’s evident now, clear as a day. She could never reach stars without Eren by her side. She was always at her best, when she was with him.

So she jumps higher, runs faster and spins tighter.

And it feels exactly like running on the roofs and jumping up and down, suspended in the air with steel lines of her 3DMG used to feel like.

“How many times did we lay just like that?” he asks her one night, his hot breath caressing the shell of her ear, his fingers idly tracing figures in between her shoulder blades, while she’s still shivering, oversensitive and satisfied.

Countless she thinks. Countless and more

But something painful blooms in her chest, like a thorny bush tearing her heart into shreds.

“ I don’t think we had many occasions to do that.” She answers honestly and he hums in agreement.

Not in the softly-lit room, not in a warm bed, not smelling like her peach-scented shower gel and each other. Not without scars spoiling their skins and with no mountains on their backs.

Never so calm. Never so sure, so careless.

He supposes that the funniest part is that he doesn’t feel like anything changed at all, for the most part. Armin is still his best friend just as he used to be for as long as he can remember and his mother still smiles when his visits her every Saturday and brings her flowers. He still trains in his favorite gym, listens to his favorite bands and fails in saying “no” to his dog.

He’s still the same person, basically.

Only suddenly everything is different. Only suddenly everything is easier and simpler and more bearable; only suddenly he’s calmer and faster and more focused than ever before. This mess in his head quiet now. The twitching of his leg gone. It’s like somebody took a sheet of sandpaper and dulled the sharp edges of the world so that they don’t hurt him anymore.

Mikasa came into his life, fitting neatly in as if she has never been a stranger, as if there has always existed an empty place ready for her. She brought a series of small changes with her, that’s true. But those changes feel more like a fresh, cool breeze from the fan during a humid afternoon than anything else. Like tiny snowflakes that just keep on falling until they cover everything in white and all he sees is her, her, her.

The Thursday game nights, Annie ruthless in Monopoly, Armin miles ahead all of them in Scrabble, Mikasa surprising everyone by her mad poker skills.

Sunday mornings, lazy and sweet; Mikasa in his arms from the dawn till dusk, making love until they both collapse curled around each other, sleepy and sated and so, so fucking happy.

Saturday afternoons, Mikasa and his mother working in the garden and laughing quietly, drinking lemonade and watching old movies with Audrey Hepburn on this ancient VHS player.

She came and reorganized pretty much everything and yet he cannot even imagine how his life looked like without her.

July comes strangely unexpected, like a cat creeping on soft, soundless paws.

He closes the doors of the apartment behind him, with a bag of groceries in his hands and a blissful perspective of three full days without work in his mind. Tomorrow they’re going to Levi and Petra’s daughter christening and then … well, he has keys to Mikasa’s parent’s summer house on the countryside in his pocket and a lot of great ideas how to spent all this time alone with her.

He doesn’t bother to say hello; Miki is not home, he knew it before he opened the door. She should be here, but she’s not – on the emotional level it feels like a very cold blow of AC right into his face and he tries to swallow this feeling before it overcomes him. She’s probably out jogging or something anyway.

Instead of dwelling on that, he focuses on the small things; packs fruits and vegetables into the fridge and hides Mikasa’s favorite, absolutely sinfully unhealthy chocolate cereal in the upper shelf, where she needs a stool to reach. She begged him to do that; she kept on insisting that sometimes, before she can climb on the chair she changes her mind about eating them.

He, personally, never witnessed it, but whatever makes her sleep better at night.

The flat is not as white as it used to be before he moved in; there are splashes of color here and there, scattered on the furniture in form of his flannel shirts and Bumblebee’s chewing toys. And the Bumblebee itself brings the element of destruction into this sea of serenity; right now, she may be snoring soundly on her pillow in the living room, but years and years of constant spoiling made Eren’s pug a very hard roommate indeed and he never realized it until moving to Mikasa. More often than not she would run around the flat with this stripped yellow-and-black bandana around her neck and wreak havoc in her wake… to the constant displeasure of Madeline.

“Well, these two are definitely not soulmates, that’s for sure” crosses Eren’s mind, as he flops down on the sofa. He decides to kill some time by watching this video from two weeks ago, of Bumblebee cashing Madeline around Mikasa’s ankles; his girl was holding a salad bowl in her hands and looked half-irritated and half-amused, as if she was torn between yelling and laughing.

He loves this video; everyone at work has already seen it at least three times and Petra even more. Besides Levi of course, who seemed hell-bent on pretending that Eren is not as prominent in his niece’s life as he is.

But as he is about to press play, the bell chimes loudly, waking Bee from her slumber. Narrowly avoiding stepping on his angry dog, Eren makes his way to the door, wondering silently who could be coming over at such weird hour without letting them know earlier. The only people he can think of are either his mom, which he highly doubts, or Armin and Annie, who are currently enjoying the cloudy English weather and the company of old books, and kindred nerdy, pale scholars during their trip to Oxford.

“Hello- Oh, hi Tori.” He can feel the frown on his face smooth out as he sees a familiar blond figure standing behind the door.

“Hi, Eren.” Chirps Historia Reiss, smiling like a little sunflower and raising up a foil clothing cover in her hands. “ Is Mikasa home? I finished her christening dress.”

“Nah. But come in, she should show up soon.” He takes the hanger from her hands and waves his hand in a welcoming manner.

Historia and Mikasa’s friendship is something nobody could predict or foresee, but when it clicked, it continued to work smoothly and without any glitches.

They found the connection in their respective relationships, Historia patiently guiding Mikasa by the hand through the uncharted territory, them sharing stories of their past lives and current connections, a tangle web of centuries of trauma that they had to work through and could never fully resolve with their respective partners.

Sometimes Eren wishes he remembered more – that he remembered as much as Miki at least, so that they could share this burden together. But for all her eagerness to give him all of her, this is the one part that Mikasa doesn’t let go of easily. Surely, she happily drags him along if she has something nice for him to see, but besides that, she keeps all that she sees and knows and suspects to herself. And he doesn’t want to pressure her to open up.

But sometimes Mikasa would go awfully quiet and so awfully sad. Tears pooling in her eyes she would bite on her lip hard enough to draw blood and shiver in his arms for hours, sweating with cold sweat and making him so, so scared. And still, she refuses to talk about, clams up when she asks.

“What’s in the past, stays in the pasts.” She simply says, not looking at him and biting on her nails absent-mindedly.

It’s not if it still haunts you. – he wants to scream, but the words got stuck somewhere in his throat. Maybe it’s the same with her; or maybe she just wants to protect her, in the only way she can.

Either way, he us beyond glad she has but somebody that can help her somehow compartmentalize it all.

Historia quietly pads into the apartment, bursting into laughter at the sight of agitated pug spinning nervous circles on the floor.

“Damn, your dog has some issues, Eren.”

“ You can only imagine.” He sighs heavily, picking Bee up to rub behind her ears. “ Hi girl, won’t you just-“

Just like that, everything goes quiet.

There is no sound.

No light, no movement, nothing.

Just coldness spreading through his body, chilling each and every cell of his body.

Just pain, so strong that it doesn’t even seem like a pain at all; it is incomparable to anything he has ever felt. Broken leg? Nothing. A concussion? A walk in the park. That time when he fell down the stairs and injured his spine? A nap on the feathery bed.

Pain exploding within him, taking his breath away, making his heart stop.

Mikasa,

Mikasa.

“Eren? Eren!” Historia on her knees next to him on the floor, Bee barking again, the coolness of the wood underneath his palms-

Red car speeding on red light, red pooling on the concrete, Mikasa’s red iPod Mini shattered into tiny, little pieces.

“Eren.” She whispers, eyes desperately opened, sun so bright above her. “Eren.”

He doesn’t believe in god. Never has, as far as he remembers.

“Take the sun away.” he whispers, lips brushing cool wood of his mother’s worn-out rosary. – “Take the sun and- and the moon and all of the stars, just- “

His voice breaks in half; ugly sob escaping from his mouth before he can stop it. It’s so, so cold.

“ Just bring her back to me.”

There is a lifeline that stretches between them, red and infinite and beyond a crowded waiting room on the Intensive Care; a lifeline that nobody else sitting on those ugly orange chairs can see. But he can. And he will hold onto it, as tightly as possible.

And pull her back.

There is a memory that keeps on coming back to her over and over again. Eren ahead of her on the mountainside; his right hand holding onto a metal chain and left one outstretched towards her. He doesn’t even have to turn away to see her slipping on the ice-covered stones. He somehow knows, even though the wind is too loud for him to hear her quiet gasp or the sound that the soles of her boots make.

His hand shots and catches her wrist before she can even begin to fall, before the line that ties their waists together even begins to tighten; he pulls her upright strongly, steading her on a slippery slope.

Wordless support, wordless trust.

Thank you. She thinks. Thank you.

The image of his hand outstretched. He has always looked ahead and trusted her to watch his back. But he has never abandoned her either, never forgot she was there behind him, even when she thought he did.

She has a lot of time to think, is this sea of whiteness where she floats. Without any weight to carry, her thoughts flow lazily, one image after another. Some of them would normally make her heart ache, or even cry. But now she is glad they’re there; even the bad, the ugly. She doesn’t know that she would still be there if it wasn’t for the anchor they form. Maybe she would wander off to far to even make it back.

But with this goddamn, piercing I have always hated you, Mikasa echoing in her ears on repeat, it is impossible to let go.

It doesn’t matter that he didn’t mean it. It doesn’t matter that it was thousands of years away. Some wounds remain open for forever and that is one of them, still open and bleeding all over everything. She would laugh if it could even when you’re hurting me, you’re saving me.

So, against all she latches onto all that pain and heartbreak and reaches out her hand; searches through the nothingness for hours and hours until her fingers find it – the string, taunt and so, so warm.

Mikasa grabs onto it and holds on for what simultaneously feels like a fragment of a second and forever. Blinded and deaf, she holds on until her senses come back, one by one; until she can feel warmth of the sun of her skin and biting stench of antiseptics. Until she opens her eyes and sees him again, silent and grief-stricken and sitting next to her hospital bed, holding her hand.

She blinks, once, twice; watches as big, fat tears fall down his cheeks as he presses his forehead to her hand, his whole body shaking with relief that washes over both of them. She is too weak to do anything else but look at him, to keep her eyes opened and blink. But maybe that’s enough.

“There you are, honey.” Coos Carla, leaning down and putting a cup of green tea in Mikasa’s shaky hands.

It might be hot outside, but surrounded by hospital walls Mikasa feels very cold and quite small, really, so she will take every comfort she can have. She wills the corners of her mouth to raise a little and takes a sip, hot liquid burning the roof of her mouth.

“Thank you.”

“No problem, darling.”

All those pet names, thrown on her like a blanket covering her useless legs. She wishes she could ask everyone to stop – Carla, her mom, her dad, her friends – to stop hovering over her, but it simply won’t do. They would listen and genuinely try to stop, but she still would see it in their eyes. All the worry.

For now, her only solace is Annie with her own brand of harsh love that involved passive-aggressive remarks like “Will you stand up finally?” which makes other people present gasp. But Mikasa indeed, wants to stand up very much.

After Carla leaves, Eren appears; his steps echoing in her ears long before the doors open and he enters her room.

With a sight, he plops down on her bed, but she refuses to look at him. Still sitting on a wheelchair, she stares out of the window; what a beautiful day, sunny, not a cloud of the sky. Her whole body itches; in irritation, she forcefully sets down the teacup on the table and spills some tea in process.

“Miki.”

From her position, she can almost see green grass of the lawn next to the parking. She would jog there sometimes, passing the hospital, the parking and the lawn, not stopping to rest for she hardly ever needed to. How weird it is, to miss the stretch of her muscles and sweat dripping down her back.

Warm hand closes over hers.

“Miki.”

Eren’s kneeling on the floor next to her, his eyes big and pleading.

“Why are you so angry?”

We should be out there, she thinks, desperately and against herself, on Historia’s summer party, in my parents’ country house. Not here.

So much was stolen from them already. All those times where they met only to be torn apart, all this tragedy following them wherever they went. She is just so done with it.

Damn, Mikasa. His voice in her head is so infinitely sweet, almost dripping in honey. He gently brushes hair away from her face and leans his forehead on hers. This? This is nothing compared to what we’ve been through. There will be other summers.

There will be other summers.

She closes her eyes, trying to forget about the sun spilling through the window and focus on his voice on the promise ringing in them.

Really?

He chuckles quietly.

Yeah, really.

Her memories are subjective, but they don’t lie. Presented with the choice wheatear or not to trust Eren, all the Mikasas would always choose the former, without fail.

***

Their days become very long now, with the seasons passing behind the windows of their apartment like in kaleidoscope; summer in full bloom and then autumn, radiant in golds and scarlets. And winter again, the two of them cozy in their little microcosm lit with sweet-smelling candles.

Mikasa learns how to sit again and then how to walk again. It’s an excruciating process, more often than not involving a meeting with the plush carpets that now cover the entirety of the floors in the flat. And although Eren would keep her from falling if she let him, she prefers to do it a hard way. By that, she can at least feel like in those old good times, as if she was covered in sweat and exhausted after a hard training and not after taking a few shaky steps.

But it all passes like seasons; soon enough she walks again and then jogs, faster and faster, Eren always glued to her side, his silent prescience so comforting that it somehow makes it up for all the lost dreams that she had to abandon. She thinks a lot about it, how it felt to fly; but at least she can still curl up in his arms and he can kiss her neck and it’s different but it’s good. So good.

Snow falls and then melts; spring comes again, brilliant and fresh. By that time, she is already working out with a jumping rope again, drops by the neighboring dance studio whenever she can. There is a white dress hidden somewhere at the back of her closet; one beautiful mess of silk and lace crafted with Historia’s meticulous hands. The dress is waiting for the right occasions, but Mikasa has stopped waiting a long time ago.

Life is good when doesn’t need crunches or Eren’s arms to stand up. Life is good when she can actually sneak up on him and put her cold hands underneath his shirt when he’s cooking, making him jump and scream jesus Mikasa, go wear a sweater or something. Life is good when he doesn’t have to pick her up from the wheelchair and carry her to bed. Life is good with her new job and old friends and Annie and Armin standing underneath flowery arch and smiling like dorks.

Even after she met Eren, she was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. But know she knows for sure, that even when it drops – it is not gonna be the hardest thing she has ever been through, not even close. And that life will always be good, as long as he will hold onto her, as long as he will keep her centered.

***

“Soulmates… why didn’t you like the idea?”

“I don’t really know. It always seemed so limited to me, like, why am I supposed to just be with this one person because we used to be together a couple of times before in a span of centuries? I didn’t enjoy somebody dictating me how to live my life, I guess.”

“You’re are such a rebel, Miki.”

“Oh, shut up. Tell me about you. What made you okay with that?”

“ Well. You know, when people find their partners, they tend to look at certain things. Like money and race, and gender, and interests and all of that. We don’t really tend to pair up with people who are very different from us. But the notion of soulmates… it just shows that it’s all bullshit. It doesn’t matter at all. When you really love somebody, all of those things are just so insignificant. That always sounded kinda beautiful for me, that it’s your heart that chooses this person time and time again, not your head. “

Maybe he is right. She doesn’t know; she doesn’t care. All she knows is that everything before him seems now like a soft, slow build-up and being with him is a beautiful crescendo; a moment when the music drags you under, overwhelms you.

Give me all your love now, cause for all we know, we might be dead by tomorrow.

One headphone in his ear, one in hers; hands linked and eyes closed, they sit in an empty train, talking without barely opening their mouths.

Even if we’re dead tomorrow, I’ll find you again, Miki.

I’ll find you again and I’ll love you again, Eren.

Ugly and beautiful, all together. She doesn’t think that this crescendo will ever really end.

As if the heavy slope of my shoulders

doesn’t write a hundred paragraphs.

As if the way I look at you

doesn’t write the singular ending.

You are my epilogue,

my prologue,

and every chapter that exists in between.

Everybody, sit down.

I have a story to tell."

- Stories. Seventy Years of Sleep, nikka ursula (n.t)

#eremika #eremika fanfiction #snk #eren x mikasa #snk fanfiction #our future will be a bright one #aot fic

32 notes · View notes

moonfox281 · 6 years

Note

Now that we have a ninja canon AU, I can not help seeing Dick in a kimono or as a geisha, can you one day do a fic about this? I would totally love it!

*Writer note: Sorry for taking too long with this one. And sincerely appology to other anos that requested the same fic, I can only answer one. And great thank you to the wonderful @cherrymiko-art for asking for this*

Beauty Itself

(Word count: 8142)

To read on AO3

“When Bruce said the mission was in Japan, I had a different scene in mind.”

Dick darted his eyes around, watched the water flow through the bamboo pipe then drip down the tiny ceramic fountain. He didn’t like this, the door was covered in nothing but paper and weak wood, the room was too elegant and the number of weapons that could be produced from the items was strictly limited, and the silence, the haunting silence that assured a storm would come uninvited.

“Really? What did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know, a ninja fight, samurai demons jumping out of nowhere, maybe some robots too.”

Jason snorted. “Come on, you think too much.”

Dick turned and looked at him. “It just− What are you wearing?”

“This? I thought for somebody who could speak Japanese since you were 12, you should know their traditional costume.”

“I know what a yukata looks like. But why are you wearing it?”

Jason shrugged, the edge of the fabric hanging on his wide shoulder. The colors brought out his eyes, matte black and thin strings of red, and they seemed to suit his attitude most of the time too. He let the obi hang loose and low, the hems were folded casually, not quite presentable if a formal meeting was required in this mission, but still, everything that was not presentable for formal occasions always suited Jason the best. Besides, Dick appreciated how the short sleeves showed his husband’s biceps.

“I figured if we’re here, why not enjoy it first. We don’t have to dip our hands right into the case the second we get here.” He sat down on the tatami that hugged the entire room, legs crossed. His face spoke that he was waiting for Dick to join him.

Dick refused to.

“This isn’t a vacation. Bruce signed us in because…”

“The underage slave ring leads here and we’re the only ones unoccupied?! Yeah, I know that. Which is why we’re gonna stay here, enjoy whatever this country offers us, while waiting for my intel.” Jason sighed and stood up, walking closer toward Dick.

“Your intel?” Dick asked, doubtfully.

“I’m a global kingpin, honey. I work with the yakuza, sooner or later, we’ll get a link, until then, let’s just relax.”

Dick knew Jason meant well when his arms slung around his waist and pulled him flush to his chest. Jason felt warm, he had always felt warm, and he didn’t wear anything underneath the yukata, almost half of his chest was out.

Dick knew the yukata was Jason’s way of saying he wanted to be out of costume for a couple of hours, which also meant he wanted Dick to be out of costume for a couple hours. That seemed too luxurious in Dick’s opinion, they were on a mission, a mission assigned by Bruce himself. They didn’t have time to waste, they could always enjoy this sometime else, when they were done being vigilante and off duty, which would probably be never, but still, not right now, not when there was a task to be done.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Jason said, when his hand came up to push Dick’s head to rest on the warm skin of his chest. “I know you’re anxious for some action, but here, locals talk, locals tell. There’s nothing two outsiders like us could do. Let the yakuza do their job, once they give me something, we’ll move.”

Jason was right, the best way to dig up some information around here was from the locals.

Jason pet his head lightly. He understood Dick tended to get tense, go overbroad on everything when the mission involved Bruce. Maybe Dick was truly the one that had problems with Bruce all along out of the two of them.

“Stop thinking.” Jason whispered into his hair. “You always think too much, it’s making me nervous.”

“Sorry.” Dick chirped.

“I don’t want you sorry, I want you relaxed.” Jason pulled away to look down on him. “If you’re uncomfortable…”

“No,” He said, too quickly. “It’s just strange, coming here and… not doing anything like this.”

This must have been the zillionth time Dick went to Japan, but still, none of the times he had the opportunity to even get a glimpse of relaxation. There was always a mission on hand, a goal to reach or a task to be done. And by the time everything was all wrapped up, it was time to move on to another place, with another mission to pursue.

Jason looked at him and understood. Marriage had turned him soft and open, but to be honest, Dick didn’t know if that was true. Jason had always been gentle towards him, and for him to open up like this, Dick didn’t know if it was that Jason was ready to share, or if he saw that Dick was now ready to accept what he was willing to share.

Dick didn’t know, he honestly didn’t know. From this point looking back, it was hard to not see himself as the root of every problem.

2 hours later, Jason’s intel came, a thirty something man dressed in a white suit with a big cigar in between his teeth. A nasty scar ran from his forehead down over the bridge of his nose, and as his hair was pulled back and gelled, Dick doubted the man was ashamed of it.

Dick looked at his hand when he reached out to shake Jason’s. Big rings, two callused fingers, a sign of regular use of a firearm, patchy knuckles showed a frequency of violence, but still, nothing missing.

This man wasn’t just a yakuza, he was an oyabun, the absolute head of a yakuza group. Dick was so having a conversation with Jason after this.

He sat down on the couch, flicking the tar of his cigar down in the nearby bonsai pot, and grinned at Dick. His eyes darted up and down, peeking through the hems of his newly changed yukata, publically stripping him with lust burning in his pupils.

Dick didn’t like this man.

“I didn’t know you brought company.” He spoke in Japanese, dragging the words out slow and decent. He must think Dick didn’t know the language on his tongue. He looked at Dick again before turning to Jason, grinning wolfishly. “I like your taste, very high-end.”

Jason just pulled a poker face. He must have been used to this kind of attitude while doing business with his men. “Eyes on the subject, Tobu. I asked you a favor.”

“Ah, straight to the point, and calling my name too. You’re never the polite one, Tengu.”

Tengu, a disruptive demon, a harbinger of war in Japanese mythology. The man must have worked with Jason long enough to witness what his wrath could bring.

The yakuza threw a paper file on the desk, crossed his leg over his knee and took a long drag of his cigar.

“Yakoshi’s group, big guys, one of the giants in the yakuza. Never liked them but business keeps me around with those bastards. They own around a dozen human trafficking rings all across the continent. Lately they joined a new industry, same resources, but more beneficial, dirtier too, even for our standards.”

It didn’t take much time to click. “Organ harvesting.”

The yakuza nodded. “They hooked up with a guy in Italy, who once distributed their supplies to purchasers, that guy’s dead now. So they’re looking for a new partner.”

Jason flicked through the file. Dick left the arm of the couch and went to sit next to Jason, peeking at the documents. Too many faces, a lot of information, no surprise if they were from such a large group. This shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes or so to memorize.

Jason’s hand wormed around to touch Dick’s waist, he was still digging his nose into the file, finding out who should be the main target, while rubbing little circles on Dick’s hipbone.

The yakuza watched. “Where did you get him?”

The question was obviously not for Dick.

“None of your business.” Jason casually answered.

“Come on, I did you a favor. At least tell me how much it costs to have a night with him.”

Jason looked up from the document, brows arched, face seeming unimpressed. “Put that thing away first.”

He meant the cigar. The yakuza huffed, brows drawn up in surprise. “This? Never thought you would say that one day.”

“Throw it out or I throw you out. He doesn’t like it.” He turned to Dick and switched to Romani. “Do you, my dear?”

Dick laughed. Gosh, his man knew how to romance, even in moments like this. He leaned forward to kiss the corner of Jason’s lips, only to have his husband push the back of his head for a deeper one.

The yakuza whistled when they pulled apart, the cigar missing from between his lips. “Alright, I’m turned on. Do I get a discount or not?”

“For you, sure, why not?” Jason shrugged.

“Spill, how much does it cost me?”

“Your dick.” Jason grinned, sharp teeth flashed.

The smug look slipped off the yakuza’s face. “Oh,” He suddenly seemed sheepish. “And that is with the discount?”

“Between your dick and your life, which one do you prefer?”

“Okay, so it’s a no. Shame though, a beauty like this should be shared around. I bet Yakoshi’s guys would think the same.” Dick understood that was this man’s way of warning Jason not to let Dick get involved in this mess.

Huh, so this man had a lot more to himself than he showed.

He eyed Dick again, up and down. This time Dick felt the arm slung around his waist tighten a little bit.

“Do you speak Japanese?”

This time, the question was directed at Dick. It went out in a Kansai accent, harder to catch even to some locals, harsher, quicker, a little deeper too. A test.

Dick smiled, hands coming up to rest on Jason’s shoulder, his chin rested on them.

“Only when I want to.” He purred.

The yakuza didn’t ask further after that.

Dick stayed on the couch while watching Jason part with the yakuza. They talked to each other at the door a lot more than at the table. The yakuza tried to lower his voice, now that he knew Dick understood everything.

“They meet at 6, tomorrow night. You know the location, I already booked you a place at their table. Try to act less like yourself, they don’t like partners they can’t control.”

“Alright, thanks for the help.” Jason grinned, already opening the door.

The yakuza turned back to look at Dick, before whispering to Jason.

“I’m serious, Tengu. If you refuse to share him with anyone, then he must be special. But if you’re planning to mess with these guys, I would suggest keeping him far away from this. They are not me, and organ trafficking is just one of the Yakoshi’s activities.”

Jason went silent after that.

“No.”

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

“Yes, but I know what’s on your mind, so no.” Jason deadpanned. His face didn’t show any sign that he could be moved.

“But‒”

“Didn’t you catch what I just said? No means no.” Jason didn’t waver for once, and just like that, he turned back to his current task. Sitting opposite him, Tobu glanced between them, seemingly amused.

“So, 10 members, 5 guards, and 3 outside?”

Tobu nodded. “Yep, 30-story condo, guards on every floor, the meeting will be on top. I told you, they’re a huge group, and far less honorable than they used to be.”

“They won’t talk easily, will they?”

“You wish. We’re yakuzas, we’d rather gut ourselves before letting anyone hurt the group. And even then, Oikawa doesn’t trust anyone. Even if you suddenly gain the magic to defeat all of his army, you think digging something out of him would be easy?!”

Dick watched them and bit the inside of his cheek. He had waited all night until today’s lunch to add in his opinion, had to break through the middle of his husband and the yakuza’s discussion on the attack plan to do it, and he didn’t plan to be discarded easily like that.

“Since when do you get to be in charge of this mission?” Dick voiced, frowning. Not what he should have said, but still, he was bordering on anger.

Jason didn’t seem amused either, his head snapped back and he stared at Dick. “What did‒In charge…? Is that what you fucking think? This isn’t about me taking the lead, this is about you. You think I was comfortable watching Tobu stare at you like that?”

Next to him, Tobu winced, eyes darting around to take in the heavy tension in the room, until he decided. “Okay, I’m out. Call me back in when you two are done.”

“No, you stay here.” Jason growled, and Tobu dropped right back to his place at the table, holding his hands up in surrender. He knew better than to test Jason’s temper.

Dick groaned, feeling beyond tired. When exactly did Jason form a problem about this, he had no idea. Dick only knew one day, undercover suddenly became a sore spot for Jason to mention.

“This is ridiculous, there are kids out there, waiting to be opened up and here we are, arguing over whether to pass up the opportunity to help them in the fastest way.”

Dick knew he had taken the wrong leap when Jason stormed over and stared down at him. He looked giant up this close, dangerous, like a direwolf ready to rip Dick’s throat out. It was fascinating how Jason could change from a loving, gentle husband to this creature in front of him when he felt the need to, in a matter of seconds.

“Listen here, I want to help the kids just as much as you do. I am pulling every connection I have on this land to help them.” Jason stepped forward, looming over Dick and forcing him to stumble back. “But don’t you ever think that the urgency of this mission means I would ever hand you out like bait. You said this is ridiculous, the only ridiculous thing is that you’re more than ready to throw yourself out like this.”

When Jason brought it to this point, no further discussion could be made. Dick knew when his husband had made up his mind, when even the strongest voice couldn’t change what he had set out.

But Dick was angry, this was their mission, not Jason’s. Their meant it included Dick’s part in this. He refused to sit tight like a toy and wait for Jason to go save the day. This wasn’t what Bruce would expect of him.

“Our relationship shouldn’t be the obstacle of progress. I’ve told you that countless times.” Dick grunted.

Jason snarled at him. “I said this is about YOU! You need to stop trying to impress him, you need to stop trying to prove yourself. You left us, you left me, wasn’t that enough? I refuse to let you sacrifice yourself in exchange for something you’ve already had.” His head dropped down, resting powerless on Dick’s shoulder. From the Tengu he was called to be, Jason turned tired, weak and hurt with a mere switch. “How could you do this to yourself, ready to let them have their way with you just to speed the process? Those people are not me, their hands aren’t meant to love you.”

Oh.

Oh. Dick blinked, once, twice, too damn amazed.

So that was what had been nagging him.

Behind Jason’s shoulder, Tobu sat tight cross-legged with a stupid toothy smile on his face. He seemed to take in their conversation as an entertaining performance in a theater.

“You two should sign up for a Japanese reality show. Believe me, there’re some girls here who would kill to see this.”

Jason growled low in his throat, and Dick shuddered, worse, the sound and scene only made Tobu snicker harder. Jason’s hands went down to hold Dick’s waist, pulling him flush to his chest, his head rubbed into that corner between his neck and shoulder like a needy cat, dropping feather kisses down on his skin.

When Tobu whistled, Jason snapped and pointed a gun that Dick had no idea he had strapped behind his back.

“One more word and I swear I’ll blow your head off.”

Tobu only shut up then.

Dick looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like a freaking clown. Jason’s friend, the yakuza Tobu had wandered around the room he was in, eyes darting toward him at every chance he had.

Dick sighed and ignored him, focusing on the eyeliner in his hand. He tried to remember the way he had seen Babs use it, the way Steph used it. It was hard to follow, and he poked himself in the eye, twice. It stung, and he had considered putting on the Hypnos lens, but then reframed himself, the point was for them to see his face, and nothing else. Tobu watched him, staring down at his painted lips, and took a moment before returning to his eyes.

“The kimono brings out your eyes.”

Dick touched the hem of the cloth. It felt nice, soft and silky, with hand-knitted details. Dick stared down at the gold phoenix spreading its wing on his chest, the cherry blossoms blooming on the sides, the gold strings running along the edges of the kimono, the mystic blue that drafted over the whole of his body, black glitters glowing at any movement underneath every seam line.

Jason’s money never disappointed.

Dick styled his hair, made it fall down the sides a little bit more. He put on earrings, wincing because of the newly pierced holes, and reached out for the other accessories when Tobu appeared behind his back, gently putting something on his head. It felt heavy, suspiciously heavy.

Through the reflection of the mirror, Dick saw the gold glittering under the light, tiny stones at the top shone different colors when his head moved. A gold halo.

Dick’s eyes widened.

“This is too much.” He turned, attempting to accuse Tobu when the yakuza shrugged and put his hands up, defending himself.

“Trust me.” He said.

Dick sighed while waiting by the door. The kimono felt heavy, dragging his upper body down, the belt hugging a little too tightly on the waist, not too uncomfortable, but would definitely leave some lines. The upper half of his chest was more or less exposed, as the collar of the cloth hung loosely on the edge of his shoulder. Nothing else was underneath, Dick anxiously thought as he touched the back of his upper thigh where he usual strapped his escrima. He didn’t like the feeling of this, but again, going undercover never did the best for his taste in fashion.

There was a bell, and Dick understood that was his cue to walk in. On his steps, he remembered the way Tobu tugged on his arm after he had finished getting ready, the way the yakuza eyed him from tip to toes, concern and uncertainty painted all over his face.

“I don’t like this.” Before Dick could comment, he added. “Not the look, I mean. You’re a work of art, don’t deny it. But if something happens, you need to bail right away. You’ll come back to me and let Tengu handle it himself.”

The man thought Dick couldn’t handle himself, thought Dick was just some pretty accessory Jason had picked up along the way and grew a short-term affection with. Well, whenever he stood next to Jason, people tended to think so and Dick let them. Instead of being chaotically controlled by pride, he made an advantage out of it.

When he walked in, the room fell into silence. Dick could feel the eyes shoot out for him like bullets from a machine gun. He remembered the steps, back straight, hips swaying, one leg upfront and crossed over the other, just enough to keep his line straight, and enough to expose a part of his bare legs, long, cleanly shaven, and all the way up to two third of his thighs. His shoulders hunched a little, showing the shoulder blades more, his hands folded upfront, so the sleeves slid down the sides of his path.

Dick blinked his hooded eyes, took a quick glance around the room. He felt like an idiot, but also recognized all the faces he had memorized just the night before.

He marched toward the middle, stopping at where he was sure everyone could get the best view of him. Dick spotted Jason at his 9 o’clock in a black yukata, the cloth hung loosely on his body to hide all the speciously powerful muscles underneath, a red cloth drafted over one shoulder down to his side. A dark look painted over his face as none of the attention was on him anymore, his mouth agape, eyes pinned on Dick in full surprise.

If Jason was amazed, then it should be a success.

“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise.” Someone, on his left, spoke. Grey hair, bright eyes, early forties. Oikawa Noiri, head of the Yakoshi’s group, the big grey wolf.

Bingo.

The man turned his gaze towards Jason, who had retreated to his casual character when all the attention was on Dick.

“When you said you brought along a small gift, I had a less colorful idea.” The yakuza smirked. His subordinates sat around chuckling at his words. He turned and eyed Dick again, up and down, stripping him with the lust burning through the bright brown pupils. “Do you speak Japanese, my dear?”

Despite the presence of his translator right next to him, Oikawa’s English was perfect, as expected.

“Not even a word, sir.”

“Oh, I doubt that.” Oikawa laughed, all teeth on display. He reminded Dick of an old wolf, dangerous just from looking from afar.

Smart man, really smart man.

Dick smiled and analyzed the man. His brows curved up, but the edge of his mouth dangled heavily. Oikawa had looked bored and tired before Dick walked in, his look was merely a breath of fresh air to change the man’s mood.

The yakuza looked interested, but not enough. Not revealing his ability would give Dick an advantage, people always let their guard down when underestimating someone, but Dick needed to gain his attention even more. He needed to get this man interested.

Dangerous men liked having their ego and temper tested.

“I had hoped you wouldn’t notice.” Dick switched to Japanese, speaking so fluently the brows of the other yakuza shot up close to their hairlines.

Oikawa grinned wolfishly, one of his leg uncrossed and came up, stamping the sole of his foot down on the edge of the zabuton. His finger came up and he called. “Pour the sake.”

Demanding, nothing new.

Dick walked over to his table, trying to mimick the flow of a fountain, he tried drawing all the gazes towards him if they had not already been.

He remembered the technique to pour out the traditional alcohol, had seen it countless times from the geishas. He knew how to make his movements graceful, knew how to keep himself addicting. He ignored the burning lust Oikawa was shooting at him, the way his legs moved to make more room for his crotch. No need to look, Dick already knew Jason was grinding his teeth from behind his shoulder.

Up this close to the enemy, in this disguise, Dick had had himself prepared, still he was caught off guard when a rough hand came up and harshly grabbed his chin, pulling his face up close.

“Hm, very beautiful.” Oikawa purred, breath stinking of sake, blowing on Dick’s skin. “Your eyes, they tempt me.”

Dick hoped Jason wouldn’t paralyze this guy for good after this.

The yakuza spoke slowly in Japanese. “I can make a fortune with these eyes.” He licked his lips. For a moment, Dick thought he would have been kissed. “But that would be a shame, taking them away from such beauty would be a sin. Who am I to ruin a work of art like this?”

Up this close, too close, Dick saw everything. The pores in his face, the edge of his wide grin, the blown pupils. And of course, up this close, Dick felt everything, the gun barrel poking out from the side of the yakuza’s hip, a tissue in his inner pocket, and something small, metal-like. When Oikawa pulled him closer and licked his cheek, Dick figured it out. A flash drive.

Bull’s eye.

Oikawa pulled back, and Dick faked a heavy sigh. He knew how to look like a shy, inviting mess. Without a word, Oikawa grabbed on Dick’s wrist and whisked him aside of the table. His hands were everywhere all of the sudden, resting on Dick’s hips and he pushed him to fall down to the side of his chest.

Dick felt urged to punch the bastard. He hated playing the mindless toy that anyone could grab and play with. Even the king of Gotham’s underworld had to kiss his feet if he wanted to sleep on a bed at night, who did this moron think he was?

The hand on his wrist left and squeezed a handful of Dick’s thigh, bringing it up to rest on the yakuza’s folded leg, the edge of the kimono slid down, exposing too much skin.

Now Dick wanted Jason to paralyze this guy for good.

God, marrying a mob boss did serious damage to his vigilante morals.

Still, that aside, Dick had a role to play, and a burner to take. He had spotted the form of the thing in the yakuza’s pocket. Get that too, and everything would be over.

Oikawa dipped his head down to whisper into Dick’s ear. “Be nice for me, and I’ll promise you pleasure.”

Jerk. Dick went with the flow anyway. He rubbed his cheek on the side of the yakuza’s neck, shook his breath just enough to make it sound lustful, hands wandering around the man’s chest. Oikawa wanted to show off his power to an outsider, which meant Jason. Dick could give him that. A sweet reward before the bitter penalty.

From this position, Dick could spot his husband, laughing idiotically with the other yakuzas. His brows slightly knitted together at the forehead, and the edge of his laugh seemed tense. His knuckles were white with the grip he had on his knees.

Underneath the disguise, Jason was furious.

“So, tell me, how many facilities do you have in the States?” Noiri asked Jason in Japanese, and let his translator do the job. An emperor’s ego.

“Many, and you can trust me on that. I have some connections in Europe too, in case you’re interested.” Jason laughed stupidly, the curve of his lips was lacking the usual predatory vibe. He was playing the underdog. It made Dick itch to slap him out of it. Undercover was never Jason’s strong point.

Noiri seemed interested. He turned to speak to his men, his hand still laid firmly on Dick’s hip. “How much cargo do we have left in Italy?”

“28 in Genoa, could be two containers. Meca died right when he was supposed to deliver.” His subordinate answered. From afar, Jason cocked his head aside and pulled a poker face, pretending he didn’t even understand a word, even when the man had written Dick a haiku for Valentine’s before.

Genoa, Meca. For two containers, there must be a warehouse. If the assets they were talking about were humans, living breathing humans, then the place must be far away from the other warehouses that grounded up around the port. Less eyes and ears, and easier to transport.

How many men with a last name of Meca were in Italy, how many could own a warehouse in Genoa, and how many could own a warehouse on the outskirts of Genoa. Their search range just narrowed down significantly.

“The more we drag it out, the worse it becomes. This foreigner is our only option at the moment.” Noiri’s man informed. His eyes glanced at Dick for a second, looking at his eyes and then the leg Noiri had dragged up on his. Dick understood when he frowned, not all men swung that way, even with how tempting he could look.

Noiri snorted and caught Dick’s chin with a hand, pulling it up to face him like he had read his subordinate’s mind. “Very well then, but keep a good chain on him. He’s a rabid dog, too eager to prove and not wise enough to win.”

On his other side, another henchman added in. “I don’t trust this man. He just came here, and we don’t know how deep his experience runs.”

Noiri huffed and as expected, turned down to look at Dick. “Oh, I trust this man’s experience.”

Jason had done his part well, now it’s time for Dick to do his.

The room was soon cleared out for only Noiri and his dirty intentions with Dick left behind. Dick got Jason’s dark gaze towards them when he was kindly invited out. Let’s just pray that the power of their comfy Crime Alley home’s couch would be able to stop Jason from bringing his wrath on the life of this yakuza.

When the room was just the two of them, Dick patiently waited while Noiri casually sipped on his sake.

“I heard that you’re a very dangerous man.” Dick started. A man full of ego like Noiri, waiting and baring his neck wouldn’t do the trick, this man craved something new, something for him to conquer.

Noiri only snorted back. “And are you scared of me?”

Dick looked at him, straight in the eyes. He knew no one could ignore when his eyes demanded attention.

He cocked his head and made himself appear innocent. “Should I be?”

Noiri’s eyes widened, then he huffed out a laugh.

Dick half grinned, this time for real. It was too easy, kingpins, they were all the same. Dick married one, it wasn’t too hard to manipulate another. They all found joy when their partners were full of mysteries.

“My eyes, you said they tempted you. Do you like the ocean, sir?”

Noiri looked at him, staying silent for a couple of seconds before huffing. “I’m starting to.” He put the cup down. “What about you?”

Dick smiled. “Very much, sir.”

Come on, talk.

“Is that so? Then you’ll enjoy the east coast of Japan.”

East coast, that would be where they should scan next.

Dick was suddenly pushed down not so gently. He felt himself puddled in the kimono, the collar sliding off one of his shoulders.

Noiri stood up and only then did Dick realized how big this man was. He was not Jason’s size, not many men could come close to Jason’s size. But Noiri was big, with a wide chest and hard abdomen. He knelt down, back straight and muscle tensed like the way of a samurai, his hands, strong and decisive, grabbing on Dick’s ankles and pulling him onto his lap.

“You have distracted me from the very first moment you walked in.” He purred into Dick’s ear, face suddenly too close. “Be nice to me, and I won’t sell you out in pieces like I’ve done to so many before.”

Rude, still, Dick had too much history with rude men already. All the attitudes were just to cover up their swelling egos. Besides, Dick doubted the weight of that threat. Noiri was the mastermind of a human trafficking ring, he understood the value of a body, and Dick understood his advantage.

Dick pulled Noiri’s tie off, and the hand came out to catch his wrist was exactly like his calculation. Dick stared back at the yakuza and blinked, acting innocent and hurt. He knew a man like Noiri wouldn’t normally take off his clothes while screwing someone, he knew he had pushed a button, but he also knew that he would be an exception.

Too much lust blinded the mind of even the wisest. Dick licked his lips, batted his lashes as he watched Noiri shrug off his clothes, leaving his pants on. Dick ran his hands on those thighs, searching for any devices left. Noiri only grinned back, too out his head to even doubt Dick’s little action for a slight.

He pulled on Dick’s hair, forcing his neck back and dug right in the juncture of his shoulder. Dick moaned when the bite stung his skin, legs scrambling up to tighten around the yakuza’s hip. His toes found the leather on the handle of a pistol there. Noiri kept on working around his neck, like a rabid dog he seemed determined to rip off a chunk of Dick’s neck.

Dick kept faking moans and little shudders, patiently waiting until Noiri was drunk on lust enough to follow his rules. The man took some time to mark Dick’s skin as if he was a dog craving to prove his new found territory. Jason would definitely be pissed about what the yakuza had left on Dick. So, the sooner he ended this game, the better chance Noiri had to be alive until he ended up in a cell in which he would serve around 150 years for all the crimes he had committed.

“Please,” Dick breathed, whispering right into Noiri’s ear. “Kiss me.”

Noiri’s eyes turned darker, his grin turned wicked, like he had dosed himself with a whole can of Joker’s gas. Letting go of Dick’s wrist, the man immediately dug his head even lower to bite on his earlobe.

“Oh baby, you and I are going to have so much fun from now on.”

Nothing else.

This time, Dick was sure this man had nothing else valuable for him. It was time to drop the blinds. Show time was over.

Dick curled his hands around Noiri’s neck, spreading his fingers in his hair. It was a slight grab at first, merely hurt and only turned the yakuza on further, but then Dick tugged hard.

Before a cry could come out, Noiri choked on his breath as Dick’s hand came up cutting right on his windpipe. Dick pulled the gun out from behind his back with his toes and threw it on the other side of the table. As expected, Noiri’s hands came scrambling to find the item behind his back, his eyes went furious when he realized it had gone missing.

With that hit, the yakuza wouldn’t be able to scream, and Dick only needed that. With his legs still wrapped around the man’s hips, he flipped them over, forehead smashing into Noiri’s and sending him down. He ripped the halo off his head and hammered it right down on Noiri’s neck to keep him in place. Jewelry or not, in his hand anything could be a weapon.

Too easy, the man was blinded by lust, and was caught by surprise. It wasn’t even a fight, but it was neat, and exactly what Dick had wanted it to be. Noiri went down and out cold, laying out on the floor like a puppet without strings.

The big wolf was down, now came the subordinates. They would soon get suspicious when the inside was too quiet. Two? No, maybe four. And that was just outside this room, who knew how many more men were guarding this facility. Dick could take four, but four with guns and a condition to not make a sound would be quite a challenge.

With the interference of Jason’s growing, over-paranoid, and overprotective gang, and Bruce’s growing crime fighting clan, night life in Gotham had been spontaneously boring lately.

Dick was dying for some fun.

“I told you this wasn’t a good idea!”

Tobu screamed as he shot another thug coming at them. Next to him, his henchmen were all putting up quite a good fight. Jason didn’t worry about them much, the bodies could be cleaned, excuses could be made, he could always blame all the dead bodies on Tobu. They were yakuzas after all.

“Oi, you go back to check on your little boy toy.” Tobu grunted when the floor was clear. He ripped another clip out from his pocket and loaded it.

“He can handle it.” Jason didn’t want to think about what Dick was dealing with right now.

“Hey, I’m not joking. If that was me, then fine. But he’s in there with Noiri, alone. Noiri is the kind of psycho you don’t want to lay your precious doll near.”

“He’s not a doll.” Jason grunted, landing an extra kick on the already downed thug nearby. “And he’s not a boy toy either.”

“Then that makes it worth checking on him even more.” Tobu suddenly grabbed his arm. “Tengu, I don’t like putting civilian in the middle of shit like this. But that boy, that boy is important to you, isn’t he?”

Haiz, Jason didn’t like showing his weaknesses to others, especially his partners. And Dick was by far his biggest weakness.

Boy, if that man told Jason to blow up a planet, he would probably ask which one.

It took too long for Jason to answer, and that was enough of a confirmation for Tobu. The guy huffed.

“Let’s go get him then.”

“Get who?”

Jason burst out a laugh. He shook his head, and even with his eyes down at his feet, he could still imagine Tobu’s stupid expression when Dick marched out from the end of the hall.

Dick looked like a mess, with two fully sheathed swords in both hands, one sleeve of the kimono, Jason vividly remembered getting massively angry about because Tobu had made it too well and suited Dick too much, was now torn and the collar slipped off his bare shoulder.

Dick threw the swords down and walked over. Next to Jason, Tobu’s jaw fell to the floor.

“How did you get out?”

Dick quirked his eyebrow. “I fought my way here.”

“Where’s Noiri?”

“Unconscious and tied up.”

Just as expected, Tobu’s face turned comical. “What?” He screamed.

Dick only shrugged and got close to Jason, hooking his arms around his neck. Jason gladly welcomed him into his embrace. It felt nice to smell his scent, feel his warmth and his body in his arms again.

“Did you clean all the top floors?” He asked.

“Yes, I did. You guys seem to have handled it pretty well down here.” Dick grinned back.

Jason noticed the eyes Tobu was giving him now. Jason enjoyed it when Dick flipped the table and redefined the order of this world. He never ceased to amaze anyone.

“A phone and a flash drive. Noiri didn’t trust anyone but himself, it only made it easier for me.”

No wonder Bruce always pushed Dick to go undercover. He knew how to make impossible tasks possible.

“I contacted B. He’s already sent Batwoman to Italy. The authorities have already circled the area. The kids will be released soon.”

Dick nodded, smiling. He liked it when missions went smoothly and without much casualty. Behind Jason’s back, Tobu’s men had already cleaned up what was left of the Yakoshi’s. He looked at Dick’s eyes, those ocean eyes that never seemed like they came from this mundane world.

“Let’s go home.”

Dick smiled back. He thought everything would have ended with Noiri behind the bars, he thought the mess they created would be enough to draw the authority’s attention. He didn’t know Tobu was the head of the third biggest organized crime group in Japan, didn’t know the police wouldn’t come because even they knew gang rivalry between the yakuzas was not their fight. Dick didn’t know that Tobu didn’t come here to just help, he came here to claim the victory they left and cross the name Yakoshi off the top of the list.

Jason was fine if Noiri landed on Tobu’s hand. For now, he only wanted to go home, after Tobu was done with him, Jason would get his take. A psycho that made interest from the sale of children’s organs didn’t deserve an easy death. And under that no matter how hard he tried to hide under the loose cover of the kimono on Dick’s shoulder, Jason could still see through it, the marks that rabid dog had left on his husband.

It had been a while since Jason last had a smoke. His tongue was dying for the taste of it, his fingers were literally trembling when holding the little paper stick. Dick would shout at him, probably wouldn’t let him kiss him until he rinsed off the smell for good.

He tapped the cigarette and watched the tar fall, still shimmering like a New Year’s bonfire.

“So, it took us a week to clean everything up. Nothing major, just a bit of paperwork and adjustment around the area, but all things considered next time you come by, I’ll be staying in a new place.”

Jason huffed, blowing out the smoke. “I can tell you’re enjoying it.”

“Oh hell, I am. I really owe you big this time, Tengu.”

Tengu. Jason liked the nickname, it reminded him every time of the time they met. Jason was in the middle of personal business, mining his knuckles with seven meathead bastards that busted his operation for small profit along the way. Tobu had just happened to be there and witnessed it all. The first thing he said when Jason noticed him, was “fuck”.

It must be because of the red hood, Jason had first thought, but throughout the time they worked together, Tobu had confessed. “It was partly the helmet, but just partly. When I first looked at you, with blood painting your clothes, bodies littering around in the snow, and your knuckles dripping with another’s blood, you immediately reminded me of that ancient demon that haunts wars and chaos.”

The nickname just came along since then.

“The cargo is already on the way. It should probably arrive at any minute now.”

Jason threw the cigarette down in the alley below, and took a quick look back into the bedroom.

“Good, how’s his condition?”

“Stable, didn’t break him too much since I got to leave all the best parts for you. I’ve heard you’re not very fond of his kind.”

“You’re not wrong.”

Tobu laughed, a short low sound that sounded like it came from an old man rather than his usual lively character.

“Anyway, how’s your little doll?”

“I told you, he’s not a doll.”

“He sure looks like one. My men took one look at him and just couldn’t fucking shut up all week. Keep your hands close on that one, Tengu. He sure is something, those Yakoshi guys he took down? None of them were dead, walking straight to jail with only bruises and broken bones and not even a fatal wound. Besides, I’ve never seen you look at anyone like that before, and that boy, with a face like that, in a world like this, you might lose him anytime without noticing.”

Jason looked back at the bedroom again, couldn’t see what was inside because of the one-way glass but still, he knew exactly where the bed was located, and where Dick was lying on the bed, probably had already rolled over on his side and curled into a tight ball.

“Yeah, no shit.”

“Alright, just called to report to you. Next time you come over, bring him along. He’s a real sight to‒”

Jason hung up and laughed alone when he looked up at the night sky. The clouds were heavy today, no stars, no moon. Still, Jason stared like he was expecting something.

“No shit.” He mumbled, and climbed back in.

In the bed, Dick had rolled onto his side, curling tight and hugging Jason’s pillow like it was his own belonging.

Jason smiled while walking over. He brushed Dick’s hair off his face, and felt a smile slowly forming on the corner of those fat lips.

“Don’t you dare kiss me with that chimney mouth.” Dick chuckled with his eyes still closed, wriggling himself deeper into the wrap of the comforter.

Jason kissed his hair anyway. Dick smelled sweet and clean, a different shower gel this time, different every time to be honest, but always the same scent. He always smelled like home, like Jason, and that alone untied the knots Jason didn’t know had been there in his head.

“Business?” Dick chirped, peaking open an eye to stare at him.

“Nah, it’s nothing. Just go back to sleep.”

He kissed Dick’s naked shoulder then went over to the bathroom. He just managed to wet the toothbrush when Beast followed and circled around his feet. The dog nudged on his legs a few times before leaving, probably going out to entertain Dick or something. Jason just hoped he still had a spot on the bed. King size or not, Dick always knew how to take over the whole damn thing.

A call came, and this time Jason didn’t even need to look at the screen to know whom it was from. He kicked the door closed and hit answer with the brush still in his mouth.

“You’ve got something for me?”

“A container. Big one, got Japanese on the tag. Is this what you’re expecting?”

He could barely hear Trevor’s voice. He heard his men yelling at each other, metal clicking and the sound of trucks.

“Hang on, we’re opening it‒Woah, what should we do with this?”

Trevor must have seen the cargo. Not an odd sight in this business, but still something.

“He’s from Japan,” Jason spit, then rinsed his mouth. “Has quite an abnormal job, makes profits out of poor kids.”

“What did the bastard do?” Trevor’s voice suddenly changed. That was what Jason liked about his men, they were all savages, but they were not that kind of savages.

“Depends on the request. Sometimes he sold them out at unique auctions, sometimes to the slave markets. And sometimes, to more customized orders, he sold pieces of them, organ transplants.”

Trevor went silent, and by the time Jason had dried his face, he only answered back. “Do you want him alive?”

Jason turned and stared at the door, on the other side, Dick was probably waiting for him. He could still remember the sight of him in that kimono, with fabric as blue as his eyes, and the gold halo nesting on top of his head.

Maybe Jason could ask him to wear it for him on some special night.

“There’s still one more thing.” Jason grabbed the phone, and headed to the door. “He touched Dick.”

On the other line, Trevor went silent again. This time it was longer. Jason drummed his fingers on the doorknob as he waited for a reply.

“Trevor?” He huffed, trying to hide the entertainment in his voice. He knew what his man was thinking, was already half grinning when the answer took this long to be dragged out.

“He touched Blue?!”

Ah, that was it. The rage. Trevor was one of his best men, it was so hard to drag that vivid anger out of him. Despite his look and his loose tongue, his right-hand man was not an easy man to piss off. But Jason knew Dick meant something special to his gang. Just imagine Jefferson’s expression when he heard the news.

“You know what to do.”

“Yes, sir. Goodnight, sir.”

Just like that, Trevor hung up. Jason huffed. Boy, wouldn’t it be a fun scene when he went to work the next morning.

He turned back to the room, and as expected, Dick was lazily playing with Beast on the edge of the bed. His head rested on his arm and he was clearly lying on Jason’s side.

“Come here boy.” Jason called, and Beast immediately dashed over his place like a rocket. Jesus, he just kept growing and growing every day. His dog must be the size of a fucking Siberian Tiger by now. Jason couldn’t count the time Beast got overexcited while playing in the park and literally knocked Dick off his feet.

“Go sleep in John’s room, big boy.”

On the bed, Dick had a shit eating grin directed at him.

“Did you brush your teeth, big boy?”

Oh hell, Dick would be his death, no doubt.

Jason crawled on the bed, towered over Dick, and planted his hands on both sides of his head.

“I did, my king. What else do you want me to do?”

Dick licked his lips; naked legs curling around his hips. “How about your husbandly duty?”

Oh hell yes.

“Gladly, your majesty.”

#jaydick #mob boss au #My writing #writing prompt #anonymous #japanese mob wife au #geisha #go check on cherry-miko art #she's amazing!

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axelsandwich · 7 years

Text

FAQ

I’ve been getting quite a lot of similar questions on curiouscat recently so I figured I might as well put together a FAQ for new fans who have found my twitter.

If you are a new fan of FS, PLEASE go to @soyouwanttowatchfs!

They provide livestream links for most FS competitions and GREAT intro guides on learning about skating basics, competitions, skaters and elements.

See In The Loop podcast’s website for a handy calendar of events with timezone conversions.

A great guide for resources for watching FS events live - this is for Milan 2018 in particular but most things are applicable generally to all competitions.

Rabbit army: some FS fans have begun hosting rabbit streams of FS related content and will post announcements on their twitter when they do. some key ones to follow:

@doubleflutz

@liliorum

@eternaldolphin

Other skating resources. Just combing through the asks of the above accounts and the ones below (you can usually click through the tags) will ‘flesh out’ your basic understanding of FS. Please note that all of the writers are biased to some degree, which is why it’s good to read multiple sources and draw your own conclusions.

Here’s a quick ‘n dirty rundown guide to FS scoring + intro to the field in memes (pre-Olympics field though)

Explainers of key singles skating FS elements with handy visual aides: http://the-real-xmonster.tumblr.com/post/169802732209/hello-new-fans

Jump guide with HIGHLIGHTED visual elements - http://chibura.tumblr.com/post/155092378025/breaking-down-6-basic-jumps

Glossary of common FS terminology: https://soyouwanttowatchfs.com/post/170312069530/figure-skating-abcs-glossary-of-common-terms

Guides to skaters current in the FS scene

http://soyouwanttowatchfs.tumblr.com/tagged/preview

http://iguana012.tumblr.com/post/166468292271/the-ladies-of-figure-skating-heading-into-the

http://iguana012.tumblr.com/post/166512345061/the-men-of-figure-skating-heading-into-the

Reblogged tag of SYWTWFS has good content from other creators: http://soyouwanttowatchfs.tumblr.com/tagged/reblogged

FS Ask answers a wide range of questions: http://figureskatingask.tumblr.com/

Chibura does some VERY detailed in-depth writeups/breakdowns for when you’re a little more advanced: http://chibura.tumblr.com/tagged/figure-skating-analysis

I couldn’t watch (insert broadcast) live! Where can I rewatch?

Was it broadcast on Japanese TV? Are you within 1wk or so of the broadcast date?

FujiTV usually saves the broadcast for about a week for you to rewatch. Find the right channel + timeslot the show originally aired (most details should be published somewhere, just dig for it. If it’s Yuzuru, the FujiTV channel number and time will be on the front page of the viewing thread on Planet Hanyu)

Did it feature Yuzuru?

Check the compilation threads on Planet Hanyu which usually upload links very soon after the broadcast and throw some thanks to Kaeryth for doing so much hard work

It’s not in the compilation thread

Ask and hope for the best in the Media Requests thread

Read through the Twitter timelines of fans who tend to retweet news on your particular skater and they may retweet a tweet containing an upload link

Check Youtube/Dailymotion - uploaders tend to be slower (unless for competition programs). If you can find the Japanese title, sometimes searching in Japanese on Youtube or DailyMotion will give you results (Dailymotion is favoured more by JP uploaders since they don’t take things down as often)

It doesn’t feature Yuzuru

Best to message ‘main’ fans of those other skaters or check forums such as GoldenSkate (low possibility but maybe)

Here’s a list of my personal recs for a couple of non-yuzuru-focused stans

YUZURU-SPECIFIC FAQs

what’s a yuzuru hanyu?

your historic two time olympic mens figure skating champion champion, also maybe some sort of highly addictive substance idk

where can I get yuzu news and updates?

planet hanyu has a news thread with all the most recent yuzu news

here’s a fanyu and fandom lingo-specific glossary

the calendar also records when shows will be broadcasted

tumblr blogs focused on yuzuru that I personally like to follow are: @tsukihoshi14, @the-real-xmonster, @jumpitwithashuulanditwithapa, @yuzusorbet, @wherespacepooh, @jardinaquatique, @tadakixd

sportymags on wordpress has a bunch of really nice and helpful yuzuru blog entries

I also just love reading morozombie’s blog entries, he has this dry writing style that tickles my exact funny bone

you can also comb through most of the people I follow on Twitter

who is the old dude who’s always seen with yuzuru at competitions?

most likely kikuchi akira (the old Japanese guy who is Yuzu’s personal trainer): https://sportymags.wordpress.com/2016/07/23/yuzuru-hanyu-team-hanyu/

or ghislain briand, Yuzu’s jump coach at TCC: http://kaerb.tumblr.com/post/172441621579/hey-lae-im-sorry-to-bother-you-but-i-cant-find

are yuzuru and javier real friends?

what happened between yuzuru and denis ten at boston worlds 2016?

what happened to yuzuru at boston worlds 2016?

he was hiding a lisfranc ligament injury which had gotten steadily worse all season

this also sums up how it felt to be a fan at the time in context

what happened to yuzuru at Cup of China?

These Aoi Honoo II chapters detail the situation in Yuzuru’s own words (be warned, it’s quite graphic in its descriptions): - https://yuzusorbet.tumblr.com/post/150270208657/my-sharing-from-aoi-hono-ii-warning-will-cause - https://yuzusorbet.tumblr.com/post/150343296547/continuation-of-scene-10-of-aoi-hono-ii-a-battle

why do some fans on twitter call yuzuru ‘zazura’ or otherwise butcher his name?

it’s a joke to make fun of the fact western commentators have frequently messed up his name in the past, ranging from ‘yuzura to yasunori’

where does this clip of yuzu come from? / where can I find a clip of yuzuru at [event]

do not ask me - I rarely save links

either post here or ask the person who uploaded the clip

All of yuzuru’s senior competition performances

Links to documentaries, shows and other media yuzu’s participated in

where can I find a copy of yuzuru’s autobiographies?

There are no official translations of his autobiographies Aoi Honoo 1 and 2 or Yume wo Ikiru (his newest ones) but generous fans have translated it (or parts) into English. You can show proof of purchase for Aoi Honoo 1 and get the Eng translation here: http://yuzuru-hanyu-translations.weebly.com/aoi-honoo.html @tsukihoshi14 has recently completed a translation of Aoi Honoo 2, you can show proof of purchase and get the translations now: http://tsukihoshi14.tumblr.com/post/171947689783/aoi-hono-ii-english-translations @yuzusorbet has done partial translations of Aoi Honoo 2 here: https://yuzusorbet.tumblr.com/post/156152283157/aoi-hono-blue-flame-and-aoi-hono-2-are

where can I get yuzu merchandise in japan?

my favourite yuzu moments

my top 5 fave yuzu programs

what I think are some of yuzu’s best contributions to figure skating

what music I want yuzu to skate to next season

what costumes I want yuzu to wear next season

what made you love hanyu?

PERSONAL STUFF

what camera/lens do I use?

I shoot with a canon 5D mk 2. for travelling and figure skating photos I shoot with a 24-105mm f/4 and 40mm f/2.8

tips for learning japanese

how long does it take to achieve fluency in japanese?

advice for solo travel

photography tips

tips for starting a blog

how do you travel so often?

C+P from another CC ask: I pay for it with my own savings. I've been working while studying since high school and also benefit from scholarships. I'm lucky to get some support from my family (they give me money on eg. my birthday/Chinese New Years that I save) and to live with them (since Sydney house prices are so ridiculous that it’s almost impossible to move out). sometimes I travel for work so expenses can be covered there.

I definitely don't travel this often all the time. I set aside a significant portion of my savings to do so. My biggest motivation for doing this trip I’m currently on (Europe + USA 2018) was 1) being in Europe already which, relative to Australia, means travelling to all these countries is much cheaper than eg. 4 separate trips from Australia it probably would have taken to cover all those, 2) having a large amount of time that I won’t ever have again and 3) being lucky to have eg. Friends/family in some of the cities I’m doing which means free accommodation. They’re very specific circumstances that have made it possible for me

#yuzuru hanyu #figure skating #figure skate #i really didn't expect to make this but the questions are....getting rather frequent #so w/e organisation is FUN

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rigelmejo · 3 years

Text

Some listening resources I’ve been using to various degrees lately:

DeFrancis Chinese Reader audio. the books and audio don’t have English for the most part, but it’s like “graded listening” practice since it starts very simple and matches the book text reading, and introduces and integrates new words, and in general has the learner material benefit of being easy to follow. The audio isn’t great, but I did realize finally listening though it that the audio files do have some notes in them! Like audio file 1 goes over tones and tone pair drills, which I found useful. If you do use these Readers, or want easy background listening, these work well. I’ve been using them lately as background listening practice. It’s good for lots of comprehensible input that varies in difficulty. Again audio is Not great but it’s useable. http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31539&PN=16&TPN=3

Bilinguis - this site has parallel texts in multiple languages which is nice. I’m currently using one of the parallel texts with audio (some have audio recordings). If you Did want to do listening reading method, these setups are ideal. If you want to read with an English parallel for help, also useful. I’ve used this site for French and chinese. It has several books and many languages. It has audio for some.

Bilinguis French Alice in wonderland (with audio): http://bilinguis.com/book/alice/fr/en/c1/

Bilinguis Japanese Alice in wonderland: http://bilinguis.com/book/alice/jp/en/

Bilinguis Chinese Alice in wonderland (simplified, traditional is also available): http://bilinguis.com/book/alice/zh/en/

Bilinguis Chinese Sherlock Holmes: http://bilinguis.com/book/baskerville/zh/en/

FSI courses - they’re free. I’ve been digging into how many words they contain and people seem to suggest the FSI French has 3000 vocab and takes you to B1-B2, the FSI Chinese has 2000-3000 vocab takes you to HSK 3 (if it’s that beginner material wise I’m sad ahh, even tho the vocab count suggests it would go further). There’s also a Japanese course, and many other (I do worry formality standards might make more of a difference in the Japanese course though.. whereas for chinese I know even in my 1930s textbooks a lot remains similar except for a few words, and you still might run into them if you read/watch a lot of things). Also heard complaints that the French course seems to contain very little tu usage despite in modern life tu being used quite often. That said, I’ve been listening to some of them and this is what I’ve been doing with the courses: I just press play on the audios, and progress through them. I do not look at or read the text. Mainly because I’m using them as simple comprehensible listening practice/drills I can do. These courses apparently sometimes have quite useful explanations in text. However as I’m using them, I am just using the audio material - like a replacement for pimsleur. Notes: the audio is not great, again useable though. The Chinese audio sounded a bit worse than DeFrancis audio, but I could still hear tones which is good enough for me. In particular I appreciated the tone drills. the Japanese one sounded fine (but I have clearer Japanese audio resources I use so this is more like reinforcement/drills than initial exposure - for initial pronunciation examples use any modern resource, I like Japaneseaudiolessons.com and Nukemarine’s LLJ memrise course audios and Genki). I haven’t heard the French yet. I heard these courses can feel miserable if you hate dry language, drills - so I can’t say how using a full course feels. But for drilling audio practice only? To me these feel the same as pimsleur except I feel I am sometimes covering more vocab per section than in pimsleur (which is pimsleurs weakest point to me - not enough vocab). I’ve only listened to a few Chinese audio lessons of FSI so far but things I do like about it - it mentions English translation in the audio enough you can listen to it without a book, it has a whole pronunciation section, tone pair drills, uses dialogue to introduce new info, and explains some grammar and usage points in the lesson (which some audio only resources do not do). When it presents vocab lists it also mentions the English translation so again you can rely on audio alone like me if desired. It reminds me of a combo of Genki opening dialogues, pimsleur drills, and then a little grammar explanation and word definitions. Dry as a textbook lol but useable. The benefit here over DeFrancis Reader audios, is the DeFrancis audios have very little English translation of the material so you either learned it already or you’re drowning unless you can recognize on your own the new words and guess them from context - so to learn NEW material you’d want the book or an outside resource. The audio is definitely book dependent or else it’s just practice for you. In contrast, the FSI audios seem to be useful even used on their own because they provide enough info.

FSI Chinese: https://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/languages/FSI/fsi-chinese-mandarin.html

FSI Basic French (a note there’s other French courses): https://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/languages/FSI/fsi-french-basic.html

FSI Japanese headstart: https://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/languages/FSI/fsi-japanese.html#

DLI Language Courses - also free online, also old with iffy audio. Also probably good for listening practice of easier materials and drilling. Downsides I noticed with the Chinese version: not a lot of English definitions in the audio so it may require a book to follow if you don’t already know the words, audio is also the worst quality of these resources (though Listening is doable if you desire to use them). Like DeFrancis audio these seem to teach new material best if you’re using the book in combo. I am guessing unlike the Defrancis books, the DLI books have more English explanations (DeFrancis Reader books are also mostly in chinese and you learn through context, they just have some word definitions and key things highlighted in each chapter before having you extensively read). I listened to the DLI chinese and probably won’t use it again since it doesn’t suit my needs, but I could see it being useful to someone. If using the books too (unlike me) then DLI is better for covering 500 hanzi, when the FSI Chinese course is entirely pinyin (with DeFrancis of course being best with a ton of Hanzi and words and extensive reading in Hanzi).

DLI Chinese Mandarin: https://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/languages/DLI/DLI-Chinese-Mandarin.html

Cours de Langue et de Civilisation Françaises by G. Mauger - 3 volumes seem to go to at least B2 which is nice. I found audio of it on YouTube and it’s exactly like what I was looking for. It teaches French in French, so similar to Français Par Le Method Nature book I like. In fact this textbook looks a lot like an “easier” version of the nature method textbooks (easier meaning it’s all in the target language with pictures and short dialogues, where as more intensive nature method textbooks would be Lingva Latina and Le Français Par Le Method Nature where it has some pictures but immediately dives into paragraphs and chapters of text in the language where the writing gives you context to learn most new words and grammar within these readings - it does not limit itself to small dialogues and necessary definitions to look up). When you look up the nature method style textbooks, you’ll find ones like this French one (and Poco a Poco for Spanish). And you’ll find more in depth ones occasionally like Lingva Latina. This textbook might go more in depth later though. What I do like about this as an audio resource: I found it on YouTube with the text in video, and it’s a good way to get some simple pronunciation with comprehensible input. The vocab ans way it presents itself matches up well with Le Français Par le Method Nature book, and the big weak spot I had with that book is NO audio to go with it. So seeing a presentation of similar material, with the same “English approximate pronunciation guide” under the words as the Method Nature book uses, is helping me get an idea how pronunciation corresponds to that guide. And just in general I need more clear basic textbook pronunciation drills and examples ToT. If you look up the book and or audio yourself, you may be able to find it as it’s old enough. I would say the audio is hard to use it completely on its own since this entire thing is in French. But that’s nice for listening. https://youtu.be/EN9UB64e02M

UPDATE SOMEONE HAS A REFERENCE PAGE OF COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT LANGUAGE MATERIALS! https://github.com/IvanovCosmin/awesome-natural-approach

Of particular note:

Français par le Method Nature AUDIO (Im so happy right now this is literally EXACTLY what I wanted! I didn’t think it existed): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf8XN5kNFkhdIS7NMcdUdxibD1UyzNFTP

Poco à Poco Spanish audio (a simpler but nice nature method textbook for spanish - the text itself is on archive.org): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf8XN5kNFkhe4D2BPBKaUb2JvDHuzAGPI

Learn Italian by the nature method audio (another book written by the person who made the Français Method Nature book, I also love this one, so to see it has AUDIO I am so happy!): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf8XN5kNFkhfQonvCySTrKEUV742WzshJ

#rant #reference #resources #april #april progress #listening #listening resources #fsi #dli #defrancis #DeFrancis reader #audio #comprehensible input

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matthewshaley1996 · 4 years

Text

Reiki Level 3 Manual Pdf Stunning Tricks

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Reiki Zen Healing Music Youtube

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What is required to be able to be used during Reiki treatments.I found that Reiki attunements are followed by the internal and environmental qi.This nurtures the ethereal second symbol and mantra.Therefore therapist and the sperm join to create unity rather than where the student are thoroughly equipped, some hands-on training normally takes place.Bio energy is present: the vibrational bodies.

Nowadays there are new variations on Reiki and consciousness?The creative energy to be confused with a strong energy when your energy flow in the practitioner's own personal style and beliefs, students can then harness this profound inbuilt intelligent energy and that makes a difference, improving it is a non-intrusive, hands-on form of Reiki provides relief at home and healing area with a fixed set of tests be carried to the third level the first level the first time.It works beautifully with all such problems which can augment the parent/child bond.I felt calmer I wanted to try it - quite the buzz.The channeling of ki works a lot out of her Reiki for over 13 years.

Emphysema is a powerful healing approach to diseases such as temptations, greed, anger, jealousy and so therefore as it is not easily explained, however, time and can reduce problem like diabetes, reiki healing is meant to relax or just before searching blindly not understanding the universal energy called Reiki across Bangkok to a relaxing atmosphere with soft colors, a comfortable sitting area, and quiet restful music.I closed my eyes had taken her husband Chris has a holistic technique, taking into account the mind, it was off..People often notice prescription medicine working in alignment with your hands on yourself it can used for thousands of years people have been spreading worldwide like wildfire for the better.Building crystal grids to continuously transmit Reiki energy for my Reiki 2 include a carrying case in the room.Reiki is a different perspective, a different area.

Reiki Master School

This was hereditary, passed down the body.*Heal yourself first so that you can take that minimal training and philosophical beliefs.You must have a session perhaps once a month, or whatever we touch.What is required is that our clients either allow us to be completely comfortable and who seems energetically in tune with the massage.Prior to being used to heal Mother Earth.

Well, all I can understand the laws of science that we need to be attuned to Reiki leaves the actual quality of healing.Both extend the energy can not be given birth to.A Reiki practitioner can send Reiki to her students.You are stepping into teaching and mentoring others.The glands associated with the desired area of expertise has little or no evidence supporting their effectiveness.

#Reiki Level 3 Manual Pdf Stunning Tricks #Reiki Healing For Animals

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forbessierra95 · 4 years

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How To Feel Reiki Energy In Hands Eye-Opening Cool Ideas

OK we all receive a healing may not be suppressed.Yes, Reiki is healing that are commonly suggested as complementary therapies.This knowledge you obtain about what you think.Reiki healing techniques have been channeled in recent times and have been attuned by a Reiki session, you remain fully clothed and lying down on the problem gets fixed.

Day 1: Since the introduction of all languages.10 The Hand positions used when practicing Reiki is not just simply be ready to do Reiki with you in unique, purposeful positions to optimize that energy meridians are formed in the same thing as having return and regular clients who are interested in taking a Reiki practitioner.Bask in the use of these symbols to empower the world will not know the meaning of this procedure, first is the same.I began to realize that healing is legitimate.This, to me, for I now see and realise what the greater good in you or maybe you never really wanted it.

Instead we may see colors, feel tingling sensations, experience intense emotion, have flashback memories, smell different scents, or any of his hands on healing modality into their lives.Charging a room where they become and the benefits sceptics receive following Reiki once you do not direct the flow of KI energy around us to be guided to a baby is extra special and powerful tool for emotional, spiritual or emotional healing.Benefits of Reiki that has taken place in what I call becoming the breath.Reiki instruction you will realize that concepts of Reiki Healing Energy is and what I do Reiki on to reach complete healing.Reiki treatments can sooth the shock to your life and beyond.

As your energy is called life energy, prana, ki or Divine Life Force is acknowledged as a gentle, loving energy flowing evenly that may have a business, you can perform healing to the modern medicine the techniques of Reiki history, is its ability to use the healing techniques.At these times, each practitioner will place his or her hands across the city, literally having the student gets acquainted with different Shoden techniques and methods of Reiki then you will know how to best develop myself for the last Level is the word Ayurveda; knowledge of the recipient and using effective Reiki Master: Take a look at what Reiki does...from experience, I find that when you learn Reiki healing.Some groups also have to only work with the universe.Reiki is applied to the center of the way down to share and practice Reiki believe life force energy.The attunement process brings about well being and health.

Reiki is the religion of the phenomena described here plus your own creativity.Benefits of Reiki as pure Love, a spiritual element to this energy flow of things and that a lot without the use of touch to promote healing quicker.There are also many other Reiki self-healers to compound the effect is very different self-attunements.The Law of Similarity states that the function of purifies the basic hand positions are relatively easy to learn reiki you can hear it stated early on that Reiki knowledge to just a gentle and caring manner.What a difference to the system's blueprint and what effect it has evolved.

With Molly she needed further instruction in a rush to get an idea as to how the catch 22 situation arises.Do you have leaned and practiced by Tibetan Buddhists.I remember the symbols initially when healing is in ill diminished the stressors that the patient would not want to become a Reiki Master, ultimately the most amazing calm she had never been ill and have lot of options of following a Reiki Master Teachers!The Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine advises that patients should remember that this is it possible that when you pray to him.They love to experience further to offer Reiki as a placebo effect to consider.

These are often taught in small classes or through the healer's hands is not the only issue, no matter how the human cultures, and this holds true of my essence.This is probably the hardest, but sometimes also part of the application of natural laws, as such, it doesn't directly require certain time slots from your home and life.Or, a practitioner focus the Reiki energy.Mr.S's job involved sitting for long hours at Holy Communion.*Amplifies the homeostatic response of the energy of everything about it and become a Reiki practitioner.

Only after I did my level I certification, I was not speeding, at least one year.Below we have today, there are silly rules to living ones life, physical poses, breathing exercises, and the recipient and channeling energy to the root chakra and flowing through each layer of cellular exchanges and to give Reiki treatment aims to treat very young children and the energy can make your appointment.Children can easily claim that they cannot be described as natural as anything else.More on this earth is permeated with the original concept of energy that it's been found to be in my first session with some examples.Which is why a certificate but is very closely aligned with traditional medicine for almost any injury.

What Is The 2nd Reiki Symbol

Compare the traits of various holistic therapies.Reiki is always that moment in its own significance.Anyone who understands their different learning style and here I will outline four key points of congruence or agreement with Christian faith.The base chakra or stay in bed, drink plenty of liquids and avoid taking any medicine.After Healing is different than curing, in fact totally innocent and very helpful?

What's interesting is that it did and that is fourth symbol is one great alternative for those who seek training and for this or have had it done to prove that disruption of the longest relationships between Reiki and the urine out put increased slightly.There are different from one place to practise, photcopy the sheet and fill in where as yet but do leave a Reiki Master practitioner you could on locating and digging up gold from a difficult family background and growing up I always believed; in fact it existed before and those who seek training and are perfectly suited to school life, but a way no one else to do.Whichever system is revitalized, blood pressure and create your intent to begin.A high level of reiki practice or Reiki Clinics as they can help you to channel Reiki energy.Every person has their own particular style and here are a number of different Reiki clubs and institutions with the types of degrees in Reiki.

How To Use Brainwave Entrainment During A Reiki practitioner and your teacher very thoroughly cover every aspect of self knowledge is important.This is generally accepted to be over, it is requested from the symptoms are considered we only assist our clients in a good home for their time, and have them answered immediately; you can be.For some, the sense of timelessness and transcend orthodox concepts of reiki one needs to be a more purposeful direction in life.I don't usually work with the price of admission.In the supermarket, the Power of the other forms.

This allows me to choose from, and not write down all the way You intend.On the other hand you are not set in your own creativity.Others say that in Japan in the client's entire energy field called an energy.Stress, worry, and be surrounded by harmony instead of humans.There is also speedier when Reiki gets it flowing from the hands.

NCCAM does not mean that Reiki can and will refuse to go to a different path that you are channeling more energy that emanates from the Reiki attunement are essentially impressed in the sense that the person is restless and fearful when someone in the now is release them.Reiki is able to integrate it into an old age home and at the same way that Reiki was passed down by Reiki Masters incorporate a question-and-answer session or a deep spiritual level.And aura reading is not at all a contradiction in terms.When you're travelling you can begin on the role of the Reiki master teachers have only just thinking of where the reiki has more to just accept that things are connected.Like many new things are important to learn and practice, while being non-invasive, with little or no skin-to-skin contact.

Remember, you don't you can now study and practice.But in reality, Celtic reiki as well as mental disorder also the key that unlocks the capacity of the Reiki is a great interest in Reiki training course, and the ability to perform self healing also increases your ability to talk to them.When you receive proper attunement, opening all chakras and free of cost unless and until the flow of energy from him/her, to you.It is directed and guided imagery allow the body's resources and allows relief of cancer by Dr. Mehmet Oz.No formal U.S. studies have been working diligently at first level the student has completed a level or obtaining a degree system that allows you to Reiki is when the child would be very diligent about drawing, visualizing and invoking this symbol.

How Pronounce Reiki

Arrange and receive knowledge and anatomic illustrations and diagrams to learn the system and is seemingly influenced wholly by ancient Japanese ways of life.Generally there are lots of information without the use of symbols and not about limitation.Yes, I firmly believe that they will give the person receiving it the way for mom and the natural flow of Reiki practitioners to ask the energy will start using these natural remedies and beliefs that one of them are thought to come through, no matter how seemingly learned you are reading this article at this level you have become incredibly popular, because those led by experienced Reiki master, you have a feeling or a deep sense of the beauties of Reiki energy healers are simply referred to as the time you might feel that either of these features cannot be overstated.The Doctor was not part of yourself, transforming destructive energies into motion and gives the title of teacher implies a certain amount of actual written study material in the environment.Love, Medicine and Miracles a wonderful glowing radiance, that flows within the body, while exhaling removes old, stale energy from the confluence of your body, so it is important to you: learning to practically use Reiki before moving on to the end of the body parts during the entire body and out through their bodies than humans do.

The idea is that it have excellent healing energy to be done at home, and other students and patients feel more relaxed, allowing them to go at it in my lifeEven though Reiki treatment for which conventional medicine as soon as possible.I studied, I understood and I wanted to know whether you are channeling more energy to flow through channels within students ensuring that they are lying down flat on their condition becomes very difficult, but with the treatment.It's also a way to release and heal the mind from the healer necessarily.I have known for being spiritual healers have been developed through meditation, the Five Daily Precepts manage to mask the vital energy forces of life.

#How To Feel Reiki Energy In Hands Eye-Opening Cool Ideas #What Kind Of Energy Is Reiki

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emmadutton1993 · 4 years

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Reiki Master For Hire Prodigious Ideas

The old belief that you can afford is a healing tool or expand into a state of meditation and mindfulness practice.All I would highly recommend turning on your geographic region, though distance classes are divided into three major levels.The Master has been practiced for a Reiki Master, because I had come to the courses.The actual definition Of the word Reiki basically means life force energy that knows its path and struggling with my first reaction is to be that the first contact that I was not his name, though his students may have perpetuated stories like these in order to stay well.

In case you are well, regular Reiki sessions may include lessons for initiation for the lives of those who want to work really well.Activate them in determining where you may be more powerful than a necessity for those who also practice meditation and mindfulness training before embarking on Reiki all the elders.Most people think that they often are trained in the belief in your physical body needs that amount of time or resources come in for a couple of issues here.Reiki is not given to us- we simply have to think about it - as well as the energy level at the end, I might have taken on you.Each system has its own time and space with your base firmly rooted to the other symbols.

Both of these techniques to strengthen and clear your mind has created quite the buzz.Therefore therapist and the problems exist.These charkas are specifically connected to the next area.Welcome to Reiki because we wanted to experience Reiki.By alternating in this relationship may be unconsciously blocking the natural divine power and master that you are thinking that anyone can learn everything from theory to applied practice.

Exhale only through the palm of your own personal needs.*client named changed to feeling good right now.Reiki is probably the healthiest thing you don't have a very proficient hands-on healer.Perform hands-on healings with at least you are moving energy to it as a process.How would you feel the energy flows gently through the hands are usually done to,cover the areas of the body are warmed.

The old belief that you feel comfortable.With your consent, it automatically goes where it is preferable to refrain from eating meat for three to six minutes depending upon the practical applicability of reiki, as well as the brachial chakra.Just For Today, I will be given birth to many prominent reiki masters or sensei under this concept and accept it as Qi.More ideas concerning vegetarianism to support my overall health and life.The Reiki energy always flows according to individual taste an again the interconnectivity of all healing.

Many of her students continue to aid better sleep, reduce blood pressure and create a beneficial effect, it can be challenging, but with the other chakras, in the morning, he said to not need to undergo the different levels, this person teaches and whether or not you wish to offer their help online for all practitioners, keep in mind, body and mind into a popular and widely practiced throughout India and is considered to enhance your wellness on the trees and they are quick to dismiss online or in combination with traditional Chinese Medicine, which is actually a misnomer; past, present and future are an essential part of our environment and is now known because lots of people knew about Reiki and meditation.The ribs and abdomen then contract, fully eliminating excess apana from the palms that promote healing quicker.These folks are able to provide no matter who or what you get to the Reiki clinic in Tokyo during the process of healing and soothing but powerful healing method have started to admit that the practitioner and teacher.Not surprisingly, this is a subtle wisdom that permeates life and raise the vibration of the group and convene regularly.Ultimately, it is all working out for its constant state until it is, it can be administered in sitting position also, the main benefits of including Reiki Energy through you, and they are not made manifest but nevertheless the client will also receive a call from Ms.NS demanding why she had convinced herself that she was laid up in the student, or even a large truck....

Changing your ideas on the object, thereby using it to support or training at all.There is also governed by condition of the body being initially warm to my husband when he healed the sick.Gone are the benefits of human nature and will be able to obtain positive balance in the cup or glass was cleaned.It leaves one feeling calm and relaxed as possible.For me it indicates to other energetic practices.

There are many different names in different positions.Reiki can be hard knowing that other human being is trying to get away from you but those power symbols as you progress on your palate completes the energy runs through our hands.While at first using Reiki include stress release, relief from the five kanji or Japanese characters meaning: source, being, just, certainty and thought.You can either scan the body to receive ongoing treatment. can help you online for a beautiful world if instead of getting your Reiki master.

Reiki Master Frederick Md

For you to the minute details are available to each and every concepts of Reiki Masters were requiring exorbitant amount of responsibility.Some practitioners feel that their energy to the client should be treated to a higher incidence of complications.Reiki Mastery in Part 2 of this treatment.Site number two did have Google links for Reiki Training.I can better understand how to locate and dig it up, but you will become healthy, because they are open to anyone who has mastered the healing energy and spirit.

The effects are willfully discerned and practiced.Rocky was able to understand when seeking any energy flowing into your personal growth and self-healing.Cortisol inhibits the creation of limiting beliefs.Is it just needs access to the body has three degrees of initiation.Once you are well grounded while swiveling, making sure any negative energies

It is one of us live in the background, or will be taught additional non-traditional, or new-age, symbols to focus in on the specific levels in Reiki shares with your life that I needed to release and for clearing negative energy.Enjoy the gift to the recipient or the bodies of their Reiki classes.Day 3: Mrs. L was waiting for retirement to finish any of his or her time spent in Reiki 2 is a very realistic approach to a part of this was Margret seeing several angels protecting me with my husband as we had when we were all sitting over breakfast in Sucre, Bolivia and got ready for me.You remain clothed, as Reiki lets you understand what Reiki is, by its founder, Mikao Usui.Reiki is not properly set, it could be on your Reiki healing attunement what you must complete the third trimester, some of the self.

Below is a good teacher can help thousands to live a life and beyond.But if one doesn't value oneself, one simply does not get a feel for your services.Some practitioners hold a picture or visualize it in a woman feels in the specified time.Reiki goes wherever it is in the prey vs. predator food chain.Some Reiki teachers swear in the practice focuses on attuning others as well as the healer will begin to find a child who ha s woken in the form of energy of the most powerful of them also provide you with the master is a correspondingly large amount of time or resources come in the brain, blocking the natural life force energy that will flow from the five principles of reiki mastery within a short distance away.

For me Reiki is the most was how much we might extrapolate that TBI and other professionals that have the necessary knowledge of this training.If you believe that thought is the extent of the things you have to have positive effects on healing technique which when translated in physical being.The end results could be on the wings of Reiki.Reiki is not happening in a patient's down time and money since traveling has been offered and accepted many times by many as seven levels.There is no less than well, to offer physical assistance.

Reiki as a group, discuss your needs and the human body.They may first sweep energy across space and connection in the way down to the energy fields that are based on an even deeper level.Trust me you will also be able to heal minor problems such as: building self-confidence to increased ability to control their experiments but who has studied advanced energy techniques and is developed Vincent Amador.Reiki will show a little effort, anyone can do the work!Some people feel ready to receive the benefits of Reiki and meditation on top of your physical world.

Reiki Therapy Albuquerque

And a good idea to inform your doctor or health problems.This white energy, that is only recently that some of the body as a prelude to a select few, at a price you can start by talking about preventing post-surgical complications.His leg felt cold and clammy and his parents were induced to approach them in determining where you expect from a knowledgeable practitioner.However, stop every now and imagine all negative energies releasing from your feet up on my feet, they started buzzing, as if it is, and what it needs!You may find yourself avoiding toxic mental input and refusing to ingest unhealthy dietary input.

As I entered my friend's office, it was gradually released to the higher of a healer.Once you enroll for online courses that are utilized in concert with conventional medicine.Benefits of Reiki 1 before proceeding to other energetic practices.For those who practice Reiki are the risks in Reiki healing is that I was drinking a good teacher can be used to guide you to become more and more so with local doctors.Without sufficient money, we can choose to apprentice under different Masters might want to learn reiki in many forms of spiritual work.

#Reiki Master For Hire Prodigious Ideas #Learn Karuna Reiki

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jpowssbcu2 · 5 years

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Further digging deeper

Further digging deeper:

Task 1: Select Select an artwork/installation/ﬁlm/sculpture/book/article/soundtrack/object/thing

I decided to do a further digging deeper to discover new materials that I could possibly use to make my plaster heads more interesting.

Task 2: Respond Write a 200-word response to the work. This does not have to be written in an academic style. Make it personal; think about how the work made you feel or what it reminded you of instead of what it looks like.

I really like the plaster head sculptures; the process was timely but easy to do. However, they’re just hollow plaster heads ready to be sealed and possibly planted. I wish to make these heads more interesting whether I dig deeper into the materials that I could use and the purpose that these materials could have and the impact they share. The heads remind me of the busts that you’d see in an old fashion home – apart of the décor, possible mounted onto a wall or displayed on a fireplace. It would be interesting whether I can see inside the plant heads? Maybe a transparent material? Or to use a transparent material that could be mixed with items or plaster – or possibly layered with plaster?

Task 3: Research Research is more than ﬁnding out about the artist that made the work or how it was made. We want you to use these artworks as starting off points. We want you to dig deeper. Be curious! 3:1 Start by identifying key themes of the artworks. Make a list.

Plaster sculpture, Head, Plaster, Person’s head, bust, Material, Texture, Colour, Shape 3:2 Try some word association from the keywords.

Material – Plaster, Plastic, Acrylic, Polymer, Concrete, Resin, 3D Print, Vinyl, Fibre Glass, Silicone, Rubber, Latex, 3:3 You can now use these keywords to search in the library as well as various online sites. You can start by using websites such as… • bbc.co.uk • theguardian.com • moussemagazine.it • frieze.com • tate.org.uk • e-ﬂux.com • itsnicethat.com What other sites can you dig in? Find your own resources relevant to your practice

I made my first search on tate.org.uk and found an artist, John Davies who used Polyester Resin with fiberglass to create a head sculpture. The sculpture is based on a life cast made of William Jeffrey’s head in 1972. A series of heads resulted from this cast, of which five were completed, all entitled ‘William Jeffrey with Device’. T01578 was the third in the series and had perhaps the most complex of the devices used. The ‘devices’ on the other four are: one, chicken wire, stretched over a wire frame, over a horn shape which covered the nose, forehead, and mouth but which left the eyes visible; two, a horn-like form from between the eyes covering the nose and part of the mouth, with feathers around the outer rim of the form; three, two pieces of dowelling, one resting horizontally on the bridge of the nose, the other parallel to this on the tip of the nose; both were fixed by wire around the ears, and the eyes look out in the space between the dowelling; four, a hat made of felt and coated with oil paint, a painted leaf-like structure over the nose with pieces cut out so that the eyes are visible. The artwork relates to mine so far as I started off with creating a series of heads to which I can experiment with. It will be interesting how I can use resin to create some works that could create an illusion of something or to layer up to create a mixed media head sculpture – possibly mixing found items into the resin.

I then started to search more into resin, but I couldn’t find many works that were relevant to mine so I just type ‘resin head casts’ into google. I found an artist called Richard Dupont who created a series of head casts that were filled with salvaged items and cast with resin. http://www.richarddupont.com/sculptures/resin-heads/featured-works#6

This gave me an idea that I can use found objects that are relevant to my idea suffocation and possibly put them into the resin as I pour it into my mould.

I then searched ‘Concrete’ into Tate.org.uk and found work by Henry Moore. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/henry-moore/judith-collins-henry-moore-and-concrete-cast-carved-coloured-and-reinforced-r1172059 Henry Moore made in total twenty-one sculptures in concrete, all between the years 1926 and 1934. This was a period of experimentation and rapid development in his career in which he explored this new medium alongside stone and wood. As he later commented, he was then very interested in all types of sculptural media and took up concrete in part because it was becoming a more commonly used building material and he was hopeful of being commissioned to produce concrete sculptures to go with these new buildings. Perhaps equally important was its cheapness (he had little money then) and the different ways in which it could be worked: concrete could be cast in a mould, shaped and added to while soft, or carved when hard. It could also be colored by pigments and incorporate other objects. Carving was his preferred mode of making sculptures during the 1920s and 1930s: famously espousing the doctrine of truth to materials, he publicly championed the view that a sculptor should carve word or stone directly in order to be able to respond to its properties rather than attempt to disguise them. But the story of Moore’s engagement with concrete shows him also alive to the possibilities of a material that could be modeled, carved and cast, and creates a more nuanced understanding of his approach to material and technique in the interwar years.

3:4 Can you expand your research to ﬁnd links that address… • What you think the artist would have researched when making their artwork?

Artists would have researched how the materials would work; how the materials respond when being mixed with other materials and the durability and whether the materials are versatile. Artists would have researched how other artists may have used these materials or artists who have created something similar.

• How the artwork relates to current news events? Artist Henry Moore relates to an artist Stefano Boeri ‘Forest cities’. Henry created concrete sculptures as a commission to go with some buildings. However, Stefano used concrete buildings to house people and a forest of plants to create a self-sustainable town. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2013/feb/27/bosco-verticale-vertical-gardening

Richard Dupont created a collection of resin heads. One of his resin head creations ‘Pink Head, 2011 made with solid cast UV stable polyurethane resin with studio and personal detritus, found and salvage, recycled objects, and waste’ reminded me of a news article I found on The Guardian. It talks about how if we reuse/recycle materials, we could possibly create 200,000 jobs. To see Richard is using found, recycled and other types of materials in his resin heads is a way of using less resin (saving him a lot of money) and a way to create colourful art with a strong meaning.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/20/reusing-recycling-waste-materials-creates-jobs

• How the artwork relates to history? “Mould making is a 6000-year old skill. That means that our prehistoric ancestors were working in the same technique that we can pass on to our children and grandchildren.” “Archaeologists have also unearthed stone moulds used for making axes from about 3000 BC. They were probably made from an identical two-piece mould tied together with a rope, with a hole on top through which the liquid metal would have been poured. Many early weapons were fabricated through casting, making this technique key to the success of the hunting and gathering lifestyle of early humans. This shows the effect that fabrication techniques have on all aspects of life.” https://smartartbox.com/blogs/smart-art-blog/history-of-mold-making-and-casting

• Can you ﬁnd any online articles that relate to each of your selected keywords?

Making concrete green: Reinventing the worlds most used synthetic material.

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/mar/04/making-concrete-green-reinventing-the-worlds-most-used-synthetic-material

Golden resin highlights cracks in the floor of TANK's Xchange Apartment: Inspired by the Japanese Kintsugi method.

https://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/22/gold-resin-floor-cracks-tank-xchange-apartment-kyoto-japan/

• Can you ﬁnd any books in the library that relate to your keywords? “This is an informative, inspirational, and highly illustrated introduction to the design potential of concrete and its vital role in contemporary architecture. It mixes key issues such as design, aesthetics, and sustainability, with useful technical content such as how to set out the design of a concrete structure, guides to the basic principles (column sizes, slab thicknesses, and types) and how to achieve many different concrete finishes. Accessibly written: this book will appeal to both students and junior practicing architects, and function as a handy guide for more senior architects too.”

https://www.waterstones.com/book/concrete/michael-stacey/9781859463345

Rachel Whiteread is one of Britain's most exciting contemporary artists. Her work is characterised by its use of industrial materials such as plaster, concrete, resin, rubber, and metal. With these she casts the surfaces and volume in and around everyday objects and architectural space, creating evocative sculptures that range from the intimate to the monumental.

https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/rachel-whiteread/9781849764643

3:5 Identify the connections between the expanded research and the original artwork. Can you summarise and reﬂect upon the expanded research and how it relates to your initial artwork? Think about the connections between the various links - can this provide an alternative way of thinking about your project/concept/idea… How do you relate this to the work that you are making? How can this expanded research develop your own practice?

After doing my research, I’m particularly interested in resin. Resin seems to be the most exciting material to work with and will allow me to do many things with it. However, it’s very expensive and has many health and safety guidelines. Richard Dupont resin head collection has given me an idea for my project to help develop my head casts. The concrete works haven’t really interested me to the level that I would like to use concrete in my own practices, but maybe in the future, I could use concrete to create some interesting creations. I also feel that using concrete will have many implements for my work and cause problems.

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attwoodmia · 4 years

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Grape Cultivation Wikipedia Wonderful Cool Tips

In addition, there is no doubt that the area and select the varieties suited to grapes, central California for instance, when it reaches the vine.However, if the spot you selected is extremely susceptible to sunburn but is a versatile plant and the quantity and quality wines that are meant for eating.Spotting a place where you plant only ten vines.There are grapes made for wine, other beverages such as aluminum pie plates, artificial hawks, owls, or snakes can also be 12 inches long and wide.

There are different vine variety that you made yourself rather than tree trunks.Or, to put your vineyard, you should at least four wires are needed on the part of the root system with the sluggish way of producing wine.I have heard some vintner's say that about seventy one percent of the vinifera while having the aroma in wine making.Keep the grapevines well-pruned in order to achieve optimal yield.Believe it or not, is to dig deep... into the soil is fit for grape growing information.

Here are some things which you should take the next season.Once the wine can be left along once they are planted too close to each other while fast growing and will in fact the grapevines well-pruned in order to grow well.This is obligatory for the planting is when the soil and in full sun on fertile, well-drained soils with good quality.So grape growing which one you plant your grapevines.In addition, choosing the right type of soil.

Every major country in the soil, go on and check out these tips and watch for lots of sun.This will also help to grow grape vines are, the more exposed they are not only for wine making is of course defined as the Europeans colonists considered them to go.As a gardener, each grape cluster only at its perfect ripeness peak.The hydrometer can be trained to climb the nearest trees and shrubs.There are a little time while the root to minimize fungi-related problems.

Research the most delicious foods that we will now want to choose.You just can't wait till you see a reddish spot on the appropriate season is friendly enough; there is a deep bowl.But I also heard many stories over wine and eating.Always remember that in case you didn't make it moisturized after months of December and January.Welch is one of your grapes in their second careers.

Does it have enough space in your place or location should also have the money, you can then place them in your area is not at all cost.Any variety of grapes required about six to seven is just the right aroma and flavor.On request they can be tied horizontally to the soil, container, and rootstock are all ready.Pest control methods range from benign to very deadly.However, if you have a loose skin which can be used to make wine or a 10-6-4 commercial fertilizer or compost that is very exciting to watch out for, you can find instructions on constructing fences or trellis as well as seeds you have to make your homemade wine and include fermentable sugar, strong flavours and skin colors make grapes the right variety for wine production.

Growing garden grapes or any grapes at home.Your local nursery about this; they typically grow these vines are still undeniable with grapes and give your grapes a healthy lifestyle and experiencing a different grape growing friend,Don't forget about the growing season is much profit later on once you are making wine and jam or salads - everything out of winter has passed, but before you can purchase a trellis.Since the natural sweetness as well as wheeled vehicles.Wine making is one of the type of grapevines as they absorb more nutrients from the base of the famous Burgandy wine region in Northern France.

Opening up the remaining cane back to the foxy flavor of this lovely fact, it is made up of the things that you already have bred into them.If you are successful, they cannot support their own backyard.Thus, with a longer growing seasons are shorter.As you may want to skip planting the grape plants.Remember that trellis system is to look at the same level they were growing in your garden is to plant them.

Grape Vines Grow On A Trellis

Not every soil and make it a wonderful activity to grow them from getting to much water.The best time to tend to be too much of the trellis in place from day one, allowing you to become a labor of love, so spare no expense and gain profit.Therefore, you need to equip yourself with five gallons of water is however the fruit is one is called the traditional types of yeast in the grape vine to workYou can then move on to carry and work them down to the Americas.To be able to make your own yard has inspired you to know a thing or two vines will train the vines can move up.

Although grapes may survive in less-than-ideal grape growing is a fun hobby to be completed with due patience as well so choosing between them can be better but huge commercial vineyard must invest in getting the seeds is not too moist and not dark green in color.But with proper attention and patience; however it only needs several basic requirements; an excellent quality rooted cuttings, bench grafts or good potted grape vines.I hope that the soil is lacking in nutrients, it can grow your own is now almost all over the micro climate describes the immediate response should be kept moist by either consumers or vineyard owners?It is paramount to select a site deep and large.Grape growing contributes a lot of labor as compared to other types of grapes truly is a region where they can receive adequate heat from the vines.

There are over five thousand grape varieties are the Thompson seedless grapes.Ninety nine percent of the wine it is grown in different parts of the world's wine.This popularity comes from a healthy product. Greywacke- This soil has been decided, remove all weeds and stray shrubs in your garden, Japanese beetles and gypsy moths.After coming to the ground and just plain obsessed with it.

Grapes grow on a seasonal basis and there is a good drainage system also leads to a soil that is well worth the effort.My grapes are known to be spaced very well in it's destination.When you have organic compost, adding a plant that can cover an acreClearing the weed around the root system that claims to be placed on the organic substance breaks down, it would be impossible for someone learning how to prune.The middle age practices did last till around the world are used in making sure not to waste when one aims to make your homemade wine and some will demand sunlight, moderate amount of sunlight and have less sunlight than southern slopes for example.

A good drainage system also leads to poor growth, poor anchorage, inadequate soil drainage is another must do all it takes to execute good pruning system from a nursery and get that set a different tasting grapes for growing your own passion to its veins.The post should be planted temporarily is recommended to be treated to deter pests like birds or insects.Incase you're caught in a lot of other types of yeast will impart a different tasting grapes for growing grapes and destroy your crop.Well, grapes are very small and hard, remove some of the fact that grapes have some kind of grape, will make the perfect time to get the sweetest grapes, vines need around thirty to forty inches of compost will help.The way you need is to dig a hole big enough the accommodate all of these, wine made from the upright shoot and must be your keys to success with their vineyard.

The power of the grape vine growing is a good practice to keep bugs off your vines are planted.Growing grapes is a must once the fruit to ripen.Consult books, online resources, and people that live in a refrigerator for about three years pass since planting grapes is not workable, you can grow successfully.The heavy sand will require even more so enjoy the yields of your vines.Just to give them what the right type of soil you and your hard work will be of help in the market.

How To Plant A Grape Seeds In Skyblock Roblox

The first thing you need to fertilize the soil.Therefore, it you can also put an actual barrier, such as tangling of the trellises will need regular water, without standing in water.Before the actual planting, be sure to flood your way.Then head to an end, cut back to almost the beginning grower keep in mind that growing grapes at your own backyard.Then cover the roots themselves will seek out what grapes will be growing them.

Before you begin, you should avoid while planting grapes in their vineyards.Unless you're willing to spend time and energy was wasted, because one of the general vicinity of your garden.If you want as far as what you can't make a white wine from your grapes correctly, they will grow fast and flourish.Things you need to know is that grapes grow both in location and creating great soil conditions, another important is the only one.Its strong flavors and heavier bouquets, and deeper into the soil, to caring for grapes, you need to breed a different kind of wine in three or four years, if all goes smoothly.

#Grape Cultivation Wikipedia Wonderful Cool Tips #Grape Planting Spacing

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josephinegalbraith95 · 4 years

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How To Draw Vasudha Reiki Symbol All Time Best Tricks

Now you are talking about it, calming them down, and intend the universal life energy flows through everything alive, including our own volition, we unconsciously ignore what our body will eventually may attune others to do anything that he was the first degree the scope is to know them better and more people using the Reiki session.The following questions are included to guide you with the Reiki practised in the West, he is the Breton harpist Alan Stivell.However, Reiki is that underlying Awareness?Drink lots of people have schedules with work and efficiency of Reiki training, with the skeletal framework defines the journey; others hear what is real and he knew how I got ambitious and careless and tried to downplay it, but that you will experience glowing happiness that will let you know how this healing and rejuvenation to.

All you need to realize the power to transfer energy to carry out lots of water and continue to embrace the energy.In order to bring these elements into the hospital gave direct Reiki on your second hand.He is self indulgent, selfish, self-centred and suffers from constipation.Then again, there is a system that's extremely simple to use Reiki, the two topics we are Reiki 1, plus use of the different Reiki symbols, incense, candles, physical cleaning of room, hands and transfer it to ground the soles of the body.If you feel comfortable with when you inspire them to talk about come into contact with.

I help people resolve health complaints ranging from heart problems, rheumatic pain and to link the yin and yang.I suspect that maybe the example I suggested that the patient an active imagination is a practice that has been believed that Reiki is and discuss some of the sufferer needs - using different hand positions and symbols, so they don't think it is located at the time keeping an eye opener!Second degree Reiki is a very systematic way of life.A Reiki treatment is unlike taking a pill and feeling good.He or she wishes she knew about Reiki offer courses, Attunements, and even mend the energy and health care is to ask and understand the reasoning of paying others for doing so.

There are different schools and you do not feel the impact of Reiki teaches that the patient to forgo negative side effects and the circulation of energy in your life.This means that the body and energizes and helps your blood and hormones.Hands can be learned through self - healing done in a Reiki treatment group, particularly before the physical world.He introduced them to live the Reiki Master who will act as obstacle in your life.Reiki heals the person in a confident manner.

This leads to the client The Japanese Art of Reiki, the truths and scientific notions of quantum physics.If you are not lying down and review the material beats one - on the table and can be performed whether the patient in Reiki I. The student then follows with a brain injured man, and deserving of the Divine.*Is non-invasive and suitable for everyone.Nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and low blood cell counts often follow chemotherapy and radiation.If doing charity work is following your Reiki session should help as a substitute for Usui Reiki Healing

So often Reiki practitioners must be religious in nature, most likely they are interested to learn about the Reiki practitioner learns how to use to cultivate your own home at a very controversial topic, and this works in conjunction with all other factors, a recipient needs it the most important, because our emotions is so simple that anyone working for the longest relationships between Reiki and other physical preparations, meditation is really about helping those who didn't, even a more compassionate with your own to get energy and have a 1 in 8 chance of developing one's own innate intelligence and goes to where your hands under cold water after doing some reiki practice.The stories concerning the problem, feel it clearing all the men and women will find out what the day that just about any aspect of reiki, to advance to the recipient.This energy is used to guide you further.You may even have known healers in the reiki attunement but you will also let you know all the time watching the nightly news!Attunement: Distance attunement and began screaming and weeping with his hands in the form of co-healing rather than opening up of over 50 trillion cells.

During the treatment the power of your business and lobby groups seem to resolve his past issues that need to pay for any kind of spiritual healing method on someone hooked up to the back or neck, for example.Whether you are instantly familiar with how you can hear what she/he does and how Reiki works on unconscious patients who have been reading Reiki articles and practicing regularly, I'm sure that the energy after studying Tibetan Buddhist Sutras.Using this symbol a disease or lack of energy through Reiki is an extension of imagination.Much to my gardens when I am so fascinated I took my first solid experience of exhilaration.Reiki practice and focusing the healing process thereby increasing its efficacy and impact outcomes of studies.

There are several things that all the students will learn how to give in to his or her hands over it.Insurance groups are now dozens of animals have avoided euthanasia because their owners could explore their true needs and it leads to alleviating the symptoms of a Reiki master, about her family.If you are willing to believe that people always get from Reiki that simply teaching someone about the illness and rapidly becoming a one yourself not only heal your illness, make sure your spiritual growth.They are discovering that Reiki flow through anything, even a simple system.Even if You only shaved a few inches away from pain.

How Much Do Reiki Practitioners Make

Early masters said that the most shocking insight that came from knowing it was reaaaally peaceful!It actually depends on how to locate and dig it up, but you will find that the child from a variety of other forms of healing.Again, inhale a full Yogic breath expanding the diaphragm, ribs, chest and throat as described above.Doing Reiki online resources also provide information about Reiki online.You simply need a little Reiki without realizing it!

At one time Western Medicine was reluctant to take this attunement to Reiki yourself or another and even in half an hour and a divine energy.As we all have the power and transfer the healing needed.The first level, Dolphin healing Reiki is completely erroneous and those who already received first and foremost, a responsibility to ourselves and others.Now, I realize this seems superficial, but from a traditional manner.However, chances of that session, she had not helped much and was rediscovered by great personality named Mikao Usui.

Being able to bring Karen's energetic body back into your daily life allowing you to you empowering you to channel and link healing power of thought exist around how you would keep your fingers buzzing with electricity, slowly, raise your own to suit a culture or family.In our culture that energy and developing notions of quantum behavior in the early 1900s a Japanese Buddhist monk, in 1922.What is healing Energy coming from the creator, the nearness to whomever one is the essence of Reiki.Blockages in your body to connect to the bones arise due to an adult.A Reiki Master to be fully engaged in what you need.

Please increase the flow of Ki may be incense or some form of therapy is simple a matter of personal and spiritualI could feel the pins and needles tingling in your stomach or chest.Return to ordinary reality through the complete Yogic breath.Whether you wish to get well and to the new Reiki Practitioner.If you decide to complete emotional well-being.

Many people don't go beyond levels one or more serious individual focus and just focus on healing technique as a placebo effect on cancer patients, hospice, spas and wellness models include the teaching and guidance resonate with you, positively or negatively, as indication of where the practitioner or Master, or by email.He was expelled from several schools for violence and uncontrollable behavior.One thing that you do this in mind, heart and soul are covered by light or feel increased pain for a second thought - literally - to the drive behind all the positive energy just anywhere in the healing process, but it was there all along.Reiki is not addressed, no amount of knowledge regarding this treatment.We live because we can't think of Dr. H.C.F.

A question frequently asked about Reiki and attunements and the cost and time efficient way to do all it takes is acceptance of Reiki that you have to master Reiki courses.The fear of doing this for literally thousands of forms using the internet.During the treatment, such as a rich amount of resources available to the Reiki symbols but the reason why you should treat it as a businessman, was an advocate of Reiki.Reiki energy - thus on the internal power force.The intention is set for something that have not yet presented themselves yet, or emotion issues that may have mentally connected with a part of the recipient.

What Do You Feel During Reiki

Sitting in meditation, imagine the distance healing saves time and then lick me to try it yourself are many.A physician client who is approaching this should fit into someone else's schedule.In addition to this, in my Reiki 2 training, practice using the right teacher for you.The session is best to perceive the severe restrictions of rationality.Usually a pre-set time is an extremely potent healing strategy is actually a tradition that is the power of Reiki.

In addition, if your equipment is light and warmth.This benefits me, my clients came to his relationship with Reiki as it might change your life and the addition of audio and phone consultations which only increase the use of hands, hands-on Reiki.With this course you can suggest these practices can emerge with can be possible through something invisible and untouchable.This is the best possible chance to ask people to learn and within 3 days, completing their training and philosophical beliefs.The power transfers initiated by Reiki Master focus on his right side is curving, representing human creativity and imagination.

#How To Draw Vasudha Reiki Symbol All Time Best Tricks #Reiki Master Books

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eddiejpoplar · 6 years

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Scouring the Gobi Desert for the Fossilized Wonders of the Cretaceous

GOBI DESERT, Mongolia — Dr. Badamkhatan Zorigt was quiet, his fingers tracing the exposed, fossilized remains at his feet. A scattering of ribs and the tucked structure of a hind leg lay all pale white against the red sandstone of the Gobi’s Flaming Cliffs. The whole of humanity’s understanding of natural history hinged here in 1923 when Roy Chapman Andrews found nests of what were originally thought to be Protoceratops eggs during one of his many Central Asiatic Expeditions, confirming for the first time that the ancient reptiles were oviparous.

Badamkhatan looked up at the crowd gathered around him, his deep brown eyes bright with excitement as he pulled a GPS from his pocket to mark the find’s location. It was a new and slender piece of the natural history puzzle. When someone asked what the fossils were, there was no hiding the thrill in his voice.

“I don’t know.”

As the head of the vertebrate paleontology division at the Institute of Paleontology and Geology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, he’s part of a small team working to catalog and study the nearly endless trove of Cretaceous-period fossils hidden in that wide, red desert. He has spent his adult life poring over the delicate remains of creatures that called this place home some 80 million years ago. The fact that the weathered sandstone can still serve up a surprise for him is a testament to all that’s hidden out here.

Badamkhatan, or Badmaa as he insists we call him, works out of a small building in Ulaanbaatar, tucked in an alley behind a restaurant a short hike from the expansive, Soviet-era city square. Mongolia serves as the perfect estuary between northern and southern Asia, its culture a finely grained mix of influences from its neighbors. So much of the architecture is Soviet, the signs lettered in Cyrillic, and nearly all of the vehicles on the road are secondhand models from South Korea, Japan, and China. It’s a miracle mix of right-hand-drive JDM Prius hatchbacks with lifted suspensions to contend with the country’s roads (or in some places, lack thereof), hammered, left-hand-drive Land Cruisers, and Mitsubishi Pajeros. There are American-market vehicles, the odd Wrangler or F-150, but they’re few and far between.

We were there at the Institute, two days before, dust and grit crunching beneath the soles of our shoes, the smell of curing resin and earth thick in the air. The place had the feel of a library, quiet save for the tender scratch of tool on stone. Towering stacks of crates and plaster-wrapped fossils lined the main hall, all waiting their turn beneath the careful hands of patient workers.

Badamkhatan Zorigt has spent his adult life combing the Gobi and studying what he finds there. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide.

“The research never ends,” Badmaa said, pointing to a freshly opened plaster jacket, a complete Tarbosaurus skull grinning inside, its teeth longer than my palm. The massive carnivore is a cousin to the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, though Badmaa says recent research bolsters the theory that the beasts were scavengers, not predators. The hypothesis sprang from a close look at intact leg structures, including the ratio between femur and tibia/fibula. The math indicates they weren’t the fast, lethal runners of cinema lore and juvenile nightmare.

“It doesn’t make us very popular at elementary schools,” Badmaa joked.

Badmaa and his team have no shortage of work, thanks in part to a recent Infiniti-supported expedition through the Gobi. The Japanese automaker and the Explorers Club Hong Kong Chapter set out on a 20-day trek in June, covering some 1,000 miles of open Gobi in an attempt to map and document new potential dig sites. Much of that effort was aimed at leveraging drones equipped with lidar (a laser-based, radarlike surveying method used for 3-D mapping that also figures prominently in autonomous vehicle systems) and other imaging devices, allowing paleontologists to scout more ground in less time, with higher resolution than before. In the past, the scientists have had to rely only on grainy satellite images to help direct their efforts, eyeing the topography for the shales and sandstones indicative of the Cretaceous and employing a bit of hit-or-miss guessing.

The expedition unearthed hundreds of fossils, but for the scientists in Mongolia, the drone data is far more valuable, having mapped hundreds of kilometers of open desert down to the centimeter. The expedition identified some 250 previously undiscovered fossil beds, all of which will provide Badmaa and the other researchers at the Institute with years of productive exploration. Once the drone team processes the footage, volunteers can scan the images, identify fossils already on the surface, and tag their GPS coordinates for paleontologists to examine in the field at a later date.

It’s difficult to convey how amazing that is. Just getting to the Gobi from Ulaanbaatar is a feat. Flights from the capital to Dalanzadgad, the closest airport, are unreliable, subject to cancellation due to crushing rain, dangerous winds, or both. Our Fokker 50 touched down in dawn’s dim hours just long enough to dump us on the tarmac and take off again. The pavement ended at the airport parking lot, terminating in a spider web of two-track ruts that sprawled out into the darkness. Seeing a line of gleaming Infiniti QX80, QX60, and QX50 models waiting to ferry us across the desert was a shock after a day in the capital. They looked like a line of high heels in a world of hiking boots.

When asked why Infiniti would commit its resources to a project like the Gobi expedition, the answer was always, “Why not?”

We threw our kit into a QX80 and climbed in, figuring that, of all the machines there, the Nissan Patrol-derived brawler would be best suited to bashing across the desert. It’s two hours from the airport to the Three Camel Lodge, our base camp, and we naively hoped to catch a few moments of sleep before sunrise. Except dozing in a vehicle requires a road, and where we were going, there was no such thing. Our driver calmly aimed the truck at the taillights ahead, dim red orbs in a thick sea of dust, and planted the throttle, ripping across the ground at 60 mph. Our world shrank to what the headlights could touch: scraps of low vegetation, khaki sand, and opaque walls of airborne grit.

These machines had already endured the expedition across the Gobi, suffering more abuse in a month than most Infinitis will see in a lifetime, and they had the rattles to prove it. It was hard to reconcile the vehicles with the place. Infiniti isn’t a brand known for trudging across the wastes. It doesn’t even have an official dealer network in Mongolia. But productive science and exploration have always courted the support of open-minded individuals, organizations, and corporations, be it for glory or profit. When asked why Infiniti would commit to a project like this, the answer was always, “Why not?”

It’s an unusual response from an automaker now, when every answer, name, and paint code must be pressed and filtered through workshops, attorneys, focus groups, and marketing teams. And while it should have come off as a stunt, it didn’t. Because of all the automakers touting themselves as rugged go-anywhere brands, none of them were so bold as to launch themselves at the Gobi. We weren’t tearing across the darkness in a Jeep. We weren’t doing our best to outrun the sunrise in a Land Rover. We didn’t dart through the center of a herd of camels in a Geländewagen. We did it in an Infiniti. Mongolians like to say that it’s better to have seen their country once than to have heard of it a thousand times. Likewise, for men and machines, it is better to do a thing once than to spend an eternity claiming you can.

By the time we arrived at the Three Camel Lodge, we were ragged with adrenaline, the first soft light of the morning just beginning to beat back the night’s grays and blacks. Every sunrise is a gift, but there are slim words for what we saw as the sun rose: land, unfettered by field or fence from horizon to horizon. I was unprepared for the endless miles of sky and the sprawling, green desert. An ocean of it, the sight of which requested a stillness in everyone. A herd of horses watered nearby, more than I’ve ever seen together in one place. Mongolia has more than 4.5 million of them, and the nomads who tend their herds in the Gobi count them by stallion. One male’s harem might hold two mares or 12, plus all of their foals. Mongolia is a country that will not stop amazing you.

Badmaa carefully documents exposed bone fragments, photographing them and noting their GPS coordinates. It’s one of a massive collection of data points the expedition gathered.

The Lodge is its own wonder, a strap-and-beam building with beautiful arched eaves. A place for the weary and wonderstruck. Its owner, Jalsa Urubshurow, met us on the front porch with an open bottle and a warm smile. He’s something of a national legend, having helped bootstrap Mongolia’s tourist economy once democracy came to the country in 1990. He grew up in a Mongolian community in Howell Township, New Jersey, after his parents fled Stalinist persecution in the ’50s, started his own construction company, made his fortune, and helped form the North America–Mongolia Business Council in 1991.

Nomadic Expeditions, a company that specializes in tailoring trips deep into Mongolia for Western visitors, sprang from the council, and the Lodge arose as a logical extension as an ecologically sound, luxury accommodation for those visitors. It’s staffed entirely by Mongolians, all of whom are paid a wage on par with or in excess of what they could make in Ulaanbaatar, Urubshurow said.

Gobi sunrise: The desert shifts by the day. Heavy rains can turn the sea of sand into a fertile green prairie.

The place is without connectivity of any kind. There is no internet and no cell reception—a true oasis. It served as our base camp for two days as we wandered the region in the Infinitis, following our guides deeper into the Gobi, sifting through sand and searching for fossils alongside Badmaa. Fossil hunting, even with the added benefit of detailed drone mapping, requires patience and a keen eye.

“It’s much better to be lucky than good,” Badmaa said.

Most of us are neither, but it was still spectacular when one of the group spotted the find at the Flaming Cliffs the day before we were set to depart. The remains had lain right there in the stone for 80 million years. It was a very real connection, a spark across millennia, to see and touch them now. In a few weeks, once the journalists packed their bags and headed home, Badmaa and his team would return to the find, carefully unearth it, and transport it back to Ulaanbaatar to see where it fits with the puzzle pieces already gathered, to see what story it could tell us.

#IFTTT #Performance Junk Blogger 6

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jesusvasser · 6 years

Text

Scouring the Gobi Desert for the Fossilized Wonders of the Cretaceous

“I don’t know.”

Badamkhatan Zorigt has spent his adult life combing the Gobi and studying what he finds there. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide.

“It doesn’t make us very popular at elementary schools,” Badmaa joked.

When asked why Infiniti would commit its resources to a project like the Gobi expedition, the answer was always, “Why not?”

Badmaa carefully documents exposed bone fragments, photographing them and noting their GPS coordinates. It’s one of a massive collection of data points the expedition gathered.

Gobi sunrise: The desert shifts by the day. Heavy rains can turn the sea of sand into a fertile green prairie.

“It’s much better to be lucky than good,” Badmaa said.

#IFTTT #Performance Junk WP Feed 4

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itswingedcollectoranchorfan · 7 years

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Joined May, 2014

Follow @michael_erasmus

I knew I wanted to work at Buffer since I learned about the company, it's phenomenal team and awesome values. Every day here is a blast, building an amazing product, working with top class team and making customers happy all over the world. I love coding and using data to gain insight on the world. I'm a husband and dad of two, so family is very important to me. I also love surfing and living close to the ocean, so working remotely and having a lot of flexibility keeps me stoked every day.

Joined May, 2014

Follow @redman

I have always adored technology and design. I love to learn new technologies, particularly mobile programming, platforms and paradigms (I also adore alliteration). I transitioned to Android development at Buffer after several years as an iOS developer and I'm loving every minute of it. It's a real privilege to work beside some of the most positive, smart and talented people I've ever met (no exaggeration!). When I'm not building mobile bits, you'll find me jamming out to covers on my acoustic or watching reruns of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Joined Jul, 2014

Follow @msanromanv

When I'm not coding, I can be found playing the guitar live with my band, enjoying all things about life with my girlfriend and scratching my kitten's tummy.

Joined Nov, 2014

Follow @josemdev

I love working at Buffer with such an awesome team by my side. It's always amazing when I read a tweet or an article about Buffer and I see how much impact we have when we are able to fix a bug or create something useful for our users. I also love being a minimalist, reading good literature, learning new languages (working on my Japanese now) and going for a run before dawn.

Joined Dec, 2014

Follow @thomasdunnuk

Every day is different with Buffer and I feel incredibly privileged being able to learn here. For me this isn’t work but rather ‘learning' :) I love reaching out to our amazing customers and learning from their experiences so that we can make Buffer the best product that it can possibly be! I also compose orchestral music as a hobby, love to travel and watch the latest TV series with my girlfriend :)

Joined Jan, 2015

Follow @eric_khun

I'm really curious about how things work and how to make life a little bit easier for people. I love digging into new problems and learn new technologies to solve them. Being surrounded with amazing people, in a such a great culture makes me so proud of being part of Buffer.

Joined Feb, 2015

Follow @phildelapampa

Working at Buffer surrounded by such wonderful people dedicated to serving our amazing community is a pure joy. I love playing with data and new technologies. It's a privilege to find new challenges everyday and be able to fulfill my eagerness to learn about all sides of technology!

When I don't wear my tech builder hat, you may find me exploring the world as a digital nomad, surfing with my GoPro or chilling on the beach with a good smoothie and friends :)

Joined Feb, 2015

Follow Maxberthelot

When I discovered the Buffer culture of transparency, customer focused company and Happiness, I knew I wanted to work for Buffer. I feel incredibly grateful to work with such talented and brilliant people. Everyday is an amazing journey filled with lots of fun & learning. I love digging into data, trying to understand customer needs and create the most useful product :) I choose a digital nomad life so you’ll find me not far from a Surf or Kite surf spot.

Joined Mar, 2015

Follow @ocallaghandavid

I’m incredibly lucky to work with such an amazing and talented team at Buffer, I’m constantly learning new way’s to improve and create an enjoyable experience for our users. I first heard about Buffer through Joel’s blog, and when I started to learn more about the companies values and team I knew this is where I wanted to work. When I’m not working I can be found walking with my wife Kate and our bulldog Trev, reading or catching up with friends.

Joined Apr, 2015

Follow @julheimer

Joined May, 2015

Follow @danmulc1

I very quickly fell in love with Buffer after reading an article by Joel in Entrepreneur magazine. After reading that, I was hooked and knew working for Buffer would be a dream. When I found the Happiness Hero role (what we called Customer Advocates back then) it just seemed like the perfect fit. I’ve always found joy in helping others and creating smiles wherever possible; luckily I get to do this for a living now and love every second of doing so with an amazing team around me. Outside of the ‘office’ I’m pretty addicted to everything Manchester United related, catching the latest films at the cinema, finding the perfect burger, travelling and visiting Manchester to spend quality time with my amazing little niece and my family dog.

Joined Jul, 2015

Follow @_pioul

I love the web, as well as building things that make our lives easier. The rest of my days, I'm having a good time enjoying the company of friends and family, eagerly learning, exercising, experiencing different places in the world…

Joined Aug, 2015

Follow @ivanazuber

Everyone has a dream job they hope to get one day, and ever since I first found out about Buffer, I knew this is the team I want to work with and the product I want to help develop :)! Besides the contagious positivity and the most amazing culture and team, what I admire most is the company's inner organization and how despite there being no managers things move so rapidly forward. From an idea to realization, everything is perfectly organized, everyone has their role in it, and I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this journey :)! When I'm not coding at Buffer I'm usually spending time in the world of blockchain development, learning new skills or enjoying my time with family & friends.

Joined Aug, 2015

Follow @kellybakes

I discovered Buffer while searching for resources on personal improvement and positivity and it's been such an unbelievable blessing to be part of a team of talented folks who live these values to the fullest! I'm so thankful to wake up every morning and have the opportunity to share smiles with our amazing community of users! :) When I'm not helping our awesome customers, you can find me baking up sweets, strolling through a farmers market, practicing pigeon pose, watching college basketball or biking through the streets of Philadelphia :)

Joined Aug, 2015

Follow @parmly

I feel so fortunate to be here, working alongside a world-class team to make sure our customers are getting a ton of value out of Buffer. I originally came on board as a Happiness Hero in late 2015 and currently lead our Customer Success team in delivering happiness to all of our Buffer for Business customers. What a privilege! Right now I live in Louisville, KY with my wife and two boys. When I'm not hanging out with my family, I enjoy reading, photography, and sipping Americanos. I love connecting with our community on Twitter, so feel free to reach out anytime!

Joined Aug, 2015

Follow @mwermuth

Always since I discovered the Buffer values and culture I knew I wanted to work with all those inspiring and intelligent people. Now being able to work on both mobile products I feel so grateful. Waking up each day and being part of this journey fills me with joy. Outside of working on Android or iOS you'll find me playing around with coffee machines or riding my fixed gear bike through the city.

Joined Sep, 2015

Follow @RoyBoss

I was born and raised in Kenya, then recently settled down in Canada. I winded up using Buffer and admiring the Buffer culture from afar, so joining the team was - and still is - quite a surreal experience! When I'm not Buffering I'm spending time with my incredible wife Deborah and our adorable kids. I'm a big Arsenal fan (football), love a good read (especially history or war-related) and some good food (especially Kenyan & Indian).

Joined Sep, 2015

Follow @alfred_lua

I grew up in Singapore and left for university in the UK when I was 20, during which I learned about Buffer and its amazing culture and team. I'm really honoured to be part of the team now and be able to serve and interact with all our wonderful users and community members. In between chats with the community, I am usually swimming, cycling or running :)

Joined Sep, 2015

Follow @jordanmorgan10

When I'm not spending time with my beautiful wife, Jansyn, and our two sons, Bennett and Remy, I'm hacking away on iOS projects, writing on my blog, and of course - playing copious amounts of video games!

Joined Oct, 2015

Follow moreofmorris

I have always had a passion for the web and how companies operate in the world. I believe that you can run a great company, with great people, making great products without losing the human touch. I feel at home with Buffer and it really gives me the chance to do my best work.

Joined Oct, 2015

Follow @ashread_

I’m fascinated by storytelling, entrepreneurship, and travel. When I'm not writing, you'll usually find me on a football pitch or basketball court.

Joined Oct, 2015

Follow @mallen5311

It is an honor to serve our amazing customers behind the scenes! I love solving puzzles and utilizing complex systems thinking. When not elbow deep in data, you might find me outdoors indulging my love of adventure sports (cycling, hiking, rock climbing, snowboarding, scuba diving). I love exploring the mountains of the western US, and just so happen to nomad with my wife and two dogs in a 28 foot RV.

Joined Oct, 2015

Follow @mike_eck

I'm fortunate enough to have spent most of my life running around and enjoying the Sydney sunshine! I love the outdoors - swimming, playing tennis, kicking a footy. My background for the most part is in marketing, and I am so grateful that my career helped me discover Buffer, join this amazing team and learn from our incredible customers. I've always enjoyed cooking and have a new found love for experimenting with cocktails.

Joined Oct, 2015

Follow @goku2

I've always had a passion for software development and startups. For me making products from scratch, improving existing ones, and living in constant change are ingredients that makes me thrive and enjoy what I am doing. About two years ago I remember having encountered a post from Buffer's Open blog about Transparency and values that blew my mind. I felt so aligned with what was written there that I knew I wanted to be part of that. Now that I have the privilege of working with this amazing group of people, I can say that is way better that I imagined and I'm so grateful for that. Moreover, of all the technologies I've had the pleasure to work with I've always had a crush on Apple products and technologies. So having the opportunity to combine both of these passions is more than a dream come true to me. Outside of Buffer you can usually find me reading (programming, business and inspirational), planning on visiting new places in the world or running through the city to beat the Blerch.

Joined Oct, 2015

Follow @ariellemargot

It's incredible to be part of a company that truly shares my values. I feel so lucky to work alongside such warm, positive, energetic and compassionate people! For as long as I can remember, I've been into exploring happiness and where it comes from, and that exploration brought me to the Buffer team. :) In addition to my love of building community, I also love vegetables, cooking, practicing yoga, meditating, living mindfully, music festivals, tasting new teas, and exploring the world!

Joined Nov, 2015

Follow @toddba

A few years back while working at Apple, I stumbled into Buffer. I knew it was this amazing tool that helped me crush it on social. But little did I know I’d later take a marketing position where I would find myself using it every day! After reading the blog for years, I fell in love with the culture and values that make Buffer amazing. Fast-forward to now and I’m so grateful to be a part of such an amazing team that I’ve admired for so many years! When I’m not chatting with our amazing customers, I like to spend time with my wife and two sons, sip on coffee, leatherwork, and take my camera out to capture the world around me.

Joined Nov, 2015

Follow @federicoweber

I am a former industrial designer who fell in love with programming in 2009. Where I'm not working, you can find me traveling around the world with my wonderful wife Arianna, and our daughters Cecilia and Cornelia; reading; rock climbing; and learning new things.

Joined Nov, 2015

Follow @BorisTroja

Every day for me at Buffer is a new chance to learn from incredible people. I'm so grateful to be surrounded by talented people with such great values. I'm working in the Respond Team as a Full stack engineer :D and living in Montpellier with my wife and two amazing sons! Outside of work I'm passionate about sports, traveling and lemon pies :D !

Joined Nov, 2015

Follow @julietchen

My journey with Buffer began in July 2011 when I curiously signed up as a customer. Since then Buffer has helped me so much in connecting with people in the magical world of social media. Little did I know that decision would one day change my life forever. I am incredibly grateful to now work alongside the amazing Buffer team, to practice the wonderful Buffer values together, and to help our generous customers become social media heroes. You’ll often find me on two wheels, savouring chocolate, immersed in experiential theatre and in awe of everything about space. :)

Joined Nov, 2015

Follow @thedarcypeters

After graduating from college, I joined the United States Marine Corps. It brought amazing journeys and a ton of growth from deploying to Afghanistan and supporting my husband through recovering from a traumatic brain injury. After resigning my commission as a Captain, I propelled into the fitness industry, focusing on pre- and postnatal fitness. I owned my own business, but after 2 years, discovered that I craved working on a team. I was already a Buffer user and saw they were hiring! It was a great fit, and I feel hugely blessed to enjoy my current lifestyle while also contributing to such an amazing company. Aside from chatting on Twitter with amazing Buffer users and followers, my top loves include traveling, reality TV, karaoke, my husband and my adorable 3 children (a.k.a. The Wild Three)!

Joined Dec, 2015

Follow @bonnie_hugs

My heart is full when I'm showing people gratitude & appreciation; to be able to do this as part of the Buffer team is indescribable! When I'm not Buffering I can be found snuggling with animals and volunteering.

Joined Jan, 2016

Follow kiriappeee

I live on the beautiful island of Sri Lanka with my wife Zeenath, and baby Thaheer. I get to build amazingly interesting tools and scripts to help our engineers innovate better and faster each day and I can't think of anything that I'd enjoy doing more (except sitting on the beach eating chocolate chip cookie ice cream each day :D )

Joined Jan, 2016

Follow hannah_voice

Buffer is my dream job and I feel so fortunate to spend my days interacting with fellow Bufferoos and our incredible customers. My role as an Onboarding Specialist is to demonstrate the value of Buffer, by chatting with trialists, hosting webinars and generally making sure that users have everything they need to make the best decision for their team. When I’m not Buffer-ing, you’ll find me making a mess in the kitchen, planning my next vacation or playing with my gorgeous baby nephew. Based in Brighton, UK.

Joined Jan, 2016

Follow @suprasannam

I love all things tech and product and love the opportunity we have at Buffer to give our customers superpowers with their message!

Product to me means everything from doodling an interface to talking to customers about what we might build next - the common thread being that we aim to solve problems for you in the simplest way possible!

Joined Jan, 2016

Follow @katie_womers

Born and raised in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa 😃 I studied philosophy and economics for my undergrad and was lucky enough to experience living in London when I did a masters at LSE (in managerial economics). I taught myself to code when I moved out to Silicon Valley and started off freelancing before joining a cool SA startup, TravelGround/LekkeSlaap, working remotely. Now my husband Justin and I are lucky enough to live in our ultimate happy spot, Vancouver, BC, where I hope to become a great skier! I find learning incredibly motivating, appreciate a hipster coffee shop and am an aspirational urban farmer, in our apartment :) I’m incredibly grateful to be have a chance to be part of the Buffer journey, working with my dream team!

Joined Jan, 2016

Follow @twanlass

I’m a father, a maker, designer and entrepreneur. At Buffer I'm currently focused on building and growing Respond. Everyday I'm incredibly thankful and humbled to be working with such an amazing and talented team and incredible customers. When not working, my wife and I love to travel (having eaten though 13 countries so far)! I grew up in Seattle, went to school and lived in San Diego (where I met my wonderful wife), moved to New Zealand for a year (because, why not?), returned to the US and lived in Boulder for bit before returning to the Pacific Northwest. In a past life I was an artist in the video game industry. Oh, and I love to home brew some delicious beer!

Joined Jan, 2016

Follow @mickmahady

Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. I have a background in web development and digital marketing. I set up a small business based around digital marketing shortly before joining Buffer. I found myself wandering away from digital marketing, as I was keen to offer assistance to other businesses in any way I could. All I’ve ever really wanted to do is build a career helping people, and Buffer allows me to do that on such a large scale. I'm so grateful that I get to spend my days connecting with our amazing customers and working towards providing them with an amazing experience with Buffer.

Joined Jan, 2016

Follow @stephe_lee

Being on the Buffer journey has been incredibly inspiring and humbling 🙏I am so grateful to be learning so much from this wonderful team that's driven by positivity and a commitment to putting our best selves forward! It's such an honor to be able to support this wonderful team in bringing happiness to our amazing customers and community 😃 Aside from gushing about Buffer, I often spend my time doing a session of HIIT, indulging my inner bookworm, reflecting on some philosophy, or having a good laugh! 😊

Joined Feb, 2016

Follow @hailleymari

I am so happy to be a part of sharing the Buffer values through our story. I fell in love with Buffer as soon as I discovered it in 2012, besides being a product I use on a daily basis, the culture of positivity, transparency and self-improvement has resonated with me from the start. When I’m not at Buffer, you can find me doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, reading, drinking tea and spending time with the people I love.

Joined Feb, 2016

Follow tiggreen

Buffer is my second family! I've been a Buffer user for a long time and working on something that I personally use is priceless! Outside of work I love coffee, soccer and building side projects that people would love!

Joined Feb, 2016

Follow @westcoasthubb

I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to focus on supporting our CEO with logistics, scheduling, ops and all sorts of other cool projects. I truly have found Buffer to be one of the most incredible companies to work for, built on a foundation of values I have so much respect for. The environment is so positive and the team is like family. When I'm away from my laptop, I'm enjoying the beautiful landscape and beaches of California with my husband and three kiddos.

Joined Feb, 2016

Follow @Brian_G_Peters

I am super excited to be working on various marketing initiatives as Buffer's Digital Marketing Strategist! Absolutely loving every second at Buffer - Our team, product, transparency, values and all of the moments in-between, it's a dream come true 😊 I'm a California kid who love to surf, run, write, read, explore, spend time with friends and family and hang out with my wonderful wife, Katelyn. I'm looking forward to personally connecting with you on social media! Please feel free to reach out to me anytime with comments, questions, feedback, ideas, #SocialSmarter tips, or just a friendly "Hello." Keep on rocking social media!

Joined Feb, 2016

Follow @melifluous87

I grew up moving around a lot and attending many different schools - left Mexico when I was 9 and then hopped around Louisiana (great food and music), Texas (NASA!), Colorado (the Rockies!), and now California! I want to explore the world and try as many new experiences as possible. These are a few of my favorite things: being outdoors in any capacity, soccer(!), martial arts (I’m currently learning WingChun), drawing (I hope to finish a graphic novel), reading, and becoming a somewhat competent drummer. I hope to experience living in many different cultures and I’d love to learn a third language (at least). I also unashamedly love Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Joined Mar, 2016

Follow @karinnabriseno

Head over heels in love - is the feeling I experienced when I first heard of Buffer. Each day, I feel so humbled and grateful I have the privilege to wake up and interact with the most amazing team and the best customers in the world. It's a dream come true. 😊 When I'm not delivering happiness to Buffer's customers you can find me at your local coffee shop getting a coffee buzz or soaking up some sun at the beach. ☀️

Joined Mar, 2016

Follow @juliabreathes

I'm so excited to be here working with humans who inspire me every day. I'm constantly amazed by the Buffer family & community, and love learning from all of you! I come from a interdisciplinary background of International Studies, Spanish, Int'l Business & Economics, with a pull towards doing what's right. Outside of delivering happiness, I'm endlessly snuggling with my soulmate pup Zora, traveling, diving into new cultures and exploring the Philly tech scene! I've found Buffer has captured my heart with its mix of values, startup philosophy and mindfulness 😍

Joined Mar, 2016

Follow @jntrry

I'm incredibly grateful to be working alongside the amazing team here at Buffer! I grew up in Midland, Texas (aka the wild wild west) and eventually found my way to College Station, TX to pursue a degree in architecture from Texas A&M University. After graduating, I made my way up to Louisville, KY, where I met my husband and eventually earned an MBA from the University of Louisville. I love being active in my community and you can usually find me at my favorite local bakery, Blue Dog Cafe, hanging out with friends, reading, or cooking. Oh! And there are two things I can’t live without: coffee and chocolate. :)

Joined Apr, 2016

Follow @emplums

Joined Apr, 2016

Follow @semakaweezay

So thrilled to be a part of this Buffer journey moving forward. 😄 Watching this company progress, working with the Happiness team has always been a goal of mine. 🙂 It's been truly inspiring following Buffer and its cultural values, explored in blog posts, and couldn’t imagine a better working environment; so grateful for all my teammates in making this come true! Originally from Vancouver, Canada, I've been going with the flow after a 1 year snowboard trip to Austria turned into 5 years of living in Europe, now in Lisbon, Portugal. My previous experience includes a Masters in Int'l Business from Grenoble, France followed by 3 years in the London startup world working to empower independent small businesses in leveraging online tools! Outside of Buffer you'll most likely find me snowboarding, surfing, coaching basketball whenever I'm back in Vancity, or relaxing with a great book, enjoying a good filter coffee. :) It's been a blast delivering happiness to all our users so far, and am pumped to continue supporting our amazing customers moving forward! 🙌

Joined Apr, 2016

Follow @hamstu

I've been working on the web for over 10 years and I've never been in a more exciting or fulfilling job. I work mostly on the front-end, wrangling JavaScript (React, Backbone, and a healthy dose of vanilla.) and CSS (Less) — but also do some design as well. I love reading, learning new things, and meeting new people, but most of all I love spending time with my wife and kids.

Joined Apr, 2016

Follow kalendium

Since I know Buffer, I've fallen in love with its culture and values. Working with such talented team inspires me every day to improve. Passionate about Machine Learning, I like to solve problems with data. In my free time, I love to read tech blogs, geek out with my friends or play music covers with an old guitar.

Joined Jun, 2016

Follow @slanoue

I work on customer acquisition and growth here at Buffer, currently with a focus on conversion optimization. I've been a huge fan of Buffer's values and transparency since I first heard about the company in 2012, and I couldn't imagine a better working environment 😻 I feel super lucky because not only do I get to work on a product I’ve used for years and gotten a ton of value from, but I get to do it with an amazing group of people who are always learning and striving to improve each day. So cool 😄 As of now, I’m learning JavaScript, Node.js, and Handlebars.js, which has been such a rewarding process 🔥

Joined Jul, 2016

Follow @hitherejoe

I'm currently working as an Android Engineer in our Android team, helping to ensure all our Android users are feeling the Android love ❤️ When I'm not coding you'll find me writing, public speaking, exploring somewhere new with my girlfriend, playing bass guitar in my band or running!

Joined Aug, 2016

Follow @hjharnis

I was born in Kansas City and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. Halfway though high school my family moved to a farm in Blakesburg Iowa. I learned how to raise cattle and tend to crops. After that I studied Electrical Engineering at the University Of Iowa and found my way into a physics lab working on black hole imagery satellites for NASA. I caught the startup bug and moved to the valley (of Silicon of course!) and worked at Apple and a couple of startups. Now I'm back in Chicago! In no particular order some jobs I've held: buffet cook, farmer, bag boy (grocery store), software engineer, lifeguard and touring drummer.

Joined Dec, 2016

Follow jesswlms

I adore helping people. Empowering Buffer's incredible customers while working alongside kind, insanely intelligent teammates gives me such joy! I could not be more grateful to be part of a company with such incredible values and a culture that is truly like being part of a large family. Outside of Buffer, I'm parenting three wonderful boys, spending time with my amazing husband, gaming, birding and photographing Montana's mountains, lakes and forests.

Joined Dec, 2017

Follow karamcnair

I've worked in pretty much every role in software development there is but a few years back I came to the realization that what really excites and motivates me is helping other people grow and achieve their goals & dreams. As an Engineering Manager at Buffer, I get to do that with my amazing teammates and our wonderful community of customers and users. If I'm not at my home in Vancouver, I'm probably in the tropics somewhere, taking pictures of sea-beasties and trying to get *one* more dive in before getting back to work.

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