#and part of their individual maintenance of identities even when they are both in different ways trapped and controlled by outside forces

[serpentface]

INTRO TO THE SOPHONTS

There are eight distinct sophont genuses and/or species in the known world of the blightseed setting. above are examples of each to show overall difference in anatomy and size.

note- terms like 'genus' 'species' 'subspecies' have no meaning in-universe, and do not necessarily have a role in the formation of cultural groups and identity.

Yotici

Yotici are large marine grazers. Their place on the tree of life is an offshoot of very early fish, all of whos modern representatives live in alternating generations, with a sessile asexual stage that resembles a plant, and a long-living reproductive phase (shown here).

The sessile phase appears in the form of 'gardens' that grow from a seabed where eggs were lain. The reproductive phase begins when tiny yotici (yotlings) develop and emerge en-masse. Yotici do not actively protect yotlings until they begin to speak, and many will die within their first year. (though they provide passive protection by allowing their yotlings to school around them, and through the shielded garden environment)

Their sessile young, however, are closely guarded. Yotici are ecosystem engineers that modify their environments to protect their gardens. They build enclosed and controllable environments with coral, rocks, mangroves, shipwrecks, etc, in shallow waters. They manipulate their environment via their 'tentacles' (actually highly modified genitalia, very dextrous and present regardless of sex).

They have likely domesticated more species than any other sophont, both as an unintentional byproduct of their ecosystem engineering and through intentional breeding. Their most important domestic animal is the garden shark, a species of bullhead kept to protect their sessile young from predation by invertebrates and other small animals.

They primarily eat sea grasses, certain corals, kelp, and occasionally shellfish, crustaceans, and other small animals. They require large, healthy expanses of seagrass to be sustained, and will readily kill or drive away competition. They also take an aggressive stance towards predation, generally being highly aggressive until predators recognize them as a threat leave them alone. This includes encroaching landdwellers- yotici territories utilized by land dwellers are often sites of conflict. Peaceful coexistence in the same waters requires the creation and maintenance of treaties and pacts, historically rare due to difficulties in interspecies communication.

They have aesthetic sensibilities, and may decorate themselves by allowing barnacle growth, or via scarification. 

Yotici exhibit no sexual dimorphism and near-ubiquitously do not construct gender. Their genitalia-arms no longer have a sexual function, and they reproduce via group spawning.

The most basic social unit of the yotici is the pod, related individuals who hatched in the same garden and maintain it throughout their lives.

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Human

Humans are upright bipedal apes. They are notable among midsized mammals for lacking protective fur, making them vulnerable to both sun exposure and the cold.

There is only one species of human, sole survivors of a once broad family of upright apes. Humans came into behavioral modernity as mobile plains dwelling hunter-gatherers- a highly efficient mode of living utilized to the present day. They are omnivores, capable of adapting to a wide variety of diets and thus a great variety of environments.

The first humans likely developed south of the now inhospitable equatorial Deadlands. Known contemporary populations exist mostly within the eastern and northern parts of the supercontinent.

Humans exhibit modest sexual dimorphism, less pronounced than other apes but with some unique display features such as permanent breasts and bright lips. They can reproduce year-round, and typically bear one child at a time. Childbirth is very dangerous, and many young and mothers die in the process. Their young are completely helpless, and may take over a year to even begin to walk.

The most common basic human social unit is composed of reproductive pairs and their families, though there is tremendous variety in how they form groups.

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Elowey:

Elowey are primates, most closely related to lemurs. They average around the same height as humans, but are heavier. They are capable of both bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion.

Two relatively distinct subspecies of elowey are known to survive, though with significant gene flow between the two. Southern elowey (pictured here) are larger on average with bigger guts and more exposed skin, and northern elowey are smaller, with denser fur and slight aquatic adaptations.

Elowey are omnivores, but better adapted towards plant eating. Southern elowey can subsist entirely on plants and digest much tougher plant material than humans with their large guts. Northern elowey rely more heavily on meat, especially during the winter months. The gene for lactase persistence is widely found in northern elowey and largely absent in southern populations.

Elowey have a strong sense of smell. They have two sets of scent glands, which at their most basic communicate territoriality and identity, but the social implications are far broader. 

They come from highly territorial ancestors, and most individuals become stressed and uncomfortable when living in dense populations with unrelated elowey. This discomfort is lessened towards members of other species, though they are still prone to social claustrophobia.

Elowey lack significant sexual dimorphism, with nonreproductive females being indistinguishable from males (aside from genitalia, which is brightly colored in males). Reproductive females go through a pronounced estrus, and hormones from pregnancy induce permanent bodily changes, mostly in the form of longer fur and greater muscle mass.

The most basic social unit of elowey is a reproductive pair, their young, and nonreproductive siblings/family. Typical families only have one reproductive pair at a time, and the presence of a reproductive female actually suppresses the fertility of other females. They give birth to 1-2 young at a time, which are helpless for a couple months until they begin to walk. 

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Caelin and Delkhin:

Caelin and Delkhin are two closely related drakes (pterosauroids of this setting), with locomotive forelimbs (wings) and manipulative hind limbs.

Both are obligate carnivores who supplement their diets only occasionally with plant matter, and as such large populations can only be supported by ecosystems with massive herds, or intensive animal agriculture. Both have ancestors who scavenged on the dead, with active hunting being a byproduct/driving factor of sapience.

Males develop large, colorful wattles, and all possess the ability to create booming songs with their gular sacks (though the calls of males average louder). Females are typically smaller than males in both species, and have dull coloration

The two are closely related enough to produce young, but their eggs are often inviable and the young are rarely fertile. In spite of this, there is frequent gene flow between the two and hybrids are relatively common.

The sex of offspring in both species is determined by incubation temperature, with profound societal implications- often sons are intentionally limited.

The pre-sophont ancestors of both reproduced in lek based mating systems, which remains an influence on modern social behavior. The basic social unit of both caelin and delkhin societies is the lek, typically one (sometimes more) breeding males, several females, and their offspring. 

Caelin:

Caelin are about the size of egrets, and capable of powered flight. Their ancestors followed herds of bison, aurox, horses, and khait to scavenge on the dead and dying, which developed into more active management and domestication.

There are a few subspecies of caelin, though most are indistinct from one another (aside from the very small polar caelin).

Caelin are the most widespread sophont of all, having settled anywhere in the world that could support them, though the areas with highest populations are the great steppes of the west. There are few populations historically existing in human-dominated areas, as they tend to compete for food resources.

They are capable of a unique mode of subsistence, scavenger nomadism. Scavenger-nomads fly from place to place seeking dead or dying animals as food sources.

Delkhin

Delkhin are flightless and significantly larger than caelin, standing between 3-5ft in height and weighing several times as much as their relatives. They possess a small horn jutting from the back of the skull, larger and colorful in males.

There are few populations of delkhin outside of Cynozepal and the western grasslands. Their reliance on meat and relatively large size keeps their populations at a low density with great difficulty adjusting to other regions.

Delkhin have notched beaks and strong necks that allow manipulation of larger and heavier objects, and their 'hands' are deft at handling smaller ones.

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Qilik

Qilik are roughly turkey sized protobirds. Their ancestors glided, but modern qilik have lost much of their gliding ability as their wings were re-repurposed for manipulation. Their hands have two mobile fingers and one mostly immobile claw.

Qilik would be considered a genus rather than species. There are several species + subspecies of qilik, with the most distinct species being the plains qilik (which are larger, with long thin tails and smaller wings) and the forest qilik (which are smaller, with fans on their tails, broader wings, and are better climbers). More isolated populations have more derived features, such as the small and nocturnal cave dwelling qilik of the deadlands. All are interfertile with significant gene flow between most.

Qilik are omnivores and primarily insectivorous. Their ability to survive on insects makes them one of the least competitive for resources with other sophonts, and as such qilik populations commonly overlap with others and may be indigenous to the same areas.

Most populations are native to forested regions with a high density of insects.  Those who have taken up animal husbandry spread to the plains and eat a more meat-based diet.

Qilik have sexual trimorphism - large, dull colored females, smaller, brightly colored males, and larger, dull colored 'feminine' males (faeder).

Mating occurs seasonally, and most individuals lack any significant sex drive out of season. Hens typically mate with multiple males and mating pairs do not form permanent bonds.

The most common social unit is same-gender (or hen/faeder) flocks which are interdependent but live primarily homosocial lives, with hens/faeder doing most work while groups of males care for children. Their social systems are highly plastic, however, and great variety exists.

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Talking crows

Talking crows are crows. They produce language and have complex societies, and can intelligently communicate with other sophonts via mimicry. They may give the impression of being child-like or 'animalistic' to other sophonts, as they struggle with large numbers and certain abstract concepts (and live overall similarly to their non-sophont corvid relatives) but excel beyond any other at cognitive mapping, memory, and navigation.

They do not differ significantly in anatomy from other crows, though notched beaks and flexible feet allow for more deft manipulation of tools. Because of their appearance and relative isolation from other sophonts, they are often interpreted as supernatural beings or 'talking animals'.

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Archin

Archin are sapient ant colonies. The only known extant population of the species occurs in the Red Rock Archipelago far southeast in the world-sea, and has been isolated from other sophonts for the majority of its history.

Rather than an individual animal, archin consciousness and personhood exists in the collective. Archin consciousness is an emergent property of colonies, with individuals being somewhat akin to cells composing a brain. 

They are not a hivemind in any literal sense, rather they use the same methods of chemical and touch communication as most other eusocial insects (only highly specialized and with enough plasticity to communicate abstract concepts and understand language).

A single archin has more complex cognitive ability than most ants, and most vertebrates for that matter (better memory, complex motor skills, problem solving) and fully functional as an organism, but is not sapient on her own. Individuals are also very large for ants- about an inch long, with strong jaws capable of deft tool manipulation,

Archin colonies are composed of ‘units’ of 50-100 ants, each unit being functionally an individual personality. A single archin lives about a year, but a unit can survive and retain memories for decades. A unit usually has a set job within the colony, but their role may shift throughout their life. They will usually choose a 'name', and identify themselves with chemical and some visual signals.

A full colony (~1000-3000 individuals) blurs the lines between a person, family, and tribe. It can function as one broad consciousness, but cannot ‘think’ quickly and efficiently as a unit.

Each colony has one queen, who functions as the womb of the group. Her lifespan determines the lifespan of the colony, (up to 60 years in a healthy individual), during which time she will lay eggs yearly. The queen is no more or less intelligent than any other individual archin and contributes little to the collective consciousness, but her importance to the colony's longterm survival makes her uniquely valued over any other individual.

Drones (reproductive males) function as the sperm cells of the group, and are used to forge alliances with other colonies. They die upon mating and contribute nothing to archin consciousness, though their reproductive value makes them the second-most protected individuals in a colony.

Individual archin instinctually reject 1:1 inter-colony communication, which is necessary to not interfere with their consciousness. When parts of different colonies combine, it can lead to units becoming confused and disoriented, or 'mentally ill'. This may be resolved into rogue units, who roam apart from their colonies until they die (or are successfully divided and restored).

Consciousness does not extend beyond a colony. However, due to the highly plastic nature of archin consciousness, it is possible for colonies who lose their queens or suffer great loss of population to perform mergers with other colonies and form new identities. Relations between colonies vary- each has allies and enemies. Allied colonies may form 'nations' and even have forms of governance, though this is near-universally decentralized.

While their mode of consciousness is quite alien to other sophonts, coexistence, communication, and even friendships are possible. A unit is functionally a person with their own personality, with likes, dislikes, curiosity, favorite foods, aesthetic sensibilities, etc. Archin also exhibit highly abstract thought and have forms of religious sensibility.

[sikabeautyusa]

Choosing the Best Wigs for Cancer Patients: A Comprehensive Guide

For many cancer patients, hair loss is one of the most emotionally challenging side effects of treatment. The loss of hair can significantly impact self-esteem and sense of identity. Fortunately, wigs offer a practical and empowering solution, allowing patients to regain a sense of normalcy and confidence. When it comes to selecting the best wigs for cancer patients, several factors should be considered, including comfort, style, and durability. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you make the best choice.

1. Human Hair Wigs: The Gold Standard

Human hair wigs are often considered the gold standard for cancer patients due to their natural appearance and versatility. They can be styled, colored, and treated just like natural hair, offering endless possibilities for customization. While they tend to be more expensive than synthetic wigs, their realism and flexibility make them a worthwhile investment. Human hair wigs are particularly recommended for patients who want a wig that closely resembles their natural hair in both look and feel.

2. Synthetic Wigs: Affordable and Low Maintenance

Synthetic wigs have come a long way in recent years and can now mimic the look of natural hair quite effectively. These wigs are typically more affordable than human hair wigs and require less maintenance. They come pre-styled and hold their shape even after washing, making them a convenient option for those who prefer a low-maintenance solution. However, synthetic wigs are less versatile in terms of styling and are not as durable as human hair wigs.

3. Lace Front Wigs: For a Natural Hairline

Lace front wigs feature a lace base at the front, creating a natural-looking hairline. This design allows for versatile styling, including the ability to part the hair in different ways or pull it back into a ponytail. Lace front wigs are available in both human hair and synthetic varieties, offering a blend of realism and convenience. They are an excellent choice for patients looking to achieve a natural look with the flexibility to style their wig as desired.

4. Monofilament Wigs: Comfort and Realism Combined

Monofilament wigs are designed with a thin, breathable mesh material at the crown, where individual hair fibers are hand-tied. This creates the illusion of natural hair growth from the scalp and allows for multi-directional styling. Monofilament wigs are highly recommended for their comfort, especially for patients with sensitive scalps due to treatment. They are available in both human hair and synthetic options, providing a balance of comfort and realism.

5. Medical Wigs: Tailored for Cancer Patients

Medical wigs are specifically designed for individuals experiencing hair loss due to medical conditions and treatments. These wigs prioritize comfort and often feature soft, breathable caps to reduce irritation on sensitive scalps. Medical wigs are available in various styles and materials, including human hair and synthetic options. They are an excellent choice for cancer patients seeking wigs tailored to their unique needs.

6. Custom Wigs: Personalized Perfection

For those seeking a wig that perfectly matches their preferences and specifications, custom wigs are an ideal option. Custom wigs are made to order, taking into account factors like head size, hair color, texture, and style. This personalized approach ensures a perfect fit and a look that closely resembles the patient's natural hair. Custom wigs can be more expensive and take longer to produce, but they offer unmatched personalization and satisfaction.

Conclusion

Choosing the best wigs for cancer patients involves considering various factors, including comfort, style, and budget. Whether opting for a human hair wig for its realism and versatility, a synthetic wig for its affordability and convenience, or a specialized medical wig for its tailored comfort, the right wig can make a significant difference in a patient's journey. By selecting a wig that meets their needs and preferences, cancer patients can regain a sense of confidence and normalcy, helping them face their treatment with renewed strength and positivity.

[khandshagun]

Boosting Confidence and Self Esteem with 100% Human Hair Wigs a personal journey

Introduction

Hair is significant in terms of beauty and self-expression. More than just the keratin strands, it’s an important part of identity for many. Certain medical conditions or other hair loss-related factors can significantly undermine one’s self-worth and confidence.

But those who have been battling hair loss can now smile since high-quality human hair wigs in Zirakpur are easily accessible and technology has advanced. In this article, we examine the life-changing potential of wigs made entirely of human hair and go inside a person’s quest to increase self-worth and confidence.

Additionally, we will also discuss the significance of finding the right hair wigs shop in Zirakpur and address some frequently asked questions about hair wigs.

Understanding the Power of Human Hair Wigs

Human hair wigs have become a beacon of hope for those dealing with hair loss issues. Human hair wigs in Zirakpur provide a level of realism that is unmatched by synthetic wigs, which frequently lack the genuine feel and appearance.

It is challenging to distinguish them from natural hair because they are created from actual human hair. Users can experiment with different haircuts, colors, and textures because to the adaptability of these wigs, which enhances their image and self-confidence.

A Personal Journey from Insecurity to Confidence

Many people have embarked on a personal journey of self-discovery and confidence-building through the use of real hair wigs. These wigs provide both a physical and emotional transformation. These once-insecure individuals have found comfort in the knowledge that they can now face the world with restored self-assurance.

Finding the Right Hair Wigs Shop in Zirakpur

When it comes to purchasing a human hair wig, finding the right hair wigs shop in Zirakpur is crucial. A trusted retailer will stock a wide range of high-quality wigs, enabling customers to select the perfect match for their preferences and needs. It’s crucial to consider the experience of the personnel, the variety of wig designs offered, and the quality of products when choosing a hair wig in Zirakpur.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hair Wigs

Q: Are human hair wigs easy to maintain?

Yes, Wigs made of human hair in Zirakpur are often simple to maintain. Like genuine hair, they may be cleaned, styled, and maintained. Frequent upkeep guarantees the wig’s durability and quality.

Q: Can I style and color my wig made of human hair?

Definitely! Wigs made of human hair can be dyed, styled, and even heated. To avoid harming the wig, it is best to obtain professional assistance.

Q: What is the lifespan of human hair wigs?

A human hair wig’s lifespan is determined by a number of elements, such as the wig’s quality and level of maintenance. A high-quality human hair wig can last for a while if properly cared for.

Q: How can I choose a wig style that best suits the shapes of my face?

Choosing the right wig style involves considering your face shape. For example, if you have a round face, opt for wigs with volume on top and sleekness on the sides. Maneology’s experts can provide personalized advice based on your specific features and preferences.

Q: Can I wear my wig while swimming or exercising?

While it’s possible, it’s advisable to secure your wig firmly during activities like swimming or intense exercise. Additionally, investing in a specialized wig designed for such activities can ensure a comfortable and secure fit.

Q: Are there support groups or communities for wig wearers?

Yes, there are numerous online and local support groups where wig wearers share their experiences, tips, and encouragement. These communities provide a sense of belonging and understanding, offering valuable emotional support.

Embracing Confidence and Self-Love

The impact of a human hair wig extends far beyond its physical attributes. It becomes a representation of fortitude, self-acceptance, and love. Accepting a wig is a celebration of one’s individuality and identity rather than just a way to hide hair loss.

In addition to adorning their head, people who wear human hair wigs in Zirakpur are also adorning their spirits with confidence and enabling their inner beauty to shine through freely.

The Significance of Support and Understanding

It’s important to acknowledge that the journey of embracing a human hair wig is deeply personal. It becomes a representation of fortitude, self-acceptance, and love. Accepting a wig is a celebration of one’s individuality and identity rather than just a way to hide hair loss.

The Impact on Daily Life

The newfound confidence that comes with wearing a human hair wig can profoundly affect various aspects of daily life. From social interactions to professional pursuits, individuals find themselves approaching situations with a newfound sense of assurance.

This, in turn, can lead to improved relationships, enhanced job opportunities, and an overall better quality of life.

The Ripple Effect Empowering other

The impact of this journey doesn’t end with the individual. As confidence and self-esteem soar, it creates a ripple effect in the community. Friends, family, and even strangers witness the transformation, breaking stereotypes and fostering acceptance.

It becomes a testament to the power of self-belief, encouraging others to embrace their unique qualities and quirks, knowing that beauty is diverse and multifaceted.

Facing Challenges Together

It’s important to acknowledge that the journey, although empowering, is not without challenges. Adapting to a new look, dealing with occasional discomfort, or encountering societal misconceptions can be daunting.

Yet, knowing that there are communities like Maneology, where experiences are shared and challenges are met collectively, provides immense strength.

A Lasting Legacy Confidence, Courage, and Maneology’s Vision

The stories of those who have walked the path from insecurity to confidence, adorned in their 100% human hair wigs, hair wigs shop in Zirakpur developed confidence in you and resonate as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Their journeys are not just individual narratives; they are beacons of hope illuminating the path for others. It’s a journey that teaches the world that true beauty transcends physical appearances, rooted instead in self-assurance, kindness, and authenticity.

As we celebrate these stories, we must recognize the indispensable role of places like Maneology in this transformation. Maneology doesn’t just provide wigs; it provides a haven where dreams of confidence are realized.

Our commitment to quality, our understanding of individual needs, and our unwavering support create a nurturing environment for everyone seeking to embrace their true selves.

Looking Forward A World of Acceptance

In a world that is gradually evolving towards greater acceptance of diverse identities, the narratives of those finding confidence through human hair wigs are vital. They challenge conventional standards of beauty, paving the way for a society that appreciates individuality in all its forms.

They instil in us the understanding that confidence isn’t about conforming to societal norms; it’s about embracing our unique qualities and wearing them proudly.

A Call to Embrace Confidence and Diversity

The journey of boosting confidence and self-esteem through 100% human hair wigs in Zirakpur is a celebration of diversity and courage. It challenges societal norms, encouraging everyone to redefine beauty on their terms. It’s a reminder that our differences are not flaws but unique facets of our identity that should be cherished and celebrated.

So, whether you’re someone considering a wig to regain confidence, a friend supporting a loved one on this journey, or a member of the wider community, embrace these stories. Let them serve as a beacon, guiding us toward a world where acceptance and understanding reign supreme. Let’s stand together, hand in hand, breaking barriers and dispelling misconceptions about beauty.

Maneology Where Dreams and Confidence Unite

In every strand of hair wigs shop in Zirakpur, Maneology weaves dreams and confidence. It’s not just a store; it’s a sanctuary where insecurities dissolve, and self-assurance blossoms.

Through our commitment to excellence and we understanding of the emotional significance of wigs, they transcend the realm of commerce. Maneology becomes a partner in the journey of self-discovery, a companion in the pursuit of confidence, and a friend who understands the transformative power of a well-chosen wig.

Conclusion

As we conclude this exploration of boosting confidence and self-esteem with 100% human hair wigs, remember this: your confidence is your superpower, your most beautiful asset. Whether you choose to wear a wig, style your natural hair, or embrace baldness, your confidence shines through, making you uniquely and unapologetically you.

In the heart of Zirakpur, Maneology stands not just as a hair wigs shop in Zirakpur but as a sanctuary of confidence, compassion, and camaraderie. Our commitment to our customers goes beyond transactions; it’s about fostering connections and celebrating the uniqueness of every individual. With a team dedicated to understanding the diverse needs of our clientele, Maneology continues to redefine the standards of the wig industry.

In closing, the journey of boosting confidence and self-esteem with 100% human hair wigs is not merely a physical transformation.  And in the hands of Maneology, your story becomes not just beautiful but inspiring, reminding the world that confidence is, indeed, the most beautiful thing one can wear.

[magsmapsmtl]

If you ain’t runnin’ game…

Dis Mon Nom | Sep. 11, 2017 | Bad Nylon

A lot of people who know me professionally know that I’m someone who draws a lot of inspiration from 90’s media, especially animation and music. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, being a superfan of PPG (… don’t talk to me about the reboot) and Sailor Moon (don’t talk to me about that one either cause tbh I couldn’t keep up). I thought I’d grow up to be a cartoonist, but always found myself daydreaming about being in a girl-group. Funny enough, this had little to nothing to do with the fact that I was also musically inclined, and began producing beats to my original lyrics at the age of 11. Growing up in the 90’s, it was a Spice World. The Spice Girls were on every conceivable piece of merch and media and I was here for it. And while I hailed Missy Elliott as my hip hop queen, something about the unison of girls into a team spoke to me in more ways than one. Anyone who knows me personally knows that as of lately, I haven’t been myself. I lost myself in people and in projects that took more out of me than they were willing to give back, and as a result, I was losing a part of my identity. I hadn’t found the drive to draw a proper piece in months, I was inundated in my work with my band, to the point that I nearly forgot why I was in one in the first place. I always tell people that I do what I do to inspire the next generation (which is 1000% true, love the behbies), but I was losing sight of what was inspiring me, and quickly relapsing into a low-maintenance depression. That is until August 28th, 2017. Strange Froots opened for Princess Nokia at Club Soda. It was an experience I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. I got to perform with my friends, my younger sister got to see me in action, and in the crowd was a sea of melanated fans my own age. For the first time, I really felt like our presence made a difference- in this generation. And then. AND THEN. I SAW BAD NYLON LIVE.

Bad Nylon is a wonderful fellow gurl squad of primarily franco “rappas”, as they so aptly call themselves. Both groups performed last Friday at the OUMF Festival. They came to see us perform near the end of our set and were some of the most energetic folk in the audience. It was a truly beautiful spontaneous moment. They were performing on the main stage later that night, and I hadn’t seen them live yet, so I was definitely not missing it. As soon as they hit the stage (after a mini-skit intro by a little girl, much à-la-Missy), they set it on fire with color-coordinated jumpsuits and the attitudes of well-seasoned masters of the game. Their energy, as well as their moves, were in sync; they were a unit, but still able to let their individuality shine through in their mannerisms. But what really got me… they hit us with a throwback medley, covering artists from Ja Rule to Ciara, from TLC to Destiny’s Child. And they did in such a fun-loving way, but still with no wahala. I felt something I hadn’t in a very long time. I got home that night, playing it back in my head, playing back our conversations in the green room after the fact. They fully acknowledged the Powerpuff Girls comparisons, even going so far as debating who would be which. They had their families and young fans waiting for them at the bottom of the stage, as if just seeing a middle school recital. I saw in them what I saw in my junior high daydreams. 3 girls totally owning the stage like their faces are already on lunchboxes somewhere, exuding an energy of near-calculated success, but maintaining the carefree attitudes of 4 best friends who just got let out of detention for the weekend. Expect great things from this group. I feel like a kid again, and I wanna be them when I grow up.

[202212291dci2022]

A Doll's House Review

“I am a student of the University of Hull blogging as part of my assessment for the module Drama, Conflict and Identity. All views expressed here are my own and do not represent the university”. 

How the Summer Light Theatre company maintained a naturalistic performance in their production

A Doll’s House, is a late nineteenth century play written by Henrik Ibsen, that centres itself around the performance technique of naturalistic theatre. The concept of naturalism was implemented into theatre in the nineteenth century, in order to prevent theatre from becoming ‘detached from real life’. 

In maintenance of this, this production from Summer Light Theatre successfully performed their rendition of the play in a naturalistic manner. They achieve this initially through their staging and set design. This was performed in a proscenium arch stage, acting like a photo frame for the audience to look into. They evidently were very influenced by the stage design in Ibsen’s play, as their set matches the description found in scene one of the written play. Their set design epitomises a naturalistic play, through having a traditional designed room, that a late nineteenth century audience would recognise to be similar to the home they had just left; mirroring life a key aspect of naturalism. Wooden walls, wooden chairs and table, paintings on the wall, an old-fashioned clock and candles all featured prominently in this performance, depicting a traditional middle/ upper class, late nineteenth century home. Alongside this, rather than using modern styled lightbulbs, to light parts of the stage, they used electronic candles, which would adhere to their design of making the stage and set look contemporary to when the play was first performed; due to the invention of the lightbulb coming a few years after the production was first performed. Further lighting methods were used also, with stage lighting seemingly acting metaphorically as Nora’s mood and mindset. At the beginning of the production the lighting was quite bright, yet throughout the production the lights slowly became dimmer, which reflected Nora’s mindset as she became more and more unhappy with the way her husband was treating her throughout the play.

Likewise, this production was able to create a naturalistic performance through the actors’ costumes. They were able to reflect the class divide between different characters, whilst also inferring the societal norms of this period; especially when it came to the female costumes. Characters such as Nora and Christine, wore long dresses with long sleeves, which matched the societal norm of that women were not allowed to show lots of skin when this this play premiered. They were able to show the class divide effectively through the difference between Torvald and Krogstad’s attire. Torvald was dressed in a very formal suit, whereas Krogstad was dressed in fingerless gloves, a flat cap and an overcoat; providing the audience with an insight into what the social status and potential attitudes of the characters will already be even before either of them have spoken on stage.

Within this production there were four individual actors, who were performing across 6 different roles. This was possible, as Dr Rank and Krogstad are never in the same scene as one another, resulting in one actor being able to act as both roles and not cause confusion for the audience. This is likely to be influenced from ancient Greek theatre, with their productions only having a maximum of 4 actors, who all played various different roles.

The producers never had any more than 3 characters on the stage at once, which enabled for greater individualisation of each character and helped the audience understand each character and their perspective role, without being overwhelmed with an on flux of various characters at once; matching traits of naturalism ideology. In coherence with this, all casted actors used ‘everyday speech’, used an acting style that mirrors ‘ordinary life’, and avoided melodramatic acting, preventing the performance from becoming too detached from real life.

The production was also adapted for the screen for online viewers. The camera zoomed closer into certain characters alongside certain elements of the set, which would have been for the audience’s benefit. This enabled for facial expressions to be seen more clearly, as due to the performance not being melodramatic from a further distance it wouldn’t have always been physically obvious the emotions that differing characters were undergoing.

How does social status affect the identity of characters. (Act 1, pages 9-15)

During this passage, Nora and Christine have just met following Christine turning up at the Helmer’s home. Throughout this scene the identity of both characters is challenged, as they begin to reveal to each other, and the audience, their backstories. As a result this passage envelopes the antithesis of each character’s identity and moral compass, despite their proposed affinity with one another.

Nora’s identity is surmised in a plethora of variating ways, whether that’s bravery, self-orientation or her lack of emotional intelligence and empathy. Her lack of emotional empathy is likely to stem from her lack of struggle, and how she hasn’t undergone a drastic amount of hardship in her life, due to her lavish lifestyle. Alongside this, she is so hyper fixated on her social appearance and how people view her, she doesn’t tend emotionally to other people. This is evident from her rude and abrupt comments to her friend of, ‘the last eight years have been a happy time for me’, and ‘I feel so relieved and happy’, following Christine’s summary of the struggle and fortitude she has been through since they last spoke nine years ago. The vocative ‘me’, represents her self-centred nature and lack of empathy towards others. The response also indicates her lack of emotional intelligence as it presents her as brushing off what Christine has opened up to her about, and instead indicating her desire to gloat about her own life, in ignorance of other’s struggles.

Whereas this passage provides the opposite conception of Christine’s identity, as it unpicks her to be emotionally intelligent, having a great sense of solicitude and one who always puts others before herself; juxtaposing Nora. Due to her having ‘nine or ten long years’, it would convey the reason why she is so emotionally tenable to others and why she doesn’t have this self-concentrated nature; as she would understand what it’s like to undergo hardship and wouldn’t want anyone to have to face that. She has immense care for others over herself, which is evident through her marrying someone purely in order to gather money so she could look after her younger brothers following her parents’ deaths, putting herself through turmoil by doing so. Alongside this, despite her having gone through all of this, she still wants to hear about Nora’s life and not dwell on her own, once more showing her emotional intelligence.

Having these two contrasting characters identities unveiled during the same passage, heightens the differences between their retrospective mindsets to a higher degree. This juxtaposition can potentially symbolise the differences in moralities between the middle/upper class and working class of this period, concerning how the upper class withhold a lot less care and respect, in comparison to those of the lower classes. This is likely as a result of their experiences within life, potentially representing that the upper class had/ have become detached from the realities of life, leading to them neglecting those below them.

[punkpandapatrixk]

🌸Home Life with Your Destined Person—Timeless Tarot Pick A Card

Catching a glimpse of what domestic life looks like for you and your Destined Person. Your private life away from the beady eyes of extended family members, neighbours, colleagues, and, possibly the nation.

[Back to Masterlist] [Part 1] [Part 2]

Pile 1 – Sensibility in Sunshine’s Gentle Warmth

the Home – 7 of Wands

Active/Busy/Creative. Those are the keywords that depict your home life with your Destined Person. Of all the piles, this one is most likely to be blessed with the little steps and laughter of children, too. Irrespective of the actual size of your house, your home feels spacious. It has a lot of windows, maybe even big windows here and there, and many rooms receive soft rays of sunshine.

Within the home, the members are also full of light. There’s a lot of communication and teamwork when it comes to household duties or maintenance. A chatty family. If you had children, they would be active, strong, happy, and maybe a little naughty in a good way. They’re creatively curious, that’s all🥰There could be a lot of play and running in this household😆

Your house will have a certain clean aesthetic, whatever your personal style may be. Members are healthy and love to plan for travels. When you’re planning, even the children are included in the conversation. I can see one parent talking and giggling with the children about what they want to do during the holiday, and then the other parent takes very seriously everyone’s ideas and thoughts, and the whole trip is mesmerising for everybody.

A very cheerful family whose hearts are like early Spring~🌸Probably has one or two members who’s like a total clown or comedian😂

the living room – XIII Death Rx

There’s a sense of dynamic stability within your home. Perhaps because you’re both adults who have experiences in Life, when you come together and decide to start a family, there are already certain rules or styles you live by. You aren’t likely to change habits out of the blue; you’ve created your own solid habits and ways of doing things around the house.

And yet, this is two different individuals living together, so there’s bound to be differences. And you work wonderfully to be flexible about things. You two can communicate and then come to a compromise. Something like that… but honestly, I don’t think the word ‘compromise’ fits here. You love each other, genuinely, so you just accept each other’s differences. Acceptance is totally different from compromise, so there’s that beauty about your home life with your Destined Person, too💏You’re accommodating each other’s flaws and shortcomings, and you aren’t shy about learning from one another. You literally complete each other whilst maintaining your authentic identities.

This is a family who has a lot of respect for individuality and the members aren’t likely to try to override each other’s fundamental characters. I think that’s SO wonderful! And you wouldn’t change this for anybody’s opinions about what they think your family should look or be like. You’re strong and solid like that because the Love that unites you is a real one with a capital L.

the kitchen – 4 of Wands

Your house is literally the Home your soul returns to after a long, hard day’s work. You both have created a safe haven for everybody to chill, read books, play games, or just nap. It’s such a peaceful, clean, well-maintained home that is almost rare in today’s world. Your home never feels cold, even if say, everyone else is still outside and only one member is home for whatever reason; that member still feels that the Home is warm and full.

Perhaps because somebody has left a lot of food on the table. Perhaps there’s a cute message on the fridge. Perhaps because there’s a lot of pictures from your trips. Every family member’s presence can be felt even when they’re not there. The moment somebody comes home, there’s already a conversation. Maybe siblings throw each other a can of drink or an orange or whatever. There’s a lot of munching and talking in this household🥪

Every now and then, all family members also work together to prepare a feast. I’m really seeing this. Whether for a religious or cultural celebration, someone’s birthday, or New Year’s. Sometimes you choose to have a home party with everyone involved instead of eating out and being miserable in the middle of traffic jam LMAO

Why does your family rock so hard?!🍱

Adult Things🔻🧡

sense of responsibility – Red Geographer (John Dee)

when you get freaky – Priestess of Contemplation

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Pile 2 – Calm Blooming in Morning Mist

the Home – King of Pentacles

Of all the piles, this one is the most difficult to translate into simple paragraphs due to the extreme variations in background🥲

Academy/Harmony/Discipline/Meticulous. These are some keywords that describe your home life with your Destined Person. First of all, you are wealthy AF. Some of you could be from a wealthy background, alright, but your home life with your Destined Person is your own next level generational wealth. You’re really, extremely, superfluously RICH. Your home is beautiful, luxurious, so extra expensive and glamorous. Your guests could even feel intimidated by how expensive the air inside your home feels. Like they’re being charged $10 per inhale🤡

Your family is probably highly academically accomplished, and you may hold prestigious jobs in high societies. Even if, for example, your work is in the creative industry, you’re a highly respected artist/creator/player in your fields. Members of this household are some of the world’s biggest earners. You’re immaculately disciplined in every aspect of your Life, including the way you operate at home. Your home has rules and everything is structured. Everyone is held to high standards of conduct. There’s a lot of expectation in this household. Can be imposingly demanding if you aren’t careful with your thoughts.

Whatever field or line of work you do, being this rich also means you’re often in the public eye. You may even be a celeb or a socialite. So you’ve got an image to maintain. Therefore, you’re cautious, and calculating. Your household runs on discipline so much it feels almost like an academy sometimes. This may not be the warmest household in the world, nevertheless, it is independent, dynamic, and civil. There’s a lot of grace and harmony in the way you interact with every member of the family. Truly, like a royalty.

the living room – Queen of Wands Rx

You or your Destined Person could (or not) have a PhD in some fields of study that are extremely studious and serious. Whichever the case, you have an expectation that your children (those of you who want them) should pursue tertiary education. You’re very serious about it. You’re not exactly sure about life paths without laws, rules, and structure. You can be quite imposingly rigid about that. If you had children, they might grow up to become somewhat rigid socially, too. Like, they’re kind and polite, alright, but they could be lacking the passionate drive to be spontaneous, which hinders their spirit of adventure. Thus, limiting their worldview via first-hand experiences.

Still, the beauty of your household is the stability and predictability. It feels safe like that because you know every family member is dependable. Your family loves and values tradition. You may even have your own small traditions that only your core family members participate in. You may have a cottage in the country or a summer house in another country. Certain times of the year, your family goes on a trip together and spend a good intellectual time.

It's like, members of your household love to study, read, have meaningful conversations, maybe talk about business or the current state affairs. Difficult, sophisticated, high-class pastime like that☕️

the kitchen – 6 of Pentacles Rx

Due to your busy schedules, since there’s also a very strong sense of independence in this pile, you may not eat together at home much, if at all. It’s literally a luxury to see family activities in the kitchen. I feel you are very important people, so you get invited to a lot of, for example, business meetings, charity events, IPO opening/launch parties, many types of functions, etc. You often dine in formal settings and you fly a lot.

In that sense, your home kitchen is quite literally a cold place where you don’t see a lot of interactions. I guess it may just not be your thing, after all; when you’ve got all of these places to be. And you’ll be like, ‘Why cook at home? We have restaurants.’ And when you do have gatherings at home, you’ll have a personal chef and staff to cook for you, so… You’re still not really there hahah🍳

Your home life isn’t necessarily lacking warmth; it’s just unconventional in a way that most people probably can’t understand. You’ve got all this money and businesses (empire, actually) to take care of. It’s like your life is spent on making things happen outside your household. And this is why your own traditions and family vacations are ever more important to you. Those are the moments you deeply connect as family.

Adult Things🔻💜

sense of responsibility – Red Alchemist (John Dee)

when you get freaky – Priestess of Inspiration

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Pile 3 – The Most Perfectly Untainted Love

the Home – 10 of Pentacles Rx

There is a lot of transformation and healing magic in this pile; the fact it is the only one who gets 2 Major Arcanas upright. And you know what? That hardly ever happens on this blog😜

Growing/Hustling/Prosperous. These are the keywords that depict your home life with your Destined Person. In the beginning, you may not have a lot of physical wealth—or at least you both think so—but that’s only because your family is literally destined to be one of the most prosperous families in the entire world (or your country, or city, at least). And your Souls know this.

Seriously, right off the bat I wanna say, the money you have is brimming with white magic and as you distribute it all around the world, you heal every single person or business entity that comes into contact with it. Can you imagine? That’s why the Universe dictates that you gain a lot of the world’s money, and with that, you and your Destined Person are always hustling. You’re working a lot. Always creating. Planning. Business tripping. Hustling non-stop, almost. You may not even be home much, unless your work can be done from home (if you’re a novel writer, for example).

In the beginning, your house is quite simple or modest (by your standards), and there’s a very gentle, serene vibe to it. It’s not a noisy home; it is your rest station—your pond of spiritual tranquillity. For some of you, there’s a possibility your first house is a generational house, maybe given to you by your parents or in-laws. There’s also a possibility your house is attached to a family business (a shop or a small restaurant, for example). Nevertheless, the home aspect of it is without a doubt tranquil.

the living room – XXI The World

As time goes by, you become richer and richer and you will either expand your house or buy a new, mega luxurious one. This is likely to be your permanent residence, or at least, you will live here mainly for a long time. But with your wealth, it is possible you have more than 2 houses😋With your primary residence, you feel complete and it’s like for the first time, you feel like you’ve made it in the world. You may begin to think about starting a family, too, at this point. Now that you have a much larger house, you also have your own dedicated office space. This allows you to continue much of your work whilst being a family person. You think this is finally a good setting for welcoming children. Also, some of you might decide to live with your parents or in-laws in this big house, too. You want to take care of them.

This house is cheery and there’s a lot of polite conversations between family members. It feels a bit serious, but not heavy. You and your Destined Person also like to talk about work; since one of you is working more from home, the other is gonna be asking, curious and be involved in the other’s creative ideas/developments. Also, you two might actually have an empire, so I see you brainstorming with your Destined Person a lot, too. It’s serious, professional, but exciting! Your entire Home Life in itself is a contribution to the prosperity of the world. You have a lot of talents and blessings to share with the world.

So much so that even your home is a workplace. Both of you will need to remind each other the importance of chilling and separating yourself from work when needed. But that might need a bit of work because the both of you are quite hardworking, to a point of being workaholics😅

And yet…

the kitchen – XV The Devil

The amazing thing is how you still manage to spend a lot of time together in the most loving, romantic fashion. Romance is far from dead in your busy lives; it is pretty much alive, more alive than anybody else’s married lives, in fact.

You meet a lot outside and try to make time for lunch or dinner together. There’s always time for each other. You ask each other how work is going; sometimes, it’s not even necessary to ask anything, sometimes it’s good to just look at each other’s faces. Sometimes, it’s good to just feel the other’s touch and warmth in those short moments you’re able to hold hands.

For some of you, it is possible that in the beginning, when you were still building your wealth, you ate out a lot because you simply didn’t have enough money (or time) to prep fresh meals. I see you and your Destined Person eating junk foods and drinking canned coffee on the sidewalk or something😝But Life is good in spite of all the need to hustle because you have faith in your future. You can see very clearly the prosperous, peaceful future you’re meant to have. Through thick and thin, you got each other and that’s all the blessing you could ever ask for🤍And you shall have more💖

Adult Things🔻💚

sense of responsibility – Red Magus (Edward Kelly)

when you get freaky – Priestess of Patience

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[Back to Masterlist] [Part 1] [Part 2]

[razieltwelve]

Autograph (Final Rose)

"Wow! You’re Jaune Arc, right?”

Jaune looked up from the burger he was eating. “Uh... yeah?”

The teenage girl - who was really very pretty - smiled. “I’m a huge fan of Team JNPR! Would I be able to get your autograph?” She looked around. “Oh, and is the rest of the team around too?”

“Uh...” Jaune’s brain was still trying to wrap itself around the idea that someone wanted his autograph. He was almost tempted to ask if this was all a case of mistaken identity, but she’d known his name. “Sure.” He fumbled for a pen. “I don’t suppose you’ve got a pen, do you?”

The girl nodded and thrust a notebook and a pen at him. “Can you make it out to Polly?”

“Right. Polly.” Jaune took a deep breath. He could do this. All he had to do was sign his name and... “Wait... was there a message you wanted me to right?”

Polly giggled. “Just your autograph and ‘To Polly’ would be awesome.”

“Okay.” Jaune breathed a sigh of relief as he managed to sign his autograph without making any mistakes. “I’m kind of here on my own, but my team and I should be in town for at least a few more days. We’re taking some missions around here.”

“That’s great.” Polly nodded. “Thanks so much for signing!”

And with that, the girl ran out of the diner, waving her notebook around like a trophy.

“That was weird.” Jaune blinked. “Really weird.”

X    X     X

“Your autograph?” Pyrrha smiled. “This is the first time someone has asked for it, right? Congratulations.” She would have loved to see it, but she had been occupied with some maintenance issues for her weapons. Nora and Ren had disappeared to do some ‘shopping’ which she was fairly sure was just their cover story.

“It’s just... I mean... someone wanted my autograph. Mine.” Jaune shook his head in disbelief. “I’m not some superstar or anything, Pyrrha. I mean... I know people ask for your autograph all the time, but I’m not famous like you.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Pyrrha grinned. “We did very well at the last International Inter-Academy Tournament.” 

The IIAT was basically the world-championships of academy tournaments. Despite only being in their second year and with Jaune still doing his best to make up for his lack of training, they had still managed to come in the top 16 of the team tournament. It was a remarkable result, and Pyrrha couldn’t be prouder. Jaune might not have the most experience or skill yet, but he had proven to be a good leader, and Team JNPR just fit together wonderfully. Of course, Pyrrha had gotten further in the individual tournament - she’d placed third, losing to Averia in the semi-finals - but she was happiest about the team tournament result. 

“Was it really that big a deal?” Jaune asked.

“Jaune, I don’t think you understand how big a deal it was. More than five hundred teams entered the team tournament. To place in the top 16 is a magnificent achievement.” It went unspoken that Beacon had taken up most of the spots in the top 16 with their year, in particular, doing exceptionally well. “I’m sure you’ll be getting calls from sponsors and the like any day now. You are, after all, the team leader.”

“Yeah, but you kind of carried us for a lot of the tournament, Pyrrha.” Jaune was nothing if not honest about their relative skill levels. “I know we wouldn’t have gotten very far without you, and both Ren and Nora did way more than me.”

“Jaune, we are a team,” Pyrrha said firmly. “Our success is shared.”

“If you say so.” Jaune chuckled. “Do you think they’ll put me on a cereal box?”

“Not just yet,” Pyrrha replied with a laugh. “I think you’ve got to win a couple of tournaments before they do that.” Her lips twitched. “Although my sponsors were incredibly pleased even though I didn’t win.”

“Pyrrha, you were one of only half a dozen people who actually got Averia to try,” Jaune pointed out. “And you were one of only two people who actually forced her to use her Semblance. She basically ran through everybody else like some kind of dream-crushing, soul-destroying killer robot. Seriously, most of her opponents are probably having nightmares about her.”

Pyrrha giggled. Watching Averia at the tournament had definitely been an interesting experience. The other girl hadn’t used her Semblance at all until she’d faced Pyrrha, and she’d still run through her bracket like a chainsaw. It had to be at least a little depressing for some of her opponents to know that even with their Semblances they hadn’t been any threat to her.

Her brows furrowed. Still... their match had been everything Pyrrha had been hoping for. Even without her Semblance, Averia was incredibly dangerous. She was one of the few people their age that Pyrrha didn’t have to hold back against. So she hadn’t. By the time they were done, Averia had called on Saviour, and Pyrrha had essentially demolished the arena in the process of weaponising it.

It was, after all, so nice of the organisers to make the thing out of metal.

“And there’s always next year, Jaune.” Pyrrha patted his arm. “I think you’ll be ready to enter the individual tournament by then.”

“I hope so.” Jaune had wanted to enter this year, but Pyrrha had very gently pointed out that as much as he’d improved - and he’d done so well to improve so rapidly - he wasn’t ready for the individual tournament. “Even if I don’t do that well, I’d just like to see how I stack up.”

“That’s the spirit.” Pyrrha loved that about him. He might get discouraged for a while, but he never stayed down for long. “And don’t forget that there are lots of smaller tournaments too. It would be a good idea to try those first to get used to it. It’s one thing to spar, but being in the arena is a very different experience.”

“Yeah.” Jaune nodded slowly. “I remember how loud the crowd was when we had our matches.”

“It is certainly a thrilling experience to be in the arena.” Pyrrha still got nervous although she’d gotten much better at hiding it. “The special matches were a lot of fun too, weren’t they?”

Jaune laughed. “Oh, yeah. Watching professors from different academies face off was great, plus we got to see some veteran teams in action too. Team STRQ was awesome.”

“Yes, they were. It’s a shame they don’t take missions as a full team that often anymore, but there is rarely anything that requires all four of them.”

“Who knows,” Jaune said. “Maybe one day we’ll be part of the special matches.”

“That would be nice.”

[sepublic]

Belos the Cabinet Man!

           MAJOR kudos to @funnyfany for introducing me to Cabinet Man by Lemon Demon, because as they said… This song is PERFECT for someone like Emperor Belos, and just in general slaps! Like, it honestly really describes my read on him? In fact, why don’t I peel and dissect the lyrics to see how they could easily apply to him;

The day they found me, I hadn’t yet been played

Inside my workshop behind my old arcade

Electric desires had unraveled all my wires

Now I’m in the box for safekeeping

           These lyrics allude to Belos’ obvious motifs of technology, as well as him having a ‘workshop’, which ties to his work on the portal! But there’s also the concept of him being rather ancient, as well as needing to be protected because he’s vulnerable in the end; Such as by metal armor, instead of a box?

The news reporters reported that I died

But all my organs were living on inside

Circuit board to brain with two lungs collecting change

One big human heart gently beeping

           The first line immediately makes me think of Perry Porter, but it also makes me think about what the ‘Unauthorized Author’ had to say, about Belos retreating into his castle, and people speculating that he had big plans while he let Kikimora and others be his public face. Again, there’s more machine-flesh imagery, as well as the obvious allusion to a giant beating heart. Two lungs collecting change can allude to Belos and his greedy hunger for power and bile.

You can’t win me, I can’t be beat

I won’t hurt you, unless you cheat

You can’t see me behind the screen

I’m half human and half machine

           We’ve got Belos boasting how invincible he is, but it can also refer to how the Coven System is a lose-lose situation, that either you go off and be alone and persecuted as an individual, OR you conform and became safe, but lose your identity in the process!

          We have Belos alluding to how he can be a merciful dude unless you really piss him off; And that line about cheating reminds me of how the Coven System seeks out only the most ‘worthy’ of people, and how this mentality has affected characters like Amity, who by consequence despise cheating!

          Or how Boscha’s bullying is mostly rude remarks… Until she feels like her attention is being ‘stolen’ by others, then she resorts to some brutal and even dangerous tactics in retaliation! To Belos, he just wants people to fit into their little spots, he’s offering them a nice little role and function in society, an actual place, he’s not a bad and malicious dude! Just a messenger… 

         Similarly, ‘cheating’ could be seen as doing magic the ‘wrong way’, because otherwise, competition to join the Emperor’s Coven and be the best is encouraged, so long as you engage with the system properly and play by its rules! You’re just not supposed to do Wild Magic, mix tracks, that sort of thing; Otherwise you WILL be persecuted by Belos!

          Then there’s the idea of Belos being hidden behind his mask, or just hidden in general (like when he spies on Luz, Willow, and Gus in his castle), and again, the biomechanical imagery! I can’t say for sure if he WAS human or not, because Belos definitely isn’t NOW, to say the least!

Thank God for business, they let me take the floor

I stood so proudly, like I was going to war

Players soon appeared and I quickly was revered

This must be what love would have felt like

           The Titan is responsible for Belos’ power (allegedly), as he claims to enforce its will. Belos’ art depicts him as standing above the rest, and him being VERY tall definitely helps… Then you have him going on a crusade against wild witches, being worshipped by many others, and POSSIBLY a connection to my speculation on him being a lonely individual who was never properly loved in the past, and is confusing this with distant worship…

          And really this just makes me think of other analyses of the Coven System as creating codependent relationships and hollow images to love VS that people actually are! Regardless, it also reminds me of Belos’ parasitic motifs, that last line, so you know!

Such dedication, they came from miles away

With eyes so piercing, they’d wait their turn to play

In perfect patient lines because I was in their minds

I could do whatever I felt like (Whatever I felt like)

           Students from Hexside literally travel miles to Belos’ castle on a field trip, and we have Eda mentioning how Lilith was so excited to meet him as children! Kids looking up to Belos, seeing him as someone to adulate, a role model even (with Lilith invoking him in her motives for the curse)… People literally dedicating their entire lives (and even those of their children) to Belos and his Coven! And of course, we have Belos having the power to do as he pleases, be it going back on his promise to Lilith, letting Luz rescue her friends because he has the portal anyway, etc.; It’s an almost nonchalant disregard of others for what matters to BELOS in the end…

I’m happy for years and years

And only eating the occasional maintenance man

Only driving a few kids to madness

Maybe they were predisposed to madness, who knows?

           Skipping over some repeat lines, we have Belos being at the top for a while, and of course, draining palismans for their bile to restore his health! Kids going mad easily describes people like Lilith, Boscha, or Amity, who base their entire self-worth on joining the Emperor’s Coven, being at the top, and/or fitting in, to the point where Lilith even curses her own sister, Boscha brutally bullies those she sees as a threat to her popularity, while people like the Blight Parents abuse and indoctrinate their kids for social status!

          But then Belos speculates that, hey… HE didn’t make them do this! His system encouraged and enabled them, sure… But in the end it was their actions, which brings to mind how while influenced, none of these characters are entirely faultless either for their actions. Not only that, but it makes me think about how some people seem predisposed and outright embracing of what Belos has to say, as if even without his Coven System they would always be this kind of awful… Such as Warden Wrath, or again, the Blight Parents!

          That last line really makes me think about how different characters coped differently with the pressure, with some remaining good people, while others enabled themselves to do terrible things. Perhaps Belos merely revealed what was already there? Because it still says a lot about other people that they chose to believe and follow in him when others made the decision notto.

I only want to have fun

But now they’re telling me my days here are done

‘Cause there’s a little tiny box they make in Japan

And pretty soon it’s gonna fit in your hand

           Belos just wants to be at the top, he’s ‘just a humble messenger for the Titan’, and maybe like Luz in Episode 2 he just wanted to be special… But he’s also clearly past his expiration date and dying, too. Not only that, but we have a rival… Someone smaller than Belos both literally and in the metaphorical, underdog sense;

          A foreigner from a different land, one who can teach others to cast magic within their hands through Glyphs! There’s Belos, an Old Soul, being made obsolete and redundant by Luz and her Glyphs, which potentially function as a work-around to his coven bindings and draining of bile! Not to mention how her ideals also make Belos’ seem rather antiquated, don’t they? Not to mention the idea of power and control being in the hands of the people, not dependent upon a singular source like Belos…

          His short-lived reign is being actively threatened by Luz’s presence, which Belos acknowledges as having changed everything… And really, it just reminds me of how characters like Boscha enjoyed being at the top as a result of Belos’ influence, only to feel threatened when others come along and ‘steal’ that glory!

It’s getting lonely, it’s getting hard to breathe

The arcade’s empty, I think it’s Christmas Eve

Someone’s broken in, now they’re painting on my skin

Breaking me and taking my quarters

Bashing in my face with a crowbar

Kicking me and pushing me over

Now they see my blood on their sneakers

           Literally the first thing we see of Belos is him having labored breathing… And again, there’s this idea that he’s being left behind as obsolete, he’s reclusive and retreated into his castle and doesn’t let others near him; He’s at the top, and it’s a lonely place! It’s the Eve of Christmas, Christmas is right around the corner, just as the Day of Unity is approaching, when;

          The next few lines invoke the image of Luz breaking into Belos’ castle/the conformatorium… And if you go by the idea that the Castle is a part of Belos, Luz and co. vandalizing the treasury as akin to vandalizing Belos’ own body! Not to mention the three stealing Belos’ relics… And of course, Luz ‘bashing in’ Belos’ face/mask with an ice spike! Only to realize that there’s clearly a LOT more body horror to Belos than she anticipated…! Realizing that Belos is linked to the very ground and earth she stands upon, and boy can he manipulate it!

           After that, the song ends with some repeat lyrics; But all-in-all, I would LOVE to see, someday, someone else (or maybe even myself) do an AMV of Emperor Belos, but with Cabinet Man by Lemon Demon! Compiled entirely of various clips that allude to the lyrics I mentioned earlier, that’d be a lot of fun and if I knew how to do video edits I could do it myself one day!

[jackdawyt]

Today we’re carrying on with my new mini-series paving the road for the anticipated release of the next Dragon Age game. As, I’ve said before, and I’ll say it in every video. I’ll be delving into very particular honed-in lore and plot threads that are rather telling for the future narrative of Dragon Age.  

Last episode I discussed Thedas’ most prideful nation, as an empire of power-hungry mages rule over their own magical utopia known as the Tevinter Imperium. Continuing from that, today I’m exploring Thedas’ most-misunderstood race, the Qunari. The grey-horned giants, who follow a strange set of rigid ideals, sought to convert all of Thedas to their way of life.

The Qun:

While humans, dwarves and elves rabble amongst themselves, there is another race, relatively new to Thedas, that most people call Qunari.  

“This race is large and powerful; on average, they tower over humans by a foot or more. Most have horns growing from their heads.” (WoT V.1)

To many humans, the Qunari are an evil and tyrannical people who do not believe in individual rights. ln the lands occupied by Qunari, all other belief systems are expelled, families are split apart, marriages are forbidden, and any dissenter is sent for "reeducation" by a secret police that watches for any violation of the strict Qunari ethos.

While the majority of that fear is warranted, the Qunari believe their ancient texts known as the Qun are laws that everyone in Thedas should adhere to. These laws are based on two core philosophies: Mastery & Balance.  

Mastery (issqun): 'To know something is to understand it, to understand why it is, what it is, as well as what it is not. To know something is to possess the power to master it, and only in the lack of knowing lies weakness."

Balance (aqun): "To exist without balance is to fall, to break, to yield. Only with balance can true stillness be achieved. When one is still, one is free to listen and know. In knowing, become strong. With strength, become steel. And as steel, endure."

Briefly put, the Qun texts are a code of honour that encompasses philosophy, laws and a social architecture to prepare and govern the Qunari people with discipline.  

For those who believe in the Qun, the lack of individual freedoms does not matter. They find comfort and stability in the order of it all.  

A few freedoms the Qun does not tolerate are: any worship of a god or gods, such as the Maker, this is forbidden and is stopped with violence if necessary. And, magic is feared and hated, The Qunari take its treatment of mages to extremes even the Chantry might consider cruel.

While some in Thedas may consider the Qun as a radical religion, it’s actually a social archetype that governs everything from society, culture, religion, economy, government, etc. The Qun dictates all aspects of Qunari life.

“Any discussion of the Qun as a philosophy must extend to Qunari society as a whole, for the two are intrinsically linked.” (WoT. V1)

Because of this, the Qunari view other nations of Thedas as inferior and as “Kabethari”, which means "those who need to be taught." As of which, the Qunari plan many incursions guided by the Qun’s text for the rest of Thedas, ensuring their way of life will thrive on, even if they have to re-educate every single person in the populace. The Qun is an implacable force that will not be denied.

Existence is a choice.

There is no chaos in the world, only complexity.

Knowledge of the complex is wisdom.

From wisdom of the world comes wisdom of the self.

Mastery of the self is mastery of the world.  

Loss of the self is the source of suffering.

Suffering is a choice, and we can refuse it.

It is in our own power to create the world, or destroy it.

And the Ashkaari went forth to his people.

—An excerpt from The Qun, Canto 1

The label “Qunari" more accurately refers to a follower of the religious text known as the Qun, regardless of his or her race hence the capitalization of the name in many texts. The actual horned race's ancient name is “kossith.” This term is not widely used or even widely known outside scholarly circles.  

Simply put, anyone of any race who embodies the Qun’s text are Qunari, while the horned races’ biological term stems to “kossith”, however, this term is not spoken by the people themselves. As of which, I’m just going to keep calling them Qunari.  

Par Vollen was the first land the Qunari conquered and converted to the Qun. It’s a very peaceful land that the Qunari consider their new homeland. This island has many wonders like the great pyramids and abundant jungles. Even the native humans of Par Vollen willingly converted to the Qun.  

“Par Vollen is peaceful, its native humans largely willing the Qun converts to the Qun. The Qunari consider Par Vollen their new homeland.” (WoT. V1)

As the Qunari come from uncharted territories, they have their own language called Qunlat which, in short, is a very blunt language with little use for communication beyond its necessities. Many Qunari can speak the common tongue, when doing so, they are very to the point, with no reason for wasting time.  

“Qunari speak a harsh language called Qunlat. As a rule, Qunari have little use for communication beyond its necessities. When speaking to those who do not follow the Qun, their statements are often laconic, with a kind of underlying condescension.” (WoT. V1)

The Qunari arrived on the shores of Thedas several ages ago. The origin of the race itself is still a mystery today. Even among the Qunari, not much is known about where they came from or why they landed in Thedas.

They’ve been described to share physical similarities with dragons, while having ears that resemble elves. Many Qunari believe that their priests, known as Tamassrans mixed dragon blood into their biology some time ago. However, the truth still remains...

While living under the Qun, the Qunari do not have a concept of personal identity. While they possess names, they do not use them, primarily using titles rather than names to identify and present themselves.

Given that Qunari names are just their job title, the Qun has many roles fulfilling different purposes. Such roles are separated between males and females, as the Qun believe each gender perform better functions than the other in certain areas, like raising children.  

“The Qunari believe that both men and women are capable of leadership. However, Qunari deem one gender or the other better at certain roles in their society. No matter how much aptitude a male shows for management, he will never be as good at it as a female. Therefore, they would consider it inefficient to put him in such a role when a woman would be better.” (WoT. V1)

The Body of the Qun

The Qun itself consists of single body, with each of its aspect responsible for governing certain movements and operations.  

"The Qunari view their whole society as a single creature: a living entity whose health and well-being is the responsibility of all," she wrote. "Each individual is only a tiny part of the whole, a drop of blood in its veins. Important not for itself, but for what it is to the whole creature. Because of this, the Qunari most outsiders meet belong to the army, which the Qun regards as if it were the physical body: arms, legs, eyes and ears, the things a creature needs in order to interact with the world. One cannot get to know a person solely by studying his hand or his foot, and so one cannot truly 'meet' the Qunari until one has visited their cities. That is where their mind and soul dwell.” (WoT.V1)

The primary symbol used to represent the Qunari as a people is the House of Tides, symbolising the triumvirate of body, mind, and soul. The body is represented by the Arishok. The mind is represented by the Arigena. The soul is represented by the Ariqun.  

Arishok, Arigena and Ariqun together are known as the Salasari:

The Arigena is the head of the Qunari matriarchy responsible for looking after the good of the community.

The Ariqun is the head of the Qunari priesthood, responsible for the maintenance of public spirituality and the progress of science through the Tamassrans & the Ben-Hassrath.

The Arishok is the head of the Qunari military, responsible for the protection and safety of Qunari society, as well as its expansion through the Antaam.  

The operative groups within the Qun’s body are separated for their unique purposes and tasks ran by one of the Salasari.

The Tamassrans; which means "Those Who Speak" in Qunlat, are the priesthood branch of the Qun led by the Ariqun.  

Tamassrans are strictly a female role within the Qun, they control the selective breeding process, deciding who mates with whom. They name and raise new-born babies; they educate and evaluate children when they reach 12 for more official tasks.  

And most importantly, they use a substance called qamek to "free those beyond redemption," i.e. to turn dissenters who have persistently resisted re-education into all-but mindless creatures ("viddath-bas"), who can only perform hard labour and require looking after in the same manner as the disabled.  

“Because they raise the society's children, the Tamassrans wield great influence.” (WoT.V1)

The Ben-Hassrath; which means "the Heart of the Many" in Qunlat, are the secret police branch of the Qun led also by the Ariqun.  

The Ben-Hassrath enforce the law of the Qun. Their purpose is protecting the faith and the innocents. They are leaders who maintain unity, which Qunari believe to be a strength.  

The Qunari divide all Ben-Hassrath activities into three distinct categories: "Dangerous Purpose," "Dangerous Action," and "Dangerous Questions.” Each category has a different Ben-Hassrath role, as you can imagine, following a very in-particular pursuit, they are:  

Ariqun: supreme priest of the Ben-Hassrath

Hissrad: "one who creates illusions; liar" (a spy)

Tallis: "to solve" (an assassin)

Saarbrak: unknown function

Salit: unknown function

Viddasala: "one who converts purpose”

Ben-Hassrath will venture outside Qunari society to perform covert missions in foreign lands, hunting Tal-Vashoth and other enemies of the Qun, sometimes acting as spies. They’re responsible for “reeducation” and the assimilation of conquered people.  

“While the Qunari accept the Ben-Hassrath as a fact of life, other races vilify the Qun's secret police. These notorious hammers of Qun justice do not usually kill their prisoners. To do so is seen as a waste, as all people have value. Instead of death, prisoners are put to work in labor camps and taught the way of the Qun.” (WoT. V1)  

The Antaam; which means "body" in Qunlat, are the military branch of the Qun led by the Arishok.

Antaam are generally a male role within the Qun, however, females who’re capable of both the talent and dedication to fighting can join the Antaam as part of a military classification known as the Aqun-Athlok, which means “one who is born as one gender but lives like another.”

Aqun-Athlok: “One who is born as one gender but lives like another."

Other notable ranks among the Antaam military body are:  

Arishok: supreme commander of the Antaam

Arvaarad: "One who holds back evil" (Watcher)

Katari: "One who brings death."

Ketojan: An infantry platoon

Sten: Infantry platoon commander

Antaam control every military aspect, they gather specific intelligence for the Qunari, seek and destroy anything that threatens Qunari society, and protect or recover revered artifacts, and technology.

While the Antaam are normally led by the Arishok. Currently, an invasion on Tevinter has already begun as an unsanctioned operation. The force took over two Tevinter cities, Ventus and Carastes without the Qun’s authorisation. The Arishok’s order has been ignored, instead, Rasaan, a prominent Qunari Tamassran revealed that quote “her” Antaam are in Tevinter unofficially.

Rasaan, taking actions into her own hands, is searching for Fen’Harel’s true name, so the Qunari can oppose him once they figure out his greatest weakness.  

“Fen Harel,” she lectured, “is a name given by enemies. Its translation, ‘Dread Wolf,’ isn’t true.” She turned, considering one of the tomes now piled on the slab. “The name given when he lied to us—and to your Inquisition—was chosen by a self-styled martyr. ‘Solas’ is also not true.” (Tevinter Nights)

While the Ben-Hassrath watch over the Antaam’s movements, they’ve decided not to join in their conquest. Other Qunari outside of the Antaam feel the same, and have spoken out against the Antaam’s actions, some even killing their fellow brethren for disobeying orders.  

“Antaam, to me!” Bas-taar choked out.

“I am not Antaam.” The Huntmaster smiled as the Qunari beside him looked at him in confusion. In one fluid motion, he swung the spear down from his back and hurled it across the clearing. Bas-taar shuddered as the spear struck, then went silent and still. (Tevinter Nights)

The Saarebas; which means “dangerous thing” in Qunlat, are the mages of the Qunari forces.  

The Qunari fear and loathe magic. But it is of course still possible for a follower of the Qun to be born with the power to use it. The Qunari treat their Saarebas with brutality and caution. The seer of Kont-aar once wrote:

"Saarebas must be carefully controlled by someone else, an arvaarad, 'one who holds back evil,' because they cannot truly control themselves." (WoT. V1)

The Qun teaches that those who can control magic cannot control themselves. Because of this, it is common practice for saarebas to be chained, masked, and kept on a short leash. Their lips may, in extreme cases, be stitched together. An arvaarad may also use a rod, similar to one used to control a golem, to restrain a saarebas.

Finally, Tal-Vashoth; which means "the true gray ones” in Qunlat, a name they gave themselves.

Tal-Vashoth refers to Qunari who have lived under the Qun and rejected it. This rebellion against its principles makes Tal-Vashoth traitors in the eyes of the Qun. Tal-Vashoth frequently clash with Qunari, but they are not large enough in number to be a formidable threat to the Qun.  

Tal-Vashoth usually stick together. Most are kossith. Since many in Thedas see kossith and think "Qunari,~ the Tal-Vashoth are often forced into a life of banditry and mercenary work, unaccepted and unable to find safer work.

And that makes up the majority of the Qun and its people. The Qunari are Thedas’ most immediate threat, as their invasion on Thedas has already started, while the Qun is greatly splintered, many nations in Thedas will face onslaught from these terrifying giants who will fulfil their Qun’s demand. Many plot points and future story beats lie for the Qunari.  

Ben-Hassrath's Current Movements

The Ben-Hassrath's plan titled “Dragon’s Breath’ failed, the scheme would’ve wrought the destruction of the Winter Palace and an immediate conversion on the entirety of Southern Thedas’s people, with the Divine and many other key figures dead. As the Inquisition and Fen’Harel stopped this from happening, the Ben-Hassrath focus many of their efforts on hunting Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf. He has made himself an enemy to the Qun.  

Other aspects of the Ben-Hassrath attacked the estate of Magister Nenealeus, looking for a mysterious lyrium sarcophagus that can imbue any elf with lyrium tattoos.  

The Ben-Hassrath moved their “Darvaarad” (their magical quarantine site) to a mobile dreadnought.  However, the ship was destroyed by an agent of Fen'Harel who placed an Altus Tevinter thief on their land. Their intention was to force the Ben-Hassrath to join the war between Tevinter and the Antaam. Fortunately, Gatt, one of the Ben-Hassrath saw through this scheme, and the plan was thwarted.  

“The Antaam will still agitate for us to move against you more openly. But we can blunt their strike. The Ben- Hassrath will remain officially neutral. More important, free to act against the true threat.” (Tevinter Nights).

While they predominantly hunt Fen’Harel, what are they going to do about their inner struggles within the Qun’s body? Will they step up and stand against it? Or continue to ignore it?  

Antaam’s Invasion  

A delicate peace existed between the Qunari and the rest of Thedas, however, the Qun is a text that must be adhered to by all. The Military body of the Qun, the Antaam, led by Tamassran Rasaan have decided for themselves, without the blessing of the other Qunari, to attack Northern Thedas.  

“Rasaan stopped him with a raised index finger. “I know your work,” she said. She knelt again, her eyes dead-straight with his. “My Antaam are in Tevinter as officially as you are. Does that change your tone?” (Tevinter Nights)  

While this is a prohibited invasion, the Qunari have declared war on the rest of Thedas, and will continue their efforts to re-educate the world, by any means possible. It’s estimated that the Antaam will crush Tevinter’s opposition in the east, and everything east of Vyrantium will be under their control within a year, and northern Antiva as well. Unless the newly appointed Airshok, who used to be Sten, personally stops this conquest. The Antaam may very well besiege the majority of Tevinter’s rural land.  

"You all know that the Antaam invaded without permission of the other branches of Qunari government? We had assumed this would hobble them, but it appears the priests and workers were a moderating influence. Without them, the Antaam have crushed the Tevinter opposition in the east, and I fear everything east of Vyrantium will be under their control within a year, and northern Antiva as well." (Tevinter Nights)

While the majority of the Antaam’s army will find fulfilment in overthrowing cities and bestowing the Qun’s law. Rasaan has taken interest in Fen’Harel and his scheme, she seeks his demise, just like the Ben-Hassrath. It seems each force within the Qunari government can agree that Fen’Harel is a formidable threat, as many of their efforts are focussed on stopping his plans.  

As a side note, Rasaan is a very attractive female Qunari Tamassran, we have not yet had the opportunity to romance such a striking, yet intimidating figure like herself in the Dragon Age games as of yet. I’d very much like her to “re-educate” my next protagonist, if you catch my drift.  

Seheron’s Occupancy  

Seheron is the largest island in Thedas, it was a paradise claimed by Tevinter long before the Qunari first landed on its shores. And even today, both groups fight for the island, while the Qunari dominate the majority of Seheron, Tevinter kinsman are constantly aiming to retake the land.  

Seheron is still "kabethari" to the Qunari—a land to be conquered and converted, literally "those who need to be taught." The tide could change any moment for either party.  

Rivain’s Qun Influence

Rivain is home to the only peaceful Qunari settlement on the main continent, in Kont-aar. The influence of the Qun, if not absolute adherence to its teachings, is present throughout Rivain, getting stronger as one heads north toward Kont-aar. During the conquest of the Tevinter city – Ventus, a captured elf and human discovered that the Qunari are moving some of their forces back to Rivain. A perfect location to continue their conversion of Thedas.  

“The Qunari are moving into Rivain. You need to get word to the clans before they land.” Irelin looked at Myrion with her maybe-glare, then back to Strife.

“I can be there and back by midnight. Can you stay ahead of the Qunari until then?” (Tevinter Nights)  

Antiva Invasion

The nation of Antiva do not have a personal guard or army, instead the Antivan Crows step-into the battlefield for the sake of their countrymen.

“Without an army, Antiva’s only line of defense was the Crows. Should the Qunari decide to attack, the assassins must present a united front.” (Tevinter Nights)

The eight leaders of the Crows are called Talons. Each talon from each house within the Crows had a political meeting to discuss the ongoing Qunari threat, in which, one of the eight talons decided to oppose the Crows and sign a contract with the Qunari for a peaceful invasion of Antiva’s land, all they needed to do was eliminate the remaining other talons.  

“The Qunari are coming. I was approached and presented a contract—an opportunity—for a peaceful invasion. In exchange for seven deaths, we could keep our way of life. They wouldn’t make us submit to the Qun.”

“And you believed them,” Teia scoffed.

Emil squared his shoulders. “The Qunari are many things—brutal, rigid, merciless warriors—but they are also honorable.” (Tevinter Nights)

Fortunately, the Talons were able to uncover this conspiracy before they met their deaths, however, the Qunari are on their way to Antiva, and with this deal no longer in effect, there will be blood to pay on the streets of this costal nation. The Crows will not give up their home so easily.  

Plenty of war lingers for the Qunari, as they declare this transfiguration for the people of Thedas. Since Trespasser’s events, the Qunari have all but continued their slaughter, while they’ve decided to take on the hunt for Fen’Harel. The lines are going to be so blurred when we experience this war for ourselves, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Perhaps the Qunari could willingly help us, but at the cost of Thedas’s entire transmutation. So many seeds are in the planning for the Qunari and their conquest, we can safely say the future will be nothing but tragic. Let me know your thoughts down below.  

[khandshagun]

Boosting Confidence and Self Esteem with 100% Human Hair Wigs a personal journey

Introduction

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[cocoanovel9]

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When a automobile breakdown or does not run, it is usually of no use for anyone. Everybody loves to save money. Some just have to greater than others. Since mechanics can charge you as much as ninety dollars an hour for labor alone, even easy issues can rapidly turn into expensive to repair in the event you take your automobile to a mechanic. Typically, the value for labor basically pays for your time in the event you do it your self. If you realize what's mistaken along with your car, you can discover ways to repair it yourself by purchasing a do-it-your self restore guide (Haynes and Chilton are both good selections) or asking a good friend who is good with automobiles that can assist you. Have to learn how to flush your oil strains? Change a timing belt? Bleed air out of your brakes? The web is in fact another wonderful supply of options for specific automobile problems. For this, within the context of a socio-historic method, one ought to attempt to reply the next questions: What are the psychological and cultural invariants that political and social revolutions, even the most radical ones, go away intact, not solely among the people, but among the very leaders of the revolution? If one tries to reply such a question from the analysis of the historical conditioning of a given people and of the African peoples typically, one then already arrives at some results comparatively better elaborated than before. The Quality Evaluation Course of is ongoing and dynamic. An article's Featured standing may change and is predicated on scores by HubPages Moderators and attention from readers. If one in every of your Featured articles is de-Featured, edit it to catch previously-missed grammatical errors, add extra media, improve its layout or group, or update it with new data. Once edited, your article will then be re-evaluated, and if your changes were sufficient to improve its total high quality, it could as soon as again be Featured. You could not like having auto restore work achieved however your check engine mild won't resolve itself if ignored. Seek the advice of with a mechanic and try to resolve the difficulty while it is still potential to resolve issues cheaply and shortly. Pathologically committed to the consumption of White-owned manufactured merchandise and gaining unadulterated approval of Whites as well as its self-effacing assimilation into White society, this influential group unwittingly enters into an alliance with the exploiters African group in managing its continuing disempowerment. Secure and cost-effective: By hiring a car service you'll be able to journey alone, economically, and safely. On the off chance that you're possible going to rent the automobile service with journey companions, you may divide the fee between those on board which should result in a very cheap option to reach the airport. In the event you're parking open air, be sure that to use a water-resistant car cowl to guard your vehicle from the elements. Also, keep in mind to position a sunshade on your windshield to protect the dashboard and steering wheel in opposition to harmful UV rays. If you are fascinated with studying the fundamentals of auto repair as a way to lower your expenses by doing it yourself, you will have a number of options. One of the crucial popular methods of acquiring information is thru a website, which is typically free. You may also read traditional books or e-books. Discover out the pros and cons of every technique that's out there for you to learn more about automobiles.

Your teen is perhaps excited to have his or her first vehicle, however it's essential ensure that the teen has all the tools needed to be a profitable vehicle proprietor. Along with an emergency equipment, you must teach the teen what to do in case there is trouble on the road. Some teenagers take courses during which they study defensive driving strategies, but not all teens learn about correct vehicle upkeep. Teach your teen how one can inform when the automobile is not working properly. It may additionally be helpful to have your baby accompany you during automotive restore trips on your vehicle. A rotary valve engine has the very best intake air management. The rotary valve rotates mechanically in a circular motion. This movement permits the intake port to be opened and closed at the very best time. The rotary valve also allows the port to haven't any restriction such as the reeds trigger. The timing of the rotary plate will be changed by the shape of the valve and is completed in some racing engines. http://paradisecardetailing.com/ supplied by a automobile restore business is tire alternative and upkeep. Since they come into direct contact with the street, tires will lose their tread and efficacy in time. Many people have experienced that fearful moment of driving alongside and seemingly out of nowhere, the tire goes flat. By working with knowledgeable car upkeep supplier you could possibly minimize down on the frequency of such an unlucky occurrence. You'll also be capable of get tire rotation companies and replacements if need be, but garages may supply insight and advice into sustaining your tires. Sometimes that is just an increased consciousness on your a part of your tire's step by step deteriorating condition, but perception of this type might help you intend forward and avoid failures that affect your day-to-day life. This may be the identical thing the shop mechanic does, however you will never know that for certain. The issue is that most of the time persons are in a hurry to have their cars repaired and the man at the shop is aware of that. He is aware of he can coax you into shopping for one thing increased just because he says he does not have anything and that it'll take a couple of days to get it. For those who search online, you are positive to search out precisely what you need. Take note of what the mechanic says, and see if you happen to can source the parts by yourself. It's going to be less expensive in the event you just need to pay him for his time alone. Now I do not mean the kind of " perspective " your parents criticized you for as a teen! In my case, that "perspective" did get in my approach! Instead, I am referring to the patterns of thought that form the backdrop of your life every single day. I think of perspective as the focus and expectations for all the things round you. For example, if you happen to count on people to be dishonest and imply, you should have an entirely completely different perspective than in the event you expect folks to be loving and sort. Should you anticipate to be successful at undertaking your objectives, you should have a special attitude towards taking motion than in case you anticipate to fail. It seems apparent, but many times our conditioned patterns of thinking are so deeply instilled, we don't understand we're falling to the old patterns. The state of the African South African nation is in dire straights. This is due to what we know and do not know. We know that modernity is in keeping up with the times. In all endeavors of man's existence here on earth, the goal has been more or less to better one's lot. This South Dakota-class battleship has spent more time as a museum ship then energetic service. Launched in 1942 after the US entered the second world conflict and loved a profession of escorting and coastal bombardment. Firing well over a 1,000 rounds of sixteen inch shells in her profession, Alabama reeked havoc on axis targets in the Atlantic and Pacific. The software program development group decided to offer it for sale to opponents on a really restricted basis. Folks from across the World obtained wind of the supply and the pressure was on to make it accessible to everybody. Engine Producers started using it in their R & D Labs. Engine Tuners started utilizing it of their on a regular basis engine modification companies. "Super Critical RC Rivals" began utilizing it to build and tune their personal engines. With all this energy and facilities, most individuals overlook or by no means knew that it is the same fundamental inner combustion engine used over a hundred years in the past. And, electric and hybrid automobiles require even less maintenance than conventional cars! Studying fundamental upkeep about your car can save you hundreds of dollars over time and reduce potential breakdowns.

[medicaresupplementalplann-blog]

Understanding Medicare

What Is Medicare?

Medicare is a federal, tax-supported medical insurance program for people 65 and over plus many men with disabilities. In the event that you or your spouse have worked full time for 10 or even more years within a life, you're most likely eligible for Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) at no cost. Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) is available in a regular rate set yearly by Congress ($121.80 at 20-16 for incomes 85000.00 or not as to get a person ). Some seniors are entitled to get the health care insurance portion (Part B) complimentary too, based upon their own income and asset levels. To find out more, inquire concerning the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Special Low Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), and Qualifying Individual apps by your county social services division.

Just how Does Medicare Work?

Medicare is obviously two individual kinds of insurance--medical and hospital. It isn't meant to pay all of your medical expenses. Hospital insurance (Part A of Medicare) insures hospital therapy and surgical treatments performed at a hospital. Additionally, it covers hospice, home health, and limited skilled medical attention. Medical insurance (Part B Medicare) covers a portion of the expense of physician bills, medical care, medical equipment, and laboratory and diagnostic evaluations. With all the Medicare modernization act of 2003, Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) and Medicare Part D (Prescription Coverage), additionally became available, through private insurance firms.

How Do I Get Medicare?

If you're receiving Social Security benefits before turning 65, you need to receive notification of your registration in Medicare fleetingly before your 65th birthday. Other folks need to apply by calling or seeing their Social Security office to get Medicare. If you aren't yet receiving Social Security or even in case you never have obtained a Medicare registration notice, you ought to contact the nearest Social Security office for advice. Software for Medicare could be drawn up throughout a seven-month phase beginning 3 weeks before the month of your 65th birthday. IT IS BEST TO APPLY DURING THE THREE MONTHS PRIOR TO THE MONTH OF YOUR 65TH BIRTHDAY. When an application is made throughout this time, coverage will start on the first day of one's arrival . Applying after will postpone the beginning of one's own benefits. You might even make an application for Medicare from January 1 through March 31 annually after your 65th birthdaycake. Your policy afterward starts July 1 of this year you signed and you'll cover a ten per cent surcharge on the Part B premium for every 1-2 weeks that you were eligible but not registered.

What If I Am Still Working? If you proceed to work after age 65 or your spouse is working and you're insured by an employer group health plan (EGHP), then you might choose to postpone enrollment in Part B of Medicare. Searching for Medicare Part B will activate your open registration for Medicare supplement at an occasion if that you don't need supplemental policy. The penalty for late registration in Part B doesn't apply in the event that you're insured by an EGHP for your spouse's present employment. Should you work after age 65, then you can make an application for Medicare Part B at any time before retirementbut you have to apply no later than eight weeks following your formal retirement as a way to prevent paying reduced penalty. If your employer provides a retirement health program, you might require to subscribe for Medicare Part A and probably for Medicare Part B if you retire. Many retirement plans assume you're insured under Medicare and won't cover services which Medicare would have covered. Candidates may qualify for special health programs. But, benefits and eligibility are very prohibitive and are susceptible to change. The Department of Veterans Affairs guides specialists to apply for both Parts A and B of Medicare to make sure sufficient medical care.

What About Costs Medicare Does Not Cover? Medicare pays only a part of hospital and healthcare statements. Much like lots of private insurance coverage, the government anticipates inheritance to cover a share in their invoices. Medicare Parts A and B both have deductible and coinsurance requirements. The deductibles for 20-16 are $1288.00 each Benefit Period, for Part A. The Part B deductible is $166.00 each year. Private insurance can be obtained to pay for some or all of these costs. These insurance coverage are all called Medicare supplements (also called Med Sup or Medigap plans).

Medicare Supplement Insurance

Medicare Supplements are standardized by the Federal Government. They're lettered A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M & N. Each standardized Medigap policy has to supply the exact identical primary benefits irrespective of that insurer sells . Cost is ordinarily the sole big difference between Medigap policies with the exact letter sold by different insurance providers. Plan A pays the Medicare hospital and doctor co insurance, the very first 3 pints of blood vessels, and 365 days of illness outside Medicare. Plans B through N provide those advantages and add further benefits like coverage for Medicare deductibles, excess charges and limited preventative maintenance, and foreign travel. ONLY ONE MED SUP PLAN IS NECESSARY. You need to only buy one Med Sup plan. Nobody should attempt and offer you one more Med Sup plan if you don't select that you want to modify policies.

Open Enrollment at Medicare Supplement Insurance At age 65, all of consumers - including those receiving Medicare as a result of disability - possess a two-year"open enrollment" period. For half a year beginning when you're age 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B, employers must sell you some Medicare supplement plan they supply. Next limited open registration period, businesses can select exactly what they are going to pay for. Different Options If you've got a single or"bank group" insurance plan, becoming Medicare eligible doesn't demand that you cancel it and buy a Medicare supplement. Doing this can preserve premium costs . however, it's crucial to compare benefits before deciding on what's going to work . If you're qualified for employer retirement , review the master program carefully to know exactly what benefits can be obtained and how it works together Medicare. Be conscious that employer plans aren't standardized and aren't susceptible to certain requirements forming standardized Medicare supplements. A few Texas residents are entitled to register in approved Medicare Advantage plans. These plans are provided by private insurance firms. Annually Medicare Advantage businesses decide where they'll offer their plans, so what benefits will likely probably soon be offered, and also what exactly the premiums will likely be. There are many Medicare Advantage plans available in a lot of counties in East Texas. Based on plan choice, an associate could be in charge of paying co payments for many services that are covered.

If I Purchase Long-Term Care Insurance?

Before, families resigned into help when elderly family were not any more able to take care of themselves. Now, with elderly people living more, families frequently living spaces apart and more women working away from house, fewer families can supply this maintenance. A vast assortment of longterm maintenance services is currently available--day care, respite care, healthcare, and medical attention. These services are costly and frequently transcend a individual's ability to shell out off. People often wrongly assume that Medicare may pay for their longterm maintenance expenses. MEDICARE ONLY COVERS LONG-TERM CARE UNDER VERY, VERY LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES.

[gleygodinez-blog]

UTS Reflections  by: Gley V. Godinez BSENTREP 21A

Chapter 1

The Concept of “Self” from various Philosophical Perspectives

Why is understanding the self important? Why you need to discover who you truly are?  The process of finding the self in you is really difficult especially if you don’t know where to start or who to ask. Luckily, we’re living in a modern society where the answers are on the tip of our fingers. But what if we were living back where advancef technology doesn’t exist? How would we find ourselves? Would we have struggled? Or does the situation makes it easier?

Life is easy. We just complicate things happening in our lives. That is what I realize when I read this chapter. These philosophers taught me to know yourself deeper just like what Socrates said to "examine yourself", get to know yourself more. Don’t be afraid to show your vulnerable side and try to open up. In addition, do things that pleases you. You want to eat? Eat as much as you want. Satisfy yourself! Something or someone is bothering you? Speak up! Believe in yourself. At the end of the day, what you do will show who you are.

The Self is you and you are molded by experiences. It is how you live your life. The way you act, speak, eat and the like only reflects what you are, what we are. Even the personality we portray whether it is fake or not, that is you, that is us. That is what you want others to see. And as times passes by,  you develop yourself as an individual which is  either good or bad, it is you. The “self” is within you.

Chapter 2

Sociological Perspective: The Self as a Product of Society

Society, a group of people living together. Does it have a direct relationship to the self? How society contribute in finding the self? We often consider what people see or observe towards us where they think whether it is good or bad, but does it really matter? How the self should be the product of the society? Do you consider yourself as a product of the society? Do we need to cope up with the standards given by them? Can we be "the self" and the society work together?

This chapter made me realize that society, indeed, impacts the formation of self. It’s sad to know that we often can’t show our true self because society forbid us to. We tried to cope up with their expectations to us but no matter what we do, it isn’t enough. It’s exhausting. Specially with the influence of media, people expect us to be perfect. Perfect body, perfect face, perfect personality and the list goes on. Perfect person doesn’t exist. We start comparing ourselves to others but the fact is, we are uniquely different. We just need to look down deep to our core because if we continue comparing ourselves, it can lead to depression and we became anxious. We are flawed and that’s okay.

Let us make our society as a guide to become a better version of ourselves. Listen only to those people that matters to you the most. Your family, your friends, and most importantly yourself. Love yourself and be a person who you want to be. Society wants you to be normal, don’t. Let your colors fly!

Chapter 3

An Anthropological Conceptualization of Self: The Self as Embedded in Culture

Culture is a set of beliefs and unique practices. This is how we differentiate each other in a way. How do you classify yourself? What field of anthropology can contribute to the understanding of the self? How culture and the self are complimentary concepts? We encounter struggles as we discover our identity. But, how can we achieve a sense of self situated in a multicultural and dynamic situations? Can a culture reflect the identity of one self?

As we all know, society plays a major part in forming our identity. We have our own perceptions towards things. I realize, what we are right now is because of the differences in the society’s culture. We in inherit these practices from our ancestors. As a sign of respect to them and to the practice itself, we continue to do so. Culture is part of us and it completes our identity. It makes us whole and helps connect with other people, that is the part of society we live in. Even though we have different culture.

As aforementioned, "Culture is part of us and it completes our identity. It makes us whole and helps connect with others." this subject  reflects and helps me uderstand on why it is important to be open minded. Why? Because there are countless religions, cultures, traditions in this world that we can't practice but what we can do is learn about it. These practices formulate new identities, it brings uniqueness in this world. This subject had taught me to explore and have openness in life.

Chapter 4

Psychological Perspective of the Self

How do you perceive yourself? Who are you in front of your family and friends? Do how your friends see you the same as how you see yourself? We play different role in the society. There are various concepts of self and their interrelationship. One’s behavior also contributes to their identity and how  they define themselves. An individual is an institution. It is where you communicate to yourself.

Growing up, I’m was confused of who am I, what should I become and what path should I take. Because of that, I became more cautious of my actions and being aware of the consequences of that. I became more sensitive for myself and for others. I was continuously trying my best to maintain my grades, that got a little demure and conservative. Trying to hide what I am feeling inside because I don’t want them to see me weak and vulnerable. Keeping things between me and myself. Not voicing out on what I feel, I kept saying “I’m fine”, “it happened for a reason”. I’m not taking it negatively but rather I’m just minding my own business. They have nothing to do with it. Little by little, I’m started to loosen up, have a little fun, mingle with others around my age because there’s more to life than sitting around the corner of your boundaries.

In this chapter, I realize that before you try to understand others you need to understand yourself. You can’t go on if you don’t know yourself. You can’t grow if you don’t nurture yourself and your identity yourself as an individual. You got many personalities to portray different roles in society. It’s either to please others or your family or your friends. You are just like a system, functioning as a whole. If one doesn’t work, you can’t function properly. You’ll undergo maintenance or should I say, phases. This will guide you to find “the self” in you.

Chapter 5

Western and Eastern Concept of the Self

What is your own concept of self? Do you think your concept of self is more dominant than others? Do you think there is one supreme concept of self? Why are there so many practices and beliefs about self? Why do we need to discuss different concepts of self? Which concept can you relate the most?

We have our own biases in terms of what we believe. Sometimes it will lead to misunderstanding if not resolved. What I realized is that we need to accept what others think and what do they believe because I believe there are no practices, beliefs, or concepts about self which is dominant than the other. We are all equal. We exist in the same diverse world. In our life we will encounter this kind of scenarios where we need to speak up of what we believe but it is not right to down others just because what you believe is supreme among others. I learned to be sensitive in terms of this kind of topic.

No beliefs or practice is greater than the other. I see everything fair and this contributes to my self because I learned to respect others perspective and it helped me widen my understanding towards things especially in learning and discovering new things. Moreover, it helps me become more open-minded and helps making me less ignorant about these sensitive subjects.

Chapter 6

The Physical Self

Our body is our own responsibility. It is our duty to keep it strong and healthy. How should we do it? Is it enough to eat healthy food to maintain our body strong? How to improve your body appearance? Do you consider yourself as overall healthy? Do you accept the body given to you?

The body is our temple that we should take care of. We are the ones to nurture it. We should accept the body given to us. What I realized is, changes in our body are okay. Our body can represent us to other people. People will judge us on what they observe towards us. It’s all about first impressions. We think we can improve ourselves or our appearance if we contemplate and give in to  their expectations. This will affect our self esteem and we'd tend to feel proud about that. But your own opinion about your body is what matters the most. It is important to love yourself for what you have and value this. We can always improve ourselves by doing exercises and  maintaining proper diet. Most importantly your attitude. Your body and your image as a person will depend on how you will cary them.

Your body image plays an important role in showing your identity. This will manifest on who you are as a person. Your body is perfect the way it is. first you need to accept the way it is. If you wish to improve, improve for the sake of yourself and don’t do it to please others. Be thankful on what you have and stop comparing your body to others because no matter what you do, we are all different. Don’t blend in.

Chapter 7

The Sexual Self

As a human being, it is normal to crave for attention, affection, and most importantly love. We seek for the sense of belongingness to someone we like. We want to connect to them. Establishing bond with others and we want to satisfy our pleasures. We met a lot of people throughout our life and each one of them plays a significant roles in our lives. But, how do you know if you met the one? The one who you spend your time with?

Learning this chapter, I realize that finding someone you spend your life with is not easy. You need to be both compatibility with each other. You  both must share the same feeling towards each other. It isn’t enough that you love each other. You must be both committed on what you’re doing. Satisfying each others need regardless with your gender orientation. Taking responsibility for each other’s overall wellness.

Getting into a relationship needs a lot of understanding and patience. It is not something that you go into without any preparations. You need to be stable as a person because you’re not the only at stake but also the person that you want to be with. Being in love is the most beautiful thing you could ever imagine. It makes people go crazy. Make it the best decision you would make in your life.

Chapter 8

The Material Self

We posses different kind of material things. it’s either from a friend, from family, or we bought it ourselves. These things posses values that reflects who we are and jow it holds importance to our lives. But, does these things reflect us? Are we able to express ourselves through these possessions? Why do we need to own these things? Does it have significant relationship to our identity? Can this contribute to our social status in the society?

Humans are competitive creatures, that is what i reflected on this chapter. We like to be  on top and we don’t like others to step on us. Especially, the completion is visible. We see the things others have. As a result, we want to have that also. We lose the essence of the things we posses and that is these possessions should manifest who we are. We lose to these competition and we don’t show who we are anymore. We acquire things just because of the pressure in our surroundings. Like, they have the latest model of phones but you don't. Because of that, we feel that we were left out. The urge of coping up will arise.

These things are an extension of ourselves. They reflect and manifest our identity. These things speak for us. Some of it gives us power to boost our status. But if we keep to accumulate these, it may lead to depression because if don’t get what we want we feel bad about it. We should keep things moderated. don’t let the pressure get into you. It’s okay to make yourself happy but never to forget why you do this in the first place. Go back to your purpose on why you get these material things. Don’t loose track on what’s important in your life.

Chapter 9

The Spiritual Self

What is the importance of spirituality in one’s life? How will you develop your spirituality? Do you believe that your spirituality is strong enough? We need divine intervention to guide us spirituality in life. This will teach us good morals and the right way to react in every situation. It teaches values and what is right and wrong. But, are capable enough to distinguish what is morally right and wrong? Do you already know your purpose in life?

I realize through this chapter that our lives has a meaning. There is purpose of our existence. We just need to look for it. Our spirituality will be there to guide us. It will give us the sense of wholeness and teach us to look life in every perspective in life. In our life we ask ourselves, “what am I doing here? Why am I alive?” and we just continue to ask ourselves. A lot of us still don't know what is the meaning of their existence and I admit I am one them. But let us explore life by doing good deeds to other, making right choice, and be optimistic. See problems with a silver lining. Your life has a meaning and you serve purpose in your family and friends and even in your school. I can’t say that I found my purpose yet but as my life goes on, I’m starting to look for it.

To sum it up, life is full of surprises. It is not like what you are experiencing right now. It is more than that. Every thing happens for a reason an there is a reason why you are here. We should seek guidance from someone above that is more powerful than any of us. If you feel worthless and down, just remember that you live for a reason and that is for you to know.

Chapter 10

The Political Self

Rules and laws became part of our life. We see it in every place we go. It teaches us appropriate ways to react here in our society. We try to internalize views of others. We have responsibilities that we need to perform that we are expected of. This helps us know our rights as a citizen of this country. How does this contribute to the political self?

I realized in this chapter, political self helps us to become morally upright citizens. We have duties that we need to fulfill in this country. It helps us be obedient and listen to the authorities specially in this time of pandemic. They are doing things to keep us all safe we just need to act right in this situation. The authorities are doing the best they can and they needed our cooperation. We are the heart of the country and we should do our part to keep maintain the order and harmony of this country. They need our support and lets be active on what is happening. Sharing your opinion and voicing out your feelings are not prohibited.

Being an active citizen helps in the development and growth of the country.  It also helps us develop because we are in an environment which is conductive in learning. We should be a role model to the the youth because they might be our next leaders and hopefully, people who could change the world.

Chapter 11

The Digital Self

Avatar, the virtual representation of yourself. We create our image in social media like how we want others to see us. But, who are you behind that avatar? What kind of person do you portray in virtual world? Are you being real in a virtual world? Are you a responsible netizen? Some use social media platforms as their means of expressing themselves. Some are using this as their escape route break from this stressful world. Are you using it right?

Reading this topic, I realize that the digital self is a “catfish”. That self is a fraud. We keep saying this overrated statement that we we’re just expressing ourselves but the real fact is we’re trying to be someone or we’re making a persona that we think everybody likes and adore. Who are we fooling around?  I observed that everybody is copying one another to the point that it’s so easy to predict what’s someone is up to. In virtual space, we’re coping up to the expectations of other users. We’re just like actors and actresses playing the part that the audience wants to see. We seek for their attention, their reactions, and expectations.

It is not bad to pretend like someone else but don’t let it get into you. Sometimes not being  yourself is liberating. You’ll feel freedom and forget whatever your problems are. Take breaks from reality but don’t get carried away. We need to wake up and face what we are going to face.

[wisdomrays]

TAFAKKUR: Part 93

Disciplining Obesity: A Healthy Life Style: Part 2

Treatment of obesity

Treatment of obesity requires a reduction of calorie intake to below the level of the body’s daily energy requirements. Weight will he lost only if there is a negative calorie balance. Eating less food than the body requires means that the body uses up its own fat to meet its energy requirements. In extreme cases, where losing weight is of paramount importance and where, for one reason or another (usually psychological), dieting has failed, surgical procedures may be necessary. These can include wiring up the jaws to prevent entry of solid food while allowing liquid matter to enter the mouth, or even more rarely, short-circuiting large sections of the bowel, a high risk procedure that carries with it a very significant mortality rate.

Nutrition and diet

Nutrition is concerned with the correct provision of essential factors for body growth, maintenance and repair, together with the necessary number of calories to meet the body’s energy requirements. A correct slimming diet is one that reduces the daily intake of calories without depriving the body of its nutritional needs. Some understanding of nutrition and correct dieting is important not only for those who are already obese, but for many young, normal individuals who, without this knowledge would be likely in the course of time to become obese. A well-balanced diet must have adequate amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, mineral salts and water. Proteins, fats and, particularly, carbohydrates, are important sources of calories and hence of energy. Proteins also supply the amino acids essential to body growth and repair. Fat in addition to being a subsidiary source of energy is the principal source of some vitamins.Vitamins are important in the utilization of energy and in the body metabolism but are not themselves a source of energy and do not contribute to body weight. Lack of vitamins causes disease but so too can an excessive intake of some vitamins.

A number of mineral salts are essential for the human body. Iron, for example, is essential for the formation of hemoglobin. Calcium is necessary for ossification of bone (the change of cartilage into bones). Phosphorus is required for many purposes including the manufacture of ATP. Iodine is necessary for the correct functioning of the thyroid gland. Other important minerals include potassium and sodium.

Water is one of the most important elements in our diet. It makes up about 70% of body weight and shortfall in its intake results in dehydration. Caloric foods are essential for body energy requirements. To appreciate their importance it is necessary to understand both how calories are expended by the body and how these calories are provided by the food eaten. The total calories expended by the body each day is the sum of the calories required for basal metabolism and those required for physical activities. Basal metabolism is the chemical change occurring within the body in the state of complete physical rest when the only bodily functions that are occurring are respiration, growth and repair of body tissues. Physical activity includes obvious exercise such as walking or running and other activities such as digestion and absorption of food. The requirements of basal metabolism depend on the size of the person, but on average about 1,700 calories per day. For comparison it is interesting to note that walking utilizes about 200 calories per hour, household work about 100 calories per hour, and mental work no calories.

Calories are provided by certain constituents of the diet. The most prolific source on a calorie-per- weight basis are fats, which yield 9 calories per gram, followed by carbohydrates and proteins which each yield 4 calories per gram. It would appear that, in order to lose weight with maximum efficiency, the part of the diet which should be reduced is the fat content. However, the average diet contains nearly twice as much carbohydrate as it does protein and fat put together. Therefore, in practical terms, most slimming diets concentrate on the reduction of the carbohydrate content of the food eaten.

Dieting

By ‘dieting’ people usually mean a ‘reducing diet’, that is, a programme of eating less in order to achieve weight reduction. But there are other types of diets used for different purposes such as lowering the level of cholesterol or increasing the bulk content of food in the bowel.

Reducing diets are designed to provide less calories in the food intake than are used by the body in the expenditure of energy. There are infinite variations, both in the content of such diets and in their efficacy.At its simplest, good diets are diets that work. The important criteria of such diets are:

Palatability: it is pointless following a diet which forbids all foods that one likes and allows only foods that one dislikes.

Practicability: that is a diet that can be followed with a minimum of fuss and preparation and can be used when one is out at work or at a restaurant.

Moderation: a diet should be one that ensures a weight loss of not more than 2 lb a week. Diets which produce weight loss in excess of 2 lb are usually crash diets and come into the second category namely, bad diets.

Bad diets fail to satisfy the criteria described above. They fail because they are monotonous or cause tremendous hunger and are soon abandoned, with a consequent return to previous eating habits and the regaining of weight lost. Even if maintained with perseverance and weight is successfully lost, when the diet is eventually stopped, when the desired weight has been achieved, former eating habits are almost always resumed and weight rapidly regained. Weight rapidly lost is weight rapidly regained in almost every instance. It hardly needs saying that the most important aspect of dieting is the re-training of one’s eating habits so that after a time dieting is no longer a conscious activity but a totally natural and permanent way of eating for health. In practical terms the most effective way of achieving this is by gentle reduction of the amount of food eaten. For example, one potato less, one slice of bread less, substitution of artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, are all ways of reducing calorie intake in a gentle and painless manner. There are numerous other tactics (usually classed as behaviour therapy) such as eating from a smaller plate, which can all help different individuals to adapt gradually and permanently to a different regime of eating.

Slimming tablets are controversial. Opinion as to their usefulness is divided. They appear to be very popular with patients but not so popular with doctors. It is possible that tablets have a use particularly when hunger is a problem during sensible dieting or when the reduction of weight has reached a plateau which appears to be permanent or long-lasting. A short-term plateau is a common occurrence while on a reducing diet and perseverance is required as weight loss is usually resumed after a short period. The problem with slimming tablets is that they can cause unpleasant side effects such as insomnia or, conversely, drowsiness, and they may cause dependency.

Exercise

The importance of exercise in the context of weight reduction is frequently overstated. For example, a walk of one mile will probably use up less than 60 calories. If this activity is undertaken every day it will probably achieve a weight loss of less than 1 lb a month. However studies have shown that sedentary individuals appear to lose weight with more difficulty than active individuals on identical diets.

Bran

Recently doctors have become aware of the importance of something that has been missing in the refined diets of Western societies for a long time: this is vegetable fibre. Observation of peoples in the African continent have shown that the local inhabitants rarely suffer from constipation, bile and other bowel disorders so common in Western countries. This has been convincingly explained as being due to the presence in their diet of vegetable fibre. The theory has been advanced that if vegetable fibre is added to our Western diet the incidence of such bowel disorders will be reduced and this appears to be borne out. The addition of vegetable fibre, generally in the form of bran, may well prove to be a useful constituent of our everyday diet. A further advantage of bran, particularly while on a reducing diet is that it has a tendency to fill up one’s stomach and thus alleviate hunger.

Diet and corona heart dease

Cholesterol is a fatty substance present in everyone’s blood. It causes problems as it is deposited in the lining of arteries making them narrower. Cholesterol also forms an important constituent of arteromatous plaques (lumpy deposits on the inner lining surface of arteries) which may cause narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries (those supplying the heart), leading to pain on exertion (angina pectoris). Blockage of the coronary arteries causes coronary thrombosis which results in destruction of the heart muscles. The relationship between high blood cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease is undisputed. Numerous studies have shown that the risk of dying from coronary heart disease is more than doubled if one has an abnormally high level of cholesterol in the blood. The relationship between blood cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease is probably a direct causal one. The classic observation is that Japanese men who came to live in San Francisco acquire high blood cholesterol levels and suffer an increased incidence of coronary heart disease in similar proportions to those of the indigenous population and in marked contrast to the low cholesterol levels and low incidence of heart disease of the indigenous population of Japan. However, the possibility remains that some other factor or factors are responsible for both the high cholesterol level and coronary heart disease has been postulated.

Cholesterol is derived partly from the diet and partly from the breakdown of other food substances within the body. The main sources of cholesterol are animal fats and dairy products. These include fatty meats, liver, milk, cheese, cream and butter. All these foods contain a good deal of saturated fatty acid which in the body breaks down to form cholesterol. In addition, eggs contain pure cholesterol. When the amount of cholesterol and saturated fatty acids in the diet is reduced the level of blood cholesterol is also reduced.

What does seem likely is that even a moderately raised level of cholesterol over a long period of time may predispose towards coronary heart disease. Doctors and nutritionists are therefore becoming increasingly aware of the importance of correct diet starting in childhood. It is likely (and certainly it is to be hoped) that, with increased general awareness of the importance of cholesterol levels, there will be some alteration of the present eating habits in schools - informed teachers could provide an important impetus. This is particularly desirable as the eating habits of adults and their likes and dislikes are acquired largely during childhood. There should be a trend towards a reduction of the animal fat and dairy product content of the diet (though by no means their total exclusion because they still form an important source of certain essential nutrients) together with an increase in food containing more polyunsaturated fats (which do not lead to the rise in cholesterol levels) such as lean meat and the substitution of soft margarine high in polyunsaturated fats in place of butter, and the use of corn oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil in cooking instead of cooking fat

As Muslims, of course, we must be abstemious and refrain from overindulgence. Good health is a valuable gift from God Almighty and we shall he held accountable for how we treated our bodies. In the inimitable words of the Wise Qur’an: Let not your own hands contribute to your own destruction’.

[hostiias]

MENTAL HEALTH WITH NIM: DID

           Hey sweet peas! Nimbus here and I have what’s known as DID!! What is DID you ask? It’s short for Dissociative Identity Disorder !! It was known as multiple personality disorder until the 90′s--when they gained a better understanding and changed the name. You don’t have to read this, but it would mean a whole awful lot to me if you did!

       First a disclaimer! DID is unique to everyone like many disorders and while some core facts are the same, please not I only have one experience and one side of this multi-faceted disorder!

         DID is formed in ages 7-9 and only in this stage of childhood. It is caused by repeated and/or extreme trauma. The person who has developed DID (aka me!!) will have no memory of their childhood. That’s right! I don’t remember anything--and any memories I have are vague and fuzzy, like they happened to someone else. I only have one very clear memory--but I only recovered it fairly recently via therapy.

           That brings us to our next issue--DID causes severe memory loss. I’m not talking a few hours--Im talking losing days, weeks, months, and even years. I’ve had to work very hard with my disorder and therapy to get a better handle on this loss of time--but that’s still fairly recent and I do still lose time. The reason I bring this up is because I might not remember a conversation we had--or something I was supposed to do for you.

            I forget birthdays, anniversaries, important dates, etc so much--like i don’t even remember my mums. Bits and pieces of my life are like shadows in my mind and I have to do some digging and info-seeking to find it out. It’s very difficult and I feel very guilty about it...so please never take it personally if I don’t remember something. It’s not because I don’t care , but because my mind is literally fragmented.

           Expanding on that--DID is a defensive disorder created by your mind to try and protect you from your trauma. So you know how in 7-9 your ‘parts’ of personality are slowly integrating to create you? The trauma disrupts this and your parts stay separate, creating alters. These alters often create their own personas; become their own people. The bugger thing is, once you’ve split--you can do it later again when you’re older. That’s right! If I’m traumatized enough, it could cause me to split again--because now my brain has recognized this ‘split’ as a defensive tactic.

             I’m pretty lucky that because I’ve been getting therapy (and FINALLY got a diagnosis; like I’m medically diagnosed with this disorder) I’ve been able to avoid further splits. At this time I have eight alters I am aware of whom I communicate with almost like a family; this is how I’ve been able to cut down on my memory loss. It’s still a bit like watching myself through tv, but at least I’m more aware of what happened.

              Some quick terminology!!

Protector: an alter who keeps the system safe

Alter: The ‘part’ that split.

System: The name for the collective unit of alters and host/original.

Host: the alter who is living the individuals life most of the time, might not be the original.

Original: the individual who was originally traumatized and ended up with DID. (I am both the host and the original).

Gatekeeper: Someone who monitors what alters are allowed to interact with the rest of the system and what memories are allowed to be accessed. If there are Persecutors in the system, they keep them at bay.

Persecutor: An alter who often exhibits the behavior of the person who was abusive/caused the trauma. Usually only harmful to the system itself. It is rare for persecutors to cause harm to outside individuals, but they may say cruel things.

Internal self-helper: An alter who is mostly on in the system that makes sure everyone is where they need to be; aka sort of like the maintenance guy.

Trauma holder: An alter who holds the memories of the trauma that cause their split.

Little: An alter who maintains the appearance and mindset of a child; usually the result of the initial trauma from ages 7-9.

Non-human: An alter who is not human. Can be a mythical being but is typically an animal presenting alter.

Fictive: An alter who has the ‘memories’ and personality of a fictional person as well as their appearance and name.

Headspace: This is an internal world sort of like Sherlocks ‘mind palace’ from the BBC show where all the alters can interact with each other and ‘live’. How it appears is different for everyone–my headspace is a cabin in the woods.

Age: Alters can be the same age as the orginal or older/younger. They are, essentially, their own people in many ways.

Co-existence: A therapy method in which you learn to live and function with your alters (this is the therapy I use)

Integration: A form of therapy where the original and/or host begins to integrate the alter into their singular personality (aka going through the process that was disrupted in childhood). This can also occur between alters.

      I have a very good relationship with my alters but it wasn’t always this way. I’ve had a lot of issues in the past with varying personality traits, time loss, etc. I’ve even had a few toxic relationships in which I was the toxic party--partly due to not having a good handle on what was going on. Now no one should use this as an excuse! I am as at fault for my alters actions as I would be if they were my own so don’t let anyone excuse bad behavior with ‘my alter did it, not me!’ because they can absolutely work on getting a better handle of them.

        I will say that people with DID who have not gotten a better handle on their alters deserve your grace and patience where you feel you can give it; it’s frightening to know that sometimes there’s basically a whole other person driving your body. You don’t need to, nor are expected to excuse harm--but hopefully you can at least offer some understanding--because that’s all any person suffering from this disorder can ask for. It’s especially hard when you’re undiagnosed and have no idea what’s going on--only that something is wrong (I speak from experience here hhh--)

        You ready for another term? Ok so alters often will ‘front’, this is like to say if you were driving a car--whoever is fronting is driving the car. The car is your body (obviously). So if you’re in the passenger seat, you probably still are aware of what’s going on, even if you’re no longer in control--if you’re in the backseat you have a vague idea of what’s happening, but it’s not really clear to you--you’re there but removed. If you are in the trunk you have no idea what’s going on--you’re completely blind to anything being said or happening. Even when I (Nimbus) am not fronting, I’m typically in the passenger seat anymore--but I used to only be in the back seat or the trunk...so it’s taken a year or so of work to get here.

           This is a disorder that is very important to me to talk about because I don’t wanna feel ashamed or crazy of something my brain did to protect me so I’m gonna be more vocal about it here! You are welcome to ask myself or my alters questions in IM’s or in my ask box! You may not however ask about my trauma, that’s just rude and unkind. I can also send you resources for people who talk about DID that I feel are trustworthy in their info. My disorder is nothing to be ashamed of and I’m happy to share it with you!

          Below is a list of seven of my alters whom you may ask questions as well!

Roxas: Main protector. 26. He/him. True neutral. aro/ace. coffee addict. Teasingly known as ‘sk8r boy’. Not related to the kh roxas. Like sunsets, coffee, snap backs, and hiking. Pitches my voice down a bit.

Dimitri: Physical protector/gatekeepr. He/him. blunt/asshole. some sort of chaotic alignment. 25. Means well but could stand to be a little gentler about things. Likes leather, alcohol, dancing, and fighty-aesthetics. Pitches my voice down a lot.  

Sage: Caretaker. he/him. 31. the mom friend. Will make you tea and listen to all your problems. Will suggest good books. Lawful good. Likes soothing aesthetics, once upon a time, tea, sweaters, leggings, and classical music. Talks in full and VERY formal sentences. Has a softer tone than me.

Salem: Internal self-helper. 21. he/him. really sunny personality. lawful good. genuinely a good person. minor anxiety. likes exercise, healthy foods, and bubbly music. Has a country bumpkin british accent (kind of?). Will call you ‘love’ or ‘lovey’

Koumei: Caretaker. he/him/they/them. 23. genderqueer. “lets talk about how that feels”. Makes sure i’m honest during counseling sessions. Likes crop tops, those cloth elephant pants you see in hipster stores, yoga, tea, east asia aesthetics, and meditative music. Whisper-talks. SHY.

Carter: Gatekeepr. he/him. 18. ace. grumpy/moody teenager. awkward phase. ‘lol bold of you to assume I process anything’. Stays in room almost 24/7. blunt. likes video games, beanies, hoodies, jeans, sneakers, and sleeping during the day. Doesn’t change my voice really.

Bubble: non-human. Some sort of fairy? Genderless but uses he/him. Likes to look like a meow wow cause they make me happy. Age is a mystery. Can appear human and typically chooses a little boy. Lets have a good time everyone!! Like to color, play games, do child-like things/watch child-like shows. ‘reconnect with your inner child nim!’. LOUD and BUBBLY.

Thank you for reading and again if you have any questions for us let me know !! I love you all <3333

[gofancyninjaworld]

The World of Heroes, Part 3:  The Association

With great thanks to @scumerage for giving me the necessary framing. 

So, welcome to Part 3 of me geeking way too much about heroes and One Punch Man. In Part 1, I talked about the challenge of being a hero.   In Part 2, I took a step backwards and looked at what heroes were in the context of OPM.  This part,  I’m going to build on them and write about the world of the pro-hero. 

No one has ever needed especial qualifications to be a hero, neither in the real world nor in that of OPM.  Heroes arise from anywhere depending on the situation.  The idea of someone paid to be a hero seems rather weird the more you think about it. 

A: Why a Hero Association?

We can’t understand the Hero Association unless we take the time to really appreciate why it came to exist.  The Hero Association was born out of desperation.  Specifically,  mysterious beings had been appearing with increasing frequency in the world going back at least twenty years -- and back when Saitama was in middle school, it’d already gotten severe enough a problem that there were calls for the government to set up a specialist force to deal with the problem. 

Calls that went unheeded. 

For years. 

Until Agoni had that epiphany that his grandson having the luck of being saved by a random stranger didn’t have to be luck. So he got the buy in of both politicians and business people and set up a Hero Association to organise heroes and save people (not necessarily the same thing). The Hero Association is 100% donation funded, no taxes.

Like a beacon of hope rising out of a sea of tragedy, the Hero Association’s main building stands.

B: Why be a Pro-Hero?

The key thing that I’m going to bold is that the Hero Association ORGANISES heroes.  It does not train them, taking only ‘battle ready’ people.  It does not worry about developing them.  You have to already be a hero. Wannabes need not apply.  

This fact has many important implications. 

First, there is a right time to join the Hero Association: when the hero work you are already doing has come to take up so much of your time that it is interfering with  your ability to make a living.  The undying gratitude of the person you saved may be priceless, but it doesn’t pay the rent, nor the hospital bills you incurred.  Come to the Hero Association at that time and it’s a fantastic deal.  It will reliably pay you every month. It will pay your medical bills. It will record and recognise your activities. It will indemnify you against the damage that you do during the course of your work. If you’re not in Class C, it will help you with equipment.  It may even put money aside for the pension you’ll need much sooner than you think.  

Second, the Hero Association may not train, but it also does not constrain.  As discussed in earlier parts, the sort of person who becomes a hero is someone who doesn’t fear standing out or going against the flow -- they’re independent minded and often more than a little eccentric.  The HA’s attitude allows for the weird and wonderful heroes we see to thrive. No prescription of how to do your heroism.  No uniforms. Out of Class C, no expectations of minimum activity.  

However, while the Hero Association has broad standards, those standards are NOT LOW.  Every profession that carries authority over others from teaching to the police has a perennial problem of how to spot and weed out those attracted to it for power tripping purposes, the narcissists, the sociopaths, the sadists, the abusers, and the plain evil.  The Hero Association’s pro-heroes are remarkably good -- far better than the general population.  There’s a certain amount of nonsense the HA will put up with from super-useful heroes but we’re seeing that even there, they have limits.  I don’t know what combination of selection criteria and the demands of the job that create this, but it works.   

And there’s a logic to it: hero work, doing good hero work consistently is far too tough for people who don’t have both a serious moral core and a desire to be pro-social to last.  The manga expansion has been at great pains to examine the different avenues available to people with the power to be pro-heroes but not the moral core and/or social drive -- regular law-abiding civilians doing whatever the hell they want to.  Sportspeople. Criminals. Mercenaries. Vigilantes.  Conversely, we’ve also been shown at least one person with the morals, but not the strength -- that person made an exceptional police officer. 

With great power comes no obligation -- your life is your own

It’s not a perfect model, and its shortcomings are becoming clearer -- which I’ll discuss in a bit -- but it does do its job of supporting exceptional and highly individual heroes to dedicate themselves fully to their self-appointed work. And they’re good at drawing from society at large: a non comprehensive list of former (and current) professions of pro-heroes includes actor, circus performer, construction worker, salaryman, manager, swordsmen, professional martial artists, hunter, trapper, perfumier, farmer, athletes, body builders, ninjas, ballerinas...the list goes on.

C. Classes and Ranks

Deploying heroes means sorting heroes so as to use them in the best way possible.  There are no size limits to any of the classes -- as many as fit the requirements of a class will be in it.  The HA is always recruiting.

Class C is the threshing floor, where heroes start if there’s no compelling reason to recommend that they start elsewhere -- or if they have their doubts.  The combination of low pay and the expectation of weekly results means that there’s no opportunity to work half-heartedly. It quickly discourages the lazy, those who aren’t strongly self-motivated, those lacking in initiative, those expecting quick recognition, the ones who simply cannot work with others, the ones who won’t take lawful orders and the plain incompetent. Expectations are relatively low. Stopping small time criminals, being helpful to people and being willing/able to work with others to take care of monsters will see you in good standing. Getting out of Class C seems to be dependent on showing that you can be relied on to single-handedly kill monsters (any damn kind) OR by being promoted to C Class Rank 1.  The majority of heroes have done at least a short stint in Class C, including many current Class S heroes. 

It’s hard to survive on your own in Class C

If a hero is inclined to be lazy, Class B is where to be.  No formal quota, no formal  expectation of being drafted to help with an escalating situation (like Class A and S heroes), semi-decent pay,  help with equipment design/maintenance,  its lower reaches are quite a safe place to coast.  When a Class B hero does work, the expectation on them is that they be entrusted to handle a wolf-level threat on their own and if Don Pacino is typical of the sort of criminal that gets a B Class bounty, heavily-armed gangs are fair game.  The challenge of Class B is the Blizzard Group -- if you work close to or in Z-City, and are ambitious, Fubuki will come knocking sooner or later.  It's a problem that the Hero Association knows about and chooses to do nothing about, seeing it as just another test ambitious heroes have to negotiate.

It’s a shame that Class B is so dominated by the Blizzard Group that it’s difficult to find pictures of just Class B heroes that’s not them. And yet we know nearly none of them...

Class A is the where the main backbone of the Hero Association lies.  That this is shifting of late doesn’t negate the fact that most monsters are threat level tiger or below.  For the vast majority of threats, Class A is where the buck stops. The roughly forty members of this class are the highest class of heroes you could still consider ‘normal’ human beings.  Highly visible, hard-working and with high expectations placed on them, A-Class heroes are what other heroes aspire to be.  There may be no formal tutelage system in the Hero Association, but Class A heroes take turns to orient new recruits as to the rules and expectations of being a pro-hero.

Class A comes across as a group whose members are just as comfortable on their own as in working with others.

Class S is... well, it is special.  Unlike the other classes, a hero cannot be promoted to Class S: it is by direct invitation only.  And that invitation is on battle record, battle record, and battle record alone.  Only the demonstrated ability to single-handedly slay a threat-level demon monster or more will elicit that invitation.  By staying at Class A Rank 1, Amai Mask closes off the possibility that a hero who doesn’t meet those requirements can nevertheless request a promotion interview and talk or network their way in.  Why so persnickety?  Because these heroes are the In Case of Emergency heroes: when the shit really hits the fan, that’s when they step up.  With so few of them, a single S-Class hero can easily be all that stands between tens of thousands of people and a horrible death with no back up available for hours.  We’ve seen a lot more of them than the average person in the story does because the story is set precisely in the midst of several extreme emergencies. 

They may be the most powerful heroes, but they don’t have the best reputation amongst other heroes. Even between themselves -- they’re amazingly fractious and Flashy Flash’s summation of his colleagues is particularly scathing: 

The other Class S heroes are useless.  They’re either stubborn or hide their own identity, weirdos, children and old people.  (from webcomic chapter 112)

Getting this many Class S heroes in the same place at the same time is like pulling teeth

What about ranks?  Within classes heroes have ranks, but they don’t directly correspond to battle power, have little to do with seniority, and are absolutely not measures of hierarchy within a class. What they are are measures of a given hero’s perceived utility to the Hero Association. Ranks give heroes something to measure themselves by, act as a tangible measure of progress, are something that does correlate to how well a hero gets paid within the class and of course, they bring feel superior points.  If a hero is minded to climb classes, Rank 1 of the class below is the ticket to apply for promotion. 

What’s very fair about the ranking system is that it’s assessed weekly. No matter where a hero starts out, week by week, they cannot help but build an actual track record. The Hero Association isn’t slow to reward good heroes with promotions -- it’s why even the Saitama who won’t report his work and claims to cheat is rising so fast that other heroes keep attacking him.   What’s troublesome about it is that it’s a points based system, whereby points can be divided between heroes... which opens the door to some underhanded shenanigans. 

Wrapping up

The Hero Association has solved a very troublesome problem: how to reliably hire a hero?  Precisely because anyone can be moved to acts of heroism, people have been saved by a random assemblage of other people, only a few of whom would ever think of doing it regularly.   What they have done in short is to give those people basic security and protection and otherwise let them get on with doing what they do.  

What’s been good about their approach is that they’ve effectively captured lightning in a bottle, bringing together some exceptional people, and deploying them in a way that balanced their needs for individuality with the benefit of collective action.   Until recently, it’s a model that has worked.  What’s been bad about it…. Ah, that will wait until the last part of this series.