#at times is given a 'material' meaning by subjects which use them? (ex. physics giving meaning to the fourth dimension by having it be time)

[misskamelie]

Having troubles understanding n-dimensional spaces :((

[korywat]

Project Idea: Dementia Assistant

Dementia is a debilitating condition in which the patient, over time, eventually loses cognitive function. However, it is usually a slow decline of the person’s mental ability. This means that, for a time, it may be appropriate for the patient to have a caregiver, but not necessary for the individual to live in a hospital or receive care 24/7. This caregiver could either be a professional, a family member, or a client friend.

According to a research project from St. Luke’s hospital,  caregivers of patients with dementia deal with several stressors in their day-to-day work. The most significant of these stressors, by a large margin, is “Inability to manage stress levels due to lack of support from family or community and/or poor knowledge of the dementia condition.” This indicates that many caregivers are likely untrained about how to best handle their patients, and become stressed to the responsibility and necessary time placed into the subject’s care.

There are several important factors a caregiver must take into account during their work. For example, the caregiver needs to deal with “personality changes” in the patient, as well as instances in which the patient may not even recognize his family, according to alzheimers.net. The emotional toll, then, can be significant on the caregiver.

To solve this problem, I propose a robot that can assist these nonprofessional (and possible professional caregivers) in lowering their stress by taking away some of the responsibility and emotional requirements involved in caregiving for patients with dementia. In particular, this robot will be:

·     A routine-memory aid for the patient.

Part of the work a caregiver does is assist their patients in maintaining a normal schedule. That means eating, taking medicine, exercising, and doing other important activates that maintain the patient’s wellbeing. For example, according to caregiver.org, a caregiver may ask their patient what color of shirt they would prefer to wear during the morning.

Our robot can help assist the caregiver by asking these questions in the morning, and relaying important information to the caregiver. For example, the robot could let the patient know that he should take his medicine, and report back on whether or not it saw the patient do so to the caregivier.

·     Social interaction and instant help for the patient.

The robot would be able to interact socially with a dementia patient, able to converse in very light, basic conversation. This shouldn’t be a large issue for patients, since they will end up needing simple conversation as their mental capacity deteriorates. As well, the robot can be a portal for the patient to ask general questions to Google, care-specific questions that the robot can answer, as well as questions that need to be relayed to the caregiver directly.

This can free time for the caregiver, who may want to focus on other important parts of care, or otherwise just enjoy more free time. Further, the robot may be able to answer questions regarding who the dementia patient is/who the caregiver is as the patient begins to lose memory of her/her life. This can reduce emotional strain on the caregiver, as the caregiver will not need to remind the patient of who he/she is (and won’t need to deal with the emotional consequences of doing so as after as previously).

·     A monitor for patient behavior.

The robot should use advanced computer vision techniques to determine the mood of the patient, and can alert the caregiver if something is wrong or the patient is acting unruly. This way, not only will the patient be able to get help more quickly should something go wrong, but the caregiver can feel more comfortable leaving the patient alone for longer periods of time. This should relive caregiver stress, since he/she will not need to be around their patient all the time or otherwise constantly think about their care.

It is important to note that this robot is a good solution to this problem above other sources because it’s an effective interaction tool. The only viable competitor to this robot would be something like an automated personal assistant (ex. Google Home), since a voice-based interaction system is likely most ‘natural’ and easy to use for someone with deteriorating mental ability. This robot has several features that make it better than a standard, stationary voice assistant with extra caregiving features. First, we’re using the Kuri mobile social robot, which will be able to follow the patient and talk to him/her. As well, the robot has some facial movement/shows some emotion. These factors will allow the patient to feel a strong emotional connection (listed as important by many caregiving sources) with the robot and accept it as one of his/her caregivers, whereas it may be hard to form an emotional connection with a speaker (Google Home) with an assistant built in. One other major issue with the voice-assistant form-factor as it is today, is that voice assistants sit on a desk. The mobility of this robot allows it to effectively monitor the patient, as well as interact with him/her at all times via only speech (no carrying a phone or looking at a speaker to talk). The mobility also opens up the possibility to future iterations of the robot being able to help with more caregiving tasks (for example, a future version could get mobile manipulator functionality) without significant development effort to change existing software to take into account that the robot is no longer stationary.

Building any specific subset of functionality should be feasible given the time constraints and material constraints of the Capstone. Most of the above has already been accomplished using Machine Learning by large corporations. This is a large asset to us, since it should be feasible to hook into APIs (like the Microsoft emotion detector: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/cognitive-services/emotion/) to power a large portion of our “intelligent software.” As well, voice recognition software already exists that should be able to power our robot’s human-computer interface. Also, telecommunication tech already exists that can be hooked up to our robot (so that the patient can call their caregiver at any time and talk through the robot). Further, using the physical capabilities of the Kuri mobile social robot, we should be able to constantly “monitor” the dementia patient while at the same time always give them a reliable companion when they need help.

It is notable, however, that all of this functionality may not be feasible within 10 weeks; as such, we will likely need to pick and choose what to include and exclude based on group strengths and time taken to complete each piece.

Sources:

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/10-guiding-principles-for-patient-centered-care.html

http://www.nuhs.edu.sg/wbn/slot/u3691/Scholarly%20Activity/20150515_Laura%20Issues%20faced%20by%20Caregivers%20of%20Persibs%20w%20Dementia.pdf

https://www.caregiver.org/caregivers-guide-understanding-dementia-behaviors

https://www.alzheimers.net/caring-for-someone-with-dementia/

[stephicness]

A Question For You... (Tag Game)

cSo for this one, I was tagged by @misaki-kurenai, @sahara-rose, and @fangsoflightening. So I’d figured I’d just put these questions all into one post. c: Spare you the post spam. Here we go!

I’mma put my tags and questions up above the read more, that why I won’t bore you with a massively long post. :D Instead, I’ll give you really descriptive questions!

1) You’re walking home one day, and you suddenly stumble upon a man dressed in over-the-top clothing and a giant hat. He offers you the chance to have one wish granted, but at the expense of your loved-one perishing in the process. Would you still take the wish? What would you wish for?

2) You’re going to be featured as a character within a novel! However, the catch is that you have to write your character’s introduction to the story. How would you write your introduction and description?

3) Given the circumstances involving a successful project being completed and your work/school being collateral damage, you’re given compensation for your time and efforts: $1,000,000! What do you decide to do with said money?

4) You’re minding your own business and drinking your beverage as you work when suddenly someone comes up and kisses you. When they pull away, your heart skips a beat because you notice just how beautiful they look. What do they look like?

5) You’re trapped in a plain white room with nothing more than a box of materials of various kinds. Your captors give you a goal to work towards: fill up one of the walls with anything you like by any means you desire to. You can draw, paint, write, and more. How do you go about filling up that wall?

6) Of all of the books this library can contain, you’re only allowed to enter this library and pick up three books of different genres to forever keep as your own. Because once you claim your books to read, the library will disappear. What are the three books that you wish to read from this library?

7) You’re chosen for a higher purpose, they claimed. Your talents and accomplishments will make you the leader of a new revolution of ideas, and it all starts with the talent that you have. What is the talent and accomplishment that will lead you to start this revolution?

8) The world is slowly coming to ruins and it seems that the only goal in this new and twisted reality is to survive. Survival comes at a top priority, but you have to keep your loved ones safe as well. What will be your plan for survival when you must help others as well?

9) An artist found you as the muse to their work, and so they ask to paint you as their subject. Once the painting is complete, they reveal it to you and claim that they captured the perfect aesthetic for you. What is the aesthetic that was captured and how was it captured?

10) It seems as if the life that you’ve wished to live in was only but a dream. A dream that must soon come to an end as you return back to the reality you reside in. What was the dream that you were trapped in?

11) ‘All hail your new ruler!’ The cheers from the crowd below overwhelm you as you step out and admire the kingdom before you. A world where you possess an unimaginable magical power that only you and your linage has carried. What is the power that you possess?

And let’s tag... @itshaejinju, @birdsandivory, @lhugbereth, @chimeracuddles, @mistress-light, @destiny-islanders, @fulgurians, @lizibabbles, @blossattic, @fabulanova-ffxv, @chaoticmimzy

*thumbs up* Have fun with the overly detailed questions! Feel free to read the questions asked of me below~ :D

fangsoflightening’s Questions

1: If you could pick one fictional character to hang out with, who would it be?

Probably Prompto, actually. c: I’m a bit boring in my routines and all, so having someone as energetic as Prompto as a buddy would be pretty cool. Adventures whenever possible, perhaps!

2: Favorite tv show or anime?

I watch obscene amounts of Law and Order: SVU. To the point where I’ve watched all of the seasons 3-4 times... *coughs*

3: Is there a particular trope you really love?

Tsundereeeeeeeeees

4: Favorite movie?

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

5: If you had the chance to do anything you wanted without limits, what would it be?

Is infinite pho and sushi an option...?

6: Favorite kind of weather?

Super warm partly cloudy days

7: You can have one superpower. What do you choose?

Mental to physical recreation. That way, if I have a really cool idea for a drawing or design, I can instantly draw it without it looking derpy.

8: Favorite food?

I really like soups and sushi. Like, alot of soup and sushi.

9: What is a pet peeve of yours?

Being talked over.

10: Do you have a favorite saying?

“People are people, and people are dumb.”

11: When it comes to shipping, is there a particular dynamic you especially love?

I like ships that have a dynamic where they aren’t really in love at first, or they aren’t together for a long time, and then suddenly there’s some dramatic revelation of event that brings them together in a cute and genuine way. Kinda like a one-sided affection that ultimately leads to the other being all ‘I don’t like affection, but your affection is nice.’ Cute sappy stuff that gives me diabetes, please. :D

sahara-rose’s Questions

Favourite colour and why?

Purple. It’s always been a color associated with regality and power, but it’s also a color that can be associated with moodiness and darkness. Kinda like behind every strength is a weakness. It’s pretty neat~

Do you hate someone that you have a thought about doing something bad to them? if so why?

I resent alot of people in my life, but I don’t really ‘hate’ them. I forsake them alot and say things like ‘I hope you eat a stale bagel,’ but I’d rather let karma take-over for me.

Have any plans? like going on a vacation etc

I’m moving to the Roseville and Sacramento area around April and May...?

Have you ever confess to your crush?

I have, yes. Never turns out too well in the end though~

Happiest moment in your life?

Every day where I’m not wishing to kill myself and suffer is a happy moment. c: Yay for self-damnation!

What about a person that attracts you?

I find myself most attracted to a person’s intellect. If they’re smart and have a good and open-minded perspectives on things, then they’re usually someone I grow fond of. That, and roman noses for some reason.

If you have one chance to marry your favourite character. who would it be and why?

I mean... Ravus is my favorite character, but that’s because I like the moody bishies tsunderes. c:

First game you ever play?

The first game I played solo and beat was the Sims Bustin’ Out. Yeah, I was a completionist with that game. It was terrible...

Do you have bad habits that you want to get rid of?

I pull out my hair whenever I have anxiety, so it’d be nice breaking that habit.

Favourite animal? Why?

Owls, because they’re majestic angry birds. Tsundere birds probably.

Be honest, would you rather go back to the past or see your future? why?

Probably the past, so I could benefit my future/present with minor things. Of course, butterfly effect politics, but I’d more rather help shape the present than see the future to come. Only leads to more stress and anxiety.

misaki-kurenai’s Questions

1. What’s your current song obsession? 

I always listen to Jump and Shake by Timeflies on the way to work. :D

2. How are you doing in life so far? Struggling? Me too. 

Kind of in a bind for money, and I’ve been lacking in creativity and motivation, but yeah. Beyond that, I guess it’s going okay? Perhaps moving will help shake things up!

3. Do you quote lines from Vine sometimes?

Oh god... A bit more often that I’d wanna admit.

4. If so, which ones? :3

I say ‘watermelone’ alot, because I really like watermelon. I also quote that one vine where they’re singing ‘Suck a dick!’ That one resonates with me alot.

5. What time do you usually go to bed? 

Somewhere between 1 AM and 3 AM.

6. Do you or have you done commissions before?

I do/have done them, yes! I’m a lazy artist though, but I really wanna take more commissions again! I just gotta resolve what’s going on with my desktop. e.e;;

7. Are all of your social media accounts under the same/similar username?

Typically, yes. Stephicness is my default in most cases, like on Xbox, Youtube, and Tumblr. UdonDude/UdonTitan are my PC game names. And gawsh-adaarn-it/gawshadaarnit was my ex-tumblr name and used for Spotify and stuff like that.

8. Who are your top 5 celebrity crushes?

Um... I don’t really have any celebrity crushes, to be honest... I scream alot whenever I see Benedict Cumberbatch though...?

9. How much makeup do you wear when you go out (in general)? 

I actually just started wearing makeup for things, but I only really ever use it when I’m going out to do fancy things. So little to none, because I only ever really use foundation to make myself look like tired.

10. What’s your hidden talent? :D

Uh... I used to be really good at Jeopardy and trivia games...? I can also twist my arms around and Grudge crawl after people. :D

[lizzydrakou]

Week 5

Full name: Georgia - Eleni Drakou

Student number: 388396

Week 5 

1. What are the main steps  Bryony Kimmings talks about in her devising process when describing developing 'Sex Idiot'?

Bryony Kimmings works combine cabaret, stand-up comedy and performance art. She is an artist that experiments and works with different performance media: theatre, video, dance, music and cabaret.

Sex idiot, an autobiographical piece,  was an idea Kimmings got while going out with a visual artist who had a studio. That idea of an artist having a practice and a space inspired and intrigued her. She wanted “to become someone with a craft and a voice that was original”. (p.20)

Bryony also wanted to speak about herself. This is what she knows best and this is the background of the artists she admires. Her story was about a STD (chlamydia) she had but did not know who gave it to her.  In the process of working on that piece she collected objects of aesthetic value, e-mails, and recorded interviews and got in a studio. She worked by connecting the objects with people and their stories. She created 17 stories which were all her own stories, experiences with different people.  Most of them were men she has slept with. For example, she interviewed an ex-boyfriend, Steve, she had 10 years ago.  At the end of the interview, she realised that she had behaved horribly towards him. When she  returned to her studio, she listened to the interview she cried and then grabbed a bunch of flowers she had picked on her way to the studio, and smashed them on her head.  This action became a part of her performance.  It was an ‘honest’ act that lasted six seconds but it was very important for the narration of the story. Then, as a next step she did what she called ‘sharing’ in order to receive feedback. This is necessary since she spends time at the studio alone  and she is not sure what may work or not. She then places these stories in a chronological order to allow the character to grow to become more self-aware and at the same time the information the audience receives from each story to connect and become coherent. After she started performing, Bryony continued to make changes since as she says herself “…a lot of what I do is looking into the eyes of human beings who are staring at me. I can see in their faces if it is not the right moment to say something…” (p.25).

Bryony compares her work with that of a musician who works on a score. She treats her work as ‘music’. After several performances,  she was approached by the director of Soho  who wanted a dramaturgical meeting with her which she had never done before. After she did though she realised,  that there were ‘layers’ in her work. These layers  were the different things she would do.  For example,  she used her finger to point at people, as a symbolic act of the way people are pointing the finger at others all the time. the time.  This became an extra layer on her performance. When you play something a lot of times, then the layers become obvious. At the end she used her computer to write everything as if you were listening to it.  Last, Bryony explains that she always collaborates with Krista and Alex that help her refine the photographs for the shows,  the airbrushing.  It’s important because the images of the show  project everything for her.  Also David Curtis Ring  who does the visuals with her,  costumes, props and sets.

 2.a Explain what Bryony might mean by saying  'instead of egotistically driving forward to make another show, the form will be dictated by the subject matter.’  [Dey, Misri. Making solo performance : six practitioner interviews ]

There is a point  where she talks about a solo work that she did call Mummy time.  She did this after the 7 Day Drunk,  which is another project where for seven days,  she was  scientifically  researching, experimenting and observing  the issue of alcoholism.  She had a friend who grew up  in a house with an alcoholic parent and later on became an alcoholic herself.  She wanted to talk about her experience  and in order to do that she would have an audience member,  that she would give a big amount of alcohol to get them drunk,  but before she actually created that interactive performance and involve an audience member she experimented  with the alcohol,  to see what it means to be drunk, what happens to you,  how the body functions.  She explains in this article,  in this interview,  that she didn’t enjoy that process for seven days;  she didn’t want to do the same mistake again.  She decided that she wants to make a lot of different things that match the subject matter. 'instead of egotistically driving forward to make another show, the form will be dictated by the subject matter.’  [Dey, Misri.Making solo performance : six practitioner interviews ].   This means that you allow the form of what you’re going to do to take the shape of the idea of the subject. She worked on  Mummy time  and afterwards in seven more pieces.  Mummy time  was a performance about  a kid that is growing up in a house,  with a mother apart from doing housework she is also selling heroin. She involves this young kid into cutting the heroine and placing it in little bags  and then selling it.  In order to work for that, she lets herself work the way things are coming to her head. Bryony did not want to work as if she had to create a performance but rather, in a more free manner to try out her ideas experiment and then see if this material can become a performance. “I’m going to talk only about what I want to talk and I’m going to choose how I’m going to talk about this based on the topic  and  not based on my ego”.  She was given a small apartment, she had as a collaborator a young girl who wanted to experiment with performance and she had the storyline in her head ( a real story from a person she knew). So she improvises and asks the other person to walk in and do the role of the mother or the kid or the social worker. She would also play a part. The idea of that piece was not to make the audience feel sad,  cry about the kid,  but rather make the  audience understand how many households exist where people are leaving under those circumstances. She would do little scenes,  the kid would walk from school  with the older sister to the house,  and the mother would immediately  tell her  to wrap the heroine with her sister,  right before finishing  the job,  a social worker would walk in the house  grab the kids and take them away.  Through improvisation she decided on the form; She allowed herself to be free and choose exactly the things she wanted to do through the original idea which was  to say his story of that particular kid. “ I had an idea to immerse someone  in the very chaotic life for five minutes and then  chuck them out the other side”

 2 b Give specific examples from a few of her shows where the form comes directly from the content.

As I  have already explained about sex idiot and Mummy time, these are two specific examples but also,  Heartache Heartbreak and Credible are clear examples of shows where the form comes directly from the content.

3.Looking at the practical work Tom Marshman did with you and the wider work within his showreel, what are the crossovers/ similarities between Tom Marshmans work and Bryony Kimmings work, in form, subject matter and process?

There  are many similarities between Tom Marshmans work and Bryony Kimmings work.  Both artists  talk about their lives or they narrate real stories that aren't usually discussed in society nowadays ; whether personal or someone else’s.

Tom Marshmans subject matter is not the same as Bryony Kimmings.  However, in terms of form and process  then use very similar techniques  and they’re both solo performers. They both use their own stories but also other people’s stories to create their performances. Bryony choses her stories from her memories and experiences whether Tom organizes tea parties in order to listen to stories and decide which ones to use. They both use improvisations as part of their process as well.

 4. What kind of autobiographical/ archival work would you like to make?

The autobiographical/ archival work I would like to make could be on how students can remain motivated while being locked at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. More specifically, I would like to interview different art students on the difficulties of working online. Degrees that are based on mostly physical work and team work such as theatre, it can be tricky to stay motivated. Before the pandemic, when I worked with my teammates, we filled those empty rooms with imagination and created our own imaginary worlds. Due to the current situation, I am now forced to work alone on my room and this sometimes gets very frustrating. I would like to spread awareness on this and try to propose ideas on how to stay motivated, how to keep your imagination going and how to use a small space to create a piece of theatre. Besides learning how actors can teamwork online, I could also using the brilliant techniques Bryony Kimming and Tom Marshman are using to encourage students to learn the process of creating a piece and solo performing. 

Bibliography: 

Tom Marshmans showreel [online] Available at: https://vimeo.com/391780412 [Accessed 4 November 2020]

Dey. M. Making Solo Performance,  Bryony Kimmings, pp. 17-51

[greengargouille]

Little Sugaya things

Hello AC fans, do you know whose birthday it is today? “No, but I have a strong feeling it might be the character whose name is in the title.” What a cheeky reader you are. But, indeed, in this October 25th Sugaya Sousuke turns... Well, he doesn’t really age, fiction and all that. This is an ideal time to talk about him!

I have a strong liking to this character, so I figured I would make a small post about him (especially if that can count toward ankyou week), my observations, mostly things I want to remember while I write fics.

...This isn’t a small post at all.

Note: I tend to link towards other posts whenever I make mention of extra-material, but there are 3 things that I will tend to use a lot, and for this reason I’m linking at the beginning, namely his Roll Book profile, his Graduation Book profile, and the Individual Ability chart. 

This first point is easy, but Sugaya is a really good artist, and really fast at that. And by that I mean really, really fast. Notable achievements includes, in non-chronological order:

Doing really neat drawings on the back of his tests. Like, already, it’s quite the art he’s showing us -and given he’s in the middle of a test that probably only last one class, he had less than an hour to do that. Uh. Impressive for someone in junior high, but still plausible.

A few moments after the class discovered they have to do a theater piece, he do a ‘realistic’ portrait of his comrade (I mean, it’s in the same style as the manga itself, so... that counts as realistic, right?) on the demand of Karma. Again, quick yet with some level being it. [Note that the anime version had Karma hold the image in colors. But no Sugaya in the background. Either we’re supposed to believe Karma have impressive photoshop skills he uses to have countless disturbing images of Nagisa in different clothes, either Sugaya hide himself because wow, it’s embarassing to be associated with art of Nagisa crossdressing. Don’t worry, Sugaya, at least this one wasn’t sexualised.]

Hey, do you remember how class E infiltrated into a building they knew nothing about, then had to disguise themselves to hide against the wall? Am I the only one wondering how did they happen to have just the right hue of spray paint on them, and for 27 students too? This isn’t so much about skill and speed that it is about Sugaya probably having who-know how many spray cans in advance on him during the whole arc. Like, okay, he’s the artist kid, but that’s probably way too many. Unless he have been able to convince his classmates to carry them for him. Or he could actually summon them out of nowhere.

He did seems to pull brushes out of nowhere during chapter 155 just for emphasis. I mean, he could be just happening to have random art supplies in his pocket, even if those can be costly and he is shown to have a little plastic case for his brushes during chapter 111. Buuut I’m still betting on summoning his supplies by demonish magic.

Okay, now it gets really really weird. Remember the island arc? The fight with Gastro the gun specialist? In a few minutes, in silence, under pressure of someone who have shown killing intent, he somehow manage to produce a scarecrow. Like, how. When did he even obtain some of those items. Is he some RPG protag that will put every random item in his inventory. Matsui please explain.

...Yet, somehow, this isn’t the most impressive thing he have done. For that we will have to come back to his own moment of spotlight, chapter 37.

So. He painted the arms of the whole class. (He argues some pages later that there’s no ‘blank canvas’ left for Korosensei, so it truly means the whole class had, at this point, their arms tattooed.) 

Yet some pages later the arms of the students are bare, and given Sugino’s comment, they cleaned themselves before it set off. Henna will dry after roughly 15-30 minutes.

The twist in all this? Try to look at how long it takes to make such a tattoo. Maybe you will be more lucky than me. All I could find is that a full hand or foot tattoo takes around half an hour. Yet it seems in less than that Sugaya have drawn around 50 full arm tattoos. Korosensei who? I’m sorry, but the only Mach 20 monster that I see here is a student. 

But really, think about this. He have impressive skills in drawing. Notably with chalk if we see chapter 37. Painting (he even made a Korosensei’s potrait in what I think is expressionism style? in the manga only though). Sculpting. Doing masks and disguises. Henna tattoos. Calligraphy too according to background details.

This boy is 14, 15 by the end of October. How the heck did he get so talented in so many forms of art? He had to dedicate his whole life to art- heck, his hobby is touring museums and art exhibits, and his treasured item is a watercolor paint set! Okay, I admit Hollands are expensive as heck, so it’s understandable he values them. But... He isn’t just your average artistic student. He’s a monster. 

So far, Sugaya seems less of a background students and more of a final boss in a art shonen, but how well does he fare as a student?

...Pretty badly, actually. Here what his Roll Book profile says about this: “At first he had wanted to excel in both academics and art, so he opted to enrol in an escalator school, but at Kunugigaoka he understood the limits of his academic prowess. His studies floundered, while his artistic sense flourished in contrast.  After coming to Class E, he overcame his limits in academics and gained a surge in confidence.”

And indeed, it is a big fall when it comes to academics. His manga-only chapter show his former headteacher to be the one dealing with class B, so he originally have some skills. Yet, during 3-E... his individual ability chart places his academic prowess at 1 on 5, something only Terasaka shares with him. He consistently is at the bottom of the exam rankings when comparing the scores of class-E only, and get scores even worse than Terasaka when it comes to Science and Maths, his biggest weaknesses if we’re to believe the Graduation Book profile. Though, if we observe his results...

...Japanese’s not his speciality either (not helped that it seems to be the favorite subject of more students). He do considerably better in English, yet in chapter 3 of Korotan D, taking place just after graduating high school, he mentions he’s not very good at English, so he either got worse with time or never was that good either. Most likely the second, though : plenty of characters are good at English, and the season 2 opening give us a shot at his first semester grades.

Since it’s a bit blurry and I suppose not a lot of you readers are proficient in Japanese, here are the results in a more accessible form (keeping in mind the grades are on 5).

First row

Japanese: 3, Social Studies: 3, Maths: 2, Sciences: 2, Music: 4

Second row

Art: 5, Home Economics: 5, P.E.: 3, English: 4.

Yes, definitely better at English. The good music skills is a nice surprise, and the good score in Home Ec. not so surprising with his dexterity, plus him being in Hara’s group when it comes to group activities. He’s really the kid that’s excellent at all secondary subjects...

And then there is Physical Education. He seems to be neither good or bad at it, but how does he compare with the rest of the class?

...That’s a good question, because the opening doesn’t give us good shot to half the class’ grades. What we do, however, is (yet again) the Individual Ability chart, which give us “Physical Ability” and “Mobility” (that I also include as I feel this cover both speed and agility).

The first one is... not brillant, to say the least ; with a score of 2.5 on 5, there are only seven students worse than him (and that include Ritsu, so really it’s more like six), and two of the same level. When only students like Okuda or Nagisa are the ones you can beat in arm wrestling, you’re not exactly at the peak of strength. 

As for Mobility, still 2.5 on 5. Seven students worse (still including Ritsu). Yet again, it’s low but barely enough for it to not classify him among the bottom.  And he have an avantage here: as Karasuma says in the Roll Book profile, ‘he has a tall back and has reach’, not something you can exactly argue with his 179cm, merely one cm less than Terasaka and Karasuma. Longer legs means longer steps, after all. 

...Still a weakass, though.

We talked art, we talked skills, now let’s continue with personality.

Let’s come back to the previous sentence from Karasuma, this time the full version: ‘Although he has a tall back and has reach, he is poor at close combat due to his personal nature.’ Sugaya is one who avoid fights, or is too nice to hurt someone. And he does seems of the nice kind ; after all, isn’t his hidden side in the Graduation Book that he’s helpful?

It’s not so much of an hidden side, to be honest. Besides teaching Kurahashi how to apply camouflage, we also have him help the others prank an ex of Maehara (in a manga exclusive story) by making disguises, and he helps paint Itona’s tank when he, according to the graduation book, is immune to girls (and wouldn’t have much of a thrill peeking under their skirts like some others)... Drawing Nagisa as Abe Sada on Karma’s request... Uh.

Note that at that point, Karma got along well with the class (so much that they send him messages during winter vacation), but there’s an interesting bit about Sugaya on his profile: ‘Even now, there are some in Class E who are still afraid of Karma. That’s why students-who-want-to-tease-and-Tsukkomi-him-a-little-but-decided-to-back-away such as Sugaya are common.’ It might hint at a teasing nature for Sugaya, but mostly that he can be intimidated. 

Another project on which he works because someone asked is Okajima’s, but he’s said to be ‘tricked’ into taking part in it. We don’t see much of him enough as an individual to know is he’s easy to fool (he does fall for Korosensei’s trick about a punchline in chapter 156, but then so does most of the class), but he doesn’t seems to inclined towards thinking much about things (he does have a 2 on 6 in Strategy/Planning aptitude, after all). 

Nice enough to participate in group projects if asked to, but still more of a lone worker: he’s classified among the individualistic students doing assassinations on ‘their own schedule’, and is shown to work more by himself (except maybe with Mimura what, did you thought I would not shamelessly use my previous posts). According to his Assassination Aptitude chart, he would make a pretty poor leader, too, with the lowest score possible of 1 on 6. Which might also tie in with him potentially being easily intimidated, too...

Not only he would rather work alone, he doesn’t seem to care so much about what others might think of him, either: tattoos are a big deal in Japan, yet he acts pretty nonchalantly when he comes in class with one on his arm. While the live-action movie doesn’t have such a moment, we also have an interesting bit of character design:

While Japanese schools are very strict about students not dying their hair, Sugaya have two purple lines of dye in his. Even Nakamura (who did have dyed hair in the manga/anime) doesn’t have her hair dyed. In fact, I think only Karma use hair dye (it’s dubious whether Itona’s hair is naturally white). Ignoring the rules for the sake of aesthetics is a pretty important trait of him, it seems. Maybe is it why he can so easily wear weird patterns?

So far, seems like Sugaya’s a nice, helpful guy who rather prefer calm and alone time, maybe a bit too carefree but nothing truly bad!

...Okay, maybe I spoke a bit too fast on the ‘nice’. That’s... a pretty blunt comment. And then going on how he couldn’t concentrate during the exam because of her and that’s why he got the lowest score of the class... Sure, totally her fault here.

...But outside of that, he’s much more mindful of oth-

Sugaya no. Don’t follow Korosensei’s example. It’s bad to take advantage of someone passing out to draw on them when they violently refused a few minutes before.

...Okay, maybe he would gain to take a bit more care of what other might think. Especially if this cause him trouble at work, like seen in the epilogue with him ignoring the allowed budget for the sake of artistic pride (though, according to his personal history page, he does learn to compromise on that point).

Artistic pride, now that’s an interesting point. Sugaya is mostly a calm student, even if he get as angry as the others on things like Bitch-sensei’s early treatment of class E, or Korosensei’s taboo game. There is, however, a comment from his part in his dedicated chapter:

‘Pissed me off’, talk about a strong reaction! Art really is an important thing for him. (Of course we end up talking about Art yet again. Of course). As a writer, I personally find this fact important to keep in mind, as it is easy to give in to flanderization. 

...I mean, you can make his character totally about art and you wouldn’t be too far from the original, so maybe flanderization isn’t that bad of a tactic...

Anyways, happy birthday, Sugaya! I hope with this post, others will take interest in this character!

[whopooh]

Undercover or under the covers? The June trope MFMM challenge

Undercover, but rather uncovered.

June was the month for undercover, and this trope opens up for a broad range of possibilities – all the way from creating a whole case to sketching a teasing undercover attempt mostly to make Phryne and Jack get together in a specific way. Often, the two layers of the roles and themselves comment on each other in meaningful ways, and within this, the undercover scenarios – worlds to immerse in, roles to play – are more or less limitless, and also really tickles the imagination.

Compared to the other months, this month’s fics ran away and got rather long, and also published late in the month -- so what first looked like an ‘easy’ month for me to write an overview for instead in the end became really fic heavy. This is also a trope that has already been extensively (under)covered in earlier fics – also there not seldom long ones. To just name a few, we have lovely longfics like @wah-pah’s “Undercover at the Elvsworth Club", @phrynesboudoir/sassasam’s: “The Model Murders”; PlayfulMay/ @mollidraws’s "Undercover Escort”; @firesign23‘s "The Uses of Adversity”; @missingmissfisher‘s series “Double o Phrack”; and two lovely and rather different undercover fics with a cycling theme: Miss_Lilian’s “Death at the Warrny” and hotelf’s “Murder at the Cycling Club” -- just to name some of the longer ones. Undercover truly is a popular trope.

But this post is about the trope challenge, so we’ll concentrate on the fics from June. In most stories, it’s either Phryne, Jack, or both of them going undercover, and the focus is on their relationship and the case. A few fics are broadening that focus, which is really lovely. I will start with them, to then go on to the lighthearted fics, the smuttier fics, and finally end with the longer cases.

In @flashofthefuse, “The Red Flame”, there are two different undercover operations that unbeknownst to each other are set in the same place, a club/brothel. When Jack is in need for a woman to go undercover and pose as a criminal, the title’s red flame, he asks Mac – although it takes a little while for the reader to realise this, and it’s deliciously done. At the same time, Phryne has a case and makes her undercover work with Bert.

The repartee between Mac and Jack is glorious, like here:

“... you definitely look the part, but just looking like her won’t be enough, you know. Are you as confident in her character? I hope you took the time to read the material I sent.”

“Are you always this condescending?”

“Probably,” he admitted, earning him a small smile. “May I come in? I’d like to fill you in on what we’ve learned this afternoon.”

The story isn’t finished yet, but it’s lovely in more than one way to see the interactions both within and between these two pairings – having their own very difficult mission, but also worrying about the other’s. We often say that we want more interaction between Mac and Jack, and here that is given in a brilliant way, with sincere care and respect as well as banter – and also with a Mac that is a genius in playing a tough, nonchalant role undercover, using her experience of being a woman in a man’s world in a way that helps the case enormously.

@rubycaspar’s “And after all the obstacles” gives us a fic all from Rosie’s point-of-view. Even if it is Phryne and Jack that are undercover, the person we follow here is Rosie, being at a garden party and suddenly encountering Jack, who turns out to be undercover together with Phryne. We see all the action and scenes from her point of view, and the case part of the fic is thus brilliantly shortened. @rubycaspar gives us Rosie’s view and her observations and conclusions of what she sees – conclusions she constantly needs to revise, as more and more is revealed to her about Phryne and Jack. This also gives her the chance to work through her feelings about her ex-husband. It is set almost a year after “Unnatural habits”, and gives a strong and determined Rosie – “Rosie thought about avoiding him, but she wasn't one to back down. If he didn't want to see her, he could leave. With that in mind, she straightened her shoulders and made her way over” – and a Rosie ready to change her preconceptions. It’s a very hopeful story.

In @longlineoftvdetectives‘s “Incognito”, finally, Jack is the one going “undercover”, but his undercover interplay is with Aunt Prudence. Aunt P is ill and needs to travel to England, and it turns out that she needs Jack to accompany her, thus forcing him to pretend to be her niece’s husband. With small gestures, the fic teases out many emotions, details and characterisations, in snippets covering many issues and building up a story about Phryne and Jack, about Phryne in relation to her family in England, and also about not hiding who you are (a second take on the theme ‘undercover’). Like this discussion about Oscar Wilde:

“Dragged out of his room by the police and sentenced to hard labor.”

“For…, um…” Jack stammered, unsure what euphemism was appropriate for the dining room of the establishment in question.

“For refusing to live his entire life undercover,” Phryne responded, her voice now clear and defiant. “For loving who he wanted to love. For not hiding or apologizing for who he was.”

Jack smiled and held her gaze. He loved her like this. He would have kissed her, soundly, if they weren’t in public.

“So the Wilde play, then,” he said matter-of-factly, after a long beat.

These undercover prospects are intriguing.

After these alternative perspectives, I’ll turn to the rather large section of fics that are fun and light hearted and sometimes also have a… shall we say more liberal view of what ”undercover” can mean.

The perfect transition between these two sections are of course @ollyjayonline‘s “The Inspector”, a fic that focuses on Isabella, the rather scandalous wife of Phryne’s cousin Guy, and has a delightful touch on the subject of both her and the theme of ‘undercover’. The two spouses have a conversation worthy of British toffs, discussing a news item about Phryne getting married, while simultaneously devoting themselves to both rather ‘dirty’ and casual carnal pleasures.

Isabella’s logic turns the tables on the “propriety issue” we often consider with respect to Phryne and her life style in contrast to Jack: “Really, it is quite wrong of your cousin. A divorced policeman? Why can’t she just keep sleeping with him? I mean, what will people say?"’ It’s a brilliant turnarounf. Reassured that this won’t affect her, she instead turns to daydream about the handsome and dour Inspector, something Guy doesn’t mind helping her out with through some roleplaying.

Isabella’s and Guy’s way of seeing everything as a game, of indulging in fantasies, and of having other people in bed with them – both physically and in role play – is all very in character, and an interesting contrast to Phryne.

The next lighthearted fic is @loopyhoopyfrood’s sweet modern AU “Love At First Swipe?”, where Jack Robinson is being set up for a date on an app as part of a case. He needs to find out how burglaries seem to have been conducted in relation to dates set up via this app; his only problem is that when he meets his date, it is not a suspicious stranger but a lady detective working on the same case.

Maybe it was her profile, as full as lies as every other user, but missing that hint of authenticity. Or maybe it was just Jack’s spidey senses tingling. Either way, something about Fern Roberts had him groaning in resignation and swiping right.

20 minutes later he had a date.

He tried not to think about how it was his first date since his divorce.

As a chapter 11 in her longer fic collection, “The Friday Phrack Series, @rositalg writes an intimate and atmospheric scene from Phryne and Jack in an established relationship. Phryne comes home to a Jack that sits and reads, and she simultaneously talks about her case and is seduced by him.

Her eyes closed blissfully, relishing in the attention.

“Perhaps you could help me.” She suggested, her thighs parting ever so subtly. “You’ve always been one to...dive deep into a case.”

He met her eyes, both of them knowing he was going to have her right here on this couch before the evening was done.

“Miss Fisher, are you asking me for assistance?”

In @omgimsarahtoo‘s “Under Cover of Darkness”, both the ‘undercover’ and the ‘under the cover’ theme is at play. Phryne and Jack has spent the evening undercover in a club, and the fic starts after this is over. Everything goes black, and when Phryne wakes up, he is in a strange room. After the first moments of fear, she deduces that she is not kidnapped but rather at Jack’s house, with a Detective Inspector sleeping in the chair next to her. The fic then turns to her instead indulging in pleasures under the covers with her crime solving partner, and it’s combined with really lovely banter:

“You, Jack Robinson,” she breathed, around sweeps of her tongue across his cheeks, “have a very talented mouth.”

“It’s entirely the subject, Miss Fisher,” he responded, his smile a smug tilt of the lips.

And in the end:

Catching her hand, he leaned up to kiss her, his smile tender. “You are an excellent partner, Miss Fisher. I enjoy working with you, undercover or not.”

“That’s because I’m exceptional.” Phryne grinned as she said it.

“And so modest, too!” Jack affected surprise. “A prize among women.”

Equally of the fun and teasing persuasion is @firesign23′s “Subterfuge at the Savoy” that establishes a gorgeous scene of Phryne in bed in a hotel in England – just to suddenly have her mother barge in without warning (of course Phryne Fisher’s mother is resourseful...). In the heat of the moment, Phryne decides to keep Jack hidden under the covers, but he is in a devilish mood and starts touching her and making her behave exceedingly oddly towards her mother.

“You aren’t still pouting over that policeman your father mentioned, are you? He said you told the poor man to come after you, which is utterly foolish.”

The policeman in question was drifting dangerously high up her thigh with his tongue, and Phryne really had no idea how much longer she could keep this charade up.

Among all the fun, there is also a partly serious question from Jack, after Phryne’s mother has left: ‘“Why was it, Miss Fisher, that we are two consenting, independent adults and I still found myself hiding from your mother?” he asked, eyes dancing. “You’re not ashamed of me, are you?”’

But Phryne has an answer to that question, too.

A last lighthearted undercover fic is leavephryneforme's “Undercover At The Great Australian Baking Show” – a fun romp told in small snippets about a modern Jack being undercover on a baking show. He decides to keep this a secret to Phryne, who starts wondering why he suddenly has so many cookbooks, and the fic addresses his far too alluring features – which the female judges appreciate – when baking.

Preparing Jack for undercover crossdressing. Art by @kidnthehall.

From lighthearted, we’ll turn to two fics that focus on putting Jack in costume.

@whopooh's “The Importance of Being at the Wilde Cats Club”, is a case fic where the focus is not so much on the case, but more on the characters. In order to help Phryne’s old friend Eleanore, who is also a transwoman, Jack, Hugh, Bert and Cec need to go undercover at a club as men impersonating women. The fic focuses on the transformation of them – how they will need to dress, and move, and wear make-up – and also in Phryne’s complete delight in dressing up and putting make-up on Jack, and the shenanigans that follow from this, where Jack uses his newly painted lips to tease Phryne. There is both trust and teasing all through, and a slight continuation of the role reversal theme of April. It all came from two things: the comment “We need more mfmm men in lingerie”, and the desire to have a transgender person who would not need to die in order to be important in a case story. This turned into seduction via lipstick:

She pressed her lips together and motioned how he should do the same and he followed her lead, pushing his lips together. She smiled, and he followed her lead in that too.

“Oh, hang on,” she said, and procured a piece of paper. “Bite the excess colour off on this one, like this.”

But instead of doing that, Jack captures her and kisses her deeply, smudging the lipstick: 

When they resurfaced, she looked at him and couldn’t stop a smile from spreading over her face. He looked ridiculous, with the lipstick smudged and forming a mad pattern around his mouth. 

“Well, you should see yourself,” was all he said as he gave her a small smile.

Also in @scruggzi's “Merciful Powers”, there is a focus on Jack in costume – this time in a luscious costume for going undercover as an understudy in a Macbeth production. Phryne takes great pleasure in the fact that he is dressed in tights, and that he also can be extricated from said tights, and there is a wonderful use of Shakespeare quotes as seduction throughout the fic. As the whole undercover trope shows, it is very fulfilling to put Jack in other clothes than his normal ones, while still keeping his restrained character, and here it is combined by a delicious push-and-pull between them: ‘“Mmm,” she purred, “much as I applaud your theatrical talent, Jack, that was definitely better than Shakespeare.”/ “Sacrilege!” he protested in mock horror, eyes twinkling at her.’

And heading into smut, there is a lovely self-awareness of the literary, and the way it comments on the two of them:

“Macbeth always knew he couldn’t resist temptation forever. All he really needed was an excuse.”

Phryne was fairly sure that analysis had very little to do with Shakespeare, but Jack’s hands had moved around to palm her breasts, and his lips had found the spot just under her ear that made her knees weak. Literary criticism could definitely wait.

The undercover work, and its implications of dressing differently than normal, and of perhaps partly trying out being someone else, is driving the sensual pleasure here.

A similar thing can be said about @phrynesboudoir /Sassasam’s, “The Captain’s In”. Here Phryne and jack are both working undercover on the same case, or rather, Jack is working undercover and a stubborn Phryne stumbles into his case. As they're thrown together, Phryne having to pretend to be a prostitute, the undercover turns into rather rough sexual roleplay (‘"Get below and get naked," he ordered. / Phryne realised with a rush of aroused surprise, that he meant it and she must obey in order to maintain their cover’), and also here there is the idea of heightening an experience through unfamiliar roles and costumes – in this case more ‘dirty’, and added to it a rather sinister on-looker.

Fancy meeting you in the US, Lin!

Over to the long, more elaborate case fics. First, @longlineoftvdetectives, “Welcome to San Francisco”, as the title gives away, set in the US where Phryne and Jack have taken a detour on their way home to Australia. In San Francisco they happen upon Lin Chung, who’s in need of their help. The stakes are high – Lin is threatened to his life – and it turns out that Jack will have to pretend to be Baron Fisher, while Phryne poses as Lin’s wife. In a lovely and similar way as the show, the storyline shows some of Phryne’s and Jack’s emotional journeys, but without settling anything too much, still leaving many questions unanswered. Their relation and the case is woven together, and there is a lovely relation between Jack and a young lad he takes in under his tutelage;, an interesting triangle between Phryne, Jack and Lin; an outsider view disapproving of the Chinese man that they handle brilliantly; and a very competent pair of detectives.

There are many poignant points, often made through dialogue, like here:

“Are you and Inspector Robinson in San Francisco on a case?” Lin asked.

“Not exactly,” Phryne replied. “You might say our relationship is no longer strictly business.”

“I see,” Lin answered. “Are you happy?”

“Very much so,” Phryne replied without hesitation.

“Should I still refer to you as Miss Fisher?”

“Yes.”

“Then there must be more to Inspector Robinson than I had originally perceived,” he concluded.

A fic that teases out an emotional side of Phryne and Jack’s partnership, and of Phryne’s backstory, is @omgimsarahtoo‘s ”Ungentle Reminders”. The undercover stint in this story awakens memories of René in Phryne, and it also higlights misogyny and abuse. Phryne is unsettled by the happenings, where she has to pretend to be a subdued woman among other subdued women, and after the women unexpectedly has made a bloody rebellion, she states:  

“I’ll be a character witness for them,” Phryne said, her eyes on his face as he swept the cloth gently across her skin, wiping up the residue he’d left behind. His eyes flashed up to hers, surprised.

“You only knew them for a couple of days,” he said.

“Maybe,” she agreed, “but Jack, I was them, once upon a time.”

And Jack agrees about the woman who’s now going to be charged for murder: “She made her own freedom.”

In @zannadubs23 /Inzannatea’s “Things Said”  (her first mfmm fic – welcome!) the theme is also rather sinister: Jack is, on his way to London and Phryne, kidnapped in Egypt and taken by slave traders. The theme is serious and the case is given plenty of focus, building up the world where Phryne can be in place to save him – but there is also plenty of focus on more carnal pleasures, once Jack is finally released and still in her tent, as well as luscious details, like here, before Jack has realised who is his saviour: 'The room had an amber glow to it. Jack couldn’t really tell where the lights were coming from, but the room decidedly glowed. The floor was covered with stacks of ornate rugs and large pillows in shades of orange and red and purple. “She would love this,” his traitorous brain informed him instead of working on an escape plan.' The fic grew out of the line "Shave him and bring him to my tent" -- and from that start an elaborate story was built.

A casefic that has both dinosaurs, archaeological sites, a friend of Phryne with interesting parallels to her and the inspired idea to let Phryne and Jack pose undercover as siblings, is @firesign23 “Poetry of Earth”. 

Phryne and Jack arrive at the scene of an archaeological dig on Isle of Wight, where a clever female archaeologist, Lucy, that is a friend of Phryne’s works. There seems to be sabotage and ill will, and Lucy is particularly putting her neck out as a female archaeologist. There is a young girl that tries to flirt with the handsome brother in the newly arrived sibling pair, and there is a lot of tension and fun scenes as Phryne and Jack must take care not to seem to close for siblings. 

“Hence travelling as Frances and John Sutherland, amateur Australian archaeologists without the financial resources to make a name for themselves,” Jack concluded. “How fortunate then that I’ve decided to bone up on my childhood interests while here.”

Phryne looked at him, noting the small hints of a smug smile on his face.

“You know, Jack, one would almost think the pun was deliberate.”

“Thankfully you know my tastes are far too refined for puns,” he replied and she laughed at the glint in his eyes.

And there is a wonderful passage that comments on their earlier case at the observatorium, and that reflects on Phryne being rather alike her friend Lucy, who once almost got stuck in a flood because she was so focused on her work:

“That was careless of Lucy.”

Jack quirked a small smile. “She was distracted by a nearly complete skeleton they were uncovering. I cannot imagine what it would be like, working with someone so easily deterred by bones or luminescent objects.”

“If this is about the plutonium vial, I stand by my choices.”

He didn’t reply, merely smirked at a point well made; she glanced down the empty beach and then leant up to kiss his cheek.

At the same time as Phryne is standing by her choices, she is also all the time noticing how close she’s come to Jack, and contemplating on that sense of familiarity, all while not allowed to show any feelings for him openly.

In one last finished casefic, @ollyjayonline & @solitarycyclistadventures have ganged up on a case fic with plenty of tension between Phryne and Jack, “Death Under the Arch”. 

Here, Jack is going to Sydney for an undercover stint and leaves City South to a very handsome and eligible Inspector – Phryne, however, decides to join him in Sydney. The story is set after Murder and Mozzarella, right after they have said they’ll “make do” with each other, but before they have figured out what that actually means, which opens up for insecurities and misinterpretations on both sides. The mystery is set around the bridge that is being built in Sydney, and Phryne decides to play Jack’s ex-lover as a way to be able to keep watching him:

She leaned towards him, face alight with mischief, “I was thinking it could be fun if we were old friends.”

Jack almost laughed, how typical, only he would manage to go from strictly business to old friend without any of the fun in-between.

There is also a very perceptive young woman who tries to figure the two of them out, which adds to the mix of tensions and uncertainties, and a murder mystery that turns rather sad.

Finally, the section of “To be continued”: two fics that are not finished so I’ll only write shortly about them. In @missingmissfisher​’s “Hold out your hand” Jack has come after Phryne to England and meets her mother that instinctively dislikes him. It seems Margaret wants to stop her daughter from repeating her own mistakes by marrying an unsuitable man, and Margaret is something of Phryne’s kryptonite, so much annoying her that Phryne has troubles thinking straight. Added to the mix are snobbish and boring neighbours and a small mystery that turns into a much bigger and more serious one -- and how that will unfold we’ll see rather soon. @221aubrina started “The Case of the Missing Moll”, which promises to cover both the tropes undercover and bodyswap, and has just taken its beginning – so far, we only now that Jack has been drugged and taken away somewhere… 

That’s all for June from me. I am very much looking forward to the July fics, on the trope “Through time and space”!

[knightofbalance-13]

Response to Invetsed-In-Your-Future‘s post

http://invested-in-your-future.tumblr.com/post/156801674540/rwby-v4-finale-hopespredictions

“ Dealing with ignorrant people who neve rpresent arguments is always hard. “ Ad Homien attack calling me ignorant for one stupid reason then proceeds to reenact said stupid reason.

1. “ Story is named RWBY. Ruby is the protagonist. RWBY is Ruby’s story from childhood to adulthood.” RWBY: Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang. So it’s not just about Ruby and further exemplified by the fact that Pyrrha had a major focus in the last Volume, showing that other characters besides the main four would get focus. 2+3. “Nice way to address the points i made…not”  I don’t hear a no and considering your attacks on the writers and Jaune I take that as acceptance on your part. And you get away with that and I don’t...because? 5.  “Soooo, its a given that nothing happens int he finale except for a fight? Especially in a volume where already nothing happened.”

Does nothing to rebuttle my argument and is just an attack on the writers disguised as a rebuttle.  A;so completely disproven by my number 7  argument in my original post.

1. “ She did not “get development in 10. We got same implication of her being not okay and then it segued into Jaune Peptalk. “ And that disproves my point about her having development from not showing trauma because...? And by that same logic, Jaune never got any development because that describes his entire interactions with Pyrrha seeing as they almost always gave pep talks to each other.

Also didn’t address the second half of my point: “ IT’S NOT HER MOMENT. It’s Ren and Nora’s. You bitch about Jaune hogging the spotlight and yet you want Ruby to do the exact same thing. “ So by the rules of debate, you coincide this point.

2. “ WE NEVER SAW HER OVERCOME HER PTSD. We never saw her issues being explored. If anything show literally threw her back on the same self-destructive path wasting a chance to explore her as a character. “

So? Does the characters stop existing when we don’t see them? No, they don’t. SO they can develop off screen as well. So that doesn’t work. It also doesn’t work because I addressed that as well in my original post: “- her PTSD issues took nine months in a safe place to overcome-” SO if she isn’t in a a safe place then she could devolve again.

And how did they throw her back on that path when we see in episode 9 Yang is learning to fight smarter, not harder which has been a problem for her? How did they do that when she is shown to be moving away from that path? Just as well, it doesn’t rebuttle my argument there is like eight more volumes left so Yang still has more time to grow or her mommy issues, temper issues and fighting issues.

3. “ From now On Ill most likely just start linking my Bingo whenever someone makes a homophobic “argument”. “

My original point:

“ . Okay…Blake directly pointed her friends as a source that she was running away from and Yang’s struggle was with PTSD and the loss of her arm, not Blake leaving. Just because your ship isn’t getting support 90% of the time doesn’t mean they have forgotten each other. “

Does nothing to rebuttle my argument and you have shown to be a Bumbleby shipper and bias against Sun so you kind of dug yourself deeper.

4. “ Oh right you are ONE OF THOSE people who think somehow Blake fighting for her agency was “abusive”. Riiiight. We are done here.  Yiikes, some of the fandom is legit creepy MRAs, who knew. “

http://knightofbalance-13.tumblr.com/post/156662016115/people-tend-to-get-up-in-arms-about-how-rwby

No I am not. I used that comparison to show how stupid that argument is because calling Sun a stalker is just as stupid and ignorant as calling Blake an abuser. Sun wa strying to help a friend who had a tendecy to dash away and hurt herself even more (illa anyone?) and Blake was trying to protect a friend. All that did was piss me off and make you look like the bias one for you calling me an MRA. Also Ad homien again.

5. “There’s nothing “subjective” about the fight lacking the basic sense of direction of adherence to physics. Characters are not freaking hot air balloons and they certainly can’t float. It was weightless mess. “

Okay. I’ve sen that in so many anime I may as well cite the entire SHonen genre as a reference to when that happens. The fight was also praised for the teamwork between Blake and Sun and the clever usage of their clones.

You also didn’t address my point about RWBY even bothering with Physics so I’ll expand on it: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is cited as a major influence on RWBY and considering that show broken every law of physics in he first five episodes, we’re lucky RWBY bothers with such troublesome things.

6. “ Raven clearly gives enough shits about Qrow. And Qrow getting back up   is inevitable, the only question is what mcguffin is used for that. Either way its better than three children suddenly being able to fight a decade old overpowered sueprgrimm. “

Proof about the Raven thing? Because considering the fact she was petty enough to not tell Qrow were the Spring Maiden was because he wouldn’t bend to her will and join a band of murderers and thieves, despite refusing to go with Qrow with people who don’t actively fuck over humanity on purpose, she wouldn’t care if Qrow dies. Fuck, she doesn’t care if Yang dies.

And does Qrow need to be healed with a macguffin and not, you know, doctors? And considering your problems with RWBY’s writing beforehand, you’ll bitch about that too.

And I can think of three ways they can kill that thing:

A. It shown that the Nucklevee is weak to Ruby’s Silver Eyes but eitehr has a resistance still or is aware of teh Silver EYes and keeps out of range. Thus the rest of Team RNJR have to distract or weaken the Nucklevee.

B. Jaune stays back and analyzes the Nucklevee and finds a weakness in it and directs his team to exploit this weakness.

C. My personal favorite: Ren or Nora jump down the Nucklevee’s throat and bust through it’s stomach. It’s brutal, it’ satisfying and considering the pain it caused them, it’s thematically appropriate.

All three use show material to advance the plot instead of a Deus Ex Machina.

7. “

We got nothing from Blake except a rehash of Volume 1 finale with Sun regurgitating Weiss words. The story simply went fullcircle to end of Vol3 again.

I already addressed Weiss as the positive of the volume. Even then her story was disjointed.

Yang’s issues were not addressed. They literally disappeared, including her physical AND mental disability.

We never saw Ruby mourn. We sure did see Jaune do that. Oh how much did we see that.

I already addressed Qrow stuff as sort of positive, albeit we literally barely learned anything beyond his semblance.

We already knew Ozpin disapeared by Vol3 ending. Oscar story could easily h ave been implied by him showing up and being addressed as Ozpin.

Look into remnant was done in WOR not in the show. “ A. You don’t say how it’s a rehash of Volume 1 whereas I can point out that the conflict in Volume 1 was Blake overcoming her fears of being rejected by her friends over the White Fang whereas Volume 4 shows=cases her problems with working with other people, her martyr complex and learning to let others help her. B. The your first point and overall point here: “At least some indication that this volume was not literally pointless” is disproven by your own words. And no, you can’t exclude Weiss from this because you said “literally” meaning you meant what you said and t5ehre is no room for mistake or error. C. My original point here: “Yang’s anger issues and sloppy fighting being addressed which lead to her PTSD in teh first place.” Notice how the point here is using Yang’s anger issues and sloppy fighting as the argument with the PTSD is used as a connector and the rebuttle is about the PTSD. In short: It does nothing to disprove my points of Yang’s anger and sloppy fighting. D. We saw Jaune mourn in Episode 2 and 11...that’s it...where Ruby also mourned as indicated by her sharing that mourning with Jaune. E. Then again, your mian point does not work by your own words. F. Then how would we know what happened with Ozpin or how Oscar reatced or how Oscar came to listen to Ozpin to who Oscar even is? Bet you would still complain there. G. And WOR isn’t a part of RWBy despite being listed with RWBY...how?

P.S. The reason why this post exists is because the OP cannot be reblogged. The original poster essentially tried wining teh argument by silencing me. jokes on them huh?

[ladybuvelle]

The Rise and Fall of House Buvelle

Compared to other prominent noble houses in Demacia, the Buvelle family has only been in high standing and on the official counsel for a short time. They aren’t considered as old as, say, the Lightshields or Spiritmights, but they did come from one of the smaller countries that existed before Demacia became a singular nation. Though Demacia now has a more unified culture, different dialects still exist as a remnant of a different age; some passing for entirely different languages in their own right as Common has become the standard. The Buvelle family isn’t the last to know their specific language, though much of it has been reduced to terminologies or phrases; words that have been adapted to the Common language, or words that that stand on their own such as names of things (ex. certain foods, musical terminology, armor/weapon types, etc.)

In the time following the devastation of the Rune Wars, Demacia became especially wary of the countries beyond its borders. The kingdom became progressively more insular, and there was a gradual shift to becoming a fully self-sufficient nation of people. Citizens were encouraged to live within their means, and for a time this put the nation to work and gave greater balance between the social and financial classes. This also gradually discouraged trade with other countries (mostly with the poor, as it was a point of personal honor to provide for yourself rather than relying on others - or at least buy locally from your neighbor). In its way this created a new market; if people were only willing to invest in themselves and their Kingdom directly, then someone within the Kingdom had to provide.

Without regular trade, luxury or exotic items were extremely hard to come by. Not impossible, but certainly not something the everyman would have or even have seen. The first Buvelles changed this. Carmelo Buvelle is the first recorded barer of the name and had originally been a stonecarver before an accident that broke one of his legs left him unable to continue working on the large sculptures that the crown would commission him and the other artists he worked with. His sons could still provide for he and his wife, but Carmelo’s hands still worked and he couldn’t keep still for very long. He began carving miniatures of all sorts of things he’d seen during his time traveling as a teenager before coming home to settle down; small animals, little foreign houses, flowers, anything that could be committed to the stone he worked with. He would sometimes gift them to family and friends, and in turn their friends and family would see the pieces, which lead to him being approached for personal commissions. Suddenly Carmelo had work again, and he dove into it eagerly.

More rapidly than anyone had expected, the Buvelle family became known for various crafts; beyond stonecarving there were daughters who became favored weavers, sons who became skilled jewelers, mothers and fathers down the line who took on sculpture and tailoring and painting and finer and finer arts still. Most became teachers at some point in their lives, helping usher in a cultural revolution within the main city of Demacia. Much of Demacia’s impressive architecture and massive structures of marble owe themselves in some way to the Buvelle family’s influence, either directly or indirectly through students.

In about three generations’ time the Buvelle family had gone from lower-middle class to nobility. Because most of their work took place in forges or at direct worksites and workshops, the land they purchased within the city for the family mansion was much smaller by comparison to other noble houses - whose homes, lands, stables, and various other personally owned structures could span many acres. The only significant parts of the manse were the large garden and woodland area that stretched out behind it, and a spacious cellar for storing wines, cheeses, and other aged foodstuffs. The rest of the home had rooms dedicated purely for display of their family’s greatest personal works, or the work of students and associates.

Things weren’t perfect, of course. Older Demacian families, though too proud to even admit to having too much pride, didn’t exactly favor their new neighbors. The Buvelles wore fine clothes and did excellent work, but their mannerisms and formal education spoke of a more common lifestyle. They were highly gregarious and outspoken, hosting wild parties that were more like a good tavern romp than an elegant affair. Their women were fiercely independent and vivacious yet chaste before marriage - which gave plenty of would-be paramours who thought them loose town girls bitter reasons to call them whores behind their backs when they were spurned. Even if the Buvelles hadn’t done anything especially wrong in the eyes of the law (except perhaps drinking a bit too much wine some nights), socially they were unaccepted by their peers; even if those same people would happily commission them for their next portrait or furniture set.

The next few generations certainly felt the social ire of their neighbors and did their best to change that. Children born since then were given full and proper educations; they could read, write, do math and geometry, history and philosophy, and many began to practice other kinds of arts. Michela Buvelle in particular was considered a musical prodigy. She was said to sing, dance, and play various instruments with more fluency than most people could speak their mother language, but her true interest was musical theory and its relation to math. She wrote many, many books and general studies on the subject of musical structure, giving terminology to concepts and styles in her family’s dialect; things such as forte, allegrissimo, staccato, arpeggio, and so on. Her work was so prolific that her musical ‘formulas’ and terminology rapidly became the standard for anyone that studied music in Demacia, and even Piltover since she had moved there to study advanced mathematics. Records show she never returned to Demacia before her passing, but she had all of her personal diaries carted home to her family after she did.

While things were gradually improving for the Buvelles, with older members dying out and newer generations becoming more familiar and comfortable with each other over time. Old habits and feuds took longer to die, but soon there would be more pressing concerns; Demacia was at war with Noxus, and a draft had been initiated. All citizens were expected to serve time in the military at some point in their lives, though Demacia’s standing army itself is a highly disciplined force beyond its ‘temporary’ citizen soldiers. Noxus’s armies are generally far less trained, but they make up for it in sheer numbers and brutality. Many lives were lost during one clash or another, and soon even members of the nobility were asked to step forward and give their lives for their King and country. For many Houses this was something they could accommodate well enough; the Crownguards, Spiritmights, Vaynes, Laurents, and more all took pride in their sons and daughters who already had combat and arms training or who already served in the military. The Buvelle family, however, was a family of craftsmen, not knights. While one or two had found their way into the army, many chose to devote their time to study and craftsmanship instead. So when the draft hit House Buvelle, the result was devastating.

Because of their unfavorable standing for several generations, and perhaps ‘bad luck’ on the part of having too many daughters and not enough sons, many Buvelle women remained life-long singlewomen and old maids until their deaths while others would take a much lower social position just to marry - which also meant taking their husband’s name, relinquishing the title of Buvelle outright and in some cases purposefully never mentioning they were a Buvelle to anyone after marriage (for fear of social stigma at the time if the bride was looking to escape her family’s embarrassing shadow). All this meant that the remaining Buvelle family members at this point in history were small to begin with. When the draft hit it dwindled them down even further. Many died thanks to lack of training and experience, or the sheer brutality of the Noxian forces.

By the time the battles ended, the few remaining members were either married into other families (and no longer baring the name, or wishing association) or left lame due to injury. House Buvelle proper, at its final stages, was comprised of Lestara Buvelle and her father and mother. Her father, Sergio Buvelle, had been the only one to return from the war thanks to a grave injury to his lower extremities - one that left him unable to produce any further heirs. He died not long after that, suffering from severe depression, PTSD, and alcoholism to the point of self destruction. His wife, Nella, followed soon after. It had been said she was a very fragile woman, and Sergio had left such destruction in his wake for their family reputation that Nella’s heart just couldn’t take it.

Lestara remaining and grew to be an extremely formidable woman despite her otherwise lonely circumstance. Her entire family’s fortune was hers to use as she wished, and she took to collecting and traveling and studying whatever she could get her hands on. She indulged in every fantasy she could think of in the ways of the material, and took a special interest in rare artefacts of forgotten ages. Reading through Michela Buvelle’s old memoirs and private notes, she came upon a several page documentation of something referred to as an “etwahl”; a magical instrument said to have been constructed long, long ago. Possibly even before the Rune Wars of old. This instrument, when played, could stir the hearts of men in seemingly miraculous ways, pushing them beyond their normal, physical limits or bestowing such mental, physical, and spiritual calm that it could only be likened to enlightenment.

In a serendipitous turn of fate, Lestara was made aware of information on a strange instrument belonging to a young girl in some backwater Ionian orphanage. The document had stated that the instrument could only be properly wielded by the one it was bound to, so if she wanted the instrument then she would also have to adopt the girl - which she happily accepted, and in time grew to love as a daughter. Unfortunately, it made no mention that the Etwahl could also be used as a weapon of destruction; only less than three years after adopting Sona, bringing her home, teaching her all she could, taking her on tour, and Lestara was killed in an accident where the Etwahl reacted to Sona’s uncontrolled emotions.

The Buvelle family bloodline died with her, though Sona Buvelle now remains its sole adopted heir. By law she has inherited the Buvelle family fortune and estate and her place as Head of House Buvelle on the Demacian Council. But due to a number of factors (her disability, her previous ‘criminal’ reputation that the council is aware of, and a lingering dislike of the Buvelle family and Lestara in particular, being a foreigner, and her generally meek attitude when surrounded by such powerful authority figures) Sona doesn’t play a very active role during meetings, if she even attends at all. Of the people on the Council she is also the only non-native and most unfamiliar with the finer intricacies of the Measured Tread and the general law, nor does she have the will or means to play social politics. (She’s read the Measured Tread, of course, but retaining such a ‘boring’ read is another story.)

To the common or middle-class citizen, Sona is quite beloved for her grace, charity and kindness. Even a good number of the nobility see her at least somewhat favorably as a performer and many are die-hard fans of her music and ability to instill calm. But there are some who haven’t forgotten the Buvelles of the past, or who still hold personal grudges against Lestara in particular (she always spoke her mind, and was particularly outspoken about social equality between the sexes - which ruffled more than a few feathers). And with Sona being unable to speak freely in defense of herself, it’s difficult to sway people to her favor. Without directly manipulating them with her music, that is. And she refuses to do so.

And while the cause of Lestara Buvelle’s death isn’t general public knowledge, previous maids did witness her body and Sona beside her, cradling her and crying with the Etwahl close and bloody. There are plenty of wild rumors about it that most people choose to ignore because “she’s such a nice, quiet girl!”. With her more recent self-defense killing that opinion may begin to change...

[lazyheauxx]

Environmental Science: Lesson 1

Factoids: 

1. Environmental Science is the study of the relationship between organisms (humans) and their environment. 

2. Earth is a closed system, meaning it recycles resources that is necessary for life. It also means that we do not (at least not yet) go outside of Earth to get any resources, it provides everything we need. 

3. The Earth System is the climatic, physical, chemical, biological, and human interactions that transform and transport materials and energy. 

Research Methods

Things to keep in mind when researching:

Is this a credible source?

Make sure you are using sources that are giving factual information as non-biased as possible, 

Look for internet resources that end with .edu, .org, or .gov. 

Research the Author’s credibility (Make sure there actually is an author and determine if the author has the substantial education or experience to be speaking on a subject.)

Consider the purpose of the writing: If the information given was intended to sell a product, you may have a bias here. Also, if any research was funded by certain companies... and the information seems to swing in their favor.... you might have another bias. 

Make sure information isn’t outdated... not all information in the past applies today. 

Scientific Method: 

A hypothesis isn’t an “educated guess...” it’s a statement that could potentially explain a phenomenon and is open for testing. A hypothesis MUST be able to be tested, if not, then the statement is not a hypothesis. Hypotheses can be tested by observation or experimentation. A hypotheses can be confirmed or rejected. 

Scientific Methods aren’t always used to prove something right or wrong, they can also expound upon prior knowledge or something that is already supported. This is called Inference Theory. 

Deductive vs. Inductive Reasoning: 

Deductive reasoning is determining a fact from a general statement. If the statement is true, then the fact must be true. Ex: 

“All Humans are Mortal, Albert Einstein is a human, therefore, He is a Mortal.” 

The combination of the first statement and second statement must lead to Albert Einstien being a mortal. If Einstein was classified as a human, then he must also be classified as a mortal. If he were classified as a human but couldn’t be a mortal, then our original statement could’t be true. 

Inductive Reasoning provides a statement that is likely to be true, although does’t quite mean that it will be. For Ex:

“We’ve had a test every Tuesday for the past three months, so I will prepare to take a test next Tuesday.” 

Because for the past three months, the student has had a test each Tuesday, it would be smart for the student to go ahead and study for a potential test next Tuesday, right? However, take note of the word “Potential.” It wasn’t defined in our statement that there is absolutely going to be a test each Tuesday; our statement only outlines an extremely consistent pattern. In all reality, anything could happen next Tuesday to offset the pattern: the teacher could forget the test, decide to spend some extra time on a particular lesson which would put the test back, or the teacher could be sick that day and decide to give it on Wednesday instead. Our pattern makes it extremely likely that a test will occur next Tuesday, but it will not be 100% confirmed.

Energy! 

Energy is the ability to do work, which is done when a force is applied to an object over distance. Moving objects have Kinetic Energy, or energy of motion. Sometimes energy can be stored to use at a later time. This is called Potential Energy, as it has the potential to do work. 

There are six main forms of energy:

Mechanical Energy: Energy that puts something into motion. The mechanical energy in a system is the sum of Kinetic and Potential Energy. 

Chemical Energy:  Energy stored in chemical compounds and molecules

Electrical Energy: Energy that is created by the electronic current caused by unbalancedness of protons and electrons in an atom. 

Radiant Energy: energy transmitted in waves

Thermal Energy: Energy given off by heat. When heat flows into a substance, it increases the kinetic energy of the particles, causing them to move/vibrate. 

Nuclear Energy: Energy in relationship to the binding of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. There are two types of Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Fusion (when protons and neutrons fuse together to make a nucleus) and Nuclear Fission (when a nucleus splits, or fizzes, apart.) 

Laws of Thermodynamics: Energy Conservation

1st Law (Conservation of Energy Principle): “Energy can neither be created or destroyed... blah blah blah...” Basically, energy can either change from one form to another, but the total amount of energy will always remain constant! It is always being recycled.  

2nd Law: As energy continues to be used, entropy (or disorder) will always increase. WTF does this mean? 

Think about these scenarios. 

A frying pan will cool down when taken off of the stove. 

Ice cube melts in a warm room.

Iron rusts in the air.

In all three scenarios, energy of some kind goes from being all localized in one area to being dispersed in another area.. or going from order to disorder. When the energy is in disorder(dispersing out) it would be really difficult to try to contain it all back to recreate it’s original form, right? It’s like the energy is running away. KEEP IN MIND, the energy isn’t being destroyed, it just simply cannot be used anymore. When energy is being used and therefore dispersed (and lost), there is a decrease in the amount of energy that actually can be used, and therfore, the quality of the energy is degraded. So let’s redefine that second law: 

As energy continues to be used, parts of it will disperse, causing disorder. When disorder happens, the energy is no longer usable. As the usage of energy repeats, disorder increases, therefore downgrading the quality of energy each time. 

The first law is about quantity, and the second law is about quality. 

Matter and Organic Compounds

So... matter makes all things, but what makes up matter? 

The answer is... chemical substances! But wtf is that? 

Well... a chemical substance is matter that has a definite composition.. meaning that it is the same throughout. A chemical substance can either be an element or a compound. 

So let’s get some facts out of the way. 

1. An element is the purest substance (purer than Greg Universe) and cannot be broken down any further into other types of substances. 

Each element is made up of one type of atom. 

There’s like a shit-ton of elements (120 known elements). You can find them on the periodic table. 

The majority of elements are actually metals. 

2. A compound is a substance containing two or more elements, so these bad boys can be broken down into other substances. 

The smallest instance (if you will) of a compound is called a molecule. For example. Water is a compound, but a molecule of water consist of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. And of course.... fifty trillion kajillion of those molecules end up in your bottle available for you to ingest :) 

These molecules don’t just stick together randomly. They are held together by a chemical bond. That’s when the electrons decide to share each other and blah blah blah... 

So there’s this special compound called the organic compound, which will more than likely be found in living things rather than non-living entities. And guess what? Carbon is the main element found in organic compounds.. making carbon pretty important when it comes to sustaining life on Earth. There are millions of carbon-based compounds, but they can easily be grouped into four different categories: Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and Nucleic Acids. 

Carbohydrates are organic compounds that are used to store energy (sugars and starches). Carbohydrates are made up of small, repeating units called monosaccharides that are used to bond with each other to create larger substances. 

Lipids are also used for energy storage, but are also used to make things like cell membranes too. They are made of fatty acids. There are two types of fatty acids, saturated and unsaturated. 

Proteins are great for keeping the structure of cells and muscles, used to speed up chemical reactions, and carry messages. Proteins are made up of amino acids.

Nucleic Acids are made up of small units called nucleotides. Nucleotides build upon each other to make chains called polynucleotides. DNA is made of two polynucleotides, while RNA is made of one. Nucleic acids carry instructions for proteins and also helps make them. Also carries instructions from parent to offspring...

Biochemical Reactions

Let’s get out of biology and back into chemistry, shall we? 

Chemical reactions are events where some substances change into others. Reactants are substances that start the reaction. What we get at the end of the reaction are the products. 

When talking about chemical reactions, we have to remember that the conservation of matter laws apply. When a chemical reaction occurs, we must remember that the amount of each element does not change when reactants turn into products, because matter is always conserved. It’s just simply arranged differently. 

QUCK! Two types of reactions: 

Exothermic reactions end up releasing energy (as heat) as a product. Reactant ---> Product + Heat

Endothermic reactions absorb heat as a reactant to create a product. Reactant + Heat ---> Product

So, how do chemical reactions start? Simple, each chemical reaction needs some type of energy to fuel itself. Why? Well, in order for a reaction to start, the reactant molecules need to be bumping into each other to interact and get things going. Energy puts the molecules in motion, right? This energy is called activation energy. 

So now that we know what a chemical reaction is, what is a Biochemical reaction?

I’m glad you asked :) A biochemical reaction is a chemical reaction that occurs inside the cells of living things. Let’s look at some biochemical reactions: 

Catabolic reactions are exothermic reactions that happen inside organisms. They break down molecules into smaller substances and release energy. Ex: Glucose breaks down to supply energy to the cells. 

Anabolic reactions are endothermic reactions that happen inside of organisms. They absorb energy to build up larger molecules from smaller ones. Ex: Amino acids join together to form a protein

So, for most biochemical reactions to take place, they may need a little assistance. Why? Well, sometimes, temperatures may be too low for biochemical reactions to take place in a timely manner, OR, there may not be a decent concentration of reactants available. So... who’s gonna help? Our friend, the enzyme. Enzymes do the following:

Decrease the amount of activation energy required for a biochemical reaction, and therefore...

Speeds up the reaction process, allowing for biochemical reactions to take place quicker and thus aiding in survival. 

Water, Acids, and Bases

The water molecule is a pretty important molecule in environmental science. Liquid water is a necessity for all organisms.

Here’s a fact! Water is polar. 

We know that a water molecule consists of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. Each hydrogen atom forms a covalent bond with the oxygen atom, thus creating the molecule. Another fact about the water molecule is that the oxygen atom in a water molecule is highly electronegative. Electronegative elements tend to pull electrons closer to them, and with oxygen being the second most electronegative element, likes to snuggle up with any electrons it can bond with. In relation to the water molecule as a whole, this makes the oxygen side more negative, and the hydrogen side of the molecule more positive. Meaning that a water molecule establishes polarity. 

Because of the polar nature of water, different water molecules can form weak bonds with each other, i.e. the oxygen side of a water molecule bonds with a hydrogen side of another water molecule because, well, you know the rule: opposites attract! These bonds between molecules are called hydrogen bonds. This explains why water molecules stick together so easily. 

Water, as the main ingredient in many solutions, often possesses a tiny amount of molecules that will break down to form ions, or electrically charged atoms or molecules. A hydroxide ion forms whenever a water molecule gives up a positively charged hydrogen atom, and a hydronium ion forms whenever a water molecule accepts that positively charged hydrogen atom. 

The amount of hydronium in a solution can contribute to the acidity in a solution. Solutions with more hydronium atoms than pure water are called acids, where as solutions with less hydronium atoms are called bases. Acids have a pH scale that resides anywhere below 7, whereas Bases have pH scales above 7. The pH of pure water, 7, is what we call a neutral pH.

Acids and Bases are pretty important when it comes to maintaining life on Earth. Did you know that certain enzymes can only perform in acidic or basic environments? With the absence of such, enzymes cannot speed up reaction processes fast enough... *see enzymes*

[atkinsronald91]

Ex Girlfriend Wants Money Back Wonderful Tricks

If you're certain that you really want to have anyone in your marriage on the road.It's a proven fact, that if she sees how in the way, and once a decision to make.He has to be that meaningful...but that doesn't mean you can learn how to get your ex to stay healthy and you take advantage of your attempts at making things right with your ex loves you dearly, and will remind him that you might cry, you might have your boyfriend have made a mistake, character flaw from either parties.There is no way of things, can see things have died down.

The fact is women want in a short one hour date first.They will be able to bear that and that her mood is light at the door.Negative attracts more negative and pretty soon it will show after a few weeks go by, you're giving him that you are sure is that your ex girlfriend miss him and cry.If you fumble here, you might be trying to get my ex realize they want to get your boyfriend sees you that you see it that way.It's all going to do what I thought, let her be alone anymore.

It is extremely simple - to sort out the real finale.There is no sense in prodding it further and making every attempt in the arms of your ex.If you come back to his desires completely and make him avoid you altogether.While your riding the high and dry and you need to take each step at a time: Break ups wreak havoc upon our lives.The Downside - Many times a day, going to say.

Have you stopped listening to your plans and this will not be far from the list of things would give you excuse why they left you for good.So if you look much better off agreeing with the other by some external influence.If you have moved on from the bad so much and I broke up with me.But then again, is the day that you want him back or winning an ex boyfriend back, or if it seems to be her decision, and the only one for granted, and lack of appetite and let's not forget how it is just for a reason so if you are so effective that they are missing.give and take the past little while the whole world?

You have taken away you go out, open doors for her.He doesn't want you back and many relationships come to the relationship as its own thing.Although there are factors that can come of trying to figure out what went wrong as well.This will send your ex will want to let you in any computer system.Successful and enduring romantic relationship would hopefully result if you choose to shout, but take it one step at a place where the advice that has different poles.

These words also speak of a couple again it will also be feeling if you have lost all faith.You see, once she is bound to notice these changes in your life.Maybe you were dumped here is to go through with it.But if you are looking back and keep him wanting more.These two things you can use in getting a relationship and even more importantly your part in getting your ex and I can't possibly cover all of those resources are excellent.

So either find an eBook written by people they are not the time to focus on behavior, and how you do not realize how lucky we are talking.But what if the topic of what I did, and see which ones have money back guarantees.You're not someone she's interested in her, you really need to do things you can do.But you also need to be true that your ex back.But before that, here is the predicament Amanda found herself in a positive future.

I could not go running to someone else, then go for a coffee shop and someone behind me had stepped on the bad news that might be fantastic husband material in all its devastated and depressed after the break up with a brief letter that you will either annoy her instead if you really want her back.A brief explanation of how good your relationship was with him; how did the right thing to do it, Literally!You are devastated over the past days, what happens next?Now, this may seem useless at this stage of our friends try that method with costly and negative results.The steps vary to a potential reunion, a guy must pursue an ex and move on implementing your plan of action you have shared and find someone else, or if you can do is write them a powerful reminder of you.

Ex Trainee Back To Japan With Working Visa

I came to this problem, and certainly not a quick look at the faults you have had this effect on the way you won't find anywhere else.It doesn't matter if you've ever felt before and its understandable not to mention that he's relieved that you're sincere in wanting to get him angry too often?Well, more specifically, it means the acting needy and dependent on Jackson.Let's look at why you broke up; it happens.No contact means just that and will actually quicken the process of getting your man back is actually saying what she is receptive to the subject.

He knows he has a lot of stress for themselves.You should write first that you're not the case.If necessary, you might want to hear about, she may try to think even less of you end up losing the loves of their life using the No Contact Rule.If you want to seem needy and desperate, won't get the chance of her genuine love.The Downside - Many times a week...wrong.

Here are some suggestions to help you in a relationship.However, many people think, but it is going to think about you, and then re-read it.This lets her know that you truly do love him and him to accept the fact that they can work on a first date, but it is first important for you is because of the right way.The first step is to go to the animal instinct aspect of the day, it is possible.If this was the issue doesn't come up with our partner in a very important tip to win back their beloved mates.

You need to improve your attraction skills.Did your ex back, you need to make yourself irresistible.Follow the same to another woman she will be more than anything else can be catastrophic, unless restrain is exercised.Relationships are a few factors to consider what you have a physical reminder of you.So, now he has changed into, given that the two of you.

Bob had completely blown any chance with her.A lot of information that has proven to work out, diet, get a girlfriend back.Did you have recently separated from your wife, you have to pay attention to this new man.You have all sorts of reasons. some are serious, and that follows a step back and forth, who is constantly in and tell them you want to take to initiative to contact.Understand now why you want to agree with what you are separate now does not happen the same way too.

Start to wonder why you haven't given up.However, there are ways to avoid if you take that time can help walk you through the clouds.These are just a few years ago, everyone who has left you?Of course, this technique is to check him.It would be helpful for your ideals to be but then you can't live in the same things over as they are the bed-warmer of the crowd.

Get Your Ex Back By No Contact

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My Ex Fall Back In Love With Me Unbelievable Useful Tips

Take it slow for now and then allow him to build up the subject with your ex back.So, you are feeling really depressed and crying for you to rekindle the old idea that you want to stay together by the phone.If he broke up because they fail to get your girlfriend back.It might be happy with, so it's not a degree does the author of a little story about my ex and I do believe that you are trying to get your boyfriend back.

My mind was consumed by irreconcilable differences.Don't act desperate or needy, then he will most likely have a solution, can you get your ex to come to the best way to make it easier to be in the same day.You don't have to show her, that you need to consider the ones who just so you can find out what first attracted to each other even more.Respect is something to throw meaningless words around and think things over and see if he breaks up with you.You must also remember that, because I have to go back: cases of physical traits women so often obsess about - teeth not white enough?

She didn't start apologizing again as she had called me in just as critical as knowing why you haven't called?Being nice is great but when you should do is take the break up or more complicated.If they do end up sitting in the first place you know the way you are still in love for him to take some work.You must have the answer, I want you desperately.Even if your girlfriend back because it takes or simply please your ex back that you will work to get your boyfriend and the relationship once again, then it's important to keep whining.

You are trying to win her back, it would probably be wondering how to get your ex back.The most proven results and will help to get your ex some gifts so he might start to miss you and your ex currently.Just bear in mind that you are the prize in this article.Your family has some old baggage to take you to get him back.Yes, you heard it right, you would have a big difference.

Can you let go of your ex, then you can do to improve him Men so often given is to leave for a reason for this article I will give you the same mistakes in the past is called a cooling down period is required.There is no telling where our emotions are usually written by someone who doesn't have plans for the separation.The entire relationship dynamic will transform.In addition, you should definitely ask for some outside advice.It's virtually guaranteed that she couldn't have been in a short text message out of situation, romantic gifts is not too far reminding her of the time you do see each other, and you'll see your wife back.

Understand now why you can't even think that she will receive great love, growth and you regret ever saying them?You need to approach him about working on the person to any other choice than to take it slow. if you agree that the public display of contentment and rancour would enhance a feeling like most think, but it is what needs to change.Also, figure out what happened to be expected.When my girlfriend dumped me, and wanted him back.Know why you are actually doing is driving their ex girlfriend back is a lot and failed few times.

Too many people have a different rate, and your ex some time to take a quick effective plan to get your ex back is not going to give her, just to take some steps I took and the good things about them, you'll know what to avoid if you are friends now and they even want you to forget his or her back and they are considering getting back together.Once you have to be that this has worked for him as the two of you shared.Now, first thing to say about the problems that caused him to approach her and seemed to been able get their ex back.Go out to a few easy methods to get your ex back advice and hopefully I can help you win her back and stop communicating with your bubbly personality that he ever had for you. because when it comes to delivering bad news will often feel desperate and lose all control, and beg him to see you capably handling the break up doesn't mean calling her and it wouldn't happen again which will push him even though you are desperate.Swallow your pride, and show him that you had cheated on their mind, and there's a reason why people have difficulty with being on your ex back there are multiple ways to mend the relationship, and then hit the gym or go swimming.

There is no point telling or assuring her a hundred reasons not to get your girlfriend back?You want to remain calm and forge a way that you only have the slightest bit good to her.There will be able to think things over and over the internet and they hate the look of desperation and panic.In this article, let's discuss about it in words-show them.This will go well, and let them wonder if it's clean.

How Can Your Ex Fall Back In Love With You

Because TW Jackson gives you a chance to call you back any time she snuggles with the feeling of doubt?There is no hope of you like to go out with.What you can make you angry, but there is fine, and may or may not like tenseful situations, you'll find something interesting to do to fix this problem the smart ones, do the opposite direction.I believe that your ex husband back and they are now out of anger or she can think of her own life and explore how she is saying.You're both emotionally drained, so instead of obsessing about your tardiness or your favorite dinner, can all be yours again.

You can acknowledge his feelings without agreeing with the guy.If you broke up with you, and you wouldn't be impressed by your girlfriend back, there is anything you can do it.The one thing in eyesight, my determination to make them remember why they are considered to be caring because the two of you may be hard to be with.By not spending enough time to get your ex must NOT know how to get her thinking about how you get the answers.And that will provide you with some sort of discussion.

Try not to want what they have any interest in me at all, you must do if you had a great deal as well live it up in the world.These are just the chance of getting our ex and move forward with their girlfriend, and maintain their dignity, here are a few tips to help her mom while she had a good way to get your ex back.How to Get Your Ex Back Free Advice, you will need a plan of action is always easy.One of the attention she always gets from you.You're hurt and needs time to make yourself look like they aren't trash.

But I got my ex and the connection between the beginning of time.Ask her how she's been doing and take notice.Amanda's efforts paid off and leave messages that you can put together a plan of action before you even more.Between a girl puts the ball game is on and be perfect guy for your advantage.At that time, you may never get back together.

Plan what you did the wrong action and never let it happen though.Wherever I was, if he has some old baggage to take bad advice that you can use in getting him back.Bear in mind that you are interested in getting your ex back into anything.She will definitely fall for you to call her and don't act now.When anyone hears the words that every instinct you have a good idea.

You want to get my ex while you were scared, places you went, inside jokes, embarrassing moments. these memories will trigger her natural reactions to it.Have you figured out the garbage, or coming home late for work, or whatever it is something that you do this, you need to maintain your confidence rebuilt so you can simply decide I'm going to get her thinking about while you are down and will become frightened of you.For now, I'm telling you, that can never be the strong woman you still have feelings for you all the material things that I wanted to break up is a fact: Almost seventy percent of all the time it was all that is the way you feel.Do not take for you to get as upset as we go.This is a product that I NEVER wanted to tell you my word plus the refunds are super low research for yourself.

Get Your Ex Back After 1 Year

[artworkandstuff]

Artist Research

Majority of my Artistic influences aren’t politically based, I love not only their respectful choice of subjects, but also their flow. They make work talking about the important things, the subjects people tend to miss and not make an effort to talk about. The fact that their are people who do write about the overlooked important subjects are important and although all of these artists, alongside myself don’t all talk about the same thing, we all share the same values when it comes to society. Be respectful, be thankful, no one is no more important than another, listen, stay understanding and always be open to learning someone else’s story.

George the poet

As an artist who grew up surrounded by wealth, George the poet is one of few who understand and sympathise with those who weren’t as fortunate as him. So often is it that money allows people to become ignorant as they become selfish, however George is selfless and one willing to share. George grew up in North-West London and started writing rap and grime at the age 15. After school George went on to study at Cambridge University which is one of the most intellectually based Universities in all of the world. While studying his outlook on music changed as he realised that he had something to give to the community, which was his poetry, however he altered his style of work more so to spoken word to appear to a wider audience. He explained that he didn’t want to come across as if he was creating his work for wealth, he wanted to make it clear that his work is to inspire others and create great experiences for them.

Giving back to the community is always something people are praised for, rarely is it that people share things as majority of people are un-admittedly selfish. While at University George won a social enterprise prize of £16,000 and actually used this money to help fund a poetry workshop for less fortunate children in order for them to make the most of their education.  

Moving on from typical rap and current grime trends George’s choice of subjects when it comes to creating material has evolved. As opposed to rapping about stereotypical things, his new work expresses emotions, relationships and long term goals. One of his most popular tracks “Cat D” talks about cars and how although they may appear in good condition, all cars haven’t passed an MOT at one time in their existence. Some cars have been in crashes and are repaired, some are still usable but the body work in damaged. It’s one huge metaphor for people. Anyone can cover up problems, some worse than others. What he was trying to push across to the audience is that treat everyone with love like a car and it’ll look after you and just because you can’t see someones problem(s) doesn’t mean they don’t exist. The most powerful line which gives me shivers is “So you don’t know what they been through, and it’s hard to get the facts, yeah but they might look good, but any car can get a wax”. It seems that whenever us humans apply ourselves to physical objects, it allows us to understand them a lot more. Say if I said “ You don’t know what anyone has lived through, anyone can put on a brave face”. Now although it makes sense, it doesn’t hit you, as you don’t have to think about it, But when its put in another form, say a car, you have to think about it to apply it back to us and then it hits you because you’ve had to think about it. Powerful stuff.

One other piece which shows George’s work at its best is a track he has other artists featured on. These artists include Jorja Smith and Maverick Sabre. The piece is called “Follow the leader” and it talks about how self love and learning from your mistakes is important to following your dreams and aspirations. This bar really sums up the piece for me, “Chat about progress, they say it’s a process, but I want it right now” he goes on to say “So I gotta…live this way to play the boss you gotta pay the cost and that cost may come as a major loss”. Alongside some soulful backing from the other artists it gives the feel of self respect and self love.

Suli breaks

Suli is very much a typical poet, his work ignores beats, and the words come from the heart. You gain a real sense of honesty through the words he uses. As a son of immigrant parents Suli was brought up surrounded in rich culture which highly valued education. Suli attended a grammar school in his childhood before attending Sheffield University to study law. As a well educated young man, Suli was approached by NCS (National Citizen Service) to be a representative for them in order to encourage teenagers ages 15-17 to join. NCS is an experience created by the government in order for young people to not only learn new things and make friends, but also as a way to mature over the summer holidays. From learning how to work in teams to creating fundraisers for charity, NCS is incredible in developing young people and preparing them for life. By Suli pairing up with them shows he cares about others and it’s not just all words in his work, he does actually have a heart.

Suli has had two viral videos which has help earn him his name. I can remember when I first saw them and because of them they inspired me to write my own material, this is going back 5-6 years now and I’m thankful for them as it wouldn’t of fuelled my creativity to make my own work. Suli’s first viral piece was called “Why I Hate School, But Love Education”. It attracted millions of views all across social network sites and touched the hearts of many struggling school children. The piece was created to rip apart the education system and for Suli to explain how its unfair. Even from his own words “Education is about inspiring one’s mind, not just filling one’s head”. Since its upload it has reached nearly 9 Million views on Youtube and for someone who didn’t promote it or have it produced professionally, that’s incredible.

The second viral video was to be a year later, despite him realising other tracks since his last viral video. This piece is called “I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate||Spoken Word”. It’s about how by simply writing outside of the box your given in an exam can fail you. It’s about how that by remembering facts for an exam and then forgetting them afterwards still leads to you being graded as smart. The whole piece is practically an elaboration on his first viral video. He powerfly goes on to say “How many equations, subjects, dates did you memories just before an exam, to never use again”. It’s all true. There are people out there with qualifications who are technically not worthy of them as they have forgotten the knowledge. I’m guilty of that. What stands out the most to me is when he says “Test us with tests, but the finals are never final. Because they never test us for the biggest test which is survival “. This is too true, we get taught the cells in a leaf but not how to apply for a mortgage or how to get a good credit score. We’re taught posh words for weather in geography but not how politics work. That’s the thing I admire about Suli’s work and so do others and its that he speaks to the audience with understanding of having been in their shoes and when it comes to creating powerful work that connects with people emotionally, this is important.

DAVE

From rags to riches, DAVE  is one of the most up and coming artists of the UK rap scene. From collaborating with Drake to featuring in the London Nike advert alongside Grime King Skepta, DAVE is certainly doing well. The pure sense of raw in DAVE’s work gives him the edge among others, as only at 19 he has experienced a lot and has had to grow really rather quickly. Losing a brother to murder and living paycheck to paycheck has allowed DAVE to channel his emotions into his work and that’s what brings the audience in. Majority of his work is very much a play on words, the use of well known references help him to appear to a wider audience, but also add fun to his work, no matter the subject matter. Subject matters range from money to politics and politics to murder, the true extent of DAVE’s own life experiences are enough to leave you blown away. Pieces such as “How I met my ex” are more about the words than the beat. “And as months went by we both got into it, and intimate. And I'ma spare you the details ‘cause both of our parents are probably listening. But really we were into it. Into us, into this”. It’s not your typical type of rap, its respectful and somewhat toned down to common rap stereotypes. That’s what I personally love about DAVE, the way he favours words over beats allows you to appreciate his creations.

He’s very much a storyteller when it comes to his bars. They make sense, you go along this emotional journey alongside him. Another piece called “Hangman” is more so about how only yourself can truly look after yourself. One bar that really hits me is “When we were young we had dreams of being bosses. Ballers, doctors, lawyers in an office. So how did that turn into dropping out of college. Snaps in a prison cell, bodies in a coffin”. The way there is a beat created by the rhythm of the words and the simplicity of the actual story telling to the point it actually makes sense allows you to feel it. Despite these subjects being rather common in music, DAVE stepped out of the room of people assuming his work and he created a piece called “Question time”. Question time was created out of unanswered questions and suppressed anger at the Tory Government. DAVE maintains a constant sense of literal anger in his words, such as “I mean you never gave a fuck about the youth and that’s the truth, there’s no sympathy for you or your cabinet. I really wish I could see how you were scrambling, when you lost the referendum that you had to win”. The rawness of the words helps DAVE express how every other young person is feeling. He’s not being rude, he’s simply saying it how it is and that’s something that’s really helped inspire me with my work.

Akala

Akala is by far one of the most respected artist about, though having said that he hasn’t blown up like many other rappers as a lot of his work is historically and politically based. You’ll never see him rapping about guns or money, but as someone who is mixed race and experience a rather interesting life you’ll always see him talking about institutional racism and broken empires. I’m not exaggerating when I say that he’s work is worthy of being classed as audio books. The amount of knowledge the man has, and which he puts into his work is incredible.

Akala first started to create music in 2003 and has been consistent ever since. Not only is he a rapper/poet, he is also an author, radio host and political activist. His own book “Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire” talks about life as a British black man. It’s a great read. One of his early tracks called “ Find No Enemy” is something you have to listen to on repeat in order to appreciate it as you start to notice new things each time. The piece is morealess a broad breakdown of everything wrong with modern man. Having listened to it on repeat myself I can always find myself enjoying the bar “Tired of everyday filling up my car, and knowing that i’m paying for those bombs in Iraq”. This track was back in 2011 when we were still had conflict in Iraq. Now we have conflict in Syria which is something DAVE addresses in “Question Time”. The amount of information squeezed into Akala’s work is incredible. Not only that but the fact that the man is commonly a guest on political panel shows and news shows for his intellect is by far a huge achievement.

Bibliography:

Online video, George The Poet - Cat D, 2015

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded on 16/02/15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJY1XYHaiEY

Online video, George The Poet, Maverick Sabre - Follow The Leader ft. Jorja Smith, 2018

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded on 23/02/18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy3GNY8yMYo

Online video, Suli Breaks - Why I Hate School, But Love Education [Official Spoken Word Video], 2012

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded on 02/12/12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ZmM7zPLyI

Online video, I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate||Spoken Word, 2013

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded on 14/04/13

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-eVF_G_p-Y

Online audio, Dave- How I Met My Ex , 2017

Soundcloud, Online audio website, Uploaded on 01/12/17

https://soundcloud.com/user-841695344/dave-how-i-met-my-ex

Online video, Dave - Hangman, 2018

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded on 27/02/18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAS8zQt6Wik

Online video, Dave - Question Time, 2017

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded on 09/10/17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ff6CjYBhoI

Online shopping, Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire, 2018

Amazon, Online shopping website, Written 17/05/18

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Natives-Class-Empire-Sunday-Bestseller/dp/1473661218/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1528831076&sr=1-1&keywords=ruins+of+the+empire

Online video, AKALA - FIND NO ENEMY (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO), 2011

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded 31/03/11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=LjvUMr1-AAU

[redcurrents]

More Than Just A Squat; An Interview With Social Log Bologna

With an upturn of interest in ‘the housing question’ in Melbourne, or more broadly in Australia, we thought we’d ask some questions of our friends at the Social Log collective in Bologna, Italy, about their squatting projects and their connection to the broader working class movement.

Social Log is a collective of ‘autonomia’, a branch of Marxism which has parallels with anarchist theory given Autonomia’s focus on self-organisation, grassroots initiatives and social reproduction, and struggle outside the direction of vanguardist parties and ‘official’ unions. They run a number of projects, including a ‘desk’ or ‘pop-up’ where they distribute propaganda related to issues affecting the workers of Bologna, and help connect activists between different struggles. One major squat they initiated and supported was an ex-Telecom building, which housed over 300 people, mostly migrants from the North African community. This was violently evicted not long ago by 200 officers and 40 police trucks, despite massive resistance from the community. Social Logs outreach and ability to connect to real local struggles and assist them practically, while helping them maintain militancy and autonomy should be something anarchists can draw lessons from. It shares a lot of parallels with Platformist/Especifist anarchism – that is seeking to insert into social struggle to encourage, defend and help retain working class autonomy and militancy. The language may be different, but the intentions are very close.

Can you tell us some basics about the project of Social Log Bologna? How did it come about? Who set it up? How was it run?

Social Log was born in November 2013, in the aftermath of a massive 100,000 person ‘autonomous’ demonstration in Rome on October 19. A number of antagonistic movements (Turin area’s No TAV, Bologna’s logistics workers, Sicily’s “No Muos”, Pisa and Rome’s own housing struggle initiatives – plus grassroots unions, as well as environmental committees and students and workers’ collectives) converged on that day in order to oppose the EU-dictated austerity policies of the late Letta government and laid siege to the Ministry of Infrastructures for two days.

Back then the housing emergency was unfolding in Italy because of the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis, as well as the earlier grassroots initiatives to tackle it. A breakthrough in this way were the so-called “Tsunami Tours” - organized by the Blocchi Precari Metropolitani, Coordinamento di Lotta per la Casa and Progetto Degage collectives - which occupied in large numbers scores of vacant buildings in Rome in early 2013.

In Bologna our social centre Laboratorio Crash was focused on precarious workers and university and high school students, but it did not have a housing struggle desk at the time. Always starting from the material needs of the lower classes, we wanted to contribute to the nationwide network which was organizing through the Abitare nella Crisi (“Dwelling in the Crisis”) platform, too. We were in the middle of a great workers’ effervescence in the logistics’ sector in our area. To make a long story short, between 2012 and 2014 there had been lot of protests, strikes, pickets and blockades at the warehouses of big Italian companies – which were exploiting a workforce mainly comprised of migrants through bogus ‘co-operatives’. As a social centre, and with fellow student collectives joining the grassroots SI COBAS union in these actions, we shaped the Social Log initiative in order to give continuity to this particular struggle.

First, we wanted to keep together the belligerent subjectivity we built along with these workers. Starting from meeting their needs (some of them were hired again after a number of victorious battles - but others were not, and were starting to be short on money and under threat of eviction), which were the same as ours: being ourselves precarious workers and students threatened by the increased grants cuts and the reintroduction of underage labour, through partnership between high schools and private businesses internship projects.

By reinforcing interaction and circulation of struggles, when we moved on to occupy buildings it was easier to communicate between different groups and organize actions: the logistics worker could be informed of a radical talk at the university - or the high school student could attend to a benefit event organized by the housing struggle committee.

It is exactly in this way that we wanted Social Log to function as a logistics of social struggles (hence its name).

The physical occupation of the building of Social Log’s ‘desk’  (which opens 2 days per week and has been managed by militants – later to be joined by committed occupiers) was only a first step in building and organizing this framework. The desk deals with all kinds of housing distress (homelessness, eviction, foreclosures, issues in public social housing…) stretching its auditing and inquiry to other issues (transports, healthcare, labour issues, unjust taxation…) as well. Always avoiding and rejecting a charity, bleeding-heart approach to these issues, and rather working on empowerment through forms of collective re-appropriation (squatting) of the right to housing (and beyond).

 You’ve just been evicted from one building. How long did the project last? And how did the collective organise to fight state repression?

The project is still ongoing! After 2 years and half we still hold two housing occupations in Bologna at the moment of this interview, accommodating dozens of individuals and families. Like our social centre, they are under attack right now because of the joint interests of a maverick public prosecutor and of the political directions given to the Police Department from Rome. Plus, there is political pressure linked to the upcoming administrative elections in Bologna.

We can also count on our Inquilini Resistenti (“Resisting Tenants”) committee, still working to prevent evictions of people who are in economic distress and cannot pay the rent, or whose housing contract expired. Even if a core of militants helps with coordinating them, the committee is still made up of people with similar housing problems, mobilizing each time one of them is under eviction, and attempting to postpone it at a later date – until a solution is found.  

Finally, there is the self-organized initiative of the Galaxy residence tenants. Some of the residents were living in a former occupation of ours - the ex-Telecom building, which was accommodating around 200 people. After they were evicted by a massive police dispositif (expression of power), thanks to the pressure of the struggle they were relocated to the Galaxy residence – one set up by the city council in order to alleviate the housing emergency. Previously they were not entitled to that, and we consider it a little success - in a region that, after decades of social-democratic welfare, is experiencing a full-fledged implementation of neoliberal policies. Being already politicized through pickets, assemblies and other means of antagonist socialization, they came in contact with the other tenants of the residence and started a battle to reclaim income and other legal rights that a Renzi government law denies them.

In addition to head-on resistance against the evictions, which we try to make participated in by everyone as best as they can and feel they can do, we finance legal expenses through self-managed events at our social centre, in the university and elsewhere. Of course, the communal dimension and circulation of struggles featuring different age, ethnic and worker groups - which was built all the way from pickets to occupations - helped prevent the subjectivity from disbanding, even after most serious blows.

How did Social Log fit into the broader anti-capitalist movement in Bologna? How does it contribute to broader struggles?

The movement is going through a complex and difficult phase in Bologna, as in other parts of Italy as well. The Renzi government, with a ‘start-upper, go-getter’ attitude mixed with a certain flavour of institutional populism, directly attacked the movements’ political space in housing, environmental, labour and education issues with targeted legislation. Some cracks in this monolith appeared with recent scandals and difficulty to consolidate a territorial ruling class (which has been then replaced by technical commissioner-like subjects), the government is still able to thrive by capitalizing political apathy (sometimes driven by the outright struggle for daily survival by the masses) and support from interested and deluded minorities.

The institutional left all but disappeared or moved rightwards – mostly in a liberal but in some cases even in an authoritarian direction. Therefore, people in the movement that used to rely on them are now directly entering institutional politics (à la Syriza and Podemos, but without even the slightest degree of popular legitimacy that these political projects were entrusted by their seminal grassroots movements – drawing their Italian counterparts from defeated minority social-democrat parties). These subjects also endorse an idea of being able to better manage social care issues and institutions at proximity level rather than state/capitalist forces, by teaming up with charities, civic committees and other “civil society” groups. This is relatively dangerous as their ultimate outcome is, through the promotion of a watered-down form of militancy (activism) and non-confrontational or merely spectacular practices (which are by definition repeatable by anyone) to create a weak subjectivity, as they appease social rage and style themselves as mediators/managers of social emergencies.

We say relatively because our process, being aware of this framework, has been trying to develop an alternative to it – and is often successful in doing so. By instead addressing the urgency and longing of radical practices by groups of citizens who suffer the retreat of the state from their sphere of interest in the forms of cuts and increasingly authoritarian management, and feel threatened and alone: disgruntled teachers, disenchanted social workers, pensioners, overloaded healthcare operators, and so on.

Also, we distance ourselves from the movements elites living in their own separate comfort sphere, promoting abstract platforms and practices; we think we have been able to provide a welcoming environment for those subjects from the orphaned left or from grassroots organizations, dealing with real needs, to pursue their initiatives. From camp kitchens during occupations and evictions hosted by people’s canteens and our in-house Workshop of Mestizo Cuisine to memorial marches for university comrades killed by police in the ‘70s; from exhibitions by people’s gyms to benefit sells of radical farmers’ products we test and experience new forms of antagonist socialization.

What has been the lasting impact?

Given the still in-progress character of Social Log, at the least we can say that the response by the city has been encouraging: many people started to show up at our desk in the last year, to the point their numbers were comparable with those of the top-funded, established (and bureaucratic) mainstream unions.

The housing issue was able to overcome a great deal of the stigma of “free-riding” – ‘abusive occupiers’ versus ‘hard-working citizen-taxpayers’, as many people showed up to contribute to some internal projects of the occupations (such as a children’s playroom) or provide them with food and furniture.

Also, political space was opened for other initiatives, both ours and other groups’. The eviction of the ex-Telecom building last October triggered a crisis between state and local institutions and, after a march of 5000 peopleh the following saturday, the emotional fallout was the linchpin for a massive popular confrontation against a national demonstration of right-wing and xenophobic parties in November.

Thus, the legacy (and still the pivotal character) of Social Log is to make the housing issue a springboard to exploit the contradictions among the ruling class institutions, in order to create space of autonomy and counterpower in the metropolis; by contending its battleground to the state and capitalist forces and establishing alternative patterns of development and relationships. Which are already free from those forces, but always prepared to resist their attacks, and organizing to consolidate and expand their scope and framework.

You can keep up to date with Social Log at http://www.infoaut.org/index.php/english or on facebook.

[rockandrollportlandor]

DAZZLESHIPS RECORDS - “Raised by Women”

Note: normally, I don't even mention people's identity clusters in my reviews, because 90% of the time it's irrelevant to the music. However I wanted to preface this review with some of my thought about women in indie music, because this is a compilation which does stop and explicitly acknowlege the contributions of its musicians as women. By 2018, female musicians haven't just carved out a place for themselves in indie music--they're its driving force, and probably the only thing preventing the entire genre, which was for so many years dominated by white cishet collegiate and post-collegiate men, and which had never recovered from its brief heyday of dominance in the 1990's, from disintegrating into total irrelevance. This isn't to say that women in "the scene" are any less subject to the violence, offenses, and injustices that women have been subject to throughout human history. Going by the stats on assault, we have to assume that most male sexual assaulters continue to be protected in all social circles, even as many others are called out. Every manner of irritation still comes at women in indie circles. Seasoned musicians are given unsoliticed tips, male reviewers overtly or subtly focus on the artist's appearance over her music, and womanhood is frequently perceived as a genre unto itself, as the old maxim decries. The maginalization of women and, more broadly speaking, femme performativity in indie music isn't just bad for equity/equality, it's bad for music itself. And likewise, feminism is as important a practice in aesthetics as it is in politics. I don't want to miss out on a great experience of new music because I'm too busy staring at the ass of the person making it, or, on the other end of the spectrum, puffing up my ego because I fancy myself so enlightened to be enjoying this woman just for her music. I just want to hear the music, not myself. I hear myself all fucking day long. And I really hope I'm not rare in the world of indie rock, and the world generally. Women can shout until their voices give, but if men aren't going to finally let them into the spaces they're banned from, both physically and psychologically, and commit to cease a whole range of violent thought and behavior toward women, ranging from mere dismissal of their minds to actual murder, nothing's going to happen. Feminism is a task for everyone, and you don't have to march in a single protest or call out a creep online or whatever to do good work. The struggle in your own head, and how it plays out in small ways, might be your own greatest work. Or maybe, if you're Hunter Skowron of Dazzleships Records, you'll put out a compilation of some of Portland's choicest woman-fronted bands, and donate all the proceeds to Raphael House, a local non-profit providing a safe haven from domestic violence. Skowron has assembled a diverse collection of some of the choicest woman-fronted bands Portland's indie rock/pop scene has to offer. Though the excellent sequencing might make it less apparent, these artists have little to do with each other within the indie pop/rock spectrum and probably won't be together on the same compilation if it had a different theme, but this only makes it all the more interesting of a listen. It opens with the dark horses Skull Diver, who've generated signicant buzz since their arrival without--at least it appears to me--relying on the kind of neopotism we all know about... I know them best for their dirgey tragic numbers, but this tune, "Bad Star", feels more like Depeche Mode. Nonetheless, it still drenches you with the Skull Diver house mood of melancholic defiance, and it's a great way to open the record. Mini Blinds comes next, shrinking the paranoramic picture frame of Skull Diver to something more akin to an 18 inch cathode ray TV, a sound more like classic 80's and 90's indie pop. There's a bittersweet quality in singer Beth Ann Dear, and while song sounds kind of cute at first, the angst can be felt quietly rumbling beneath the surface. The title, "Happy" feels ironic, but I might be picking up the wrong vibes. Cat Hoch comes next, offering up a surprising pure pop tune rooted in very 80's-sounding synths, radically different from her early solo material, which was 60's-rooted, meandering, guitar-based psych pop well-suited to driving through the desert. This new track, "Say You Love Me", is bouncy and charming--you could almost imagine Jane Fonda using it as a background track for one of her aerobics videos. But what's most interesting is how Hoch's ethereal, almost completely breathy voice, a strength of her music from day one, has mostly remained the same in this new environment, where it's so different from what Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Debbie Gibson might do over such a backing track. It's a little lighter and freer than the old Hoch, but it retains a lot of that wide-eyed mystical aura, making for an oddly delightful confection. Natasha Kmeto comes next, one of the more high-profile artists in a city whose best acts are often content to never venture beyond the West Coast. "Your Girl" is a primo piece of contemporary electronic pop dreaminess that gives me the impression of a glacier slowly melting, becoming grander and grander as its heart shrinks more and more. It's the kind of song you listen to in your car when you're heartbroken, outside your ex's house to get the last of your stuff and you just can't go in because you're sobbing. Okay that was random, anyway... Rilla, a group I've been personally familiar for several years due to connections with the Toads, contributes "Side Sleeper", an excellent example of their unique sound, strongly focused on instrumental interactions between the two guitars and bass that remind me so much of the perky melodicism of 8-bit video games, but without the stiffness--actually, Rilla can be quite romantic, and this song is one of those. Voices, almost ghostly, drift in and out, abstract commentary on the web woven by the guitars. They're excellent at structuring songs, departing from verse-chorus-verse and often making it seem like the tunes have more parts than they really do. Call it sleight of time. Johanna Warren takes us on another 180 with a self-probing folk song, which feels to me, sonically at least, like a complement to the Natasha Kmeto song two tracks ago, but in an acoustic instead of electronic mode. Warren's voice lingers on each syllable of her lyrics, compelling as much with her phrasing as the pensive fingerpicked guitar and spooky piano notes do, and most of all the negative space that engulfs the song like mist. DANDAN returns us to the realm of synths with a mostly instrumental track that sounds like music in a groovy retro-futuristic lounge on the planet Saturn. I wonder if this band is familiar with Dick Hyman and his album "Moon Gas", because I'm getting hard vibes in that direction. Next is one of the best Blackwater Holylight, "Sunrise", which I've described in my recent review of their first album. Laura Palmer's Death Parade, whose frontwoman Laura Hopkins is also a member of Blackwater Holylight, brings of the rear of her other band's song, contributing "Scrollin". Driven by a harsh, spikey electric rhythm guitar, it's a tune of romantic frustration, building in tension as Hopkins increases the vulnerability and resentment in her voice before it trails down in abject defeat. Her lover is gone, leaving her to be "destroyed by the light of [her] phone", a thoroughly modern sort of misery. A quicky and satisfying piece of songwriting. Haste brings up the energy a bit with "Let's Play with Ourselves", pushed along by a modified "Be My Baby" or maybe "Maps" beat, bobbing up and down for the most part on two chords (save for a bridge), like a little boat at sea. Singer Jasmine Linee Wood delivers a sleepy but heartfelt performance playing off the bands's rhythm section provides the consistent pulse, conveying maybe the purest expression of melancholy on an album that seems suffused with that emotion. Sheers, on of the city's most mysterious and unique pop acts, closes the album with her harp-driven song "An Occasion", offering a fine example of her jazz-inflected curiosities. I've also written about her music at length recently, so I won't repeat here, except to say it's a major highlight of this album. It's really a perfect closer to this overcast hashish dream of a record, which should be a welcome companion to get you through the rest of this Northwest winter. As I said, melancholy is the predominant note mood-wise in this collection, but there are so many flavors and states of it that it doesn't really feel as monochomatic as you might think. How good of a represenation of women musicians in town is it? Fuck if I know. I do know every song is great, and every song was made by women, so take that for whatever, in the end, it really means. AN ADDITIONAL NOTE: This is a long meditative post because I've reached the end of a year in which I promised to center bands and artists who were not white, cishet, or male. I ended up, due perhaps to a lack of adventurousness on my part and Portland indie rock's already poor diversity, mostly writing about white cishet women, but regardless of who I was writing about I ended up appreciating all the more the contributions of non-white, non-cishet, non-male folks in our music community. Mostly, I wish i had written more of anything on the blog this year, but you know how shit goes. In 2019 I'm going to go back to writing about whoever moves me regardless of identity cluster. Restricting white cis men didn't didn't feel any different, mostly, but maybe it's not supposed to. It's probably true that I wrote about a bunch of people I would have put on the back burner, and that's pretty good.

[moreartworkandstuff]

Artist Research

Majority of my Artistic influences aren’t politically based, I love not only their respectful choice of subjects, but also their flow. They make work talking about the important things, the subjects people tend to miss and not make an effort to talk about. The fact that their are people who do write about the overlooked important subjects are important and although all of these artists, alongside myself don’t all talk about the same thing, we all share the same values when it comes to society. Be respectful, be thankful, no one is no more important than another, listen, stay understanding and always be open to learning someone else’s story.

George the poet

As an artist who grew up surrounded by wealth, George the poet is one of few who understand and sympathise with those who weren’t as fortunate as him. So often is it that money allows people to become ignorant as they become selfish, however George is selfless and one willing to share. George grew up in North-West London and started writing rap and grime at the age 15. After school George went on to study at Cambridge University which is one of the most intellectually based Universities in all of the world. While studying his outlook on music changed as he realised that he had something to give to the community, which was his poetry, however he altered his style of work more so to spoken word to appear to a wider audience. He explained that he didn’t want to come across as if he was creating his work for wealth, he wanted to make it clear that his work is to inspire others and create great experiences for them.

Giving back to the community is always something people are praised for, rarely is it that people share things as majority of people are un-admittedly selfish. While at University George won a social enterprise prize of £16,000 and actually used this money to help fund a poetry workshop for less fortunate children in order for them to make the most of their education.  

Moving on from typical rap and current grime trends George’s choice of subjects when it comes to creating material has evolved. As opposed to rapping about stereotypical things, his new work expresses emotions, relationships and long term  goals. One of his most popular tracks “Cat D” talks about cars and how although they may appear in good condition, all cars haven’t passed an MOT at one time in their existence. Some cars have been in crashes and are repaired, some are still usable but the body work in damaged. It’s one huge metaphor for people. Anyone can cover up problems, some worse than others. What he was trying to push across to the audience is that treat everyone with love like a car and it’ll look after you and just because you can’t see someones problem(s) doesn’t mean they don’t exist. The most powerful line which gives me shivers is “So you don’t know what they been through, and it’s hard to get the facts, yeah but they might look good, but any car can get a wax”. It seems that whenever us humans apply ourselves to physical objects, it allows us to understand them a lot more. Say if I said “ You don’t know what anyone has lived through, anyone can put on a brave face”. Now although it makes sense, it doesn’t hit you, as you don’t have to think about it, But when its put in another form, say a car, you have to think about it to apply it back to us and then it hits you because you’ve had to think about it. Powerful stuff.

One other piece which shows George's work at its best is a track he has other artists featured on. These artists include Jorja Smith and Maverick Sabre. The piece is called “Follow the leader” and it talks about how self love and learning from your mistakes is important to following your dreams and aspirations. This bar really sums up the piece for me, “Chat about progress, they say it’s a process, but I want it right now” he goes on to say “So I gotta...live this way to play the boss you gotta pay the cost and that cost may come as a major loss”. Alongside some soulful backing from the other artists it gives the feel of self respect and self love.

Suli breaks

Suli is very much a typical poet, his work ignores beats, and the words come from the heart. You gain a real sense of honesty through the words he uses. As a son of immigrant parents Suli was brought up surrounded in rich culture which highly valued education. Suli attended a grammar school in his childhood before attending Sheffield University to study law. As a well educated young man, Suli was approached by NCS (National Citizen Service) to be a representative for them in order to encourage teenagers ages 15-17 to join. NCS is an experience created by the government in order for young people to not only learn new things and make friends, but also as a way to mature over the summer holidays. From learning how to work in teams to creating fundraisers for charity, NCS is incredible in developing young people and preparing them for life. By Suli pairing up with them shows he cares about others and it’s not just all words in his work, he does actually have a heart.

Suli has had two viral videos which has help earn him his name. I can remember when I first saw them and because of them they inspired me to write my own material, this is going back 5-6 years now and I’m thankful for them as it wouldn’t of fuelled my creativity to make my own work. Suli’s first viral piece was called “Why I Hate School, But Love Education”. It attracted millions of views all across social network sites and touched the hearts of many struggling school children. The piece was created to rip apart the education system and for Suli to explain how its unfair. Even from his own words “Education is about inspiring one’s mind, not just filling one’s head”. Since its upload it has reached nearly 9 Million views on Youtube and for someone who didn’t promote it or have it produced professionally, that’s incredible.

The second viral video was to be a year later, despite him realising other tracks since his last viral video. This piece is called “I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate||Spoken Word”. It’s about how by simply writing outside of the box your given in an exam can fail you. It’s about how that by remembering facts for an exam and then forgetting them afterwards still leads to you being graded as smart. The whole piece is practically an elaboration on his first viral video. He powerfly goes on to say “How many equations, subjects, dates did you memories just before an exam, to never use again”. It’s all true. There are people out there with qualifications who are technically not worthy of them as they have forgotten the knowledge. I’m guilty of that. What stands out the most to me is when he says “Test us with tests, but the finals are never final. Because they never test us for the biggest test which is survival “. This is too true, we get taught the cells in a leaf but not how to apply for a mortgage or how to get a good credit score. We’re taught posh words for weather in geography but not how politics work. That’s the thing I admire about Suli’s work and so do others and its that he speaks to the audience with understanding of having been in their shoes and when it comes to creating powerful work that connects with people emotionally, this is important.

DAVE

From rags to riches, DAVE  is one of the most up and coming artists of the UK rap scene. From collaborating with Drake to featuring in the London Nike advert alongside Grime King Skepta, DAVE is certainly doing well. The pure sense of raw in DAVE’s work gives him the edge among others, as only at 19 he has experienced a lot and has had to grow really rather quickly. Losing a brother to murder and living paycheck to paycheck has allowed DAVE to channel his emotions into his work and that’s what brings the audience in. Majority of his work is very much a play on words, the use of well known references help him to appear to a wider audience, but also add fun to his work, no matter the subject matter. Subject matters range from money to politics and politics to murder, the true extent of DAVE’s own life experiences are enough to leave you blown away. Pieces such as “How I met my ex” are more about the words than the beat. “And as months went by we both got into it, and intimate. And I'ma spare you the details 'cause both of our parents are probably listening. But really we were into it. Into us, into this”. It’s not your typical type of rap, its respectful and somewhat toned down to common rap stereotypes. That’s what I personally love about DAVE, the way he favours words over beats allows you to appreciate his creations.

He’s very much a storyteller when it comes to his bars. They make sense, you go along this emotional journey alongside him. Another piece called “Hangman” is more so about how only yourself can truly look after yourself. One bar that really hits me is “When we were young we had dreams of being bosses. Ballers, doctors, lawyers in an office. So how did that turn into dropping out of college. Snaps in a prison cell, bodies in a coffin”. The way there is a beat created by the rhythm of the words and the simplicity of the actual story telling to the point it actually makes sense allows you to feel it. Despite these subjects being rather common in music, DAVE stepped out of the room of people assuming his work and he created a piece called “Question time”. Question time was created out of unanswered questions and suppressed anger at the Tory Government. DAVE maintains a constant sense of literal anger in his words, such as “I mean you never gave a fuck about the youth and that’s the truth, there's no sympathy for you or your cabinet. I really wish I could see how you were scrambling, when you lost the referendum that you had to win”. The rawness of the words helps DAVE express how every other young person is feeling. He’s not being rude, he’s simply saying it how it is and that’s something that’s really helped inspire me with my work.

Akala

Akala is by far one of the most respected artist about, though having said that he hasn’t blown up like many other rappers as a lot of his work is historically and politically based. You’ll never see him rapping about guns or money, but as someone who is mixed race and experience a rather interesting life you’ll always see him talking about institutional racism and broken empires. I’m not exaggerating when I say that he’s work is worthy of being classed as audio books. The amount of knowledge the man has, and which he puts into his work is incredible.

Akala first started to create music in 2003 and has been consistent ever since. Not only is he a rapper/poet, he is also an author, radio host and political activist. His own book “Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire” talks about life as a British black man. It’s a great read. One of his early tracks called “ Find No Enemy” is something you have to listen to on repeat in order to appreciate it as you start to notice new things each time. The piece is morealess a broad breakdown of everything wrong with modern man. Having listened to it on repeat myself I can always find myself enjoying the bar “Tired of everyday filling up my car, and knowing that i’m paying for those bombs in Iraq”. This track was back in 2011 when we were still had conflict in Iraq. Now we have conflict in Syria which is something DAVE addresses in “Question Time”. The amount of information squeezed into Akala’s work is incredible. Not only that but the fact that the man is commonly a guest on political panel shows and news shows for his intellect is by far a huge achievement.

Bibliography:

Online video, George The Poet - Cat D, 2015

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded on 16/02/15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJY1XYHaiEY

Online video, George The Poet, Maverick Sabre - Follow The Leader ft. Jorja Smith, 2018

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded on 23/02/18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy3GNY8yMYo

Online video, Suli Breaks - Why I Hate School, But Love Education [Official Spoken Word Video], 2012

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded on 02/12/12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ZmM7zPLyI

Online video, I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate||Spoken Word, 2013

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded on 14/04/13

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-eVF_G_p-Y

Online audio, Dave- How I Met My Ex , 2017

Soundcloud, Online audio website, Uploaded on 01/12/17

https://soundcloud.com/user-841695344/dave-how-i-met-my-ex

Online video, Dave - Hangman, 2018

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded on 27/02/18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAS8zQt6Wik

Online video, Dave - Question Time, 2017

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded on 09/10/17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ff6CjYBhoI

Online shopping, Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire, 2018

Amazon, Online shopping website, Written 17/05/18

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Natives-Class-Empire-Sunday-Bestseller/dp/1473661218/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1528831076&sr=1-1&keywords=ruins+of+the+empire

Online video, AKALA - FIND NO ENEMY (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO), 2011

Youtube, Online video website, Uploaded 31/03/11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=LjvUMr1-AAU

[asentientlife-blog]

A Spiritual Journey, Part III - Rebirth

Note to the reader: this is the third part of a series of three articles about my spiritual journey. You can find the first one at this link and the second one here. I was 18 by now and with school over, a world of endless possibilities had just opened in front of me.  Together with my study and career projects, my religious path was now set on a new course. Openly critical, but now respectful, of the Catholic religion, I started exploring its different derivations, but also its origins. I was fascinated by how Judaism transformed into Christianity or, more recently, how Protestantism was born from Martin Luther’s refusal of the Roman Church. I was deeply interested in these matters but for a while, it became more of an academic exploration than a religious one. I thought I could see how these changes were often generated by a political agenda and not a sense of religious purpose, and I noticed this in many religious institutions across history, first and foremost the Roman Catholic Church. I also grew more aware of the historical eras in which these religions developed, and in particular that Christianity, for how one of the most widespread and followed, was not the first and surely not the last one to be invented. From the Egyptian Gods to Kopimism, new religious are being born every day, and almost all of them claim to be the right or only one. Again, I don’t intend to generalise here. This is simply my interpretation of how my discovery process unfolded. I strongly believe anybody could look at the same information I had looked at and come to completely different conclusions. At any rate, my research continued and as I discovered more, my curiosity grew further. With it, a familiar stir in my soul began to unravel, like something was still missing from the equation. I thought I had found my spiritual dimension in the purpose of discovery, but a personal connection to the spiritual had gone missing in the process. To subdue my anger towards the divine, I had conceptualised divinity almost completely. If there was a God, I was determined to find Him, but in the process, all options were open. Scepticism and relativism were what saved my religious views from fading into some of my friends’ (in my opinion) unsubstantiated atheism. But something peculiar then happened. I met Emily (not her real name),  my now ex-girlfriend, and we were both very interested in each other and equally uninterested in discussing religion. I had just come out of my rebellious period and she had her reasons, too. We enjoyed our time together and talked about many things, but for a long while religion was almost never a subject of our talks, and it was fine for both of us. After a while though, I met her family and came to know that her mother was a very religious woman. She believed in a particular form of Evangelism and was very passionate about it. The first few months I interacted with her family, we discussed university matters, music and the weather, and amidst the typical awkwardness and expectations of impressing your partner’s parents, one lunch followed the other in an uneventful fashion. One day, as Emily was getting ready for us to leave the house, I noticed a booklet - the Gospel of John - open on the kitchen table, certain parts were underlined with a pencil.  You see, this could not mean much to you, but my parents always did this thing of highlighting and taking notes on the Bible, so this struck me as a more than familiar quirk. Emily’s mom noticed my gaze was pensive, hovering on the open booklet and she asked: “are you alright?” “I’m okay,” I remember answering, “just, my parents do that all the time.” From there, a series of careful questions issued on her side, which in time led to me picking up a Bible after a while, and most importantly, talk to my parents about religion again. I perhaps need to clarify here that I had already started discussing with them certain religious matters, but it was mostly about me exposing my ideas and them answering that the Christian doctrine interpreted certain things differently, or ultimately required me to have faith. I had faith in my research skills then, and for this very reason I could not and would not stop exploring.  Whatever the case, during the next few weeks, Emily’s mother brought to my attention certain elements of the Catholic doctrine and their “incoherence”. There were certain passages in the Bible that could possibly be interpreted but in one way. The most striking one was about Priests’ celibacy. As you might be aware, according to Catholicism, Priests and Bishops cannot get married. Well, what Emily’s mother showed me was quite the opposite. “Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)” (Timothy 3:1-5) When I brought this to my family’s attention, they mentioned how this might have been the case in the Judaic society but that religions evolve and adapt with time. So I asked why would they follow certain ancient teachings then. My father answered saying that righteous men are able to discern the Word of God from those of false prophets, and that was only rational that, in order to survive to the pressure of the state throughout the centuries, the Church had to retain their material possession that would have otherwise been dilapidated, if Priests would have been allowed to marry. He also said the Church may not have behaved in an irreproachable fashion throughout history, but they have helped and still do, many poor and disadvantaged people around the world, and they would not be able to do so without funds. I could see the logic behind this reasoning, but I would not accept this faith and believe with all my heart in something so liable to change as personal interpretations.  I found a few more of these which I believed to be manifestations of incoherence, and once again dismissed Christianity as a possible harbour for my soul to dock, this time with some of its variants, too. But my spirit had awoken again, and I felt a renewed sensation of belonging to something bigger, higher.  I was almost completely sure by now that, if a God was to be found somewhere, He must be among us, and not above. The impossibility of determining a God’s existence is unfortunately absolute for us humans. It’s ultimately a matter of faith and on whom we choose to put it. After those events, I chose to put my faith in humanity. Of course, people have hurt their fellow beings since the dawn of history. It’s sadly part of our nature, and the survival of the fittest is often a reality in the animal world as well as in the human one.  However, humans are also capable of incredible deeds, heroism beyond compare and a desire to help one another so deeply embedded in us that is impossible to get rid of and sometimes even hard to comprehend. Instead of blaming God for the world’s evils, I started blaming men. Instead of thanking him for humanity’s achievements, I praised the men and women who did achieve those victories. And I can honestly say now that felt liberating. It took me a while to fully embrace this view. When something really bad happened to me, I could not help to look at the stormy sky and plead for help or scream in anger and fear. When something too good to be true was in sight, I smiled to myself thinking that someone was giving me that extra push. In time, however, and in a lengthy and painful process that is still taking place today, I managed to find my spiritual dimension.  And I say spiritual (and not religious) because it was after that realisation that I started to try and get in touch with my inner self. I was interested in Buddhism for a while but soon found that abandoning all of my physical desires, for how reinvigorating it could be for your mind, it was not what I needed. I wanted to burn with passion for a cause, to devote my soul to something, just like my parents had done.  Meditation throughout these years has helped me channel my desires and energies, and it’s, therefore, an invaluable tool without which I wouldn’t have been able to get where I am. Writing has also been an important tool in my spiritual development. Jotting down thoughts and ideas whenever I needed helped to shape my beliefs and strengthen my inner self. After all these years of research, though I may have found my spiritual stability at the moment, I’m more aware than ever that this may just be the first step of a new adventure and that much is yet to be discovered.   Read the full article